Chapter 230
230 Dinner and loquat (1)
Dinner? Well, the governor has been in the city for so long, it’s impossible that the officials of Yunzhou don’t know … Xu Qi ‘an’s mental state was much better. He couldn’t sleep anyway, and it was boring to stay at the relay station, so he said, ”
“Alright, please wait a moment, my Lord.”
He put on his boots, tied the gong on the bed to his chest, hung the black gold long knife on the back of his waist, and opened the door.
Provincial governor Zhang stood outside the door, wearing a Crimson official’s robe, his posture straight and his aura imposing.
The two of them nodded at each other and went downstairs together. After waiting in the lobby for a while, Jiang Lu Zhong walked in from the courtyard and said, ” we’ve finished counting our members. Let’s go.
The luxurious carriage was parked outside the courier station, accompanied by 30 Tiger guards and 7 night watchmen. The location of the banquet was a large courtyard by the river.
It was a mansion that the Chief Administrator’s Office used to hold banquets for officials, a mansion with four entrances and exits.
Tonight, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse. There was no wind. Although it was Midwinter, it was suitable to hold a banquet in the back garden. As the core of this banquet and also a guest, provincial governor Zhang arrived 15 minutes late on purpose.
This was both an official display of authority and also to give his master ample time to prepare.
When they arrived at the entrance of the mansion, all kinds of carriages and palanquins were already parked there. Some were luxurious, while others were simple. They represented the men of different positions.
Under the guidance of the attendant, Governor Zhang and his entourage came to the front hall and saw the officials of Yunzhou dressed in official robes of various colors. There were more than a hundred of them.
One of them was the Yunzhou magistrate that Xu Qi ‘an had met today.
“Lord Governor.” Amidst the hearty laughter, an official in a red robe with a long beard came up to him.
“Lord chief administrator.” Governor Zhang cupped his hands with a smile.
The chief administrator … He was equivalent to a Governor … Xu Qi ‘an scrutinized the chief governor of Yunzhou. His cheekbones were slightly high, and his eyes were long and narrow. When he smiled, his eyes narrowed into a thin line, giving off a shrewd and shrewd feeling.
Ning was song tingfeng’s long-lost father? ‘Right, if I remember correctly, this chief administrator’s surname is also song …’ The corners of Xu Qi ‘an’s mouth curled up.
Emissary song led the way for Governor Zhang and introduced them one by one. Xu Qi ‘an’s eyes followed closely, taking note of all the officials present.
“This is the commander of Yunzhou, Sir yang.” Envoy song bu came in front of a middle-aged man who looked like a general.
The surrounding voices quieted down immediately, and many pairs of eyes were fixed on provincial governor Zhang and yang Chuannan.
The two imperial court officials looked at each other for a moment and laughed in unison.
“Governor Zhang, it’s an honor to meet you.”
“Lord Commander, it’s an honor to meet you.”
The atmosphere became relaxed again, and the officials also smiled.
…. Why do I have the illusion that it’s a matter of life and death? For a moment, Xu Qi ‘an thought that the scene would freeze, or that both sides would sneer at each other. This was in line with the image of an old man in the officialdom.
In the end, it was so harmonious?
“Governor, the banquet is ready. Shall we go to the backyard together?” The chief governor immediately said.
In the land of a state (province), the three highest-ranking Yamen were:The commander division, the administration Division, and the disciplinary and Investigation Division.
Among them, the disciplinary and investigation office was under the Imperial Censorate, so in front of Governor Zhang, the disciplinary and investigation office was the most like a Lackey.
When they arrived at the backyard, the officials took their seats, and two interesting interludes happened at the main table.
The first episode:
“Ningyan, come to my side,” Governor Zhang waved his hand.
There were a total of ten seats at the main table, with each seat being filled with spit and nails. There were strict rules in the officialdom about who should sit and who could sit.
The crowd immediately looked at the young man named ” Ning Yan. he was wearing a black uniform with a short cloak. A Gong with dark patterns was tied to his chest, and a special, slender saber hung at the back of his waist.
Those with sharp eyes could tell that this copper Gong had an unusual identity just by looking at the saber.
No matter where it was, a person who could do something special would not be an ordinary person.
Many officials secretly paid attention to Xu Qi ‘an.
The second episode was when commander yang Chuannan blocked an official who was taking his seat and pointed to the seat beside him, saying, ”
“A friend is coming.”
The official was stunned for a moment, and then he thought of something. He slapped his head in realization and went to the other tables without any complaints.
…. Friend? not a certain Lord, but a friend? Xu Qi ‘an sat up straight.
“Ningyan, the riddle that we talked about today …” Governor Zhang said in a low voice.
“Lord Governor!” it’s actually very simple, ” Xu Qi ‘an said in a deep voice. you just need to change your mind.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re too serious.” As an Imperial Censorate, Governor Zhang was considered noble in the capital’s officialdom. As an imperial censor, he naturally had a noble status.
If it was a government slacker who was proficient in eating, drinking, prostitution, and gambling, he would have understood it in seconds.
Just as Governor Zhang was about to speak, he caught a glimpse of a young female general in light armor coming in from the corner of his eye. She was tall and had perfect proportions, and her hair was tied up in a high ponytail.
A beautiful and handsome soldier’s wife … Xu Qi ‘an’s eyes suddenly lit up. There was such a beautiful American lady in Yunzhou?
This outfit was much more alluring than JK, Blackie, nurse, or air stewardess. They were not on the same level.
The American lady went straight to the main table and sat next to commander yang Chuannan.
Governor Zhang examined the soldier’s wife and went through the list of people in Yunzhou’s officialdom in his mind, but he found that he couldn’t match them to their names.
