In late February, the imperial court issued decrees to Wu Jie and Zhang Jun, who promptly set out for the capital upon receiving them.

Zhang Jun, coming from Xuzhou, had a much shorter journey than Wu Jie, and arrived early in March. He then received an order to wait for Wu Jie's arrival before being summoned. He spent his time idly in the mansion he had purchased in the capital, inquiring about news from all sides.

The city of Tokyo, especially now that its population had recovered to nearly 400,000… was never lacking in news.

Therefore, Zhang Boying, with just a little inquiry, learned everything he should and shouldn't know, both true and false.

Then, he began… opening his doors to guests!

Indeed, Grand Commandant Zhang suddenly opened his mansion gates wide and started a continuous banquet.

First, he entertained his neighbors, regardless of their status. He only considered their seniority in the neighborhood, the elders sitting above, and the younger generation below. Zhang Jun himself sat at the table with the middle-aged, and his nephews, Zhang Zigai and Zhang Ziyi, sat below him.

During this round of hospitality, each table had only twenty dishes, but they were all fresh spring vegetables, plus chicken, fish, meat, and eggs, all in sufficient quantities. The wine served was the homemade brew of the village, called "Laba Wine" because it was taken out of the cellar in December.

On the first day, all the neighbors praised Grand Commandant Zhang.

The second day was slightly different. Zhang Boying continued the banquet, this time inviting mid- and low-ranking officers from the various armies in and around Tokyo. The dishes increased to thirty, the level of a formal banquet. The proportion of meat dishes was increased, and he hired a formal chef, who made two main dishes for each table: roasted lamb chops and braised pork knuckles. The wine was replaced with the good wine commonly sold in restaurants.

In addition, a storyteller was hired to tell the story of *Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back* in front of the courtyard to add to the entertainment before the banquet.

On the third day, the banquet continued, this time inviting familiar officials and scholars… Zhang Jun had been in Huaidong for a full four years, three of which he served as Commissioner, and he had interacted with many civil officials. Although it was a sensitive time, many still valued their conscience and came in person.

This time, the number of dishes reached forty, a luxurious level. Each dish was prepared by professional cooks. Since it was for civil officials and scholars, Grand Commandant Zhang specially hired courtesans, gave them a tune, and asked them to write poems, which he then compiled and had printed.

Of course, the wine was also more exquisite.

By the fourth day, the city of Tokyo was already watching with great interest, and the banquet continued as usual.

This time, the guests were local dignitaries and officials of proper background, as well as some well-known scholars. The number of dishes reached the extravagant number of fifty, and the wine was of a brand that could be recognized. The chefs were all renowned cooks hired from surrounding restaurants, and half of the dishes were signature dishes of famous chefs.

Before the banquet, there were storytellers, singers, and variety shows; during the banquet, there were instrumental performances and dances; after the banquet, there were acrobatics, pitch-pot, and poetry.

By this point, it could be considered a properly recorded grand banquet.

On the fifth day, the banquet continued unabated.

On this day, the guests were mainly Zhang Jun's old colleagues from the Western Army, former subordinates promoted or transferred from his command, and a few civil officials and scholars he had recommended or appointed. In other words, those who came this time were Zhang Jun's true 'private friends'.

Logically speaking, a banquet of this level could be held behind closed doors, and anything could be done. However, Zhang Jun still opened the doors and arranged the banquet meticulously.

The dishes were still fifty, the wine and entertainment were the same as the previous day, and the chefs remained the same. But after the banquet, these private friends of Grand Commandant Zhang were publicly given large amounts of money and silk. Those of suitable age were even given a beautiful concubine to take home… For example, there was a Guangzhou man named Liang Jiaying, a so-called last-class Jinshi, who read reports in the army. He had come to Tokyo to register and prepare to go south to assist Grand Commandant Yue in suppressing the rebellion. Because Zhang Jun had vouched for him when he entered the Imperial Academy, he was invited to the banquet and was seen by countless people carrying a pile of money and two beautiful concubines from Zhang Jun's house, finally hiring a donkey cart to return to his residence in a daze.

This aroused the envy of many.

