[R18] Will drink wine – “About Wine” Chapter 29 [English]

Chapter 29 Destiny

Shen Zechuan said: “Oh.”

Xiao Chiye didn’t wait for the expected answer. He looked back at he and said, “Why don’t you refute?”

Shen Zechuan raised his hand to open the umbrella and said, “I have neither father, brother, nor acquaintances at home, so why go back?”

Xiao Chiye picked up the handkerchief and wiped the water on the back of his neck, stood up and said, “Yes, Dunzhou Jianxing Palace has been evacuated. Based on your status, you will be reviled by thousands of people when you go back.”

“So it’s fate?” Shen Zechuan looked at Xiao Chiye quietly, paused for a long time, and then said, “If the pregnancy is not good, you will suffer.”

Xiao Chiye didn’t look at he, raised his arm and wiped the raindrops from his forehead, and said, “Then why are you still alive?”

Shen Zechuan smiled and said, “Thousands of people want me dead, but if I let others have their way, wouldn’t I feel very uncomfortable?”

Xiao Chiye said: “The only way to survive is for you to stay in Zhaosu Temple.”

Shen Zechuan took two steps, walked around the puddle on the ground, and said: “If I stay in Zhaosu Temple, you will think that beheading is a good place for me. Xiao Chiye, even if you try your best to hide it, you are used to looking down. You are no different from the people who are looking down on you today. Such layers of gaze now make you feel extremely painful.”

he laughed out loud and patted Xiao Chiye’s heart lightly.

“I am seeking to live, you are seeking to die. The Xiao family once trapped me, and the Li family trapped you now. Are the things in this world strange? A bird in a cage misses the old forest, a fish in a pond misses its old abyss [1], your life gate has been exposed from the beginning to the end. If you can’t go back, you will be a waste with nothing but Ling Yunzhi. The most regrettable thing in the world is to tame a wolf into a dog. In the capital, how long can your fangs be sharp?”

“You followed me during the autumn hunting.” Xiao Chiye turned his head and looked at him, “You saved my life just for this pleasure?”

“I am such an insignificant ant.” Shen Zechuan said softly, “You can still live even if I don’t show up.”

“What do you want to do?” Xiao Chiye said as his drunkenness subsided.

“Repay the favor.” Shen Zechuan’s umbrella covered Xiao Chiye, he was so close, “Repay your kindness for not killing me.”

Xiao Chiye suddenly grabbed Shen Zechuan’s collar and said, “I think you should change your past and be a good person.”

“What mistake did I make?” The light in Shen Zechuan’s eyes was colder than the autumn rain. He even took a step closer, almost leaning against him, and asked Xiao Chiye, “What mistake did I make?”

“When you crawled out of the Chashi Tiankeng, didn’t you take a look at the Duanzhou cities?” Xiao Chiye tightened his fingers, “Eight cities were slaughtered, and the horses’ hooves stepped into the city gates, and all the blood was splashed.”

“Shen Wei was defeated.” Shen Zechuan finally tore off his disguise, revealing his boiling hatred, “Forty thousand people from Zhongbo were buried in the tea stone tiankeng! I killed my eldest brother and my wife on that day, so what’s wrong with me?”

“Shen Wei deserves to be killed!” Xiao Chiye also lost his sense of control and slammed Shen Zechuan against the wall and said, “Shen should be killed! Your surname is Shen! How can you be right?!”

The umbrella rolled on the ground, and Shen Zechuan hit the wall. He was lifted up by Xiao Chiye so hard that his toes could not reach the ground. He raised his leg and stomped on Xiao Chiye’s chest.Xiao Chiye took a few steps back in pain, but did not let go of his hand. He grabbed Shen Zechuan by the collar and threw him to the ground.

The rain that had been pouring suddenly turned heavy and started to fall in splatters.There was a crashing sound in the dark alley, and the overturned debris was trampled underfoot.

The sisters who were waiting for someone in Xiangyunfang were alerted. They all held their wooden clogs and held the door to look around.

“Why are we fighting!” Xiangyun hurriedly put on her coat and put on her clogs and rushed over, “You two gentlemen! If you have something to say, let’s talk it over. Why is it worth taking action!”

