Zheng Shuqing is very efficient in his work. The court officials responsible for the management and planting of red lotus rice were invited by him to the Lotus Pond Villa. Not only that, Zheng Shuqing also took out all the delicacies he had packed at the bottom of the box, which made Fang Chongyong look stunned.
What surprised him was not just the food, but the person in charge of the Red Lotus Rice Field, whom he had only met during the day... Gu Kuang!
At that time, I thought that this old man Gu Kuang was very easy-going and talked a lot. Who knew that he was actually a central official, even a minor official, who was directly under the imperial court!
The same rice feeds all kinds of people. The ancients were honest and would not deceive me.
"Superintendent Gu Tun laughed at this. They were all dishonorable food."
Zheng Shuqing pointed to the sumptuous dishes on the table and said politely.
"No, Commander Zheng is so polite. This kind of food is not common on weekdays."
Gu Kuang was very talkative and had a gentle personality. He pointed at the rice in the bowl and introduced to Fang Chongyong: "Fang Langjun doesn't know something. This is called crystal rice. As the name suggests, every grain is as clear as crystal." Whether you can pick out a bowl of rice from a good fight of rice is another matter. Each one must be carefully selected and cannot be careless.
Just this bowl of rice will cost at least ten pieces. "
Fang Chongyong picked up the bowl and looked at the bowl of "crystal rice" in front of him like a country bumpkin. Apart from being beautiful, it was almost the same as ordinary rice. He didn't know how to describe Zheng Shuqing.
A bowl of rice costs ten thousand yuan! What's the price of riding a horse?
Even if one penny is equal to one dollar, this bowl of rice costs 10,000 yuan. What kind of rice costs 10,000 yuan a bowl?
Zheng Shuqing's luxury refreshed Fang Chongyong's perception.
"Although the grilled lamb chops are simple to make,...this sheep is from Hedong. The shipping cost is very expensive, not to mention that after delivery, you have to raise it well and maintain the condition of the sheep. This feeding costs a lot of money. Alas, I don’t even know how much money was spent on this dish. The sheep from Hedong just smell and taste different.
Without the smell of mutton, I feel better today. "
Gu Kuang sighed, also sighing with emotion at Zheng Shuqing's generosity. He has traveled widely across the country and is now serving as the warden of Hongliandao, a farming land. But red lotus rice can be grown but not eaten. If someone reports you for stealing red lotus rice, it will be a serious crime of deceiving the emperor.
Gu Kuang usually eats very ordinary food, including local specialties from Kuizhou.
Fang Chongyong looked at Zheng Shuqing helplessly, and saw the governor Zheng waving his hands gently, looking indifferent, as if he regarded money as dirt.
"This flying knife is also very good. You can see that the knife skills are very good. The fish fillets are as thin as cicada wings. I don't have such knife skills anymore. I have to practice for more than ten years."
Gu Kuang continued to introduce Fang Zhongyong.
"It would be great if we could get carp from Luoyang. The fish in the Shu River are very rustic, so we can only make do with it."
Zheng Shuqing said very "reservedly".
When it comes to treating guests, what you eat is secondary, who you eat with, and whether or not you save face are the most important!
For example, today, he has a lot of face!
Fang Chongyong thought about the first meal he had when he came to this world, and unconsciously felt ashamed of himself.
This is the luxurious taste from Chang'an!
Gu Kuang introduced the other dishes on the table one by one. Even a simple water dish was extremely exquisite in workmanship. And there are so many varieties. For three people to eat, there are twelve dishes on the table!
"Mr. Zheng invited you to a banquet today. Could it be that he wanted to share some red lotus rice with you?"
After drinking for three rounds, Gu Kuang asked while burping. The relationship between them seemed to be much closer, and there was a hint of teasing in his words.
"Gu Tuen Supervisor is joking. The red lotus rice is a tribute and must be handed over to the emperor for use. If there is no reward from the emperor, how can we share the red lotus rice privately?"
Zheng Shuqing waved his hand and directly denied Gu Kuang's speculation. Seeing Fang Chongyong calmly nodding slightly, he continued: "You and I are officials in Kuizhou City, so we should be close to each other. Today's banquet is just about talking. Fengyue, let’s not talk about official business, let alone Hongliandao.”
Zheng Shuqing said very proudly.
"Your Majesty is a cheerful person, but this kind intention is disrespectful to me."
Gu Kuang put down his guard and started eating and drinking. After drinking until midnight, he was already drunk and unconscious, lying on the couch in the study to rest.
Zheng Shuqing opened his misty eyes, with a faint smile on his face, looked at Fang Chongyong and said: "The matter is settled, you can start doing what you want to do!"
"It's easy to talk about. Please copy this poem with your left hand."
poetry?
Zheng Shuqing was a little confused for a while. Although he was "tested by alcohol", he had drunk a lot after all, and his mind was not as clear as usual.
"On the eighth day of the ninth month when autumn comes, I will kill all the flowers after they have bloomed. The incense array will reach the sky and penetrate Chang'an, and the whole city will be filled with golden armor."
