Compete for the Song Dynasty

Before Shen Kuo entered the door, Wang Pang described him as a god-man who knew nothing about astronomy and geography.Su Xiaomei thought to herself, what kind of person is this?She knew what Wang Pang said about adding ten points, and it was the husband who praised her for being right.Being interrupted by Shen Kuo, the little girl burst out laughing.

Wang Pang hurriedly introduced the two, and Shen Kuo saw that Su Xiaomei was not an outsider, so he pulled Wang Pang's arm and said, "You boy, what did we say when we were in the capital?"

"How do you say it?" Wang Pang was taken aback, "You said that you came to see me in two days, but the first wait was more than a year~" Shen Kuo complained.

Wang Pang was taken aback, why can't he sing this?But he also remembered that he had said before going south for the first time: Waiting for him to pass by Yangzhou to see Shen Kuo, but that time he went inland and did not pass through Yangzhou.So Shen Kuo's complaint was not unreasonable.He smiled and said, "Brother Shen, don't be ill. I see that you are tossing around with new things, so you probably don't have time to think of me. Haha" He pointed to the armillary sphere, clepsydra, furniture and other things in Shen Kuo's study.

Shen Kuo "touched" these carefully remade objects, "I have been thinking about these things all my life, and such a problem can't be changed. Isn't it the same for you? I've heard it all. You put Your majesty’s dragon bed and dragon chairs have all been changed. Are you better than me?! Haha!” He smiled and said: “My dear brother~, you see that you didn’t notify me of your wedding in advance, and I didn’t prepare any congratulatory gifts either. So... look at the items here, what do you like, I will give it to you~”[

Su Xiaomei snickered and said nothing, thinking that Wang Pang had praised this person for a long time, and she thought she was just like her husband, not to mention outstanding in talent and appearance, at least he was also a scholar.At this meeting, Shen Kuo was simple and honest, round and round, not like a scholar by nature, and he spoke carelessly.Talking about the congratulatory gift is even more interesting, others are afraid that Wang Pang will not be noticed when others give Wang Pang gold and silver, so it is a bit petty for Shen Kuo to use this small thing he remade himself as a congratulatory gift.

Where did her little thought catch Wang Pang's eyes? Wang Pang pointed to this set of Yan Ji and said to Shen Kuo, "These are the painstaking efforts of Brother Shen. You have rarely given them to others. This is a generous gift. Now I I am planning to add a house here and open a bank branch, I think this set of furniture is not bad, my wife likes it too, why don't Brother Shen give it to me?"

Shen Kuo frowned: "Assembly furniture?" He suddenly realized the set of Yanji that Wang Pang said: "Oh~! You said it is it, brother, you have a good eye. stuff!~”

As soon as the words fell, Su Xiaomei couldn't help laughing.Wang listened and laughed. "Oh? Is there anyone more clever than Brother Shen?"

Shen Kuo said with a little seriousness: "Although I can hear that you are flattering me, I am still very pleased, haha." The three of them laughed together, and Shen Kuo asked: "Brother, why did you come to Yangzhou this time? What's the matter? Just now you said you want to open a bank branch in Yangzhou? What kind of business is the bank? And I just heard the guards come to report that Zhennan King is here. What's going on here?" This Shen Kuo is not as good as a Gaoyou The county magistrate is well-informed, which shows that most of his usual thoughts are spent on research.

Wang Pang told Shen Kuo about his first trip to the south, being crowned king after returning to Beijing, and opening a bank in the capital.Shen Kuo nodded while listening, his facial features were alternately surprised and delighted, all expressions were written on his face.Finally, Wang Pang told Shen Kuo that he came to Yangzhou this time to learn about the situation here, and when the affairs of Yongzhou were settled, he sent people to build a bank branch in Yangzhou.

After listening, Shen Kuo asked: "So how many days will my brother stay in Yangzhou?"

"Exactly, opening a bank is no small matter, and I have to trouble you, Brother Shen!"

"Hey, you are the king of Zhennan now, what can you bother me with?" Shen Kuo said with a curl of his lips.

Wang Pang smiled slightly: "Brother Shen is now joining the army in the Sili of Yangzhou. I just came out of the capital to inquire about it. I am not very familiar with the magistrates in Yangzhou and the general judgment. I will trouble Brother Shen to guide you."

"Look at you, you are the prince now, it's not easy to meet anyone? But, according to me, you will see them when you see them. After all, they preside over the place. But I just heard about the business of your bank. I think there is someone you must meet."

"Who?"

"Li Gefei, the son-in-law of the prime minister today?!"

When Wang Pang heard about Li Gefei, he left in surprise and asked, "Uncle Wen is also in Yangzhou? What is his job?"

Li Gefei is very familiar with the king, even if he is his father's student, he is also his good friend.Besides that Li Gefei was the son-in-law of Prime Minister Wang Gui, Wang Pang also knew that Li Gefei would have a daughter, Li Qingzhao, a well-known Song Dynasty talented woman.He and Li Gefei haven't seen each other for several years, and they didn't expect to meet each other in Yangzhou.

"I knew that you must be familiar with him. He is not in Yangzhou now, but he is in charge of Huainan East Road."

Wang Pang now has a good understanding of the local administrative divisions of the Song Dynasty. He knows that the Song Dynasty basically has a two-level system, that is, the prefecture, prefecture, army, and supervisor are the first level, and the county is the first level.Local officials in the Song Dynasty were all appointed as "knowledge xx affairs" by central officials, while senior officials were called "judgment xx affairs".Taking the state as the standard unit, it is often called "knowledge x state military state affairs".As usual, Zhizhou also served as Zhengyin of Xiangjun.In addition to Zhizhou, each state has a "tong judge", whose status is similar to that of Tongshou in the Sui Dynasty.Documents issued at the state level must be signed by the judge before they can take effect.The purpose is to hold back the power of Zhizhou.

