On the evening of New Year's Eve, the emperor ordered the palace gates to be opened wide, and the ministers were entertained to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new together with the ministers.

In the huge imperial garden, the palace lanterns are hung high, and the curtains are hung high, full of festive atmosphere everywhere.

There are banquets in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, singing and dancing, drums and music, and the aroma of wine overflowing;

The emperor was overwhelmed with alcohol, and left the table first, but without the emperor's restraint, the ministers were even more unscrupulous, and they were all drunk.

Duan Yannian sat under his father, watching his father and his colleagues complimenting each other and drinking against each other with disinterest.

He looked left and right, always wanting to stay on General Cen's side for a while longer.

Cen Yuan was sitting behind General Cen, leaning on his chin, holding a wine glass, casually looking at the officials in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and when his eyes swept past Duan Xiang, he directly met Duan Yannian's eyes.

Duan Yannian was taken aback, feeling as if he was being caught by the owner of the voyeur. He quickly looked away, lowered his head in a panic, and concealedly grabbed the wine glass on the case and drank it down, but he was choked by the spicy wine. I couldn't stop coughing.

Cen Yuan was also taken aback for a moment, and then he couldn't help but chuckled when he saw his series of behaviors that were trying to cover up.It's a pity that Duan Yannian didn't hear the loud voices in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The prince was left by the emperor to accompany the officials, and his cheeks were flushed after drinking for three rounds.

He stood up and said to all the ministers: "I can't drink alone, so I will take my leave first, everyone, please do your own thing."

After finishing speaking, he waved away the palace servants, and staggered out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony alone.

He walked out of the gate with his front foot, and Cen Yuan also stood up with his back foot, without noticing General Cen, he followed directly behind the group of officials.

Duan Yannian thought for a while, and slipped out while his father was not paying attention.

Cen Yuan really came out to look for the prince.He caught up with the prince and supported him to move forward together.Duan Yannian followed behind them not too far or too close. It was the first time he followed someone like this, and he always felt a little uneasy.

The two people in front stopped beside a sparsely populated rockery in the Imperial Garden.

The two seemed to be talking, and he didn't dare to get too close, and he couldn't hear clearly, and a few intermittent words came to his ears—something like "Xinyue", "Like"...and so on.

Without continuing to listen, he sat down slowly with his back against the rockery, his nose a little sore.The night was as cold as water, he hugged himself tightly and looked up at the stars in the sky.

After a while, there was no other sound from that side, and he couldn't help but look over again, only to see Cen Yuan pushing the prince against the rockery wall, leaning over and kissing him.

He couldn't see the expressions of the two, but after thinking about it, he knew that Cen Yuan's eyes must be full of affection.

He quickly retracted his head, not to watch this uncomfortable scene, but heard a crisp sound.

"Snapped!"

A slap hit someone in the face, and he heard the prince's high-pitched voice: "Cen Yuan! Are you crazy?!"

Duan Yannian suddenly raised his head, quietly approached them again, and then looked at them with his head.

Cen Yuan was beaten to the side of his head, and his right cheek was swollen at a speed visible to the naked eye. He said: "I am very awake. Ze Ye, what I said is true, I want to be with you The love of my life."

"What kind of love between two men...is really disgusting!"

"Heh..." Cen Yuan let out a sneer, "Do you really think that I protect you so much because I want to find a wise master?" He reached out to pick up the prince's chin, but the prince slammed it down.

"Gu is the prince! How dare you!"

"Why wouldn't I dare?!" He forcibly clamped the prince's struggling arm, leaned over and kissed it again.

Duan Yannian covered his mouth to stop the exclamation that he almost let out.

The prince bit down hard, took advantage of Cen Yuan's pain and punched him to the ground, then rode on Cen Yuan's waist and punched him hard again, Cen Yuan didn't fight back.

After getting angry, the prince stood up and straightened his appearance, and then said coldly: "What happened today, I will just pretend that nothing happened." After finishing speaking, he left in a hurry.

Duan Yannian tried his best to tighten himself, for fear of being discovered.

Fortunately, the prince was flustered and didn't pay much attention when he passed by him.

And Cen Yuan lay on the ground as if exhausted.

Following his example, Duan Yannian also quietly lay down, with his hands behind his head.

In the current situation, it is obvious that Cen Yuan expressed his heart to the prince, but the prince could not accept it, and then Cen Yuan kissed the prince forcefully, and was beaten up by the prince.

Why don't you accept it... Cen Yuan is such a good person... a scene he couldn't even imagine in his dreams happened in front of him... If it was him... he would definitely close his eyes and accept it with joy...

Then he laughed at himself, how could anyone be as despicable, dirty, and ill-intentioned as he, who would secretly follow him...

Cen Yuan lay quietly on the ground without moving, and Duan Yannian was accompanying him not far away.

The two of them were lying on the same piece of land, looking up at the same starry sky... This gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.

"boom--"

There are fireworks exploding above the head, blooming a moment of youth in the black night sky.

A new year begins.

