Fang Chongyong and Zheng Shuqing's judgment was correct. Li Longji felt "comfortable" after being licked. They did not investigate Zheng Shuqing's "snub" of Yang Yuhuan. Instead, they rewarded one hundred pieces of Tang brocade. Then Lao Zheng didn't keep any of them.
, took it all... to settle the relationship.
"Where are the invincible twin sisters you promised last time?"
A few days later, in the study room of the Fang family residence, as soon as the two parties sat down, Fang Chongyong looked at Zheng Shuqing and asked.
"What twins? What sisters?"
Zheng Shuqing was stunned and had no idea what Fang Chongyong was talking about. He had already forgotten this incident.
"Didn't you say that when things are done, you would give me a pair of twin sisters? Now I can help you solve the Tang Jin matter, right?"
Should you express it?
You are an adult, and you are here to coax a child?"
Fang Chongyong didn't care whether he accepted the sisters' flowers or not, but he was extremely dissatisfied with Lao Zheng's repeated bad checks.
"Oh, you're talking about this. How can I harm you when you're a teenager quitting sex? You can't give flowers to the twin sisters, you can't give them away."
Uncle Zheng said insincerely.
Seeing Fang Chongyong on the verge of breaking out, he quickly said: "I have prepared a big gift for you. Dress more formally tomorrow and I will take you to a place."
"It's not a blind date, right? I'm already engaged. It's not kind of you to blatantly poach someone like this..."
Fang Chongyong looked at Zheng Shuqing with confusion and asked.
"I know that you are engaged to the daughter of the Wang family. Don't worry, it's a good thing, absolutely a good thing! I'll pick you up tomorrow."
The more Zheng Shuqing said this, the more Fang Chongyong felt something was wrong.
He sighed softly and asked: "If you need help with anything, just ask directly, there is no need to go around the bush."
When Lao Zheng came to see him, he was a night owl who came to the house whenever he wanted.
"It's like this. I didn't do well as the Minister of Household Affairs..."
Zheng Shuqing said a little embarrassed.
Anyway, everyone is so familiar with him, so it would be awkward to ask others to ask him, and I can't believe him anymore.
Fang Chongyong lamented, spread his hands helplessly and said: "To seek an official, you should go to the right minister or a saint. What can you ask for from me?"
"Alas, you don't understand. The Ministry of Husbandry consists of the Hubu Department, the Duzhi Department, the Jin Department, and the Cangbu Department. There are one Shangshu and two ministers, and each minister is in charge of two departments. It seems very busy, right?
?”
"Then what?"
"Then the Household Department and the Duzhi Department, which are prone to political achievements, are in charge of another minister. I am in charge of the Jin Department and the Cang Department."
Zheng Shuqing began to express his bitterness.
As for the Department of Jin, it is in charge of the cashiers of the country's treasury, weighing and measuring, as well as the affairs of Chang'an and Luoyang, the mutual trade, the harmonious trade, and the palace trade.
Things like clothes for officials and slaves.
The Cangbu Division is in charge of the country's treasury, cashier's tax, grain payment, and warehouse affairs.
Both departments have chief and deputy chief officials. The official positions are one of the doctor (from the fifth rank) and one of the Yuanwailang (from the sixth rank). Under their jurisdiction are three chiefs, ten people who are responsible for the order, and twenty-one people who write the order history.
There is one person in history and four people in Zhanggu.
Haha, it seems that Zheng Shuqing does have a lot of people under his command.
But just think about the tens of millions of people in the Tang Dynasty! If you look at the number of ministers in the Ministry of Household Affairs, you will know that it is not that there are too many people in the Ministry of Household Affairs, but that there are too few people. If the procedures are followed according to the rules and regulations, I am afraid that even
It is difficult to operate normally.
However, now that the Ministry of Household Affairs is functioning normally, we have to go back and think about whether the power of the Ministry of Household Affairs itself is really as powerful as the regulations say.
So the result is very clear. In fact, it is not that there are fewer officials in the Household Department, but that the power of the Household Department has been divided by other yamen, so the Household Department does not have so many things to do.
