The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

Chapter 1891 Is there enough wine?

When Mr. Li received the invitation from the county magistrate, a solemn expression appeared on his face. "Sir, why did the county magistrate invite me?"

The yamen runner said calmly, "The county magistrate knew that Master Li would ask, so he asked me to tell you that the distinguished guest you want to invite is in the county yamen right now, and it was your distinguished guest who asked the county magistrate to send the invitation!"

Mr. Li's eyes flashed, "May I ask what the distinguished guest's surname is?"

The yamen runner's mind raced. He originally wanted to take advantage of Mr. Li, but now that he knew the young man was the deputy commander-in-chief of the Imperial City Division, he suppressed his greed and forced a smile: "His surname is Feng! He was the one who suggested that Mr. Li and the eldest son and his wife attend the banquet!"

Mr. Li looked at the invitation again, and it clearly said "bring the eldest son and daughter-in-law to the banquet", and he was immediately delighted!

This Feng Jiuxiao is indeed an extraordinary person!

You actually know what’s most pressing issue I’m in right now!

Great!

If he could establish a relationship with the new county magistrate, Yang Zixiong, then the power of the Li family could expand eastward across the Wen River!

"Okay, please tell the county magistrate and Mr. Feng that Li will attend the banquet on time with his son and daughter-in-law!" As he said this, he took out a silver ingot weighing fifty taels from his sleeve and quietly stuffed it into the hand of the yamen runner!

The bailiff immediately smiled and said, "Don't worry, Master Li, I will convey your message!" He thought to himself: Has this old guy suddenly come to his senses?

After the bailiff left, Master Li immediately shouted, "Ah Fu, go call the eldest young master and the eldest young mistress over!"

Li Fu said: "Yes!"

Outside the gate of Li's house, a line of carriages was formed. Pang Shiwu thought: Big Brother, should we go to the city? If we can't find a suitable place to unload these boxes as soon as possible, the owners of these carriages will most likely come to ask for their carriages! After all, these rich people need their carriages almost every day! When they come to ask for them, they still don't return them? Pang Shiwu sighed. He could only delay it for a while, but how long could he delay it?

Just as he was getting anxious, a yamen runner came over, bowed, clasped his fists, and asked respectfully, "Excuse me, are you Mr. Pang?"

Pang Shiwu said: "Exactly! Who... are you?"

"I am Situ Lei from Wenchuan County!"

"What are you looking for me for?"

"I am here on the orders of the county magistrate to invite you to the county government office for a chat! Your Excellency asked me to tell you that Master Feng has already arrived at the county government office! In addition, your Excellency conveyed Master Feng's intention to Master Pang to move all the things on these carriages to the county government office!"

Pang Shiwu frowned, "How did your county magistrate know that my elder brother came to the city?" He was very surprised. His elder brother would definitely not take the initiative to "disturb" the county magistrate. He didn't know which link had gone wrong! He had to get to the bottom of it, otherwise he would rashly go to the county government office. What if something unexpected happened? It's not that he was afraid of any danger, but he was afraid that there would be a misunderstanding and make a fool of himself!

When the yamen runner heard the word "big brother", he was stunned and wanted to ask who the big brother was. Fortunately, his brain reacted quickly and he figured out who the big brother was at the critical moment!

He said respectfully, "As far as I know, Master Feng entered the city in the early morning and encountered the soldiers guarding the city gate for routine inspection. Master Feng showed the golden waist badge of the Great Song Imperial City Bureau. The sergeant guarding the city gate immediately knew that it was Master Feng who came, so he notified the county magistrate in time. So the county magistrate took Master Feng to the county government office!"

Pang Shiwu said, "Oh, that's what happened. You explained it very clearly and I understood it as soon as I heard it! Not bad, not bad!" He thought to himself: It seems that it is correct. My brother has already entered the city.

He turned to Li Zhong and said, "Manager Li, please excuse me and tell the brothers to hurry to the county government office now!"

Li Zhong immediately said, "Okay, Master Pang!" Although he looked normal on the surface, his heart was already in turmoil!

