After Li Longji's team arrived in Luoyang, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's teams also arrived a day later.
Gao Lishi deliberately looked for Zhang Xiaobao. "Xiao Bao, do you have a plan to deal with Ke Tuyu?"
Upon hearing his godfather's blunt question, Zhang Xiaobao did not wish to hide anything. He nodded and said, "Yes. He came to find trouble with us first. I can't just force him away."
"Tell Foster Father what to do next." Gao Lishi was really afraid that Zhang Xiaobao would say no. That would make it difficult to explain to the emperor.
Zhang Xiaobao began shaking his head again. "Foster Father, it's not that I don't want to say it, but if I say it, it will be easy for others to find out. When we return from the pilgrimage, everything will become clear. We definitely cannot let Ke Tuyu off lightly. I don't dare to say anything else, but it's possible to make the Khitans unable to fight within five years."
Weiwei was stunned for a moment. Seeing that her godson was not saying anything, she could only advise, "Xiao Bao, if you want to fight, then fight. If you can avoid fighting, then don't. War is a waste of manpower and resources."
"I will remember Foster Father's words. If I can avoid fighting, then I will. Martial strength is only a deterrent. There is no need to fight with weapons." Zhang Xiaobao agreed. As for whether they would fight or not, that would depend on the development of the situation.
Gao Lishi, who did not have much time to accompany Zhang Xiaobao, hurriedly left to inform Li Longji.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were left behind, looking at each other in a daze. They did not expect Gao Lishi to rush over just to ask this question.
"Xiao Bao, I still don't know what your follow-up plan is." Wang Juan had not heard Zhang Xiaobao mention it before, so she thought that it was just to restrict Ke Tuyu.
"True invasion is not military force, but culture. It's enough to attack the Khitans' cultural system." Zhang Xiaobao's reply could be considered an answer. Only after the pilgrimage was over would they know what he wanted to do.
Xiao Bei, who came back with her brother and sister, also saw her parents. She, who had a strong desire to show off, began to tell others stories. She even told them about the things that happened in Jili Province. Her perspective was naturally different from that of the adults. She would always pick the things that she thought were interesting.
This made the two families even more lively and cheerful.
*****
Li Longji didn't stay in Luoyang for too long. After three days, he led his men to Mount Tai.
This time, he brought a lot more people. The army pressed forward, and the procession stretched out for dozens of li. Along the way, the common people found a new topic to talk about. They all talked about whether the Emperor would be able to invite a deity to Mount Tai.
The pilgrimage this time could be said to have cost a lot. Fortunately, Li Longji didn't let Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan fork out the money. It wasn't that he was kind, but that he was afraid that Zhang Xiaobao would make use of the pilgrimage to earn money. The pilgrimage was a very serious matter.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan followed Li Longji ever since he set off again. They were in charge of protecting him. At the same time, it showed that Li Longji took care of the two of them.
The two of them didn't think that Li Longji shouldn't have spent so much money to go to Mount Tai. The two of them felt that the money spent was worth it. It could show the surrounding countries the national strength, just like a military parade. Although the money was spent, the results were very good.
Wang Juan had been comparing this operation with the history in her memory and realized that there were indeed many differences. First of all, the place where Li Longji rested and ate was different. In the past, it would have been at a temporary post or at a government office along the way.
But now, it was at the nearby restaurant Between the Clouds and the Water every time they stopped.
Zhang Xiaobao didn't intend to follow Wang Juan's history and cook simple dishes. Just the money spent on the group's meals was not a small amount. There was no need to scrimp on Li Longji's meals. After all, the money didn't come from his own pocket. Every bit of money he could earn was still a little bit.
The group finally arrived at the foot of Mount Tai at the end of October. According to the date, Li Longji had arrived a few days earlier than in history.
"I don't think it's going to rain," Wang Juan said to Zhang Xiaobao as she looked at the sky.
"Rain?" Zhang Xiaobao didn't understand the deeper meaning behind Wang Juan's words.
"It's when Li Longji ascended Mount Tai. Just as the ceremony was about to start, it rained the night before. It was very worrying. But miraculously, it was sunny the next day. Looking at the weather, it won't rain again."
Wang Juan explained.
"Oh, so that's how it is. Don't think about history. There's no record of the two of us, nor Between the Clouds and the Water. It's possible that Li Longji was assassinated. Be careful, he can't die now."
