First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 594: Night Banquet Trouble
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Upon hearing Tian Yangming's report, the guards at the Governor's Mansion looked at each other and were stunned.

Seeing Tian Yangming standing at the door, arrogant and high-spirited, his face turned red and he kicked him over, saying, "How can you be so particular?"

Tian Yangming covered his buttocks, waved the invitation in his hand, and shouted aggrievedly: "This is Governor Feng's post."

Feng Ang and others had already heard the noise and came out to greet them.

"I was preparing to go to the camp to greet you, but I didn't expect Youzhi to come so quickly," Feng Ang said with a loud laugh.

As for whether he wanted to welcome him in person, only Feng Ang knew.

"How dare you trouble Mr. Mingda so much? It's only one street away. It only takes a few steps to get there." Gao Chong said with a smile behind his hands.

Then he looked at Wei Shuxie and Wei Shuxie and said, "Brother Shuxie came early."

"We just arrived," Wei Shuxie nodded with a smile.

Feng Ang welcomed everyone into the middle hall and took their seats. Seeing Gao Chong bringing the four teenagers with him, Feng Ang naturally added two food tables for the four of him.

Seeing Wei Shuxie looking over curiously, Gao Chong patted his head, "Look at my head, I've been confused after looking at the household register all afternoon. Brother Shuxie, this is my younger brother Gao Kan, and the other three are my apprentices."

The four of you haven't come over to pay your respects. These are the two people I told you about this afternoon, Wei Changshi and Li Shilang from the Book Collection Province."

When they heard the word "household registration", Wei and Li did not react at all, but Feng Ang's eyes narrowed.

The four people immediately came forward to greet them. After announcing their homes, Wei Shuxie did not dare to show off and returned the gifts one by one.

Especially Pei Xingjian, this boy's uncle Luo Shixin was Uncle Wei's former boss, and Puzhou was subordinate to the Jiangzhou Governor's Mansion.

As for Li Gongyan, the four of them were not rude. Li Gongyan did not dare to sit upright. Among the four, regardless of family background, he was a disciple of Gao Chong. His future achievements would definitely be high, but he could not offend.

After greeting each other, Feng Ang simply opened the banquet.

Gaozhou is close to the South China Sea and backed by the mountains of Yunkai. The banquet was full of seafood and delicacies, which was an eye-opener for Wei and Li who came from the interior.

In this era, even the emperor had difficulty eating fresh seafood in inland areas, and Feng's seafood was all transported from the sea by water tankers at the fastest speed to ensure freshness, which was first-class. Gao Chong also feasted on the rare items without any courtesy.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes of food, Wei Shuxie stood up, raised his glass, faced Gao Chong and said with a smile: "Since Gao Jinglue went south, he has worked hard for several months to quell the Ningdaoming rebellion and stabilize the states. Your hard work has been great. Please drink it." This cup shows your innermost feelings."

Gao Chong took the silk cloth and wiped his mouth, frowned and said: "You are called a very high-level manager, why do you still use such a relationship between me? Come on, drink and win."

Immediately raise the glass and drink it in one gulp.

Wei Shuxie nodded and responded with a smile, filled the glass again, and was about to look at Feng An.

There was only a bang, and Gao Chong took out an exquisite dagger inlaid with gems from his arms, which shocked everyone.

"Brother Uncle Xie, my cousin was born a few months ago. As my cousin, I also want to express my feelings. A man has to carry a sword, so this dagger was given to Xuanfu's nephew as a first-year gift. Remember to give it to Xuanfu later. "He," Gao Chong said with a smile while playing with the dagger in his hand.

Then he put it into a brocade box and handed it to Xue Rengui beside him. Xue Rengui held it in both hands and sent it to Wei Shuxie.

"Let me tell you first, this is just a personal gift, not a bribe," Gao Chong stretched out his hand and said with a smile.

Everyone laughed.

