Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 373: Burnt Yellow

Pei Yuan glanced at the crowd and saw that most of them had arrived.

So he asked Yun Buxian, "How are the banquet preparations going?"

Yun Buxian quickly replied, "It's ready."

Pei Yuan shouted, "Okay, let's get drunk today!"

Just as he was about to lead everyone to the banquet, there was suddenly movement at the door.

Pei Yuan was surprised. Soon, Cheng Zhihu, who was guarding the door, came in and asked Pei Yuan, "Captain, that Left Councillor of the Ministry of Public Administration, Wei Ne, is here again. He brought someone with him. He said he was the young lady's father. Should we let them in?"

This banquet for Pei Yuan to take a concubine involves many aspects of the court, and not everyone is qualified to attend.

Cheng Zhihu was born into a wealthy family in Huaishang and had a rather rough temperament.

After he came to work for Pei Yuan, he couldn't help feeling uneasy, fearing that he had made a mistake. So whenever he was unsure about something, he would come to ask.

At this moment, everyone had just stopped talking and were preparing to sit down at the table, and they all listened to Cheng Zhihu's words.

The guests were amazed.

They didn't take the position of Left Councillor of the Ministry of Public Administration seriously. As for taking a concubine, how could the girl's parents go to the boy's house to attend the wedding banquet?
But after everyone thought about it, they felt relieved.

Those who can let their daughter become someone else's concubine must have a difficult family situation. If they have the opportunity to get close to Captain Pei, they must not care about their reputation.

Only Gu Dayong and Qiu Ju, who knew about the situation, felt sad.

The "Eight Tigers" were able to withstand the first fierce attack by the court officials thanks to Jiao Fang's guidance.

Therefore, whether it was Liu Jin, Zhang Yong, Gu Dayong or others, they all showed some consideration for Jiao Fang.

This was also the main reason why Jiao Fang was able to escape political persecution and have a peaceful end after Liu Jin was killed.

As soon as Cheng Zhihu said that just now, they knew that it was Jiao Huangzhong who came.

For an ordinary scholarly family, even if they could marry the granddaughter of former Grand Secretary Jiao Fang as their principal wife, it would be worth making a big fuss about.

It was definitely a glorious thing for Pei Yuan to take Jiao Yan'er as his concubine.

However, Pei Yuan had not disclosed Jiao Yaner's background just now. It was obvious that he had recovered from the satisfaction of winning Jiao Yaner and began to calmly consider the problems he would face later.

It's a shame for such a noble lady to fall into such a miserable situation.

It can be said that the happier Pei Yuan was, the more embarrassed she was.

Pei Yuan was able to give her a peaceful life, which was obviously more loving than showing off her background.

However, I didn't expect Jiao Huangzhong to be so shameless and come over at this juncture.

Gu Dayong and Qiu Ju looked at Pei Yuan, who was obviously silent.

Xiao Yan didn't understand what was going on, so he smiled and said, "Since you're here, why don't you come in? I've given you my beautiful daughter, are you still stingy with a glass of wine?"

Pei Yuan smiled and said calmly, "Since they are here, let them in."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Zhihu went to invite the two men in.

The first to come in was Weiner.

Wei Ne had long known that Pei Yuan's attitude towards Jiao Huangzhong was not very good, and there was a hint of embarrassment on his face.

Next to Wei Ne was a middle-aged man with a beard. He was quite fat. When he saw Pei Yuan, he smiled and said, "This must be my son-in-law. He is really a handsome man! My daughter is lucky to be with you."

While he was talking to Pei Yuan, his eyes were slyly looking around at the guests.

The more he looked, the more surprised he became, and he couldn't help but murmur in his heart.

If such a guest appeared in the home of a cabinet minister or one of the seven great ministers, it might be reasonable.

But Pei Yuan was only of the fifth rank, which made Jiao Huangzhong shocked.

Wei Ne on the side was also slightly surprised.

When he heard Pei Yuan claim that he was Zhu Houzhao's "new knife", he was somewhat skeptical.

The reason why he was able to cooperate with Pei Yuan later on was, firstly, that Pei Yuan showed him the ability to really influence Zhu Houzhao, and secondly, Wei Ne was a stubborn person who was not afraid of boiling water, so he would just go for it if there was any chance.

But now it seems that Pei Yuan has more than just some strength.

These guests alone represent a considerable force.

Pei Yuan did not mind Jiao Huangzhong's presumptuousness in calling him his son-in-law, and said to him in a friendly manner, "Since uncle is here, you can have a glass of wedding wine together."

Jiao Huangzhong smiled shamelessly, "That's right, that's right. It's my daughter's big happy event, how can I, as a father, miss it?"

As he said this, he even acted like a host and invited Wei Ne to join him.

Pei Yuan was speechless about this cheap father-in-law. He simply ignored him and continued to greet Gu Dayong, Xiao Yan and others.

Li Shishi had not been back to Beijing for a long time, so naturally he did not recognize Jiao Huangzhong.

