Northern Dynasties Imperial Industry

The residence of Zhang Xi, the servant of Huangmen, is full of guests today, drinking and feasting happily.

Zhang Xi no longer felt as depressed as when he lived in the temple before. His face was full of contentment. He held a cup in one hand and chopsticks in the other. While laughing and chatting with the guests, he did not forget to greet Li Miao attentively.

Unlike his cousin Li Tai, who was born into a poor family, Li Miao had also been a noble son of Luoxia for several years when he was young, so he was certainly no stranger to such occasions.

After nearly a month of continuous banquets, he gradually became familiar with Jiangling's current trends. No matter what the other party's identity or interests were, they could talk to each other with gusto and fascination.

Of course, in addition to Li Miao himself being good at communication, it is also because the masses are cheering for him intentionally or unintentionally. It's not that they are weak, it's that the rice in Mianbei is too fragrant.

Everyone present had either received financial aid from Miobei, or had deep interest exchanges with Miobei. Many Jiangling people even invested in Miobei. Of course, they had to treat Li Miao respectfully. Dare to be rude.

However, with the arrival of Zhu Maichen, the atmosphere of the banquet dropped and was no longer as lively as before.

Zhu Maichen was originally an eunuch, and he joined the ranks of scholar-bureaucrats because he was appreciated and promoted by the monarch. However, he was still regarded as an alien and despised in his heart, and refused to communicate on an equal footing. And this guy's other identity is that of the emperor's confidant, which makes people stay away from him even more. They are worried that one day he might be reported to the police and he will be unlucky.

Zhu Maichen was also used to being left out in such social situations, so he didn't care deeply about it. After sitting down, he first toasted to the host Zhang Xi and the guest of honor Li Miao respectively, and then casually told a few interesting things to integrate into the conversation. among.

After a while, Zhu Maichen could not help but sneer in his heart when he saw that the crowd was only interested in discussing current affairs with Li Miao, but did not pay attention to the topics he raised.

He picked up his wine glass and stood up to toast Li Miao. He first interrupted the interactive conversation in the hall, and then smiled and said when Li Miao responded to him: "Yes, not long ago, Xinde upstream sent a message, saying... Wei Guoshi's army has conquered Xinzhou, so he borrowed wine from Zhang Huang's gate to congratulate Marquis Li and congratulate his country on winning another city."

"What? The Wei army actually invaded Xinzhou?"

"When did this happen?"

"Does Marquis Li know about this? How come I haven't heard of this before?"

After hearing this, the faces of the guests present changed drastically, and each of them exclaimed. The sense of crisis in their hearts suddenly increased, and they looked at Li Miao and asked again and again.

Li Miao was also stunned when he heard this. Although He Ruodun and Li Qianzhe who entered Bashu to fight were still subordinates of the Jingzhou General Administration, due to transportation and geographical restrictions, the voice communication between them was not very good. unobstructed. They were only ordered to carry out the order arranged by General Li to conquer the eastern part of Bashu. As for the rhythm of the operation and the speed of advancement, it was up to them.

"To be honest, I really don't know about this matter. Because I was just appointed to the government by the general a few days ago, and then came south for a visit, I don't know much about the military and political affairs of the government."

Li Miao soon reacted, and then gave an explanation, and then said with a smile: "If things are really as General Zhu said, it is indeed worth a drink. The two countries have not used military force for a long time and have a deep friendship. Now we The army can enter Xinzhou, and from now on, the people of Jiangling will no longer have to worry about the remaining bandits from Shu coming to harass them!"

After hearing this, everyone laughed and raised their glasses in response, but naturally they didn't believe this nonsense. The remaining bandits in Shu may really not have to worry, but from now on they have to live under the sword of the Wei people every day, which is equally uncomfortable!

Then the atmosphere of the banquet took a turn for the worse, becoming deserted and awkward. Although the crowd was still eager to talk to Li Miao, they were trying to ask whether the Jingzhou General Manager had any idea of ​​sending troops to Jiangling, and they were completely lost in the singing, dancing and music in the hall.

Zhu Maichen saw that Li Miao was a little tired of dealing with the crowd's probing questions, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He did not give Li Miao time to react or buffer, and then sighed: "I heard that Cui, the envoy of Qi who was imprisoned in the state capital, was a close friend of Marquis Li. Unexpectedly, the world was so evil that they actually met each other in war. Now, they are fighting each other. As a distinguished guest, and as a prisoner in a cage, the difference in circumstances is truly astonishing!"

Li Miao frowned when he heard this, and finally understood that Zhu Maichen came to trouble him specifically today.

It is not difficult to find out the relationship between him and Cui Zhan. They were close friends for generations, but they ended up fighting each other in the capital of another country. It was really embarrassing. During this period of time, Jiangling Shiliu had been interacting with him. In order to avoid embarrassment, he deliberately ignored this section, but he did not want to be questioned directly by Zhu Maichen today.

After pondering for a while, Li Miao also sighed and said: "The Gao family's giant bandits have caused harm to the world, causing our country to be divided, the world uneasy, family members to be separated, and relatives and friends to become enemies. It is indeed sad and heartbreaking. Everyone present feels sorry for the Gao family's disaster to the world. He must have been deeply touched by the fact that the poisonous Hou Jing in his country caused chaos in the south of the Yangtze River. Not to mention the tragedies of life and death, there were also countless human tragedies such as feuding and fratricide. Out of respect, this giant criminal who brought disaster to the world should be punished by everyone!"

