A Thousand Hills

Chapter 208

As soon as Jiang Xingyun's ship entered the sea area of ​​Fujian, Liu Fufeng's lieutenant generals greeted him. Those who could be sent by Liu Fufeng to wait for Jiang Xingyun and his party were naturally Liu Fufeng's confidantes.

This lieutenant general, surnamed Cao, was nine feet tall, with a hulking back, and looked like a man in his forties, but in fact he was quite young, just in his early twenties, because of his bravery in battle, he was highly regarded by Liu Fufeng.Deputy General Cao clasped his fists in a salute, and said, "The general is waiting for Lord Jiang." Others like to call Jiang Xingyun Miss Jiang, but Liu Fufeng has always been called "Master Jiang", so all his subordinates call Jiang Xingyun "Jiang Jiang" adults.

"Thank you." Jiang Xingyun took Xu and Huang to Liu Fufeng's military tent with Deputy General Cao.

Xu and Huang had their own arrangement, Deputy General Cao led Jiang Xingyun to Liu Fufeng's military tent, and he was only guarding outside, Jiang Xingyun also entered the tent alone to meet Liu Fufeng.Liu Fufeng's military tents are quite concise, nothing more than beds, tables, chairs, books, paper and ink.Liu Fufeng got up from the case, leaned on crutches in one hand, invited Jiang Xingyun to sit in the living room, and said with a smile, "Wangfei has ordered people to come and ask about it twice. Miss Jiang's trip, is it going well?" Two cups of herbal tea were poured out of the teapot, and one was handed over to Jiang Xingyun.

Jiang Xingyun took it, took a sip and said, "It went well."

Liu Fufeng asked, "Is everything going well?"

"The major issue has not been settled." Jiang Xingyun has never paid attention to the profits of sea trade. She originally wanted to use this sea trade to keep Duan Sihai neutral. Unexpectedly, Duan Sihai was very shrewd and made neutrality a condition alone. talk.Jiang Xingyun had strongly rejected Xie Moru's going to Sihai Island, but Duan Sihai wrote to Xie Moru again.This matter, there is still grinding.

Liu Fufeng was not surprised, and said, "If the important matter can be settled only once, how could Duan Sihai have been able to dominate the sea for so many years?"

Liu Fufeng's words spoke to Jiang Xingyun's heart, not to mention that this trip was not fruitless, Jiang Xingyun said, "I'm going back to Min'an City."

"The horse has already been prepared, so I won't keep Master Jiang."

Jiang Xingyun got up to leave, and asked Liu Fufeng, "Has the imperial court approved the matter of the harbor?"

Liu Fufeng got up to see him off. "Where is it so fast."

Jiang Xingyun knew it well, and left.

Jiang Xingyun and his entourage were all young people, they rode fast all the way, and returned to Min'an City when the sun was about to set.Xu and Huang also followed Jiang Xingyun to the Prince of Fujian's mansion, Li Jiujiang came out to entertain the two, and Jiang Xingyun went to report the trip to sea with Xie Moru.

Xie Moru originally wanted to meet Jiang Xingyun by himself, not because he was on guard against the fifth prince, but Xie Moru was committed to making the fifth prince a bright and upright vassal king, so it is better for the fifth prince not to know about these things.The fifth prince insisted on summoning Jiang Xingyun together, he said, "The daughter-in-law and the officials all know about this, but I don't know about it, even if it happens, if you tell people like this, people can't believe it."

Xie Moru smiled, "Sometimes it's unbelievable, but people still believe what you say."

"Then I can't ask you to help me take the blame. If you know it, you know it. If there is something wrong, I will take it first." Live up to others.Although the fifth prince also had Xiao Jiujiu in his heart, and yes, he and his wife knew each other well, but no one said Xiao Jiujiu.However, no matter what kind of little Jiujiu, the Fifth Prince believes that one should be a person first and then do things.If a person lives a lifetime, if he wants to live a meaningful life, he must have sincerity. Otherwise, even if he develops in the future, what is the fun in guarding against this and that every day.Anyway, even if things don't work out, the worst outcome is nothing more than a vassal king, that's now.

