Chunguang Brocade

Chapter 104 Winning an Official and Grabbing the Gate (6000 words by Ji Momo)
Summer nights are always so intoxicating. The dark sky is full of bright stars, which are extraordinarily dazzling.

A round of bright moon hangs high in the sky, and the faint light is like a thin gauze, floating and reflecting on the river surface, like a layer of broken silver, shining brightly.

The two of them were walking by the moat, and the summer wind was blowing slowly in front of them, which was extraordinarily fresh and cool.

Neither of the two opened their mouths, but the two beating hearts were not silent. They seemed to be communicating silently, joy and joy flowing wantonly in this night, warm and lingering.

In the boats floating on the river, sparks lit up, and Ji Chong's fingers moved forward quietly by his side.

Suddenly being held by someone, Shen Chuxia was startled, stopped in her tracks, lowered her head, her hand was surrounded by someone's wide palm, and her knuckle fingers held her casually and with just the right strength.

The warmth spread wantonly in the evening wind, she raised her head, "Your Highness..." Holding hands, does he know what this means?
"Hmm!" Ji Chong's usually cold and majestic eyes did not look at her.

Shen Chuxia turned to his gaze, "Your Highness?" Looking up, her bright eyes were as bright as stars in the night. Is this a relationship?
There was no way to hide, Ji Chong lowered his head and stared squarely, "Yes."

In the night, the 28-year-old man actually looked shy, no way, Shen Chuxia wanted to laugh, but felt that it was inappropriate, so he raised their clenched hands, "Is this holding hands?"

"Ah."

"Is there nothing else today except the word 'um'?" Shen Chuxia raised her eyebrows, as if she couldn't get enough of someone's excitement.

"Shouldn't you be shy at this time?" His Royal Highness the Regent expressed his confusion.

"Haha..." Shen Chuxia couldn't help it anymore, she leaned forward and backward with laughter.

A certain person felt hot in his ears, coughed lightly, let go of his hand, and walked forward.

Too bad, Miss Shen angered His Highness again, Mu Tong wanted to catch up, but was blocked by Su Juesong, "Don't go!"

"For..." Mu Tong hadn't finished his sentence when he saw Miss Shen who was laughing in front of him chased after her, hugged His Highness's arm with both hands, rested her chin on his arm, raised her head and smiled slightly.

"Your Highness, has anyone ever told you that you are cute?"

"Nonsense." Ji Chong's face collapsed, and he glared at her sideways.

"Okay, okay, I'm the only one who thinks His Highness is cute." How cute is an old guy who has no love experience!

Ji Chong stretched out his other hand to pinch someone, what kind of woman, it's fine if he doesn't know how to be shy, but he turned around to tease him, it's really against the sky.

The regent had a thousand kinds of dissatisfaction in his heart, but the corners of his mouth stretched to his ears in the night, and he enjoyed letting someone hold his arm, blowing the evening breeze and watching the night fire.

It's such a beautiful night!
"How many days will you stay in the capital?"

"When Lu Qi takes office, a corner of the canal will pass through." Shen Chuxia dozed off on Ji Chong's arm.

Ji Chong kept looking at her in a daze, "Are you so confident that Shen Gongci can use him?"

"It's better to give Gao's old fried sticks than to give it to a brat to run amok."

"A little gatekeeper!"

Shen Chuxia woke up instantly, "Tsk tsk..." He shook his head.

"What look?" For some reason, the high-ranking regent was looked at by the little lady with a guilty conscience.

Shen Chuxia said, "You made the right choice by accepting Qianyuan today."

Ji Chong frowned.

Shen Chuxia said, "Keep him by your side every day, let him pull out the abacus beads for you every day, if I come to the capital again in a month, and you still tell me that Little Qian doesn't like this, my dear Highness, then I will withdraw as well." Already!"

"Dear……"

Shen Chuxia covered his mouth with her hand, and when he stopped talking, she turned and ran away with a smile, waving at him behind her back, "Good night, Your Highness, I'm going back to sleep."

Ji Chong looked at her back and didn't move for a long time.

"Gate officer..." Someone turned around and looked at the starry river, muttering to himself while standing in the night.

Su Juesong and others came to him, "Your Highness, it's late at night, we should go back."

Ji Chong turned his head, "Starting tomorrow, put that kid next to me to grind ink."

