Linxia

Chapter 204, Taking Office

Dong Zugao returned to Huai'an and came to visit me that afternoon. Even though they hadn't seen each other for a year, he didn't feel strange at all. He gave me a big hug and gave me a gift.

They were not valuable items, just some specialties from the capital. What mattered was the thought. There was also a piece of beautiful jade, a gift specially prepared for her niece Qiuqiu.

Needless to say, what followed was drinking.

As they toasted each other, they talked about their experiences over the past year, including their tacit cooperation and desperate battle with the Zhang family this spring. They felt very excited, as if they had returned to the old days.

"Brother Dong is not young anymore. Have you found a marriage in the capital?" Fang Lin asked with concern.

Hearing this, Dong Zugao showed some shyness, which was rare for him. "Not long ago, my master's family asked a matchmaker to come over to ask for the bride price and to inquire about the intention. I came back this time to consult my parents at home..."

Fang Lin had a complicated expression when he heard this. He was afraid that Dong Zugao had borrowed the power of his master to help him in the matter of the Zhang family, so he had no choice but to sacrifice himself?
When he had this thought, he said bluntly: "It's a pity for Brother Dong to sacrifice his looks for my sake!"

Dong Zugao was stunned for a moment when he heard this, then he laughed and joked, "If that's true, it's because of the Zhang family incident that my classmates and old friends valued my character, and I also won the favor of the master, and later this marriage happened."

"Brother Dong, are you willing to accept this marriage?" Fang Lin suddenly asked seriously.

"Of course I am willing."

Dong Zugao said, sighing, "When I was young, I also thought that in the future, I would not marry anyone except the one I truly loved. But as I grew older, I realized that my thoughts were naive. Things in the world are hard to achieve. It is so difficult for someone like Brother Fang to find someone you truly love and who also loves you!"

"Brother Fang, given our relationship, I won't hide it from you. I can't say I like my master's daughter, but I don't hate her either. I guess most marriages in the world are like this! Moreover, when my master proposed marriage, I was confused for a moment, but I even had some utilitarian thoughts. I thought about becoming my master's son-in-law and using my master's connections to help my future career... I am also ashamed of this. Brother Fang, am I being a little mean?"

"How could that be? In life, it is difficult to distinguish clearly between emotion and reason, morality and utilitarianism. Just don't cross the bottom line and have a clear conscience."

Fang Lin persuaded and clinked glasses with Dong Zugao.

"By the way, it was Brother Dong who helped Prefect Pu move, but in the end, I got the favor."

"Brother Fang, we are brothers, why do we have to say this?"

Dong Zugao paused for a moment and said, "Speaking of Prefect Pu, after Prefect Pu, the Prefect of Huai'an has not yet been decided. This is related to Brother Fang."

"I?"

"Exactly."

Dong Zugao said, "This Huai'an Prefecture, where Brother Fang is, is under the Emperor's attention. If he makes achievements, it will be easily noticed by the Emperor... Not to mention that Prefect Pu has risen rapidly and set an example. Isn't such a Feng Shui treasure land a popular place that many people are eyeing? Now, several forces in the court are competing for it!"

"In that case, the next prefect of Huai'an must be someone with a strong background?" Fang Lin said, frowning.

"Haha, Brother Fang, don't worry. Huai'an is a city with a lot of financial and taxation resources. The people who come here will definitely not be good-for-nothings. They must have talents and abilities."

Dong Zugao paused for a moment and then said, "Besides, with Brother Fang's favor, I think the new governor will not easily offend Brother Fang."

This is indeed the case. Everyone knows that Fang Lin is favored by the emperor and he is not in the officialdom, so there is no conflict of interest. Unless the other party is blinded by greed, they will not offend Fang Lin.

The two drank and chatted about everything under the sun, from Huai'an to the capital. When they were drunk, Dong Zugao talked about the situation in the court.

"Brother Fang, you don't know that it was only after I entered the court that I clearly realized that my Great Xia was like a broken house full of holes, and it was in danger. Let's not talk about natural disasters, man-made disasters, and local corruption. Let's just talk about the core court..."

He sighed, "Now, Your Majesty seems to be tired of the intrigues with the civil officials, and has gradually become obsessed with alchemy, ignoring state affairs like the previous emperor. Most of the important affairs of the court are handled by the cabinet ministers. Now there are many factions in the court, and the party struggles are becoming more and more intense... This kind of relationship is very delicate. If it is not good, it will cause chaos in the country!"

As mentioned earlier, during the Shuncheng and Hongde years, the emperor did not attend court for more than ten years, but everything in Daxia was running in an orderly manner. Government agencies at all levels seemed to be operating as usual.

The reasons behind this are, first, faith. The faith of scholars is to cultivate themselves, manage their families, and bring peace to the world in order to realize their political ambitions. Taking over power from the emperor is like a daughter-in-law becoming a mother-in-law and having feelings for this family. Second, it is interest. Although different factions fight each other, they must maintain the stability of the country in order to continuously and long-term reap private benefits from it.