On the sixth day, with the entire city of Tokyo watching and anticipating, the banquet continued. This time, Yang Yizhong and Liu Yan, the commanding officers of the Imperial Bodyguard; Lan Gui and Feng Yi, the officers of the Palace Attendants Department; the sons of Duke Lü Haowen; Zhao Fen, the eldest son of Chancellor Zhao Ding; and several commanding officers from inside and outside the city arrived.

At this point, there were no longer any tables, only individual mats. The number of dishes was meaningless. Two rounds of wine were followed by a round of dishes, and only *Lanqiao Fengyue* wine was served. Dozens of dancers danced in the courtyard… One wonders if Grand Commandant Zhang understands the significance of eight rows of dancers performing in the courtyard?

On the seventh day, amidst great anticipation, Grand Councilor Lü Haowen, Chief Councilor Zhao Ding, Deputy Councilor Liu Ji, Military Commissioner Zhang Jun, Deputy Military Commissioner Chen Gui, Imperial Camp Commander Wang Yuan, and Deputy Commander of the Central Army Wang De, as well as Dukes Wu and Pan, arrived.

At this time, the entire city of Tokyo watched with complex emotions a top-level banquet that had not been seen in Tokyo for a long time.

The banquet was divided into four parts… the Initial Seating, the Second Seating, the Main Seating, and the Resting Seating.

The Initial and Second Seatings consisted of fruits, with two rounds of dishes each, totaling four rounds: dried fruits, fresh fruits, candied fruits, and pickled fruits, eight varieties each.

Then came the Main Seating, which was the formal banquet, divided into fifteen rounds of wine. Each round was a main dish from a famous chef, with corresponding ceremonies, appetizers, and mouth-rinsing tea.

After the fifteen rounds of wine, came the Resting Seating. At this time, the dishes became clearer, exactly the forty dishes from the previous banquets.

Needless to say, the wine was all *Lanqiao Fengyue*, and at this time, everyone noticed that the water used throughout the entire banquet was drawn from the pressed well, with no spring water or old well water used at all.

On the eighth day, because all the previous guests had arrived, Zhang Jun was now full of confidence and was personally writing the eighth invitation. But before he could finish, he received an invitation instead… Zhao Guan Jia sent Feng Erguan to deliver an invitation, inviting him and Wu Jie, who had just arrived in Tokyo today, to attend a banquet in the palace.

Zhang Jun was caught off guard, but there was nothing he could do. He could only leave immediately with trepidation.

According to the invitation, the Imperial Camp Right Army Commander first met with the Imperial Camp Rear Army Commander Wu Jie in front of Tongtian Gate on the north side, and then followed Feng Yi towards the Hanfang Garden.

Hanfang Garden, also known as Ruisheng Garden, as the name suggests, was also Zhao Guan Jia's private property.

However, because this property was outside the city, it had been leveled during the Jingkang period, leaving only a rough outline. Now, however, Zhao Guan Jia had used it as the venue for the Tokyo Small Cuju League.

The so-called Small Cuju League was a new system formulated by the imperial court based on the highly successful Cuju League of last year. It divided the Cuju matches into two seasons, spring and autumn. The spring season started in mid-March, with round-robin matches held in different districts, ranked by points. In the autumn, there were playoffs, with the top eight teams playing in a series of elimination matches to determine the league champion. For this, Zhao Guan Jia had specially bestowed a title called "Champion." And finally, before the New Year, the four champions of Kaifeng Prefecture, Jingxi, Jingdong, and the Imperial Camp Central Army would compete in the World's First Cuju Tournament… At that time, Zhao Guan Jia would personally award the World's First Cuju Team's waist tag.

Returning to the present, the two commanders, suppressing their unease, followed Feng Yi to Hanfang Garden and turned into a huge Cuju field shaped like a large pot… Of course, this was said to be designed by Zhao Guan Jia, who always liked to do some unnecessary things… and then went straight to the houses in the uppermost field.

This simple house with a viewing platform at the highest point also had a name, called a "Box," because Zhao Guan Jia had reserved a large box in the center facing north, and pointed to several boxes on the left and right for the chief councilors and the two Dukes, so dignitaries all hoped to have a box here.

Today, however, was not an official match day, but the day for the public bidding of boxes before the official start of the season, with only an exhibition match to add to the fun. The so-called bidding was a very popular form of gambling and selling in the Song Dynasty, roughly equivalent to bidding in later generations.

"Well done!"

