The direction of the wind in the court turned inexplicably, and most of the courtiers could not understand it.
A group of courtiers headed by Right Prime Minister Xu Jingzong went from fierce opposition to sudden silence, and their attitude changed just overnight. This is very abnormal.
No one knows why Xu Jingzong suddenly changed his attitude, but it is obvious that there must be some unknown inside story behind it.
The courtiers who could stand in the court meeting were all foxes. Seeing Xu Jingzong's sudden change of attitude, many courtiers who were preparing to continue to oppose shut up without any inside information, and then looked at Xu Jingzong in surprise.
He scanned his face, trying to discern clues.
The old man Xu Jingzong is here, standing in the court class with his eyes closed, as if he is in no condition to rebel against the emperor today and is too lazy to speak.
The most surprising thing is Xu Yushi, the left prime minister. Originally, the left and right sides did not deal with each other, but this time they had a tacit understanding and formed a temporary alliance to oppose the emperor's radical policies. Unexpectedly, they suddenly switched sides today.
If you change sides, you will change sides. You should say hello in advance.
This put Xu Yushi in a difficult situation. The courtiers headed by Xu Jingzong shut up, but several of Xu Yushi's disciples still jumped out and continued to oppose the emperor.
Above the Golden Palace, Master Xu Yu's face turned green, but he still couldn't hint that the rules of the court were very strict these days, and every cough would be written down in the censor's notebook.
Li Zhi in the Golden Palace today also had an unusually gentle temper. He did not pay attention to the objections of Master Xu Yu and other courtiers, but looked at Master Xu Yu with a cold look.
Master Xu Yun saw Li Zhi's eyes clearly, and his heart couldn't help but twitch, and his expression became even more unsettled.
I feel like I was tricked today.
Xu Jingzong, an old man, tricked me!
After finally waiting for the court meeting to disperse, Master Xu Yu seemed to have lost half his life. When he walked out of the hall, his back was soaked.
As soon as he left the palace gate, Master Xu Yuen immediately wanted to find Xu Jingzong, but Xu Jingzong walked very fast, quickly got on the carriage outside the palace gate, and ran away without a trace.
Master Xu Yu immediately turned around and wanted to see the emperor, but the eunuch stopped him and politely told Master Xu Yu with a smile that the emperor would not see his ministers today.
Master Xu Yu felt more and more that something was wrong. The only thing he could think of now was the young man who suggested building roads and ships.
After leaving the palace gate, Master Xu Yu ordered the coachman to head towards the British palace.
…………
Li Qinzai was not in the British government palace, but in a wine shop in the West City of Chang'an City.
The wine shop was filled with smoke and smoke. Countless businessmen and common people were sitting around in the wine shop. Many people took off their shoes and sat cross-legged barefoot. The inside was suddenly filled with various smells, refreshing and refreshing.
The backyard of the wine shop was surrounded by an open space. A group of people stood outside the open space, staring at the two fighting cocks with red faces and thick necks, shouting and cursing at the top of their lungs.
Li Qinzai is also among them.
The scene was so inconsistent that even he didn't believe that he would appear in such a smoky place, but here he was.
Standing next to him was the long-lost King Teng. King Teng was wearing an ordinary green robe with a round collar and a scarf on his head. He looked like a small businessman who had made some spare money. He blended in with the people around him and was inconspicuous.
, very grounded.
Li Qinzai originally went to Guanyi today to visit King Teng, but he missed it. King Teng's bodyguard told him that His Highness was not in Guanyi and was fighting cocks in the West Market.
Li Qinzai didn't know what kind of cramp he had, so he asked the guards to take him to find King Teng, so he appeared in this smoky place inexplicably, and looked at King Teng with a look of despair, foaming at the mouth and yelling and cursing.
The two fighting cocks in the cockfighting ring were undoubtedly the protagonists. I don’t know how much bet King Teng had placed. The veins on his neck were bulging and popping. Li Qinzai was worried that he would burst a blood vessel.
Cockfighting was one of the entertainment projects of the Tang Dynasty. To be precise, it was a gambling project.
The rules that determine winning or losing are of course very simple. Two chickens peck each other in the open space. Whoever dies loses.
After a cockfight, one chicken stood proudly in the open space, while the other lay dying on the ground. The winner was decided.
The crowd of onlookers cheered or expressed regret. King Teng was sweating profusely and stared blankly at the dying chicken in the open space, as if his life was attached to the chicken and his soul ascended to heaven.
Li Qinzai looked at him sympathetically. It was obvious that Prince Teng had lost this battle. Judging from his devastated expression, he lost quite a lot.
"Your Highness..." Li Qinzai said in his ear, and Prince Teng immediately looked around in alarm.
"Call me Brother Yuanying. Today I am paying a private visit incognito." Prince Teng warned seriously.
