The next day, Lin Fu changed into the royal official uniform with the crane picture given to him by the emperor, a cowhide waistband inlaid with gold, silver, rhinoceros horns and jade, and a black gauze crown with two straight wings on his head. Surrounded by more than a hundred guards, he entered the city from Donghua Gate.
First, go to the Gu Mansion in Zangjin Bridge, Dongcheng, to meet your mother-in-law and father, Gu Wuchen and his wife.
There are more than twenty princes and ministers in Jiangning city who are qualified to wear purple, but most of them are ministers from the Six Ministries of Jiangning who came to Jiangning to guard the mausoleum or dignitaries with high titles but no real power. The ministers who wear purple really hold great power.
, only a few people.
Yue Lengqiu, the governor of Jianghuai Province, is one of them.
Prince Yin of Jiangning Prefecture is a good calculator.
Wang Tian, the envoy of Xuanfu in Jiangdong, was one of the first.
Yu Xinyuan, the envoy to Jiangdong and censor of Zuodu in Jiangning, was one of the first.
Cheng Yuqian, Minister of the Ministry of War in Jiangning, is one of them.
Gu Wuchen, the minister of Jiangning Ministry of War, is one of them.
Formerly the garrison of Luzhou, Deng Yu was the governor of Jiangdong and the envoy of Huinan.
Compared to the above, Lin Fu is only twenty-four years old. Although his official rank is not above the third rank, he has accumulated military merits and political achievements, and was awarded purple clothes by the emperor. He is truly a giant in Jiangdong County, and he is particularly dazzling.
.
Lin Fu has a handsome face, with two or three scars on his cheeks that have not gone away, and his figure is slightly thin. However, even though he is wearing civil official uniform, riding a tall blue-black horse, and surrounded by many armored knights, he still looks the same.
Even if it is hidden in its sheath, you can still feel its indestructible edge with this peerless blade.
Over the years, wars have continued, and several counties have been ruined. However, Jiangning has always been far away from the war. It is a gentle hometown and safe haven for wealthy people. It is precisely because of the continuous war that more wealthy and powerful officials from other places have brought their families with them.
Coming to Jiangning to avoid trouble and looking for a sense of security that may not even exist has made Jiangning city even more abnormally prosperous.
It is human nature to chase and envy power. Lin Fu walked through the street surrounded by more than a hundred knights, which naturally attracted the attention of the people in the alleys. The young daughters-in-law and eldest girls were even more excited and gathered in groups.
People came in groups to watch.
Although this maker was infamous in the eyes of the scholar Qingliu, he was definitely the dream man of countless ladies; Chen Mingzhe, the most talented scholar in the south of the Yangtze River and the number one scholar in the imperial examination, was also dwarfed by him.
Regardless of the fact that this young arbiter has long been known to have a master, he is timid in peeping, bold in looking directly at each other, and even worse, often walks away with flirtatious looks. If the arbiter’s eyes are unintentional,
When I scanned it, my heart surged even more, and I couldn't help but scream.
Yuan Jinsheng looked through the window at the cavalry passing through the street downstairs. Looking at the hustle and bustle on the street, he suddenly felt thoughtful and thought to himself: Who would have thought that an ordinary move that he would have ignored four years ago?
, will rise like a star. As the second son of Yongchang Hou, he handed in a greeting card and asked to see him, but he still had to wait in line.
It took a while for the cavalry to pass before Yuan Jinsheng regained his composure. Sitting at the same table with him was Wang Chao, the son of Wang Xueshan, the son of Fan Ding, and the Shaocai Dongfan Zhimei of Fanlou. Others were also thinking about this. In addition, others were thinking about it.
In addition, there was a young man who looked out the window with disdain at the nymphomaniac young wives. The older girls laughed and said: "Promote an illiterate blacksmith to be an official. There is really no such thing as a pigherder in the world."
What a stupid thing to do!"
This young man is no one else. He is a classmate and good friend of Chen Mingzhe, the former number one scholar, and Yu Pijiang, the son of Jiangdong Inspector Yu Xinyuan.
Yu Pijiang and Chen Mingzhe were admitted to the imperial examinations in the same department. Chen Mingzhe was too popular and easily broke, so he took leave and returned to his hometown to avoid the fierce party struggle in Beijing. Yu Pijiang stayed in the small wing of Beijing and worked in the Hanlin Academy.
The three-year term of the hospital was about to expire, and Yu Pijiang asked for leave this time to go back to Jiangning Province to visit relatives. In fact, it was to be transferred back to Jiangning to carry out activities.
