"They're coming, they're coming. Sir, they're coming." As soon as they saw the boat carrying so many lanterns, the yamen runners next to Feng Changgong shouted. They knew that the people who could light so many lanterns to sail at night must be sent by their superiors. Other people were not so generous, especially businessmen, who would save as much as possible.
Feng Changgong also looked over there, and a relieved smile appeared on his face. The timing was perfect. He could arrange their accommodation, and then discuss with Li Linfu about what to do.
Looking at the boat from afar, Feng Changgong thought for a while and led his men forward to welcome them.
At this time, only Li Linfu and Cui Rizhi were standing on the bow. Cui Rizhi stood a little forward, and Li Linfu and Weiwei stood behind, looking very humble.
"This is their construction site. I didn't expect that there would be people working here at night. Not bad. Once a workshop is built here in the future, the lives of the local people will be better. Shangxian might even become the most prosperous place."
Cui Rizhi also saw the fire in the distance and the swaying figures there, so he said to Li Linfu beside him.
"Yes, Sir Cui, you have to make more decisions in the future. When the time comes, we'll build this place well." Li Linfu was so low-key all the way. He took his position very seriously and didn't look like he was against Cui Rizhi at all.
In fact, Cui Rizhi had nothing to say. When the Zhang Family and the Wang Family were building, it had always been like this. There were people working day and night in shifts. The speed was fast, but it was very expensive, especially the torches and the food provided at night.
But they were rich. This method was the most typical way of using money to exchange for time. It was very useful, but not many people were willing to use it.
Cui Rizhi liked to talk with Li Linfu, because when he spoke, he could feel that he was respected, and his impression of Li Linfu was getting better and better.
Hearing Li Linfu agree with him, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly and he said, "Sir Li, do you have any ideas about the future of the county?"
"My Lord, this lowly official thinks that as long as the rules are set by the Zhang Family and the Wang Family, this lowly official does not have the ability to do better than the Zhang Family and the Wang Family." Li Linfu knew that this was not the time to continue saying that everything was up to Cui Rizhi. He had to say something, and at the same time, he wanted to test him.
Cui Rizhi, who had been very happy just now, put down his smiling face at this moment. He snorted slightly and said, "Lord Li, you don't have to belittle yourself. In fact, the Zhang Family and the Wang Family both have their own ways of doing things. Now that I know a thing or two, I can help make up for their shortcomings.
After all, Zhang Xiaobao can't come here all the time. Naturally, there will be areas where he doesn't think things through. In the future, Lord Li, you have to help me think more. You can't make any mistakes, even if it's the Zhang Family and the Wang Family. "
"Yes, after hearing what My Lord said, this lowly official has thought it through. Zhang Xiaobao is very powerful, but he can't take care of Xin Cai County while he's in Baoxin County. This lowly official thinks that after taking over the position, I can ask about the specific plans, find out the omissions, and improve them."
Li Linfu was still so respectful. At the same time, he could also put forward his own ideas. Of course, his ideas were all in line with Cui Rizhi's.
However, he didn't think that way at all. The Zhang Family and the Wang Family did have their own ways of doing things, which was to find ways to make use of the local natural resources and then make arrangements according to the specific local conditions. One was the infrastructure, which needed to be fixed, and the other was the people's livelihood.
However, such a way of doing things couldn't be done in every place. It had to be adjusted at any time. For example, the imperial court also had its own ways of doing things. One was to find ways to gradually improve the lives of the people in the Tang Empire. Another was to be careful when dealing with outsiders. Third was to make more arrangements when there was enough money to spend.
Such a way of doing things was the same as not saying anything.
Did they really think that it was so easy to imitate what the Zhang Family and the Wang Family did? If that was the case, there wouldn't be so many middle and lower counties now.
Thinking of this, Li Linfu had a better understanding of Cui Rizhi. He was a little conceited, which could be used to his advantage.
Cui Rizhi didn't know that he had exposed his weakness with just a few words. He was still fantasizing about finding out the problems in the business of the Zhang Family and the Wang Family and then making up for it.
Yes, just making up for it and not directly opposing it. He didn't dare to do that. It was also good to make up for it. It could make the reputation of the Zhang Family and the Wang Family not so high. When others saw that, they would think that the Zhang Family and the Wang Family also made mistakes sometimes. Cui Rizhi could improve his reputation, killing two birds with one stone.
