Chapter 13: The Master of Incense (Part 2)
He accompanied Xiaoxin, talked to the second person in the gang, toasted him, and escorted him out of the city. He was not able to leave until the afternoon. After returning, Master Su said in high spirits: "Come, come to your father's place to have dinner before you leave."
"Since it is my father's order, how dare I disobey?" Although Zhang Xuanning was successful at a young age, he still did not dare to be rebellious, let alone act in an overbearing and domineering manner.
"Well, we'll talk about it tonight. Go change your clothes first!" After drinking with him, Su Ye was sweating and smelling of alcohol. He was very considerate and said, "I'll ask someone to get you a bucket of hot water behind our restaurant, and you can drink some sobering soup."
"Thank you, father. I was just thinking of taking a bath!"
When I arrived at the backyard, although there was a lot of noise outside, the yard was still quiet. Naturally, someone brought a big bucket of hot water. It was actually a new maid. The maid brought the water with a blushing face and waited quietly outside.
"You don't need to serve here, go out!" Zhang Xuanning was sixteen years old, which was not young in this world. The only pity was that this maid was just an ordinary girl, so he was still not interested in her.
In any case, although you may want to collect all the most beautiful women in the world, it is unnecessary to abandon them for the rest of their lives after just one night of stormy weather. You don't have to learn from the ancients to this extent - although until the Song Dynasty, officials and even aristocratic families still exchanged concubines. For example, Su Dongpo liked to give the women he had played with to others as gifts, or even exchange them with others for fun.
"Yes, young master." The maid retreated. Zhang Xuanning breathed a sigh of relief and began to take a bath. His body had already matured, and it seemed that he should prepare for a rainy day and keep some women at home. In this era, there was only one wife, but it was common to have more than a dozen concubines and dozens of prostitutes who were not even concubines.
When he thought of prostitutes at home, he thought of Li Jing and Hong Funu. Hong Funu's surname was Zhang. During the war between the Southern and Northern Dynasties, she was stranded in Chang'an and was sold to the mansion of Prime Minister Yang Su as a singing girl.
Li Jing went to Chang'an and became a disciple of Yang Su. Yang Su talked with Li Jing and felt that he had great potential. When the two were talking, Hong Fu stood beside them. She saw that Li Jing was very heroic and righteous, and she secretly admired him. So she sent her disciples to follow Li Jing, and after finding out where he lived, she went there late at night.
At night, Li Jing sat alone in front of the lamp, thinking about what happened during the day. Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door. He opened the door and saw that it was the maid he had seen in Sikong Mansion during the day. Hongfu made her feelings clear: she was willing to join Li Jing and accompany him to explore the world. Li Jing was overjoyed and married her as his wife.
Although Zhang Xuanning did not know whether there was a Hong Fu girl in history, Li Jing in history was originally named Yaoshi and was from Sanyuan, Yongzhou. He was known as a man of both literary and military talents when he was young. His uncle Han Qinhu was a famous general in the Sui Dynasty. He often discussed military tactics with him and once praised him, saying: "The only person who can discuss the military tactics of Sun Wu with me is Li Jing."
Li Jing is a descendant of a famous family, how could he possibly marry a prostitute? But in this world, there is a woman named Hong Fu, so we must follow this legend. However, if Hong Fu was a domestic prostitute, she would be the plaything of the master of the house and the night entertainment of the guests. She should have been married to anyone, right? Why did Li Jing want such a woman?
After thinking about it over and over again, he just couldn't figure it out, so he stopped thinking about it. If it was the real Li Jing in history, he wouldn't even think about it. It is difficult to recruit such a descendant of a famous family. But this world is completely different from history. Remember that this Li Jing was very poor and even surrendered to Du Fuwei two years later. It might be possible that he could think of some solutions. Of course, that is a matter for the future and there is no need to consider it now.
Without thinking any more, he got out of the bucket and put on his clothes. At this time, he found that it was almost dusk.
When he arrived home, he found that almost all his family members were there. When Master Su saw him coming in, he said softly, "My son, come in quickly and try the rice wine specially brewed by your sister-in-law."
Zhang Xuanning then noticed that there were wine and cups on the table, and the aroma of wine filled the air. When she saw him come in, her sister-in-law personally brought over several dishes. The other dishes, such as beef, chicken, shrimp, and broth, were nothing special, but the fish made him look at it a few more times.
"Father, this is a silverfish, right?"
"Yes, it is the silver fish from Yunmeng Lake."