He approached Zang Xian with some curiosity and asked in a low voice, "Who is this?"

Zang Xian glanced at him and said with a smile, "One tael of silver."

Li Shishi's face was full of black lines and he lost interest for a moment.

When we sit down to eat later, how could we not know this person's name?
Zang Xian just smiled and didn't say much.

He had already noticed something strange. Since Pei Yuan didn't take the initiative to talk about it, why should he come out and do such an unpleasant thing?

However, Jiao Huangzhong was restless and took the initiative to greet Gu Dayong, "Eunuch Gu, long time no see."

"Ah, Eunuch Qiu, you are here too, isn't it a coincidence?"

The two old eunuchs felt sorry for Jiao Fang when they saw Jiao Huangzhong was so disrespectful. They didn't expect that Jiao Fang, who was so smart, would give birth to such a shameless son.

The two of them nodded politely to Jiao Huangzhong, and then followed Pei Yuan.

Seeing this, Jiao Huangzhong decided not to try to get close to him. There was still time today, so there was no need to rush.

His eyes swept across Li Shishi's face.

do not know.

He looked at Xiao Yan again.

He doesn't seem to be a famous person.

Then look at Liu Zhishu.

Never seen it either.

But there were two young men following Liu Zhishu closely and obeying him very well, and it seemed that they had some important background.

So he asked Liu Zhishu with a smile, "May I ask your name?"

Liu Zhishu didn't know what was going on, but he didn't dare to neglect the father of Pei Qianhu's concubine, so he quickly replied, "I dare not. I am not talented enough to hold the position of a doctor in the Ministry of Justice."

Thinking that today was a high-level meeting, Liu Zhishu decisively added a new title, "I will be going to Hangzhou soon to serve as the prefect."

I'm no longer interested in the yellowing.

A fourth-rank prefect is indeed incompetent.

But since he had already invited her, it would be bad to end it abruptly, so he encouraged her, "That's not bad either."

After saying this in a gloomy voice, he was too lazy to continue and turned his head to look at the people around him.

Liu Zhishu was so angry.

No matter what, he is still the prefect of Hangzhou and an important figure in the area.

What a remarkable person this guy is to give his daughter to someone as a concubine. His eyes moved and fell on Cheng Leixiang.

Cheng Leixiang was skilled in martial arts and had a keen sense of perception, so he quickly turned around and looked over.

Seeing Jiao Huangzhong looking at him, he quickly smiled and nodded in response.

Jiao Huangzhong had already started, so he didn't bother to hide his feelings and asked directly, "You are..."

Cheng Leixiang replied politely, "I am the commander of Tianjin."

I said "oh" while it was browning.

He is a third-rank official, which is not considered a lowly position, and he is quite polite.

Jiao Huangzhong had a much better impression of Cheng Leixiang and nodded, "That's very good."

Cheng Leixiang smiled and said, "I dare not."

Seeing that Cheng Leixiang's attitude was always friendly, different from everyone else, Jiao Huangzhong asked with some doubt, "Do you know me?"

Cheng Leixiang smiled and answered truthfully, "I don't know him, but you are the young lady's father."

Jiao Huangzhong was stunned for a while before realizing that the young lady Cheng Leixiang was referring to was his daughter.

Cheng Leixiang laughed again, "I am different from others. Others are guests. I am Pei Qianhu's lackey, so I naturally dare not disrespect the young lady's father."

Jiao Huangzhong was slightly surprised when he heard that, then he looked at Pei Yuan and couldn't help but calm down a little.

There was no more noise in the middle of the fire, and soon everyone took their seats one by one.

The seating arrangements for others are easy to arrange, as they are arranged according to rank and age, and the officialdom has its own set of mature rules.

But the position of the browned meat is not easy to arrange.

Logically speaking, today is his daughter's big wedding day, so he should have a seat near the front.

But what is a concubine?

What status does my father have?

If he were allowed to sit in the front today, wouldn't he be laughed at in the capital? Besides, even Captain Pei might not appreciate it.

I will get married in the future.

Jiao Huangzhong didn't care about anything and just moved forward shamelessly.

Wei Ne was a sensible man. Although he understood Jiao Huangzhong's intention to gain personal advantage, and also knew that he wanted to use this opportunity to gain support for Jiao Fang's return to the court, the occasion and identity at this time and place could easily backfire.

So he took the initiative to remind him, "Jiao Hanlin, you can just sit with me."

Jiao Huangzhong used to be a Hanlin official, but now he has been sent back home.

Although Wei Ne praised him highly, even if Jiao Huangzhong was still a Hanlin official, he could only be ranked last.

Wei Ne's approach this time was to speak softly in a tough manner, which was basically ineffective support.

But Gu Dayong, who was sitting in the front seat, said, "Forget it. Today is Yan'er's big wedding day after all, let him sit in the front, just as if he is drinking this wedding wine for the old Prime Minister."

