In late spring in March, the grass grows long and warblers fly, and the sun is warm, making people feel sleepy. Guo Jia had a hunch and wanted to go back to the house to sleep, but he had business today.
He wants to invite someone to drink.
Had to wait in the pavilion.
The food and wine have been set out, including a plate of boiled sheep heart, a plate of wild vegetables, a pot of sweet wine, and a cup of bitter tea.
The guest didn't return from duty, and he was a little impatient.
"If it weren't for Wen Ruo's sake, I wouldn't care about your life or death." He muttered something in his mouth, but he couldn't stop feeling sleepy, so he simply lay down on his side on the mat next to the food table and took a nap.
When Xun Yan returned home, he felt dumbfounded when he saw Guo Jia, who said he was going to treat him to a drink, but ended up sleeping soundly beside the food table.
He greeted the servant softly.
"Help the guest back to his room to rest."
As soon as the servant took over, Guo Jia woke up and said in a daze: "Xiuruo is back? Come on, come on, I want to treat you to a banquet."
Xun Yan smiled bitterly and shook his head: "In my house, use my cook to prepare wine and food, and invite me to a banquet. You, Guo Fengxiao, can do it."
He walked to the food table and sat down, looking at Guo Jia who was sleeping in a daze, and kindly advised him: "Although it is getting warmer this season, sleeping outdoors is easy to harm the body. Fengxiao should go back to his room and sleep again."
"
Guo Jia stretched and then pushed Kucha in front of Xun Yan.
"If you please use it."
Xun Yu lowered his head and looked at the tea leaves brewed directly with water, complaining in his heart: "A good thing is wasted."
I reached out and touched it, it was cold.
"Fengxiao, this is not how tea is made."
"Good stuff, just drink it."
Xun Yan tasted it doubtfully, but found it was bitter and astringent, making it difficult to swallow.
"Bah, bah." He couldn't bear the smell, so he turned around and spit into the spittoon next to him.
"Is it bitter?" Guo Jia asked with a smile.
Xun Yan complained angrily: "Nonsense, without spices, how can I drink this tea?"
Guo Jia ignored his complaints and pushed the wild vegetables forward: "Please use it, it's a good thing."
"What is this?" Xun Yan, who had been fooled once, was much more cautious and did not want to suffer another loss.
"I don't know, just a handful of weeds."
"What does filial piety mean?" Xun Chen's face darkened.
Guo Jia was still smiling: "Let's try it first. The best result for Xunshi in the future is to eat weeds and tree bark."
"If you have something to say in Fengxiao, you might as well say it directly, why bother trying to be mysterious?"
Guo Jia stopped smiling, poured himself a glass of wine, played with the wine glass and asked, "Have you met Guo Gongze?"
"They are all old friends from Yingchuan. How can I turn him away when he comes to visit?"
"Guo Tu has great authority and has surrendered to Yuan Benchu for a long time. He will not stay away if anything happens. Today, Liu Qiaoqi is fighting with Yuan Benchu in Xuzhou. When he comes to Jizhou at this time, he must have a plan. If he sees him, the Xun family will be in disaster.
Liu Qiaoqi is very wary and not close to scholars. Although Wen Ruo is trusted as a confidant, it is difficult to stop your lord's murderous intention. You won't forget this temperament, right? You and Qingji,
How many people had their homes confiscated and their families exterminated?
Or do you think you are not being reused and you really want to rebel?"
Xun Yan was startled: "Nonsense, how can you say such words casually? Of my three brothers, Wen Ruo is the chief secretary of the house, and your friend is the military advisor. How can I get to a high position again? This has nothing to do with talent or moral character.
My lord has been very kind to Mr. Xun, how can I complain?"
Guo Jia stretched out his hand to fill a glass of sweet wine for him, and then pushed the boiled sheep heart: "If you please use it."
"Are you going to trick me again?"
