The Duke of Qin's Mansion is located in the imperial city, but this time the Duke of Qin invited the nobles to the Huaiying Pavilion, one of the four major flower buildings in the imperial capital. With a wave of his hand, the Duke of Qin took over the entire Huaiying Pavilion.
This is actually a signal from the Duke of Qin. Today's banquet will not be about official business.
Liu Xin sat curiously on the carriage, feeling very lonely. I just got a promotion and a salary increase, and I have a new baby in the family. He is still the kind of person who can make the family poor.
No wonder when he mentioned it to Senior Brother Cheng, Senior Brother Cheng's face looked strange.
I felt that the speed of the carriage had slowed down, because I asked the coachman about the destination of the trip, and after calculating the time, it was time to arrive.
After the carriage stopped, Liu Xin got out of the car anxiously, opened the curtain, and the light as bright as daylight shone on his face. When he looked up, he saw a gorgeous building with eight floors high, covered with Made of masonry, it is extremely sturdy.
Huaiying Pavilion
Three golden plaques with flying dragons and phoenixes are hung on the second floor. Among the four flower towers, Huaiying Pavilion ranks first. The proprietor behind it is also the only clear one among the four flower towers. The head of the civil servants is a bachelor of Zhongji Palace and an official. Minister of the Ministry, Kong Xiaolian!
Of course, everyone knows this, which is equivalent to not knowing it. The only person in the government who dared to do this openly was Kong Shangshu.
As the first person in the literary world and the leader of civil servants, he has this confidence.
Therefore, Huaiying Pavilion is deeply loved by literati. From the first floor to the eighth floor, each floor has eight walls. Starting from the first floor, anyone can write inscriptions and write poems on it.
If someone thinks your calligraphy is not good or your poetry is not good, you can choose to inscribe and compose a poem on the spot. As long as everyone approves of you, your poem words can be rubbed on them, covering up the original poem words.
Therefore, Huaiying Pavilion has another name: Douwen Tower
Above the eighth floor, there is actually another floor, which is the real Huaiying Pavilion.
This layer is actually a large locust tree, which is hollow and forms a pavilion.
I heard that to get to the Huaiying Pavilion, one does not rely on power or money, but only on literary fame.
Only if you successfully write on the text wall on the eighth floor, you will be eligible to enter the Huaiying Pavilion.
However, these statements are all passed down among literati, and they are probably just to improve the reputation of Huaiying Pavilion. In fact, if you meet some powerful people and they want to go up, you will not agree?
Well, the person behind Huaiyingting is the Minister of Civil Affairs, so that’s fine. There aren’t many people in the dynasty who have the ability to overpower him.
But what a coincidence, Liu Xin met one today.
After entering the first floor of Huaiying Pavilion, someone took the invitation and immediately led Liu Xin to the sixth floor.
The first to fifth floors are empty. Although the internal decoration is simply luxurious, it was wasted today and left vacant.
After six people got on the stairs, the crowd started to get louder. When they crossed the last staircase, their sight suddenly opened up. The layout of the entire sixth floor and the bottom was completely different. It was actually connected directly and turned into a huge hall.
A quick glance revealed that there were probably more than thirty people on this floor, including a few familiar faces.
Dansi, Zheng Xiao!
Shan Si was extremely sensitive to sight. He turned around and was stunned when he saw Liu Xin.
Zheng Xiao also saw Liu Xin and was equally surprised, but they all already knew Liu Xin's true identity. They returned to the imperial capital only two or three days earlier than Liu Xin.
Ever since Jiang Chengdu from the Hanzhong Military Racecourse was escorted back to the imperial capital, these people with sharp eyes and hands had learned about Liu Xin through their own channels.
As soon as Shan Si and the others returned to the imperial capital, combined with their experiences in Hanzhong, they were able to quickly analyze Liu Xin's true identity.
It was so sad to see each other again after so many days.
Zheng Xiao reacted the fastest. Of course he knew that Liu Xin brought Chen Nianji back this time. Although he offended Qin Guogong, he had made great contributions to Dongchang. The position of Jin Yiwei Deputy Qianhu was considered secure, and he would be promoted in the future. The job is also a sure thing.
For an ordinary person to be able to achieve this level, he must be outstanding, so Zheng Xiao did not hesitate to associate with him.
Shan Si naturally thought the same thing, so after being stunned for a while, the two of them walked towards Liu Xin.
As for the fact that Liu Xin offended Duke Qin, how could Duke Qin care about such trivial matters?
With Shan Si and Zheng Xiao's personal abilities, they were completely indifferent to this small impact.
"Brother Liu, I haven't seen you for a long time!" Dan Si said simply.
"Brother Liu, you deceived my brother so hard that day!" Zheng Xiao joked, invisibly bringing the relationship between the two closer.
