He Chengjiong took Fang Chongyong to the outside of Kuizhou City. They saw that the shore to the west of the city was full of shipyards! It is not an exaggeration to describe it as blocking out the sky and the sun. Many boatmen were working in the shipyards, and they could also
I saw many wooden boats that were half finished and the keels were being laid.
Zheng Shuqing is right. The handicraft industry in Kuizhou Commercial Port is very distinctive and employs a lot of people.
"Not bad, is there anything you can say?"
Fang Chongyong asked calmly, maintaining an indescribable dignity of a superior.
He learned from Zheng Shuqing that when it's time to put on airs, you must put on airs. If you are weak, the other party will turn against you. If that is the case, how can you do your own thing well?
"Back to Langjun, there is a lot of potential for shipbuilding in Kuizhou. A large ship can be sold for at least 500 guan. If the government purchases it, the price can be higher, even if it is 200 guan more, I won't be afraid."
He Chengjiong said calmly.
Fang Chongyong glanced at him thoughtfully, nodded slightly and said, "You really understand."
"How dare you? It would be best if you can help Mr. Lang."
He Chengjiong said fearfully.
"Lead the way to the place where wine is brewed."
Fang Chongyong turned around and left!
"Mr. Sir, please come with me."
He Chengjiong wisely continued to lead the way.
Kuizhou's wine is actually very famous. The reason why it was not mentioned by Zheng Shuqing is because no matter how famous the wine is, it just becomes like that after it is shipped to Chang'an.
It’s hard to explain in just a few words how fierce the competition for drinks in Chang’an is. In short, all the good stuff from all over the country is there. Zheng Shuqing was used to being carefree in Chang’an, so he naturally looked down on the local fine wines in Kuizhou.
After entering the city, the two came to a brewery, and the intoxicating aroma of rice wine hit their faces.
"The Wuxia wine brewed here is Kuizhou's famous wine. It is not the best wine. But after soaking with the young leaves, it will have a delicate fragrance, which is also called bamboo leaf green. Its advantage is that the brewing time is short, and it is brewed in winter and matures in spring." p>
He Chengjiong introduced a lot of family treasures. Fang Chongyong couldn't understand how a bad handsome man could understand so many miscellaneous subjects. Is it because he knew more that it was easier to detect?
"Let's go, those envoys and ministers in Chang'an are very naughty. They may not like the green bamboo leaves."
Fang Chongyong said with a cold snort, as if he was dissatisfied with He Chengjiong for bringing him here to observe.
"Lang Jun, this is already the best winery in Kuizhou City..."
He Chengjiong complained aggrievedly.
"Listening to what you said, it seems that there is no capital city in Kuizhou, but there are other places in Kuizhou... I think so, right?"
Fang Chongyong stared into He Chengjiong's eyes and asked.
"Yes, but that place is in Yunyang County, west of Kuizhou Fucheng, and is not within Fucheng."
He Chengjiong answered honestly.
"Oh my, this wine-making workshop is really simple. But the wine is fragrant and mellow...it's not bad. I think I can look forward to this Wuxia Spring."
A slightly frivolous voice sounded from behind. Fang Chongyong turned around and saw a young man in his twenties wearing a white fine linen robe. His clothes looked spotless and he was holding a cattail leaf fan in his hand.
Looks elegant and handsome.
Except for the cattail leaf fan, I don’t have any accessories on my body.
At least he's much more handsome than Zheng Shuqing.
His voice is also very magnetic and makes people feel good.
"Are you here to buy wine too?"
Fang Chongyong asked in confusion.
The man glanced at He Chengjiong, and the bad handsome man saluted Fang Chongyong, then turned and left.
He is here to guide Fang Chongyong, and he has no obligation to protect his safety. On the contrary, if he hears words he shouldn't hear, he will be killed!
"Invitation is worse than meeting by chance. I would like to invite you to have tea with me. I wonder if you are willing to give me a favor?"
The young man made a "please" gesture.
Fang Chongyong was a little confused, were all people in the Tang Dynasty so familiar with each other?
"Your Excellency is..."
"My name is Wei Qing, a descendant of Liyuan."
Wei Qing puffed up his chest and said proudly, with a sense of pride.
A guy who plays music and sings is so proud?
Fang Chongyong looked confused. It’s not like he didn’t know what Liyuan was about. Isn’t it an “art troupe” organized by Li Longji? Top-notch artists across the country trained and performed there, such as Li Guinian and others.
One of the members.
The children of Liyuan were aloof in Chang'an and often visited the homes of powerful people. This was recorded in many Tang poems.
"Then let's talk about Fengxian Tower."
Fang Chongyong nodded slightly.
At this moment, he was complaining in his heart, he was still a child, why did he encounter so many things!
……
In a cubicle of Fengxian Tower, Fang Chongyong and Wei Qing looked at the panting Zheng Shuqing and laughed dumbly.
Unexpectedly, they had not even had time to burn incense in the restaurant when the governor came over in a hurry. It must be said that the bad handsome man He Chengjiong was really a smart man. When he saw that Fang Chongyong wanted to have a private conversation with someone, he quickly went to report it.