Outside the box, Yang Yizhong, dressed in plain clothes, stood solemnly with seven or eight strong men. He simply said nothing when he saw the two commanders. Inside the box, Zhao Guan Jia was personally holding the youngest Princess Yiyou, with Princesses Foyou and Shenyou by his side, plus two imperial concubines and four or five attendants. He greeted the two commanders casually when he saw them. "Sit down and watch a ball game, and wait for the bidding results to come out."

The two commanders looked at each other and could only step forward to salute the Guan Jia and the two imperial concubines in turn, and then carefully sat down on the platform outside the box.

The match seemed unremarkable.

Of course, it might have been a good match, but everyone's minds were not on it… The two commanders went without saying, and the two imperial concubines were also disinterested, simply sitting idly with a small princess each. Zhao Guan Jia was even more focused on teasing the youngest Princess Yiyou… Everyone spoke occasionally, but Zhao Guan Jia did not participate. Although the Pan Consort was more imposing, she could not say much due to the presence of the two foreign ministers. The others simply echoed.

Just as a Cuju match was about to end, Feng Yi pushed the door open and presented a piece of paper. Zhao Guan Jia smiled and said, holding the little princess, "These people say they fled south and returned north, and lost most of their property, but they still managed to scrape together so much money… Boying, take a look with Jinqing."

Zhang Boying quickly took it and read it with Wu Jie, and they were indeed impressed.

According to the paper, the various dignitaries who wanted to buy a box in this Hanfang Garden Cuju field were bidding blindly. Nearly a hundred boxes were being bid on one by one, and the transaction price was constantly rising, from dozens of strings of cash to thousands of strings of cash. In the end, they actually collected nearly 50,000 strings of cash! An average of five hundred strings of cash per box!

Zhang Jun was fine, but Wu Jie was a country bumpkin on his first visit to the capital. He held the paper, looked around, and felt that these strange, semi-open boxes were not worth five hundred coins at all. How could they sell for five hundred strings of cash? He was speechless for a moment.

But at the same time, Zhang Boying turned around and smiled, "Guan Jia said long ago, I should also bid for a box closer to Guan Jia."

"I've saved one for you." Zhao Jiu replied casually, but then sighed for a moment. "But I didn't expect to collect so much money… I've only been to this Cuju field twice. It was mainly designed by Councilor Chen and supervised by Magistrate Yan. Because it's my private property, I borrowed money from Duke Wu in my private capacity to renovate it, which cost more than 10,000 strings of cash. I've earned 40,000 strings before the season even started."

Zhang Jun listened quietly and immediately smiled again, "In my opinion, if the Cuju matches continue like this, Guan Jia will probably make a fortune… Not just the boxes, but if you build some shops and restaurants around this Hanfang Garden and rent them out, the rent alone will be a big bag of money every year."

Wu Jie, with his yellow face, immediately woke up and nodded repeatedly.

"I'm greedier than you think." Zhao Jiu continued to smile in his seat, holding the little princess. "I'm also planning to set up a Cuju lottery in the Kaifeng Prefecture division, with a bet allowed for each match…"

Zhang Jun was slightly stunned and couldn't help but turn to ask, "I just thought of this matter, but Guan Jia… Will the councilors and censors allow Guan Jia to do this?"

"This kind of thing is inevitable. If I don't do it, someone will do it privately, and it will still be chaotic. It's better to find a good name and personally take charge, such as setting up a sealed lottery for the Northern Expedition, with the money from the lottery going to the Northern Expedition military expenses…" Zhao Jiu said confidently, but soon shook his head again. "But I also know that the Censorate will not allow me to be involved in this kind of thing after all. So, I'm going to give you Zhang Boying the sealed lottery for the Kaifeng division, the property rights of the Cuju fields everywhere, and the property in the Jingdong West Road division."

Zhang Jun was astonished, and Wu Jie was even more bewildered.

"It's nothing else." Zhao Jiu, in plain clothes, watched the match below end and stood up directly, holding the little princess. "Leave the Jingxi ones to Han Shizhong. If you do this in Guanzhong, give it to you Wu Jinqing and Qu Duan… Yue Fei and Li Yanxian probably won't want it."

