Chapter 904 Return to the Court
Southeast of the capital.
More than a dozen military ships were forming a "Jie" shape and sailing upstream.
The large ship at the front, acting as the arrowhead, was no different from the others. They were all willow-leaf boats with a square bow and square stern, six feet and a half [about 21.6 meters] long and a little over ten feet [about 3.5 meters] wide.
The only difference was that there were three large flags inserted in a triangular shape on the boat's awning, with red background and golden ears fluttering in the wind, revealing an indescribable flamboyance.
The middle pole reads: Lu, the trial commander of the Huguang Recruiting Envoy.
The same was true for the headings of the two large banners on the left and right, except that the surnames were changed to "Shen" and "Han" respectively.
Lu Jianxing came out of the boat awning, crouching, without straightening his back, he first looked up at the three big flags, and then looked at his second brother Shen Lian who was standing at the bow with his hands behind his back.
After hesitating for a while, he couldn't help but lean over and muttered, "Why don't we take down this flag first? The Recruiting Envoy was abolished a month ago. It's ok to set up a front in Jinmen Prefecture, but now we're almost in the capital..."
Shen Lian was originally staring at the junction of Tianshui in a trance. Hearing his elder brother's words, he couldn't help but shake his head and smile - his elder brother was indeed a fierce general in front of the two armies, but he was too cautious in officialdom.
Still looking straight ahead, Shen Lian hooked his hand around Lu Jianxing's broad shoulders, patted him on the shoulder, raised his chin and asked, "Brother, what else do you think is waiting for us ahead, besides the capital?"
Lu Jianxing was stunned when he heard this and looked at him in confusion.
Fortunately, Shen Lian did not mean to play dumb, and said excitedly: "It is a promotion, it is wealth and honor, it is a title for the wife and children..."
Every time he said the above words, the light in Lu Jianxing's eyes became brighter - wasn't it just for these that his two brothers fought to the death in Huguang?
"... and Lord Sun."
When he heard the words 'Lord Sun', Lu Jianxing immediately showed a simple smile on his face and nodded, "Yes, Lord Sun will definitely come to welcome us to Beijing."
As he spoke, he sighed again: "It's a pity that the court has other arrangements, otherwise I would have gone to the East Gate with you to boast about my achievements, and the dragon chariot..."
"It would be nice to have less fame and more benefits."
Shen Lian interrupted his sigh and said seriously: "Brother, although Lord Sun is no longer in the army, you and I cannot forget our roots..."
"That's not what I meant!"
"Then this flag cannot be removed!"
Shen Lian said, turning back and pointing at the three large flags: "After today, it doesn't matter whether or not to put up these flags, or where to put them up, but today we must put them up high - not to show off, but to let Lord Sun know that we still consider ourselves his old subordinates!"
After Lu Jianxing digested what he said, Shen Lian lowered his voice and said, "I have inquired in Jinmen Prefecture. Lord Sun is currently regarded as a close minister by the Crown Prince, and he is also a close friend of Rongguo Mansion. If we bet on both sides, how can we lose him in the future?"
"If we brothers follow in his footsteps, we will be able to stand out sooner or later. When the time comes..."
Sniff
At this moment, the sound of a sharp blade breaking through the air suddenly rang out. The two brothers crouched down at the same time and looked around vigilantly, only to hear someone at the stern laughing and saying, "Hit, hit! Row the boat over quickly before someone else picks it up!"
It turned out that Han Bang was itching to show off his skills and shot a wild duck from the stern of the boat.
When Lu Jianxing heard the noise, he immediately straightened his back and subconsciously walked towards the boat awning. However, after taking two steps, he turned back and said solemnly, "The master has treated you well. It is only natural for us to respect him. Why are you scheming so much?"
Having said that, without waiting for Shen Lian to respond, he strode into the boat awning. Not long after, the sound of him and Han Bang arguing could be heard from the stern.
Not until the sound of the two people arguing became inaudible did Shen Lian withdrew his gaze from the stern. He adjusted his armor and suddenly a bright smile broke out on his lips, perhaps thinking of something.
Beijing, I, Shen Lian, am back again!
…
Outside the east gate, the guest house is on the second floor.
