When it was almost noon, Zhao Shijiang, the Marquis of Huayin, took two companions, dressed as civilians, and went all the way to Huilin Courtyard in the north of the city. Turning over and dismounting in front of the door, he was welcomed into the courtyard by a monk who knew the guest.

Huilin Temple is not a famous temple in the capital, and the area is not large. The main hall is dedicated to Guanyin Bodhisattva, and there is no plaque hanging on it.

The monk led Zhao Shijiang past the hall, but stopped at the door. Zhao Shijiang, who was already in a bad mood, frowned, the corners of his mouth pulled down, and the corners of his eyes were raised.

The monk smiled: "The Guanyin Bodhisattva of the Yuan seems to have ushered in from Putuo, and it is the most effective. The little monk seems to be worried about Huayin Hou today, and he must have something on his mind. Why not respect a pillar of incense, ask the Bodhisattva for blessing, and you can also get a peace of mind. ”

Zhao Shijiang stared at the smiling and pleasant-looking monk with the corners of his mouth drooping, but without saying a word, he entered the hall and entered a stick of incense, and lost a string of money before coming out.

Following the monk to the backyard, Zhao Shijiang said coldly: "It's really bad luck these days, if you can transfer it, you should come and make a wish." ”

"The Marquis of Huayin is a person of great blessing, there is a god and Buddha to protect him, and he will pay tribute to the Bodhisattva today, and he should have a happy letter in the future."

The monk said good things all the way and led Zhao Shijiang to the door of a meditation room in the backyard. After the name, the door of the meditation room creaked open, and a middle-aged man of thirty-five or sixteen and a white-bearded old monk wearing a robe walked out.

The old monk was the abbot of the courtyard, and when the monk saw him, he stepped aside. The old monk bowed to Zhao Shijiang: "Marquis Huayin, the little monk is polite." ”

The middle-aged man stood on the steps and laughed loudly: "Sanyi, you're late." ”

"I received Uncle Ninety-Seven's post yesterday, but I didn't dare to delay when I got up today, it's not noon yet, it's Uncle Ninety-Seven who came early." Zhao Shijiang first saluted the middle-aged man, but he didn't let him go. He turned his head and returned the salute to the old monk: "Master Shouduan, Zhao Shijiang is polite." ”

The abbot Shouduan monk invited the two into the meditation room, and personally poured tea for the two of them, "Ye Guogong, Huayin Hou, please sit down for a while, and the wine and rice will be delivered soon." The little monk was inconvenient to disturb and retired first. With that, he exited the door.

The furnishings in the meditation room are very simple, and the tables and chairs are all horizontal and vertical lines, without any superfluous patterns, only a faint sandalwood in the incense burner.

Zhao Shijiang didn't let his companion come in to serve, and there were only him and Zhao Zonghan, the Duke of Ye Guo, who was sitting opposite, in the room. After drinking all the tea in the cup in one sip, Zhao Shijiang lifted the teapot himself and poured another cup for himself.

"Uncle Ninety-Seven, there are no other guests today?" Zhao Shijiang asked.

"I'll invite you Sany." Zhao Zonghan said with a smile.

The character of Taizu's lineage is Dewei's descendant, and Zhao Shi will be Taizu's great-great-grandson. Taizong's lineage is Yuan Yun Zongzhong, and Zhao Zonghan is Taizong's great-grandson. The difference between the two generations was doubled, and Zhao Zonghan himself was ranked ninety-seven among his peers in that room, even though Zhao Shijiang was five or six years older, he had to say ninety-seven uncle.

Speaking of kinship, the two are actually very estranged, but when it comes to familiarity, they often meet, but it is only in the past six months that they are really familiar with each other because of the horse racing league.

Zhao Zonghan has invested in Keju and the racecourse, but Zhao Shijiang happens to be the head of the Jockey Club - among the many clans, only he cares about face the most, and directly comes out to support the Jockey Club and is the head of the Jockey Club in a dignified manner. Unlike the Qiyun head office, although the proprietor of each team is qualified to be the head and vice president of the head office, the nobles of the clan who raise the team at home have always sent agents to come forward, and they have not said that they are ahead - after drinking together a few times, the friendship has also gained three or five points.

