After breakfast, Yinping removed the bowls and chopsticks and served Su Dingfang a cup of tea and Xia Yu, of course, a cup of hot water.
"Teacher," Su Dingfang remembered, "it's the Chinese New Year. I wonder when the court will stop bathing?"
"We have to wait for the weather to clear up, reward the Eastern Expedition army, and present the prisoners at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. It will only take a day or two to wait for the notice."
After working hard for half a year, Xia Yu also wanted to take advantage of the Chinese New Year to have a good rest for a few days.
"By the way," Xia Yu remembered, "Your mother is still alive at home. After a few years, I will send someone to bring her to Chang'an."
"Thank you, teacher."
Su Dingfang was very happy. Now that he had settled in Chang'an, he was naturally worried about his mother staying alone in her hometown in Hebei.
"Master." At this moment, Hu Sanyi came in a hurry and reported: "Outside the door, Mr. Xiao Yuxiao, the Minister of Household Affairs, is visiting, and there is also Zheng Ting, an old friend of the Zheng family in Xingyang."
Xiao Yu!?
Xia Yu was surprised. This person was also a famous Prime Minister of Zhenguan. He ranked ninth among the twenty-four heroes of Lingyan Pavilion, which was quite high.
I don’t know what happened to this person, and how did he get together with the Zheng family in Xingyang?
Although he was very confused, Xia Yu stood up quickly and said quickly: "Dingfang, there is a distinguished guest coming, please go and greet him as a teacher as soon as possible."
"is teacher."
Xia Yu hurried to the middle gate.
Although he and Xiao Yu have the same official position, it seems that there is no need to be too enthusiastic, but the other party is an elder after all, so he still needs to be polite.
When I arrived at the door, I saw Zheng Ting chatting in the concierge with a handsome middle-aged man in his forties.
Xia Yu had the impression that he had met him at the celebration banquet last night, but there were too many people that night, and most of them didn't recognize him as a newcomer.
"Ah, Mr. Xiao came to visit, but Yu missed the welcome. I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Xia Yu greeted him quickly.
"Military advisor, you're welcome. I'm here uninvited. I'm sorry to bother you." Xiao Yu also stood up in a hurry and returned the greeting, which was very polite.
This person is a descendant of the Nanliang royal family. He is of noble birth and is erudite and upright. In other words, he has a high IQ and average emotional intelligence.
In history, this man was the biggest official in the Zhenguan Dynasty besides Wei Zheng.
Xiao Yu is a very proud person, and his background and knowledge are also worthy of pride.
However, facing the world-famous Tang Dynasty genius and unparalleled military strategist Xia Yu, Xiao Yu neither dared nor could he take any arrogance.
"There is also Shopkeeper Zheng. It has been several months since we last met Meng Jin. We don't want to see each other again." Xia Yu turned to Zheng Ting again and said with a smile: "I wonder why Shopkeeper Zheng and Mr. Xiao are together today?"
Zheng Ting said with a smile: "The military advisor doesn't know that a certain person has given up business and entered politics, and is serving as a foreign minister in the Ministry of War. Coming here today is also a business matter. As for coming with Mr. Xiao, it is a coincidence, and we bumped into each other in front of the door."
I see!
Xia Yu suddenly realized it and frowned secretly: Wu Xing Qi Wang is really awesome, being an official is easy!
You must know that the position of Yuanwailang is a high position from the sixth rank. If it were placed at a local level, it would be the magistrate of Zhongxian County!
I don't know how many people dream of such a position, but for Wu Xing Qi Wang, it is within easy reach.
Of course, there still has to be a reason, and it is probably due to Meng Jin's battle.
Although countless thoughts flashed through his mind, Xia Yu's expression remained unchanged and she greeted warmly: "Come on, come on, Mr. Xiao, Mr. Zheng, please come in quickly."
A group of people came to the inner courtyard and entered the house to sit down.
Immediately, Yinping served the tea soup that had been prepared earlier, while Xia Yu naturally had a cup of hot water, while Su Dingfang stood respectfully behind the teacher.
Since ancient times, it is not a joke for disciples to obey others.
As soon as Xiao Yu picked up the tea soup, he saw that Xia Yu was drinking water. He couldn't help but wonder: "Why doesn't the military advisor drink tea soup, but only water?"
You know, the ancients loved drinking tea, especially among wealthy and powerful people, who regarded it as an elegant thing.
