Qinglong Inn.
Business was full today, and the six sky-high suites on the upper floor were booked by a group of guests from the capital.
According to the guys, although the guests came together, they were clearly divided into six camps. They were talking and laughing when they entered the inn, but once they were assigned rooms, they immediately put away their smiles, kept their distance, and went back to their own rooms.
The boss, Hai Dafu, can be considered a man who has seen the world. He has been dealing with various dignitaries in Taoyuan County since he was a child. He has a very high-spirited attitude, and ordinary people really can't control him.
In the past, only the county magistrate Zhu Rushi could speak with him on an equal footing.
But today, in front of this group of strange new guests, he didn't even dare to fart.
The aura of that group of people is so strong!
It's not about how high their cultivation level is, but that they have the temperament of a superior person, and they don't get angry and are proud of themselves.
Even if you don't say anything or do nothing, just one look or one action can give people the most embarrassing feeling.
It may be related to their professional quality, family background, or their environment.
In comparison, Zhu Rushi is simply a local pig.
It's really strange today. Two father-in-laws and generals from the imperial city have just arrived.
Now here comes another group of ruthless characters who are obviously high-ranking officials.
Could it be that he is also here for Xu Xingmu?
Boss Hai went upstairs in person on the pretext of delivering drinks, hoping to eavesdrop on some information. Suddenly, the door to the east suite was opened, and a middle-aged man with an elegant face walked out with his hands behind his back.
Followed by several stern-looking men in black, each with a calm and long breath, and a thick layer of calluses wrapped under their fists, they looked like real martial arts masters.
Boss Hai recognized them as one of the six groups of Xinke.
"Brother, may I ask where the old residence of the Xu family is?"
Boss Hai was about to leave, but he was stopped by a middle-aged man, "If it's convenient, please help lead the way."
Although this person was smiling and looked very kind, there was an air of refusal in his tone.
Before Boss Hai could speak, the big men in black glared at him and said, "Go downstairs first and don't make any noise."
With that said, he pushed Mr. Hai downstairs, and the group broke into the sinking night.
"Be polite."
The innkeepers only heard the voice of a middle-aged man floating in the night wind. When they ran out to look, the man was gone.
On Zhenmo Street, Boss Hai was almost being carried away at a very fast speed. Seeing that he was sweating profusely, the middle-aged man smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, we don't have much time, so we have to hurry up. You tell me first." I, did a father-in-law and a golden-armored general come to Taoyuan County today?"
Boss Hai quickly replied, "That's right! My father-in-law came with the imperial edict, and it is said that he has returned to Beijing now. As for the young general, he is currently staying in the guest room of Qinglong Inn."
"The general didn't leave?"
The middle-aged man frowned slightly, and his tone suddenly became nervous, "Xu Xingmu promised to go back to Beijing with him?"
Boss Hai thought for a while and shook his head, "He said he would think about it again."
"sensible."
The middle-aged man's eyebrows widened and he looked forward, "Hurry up."
At a quarter of an hour, a middle-aged man stood at the door of the Xu family's old house. The big men in black quickly dispersed and were on guard. They looked very professional at first glance.
"Your name is Hai Dafu, right? Thank you for leading the way. If you have the opportunity to go to the capital in the future, come find me and I will treat you to dinner."
The middle-aged man patted Boss Hai on the shoulder, "Don't worry about not being able to find me. My name is Jiang Bowang. I'm quite famous in the capital. Just ask around."
"Jiang Boyang? Why does this name sound so familiar?"
Boss Hai thought for a moment, and suddenly an idea suddenly occurred to him. He looked shocked and said, "You are the official..."
"Shh!"
The middle-aged man interrupted him, "I came here in a low profile. You should go back first and don't disturb other people."
"Yes! I'll leave immediately!"
Boss Hai avoided the warning eyes of the big man in black and turned around three times, feeling a huge wave in his heart, "He is Jiang Boyang! The famous official minister of the Great Xia Dynasty, a second-rank official! He actually lives in In my inn! By the way! There are other five factions in the inn. Could it be that the leaders are also..."
He covered his mouth and got goosebumps all over in the dark night, "Six ministers of the Great Xia Dynasty gathered in Taoyuan County! They all came for Xu Xingmu? What kind of destiny is this illiterate son of the Xu family?"
