Eleven. New Year's Eve

22. Banquet

Seven years of winter, January.

Su Su quietly came to Huanzhou, which happened to be the evening, the New Year's Eve of Tongyuan City.

The sound of firecrackers outside is full of joy. The colorful lights are hanging high on the streets and alleys, and the tourists are crowd. The whole people in Tongyuan City are preparing for the Spring Festival. On the roadside stall, the shopkeeper shouted one after another, bargaining with the people who bought things. The lively scene is rare.

Zhao Ze gave all the soldiers in Tongyuan City a holiday on this night. Except for a few soldiers defending the city, most of them had a lively and faster New Year happily.

Tongyuan City, Zhao Ze Mansion.

There are two big red lanterns hanging at the door. The three-entry courtyard is decorated with lanterns. The guests are full of people. The servants come and go around the banquet like running water. They are busy with food and pouring wine.

On New Year's Eve, Zhao Ze invited all the generals of the Huanzhou garrison to come to his mansion for wine. In addition, these generals' attendants could not sit in the room at all, so he had to put the banquet in the courtyard, spread out the big table, put up the warm canopy, put a heater under the table, and picked up the lantern torch. The whole Zhizhou government was brightly lit and the voices were boiling.

At that time, Zhao Ze was drinking and chatting with more than a dozen Huanzhou Wenwu officials in the hall, including Sima Guang, Yang Wenguang, Mu Yunhan, He Lin, Guo Maoshan, Li Tieqiang, etc.

Zhang Zai was at another table, accompanying Jiao Yan, Jiao Zhenhua, Chen Shun, Teng Xiong, Tang Lin, Zhang Hai, A Han, Wu Feng, Wu Lang, Wu Xia and others. He said a lot of words of concern and comfort during the banquet, and also encouraged everyone to open their hearts, treat each other sincerely, and take care of each other. In the future, everyone will become a member of guarding one side, or big A generation of famous ministers and generals in the Song Dynasty, sealed his wife and shade, and was immortal.

Zhang Zai's words seemed simple, but they were very effective. Many people thought so, but they were embarrassed to say it. Today, following the New Year's opportunity, Zhang Zai, Zhao Ze's military division, said it for everyone, and everyone's hearts were much brighter.

Even Zhang Hai, who had been depressed, felt much more comfortable. With the strength of wine, Zhang Hai stood up and raised the wine bowl and said, "Gentlemen, everyone, Zhang just respects everyone's bowl. On the one's Eve, it's an auspicious and lively New Year's Eve. On the other is to thank everyone for treating Zhang as their own brothers. Don't say anything superfluous, do it!"

As soon as everyone saw that Zhang Hai was really arrogant, they raised the wine bowl together and made it full.

Then, Chen Shun also stood up and patted his chest and said, "I'm just a hunter in Baiting Town. I can get the favor of Lord Zhao. I don't ask for other places. I just hope that everyone will take care of me more in the future. We are all good brothers. Come to Chen to respect everyone on behalf of my younger brother and do it!"

Chen Shun just sat down, and Jiao Yan also stood up over there. Jiao Yan was also a rough person. He was born like a black bear, but his mind was thick and thin. He was more or less influenced by Zhang Zai. After clearing his throat, he said, "Guys, I, Jiao Yan, I am lucky to know your brothers in Yongzhou. Ah, from now on, we are all good. Brothers, they are all brothers. Isn't there a saying that fighting brothers, father and son soldiers, let's fight Xixia dogs together from now on. It won't be a problem to worship each other. Come on, cheers!"

Jiao Yan stood there and dried three bowls in one breath. When the brothers around him saw that Jiao Yan was so bold, the atmosphere on the wine table suddenly warmed up. They all wanted to take the opportunity to get closer to each other on New Year's Eve and talk about what was in their stomachs.

In this way, you open the bowls of me in circles.

In the end, even Zhao Ze's main table was not spared. First, officials of Huanzhou Prefecture and large and small officials toasted, followed by Yang Wenguang, Mu Yunhan, He Lin and others toasting. Later, Sima Guang drank too much and ran to toast. Everyone drank soundly, the face was red, and his tongue was a little short.

During the banquet, Sima Guang thanked Zhao Ze on behalf of the people of Huanzhou. The original words were like this: "Your excellency, thanks to your letter, Beijing has transported a lot of agricultural tools and grain seeds. Our Huanzhou has been saved this year, and the people of Huanzhou have been saved. The granary in Fucheng will definitely be full during the autumn harvest, and our company Ma Guang guarantees. , will definitely deal with the taxes and land of Huanzhou well, so that Huanzhou will become a rich state in the middle!"

