[R18] Will drink wine – “About Wine” Chapter 277 [English]

Chapter 265, Cheng Bi

Ge Qingqing took advantage of the night to buy steamed buns from a steamed bun shop that must be passed by Zhaosu Temple.He stood in front of the shop, moved a few coins in his palm, and said: “Old man, give me two buns.”

The old man at this bun shop has bad eyesight and is blind.He turned his head slightly, as if trying to listen to Ge Qingqing’s words.After Ge Qingqing finished speaking, he opened the envelope, wrapped the last two buns in oil paper, and handed them over.

“Thank you.” Ge Qingqing said.

The old man’s voice was very hoarse and he said: “Send old customers away for free.”

Ge Qingqing was suddenly startled when he was placing the money, and he suddenly raised his eyes and stared at the other party.Most of the lanterns on the street were extinguished, and only a half-dead lantern hung not far away, illuminating the side profile of the bun shop.

Ge Qingqing used to be in Qudu, and all his colleagues loved to come here to buy steamed buns, not because the steamed buns here were delicious, but because it was directly connected to Zhaosu Temple.He now has a short stubble and is no longer as handsome as he was a few years ago. The most different thing is his temperament, which is no different from ordinary businessmen, but this blind old man can recognize who he is.

“Remember me?” Ge Qingqing asked casually.

The old man was holding the steamed stuffed bun cage and shaking it, but he was still lame.He put the cage in place, pulled out the water basin under the table, bowed and threw all the dirty dishes and chopsticks in, and said, “I was here yesterday.”

Ge Qingqing took a bite of the bun and said, “I admitted the wrong person.”

The old man washed the dishes and didn’t answer any more.Ge Qingqing just stood here and finished eating the buns, took out a handkerchief to wipe her hands, and walked away while wiping her hands.There was a smell of powder in the wind, which made the remaining lamp squeak and sway lightly.When Ge Qingqing’s body entered the darkness, he turned back and threw the copper plate in his palm. The copper plate fell crisply on the greasy table. He stuffed the handkerchief back and left like this.

The old man washed the dishes alone. It was almost dawn before he put the dishes and chopsticks in order.The vendor pushing a wheelbarrow selling vegetables next to him said hello and shouted: “Old man Cheng, are you opening the shop so early?”

The old man took off the handkerchief on his shoulder, wiped the sweat, and said: “I quit.”

“You’re not going to do it?” The hawker put down his cart, leaned on the edge of the table, and asked, “Why are you not going to do it?”

The old man threw the kerchief on the table, ignored the money left by Ge Qingqing, and looked at the end of the street: “There are other jobs.”

* * *

Li Jianting took a nap, and the book in his hand fell to his knees. His shoulders suddenly sank. She woke up immediately, opened Fuman’s hand, and shouted: “How presumptuous!”

Fuman knelt down with the blanket, raised his hand and gave himself a slap in the face, saying: “I have disturbed the Emperor’s Qingxiu. This slave deserves to be beaten! He deserves to be beaten!”

Li Jianting saw clearly that it was Fuman and raised his head slightly, feeling relieved.

After Fuman finished beating himself, he glanced at Li Jianting and said: “There is also an ice basin in this hall. It is very cold. If the emperor is tired, my servant will help you take a rest inside.”

After saying that, before Li Jianting could say anything, he planned to stand up and help others.

“Kneel down!” Li Jianting bit out the words.

Fuman quickly knelt down, holding the blanket, and said aggrievedly: “Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please calm down. I am just in a hurry. I feel sorry for your Emperor’s dragon body.”

When Li Jianting heard Fuman’s voice, he thought of men.She wanted to take the book between her knees, but found that her hands were shaking.

Fuman stepped forward on his knees and said flatteringly: “Your Majesty, you must not let yourself get angry because of being a servant. The dragon body is the most important thing.”

