The three Patriarchs of Huangnan County lived in the Lingzhou General's Mansion, not far from each other. Apart from their confidantes, the three of them did not bring any other people into this brand-new mansion. His Royal Highness asked them to rest for the night, which made Wang Xihua's heart tense at that time. This was clearly to allow the three families to have enough time to ventilate first. On the way to Lingzhou City, except for a sloppy lunch on the way, we had a general exchange, and while we promised to take care of each other, we were inevitably wary of each other. It was difficult to completely advance together and retreat together. The trend is ups and downs, no matter how harmonious your personal relationship was in the past, you have to carefully weigh the pros and cons.
Wang Xihua, who was praised by Yao Baifeng as having the "three talents of the assassin", had a not to mention a rich dinner, and did not hurry to agree to Wang Zhenlu's appointment, but went out for a walk alone. Not long after going out, he saw the same person strolling leisurely Wang Luting, the younger generation, Wang Xihua felt a little bit, so calm, the younger generation is awesome. The two passed by with a nod and a smile. Wang Xihua walked slowly along a corridor by the water, with hands behind his back. The flowing water led to Jinou Lake. In Lingzhou City, there were not many houses capable of leading the lake water into their courtyards. Of course it was the first one. With a thought, Wang Xihua turned into a small path close to the base of the wall. Through the hole in the wall, he could see the scene inside the wall of his neighbor Li's mansion. Wang Xihua stopped suddenly. The official also came closer, and after looking at each other, Wang Xihua, who was always holding his hands behind his back, smiled and said, "Lord Li, are you so leisurely and elegant? I heard that Master Li has found a son-in-law who is outstanding in knowledge, character and background. congratulations."
Just calling Li Gongde Master Li, but not claiming to be a lowly official or a lowly position, it shows the arrogance and arrogance of Wang Xihua, the meritorious Cao of Huangnan County.
Li Gongde patted his cuffs, smiled back and said: "I don't need to rely on some son-in-law to support me. I have a decent son who earns undisturbed military achievements on the border. Wang Gongcao, you have to take it easy." Come on."
Wang Xihua nodded and said: "There are so many great men on the border. Mr. Li is both in love and on the battlefield. Naturally, people are not envious. My dog has no skills. He only hooks up with women from brothels, so he doesn't have such a blessing."
Everyone in Beiliang knew that Li Hanlin, the son of Jinglue envoy, used to be male and female, and almost every time he traveled, he was accompanied by the handsome young man. But Li Eishao committed too many heinous crimes back then, and Wang Xihua sneered at him tonight. Li Gongde didn't refute either, and bent down. Wang Xihua was wondering why the Master Jinglue surrendered so much this time. He didn't think that when Li Gongde stood up, he threw a handful of dirt and hit Wang Xihua on the face, right? It hurts, but Wang Gongcao, who has always been regarded as the gentle suzerain of Lingzhou, has never been humiliated like this, and he didn't know how to deal with it for a while, so he froze on the spot. Li Gongde laughed and said: "Wang Xihua is the best at putting on airs. I want to beat you a long time ago. There are no outsiders today, just you and my two enemies... His Royal Highness, why are you here?"
Wang Xihua turned her head subconsciously when she heard the sound, but there was no one around. Where did His Royal Highness turn his head again, and Li Gongde threw a handful of dirt on his face again. Wang Xihua was so furious that he stretched out his fingers and cursed angrily: "Li Gongde, there are three immortals who stand up for words and deeds. As an important minister on the battlefield, ask yourself, is there any one?! Really dirty the word "merit"! Seriously and ferociously, do you really think you can die?"
Li Gongde rubbed his nose casually, then pointed his finger at the top of his head, and said disdainfully: "Others respectfully call you Wang Xihua 'Wang Sanshi'. The three governors are not exactly the size of this official hat on my head? Don't you If you talk big to me, you just say who is the official today, and who made you stagnate all these years, and obediently be a county hero the size of a sesame mung bean?"
Wang Xihua sneered and said, "Telling you about passing on the torch, and telling you about the seeds of reading, it's like playing the piano with a cow!"
Li Gongde chuckled and said in a low voice: "Let's talk to each other. In the end, we are still the same thing. Don't make fun of anyone. When you become the second Yao Baifeng one day, you are qualified to tell me about learning and deeds. thing."
Wang Xihua was furious and said, "Li Gongde, who's with you?!"