"Oh, that's it. Yu is not used to such turbid tea and only likes clear tea." Xia Yu quickly explained to avoid Xiao Yu misunderstanding.
Xiao Yu was confused: "Here, tea can be divided into cloudy tea and clear tea?"
He has boasted of being a prolific scholar all his life, but this is the first time he has heard of the concept of "turbid tea" and "clear tea".
"Of course." Xia Yu smiled and dragged Guigumen out to block the gun: "So the turbid tea is made by adding mutton oil, onions, ginger, pepper and other seasonings. Although the taste is rich, the taste buds are varied.
, but still loses the original flavor of tea.”
"As for the pure tea, it is only stir-fried in an iron pot using a secret method, and then brewed with boiling water without adding any seasoning. This tea is fresh and natural, slightly bitter in the mouth, but the aftertaste is endless, and it has the three tastes of life. My Ghost Valley
But everyone is used to tea."
Xiao Yu was stunned. Although he didn't understand it very well, this clear tea sounded elegant and refined, with a long lasting flavor, which compared to the muddy tea.
Xiao Yu is a very proud person, and he thinks he is an elegant person. He instantly felt that the turbid tea in front of him no longer smelled good, and said hurriedly: "This tea is so elegant and wonderful, it is a perfect match for the literati like us. Military strategists must not be stingy and get it quickly."
Come and enjoy it together.”
Although Zheng Ting's official position is low, he has five surnames and seven looks. Anyone who is not an arty person suddenly has his eyes lit up and wants to see through.
Xia Yu said apologetically: "Forgive me, Mr. Xiao. I am in a hurry when the rain comes out of the mountain, but I don't have time to carry it. When the new tea comes out next year and it is ready after the rain, how about I go to the house to serve it in person?"
"Okay. Okay." Xiao Yu was overjoyed and said quickly: "At that time, I will invite three or five close friends to drink this tea with the military advisor."
After some small talk, Xia Yu returned to the topic: "By the way, Mr. Xiao, Mr. Zheng just said that you came to my residence on official business?"
"Yes, yes, I almost forgot about the business." Xiao Yu smiled apologetically: "That's it, the Military Advisor's Office has been newly established. Your Majesty has specially given it the name 'Military Advisor's Office', which is responsible for the supervision and staff matters in the army."
"I am here today because of your Majesty's instructions. I am here to inform you that an official office has been assigned to the military advisor in the imperial city, close to the Sixteenth Guards Office, for daily movement."
"If the military advisor is free today, you might as well go with me and see if you are satisfied."
Xia Yu suddenly understood and said gratefully: "For such a trivial matter, just ask your subordinates to run over. Why don't you bother Duke Xiao to come to your door in person?"
Xiao Yu said cheerfully: "To be fair to the military advisor, I heard His Highness King Qin say that the military advisor is excellent at poetry and calligraphy, so I came here to ask for a calligraphy treasure under the pretext of this."
Xia Yu was so smart that she immediately understood the rich connotations of Xiao Yu's words.
First, Xiao Yu is telling himself that he is a member of King Qin's party, and everyone is in the same group, and they will look after each other in the future.
Secondly, this was a deliberate attempt to befriend him in the name of begging for calligraphy treasures. After all, he was now very popular in the Tang Dynasty.
After all, none of the famous bosses in these histories was stupid.
Xia Yu immediately took the hydrangea thrown at him and agreed: "No problem. How about Yu writing a plum poem to Mr. Xiao later?"
"It's my wish, but I don't dare to ask for help." Xiao Yu was overjoyed. Although asking for calligraphy treasures was an excuse, he really had a literati temperament and loved poetry and calligraphy.
Nowadays, Xia Yu is praised as a literary saint, and any handwritten book is worth thousands of gold!
Xia Yu turned to Zheng Ting again: "Mr. Zheng is visiting the mansion today. I wonder why?"
"But it is a matter of personnel under the Military Advisor's Office." Zheng Ting said quickly: "Xiang Pei has submitted it to His Majesty for approval, but the list needs to be reviewed by the Military Advisor to see if it needs to be adjusted."
"For this matter, Prime Minister Pei originally wanted to come in person. He didn't want to be temporarily ignored by His Majesty. He just happened to be in a humble position and had an old relationship with the military advisor, so he volunteered to come."
