Outside the Ding Ding Gate, Jichun Hall's fleet of carriages was majestic. There were about forty to fifty of them.
The carriages were two-wheeled, long-distance carriages. The horses pulling the carriages were all strong and shiny horses of three or four years old.
The carriages had the banner of Jichun Hall on them. No one dared to stop them from entering or leaving the Ding Ding Gate. This was because the carriages were not only merchants but also imperial envoys of the Emperor. The first carriage had the dragon flag of the Emperor.
Daoist Shifang asked Wu Zetian for permission to go to the south of the mountains to search for herbs. When Wu Zetian heard this, she happily agreed and immediately gave Daoist Shifang the position of an imperial envoy. She also gave him an imperial edict, ordering the officials along the way to provide him with all sorts of conveniences.
Taoist Shifang took the opportunity to say that the officials did not understand herbs and did not know the geographical distribution and growth of herbs in Lingnan. He hoped that Jichun Hall, the largest pharmacy in the two capitals, could help. Wu Zetian naturally agreed to this request. Thus, Jichun Hall became an imperial envoy.
The status of the merchants was not high. Although most of the famous merchants had backers, and the Jichun Hall, which had gathered the most famous doctors among the common people, was acquainted with too many powerful and wealthy families. However, it was not a bad thing to curry favor with an influential person. Nowadays, the three immortal masters were quite influential figures in front of the Emperor.
Helping the imperial envoy to Lingnan to gather medicinal herbs could not only gain the favor of Taoist Priest Si Fang and form a relationship with this important person, but they could also make use of Taoist Priest Si Fang's identity as the imperial envoy to provide a lot of convenience to their business in Lingnan. The two sides hit it off. This time, the number of carriages of Jichun Hall heading south was more than double that of usual.
There were many people who went to the Ten Li Pavilion to see Taoist Shifang off. Wu Sansi, Wu Chengsi, Marquis Le 'an, officials of the Imperial Physician Bureau … relatives of the Emperor, meritorious generals, and meritorious officials. It happened that there was no court meeting today, so everyone who could come came. The liveliness was comparable to the last time they saw Xue Huaiyi off the capital.
Yang Fan, who had been in close contact with the three immortal masters, naturally came as well. However, among so many important people, his status was not high enough. Therefore, he could only stand at the back of the group of people who were sending him off, tiptoeing and poking his head out. He cupped his hands towards Taoist Si Fang from afar and shouted, "Bon voyage, Immortal Master has worked hard." In the end, there was only a buzz of well-wishes. Other than Yang Fan himself, not many people heard what he said.
Anu stood on the side and looked at Yang Fan with a strange look. She could not understand this man more and more. Yang Fan was not a person who liked to flatter people. Moreover, from their private conversations, Yang Fan did not believe in the magic of celestial beings. Why was he so enthusiastic about making friends with the three immortal masters?
After Taoist Shifang's carriages left, Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi competed to invite the old nun Jingguang and the Hu man Molei to their mansion for a banquet. These two immortal masters did not want to offend anyone, so they simply split into two. The old nun Jingguang went to Wu Chengsi's mansion, and the Hu man Molei went to Wu Sansi's mansion. The two princes went to accompany the guests, and the other dignitaries who came to see them off dispersed.
"You never seemed to believe in the magic of celestial beings, nor were you willing to serve the dignitaries. Why are you so close to the three immortal masters this time? "
Little Anu, who was dressed as a manservant, rode a pony, and wore a small hat. She was even more handsome than her master, Yang Fan. She was half a horse's head behind Yang Fan and asked him curiously.
Yang Fan gently shook the horsewhip and looked at a couple walking past from the side of the road with a smile. The man was strong and sturdy, while the woman was fair and pretty. The red man and green woman, dressed in new clothes and shoes, seemed to be a pair of newlyweds. The man was carrying a basket of red-skinned eggs, and the woman was gently holding the corner of his clothes. It seemed that they were going back to their parents' home.
Yang Fan smiled as he watched the newlyweds walk past him. He answered leisurely, "It doesn't matter whether the three immortal masters are real living immortals or not! What's important is that the emperor believes in them. If the emperor believes in them, then even if they are not living immortals, they have great magical powers like living immortals. Is it not worth making friends with? "
His words sounded very thought-provoking, and there was a bit of profound Buddhist meaning in them. Unfortunately, Miss A Nu didn't buy it. She rolled her eyes at Yang Fan and said angrily, "Are you trying to play witty words with me? I've cultivated in the Tranquil Monastery. Although I don't know many Buddhist scriptures, I can at least memorize three to five volumes. Do you believe that every time I talk to you in the future, I'll beat around the bush with my words? "
Yang Fan thought of a beautiful little girl talking to him all day long, especially when they were being lovey-dovey. He quickly begged for mercy and explained, "The reason is very simple. It's because I'm close to them that some of the things I 'inadvertently' say can be used by them. For example, I let them borrow the 'Jichun Hall' as the imperial envoy's carriage guard this time. "
Anu didn't believe that Yang Fan would do something so senseless. She thought for a moment and narrowed her eyes slightly. "Jichun Hall is Young Master's property?"
Yang Fan gave her a thumbs up and praised, "My Anu is exceptionally smart!"
