As the saying goes, profit leads to confusion, and Zhao Yang invested heavily in building a new office of the Technology Department, which will inevitably attract people who are obsessed with things like flies and dogs.
On the second day of February, when Zhao Yang once again inspected the progress of the new Yamen construction with his people, deputy envoy Yang Yi reported to him seriously: "Recently, our Technical Department Yamen has encountered some obstacles in purchasing land to build the Yamen."
When he heard that it was an obstacle rather than a trouble, Zhao Yang couldn't help but frown: "Who? Or which Yamen?"
"No, no." Yang Yi quickly explained: "It's not a government office under the government, but from a nearby household."
Zhao Yang frowned even more tightly: "Is there anyone still dissatisfied with the conditions I gave?"
Fan Chunren, Shen Yu, Wen Tong, Lu Dafang and others who came to inspect looked at each other and shook their heads.
The current land prices near Gyeonggi Province are also divided into poor land, thin land, and good land. The poor land is only 1,200 yuan per acre, while the good land is as high as 2,000 yuan per acre, and there is no market for it. After all, no one wants to sell it. .
Although Zhao Yang has an advance of hundreds of thousands from the government, he is not afraid of spending more money, but he also tries to avoid his officials from purchasing such fertile land, and instead buys land with poor soil quality. If those households are willing to sell the land, The relocation was decided by Zhao Yang, and officials from the Technology Department not only paid the land purchase price, but also provided various preferential treatment.
First, the Technology Department purchased the land at twice the current market price and calculated the value of the house and its contents based on the original price.
Secondly, those who are willing to sell their land will receive an additional 1,000 to 5,000 yuan as relocation expenses.
It is no exaggeration to say that the relocation expenses alone are enough to feed these people for a year.
In order to dispel the worries of the nearby people about losing their land, Zhao Yang also asked the technology department to promise that these people could work in his technology department as stevedores in the future, which was like promising them a stable job.
If there are still people here who are greedy, Chunliang and others like Fan Chunren don’t know what to say.
When these people sighed secretly, Yang Yi shook his head and said: "During the land purchase period of Xiaguan, we did encounter such greedy people, but we have kept in mind the envoy's warning and did not dare to buy or sell by force." The obstacles mentioned are some rogue households nearby. These people heard that our technology company was buying a large amount of land, and they tried every means to defraud many people into occupying their fields and houses at low prices. When our officials came to negotiate, they proposed a high price and even He said that if he didn’t comply, he would tell me that the new office of the Technology Department would not be built..."
Zhao Yang was stunned for a moment, then turned around and asked Fan Chunren and others: "Am I really in Bianjing?"
Fan Chunren frowned and said nothing, but Shen Yan, Wen Ting and others felt very unbelievable and asked in disbelief: "Are these people the children of some wealthy family?"
Yang Yi shook his head and said, "No, he's just an ordinary scoundrel."
Everyone felt more and more incredible.
After a long while, Zhao Yang frowned and asked, "What price do you charge for these?"
"There are many prices that are ten or twenty times the market price."
"Haha, are you taking me for granted?" Zhao Yang suddenly laughed angrily and said without hesitation: "Report it to Kaifeng Mansion and ask Kaifeng Mansion to handle it!"
Yang Yi hesitated and said: "I'm afraid Kaifeng Mansion won't be able to suppress these people..."
"What?"
"The envoy does not know that the security of the outer city is not as good as that of the inner city, and there are some things that are beyond the reach of Kaifeng Prefecture. Just like these scoundrels, they are famous rogues in this area. When they are short of money, they even engage in the business of forcing girls into prostitution. They will The nearby women were kidnapped and sold into the inner city as prostitutes. If someone reported the case, the Kaifeng Prefecture would send people to pick it up, and these people would find a hole to dig in... Oh, Xiaguan refers to the place covered by mud and rocks below Bianjing. Heading towards the old city.”
"Under here?" Zhao Yang pointed to his feet in disbelief.
"Yes." Yang Yi nodded and said: "Around the capital, some places are covered with mud and rocks, but some places can still be entered and exited, and the buildings in front of the cave extend in all directions. Even if Kaifeng Prefecture sends people to arrest them, most of them will be in vain. Over time, Kaifeng Mansion will no longer send people, and the arrogance of these people will become more and more arrogant..."
