Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 171 Rescue Soldier Zheng Shuqing

In the small main hall of Fang Chongyong's house, a table of dishes was placed on a large table, with a rich mix of meat and vegetables.

There is almost no shortage of Hu pancakes, chicken rice, pickles, steamed fish and seasonal fruits that people in the Tang Dynasty often eat.This seems to be the way wealthy people eat. Wang Yunxiu manages the housework very well, at least she doesn't lose Fang Chongyong's face.

But at this moment, the atmosphere in the hall was filled with embarrassment.

Wang Yunxiu, who had been busy in the house, didn't know whether to leave. Zheng Shuqing, who came uninvited, and Du Fu and Yuan Jie, who followed Fang Chongyong to the house as guests, felt like they were sitting on pins and needles and couldn't stay for a moment!
It's a pity that each of them has a reason to stay here.

Du Fu and Yuan Jie wanted to compete for the imperial examination, Zheng Shuqing did it because of important matters in his yamen, and Wang Yunxiu had a life-threatening matter and needed to discuss it urgently with Fang Chongyong.

"Both of you, let me introduce you. This is Zheng Shuqing, Yin of Jingzhao Prefecture, and this is Zhuo Jing."

Fang Chongyong introduced Du Fu and Yuan Jie.

It is very embarrassing and easy to offend someone when you come home from a treat and find that there are already guests at home, and they are also distinguished guests.Fang Chongyong actually understood why Du Fu and Yuan Jie did not leave.

It's a pity that Lao Zheng's matter is definitely more important.As soon as she heard the word "clumsy Jing", Wang Yunxiu blushed and retreated to the bedroom, never coming out to disturb Fang Chongyong's so-called important event again.

"I have some official business to discuss with Zheng Fuyin today. Let's go to the hotel tomorrow to have a drink and chat with you two. Don't worry, I will definitely be there."

Fang Chongyong said to Du Fu and others very politely.These two people were also well-informed and knowledgeable people. The "high-end situation" where the fourth-grade governor and the governor of Jingzhao discussed important matters were not something they, two scholars preparing to take part in the imperial examination, could intervene in.

The more news you hear, the more risk you will take.

The old residence given by the emperor, the high-ranking guests of the Zheng family in Xingyang, a cart full of gifts, and the daughter of the governor of Hedong as his wife... Du Fu was greatly stimulated by the various things he saw at Fang Chongyong's house today. , the world view collapsed.

The social circles of powerful people are indeed full of power and high-end style!He felt firsthand how profound Fang Chongyong's background was!

This powerless feeling of being crushed in all directions made him not even feel jealous.

He was too far gone.Whether Fang Chongyong struggled on his own or whether he was a family member is no longer important.In short, Du Fu recognized his own weakness.

As for what Yuan Jie was thinking, he didn't know. The two met together on the road and were not friends who had known each other since childhood.

Du Fu only knew that Yuan Jie was a very pragmatic person.

After sending the two of them out, Fang Chongyong took Zheng Shuqing to the study. After the two sat down, he looked at Zheng Shuqing helplessly and asked: "Zheng Fuyin never goes to the Three Treasures Hall for anything, and he brings a cart full of gifts." , why?"

Gifts are "important" and feelings are also "important"!
Zheng Shuqing sent Fang Chongyong a cart full of salted fish, dried meat, rice, turbid wine and other items. The overall weight was scary, but these items were not valuable!

There wasn't even a single more than usual item inside.

"There is indeed something big going on. Those gifts are just a cover-up."

Zheng Shuqing said solemnly, then took out a bill from his sleeve, and then sat quietly without talking.

"This is……"

Seeing this "bill", Fang Chongyong suddenly felt like he was in another world!
Isn't this riding horse the thing from Hexi that he named "pickup coupon"?With your ticket, you can pick up the goods at the "Hexi Luxury Store" in Dongshi!Once you order something, you can get it based on the item number and cabinet number.

He came up with the whole set of rules. How can you not be familiar with them?

This store implements a "membership system". It only recognizes bills but not money. It does not sell to people other than members. It only sells futures but not spot goods. It all adopts a "pre-sale system".If there is no reservation, no deposit, and no advance purchase, even if a cartload of gold is transported, it will not be sold.

