Li's Restaurant, which is just a foot shop, is much smaller than Liufangju in terms of scale. However, when Sun Tu entered the lobby on the first floor, he found that there were twice as many people standing inside as there were on the first floor of Liufangju, and These people are all tall and tall, with eyes as sharp as eagles. They are all elites in the army.
If there hadn't been that look at each other in front of the store just now, Sun Tu might have been a little surprised, but now, he was quite indifferent. He only glanced at them briefly and went straight to the stairs over there. And go. Several of the soldiers suddenly raised their steps as if to stop them, but were stopped by a voice from the second floor: "The Marquis of Yue is a rare visitor, please come up and talk."
Sun Tu didn't hesitate, and immediately stepped up, leading Qin Hui and Di Yingyang, who were obviously a little uneasy, up the stairs to the second floor. Then he saw that in addition to more than a dozen warriors with swords, there were also A smiling middle-aged man was looking at himself. After a while, the man handed over his hand and announced his identity: "Li Gang, the young master of Donggong Palace in Xiaguan, has met the Marquis of Yue."
Upon hearing this identity, the expressions of Qin Hui and Qin Hui changed immediately, but Sun Tu was still unmoved at this time: "It turns out that it was Master Li who was in front of me, but it was rude. It seems that this restaurant has something to do with you, Master, right?" ?”
"Haha, it's just a tavern opened by my younger brother. It's close to Liufangju, so I came here." There is no need to hide the conversation between smart people. Li Gang directly explained the whole story and at the same time said With a gesture of invitation, Sun Tu continued to climb to the third floor: "The noble man is already waiting for the Marquis of Yue above, but these two will have a glass of water and wine here first, and I will accompany you, okay?"
Although he used an inquiring tone, he did not give Sun Tu and the others any chance to refuse, and already made a seated gesture to Di Yingyang. Di and Qin glanced at Sun Tu, and after seeing him nodding, they sat down at the banquet over there with some uneasiness, and around them were all guarding warriors with wary faces.
Sun Tu had already gone upstairs again at this time, but this time his steps were much slower and his expression became more solemn. To be honest, he never thought that he would meet such a person here, and the impact in his heart was no less than that of Di Yingyang and the others.
And when he went up to the third floor and saw one of the people accompanying the extraordinary man, his expression changed again and his eyes narrowed: "Brother Di..." In just a moment, some people who had doubts before appeared. Things suddenly became clear to him, but it also made his mood more complicated. The feeling of being used by others was really uncomfortable.
Di Huchen smiled at him awkwardly. Although the two had met, they had not had an in-depth conversation. The one who had the best relationship with Sun Tu was Di Yingyang, and his ninth brother was still on the second floor. If Lao Jiu knew about his presence here and some of his actions behind his back, he would probably refuse to give up.
Sun Tu, however, only stared at him for a moment, and then turned his attention back to the noble man: "I, Sun Tu, have met His Highness the Crown Prince, and I didn't know that the Crown Prince was here. I have been rude to you just now. I hope you can forgive me." Sin." After saying that, he was about to bow.
The man in front of me is none other than Zhao Heng, the current crown prince of the Song Dynasty! In fact, Sun Tu had never met him. Although he had the status of a prince, he kept a low profile in Tokyo. Not only had he never interfered in the affairs of the DPRK, but he did not even participate in the DPRK meetings. And Sun Tu was free from
It is naturally impossible to interact with the existence outside the court.
However, the exchange of glances outside the restaurant just now made Sun Tu recognize Zhao Heng's identity immediately. It was really because he looked so close to his father Zhao Ji, almost 70% similar. He looked like a younger version of today's official, and Sun Tu had met Zhao Ji several times at close range. Coupled with the tight security outside and such a grand scene upstairs and downstairs, even without an obvious person like Li Gang, the young master of the East Palace, Sun Tu was enough to reveal the opponent's identity.
However, Zhao Heng did not have the airs of a prince. He was about to prostrate himself when he saw Sun Tu. He hurriedly stepped forward to support him: "The Marquis of Yue does not need to be so polite. This is not above the court. Just be more casual."
Sun Tu straightened up. Although he was still filled with excitement in his heart, his expression seemed quite calm, as if everything in front of him was as he expected. But when he looked at Di Huchen, who looked strange, he still smiled bitterly and said: "Second brother, you have deceived us so hard."
Seeing this, Di Huchen could only speak: "It's no surprise that it's thousands of miles away. It's a matter of great importance. Naturally, I don't dare to talk nonsense. Even Lao Jiu is still kept in the dark."
"Come on, please sit down and talk slowly." Zhao Heng showed a bit of the magnanimity and calmness of a superior, and pointed to the seat in front of him with a smile. After the prince's words, seven or eight people present took their seats one after another, and Sun Tu took the last seat very wisely.
Originally, he came with the intention of raising an army to investigate the crime, but now, this momentum can no longer be unleashed. After all, the identity of the prince is here, and the superiority of the monarch and his ministers has long been determined. Even if they really use him as a spearman, they can only Maybe he admitted it.
