On the third day of the third month of the Qing calendar, the dragon raises its head.
Under the escort of the Jiangnan Navy, a large ship slowly approached the pier. The ship dropped anchor and let go of the rope. Between the decks, the officials on the shore quickly spread thick cloth to prevent their feet from slipping.
A curtain of spring thunder rolled across the sky far away, bursting and bursting, as if to welcome the arrival of the imperial envoy. At the same time, firecrackers were fired on the pier, gongs and drums were blaring, and the thunderbolts prepared on the bank were also blown one by one. When it was ignited, the cannons blared loudly, covering up the prestige of God.
The officials on the pier frowned, but they were embarrassed to cover their ears, and only focused their eyes on the springboard.
After a while, a young official appeared on the deck and led a group of guards off the ship in two rows.
After a while, a handsome young official wearing a purple official uniform came out with a smile. I saw that this person was wearing a crane cloak over the official uniform. The visual stimulation brought about made everyone on the pier attracted the attention of his gentle, friendly and incomparably handsome face.
Only officials of the third rank and above are eligible to wear purple official uniforms. All the officials on the pier knew that the imperial envoy Fan Tisi who had been "waited for" by others was the person in front of him, and subconsciously squeezed two steps forward. , raise your hand to bow.
Fan Xian did not hurry to stop the crowd from saluting, but instead stretched his hand to the side, took a small hand stretched out of nowhere, and led a little boy to stand side by side on the deck, stepping on the ladder and walking down the boat.
The little boy was wearing a light yellow uniform gown, with a circle of fluff showing from the collar, and a pair of cute but unknown spirit beasts were embroidered on the shirt, with that beautiful face and lively eyes , looking really cute.
All the officials were shocked, knowing that this was the third prince who was driven by the emperor to Fan Tisi's side, they quickly adjusted their direction, and saluted the third prince in unison: "All the officials on Jiangnan Road have seen Your Highness."
The third prince nodded with a smile, and said in Hina's voice: "The weather is cold, everyone has worked hard, I just came to study with the teacher, no need to be polite."
The officials who were reminded by the word "teacher" hurriedly saluted Fan Xian again, saying that Mr. Dao has worked hard from afar, so what.
While saluting, dozens of officials peeked at the two men who got off the boat, and found that although the ages of the two men were quite different, their faces were very similar. Standing on the shore, Jiang Feng took the two men's clothes The hem is blown, not only revealing the nobleness, but also revealing a rare sense of harmony and de-dusting.
Everyone couldn't help but start to suspect in their stomachs. It seems that the rumors about Fan Tisi's life experience may be true... Thinking of this, I started to feel uneasy again, wondering if I would let Fan Tisi salute first, and then let Fan Tisi Xian felt unhappy, after all, the other party was the real master, and the status of an imperial envoy, in terms of the court system, was much more expensive than a minor prince.
How could Fan Xian have so many thoughts? He looked at these unfamiliar officials on the pier, with the most cordial smile on his face, and answered them one by one with a smile. The courtesy and self-respect expected of a rising political star.
It is a big event for Fan Tisi to bring the prince to the south of the Yangtze River, so the number of officials who came to the pier today is extremely large. In terms of civil officials, there are officials directly under the governor's office on Jiangnan Road, and there are two groups of prefects from Suzhou and Hangzhou. Although the magistrates of several states that are far away dare not leave the territory of their jurisdiction to welcome them, many officials of the same level as general judges and judges from the prefectures have come, and there are also officials from the Jiangnan Salt Road Transit Department. Naturally, the defense generals of the Jiangnan Navy are indispensable, and of course, the Internal Warehouse Transshipment Department, which is Fan Xian's direct subordinate, is fully staffed.
In short, there are all kinds of people, there are nearly a hundred people in total, and most of the parents and officials on Jiangnan Road are probably crowded on the pier. If Dongyi City stole the gunpowder from the three offices of the Overwatch Council and made a noise here, the entire Qing Kingdom is the richest I am afraid that Jiangnan Road will be paralyzed within a day.