At the same time, the doors to the other five Tianzihao suites on the second floor of the Qinglong Inn were all opened. The five bosses and their guards stood at Jiang Bowang's door and waited for a long time. They couldn't help but feel a little impatient after not seeing him come out for a long time.
The Secretary of the Ministry of War had straight eyebrows and was not angry. He said, "How about we go directly? We have made an appointment to go to Xu Xiaoyou together at Xu Shi. Lao Jiang himself is not punctual, so we can't blame him."
"Isn't it good? We agreed to compete fairly, so how can we leave him behind?"
The Minister of Rites said, "Although our six departments occasionally disagree and always quarrel privately, in the final analysis, as officials in the same dynasty, we must pay attention to face. If he knows that we left without waiting for him, we must not cause trouble in the future." ”
The Ministry of Personnel is in charge of the appointment and dismissal, examination, promotion, promotion, transfer and other matters of civil servants all over the world. It has great power. If Jiang Shangshu is displeased, he will make a major personnel transfer in the six ministries. Several ministers will naturally not be afraid of their high positions and power. All the other officials below suffered.
"I don't think it's appropriate either. If Bo Wang comes out first, he will definitely wait for us."
The Minister of Industry had a good personal relationship with Jiang Bowang and immediately stood up to speak for him.
The Ministers of the Ministry of Punishment and the Ministry of Hubu followed suit and said they could wait a little longer.
At three o'clock in the morning, the lights in Jiang Bowang's room still didn't light up.
Now even the Minister of Rites and the Ministry of Industry were a little anxious.
The Secretary of the Ministry of War had a bad temper, and finally couldn't bear it anymore and just knocked on the door, "Old Jiang! How long has it been and you still haven't come out!"
No movement!
"What's going on? There's no response! Even if Lao Jiang is old and sleeps deeply, the guards of the Ministry of Civil Affairs should be awake!"
The Minister of War suddenly felt something bad.
He didn't care too much, his face turned cold, and he shouted, "Kick the door open!"
"As you command!"
The guards behind him gathered their strength and kicked the wooden door away. Several ministers rushed in to take a look, and their expressions suddenly changed. "Where is the person?"
The bed in the house was neatly made, the lamp oil was still full, and the luggage piled in the corner was not opened. After seeing it, I didn't stay long and went out early.
The minister of the Ministry of Industry had a keen eye and saw a note in front of the desk. He opened it and saw that it was a letter written by Jiang Bowang, "Taoyuan County is located in a remote place and the streets and alleys are complicated. I am afraid that I will not be able to find the Xu family's old house by then, so I will Let’s go explore the way for a few brothers first, don’t think about it!”
"I miss you so much! I'm sorry, old man, you don't have martial ethics!"
The five ministers' faces were ashen and they cursed in unison.
Without further ado, he rushed out of the inn with a cold face. He just happened to meet Boss Hai who was coming back from outside. He carried him and left, "Go to the Xu family's old house, lead the way!"
…
In the Xu family's old house, Jiang Bowang, the Minister of Civil Affairs, stood at the door and sneezed. Suddenly he felt uneasy, "Did you not turn off the lights when you left? Why do you feel so panicked?"
He shook his head, took a deep breath, quickly adjusted his mood, and then knocked on the door of Xu's house.
Xu Pingsheng was taken to Qingyun Lodge for a meeting by his colleagues and will not return tonight.
At this time, Xu Xingmu was alone in the house. Suddenly he heard a knock on the door. He thought it was the matchmaker bringing a girl to the door again, but when he opened the door, he saw a middle-aged man with an elegant face and a strong aura.
"Who are you?"
When Xu Xingmu spoke, he subconsciously glanced around and saw several cold-faced men in black clothes surrounding the yard, looking left and right, as if they were on alert for reconnaissance.
He also has a bodyguard, this person is not simple! ...As soon as Xu Xingmu withdrew his gaze, Jiang Boyang spoke, "Xu Xiaoyou, I don't have much time, so let's get straight to the point... Let me introduce myself first. My name is Jiang Boyang. I am from the capital. I am a high official in the imperial court and a member of the Ministry of Personnel. Minister."
"There is only one thing I want to do to you tonight. I hope you can join the Ministry of Civil Affairs and work under me. As long as you come here, you will start at the sixth rank and become the head of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. In two years, I will guarantee that you will be promoted to a civil servant. From the position of Minister to Minister, in two years, you will be directly promoted to Minister... As long as you are willing, it is possible to sit in my position within ten years. In the officialdom, such a speed of promotion can be regarded as a smooth and smooth career path! Why? Like? Do you want to think about it?"