Li Jianting gathered his thoughts and controlled his facial expression to prevent himself from standing up and retreating.She squeezed the book tightly, her expression softened slightly, and she said kindly to Fuman: “The nightmare is pressing down on me. I didn’t wake up just now. It scared you. Get up quickly.”

Fuman saw that Li Jianting had a normal expression, so he felt relieved and stood up and said, “It’s cold here. Next time the emperor is tired, just call your maid.”

“The teacher will be here later.” Li Jianting threw the paper aside before Fuman approached, “Why aren’t you waiting in the errand yard?”

Fuman was so focused on getting promoted and making a fortune that he didn’t notice Li Jianting’s actions and bowed to congratulate him: “I’m here to tell the emperor good news!”

Li Jianting said: “Has Juexi’s grain book arrived?”

“That’s not the case yet. The inn said it’s already on the way, and it won’t last more than a day or two.” Fuman said, “Slave, I want to tell the emperor that the monthly accounts in the inner warehouse have been calculated, and the emperor has earned 80,000 taels of silver.”

Li Jianting didn’t expect this to be the case, and she said unexpectedly: “…Isn’t Uchikura Norimori the new one?”

“Yes, Your Majesty, I was recommended by my slave,” Fuman said with joy, “Master Xue Xiuyi, who formerly served in the Ministry of Household Affairs.”

Xue Xiuzhuo’s eldest brother, Li Jianting’s eyes darkened slightly.

“Sir Xue, he was really unworthy of his talents in the past!” Fuman said, “Not even since he took office, he already knew how to increase revenue and reduce expenditures for the imperial court, and managed all the officials and businessmen who came to the capital from all over the country to be obedient.”

“How to say?”

“Your Majesty, when you bring goods into the capital, you have to pay taxes,” Fuman bowed and whispered to Li Jianting, “It’s not easy to collect this debt. There are too many people who owe tax money and they are not honest. But Master Xue has a way. Not only did he collect the debt well, he also prepared many rare treasures for the emperor to enter the inner warehouse.”

Neicang Dianshou manages the monthly tribute from various places to the capital. Half of the fruits and vegetables eaten by the emperor in the palace come from here. He has to deal with various merchants and local officials. Ge Qingqing paid taxes here when he entered the capital.The rank of the inner warehouse is not high, and the people responsible for collecting taxes are all petty officials. They are close to the eunuchs. Over time, the eunuchs have the final say.

Li Jianting said: “So many?”

“It’s still a small amount,” Fuman crossed his fingers to settle the accounts for Li Jianting, “Let’s not mention the merchants in the eight cities for now. The merchants in the Thirteen Cities in Juexi and Hezhou are extremely rich, Your Majesty. Nowadays, the chaos is rampant, and they are opportunistic and do business in Zhongbo. They no longer pay attention to etiquette and respect, and their food and clothing expenses are more lavish than those of the officials. These people are willing to spend money for themselves, but are not willing to pay money to the court, so someone needs to take good care of him.them.”

“Is Xue Pingjing so powerful?” Li Jianting pretended not to know, “I’ve never heard of it before.”

“In the past, there was no suitable place for it,” Fuman complimented, “Thanks to the Emperor for his discerning eyes!”

Li Jianting saw Fengquan passing by the window and knew that Kong Qiu had arrived, so he whispered to Fuman: “You can handle this well. I’ll see him someday.”

Fuman beamed with joy and retreated holding the blanket.When he got outside, he only saluted Kong Qiu and nodded slightly to Feng Quan.

Fengquan reported respectfully outside the door: “Your Majesty, Yuan Fu has arrived.”

* * *

Ji Gang slept in the courtyard with his head on a wicker chair.Xiao Xunhe was lying beside the wicker chair, quietly drawing a beard on Ji Gang’s face with a brush.

“Ah-nada Buddha,” Jin said in a low voice, “big tiger.”

“Grandpa is mighty, and tigers are the most mighty.” Xiao Xun gave Ji Gang a beard.

