Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 819: Luo Yunhou Suffers a Loss
In the courtyard of the Governor's Residence,

Yu Shiyuan had a serious look on his face. He had heard that the Taiping Sect had many bandits, but he thought it was an imaginary number. Unexpectedly, it was a real number. Regardless of their combat power, they had the advantage in numbers.

"Your Highness, what do you think?"

"Teacher, now that the protagonists of the play have arrived, let's prepare to start. There are 10,000 elite soldiers in the city, and 30,000 young and strong men on the city. It's good to see some blood. After the play, according to the agreement, we will fight our way out from the east gate. There will be people outside the city to support us. At that time, as long as Wang Ziteng moves, no matter if he comes early or late, he will lose. As for..."

Zhou Yongxiao raised his head and looked at his teacher, who had a tired and old face with a hint of worry. He felt a little sad. He didn't expect that his teacher would have to suffer such a disaster at the age of sixty. It was really wrong.

"As for the number of Taiping Sect members, teacher, if Taiping Sect is not strong enough, how can it stop the imperial army? Although strategy accounts for the majority, to implement it, it still requires real fighting. Those officers and soldiers are not made of clay."

These words also showed Zhou Yongxiao's attitude. It seemed that the leader Chu of the Taiping Sect had also thought of this. It would be nothing more than the death of more people. As long as they could win, everything would be worth it. Therefore, the 100,000 troops he ambushed in the eastern part of the north had the same idea. He just didn't know whether they could succeed in the end. What he was most worried about was the 50,000 cavalry. If they really wanted to leave, they couldn't be stopped.

"Well, in that case, I will not say any more. Please be careful, Your Highness. The people in the city, as well as most officials, have been forced by me to go to Xiling County. Those who do not want to go can only stay. This is considered a favor to the Taiping Church. Alas."

Yu Shiyuan sighed. Not long ago, he had arranged for many people to flee southward according to the route drawn by His Highness. However, many people wanted to flee northward. At this critical moment, how could he let them go? He inevitably killed many people who followed him blindly. Only then did he stop the attack. Unfortunately, they lost their lives.
"Teacher, don't blame yourself. Everyone has their own destiny. If they choose not to take the chance to survive, that's their destiny. There is one more thing. Teacher, you have been worried about the situation in Runan City in the east. Last night, I received a letter from the leader of the White Lotus Sect, saying that they have already sent troops to the northeast and will soon surround Runan City. Therefore, there is no need to consider the imperial court's reinforcements from the east."

The reason why Zhou Yongxiao kept his troops in Weizhou was, one, to guard against the evil woman of the White Lotus Sect, and the other was to guard against the movements of the Runan Prefecture army. Now that he has received the confirmed letter, his elite troops can be separated and march north together, and the chances of success will naturally be greater.

"Master White Lotus, is that witch still alive?"

Upon hearing that it was a letter from the leader of the White Lotus Sect, Yu Shiyuan's face was filled with thought and nostalgia. Thinking back to those days, all the officials in the Central Plains court were terrified and could not live in peace upon hearing the name of this woman. He didn't expect that she was still alive?

"Teacher, this leader is not that leader. To be exact, he is the last disciple of the previous leader. Although I don't know his character, there are no good men or women who can become the leader. But, I have a question, why I have not been able to find out any information about the saint in their sect. It is too strange, so I asked you to borrow troops to go north, because I want to keep troops for defense."

This was also the reason why Zhou Yongxiao had been holding back. The Weizhou army was composed of the elite troops of his old camp, and they were on guard against the White Lotus Sect. From ancient times to the present, the White Lotus Sect was not trustworthy, and the Saint and the leader of the sect had almost equal power. Therefore, the lack of news about the Saint of the White Lotus Sect was always a thorn in his heart.

As if she could see His Highness's worry, she brushed his hand slightly and smiled.
"All things are difficult, but this is just the beginning. You are doing the right thing. Although the Taiping Sect is in its heyday, I don't know if it's intuition or other thoughts, but I always feel that the White Lotus Sect can be resurrected and hidden so deeply. It should not be as simple as it seems on the surface. She will still be the biggest enemy of the court in the future."