Why did Mr. Feng go to the county government?

The master wanted to host a banquet for him at noon today! The master's meaning was too obvious, he was determined to get Master Feng to attend the banquet! And this Master Pang also agreed to help pass the message to ensure that Master Feng could come to the Li family for the banquet!

Now that County Magistrate Yang had intercepted him, what should the master do? He looked melancholy!

Pang Shiwu can now observe people's expressions and naturally guessed what Li Zhong was thinking!

He patted Li Zhong on the shoulder and said, "Although my eldest brother has gone to the county government, it does not mean that your Li family has lost the opportunity to have a banquet with my eldest brother! Do you understand? Don't be so sad, cheer up! Since my eldest brother promised me to have dinner with Master Li, he will definitely have dinner with your master! Based on my understanding of my eldest brother, nine times out of ten, he will let your master go to the county government as well!"

Li Zhong's eyes lit up, then he smiled awkwardly. Without saying anything, he ordered the temporary coachmen to drive the carriage to the county government office as soon as possible!

Many coachmen were worried because they heard that their masters had always wanted to enter the county government office to meet the county magistrate but never succeeded. But today, thanks to the coachmen's help, they were able to enter the county government office easily. It was really like "planting flowers with care but they don't bloom, planting willows by accident but they grow into shade"!

When the motorcade approached the county government office, someone came to meet them and led the motorcade directly into the backyard. He pointed to a wing room and said, "The space has been vacated. You can use it to store the boxes."

The ground here is flat, and there are many people. Several people worked together to lift the boxes, and they finished unloading them in less than an hour. At this time, a yamen runner locked the door with a lock, and then handed the key to Pang Shiwu, "Mr. Pang, please rest assured, this room has been specially treated, the doors and windows are riveted from the inside, only this door is movable, here is the key." After saying that, he left. Pang Shiwu thought: This door lock can only prevent gentlemen, not villains, but ordinary people dare not blatantly steal things in the county government, and the box is not light, so it is not easy to take it away easily.

Pang Shiwu looked at the strong men who were acting as temporary grooms, clasped his fists and said, "Thank you for your hard work! Thank you! I'll have to trouble you to return these carriages to their original owners! Thank you very much!"

A group of strong men in strong clothes clasped their fists and said, "You're welcome, Mr. Pang! Let's go!" They were naturally polite to Pang Shiwu, because everyone knew that he was a distinguished guest of the Li family. Now everyone was in a hurry to go back because they were thinking about the generous reward promised by the eldest young master! The carriage must be borrowed and returned, and only when it is returned can the mission be considered successfully completed.

Coming and going in a hurry, with a rumble, thirty-three cars disappeared in an instant.

Pang Shiwu said to Li Zhong, "Li, I'm going to look for my eldest brother. You go back to the Li residence first. If you have anything, feel free to contact me. Don't worry, I will do what I promised! If we can't see each other today, we will definitely see each other tomorrow! We won't leave until we see the boss!"

Li Zhong was overjoyed: "Master Pang, are you serious?"

Pang Shiwu said proudly: "When did I ever break my promise? Don't worry!"

Li Zhong returned satisfied.

Looking at Li Zhong's departing back, Pang Shiwu said to himself, "No matter whether your Li family is good or evil, since I have promised you something, I will definitely do it! As for whether we will be enemies or friends, war or peace in the future, let nature take its course and leave it to fate!"

Before he could ask around, a yamen runner took the initiative to find him and led him to the West Flower Hall in the county government office.

When Feng Jiuxiao saw Pang Shiwu coming back, he immediately said, "Shiwu, come and meet the county magistrate!"

Yang Zixiong immediately went to Pang Shiwu, bowed and clasped his fists: "Mr. Pang, you have worked hard. Have you put the boxes away?"

Pang Shiwu immediately clasped his fists and said with a smile: "Everything has been settled. Thank you, County Magistrate!" He had never seen the County Magistrate in such an embarrassing state, so his smile was relatively natural.

This made Yang Zixiong feel much more comfortable!