While the two were talking about the future, Feng Changgong had already led his men to the shore beside the sailing ship. As he followed the ship to a dock downstream, he shouted, "Are you Lord Cui, Lord Li, and Lord Yan on the ship? I'm Feng Changgong. I'm late to welcome you. "
Although Feng Changgong was called a lower official, he was actually about to be promoted. However, there was a prerequisite that he didn't let others find fault with him. Otherwise, it wouldn't be about where he would be promoted, but whether he could keep his position.
"Lord Cui, the person on the shore is Feng Changgong, the county magistrate of Xin Cai County." Li Linfu heard the voice and said to Cui Rizhi. At the same time, he also looked at the shore. There were people lighting torches there to illuminate the area. He couldn't see what Feng Changgong looked like, but he knew that the person in the official uniform was him.
Cui Rizhi also turned his head to look. After a glance, he didn't pay attention to it anymore. Instead, he said to Li Linfu, "Lord Li, he didn't rest in the county at such a time. Instead, he came here to welcome us. He didn't know when we would come, so he probably watched and waited every day.
We didn't come here to make him wait. We want the local people to live a better life. Lord Li, tell me, if he waits like this, can he still get up to deal with official business during the day? How can he work for the people? "
Cui Rizhi came here with Zhang Shuo's idea. He didn't want Feng Changgong's people to be promoted smoothly. He was worried about how to find trouble, but he didn't expect Feng Changgong to give him an opportunity. He was happy.
Li Linfu also complained about Feng Changgong. It was good to do things honestly, but he just had to curry favor. Didn't he know that there were people who came here to target him? He hadn't even taken over yet, and he was already caught red-handed. He was even more passive.
After thinking about it, Li Linfu didn't say anything good about Feng Changgong. He also followed Cui Rizhi's words and said, "Lord Li is right. Feng Changgong didn't put his mind on official business. He actually delayed his rest to welcome an official. After we get off the ship, I will teach him a lesson."
"There's no need to teach him a lesson. With our current status, we can't teach him a lesson. We just need to report this to the court." Cui Rizhi finally found this opportunity. How could he let it go so easily? He wanted to use this matter to take down Feng Changgong. Once the memorial was sent, it would be in Zhang Shuo's hands. Zhang Shuo wouldn't let go of such a 'serious' matter.
Li Linfu had to fight for his right to speak. He said it very nicely, "Lord Cui, I think that we must teach him a lesson. We can't let him go just because his rank is not high enough or equal. After teaching him a lesson, we will report it and see what the court says."
"Well, okay." Cui Rizhi didn't object this time. As long as Li Linfu was willing to report it with him, it was fine.
Feng Changgong, who didn't know that he was about to be unlucky, was still running on the shore. He kept saying good things, even if the other party didn't respond.
In the end, his running speed couldn't catch up with the speed of the ship. When the ship reached the place first, he was still panting and running.
When he ran to the dock, Cui Rizhi and Li Linfu were already on the shore. Behind them was the county officer named Yan, who took over the position.
"Lord, Lord, I, I am …"
"County Magistrate Feng, do you know your crime?" Without waiting for Feng Changgong to speak, Li Linfu asked loudly. Feng Changgong was shocked and couldn't breathe. He stood there anxiously, looking at Li Linfu. He didn't know why this person who should be on the same side as him attacked him as soon as he got off the ship.
The county officer beside him quickly found some water and handed it to Feng Changgong to drink.
Li Linfu didn't wait for Feng Changgong to ask why he was guilty. He said directly, "You don't rest in the government office at night, but come here to wait for the official to take over. I guess you have been like this for many days, right? Then let me ask you, how do you work during the day? Is there anything here that needs you to take care of? I must report it. "
Hearing Li Linfu's words, Feng Changgong finally calmed down. So it was like this. It must be the other party's people who suggested it. Li Linfu was helping him.
If there wasn't a construction site here, he really couldn't say anything. But there was still work in full swing there. Without thinking, he explained. "Lord, you are wrong.
"Milord, you've wronged me. How could I be here to welcome a successor? Even if I had nothing better to do, I wouldn't do something like that. Perhaps I haven't done a good enough job, but I'm absolutely devoted to the people. There's a workshop under construction here, and I'm worried that something might happen to it, or that someone might dig up water during the construction process and cause the dam to burst.
If that's the case, when can the people in the county live a good life? I'm not here to keep watch all the time. When I'm tired, I sleep for a while. When I wake up, I think about what to do to improve the lives of the people in Xin Cai County in a short time and cooperate with the Zhang Family and the Wang Family to make the county's economy prosper. "
These words were pleasant to hear and made people feel comfortable. At least Li Linfu felt comfortable. He was happy in his heart, but his face was still calm as he lectured, "It's a good idea, but you can't be too ambitious. You have to be firm. Don't think that the economy of a place can improve in a short time.