"Teacher, that's what we can ask. It seems that the White Lotus wants to go to Jiangnan to stir up trouble. I think it's unlikely. If something happens in Runan City, the troops in the Jiangnan camp will definitely move to Tang County. With the natural barrier of the canal, not even a fly can fly over."

Zhou Yongxiao shook his head with some regret, but when he thought that the White Lotus Sect could still go north to Xihe County, and those messy bandits might still cause trouble for a while, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.

At this moment, outside the city, there were sounds of trumpets, shouts, and the beating of drums on the top of the city walls became more intense.
Kou Zijing, who was still outside the pavilion, suddenly changed his expression and said in a lost voice;
"Master, Your Highness, the Taiping Cult's people are attacking the city!"

Luoyunhou Mansion,

Zhang Jinyu asked the treasury manager of the Marquis's Mansion to prepare silver and account books, and left his personal soldiers to guard the place. He stood outside the gate, giving some silver to the poor students who had been deceived, on the pretext of giving them money to honor their parents.
I thought it was just the people from Hanyuan Hall in the palace, so there shouldn't be too many of them. But in a short while, there was only a little left in the box of silver. The manager thought it was strange and checked the examination papers of the students who came to collect the silver. They were correct. Why?

When he was confused, a large group of people came from a distance. The manager's face changed. It's not right. There are already three hundred people recorded here. According to the Marquis, there are only more than a thousand candidates in the examination room of Hanyuan Hall. Could it be that they are all bought?

Just thinking,

The students at the street corner gathered around again, holding their examination papers and clamoring to get their money first. Unexpectedly, the manager closed the account book, stood up and asked:
"Quiet, quiet."

With one shout, the crowd's voices were suppressed.
The candidates gathered around and saw the person in charge of distributing silver closed the account book. They thought that no more silver would be distributed, so they hurriedly asked;
"Sir, why don't you give out money?"

"Yes, but what's wrong?"

"Manager, we have traveled a long way to get here. You can't let us make a wasted trip."

The people at the front were explaining at once, which made the manager frown, slam the table hard and yell;
"Shut up, everyone. Let me ask you guys, are you here to collect the money?"

The people in front were a little puzzled. Why did they ask this question? If they didn't want to get the money, who would run here? They came a long way. After looking at each other, they nodded in unison.

"Do you have a visa certificate?"

The manager saw that the men did not seem to be lying, and that the examination papers could not be faked. The men nodded at the same time and replied;

"Yes, we have them all,"

Because this year's special examination, those who are admitted will be re-issued with examination tickets, and those who are not admitted will have to go back again. This examination ticket is also an identity certificate and will be sent back, so you can find out with just a check.
The manager was puzzled. This was strange. Seeing the number of people coming to the door, there were hundreds of them. Could they all have come?

"If you want the collar, you have to hand over the brocade bag. Do you have it with you?"

"Yes. Yes."

A few people were afraid that they would not be given money, so they took out the test paper bag they had bought at that time from their pockets and held it high.
The steward's mouth twitched. Really, there were so many people. Could it be that people from the Imperial Examination Hall had also come? Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind, and he asked again,

"Are you candidates for the Imperial Examination?"

"Yes, sir, we are all here. Master Pei from the Imperial Examination Hall said that the Marquis was kind and could get back the money we were cheated of. We heard the news and came here. It was hard work along the way."

Several people complained bitterly but there were still expressions of gratitude on their faces. They didn't expect that Marquis Luo Yun was so righteous that he could make the decision for these poor kids. He was truly an upright lord.

But how could the steward dare to agree? Fifteen taels of silver per person, a hundred people would be one thousand five hundred taels of silver. Just three hundred taels of silver would have already cost half a box.

He took the initiative to move a box of silver, about five thousand in it, from the treasury to show off the financial strength of the Marquis's Mansion. Now there is only a little left, and there are so many people outside the door. Looking at the street corner, there are still many people coming. Let alone this box, even if there are a few more boxes, they cannot carry it.

"You all stay quiet for a moment. I will go to the mansion to ask some questions and come back later to talk to you."

Without giving them a chance to speak, he turned around and went back home. When the remaining students saw him leaving, they all wanted to squeeze over to ask, but were stopped by the captain guarding the gate.

