Lu Fangxuan rested in Zhenjiang for a few days, and after arranging the affairs of the house properly, he had time to contact outsiders.
He first met with the Zhenjiang magistrate, explained some official duties that were to be carried out immediately, and asked about the local situation. The latter replied: "The situation in Zhenjiang under the lower official's office is probably similar to that in Nanjing. The year before last, Sihe Academy sent people to incite The scholars and people had some evil effects, so they took root here and built a new academy."
"You don't plan to deal with them?" Lu Fangxuan asked.
"Hey, how much effort did it take for Suzhou to bring down the political participation academy?" The magistrate bit his finger and said with a frown, "Not only did they have a close relationship with the scholars and scholars, but they also always taught them to meddle in other people's business, please the people, and raise money. The people's appetites have gone crazy, and there is no peace in front of the Yamen. Recently I heard that they are preparing to win over the squires to consolidate their power, and they are obviously trying to sideline me as the chief!" After that, he knocked on the table angrily.
Lu Fangxuan sighed twice, feeling that this was the most difficult thing at present. Having such an entrenched local force would inevitably break the existing order, which of course no bureaucrat is willing to accept.
"The squire may not really support them. He just sees that they are strong and has to bow his head and surrender."
"Lu Gong is brilliant, but their interests are not in line with the academy. But how to disintegrate their power and make them defeated and separated is quite distressing." The prefect took a sip of tea and sighed.
However, Lu Fangxuan suddenly thought of a solution, and his heart suddenly became enlightened. He just couldn't tell the magistrate directly, so he temporarily changed the subject and said something irrelevant.
The magistrate had no plans in his mind, so he didn't want to talk about anything else. After dealing with it hastily, he sighed and left the house in disappointment.
As soon as he left, Fang Jiancai's carriage arrived. He was so proud of the spring breeze at this time that he opened the car curtain, asked his servants to clean his boots, took him down, and then stepped into the mansion door with his head held high. When he reached the inner courtyard and saw Lu Fangxuan from a distance, his back gradually bowed, his head slowly lowered, and he suddenly lost his dignified appearance, as if he had remembered his identity.
"We meet again after a long absence, my Duke of Yue, Lord Lu!" Fang Jiancai came over with a smile and kowtowed twice.
"Yes, Fang Yuan's face has become thinner. It seems that he has worked a lot for my Yue Mansion." Lu Fangxuan patted his cheek and helped him up.
"It's all a trivial matter... Where is Commander Zheng?" He dusted off his clothes and sat down.
"Oh, Commander Zheng is still counting the soldiers and preparing to integrate them into the local barracks." When Lu Fangxuan said this, he turned his head to one side, looking a little unnatural.
Fang Jiancai was a shrewd man. Thinking of the rumors that had spread in Nanjing in recent days, the two of them tacitly understood each other and stopped talking for a while.
"You have been running a dyeing workshop in Zhenjiang for a long time. You should know the situation here, right?" Lu Fangxuan coughed and finally spoke.
Fang Jiancai was stunned: "If you have something to say, just say it."
"How is Sihe Academy doing now?"
"They are running the business well, and the academy is becoming more and more prosperous. With the Nanjing Literary League as a cash cow, there is nothing they can't accomplish except for rebellion."
"What are your ideas for dealing with them?"
"Every dye house I open will give them three cents. If I want to eradicate it, it will seriously damage the vitality of my house. But the villain feels that Zhenjiang and other places are like ringworm on the skin. Although it is very poisonous, it does not damage the root; and in Nanjing The Literary and Art League is suffering from a heart and lung problem, and if it is not cured as soon as possible, it will surely reach the end of its rope."
Lu Fangxuan said: "I know it too. It's a pity that Nanjing is in the hands of Wan Dang, and I can't help."
"Maybe we can join forces?" Fang Jiancai blinked slightly.
Lu Fangxuan pinched his chin and focused his eyes on the dazzling sunlight outside the window: "I'll think about it..."
The next day, Lu Fangxuan received a report from Zheng Shiyan, saying that "all members of Yue Mansion have finished ordering their troops and are waiting for Mr. Lu to personally review them." So he put aside the troubles in his mind and rode to the school field outside the city to review them.
'Bang! Bang! Bang! '
Three cannon shots were fired, the flag was rolled up, and in the place filled with gunpowder smoke, Lu Fangxuan, wearing a black helmet and black armor, appeared on horseback. The whole battalion cheered three times and knelt down to the ground.
Zheng Shiyan nodded and jumped off the platform. He clasped his fists and worshiped: "We came out of Nanjing and moved to Zhenjiang with a majestic momentum that the people here have never seen before. All the officers and men are very happy and high-spirited. I hope you will be generously rewarded and reward everyone for your protection." The merit of the wings is to please the soldiers’ hearts!”
Lu Fangxuan clapped his hands and expressed his approval, stepped onto the general stage, handed the rosters from left to right, and asked him to read out the awards one by one.
So everyone got the promotion they deserved and the money they deserved, and everyone showed off their rewards. The sound of laughter and curses filled the sky and the earth, and everyone's face was filled with smiles.
At this time, Lu Fangxuan saw the last page and saw the dazzling words on the paper: "One member has not yet arrived: Deputy General Qi Zi", and his heart skipped a beat, and there was a throbbing pain in his stomach. He quickly turned the book over and covered it, closed his eyes, and raised the corners of his mouth coldly: "Commander Zheng, tell everyone to calm down."
Zheng Shiyan was also honest and did not hesitate. He hurriedly pressed his sword and shouted: "Stop arguing, Mr. Lu wants to speak!" The school grounds fell silent immediately.
"The position of deputy commander is vacant, do you understand?"
"Understood, Commander Qi is no longer here." All the troops immediately became serious and looked at their Commander Zheng - he was the only one who didn't know anything about this.
"Then who wants to be fooled?"
"Listen to Mr. Lu's orders!"
Lu Fangxuan remained silent and glanced at Zheng Shiyan from the corner of his eye.
Zheng Shiyan secretly felt the hidden terror, shuddered, and nodded to himself: "Then...Tang Xiaoyi, you can do it."
Tang Xiaoyi has stayed in the Yue Mansion for a very long time. He is sixty years old. In terms of qualifications, this person is perfect.
Everyone was also mentally prepared, so they all recommended Tang Xiaoyi to go up. There was thunderous applause and no silence.
Tang Xiaoyi shed tears with excitement. He came to the stage choked with sobs and his eyes were red.
"Brother Tang," Lu Fangxuan looked at him with a smile, "did your son pass the imperial examination this year? How was his ranking?"
Tang Xiaoyi wiped away his tears and trembled with his tightly clasped hands: "To be honest with you, sir, Tang Wenshi, the dog, came second in the rankings this year. The emperor personally invited him to see him, and he has been elected to the Imperial Academy."
"Okay!" Lu Fangxuan smiled, "This is not a double happiness! Come here, hand over the deputy general's official medal and bring it to my brother!"
The primary schools on both sides came with seals and put them on Tang Xiaoyi's neck. Xiaoyi rubbed the official seal, cried bitterly, and was speechless for a while.
After the celebration, Mr. Tang was helped away by others, while Lu Fangxuan returned to the mansion with Shi Yan.
Zheng Shiyan couldn't hide his worry. Seeing no one on the road, he stepped forward and asked, "Did you really get all of them exempted?"
Lu Fangxuan said nothing and made a beheading gesture.
This shock made Zheng Shiyan's eyes widen, so that he froze on the spot, while Lu Fangxuan rode away.