Zhang Xiaobao didn't want to think about history anymore. It was mainly because he didn't study it well.
Wang Juan heard Zhang Xiaobao's words and became nervous. She said, "Lower your voice. If someone hears us, they'll suspect our thoughts. This time, Zhang Shuo still arranged his people to be part of the group. It's just that there are a few extra people.
I was just wondering if he would be affected by an actor this time around. If it wasn't for the actor, would Li Longji have planted a thought in his heart? If it wasn't for those things, Zhang Shuo might not have stepped down from the stage. "
"What's the point of thinking so much? Some things are just fuses. As long as Zhang Shuo is really that selfish this time, there's no way he'll run away. What's going to happen will happen. Even if it happens once or twice, it's time for him to step down. Are they really willing to let him stay in the position of Prime Minister forever? Even the Prime Minister and the Chairman have to change positions, let alone the Prime Minister. "
Zhang Xiaobao knew what Wang Juan was talking about. It was nothing more than the original development. Zhang Shuo was pushed to the edge of the cliff step by step and locked up in the end. After all, the current situation was different from history. Perhaps there would be some changes.
Zhang Xiaobao did not take this to heart. He lived to show his self-worth. He had more family by his side, so other people's matters did not affect him much.
The group had a hard time traveling. They had to guard against people with bad intentions, and there were no carriages or horses. Zhang Shuo was still as stingy as ever. He did not give the soldiers too many benefits, even when it came to food and drinks.
On the contrary, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were very generous. They brought many side dishes for the soldiers to eat under Li Longji's name.
The soldiers understood that this was not the Emperor's arrangement. They were very grateful to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan.
Zhang Xiaobao's goal was achieved. The side dishes he gave were all the signature dishes Between the Clouds and the Water or Sea and Clouds. They usually sold well. This time, after Feng Chan returned, the soldiers would advertise it and it would sell even better.
Old Man Pi, Old Man Yao, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's main men, as well as Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, were extra places. As for Xiao Bei and the others, they had to stay at the foot of the mountain. It was not because they could not get a place, but because they were too young to climb the mountain. The group could not stop and wait for them.
They could only regretfully lose an opportunity to witness history.
"What a pity." Wang Juan felt that she should think of a way to get her brothers and sisters to come. Even if they did not want to go up the mountain, they would at least be given the treatment of a Rank 5 official. The main thing was that Feng Chan was not that easy to meet.
Zhang Xiaobao was indifferent. "It's fine. Wait for us to help Li Longji get the direction. We will ask him to seal it a few times in the future."
"Do you think Feng Chan is a game? You can do it once if you want to," Wang Juan said unhappily.
"More or less. In the future, we can ask Li Longji to go to Mount Huangshan and bring Xiao Bei and the others along." Zhang Xiaobao never felt that there was anything serious that could not be repeated.
The group of people started to climb the mountain for fun. They were afraid that when they were a third of the way to Feng Chan, the group would stop to rest. The main reason was that Li Longji wanted to see the scenery. He was not tired yet.
Seeing that the team had stopped, Wang Juan's mind started to work again. She quietly sent people down the mountain to pick up Xiao Bei and the others. Anyway, they were not walking very fast. At most, she would get someone to carry them. They would not fall down the mountain with such precautions.
Zhang Shuo was very unhappy when he heard the news. He hesitated for a while but did not refuse. He was afraid that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan would find trouble with him.
When the group set off again, Xiao Bei and the others had already caught up. Unfortunately, they could not see their brother and sister.
To them, the pilgrimage was not as important as the scenery on Mount Tai. It would be even better if they could be more lenient and play hide-and-seek. Of course, even if they could come up here, it was impossible for them to be promoted to a fifth-rank official when they returned. It was already good enough that no one gave them trouble.
Until Li Longji started the ceremony, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan did not see a single assassin. It seemed that the surrounding area had been checked over and over again by the guards. No one could hide.
*****
This time, the Feng Chan of Mount Tai did not bring the women of the palace. The main reason was because of Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian had benefited a lot from the previous Feng Chan. She had to take precautions.
Because of this, Wu Huifei was left in the capital. She regretted that she could not participate in the Feng Chan and suddenly thought of Empress Wang.
Empress Wang was pregnant, which put a lot of pressure on Wu Huifei. She was afraid that Empress Wang would give birth to a child. If that happened, her position would be unstable. Her dream of becoming an Empress had always existed in her heart.
