Chapter 608: Please ask Mr. Yan to take charge!

June in Yan.

The summer rain is drizzling.

Different from the Jiangnan region at this moment, the rain is warm and gentle. The elegant and ancient scholars and ladies in the Jiangnan region always choose this time of year to take advantage of the drizzle, stroll in the bluestone alleys with an oil-paper umbrella, stop and watch the weeping willows by the river, the rain hitting the water, and splashing ripples on the water.

The rain in Yan area is a bit more desolate and cold.

Perhaps it was the cold wind outside the Great Wall in the north that quietly passed over the walls built by the people of the Central Plains, telling of the bitter cold of the Far North.

It doesn't rain heavily.

Just like the drizzle in the south of the Yangtze River.

The temperature was exceptionally cold, so people were unable to take off their outer robes.

blah blah.

On the west side of the Daming Gate, on the Jinyiwei Back Street to the right of the Five Military Governor's Office, the Taichang Temple, the Tongzhengshisi and the Jinyiwei Command Office, several officials in casual clothes holding umbrellas were hurrying along with somewhat messy steps.

Perhaps because of the Jinyiwei Command Headquarters, not many people are willing to pass by this Jinyiwei Backstreet on weekdays.

Several officials in blue robes walked north for a distance and then turned into Gaopo Hutong on the west side.

Walk a little further along the alley.

Several officials in blue finally stopped at a two-story house with a lush green apricot tree planted in the front yard.

Enter the house.

The officials in blue robes looked up at the apricot tree planted in the courtyard, with a hint of fantasy on their faces.

Apricot trees are not special.

But if it was on this apricot tree, and it was planted in this courtyard by a squire from the south of the Yangtze River, three thousand miles away, he would have transported it all the way from the depths of the Qinling Mountains, two thousand miles away, with nearly a thousand manpower and tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Then this apricot tree looks very different.

The blue-robed officials looked up at the apricot tree, wanting to take in the entire tree, but the canopy-like crown seemed to block the entire sky, preventing them from seeing the full view of this valuable apricot tree.

All that can be seen is this apricot tree, with a thick stump and lush branches and leaves. There is no sign of human tampering, but it has the appearance of a phoenix.

Go further inside.

Walk through the main room.

In the second courtyard, there are four ancient pine trees that are shaped like blue dragons, with straight needles that are strangely beautiful.

One pine tree was worth several thousand taels of silver, and four trees were worth ten thousand taels of silver.

It’s just that ordinary people don’t know it.

Several officials in blue robes finally walked through four ancient pines and stood at the door of the main house in the second courtyard.

Several people looked at each other, then lowered their heads to observe their official robes, carefully straightened out the wrinkles on the uniforms, smoothed out the undulations at their waists, and then took a deep breath. One of the oldest colleagues walked to the door.

dong dong dong.

The knock on the door stopped as soon as it started.

"who?"

A questioning voice came from inside the house.

Several people standing at the door bowed at the same time.

"I am a young scholar from Changzhou Prefecture, Nanzhi. I am Lu Xuan, the Minister of Rites, and I would like to see you, old sir."

"I am a young scholar from Yangzhou Prefecture, Southern Zhili Province. I am Shi Hong, the Censor of the Censorate, and I would like to see you, old gentleman."

"I am a young scholar from Huzhou Prefecture, Zhejiang Province. I am the chief of the Dali Temple, Hu Yunxian. I would like to see Mr. Zhao."

Three officials in blue shirts all asked for a meeting.

The house was silent, but in the courtyard behind the three people, a drizzle of rain fell on the pine trees, dripping along the veins of the leaves onto the moss under the trees. The rain that fell on the roof fell from the dripping tiles, forming strings of beads.

After a long time.

Another sound was heard in the room.

"It turns out that you are three officials. Please come in quickly."

Following the voice, an old servant in his fifties, wearing an indigo satin gown, opened the door, stood beside the door and looked at the three people with a smile on his face.

The three officials in blue shirts bowed immediately and then stepped into the house.

According to regulations, this second-floor house should be the place where the owner lives and works, but in this house it is clearly a study and tea room.

Obviously, the owner is not staying here for long.

The three of them entered the house.

Before he walked around the empty mountain and rain screen in front of the tea room, he heard a voice coming from inside.

"So you are the three officials who have come to visit. It has been raining recently and my bones have become increasingly weak. I was unable to come to greet you. I hope you will forgive me."

As soon as the sound came out.

The three of them looked refreshed, and hurriedly lowered their heads, bent over, walked around the screen and into the tea room. They didn't dare to look around, but just lowered their heads and saluted.

"I greet Mr. Zhao."

After the greetings, the three of them stood up and looked at the old man named Zhao who was sitting behind the tea table.

however.

When the three of them saw the person sitting opposite Mr. Zhao, their faces changed at the same time.

