The next day, early in the morning.

The vertical arch hall is no longer the desertion of last night, the ministers Wen Dongwu and Xi are lined up, and Zhao Guangyi is sitting on the dragon chair in the middle, looking at His Royal Highness and ministers with a sinking face. His gaze was like a sword and lightning, sweeping over everyone's faces, and all the officials couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart when he saw it.

After a long time, Zhao Guangyi slowly spoke: "In the battle of the Gaoliang River, our army was defeated and lost, are you all injured?" ”

The officials didn't know what Zhao Guangyi meant, so they all looked at each other and didn't say a word. Zhao Dezhao and Zhao Tingmei, who were standing at the head of the literary class, didn't think much about it, they both shook their heads instinctively, and the others also took the truth when they saw this, shook their heads and said: "The official family, the ministers and other officials are Hongfu, and they are not injured." ”

Zhao Guangyi snorted coldly, and slapped the dragon book case heavily, "Tuo Hongfu? If I really blessed the sky, why were none of the Manchu ministers injured, but I was the only one who suffered three arrow wounds? Could it be that the official family in your mouth is not me, but someone else? ”

Zhao Dezhao's face changed when he heard this, and he immediately knelt on the ground, "Official, after the battle of the Gaoliang River, all colleagues can't find the official family everywhere, and the country can't be without a king for a day, so I support the nephew as the emperor." Now that the official family is in great trouble, how dare the ministers and nephews think about it anymore, and hope that the official family will see it! ”

Shi Shouxin hurriedly said: "The official family, the matter of establishing the king of Wugong County as the emperor is the idea of the last general, and it has nothing to do with others. If you want to be punished, please punish me Shi Shouxin! ”

Cao Bin said: "Official, although this matter is not the mastermind of the last general, but the last general is also personally involved, if you want to punish me, punish me Cao Bin." ”

Pan Mei was also about to speak, but Zhao Guangyi slapped the dragon book case heavily and shouted: "Before I can drive it, you will fight for the new king, if I am really gone, don't you want to rebel?" ”

After he finished speaking, he said to Xue Juzheng, the first assistant: "Xue Qing's family, Shi Shouxin, Cao Bin, and Pan Mei are generals in the army, but they are not effective in supervising the army, how should they deal with it?" ”

Xue Juzheng groaned for a moment and said, "The official family, according to the old practice of Taizu, can be sentenced to death. But there is a reason for this matter, and I hope that the official family will be gracious, thinking that the three adults have worked hard and made great achievements, and they have made immortal achievements for my Great Song Dynasty, and they will be demoted and killed. In addition, Weichen also participated in this matter, and was willing to be punished together with all the adults. ”

Zhao Guangyi bowed slightly, and said: "Okay, since Xue Qing's family said so, I will spare the death penalty of the three generals, Cao and Pan will be demoted three levels in a row, and Shi Shouxin will continue to go back to the place to be the envoy of the festival." As for Xue Qing's family, you were demoted to the governor of political affairs and stayed in the court to watch the after-effects. ”

Hearing this, the four of them hurriedly knelt on the ground and kowtowed again and again, "The ministers thank the official family for their longen, and they are willing to smear the liver and brain of the official family and repay each other with death!" ”

Zhao Guangyi waved his hand impatiently, then stood up, flicked his sleeves, and returned straight to the harem.

Two months later, it's autumn.

Today is Cao Bin's birthday again. Early in the morning, dressed in his regular clothes, he paced back and forth in front of the house, waiting for his relatives, friends and colleagues to come to congratulate him on his birthday.

The sun shines on his head, and his heart is warm. He narrowed his eyes at the clear blue sky, but was disturbed by the sound of a crow quacking overhead. He was inexplicably a little frightened. Subconsciously looked at the scream, and sure enough, a crow landed on the poplar tree full of yellow leaves outside the courtyard, standing on the branch and barking.

Cao Bin looked at the crow and smiled bitterly, "I think that I Cao Bin has been fighting horses all my life and how much I have contributed to the Great Song Dynasty, but now I have been demoted three levels for no reason, and even the reward for the Northern Han Dynasty has not been paid for a long time." Not only did I lose the trust of the official family, but even the crows came to make trouble on my birthday. ”

A bleak autumn wind blew, and many yellow leaves on the trees were blown off by the wind, swaying and falling into the house. Cao Bin looked at the fluttering fallen leaves, let out a long sigh, and he was about to go back to the bedroom to rest for a while, but there was a knock at the door.