On the pier, Fan Xian greeted the officials with a smile all over his face. The problem was that there were crowds of people, the official uniforms were mixed, and the smell of sweat in the winter, and strange and obsequious faces passed before his eyes. How could he recognize them clearly? Who is who? However, these officials didn't know how he felt in his heart. Seeing the smile on Mr. Fan's face remained unchanged, they felt more and more that the gifts he gave along the way had an effect, so they boldly squeezed towards him and the third prince. No matter what, I have to exchange a few words of pleasantries, so that I can be worthy of the money I gave away!
Those state and county officials who were a little farther away from the river had never found a chance to give gifts, so they were not so full of heart. They looked at the colleagues inside the crowd with a little envy and a little bit of hatred.
For a while, the stench of flattery on the wharf was unbearable, and Fan Xian's shaved chin was touched countless times. It was so lively, and gradually the words of the officials became more and more unbearable, especially the officials from the prefect of Suzhou. He is a member of the system who came out of Taixue, insisting on the reason that Fan Xian is now concurrently serving as the secretary of Taixue, and kept calling... Teacher Fan!
Fan Xian suppressed his boredom and refused to accept it. Just kidding, he was only 20 years old, and he was going to be a teacher who knew the state... If he passed it back to the capital, he would be laughed to death by the emperor! And the third prince was held by his little hand, endured the shameless words around him, and felt unhappy in his heart, thinking to himself that Master Xiao Fan is my teacher, you old men dare to rob me? The child finally couldn't bear it anymore, and coughed twice with a cold face.
As soon as the coughing sound came out, there was a sudden silence in the room, Hangzhou Zhizhou is an old and cunning man who sees opportunities very quickly, secretly happy that Suzhou Zhizhou is deflated, but he said seriously: "It's cold today, I think you adults should hurry up and invite the imperial envoy and His Highness to go up and rest. "
As soon as these words came out, Fan Xian and the third prince felt very relieved, and at the same time cast appreciative glances at Zhizhou of Hangzhou. Hangzhou Zhizhou was swept away by this gaze, and suddenly felt warm and uncomfortable, as if he had eaten a root of ginseng.
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Rest? It was not that easy. Even after the officials retreated a little, the relevant guard of honor still took a lot of time before Fan Xian and His Highness were surrounded by the officials and walked towards the slope on the bank. There was a big bamboo shed on the slope, it looked quite new, it probably hadn't been erected for a few days, it was specially prepared for Fan Xian going to the south of the Yangtze River.
Walking up the slope, there were already two high-ranking officials in purple official uniforms outside the bamboo shed, waiting outside solemnly. When Fan Xian saw these two, he took the third prince's hand and rushed there a few steps to show respect .
The identities of these two officials are unusual, one is Lord Xue Qingxue, the governor of Jiangnan Road, and the other is Lord Dai Sicheng, the governor.
There is a saying in the official circles of the Qing Dynasty: one palace, two provinces, three courtyards, and seven roads. The first palace is naturally the imperial palace, the second province is the Zhongshu Ministry, which is now a branch of government affairs, and the third courtyard is the Supervisory Council, the Privy Council, and the Education Institute, but the Education Institute has been abolished as the Supreme Court in the New Deal of the first year of Qingli. Xue, Tongwenge, and the Ministry of Rites have three duties.
And the seven roads at the end of this sentence refer to the fact that Qing Kingdom is now divided into seven major roads. In addition to military affairs, the governor along the way began to directly control the states and counties under his jurisdiction. He has great power and is a real official in the frontier.
Of course, His Majesty the Emperor has to choose his most trusted cronies to take up this important position, and the governor is also top-notch in terms of ability.
Compared with the governor's arrogance of power, the governor puts more emphasis on martial arts, but the weight is much lighter.
In terms of rank, the governor is the second rank, and the governor is the second rank, which is not a particularly high rank. However, in order to facilitate the seven governors to concentrate on government affairs, the royal family of the Qing Dynasty is less constrained by the six departments. The governor and co-organizer of the whole road, the censor of the right capital of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, or the title of Minister of the Ministry of War, this is a high-ranking official. Facing the prime minister of the DPRK and China, Zhongshu, it is not without the weight of words.
