On the pier, Mu Yuanzuo led a group of Suzhou officials to look far away, but they felt really uneasy in their hearts.
He knew very well that Fang Xuanling was a person who was as gentle and indifferent to fame and wealth. Even though he had never put on airs from time to time when he was the Prime Minister of the capital, now that he was an official, he would not be keen on such scenes of greetings and pretending to socialize.
.
If you are disgusted in your heart, you may even walk away from the river calmly...
But Mu Yuanzuo had no choice. He had to lead his officials here, hoping to use Fang Xuanling's reputation to shock these slick officials.
Since Fang Jun returned to Chang'an, the Jiangnan gentry have gradually forgotten the blood shed by the Gu family. With their deep roots in all walks of life, they have a tendency to make a comeback and regain their prestige. The descendants of the Jiangnan gentry are all over the inner and outer cities of the government.
In the countryside, if they are not used, government affairs will inevitably be paralyzed. The ability and experience to handle affairs skillfully are something that children from poor families do not have, and if they are used, they must withstand coercion.
If this continues, there's no telling that these Jiangnan nobles will one day do something that will put him, the governor of Suzhou, into a situation that is beyond redemption.
Fang Jun, who was far away in Chang'an, had limited support. Most of the Royal Navy's energy was concentrated overseas, and it had no power to participate in the power struggle in Suzhou's governor's office. This forced Mu Yuanzuo to make dangerous moves in the hope of relying on Fang Xuan.
Use the power of age to suppress the gradually rising Jiangnan gentry...
Mu Yuanzuo frowned, standing under the umbrella, staring blankly at the approaching ships on the river in the distance, letting the raindrops drift in front of him, making it even more desolate.
Suddenly, his eyes widened instantly...
The fleet that was moving rapidly along the current in the middle of the river slowly lowered its white sails. The speed of the entire fleet suddenly slowed down, and then slowly approached the dock.
Mu Yuanzuo's heart almost jumped out of his chest with joy. He clenched his hands tightly, suppressing the excitement in his heart and pretending to be calm: "Everyone is ready. Although I have always had a close relationship with Fang's consort, Fang Xiang also
I regard myself as a junior, but we represent all the officials and people in Suzhou. It is absolutely necessary to follow the etiquette and mess up the rules. Please cheer up! If anyone talks nonsense and makes the prime minister dissatisfied, don't blame me for following him.
You are merciless!"
These words were spoken with a solemn tone and a dignified expression, carrying unparalleled pressure.
Finally, he regained his prestige as a governor...
A group of local Suzhou officials behind him also responded, but their expressions were strange.
Does your husband regard you as a junior?
Haha, do you dare to be more shameless? You became an official during the Wude period, and you are only three or five years younger than Fang Xuanling, so you have become a junior...
If you bow your eyebrows and bend your waist, you will have no moral integrity and you will be extremely shameless.
As everyone murmured, the ship slowly docked, and Mu Yuanzuo led everyone forward quickly.
The free sailors on the ship set up the gangplank. Fang Xuanling, dressed elegantly in regular clothes, disembarked from the gangplank and came to the pier. He supported Mu Yuanzuo, who came to pay homage, with both hands. With a smile on his face, he complained in a gentle tone:
"Why is this necessary, Governor Mu? I have already become an official, and I am no longer the prime minister and assistant minister I used to be. I am really flattered by your standards of ceremony."
Mu Yuanzuo said: "What did the Prime Minister say? You have worked hard for His Majesty and the Tang Dynasty. These achievements are all in the hearts of our officials and the people of the world. Even if you become an official, you will always be a member of the Tang Dynasty."
The Prime Minister will always be the Prime Minister in the hearts of the people, and will always be a role model for our officials to respect! Today you are passing through Suzhou, and the officials from the government office are waiting here just to appreciate the elegance of the Prime Minister and to express our admiration.
heart of."
When the officials behind him heard this, their eyelids twitched.
Shameless, so shameless...
"I have met the prime minister in my humble position. My father heard that you were passing through Haiyu Town today and wanted to invite you to my home for a banquet..."
"I'm so polite here. I've admired the grace of the prime minister for a long time. To see you today is worthy of my lifetime!"
"My ancestor used to be a minister in the same palace as Fang Tong. Later he retired and returned to his hometown. He often spoke highly of Fang Xiang's character in front of our juniors and said that you are the best gentleman in the world. I didn't sleep last night. I was so excited that I couldn't help myself.
Suppress..."
…
Well, since the governor is shameless, why do we still need it?
Isn't it just singing praises and flattering?
We will also...
The more disgusting words resounded on the pier, making Fang Xuanling, who was used to seeing strong winds and waves, extremely embarrassed.