The relocation of the capital has always been carried out in secret. Those who know the secret will certainly know that the status of the Six Ministries of Jiangning has undergone subtle changes compared to the past. It is no longer just an empty shelf without real power. The status of the Jiangning Metropolitan Procuratorate has also been established.
Great improvement.
Nowadays, wars are raging frequently in various places, and it is extremely risky to serve as an official abroad. Instead of scheming in Yanjing, it is better to come to Jiangning and steadily accumulate qualifications for officialdom. Besides, in Jiangdong County, the Wu Party still accounts for half of the world, and
With old man Yu Xinyuan protecting him, what would Yu Maojiang do if he didn't return to Jiangning and become an official?
Gu Siyuan went to Qingzhou to serve as an official and lead the army, and had already left the circle of young men in Jiangning; Chen Mingzhe also stayed in Haiyu for the past two years and never officially became an official. Yu Pijiang returned to Jiangning for the first time and became a core figure of the young generation of Xixi Society in a short period of time.
Yuan Jinsheng, Wang Chao, and Fan Zhimei were the top figures in Jiangning's circle. Yu Pijiang came to Jiangning, and within a few days he became very popular with them. I had nothing to do today, so I made an appointment to have tea. I didn't expect to meet Lin Fu.
Pass by Tea House Street.
Yu Bijiang also prided himself on being a young man. Except for Chen Mingzhe, he had never admired anyone else in his life. When he saw Lin Fu entering the city for the first time and the limelight completely overshadowing his ability, of course he felt dissatisfied.
These are secondary, but more important, the policies implemented by Lin Fu in Huaidong, especially the promotion of rough villagers to officials, which caused a direct and severe impact on the political privileges and status of the scholar Qingliu.
Ge Fu was promoted to a worker officer, and Dong Yuan was appointed as the propaganda envoy to Zhejiang and Zhejiang because of his son's background. These can be regarded as special cases and the beautiful words of outstanding sages are accepted by everyone and talked about with great relish.
Lin Fu committed a big taboo by promoting uncouth villagers as officials in Huaidong.
If this situation develops and the temples are filled with uncouth villagers, what can be said about these scholars who have endured hardships, studied hard in poverty, and entered the academic field to be noble?
Although Fan Zhimei had no intention of resisting Lin Fu, his resentment towards Lin Fu would not go away. Hearing Yu Pizhang's words, he felt like a close friend and echoed: "What kind of bank is the Huaidong Army Chief taking the lead now?
If an official does not work well as an official and governs the local area, but opens a pawn shop to loan money and deprive the people of their livelihood, the world will really change..."
Although Lin Fu only arrived in Jiangning yesterday, the news about the bank had already spread among the Dongyang Township Party a few days ago. The restaurant run by the Fan family at the mouth of the river was also one of the places where the Dongyang Township Party gathered to discuss matters, and so did Fan Zhimei and the others.
I had known for a long time that the Huaidong Military Division was going to gather people to handle the bank affairs.
"A gentleman has no virtue, but he will be ruined by pigherders!" Yu Pijiang shook his head and sighed.
Yuan Jinsheng picked up the tea cup and sipped the tea, but did not agree with Yu Pijiang and Fan Zhimei's complaints.
According to the information obtained so far, Lin Fu wants to convene people to set up a bank in Huaidong. In addition to issuing tickets for grain merchants, the most important thing is to make usury money and make profits. This matter spread among the scholars, but
This added another joke to Lin Fu's head, but it was definitely not something that could be despised by simply saying "a gentleman has no use for his weapons".
Although many people regard themselves as gentlemen and feel dirty even when talking about money, how many large and small pawn shops in Jiangning City are not secretly involved with the official family? How many people in Jiangning City make usury loans?
Is there no official support behind the family?
Fan Zhimei said it disdainfully, but in fact, a large amount of the income of the Yongchang Marquis Mansion and the vassal mansion came from borrowing money and opening pawn shops.
Unlike others who secretly find agents to do it, Lin Fu wants to do it with great fanfare in Huaidong. In fact, the impact it will cause among the Qingliu scholars is not as good as Lin Fu's promotion of rough villagers in Huaidong.
Being an official comes intensely.
Yuan Jinsheng had other things on his mind. After drinking tea, he threw down a silver coin as tea money and found an excuse to leave first.
