Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 271 Not Returning

Chang'an, Xuanyangfang, Mrs. Guo's Mansion.

Yang Yuyao wanted to play polo in Japan, and she had already changed into a narrow-sleeved robe. Suddenly she found that she encountered an inconvenient day, which inevitably made her a little disappointed.

Seeing her gloomy expression, Mingzhu hurriedly arranged for someone to make a bowl of ginger soup and bring it over.

"Ms. Yao, since you can't play polo, do you want to play dominoes?"

"Too lazy to use that brain."

Yang Yuyao was sitting there holding a glass of wine and drinking. The next moment, the wine glass was snatched away by Mingzhu, replaced with ginger soup, and muttered to her.

"Is it easy to drink at this time? Madam Yao is almost becoming an alcoholic."

"What's the big deal?" Yang Yuyao took the wine glass again.

Mingzhu opened her mouth and wanted to say, "What if Mr. Xue comes back and sees Yao Niang like this?" But now the rules in the house prohibit mentioning Xue Bai.

Even every time Xue Bai wrote a letter, Yang Yuyao would not read it and said, "Let's see what it does." But Mingzhu guessed that she opened it and read it in private.

"My slave heard yesterday that the Bodhisattva enshrined in the White Horse Temple in Luoyang is very spiritual. If my daughter has any physical or bone discomfort, maybe it will be better if I ask for help." Seeing that Yang Yuyao did not listen to the advice, Mingzhu hesitated and asked cautiously.

"is it?"

"Ah."

Yang Yuyao held the wine glass and forgot to drink it. She held it in her hand and rubbed it, gently stroking the cup lines with her fingertips, as if caressing someone's skin. Finally, she frowned.

Mingzhu knew that this matter would be difficult to arrange, and all aspects of it were unjustifiable.

"Let Nian Nu come over and sing a song." Yang Yuyao sighed softly.

After more than half a year, her favorite music has not changed.

"Bai Suzhen at the foot of Qingcheng Mountain has cultivated her body in the cave for thousands of years..."

The babbling singing sounds are like the chirping of orioles, which is melodious and charming.

However, a maidservant trotted over and stepped into the door. Yang Yuyao was still dressed in men's clothing and was holding Niannu in her arms in a very affectionate manner.

One is a beautiful lady, the other is a jade girl, and the one serving next to her is a bright pearl. The scene is extremely beautiful... strangely, she feels left out.

"Ms. Yao, I have a guest asking to see you. Here is the gift list."

The gift list was quite generous, but Yang Yuyao was in a bad mood and said calmly: "No."

"The other party said that this visit is related to the matter of transferring Xue Lang back to Chang'an."

"Who is coming?"

"Called himself Xing Wei, the son of Xing Xuan, the Minister of Household Affairs."

~~

Xing Wei was sitting in the lobby of Mrs. Guo Guo's Mansion with his head lowered. When he heard some movement behind the flower bis, he turned his head slightly and saw a pair of boots first. He thought it was the steward of the mansion.

Looking up for a moment, he realized that she was a beauty dressed in men's clothing, with a very tall figure.

Afraid of Mrs. Guo Guo's power, he quickly lowered his head, crossed his hands and saluted, "I have met Mrs. Guo Guo."

"I don't have the patience to listen to you talk about other things, how to transfer my adopted brother back to Chang'an, and what is his official position?"

"Wannian County Lieutenant." Xing Wei did not dare to neglect, and said sincerely: "Li Yi is old and will soon become an official. There are many people who want an important position in the capital. If Xue Lang wants it, he should plan early."

Yang Yuyao nodded and said, "Watch the tea."

She had actually heard about the Wannian County Lieutenant's impeachment, but Xue Bai's reaction had not been very strong.

Although the Yang family was extremely wealthy, they would be at a loss when it came to government affairs without Xue Bai's advice. Yang Zheng and Yang Guozhong obviously could not avoid Li Linfu to decide their official positions. Yang Yuhuan said that it was not appropriate for her to give Xue Bai's advice recently. Asking for an official in vain.