Therefore, when Wang Pang wants to run a bank, there must be local deterrents such as prefects and general judges, but there is a large area above the local area, called "road".Institutions and officials at the Lu level include supervisors and commanders.Since Shen Kuo said that although Li Gefei was not in Yangzhou, but he was in charge of the affairs of Huainan East Road, he was overjoyed and asked, "Where is he now? What supervisor is he doing?"

Shen Kuo said: "He is not far away, and he will come to Yangzhou in a few days! You are the right person to find him. Now he is in Caosi, and he is the transshipment envoy of Huainan East Road. (Caosi is The transshipment department, the chief is called the transshipment envoy, responsible for the wealth and supervision along the way) Even the magistrate and the general judge all depend on his face." [

Wang Pang smiled, since ancient times, the first rank of officials has crushed people, not to mention the differences between local and central government.It's even more ridiculous. In terms of ancient and modern times, what you want to do is not just a network of relationships.Although I didn't have any outstanding specialties in my previous life, I worked hard in the business field and had a thorough understanding of this network.Not to mention that I traveled to the Song Dynasty and gave myself such a good identity.When I first came to the Song Dynasty, I was young, but I made a lot of friends. Now these people are slowly getting up, and they will become the mainstay of the court in the future. In this big network, they can do things like ducks in water.

Seeing that Wang Pang was not in a hurry to leave, Shen Kuo hurriedly arranged a residence for Wang Pang, and went to invite the magistrate and the general judge to see him.Later that day, Shen Kuo sent another person to Wang Pang's residence, and asked Wang Pang to come to the mansion for a briefing, and said that the magistrate of Yangzhou and the general judge had also arrived.

Seeing the entertainment again, Su Xiaomei asked Wang Pang to eat less wine, Wang Pang smiled and said: "This kind of entertainment is endless. Although Li Gefei is the chief caosi, people in the local area must never neglect it."

The back houses of Yangzhou government offices have courtyards of different sizes. Song Dynasty officials would have official residences wherever they went.Wang walked through the courtyard, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Compared with the solemn and luxurious buildings in the capital, the courtyard gardens in Yangzhou are more exquisite and meticulous.Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty went to Yangzhou three times to open the canal. Although Yangzhou experienced wars in the Song Dynasty, there were still pavilions and towers, and the dikes and willows were like smoke.The halls, pavilions and tower bridges near and far are vaguely bright and dark under the cover of willow trees.It also shows the uniqueness of the courtyard.

When Wang Pang entered the mansion, someone had already sent word to go in, and heard that the King of Zhennan had come.The magistrate of Yangzhou and the general judge in the room came out from the hall to greet Wang Pang, and when he saw Wang Pang stepping into the courtyard, Shen Kuo greeted: "Come, King Zhennan, I will guide you..." He pointed to an old man: "This is the magistrate of our Yangzhou." The old man may be six or seventy years old, but his status is limited. When he sees Wang Pang, a young man in his early twenties, he has to bow and salute. "Xiaguan Hu Su"

Wang Pang hurriedly supported him: "Prefect Hu is free of courtesy" said in his mouth, but he thought in his heart, how come he hasn't retired yet at such an old age?

Shen Kuo and Wang Pang quoted another person: "This is the general judge of Yangzhou."

The general judge seemed to be 50 or [-] years old, and he also cupped his hands and said to the king: "My next king Gongchen."

Wang Pang looked at Wang Gongchen and thought, I know this person? !If this person is the general judge in Yangzhou, things may not be easy in the future.This Wang Gongchen used to be a Hanlin scholar, and he also acted as the third envoy.But Renzong always dislikes what he says and does. For example, when Renzong wanted to implement the "Qingli New Deal" during his reign, Wang Gongchen was the most active opponent.Later, his good friends Li Zhang, a transfer judge in Hunan, and Ren Zhuan, the magistrate of Tanzhou, forcibly bought the jewels of the dead businessman at a low price. Impeachment, now a general judge at the local level.Although it is also the right to control a state, how can it compare with the Beijing officials?It's just that Wang Pang thought that this person was so resistant to the "Qingli New Deal". I don't know if his thoughts will change after so many years?

Four people entered the hall. In the spacious hall, a reception table was placed in the middle of the hall, and the prepared banquet was placed on the table.They invited the king to sit next to him, and after they were seated, they were polite to each other.Hearing that Wang Pang planned to guard the bank in Yangzhou, the magistrate Hu Su and the judge Wang Gongchen both read the decree, and hurriedly said in unison: "This is a good thing. If the prince needs to be ordered to do something, he will definitely do it without hesitation." .”

Wang Pang raised his glass and said, "From now on, all my colleagues, please bear with me."

After everyone laughed and drank, Shen Kuo said: "My lord, you should ask the two of you to take care of me. I will return to the capital after I finish the case in hand."

At this moment, the atmosphere in the banquet was not so formal, Wang Gongchen turned to Shen Kuo and asked, "Why hasn't the trial of the case at hand been finished yet? I'm still waiting for you to send a letter to my brother-in-law."

Shen Kuo laughed and said, "That case is a bit tricky, who do you send the letter to? Your brother-in-law? Isn't that your brother-in-law?"

"My brother-in-law~!" Wang Gongchen insisted again.

Shen Kuo looked at the king and said, "My lord, you should decide first whether this drunken man is Wang Tongpan's brother-in-law or brother-in-law?"

Wang Pang heard that there was something about Ouyang Xiu here, but seeing that even the magistrate lowered his head and smiled, Wang Gongchen was even more self-satisfied with his smile.He smiled and said, "The old son-in-law is the new son-in-law; take care of his aunt and aunt."