Lin Fu came into the room and saw that Shen Rong, Yuan Jinqiu and Zhao Shuhan were all at Zhang Yubo's house. He smiled and said, "Brother Yubo will probably not be stingy in giving me a glass of water and wine!" He was not polite and immediately walked to the table to sit down. Next, he invited Shen Rong and others to sit around the table and said, "I haven't seen Mr. Shen for many years. I just entered Jiangning City today and it's a pleasure to be able to drink with old friends at the same table..."
Zhao Hu's armor was still on, and he stood beside Lin Fu with a sword in his hand. Standing in the outdoor courtyard were also Huaidong Tiger Guards.
Including Zhang Yubo, no one expected Lin Fu to visit late at night. Although he had made up his mind not to seek wealth in Huaidong, he was caught off guard when Lin Fu barged in so directly. Lin Fu looked the same, but Zhao Hu looked at them. The look in his eyes with Shen Rong clearly suggested that they were conspiring with him.
Lin Fu visited Zhang Yubo's house late at night. Shen Rong was also surprised and suspicious, but seeing Zhao Hu's expression and Lin Fu not shying away from letting him know about the visit to Zhang Yubo's house, Shen Rong thought that Lin Fu's visit was probably also at Zhang Yubo's house. Unexpectedly, he met him at the right time, and even if there was any misunderstanding, it was exactly what he wanted.
Shen Rong said: "We said goodbye to Luoma Lake. I really didn't expect to meet Duke Pengcheng again. It's just that Duke Pengcheng came to see Mr. Zhang late at night. He probably didn't just want a glass of water and wine, so it was inconvenient for Shen Rong to stay. disturb."
Lin Fu glanced at Zhao Shuhan and Yuan Jinqiu. Seeing that Zhao Shuhan and Yuan Jinqiu were about to speak, they stopped talking. They had no intention of advancing or retreating with Shen Rong. He knew that Shen Rong said this to try to bully Zhao Yuan. , in order to deepen his misunderstanding.
Lin Fu lifted the skirt of his robe to one side, put his feet on stilts, and said, "Since Mr. Shen and I have no old feelings for each other, and you are not willing to stay and have a drink with us, then please do it!" Shen Rong was about to be killed at that moment. One person drives away.
In Yuan Jinqiu, Zhao Shuhan sat still, while Shen Rong was too embarrassed to stay and bowed to say goodbye.
After Shen Rong left, Lin Fu picked a clean cup, filled it with a tin pot, took a sip, frowned and asked Zhang Yubo, "Did Uncle Yu bring this wine from Song Wusao's house?"
"..." Zhang Yubo nodded, remembering that when he first met Lin Fu, he went to Song Wusao's mutton shop to drink. Lin Mengde was also present at that time. It was also that night that he met Qian Xiaowu and Lai Wu from Zeng Laogong's house. , Unexpectedly, in the past few years, Lin Fu still remembered the taste of wine at Song Wusao's mutton shop.
Lin Fu talked about old feelings, but Zhang Yubo looked at each other and was speechless.
Zhao Shuhan and Yuan Jinqiu also knew about Song Wusao's mutton shop, but they could only sit down in silence at this time, not knowing where to start the conversation - Huaidong soldiers and horses had controlled the entire city of Jiangning, and Lin Fu was at the critical moment. The intention of inviting the Queen Mother and King Hailing to Jiangning and coercing the Queen Mother to order the princes is as clear as the lice on the head of a bald man.
For many years, Zhang Yubo, Zhao Shuhan, Yuan Jinqiu and others have not supported Huaidong's independence as a vassal town. With the current situation like this, they just wanted to stay away. How could they have thought that Lin Fu would come to the door on his own?
"To this day, I still remember the stir-fried mutton gizzard meat with chives at Sister-in-law Song's house," Lin Fu said carelessly, not afraid of being left in the cold. "It's not interesting to sit here and drink. I'll invite Uncle Yu, Shu Han and Jin Qiu to come with me." Let's go to Song Wu's house to drink mutton soup. On this cold night, maybe we can eat the fragrant and crispy mutton meat again, which will be heart-warming..."
"Tieqian Lane was burned down during the war, and the restaurant was reduced to ashes. Sister-in-law Song and her family lived in the alley temple in Tieqian Lane. Only some old wine was sold to regular customers!" Zhang Yubo said.
"Let's just go. I think Sister-in-law Song Wu will sell me some face and make mutton gizzard meat for us!" Lin Fu didn't care, he just asked them to go out with him. Zhang Yubo and the others had no choice but to be forced out by Lin Fu.
.
The curfew in Jiangning City will continue for a while, and those without jobs are prohibited from walking at night.
After leaving Zhang Yubo's house, the street was deserted except for the armored soldiers patrolling the street. However, there were a lot of refugees crowded under the eaves of the street. It was forbidden to move around freely. On a cold winter night, the refugees were homeless.
There are beddings to keep out the cold, but people are crowded together to keep warm.
Seeing the armored soldiers here surrounded by several people, they didn't dare to make any noise; the cry of the cold and hungry children in the arms of their parents was endless, especially on the cold night in the long street.
