Xie Yubin smiled and said, "There's still time, there's still time! I will immediately send people to inform the various prefectures, counties, and villages. The local authorities will provide carriages and horses to escort the elders to Yanzhou to receive the Emperor's great kindness! In five days' time, as long as the people from the furthest places in this prefecture pick up their pace, they should be able to arrive. "
Yang Fan smiled and nodded. The two exchanged a few more words before Yang Fan revealed a tired expression and bade farewell to the governor. Xie Yubin immediately summoned a family member and told him to escort "Beta Persei" to the prefecture's inn to settle him down.
As soon as Yang Fan left, Xie Yubin summoned two external stewards and instructed them one by one, "You go and immediately disperse all the merchants in the western part of the city and order them to leave the city immediately. They are not allowed to return to Yanzhou for the next half a month! Also inform the shops in this city. All the eyesores have to disappear, just like the last time Imperial Censor Cheng did his inspection! "
The steward promptly withdrew. Xie Yubin then said to the second steward, "Immediately send someone to invite Lu Bie Che, Chief Censor Ye, Major Lin, the Six Prefectures Military Adjunct, the Minister of Revenue, and the other officials to the residence to see me. Tell them I have important matters to discuss!"
After saying that, Governor Xie turned to Steward Li Yan, who had just arrived at the inner residence to report, and said, "Prepare a gift. This Beta Persei from Fengchen Jian has already checked into the inn. Prepare a generous gift and send a woman to serve him. This will save him from wandering around the city for the next five days and spoil my plans."
Steward Li hesitated and said, "Ah Lang, I heard that all the men in Fengchen Jian are the empress' male concubines. Gifts are fine, but sending a woman, won't that be …"
Governor Xie smiled sinisterly and said, "If that's the case, then he will secretly eat our things. His mouth will be sealed!"
Steward Li suddenly understood and gave a thumbs up, saying, "Ah Lang is wise. This lowly one will do it right away!"
In a short while, Caretaker Li had chosen a beauty from the inner chamber. This beauty was also surnamed Li. Five hundred years ago, she came from the same family as him. Her maiden name was Ping Lan. She hurriedly dressed herself up and changed into a gorgeous dress before leaving with him. By this time, the mistress of the house had already prepared a gift. Steward Li took it and ordered someone to hitch a large carriage. He opened the corner door and drove out, heading straight to the inn.
The first madam of the Grand Scribe Residence was naturally Xie Yubin's first wife. Now that Xie Yubin had made a fortune, he was no longer interested in that yellow-faced woman. Moreover, the woman was not beautiful and her family background was ordinary. Her manner of speaking and the way she treated people were not elegant at all. Associating with the ladies of the gentry did not boost Governor Xie's morale.
However, divorcing one's wife was a big taboo in the officialdom. Although Xie Taishou's mountain was high and the Emperor was far away, he was not willing to violate this taboo. Therefore, he simply raised that yellow-faced old woman, she was well-dressed and well-fed, she did not lack anything, but he never went to the courtyard where she lived. Currently, the person in charge of the Governor's manor was the Second Mother. She was the wife that Governor Xie had taken in when he was the Shaoqing of the Supreme Court in Luoyang. Now, she was the mistress of the inner residence.
As for the Miss Pinglan whom Steward Li brought out from the rear residence, she was not Governor Xie's concubine. Yang Fan was playing the role of a small pawn in the Fengchen Prison. This kind of sesame-and-mung-bean official, if he did not have such a dazzling Palace insignia, Governor Xie would not even look him in the eye.
Even so, there was no reason for a governor to use his concubine to serve him. In the Governor's mansion, there was a group of dancers and musicians. Sometimes, when Governor Xie was in the mood, he would choose from among them to serve him. But these kinds of women had no status, and Governor Xie would not consider them his women. Sometimes, when he was drunk with the Chief Emissary and the others, they would sleep in the guest room of the Governor's mansion, and Governor Xie would choose from among these dancers and musicians to serve him. Since the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods, this had always been the custom of many rich and influential families.
