The servant invited the guests into the hall. In the main banquet hall, in addition to the seats for the prime ministers in the north, there were two rows of seats on the left and right sides of the hall. It was also full at this time. Everyone greeted each other and greeted each other, and the atmosphere was quite lively.
Guo Xin's position was already that of the capital commander, but he was far inferior to the ministers and nobles present, so he found a seat in a corner and sat down, and began to wait.
Not long after, Shi Hongzhao came hand in hand with Yang Bin. Su Fengji, Dou Zhengu, Su Yugui and other prime ministers also took their seats one after another. As Shi Hongzhao touched his hands, the servants in the house poured wine for the guests and started a feast. Shi Hongzhao stood up and raised a big glass to the guests. All the guests are encouraged to drink.
"During the previous dynasty, the late emperor and I had fun chasing hares with eagles and dogs in Taiyuan Mansion. How different it is today! It is our responsibility to stabilize the country and pacify the rebels. I and you all will drink from this cup!"
Everyone here toasted and congratulated each other, and then a group of singers from the house came in and played in the hall with musical instruments such as harps, harps, and xuns.
Yu Niang often chatted with Guo Xin about the ritual music of the Tang Dynasty, and he also knew a lot of music from it. What we see before us is Tang music, which is said to be a poem based on a story about Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin, having a banquet with his ministers and the countryside, and imitating the story of Liu Bang, the great ancestor of the Han Dynasty. The musicians adapted the music and dance and named it to praise Taizong's achievements.
Such music is usually accompanied by dance performances, but today there is no such thing. I heard that when the Tang Dynasty was still alive, every household of the dignitaries in the capital had a kabuki artist for such occasions. Although they still exist today, the scale and skills are not as good as before.
Sitting next to Guo Xin were Feilong envoy Hou Kuangzan and Sitian young eunuch Du Sheng. After exchanging cups with them, Guo Xin stopped drinking and concentrated on eating. Shi Hongzhao's banquet today seemed to be quite extravagant. The pastries, snacks, land and water dishes were not only fragrant, but also exquisite in shape. Guo Xin once again lamented that Shi Hongzhao's expense was too extravagant.
At this time, Guo Xin heard Hou Kuangzan, the flying dragon envoy beside him, whispering to the people on the other side: "For Mr. Shi to play this music at his residence, it seems to be trespassing."
After hearing this, Guo Xin felt that Shi Hongzhao probably didn't know these etiquettes and just used them to show off in front of the ministers because they thought they sounded good. However, even if Shi Hongzhao knew about them, he would probably not take it seriously.
In Guo Xin's view, many of the current prime ministers in the DPRK, including Yang Bing and others, were from low-level soldiers and literati. The more people lack something, the more they have to show off, and that's mostly the case. In Guo Xin's eyes, the temperament of the Post-Han Dynasty built hastily by Liu Zhiyuan was just like the city of Tokyo, with people's hearts and minds impetuous and directionless.
Guo Xin paid more attention to the several prime ministers above him, and saw that they were joking and toasting each other during the music, and their expressions were relatively relaxed.
At present, the Khitan in the north is guarded by Guo Wei, and the southern country will not invade at this time. Although the prime ministers still have a dispute over whether Guo Wei should expand the war to attack the Khitan, it just shows that the Han army has the initiative in the war. In recent years, the threat from the Khitan is far less than the previous year. Li Shouzhen led the three towns to rebel. At least the officials of the current dynasty no longer had to worry about Tokyo City being reshuffled again.
Guo Xin's mood relaxed a little. The atmosphere at the banquet was very good. Perhaps Shi Hongzhao, Su Fengji and other civil and military prime ministers could discuss and reach an agreement on important matters tonight.
After several rounds of drinking, the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves at the banquet, the musicians and singers retired, and the banquet was suspended for a rest. Shi Hongzhao stood up and invited Yang Bin and other ministers to leave the banquet and go to a more private place in the house to continue the banquet.
At this time, many guests had left the table and went to rest in the corridors on the east and west sides of the hall, or left home in advance. Guo Xin did not find Guo Tong, but he originally wanted to wait for the outcome of Shi Hongzhao's discussion, so he went to the vestibule outside the hall to chat with Guo Tong.
After leaving the vestibule, Guo Xin saw a familiar figure. Duke Yizheng of Lu State was chatting with another old man in the corner.
Hou Yi also saw Guo Xin, smiled and nodded at him. Guo Xin stepped forward and bowed. Hou Yi was old but looked good. He pointed to Guo Xin and introduced him to the old man next to him: "This is the son of Xianggong Guo."
The old man hurriedly raised his hand and saluted: "Zhang Yun, the minister of the Ministry of War, has heard about Guo Xin, the tiger shooter for a long time, and I am able to meet him today. I am honored to meet him."
To some extent, the Minister of War is a colleague of the Privy Council. However, the current Ministry of War has very little power and only does miscellaneous errands for the Privy Council and the Department of Guards. All matters concerning the Imperial Guards are mainly decided by the Privy Council. Guo Xin just responded politely. .
