Liu Quansheng and Xia Qing, who were sitting on the first floor, were hiding in the corners and whispering, with a few chuckles and sighs coming from time to time.
On the second floor, Cao Zhi, who had just served as the county captain of Lingyuan County, was sitting alone, silent and drinking sips. On his table, there was a plate of pork skin cakes and roasted fish. There is nothing else, and this kind of food seems a bit light and watery in Wangbei Tower, which is full of delicacies.
In his left hand, he was playing with an extremely ordinary five-baht coin back and forth. The small coin was flying in his hand, but it refused to fly towards the wonderful silver hole in front of him.
In fact, Cao Zhi is not the nephew that the county governor should know. He was born among ordinary people and grew up in the streets.
When Cao Zhi was young, he had an average appearance, average qualifications, and average IQ. At first glance, you knew he was the kind of mediocre character. However, although Cao Zhi was like an ant, he also had the ambition of a swan. He was determined to help the world since he was a child, and he worked tirelessly. So he read the famous works of various scholars and studied hard for twenty years, and finally he was able to be of great use.
And his character of not being content with the status quo and not being ashamed of being on the safe side, and the appetite of Huaxing County Governor Ying Zhi, he protected Cao Zhi in every possible way. Whenever Cao Zhi angered the powerful for the sake of the people, Ying Zhi always lied to the outside world and said " Silly nephew doesn’t know anything,” so he ended the matter hastily.
Therefore, Cao Zhi, who hates evil as much as he hates it and is upright, is able to live safely to this day.
With a glass of wine in his throat, Cao Zhi's eyes became sharper and he said to himself, "The captain of Lingyuan County is responsible for judging the affairs of various departments. It is his duty to read feather archers and prohibit rape. Liu Xing, this old dog, has many Illegal things are all reduced to trivial matters by the county captain. A few days ago, Mr. Ying took the fat of Lingyuan County Lieutenant from Liu Xing's hands and supported himself. The so-called position If you are talented and promising, as long as you plan a little, the military power of the entire Lingyuan County can slip from the hands of the Liu family to your own. By then, the Liu family will only have the 800 soldiers left. Your Excellency This move can be said to have killed an arm of the Liu family! Alas, it only hurt the people of Zhangjia Village who died innocently and in vain. I don’t know when you will be able to avenge your great revenge!"
...
The reason why the Lingyuan Liu family has been able to remain standing despite causing trouble in Huaxing County for many years is because he has a huge network of connections. On the contrary, he relied on some means to obtain the full support of the Jiang clan in Quzhou, headed by Jiang Feng, the current governor of Quzhou; horizontally, driven by absolute interests, the powerful nobles of Huaxing County, large and small, either watched the fire from the other side. To make a fortune, he would either be a coward and obey others; on the other hand, he relied on the power of Quzhou Mu Jiangfeng to take all the powerful and important positions in Huaxing County under his command through bribery, exclusion, assassination, placement, etc., forming a system of his own.
Before Ying Zhi took office, it is not an exaggeration to describe the power of the Liu family with eight words: hands, eyes, and complex roots.
Before Ying Zhi was ordered to parachute from Chang'an, Gyeonggi Province, to Huaxing County, the post of county guard had actually become a mere decoration and was useless. You should know that there was no hard work when you arrived. Instead, you adopted a strategy of slowly trying to figure it out. In the past six years, you have gone through countless bargainings like the "Zhangjiacun Incident" and exchanged some important positions for ministers. You should know that this is He had the right to speak in Huaxing County, and as Ying Zhi gradually regained control of Huaxing County, a hole appeared in the network of relationships hanging over the Liu family. This hole, as Liu Quansheng took advantage of the snow to enter Qinghe Residence , became even bigger after urging Liu Xing to remove Liu Ruisheng from his post.
When the wall fell, everyone pushed it down, and when the drum was broken, thousands of people beat it. In recent years, as Liu Xing grew older, the Liu family in Lingyuan gradually showed signs of decline. Some people with insight began to quietly stand on Yingcheng's side, and Cao Zhi is Ying Cheng's most loyal supporter.
...
Thinking of this, Cao Zhi stared at the third floor with burning eyes, "The east wall collapsed and the west wall collapsed. Liu Desheng did not deal with the aftermath of Zhangjiacun today. Instead, he came here to have a secret meeting with Xie Wei. I don't know what happened." Thoughts. Hum!"
Where Cao Zhi looked, Liu Desheng, Yang Guan, Huang Yan, and Xie Wei were sitting across from each other for an interview. Yang Liu stood bored in the corridor on the third floor, looking lazily, looking at the bustling people downstairs, not knowing what he was thinking. .
"Oops! Brother Xie, Liu is rude. If I had known that it was Brother Xie who was coming in person, Liu would have greeted me with a huge welcome! Liu is here, punishing himself with a drink, punishing himself with a drink!" Liu Desheng said 'haha' , picked up the wine bottle and drank it all in one gulp, which was regarded as a banquet.
