Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 402 Wonderful method for selecting officials
The next day, the sage approved Chen Xilie's resignation, removed him from the position of left prime minister, and named him the crown prince and grand master.

Yang Guozhong once defeated his two major political opponents Zhang Bian and Chen Xilie, and he believed that there was a lot worth summarizing. For example, he is bold and careful, can keenly grasp the holy will, and dares to take risks; for example, he also understands priorities and can temporarily unite with Xue Bai to eliminate the biggest threat first.

With these extraordinary qualities, he reached the pinnacle of power.

"The saint agreed to remove Chen Xilie and let me choose his successor. Who does Abai think is suitable?"

"I?"

Faced with Yang Guozhong's half-probing and half-asking question, Xue Bai responded casually.

"Hahaha." Yang Guozhong laughed loudly and said, "I'm kidding, it's only a matter of time before you become prime minister. But now you are too young and your qualifications are not enough, so you have to be patient and patient."

Xue Bai said: "How is my father-in-law?"

Yang Guozhong was held there by these words. In desperation, he comforted him with good words: "Let's wait a little longer until Mr. Yan returns from Longyou for his meritorious service. How about I recommend him to be the minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and then introduce him to the prime ministership?"

"It's a deal?"

In the playful atmosphere, a purple-robed official walked into the lobby with a serious face.

Wei Jiansu frowned.

Wei Jiansu seemed as if he had not heard anything. He sat down in the hall and began to select officials soon.

He originally thought that Yang Guozhong chose officials in his private residence just like Li Linfu and Wang Zhi, who took official duties back to their own residences to handle. Now it seems that it is not just that, but it seems that the entire process of awarding officials is to be reduced to a single statement.

He knew the ins and outs of this matter. Taiyuan was the northern capital of the Tang Dynasty, so Taiyuan Yin's official rank was very high. If Yang Guanghui could hold this position, it would be extremely beneficial to his future.

The matter was thus settled.

This man has three long beards and an elegant temperament. He is Wei Jiansu, who has just taken over the position of Chen Xilie's sect's servant. He is also the Minister of the Ministry of War, Tongzhongshu sect Ping Zhangshi, and a bachelor of Jixian Academy.

The next person who came over was an old acquaintance, and his official position was not low. He was Yang Guozhong's confidant, Yang Guanghui, the Taifu Shaoqing.

According to the usual practice, the imperial court's selection of officials to fill the gap was selected by the Ministry of Personnel and handed over to Zhongshu's subordinates for review. When Xue Bai won the first prize, he first passed the Civil Service Examination and passed the "Shu Yan Jia Jia" test to make up for the shortcomings, and then Yang Hao sealed it under Zhongshu's family. It was not easy to get the official position.

A few days later, Yang Guozhong, who was in sole control of the court, began to re-adjust the appointment of officials in Chang'an and Luoyang, which was regarded as "one prime minister and one court minister."

Wei Jiansu was considered a talented official with a relatively docile temperament, which was why he was able to survive during Li Linfu's reign. His name was ranked last on Li Linfu's list of political enemies. After Yang Guozhong came to power, he also needed some people who could really do things, and he was willing to take refuge in Yang Guozhong.

The first person to step forward was a young official in a green robe. He was of good stature and appearance, but his eyes were dull and dull.

This kind of appointment is nothing more than placing Yang Guozhong's confidants in various positions in the court, just like a smooth flow.

"Why don't you ask in front of the saint? To explore the saint's mind?" Xue Bai said, "If we keep the person in the capital, we will always have a way to deal with him."

"How can a Zahu really worship the Prime Minister?"

The concubines in Yang's house climbed to the attic one after another, hiding behind the bamboo curtains to watch the fun. When they saw officials whose noses were red and shivering due to the cold, they pointed and laughed, making them look very lively.

"The official position of Hongpao?" Wei Jiansu muttered and repeated, not knowing what to say.