"No, it's really delicious this time." Seeing that he didn't believe it, Guo Jia drank all the wine in his glass, picked up a piece of sheep heart, put it in his mouth and chewed it with gusto.
Xun Yan carefully drank the wine and ate a piece of meat. The taste was okay, but he didn't understand what the other person wanted to express, so he asked: "What does it mean to be filial?"
"If you want to drink sweet alcohol for your heart, Guo Gongze can't turn a blind eye. I heard that Liu Qiaoqi has a team of pro-army Tiqi who are responsible for supervision. You don't think they are just decorations, do you? How many people are because of them?
Their homes were confiscated and their clans were exterminated, and Tiqi came to visit them. How many people were frightened to the point of weakness? They are not easy to deal with."
Guo Jia stood up holding the food table, stretched, turned and walked outside the pavilion. He was sleepy and wanted to go back to his room to sleep.
"Fengxiao thinks it's better to report Guo Tu, or to find out his conspiracy and catch them all?" Xun Yan was a little unsure. To what extent should he be involved in this matter?
"That's your business and has nothing to do with me. The world is big and I'm going to sleep." Guo Jia left without looking back.
It's good to give him a heads up. Do you really want him to work hard without complaining? Xun Xiuruo doesn't have the face to do so.
"Uh, Fengxiao... oh, are you really leaving?"
He cannot be rude to his guests.
Once people are reminded, it’s hard to force anything else.
Looking at the bitter tea and wild grass on the food table, and then looking at the sweet wine and sheep heart, do you need to say how to choose?
It just depends on which step you should participate in. There are many ways to do this.
Just reporting the warning, the Xun family is not involved in right and wrong. If they dig out Guo Tu's accomplices, he will have done a great service.
Xun Yan pondered for a moment and walked towards Yuan Huan's residence. Yuan Yaoqing was the city gate captain and had the power to control the defenders of Ye County. If the lord was away, he would be the one left behind.
Originally, this matter should have been reported to the prefectural pastor Liu Yu, but Xun Yan was a visitor in the government and it was not easy for him to get too close to the local officials.
He didn't want to get too involved, so he warned Yuan Huan that Guo Tu had arrived in Jizhou, and then returned home.
As for how to investigate and arrest him in the future, it has nothing to do with him.
The Xun family does not need such merit. Xun Yu and Xun Chen are enough. He is just a gatekeeper and does not need him to do things to gain merit.
Staying out of the situation, he was really free and easy. He somewhat understood Guo Jia's casual manner.
Yuan Huan received the warning, but he couldn't just ignore it like Xun Yan did. He quickly informed Tiqi and asked them to focus on investigating Guo Tu's conspiracy and the noble clans who colluded with him.
The garrison around Ye County canceled all holidays, and all soldiers returned to camp to be on guard. Although the southern city has not yet been completed, the team of ten city gate lords has been formed. Together with the reserve troops in the city and the palace guards, there are 18,000 troops.
, enough to cope with some emergencies.
The 5,000 garrison troops in each of the two acropolises also received warnings and were ready to fight at any time. Even the 10,000 garrison troops on the Yellow River defense line and the navy under Taishi Ci received the message to raise their alert and prepare for war.
At this time, Guo Tu was still socializing with various noble families, preparing to light a fire in Liu Xiang's heart.
After taking the seat of Ye County, he must retreat. Even if he fails to attack the city, he can retreat to the book city to protect himself. The books in the city are talismans and will definitely tie up Liu Yicheng's hands and feet. This is a rebellion among the scholars under his rule and a stigma.
But it doesn't involve the lord.
The biggest flaw was that so many Yingchuan scholars gathered inside and outside Ye County.
"Hehe, how should you deal with such a blow? If you delay it for a year and a half, it will cause you to alienate the scholars under your rule. It will inevitably fall apart and defeat is not far away."
Guo Tu's carriage moved slowly along the streets near the bookstore, preparing to visit the next family of Yingchuan's old friends.