Shen Zechuan was riding a man and punched Xiao Chiye, causing him to tilt his head.Xiao Chiye grabbed Shen Zechuan’s wrist and pulled him close to him. He licked the blood between his teeth with his tongue and said, “No one can have an easy time with you or me!”

Xiangyun had already summoned the handymen and worked together to drag the two of them away.Xiao Chiye raised his arms, and the five big and three rough handymen felt numb.However, Xiao Chiye did not pounce on him again. He raised his fingers to wipe the wounds on his face and said, “Get away.”

Seeing that something was not going well, Xiangyun signaled the servant to go to the palace to summon people.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Chiye said: “I will break the legs of anyone who dares to disturb my father!”

Xiangyun’s voice softened and she said smoothly: “What are you doing? The second young master is usually the most compassionate and cherishes the beautiful girl. Why did he scare the girl tonight? It’s common for men to quarrel after drinking. Let’s just forget about it. Let’s laugh away our grudges.”

Xiao Chiye stood up, took off his dirty robe, threw it to Xiangyun, and said, “Go in.”

Xiangyun hugged her outer robe and persuaded: “Second Young Master, it’s so cold outside…”

She gradually dared not say a word, waved quietly to the sisters, and led the others back through the door.But this time the door was not closed tightly, and all the girls stood by the door and window to peek.

Shen Zechuan picked up the umbrella and was extremely dirty.he was caught in the rain, and the strands of hair stuck to his cheeks, making his skin tone even whiter.

“Next time,” Shen Zechuan said, “if you want to find me, go directly to the door. I may not walk down this alley only once in eight hundred years.”

“If I knew you passed here,” Xiao Chiye said, “I wouldn’t come here even if I vomited in the house.”

Shen Zechuan laughed sarcastically and said, “That’s really a narrow road for enemies.”

Xiao Chiye walked towards him: “I will keep an eye on you from now on.”

“You have too much time to take care of yourself, and you still worry about me like this.” Shen Zechuan raised his umbrella and distanced himself, “The centipede is dead but not stiff. It is simply wishful thinking to defeat the Hua family in an autumn hunt.”

“You’d better find a way to save your life.” Xiao Chiye held the umbrella against his chest and stared at him, “How long can you live without the Queen Mother as a guarantee?”

“The people sitting in the Long Court have been replaced.” Shen Zechuan said, “Isn’t it time for a change in what you take for granted?”

“You can’t kill anyone.” Xiao Chiye said, “The people who owe you are the Biansha Cavalry and Shen Wei.”

“What you say is what you say.” Shen Zechuan put on that gentle coat again, took back his umbrella, and said softly to Xiao Chiye, “Can I listen to you?”

Xiao Chiye’s unknown fire suddenly rose, and he said, “Okay, then you will stay with me tonight.”

“Lying in the warm soft jade tent.” Shen Zechuan said, “Do you still have the habit of sharing a bed with others? Sorry, I don’t.”

No matter how Xiao Chiye looks at him now, he always looks like he wants to do bad things, so he said: “What are you hiding from? It doesn’t matter what I say, it will be whatever you say!”

“Are you,” Shen Zechuan pointed at his head, “are you dizzy?”

“All the idle members of Jinyiwei have been incorporated into the Forbidden Army.” Xiao Chiye said, “Who is the confused person?”

Shen Zechuan paused for a moment and said, “What does the Governor want me to do?”

There were still red marks on Xiao Chiye’s cheeks. The anger in his brows disappeared and he turned into the lazy look of a gangster. He turned around and sat on the corridor under the eaves, pointing at his boots.

Shen Zechuan slowly moved the corners of his lips towards he and said, “Okay.”

Early the next morning, Chen Yang came to pick him up and was startled when he saw Shen Zechuan holding the Langlu knife at the gate of Xiangyunfang.

Shen Zechuan stood up straight against the door and saluted Chen Yang.

Chen Yang felt bad for a moment and asked: “Shen… why is Tiqi here?”