Who doesn't want to leave a good impression in front of Fang Xuanling?
Even if he retires from office, Fang Xuanling is still Fang Xuanling, and no one dares to question his influence in front of the emperor.
Even though they had a grudge with Fang Jun and wished that the emperor would beat him to the end and send him to the army, everyone was really frightened by Fang Jun's thunderous methods, even if they were destined to have a face-to-face fight with Fang Jun in the future.
Dou, now that I can keep a good eye in front of Fang Xuanling, I might even be able to say something more if I ask for help one day...
After all, even though Fang Xuanling retired from office and was no longer the chief minister of the dynasty, and no longer had the power to control the world, his influence has not faded. He is still one of the top bosses in the dynasty, and he is still the one in front of His Majesty.
humerus.
Fang Xuanling has been an official all his life, and has been the first assistant for more than ten years. He has experienced such a scene countless times. With a gentle and elegant smile on his face, he nodded to everyone, and wherever he looked, he used
People feel as if they are different from others and receive special treatment...
Every outstanding political figure is naturally an outstanding actor.
For a while, the atmosphere on the pier was harmonious, and even the falling raindrops seemed to add a bit of poetry and painting just to suit the occasion, without the desolation and desolation of the autumn wind and autumn rain at all.
After chatting for a while, Fang Xuanling achieved her goal of supporting Mu Yuanzuo, her son's ally, and said with a smile: "I am traveling with Duke Wei this time, so it is not appropriate to disturb you. I will bear in mind your wrong love."
"Xin. When we get to Huating Town, I will host a banquet and invite you. If you are free, you might as well go over and have a drink and chat. Let's call it a day and say goodbye."
He carried Li Jing out, and all the officials suddenly felt cold.
It would be nice to be able to get close to Fang Xuanling, but if you get too close to Li Jing... it wouldn't be nice.
In fact, speaking of it, the Jiangnan gentry have always had a very good impression of Li Jing.
At the end of the Sui Dynasty, when the sky was in turmoil and wars broke out, Xiao Mian took advantage of the chaos to seize control in the Jiangling area. His territory was vast, reaching Jiaozhi in the south, Hanshui River in the north, the Three Gorges in the west, and Jiujiang in the east. He became a veritable "King of the South". Later,
He even proclaimed himself emperor. In the third year of Wude, Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan ordered Li Xiaogong, the general manager of Kuizhou, to conquer Xiao Mian, and promoted Li Jing to be the general manager of the march and concurrently the commander of the march.
Later, the great ancestor Li Yuan was afraid that Li Xiaogong was too famous and powerful, so he restrained him and ordered that "the responsibility of the three armies should be assigned to Jing." The leading authority among the generals was given to Li Jing, and Li Jing actually became the commander-in-chief of the three armies.
The next year, Li Jing led an army down the river to attack Jiangling. A few days later, he broke through Shuicheng and captured several white ships. Seeing that the defeat was irreversible, Xiao Mian said to his subordinates: "God will not bless the Liang Dynasty! If you wait for it, you can't."
If we surrender at all costs, the people will suffer. Since the destiny of heaven is not mine, why should I implicate innocent people?" He immediately ordered the entire army to disarm and open the city to surrender.
When the Tang army entered Jiangling, they strictly enforced military discipline and were not greedy for treasure. They were magnanimous to the Jiangnan gentry who had assisted Xiao Mian and ignored all the blame. The land in the south of the Yangtze River quickly settled down. This approach was very popular, and both Jiang and Han Dynasties surrendered. Xiao Mian surrendered several times.
Days later, hundreds of thousands of reinforcements organized by the uninformed Jiangnan nobles arrived one after another. They heard that Xiao Mian had surrendered and that the Tang army had a lenient policy, so they all laid down their weapons and surrendered without a fight.
Without Li Jing's far-sighted and lenient policies, the Jiangnan nobles who were mostly entangled with Xiao Xianhang would have suffered massacres and looting after the defeat. Therefore, the Jiangnan nobles were extremely grateful to Li Jing.
However, gratitude is gratitude. Who doesn’t know how jealous and angry His Majesty is towards Li Jing? Even if he is now allowed to take up his official position and he has stated that he will not blame anyone, who knows whether these words are just words to make everyone look good. In fact, if anyone is close to Li Jing
, will be recorded in a notebook by the emperor as someone with ulterior motives, waiting to settle the score in the future?
Just because the Jiangnan gentry dared to compete for interests did not mean that they were willing to be involved in such heinous crimes as "treason" and "treason"...
If Fang Xuanling stayed, Duke Wei Li Jing would also stay, and the situation would be embarrassing.