Snowflakes drifted incessantly from north to south.

Of course, though the snowflakes around the Yan Mountains were said to be as large as mats, by the time they reached Zhending Prefecture, they were only the size of goose feathers, and by the time they reached the Yellow River, they melted as soon as they touched the ground.

Also in early November, in the Great Song Dynasty’s capital city of Dongjing, a light snow, almost like mist, arrived unexpectedly, attracting the attention of many.

In fact, according to common sense, or rather, according to the chaotic situation before the army set out, this snow should have caused even greater attention or even turmoil... The reason why Zhao Guan's sudden decision to launch the Northern Expedition due to the sudden death of the Jin Kingdom's Third Prince, Eliduo, caused turmoil at the Yuetai military camp outside the city was, on one hand, the suddenness of the event and the hurried departure of the army, and on the other hand, the Great Song's disregard for the seasons, sending troops out in winter.

There was nothing to be done about it. Since ancient times, the two things that common people in feudal times feared most were cold and hunger. Zhao Guan's actions against the natural order naturally caused the imperial guards' families to scramble to buy cold-weather clothing and food.

However, by now, with the continuous victories in the front-line areas, especially in the Hedong region, the recovery of a large number of prefectures and cities, and the fact that Zhao Guan was personally leading the expedition, the panic among the common people at the beginning of the war had somewhat subsided.

Because just as the common people were more concerned about cold and hunger before, the judgments of the war situation in the marketplace were mostly based on the court gazettes reporting the recovery of a city today and a prefecture tomorrow... This was something visible and tangible for the common people, more useful than anything else.

Moreover, these places that were being recovered were not unknown or unfamiliar places.

Speaking of Anyi, countless people would recall the days when Hedong salt and Jingdong salt were sold side by side in the capital; speaking of Hedong City, merchants would talk about how they had seen the Stork Tower from afar when they were selling sheep, leading people to discuss how many stories the tower had, and others to sigh at the poems written about it.

Moreover, there were countless Hedong refugees in this Dongjing City, who knew the local landscape better than anyone else.

This allowed Dongjing City to fall into a strange dynamic and busy stability after adapting to the initial chaos.

"Make way, make way! We are also contributing to the country!"

Outside Donghua Gate, several scholars were standing at a street corner, conversing with their hands clasped behind their backs. In front of them were the deep palace walls, behind them the undiminished prosperity of Ma Xing Street, thousands of miles away were clashing swords and armored horses, and above their heads were falling rain and snow, truly a scene of concern for the country. However, just as these people were saying a few words to one of the young men leading them, suddenly, a dozen or so wheelbarrows with imperial guard flags came speeding from south to north, with an astonishing momentum, shouting as they came, startling these young men into scurrying away and hiding in a panic.

Any thoughts of national concerns were instantly swallowed back.

It should be known that according to the wartime decree issued by the capital province a few days ago, the originally suggested 'pedestrians and vehicles in the capital should keep to the right' had now become a wartime rule, and these food delivery carts, because they were supplying the palace and government offices, had even been given the title of 'military supplies'.

In this situation, if they were hit by these wheelbarrow teams coming from Imperial Street and keeping to the right, even if they went to Kaifeng Prefecture, they would only be hung up and scolded by Yama Xiaozhong, the black, thin, and short Yama, and might even have a record left in the Imperial Academy, affecting their further education and imperial examinations.

Of course, after this rush, these people still wanted to gather together again. However, starting from this team of carts, the food delivery carts from the direction of Imperial Street were intermittent and never-ending, seemingly like the tiny snowflakes above their heads, clearly the large group that had been delivering meals around Imperial Street before was now returning.

During wartime, the central government and local officials working in Imperial Street were far more numerous than usual, and the scale of food delivery was far greater than on ordinary days.

Helplessly, these Imperial Academy students had to give up their thoughts of youthful companionship, bid farewell to the young master they had accidentally bumped into, most of them heading south along the palace walls back to the vicinity of the Imperial Academy, while the young master stuck to the outside of the food delivery carts, heading towards Ma Xing Street.

In fact, this young master had originally been watching for the midday food delivery carts to return, so that the shops on Ma Xing Street could prepare for the evening food deliveries, and had only come here specifically for this purpose, but unfortunately, he had encountered a group of Imperial Academy juniors and had been held up because of his special status.

