When Huang Qiong said this, his tone was extremely cold, but the smile on his face did not stop at all. Seeing the expression on Huang Qiong's face and the murderous tone, the envoy Lu sighed softly. He knew that this time his hand was stretched too far, the transfer envoy, the inspector who only burned incense and prayed to Buddha, and the governor of Longyou might not be able to save their heads.
However, listening to the cold tone of the King of England, the envoy gritted his teeth and still wanted to beg for mercy for the transfer envoy: "King of England, I know that some officials under my subordinates have not very clean hands. But the New Year's Eve The An transfer envoy was really indispensable for the drought-ridden Longyou to achieve such political achievements. Without his coordination and dispatching people to buy grain from western Sichuan, no one knows how many people in Longyou would have starved to death."
"Although this person is a bit greedy, he is indeed talented. This person is very good at managing money. He was originally assigned to Longyou from outside the Ministry of Household Affairs. Before he was transferred to Longyou as the transfer envoy, the entire Longyou deficit reached more than 400,000 yuan. , as for the various types of money and grain owed to the imperial court, it has reached more than one million guan. Among them, the ding tax alone is owed more than 300,000 guan. The poor people in the treasury are said to starve to death. "
"Less than two years after this person took office, he not only filled the deficit, but also had some surplus in the treasury. If it hadn't been for the severe drought last year, Longyou could have repaid all the money and grain he owed the court. The reason why Longyou didn't show up last year , people were dying of hunger all over the country, and it was with this surplus that we purchased some grain from western Sichuan, and barely managed to get the government to provide relief, which solved some of their urgent needs."
Huang Qiong pondered for a long time in response to Lu Yaosuo's plea, and then said: "As for what you said, if it is true, I will consider it. You can keep this matter secret for the time being, and I will discuss it with the entire officialdom of Longyou. , do a thorough investigation. Before I make my final decision, if you reveal even a word, don’t say anything to him then. It’s up to you whether you can save your own head.”
Huang Qiong's words made the Lu comforter nod hurriedly. Looking at this guy, his face turned pale with fright. Huang Qiong smiled faintly and said: "You don't want to stay in Lingzhou any longer. Go back to Lintao Mansion first. As the first magistrate of Longyou, you should first deal with the officials of Longyou." Show me your conduct and ability. I will also take time to inspect the entire Longyou."
After hearing Huang Qiong's instruction to keep it a secret, the Lu Yaosuo respectfully agreed. After he left, Huang Qiong looked at this guy's back, although his face was a little solemn, but he didn't say anything. Zhang Qian, who was standing next to him, looked at the gloomy expression on the British king's face and did not dare to say anything. After asking for permission and having no other instructions, he resigned immediately.
After the two left, Huang Qiong hesitated and wrote a memorial and several handwritten letters. In the memorial, Huang Qiong told the old man that he was going to inspect things in various places in Longyou. At the same time, I also presented some of my ideas to the old man. It is hoped that the imperial court can select some eminent monks from the temples in Luoyang to come to Longyou to promote Buddhism, so as to solve the problem of no eminent monks in Ningxia Prefecture.
Since Buddhism pays attention to the salvation of all living beings, compared with Jingzhao where eminent monks and famous temples gather, the vast number of living beings in Ningxia Prefecture need eminent monks to come to save all living beings. Huang Qiong hoped that the old man could use official means to invite some eminent monks from Jingzhao Mansion to Ningxia Mansion. As for the money and silk required to build famous temples, part of it can be borne by the court or local officials. Of course, if you are a monk, you can give some titles as an encouragement.
After putting down the pen in his hand, Huang Qiong dried the ink on the memorial and sent someone 800 miles away to send it out immediately. Just when Huang Qiong was about to take a rest, brothers Fan Jian and Fan Dao, who had come all the way from Xijing, interrupted him again. Seeing the two brothers' tired appearance, Huang Qiong didn't say much. I'm just a little dissatisfied with Fan Jian arriving from Xijing so late.
In fact, Fan Jian came from Xijing so late, not intentionally delaying. It was because he was assisting his brother in dealing with some matters concerning the Fan family in the northwest that he didn't rush back until now. Huang Qiong was slightly startled when Fan Jian said that because his sister-in-law was currently pregnant, his brother sent her back to Fan's house to recuperate, which delayed her for more than a month, so it was a little late to arrive in Lingzhou.
Fan Jian's sister-in-law did not stay in Lingzhou after she left him. Instead, he returned directly to Xijing for fear of being entangled by Huang Qiong. And according to reports from people in Nanzhen Fusi, she was riding the fastest horse when she left. In other words, she found out she was pregnant soon after returning to Xijing. Could it be that this child is? Judging from the time, this possibility is really not that big.
When two people are together, there is that strange tight feeling. Judging from Huang Qiong's current experience, I know that Mrs. Fan may not have had sex with her husband for some time. And during those three days of madness, he stayed with her in the end. Based on this calculation, who is the biological father of the child in Mrs. Fan's belly? Thinking of this, Huang Qiong's expression changed somewhat.
He just looked at and listened to Fan Jian talk about his wife being pregnant. Fan Dao looked happy, but Huang Qiong let out a long sigh, feeling bursts of sadness in his heart. He knew that Mrs. Fan had an extremely determined attitude when she left. As well as the temperament that I know, even if this child is really me, I am afraid that the father and son will never recognize each other in this life.