Liu Xingong cupped his hands and said: "I was on official duty that day and had to hide some things. We are reunited today. We might as well get to know each other again, Jinyiweinan Town Fusi, Liu Xin!"
Shan Si also clasped his fists and said: "Kingwu vanguard, Dan Si!"
Zheng Xiao: "Fu Junwei, Zheng Xiao!"
The three of them laughed at the same time, and then found a seat together.
Shan Si's injury is mostly healed, but he can't drink alcohol to avoid affecting the injury.
Since everyone knew that he was the man at the farm that day, Liu Xin did not hide it, communicated openly, and asked: "Brother Shan, that day at the farm outside Hanzhong City, you fought against the Northern Barbarians!"
When Shan Si heard this sad topic, he suddenly felt his chest started to hurt again. He nodded silently and did not answer.
Zheng Xiao was even more exaggerated. His face turned pale. His ambition for martial arts was almost broken that day. Fortunately, he later found out that the man was Buhe of the Northern Barbarians. Everyone in power in the military knew that this man was a member of the Wanggu tribe of the Northern Barbarians except for them. The best master besides the prince, he can defeat hundreds of enemies on the battlefield.
It was normal and completely natural for him to lose to the opponent, so his broken Taoist heart gradually recovered.
Seeing Liu Xin talking about what happened that day, Zheng Xiao continued: "Brother Liu, you should have seen Buhe from the Northern Barbarians. He is really powerful. My father said that there is probably no one in the Zhengyang Army." Several of them are his opponents. By the way, Chen Nianji was captured by Bu He that day, how did he get into your hands later? "
Regarding this matter, Zheng Xiao, Shan Si and other powerful nobles were all puzzled after hearing the news.
With Bu He's strength, even if Hanzhong Wei was dispatched at that time, Chen Nianji might not be able to be recaptured from the former's hands.
In fact, in the hearts of powerful nobles, Chen Nianji is really nothing. Only Ban Wei would foolishly treat him as a treasure.
Everyone has heard about what the Chen family has done in Hanzhong over the years. Only Qin Guogong is in a high position and doesn't care about these small things. Everyone just pretends that they can't see or hear. But now everything has been exposed, and the evidence is still in Hanzhong. The prefect took it out, and only afterward did everyone find out some clues. It turned out that the prefect of Hanzhong was actually a member of Kong Shangshu. Although there is no clear evidence, everyone has found out that Zuo Jian was the top Jinshi in the second class, but he did not enter the center, but went to another place.
At that time, the main examination of the Autumn Palace and the final selection of officials were organized by Kong Xiaolian, the Minister of Civil Affairs, and his son. At that time, everyone did not pay attention and thought that they had offended Kong Shangshu. Unexpectedly, a few years later, he would make such a great contribution and take the year-end examination. After the success, Master Zuo will probably come to the Imperial Capital.
In this way, although it has come a circle, it is promoted faster than the first-class Jinshi in the same period, and there is a difference between meritorious and reactive merit, especially in today's Xuyang Dynasty.
Emperor Xuyang required civil servants to have not only the ability to govern the country, but also other talents.
Liu Xin laughed and said, "It's a coincidence. Nabu and Duanhou were fighting with the commander of Banwei squad. I had already withdrawn at that time. As a result, I met the group of northern barbarians on the way, so I snatched it from them. Come here, if I encounter Buhe, I will definitely not take action."
Shan Si nodded. He was extremely shocked by Bu He's strength. Apart from his father who made him feel such a strong sense of powerlessness in his life, even his brothers were only stronger than him, but he thought he could surpass him sooner or later.
Buhe is one of his goals in the future. He will be transferred from the pro-army to the border army to see if there is a chance to fight against the opponent again.
After chatting for a while about Hanzhong, everyone knew it well, so they slowly brought the topic back.
"By the way, I suddenly received an invitation from Duke Qin today. I don't know why I came here today."
Zheng Xiao smiled and said: "Actually, it's not a big deal. It's for the Zhengyang Wushu Competition in half a month."
Liu Xin knew about the Zhengyang martial arts competition. Once a year, all the imperial guards and the younger generation of pro-army troops around the imperial capital held a martial arts competition, which was considered a grand event.
But no matter how grand this kind of thing is, it is just a grand gathering for young people. Liu Xin doesn't think that big men like Qin Guogong will care about this kind of thing.
Zheng Xiaodao: "This year's martial arts competition is different from previous years. It seems to have something to do with the civil servants. Of course, the more important thing is that at the end of this year, Zhu Shuai will retire from the position of left governor.
On the military side, there will definitely be many more positions. In order to avoid unnecessary fights, Qin Guogong proposed to His Majesty that the final positions should be determined directly based on the results of this year's martial arts competition. "
Isn't this a bit childish?
