Hebei Volume 9 The Prodigal Son

  Will try to release another chapter tonight.

  Gao Jian turned his head and saw a young man in his early twenties rushing up from behind, grabbing Xu Guanzhong's hand with a look of surprise: "Brother Xu left without saying goodbye the other day, only leaving a note saying he was going to take care of his mother, I've been worried about you, how come you have time to visit me today?"

  Xu Guanzhong smiled calmly and said, "Younger brother has a good heart. I am currently relying on this official's household as a guest, and today I accompanied the official to Cuicloud Building for a banquet." He obviously didn't want to say more about his own misfortunes, so he stretched out his hand and pulled the young man in front of Gao Qiang, saying, "Younger brother, this is the Eastern Capital's Commander-in-Chief High Official, who is my current master."

  The young man was startled, and hastily smiled and saluted, saying: "I am Yan Qing, a sworn brother of Brother Xu. Just now my eyes were dim and I did not recognize the official, please forgive me."

  What a wonderful surprise: Yan Qing, the rogue! He's one of the most impressive characters in Water Margin, and the second half is almost all about his performances, showing off his skills. At this moment, taking a closer look, I see that he has a face like jade, eyes like shining stars, a straight nose, and lips as red as vermilion; further down, he has strong arms, a slender waist, and a lean, healthy body. A single piece of fine silk clothing fits him perfectly, making him stand out like a "jade tree in the wind". Especially with those eyes that seem to be smiling but not quite, and a hint of a mischievous smile at the corner of his mouth, he forms an extremely charming and deadly handsome guy.

  I'm deeply impressed, if he were to be placed in modern times, he would absolutely be an idol-level superstar emperor, F4 and Edison Chen would all have to step aside. Hurriedly rushing forward a step, with both hands supporting Yan Qing, "Brother Yan, why be so polite, I am like old friends with Brother Xu, though our names are host and guest, in reality we are brothers. As the saying goes, within the four seas all are brothers, it's fine for you to address me as brother too."

  Yan Qing saw that the official was humble and easy-going, and he also liked him in his heart. After asking clearly, several people were actually shut out of the door and stood outside, feeling annoyed and frightened. He scolded the little servant who was waiting at the door a few times, telling him to hurry up and tidy up the luxurious private room on the third floor, and invited the official to sit down and taste the craftsmanship of Cuifeng Building.

  Arrogant on the surface, humble in words, but secretly pleased with oneself. It's quite satisfying to see others being so servile, especially when it's a popular idol like Xiao Yige who is smiling and welcoming by your side. However, consider yourselves lucky that I haven't developed the "good" habit of looking down on people yet. Otherwise, you would have been slapped a few times, just like those arrogant young masters in movies, and then I would have said with disdain, "You don't even recognize me?"

  He went straight up to the third floor and entered a private room called "Feng Ya". Gao Jian looked around and saw that the windows were bright and clean, with copper incense burners in the corners burning Siamese incense. The walls were hung with large tapestries from Daxi, the floor was covered with thick felt made of Qidan sheep's wool, and the table settings were all products from Ru kiln. The room was filled with a mix of Chinese and foreign objects, which had a unique charm compared to the traditional Japanese-style pubs in Tokyo.

  Yan Qing saw Gao Qiang nodding his head from side to side, knowing that the private room he had arranged was to the taste of this official from Tokyo. He busied himself smiling and looking around, quickly grabbed the teapot and brewed a pot of fine West Lake Longjing tea. With a flourish, he poured three cups in mid-air, filling Gao Qiang's cup perfectly. His other hand followed, his little finger lightly hooking the lid onto the cup, and with three fingers gently pinching the cup holder, he handed it to Gao Qiang saying: "Please, sir, have some tea."

  These few movements were smooth and gentle, like a dance, each one was just right, the strong man's eyes widened in surprise, until now he came back to his senses, took over the teacup with both hands, and loudly exclaimed: "Yan brother's tea-making skills are so good that even the roots of the tea tree can bring out the fragrance of the immortal spring!"

  He suddenly thought of something and said displeased: "Yan brother, just now I clearly said that we should call each other brothers, why are you still so formal, is it because you look down on me?"

  Yan Qing was taken aback, and hastily laughed: "The official is so generous, I really admire him, but there are differences in status, I am just a local Lu Yuanwai's house slave identity, how can I be called brothers with the official? I hope the official will withdraw his order, Yan Qing is deeply grateful."

  Gao Jian was at a loss for words, Yan Qing simply didn't comply, and he happened to have a face that could charm thousands of people. His eloquence was also exceptional, Gao Jian had no choice but to agree. He picked up the teacup and took a sip, only to feel a wave of tea fragrance rushing straight up to his brain, causing his entire spirit to tremble slightly. As it flowed downwards, it circulated through his five organs, opening all 48,000 pores on his body. When he opened his eyes again, everything before him seemed to be infused with the tea's fragrance, and for a moment, his mind cleared up a bit. He couldn't help but exclaim repeatedly: "Xiao Yige's tea is something even celestial beings would drink!"

  Yan Qing repeatedly thanked and offered tea to Xu Guanzhong and Yang Zhi, then moved a velvet stool to sit cross-legged beside them, chatting and telling some small jokes from the streets, with a smile on his face and a rich tone, making Gao Qiang and Yang Zhi laugh so hard they were doubled over.

  This refers to the famous Prime Minister Wang Anshi of the Zhezong Emperor, who was posthumously honored as Duke of Jingguo and offered sacrifices at the Temple of Confucius. However, due to his stubborn nature, he was nicknamed "Stubborn Prime Minister" by the people. This Stubborn Prime Minister spent all day thinking about ways to enrich the country and strengthen its military, and those who sought to advance their careers through him would often present plans for reform. However, few of these plans were practical and feasible, while many were just attempts to curry favor with clever words, resulting in much ridicule. One person suggested to Wang Anshi that he take control of the 800-li-long Liangshan Marsh in Shandong Province, saying "Prime Minister, why not seize this great advantage?"