"You are so thoughtful." Seeing that Gao Chong was so close and actually prepared a gift, Wei Shuxie was also happy in his heart. The Gao family in Bohai now is different from the past.

There are currently four prime ministers in the central government, and the Bohai Gao family occupies only two of them, namely Gao Junya and Gao Shilian. In the future, there will be Gao Chong, and there will be rising stars such as Gao Jifu and Gao Biaoren. The Gao family is expected to be in the land of Hebei. , Gradually it is no longer as good as the five surnames and Qiwang.

Feng Ang was slightly startled when he saw this, and after a moment's thought, he looked at Feng Zhisun. However, Feng Zhisun was toasting with Tian Yangming and others, and had no idea about his old father's eyes. Feng An's heart was really filled with panic.

"Captain Feng, you are highly respected and respected. You have been in Lingnan for a long time. Governor Feng is indispensable for the stable situation in the Lingnan states."

Wei Shuxie comes from a famous family and has been good at sociability since he was a child. This time he represents the imperial court and comforts the local area, and he needs to give full play to his all-round skills. At this banquet, he will definitely not be left alone when he raises his glass.

"Wei Changshi has been honored so much." Feng An didn't dare to praise him, so he stood up and raised his glass, "I'm so ashamed of myself. I'm guarding this place, and I'm afraid of letting down the holy grace every day."

Wei Shuxie smiled when he heard this, and was about to speak when he suddenly heard Gao Chong laugh and say: "It's not necessary to be cautious, and the position of the corpse is unknown."

Hearing this, everyone's expressions changed.

The corners of Feng Ang's mouth twitched, he couldn't laugh or cry, and he looked at Gao Chong with sadness and anger.

"Gao Jinglue, what do you mean by this?" Feng Zhishen was stunned on the spot, and when he reacted, he jumped up and shouted.

Wei Shuxie and Wei Shuxie were also shocked, even Wei Shuxie was a little at a loss.

"Captain Feng, this is the household registration data of counties in Gaozhou in the past three years. Tell me, why are there fewer and fewer household registrations in Danzhou, Yazhou, Zhenzhou and other places?" Gao Chong asked from behind. Passing a stack of household registers, they hit the desk with a bang.

Before everyone could come to their senses, Gao Chong continued: "Last year's official evaluation, the Gaozhou Governor's Office was rated as average or above. Judging from the data, it is not equal."

Feng An's face darkened and gradually turned livid. He had never expected that Gao Chong would be so decisive. This was completely beyond his expectation. If one person is red-faced and the other person is white-faced, Gao Chong exerts pressure, and then Wei It would be too much to ask Shu Xie to comfort her.

Gao Chong's words completely negated Feng An's political achievements. He even thought that Feng An and the Ministry of Civil Affairs Kao Gongshi might have some hidden secrets.

"This, it's up to you." Wei Shuxie looked at Gao Chong and saw that Gao Chong's expression was as usual, so he could only smile and said: "I have heard for a long time that Youzhi is serious about politics. Back then, he was selfless in Dali Temple. When I saw him today, it turned out to be so. Ah, it’s just that Governor Feng’s hard work and great achievements are obvious to all, so you shouldn’t be so harsh.”

"Gao Jinglue, since I was appointed governor of Gaozhou, I have been very public-spirited and have not dared to slack off at all. Danzhou and other places are located in remote overseas areas with inconvenient transportation and are inhabited by barbarians. They live deep in the dense forests of the islands and have never communicated with outsiders. Population, this situation cannot be improved in a day or two, it has been like this for thousands of years. Household registration and naturalization have stagnated, and I am responsible for myself. As for the evaluation of the civil service, I am even more worthy of my conscience."

Feng An stood with his hands behind his back, his face was livid, and he spoke in a deep voice word for word.

"I don't care what the situation is like in the past, but since I came to Lingnan, your Gaozhou Governor's Mansion is also under the jurisdiction of the Jinglue Mansion, so I can't let it go. I only look at the future. Let me ask you, this year, the households in the overseas states will Can it be doubled?" Gao Chong said slowly, still calm and calm.