Less than half an hour after Steward Li led Miss Ping Lan away from the corner gate, Lu Bie Che, Ye Zhangshi, Major Lin, the Record Adjunct Officer, Si Cang Si Hui Si Tian, and the other meritorious officials arrived at the Prefectural Guard Mansion.
This prefecture's Chief Emissary was called Lu Zhenrong, and he was the second most influential person in the Yanzhou Prefecture. His official position was only inferior to Governor Xie, and he was mainly in charge of this prefecture's judicial affairs. This prefecture's Chief Emissary was Ye Luoyu, who had the Longxi's Li Clan background and was now under the command of the Hidden Sect. He was mainly in charge of this prefecture's civil affairs.
There was also Chief Emissary Lin Bing, who was in charge of this prefecture's military affairs and military tributes. He was in charge of the daily affairs of the group training on behalf of the Governor and was ranked below Chief Emissary Ye and Chief Emissary Ye. There was also the Military Secretary, Li Qinshan, who was in charge of all the Merit Officials. Finally, there were the three Merit Officials that Governor Xie had specially summoned — the Treasury Secretary, the Treasury Secretary, and the Treasury Secretary.
When everyone heard this, Governor Xie explained the situation to them and exhorted, "The imperial envoy is here to console the elders. However, they are from the capital city after all, and we must not be careless. If they see anything, it will inevitably be a source of trouble. Everyone must treat this with caution."
Everyone hurriedly acknowledged. Governor Xie then said to Treasury Secretary and Treasury Secretary, "Zhang Changzong is here to console the elders on behalf of the Emperor. This isn't his responsibility, but just in case, all of you have to handle things properly. You must distinguish between public and private matters!"
The two of them understood and knew that this was the Governor's reminder. They had to find another place to store the embezzled rations and must never place them in the official storehouse. If Zhang Changzong really had another mission and went over to take a look, it would be bad if he found out that the official storehouse was full of rations.
Governor Xie said to Chief Emissary Ye, "Chief Emissary Ye, here, quickly send out two official documents. One is to order the various prefectures, counties, and villages to send the elders to Yanzhou. Chief Emissary Qiao, your assistant Chief Emissary Ye, if there are any troublemakers who can't control their mouths, report that they can't come due to illness. Don't let them come. If they come, give them a warning. Tell them to say what they should say and not to speak carelessly about what they shouldn't! "
Chief Emissary Qiao hurriedly nodded. Governor Xie then said, "Chief Emissary, send out another official document. Tell the various prefectures to stop sending the taxes and rations to the capital. Say that the capital is receiving the imperial envoy and has no time to deal with it. Wait until the imperial envoy has been sent off before we talk about it. "
Chief Emissary Ye's brows were slightly furrowed and he felt slightly uneasy. Hearing Governor Xie's words, he hurriedly nodded in agreement. As a member of the Hidden Sect, he was aware of the things that had happened in Taiyuan Prefecture, Dan Prefecture, and Feng Prefecture. Thus, when he heard that an imperial envoy had come to Yanzhou, Chief Emissary Ye was immediately on guard.
However, Taiyuan, Dan Prefecture, and Feng Prefecture had regular storehouses, but Yanzhou didn't. Logically, it was impossible for Xian Zong to notice this place. Moreover, the Empress had hosted a "Banquet of the Thousand Elders" a few years ago. She was getting older, and it wasn't strange for her to suddenly have an idea to comfort the elders of the world and promote the concept of respecting the elderly.
When he thought of this, Chief Emissary Ye's heart gradually calmed down. Actually, there was another reason why he was able to get rid of the doubts in his heart so quickly. That was, even if his suspicions were true, it wouldn't help the situation. The large hole that was Yanzhou was either not poked through, or once it was poked through, no one would be able to fill it up.
