In the gloomy rainy night, there was silence in the inn.
Li Xuan walked in the courtyard with a pensive look on her face. Her steps were not fast, but her face was very serious and her eyes were slightly lowered, as if they were out of focus.
Qiu Zhenmu held an umbrella at the side and followed silently.
In the central hall of the backyard, the lights were bright, and Yu Ze was holding a book of Spring and Autumn in his hand, studying it carefully.
Hearing the footsteps outside the door, he immediately put down his Chunqiu hand, stood up, walked to the door, saw Li Xuan, raised his hands and asked, "The prince is back, is the trip going well?"
"Yes!" Li Xuan nodded lightly, and instead of talking to Yu Ze in detail, she just walked around him and walked to the upper seat. Then she looked at the ground and continued to meditate.
Yu Ze looked at Qiu Zhenmu subconsciously.
Qiu Zhenmu shook his head slightly, he didn't know what was going on.
Li Xuan's expression has been like this since she came out of the Hangzhou Governor's Mansion.
He has been pondering, and it seems that there is some unsolvable problem that has been lingering in his mind.
Yu Ze poured a cup of tea from the side and placed it on the table beside Li Xuan. He didn't say a word and just stood there quietly.
At this moment, Li Xuan suddenly spoke: "Yuan Jishi is indeed an upright and clear man, but it's a pity that he went too far."
"What's too much?" Yu Ze asked subconsciously, and Li Xuan suddenly came back to his senses.
"Uncle Yu, sit down, brother Qiu, sit down!" Li Xuan quickly asked Yu Ze and Qiu Zhenmu to sit down, and then said with a smile: "Good news, Governor Yuan has learned all the things about going to the Governor's Mansion in Hangzhou today. accepted."
"Yuan Governor agreed to sealing up the Jiaofang Division, redeploying soldiers, prohibiting and purchasing weapons, and lowering customs duties?" Yu Ze couldn't believe it for a moment.
This morning, they almost fell out with Yuan Jiazuo's nephew. How come at night, Yuan Jiazuo agreed to all their requests.
"Your Majesty, there is no fraud in this, right?" Qiu Zhenmu couldn't help but speak with a solemn expression.
"What are you thinking about? Governor Yuan's eyesight is sharp and clear inside and outside. He can still see the pros and cons of such things very clearly."
Li Xuan waved her hand and said with emotion: "After all, only Wuzhou is stable, and Hangzhou can sit back and relax. If something happens to Wuzhou, Hangzhou will inevitably be implicated. If you spend a little money and weapons, you can finally enjoy peace. This account, Yuan The governor still understands."
The purpose of sealing down the Jiaofang Division was specifically to deal with the Tianyin Sect, and to transfer soldiers and purchase weapons in order to record the situation with the Hangzhou Governor's Office and avoid future debts.
The remaining tariff matters were done by Li Xuan in order to win over the people of Wuzhou, and this was something for the future.
"Then what did the prince mean when he said he was too honest?" Yu Ze asked what Li Xuan had just said.
Li Xuan's face immediately became solemn, he stood up, and paced back and forth in the whole hall with a heavy face: "Yuan Jishi was a kind man, honest and upright, with sharp insights and decisive actions, but he always thought carefully about his actions and was in charge. Without the main attack, it would be very difficult for ordinary people to find his weaknesses and flaws; under his rule, it would be difficult for the Tianyin Sect to make any big moves, but similarly, Yuan Jishi had never thought of taking the initiative to attack Tianyin. Yin religion."
After gathering his thoughts, Li Xuan knew clearly that attacking the Tianyin Sect was the most important thing he had to do at the moment, and everything else was postponed.
Last time, the Tianyin Sect suffered a setback in Yangzhou, and then mobilized some of its forces to go to Yangzhou.
If this can be replicated in Hangzhou now, then the power of the Tianyin Sect will naturally flow from Wuzhou into part of Hangzhou.
In that case, the pressure on Wuzhou will be much less, but if Hangzhou does not move, Wuzhou will be a little passive.
Yu Ze knew the inside story. He raised his head and looked at Li Xuan, a little unsure: "Maybe it's because there are no government troops stationed in Hangzhou?"
"In the early years, the entire Wuyue land had two governor's offices, the Wuzhou governor's office and the Yuezhou governor's office. But later, the Wuzhou governor's office was abolished, and there were only one Yuezhou governor's office and Zhechong governor's office in the entire Wuyue land. Military strength." Qiu Zhenmu's military general family knew these very well.
