Promotion and fortune in Song Dynasty

Despite all the persuasion and reluctance of his friends, Lu Ci has made up his mind and will never make any changes.

Whether it is the ambition to conquer that distant continent, or the honeymoon vacation that is many years late, he has been looking forward to it for a long time.

After finally passing the most difficult level of the emperor, how could he be persuaded by the earnest words of his friends?

Will be willing to stay in Beijing for a few more months, not only to wait for the selection of the entourage to be completed, but also to give friends a buffer space.

In their eyes, these three months naturally passed quickly—especially for Fan Zhongyan and others who were still working in other places and could not even come to Beijing to see him off, they were shocked when they received the letter informing them At the time of solution, half the time has passed.

In a blink of an eye, it was the eve of departure.

Lu Ci, who had completed all the preparatory procedures, was in a good mood. After reporting to the frowning officials, he chose two days to hold a banquet in Fanlou to entertain his relatives and friends.

Lu Ci has been very popular since he was a child, not to mention that after more than [-] years of standing in Zhongshu Province, he has accumulated a huge network of contacts, which is beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Although Di Qing doesn't like socializing, he has been in charge of the Privy Council's Mansion for many years, and there are very few people who have close friends, so he has to deal with face feelings, but it is by no means a small amount.

It is obviously unrealistic to invite all their former colleagues and acquaintances in the court to the prime minister's residence.Only by paying a lot of money to buy Fanlou, and then temporarily renting the street where it is located for half a day, and adding more seats, can barely satisfy the thousand or so guests.

Fanlou's banquet was so lively that day, but Lu Ci's close friends only saw it from a distance, and then continued to be unhappy about the fact that their friends were about to leave - the family banquet held in the prime minister's mansion tomorrow will be the next day. To whom they were invited.

Lu Ci and Di Qing are now in high positions. Although they are the hosts of the banquet, it is impossible for them to sit at the table and talk to each other. Instead, under the auspices of Lin Neichen, who was generously lent by the government, they waited leisurely at the main seat. He counted the people in order and led them forward in turn.

A sip of wine was offered to each table, and after dozens of tables came down, even if Lin Neichen thoughtfully mixed a lot of water into Lu Ci's cup, it was enough to make him feel slightly tipsy.

Seeing Lu Ci squinting slightly, showing a little bit drunk, Di Qing, who had been paying close attention to his lover's expression, immediately changed his sitting position, blocking the lover leaning back against the back of the chair without any trace, from the one who was toasted together to the one who took the initiative Take on the role of blocking most of the wine.

Seeing that he was born as a guardian, Lu Ci couldn't help smiling, and accepted the kindness frankly—he was a delicate and frail civil servant, and he was getting older, so he couldn't compare to Di Qing who had just passed his forty years, and who was born again. Is it a year-round martial arts practice, just in time to be strong?

Blocking a few glasses of wine is really nothing to Di Qing.

Lu Ci followed suit by closing his eyes and pretending to be drunk—even if Di Qing was really drunk, he could enjoy the rare Zui Tang at night, and it would be a beautiful sight.

To Lu Ci's disappointment, by the time the banquet, which lasted for three full hours, was over, Di Qing, who had grown into a drinker over the years, only had a flushed face, and his tongue grew a little bigger when he spoke, but he still walked steadily. , the eyes are even more clear, without any drunken foolishness.

But Di Qing really thought that Lu Ci was drunk, and when Lin Neichen came to say goodbye, he was a little worried about his lover's health, but he hurriedly held on to thank him.

Although Lin Neichen felt a little regretful that he could not speak to Lu Ci, but thinking that when he really left Beijing, the official family would definitely hold a banquet in the palace no matter what, and there was still a chance at that time, so he did not stay any longer. Instead, he hurried back to Ouchi to return to his life.

It was not their turn to clean up the mess after the banquet. Di Qing just wanted Lu Ci to go back to the house to rest earlier. Instead of letting the servants do anything, he picked Lu Ci up in his arms, walked to the car with great strides, and carefully put him in the car. into the carriage.

He was just about to withdraw his hand and switch to riding a horse and cart, so as not to spoil Lu Ci with the smell of alcohol, but Lu Ci grabbed his forearm.

Lu Ci's eyes were still closed, the corners of his lips raised slightly, and he asked softly, "I'm here, where else do you want to go?"