As soon as Li Gongde raised his hand, Wang Xihua, who had suffered twice, immediately turned away, only to realize that there was no soil in the master's hands. Li Gongde said that playing Wang Xihua with you is not as easy as playing a monkey, and walked away. It stands to reason that Li Gongde, who returned home with a big victory in this contact battle between old enemies without warning, should have been elated, but Li Gongde, who was proud of the spring breeze in Beiliang, was not as happy as he expected, but instead his face was as sinking as water and gloomy. full-bodied. Wang Xihua's face was cloudy and uncertain at first, but when Li Gongde's back was gone, the corners of Wang Gongcao's mouth turned up quietly, not even the slightest bit of embarrassment turned into anger, and said softly: "Li Xie, Li Xie, let's see how long you run rampant."
…
Xu Fengnian received the second secret letter today, from an old "turtle" in Lingzhou. Even Xu Fengnian did not expect that it would be a tycoon of the fourth-rank realm who entered the General's Mansion in Lingzhou. It turned out that before everyone gathered at the door , Lingzhou Peregrine Falcon got the background of most of the characters, some rough, some detailed, except for the drunkard who turned out to be out of the sky, probably the spies from other places felt that entering the mansion so swaggeringly was too self-inflicted, Not a single person in the secret letter was suspected of being a spy. Most of them were people from the Jianghu who had a criminal record in the government. Xu Fengnian read the secret letter carefully in the study, and the soft-shelled turtle nicknamed "Yan Wang Dao" was kneeling on the cold floor, motionless. Xu Fengnian put down the secret letter, closed his eyes, remained silent for a long time, then opened his eyes and said to this person: "That drunkard need not be in a hurry, but let Chu Lushan immediately investigate Liu Bozong of the fourth rank, especially Sun Chun of the third rank. A person's life experience is too innocent and meticulous. From birth to martial arts to fame, everything seems to be traceable and unobstructed, but the more this is the case, the more worrying. Among the two, Sun Chun looks older In fact, he is only 29 years old, and Liu Bozong is 32 years old, which happens to be the youngest of the two. Although this son is not a spy, he knows that as long as he is willing to work hard, it is very easy to get an identity before the age of 15. It is easy, and after more than ten years of careful cultivation, it can be almost completely without any clues. Even this prince suspects their family, and there is something wrong with them. I trouble you, Peregrine Falcon, to be more thoughtful."
The man was terrified, sweating profusely, and said respectfully: "Protecting His Highness's safety is the most important job of Peregrine Falcon, and it will not be troublesome."
The man will undoubtedly be in awe of the special status of this young Lingzhou general, but he is even more afraid that he can directly call Peregrine Falcon by the name of the leader behind the scenes. The awesomeness of Chu Lushan is all rumored by outsiders, not as a peregrine falcon, who would not understand Chu's terrifying ability at all.
Xu Fengnian walked around the desk and walked to the man, bent down to help him up, and said with a soft smile: "Beiliang has many civil servants and generals, compared with you, there are also a hundred fewer. Without you, Beiliang will be even worse. Not stable. You can help me send a message to Chu Lushan. This year, let him give more rewards to all the peregrine falcons. Don’t ask him to pay this money. Take it from Qingliang Mountain. If anyone wants the secret book You can also boldly bring up such things, and the palace will try to satisfy you. In my view, there is nothing in the world that is more valuable than your life. Since you have all pawned your lives to the Xu family, there is absolutely no reason for the Xu family. I'm sorry for you."
After the man stood up, his eyes turned red, he hesitated, scratched his head, he was a little shy, and boldly said: "The young one is from Jinzhou, and it is only three hundred miles away from the hometown of the general and His Highness. Lu, but the young one left Liaodong six or seven years later than the general. He used to hang out in other ranks, and later committed a crime and was desperate to follow the general. He has been working with General Chu for so many years, and he has no credit. It's all hard work that anyone can do. A few years ago, I married a wife and gave birth to a few little girls. In the early autumn of this year, I finally got a boy with a handle. The small family has no shortage of money. I just want to ask His Highness to help my kid choose a name when he is free, if His Highness is too busy, just pretend he didn't say anything about it."
Xu Feng said in a young voice: "There are many things to pay attention to when choosing a name. If you choose a bad name, it will affect your future fortune. I believe in this very much. I don't dare to name your son."
