The night banquets at the homes of the ministers of the Southern Tang were much more lively and rich than those in Tokyo. In comparison, the birthday banquets at the home of Dong Zunhui, a great general of the Zhou Dynasty, were not as good as the ordinary banquets that Han Xizai usually had.
The lights were on, and the nightlife at the home of Han Xizai, the vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel in Jinling, was about to begin. Guests were flirting with Han Xizai's concubines in the hall, or sitting together and talking. The servants were bringing delicacies, fruits, tea and wine to a large table. The host had not yet appeared, but the officials and guests who came to the banquet were not left out, and the prostitutes made everyone feel at home.
The young champion Huang Can looked very ambitious and showed his broad-mindedness in front of the beautiful concubine of the Han family. He asked Chen Yong, a doctor of the Ministry of Rites: I heard that Zhou Xingfeng, the governor of Changde, Hunan, sent people to Jinling to seek peace and wanted to form an alliance with our country.
Chen Yong laughed and said: On such a beautiful day, let’s just talk about elegance and not state affairs.
On the contrary, Li Jiaming, the deputy envoy of the Jiaofangsi, was very cooperative. Li Jiaming was in charge of the state-owned brothel of the Jiaofangsi, and he had nothing to do with military and national affairs, so he said without any pressure: Not only Zhou Xingfeng, but also Lin Renzhao, the governor of Wuchang, has come to Nanjing.
The champion asked: "Local military commanders can leave the town at will without being summoned."
Anyone who has the ability can do it, Li Jiaming said with a smile.
The top scholar said angrily: The new emperor Li Jing abdicated and moved to Hongdu. Li Yu has just inherited the throne and is now in power. It is time to reorganize the government. A warrior like Lin Renzhao has no respect for the law. I will report him tomorrow. Humph!
The concubine sitting next to him said with admiration: Huang Lang is so powerful, can he meet the king
Of course the top scholar puffed out his chest, enjoying the feel of the concubine's breasts against his arms, which also aroused his manly emotions.
Doctor Chen Yong of Taichang sighed and said: You are too young, be more humble, watch more and talk less.
Li Jiaming said jokingly with a cheerful look on his face: Mr. Chen, you can't take advantage of your seniority. Maybe Mr. Huang will become a higher official than you in the future.
I dare not, I dare not. The top scholar hurriedly said modestly.
Li Jiaming, who was in charge of the brothel, turned to him and said: It is none of my business whether Mr. Huang writes the letter or not, but I still want you to know more. Otherwise, if the king asks you, you won't know anything, which would be terrible.
Please give me some advice, Deputy Envoy Li. The young champion bowed and said.
Li Jiaming said: The story goes that the Great Zhou of Dongjing sent troops to attack Shu, and left 20,000 imperial guards in Jiangling Prefecture on the east route to protect the rear; now Shu has been destroyed, and the king has gone to Dongjing, but the 20,000 imperial guards have not been withdrawn. It would be reasonable for the Zhou people to leave a large number of elite troops in the North Han or Hebei, but they stationed so many troops in the south without making any moves, and the Zhou army did not leave so many elite troops in such a large area as Huainan.
The champion Huang Can nodded thoughtfully: What does Zhou Jun want to do
Jianglingfu is across the river to Lizhou, which is the gateway to Langzhou and Changde; Zhou Xingfeng's base is in Langzhou. What do you think they want to do? Li Jiaming said, I'm just guessing, you don't have to believe it. But recently, Tokyo sent an envoy to Langzhou to question Zhou Xingfeng.
Li Jiaming made jokes and acted like an arrogant and domineering envoy of the Zhou Dynasty: Wuping obeyed our dynasty, and the court has been very kind to you. But the court first appointed Liu Yan as the governor, but he was killed by you soon after; then appointed Wang Jinkui as the governor, but he was killed by you again. You treat the lives of court officials as a joke and have no respect for the emperor. Why do you want to do this? The Queen Mother of the Great Zhou Dynasty issued an edict, ordering Zhou Xingfeng to go to the capital immediately to explain the assassinations of the two governors and help the court punish the murderer.
After hearing this, the top scholar shook his head and said: Liu Yan and Wang Jinkui both occupied the territory of Wuping after the demise of the State of Chu. The Zhou Dynasty just gave them a false title. Now that they are dead, they have become officials appointed by the court. The Tokyo court is too ridiculous.
That's right. Li Jiaming said, that group was fighting for territory, whoever came to power would be given an official position in Tokyo, but Zhou Xingfeng killed Liu Yan and Wang Jinkui to take power, but the Zhou Dynasty did not give Zhou Xingfeng the title of Jiedushi. Suddenly, he remembered that the previous two were killed, but they were just looking for a reason to accuse someone, and the right way is to find a pretext to accuse someone of a crime.
Huang Can, the top scholar, said: "If we ask him to do this, Zhou Xingfeng is definitely not willing to go to Tokyo to die, and he has accepted the enfeoffment from the Zhou court. Now the Zhou court can accuse him of rebelling against the emperor's will and find a pretext to bring him to justice."
Li Jiaming nodded and said: That's the case, we all understand it. Zhou Xingfeng and Lin Renzhao are of course also very clear about it. They all know that Zhou's army is going to go south to attack Wuping. It's obvious.
