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"Brother Zhong, today's family and this Brother Qing came to find Mr. Qing for your surname. Can you be there?"

As soon as Ma Zhi said this, the "Great Confucian" Brother Zhong (you can't call him Brother Zhao now because he is not worthy of being surnamed Zhao) stopped making trouble immediately. His expression became very serious. He looked at Ma Zhi and asked, "Brother Ma, don't look at someone's happiness. It's not easy to ask if the emperor of the Yelu family is. What will happen to you and Ximen Qing?"

When Wu Haogu heard that Brother Zhong called him Ximen Qing, he frowned. In this era, calling someone's name in person is a sign of disrespect. Although the rules in the Liao Kingdom may not be that big, Brother Zhong is a Confucian scholar after all, why is he so unruly?

Thinking of this, Wu Haogu took over the question unhappily: "The second brother Ma has no choice, but a certain family has a solution!"

The emperor of the Yelu family in Zhong Ge'er's Yizi is not easy to ask about, but the prince of the Zhao family must be able to speak. After all, the Song Dynasty is not a clan society, and the issue of "Yizi" is not that rigorous. Those who have evil children like Zhong Ge'er can be included in the family tree.

"What are you going to do?" Brother Zhong asked disdainfully.

"Someone is rich!" Wu Haogu replied.

Ximen Qing added: "This cousin of mine is a real estate developer in Kaifeng Prefecture and a wealthy man."

Brother Zhong sneer sneered: "So it's a businessman."

Twenty or thirty young men from the Liao Kingdom burst into laughter after hearing his words.

Some people later believed that the Song Dynasty merchants who valued culture and neglected military affairs had a low status and could be bullied by scholars at will. In fact, since the gentry of the Song Dynasty had become bubbled, scholars were not of the same class. The status of merchants was actually higher than that of farmers. I believe that farmers in ancient times were not good at brains than merchants! Moreover, those who had registered in Kaifeng Prefecture, except for generals like the Pan family, the Zhao family's clan sons were the imperial guards and the industrial and commercial households. For example, Guo Jing was the imperial guards, and Wu Haogu was an industrial and commercial household before becoming an official. Guo Jing was a good-for-war business household. In the eyes of the Song Dynasty, would the industrial and commercial households in Kaifeng Prefecture not be as good as the farmers who farmed outside the city?

As for the imperial examination, industrial and commercial households can still take the exam, and there are no restrictions. However, there are much fewer industrial and commercial households than farmers (landlords), so fewer people passed the Jinshi. The main force in the Song Dynasty was the landlord class bureaucrat.

In the Liao Kingdom, which was ruled by aristocratic families at the same time, industrial and commercial households were the real untouchables!

Most of the craftsmen in the Liao Kingdom were official slaves and had no human rights. Most of the merchants depended on the aristocratic families and were also slaves in their names. Only a very small number of industrial and commercial households were independent free people. This situation is unimaginable in Kaifeng Prefecture. Millions of industrial and commercial households were slaves of generals? Then can the Emperor of the Zhao family still sleep?

Now a lowly businessman claims to be able to solve Zhong Ge'er's "one word", which is really an international joke.

This is the first time Wu Haogu has been ridiculed like this, and he has been ridiculed by a group of poor ghosts in the Liao Kingdom. It’s so tolerant of my aunt and uncle.

At this moment, someone suddenly coughed, and the little poor guys who were laughing all suddenly fell silent and becamehaved.

Brother Zhong didn't mock Wu Haogu anymore. He turned around and respectfully bowed to the place where the cough sounded like a cry: "Sir."

Ma Zhi also saluted respectfully: "Sir, student Ma Zhi brings Nan Ximen's friend to pay homage."

The person who can be called teachers by Ma Zhi and Zhao Zhongge is naturally Murong Xiangshan.

Wu Haogu looked at it intently and saw a thin old man wearing a faded blue Confucian robe with gray hair and a cluster of goatee under his jaws. The old man walked closer a little, and Wu Haogu found that his back was a little hunched and his eyes were a little turbid, with more white and less black. He looked like an old fool.

"It's from Nanximen." The old man said slowly, "Then come with me."

After saying that, the old man turned around and walked towards the fort tremblingly: "Brother Zhong is here too, and the others continue to practice bows."

"Here."

The group of "little poor" families all agreed respectfully.

"Let's go." Ma Zhi said to Wu Haogu, "Go to see the sir with me and let the others stay here."

Wu Haogu looked at Brother Zhong with some concern, and Ma Zhi smiled and said, "Don't worry about him, you really have a way to ask his surname Zhao. Come on... Let's meet Mr. Murong together."

Wu Haogu followed Ma Zhi into the fortress. Within the high wall was a circle of low houses, not brick and tile houses, but mostly rammed earth huts, and they were all built according to the city wall. Maybe they wanted to borrow the city wall as a wall of the house?

By the way, the walls of this fort are also rammed earth, and there are no bricks on the outside, which looks very simple.

The thatched hut built against the east wall is a cattle shed, which raises many horses and exudes a smell of smell.

There seemed to be several classrooms built against the city wall on the west side. When Wu Haogu entered, the sound of reading came from it.

Mr. Murong staggered towards one of the long rows of thatched huts built against the north wall. When he walked into Wu Haogu, he found that this was a piece of stone piled up layer by layer, with a surface full of crawling tigers, and the wooden door was half-closed. A chubby twelve or thirteen years old was leaning against the corner of the wall and was dozing.

