"Brother Song, what do you think?" Liao Heng asked quietly. Song Che laughed and said: "General Han is in charge of the defense of the capital, Master Lu is the governor of the capital, Song is just a businessman, how can He De judge their faults? Besides, there is no big conflict between us. , why not let them treat me to this meal and settle the score."
"Many...thank you very much, Boss Song, for your generosity!" The Lu family and his son kowtowed in thanks. Han Yu, however, kept a straight face and said nothing, seemingly not very convinced.
Of course, he also had the right to be unconvinced. Who said he was the elder brother-in-law of the current emperor?
"Your Majesty, there is news from the former post that the Hu envoys have arrived at the outskirts of the city." At this time, a messenger came into Suyunzhai to inform him.
He Qiu put down his chopsticks and stood up to leave: "Your Majesty, I'm going to greet you." Liao Heng pushed him back to his seat.
"Why do prime ministers need to greet envoys from foreign countries?" He turned to Lu Tong and Han Yu and said: "General Han, set up a guard of honor three miles away. You and Mr. Lu will go together to welcome the envoys. After receiving the envoys, just place them in the official post. No In my summons, they are not allowed to enter the palace to disturb you." Han Yu and Lu Tong retreated in response.
"Are these barbarians here uninvited?" Song Che asked. Liao Heng glanced at Tang Hulu and others.
Tang Hulu understood immediately and stood up with all the merchants to leave: "Boss Song, let's go find the inn first. See you at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet." Song Che nodded.
Soon, Suyunzhai was emptied, leaving only Song Che, Liao Heng, Jiang Yuntian, He Qiu and Gao Chen. He Qiu then said: "Due to the need for war preparations, the tea and horse trade in the northwest is very heavy. If nothing else, these barbarians should be here to reap benefits."
"Get the benefits?" Liao Heng said coldly: "Is our Liang Dynasty really a piece of fat? All kinds of wolves, tigers and leopards want to take a bite." Song Che smiled and said: "Your metaphor is really good. The Central Plains Dynasty has been a piece of fat in the eyes of these barbarians since ancient times. Now that we have just stabilized the war in Dijon and are in a weak stage, it is a bit unreasonable for them not to come and reap benefits. "
"Hmph!" Liao Heng threw the wine glass in his hand.
"You mean, we have to satisfy these barbarians this time, whatever they want?" Everyone else was silent.
It can also be regarded as the default.
"Speak!" Liao Heng looked at Jiang Yuntian: "Brother Jiang, tell me!" Jiang Yuntian held the wine glass, shook his head, and softly uttered three words: "I don't know." Liao Heng glared: "You again I don’t know!” Jiang Yuntian looked up at the ceiling,
"Ah, I just don't know. It's okay to let me lead the troops in the war. You shouldn't ask me about such Machiavellian matters."
"He Qiu, tell me!" Liao Heng looked at He Qiu again. He Qiu hesitated and said: "Your Majesty, please don't be anxious. The purpose of the Hu people coming to Jinling this time has not been clear yet. It is too early for us to draw a conclusion here."
"Does it need to be said? You come uninvited, and the person who comes is not kind. In all likelihood, it is an exorbitant request, and it is also chosen during the Mid-Autumn Festival, my wedding day! This is obviously a rude provocation, a naked provocation Robbery!" Liao Heng turned his head and glanced at Gao Chen who was standing aside: "Master Gao, what do you think?" Gao Chen nodded solemnly and said softly: "Reporting to your majesty, what the Hu people want is only profit, so there is no harm in sacrificing some. .”
"Oh? In the old dynasty, Mr. Gao always advocated war rather than peace. Why did he change his tune in my new dynasty?" Liao Heng asked in a deep voice.
Gao Chen said: "Although I have always been the leader of the war, it is not an unreasonable war. Now that the new dynasty has just been established, the Central Plains has not yet recovered, and the national power is extremely weak, there must be no more war in the northwest. What's more, what's more..." Liao Heng shouted. :
"Speak directly if you have anything to say!" Gao Chen glanced at Song Che. Song Che nodded. Gao Chen then said: "What's more, Your Majesty should know that there are not only the Hu people in the northwest, but also the Western Qiang, Tubo and other foreign countries, as well as the Xiliang pacification envoy Ma Wei, who has supported his own troops. The Xiliang army has always been chaotic, with not only Liang people, but also There are many people. If you can't find an excellent opportunity to fight, it's best not to provoke them; well...the above are all humble opinions of humble ministers. Your Majesty is wise and has his own experience." Liao Heng frowned.
The atmosphere was once heavy.
"Hey, what are you doing, everyone? A mere foreign envoy makes you scared?" Song Che broke the silence, picked up the wine pot, poured wine with them one by one, and said with a smile: "Just now, Mr. He also said that the foreign envoy this time Come here, the matter is about the tea-horse trade, which means they are essentially here for business." He picked up the wine glass, handed it to Liao Heng, and asked: "Your Majesty, who else in the world can do this better than Song? Business? Don't worry, don't worry." Liao Heng looked at the wine glass in front of him, nodded, and suddenly became enlightened: "I have full faith in Brother Song."
"Then quickly pick up a cup and let's have a drink together?"
"Dry!"
"Do it!"... In the next few days, Song Che stayed in the Prime Minister's Mansion. Ganoderma lucidum was one month pregnant earlier than Shen Wenjun, and now she is more than eight months pregnant.
Mother He prayed to gods and bodhisattvas all day long, holding the daughter-in-law she originally disliked in the palm of her hand, praying that she would have a fat grandson next month.
August 15th, Mid-Autumn Festival night. Song Che and He Qiu rode together in carriages and horses, along with Tibetan merchants and more than a dozen vehicles of congratulatory gifts, to the Yongming Palace in Jinling to attend the banquet.
"Brother-in-law, you should keep an eye on him and don't let him get drunk." When going out, my wife told me to drink less and eat more vegetables.
He Qiu retorted: "When have I ever been drunk?" Lingzhi said: "Of course you don't know that you have been drunk, because you are carried back every time." He Qiu blushed and said
"The talkative woman" got into the carriage in shame and urged her to leave quickly.
"It seems that the prime minister often goes out to socialize and is very successful." Song Che said with a smile. He Qiu sighed helplessly: "If you want to do what you want in your position, you must drink his wine. Alas... a corrupt act."
"I'm afraid it's unrealistic to break up the thousands of years of wine table culture with you," Song Che said with a smile: "The new dynasty has a new atmosphere, new officials have taken office, it's the time when the prime minister has full wings, but we can't Too gentle." He Qiu was disdainful and sneered lightly, but did not argue. He only said: "Do you think they are all new officials? Except for a few senior officials, 70% of Zhongshu's sect is below the fourth rank. They are all officials of the former Shouchun Mansion. When my wings are full, I am afraid that my father-in-law will be able to fly." Song Che smiled and said: "This is called 'one person can achieve the Tao, chickens and dogs ascend to heaven'." He Qiu said disdainfully: "The power is mine. Hands, a bunch of chickens and dogs can't make a difference."
"Well... he looks like a prime minister!"