Yang Xuan chuckled, just raised his head and looked around, looking at his grandfather's concubine from a distance, and waved his hand, which caused another burst of laughter.

Yang Guanghui had indeed been eyeing that position for a long time, but was blocked by Xue Bai. Hedong's strategic location was unusual, and Xue Bai had been recommending Li Guangbi there a while ago. Yang Guozhong was afraid that An Lushan would become powerful, and he was also considering it for a while. As a result, Li Guangbi was transferred to Shuofang.

Just as I was thinking about it, another servant came forward and said, "Prime Minister on the left, Prime Minister on the right calls you over."

Wei Jiansu turned his head and glanced back, walked around the screen, and saw a group of meat screens surrounding Yang Guozhong, and said: "Right Prime Minister."

"Name."

"Xue Bai."

"Yang Shaoqing." Wei Jiansu said in surprise: "What are you doing?"

Yang Guozhong's eyes flashed and he said, "Okay, I'll advise the saint."

Now that Li Longji knows about Zhang Bian's leak, he must reconsider releasing An Lushan back to Fan Yang. If Yang Guozhong could strike while the iron was hot, he might really be able to keep An Lushan in Chang'an and replace Pinglu and Fan Yang with Gao Xianzhi.

"That's right." Yang Guanghui took a few steps forward and said with an apologetic smile: "Since Han Xiulin was appointed as the governor of Hedong, the post of deputy military envoy has been vacant for a long time. Han Xiulin is a martial artist and cannot serve as the commander of Taiyuan Yin. , I have wanted to recommend myself for a long time, but there has been no result."

Therefore, Wei Jiansu, the left prime minister, returned to his position, approved Yang Xuan's appointment, and said: "Next."

Wei Jiansu took the document, looked at it, and said: "There are no official posts, performance appraisals, selections, or appointments. This..."

"Here."

Now that Yang Guozhong was also the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, in order to show his authority, he simply selected officials in his private house, so that all officials who wanted to fill the gaps lined up in front of the gate and waited in the cold in the heavy snow. This level screens out people who are willing to show their loyalty to him. Anyone with backbone will not suffer this humiliation.

As soon as he came, the concubines of Yang Zhai all looked at each other, clapped their hands and said with a smile: "There is a host in purple clothes, it is really an official selection."

"I usually value credibility the most, so you can rest assured." Yang Guozhong said, "I just want to say who is suitable to be the prime minister at the moment?"

Xue Bai said: "Isn't it just right that An Lushan will go back to pay homage to the prime minister soon?"

"Name." Wei Jiansu waited for a while, but when the other party didn't speak, he asked.

"Oh, Yang Xuan. I want an official position wearing a red robe."

No matter how authoritarian Li Linfu was, he never abolished the rules of various yamen.

"I am the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Since people come to my house, they have been appointed by the Ministry of Personnel. Since you are here, you have passed the regulations of the province. How can you have so many worries?"

Soon, a servant of the Yang family came over, handed over a letter of conferment, and whispered: "This is the eldest son of the right prime minister's family. He wants to fill the gap of the fifth rank."

After processing several documents one after another, Wei Jiansu didn't even bother to raise his head and just stamped them. After that, someone walked in front of him.

At the moment, it seems that this position probably still belongs to Yang Guanghui...

Wei Jiansu raised his head, was a little surprised, and asked: "What official does Xue Lang want to be awarded?"

"Let me think about it."

Xue Bai answered, chin slightly, and walked behind the screen to look for Yang Guozhong. But he saw Yang Guozhong leaning on the arms of two fat maids and already asleep. Under this situation, he slept quite well.

"Brother?"

After several calls in succession, a fat maid helped to push Yang Guozhong awake. He yawned and woke up. Seeing that Xue Bai was coming, he nodded, his expression no longer as enthusiastic as when they met before.

"Abai, sit down. Are you here today to seek an official position? I am also considering a suitable position for you."

