Volume 4 Chapter 21 Sheep Head
When the March wind blows through the apricot blossoms, it is the time in Tokyo to eat rolled sheep skin, cut sheep heads, and braised sheep trotters.
It was the end-of-ten-day holiday, and in the afternoon, the provincial governor Zhao Ding declined most of the guests as usual, and just read books in front of the flowers under the old apricot tree in the courtyard.
When the current official finished reading the half-volume of the new book, he suddenly felt agitated, so he got up and went to the back hall to find his wife, and then told her face to face:
"I won't be eating at home today..."
"Does your husband have an appointment today?" Mrs. Zhao was surprised. "Why did you say it at this time?"
"It's not an appointment, it's just a spur of the moment decision." Zhao Ding chuckled. "It's been a long time since we went to Caihe Nan City. Let's change our clothes and go have a meal of lamb heads."
Mrs. Zhao couldn't help laughing, but she felt a little embarrassed: "How can I go out? My husband, go eat with Fen'er, and bring some back for me."
"No problem." Prime Minister Zhao waved his hand, not caring at all. "Nowadays, it's different from the past. The emperor has said time and again that we should follow the customs of the Tang Dynasty and allow women to enter and leave the streets freely. Moreover, the emperor and the two concubines have been in and out of the streets many times, going to Xuande Tower, visiting Hanfang Garden, and even sneaking into the Ma Xing Street night market at night. As the governor of the court, I should also set an example."
Mrs. Zhao was still a little embarrassed, but after thinking about it, she missed the mutton head meat from the Cai River, and finally couldn't help but nodded.
So Prime Minister Zhao called his son Zhao Fen to lead two servants to go ahead, and also called six or seven guards from the imperial guards who were in charge of the guard. He asked them to take off their armor and change into ordinary cloth clothes. He waited for his old wife wearing a veil and several young children to come out. The group of more than ten people got on three large mule carts hired by his son Zhao Fen and went directly to the Cai River area in the south of the city.
In the afternoon, when spring was in full bloom, we had just passed the Suzaku Gate and had not yet reached the market south of the Cai River. In front of the Wuyue Temple, we could already smell the aroma of meat in the south wind. Several children started clamoring for food... Only Zhao Fen, the eldest son of the prime minister, who was older, showed no interest at all.
After all, before the Jingkang Incident, Zhao Ding was a permanent official in Kaifeng Prefecture. The reason why he was permanent was that he did not want to go along with others. Unfortunately, the person he recommended was the former prime minister Wu Min, who was not easy to be driven out, so he was excluded. In those years, Zhao Ding's salary was not enough to afford the food in the regular restaurants, and Mrs. Zhao was very careful with her budget, and often only bought some cheap sheep heads and sheep skins in Caihe South to satisfy her tooth. Poor Zhao Fen was the best yamen in the dynasty. He grew up in Bianliang since he was a child, but he was used to eating only sheep heads among all the delicacies. How could he have any taste now?
Of course, I would like to add here that Wu Min made huge political mistakes during the Jingkang period. One was that he protected the sponsor Cai Jing, and the other was that he advocated peace before the Jin army crossed the Yellow River. The former caused him to be demoted again and again during the reign of Yuansheng (Song Qinzong), and the latter prevented him from turning around during the Jianyan period.
However, Wu Min is indeed an interesting person. Although he was recommended by Cai Jing, he also recommended two other people, one named Li Gang and the other named Zhao Ding.
Therefore, in the early period of Jianyan, although Wu Min had not been able to truly turn over and take up an actual position, he had restored his political treatment with the help of Li Gang. Now that Zhao Ding has become the governor of the capital, he has not forgotten the favor of this person's recommendation, but has appointed Wu Min, who was in charge of Dongxiao Palace, as the governor of Guangnan West Road... It can be imagined that after Yue Fei successfully suppressed the rebellion, coupled with the special preferential treatment given to officials of Liangguang Road by the Song Dynasty, as long as Wu Min did not make any mistakes, he would return to Bianliang after one term.
All we can say is that the Jingkang Change turned the world upside down. Who could have thought that a prime minister in the past casually promoting a scholar in Kaifeng Prefecture would lead to today's double-scoring?
"Cut three whole sheep heads, one for each table, and five pounds of sheep skin, one pound here, and two pounds for the other two tables, and some sheep offal for the soup, and two pots of sweet wine, none for this side... How much in total?" After crossing the Cai River, Zhao Ding casually came to a stall with sheep heads hanging on it, sat down by the river, and then, just like he had done several years ago, casually ordered a sheep head. He always knew that this kind of table was public, so he had to pay first.
