Kou Ji pretended not to hear Xiang Minzhong's words and entered the room. Amidst Xiang Minzhong's noise, he looked at Xiang Minzhong's expression and asked about Xiang Minzhong's condition.
After learning that Xiang Minzhong was as usual and there was no fear for his life, Kou Ji sat in the room for a while.
When Xiang Minzhong got tired of shouting, he chatted with Xiang Minzhong about some household matters, then stood up, cupped his hands, and left.
I just left Xiang Minzhong's bedroom and didn't take more than two steps.
Mrs. Xiang sent the maid next to her to hold a box and handed it to Kou Ji.
Kou Ji took the box, turned to the maid next to his wife, covered her mouth and ran away with a snicker.
Kou Ji opened the box in confusion and saw some papers and medicine bottles inside. He opened one at random and his face darkened.
It was clearly written on it.
Tianlingguan’s secret recipe for giving birth to a child...
You don't need to look further to know that the other papers in the box have similar things written on them. Most of those medicine bottles contain some kind of secret medicine that can help you have children.
Kou Ji crumpled the paper in his hand into a ball, threw it into the box, and carried the box out of Xiang's house.
I got on the carriage and headed all the way back to the mansion.
When they arrived at the intersection of Maxing Street, when Kou Ji was about to find a secluded place to throw away the box in his hand, a group of people blocked Kou Ji's way.
"Brother Kou Xian?"
A soft cry sounded outside the carriage.
Kou Ji opened the curtain, looked outside, and saw a familiar yet unfamiliar figure.
What's familiar is his face, what's unfamiliar is his clothes.
When the figure saw Kou Ji, his face showed great joy.
Kou Ji said unexpectedly: "Brother An?"
The person blocking Kou Ji's way was Qingtang An Ziluo.
An Ziluo was wearing leather armor, a felt hat unique to the Qingtang people, and a scimitar on his waist. He looked very heroic.
An Ziluo was very happy to see Kou Ji. Without waiting for Kou Ji's invitation, he ordered the Qingtang soldiers behind him to follow the carriage. He climbed onto the carriage, entered the carriage, and appeared opposite Kou Ji.
When Kou Ji was stunned, An Ziluo gave Kou Ji a big hug.
After letting go of Kou Ji, An Ziluo said with a smile: "Brother Kou Xian, two years have passed since we parted ways in the past. When we meet again, you have become the head of the Department of Management and Engineering of the Song Dynasty."
Facing the enthusiastic An Ziluo, Kou Ji was a little uncomfortable, but he still smiled and said: "Look at Brother An's dress, Brother An's status in Qingtang is probably not low now, right?"
An Ziluo smiled brightly, hammered his chest with one hand, and bowed slightly in the direction of the palace, "Thanks to the great love of the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, he allowed my clan Zanpu to confer me the title of guerrilla general."
Kou Ji nodded thoughtfully.
Guerrilla general is obviously the name of the Song Dynasty.
Presumably An Ziluo had another official position under Jiao Siluo's tent.
After all, the Song Dynasty did not confer high titles on Jiao Si Luo, the commander of Qingtang Zanpu, so it was impossible for Jiao Si Luo to confer too high titles on his generals.
Of course, this was only the case for Qingtang officials in the Song Dynasty.
When people were in Qingtang, they had their own set of official title systems and rules.
Kou Ji smiled at An Ziluo and said, "It is gratifying that Brother An can gain the attention of the imperial court and allow the imperial court to issue an order and be promoted to guerrilla general."
An Ziluo said with a bright smile: "I got this from fighting bravely on the Xixia battlefield in the past."
Kou Ji nodded with a smile and asked, "Brother An, why did you come to Bianjing this time?"
Hearing this, An Ziluo said seriously: "On the orders of our clan Zanpu, I came here to offer cattle and sheep to the Song Dynasty."
Kou Ji was stunned and smiled.
At the end of another year, it was indeed time for all the vassal states to come to the Song Dynasty to fight the autumn breeze... and pay tribute.
Kou Ji smiled and said: "Noble Zamp, if I can send you to bring cattle and sheep as sacrifices, I guess the unpleasant things that happened to the nobles have been settled, right?"
The unpleasant thing Kou Ji was referring to was that when Qingtang was helping the Song Dynasty attack Xixia, Qingtang discussed Bu Wen and Bu Qi's rebellion.
An Ziluo was Jiao Siluo's confidant. If Jiao Siluo was in danger of his life, An Ziluo would never appear in the Song Dynasty.
Kou Ji mentioned Qingtang Lun Bu Wen Bu Qi, and An Ziluo's face turned cold.
He gritted his teeth and said: "Wen Buqi is just a rat. When I led my troops to attack Xixia, he united with the tribesmen who had ulterior motives to rebel, imprisoned our tribe Zanpu in a well, and almost killed our tribe Zanpu.
general.
