Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 375 Worrying about the country and the people
His youth passed by quickly, ignoring Pei Yuan's contemplation.

On this day, Captain Pei walked to the door, thinking back to the absurd and happy life of the past few days, and couldn't help but blame himself for his laziness.

He dismissed the servants, opened the gate himself, and looked at the street market outside.

I couldn't help but worry about the country and the people.

"These days, there is no Gu in the world. I wonder how many people are emperors and how many are kings?"

Captain Pei forced himself to cheer up and said to his personal soldiers, "Leave half of them to guard the gate and the rest to follow me to Zhihua Temple."

When Pei Yuan led his troops to Zhihua Temple, he first went to the court to ask the governor Kong Xu, "Is there any demon or evil spirit causing trouble while I am away?"

Kong Xu replied respectfully, "No."

Captain Pei rebuked, "It must be because you guys were careless and slack that you missed the point. Send someone to investigate again and report back."

Kong Xu was shocked when he heard this and quickly passed down the order.

After a while, they learned that the thousand households had come out to handle affairs, and several hundred households and general flags arrived one after another.

Pei Yuan asked around and found out that everything was normal.

Following the principle of putting the family first and the community second, Pei Yuan first called out, "Where is General Yun?"

When Yun Buxian heard that Pei Yuan called him first, he stepped out excitedly and said, "Here I am."

Pei Yuan praised, "You did a good job in arranging this concubine for me. I will give you a credit for this. When there is a chance to reward you based on your merits in the future, I will find you a good position."

Yun Buxian was overjoyed and expressed his gratitude immediately.

Everyone was envious when they heard this.

After all, with Cheng Leixiang's example here, Pei Yuan's promise still carries a lot of weight.

Pei Yuan added, "There is one more thing I'll arrange for you."

Yun Buxian was delighted to hear this. His hard work over the past few days had finally been noticed by his leader, and he believed that he would be of great use in the future.

He straightened his back and said with a determined look, "Just give me your orders, I will do my best."

Pei Yuan said with relief, "Commander Xiao just gave me a house, which is behind my yard. You can withdraw some money from the account and find some craftsmen to connect the two yards. The house at the back is bigger and much quieter, so it can be used as an inner house. My original residence will be used to entertain guests and for guards to stay. Please help me decorate it."

"Is there a problem?"

Yun Buxian opened his mouth for a long while before he said with difficulty, "I will definitely do this well."

"Yes." Pei Yuan continued to encourage, "This is your area of ​​expertise. Do your job well. I will not treat you unfairly."

It was as if a flash of lightning flashed through Yun Buxian's mind, making his scalp numb.

No wonder Captain Pei has been using him to do miscellaneous tasks.

When Yun Buxian went to Yangzhou and met Pei Yuan for the first time, he tried to please him in a very polite way. He also told Pei Yuan that he had restored the dug yard to its original state and planted many flowers and trees.

This was one of the impressions that came to Pei Yuan.

When Pei Yuan arrived in Beijing, the father and son of the Yun family, who were sitting on the fence, saw that the situation was not good and wanted to curry favor with Pei Yuan to atone for their sins. So they quickly had Pei Yuan's dilapidated house cleaned up hastily.

Pei Yuan was very satisfied and forgot about his previous fence-sitting.

This was the second impression Pei Yuan had.

Pei Yuan then asked him to investigate the truth of the "Sanheyi Blood Case", but Yun Buxian found nothing, so Pei Yuan called him back to help him take in a concubine. Yun Buxian did a good job again and was praised by Pei Yuan.

This was Pei Yuan’s third impression.

Only then did Yun Buxian realize his own stupidity.

The way he approached and tried to please Pei Yuan inadvertently defined his future in Pei Yuan's mind.

This one mistake made the mistake even worse, and I don’t know how much effort it will take to change it in the future.

Pei Yuan saw Yun Buxian standing there blankly, and asked unhappily, "Does it make it difficult for you to work for me?"

Yun Buxian was horrified and said hurriedly, "I dare not."

Pei Yuan said calmly, "Go down and do your work."

Yun Buxian then left with disappointment.

After Yun Buxian left, Pei Yuan looked at the remaining people and said, "I believe you have heard some rumors these days. The court is now very anxious to arrest the Luo Sect in Shandong. I plan to go to Shandong in person and sort out the situation there. Who of you is willing to go with me?"

Everyone was excited when they heard this, "I am willing to go."

Captain Pei was very pleased that people's hearts could be used.

He first glanced at the two centurions, Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui.

Tan Tai Fang Tu's fighting ability is much higher than Si Kong Sui's, but he is not as flexible as Si Kong Sui.

During this trip to Shandong, Pei Yuan couldn't guarantee that he could avoid people in everything. If he brought Tan Tai Fangtu with him, some things might not be easy to communicate.

Pei Yuan then said, "It's not easy for us to establish a base in Beijing, so we need to leave someone here to guard it. The situation in Shandong is complicated, so I need someone to help me deal with it. I will have Captain Tantai take charge of Zhihua Temple for me, and Captain Sikong will accompany me to Shandong."

Both of them had no objection to this.

Pei Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Oh, right. My family is staying in Dengshikou now and needs to be taken care of. In the next few days, we need to restore the Hundred Households Office in Puxianyuan as soon as possible."

Puxian Temple is very close to Dengshikou, and Chen Toutie and his men were originally stationed there to protect Pei Yuan.

Later, after the horse-drying incident at Da Ci'en Temple, Pei Yuan temporarily removed the troops stationed at Puxian Temple in order to reduce attention.

Now that he is about to leave for Shandong, there is naturally no need for him to avoid suspicion anymore.