Thus, when this person arrived at Ma Xing Street, starting from Song Sao Fish Soup, he walked past three or four shops in a row, but only ordered a dozen or so dishes of soup, along with some of the usual ginger and fermented soybeans for the winter, barely enough for one large and one small table.

However, even so, these shops with extremely large signs and extremely high consumption levels were all respectful and serious, and in the end, it was often the owner of the shop who personally sent the young master out, even promising that they would definitely deliver the takeaway to his residence in the evening without fail... The reason for this was simple: this young master was none other than the eldest son of the current Prime Minister, named Zhao Fen.

The reason why Young Master Zhao came out this time was because front-line reports had been sent back stating that the Zhiguan Xing had been locked down and Linfen was advancing like a tide. After the Jin army had hastily fought back and lost the Hezhong Basin, they had simply abandoned the Linfen Basin altogether.

Zhao Ding's hometown was none other than Wenxi, where Prime Minister Lü Yihao was currently recuperating. How could he not know the topography of his hometown? Therefore, after this, Prime Minister Zhao was completely relieved, knowing that Wenxi was completely safe and had returned to the fold, no matter what.

From now on, he would no longer be a displaced person.

Therefore, he inevitably had some of the same feelings as the Hedong refugees, wanting to sing and drink to his heart's content in the evening. He was still composed in the capital province, the Secretariat Pavilion, and the public offices, acting like a prime minister, but secretly couldn't help but pass a note to his son, telling him to set up a banquet.

Of course, Zhao Fen was also very happy about this, but although his name contained the character 'Fen', he had lived with his parents in the capital since a long time ago, and only had a few vague impressions of his hometown, so he might not have been as excited to that extent.

However, when Zhao Fen, who had made proper arrangements at home, waited for his father to return that evening, and saw the guests who were coming tonight, he realized that he had underestimated the excitement of his father's mood.

There were only two guests: one was the current Privy Councilor Zhang Jun, and the other was the Minister of Public Works Hu Yin... together with his own father, the current Prime Minister Zhao Ding, who was sitting in the main seat, they were the so-called three famous ministers of the Jingkang Imperial Academy.

This was a typical private banquet. Although Zhang Jun's son was still young, his clan was very large, so he brought three or five adult nephews to help manage the household. Hu Yin was similar; he was accompanied by his half-brother Hu Hong and a distant cousin who had come to study... For a time, coupled with the already numerous descendants of the Zhao family, it was quite lively.

And when the banquet was laid out, there were only two tables. At the outer table, Zhao Fen himself let Hu Hong, who had passed the imperial examination and was already in office, take the first seat, and then sat with his younger brother and the others to accompany them. At the inner table, there were only three main characters, without even a single person to pour wine and serve.

This made the people outside secretly amazed.

"There's even ginger and fermented soybeans."

Inside, the three men sat down, and Zhang Jun glanced at the dishes on the table and immediately smiled. "Brother Yuanzhen hasn't forgotten his roots."

"Roots are the beginning, and everything must have a beginning." Zhao Ding stroked his beard and smiled when he heard this. "Before, when His Majesty was in Hangzhou, he would often mention this, insisting on getting to the root of things. How can people forget their roots? How can we forget the merits of 'Ginger Vice-Minister' and His Majesty's appreciation?"

After saying that, the two of them laughed together, and the tension from when they first arrived eased by three points.

Hu Yin, however, was still the same as he had been ten years ago, standing up silently and taking the initiative to pour wine for the two who could almost be called sworn brothers, and then calmly sitting back down.

"Although it's a family banquet, we must first offer a toast." Zhang Jun's smile faded slightly, and he raised his glass. "The Hedong royal army has made great progress, which was expected, but for Brother Yuanzhen, it means that he has finally found his roots and is no longer a wandering person... Congratulations."

Hu Yin immediately stood up and held his wine in response, while Zhao Ding nodded, rarely being humble, and directly raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Immediately, Hu Mingzhong poured wine for the three of them again, and after pouring the wine, he sat back in his seat and directly picked up his chopsticks, starting with the steaming fish soup in front of him.

As for Zhao and Zhang, after each drinking a cup, they were at a loss for words, sighing as if recalling the past and thinking about the origins of the few of them, filled with emotion.

"The snow isn't very heavy, is it?" For some reason, even though they had been friends for more than ten years, after a long time, the two of them were almost speechless, so much so that Zhang Deyuan had to bring up the weather as if he had nothing else to say.