Zhao Yang snorted coldly after hearing this and said: "In the land of Gyeonggi, someone actually dares to be so rampant. It is simply lawless! Call these people here. At worst, I will ask the brothers of the Zhong family to transfer the imperial army over, just in time to let the imperial army see blood. ... First Report to Kaifeng Mansion."
"yes."
"Wait, let's stop purchasing land for now. The current twenty or thirty hectares of land are enough to build a new government office. We will talk about the future later."
"yes!"
After Yang Yi resigned, he immediately sent officials to report to Kaifeng Mansion.
Now the chief official of the Kaifeng Mansion is Zhang Yaozuo. When he learned that the officials under his younger brother Zhao Yang came to report, he naturally paid special attention to it. He immediately got on a carriage and took a group of his servants to the new government office of the Technology Department in the outer city. .
After meeting Zhao Yang, Zhang Yaozuo first praised the new government office being built by the Technology Department, and then said angrily: "Brother, I have heard about these rogues in the outer city, but I never thought that these people would dare to offend. Don't worry, brother, I have already given orders when I came here to set up several military patrol stations in my area, and send military patrols here every day."
"Thank you, brother." Zhao Yang was also happy to say a few nice words, and then reminded: "I heard that these people are very cunning. Whenever they commit a crime and are arrested by Kaifeng Prefecture, they hide underground and head towards the old city. Buildings, the cave is connected in all directions, making it difficult to arrest. If the Kaifeng government is unable to arrest him, I can ask the Privy Council for permission to mobilize troops and call in the imperial army under my command."
"Eh." Zhang Yaozuo vowed: "I also have sergeants in Kaifeng Mansion, why bother with the imperial army under my command? Brother, let me catch all these people one by one..."
After that, he glanced at Fan Chunren, Shen Yu and others who were standing in the distance, and said in a low voice: "Do you still remember the actions you took with Liu Congguang and the Li brothers in Fanlou?"
"You haven't let go yet?" Zhao Yang said in surprise.
Zhang Yaozuo chuckled, then exhaled and said: "We haven't released him yet, but he will soon. In the past two days, some Tai students have come forward for me and frequently came to my Kaifeng Mansion to demand the release of Feng Jing, Xie Jingwen, Liu Gu and others... …Chen Xu and others from the Ministry of Etiquette, who presided over the provincial examination, also greeted me yesterday, probably because they didn’t want this matter to get into trouble…”
"Then let it go." Zhao Yang joked: "If you are angry and dare not vent your anger on Liu Congguang and the Li brothers, what is the point of venting your anger on a bunch of students?"
If others were making fun of him, Zhang Yaozuo would probably fall out, but Zhao Yang did not dare to say this. He said with an angry look on his face: "I was fined half a year's salary... What did I do? I just held a banquet in Fanlou. That’s all.”
"Okay, okay." Zhao Yang patted Zhang Yaozuo's arm with the back of his hand and said, "You have detained me for going to Beijing to take the exam for six full days, and you also ordered the Alumni Building to close to the outside world for three days. You have the right to know that Kaifeng The prestige of the government affairs is great enough, if you want to let it off again... going too far is too much."
"That's fine."
Although Zhang Yaozuo still felt unhappy in his heart, he finally listened to Zhao Yang's persuasion and nodded in agreement.
Not long after, Kaifeng Prefecture sent three military patrols. It was estimated that each troop had about one or two hundred people. The leader was a military patrol named Sun, also known as a military patrol envoy.
Different from the general patrols that focus on civil disputes, public security, and anti-theft, the military patrols are responsible for the official affairs of the country and the court, which are simply linked to "criminal" matters. The entire city of Bianjing is under the jurisdiction of the military patrols of Kaifeng Prefecture, such as Catching spies, arresting people who deliberately set fires, patrolling the perimeter of various granaries in the city, etc.
For example, in the Iron and Salt Department's Yamen Office of the Third Division, there is a special military inspection shop in Kaifeng Prefecture outside the Yamen. If anyone sneaks in or breaks in without permission, shout out and come immediately to arrest them.