This is a political resource. How could anyone use the form of a martial arts tournament to decide the allocation of resources? Even Liu Xin, a political novice, thinks this is a bit of a joke.
Shan Si said in a deep voice: "The Duke of Qin will not fight an uncertain battle!"
Shan Si seems to have full confidence in Qin Guogong.
Liu Xin nodded silently.
On the other side, Shi Wenbin and several other second-generation nobles were surrounding a man named Lei Chuanchang, a disciple of Emperor Wu City and now the commander of the Three Thousand Battalions of the Forbidden Army.
He is only twenty-five years old and is already a fifth-grade military attaché. Among the younger generation in Duke Qin's camp, his status is similar to that of Shan Si.
"Boss Lei, that's Liu Xin, he's the one who arrested Chen Nianji!" Shi Wenbin said.
Lei Chuanchang's father was also a powerful nobleman and was the Hou Lei Datong of Yan'an.
The Marquis of Yan'an is the commander of the Yan'an capital. The Lei family has lived in Yan'an for a long time and is a big family in the area. Among the nobles of Qin Guogong's lineage, his qualifications can be among the top three.
He has two sons, Lei Chuanchang is the second son. Unlike ordinary people, the Marquis of Yan'an is more concerned about his second son. After all, the eldest son can inherit the title in the future no matter what, while the second son needs to find another way out.
Lei Chuanchang also strived for success and was very talented. He entered Emperor Wu City and became an official disciple. After completing his studies, he joined the pro-army as a disciple of Emperor Wu City and reached his current position step by step on his own.
In the eyes of the second generation of nobles, Dan Si is indeed powerful, but he is not as close as Lei Chuanchang.
"Hmph, I'll make him look good later!" Lei Chuanchang said coldly.
He was not a brainless person who could only shake his fist, but he knew that at the end of this banquet, Duke Qin would want to see the skills of the young people participating in the martial arts competition and give some guidance.
Since Liu Xin can come to this banquet, it means that he has been regarded as one of his own by the Duke of Qin. Liu Xin himself does not know this, not even Shan Si and Zheng Xiao. They are still worried about Liu Xin.
Because of his father, Lei Chuanchang, the Marquis of Yan'an, also returned to the imperial capital with the Duke of Qin this time, and was drinking with a group of elders upstairs.
An hour passed quickly, and voices began to be heard from the sixth floor. Immediately afterwards, several nobles came downstairs one after another. Those who knew these people on the sixth floor saluted.
"I've seen Jingchuan Hou!"
"I've seen Marquis Jingning and Marquis Xuande!"
"I've met the Marquis of Yan'an!"
The Marquis of Yan'an was a burly man with a beard. He gestured to everyone and walked to his son's side.
"Father!" Lei Chuanchang saluted respectfully.
The Marquis of Yan'an nodded, and then Lei Chuanchang whispered a few words in his ear. The Marquis of Yan'an looked at Liu Xin in the distance and nodded silently.
Soon, Qin Guogong Tuoba Yunhan came downstairs, followed by Jiangyin Gong Xia Yunhe.
Liu Xin looked at Qin Guogong carefully. The latter was well-proportioned and even looked a little thin among a group of burly nobles. But he had sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, and his eyes smiled a little. He walked with a tiger-like pace, a face that was not handsome, and his whole body exuded domineering power.
"Today's lunch box is a family dinner. Don't be formal. The younger generation shouldn't be too obedient. Show up like a general and a tiger!"
Before he sat down, Qin Guogong spoke with a loud voice that shook the heavens.
Liu Xin suspected that he used internal energy when he spoke, but he had no proof. If the other party didn't use internal energy, then it was really a natural lion's roar.
Liu Xin's list of top 100 masters has a special list of military commanders, and Qin Guogong ranks first.
How many times had Liu Xin imagined the appearance of the Duke of Qin? Although the real person was showing his domineering power, this image did not seem to match that of the God of War.
Especially those eyes that are not too big. If you squint a little more, they will become a line.
"My lord, why don't we just announce what we were discussing upstairs!" the Marquis of Yan'an said loudly, attracting the attention of everyone present.
Qin Guogong laughed, picked up the wine glass and drank a glass first, and then said: "Old Lei, you tell me!"
The Marquis of Yan'an chuckled, his beard trembling, and said: "One of the reasons for coming here today is that we discussed with the Duke about the martial arts competition next month. In previous years, we just joined in the fun, but This year is different. His Majesty said frankly that the result of this martial arts competition is directly related to the handover of the post of Left Governor at the end of the year."
"Old Lei, you are so verbose!" A similarly bearded nobleman interrupted and said, "My lord, please be more straightforward!"