"Double?" After hearing this, everyone present exclaimed, which was really too much.

"Sorry, it's difficult to complete." Feng Ang snorted coldly and waved his sleeves vigorously.

"Okay, Chief Feng is really awesome," Gao Bang praised, but his words were obviously sarcastic, and then he looked at Wei Shuxie, "Brother Shuxie, you have also seen that this year's Gaozhou assessment, if you can't If it meets expectations, don’t blame me for being unkind.”

After saying that, Gao Chong took a deep look at Feng An, then turned and left.

Walking to the door, Gao Chong paused and said, "Pass the official order, the soldiers from the four counties in Gaozhou will gather at noon tomorrow and send troops to Panshe Ridge in Luozhou."Feng Ang had no expression on his face when he heard this, and just agreed in a deep voice.

After Gao Chong left, everyone fell silent for a while.

After all, it was Wei Shuxie who broke the silent atmosphere. After coughing, Wei Shuxie shook his head and smiled, "Gao Youzhi may be drunk, please don't take it personally."

"Shu Zi bullied me too much." Feng Ang suddenly exploded, kicked the table over, and looked at Wei Shuxie with grief and anger on his face, "Wei Changshi, I am over sixty years old. I have never been bullied like this. You can see it today. It's very... It is my fault, Mr. Feng, and it is really the Jinglue Mansion that went too far in bullying others."

Wei Shuxie didn't know how to respond, so he could only agree with a smile, his heart full of suspicion. He really couldn't figure out what Gao Chong was causing.

"Wei Changshi, my family has never offended Na Gao Chong. You witnessed the whole process of what happened today. I will definitely write a letter of impeachment. Then..." Feng Zhisu said angrily and gritted his teeth.

However, before he finished speaking, Feng An angrily shouted: "Shut up, I'm not dead yet, you can't make the decision."

Feng Zhishen looked confused.

When the attendants cleared the desk, Feng An took a deep breath and bowed: "I have lost my temper, please don't blame Wei Chang."

"How could it be possible? Mr. Mingda, please calm down and take care of yourself. I will report the matter to the court truthfully." Uncle Wei said with a smile.

When Feng Ang heard this, a strange color flashed in his eyes, and he quickly cupped his hands to express his thanks.

At this time, Wei Shuxie slapped his head and sighed: "I originally planned to wait until the wine was over to add to the joy, but I didn't expect Gao Jing to deceive him... Forget it, let's announce it now."After speaking, Wei Shuxie turned around and stretched out his hand, and his attendant immediately handed over a beautiful box.

"Feng Ang accepts the edict." Wei Shuxi cleared his throat and opened the box. Inside was an imperial edict.

Everyone was shocked, stood up, straightened their clothes, and bowed to listen.

Li Gongyan also looked surprised. He was the deputy envoy, and he didn't know that Wei Shuxie had another imperial edict.

The holy meaning is not long, it ends in a few short sentences.

However, after listening to it, Feng An burst into tears, "Old minister, thank you for your grace." After the words fell, Feng An fell to his knees with a pop.

"Master Mingda, please get up quickly, but don't do this." Wei Shuxie hurriedly stepped forward to help him.

Feng Ang took the imperial edict with both hands, faced north and bowed again, "Old minister, I will live up to the holy grace."

I saw Feng Ang thanking him again and again with tears in his eyes. He was really loyal. Wei Shuxie was a little moved when he saw this and sighed: "The saint also knows that Mingda Gong is loyal and righteous, so he specially issued a decree to commend him. Mingda Gong is deeply trusted by the saint."

In this brief edict, Li Shimin greatly appreciated Feng Ang's loyalty, and posthumously awarded Feng Ang's father, Feng Pu, the title of Governor of Gaozhou and Duke of Geng, with the posthumous title of Yi. He also posthumously presented Feng Ang's mother, Mrs. Xian, as Mrs. Geng Guotai. Feng Zhidai is a doctor.

