How did you complete what you were told in Chapter 264?
Yingbin Building.
The ‘West Lake Vinegar Fish’ that Xia Zhibai was looking forward to was not served.
What was served was just an ordinary steamed fish.
It tastes good.
But in the end it lacked some flavor.
The banquet this time was very dull. Zhou Ziliang didn't say much, and the same was true for Tang He and Xia Zhibai. It seemed that both parties came for this richer feast and ate one by one. Have a great time.
A long while.
The banquet is gradually coming to an end.
Xia Zhibai, Zhou Ziliang and others all ate quite well.
Many officials also put down their bowls and chopsticks one after another.
The faces were filled with smiles.
Although today's banquet was not of high standard, the appearance and taste were very good, which attracted praises from many officials present.
Hua Lun put down his chopsticks and nodded with satisfaction.
He enjoyed eating this time.
As a southerner, I like to keep things simple.
The food at this banquet was very suitable to his taste.
Especially the bowls of white rice made him linger and couldn't help but eat several more bowls.
Not only Hua Lun, Lian Zining and others also looked satisfied.
With their current status, although they are not living a good life, they are still very comfortable. However, it is still unrealistic to want to have a big meal. After all, the salary given to them by His Majesty is very good. It's really meager.
There is enough to live on, but luxury is hard to come by.
I don’t know who arranged the seats, but the two sides were clearly separated.
The officials who followed Xia Zhibai sat together, and the local officials from Zhejiang sat together. The two did not see each other much. They basically ate their own food, and they rarely even got to talk to each other. sentence.
Food and wine.
Zhou Ziliang wiped his mouth and said with a look of enjoyment: "This time I have really benefited from you, Duke Xin and the Imperial Envoy. If you hadn't come under His Majesty's order, our Chief Secretary and other officials would still be here. I don’t know how long it will take to have such a sumptuous meal.”
"I looked a little ugly just now, which made Duke Xin and the imperial envoy laugh."
Zhou Ziliang smiled naively.
It seems that he also knew that he was not very good at eating in front of him, so he took the initiative to express an apology to the two of them.
Tang He said: "It's just a meal, how can there be so many rules? As long as you can eat well and eat well, what does it matter if you eat like it or not?"
Zhou Ziliang took a sip. After moistening his oily mouth with tea, he looked at Xia Zhibai with a faint look and said: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Envoy, after seeing the West Lake and eating this meal, I will ask the Imperial Envoy to act in accordance with the law. The salt policy in the south has been corrupt for a long time. , it’s time for a thorough overhaul.”
"If you, sir, have any needs, just ask us. Within the scope of our authority, we will do our best to meet them, and we will never refuse."
"We and other local officials also hope that the place can be peaceful as soon as possible. "
"People's livelihood is so difficult."
Xia Zhibai said with a smile on his face: "Don't worry about Zhou Zhengzheng, if you really need it, you will definitely ask for it."
< br>Zhou Ziliang seemed to have received a satisfactory answer, smiled and nodded: "That's good, that's good."
He looked at the officials on the side, his eyes rolled around in a circle, and he glanced at the officials Xia Zhibai brought with him, and then said: "The person next to me has just served you The introduction was made by Chief Envoy Counselor Wang Xuanfan of the Chief Secretary of Zhejiang Province. Most of the officials who came this time were from the Chief Secretary. Lin Shijia, the first person the Imperial Envoy met, was my experience as Chief Secretary of Zhejiang Province.”
"The person next to Lin Shijia is Zhou Jing, now"
Zhou Ziliang seemed worried that Xia Zhibai couldn't find anyone when he asked for help, so he went out of his way to introduce it to Xia Zhibai.
At this moment.
The restaurant is very quiet.
Only Zhou Ziliang's introduction echoed.
Every time Zhou Ziliang mentioned an official, an official stood up and signaled.
The whole occasion was harmonious, even a bit intimate.
Xia Zhibai nodded in response to Zhou Ziliang's introduction.
After introducing all the officials who came to the banquet, Zhou Ziliang sat down with satisfaction.
However, Zhou Ziliang sat down, but Xia Zhibai stood up. He smiled and said: "Since the chief envoy is so enthusiastic, treats each other with courtesy, and has no airs, I, Xia Zhibai, will reciprocate today and treat me this time." The officials I brought here will give you an introduction."
Hearing this.
Zhou Ziliang’s eyes lit up.
Isn’t this what he wants to achieve?
As the saying goes, if you know yourself and the enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without danger.
As a Jinshi in Hongwu for four years, he knew this truth well, so from the beginning, he had been releasing goodwill and goodwill in order to lower Xia Zhibai's wariness, and then let Xia Zhibai take the initiative to introduce the officials who came with him to them. This will give the Chief Secretary and other officials a general idea.
How can I compare to collecting it myself, Xia Zhibai introduced it myself?
Even if the court knew about it, it would not be able to find fault.
Being an official means being diplomatic.
Moreover, he must be appropriately aggressive and obtain favorable information, even if he bends down to a certain extent. Face is something that he has already perfected after serving as an official in the Ming Dynasty for so long. As long as the goal is achieved, , everything can be introduced.
Wang Xuanfan's eyes were filled with joy. They actually know some information.
But after all, Zhejiang is far away from Yingtian Mansion. It is indeed difficult to find out the details of the officials brought by Xia Zhibai. In the short term, they are unable to do what they want, and they are too much. Being blatant will undoubtedly leave clues, especially this time there are Jin Yiwei accompanying them, so they don't dare to make too many moves.