  As soon as he heard the three words "Liagnshan Po", he was shocked and hastily asked: "What is the great advantage of this place?"

  Yan Qing smiled and said, "Your Honor, on that day Wang Jing Gong also asked the same question as you. The strategy presented by this person was to excavate this 800-li water dam, which would yield tens of thousands of hectares of good land, suitable for planting mulberry trees and hemp, naturally bringing great benefits to the country."

  Gao Qiang shook his head, and it turned out that things were not as he had thought. He sneered: "This person's thoughts are really unbelievable, must have been scolded by Wang Jinggong?"

  Yan Qing shook his head and said, "It's not like that. Mr. Wang was overjoyed when he heard this, but after a while, he came to his senses and asked the person, 'Where does the water go?' A certain Mr. Liu in the group chimed in with a serious face, 'Dig another 800 li from the side and it will be fine.'"

  The bundle shook, and everyone in the room burst out laughing. Yang Zhi spat out a mouthful of tea five feet away, almost choking to death.

  Gao Jian panted and said: "This Lord Liu is indeed interesting, Wang Jing Gong has made a fool of himself, but I don't know how to do it?"

  Yan Qing also smiled: "But Wang Gong didn't get angry, he just smiled and let it go. The man who spoke up himself retreated with his tail between his legs."

  Gao Jian heard this and suddenly praised: "What a wonderful Magistrate!"

  Many people had puzzled expressions, and Gao continued: "Wang Anshi sought the law of a strong country. If someone was punished for speaking out, it would surely block the path of talented individuals, causing truly capable scholars to hesitate and not advance. This person made such a big joke, but Wang Anshi just laughed it off, so everyone knew that the prime minister had a generous heart and that speakers were blameless - this opened up the path for discussion! Politics should be like this!" The audience praised him without end.

  Yan Qing listened and laughed, saying: "The way you put it, sir, reminds me of a few lines of poetry." He took up the three-stringed lute, tuned it with a few "twangs", and began to sing: "South of the mountain, I climb the Jade Stone Pavilion, Gazing afar at the Golden Terrace. The hills and valleys are all covered with trees, Where is King Zhao now?"

  The strong hand clapped his hands, listened to him sing this poem, and laughed: "Little Yige, is this the Yan Zhao Wang poem of Chen Zi'ang of the Tang Dynasty? King Zhao sought talent like a thirsty man, the story of Qi Wang buying horse bones for thousands of gold, building the Golden Platform to serve the old minister Guo Wei, inviting Lü Yu and Zou Yan and other sages to assist him, and then with the weak state of Yan leading the five countries' army to attack Qi, capturing more than 70 cities in Qi. This is the good result of opening up the path for talent and seeking good ministers!" In fact, there were two more lines at the bottom of this poem, which was Chen Zi'ang's expression of his feelings of being a talented person who was not encountered, and it was clearly not suitable for someone like Gao Qiang with his identity as a powerful official in the imperial court. So Yan Qing didn't take them.

  At this time, the wine and dishes were all served, Yan Qing carefully poured the wine and arranged the dishes, one by one explaining the various special dishes of Cuifeng Building, how to turn goose palm into a delicacy on the table, how to turn water shield into a flavor in the mouth, and some rhymes to match, every time he said a dish, it would greatly increase people's appetite, Gao Qiang's chopsticks kept falling, not stopping for a moment.

  Just as they were chatting and laughing, the door curtain was suddenly lifted, and a man in his thirties came in, dressed elegantly, with a decent appearance, but with a sly smile that seemed to scream "swindler" on his face.

  As soon as he entered, he bowed deeply and said: "I heard that the Commander of the Imperial Guard in Bianjing, High Commissioner Gao, has descended upon the Cuiyun Building. It is truly a great honor for this humble abode. I am Li Gu, the manager of the Cuiyun Building, and I have come to pay my respects to High Commissioner Gao."

  Li Guo? Isn't this the treacherous character from Water Margin who colluded with Mistress Zhu and plotted against Lu Junyi's family property, only to be captured and killed by the Liangshan heroes when they stormed the Grand Marshal's mansion? However, it can be said that he was somewhat wronged. The Liangshan heroes framed Lu Junyi, saying he wanted to join the bandits. He believed it to be true, and with the vast family property and beautiful Mistress Zhu in front of him, as a high-level employee who had worked hard for many years, deciding to take over all this was only natural. How could he let Liang Zhongshu and other powerful men take everything away? But he didn't know that no matter how hard he struggled, he was just a pawn in someone else's hands, ultimately bringing about his own demise.

  At this time, seeing Li Gu again, Gao Qiang felt a little sympathetic in his heart, and called him to dispense with the formalities. Yan Qing also stood up to greet him. This Li Gu was also a clever person, and after a round of wine, he became harmonious and cordial, similar to some modern restaurant managers who make the rounds every night to toast each private room.

  Just as they were drinking happily, a small second came in and whispered a few words in Li Gu's ear. Li Gu's expression changed slightly, his eyes quickly swept across Yan Qing beside him, and then immediately calmed down again. He raised his cup and laughed: "High official, I am busy with mundane affairs, the young lady of the house is about to ask me to go and settle accounts, but I must apologize to you first." As he spoke, he drained the wine in his cup and stood up to take his leave.

  When he heard the five words "Master's wife", Yan Qing also had a slight change in expression, and then returned to normal with a smile. Gao Qiang thought quickly: Could it be that Li Gu and Lu Junyi's wife, Jia Shi, already have a private relationship?