She felt that there was no one important in the capital. She thought that she could think of something, so she began to arrange for people to go to Hua Yuan County to check. She also wanted to find an opportunity to make Empress Wang unable to give birth to a child.
In the end, when Li Longji was almost at Mount Tai, her wish was not fulfilled. The people she sent did not even know where Empress Wang was, let alone poison her or use any violent methods.
Wu Huifei, who knew that she could not do anything to Empress Wang, began to think of the business between the Zhang Family and the Wang Family. She also wanted to use the bank, but she did not know where to start. She was not familiar with how a bank worked.
She thought that the people from the Zhang Family and the Wang Family were too busy, so she began to use her identity to arrange for people to think of a way to cause losses to the business between the Zhang Family and the Wang Family.
The simplest way was to cultivate competitors and affect the business between the Zhang Family and the Wang Family. The restaurant Between the Clouds and the Water and the supermarket were the places that were directly targeted.
Maybe Wu Huifei's reputation played a role, or maybe she was lucky. When she just sent people to contact other businessmen who did not have a business relationship with the Zhang Family and the Wang Family, she found people.
Coincidentally, the people she sent out met a group of businessmen from the Jiangnan East Road in the east market of the capital.
Wu Huifei's people heard that the people from the Jiangnan East Road had been wandering around the capital for a few years. From time to time, they would choose a business and take out money to do it.
In the past two years, they had made more money, so more businessmen came to the capital. It was very easy to find them, although a new batch of businessmen would come to the capital every few months.
Wu Huifei's people contacted the businessmen from the Jiangnan East Road under such circumstances. They did not say Wu Huifei's name directly, but only said that there was a powerful person in the imperial court looking after them and asked them to cooperate with the business.
The people that Wu Huifei sent out also had the surname Wu. They were from her brother's family, called Wu Feng. Once they heard this name, they would think that there was also Wu Yu, Wu Lei, or something like that.
The businessmen from the Jiangnan East Road were more united. The leader was the biggest businessman, called Jiang Lan. When they were wandering around the market, Wu Feng saw them and went over to them and said, "Are you guys looking for a good business in the capital?"
Jiang Lan and the others were shocked by the people who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. When they heard the other party's question, they were very vigilant. Jiang Lan responded, "Just wandering around. I heard that the zoo in the capital is not bad, and there's also Changning's Sunken Lake. I want to see all of them."
Wu Feng knew that they did not mean what they said. He pulled Weiwei's outer clothes, revealing the gorgeous clothes inside for the businessmen to see. He said helplessly, "Sigh ~! If you're just looking, then forget it. I still want to find a partner to do a big business. "
Jiang Lan and the others were still very vigilant. They did not ask what the other party wanted to do out of curiosity, which meant that they were afraid that the other party was a liar. It was still Jiang Lan who spoke.
"Our family is not rich enough to do a big business. We just want to take a look. Yes, take a look. Sir, please."
After speaking, the businessmen from the Jiangnan East Road left in a hurry. They found a restaurant in the Eastern Market to eat. They did not go to the restaurant opened by the Zhang Family and Wang Family, nor did they ask for a private room in this restaurant. It seemed that they wanted to listen to others talk.
When the dishes were served and they were eating, Wu Feng, who had left earlier, coincidentally came to this restaurant. When he saw Jiang Lan and the others, he showed a very surprised expression and went up to greet them with a smile.
"I didn't expect to meet all of you here again. It's really fate."
As he spoke, he did not join them to eat and drink. Instead, he chose a nearby table and sat down. After smiling at Jiang Lan, he looked for the waiter to order.
After drinking, everyone's mood also relaxed. Wu Feng finally found an opportunity. Under the influence of alcohol, he said to Jiang Lan, "Do you all want to go to the zoo?"
"That's right. Is there anything else?" Jiang Lan asked in surprise.
"There's nothing else, but if you want to see the animals, you can't just spend the entrance fee. I heard that a few big bugs were just shipped from the north two days ago. There's also a deer with long horns. It hasn't been opened to the public yet. If you all want to take a look, I can help."
Wu Feng started to take this opportunity to show his identity, hoping to make the other party look up to him.
Jiang Lan and the others obviously did not believe him. Gently putting down the chopsticks, Jiang Lan said to Wu Feng, "Let's not trouble you, Sir. We'll know when we go take a look later. Maybe the bugs and deer have already been opened."