And he can't take his wife and his subordinates and treat those who have worked for him faithfully as vats before the matter is completed.

The fifth prince persisted, Xie Moru smiled, "Don't be in a hurry now, Xingyun is back now, I think she is in a hurry, I'm afraid she didn't eat, let them eat first."

"That's right." The fifth prince ordered his maid to collect a few side dishes for Jiang Xingyun, and went forward to reward the table with noodles.

Jiang Xingyun didn't notice anything when he saw that the servants brought the food first, Xie Moru was always considerate.On the contrary, Xu Shaodong and Huang Yue in the front are a little flattered. Their families are quite powerful, and there are many relatives and clans who are high-ranking officials in the court, but they themselves are just merchants. They are also humble and respectful, of course, this is not a big deal, the prince himself is superior, and merchants like them, no matter how rich they are, are also merchants, so naturally they dare not be presumptuous in front of the prince.

It's just that I'm afraid of comparing things.

They traveled thousands of miles to the sea to take risks, even though they were voluntary, it would be beneficial to their families after the event was completed. Originally, they thought that they would be satisfied if they could see the prince and greet him.I don't want to, the prince rewarded the table first, and then sent someone to say, "Thank you for your hard work, I think you haven't eaten dinner yet, so eat first, and then it will not be too late to talk."

Oh, hello, is there anyone who is so moved!

Xu Shaodong said with emotion, "I have heard the name of the lord virtuous and benevolent for a long time, and we can only look up to the merciful kindness of the lord. Today, it is my blessing to have the merciful grace of the lord Mu."

Huang Yue also said, "It's my job to be able to punish the prince. I am so grateful that the prince is so considerate and caring."

Although a feast of wine was not enough to buy off the young shopkeepers of these two big merchants, the actions of the fifth prince undoubtedly moved them both.They are willing to work for Fujian because of various considerations, but they really put a lot of energy into it.Now, the fifth prince knows their hard work, and both of them feel that this trip is not in vain, at least they are very happy to deal with a feudal lord like the fifth prince.

In fact, this is the human heart.

As Mencius said: You treat me as a gentleman of the country, and I will repay you as a gentleman of the country!You treat me like a passerby, and I will repay you as a passerby!If you treat me like nothing, I will repay you with hatred!

It is true through the ages.

Although merchants are low in status, they are also dignified people.

Just like the two of Yu Xuhuang, even if the fifth prince rewarded them with real gold and silver, it would be better to give them a table of wine at the right time to warm people's hearts.

What's more, what merchants like Xu and Huang are short of is not gold and silver.

Even Li Jiujiang felt that his master had done a good job in this matter.Even if the fifth prince doesn't reward the banquet, Li Jiujiang can't make the two of them starve. After all, the two of them have worked so hard these days, and going to sea with Jiang Xingyun is also taking a huge risk.However, if Li Jiujiang ordered someone to buy this table, it would not be as heart-warming as the fifth prince personally rewarding him.

Li Jiujiang saw that the two were quite touched, so he didn't say much, and said in a gentle voice, "Let's eat first, the prince will definitely summon the two of you later, so we won't be able to eat wine today."

Both said, "Wine can be eaten at any time, but I dare not be rude in front of the prince again."

Li Jiujiang accompanied them for dinner.

On the other side, Jiang Xingyun also quickly ate some food, and went to talk to the fifth prince Xie Moru about the negotiation.The five princes know everything, Xie Moru, Xie Moru is usually calm, but the fifth prince has always been a person who has nothing to say. Hearing that Duan Sihai left Jiang Xingyun and others for seven days When I saw him, I couldn't help being angry, "He's so ostentatious!"

Xie Moru said, "If it weren't for these seven days, Xingyun might not have the chance to take a good look at their island."

The fifth prince turned his anger into joy, "That's true. The main reason is that Miss Jiang is clever." Such a clever person must be needed to negotiate, and no opportunity will be taken lightly, and the strong will be strong without losing face.

The fifth prince said, "So, Duan Sihai is planning to use this island as a long-term residence." The matter of letting the local people learn Chinese seems to be a long-term plan.