He was neither deaf nor blind. Who in this room took him seriously? Even the woman who was in awe of him at first was full of disdain in the end. He was defeated today, but it was okay to be defeated by Lord Feng. He was just passing by. After he left, he would still be the supreme existence in this county! Who dared to look down on him?

Feng Jiuxiao said: "You just said that the people in this city live a prosperous life, right?"

Yang Zixiong did not answer immediately, but thought carefully before saying, "Based on what I have seen and heard, it is indeed true."

Feng Jiuxiao laughed and said, "I can see you have no confidence! Why, you're leaving yourself some room? If there really is something different, will you say you haven't seen it yet, so you don't know?"

Yang Zixiong immediately said cautiously: "I will check and see how many people still have not solved the problem of food and clothing!"

Feng Jiuxiao said: "Send someone to check it out now. You don't need to count the specific people. Just find out how many poor villages there are and how many poor people there are. There must be poor people in this city. It's not difficult to find out. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. Even if you don't know which area has more rich people and which area has more poor people, your yamen runners will definitely know! I want to hear the result before the sun sets today!"

Yang Zixiong said, "Yes! I'll arrange it right away!" He rushed out of the West Flower Hall. Although the time seems tight, it is actually not difficult to implement!

He had just sent people to check several key data of the entire county a few days ago, and he had a clear idea of the personnel structure distribution of the entire county!

The reason why I want to find out so much details is just to know how to deal with people in the future!

According to the talent rules in officialdom, the first thing a new official does upon taking office is of course to find out the list of local dignitaries. This is also the unspoken "official protection talisman"!

Of course, now is an extraordinary period of transition between the old and new dynasties. As a new official, he has the aura of a winner and has a slight advantage! Those local forces are still at a disadvantage for a while!

But once the political situation stabilizes and a new balance of power is formed again, his advantage as a county magistrate will be gone!

If the local dignitaries are still unable to take him down, they will naturally change their strategy and hunt down his superiors, trying to get rid of him and replace him with someone more obedient!

Therefore, his goal is to gain maximum benefits before the situation becomes unstable!

Waiting for the price, the highest bidder wins! If these bumpkins don't understand my intentions and think I'm really noble and want to give up on myself, I will send out the signal that I am willing to cooperate! I will get involved and take advantage of the situation!

Of course, this was his original layout.

Now, the deputy envoy has come down from nowhere and disrupted all his plans! He can only overturn everything and start over!

He decided that he would not embezzle a penny for at least three years! After all, the deputy envoy had done his best by not pursuing the money he had embezzled in the past! The stolen money was enough for him to live a decent life, and he could not lose the big picture for the small! As long as he could spend three years here smoothly, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future!

He asked someone to rewrite the report according to the format Feng Jiuxiao had given him, and asked them to hand it to him at sunset.

He drank tea for a while, mainly relying on time. If he went back too early, it would seem that he was perfunctory, while if he stayed a little longer before going back, it would seem that he attached importance to this task.

He didn't know that Feng Jiuxiao had already expected that he must have the current materials in his hands. However, since Feng Jiuxiao decided to let him go, he naturally wouldn't dwell on these details.

After a while, Mr. Li, his son and daughter-in-law came to keep the appointment!

When Yang Zixiong heard this, his mind immediately raced, and he asked the yamen runner, "How is the meal preparation going?"

The yamen runner said, "Don't worry, sir. Everything is ready. The pot is keeping warm now. We can serve the food anytime!"

Yang Zixiong said: "Okay!"

After saying that, he went out to greet Master Li!

Mr. Li, his eldest son Li Boshan, and his eldest daughter-in-law Li Liang, a group of three!

Mr. Li - Li An never expected that Yang Zixiong would invite him to a banquet!

Li An had no idea how many times he had sent invitations to Yang Zixiong, but each time his men returned empty-handed!

Yang Zixiong has always been upright and incorruptible. Not only did he not give face to himself, but he also did not give face to dozens of families in Wenchuan! Many families have told him that they want to join forces to go to Chengdu to do something, and it would be best to get rid of this wooden man!