"It's not very heavy." Zhao Yuanzhen also replied as if he had just come back to his senses. "I asked many old people, and they all said that the climate this year is not abnormal. According to experience, at most the small rivers and well water will freeze this month. Even if there is a great cold, causing the big river to freeze, it will have to wait until the first ten days of the twelfth month... However, since we are in charge here, no matter what the weather is like, we must prepare for the worst... Chen Privy Councilor (Chen Gui) should also be given appropriate attention, and the ice-breaking service on the Yellow River should also be organized in advance."

"That's right." Zhang Jun nodded repeatedly, but then sighed again. "Actually, the key is still Daming Prefecture. If Yue Pengju can capture Daming Prefecture in one fell swoop, everything will be easy to say."

"Yue Pengju isn't a god." Zhao Ding couldn't help but smile wryly. "There are five ten-thousand-household units behind Daming Prefecture, plus four or five ten-thousand-household units from Longde Prefecture that can arrive in a few days. Their forces are weaker than the opposing side, not to mention that Daming Prefecture itself is a strong city, with the Yellow River channel on three sides, a natural obstacle... How can it be breached? He is originally a partial force. As long as he can firmly attract the East Route Army, that will be appropriate. If he can attract the West Route Army, that will be the best situation, but then it will be Yue Fei's turn to defend the city, and the snow might be a good thing again."

"Yue Pengju has the potential of a famous general." Zhang Jun immediately sighed. "I think that if we could give him more troops, we might be able to open a gap in Hebei this time... Think about it, if we could directly capture Daming Prefecture before the new year... Then the Jin army would be at a loss, and could only combine their forces in the fields, and then wait for the royal army to complete its rest on both wings, and then we could join forces on the banks of the mountains and rivers and eliminate the rebels in one fell swoop."

Zhao Ding hesitated, but in the end he could only look at Hu Yin, who had already lowered his head and gnawed on half a fish.

"His Majesty has his own considerations on the importance of military affairs, and he had already decided on the strategy of focusing on Hedong. How can it be changed?" Hu Yin said without raising his head. "Besides, the weather is not favorable... If we want to break the city, it's not that there's no way. For example, we can use naval vessels to enter the sides of Daming Prefecture, and then cut off its rear with heavy troops, so that the Jin army's reinforcements cannot get close to the city, and also make the royal army's strength locally dominant, so that we can take action... The strategy formulated by the Military Academy and the Privy Council before had this one, but that was to send troops out in the spring, taking advantage of the strong water flow. Now it's a winter advance. Not only is the water shallow, but it might also freeze. Unless there is a way to break the city immediately, otherwise the situation will be greatly deteriorated. Who dares to throw it lightly?"

Zhang Jun was momentarily embarrassed.

Hu Yin didn't give his old brother any face at all, and continued to earnestly advise: "Brother Deyuan, it's been almost fifty days since the day the Jin Kingdom's Third Prince died suddenly, and it's been more than forty days since His Majesty issued the decree to send troops. Hebei has recovered three prefectures, and Hedong has recovered six or seven prefectures. Are you still thinking about personal gains and losses and can't calm down to serve the country? If so, why not take the initiative to resign and take a few days off, and just hand over the affairs to Brother Yuanzhen, and then I, Liu Ziyu, and Lin Jingmo will assist from the side and take care of everything for Brother Deyuan?"

Zhang Jun was stunned for a moment, and then panicked. Zhao Ding was also a little at a loss.

Neither of them knew that Hu Mingzhong was not a person who would compete for power, nor was he a timid person. On the contrary, he was a serious person who regarded the Northern Expedition as everything. If he said this, then it was most likely what he really thought, and he might even try to do it.

For a time, Zhang Jun was flustered and didn't know how to explain, but Zhao Ding calmed down a little and then earnestly persuaded: "Mingzhong... things can't be calculated like that. Deyuan has been in the Privy Council for a long time. Once he moves lightly, it will cause suspicion inside and outside. At that time, this matter itself will shake the court and affect the front line."

"That's right, Brother Deyuan is in a high position and has great power, and has become a system of his own. Once it is shaken, it will be detrimental to the country." Hu Yin continued earnestly. "But if that's the case, Brother Deyuan should be self-respecting. Why are you still thinking all day long that it would be good if it was like this, or what if it was like that?"

