Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 157: The prosperous age of Brother Ji (end of this volume)
The Dali Temple institution was founded in the Northern Qi Dynasty and continued in the Sui and Tang dynasties. As the highest judicial authority in the central government, it is in charge of trials.

In the Tang Dynasty, there was a Dali Temple Prison under the Dali Temple, which mainly detained criminals who were tried in the temple and arrested by Zhi Jinwu, who was responsible for protecting the capital.

Of course, this is all nonsense.

For the bureaucrats in Chang'an, Dali Temple Prison was not a good place at all.

The only advantage is probably that the accommodation conditions are better!You will generally not die if you live in it!

You know, Dali Temple is known as "the last fig leaf of the Tang Dynasty's law." If the prisoner died in Dali Temple Prison, it would be a slap in Brother Ji's face.

It happened to be a white dew day, and the Dali Temple Prison welcomed a distinguished guest: Li Linfu, the right minister of the Tang Dynasty!

Across the wooden fence, Zheng Shuqing, who had been living in Dali Temple Prison for several months and was smelly, his eyes widened.He hurriedly came over, looking at the other person eagerly like an abandoned stray dog.

Waving to the jailer behind him, this little guy who was used to seeing big shots stepped forward and carefully opened the door of Zheng Shuqing's cell, and then quietly stepped aside, as if he had never appeared before.

"Right Prime Minister, how is the court... now?"

Zheng Shuqing asked in a low voice with a hoarse voice.

Li Linfu sat down without disdain, looked at Zheng Shuqing and said with a smile: "You are lucky. Hexi has a great victory over Tubo, and the saint will no longer hold you responsible for your crimes."

It turned out to be the case.

Zheng Shuqing couldn't help but lean against the wall of the prison, feeling like he was about to collapse.

It's not easy to ride a horse!
Once the Tang army is defeated, he, Zheng, will become the scapegoat, and his capital will be beheaded with ease.

"Finally, it's okay."

Zheng Shuqing choked and didn't know what to say.

Brother Ji treated him like a dog, but he endured it because he couldn't bear it anymore. With such a big family and a large area of ​​industry in Xingyang, he couldn't just give it up.It's just that the feeling of controlling one's destiny in other people's hands is really bad.

Zheng Shuqing understood that all officials were Brother Ji's dogs, just of different types.Brother Ji can do whatever he wants. This is the power of imperial power.

Let me ask, if given a choice, who would be willing to be a dog?

After sitting in jail for several months, Zheng Shuqing figured out a lot of things.

"Thank you very much, Prime Minister, for your good offices. I am so grateful that I shed tears of gratitude!"

Zheng Shuqing made a bow to Li Linfu.

"Hey, it's just a trivial matter, nothing to worry about. You and I are both working for the saint, so I should help you."

Li Linfu hinted calmly.

Zheng Shuqing nodded, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and said, "That's true."

"In the past, Saint has always thought that you were Jing Zhaoyin's best choice, but it's a pity that you rejected Saint at that time.

Now that Wei Jian is serving as the transfer envoy, Jing Zhaoyin is vacant. Do you have any ideas to take up the post immediately?

The troops in Hexi have defeated Tubo, and you will no longer have the problem of withholding military pay.Tell me the truth now, do you have any ideas? "

Li Linfu asked with a smile, his attitude was very kind, and he had no airs at all.

"I'm willing! That's great! Thank you very much for the recommendation, Prime Minister!"

Zheng Shuqing knelt directly on the ground and kowtowed to Li Linfu, leaving red blood marks on his forehead, but he still did not stop.

"It's easy to talk about. Then I will go back and resume my life right now. Your family will come to pick you up later."

Li Linfu comforted him and said.

Zheng Shuqing nodded gratefully and relaxed.The sky has eyes, and it finally allowed him to overcome this difficulty.

"By the way, Fang Chongyong, Fang Youde's son, I heard that I had an old relationship with you. I wonder if you can pass on a message to me?"