Unexpectedly, someone took the initiative to come over.

"Let's be honest, what's your connection?"

Xing Wei said: "To be honest, the villain was sent by Wang Gong, the imperial censor. Doctor Wang's words in the official department are still effective. As long as the uncle of the state cooperates with Zhongshu's subordinates, he can directly transfer Xue Lang's official position."

Even if Yang Yuyao was too lazy to use her brain, she knew that this was Wang Xian's hope that Yang Hui would also come forward to fight against Li Linfu.

This is actually consistent with Xue Bai's idea.

"There are some things that Xue Lang must have not told Mrs. Guo Guo." Xing Wei added, "He was assassinated many times in Yanshi."

"what?"

"As far as I know, it was Li Linfu who secretly ordered An Lushan to send Fan Yang's Jin soldiers to Yanshi to set fire, poison, and assassinate him. He did everything possible to vow to take Xue Lang's life."

"He dares?!" Yang Yuyao yelled angrily, then reacted in a moment and asked: "How did you know?"

"The prince sent people to Yanshi to investigate the details of the Lishan case, and found Anlushan." Don't you worry that the other party will jump over the wall in a hurry? For his safety, we should transfer him back to Chang'an."

Xing Yi really came with sincerity. The current cooperation between Yang Dang and Wang Yi is driven by interests. It is natural to unite the weak to resist the strong.

In addition, Wang Zhi deeply hated Yang Guozhong, a short-sighted and greedy man, and believed that he was inadequate and cunning, so he asked Yang Yuyao to actively transfer Xue Bai back in order to reassure others.

~~

Mingzhu handed the ginger soup to Yang Yuyao again. She was thoughtful, took a sip, and murmured: "It's time to come back."

"Yes, I have been released for more than half a year and have made many achievements. If I am not promoted, it will be unfair to the court."

Mingzhu responded like this, which made it seem like she was a maid and understood the important affairs of the court.

After hearing this, Yang Yuyao thought it made sense and ordered: "Get the car ready, I'll go see my brother."

Mrs. Guo's mansion then became busy. In addition to preparing carriages and horses, some rooms began to be tidied up, and the maids moved out the bedding to bask in the sun.

……

In recent years, Yang's Mansion has become increasingly crowded, with officials coming to visit with official documents or gifts coming and going.

When Yang Yuyao arrived, she was also arranged to wait in the flower hall for a long time before seeing Yang Hao.

"Brother, it's such a grand occasion."

"Sanniang is laughing." Yang Hao looked good, and even his originally gray hair turned black again. He slowly sat down with the help of his maid, and said: "Although I am not the real prime minister, I still have the power. We should pay more attention to national affairs.”

Now that he has reached this stage of power, he is of course very proud and his joy can be felt.

Yang Yuyao was amused and said, "Then I won't bother my brother in governing the country anymore. Let me just ask, when do you plan to transfer Ah Bai back?"

"Who prompted you?"

I have to say that Yang Hao's calm question sounded quite scheming.

Maybe his talent was not enough to be a prime minister at first, but after sitting in this position for a long time, he finally gained the aura of a prime minister.

Yang Yuyao said: "Wang Fei."

"Sure enough." Yang Wei seemed to have expected it, "There is no rush. The more anxious the other party is about official matters, the less anxious we must be."

"I don't care about official matters. I just want to ask how to bring Ah Bai back. Now that Wang Fei is cooperating, all I need is an approval letter from Brother Ah."

"If I'm a group, that means I'm obviously breaking up with Li Linfu." Yang Wei said, "There's no need to take any action now, let's let Li Linfu and Wang Zhen compete with each other, and don't mess up the balance because of a small official position. Short-sighted, Greed is a taboo for success..."