"Mingzhong." Zhao Ding already regretted interrupting Hu Yin's eating fish. "Isn't this a private banquet today, where the three of us are talking privately? Some private intentions are explained here, so that we can put on the appearance of prime ministers in Chongwen Hall."

Zhang Jun quickly nodded.

"If that's the case, why did Brother Deyuan publicly sigh in Chongwen Hall, before His Majesty's edict came and was published in the court gazette, saying that it was a pity that he didn't use the edict he wrote, so that Fan Sanzhao became famous... Is this also something that should be done by someone who has put on the appearance of a prime minister?" Hu Mingzhong continued to ask earnestly.

Zhao Ding was finally speechless, and Zhang Jun was already sweating profusely.

To be honest, if it were someone else, even if Zhao Ding said these words himself, Zhang Deyuan could immediately flip the table and leave, but someone else couldn't question him like this, could they?

It was this little brother who had known him for more than ten years, who was taking the opportunity to express his dissatisfaction at today's rare private banquet where only the three of them were reminiscing about the past! The little brother who used to only lower his head and eat ginger and fermented soybeans now had fangs in his mouth as soon as he opened it.

But the problem was, even so, what could he do? Hu Yin was a low-key person in his usual actions, and there was no loophole at all... He couldn't just break off relations with him because he advised him a few words at a private banquet, and then let someone impeach him for being unfilial, could he?

He couldn't impeach Hu Mingzhong for being unfilial either. The last person who secretly impeached him for being unfilial now only had 'everything must have a beginning' left.

And wouldn't that confirm that you are a selfish person who doesn't care about the overall situation and is not worthy of being a prime minister?

Zhang Jun didn't even dare to walk away... because he was really afraid that if he left today, Hu Mingzhong would really send a memorial directly to the emperor tomorrow!

Who was afraid of whom?

Or rather, who had Minister Hu ever been afraid of? Did they really think he was a vegetarian?

In the blink of an eye, more than half of the fish was gone, and he was still a vegetarian?

Helplessly, Zhang Jun, who had taken a long time to recover, could only brace himself and stand up, respectfully cupping his hands: "Thank you for the reminder, Mingzhong. This foolish brother has indeed lost the decorum of a prime minister."

After saying that, he raised his glass again to cover up the situation.

Hu Yin nodded and unceremoniously got up to drink with him, which was considered to have accepted the toast, but before sitting down, he took the initiative to pick up the wine pot and fill a glass of Lanhqiao Fengyue for the other party. His posture was still impeccable.

So, the three of them moved past this matter and began to eat and talk again.

However, although it was said that the three of them were reminiscing about the past, Hu Yin just lowered his head and ate, eating seven or eight out of ten of a fish, and then simply threw it away and started dealing with a whole bowl of ginger and fermented soybeans... At the same time, Zhao Ding and Zhang Jun, as prime ministers of the East and West Houses, would inevitably turn the conversation to military and national affairs, no matter what they said. But once they talked about military and national affairs, they had to make some considerations for their respective parties and try to create some divisions and arguments.

Especially Zhang Jun, because he was very passive in front of the emperor because of the previous memorial, and this time he was a guest at Zhao Ding's house, and he had been stunned by Hu Mingzhong, so he was a lot more vigilant.

For example, when Zhao Ding talked about the poor transportation in the East Shandong Circuit, Zhang Jun instinctively became vigilant and immediately suggested that since the war was in progress, it should be dealt with severely to serve as a warning, and that the Little Han Pacification Commissioner of the East Shandong Circuit should be replaced, and Zhao Yuanxian, the Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Rites, should go to the East Shandong Circuit.

This was because the Little Han Pacification Commissioner had been recommended by him, Zhang Deyuan, when he took office. If this guy reluctantly continued to do something superfluous in Shandong while the front line was fighting, it would inevitably enrage the emperor.

And Zhao Yuanxian was Zhao Ding's old subordinate when he was in Lianghuai.

This was a typical defensive strategy.

It could only be said that it was fortunate that Zhang Jun didn't take it a step further and discuss who would fill the position of Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Rites, otherwise it would be too obvious.

Of course, Zhao Ding didn't agree to this plan in the end. He still felt that replacing local officials at this time would cause shock, and he also saw that Zhang Jun was overreacting, so he intended to shelve it.

