The power of a golden melon seed is greater than a thousand words and all kinds of hospitality. Zhao Zhen and Chen Xichun treated each other with respect as guests. They sat in the living room and talked about the local customs and experiences along the way in the past few months. They also talked about their continuous study in Shouzhou. Zhao Zhen was fascinated by the hard work he had endured. As the emperor of the dynasty, he couldn't help himself. He was like a prisoner trapped in the imperial city and couldn't escape. When Chen Xichun talked about the beautiful scenery of Liangshan Lake, he wished he could protect himself. My beloved girl also goes for a walk.
Thanks to Zhao Zhen's kindness, Lan Ting changed the water and brought tea from time to time. He was more diligent in making fruit snacks and his mouth was not as vicious as before. He kept asking Zhao Zhen if he was hungry and wanted to make some side dishes to fill his stomach.
Chen Xichun didn't dare to let Zhao Zhen enter the room now. She was afraid of harming the little life in her belly because she was pregnant with a dragon. Zhao Zhen didn't particularly like sex, but preferred to have heart-to-heart conversations with Chen Xichun. The two sat in the living room and chatted all over the world. , Chen Xichun had seen a lot along the way, and none of the new things he had learned from his stomach were of any importance. The two of them sat together until the rooster crowed several times. Xia Shouen coughed outside the door until his throat was bleeding. Only then did he leave Chen Xichun's house without feeling satisfied.
The dew in the east has turned slightly white, and the coldness of the August morning is already quite unbearable. Zhao Zhen came out of the alley and lamented that time had passed so fast. He didn't realize that time passed so fast in Chen Xichun's house. He came to his senses as soon as he went out. He hadn't slept all night. Sitting in Xia Shouen's sedan, he was yawning nonstop, feeling in his heart He sighed repeatedly, if he didn't take Miss Chen into the palace and go out to fight at night every day, then when winter comes, I'm afraid I wouldn't have such strong willpower!
It seems that he needs to urge Xia Song a little more to achieve his good deeds as soon as possible!
"Diversion to Xia Song's house. I heard that his house is on this street. I happened to go to Xia Song's house to try out his porridge. Many people in the court said that Xia Song's porridge should be served with three taels of shark's fins. The six-headed abalone also comes with various kinds of game, I don’t know if it’s true or not.”
Xia Shou'en said: "Those are the slanderous words of those scholars. As rich as an official and sitting all over the world, he only has eggs and some rice porridge every morning. How dare you be so extravagant! Mr. Xia has been fighting in the northwest all year round, how can he enjoy these seafood?" I have long heard that Mr. Xia suffers from thirst syndrome, and the doctor has long advised him to stop being greedy for food and drink. How dare a sick person make fun of his own body?"
Before Xia Shouen finished speaking, he gave a hint to his confidant out of the corner of his eye. As soon as the group passed the corner, the confidant went to Xia Song's house to report the news!
Zhao Zhen said: "Of course Lian doesn't believe it either. Since Xia Song and Lian have been in contact with each other for the past few years, Xia Song has become more and more disappointed that we haven't met each other for a long time! This person's loyalty to the emperor and the great power of the country cannot be compared to those ignorant scholars!"
Although Zhao Zhen is a famous emperor through the ages in the writings of historians, he is still a person after all. People can't escape their emotions and desires, and their attitudes towards people are also good and bad. If they like Xia Song, they will naturally get close to him. ,
To put it bluntly, is Xia Song a villain like Zhao Gao and Qin Hui? Not really, it's just that his way of doing things cannot catch the eye of the mainstream Confucian scholars and civil servants who claim to be pure.
Moreover, Xia Song also has an embarrassing identity. He was born as a civil servant, but he got to where he is today with his martial arts. A versatile civil and military man is too much of a threat to officials like them. Military generals hate it, but civil servants who can lead troops It makes them even more afraid.
It was just dawn, and the door of Xia Shou'en's house was closed. Xia Song had already heard the gossip about Xia Shou'en, but he didn't dare to show the slightest hint that someone had tipped him off. Naturally, he couldn't make it difficult for Xia Shou'en. After selling Xia Shou'en, there would be no one to help him. He handed over the small note.
When Zhao Zhen and his party arrived at the door, Xia Shouen signaled to knock on the door of Xia Mansion.
Boom, boom, boom!
The sound of the collision of copper rings broke the early morning tranquility. The people in the Xia Mansion behind the door had already received the news, and the whole government took action to prepare for the emperor's arrival in the early morning. This was not a treat that everyone had.
Taizu's visit to Zhao Pu on a snowy night, and the two of them drinking wine and planning for the Northern Han Dynasty have long been a story written by historians through the ages. If I can leave something behind from this chance encounter, I may become the second Prime Minister of Zhao in the future!
The servants pretended to be angry and shouted: "Who is it? It's early in the morning. Do you know which house this is?"
Xia Shouen was very satisfied when he heard this, but now he walked to the door coldly and shouted: "Bold! The official is here in person, open the door quickly!"
There seemed to be a commotion behind the door, and the sound of leaving footsteps was very clear, and then it seemed that many people had gathered. For a while, the middle door opened wide, and Xia Song ran out of the middle door wearing a nightgown and a pair of cloth socks.
The prime minister and his assistant were not dressed, and the emperor personally demoted him. Zhao Zhen was very satisfied when he saw Xia Song greeting him in such a hurry. He fully felt Xia Song's respect for him. To be honest, if you go to the homes of other ministers, you may not receive such treatment. If you are a direct minister like Fan Zhongyan, you may say that it is not the right time and you will meet in the palace another day.
"The official suddenly paid a visit to my humble residence. I was unable to welcome you from afar. I hope your majesty will forgive me!"