Xue Bai shook his head and asked: "Now that Wei Jiansu has been elected as the left prime minister, what do you think about the one in the north?"

Yang Guozhong avoided Xue Bai's gaze and smiled to cover up his embarrassment.

Compared with the overall situation, he was of course more concerned about not letting An Lushan replace him. Therefore, in order to prevent An Lushan from staying in Chang'an, he couldn't wait to elect Wei Jiansu as the left prime minister, which was completely opposite to Xue Bai's intention.

But he still said it nicely and said: "Don't worry, A'bai. I have told the sage according to your ideas. The sage also feels that it makes sense, and he will probably agree to appoint a general to Fan Yang soon."

This development was beyond Xue Bai's expectation. When he came to see this smoky scene today, he actually had no expectations for Yang Guozhong.

"Assign a general? Gao Xianzhi?"

~~
Xingqing Palace.

"I am very grateful to Zhongtong, and wish the saint good health."

"No need to be too polite. Are you getting used to staying in Chang'an?"

Xianyu Zhongtong lowered his head respectfully and felt a little uneasy after hearing the saint's question. After foreseeing this problem, I was afraid that I wanted to let him go.

He quickly responded: "I'm used to it."

Li Longji seemed unaware, looking at the scars on Xianyu Zhongtong's face with a critical eye, and said to himself: "You are in Nanzhao and you have done a good job."

"You are loyal to your country and dare not be praised by saints."

"I remember, you are from Yuyang, Jizhou?"

"This... I am originally from Yuyang, but I grew up in Sichuan and Shu since I was a child. I am considered a Shu native."

Li Longji didn't care about Xianyu Zhongtong's answers. He asked these questions because he was thinking about them.

He had strictly ordered Zhang Bian not to reveal his feelings, but Zhang Bian still let him down. As a result, An Lushan's loyalty no longer completely convinced him. He finally began to think about whether the cute fat man who made him happy by dancing the Hu Xuan dance was really possible to rebel?

If we want to choose a general to replace An Lushan to guard the north, it is not easy to decide on the candidate.

Li Longji considered Gao Xianzhi, but finally rejected the idea. He was not willing to dismiss An Lushan directly to avoid too much involvement. He hoped to appoint a deputy envoy Fan Yang Jiedu first to familiarize himself with the situation in the north, and then slowly plan for it. Gao Xianzhi is not suitable. His personality is too arrogant, and if he is not handled properly, he is afraid of causing trouble.

After consulting Yang Guozhong about this matter, Yang Guozhong gave a candidate, Xianyu Zhongtong. After the summons, Li Longji was very satisfied. He thought that this general was humble, respectful, calm and steady, and the victory in the battle of Nanzhao made people feel very confident.

"There are always people in the court who say that An Lushan has evil intentions. If I order you to be the deputy envoy of Fan Yang Jiedu and go to investigate, will you have any objections?"

"I fear that I will disappoint my holy will."

Xianyu Zhongtong wanted to refuse at first. He was the deputy envoy of Jiedu before the Battle of Nanzhao. He finally made it to Chang'an and became a third-rank official. He was ready to enjoy the blessings. Why would he want to start all over again?
But the saint stood up and walked around the hall with his hands behind his back, talking about the various shortcomings in Hebei. Although he has never been there once, he is well aware of the situation in the north. The chaos of Han and Hu people living together, the frequent wars caused by foreign invasions from the south, and the imminent destruction of the Khitan, the situation is naturally very complicated.

"Everyone knows that I love Anlu Mountain, but they don't know that I have been paying attention to Fan Yang. The officials who can be appointed in the past are my most trustworthy candidates."

Having said that, Li Longji looked directly at Xianyu Zhongtong and said: "You have just returned from the southern expedition for me, and you want to fight for me in the north. You should go to my imperial garden to choose a good horse to help you on your journey."

This saint was a very charismatic person. Xianyu Zhongtong was greatly affected, his heart was surging, and he immediately accepted the decree.

