Hearing Wang Juan's last question, Feng Changgong didn't say anything. He knew who Tong 'an County would listen to.
He didn't say anything, but Wang Juan didn't want to let it go. She said worriedly, "Oh, County Magistrate Feng, you are the county magistrate here. Don't tell me you don't want others to come here to build the workshop? Without the workshop, don't transport things from Baoxin County. If you don't transport things, you don't need to draw the river. "
If Feng Changgong hadn't heard Wang Juan mention this today, he might not have thought that building the workshop was to draw the river. These two days, he had been thinking about how to scheme against Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan.
At this time, after being reminded by Wang Juan, he started to think, "Should I stop it?"
As soon as the idea appeared, it was ruthlessly extinguished by himself. That was absolutely impossible. It was no different from courting death. If he really did it, not to mention others, even the backer behind him would not be reliable. If things went wrong, he would be the first to be punished.
On purpose, Wang Juan did it on purpose.
Feng Changgong thought. When he looked at Wang Juan again, Weiwei smiled and said, "County Magistrate Wang, you have a good idea. Unfortunately, I didn't say anything about not drawing the river to Baoxin County. If you have the ability, you can do it."
"Then I'll let you see. I'm going to draw the river." Wang Juan looked like she was angry.
Feng Changgong was not in the mood to eat fish by the river. He snorted and turned to leave. He parted with Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan on bad terms.
After Feng Changgong left with his people, the old man understood that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan didn't get along well with County Magistrate Feng. It seemed that they were enemies.
"Miss Wang, this County Magistrate Feng is not simple. There were people from the state government who wanted to deal with him, but they were dealt with by him. You must be careful."
The old man reminded Wang Juan kindly.
"I know. Thank you, Grandpa. Would Grandpa be willing to take a look at this place?" Wang Juan really didn't inquire about Feng Changgong in detail, because he was not famous. She had never heard of this name, so naturally, he was ranked in the list of people who did not pay attention to him.
The old man did not hesitate this time. He nodded and said, "Okay, you can find me when the time comes. I live in the county, behind the Shengrong Rice Company. My surname is Lu. You can ask around and you will know who I am. I'm the fishing Old Man Lu. Hehe."
After speaking, the old man was ready to leave. However, he had caught too many fish today, so it was very strenuous for him.
Wang Juan waved at the bushes not far away. Suddenly, two people appeared, startling the old man. He didn't know that there were people hiding in the bushes.
"Take me home and let me know the place." Wang Juan ordered. The two people helped the old man lift the fish. The old man didn't forget to give Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan the fish that weighed more than three kilograms. He talked with the two guards all the way back. It was estimated that he would arrive home at around five in the afternoon.
After the old man left, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan did not intend to continue to look at the terrain. They looked at each other and walked to a house nearby. They planned to borrow the kitchen to cook the fish and buy some other things. They would have a meal at noon. The guards would find something to eat by themselves, so they didn't need to worry about it.
Maybe it was because the fish was really delicious, or maybe it was because they hadn't eaten such a simple braised fish for a long time. They missed it. Wang Juan and Zhang Xiaobao both felt that it was delicious. They also invited the four people of the house to eat together. They also bought two dishes with the copper coins they robbed. The six people were very happy.
The woman of the house who ate kept praising Zhang Xiaobao's cooking skills. She didn't forget to tell Wang Juan that she should cook more in the future. She couldn't let a man cook, so it was okay to eat occasionally.
"Xiao Bao, I don't think Feng Changgong can stop Li Xun." On the way back, Wang Juan said to Zhang Xiaobao.
"Do you really think he is stupid? I guess he is thinking about how to take credit. It's useless. When we go back, I will go to the official post and enter the capital. "
Zhang Xiaobao didn't expect Feng Changgong to do anything. If he did, it would save a lot of trouble.
"Then we have to deal with his plan now. It is very useful. Nowadays, people need to use curses to cure diseases. Everyone believes it. It is not easy to change."
Wang Juan thought that Feng Changgong's plan was difficult to break. When Feng Changgong found a Taoist priest to pretend, the people would be more convinced.
Zhang Xiaobao said disapprovingly, "Don't forget what I do. There is a saying that the best way to deal with cavalry is to use cavalry. We can do the same. We can play better than him. For example, we can find a piece of oil paper in the fish's stomach with words on it. There are many ways. Go back and help me think about a few."
"You are so bad. Okay, let's do it. Come up with more tricks to scare people." Wang Juan had a plan in her heart. She felt that it was a very interesting thing.
When they returned to the county, Zhang Xiaobao began to write a letter. He asked someone to take it back and stamped it. It was sent to the capital through official channels.
This time, it was not a private letter. They had to go through official channels. Otherwise, they would not be able to achieve their goal.
*****
Before Li Xun knew anything, many people came to Xin Cai County and started to work according to the storyteller's instructions.
