Brocade clothing as the country

Chapter 335
"My lord, I haven't received a letter from South Street for half a month."

Zhang Shiqiang spoke in a low voice, and everyone who heard it understood what it meant. The habit here is that Wang Tong will send a private letter to the capital every two to three days.As usual, letters from foreign ministers to the emperor were submitted to the Secretary of General Administration, while secret letters were directly handed over to the eunuch in charge of affairs under the Supervisor of Ceremonies.

However, Emperor Wanli, the chief inspector of ceremonies in the palace, can't get in his hands now. There are some words in Wang Tong's secret letter that can't be seen by unrelated people, so the letters here are sent to South Street. Zhao Jinliang has time to come every day. On South Street, take a look at the maintenance of the Delicious Hall and the Tiger's Mighty Hall as usual.

This is also an order from Emperor Wanli, after all, this is where his best memories of the past few years are.Usually, the person who sent the letter sent the confidential letter to Zhao Jinliang at this time, and then he handed it over.

The letter from Emperor Wanli to Wang Tong is not so complicated. Usually it is directly handed over to the Department of Public Security, and a trustworthy person will be arranged there to deliver it.

Since the two sides started to communicate in this way, Tianjin sent about six letters a month, and the capital sent back four letters a month. In case of major and urgent matters, this number will increase.

But these days, although Wang Tong's letters are still the same, the replies from the capital's side have become increasingly sparse. Zhang Shiqiang is responsible for the delivery of letters, so there is a saying.

Maintaining regular correspondence with the emperor, and always being in the emperor's heart, this is a guarantee of safety for Wang Tong, especially when he is in a situation where he is always under the enemy, only by obtaining the protection of the emperor at all times can he Peace of mind.

Wang Tong's expression didn't change, he just said calmly there:
"The first month is approaching, and His Majesty is busy with affairs, and it is inevitable that he has just got married."

After breakfast every day, Cai Nan and Yang Sichen would come to Wang Tong's side to go through all the affairs that happened yesterday. Later, Zhang Shiqiang, Sun Dahai, Tan Jiang and others also checked their affairs.

For all military, civil, and business decisions and judgments that do not require Wang Tong's personal order and signature, he will come to inform him at this time and make up the formalities.There are also decisions that have already been made, let's see what everyone has to add, what to do next, and the plan should be communicated to each other.

It almost meant a morning meeting and a meeting for office work. After Wang Tong proposed it, everyone, especially those warriors, felt very uncomfortable and annoying at first. After a few months, it became a habit. Everything is done smoothly, and it is comfortable to do so.

At this time, there were Wang Tong, Zhang Shiqiang and Cai Nan in the room. Seeing Wang Tong's understatement, Cai Nan, who was born in the palace, understood this better than others, and said anxiously in a low voice:

"My lord, the Long Live Lord is not busy with political affairs. Didn't you see the news from Eunuch Zou? Sun Hai, the admiral of the Imperial Horse Supervisor, is leading the Long Live Lord to play in Xiyuan. This is not the same as what we do in the Huwei Martial Arts Hall." Similarly, if Lord Long Live is not interested in us, I'm afraid someone with a heart will take advantage of the loophole!"

We all share weal and woe, if Wang Tong is good, everyone is good, if Wang Tong loses, no one can get anything good, Cai Nan was reviled in the palace, and now he finally got a position of supervisor of the army, he absolutely does not want to suffer any more twists and turns .

He was more anxious than Wang Tong. Wang Tong was concentrating on looking at a document, holding a hard pen in his hand, writing a few words of comments on it from time to time.

After reading the paper and putting it down, he raised his head and found Cai Nan's anxious expression. He was taken aback for a moment, and then burst out laughing. He asked loudly:

"Cai Jianjun, what do you think Wang should do?"

This rhetorical question made Cai Nan open his mouth, but there was no answer. After thinking about it carefully, there was really nothing he could do about it. Could it be that he could go to the capital to meet the emperor? Now Sun Hai can play various tricks in Xiyuan to please the emperor. Wang Tong After returning to the capital, what else can I do besides the old love, is it obviously unrealistic to toss around in martial arts halls and restaurants.

Seeing that Cai Nan couldn't answer, Wang Tong shook his head and said with a smile:

"There is nothing to do about this kind of thing. If I want to do something deliberately, I'm afraid it will have the opposite effect."

"...Are we doing nothing?"

"Are we idle now?"

Wang Tong asked back with a smile. Seeing the confused expressions on Cai Nan and Zhang Shiqiang's faces, he asked leisurely:

"When I was in the capital, I ran a delicacy hall and a mighty tiger hall, and punished villains with your majesty in the capital. At that time, your majesty's trust in me was the same for a while, but everyone in the palace hated it deeply. I was driven to Tianjin. I was just a small family at the time, and yet I was so wary of others. This Sun Hai is a majestic eunuch, a dignified eunuch, and a big man in the palace. You think Feng What will father-in-law and father-in-law Zhang think, what will elder Zhang Ge think, and what will the two empress dowagers think?"