After the twelfth lunar month, he would leave for Fanyang.

~~
Fan Yang.

In a newly renovated house, gongs and drums were beating loudly to celebrate the wedding of a newlywed couple.

The groom was in his thirties, handsome, tall, and fair-skinned. Unfortunately, he was missing several teeth when he opened his mouth. He was Yang Qixuan from Chang'an.

He married the daughter of a general named An Shouzhong in Fan Yang.

This An Shouzhong was probably a brother of An Lushan's clan. He had a high status and was a chubby Sogdian. He liked Yang Qixuan very much when he saw her and threatened to marry his daughter to him. When others heard about this, they all congratulated Yang Qixuan, and he agreed to marry him. After the ceremony was completed, Yang Qixuan completed his second wedding. Before he could go to Qinglu to meet his new wife, he was dragged into a group of generals to drink.

"Okay, you will be your own person from now on."

"Yes Yes."

Afterwards, the bride’s relatives raised glasses of wine and drank happily.

They are all the core figures under An Lushan's command. Most of them are Sogdians. They speak in a gibberish manner. Sometimes they deliberately use Chinese when they think of it. Yang Qixuan can understand some words but not others.

It probably means that Sogdians all marry within the same clan, and few marry outsiders like this. Because Yang Qixuan was so outstanding, An Shouzhong was able to marry a daughter. Yang Qixuan was very impressed by what he heard and felt proud of it.

After drinking till late at night, the drunken guests fell asleep directly in Yang's house, creating a chaotic scene.

Yang Qixuan was troubled by the rudeness of these people, but since we were all relatives from now on, he had nothing to do with them and went to Qinglu.

The night in the north was very cold, and he was a little drunk. Looking at the red curtains reflected by the bonfire, he couldn't help but think of Li Shiniang.

I still remember that year, when he was only sixteen years old, he married the daughter of the Prime Minister due to the orders of his parents and the words of the matchmaker. When entering the bridal chamber, she impatiently threw away the fan in her hand before he was ready.

She was actually very beautiful when she was young, and she amazed him. Unfortunately, she soon grabbed his ear...

Yang Qixuan thought about this and suddenly felt his ears were itchy. When I touched it with my hand, it was because I was not used to the weather in the north and had developed frostbite.

He sighed and thought of what Xue Bai said when he was in Chang'an Prison.

"You are a waste. Without the family and Li Shiniang, you are nothing. But if you have had enough of this life that is destined to get worse, I will give you a chance to start over... Do things for me, and immediately For your merits, I will give you a chance to find your wife and children."

At that time, what Yang Qixuan was thinking was that Li Shiniang had robbed his children and he had to take them back. Even if he pretends to agree to Xue Bai first, escapes from prison, and then finds a way out later. Therefore, he was arranged to leave Jingzhao Mansion Prison with Ji Wen and come to Fan Yang, where he became Xue Bai's spy in Fan Yang.

Ji Wen is just a useless shell, an illusion. No one could have imagined that he, who seemed mediocre and incompetent, was actually the one who truly shouldered the important responsibilities.

But after arriving in Fan Yang, Yang Qixuan's mind gradually changed, and the cowardly side of his character gradually took over. So he decided to imitate Ji Wen and completely surrender to An Lushan, not to be a minor favor to Xue Bai. He didn't believe it anymore. Could Xue Bai really kill all the children he left behind in Chang'an? With Li Shiniang's temperament, she would definitely be disobedient.

Entering Qinglu, I saw a woman wearing thick fur clothes sitting there. The Sogdians believe in "Jinai plain clothes". The bride wears plain clothes, but not all white. There are green flowers in the middle, and a gold belt with ten thousand nails and treasures around her waist, decorated with various jewelry, which looks very beautiful against the firelight. Eye-catching.

Although the bride is dressed in Sogdian tradition, she is holding a dough fan, which seems to represent that she is marrying a Han and obeying her husband.

