He Chengjiong took Fang Chongyong to the outside of Kuizhou City. They saw that the shore to the west of the city was filled with docks one after another! It is not an exaggeration to describe it as "blocking out the sky and the sun". Many boatmen are working in the dock, and you can also see many wooden boats that have been less than half completed and the keels are being laid.
Zheng Shuqing was right. The handicraft industry in Kuizhou Commercial Port was very distinctive and employed many people.
"Not bad, is there anything you can say?"
Fang Chongyong asked calmly, maintaining an indescribable dignity of a superior.
He learned from Zheng Shuqing that when it's time to put on airs, you must put on airs. If you are weak, the other party will turn against you. If that's the case, how can you do your own thing well?
"Back to Langjun, there is a lot of potential for shipbuilding in Kuizhou. A large ship can be sold for at least 500 guan. If the government purchases it, the price can be higher, even if it is 200 guan more, I am not afraid."
He Chengjiong said calmly.
Fang Chongyong glanced at him thoughtfully, nodded slightly and said, "You really understand."
"How dare you, how dare you, it would be best if you can help Mr. Lang."
He Chengjiong said fearfully.
"Lead the way to the place where the wine is brewed."
Fang Chongyong turned around and left!
"Mr. Lang, please come with me."
He Chengjiong wisely continued to lead the way.
Kuizhou's wine is actually very famous. The reason why it was not mentioned by Zheng Shuqing is because no matter how famous the wine is, it actually becomes the same after it is shipped to Chang'an.
It’s hard to explain in just a few words how fierce the competition for drinks in Chang’an is, but in short, all the good stuff in the country is over there. Zheng Shuqing was used to being chic in Chang'an, so naturally he looked down on the local fine wines in Kuizhou.
After entering the city, the two came to a brewery, and the intoxicating aroma of rice wine hit their faces.
"The Wuxia wine brewed here is Kuizhou's famous wine. It is not the best wine. But after soaking with the young leaves, it will have a delicate fragrance, which is also called bamboo leaf green. Its advantage is that the brewing time is short, and it is brewed in winter and matures in spring."
He Chengjiong introduced it with numerous family treasures. Fang Chongyong couldn't understand how a bad handsome man could know so many miscellaneous subjects. Is it because he knew more that it was easier for the investigation?
"Let's go. Those envoys and ministers in Chang'an are very naughty. They may not like the green bamboo leaves."
Fang Chongyong said with a cold snort, as if he was dissatisfied with He Chengjiong for bringing him here to observe.
"Lang Jun, this is already the best winery in Kuizhou City..."
He Chengjiong complained aggrievedly.
"From what you said, it seems that there is no capital city in Kuizhou, but there are in other places in Kuizhou... I think so, right?"
Fang Chongyong looked into He Chengjiong's eyes and asked.
"Yes, but that place is in Yunyang County, west of Kuizhou Fucheng, and is not within Fucheng."
He Chengjiong answered honestly.
"Oh my, this wine-making workshop is really simple. But the wine is fragrant and mellow...it's not bad. I think you can look forward to this Wuxia Spring."
A slightly frivolous voice sounded from behind. Fang Chongyong turned around and saw a young man in his twenties wearing a white fine linen robe. His clothes looked spotless and he was holding a cattail leaf fan in his hand. Looks elegant and handsome.
Apart from the cattail leaf fan, he had no accessories on his body.
At least he is much more handsome than Zheng Shuqing.
His voice is also very magnetic and makes people feel good.
"Is your Majesty also here to buy wine?"
Fang Chongyong asked doubtfully.
The man glanced at He Chengjiong. The bad handsome man saluted Fang Chongyong, then turned and left.
He came to be Fang Chongyong's guide and had no obligation to protect him. On the contrary, if he heard words he shouldn't have heard, he would be killed!
"It's better to meet by chance than an invitation. I would like to invite you to have tea with me. I wonder if you are willing to give me a favor?"
The young man made a "please" gesture.
Fang Chongyong was a little confused, were all people in the Tang Dynasty so familiar with each other?
"Your Excellency is..."
"My name is Wei Qing, a descendant of Liyuan."
Wei Qing puffed up his chest and said proudly, with a sense of pride.
A guy who plays music and sings is so impressive?
Fang Chongyong looked confused. It wasn't like he didn't know what Liyuan was about. It was an "art troupe" organized by Li Longji. Top-notch artists across the country train and perform there, and Li Guinian is one of the members.
The children of Liyuan were aloof in Chang'an and often visited the homes of powerful people. There are many records in Tang poetry.
"Then let's talk about Fengxian Tower."
Fang Chongyong nodded slightly.
At this moment, he was complaining in his heart, he was still a child, why did he encounter so many things!
…
In a cubicle of Fengxian Tower, Fang Chongyong and Wei Qing looked at the panting Zheng Shuqing and laughed dumbly.
Unexpectedly, they had not even had time to burn incense in the restaurant when the governor came in a hurry. I have to say that bad handsome He Chengjiong is really a smart man. As soon as he saw that Fang Chongyong wanted to have a private conversation with someone, he quickly reported it to Zheng Shuqing.