Destroying the spleen...
Many houses were burned down by arson in Jiangning City, and there were not even a few intact houses left in Tieqian Alley. There were broken walls everywhere. The residents whose houses were destroyed and who were unable to seek family and friends were all crowded at the end of the alley.
In a Taoist temple.
The Taoist temple is not big. There is only one main hall. The main hall and the side courtyards are crowded with refugees. They were awakened early by the accompanying soldiers and avoided them in panic. In front of the main hall, there is a towering ginkgo tree with slanting branches and withered leaves. The cold moonlight shines through the tree.
It leaks from the yajian and shines in the courtyard in front of the temple.
Lin Fu, Zhao Shuhan, and Yuan Jinqiu were waiting under the ginkgo tree. Zhang Yubo ran in to find Sister Song Wu from the refugees. The abbot of the Taoist temple also ran after him - in this Taoist temple, Zhang Yubo was considered rare.
Your Excellency, who in Jiangning City today can be ignorant of Duke Pengcheng?
News spread here that the Pengcheng County magistrate visited Han Guan at night, and the crowds immediately became lively. If the guards and soldiers hadn't suppressed the scene, and if it weren't for the people's natural alienation and fear of officials, the refugees in the Taoist temple would probably have crowded forward.
At this time, more people were crowded in the corridor, looking under the eaves of the door.
Sister-in-law Song Wu vaguely still looks like the one we met a few years ago, but her wrinkles are deeper.
"My lord wants to eat stir-fried mutton, but where can the peasant women get the mutton at this time?" Sister-in-law Song Wu came over and knelt down, and said with a mournful face, with a fearful look on her face, fearing that she might offend the lord if she said something wrong.
"During the war, Mrs. Song and her husband wanted to protect the shop and break their legs from the rebels. At this time, they were lying in a pile of hay in the corner of the courtyard, unable to move. Both of their sons were forcibly recruited as civilian husbands, and their whereabouts are unknown..."
Zhang Yubo couldn't guess what Lin Fu's intention was when he came to visit tonight. Since ancient times, it is not uncommon for a gentleman to be humble when he is humble, but to be domineering when he holds power. Lin Fu holds great power at this time, and the emperor can be abolished and established in a single thought of his.
How could he say he was sure of guessing Lin Fu's thoughts?
"Sister-in-law Song Wu, don't panic. Go and prepare the cooking ingredients. How many muttons do I need from you? The iron pot needs to be made into a big one. I visited you late at night and disturbed everyone's rest. I invited everyone to have a bowl of mutton soup. This is Lin's apology."
!" The guards brought a chair and Lin Fu sat under the ginkgo tree.
While Lin Fu was talking, the guards who had been ordered to go to the military camp earlier had already brought more than ten pieces of mutton in a carriage. Lin Fu was going to Tieqian Lane late at night to eat mutton soup. In addition to the mutton, spices and iron pots were all prepared.
, even the fire was pulled out, and the four of them were at their disposal. Sister-in-law Song Wu did not need to take action. She just let her control the fire next to her. Then they set up an iron pot under the ginkgo tree, chopped firewood, rinsed, cut into pieces, put it in the pot, and burned it.
Here comes the mutton soup...
Lin Fu set up a long table in front of the raging earthen stove and invited Zhang Yubo, Zhao Shuhan and Yuan Jinqiu to sit down and said: "We are friends of common people. Today I came into the city and you avoided seeing me. I don’t blame you. If it were me, I would have a poor relative who suddenly became rich and came back to his hometown in a show of glory, but I didn’t bother to pay attention to it. I came to see you late at night. I didn’t mean to show off my show of force, but what questions do I want to ask you?”
Zhang Yubo, Zhao Shuhan, and Yuan Jinqiu looked at each other, wondering what kind of question Lin Fu wanted to ask when he made such a big noise on a cold night.
"Mencius once said: The people are the most important, the country is the second most important, and the ruler is the least important," Lin Fu said lightly, "Uncle Yu asked for orders for the people, Xuzhou was in danger and went to his post alone, dealing with thieves; Shu Han has been an official for more than ten years, but he has not attached any importance to it. A powerful person, although not in charge of power, still writes books and collects classics; Jinqiu is mad at the world, hypocritical and crazy but has a true temperament - I ask you: What do you think when you read this sentence in a Confucian classic?"
"In ancient times, when the imperial system was implemented and the monarchy was determined, it would be selfish to pool all the material resources in the world to support one person; it would be selfish to use all the material resources in the world to stabilize the country and support the people's livelihood," Lin Fu continued to ask, "You guys Is what is on my heart private or public? The emperor sent Xie Chaozhong to attack the west of Zhejiang, but Chen Xiang stopped him. The emperor was angry and said that this world belongs to him alone, and his death will also destroy his world. I ask you: this world , is one person ruling the world, or is the world ruled by everyone?”
Zhang Yubo and others were silenced by Lin Fu's question. Zhao Hu stood aside with a knife, which sounded like a tongue twister.