Drank two cups of tea and quenched my thirst. The abbot monk led a few delicate little novices and sent a vegetarian meal up.

In the late autumn, there are people who grow vegetables in the hot springs near the capital, and there are a lot of vegetables, plus some dried bamboo shoots, tofu, vegetarian chicken, and vegetarian meat, there are also seven or eight dishes, which is not less for two people.

In this Huilin Courtyard, Su Zhai is doing well, but it is not very famous, and the incense is not prosperous. It's just that Qingjing also has the benefit of being quiet, but it is a big restaurant, and people come and go, so it is a private room that is specially selected, and it is inconvenient to speak.

The plain porcelain bowl was filled with rice wine. It has not been distilled or cellared, and it is served out when it is brewed, and it is a very light vegetarian wine, although it has been sifted, it is still a little cloudy. It can be seen from the diet that the monks in this Huilin Temple are still abiding by the rules, and they are much stronger than the flower monks who marry wives and eat meat in Daxiangguo Temple.

The taste of the dishes and drinks is good, but Zhao Shijiang doesn't think that Zhao Zonghan's invitation today is to drink wine and eat food. But when he was about to speak, Zhao Zonghan always advised him to drink: "Drink and eat first." This Hui Hui is the monk who cooks in the courtyard, although his cooking skills are not as good as those of Shangda Xiangguo Temple and Baoci Temple, but they are not bad. ”

After three rounds of drinking, Zhao Zonghan put down the wine glass and chopsticks, and his expression was more serious, "Sanyi, I won't say much about the scene." Today I set up wine in this Huilin Courtyard, what do you want to say, I think you also know the way. I don't know what you think? Can you put it bluntly? ”

"Since Uncle Ninety-Seven wants the little nephew to say it directly, the little nephew has nothing to do, but I still want to ask first, this time, is the Qiyun Headquarters ready to accept its fate?" Zhao Shijiang spoke directly, and then said: "If this is the case, it is inconvenient for me, the head of the horse racing association, to meddle in the Qiyun headquarters. ”

"Resignation or something, I never thought about it. But this time, it's not a family matter, and the view of the portal has to be put aside for a while. ”

"Isn't this a family thing?" Zhao Shijiang grinned, "Uncle Ninety-Seven, should you just rely on this sentence to ask the Horse Racing Headquarters to charge for the Qiyun Headquarters?" ”

Zhao Shijiang's words were straightforward to the point of rudeness, but Zhao Zonghan did not rise to the anger he deserved. As long as Zhao Shijiang is willing to sit down and speak, it is already half of the success, and the remaining half depends on Zhao Zonghan's persuasiveness.

"If it's just about catching the guilty, it doesn't matter at all. But at the moment, Yushitai wants to use the gathering of people as an excuse to attack the Keju League, and it is not so simple. ”

Although it was logical for Yushitai to dispatch for this matter, the face of Zhao Shijiang, the Marquis of Huayin, was still much more ugly, and he only felt that the reflection of the plain porcelain utensils on the table was very dazzling. As a descendant of Emperor Taizu, he has always known what Lu Dao should do to reassure Zhao Guangyi's descendants, but now he wants to do something reassuring, and it seems that it is difficult.

"Uncle Ninety-Seven," Zhao Shijiang said in a deep voice: "I think you also know that the little benefit I got from this horse racing league, how much I have to take out to help the people, if there is no money, how many people will not be able to pass this year's New Year." ”

Zhao Zonghan nodded with satisfaction, "Thanks to Sanyi you, if it were someone else, you wouldn't be so generous." It's a pity that Yushitai doesn't care about anything this time, only whether he can get his wish. ”

Relying on the mountains to eat the mountains, relying on the water to draft the water, there is nothing to say. If someone refuses to let go of this point, Zhao Shijiang will not swallow this breath hard.