And Jiangnan is the most important thing in the Qing Dynasty, and Xue Qing, the current governor of Jiangnan Road, has won the trust of His Majesty, so he is actually a direct and concurrent Diange University scholar, an out-and-out first-rank super official!
With Xue Qing's status, even Fan Xian and the third prince did not dare to be slighted, so they quickened their pace.
But outside the bamboo shed, Fan Xian just gave Xue Qing a gentle look, and didn't speak first. This is the rule, Xue Qing and Dai Sicheng understand that the other party is an imperial envoy, no matter how powerful they are, they must first salute the other party, this is not to respect Fan Xian, nor to the prince, but to... His Majesty.
Setting up the incense table, asking for the imperial decree, and lighting up the sword, the officials in the bamboo shed knelt on the ground. After performing the ceremony, Fan Xian quickly helped the Jiangnan Governor Xue Qing in front of him, and then turned around to help the governor. Then he led the third prince to salute Xue Qing very respectfully.
Xue Qing's status deserves a deep bow between him and the third prince, but the governor of Jiangnan seems not to have thought that the legendary Fan Tisi does not have the arrogance of a young powerful official and literati, and is willing to smooth out small things. There was a flash of appreciation in his eyes.
The governor stood aside, and quickly turned half of his body to return the salute. Xue Qing would not just let the "brothers" in front of him complete the salute. He had already gently supported the two of them, and said, "Master Fan outside."
Fan Xian was taken aback, then looked at the little San'er next to him who seemed a little embarrassed towards Xue Qing, and was even more puzzled.
Xue Qing smiled and said: "Before I came to Jiangnan, I worked in Shuge. The so-called bachelors are not all false ranks. When the third highness was young, he often played by my side... It's just that several years have passed, and I don't know that His Highness Do you still remember?"
The third prince gave a wry smile, and once again bowed to Xue Qing as a disciple, and said softly: "My lord returns to Beijing every year to report on his duties, and my father ordered the students to go to the mansion to pay respects, how dare I forget?"
Fan Xian was a little confused, and after careful consideration in his mind, he became more and more unclear about what the emperor in the capital was thinking. Just as I was thinking, I heard Xue Qing say in a harmonious voice: "Speaking of which, I also have a relationship with Mr. Fan."
Fan Xian was not easy to behave in front of this high official, so he asked curiously, "To tell you the truth, my lord, Wansheng really doesn't know."
Xue Qing liked the straightforwardness of the other party, smiled and stroked his beard and said: "When I was elected as an official, the teacher was Lin Xiang. In terms of seniority, you really want to call me brother."
It was only then that Fan Xian realized that this was the case, but the other party is now the governor of a party, so those old relationships are naturally just talk, and no matter how thick-faced and bold he is, he is too embarrassed to climb along this pole, Brothers with the governor? The power at hand is enough for this qualification, but the age and qualifications... seem to be far behind.
The group took a rest in the thatched shed. Fan Xian chatted with Xue Qing about what he had seen along the way. Xue Qing frowned slightly, and asked how his Majesty was doing in Beijing. In short, it was all nonsense, but they also brought the distance a little closer. A little familiar. Fan Xian looked at this first-rank official, and found that there was a trace of sadness in the other party's Qingqu face that he didn't deliberately hide. After thinking about it for a while, he knew what was going on.
As the governor of Jiangnan, an imperial envoy suddenly appeared on the site who wanted to be resident. It would be uncomfortable for the governor of any route. The nobles in Beijing fought violently. Although the governor has a high position and is deeply trusted by His Majesty, it is always not good to be caught in the middle.
Xue Qing raised his teacup and took a sip, then asked intentionally or unintentionally: "Your Majesty Fan has probably worked hard in Jiangnan for the past two years. Although His Majesty trusts him, Jiangnan is no better than Kyoto. Although it is prosperous, it is not a place to stay forever... In two years, I will also retire to His Majesty, and go back to Beijing to be a fisherman... It is better to be close to the Emperor than to be in the south of the Yangtze River."
