That evening in Heyin City, the Emperor himself hosted a banquet for the seven high-ranking generals: Han Shizhong, Li Yanxian, Zhang Jun, Wang Yan, Yue Fei, Wang De, and Lü Qing. Throughout the city, countless banquets, both large and small, were also underway.

After all, whether civil or military officials, no one could remain calm when it came to personnel matters.

Civil officials naturally formed cliques, engaged in intrigue, and flattered superiors. Military generals were no better, being crude, calling each other brothers, and boasting of their own merits... This was unavoidable. The legacy of the Jingkang Incident was still present, further amplified by the aftermath of a major battle. It was impossible to expect things to change overnight.

Among them, Vice Director of the Privy Council, Wanqi Xie, was undoubtedly a hero against the Jin... Who would dare say otherwise? Moreover, thanks to his merit of holding the Dragon Banner and breaking through the siege with the Emperor, he had, as expected, become a political darling with an extremely bright future, and was invited everywhere.

Those in lower positions wanted to curry favor with him, those in higher positions wanted to win him over, and familiar colleagues wanted to find out what actions and measures the Emperor had taken in Tokyo. He was truly sought after.

However, interestingly, Wanqi Yuanzhong's choices in the face of these invitations were somewhat unexpected. He refused the invitation of Wang Boyan, Privy Councilor, who was vying for the position of Chief of the Privy Council. Instead, he accepted the invitation sent by his colleague Hu Hongxiu on behalf of his father-in-law, Wang Shuzhan, and attended another private banquet hosted by the Wang family.

Speaking of Wang Shuzhan, he had previously served as a Grand Master of Ceremonies, but because he presented alchemists to the Emperor, he fell out of favor with Zhao Guan Jia and was temporarily stripped of his official position. It was not until the Jin army invaded southwards that he took the initiative to write a memorial supporting the Emperor's stay in Nanyang, which allowed him to restore a little political status, but he remained a retired official living at home... He was widely recognized in Nanyang as a high-ranking unlucky fellow, along with Ye Mengde and Zhao Mingcheng.

However, although Wang Shuzhan had been dismissed, he still possessed considerable political influence. This was because although he had fallen, his relative Zhao Shixi, who was far away in Yangzhou, had not fallen and was almost impossible to fall. This was because he was the Great Clan Minister, the Emperor's 'Imperial Uncle'. He had escorted Empress Meng to Nanjing that year and had rendered meritorious service in supporting the Emperor.

Not only that, Zhao Shixi had also impeached Huang Qianshan a long time ago, and his political stance was extremely stable. In addition, given the objective reality that the close imperial relatives of the Zhao Song dynasty had been swept away, this person was destined to be a political survivor.

Furthermore, Wang Shuzhan's son, Wang Ruohai, his eldest son-in-law, Zhao Bufan, and his second son-in-law, Hu Hongxiu, were all talented young men currently employed by the Emperor. So this old man had a lot to look forward to in the future!

And this, perhaps, was the real reason why Wanqi Xie had come here... Firstly, to use this place to avoid the hustle and bustle and avoid getting involved in the big trouble of the Privy Council competition. Secondly, Military Advisor Wanqi also felt that his future was bright and that it was time to seek some low-key but practical connections to consolidate his foundation.

In other words, Wanqi Xie really wanted to make friends this time.

And the effect was surprisingly good.

Although the intermediary, Hu Hongxiu, lacked political acumen, Wang Shuzhan and his son were typical examples of having good brains and possessing the same political animal attributes as Wanqi Xie... One side had abundant connections and a political foundation, but the leading figure was currently at a low ebb, and strong external assistance had not yet returned, so they were looking for an emerging political ally. The other side was a rising political star without a political base... The two were simply a match made in heaven!

Therefore, after a brief conversation and mutual probing, they immediately found each other somewhat agreeable and hit it off. After a few rounds of wine, Wanqi Xie even bowed on the spot, treated Hu Hongxiu and Wang Ruohai as equals, recognized Wang Shuzhan as his 'virtuous uncle', and then sat down to drink again.

At this time, everyone was one of their own. Wanqi Xie was slightly less cautious, and coupled with the previous tense war situation, he gradually became bold and said some things that he would never normally say, "The Emperor is truly becoming more and more like a sovereign."

"Who says otherwise?" Wang Shuzhan stroked his beard and smiled. "I wonder what specific matter Wanqi, my virtuous nephew, is referring to?"

"Recent events, without exception, show it." Under the candlelight, Wanqi Xie smiled behind his cup.

Wang Shuzhan smiled silently and was about to speak again.