Chief Emissary Ye had come to the Yanzhou Prefecture six years ago. He had sat on the cold bench in the capital for a few years. The Longxi Li Family had secretly worked to get him an official position that had real power outside the capital. In the end, the moment he arrived in Yanzhou, he received the cold reception of the governor and other officials. He also had the major, the Meritorious Officials, and the other lower officials who paid lip service but secretly opposed him. Chief Emissary Ye had become an official that was suspended in midair.
He had done nothing for more than half a year before he gradually realized that there was a reason why everyone in the officialdom of Yanzhou had banded together to ostracize him. If Chief Emissary Ye wanted to obtain everyone's approval and truly grasp power, he could only do his best to blend in. At the beginning, Xie Yubin, Lu Zhenrong, and the others didn't dare let him grasp all of the inside information at once. They only probed him on a few small matters. When he gradually sunk in and became one with everyone, no longer able to be separated, there was no need for them to reveal anything to him. He already knew. But now, he had already become one of them.
The cooperation from top to bottom had always given him a sense of security, but now he suddenly felt uneasy. The power that he had originally been diligently seeking was now a bit of a hot potato. But he had sunk too deep. Was there any room to retreat? Chief Emissary Ye could only secretly pray that the Emperor's gigolo was really only here to comfort his old age …
…
The Yanzhou relay station was a courtyard with a structure of seven rows and five bays. It was made of earth and wood, and there were very few bricks and stones. From a distance, the high walls gave off a rustic air. Inside, there was a pond, water, a garden, and shade. The interior was especially spacious and spacious, and living was comfortable.
During the Tang Dynasty, the relay station was one with the relay station. Not only was it a place to receive passing officials, but it was also a place for the courier to deliver letters and official documents. During wartime, it also served as a command structure for military supplies.
These days, transportation was extremely underdeveloped. The mountains and rivers were dangerous, and the roads were long. It was daunting at first glance. Yanzhou, which was located on the loess plateau, had even less contact with the outside world. Most of the people in the city were merchants traveling to the Western Regions. Naturally, the Yanzhou relay station wasn't a place these people could come to, so the interior of the relay station was extremely quiet.
The bearers, the bearers, the bearers, the couriers, the migrant workers, and the relay station attendants were all sitting idly in the doorway. The relay station's deputy wasn't there either. No one knew what he was up to. The governor's family led Yang Fan to the relay station. When he asked if the deputy was there, he couldn't be bothered to wait for someone to find him. He called over a steward and warned him, "This is a superior envoy from the capital. The governor has personally instructed us to treat him well."
When the steward heard that Yang Fan was someone from the capital and had personally received instructions from the prefecture's governor, his attitude immediately changed. He immediately arranged for Yang Fan to stay in a small courtyard with its own entrance and courtyard. There were three rooms in a row: a bedroom on the left, a study on the right, and a central room in the middle. In the courtyard, there were simple wooden tables and chairs, and two large trees. One was a sweet-scented osmanthus tree, filling the entire garden with its fragrance, while the other was a pomegranate tree, full of fruit.
After arranging for Yang Fan to stay, the governor's family left. The steward eagerly asked, "What would the superior envoy like to eat tonight?"
Yang Fan replied, "I'll have to trouble the steward to make any arrangements. Pick a few of the prefecture's specialties and a jug of wine to relieve my boredom. Oh, right, please prepare some hot water. I want to take a bath. "
"Alright, alright, alright. Please rest first. I'll get off the horse and get it done."
The steward eagerly left. After a short while, the sound of him shouting could be heard from afar. The hot water was delivered quickly. After filling the bathtub to the brim, Yang Fan closed the door, took off his clothes, and soaked in the hot water. His expression was refreshed. After exiting the bathtub and changing into a clean set of clothes, Yang Fan was about to call someone to pour the bath water away.
As soon as the door opened, he saw the governor's steward, Li Yan, leading a fair-skinned, beautiful woman with large phoenix eyes into the courtyard …
…
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