Of course, Li An knew that if they wanted to get rid of Yang Zixiong, Chengdu had no say at all. The one who had the final say was now in Tokyo. The world now was no longer the world of Dashu. Everyone's thinking could not remain in the past! Although Yang Zixiong was stubborn, instead of going to Tokyo to talk to his superiors, it was better to continue to strive to take Yang Zixiong down. Relatively speaking, this was the lowest cost method!

From a distance, Li An greeted Yang Zixiong with a smile on his face!

Yang Zixiong also greeted Li An with a big smile on his face! The two approached each other like old friends, and then what surprised Li Boshan and Li Liang was a scene. The two did not clasp their fists to salute each other, but hugged each other directly, just like two good friends who had not seen each other for many years met unexpectedly, and a close feeling arose spontaneously!

Then the two of them separated and smiled at each other!

"Oh, Lord Yang..." Li An was filled with emotion and didn't know what to say.

Yang Zixiong smiled and said, "Please come in! Master Feng has been waiting for you for a long time!"

Li An still had a smile on his face, and said with a smile: "Okay, please go first, sir!" But his mind instantly confirmed his guess that Feng Jiuxiao's mysterious official position in the Song Dynasty was definitely far higher than Yang Zixiong! Otherwise, Yang Zixiong would not be so cautious!

Judging from Yang Zixiong's usual performance, he would have taken the opportunity to show off and put on airs, but now Yang Zixiong's behavior is completely different from before. He is not arrogant at all. He is like a junior meeting an elder and is very polite!

This means... Feng Jiuxiao must have given this "Yang Guban" a beating!

Haha, in the face of power, the so-called personality and integrity are nothing more than this!

When Li An saw the young man in white for the first time, he immediately knew that he was Feng Jiuxiao!

"I, Hexi Li An, am here to greet Master Feng!" He bowed to Feng Jiuxiao without hesitation!

Feng Jiuxiao immediately returned the greeting and said, "Junior Feng Jiuxiao greets Senior Li!" Regardless of whether the other party is good or evil, the etiquette of respecting the old and loving the young cannot be lost! He and Pang Shiwu had already discussed this point. There are six principles for dealing with people and things: principle and flexibility!

Now that we are friends, we must be polite!

If you become enemies in a moment, don't be polite when it's time to take action!

Li An smiled and said, "I have always been suffering from not having the opportunity to have lunch with Lord Yang. Today, thanks to you, I can fulfill my wish. I am very grateful!"

Feng Jiuxiao said: "Senior, what are you talking about? It is because of your support that we brothers encountered difficulties and were able to solve them successfully. I should be grateful!"

Yang Zixiong said, "Sir, the banquet is scheduled in the East Flower Hall. How about we move there?"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Okay!" He turned to Li An and said, "Senior, please!"

Li Boshan and Li Liangshi were secretly shocked!

Although I knew that Master Feng had a high status in the court of the Song Dynasty, I didn't expect him to be so high! Lord Yang, who usually had a serious face and was high and mighty, was so servile in front of Feng Jiuxiao, and spoke with extreme caution! Although it can be seen that he was trying his best to hide this humility, we are not fools, how could we not notice it?

Since Lord Yang himself didn't reveal Feng Jiuxiao's true identity, why would anyone be so foolish as to mention it?

Entering the East Flower Hall, there was a large round table with more than a dozen people sitting at it.

Yang Zixiong naturally didn't dare to sit in the seat of host, so he gave it to Feng Jiuxiao, and he sat as deputy host.

To the left of Feng Jiuxiao is Li An, and to the right is Li Boshan.

To the left of Ang Lee is Zeng Yong, followed by Big Wolf, Pang Shiwu, La Jiao, and Yuan Zishan;

To the right of Li Boshan was Li Liangshi, followed by the county magistrate's wife, Erni, and Chang Zijin.

Feng Jiuxiao said with a smile: "County Magistrate Yang, you are so lucky today, there are beautiful women on both sides!"

Magistrate Yang's forehead was immediately covered in sweat, and he felt very uncomfortable. He forced a smile and said, "Deputy... Young Master Feng... this..."

