The door of the county government office opened, and the county magistrate Ai Youzhi, who was only in his 30s, welcomed him out with a smile.
The two of them looked at each other quickly.
Ai Youzhi's expression remained unchanged and he thought: So young and handsome... Even though he has no beard, I don't even know who he is... Ai Youzhi's expression remained unchanged.
He is not wearing official uniform, but is wearing a Taoist uniform of moon-white crepe. He is walking on cloud shoes that fit well, wearing a scholar's square scarf on his head, a medium-sized jade pendant around his waist, and holding an inscribed folding fan in his hand.
.This does not look like an official. He is clearly a scholar who is passionate about Taoism...Wang Hongyu thought for a while, and this Ai Youzhi was indeed unsatisfactory in the officialdom.
The two of them talked, laughed and exchanged greetings, but they were actually trying to see if the local accent was right and whether what they saw and heard about local officials and people was true.
Wang Hongyu was well prepared and there was nothing wrong. The more the two chatted, the happier they became. If Zunyi is north of Guizhou, then Ai Youzhi comes from Duyun Prefecture, which is quite far east of Guiyang. Although the two are not from the same place.
It is very rare to come out of one place but be far away from home.
After entering the second hall, which is the real office of the county magistrate, the clerk who was following him no longer followed him. Instead, a doorman with a Guizhou accent came over.
Wang Hongyu knew that this was Ai Youzhi's true confidant, so when he saw no one else around, he said: "Your Majesty, County Ai, this visit brings good news and bad news."
"Oh?" Ai Youzhi's eyes lit up, and he immediately took the seats in the second hall and ordered the doorman to make tea.
You seem to be more anxious than me, but it's best this way. The more anxious you are, the better I can do my thing.
While continuing to chat, patiently prepare how to whet the other person's appetite, make the other person ignore whether he is taking the civil or military examination, and then ask him to help the Sichuan army purchase food.
Ai Youzhi lost his patience first and asked in a lowered voice: "May I ask Mr. Wang, is there any good news?"
"Let me tell you the good news first.
Honored Master Nan Gao (Zou Yuan's label Nan Gao) is a great scholar of the Eastern Forest, but he has been idle for 30 years. However, I would like to congratulate Brother Ai in advance. Honored Master will soon go north to the capital to dominate the situation in the court, and Brother Ai will also have
Opportunity to show off."
"Is my mentor finally going to be reused!?"
Ai Youzhi was indeed overjoyed, but then she thought something was wrong.
The current sage, Emperor Wanli, dislikes his mentor very much.
At that time, Zou Yuanbiao was beaten 80 times by Zhang Juzheng and sent to Guizhou. After Wanli liquidated Zhang Juzheng, he promoted him and wanted him to severely criticize Zhang Juzheng. Unexpectedly, he did not speak up at all, and he was dedicated to admonishing him upright, but he was demoted.
Zou Yuanbiao was recommended for no less than 100 jobs, but he was never appointed.
"No need to worry, this is the general trend. I have news that others cannot get." Wang Hongyu said it just right, leaving nothing more and nothing less to the other party's imagination.
Could it be that... Ai Youzhi's eyes changed slightly, and he thought of several possibilities.
Has Emperor Wanli changed his mind? Is there anyone in the palace with this person? What is the relationship between this person and the crown prince’s accompaniment Wang An? The East Palace is currently preparing to form a mentor? These are all possibilities...
It's not that he's thinking too much, but that these Donglin-related scholar-bureaucrats are most concerned about these related contents.
"This is the first thing, which is good news. The second thing is bad news." Without giving the other party much time to think, Wang Hongyu released the second big news.
"What bad news?"
"The She family in Yongning, Sichuan, and the Anjia family in Shuixi, Guizhou, have been brewing rebellions for a long time. After the Battle of Sarhu, heavy troops were transferred from Sichuan and Guizhou. They are probably preparing for rebellion."