Yang Qixuan couldn't see the bride's face clearly, but felt her shame. He couldn't help but think of Li Jilan. Maybe it was because Li Shiniang was too strong. He really liked that kind of shy woman.

I hope this bride is beautiful now... Yang Qixuan's face gradually solidified as he took off his fan.

"vomit."

The alcohol was surging, and he felt his stomach twitching, almost vomiting.

Then, when the cold wind blew, he shivered and quickly woke up, with the words Xue Bai said echoing in his mind.

"The worse it gets, the worse it gets..."

His life is like a snowball on Yanshan Mountain in the distance. It keeps rolling down, faster and faster, and sooner or later it will be shattered into pieces. He really desperately hopes to stop this.

~~
"Hahaha, my niece, did you sleep well last night?"

Early the next morning, An Lushan was discussing matters with his confidants. He turned around and saw An Shouzhong coming with his daughter and son-in-law, and said hello with a laugh.

"Thank you, Uncle, for choosing a handsome husband for me."

"Hey, your husband is not only handsome, he also has a noble life experience." An Lushan still had low self-esteem deep down and was very envious of Yang Qixuan's family background.

"Abo didn't come to my wedding yesterday, and he didn't bring any gifts."

"I'm too fat and can't walk." An Lushan said, "What gift do you want?"

"Gold." An said, "I'm going to put some gold teeth on him and put on a gold chain..."

She didn't ask Yang Qixuan what he thought, she just regarded Yang Qixuan as an object that she could dress up as she wished, like her pony.

Sogdian wives had a high status and were allowed to divorce their husbands and have the right to remarry. In addition, An Shouzhong's status was much higher than that of Yang Qixuan, so the An family was naturally more powerful in this marriage.

Yang Qixuan didn't want to put a few gold teeth in his mouth, but he could only purse his lips and smile bitterly.

Where he looked, he saw several maps on the table. Because those who came today were the core figures of Fan Yang's power, they did not put away the maps. Yan Zhuang and Gao Shang were writing and drawing on the map, minding their own business and discussing something.

Yang Qixuan squinted his eyes and noticed that there were two routes on the map. In addition to the normal route to Chang'an, there is also a route to Taiyuan.

And solemnity and nobility are being discussed around Taiyuan.

That day, after leaving Anlushan Residence, Yang Qixuan found an excuse and walked alone in Fanyang City.

These days, he walked through all the streets and alleys, but did not find Fenghui Bank. However, Xue Bai told him that the way to deliver the news was to send the information to Fenghui Bank in exchange for money.

Probably because the sphere of influence does not reach Fan Yang yet. Yang Qixuan was very disappointed and prepared to go home as usual.

But thinking of Mr. An who was dominating the house, he hesitated for a moment, looked around, chose a teahouse, went in and sat down, and ordered a pot of the most expensive tea.

This was the first time he spent money in the market after arriving in Fanyang. He took out a bunch of copper coins from his sleeve and threw them away.

"Please wait a moment, sir."

The boy put the money into his purse and was about to serve tea. The moment he turned around, Yang Qixuan suddenly shouted: "Wait a minute."

"What are your orders, sir?"

"That's... flying money?" Yang Qixuan pointed to the bills in the wallet, showing surprise.

"Yes."

"Where did you exchange it? There is no flying money shop in the city."

"Jiedu Mansion prohibits flying money, but there are so many merchants in Fanyang City, how can we stop it? If you want to exchange money, just go to Nanshi and find a Sogdian merchant at random to exchange it."

Yang Qi declared: "Does Mr. Anfu not care?"

"The people who are doing these businesses are all relatives of Mr. Anfu, how can we control him..."

Yang Qixuan couldn't care less about drinking tea and left for Nanshi in a hurry.

When he got there, he found a merchant who could exchange money, took out a piece of gold and pretended to exchange it for flying money, and kept asking where their flying money came from.

"Don't worry, sir, my flying money is guaranteed by the Anjia Caravan. It is definitely real money from Fenghui."

