After reluctantly leaving Jiankang Prison, Xu Zongwen returned to Wuyi Lane accompanied by Xi Jian, Guo Shang and Zhang Sanzhangsi.
When the Xie family heard about Xu Zongwen's return, they had already held a banquet in the mansion. As soon as Xu Zongwen entered the mansion and before his heels landed, Xie Yong, the steward of the Xie mansion, came to invite him.
In fact, Xu Zongwen is quite embarrassed. It has been so long since he came to Jiankang City. All the food, drinks and lunches of Xu Zongwen and his party have gone to the Xie Mansion. .
However, Xu Zongwen couldn't refuse and could only accept it calmly.
As the saying goes, eating people has short mouths and short hands. If Xie encounters any problems in the future, Xu Zongwen may not be able to stay away!
"General, Sima Hui was summoned by His Majesty yesterday. He was named the Duke of Ancheng County and given the post of Secretary Supervisor." Xi Jian heard several of Taifu Xie'an's staff chatting about Sima Hui.
Another Duke, Fu Lang was granted the title of Duke of Jianning, and now there was another Duke of Ancheng.
The secretarial superintendent is the official of the secretarial department, which is responsible for the collection and editing of national books. This kind of sinecure is often the most suitable position to place surrendered ministers.
However, Sima Hui, the ill-fated prince of the Qin Dynasty, could have a good ending in the Jin Dynasty, and Xu Zongwen also felt relieved.
Xu Zongwen asked: "Is there no news from the palace yet?"
"The general said that His Majesty did not summon you, right?" Xi Jian immediately revealed Xu Zongwen's true thoughts.
Xu Zongwen glanced at Xi Jian and admitted, "It has been many days since we arrived in Jiankang. Why hasn't your Majesty summoned me yet?"
Perhaps it was because of the incident involving Xun Chong, the Marquis of Xichang, that the Jin Emperor became suspicious?
Guo Shang interjected: "It may be that the Queen Mother is currently in mourning, or His Majesty wants to summon the general during the court meeting."
The end of December is the end of the year. According to the past practice of the Jin Dynasty, a large court meeting will be held at the end of the year. Officials in Beijing, big and small, will be ordered to meet the emperor, which is called the year-end court meeting.
Regarding the taboo on national mourning, Xu Zongwen suddenly realized a very serious problem!
During the national mourning period, a ban on alcohol will be issued, and civil marriages will be suspended. This period can be as short as three days or as long as several months. Three days is used to change the year, and three years of mourning is replaced by three days, or the day is used to change the month. , a total of thirty-six months in three years, which is equivalent to thirty-six days, which is more than one month.
Xu Zongwen turned his attention to Guo Shang, "Zijin, according to the imperial decree, how long is the mourning period for the Empress Dowager?"
"His Majesty issued an edict to abstain from court for five days and observe mourning for three days throughout the country. However, marriage was still prohibited in Jiankang, and an alcohol ban was also issued." Guo Shang has been in Jiankang for a long time, and he has been serving as the censor for a year. There are many, so he is very familiar with the decrees issued by the Jiankang court.
The Empress Dowager passed away in early December, and it was already mid-December when the edict was sent to Luoyang. This meant that officials had apparently been relieved of their duties, but the prohibition on alcohol had not yet been lifted.
In other words, not long ago, Grand Tutor Xie An risked the disapproval of the world and held a grand birthday banquet during the Empress Dowager's mourning period, and also invited hundreds of civil and military officials and celebrities!
What's even more frightening is that no one in the entire Jin Dynasty dared to say a word about Grand Tutor Xie An's birthday banquet in violation of regulations. Even the emperor sent his brother Sima Daozi, the king of Kuaiji, to send a birthday gift to congratulate Xie An on his 65th birthday. Happy birthday!
This is simply an incredible and shocking thing in a feudal society that pays attention to the Three Cardinal Guidelines and Five Constant Rules!
What is certain is that the influence of Chenjun Xie's family far exceeded Xu Zongwen's imagination. The water in Jiankang City was deeper and turbid than it appeared on the surface.
"I understand." Xu Zongwen was about to speak when the door was opened. The three of them looked slightly sideways. It was Pang Bai, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, who entered.
Pang Bai saluted Xu Zongwen, Xi Jian, and Guo Shang, and then handed over a land deed: "General, this is the land deed for Guanju Tower. I have been ordered to complete everything."
Xu Zongwen nodded slightly. Pang Bai was worthy of being the leader of Jinyiwei. He always acted quickly when doing things. What he ordered last night was completed today.
