The next morning, servants in Young Master Sheng's mansion were shuttled back and forth. Tables and banquets had been set up in the lobby, ready to entertain the guests who were about to come.
Mu Sheng was given a stay-at-home order and stayed behind closed doors to think about his mistakes. He could not go out to greet guests, so he had to send someone to greet the guests at the door.
A few hours later, in the lobby, until noon, the wine and food prepared in advance were cold and hot, hot and cold, and not even a ghost could be seen...
At this time, Mu Sheng was sitting alone in the hall, pouring himself a drink. He shook his head and smiled bitterly, mocking himself and said: "These guys kill talented people and don't even want severance pay? The world is really in trouble! This person hasn't left yet? Tea is poured out Let’s get cold first…”
He thought about it in his mind, and thought about it, now that he had been exempted from all titles, and the trees fell and the hozens scattered, those disciples were already people who followed people's influence, how high a moral level could he expect from them? He was thinking that he had been nice to them before? Haven't you treated them badly? Taking care of food and housing, some people even recommend becoming an official. Why is this person so realistic?
When you are in power, good guy! That guy, all the stars are holding the moon, these people want to lick him, but when they see you being fucked to the end, not even a ghost disappears? Are they all running faster than rabbits?
It seems that yesterday's prosperity, that feeling of meeting each other's soulmates, is like yesterday's flowers, as unreal as a dream.
Just when Mu Sheng was sitting alone in the lobby in a daze, the guards of the mansion came to report: "Sir, Song Zhong is here to visit..."
Mu Sheng was shocked when he heard this and said: "Please come quickly."
He sighed in his heart that someone with a conscience was willing to visit him.
The guest Song Zhong came late with a smile, and Mu Sheng felt particularly close to him when he saw his short and fat figure.
After Song Zhong entered the lobby, he wanted to apologize. He was late for something. He didn't expect that as soon as he entered the lobby, he saw only Gongzi Sheng sitting at the main seat drinking. Seeing this, Song Zhong was a little confused. Is the party already over?
Mu Sheng greeted: "You're here, sit down quickly."
Song Zhong didn't know why, but he still stepped forward to apologize and said: "Your Majesty, I'm late when you come down. There is some business in the city that Song needs to handle in time. I have already said hello, so..."
Song Zhong entered the hall, looked around, took a few glances, and asked doubtfully: "Sir, is this... the banquet has ended already?"
Mu Sheng waved his hand and sighed: "It's not that it ended long ago, but it never started."
Hearing this, Song Zhong was stunned for a long time, and sighed: "Hey! These people, the master is not lazy to them on weekdays...Song doesn't even know what is good, the world is really cold!"
Hearing this, Mu Sheng smiled happily and said, "Come on, sit down, there's still you here, how about you and I having a few drinks together?"
Song Zhong shook his head and smiled bitterly, then took his seat and said, "Okay, then I, Song, will accompany you to have a few drinks with me."
While the two were drinking heavily, Mu Sheng toasted Song Zhong with a glass of wine and said, "Song Zhong, why are you and the others so realistic? You have no human touch at all. You used to eat and drink from me in my house. In the end, I saw that I had lost power, and even a ghost disappeared? I originally invited everyone to come for a banquet today, and planned to give them a large severance package, but I really didn’t expect it, hey! "
Song Zhong drank a glass of wine and said: "The reason why they relied on you in the past was to get the chance to recommend him to take the oath. But now that you have lost power, what future can they have by following you? I'm listening to these. Seeing that the young master has lost power, most of them have already defected to An Guojun's palace."
Mu Sheng nodded and said: "Young Master Xiu? Well! He has now replaced me as the popular person in front of His Majesty, so it would be a good place to seek refuge with him."
"Song Zhong, why do you come to my place for a banquet today?"
Song Zhong said with a smile: "I don't ask for official salary, I just want to borrow money from the prince's name. If I already have official salary today, I have to avoid suspicion!"
Hearing this, Mu Sheng pointed at Song Zhong and laughed loudly. After laughing, he said: "Well, Song Zhong, you are an honest man. Come on, come on, have a drink, I'll give you a toast!"
Song Zhong naturally raised his glass to drink.
Mu Sheng drank a glass of wine and sighed: "Since ancient times, the rich and the rich have many friends, while the poor and the lowly have few friends. It is natural that the ancients will not deceive me."
Song Zhong raised his glass and said: "Young Master is absolutely right. You don't have to feel sorry for these common people. If Young Master can get the favor of a saint again in the future, these rats will still be shameless and climb up the pole to cling to you."