At this moment, Hu Hongxiu, who was somewhat impatient with the banquet, seemed to remember something and suddenly said, "Brother Wanqi, the Emperor's poem *Qing Yu An*..."

"That poem *Qing Yu An* is extremely wonderful!" Wanqi Xie immediately replied solemnly. "The poem itself is extremely wonderful, and the timing of its use is also extremely wonderful... Since Qu Yuan, the minister-ruler relationship has often been compared to the affection between a beauty and her lord. That night, after the Emperor wrote this poem, I only glanced at it. When I saw 'Suddenly turning back, I find her there, where the lanterns are dimly lit', I knew that Zong Zhongwu was going to let go of the past and be happy."

"Is this poem intended for Prime Minister Zong?" Hu Hongxiu was slightly stunned. "I thought the Emperor really recalled the past in Tokyo and had a stunning encounter during the Lantern Festival."

Stunning encounter, you idiot!

Everyone present was familiar with Hu Hongxiu, but they couldn't help but curse silently in their hearts.

"At this point, whether he remembers it or not, or whether he lost his memory when he fell into the well, is irrelevant." After cursing in his heart, Wanqi Xie continued to sigh. "Even Zong Zhongwu doesn't care about the things the Emperor did before falling into the well, considering this poem. What about others?"

"True." Wang Shuzhan stroked his beard and sighed. "On this northward journey, this poem *Qing Yu An* was spread among the ranks, causing a sensation. Everyone copied it. However, it is said that only the various Prime Ministers lost their composure on the spot after hearing it, and remained silent for a long time before transcribing and recording it in the evening. It can be seen that Prime Minister Lü and the others are still somewhat envious."

"How could they not be envious?" Wanqi Xie couldn't help but interject with a smile. "However, even Prime Minister Li would probably be envious if he knew about it at this time."

Wang Shuzhan also laughed and said, "Who says otherwise? Afterwards, the old men discussed that firstly, this poem can be regarded as the best Lantern Festival poem, and the Emperor's talent is compelling, but he used to like to hide it too much; secondly, Zong's achievements are already extraordinary, and with this poem, his reputation in future generations will inevitably rise to a higher level... And today, the Emperor also granted Zhongwu the posthumous title, which can be said to be perfect!"

"Yes," Wang Ruohai rarely interjected. "Today, many people are also discussing that Zong's achievements after today are not comparable to Zhuge Wuhou, but are no less than Wang Jinglue. And if the Emperor can truly revive the great unification of his ancestors, then Zong's future is yet to be seen..."

"He will definitely revive it," Hu Hongxiu replied solemnly in a sullen tone.

"In fact, in my humble opinion, today's events can also show the Emperor's ability." Wanqi Xie was slightly tipsy, but after glancing at Hu Hongxiu, he continued the previous topic with unabated interest.

"True," Wang Shuzhan also continued to stroke his beard and agree. "For a ruler, it is common to control and balance the left and right, and to use strength to fight. The Emperor has been on the throne for almost two years, and he is naturally already proficient. However, this time today seems particularly ingenious... By using the position of Chief of the Privy Council, plus the condition of not allowing Minister Chen to join the ranks of the Prime Ministers, he has managed to restrain the various Prime Ministers, but has made them willingly help the Emperor suppress the various commanders. And the most wonderful thing is that Minister Chen himself doesn't seem to care. He is sold by the Emperor and is still so excited."

Hu Hongxiu frowned completely.

Upon hearing this, Wanqi Xie smiled even more, "Virtuous Uncle only knows one thing but not the other..."

"Is there another explanation?" Wang Shuzhan was slightly stunned.

"I think there is," Wanqi Xie simply said. "The various Prime Ministers seem to be exchanging with the Emperor, using other people and other things as bargaining chips, but they are completely unaware that they have fallen into the Emperor's trap... Easily, the various commanders have become directly led by the Emperor, and after this collective promotion and promotion of the various commanders, it will probably be even more difficult to control the military with civil officials in the future."

Wang Shuzhan pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement, "What my virtuous nephew said makes sense... In fact, this afternoon, the old man heard a colleague returning from outside the city talk about something, saying that before Prime Minister Lü responded, Prime Minister Xu suddenly pulled him back, and Prime Minister Lü quickly spoke... I used to think that Prime Minister Xu was urging him, but now that you said it, it seems like he was reminding him."

This time, it was Wanqi Xie's turn to be slightly stunned.

