When the boat arrived in Yangzhou, Feng Ziying felt more and more depressed that the clouds were about to rain.
Among the officials who came to greet him at the dock, he was undoubtedly headed by Zhai Wenya, the prefect of Yangzhou.
Their group was not traveling under orders, but for an investigation entrusted by the cabinet. Therefore, the Sixth Department of Nanjing did not need to send people to greet them. Otherwise, someone from Nanjing would have come when they were in Xuzhou. But if Nanjing really paid attention to
During this trip, people could also be sent to contact us, but it was obvious that Nanjing had no intention of doing so.
Cui Jingrong and the others knew this very well.
Nowadays, the leaders of the Six Ministries in Nanjing are basically the kind of people who are idle and idle. Naturally, they do not like to see a hundred of these people coming to the capital. The young men who really belong to the reserve group cannot come without the approval of the ministers.
But in private, people had already been arranged to come and say hello, such as Tao Qian, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry in Nanjing, Hu Wenji, the left minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs in Nanjing, and others.
So Cui Jingrong and the others didn't care. They just came to investigate. As for the Nanjing Six Divisions, they walked around the scene and focused more on each prefecture, such as Jinling Prefecture, Huai'an Prefecture, Yangzhou Prefecture, and Suzhou Prefecture.
Songjiang Prefecture, etc.
Yangzhou is not the focus of this trip south, but its status is special. As the salt transportation center of the entire Huainan and Huainan areas, it is not only home to the richest salt merchants in the country, but it is also the most important distribution center for all kinds of consumer goods. In addition to
Salt, powder, silk, wood, grain, cloth, antiques and art, etc., the prosperity of the trade here is even more prosperous than that in the capital city.
Yangzhou is a typical consumer city. The abnormal demand and market have made the consumer industry here extremely developed. But in addition to salt, powder and silk can be regarded as the important products here. Others are more transit and circulated, but this special transit
Circulation is precisely what creates the prosperity here.
Feng Ziying had already greeted Cui Jingrong and others, and had taken a leave of absence. After hurriedly attending the welcome banquet held by the Yangzhou local government, Feng Ziying said goodbye and left.
When she met Lin Ruhai for the first time, Feng Ziying's heart sank slightly.
Feng Ziying still had some idea of what these two different signs, the thin cheeks and the still bright eyes, meant when mixed together.
Having followed Master Zhang for a long time, he has some knowledge. This kind of situation is often extremely serious and difficult to reverse, but it is not a state of exhaustion in a short period of time.
Sure enough, after a brief conversation with Jia Lian, Jia Lian told Feng Ziying that the situation was not optimistic.
According to the judgments of several doctors, Lin Ruhai should be suffering from long-term fatigue, overwork, spleen damage due to dampness and heat, loss of cold and temperature, hot flashes in the morning, and night sweats. This is a typical and serious liver disease.
Another question, Lin Ruhai likes to drink. Although she doesn't drink much, she drinks a little every day.
When liver disease reaches this level, it's basically just a matter of procrastination. According to the doctor's judgment, it can be as short as one or two months and as long as three to five months, which is basically this time.
Daiyu's appearance is quite normal. Although her eyes are red and swollen and her expression is pitiful, fortunately, she is not in the state where she is most worried about being hit too hard and unable to accept it. It is probably because she had prepared for the worst before, but now she looks at it
When my father could persist, he gradually accepted it.
"Feng Keng has met Uncle Lin." Feng Ziying bowed politely.
"I didn't expect that Brother Ru Jun would have such a proud disciple. He is indeed an extraordinary hero and a genius." Lin Ruhai smiled and raised his hand, indicating that Feng Ziying didn't need to be polite, but he sighed secretly in his heart.
The young man in front of me will undoubtedly be a dazzling new star in the political arena of the Great Zhou Dynasty in the future. Perhaps twenty years from now, he will have a place in Wenyuan Pavilion.
Not to mention Feng Ziying's ability and talent, as a common scholar, no, now he has the status of editor of the Hanlin Academy, and with the protection of Qi Yongtai and Qiao Yingjia, two outstanding scholars and civil servants in the North, it is conceivable that his future will be bright.
How bright.
No matter who wants to move Feng Ziying, he must consider the crazy counterattack from the northern scholars. This does not include the fact that he is also the favorite disciple of Guan Yingzhen, the leader of the Huguang faction. Chai Ke is undoubtedly influenced by Guan Yingzhen.
I will favor this son so much.
I have to say that Feng Ziying's identity is really special. She was originally from Shandong, grew up in Shanxi, and then attached herself to Shuntian Prefecture, Shandong, Shanxi, and Beizhi. These three northern provinces have the strongest scholars in the country. In the future, she may be
His basic base, coupled with his special origin, the family of martial arts, although this group is not so popular now, you cannot deny that this group still has an influence that cannot be ignored in the army and border areas.
It all adds up to something really perfect.
Oh, by the way, this guy is quite to the emperor's liking. In other words, this guy is very good at pleasing the emperor, and he can also provide real materials. He is not the kind of guy who only relies on flattery to please the emperor.
No wonder so many people are optimistic about this son, and naturally countless people want to recruit him as their son-in-law.
