When the officials of the scattered dynasty passed through the royal street and dispersed, Cai You ran back like a fly. Looking at his vigorous appearance, it is obvious that he often runs back and forth on this street.

Wu Haogu asked with a smile: "Brother Anju, have you met any of the prime ministers today?" ”

"I haven't seen Xianggong," Cai You didn't care, and replied with a smile, "but I happened to meet His Royal Highness King Duan." ”

"Duanwang is ......"

Wu Hao's ancient sayings are all here, Cai You knew what he wanted to say, and laughed and said: "It's not too early, let's go to the West Garden, otherwise we will miss the hour, there is a bottom, let's talk on the way." ”

"Okay, let's go together."

Cai You took the Wuhaogu brothers to a crossroads, and sure enough, a carriage was parked on the side of the road, so the three of them got into the car and walked slowly in the direction of Baoning Cidi.

"Brother Chongdao, do you know what His Royal Highness King Duan likes most on weekdays?"

On the way to Baoning Cidi, Cai You really chatted with Wu Haogu about Duanwang Zhao Ji.

Wu Haogu snapped his fingers and said, "Calligraphy, painting, and juju." ”

Wu Haogu's answer made Cai You's eyes light up, and he stroked his palms and smiled: "Not bad, not bad...... It must have been your big brother telling you, right? ”

In fact, Gao Yu did not tell Wu Haogu about the preferences of Duanwang Zhao Ji, which Wu Haogu learned from the history books of later generations.

"Exactly."

Cai You nodded, and said with a smile: "This is the talent of His Royal Highness the King, don't say that it is unique in this dynasty, even if it is afraid of ancient times. Calligraphy, painting, and keju are hard to say that they are great avenues, but ordinary people spend their entire lives and can understand the same. But this Duan Wang was only sixteen or seventeen years old, and he was proficient in everything.

And Duanwang's talent is not limited to this, music, chess, equestrianism, bow and arrow, poetry, all of which are refined, and they are really talented! ”

I just won't be an emperor......

Wu Haogu sighed in his heart, and then thought: This Cai You has studied Duanwang Zhao Ji thoroughly, and his ability to be an official is really strong.

It's a pity that I can't do anything......

Along the way, Wu Haogu and Cai You were still discussing Duanwang's preferences, and the more they talked, the more excited they became.

But Wu Haowen shook his head secretly, if one was not his brother and the other was Cai Jing's son, he would have left long ago.

How could a dignified civil official of the Song Dynasty be bent on the prince?

The West Garden, also known as Boryeong Cidi, is located in the Tianbo Gate and is a garden-like mansion.

This is the mansion given to Wang Shu and Princess Bao'an (the daughter of Song Yingzong, and later named the princess of Shu), built in the second year of Song Yingzong's reign (1065). The halls, corridors, pavilions and pavilions in the park are staggered, ponds and lakes, sparkling, and a large number of precious flowers and trees are also planted, pine and bamboo.

"Those who come to the West Garden today, except for some elderly relatives, are mostly young talents, Ji Yizhi and Li Shimei from Taixue, Mi Yuanhui from Guozi Supervisor, and Hu Kanghou, a doctor from Taixue, will all come."

Cai You was outside the gate of the West Garden, and said to Wu Haogu and Wu Haowen brothers with a smile: "In addition, the military situation in the west is urgent these days, and most of the people will talk about it." ”

The military situation in the west is the Battle of Hengshan, and now is the most critical time, the Empress Dowager Xiaoliang of Western Xia is mobilizing large soldiers, and she will soon pour the country to fight.

And this battle, which was related to the gains and losses of Hengshan, also had a great impact on the courts of the Song and Xia countries.

More than 20 years ago, the Song army's disastrous defeat in the two battles of Yongle City and Lingwu caused a heavy setback to the Xining New Deal, which was already struggling at that time, and it can even be said that it was the main reason for the subsequent defeat of the New Party - if the two wars were won, the Western Xia would perish, and the status of the New Party, which had achieved the great victory of destroying the country, would naturally be difficult to shake!

The already precarious authority of the Empress Dowager Liang (the aunt of the Empress Dowager Xiaoliang) in Western Xia was consolidated because of the great victories in the Yongle City and Lingwu battles.

Today, history seems to be repeating itself.

In the Great Song Dynasty, the **** New Party needed to consolidate its position with the victory of the Battle of Hengshan. On the Western Xia side, Empress Dowager Xiaoliang, the niece of the two empress dowagers, also needed a decisive victory to consolidate her power.

Therefore, the ongoing Battle of Hengshan is not a battle for the survival of Western Xia, but a battle for the survival of the relatives of the Liang clan of Western Xia and the New Party of the Great Song Dynasty!

In this case, you have to be careful what you say, and you can't go against the ruling new party.

