Chapter 251: Accidental reunion

"Does he want the Ministry of War?" Pei Jun suddenly turned around, his eyes couldn't help but show a sense of surprise. Among the six ministries of the Tang Dynasty, the officials and households were in his hands, the Ministry of Justice was in Chu Xingshui's hands, the Ministry of Rites was in Li Mian's hands, the Ministry of War was in Cui Yu's hands, and the Ministry of Works was in Wang Ang's hands. According to his plan, he originally wanted to give Wang Ang's Ministry of Works to Zhang Huan, or hand over the Dali Temple and the Censorate to him, but he didn't expect that what he wanted was the Ministry of War, the Minister of War was Cui Qinggong, and the Minister of War was the Minister of War, and the Minister of the Left Prime Minister Cui Yu. In this way, Zhang Huan had to attack the two Cui at the same time.

Pei Jun couldn't help but become very interested. Of course, Cui Qinggong's Minister of War was just a false position, and he himself might not care about this title. The key is Cui Yu's Minister of War, how could he get it?

Pei Jun pondered for a long time. Among Zhang Huan's three conditions, the easiest thing to satisfy was that Zhang Potian was appointed. This problem was not big. He was not worried that the Zhang family would rise again, and that the rootless grass would never grow into a big tree. Secondly, he ordered him to be the Grand Marshal of the Western Expedition and authorized him to recover Hexi and Anxi. In terms of the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo, it was not big. After all, Tubo tear down the alliance agreement itself, but in this way, Zhang Huan could expand his army reasonably and legally and grow up without any scruples. Moreover, Pei Jun was worried about the future. If Zhang Huan could not control it, where would he go?

Pei You next to him saw Pei Jun's concern and advised him: "In fact, Zhang Huan is no longer controlled by the court. Regardless of whether the court has an appointment, he will go back to the West to use troops and expand his strength. However, judging from what he did in Longyou and Shuzhong, does the eldest brother think that he is completely different from Cui Qinggong, Zhu Li and others? I think Cui Qinggong, Zhu Li, Li Huaixian, Li Xilie and others are the people who truly threaten the court. If they rebel at the same time, it will be difficult to extinguish the Pei family alone. The eldest brother needs to leave a step behind to do so, which is a good idea!"

Pei Jun nodded slowly. Perhaps Pei You was right. Cui Qinggong and Zhu Li were indeed the biggest concerns of the court. If they were not eliminated, they would sooner or later become the second highest in An Lushan.

Thinking of this, Pei Jun finally made up his mind to agree to Zhang Huan’s first and second conditions. As for controlling the Ministry of War, he was powerless, and it depends on Zhang Huan’s own capture.

．

．

．

．

．

In the afternoon, Jingzhao Yin organized nearly ten thousand people, and with the help of the army, the ice on some major streets in Chang'an was finally shoveled out. In various yards, some senior officials also organized their families to go to the street to shovel the ice. Under their leadership, more and more people and businesses also participated in it. Everyone worked together and was busy until dusk. The problem of road difficulties that made people distressed for two days was solved. At night, the streets became lively again.

After being in the house for a few days, my feet were extremely itchy. At this time, the New Year was approaching, and many families went out shopping on the grounds of inspecting New Year goods. Although the weather was cold, there were crowds in the east and west cities of Chang'an. Men and women went out shopping with their elderly and children. It was even more lively than the Shangyuan Night. All businesses also put in full force. Every household hanged the Lanterns of Shangyuan Night and lit them early. The lights were bright for a while, which attracted the public to refuse to disperse for a long time. There were bursts of laughter to welcome this rare Snow Melting Festival.

It was the first time Zhang Huan had free time in a few days. His conditions were opened. The rest was Pei Jun's reply. He was happy and relaxed. He walked to Dongcheng to see Du Mei's intelligence center in Chang'an and learn about its operation.

Instead of taking a carriage, he came on horseback. More than a dozen personal soldiers were dressed in casual clothes and followed closely. The open spaces on both sides of the gate of Dongshi were already full of carriages. The taxi coaches were covered in greasy faces and could not stop for a moment. They kept greeting guests and sent them up. Several restaurants at the door were brightly lit and crowded, and a steady stream of people were coming from all directions, some riding horses, some riding carriages, and some walking from nearby.

After entering the East City, a large area of ​​hot air came overwhelmingly, and Zhang Huan and others immediately submerged in the ocean.

"You guys don't have to be so nervous. There will be no assassins here." Zhang Huan saw his personal soldiers look extremely nervous, holding the hilt of the knife to escort the left and right, and hating that there was no high shield to block it. He was so scared that the people on both sides could not hide it. They all looked at them in surprise. He couldn't help but say angrily and funny: "If there is an assassin, you can start at the gate of Dongshi. Do you still have to wait until now?"

Although the governor made sense, the personal soldiers pretended not to hear it, and still looked alert, guarding closely, Zhang Huan had no choice but to go with them.

Less than 500 steps into the gate of Dongshi, the jewelry store area is where there are more people, especially women. Everyone is thinking of adding one or two pieces of jewelry to themselves before the New Year. Because there are too many carriages, everyone is almost walking forward. Every shop is filled with women who choose jewelry, and some men pay, while others wait helplessly.