“Ji Lei has not yet been sentenced to prison.” Shen Zechuan said, “The Jinyi Guards are temporarily acting as forbidden troops and are under the supervision of the Governor.”

Chenyang looked at He’s calm face and felt his scalp numb. He nodded slightly and hurried upstairs.

Shen Zechuan watched he go upstairs. Xiangyun was coming down with her skirt in hand and said pitifully: “You haven’t eaten yet? You haven’t changed these dirty clothes yet. Lingting——”

The girl upstairs looked tired and leaned on the railing and said, “Why is mom still called Lingting? She always forgets that the little girl has been redeemed.”

Xiangyun just woke up from a dream and said, “I’m used to being called out! Bring some food to Master Tiqi.”

When Chen Yang entered the door, he saw Xiao Chiye still sleeping on the couch with no one waiting on him, so he stepped forward and called softly: “Governor, Governor?”

Xiao Chiye buried his face tiredly, fell asleep for a while, then suddenly sat up and asked, “Why is it you? Where is Shen Lanzhou!”

“You’re guarding downstairs, Governor…what’s wrong with your face?” Chen Yang asked in shock.

“Hunting.” Xiao Chiye sat down and moved his shoulders and arms, and asked, “Brother asked you to call me?”

“It’s the prince.” Chen Yang said, “I received the letter early in the morning. The Shaqiu Mutual Market was robbed by the Biansha Cavalry last night. We will go to the palace to discuss it in detail later. Mr. Haige has summoned the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Households. We are going to use troops again in Libei.”

Xiao Chiye wiped his face with water and immediately stepped out of the door.When he went downstairs, he saw Shen Zechuan and a girl next to each other. He stepped down in a few steps, grabbed the plate from behind, and threw the cake into his mouth.

Shen Zechuan looked at he and said, “Eat slowly, it’s too late to save you if you choke.”

Xiao Chiye swallowed it all, smiled at him, raised his arm and put it directly on his shoulders, led the people out, and said, “Lan Zhou…”

Shen Zechuan looked at he.

he said frivolously: “Why is there still an overnight feud? I forgot all about sleeping. Let’s go, the second young master will take you to have some fun.”

Shen Zechuan slapped He’s hand away with the scabbard and said, “Second Young Master, don’t take the opportunity to touch the back of my neck.”

* * *

Many people gathered in Meiglido.

Li Jianheng stayed on the dragon chair and did not dare to move. He first tried to figure out Hai Liangyi’s expression with his eyes, and then moved to others, trying his best to look dignified.

“Nowadays, the position of eunuch Bingbi, the Chief of Ceremonies, is empty. The accounts of each ministry have been sent to the cabinet. Before signing, the senior ministers must submit them to the emperor first.” Hai Liangyi first said to Li Jianheng, “How does the emperor feel about last night’s accounts?”

Li Jianheng spent the last night holding a beauty and listening to the pipa. When Hai Liangyi kowtowed, he moved his butt with a guilty conscience and said, “Okay, okay!”

Xue Xiuzhuo, who was kneeling behind him, was originally expressionless, but after hearing these words, he slowly frowned.

Hai Liangyi waited for a while, and when he saw that Li Jianheng had no intention of speaking again, he said: “The autumn frost is heavy now. If Li Bei wants to use troops, he must submit a military salary advance from Qidu. Your Majesty, how much do you need this time?”

Xiao Fangxu smiled and said, “I have been ill for a long time, and the important military affairs have been entrusted to Ji Ming. If Ji Ming is short of money, you can tell Mr. Ge.”

Xiao Jiming kowtowed and said: “The Twelve Biansha tribes are robbing the market now because the winter snow is about to fall and the Biansha tribes have run out of food and can only rob each other’s markets. In previous years, Libei military fields provided their own supplies and did not need baggage support. But this year after the death of the late emperor, the Biansha Twelve tribes most likely want to take advantage of the situation. If they want to send troops, they must not only expel the country, but also station troops to guard against it. I have submitted the required amount to the Ministry of Household Affairs.”

The new Minister of Household Affairs took out the document and Shuanglu forwarded it to Li Jianheng.

