Second minister and thief

"Don't worry, general! The subordinates must do everything possible to find this person, and don't let him ruin your plan!"

"...Hmm." Xiao Cen felt a little guilty for no reason, he gave a fake cough, looked around the people around the table slowly, and then drove them away.Soon, he was the only one left in the private room full of fat and powder, drinking tea lonely, and he could hear nothing but the lingering sound of silk and bamboo in his ears.

"The long night is long, and the general drinks tea alone, isn't it incomprehensible?"

"Who are you?" Xiao Cen couldn't help frowning, wondering when his vigilance dropped so badly, he didn't even know how this woman turned out from behind the screen.

"You've been here all this time?!"

"Don't be surprised, general. The husband of my family is also a centurion of the Mobei Army. This time I came here to repay my kindness." Looking at it, one can't help but be fascinated.

But Xiao Cen was not moved at all, he just put his hands on his back secretly, and asked cautiously, "What is your husband's name?"

"General, please come forward and listen to my servant's detailed explanation."

......

On July [-]th, the scorching sun was in the sky, and the heat was hard to dissipate.

But the old and young women and children in Taodu didn't seem to feel it at all. Before they got up, they rushed to Guique Street with their families, looking forward to it.The osmanthus trees on the street are covered with silk and satin, and the ground is also sprinkled with flower branches and residual petals everywhere, which looks festive.

Chu Linqiu had been wearing a red wedding dress for a long time, and was resting at the gate of Kaiyang on a tall horse. He just waited for today's other protagonist to come from Xiao's mansion to join him, and then he could walk around the city side by side with their respective red makeup. .

But now that the agreed time has clearly passed, Xiao Cen is still nowhere to be seen, and the road ahead is even invisible to the smoke and dust kicked up by the horses.

The officials of the Ministry of Rites who were dispatched here to coordinate affairs, without exception, jumped in a hurry. They wanted to go up to Chu Linqiu for advice several times, but they were all scared back by this man's increasingly dark complexion.

In fact, not only them, but even the captains of Xuanwuwei were about to explode.

"My lord, what's going on with Ding Nanhou? There's no one around at this time? It's obvious that he doesn't take you seriously!"

"In my opinion, it may be because of some mundane affairs that have hindered my steps. My lord, let me go to Xiao's mansion to urge you!" After the man said, he lightly pulled the rein and turned the horse's head, and was about to go to Xiao's house immediately. He went to the mansion, but was held by Chu Linqiu's arm.

"grown ups?"

"Wait a second."

"My lord? The time has come! If you continue to wait like this, you may miss the auspicious time. If the auspicious time passes, it will be a disaster!" As soon as he finished speaking, he was slapped heavily on the back by his companion.Then he realized that he had said the wrong thing, so he looked ashamed, raised his hand and slapped the left cheek.

"Wait for another stick of incense."

"W-what? Master Chu, one stick of incense is really too long... Why don't we go first..."

"..." Chu Linqiu didn't respond, but turned his head and glanced at him, making people choke back the words he was about to say.Under the blazing sun, his complexion was snow-white, and there were occasional beads of sweat on his forehead that slid down his cheeks.But he still straightened his back, stared ahead, pursed his lips tightly, with a posture of keeping strangers away.

In fact, Chu Linqiu seemed to be calm, but he had no idea in his heart.Two nights ago, Xiao Cen sent a letter from someone, saying that he had private matters to attend to and had secretly left the city.

The end of the hand letter reads: "Yu Xin is like a swan goose, and I will never regret it in this life. If you are the same, you will be waiting in Kaiyang before the time. If you don't leave a stick of incense, you will return."

For some reason, Chu Linqiu really gave up his own principles of life after reading this sentence that seemed to express his heart, and stuck under the Kaiyang Gate like a fool, and had to endure other people's whispers and strange eyes.

Because Xiao Cen hadn't come for a long time, the crowd watching the excitement had already exploded in secret.Some people said that General Xiao intentionally put Mr. Chu together and went back to Mobei on the eve of the wedding. Others said that this Mr. Chu was out of luck. I am afraid that after today, he would become the laughing stock of the capital. One in the sky and one in the mud, they shouldn't have gotten together.

These people thought their volume was low enough, but they didn't know that their discussions had already reached the ears of Chu Linqiu and Xuanwuwei.The school captains wished they could draw their swords immediately and cut off all the foolish people who chewed their tongues under their horses.But his master's expression remained as usual, as if he had expected it, not only that, he didn't even have any waves in his eyes.This kind of calm, attitude of disregarding other people's opinions is unexpectedly distressing.

In all fairness, Chu Linqiu was handsome and tall, and a few years ago, he was also the ideal husband that Taodu girls dreamed of.It's just that his actions later were too overbearing and unreasonable, which caused a lot of criticism.The common people didn't know the truth, fear came from respect, and hate came from fear, so they naturally regarded him like a scourge.

"Ah! Your Majesty!!!" The ceremonial officials looked up, only to see that the Son of Heaven had quietly appeared on the top of the city gate at some point. They were shocked, rolled off their horses with a howl, and fell on the ground in panic, kneeling down. present.The same goes for the people on the street.

Chu Linqiu slowly raised his head when he heard the movement, and met the eyes of Emperor Wu'an at the same place, and instantly read the meaning of it.With a wry smile, he led Xuanwu Wei and the others to get off their horses, knelt on the ground and shouted long live.

Today the Son of Heaven was only wearing dark casual clothes, standing with his hands behind his back in the place with the widest view in the imperial city, looking down at his subjects.His expression was difficult to distinguish, his eyes were dark and prey, and the corners of his mouth drooped downwards. He exuded a terrifying aura, which made people shudder.

Guique Street, which was originally full of people, is now deadly silent, and everyone holds their breath, waiting for the order to "calm down".In this case, the original scorching sun became even more unbearable.

Chu Linqiu's luxurious wedding dress today was heavy and unable to dissipate heat, and after being tossed about for a long time, at this moment, he was kneeling on the ground, with layers of sweat on his back and forehead, and he felt dizzy, weak, and straight fall down.He had to support the ground with his hands, struggling to support it.But just when his consciousness was about to drift nine days away, the words of the Son of Heaven were like a thunderbolt, pulling it back instantly.

The emperor asked: "Where is the Marquis of Dingnan?"

"This...Your Majesty! Lord Marquis, Lord Marquis...I think it's because he's going to bed late, and the servants have already sent someone to remind you..."

"You bastard! Chu Qing! Where are your people?"

"I don't know."