Chapter 59 Night Banquet
Chapter 59 Night Banquet
At night, when the lights came on, the Sikong Mansion was filled with laughter and the sound of stringed instruments.
There were not many people participating in the banquet, only about a dozen or so.
After three rounds of drinking, the atmosphere gradually became warmer and there were constant whispers.
"I heard that Kejian wrote prefaces for many strange stories and became famous in the capital." Wang Hu said, smiling at General Pei Kuo of the Zhonglei who was sitting on his right.
Pei Kuo shook his head helplessly: "I just had nothing to do, so I supported a few unknown authors to give them a meal. This is embarrassing for Chu Zhong."
"No, I also like to read strange stories. I have read "Records of Strange Things" no less than ten times." Wang Hu laughed.
"Lie Yi Zhuan" was written by Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi, and continued by Prime Minister Zhang Hua of the Western Jin Dynasty. It records ghost stories from the Zhengshi and Ganlu years.
The content is rich, including Taoist magic to exorcise demons, catching and selling ghosts, the underworld, resurrection of the dead, ghost marriages, etc. It is all-encompassing and extremely complicated.
This book went through the Wei and Jin dynasties. It was written by the emperor and continued by the eunuchs and prime ministers. It gives us a glimpse into the cultural atmosphere of the time.
Hearing Wang Hu's words, Pei Kuo laughed so hard that he couldn't stop, and the relationship between the two became a little closer.
This is just like when people who are not very familiar with each other meet in later generations and ask each other "Have you eaten?" or talk about the weather. It is actually the same operation.
"A few months ago, Sima Wang defeated Lu Ji and shocked Yecheng. There are tens of thousands of wandering ghosts in Hebei. Aren't you afraid?" Pei Kuo said in a joking tone, but also quietly changed the subject.
Wang Hu understood and pretended to be indifferent: "So what? Do those damned guys dare to come and settle accounts with me?"
"Sima Wang is indeed magnanimous." Pei Kuo stood in awe and said, "A dead person certainly wouldn't do that, but what about a living person?"
Wang Hu picked up the wine bottle and drank it all, saying, "I hope Ke Jian will give me some advice."
"It's actually very simple." Pei Kuo didn't beat around the bush and said, "As long as we work together, no one can touch us."
"It's not difficult to work together, but there has to be someone in charge, right?" Wang Hu said slowly.
"The person in charge is not far away, but right in front of us." Pei Kuo picked up the wine jar and said, "Sir Wang is attending the banquet today. I think he has made up his mind, right?"
Wang Hu filled his own glass of wine, pondered for a while, wanted to say something, and then shook his head.
Pei Kuo's expression changed slightly.
He didn't expect that Wang Hu, who had killed more than a dozen Hebei generals, was still hesitating.
Do you know who Hebei people hate the most?
The Battle of Jianchun Gate was the most devastating battle in Hebei so far. Those who died were all prominent figures, most of whom were from Hebei families. Could you really support Sima Ying?
Even if Sima Ying is magnanimous and doesn't care about these things, you will still be ostracized. Do you really have a future?
But Wang Hu just drank and stopped talking.
Pei Kuo was helpless. After taking a sip of the wine, he turned his head to the right, only to see Shao Xun drinking by himself.
He had heard some rumors that Shao Xun seemed to be about to become an "official".
It’s incredible. The upstart who rose in the war was brave enough to fight and was not afraid of offending people. He also had good luck and finally rose to prominence.
"The foreign troops will soon enter the city. What do you think, Mr. Shao?" Pei Kuo asked, raising the wine jar in his hand.
"I am here to protect Sikong, that's all." Shao Xun picked up the wine jar and drank it all in one gulp.
Pei Kuo was startled at first, as if he was not used to Shao Xun's tone. Then he was relieved, and he was no longer as cautious as before.
He quickly adjusted his mentality and said with a smile: "It's a pity that you are already an admiral of the East Sea, otherwise I would definitely transfer you to the Imperial Guard. But - that's true, you just need to protect the Sikong Mansion. You are from the East Sea, and your honor and disgrace depend on Sikong alone. Sikong is indeed more important."
Shao Xun smiled and said nothing.
Being an officer of the Imperial Guard? Not a good choice.
Once they joined the Imperial Guards, they would either be crucified in Luoyang or divided up by Sima Ying and Sima Yong and moved to Chang'an or Yecheng.
It's not impossible.
He had just overheard the conversation between Pei Kuo and Wang Hu and found it very interesting.
Wang Hu's participation in the dinner party hosted by Sikong today was a sign of his approach. But he didn't seem to want to approach completely, and didn't express his opinion at the critical moment.
What is this? It's for sale.
Perhaps he was waiting for Sima Yong or Sima Ying to win him over. After all, the imperial guards had established their reputation and demonstrated their value in united front work.
