Detective in the Red Chamber

As the saying goes, there are no permanent friends [enemies], only permanent interests.

Instead of being squeezed out and marginalized at that time, it is better to ease the relationship between the two parties while the situation is still within the controllable range - after all, with Sun Shaozong's qualifications, it is impossible to replace him right now.

It is reckoned that in these three to five days, Wei Yi will definitely show further goodwill.

The book is back to normal.

Hearing Sun Shaozong's words explain what he was thinking in his heart, Qin Kejian couldn't help but froze with complacency, but immediately he straightened his neck and said: "It's more than that! Master Wei's move clearly has a deep meaning."

This dead duck has a hard mouth!

After the spring of next year, if you find a master who is proficient in public affairs, you will send this guy outside to investigate the case, and you will not see him once in ten and a half months!

Having made up his mind, Sun Shaozong didn't bother to continue to ask him what was the deep meaning in it--after all, he still has to point at this guy for help, and the girl who is not easy to deal with is so embarrassing that he can't get off the stage.

"Tomorrow, I will go to the Imperial Academy Sun Jijiu's house to celebrate his birthday. If you have any urgent business, you can go to Sun Jijiu's to find me."

Leaving aside a sentence of explanation, Sun Shaozong Shi Shi ran out of the official office.

The watchman outside saw him, and hurriedly bowed to ask for instructions: "My lord, do you want to prepare a car?"

Sun Shaozong gave a slight nod, and those gangsters lifted their robes and ran straight to the stables.

Sun Shaozong followed behind unhurriedly. He was approaching the East Corner Gate, but he saw a man coming towards him with sweat on his head.

Seeing Sun Shaozong from afar, the man hastily quickened his pace, stepped forward and bowed to the end: "The humble Hong Jiu, I have met Lord Shaoqing!"

Sun Shaozong was thinking about Wang Xifeng's matter, he didn't get distracted for a moment, he just nodded at him, and then passed him non-stop.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly remembered something, so he turned around and asked, "By the way, how's the wind outside?"

After this trial, Wei Yiming handed over the matter of controlling the direction of public opinion to a judge of the Department of General Affairs, but it was Hong Jiu, who had been a beggar security chief, who actually did the operation.

And this is also one of the bases for Sun Shaozong to deduce that Wei Yi wants to compromise with him.

Listening to Sun Shaozong's question, Hong Jiu hurriedly leaned over obsequiously, and reported the results of the two days' control and evaluation in a concise and concise manner.

As expected by Sun Shaozong, Wei Yi's plan was to focus on publicity: the Jurchens who were arrested for making trouble in Dali Temple have been punished severely and quickly.

As for the details of the Jurchen Deputy Envoy being released in court after paying the fine, nothing was mentioned.

However, the focus of this publicity is that apart from Dali Temple severely punishing the Jurchens according to law, there is also the fact that Sun Shaozong suppressed more than a dozen Jurchen warriors.

Judging from the feedback, the latter is obviously more popular with the common people.

In short, just listening to these official rhetoric, I'm afraid that Dali Temple's attitude towards the Jurchens is too hard, which is in stark contrast to He Shoufu's "soft bones".

…………

But said to go home.

Sun Shaozong's first question was: "The second grandma of Rongguo Mansion has already left?"

After getting an affirmative answer, he was slightly relieved.

As far as Wang Xifeng is concerned, she is really difficult to deal with—whether it is on the bed or under the bed.

The night before yesterday, Sun Shaozong managed to perfunctory the past, never thought that she would still refuse to give up, dragging her continuously injured body, and once again summoned Sun Shaozong to the Yingchun courtyard.

This time, there was no room for Sun Shaozong to evade, and he put forward two straightforward demands:

One is to hope to lend money in partnership with Jia Yingchun.

The second is to hope that with the help of Sun Shaozong's influence in Dali Temple and Shuntian Mansion, certain judgments will be more inclined to the related households of Rongguo Mansion.

this woman...

You're welcome!

Although Sun Shaozong didn't want to be ruthless to her, but he was determined not to agree to such things.

As a result, just after a few words of dodging, Wang Xifeng changed the subject again, saying that if Sun Shaozong could find a more suitable deal, then it would not be impossible for her to give up the loan and the prison lawsuit.

But if the left and the right are unwilling, then they will simply break up, and everyone will ruin their reputation and break up their in-laws.

What else can Sun Shaozong say?

