"Everyone, get up and give them a seat," Yang Ming raised his finger and said.
Qianniu prepared Pei Shuang and Li Xiaogong, took the cushions from the maid, spread them in front of the four people, and then stood behind Yang Ming as a guard.
They both carry swords and have the right to carry swords at any time. The sword in their hands is called Qianniu Dao. There are only twenty-four people in the entire Sui Dynasty who are qualified to wear this thing.
"How about we chat somewhere else?" Yang Yue smiled and said, "I've already asked the maiko performers to prepare."
Yang Ming was stunned and said: "I was joking with you, but did you take it seriously?"
Yang Yue laughed and sat down beside him: "How can I dare to be so dismissive of His Highness's words?"
The two exchanged some light words, and Zhang Xutuo immediately had an initial impression of the prince. He had no airs at all, was very easy-going, and quite funny.
Of course, that was for Yang Yue.
"Give me wine!" After Yang Ming said this, a maid bought wine from the wine jar on the side and gave each of the four people a bowl.
After the four people took it with both hands, they didn't dare to drink it, so they just held it.
Yang Ming raised his palms to the four of them, meaning to drink.
In the Sui Dynasty, because the alcohol content was not high, it was often used as a thirst quencher. After all, it contained alcohol, so it also relieved fatigue. It was very refreshing to drink a bowl of wine when you were tired.
Treating each other with wine is a kind of etiquette. Water without wine shows that you take it seriously.
The four of them drank it all without daring to spill a drop.
"Xuangan has already gone to the inn to greet you. It seems that he missed you," Yang Ming said with a smile.
Zhang Xutuo clasped his hands and said: "Beizhi rarely stays at inns along the way. This time I came to Beijing on orders and I didn't dare to delay. I often stayed in the wilderness at night in order to shorten the time. I never thought that Chu Gong would go out of the city in person to greet Beizhi.
Already."
"There's nothing wrong with it," Yang Ming said very straightforwardly: "You have been supporting him for the good things he has done in Shandong, running errands to welcome you, and it is also right for you."
Well? Did the prince speak so openly? Zhang Xutuo glanced at Yang Yue subconsciously, and the latter smiled and said:
"Prince, if you have anything to say, you are not afraid of doing something wrong, but you cannot hide it."
So this is how the high-end game works? I also imitate other people’s decoration of the city. It turns out that the higher you stand, the simpler and more straightforward it becomes?
Zhang Xutuo hurriedly said: "The Duke of Chu solved Shandong's urgent needs at a critical moment. I am only grateful for my humble position, and some trivial matters are not worth mentioning."
Yang Yue asked: "Has everything been settled in Shandong?"
Zhang Xutuo nodded: "It is gradually becoming stable. In another two years of recuperation, it will be able to return to its former self."
Yang Ming came up to Yang Yue and said, "Send someone to call Duke Lu here. The provincial envoy Zhang will have to go to him later."
"Okay," Yang Yue clapped his hands, called the servant, and told him to invite Shi Wansui.
Zhang Xutuo hurriedly said: "The prince must not become a minister or an envoy. He really cannot afford to be a minister."
Yang Ming smiled and waved his hand: "Your Majesty, by the order of the emperor, you have been sent to serve in all directions. You have done a good job in Shandong and have lived up to your majesty's high expectations. I have already reported to your majesty to ask for your merit. This time, you should be allowed to come to Beijing.
I'm going to be a marquis."
Zhang Xutuo was immediately overjoyed and couldn't help but swallow his saliva: "The humble position depends entirely on the cultivation of the prince."
Okay, this sentence is the beginning, Zhang Xutuo is going to visit.
Shi Wansui has retired. If he wants to change his family, he needs Shi Wansui's consent. To put it bluntly, it will definitely not work if Shi Wansui doesn't let him go to whomever he joins in the future.
Otherwise, he will be a double-dealing traitor, and no one will dare to use him in the future.
Murong Sanzang, who used to live in Jingzhou, was relatively close to Yang Ming. His previous eldest brother was Wei Gu. After Wei Chong died, he recognized Wei Chong. After Wei Chong died, he followed Wei Yue.
.
This is a man who understands. He obviously has the opportunity to seek refuge with Yang Ming, but if he fails to do so, then the Wei family will treat him as one of their own.
Take Li Mi for example, his family is strong enough and his uncle is still Cui Zhongfang, but since he joined Yang Yue, he has never changed his master.
The master here is not the master-slave relationship of the Qing Dynasty. It is more like a master and a disciple, a lord and his staff. They are actually small interest groups.
Loyalty, filial piety, loyalty and filial piety are the two words that have been valued by all dynasties. They are loyal to the king and loyal to the master.
The more loyal the important figures who have left their names in history, the more they will be exaggerated and set as role models, such as Zhuge and Guan Yu.
Yang Ming chatted with them some nonsense at first, and then talked about serious matters after Xuangan and Shi Wansui arrived.
"I'm so humble that I can't bear the power of alcohol. I don't dare to drink any more for fear of making a mistake." Zhang Xutuo finished seven or eight bowls, his face didn't change and his heart didn't beat. He could still drink.
But he didn't dare let Yang Ming drink anymore, Yang Ming was already blushing.
I'm allergic to alcohol... Yang Ming put down the wine bowl helplessly. He didn't feel drunk at all, and his thinking was still very clear.
My ability to drink is too low, which is also a weakness, and I can't get on the stage.
After Zhang Xutuo said this, Cheng Yaojin, who had already drank half a bowl of wine, put down the wine bowl reluctantly. This wine is so delicious, I can't get enough of it.