When Gu Dayong said this, Xiao Yan looked at Jiao Huangzhong in surprise, while Liu Zhishu was a little shocked.

Why the old Prime Minister? What does this concubine's wedding banquet tonight have to do with the old Prime Minister?
Jiao Huangzhong was overjoyed when he heard this.

He was not doing this for a position, but Gu Dayong's words clearly showed that he still cared about the friendship they had that day. In this way, he might be able to get help from this person.

Jiao Huangzhong quickly sat down next to Gu Dayong and said with emotion, "It's hard for Eunuch Gu to still remember my father. When he was at home, he would always mention Eunuch Gu's name. If not..."

Gu Dayong interrupted immediately and said with a wry smile, "My family is in trouble now, I can't help you."

When Gu Dayong said this, Xiao Yan looked away awkwardly.

Although he had a good personal relationship with Gu Dayong, he also understood the situation in the inner court.

The very capable "old men of Hongzhi" have risen up one after another and started to replace the "Seven Tigers of Zhengde" whose fighting effectiveness is poor. Now Xiao Jing's upward momentum is obvious, and he may soon be able to serve as the eunuch in charge of the Silijian.

Xiao Yan was Xiao Jing's nephew, and he adopted his son Xiao Tong to Xiao Jing as his grandson, so he naturally hoped for the best for Xiao Jing.

As a result, he and Gu Dayong were in a somewhat awkward situation.

Jiao Huangzhong sighed and said, "I dare not ask for much, I just hope that Eunuch Gu can occasionally mention my father's name in front of His Majesty. My father also worked hard for what happened back then."

Gu Dayong shook his head. "I can't help you with this. To be honest, my family is leaving Beijing and heading to Shandong."

The reconstruction of the West Factory has become widely known.

Because it involved the investigation of a cult and Liang Chu's hatred of Maitreya Buddhism, this matter was not obstructed too much by the civil officials.

However, the fact that Gu Dayong was going to Shandong was still a secret, and only very few people knew about it.

After Gu Dayong said this, even Xiao Yan became interested.

Gu Dayong is currently the one with the most power among the "Seven Tigers of Zhengde" except Zhang Yong. Although his own ability is just so-so, his qualifications are very rich.

Not only did he have experience in commanding powerful departments such as the Imperial Stables and the Western Factory, he also commanded hundreds of thousands of troops to encircle and suppress the bandits in Bazhou.

Originally, Gu Dayong's experience in commanding troops was seen as a symbol of incompetence, but after the last cabinet questioning, his reputation reversed.

The generals and guerrillas from all over the country not only wrote crazy letters to the court, praising Gu Dayong, but also happened to let Gu Dayong get the credit for the Battle of Yanggu for free. As a result, Gu Dayong suddenly became a tragic commander who was taken advantage of by others.

Outrageous!

It was Gu Dayong's sudden rise that made many of Hongzhi's old friends feel a sense of crisis.

The brothers Zhang Rui and Zhang Xiong almost failed to get the position of supervisor of the East Factory.

Now that Gu Dayong is going to Shandong, won't this greatly weaken Zhang Yong's support in Beijing?

Xiao Yan wanted to ask in more detail, but he didn't dare to speak directly.

Jiao Huangzhong was surprised and said without any scruples, "Didn't Eunuch Gu already take over the Western Factory? Could it be that the court still wants Eunuch Gu to supervise the army?"

Gu Dayong hesitated and looked at Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan knew that this was something that could not be concealed, so he nodded slightly.

Gu Dayong said, "It's nothing else. A few days ago, the Royal Guards reported that the Luo Sect in Shandong was spreading wildly. The emperor was worried about this, so he asked us to investigate."

"When my family suppressed the rebellion, I stayed in Shandong for some time and am familiar with the situation in Shandong. I have also heard about some of the things that happened in Luojiao. Therefore, in order to devote myself to the king's affairs, I plan to go there in person."

Jiao Huangzhong felt a little disappointed after hearing this.

After finally getting close to him, I didn't expect that Gu Dayong would leave Beijing.

He asked somewhat unwillingly, "How long will Eunuch Gu be gone?"

Gu Dayong thought about Pei Yuan's arrangements and answered casually, "It will take half a year at the earliest and a year at the latest. I have to finish this matter before I can return to the court with peace of mind."

Xiao Yan was cheered up after hearing this and secretly noted the time.

The period when Gu Dayong was away from Beijing was the best time for the "old people of Hongzhi" to launch a full-scale attack.

No one else said a word.

Just now, everyone was surprised to hear the news that Gu Dayong was going to Shandong, and their eyes were all on Gu Dayong.

Seeing Gu Dayong looking at Pei Yuan, they all looked at Pei Yuan as well.

Seeing Pei Yuan nod slightly, Gu Dayong opened his mouth to reply. Only then did he realize what was going on and was a little shocked.

People like Qiu Ju who knew the situation were a little surprised about the importance and strength of the two sides, let alone Li Shishi, Liu Zhishu and others.

(End of this chapter)