"Which Anjia caravan?"

"Look, that's the steward of An's caravan."

Yang Qixuan turned around and looked, and was surprised to find that it was a personal servant of his father-in-law An Shouzhong. They had met each other at the wedding. He was a Sogdian with black teeth and the smell of alcohol.

This obviously couldn't be Fenghui Bank's spy, so Yang Qixuan stepped forward and said hello, saying he wanted to exchange money, and the other party immediately took him to the store.

After entering the door and walking directly to the backyard, I heard a "crackling" sound coming from the back hall, but there were many accounting gentlemen sitting there, everyone was wearing the same plain clothes and almost the same movements. People simply can't tell who is who.

But Yang Qixuan can already feel a pair of scrutinizing eyes staring at him...

~~
The time soon came to the twelfth lunar month.

In the harsh winter, farming is idle and there is nothing to do with the country. Only some people who are obsessed with fame are still thinking about various power struggles all day long.

Xue Bai received a letter from Longyou that day. It was delivered by Ge Shuhan. He told about Li Guangbi's resignation in Shuofang due to illness and asked Xue Bai if he could try to transfer Li Guangbi back to Chang'an from Shuofang.

In this way, the recommendation of Li Guangbi as the deputy envoy of Hedong Jiedu took a turn for the better.

But on the other hand, the timing was wrong. After Yang Guozhong got rid of his two political opponents, his interests with Xue Bai gradually became more and more different. What matters is not the achievements, but Taiyuan Yin's rank.

Later, when Wang Nannan and Li Sheng were about to take office in Yunzhong, Xue Bai bought wine to see them off and talked about the matter.

"How can we manage the country well by conspiring with these beetles?!"

Li Shengji cursed angrily, and then said: "The reason why An Lushan harmed Wang Jieshuai was because he was determined to plot the east of the river, and Yang Guozhong actually wanted to let a waste go."

Wang Nan spent these days in Chang'an and saw the chaos caused by Yang Guozhong's selection of officials. He was also unhappy and said: "The saint actually allowed these insects to cause harm."

"Take your time." Xue Bai said, "We are not without gains. General Wang, when you go to Yunzhong and Xian Yuzhong to Fan Yang, you have already put a lot of pressure on Anlu Mountain. If you act too hastily, it will easily push him back. .”

"That's right." Wang Jinlan said thoughtfully: "If I were An Lushan and was called to the capital. If I haven't left yet, I first heard that Xianyu Zhongtong came to stay, and then heard that General Li was coming to Hedong, I would inevitably be wary."

Such a situation of internal and external troubles made all three of them feel very difficult. At the end, Xue Bai picked up the wine glass and toasted them, saying: "The two generals will go to Hedong first. I will make arrangements after An Lushan leaves Fan Yang."

"it is good."

Wang Nannan and Li Sheng were very straightforward. They drank the wine in one gulp, which was not enough for the New Year. When the court documents were completed, they went to Hedong in the twelfth lunar month of winter.

Xue Bai saw them off and returned home, only to see Du Jin coming, holding a hand stove and chatting with Yan Yan.

"I have something to tell Xue Bai. Can Sanniang stay away for a while?" Seeing Xue Bai come back, Du Jin immediately smiled and said.

"Okay." Yan Yan was not annoyed. She walked to the door and shook her fist at Xue Bai. I thought to myself, sooner or later, I would have to let him discuss everything with me.

There were only two people left in the room, but it was rare that Du Jin didn't tease him, and her face became serious.

"how?"

"I didn't expect that there was news coming back from Fan Yang."

Xue Bai said: "This is a good thing. It shows that the spy we installed is working."

"But the news is very bad." Du Jin said, "An Lushan is going to Taiyuan. You should know what this means?"

After hearing this, Xue Bai's expression froze and his face became serious.

Of course he knows what that means. He has done too much these days. One bad move may really push An Lushan back...

(End of this chapter)