Yang Ming saw this and smiled: "I have been drinking too much since I was a child, and I have made a few people laugh. You can drink as you like, and don't be restrained because of me. People who come from the military are all magnanimous men. I like to talk to you."
Deal with people like this.”
Zhang Xutuo was flattered by the fact that he called me instead of an orphan: "I have heard about it, and thought it was a rumor. I never thought that Your Highness really cannot drink alcohol."
Yang Yue said with a smile: "You just drink yours. The prince has made an exception today. Normally he would not blush after drinking. I insist on drinking with you until now, just to let you have fun, relax and don't be restrained."
Cheng Yaojin chuckled: "I can tell from my humble position that the prince actually likes to drink. Since he can't drink excessively, it's still okay to have a drink on weekdays."
Yang Ming smiled and said: "I drink a lot on weekdays, but I don't drink as much as today. I think your boy is quite good at drinking. Give him another jar and put it next to him. I'll see how much he can drink today."
"Haha, it's rare to taste such a fine wine. I won't be able to get home without getting drunk today," Cheng Yaojin laughed.
At his level, he is not as good as a guard in the imperial city, but Cheng Yaojin is so cheerful and open-minded that he is deeply liked by Yang Ming and Yang Yue.
Isn't there a saying that there are only two kinds of people who can be trusted, the stupid and the straight. Cheng Yaojin is considered a straight person, or he will be an evergreen tree in the political arena of the Tang Dynasty.
If you want to be evergreen in the court, there is only one word: loyalty.
Xuangan arrived first. As soon as he entered the study, his eyes were attracted by the wine jar next to Cheng Yaojin. Good guy, did you drink three jars of my spring mash?
Spring mash wine was brewed by Liu Baizuo, a man from Hedong in the Northern Wei Dynasty. Up to now, it has been the favorite wine of the upper-class nobles of the Sui Dynasty, and it is basically reserved for exclusive use.
The brewing industry in the Sui Dynasty was divided into government-run, private, and home brewing. Spring mash was government-run, with only one brewery and limited output, so ordinary people could not drink it.
Cheng Yaojin was a good drinker, and he knew that after today, he would never have the chance to drink this kind of wine in the future. The prince spoke softly and had a friendly attitude, so he was not polite.
The four of them stood up to greet Xuangan. Xuangan came over with a smile, pressed Zhang Xutuo's shoulders and asked him to sit down:
"I didn't expect this trip to be in vain. It seems that we will meet today. If we miss it elsewhere, we will meet somewhere."
After saying that, Yang Xuangan chuckled and sat down next to Yang Ming:
"Why is the prince here today?"
Yang Ming deliberately teased him: "What? I have to say hello to you when I come?"
"No, no," Xuangan laughed and said, "You come here casually, don't you?"
Yang Ming smiled and said, "Can I take things wherever I want?"
"Then you have to ask your uncle. I can't make the decision. He has pawned my whole family," Xuangan said with a smile.
Yang Yue saw this and was very happy in his heart. In front of outsiders, it was a good thing that the prince acted so close to their family, especially the bickering and joking, which showed even more intimacy.
"The one who makes the decision in our family is Yin Jiang, and the one who can make the decision for Yin Jiang is the prince, so naturally he can use it at will," Yang Yue said with a smile.
Yang Ming clapped his hands fiercely: "Okay, then I will borrow flowers to offer to the Buddha. Zhang Xutuo suffered a lot in Shandong. You two have to be considerate."
"What do you mean?" It's rare that the prince is in such a good mood today, he talks to himself much more gently, and Xuangan is also very relaxed.
Yang Ming smiled and said: "What? You are also a minister, how can you turn that meaning into embarrassment?"
Xuangan laughed: "I understand, your highness, don't worry. If Ziguo comes to my place, I can't let him return empty-handed. I can't guarantee their satisfaction."
Yang Ming turned sideways, approached Yang Yue and said, "Xuangan seems to have made great progress after returning from this expedition."
Yang Yue stroked his beard and said with a smile: "It's too late."
At this time, the servant announced that Shi Wansui was here, but there was a follower behind Shi Wansui.
Han Sengshou.
There was no other way, because they happened to be at Shi Wansui's home. After Shi Wansui received the invitation, he asked politely: Are you going with me?
Han Sengshou said that it is better to obey orders than to be respectful, and gave Shi Wansui to the general. You are so old that you can't distinguish polite words?
Now, in a study room, in addition to the prince, there are two princes, a county prince, and a county prince.
Zhang Xutuo and the four of them were even more at a loss.
"General...you have grown old," Zhang Xutuo's eyes turned red when he saw his guide again after so many years.
This is how the ancients regarded the master-disciple relationship very seriously, as if they were family members.
The master is half a father.
Shi Wansui patted Zhang Xutuo on the shoulder: "You are old too, please sit down."
Zhang Xutuo choked and nodded.
"Is Yuan Bei so old? Sit next to me," Shi Wansui waved to Zhang Yuan Bei after he sat down. The latter hurriedly bowed and came behind Shi Wansui.
Shi Wansui took Zhang Yuanbei's hand, looked at it carefully, and nodded:
"I heard that you did a good job in Shandong and did not embarrass me."
Zhang Yuanbei nodded vigorously, with an excited expression but said nothing.
At this time, Shi Wansui looked at Yang Ming and said: "I heard that the prince's twelve thousand oxen bodyguards are always missing one. Yuanbei was trained by me when he was young, and he is a piece of material. Although his background is a little different, the prince thinks of me.
Come on, take him in."
Yang Ming smiled and said: "We, the two of you, still have to save face?"
Shi Wansui laughed and slapped Zhang Yuanbei hard on the back: "Then it's settled."
With his words, Zhang Xutuo successfully changed his family and became a princeling.