To Zheng Shuqing.
The vigilance in the officialdom is really impressive.
"Mr. Zheng, are you okay with your visit?"
Wei Qing bowed to Zheng Shuqing and asked with a smile.
"If I knew it was you, I wouldn't have to be so anxious, alas!"
Zheng Shuqing smiled bitterly and sighed. Wei Qing and he were both in the same circle. Wei Qing came from Jingzhao Weishi, but he followed the path of Liyuan. He was someone trusted by Li Longji. When Wei Qing appeared here, he
This means that Li Longji bypassed the prime minister and sent him to convey his will.
Apart from this, there is no reason to explain why an artist who teaches singing would appear in Kuizhou. Combined with the official documents sent from Guizhou, Zheng Shuqing can now confirm that the envoy from the imperial court is Wei Qing.
"Zheng Shijun, I have some good news for you. Wang Yu has been dismissed from his post for investigation and has returned to Beijing to report on his duties. Zhangchou Jianqiong has taken over as Jiannan Jiedushi. The imperial court has approved your misappropriation of customs duties to support the Jiannan Army.
, it is not considered to be misappropriation without permission, and I will give you a credit."
Hearing this, Zheng Shuqing nodded slightly with a heavy face. He was waiting for Wei Qing to say that "but".
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"The sage (the emperor after Wu and Zhou in the Tang Dynasty was often referred to as a sage) said that Zheng Shijun had made great contributions to the country."
"I would like to thank Your Majesty for your kindness..."
Zheng Shuqing was so excited that he was about to salute Wei Qing, but he saw the other party waved his hand, indicating that he should sit down first, before he finished speaking.
"The sage asks you, do you have any difficulty in paying the tax of 300,000 guan. If it is really difficult to make up for it, you can reduce it by 100,000 guan as appropriate."
Wei Qing's emotionless words rang in Zheng Shuqing's ears!
He eventually came to light! Of course, there is no such idiom yet.
To reduce...or not to reduce? Just when Zheng Shuqing was about to speak, he heard Fang Chongyong say:
"Zheng Shijun died for the country. If the tariffs are lost, we have to find ways to make up for the taxes. Is there any reason to reduce them? If it is reduced here, won't the other aspects of the country's expenses also have to be reduced? Then
Who will pay for the missing 100,000 guan? Zheng Shijun will have no problem with it."
Fang Chongyong spoke categorically, then looked at Zheng Shuqing and asked: "Zheng Shijun, do you think so?"
"That's right, that's what I think. No need to reduce it, no need to reduce it at all!"
Zheng Shuqing suppressed the anger in his heart and said, the expression on his face was distorted.
"Well, in this way, the saint feels at ease. Let me ask again on behalf of the saint whether Commander Zheng still needs any help."
Wei Qing asked, holding back his laughter.
"How can a humble minister dare to trouble a saint..."
Before Zheng Shuqing finished speaking, Fang Chongyong rushed to say: "Zheng Shijun needs help. If you don't help, you will be completely unable to withstand it!"
Hmm?
Wei Qing looked at Fang Chongyong in surprise and asked subconsciously: "What kind of help is that?"
When Li Longji first told him, he said it casually, mainly because he wanted to know whether Zheng Shuqing's 300,000 yuan tax should be reduced a little.
"Anyway, there's something going on. It won't be too late to talk about it tomorrow when I have a formal meeting with Angel at the government office."
As he spoke, Fang Chongyong winked at Zheng Shuqing desperately, finally calming down the anxious governor.
"How about we live together in the courtyard of Lotus Pond with Mr. Wei? There are so many good and bad people in Kuizhou City, I'm afraid it will stain your eyes."
Zheng Shuqing said sarcastically.
Wei Qing shook his cattail leaf fan, stood up and saluted Zheng Shuqing, then smiled and said: "Although you and I are old acquaintances, we still have to avoid suspicion. I'll just stay at the inn. I'll come to the government office to visit you tomorrow. Say goodbye." After saying that, he left cleanly, leaving only Zheng Shuqing and Fang Chongyong staring at each other.
"You, you, you, you...you are really going to piss me off!"
Zheng Shuqing sighed, only regretting that he had not strangled Fang Chongyong to death before!
"Zheng Shijun, I already have a plan in mind. Everything is ready, all I need is the east wind. There are many people here, so it is better to go back to the government office to discuss important matters."
Fang Chongyong saluted Zheng Shuqing and said.
Looking at Fang Chongyong, who was full of confidence, and then looking at the direction Wei Qing was leaving, Zheng Shuqing felt that he had made the wrong choice in sparing Fang Chongyong's life!
"Okay, let's go back to the government office."
He said weakly.
Zheng Shuqing has already decided that if Fang Chongyong can't come up with a reliable plan, we will all end up in hell tonight.
The two of them returned to the study room in the Lotus Pond Courtyard in silence all the way. On both sides of the long and sloping street were various shops, including ones selling salted fish, but they still did not attract Zheng Shuqing's attention.