Di Qing was taken aback for a moment, but soon came back to his senses, pursed his lips and smiled, and got into the car without saying a word.

As the carriage slowly moved forward with the movement of the horseshoe couch, relying on no one to see, Di Qing boldly hugged the soft and hot grandfather from behind, who seemed to be extra clingy, his heart was bubbling with beauty.

Lu Ci suddenly asked: "Why didn't you ask me why you agreed to accompany Brother Liu that day?"

Unexpectedly, a few months later, Gongzu picked up this matter and asked him about it, but he answered without hesitation: "Brother Liu has a heart of ice, and I have always treated Gongzu with sincerity. He is really willing to come, and Gongzu agrees. It doesn't matter."

However, Lu Ci shook his head: "He has passed the age of hearing, even if you and I are lucky and can return from this trip smoothly, he may not be able to bear the bumpy journey and the ever-changing weather."

Di Qing's eyes widened: "Then Gongzu meant..."

"I have my own arrangements." Lu Ci said with a smile: "I communicated with you in advance, because I was afraid that you would be too honest and expose me."

He only needs to do some tricks in Liu Qi's food that day, and then make Liu Qi dizzy on the boat, making the other party believe that he is seasick, and he can logically keep him.

Such an old friend who is so dedicated to traveling with him, even a 'bad heart' such as Lu Ci feels a little guilty.

But instead of asking Liu Qi, who is in his early sixties, to accompany them on this trip, it is also for the readers in Beijing who can't put it down for Liu Yuanyuan's works... To make Brother Liu suffer a little grievance, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

When Di Qing was hooked by these words, he felt like scratching his heart with a hundred claws. He really wanted to ask clearly on the spot.

But he also knew that the grandfather had better tease him. If he really wanted to announce it at another time, unless...otherwise, it would be extremely difficult for him to do so.

Thinking of the price to be paid, Di Qing's thoughts moved slightly. After all, he didn't have the nerve to do it, but waited obediently.

The next day, at noon, guests who had invited them to take a rest for the day came to the door one after another.

The first ones to come to the door were not the faces that Lu Ci was most familiar with, but Han Qi, who was the same age as Di Qing, who had been promoted as a political adviser since the end of last year.

Since Han Qi became an official, he has been famous for being sharp and outspoken. He is a bit more fierce and courageous than Wang Zeng, which is appreciated by Zhao Zhen.

After more than ten years of rotation in other places, he was transferred back to Beijing, and he climbed steadily step by step, and everything came naturally.

"Grandfather Lu is righteous," Han Qi looked at Lu Ci with fiery eyes, and made a deep bow: "Whether this trip succeeds or fails, it will be a meritorious service for thousands of years and benefit all people."

For Han Qi, who has never been satisfied with sticking to the results, but is thinking about regaining lost ground, or even expanding the territory, after these years of hard work, he has more or less clearly seen many obstacles in his ideal path.

Even with Confucian generals such as Di Qing, Yang Wenguang, and Zhong Shiheng who stood out in the self-made campaign and later shined in the southern and northern expeditions, it is difficult to hide the dilemma that the generals who were born in the army will face in the future: the same countless military achievements Zhang Kang, who is still alive, has been struggling since he entered the Shufu because his temperament is completely different from his colleagues. If the southern border rebellion did not break out, giving him another chance to show his talents, it would be difficult for him to make progress.

Even so, when Zhang Kang was promoted to the position of deputy privy envoy with Zhang Kang's resume, he was criticized by countless civil servants.

Even if the officials are benevolent and cherish talents, it is difficult to change the ancestral training of the emperor surnamed Zhao, who seized the world by military power, to guard against generals and never allow latecomers to take advantage of them.

Just as Han Qi saw more thoroughly, the more he felt pain for stepping into the predicament of his home country without knowing it, Lu Ci led the way and stared at the vast world outside the ocean.

If it succeeds, it will be the best opportunity to promote Tianwei and expand the territory; if it fails, with Lu Gong's reputation ahead, the followers will never disappear.

Lu Ci smiled, and refused to accept his gift, but the moment he bent down, he lifted him up with both hands, and said gently: "It's just for throwing bricks and attracting jade, not worth the big gift."

The words were calm, but Han Qi's eyes were inexplicably hot.

Those who have high morality in the world will admire them, and those who have enlightenment will do them.