Zhang Jun and Wu Jie wanted to say something, but the match ended and Zhao Guan Jia stood up. They had no choice but to temporarily suppress their thoughts and follow Zhao Guan Jia's family out of Hanfang Garden, back to the city of Tokyo, and in the afternoon, they arrived at the palace… entering from Gongchen Gate on the north side, turning into Linhuamen to enter the rear garden, and finally arriving at a cool pavilion inside Yingyang Gate, next to the fish pond and mulberry forest.

At this time, the two imperial concubines took the three princesses out of Yingyang Gate and entered the rear palace to rest. Zhao Guan Jia sat down in the cool pavilion and invited the two to sit with him.

Wu Jie was still uneasy. It was really his first time in Tokyo, and he didn't understand anything and didn't have time to inquire about anything. Zhang Jun, however, knew that this place was where Guan Jia liked to stay in private, and it was also the place where Guan Jia liked to talk to important officials in private. He had even drunk wine here in person, so he was a little more stable.

After waiting a little longer, three pots of wine were served, naturally *Lanqiao Fengyue*. Then, several plates of seasonal vegetables and home-style stir-fries were placed on the table, some with meat and some without… but there was neither chicken nor fish, presumably because the rear garden's breeding was not yet on track… Immediately, Zhao Guan Jia poured himself a drink, started eating, and officially began his banquet today.

Zhang and Wu did not dare to neglect and followed suit, but they did not dare to relax at all. It was a difficult situation.

However, after three rounds of wine and a little small talk, Zhao Guan Jia finally got down to business, "Do you two know why I summoned you here?"

Wu Jie immediately put down his chopsticks and almost jumped up from his seat to kneel, but Zhao Jiu stopped him with a wave of his hand. He could only sit down again, facing him cautiously:

"It is said that the Ministry of War impeached my Imperial Camp Rear Army for excessive discounted money."

Zhao Jiu nodded and then looked at Zhang Jun, "Boying? You came so early, you know more than Jinqing, right?"

Although he said so, Zhang Jun, who had been prepared, was speechless for a moment.

Zhao Jiu couldn't help but chuckle, "Is it that you can't say it, or do you know too much?"

Zhang Jun was embarrassed for a moment.

"Did someone tell you that the imperial court is going to conduct a comprehensive anti-corruption campaign in the army? Did someone tell you that Guan Jia is going to deprive the generals of their military power over a cup of wine? Or that Zhao Guan Jia is going to trick Wu Jie and Zhang Jun into the capital, put them under house arrest, and then purge the Imperial Camp Rear and Right Armies?" Zhao Jiu ate vegetables and chuckled.

Wu Jie was momentarily dazed, and Zhang Jun finally spoke, but he still couldn't help but feel embarrassed, "I made Guan Jia laugh. At that time, Guan Jia was unwilling to see me, and I really had no choice but to ask people to inquire everywhere, and then I heard many messy words."

"It doesn't matter." Zhao Jiu slowly chewed and swallowed a mouthful of spring vegetables before casually interjecting. "What is this? I've heard even more outrageous things, saying that Zhao Guan Jia has issued an decree that anyone in the world who embezzles more than ten strings of cash, whether civil or military, will be skinned and stuffed with straw, and displayed to the world… Don't tell me you haven't heard of it?"

Hearing this, Wu Jie and Zhang Jun relaxed and laughed instead.

Zhao Jiu suddenly sneered, "This is because the dignitaries in the city have nothing to do, so they try to spread rumors, hoping to attract my attention and then ask for official positions and money… But they don't know that I have already made up my mind that I would rather the country perish than give these people a bit of salary or reward. Not only that, but I will now send someone over to confiscate the homes of the people who spread the worst rumors to pay for military expenses."

The two commanders were immediately stunned, because hearing this, Yang Yizhong, who had been standing by, bowed slightly and actually led his armored soldiers towards Yingyang Gate.

"Boying." At this moment, Zhao Jiu suddenly looked at Zhang Jun again. "Did you really believe these rumors? That's why you put on such a show before?"

Now that he had come to his senses, Zhang Jun would not dare to hide anything. He immediately got up and bowed awkwardly, "I made Guan Jia laugh."

"If I had accepted your invitation today, how many dishes would you have prepared to entertain me?" Zhao Jiu asked with interest, pressing the question.