He could only agree to her and think about some ways to make money—either a steady flow of water, or a huge profit, and Wang Xifeng calmed down.

Then the aunt and sister-in-law greeted each other again.

But Sun Shaozong hasn't done much business in these two lifetimes, so how could he come up with any good ideas in a short time?

On the way back, I thought about it, but I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to deal with it, but found that the stables were empty, and the carriage of Rongguo Mansion had long since disappeared.

After asking, Wang Xifeng really went back.

This woman is really shrewd and knows not to push too hard on a man.

or……

Is it because you have eaten enough for three days in a row, and you really can't stand it anymore?

"Second Master."

Sun Shaozong was thinking about how to cover up his inability to move after Wang Xifeng returned, when Zhao Zhongji suddenly said: "An old gentleman came to our house not long ago and said he was waiting to see you, but he refused to reveal his identity." ——Because he saw that his demeanor was not like ordinary people, the little one didn't dare to refuse."

"At the moment the old gentleman is waiting in the drawing room, you see..."

An old gentleman with an extraordinary bearing?

Sun Shaozong was puzzled, and when he rushed to the door of the living room and looked in, he couldn't help being surprised.

"Xu...Old Xu?! Why are you here?!"

But it turned out that the old man who was sitting in the living room of the Sun residence, drinking tea in a leisurely manner was none other than Xu Furen, the former elder of the pavilion.

Right now, there are rumors about his setback in joining the cabinet. Many former disciples wanted to inquire about it face to face, but he refused to let him in. How could he take the initiative to seek out his family today?

Shouldn't...

Do you think you have the ability to get him into the cabinet successfully?

What a joke!

Chapter 933 'Inspecting' Liaodong

[It's a cold, it's just a cold—it's almost healed, and the morning update will resume tomorrow. 】

It was Sun Shaozong's whim to help Xu Furen enter the cabinet or something.

Not to mention whether he has this ability, even if he really has such influence, with Xu Furen's scheming, it is absolutely impossible to blatantly come to hook up at this time.

But what exactly is he intending to do when he came to the door this time?

Facing Sun Shaozong's doubts, Xu Furen didn't hide it.

After the guests and hosts were seated, he put an official document on the coffee table and gently pushed it to Sun Shaozong's hand: "The old man came here today to let Sun Shaoqing have a look at an official document."

Sun Shaozong hurriedly picked it up with both hands, first took a glance at the general situation, and then he couldn't help but secretly sighed: The matter of Xu Furen's entry into the cabinet is really completely cold!

Because this official document is actually a petition [Appointment and Removal Letter], the general content is to recruit Xu Furen, a retired official, to serve as the Minister of Rites.

From the second assistant of the cabinet to the minister of the Ministry of Rites, the gap is not to mention the difference between heaven and earth, at least it is not the same.

It seems that the more top-level bosses, the more cautious they need to stand in line!

After Sun Shaozong sighed, he was waiting to say a few words of comfort to Xu Furen, but when the words came to his lips, he suddenly became suspicious—could it be that Xu Furen's visit with such fanfare was just to let himself know that he failed to enter the cabinet, but became a member of the Ministry of Rites? servant?

No matter how you think about it, something is wrong, right?

So he put down the comforting words for now, and Sun Shaozong read the confession carefully again.

The content of the official document itself naturally wouldn't reveal anything, but after careful scrutiny, he gradually figured out some flavors.

First of all, the official rank of the Minister of Rites seems a bit too low for a big man like Xu Furen, and Xu Furen has presided over Chunwei once three years ago, and it is impossible to serve as the chief examiner again.

Excluding the most important imperial examinations, in terms of the real power of the Minister of Rites alone, it seems a bit idle.

With Xu Ge's status in the world, it stands to reason that he can completely ignore this kind of vaguely demeaning and insulting appointment.

But he gladly accepted the order, and even brought the confession to himself.

Then think about the functions of the Ministry of Rites, and the statement made by Elder He Ge...

"Old Xu."

Sun Shaozong held it in both hands, sent the report forward, and carefully probed: "Could it be that the imperial court intends to let you go as an envoy to receive gold?"

If he, as the minister of the Ministry of Rites, first went on an envoy to the Kingdom of Jin, and then appointed another person after returning to Beijing, then it would make sense!

"It's patrolling."