"But the lower official has promised him the position of Bo in front of everyone."

"Isn't a little boss worthy of grinding ink for this king?"

"..." Of course, Su Juesong unconsciously looked at the little lady who was running far ahead. Since meeting her, His Highness has been acting more and more strangely.

Two days later, under the focus of many eyes in Beijing, the minister of the Ministry of Industry submitted a letter to the court, instructing Xinke Tanhua Lu Qi to be the eighth-rank gate official of the Ministry of Industry, in charge of all river affairs in Gyeonggi, including the Weihe River and the Grand Canal.

"Then what should I do now?" Received the letter of appointment, Lu Qi was both happy and confused.

"Settle down your mother."

"Of course." Lu Qi was already anxious.

Shen Chuxia said, "I don't understand the twists and turns of the river in the Great Wei Dynasty, so you have to figure it out by yourself."

"Ah..." Lu Qi couldn't believe what he heard, "Then why did you let me grab this position?"

Shen Chuxia smiled slyly, "Of course it's convenient for me to do business."

"..." Lu Qi was taken aback by what she said.

"Asarum—" Shen Chuxia shouted, "Bring me the book I gave Master Lu."

Lu Qi saw two maids coming over with several books, "This first book is about the River Road of the Great Wei Dynasty. I entrusted Wei Xingchen's grandfather to transcribe it in the palace."

Lu Qi was very happy when he heard this, and even brought it over to look at it.

"Wait." Shen Chuxia pressed him to flip the book, and handed over the second book, "This is 36 tricks."

"What's the use of him?"

For his own business, Shen Chuxia had to pull him out first, "Boss Yu and I want to find a river channel for Nanliang and Beishang to transfer goods that will not be extorted. If you go through the back door, the tax you should pay will not be less, but you just don’t want to be blackmailed, understand?”

Lu Qi nodded, then shook his head again.

Shen Chuxia looked like she didn't say much, now she is pushing him away, but she believes that after training, in time, he will understand, if you want to find your way in the quagmire, you don't have to learn well of.

Shen Chuxia took out the third book.

"Talk about vegetable roots?" Lu Qi thought that he had read many books, but he had never seen such a book: "Eating vegetables and swallowing roots?"

"It's almost the same meaning." Shen Chuxia said: "If a person bites the root of the vegetable, everything can be done."

Lu Qi's expression froze.

"I also got this book by chance from Washi. I think it's good and I recommend it to you. I hope you can learn something from it when you are confused and helpless."

Although he didn't know what it was, Lu Qi could tell that Miss Shen was too thoughtful, so he saluted, "Thank you, Miss Shen."

In fact, Cai Gen Tan was not picked up from Washi, but Shen Chuxia silently memorized it.

Cai Gen Tan is a book from the Ming Dynasty, and it is not something owned by this dynasty at all. In her previous life, she memorized it because her grandfather liked it. Generally speaking, it reflects the ancient intellectuals' thinking of the integration of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism.

In other words, the author combined the Confucian doctrine of the mean, the Buddhist thought of transcending the world, and the Taoist thought of inaction, combined with his own experience, to form a set of rules for entering the world.

She felt that it should be useful to the fledgling Lu Qi.

Old Han Tuo knew that Shen Chuxia was going to Beijing, and also knew that she would definitely come to him.

"It's time to use me again?" He sat at the door, blowing through the alley wind, whizzing coldly.

Shen Chuxia wrapped her clothes tightly, "Aren't you cold?" It's almost winter, and sitting at the door blowing the air is really not something ordinary people can bear, so she entered the dilapidated small courtyard.

Seeing that he didn't move, he had no choice but to stop, "Uncle Tuo..." shouted helplessly and familiarly.

Old Han Tuo turned his head, "Say it, I can hear you."

Asking for others, the posture can only be low, Shen Chuxia wrapped her clothes again, "Lu Tanhua got the post of gate officer, you have heard."

"I'm not interested in doing business for you."

Shen Chuxia rolled his eyes, "Do you think that the business is good at economics, and it will also make Gao's many small teeth, okay? It can be regarded as shaking the foundation of Gao's, which will also play a very important role in moving Gao's in the future, okay? good."

