After some polite politeness, everyone got on the sedan and rushed to the governor's house together. A banquet had been prepared there, just waiting for Shao Xi to go. With so many officials each carrying a sedan chair, the journey along the way can be said to be majestic and spectacular.
Shao Xi sat in the sedan and looked at the scenery along the way. On the surface, Yujiang City looked very prosperous and lively. Along the way, we can see many traveling merchants, traders, and foot soldiers. Business seems to be booming in all walks of life, and the scene is peaceful.
Only those who have lived here for a long time will know that due to the numerous excessive taxes and miscellaneous taxes, all walks of life are actually struggling to survive and can only make ends meet.
The sedan team came to the county governor's mansion and got off the sedan. Zhao Huajun let Shao Xi and Lao Wu into the mansion, and a group of officials filed in behind them.
The banquet was held in the back hall. When Shao Xi walked into the back hall and saw the scale of the banquet, he couldn't help but sigh that the Zhao family's ostentation was really grand. Even a simple wedding banquet was so extravagant. It was really incredible. You won't feel bad if you spend your own money.
According to past customs, when local officials entertain officials from Kyoto, it is generally regarded as a family banquet, so the banquet is usually held in the back hall and flower hall, and only a few important officials are invited to accompany them. Although everyone knows about hosting banquets, generally speaking, it is relatively low-key. After all, eating, drinking, and extravagance are officially prohibited.
But now the Zhao family is so high-profile, not only hosting a banquet in public, but also inviting all officials from Yujiang City to the house, regardless of rank, and openly promoting extravagance. This shows how unscrupulous the Zhao family is in Yujiang County. He did not take the court's laws into consideration, and had the attitude of "The mountains are high and the emperor is far away, but I am respected here."
The upper level in the back hall is divided into two positions: guest and host, and the lower ones are arranged in order of grade and official position. The only special thing is that Old Wu has a single seat, sitting near Shao Xi. From this, it can be seen that Zhao Huajun has indeed put some thought into this banquet. This is what worries Shao Xi the most. A person who does things so cautiously and thoughtfully must be a thoughtful and scheming old fox. He will not be so Easy to deal with.
After some false politeness, the banquet started, and the dishes served were an eye-opener for Shao Xi. Even the well-informed old Wu couldn't help but marvel.
Crab soup, deep-fried bells with dried meat from hometown, steamed pork with lotus leaves, braised pork with dried vegetables, beggar's chicken, crispy braised pork loofah, braised yellow croaker, razor clams mixed with three shreds, braised spring bamboo shoots in oil, fried eel back with shrimp, crystal There are twelve dishes in front of each person, such as pork hooves and golden cakes. Everyone is like this, and the food table in front of them is filled to the brim.
The wine served was something Shao Xi and Lao Wu had never seen before in their lives. It was the famous Qiyun Qinglu and Everything Is Spring. Shao Xi and Lao Wu had never seen it before, not to mention they had never tasted it before. They never expected that these famous delicacies and famous wines in Yujiang City were actually the common food and drinks served to guests in the governor's mansion, which shows their level of luxury and the financial strength of the Zhao family. It can also be seen.
Looking at these famous wines and dishes that he had only heard of but never seen before, Shao Xi couldn't help but sigh in his heart, how much money and wealth did the Zhao family plunder in Yujiang County over the years to support such a luxurious life?
The food and wine in front of each person may be the life needs of ordinary people at the bottom for more than ten years, but in the eyes of the Zhao family, they are just used to satisfy their own appetites. Only then did Shao Xi understand what "Zhumen's wine and meat are smelly, the roads are smelly" There are frozen bones.”
Zhao Huajun looked at the surprise in Shao Xi and Lao Wu's eyes and couldn't help but look proud.
In his opinion, these officials living in Kyoto are just closer to the emperor. When it comes to financial resources and enjoyment of life, compared with him, a fifth-grade local official, they are really not that capable. How strong!
"Master Shao, due to the hasty preparations, I can only prepare some thin wine and vegetarian dishes. I hope Master Shao will not laugh. In the future, I will order someone to prepare a table of good wine and dishes to entertain the two adults. Today, I have wronged the two adults. Just one or two, I didn’t greet you well, I hope you two adults won’t be offended.”
Shao Xi and Lao Wu were both cursing in their hearts at this time, "You Zhao Huajun! The luxurious banquet prepared at such a huge expense has turned out to be a hastily prepared vegetarian meal with thin wine. You are not showing off, you are You don't know how to deliberately humiliate us! Even the officials of the 'Jingcheng Division' dare to ridicule. It seems that this guy's background is indeed very tough. He should have had the same attitude towards officials coming from Kyoto in the past. It's a pity that what you encountered this time is not the same. So much the same."
Shao Xi smiled quietly and said sarcastically to Zhao Huajun: "Master Zhao is an honest official, so it is natural for him to entertain me with some wine and vegetables. If extravagance is widespread, doesn't it mean that Master Zhao is corrupt and perverts the law? The common people resent it? Now that Jiangnan is so prosperous and Yujiang County is so prosperous, it is Mr. Zhao who governs well, works diligently and loves the people, and lives up to the emperor's favor. How can we talk about generals? Isn't that what an official should be like? You What do you say? Master Zhao!"