"I don't care if there are any of these, I just want to ask my brother, will it be dangerous for him to stay in Yanshi?"

Yang Zheng couldn't answer this question and kept silent.

Yang Yuyao immediately got angry and said: "Brother, in order to be the prime minister, he is risking his life. If he has some shortcomings, do you still have the ability to be the prime minister?!"

"Sanniang, you are so unreasonable. This matter is actually caused by Ah Bai..."

"What's the point? I don't care, bring Abai back immediately!"

"Ahem, cough, cough." Yang Hao coughed, waved his hands repeatedly, and said, "Oh, I don't know how to tell you, brother, the difference between you and me is too big now..."

Yang Yuyao was very difficult to deal with once she acted out. She stood up and pushed the table over, causing the cups and plates to crash to the floor. She insisted that Yang Hao bring Xue Bai back.

Yang Zheng was the heir, and had been submissive to several sisters since he was a child. He had no choice but to endure her scoldings in silence, which seemed a bit cowardly.

Finally, he sighed and replied: "Don't I want him to come back? Can I really make the decision?"

In fact, he is also tired. Everyone says that the Yang family is extremely wealthy now, but he has become more and more aware of the risks in the future. He seems to be the prime minister, but in fact he has no power. All the plans come from Xue Bai; and as his power grows, he is also tired. , Convincing the public and appeasing people can cost him a lot of energy. For example, Yang Guozhong wanted to take over the affairs of the Taifu, Yuan Zai wanted to take over the power of salt, Li Linfu forced him hard, and Wang Ruoruo seemed to leave.

Since he took office as prime minister, Yang Wei seems to be majestic, but he often tosses and turns at night and has difficulty falling asleep. He doesn't know who to talk to about this tiredness. Even the closest brothers and sisters have fewer opportunities to express their true feelings after becoming wealthy...

On this day, Yang Zhen thought about it and realized that the problem was not Yang Yuyao's attitude, but that Wang Zhen had begun to use means to win over her. From this point of view, his political sense has become sharp.

At the same time, this incident also made him feel that he could not bear the pressure, so he sent someone to Yanshi that day to persuade Xue Bai to return to Chang'an.

In fact, he also believed that the time had come for Xue Bai to return to Chang'an.

~~

Late April, Yanshi County.

Since the beginning of spring this year, it has not rained a few times in Henan Prefecture. The land is dry and looks hard.

Experienced farmers had expected this, and the wisdom condensed by the ancients over thousands of years is reflected in every farmer's proverb.

Although Xue Bai did not have such wisdom, he valued the opinions of farmers and planned to extend several canals on the outskirts of Yanshi City to form a complete Zhongzhou Canal that could divert water from the Luo River to irrigate most fields.

That day I went to Mang Ridge to look at the terrain. When I came down, I met a few old farmers carrying buckets.

Xue Bai asked a few questions and learned that they brought water from a well four miles away. The weather was not very hot, but walking for such a long time with such a heavy burden on your shoulders would be difficult for those who have not experienced it personally. .

"County Lieutenant, we can still carry water now, but I'm afraid if the water doesn't come later, the crops will die from drought."

"The canals are already being repaired. If it can be alleviated, everyone should try their best to preserve more harvests. Even if there are losses, the county will watch and reduce taxes..."

In fact, these words should not be stated too clearly, as they may affect the enthusiasm of farmers. Speaking in official terms would save a lot of trouble, but Xue Bai was patient and willing to explain more.

There was only this much he could do, and Xue Bai couldn't ask for rain, but he was willing to go to the fields and care about their harvests, which gave farmers a lot of confidence.

Although he got rid of several big families with bloody methods, these farmers were not afraid of him at all and gathered around him to talk about various farming matters.

In the distance, a figure ran from the direction of the county town.

"County Lieutenant, there are people from the capital, sent by my uncle."

The old farmers felt more and more pleased after hearing this, thinking that the county captain was very capable and could still have friendship with the uncle.