Li Qinzai was stunned, this was a bit difficult to handle. Although it was nice to be one generation higher than the Lord of Jinxiang County, but... it was embarrassing to be one generation higher than Li Zhi.
His Highness, Prince Teng, was really stunned.
Fortunately, Prince Teng was not completely stunned. He immediately reacted as soon as the words came out and hurriedly changed his words: "Uncle! Uncle Yuan Ying, don't even think about taking advantage of my Tian family!"
"Yes, Uncle Yuanying, we lost the cockfight, can we go out and talk? I have something serious to say."
Prince Teng stared at the open space and said casually: "Don't worry, there is still one more fight, let's talk about it after the fight."
This is because he is addicted to gambling. Prince Teng...is worthy of being Prince Teng. His reputation as an old dandy has not been ruined at all.
I'm a little curious. It's clear that King Teng has been completely blackmailed by him, and even next year's income from the land and shops under his name has been turned into IOUs, but he actually still has money to gamble.
Li Qinzai couldn't help but secretly despise his own soft-heartedness.
Not long after, the two men each brought two fighting cocks and placed them in the middle of the open space.
The gamblers who were watching suddenly became noisy, and the atmosphere suddenly reached a climax.
A waiter walked among the crowd with a pen and paper, collecting money one by one and recording the bets placed by the gamblers.
Prince Teng's face was livid, he gritted his teeth, took out a small piece of silver cake from his arms and handed it to the waiter, pointing at one of the fighting cocks with a black back and colorful neck, and indicated his bet.
The waiter collected the money, wrote down the bet numbers, and then looked at Li Qinzai.
Li Qinzai looked back at the clerk with a blank expression.
Prince Teng said, "Jingchu wants to have some fun too. It's a little gambling for fun."
Li Qinzai shook his head: "I'm not interested. I don't refuse to play chicken, but it's not this kind of chicken..."
"Why?"
"This kind of chicken...it's too serious." Li Qinzai said innocently: "I like the kind that is immoral."
Prince Teng was astonished: "...my maid, you have learned a lot today. How do you know whether it is serious or not?"
Li Qinzai sighed, it seemed that they were not on the same channel again.
Prince Teng did not give up, and continued to persuade: "It's just for fun, it's here now, if you don't give it a try, wouldn't it mean that you've entered the treasure mountain in vain?"
Li Qinzai said helplessly: "Which one did Uncle Yuanying choose?"
Prince Teng pointed at the fighting cock with a black back and colorful neck, and said excitedly: "That one! Look at its mighty and majestic look, its eager posture, and its high-spirited gaze. It must have the appearance of a great victory!"
Li Qinzai pointed to the other one without hesitation: "I choose it."
He took out a piece of silver cake from his pocket and handed it to the clerk. The clerk quickly took it and recorded it.
Prince Teng was stunned: "No, did you make a mistake? The one I chose is called..."
Li Qinzai waved his hand and interrupted him: "Stop talking, I will choose it."
"Li Jingchu, do you have to go against me?" King Teng was furious.
Li Qinzai said seriously: "Uncle Yuanying's forehead is shining brightly. It is clearly an ever-bright lamp in front of the Buddha. If you don't want to change it, just choose it."
Prince Teng gritted his teeth and said angrily: "Okay, just watch with your eyes wide open. There will be a time when you regret it!"
An hour after burning incense.
Prince Teng hung his head and walked out of the wine shop dejectedly.
Li Qinzai happily walked side by side with him, stuffing the silver cake he had just won into his arms as he walked.
This bright light did not disappoint him, and it was a full surprise. Prince Teng just said that there were times when he regretted it. Yes, Li Qinzai regretted it, and regretted not making more bets.
Compared with Li Qinzai's face of joy of harvest, Prince Teng's expression was bleak. If he were compared to a bright lamp, this lamp would be in its twilight years and would be extinguished when the wind blows.
"Your Highness, don't be discouraged. It is said that 'the wind blows away the egg shells, and the wealth is gone, but people are happy', and it is also said that 'a thousand gold coins are gone and you will come back', and even more so, 'a five-flowered horse, a thousand gold fur, and your son will take a gamble'..."
Prince Teng became more and more irritated and said angrily: "Shut up! You came to see me for no reason today. Is there anything you can do?"
Li Qinzai was still immersed in the joy of the harvest, and blurted out without thinking: "It's okay, I just wanted to ask when His Highness is interested in gambling again, be sure to call me."
King Teng was furious and waved his sleeves fiercely: "Farewell!"
After saying that, he turned around and left.
Li Qinzai suddenly came to his senses at this moment, and quickly grabbed him with quick eyes and hands: "Something's wrong! Your Highness will be invited to attend the court meeting tomorrow."