At the night stall here in the state bridge, it is rare to have a quiet day.

This is one of the busiest places in Tokyo at night, and it is the main traffic artery in and out of the inner city, and the traffic of cars and pedestrians is like a vein of water. The roadside stall next to the state bridge is always the place where pedestrians stop the most.

It's not the New Year's Festival, it's not rainstorms, hail, but today's Zhouqiao Night Market is exactly the same quiet.

Pedestrians passing by here even breathed softly.

Just because of the procession of carriages and horses parked next to the night market.

Prime Minister and Privy Envoy, the head of the Empire's civil and military classes. When they sit here, where else would anyone dare to approach casually? Yuan Sui, who was carrying a long knife on his waist in a circle next to him, was even more like a wolf and a tiger, that is, pedestrians passing by, dozens of pairs of eyes staring at each other, which either sped up his pace, or simply bypassed.

The beads of sweat on his forehead were dotted, and the stall owner's hands were occupied by the barbecue, and he didn't dare to make a noise to let his mother-in-law come to help wipe it, so he shrunk his head and rubbed his sleeve, and hurried to brush the bubbling pork skin with a layer of secret seasoning.

"I haven't eaten the pork rind here in Zhouqiao for many years."

At a table not far from the stall owner, Han Gang picked up a piece of pork skin meat that was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and put it in his mouth.

After swallowing it, looking at Zhang Dian who didn't move his chopsticks, Han Gang raised his eyebrows: "What?" Turn one's nose at? ”

Zhang Dian looked critical.

The privy envoy who never gets tired of eating fine and fine does not like such vulgar folk food. In front of Han Gang, there is no need for him to pretend to be arrogant.

However, since Han Gang said that he had to give face, after a little taste, he frowned, "There is a lot of cumin." ”

He didn't expect that Han Gang would invite him to dinner in this place.

Zai Fu can't meet privately, this rule can no longer bind the two mansions today, but the practice of chatting and eating in the street market openly and provoking head-on, Zhang Dian feels that it is not appropriate.

"The Western Regions, the South China Sea, and Dali have been opened, and the prices of spices and spices have all been reduced."

Cumin, pepper, star anise, cardamom, cloves, myrrh, precious spices that the Great Song Dynasty originally had to import or produce in remote places, are now available

"So much enough to be an upstart?"

Zhang Tun raised his chopsticks, and the cumin and pepper puff fell down.

"No, it's not that there are too many spices, it's that there are too few prime ministers and privy envoys."

Zhang Dian laughed, picked up another piece and looked at it, "The heat is not bad." ”

Despite saying this, Zhang Dian did not move his chopsticks to put them in his mouth.

couldn't sell it, Han Gang pretended to sigh, "It seems that in the future, you can't find Fujian people to come out to eat barbecue." ”

"Roast lamb is fine, roast beef is fine, this pork is fine."

It seems that the food close to the northwest does not have much attraction to Fujianese. Of course, there is no improved pig breed, the taste is indeed not as good as that of later generations, and the breeding is illegal, no wonder it has been cheaper than cattle and sheep, and it is not liked.

"It's not easy to eat roast beef."

"Well, maybe once a year."

The imperial court forbade the slaughter of cattle, even if the cattle died of illness or old age, they had to be reported to the official before they could be decomposed and sold. If the cow is injured and has to be slaughtered, it must also be reported to the official first, and the yamen can only be slaughtered after someone from the yamen sends someone to confirm it. Generally speaking, the beef on the market is still mainly dying of disease and old age.

If the rich really want to eat fresh and good beef, there are workarounds. But Han Gang and Zhang Diangui are the slaughtering assistants, and it is too stupid to trigger the law for the sake of appetite, so the two families do not stick to beef, and they mainly use mutton and pork every day, supplemented by fish and poultry.

If you really want to talk about the days of feasting on beef, it was when the two of them were still in Guangxi, killing cattle there was as common as killing pigs, and fresh veal was eaten as much as you wanted.

Seeing that Han Gang and Zhang Dian had stopped talking with their chopsticks, the stall owner sweated even more, put the freshly roasted meat on the plate, and took the opportunity to serve the food to the table.

The stall owner nodded for a while, and asked cautiously: "The two fathers, the villain's secret roasted pork skin meat is not to taste." ”

Han Gang smiled and pointed to Zhang Dian opposite, "It's to my taste, it's just not in line with this Zhang's secret." ”

When the stall owner looked at Zhang Dian along Han Gang's fingers, his black face was full of oil and sweat, and he almost cried,

"Don't listen to his nonsense, it's just that he doesn't have an appetite. I don't want you to serve here, go bake some for the people outside. ”

The stall owner nodded again and again, and hurriedly agreed.

When I turned around, I sighed in my heart that the two ministers were really bodhisattvas. Including Xue Xianggong, who had come to the store before, these three Xianggongs who had come to the store to eat, all of them were kind and angry, and they were better than the tax collectors who came to collect taxes every month.

"Wait."

The stall owner was just about to roll up his sleeves, show his skills again, and feed the people under the two ministers, when he heard someone screaming behind him.

Hurriedly turned around and came back, seeing that it was Han Gang who stopped him.

