Everyone in the general's mansion knew Ning Chen. General Chen had said long ago that Ning Chen was coming, and there was no need to inform him, and he could be let in directly. After learning that General Chen and the prince were in the main hall, Ning Chen came to the door of the main hall with two jars of wine. Qi Yuanzhong was guarding the door, and when he saw Ning Chen, he smiled. "The old general is talking to the prince, I'll go in and inform him!" Ning Chen made a gesture to keep quiet, and then waved at him. Qi Yuanzhong came over curiously. Ning Chen put the two jars of wine on the stone table in the yard, then pulled Qi Yuanzhong behind the tree, took out a few silver bills and handed them over. Qi Yuanzhong took a look and couldn't help but open his mouth wide. Each bill was 10,000 taels, and the total was 50,000 taels. "Ning Chen, what are you doing?"
"I kept some of the gold, silver and jewelry I brought back from the Beidu Royal Court and exchanged them for silver... This is what you deserve." Qi Yuanzhong was stunned. He looked around and lowered his voice and said, "Are you crazy? How dare you keep this privately?" "Brother Qi, this is what we brothers fought for with our lives. It's what we deserve... Take it quickly and don't let others see it." Ning Chen stuffed it into his hand without saying anything. Qi Yuanzhong held the silver note, "This... This is too much." Ning Chen smiled and said, "We are all the same. Everyone has a share. Put it away quickly and don't let others know." Qi Yuanzhong hesitated and put the silver note away. "Ning Chen, thank you!" Qi Yuanzhong was very moved. If Ning Chen hadn't said it, he would not have known that Ning Chen had privately withheld part of the gold and silver treasures. Ning Chen could have taken it all for himself, but he gave him so much? This not only proved Ning Chen's character, but also his trust in him. "During the Northern Expedition, Brother Qi was busy and taught me a lot... You were the first to lead the charge during the night attack on the Northern Capital Royal Court. You deserve it." Ning Chen said, and changed the subject, "What did the prince want to see General Chen for?" Qi Yuanzhong said, "The prince seemed to be passing by and came in to visit the old general." "Wait a moment, I'll go in and report!" Ning Chen nodded slightly. Qi Yuanzhong ran in to report and came out soon. "Ning Chen, the old general and the prince invite you in." Ning Chen walked in with two jars of wine. There were several chairs on both sides of the main hall.
General Chen and the prince sat opposite each other, drinking tea. "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!" "Greetings, General Chen!" General Chen looked at Ning Chen and said with a smile, "Ning Chen, are you here to drink with me?" Without waiting for Ning Chen to speak, the Crown Prince smiled and said, "I'm inviting you to drink, but you don't have time, so you come to drink with General Chen... Ning Chen, you're being partial, this won't do." "The Crown Prince misunderstood, I came to visit General Chen, and brought two jars of wine... I can't go empty-handed, can I?" General Chen said loudly, "Ning Chen, don't stand, sit down and talk!" "It's better to do it today than today. Ning Chen has wine, and I have food. Let's drink a few glasses later." The Crown Prince nodded with a smile. "Then I'll bother you." Ning Chen sat down and said a few polite words. "Ning Chen, you came just in time. I was just talking to the prince about the Nanyue Kingdom." General Chen laughed and said, "The prince and I agree that this war must be fought. Tomorrow I will go to the palace to see the emperor and explain the interests of this war. I hope your majesty will agree." Ning Chen glanced at the two of them and shrugged, "There is no war! We have already negotiated. The Nanyue delegation received the money and went home happily." General Chen and the prince were stunned. They didn't know that the Nanyue delegation had left at all. The prince was stunned, "Did the South Vietnamese delegation leave?" Ning Chen hummed, "They left yesterday. I personally escorted them out of the city... The people of South Vietnam are really useless. They are like bastards who take milk from their mothers." "The fourth prince of South Vietnam knelt down in excitement and cried and shouted to recognize me as his adoptive father, but I refused him sternly... I am a member of Daxuan, how can I recognize a thief as my son?" General Chen's face darkened in an instant. Bang! ! ! He slapped the table hard, shaking the teacup and spilling tea all over the table. "Ceding land and paying compensation, shame, a huge shame!" General Chen was furious, his eyes wide open. Ning Chen looked at the prince, only to see that his face was calm. The prince also noticed Ning Chen's eyes, sighed and said: "All this is within my expectations. Most of the court officials advocate peace talks, and my father is also in a difficult situation." General Chen clenched his fists, his knuckles turned white, and it was obvious that he was already furious. He had been through hundreds of battles and had never bowed to the enemy country, let alone the great shame of ceding land and paying compensation.