"Vajra Slave, wake up." Brother Zhong roared.

The little fat dun opened his eyes, and there was still some sauce sticking to his lips. He stuck out his tongue and licked it. Then he slowly stood up and gave a gift to Old Man Murong: "Sir."

"If you have a guest, go and have some refreshments." Mr. Murong ordered, then opened the door and walked in.

Wu Haogu, Ma Zhi and Zhong Ge'er followed in, but Ximen Qing stayed outside.

The light inside the room was very dark, with thick straw mats on the ground, and a few futons and low tables. It seemed that they were going to sit on the ground.

So everyone who entered the house took off their shoes, and the smell of odor of feet spread. Wu Haogu glanced at Brother Zhong, who was like an iron tower, and thought to himself: It's the big family of aristocratic families, and their feet are not washed clean...

"Sit all."

Mr. Murong first knelt down on a cushion, and then pointed to several cushions on both sides, named Wu Haogu, Ma Zhi, and Zhong Ge'er.

"My husband Murong Wangyou," Old Man Murong smiled and bowed to Wu Haogugong, "I don't know the name of the distinguished guest Gao's surname, what position does he hold in the Southern Dynasty?"

"Wangyou" should be the old man's "name", or it may be the Taoist name, that is Wangyouzi.

“In the lower Ximen…”

As soon as Wu Haogu spoke, Mr. Murong laughed, "This guy, although I am confused, I know you are not Ximen Qing."

Wu Haogu glanced at Ma Zhi, saw the other party shook his head, and then said, "I will not hide it from the old man, I will be in the lower house of Pan Xiaoyi, and I will be appointed as the right ban and the marquis of the gate."

"So your surname is Pan? But you are the descendant of King Pan Zheng of the Southern Dynasty?" Brother Zhong shouted, and his tone actually had a little more respect.

King Pan Zheng is the title of king, Duke Wei of Zhao is just the duke... In Kaifeng Prefecture, the Pan family generals are more noble than the Zhao family generals.

Moreover, the other person’s “Pan” is real, and his “Zhao” is a bit vain.

"That's right." Wu Haogu bowed to Brother Zhong, "The lower official entered Liao with a pseudonym. He was offended so much. I hope he would forgive me."

"Hehe." Murong Xiangshan smiled, wondering if it was possible.

"Sir," added Ma Zhi, "Pan Dianzhi already knows what we plan."

It seems that this old man is the mastermind behind Ma Zhi! Wu Haogu thought: Maybe Ma Zhi's opinions all come from Old Man Murong, but unfortunately this old man is too old. He probably will be gone by the time the Liao Kingdom is in chaos.

This is really "Die before the world is in chaos"!

What’s even more tragic is that in his strong era, the Daliao political arena, which was monopolized by aristocratic families and the Khitan countries, there was no such place as the "Zhao retainer" Mr. Murong.

A "forget-worry" account should be helpless behind it, right?

"And," Ma Zhi continued, "Pan Dianzhi has another suggestion."

"oh?"

"He hopes that we can take the position of Suzhou Anfujun Jiedushi," said Ma Zhi, "he is also willing to fund our sports official position."

"Suzhou Anfujun Jiedushi?" Old Man Murong narrowed his turbid eyes and looked at Wu Haogu. "Grandpa Zhang wants to attack Liao from the sea?"

"Attack Liao?" Wu Haogu smiled, "Does sir think Liao still need to be attacked?"

He set up a question and then replied by himself: "Sir, I don't think it's necessary... The Liao Dynasty has now fallen apart. Instead of expeditioning the north, our dynasty is better to join forces with the powerful families of the Liao Dynasty."

Before arriving in Yanjing, Wu Haogu thought that the only reason for the demise of the Liao Kingdom was the rise of Buddhism that caused the weakening of the Khitan nation's military power.

But now he knew that the Liao Kingdom, which was monopolized by minority countries and aristocratic families, was actually in a state of division of land, people, and wealth. Even without the prosperity of Buddhism, the resources currently controlled by temples will soon become the treasures of national nobles and aristocratic families.

The Liao Kingdom is very similar to the end of many Han dynasties in the Central Plains. The social wealth was divided up and the people's lives were extremely difficult. The court had few big sons to use.

Such a country is actually waiting for someone to ignite the fuse of the chaos.

The rise of the Jurchen tribe was the fuse that ignited the chaos of the Liao Kingdom. Once this fuse was ignited, the Liao Kingdom would inevitably be in chaos inside and outside, and it was only a matter of time before it fell apart.

However, since the power of the Liao Kingdom was divided rather than disappeared, once this power was discovered by the newly emerging powerful regime, the Song Dynasty would be in trouble.

So the solution that Wu Haogu could think of now was to do everything possible to stop or delay the Jurchens from "unifying" the former land of the Liao Kingdom.

The Xuanhe Northern Expedition and the Jin Dynasty attacked Liao were actually helping the Jurchens accelerate the pace of unification of the "Liao Kingdom", which seemed undesirable.

However, watching the Ostrich route of the Jurchens unify the "Liao Kingdom" is also waiting for death. The only way is to actively participate in the separatist war of the Liao Kingdom.

Just like in the chaos of the Republic of China, various external forces actively supported the local warlords in China to resist the central government...
Chapter completed!