"Sir, please wait a moment. The order will be served shortly... The total price is eight hundred coins." The stall owner, who was pretending to be a seller, was delighted to see that the customer was of good character and ordered a lot, and he hurried over to serve him.
When Zhao Ding heard this, although he was surprised at first that sheep heads and sheepskins were much more expensive than in previous years, considering that a small half of the country was still occupied and the important sheep-producing area of Hebei was still in the hands of the Jin people, he quickly accepted this fact and signaled his servant to give him money .
However, after receiving the money, the stall owner probably saw that the family was obviously from a prominent family, so after hesitating for a moment, he continued to ask: "Sir, mutton is cheap nowadays, would you like some more mutton?"
Zhao Ding was slightly startled, but asked curiously: "Do you sell mutton here now?"
The stall owner quickly replied, "You are an acquaintance of Dongjing City. Before the Jingkang Incident, the stalls along the Cai River would never sell mutton, but now it is different... The best mutton is only 300 coins per catty. Why don't you cut a few catties? I will ask my wife to stew a few catties of very tender mutton for you and serve it as dipping sauce for your table. The other few catties of thick ones can be used for soup instead of mutton offal?"
Zhao Ding was immediately tempted and nodded in agreement. The servant gave him the money immediately. The stall owner was very happy for having made a big deal and went back to cut the meat himself.
However, while waiting, Zhao Ding couldn't help but frown.
"Dad." Zhao Fen smiled when he saw this, and understood. "Are you wondering why sheep heads and sheep skins are much more expensive, but mutton is much cheaper? And why are they sold here by the Cai River?"
"Yes." Zhao Ding was immediately surprised. "You actually knew that?"
Zhao Fen couldn't help but laugh again when he heard this: "It's simple to say, but Daddy is busy every day and doesn't know the situation here. But I go to the Imperial College, which is not far from here, so I know a little bit..."
"Then just say it directly, don't keep me in suspense."
"This is because the palace no longer eats mutton, and before the Jingkang Incident, the palace used 10,000 sheep every year..." Zhao Fen dared not keep his father in suspense, so he quickly answered. "Then may I ask, after the 10,000 sheep were taken for meat, the remaining sheep skins, sheep heads, and sheep offal would be more expensive, wouldn't it? And the palace is simple, and doesn't use that much mutton, so the sheep from Guanxi still have to come here, so the mutton is naturally cheaper, and it flows to the Cai River."
Zhao Ding came to his senses immediately and clapped his hands in emotion.
"Father, you don't know that there was a big incident in the palace because of this sheep's head and mutton..." Zhao Fen saw his father sighing and seemed to be interested, so he hurried to continue.
"What's the matter?" Zhao Ding was indeed curious.
"It was said that in early spring, although the emperor didn't like to eat mutton in large quantities, he occasionally wanted to drink mutton soup and mutton soup, so he asked Feng Erguan if there was a cook who could make mutton soup. As a result, Feng Erguan really found a cook who was good at making soup with sheep heads in the former Gao Taiwei's mansion and sent her to the palace... Who would have thought that the cook only used the little meat on the sheep's face to make mutton soup, and ended up using five sheep heads for three bowls of soup! Not only that, after using the sheep's head, she threw it on the ground and didn't allow others to use it. The other cooks in the palace who were tamed by the emperor to be simple picked it up and prepared to make soup, but she scolded them as "dogs"!"
Zhao Ding was stunned when he heard this, and Mrs. Zhao urged him, "What happened next?"
"Later, the palace maid reported the matter to the emperor. The emperor was stunned for a long time and then drove the cook out again. He also mocked himself as a worthless person... It is said that the Gao family's misfortune this time is more or less related to this cook!" Zhao Fen naturally explained the result to his mother.
Madam Zhao sighed and said nothing when she heard this. Prime Minister Zhao Yuanzhen also shook his head and said, "Everyone says that the old dreams in Tokyo are good, but I don't know whether it is a good dream or a bad dream... But the emperor has also experienced such prosperity, so why doesn't he dream of the old times?"
Mutton soup, sliced sheep heads , and spun sheep skins began to be served one after another. The two tables next to them immediately became lively, and the children at her own table were chattering away, prompting Mrs. Zhao to quickly go and talk about it. But for some reason, Zhao Ding, who had been very interested today, suddenly lost his appetite.