Zhao Huajun originally wanted to test Shao Xi's reaction through ridicule, but he didn't want to be mocked back by Shao Xi. Since you said it's a vegetarian meal with a lot of wine, it's a vegetarian meal with a lot of wine. It's obviously a luxurious banquet, but you want to say that you are diligent, love the people, and govern well. In fact, you are secretly mocking you for being corrupt and perverting the law. You are preying on the common people. Very strong.
Shao Xi's half-overt and half-covered taunting made Zhao Huajun look embarrassed for a moment and didn't know how to deal with it.
At this time, he has clearly felt that Shao Xi is not an easy character to get along with. Even if he is verbally offensive, he will be ridiculed immediately. It can be seen from this that the Master Shao in front of him is a narrow-minded person who is determined to retaliate.
For bosses who are difficult to get along with and difficult to control, you need to change your strategy and adopt a combination of flattery and bribery. Judging from the news that Zhao Xing had received before, the two adults from Kyoto in front of him did not seem to be two-sleeved people. They looked like people who took power and took bribes to achieve political success.
Whether it is power or wealth, as long as people have desires, they can be bought. People who can be bribed can be controlled to a certain extent, but everyone's price is different and the difficulty of controlling them is different.
The adult in front of me seems to be the kind of person who has a high price tag and is not easy to control. But it doesn't matter, money is not a problem for Zhao Huajun. No matter how difficult it is to talk, as long as there is a price tag, everything will be easy to talk about.
If you think you are expensive, then you have to explain why you are expensive. At this time, Zhao Huajun just wanted to verify what exactly Mr. Shao was worth?
"Master Shao is really ridiculous. I'm really ashamed of myself. It's not because of me that Yujiang County is so rich. It's just that I was lucky enough to find such a fertile land. Master Shao, can you sympathize with me?" It is not easy to wait for these local officials, but Mr. Shao is kind-hearted and lenient towards others. I would like to thank Mr. Shao for his consideration on behalf of the officials at all levels in Yujiang County."
When Shao Xi heard this, he said, "Ouch! You have changed your strategy! Seeing that you can't hold me back, you started to flatter me. How can I be such an easy talker? If I don't cause you some trouble, how can you Don’t you think I’m easy to handle?”
"Hmph! Mr. Zhao's description is not appropriate! This kind-hearted and generous person has nothing to do with me. As soon as I arrived in Yujiang County, you were made things difficult for me by a small local steward. It was almost My property in Yujiang County was destroyed, and I was almost taken to the government office to be tortured! Your Lord Zhao is really very vigorous and resolute in the management of Yujiang County, and your methods are so good that even my own officials almost came to the rescue. I have become your prisoner! I am a very vindictive person, and I am not very talkative. I would like to ask Mr. Zhao to give me an explanation for this matter. If this explanation does not satisfy me, I am afraid that I will have to act on behalf of the Holy Spirit. .”
Zhao Huajun started to beat his heart at this time, thinking that this adult is really a bit soft-spoken! I can't control him, and now I don't seem to be able to flatter him properly, which makes him unhappy, and he will use the imperial power as soon as he opens his mouth.
Although the officials of the "Jingcheng Division" are indeed not easy to mess with, it seems that Mr. Shao may not only have the power of the "Jingcheng Division" in his hands. This sentence "acting on behalf of the Holy Spirit" proves that this person should be a person. It seems that I have to test it out again.
"Ouch! Mr. Shao, please calm down. I have heard the Yushui County Magistrate tell me about this matter. It is indeed the lower official's lax control of his subordinates. The lower official has reprimanded Zhao Xing. As for the Zhao Xing who offended Mr. Shao, Second, although he and Xiaguan are from the same family, Xiaguan will never tolerate it. He has ordered Zhao Xing to severely punish him and not be allowed to use him again for life. This matter is also a misunderstanding, and I sincerely ask Mr. Shao to forgive me. I just heard that Shao Your Excellency said, "You also have property in Yujiang County? Your Majesty is indeed ignorant and has no information. I wonder if your Lordship's trip to Yujiang County is for official business? Or is it for private matters? It's better for me to act accordingly." "
Shao Xi secretly laughed in his heart. It seemed that it was easier to attack and defend now. As soon as he heard that he had the emperor's life, the opponent immediately became intimidated. But I still want to test myself verbally, so it's time to intimidate the other party and let him know not to think that he can control the situation just because he is a local snake.
"This officer was personally ordered by the Holy One to go to the Southern Zhao Kingdom as an imperial envoy. However, before leaving, the Holy One also gave me another assignment, that is, I can privately visit and monitor various states, counties, and counties along the way. Whether the county officials are corrupt, bending the law, increasing taxes and money privately, nepotism, and oppressing the people. Once discovered, there is no need to verify, the official can handle it on his own, and the imperial authority can grant it first and then report."
Shao Xi said this without mentioning the Zhao family in Yujiang County, but he never left their Zhao family. It's obviously a warning to Zhao Huajun, don't think that others don't know what you did, and don't think that I can't do anything to you without evidence! An "imperial charter, which can be implemented first and then reported later" can control the Zhao family of Yujiang County to death.
When Zhao Huajun heard this, he felt like he was sweating. He thought it was just like before, when two or three officials from Kyoto came here to show off and get some benefits. But he didn't expect that the person in front of him was actually sent by the current Holy Emperor, and he didn't seem to be that easy to talk to.
Can't be offended! This person coming this time is unusual, and you must not offend him under any circumstances!