Li Linfu suddenly asked calmly.

Ok?
Zheng Shuqing was stunned, but he didn't expect that the other party would actually mention this.

"We were familiar with each other in the past. But my right counterpart has been helpful in saving someone's life, so why should this matter?"

Zheng Shuqing said in a comprehensive manner.

Li Linfu was overjoyed when he heard this. He just likes officials who are good at doing things but don't do big things!
He patted Zheng Shuqing's shoulder affectionately and said, "Don't worry, as long as you are working for the saint, I will not treat you badly."

"Thank you, Prime Minister, thank you, Prime Minister..."

The disheveled Zheng Shuqing kept kowtowing to Li Linfu.

"Well, I have official duties, so I can't wait here for a long time. I will go back to the Yamen to do some errands."

Li Linfu bowed calmly and left the prison immediately.

After he walked out of Dali Temple Prison, his expression instantly became extremely gloomy!
Just a few days ago, the battle report from Hexi came: The Tang army defeated the main force of the Tibetan army, beheaded tens of thousands, and regained all areas of the Hexi Corridor in one fell swoop.

At the same time, Du Hope, the governor of Longyou, continued to attack the city and captured the territory. The Tibetans sent people to Chang'an to send a surrender and begged Ji Ge not to continue the attack.

This greatly satisfied Brother Ji’s vanity!
Since Zhang Shougui was arranging military resources in Hexi and Niu Xianke was in charge of logistics in Liangzhou, both of them received praise from Brother Ji!

Zhang Shougui's adopted son An Lushan, who also loved Wujiwu, took over Li Shizhi's position and served as the military governor of Pinglu, while Niu Xianke was appointed the military governor of Youzhou.

Li Linfu, who was originally extremely powerful, did not gain any resources during this important war. Not only did his confidant Xiao Jiong lose his official position as the Hexi Jiedu Envoy!

This gave him a deep sense of crisis!

Li Linfu's weakness among the forces in the border town made him constrained. He always felt that his limbs were tied up and he was unable to do what he wanted to do.

So Li Linfu turned his attention to Fang Youde, who was dismissed by Li Longji as the Lingnan economic envoy (the same Jiedu envoy)!

The enemy of my enemy is my friend!Li Linfu heard from some channels that Fang Youde had collected a lot of evidence about An Lushan, but he just didn't have time to deal with this person.I think there is some serious personal grudge between the two.

Li Linfu felt that he could unite with Fang Youde to kill An Lushan first and cut off Zhang Shougui's arm.

Of course, this kind of thing cannot be done too obviously and must be handled with clever means. This is actually not a big problem for him.

Fang Youde is aloof and difficult to get along with.However, I heard that his son Fang Chongyong was a well-rounded person.Through Zheng Shuqing's line, wouldn't it be possible to win over Fang Chongyong and get in touch with Fang Youde?

"Saint, you have changed!"

Li Linfu sighed to himself. He heard that Li Shizhi was going back to the court to serve as Minister of Industry, responsible for repairing the river embankment in Luoyang.

According to Ji Ge's employment habits, once the river embankment in Luoyang is repaired, Li Shizhi is likely to become the prime minister.There are already two prime ministers, and Zhang Shougui is good at military affairs and cannot be replaced.

So who will be replaced next?
Li Linfu felt that the answer was almost ready to come out!Not to mention that Li Shizhi was also from a clan!

Moreover, the saint who left in his sixtieth year still has no plans to establish a prince, and the battle for the crown prince is also about to start!

So how should we stand in line?
Li Linfu felt a sudden surge in his temples and felt a little dizzy.

……

Under the same sky, different people have different ideas.

When Li Linfu felt unhappy, Fang Chongyong was doing his own big things, which was extremely satisfying!

In front of the Zhang family's mansion in the small town of Shazhou, there are lanterns and colorful decorations, which is more lively than a holiday.Many visitors greeted Zhang Chan who was greeted at the door, including many Sogdian Hu businessmen with authentic Chang'an accents.

