Xiuwenfang in Nancheng, Luoyang, is a lifang that has been preserved since the Tang Dynasty. Although its name remains, its charm is no longer there. However, it is still a good choice for noble ministers to buy a house.
Located among them, there is the Hou Mansion, which is the other palace of Hou Zhang, the envoy of the Zhenguo Army, in Xijing.
In the evening, in the palace, the bells rang and the dishes were served, and servants were waiting in groups. Hou Zhang held a banquet in his mansion and invited old friends to visit him. The guests were Wang Yan, the military envoy of Jianxiong, and Zhao Hui, the military envoy of Baoyi Army, who had also come to Xijing for an audience.
It is not entirely clear how deep the friendship between these three people is. Only last year, three people killed Khitan generals in Shaanzhou, raised righteousness in Yingcheng, presented themselves to Jinyang, and made Liu Zhiyuan the emperor. No matter how you calculate it, it is all a revolutionary friendship. It is rare to be together. Hou Zhang invites me, so I have to give him some face.
Hou Zhang, Zhao Hui, and Wang Yan are all veterans who have been in their sixties for three generations. However, after serving in the army for decades, even in the later Jin Dynasty, the highest military position was no more than a junior high school in the Forbidden Army, a middle- and lower-ranking officer.
In fact, if the Khitans had not destroyed the Jin Dynasty last year and the Chinese army had fallen, and the three of them had taken advantage of the situation, it would have been difficult for them to achieve a breakthrough in their official positions. However, when a hero comes at the right time, even if he is old, he will be promoted from a mere military academy to a Jiedu, and he will have power, fame and wealth.
After the establishment of the Han Dynasty, the court also praised the three people more. Whether it was Liu Zhiyuan or Liu Chengyou, these three people were typical examples of the court's good care of Fangzhen. Furthermore, Zhao Hui and Wang Yan also have guarding talents.
As for Hou Zhang, haha. This is another typical warrior, known for his corruption. He has been in charge of Hua Prefecture for less than a year, and it has been completely exposed. He has no good governance. Compared with Zhao and Wang, he pales in comparison. Of course, if it is worse than ***, Hou Zhang is slightly better than those warriors who are greedy, cruel and considerate of human life...
"Brother Zhao, Brother Wang, let me toast you two again." Although Hou Zhang is old, he looks very strong and in good health. He eats wine in one gulp.
"Brother Hou, please!" Zhao Hui and Wang Yan responded, a little reserved. Just a slight sip.
Looking at the table full of fine wines and delicacies, Zhao Hui described himself as solemn and kindly advised Hou Zhang: "The country is poor, the emperor advocates frugality, and the court prohibits alcohol. I am here to have a banquet, so I need to restrain myself..."
Hearing this, Hou Zhang immediately shook his head, got drunk, and spoke eloquently: "Brother Zhao, don't worry too much, the emperor can still control our food and drink? He has worked hard in the army for decades, suffered for decades, and when he is old, he still won't let us go." Let's enjoy ourselves, there is no such thing in the world. Besides, the emperor held a banquet yesterday, didn't he also serve the imperial wine to entertain the festivals? It doesn't matter."
Seeing Hou Zhang's attitude, Zhao Hui wisely did not go any further on this topic. Enough was enough. He glanced at Wang Yan, who was facing the case, and seemed to have a tacit understanding, not to have a close relationship with him.
Huazhou and Shaanzhou are neighbors, so he naturally heard about Hou Zhang's gathering behavior in Huazhou. If he doesn't listen to advice, there's nothing he can do.
After drinking some wine, Hou Zhang looked happy. Taking advantage of the wine, he said with emotion: "Three of us were originally in the Forbidden Army. We were not famous and were despised by others. But now, we are all commanders, sitting in one place and enjoying the glory." , such luck is because God loves us so much."
"It also depends on the trust and favor of the imperial court and the emperor." Zhao Hui agreed lightly.
"Yes, I would also like to thank the Khitans. If they had not gone south and destroyed the previous dynasty, we would never have been able to come forward." Hou Zhang laughed.
"Brother Hou, be careful!" Zhao Hui seemed a little impatient with this man's arrogance.