"Inspector Laosun."
Under Zhang Yaozuo's introduction, Zhao Yang met with Inspector Sun and exchanged a few words with him.
His posture was very low, but that of Inspector Sun was even lower. After all, the people in front of him at this moment were the chief official of his Kaifeng Mansion, and the one who demoted Liu Congguang and the Li brothers three times in five days. Zhao Yang and Sun Xun naturally did not dare to offend.
The two sides exchanged a few words, and then Zhao Yang, Shen Yu, Wen Tong and others returned to the Yamen of the Ministry of Industry first, while Fan Chunren, as the planner, stayed with the new Yamen to prevent any expenses.
Unexpectedly, when Zhao Yang returned to the main yamen of the Ministry of Industry, an official who had been waiting outside reported to him: "Yuanwailang, Cao Yi, the Marquis of Yu, the capital of the palace, and the Marquis of Cao Du, are in the yamen."
Uncle Cao Guo?
Zhao Yang was a little surprised. He walked to the Yamen and his case room, and he saw Cao Yi sitting in the room.
"Uncle Guo." Zhao Yang stepped forward to greet him: "I heard that Uncle Guo is on duty at the Si Yamen in front of the palace at two o'clock every day. Whenever he leaves home, it is very rare for him to even enter the palace to see the Queen. Today he is so grand. Visiting our office at the Ministry of Industry is really flattering to everyone in our office."
Since the two of them had been together for some time before and had a good impression of each other, Zhao Yang's teasing was not offensive to Cao Yan's ears. However, the wry smile on his face did not diminish. He stood up and returned the favor with a wry smile. Said: "Zhao Zhengyan, don't make fun of me. I am here today on an entrustment..."
Hearing this, Zhao Yang frowned unconsciously, and while ordering the officials to serve tea again, he said to Cao Yan: "If uncle Guo is coming from Chui Gong Hall, then I'd better ask him not to speak, lest he It ruined our relationship."
This little boy is really stubborn...
After hearing this, Cao Yi was secretly stunned. He didn't know that Zhao Yang had impeached himself at the court meeting six days ago, forcing the officials to move him out of the palace. Since then, all the things the officials had given him had been returned. , so angry that the official family has not looked at anyone well these days, and even the ministers and assistants of the current government were frightened and walked on thin ice when they were doing things.
"No, no." He shook his head repeatedly and said, "I didn't come from Chui Gong Hall, but...I won't hide it from you, it was Li Yonghe who came to me."
"Who?" Zhao Yang said blankly.
"Li Yonghe, the maternal uncle of the official family and the father of all the brothers of the Li family."
"Oh." Zhao Yang suddenly realized.
Seeing that Zhao Yang had no other expression, Cao Yi began to describe the cause and effect: "Zhao Zhengyan didn't go to the court yesterday morning. After the court was dismissed, the officials demoted Liu Congguang and the Li brothers by one level. This was the first time in five days. Three times, the sixth son of the Li family, Li Wei, has even fallen out of rank..."
Zhao Yang raised his eyebrows, slightly surprised, but when he saw Cao Yan looking at him with a strange expression, he curled his lips and said, "I'll be promoted back in a few days. It's not a big deal."
"Not necessarily." Cao Yan glanced at Zhao Yang thoughtfully: "Yesterday, not only Liu Congguang went to the palace to plead guilty, but Li Yonghe also brought his disciples to the palace to plead guilty to the officials, and even used vines in front of the officials. They whipped his Sanlang, Silang, Wulang, and even Liulang Li Wei, but even so, the officials only tried to appease Li Yonghe and never mentioned his reinstatement... Afterwards, Li Yonghe learned that I had a little relationship with Zhao Zhengyan. We had only a brief acquaintance with each other, so he came to my place and asked me to come forward to make peace. I also knew the rights and wrongs of that day, so naturally I couldn't agree rashly, so I came to Zhao Zhengyan to find out. Look at this..."