After this matter, they also talked about the East Mongolian matter... Shaanxi and Ningxia had recently jointly reported that they had received information from the grasslands that the Jin envoys were constantly going to East Mongolia, and that Borjigin Khabul had not given a reply, and they didn't know if he had really been bought off or was sitting on the ground asking for a price, or was watching, so the court had to quickly send a high-ranking envoy over there.

Zhao and Zhang inevitably had a little argument over the choice of this envoy.

In all fairness, the dispute between these two may not have been a partisan struggle, or even that private interests outweighed public interests... because they could both consider it from the perspective of national affairs, and Zhao Guan's decisions had never failed.

However, Zhao Guan wasn't a superman and couldn't make decisions on everything, especially since this emperor was often not in the capital, and Lü Haowen was increasingly cherishing his feathers and usually didn't get involved in these matters, which led to Zhao and Zhang's powers being unprecedentedly concentrated and powerful, but there was no higher level of suppression.

To put it bluntly, these two people, in a sense, were already holders of a relative 'supreme power', and the opposition of the supreme power would naturally inevitably lead to disputes and then form opposition and division.

Especially under the Secret Pavilion's decision-making system, it was inevitable to pull people in order to get things done, which further intensified this opposition.

It could only be said that this situation had existed since the two of them first took office five years ago, and it would intensify when Zhao Guan went out for a walk, but only because the two of them were Zhao Guan's confidants and there was no problem with their obedience to the emperor, so it would gradually subside when the emperor came back.

But wasn't Zhao Guan's departure this time particularly long? Didn't Zhao Guan return and have a sudden incident before starting the Northern Expedition early?

As a result, the so-called partisan struggle between the Water and Wood parties was never given time to be eliminated and was submerged by numerous military and national affairs, and then the more things there were, the more serious the opposition between the two families became.

In a sense, Zhao Ding's banquet today was indeed because he was happy for the restoration of his hometown, so he called two friends to reminisce about the past, but it also had a bit of a meaning of making a private truce with Zhang Jun, who was in a mess, and to jointly plan national affairs.

However, looking at Zhang Deyuan's cautious appearance at the moment, it was hard to see that this gentleman's agreement would be reached.

"Three hundred Japanese samurai have arrived in Jinan..."

"Three hundred people are useless on the battlefield. Their use is in comforting people's hearts and diplomacy. Let them take a trip to the capital and show their faces in front of the Goryeo envoys, and then quickly go to Hedong to serve as guards of honor."

"There's nothing to say about this."

"The waterway transportation in Shanzhou is inconvenient. Someone suggested that supplies be transported by land to Guanzhong and transferred from Pujin."

"You can try it, but if that's the case, should we add another Transportation Vice-Envoy? Or should we let Vice-Minister Liu take on the role?"

"This... isn't this the responsibility of the Ministry of Public Works? Mingzhong..."

"Brother Yuanzhen, did you call me?" Hu Yin, who was gnawing on a 'Jianyan Imperial Duck' duck leg, looked up in surprise and asked earnestly. "I thought the two of you had forgotten about this foolish brother..."

Zhao Ding and Zhang Jun were both embarrassed and quickly gathered their sleeves and sat upright.

Zhao Ding, ashamed, looked at the dishes that had been eaten on half the table, and finally gritted his teeth and put on the appearance of the host:

"Deyuan, Mingzhong, today is because this foolish brother can finally be buried in his hometown in this life, and return to his roots, and I am really happy in my heart. Then I thought of what we three said when we were hiding in the Imperial Academy during the Jingkang period, so I called you over to drink a cup of wine and reminisce about the past... How about this, from now on, let's not mention any national affairs or political strategies, let's just talk about old friendship and talk about poetry and articles, and throw all the official business to tomorrow?"

Zhang Jun immediately agreed with a smile, and even rolled up his sleeves, reciting a poem on the spot to cover up the atmosphere. It was said that he had visited Lü Haowen's residence a few days ago and took the opportunity to pay homage to the newly erected ancestral hall in Lü Gong's house, and then made it in response to the situation.

The so-called:

"Three prime ministers have been guarding the temple for years,
Even the rivers and mountains, plants and trees add to the glory.
For a time, the master's power weighed heavily,
The name and fragrance of a thousand ages."

These three prime ministers, of course, refer to the three unprecedented Chief Counselors of Military and National Affairs in the Lü family, but using it here also has the meaning of making fun, because among the three people present, only Hu Yin has not yet become a prime minister.