The little lady said it in a serious manner, which seemed to be awe-inspiring and righteous, and the old Han Tuo only snorted, "That's by the way, your original intention is only to make money."

"That also helped you by the way."

"You were helping Ji Chong."

I really can't talk today.

Shen Chuxia looked at the sky, "I make money, and if you bring down the Gao family, you will attack these little Luoluos. We have the same goal, isn't that all right?"

In early winter, the sky is high and crisp, blue sky and white clouds, a group of birds fly freely, quiet and clear.

After a long time, old Han Tuo finally replied, "Understood."

"Thank you, Uncle Tuo, with your help, Lu Tanhua will definitely fight his way out."

Old Han Tuo turned around, "Why didn't you find Ji Chong?"

"He disdained it."

Old Han Tuo's weather-beaten face wrinkled even more, "I don't even bother."

Shen Chuxia rolled her eyes, "I'm leaving."

In the wind behind him, a murmur came, "Could this be the reason why we have been unable to bring down Mrs. Gao?"

A few days later, the Grand Canal reached the most important river channel in Bianjing, and Master Lu appeared in front of everyone in a brand-new green official robe.A group of nurses on the river section acted as if they hadn't seen him, and they all got their cards and went to work.

In a blink of an eye, there were only two handymen left in the river station, one was a cook and the other was a cleaner. Master Lu didn't seem to be bothered. He moved a stool and sat at the door, looking at the river in the distance.

Sit for a day.

The two handymen didn't take the initiative to speak, and he didn't say a word, and he didn't even have his share of the meal.What he ate was the meal brought by his own servant, and after eating, the servant left.

Xiaobu Bubu used to follow the little rabbit, he was the smarter little guy among them, Shen Chuxia introduced him to Lu Qi as a servant, he returned to his residence with an empty lunch box, and told Shen Chuxia what he saw, "Yeah ,I see."

All morning, she was not idle. While studying the river, she sorted out the intertwined relationship between the river officials. Alas, is it easy to make money?
In the Prince Regent's Mansion, Xiao Wu was standing in front of the Prince Regent to report the news brought by the secret guard, "Master Lu has been sitting at the door for three days, and no one spoke to him on the first day, and the old man who cleaned the house persuaded him Where did it come from, where did it go back, on the third day, those river guards made fun of Mr. Lu before they left for work."

Ji Chong listened with a calm expression on his face. After his subordinates finished speaking, he waved his hand.

Xiao Wu disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Ji Chong turned his head.

Qian Yuan was so frightened that his legs went limp, and he thumped, "His... Your Highness, my little... my stomach hurts. I want to ask for leave to buy some medicine."

Ji Chong frowned.

The regent seemed extremely impatient, Qian Yuan thought he was about to be beheaded, but he hummed lightly.

This is...is this agreed?He happily crawled out of the Regent's Palace.

Looking back at the towering forehead, God, he doesn't want high officials and rich salary anymore, how can he have a life to enjoy, so he ran away.

Inside the palace, the regent asked, "Where did he go?"

Xiao Wu appeared like a ghost, "Go back to Your Highness, and went to Tongtai Inn."

"It doesn't look stupid." His Royal Highness the Prince Regent laughed.

Xiao Wu felt cold, and then disappeared again.

A big man sat in front of a little lady and cried, "It's all your fault, it's all your fault. If my Qian family ends, you must be the biggest sinner."

Just as Boss Yu was about to stop him, Shen Chuxia stopped him and whispered to him, "He is suitable for being an official."

"Ah..." Boss Yu said in surprise.

Qian Yuan suddenly stopped crying, "You...what did you say?" He wiped away the non-existent tears.

Shen Chuxia smiled meaningfully.

Qian Yuan turned his head away in embarrassment, "Then...that's your fault too."

"Why do you blame me? Blame me for sending you to Qingyun?"

"Of course not, I blame you for being like my grandfather, I can't help it..."

"Just being coquettish?"

Qian Yuan's face was instantly splashed with blood.

Shen Chuxia sneered, "Instead of sitting here and crying, it's better to do something useful."

Qian Yuan was not convinced, "Of course I want to do something useful. Your Highness asks me to make calculations every day, but I don't have any data in my hand. What should I use?"

Shen Chuxia raised her eyes.

"Don't look at me, I don't just add and subtract a set of numbers randomly. I have done this kind of thing from the age of three to the age of 15. I have done enough. Without real data, I will not use the abacus."

