It’s midsummer in June, and the heat is as hot as fire.
Even after sunset, the entire city of Tokyo still feels oppressively hot. The occasional wind blows through, bringing with it a rolling heat wave.
At this time, ordinary people can only go out of their homes to enjoy the coolness under the big trees and chat. Those with some spare money will buy some summer-relieving drinks such as sour plum soup or fruits to relieve their boredom. But for those wealthy and powerful dignitaries and wealthy businessmen, the summer heat is nothing.
For example, in Qinfangju, one of the famous restaurants in Tokyo, every elegant room is as cold as autumn because ice basins have been prepared. There are even plates of exquisite food on the wine table, chilled with ice. When you look at fruits, you can even see ice cream-like things that are different from those of later generations. These are delicious foods that rich people use to spend their summers, but their prices are enough to cover the expenses of an ordinary family for a year. .
Around the first watch, a carriage slowly stopped at the side entrance of Qinfangju, and then a man with ordinary clothes and a slightly stooped body got out. I saw him walking in a hurry, just like those new guests who rarely come to such a large restaurant to eat. He ignored the inquiries from outside waiters and entered the door. Then he followed the winding path and went straight to the separate elegant rooms at the back. Go to the courtyard.
After walking for a while, he was stopped by two guards guarding the courtyard gate. The restaurant in Qinfangju is not a place for people to just wander in and out. However, their attitude was quite friendly, and they even smiled when asking: "Which courtyard is this guest going to? Are there any familiar friends to invite?" It seems that the person is not dressed like he is willing to spend a lot of money. Came here to have a drink by myself.
This person still lowered his head and said vaguely: "I was invited by Boss Xu of Xuanzihao Courtyard."
Hearing this, the two guards suddenly showed respect on their faces: "It turns out that they are guests of Xuanziyuan, please come inside." After saying that, the two of them accompanied him and walked deeper for a while, before they came to a place with quite beautiful scenery. He stopped in front of the small courtyard and made an invitation gesture to him.
It wasn't until he entered the yard and made sure that no one else was around that the man finally stood up. Although he was not tall, his aura was much stronger than before. If he appeared at the gate again now, In front of me, I'm afraid someone has already come up to greet me. He is none other than Song Jiang, the current Taifu of the dynasty and the current Secretary of the Ministry of Justice!
Therefore, the purpose of dressing up like this is to deceive others. Because after he confirmed that the people around him were being watched by people from the Imperial City Division, Song Jiang became more cautious and rarely went out to socialize. Today, it was really important that he had to make this trip, but he also went out after being fully prepared.
As early as yesterday, everything had been arranged. When Song Jiang came home from the Yamen in the afternoon, a very inconspicuous little carriage was waiting at the back door. Then he did not stay at home and went directly through the courtyard. When I got to the back door, I even changed my clothes on the carriage. In this way, even if someone really stares at him all day long, he can get rid of the other person and then rush to Qinfangju for the appointment.
When Song Jiang revealed his identity, walked past several followers, and pushed the door into the brightly lit courtyard, his brows suddenly knitted together. everything in front of you
, which is very different from the meeting he imagined -
When he thought about it, today's secret meeting was of great importance. All the participants must be in disguise, and there were only a few people involved in the hall. But now, there were more than a dozen noble people sitting in the hall, richly dressed in brocade, with wide robes and long sleeves, and there were beauties waiting around them, sifting wine and serving dishes for them. They were really at ease.
At a loss, I used various means to hide my traces. Now it's good, there are so many irrelevant outsiders at the scene. How can we talk about big things
But at this time, it was no longer possible to retreat, because when the door was pushed open, everyone inside looked over, and soon an eager voice sounded: "Taifu Song, you are here, really. Tell me to wait, come in quickly, the wine here is almost hot." The speaker also shook the glass in his hand, showing a warm and hospitable look.
Song Jiang laughed dryly and had to step into the hall. He felt unhappy again. These guys actually exposed their identities in front of outsiders. They really weren't afraid of causing any trouble... But the other party's enthusiasm made him He couldn't turn away and refused, so he could only step forward to greet him: "Shilang He is too polite. I am really busy with official duties, so I came a step late. It seems that I am the last one to come?"
"That's not the case. The most important big shot hasn't arrived yet." An official also answered with a smile.
He Dingkun, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, Shi Ziming, the Marquis of Changxing, Feng Danian, the doctor of the Ministry of Personnel... These people present are all the main officials of the important yamen in the imperial court. Although their status is not as good as Song Jiang, in terms of qualifications and background, they are all far ahead of him. above, so when facing Song Jiang, they not only did not feel timid at all, but instead adopted a somewhat condescending attitude.