Xue Bai was a little worried, looked at the farmers' sad faces again, and returned to the county.

……

It was Yuan Zai who was waiting at the county office.

Yuan Zai has always been able to keep his composure, but today, sitting in the flower hall covered with dust, he seemed to be restless.

As soon as he finally saw Xue Bai coming back, he immediately stood up, saluted, and said with a smile: "Congratulations to Xue Lang for your great achievements again. The sky is right around the corner."

Yuan Zai, Yang Guozhong and Xue Bai are all considered to be the most progressive people in Chang'an officialdom.

As soon as they meet each other, they can feel the enthusiasm for hard work and progress, which actually makes Xue Bai very friendly.

"Brother Yuan is actually free to come to Yanshi?"

"There happens to be some official business." Yuan Zai said: "In addition, there are indeed important things in the court..."    "I can't return to Chang'an for the time being."

Before Yuan Zai could finish speaking, Xue Bai had already given a clear answer.

He had to consider a problem at the moment. Each stall had been rolled out, including land reclamation, canal construction, tax reduction, etc. Once someone else took over, how could it be ensured that it would be carried out?

Yuan Zai was stunned, completely unexpected, and asked: "Why?"

"The time has not come yet." Xue Bai said: "If I am transferred back, how can I use Brother Gao Chong's case as a bargaining chip? Will I be forced to express my position soon? In short, we are sitting on the wall and watching. The drama has not yet begun. How can we Being invited to the stage?"

Others would have believed it, but Yuan Zai understood him well and said: "With Xue Lang's ability, he can solve these problems when he returns to Chang'an. After you have made meritorious service and passed the qualifications, it is no longer necessary for you to stay in Yanshi. It is possible that he will be eliminated by the right-wing censor."

Xue Bai smiled and waved his hand, indicating that he didn't care.

Yuan Zai said: "What's more, the post of county captain in ten thousand years is rare. If you miss this time, I don't know when you will be qualified. In the officialdom, there are many examples of frustration that will delay your life."

He was very eager, because if it were him, he would definitely choose to be promoted without hesitation. He believed that Xue Bai was a fellow traveler.

Xue Bai does like to be promoted, but he doesn't like to make choices. He wants everything he likes. Since he dared to reject this Wannian county lieutenant, he was not afraid of losing his position, so he always seemed very calm.

Seeing his attitude, Yuan Zai couldn't help but asked in confusion: "What is Xue Lang doing?"

"I still have unfinished business in Yanshi County."

"What's the matter? As far as I know, Wang Zhi has promised that you will recommend Yanshi officials."

"Not worried about people's livelihood."

Yuan Zai seemed a little surprised for a moment and raised his eyebrows.

Xue Bai smiled and asked, "Do you believe it?"

Yuan Zai was silent for a while and sighed: "I also came from a poor family, how can I not believe it?"

This attitude made Xue Bai a little surprised.

He took a deep look at Yuan Zai and realized that he always viewed him as a corrupt official and a traitor from the perspective of a thousand years later.

In fact, today's Yuan Zai has shown some characteristics of greed and unscrupulous means, but at least at this moment, he has not lost his heart of managing the world and benefiting the people? But I don’t know how many more there are.

Yuan Zai did not persuade Xue Bai anymore, but came all the way. He was tired and stayed in the post house.

……

The next day, the two of them visited the outskirts of Yanshi City together, talking while walking.

"Xue Lang knows that since Yang Guozhong changed his name, he has become more and more respected by the saints. Especially after he took charge of the Taifu, he rose to great heights."

Xue Bai was not envious after hearing this.

In his opinion, Yang Guozhong used his holy family to manage some financial things, and his local gains were not small.

"It's you who manages the palace." Xue Bai asked, "Can you satisfy the saint?"

Yuan Zai pondered and responded: "It should be... possible."

"I probably can't."

