Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 423 Mutual Benefit
Chen Qingsi and Xiao Miaochen were in the backyard listening to Jingjing talking about what she had learned in school.

Watching his son gesticulating and describing his school life, Chen Qingsi felt particularly happy, and all the fatigue brought by the trivial work disappeared.

"My dear, my brother wants to see you for something."

Chen Qingsi said hello to his wife and walked out of the backyard.

Zhou Kui came forward and whispered, "The bad commander is here, and the Jiangnan incident has had some repercussions."

Chen Qingsi nodded and walked to the reception room.

In addition to the bad boy Yin Ming, there was also a middle-aged man with a mediocre appearance in the reception room.

"Meet Mr. Chen!"

Yin Ming and the middle-aged man greeted Chen Qingsi.

Chen Qingsi enthusiastically asked Yin Ming to introduce him to him: "General Buliang, please introduce this warrior to me. I think this brother has made great contributions during our trip south."

Seeing Chen Qingsi giving him such respect, Yin Ming said with some joy, "Sir, this brother's surname is Zhang, and his name is Zhang Chengxiang. He is very good at disguising himself and is an expert at gathering information."

Chen Qingsi smiled and praised: "It can be seen that Zhang Zhuangshi has extraordinary talent with this appearance."

Zhang Chengxiang's biggest characteristic is his mediocrity. His figure and facial features are average. He is the type of person who, if you chat with someone you don't know face to face for an hour or so, you can't remember his face after a nap, and you can't find him in a crowd...

It doesn't attract attention, so it is more convenient for you to investigate information than ordinary people.

If it were him, Chen Qingsi, he would be recognized on the street without even saying a word, and would have no chance to investigate the news in depth.

With this talent, Zhang Chengxiang has no worries about food and clothing, the only thing he lacks is dignity.

In Chang'an, where a brick could knock down a group of princes and nobles, the lower class people were looked down upon.

Chen Qingsi is now the Minister of the Temple and has entered the highest rank of officials and gentry. He is an existence that the lower class people look up to but cannot reach.

But such a person treated him so kindly, and he was deeply touched, and hurriedly said: "Shanghai tricks are not worth mentioning."

Chen Qingsi disagreed, "That's wrong. There are 360 ​​professions, and every profession has its own top talent. In this world, if you have a skill and can live a life that is true to your heart, that is a great ability. In some ways, I even envy you."

He asked the two to sit down and did not mention anything about his own affairs.

Zhang Chengxiang took the initiative to bring it up.

"Mr. Chen!"

Zhang Chengxiang's tone was not only respectful, but also intimate. "I went to Suzhou this time and conducted a detailed investigation on Li Dejian. This man has no bad qualities and is somewhat unrestrained. He praises the style of the Wei and Jin dynasties, hangs out in brothels and wine shops with a group of literati, and often gets himself drunk. Everyone in Suzhou knows him. But after a careful investigation, I found that the reality is not so."

"In his early years, Li Dejian was well-known in Suzhou. He collected books, helped his fellow villagers, and often interacted with celebrities. But later on, he became a completely different person..."

Chen Qingsi asked: "But what happened?"

Zhang Chengxiang said: "When Lord Li Wei died, the title was passed to his second son, Li Dejiang. Since then, Li Dejian no longer cared about his reputation and became what he is today."

Chen Qingsi had a guess in his mind and asked, "What do you think?" Zhang Chengxiang said, "I have a humble opinion. After returning from Suzhou, I went back to Chang'an first and carefully investigated some of Li Dejian's past in Beijing. As the eldest son of Duke Wei, Li Dejian was very popular in Chang'an. Before he was 30, he was already a junior supervisor from the fourth rank. According to the investigation, Li Dejian was not promoted entirely by his father's meritorious service. His ability was praised by Emperor Taizong."

Chen Qingsi nodded slightly. Zhang Chengxiang didn't know the ins and outs of officialdom.

In fact, as soon as Chen Qingsi heard that Li Dejian served as the Junior Supervisor of the Ministry of Works, he knew that he was not a second-generation rich man.

The imperial court had its own official standards for the descendants of the founding heroes. Those with average talents would either marry princesses and serve as the imperial concubine's son-in-law, or serve as various types of generals, positions that meant little work but had a high status.

Only those with real talent and knowledge will be granted positions of real power.

The Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Construction Industry had a high status in the early Tang Dynasty. Whenever the Tang army went to war, the army must have the Chief Architect of the Imperial Construction Industry or the Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Construction Industry, and both of them appeared in many battles.

This habit of the Tang army meant that wherever they went, they would have more powerful equipment than the enemy, helping them gain a certain advantage on the battlefield.

Being able to become the Junior Supervisor of Works at such a young age is definitely not something that can be achieved by just being the son of Li Jing.

Zhang Chengxiang analyzed: "I guess Li Dejian was demoted because of Li Chengqian's rebellion. Despite the ups and downs, he believed that he would be revived one day. So when he first arrived in Suzhou, he was not depressed, but collected books, made friends, and enriched himself. But with the death of Duke Wei, the title was inherited by Li Dejiang, which meant that he lost all opportunities. From then on, Li Dejian began to live a life of drunkenness and dreams."

Chen Qingsi looked at Zhang Chengxiang with some surprise, clapped his hands and said with a smile: "It's reasonable and logical."

As he spoke, he looked at Yin Ming, who had a smug look on his face, and said, "Buliang Shuai, where did you find this talent? He's so amazing that I'm jealous. How about giving him to me?"

For an intelligence investigator, knowing how to investigate intelligence is just the basics. A true talent is one who has his own ideas and can analyze deeper intelligence from a small amount of intelligence.

Zhang Chengxiang obviously has this talent.

Chen Qingsi praised the two of them as soon as he opened his mouth.

Yin Ming said sternly, "Mr. Chen, that's not right. If you need anything, just tell me. Not to mention Brother Zhang, even I am willing to serve you."

Zhang Chengxiang also said: "I am willing to serve you as a dog or horse."

"Okay!" Chen Qingsi was overjoyed and said, "I will never let you down." He smiled and looked at Yin Ming and said, "I heard that you have some conflicts with the bad commander of Wannian County?"

Yin Ming's expression changed slightly, and he said hurriedly: "They are just trivial frictions."

Chang'an City covers a large area, and many surrounding counties are under the jurisdiction of Chang'an. However, the core areas of Chang'an are Chang'an County and Wannian County.

Yin Ming is the bad leader of Chang'an County. Wannian County also has a bad leader named Wei Dong.

The Bad People are a group of low-class people involved in some shady businesses.

The bad guys in Chang'an and Wannian counties were bound to fight overtly and covertly for these gray businesses.

Zhang Da'an, the Sima of Yongzhou, was a backbone of the Qingliu faction and Chen Qingsi's right-hand man in the temple. Chen Qingsi learned the news from him.

Chen Qingsi didn't care about these things. He knew very well that some things were unavoidable. If these gray businesses were really cut off, those who lived in the shadows would be unable to continue.

"It will be the day of Fengshan soon, and the starting point of this Fengshan is Luoyang. However, many ministers and envoys from other countries will set out from Chang'an, and I need someone to be responsible for their safety along the way. I will give this task to Sima Zhang, and you will be his deputy. All the bad people in the capital will be under your control."

(End of this chapter)