Xu Xingmu was stunned. He just wrote a poem. As for such a big battle?
In the past, Wu Linghou sent people to recruit people, and later, the Minister of Civil Affairs personally came to the door. If this goes on for a few days, maybe people from all the ministries in the imperial city will come?
Just as he was about to think of some excuses, a fierce argument suddenly came from the long street, "Uncle Jiang, you are an old man! Don't try to seduce little friend Xu! The staff department is busy with trivial matters and boring. It is not a good place to go! If you want to come, come to the Ministry of War. ! When in charge of the armed guards and troops across the country, you should show your true qualities as a man!"
"Xu Xiaoyou is so talented, why should he go to the Ministry of War? It's vulgar! I think it's better to come to the Ministry of Rites and be in charge of the five rites and the school's tribute system. This is what a civilized person should do."
"According to what you are saying, the Ministry of Punishment can't come? The entire country's punishment laws must be under the control of the Ministry of Punishment. If Xu Xiaoyou comes, who in the court will not be afraid of him?"
"It's better to come to the Ministry of Industry! All engineering matters in the country must be obeyed by me, especially large-scale civil engineering and palace construction. If Xu Xiaoyou comes, I will buy him a piece of land in the capital with my own money, and then build a big house for him. Courtyard, this is the most practical!”
"Vulgar! If Xu Xiaoyou has made such a great contribution, will the court not allocate him a house? But the money is not necessarily the same. According to the custom, he will be given a few thousand taels at most and then spend it. Young people are very spendy, so come to the Ministry of Household Affairs. He is in charge of taxes, money and food, and his salary is also famously high!"
…
At the gate, people were approaching. Xu Xingmu stared blankly at a group of nobles from the capital striding in front of him, not knowing how to respond.
I really guessed it, all six members of the Imperial City Department were here!
Boss Hai stood aside and rubbed his hands at a loss, "I'm sorry, Jiang Shangshu, Cao Min was caught by several adults just after entering the inn. There is nothing we can do!"
"What's there to be embarrassed about! This old pup is so shameless. He agreed to come together in the morning, but he ate alone without telling us!"
The Minister of War showed no mercy, pointed at Jiang Boyang and cursed, "You must give an explanation today!"
"Explain to me? Who should I explain to? I am the head of the six departments. Who do I need to explain to?"
Jiang Boyang shook his long sleeves in shock, and his face darkened, "To tell you the truth, Xu Xiaoyou, I am bound to win! If anyone dares to fight, don't blame me for being ruthless in the court in the future!"
Jiang Shangshu looks gentle and elegant, but when he gets angry he can be quite intimidating.
The Minister of War was so arrogant that he was so stunned that he didn't dare to say a word.
There is no way, but it is a fact that the Ministry of Personnel is the head of the six departments. Jiang Bowang is known as the Heavenly Official and has great power. He can directly judge the political life of officials below the fourth rank. In the court, except for His Majesty and the chief minister of the dynasty, no one really dares to fight with him. Be more serious.
"Master Shangshu, are you too domineering?"
A general in golden armor walked slowly in the darkness, it was Qin Zhan who was following him. He glanced at Jiang Bowang and said, "Should we also ask the person involved for his opinion?"
Jiang Boyang snorted coldly, "Why, Wu Linghou wants to interfere in our Sixth Department's affairs?"
"Brother Xu is a talented person from Daxia. Lord Shangshu, please don't label him as a six-parter too early."
Qin Zhan, with Wu Linghou at his back, did not panic at all, "Since we are free men, everyone naturally has the right to fight."
As soon as he said this, Jiang Boyang was about to refute when a sturdy green bull suddenly appeared out of thin air. It "mooed" when it hit the ground and spit out a golden light. A young Taoist priest walked out of it, and a golden bull stood between his eyebrows. middle aged man in line.
"Old Master!"
"His Holiness the Pope!"
The six ministers exclaimed and hurriedly bent down to salute.
Qin Zhan did not dare to neglect and worshiped in a hurry.
"My lords, there is no need to be polite."
The old Heavenly Master waved his long sleeves, helped up the six ministers, then glanced at Qin Zhan and said with a smile, "The general is right. Since Xu Xiaoyou is a free man, everyone can compete fairly. Therefore, the old Taoist and the Pope The adults also want to join in the fun."