"Tell Xue Lang the truth." Yuan Zai said: "I very much hope that you can return to Chang'an as soon as possible. In addition to dealing with the changes in the situation between the DPRK and China, it is also to suppress some troublemakers around my uncle."

It can be seen that after Xue Bai left Chang'an, due to Yang Wei's somewhat weak temperament, conflicts quickly emerged within Yang's party.

Yuan Zai's words obviously refer to Yang Guozhong.

"I will go back." Xue Bai said: "Calm down and wait until winter comes."

"Let's do this. When the new county prime minister Yan Chunqing arrives, if Mr. Xue is relieved, he can plan for promotion earlier."

"But the crops in the fields cannot mature earlier, and we cannot encourage them to grow."

Yuan Zai turned his head and looked at the people who were repairing the canal in the distance, paying attention for a long time.

He knows how to be an official. If Xue Bai wants political achievements, or to win people's hearts, he can just collect the grain at a low price in the name of the government before the price of food rises. If there is a drought this year and the harvest is poor, he can sell it at a high price. One batch, and another batch for disaster relief. In this way, political achievements and public support will be achieved.

Xue Bai went to great lengths to do these things.

On this trip, Yuan Zai originally expected to help Xue Bai plan for promotion; to unite with Wang Zhi to overthrow the right prime minister; and later to overwhelm Wang Zhi and Yang Guozhong. In more than ten or twenty years, they may be able to join hands to enter the world. Among the rulers.

At this time, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Xue Bai seemed to have changed, but also seemed not to have changed.

"The land of a county is too small after all." Yuan Zai said, "Uncle Guo is qualified to compete with Wang Zhi and Li Linfu for power. By then, he will be able to change far more than just the people's livelihood of a county."

"What is the right to rule that we are fighting for? It is the Holy Family."

Xue Bai smiled, knowing that what those people were fighting for was just an opportunity to be Li Longji's lackey.

Once you get rid of the lowest things such as land, acres and population, the power that temples and temples compete for is just a castle in the air.

……

In the end, Yuan Zai failed to persuade Xue Bai to transfer back to Chang'an as soon as possible.

He stayed in Yanshi for two days and rushed back to Chang'an one early morning, rushing towards a power struggle that he thought would quickly make him famous.

Instead, Xue Bai slowed down and acted calmly in front of his county magistrate.

~~

Yuan Zai hurried back to Chang'an. When he arrived home, Wang Yunxiu told him that Yang Hao had something urgent to call upon and asked him to go there as soon as he came back.

As soon as he arrived at Yang Mansion, Yang Hao asked, "When will Abai come back?"

"Xue Lang is obsessed with governing Yanshi and says that he will return to Chang'an as soon as possible in Dongyue."

"How can this be done in time?!" Yang Hao couldn't help but worry and said: "There is a big event in the court."

"Please give me some advice."

"Just a few days ago, Zhao Fengzhang, the governor of Danzhou, listed more than 20 crimes against Li Linfu."

Yuan Zai's brows moved, and he was inexplicably excited. He felt that this was a snipe and a clam fighting, and he was ready to get the benefit of the fisherman.

Yang Zhuan added: "Before the memorial was sent to the palace, Li Linfu learned the news and ordered Luo Zhi to arrest Zhao Fengzhang on charges of evil talk and kill him with a stick."

"It was Zhao Fengzhang who was ordered by Wang Xian." Yuan Zai said, "It must be so."

Xue Bai was not here, and such a big thing happened. Yang Zheng then asked, "Does the public servant have any wise ideas?"

After hearing this, Yuan Zai suddenly realized that Xue Bai's not coming back might not be a bad thing for him.

He may become the real think tank of the Yang Party.

"Li Linfu is a little overwhelmed." Yuan Zai analyzed, "In the past, he would never have let the matter get to such a big stage. It can be seen that Wang Fei's actions are indeed fierce, far from the strength of the East Palace."