Zhao Fen, on the other hand, came to his senses and couldn't help asking, "Dad, aren't you going to present the book to Uncle Meng?"
Zhao Ding continued to shake his head. "Meng Yue has been incompetent for half his life. He has always been a pretentious scholar, but he actually wrote a notebook that goes back to the basics. My father and he have been colleagues in Kaifeng Prefecture for many years. Now that he is rarely seen before his death, I can't deny him a way out. I will still present this "Dreams of the Capital" to him. I just feel sorry for the government's frugality."
"Meng Shishu is from the prime minister's family. He was much more wealthy than my father in Kaifeng. He could go to Caihe and Fanlou. If it weren't for the Jingkang Incident, I'm afraid he would have died drunk in this dream for the rest of his life." Zhao Fen could see that his father was touched by the book "Dongjing Menghualu" today. In addition, he really didn't like eating sheep's heads, so he was happy to chat with his father here. "But it was precisely because of this that the Jingkang Incident suddenly happened and he fled to Yangzhou with his clan. It was said that he encountered a chaotic world and suffered from war. He temporarily took refuge in the southeast, and then he missed the prosperity of Bianjing. When his feelings were deep, he could return to his original nature and write this book."
"You can say this, it shows that you have grown up. In my opinion, there is no need to rush to take the imperial examination. Just study the original knowledge for a few years. During this time, I can find a good marriage for you." Zhao Ding twirled his beard and was relieved when he heard this. "It will be convenient for you to take care of the family affairs for your father."
"It was all delayed in the past few years..." Mrs. Zhao, who was taking care of her children, suddenly interrupted.
"Speaking of the emperor's frugality..." Zhao Fen saw his mother interrupting, so he quickly smiled at his father. "When the dispute over the abuse of favors and privileges was going on a while ago, rumors were everywhere, and there were many absurd things in the Imperial Academy, saying that the emperor had actually been possessed by a demon in Mingdao Palace, otherwise he wouldn't have been so frugal if he had lived in the palace of Prince Kang in the past!"
"Shut up!" This was not a particularly serious rumor, and it was widely spread, so Zhao Ding waited until his son finished talking before he calmly scolded him. "The emperor fell into a well and lost his memory. Others don't know about it, but you don't. Why do you have to spread this absurd rumor? Besides, the emperor's frugality is not that simple. Just think about it, the palace used to need 10,000 sheep for meat a year. How much did it cost? The emperor saved all this, and even dug fish ponds and raised chickens and ducks to provide meat for himself. He also asked Concubine Pan to lead the palace maids to raise silkworms. Although it was just a pretense, it was enough to make himself invincible!"
"The emperor is indeed simple." Zhao Fen quickly responded with a serious expression, but immediately he continued to speak in a low voice. "I heard that the emperor later slowly remembered the old things?"
"That's probably right." Zhao Ding also sighed. "That's why I was wondering before... Why didn't the emperor appear in my dreams?"
"Why?"
"Perhaps he has another dream?" Zhao Ding shook his head slightly. "The emperor has publicly stated his intentions before... He wants to emulate Wei Wu and swallow Liaodong and then attack Donghai; he wants to conquer all nine provinces and erect a monument to record the meritorious officials; he wants to make the world prosperous and burn a memorial in Mingdao Palace."
"The people are no longer tired, and they can live a moderately prosperous life... The three things are actually just one of them." Zhao Fen replied casually. "It's just that we need to endure hardships and then destroy the Jin Dynasty and unify the country."
"Yes, that's exactly what the emperor meant." Zhao Ding, who had recovered his composure a little, answered while finally picking up the mutton soup to dip it in the sauce. But for some reason, he lost interest in the food he had been looking forward to after just two bites, so he put down his chopsticks again and just looked at the surrounding scenery with emotion. "In fact, when Emperor Mingzong of the Later Tang Dynasty did not use weapons for a few years, he could be considered well-off. The Book of Jin also said, 'The mountains and tombs are solid, and China is well-off'... If he did not seek a northern expedition and negotiated peace with the Jin people, most of Henan would be lost. With the simplicity of the emperor now, and the appearance of many upright officials in the court, and the elimination of redundant officials and soldiers, with a little operation, it would be well-off in a few years."
"Forgive me for speaking bluntly. The government won't allow it, the 200,000 imperial soldiers won't allow it, and even the people of the two rivers won't allow it." This time it was Zhao Fen's turn to shake his head. "Dad, although my name is Fen, I grew up in Bianjing, so it's okay. But you grew up in your hometown in Hedong, don't you worry about it? Why do you say this?"
