When Zhao Rushu walked out of the palace, it was almost dark.

Although the night breeze in the first month is not as cold as winter, it is still cool.

"Master, please get on the sedan. It's getting dark. It's not convenient for you to walk back now, right?"

The servants on the side have already advised Zhao Rushu several times.

Unfortunately, my master seems to have lost his soul today and is still unwilling to get into the sedan chair.

Just walking on the streets of Lin'an, walking back home.

After the court meeting, all the courtiers went back, and the people related to the Jiangling battle were busy dealing with their own affairs.

The core members of Shi Miyuan's family gathered at his house and did not disperse until dark.

Only Zhao Rushu was retained and brought into the "Funing Palace".

Strangely, the official family did not show up.

In the words of the old eunuch, the official was a little tired after going to court, so he went to bed first and asked Minister Zhao to wait for a while.

Just wait, who lets people be officials?

Tea, snacks, seasonal fruits, and even four dishes and one soup were served to him as a royal meal.

After waiting for three hours, when Zhao Rushu really lost his patience, he was informed that the official was getting up and wanted to summon him.

When he arrived at the imperial study, Zhao Rushu discovered that the official was meditating on a futon.

There is an empty futon next to it, which seems to be reserved for myself.

"Sit down, Brother Six."

"Brother Six?" Zhao Rushu shivered.

Why did the official name his own ranking for no reason?

Zhao Rushu was the sixth eldest in the family. In terms of seniority, he was the same generation as the official, but in terms of age, he was two or three years older than Zhao Kuan.

However, after so many years, this was the first time that Zhao Rushu heard an official call him that.

"Officials and senior ministers don't dare."

"Haha, what are you afraid of? There are no monarchs or ministers today, we are just two old brothers of the Zhao family, just chatting casually, please sit down quickly."

The official family seemed extraordinarily friendly and easy-going, as if they were chatting with each other.

I asked about Zhao Rushu's physical condition, the situation at home, and what the children are doing now.

Later, he even discussed with Zhao Ru in detail the details and procedures of going to the two lakes to labor from beginning to end.

Are these trivial matters something you, a government official, should have to worry about?

Almost all the officials were talking, and Zhao Rushu was listening.

Zhao Rushu had never thought that the government officials were so concerned about military affairs, and he had never thought that the officials were so talkative.

It was not until the old eunuch came in to hold the lamp that the conversation among the officials subsided a little.

Finally, Zhao Rushu left the palace.

But he still didn't understand why he was left here today.

In other words, he was unwilling to believe his guess.

"Brother Six, you are also a descendant of the Zhao family after all. If you are willing, please take more care of Mo'er——"

When he was about to go out, Zhao Rushu felt as if he was struck by lightning when the official suddenly said this nonsense.

I don’t even know which leg I took to walk out of Li’s main entrance.

The night wind blowing along the way could not completely calm Zhao Rushu's heart.

"Mo'er? Is the official talking about 'Guo Mo', or the seventh prince who 'died' many years ago?"

"Is this still the official family I know? It turns out that the official family has the wisdom to master everything!"

Zhao Rushu figured this out and walked quickly to his mansion.

When he got home, he didn't bother to eat, so he went straight to the study and asked his servants to call his two sons.

Zhao Rushu's eldest son, Zhao Chengxian, is thirty-two years old this year and looks like a middle-aged man.

Along with him, I got a position as a Yuanwailang in the Ministry of Justice. Although I didn't have great talents, I was conscientious in my work.

The youngest son, Zhao Chengyu, was Zhao Rushu's fourth son. Although he was born from a concubine, he was deeply loved by him and kept him by his side.

He is just eighteen years old this year and has not yet entered the official career, but he loves martial arts, especially arching and horse fighting. He dreams of one day being able to ride on horseback and cross the spear to fight for the Song Dynasty.

"Dad, are you looking for us?"

By the time the two sons came to the study, Zhao Rushu had already finished writing a letter and sealed it.

"Son, my father has something to tell you."

"This time, my father was sent by an official to work in front of the Lianghu Army. He is expected to leave in two days. Hasn't Yu'er always liked to dance with guns and sticks? Let's go with my father this time, and it will be better for him to join the army.

Let’s get to know it.”

"Great, dad, you finally agreed to let me join the army. Last time you didn't let me participate in the 'martial arts'."