It can be said to be "reputable" in Chang'an!
Wang, the richest man in the store, owns [-]% of the shares. All parties in Shazhou, including Hu merchants from the Western Regions who provide the supply of goods, share [-]% of the shares. They have nothing to do with Fang Chongyong.Now it is the largest store in Chang'an East City, and its customers are all dignitaries from all over the Tang Dynasty.

To sum up, it can be seen as a membership store opened by Brother Ji, which sells luxury goods in advance!The items on sale are not found in other shops in Chang'an, and are even unique!
Brother Ji does not bear any risks, and the [-]% shares of other parties are responsible for the risks along the way. It can be said that the majority of this business was taken by Brother Ji in the end.

Now the ticket given by Lao Zheng is the "pickup ticket" from the store in Dongshi, which can collect a mysterious item.What it is specifically will not be written on the receipt, nor will the store owner say it, and the cabinet will not even be opened in the store.

Only the person who made the reservation knows what it is, not the shop owner, because they didn't put it in the box.

The shops in Dongshi are only responsible for collecting money and shipping goods; but the people who transport, load and sell goods are different merchants and different people.There are not only reservations, but also auctions, blind box openings, door-to-door sales, etc.

For other people, these things may be novel, but for Fang Chongyong, he has long been tired of aesthetics.

"The final payment has been settled by someone. Inside is a pair of gold masks inlaid with rubies. It is said that they were once owned by a noble in Da Qin. They are valuable and priceless in the market."

Zheng Shuqing said calmly, his heart full of pride.

At this moment, he thought that Fang Chongyong should first be shocked, horrified, and impressed, and then beg himself to tell him how much this thing cost.

After satisfying his vanity, he casually revealed a number that made him feel super painful. In the end, Fang Chongyong had a mixed view and shouted that the gift was too heavy to repay, so he could only try his best to help him tide over the difficulties without sparing any effort. .

However, Fang Yanei just looked at the bill curiously, and then placed it on the table with a calm expression.

This made Lao Zheng very unhappy, but he didn't understand what the problem was.

"No merit, no reward.

I went to Xing's house to search the house before, just to give you a little help and solve my own problems.The bacon that Zheng Fuyin asked the oxcart to bring today was enough to repay this favor. "

Fang Chongyong pushed the exquisite note in front of Zheng Shuqing and said.

"I have something to ask for, please help me."

Zheng Shuqing pushed this "ticket" to Fang Chongyong again.

"I have something to say in advance!"

Fang Zhongyong refused to give in and pushed the "ticket" back again!
In the end, Lao Zheng was speechless and put the bill into his sleeve.

Fang Chongyong has been in Hexi for several years, but now he is no longer as easy to handle as before!
"It's like this. Tomorrow, the saint will invite all the princes to go hunting in Zhongnan Mountain! It is said that they will stay for a long time, even a month or two, and will not come back until their sixtieth birthday!"

Zheng Shuqing sighed helplessly.

Now that the country has nothing to do, Ji Ge has been slacking off for more than a day or two.Something as outrageous as this happened not once or twice.It's just that Fang Chongyong was not in Chang'an and didn't know it.

"So the saint asked you, the governor of Jingzhao, to accompany him, and then confirmed that someone was planning to rebel?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a puzzled look on his face, a little confused as to which song Zheng Shuqing was singing.

"Bullshit! Who dares to rebel now! What on earth are you thinking!"

Zheng Shuqing couldn't help but scolded loudly, and then lamented:

"Don't you really understand?
The saint knew that the left and right sides were fighting too hard, so he took the princes dozens of miles away from Chang'an, and then stayed at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain to cultivate while watching the fierce fighting in the court!
This time it’s the right prime minister who oversees the country!Prime Minister Zuo takes care of the daily life of the Chang'an Forbidden Army! "

Zheng Shuqing said angrily.

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly, he also heard something.

After repelling the Tubo people, Zhang Shougui, because of his military exploits, recruited many fringe figures who had been torn apart by Li Linfu. In the local area, he also had his adopted son An Lushan to cooperate, and now his power has grown quite a bit!

In particular, Zhang Jiuling's former party members in the court were recruited, and they were strong enough to compete with Li Linfu.

But there are two sides to the matter of left prime minister and right prime minister fighting for power, because after all, Datang belongs to Brother Ji, not the left prime minister and right prime minister.