After walking about twenty steps, a lantern in the shape of a copper coin was hung in the middle of the road, but the four words "Kaiyuan Tongbao" on the copper coin were replaced with "Wu Zhuyuebao". Their destination finally arrived.

If we look at the appearance alone, this jewelry store is no different from other people's houses. The shop is also full of people. Various jewelry is hanging on the walls, flashing dazzling light under the light. More than a dozen friends are tirelessly explaining the origin, quality and price of each piece of jewelry to each customer. There are also several guests with quite a status sitting in the inner room, and the deputy manager is serving him, handing over the jewelry from Curry one by one.

Manager Hu was standing in the tent, with five or six customers paying money. He had a sign-like smile on his face and greeted the guests, but he was meticulous in counting the money in his hands, skillful and fast. With five short and thick fingers, he divided fifty copper coins, which was not bad. Who would have thought that such a merchant full of copper smell would be the intelligence leader of the Xiliang Army in Chang'an?

The shopkeeper Hu had just settled the tent halfway, and his heart suddenly jumped up with a glance. He saw that one meter away, his boss, Zhang Huan, the governor of Longyou, looked at him with a smile on his back.

Manager Hu is worthy of being a person who has seen the world. Although the governor suddenly appeared, he was still in shock and quickly took the remaining 800 cents and stamped his own seal on the order. This made another clerk come up to check the bill and greeted him, "Do you want to buy jewelry?"

Seeing that he was cautious in his work, Zhang Huan couldn't help but nodded in praise and smiled: "I don't like these jewelry. I want to find a few good ones, can I have it?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Guest Officer, please follow me." Manager Hu opened a small door and asked Zhang Huan to come with him. After several turns, everyone came to a room. There were no windows on all sides, all of which were bricks and stone structures. Manager Hu lit up the lights and immediately half-knelt down to salute, "Subor Hu Ping, please see the governor!"

"Are you a man in the army?" Zhang Huan was a little surprised. In his impression, the soldiers of Western Liang were all strong and tough, and most of the civil servants were young, and they were so sharp that they were black, thin and lean, but they were rarely seen like this white and fat middle-aged man.

"I am a native of Chang'an. I have been doing business for generations. I went to Wuwei to join the army because of my family's decline. I have been working in the military ration warehouse. Later, I was elected as the patrol envoy. I was sent to Chang'an the year before yesterday and bought this shop as a cover."

"I understand." Zhang Huan nodded and asked again: "How many subordinates are there in this store?"

"Reporting to the governor, most of the shops are real friends, with only two subordinates, and five spies, who are responsible for collecting intelligence, and are generally not in the shop."

Zhang Huan didn't say anything for a long time. It should be said that he was not satisfied. The scale was too small, a lot of deep-seated intelligence could not be obtained, and the functions were too simple. Apart from collecting intelligence, he was unable to do anything else, such as assassination, kidnapping, and theft. These were all necessary, but it was good to be able to do this in just two years.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Chang'an is the capital of the Tang Dynasty. The information here is crucial to our decision-making. I hope you will not be limited to a small jewelry store. Don't be afraid. Let's go to do it. Restaurants, brothels, inns, and music shops must be set up, and the staff must be increased to make the news wider. You should not do things. Take charge of each branch for me, and pay attention to collecting a group of talented people with high martial arts skills...."

Zhang Huan said a lot in one breath, and Manager Hu was moved and ashamed. Although he had established a simple intelligence network in the past two years, he spent at least half of his energy on doing business. Strictly speaking, he had already dereliction of duty, but the governor did not punish him, but encouraged him to become bigger and stronger. Compared with the governor's expectations, his small Chang'an intelligence manager was too far behind.

"I will remember the teachings of the governor. I will go back to Jincheng County tomorrow to discuss the expansion with General Manager Du."

Zhang Huan stood up, patted his shoulder gently and said, "Don't underestimate the role of intelligence, it is the basis of all my decisions. If you can successfully capture Shuzhong this time, timely and complete intelligence will be the first contribution."

"Yes, my subordinate remembers it."

"Okay, I'm going back. Please pick a few pieces of good jewelry for me and send someone to my mansion tomorrow. I will pay the bill as much as possible." After saying that, Zhang Huan smiled slightly and led everyone away.

There were more people on the streets of Dongshi at this time, with people crowded, and they couldn't walk ten steps for a quarter of an hour. Zhang Huan frowned. There were so many people, but he had no interest at all, but he had no way to go. Do you really want him to watch the lights and enjoy himself before returning?

At this time, someone came from behind, but a friend from the 'Wu Zhuyuebao' store. He ran forward and bowed and said, "Master Zhang, my shopkeeper asked me to lead the way. There is a small road that can be directly out of the East City."

'Origin Zhang?' Zhang Huan smiled, "Then I'll trouble you."

The so-called path is actually a passage behind the store that specializes in delivering urgent goods. It is only one person wide. The fat person can only walk sideways. After walking about three or four hundred steps, he saw the gatehouse of the East City gate from afar. The road here is very spacious. Although there are people coming and going, he can walk as fast as he can.