Li Xuan nodded and said: "Although there is a Hangzhou Navy stationed in Hangzhou. If you advance, you can attack the pirates, and if you retreat, you can protect shipping. But these are river and sea battles. Once ashore, it is difficult to say how much combat power the navy can exert. , in the whole of Hangzhou, except for the policemen, policemen, and soldiers of the governor's office and Hangzhou County, there are very few manpower available."
"So, it's normal that Governor Yuan only wants to defend and not attack. Just like I did in Wuzhou." Yu Ze looked at Li Xuan and made a clear opinion.
"If you look at it from the perspective of Hangzhou, it should be like this, but from the perspective of the entire Wuyue land, it is somewhat inappropriate."
After a slight pause, Li Xuan said: "The southeast is prosperous, the three Wu cities, Qiantang has been prosperous since ancient times, how can it be easily chaotic, so if you want to do it, you should nip all hidden dangers in the bud. What Yuan Governor did was somewhat negative, even It’s just that I’m tired.”
Li Xuan's brows furrowed tightly. Compared to Dou Xuande and Duan Baoxuan who were aggressive and trying to return to the two capitals as soon as possible, Yuan Jiazuo, the governor of Hangzhou, seemed somewhat inactive.
This is very inconsistent with the image of a prostitute in the early Tang Dynasty.
There was something else wrong here, but Li Xuan could vaguely feel it, but couldn't figure out why.
"Returning to the Divine Capital cannot be decided in just a few words."
Yu Ze shook his head and said with some self-deprecation, "Is it possible that the prince doesn't know that Duan Gong, the governor of Yuezhou, was led by Zuowei, the prince, who joined the army when the saint was still the prince, and Dou Changshi of Yangzhou was born in the Jingzhao Dou family? , status is precious, and there are only a few positions in the court, so it is Yuan's turn to be governor."
"Hangzhou, Shangzhou, the governor of Hangzhou, come from the third rank!" Li Xuan sighed with emotion.
There were 327 prefectures in the Tang Dynasty, and 327 prefecture governors. There were only 98 Shangzhou, 29 Zhongzhou, and 200 Xiazhou.
There are ninety-eight governors in Shangzhou alone, ninety-eight from the third rank, but there are only a few positions in the three provinces, six ministries and nine ministers of the imperial court. I don’t know how many people have been wasting their lives in the position of governor and have no hope. Central***.
Li Xuan suddenly burst into laughter and said: "If this is really the case, no wonder Yuan Jishi seems to be carelessly proactive. If I were to serve as governor of any party, it would be like this at most, but Yuan Jishi would only make a helpless choice at most. His This may not be true sincerely.
There are some things that the governor of a state may not care about, but the court will not care about them, and His Majesty will not care about them. They will not let Hangzhou become chaotic.
Governor Yuan is indeed not good at fighting, and he is in charge of the state government, so there must be someone outside who is responsible for governing Hangzhou and taking charge of matters against the Tianyin Sect. Therefore, we need to find this person and let him take action to really attack the Tianyin Sect and allow Wuzhou to relax. slow. "Z.br>
"What the prince said is true, so who is this person?" Qiu Zhenmu followed Li Xuan's train of thought.
"Hangzhou cannot be chaotic. When we came to Hangzhou, we may have drawn the Tianyin Sect's attention to ourselves. This is what happened to Mr. Qi today. The person we are talking about may not have seen it. He may have also noticed it. I have my eye on Mr. Qi, so if I want to find this person, starting from Mr. Qi may not be a feasible way." Li Xuan pondered, thinking about various countermeasures in his mind.
"Mr. Qi, what do Governor Yuan say?" Yu Ze couldn't help but ask.
"Prince Yuan said he would tighten the control." Li Xuan waved his hand, then leaned back, put one hand on the tea bowl beside him, and whispered: "Prince Yuan is an upright official and a shrewd and wise man, but for that Qi The young master is too tolerant. The things Mr. Qi has done have aroused great resentment, but tonight at the banquet, he just said it lightly. The abnormality behind this cannot but make people think deeply."
Li Xuan was deep in thought along the way, and it was even more abrupt when Yuan Jiazuo linked these things with the abnormality he showed.
Unless he did it on purpose...
"As the prince said before, maybe he let it go because he had no hope of promotion." Yu Ze thought and said with some caution: "A nephew of a concubine may ruin his reputation by amassing money like this, but when the time comes, as long as he gives it up easily , you can easily get rid of all the stigma.”