Although I felt a little sad and even a little jealous. But Huang Qiong's experience was different now. He raised his head and looked at the Fan brothers in front of him, hiding the emotion in his heart very well. He just said lightly: "The king, I would like to congratulate Brother Fan. He will have a successor soon. Don't worry, I will definitely send a heavy gift to the child when the time comes, and I will never treat the Fan family badly."
In response to Huang Qiong's words of congratulations, Fan Dao stood up and cupped his hands and said: "Thank you very much, King Ying, for still thinking about me. Dao means that I am not feeling well, and I have no chance to see King Ying. I would like to express my gratitude to King Ying in advance. King Ying would like to express my gratitude to you in advance." This is such a noble gesture, and everyone in the Fan family is grateful. From now on, whenever the King of England has any errands, he will directly give orders to the Fan family. The Fan family wants money and strength, and they will never let the King down."
Following Fan Dao's promise, Huang Qiong stood up, walked to the door and looked at the cloudless sky outside. After a moment of silence, he turned his back to the Fan family brothers and said, "This king neither needs the Fan family's money nor the money from the Fan family. People from the Fan family are not needed. As long as the Fan family promises me to do two things, I will pretend that the incident involving the northwest branch of the Fan family has never happened, and the thousands of people in Xiangyang Mansion can evacuate immediately."
Turning around and looking at the pale faces of the Fan brothers after hearing what he said, Huang Qiong smiled lightly and said: "Don't worry, neither of these two things is difficult for the Fan family. Fan Although the family has been a family for more than a hundred years, it has transformed from a family of martial arts into a real family of merchants. However, the foundation is still there, and some moral principles must be respected."
"Therefore, I will not let the Fan family do anything embarrassing, nor will I let the Fan family become my vassal. This is what I had agreed upon with Mrs. Fan at the beginning. Since I have already made it If you make a promise, you won't go back on it. You two brothers Fan, there is no need to worry that I will make the Fan family lose their independence, let alone force the Fan family to do something unjust to frame the Fan family."
"Of the two things, one of them is actually just a piece of cake for the Fan family. As for the other thing, it is even a big fortune. If the Fan family does well, it may not become the second Guilin County Prince's Mansion in the future. . But the specifics depend on how the Fan family operates. Let’s make it clear first that I will not stand up for the Fan family, let alone provide any explicit support.”
Huang Qiong's words stunned the two Fan brothers. After the two brothers looked at each other, Fan Dao finally said after pondering for a while: "I don't know, what does the King of England ask the Fan family to do? Please let the King of England make it clear. It's not that the Fan family doesn't believe in the King of England, let alone Fan Dao. I don’t believe in the King of England’s promise. It’s just that there are some things that the sword can’t control, so you need to ask the head of the family for instructions.”
Huang Qiong was not vague about Fan Dao's rhetorical question, and said directly: "First, I need your Fan family's intelligence network in the northwest and Jiangnan. However, this intelligence network is not to be handed over to me, but to me. You are not that greedy. I don’t need any other information from your two intelligence networks. From the northwest region, I want everything related to the King of Shu.”
"As for the Fan family's intelligence network in Jiangnan, I only need everything from the Guilin County Prince's Palace. Including all their properties in Jiangnan, as well as their every move. Especially Guangnan East-West 2nd Road, Huguang South Road, and Guilin County Prince's Palace. I need the Fan family to keep an eye on the traces of people. I will know every move of the Guilin County Prince's Mansion in Jiangnan as soon as possible."
"And this second thing? It is a good thing for the Fan family. The imperial court has gradually begun to take back the overseas trade rights that the Guilin County Prince's Palace has monopolized for more than a hundred years, and is preparing to fully liberalize the sea trade rights. I hope Fan The family can take a share of the pie and start sea trade. I will secretly provide some help, but I will have two shares in it."
After Huang Qiong made two requests to the Fan family, Fan Dao's expression suddenly became a little uncertain. These two conditions are not a good thing for the Fan family. The first request was better, just asking the Fan family to assist in secret. The King of Shu is now a dead tiger. Helping search for information about the King of Shu in the northwest is not a big deal for the Fan family.
But the second part of the first request, and the second request, is basically to push the Fan family out and directly compete with the Guilin County Prince's Palace in a clear and obvious way. For the Fan family, wealth is indeed within sight, but it is also a matter of blessing and misfortune. Confronting the Guilin County Prince's Palace, the Fan family may not be their opponent. Indeed, on land, with the current strength of the Fan family, they may not be afraid of the Guilin County Prince's Palace.
With the secret support of the British king, there was no problem with the officials. But now that we are out of the sea, where is the Fan family's rival to the Guilin County Prince's Mansion, which has been operating overseas for more than a hundred years? Moreover, the Guilin County Prince's Mansion has many methods. Overtly and covertly, almost everything is used. Although the Fan family's behavior may not necessarily have a dark side, it is still much more upright after all.
However, when it comes to this matter, the Fan family really has nothing to do. The Guilin County Prince's Mansion now controls almost the entire situation in Jiangnan. Merchants big and small in the south of the Yangtze River all act based on the expression of the Guilin County Prince's Palace. They have been suppressed to the point where they can hardly breathe for more than a hundred years. A small steward of the Guilin County Prince's Palace can actually decide the life or death of a large merchant in Jiangnan.
As long as the Fan family is more careful and finds ways to win over some merchants from Jiangnan, plus the support of the King of England, who oversees the country and governs the country, and is different from the emperor except that he wears a yellow robe, has the support behind them. Not that there is no hope of success. In the market, crises and risks coexist. If you want to really expand your business, is it possible to take no risks at all?