That's why this scene at the banquet came about.
Retreat to advance.
Taking the initiative to introduce the officials attending the banquet, Xia Zhibai was held back, so that Xia Zhibai had to introduce the people he brought. Even if it was just a simple introduction, at least it would allow them to get the corresponding information. It is much easier to do targeted surveys.
Zhou Ziliang and Wang Xuanfan looked at each other and couldn't help but smile as if they had succeeded.
Tang He glanced at it imperceptibly, and then moved his gaze aside. He didn't really care about these calculations.
This kind of secret fighting has never happened since ancient times.
It has happened in the past, and it will never happen in the future.
If Xia Zhibai can't even see through this calculation, it only means that Xia Zhibai is not suitable for the court, because the situation in the court is far more complicated and difficult than this kind of calculation, and the struggle in the court is very fierce and exciting. , whether it is Li Shanchang or himself, even a casual word can shock many officials in the court.
Xia Zhibai didn’t seem to realize the fishiness involved.
On the contrary, he stood up very actively and started to introduce. He first looked at Duke Xin who was standing aside and said: "You must have heard of this elder, so I won't introduce it further. His Majesty's speech Little brother, I believe in the Duke.”
After hearing the word “believe in the Duke” three times, all the officials present stood up and saluted.
No one dares to show signs of neglect.
Tang He nodded slightly.
Xia Zhibai said again: "With your Majesty's trust, this time we have sent the current envoys of the Jinyi Guards, Jiang Yu and Jiang Jinyi Guardsmen. It is just because of their duties that it is inconvenient to meet with you, so they did not come to participate in today's meeting. Banquet."
Zhou Ziliang took the initiative and said: "That's how it should be."
If Jiang Wei arrived, he would probably still murmur in his heart.
After all, the skin of the human shadow tree, Jinyiwei's reputation is very fierce, and no official wants to know these murderous guys. If Jiang Wei really arrives, I'm afraid the atmosphere in the whole place will not be as lively and peaceful as it is now. .
Xia Zhibai smiled slightly and moved his gaze to Hua Lun.
He took the initiative to introduce: "The one on the left over there is Hua Lun, my current minister of etiquette."
"He is from the south."
Hua Lun He stood up and nodded slightly.
When he stood up, he also received the attention of everyone.
Even though he had experienced many big scenes and was stared at by so many officials, Hua Lun couldn't help but blush slightly, but after all, he was a person who had passed the palace examination. Although he felt a little uncomfortable and felt like being looked at, but in this kind of situation Occasionally, I can only express it with a smile.
Xia Zhibai added: "On Hua Lun's right is Lian Zining, brother Lian is the current Minister of Works."
"Beside Lian Zining is Jie Min , he is now the deputy censor of the capital, or to be precise the censor of the central capital in Fengyang. But before he could take office, he was cut off by me in advance. When this matter is over, he will directly transfer to Fengyang to take up the post. . ”
Lian Zining and Jie Min stood up and gestured around.
It’s just that his eyes are a little restrained.
Then, Xia Zhibai looked at the last person and said: "The last person is Ding Zhifang. After passing the Jinshi Ranking, he was appointed as the magistrate of Wuqiao County. He was later promoted by the imperial court and is now the supervisory censor of the imperial court."
"These four people all met me during the imperial examination."
"Because I was far away from the court in the past and was not familiar with the situation in the court, so I went to His Majesty to assign a few people to share the burden for me."< br>
“In addition to them, I also brought some people.”
“But most of them are engineers.”
"And the number is not small. I didn't come to the banquet this time, so I won't introduce it to you."
Zhou Ziliang smiled and nodded: "Since I didn't come, I don't need to introduce you."
< br>"If I remember correctly, the four people just introduced by the imperial envoy were all from the same imperial examination. Our Ming Dynasty is really full of talents. As a Jinshi in the fourth year of Hongwu, I am really ashamed."
“But this is just right.”
“It shows that the morale of our Ming Dynasty is at its peak, and the world is prospering.”
"Okay!"
Zhou Ziliang laughed heartily.
But Xia Zhibai didn't laugh.
He glanced at Zhou Ziliang lightly, then looked at the Chief Secretary officials aside, and said calmly: "I just listened to Zhou Shenzheng's introduction. Now most of the Chief Secretary officials have arrived, so it's better to choose a day. , could you please allow me to ask you the truth?”
Hearing this.
Zhou Ziliang's smile faded.
The atmosphere in the restaurant suddenly became depressing.
Even seems serious and solemn.
This serious atmosphere did not last long. As a smile reappeared on Zhou Ziliang's face, everything returned to normal. Zhou Ziliang said: "Since the imperial envoy has something to say, how dare we and other local officials disobey it?" ?”
“If you want to ask, please feel free to ask.”
"I will tell you everything I know, and I will tell you everything."
Xia Zhibai nodded, directly ignoring the complaints and dissatisfaction in Zhou Ziliang's words, and said: "You are all local officials in Zhejiang, right? We know the situation in Zhejiang very well, and before I came here, I had already issued a notice to the Chief Secretary of Zhejiang. I wonder how you have accomplished it."
"Can you tell the truth about the current progress?"
As soon as the words fell, the whole place fell into silence.
(End of this chapter)