The eldest son Li Chaosheng saw this scene and held back his laughter. He did not expect that Marquis Luo Yun, who had always refused to suffer a loss, would now have to spend money to avoid disaster. Speaking of which, the people in the Imperial Examination Hall were really bold. Pei Shaoqing, this name always sounded familiar. Who could it be?

Inside the gate of the mansion,
The steward hurried into the mansion and ran straight to the west courtyard where the marquis was resting. After entering the courtyard, he slowed down his pace, approached the main room carefully, and knocked on the door.

At this time, Zhang Jinyu was still a little annoyed. He hadn't seen any benefits from the Enke exam, and he had no idea about the cheating. Not to mention other things, he had spent a lot of time and only lost money. When did he suffer such a loss?
I said that getting involved with those civil servants would bring no good results, and it turned out to be true. I complained in my heart and felt restless all over. I picked up the tea bowl and drank it in one gulp. I still felt a little blocked in my heart.

"Knock, knock." There was a knock on the door.

The steward quickly spoke up.

"My Lord, I have something to report."

When Zhang Jinyu heard the voice, he was stunned. He thought that the three men had arrived. Why didn’t they come at this time?

"Come in and answer the call. What's the matter?"

Hearing the Marquis asking him to come in, the steward carefully opened the door and went in. Seeing the Marquis sitting there with an impatient look on his face, he quickly knelt there and explained;

"My Lord, I am not disturbing you on purpose. It's just that there are too many students outside. Everyone is holding a brocade bag and wants to exchange it for silver. What should we do?"

Zhang Jinyu looked at the kneeling steward in the hall with some surprise. Isn't it just to exchange silver? Even if everyone comes, how many people can there be in Hanyuan Hall? Even if there are, how many people can afford to pay the silver? He replied impatiently,
"You can just change it for them. It will only cost you a little more money."

Unfortunately, as soon as I said this, the manager didn't leave. Instead, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed, with an embarrassed expression on his face.

"My Lord, it's not that I don't want to give it, but that I can't give it. My Lord, I just carried out a box of silver, and now that the bottom is empty, many people have come in. When I asked, it turned out that they were students from the Imperial Academy. They said that it was Master Pei from the Imperial Academy who asked them to exchange our brocade bag for silver, so all the poor students from the Imperial Academy have come."

After saying this, he wiped the sweat off his face.

Only Zhang Jinyu was stunned, and spit out a mouthful of tea, saying in a lost voice;
"What? You all came to our house to collect the money. Who asked you to come?"

Damn it, I am being taken advantage of. Nan Zixian is at least a Grand Secretary of Wuying Palace, but he can come up with such a shameless method. What kind of official is so bold as to take advantage of me?

"My Lord, it was said by Master Pei, the examiner of the Imperial Examination Hall, that this was said by Master Pei."

"Humph, that's interesting. What's the point of giving money to an adult? He doesn't even pay for it, but just talks about keeping the benefits for himself and letting us pay for the losses. How can this be justified?"

Zhang Jinyu stood up and paced, wanting to chase them all away, but then he thought of the palace. Now that the imperial examination was over, everyone was happy. The emperor's spies had been keeping an eye on the matter, and he was very kind to approve the quota for himself. Now that there was a sign of cheating, he could suppress it.
If there is another commotion over this money, regardless of what others do, I will be the one involved and will definitely not be able to escape the responsibility. However, I have suffered such a loss and there is really no place to seek justice. Lord Nan could at least give me a greeting.

After walking back and forth for a few times, he still couldn't make up his mind. The steward who was kneeling on the ground saw it, hesitated for a moment, and asked;
"My Lord, whether you give the silver or not, there are at least three or four hundred people gathered outside. If you don't give them back, it will cause a big commotion and cause a lot of trouble."

Although the steward was not afraid, he had some reputation, which was the face of his master. Almost all the students in the capital were here, and everyone spitted at him. There was nothing to say.

What the manager said was also what Zhang Jinyu was worried about. These so-called scholars might not necessarily accomplish anything, and they could do evil things with their mouths open and closed. It would be good enough to have a name at all, let alone a good reputation.

"That's true. It's just a matter of taking more silver. You go register it, assign more people to record it, distribute their silver, and take back the lucky bags. Damn it, when I find out which bastard is behind this, I'll skin him alive."

