When Qi Ning entered the palace, the sky had already darkened. The eunuch took Qi Ning to the imperial study. After Qi Ning entered, he felt that the atmosphere was different from the past.
The first thing he saw was Long Tai behind the royal desk, and out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Ma Lan from Zhenguo Company. In addition to Long Tai and Sima Lan, Golden Sword Hou Tantai Huang was also present.
Qi Ning was a little surprised. He had eaten at Jin Daohou's house at noon, but he didn't see Jin Daohou himself, but he didn't expect him to appear in the palace.
Tantaihuang's expression was calm. When Qi Ning came in, his eyes were calm and calm. On the other hand, Sima Lan's expression was solemn, as if he was full of thoughts.
Qi Ning came forward to meet him. It had been many days since he last saw Longtai at Fengyi Palace. Longtai didn't look in good spirits, he looked a little tired, and he also looked a bit thinner. Qi Ning frowned slightly. , I knew that Longtai had been singing and dancing in the harem every night for the past half month, and the newlywed Yan'er was even more restrained with the queen, which made him look so decadent.
Longtai winked and signaled Qi Ning to sit down under the Golden Sword Queen. Qi Ning stepped back respectfully and sat down on the chair, but he was extremely curious and didn't know why Longtai called him into the palace.
Sima Lan's appearance in the palace is not a big deal. As an auxiliary minister, it is reasonable for him to often enter the palace. However, Tantaihuang's appearance in the palace is a big surprise. Over the years, , not to mention entering the palace, Jin Dao Waiting for Tantai Huang would hardly even appear in court, and would rest in the mansion all year round. This matter was known to everyone in the court and no one knew about it.
None of them spoke. Although Qi Ning was full of doubts, the other three were silent, so he would not drop the topic easily.
After a while, Tantaihuang suddenly said: "Your Majesty, I want to go out for some air, so I just want to take a walk in the courtyard. Please be kind to Your Majesty!"
"Here, help the old Marquis out to get some air." Longtai summoned people without hesitation.
But Tantai Huang smiled and said: "Your Majesty, there is no need to trouble them." He turned to Qi Ning and asked: "Jin Yihou, can you help me go out for a walk?"
Qi Ning was startled, but he did not hesitate. He stood up immediately, cupped his hands and said: "What an honor!" He stepped forward and carefully helped Tantai Huang up. Sima Lan also stood up and said with concern: "Old Marquis, take care. !”
Tantaihuang smiled slightly, without saying much, and raised his hand gently. Qining understood what he meant and helped him slowly walk out of the imperial study.
Outside the imperial study is a wide garden. A graystone path winds forward, dotted with flowers and plants on both sides. The layout of the entire garden is unique and exquisite. This is where the emperor handles court affairs alone. It is exquisite, natural and beautiful. , and very quiet.
Qining held Tantaihuang's arm and walked slowly along with Tantaihuang's rhythm.
Tantaihuang suddenly wanted to come out for air, and asked Qining to come out to accompany him. No matter how slow his reaction was, Qining knew that it was unusual and there must be a reason.
Qining knew that something big was going to happen after waiting all morning at Jindaohou Mansion and having a simple meal this morning, but Tantaihuang had avoided seeing him the whole time.
After walking along the winding path for a while, Tantaihuang stopped and patted the back of Qining's hand. Qining followed his gaze and saw a white marble table not far away, with four white marble round cups beside it. , Qining knew what Tantaihuang meant, helped him walk over, and then carefully helped him sit down. From the beginning to the end, he was extremely respectful to Tantaihuang.
Tantai Huang is the oldest among the four hereditary marquises, several years older than Sima Lan. Now he looks no longer as majestic and old as before, but he still retains his majesty between his brows.
The old Marquis of Jindao motioned Qi Ning to sit down and raised his head. A crescent moon rose in the east. Qin Ning did not speak easily. After a while, he heard the old Marquis ask: "Are you getting married soon?"
Qi Ning was startled. He didn't expect the old Marquis to ask such a question, but he still said respectfully: "Yes, August 18th, there is still half a month left!"
"Marrying a wife and having children, building a career, and honoring one's ancestors are all things that every man must do." Tantaihuang said in a calm voice, "I knew you when your father was much younger than you. You are different from your father. Your father was already strong when he was young, but you are much weaker than him."
Qi Ning just smiled and secretly guessed Jin Daohou's intention.
"I have three characters at my knees, the eldest son Zhilin, the second son Zhi Qi, and the youngest son Zhi Xiu." The old Marquis said in a gentle voice as if he were chatting about home affairs, "The eldest son and the second son have followed me on the battlefield very early and have made many achievements. His military exploits have not disgraced the name of the Tantai family."
Qi Ning felt strange in his heart, thinking to himself that he had heard before that the old Marquis of Jindao seemed to have only two sons. Why did he suddenly have an extra son? He remained calm and listened to the old Marquis continue: "It's a pity that the second son Zhi Qi is here." During a war, he suddenly contracted a serious illness. The disease that spread among the army at that time claimed the lives of hundreds of people. Zhi Qi was not blessed. He did not die on the battlefield, but died of a serious illness. Down."
Qi Ning was startled, and then he realized that the old Marquis Jindao did have three sons, but one of his sons contracted an illness and passed away in his early years. He couldn't help but comfort him: "Don't be too sad, Old Marquis."
Tantai Huang sighed: "I am not sad about his passing, but sad that he did not die on the battlefield. When he left, he must have been very unwilling...!"
Qi Ning looked solemn, but he also thought that the old Hou might have come to the palace just to chat with him.