Little Yao raised her nose and lightly snorted. She thought for a moment and lightly exclaimed, "In that case, you created an opportunity for Old Nun Jingguang to get to know the abbot of the Sanli Nunnery, Master Beifeng, and take him as a disciple. Is this also a scheme?"
Yang Fan smiled and said softly, "The abbot of the Sanli Nunnery is the younger sister of the former Minister of Works, Yu Qingshan, and Yu Qingshan is Young Master Jiang's man!"
Anu asked, "Then … what about Mo Lei?"
Yang Fan said, "Mo Lei likes to hoard gold and silver, so I encouraged him to build the Seven Jewels Prayer Carriage. This carriage is made of gold and inlaid with countless gems. It's meticulously made by the Luojin Jewelry Shop. As a result, his relationship with the Luojin Jewelry Shop became closer. "
Anu said in surprise, "Luojin Jewelry Shop? I've even bought things from there. Is this jewelry shop also Young Master's property? "
Yang Fan sighed and said, "You've been by Young Master Jiang's side for so many years. Why don't you know anything about him?"
Anu said with grievance, "In the end, I'm just a maid by Young Master's side. There's no need for me to know these things. Sometimes, even though Young Master doesn't talk behind my back, I don't pay attention to him."
Speaking of this, Anu said in surprise, "That's not right. Why are you trying to make the three immortal masters come into contact with Young Master's forces? Young Master suffered a great loss in Chang 'an and wants to make Luoyang his base. The three immortal masters are now very popular in the capital and can be used by him. Aren't you doing him a great favor? "
Yang Fan said with a smile, "Yes, I'm doing him a favor. Young Master Jiang wants to make a comeback in Luoyang and repay Shen Mu. He can't wait for his forces to climb higher. Since I've provided him with a chance, I don't have to worry about what happens next. He will spare no effort to make friends with the three immortal masters and use their forces to achieve his goal! This is just like … "
At this time, the two had already entered the city gate. Yang Fan used his horsewhip to point at the flags waving in front of the shops on the roadside and said, "This is just like the government building this flat and open road. There will naturally be people fighting to build shops on both sides. Those with foresight will even spend a huge sum of money to build a small shop here.
Because they are optimistic about the future of this place. However, if one day the government suddenly closes this road and announces that anyone who dares to step on this road will be beheaded, then do you think those shops that have spent a lot of money to build here will lose everything? "
Anu stammered, "You're saying …"
Yang Fan said, "I'm saying that the three immortal masters are basically three swindlers. Three swindlers who use illusions to deceive the monarch! When Young Master Jiang's forces fall deeper and deeper, and when the interests of the three immortal masters can no longer be separated, the three immortal masters will suddenly lose their standing and reputation. At that time, what do you think Young Master Jiang will do? "
Anu looked at Yang Fan in surprise. When Yang Fan met the three immortal masters, he often brought her with him. These things were all carried out in front of her eyes. Sometimes, just a casual word from Yang Fan would prompt the three immortal masters to do something, thus establishing a relationship with a certain force.
Sometimes, when Yang Fan invited the three immortal masters to some place to play, they naturally got to know some people. Or when someone learned that the three immortal masters were coming, they took the initiative to make friends. All of these things happened so naturally that even someone like her, who was watching and listening, didn't realize that all of this was Yang Fan's intention, that he had some ulterior motive.
She never expected that in these seemingly ordinary words and actions, there was actually a hidden killing intent. What was even more frightening was that Yang Fan didn't make any obvious moves. He only talked and laughed to give some inspiration, or to create an opportunity for the three immortal masters and Young Master Jiang's forces to get to know each other.
What happened next didn't require Yang Fan to say or do anything. The forces on Young Master Jiang's side were like flies that had seen blood. They immediately took the initiative to contact the three immortal masters. In this whole incident, there was no trace of Yang Fan's handiwork.
If it was the Yang Fan that she first met, he definitely wouldn't have this kind of skill. After several years in the officialdom, Yang Fan's shrewdness had become deeper and deeper, and his scheming methods had become more and more outstanding.
A Nu sighed with admiration and awe, but there was a little less joy.
Of course, she hoped that her man was wise and intelligent. But for some reason, when she looked at this Yang Fan who could kill people without a trace while talking and laughing, she couldn't help but miss the Yang Fan of the past. At that time, Yang Fan was young and hot-blooded. He was impulsive. Perhaps his methods weren't as brilliant as they were now, but she liked him. She didn't want Yang Fan to become someone like Young Master Jiang or Shen Mu.
At this time, dozens of fast horses suddenly galloped along Ding Ding Avenue. They saw many carriages of nobles and nobles with official banners flying in from outside the city gate. They didn't slow down at all. The black-clothed official at the front raised his horsewhip and shouted, "The Imperial Censor has been ordered to leave the capital. Everyone, retreat!"
Yang Fan reined in his horse and looked over. He saw a group of officials escorting several Imperial Censors. Among them were Huang Jingrong, Wu Rang, Zhao Jiulong, Liu Guangye, Wang Deshou and a few others. He recognized all of them. These people did not look sideways. They whipped their horses and hurriedly galloped down the street. Their usual low-key demeanor was completely different.
Yang Fan frowned. A feeling of unease suddenly welled up in his heart.
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