Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 614: Get promoted, get rich, and exchange for a wife
The closer it gets to the Lantern Festival, the busier Fang Chongyong becomes.

It was not until the day before the Lantern Festival that he had some time to rest and read an "unexpected" document in the study of the government office.

Recently, someone presented him with a treasure in response to the government's reward for farming technology.

This "treasure" is: the technology of building farmland on the lake with rafts and carrying out "soilless" cultivation!
Although this method still requires soil, it no longer requires "land". Of course, you can't grow food, only vegetables. Building such a large circle around the lake can be dismantled at any time, which is cost-effective.

There is also a technique of growing bean sprouts using horse manure, which can be done indoors.

Bean sprouts are rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, which can effectively supplement the nutrients needed by the human body and improve the physical fitness of ordinary people.

These technologies are truly astonishing.

Fang Chongyong realized that agricultural technology in the Tang Dynasty had developed to a very high level, but the promotion work was not done well and the advanced agricultural technology had not been widely rolled out.

So the same technology has been "invented" countless times in different places.

"This reward should be given."

Fang Zhongyong put the document on the table and talked to himself.

The details of people's livelihood are often the foundation of productivity.

"Brother, Zheng Shuqing wants to see you, and he brought a young man with him, who might be a nephew of the same clan."

Zhang Guangsheng, who was guarding outside the study, pushed the door open and spoke in a low voice.

"Well, it's human nature to come and seek official positions."

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly and said.

Seeing that Zhang Guangsheng was hesitant to speak, he asked in confusion: "Anything else? Is there any difficulty in forming the Longjie Army?"

Liu Yan was a very reliable person, and Bianzhou was not short of money or food. There would not be any material difficulties in forming an army of more than 2,000 people.

"None of those things."

Zhang Guangsheng paused and continued, "Brother, the princess has worked very hard to manage the family over the years, and she is well-respected. You really can't be fickle and make Li Yi the princess. Although she is very beautiful and is from the royal family, but..."

Zhang Guangsheng didn't know what to say next.

Li Yi's appearance is really attractive, and she has charming charm all over her body. There is no man who would not want to get her and play with her.

But a concubine and a wife are not the same thing. A concubine can only be a concubine, even if Fang Chongyong has become the "King of Pingxi".

So this woman cannot be made the legal wife!
If Fang Zhongyong insists on his own way, many of his subordinates will be disappointed.

The affair between Fang Chongyong and Li Yi is no longer a secret, and the woman is now pregnant, so it can no longer be taken lightly.

It cannot be said that Zhang Guangsheng’s concerns are completely unreasonable.

"You really think too much. Is it possible to do such a thing as having sex with someone and then abandoning them?"

Fang Zhongyong shook his head helplessly, not knowing how to explain.

How could he possibly divorce Wang Yunxiu? Not to mention that he had no intention of doing so, even if he did, he would never do it.

When they were in Chang'an, it was Wang Yunxiu who had been supporting Zhang Guangsheng. Xiao Zhang had always remembered this favor, and when he heard outsiders talking about the possibility that Fang Chongyong might make Li Yi his principal wife, he couldn't help but want to say a few words.

"Brother, you don't know that Prince Yong has divorced his wife yesterday! How could my worry be groundless?"

Zhang Guangsheng said in a low voice.

Eh?
Fang Chongyong was shocked. He had been busy with government affairs recently and had not paid attention to Prince Yong's affairs. He did not expect that Prince Yong would divorce his wife!
"Did Prince Yong remarry?"

Fang Chongyong asked in a deep voice.

"Of course. He quietly married a woman from the Zheng family yesterday without inviting anyone to a banquet. This woman may not be as pretty as Li Yi, but she is definitely young and well-educated."

Zhang Guangsheng said with disdain.

Li Lin was in Bianzhou, less than a hundred miles away from Xingyang City.

He is now marrying a woman from the Zheng family in Xingyang. There is nothing more unusual in the world than this.

As for the reason, those who understand know it. It is nothing more than the hope to get the full support of Zheng family of Xingyang.