The commoners were ready. It was the same as Royal Prince An's investment. Those who planted soybeans were given sesame seeds. Those who had free time at home were given chicks and piglets. The craftsmen also gathered by the river and waited for orders to start work.
Feng Changgong was also busy these days. He went to the riverside every day to check on the progress of the project. He also said a few words of encouragement. It was as if he was the reason why Prince Tong 'an was able to' invest 'in the project.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan did not return to the county. They stayed by the riverside with Old Man Lu. They checked on the Qi in the morning and at night. They also explained the mysteries of the project to Zhang Xiaobao and Old Man Lu. The two did not understand, probably because they were not talented enough.
On the ninth day of work at Ru River, the most important person in Xin Cai County, Li Xun, arrived.
Li Xun did not take a boat. Instead, he rode a horse. He raised pigeons in Shuzhou. Last month, he asked someone to send them to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan in Baoxin County. He said that they should contact each other if anything happened. He could not just leave. He was preparing to go back to the capital for a blind date. He did not know what kind of people he found. He would go and take a look. If they were not good enough, he would look for Zhang Xiaobao to discuss countermeasures.
When the news spread that he was going to invest in Xin Cai County, Zhang Xiaobao sent him a letter with a pigeon. He was eager and did not want to stay in Shuzhou any longer. He used this as an excuse to come here. He even brought six hundred guards with him and appeared at the riverside of Ru River.
It was noon when he arrived. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan ate with the others at the construction site. As usual, those who worked were given good food and drinks.
Yesterday, they ate two dishes and a soup. Today, there was only one soup. The main dish was put together with the dishes. There was meat bread and mutton, and the soup was fish soup.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan put the lean meat into the bread. They could not help but tremble when they saw others put a large piece of mutton oil into the bread.
When Li Xun arrived, the two had just eaten a few mouthfuls. They did not drink the soup. They tasted it. It was said that mutton and fish tasted better together, but the two did not feel it. They only felt that it was fishy. It was not good to put more chopped green onions and coriander.
"Haha, meat bread. Good, give me one. Don't put coriander, put more chopped green onions. I haven't eaten it in a long time. Eat it yourselves. Don't wait for someone to serve you."
Li Xun's arrival surprised the others, but it did not move Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. The two were still eating when Li Xun came forward and gave orders to the cook who was in charge of 'serving' people. He also shouted to the six hundred people he brought with him.
With the sudden addition of six hundred people, the cook had no choice but to cook immediately. These were the County King's people.
If it were the cooks of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Family, they would not be so nervous. They used to see each other all the time. The cook here was found locally. When he saw Li Xun, he excitedly stuffed a large piece of mutton oil, chopped green onions, and coriander into his hands. Li Xun politely received it and turned around to give it to his bodyguard.
"You eat it. It's nutritious. Don't hover in front of me. Xiao Bao and Cuckoo are here."
After giving orders to the bodyguard, Li Xun had to do it himself. He lamented that the cook that Xin Cai County found at the last minute was not as good as the professional cooks of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Family.
"Eat some salted vegetables?" Zhang Xiaobao pushed the only plate of salted vegetables in front of him and Wang Juan to Li Xun. They were all acquaintances, so there was no need to be so polite.
"Yes, let's eat." After taking a bite of the biscuit, Li Xun saw that there were no salted vegetables in front of others. He knew that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had brought them here themselves. They must be good. Perhaps they were made by Zhang Xiaobao himself. He had not tasted them for several months.
The news of Li Xun's arrival spread quickly. The people asked around. When they found out that Tong 'an County King was also eating with the people at the construction site, they liked Li Xun even more.
After finishing the roujiamo, Li Xun was not afraid of the fish. He drank more than half of the fish soup. When he was making another roujiamo, he said to Zhang Xiaobao, "You're using my name to do things. Aren't you afraid that you'll implicate me? There's no donkey roujiamo here. Why did the donkey roujiamo you treated me to last time taste better than the mutton today?"
"I don't want to implicate you. I won't use your name for nothing. I'll give you a share. When the weather gets hotter, you'll have a business there. Help me advertise the braised pork with preserved vegetables. I only want ten percent of the shares. The donkey roujiamo you ate last time was made by me. The mutton today was made by a local cook.
I want to eat donkey meat, but I'm afraid that there are not enough donkeys in the county. The people who have donkeys will fight with me. If you can kill a few cows, I'll give the people at the construction site braised beef tomorrow. "
While Zhang Xiaobao was talking, Wang Juan took out two tin cans of pickles from her bag. She pointed to one of them and said to Li Xun, "These are beans made from beans with preserved vegetables.
"These are the beans made with preserved vegetables. There are diced beef inside. I didn't deliberately kill a strong cow, and I didn't want to do that. It's also not an old cow that has been plowing for a lifetime. Try it. The other one is a can. I asked someone to send it to you. This is the can of preserved vegetables and meat that you want to make."