Mu Sheng burst out laughing when he heard this. He finally saw the true meaning of the words "the world is in a state of flux".
The two of them had been drinking for over thirty years. Song Zhong felt that the atmosphere was almost enough, so he stepped forward and reminded him carefully:
"Master Sheng, Mr. Song has something to ask of me. Master, please don't be angry after hearing this, okay?"
Mu Sheng raised his head and drank a glass of wine, and said nonchalantly: "Now that I am no longer a lord, I can't write letters and speak out, and I am banned from the house. How can I help you?"
Song Zhong thought about his words and then said with a smile: "Mr. Sheng, this matter is not difficult for you. I went over to get your protection and got your hot pot recipe. Thanks to you, I Yiranju's business is booming, and it can be said that we are making money every day."
Song Zhong paused, then continued: "However, since you escaped from Nanman, you have advanced dividends on your account for nearly ten years. Although I am a businessman, the capital turnover in this account..."
Before Song Zhong finished, Mu Sheng knew what he meant. He waved his hand to interrupt Song Zhong's next words and said:
"I know what you mean. Three years ago, when you joined my family, you paid Yiranju a 30% dividend. The annual dividend is 50,000 gold. It is indeed an incredible amount of money, even more than my annual income from the feudal lord's restaurant. high."
"At that time, in order to escape from the Southern Barbarians and return to the country as soon as possible, I had no choice but to promise the Lord of the Southern Barbarians a ransom fee of one million gold. In addition to the 150,000 gold dividends I deserved for protecting you for three years, I also paid seven years of dividends in advance. , a total of five hundred thousand. Feng Wei borrowed another five hundred thousand gold from you to barely make up the huge ransom fee. I remember this favor. The five hundred thousand gold he borrowed from you has been returned to you. Now I have If you lose power, it will be difficult to protect you in the future. Your purpose of coming here today is to get back the dividend money that was advanced seven years in advance. Can I do that?"
Hearing this, Song Zhong smiled awkwardly, nodded and said, "Young Master, you are laughing. There are quite a few merchants here who eat with me. I hope Master Sheng will be considerate."
Mu Sheng waved his hand and said: "It's okay, it's just money. Originally, the money was to be paid back to you, but now I have a lot of people in my house and I am in urgent need of money. You can give it a month or so, and I will I will return the money in full. Seeing that you have done a lot for me in the past, I am writing a letter of recommendation to recommend you to An Guojun's house as a guest. As for whether he will accept you or not, it depends on your luck. From now on, you and I don’t owe each other anything, how about that?”
When Song Zhong heard this, he was overjoyed and agreed repeatedly: "Young Master is a virtuous man. You are truly a noble man. You are fair and fair in your affairs. Song is convinced. If there is anything inconvenient for you to do in the future, Master, it is enough to let Song know."
Song Zhong saw that things were progressing and that Young Master Sheng was reasonable, so he stayed with him until dusk, when he got up and left.
Mu Sheng looked at Song Zhong's leaving figure, smiled bitterly, and laughed at himself: "I didn't expect that the only guest who was willing to come to the party would actually come around the corner to ask for Zhang? Alas... everyone is here for profit; The hustle and bustle is all for my own benefit, Taishi Gongzheng will not deceive me."
After Song Zhong left, Mu Sheng scanned the empty lobby. In fact, all this was what he expected. However, after experiencing it personally, he felt a little lost. At this moment, he finally understood something. , what does it mean to be left out in the cold, this is it!
Seeing him building a tall building, seeing him entertaining guests, seeing his building collapse, the glory of the past is long gone, and there is nothing he can do.
In fact, he didn't feel it was a pity that those who had once clung to him just left. What made him a little chilled was that even Feng Wei, a retainer he had always regarded as his confidant, never showed up.
Mu Sheng recalled that Feng Wei had vowed to live and die with him in southern Xinjiang. Now that he thought about it, it was really ironic. At that time, he was really moved by him. Unexpectedly, he didn't even say hello. The bucket ran away.
Mu Sheng picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. He smiled bitterly and sighed. At this moment, he deeply felt what it means to be warm and cold in human relationships.
On the river in Qingyang City, on a boat, the counselors of the East Palace came to gather here. The prince Xi Ma Qin Shao, the prince led Geng Ling Liu Yu, Liu Zhang (Leqi), Guo Huan, and several officials from the East Palace on the boat. reunion.