Calling the stall owner to him, Han Gang asked, "The last time I came here, it wasn't you who barbecued meat, what about people?" ”

"Daddy Villain...... That father died two years ago. Before leaving, he opened a branch in Kaibao Temple and gave it to the villain's younger brother, and here it was given to the villain. Thanks to Xianggong, after Xianggong came last time, the family's business has improved several times, and it is full every day. The villain's father offered the immortal tablet of Xianggong at home. ”

"It's a pity." Han Gang sighed, "Your skills are not bad, but they are even worse than your father." ”

The stall owner hurriedly bowed his head: "It's the villain who is not good at learning." ”

"Forget it, let's go to the barbecue first, there are so many mouths waiting for you."

When the stall owner left, Han Gang turned his head and smiled at Zhang Dian and said, "Kaibao Temple sells barbecue, and the group of little monks in the Zhending family are very blessed. ”

Zhang Dian snorted coldly: "Which thief is bald and lacks food and drink? One more barbecue, but it's just a change of taste. ”

The presiding master of Kaibao Temple, Zhending monk, gave purple clothes, was listed in the monk record division, and was a famous monk in the Beijing Division. It's a pity that Han Gang and Zhang Dian have seen through what kind of goods those monks are, the level of eating, drinking, prostitution and gambling, and Zhang Tun, who was ridiculous for a while when he was a child, can't catch up with the average level.

After the stall owner left, Han Gang looked around, a few years ago, he had eaten barbecue here with Xue Xiang. It seems like a long time ago, and when I think about it, I feel a kind of inexplicable nostalgia.

He sighed: "It would be nice if Xue Shizheng was still here." ”

"It's like it's dead." Zhang Xuan sneered, "Xue Xiang is still alive?" ”

Han Gang pointed back at the Imperial City, "It's already dead there." ”

was sent to Lingnan for the crime of great rebellion, and it is impossible to turn over again in this life. It is said that he is dead, precisely because his political life, at the moment when Cai was killed, was already dead.

Zhang Dan's smile disappeared, indeed, Xue Xiang was actually dead after becoming a prisoner in Lingnan, whether there was any news of his death or not, it was just a piece of news.

"Without Xue Shizheng, Bianhe Gangyun will be a mess. With a loss of more than 10% per year and an increase of 30% in expenses, how many hungry dogs are fattened? ”

"It's not Xue Xiang's harm, he has rebelled and harmed many talents."

When Xue Xiang was in charge of the Sixth Route Shipping Division, he made drastic appointments and dismissals of officials, and the people he promoted were basically talents. But as soon as he fell, these people were all affected by him, and the salted fish that was not reused turned over, but unfortunately they were either corrupt officials or waste.

By the time Han Gang clarified the situation of the Qing Dynasty and freed up his hands to prepare for the rectification of the Gang Movement, the rules and systems set by Xue Xiang had already been corrupted, so it was so easy for Han Gang to repair the Beijing-Si Railway and start anew.

Han Gang sighed lightly, "Life is like a white horse passing through a gap, and it will pass away in a blink of an eye. ”

"It's going fast." Zhang Dian recalled the past, "I remember that I was demoted out of Beijing, Yukun, you came to see me off early in the morning." I also ate two cooking cakes by the Bianhe River, and at that time, there were white sugar filled cooking cakes. ”

"Because at that time, the plantations in Cochin had already begun to produce sugar."

"At that time, it was only two or three years to take Jiaozhou." Zhang Dian said, "If sugar is produced today, Jiaozhou will be half of it." The rice shipped out of Jiaozhou is also millions of stone every year. ”

"The population of the world is getting more and more people, and the future of the Great Song Dynasty needs more Jiaozhou." Han Gang tested Zhang.

"Future?" Zhang Dian looked back at Han Gang, "Yu Kun, how long do you think this situation can last?" ”

Han Gang was silent for a moment, then raised his eyes and asked, "I don't know what Brother Zihou think of the Son of Heaven?" ”

Zhang Dian shook his head, "I asked Yukun first." Seeing Han Gang smile bitterly, he said again, "It's nothing if I answer first." It's just a child, at most a little smart, but it's a pity that the temperament is poor. ”

"The first emperor's temperament is actually not very good."

Han Gang still remembers that in the eighth year of Xining, Zhao Ji was intimidated by the Liao State to pretend to go south, and he was so frightened that the courtiers who forced the negotiation to cede the territory of the country. and even threatened the families of his courtiers.

Han Wei also protected national interests at the negotiation table, but the emperor Zhao Ji dismantled the stage from behind, forcing Han Wei to cut out the land as soon as possible to end the negotiations. Since then, Han Gang has been very disappointed in Zhao Ji.

"But the first emperor knew how to use people, could use people, and knew what kind of people could not be used. Today's emperor has no sense of proportion. When he is in power, maybe every qiē will be wasted. Zhang Dian raised his eyes and stared at Han Gang, "Yukun, I've told you this from the bottom of my heart." ”

"Thank you, Brother Zihou, for being honest." Han Gang arched his hand.

Zhang Dian didn't return the salute, his eyes were still staring at Han Gang, "Yukun, you haven't answered my question yet." ”

"There is hope, but it is not easy." Han Gang replied succinctly.

"It's still not easy for the important ministers to come out and discuss politics?"

"The ministers can't do it, they can't do it, they can only gather their strength." Han Gang smiled helplessly.

If it's your own thing, of course, you have to hold it firmly in your hands, but it's a pity that it's not your own, and it's difficult to grab it alone, so you can only pull a group of people up to divide it.

"But that's just the first step." Han Gang continued.

"And what about the second step?" Zhang Dian asked.

Han Gang had told Zhang Dian his thoughts a few years ago, when Zhang Dian decided to separate from Han Gang, but now, the situation is volatile, and the two are sitting together again.