In the future, before he had time to express his admiration for Zhao Wenxiang, who looked up to the mountains and willingly abandoned everything for the sake of his country and embarked on that illusory journey, the voices of others spoke from the front yard behind him.

Lu Ci recognized the voices of Yan Shu and his youngest son Yan Jidao without any effort, couldn't help but smile, said 'excuse me' to Han Qi, and went to the front hall to greet him.

Yan Shu was quite proud of having a son when he was old, and he loved his youngest son even more, who was extraordinary since he was a child, and his intelligence was comparable to him. Among the seven sons of the Yan family, Yan Jidao was undoubtedly the most valued and loved by him.

"It can be regarded as waiting for a few."

Lu Ci deliberately ignored the smug look on his friend's face, and walked up to Yan Jidao, who turned 12 last month.

Because of his father, Yan Jidao frequently visited Lu Ci when he urinated. Before he knew the identity of the other party, he couldn't help but be amazed by the extraordinary appearance and temperament.

When he got a little older, and learned that Lu Ci was such a great person, he was full of longing.

Bathed in Yan Jidao's fiery and respectful scrutiny, Lu Ci quietly bent over slightly under the cover of a loving smile on his face, and rubbed the little shiny black hair on the cute child's head in satisfaction. .

It feels really good.

This small act of intimacy almost melted Yan Jidao, who wholeheartedly admired Lu Ci.

Seeing this scene in his eyes, Yan Shu felt extremely sad.

——Such a look, but it is a rare treatment that only appears when he writes a good poem!

"In my opinion, he's probably eager to go out to sea with you and eat bean sprouts every day." Yan Shu said sourly, "I don't know how to be blessed when I am in the blessing. Since he is not young, he might as well hand it over to you at this moment." , I can only do the rough work of grinding and serving water for you, so I won’t be mad at me every day.”

Yan Jidao believed it to be true, his eyes lit up, and he couldn't help being excited and said: "Ji Dao is willing to go!"

"..." Yan Shu was angry: "You are so beautiful!"

It was rare to see Yan Shu's embarrassment like throwing a rock at his own foot, Lu Ci kindly held back his smile, and did not answer Yan Jidao's words, but naturally changed the subject: "Will you go to the courtyard with me? "

Yan Ji's attention was turned away after he said a word, and he happily agreed.

Yan Jidao held Lu Ci's hand solemnly, and when he was commenting on the flowers and plants in the courtyard, Liu Qi, who was late due to business, came back quickly, changed his clothes, and happily helped Lu Ci entertain the guests.

As the only person who dared to abandon everything, and the only one who would be taken by Lu Ci, Liu Qi undoubtedly became the envy of all his friends except Di Qing.

In addition to envy, I admire his freedom and ease: with a compliant body, he gave up the high-ranking officials and generous salary he had worked hard for many years, and wanted to follow a madman who had a dream that was tantamount to killing his life. It is really admirable. I am more yearning.

"How can Brother Liu and Brother Qing be the only ones to be beautiful? As long as Yu Yu gives an order, I'm willing to go too!"

Song Shou, who was newly promoted to Zhongshusheren, loudly expressed his admiration for Liu Qi, and also half-jokingly and half-seriously told Lu Ci that he was willing to accompany him.

Zhang Kang burst into laughter when he heard the words, and said bluntly: "Brother Song is so small, let's forget it."

Song Shou looked at Zhang Kang dissatisfied, when he saw that the other party raised his arms triumphantly, puffing out the solid muscles of his shoulders and arms...

Under this tragic contrast, even if you are not convinced, you have to be convinced.

He was speechless, looked away resentfully, and gulped down all the tea in one gulp.

It was still Bao Zheng, Quan Zhi Kaifeng's prefect, who was kind and kind, and added a little tea to the angry Zhang Kang symbolically.

Song Shou suddenly seemed to have found a backer, and raised his voice: "Brother Bao, do you agree with what Deputy Envoy Zhang said?"

Bao Zheng, who suddenly got angry, paused for a while, and after serious thinking for a while, he replied solemnly: "Brother Song can write travel notes and record what he has seen and heard; Wu Ke... takes care of sprouts, if he really wants to go, he should go too."

Song Shou's smile froze on his face: "..."