Her meaning was very clear. They could see it even without you. Of course, the prerequisite was that there were really bugs and deer.
This time, Wu Feng could not say anything and could only eat and drink silently.
When Jiang Lan and the others were almost done eating, they left after counting the money. Wu Feng, who still did not want to give up, followed them out.
The zoo was not in the city. Firstly, there were not that many places. Secondly, the smell was bad in summer. No matter how it was cleaned, it was impossible to bathe the animals and brush their teeth all day long.
Jiang Lan and the others hired a carriage and headed outside.
By the time they reached the zoo, more than an hour had passed. This was because the eastern market was close to the eastern city gate. Some of the animals in the zoo were free for people to see, some could be seen with a few copper coins, and some could only be seen with a dozen copper coins.
Many rich people from other places did not want to see less because of this small amount of money. They took out their money and wanted to see the animals from the beginning to the end. Jiang Lan and the others were the same.
There were many animals in the zoo now. After looking at them one by one, they sold things specially for the animals and threw them over to feed them. Half a pig was carried and thrown into the pool where the crocodiles were kept. Seeing the crocodiles bite on the meat and roll back and forth in the water gave people a frightening feeling.
The person in charge of the explanation began to explain to them why the crocodiles roll back and forth when they were eating. He said that the meat was too big to bite and could only be torn apart by the rolling of the body before eating. He also talked about the habits of the crocodiles.
Those who did not spend money to buy meat also watched from the side and listened. They felt that they had gained a lot of knowledge.
In the end, after looking around, they did not find any new bugs or deer with big horns.
Pulling over a person from the zoo, Jiang Lan asked, "I heard that there were new bugs and deer that were transported from the north the day before yesterday. Where are they?"
Hearing Jiang Lan's question, the person from the zoo seemed to be in a difficult position. After Jiang Lan gave him dozens of copper coins, he gritted his teeth and said, "Everyone, there are new animals, but not everyone can see them. We have to wait for people of noble status to see them before we can let others see them. Why don't you go see the giant panda? I can let you see it now."
As he spoke, he prepared to lead Jiang Lan and the others to see the giant panda. According to the normal time, the giant panda would only be open to ordinary people after ten days to half a month.
However, Jiang Lan looked dissatisfied. She pulled the other party and asked, "What kind of person is considered noble? Does he have to spend more money? "
"Not necessarily. Money is usually useful elsewhere, but it won't work here. This person has to at least have some power, such as an official of the fifth rank or above."
The person from the zoo gave an example, which meant that it would not work even if you had money.
At this moment, Wu Feng, who felt that he had found an opportunity, floated over like a ghost and said to Jiang Lan, "If everyone wants to see it, you can follow me. Tell your director that Wu Feng is here."
"So it's Young Master Wu. Since Young Master Wu wants to see it, there's no need to look for the director. Please follow me." Hearing that the latter half of Wu Feng's sentence was directed at him, the person from the zoo immediately smiled and led the group to another place.
Jiang Lan and the rest looked at Wu Feng in shock. Jiang Lan carefully sized Wu Feng up and said: "I didn't expect Young Noble Wu to not lie. I was rude, I hope Young Noble Wu can forgive me."
"Well said, well said. If this one suddenly met someone, he would also … think the same as everyone." Wu Feng did not know the other party's name.
"This one is Jiang Lan. I'll have to trouble Young Master Wu." Jiang Lan quickly introduced herself.
After the group started talking, they walked and chatted. After seeing the Manchurian tiger and the red deer, their minds gradually shifted away from the animals. The more they talked, the more they got along.
After a few days of meeting, Wu Feng finally started talking to Jiang Lan and the others about the business according to Wu Huifei's arrangement.
Outsiders did not know what they were talking about, but when Li Longji came down from Mount Tai, the people from Jiangnan started withdrawing money from the banks in the capital to invest in the area. The first thing they did was to look for the location of the restaurant Between the Clouds and the Water, and buy a place near or opposite it.
It was not open yet, and was undergoing renovations. They also looked for chefs from other places. Even the chefs Between the Clouds and the Water were thinking of ways to rope them in.
When Wu Huifei heard the news, she was very happy. She felt that she could take revenge on Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. She also chose to temporarily forget about the Empress Wang in her heart.
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