……

People from the Ministry of Punishment said that the lieutenant who submitted the secret letter was named Luo.

It is said that Deputy General Luo rushed back to the frontier non-stop after handing in the evidence, and then came the news that Cen Yuan was executed for the crime.

The frontier is far away, and no one knows the real cause of Cen Yuan's death.

If you want to understand everything, you can only find out by going to the frontier to find out.

And Duan Yannian's concerns are also here.The frontier is far away, and it takes more than half a month to go back and forth quickly. During the time he is away, Chang'an will definitely not be able to take care of it.The people in the General's Mansion are still in prison, if the emperor takes advantage of his absence to attack the General's Mansion, then it will be truly beyond his reach.

Duan Yannian woke up early the next day, put on court clothes and prepared to go to court for the holiday.

It's been a long time since I've dressed so formally, and I'm still not used to it for a while.Chuntao tied the belt for him, and looked at his thin waist with dissatisfaction: "I have to go talk to the back chef and let them mend it for you! See how thin you have become? The official uniform is almost too thin. I can't stand it anymore!"

Duan Yannian smiled and said, "What? I don't look good in clothes?"

Chuntao's gaze shifted to those smiling eyes, as if she was staring at a pool of water and two cold stars.She blushed, but said proudly: "My son is very handsome."

Such a reasonable tone made Duan Yannian feel embarrassed.

Before dawn, Duan Yannian got into a sedan chair and was carried all the way to the gate of the palace.The servant lifted the sedan chair curtain, and he bent down and walked out.

There were a lot of people who came to the morning court, and as soon as he raised his head, he had a face-to-face meeting with Master Zhao, the Chief Sima of the Ministry of War.

When Mr. Zhao saw him, he bowed his hands and saluted: "Good morning, Mr. Duan. I heard that Mr. Duan is ill. It's just that he is busy with work and has not taken time to visit the mansion. I hope Mr. Duan will be more understanding."

On the one hand, it is true that he is in poor health; on the other hand, the emperor's dislike for him is obvious, and he has not been deposed as a prime minister until now, which is nothing more than because of his status in the court.Everyone knew the reason why he hadn't gone to court for so long, and not coming to visit was nothing more than being wise and safe.

"Master Zhao is worrying too much, thank you Mr. Zhao for your concern." Duan Yannian smiled and said indifferently.

Both of them were going to court, and they happened to be walking the same route, so they made an appointment to go forward together.

Not too far away, Mr. Zhao used the wat board to block his mouth, and said straight to the point: "Your Majesty heard that Mr. Duan found out that General Cen's case is full of doubts. I think that's why you came here today?"

Duan Yannian nodded: "Exactly."

"General Cen has a close relationship with the Ministry of War. Now His Majesty has issued an imperial decree that everyone in the Ministry of War is in danger. They are afraid that because General Cen had a good relationship with him when he was alive, he will be judged as an accomplice. Ming people don't speak dark words, and the officials are outspoken here. If Lord Duan can really prove that General Cen is innocent, it will be a good thing for our Ministry of War."

This is to indicate to him that the Ministry of War is willing to help him, but it depends on how far he can go.

Duan Yannian said: "To be honest, although I haven't found any definite evidence to prove that General Cen's treason is false, I have also found many doubts. This time, I came here to apply to His Majesty for the authority to investigate and go to the frontier to collect evidence. , and at the same time implore His Majesty to treat everyone in the General's Mansion kindly."

Mr. Zhao was thoughtful: "In this case, it will be much easier."

"How does Mr. Zhao say this?"

"Your Majesty has some connections with the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishments. If Lord Duan can make His Majesty let go and not directly sentence you when you go to the frontier, this official will be able to speak for you in the Ministry of Punishment."

This is what it means to help, Duan Yannian hastily bowed to Mr. Zhao: "Thank you Mr. Zhao for your help. When I find out the truth, I must thank Mr. Zhao."

Mr. Zhao stroked his beard and smiled softly: "Don't dare to be...don't dare to be..."

In order to avoid suspicion, the two entered the court in batches.

When Zuo Xiang saw Duan Yannian, the raised corners of his mouth dropped immediately. He snorted coldly, and stopped talking to others, and turned his head away from him.

The left minister is a clean and honest official with high morals and high prestige. He is sixty years old this year and is the head of a hundred officials who are justified.

But he is a bit pedantic in his actions, he only talks about dead principles, doesn't know how to adapt, and has a stubborn personality. He thinks that Duan Yannian, a brat, can't afford the position of right minister at all, so he never gives him any good looks.

Duan Yannian didn't want to make fun of himself, so he stood silently by Zuo Xiang's side, waiting for the emperor's arrival.

Seeing Duan Yannian early in the morning, the emperor's face obviously darkened.

After all the officials bowed down, he said unceremoniously: "Dan Qing's family is not going to investigate the case of Cen Yuan? Why do you have time to come to the court? Could it be that you just found out some clues and couldn't wait to come to Cen Yuan's case?" Have you cleared your grievances?"

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I don't listen!As long as one person reads it, I will continue to write!

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