Zhao Yang was impressed by Cao Yi's honesty and thought for a while and said: "I don't pretend to be honest to my uncle's face. In fact, I don't have any hatred towards Liu Congguang or the Li brothers... They were there that day. It was directed at Zhang Yaozuo, and I can guess that, although there was a conflict between the two parties, in the end I did not suffer any loss... and there is no reconciliation."
After hearing this, Cao Yi smiled more and more bitterly.
He did not doubt Zhao Yang's rhetoric, but the more it was true, the more troublesome it became: Didn't Zhao Yang's rhetoric express that the target of his resentment was the official family?
With a wry smile, he persuaded in a low voice: "The officials demoted the Liu and Li families three times in five days. Could it be that Zhao Zhengyan still can't see the intention?"
Zhao Yang curled his lips and said: "First he scolded me regardless of right and wrong, and now he vents his anger on the Liu and Li families. Do you expect me to remember him well?"
"Ahem."
Cao Yi coughed repeatedly when he heard this, and even stood up and took a look outside the house, and then whispered in a low voice: "After all, it is an official family..."
Zhao Yang looked at Cao Yan and said, "If uncle Guo says that, then I will serve tea to see off the guests."
"Don't say goodbye." Cao Yi was quite dumbfounded, and said helplessly for a while: "Then...how should I reply to Li Yonghe?"
Zhao Yang thought for a while and said: "Uncle Guo, just tell Li Yonghe exactly what I said. I don't hate the Li family, but don't expect me to speak for the Li family. ... If you ask me, the official family If you like to be demoted, then demote him. With the relationship between the Li family and the official family, why are you afraid that he will not be reused? Today he is demoted to the point where he falls below the rank, and tomorrow he may be reinstated. What kind of punishment is this? "
"Hmm." Cao Yi obviously agreed with Zhao Yang's view, nodded and said: "As long as Zhao Zhengyan is not angry with the Li family, then it is true... Well, Li Yonghe intends to hold a banquet to apologize for Zhao Zhengyan..."
"There's no need to hold a banquet, as long as the well water doesn't interfere with the river water in the future."
Upon hearing this, Cao Yi guessed that Zhao Yang was not completely prejudiced against the Li family, but since Zhao Yang could tell that he didn't hate the Li family, his trip was worthwhile, and there was no need to create extraneous matters.
Later, Zhao Yang took the opportunity to chat with Cao Yi about the situation of Zhending Mansion. Compared with the conflict with the Li family, he was more concerned about the Song-Liao border: "... I wonder if uncle Guo has passed through Zhending Mansion recently. Letter? I wonder if the Liao Kingdom knew about the diversion of the Yellow River?"
Mentioning this matter, Cao Ji's expression became more serious, and he frowned and said: "Years and years ago, I have corresponded with my brother and my son many times. I am afraid that this matter cannot be concealed...especially the latest one Letter, my son once mentioned that the Khitan sent a team of envoys to the Song Dynasty. They were passing through Hebei Road, so they would definitely hear the news. As long as they send some people to check, the matter will not be suppressed... But still In my opinion, the Khitan will not take the opportunity to invade, most likely they will imitate what happened when Li Yuanhao became emperor a few years ago, and use this as a threat to force the Song Dynasty to increase their annual... er, military expenses."
Zhao Yang was amused by Cao Yan's fear and uneasiness when he almost made a mistake: "It's just a new year's coin. It seems like no one knows. My uncle is too cautious."
When Cao Yi couldn't laugh or cry, Zhao Yang shook his head and sighed softly: "Here, millions of forbidden troops eat pickles and old rice, and the money saved is dedicated to the Liao Kingdom and Xixia as annual coins, so there are no disputes outside and the world is peaceful." …”
"Ahem." Cao Yan looked outside the house frequently in surprise.
Seeing this, Zhao Yang stopped "scare" Cao Yi, and after thinking for a while, he asked: "When does the uncle guess that the Liao envoy will arrive in Bianjing?"
Cao Ji estimated for a moment and said: "It is estimated to be between mid-March and early April."
Zhao Yang nodded thoughtfully: "That is to say, about forty days..."
He intended to assemble a few "big firecrackers" during this period of time, so that when the Liao envoys used the diversion of the Yellow River to force the Song State, they could use it as a countermeasure.