As long as you do what you should do, you are a good official. Otherwise, you will easily make mistakes out of kindness. You have to pay more attention to rest. Your health doesn't belong to you alone. It belongs to the whole Xin Cai County. You have to change the way you sleep. "
"Yes, yes, I know. I will change. I will take care of myself for the sake of the people. I know I'm wrong. I …"
"County Magistrate Feng, did you encounter any trouble here? Are there any tents here? " Cui Rizhi's good mood was gone. Listening to Li Linfu and Feng Changgong's words, the matter of him being punished seemed to have changed. Instead, it became a matter of praise.
How could this be? If they continued talking, he would have to write a letter to praise Feng Changgong. This was definitely not what he wanted to achieve.
Listening to the two talking, he felt disgusted and wanted to vomit. They were too shameless. He interrupted them. He couldn't let them continue.
Feng Changgong was relieved and quickly replied, "Yes, there are tents. But tents are usually for the tired people. It's better to go back to the county at night. There are also places there. We don't have to fight with the people."
Since Feng Changgong decided to be a good official, he started to say that it was for the sake of the people. He didn't want Cui Rizhi to be here because it was inconvenient to talk here. It was easy for people to eavesdrop.
Cui Rizhi's face became gloomy. He was tired and wanted to sleep early. It was not comfortable to sleep on the boat. When they finally reached the place, he wanted to rest early. He didn't expect Feng Changgong to refuse him with the same reason.
Li Linfu snickered. He didn't expect Feng Changgong to be so interesting. Looking at the situation, Xin Cai County shouldn't cause any trouble. He could relax and deal with them after he understood.
Cui Rizhi couldn't say more about this matter. He had to get in the car and walk to the county.
It took more than two hours. It was already midnight. He was woken up in his half-asleep state. He got out of the car and went to the arranged place. He fell on the bed and slept.
Li Linfu was also arranged, and so was the county magistrate surnamed Yan.
After arranging for everyone to rest, Feng Changgong had to find Li Linfu. He wanted to wake him up and tell him what happened recently, including how he offended Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan.
He thought Li Linfu would be able to sleep. However, when he arrived, he found Li Linfu was still in his clothes. He was sitting there waiting and sipping tea from time to time.
"Master Li, I'm here," Feng Changgong said respectfully.
"Sit down. Tell me what happened in the county. Don't hide anything. Otherwise, even the gods can't help you." Li Linfu knew Feng Changgong would come. Weiwei nodded and asked him to sit down. Although she was sleepy, she had to endure it. Otherwise, she might not have time tomorrow morning.
"Yes." Feng Changgong sat down and began to tell Li Linfu. "Here's what happened …"
Just as Li Linfu had requested, Feng Changgong told him everything he knew. He did not include any subjective opinions, including how he had offended Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, what strategy he had used, and how the other party had not reacted. He did not leave out anything.
He knew that the officials sent this time were divided into two groups. Some wanted to deal with him, and some wanted to protect him. Once he missed out something important, not only would he be finished, but the people above him would also be in trouble.
Li Linfu slowly drank tea and didn't interrupt Feng Changgong. He listened to Feng Changgong. As he listened, his face darkened. When he heard about the Taoist priest that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan met and what he said before they left, his forehead was already sweating.
He didn't have time to wipe his sweat and asked anxiously, "Did the Taoist priest named Rumeng really say that? He said that the Taoist priest who chased after dreams could do the things of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors? After you offended Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan that day and used a trick, they didn't trouble you? "
"Yes, that's it. This is good. In the future, no matter what Rumeng said, the local people will be convinced. As long as it doesn't involve the workshop, there will be no problem. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan probably haven't thought of a way to deal with me, so they can only hold on."
Speaking of this, Feng Changgong seemed very happy.
"Rumeng can even meddle in the affairs of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors? Why did you ask him to come here? That's the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. How are they compared to the current Emperor? "
Li Linfu asked in disappointment and emphasized the words "Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors".
Feng Changgong also sweated. Rumeng said a lot that day, and he had been thinking about how to scheme against Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, so he ignored many things. If it were the officials in the imperial court, they would have already realized it.
Now that he heard Li Linfu emphasize the words "Three Sovereigns", he finally understood. If someone mentioned it and added a little more, he would be finished. But he didn't ask about the Emperor. It turned out that he was waiting here. Rumeng wasn't a god.
Thinking of this, Feng Changgong pleaded with Li Linfu with a pale face, "Lord Li, save me. I didn't ask him to come here to talk about the Emperor. I just asked him to look at the place."