Jiang Xingyun nodded, "It should be like this. If you don't have a long-term plan, you won't make such efforts on the locals."

The Fifth Prince said to Xie Moru, "Duan Sihai has bad ambitions."

Xie Moru also agreed with the fifth prince's judgment, saying, "That island is not our territory, it is an overseas island, so he can occupy it if he likes." Asking Jiang Xingyun, "What do you think of Duan Sihai?"

Jiang Xingyun said, "He must have been taught by a wealthy family and has a wide range of vision. He knows everything about the imperial capital's wealthy family, especially some past events, and he is very clear. Moreover, his method of training soldiers can be seen as coming from everyone, and it is definitely not a dirt road."

Xie Moru and the fifth prince looked at each other, and their expression changed slightly.If this is a local turtle who gains power for a while, it will be easy to fool.Jiang Xingyun spoke so highly of Duan Sihai... The fifth prince saw some doubts in his wife's eyes, and he understood his wife's meaning in his heart, and said, "If it's an ordinary person, it's not easy to find out the origin. If it's a wealthy family, the emperor will be counted."

Xie Moru said, "He also knows how to train soldiers."

The fifth prince asked, "Could it be the British Ministry of Public Affairs?" That is to say, there was no outsider in the room, so the fifth prince said this.

Xie Moru frowned, and looked at Jiang Xingyun with gloomy eyes. If it was the British Ministry of Public Affairs... Jiang Xingyun said, "He has a letter for me to bring to the princess." He took out the letter.

It was a good time for Jiang Xingyun to deliver the letter, and the fifth prince happened to be there, otherwise, if she gave such a letter to Xie Moru alone, even if there was nothing private, it would not be good for the fifth prince to know.

It so happened that both of them were there today, and it was most upright to tell Xie Moru this matter in front of the Fifth Prince.

Xie Moru received the letter and ordered someone to take a bamboo knife to cut the letter's skin, the fifth prince directly tore off the outer skin, saying, "It doesn't need to be so troublesome." He took out the letter paper inside and read it by himself first.He is not as calm as his wife.

The first thing that caught the eyes of the fifth prince was a handwriting written with iron and silver hooks. The fifth prince read it at a glance, and said angrily, "This thief is so rude!" How dare he ask his wife to negotiate!

Xie Moru took the letter from the fifth prince, and said, "I wonder if Duan Sihai wrote it personally, this word is not bad, quite murderous!" After Xie Moru read it, he was not as angry as the fifth prince, Persuading him, "What's so angry about this, I just want me to have a talk with him in person."

The fifth prince said angrily, "What status are you and I, how could you go to that den of thieves!"

"He told me to go, so I'll go. There's no reason in this world." Xie Moru said, "He asks for a lot of money, and we can pay back the money on the spot."

"I can't go." Even if his daughter-in-law is capable, the fifth prince can't ask Xie Moru to take risks.

Xie Moru's eyes were gentle, and the fifth prince's anger calmed down, so he heard Xie Moru and Jiang Xingyun said, "Xingyun, write a book for me and tell Duan Sihai that I'm a girl, timid and busy, so it's not easy to go to his island But I heard that Duan Sihai's courage is beyond the reach of ordinary people. Please come to the shore to talk about it. Don't worry about his safety. The two countries have mutual relations and don't cut him off. Let him come here with confidence. Yes. Tell him again, that day you were treated with graciousness by him, and his envoy, the prince will definitely treat him equally."

"Yes, just write it like this. Didn't it mean how great he is, let's see if he dares to come." Anyway, even if he turned his face directly, the Fifth Prince would definitely not let his wife go.

Jiang Xingyun responded and explained the matter clearly. She was tired from running around these days, so she left and returned home.

After Jiang Xingyun left, the fifth prince still said, "One day this bastard surnamed Duan falls into my hands, I will definitely peel his skin." He hated Duan Sihai once, and the fifth prince said, "It seems that maybe it is not The old part of the British government." If the British government is old, they have a blood feud with their old Mu family, but they should have some love for his wife.

