Second minister and thief

In the near future, there will be a big banquet in Yaoxian Palace.

Ministers of civil and military affairs file in from the upper gate and sit according to their ranks.Suddenly there was a burst of fairy music playing around, which meant that the emperor was about to take the seat.Therefore, the minister in charge of the banquet led the ministers to the center from both sides to salute the emperor.

At that time Xiao Cen was already a third-rank Huaihua general, one rank higher than his father, General Yunhui, so he should be at the front of the ranks of generals.When he knelt down and stood up, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Chu Linqiu standing at the bottom of the steps with a serious face and talking to someone.

I don't know if it was because of the lighting, but Xiao Cen felt that Chu Linqiu's face was so pale that there were occasional crystal flashes on his forehead, which should be cold sweat.

What's going on here?Wasn't it fine before?

Xiao Cen suppressed the doubt in his heart reluctantly, and forced himself to look down at the ground.He thought that he could pretend that nothing happened, but what he didn't know was that the condescending emperor had already seen his excessive attention to Chu Linqiu.

With a clear expression, the emperor asked the officials a few words before sending the officials back.

Today, there is only the empress in the harem, and the rest are the emperor's relatives and foreign ministers.When the left and right queues took their seats, they glanced at each other, although their faces were peaceful, they each had their own thoughts.

Xiao Cen disdained their dealings, just bowed his head and ate the snacks and cold dishes in front of him.

Until the neon clothes are finished, the singing and dancing stop.

Emperor Wu'an held up the three-legged golden goblet and smiled at the officials, "Since I ascended the throne, Nanrong has always been a serious threat to my dynasty. Its subjects, men, women, and children, are all brave and good at fighting. In the past ten years, I have sent people many times Going deep into the hinterland, however, can't be broken for a long time. Fortunately, God's will still cares about our court and sent Xiao Qing here. Although Xiao Qing is young, he is brave and powerful, with unparalleled wisdom. He once entered and exited five times and broke countless cities. The wind of the ancestors. Xiao Qing... General Xiao! I respect you."

"I'm terrified." Xiao Cen's face was taut, and beads of sweat oozed from his forehead.He hurriedly got up, covered his face with his sleeve, and drank the fruit wine in the bottle.In an instant, his figure became a little unstable.

Xiao Cen has a problem that can't be compared with ordinary people, that is, he can drink strong wine, even after a few jars, he can talk and laugh happily, but he can't drink the fruit wine from the gentle village, he is slightly drunk after a few glasses, and he usually makes a drink. Some actions that ordinary people can't understand.

In order to avoid being disrespectful in front of the imperial court, Xiao Cen made up his mind not to drink too much alcohol today.However, he had a premonition that the emperor would not let him off easily.

Sure enough, he summoned Chu Linqiu, said a few words in a low voice, and then raised his voice, "Jiu Shang, give Xiao Qing another cup for me."

Xiao Cen noticed at this time that Emperor Wu'an called him very different from others, and his closeness and intimacy were obvious.At the same time, he also inadvertently saw several colleagues kneeling opposite him with contemptuous expressions on their faces.Noticing Xiao Cen's gaze, they smiled politely, then turned their heads away and chatted with others.

Xiao Cen: "..."

On the way back to the mansion, he heard that the commander of Chu grew up in a stone temple in the west since he was a child without father or mother.One day, the emperor went on a tour and saw that he was pitiful, so he ordered him to be brought back to the palace to raise him carefully. The food and clothing costs were equal to that of the prince.

But in the market, there is a terrible saying that has been circulating since no one knows when, and many people actually believe it to be true.

For example now——

"Yuan Shan, if someone surnamed Chu makes things difficult for you, you can avoid him for the time being. There is no need to clash with him in this hall for the sake of a momentary dispute."

Xiao Cen said inexplicably, "Brother Luo, is this Chu Linqiu really as difficult to get along with as you say?"

"Yuan Shan, you don't know something, and being difficult to get along with is just one of them."

"Then what is the second?"

"Secondly, he is the heart and soul of a saint..."

"Pfft!" Xiao Cen nearly spat out a sip of wine, choking him so much that he didn't care about being rude, and he coughed violently while lying on the desk.Before the emperor asked, he saw a hand holding a square handkerchief obliquely in front of his right.

"Thank you."

Xiao Cen raised his hand to take it, and inadvertently brushed the hand whiter than a handkerchief with his fingertips, and couldn't help trembling.

Chu Linqiu's hand was very cold, not even warm at all, but for some reason, it warmed Xiao Cen's heart, almost making him fascinated by it, and made a bigger fool of himself.

He raised his head, sized up the icy commander of the imperial army in front of him with aggressive eyes, and after a while, he laughed idiotically.Those who are familiar with him know that the fruit wine just now is already a bit high.

"Yuanshan? Yuanshan? You're drunk...be careful of your appearance..."

Xiao Cen stretched out his hand and waved it away, and said in the same low voice, "Brother Luo, are you joking? I, Xiao Yuanshan, was three years old when I drank, and I was never drunk. Have you forgotten?"

After finishing speaking, he took the initiative to hold the moon-watching pot in front of him, and filled the wine bottle in an instant.

"Master Chu, you and I met by fate, don't put on a sullen face all day long, just smile. Come, Xiao will toast you first."