"Oh, father, you are so polite. I am not an outsider, so why should you use such precious things?" Zhang Xuanning said hurriedly.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Taihu Lake was rich in whitebait. Whitebait, Anchovy and White Shrimp are known as the three treasures of Taihu Lake. Whitebait is shaped like a jade hairpin, ivory-colored, cartilaginous and scaleless, with tender meat and delicious taste. Even in ancient times, it was rare and very precious. Especially under the ancient transportation conditions, it was difficult to transport it even a hundred miles.
"Just because you are not an outsider, your sister-in-law bought it specially to celebrate the child's position as the master of Jinxiang. Your sister-in-law was busy for the whole afternoon and was very exhausted. She didn't even have a chance to eat it." Master Su said with a smile.
"Oh, thank you sister-in-law, thank you brother." Zhang Xuanning was very tactful. He praised them repeatedly and stood up to bow.
"That's not true, brother-in-law. It just takes a little effort. For us women, this little effort is nothing." The sister-in-law said with a smile.
In his previous life, Zhang Xuanning had eaten this fish, and now that he was eating it again, he felt very sad.
It is golden in color, fat, fresh, fragrant and tender, and you will be full of praise after eating it.
"Oh, I'll toast to father and brother." Zhang Xuanning picked up the wine pot, filled up the glasses for Master Su, Su Ling, and finally even his sister-in-law, and then filled up his own glass: "Father, brother, I'll toast you!"
Having said that, he drank it in one gulp. This home-brewed rice wine had a light and refreshing taste.
"Very good!" Master Su also drank it in one gulp, then remained silent for a while, and said softly: "I have lived here for almost ten years. Today I am particularly happy that my son has become the incense master. It is really a cause for celebration."
Su Ling also had a smile on his face, but he drank the full glass of wine without saying a word.
"What is the purpose of the position of the incense master and what are the powers? Please tell me clearly, father." Zhang Xuanning filled another cup for Master Su and his brother, and then asked: "Although I know a little bit, I am definitely not as familiar with it as father."
Master Su waved his hand and said, "You don't have to pour the wine. Your sister-in-law will do it. As for the matter of the incense master, even if you don't ask, I will tell you about it."
"In our gang, there are four major halls under the main hall, and each hall generally has four helms, and each helm generally has four incense sticks, and there are also five incense sticks. Therefore, in our gang, there are no more than 100 full-time incense stick masters. As for the others who have the title of incense stick master but do not hold the actual position, they are not counted. Therefore, the full-time incense stick master is actually a person with real power in the gang. In an incense stick, life and death are in his hands. Mai Yunfei, the first disciple of military advisor Shao Lingzhou, whom you met this morning, is also an incense stick master, but he does not hold real power!"
Although Master Su said this with a kind expression, Zhang Xuanning immediately stood up and said respectfully: "This is all due to the cultivation of the gang leader, military advisor, and father."
"Haha, sit down and talk. We are a family, so there is no need to be polite. I say this just to let you know that the deputy position of incense master and your current position as the incense master are a watershed, and they are definitely not the same. You must be careful in everything you do in the future. Do you understand?"
"Yes, this is all thanks to my father's kindness. I will listen carefully." Zhang Xuanning did not sit down immediately, but continued to speak respectfully. He immediately understood in his heart why Mai Yunfei looked at him with a hint of hostility. The actual incense master who held military power was already a small frontier official in the gang and should not be looked down upon lightly.
Seeing him like this, Master Su smiled slightly and said casually, "Father is still quite optimistic about you, otherwise I wouldn't speak up for you in front of the gang leader. But you have to be careful and don't let others laugh at you. Okay, today is a family dinner, so let's not talk about these things. Let's eat, eat!"
"Yes, father!" Zhang Xuanning sat down. His foundation was unstable, so he had to be more careful at this critical moment. He decided that he would come to pay his respects every three days before he left.
"What are your plans for the future?"
"Father, I still have this idea. The brothers Xiang mentioned are still too young and inexperienced. I thought about shipping this ship of salt to the north to give the brothers some experience." Zhang Xuanning said.
"Well, that's fine. You're still young and have plenty of time."
"Thank you for your advice, father." Zhang Xuanning lowered his head deeply. He understood the essence of political tactics and certainly did not want to be influenced by the gang or even plant people in it at this critical moment. Therefore, he led his brothers to fight thousands of miles away from the gang. Only then could he truly eliminate dissidents, have the power of life and death, control the organization, cultivate authority, and lay the foundation for the future.
As for the swords and arrows raining down from inside and outside the house, we can completely ignore them. The so-called lifelong ambition is to gain great power, so we are willing to sacrifice our lives.
All heroes in the world, both ancient and modern, should be like this!