The Marquis of Yan'an was not annoyed, and just snorted: "Wait for me, Old Hu! Since the Duke wants to be more decisive, let's get started!"
What to start with?
This is too abrupt!
Liu Xin looked at this as more of a farce, and Monk Zhang Er was confused.
The next moment, guards began to enter, and the center of the hall was sorted out into a large open space. Two huge weapon racks were moved in, containing all kinds of weapons.
"Before the martial arts competition, we need to see the strength of you brats first. If it's too embarrassing, the Duke has said that he will enter the palace tomorrow and push away the position of Zuo Governor!" the Marquis of Yan'an said loudly.
"Now, all those who are qualified to participate in the martial arts competition, stand up for me!" The bearded nobleman once again stole the words of the Yan'an Marquis. Their eyes met in the air, and Liu Xin seemed to see electric sparks flashing in the air.
Shan Sisi stood up without changing his expression. Zheng Xiao smiled bitterly and walked out as well. Suddenly, there were more than a dozen young people standing in the center of the sixth floor, all of whom were second generation nobles.
"Hey, that boy over there, why don't you come out? Judging from your age, you must be no more than twenty-five!" The Marquis of Yan'an pointed at Liu Xin and said loudly. Suddenly, everyone's eyes fell over.
Liu Xin was stunned at first. He was just about to say that he was not the second generation of nobles, but suddenly he felt like he was being targeted by a tiger. A murderous intention exploded behind him. He stood up straight in an instant and did not dare to move.
Who could it be?
With such substantial murderous intention, the direct and strong killing intent made his back tingle, and he did not dare to move.
"Hey, what's the matter with you kid!" The Marquis of Yan'an looked displeased.
"Okay, this is Qianhu Liuxin from Jinyiweinan Town Fusi. I invited him here."
When Qin Guogong's voice came, the murderous intention behind Liu Xin instantly dissipated, and cold sweat seeped out from Liu Xin's forehead and slowly flowed down.
He raised his head and his eyes met Qin Guogong, who had a faint smile in his eyes. Qin Guogong said: "Liu Qianhu, I invite you here today, why don't we also play together?"
Liu Xin could see that the Duke of Qin seemed to have deep meaning in his eyes. Facing a Duke, especially one who was about to take over the power of the military, Liu Xin could not resist in his heart.
Thinking that he would be content with what he had come, he nodded, took two steps forward, and came to the place between Dan Si, who looked calm, and Zheng Xiao, who looked surprised.
"Okay, I took a look. There are only about a dozen or twenty of you. Let's try it out. It's faster and won't delay me drinking!" The bearded gentleman from before interrupted again, but no one present had any objections. As long as Yan'an Hou looks unhappy.
"That's Henan Gonggu Shanfu!" Zheng Xiao whispered quietly as if he noticed the confusion in Liu Xin's eyes.
"It's him! I've heard about this Duke of Henan. Isn't he a general under Duke Wu?" Of course Liu Xin knew this person.
Henan Gonggu Shanfu is known as the most powerful general under Wu Guogong Zhu Guangxiao. He is still a commander and is willing to stay by Wu Guogong's side. He does not even look at the emperor's rewards, but he can face a compliment from Wu Guogong in the cold winter. On that day, I took off my armor and jumped into the glacier, saying:
"My blood is boiling and the heat is unbearable!"
How could such a loyal subordinate of Duke Wu appear at the banquet of Duke Qin.
"It seems to be an order from Duke Wu, asking Duke Henan to come and see the quality of Duke Qin's men. If Duke Henan thinks it's good, he will be willing to become a soldier under Duke Qin in the future."
"How do you know so much?" Liu Xin looked at Zheng Xiao in surprise, can we know such secrets?
Zheng Xiao smiled bitterly and said: "We came early, and the Lord from Henan said these things loudly and loudly upstairs. It was so loud that it was hard not to hear him, and he said it three times in a row!"
It turned out that this was the case. Liu Xin suddenly realized and looked at Duke Henan with surprise. He was really a fierce man!
The Marquis of Yan'an was dissatisfied that the Duke of Henan kept interrupting, but he had no choice. When he was just about to arrange the personnel for the competition, a guard of the Duke of Qin ran upstairs and went directly to the Duke of Qin. He whispered a few words. The Duke of Qin's expression did not change, but everyone You can see the raging cold light in his eyes.
"Everyone! There has been a murder committed by the pro-army, not far from us. Guards in uniform will come to the door later. Please cooperate!" Qin Guogong's voice was not loud, but every word was heard clearly in everyone's ears.
Was there a murder committed by pro-military troops?
Everyone looked at each other.
Not long after, a team of uniformed guards came upstairs cautiously, led by Liu Xin's old boss, Liu Licheng.