Fang Lin felt a little guilty when he heard this. To be honest, the fact that Emperor Hongtai was obsessed with alchemy and ignored state affairs was actually somewhat related to him.

As Emperor Hongtai grew older, the two mythological novels "Journey to the West" and "Investiture of the Gods", as well as the Taoist thoughts contained therein, further fueled his pursuit of immortality and his practice of refining elixirs and taking medicines.

"If Emperor Hongtai swallows the golden elixir, I'm afraid it won't prolong his life, but will shorten his life instead!"

"If the sweet potato tribute had a positive impact on Daxia, then the shortened lifespan of Emperor Hongtai would have a negative impact on Daxia's national destiny. Under the butterfly effect, it is uncertain whether Daxia's national destiny will be extended or shortened."

——Because in the feudal era, the emperor really had a huge influence on the rise and fall of a dynasty.

Fang Lin thought so, and in order to get a clearer understanding of the situation in the court, he asked, "Brother Dong, are you worried that the party struggle will go to extremes and get out of control?"

"good."

Dong Zugao had a keen eye and said worriedly, "Earlier, and even now, the civil officials' faith was still true. Using faith norms to restrain the emperor would do more good than harm. But if the party struggles become more intense and extreme, people's hearts will change. At that time, the civil officials will only use faith and morality as weapons in party struggles. They will keep saying that they are doing it for the country, but in fact they are only doing it for their own interests. They will become despicable people with false benevolence and false morality."

Fang Lin listened and nodded slightly. It is indeed terrifying when the party and the government go to extremes. It is either this or that. I will oppose what you agree with, purely for the sake of opposing.

If the delicate balance is broken to that extent, it would be extremely dangerous for a country.

"There are countless heroes in the court, and Your Majesty should also be sensible. I don't think Your Majesty has no concern for the court, right?"

In Fang Lin's impression, Emperor Hongtai was quite capable and would never give up power completely.

"Yes, the Imperial Guards and the Eastern Depot supervise all officials..." Dong Zugao did not elaborate, but shook his head and said, "But Your Majesty has such a skill, the new emperor..."

What this means is that this balance is extremely fragile. Emperor Hongtai has been on the throne for many years and his skills are sophisticated and he can still maintain the balance. But can the new emperor still do it?
"I think your majesty will consider this and make arrangements to leave a backup plan for the new emperor."

Fang Lin said this, but he also had a sense of crisis in his heart: "Emperor Hongtai should indeed have a backup plan, but I am afraid that there will be fools among the subsequent emperors who will mess around, just like Emperor Chongzhen, who liquidated the eunuch party but was unable to establish a new balance, leaving the Donglin Party without constraints, and frantically fighting for power and profit without regard for the consequences, digging into the country's walls... Forcing the people to rebel, the soldiers to alienate, and the situation to completely collapse."

"Well, I just hope that God will bless Daxia! Well, let's not talk about this, Brother Fang, let's drink!" Dong Zugao waved his hand.

It is easy to find problems, but difficult to solve them. He has no way of doing this and can only trust in the wisdom of subsequent emperors.

……

After drinking and parting that day, Dong Zugao left. Fang Linjing was thinking about the situation in Huai'an City after Prefect Pu left, as well as the court structure that Dong Zugao mentioned.

"The situation in the court is delicate, and Emperor Hongtai is addicted to alchemy and taking medicine. If this continues, I'm afraid... I have to speed up the progress here! When the new prefect arrives and finds out his character, I will immediately expand the factory construction, recruit more teams, and form my own fleet to find overseas weapons channels..."

Fang Lin had anticipated that since he was favored by the emperor, he was not a pushover, and he had no vested interests with the new prefect, so the latter would not easily become enemies. In addition, his presence was also an extra bargaining chip for the five families in the city, namely, the Fan, Gu, Ma, Shao, and Duan families. If there was a fight with the Gu family, the latter would most likely not take sides and would not help either side, because being a referee would be the most beneficial.

Of course, even without considering the factor of the new prefect, this move is inevitable to confront the Gu family, which has a core line dispute.

"However, we can't not do it just because it's difficult, but we can't force it, we need to be skillful."

Fang Lin thought about it and collected his thoughts: "In any case, the new prefect in Huai'an City will be a key link. Even if he cannot be turned into a help, he must not become a hindrance... He will take office in the spring of next year, and we will see what kind of person he is."

……

Time flies, the Spring Festival passed quickly, Dong Zugao said goodbye and went to the capital, and Huai'an also welcomed the new prefect.

Fang Lin was the first one in the city to get the news: "Yan Shideng, this person is the descendant of Prefect Pu, the new Prefect of Huai'an, with a strong background. The elder Yan in the cabinet is his elder."

"However, this person was only born in the third class, but now, before he is thirty, he has risen to the top and has become a fourth-rank official, a prefect, and a frontier official. This is not something that can be achieved by having a strong background. His past political achievements must have been extremely outstanding."

On that day, Yan Shideng arrived and, perhaps inspired by the debate conference, organized a lecture in front of the people of the city.

