Wanyan Zongbi followed Mr. Han's instructions, first went to the famous Li Jingduan Cloak Village in Bianliang to take the regular clothes of the Central Plains scholars customized the day before yesterday, replaced the leather jacket that he wore all year round, and found a shaving shop to shave off the beard on his face, changed the unkempt braids into the hair bun of the Central Plains, and even tied a scribe's scarf, although it looked very weird, but it was very different from the northland barbarians before the change.

After cleaning up, I went back to the inn to take the Dongzhu pagoda, the sable fur jacket, and the white fox fur three heavy gifts, hired a beautifully decorated carriage, and came to the front of the mansion of Zhao Qianfu, the second minister of the Great Song Dynasty.

Although this Zhao Zhifu is far less powerful than Prime Minister Cai Jing, he is not a prince of a barbarian tribe who wants to see him, the old medicine bottle was handed in, and Wanyan Zongbi waited anxiously at the door. Fortunately, his luck was still good, Prime Minister Zhao Zhifu was in the mansion, and after seeing the medicine bottle, he remembered an old incident, and on a whim, he asked Wanyan Zongbi's two entourages to stay in the gatehouse outside and let him in.

The servant passed it on, Zhao Zhifu was still playing with the half-old medicine bottle, and he opened the first drawer in the left hand of the desk, and there was a porcelain bottle that was the same as the one in his hand. Although this porcelain vase looks crude in the Central Plains, in the north of the Liao State, among the Jurchens, Five Kingdoms and other tribes, such exquisite porcelain from the Central Plains can only be owned by the leaders and nobles of the clan.

At the beginning, Zhao Zhifu had just emerged in the court of the Great Song Dynasty, because he belonged to the new party that advocated the Northern Expedition to Liao and recovered Youyan. Naturally, the Liao people would treat this ambitious young envoy well. Not only will he take him around the territory of Liao, which will triple the distance, but also specially invite him to the more northern Tokyo Road to participate in the fish head banquet of the barbarians in the north of the alliance.

At that time, it was the weather when the water was dripping into ice, but the fish head feast was held in the wild. The leather jacket that Zhao Zhifu wore from the Central Plains, no matter how he stomped his feet and rubbed his hands, he felt that his whole body was frozen through, and the cold wind blew his face like a knife, but in order not to lose the demeanor of the envoy of the great country, he forced himself to support himself and deal with the Liao people, and the bare skin was almost frozen to the point that he couldn't feel the pain.

Without applying antifreeze grease, this turned and froze down, and Zhao Zhifu, who was unknown, would have ulcerated his head and face. However, just as Zhao Zhifu left Xi Xiaojie, the leader of a small barbarian tribe quietly followed out and gave him a bottle of antifreeze plaster. and secretly told him that the Liao people invited him to participate in the fish head banquet held in the wild to frostbite him. Zhao Zhifu immediately applied this extremely effective secret plaster. At the fish head banquet, the Liao people were amazed when they saw that the envoy of the Southern Dynasty was talking and laughing freely, but there was no sign of frostbite, and they did not embarrass him too much after that. When he returned to the court, he won the trust of the official family because he did not disgrace his mission, and after that, Zhao Zhifu was also extra careful not to give people a handle, and finally survived to the era when the old party lost power and the new party took power, and rose all the way to the position of vice minister.

After the incident, Zhao Zhifu was convinced that he was a Ji man with his own natural appearance, so the barbarian leader he didn't know would help him escape the fate. The bottom of the half-old small medicine bottle in front of him was carved with a knife the totem of the Wanyan tribe, just like the one back then.

"Zhao Xiangye." Wanyan Zongbi seems to have read some books, unlike his father, who is a barbarian at first glance.

Zhao Zhifu saw that although he was full of barbarian spirit, after all, he looked like he was looking at China, he nodded slightly in his heart, but there was a faint look on his face, and said, "What is the relationship between you and Ah Guta?" ”

"It's Jia Yan." Wanyan Zongbi followed the instructions of the masters, and exchanged a few words with the unfathomable Zhao Xiangye before turning to the topic: "If the Great Song Dynasty can help my Jurchen tribes resist the oppression of the Liao people, we will definitely serve the Great Song Dynasty as the right and serve the Heavenly Dynasty with tribute." Xiangye's great kindness, I will never forget it. ”

Zhao Zhifu closed his eyes slightly, the intention of the official family's Northern Expedition to recover Youyan has become more and more obvious, if the Jurchens in the north of the Liao State can contain the army of the Northern Courtyard, this dynasty will gather the elite northern expedition of the three major camps of Hedong, Hebei and Xijing, and defeat the Liao army south of Yuguan in one fell swoop, and then defend it with danger, it is still possible to recover Youyan. According to the secret report of the Privy Council, the Liao people have 300,000 troops in Nanjing Road and Xijing Road, which can withstand a battle, and if you add hundreds of thousands of elite iron cavalry in the North Courtyard. If the Northern Expedition of the Song State could not win quickly, I am afraid that the tragedy of Yongxi's Northern Expedition would be repeated.