With that said, Zheng Ting took out a list of names from the army. Seeing this, Su Dingfang quickly stepped forward to take it and handed it to Xia Yu.
Xia Yu opened it and saw that the imperial court had given the Military Advisor's Mansion an Inspector General Shi and a Chief of Staff Shi, namely Pei Xuan and Du Qiu.
These two men followed Xia Yu and made some contributions in the Eastern Expedition, and now they have been promoted.
Next, there are four supervisors, four counselors, eight inspectors and eight staff officers.
Then, there are some low-level officials and clerks, and they are equipped with a hundred escort soldiers.
After writing a few pages, Xia Yu roughly estimated that there were about 200 people in his Military Advisor's Office.
Xia Yu put down the list and said with a smile: "Very good, I have no objection."
He can use Pei Xuan and Du Qiu easily, and they are also members of the King of Qin. As long as these two people don't change, he doesn't care about the others.
Of course, he also knew that there must be some sand among these people below.
Maybe it was Li Yuan who did it, maybe it was Li Jiancheng. But as long as he is here, these people can't change the world. They can just slowly tell the truth in the future.
"That's very good. Everyone has been notified and will be in place in the next couple of days. Just don't worry, military advisor."
"However, Prime Minister Pei said that the Military Advisor Yamen has been newly established, and various regulations need to be drafted by you as soon as possible, and then reported to the Ministry of War and the Shangshu Province for approval."
"No problem. I will draw it up years ago." Xia Yu agreed, but she also discovered something fishy.
It stands to reason that whether the Military Advisor's Office supervises the guards of the Sixteenth Prefecture or is a military counselor, it is related to the army and should be under the control of the Tiance Office.
But looking at the arrangements made by Li Yuan and Pei Ji, the subordinates were assigned to the Shangshu Province, and the personnel were assigned to the Ministry of War.
Being so nondescript, it was obvious that he wanted to sever his relationship with Li Shimin and guard against Li Er.
This is really a family without father and son! Xia Yu smiled bitterly in her heart.
However, he had long known that before the Xuanwumen Incident, Li Shimin would face various forms of suppression from Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng.
If I don't want to be unlucky, I can't get too close to Li Shimin on the surface. This arrangement is actually a good thing.
Of course, he had already made up his mind that the Military Advisor's Office would just be a decoration in the past few years. Military matters were too sensitive, so he would try to interfere as little as possible.
Normally, he only needs to stay in Lishan and teach and educate people quietly.
Presumably, Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng will definitely be happy to see the success and will not blame him for "neglecting" official duties.
"By the way, military advisor," Zheng Ting suddenly smiled and said, "In the past when I was in Mengdang, I mentioned the marriage to you in my humble position. Do you still remember it?"
Xia Yu smiled, knowing that he must have said this, and nodded: "Of course."
"Very good." Zheng Ting was very happy: "My step-uncle brother has already set off for Chang'an. He will arrive a year ago. When he arrives, he will ask the military advisor to come to the house to talk about it."
On the surface, this was saying that the head of the Zheng family was here, but in fact, it was telling Xia Yu that the legitimate daughter of the Zheng family who was about to be married was also here.
After all, it was agreed at the beginning that Xia Yu would meet the legitimate daughter of the Zheng family and get married only after she was satisfied.
"Okay, okay, I will definitely visit Mr. Zheng then." Xia Yu readily agreed.
When Xiao Yu heard this, he laughed loudly and joked: "It seems that the military advisor is going to have something happy. It is a great blessing to be able to marry the legitimate daughter of the fifth surname. Congratulations!"
Nowadays, the legitimate daughter of the fifth surname is really more valuable than the princess, and many princes and nobles cannot ask for it.
"Where, where." Xia Yu laughed loudly. The Zheng family wanted to borrow his power, so why didn't he want to borrow the Zheng family's power? Everyone just got what they needed.
"By the way, Mr. Xiao, please wait for a moment. I will write a poem about the plum blossoms and give it to Mr. Xiao."
As soon as Xia Yu stood up, Zheng Ting said hurriedly: "Military advisor, can you also give me a song for humble position? I want to give it to, uh, give it to my brother."
Xia Yu understood this, and probably wanted to bring it to the Zheng family's legitimate daughter to show her Xia Yu's talents.
"No problem." He agreed, writing poetry? What he was least afraid of was this, Tang poetry and Song lyrics, as many as he wanted.