Zhao Ze said, "With Junshi's words, I'm relieved. Although our Huanzhou is poor, we are honest and brave. I believe we will go to the next level this year!"

Yang Wenguang drank a little too much. He was drunk and knocked on the bowl and said, "Your Excellency, let's get to know each other. I admire you very much. I, the Yang family, and the Zhe family. I will pay you another bowl on their behalf. Let's do it!"

"Okay, do it!" Zhao Ze grabbed the sea bowl and dried another large bowl.

Next, Mu Yunhan, He Lin, Guo Mioshan and Li Tieqiang also came to toast one after another. Everyone drank bitterly again. Zhao Ze drank around and didn't know how much wine he had drunk. In short, his whole body floated.

The scenery in front of me is blurred, and it seems to be upside down.

Later, I don't know who helped him back to the room, undressed, and then went to sleep like a dead pig.

It seemed that after not sleeping for a long time, the door suddenly opened.

Shangguan Mei came in with a lantern, with a woman in a black cloak and a white fox fur jacket. This woman was not someone else, but Su Su, Zhao Ze's nominal sister.

"Sister, the adult is asleep. I think it's hard to wake up!" Shangguan Mei gently pushed Zhao Ze, who was lying in **, and then said.

Su Su took off her warm hat and showed her long black hair like a waterfall. She had a beautiful face and a white neck. She told Shangguan Mei with a smile: "Sister, don't worry. You go and have a rest. I'll wake him up. I have something important to discuss tonight, and I'll go back tomorrow morning."

Shangguan Mei felt too sorry for her sister and immediately stopped her, "Sister, you have come all the way to Huanzhou and stay for a few more days. I will do my best to be a girl's filial piety, cook, boil water, bathe and change clothes for my sister..."

Before Shangguan Mei finished speaking, Su Su took her hand and told her, "My sister's good intentions. I understand my sister's heart. There will be a chance in the future. Now that it's urgent, I have to leave immediately tomorrow."

"That..." Shangguan Mei pointed to Zhao Ze lying on the bed.

"Sister, go and accompany Baihua. I have sobering medicine, which is useful to keep." Su Su mysteriously winked at Shangguan Mei.

"Okay, then, sister, I'll go back to the room first. Please tell me before my sister goes."

"Definite, definitely!"

After Shangguan Mei left, Su Su closed the door of the study, walked to the bed, pulled Zhao Ze's body, let him face up, and then took out a small silver medicine bottle from his arms, poured out a pill and stuffed it into Zhao Ze's mouth, and then poured him with some tea.

After a while, Zhao Ze woke up in a daze and felt a pain in his head and was about to lie down.

Su Su grabbed him, shook him hard, and said, "Zhao Ze, Zhao Ze, wake up, wake up, I'm Su Su"

Zhao Ze couldn't control himself to hear someone say that I was Su Su in his ear. He woke up and rubbed his eyes. At a glance, Su Su really sat opposite.

"Ah, Su Su, it's really you. I haven't seen you for a long time. I miss you so much." Zhao Ze took Su Su's tender hand and almost jumped up excitedly.

Su Su smiled faintly and didn't withdraw her hand.

Just let Zhao Ze hold it like that. It was not until she sweated in the palm of her hand that she opened her mouth and said, "Brother Zhao Ze, something big has happened to the capital."

"Something happened again. Is it possible that the Eight Sages King is also dead?" Zhao Ze asked in surprise.

"That's not true," Su Su sighed and replied, "It's unpredictable. Zhao Yuanyan, the king of the eight sages, is getting younger and younger. It's all my fault that my sister treated her at the beginning. Hey, let's not talk about this. Let me tell you, the time and space gate in the Wolf Mountain is closed. From now on, I can't support Huanzhou anymore."

"Ah, in that case," Zhao Ze thought for a moment and suddenly asked, "Then you have to start from nothing and save every penny on hand. I have to count it quickly to see how much money you have left."

"Don't worry" Su Su put her other hand on Zhao Ze's shoulder and told him: "History may be repeated in advance. Renzong died violently, Liao was ready to move, and Xixia also stabbed him in the back. The Privet Department around Baishan and Heishui is also rising. We are in a very bad situation."

"Well, what should I do?"

"There is one more thing I want to tell you"

"What's the matter? It's not about Feiyan, is it?"

"No, I resigned, and the seven parts have also been dismantled"

"Ah" Zhao Ze felt dizzy. After a long time, he said, "My good sister, if you leave like this and leave a pile of mess, how can I clean it up?"

Su Su sighed, "It's hard to disobey God's will. When Renzong was in the reign, there was an old man's support, which could make us do things reckless. Now that Renzong has gone, my abacus has also failed."

"Your abacus? What's the abacus?" Zhao Ze asked.