"You said he didn't, so he didn't? Rumeng stayed here for so many days. Who knows if you secretly asked him to do this? Aiya, I'm going to die because of you. I don't even dare to provoke Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. Why do you have to dislike them? If you want to divert the river, then do it.
They are not the kind of people who only care about their own interests and don't care about others. I understand that you are not convinced by the two of them and want to compete. You still dare to say that they didn't do anything. Commandery Prince Tong 'an has already sent a memorial to talk about you. He is very dissatisfied with you.
This time, Cui Rizhi didn't come here just to take office. He needs you to get rid of him. Good plan. Zhang Xiaobao is indeed Zhang Xiaobao. This plan is well used. They put you up and then use you to do the dirty work.
They have already done it. It's because of you that they built a workshop here. Their purpose is to take the credit of Xin Cai being promoted to a county. At least, they won't let you take the credit. They also let people fight for the position. Now you see, the imperial court sent third-rank and fourth-rank officials to be the county magistrate and registrar. How important do you think Xin Cai County is?
No wonder Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan went through the normal channels to send a memorial instead of using pigeons. They want Zhang Shuo to understand the situation in Xin Cai County. No wonder the name list they put forward is full of our people. They want to lure Zhang Shuo into the arrangement of people and attack us. "
When Li Linfu got off the boat, he still thought that Feng Changgong was very smart. Now, he no longer thought that way. Smart people did many stupid things. He wanted to deal with Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan and offended them so badly. If he, a seventh-rank county magistrate, really wanted to deal with them, it would be a joke, a big joke.
Those two half-grown children were like cunning people. He had only seen them scheme against others, but he had never seen them suffer losses. Even the Emperor was the same. When he asked for a place, he asked for a place in Jiannan Road and the northeast. In the end, he arranged for them to be in Fengzhou. When his family went there to build happily, they found out that it was the place that the Emperor wanted.
After going in a big circle, he finally calculated all the people. If such people could be easily dealt with, the sun would rise from the west tomorrow.
Li Linfu thought of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's plan this time and sighed. If it were him, he might not be able to do it. It was a good plan. If he didn't come here and listen to Feng Changgong's words, people on his side would think that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were on his side. It was not the case at all.
Feng Changgong was dumbfounded. After listening to Li Linfu's analysis, he, who was not too stupid, finally understood the purpose of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's series of actions. It was not that they did not take action, but that they had already done it. It was just that he did not see it. Now that he understood it, he did not know how to deal with it.
"Sir Li, is there any other way? In order to deal with me, they took out money to build a workshop in Xin Cai? They are really unscrupulous to achieve their goal. "
Feng Changgong asked Li Linfu for help.
When Li Linfu heard Feng Changgong's words, he was angry and amused. "You are nothing. If they really want to deal with you, they have a better way, a more direct way. They really want the people of Xin Cai to live a better life. After all, Xin Cai is close to Baoxin County. If they pull Xin Cai together, the two counties can rely on each other and develop together.
Ability, this is real ability. Do you think they will only pay so much for you? Then you underestimate them too much. The Emperor and the officials in the imperial court will not pay so much attention to them. Dealing with you is just a matter of convenience. More importantly, they dragged Zhang Shuo into it. Zhang Shuo was the one who joined the list of people they sent to join the pilgrimage.
I heard that Zhang Shuo had said bad things about them in front of the Emperor more than once. You think too highly of yourself. Wake up. "
Feng Changgong was said to be worthless. He was afraid and sullen. He sat there, lowered his head and did not say anything.
Li Linfu also did not speak. He drank tea mouthful by mouthful, his eyes fixed on a place without moving.
After a while, he let out a long breath and said to Feng Changgong, "There is a way, but I don't know if it will succeed."
"Is it related to Cui Rizhi? Do you want to calm him down? "Feng Changgong looked at Li Linfu gratefully and asked.
"It has nothing to do with him. Even if there are ten Cui Rizhi, I can protect you if I want to. He is easy to deal with. The key is how much Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan hate you. If they want to deal with you, the success rate is not high even if I take action. It is very dangerous.
How did you offend them? Why don't you send someone to test them first and see what they say? If they agree, it will be easy for me. You go back first. Don't sleep tonight. Think about it. I will also think about it. I will send you a letter before dawn.
Remember to send someone to Baoxin County immediately. Ask someone to say that you are a grandson. You are about to die, so don't care about your face. Do you understand? "
Li Linfu gave Feng Changgong an idea and asked him to leave.
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