However, as the one with the highest status among the officials, Song Jiang was still moved to the second seat at the top. There was only one seat left above him. When he sat down, the pretty and lovely girl came forward to be served, but was dismissed by Song Jiang with a wave of his hand. He was not used to being served like this while eating and drinking, and it was very unpleasant.
Seeing this, He Dingkun, who was closest to him, laughed: "Taifu Song is too ignorant. If you fail to live up to the beauty's deep kindness, you will be punished with alcohol."
"Haha, Song Jiang really has no intention of drinking slowly. Everyone should know why we are gathered together today, so we can avoid such trivial matters. If you want to drink, there are plenty of opportunities at other times." Song Jiang refused to accept it. As it turned out, he was not on the same page as these people, and there was no need to sell it now.
As soon as he said these words, the expressions of everyone in front of him changed slightly, and the scene naturally became colder. At this moment, the hall door was pushed open again, and a dignified old man's voice came in first: "Well said, Taifu Song is really experienced, better than us who only know how to dance, write, and chant the wind and moon." There are too many scholars.”
As soon as this person entered the door, everyone in the hall subconsciously stood up and bowed to salute: "I have met Li Xiang!" This person who can be so sincerely greeted by everyone after criticizing everyone is now Li Gang, Prime Minister of the Song Dynasty!
Song Jiang had a surprised look on his face at this moment. He looked at Li Gang who came in for a long time before exhaling a breath:
"I should have thought of it earlier. If it weren't for such a person taking the lead, such a big drama wouldn't have been possible."
At this time, Li Gang looked completely different from the old man who did nothing in the political hall before. He entered the hall with steady steps and sat on the top seat without hesitation. He pressed his hand down and said: "Everyone, please sit down and talk."
Then he looked at Song Jiang again: "What Taifu Song said is very good. Now that the Song Dynasty is in crisis, we, as ministers, have gathered together to eliminate traitors. What we should discuss most is how to proceed next. Act instead of worrying about what wine to drink, what food to eat, and what kind of fans to find.”
When he said these words, everyone could only agree with him and didn't even dare to change their expressions. Just from this, it can be seen that the prime minister's prestige among officials is far greater than what he usually shows. Following Li Gang's statement, everyone finally let go of the beauties in their arms and sent them out of the hall. In the end, apart from the dozen or so officials, there were only two or three fallen officials left in the hall. The wine boy and the boy.
Song Jiang was still a little uncomfortable and frowned. When Li Gang saw it, he smiled: "Master Song, don't be too nervous. Since this is the gathering place decided by me, there is no problem with safety. Do you know that Qinfang The residence is the property of Marquis Shi, and the people inside are naturally his, so how can he have the eyes and ears of the Imperial City Secretary?"
"I see..." Song Jiang was completely relieved and looked at Shi Ziming again, who only smiled and nodded at him.
Seeing that he had accepted the current situation, Li Gang swept through the crowd and said seriously: "I called you all here today just for two important things. First, everyone has seen that from today on, Taifu Song will also Become one of our loyal ministers. Sun Tu's behavior was really too deceptive. Not only did he treat us, civil servants with serious backgrounds, as if they were nothing, but even His Majesty was nothing more than a puppet in his eyes. For two years, His Majesty has been under house arrest by him, with no government orders leaving the palace. However, he can always take advantage of the emperor's will to issue fake edicts to achieve his goals. Such behavior is almost similar to Cao Mang. In short, he is our great Song Dynasty. There is no doubt that the country is in serious trouble.
"Such a treacherous traitor, even if we are unarmed and have no soldiers and horses around us, we will fight to the end. What's more, there is also the Song Taifu who also holds military power. Everyone, are you confident in cutting off the treacherous traitor and returning power to Your Majesty?"
"Of course, I have been waiting for this day for a long time!"
"Li Xiang, I, Lao Shi, can be regarded as a rough man, but I am loyal to the emperor. As long as you give an order, I will dare to fight through mountains of swords and seas of fire."
"How can we, who have been favored by the emperor in this world, watch that traitor run rampant?"
The atmosphere in the hall was instantly ignited, and everyone rushed to express their position and attitude, each speaking louder than the other. Only Song Jiang was not affected by the atmosphere at this moment. He listened to these fake words with a blank expression, while his eyes swept back and forth between Li Gang and everyone.
After a while, Li Gang pressed the button to stop everyone talking, and then looked at Song Jiang, who remained calm: "I wonder if Mr. Song has anything to say?"
This, however, requires him to express his stance!