"Of course I am concerned about you." Zhao Ding became more and more depressed. "But it is precisely because I am from Hedong that I can say this... I have been in Huainan for a long time and have long realized the people in the south. They only regard sending troops to the north as a burden... Moreover, the people in the south are indeed suffering."
"But no matter what, the emperor won't allow it." Zhao Fen hurriedly tried to persuade him again. "If Daddy said something like this, I'm afraid he would be disobeying the emperor."
Zhao Ding shook his head again: "Of course I understand this truth, but if I don't tell you, these people from Henan and Jiangnan will naturally find someone else to tell you... As a father among them, I can feel that most of the officials and people below don't want to fight."
"But the people below still cannot disobey the emperor." Zhao Fen disagreed. "The emperor holds the military power, and his confidants are everywhere in the court and the country... Isn't father also a confidant of the emperor? Moreover, the two emperors are in the north, and the Northern Expedition is the righteous cause. Under such circumstances, those who dare to talk about peace must be like Liu Guangshi and Du Chong."
Zhao Ding shook his head slowly: "You are right... but there is only one thing, that is, the government's northern expedition is definitely not for the two saints."
"Who doesn't know about this?" As the sun gradually set, Zhao Fen held a bowl of mutton noodles and said with a smile. "If the Jin people really send the two emperors back, the emperor will have a headache. My son is just talking about righteousness... Just this one sentence is enough to make the scholars and officials in the world speechless and have no choice but to join forces to fight the Northern Expedition! What's more, the emperor is in charge of the imperial army and many court officials."
"That's right." Zhao Ding blurted out, but frowned again. "But do the people know the government's attitude towards the two saints?"
"Of course." Zhao Fen quickly put down the mutton noodles and explained again. "We have cleared up the accumulated problems before, and there are rumors about various incidents. At least the Imperial Academy has long known about it."
"What do the people... or the Imperial Academy say about the government?" Zhao Ding asked seriously. "Are there any inappropriate comments?"
"There were some inappropriate comments, most of which were made when we were pursuing the abuse of favors and privileges. But because of the prestige of the emperor's return to the old capital and the great victory at Yaoshan, there were always more excuses and praises... As for the two saints, there was less discussion about filial piety and brotherhood."
"Those inappropriate words... except for some absurd ones, do you remember them?" Zhao Ding looked around and saw that it was evening dinner time, and there were boats on the Cai River, and there was constant noise everywhere. Even the stall owner behind him and the guards at the next table could not hear clearly, so he couldn't help asking a few more questions. "It's not just about filial piety and brotherhood."
"Of course I remember." Zhao Fen also looked around, and took the opportunity to hold up the bowl and smiled. "Son, tell me something interesting... Some people say that officials know they are wrong but don't correct it, and like to save face... 'Cangzhou Zhao Jiu' is a clear example!"
"What do you mean?"
"It is said that when the emperor used this signature on Huaishang, he lost his memory and made a mistake in remembering his native place, and remembered Cangzhou instead of Zhuozhou Zhao... This is not a big deal, after all, he lost his memory... But later he gradually remembered the past, but he did not wake up, and still used it again and again, which shows that he is a person who cares about face and is unwilling to repent."
"Signatures are supposed to be weird, and the signature of 'Cangzhou Zhao Jiu' is already familiar to both countries, so why change it? How do you know it wasn't done on purpose by the government?"
"In fact, there is also such a saying... It is said that the government despised the two saints for abandoning the country and was ashamed to be the Zhao family of Zhuozhou, so it deliberately changed it to show that it was completely different from the two saints."
"This is quite interesting. There are also people in the court who have made such speculations... Are there any others?"
"Some... say that the government officials are ignorant and incompetent... 'Don't fear the will of heaven' is a clear proof of this!"
"Heaven's Mandate can also refer to changes in the sky. It's the same meaning. It's fine... Would the emperor really say that he, the emperor, is not to be feared? It's just a few typos. It's not worth mentioning! You must know that the emperor is a prince of pleasure. If he hadn't encountered a major change, why would he have thought of becoming an emperor, let alone studying the fate of heaven and changes in the sky?"
“That’s exactly what’s going on.”
"Anything else?"
"It is said that the emperor secretly admires Yi An hermit..."
"Nonsense! Yi An is almost fifty years old, almost the same age as the Empress Dowager. How can he say such absurd things... At most, the Emperor secretly admires Yi An's talent for poetry."