It's a pity that he has ambition but not enough strength.
He knew that I was bringing troops back to help, so he personally led his troops to destroy me.
But I didn't expect that my sister led our warriors to rescue Zamp after he left.
He was with me in Miaochuan, and he ran away in confusion after being beaten by me.
When our tribe Zanpu organized troops to encircle and suppress him, he could only lead the remaining troops to escape.
I fought with this rat in the Hehuang area for more than half a year before I killed him."
Since then, Qingtang has been unified, and Jiao Siluo has become the true king of Qingtang.
An Ziluo did not say this sentence, but Kou Ji added it silently in his heart after listening to An Ziluo's story.
Kou Ji opened his mouth and said with emotion: "Brother An, it's really not easy to get rid of this evil thief."
An Ziluo nodded seriously.
Kou Ji invited An Ziluo to ride a carriage to Kou's mansion. After entering the mansion and sitting down, Kou Ji asked Kou Zhong to prepare a table of wine and food, and treated An Ziluo to a drink.
While the two were chatting, they recounted everything that had happened during the two years they had been apart.
As the conversation deepened, Kou Ji discovered that An Ziluo seemed to have great admiration for Zhong Shiheng.
When he mentioned the war in Xixia, he was consistent with Zhong Shiheng.
Kou Ji silently remembered this matter in his heart. If he could use it in the future, he would definitely use it.
An Ziluo came to see Kou Ji this time, but he didn't have any demands. He just wanted to catch up with Kou Ji, a good brother who had helped Qingtang.
The two of them drank until evening, before Kou Jicai sent the tipsy An Ziluo away.
After An Ziluo left, Kou Ji just returned to the main hall, and Kou Zhong appeared next to him.
"Young Master..."
Kou Ji asked: "What's wrong?"
Kou Zhong handed Kou Ji a sheepskin.
Kou Ji took the sheepskin and looked at the words on it, slightly surprised, "An Ziluo gave me a hundred good horses, just outside the city?"
Kou Zhong nodded and said: "While you were drinking with the Qingtang man, one of his followers approached the old servant and handed him the roll of sheepskin. He led the old servant outside the city.
He took over the hundred good horses.
Now the horse is resting on the village outside the city."
After a pause, Kou Zhong added in a low voice, "The old servant has taken a special look at the one hundred good horses. They are all good horses. Although they are not the best horses, they are three points better than ordinary horses.
What's more important is that the one hundred horses have not been castrated."
Kou Ji raised his eyebrows and said thoughtfully: "Does he know that I need horses?"
Kou Ji once promised to help the Tiger Army obtain enough horses within three years, but he only told a few trustworthy people among the soldiers and civilians in Baozhou, and it was impossible to spread it.
The soldiers and civilians in Baozhou would not leak the news, so how did An Ziluo know that he was short of horses?
And specially gave him a hundred good, uncastrated horses?
Kou Zhong didn't know what Kou Ji was thinking. After hearing Kou Ji's question, he muttered: "Young master, very few people know about your need for horses. Not many people in the Song Dynasty know about it, so then
People in Qingtang definitely don’t know.
The old servant guessed that he probably thought that the Song Dynasty was short of horses, so giving you horses is far more valuable than giving you gold and silver."
Kou Ji thought about it and felt that what Kou Zhong said was reasonable. He nodded and said, "That should be the case..."
Kou Ji almost thought that An Ziluo's hands and eyes could detect his most secret information.
Kou Ji put away the sheepskin and told Kou Zhong: "Send someone to secretly send these 100 good horses to Baozhou and hand them over to Old Chen Tou, the patrolling horse guard."
Kou Zhong nodded, hesitated, and said to Kou Ji: "Young Master, Zhang Yuan sent a letter a few days ago, saying that Yu You's injury has recovered and asking to return to Beijing with Yu You. Do you think you will agree?"
Kou Ji thought about it and smiled, "Let the two of them return to Beijing quickly. Now is the time to use them."
Kou Zhong laughed in a low voice and said, "Old servant, I want to ask more. I wonder what the young master plans to ask them to do?"
Kou Ji was stunned, stared at Kou Zhong, and said with a half-smile: "Since I was promoted to the fourth rank, you rarely ask me anything. What, do you want to do some exercise?"
Kou Zhong nodded with a smile.
Kou Ji said unexpectedly: "Are you tired from working with Madam, or did Madam reprimand you?"
Kou Zhong shook his head and said: "That's not true..."
Kou Ji pondered and said: "Then you are in a state of tranquility and want to move?"
Kou Zhong said dumbfounded: "Young master, you don't need to guess. My wife treats my old servant very well. If the old servant hadn't refused, she would have wanted to introduce Manager Su from the inner house to live with me."
Kou Ji said in confusion: "Then you don't want to live a stable life at home and want to go out and work..."
