It was already dusk and sunset when Chang Yu returned to Waidongchang Yamen. All the attendants finally came back and were making tea and chatting in the courtyard. Hearing that there was a wine bar in the evening, he was excited and gritted his teeth.
In the evening, everyone was on duty and was not allowed to drink. Chang Yu rolled his eyes and walked into the lobby and immediately slumped down on the chair. After working for two days and one night, he was finally tired. He lay on the chair for a while and got up to grind and write a letter.
A story goes like this: "He was sent to the Prince's Mansion in Datong in royal robes." Then he went to his room to rest and asked Fang San to wake him up after an hour.
Xianju Tower, also known as Zuixianju, is located on Chaoyangmen Inner Street and is the most famous building in the East City. It is also very famous in the capital. The boss behind it is Fang Ba, one of the twelve underworld guards in the capital.
Chang Yu chose to hold a banquet here to celebrate the achievements of the generals. Firstly, there were too many people, and secondly, it was to take care of his brothers' business.
Fang Ba is not in the capital. To be precise, except for Song Siyang from Nancheng who is in charge of the Octopus head office, all the twelve Taibao people have left the capital. They are either preparing food and grass, or are on the way to prepare food and grass, or are busy handling semicolons elsewhere.
Very.
The boss is not here, but there is also the shopkeeper. The business in Xianju Building has always been good. I came here at noon to say a few words and then left. Then the shopkeeper announced that we will not be open tonight!
It's not closed, but reserved.
Someone asked, who was so curious that he booked the entire Xianju Building? How many people came and how much money was gained!
The shopkeeper just said two words, Dongchang.
As night fell, invited guests began to arrive one after another. There were meritorious and rewarded soldiers from various ministries, including those from the Beijing camp, those from the Guards camp, those from Dongchang's four battalions, as well as generals from Li Yan, Huang Degong and other big bosses.
In addition, there are civil and military officials from the Ministry of War and the Fifth Army Governor's Office, and the invited statuses are very impressive, such as Shi Kefa, the Minister of the Ministry of War, Wang Jiayan, the governor of Beijing Camp, Wu Weiying, the leader of Shenji Camp, and others who have just joined the post.
Hui'anbo, Xuanchengbo, Xinlehou, etc., and what is even more surprising are the two princes and the commander of the Jinyi Guards. However, few people know the whereabouts of the three of them, so they went directly to the third floor bag.
house.
It was completely dark when Chang Yu was woken up by Fang San, and the attendants in the yard were all ready. Because Song Luoyu and Jiang Fa were injured, Qiao Sanxiu, who was on vacation, took the initiative to fill the gap, and Li Muchian, Chen Wangting, Song Luoshu,
Wuzhong formed the Five King Kong to be responsible for security.
"Where is Chunxiang?" Chang Yu washed his face with cold water and walked into the yard and took a look.
"Eunuch Chun has gone to Xianju Tower to entertain guests." Fang San said softly: "Mr. Factory, can I go there today to open my eyes?"
"Sure," Chang Yu readily agreed, "It just so happens that I can share a table with Lao Hu." Fang San was so happy that he thanked him again and again.
Lao Hu was at the helm of the carriage, with Qiao Sanxiu and five master cavalrymen accompanying him on the left and right, and more than a dozen soldiers holding swords following closely behind him. They slowly headed towards Dongcheng Xing, while pedestrians along the way gave way and pointed.
As the first building in the East City, the Xianju Building is naturally spectacular. It can accommodate more than a hundred people on the upper and lower floors. When Chang Yu arrived, the building was already buzzing with people. The soldiers exchanged greetings with each other and took their seats according to their military ranks.
The guerrillas, with 100 households and below, are on the first floor, and the generals and intermediate generals on guard are on the second floor.
As for the third floor, those are where the bosses are. In addition to a few private rooms, there are three large tables in the middle of the hall, which are also full of seats. In addition to civil and military officials from the Ministry of War and the Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth Army, as well as several nobles, Li Yan
, Zhou Yuji, Huang Degong, Tang Tong, Ma Ke, Wu Sangui, Gao Jie, Liu Zeqing, Liu Liangzuo, and the generals of the four battalions under Dongchang were all present, and they were complimenting each other and arguing in a lively manner.
