After Chongzhen left the Jiale Palace, Liu Xiang stayed in the hall for an afternoon in a daze before returning to his residence with everyone. Although Liu Xiang lost Saigon and suffered a great loss of strength, he still got a better accommodation than ordinary delegates by virtue of his status as a Saigon town guard, and he was shared with his brother and several subordinates in an independent courtyard house.

After returning to the courtyard, Liu Xiang hid in his room and told Liu Peng not to disturb him. Just when Liu Xiang was hiding in the room and thinking, Liu Peng knocked on his door disobediently.

Liu Xiang, who had been thinking about it for a long time and couldn't come up with a proper way to recover Saigon, was already very irritable, and when he heard the knock on the door, he reprimanded him even more impatiently: "What's the matter, didn't Lao Tzu say don't come to disturb me?" Is it so difficult to keep Lao Tzu quiet for a while? ”

"No, big brother, a little father-in-law sent an invitation and invited you to Juxian Tower for a while. You'd better hurry up and entertain this little father-in-law. Liu Peng said eagerly outside the door.

Soon the door in front of Liu Peng was opened, Liu Xiang sorted out his clothes and walked out, and said to his brother: "What are you doing here, take me to see this little father-in-law, and by the way, prepare a purse for me, and give it to my father-in-law as tea money later..."

Liu Xiang exchanged a few words in the living room with the little eunuch who came to make a post, and the little eunuch hurriedly said goodbye and left. Liu Xiang read the invitation several times, and then made up his mind and said: "Let people prepare the carriage, and then help me find a coachman who knows Juxian Building..."

Juxian Lou is located in the north of the Huitong Pavilion, which was originally a little-known Qinglou in the capital, but since the capital rectified the Qinglou Chu Pavilion, Juxianlou began to change its image, and began to be famous in the capital for its new songs and dances and various exquisite food.

Of course, there are also rumors that these female musicians who rehearse songs and dances and the recipes of Juxian Lou are all from the palace. Although many people have asked the shopkeeper of Juxian Building to verify this matter, they have not received a clear answer. However, the reputation of Juxian Tower spread involuntarily, and the royal relatives and wealthy businessmen in Beijing were happy to have a banquet in Juxian Tower, which added some truth to this rumor.

Like the high-status restaurants in the capital, Juxian Lou is a complex of dozens of courtyard houses, and if you want to hold a banquet here, you need to set a separate courtyard. These courtyards are large and small, and the large courtyard not only has a garden pool, but also a stage where you can watch singing and dancing. Although the small courtyard is cramped, it also builds a very careful scenery that does not make people feel bored.

The facilities and services of Juxian Building are so well built that it is naturally expensive to have a meal here. It is said that the cheapest courtyard costs 100 yuan a night, and the most outstanding Fu, Lu, and Shou courtyards start at 1,000 yuan, not including the price of food.

Although it is so expensive to use a meal, Juxian Mansion is full late and late, and it is impossible to book at all if it is not half a month in advance. Of course, most of the people who come here for banquets are for business negotiations and power and money transactions.

Liu Xiang arrived at the alley in front of Juxian Tower, but found that this place was actually very elegant, not at all like the restaurant introduced by the coachman on the road. When he was still looking in front of the door, he was greeted by a friend in his 20s who received him warmly and thoughtfully.

When Liu Xiang showed the invitation in his sleeve, the acquaintance invited him into the door with a smile on his face and said: "It turned out to be a distinguished guest of Shouzi Academy, please follow the villain, the owner of this courtyard has already ordered." ”

Liu Xiang didn't care either, nodded and followed the footsteps of this acquaintance. Although the façade of Juxian Tower didn't look big, it wasn't until Liu Xiang followed Zhike into it that he realized that there was a hole inside. What surprised him the most was that it was obviously a restaurant, but he didn't meet other guests along the way, obviously these acquaintances had calculated when they led the way.

Looking at the elegant scenery in the verandah and corridor where he passed, Liu Xiang, who had always been rude, also suppressed his nature and became polite.

After walking for nearly half an hour, the acquaintance pushed open a moon gate, and then said to Liu Xiang: "The distinguished guest enters and walks along the light, and you will arrive." ”

Liu Xiang took a silver dollar from his sleeve pocket and rewarded the acquaintance, then walked into the moon gate. Illuminated by the lamps carved out of stone on both sides of the road, Liu Xiang walked down a cobblestone promenade.

After crossing a small bridge, he saw an ornate building built in the middle of a pool. After entering the gate and bypassing the entrance, a maid lifted the cotton curtain for him, revealing a bright and warm little world inside.

When Liu Xiang walked into the room, he found that there were more than a dozen people sitting around a huge round table, and the one at the top was Gonggong Lu, who was next to the emperor.

He hurriedly stepped forward to salute and say hello, and when Lu Qi, who was pinching the wine glass and talking to Zheng Zhilong, saw him, he put down the wine glass and said to him with a smile: "Why did Liu Zhenshou come, come and sit down next to the miscellaneous family, the miscellaneous family will punish you with three glasses first..."