Xi Jian and Guo Shang looked at each other and spread their hands together. They didn't understand what Xu Zongwen was going to do!
"Don't make random suspicions. I bought Guanju Tower just to find out the news in the future. No matter where we are in the future, we must grasp the news about Jiankang as soon as possible. This is to strike first and gain the upper hand!" Xu Zongwen roughly agreed. Xi Jian and Guo Shang already understood the explanation.
In fact, Xi Jian was very supportive of Xu Zongwen's vigorous development of the Jinyiwei. On the battlefield of the Northern Expedition, it was not just about money and food, but also the details of each other's army numbers, ordnance and baggage reserves, troop deployments and generals. To boil these down into two words: intelligence!
Whichever side has more information can make the most accurate judgment on the enemy's true and false situation, thereby seizing the opportunity and tilting the balance of victory towards which side.
But what Xu Zongwen was doing now was not only targeting enemy countries, but also starting to concentrate his efforts within the Jin Dynasty.
"Guan Ju Tower is the first place where Jin Yiwei settled down in Jiankang. You need to concentrate more manpower to finish this Guan Ju Tower." Xu Zongwen repeatedly told Pang Bai that Guan Ju Tower was where Jin Yiwei entered Jiankang City. As a bridgehead, Jin Yiwei will be stationed in various places in Sanwu, the entire Yangzhou, and the entire south.
Pang Bai naturally knew what Xu Zongwen was thinking. He had already transferred Guanju Tower to the names of Ruying and Luzhu in accordance with the instructions. Guanju Tower was about to be changed from a brothel to the most exclusive club in Jiankang City.
Xu Zongwen asked Guo Shang to move the pen, ink, paper and inkstone over. Just as he was about to pick up the pen and write something, he suddenly remembered that his ghost calligraphy calligraphy could not get into the eyes of Xi Jian and Guo Shang. It would be embarrassing to write it, so he asked Guo Shang Shang ghostwriter.
Xu Zongwen thought for a while and said carefully: "In this case, the name Guan Ju Lou must be changed for me first, and the naming will be left to Zi Jin and Shou Yue."
"promise!"
"But after the Guanju Building is changed, will it be a restaurant, a guild hall, or a brothel?" Guo Shang asked Xu Zongwen while holding up his pen.
Xu Zongwen said without thinking: "After the major renovation, there will be more elegant rooms in the Guanju Tower. There will be a flower stand on the first floor. The bottom of the flower stand will be surrounded and put up with benches. After the completion, we will invite the most famous oiran from Kangcheng. To support the scene... Then I will use my name to invite Nan Jun Gong, Xichang Marquis and the important ministers of the court to come and have a fun..."
"But doesn't this expose both Guanju Tower and the general?" Pang Bai felt that it was inappropriate. Since he wanted to make Guanju Tower a stronghold for the Jin Yiwei, shouldn't it be safer to do it in secret?
Xu Zongwen smiled, patted Pang Bai on the shoulder, and explained: "The so-called small hermit hides in the wild, the big hermit hides in the court, when the fake is true, the true is also false, when the true is false, the false is also true, the false is true, the true is true It’s the emptiness that makes people confused.”
Xi Jian praised: "General, this sentence is very good even if it is true when it is false!"
"Hahaha!" Xu Zongwen pressed his hand: "It's just picking up people's wisdom, picking up people's wisdom!"
"Zijin, let me draw a few pictures for you to take a look at." Xu Zongwen picked up his brush and carefully drew several clothing design drawings based on later models' catwalks.
After Xu Zongwen finished, Xi Jian, Pang Bai, and Guo Shang all gathered around, and they were completely impressed by this sight.
Navel-baring shorts, hip-covering skirts, cheongsams, Hu women's clothes, and low-cut professional attire all made Xi Jian and the others dazzled by the endless variety of clothes. Can't pull it out!
In fact, Xu Zongwen designed the catwalks of later generations, and then spent money to hire tall women with outstanding looks, plump bodies, and tall bodies to wear the clothes designed by Xu Zongwen and walk around for a few times.
Then he took advantage of the opening to put on an unprecedented performance, and Guan Ju Lou, which of course was not called Guan Ju Lou at that time, became an instant hit with one performance and became the most high-end guild hall in Kangcheng!
The guild hall will be divided into multiple levels. The highest-level private rooms are reserved for senior officials of the Jiankang court and leaders of the gentry. At that time, this guild hall will become the place with the richest and most complex information in Jiankang City, and become the center of public opinion. The gathering place became a place where powerful people throughout the Jin Dynasty flocked...
