Jiuxi

Chapter 826 824 [What is Expensive]

The capital city is located at the foot of the emperor, and what happens in the court will soon spread to the public.

Most people were talking about the recent imperial examination turmoil, and the Imperial Academy, which had thousands of young scholars, paid special attention to such matters.

In particular, among the officials dismissed during this imperial inspection was Pei Fangyuan, the chief academic officer of the Imperial College.

There is no need to elaborate on the relationship between the Imperial College and the Imperial Academy. Although important officials of the Imperial College do not often come to the Imperial Academy, Pei Fangyuan is an exception.

He left a pretty good impression on the students of the Imperial College. He was a gentleman with profound knowledge. Every time he came to the Imperial College, he would sit and discuss philosophy and have a great time chatting with some outstanding young scholars. Therefore, Pei Fangyuan's dismissal this time caused quite a stir in the Imperial College.

The imperial court soon made Pei Fangyuan's crimes public, proving that he was not wrongly arrested. Therefore, the students did not make trouble. Instead, some of them privately cursed that such a corrupt official had been in a high position for so many years, and that he deserved to be put to death.

"Brother Shaoyang, wait for me."

Shangshesheng Qian Rang jogged all the way and finally caught up with Jiang Hui, who was walking in front of him holding a book.

The two walked together on the tree-lined path. Jiang Hui looked at the beads of sweat on his forehead and asked curiously, "Why is Degao so flustered?"

"What do you think of what happened some time ago?"

Qian Rang knew that Pei Jijiu admired his good friend very much and had praised Jiang Hui in public many times in the past, saying that he would make a big splash in the next spring imperial examination.

Jiang Hui's eyes were calm, and he said slowly: "The guilty should be punished, that's my opinion."

Qian Rang looked around and saw that there was no one around, so he whispered, "I'm afraid this matter is not that simple."

"what for?"

"I heard from my father that not long after the imperial examination began, dozens of officials were found to have problems. Many officials in the court believed that this was because Li Shangshu of the Ministry of Personnel was trying to crack down on dissidents and fill the vacant positions with his own confidants."

Qian Rang's father was Qian Sui, the Shaoqing of the Honglu Temple. Although this was a very inconspicuous position in the court, he could definitely grasp more information than these two Taixue students.

Jiang Hui frowned slightly and asked, "Minister Li?"

"Yes, it is the head of the Jinlin Li family, who is also the leader of the Jiangnan clan."

Qian Rang looked a little strange, and said, "But my father said that the truth is not so. That Minister Li is not an ordinary person. He has inherited at least 50% of the power of the old Prime Minister Li. How could he make such a blunt decision? Think about it, as the Minister of Personnel, even if he wanted to use the Beijing Examination to promote his confidants, he would not have to make such a big fuss. At most, he would only target a small number of officials. He would definitely not use such a rampant method to put himself in such an embarrassing and passive situation."

Jiang Hui turned his head and glanced at him, then asked softly, "Are you trying to say that someone is plotting against Minister Li?"

Qian Rang approached mysteriously and said, "That day at the court meeting, Dali Temple Minister Qi Weili, Imperial College Priest Pei Fangyuan, and Ministry of Personnel Right Vice Minister Lou Huanzhang were impeached at the same time. My father said that these three should be Li Shangshu's right-hand men. Think about it, Li Shangshu was first accused of autocracy because of the imperial examination, and then lost three of his confidants in one day. Isn't this a conspiracy? Guess who has such a strong strength?"

The relationship between the two was extremely close. In the past, Qian Rang would often tell Jiang Hui about court anecdotes that he had heard from others, because he knew that his good friend came from a poor family and was completely ignorant of the affairs of the upper class, so he would try his best to make him familiar with the court disputes.

But it was the first time that he had come here specially. Jiang Hui looked at his excited expression and suddenly had an idea. He asked tentatively, "You don't mean Duke Qin, do you?"

Qian Rang didn't answer, but just smiled.

Jiang Hui shook his head and said, "That's impossible. I remember you said before that Duke Qin accompanied Duke Wei's daughter out of the capital to relax these past two months. How could he interfere in the matter of the imperial examination? Moreover, even if he really wanted to, he has been staying in the border areas for many years and has very little contact with officials in the capital. How could he make such a big scene?"

"Anyway, this is just my father's guess. It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not. Just remember not to tell anyone else."

Qian Rang gave him a warning, and then said, "There is one more thing that I'm sure you will be interested in."

Jiang Hui looked at him with a look of treasure, and laughed, "If you have something to say, just say it. Don't keep us in suspense."

Qian Rang lowered his voice and said, "The day before yesterday, His Majesty summoned important civil and military officials to discuss how to respond to Dai's request for help. It turns out that Jing State is targeting Dai this time, and the army is heading north directly into Dai's territory. Dai is in a critical situation, so it has sent an envoy to ask for help. My father is responsible for entertaining that envoy."

Jiang Hui motioned for him to continue.

Qian Rang said, "You don't know what a terrible thing happened at the court meeting the day before yesterday. It is said that the Duke of Qin, the Marquis of Yongding, and the Marquis of Linjiang had an argument in front of Your Majesty. The Duke of Qin thought it was not appropriate to start a war, while the other two insisted that troops should be sent north to contain the Jing army. The specific process of the argument is unclear, but I only heard that in the end it was decided to send troops to rescue the Dai Kingdom. The Duke of Qin was furious because of this, and he even left without Your Majesty's consent!"

Jiang Hui's expression changed slightly.

Although he had not yet experienced the dangers of officialdom, he was well-read and knew what this action meant.

As expected, Qian Rang continued, "This matter has spread among the officials in the capital. I don't know how many officials want to impeach Duke Qin. Some even found my father and asked him to sign a petition together! I know you are particularly interested in Duke Qin's affairs, so I hurried to tell you. You must remember my kindness."