"Father-in-law, Brother Wanqi!" At this moment, Hu Hongxiu finally couldn't bear it and threw his chopsticks on the table. "Are these things you two are talking about not the general trend? And is the Emperor's behavior today, or the various behaviors in recent days, not an open conspiracy? Why are there so many tricks? In the end, after the Battle of Yanling-Changshe, the Emperor's prestige in the army has arisen. After heading north to the old capital, the central government has also been invigorated... Under such a trend, the Emperor's actions may be a little clever, but what can the various Prime Ministers and the various Grand Marshals truly disobey? Even if the Emperor doesn't do these tricks, can they really disobey? It's just that the Emperor is giving them face!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone at the table was stunned and looked at Hu Hongxiu with some astonishment.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Hu Hongxiu said helplessly and picked up his chopsticks again. "This is the general trend of military strategy. Under a great victory, what cannot be done? Father-in-law and Brother Wanqi don't even understand this, do you?"

The others at the table looked at each other, and then Wanqi Xie sighed slightly, "Liangbi (Hu Hongxiu's courtesy name) is right! On the contrary, my vision is too low and I have been obsessed with trivialities..."

"So, Prime Minister Xu was indeed urging, and Prime Minister Lü's hasty response was suspicious." Wang Shuzhan also seemed thoughtful. "And as for the Emperor's banquet for the various commanders tonight, there shouldn't be any trouble, right?"

"Exactly!" Wanqi Xie said firmly.

Leaving aside how much Wanqi Xie and the Wang Shuzhan family overestimated Zhao Guan Jia's ability, on the other side, Zhao Guan Jia, who was hosting a banquet for a group of senior generals, was already feeling a bit powerless... He was selling face, but there were indeed people who wouldn't buy it.

Despite his apparent ease during the day, as if he had easily decided on the general affairs, in reality, Li Yanxian and Zhang Jun were still unconvinced of being ranked alongside Yue Fei, and Wang De and Lü Qing were also indignant, while Wang Yan was also somewhat dissatisfied.

During the day, in front of so many people, the Emperor and the Prime Ministers were all in agreement, and under the accumulated authority, they each endured for a while. But when night came, and the Emperor specially hosted a banquet to appease these people, these people drank several jin of wine and became unrestrained.

Then all sorts of messy words and all sorts of messy things came out.

This couldn't be helped, because that's basically how Song military officers were in this era. If you really want to compare who's the worst, they can be as bad as you can imagine. They were meritorious officials and heroes against the Jin, but that didn't stop them from being rotten people!

In fact, looking at Han Shizhong, who was doing his best to help Zhao Guan Jia maintain order today, one knew that this guy's ability and loyalty were both recognized as phenomenal, a hero like the so-called 'famous generals of ancient times', but he also had all the problems that Song officers had.

Lustful! Lax military discipline! Arrogant and conceited! Embezzling salaries and drinking soldiers' blood! Did he lack any of these?

And in another timeline, this Grand Marshal Han even orchestrated such a terrible thing - he let his trusted general, Black Dragon King Sheng, recognize Wang Jixian, a favored imperial physician, as his godfather, with the aim of competing with Zhang Jun for jealousy and fighting each other.

Based on these terrible things alone, if you covered up the name, he was simply a complete piece of trash. But when you opened the name and saw it, you realized that this was the loyal and brave general of this era who was as famous as Yue Fei, historically known as Yue Han, comparable to Wei Qing and Huo Qubing in the past, and equal to Xu Da and Chang Yuchun in the future... Can you believe it?

However, in the end, fortunately, Zhao Guan Jia knew that this was Han Shizhong, not some Tom, Dick or Harry, otherwise he, the Emperor, would probably have been finished in that rebellion that day.

As for the other main guests who attended the imperial banquet today... Zhang Jun was a greedy and rotten person who dared to recognize Wang Yuan as his godfather, no need to mention him further;

Li Yanxian was an awkward character. He only drank a cup when Zhao Guan Jia personally toasted him. He ignored Wang Yuan, Yang Yizhong, and other accompanying guests who tried to persuade him;

Wang Yan had an air of arrogance like a scholar. Although he was rewarded this time, he was also dissatisfied with being ranked below Yue Fei. So at first, he was fine when everyone hadn't revealed their true colors. But later, he also took the opportunity to vent his anger and was also not an easy master to serve;

Lü Qing was the most mature of the generals. At first glance, he seemed pretty good, but like Wang Yan, after drinking too much later, he was also full of sourness;

As for Wang De, not to mention him, he was a purely rude person. He was the first to cause trouble after drinking too much. He took off his clothes and showed his bare back to the Emperor to show him his wounds. Then he complained that his position as Defense Commissioner of Nanyang was worthless, and then turned around to provoke Han Shizhong, Li Yanxian, Zhang Jun, Wang Yan, Yue Fei, and the other five major meritorious officials designated by the Emperor in sequence!

