Upstairs in the breeze, Zuo Yu sat alone.

At the small table by the window, there was no one to accompany the wine.

The street downstairs, the traffic and horses are flowing, the pedestrians are weaving, a lively scene, and above the pavilion, only Zuo Yu's table is a single figure, very deserted.

Zuo Yu is in the business community in the capital, and he is a businessman with a small status. Although he did not join any guild, he took the trade route from Hebei to the capital, mainly trafficking medicinal materials and furs from the north, real materials, and reasonable prices, so he had a good relationship with the heads of several related guilds. Every year in Kaifeng City, you can always get a banquet from all sides, when there is no banquet, you will come forward to invite guests, in addition to breakfast, it is rare to have a meal by yourself to the wine glass.

For a merchant who spends only a few dozen days a year in the capital, every meal is an opportunity to make friends or deepen relationships, and to waste such an opportunity is to waste money. A businessman like Zuo Yu will go to Xiaotianshui Lane to put out the fire, and he will also invite a few more friends to go with him, in order to deepen the friendship between them.

Sometimes, a word from the capital can turn a business back from danger and bring it back to life - there are never too many friends.

It's just that at this time, Zuo Yu didn't want to meet any acquaintances at all, and he didn't even bring his companions, so he found an unfamiliar hotel and sat down to drink alone with the window.

But even if he picked up the wine glass, what Zuo Yu didn't want to hear still drilled into his ears.

"Have you heard, the envoy of the Liao State was so frightened that he lost his soul when he saw the general's cannon in the imperial city, and he was stunned in front of the artillery seat for half an hour, which made the Queen Mother wait for a while."

"It's not that I've been stunned for half an hour, it's that I'm so scared that I have to change my clothes before I go to the palace to see the Queen Mother,"

"These northern captives have caused a commotion in the capital, not to mention, and have also filthy the imperial city."

"It's not that Master Yelu can't see that he can't beat it, so he asked a mage to do it, on purpose."

"How did it mean it?"

"It must be that the Tartars don't know anything, and they think that the artillery is a magic weapon made by Xiao Han's participation in politics, so he has the thunder during the day. If you want to break the spell, you can't bring the blood of the black dog into the imperial city, so you can only use feces and urine. ”

As soon as the Liao envoy arrived in the capital, he was frightened, which of course greatly boosted the morale of the Song people. Correspondingly, all the Liao people were resentful.

The more the surrounding wine words came into his ears, the tighter Zuo Yu's hand holding the wine glass tightened.

Although the carved silver cup is beautiful, it is definitely not sturdy, and when the two adjacent tables of drinkers began to smile and start toasting together because they were talking about the same topic, the silver cup finally clicked and was pinched flat.

Zuo Yu, a businessman who has always claimed to be a hometown in Baozhou, was actually born in Nanjing Daoxijin Mansion in the Liao State.

Although the details learned through different channels told Zuo Yu that the Liao envoy was shocked by the artillery, and it was completely a rumor spread falsely. But when he heard that the envoy of the Liao State was so embarrassed in the rumors, it was still as if he had been insulted, and his shame filled his chest.

Since the year when Shi Jingjiao dedicated Youyan Prefectures to the Liao State, the Zuo Yu family has always been the people of the Liao State, and the words and deeds are still the same as the Han people, but they still empathize with any insults to the Liao State.

Even when a person drinks, he will inevitably be angry, Zuo Yu slammed the broken wine glass, "Store, check out!" ”

Dropping down the wine and food that had only moved a few chopsticks, in the surprised eyes of the junior in the running hall, Zuo Yu knew the money, lost the money for the wine glass, and stepped out of the door.

Walking to the street, cars came and went, but Zuo Yu didn't know where to go for a while.

The state envoy was embarrassed, which made Zuo Yu resentful.

However, what bothered him even more was not Yeludi's gaffe in the imperial city, but the order he received today to find out the truth about the artillery as soon as possible, and even get specific drawings of the artillery, which could be copied by the country.

No one in Tokyo knows, and the Hebei businessman, who is well-known in the business world, is just a fine worker, and the enviable source of goods in his hands is actually from the domestic support of Liao.

Although it is not the original livelihood, but his parents, brothers and even the eldest son are in China, Zuo Yu does not dare not be unsatisfied. What's more, being in a foreign country, Zuo Yu is worried day and night, never dares to have deep friendships with people, has no close friends, and has no sense of belonging to a country, so he would rather choose a place where he grows up.

However, the stupid order from above made Zuo Yu's anger at the rumors turn into resentment against the high-ranking officials and eunuchs in the country.

If it was in the past, Zuo Yu would always choose to entertain guests in the restaurant outside Kaifeng Mansion and at the cross street in the inner city, not only with high grade, but also with the most officials. The odds of hearing gossip are also the highest.

But he didn't want to hire someone at all right now.

The specific news about the giant artillery was transmitted back by another group of fine workers planted in the capital half a month ago, but this time the envoy was unlucky and did not receive it. And after Zuo Yu arrived in the capital, he also heard a little from a few familiar business partners.