The left prime minister said something should be done, but the right prime minister said it couldn't be done. Similar situations delayed the official work. Everything had to be decided by Brother Ji and even coordinated conflicts. This was a bit annoying to Brother Ji, who was lazy in government affairs.This was the situation some time ago. Zhang Shougui said that he would open "enke", that is, additional enrollment; but Li Linfu said that there was no need to open it, but it would only waste people and money and be of no use.

The two fought for more than a month, and finally Li Linfu compromised. He held the imperial examination after Ji Ge's birthday this year and recruited a group of Jinshi.

This is why Du Fu and others went to Beijing to take the exam, otherwise the exam would have to wait until next spring.

This reminded Brother Ji of the past when Zhang said that in the early years of Kaiyuan, he had a life-and-death fight with Yu Wenrong.It doesn't matter if you fight hard, but it shouldn't affect your daily life. Ji Ge's political principles are very clear.

Now, Li Linfu, who is proficient in financial management (making money), is compared to Yu Wenrong, a financial official back then; and Zhang Shougui, who is proficient in military affairs, is compared to Zhang Shuo, who was very effective in rectifying border towns.

Similar situations made Li Longji extremely bored.

Brother Ji got two dogs to be the "leaders" so that they could do things, manage other dogs, and keep each other in check.

These two dogs are definitely not allowed to lead a group of dogs to "walk" his master!
So Brother Ji’s method is also simple:
Don't you like to fight? OK, then let you have a good fight as to whether I can walk or not!

Let Li Linfu take control of the overall situation, but give some of the power to Zhang Shougui, and let the two of them team up for a game!It can be called "evenly matched"!
With Brother Ji gone, the two men will definitely fight.

As long as there is a fight, someone will always suffer in the end, and then just wait for Brother Ji to come back and take charge of the overall situation.

Those who should be punished should be punished, and those who should be rewarded should be rewarded.When you get tired of beating, you will do things honestly, at least for a while.

To be fair, Brother Ji's plan is not bad, although it is a bit unethical.

After thinking about this, Fang Chongyong couldn't help but sigh: Although Brother Ji is very bad, he is indeed a veteran in government affairs and has rich experience.Especially in terms of experience in fighting for power with the prime minister, he has a big advantage!
"So why did you give me such a generous gift?"

Fang Chongyong asked helplessly.Of course he knew that the pair of gold masks couldn't be cheap. According to the price in Hexi, it was at least ten thousand pieces of fine silk.

This price refers to the kind of "unique copy", the kind with only one copy.

Pairs of masks are usually one for men and one for women, and they are all made by the same craftsman.

The price cannot be paid for with [-] bolts of silk!

This is a top-notch piece of art from West Asia that is rare to find.In the eyes of experts, its price can no longer be estimated. It all depends on how much the person who wants it asks for it!

Basically no one in the Western Regions and Hexi Corridor would buy this kind of thing.If you can't get it to Chang'an to sell it, then you have to do business without capital. If you grab it, you will make a profit. If you are killed, it means you are not good at learning!
Hexi people are pragmatic and no one would do such a thing.

Fang Chongyong understands very well that when you are polite, you must ask for something!If Zheng Shuqing offers such a price, the trouble he will encounter will definitely not be small.

He couldn't agree rashly.

"The right prime minister has received the exact information. The left prime minister is preparing to avenge the Xing family's house being confiscated! And the expected breakthrough is the Jingzhao Mansion, which has the most problems! To be precise, it's someone!"

Zheng Shuqing also sighed helplessly and replied.

The governor of Jingzhao is a position where "dog officials come out in large numbers".

However, it is also an important indicator of central government affairs!

Usually, whichever faction has a person serving as the governor of Jingzhao will have an advantage in the court situation.It can be said that the Jingzhao Mansion itself is an institution that manages everything but cannot manage anything well.

Jingzhao Mansion is like an early warning bell. Although it cannot catch thieves, it can easily tell the status of Chang'an and surrounding counties and counties, as well as the quality of government affairs.

The most typical example is that the political situation has been relatively stable over the past four years.Li Linfu's son, Zheng Shuqing, sat firmly in the position of Jingzhao Prefecture and did not move, which also symbolized the balance of the political situation!
Brother Ji has not replaced anyone, and he doesn’t know who is more suitable. Li Linfu has always had a slight advantage in the power struggle!
Nowadays, the political situation in Chang'an has reached the critical point of "from stability to chaos".The Left Prime Minister faction headed by Zhang Shougui wanted to break the balance of the political situation by getting rid of the Jingzhao governor who belonged to Li Linfu's camp.