This vigilance in the officialdom is really impressive.
"Zheng Shijun, are you alright?"
Wei Qing bowed to Zheng Shuqing and asked with a smile.
"If I knew it was you, I wouldn't have to be so anxious, alas!"
Zheng Shuqing smiled bitterly and sighed. Wei Qing and he were in the same circle. Wei Qing came from Jingzhao Webster, but he followed the path of Liyuan, and he was a person trusted by Li Longji. The presence of Wei Qing here means that Li Longji bypassed the prime minister and sent him to convey his will.
Apart from this, there is no reason to explain why an artist who teaches singing would appear in Kuizhou. Combined with the official documents sent from Guizhou, Zheng Shuqing could now confirm that the envoy from the imperial court was Wei Qing.
"Zheng Shijun, I have some good news for you. Wang Yu has been dismissed from his post for investigation and has returned to Beijing to report on his duties. Zhangchou Jianqiong has taken over as the Jiannan Jiedushi. The imperial court has approved your misappropriation of customs duties to support the Jiannan Army. , it is not considered as private misappropriation, but you will also receive a credit."
Hearing this, Zheng Shuqing nodded slightly with a heavy face. He was waiting for Wei Qing to say that "but".
"The sage (the emperor after Wu Zhou in the Tang Dynasty was often referred to as a sage) said that Zheng Shijun had made great contributions to the country."
"I would like to thank Your Majesty for your kindness..."
Zheng Shuqing was so excited that he was about to salute Wei Qing, but he saw the other party waved his hand, indicating that he should sit down first, before he finished speaking.
"The saint asks you, do you have any difficulty with the three hundred thousand guan in taxes? If it is really difficult to make up for it, you can reduce it by one hundred thousand guan as appropriate."
Wei Qing's emotionless words rang in Zheng Shuqing's ears!
He finally came to light! Of course, there is no such idiom yet.
To reduce...or not to reduce? Just as Zheng Shuqing was about to speak, he heard Fang Chongyong say:
"Zheng Shijun has dedicated his life to the country and died. If the customs duties are lost, we have to find ways to make up for the taxes. Is there any reason to reduce them? If there is a reduction here, won't the other aspects of the country's expenses also have to be reduced? Then Who will pay for the missing 100,000 guan? There is no problem with Commander Zheng."
Fang Chongyong spoke with certainty, then looked at Zheng Shuqing and asked: "Zheng Shijun, do you think so?"
"That's right, that's what I think. No need to reduce it, no need to reduce it at all!"
Zheng Shuqing suppressed the anger in his heart and said, the expression on his face was distorted.
"Well, in this way, the saint feels at ease. I would like to ask again for the saint whether Commander Zheng still needs any help."
Wei Qing asked, holding back his laughter.
"How can a humble minister dare to trouble a saint..."
Before Zheng Shuqing finished speaking, Fang Chongyong rushed to say: "Zheng Jun needs help. If you don't help, you will be completely unable to withstand it!"
Um?
Wei Qing looked at Fang Chongyong in surprise and asked subconsciously: "What kind of help is that?"
When Li Longji told him, he said it casually. He mainly wanted to know whether Zheng Shuqing's tax of 300,000 yuan should be reduced.
"Anyway, there's something going on. It won't be too late to discuss it tomorrow when I have a formal meeting with Angel at the government office."
As Fang Chongyong spoke, he winked at Zheng Shuqing desperately, finally calming down the anxious governor.
"How about we live together in the courtyard of Lotus Pond with Mr. Wei? There are so many fish and dragons in Kuizhou City, I'm afraid it will stain your eyes."
Zheng Shuqing said sarcastically.
Wei Qing shook his cattail leaf fan, stood up and bowed to Zheng Shuqing, then smiled and said: "Although you and I are old acquaintances, we have to avoid suspicion. I'll just stay at the inn. I will come to the government office tomorrow to visit you. Say goodbye."
After saying that, he left cleanly, leaving Zheng Shuqing and Fang Chongyong staring with big eyes.
"You, you, you, you...you are really going to piss me off!"
Zheng Shuqing sighed, only regretting that he had not strangled Fang Chongyong to death before!
"Zheng Shijun, I'm already confident. Everything is ready, all I need is the east wind. There are many people here, so it's better to go back to the government office to discuss important matters."
Fang Chongyong saluted Zheng Shuqing and said.
Looking at Fang Chongyong, who was full of confidence, and then looking at the direction Wei Qing was leaving, Zheng Shuqing felt that he had made the wrong choice in sparing Fang Chongyong's life!
"Okay, let's go back to the government office."
He said weakly.
Zheng Shuqing had already decided that if Fang Chongyong couldn't come up with a reliable plan, we would all end up in hell tonight.
The two of them returned to the study room in the Lotus Pond Courtyard in silence all the way. On both sides of the long and sloping street were various shops, including ones selling salted fish, but they still did not attract Zheng Shuqing's attention.