"Just as Duke Pengcheng said, the people's livelihood in this world is indeed unsatisfactory and the country is in trouble." Zhang Yubo pondered for a long time before asking, "Think about the relationship between Qin and Han. Qin lost its deer and the heroes chased it. Will those who win the deer treat it well?" Questioning Lin Fu's thoughts in words may not make him any purer than those who have seized power throughout the ages?
Lin Fu laughed and said: "Speaking of Qin and Han allusions, I remembered a ballad I heard, and I will read it to you..."
Zhang Yubo and others are all talented and learned people. I wonder what ballad Lin Fu wants to recite at this time to suit the occasion.
"The peaks and ridges are like clusters, the waves are like raging, the mountains and rivers are inside and outside, Tongguan Road, looking at the Western Capital, I am hesitant, sad. Wherever the Qin and Han Dynasties travel, thousands of palaces and palaces have been turned into soil. When they rise, the people suffer, and when they die, the people suffer..."
Where in the world could there be the rhythm of Yuan opera? When Lin Fu read it, Zhang Yubo and the others just thought it was a folk song that was passed down from the countryside. The more they thought about it, the more interesting it became.
Lin Fu stood up and said: "What we are arguing about in the temple includes private matters and public affairs. It is difficult for me to prove the innocence. But today, along the way, the city is filled with people in distress and hungry children wailing. You all have witnessed it with your own eyes. I have seen it and heard it with my own ears. If you are asked to hold power, put aside your private interests, and choose public affairs, it will not be difficult!"
At this time, Zhang Yubo already knew Lin Fu's intentions for visiting tonight. The temple needed to be reorganized. Lin Fu asked them to abandon their selfish interests, which meant that they would not get involved in the future struggle for imperial power. Asking them to choose their public servants was to express their feelings. It will not stop them from doing practical things for the people's livelihood...
After the mutton soup was cooked, Lin Fu drank a bowl to warm himself, and then left, giving a large pot of mutton soup and the remaining mutton to the hungry people who were disturbed by the cold night; Zhang Yubo, Zhao Shuhan, and Yuan Jinqiu stayed behind , looked at each other, relatively speechless, not knowing what their future fate would be.
When we returned to Chenyuan, the sky was already showing white fish belly. Gao Zongting, Song Fu, Lin Mengde and others had not fallen asleep and were still discussing matters in the public hall.
Seeing Lin Fu walking in, Lin Mengde smiled and asked: "Why is my lord in the mood to go to Zhang Yubo to drink mutton soup..."
"Shen Rong rushed to Zhang Yubo's house before me, probably because of the Queen Mother's intention. Judging from their appearance, they probably didn't have much in-depth conversation before I went there," Lin Fu took off his big cloak to keep out the cold and said, "I want Zhang Yubo to Taking up the post of Jiangning Prefecture, there should not be much resistance from the Queen Mother..."
Jiangning is the imperial capital, and the prefect of Jiangning performs the duties of the prefect, but his authority is far beyond that of the general prefect.
Lin Fu once considered using Lin Mengde as the governor of Jiangning, and also used it to quickly restore order in Jiangning City and the counties. However, the defense and governance of Jiangning City were concentrated in the hands of Huaidong, which would inevitably make it difficult for others to feel at ease. It is not conducive to quickly stabilizing the situation. With Zhang Yubo, firstly, Zhang Yubo’s understanding of Jiangning City is not as good as Lin Mengde’s; Zhang Yubo’s neutral attitude can also make it easier for others to accept this arrangement; and Zhang Yubo’s character is trustworthy, even if he objects Huaidong will also object in the open, and it will not be easy for Empress Dowager Liang, Shen Rong and others to win over
Lin Mengde was quite sorry. He was also interested in the position of Jiangning Prefecture, but when he thought about his appointment as Jiangning Prefecture, the resistance was too great, so he didn't say anything...
Lin Fu asked again: "Can the boss and the second uncle arrive in Jiangning tomorrow and the day after tomorrow? Is there any news that can be passed on first?"
She Wenzhuang led his troops to withdraw from Qiupu West on the third day of junior high school. Lin Xuwen wanted to go down the river from Chizhou, which was very fast. Yue Lengqiu would not leave Lin Xuwen in Chizhou for no reason at this time, but Lin Xuwen would meet up with Lin Tingli after Come to Jiangning together.
The reorganization of the court can be said to be under the sole control of Huaidong, but Lin Xuwen's arrangements after returning to Jiangning are also a headache - Lin Xuwen cannot serve as the first assistant, otherwise he will be nominally equal to Lin Fu When Huaidong wanted to weaken Zhengshitang, it would also mean weakening Lin Xuwen.
Song Fu and Gao Zongting discussed the matter with Lin Fu. They believed that Lin Xuwen's position in the political hall should not be moved, and that the position of chief assistant should be left to others to show balance, but Lin Xuwen would be asked to also head the household department to exercise financial power. ——This arrangement has not been discussed with Lin Xuwen, and Lin Fu doesn’t know whether he is happy or not.
In addition, the status issues of Lin Tingli, Lin Zonghai and the Dongyang Prefecture Army also had to be resolved, which also made Lin Fu unable to relax - there could not be internal disputes over the struggle for power and profit before the external conflicts were resolved.
It is not so easy to sort out these things one by one.