However, Zhang Yun seemed to want to strike up a conversation with Guo Xin, and actually said: "I quite agree with Guo Gong's idea of using troops. In the current imperial court, the person who knows the most about military affairs is none other than Mr. Guo."
The three of them chatted about Hebei for a while, and then Zhang Yun left, and Hou Yi said: "I am old, and I feel cold after being out for a while. General Lao Guo helped me in."
"There is nothing you can't do."
Guo Xin then helped Hou Yi back to the banquet hall to sit down and poured him a glass of wine. After a glass of turbid wine fell into his stomach, Hou Yi's face turned rosy.
Hou Yi's reputation in the court was not good, and he had a lot to do with Wang Jingchong's rebellion in Fengxiang. But Guo Xin still has a favorable impression of Hou Yi, because he saved the lives of the Hou family's daughter-in-law and grandson. After returning, Hou Yi immediately repaid him with a plate of golden bamboo shoots and asked his grandson Hou Yanguang to recognize Guo Xin as his adoptive father!
It can be seen from this incident that at least Hou Yi knows how to repay kindness.
It's just that Hou Yi is still too old, and his family was almost wiped out. Otherwise, with his seniority and ability to manage connections, he should still be able to find a position as a military governor, and he would have an ally from another town.
Guo Xin asked Hou Yi about the current situation of his adopted son Hou Yanguang. Most of the guests in the hall went to the vestibule and there was no one around, so Hou Yi changed his name to Guo Xin as his nephew again.
"My nephew is here today, probably because of Guo Gong's affairs. Today's banquet, in addition to celebrating the festival, does Shi Hongzhao want to work with Su Xianggong and others to facilitate the incident that Zhang Yun mentioned earlier?"
Guo Xin acquiesced, and Hou Yi continued: "I am not involved in the dispute between the DPRK and China, but I can tell my nephew that Mr. Guo may not be able to do what he wants in Hebei, at least not within a few months. The battle between the DPRK and China is by no means as peaceful as it seems. Mr. Guo I have been leading troops outside for a long time without knowing the inside story, otherwise I would not have taken the initiative to use troops at this opportunity."
Hou Yi was able to survive several dynasties. Guo Xin still believed in his sense of smell and knowledge in court. He said solemnly: "I would like to hear the details and ask the Duke of Lu to clarify my doubts."
Hou Yi nodded and said: "In two months' time, it will be the Holy Festival for the official's birthday. This year, the Jiedu envoys from other towns will personally come to Beijing to wish the official's birthday. Su Fengji, Su Yugui, Dou Zhengu The three ministers have already persuaded the officials, and they will take advantage of the opportunity of the ministers being in Beijing to relocate the towns to prevent the past events in the three towns from happening again. With such a big event and danger, how can the imperial army stay out all the time?
Moreover, Zhuzhen had many bribes with Yang and Shi Gong, so the matter of moving the town should be kept hidden from them for the time being. Er Su, Dou Zhengu and others would never compromise on this matter. If it was difficult to decide, the officials would also issue an edict to ban the army's division. "
Guo Xin was shocked when he heard this. If it was true as Hou Yi said, it would be inevitable for Guo Wei to become a teacher. It was just a waste of his efforts!
At this time, the musicians and singers returned to the hall together, and many guests also came back one after another. It was not suitable for the two of them to continue talking, so Guo Xin had to say goodbye and go back.
Hou Yi still did not forget to whisper: "The matter of moving the town is extremely confidential. My nephew can know it with Mr. Guo. Don't leak it to others!"
Guo Xin returned to his seat, still thinking in his heart. The shortcomings of the vassal towns in this dynasty were indeed very obvious. Among the Liu family's towns outside Tokyo, only Liu Zhiyuan's three brothers Liu Xin, Liu Chong, and Murong Yanchao led Hedong, Hedong, and Murong Yanchao respectively. The three governors of Zhongwu and Tianping guarded the core area of Gyeonggi between Bianliang and Luoyang from the north, south and east.
Many of the military governors in other towns were from the previous dynasty. For example, the Fu family had even sent several military governors. Therefore, after Liu Zhiyuan ascended the throne, he had to recruit from the founding generals or even generals from the previous dynasty who took the initiative to surrender. Zhongla people filled the position of vassal town, and Zhao Hui was one of them. The internal and external environment of this dynasty is quite unstable. The key is that the late emperor Liu Zhiyuan died too early! It can be seen that the foundation of the young official Liu Chengyou after he came to the throne was far from reliable. He still relied on quelling the rebellion of the three towns, which could be regarded as suppressing the vassal towns in various places.
Therefore, Guo Xin believes that since Hou Yi can speak out, the words about moving the town will most likely not be false, and Liu Chengyou, Su Fengji and others have strong motives for this matter!
Sure enough, not long after the guests were seated, they saw Su Fengji, Su Yugui, and Dou Zhengu coming from the back of the hall. However, they did not sit down again, but walked straight out with a calm look on their faces. There was a sudden murmur among everyone present. After a while, Wang Zhang, the third commander, looked anxious and started to catch up with Su Fengji and others. When he saw the three of them walking away, he stamped his feet and sighed.
Seeing this situation, Guo Xin knew the result of the discussion between several princes.