Wu Haogu nodded and said with a smile: "The battle of Hengshan is a great victory in sight, what else is there to discuss?" ”

The two were talking, when they suddenly heard someone laughing behind their backs: "It turns out that Brother Chongdao can still predict that the enemy will win thousands of miles away." ”

Wu Haogu hurriedly turned around to look, and saw Ji Yizheng, a member of Taixue who had a relationship with Panjiayuan the day before yesterday, walking with a young man dressed as a scribe.

"Brother Yizhi laughed," Wu Haogu hurriedly pulled his brother forward to greet him, "This is Brother Haowen, he is a student of Kaifeng Mansion - Second Brother, this is the Ji Yizhi official I told you." ”

After introducing Ji Yi, Wu Haogu suddenly found that he was a "foreign scholar" who came with Ji Yi. This person's face is like Fu Pink, his hair and eyes are golden, the bridge of his nose is very high, his eye sockets are slightly sunken, and his chin is very wide, typical of a white man.

It may not be strange to see a white person in Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty, but now there are almost no white people on the streets of Kaifeng in Tokyo, the Great Song Dynasty, not to mention this kind of blonde white man, even the black-haired Arab Wu Haogu has never seen it.

However, this "foreign scholar" opened his mouth with a standard Kaifeng accent: "In Xia Wangfu, Taixue sacrifices his life." ”

It turned out to be Wang Huang, one of the six thieves!

Wu Haogu remembered that there was indeed such a Western-looking figure recorded in the history books of later generations...... Looking at him like this, he must be a half-blood, maybe his father bought a Germanic or Slavic concubine from an Arab merchant, right?

"It turned out to be Wang Jiangming (Wang Fu's character)," Wu Haogu knew that the other party was a traitor in the future, so of course he didn't want to be offended, so he hurriedly gave a salute.

Hearing Wu Haogu call his name, Wang Fu also thought that he had really heard of his name (he had indeed heard it), and also touted Wu Haogu a few words. Then Wu Haogu introduced Wu Haowen to Wang Fu - Wu Haogu was really lucky today, and he got acquainted with two future traitors in one day!

As for Cai You, he had known Wang Fu for a long time, and the two also exchanged a few words, and then Cai You took the lead and led everyone into the courtyard of the West Garden.

However, as soon as he entered the door, he was stopped by two guards, saying that he wanted to see the invitation. Cai You, Wang Fu, Ji Yizhi and others all had invitations, but Wu Haogu and Wu Haowen brothers didn't, so they were all stopped at the door, so Wu Haogu could only ask Ji Yi and Cai You to give Gao Yu a word, and he and his younger brother waited outside the door.

I don't know how big this West Garden is, and the martial brothers have been waiting for an unknown amount of time, and they haven't seen Gao Yu come out. Just when I was a little impatient, I suddenly heard a luan bell ringing.

A few horses came from far and near, and stopped in front of the West Garden Gate.

Several men in brocade robes jumped from the horse, one of whom was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with delicate features, fair skin, and a tall young man who seemed to be of noble status, and walked towards the door under the escort of the others.

Wu Haogu knew that the identity of the person who came was extraordinary, so he hurriedly pulled his younger brother to the side, but the young man still noticed the picture scroll in Wu Haogu's hand and stopped.

"Are you an art dealer or an artist?"

The young man pointed at Wu Haogu and asked.

"A petty official has good eyesight," Wu Haogu said with a smile, "and he is both a dealer and a painter." ”

"Oh, you sent a painting to the king's horse?" The young man asked, staring at the scroll in Wu Haogu's hand.

"No," replied Wu Haogu, "I sent a painting to Gao Yu, the scribe in the Wang's Mansion." ”

"Gao Yu?" The boy asked, "What kind of person is it?" ”

This was not to ask Wu Haogu, but to ask one of his relatives by the young man. However, Wu Haogu misunderstood, unfolded the scroll in his hand and said, "This person is Gao Yu." ”

When the boy looked up, he blurted out, "Good painting!" Good boy!

Who painted this painting? Is it Gao Yu who draws a juju? ”

Wu Haogu couldn't tell where the other party came from, but he knew that he must be a nobleman, so he replied: "This painting is indeed a portrait made below, and the one who bows on the painting is the high man in the Wang's Horse Mansion." ”

"By the way, who are you? Where? ”

"In Xiawu Haogu, the martial arts painter on Panlou Street is doing business."

The young man nodded lightly and said to a brocade-robed man beside him: "Panlou Street, the martial arts painting house, the martial arts are ancient...... Noted down. ”

"No." The big man answered.

The young man glanced at Wu Haogu again, and said with a smile: "I made an appointment today, I won't talk to you more, let's look for you again in the future." ”

After speaking, he walked into Wang Xu's Baoning Cidi with the big man.

"Big brother," looking at the young man's back, Wu Haowen asked his brother in a low voice, "Who is he?" Why don't you even have a name? ”

Wu Haogu squinted his eyes and looked at the gate of Bao Ning Cidi, as if he was talking to himself: "It's okay if you don't leave a name, you can always see each other again at Yaji later, maybe it's him, right?" If only he were the only one......"