The man had no hope at all, so he was not disappointed. Xu Fengnian suddenly laughed and said, "But Xu Xiao doesn't believe this. I'll go to Liangzhou and ask Xu Xiao to help you choose a name for your son. If you can't choose a good name or it sounds ugly, you can use it as a nickname."
The man was about to kneel down again, Xu Fengnian took his arm, and said helplessly: "Okay, even if you kneel a few more times, I can't just ask for a few more names for your son, besides, your son doesn't need a name. It’s not silver, so the more you ask for, the better.”
The man smiled blushingly, no longer shrewd and cautious before, but with a sincere and honest demeanor.
"After leaving, send a message to Xu Beizhi in Longqing County, asking him to come to the General's Mansion."
After Xu Fengnian finished speaking, he walked near the window, and the joyful man stopped disturbing His Royal Highness's thoughts, and quietly exited the study. Xu Fengnian stared at the pot of impatiens brought by Huyan Guanyin "cutting love", and his mind traveled thousands of miles.
The strength of Liyang lies in the fact that after unifying the Central Plains, as the old grand master Sun Xiji, as the head of civil servants, led a large group of Western Chu remnants to surrender to Liyang, the battle for orthodoxy in the world has been completely settled. As long as the imperial court is willing to use talents, That is almost inexhaustible. These talents have their own specialties. Some people focus on moral articles to make a statement, some are pragmatic and dedicated to doing things, and there are many people who are doing dirty work. If it is said that Liyang has tens of thousands of acres of fertile land and is qualified to go to the store to bully customers, then Beiliang is changing tricks on one-third of an acre of land. Master Li Yishan has been a clever woman for so many years. Xu Fengnian used to joke in private. Xu Xiao and his two elder sisters both said that even if he could be the emperor, he would not sit in the Golden Luan Palace, because he knew early on how difficult it was for the party in charge, but when he really started to make arrangements with his own hands, he felt Even if he is the son of Beiliang, if he wants to do things, he is still in a square cage, and if he makes a slight move, he will hit a wall. This cage is something that people of all dynasties have worked so hard to build up, referred to as "rules". ".
Xu Fengnian went back to the book case and took a pen to write down the loosely structured three characters "Zhijiashi", and then added a radical next to the character to complete the weaving character. Putting down the pen, Xu Fengnian tucked his hands in his sleeves, walked out of the study, walked aimlessly through the corridors and buildings, and in a small pavilion near the water, he ran into Wang Luting who was bouncing around in the small pavilion to keep warm. This guy was with Li Hanlin, Wang Yunshu, and another The son of Emei County who is not a villain, he is also known as the four tyrants of Lingzhou, not to mention Wang Xihua, who cannot be underestimated by anyone, but Xu Fengnian is undoubtedly more fond of Wang Lvting, the new owner of the Zijin Wang family, than Wang Zhenlu, the lifeless head of the Lingsu Wang family. interest. Because of hereditary succession, Beiliang is now in an era of unavoidable turmoil. Once the emperor and the courtiers, those who should be in power have already ended, and those who should be in power have not yet been in power. Many families are following the general trend. Zhong Hongwu of the Gao family asked his only son Zhong Chengxin to follow the civil servant's way, in order to seek change. Wang Xihua, who is already a celebrity, asked Wang Yunshu to follow the path of a military general, also seeking change. However, most of these people have a good father after all, and they can do things with half the effort. Xu Fengnian only knew that the Zijin Wang family had not produced great talents for several generations. If the general's mansion returns without success, the first ones to be dealt with by the Jinglue envoy will definitely not be the two families of Wang Xihua and Wang Zhenlu, but the Zijin Wang family whose foundation is unstable. It is conceivable that the young Ren Wang Lvting was under a lot of pressure.
Seeing His Royal Highness approaching, Wang Lvting just turned his head and smiled, and continued to dance non-stop.
Xu Fengnian stood next to Wang Lvting, who joked, "Knowing that His Highness is a straightforward person, Lu Ting said it bluntly. This time, he followed the two elders and came here to ask His Highness for a reward. It's really a dead end. Ah, if you don't get any official positions and return to Huangnan County, you will have to be stabbed in the back by those old men, Your Highness, if you do me a favor, I will treat you as a pitiful Wang Lvting?"
