In the back house, Fang Jun is sitting in the study drinking tea. The children are still taking a nap. Xiao Shuer and Qiao'er are busy packing Fang Jun's bags. Wu Meiniang is looking at the letters and account books from various places in the family. Princess Gaoyang is accompanying Fang Jun. Drinking tea, I can’t help but complain...
"Brother Emperor is too kind and kind-hearted. How arrogant are those people? All those people participated in the two mutinies. If you really want the evidence, you only need to look it up. You should all be involved. If you arrest him, the evidence will prove that he will be punished, so why worry so much? Now, you have to use the method of suppressing the heroes to appease the clan cowards. It is simply unreasonable. "
My husband is the greatest contributor to His Majesty's ascension to the throne. He should have been a holy family member with great power, but now he has to go to Hedong to avoid the whirlpool of disputes in the court. He is so close to villains and far away from loyal ministers, even his own sister. There is dissatisfaction.
Fang Jun took a sip of tea and said calmly: "There is no need to complain. Your Majesty is in a very bad situation now. You must be cautious in everything. As ministers, we should share your worries with you. Besides, the salt pond in Hedong is not far away." , it will be convenient to travel after the Yellow River melts in spring.”
Wu Meiniang raised her head and glanced at Lang Jun, thoughtfully...
Princess Gaoyang asked curiously: "Now that the east side of the Yellow River is frozen, how can Lang Jun go to Jiechi?"
Jiechi is located at the northern foot of Zhongtiao Mountain, where the Yellow River turns from north to east. To get there from Chang'an, you can cross the Yellow River at Fenglingdu and other ferries and then cross Zhongtiao Mountain. You can also take the Shangyu Ancient Road to Luoyang and then cross the Yellow River and return. To the west, start from the Zhongtiao Mountain break in Shaanzhou and go north over the mountains to reach Jiechi.
However, the ice on the Yellow River has not yet melted, and it is extremely dangerous to cross it by boat. Boats and boats often capsize and are buried at the bottom of the river, with no bones left. The merchants took a detour on the ancient road to cross the river from Mengjindu and other ferries near Luoyang, and the mountains and rivers are far away and the journey is long. Very hard.
"Let's take a detour to Luoyang. We just have something to discuss with King Wei."
Xiao Shu'er on the side still had lingering fears: "It is very difficult to travel on the ancient road of business, and the gentleman will suffer on this trip."
When returning from the south of the Yangtze River, because the Yellow River from Xingyang to Guanzhong was frozen, Fang Xuanling took everyone on the Shangyu Ancient Road. Most of the ancient road followed the river channels in the valleys, making it winding, rugged and difficult to navigate. .
Fang Jun then smiled and said: "It is indeed a bit bumpy to ride in a car, but it would be much better if you rode a horse. Besides, even the pampered and fat King Wei can do it, so why can't I do it?"
Hearing Lang Jun tease her brother, Princess Gaoyang angrily patted his arm, asking him to restrain himself and show more respect.
At the same time, he warned: "Lang Jun's visit to Jiechi to preside over the rectification of salt affairs will inevitably affect the interests of the Hedong family. They dare not go toe-to-toe with you. They will definitely try their best to win over the corrupt, and only money and silk are enough. You must also read it. No, but if you send a beautiful concubine to serve you, you have to be careful.”
She doesn't care if her husband is romantic and courteous outside, but it's just a taste of new things outside, but she can't bring all the women home...
Wu Meiniang said with a smile: "Don't worry, Your Highness, I will also go to Luoyang to preside over the affairs of the 'Eastern Datang Company' this time, and I will keep an eye on some gentlemen."
Princess Gao Yang was relieved: "It's best to have you look after me. Otherwise, if others throw in a few women, this soft-hearted person might be brought back."
Fang Jun asked Wu Meiniang: "Have you taken care of everything here?"
Wu Meiniang shook her head: "Not yet, it will probably take a few days, so the husband will go ahead and I will arrive in Luoyang a little later."
Fang Jun nodded: "Wang Xuance is doing things smoothly over there, and all handover matters are in order, so you don't have to rush. It won't be too late to wait for some time for the weather to calm down."
"Don't worry, sir, I know what I'm doing mentally and physically."
"That's good."
Fang Jun has great trust in Wu Meiniang's ability. No matter what happens at any time, as long as Wu Meiniang says "she knows what she knows", Fang Jun will be completely relieved.
In terms of his ability to handle affairs alone, Fang Jun thinks that it is difficult to win...
*****
Zheng Rentai sat in front of the hot pot, stretched out his chopsticks to fish out the meat, dipped it in the sauce, chewed it in his mouth, drank a glass of wine, and let out a comfortable breath.
In the cold winter months, no food can be more refreshing than hot pot and wine.
Zheng Xuanguo sat opposite him, facing the delicious food and wine but had no intention of enjoying it. He took a sip of wine and sighed...
Zheng Rentai frowned, put down his chopsticks, and scolded: "Look at how you look like a loser, are you deliberately trying to cause trouble for me?"
Although the Zheng family in Xingyang is a Confucian family, Zheng Rentai was born as a military commander, and his actions inevitably carry the style of the military. He is straightforward and resolute, and he will face difficulties and perseverance. Naturally, he looks down on his son's behavior of sighing and sighing. .
Zheng Xuanguo was not afraid of being scolded by his father, and complained: "Your Majesty asked the Duke of Yue to go to Jiechi to rectify the salt affairs. The Duke of Yue recommended the child, and Your Majesty has approved it... This time the Duke of Yue went to Jiechi and said yes Rectifying salt affairs is actually an attempt to leverage Jie Chiyuan Ben’s interest framework is to strive for more benefits for the court, and we must fight in the arena. Our family’s interests in Jiechi are not small, and we are in alliance with other Hedong aristocratic families. Our children are caught in the middle and are in a dilemma. I really don’t know what to do.”