This is indeed the case. After Zheng Shuqing's explanation, Fang Chongyong completely understood why Lao Zheng was so anxious.
In fact, most of the power of the two departments of the Ministry of Household Affairs is fictitious. In other words, there are other people in the agency responsible for implementation. After finishing the work, they just come to the Ministry of Household Affairs to save a file and report.
It cannot directly control the operation of these affairs.
The most obvious example is Taifu Temple, one of the "Nine Temples" in the center of the Tang Dynasty.
It is an institution responsible for managing economic affairs, also known as Waifu Temple and Sifu Temple. Its chief officer is Taifu Qing, and his adjutant is Taifu Shaoqing, one member each.
Taifu Temple is responsible for managing national property and trade affairs, and its subordinates include: two municipal offices in Beijing, in charge of property transactions; Zuozang Office, in charge of money and silk, which is actually the country's treasury; Right Tibetan Office, in charge of gold, jade, and jewelry
, copper, iron, bone, horns, etc.
In addition, since the Kaiyuan Dynasty, Li Longji also ordered Taifu Temple to set up a Changping Office in the two capitals, which is responsible for the affairs of Ping Bian, that is, the state purchases grain and stores it in good years, and prepares it for sale in famine years, so as to stabilize prices and calm people's hearts.
So here comes the problem. The Jinbu Department of the Ministry of Revenue seems to have highly overlapping functions with Taifu Temple. If there is a conflict, who will listen to whom?
This is a question that cannot be avoided.
The answer given by the court was: Taifu Temple was the main body, and the Ministry of Revenue only had the right to know and had no jurisdiction.
In the more than 100 years since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the functions and powers of the Ministry of Household Affairs have been gradually hollowed out by many other departments.
Therefore, Zheng Shuqing is not too busy now, but too idle. Things in the household department can run freely without his intervention at all.
Or to put it another way, it is not enough for Zheng Shuqing to have the official position of "Secretary Minister". He still lacks a key "mission".
In name, he has the official position of a minister, but in terms of power, he does not have the strength that a minister should have. This is the embarrassing situation that Zheng Shuqing is in now.
This "mission" that Lao Zheng lacks is the fundamental meaning of his existence in the center.
The affairs of the household department can run in an orderly manner on their own. Is it that the job of the assistant minister of the household department is to look at the account books every day and then drink tea?
Perhaps reading the account books was one of the daily tasks of the Minister of Accounts, but simply dawdling around was not the rule of the Tang Dynasty officialdom.
The so-called "dispatch" in the Tang Dynasty meant that officials were appointed to deal with certain matters. Including "Jiedu Envoy", they were actually dispatches at the beginning, not official positions.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! What is the specific mission? This is the key to Zheng Shuqing's political achievements.
As for the daily trivial matters in the household department, it’s okay not to mention them.
"The right minister asked me yesterday if I would like to accept the commission to repair the canal, that is, to repair the canal from Chang'an to Luoyang to facilitate water transportation. Do you want me to accept this assignment? If I accept it, I will be the Minister of Household Affairs.
It also serves as a transfer envoy."
Zheng Shuqing asked hesitantly.
The word "official position" in the Chinese vocabulary of Fang Chongyong's previous life was clearly divided at this time. The two words represented two meanings, and they were combined to form a new word. For more than a thousand years, the vocabulary has basically been maintained.
original intention.
The assistant minister is an official, and the person Li Linfu assigned to build the canal was a "transfer envoy", which is a position. Together, the two are the basic configuration of the Tang Dynasty bureaucracy, and they are collectively called "official positions".
As for "luxury configuration", it may be that one official is assigned several positions, and then some casual official titles are added. For example, "Secretary of the Household Department, Salt and Iron Envoy, Transport Envoy" and so on.
The source of official power comes from assignments rather than the official position itself.
Therefore, it is not so easy to be an official in the Tang Dynasty! Ordinary people think that the Minister of Hubu spends all day in the six yamen waiting for get off work. If that were the case, the Hubu would have been abolished long ago.