"The clan has lost its dignity, and the official family is not good-looking. Not to mention anything else, even if the villagers below compete with the neighboring villages for water, the patriarch must also get his head. It is not surprising that one family is of the same clan, one poor and one rich, but no matter how big the difference is, it must maintain the most basic decency. Anyway, after thousands of us are also Xuanzu, in the first two years, the imperial court cut off more than half of the money and grain without even asking, and many clans took away jade. At present, more than one family relies on the two leagues of Keju and horse racing to support the scene. If the league is cut off again, will we have to ask the Zhao family to beg for food? ”

As Zhao Shijiang spoke, the anger came up. slapped the table, and the wine cup and chopsticks on the table jumped wildly, and even the warm wine shook a few times, almost falling down. He is a well-known fiery temper in the clan, and even the former and current Pu Guogong are unwilling to face it directly.

"If any imperial historian dares to talk about horse racing, I will go to Taimiao to cry Taizu Taizong! I endured Wang Anshi back then, that is, the treasury had no money and no food, and I had to worry about the king. Now the money is piled up in the warehouse, and the rope is about to break; Rice and wheat are stored in grain hoards, and even the shells are about to rot, and the Liao people can be stoned to death with money alone, and they will take away the rations of poor ghosts such as me. The ancestors are on top, but can they see it? ”

Zhao Shijiang does not have much contact with the hot King Pu, only Zhao Zonghan in front of him has a common hobby, but he is more familiar than others. This time, the two of them made an appointment in an inconspicuous temple, they are both a family, and their interests are connected, and there is nothing to avoid when they say something in private, and there is nothing to scruple when they talk.

Zhao Zonghan nodded and agreed, "Every year, even if I am a national prince, even if it is a reward from the official family, it is only more than 100 taels of gold, more than 1,000 taels of silver, and hundreds of 1,000 taels of money and silk, what can this do?!" The daughters of the family can't afford the dowry! If the league is really banned this time, can we still expect the official family to divide the inner library for us? ”

"The lips are dead and the teeth are cold, the Horse Racing Association will cooperate with the Qiyun Headquarters this time, and Uncle Ninety-Seven can rest assured."

"The willingness of the horse racing headquarters to cooperate is indeed a happy event, and it is difficult to say at ease." Zhao Zonghan smiled bitterly: "Zhang Shangying couldn't get along with Han Gang the first two times, but the official family didn't stand on his side, and he didn't send someone to treat Zhang Zhizhong's crimes. He most likely made up his mind to bite Han Gang when he had the chance. With Han Gang's strength, maybe he will really be able to do it in the two mansions in the future. ”

What do you mean by dissenting opinions? That is, no matter how high the status is, how powerful the power is, or how much he is valued by the Son of Heaven, there must be someone in the court who opposes him.

As long as there is a courtier whose status is reasonable, he can get along with Han Gang for many years, and when Han Gang takes up the two mansions, he will most likely be promoted, just to clamp down on Han Gang. Not to mention others, Cai Cheng, the governor of political affairs, was indeed reused by the Son of Heaven from scolding Wang Anshi. Since it is only a matter of time before Han Gang becomes the two mansions in the future, it is actually reasonable for Zhang Shangying to want to be the other party to stir up different opinions.

"What is the Qiyun Headquarters going to do?" General Zhao Shicai didn't believe that the Qiyun Headquarters had no prior plan for this matter.

"If the culprit of the trouble is not caught, the matter will not be over this time. But on the other hand, if the case can be closed quickly, the rest is a war of words. Who wins and who loses depends on which side the official family is on. Zhao Zonghan looked at Zhao Shijiang with burning eyes, and the last step was indispensable to rely on Zhao Shi, who had a very good reputation in the clan.

Zhao Shijiang's eyes froze: "In other words, as long as the case is closed......

Zhao Zonghan nodded affirmatively: "As long as the case is closed." ”