Fang Jun's rectification of salt affairs will inevitably suppress the Hedong clan. The Zheng family in Xingyang is a member of the Hedong clan. The interests of both parties are conflicting, and he is Fang Jun's subordinate. This position is really difficult to maintain...
If you obey Fang Jun's orders, you will definitely be regarded as a traitor by the other Hedong families; to protect the interests of the Hedong family, you have to fight Fang Jun. Based on his understanding of Fang Jun, he is afraid that he will be the first to attack him.
How can you not worry about being in a dilemma and choosing between a dilemma?
Zheng Rentai took out a chopstick of dried vegetables. The dried vegetables had been rolled in the pot for a long time and soaked with oil, water and gravy, making them taste great when chewed. He gestured for his son to pour the wine and said, "Do you think Fang Jun wants to Are you using it as a knife to break the alliance of interests of our Hedong family in Jiechi?”
Zheng Xuanguo poured the wine: "I guess so, otherwise why bring me along?"
The Hedong family may fight on their own or even criticize each other in other places, but they are unprecedentedly united over the interests of Yanchi, because everyone knows that this is the foundation for the survival of the Hedong family. One person is short of strength, and two people are strong. Only by uniting together can we resist covetousness and plunder from the outside.
Once there is oppression from outside forces, we will naturally unite as one and be as solid as a rock.
But if the Zheng family in Xingyang "betrays" and is used by Fang Jun, it will be equivalent to breaking the impregnable alliance of the Hedong family, and they can only wait to be defeated by Fang Jun one by one, and ultimately defeated.
Zheng Rentai shook his head, picked up the wine glass and took a sip, sighing: "You underestimated Fang Jun."
Putting down his wine glass, he spoke earnestly: "When Emperor Taizong was here, he once praised Fang Jun as a 'talented prime minister.' At that time, Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji, Cen Wenwen, Xiao Yu and others were in power, and they were all heroes of the world. , Wen Tao, military strategy, generals and prime ministers, how flashy Under such circumstances, the second generation of children was suppressed and dimmed. Only Fang Jun was able to suddenly emerge when these outstanding figures were at their peak. His poetry and martial arts were unparalleled. I don’t know how many people said, "It’s like giving birth to a child." Fang Yiai'! ”
"Such an amazing and talented man single-handedly reorganized Youtun Guards, sent his troops out to defeat Xue Yantuo, established the Huating Town Shipping Department, almost doubling the empire's fiscal revenue, and prepared to build the Royal Navy to traverse the oceans and shock other countries... ...It’s just a salt pond, do you think you can stop him?”
He looked at his son with burning eyes and said: "Jiechi is separated from the Yellow River by a Zhongtiao Mountain. As long as the Yellow River melts, elite naval forces can continue to come from the south of the Yangtze River. They need money, people, and ships." If there is a boat, as long as he If you make up your mind, you can smash the alliance of interests in Yanchi. Looking at the Hedong family, who dares to say "no"? Why use our Xingyang Zheng family to break the alliance so cumbersomely?"
To put it bluntly, when Fang Jun arrived at Jiechi, it was when the Hedong family's interest alliance collapsed. Whoever conforms to the current situation may still have an interest in Yanchi, and whoever goes against the trend may be completely eliminated from Yanchi.
Zheng Xuanguo was stunned, hesitated and asked: "Then why did he have to bring me up?"
Zheng Rentai taught earnestly: "Fang Jun's trip must be to 'break first and then establish'. It is easy to break, but not easy to set up. After all, Jiechi has been under the control of the Hedong family for hundreds of years, and everything from top to bottom is Hedong." People from aristocratic families, he thought To re-establish order in Jiechi, we must first have people who know how to dry and make salt, right? Pulling you in is equivalent to tying the Zheng family in Xingyang together. When he gets rid of Shen Ke, he will naturally need you to help him re-establish order. ”
Zheng Xuanguo was puzzled: "What if our family doesn't want to? After all, that would be a betrayal of all Hedong families. In the future, everyone in Hedong will be beaten."
Zheng Rentai asked first: "Can our family give up the interests of the salt pond?"
Zheng Xuanguo thought for a moment and sighed: "Even if it's impossible."
The benefits of the salt pond are almost ten to a hundred times the benefits of the land. It has long been the backbone of the Zheng family's property in Xingyang. How can they give up so easily just because they are concerned about the "harmony and friendship" of other Hedong families?
In other words, as long as Fang Jun wants to win over someone, no one in the Hedong family will refuse...
Even if Zheng Rentai and his son were willing to refuse Fang Jun's solicitation in order to maintain the alliance between the Hedong families, the clan elders in Xingyang would still force them to bow down to Fang Jun.
This is the essence of an aristocratic family. Honesty comes first, morality is passed down to the family, poems and books are cultivated and read... but everything must give way to interests.
However, Zheng Xuanguo still expressed concern about Fang Jun's trip: "It is easy to 'break', and it is not difficult to 'build', but it is extremely difficult to make the output of the salt pond increase instead of falling after breaking it, even if our family helps with all our efforts." It will also be difficult to reach the previous output...if there is no sufficient If the production is sufficient, the salt tax will inevitably be reduced. At that time, the government and the public will be discussing it, and the imperial officials will be competing for impeachment. I am afraid that due to the situation, Your Majesty will have to recall Fang Jun. By then, won’t our family be different inside and outside?” (End of this chapter) )