Hou Zhangze didn't care and asked: "What I said is true. Why is Brother Zhao so careful?"
"Brother Hou, haven't you heard about the recent events in Xijing?" It was difficult to speculate. Wang Yan rarely spoke during the banquet. At this time, he said in a deep voice: "Even the prime minister of Zhongshu has been imprisoned. We are here alone. If we don't restrain ourselves, we will only I’m afraid disaster is coming!”
"I think you two are too sensitive. We all have troops in the state and town. This time we are giving the emperor face and come to see us. How can he deal with us for no reason? As for Su Fengji, he is just a scholar, nothing more. Soldiers have no power and are not worthy of the law. In the past two days, the emperor has been trying to win over and appease us..." Hou Zhang became more and more arrogant, or maybe he was drunk and had no scruples.
As the wine got drunker, the atmosphere in the banquet room gradually became awkward. Zhao Hui and Wang Yan were not in high spirits, but Hou Zhang enjoyed it.
Feeling that the atmosphere was not good, Hou Zhang gradually became unhappy, with a look of displeasure almost on his face. After thinking about it, Hou Zhang took the initiative to ask and said something serious: "You two, you said that the emperor summoned me to Xijing. What do you mean? Yesterday, at the royal banquet in the palace, although the emperor spoke in a roundabout way, I also I heard something went wrong. Who is he referring to when he talks about the vicious and evil people on the west side with ulterior motives?"
"Don't you mean I'm waiting?" Hou Zhang couldn't help but make a joke and said happily: "Hahaha..."
Seeing his drunken state, Wang Yan's eyes were full of contempt, and he felt a little regretful about attending the banquet today. He took a sip of wine and said casually: "Who did not come to the festivals called by the emperor?"
After such an instructing, I felt like I was enlightened, but I asked: "Who else has the emperor summoned?"
Zhao Hui was a little surprised: "Brother Hou, don't you know?"
"What do I care about others?" Hou Zhang said matter-of-factly.
"Li Shouzhen in the river, Xue Huairang in the same state!" Upon seeing this, Zhao Hui couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth and said with a slightly solemn expression.
"Li Shouzhen?" Hearing this, Hou Zhang looked surprised, and then he couldn't help but be happy: "This is understandable. The Liu family robbed his daughter-in-law. It's no wonder that Li Shouzhen didn't dare to come to Xijing..."
Hou Zhang was so unscrupulous that he dared to directly joke about the big talisman. Almost at the same time, Zhao Hui and Wang Yan shut their mouths, and they were no longer interested in talking.
"Brother Hou, we have finished drinking, so Zhao will take his leave." Not long after, Zhao Hui left the table and said goodbye.
Wang Yan also stood up and said, "I still have something to do in my house..."
"What do you mean by this? The jar of wine has not been finished, how can we talk about having fun? You two are leaving, is it because I did not entertain you well?" Seeing the two people leaving the table, Hou Zhang was very surprised and asked a series of questions.
Zhao Hui handed over his hand, his attitude was quite gentle, and said: "Brother Hou, thank you very much for your warm hospitality. It's just that Zhao is not a good drinker. After all, he is old and his old injury has recurred, so it is inconvenient to have a hangover."
Wang Yan didn’t say too many clichés: “Farewell!”
The two of them had already decided to leave, so how could Hou Zhang be able to retain them. He was angry and did not get up, so he was sent off by his servants.
The banquet was suspended, and the awkward atmosphere in the hall suddenly broke. Hou Zhang sat behind the case with a sullen expression, his expression very ugly.
A drunken red formed on the old man's face. Hou Zhang couldn't help but burped, and then he threw the wine glass in his hand to the ground and said angrily: "Zhao, Wang is bullying me!"
"master."
"Withdraw, withdraw them all!" Hou Zhang said impatiently, pointing at the banquet.
On Zhao and Wang's side, they left the Hou Mansion together. Wang Yan lifted his beard, looked at Zhao Hui, and said, "Brother Zhao, don't be close friends with Hou Zhang!"
Zhao Hui's face was pale, not very drunk, and he said with a little enthusiasm: "Although the emperor is young, he is very similar to the emperor, and should not be insulted lightly. If you don't know yourself, you will be in trouble!"
