Jiuxi

Chapter 479 Chapter 477 [Hongyan]

The atmosphere in the Nuan Pavilion was a little gloomy.

Lu Chen sighed and changed the subject: "Father, how is your business doing lately?"

Lu Tong nodded and said: "Okay. I have read your previous letter, and there is nothing wrong with your idea. The Lu family business is indeed not suitable for development in Jiangnan. First, your hands are stained with too much blood of the descendants of Jiangnan's prominent families. Once the two are Stepping into this pit is likely to have a bad impact on you in the future. Nowadays, the main focus of business operations is in Huaizhou. In addition, with the help of Dongfeng from Dingzhou, there are also some layouts in the north. "

Lu Chen smiled and said, "I wonder if father is interested in getting involved in Shazhou?"

"Shazhou?"

Although Lu Tong lives in Jiangbei, he is obviously no stranger to the activities in the capital. He mused: "The goods in Shazhou are indeed profitable, but I heard that the imperial court has arranged for major merchants in the south of the Yangtze River to send representatives to Chengzhou. Our family has Isn’t it too late to take action?”

Lu Chen stood up to help his father add tea, and then explained: "That was my suggestion, but I negotiated Shazhou, and I will definitely leave a way for my family. There is a Jinchuan tribe in Shazhou, and the leader is named Hardy. He is very enthusiastic about doing business, and the resources in Jinchuanbu's territory are also very rich. If my father is interested, he can send someone to Shazhou to have a look. Whether it is Luo Yaozong or Hardy, the Lu family's business can be found in Shazhou. "

Lu Tong stroked the white porcelain tea cup with a slightly teasing smile on his face: "Is it because of that Miss Luo?"

Lu Chen said calmly: "There are indeed considerations in this regard, but I always feel that Shazhou's strategic position is very important, and it may play a decisive role in the Northern Expedition in the future. From these perspectives, further deepening our friendship with Shazhou is There is no harm in doing anything.”

Lu Chen raised his eyes and asked, "What does father mean by this?"

The two prime ministers generally knew how to advance and retreat, and the other Jiangnan aristocratic families became more and more obedient and docile.

His tone was calm, but Lu Chen knew that his old father was not an ordinary businessman, so his words were obviously not without purpose.

"I don't rule out this possibility, but what puzzles me is who has such an ability and can hide it so perfectly?"

All these can show that the capital is now at its most stable moment in more than ten years.

Lu Tong thought for a moment, nodded and said, "Okay, I will arrange for someone to go to Shazhou to find out on the spot."

Lu Chen said with admiration: "It's so good. My father has thought more carefully than me."

Lu Tong smiled slightly, and then said: "Now the north is not stable. Although Jingjun cannot threaten Huaizhou for the time being, the company must make various preparations in advance. Another point, regarding the matter you mentioned at the beginning, I can help You secretly recruited a group of craftsmen and sent them all to Baotai Mountain. There are many people in Huaizhou, and there will definitely be spies from various companies in our business. It is safer for those craftsmen to be in Baotai Mountain. "

"It's good if you have this heart."

"Could it be Queen Xu?"

"I have been paying close attention to the developments in the capital over the past year, mainly because I am worried about your safety, so I look at the changes from the perspective of a bystander. I always feel that in the muddy waters of the capital, there are not only those who have been exposed, but also those who have been exposed. There are forces hiding beneath the surface.”

"Impossible. This queen has the title of a virtuous queen but no foundation or background. The emperor has consciously suppressed the power of the royal family in the early years. The Xu family is just rich. They can secretly help the third prince train a group of assassins to assassinate you, but they definitely don't have the ability to connect such a big conspiracy."

Lu Chen knew very well that he was not a businessman, so he did not express too many opinions on this matter. He believed that running Shazhou would be easy with his old father's skills.

"Other forces...father is saying that someone deliberately sent these four families to the emperor for surgery?"

Lu Tong frowned, and then said: "The reason why I feel this way is because I am very familiar with this method. When the Heluo Palace was burned down, I hid myself from the wind and rain, and waited until the Jing army defeated the Heluo Emperor. When you want to escape, take advantage of the chaos and burn them to death. The most important thing in this kind of thing is to create chaos and then draw chestnuts from the fire. The four families would not have reached this point in the chaos in the capital some time ago. Someone must have stirred up the situation secretly. ”

On the surface, the emperor has great power after putting down the rebellion of the family. He has the imperial army and the Beijing army in his hands, and he has truly reached the level of Qiangang's dictatorship.

Lu Tong picked up the tea cup and took a sip, and said slowly: "Shen'er, do you think there are any dangers lurking in the dark here in the capital?"

The father and son chatted for a while. Lu Tong turned to look at the sky outside and said, "I have one more thing to do here this time. I want to clean up the goods and storefronts of the company in the capital and Jiangnan. In addition to leaving something for you in the Hou Mansion, I will take the rest of the next batch of people back to Huaizhou."

Lu Chen heard what he meant and said reluctantly: "Father, why don't you stay in the capital for a while? Let me walk around with you and enjoy the scenery of Jiangnan."

After the death of the eldest prince, the third prince was still imprisoned in Qiushan Lane. The second prince's position as prince was as stable as a rock. In addition, with a wave of the emperor's hand, the elites of the civil and military elites of the entire dynasty gathered under the prince's banner, and the country's foundation was stable. Can be shaken.