"That is to say, you need a transport envoy to take over the canal repair work, right?"
After a lot of twists and turns, Fang Chongyong finally understood what Zheng Shuqing was going to do.
"exactly."
Zheng Shuqing nodded slightly and looked solemn.
"Master Zheng probably doesn't want to do this job."
Fang Chongyong looked at Zheng Shuqing with a strange look on his face and asked, if the other party wanted to do this job, he would have made a deal with Li Linfu a long time ago, so he would have to come to him to "learn lessons".
"Who says it isn't?"
Zheng Shuqing sighed and said: "I am very clear about my own virtues. Digging canals is not something ordinary people can do. It has to be ruthless. I am just not ruthless enough, and I am worried about a bad reputation.
Already."
“Does it take ruthlessness to dig canals?”
Fang Zhongyong scratched his head, not understanding the logic of this.
"The Saint is impatient. You estimate that it will take five years to dig. The Saint cannot wait for you for five years. It is estimated that it will be at most three years. Then when digging, you may encounter various problems. If the progress is normal, it may take six or seven years.
years.
Because of this, corvee labor must be continuously mobilized to let people along the way come to repair the canals. Since the project is urgent, ordinary methods will definitely not work, so repairs must be done day and night.
After the repair is completed, it doesn't count. We still have to have the ships transport the goods to Chang'an on time so that the saint can see the effect. How much manpower and material resources will be mobilized and how much material resources will be consumed here?
It’s okay to say it’s successful, but if it fails, a scapegoat will definitely be pushed out. Who do you think is a more suitable scapegoat than me?
Is he the right prime minister or a saint?"
Uncle Zheng said a lot eloquently, and he summed it up in six words: it is difficult to do, and the risk is high.
Repairing canals is not easy in itself, and then you have to meet the deadline.
Not to mention the deadline, we also need to be able to navigate smoothly.
Not to mention the opening of navigation, grain and goods from Luoyang must be transported smoothly and timely to Chang'an!
You know, when Li Longji came to inspect the project, he didn't set out from Chang'an along the canal to Luoyang to see how the canal was being built.
The sage of the Tang Dynasty had only one hard standard for accepting water transportation projects:
Have you delivered the goods from Luoyang to Chang'an?
If so, how much did you send? How much time did it take?
This political achievement was too difficult to achieve. Lao Zheng went back and thought about it for three days. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the hole was too big to be filled!
"Master Zheng, I have something to say. Can you forgive my youth and ignorance and let me speak freely?"
Fang Chongyong asked quietly.
As soon as he heard this, Zheng Shuqing felt that something was wrong.
He let out a long sigh and said, "Tell me what you're talking about. Now that we've come to this point, what else can't we say?"
"It's like this. In fact, the geographical direction of mountains and rivers has its own destiny. It can be easily changed by non-human beings. This is because humans cannot defeat heaven.
This is also the reason why artificially dug ditches are always prone to damage and siltation.
Opening another canal from Chang'an to Luoyang is going against the grain. It may still be of some use in a few years, but I am sure that within ten years, this canal will be abandoned.
As a canal that was bound to be abandoned, it was better not to take it too seriously, Shilang Zheng. Even if it was accomplished, it would only serve to please the saint for a while and would not be of much use.
Mr. Zheng, why don't you turn down your errand?"
Fang Chongyong said very sincerely.
He didn't believe what he said. Zheng Shuqing, an old man, couldn't tell!
The two canals, Tongji Canal and Yongji Canal, were built with topography and relief in mind when they were first built. So they are basically relatively stable. They were also partial canals in the past and have been in operation for at least hundreds of years.
.
But the canal being dug now is a typical "go against the sky" and seriously violates the operating rules of the Yellow River and Weihe River systems. In other words, this thing will be scrapped sooner or later. If you want to maintain the smooth flow of the canal, you need
The manpower and material resources will be unimaginably large!
"Actually, there is something wrong with this canal, but all the princes in the court have unexplainable reasons. Now you are here to say that this canal should not be repaired. It makes no sense."