That 300,000 yuan has become a roadblock in his career. Now that the emperor knows about it, if he doesn't handle it well... the consequences will be unimaginable!
"Tell me, what should I do about this matter? Why did you say that just now?"
Zheng Shuqing was too lazy to ask the maid to make tea for Fang Chongyong today.
"I checked the output of Kuizhou today. Then I divided it into pieces and told the envoy one by one."
Fang Chongyong poured himself a glass of water without warning and drank it down, and then discovered...it was actually honey water!
He casually took a large piece of copywriting paper from the desk, spread it out, and wrote the word "cloth" on it.
" Linen is a specialty of Kuizhou. There are many people weaving it, and large-scale workshops have appeared. However, these have fixed sales channels, so you can't get involved, so it's useless. "
Fang Chongyong drew an X behind the word "cloth".
Zheng Shuqing was expressionless and didn't speak, just watching Fang Chongyong show off his eloquence.
"Kuizhou is close to mountains and forests, where there are many fruits, such as tangerines, oranges, pomeloes, etc. Although these are easy to transport, they are not convenient to store. More importantly, they cannot be sold at a high price, and hiring people to pick them will only make a loss. "
Fang Chongyong wrote the word "melon and fruit" on the paper and crossed it out.
Are you still expecting to sell fruit?
Zheng Shuqing almost laughed out loud at Fang Chongyong.
This guy probably doesn't know the price of fruits in Kuizhou. Even if we pick all the fruits in the orchard, see if we can sell them for a thousand guan? Besides, the fruit won’t fall directly into the basket, so it doesn’t require manpower to do these things!
"You're not really capable of this, are you?"
Zheng Shuqing asked back with a hint of sarcasm.
"You probably know the condition of the farmland in Kuizhou. The red lotus rice may still be worth some money, but it belongs to the emperor and cannot be touched. The output of other fields is not something you can appreciate, so you won't mention it. Whatever."
Fang Chongyong wrote the word "rice grain" on the paper and then crossed it out.
"As for fish, even salted fish, although the quantity is large, it is not convenient to sell it as far as Chang'an, and the price cannot be sold to surrounding counties."
Fang Chongyong wrote the word "fish and shrimp" on the paper and finally crossed it out.
"This won't work, and that won't work either. What do you want?"
Zheng Shuqing couldn't help roaring, he was so angry that Fang Chongyong made him furious!
"Eh? Don't be angry, sir. It's almost time to get to the point."
Fang Zhongyong said with a sarcastic smile.
"There are many tigers, leopards, white apes and other animals in Kuizhou. Hunting is not easy. Even if they are valuable, for 300,000 yuan, it is just a drop in the bucket.
The only things that can make you stand up are boats and wine. Others are not worth mentioning.”
Seeing that he spoke solemnly, Zheng Shuqing also put away the anger on his face and asked thoughtfully: "What kind of boat is the boat, and what kind of wine is the wine?"
Fang Chongyong said something half-understood, which made him feel itchy and uncomfortable to ask directly.
If you ask directly, and the other person's words are very reasonable, it will inevitably appear that you have a low IQ.
"The secret must not be leaked. I have two things to ask you to do. If everything goes well, there will be no problem in handling the three hundred thousand tax."
Fang Chongyong also stopped smiling, and his unopened little face looked serious and a bit nondescript.
There is no majesty at all, but it makes people want to laugh.
"Which two?"
Zheng Shuqing asked in a deep voice.
"First, invite the official in charge of Red Lotus Rice to come to the Lotus Pond Courtyard for dinner tonight. Eat a good meal so that he doesn't get drunk and doesn't come home!"
There was no smile on Fang Chongyong's face, but what he said was not that serious.
Is it a big deal to treat guests to dinner?
Zheng Shuqing nodded slightly and said, "I just know this person, but it's not a big problem to invite him to dinner."
He felt that this matter was not difficult to handle because he would not hit the smiling man with his hand. As the highest chief executive of a state, if the governor invites a small official directly under the central government to dinner, the other party will still give him face. Otherwise, how can you do a good job if the local boss puts small shoes on you?
"The second thing is, tomorrow morning, when negotiating with Wei Qing, Lord Shijun will catch a cold due to the strong wind at night and cannot speak. Let me do everything for you, okay?"
The second thing is to pretend to be mute, which doesn’t seem very serious.
Zheng Shuqing looked at Fang Chongyong with confusion and asked, "What do you want to do?"
"The secret must not be revealed."
Fang Chongyong smiled mysteriously.
Zheng Shuqing thought about it for a while, and now that the situation has come to an end, this is the only way to treat a dead horse as a living horse doctor.
"Is it really going to be okay?"
Zheng Shuqing was still unsure and asked hesitantly.
"With Lord Shijun's outstanding wisdom, how can I, a child with a yellow mouth, deceive you?"
Fang Zhongyong asked confidently.
"That's not necessarily the case..."
Zheng Shuqing replied with a guilty conscience. Although he was quibbling with his mouth, he was still very happy in his heart.