Ji Gang’s nose itched and he sneezed loudly. The two children immediately hid behind the wicker chairs.Ji Gang was not in a hurry to wipe his face. He lifted Xiao Xun up by his collar, pinched his real beard, and pretended to be angry: “You disturb Qingmeng, I will deal with you two!”

Xiao Xun thought Ji Gang was going to hit him, so he hurriedly held his head. Unexpectedly, Ji Gang raised his head high, and his beard was like a pen soaked in ink, rubbing Xiao Xun’s cheek black.

When Huo Lingyun came in, he saw Xiao Xun and Zi running around the wicker chairs and walking along the corridor to the eaves. Fei Sheng was watching the excitement with his arms crossed and said to Huo Lingyun: “Look at the prince, how fair he was when he came here.”

Huo Lingyun nodded to indicate that he had seen it, and asked: “Is there a gentleman in the room?”

Fei Sheng then looked away, looked at Huo Lingyun, and said, “Is something wrong?”

Huo Lingyun took out the letter from his sleeve pocket. This was a letter from Ge Qingqing to Jin Yiqi. They were all about the movements of Qidu. They had already opened them and read them.he said: “Look.”

Fei Sheng took the letter and read it.

The sunlight in the courtyard shines on the corners of the eaves, and the fresh paint on them is bright and bright, hiding the antiquity of the house.

Fei Sheng looked calm after reading the letter and continued to ask: “Have you read it to Qiao Tianya?”

“I didn’t see him,” Huo Lingyun said, “I led the third team out of the city early in the morning.”

“You wait.” Fei Sheng folded the letter, turned around and opened the bamboo curtain, and saluted after entering, “Master, there is a letter from Ge Qingqing. It is related to the transfer of the Governor of Qedudu Army. Jinyiqi does not dare to make any decision, and must show it to the master first.”

Gao Zhongxiong stopped talking, Shen Zechuan raised the folding fan and asked Gao Zhongxiong to sit down.He gently pushed the folding fan with his right hand, which had only taken off the gauze in recent days, and said to Fei Sheng, “Bring it over.”

Fei Sheng opened the letter and placed it in Shen Zechuan’s hand.

“Shao Chengbi…” Shen Zechuan said, “I remember that this person was not included in the review of the Xiande year. Was he recommended by Chen Zhen?”

“Master,” Fei Sheng turned sideways and reminded, “this is the Shao family of the Ministry of War.”

Shen Zechuan’s leisurely expression was slightly restrained. He looked at it again and said, “Shao from the Ministry of War in Yong Yinian?” He looked at Fei Sheng and recalled quickly, “…is this Shao Chengbi, the minister of the Ministry of War who was imprisoned by Ji Leigou after the East Palace case?”

“Master has a good memory, it’s him.” Fei Sheng said, “This time the Eighth Battalion was renamed Dujun, and all the officers of the sixth rank and above were dismissed and replaced. They were recommended by Chen Zhen, the Minister of War, and reviewed by the cabinet ministers. The post of governor was given to Shao Chengbi, and he is now renamed ‘Chengbi’. Ge Qingqing said that this man has not left the capital at all in these years, and has stayed beside Zhaosu Temple to sell steamed buns.”

“Shao Chengbi is Chen Zhen’s brother-in-law. It is reasonable for Chen Zhen to save him, but he must be over sixty years old.” Shen Zechuan closed the folding fan again, “Even if he is asked to hang the seal, can he still mount a horse and carry a gun?”

“Not only that, Master, in order to deceive others, he mutilated his voice and even blinded one eye,” Fei Sheng said.

Chen Zhen served as the Secretary of the Ministry of War and recommended numerous good generals. Like Cen Yu, this person was a wise man.But Qudu was in a critical period, so he gave the post of governor of the capital to the elderly Shao Chengbi. Is it because Qudu really has no generals, or because Shao Chengbi is really capable?