Just like this, Sun Tu didn't know what to say for a while, which made the atmosphere here slightly awkward. Seeing this, Zhao Heng smiled and said: "Marquis Yue doesn't have to be so restrained. Although you and I have just met today, we had some connections back then."
"Oh? Why don't you remember that I was lucky enough to have any interactions with His Highness?"
"Do you still remember that when you were the head of Kaifeng Prefecture, you had a disagreement with the Han family of Wei Guogong?" Seeing Sun Tu nodding, he continued: "I had seen this at the scene and heard about it. The people nearby have mentioned your reputation, which really makes people admire you."
"Your Highness has given you too much praise, and I cannot bear it." Sun Tu said humbly.
"No, you can fully bear my respect. To be honest, the Han family in Xiangzhou is now a powerful force in the court. Many officials dare not offend them, but you, Sun Tu, are the only ones who dare to do something for something. It was really an eye-opener for me to fight against him in a small case and finally win the battle. Speaking of which, at that time, I wanted to come out and help you secretly, but then I discovered that you were able to do it with ease. He is truly a hero, and he deserves to be called the ruthless Sun Dutou by the people."
Just from what he said, it can be seen that the incident of that day left a very deep impression on Zhao Heng. Even after many years, he can still recount it and even remember it better than Sun Tu, the person involved. Be clear. This made several officials present have a slight change in their views on Sun Tu, and their eyes became a little more appreciative and wooing.
The prince praised him so much, so Sun Tu naturally couldn't accept it calmly, so he became very humble again. Zhao Heng, on the other hand, continued to feel
He said with emotion: "It's just that when you stayed away from the capital due to subsequent cases, I felt that you were not worth it. There are too few good officials like you who are dedicated to the people and not afraid of power. They are also the talents that the court needs most. Ah. Fortunately, you did not disappoint me. After that, you made many contributions in Jiangzhou, Shandong and Jiangnan. You can really be regarded as the pillar of my Song Dynasty."
The expressions of the officials nearby changed again at this time, and they looked at Sun Tu with envy. To be honest, they have known the prince for many years and have worked hard to make suggestions for him. They have never seen him praise and value them so much. They never expected that they would value such a military commander so much today.
Even Sun Tu was a little confused at this time. This prince was too warm to him, which was really contrary to common sense. After all, he was really nothing in the court, so just because he came to his door, did he think so highly of him
Zhao Heng became interested at this time and continued to talk: "Do you know that what I am most happy about is the contribution you made?" Seeing that Sun Tu was stunned and unable to answer, he smiled: " That's why you dare to get rid of the traitor Zhu Meng in Jiangnan who has caused trouble for the local area for many years! This thief used sweet words to deceive his father, but in Jiangnan he made plunder and ruined the reputation of his father and the court to enrich his own pocket. It is really not a pity to die! But! Over the years, no one has dared to deal with him, and only you, Sun Qianli, can eliminate harm for the people and eliminate evil for the country, and you really deserve the title of a national scholar."
These words were really too big. Even though Sun Tu was thick-skinned, he couldn't accept it. He hurriedly avoided the table and stood up: "Your Highness is really ridiculous, and I don't deserve it. In addition to being out of righteous indignation, he was also forced to I have no choice but to take risks and kill the thief!"
"Okay, what a man who was so indignant that he took the risk to kill the thief! Just by saying this, you can see how just and magnanimous you are, Sun Tu!" Zhao Heng praised him happily again, and then his face became solemn: "But then... At present, there are traitors and sycophants in power in the court, and my father is deeply deceived by those six thieves, so that the government is upside down and the people are hanging upside down. As the prince, I, Zhao Heng, must share my father's worries and do my best for the Song Dynasty. So, This time I thought of using the opportunity of wiping out the Wuyou Cave bandits to find out and eradicate the treacherous and powerful officials behind them. I don’t know if you are willing to help me, Qianli, to eradicate this evil for the Song Dynasty and the people?"
These words were truly impassioned, and several officials present were moved by it. But Sun Tu's heart suddenly moved. It was only then that he suddenly realized how extraordinary the prince Zhao Heng was in front of him. He actually had the entire situation in his hands just by praising himself. Let yourself no longer have the opportunity to hold yourself accountable.
In fact, because he had a little understanding of the humiliation in the late Northern Song Dynasty, Sun Tu had only one impression of Song Qinzong Zhao Heng, who could only appear in historical records at the same time as his father, and that was that he was an incompetent and coward who surrendered to the country. Just you. As for what kind of person this person is, whether he has any ambitions or abilities, he has no idea at all.
But now it seems that I still want to be simple. As the prince, Zhao Heng surpasses his father in terms of eloquence, brains, vision and ambition. That Zhao Ji who only knows how to indulge in sex, wander around the art palace, and is dedicated to immortality is much more!
At the same time, Sun Tu also had a doubt in his heart. Why would Zhao Heng take such a risk and think about becoming an enemy of his father's favorite