Yutang Chun and Sheridan had been restless since early in the morning because Yang Ling was supposed to return today. Although yesterday was the day of their wedding, only Furen had rushed back after a while. Laoye still had to accompany the Son of Heaven in setting off the fireworks. What made them extremely happy was that the Palace had issued an edict to bestow them with a seventh-rank title. The two were so happy that they didn't sleep well the entire night.
Their Langjun was about to return today. Thinking of what they were going to experience tonight and the romantic stories they had often heard from the courtesans in the Silk Flower House, the two girls' hearts were stirred and they couldn't sit still. From time to time, they would dress up in front of the mirror, afraid that they would make their laoye unhappy if they were late.
The two of them were so worried that they had to suppress their emotions, afraid that others would see through them. They didn't know that their infatuated appearance had already fallen into the eyes of the maidservants they were familiar with, causing them to laugh incessantly.
At this time, a young maidservant was sitting in Yutang Chun's room, unable to suppress the smile on her face as she told her the news she had just heard: The current Son of Heaven was getting married last night. After setting off the fireworks, he suddenly announced that he wanted to be a wise ruler of the world and was prepared to spend the entire night in the Palace of Heavenly Purity reading the memorials that had been accumulated over the past few days. He refused to enter the bridal chamber, causing all the scholars in the cabinet to frown, their beards almost all pulled out.
Hearing this, Yutang Chun found it funny and couldn't help but ask curiously, "The current Emperor is sixteen years old, he's not young anymore. Why … why did he have to go read the memorials on the night of the bridal chamber? Then … then later did he read the memorials or entered the bridal chamber?"
The young maidservant covered her mouth and laughed, "Originally, those ministers begged and I persuaded, kneeling on the ground and constantly kowtowing. They almost tied His Majesty up and sent him into the bridal chamber. But His Majesty refused to budge. The Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager came out to persuade him, but His Majesty still didn't listen. Afterwards, our laoye said something to His Majesty and His Majesty happily threw down the memorials and entered the bridal chamber.
Furen, did you know? Right now, this joke has spread throughout the entire capital. Many people are guessing what laoye said to His Majesty to be able to coax the Son of Heaven to enter the bridal room. Humph, humph, but no one knows why His Majesty didn't enter the bridal room, and for what reason. "As she spoke, she felt that her mouth was twisting and couldn't help giggling.
When Yu Tang Chun heard this, she couldn't help but laugh. She was about to ask about Laoye's news when a young maid hurriedly ran in and shouted, "Laoye is back, Laoye is back."
"Ah!" Yutang Chun jumped up from the chair in surprise and hurriedly sat in front of the mirror to look at her appearance. She only took two glances and suddenly remembered that there were two little maids in the room. Her actions were seen by them and she couldn't help blushing.
She embarrassedly turned around and pretended not to care. She faintly asked, "Did Master come to the backyard? Where are we now? "
The little maid shook her head and said, "No … as soon as Master returned to the fu, he had someone go up the mountain to find Liu Biao Zong and bring him to the study in the central hall. The two of them are currently chatting."
Yutang Chun's shoulders slumped and her small face couldn't be concealed anymore. Seeing this, the little maid hurriedly said, "Furen, don't be anxious. I'll go to the central hall to take a look."
… …
Liu Biao didn't know why Yang Ling had urgently called him over. He hurriedly walked into the study and saw Yang Ling sitting on a chair in deep thought. He quickly cupped his hands in greeting. When Yang Ling saw him, he woke up with a start. He quickly pointed at the chair opposite him and said, "Sit!"
Liu Biao sat down on the chair and said with a smile, "This lowly official congratulates daren for marrying two fairy-like Furen. Daren has just returned to the fu. I don't know what instructions do you have for summoning this lowly official in such a hurry? "
Yang Ling said, "I originally wanted to wait until after His Majesty's wedding before discussing the establishment of the Inner Factory. But yesterday, His Majesty publicly announced this matter in court. The two factories and one guard have many taboos about this. If it is delayed for too long, I'm afraid it will cause trouble. Therefore, this matter cannot be delayed any longer. I called you here to discuss the matter of the Inner Factory."
Once the Inner Factory was opened, Liu Biao would be Yang Ling's trusted aide. How could a mere Liu Biao Zong compare with his current power and influence? Even if he was promoted to Brigadier General, he would still be far inferior. So when he heard that Yang Ling was preparing to open the West Factory, Liu Biao couldn't help smiling. He eagerly said, "Daren, what are you planning to do? Don't hesitate to tell me. This lowly official will definitely follow your orders."
Yang Ling waved his hand and said, "There's no hurry. Sit down and talk. Last night in the palace, I carefully thought about it and came up with some ideas. Today, I've asked His Majesty's approval. When we set up the West Factory, what do we lack the most? We lack land, we lack people, we lack money, we lack everything. But to set up the Inner Factory, the outer court will not allocate money to us. Right now, His Majesty's palace treasury is also empty. We can only think of another way.
I've already obtained His Majesty's approval to merge the five thousand men and horses of the Left Sentry Battalion into the Inner Factory. In this way, the existing pay, soldiers, and barracks will naturally belong to us. It's just that the original camp of the Shenji Battalion is still too far from the capital. I've decided to move to this place, and we'll settle it here outside Xizhimen. "
Liu Biao rubbed his palms together and said, "Good. The strong soldiers in the army are good at fighting, far better than the temporary recruits. With five thousand foreigners in one go, we can compete with the Two Factories, One Guard, and One Army."