“This is …” He asked curiously.
Yang Chuannan laughed. I’m sure you’ve never heard of the great swordswoman of the flying Swallow. Her name is li Miaozhen. She’s the general of the roaming cavalry that I’ve hired. Over the past year, she’s been suppressing bandits everywhere and has made many achievements. If it’s based on merit, then this official’s position as the commander will have to be handed over to someone else.”
His words caused the officials to express their opinions, praising the female general.
Governor Zhang didn’t express his opinion, he only nodded.
The general that yang Chuannan had hired … In other words, he was not an official general of the Imperial court … Xu Qi ‘an looked at the American lady and was moved.
Number two was also in Yunzhou, and she was also keen on exterminating bandits and spitting yuan jing Emperor … She said that she was not from the Imperial court … I once praised her for her chivalry, and this handsome lady is called the flying Sparrow … Pfft, flying Sparrow …
When they were chatting on the canal, number two had supported yang Chuannan and they had a close relationship … Could she be number two? Xu Qi ‘an sipped his tea quietly.
There was no hurry. He would slowly find an opportunity to test her.
In The Earth Book chat group, it was confirmed that No. 5 and No. 2 were both girls. No. 2 was very good-looking, and he could seduce people with his uniform … I wonder how good looking number five is … The barbaric girl from the southern border.
Two rows of dancers in colorful clothes, revealing their shoulders, entered the venue and began to dance to the accompaniment of the musicians.
Since there was no recluse Purple Sun in Yunzhou, no one talked highly of Xu Qi ‘an. The topic revolved around the capital and Governor Zhang. Bah, it was boring and a waste of time to entertain officials.
Li Miaozhen looked at the provincial governor and the others quietly. She focused on Jiang Luzhong and knew that he was a fourth-grade martial artist.
However, he had no idea what he was good at or what his personality was like.
He was not young, but his vitality seemed to be at its peak … I wonder what weapon he’s good at and what kind of “intent” he’s developed. Well, I’ll ask number three after the banquet.
Li Miaozhen lowered her head and took a sip of wine. She immediately began to examine Xu Qi ‘an.His aura was reserved, and it was impossible to see the depth of his aura. However, martial artists in the bronze skin and iron bone realm would occasionally have divine light flashing on their bodies, but this man didn’t have it. He was at most in the spirit forging realm …
The fatigue in his eyes was hard to hide, and his eye bags were swollen. He looked like a pervert who had been hollowed out by wine and women … “This person is either a relative of some important figure in the Yamen, or a relative of provincial governor Zhang. I heard from yang Chuannan that the Imperial Censorate is under Wei Yuan’s charge. It’s reasonable for provincial governor Zhang to arrange for his relative to be the night watchman …
The banquet came to an end in a harmonious atmosphere. The servants served plates of dark-colored loquats, full and big.
There are loquats in this season? Xu Qi ‘an picked up a not-so-fresh loquat, peeled it, and tasted it. It was sweet and sour, and it tasted good. Most importantly, it did not have a core.
“Provincial governor, please have a taste. Our loquats in Yunzhou can be said to be the best. They ripen at the end of spring and the beginning of summer.
after the loquats ripened, they were kept in the cold storage. The ones that went bad were picked every ten days. Now, there are not many left. Song Changfu and emissary song buzheng enthusiastically grabbed a few and placed them in front of provincial governor Zhang.
Governor Zhang ate one and his eyes widened in surprise,”It’s actually a nuclear core?”
Emissary song buzheng laughed without saying anything, and the other officials also laughed.
Provincial governor Zhang was quite surprised. It was his first time eating a loquat with a kernel, and the experience was simply too good. He said in disbelief,
“There’s actually a loquat with a kernel in this world. Wonderful, wonderful.”
What is this? if you eat the seedless watermelon, Won’t You Be moved to tears? Xu Qian said.
“Is this kernel-less loquat a special breed from Yunzhou? How come I’ve never heard of it before?” Governor Zhang said.
“No, it’s only because the loquat tree has received the blessing of the White Emperor temple’s incense, that’s why it bears the spineless loquats,” Song buzheng laughed.
“That’s right, that’s right, this is a good fortune for Yunzhou.”
“Yunzhou is a land blessed by the heavens. Under the care of the White Emperor, the weather is good.”
The officials immediately began to flatter him, instilling the idea of “Yunzhou is an auspicious place” into Governor Zhang’s mind.
Provincial governor Zhang fell into deep thought. He could taste it, but he couldn’t figure out the mystery of the loquat’s kernel. He was so cautious that he didn’t refute.
Emissary song peeled another loquat and handed it over. He smiled and asked, “”Don’t you think so, Governor?”
… “Lord song. you said …. Governor Zhang said helplessly.
“Lord song, you are wrong.” Xu Qi ‘an suddenly interrupted him.
The officials at the main table and the other tables looked over and stared at Xu Qi ‘an.
Li Miaozhen, who was eating with her head down, was very disdainful. She knew the reason, but she was now standing on the side of Yunzhou’s officialdom, so she did not expose Governor song.
She raised her head and stared at the rude Xu Qi ‘an, waiting to hear what he would say.
Envoy song buzheng frowned and looked at the gong that he had almost ignored. His smile did not change as he said, “”What can I do for you, my Lord?”
Xu Qi ‘an put down the wine glass and slowly chewed the food in his mouth. After swallowing it, he picked up a loquats and smiled.
“The principle is simple. You just need to pull out a whisker in the center of the pistil during the flowering period of the loquat, and the loquat that bears will not have a core.
“Lord chief administrator, is what I said correct?”
The table fell silent. The officials of Yunzhou around him looked at him with stiff expressions.
Envoy song’s expression froze.
…..
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