Cai Nan was stunned by these rhetorical questions, and whispered to himself:

"Eunuch Zhang Jing, Eunuch Zhang Jing, is the confidant of the Empress Dowager Cisheng, and Sun Hai is a member of the Empress Dowager Chen. Even they..."

Speaking of this, he was terrified, shut his mouth quickly and looked around, there were Wang Tong and Zhang Shiqiang in the room, Zhang Shiqiang had already lowered his head.

Wang Tong smiled and continued:

"The soldiers we trained in Tianjin Acropolis, and the gold flowers and silver that we sent to the capital continuously, are what we are doing. This is really adding strength to the Holy One. As long as we are doing it, see Those silver coins, seeing the soldiers here, the Holy Majesty will always remember us in his heart, and our grace will not change."

Cai Nan, who was talking in one word, nodded again and again, and the worry on his face disappeared a lot. He rubbed his face and said with a smile:

"Master Wang still understands the matter, but our family is confused. My lord and brother Zhang are busy first. Today our family is going out of the city to the Haihe River. The roster of the five hundred young and strong people drawn by Pan Ming has already been made. Brother Tan Jian went over to check together."

While speaking, he stood up holding the account book, saluted Wang Tong, greeted Zhang Shiqiang again, and went out.

Cai Nan left, Zhang Shiqiang was also going to go out on business, he was stopped by Wang Tong before he moved, but he was startled when he turned around, but Wang Tong's face did not have the calm smile just now, instead it was very heavy.

"Brother Zhang, I have a letter here. You should send someone to send it to Zou Yi and Lu Wancai in the capital in the morning. You must investigate carefully to see what intentions Sun Hai has in these recent actions that we haven't discovered."

Zhang Shiqiang hurried forward to accept the letter, and Wang Tong added:
"The eyeliner and hidden stakes inside and outside the city have to be ordered. Let everyone be careful, don't be taken advantage of by others, there are too many variables, we have to be careful every step of the way."

************
The most prosperous place in Tianjin Acropolis is at the canal outside the city, but the exchanges and receptions between officials are all carried out in the city.Therefore, there are also some neat and elegant restaurants and inns in the city, which are exclusively used by these officials.

One street to the south of the Bingbei Road Government Office, there is a large inn called Sifang Inn. This inn occupies almost one-third of the street. Next to the front of the inn, a two-story building was built separately, and three courtyards were opened up, which were used for banquets. The food and wine of the Sifang Inn is also very famous in Tianjin Wei.

Baoding Mansion's sorghum shochu, fish and lamb leg stew "first fresh" are all signatures. The owner of the Sifang Inn once served as a county magistrate and a general judge in Zhending Mansion, and he was born in Juren.

With this level of background, the officials are more carefree, and there is less right and wrong. The business has been going smoothly, and the shopkeepers know the rules. Therefore, most of the official banquets and entertaining guests are here, and the business is very good. .

Wang Tong has eaten here a few times, the shochu is okay, and the first dish is very appetizing to him. He went back to learn how to cook it a few times, but he couldn't make it taste like this, so he came here to eat once in a while.

During the twelfth lunar month, everyone was either going back to celebrate the New Year, or was extremely busy at the end of the year. The business of Sifang Inn was also much slower, but today the lobby of the inn was very lively.

A dozen big men in mandarin duck battle jackets were having breakfast there. The mandarin duck battle jackets were originally the uniforms of soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, but they were layered on and off, and the things worn by the soldiers were tattered. .

But to be able to eat breakfast at the Sifang Inn and wear a brand new battle jacket, this is not an ordinary soldier.

Look at the food on the table, although it is breakfast, there are fish, shrimp, beef and sheep, very rich, more than a dozen of them occupy three tables, eating and drinking there.

There are also a few scattered guests in this lobby, and they all avoid it far away, not daring to approach.

"This errand is very heartwarming. He will go to the post after he is ready for the army, and it will make our brothers unable to go home for the New Year."

"It's so cold. It's warm in the outside room. It's like an icehouse here. It's uncomfortable."

"Man, man, bring me a jar of that shochu yesterday, remember to warm it up first."

Hearing this loud greeting, the guy who was called came over with a bitter face, came up to him and said with an apologetic smile:

"Several military lords, the shop does not sell alcohol in the morning and at noon."

"Fuck your mother, it's not that grandpa won't give you money when you eat here, quickly take out the wine, this bastard place in Tianjin, there is nothing good except for the shochu, quickly bring it to grandpa! Otherwise, it will be chopped down with a knife you!!"

As soon as the guy finished saying this, the soldier who ordered the wine had already stood up, pointing at the guy and yelling and cursing, the shopkeeper behind the counter hurried over and explained:
"The officials and military masters who live in the small shop have to do business. The owner of the small shop is also afraid that you will miss the official business by drinking, so he made a rule not to sell alcohol in the morning and afternoon. Since the military master wants to drink...

"Savage bastard..."

While explaining, a sentence came from the corner of the shop. Although the voice was very small, everyone could hear it clearly. A dozen big men immediately stood up and glared.

(End of this chapter)