Shen Chuxia pointed to the river in front of the door, "Then start from the north moat and calculate how many ships pass by every day, and how much each ship charges is reasonable..."

Qian Yuan was shocked, "This is the tax of the country, you let me calculate it?"

"Could it be that the Prince Regent really asked you to grind ink by his side, secretly asking you to make plans when no one was around?"

"..." Qian Yuan was stunned.

Shen Chuxia and Boss Yu quietly left the office.

Boss Yu sighed, "Why do I feel like the mountain is about to come and the wind is overwhelming the building?"

Shen Chuxia laughed, "Don't Boss Yu wish to live in a dynasty with fair laws and clean government?"

"It's easier said than done."

"It's really not easy. We ordinary people live the lives of ordinary ordinary people."

"You..." Boss Yu couldn't help but laugh when he was clearly capable of doing everything, "Miss Shen..."

Shen Chuxia spread her hands, "Boss Yu, I'm telling the truth, my petty troubles are nothing, they are the ones who are really useful..." She pointed in the direction of the palace.

"That's right." Boss Yu recalled, "It's not right either."

"Ha ha……"

Whether it's right or wrong, Shen Chuxia's bet has been placed on Lu Qi, and the businessmen from the north and the south can all count on the fledgling Mr. Lu.

Five days later, Gao Taishi’s Mansion and the situation at the gate of the Grand Canal in the capital city were delivered to Gao Chen every day as if it were urgently needed eight hundred miles away. He remained motionless in front of the post, and then looked serious, as if to say that the official is here, why don't you come to see me?"

"Haha..." The other staff members laughed in unison.

Gao Chen pursed his lips, raised his eyes and glanced over.

Everyone fell silent for an instant.

"You can underestimate Tan Hualang, but don't underestimate Shen Jinlin's daughter."

Shen Jinlin?This name has disappeared for too long, so long that these staff members have forgotten that the former fifth-rank member Wailang is still imprisoned in the prison of Dali Temple.

"Why didn't you answer?" Gao Chen's slender Danfeng eyes looked impatient.

The waiter was so frightened that he hurriedly replied, "Lu Tanhua went back to the Ministry of Industry and sued Master Shen for disrespecting him."

"..." All the staff were stunned for a moment, and then they all covered their mouths and laughed to prevent the laughter from overflowing.

Gao Chen couldn't help but hook his lips, "Is Shen Chuxia's idea too restrained, or is Lu too cowardly?"

The waiter understood, and shrank his head in fright.

The staff covering their mouths and laughing were too frightened to move by Gao Chen. Can the girl surnamed Shen have any ideas to move the entangled river guard? If the surname Lu didn't give in, she should have had a fight with the river guard long ago. Will he go back to the Ministry of Industry to file a complaint?

On the sixth day, Mr. Geng received a complaint from Shen Gongci, "Didn't Mr. Geng call them over and ask why he didn't respect the officials appointed by the court?"

"..." This was indeed a mistake. Mr. Geng had no choice but to call for the river guards. Of course, he would not call all the river guards. He would only call the leader to give a few words of explanation.

On the seventh day, the little leader of the river guard was called to the official department for questioning. Lu Qi jumped onto the river lock boat, replaced the river mouth where the little leader stood, and directly opened the lock boat that blocked the boat.

Shen Chuxia exclaimed happily, it was done.

In a blink of an eye, all the large and small boats stuck in the bend of the canal poured into the river of the capital like ducks released from the wind.

They passed the gate successfully.

When the other river guards reacted, they found that the river channel they were guarding had been washed away by huge water waves. They flocked to Lu Qi one after another, trying to drown him in the river channel with bamboo wormwood.

Old Han Tuo's people shouted, "They killed the court officials, they killed the court officials..."

Suddenly, many soldiers jumped out of an ordinary medium-sized ship, and they jumped to each lock boat with knives, and caught all the river guards who stretched out to kill people.

A killing and arrest came and went quickly.

The river was full of dense boats, they were frightened by this situation, what's going on?

Lu Qi was lifted onto the lock by Old Hantuo's water ghost. He wiped the river water that blinded his eyes, ignoring his shivering body, and shouted to the front: "The front one, you should pay three hundred river tolls!" Tongzi, please send it here, the second one has a water level of seven liters, and the inside is cloth. It is taxed according to the river course of the Great Wei Dynasty, and you should pay 290 Wen..."