"Huai'an is a land of great wealth and talent. Lord Fang's Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Journey to the West have been passed down to the Holy Palace. Even my speech today is an imitation of Lord Fang and a copy of his words..."

Yan Shideng said this while looking at Fang Lin. His words were extremely respectful and showed goodwill, and he was quite humble.

The big families and common people in the city all looked over.

Fang Lin would not be impolite. He smiled kindly and bowed modestly: "You are too kind, Governor Yan!"

"It is my honor to be the prefect of Huai'an. As an official, I must work diligently and bring benefits to the people..."

Prefect Yan announced three specific things: first, pay attention to water conservancy, repair and strengthen dikes so that Huai'an will no longer suffer from floods; second, pay attention to education, report to the court, increase financial aid to poor families, and strive for more places for Huai'an in Yingtian Imperial College; third, encourage business, be open and inclusive, unite the big families, seek common development, and seek welfare for the people.

These three points correspond to the common people, scholars, and wealthy families, and have greatly won the favor of all parties in Huai'an.

On the way back, Fang's father and mother were both speaking well of this person.

"This Magistrate Yan seems to be a good official," said Fang's father.

Fang's mother nodded in agreement: "Yes, I think so too. He is a man who gets things done."

Tian Xuan didn't say anything. For some reason, she always felt that Prefect Yan was... well, a little fake.

Fang Lin also had some strange feelings in his heart: "This Prefect Yan is only a third-class Jinshi, but he was promoted so quickly at such a young age. He can be said to have risen straight to the top. In addition to his strong background, he was also required to serve in various places, and he made considerable achievements in a short period of time. This can be done once, but it can be done every time..."

Another explanation is that the other party has a strong background, chose a good place, and is extremely capable. However, he still feels a little inconsistent.

'The only thing that is certain is that this person is not someone you can easily get along with!'

……

Half a month later, at the government office.

Qi Shiqian, the lawyer brought by Prefect Yan, reported: "Sir, in the past half month, all parties in the city have sent gifts, especially the five families of Fan, Gu, Ma, Shao, and Duan. They are very generous. In addition to money, there are also beauties..."

"This is a test! My Yan family is a big family, and we are definitely not comparable to those officials from small families who can be corrupted by just some money and beauty."

What Yan Shideng pursued was a higher position and greater power. In comparison, what were these?
"Summer insects cannot talk about ice. Your Excellency is so bright and clear, how can those stupid insects know?"

Master Qi complimented him and said with a smile, "I have returned all these things according to the past rules, and sent people to spread the word secretly in the city..."

Yan Shideng nodded slightly and said nothing.

For the sake of the people in the city, he refused the temptation. Isn't it right that this glorious act should be made public so that the people in the city can praise him for his integrity?
At the same time, this is also a means to enhance the reputation of officials and the people.

"Sir, the previous governor has laid a good foundation for Huai'an's water conservancy. We can just make some repairs, but there is a problem..."

Master Qi said, "There is an area along the river outside the city, where the government, wealthy families, and common people are intertwined. The wealthy families in the city want to build a fish pond here, and there is also a restaurant and a river-viewing pavilion that combines river viewing and inns..."

"The previous governor originally planned to move all of them away, dredge and clean the river to use as a flood discharge channel, but there was considerable resistance from all sides, so the plan was delayed."

"This kind of thing has great resistance, costs a lot of money, and has slow results."

Yan Shideng considered it for a moment and asked, "Is there any other way?"

"Yes, building paddy fields and fish ponds in this area can also play a buffering role; on the periphery, you can still build restaurants and other things to bring huge profits. However, this is only a temporary solution."

"How long is an hour?" Yan Shideng narrowed his eyes and asked.

"If we build paddy fields and fish ponds as a buffer, we can generously estimate that there will be no problems for three to five years. If there is no major flood, there will be no problems for more than ten years."

Master Qi paused and said, "This method is just a temporary solution, not a fundamental solution. Once the paddy fields and fish soup that serve as buffers are filled with silt, it will be terrible if flooding breaks out again."

"At least three to five years, or even more than ten years at most!" Yan Shideng smiled playfully: "Then let's use this temporary solution!"

"Sir." Master Qi still had some conscience after all. He hesitated for a moment and then said, "This juncture is actually extremely critical. If we choose to drink poison to quench thirst, the consequences will be irreversible. It is almost impossible to use a fundamental method to cure the problem."

"Mr. Qi, you know, I have enough background, I just need immediate political achievements."

Yan Shideng said, "If the latter is chosen, it will be a great success. The people will not have to move their land, and they will enjoy peace during my term, so they will be happy. The big families in the city will benefit, so they will also be happy. I will also be happy about my achievements. Why should we make everyone unhappy about something that makes everyone happy?"

"As for the hidden dangers, they will be in the future. By then I will have been promoted. To be honest, I am really treasonous..."

He turned his head and looked Master Qi in the eye: "After I leave, who cares if there is a flood!"

……

(End of this chapter)