Lu Qi asked Yang Tiansheng on the other side to move a position and beckoned Liu Xiang to sit beside him, and Lu Qi's cordial behavior made Liu Xiang suddenly flattered. During the day, the emperor reprimanded, and the uneasy feeling in his heart was dispelled by Lu Qi's intimate action.

After watching Liu Xiang drink three glasses of rice wine, Lu Qi enthusiastically sandwiched a piece of lotus leaf chicken on the plate in front of him, and said in his mouth: "This lotus leaf chicken is a dish developed by Huaiyang salt merchants, and these salt merchants can't do anything, but in terms of enjoyment, it is no worse than in the palace."

This lotus leaf chicken was originally a seasonal dish in summer, after all, the lotus leaf fragrance in summer is the most delicious, and the lotus fragrant chicken is smooth and tender. Of course, it tastes a little worse this winter, but Juxianlou carefully selects the lotus leaves in the summer and puts them in the ice cellar to hide, and it tastes not bad. You might as well try it. ”

Liu Xiang hurriedly took the chopsticks and put the chicken in his mouth, chewed it casually and swallowed it, and shouted in his mouth: "It's delicious, it's really delicious, thank you for the reward from your father-in-law." ”

After hearing this, Lu Qi put down his chopsticks and nodded and said, "Liu Zhenshou has eaten and drank, and drank and drunk, so let's start talking about business."

The miscellaneous family invites you and all of you to come over, and in addition to inviting you to dinner, there is another matter for you to discuss. Before the miscellaneous family talks about this, they should first ask Liu Zhen's envoy, can you figure out how to get Saigon back after you go back? ”

Liu Xiangleng paused for a moment, and then hurriedly said: "Although Xia Guan has been thinking and meditating for a long time after going back, he has never gained anything. Maybe the lower officials are too stupid, and I don't know if my father-in-law can give some advice. ”

Seeing Liu Xiang, who was five big and three thick, reacted so quickly, Lu Qi couldn't help but smile and nodded to him, and then continued: "I can't talk about pointing, but the miscellaneous family has something to convey to you, let's go out first..."

The person who can let Lu Qi come over to deliver the word, everyone here naturally knows who it is. Although they didn't know what the emperor hadn't said to them during the day, and he had to send Lu Qi to deliver the message at night, everyone immediately put down the dishes and chopsticks and sat upright.

After Lu Qi glanced at everyone, he continued with satisfaction: "Actually, it's not a big deal, the imperial court can't send troops to seize Saigon, everyone must already know very well.

However, Saigon was the main point of the Ming Dynasty to Cambodia, Thailand, the Nanyang Islands and the Strait of Malacca, and occupying this point was equivalent to having a base to control the surrounding countries.

Not to mention, rice and ship timber from Thailand and Cambodia are indispensable products for my Ming Dynasty. Miscellaneous families also inquired about it, Thailand's rice is harvested three times a year, and Cambodia is not bad. The technology used to grow rice in these two feudal states is said to be quite backward, and there are still large tracts of land that have not been developed.

As everyone should know, the northern provinces of the Ming Dynasty have suffered frequent disasters in recent years, and the food that is lacking needs to be transferred from the south. However, the southern provinces turned a large number of rice fields into mulberry fields, cotton fields, and sugar cane fields because of the profits, and in order to fill these food gaps, the imperial court needed to find new grain production areas.

In addition to the island of Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia and even Annam, Your Majesty means that it is best to become a grain producing area of my Ming Dynasty. Saigon will henceforth be the most important port for exporting rice from the southeastern peninsula, and anyone or force that dares to obstruct this goal will become the primary enemy of the imperial court.

Since the lord of Quang Nam is in the way of the Ming Dynasty, it is the common task of all of you here to force him to submit and surrender Saigon. ”

Yang Tiansheng, Zheng Zhilong and others were a little surprised, while Liu Xiang was overjoyed, but he still asked with some uncertainty: "Your Majesty's meaning, we as courtiers naturally have to obey, but can my father-in-law give the lower officials a thorough explanation, and how does Your Majesty plan to let us take back Saigon?" ”

Lu Qi glanced at Liu Xiang, who was inexplicably excited, before he said solemnly: "Your Majesty's meaning Yunyun, you should forget it as soon as possible after you go out of this door."

What you do next has nothing to do with Your Majesty, and it has nothing to do with the Ming Dynasty, if someone claims that what you do is related to Your Majesty and the court, Your Majesty will be angry, do you know? ”

The cadres and others present all agreed, and Lu Qi continued: "It's not difficult to get Saigon back, you just need to do your old job." Annam was just a long and narrow coastal country, and the Quang Nam Kingdom was still at war with the Zheng clan in the north.

To deal with such a country with a long coastline, as long as they invade them along the coastline, the Quang Nam country is small and narrow, and it is impossible for them to hold all the coastlines, nor can they station troops on the coast for a long time..."