Of course, Li Lin was a man who wanted to save face. Zhang Guangsheng simply stated the essence of the matter in a straightforward manner.

Although this matter was essentially Prince Yong's "divorce", it was impossible for Li Lin to write a divorce letter.

Princess Hou Mochen likes to chant Buddhist scriptures and hopes to stay in the temple with green lamps and serve the Buddha. What can His Royal Highness Prince Yong do?

Of course, the choice is to "help her".

When a powerful person wants to do something, all he lacks is determination. Once he makes up his mind to do it, he has plenty of excuses. If Houmo Chen refuses to obey, it is not uncommon for her to accidentally fall into the water and die.

Fang Zhongyong nodded slightly, and he suddenly remembered something.

Zheng Shuqing had asked him if he wanted to establish a "concubine" so that he could help him thread the needle. However, Fang Zhongyong didn't realize what was going on at that time, so he simply refused.

There were already many women in his backyard, and it was already lively enough. Bringing another woman home for no reason would only make him unhappy.

Afterwards, Zheng Shuqing never mentioned this matter again.

Now that I think about it, Zheng family of Xingyang should have chosen to "settle for the second best" after Fang Chongyong's refusal.

It was precisely because of the previous "divorce" of Prince Yong Li Lin that Zhang Guangsheng was worried that Fang Chongyong would be obsessed with sex and divorce Wang Yunxiu and make Li Yi his principal wife.

After all, Li Yi was the daughter of the Li Tang royal family, not an ordinary woman.

It has to be said that first Li Baochen married a princess again, and later Prince Yong Li Lin divorced his wife and married Zheng.

The traditional routine of getting promoted, getting rich and exchanging for a wife is really effective.

"Okay, bring Zheng Shuqing in. Don't mention divorce anymore."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand and said.

Although he is a man who does whatever it takes politically, he still pays great attention to personal morality in life and treats people around him very well. How can he change his wife after climbing to a high position?
After a while, Zheng Shuqing was led into the study by Zhang Guangsheng, with a young man beside him.

"His name is Zheng Xunyu, my nephew. He was hiding in Luhun Mountain near Luoyang to study and farm. He heard that Prince Yong was going to issue a manifesto in Bianzhou to rectify the situation and punish the rebels, so he came to me to see if he could do his best to help."

Zheng Shuqing said with a smile and pushed a wooden box in front of him towards Fang Chongyong.

From the way he moved, it didn't look like there was any gold or silver inside.

Fang Zhongyong opened it and saw that it was, as expected, some land deeds in Zhengzhou. As for how large the land was and where it was exactly, he had no idea.

It is indeed a generous gift, or you can call it a token of allegiance.

In the eyes of outsiders, as the biggest local boss in Henan, Zheng family of Xingyang should be the group that resisted the "redemption" method the most fiercely. They should lead those who are unwilling to hand over the land and unite to resist.

Then he was beaten to a pulp by the soldiers of the Silver Spear Loyalty Army.

But in fact, these people are the most cooperative ones. Because they know that as long as they occupy the C position in the officialdom, no matter how much land they throw away now, they can slowly get it back.

No matter how much land you have, it is not as great as power.

They stopped Fang Chongyong when he was alive, so they will wait until Fang Chongyong dies before rolling up the scroll.

They stopped Fang Zhongyong while his successor was still alive, so they will wait until he dies before rolling up the scroll.

Time is on their side, there will always be a time when it cannot be stopped! These wealthy families can afford to wait!

"These land deeds are the result of the Zheng family responding to the government's call to hand over the unused land to the state for use. They are not a stepping stone for me to enter the government, so I hope Marshal Fang will understand."

Just when Zheng Shuqing was about to say something nice, Zheng Xunyu beside him suddenly spoke.

If you can't speak, just shut up! It's not like I can't speak!

Zheng Shuqing was so angry that his hair stood up!
After Zheng Xunyu said this, he couldn't even mention those ambiguous words afterwards.