"Those who understand the truth will understand, but Daddy must also know that there are people in this city who love to point out the royal family's private affairs and gossip about them the most, and they can't be stopped."
"That's true...what else?"
"It is said that the official is talented and versatile, but also frivolous, and when he gets angry, he is also a bit cruel. In some things, he is quite selfish and unscrupulous... So, in fact, he is very similar to the Emperor Taishang Daojun!"
Zhao Ding suddenly fell silent, and nodded after a while: "It does look like it!"
This time, Zhao Fen was indignant on behalf of the emperor: "If that is the case, why is one the king who destroyed the country and the other the king who restored it?"
"Because the emperor has seen the people of the country fleeing, the cities empty, and the rivers of blood, he has added a bottom line to himself!" Zhao Ding sat with his hands folded, looking at him solemnly. "As the emperor, the power is boundless, and the most important thing is not how wise and powerful he is, but how to keep the bottom line and not act recklessly... Look at the emperor, he is talented, but he knows how to restrain himself; he is frivolous, but he knows how to hide; he kills people when he is angry, but he only kills in war; even if there were so many people who criticized the emperor before, after the incident with Chen Dong, he will never kill anyone; and when the government encounters resistance, the emperor will persuade and do what he can, and will never impose party restrictions or make connections; as for the size of the harem and the expenses in the palace, it is enough to shame countless emperors... And these are the bottom lines."
"Dad, there is some truth in what you said."
"Not only does it make sense, but from what I as a father have observed and thought about, I feel that the government's bottom line is three points higher than that of the so-called wise rulers in history books!" Zhao Ding was becoming more and more emotional.
"In that case, isn't it rare for the official family to be a sage?"
"What do you think?" Zhao Ding suddenly glared at him. "If the Holy Lord was not in power, how could I, a father who has served as the Yi Cao of Kaifeng Prefecture for more than ten years, be able to become the Minister of the Province?! If the Emperor is not a Holy Lord, but just a Supreme Dao Emperor, what am I? Which one of the six thieves?"
Zhao Fen was speechless on the spot, and the stall owner behind Zhao Ding who was about to come up to serve some side dishes was even more frightened. He quickly lowered his head and pretended that he heard nothing, then secretly replaced the braised mutton offal with clean seasonal vegetables before coming over.
But Zhao Ding said nothing more, just lowered his head and started eating mutton.
After the meal, Zhao Xianggong was so excited that he did not mention it. The next day, the governor of the capital went to the palace to meet the emperor and presented the "Dongjing Menghualu" to his old friend. Emperor Zhao was overjoyed. He personally kept the original copy and promised to print it. However, he refused to reward Meng Yue with an official position for presenting the book, saying that the text was not enough to be a state. Only at Zhao Ding's request did he allow the capital to use Meng Yue's previous official position as a basis for a minor assignment.
However, although Emperor Zhao was reluctant to give Meng Yuanlao an official position, he still shamelessly used his book. Everyone knew that since the emperor got "Dongjing Menghualu", he used the book as a basis and spent several days looking for food everywhere.
Just like that, two days later, as the officers from Huaidong arrived in the capital, martial arts school was reopened... Yes, I must say one more thing here, Emperor Zhao is indeed an unlearned person, and the Song Dynasty already has a systematic martial arts, but the effect is not good... But in any case, this is not the time to worry about these things, because on the day when martial arts school was reopened, the Jin envoy Wulin Da Zanmo came to Tokyo City.
It is said that this Jin envoy named Wulinda had been on diplomatic missions between Jin and Liao in his early years, and then on diplomatic missions between Song and Jin several times. He could be regarded as the most professional and heavyweight envoy of the Jin Dynasty... Therefore, as soon as he arrived, he instantly attracted the attention of the court and the public. From the close ministers to the peddlers, everyone was talking about him.
And Wulinda Zanmo really "lived up to everyone's expectations". He made it clear that the Jin Kingdom intended to negotiate peace with the Song Dynasty while maintaining the status quo, thus ending the war that had lasted for more than six years.
Even though everyone had expected it, the Jin Kingdom's initiative to make peace still shocked the government and the public.
After all, according to the explicit rules of Emperor Zhao, no one in the Zhao Song court is allowed to take the initiative to propose peace talks... Whoever talks about peace will be killed!
And now, the Jin people have actually taken the initiative to negotiate peace, and people's hearts can no longer be shaken.
