"In the afternoon, we marched again, covering another hundred miles, and finally reached Sishui Pass at night. All the horses in the army were already exhausted, but the horse under my crotch did not sweat or pant... I think this is a first-class horse, because it can bear great things without taking advantage of them, and it has enough strength but does not seek to show off. It is a talent that can go far!"
"It is indeed a good horse!" Zhao Jiu listened quietly, then clapped his hands and smiled, but then looked at several close ministers. "In fact, I also have a horse... It is the Liaodong horse that Pingfu gave me. It is still kept in this palace. You should all remember it, right?"
Liu Yan, Yang Yizhong, Lan Gui, and even Mr. Xiaolin all nodded.
Among them, Liu Yan was even more embarrassed: "The horse I gave to the emperor is not as good as the two horses of Yue Taiwei, and even worse than the Iron Elephant."
Zhao Jiu did not comment, but smiled and said: "This horse of mine is big, but it does not eat as much as Pengju's two horses every day. It is not too picky about food, and it can eat wild grass in the palace. It accelerates very quickly when it is driven. It can travel thirty or forty miles, much faster than other horses. But after more than a hundred miles, it is no different from an ordinary war horse. It also sweats profusely and has a hard breath... Does Pengju think this is a good horse or a bad horse?"
Yue Fei was slightly startled, and then actually a little panicked... This was different from what he thought, right?
However, the other people at the table seemed to have already been familiar with the official's habits, and no one found it strange.
However, no matter what, Yue Fei was not a man who was used to lying, so he answered with gritted teeth: "I don't think he is a good horse."
"In theory, it is not a good horse." Zhao Jiu answered frankly. "Compared to Pengju's two horses that can reach far, it is even worse, but I personally think it is still a good horse... Because there are more rare horses in the world than just the iron elephant. Are horses that can reach far common? This Liaodong horse that runs faster than ordinary horses at the beginning is already a good horse!"
Everyone was moved, and Emperor Zhao continued to talk:
"Besides, the Central Plains is short of horses. From Nanjing to Huaishang and then to Nanyang, I don't have many horses around me. At that time, it was the best horse that Pingfu and his men could find for me. I rode this horse to deal with Fan Qiong and escaped to Nanyang at night. Until that day, I rode it across the river under Changsha City and headed straight for Pengju's camp...Pengju!"
"I am here."
"These days, as Dongjing City becomes more and more lively, many people have talked about me. Some say that I am too frugal and make it difficult for my subordinates to do their work, some say that I handle things in a disorganized manner, and some say that I am unfair in rewards and punishments... But in fact, several prime ministers and close ministers have long understood my intentions. They know that everything I do, say, and say is based on resisting the Jin people, and in fact, it is true." Emperor Zhao sat in the pavilion and spoke slowly. "Because I think the world is in turmoil, the people are living in misery, and the internal and external disputes are still the most serious, and the millions of people in the two rivers are being ravaged by the Jin people. So in the final analysis, the priority now is to fight the Song army."
"The emperor is in a difficult situation." Before Yue Fei could speak, Wanqi Xie couldn't help but interrupt.
Zhao Jiu laughed at each other and continued to speak slowly: "Therefore, when I deal with government affairs and personnel, I still have to consider whether it is beneficial to fight against Jin and whether it is meritorious. And considering the overall situation at the moment, Jin is still strong and Song is weak, and Jin attacks and Song defends. Therefore, whether it is the Iron Elephant, the Zhiyuan Good Material, my inferior horse, or even the market mule or donkey, as long as it can be used to fight against Jin, it is a good horse for my selfish reasons! Otherwise, even if it is a Gold Elephant or a Silver Elephant, it deserves to be stewed and eaten!"
Upon hearing this, Yue Fei finally stood up solemnly and bowed again: "Your Majesty's mind is far greater than what I have thought!"
Lin Jingmo and others did not dare to be negligent. They stood up solemnly and saluted one after another.
"Everyone sit down. It's boring at the table. We are just chatting nonsense to express our feelings." Emperor Zhao was pleased with Yue Pengju's performance, but he waved his hands and smiled. "But if Mr. Lin has time, you can polish the conversation between me and Pengju after dinner and write a short essay. Post it in front of Xuande Building and on the gate of the capital province... so that some people will not be worried after what happened in the palace today and make a big news."
"Yes, sir!" Scholar Kobayashi responded immediately.
Everyone sat down again. The sun was already moving further and further west, gradually approaching sunset. No one said anything about the Iron Elephant anymore, and the atmosphere became much better.
However, just as they were talking properly and drinking a little more wine, and were gradually entering the alley, Feng Yi, the guard who had escorted Han Shu out before and was now in charge of Yeonbok Palace, suddenly arrived and solemnly reported an unexpected incident in front of the pavilion.
"The Korean envoy?"
Zhao Jiu, who was holding a piece of rabbit leg, looked back in astonishment. "This is interesting... How did you get here? Is it fake?"
"It is indeed suspicious that the envoy came in casual clothes and went straight to the capital, but an elderly official in the capital actually recognized the envoy as the Goryeo envoy who had been to Tokyo in the past, so it must be true." Feng Yi answered in an orderly and serious manner. "It is already evening, and all the ministers and chancellors are not here. Only the Privy Councilor Liu stayed behind. He was notifying several ministers while sending a message to the palace. I happened to be coming back from Xuande Tower and ran into him... Liu, please give me some advice, how should I deal with it?"
"What can we do about this?" Zhao Jiu continued to clamp the rabbit leg in front of him, and then calmly ordered. "Just tell Liu Ziyu to test the Goryeo envoy and ask if he can help us fight the Jin people. If he can help, it's just one soldier, and I can also make another sea alliance! If not, just send him away, and I will disappear!"
The sun had set and the table was silent. Feng Yi was stunned for a moment, but could only nod and leave.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