When it was time for dinner, the aroma filled Zhang's lobby. Various delicacies from the Central Plains and the Western Regions were served in turn, and they were piled high in front of everyone.It is a pity that whether it is Fang Chongyong sitting in the main seat, or the local senior general of the Tang Army sitting on his left, or the local big businessman sitting on the right, or the Western Region Hu merchant sitting opposite.

No one moved their chopsticks!
"Everyone eats vegetables. This is not the Hongmen Banquet. Business cannot be done with justice. No matter who it is, I will not embarrass them."

Fang Chongyong said with a smile and took a mouthful of steamed fish.

It’s hard to find fish in Dunhuang, and ordinary people can’t eat it!
After hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and saw that Fang Chongyong had already started eating. They also followed suit, but they didn't dare to drink at all.

If you say the wrong thing in this situation, you can really get killed. After you leave here, where can you not drink?
The atmosphere in the lobby gradually became warmer. Fang Chongyong was probably three-thirds full after eating, so he wiped his hands with silk and waved his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.

The huge hall suddenly fell silent!

"I came from Chang'an, and I just feel that the products from the Western Regions in Chang'an are really cheap.

The dignitaries in Chang'an have a lot of money, but they don't cherish these goods that have been transported from afar with great pains, which makes me feel very sad all the time! "

Fang Chongyong said with a fake expression.

"correct."

"Who said it wasn't."

"You just bought my gems for a few bolts of silk. I feel bad for you."

There was a lot of chatter in the lobby, and they talked about everything.What Fang Chongyong said was not something strange, but the normal state of goods trafficking in the Western Regions.Since Chang'an silk concentrated the essence of the Tang Dynasty, its purchasing power was extremely high.

The things they Hu merchants brought with great pains from various countries in the Western Region were sold relatively cheaply.

"Do you think this is the case? So I have a suggestion. Just think about it. In fact, all of you here, in order to sell goods in the powerful circles of Chang'an, often fight openly and secretly, compete viciously, and compare prices with each other. This is not good. .

I think that as long as there is one company in Chang'an that can provide the supply, it will be enough.What the price is, we have the final say.Those who lower prices without authorization will have their purchasing qualifications revoked.

I have written a proposal. If you have no problem, please sign it.

Of course, these have nothing to do with the government, they are just my personal thoughts, haha, haha! "

Fang Chongyong clapped his chin, and Zhang Guangsheng behind him brought a thick document and handed it to everyone present for circulation.

The local big businessmen signed without even looking at it; Guo Ziyi, Wang Sili and others also signed without thinking.Only the Hu business representatives sitting opposite Fang Chongyong read the document word for word and did not dare to neglect at all, let alone sign randomly.

The content of this "proposal" is both simple and complex.

To put it simply, it was because the documents said that a large-scale caravan would be formed here in Dunhuang to be responsible for transporting goods from the Western Regions to Chang'an, and to ensure that the goods were in good condition and could not be robbed or swallowed up.

In the future, if Hu merchants sell goods in Chang'an, they can just send someone there. There is no need to transport the goods from Dunhuang to Chang'an.

The bad thing about this, though, is that they lose pricing power.

The caravan stipulates what goods should be sold at what price, so the merchants must sell them at that price and are not allowed to lower prices without permission!
In order to avoid vicious competition, Fang Chongyong divided several areas, such as Luoyang Business District, Yangzhou Business District, Shuzhong Business District, etc.

Different Hu merchants can only sell goods at designated locations.Once discovered, they will be disqualified.

If such harsh conditions are to be implemented and accepted, there must be huge benefits.

What are the specific benefits?

Of course there are benefits, that is, no customs duties and all miscellaneous taxes!Needless to say more about this benefit!

There is no need to worry about transportation problems in the future, just go to Chang'an to pick up the goods.Of course, in this case, Hu Shang was naturally divided into two camps.