The three of them hesitated at first, then quickly reacted and bowed again.

"Your subordinate greets Lord Li."

After he finished speaking, the three of them were confused again.

Li Chunfang had clearly resigned from his position as cabinet minister and was going to Guizhou to serve as the governor of the southwestern chieftains. Why was he still here?

The three were shocked, but didn't dare to show it.

Li Chunfang, who should have been on his way to his new post in Guizhou, sat calmly, holding the teacup in his hand and sipping the tea slowly.

Mr. Zhao looked at the three people, and then his gaze shifted to Li Chunfang, with a smile on his face: "I heard that the spring tea from Jiangnan has been shipped. If the Prime Minister stays in Beijing for a few more days, perhaps he can drink this year's tea."

Li Chunfang smiled and shook his head: "Since I have left the cabinet and have to go to the southwest to lie dormant for a few days, and I have been here for a long time, I still have to set off as soon as possible. However, if I take a boat to the south, I may still encounter a tea boat on the way. I am afraid I will have to trouble Mr. Zhao to let me know and let me get a few kilograms of tea to take with me to the southwest, so that I can borrow tea to recall Jiangnan in the future."

Mr. Zhao, who was sitting in the main seat, nodded, which was considered as acceptance.

Seeing the two men exchanging witticisms, the three officials who had rushed over, all of whom were from Jiangnan, all kept silent, not daring to overstep the line.

Although the old Mr. Zhao in front of him had no official position in the court and did not have much fame outside.

But they know that many people and things in Jiangnan need to go through Mr. Zhao to be accomplished in Beijing.

This is the kind of old man he is.

It represents the voice and connections of Jiangnan, the canal transportation, rivers, the literati and gentry of Jiangnan.

Li Chunfang glanced at the three people at this time, raised his eyebrows and said: "It has been raining a lot in the capital recently. You are here because something happened in the court?"

Since he submitted his resignation letter to take up a new post in the southwest, Li Chunfang has not actually left Beijing.

He just left the city in front of everyone on the day he left the capital, and then returned to the capital quietly two days later, hiding his tracks. His only intention was to secretly observe the movements in the capital for a while.

This cabinet assistant minister asked for permission to go to the southwest in order to stay out of the matter and protect himself. The same is true for quietly returning to the capital to lie dormant.

Lu Xuan, who was the Minister of Rites, immediately bowed and nodded and replied, "My Lord, it was Yan Shaoting who resigned from the post of Minister of Rites on the grounds that he was injured in a previous battle. The emperor approved it and the Ministry of Rites created a vacant position for him. It was also from that time that Gao Gong suddenly got evidence of corruption among officials in Nanzhili and Zhejiang provinces. Now he has requested to use the Kaocheng Law and work with the three judicial departments to arrest and interrogate the officials involved in the case in the two provinces."

Shi Hong, the censor of the Censorate, also said, "The Censorate has sent a letter to Nanzhi, asking Gao Hanwen to investigate this matter on behalf of the Censorate. After thinking about it, I'm afraid it's to cooperate with the land measurement and copper tax collection in Nanzhili and Zhejiang provinces."

Hu Yunxian, the chief of the Dali Temple, spoke last: "We speculate that Yan Shaoting and Gao Gong may have joined forces in this matter. Although Yan Shaoting is not in the court now and has gone to Changping to recuperate, Gao Gong acted too quickly and we didn't have time to react. Moreover..."

Li Chunfang raised his eyebrows, but did not speak again. Instead, he turned his head to look at Mr. Zhao in front of him. He was no longer a minister in the cabinet, and all he wanted was to protect himself.

It’s best if I don’t interfere in these matters now.

Mr. Zhao seemed to understand Li Chunfang's meaning. He hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking, "What exactly does Gao Gong mean?"

Supervisory Censor Shi Hong replied: "Gao Gong has been working on rectifying the administration since the reign of the previous emperor. He has always believed that as long as the administration is reformed, the court will be united, the government will be harmonious, and the people will be well governed. Now, major corruption cases involving hundreds of people have been exposed in Nanzhi and Zhejiang at the same time. According to the cabinet, I am afraid that they will conduct a thorough investigation and punish severely. Perhaps... many of us in Beijing are beginning to worry that this trend from Nanzhi and Zhejiang will blow into Beijing, and whether we officials from Jiangnan will be implicated."

After Shi Hong finished speaking.

Lu Xuan and Hu Yunxian followed Shi Hong at the same time, bowed and raised their arms to salute.

"Please Mr. Zhao give us a chance to survive."

This is the purpose of their visit today.

Now that Li Chunfang has left the cabinet, the old party in the court is temporarily in a leaderless situation.

Following Gao Gong's actions against Southern Zhili and Zhejiang, the old party of the Qingliu in Beijing had already been feeling insecure.

As for the so-called seeking a glimmer of hope, it can be said to be a very decent statement.