"The old man was an envoy to Liao, but fortunately, he was rescued by Ling Zun Agu's medicine. Zhao is not an ungrateful person, your ministry is not angry with the oppression of the Liao people, and resolutely raised troops against Liao, the old man is naturally appreciative. It's just that the Great Song Dynasty and the Liao State have not moved their swords for nearly a hundred years, and the alliance with the Jurchen clan is a military matter. If the Jurchen clan can really contain the Liao State, it doesn't hurt that my Great Song Dynasty supports your troops with some gunpowder, armor, grain and grass, etc.? Zhao Zhifu smiled slightly, he saw the naked desire of the barbarians in Wanyan Zongbi's eyes, if he was from the Central Plains, at least he knew how to hide it. Zhao Zhifu paused, changed his words, and asked, "How many warriors can go into battle in the Wanyan tribe now?" How many horses and armor are there? ”

Wanyan Zongbi was stunned for a moment, and responded: "There are about 5,000 soldiers, more than 3,000 war horses, and 500 pairs of armor. ”

"A little less." Zhao Zhifu thought secretly in his heart, but Wanyan Zongbi seemed to see his thoughts, and said: "Don't dare to deceive Zhao Xiangye, all Jurchen men are warriors who dare to fight, if the Great Song Dynasty supports me by sea, the original people who farm can also practice fighting, and the army can quickly expand to 15,000 soldiers," he saw that Zhao Zhifu seemed to disagree, paused, and said, "My lord, you know that there is a saying, the Jurchen is not satisfied with ten thousand, and ten thousand are invincible." With grain and grass, we can buy war horses from the Mongols on the west side of the Great Xianbei Mountain. Liao's iron-smelting armor-making blade workshop is in Liaoyang Mansion, as long as Liaoyang Mansion is laid, how many blades and armor will be needed. ”

"The Jurchen is less than 10,000, and 10,000 are invincible?" Zhao Zhifu repeated this disrespectful sentence to the Great Song Dynasty with disdain in his heart, but he didn't take it seriously to his heart, this Jurchen barbarian is so ashamed. The Jurchen people dared to rebel against the Liao State with only 5,000 soldiers and hundreds of armors, thinking that because of the bitter cold in the north, the Liao people conquered the Jurchens, even if they won, they would have nothing to gain, so the Liao court did not seriously deal with these barbarian tribes, just like the Great Song Dynasty also had a headache for the barbarians in the southwest.

Zhao Zhifu pondered for a moment, stroked his beard, and said slowly: "If I, the Great Song Dynasty, support you to complete the grain and grass of the Wanyan tribe, are you willing to attack the iron mines, iron-smelting workshops, and workshops that make armor blades that harass the Liao Kingdom?" I don't expect you to really be able to take Liaoyang Mansion, but with you, you can't passively avoid the war, the grain and grass of the Great Song Dynasty are all people's fat and people's ointment, and the Jurchen people must play a role in containing the Liao. In order to deter the barbarians in its country, the Liao army deterred and fought frequently in the name of hunting, and the armor blades and arrows were consumed much faster than those of the Song State.

Wanyan Zongbi immediately patted his chest and promised: "Zhao Xiangye rest assured, my Jurchen clan and the Liao people have been at war for generations, and the enmity is as deep as the sea, as long as there is grain and grass, immediately train and prepare for war, and within two years, take Liaoyang Mansion." ”

Zhao Zhifu smiled slightly, once again deepening the impression that this Jurchen barbarian likes empty words, and said: "Since you have a way to exchange for horses, you are willing to exchange more for me and take the sea route to settle in Shandong." "War horses are the most important military resources in this era, and now the Song State mainly buys war horses from the Xia State, and the Liao State is very wary of the Song State to buy war horses.

When Yan Zongbi heard this, he was overjoyed, and immediately patted his thigh and said: "Zhao Xiangye's dispatch, my clan will do it wholeheartedly!" "Although Liaodong is remote, it is not closed, Wanyan Zongbi also has experience in trading goods, and Xindao took over the errand of exchanging horses for the barbarians of the Great Song Dynasty, and the clan will definitely get a lot of benefits.

Zhao Zhifu waved his hand to stop him from thanking him again, and said in a deep voice: "Although Lord Lingzun has an old relationship with me, it is not something I can decide to form an alliance with the Jurchen Kingdom to resist Liao, but as long as it is beneficial to the Great Song Dynasty, the old man will try his best to promote it." ”

Wanyan Zongbi smiled and said: "Zhao Xiangye is too modest, if the princes of the imperial court have half of the adults, the Liao State has already become a vassal of the Great Song Dynasty." I feel the same virtue from the whole tribe of Wanyan tribe, and every family wants to set up a tablet for you to live forever. ”

Probably because there is indeed a bit of old affection, Zhao Zhifu patiently listened to Yan Zongbi's half-baked compliment, and then served tea to the guests.