Fan Xian heard the meaning of the other party's words, smiled and greeted him, "Your Majesty, on behalf of His Majesty, patrolled the area, and you have worked hard."
Xue Qing smiled and said, "Miss Fan, have you decided where to live? There are many salt merchants in Suzhou City, and they are all willing to donate their houses for your choice."
The wealth of salt merchants is known all over the world. Fan Xian knew how luxurious the house they gave with both hands would be without asking, but he changed his mind and asked: "It's not good to bother too much, and it's not good to send back In Beijing, late students are always a little anxious." He said straightforwardly, which made Xue Qing shake his head and laugh, thinking that poets have this bad thing, and they have to cover up everything, why don't you pay money when you are on the river? Cover up.
Fan Xian asked very sincerely: "I would like to ask your lord to advise, how to arrange for the envoy of the Internal Warehouse Transshipment Department in previous years?"
Xue Qing glanced at him in surprise, and said, "Master Fan, your status is not as good as the envoy of the Internal Treasury Transshipment Department in previous years. In terms of arrangements, the official residence planned by the Internal Treasury is far away in Fujian, but in the past ten years or so And none of the envoys actually went to live there, as far as your predecessor Huang is concerned, he has lived in...Xinyang for many years."
When the word Xinyang was mentioned, the governor of Jiangnan glanced at Fan Xian intentionally or unintentionally.
Fan Xian frowned slightly and said, "Can you not live in the official residence arranged by the court?"
These words seem to be doubts and temptations.
Xue Qing nodded.
Fan Xian said with a smile: "I dare not hide it from my lord, I have been living in Hangzhou this month, and I didn't come to Suzhou to visit you, is it my fault... But that house is really nice, if I can choose it myself, of course I would like to." Live in Hangzhou now."
Xue Qing was slightly taken aback. She didn't expect the other party to propose to live in Hangzhou. Looking at Fan Xian's eyes, there was silence for a while, as if guessing whether what this popular young official said was true or not. Jiangnan Governor's Mansion was in Suzhou. Of course, the taboo is that Fan Xian also stays in Suzhou, not to mention interfering with government affairs, but to say that the situation of both ends being equal will cause headaches for the officials on Jiangnan Road, and it will greatly hinder their handling of affairs.
Looking at Fan Xian's sincere face, a strange look flashed in his eyes, and he said with a smile, "Naturally it doesn't matter, Mr. Fan can live wherever he wants."
Fan Xian chuckled and said, "Of course, even if you live in Hangzhou, you still have to come to Suzhou to bother your lord a few times. I heard that your lord's house uses a famous chef from the Northern Qi Dynasty. People in Kyoto are so envious. I also want to have this blessing. "
Governor Xue laughed loudly and said: "This official is good at this. I didn't expect that Mr. Fan is also a fellow. Why wait any longer? Tonight, my colleagues have prepared a reception banquet for Mr. and His Highness. It is in the Jiangnan residence. Tomorrow I will invite the adults to come and sit at home for a while."
With Fan Xian's secret promise not to interfere with his work, the governor of Jiangnan couldn't help but relax.
The laughter immediately spread inside and outside the bamboo shed. All the officials on Jiangnan Road followed the laughter and saw that the governor and the commissioner were talking happily. His Excellency is very human, the rivalry situation that everyone was secretly afraid of did not happen, and I don't know what he said to make His Excellency the Governor so happy.
I saw Fan Xian leaned closer to Governor Xue Qing and whispered something in the ear. After a slight surprise on Xue Qing's face, he suddenly became solemn, nodded slightly angrily, and said with a cold snort: "Master Fan, don't worry too much, and don't look at my face. These guys, I always remember For the sake of Your Majesty's benevolence and harmony, I will temporarily tolerate it, Master Fan's proposal is the most reasonable."