One part of the group specifically took the route from the Western Regions to Dunhuang, selling goods to caravans and then returning to the Western Regions.Goods are exempt from tariffs, which naturally guarantees profits and

The other part sells goods full-time in Chang'an and does not need to travel on business routes.The Dunhuang caravan provides them with corresponding goods without having to worry about the origin and source of the goods, and no one will accuse them of selling stolen goods.

Those with connections in the Western Regions would choose the first option, and those with connections in the aristocratic circles of Chang'an would choose the second option.

As for tariffs and so on, Fang Chongyong believed in Yan Zhuang's ability to make false accounts. As long as he could fool the court, he would pay as much as possible.

As for the local Doulu army, all their military expenses come from this, including the high military salaries of the border generals.

No fool would tell Brother Ji or the court this, right?So what if we say so, everything is legal and legal, and the local government is considerate of the people's sentiments, but can't they just ask for low tariffs?As for the Dunhuang caravan, they were all private activities and had nothing to do with the government, and the government could not interfere.

Of course, these goods are subject to category restrictions and do not involve people's livelihood products.All things that people use daily are let go and can be bought and sold freely. The caravans are also responsible for freight, but there is no restriction on pricing power.

Fang Chongyong is very particular about public opinion. He will never force these Hu merchants to join the Dunhuang caravan, and he will never put a knife on others' necks to play with these things.

But, if you don’t join, you will die from the tariffs and die from the smuggling investigation.If you encounter bandits and looting on the road, the local government has no way to take charge of it. If you encounter it, just consider yourself unlucky.

After all, the Western Region is so chaotic, it’s not surprising that something bad happens, right?

To be honest, the details here are very complicated, and there is also a sentence: "All interpretation rights belong to the Shazhou Government." In other words, if someone finds a loophole in the future, the Shazhou Government can plug it at any time. .

In short, this is a game where you are both a player and a referee.The merchants present traveled all over the country, and they could only say that they understood it from the heart.

"If you feel embarrassed, forget it. After all, it is a business cooperation. In the next two days, businessmen from Liangzhou will also come over for a meeting. You are just the first batch. The reason why I came to you first is because I am still I want to benefit the local people first.”

Fang Chongyong said with a smile.

The dignitaries in Chang'an have so much money in their pockets, let's bleed them!Luxury goods must have the price and style of luxury goods!How can it be sold at such a low price!

Is there any better business in the world than monopoly business?

Fang Chongyong sneered in his heart, but his face was about to burst into laughter.

Upon hearing this, the big merchants from the Western Regions, who were already a little moved, immediately signed their names on the document and stamped their personal seals.

Zhang Guangsheng walked over and took away the documents. Fang Chongyong shouted to everyone:
"How can we not be without wine when we are having a happy event? When we are drunk, we sing, how many times in life, when anyone comes, I will serve them all with wine!"

Hearing this, the atmosphere in the lobby suddenly exploded, and everyone present felt relieved!
Let’s make a fortune together in the future!Get dry!

……

After drinking some wine and swaying every step of the way, Zhang Guangsheng took him to the backyard of the government office.Fang Zhongyong opened the study door and saw Anaye, with a delicate face, flipping through medical books under candlelight. The scene was peaceful and beautiful.

Fang Chongyong leaned on the door of the room, and the song of his previous life seemed to be heard in his ears:
Can you continue to dream of youth?
I don’t know how time flies.

I can't understand the logic.

Down and out in the street again and again.

Ten sweet dreams cover the sky;
Warm love penetrates the breeze.

Love competing for every second and every minute;

Smile gently at the setbacks and then try harder.

……

Fang Chongyong knocked on the study door and asked softly:

"You haven't slept yet?"

"No, I'll wait for you to come back."

"Give me a shoulder squeeze."

"it is good!"

He sat down on the Taishi chair, closed his eyes, enjoying Anaye's massage, and soon fell asleep leaning on her body. (End of this volume)
Next volume: The powerful Qilinzi in Hexi, who entered Chang'an and killed everyone
　I’ve finished writing this volume. Let’s take a break.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)