Li Jianheng looked at it for a moment and said: “One million two hundred thousand taels, what’s the problem? Just don’t let the soldiers suffer from cold or hunger.”

Qian Jin, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, looked a little embarrassed and said: “The emperor doesn’t know something… The vacancy from last year has not been filled, and there is not so much money in the treasury all of a sudden.”

Li Jianheng said: “One million taels would be fine.”

Qian Jin kowtowed and said, “Qiu Lie spent 230,000 taels on dispatching the eight battalions, and the late emperor… 540,000 taels. The remaining money from the treasury is still needed to pay the arrears of salary to the officials in Qudu. The end of the year is about to come, and the civil servants will celebrate the New Year. There is definitely not one million taels. Your Majesty, only 600,000 taels can be allocated to the Libei Iron Cavalry.”

Li Jianheng really didn’t expect that he would be poor one day even if he became an emperor.He originally wanted to sell Li Bei a favor and appease Xiao Chiye, but he didn’t know he had no money. He was so embarrassed that he wanted to get under the table and hummed a few times vaguely.

Minglitang was quiet for a moment.

Xue Xiuzhuo suddenly said: “Your Majesty, I have an idea.”

When Li Jianheng saw the reinforcements, he said: “You say it, you say it.”

Xue Xiuzhuo said: “When the Hua Party was in power, it clearly marked the price for some idle work, and refused to accept anyone who came. The amount of ‘Bing Jing’ received every year was also large. There was also Pan Rugui, who took advantage of the procurement gap to make a lot of money. These two people were imprisoned, so they might as well have copied Hua and PanThe two families subsidize military pay.Yesterday, the second son of the Xi family, Xi Hongxuan, submitted a petition to Dali Temple to accuse Xi Gu’an of raising private soldiers, and even rented out the Xi family’s house in Qudu, just to repay the empty account of the Eighth Battalion when Xi Gu’an was in office.”

When Li Jianheng heard that his house was going to be ransacked, he immediately became interested and eager to give it a try. He said, “Okay! I… I have thought so for a long time!”

Hai Liangyi pondered for a moment and said, “That’s not right. The review in Dali Temple has not ended yet. How can we go beyond the law and impose a direct verdict?”

Xue Xiuzhuo said: “At this critical moment, we are forced to have no choice. We can wait for the review, but the Biansha Cavalry will not wait. We cannot let the Libei Cavalry go to war on an empty stomach.”

Hai Liangyi was still hesitating, but Li Jianheng had already agreed.

When he came out, Xiao Jiming said to Qi Zhuyin, who had been silent just now, “How is Bian County?”

Qi Zhuyin raised his head and looked at Yan Waiyu, and said: “Lu Guangbai is still in the border county, so the Twelve Biansha tribes will naturally not move. You Libei are missing a general, which will inevitably lead to difficulties.”

Xiao Jiming stood for a while and sighed: “It’s hard to find generals.”

Qi Zhuyin said: “No matter how the situation changes, a general’s duty is to defend his family and the country. Now that it is clear, generals are rare and difficult to cultivate. Libei is a critical defense area on the border of the Great Zhou Dynasty. If you don’t choose a successor, it will only be bad for Libei.”

It is the original intention of each of us to be a strong general and become the iron wall of the Great Zhou Dynasty.But a person will always grow old, and the life of the entire army depends on one person. It only takes a few years. In more than ten years, or even decades, it is inevitable that the Libei Iron Cavalry will become Xiao Ji.

If the Libei Iron Cavalry loses Xiao Jiming one day, what will happen to such an army that has maintained its prestige on the battlefield for decades?

“I know you have high hopes for A Ye.” Qi Zhuyin walked down the steps and slowly turned back, “But he is destined to not fly out of Qudu. You have put your eyes on him all these years, even if you didn’t say it, didn’t he notice? Every time you look forward to it, he will suffer. Libei is not his wings, but his cage. Now that you and I have been friends for many years, I advise you to choose someone else.”

The eaves of the palace in the distance were shrouded in mist, and the lone crow crowed a few times, then fell silent again.