After all, Zhao Chengyu was young, and he was Zhao Rushu's old son, so he felt less restrained in front of his father.

"Xian'er, here is a letter from my father. One month after my father leaves Lin'an, you can personally deliver this letter to the palace and hand it over to the officials."

"If the officials want to ask, you can only say that you did it as a father, purely because you doted on your younger son and you were worried about letting him stay in the army alone. You don't know anything else."

"Don't let anyone know that this letter was given to you in advance by my father. When the time comes, just say that you just received it."

Zhao Rushu's words confused the two of them, but they did not dare to ask further questions, so they had no choice but to accept the offer and leave first.

...

"Meet me, what do you think of today's events?"

It was already past the second watch, and the lights in Shi Miyuan's study were actually still on.

In the flicker of candlelight, Shi Miyuan and Xue Ji sat opposite each other, drinking tea slowly.

"What aspect are you asking about?"

Xue Ji was a little cautious. Today at the court, he made a big mistake and misjudged the official's reaction.

"Like the official family, like Zhao Rushu, or like that Guo Mo?"

He was holding the tea bowl as always, as if he had always used the same one.

"Eun Xiang, from my point of view, the officialdom is just following the trend of the situation. To put it mildly, he is unable to control it, so he might as well make it as chaotic as possible."

"As for Zhao Rushu, you can rest assured about this kindness. In the entire Song Dynasty, the road to becoming an official for a member of the clan was the most difficult."

"'The clan members are not allowed to be promoted higher than their attendants'. This is already regarded as an ancestral law. He should be aware of the situation he is in and dare not make any mistakes."

This chapter is not finished yet, please click the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "And this Guo Mo, although he is indeed an amazing person, but in any case, he is just a chess piece at best. Eun Xiang should pay more attention to

Yes, it’s His Highness the ‘King of Yan’ behind him.”

"'King Yan'? Do you think this person really exists?"

They had discussed this topic more than once.

At first, I thought it was just a "cover-up" used by the officials, and that he was simply a non-existent person.

Later, I gradually thought that this "King of Yan" was probably a clan member of the Song Dynasty who was trained by the official family to "share" the pressure for the prince.

But now, His Highness the "King of Yan" has repeatedly intervened in military affairs, and has successively mobilized the "Dunwu Army", "Zhongshun Army" and other garrison troops in the two lakes. In particular, he seems to have had too much contact with this "Dunwu Army" who controls Guo Mo.

"En Xiang, whether the 'King of Yan' exists or not, it doesn't matter who it is, what's important is that we have enough power. This 'Dun Wu Army' controls Guo Mo, and En Xiang must win it."

Xue Ji advised sincerely.

Guo Mo is not only a person with outstanding martial arts skills, but what he said the last time he came to Shi Miyuan's house has been verified one by one.

The Jin Kingdom has moved its heavy troops north to defend Mongolia.

Mongolia has indeed begun preparations to attack Xixia. It is expected that Mongolia will launch a war against Xixia this spring.

The Kingdom of Jin, which had always been in contact with Shi Miyuan, also revealed its desire to buy food and even weapons and armor from the Song Dynasty.

When Shi Miyuan handed the pre-prepared quotation to the Jin Kingdom's secret envoy, he was not rejected by the other party.

Bartering, bringing war horses in exchange for food and even soldiers and armor.

The excuse given by the Song Dynasty was that the "Luo Shi Ghost Kingdom" in the south had been in turmoil for the past two years, and the Song Dynasty was in urgent need of 30,000 war horses for the Battle of Pingnan.

Of course, the 30,000 war horses were just asking for money. In the end, the Jin Kingdom's secret envoy revealed that the war horses could be provided by Xixia and Jin Kingdom.

According to the specific situation of the northern war situation, barter was also carried out one after another, but the total amount would not exceed 15,000 war horses.

This was far beyond Shi Miyuan's expectations. According to old Xue Ji's analysis, it seemed that the Kingdom of Jin was really going downhill and had become a strong force on the outside.

Such an ending not only allowed them to see the opportunity to make a fortune in the northern war, but also felt deeply wary of Guo Mo's strategic vision.

"As a matter of fact, the first batch of war horses from the Jin Kingdom is expected to arrive in March, with only 1,500 horses. Then you can take a look at the condition. If they are good, all of them will be allocated to the 'Dunwu Army'."
To be continued...