"But Zhao Fengzhang has been beaten to death with a stick."

"This is for the saints to see." Yuan Zai said: "It seems that Li Linfu has won, but if the saint's family is not with him and kills the prefect with the stick, it will be the beginning of Li Linfu's displeasure with the saints."

Yang Zhen was horrified and asked: "Did Wang Zhen do it on purpose? Using Zhao Fengzhang's death to deal with Li Linfu?"

Yuan Zai nodded and said: "That's right."

"What do we do?"

"Uncle, don't be anxious, just wait and see what happens." Yuan Zai pondered, and then said: "But if you want to know the progress of the matter, you can ask the imperial concubine for the saint's views on the Zhao Fengzhang case..."

Only three days later, Yuan Zai was sure that his guess was right.

After the Zhao Fengzhang case occurred, the saint personally issued an edict and demoted some of Li Linfu's close officials.

Among them were Song Hun, the admonishing official, and even the son of Song Jing, the famous prime minister. He was demoted to Lingnan just because he was friendly with Li Linfu.

Coupled with some evidence that Xue Bai sent back from Yanshi, it directly pointed out that the counter-crime case was related to An Lushan.

All this makes people feel that Wang Fei may really be able to defeat Li Linfu this time...

~~

On the tenth day of May, an old man in his fifties rode a donkey into Yanshi County.

He was very curious about this place and walked around without looking for a place to stay first.

What's rare is that in such a small county, there are people's newspapers for sale in teahouses, and there are even people who specialize in reading newspapers.

Seeing the excitement there, the old man went over and bought a pot of tea soup, and sat there listening to people reading newspapers and drinking tea.

The civilian newspapers published some bizarre stories. The one we are talking about right now is "The Civet Cat Exchanges the Prince", which is about a small country overseas...

The old man was listening with interest when suddenly, someone sat down in front of him and asked, "Who are you, Yan County Cheng?"

This is a girl, dressed in men's clothes, holding a short sword in her hand, standing or sitting, looking at the old man with her head tilted, with a proud look on her face.

"who are you?"

"If you don't change your name when you work, if you don't change your surname when you sit down, you should be the commander-in-chief of Yanshi Qu, Ren Mulan!"

"I've admired you for a long time, I'm Yan Chunqing, how does Qu Shuai know that I am me?"

Ren Mulan said: "Of course I have a group of brothers watching over me. They will recognize you as soon as you enter the city... Let's go, listen to the newspaper, and follow me to the county office."

Yan Chunqing was quite leisurely and joked, stroking his beard and said: "Thank you for your help, your handsome man will lead the way."

His attitude made Ren Mulan quite happy and thought that this new county magistrate was not bad.

……

When I arrived at the county office, I met Lu Linghao first, and then went to see Xue Bai.

From here, Yan Chunqing could see that although Xue Bai did not have the title of chief official, he had the actual title of chief official.

"Xue County Lieutenant."

"I dare not." Xue Bai said hurriedly: "I should call Mr. Yan uncle."

Yan Chunqing did not refuse and said with a smile: "It's better to call me by my official name in court. It's not too late to call me uncle in private."

As an elder, he has a very humble attitude and is vaguely in awe of Xue Bai.

"Okay." Xue Bai said, "Uncle, don't worry."

The two of them sat down and before they started reminiscing about old times, Yan Chunqing had already spoken: "Xue County Lieutenant, does he know where I was transferred from?"

"where?"

"Danzhou, Yunyan County."

Xue Bai immediately reacted and asked: "Is the Zhao Fengzhang case related to you?"

Yan Chunqing said slowly: "Not only is it related, but the evidence for the more than twenty criminal evidences prepared by Zhao Taishou are all in my hands. However, I did not intend to get involved in this matter, it just happened to happen."

Xue Bai immediately understood that Wang Fei was determined to tie him to the same boat...

　There are only two days left, I will adjust my schedule~~

　　

　

(End of this chapter)