"My uncle has been praised too much. My nephew has little talent and limited qualifications. Especially in classics and poetry, he is not worth mentioning. He has even become a laughing stock..."
Feng Ziying's words made Lin Ruhai laugh, "Why should my nephew be so humble? You must know that being too modest is hypocrisy. I don't agree with what you said. The classics and meanings are indeed the foundation, but no matter how strong the foundation is, if there is no flexibility and breakthrough, it will not be successful.
It is limited, and it is difficult to truly respond to critical situations. As for poems, lyrics, and poems, they are the icing on the cake. Without these things, the cake is still the same, just as useful, and the flowers are just beautiful."
Feng Ziying did not expect that Lin Ruhai would use such a way to interpret the word "icing on the cake" and the classic meaning of poetry, completely subverting his previous guesses about Lin Ruhai, which made him feel like a confidant.
No wonder Lin Ruhai would recommend Jia Yucun to Wang Ziteng. I am afraid that Lin Ruhai may not know Jia Yucun's ability and character, but she still recommended it to Wang Ziteng. This shows that Lin Ruhai is far from the pedantic and old-fashioned scholar that some people imagine.
As for whether Feng Ziying is honest and upright, it is difficult to judge, but based on his judgment, he has been able to guard this inner treasury for the Supreme Emperor for so many years as the Salt Censor of the Huaihe River, and even now Emperor Yonglong does not dare to intervene easily, which is enough to prove it.
A lot.
This is not a position that can be secured by just being honest and upright. One can even say it with sinister intentions. It is impossible for Emperor Yuan Xi to let a private minister who is as honest as snow and upright to sit in this position.
After taking a deep look at Feng Ziying, Lin Ruhai stood up with her body supported. The Chang Sui next to her quickly supported her, but Lin Ruhai was still normal, just a little weak. She waved her hand and said, "You all can go out."
Changsui bowed and retreated.
"Yu'er, Lian'er, you also go out, I want to have a good talk with Ziying." Lin Ruhai's tone was calm, but Lin Daiyu and Jia Lian both understood what Lin Ruhai was going to talk to Feng Ziying, so they both nodded and went out.
There were only two people left in the study.
The Salt Patrol Censor is a temporary position, but since the Ming Dynasty, although this position has always been clearly defined as a censor sent by the Metropolitan Procuratorate, it has never really been under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
Since Emperor Tianping of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the position of censor of salt patrols in Huaihe and Huaihe Rivers has become the emperor's "private place". Even the cabinet and the Metropolitan Procuratorate seem to have reached a tacit understanding with these emperors.
Especially during the reign of Emperor Yuanxi, if the Ministry of Household Affairs had to bear the huge expenses of the six expeditions to the south of the Yangtze River, it would inevitably trigger criticism from both the government and the public. Neither the cabinet nor the emperor himself could withstand this criticism.
Therefore, the Lianghuai Salt Patrol Censor serves as an implicit bridge between the royal treasury and the household treasury, so many things that are difficult to say or difficult to explain clearly can be dealt with here.
This is just the size of this hidden private treasury after so many years, especially in the forty years of Emperor Yuanxi. How big is the scale? How much salt is issued every year, how much silver is recovered, and for what purposes. Who can use the silver here?
How much silver is left is a mystery.
The Metropolitan Procuratorate, Long Jinwei, and even the Ministry of Household Affairs all want to understand this, but no one dares to go into battle without a shirt, so they often can only use various excuses or reasons, or the country is in dire straits and the treasury is insufficient.
Try your best to find out.
However, it seems that until now, this wish has not been achieved.
Lin Ruhai sat down again and faced Feng Ziying.
"Ziying, don't you have anything to tell me?" Lin Ruhai's face was gentle, but her tone was a little cold.
Feng Ziying took a deep breath, stood up, and bowed again, "My nephew knows that his uncle must have some opinions about him, but he still wants to plead with his uncle to marry Sister Lin to me.
Nephew."
"Oh?" Lin Ruhai laughed, a little coldly, "Aren't you going to marry Shen Jue and Shen Jiyu's daughter?"
Shen Jue and Lin Ruhai were both from the same hometown in Suzhou, and they were Jinshi in the same year. Although he took the path of a private minister of Emperor Yuan Xi and did not have a close relationship with Shen Jue, it did not mean that there was no contact, nor did it mean that he had no regard for Shen Jue's situation.
Don't understand.
"Back to uncle, Uncle Shen's side, it is Master Qiao and my father who make the decision. Thanks to the emperor's grace, the nephew is also the eldest son of my uncle, so the daughter of the Shen family married as the eldest son." Feng Ziying was respectful, but he
There is no ambiguity at all.
"Are you planning to marry Yu'er as the third wife of your Feng family?" Lin Ruhai wanted to ask the question clearly, "Jia Yucun once wrote to me and mentioned to you that you and Yu'er had agreed to get married. Why did you decline at that time?"
Feng Ziying didn't expect that Jia Yucun actually reported this matter to Lin Ruhai, but it was hard to say that this was malicious.
After thinking for a while, Feng Ziying quickly answered: "Two reasons. One is that my nephew and sister Lin were still young at the time, and the other is that I had some concerns and was worried that my mother would not agree."