Hearing the sound of footsteps on the stairs, Sun Shaozong first stood up to greet them, but then he realized that there was only one person going upstairs, so he stopped and looked outside the door of the private room with a frown.
Soon, Wang Zhen came in, cursing and bowing: "Sir, that idiot head of the Ministry of War doesn't give us face, saying that he has official business to attend to and dare not leave his post without permission - this scheming person is obviously not a good person. Do you want me to send a few people to investigate his background?"
Sun Shaozong pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "Well, we don't have to entertain him - sit down and talk."
Although his current momentum is at its peak, there are still many arrogant and proud officials in the capital. It is normal to encounter setbacks occasionally, but he will not make enemies with others because of this.
Besides, we are here today to welcome the soldiers who have returned victoriously from the southern expedition. On such a joyous day, why would we argue with a mere head of the Ministry of War?
Wang Zhen sat down at the bottom, but he twisted and turned on the chair and never sat properly.
"how?"
Sun Shaozong casually picked up some food and asked while chewing, "Is there anything else you want to say?"
“Not really…”
Wang Zhen scratched his head awkwardly, glanced outside with the corner of his eye, and confirmed that the dozen or so personal soldiers outside were shouting and making drinking orders. Then he asked in a low voice: "I heard that a few days ago, a boy in Rongguo Mansion was killed by a maid. I wonder..."
Sun Shaozong glanced at him and said, "Don't ask about irrelevant matters."
Wang Zhen immediately backed out and said with a smile, "Yes, yes, yes, I am sorry for my rudeness, sir. Please forgive me."
Seeing that although he didn't dare to ask any more questions, his curiosity had not diminished at all, Sun Shaozong became serious again: "Although this is not a royal family matter, it involves the younger brother of Consort De. It's ok for others to spread some gossip, but you just returned to the Northern Pacification Office to take up your post, you can't let people use it as a handle!"
Wang Zhen then came to his senses, quickly stood up and responded respectfully, saying that he would be careful with his words and actions in the future.
Sun Shaozong originally didn't want to talk more about the Rongguo Mansion, but since he had been taught a lesson and he had sworn so solemnly, it would seem that he didn't trust him enough if he didn't reveal any details.
So I picked out what I could say and described it briefly.
After hearing this, Wang Zhen was greatly disappointed. After all, the rumors on the streets were much more legendary and fantastic than the case itself.
Not to mention anything else, there are as many as seven or eight versions of polyamorous and incestuous sex alone.
In other words, the brothers of the Jia family have not yet married, otherwise, no one knows how much gossip there would be about the eldest uncle and his younger sister-in-law, the younger uncle and the eldest sister-in-law.
But as they were chatting, they heard a commotion downstairs, followed by the sound of . Before the man even reached the second floor, he heard shouts filling his ears: "Second brother? Second brother! Which room are you in?!"
Xue Pan?
Why is he here?
Thinking of the white body under him a few nights ago, Sun Shaozong felt a little guilty for some reason, but he still took the initiative to stand up and greet him, and asked in surprise: "Why are you here, brother?"
"What are you talking about, brother?"
Xue Pan, dressed in red, saw Sun Shaozong coming out of the private room and immediately said in dissatisfaction: "The heroes who killed the Tartars have returned victoriously. How can I, Old Xue, miss it?!"
"What kind of Tartars are they? They are called Wuxi barbarians."
"It's all the same, as long as they are not our Han sons." Xue Pan swung his sleeves carelessly, and suddenly remembered something, and said hurriedly: "Oh, when I was leaving the inner city just now, I saw a few real Tartars strolling on the street. I heard that they came to the court to seek official positions."
"Ask for an official position at the court?"
Sun Shaozong was a little puzzled. The newly established Later Jin Dynasty was currently in the process of integrating the tribes in order to achieve centralization. It was not uncommon for some Jurchen nobles who failed in the power struggle to be forced to defect to the Great Zhou.
But those people are all waiting for rewards or punishments from the court, so how could they take the initiative to come to the capital to seek official positions?
"Second Master! The official ship is coming! The official ship is coming!"
Just as he was wondering, Zhang Cheng downstairs suddenly shouted at the top of his voice. Sun Shaozong hurried to the window and saw more than a dozen official ships carrying the flag of the Huguang Recruiting Envoy, sailing against the wind and waves towards the dock.