"Master Zhang, you can go out after walking along the main road. The store is busy, so I'll send it here."

"Thank you." Zhang Huan bowed to him slightly, and the guy quickly bowed, then turned around and left in a hurry.

Zhang Huan looked up and looked around. This area seemed to be a square. Countless small vendors set up street stalls here, including clay sellers, dog skin plasters, fortune tellers, wooden swords and swords, stalls and archery and gambling lottery tickets, etc., which attracted countless people who joined in the fun.

"Selling beef noodle, authentic Jinseongjun beef noodle." A rough voice came from a distance, with a standard Jinseongjun accent.

"Governor, there is actually Jincheng County beef noodles here, which is rare!" A personal soldier smiled.

Only then did Zhang Huan remember that he had not eaten dinner yet. He looked back at more than a dozen personal soldiers, and his eyes were all shining. He smiled and said, "Okay! We meet an old friend in a foreign land, so let's go to recognize our fellow villagers."

A dozen people turned around and walked towards the stall. The stall was placed next to a wall. The business was pretty good. There were more than twenty stools on the ground, and basically there were people. Perhaps because of the cold, two small tents were built against the wall. Two servants stood in front of one of the tents, and no one was allowed to enter. Zhang Huan looked familiar with his clothes. He seemed to have seen them somewhere, but he couldn't remember them for a moment.

"Does the guest officer want to eat noodles?" The stall owner saw more than a dozen people coming, and immediately greeted him with a smile. A personal soldier said, "Give us thirty bowls of noodles, and we want one tent."

The stall owner was about thirty years old and had a simple and honest look on his face. He looked back at the tent, feeling a little embarrassed: "There are female guests in both tents, so why don't they finish eating?"

"Forget it!" Zhang Huan shook his head.

"I don't want the tent, so I'll give it to us." Seeing that Zhang Huan didn't care, the personal soldiers found a stool and placed it against the wall.

Zhang Huan sat down, and he couldn't help but look at the two servants again, searching in his mind where they had seen their clothes, but he couldn't remember them.

At this time, a personal soldier brought a bowl of noodles and smiled and said, "Governor, eat while it's hot!"

Zhang Huan poured a thick layer of minced meat on the meeting, and couldn't help but feel appetite. He smiled and said, "It looks like Jincheng beef noodles."

He took the noodles and started eating them in big mouthfuls, praising them while eating, "Good, it's really authentic."

At this time, a young woman's voice came faintly from the tent, "My lady, are you here to eat noodles or watch noodles? The noodles are cold, eat it quickly!"

"I'm not hungry, you can eat it yourself!" This was the voice of another young woman, her voice was gentle and sad. Hearing these two voices, Zhang Huan's body shook suddenly, and he looked at the tent beside him incredibly.

"Since you don't eat, why are you going to take me to do?"

"Nothing, I just want to sit in the stall."

Zhang Huan stood up all of a sudden, he threw down his bowl and walked towards the tent. When the two families saw him being fierce, they were shocked and held the hilt of their swords, "There are female relatives here, you can't go in!"

Zhang Huan already knew the origin of these two families, so he quickly bowed and said, "I am an old friend of Cui Xiangguo and have no malice."

At this time, the curtain suddenly opened, revealing a beautiful face. Zhang Huan's body froze and stared at her blankly. She also slowly walked out, looking at Zhang Huan with sad eyes. The two of them stared at each other, as if there were thousands of words in their eyes.

‘After parting, I remember meeting each other, and I dreamed of being with you several times. I left a silver flap tonight, but I still am afraid that meeting was in a dream.’

Zhang Huan suddenly opened his arms, his eyes full of expectations and waiting. Cui Ning finally cried with joy. She threw herself into her lover's arms. The two hugged each other tightly. At this moment, the three years of lovesickness turned into a slight rain and soaked into each other's hearts.

． ． ． ． ． ． ．

"Huanlang, if I come back, do you want me?" Cui Ning raised his white jade-like face and looked at his beloved foolishly.

"I'll have it this time!" Zhang Huan smiled and wiped her tears, "But if you run away again, I really don't want you."

Cui Ning buried her face deeply in his arms, "Huanlang, I will never leave again. For three years, I have been missing you all the time."

"It's been three years!" Zhang Huan stroked her hair and murmured: "After three years of separation, I finally realized that you are in my heart that no one can replace you."

At this time, Lin Pingping, who was hiding behind the tent, stared at them blankly, with a faint burst of tears in her eyes. She looked up at the endless sky, let out a long breath, and turned away in dismay.

After a long time, Cui Ning suddenly realized that she quickly wiped away her tears and said embarrassedly: "Oh no, I'm going to be laughed at by her again."

She turned around, but disappeared from Lin Pingping's man. "Pingping!" She called out a few times, "Where are you?"

"Miss, Miss Lin is gone." A family member pointed at Lin Pingping's figure from afar and said.

"Pingping!" Cui Ning was panicked. She hurriedly turned around and said to Zhang Huan: "Huanlang, I want to go back first, and I will come to find you tomorrow."
Chapter completed!