Zheng Shuqing was just the beginning, and he was also the first target for everyone on Zhang Shougui's side to focus on!What are the follow-up plans? That is not a question that Fang Chongyong should worry about.

All in all, if the forces of the Left Prime Minister are allowed to defeat Zheng Shuqing, then it will probably be time for Brother Ji to return to Chang'an and adjust the powers of the Prime Minister.

Zhang Shougui became the right prime minister, and Li Linfu was demoted to the left prime minister. Then Ji Ge split the various powers in their hands and then reorganized them. In fact, it was in line with Li Longji's psychological expectations and the basic laws of political struggle.

It will not break the power structure that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty has created for a long time.

In other words, Li Linfu might only receive a sap in this fight, and it would not be said that he was injured; but Zheng Shuqing, as the party involved, is very likely to be beaten to death with a stick!

What's more, this time Lao Zheng took the lead in killing Xing Xuan, the young minister of Honglu Temple who was on the side of the left prime minister, and "accidentally" became the vanguard of the political struggle.The first to stand out and the first to die has always been an iron rule applicable to all kinds of struggles.

If you really want to say it, it was Fang Chongyong who dragged Zheng Shuqing into the water!

If we want to use the analogy of fighting beasts, it is equivalent to the tiger (Zheng Shuqing) in Li Linfu's hand eating Zhang Shougui's leopard (Xing Xuan) yesterday.

Now the opponent lost a chess piece first, but it also changed from light to dark, gaining strategic initiative, and there is no longer a natural loophole like Xing Xuan to hold it back.

Whether it is a blessing or a curse, I really have to say two things.

On the contrary, the Jingzhao Mansion Yamen where Zheng Shuqing worked had a backlog of more than [-] files during his tenure!
Although most of them are trivial things like stealing cattle and killing dogs, there are also some major cases among them!
Just one accusation of laziness and neglect in government was enough to take off Lao Zheng's official robe, but everyone just pretended not to see it in the past.

It can be said that the bottom of Jingzhao Mansion Yamen is now full of flying!It can attract a lot of flies from a long distance.

If a group of old court officials were to stir up trouble, Zheng Shuqing might not be able to keep his official position, and he might even be punished with the help of someone who is interested!

"There is a backlog of old cases in your Yamen accounting room. I estimate that many of them are ready to go.

In less than two days, someone will come to Jingzhao Mansion to complain.It doesn’t need to be more, as long as ten cases are sent to you in a day, you won’t be able to bear it at all! "

Fang Chongyong said to Zheng Shuqing with a smirk on his face.

If Lao Zheng does nothing this time, he will definitely be beaten to a pulp!
"I have expected these, but this is a conspiracy, what else can I do?"

Zheng Shuqing asked with a wry smile.

"Well, the right minister has a dinner party tonight, so I'll ask him first if he can give you a hand."

Fang Chongyong spread his hands and said.What else could he do about this kind of thing where he could only resort to tricks?
Seeing Zheng Shuqing looking pitiful and about to cry, Fang Chongyong casually said:

"Sages must also know the virtues of the Jingzhao Mansion Yamen. It is really useless. It is normal for old cases to be incompletely tried.

If someone wants to mess with you, he will definitely not get entangled in this matter, because entanglement may not bring you down.

In terms of military strategy, this is just a necessary rescue to attack the enemy. They probably just want to use these old cases to make you tired.The real killing move must be something else! "

Hearing this, Zheng Shuqing's eyes lit up and he immediately asked, "What is it?"

Fang Chongyong spread his hands and made a helpless gesture.

Ask him about this kind of thing, he still wants to ask others.

When Fang Chongyong came to Chang'an this time, he felt that the political situation in Chang'an was a lot chaotic.

The vicious political struggle has gradually surfaced from below the water's surface, showing a trend of becoming open.Brother Ji's attitude towards all kinds of conflicts has changed from actively handling them to sitting back and watching the fight between tigers and reaping the benefits.

It seems that Chang'an City is about to enter a troubled period!Fang Chongyong couldn't help but sigh!
　The transitional chapter should be posted in advance.I'll leave Xi'an tomorrow.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)