After everyone present heard this, their faces suddenly became embarrassed, and they couldn't help but stare and blame Zhu Maichen. Even if you want to ridicule others, you have to think clearly before speaking. Our Lord is already covered in hair after doing such a stupid thing, how can he still have the face to laugh at others as monkeys?

After Zhu Maichen heard this answer, his expression suddenly stagnated. He did not dare to continue the topic. However, thinking of the mission of this trip, he continued to ask: "You are a guest, and your friends are prisoners. If you say anything, you may be able to survive." However, it has been many days and I still haven’t heard anything from Marquis Li. Is it because he is still resentful of the attempted murder of his relatives and friends? Or is he just sitting back and watching his relatives and friends suffer without saying anything because he is afraid of being punished when he returns home?”

Li Miao frowned immediately after hearing this question, and everyone present also stopped and looked at Li Miao, waiting for his response.

Regarding Cui Zhan's issue, Li Miao also sent someone to report to Mianbei, and Li Tai's explanation was to let Li Miao handle it by himself, and if possible, try to save Cui Zhan.

Although it is said that Cui Zhan attempted murder against Li Miao, he did not know beforehand that it was Li Miao who was assassinating him. Of course, regardless of whether it was Li Miao or not, if an apostle sent by him was attacked and killed by hostile forces, he would have to be investigated seriously. However, precisely because it was Li Miao who was the envoy, there was some room for change in the matter.

Apart from anything else, after the Heyin Incident, Cui took in their family and allowed them to make a living in Qinghe County for more than ten years. This favor cannot be ignored.

Li Miao has been unwilling to take the initiative to discuss this issue during this period, hoping to shift the problem to Nanliang. If Nanliang's treatment was too serious, he would plead for Cui Zhan out of reason. If Nanliang only lightly exposed the matter, then he would retain the right to pursue it.

When he heard what Zhu Maichen said, Li Miao said sternly: "The state has national laws, and every family has its own rules. If my old friend was violated and punished elsewhere, I would still need to worry and rush to rescue him. But now I am on a business trip in Jiangling." Wrong, His Majesty the Emperor of Liang is fair and wise, and he will definitely make a decision that is both public and private. I have no worries about this, so I won’t say anything. Does General Zhu have other plans for this and thinks that the result may be contrary to people’s wishes?”

"how could be?"

Zhu Maichen laughed dryly at first, but continued without giving up: "The principles of law are also based on human relationships. Of course my lord will deal with it comprehensively when encountering trouble, but this is the nature of my lord. Li Hou is reluctant to speak out on this. , I am afraid that I will be ridiculed by public opinion. This is Li Hou's plan. I hope that Li Hou's voice of friendship can be heard in this matter."

Li Miao thought for a while and then said: "General Zhu's words are indeed alarming. Cui Yantong and I are close friends and have a deep friendship. We don't need to put words into words to know each other's feelings. But the world is not all about deep love. This generation, in particular, has no shortage of shameless scoundrels who are good at talking and are accustomed to inciting disputes, making noises about favors, and spreading rumors to cause trouble. Therefore, although they are deeply aware of their feelings, they sometimes have to show off to those scoundrels who really need to know what is right and wrong tomorrow. See you, please forgive me for my old friend.”

Zhu Maichen was furious when Li Miao pointed at him and scolded him. However, when he heard that Li Miao said that he would take the initiative to ask for an audience tomorrow, he couldn't help but secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he fulfilled His Majesty's instructions, It doesn't matter if someone criticizes someone and says a few words.

Without Zhu Maichen fanning the flames and taking the initiative to cause trouble, the atmosphere of the subsequent banquet was pretty good, especially Li Miao who became very enthusiastic and refused to refuse anyone who came for a toast. It was not until late at night that everyone returned home happily.

After Zhu Maichen returned, he made a brief report to the emperor Xiao Yi. Xiao Yi was quite satisfied with this, so he put aside some unimportant official duties the next day and braced himself for the visit of the Wei envoy.

However, it was almost evening, but there was still no trace of Li Miao. Xiao Yi, who had been left alone for a day, was very angry. He summoned Zhu Maichen and scolded him.

Zhu Maichen was also full of grievances. After he repeatedly confessed and withdrew, he went straight to Li Miao's residence. He saw Li Miao, dressed in Yanju clothes, entertaining guests and making tea in the hall. He was even more angry: "Li Hou Are you kidding me? You told me clearly at yesterday’s banquet that I was going to pay homage to my master today, but you ended up breaking the promise?”

"Did I say this?"

After hearing this, Li Miao was stunned, summoned his servants to ask, and then said with shame and regret: "I was drunk last night and woke up in the afternoon and forgot all the preface. It is really rude! General Zhu, please rest assured, tomorrow will be tomorrow!" "

Seeing Li Miao's shameful apology, Zhu Maichen's anger subsided slightly. Then he was warmly invited by Li Miao to have a cup of tea. He couldn't save his face, so he sat down.

Just while drinking tea, the topic turned to drinking for some reason. Zhu Maichen excused himself, but Li Miao sent someone to fetch a wooden shackle and locked it with the table, so he continued to drink.

When Zhu Maichen woke up the next day, it was already three o'clock in the morning, but Li Miao was nowhere to be seen. When he hurriedly asked his entourage, he was told that Li Miao had been visiting Tianju Temple with others early in the morning. went.

"The Qiang slaves are so dishonest!"

Zhu Maichen covered his head with a painful hangover and cursed angrily. When he saw that the sky had turned so dark, he knew that this day was in vain. For fear of being reprimanded by the emperor, he simply asked his slaves to take sick leave. , he led his entourage and ran away to another business outside the city.