“The empress uses old ministers,” Zhou Gui looked at Shen Zechuan, “This is to clear up the old case of Yong Yinian in the East Palace.”

Kong Ling said: “It’s not that easy.”

“The hidden dangers have not been eliminated in the Eight Cities. If the empress reverses the case for the Prince of the East Palace at this moment, she must first capture the remnants of the family.” Yao Wenyu covered the tea cup, “She has stabilized the situation and cannot take this risk.”

Li Jianting killed a chicken to scare the monkeys, and used a royal staff to frighten Marquis Helian into paralysis in bed. The other families immediately paid part of the land tax voluntarily.Qudu had just breathed a sigh of relief and had enough energy to rebuild the capital army. If Li Jianting reversed the verdict at this moment, it would be harmful to Qudu.

“The old East Palace case involves countless officials. To overturn the case, there must be regulations and time,” Yao Wenyu continued, “It cannot be rushed.”

he This is also a gentle reminder to Shen Zechuan that he should not be in a hurry. The old case in the East Palace is more difficult than the failed case of Shen Weibing.

“Shao has been hiding for a long time,” Shen Zechuan said, “I have to ask Qiao Tianya about this.”

Qiao Tianya returned home at the end of the day, took off his armor in the side hall, and then went to the main room to see Shen Zechuan.He read Ge Qingqing’s letter and said: “If it is really Uncle Shao, then Beiyuan Campus will have more troops.”

“Shao belongs to the Ministry of War, and Shao Chengbi is also the minister of the Ministry of War. He is not only familiar with the details of troop deployment in various places, but also the topographic map of Zhongbo.” Shen Zechuan stirred the tea foam, “Ce’an just left, and I don’t dare to send troops now, but we have to return to Cizhou before October.”

If Yin Chang is still there, Shen Zechuan can sit firmly in Duanzhou. Without Yin Chang, Shen Zechuan must go to Cizhou to coordinate the garrison forces of Ci and Dunzhou.

“Yes,” Qiao Tianya casually folded the letter into a crane, “During the ‘Three Yao’ period, the Shao family was considered a general. The Ministry of War is not like the other five departments. Shao Bo was promoted by the Taifu as a minister, which is his real ability.”

The “three Yaos” he mentioned means that when Emperor Yong’an was in power, three of the important ministers in the cabinet were all from the Yao family in Jincheng. Among them, Yao Wenyu’s grandfather was the mainstay. It was not only the heyday of the Yao family, but also the beginning of the rapid retreat of the Yao family.

“In order to seek peace, my father turned against the Hua family after the Taifu was imprisoned. Shao Bo cut off his ties with my father.” Qiao Tianya put the crane next to a candle and burned it. “When I left the capital, I heard that he had been beheaded.”

“Since Shao Chengbi is promoted by the Taifu, he should be called ‘teacher’,” Fei Sheng said. “The master is the Taifu’s student. If you think about it, we are also related to him.”

“There were countless people who were promoted by the Taifu during the Yongyi period. Although Shao Bo was one of them, he neither had contact with the East Palace nor the Taifu. Moreover, since Shao was convicted because of the Li family, it is natural that the Li family should rehabilitate him.” Qiao Tianya wiped off the dust on his hands.

“But,” Zhou Gui asked doubtfully, “didn’t Yuan Zhuo say that the empress cannot take risks at this moment?”

“The Empress really cannot take risks at the moment. As long as Shao Chengbi defeats the Zhongbo garrison,” the teacup under Yao Wenyu’s hand went cold. “Without external troubles, won’t the family’s internal troubles be eliminated?”

Xiao Chiye marched eastward, leaving the north empty, and Zhongbo had no help. If Qandu didn’t fight now, how long would it take?

“If there really is a fight,” Zhou Gui said, “we still have the Tantai Tiger!”

“Tiger has an impatient temper and needs someone to supervise him.” Shen Zechuan cheered up, “… Fei Sheng, tell Master that we are leaving for Cizhou.”