When Zheng Shuqing saw the seven-character quatrain written on the paper, he was sober that his back was wet with cold sweat.
"This... that... this..."
He was incoherent for a moment and was so frightened that he couldn't speak clearly.
"Gu Tunjian was a man of great talent, but it was a pity that he could not be reused by the imperial court. As time went by, he became dissatisfied and wrote a poem after drinking to complain about his own injustice. But he knew full well that this was an anti-poem, so he wrote it in a handwriting that was not his own. "
Fang Chongyong looked at Zheng Shuqing and asked word for word: "Do you think we should have a good talk with Gu Tun Superintendent after he wakes up?"
"What to talk about?"
Zheng Shuqing's brain was confused and he subconsciously answered the question.
"Of course we are talking about the red lotus rice, otherwise what else could we talk about?"
Fang Chongyong smiled slightly and said: "Gu Tuen Superintendent only needs to submit a letter saying that a lot of red lotus rice was burned by the Liao people's wildfires. This year's output is only 50% of previous years. It must be a very interesting thing!"
Zheng Shuqing was so frightened that his whole body was shaking. He forced himself to calm down and asked, "Wouldn't he be dismissed from office?"
"Cultivation of red lotus rice also requires experience. If it were someone else, the field might be damaged? If someone releases this poem again, I'm afraid the emperor of Chang'an and those princes will not think so."
Fang Chongyong took out another piece of paper and saw it written on it: "It is noon on the day of hoeing, and the sweat is dripping from the soil. Who knows that every particle of the meal is hard work."
The title is "Meeting Gu Tuen Supervisor on the road working hard in the red lotus rice field and feeling sentimental."
The meaning of the whole poem is: Ah, when I was passing by Red Lotus Rice, I saw Gu Kuang planting red lotus rice in the farmland, and I thought about it and said the following, blah blah blah.
Zheng Shuqing looked at Fang Chongyong as if he were a monster, and murmured to himself: "You are really a child prodigy!"
"Otherwise, wouldn't Commander Zheng feel it yet?"
Fang Chongyong felt that he had acted very evil, but Zheng Shuqing actually accepted him without feeling any violation.
"But what do you want the red lotus rice for? Sell it? To whom?"
Zheng Shuqing still didn't understand Fang Chongyong's brain circuit.
You think you should sell these red lotus rice, it can indeed be sold for a lot of money. However, it is simply impossible to expect ten guan for a bowl of rice! Hundreds of hectares of red lotus rice cannot be sold for more than 100,000 guan.
Because all transactions are conducted privately and cannot be exposed publicly, it is inevitable that the price will be reduced.
"The secret must not be leaked. Telling it in advance will not work. However, Master Shijun's meal today is really not in vain. As long as Gu Kuang accepts my proposal, then more than half of the matter will be done."
Hearing what Fang Chongyong said, Zheng Shuqing opened his mouth, but finally said nothing, just sighed.
This guy writes anti-poems one after another. Is he really Fang Youde's son?
Zheng Shuqing vaguely remembered that Fang Youde was Li Longji's confidant during his Qianlong period. He had always been very low-key and unobtrusive, and was famous among the powerful circles for his die-hard loyalty and stupidity.
His son's anti-poetry writing was so literary!
Could it be that Fang Youde's wife did something to feel sorry for him and gave birth to a child with someone else?
At this moment, Zheng Shuqing's heart was in chaos.
…
Gu Kuang woke up with a hangover and a splitting headache. I have to say that Zheng Shuqing’s treat of wine has great staying power.
As soon as he woke up, he saw Zheng Shuqing and Fang Youde looking at him, their eyes full of meaning.
"Gu Tuen Superintendent, oh, how could you...at least you shouldn't!"
Fang Chongyong said heartbrokenly.
"What's wrong with me?"
Gu Kuang looked confused. He had just woken up and didn't know what happened.
"Hey, Inspector Gu, even if you are dissatisfied with the court officials, you shouldn't write such things after being drunk. You...why did you do it!"
Zheng Shuqing joined Fang Chongyong, with the same expression and demeanor.
"What's wrong with me?"
Gu Kuang intuitively felt that something was wrong.
Fang Chongyong directly handed the article "A City Full of Golden Armor" to the other party.
Gu Kuang, who was still a little confused, suddenly felt no longer sleepy, or he was frightened and woke up!
As a poet, even a poet who has written famous poems, how could he not know what this poem is alluding to? If word spreads, the consequences will be disastrous!
"But this is not my handwriting."
Gu Kuang was not stupid, and he quickly realized that something was strange.
"It is indeed not Gu Tunjian's handwriting, but... it can definitely be written by Gu Tunjian. Of course, it could also just be a misunderstanding."
Fang Chongyong insisted on the word "misunderstanding".
Emotions are lurking here. Gu Kuang felt that Zheng Shuqing invited him to dinner last night because of Red Lotus Rice. He was an open-minded person, so he sighed helplessly: "Okay, okay, just think of me as a stupid donkey. After the autumn harvest, I will give you a few stones of red lotus rice, that's all. After all, Governor Zheng also took great pains in the meal last night."