However, it was precisely this last thing that broadened Zhao Guan Jia's knowledge today. He didn't realize until now that Yue Fei was also someone whose drinking manners were not good... After Wang De provoked everyone around, the others still maintained a trace of rationality and didn't want to embarrass themselves in front of the Emperor. But after provoking Yue Fei, Yue Pengju simply went down and easily beat the Wang Yacha to the ground in front of the seat.

This impulsive act after drinking was not a good thing.

However, what Zhao Jiu didn't know was that historically, Yue Fei not only had bad drinking manners, to the point of not being a good thing, but his drinking manners were extremely bad! He had caused trouble more than once after getting drunk. The first time he lost his job after a drunken brawl, and the second time he was already a commander, thirty years old, but he still got angry after drinking and beat up a commanding officer, almost beating him to death.

Of course, Wang De was not beaten to death by him this time. And no matter what, Yue Pengju was still the one among the seven generals here who had the most exemplary morals. Not to mention the direction of governing the army and maintaining military discipline. According to Zhao Jiu's previous observations, compared with the others, Yue Fei was simply a saint.

Getting back to the point, after Wang De was beaten, seeing that all seven of them were clearly drunk, Zhao Guan Jia simply ended the banquet. Then the accompanying guests, Scholar Lin, Yang Yizhong, Liu Yan, Lan Gui, Feng Yi, and others, took care of the seven people one by one according to the Emperor's prior arrangement.

The drunken Han Shizhong was sent directly to the backyard of the Heyin City County Office where Zhao Guan Jia resided, and Lady Liang was invited to take care of him. That night, he snored like thunder, right next door to Zhao Guan Jia and Lady Wu;

Zhang Jun returned to his residence in a sullen mood, but saw a large amount of gold, silver, and treasures that Zhao Guan Jia had sent in advance. Among them, hundreds of bolts of Sichuan silk were gradually sent from Sichuan by Zhang Jun during the war. They were the most precious batch of goods escorted from Xiangyang this time, and now they were all given to Grand Marshal Zhang. The Emperor and Lady Wu did not keep a single bolt to make new clothes... It was also shabby;

As for Li Yanxian, the young general (36 years old) who was somewhat unhappy when he first met the Emperor, returned to his residence. Unexpectedly, the next morning, the Emperor made a big show of sending Internal Minister Scholar Lin and Grand Escort Lan Gui to arrive together, formally issuing an imperial decree, and bestowing a military flag of 'Pillar of the Midstream' amidst great fanfare;

As for Wang Yan, Wang De, and Lü Qing, they all received separate rewards, appeasements, and pardons the next day, not to mention... The only special one was Yue Fei. The next morning, Zhao Jiu sent Yang Yizhong to announce an oral decree, speaking fiercely and explicitly telling him that he was not allowed to drink in the army in the future!

These things could not be concealed in the small Heyin City, which was almost filled with dignitaries.

And as the news spread instantly, there were bound to be some idle gossips that morning.

"The decline of civil affairs and the rise of military affairs is the general trend." Somewhere in the city, Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, Xu Jingheng, stroked his beard and sighed to Prime Minister Lü Haowen, who was living in the same courtyard last night. "However, among the generals, I originally thought that Han Shizhong was the most favored by the Emperor, but from this point of view, this Yue Pengju doesn't seem to be bad either... What does Brother Shuntu (Lü Haowen's courtesy name) think?"

"Why think about these things?" Lü Haowen, who was sipping porridge in small bites, shook his head repeatedly, and then said helplessly. "Don't we have to accompany the Emperor to review the troops in the morning? Don't we have to accompany the Emperor to host a grand banquet in the afternoon? There are more than thirty Commanding Officers alone! Even if the Heyin matter is over this time, don't we have to consider suppressing the rebellion in the southeast and cleaning up the devastated land of Henan? Where do you people get so much thought? With these thoughts, how about drinking more porridge?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Jingheng also picked up his porridge bowl, but put it down again, and then sighed, "To be honest with Brother Shuntu, I always feel that the Emperor won't be so honest. If he doesn't cause trouble yesterday, he will definitely cause trouble today..."

"Then what can we do?" Lü Haowen put down his porridge bowl and asked helplessly.

Xu Jingheng was slightly stunned, but simply picked up his porridge bowl.

ps: This chapter counts as the evening one. Don't wait tonight. I'll take the opportunity to adjust my schedule... and write the end of this volume... Good afternoon, everyone.