What kind of virtue is missing from the Zheng family that they have produced such a fool!
The Zheng family handed over such a large area of ​​land, obviously hoping to support some capable people of their own in the "New Dynasty"!
Otherwise, Zheng Xunyu, who was already poor and destitute, would not even be able to get a place. Nowadays, the descendants of Zheng family in Xingyang lack not connections, but ability! It is precisely because of the chaotic times that there is no chance to waste time and live a lazy life. The capable ones will rise, and the mediocre ones will fall! The competition is very fierce!

Otherwise, how could Zheng Xunyu get such a good position!

Zheng Shuqing cursed in his heart.

This young man thought that Zheng handed over the land out of his selfless support for the court.

It’s not that Zheng is stupid, but it’s a stepping stone to a career in officialdom!

"Hahahaha, that's it, that's it. Marshal Jie's new policy is all about serving the country, so naturally the Zheng family will make a great contribution."

Zheng Shuqing laughed awkwardly while trying to smooth things over. If Fang Chongyong hadn't been there, he would have beaten Zheng Xunyu to death!

This dull-witted guy didn't say anything beforehand and promised everything well. But when the time came, he ended up like this. He is worse than a dog.

Zheng Shuqing cursed Zheng Xunyu in his heart, but due to face, he couldn't do anything to him.

"Your nephew is very upright. The government has just established the Metrology Bureau, with Yang Yan as the director. Now Yang Yan has been sent to Dengzhou on official business to manage maritime trade affairs, and the Metrology Bureau is leaderless. How about letting your nephew give it a try?

After His Royal Highness Prince Yong ascended the throne, he came to the government office to take up his duties."

Fang Chongyong immediately made the decision to make the best use of his talents and to use upright people in a upright way.

"General, the matter of measurement is extremely important. I am afraid that I am not qualified for the job for the time being. It would be better to let Zheng serve as the judicial officer of Bianzhou and manage the law enforcement of the state. If Zheng is qualified, it will not be too late to promote him to the position of the Metrology Bureau."

Zheng Xunyu saluted Fang Zhongyong and said with a firm attitude.

Zheng Shuqing standing by was almost driven crazy by this wooden-headed guy!
Fang Zhongyong clearly threw out such a big pie, and you idiot thought that was the end of it!
Why are you being so pretentious?
"If you are not qualified, then study hard, learn more and watch more. The granting of this official position is a matter for the court. Can you bargain with it?

From now on, Liu Yan will be in charge of the money, and you will be responsible for checking the expenditure and income! Go back and bring your old mother to Kaifeng City, go now!"

Fang Chongyong scolded Zheng Xunyu.

It is right to be upright, but you cannot indulge yourself. Fang Zhongyong just won't indulge himself.

"Marshal Jie has spoken, why don't you go pick up your mother?"

Zheng Shuqing said to Zheng Xunyu with a fierce face and winked at him desperately!
Zheng voluntarily handed over so much land and also played a very crucial leading role in helping the new court promote land reform.

What would they think if they could only get a position as a judicial officer in Bianzhou? Would they think Fang Zhongyong had no sincerity and was just perfunctory, or even that he would completely liquidate them in the future?
Will there be any extreme conflict due to misjudgment?

This is no longer just Zheng Xunyu's problem! Even Zheng Shuqing can't handle it.

Zheng Xunyu has political ideals, but he has no political wisdom at all, at least not yet.

"Thank you, Marshal Fang."

Zheng Xunyu clasped his hands and bowed to Fang Zhongyong, then turned and left the study, waiting outside the door, not daring to leave.

After he left, Zheng Shuqing smiled helplessly at Fang Zhongyong, "Those who are capable have no brains, and those who are smart have no ability. Our Zheng family is now also losing talent. I'm sorry to make you laugh, Marshal Jie."

"Young people, you just need to gain more experience."

Fang Chongyong laughed and waved his hand indifferently.

Land reform cannot be carried out without confiscating part of the land from large households.