Fan Xian got the other party's nod, knowing that Xue Qing was still favoring him not staying in Suzhou, he sincerely thanked him, and then slowly stood up.
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Fan Xian stood up, and the embroidery shed suddenly became quiet. At this time, the sky above the river shone through the bamboo shed, emitting a clear light, and the river breeze was slightly cool, creating a sense of solemnity out of thin air.
Everyone looked at him, not knowing how the imperial envoy's inauguration declaration would start.
"My officer, I am a person who does not play cards according to common sense." Fan Xian glanced at the officials around him first, and said with a smile: "Although I have never worked with you adults before, I think I am still famous, and everyone probably knows A little. This temperament, at best, is often ingenious, at worst, I am a young guy who is a little foolish and doesn't know the importance."
All the officials laughed, saying that the words of the imperial envoy were really funny and humble.
Fan Xian said immodestly: "I don't need to say more about those empty words. Your Majesty is in good health, so I don't need you to greet me. The Empress Dowager is in good health, and Beijing is full of peace, so we don't need to pay more attention to this aspect." Pen and ink. And since my lords have been entrusted by the imperial court to govern the important areas in the south of the Yangtze River, the tax revenues these years have been placed here, and the people's livelihood and city scenes seen along the road are not false. I don't need to mention more... "
The Jiangnan officials all knew that Fan Xian had come all the way to make an unannounced visit, and they were relieved to hear this. They only hoped that Fan Xian would say a few more words, preferably in the secret note to His Majesty.
Unexpectedly, Fan's gossip changed!
"I don't want to talk about your good points, but I want to talk about what you did wrong." Fan Xian still smiled, but a chill began to flow in the shed, "It seems a bit unkind, but I still want to say, Why? Because the adults seem to have forgotten the origin of this official."
What is Fan Xian's background? It's not the Shixianju Zhonglang Taichang Temple, but... the dark and gloomy Overwatch Council! The officials were startled, they didn't know what he was going to say next, they thought to themselves that we have already delivered the money, what else do you want? The Overwatch Council can't bully people like this!
"I came by land and passed Hangzhou, Shazhou along the way, but that boat sailed on the big river." Fan Xian squinted his eyes, "I heard that the big river is a silver river, and my lords sent a lot to that boat. Gifts and silver taels, and a lot of labor for labor... I appreciate the kindness of your lords... It's just such an open and aboveboard bribery, but I admire it... You guys are so courageous!"
Without waiting for the officials to speak, Fan Xian turned around and bowed to Jiangnan Governor Xue Qing, smiled and said, "Seeing this official today, the Governor was furious and directly denounced this official's wrongdoing. This official is unavoidably terrified. The governor is sympathetic to my ignorance, so I told you bluntly, and only then did I know that all of you were secretly hiding this from me...to do such a bold thing."
His voice gradually became louder, and he sneered, "The Overwatch Council supervises the administration of officials across the country, and it arrests corrupt officials, but you all have the guts to bribe and give presents to me... Do you think I left the capital, and the knife in my hand... killed me?" Is it unworthy?"
The officials were stunned, stunned by Fan Xian's words, they didn't know what to say, turned their eyes to the governor for help, and found that the governor was stroking his beard and thinking, pretending to stay out of it!
Only then did the officials understand what Fan Xian had said earlier, saying that these officials along the river were giving gifts without telling him, so they easily selected him out. They even used the excuse that the governor was angry, so he chose the governor cleanly and sent them back. The governor has a big hat of being unafraid of the powerful and dignified!
Giving gifts along the river? Your subordinate didn't refuse either! The Overwatch Council has a lot of information, even if you are in Hangzhou, how can you not know it? But Fan Xian insisted that he didn't know anything at this time. Of course, the officials of the Jiangnan Road couldn't stand up to it. They had to suffer a huge loss this day, and there was something wrong with Fan Xian's eyes—this is what happened. Fan Tisi, as the rumors said, under a gentle and harmless smile, hides shameless obscenity and viciousness!
The officials didn't know what Fan Xian would do next, subconsciously stood up in fright, and looked at Fan Xian foolishly.