Xu Furen corrected Sun Shaozong's statement earnestly, and brushed his beard to praise: "Sun Shaoqing is really astute, just read this confession, and guessed the intention of the court."

Then he sighed again: "Alas, the battle in southern Xinjiang is not going well. Zhou Yunguang only thought that if someone ordered more than one leader, he would not be able to see each other. So he thought of annihilating one of them first, so as to discourage the enemy's spirit."

"I never thought that I would fall into the trick of luring the enemy. Not only was I attacked from three sides, I lost a big defeat, and let the Chenla Kingdom take advantage of the situation and seize several military strongholds."

"Although the foundation of the southern Xinjiang army is not damaged, it has allowed them to stand firm. I don't know when the two sides will confront each other."

Southern Xinjiang actually suffered a defeat?

Has Yun Guangtu been careless this week?

I remember that when he assisted Shi Xiangyun's Lao Tzu to pacify Goryeo, he was known for being steady and thoughtful, otherwise the court would not have deliberately transferred him from Shaanxi to southern Xinjiang to preside over the war.

As the saying goes, one hair can affect the whole body, and the war in southern Xinjiang did not go smoothly. The imperial court's original plan for the Jurchens naturally had to be adjusted and postponed accordingly.

No wonder the cabinet suddenly changed its tone. It wants to adopt a soft policy towards the Houjin Kingdom. Feelings are a last resort, and it is necessary to delay the attack.

but……

I have never heard of the news of the unfavorable war in southern Xinjiang. It is obviously a military secret. Now that Xu Ge is so outspoken, I am afraid that something is wrong?

Xu Furen seemed to have seen through Sun Shaozong's thoughts, and immediately said: "After all, the old man is old, and it is inevitable that he has not taken care of him well, so this time he is inspecting Liaodong, it is inevitable to find a young and strong deputy envoy to assist him."

"So, it is Mr. Xu who recommended the younger generation to the imperial court?"

Sun Shaozong suddenly realized that since he wanted to follow Jin Guo as an envoy, he naturally had to explain in advance the reason for this so-called Huairou policy.

"Do not."

Xu Furen shook his head slightly: "It was handpicked by His Majesty, Sun Shaoqing is both civil and military, and has served as a military attache abroad, so he is the best candidate for Deputy Envoy."

Also.

There are not many officials with overseas experience these days, and even fewer are qualified to serve as deputy envoys to Xu Furen.

but……

Sun Shaozong couldn't help frowning: "Your Excellency just said that it's not a mission but an inspection tour?"

"Patrol."

The two concise and concise words made Sun Shaozong feel very embarrassed.

Because since it is named as a tour, the implicit meaning is naturally to regard the Jurchens in Liaodong as the people under their rule, rather than a separate country.

Not only is he unwilling to give the other party a name, but he also wants to be gentle and appeaseable. This strategy of slowing down the army may not be so easy to implement.

"Sun Shaoqing has nothing to worry about."

Xu Furen laughed and said: "The court wants to stabilize the Jurchens, and the Jurchens sent envoys to Beijing, so why not to stabilize the court?"

This is true, the Houjin Kingdom has just established a centralized rule, and the internal strife has not been completely completed-the tribal nobles who fled to Dazhou with their families recently are proof—at this time they want to have a full-scale relationship with Dazhou Going to war is obviously beyond our capabilities.

"But what about North Korea? Should we sit idly by?"

This is obviously impossible, after all, the Supreme Emperor is still alive, and the overthrow of Goryeo and the support of North Korea are achievements that the Supreme Emperor is proud of all his life.

If the Kingdom of Jin annexed North Korea after sitting back and watched, or forced North Korea to be an enemy of the Great Zhou, would the Supreme Emperor's face still be lost?

Even Emperor Guangde himself would be shameless, right?

Not to mention, once Hou Jin is allowed to annex North Korea, the Jurchens will have enough strategic depth and a source of food, pay and soldiers, and it will be more than ten times more difficult to carry out a conquest at that time.

But on this matter, Xu Furen obviously refused to say more, just shook his head and said: "The court has made a plan for this matter, so you and I don't need to worry about it."

Has the imperial court made plans?

At present, the imperial court is already stretched to meet the military needs in southern Xinjiang, and obviously cannot send more troops to Liaodong.

And with the soldiers and horses of Liaodong, plus a part of the Shenji Battalion, there may be no worries about keeping it, but if you want to make progress, you can...

So where did this plan come from?