But anyway, Shao Xun didn’t think that Wang Hu would definitely go to Yecheng or Chang'an.
There are boundaries in the officialdom.
According to the conventional view, the Yellow River is a clear dividing line. Scholars from the north of the Yellow River may come to Henan, and scholars from the south of the Yellow River may go to Hebei, but neither will be the mainstream. Especially today when the central authority is increasingly fragmented, scholars from various counties prefer to find a political center close to home, because it is easier to find fellow villagers and development is smoother.
Wang Hu is from Chen County, what’s the point of going to Yecheng?
Didn't you see what happened to Lu Ji? Lu Ji might have died directly at the hands of Meng Jiu, but the collective exclusion of Hebei scholars was definitely related to it. How depressed was Wang Hu to go to Yecheng?
But no matter where Wang Hu went, Shao Xun finally understood one thing: it would be a bit difficult for Sima Yue to unite the imperial guards.
The best outcome is to win over some people, and the other part will be divided up by the two kings of Chengdu and Hejian.
As for the other princes in Beijing, I’m sorry, they are not even qualified to sit at the table.
It seems that Pei Kuo is trying every means to unite the generals of the imperial guards. It may not be for Sima Yue. He may want to protect himself, or increase his bargaining power and united front value, but it does not look like it will be smooth sailing.
The situation is a bit confusing.
"People's hearts are in chaos." Shao Xun sighed.
Hearing this, Pei Kuo slapped his thigh and sighed, "The royal family is about to fall, and people's hearts are indeed in chaos. In fact, I just want to keep a little foundation for the Luoyang Central Army. After ten years of military service, I really can't bear to see this elite division fall apart."
"It's almost completely disintegrated." Shao Xun shook his head and said, "Almost half of the people were gone during Zhao Wanglun's time."
Pei Kuo smiled bitterly and was about to say something, but he saw Sima Yue, who was sitting at the top of the table, raising his glass repeatedly, so everyone started drinking together.
After Shao Xun put down the wine jar, he quietly searched around the table and first saw Mi Huang.
Mi Huang raised his glass in greeting.
Shao Xun picked up the wine bottle and drank it all again.
Lao Mi is now also a "famous general" in Yue Prefecture. He won two battles without any effort and became a general among short men. His status has risen rapidly and his momentum is very strong.
Shao Xun saw Wang Bing again.
He was drinking alone with his head down, obviously in a bad mood.
Shao Xun sighed a little.
He still remembered that when they first met, Wang Bing was quite polite. But when it came to the specific interests, some superficial efforts could not be maintained.
When fellow villagers meet, they are filled with tears, but sometimes they may stab each other in the back.
The shot was fired by Mi Huang and Shao Xun together. Wang Bing was dizzy and felt terrible.
Shao Xun also saw Gou Xi.
This man was the first general of the imperial guards to defect to Sima Yue. They were sitting very close to each other, talking and laughing, and they had a very good relationship.
If Sima Yue wanted to promote a general of the imperial guards, Gou Xi would definitely be the first one to be promoted.
How high he can go depends on the complex exchange of interests between Sima Yue, Sima Ying and Sima Yong.
General Gou is a talented person.
When he was young, he was supported by Shi Jian, the lieutenant of the imperial court. He must have been an ambitious young man at that time. But after Shi Jian's death, he did not make any progress for many years until he joined Sima Yue. Then he changed his allegiance for the second time, joining Sima Jiong, then Sima Yi, and then Sima Yue again...
What surname is this servant of yours?
"Without a family background, it will be difficult to get by unless you lose face." Shao Xun sighed.
After all, Gou Xi did not have a family background like Pei Kuo, so perhaps he had no choice.
Historically, he seemed to have finally obtained the position of governor of a state, but I don't know whether it was a "single-bicycle governor" or a governor-general.
Thinking of this, Shao Xun looked at Pei Kuo again.
His brother was trying to become the governor of Xuzhou, but if he couldn't get the "envoy's authority" and couldn't control the military power, it would be quite boring if he was just a governor.
Where is my territory?
Shao Xun took another sip of wine and thought silently.
He has gradually realized that he can't ask for too much. The ideal situation is to develop in Xuzhou, but if that is not possible, there must be a backup plan. Even if there is an opportunity to be transferred out, he must seize it. After all, the vacant position will not wait for anyone, and he is not qualified to be picky.
He could only make achievements first and then slowly gain Sima Yue's appreciation and trust.
If this cannot be done, then one can only wait until the Jin court's rule collapses completely and it is no longer able to eliminate local separatist forces, and then directly seize the land and become king.
The sounds of stringed instruments became more and more pleasant.
Sima Yue clapped his hands, and a group of beautiful and graceful girls came in and danced gracefully.
The night banquet entered its climax.
(End of this chapter)