After saying these harsh words, he drove the steward out, but he was getting more and more upset. At this moment, another voice came from outside the door.
"Haha, Luo Yunhou is really good-tempered. He can endure such a thing. I really admire him."

A hearty laugh came, and I looked up at the door, only to see a young man in white Confucian clothes walking in. A closer look at his face revealed a hint of a smile on his handsome face. Isn't this the eldest son of the Prime Minister's family?
I quickly stood up and went to meet him, changing my face.
"Who am I? Spring has come, magpies have come to my door, the eldest son has come to my house, and my humble mansion has been honored."

Good words are not afraid of too much, praise comes one after another,

Instantly, the eldest son's face was more smiling. Li Chaosheng clasped his fists as a greeting.

"My Lord, I appreciate your praise. I will ignore some of the mundane etiquette for your kindness."

"My Lord, you are too kind. I am honored by having you come to my house. Please, take a seat."

Zhang Jinyu waved his hand and offered to take the seat. The eldest son, Li Chaosheng, was not polite either and also made a gesture of invitation. The two sat down on the seats. The maids serving in the hall began to change the tea, brought the cakes, and after setting them up, they slowly withdrew. As soon as they left,
Zhang Jinyu thought for a moment and asked;
"My Lord, I don't come to your palace for no reason, but what instructions does the Prime Minister have?"

Although the young master of the Li family entered the cabinet to write, he was not a cabinet minister after all. The one who made the decision was still the Prime Minister. I don't know why he came to visit this time.
"My Lord, I don't have any instructions. I dare not do that. I just have some personal matters to ask you for advice."

Li Chaosheng lowered his head and agreed in a low voice, saying that it was absolutely unacceptable to use his father's name to make things happen.

Hearing it was a private matter, Zhang Jinyu's heart moved. They were all young people, what private matters could there be? Officialdom is all about official business. If it wasn't an official business, could it be that the eldest young master had fallen in love with some woman in private? That wouldn't be possible.

Then, his eyes looked a little strange and asked;

"I wonder what the eldest son's private affairs are?"

Not sure if he sensed something, but when Li Chaosheng heard what Luo Yunhou asked, he turned around, paused, and shook his head.

"Don't think too much, my Lord. The so-called private matter is just my brother's business. It has nothing to do with the old man. I came here today just to do business with you. What do you think of the county magistrate in Jiangnan?"

Li Chaosheng also pointed to Jiangnan. At present, officials in Dawu have been ill for a long time, and many officials have been donated. There are very few vacancies, not to mention the county magistrate in Jiangnan, the richest place in the world.

Unfortunately, Zhang Jinyu still didn't understand what he meant. What county magistrate? And the county magistrate of Jiangnan. What's the point of saying all this? Could it be that he wanted me to be the county magistrate?
"Ahem, I don't understand what you said, sir. What's the meaning of being a county magistrate or not?"

This reaction amused Li Chaosheng. Only Luo Yunhou was so careless. This time, Master Nan might have already arranged the positions and appointments of his students. He didn't beat around the bush and smiled.

"My Lord, I am not talking about you, but the officials of the students you have accepted today have already been determined. In Jiangnan, the seventh rank can be appointed as county magistrates, the eighth rank can be appointed as county magistrates, and the ninth rank can be left in the capital as idle officials. In the future, as long as they are on the list of candidates for the imperial examinations, or if they pass the imperial examinations, you can consult me ​​on how to arrange them."

It can be regarded as a solution to doubts, or a promise. Li Chaosheng's handwriting is not small. Although the cabinet's writing is not a big deal, the Dawu cabinet's decision must be reported to the Prime Minister for every word and action. The so-called negotiation is just a price negotiation. Once it is negotiated, it is nothing more than an exchange.

Zhang Jinyu finally understood the reason why the eldest son came. Good fellow, his nose is a dog, and his movements are too fast. But why would he be working in Jiangnan? The strange thing here is,

I pondered over and over again in my mind, thinking that a few days ago, Eunuch Yang of the Imperial Palace, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Stables, went south to Nanjing. What was he going to do? There was no news at all. Maybe there was an oral order from the palace or Changle Palace. Could it be related to this?

"What you said is absolutely right, but I wonder how you would discuss it?"

(End of this chapter)