That 300,000 yuan has become a roadblock in his career. Now that the emperor knows about it, if he doesn't handle it well... the consequences will be unimaginable!
"Tell me, what should I do about this matter? Why did you say that just now?"
Zheng Shuqing is too lazy to ask the maid to make tea for Fang Chongyong today.
"I checked the output of Kuizhou one by one today, then divided it into pieces and told the envoy one by one."
Fang Chongyong poured himself a glass of water without warning and drank it down, and then discovered...it was actually honey water!
He casually took a large piece of copywriting paper from the desk, spread it out, and wrote the word "cloth" on it.
" Linen is a specialty of Kuizhou. There are many people weaving and large-scale workshops have appeared. However, these have fixed sales channels, so you can't get involved and it's useless."
Fang Chongyong drew an X after the word "cloth".
Zheng Shuqing was expressionless and didn't speak, just watching Fang Chongyong show off his eloquence.
"Kuizhou is close to mountains and forests, where there are many fruits, such as tangerines, oranges, pomeloes, etc. Although these are easy to transport, they are not convenient to store. More importantly, they cannot be sold at a high price, and hiring people to pick them will only make a loss.
”
Fang Chongyong wrote the word "melon and fruit" on the paper and crossed it out.
You actually expect to sell fruit?
Zheng Shuqing almost laughed out loud at Fang Chongyong.
This guy probably doesn't know the price of fruits in Kuizhou. Even if he picks all the fruits in the orchard, can he sell them for a thousand guan? Besides, the fruits won't fall directly into the basket, so it's not necessary.
Manpower is needed to do these things!
"You really don't have this ability, do you?"
Zheng Shuqing asked back with a hint of sarcasm.
"You probably know the condition of the farmland in Kuizhou. The red lotus rice may still be worth some money, but it belongs to the emperor and cannot be touched. The output of other fields is not something you can appreciate, so I won't mention it.
Whatever."
Fang Chongyong wrote the word "rice grain" on the paper and then crossed it out.
"As for fish, even salted fish, although the quantity is large, it is not convenient to sell it as far as Chang'an, and the price cannot be sold to surrounding counties."
Fang Chongyong wrote the word "fish and shrimp" on the paper and finally crossed it out.
"This won't work, and that won't work either. What do you want?"
Zheng Shuqing couldn't help roaring, he was so angry that Fang Chongyong made him furious!
"Eh? Don't be angry, sir. It's almost time to get to the point."
Fang Zhongyong said with a smile.
"There are many tigers, leopards, white apes and other animals in Kuizhou. Hunting is not easy. Even if it is valuable, for 300,000 yuan, it is just a drop in the bucket.
The only things that can make you stand up are boats and wine. The rest are not worth mentioning."
Seeing that he spoke solemnly, Zheng Shuqing also put away the anger on his face and asked thoughtfully: "What kind of boat is the boat, and what kind of wine is the wine?"
Fang Chongyong's words were half-understood, which made him feel itchy and uncomfortable asking questions directly.
If you ask directly, and the other person's words are very reasonable, it will inevitably appear that you have a low IQ.
"The secret must not be leaked. I have two things to ask you to do. If everything goes well, there will be no problem in handling the three hundred thousand tax."
Fang Chongyong also stopped smiling, and his unopened little face looked serious and a bit nondescript.
There is no majesty at all, but it makes people want to laugh.
"Which two?"
Zheng Shuqing asked in a deep voice.
"First, invite the official in charge of Honglian Rice to come to the Lotus Pond Courtyard for dinner tonight. Eat a good meal so that he doesn't get drunk and doesn't come home!"
There was no smile on Fang Chongyong's face, but what he said was not that serious.
Treating guests to dinner is a big deal?
Zheng Shuqing nodded slightly and said: "I just know this person, but it's not a big problem to invite him to dinner."
He felt that this matter was not difficult to handle, because he would not hit the smiling person. As the top chief executive of a state, if the governor invited a small official directly under the central government to have a meal, the other party would still give him face. Otherwise, if the local boss wears small shoes for you, you
How can you do a good job?
"The second thing is, when I negotiate with Wei Qing tomorrow morning, Sir Shijun will catch a cold due to the strong wind at night and cannot speak. Can I do everything for you?"
The second thing is to pretend to be mute, which doesn’t seem very serious.
Zheng Shuqing looked at Fang Chongyong with a puzzled face and asked, "What on earth do you want to do."
"Secrets cannot be revealed."
Fang Chongyong smiled mysteriously.
Zheng Shuqing thought about it for a while, and now that the situation has come to an end, he has no choice but to treat a dead horse as a living horse doctor.
"Is it really going to be okay?"
Zheng Shuqing was still unsure and asked hesitantly.
"With Lord Shijun's outstanding wisdom, how can I, a child with a yellow mouth, deceive you?"
Fang Zhongyong asked confidently.
"That's not necessarily the case..."
Zheng Shuqing replied with a guilty conscience. Although he was quibbling with his mouth, he still felt very useful in his heart.