Feng An's father, Feng Pu, served as the governor of Shilong when he was in Nanchen, and he was given the title of Marquis of the county. Now he is posthumously giving it to the governor and the title of Duke of the country. Although it is said that it is a posthumous gift, this kind of honor is extremely rare.

In fact, Li Shimin was also a bit picky. He awarded titles posthumously and gave him official posts. These were all false names in essence. The sky was high and the roads were far away in Lingnan, so it was impossible for the court to specially grant him a salary, so this was a false name to win over people's hearts. That’s all.

Speaking of this, I can't help but sigh that the policies of Jizhou County are really very generous. The so-called "ji" means to control with military and political pressure, and "绻" means to comfort with economic and material interests.

The imperial court recognized the local political leadership status of its chiefs and leaders, and appointed members of their clan as local officials. Except for being politically subordinate to the imperial court and economically obliged to pay tribute, all other affairs were managed by the chiefs themselves.

Generally speaking, the policy of restraint can be summed up in one sentence: if you accept the attachment, you will not rebel; if you rebel, you will abandon it but not pursue it.

The imperial court did not expect Jizhou County to pay taxes, nor would it pay salaries to its chiefs. After all, the sky was high and the road was far, so the salary might not be worth the tolls.

Afterwards, everyone continued to drink and mingle, and the previous depressive atmosphere was swept away. Under the leadership of Feng Ang and his son, the Feng Xian family members continued to praise the court and Li Shimin.

After being drunk, Feng Zhishen cursed Gao Chong, burst into tears of gratitude to Li Shimin, and was so close to Wei Shuxie that he almost kowtowed to become sworn friends.

Not to mention that the Governor's Mansion was bustling with people exchanging cups and cups. After Gao rushed back to the camp, everyone was silent and just about to leave.

Gao Chong suddenly laughed and said: "Why do you have such an expression? Your head is droopy."

Tian Yangming raised his head cautiously, glanced at the smiling Gao Chong, and finally plucked up the courage to ask, "Jing Lue, are you relieved?"

"Calm down?" Gao Chong looked stunned, "When did I get angry?"

"You're not angry yet?" Seeing Gao Chong's warm attitude, Tian Yangming also regained his temper, "You almost pointed at Feng An's face and scolded you and you're not angry yet?"

Gao Chong laughed loudly when he heard this, and then nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad, it seems that my performance today is not bad."

Tian Yangming was even more confused. He was about to ask more questions, but Gao Chong had already waved his hand to urge him to leave.

"Go down and rest early, we will send troops to Luozhou tomorrow."

Tian Yangming had no choice but to leave with doubts.

When he saw that the four teenagers were also planning to bow their heads and leave, Gao Chong coughed and said, "Wait a moment."

"Brother"

"Master".

The four teenagers also responded with their heads down. In fact, the four of them were also confused.

"Tell me what you think." Gao Chong poured tea on his own. Seeing this, Xue Rengui was busy and stepped forward to do it for him.

Gao Kan glanced at the other people and said hesitantly: "If my brother is just being domineering and intimidating, isn't that a little too much?"

"Master's attitude is so severe, and he doesn't hesitate to break up with Feng An, it must be more than just to shock him," Xue Rengui also asked.

Gao Chong was noncommittal and looked at Pei Xingjian. Pei Xingjian thought over and over with a grimace, "I don't understand, but I think the master must not have really fallen out with Feng Ang."

Gao Chong's expression changed, he slowly put down his teacup, and asked, "Do you think so too?"

Gao Kan and the other three looked at each other and shook their heads in confusion.

"I don't know," Gao Kan said truthfully: "Just looking at the superficial attitude, my brother has indeed fallen out with Feng Ang. Is there a deeper meaning in it?"

(End of this chapter)