Zhang Jun was even more embarrassed, "I originally wanted to find an old servant from Cai Taishi's mansion to prepare the old regulations of Cai Taishi's mansion of one hundred and eighty dishes, but I couldn't get them all together. If Guan Jia really went, it would only be about one hundred and twenty or thirty dishes…"

"How can you get them all together?" Zhao Jiu threw down his chopsticks and shook his head repeatedly. "When Cai Taishi was at his peak, the kitchen at home had a special group of people making buns, someone rolling the dough, someone pinching the pleats, and even someone specializing in cutting scallions… That kind of extravagance is both excessive and a temporary illusion under the fiery, oil-laden situation of the north and south at the time of prosperity. It's something that can be encountered but not sought."

"Yes." Zhang Jun finally sighed. "I was actually just looking for a gimmick. The main thing was to invite Guan Jia to my mansion for a chat, and I have other things to tell you."

"That's natural." Zhao Jiu shook his head even more. "In Xuzhou, you like to exchange the money you save as much as possible for gold and silver. You specially melted the silver into large silver balls of nearly a hundred pounds each, one thousand six hundred taels each, and gave them a helpless nickname… You've saved a total of fifty-seven in these four years, and this time you sent fifty directly from Xuzhou overnight; you've saved eight thousand taels of gold, and this time you sent six thousand taels. From your meaning, you should be preparing to take advantage of the banquet to give them to me, and then resign from the position of commander and seek a long-term wealth, right?"

Wu Jie, who was beside him, was dumbfounded, and Zhang Jun, dripping with cold sweat, could only kneel down in the pavilion:

"Guan Jia is wise."

"You still don't know what I'm asking for…" Zhao Jiu sighed. "You thought that my letting those people go to your banquet was tacitly approving of your handling of this matter, right?"

Zhang Boying quickly explained, "I saw that Guan Jia was so poor and felt uneasy, and I was afraid that I had misunderstood."

"You have always misunderstood." Zhao Jiu shook his head repeatedly. "You didn't misunderstand that day on the Huai River… Boying, and Jinqing."

"I'm here." Wu Jie also quickly got up and knelt down beside Zhang Jun.

"I advocate utilitarian studies and can barely be considered a utilitarian person. A so-called utilitarian person is someone who, when encountering so-called structural contradictions, always thinks of disregarding propriety, justice, and shame in order to ultimately maximize profits…" Zhao Jiu looked at the dishes in front of him and sighed. "The Western Army originally had a state of vassalage. I could reorganize and cut them down in Guanxi. Once I left, they relapsed. I knew this and was extremely worried; As for Boying, he has always been greedy for money, a problem he's had for many years. He took the opportunity to occupy land during land reclamation, used soldiers to build large houses for himself when he changed places of residence, embezzled salaries, fully calculated discounted money, and accepted bribes. I know this in my heart and have always been accumulating dissatisfaction… There's nothing to hide. But my dissatisfaction and worry are not because I'm suffering here, but how you're doing, so I can't calm down. It's that you are ultimately commanders, and your subordinates are ultimately the main force of the Imperial Camp. If you waste them like this, what will happen when we go on the Northern Expedition, with one side lacking combat power and the other side intending to protect themselves?"

Zhang Jun and Wu Jie were both stunned, and then looked at each other… Obviously, Wu Jie really didn't understand this Guan Jia, and Zhang Jun had really been at ease for too long and had misunderstood.

"Otherwise? If we really want to fight corruption at this time, why not fight it together in the entire army? If we really want to deprive the generals of their military power over a cup of wine, shouldn't we let Han Shizhong come first?" Saying this, Zhao Jiu looked at the ten dishes on the stone table, his tone gradually turning cold. "I summoned you here because I only have one sentence… If you can achieve merit in the Northern Expedition in the future, then the corruption of the Imperial Camp Rear Army and all the messes you, Zhang Boying, have made, I will ultimately deal with it, but I will only forgive the past, because after all, we have come through extraordinary times. But if there are mistakes in the Northern Expedition on your two sides, then don't expect to pay money and resign to be able to get away unscathed, because I will make you pay the price!"

Zhang Jun and Wu Jie were relieved and then panicked, and were preparing to express their positions together. However, Zhao Guan Jia did not give them a chance to speak.

"Get up and eat." Zhao Jiu said coldly. "After you finish eating, I will tell you in detail how to temper these two armies!"