Jiang Hui fell into silence immediately.

Seeing this, Qian Rang asked, "What's wrong?"

Jiang Hui said slowly, "Duke Qin is devoted to the country. He gave frank advice during the last Northern Expedition, but His Majesty did not accept his advice. Now those military heroes are going to use troops rashly again, and Duke Qin has tried every means but still cannot stop them. It is hard to imagine how disappointed he is." "Ah?"

Qian Rang was stunned, his mouth slightly open.

Jiang Hui sighed softly, his face full of solemnity.

Qian Rang said puzzledly: "Brother Shaoyang, isn't the point of this matter that Duke Qin is suspected of contempt for the court? The impeachment of him this time will definitely be a big deal. I wonder if he can hold on."

Jiang Hui hesitated to speak, and finally said softly: "These impeachments can't do anything to Duke Qin. It's a pity that I am a commoner and my words are not important. Otherwise, I would definitely stand up and support him. Well, I know that you have good intentions, but this matter involves the secrets of the court, so don't tell others."

Qian Rang looked at his back as he walked forward and asked helplessly, "Where are you going?"

Jiang Hui raised the scroll in his hand and left only two words: "Read."

……

Ninghefang in the south city, Linjianghou Mansion.

In the summer of the twelfth year of Jianwu, Chen Lanyu and eleven other young and strong generals from the border army came to Beijing. This was a major event that could change the destiny of the Great Qi.

Today, six years later, among the original twelve border army generals, there is one duke, one marquis, four earls, and five viscounts. The only one who has not been granted a title is Li Bingxue, and this is mainly because Li Tianrun is still alive, otherwise she would have at least become an earl based on her military achievements.

These twelve people are now divided into the capital army and the border army. The lowest military rank is the commander-in-chief who leads an army alone. They can be said to be the backbone of the Da Qi army.

Apart from Lu Chen, Chen Lanyu's official career was undoubtedly the smoothest. With the identities of Marquis, Minister of Military Affairs and Commander-in-Chief of the Beijing Camp, he was already far ahead of most of his peers.

Therefore, even the most trusted confidant of the Minister of Personnel was still respectful in front of Chen Lanyu.

"My Lord, my master asked me to tell you that he didn't speak at the court meeting that day. Please forgive me, Lord."

Li Jinshan had a hunched back and an extremely humble attitude.

Chen Lanyu looked gentle and said calmly: "Lord Li has been caught up in the Beijing inspection storm recently. Keeping silent is the best choice. How can I be surprised? If it weren't for Lord Li's support over the years, I wouldn't be able to gain a firm foothold in the capital. How could I not distinguish between good and bad and close to others."

Li Jinshan immediately showed a flattering smile on his face. He took out a small box from his sleeve and whispered, "My master knows that the Marquis has many places to spend money, so he specially asked me to send you another 50,000 taels of banknotes. Please accept it. In addition, someone in Wen County, Cuihua Prefecture, Jiangzhou, is selling 5,000 acres of good land. I have already bought it and changed hands several times. Now it is registered in the name of the Marquis's brother-in-law."

Chen Lanyu didn't say anything, but just picked up the teacup and took a sip.

Li Jinshan understood what he meant and gently placed the wooden box on the table.

This is not the first time he has done this.

The first time was five years ago. At that time, Chen Lanyu was only a viscount and was racking his brains to subdue the arrogant soldiers of the Dingwei Army.

Chen Lanyu came from the peripheral army, and when he was parachuted into the position of commander-in-chief of the Dingwei Army, he only brought a dozen personal soldiers with him, which meant he was almost alone in taking up the post. Moreover, he had no connections in the Beijing Army system. Facing these arrogant and conceited Beijing Army officers and soldiers with powerful family backgrounds, those two years were full of thorns for him.

Even the late emperor could not give him enough support, because at that time, the power of the Beijing army was completely in the hands of the Jiangnan families. The late emperor's original intention was to let Chen Lanyu break the ice.

In the end, Chen Lanyu successfully subdued the Dingwei Army. In addition to his personal ability, the support from Li Jinshan was equally important, because that was the influence of the Jinlin Li family.

After Li Jinshan represented Li Shizhi to come forward, Chen Lanyu didn't know what means he used. Chen Lanyu only knew that the generals under him gradually became obedient and docile, no longer as rebellious as before.

In this process, the relationship between Chen Lanyu and Li Shizhi will inevitably continue to deepen, and Li Shizhi's care for him is not only to help him solve the troubles within the Beijing Army, but also extends to everyone around him, even including his wife's relatives.

In short, through five years of secret contact, the two had already been on the same boat, and the benefits Chen Lanyu obtained from Li Shizhi, in terms of silver bills alone, was an astonishing figure.

After Li Jinshan put down the wooden box, he bowed and said, "If the Marquis has no other instructions, I will take my leave."

Chen Lanyu looked at the humble middle-aged man and said calmly, "I know you are always cautious, but in the next few months, unless it is an emergency, don't come here in person. Just arrange a trustworthy stranger. Also, it's best not to come here in broad daylight when no one is around."

Li Jinshan's heart trembled. He knew that Chen Lanyu had become a thorn in Lu Chen's side. This reminder was obviously to guard against the Duke Qin. So he quickly responded, "I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Lord Marquis."

Chen Lanyu said no more, and Li Jinshan slowly retreated.

After a moment, Chen Lanyu slowly stood up and walked to the table.

He opened the wooden box and saw a thick stack of silver bills inside. He reached his hand into it, his fingers running over the edge of the bills, his eyes extremely deep.

"Five years, four hundred and seventy thousand taels, worthy of being the Jinlin Li family."

(End of this chapter)