When Yan Zongbi left Zhao Xiang's mansion anxiously, Zhao Xingde also left the forbidden city, and in the past half a day, he successively traveled to the inner bow, sword, gun and armor arsenal, tea and wine bureau, Hanlin calligraphy and art bureau, Houyuan Zuo, medical officer bureau and other yamen in the forbidden city, and saw many uncommon technical masters and utensils outside at this time. In the back garden, he met Meng Kui, the superintendent of the White Jade Palace, who was in charge of repairing the official family, and he was the most proficient official in the construction process that Zhao Xingde had ever seen, but because the White Jade Palace was just a plaything to please the officials, this Meng Supervisor did not have a good reputation among the students, and he did not have a strong backer, and even the Yushitai had some complaints about him.

When Zhao Xingde saw him, Meng Kuo was immersed in changing the design drawings of the building of the Da Nei Painting and Calligraphy Institute into construction drawings that conformed to the construction style of the craftsman's architecture at this time, and only raised his head to greet him lightly, but Meng Kuo's son Meng Yuan and Zhao Xingde were quite enthusiastic. Because Meng Yuan was a favored minister of the official family, Meng Yuan studied in the royal sect, but he was quite envious of the more casual life of the Tai students, and volunteered to take Zhao Xingde to complete the remaining few inner yamen. Meng Yuan's familiarity with Ouchi is far above Xingde's elder brother Song An, it is simply a living map, Zhao Xingde and him deed, so they exchanged names, and asked Meng Yuan to go to the inaugural meeting of the Science Society next month, Meng Yuan heard that there was an opportunity to make friends with the scholars of Taixue, and he was overjoyed and agreed.

In the days since, Zhao Xingde studied the scriptures while continuing to write his book stickers to earn some money, as for the matter of asking for marriage to the Li Mansion, the master and his wife have handled it for him, Zhao Xingde, the person concerned, is happy to be idle, and only occasionally thinks about it and is quite proud.

Both sides have the intention of marrying, but the procedure is quite cumbersome, first Chao Buzhi drafted a post of marriage instead of Zhao Xingde, which includes the names of the three generations of the Zhao family, the official positions, and the Li Mansion exchanged posts, and both parties have no objections, which is the recognition of the family. Then the wife Li prepared eight kinds of wine, fine-forged flower balls, silk silk, and silver collars, and sent them to the woman's house, and the Li family gave back two bottles of water, three live fish, and a pair of chopsticks. Originally, there was a procedure for inserting hairpins on a blind date, because Zhao Xingde and Li Ruoxue were acquainted, but they were exempted. Next, the matchmaker approved by the government will formally propose to the female family, and the Chao Mansion will send some jewelry and wine as a dowry on behalf of the Zhao family, and the Li family will give back some needlework made by Li Ruoxue and the concubines in the house, which is the first dowry gift.

After that, there were two dowry gifts, and there was an interval of some time in between, so it was inconvenient for Zhao Xingde to move to Li's mansion for a while, every time he listened to Chao Buzhi's lecture in Li's mansion and met Li Ruoxue, the two sides were restrained, not as smiling and laughing as in the past, only the corners of the eyes and eyebrows occasionally met, but there was a touching feeling.

Time is like an arrow, in a blink of an eye, it is the Dragon Boat Festival, all the shops in Bianjing inside and outside, have long been filled with peach blossoms, willow branches, sunflowers and other seasonal flowers and trees, the wall is hung with pu leaves, the door is nailed with wormwood, and the counters and stalls are full of zongzi, water balls and other seasonal snacks. Although the gift of Wending has not yet been completely completed, the Li Mansion and the Chao Mansion both sent child servants to Zhao Xingde to send the seasonal things of the Dragon Boat Festival, and the mahogany box sent by the Chao Mansion contained fragrant candy seeds, zongzi, and papaya, while the peach box sent by the Li Mansion contained mugwort, calamus, perilla and other things, and the things sent by the two families were not the same, nor was it whether the two ladies had discussed it in advance. At this time, Chen Dong, Zhang Bing and others, who were familiar with Zhao Xingde in Guozi Prison, already knew that Zhao Xingde was about to marry Dr. Li's son-in-law, and they all congratulated him.