Not only have the details of the giant artillery been discovered, but also the ins and outs have been revealed on the wine table.

Those tens of thousands of catties of bronze cannons were just a sound.

The conclusions summarized from different channels, Zuo Yu is no longer very suspicious, but does he have a way to make the country believe it?

Of course not.

Zuo Yu knows this very well, he doesn't have the ability to make the domestic upper echelons believe his words.

In the eyes of those high-ranking nobles, the so-called report that the newly cast 10,000-jin artillery could not fire shells must be a rumor deliberately spread by the Song people who could not avoid the leakage of the news of this artillery. And the meticulous workers in the capital were confused by rumors, and more importantly, they didn't dare to investigate.

And at the same time, there are many news that spread in the capital to refute these claims, believing that a few artillery pieces specially placed in the imperial city are far more powerful weapons than all the previous artillery, and can be eroded for hundreds of miles with one shot.

Therefore, the information reported before was completely used as prevarication in China.

Zuo Yu sighed secretly, if he reported it like this, I am afraid that he would not have a good life.

Subconsciously, I walked to the guild hall where I stayed, although after I went back, there were many guests coming and going, but now there was nowhere to go, and leaving the servants alone for too long would also make people suspicious.

But not long after walking, Zuo Yu suddenly felt that someone was staring at him, and he had already turned two intersections, but he was still stared at, and it could not be said that he had misunderstood.

His footsteps sank with his heart, but he immediately returned to normal.

The people of the Imperial City Division are all staring at the courtiers of the Song Kingdom, where there is an air to manage a businessman, even if it is a Khitan fine work, it doesn't matter what they do, if you really want to talk about it, it is more likely that you will be targeted by the thieves in Kaifeng City.

Zuo Yu touched his arms, and the money bag in the pocket was still there.

If he has a companion by his side, a heavy purse can be placed on his body. After having a lot of money, it is not difficult to bring a few copper and iron coins with you. But Zuo Yu came out alone, and he couldn't bring half of it.

After sitting in the restaurant, there were only a dozen ten-cent coins left, as well as some fragmentary coins. It's not much, but with two small silver bills that can be exchanged at the gold and silver shop at any time, if you touch it to any thief, you will lose a lot.

Then turn the street in front of you, greeted by a large number of people, all flags, and a very conspicuous umbrella, Zuo Yu saw it, and all the surrounding lines humbly retreated to the side of the road.

Perhaps the empty rumors cannot be trusted, but if the artillery drawings can be obtained, the country will not be too pressed.

The queue of Da Song Zaizhi walked in front of him, Zuo Yu turned a blind eye and began to think seriously.

……………………

Come out of Wang Anshi's house.

Han Gang was still recalling the previous dispute with his father-in-law.

Rumors about the Liao envoy being humiliated in the imperial city spread all over the sky, and although Wang Anshi is not a director now, he can't help but start paying attention.

No matter how shocked he was after seeing the artillery, it would not make the envoy of the Liao State lose control of his body.

According to the report of the Shenji Army General who was guarding the Xuande Gate at that time, Yeludi was indeed surprised, but when he walked to the front of the palace and saluted the Queen Mother, there was no abnormality at all.

In contrast, it was the Queen Mother who changed the past precedent, and the Liao envoy's move to invite his majesty as soon as he entered Beijing was even more controversial in the court.

"The Queen Mother wants to see the excitement, and it's not a big deal."

Han Gang also said this to his father-in-law before.

"Is there a trivial matter to Liaobang relations?!"

Wang Anshi immediately retorted back.

Diplomacy is indeed no small matter. Han Gang admitted this, otherwise the imperial court would not have asked the envoys to record their every move and monitor the members of the mission around them.

But at present, how can the relationship between Song and Liao be normal diplomacy? It was just a few salutes, and although the result surprised the Liao envoy a little, it was not a violation of diplomatic etiquette.

In Han Gang's opinion, this is by no means a big deal.

There are too many times to stare at the front and back of the court, and there are a bunch of conventions and stories to follow, and the queen mother will not make a mistake in the number of etiquette when she receives the envoy of the Liao State. And quietly give the envoys of the enemy country a dismissal, this matter is harmless, as for the rumors in the capital, that is, the people like to hear it, so there is such a situation.

Now is not the time to make enemies with the Liao State, and the courtiers will not agree to the Queen Mother coming out to watch the troops and show off their martial arts, but they put two cannons, and the people in the two mansions will turn a blind eye, so Wang Anshi feels inappropriate.

In the official affairs of Han Gang with clear opinions, Wang Anshi can't compete with Han Gang, to be precise, he can't compete with Han Gang and the Queen Mother behind him. The Queen Mother will always choose to favor Han Gang, so that Wang Anshi's opinion, which is contrary to Han Gang every once in a while, will inevitably be ignored in the end.

As long as Han Gang doesn't promote the party struggle, preemptively provokes the incident, and complains when he comes over, it is already all Wang Anshi can do now.