"It is an honor for a man of the Tantai family to die on the battlefield." Tantai Huang also looked serious: "When the eldest son Zhilin was born, his grandfather hired a master to read his fortune. I remember that master I told you that when I go to war on the battlefield, the killing is too serious, and it may damage the morality of future generations."
Qi Ning sighed in his heart and thought to himself that if he really wanted to say this, he couldn't say it was wrong. The old Marquis of Jinyi made great achievements in war and became the most successful military family in Chu. However, the third master of the Qi family died young and Qi Jing also passed away in middle age. Even the real prince Jinyi died unexpectedly, and the lineage of the old marquis Jinyi can be said to have been severed.
One general's achievements are worth tens of thousands. The more famous the world-famous general, the more blood will be stained on his hands.
"Zhi Lin's grandfather listened to the master's words and immediately begged the master to give him a way to get rid of it." Tantai Huang's voice was calm and without any emotion: "The method left by the master is to let the descendants of the Tantai family fight before the first expedition. Plant an everlasting shade tree to preserve your shady virtue.”
"Everlasting shade tree?" Qi Ning was a little surprised, but after thinking about it, after all, we are in this era, people are still very concerned about fate, and killing too much will damage the moral character. This is an ancient legend, and Not out of nowhere.
Tantaihuang still narrated the story eloquently: "When Zhilin went out for the first time, he planted an ever-shading tree according to what the master said back then. He went through hundreds of battles. Although he was injured numerous times, he was able to turn the corner every time."
Qining knew that Tantaihuang suddenly said these things to him today, and it was definitely not because he was old and talkative. There must be a reason, so he did not interrupt and listened patiently.
"Zhilin is my eldest son and behaves steadily, but Zhiqi is different from his elder brother." A smile appeared on the corner of Tantaihuang's lips: "Zhiqi beats the naughty little ones for fear that the world will not be chaotic. Since he has become sensible, he has been in trouble. Not much. The child has an upright temperament and a chivalrous spirit. Perhaps he is too similar to me when I was young, so I indulged him a lot. When he first went to war with me, he was stubborn and refused to listen, and he did not plant an evergreen tree. …!”
Qi Ning was startled for a moment, thinking to himself, could it be that Tantai Zhiqi later fell ill and passed away because he did not plant a permanent shade tree
"I have always been doubtful about Chang Yinshu. Since the child is stubborn and refuses to obey, I will let him go." Tantaihuang said slowly: "When men fight on the battlefield and make contributions, how can they not die? Killing a person is a thief. , slaughtering millions of heroes, there is nothing to say about this. At that time, I never thought that an evergreen tree could really keep peace. It was not until Zhi Qi passed away that I realized that maybe it was really because the child did not have Plant everlasting shade trees and you will die young...!"
The old Marquis of Jin Dao was worthy of his background in the iron-blooded battlefield. When talking about this past event, he was still calm and composed, just like gossiping.
"We, the Great Chu, conquered all directions and established the country and its capital. Later, Zhilin went to the East China Sea to command the East China Sea Navy, and Zhi Xiu went to the Xichuan Army." Tantaihuang looked at Qining: "Over the years, the two permanent trees in the Jindaohou Mansion have I water the shade tree myself every day, and over the past few decades, it has become a towering tree, becoming more and more lush."
Qi Ning finally interjected at this time: "Those two evergreen trees will definitely protect the two generals' safety and success."
Tantaihuang smiled faintly and said: "This afternoon, I ordered people to cut down the evergreen tree that Zhilin planted more than thirty years ago. Even the roots of the tree were uprooted."
Qi Ning was taken aback and lost his voice: "Cut down the evergreen tree?"
"The Ever-Yin Tree is to keep them safe and sound. Since everyone is dead, what's the use of the Ever-Yin Tree remaining?" Tantai Huang said: "Since Zhilin is gone, of course the Ever-Yin Tree is gone too. The necessity of its existence is only laughable that I really thought that the evergreen shade tree could guarantee peace for so many years."
This sentence was like a thunderbolt. Qining opened his eyes wide and his pupils shrank.
Tantai Zhilin is dead
Tantai Zhilin, the Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Sea Navy of the Great Chu Dynasty, died
Qi Ning never expected to hear such earth-shattering news from Tantai Huang. He opened his mouth, but was speechless for a moment.
As one of the four hereditary marquises, the Tantai family has a very high status in Chu State. Now that the old marquis Tantai is old, he has rarely been involved in worldly affairs. Therefore, the hopes of the Tantai family are pinned on On the body of Tantai Zhilin, the golden sword prince.
Qining knew that the two young masters of the Tantai family, the eldest son Tantai Zhilin, commanded the Donghai Navy, while Tantai Zhixiu was far away in the Xichuan Army. As the eldest son of Tantai, Tantai Zhilin's status had been determined early. Destined to inherit the title of Golden Sword Marquis.
If the Qinhuai Army has always been the sphere of influence of the Jinyi Qi family, then the Donghai Navy is the sphere of influence of Jindao Tantai. The tigers on land and the dragons on the angry sea are the two pillars of the imperial military.
Although Tantai Zhixiu leads the Xichuan Army, the Xichuan Army is weak in strength and its equipment is far inferior to other armies. In addition, there are many internal factions. Even the Sima family has a force in the Xichuan Army. Therefore, the Tantai family really controls The power is the Donghai Navy under Tantai Zhilin.
The future of the entire Tantai family depends on Tantai Zhilin. But now that Tantai Zhilin, who was the pillar of the Tantai family, is dead, how can Qining not be surprised