He only hated that he was missing a leg now, otherwise he would have to go into battle again. "I am a little tired, so I will save this wine for next time." General Chen's voice was low and his mood was very low. As an old general who had been in the military all his life, seeing that the world he once protected now needed to cede land and pay compensation to survive, the anger in his heart was not enough to be expressed in words. The prince stood up tactfully, "General Chen, I will come to see you another day." "Prince, please walk slowly, I am an old minister with inconvenient legs and feet... Yuanzhong, please see the prince off for me." Qi Yuanzhong walked in upon hearing the voice. The prince looked at Ning Chen, "Ning Chen, come out with me for a moment, I have something to tell you." Ning Chen originally wanted to wait until the prince left to tell General Chen the truth? But since the prince said so, he couldn't refuse and nodded slightly. The two walked out of General Chen's mansion, and the prince didn't speak all the way. Ning Chen couldn't help asking, "What does the prince want to tell me?" But the prince walked to the front of the carriage, looked back at Ning Chen, and said, "Let's talk in the car." Ning Chen frowned slightly, but still got on the carriage. The prince sat down, picked up a jar of wine from the side, and asked, "Do you know what kind of wine this is?" Ning Chen stared at the jar for a while and shook his head. The prince smiled and said, "This is Xiyu Spring, the taste is sweet and strong, the wine is like fire... This is General Chen's favorite wine." "The Queen Mother specifically told me to give this jar of wine to General Chen when I have a chance, I forgot just now... So, this jar of wine is for you to try." Ning Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. "The Queen gave it to General Chen? Is she familiar with General Chen?" The prince smiled and said, "General Chen is the pillar of the country. Even my father treats him with courtesy. As the mother of a country, it is the Queen's duty to sympathize with the ministers on behalf of my father." Ning Chen narrowed his eyes and said, "The wine that the Queen gave to General Chen, you gave it to me, isn't it inappropriate?" "General Chen is old, and his health is important. This wine is too strong and no longer suitable for him... So, you keep it for drinking." After the prince finished speaking, he continued without waiting for Ning Chen to speak, "I have something else to do. I will treat you to a drink next time." Ning Chen stood up tactfully and got off the carriage. Before the prince left, he lifted the small curtain on the carriage, looked at Ning Chen, and showed a meaningful smile, "Ning Chen, this wine tastes better when you drink it warm." Ning Chen watched the prince's carriage go away, then looked down at the wine in his hand. Suddenly, he walked over and put the wine into the cloth bag on the horse's back, and then walked into the general's mansion.
Arriving at the main hall, he waved to Qi Yuanzhong at the door from a distance. Qi Yuanzhong ran over, "I thought you were gone. General Chen was so angry just now. I don't know what to do?" "Don't worry about this for now. I can make General Chen feel better... Brother Qi, let me ask you, did the prince come to visit empty-handed today?" Qi Yuanzhong thought for a while and nodded, "The prince just passed by, so he didn't bring anything?" Ning Chen thought that was good, and then asked, "Has the queen been to the general's mansion?" Qi Yuanzhong shook his head, "The queen is in the deep palace and has no contact with the general's mansion." "Did the queen give anything to the general's mansion?" "No... Ning Chen, you look a little strange today. Why are you asking these questions?" Ning Chen frowned. The left prime minister is the queen's man and supports the third prince. This is no secret in the court? But Ning Ziming said that the left prime minister is related to the prince. It seems that the left prime minister is a double agent. He supports the third prince on the surface, but actually supports the prince. It doesn't matter whether the queen knows that the left prime minister is a traitor or not. What matters is that she has the Grand Tutor to rely on... Now she just needs to get rid of the prince, and then she will inherit the throne in the future. General Chen's prestige in the army is greater than that of the Grand Tutor. The queen has lived in the deep palace for a long time, and it is difficult for her to get in touch with General Chen... In comparison, the prince is closer to General Chen. Therefore, the queen wants to use the prince's hand to get rid of General Chen, and then report the prince... This is a plan to kill two birds with one stone. However, her plan should have been discovered by the prince. So he gave the jar of wine to me, and the words between the lines hinted that there was something wrong with the jar of wine. The prince did me a favor and saved General Chen by the way... I owed him such a big favor. If I and General Chen did not support him in the future when it comes to the throne, I would be ungrateful. The key is that with his relationship with General Chen, he can't just stand by and watch him die, so he has to take this favor. The prince is a two-faced man. He looks honest and simple, but he is actually quite cunning. Ning Chen collected his thoughts, looked at Qi Yuanzhong, and said seriously: "Brother Qi, you must keep a close eye on General Chen's food in the future... No matter who sends the things, General Chen must not touch them." Qi Yuanzhong also realized that something was wrong, "Ning Chen, what happened?" "Brother Qi, don't ask more, because I am just guessing now, there is no evidence... If you believe me, do as I say." Qi Yuanzhong nodded. He knew Ning Chen's ability, "Okay, I listen to you. I will personally keep an eye on General Chen's food in the future." Ning Chen hummed, "I'll go see General Chen." Arriving at the main hall, Ning Chen stepped on the broken pieces of a teacup as soon as he entered the door.
General Chen sat on a chair with a sullen face, and the small low table next to him fell to the ground. Seeing Ning Chen coming back, General Chen was stunned. Obviously, he didn't expect Ning Chen to come back? Then he sighed, "I lost my composure... It's a huge shame to cede land and pay compensation. I feel so upset." Ning Chen walked over, picked up the overturned table, and then walked to General Chen, bowed deeply, and said: "General, in fact, there is no cession of land and compensation... The prince was here just now, so I couldn't say it clearly, which made the general angry. It's Ning Chen's fault." General Chen looked at Ning Chen in a daze, "No cession of land and compensation? What do you mean?" "Actually, this is a play between me and His Majesty..." Ning Chen briefly explained the matter! After listening to it, General Chen was stunned...After a while, he suddenly laughed out loud. "Great, you are still the one with the most clever ideas...In this way, there is a reason to fight this war, and the military expenditure is enough." Ning Chen smiled and said, "I hope the old general will not blame me for not making it clear just now." "No blame, no blame...As long as it is not a matter of ceding land and paying compensation, let alone making me angry, even if you beat me up, I will not blame you." "Ning Chen, stay for dinner later, and let's have a few drinks." Ning Chen smiled and nodded. General Chen suddenly asked curiously: "Although the fewer people who know about this, the better, but the prince is the crown prince, why do you hide it from him?"