Li Xun didn't wait for Wang Juan to help him and started by himself. He first opened the can and sniffed it carefully before nodding. "It smells good. Last time, you gave me three hundred cans, and I ate more than ten of them myself. As for the rest, I gave most of them to the guards who trained well. You didn't give me more."
"That's three hundred cans of pig knuckles. It's a large quantity and not fake. Two pig knuckles can make four cans. Next time, you send me a thousand pigs, and I'll return you five thousand cans. Did you write the booklet I asked you to write?"
Zhang Xiaobao did not lie. The cans he sent were really pig knuckles. Although they were not small, once they were made into cans, they were very useless meat. There was not much good meat. If water was squeezed tight, they would turn into small balls. This was a real 'military product'. "I wrote it.
Five thousand pigs, no problem. You can't imagine how many poultry and livestock there are in Shuzhou now. The people are really good at raising them. They even say that I'm a good County Prince and give me gifts. I can't even eat them. I've made all the leftover pork into cured meat.
The chickens are also dried. Next time, the people will send them again during festivals. I'll give you half. The cans are bigger, five thousand is fine too. I don't care. The people also asked about your house and said that they wanted to bring something over to take a look. I persuaded them not to. The people of Wangjiang built a big house for you by the river. It's four stories, made of wood. It's big at the bottom and small at the top. It's called the Blood Grace Pavilion.
I think if I go there and say a few bad things about Wang Juan, the people will rush over and beat me up. They are so jealous of me. What do you think the official looks like? I haven't even seen him before and I'm helping you. Tell me, how are you going to compensate me? "
Li Xun finally did not have to be his own County Prince. He was very relaxed in front of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. He talked endlessly with excitement.
*****
It was noon in Xincai. It was also noon in the capital.
The officials were also eating, but some people were not in a good mood today. They did not have an appetite for anything. Two people were the most obvious.
One was Zhang Jiuling, and the other was Zhang Shuo.
Zhang Xiaobao's memorial had been delivered. It arrived today. The official relay station was slow, far slower than the pigeons.
Zhang Jiuling had seen the memorial, and so had Zhang Shuo. Going through the proper channels, it was difficult for Zhang Shuo not to see it. This was the first time Zhang Xiaobao had submitted a memorial as an official. Everyone was very curious. Just what was it that caused Zhang Xiaobao to not send pigeons?
In the end, when they read the memorial, it was Zhang Xiaobao explaining the alliance between Xincai County and Baoxin County.
An alliance was not a big deal. Any official who could come into contact with it found it very normal. If they wanted to connect, they could connect. The Zhang Family and Wang Family were very capable. They could build up a good place wherever they went. It was already good enough that they could bring Xincai County.
However, the main point of the memorial was not the alliance. It was to help promote Xincai County from a middle county to a county. However, it did not write a letter to the province and insisted on going directly to the capital. It praised Feng Changgong and the other officials of Xincai County, saying that they were rare in the world.
It said that during the alliance, the officials of Xincai County had helped a lot. Furthermore, they were all very capable. It meant that they should be promoted. Such people could not continue to stay in a county, unlike himself and Cuckoo. They were still young and needed more training. If County Magistrate Feng continued to train, he would be old.
This was considered normal. Although the officials did not know how capable Feng Changgong was, they did not want Zhang Xiaobao to praise him. However, since Zhang Xiaobao said that it was okay, then it was okay to mention it.
However, there was another sentence at the end. It said that the capital should investigate County Magistrate Feng more. This was because many people were good at being officials. Once they were in a different position, it was easy for them to change. In terms of literature, if they felt that he was good, they could also investigate him specifically.
The officials also understood this matter. They were afraid of taking responsibility. What if he was not good enough? Investigations were necessary.
However, the last sentence made everyone unable to guess Zhang Xiaobao's purpose.
Since the memorial mentioned that the main officials in the county should be promoted and given more responsibilities, then there should be new officials. Originally, this matter had nothing to do with Zhang Xiaobao. The appointment of new officials was the Ministry of Personnel's matter.
However, Zhang Xiaobao nominated six people and said that three of them could be chosen.
For other officials, it was as if they did not know that Zhang Xiaobao had overstepped his authority. The Zhang family had done many things that exceeded their authority. If they really wanted to investigate, they would not be able to find out.
However, for Zhang Xiaobao, it was different. This was because the six people that Zhang Xiaobao mentioned were all Yu Wenrong's people. To be honest, they were not bad. They were the kind of people who could really do things.
The problem was that Yu Wenrong and Zhang Shuo did not see eye to eye. Although Zhang Shuo was the Prime Minister, he could not control Yu Wenrong. When Yu Wenrong went out to do things, he did not have to go through the Imperial Secretariat. Later on, Zhang Shuo set up a special organization to control Yu Wenrong. However, Yu Wenrong was still not obedient.