Xu Fengnian looked at the narrow and curved water that only rippled slightly within the "rules", and said calmly: "Let's talk about what kind of official you want first. It's too big, and I can't afford it. It's too small, and I can't afford it." , if you fool you Zijin Wang, you will be drowned by the spittle of those old guys behind your back."
Wang Lvting said with a hearty smile, "It's not that big. Weaving in Beiliang Dao is just such an official. The two weaving bureaus in Jiangnan Dao are full of shortages of the fourth rank. The chief officer of the gold thread weaving bureau in Beiliang is only the fifth rank, anyway. Li Xifeng, an old weaver, has also worked for twelve years, so he should have retired long ago."
Xu Fengnian said calmly: "Five rank is not small."
Wang Lvting was really thick-skinned, he stopped bouncing on the spot, took a breath of mist with his hands in his hands, turned his head and stared at His Royal Highness with a bright smile, "Lv Ting knows that it is difficult to get an official, so there are still people who buy an official from His Highness." It is planned that the Zijin Wang family is willing to take out 180,000 taels of silver, all of which are cash. If it is not enough, the family still has some rare antiques and calligraphy and painting rubbings, which can be converted into taels of silver. One hundred thousand taels. There is no way, it is not as rich and powerful as the other three kings of Huangnan County, our Zijin Wang family is poor."
Xu Fengnian sat on the bench and laid his hands on Wang Luting, and the two sat against the pillars. Xu Fengnian smiled and said: "I can sell you a piece of gold thread weaving for 180,000 taels of silver, but there is an additional condition."
Wang Lvting said with a smile: "Your Highness, my younger sister is indeed famous for being virtuous, but after all, she is of average beauty and has a matchmaker. Your Highness, please don't think about it."
Xu Fengnian was stunned, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and said with a smile: "You boy, don't talk to me, just be serious. I know that you have a close friend who came from a poor family and worked as a school teacher in the Zijin Wang family. Yao Baifeng, a master of Neo-Confucianism, said that he As long as you are willing to take the exam, you must be Jieyuan from Lingzhou, and Huiyuan from the two provinces and eight states in the northwest. It is even possible to win the first prize, and even the third prize. Lu Yuyuan from Huangnan County, who was awarded the top three in the palace examination this year and was awarded a fellow Jinshi, seems to be Thanks to your friend's art-making skills, otherwise at most you will have passed the provincial examination for children, not to mention the palace examination, even the general examination is an extravagant hope. If you can persuade this person to come out of the mountains, this son will let you weave gold thread, If you can’t say it, then you can honestly go back to the Zijin Wang Clan.”
Wang Lvting laughed out loud.
Xu Fengnian was indifferent.
Wang Lvting stopped laughing, and said treacherously: "Your Highness, please rest assured, this guy has been forcibly kidnapped by me and taken to the city, so why don't you call someone for Your Highness?"
Xu Fengnian shook his head and said, "You don't need to see me, just tell him that you will come to Lingzhou City to stay after the Chinese New Year. This son will give him an official hat for free."
Wang Luting sighed with emotion: "People are more angry than others, and I have to go bankrupt to buy an official. This kid is good."
Xu Fengnian suddenly said: "You are neither the eldest son nor the eldest son. It is not easy to become the head of the Zijin Wang family."
Wang Lvting put away his cynical expression, but he did not deliberately sit upright, but said softly: "Compared to Your Highness, it is much easier."
Xu Fengnian laughed and said, "Before you became an official, you started to flirt?"
Wang Luting laughed again, "Be familiar with it first, since you want to live under the fence, how can you not look at people's faces. Your Highness should give Wang Luting more opportunities to flatter you in the future."
Xu Fengnian joked: "Then you have to learn from Chu Lushan first."
Wang Luting hesitated to speak.
Xu Fengnian knew that he was a smart person, so he said directly: "I know what you are thinking, indeed, no matter whether it is the real son of Chu Lushan or an outsider, Chu Lushan's flattery has always been disgusting and disgusting, but there are a lot of things. No one can see that Chu Lushan only treats one person like this.
Having said that, Xu Fengnian paused for a moment, stopped talking, stood up, and left.
Seemingly relaxed and at ease, in fact, Wang Lvting, who had been secretly tensing his bowstring, didn't think deeply about the last strange words at first. Anyway, he got everything he wanted for this trip, and there was more. But after he realized the meaning behind it, he felt a little cold all over his body. Could it be that the owner of the adjacent mansion changed its name and surname along with Beiliang's change of place