"Well, that's good." Xiao Chen nodded and suddenly asked, "You have spent a lot of money in the capital these days, right?"
"That's for everyone." Lin Han didn't know why Xiao Chen suddenly asked this, but he admitted it honestly.
Didn't you spend a lot of money? Do you think it is so easy to enter the homes of those high officials? If the gift list doesn’t look good, it won’t even be able to pass the gatekeeper’s test!
Two days ago, he saw with his own eyes that a magistrate from out of town went to pay homage to a doctor named Liu from the Ministry of Personnel. As a result, when the gift list was presented to him, the disciple just glanced at it and threw it directly on the ground.
He also said with a half-smile that the gift was too heavy, but we adults would never dare to accept it, so you'd better just go ahead...
The dignified fourth-grade magistrate was so embarrassed that he couldn't get off the stage on the spot. His face was as red as a monkey's butt, but he only dared to be angry but dared not speak, let alone reprimanded his disciples, so he could only leave silently.
People say that the Prime Minister's disciple is a seventh-grade official, and he is really arrogant and domineering!
"Well, do you have any money to pay back?" Xiao Chen asked again.
"There are still a few thousand taels. Why do you want to use it, Mr. Xiao? I will order someone to get it right now." Lin Han thought it was Xiao Chen asking him for money.
"A few thousand taels? Then you should keep it for yourself, Handong. I wanted you to prepare one...two big gifts, but you can't buy them with such a small amount of money. That's all. You can take the gifts you gave me later. Bring them all, and I'll ask Wenzhou to choose some things from home for you to make two decent gifts." Xiao Chen said with a smile.
Xu Wenzhou had just arrived. Hearing that the boss wanted to use the Dragon Spirit Pearl, he immediately decided to deliver it in person. One piece of this thing is worth a fortune, and the value of two pieces is simply immeasurable. If you don't come in person, you can rest assured. In addition, He also couldn't worry about his boss...
"My lord, what are you going to do?" Lin Han was confused and confused.
"Didn't I say that I would take you to plead guilty to the prince? Why don't you come in empty-handed?" Xiao Chen said with a smile.
"Ah?" Lin Han was shocked. Mr. Xiao, did you listen to me again? Or was what I just said not clear enough? Li Shin and I can't deal with each other, and they can't even look down on me! The last time I went to see him, I gave him very generous gifts...but was it useless? Might as well throw it in the water and listen to it.
Xiao Chen was about to explain to him, but Xu Wenzhou knocked on the door softly outside and came in to report that there was a prefect named Chen Ziang who wanted to see him? Could you please tell me, boss?
"Is Zi'ang here? Invite him in." Of course Xiao Chen still remembers Chen Zi'ang, the magistrate of Fencheng Prefecture in Weizhou County. He met him when he was exterminating Gong Heihu in Fenzhu County. He is quite sensible, and Xiao Chen quite likes him. .
Lin Han and Shi Mingtao saw this and hurriedly stood up to avoid it, but Xiao Chen waved his hand and said it was okay. Zi Ang was also a friend, so it would be good for everyone to get to know each other.
When Chen Ziang came in, he had to bow to Xiao Chen. Xiao Chen said that this is my home, so he should avoid the formal etiquette outside. Come, let me introduce two friends to you...
After greeting each other, they took their seats.
Chen Ziang looked at Lin Han and said, "General Lin, why do you look familiar to me? Have we met somewhere? I'm sorry for my forgetfulness, but I can't remember it."
"Haha, we have met once, but it doesn't count as having met. I met Brother Zi'ang a few days ago when I went to the residence of Liu Langzhong from the Ministry of Civil Affairs." Lin Han said.
But it turned out that Chen Zi'ang was the prefect whose gift list was thrown on the ground by the doctor... Lin Han recognized him as soon as he saw him, but he was afraid of embarrassing him, so he didn't mention it. When he saw him taking the initiative to ask, he revealed it.
"Gah!" Chen Zi'ang's face turned red instantly, "So that's it, I really made a big fool of myself that day. I was extremely embarrassed! The general laughed."
"Haha, the smile is also a bitter smile." Lin Han indeed smiled bitterly, "Brother Zi'ang was rejected, and I also couldn't get in. We are all brothers in trouble, so no one should make fun of anyone else!"
"Why did you two meet at Liu Langzhong's house?" Xiao Chen asked, not knowing why.
"Sir, just talking about it makes me so angry! What kind of family can I say? I can't even enter the door of the house. The gifts I finally bought were thrown out, and I made a big fool of myself in front of hundreds of people. ! At that time, the official really wanted to fight this black gauze hat with that watchdog!" Chen Ziang blushed angrily and his neck thickened.
He beat his chest and described the matter to Xiao Chen. Although several days had passed, he still felt a knot in his heart that could not be eliminated!
"It's too small." Xiao Chen said with a smile, "Zi'ang, your situation is too small. A dignified fourth-grade magistrate is angry with a disciple. Are you worth it? He, Liu Shilang, refuses to accept your gift. I can't accept it! You said you are the same, you know I'm in Fengyang and you didn't come to see me earlier, but you go to someone's door and get angry, don't you deserve it?"
"I just found out this morning that you are in Fengyang, sir. Didn't you fly here directly? But I came in a hurry and didn't bring any gifts. Besides, don't I know you, sir? I didn't care about this at all. Back then, How much gold and silver did your Excellency get from taking us down Black Tiger Mountain? You, Your Excellency, didn’t get a penny!" Chen Ziang said.
"If I don't accept it, why don't you give it away?" Xiao Chen laughed loudly, "No wonder you can't eat enough in Fengyang City. You don't understand the world at all. I wonder how you got the position of prefect? I remember you He's quite smart, but unexpectedly he's so pedantic."
"Xiaguan understands the ways of the world, but he doesn't have money to give away!" Chen Zi'ang said impassionedly, "Sir, you know the situation in Weizhou County, how poor you are! Fencheng Prefecture is even worse than a fart, people say In three years, the prefect of Qing Dynasty received one hundred thousand snowflakes of silver. As a prefect, I am not that clean, but after serving as an official for several years, I didn’t even get one thousand taels of silver!"
"Can't you?" said Shi Mingtao on the side, "I know a few of the prefects of Weizhou County, but they are not as shabby as adults say."
"Alas...Brother Shi, you don't know something. What's wrong with the people of Fencheng Prefecture? In the past few years, even the bark of the trees in the mountains has been chewed up, and hundreds of people are still starving to death every year. Brother, I won't They are not human beings, and we cannot squeeze bone marrow oil from them. Finally, the food is ripe this year, but the Ministry of Officials asked me to go to Beijing to report on my work..." Chen Ziang said.
"Well... these years have indeed been difficult. I heard that in some places there have been tragedies of people exchanging children and eating them... Why are you getting promoted, Mr. Chen?" Shi Mingtao asked.
"Highly promoted?" Chen Zi'ang smiled bitterly, "It would be great if you don't dismiss me! There have been deaths in Fencheng Prefecture for many years, and my brothers have reported the truth truthfully without concealing anything, which made the superior official not very happy. Last year, he got an inferior rating in the job test. If it weren't for my brother I usually work conscientiously and do things cautiously. If I don’t make any big mistakes, I will immediately be determined!”
Chen Zi'ang was a pretty good official, so even though his boss was annoyed with him, he was still not qualified to support him. When his term was up, he was given a low-level rating and kicked out.
He is a prefect who has received bad reviews for several years in a row, so there is definitely no hope of promotion. Although he may not be dismissed, he is certain to be demoted.