Huang Can frowned and asked: Why did Lin Renzhao also get involved
Li Jiaming leaned closer and whispered: Some ministers have already impeached Lin Renzhao, which shows that Mr. Huang is a step late; however, others did not impeach him for deserting his post, but said that he and Zhou Xingfeng were secretly colluding. Lin Renzhao was a surrendered general of the Min Kingdom and his loyalty to the Southern Tang Kingdom was questionable.
There is another view, which is also Lin Renzhao's own view. He believes that the Zhou court's attack on Zhou Xingfeng was just a sword dance aimed at Pei Gong, and it was just to gradually approach the Southern Tang Kingdom from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River; Dongjing's action against Zhou Xingfeng was a sign that it had already made up its mind to plot against the Southern Tang Kingdom. It was inevitable to tear the relationship apart. Lin Renzhao believed that the lips and teeth would be cold, and he strongly advised the king to take action earlier, put aside the past grudges with Zhou Xingfeng, form an alliance to send troops to aid Wuping, and seize the initiative against the Zhou army.
So that's it. The top scholar was thoughtful. I have heard of Zhou Xingfeng. I heard that his wife is very ugly.
Li Jiaming laughed: I have also heard this anecdote, an ugly wife is a wise one.
It is said that Zhuge Kongming also married an ugly wife. These people are those who want to achieve something.
Li Jiaming said: This makes sense. Food and sex are human nature; a powerful man who marries an ugly wife must have a bigger heart. When Zhuge Kongming married a wife, he also wanted to marry into a local big family, and he didn't covet how others looked. It played a big role.
The top scholar nodded and said: Zhou Xingfeng's reputation is not bad. It is said that he once opened warehouses to provide disaster relief, cared for the people, and was deeply loved by the people. It seems that I have misunderstood Lin Renzhao. People say that birds of a feather flock together. Lin Renzhao thinks that Zhou Xingfeng is not a bad person. He hurriedly bowed and said, "Fortunately, Mr. Li has given me some advice. Otherwise, if I write a letter to impeach Lin Renzhao, wouldn't I be a slanderer? Fortunately, I haven't written the letter yet."
Li Jiaming did not comment.
Doctor Taichang, who was standing by, couldn't help but say, "Mr. Huang, since we are both honored guests in Lord Han's mansion, I have something to say. Honest advice is definitely unpleasant to the ear. Do you want to listen?"
Huang Can said: Mr. Chen, please speak frankly.
Doctor Chen Yong said: In the officialdom, the most taboo is to waver from side to side. Your opinions and attitude towards the government have changed too quickly. If you continue to support this person for a while and that person for a while, and completely change your opinions overnight, who will trust your position
Huang Can was stunned and said: Of course I am standing on the position of the country and the people. I will support whoever is beneficial to the country.
Chen Yong laughed and said, "Haha." He said no more.
Li Jiaming, who was more playful, also said: "It's not wrong for Mr. Huang to listen to what Mr. Chen said. Look at your mentor Mr. Han. The king asked Mr. Han twice about that matter, but Mr. Han was vague. Did he easily express his attitude
Several people mentioned Mr. Han, and the host Han Xizai finally showed up. He walked into the hall with several maids, with a hospitable and kind smile on his face. All the gentlemen stood up and bowed to him.
Han Xizai had long sideburns and a beard that reached his chest. He was tall and strong, but his manners were very elegant. He bowed in return and said, "I apologize for my neglect."
No, no, everyone was polite.
Han Xizai walked slowly to the couch in front of the upper screen and sat down, saying, "Drink and eat as you please. Tonight, I and all of you are very lucky to have invited Li Ji, the sister of the deputy envoy of the Jiaofang Department, to play elegant music."
Someone echoed: "We must listen carefully, Li Ji is the most beautiful lady who is good at music in Jinling recently."
Li Jiaming said modestly: "I dare not, I dare not. My attainments are still shallow. How can I dare to say that I am the best musician in Nanjing? And who can compare to Queen Zhou Xian?" He smiled and said, "But the queen is extremely noble, and ordinary people don't have the blessing to hear her."
At this time, a young girl in blue clothes, who was only in her teens, walked in shyly, holding a pipa with half her face covered. She walked slowly to a seat, tilted her head, and bowed gently: I'm sorry to show you my ugliness.
She sat down gently, and with a flick of her finger, a string of pure sounds like a spring rang out between the lights in the hall. The guests and maids all looked sideways at Li Ji.
For a moment, the laughing prostitutes, concubines and guests all fell silent and listened attentively to the beautiful music. The hall was filled with tranquility and everyone was immersed in the mood.
After the song was over, Han Xizai took the lead in clapping and praising. The hall suddenly became lively again, and everyone praised it.
Li Ji, please stay. I heard this sound is crisp and beautiful, but also has hidden power. Suddenly I remembered a new dancer who is very good at sword dance. If it is matched with Li Ji's pipa, it will definitely be a good show. Han Xizai said.
Li Ji chuckled and said: You can ask me to accompany you, unless Mr. Han plays the drum to liven up the atmosphere.
Everyone laughed and tried to persuade Han Gong with great enthusiasm. Han Xizai smiled and said: Since Li Ji invited me personally, I will obey your order. If I get the rhythm wrong, please don't laugh at me.
After Han Xizai finished speaking, he clapped his hands three times and looked up at the door on the side. Seeing this, everyone knew that the clapping was a signal, and they all looked towards the door expectantly, waiting for the sword-dancing dancer, or perhaps wanting to see what she looked like.