As expected, Huaihua's Great General Zhong Hongwu went to the Prince of Northern Liang's residence and directly scolded Xu Xiao. Xu Fengnian had not even become the Prince of Northern Liang yet, but he was already selling his position. If he did not take back those military orders that promoted people who were not even fully grown yet, he would dismount from his horse and take off his armor. He wanted to be a farmer who took care of the fields. The King of Beiliang only avoided the topic and talked about the exciting battles they had fought side by side in the past. In a fit of anger, the commander of the Beiliang cavalry, Zhong Hongwu, threw down his general's helmet in the hall and headed straight for the Lingzhou mansion, closing the door and refusing to see any guests.
At that time, Hsu Fengnian just happened to step into Lingzhou and visit the Administrator's mansion. Li Gongde, who was already a high-ranking official, saw the young, white-haired man in the study and was dumbfounded. Then, tears flowed from the bottom of his heart. Probably because he loved the house and its crow, this Administrator placed great importance on His Royal Highness. It was not just because of Hsu Fengnian's special status. Li Gongde naturally considered himself half an elder and half an official. The two statuses did not oppose each other. At this time, seeing Hsu Fengnian, he could only tightly hold Hsu Fengnian's arm and cry silently.
Sir Li knew that crying like a woman was inappropriate and quickly wiped away the tears on his face. He called for Hsu Fengnian to sit down and drink tea. When Li Gongde raised his cup and saw the porcelain cup in his hand, his face felt hot. Although it was a small teacup that only weighed a few taels, it was the best ice cup in the Longquan Kiln. In the heat of the summer, even if boiling hot water was poured into the cup, it would cool down in an instant. It was very magical. In the past, when Hsu Fengnian had not visited the Li Estate, Sir Li had welcomed him and sent him off calmly. He had even felt that he was extravagant and had the style of a tycoon. Today, however, was somewhat inappropriate. Fortunately, Hsu Fengnian did not seem to have any doubts. After drinking the tea, he asked about Li Hanlin's military exploits and his aunt's health, and then prepared to leave. How could Li Gongde let him go? In every possible way, he insisted on having His Royal Highness eat a welcoming banquet at the estate. Unfortunately, Hsu Fengnian insisted on hurrying back to Liangzhou. Li Gongde could only awkwardly drop the subject. Before leaving, Hsu Fengnian left behind a golden-yellow stone square. Li Gongde had long trained a pair of discerning eyes. With great difficulty, he restrained himself from eating it and placed it back on the table. He did not truly love it too much to part with it.
After seeing him out of the study, Li Gongde accompanied Hsu Fengnian to the Yi Sect. Coincidentally, they ran into Li Fuzhen, who was returning to the estate. Meeting in a narrow corridor, the old fox's Administrator did not even care about his face. Using the excuse of having a stomachache, he turned and left. He had his daughter send His Royal Highness off on his behalf. On this trip, Hsu Fengnian's coachman was Blue Bird. In secret, there was an otherworldly item, the Dan Ying. On the surface, the only person that could be brought into the estate was the scholar Chen Xiliang. When he met Li Gongde, he only said that he was a scholar from Liangzhou who was not part of the mainstream. Li Gongde, however, wished that he could memorize all eighteen generations of Chen Xiliang's ancestors in his mind. Who knew if this scholar in humble attire would become a County Chief tomorrow, and then the Governor of Lingzhou the day after?
Chen Xiliang saw that the atmosphere in the corridor was awkward. Without revealing anything, he took a few steps back. Clasping his hands behind his back, he sized up the precious inscriptions in the corridor. He distanced himself from Hsu Fengnian and the cool and elegant woman.
Hsu Fengnian smiled and said, "I won't trouble you to see me off. I know the way."
Suppressing the shock of their first meeting, Li Fuzhen silently turned around and led the way in front. However, she did not speak the entire time.
When they arrived at the Yi Sect that was too late to open when they left, Hsu Fengnian thanked her with a warm face and a cold butt. He then led Chen Xiliang down the steps and into the carriage.
Li Fuzhen did not cross the threshold to see them off. She watched as the Yi Sect slowly closed.
In reality, Li Gongde was standing not far behind his daughter. In a quiet voice, he said, "Fuzhen, in the past, I purposely brought you to the Prince's manor because I wanted you to be close to him. This time, I want you to see him off. That's not the case."