Zheng Shuqing said with a long sigh.
Who doesn’t know that there must be something wrong with the construction of this canal?
Of course I know. However, the grain needed by Chang'an and the materials transported to the Western Regions all urgently need this new artery!
Whichever thing is the most urgent, do that first. This is a no-brainer.
"You mean to turn down this job?"
Zheng Shuqing asked with some reluctance. He could fully expect that if the canal was successfully built, he could at least become a minister of the Ministry of Revenue, or be transferred to an official position such as Taifuqing.
But if he refuses this job...it can only be said that Li Linfu also has a temper, and it's hard to say what will happen.
Last time Zheng Shuqing knelt down and licked Yang Yuhuan. After returning, he went to Li Linfu's house in Pingkangfang and explained to the right minister of the Tang Dynasty for a long time before he managed to pass the test.
And this is not because Old Zheng is eloquent. The main reason is that when Li Linfu is hiring people now, he does not want to cause extraneous problems, and is also worried that other forces, such as Zhang Shougui, will poach him from his side.
Otherwise, Lao Zheng would have been inevitably demoted.
"Long-term pain is worse than short-term pain."
Fang Chongyong emphasized.
Zheng Shuqing nodded slightly, sighed silently, and accepted it by default.
"Actually, the all-out war between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo is imminent. By then, transporting grain, soldiers and other matters to Hexi and Longyou will definitely become the top priority of the Ministry of Revenue.
Zheng Shilang might as well ask his right minister for instructions. He is also asking for a transport envoy, but instead of repairing canals, he will be responsible for transporting supplies from Chang'an to Hexi and other places.
If the Tang army is defeated, Zheng Shilang will naturally be implicated and demoted. But if the Tang army is victorious, regardless of whether the rear support is effective or not, Zheng Shilang will be promoted. Can this task be done? "
Hearing this, Zheng Shuqing remembered some of the things Niu Xianke described when he met Niu Xianke at Chang'an Station that day.
Indeed, the war in Hexi and Longyou is already imminent. It is actually very easy to achieve political achievements in terms of logistical support if the troops and horses move forward before food and grass are used.
The premise is that the Tang army must win the war with Tubo. If they lose, even if Zheng Shuqing can prove his innocence and prove that the material support is adequate, at most one person can be protected from being convicted.
Should we bet on Tang Jun to win?
Zheng Shuqing lowered his head and said nothing, as if he was making a difficult decision.
"This time, I am planning for my future father-in-law Wang Zhongsi to go to Hexi as a border general. Zheng Shilang can take a gamble, and since you are in charge of logistics supply in Chang'an, the Tang army has a greater chance of winning."
Fang Chongyong lowered his voice and said.
"Okay, that's it. I'll go talk to the right minister about this now."
Zheng Shuqing nodded cautiously.
"Well, are you really sure?"
Zheng Shuqing couldn't help but asked doubtfully.
"Don't worry, I will also go to Hexi. I can't let myself get into trouble, right?"
Fang Zhongyong patted his chest and assured.
Zheng Shuqing was stunned when he heard this, and then asked: "What are you doing in Hexi? You can't hold a knife!"
"Just think of it as a way to experience the customs of the Western Regions."
Fang Chongyong said haha casually.
After the two separated, Zheng Shuqing immediately went to Li Linfu to discuss the matter.
As expected, Li Linfu was worried that he would not have the opportunity to get involved in the government and military affairs of Hexi, so Zheng Shuqing's proposal was quickly approved. Li Linfu even made the decision on the spot that he could win this job without any difficulty.
And on the next day, when Zheng Shuqing brought Fang Chongyong, who was wearing a Tang brocade robe and looked like a dog, to the eighth lane from the north on the east side of Fourth Street on Zhuquemen Street, which is Xuanping Square.
, this Chang'an prodigy was completely dumbfounded.
"There won't be anything strange, right?"
Seeing Zheng Shuqing walking into an ordinary house, Fang Chongyong suddenly stopped and asked.