Playing by the rules?

"Is that right?" someone whispered to the neighboring ship who didn't understand.

Those who understand nodded, "That's right."

As a result, the crowd was silent in the crowded river, and people went to the lock boats to pay the lock money. After paying, their boats arrived at the capital wharf without any hindrance.

On the river, Ji Chong's personal guards stood on the other lock boats, neatly 3000 people, and they guarded Lu Qi, who collected taxes, like occupying a land of victory.

Nanliangbeishang successfully bartered goods, and Shen Chuxia collected the storage fee and servant fee she deserved.

Boss Yu was terrified, "Shen...Miss Shen, Mrs. Gao won't let us go."

"I have long been a thorn in their eyes." Shen Chuxia didn't care.

Boss Yu wiped his brow of sweat, hesitant to speak.

Shen Chuxia patted him on the shoulder, "Trust me, it's fine."

really?
On the eighth day, under the pressure of Gao Shi, Geng Qiru let go of the little leader of the river guard, but he was caught again by Ji Chong who came from the East Department before he left the Yamen of the West Department.

Su Juesong had a cold expression on his face, "For the Prince Regent to arrest you in person, your ancestors really burned a lot of incense."

The little leader of the river guard looked at the officials onlookers to the west, and shouted at Gao Chen, "Uncle Guo, save me...Uncle Guo, save me..."

Gao Chen looked at Ji Chong with a gloomy face.

Ji Chong stood with his hands behind his back, looking light and calm, but what he said was shocking, "In the four years since Emperor Tongfeng ascended the throne to the present, nine river guards have embezzled a total of [-] million taels of river gate fees. Dali Temple will make a strict review and recover this batch of money."

"Master Wen—"

"The officer is—"

"Whether there is money or not, I don't care about it, but I want to know exactly where every money goes."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Ji Chong walked away.

After walking a few steps as if thinking of something, he turned his head, "Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you that I have transferred 3 people to Beijing to assist the soldiers and horses in order to maintain security. Said, you can shoot to kill."

Mrs. Gao yelled angrily, "You want to seize the throne?"

Ji Chong pulled his lips and smiled, "Even if he won the position, his surname is still Ji, old master, are you right?"

"you……"

"Master, it's just a few river guards. Why are you nervous?" After speaking, he swaggered and left the West Office.

No one thought that the gate of the river would fall if a small head of the river guard was called by his superiors for questioning, which was simply unimaginable.

Geng Qiru returned to the mansion and recounted Gao Ji's conversation to Geng Taifu, "Father, Ji Chong made no secret of his desire."

Geng Taifu's mood was not on this, "the first day, the second day... for six days in a row to paralyze the opponent, and the accusation brought up was only disrespect for the new official, which made people take it lightly. Isn't it just a visit to the yamen of the Beijing Department, as everyone knows , The opponent's method is simple and rude, just to win a release lock ship space, one ring after another, and the rings are tightly intertwined, and the entire army of the moat is wiped out."

"Father, my son went to inquire specifically. The little lady surnamed Shen only wanted to facilitate her own business, so she gave Lu Tanhua a push."

Taifu Geng looked at his son in deep thought, "The children of this generation of poor families may be different from what we imagined."

"Father, what do you mean?"

Geng Taifu said quietly, "Looking at this, some people may..."

In the early morning of the next day, under the escort of the regent's army, Lu Qi brought the tax money received yesterday into the Ministry of Industry, "Master Shen, this is the river fee received yesterday, totaling 920 three taels."

"A river mouth has nearly 1000 taels a day?" How about a month or a year?Master Shen didn't dare to think about it.

"Yes, my lord." Lu Qi took out the list, "Each order indicates what kind of ship is received, please have a look at it, my lord."

But... In the past, all the rivers were self-sufficient, and even in the flood and dry season, the court had to subsidize money. Mr. Shen knew that there were a lot of tricks in it, but the atmosphere of the dynasty has always been like this, and he has no power to change it.

"You silver..."

"I belong to the Ministry of Industry, leave it to your lord."

Hiss... Shen Gongci suddenly felt that money was hot.

(End of this chapter)