Yuan Zishan, who was wearing a black veil, said, "How about you two switch?" She looked like she meant what she was talking about. Yang Zixiong was not a fool, of course he knew who the Miss Yuan on his right was, so he deliberately moved away from Miss Yuan, trying to stay as far away from her as possible to avoid bumping into her.

Miss Yuan's half-joking words actually made Yang Zixiong feel a lot more at ease!

Feng Jiuxiao smiled and said, "It's not impossible to change, but wouldn't it be far away from Senior Li?"

Yuan Zishan asked: "Then what nonsense did you just say?"

Li An's eyes flickered as he guessed Yuan Zishan's identity!

Feng Jiuxiao introduced: "This is my fiancée!"

Li An immediately stood up and clasped his fists, saying, "Oh, my apologies! It turns out to be Madam Feng! Hello, Madam Feng!"

Li Liang secretly asked Li Boshan: "Isn't his last name Long?"

Li Boshan whispered, "I heard that his mother's surname is Feng, and his father's surname is Long!"

Feng Jiuxiao glanced at Li Boshan inadvertently, and Li Boshan's gaze met Feng Jiuxiao's. He was immediately embarrassed, as if he had been caught doing something bad. However, Feng Jiuxiao smiled and did not expose him.

Feng Jiuxiao picked up the wine glass and said, "Everyone is here, and the dishes are ready. Let me say a few words first. This first glass is a thank you drink to thank County Magistrate Yang for arranging the drinking party. Ah, thank you. I'll drink it first as a show of respect!" He drank it in one gulp!

Everyone raised their glasses, and the men all drank! The county magistrate's wife, Yang Liu, looked left and right with her glass in her hand, wondering whether to drink it or not. Yang Zixiong already looked unhappy, "Why haven't you finished yet?"

Everyone looked over at her. Yang Liu immediately frowned, closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, tilted her neck back, and drank it all in one gulp!

Feng Jiuxiao was somewhat surprised: "County Magistrate Yang, it is already shocking for women to sit at the same table, and you actually let your sister-in-law drink?"

Yang Zixiong said: "It's a rare occasion for you to come here, it's her honor to accompany you for drinks!"

Feng Jiuxiao smiled and said, "Okay, now that we've finished drinking, and everyone has witnessed Madam Yang's hospitality, the ladies should not drink from now on. If the county magistrate gets drunk, he will have to rely on Madam Yang to serve him, right, senior?"

Li An immediately smiled and said, "Yes, yes, Madam Yang is very hospitable. We have already experienced this. Don't drink the rest of the wine. When a man drinks too much, he still has to rely on a woman to take care of him. When I was young, I relied on my wife to take care of me after I drank too much. If both of us drink too much, who will take care of whom?"

Yang Liu looked at everyone with gratitude, but she didn't dare to speak to Yang Zixiong. After all, she had to consider her husband's face in front of outsiders.

Yang Zixiong had already understood the implication of Feng Jiuxiao's words, so he naturally did not dare to disobey and immediately took advantage of the situation to back off: "It is better to obey than to be respectful. Then I will risk my life to accompany you. Anyway, I have my wife to take care of me when I get drunk!"

Big Wolf suddenly said, "Master Yang, what do you mean by that?"

Yang Zixiong was startled, then regretted it! This blond man was alone, and his words were not pleasant to the ear!

Just when he was at a loss, Feng Jiuxiao smiled and said, "It's okay, just drink. If you drink too much, I will find you a wife locally!"

Big Wolf said, "Is this what you said?"

Feng Jiuxiao said: "I said it!"

"A gentleman's word?"

"It's hard to catch up with four horses!"

"Okay! It's a deal! I'm going to let loose tonight too! Magistrate Yang?"

Yang Zixiong immediately leaned forward and said, "Sir, please speak!"

Big Wolf asked, "Is there enough wine?"

Yang Zixiong immediately straightened his back: "Enough! Absolutely enough!"

Big Wolf rolled up his sleeves, revealing the black hair on his arms. "That's good! I'm going to drink myself into a wife today!"