Yang Ling laughed in spite of himself. "What good at fighting?" He said, "Do you think we're going to war? Even if the Inner Factory is a thorn in the eyes of the Factory Guards, this fight can't be brought to the surface. They only dare to play small tricks, to backstab us, how could they dare to fight openly? We can't take the initiative to stir up trouble and give other people something to talk about. "
Liu Biao hurriedly complied. Yang Ling frowned and said, "The Factory Guards' responsibility is to patrol and arrest people. I've thought about it. The Brocade Weibo mainly relies on spies scattered all over the country and the official courier stations to gather information. The composition of foreigners in Dongchang is very complicated. Many of them are Jianghu heroes, so they often use local gangs and City Fox Society rats to gather information. The West Factory's power is still mainly in the area around the capital. Due to the suppression of Dongchang and the Imperial Bodyguard, they have no achievements. If we can't make a surprise attack, even if the Inner Factory is built, we will end up like the West Factory. Do you have any good ideas? "
Liu Biao listened and frowned. After thinking for a long time, he still couldn't come up with an idea. Of course it's not difficult to recruit people, but the difficult part is to have money. Otherwise, it's impossible to buy people and pass information. The West Factory has not been able to extend its power. It's not that its power is inferior to that of Dongchang, but it's limited by the lack of funds. Now the Inner Factory is even more shabby than the West Factory. What can we do?
Seeing that he was hesitating for a long time, Yang Ling said, "I have an idea, but … my understanding of the marketplace is limited. I don't know whether this idea will work or not."
Liu Biao said, "Daren, please tell me. I will tell you everything I know."
Yang Ling said slowly, "My idea can gather information, raise funds, and pass information in one body. Moreover … I have obtained the Emperor's permission to do it. I just don't know how effective it will be."
Liu Biao was itching to hear this, but he didn't dare to urge him. He could only listen patiently. Yang Ling said, "I have been in the Courier Office for some time. I know that the official Courier Office does not handle civilian affairs. Therefore, there are horse and carriage companies all over the country to transport guests and goods. These horse and carriage companies are limited by capital, manpower, and territory. The scale of these horse and carriage companies can't be considered big. Therefore, they are easy to control, but their use is also limited.
The most important thing in passing information is speed. How can these horse and carriage companies compare to the speed of the military post stations? Relying on them to collect information is also limited. However, at present, we want to build an inner factory. It seems … only by relying on these horse and carriage companies can we barely fulfill the function of the Imperial Bodyguard's Courier Office.
Ming Destiny's people have to travel everywhere. Everywhere they go, they need road guides and road passes. Moreover, there are all kinds of exorbitant taxes that are hidden from the Imperial Court. We don't have money, but we have power. If we cooperate with these horse and carriage companies, they will provide money and goods, and we will provide people. The various checkpoints will not dare to make things difficult for us, nor will they dare to collect all kinds of miscellaneous taxes.
Moreover, the closer we are to the foot of the Emperor, the harder it is to get any information. Relying on these horse and carriage companies to extend our reach is better than being like the West Factory, trapped in the capital and being deaf and blind. Moreover, we can also give the Dongchang Imperial Bodyguard a false impression that we don't dare to ask for food from the tiger in the capital and reduce their profits. It's just … I don't know if it will be difficult to carry out. Will those horse and carriage companies be willing to cooperate with us? "
Liu Biao slapped his thigh and said, "Feasible! Absolutely feasible! Sir, most of those horse and carriage companies are people with some influence in the local area, but their background is not strong enough. In order to make a living, they have to spend money on the legal side. In the underworld, they also have to spend money to buy their safety. They have to be careful and smiling at everywhere they go, and they also have to be troubled along the way.
If our people sit in the horse and use the banner of the inner factory to travel everywhere in the name of official business, it will be of great benefit to them. Why wouldn't they agree? It's just that … I'm afraid they will be worried that we will swallow them up and won't dare to cooperate with us. "
Yang Ling relaxed and said with a smile, "This is easy. In the beginning, don't use the name of the inner factory to make a move, lest the guests overwhelm the host and scare them. Just say that the people of the inner factory want to earn some benefits. It will be mutually beneficial with them. Then, sign a contract with them and they will be at ease. To be on the safe side, we will only take one route at the beginning. This way, the news will be quieter. When they have tasted the sweetness, there will be no need for us to look for them. The horse and carriage companies who hear the news will take the initiative to ask for cooperation. "
Hearing this, Liu Biao also nodded happily. At present, Yang Ling did not have many trusted aides that he could use. Although the most reliable ones were still the father and son of the Han family, the reputation of the Factory Guards was really not good. Out of selfishness, Yang Ling did not want them to get involved. He had already sent someone to Tailing to immediately transfer Yang Yiqing back to the capital. At present, these two people could be said to be his left and right arms.
Yang Ling thought that once the inner factory was established, he would need a few capable people to help him. Right now, although Liu and Yang were loyal and devoted, they were, after all, directly promoted from lieutenants. They might not have the ability to control the overall situation. But where could he find these people?
He remembered that he owed a big favor and also promised to help him transfer Wu Jie back to the capital. He couldn't help but ask Liu Biao, "Liu Biao, there is a Qianhu Wu Jie in the Imperial Bodyguard. He is responsible for gathering information outside the Great Wall all year round. He doesn't seem to be very proud in the Imperial Bodyguard. You see … if I transfer him to the inner factory, will he be of use to me? "
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