Lu Tong stood up and walked to the window, looking at the desolate courtyard outside, and said slowly: "The rebellion of the four families of King Guo and Ningle seems to be a turmoil, but in fact it is completely under the control of the emperor. Except for the accident of the eldest prince, obviously the emperor also I didn't expect him to be so strong. Looking back on the past, it seems that these rebels were deliberately forced into a desperate situation. It was not only the emperor's persecution, but there seemed to be other forces behind it. "

Lu Chen asked puzzledly: "Just like what his father said, what do those people hiding in the dark want to do? Now His Majesty is solely in charge of power, and no one can shake the crown prince's position. There will be no trouble in the replacement of imperial power. The man behind the scenes cannot simply want to eradicate those forces for His Majesty. If so, he is actually a loyal minister of Da Qi. "

"I am not sure as well."

Lu Tong shook his head, turned to look at Lu Chen, and said solemnly: "Maybe my feeling is wrong, but it is better for you to be careful in the capital than to be plotted secretly."

Lu Chen stood up and said, "Yes, father, I will pay attention."

Lu Tong walked closer and patted him on the shoulder, saying warmly: "After the matters in the capital are settled, you go back to Guangling, arrange the wedding first, and put other matters aside for the time being."

Lu Chen agreed with a smile. …

In a manor in the north city, Ding, Minister of the Ministry of War, looked rosy and proud, which was in sharp contrast to the melancholy on his face two months ago.

Qi Weili, the Minister of Dali Temple, and Pei Fangyuan, the Secretary of the Imperial Academy, seemed even more excited.

After all, this was the first time they had gotten together in private in more than two months.

"Our family has benefited a lot this time, thanks to Brother Shi's strategizing and predicting things like a god."

Ding Hui looked at Li Shizhi, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, who looked calm across from him, and he did not hesitate to express his kind words.

Qi Weili took advantage of the situation and continued: "At that time, Guo Wang and Ningle's four families were ransacked, and the lower officials were worried that they would be affected. It was impossible to escape this storm, but it was really unexpected that they could get so many benefits from it."

Pei Fang praised: "This is called the dependence of blessings and misfortunes, but they are the ones who are unlucky, and we are the ones who enjoy the blessings. In the end, it is Mr. Li who is far-sighted, so that we can enjoy the glory and wealth."

For a time, there was a flood of flattery.

Li Shizhi looked around at everyone and said with a smile: "I haven't seen you for a few months. Your flattery skills have improved a lot."

Everyone laughed.

After the rebellion in the capital subsided, the imperial court immediately launched a liquidation of the rebel forces represented by the four families of Guo Wang and Ningle. This was obviously not as simple as beheading Ling Chi.

These high-ranking families control wealth and resources that are unimaginable to ordinary people, especially various workshops, shops, and fields. They have their properties not only in the capital, but also all over the south of the Yangtze River.

The imperial court ate most of it, and the treasury became full, and the remaining part was naturally swallowed up by other clans who were well prepared.

This is not because the emperor is too generous, but because he cannot do too much and must appease people's hearts, so he gave other families a chance to intervene.

The Jinlin Li family and the Qingyuan Xue family only took action symbolically. The ones who really benefited were the other nine major families in Jiangnan, as well as other wealthy families at the next level down, including Ding Hui and three other people here.

Li Shizhi said leisurely: "Your Majesty urgently summoned Lu Chen to return to the capital to prove that that day is not too far away. What you have to do now is to work honestly and don't be caught at this time."

Ding Hui responded first: "Brother, don't worry, we know what to do."

Li Shizhi said again: "The position of the Imperial Wine Festival is currently vacant. Brother Pei can make preparations in advance. You have to shoulder this heavy responsibility."

Pei Fangyuan was overjoyed, stood up quickly and said, "Thank you, sir, for your support!"

Of course he knew that Li Shizhi, as the Minister of Rites, had no right to intervene in the appointment of the imperial wine ceremony, but many past examples proved that the future head of the Jinlin Li family never lied. Although he had entered the innermost circle around Li Shizhi, he still didn't know how deep the Jinlin Li family was in the Daqi court, so he became more and more awe-inspiring.

After chatting for a while, Qi Weili and Pei Fangyuan took their leave first.

The flower hall became quiet, and Ding Hui sighed: "Brother, I really didn't expect it to go so smoothly."

He obviously knew more inside information than those two people. In fact, the biggest impact of the rebellion was not the wealth that was divided among the families, but the countless positions that were vacant in the Qi court and the army.

The emperor took advantage of the situation and promoted many close ministers, but it was still unable to fill so many gaps. Many middle and lower-level officials were bound to be promoted.

Making profits out of chaos is obviously what Li Shizhi is best at.

Even Ding Hui doesn't know who is Li Shizhi's secret agent in the Daqi court today.

Not to mention, Li Shizhi will still be the examiner in the spring of next year, and a large number of young talents will enter Daqi officialdom through his approval.

Li Shizhi said calmly: "We can't take it lightly now. After His Majesty passes away and the new monarch ascends the throne, we can start arranging some things."

Ding Hui said seriously: "Yes."

Li Shizhi gave a few more instructions, and the two of them left this remote manor in a carriage.

In the carriage, Li Shizhi looked at the envelope in his hand calmly, and took out a thin piece of letter paper with a few short sentences written on it. On the surface, it looked like an ordinary greeting, but there was obviously another secret message.

He put the letter into his sleeve and said to his waiting confidant Li Jinshan: "Tell the person who came here that I agree."

There were only a few simple words, but Li Jinshan didn't understand the meaning, so he could only say respectfully: "Yes, sir."

(End of this chapter)