Cao Bin walked quickly to the door when he heard the sound, opened the door of the mansion in person, and saw that the person who knocked on the door was not someone else, it was Pan Mei, a friend in the army. When Pan Mei saw Cao Bin, she arched her hand slightly, and said with a smile: "Guohua, today is your birthday, it's not too late for me to come, right?" ”

Pan Mei said and beckoned behind her, and several small servants carried two boxes of gifts and strode into the house. Cao Bin smiled and said, "Zhong Xun, you and I have been friends for many years, why do you want to see each other like this?" Besides, the official family not only did not pay the reward for the Northern Expedition, but also the reward for the destruction of the Northern Han Dynasty, and it was not issued for a long time. ”

"Guohua, although the official family has not issued a reward, but Pan still has some savings in his house, so that he can't even afford to give a congratulatory gift, if Guohua insists on refusing to accept it, isn't it too thin a gift?" Pan Mei said as she opened the gift box, which contained a pair of white jade lion paperweights and a fine sword.

Cao Bin was very happy, so he had to say: "Zhong Xun, if you insist on giving me these two treasures, then the little brother has no choice but to be respectful and obey his fate." It's just that next year, on my birthday, don't give these expensive gifts again. After he finished speaking, he called a few small people in the house and asked them to hand over the gift from Pan Mei to the chief manager for proper storage!

Pan Mei smiled slightly, and then walked into the main hall with Cao Bin hand in hand, while the little servants carefully carried the gift box to the back hall.

Cao Bin already loves to be clean, and on his birthday, the main hall is spotlessly clean. The two sat down as guests and hosts, and after saying a few words, people came to congratulate them on their birthdays, and in the blink of an eye, the spacious main hall was crowded with people who came to congratulate them, and the congratulatory gifts brought by people were also piled up outside the hall.

Pan Mei looked at the people who came to congratulate her birthday, and saw that whether it was the founding fathers Gao Huaide, Li Jixun and Hu Yanzan, or the new celebrities Cui Han and Li Jilong, and even Yang Ye father and son who returned to the Great Song Dynasty after the Northern Han Dynasty was destroyed, they all gathered here.

Some of these people have known Cao Bin for a long time and have experienced life and death together countless times, and some have recently met Cao Bin, and they only nod their heads to each other, but each of them looked at Cao Bin with reverence and love.

Cao Bin saw that almost all the people he invited to the banquet had arrived, and many people he had not invited had also come, so he was naturally very happy in his heart. He lightly slapped his palm three times, and the servants of the palace immediately walked into the hall with plates of steaming and fragrant delicacies, and placed them on the table in front of the officials. Then a few small servants carried a few half-person-high wine jars like sedan chairs, and walked into the hall with difficulty, and placed them in the middle of the hall with a "bang".

Hu Yanzan looked at the roast sheep placed in front of him, and was so hungry that he almost drooled. He couldn't wait to tear off a leg of mutton, and he was about to feast on it. Seeing this, Gao Huaide on the side hurriedly pulled his sleeve and said in a low voice: "Brother Huyanxian, you have no rules for your life, General Cao hasn't moved his chopsticks yet, how can you eat first?" ”

"Oh! This ......" Hu Yanzan sighed reluctantly, and was about to put the leg of mutton back, but Cao Bin smiled when he saw this: "General Hu Yan is a man of temperament, if you are hungry, please eat first, Cao is not so particular." ”

Hu Yanzan laughed when he heard this, arched his hand at Cao Bin, and said: "General Cao, I wish you happiness like the long flowing water of the East China Sea, and longevity is better than the old pine of Nanshan!" I'm sincere, since you let me eat first, I'll really eat it! After saying that, I really took a big gulp.

On the eve of the Northern Expedition to Yanyun, many people had already learned Hu Yanzan's temper, and they were all surprised at this time, allowing him to talk and laugh, eat with a mouth full of oil, and don't bother with him.

Cao Bin asked the little servant in the house to open the wine jar and share it with everyone, and he also held the cup in his hand, and said: "Everyone, today is my Cao Bin's birthday, you can come to my house to cheer, I Cao Bin is very happy." The people who came were all friends of my Cao Bin, and since they were friends, they didn't need so many rules, even if they ate and drank. It's just the gifts you brought, and after the banquet, please take them back, and Cao Bin understands this friendship. As he spoke, he tilted his neck and drank the wine in the cup.

Everyone also raised their glasses and shouted: "General Cao, although the official family has not issued a reward for the Northern Expedition, we usually have some savings. The gift given to General Cao, is there any reason to take it back? Please accept it anyway, otherwise you will look down on us. ”

Cao Bin sighed helplessly and said: "Since you insist on this, then Cao Mou will be rich, and when you have a happy day in your house, Cao Mou must prepare double congratulatory gifts!" ”

Everyone nodded, and drank the wine in the cup together, and the guests and hosts talked happily. Cao Bin drank a stomach of wine, felt a little empty in his abdomen, and was just about to pick up chopsticks to eat a few bites of food, when a small servant hurriedly ran in from outside the hall.

Cao Bin was stunned when he saw this, and asked, "What's going on outside?" ”

(End of chapter)