Without land reform, we will not be able to accumulate taxes, support our troops and strengthen ourselves.

Failure to maintain an army means the inability to compete head-on with other forces, which means losing the future.

Therefore, land reform is the first step towards victory and the most important thing to do. Without land reform, nothing can be achieved.

Regardless of whether the Zheng family of Xingyang wanted to insert their own people into the court, as long as they could help promote land reform, these "flaws" could be tolerated. After all, when faced with two evils, choose the lesser one. Where in the world is there anything perfect?
The right approach is to resolve the main contradictions and solve development problems through development.

To eliminate the aristocratic families does not mean to completely eliminate these people physically.

Kill the people in front, and there will be people behind to take advantage of the situation. There is no end to the killing.

What needs to be eliminated is the economic system of the aristocratic families that is rich enough to rival a country, and the personal control that the aristocratic families exercise over their tenants.

What needs to be destroyed is the unjust system, not the people living under this system!
Fang Chongyong understood the purpose of Zheng Shuqing's visit today better than Zheng Xunyu.

"Prince Yong married a daughter of the Zheng family. Although I tried to persuade him at home for a long time, she was not a close relative of Zheng, so I still couldn't persuade her."

Zheng Shuqing shook his head helplessly.

However, Fang Chongyong had already heard this news from Zhang Guangsheng.

On the one hand, the Zheng family introduced people like Zheng Xunyu who are capable but do not intend to rely on their family background to get things done. Instead, they intend to go into politics based on their "ability".

On the other hand, they also actively formed alliances with the imperial power, intending to reap the benefits without any effort.

In addition, there are middlemen like Zheng Shuqing who have little ability to govern but can connect with Fang Chongyong.

The Zheng family of Xingyang is very cunning. It cannot be said that they are betting on two sides. It should be said that they are betting on many sides.

Moreover, before Li Lin ascended the throne, before the situation became clear, they were like sleeping turtles, they would not move even if you kicked them.

After Li Baochen entered Chang'an, the time had come, and the speed at which these people acted could be described as lightning.

Tomorrow, Prince Yong will ascend the throne. Yesterday, the daughter of the Zheng family squeezed out Prince Yong's wife, Hou Mochen! If Fang Zhongyong's soul had not come from the afterlife, he would not be sure that he could withstand such an attack!
Li Lin's weakness was clearly seen by Zheng family of Xingyang. This "exclusive" marriage was Zheng family's way of testing Li Lin's determination.

After being tested, Zheng Shuqing came to Fang Chongyong today to give him the land deed.

One thing leads to another.

"Marshal Ji, everyone is watching you now, to see if you will make Li Yi the rightful successor, to see if you will be the second Li Baochen.

This matter needs to be carefully considered."

Zheng Shuqing said this meaningfully, hinting that this should be done.

Changing wives at this time does not represent a personal emotional choice, but a choice of political line.

Li Baochen and Li Lin are changing wives now, not because they are lustful and like young women, but because of political needs.

No matter what choice Fang Chongyong makes, he will have to face some pressure. Nothing is perfect.

"Needless to say, Wang Yunxiu must be the principal wife, I will not change her."

Fang Chongyong said this with great confidence and a firm tone.

"Ugh!"

Zheng Shuqing sighed. In fact, he had known that the other party would make this choice.

"General Jie, speaking from a personal perspective, I admire your loyalty and righteousness.

But from the perspective of interests, making Li Yi the principal wife and Wang Yunxiu the concubine is something many people want to see.

I think Marshal Jie must understand why Li Baochen wanted to marry a married princess.

Zheng also understands your ambition.

That’s why it’s said.

Since you follow your inner choice, Zheng does not want to be a bad guy, so he can only tell certain people clearly about Marshal Ji's choice. This is also a helpless move.

Farewell! "

Zheng Shuqing bowed deeply to Fang Chongyong, then turned and left.

Fang Chongyong walked him all the way out of the government office gate before returning to his study.

"The aristocratic families are beginning to join the game."

He sighed softly and shook his head.

(End of this chapter)