Gu Kuang laughed at himself while insinuating Zheng Shuqing's dirty tricks.
"No, Gu Tuen Supervisor doesn't have to give us red lotus rice. You just need to write an official document to the court and tell them that half of this year's red lotus rice is damaged, that's all. You can't give it directly to the emperor, you have to go to the official post of the court , just deliver it layer by layer.
As for the possibility of a lot more, it doesn't matter at all. Those things cannot be sent to the emperor's hands. Of course, you can intercept it yourself if you want. "
Fang Chongyong made a very strange request to Gu Kuang.
Gu Kuang can hand over all the red lotus rice, but in the official letter, it must be written that he only received half of the rice, and the other half was damaged by wildfires. The specific amount is subject to receipt. After the red lotus rice is delivered to Chang'an, someone will make sure that the real quantity of red lotus rice matches the quantity in Gu Kuang's official letter.
For the extra money, no one would ask Gu Kuang why he wrote it out. He would just black out the extra stuff and eat it himself or resell it. The quantity finally delivered to Li Longji was the same as the quantity in Gu Kuang's official document!
And with so many people meddling in the Hongliandao line, how could they possibly hold Gu Kuang accountable for his mistakes?
When things get serious, wouldn't an investigation mean to find out a bunch of people? Who has a clean bottom?
"Your request is weird, so that's okay."
Gu Kuang waved his hand indifferently. He did not give away the red lotus rice, which meant that he was not derelict in his duty. Fang Chongyong's request did not cross his bottom line.
"This poem will be posted in Kuizhou Prefecture and widely publicized. Gu Tuenjian has no credit, but his hard work is still there."
Zheng Shuqing handed the song "Hoeing Day at Noon" to Gu Kuang and said.
"I understand, your Majesty must have had no choice but to do so."
After Gu Kuang read the poem, he asked with emotion that he had forgiven the two people in front of him for tricking him.
"Gu Tuen Supervisor doesn't need to ask more questions. It's his duty to do it as a last resort."
Zheng Shuqing said apologetically.
Gu Kuang nodded slightly, saluted Zheng Shuqing, and then left neatly.
After he left, Zheng Shuqing looked up to Fang Chongyong and asked helplessly: "I'm going to meet Wei Qing soon. What are you going to tell him?"
"I have a clever plan, but it won't work if I tell it in advance."
Fang Chongyong continued to lie and refused to tell the whole plan.
"If you were my son, I would have killed you long ago."
Zheng Shuqing sighed.
"How about it's not too late to find a foster father now?"
Fang Chongyong teased,
Zheng Shuqing laughed and shook his head. Among the children in his family, there really was no one who could compare to Fang Chongyong.
The two of them came to a certain compartment in Fengxian Building together, and saw Wei Qing, who was elegant and well-dressed, already sitting on a high stool in front of the desk, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
As soon as he saw Fang Chongyong and Zheng Shuqing, he quickly asked them to come over and sit down.
"Today Commander Zheng is feeling cold and unable to speak. I will do all the work for you. Commander Zheng can nod to indicate this."
Fang Chongyong winked at Zheng Shuqing and said.
The governor nodded quickly and tapped Fang Chongyong's arm with his index finger. The meaning couldn't be more obvious.
"Then continuing what happened yesterday, what kind of help does Zheng Shijun want from the court?"
Wei Qing asked with a smile, he was talking about Zheng Shijun, but he was looking at Fang Chongyong.
"We want full jurisdiction over Kuimen Jiangguan!"
Fang Zhongyong said decisively.
Wei Qing was stunned. Zheng Shuqing already controlled Jiangguan in Kuizhou, but what did this full jurisdiction mean? How can the power that has already been given be given again?
"What is full jurisdiction?"
Wei Qing asked in confusion. Although he had read a lot of books, he was still essentially a musician and singer.
"What are the rules at Jiangguan in Kuizhou? Governor Zheng can decide it with just one word. That's it."
Fang Chongyong said calmly.
"The imperial court has its own tax laws..."
Wei Qing always felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't explain it.
"To put it simply, Commander Zheng will decide the rules of Jiangguan in Kuizhou from now on. After collecting the 300,000 in taxes, Commander Zheng will go to Chang'an to report on his duties. By then, the rules of Jiangguan in Kuizhou Rules can be continued if the court finds them useful, but can be changed at any time if they find they are not useful."
Fang Zhongyong described it concisely and comprehensively.
Wei Qing suddenly realized that Fang Chongyong wanted to change Jiang's tariff rate. This was indeed the right intention. Before setting off, Li Longji specifically asked that in order to raise money, the tax rate could be slightly increased.
"That's fine. Although it is an outrageous request, I can accept it here first."
Wei Qing nodded slightly and said.
"Then thank the angel."
Fang Chongyong said respectfully.
As if he was worried that Zheng Shuqing might act recklessly, Wei Qing emphasized: "It's not impossible if you change the tariff rate, but you should proceed with caution."
"Don't worry, we will never do anything random. Zheng Shijun can swear to God on this."
Fang Chongyong boldly took over Zheng Shuqing's job.