Unexpectedly, Hu Yin, upon hearing this, simply shook his head: "Brother Deyuan's abilities are all in Confucianism, and he's not bad in Buddhism either. Recently, he has also been studying the Yuan school diligently, but his poetry and romantic affairs are really insufficient. Like this foolish brother, they are too vulgar and cannot be put on the stage."

Zhang Jun was momentarily uninterested, but Hu Mingzhong also said 'like this foolish brother', so he couldn't scold him.

"Then how is this foolish brother's poetry and romantic affairs?" Zhao Ding quickly chimed in.

"Speaking only of poetry and romantic affairs, among the three of us, Brother Yuanzhen has achieved the most." Hu Yin replied with his head held high, speaking calmly. "However, this is not because Brother Yuanzhen is talented, but because Brother Yuanzhen doesn't specialize in writing articles. All of his literary works are sincere... And once these things like romantic texts have sincerity, they are better than countless things in the world."

Moreover, how could Zhao and Zhang not know that Hu Mingzhong was a serious person? If he said this, then that was really what he thought. So Zhao Ding immediately smiled slightly, stroking his beard with complacency, feeling comfortable in his heart, while Zhang Jun was momentarily anxious and wanted to say something... He still wanted to prove that his "Edict" was not bad.

But at this moment, Hu Yin completely ignored Zhao and Zhang's postures, and instead imitated Zhang Jun just now, directly carrying a duck leg and tapping the wine cup, using that mouth that was particularly shiny in the candlelight, he recited a poem:

"The remnant toad and the fading willow accompany my sorrows,
I sing a sad song with wine in hand, in the autumn of Bian River.
We have promised each other life and death, and tears fall,
Fame, wealth, and glory, this heart will give up.
Killing a chicken for millet, I think of the former agreement,
Asking for a house and seeking fields, I am ashamed of my original plan.
Again, I talk about parting in the spring breeze,
The livelihood of this life is long and leisurely."

After reciting the poem, Hu Yin held the duck leg, shook his head at the already pale-faced two, and sighed:

"Brother Yuanzhen, you said that today we will only talk about old friendship and poetry, but if we talk about the old friendship and poetry of the three of us, is there anything more appropriate than this poem? Ten years ago, we three hid together in the Imperial Academy, escaped together, and agreed by the Bian River outside the city that Brother Yuanzhen's family was large, so he would go south, Brother Deyuan would go north, and I would go east alone along the Bian River to find out information and look for the emperor's whereabouts, in case we encountered an accident and were taken down in one fell swoop... But why didn't you have poetic inspiration before I set off, but you two had this poem when you parted north and south? Why is this poem 'Farewell to Zhang Deyuan' and not 'Gift to Hu Mingzhong'?"

Zhang Jun was stunned there for a moment, Zhao Ding forced a smile, and just as he was about to speak, he didn't know how to reply for a moment, but instead had a somewhat foolish meaning.

As for Hu Mingzhong, who had been eating all evening, he continued to tap the table with the duck leg: "Brother Yuanzhen, Brother Deyuan, if we talk about the old friendship of the three of us, other things are fine, but I have always been worried about this matter! You say that after a hundred years, poetry will be replaced and new ones will come out. We three are not masters, and those vulgar works like the Three Prime Ministers Guarding the Temple will probably be covered up. At that time, only this poem will be passed down, wouldn't that make the world think that only you two have ever been close to each other in life and death, and I, Hu Mingzhong, am just a passerby? The ones who made the promise of life-and-death affection back then, weren't they Zhao Ding, Zhang Jun, and Hu Yin, the three people sitting here today?!"

At the end of his words, he was almost a bit agitated. Even the outer hall, separated by two doors, had some chaotic noises, but no one dared to come in and peep.

As for Zhao and Zhang, they had become somewhat dimmed after Hu Yin recited the poem. When Hu Yin made a gesture to criticize and question them, they both had the intention to respond with words in the meantime, but almost as soon as they opened their mouths, they couldn't help but feel three points of shame, three points of sourness, and three points of remorse, so that they were speechless...

After all, how many times had the country been destroyed and the family been destroyed? The three of them had once supported each other in life and death, and they had once been close to each other in life and death. What kind of friendship was that? But now, the overall situation had turned around, but they had each grown wings and opposed each other, so that even gathering like this required hesitation and testing.