When Le Qi received the news, he naturally pretended to be Liu Zhang and came to the party under orders. He understood somewhat that his master, Changping Lord, had fallen. Although he had deliberately planned it secretly, with this skill, Liu Zhang, who was pretending to be Le Qi, finally had the chance to succeed. Qualifications to sneak into the core decision-making team of the East Palace, the key is two words "loyalty".
Liu Zhang was Qin Shao's informant, and he contributed a lot to bringing down Young Master Sheng in one fell swoop. Qin Shao naturally took Liu Zhang and started to introduce the newbie to the officials of the East Palace one by one. From left to right in the cruise cabin, They are Liu Yu, the prince's commander, and Cai Ying, the concubine. They are all officials of the East Palace. In the past, they worked beside the prince when he was a Langguan in the imperial court.
Le Qi understood that these people were basically the right-hand men of His Highness the Crown Prince. Qin Shao introduced him to these people, and his intention was naturally self-evident. He seriously pulled Liu Zhang from chatting in a large group with 500 people to engaging in internal discount and promotion exchanges. Group.
At this moment, Le Qi secretly thought, it would be great if he was really Liu Zhang. Maybe he could really cling to the prince's side and make a career in it. But he knew that the fake could not be true. This was the result of Mr. Wu and his master's ability. There is a way to open up, and his true identity is also under Wu Xie's control. Once he has different intentions, don't cling to the prince, he will be cleared out soon.
Leqi looked at this situation and it seemed that it was also a secret celebration party between the prince's confidants.
At this time, the prince led Liu Yu to smile and said to Qin Shao, "Brother Qin, you took the greatest credit for killing Lord Changping this time!"
After hearing this, Qin Shao waved his hands and said politely: "Brother Liu, thank you for your praise. I didn't expect that just a memorial letter could easily kill Lord Changping. I think we can't get too excited too early. Although Young Master Sheng was stripped of everything, He was awarded a reward, but he was not deposed as a commoner. Given time, this son will definitely rise again."
The middle concubine Cai Ying agreed: "Brother Qin's words are reasonable. We really can't be too high-spirited too soon. Lord Changping left, and Lord Anguo came. He started his career with real military exploits. This son has always been cautious, so it's okay." The braids are scratchable.”
"An Guojun, Young Master Xiu has the support of the Yang family behind him. In fact, it is much more difficult to deal with than Young Master Sheng, who has basically no foundation in the court. Now His Highness the Crown Prince is also feeling uneasy."
Guo Huan also sighed and said: "Brother Cai, what is your Majesty's purpose in helping Lord An to rise? He is too great a threat to His Royal Highness. From now on, we have to deal with Young Master Xiu with all our strength."
Qin Shao frowned and said, "Is there any good way to deal with Young Master Xiu now?"
Seeing that everyone was shaking, Liu Yu suggested: "Right now, Young Master Xiu is rising rapidly, and I have been accompanying His Majesty all the time. He is no different from Young Master Sheng back then. It is better for us to calm down and not rush to suppress Young Master Xiu. Any approach or action will put His Royal Highness into an unjust situation."
Hearing this, Le Qi also took the opportunity to follow his lead and said, "Master Liu, you are right. When I was undercover in Young Master Sheng's house, Young Master Sheng casually mentioned His Majesty's impression of His Royal Highness, and most of them were positive words. I have always thought that Your Majesty generally approves of His Highness the Crown Prince. As long as our actions do not live up to the truth, it will not affect His Highness the Crown Prince. After all, our East Palace occupies a righteous position, and it is just and legitimate to establish a direct descendant. I personally feel that Mr. An Guojun is cultivating. No matter how hard you try, you can’t turn it over.”
When Qin Shao heard this, he slapped his hands and cheered: "What a clear and righteous statement. Old Liu and Liu Yan are right."
The concubine Cai Ying also agreed: "Brother Liu is really a young man. I also agree with Old Liu's proposal."
Liu Yu sighed and said: "I, Liu, am only in my early thirties and I have become an old Liu?"
Qin Shao patted Liu Yu on the shoulder, pointed at Liu Zhang, and said with a smile: "I can't help it. Who makes Liu younger and more promising than you?"
There was a burst of laughter from everyone on the boat.
Liu Yu smiled and waved her hands and said: "Today is a big day, so let's not talk about official business. It's so heart-breaking. How about we all have a drink together?"
Everyone raised their glasses to drink together and played their crowns to celebrate...