Before Kou Zhong could speak, Kou Ji pinched his chin and said, "Speaking of which, Manager Su of the inner house has been single for quite a few years. You are also alone now, so it would be nice for the two of you to live together."
Kou Zhong had a bitter look on his face and said, "Young master, please don't mess with this old servant. I'm used to living alone, and I don't like having another person lying beside my bed."
Kou Ji hummed and said, "I think you suspect that he is a prisoner..."
Kou Zhong surprisingly did not refute.
Kou Ji's eyes widened in astonishment, he really guessed it right.
Kou Ji stared at Kou Zhong blankly, wanting an answer.
Kou Zhong hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice: "Everyone who comes from a criminal background always has some hesitations. Maybe one day, a son or daughter will pop out from that corner.
The old servant doesn't care about having another concern, he is just afraid that if he becomes concerned, he will be forced to reveal the secrets of the house."
When Kou Ji heard this, he was stunned for a long time without saying anything.
For someone like Kou Zhong, who promised his whole life to a loyal servant of the Kou Mansion, he really didn't know what to say.
He is not qualified to call people stupid and loyal.
After all, people are loyal to their ancestors and grandchildren.
It's a bit unconscionable to praise people for their loyalty.
He worked loyally for the Kou government for decades, but the Kou government did not do anything for him.
Kou Ji pondered for a long time, finally sighed, looked at Kou Zhong and said, "I have wronged you over the years..."
Kou Zhong grinned and said with a bright smile: "I am not aggrieved... not at all. It is the honor of this old servant's life to be able to serve the master and the young master of two generations."
Kou Ji said with a complicated heart: "What kind of outstanding person am I..."
Kou Zhong said proudly: "There is no one in Bianjing who can compare with you, young master. If you are not considered an outstanding person, who is?"
Kou Ji shook his head and did not argue. He asked, "Can you tell me why you want to move around?"
Kou Zhong hesitated again and again and said frankly: "The new year is here and the young master is coming back. The young master has many wives and concubines. After arriving at the house, they compete with each other for favors. They want this or that. The old servants are waiting for them, which is a headache."
Kou Ji was stunned and smiled helplessly: "I also have a headache when I see them..."
Kou Zhong muttered: "If you can't hit or scold, it's better to hide."
Kou Ji nodded in agreement, "The two of us find something to do and hide from them."
Seeing that Kou Ji also wanted to hide, Kou Zhong hesitated and said: "Madam's side..."
Kou Ji muttered: "When I turn around, I will tell her to hide."
The two were silent for a moment, looking at each other and smiling.
Kou Ji put his hands behind his back and walked towards Sijun Garden, while Kou Zhong happily went to deal with the affairs of the house.
After Kou Ji returned to Sijunyuan, he was not in a hurry to take a rest, but sat in the study and planned secretly.
He had wanted to help Baozhou get horses for a long time, but he had been busy and had no time to do it.
Meeting An Ziluo today made him think of a way to easily get horses without being too busy.
There were horses in the Song Dynasty, but there were not many of them.
When Taizong Zhao Guangyi was in court, he obtained tens of thousands of horses from the Liao people. The number of horses in the Song Dynasty jumped to more than 200,000.
During the reign of the late Emperor Zhao Heng, he set up a horse department and ordered all the horses in the Song Dynasty to be driven to the capital and distributed to the supervisors for herding.
Under the care of the supervisors, most of the good horses were forced to become bad horses.
The first year of Tianxi.
Xiang Minzhong couldn't bear to see Ma Zheng in the court, but he didn't want to offend the late emperor Zhao Heng.
A memorial was written, bluntly stating that there were too many horses in the imperial court, and raising horses cost countless money and food every year. Some of the inferior horses should be selected and sold to the people.
The number of horses kept by the imperial court also dropped sharply from more than 200,000 to 100,000.
From the time when the late Emperor Zhao Heng came to the throne until the late Emperor Zhao Heng passed away, the number of horses in the imperial court did not increase much at all.
Even after selling a batch of inferior horses, the number of horses in the imperial court dropped by half in an instant.
And this half of the horses are still in the hands of the prison guards and are only used by the imperial army.
If Kou Ji wanted to get a horse, he would never get it from the prison guards.
So when he had the idea of getting a horse, he set his sights on the neighbors around the Song Dynasty.
The Liao Kingdom was obviously undesirable. The imperial court had always had horse business dealings with the Liao Kingdom.
However, the horses sold to the imperial court by the Liao Kingdom were always gelded horses.
Kou Ji went out to get horses, and most of the horses he got were geldings.
Xixia can't do it either. The Song Dynasty just called Qingtang and Ganzhou Uighurs and beat Xixia. How could Xixia let Kou Ji, a Song minister, get horses from Xixia?
The only ones left are Qingtang and Ganzhou Uighurs.