Zhao Zhen held Xia Song's hand, patted the back of his hand a few times, and said deeply touched: "I came to your house so early and didn't inform you in advance whether we were connected. I hope it didn't disturb you. Your clear dreams!"
Zhao Zhen looked at it for a while and found that Xia Song's face was a little pale, so he asked, "Why does Xia Qing look so haggard?"
"I am scared. Your Majesty understands people's hearts carefully. I have just finished reading some documents sent from Jingdong Road. The danger of Jingdong Road kept me awake all night. I stayed up until the middle of the night and it was too much to bear, so I could only lie down. I don't want your Majesty to come here." .”
Zhao Zhen was startled. Could it be that Xia Song wanted to mention the discussion at yesterday's court meeting in private? This would put him in trouble. Wouldn't it be unfair if he appeared in Xia Mansion now and said good things to Xia Song?
Zhao Zhen smiled and said: "This is not a place to talk. Is this how you treat guests?"
"Oh? Look at my memory. I was confused for a moment. Your Majesty, hurry up and invite me into the house!"
When Xia Song learned that Zhao Zhen was coming to his house, he asked Qiu Fu to lead all the servants to get up quickly and remove all the luxurious utensils and furnishings from the house. The conspicuous places were filled with books and ordinary plain porcelain. The entire Xia Mansion has changed from its previous extravagant style and can really be called a humble abode.
Zhao Zhen walked into the main hall of the Xia Mansion. There was not a single bronze utensil in sight. Although the room was large, there was no silk hanging on it. The shelves were filled with yellowed and wrinkled ancient books. Even calligraphy and painting antiques were just It was a blessing for the Song Dynasty that the first-class prime minister and assistant could be so incorruptible despite a few simple things.
If it weren't for his personal surprise inspection this time, he would really not believe his eyes. Yesterday, Xia Song was still crying at the court meeting. It seemed that what he said was not false. Even for such an upright official, some people attacked Xia Song for being greedy and greedy. His eyes suddenly turned cold. These people actually dared to deceive him!
"Has your Majesty had breakfast?" Xia Song changed into casual clothes, put on her shoes, and entered the main hall to wait on his side.
"No, I just wanted to come to your place to ask for a bowl of porridge to fill my stomach."
Xia Song said: "Yesterday, my servants bought some sacred bird eggs. They taste pretty good when used with porridge and rice. I wonder if Your Majesty would like to try them!"
Zhao Zhen asked in surprise: "Why are these magical bird eggs being sold everywhere overnight? What's the origin?"
Xia Song said: "The truth is that Yichen's ingredients are just some duck eggs. It's just that oranges grown in Huaibei are called tangerines, which is slightly different. Has your majesty eaten them elsewhere?"
Zhao Zhen said with a face that could not hide his embarrassment: "No, no, please bring it over and try it!"
Usually there is no one else in the house, so Xia Song's three meals are indispensable with delicacies such as shark's fin, abalone, etc. Now facing Zhao Zhen, he changed his previous extravagant attitude and presented a plate of preserved eggs and a small amount for everyone to eat. Pickle cores, don’t dare to bring out other dishes.
Zhao Zhen was extremely hungry, and a night without sleep was a huge drain on his physical strength. He ate every porridge he was served after three times, and divided it by two. He also had endless aftertaste of the taste of the divine bird eggs, which were almost the same as the porridge. It's a perfect match.
"This egg is called a sacred bird egg. It must be very expensive?"
Xia Song said: "It's a little expensive for ordinary people. One egg costs twenty cents, but for me, the salary given by the court is still affordable!"
These words were a bit self-deprecating. Zhao Zhen laughed twice and took away his bowls and chopsticks to get to the point. He came here because of Chen Xichun's affairs, not really for a living!
Zhao Zhen wanted to speak, but found that Xia Song had been waiting for him to speak, but was unable to speak. He asked out of nowhere, "What did Xia Qing just say happened on Jingdong Road?"
Xia Song said: "Japanese pirates have been in constant trouble on Jingdong Road over the years. Two or three years ago, there were only sporadic Japanese pirates. This year, Japanese pirates have been gathering in large groups. Once they are dispatched, they will be thirty or fifty people, invading prefectures and counties." , killing and kidnapping our people of the Song Dynasty will cause no less harm than the Khitan thieves from the West!"
Thirty or fifty people? Can this also pose a threat to the Song Dynasty? And why haven’t local officials reported these things?
"The Japanese sent envoys to our allies in the Song Dynasty and the Communist Party a few years ago, but they are such shameless villains? Why did the Jingdong Road Union not hear them report these troubles?"
Everyone in the world has the same attitude towards the Japanese as Zhao Zhen. There are only thirty or fifty Japanese. What threat is there at all? The current rebellions in the Song Dynasty are not tens of thousands. They are as strong as Xixia, which has already become independent. In the eyes of the Song Dynasty, it is just a scabies problem. Who would take these Japanese people seriously?
Because of this attitude, officials at all levels on Jingdong Road just regarded these Japanese as petty thieves and would not report them to the court. Naturally, Zhao Zhen could not see any information at all!
"The Japanese are barbarians. In their eyes, loyalty is not as useful as dirt. In their eyes, invading the Song Dynasty only has benefits. All levels of Jingdong Road turned a blind eye to the Japanese invasion. The common people were brutally slaughtered. Thousands of people were killed and injured in these years! "
Only then did Zhao Zhen realize the seriousness of this problem. No wonder Xia Song took it so seriously. He thought Xia Song was thinking about how to punish Jia Chaochang and his group. It turned out that he was too small-minded. It seems that the Japanese problem should be taken seriously!