If it wasn't for Ouyang Xiu, who is the official of Dali Temple, who was delayed by the business and arrived just now to distract everyone's attention, he would have turned this dumb Bao into a doughnut.

The guests came one by one, and when everyone was present, the banquet officially began.

As one of the accompanying civil servants, Sima Guang was naturally invited.

Although he can't remember the false alarm when he was young, but he will never forget the names of the two benefactors to his lost and recovered family members. Because Lu Ci's position is high and powerful, there is no need for them to repay him. If he really has to force it, It's hard to climb.

Sima Guang's decision to accompany him this time was not for the sake of repaying a favor, but purely because he was optimistic about the trip - the smooth journey of Lu Zhaowen's career as an official is enough to show that he has auspicious luck.

Although it was extremely dangerous this time, and he was close to death, it is not certain that this auspicious person will turn the danger into good fortune and return safely.

Since there is such a meritorious achievement in front of him, wouldn't it be a pity if he missed it?

Relying on his lonely optimism in the eyes of outsiders, after persuading his family with the excuse of "repaying his gratitude", he reported his name in a cool manner.

If they were doing other things, they would have been snatched away by countless people for being able to work together with Zhaowen Prime Minister Lu Ci.

Facing this expedition of life and death, most of them are those who have lost their minds when Lu Ci committed a crime. Even with His Majesty's support and high reputation, there are only a few people who are willing to go.

Sima Guang naturally knew that he was far from qualified to go to Lu Gong's family banquet, but he was just taking advantage of his new job.

He was happy in a low-key manner, watching the singing and dancing on the stage, looking at the chairman Lu Ci who was talking and laughing from time to time, and tasting the delicacies on the table.

It has to be said that he prides himself on not paying attention to appetite, but the taste of this dish is too...

Just when Sima Guang couldn't help but look at the newly served dish named "Squid" dish, and was a little bit at a loss for what to do, a young man's clear voice suddenly came from his ear: "The swimming crab soup is made by the chef himself. It’s made with only two claws of meat, it’s extremely delicious, and it’s even better if it’s dipped in a little white vinegar.”

Was it originally made from swimming crab claws?

Surprised, Sima Guang turned around to look, and saw a young gentleman who was no more than fourteen or fifteen years old looking at him with bright eyes, and the corners of his rosy mouth were still glistening, which was obviously inseparable from the roasted lamb sticks next to him.

Those who can sit at this table should be colleagues in his new ministry...

Sima Guang could only think of Su Shi, the "prodigy" who passed the re-opened boy test at the beginning of the year and was selected into the pavilion with his gorgeous rhetoric.

Why is it that at such a young age, his family also wants him to go on such a voyage where life and death are unknown?

Sima Guang suppressed his astonishment, nodded calmly, and really followed Su Shi's recommendation, took a small mouthful of crab soup with a spoon, and added a touch of white vinegar.

Sima Guang didn't know that Su Shi was a newborn calf who was not afraid of tigers, but he had a family background - his father Su Xun was an uninhibited character who "did not like to learn alone when he was young, but he still didn't know books when he was old". Water, looking at the beauty of the world.

It wasn't until his two sons were around his knees that he was about to stand up, that he came to his senses and thought about holding up several volumes to study hard and pursue fame.

It's just that he has worked hard for many years, but before his son Su Shi became a blockbuster, he took the lead in the boy's test, and was even promoted to the pavilion.

However, before that ministry was in full swing, Su Shi couldn't wait to embark on a new journey.

Seeing that Sima Guang really showed a surprised expression after tasting the scorpion sticks according to his recommendation, Su Shi couldn't help but frowned, and enthusiastically introduced other rare delicacies on the table to him.

oops!Alone Better Together.

As early as when he heard the title of "Little Gluttony" of the famous Lu Gong, and his "brilliant past" when he was invited to work in Lingnan to taste lychee in his early years, he knew that he could get it, even if it was not made of extravagant materials. Treasures must also be called mouth-watering, endless aftertastes.

Although the pre-dinner snacks and cold dishes were only served at this family banquet, he had already feasted on his mouth and gave him a sense of happiness that "this trip is worthwhile".

Thinking that he would taste countless rare fresh seafood and even exotic flavors during this trip, Su Shi couldn't help rubbing his hands excitedly, yearning for it.

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This dish is from "Pretending to Live in the Song Dynasty" Chapter 4