Mr. Zhao glanced at Li Chunfang, and felt a sinking feeling in his heart when he saw that the other party did not move.

Today, the power of the Qingliu Old Party, or the officials who came from the Jiangnan gentry, in the capital has reached its lowest point in recent years.

But Li Chunfang wanted to protect himself and didn't want to be implicated by the people and things in Jiangnan. Although he was angry, he couldn't say anything.

This time.

Mr. Zhao was silent for a long time.

Then he slowly said, "I know about this matter. I will write a letter to Jiangnan today. We will never forget your sincere love for the south over the years. But now we are weak in the court. If we want to have a complete retreat, we must think carefully and dare not make any mistakes again."

When Lu Xuan and the other two heard this, they also fell silent.

Having said this is like saying nothing.

If they had their own way, they wouldn't come here.

The purpose of asking for this is nothing more than hoping to contact those people behind the scenes through Mr. Zhao, so that each family can contribute some gold and silver to smooth things over in Beijing.

In this way, even if he can no longer stay in the capital, he can still find a way to be an official in other places.

Li Chunfang couldn't help but sneer in his heart.

After the turmoil at the gold shop before the New Year, all the people in Jiangnan suffered heavy losses. Now we still hope that they can pay money to smooth things over?
This was also the reason why he submitted a memorial to the emperor to leave the cabinet and the capital.

Shi Hong, who worked in the Censorate, had his eyes sank and his tone became more serious: "Old sir, many of us have served in the capital for many years. According to the rules of the court, most of us can seek to be transferred to other places. Now we just lack an opportunity."

The so-called opportunity.

In fact, it’s just a lack of money to smooth things over.

And this is the ultimate secret of their service as officials over the years.

Using fellow townsmen, fellow subjects, and fellow students as a bond, and using gold and silver to transfer benefits, they ultimately achieve the goal of everyone getting promoted and making a fortune.

Jiangnan paid the money and they got promoted.

After they are promoted, they will naturally take care of Jiangnan and cover up any problems that arise.

It has been like this since the beginning.

This is naturally the case now.

But Mr. Zhao frowned slightly.

"I will write the letter now."

Say it.

The old man, who was in charge of all matters relating to Jiangnan and the capital, stood up and walked towards the desk beside him.

So I picked up my pen and wrote a letter.

Shi Hong, Lu Xuan and Hu Yunxian looked at each other.

However, there was no joy in his eyes.

In the past, they always got a definite promise for whatever they did, but now they can only write letters.

But what purpose can writing letters serve?
Those people in the south have to really pay.

The three of them exchanged glances and finally sighed silently.

"In that case... I'll trouble you, Mr. Zhao."

"I'll take my leave first."

……

Changping.

Although it has rained recently, it has not delayed the daily sounds of reading in the academy.

And even though it is already summer, the academy does not have any holidays.

As for summer vacation, it is even more impossible.

Only at the end of the year will there be a winter vacation of less than a month, allowing students to go home and celebrate the New Year.

Since submitting a petition to temporarily leave the Ministry of Rites, Yan Shaoting moved back to Changping.

today.

Yan Shaoting was sitting in a side room next to the front hall of the academy, watching the rain and drinking tea.

Xu Wei was sitting opposite him.

The two chatted about the future development of the academy, the future teaching tasks of each branch, and the Changping Scholarship.

Since the establishment of the scholarship and many students have received the money, the entire academy has been immersed in a state of learning and seeking knowledge. Although there have been no particularly significant research and inventions, many new theories and inventions have been produced.

At this moment.

A burly figure walked in from outside, bringing with him a puff of steam.

"Reporting to the Grand Protector, the secret agents in the capital have made new discoveries. Lu Tongzhi is delayed and cannot leave the city, so he ordered his subordinates to come and report."

Hearing the voice, Yan Shaoting turned around and looked at the person who came.

It turned out to be Qi Dazhu who had worked in the Jinyiwei for several years.

He immediately smiled and said, "It's Brother Qi. What did you find out in the capital?"

Qi Dazhu first glanced at Xu Wei, then stepped forward and whispered, "I just found out not long ago that Li Chunfang, who was supposed to take up the post of Guizhou Dusi after resigning from the cabinet, is still hiding in the capital with unknown intentions."

Yan Shaoting was stunned for a moment and looked up at Xu Wei who was sitting opposite him.

He really didn't expect that Li Chunfang could play such a trick.

He had clearly submitted a petition requesting to leave the capital, but he is still hiding in the capital.

But he was not allowed to ask for details.

There was another round of noise and shouting outside.

"We want to see Young Master Yan!"

"Please ask Master Yan to come forward and administer justice!"

"Please ask Master Yan to make the decision for us!"

"Now the officialdom in the capital is in turmoil and people are in panic. I hope that the young guard will make decisions for us officials to protect the country."

…………

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(End of this chapter)