Father and daughter slowly walked back into the inner courtyard. Li Gongde slowly said, "There are many confidential inside stories that even a decorative Administrator like me cannot come into contact with. However, since even Beiliang Protector-General was forced to go to Western Shu, I think this man you look down on is not as you think, a crooked tree that can't be supported. You are just like your mother. You can't even pick a man. Back then, your mother refused to marry me no matter what. She secretly admired a talented scholar and said that I would only be a minor official for the rest of my life. If she married me, she would suffer for the rest of her life. If it weren't for your father, who took advantage of his mother-in-law's growing fondness for her son-in-law and practically tied your mother to a sedan chair, you and the Hanlin Academy would not exist in this world. Looking back at that talented scholar, he clearly had a family background much better than your father's. Even today, in Lingzhou, he is only a county magistrate in a remote village. He has been ostracized in the officialdom. All he can do is return home and vent his anger at his wife. This is because your father did not make things difficult for him. Every day, he would drink and go crazy, saying that he was born in the wrong era and that his ambitions had not been realized. When I was the Magistrate of Lingzhou, that fellow had angered the son of a general in the same county and had almost lost his position as the county magistrate. He was already at the age where he knew his destiny, yet he still shamelessly gave me money, calligraphy, paintings, and famous inkstones. As for father, I accepted all of them. If I didn't accept them, I was afraid that he would go bankrupt and jump into the river to commit suicide. Later on, during the county's evaluation, I helped him write sixteen words. His character was upright, honest, and self-disciplined. He had no grievances in prison, and he was selfless in court. Only then did he keep his position as county magistrate. After that, your father returned everything to him. Your mother has always been kept in the dark about this matter. You can just treat it as a joke. The reason why I'm telling you this is to let you know that a moment of glory and disgrace is nothing. Looking at a man is the same as looking at jade. In the 'Book of Rites', there is Yun Dagui who does not cut out the finest quality. He is like a fine jade, without a single strand covering the flower. Some men are just like a green jade. Outsiders may think that the color is alright, but the quality and quality are very poor. Fu Zhen, don't be in a hurry to defend that fellow that you like. Your father said that he would not break up a couple, so he will keep his promise. These past few years, I have been paving the way for him. Due to his poor family tree, your father helped him enter the ranks. He went from a poor scholar to a noble family. Even if he did not pass the exam, it is fine. Your father helped him go from an official to an official. But look at him. Other than wanting to stick to you all day long and saying words of love that don't cost him money, has he ever spent any effort on currying favor with the officialdom? Yes, you might say that it is because he has a noble character and does not want to wallow in the mire. But did he write a few poems that are popular among the people or something? Or did he work hard to bring benefits to the people? For an official like him, if he does not fight, his spine will not be straight. You are not charming, and your knees are not too bent, but aren't you a little too comfortable? He clearly knows that your father will not starve him to death, so he took out his salary to buy you a few exquisite gifts. Does that mean that he cares about you? Fu Zhen, your father is not a pedantic noble family descendant. Today's official position was snatched from others step by step. Your father is stingy and shrewd to everyone, but I am not stingy to you and Hanlin at all. Of all the people you can be angry with, you had to be angry with your father. When has your father ever been wrong about whether someone is good or bad? Of all the people you can listen to, you had to listen to your mother, who is blind. She said that person is good at understanding others, but in your father's eyes, he is just a sweet-talker who knows how to coax people. Women are just easily swayed. They can't be counted accurately. "
Li Fuzhen's eyes were red as she choked and said, "After all is said and done, Hsu Fengnian is also not a good person. When has he ever said any sweet words to women? I don't care if he is a loser or just pretending to be crazy! "
Li Gongde said calmly, "When you met today, your father deliberately let you be alone. Did he say a single word to you?"
Li Fuzhen wanted to say something but stopped.
Li Gongde calmly asked, "Did he look at you?"
Li Fuzhen angrily said, "I did not look at him. How do I know if he looked at me or not?"
Li Gongde smiled and said, "Oh." Then he slowly walked away from the fork in the road.
Li Fuzhen stood in the same spot and was out of her wits. She was all alone.
In the carriage far away from the governor's mansion, Chen Xiliang, who was born as a poor scholar, talked about politics as if he was making a joke. "Beiliang Province has three provinces, Liangyou Province and Ling Province. Liangyou Province and Liangyou Province are important places at the border and border with Beimang. Only Lingzhou Province is relatively fertile. It is a place with more oil and water than Liangyou Province. It forms the structure of Beiliang's general in the north and officials in the south. For the same yamen, the number of officials in Lingzhou Province is usually twice or even three times that of the other two provinces. It is like the backyard of Beiliang's army when they retire. The children of the officials who are not working in the army also have to come to the various yamens in Lingzhou to get a share of the pie. When the father steps down, the son will take the position, and the grandson will take the position to fish in oil and water. It would be strange if there were not many people. "This makes Lingzhou's yamen especially mountainous and intertwined. In Beiliang's officialdom, it is joked that if you can be a stable official in Lingzhou, you can also be promoted two ranks in other provinces and have your butt firmly rooted in your seat. "There are benefits for those at the top and there are benefits for those at the bottom. Using Li Gongde as the governor has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that Beiliang's tax collection is not a problem, but this is just a way to reduce expenditure. It is nothing more than taking two or three of the ten copper coins that go into the Beiliang's private pockets and giving it to the Beiliang army. Furthermore, Li Gongde is not the kind of good official who can get more money. Beiliang's salt and iron are huge profits, and the government has always been unable to make a profit. Furthermore, there are many powerful families of generals who take the initiative to seal and seize the profits.
"Write a detailed report about the salt and iron official camp for me." Hsu Fengnian nodded.
Chen Xiliang gladly accepted the order.
Hsu Fengnian saw that he seemed to have something to say, so he laughed and said, "If you have something to say, just say it. If you want to rebel, there is no harm."
Chen Xiliang said softly, "Li Gongde's official position is high enough, standard second-rank. He is greedy enough. Other than the Prince's Mansion, he is Beiliang's richest merchant. The most important thing is that he has a good relationship with your Xu family. He is the most suitable person to kill the chicken to warn the monkey. He can guarantee peace in Beiliang's officialdom for ten years. "
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