In this embarrassing state, Hu Mingzhong's mockery had both the meaning of sarcasm and some true feelings, expressing closeness, which was really difficult to deal with.

Not to mention what kind of mixed feelings the other two had in their hearts, let alone Hu Mingzhong, after reciting a poem and uttering a series of words, he continued to lower his head and deal with that duck leg. After a moment, after dealing with the duck leg, the Minister of Public Works simply stood up, cupped his hands at the two of them:

"Two brothers, this foolish brother only has those words about old friendship and poetry, and I have already finished speaking them. If I have offended you, then it is naturally because you have forgotten our old friendship of life and death, not because this foolish brother's words are unpleasant... Since the three hundred samurai from Japan have all arrived in Jinan, I will go back first to arrange the transfer documents, and I will also arrange the matter of transporting through Pujin, so I won't delay the two of you... You two can talk about romance."

After saying that, he actually left angrily without looking back.

Zhao and Zhang, looking at each other alone, were also ashamed, and hurriedly went out to chase after him, but unexpectedly, Hu Mingzhong was young and fast on his feet. He chased all the way to the courtyard, but did not see Minister Hu turn his head, and coupled with the fact that a bunch of nephews sitting in the outer hall followed out, they were embarrassed to shout in public, and were also ashamed to the ground for a moment.

However, in the courtyard where the light snow had stopped, Hu Yin, ignoring his younger brother and nephews who had hurriedly chased out, suddenly took the initiative to stop and then looked back at each other:

"I have it."

"Have what?"

Zhang Jun saw the other party stop and quickly stepped forward, preparing to drag the other party back. "Mingzhong, it's cold outside now that the snow has stopped. Please come back with this foolish brother and have some wine and say more."

Zhao Ding also hurried forward to speak.

"No need." Hu Yin raised his hand to stop the other party, and then respectfully bowed to the two of them in front of the nephews of the three families. "Just now the two brothers each had a poem... This foolish brother has also gotten a vulgar poem, which can be harmonized, which is exactly the old friendship of this snowy moon and romantic affair."

Zhao Ding and Zhang Jun both had a headache, but they could only stand upright in front of their respective nephews.

At this time, the light snow had stopped, and a crescent moon flashed out, reflecting a slight sparkle on the ground and on the eaves. Hu Mingzhong then put his hands behind his back and stepped on the snow in the courtyard, one line at a time, and made a poem in public:

"The river comes out of Kunlun Ruins, the river comes out of the bottom of Minshan Mountain.

The Han River receives all the streams, and rolls through thousands of miles.

Water only uses the standard of levelness, and virtue uses the mirror of comparison.

What is the matter with the Dujiangyan and the Sanmenxia Dam, rising in the middle of the stream?

Sitting and ordering the level to tilt, and then making the clear to become turbid.

Although the courtyards of ministers are like a market, the hearts of ministers must be like water.

Do not be agitated by the Sanmenxia Dam, but make the principles of heaven and earth.

To have resentment in the home, only Shun could be at peace with his father and son.

To have resentment in the state, only the Duke of Zhou worried that the house would be destroyed.

How could it be anger and desire? It is only because of the principles of right and wrong.

Xiao He and Cao Shen were poor friends, and the gap started from the time they became generals and prime ministers.

They were able to remove the mustard seeds, and pushed each other until death.

What did they use as a guide? Only the overturned cart had more than enough to warn them.

At the same time, they were people of the Qin and Han Dynasties, but with different interests, they left behind a history of hundreds of generations."

After reciting the poem, the words were simple and easy to understand, and everyone knew that this was Hu Mingzhong earnestly persuading the two to unite and work together for the sake of the country.

The nephews of the Zhao and Zhang families also looked at their elders, making Zhao and Zhang even more ashamed.

On the other side, Hu Mingzhong, after making a vulgar poem and eating his fill, simply stepped over the light snow and strode away, and his brother Hu Hong, without even carrying a lantern, directly chased after him.

Zhao and Zhang watched the other party leave, but saw the moon reflecting from the top of the other party's head, and the snow reflecting from the ground, illuminating Hu Mingzhong with glory, until he suddenly disappeared out the door.

"Hu Mingzhong's appetite, he will become a prime minister sooner or later." After standing for a long time, Zhang Jun asserted, and then, as if nothing had happened, dragged Zhao Ding back to drink.

ps: Sacrifice a new book, "I'm Really Not a Scumbag, Am I?"