I saw him clapping his hands, and the applause came out of the shed. A number of Overwatch Council officials came down from the Beijing boat with thick gift lists in their hands—the gift list was already so thick. It has really piled up into a hill!
Fan Xian turned around and asked Governor Xue Qing for some instructions. Xue Qing looked at the scene in front of him with a smile, and waved to the officers in the yamen to follow the officials of the Overwatch Council to board. Not long after, those officers and servants got off the boat with a few big boxes and came to the bamboo shed. among.
Several boxes were opened in public, only to see a piece of golden light! There are countless jewels and valuables inside, all of which are gifts from officials along the river.
It was windy and cold in the shed, so a brazier was set up. Fan Xian took the gift list handed over by his subordinates, flipped through a few pages, frowned slightly, and said with a smile, "There are quite a lot of things."
All the officials were ashamed and angry, thinking that the imperial envoy was too unkind, and it was disgusting to construct a crime. Do you still want to punish the officials? Unless you want the entire Jiangnan officialdom to be taken over in one go, the governor will not be able to continue watching the show by then! You broke the rules and offended Jiangnan officials, it depends on how you end up in the future.
Unexpectedly, Fan Xian's next move almost caused the officials' eyes to drop, and he threw the thick gift slip into the brazier with a casual throw!
The fire suddenly ignited, and the gift list recording the evidence of the officials' bribery quickly turned into ashes.
After standing silently by the brazier for a while, Fan Xian said: "Don't think that I am using childish tricks to buy people's hearts. You are not so stupid, and I am not so self-indulgent... The reason why I burned these is to give you a reminder. A way out."
He put his hands behind his back, and a gleam of determination flashed across his delicate face: "I am the commissioner of the Overwatch Council, so I don't need to sell your face, and I don't need the cooperation of your lords for the things I have to do in Jiangnan, so please Everyone wake up a bit, if similar incidents happen again in the future, don't blame me for being merciless in arresting people."
The Overwatch Council can examine all officials below the third rank. He dares to say this because he has the courage. As for the face, his status is too special, more special than any court official, so there is really no need to sell it. As for the future Coordination of affairs... The officials of Jiangnan Road have lost face, so they dare to secretly fight against the dignified Tisi
"After the welcome banquet later, my lords take back all the stuff in this box." Fan Xian said with a frown, "All that should be returned. If you can't get it out for a while, send a message to me, and I can still get out this little money."
The officials had no choice but to bow their heads.
At this time, the zipline on the Suzhou Wharf has started to move. This novelty that started more than 20 years ago can carry the most weight. I saw the zipline stretched over the Beijing boat, and slowly lifted a large box down. I don't know what is in the box, but it is so heavy that the steel rope of the zipline is shaking slightly.
Fan Xian had checked the data in advance, and knew that Suzhou Port was a large wharf responsible for internal warehouse shipments, and had the lifting capacity, so he wasn't too worried, but those officials who had just been frightened by him were frightened again. one jump.
The big box was hoisted to the shore, and more than a dozen people worked hard to push it up the slope and directly into the bamboo shed. An Overwatch Council official asked for instructions respectfully: "Master Tisi, the box has arrived. .”
Fan Xian hummed, and walked to the side of the box. The outside of the box was wrapped in wicker, but the inside seemed to be made of iron.
All the officials were puzzled, wondering what kind of game this lord is playing? At this time, even Governor Xue Qing and Governor Dai Sicheng became interested, and stepped forward one after another to see what kind of treasure was hidden in this box.
Fan Xian took out the key from his pocket and opened the lid of the box.
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Just like Guan Youmei who saw the contents of this box for the first time, after the shed was filled with silver light, the eyes of all the officials were a little straight... Silver! It's full of shiny silver! I don't know how many silver ingots are neatly stacked in the box!
In fact, the gifts in the previous few boxes are not necessarily less valuable than this big box of silver ingots. It’s just that people have been used to using silver since ancient times, and suddenly so many silver ingots appeared in front of everyone. The impact is really exciting!