Liu Desheng, who has always been aloof and aloof, could do this, which is considered to be groveling.
Xie Wei sat upright on the west side with a serious look on his face. He didn't seem interested in Liu Desheng's flattery. He hadn't touched a bite of the food since he sat down. Seeing Liu Desheng's compliment, he said coldly, "It doesn't matter, Xie is in charge of the project of a state." Civil Engineering, this time under the orders of Jiang Muzhou, came to Huaxing County to measure the dimensions, determine the route, and clarify the details to ensure that the construction of the Hong Canal can be smooth. The Hong Canal is completed and can run smoothly in Quzhou. Thank you You can’t live up to the high hopes of the state pastor and the expectations of the people.”
Seeing Xie Wei's indifferent expression, Yang Guan's face was full of spring breeze. He flicked his sleeves and stretched out his bare hands. He poured tea for Xie Wei himself. When the tea poured into the mouth of the pot, the fragrance floated lightly, which made people feel relaxed and happy. Even a fool could see it. Come on, what's in this cup is the best tea.
After the tea was filled, Yang Guan smiled warmly and said, "Master Xie, have you ever heard of this unique Lingyuan mountain tea in Lingyuan?"
Xie Wei didn't say anything, but took a sip of hot tea with an indifferent attitude. He didn't even look at Yang Guan, and said calmly, "In the past, Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs and encountered seventy-two poisons every day. Later, he got tea to cure it. Tea is nice one."
The start was cold, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly became awkward.
This Yang Guan was the sweetheart of Liu Desheng. He took good care of her in front of everyone and behind his back. He was reluctant to beat her and scold her. At this moment, when he saw Xie Wei being so rude to Yang Guan, he blushed and glanced at her, and he felt a sudden emotion. Gu Wuming was sullen and looked at Yang Guan, wondering what to do now!
Liu Desheng had already made up his mind. As long as Xie Wei said disrespectful words again, he would go downstairs to summon his servants, beat Xie Wei severely and throw him out of Lingyuan City.
You are from Quzhou Mu, so what? In the realm of Lingyuan, the Liu family is the emperor!
Faced with the indifference, Yang Guan still had a cheerful face and said to himself, "Thank you, Sir, you have so many things to do every day, and you work too hard on weekdays. My husband and I originally planned to catch up with you and express our feelings, but since you are not in the mood for leisure, the little girl Let’s get straight to the point!”
Xie Wei said calmly, "I like cheerful people."
Yang Guan was so angry that he said, "If you dare, little girl, I'll ask Mr. Xie for a job on my behalf!"
Xie Wei chuckled and said, "Mrs. Liu is joking. I, Xie, am just a minor errand boy under Jiangzhou Mu. I have a humble position. I have no qualifications to arrange errands for the Liu family that dominates the county!"
Xie Wei's words were full of cynicism and sarcasm.
"Thank you, Sir, for being humble! You assist Jiangzhou Mu and take charge of the construction of a state. In the eyes of a small family like us, you are our parents, rich and powerful, and the God of Wealth in the world!" Yang Guan haha He smiled and said, "Your Majesty's labor and force to build the Rainbow Canal this time is actually an act that will benefit the present and the future. As the leader of the Huaxing family, I, the Liu family of Lingyuan, are naturally willing to contribute a small amount to this matter that benefits the country and the people." .”
Xie Wei's expression and words were always indifferent, "Being loyal to His Majesty is the obligation and responsibility that a minister should fulfill. The Liu family has such an awareness and is worthy of the name of two generations of emperors and teachers!"
Yang Guan did not feel complacent at all for this formal and unintentional appreciation. He smiled gently and said, "Sir, among the eight counties of Huaxing, my Liu family has deep roots and affluent people. Xuanhuai Zhao family, Although the Fengyi Huang family is also a wealthy family in Huaxing County, they are from martial arts backgrounds, and fighting and killing are their strengths. They have shortcomings in everything they do, especially for canal construction, a massive project that requires all aspects of work. With the roughness of martial arts, With temperament, it is absolutely difficult to accomplish.”
Yang Guan paused deliberately, with a look of hope on his face, "So, for this thirty-mile canal in Huaxing County, I hope that you can select talents and use them, and submit it to the special envoy of the imperial court, and give it to the Liu family and my husband to build. I The couple once again assured that not only will the quality and quantity of the project be maintained, but also that the Liu family will only need 80% of the money used by the imperial court to build the Rainbow Canal. As for how the other 20% will go, it is up to you, your Lordships!"
The spear rises and falls, the picture is poor and the dagger is visible!
Yang Guan glanced at Xie Wei with a smile, the 20% profit from building the Hongqu Canal was more than just a fortune? She didn't believe that Xie Wei would remain indifferent in the face of such huge and tempting benefits.
