jdhmnovel Chapter 642 A Heart-to-Heart Talk Between Master and Disciple: Determining Their Stance
Chapter 642 A Heart-to-Heart Talk Between Master and Disciple: Determining Their Stance
Ouyang Zheng waited anxiously, but Jiang Xiaoqi arrived late.
Luckily, Jiang Xiaoqi brought a life-saving charm: a jar of thirty-year-old Zhuyeqing liquor!
"You brat! You've got quite the airs!"
"Master! I was just going to fetch you some good wine, I'm so wronged!"
"Hurry up, or this yin-yang hot pot will burn dry!"
"Haha, no, no, it's not that bad."
The master and apprentice sat facing each other. Jiang Xiaoqi broke the clay seal and poured wine for his master.
The wine jar had a wide opening, but Jiang Xiaoqi's pouring technique was even better, mainly because the cup was also large enough.
After treatment, Ouyang Zheng's health is better than it was eight years ago. Although he has gotten older, Jiang Xiaoqi's medicine contained some of his own ingredients, so Ouyang Zheng has been aging in reverse for the past few years.
Even Ouyang Zheng himself probably didn't realize it, thinking that the medicine for conditioning his body was working, making him feel relaxed all over, as if he had become ten years younger.
Sure enough, Ouyang Zheng preferred the spicy broth, while Jiang Xiaoqi tried her own hastily made tomato broth and thought it tasted pretty good too.
Several plates of beef and mutton, along with fresh green vegetables, were all empty. The servants then served tea, snacks, and sliced fruit for after the meal.
Ouyang Zheng drank quite a bit, at least a pound of aged Zhuyeqing liquor, while Jiang Xiaoqi fared slightly better, drinking less than half a pound.
However, both the master and apprentice flush easily when they drink, and currently have the same round face.
Ouyang Zheng picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea to cleanse his mouth, and lighten the double spiciness of the wine and hot pot.
Jiang Xiaoqi usually eats tomato hot pot, but now she's picking up a piece of cold melon and eating it, which is very thirst-quenching.
"Mingfei, is your senior brother currently serving as a court attendant?"
"Yes, that's what my senior brother said in his letter to you, right? He's very popular with His Majesty now, and he'll probably get another promotion next year."
"I don't care how high your official rank or what grade you two brothers hold. I only hope that you are safe and sound."
Jiang Xiaoqi put down the watermelon rind, feeling that her master might know something.
That's right. If they didn't know anything, they wouldn't have come back to the capital with their mother.
Perhaps the reason I sided with the Second Prince in his bid for the throne was something my mother and master had told me. My mother was worried about me and called for help halfway through.
The place where they were most likely to meet was the Cui family in Chunyi County, which they had visited with their mother before.
My mother and Aunt Cui got along very well back then, and she will likely visit her on her way back to Beijing.
Their master happened to be recuperating at the Cui family's residence, and that's how the two met.
Sigh~ My own mother, she really has a loving mother's heart, I shouldn't say anything.
And Master is genuinely worried about me. Otherwise, why would he travel all the way to the capital, the place I least want to return to, when I was doing so well at the Cui family?
"Master, you know everything?"
"Yes, your mother is extremely worried about you."
Although Lin Yueniang didn't say much, her worry was palpable even to outsiders, let alone her master, who was certainly not an outsider.
It wasn't just because Jiang Xiaoqi was his apprentice, but also because the Empress Dowager and he shared the same surname, "Ouyang".
Although they are outsiders and seem to live a carefree life, the intricate connections they have forged are actually deeply ingrained.
Rather than saying that he was persuaded by Lin Yueniang to return to the capital to help his disciple, he actually did not want the turmoil of twenty years ago to repeat itself.
The current emperor is a good emperor, but he's not very good at teaching his son.
How can there not be even one prince who can stand up to the throne among ten princes?
Mingfei is not stupid; on the contrary, he is extremely shrewd and adept at assessing situations.
For Mingfei to take notice of him and support him, this second prince must have some extraordinary qualities.
"Yes, but I also had my own selfish reasons for sending Mother back to the capital. The matter is like this..."
Jiang Xiaoqi recounted everything Lin Feng had found out in the south, and Ouyang Zheng frowned as he listened.
Even a fool could tell that something was wrong with what happened in the South, and that they really shouldn't have stayed there any longer.
But where can the people over there hide?
Ouyang Zheng shook his head. Jiang Xiaoqi could tell from his master's expression that his master was worried about the people of the South.
“Master, I haven’t stopped the investigation either. I believe we’ll find more clues soon.”
"We'll rescue all the missing people at once and eliminate the threat to the south."
"It's good to do more for the people within your capabilities, but you shouldn't put yourself in danger."
"Disciple understands. So you won't stop me from doing what I'm doing now?"
"Dynastic changes are inevitable, as is the alternation of the old and the new. For the sake of the people of the Great Zhou, it is better to choose a wise ruler than to let a foolish one take the throne."
"Yes, that's what I think too. Throughout history, regardless of rise or fall, it's always the common people at the bottom who suffer."
If a new master were to emerge who could break the existing order and bring prosperity to the people, even if the process were difficult, I, your disciple, would wish to assist him in achieving it.
Rather than saying that Jiang Xiaoqi chose the Second Prince, it would be more accurate to say that Jiang Xiaoqi wanted to choose a better future for all the people of the Great Zhou.
"I understand. If you need any help, just ask. Although I am useless, I still know a few people in the capital."
"Master?!"
Jiang Xiaoqi never expected that her master would use his connections in the capital for her sake. These connections in the capital were none other than the connections of the Ouyang family.
He didn't want his master to see people he didn't want to see, or to maintain relationships he didn't want to maintain.
"If you need to trouble your master, then do so. If you can handle it on your own, your master can sit back and relax."
As soon as Jiang Xiaoqi said this, Ouyang Jing instantly understood what his disciple was worried about.
Sigh~ It wasn't for nothing that I spoiled this brat!
As master and apprentice, how can we stand on both sides?
Of course, wherever the apprentice stands, that's where the master stands.
It wasn't that I had confidence in that Second Prince, but I believed that my disciple wasn't stupid.