"If Governor Yuan is like this,
This idea is simple, but the matter is not that simple. The Qi Gongzi has a grand plan. It is not just to simply make money, but to deeply control all the wealth, and even go further. "Li Xuan thought back to Mr. Qi whom he had met from a distance. Although this man's methods were a bit crude, his goals and ambitions could never be easily ignored.
The governor of Hangzhou, the Hangzhou family, a young master from Qi, and the Tianyin Sect.
The two sides are intertwined with each other and connected with each other. It is not easy to unlock the secrets behind all this.
"After all, Mr. Qi has no official status. As a student, once Yuan is transferred to another state, no matter how much wealth this Mr. Qi has, if he has offended so many people, he will definitely not end well in the end." Qiu Although Zhenmu is a military commander, he also sees things very clearly.
"Yes, everything will eventually be blown away by wind and rain." Li Xuan retracted her thoughts, sighed, and shook her head. Mr. Qi was still too young.
"In that case, if Hu Changshi bans all the dock students from participating in the Spring Festival within two years today, wouldn't it mean that this young master Qi's last path has been completely cut off?" Yu Ze suddenly said.
Li Xuan and Qiu Zhenmu were stunned at the same time, and then couldn't help but suddenly realized.
"Indeed, Mr. Qi has only two ways to solve his current predicament. One is to pass the Jinshi examination, or even the number one scholar, and the other is to give up and sell off all his property, and then flee Hangzhou with the proceeds." Qiu Zhenmu After finishing speaking, he looked at Li Xuan.
Li Xuan shook his head and said: "It's not that simple. Although Governor Yuan didn't say a word on this matter today, he is the Governor of Hangzhou after all. As long as he is willing to speak, everyone must obey him, so the imperial examination cannot be carried out." will become a problem."
"But it must be agreed by the prince. Today, Mr. Qi tried to use the prince as a platform to promote his reputation, but unexpectedly he kicked the iron wall. If the prince does not agree, even if Yuan Governor nods, he will still disagree when he arrives in Chang'an. Will be admitted, after all, this person has sinister intentions." At this point, Qiu Zhenmu looked at Yu Ze and asked, "Isn't it in exchange for Governor Yuan's so cheerful promise today?"
"No, this is a business matter. Yuan Jishi can distinguish between public and private matters. Such things are still very clear." Li Xuan sighed with emotion and said: "But with Yuan Jishi here, I don't want to go too far. , so in the end it still depends on the struggles in all aspects.”
"It's really strange to say so." Yu Ze also frowned, looked at Li Xuan, and said, "Your Majesty, that Young Master Qi still relies on Yuan Jishi after all. No matter what choice he makes, he cannot ignore it. After Yuan Jishi, the money in his hands, Yuan Jishi..."
Li Xuan waved her hand to stop Yu Ze from continuing: "It all depends on Governor Yuan's final choice. Whether he wants to preserve his reputation for integrity or not return empty-handed, or maybe both, or this It was an illusion from the beginning."
On the surface, Yuan Jiazuo had a good impression on Li Xuan, but when it came to Mr. Qi's affairs, he was somewhat indifferent and even ruthless.
Li Xuan waved her hands and said, "Forget it, that's it for the time being. We should still focus on our own affairs. First, we should find a way to mobilize the city of Hangzhou and give the Tianyin Sect a severe blow. In addition, there will be more tomorrow morning. I am going to visit the Lu family, and a handwritten letter from Uncle Yuan Fang is enough for me to wait in the land of Wuyue and gain the support of the Lu family, but I must also be fully prepared."
When leaving Yangzhou, Lu Yuanfang secretly handed Li Xuan a letter and asked him to take it to the Lu family. This was also one of Li Xuan's biggest gains in Yangzhou City.
"Yes!" Yu Ze and Qiu Zhenmu handed over their hands, then slowly retreated and began to prepare for tomorrow.
At this time, Xu Waner walked in with a basin in her hand, her eyebrows lowered and her expression extremely respectful.
Wearing a green chest-length skirt and holding a basin, her body couldn't help but lean forward.
Li Xuan felt a little funny for a moment, and waved her hand directly and said: "Okay, I have asked someone to investigate your matter, and the results will be available soon."
Xu Waner is from Hangzhou, and so are his parents. When Li Xuan was in Yangzhou, she promised to help find her parents.
"The Nu family knows." Xu Waner came to Li Xuan, put the water basin on the ground, half-knelt down, reached out and grabbed Li Xuan's boots, and said at the same time: "The Nu family is here to help the prince wash it.
Feet! "
The water temperature is very comfortable.