As for those private rooms, the doors were closed. There were two guards in royal robes standing at the door of the largest private room. The generals knew that there were people inside who were also curious, but no one dared to ask. They could guess it with their little fingers.
He is definitely a big shot, maybe he is either the prince or the emperor.
Chang Yu's arrival caused the Xianju Building to explode. He shouted hello to the soldiers from the first floor to the second floor. Chang Yu also clasped his fists and looked around: "Eat and drink well, everyone. Let's go up first and toast later...
…”
The generals on the third floor heard the sound and moved to the stairs to greet them. When they saw Chang Yu coming up, they all saluted and said hello. Chang Yu clasped his fists and bowed in a circle: "There are no outsiders. You don't need to use so many courtesy. Just be as comfortable as you are in the army."
"That's right." Huang Degong laughed: "There are so many rules in Beijing these days, it's really frustrating me. How can we be as free as when we are fighting? We can do whatever we want..." Everyone laughed, and Chang Yu said: "Today
You can do whatever you want, as long as you don't jump on the table to pee."
Everyone laughed again and then took their seats, while Chunxiang arranged for the shopkeeper to serve wine and food.
"There will be enough wine and food to take care of tonight. Just have fun, don't save our family any money." Chang Yu sat down and said a few words first. The generals applauded, and Zhou Yuji said: "There are so many of us, so don't treat the factory boss as such."
It’s all gone.”
"The emperor rewarded our family with a thousand taels of silver. Now you can eat as much as you want, and you can make the same thing as if you had a thousand taels of silver!" Chang Yu waved his big hand in a heroic manner, and the generals were astonished. The emperor then rewarded the little eunuch with a thousand taels of silver.
Two silver coins? This is too stingy.
Meritorious officials like Li Yan, Zhou Yuji, and Huang Degong were not only awarded titles in the Zhu Kingdom, but were often rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver. However, the young eunuch with the most outstanding military exploits was only rewarded with a thousand taels of silver.
"We are all a little embarrassed to take off our chopsticks. The factory supervisor won't wait for us to complain about poverty after eating, so we can donate money." Huang Degong had a close relationship with Chang Yu and spoke very casually. Everyone laughed along with him.
"That's not the case. No matter how poor our family is, we can still expose the blame." Chang Yu laughed and changed the topic: "But if you want to donate some military supplies and food, I would really like to thank you."
"Hey, look at my bad mouth." Huang Degong slapped himself directly. He knew that the little eunuch caught what he just said. The celebration banquet tonight will become a charity dinner. It seems that no one will donate.
I couldn't help but feel embarrassed about using my chopsticks.
Chang Yu knew how to calculate, and he took advantage of the fact that the generals had just received rewards and had a lot of money, so they couldn't sleep if they didn't squeeze some. Of course, he was not stingy about treating guests like this, but in fact, he was raising funds for the military hospital for the Red Lady.
"Since the factory governor has spoken, and we are raising military funds, we cannot be iron lords. Let's express our opinions." Unexpectedly, Wu Sangui was the first to speak, and the generals agreed.
Chang Yu thanked him and talked about the preparation of the military hospital. This is a major matter for the benefit of the country and the military. In the future, all active or retired soldiers will be able to enjoy free treatment regardless of whether they are injured or sick, which is also full medical insurance for future generations.
After hearing this, Shi Kefa even stood up and touched his palms. He was the first to express his willingness to donate a hundred taels of silver. He was a civil servant with a low salary, so he could only donate a hundred taels of silver.
But the generals were rich, Zhou Yuji asked for two thousand taels, and the remaining generals pledged no less than a thousand taels. Chang Yu and Li Yan were so grateful that they handed over their hands to express their thanks.
"This is a big plan, the more the merrier. I hope you will launch an army-wide fundraiser after you return to camp. There is no limit to the amount, and you can rest assured that the money will be used by the military..." Chang Yu patted his chest and promised, and finally suggested that if there is any excess,
It is a bonus, used to reward soldiers with military exploits, and the generals continue to agree.
The matter that had worried Lady Hong for several months was easily solved by Chang Yu. The group of people on the third floor alone donated tens of thousands of taels of silver, plus the entire army raised funds, which was more than enough.