After Chen Dong, Deng Su and other Taixue supervisors and students ran and contacted in many ways, the inaugural meeting of the Science Society was held in Panlou, one of the seventy-two main stores in Bianjing, in the West Water Gate, because it is close to the West Water Gate and Jinmingchi, you can not only eat the best river fresh, but also go to Jinmingchi after the banquet to watch the dragon boat race and school review of the Su Guards and the forbidden army. Ninety-five people from Taixue Guozi were imprisoned, plus Meng Yuan, who was invited by Zhao Xingde, a total of ninety-six people attended the meeting.

Zhao Xingde went to the meeting a little late, when he stepped up to the second floor of Pan Building, he saw more than ten Accords, there were already people, these Accords were pasted with red paper at the door, on the words "self-cultivation", "Mingli", "Erudite", "Covenant Ceremony", "Lixin", "Benmin", "Wealth" and so on, according to the arrangement of Chen Dong and other initiators, in addition to Chen Dong, Deng Su, Zhang Bing, Zhao Xingde four people as the liaison person of the Science Society gathering, each topic has a group of people who want to return to serve as the chair, Chen Dong served as the leader of the self-cultivation Zhai, Deng Su is "Covenant Ceremony" Zhai's palm, Zhang Bing is the "heart" of Zhai's palm, and although Zhao Xingde is well-versed in scriptures, he inadvertently revealed his archery skills in the past, and worshiped the order of the Taishi Bureau of the Hanlin Academy as a teacher, and was arranged to do the "governing soldiers" Zhai's palm.

At this time, the scholars and doctors are all heavy on literature and light on martial arts, and there are many scholars in other Accords, looking at the empty "governing soldiers" Zhai, Zhao Xingde couldn't help but look embarrassed, Chen Dong happened to see this, and also felt a little sorry for Xingde, walked over with a smile on his face, and said in a low voice: "Let Yuan Zhi take charge of this cold issue, I'm really embarrassed, and in the future, when science is prosperous, the Privy Council and the Sanya Forbidden Army will ask Yuan Zhi." Zhao Xingde couldn't help but roll his eyes when he heard this, the Science Society has set up twelve fasting deliberations, and it is necessary to influence the major affairs of the imperial court with Qing discussions, and even hope to help each other in the future, and push the people in the same way to the high position of the Privy Council of the Political Affairs Hall. But according to the practice of the imperial court, whether Wenchen can enter the Privy Council only depends on the intentions of the officials and the strength of the court, and has little to do with whether he knows the soldiers.

He arched his hand to Chen Dong with a wry smile, and looked at Meng Yuan beside him, but this one was quite eye-catching, his father Meng Jian Zuo was quite unpopular among the students, and he was afraid of being ridiculed when he went to other fasting meetings, and when he saw Zhao Xingde looking over, he immediately patted his chest and said: "I am also a little interested in the way of marching and arranging the formation, since Brother Zhao is in charge of the 'governing soldiers' Zhai, I will also enter the 'governing soldiers' Zhai!" ”

Chen Dong saw that someone was finally willing to join the 'Governing Soldiers' Zhai, so he immediately patted Meng Yuan on the shoulder and said, "Good brother! He smiled, looked at the other scholars next to him, and leaned close to Meng Yuan's ear and said: "Although Meng Gongzi is not a classmate of Taixue, but after entering the Li Society, he will be in the same breath, if someone is embarrassed, come to sue me, I Chen Dong will not rest with him!" ”

When Meng Yuan saw this person talking so affectionately, he couldn't help but think of the fact that many of the legendary Tai students had a habit of breaking their sleeves, his face changed slightly, he was half a step closer to Zhao Xingde, he smiled reluctantly, and arched his hand at Chen Dong: "Thank you Brother Chen for taking care of you." ”

Chen Dong saw that the people were almost there, so he ordered the little servant of Pan Lou to close all the painting screens separating the various private seats on the second floor, so that the entire floor could be seen at a glance, like a large hall, and took a silver cymbal, and beat it loudly. Suddenly, the scholars who were greeting each other stopped talking and laughing, and looked at the main table where Chen Dong was in the middle, together with the doctor of tea and wine in Pan Lou, the woman in Tsing Yi who poured wine for the guests, the neighbors who were waiting to do things next to them, the singers who sang small songs and sat down, and the vendors who peddled seasonal fresh fruits, all fell silent with a look in their eyes, and the second floor of the originally noisy Pan Building seemed to be as quiet as the Taixue School.

Seeing that everyone knew the rules, Zhao Xingde was secretly happy to have a little effort to maintain order, only to hear Chen Dong clear his throat and say loudly: "Today, the sages are all over, full of handsome people, my generation of scholars, in order to spread the learning of saints, tomorrow the earth will be reasonable, and the society of science will be formed." All the people in our society should be self-cultivation and etiquette, worry about the country and the people, live in the court to assist the monarch, and benefit the people in the state and county. My generation is a gentleman's friend, relying on each other to resist traitors, being kind to discipline and discipline, and governing the way of the sage king to rule the world......"