Yuan Jinsheng returned to the Hou Mansion and passed by Wangcui Garden where his father lived. He looked inside. Zhou He, an employee of the Hou Mansion, came over from behind and said, "Little Marquis, where have you been? Master Hou,
Are you asking me to look for you everywhere?"
"What does father want from me?" Yuan Jinsheng asked.
"Jinsheng is outside?" Yuan Guizheng was sitting in the pavilion in the west corner of the yard, listening to the voices here, and asked.
"It's me," Yuan Jinsheng walked into Wangcui Garden, stood in front of the steps, greeted Yuan Guizheng, and said, "I have met my father. What does my father want from me?"
"Is there any reply from Lin Fu?" Yuan Guizheng asked.
It was rare for Lin Fu to come back to Jiangning, and he didn't know how many people were vying to meet him. Naturally, he sent the invitations to the government first. Only when Lin Fu got a reply would he know if he had a chance to meet him. There were also people who made a special trip.
The family waited for a reply at the place where Lin Fu stayed.
Although Hou Yuan of Yongchang returned to power and showed his dignity in Jiangning City, even if he sent a greeting card, he might not be able to see Lin Fu and others.
Yuan Guizheng was also worried that his face would be refuted and he would become the laughing stock of Jiangning City, so he asked Yuan Jinsheng to test it out by handing him a greeting card first.
"There hasn't been any reply yet. I just saw Lin Fu walking across the street to Gu's house in Yuanfu Tower. I thought I didn't have time to pay attention to the invitations asking for an audience," Yuan Jinsheng said.
Yuan Guizheng stood up and looked at the clear sky outside the eaves of the outer courtyard wall, and said lightly: "Tang Haoxin's death is not a good thing!"
Yuan Jinsheng knew why his father was so sad. They had a chance to maintain a close relationship with Huaidong, but two years ago, Miao Shuo, the eunuch in charge of Yudong Palace Village, was too stingy and ruined things.
At that time, Lin Fu led the Jinghai camp in the East China Sea to fight against the Donghai bandit forces controlled by the She family. Miao Shuo was willing to pay 6,000 taels of silver to help the army, which was like sending a beggar, which led to the weakening of the relationship between the two parties.
This is not the main thing. What is more important is that various families joined forces to force Tang Haoxin to death in Shandong. The Liang family benefited the most. The Yongchang Houfu was originally a force of the same lineage as the Queen Mother and the Liang family - the rift between them was difficult to bridge.
When Tang Haoxin died, Lin Fu only occupied one county in Chongzhou. Although he had shown his prominence, compared with the importance of the Liang family in Shandong, he naturally had no time to worry about Lin Fu's feelings about Tang Haoxin's death.
After Tang Haoxin's death, Lin Fu's series of responses and counterattacks in Chongzhou made everyone understand what it means for a newborn calf to dare to bully a tiger!
In the name of keeping filial piety, Lin Fu secretly sneaked into Jinhai and forcefully forced the Liang family, Zhang Yue and other Chu party forces, as well as the imperial forces of Zhang Yan and Hao Zongcheng to bow their heads on the issue of salt and silver to protect food.
, the Dongyang faction headed by Chongzhou is said to make 700,000 to 800,000 taels of silver from it every year. This is something that no one has thought of in advance.
In the battle of Huaisi, the Liang family did not gain much advantage. Chen Hansan recruited Yue Lengqiu to block the Liang family's southward expansion. Gu Siyuan, with the assistance of Huaidong, led a group of elite troops to Qingzhou to contain the Liang family.
As the family expanded to the east, Lin Fu officially assumed the post of Huaidong envoy and became one of the few giants in Jiangdong County and even the southeast region.
If we say that forcing Tang Haoxin to death would give the Liang family the opportunity to occupy Shandong and the northern part of Zhongzhou, it would be a benefit; but pushing Lin Fu to the opposite side and giving Lin Fu the opportunity to rise strongly in Huaidong would be the biggest mistake.
"Now that the matter has come to this, there is no point in worrying," Yuan Jinsheng said. "As long as Su Mei still has a place in his heart, there is no chance of easing the relationship. Besides, the Liang family has benefited the most from Tang Haoxin's death, not us.
If there is a direct conflict of interest, Lin Fu can't put all his resentment on us. My greeting invitation may not work, but my eldest brother has a similar interest in him. Why don't you let me send you a greeting invitation and give it a try?"
"That scoundrel, if you could honestly listen to me, you wouldn't have had to work so hard all these years in planning!" Yuan Guizheng said angrily, thinking of another thing, and asked, "What do you think of the establishment of a bank in Huaidong?