After a long time, everyone looked away from the box with some reluctance, and looked at Fan Xian, ready to watch his next performance.
"This box of silver came to the south of the Yangtze River with me from the capital. In the future, no matter where I am an official, I will always take this box of silver with me." Fan Xian said in a harmonious voice, "Why? Just to tell all the officials that I... have plenty of silver. Don't be afraid of your jokes, I, Fan Anzhi, was born with a golden spoon in my mouth, anyone who wants to use money as a sharp weapon to bribe me should die quickly."
He then said coldly: "Now that I'm going to Jiangnan, what I'm investigating is your money matters. I won't interfere with political affairs. But if anyone dares to bribe and take bribes, embezzle and deceive the people, don't blame me for being ruthless." .”
"A former sage knew very well the terrible consequences of corrupt officials, so he brought hundreds of coffins, claiming that even if all corrupt officials were killed, he would stop this unhealthy trend." Fan Xian said quietly: "I am not a person who likes to kill people. People, so I don't bring a coffin, I only bring silver."
The officials were silent and terrified.
"There is one hundred and thirty-eight thousand and eighty-eight taels of silver in the box. I am here to say something in front of the officials and the elders who came to welcome you. The south of the Yangtze River is rich, and I cannot guarantee how much of this silver will be used for people's livelihood. Yes, but I promise, when I leave Jiangnan, the silver in the box... will not be one or two more!"
Fan Xian glanced at the eyes of the officials, and said, "I hope that your lords will take this into consideration."
After the play was over, the welcome on the pier came to an end for the time being. Fan Xian sat back in the chair, feeling goosebumps on his arms under his sleeves, and secretly thanked himself for not uttering such bold words as the abyss and landmines.
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In the afternoon in Suzhou, the study in the Governor's Mansion was quiet.
First-rank official, Jiangnan governor Xue Qing sat on the grand teacher's chair in the middle, with a smile on his face. Sitting beside him were two masters who had followed him for many years, one of the masters shook his head and sighed: "I never thought that this imperial envoy...is really a fool."
Another master frowned and said, "It's really unwise. Mr. Fan has completely wiped out the face of Jiangnan officials. Although he is naturally not afraid of this in his capacity, he always seems immature."
Xue Qing smiled and said, "Both of you also think that his showing off is a bit contrived?"
The two masters looked at each other and nodded.
Governor Xue sighed: "Young people always have more desire to perform."
The master Xiaoyi asked: "What do you think of this Master Xiao Fan?"
Xue Qing was startled for a moment, pondered for a while and then said: "Smart people, extremely smart people, you can make friends...you can make friends deeply."
The master was a little surprised, wondering why it didn't match the previous conclusion
Xue Qing laughed at himself: "So what about pretentiousness? How many people in this world can see the scene at that time? How do the ministers in the bookstores in the capital know the real situation this month? Rumors are rumors after all. According to legend, there will always be some corrections to the facts by oneself consciously or unconsciously.”
"Master Xiao Fan has a very good reputation among the people, and the people naturally spare no effort in spreading this matter, because of their love for him, even if there is something wrong with Master Fan in this matter, it will be erased and ignored by those spoken words, As for the scene where he is not afraid of the long-standing abuses in the officialdom and scolds all the officials face to face, he will naturally add a lot of ink... "
"Hahahaha." The Governor-General smiled happily: "There is a hundred thousand taels in the box, and I will take a boat to Suzhou. After a while, I'm afraid it will be another good story in our Daqing Dynasty. The people who came out of the Overwatch Council are really a little Clever."
Another master was puzzled and said: "Since you are a smart person, there are obviously better ways to solve today's matter. Why did Mr. Fan choose such a drastic and ridiculous method?"
Governor Xue Qing glanced at him with a half-smile: "What do you know?"
He shut his mouth and stopped explaining. There are some things that even his closest teachers should not know. Fan Xian has offended the whole group of officials with his sword today, isn't he expressing his sincerity to himself as the governor? The other party first stated that he wanted to live in Hangzhou, which meant that the other party was deeply aware of the three tastes of officialdom, and after bluffing these officials, in the future, the imperial envoys will not surround the imperial envoys when they are in the south of the Yangtze River, and the governor himself is still the number one person.