Xie Moru laughed, "What's the value of incense? The British government fell before His Majesty's own government. At that time, Princess Fusheng still had power. If Princess Fusheng didn't want to see the British government fall, the British government might not be able to fall for a while. Even if There are descendants of the British Duke who are lucky enough to still be in the old department, and they can still have a passion for me? You think too much."

"But I always feel that if this Duan insists on talking to you about something, it must have something to do with you."

"That's true." Xie Moru looked at the fifth prince with his eyes downcast, "It's just that Duan Sihai has a foundation now, I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to be used by you and me."

"This kind of rebellious person, even if he has no foundation, it is not easy to subdue."

"Yes." Xie Moru smiled, "Your Highness should meet Xu Shaodong and Huang Yue."

The fifth prince said, "That's true, they are also considered courageous people." He ordered Xu Shaodong and Huang Yue to come over to meet each other.

At this time, it was already late, and the fifth prince gave them some words of comfort and praise, and then let them retreat.In this way, both of them felt that King Min was really approachable.

Although they have a good impression of the fifth prince, Xu and Huang feel a little uneasy when they think about what they said when they chatted with Li Jiujiang earlier.

The three of them gossip, and it is impossible to talk about the secrets of the country, it is nothing more than talking about the harbor.Both of them have negotiated the sea trade terms, and they are looking forward to building a seaport in the future.

In this respect, both of them are supporters of Fujian Hong Kong.

The news Li Jiujiang said was not good news, because the fifth prince's second budget memorial was rejected by the court again.

If it is this news, the two will not feel uneasy.What made them uneasy was Li Jiujiang's next words. Li Jiujiang said, "The Ministry of Household Affairs will talk about the money budget in a moment. When they budgeted 700 million taels, they said that the court had no money. Now the budget that Governor Li personally leads has been reduced to 320 million taels, which is fully reduced by half, and they still said that there is no money. His Highness is ready to issue a third seal, and we will raise this money by ourselves in Fujian. Don’t worry, Minzhou Port will definitely be built.”

The two naturally believed that the construction of Minzhou Port would be successful, and they had always believed in this.

If ordinary businessmen who care about the construction of Minzhou Port know the promise of building Minzhou Port, they will naturally feel at ease.These two people are not ordinary businessmen. Needless to say, the Shanxi Merchants Party of the Xu family, this party has a wide distribution and great influence. There are two members of the third rank and above in the Shanxi Merchants Party, and there are also many small sesame officials underneath. , and even the sons of merchants, such as Xu Shaodong, who provide financial support for the officialdom, really perform their duties and should not be underestimated.Not to mention Huang Yue from Huizhou, who Jiang Xingyun singled out to compete with the Shanxi Merchants Party.The Xu family has a big bank account, and the Huang family's is not small. Moreover, Huang Yue has always been ahead of Xu Shaodong in negotiating with Duan Sihai, so you can see the methods of the Huang family.

The Huang family, that's not an ordinary business either.

These two people have not entered the officialdom, but they are also the default successors of the family business.When the merchants reached the level of Xu and Huang's family, it involved more than just business matters.The two also knew something about the government, and when they heard Li Jiujiang complain about the fact that the Ministry of Households was a refugee in Minzhou and Hong Kong, they thought about it.This time, the Ministry of Households has made troubles with Fujian again and again. Is it related to Fujian...

As for the household department, as we all know, it is the prince's territory!

The two are well-informed and far better than ordinary people. Speaking of which, even ordinary officials are often inferior to them.Not to mention, when the fifth prince just came to Fujian, he was dissatisfied with the embezzlement of Fujian by the Ministry of Household Affairs, so he directly reported the matter to Emperor Mu Yuan... Although Emperor Mu Yuan did not directly send him to the East Palace for the sake of the face of the East Palace, but the officials of the Ministry of Household Affairs Also changed a lot.

Now, the Ministry of Household Affairs is in every possible way embarrassing about the matter of Minzhou Port...

Unexpectedly, the Fifth Prince did not back down...

This is, is this going to be hit?
(End of this chapter)