"What!"
Ordinary scholar-bureaucrats may not think this is important news, but Ai Youzhi is from Guizhou. His hometown is Duyun to the east of Guiyang, and Shuixi'an's family is to the west. The rebellion between the two chieftains in She'an will definitely affect his hometown.
"This is indeed bad news. In fact, my mentor has paid attention to the situation of the She'an family many times. Has the court already known about it now?" Ai Youzhi was a little anxious. His emotions were aroused by Wang Hongyu's two news. He was not at all what he thought at first.
It looks breezy.
Others in the Donglin Party would not pay too much attention to the southwest, with the exception of Zou Yuanbiao and Ai Youzhi. After Zou Yuanbiao received 80 sticks from Zhang Juzheng, he was demoted to Guizhou and gave lectures in Duyun, Guizhou, and accepted Ai Youzhi.
After waiting for a group of disciples, he also opened Nangao Academy.
"The imperial court has heard about it a little bit, but the evidence is not enough, and it dare not act rashly because of the lack of wise and fair officials to handle it and the transfer of the army."
Wang Hongyu smiled. In fact, he wanted to divide the Donglin Party. At this time, he attracted attention from the She'an family, transferred Yuan Yingtai from Liaodong, and alienated Zou Yuanbiao and other Donglin bosses... Stirring up the troubles, let's start from now on
.
But don’t say it in a hurry, it will be more effective if you take a multi-pronged approach later.
Ai Youzhi thought about it deeply, and the more she looked at Wang Hongyu, the more intimate she felt.
A fellow countryman, Ju Ren, there is someone in the palace, Wang An is an ally of Donglin, a major event in his hometown in the southwest... No matter how he thinks about it, he feels that marrying this person is definitely a great opportunity for himself and his mentor Zou Yuanbiao.
A win-win situation is the best cooperation. Now Brother Wang is here to help him. What help can he give to Brother Wang?
"Brother Wang, these two pieces of news have been waiting for a long time, and they are a timely rain for me, my mentor, and the world. I wonder if Brother Wang has anything that needs Ai's help? Now Ai is also a county magistrate, so he can help.
Will definitely help."
I'm just waiting for you. Since you said it yourself, don't blame me for ruthlessly combing the wool.
"I entered Liangxiang County and saw that the people's lives were good and there were a lot of boats on the river. But I felt that no one was in charge of the administration?" Wang Hongyu threw this out and directed him to the main book without naming him. If it failed, he would
Say it directly.
"well!"
Ai Youzhi sighed, and the expression on his face became tangled and hesitant.
"Oh? What's wrong with Mr. Ai County?"
"This matter is not complicated at all. I have been in Liangxiang for several years. I want to make a difference by relying on the skills I learned from my mentor, but it turns out that it is difficult to change the reality."
"Oh? Is it because we came from Sichuan and Guizhou and are not familiar with the local conditions?" Wang Hongyu guessed that the local director had ignored him, but did not provoke him and let him speak out on his own.
"Well, the good land is at the foot of the capital. Most of the local big business are doing business for the officials in the capital. They supply the capital with luxuries in a clean way. They greedily collect grain for the merchants in the capital and raise prices. There are even people selling private salt. Private salt is better than official salt.
The quality is pretty good.”
What Ai Youzhi mentioned was something that he, a foreign magistrate, could not handle. The local bookkeeper had already been involved in it and made a lot of money.
In addition, the local registrar heard news that a new Magistrate Yang was about to arrive, which made the county officials no longer listen to him. In fact, the registrar was involved in hoarding grain and even covering the sale of illegal salt.
"Brother Ai, do you have any evidence?" Wang Hongyu suddenly said this.
"Evidence..." Ai Youzhi thought to himself that this person has someone in the capital who can understand the important situation in the southwest. He is either from the East Palace or from Jin Yiwei.
"Yes! Brother Wang is willing to help someone." This chapter has been completed!