In Beiliang's Daoling Prefecture, there was a crowded and bustling shipping dock.
This dock had been greatly expanded in the hands of the previous provincial governor, Xu Beizhi. It was not as if the Lingzhou officialdom did not complain about the waste of money and manpower. Other than the dock, there were also huge granaries that were no less than Liyang A. This provincial governor had built a lot during his time in office. However, who did not know that Xu Beizhi was known as "the most favored Beiliang"? In addition, Beiliang had never had the custom of censuring officials. At most, the officials and scholars in the officialdom would privately criticize him. Naturally, no one was willing to go to Mount Qingliang to be rejected.
It was probably because Xu Beizhi's official reputation in Lingzhou was terrible. After the newly appointed provincial governor, Chang Sui, took a break to recuperate. The entire Lingzhou, who had been mentally prepared, felt like they were bathing in the spring breeze. They were full of praise for this scholar who came from the Shangyin Academy.
Today, at the dock, under the escort of 200 of Lingzhou's most elite light cavalry, two carriages slowly arrived. Two elegant men in official robes walked out. They were the proud disciple of the literary grandmaster, Han Guzi, the provincial governor of Lingzhou, Chang Sui, and the father-in-law of the new Prince of Liang, the "Central Plains Lu Jianke" Lu Dongjiang, who had just been promoted from the provincial governor of Liangzhou to the deputy administrator of Beiliang.
In just a short year, Lu Dongjiang had sat in the third position of Beiliang's civil official. Although it was a typical case of a father relying on his daughter, the Beiliang officialdom was pragmatic. It was not good for reputation. It did not have the complicated formalities of the Liyang imperial court, such as whether one had a Jinshi background or served in the Hanlin Academy. Lu Dongjiang's official rank was the same as Song Dongming's. However, Lu Dongjiang was in charge of the government affairs of Youling and Song Dongming, while Song Dongming was in charge of Liangliu and Liangliu. It was a bit like they were equals. Therefore, not long ago, a member of the Qingzhou Lu Family said at a family banquet, "Taian City once had a conflict between Zhang and Gu. Now, Beiliang also has a conflict between Lu and Song. It is a conflict between gentlemen. As for Wang Linquan, he is just a merchant who stinks of money." The two meanings of this flattery made Lu Dongjiang, who had entered Beiliang and Liangliu, deeply agree.
Although Lu Dongjiang still had some grudges against his ruthless daughter, Lu Chengyan, after such a meteoric rise, he gradually let go of this troublesome matter under his nose. Lu Dongjiang knew that if the Lu Family wanted to continue to prosper, even if Lu Chengyan really did break off relations with the Lu Family, with or without Lu Chengyan at Mount Qingliang, the Lu Family's fate in Beiliang's officialdom would be completely different. Whether or not Lu Chengyan could sit firmly in the position of consort to the King of Beiliang, the Lu Family's status would also be turned upside down.
Recently, Lu Dongjiang had been thinking about whether or not he should invite his daughter and son-in-law back to the Lu Family for the Spring Festival this year. They were a family that had gone through thick and thin together. Even if Hsu Fengnian was a noble vassal king, it wouldn't be too much to ask for him to accompany them to have a harmonious New Year's Eve dinner, right?
Unlike the Deputy Administrator's brand-new official robe, the Governor Chang Sui's official robe was old and wrinkled. His originally fair face had also become dark. When the two of them stood together, Lu Dongjiang, who was older but well-maintained, looked younger. Although there was not much difference between the second-rank Golden Rooster Official Patch and the third-rank Peacock Official Patch, both of them were well-deserving of the title of Governor of Liyang. However, the former was a genuine central official of the imperial court, while the latter was a powerful official who governed a region. There was still a fine line between the former and the former. However, Lu Dongjiang was a famous scholar who had enjoyed a good reputation in the scholarly circles of the Central Plains for many years. If it were any other governor accompanying him, he would still put on an air of authority. However, in front of Chang Sui, who was a brilliant disciple of the literary grandmaster Han Guzi, a well-known Teacher Ji Shang of the Shangyin Academy, and also Xu Weixiong's Senior Martial Brother, Lu Dongjiang naturally regarded him as a kindred spirit. He spoke warmly and warmly.
As the Deputy Administrator who was in charge of Lingzhou and Youzhou, Lu Dongjiang had naturally heard about the Liyang transport. He knew that the imperial court had originally promised to guarantee that one million dan of grain would enter Beiliang before autumn. However, until now, not even half of the grain had reached 500,000 dan. There were three batches in succession, scattered and hidden, and only 400,000 dan of grain. The Liyang transport had two lines, horizontal and vertical. The horizontal line had the Guangling River as the main stem. Xiangfan City in Qingzhou, which was regarded as the waist of the Central Plains, was an important transit point for grain. However, no one had expected that the young Vassal Zhao Xun would rebel with the Yan King Zhao Bing and the Shu King Chen Zhibao. It was said that he was going to be elected as the new Emperor. As a result, the Zhao imperial court lost half of the Jingan Road's jurisdiction, and the grain transport was delayed again and again. Lu Dongjiang could only lament that this was an unlucky year.
Chang Sui accompanied Lu Dongjiang to the shore of the ferry. The boats on the river were piled up like they were walking on flat land. The two sides of the pier were bustling with activity, which surprised Lu Dongjiang.
Chang Sui's words broke the mystery, "The Liyang imperial court announced to the outside world that they would provide 500,000 dan of grain to the Beiliang Road before autumn. In reality, our Prince and Minister Qi Yanglong had agreed on one million dan. In reality, this autumn, under the supervision of Qi Yanglong and Huan Wen, close to 800,000 dan of grain had been shipped into our Lingzhou granary. However, out of consideration for Liyang's reputation, we only said to the outside world that we had received 400,000 dan."
Since the weather was good and the political matters were clear, Lu Dongjiang was pleasantly surprised. However, he immediately realized that the Lingzhou Provincial Governor beside him, who had suddenly taken a high position, did not seem to be in a good mood.
Chang Sui said calmly, "Sir Lu has just taken office, so there are some things that you might not be clear about. Apart from promising one million dan of grain before autumn, the Liyang imperial court also promised to ship in two million dan. However, looking at the current situation, that seems to be far away. "
Lu Dongjiang was confused, "The Central Plains is in chaos, and the Jingan Road is also under the jurisdiction of the rebel Vassal King Zhao Xun. It is reasonable that the imperial court is unable to control the grain transport, right?"
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