He belonged to the kind of people who were practical. He was the opposite of Zhang Shuo's people who were knowledgeable.
Zhang Jiuling worked under Zhang Shuo and was more obedient. He was worried. His retired housekeeper was still in someone else's house. It was not good for him to help anyone. Moreover, the Zhang family had helped him a lot. He was in a dilemma.
Therefore, when he ate, he felt that the food was tasteless.
There was no need to mention Zhang Shuo. Last time, he sent a name list and specifically mentioned Feng Chan. This time, he actually gave an official position in a good place to Yu Wenrong.
Zhang Shuo really wanted to personally go over and ask, which side is your family on? If you say you're on the scholarly side, that's right, you're the top scorer in the Imperial Examinations. Even the servants in your family are literate and literate. If you say you're on the practical side, you've accumulated a lot of political achievements, all of which are local.
He should not be on either side, but he actually came to find trouble at this time. Could it be that they found out about his conversation with the Emperor last time?
Thinking of this, Zhang Shuo lost his appetite. He was angry and anxious at the same time. He was angry that Zhang Xiaobao did not mention his people. He was anxious because if this memorial was passed, wouldn't that mean that he would lose a good spot? That place was the same as Lu Zhou. It was specially used for officials to be promoted.
As long as the officials there were not stupid and followed the original plan, they would be promoted in less than two years. If he sent three of his people there, it would be faster to promote and more convenient to use in the future.
"What should I do? Suppress it? No, I can suppress the memorial, but I can't suppress the pigeons. Zishou, what do you think I should do? "
Zhang Shuo muttered. He could not think of a good idea, so he turned to ask Zhang Jiuling.
What he was afraid of had come true. Zhang Jiuling was worried that Zhang Shuo would ask him. He could not side with anyone. Who paid for the road? Who was the one who bought the preserved vegetables? Who gave him many things in his house? Who helped him come up with some ideas?
Everything pointed to the Zhang family. However, Zhang Shuo was not unkind to him. Without Zhang Shuo, he would not have his current position. How should he explain this?
Zhang Jiuling chewed the vegetables vigorously. He wanted Zhang Shuo to wait for a while. He wanted to use this time to think about it.
The vegetables were not old, so he could not keep chewing. After chewing for a while, Zhang Jiuling swallowed the vegetables with difficulty. He met Zhang Shuo's expectant gaze and said, "Let Lord Zhang make the decision. It would be better if the name list was changed. However, that place seems to be a little chaotic, and many parties will interfere.
Especially Yu Wenrong, the current person is his. If Feng Changgong really rises up like this, it means that his people are very capable. Even if he wants to send someone else, he should send his people, unless … "
Zhang Jiuling did not finish his sentence, but his meaning was very clear.
Zhang Shuo thought the same. He nodded and said, "Then let's do it this way. Let Feng Changgong and the other two enter the capital for the examination. As for the other six candidates, we'll discuss it again when Xin Cai County is promoted to an upper county."
Just as Zhang Shuo made the decision, someone outside brought in a letter from Li Xun. Zhang Shuo was very worried that Li Xun and Zhang Xiaobao would stand together to deal with him. He did not eat and hurried over to take a look. Zhang Jiuling followed behind.
After Zhang Shuo opened the letter and read the contents, he suddenly laughed heartily. "Hahaha, good, good, good. Zishou, come and take a look. Prince Tong 'an's new letter said that he heard that Feng Changgong had made many mistakes when doing things in the county. He was worried that the money he took out could not be used properly. He wanted the court to think of a solution. It would be best if they could change the official."
Zhang Jiuling did not need to read the letter. He understood from Zhang Shuo that Li Xun could not promote officials by himself. If he had not been with Zhang Xiaobao and the Wang family, he could not even follow them to Yizhou, let alone do business together. If he felt that something was not right, he could impeach, but he could not appoint. He was here to ask for help.
The situation seemed to be very favorable to him, but why did he feel that something was not right? Zhang Xiaobao and Li Xun were so close. Did they not inform each other before? One wanted to promote, the other wanted to suppress. It was a mess. It felt like … like when Xiao Bao and Cuckoo were in Yizhou.
Whether it was war or economic war, it gave people the feeling that it was a mess. Only when the dust finally settled did they know the layout of the two people.
Zhang Shuo did not wait for Zhang Jiuling to say anything. He happily put away the letter and turned to walk out. "Let's go and eat. I didn't eat enough just now and I'm hungry again."
Zhang Jiuling thought to himself, "You didn't eat enough, right? I only ate two mouthfuls. Now my stomach is still uncomfortable. I don't feel good." He followed him out. However, he could not erase the two things he learned today. Or rather, it was the same thing. Something seemed wrong.
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