Xue Qing suddenly thought of another matter, frowned involuntarily, and had a higher evaluation of Fan Xian—this young powerful official is so flamboyant today, I am afraid it is not just as simple as expressing sincerity to himself—From Chunwei to Jiangnan, this It seemed that Fan Xian wished to offend all the officials in the world. In the past two years, the high officials in the court could see clearly that Fan Xian even refused to take care of his father-in-law's relationship back then. This... this... this is Want to be a lone minister
As the emperor's confidant, Xue Qing had many eyes and ears in the court. Of course, he knew that the rumors about Fan Xian's life experience were true. When he thought of Fan Xian's identity, he immediately understood why the other party insisted on going his own way and becoming a lonely minister.
This is to prevent taboo.
Xue Qing sighed, shook his head, thinking that everyone is working hard, it seems that in the future in the south of the Yangtze River, he should have a good walk with this young Fan Tisi.
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The warm sun in the afternoon dispelled some of the chill of early spring. People in Suzhou City drank tea and chatted in teahouses. Suzhou people are too rich and have too much free time, so they like to spend time in teahouses, especially Another big event happened in the city today, and the saliva and tea were boiling in the building together.
People are talking about the imperial envoy who just arrived, the world-renowned Fan Tisi.
"Have you heard that? The faces of those officials were all green from fright." A middle-aged businessman chuckled. People in the general public are always happy to see officials being deflated.
Another person shook his head and sighed: "Unfortunately, it's not that big things are turned into small things, but small things are turned into small things? I think if the imperial envoy really cares about the people, he should arrest all those corrupt officials and put them in prison."
"Stupid words!" The middle-aged businessman in front of the head laughed contemptuously: "The officials are all in prison, who will judge the case? Who will manage the case? Mr. Xiao Fan is talented and far-sighted, how can he be as ignorant as us ordinary people? This trick is called knocking the mountain to shake the tiger, just wait and see, the good show is yet to come, I think the officials on Jiangnan Road really want to try the power of the Overwatch Council this time."
The man nodded and said, "That's true. Fortunately, Your Majesty is wise enough to send Lord Tisi to Jiangnan."
The businessman smiled and said in a low voice: "It should be Your Majesty who was wise enough to give birth to Tisi."
The tea table suddenly fell silent, and after a while, there was a burst of tacit laughter. At last the businessman said: "The guy in my shop went to the pier to look at it earlier... Mr. Tisi is really ruthless. Those subordinates who went down the river in a big boat were beaten with thirty lashes."
The person on the opposite side replied as a matter of course: "This is the truth. Although it is said that the subordinate took the money without telling Mr. Fan, the crime has already been placed there. Now that the money has been refunded and the gift list is burned, it is not easy to punish the crime, but if the subordinate is not punished Severe punishment, how can the officials of Jiangnan Road be convinced? I went to see it before, tsk tsk... the whip is really hard, and it seems to take a few pieces of flesh with it, bloody and horrible."
And in a salt merchant's manor where the imperial envoy temporarily lived, there were screams and howls one after another in a side room.
Fan Xian looked at the several cronies who were lined up one by one, looked at the whip marks on each other's back, put the wound medicine in his hand on the table, and said with a smile: "I won't wipe it off for you, my lord, I sympathize with my subordinates. But you are howling here... When you are whipped, why don't you scream more miserable? You are not afraid of being suspicious."
Su Wenmao looked back in misery and said, "It's not good to be whipped a few times to save face for my lord... But my lord, is there something wrong with your wound medicine? Why does the more you rub it, the more it hurts."
Fan Xian laughed and said, "The whip is so light, of course you will suffer a lot at this time of year!"
He got up and left, shaking his head all the way, thinking that sometimes what Wan Li said was correct, he was not a good official, and he was ashamed to ask his subordinates to be clean officials.