Sikong Sui heard this and said, "This is easy to do. We can transfer some Taoist priests from nearby temples to take turns to station there. A rotation every two or three days can ensure that Puxian Temple is always guarded, while not delaying the investigation."

Pei Yuan nodded with satisfaction, "Very good, let's do it."

After that, Pei Yuan added, "I will transfer a lot of people to Shandong this time. I may leave some people in Shandong to do things later, and I will also arrange some scouts to guard both sides of the canal. The power in Beijing is empty, and it is better to replenish it as soon as possible. What do you think?"

Pei Yuan said "you guys", but looked directly at Sikong Sui.

Among these people, only Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui are the veterans of Qian Hu Suo, and they know more about how to deal with such things.

Sikong Sui was indeed very experienced in the matter. Seeing Pei Yuan looking at him, he replied directly, "There are only two ways. One is to ask Nanjing for someone, and the other is to select someone from the sons of the Qianhu Division to fill the position."

Pei Yuan remembered that Captain Han once said that the situation in Jiangnan was complicated and not very optimistic.

The reason why Captain Han threw Pei Yuan to the north and controlled the affairs of the captain's office north of the Huai River was that he wanted to shrink his forces and concentrate on consolidating the south.

Pei Yuan wants to repel foreign aggression, while Han Qianhu wants to maintain domestic stability.

Pei Yuan's request for people from the south at this time would undoubtedly hinder Han Qianhu's progress.

Pei Yuan asked directly, "Is it easy to select people from the children of the Qianhu Division to fill the position?"

Sikong Sui said, "It's easy. Many of the brothers in the Qianhu Office have multiple children in their families. Except for those who inherited the position, they can only make a living on their own. Now we recruit people, although we can only start from the bottom, but our Qianhu Office provides enough food and salary. If we really decide to fill the vacancies, I don't know how many people will fight for it."

Pei Yuan looked at Kong Xu and asked, "How long can the money in the account last?"

Pei Yuan was asking about the tens of thousands of taels of silver he had obtained from the last raid on more than a dozen temples, which he had reserved specifically for recruiting staff for the Qianhu Division.

Kong Xu listened and replied, "Now nearly half of the temples in Beijing pay monthly fees. The money stored in the treasury has not only not been touched, but has accumulated more and more. If we expand the manpower and cover more temples, maybe we won't need to spend extra money on the account."

Pei Yuan felt more assured after hearing this, and asked Sikong Sui, "How many vacancies are there in our Qianhu Division?" Sikong Sui hesitated, "I'm not sure either. Some people are not on the list, but they are actually supported by the salary of Qianhu Division."

Pei Yuan listened, and the elite troops who escorted Han Qianhu during the last food frying in Huai'an emerged in his mind.

Pei Yuan simply said, "Forget about them. I will withdraw half of the people in the capital, and you can fill the positions. Fill the vacancies where there are vacancies, and don't worry about the ones without vacancies. Anyway, the food and wages will be distributed from Zhihua Temple."

Sikong Sui agreed upon hearing this.

The Northern Bureau of the Qianhu Suo no longer receives money from Nanjing and is completely responsible for its own profits and losses. Pei Yuan has the final say on how to manage these people.

Pei Yuan glanced at the remaining people and said, "You all should follow me to broaden your horizons. If you do well this time, you may have the opportunity to take charge of a place."

Cen Meng, Cheng Zhihu, Chen Xinjian, Hou Qing and others were very excited after hearing this and immediately expressed their opinions.

Pei Yuan looked around and always felt that something was missing.

It took him a long time to react, and he immediately asked in surprise, "Where is General Song?"

Chen Xinjian replied, "Zong Zongqi's father came yesterday, and some of Song Zongqi's fellow apprentices came with him. Song Zongqi was very happy and has been busy settling those people these past two days."

"Oh, I see." Pei Yuan nodded.

I've wanted to get people from Changfeng Escort Agency to join us before, and this time they come at the right time.

Pei Yuan sorted out the things he needed to do and called Chen Xinjian forward, "Go and ask Zang Xian for help. What happened to the matter I entrusted him to do a few days ago? Go to all the places where the Jiaofangsi is located in the city and make sure to hear Zang Xian's reply."

Chen Xinjian immediately responded and went.

Pei Yuan asked everyone to go about their business and left Zhihua Temple on his own.

It was also a coincidence that just after leaving Zhihua Temple, I saw Song Chunniang and her men slowly coming over from the other side of the street.

Pei Yuan saw Song Chunniang wandering around absent-mindedly, with the corner of her mouth raised, and he didn't know what she was proud of.

If you don’t understand, just ask.

Pei Yuan deliberately avoided the figure, slowly stepped forward, and suddenly asked, "General Song, why are you so happy?"

Song Chunniang was shocked.

When he saw clearly that it was Pei Yuan, he couldn't help but roll his eyes, raised his chin, and said modestly, "Please call me Captain Song."

Pei Yuan wanted to laugh when he heard this.

Then he joked, "Even I, Pei, don't dare to call myself a captain in front of Captain Han. I didn't expect that Captain Song would become so successful in just one year."

Song Chunniang also laughed.

Then he glared fiercely, "So what? I am now the chief of the Western Factory!"

Pei Yuan found it amusing and said indifferently, "He was seconded... to the Western Factory, where he is in charge of criminal justice."

Song Chunniang heard this and asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Pei Yuan said slowly, "There are only a few supervisors in the West Factory, and the staff below are seconded. You are still a member of our Qianhu Division. You are 'serving' as the Chief of Criminal Affairs in the West Factory. In our Qianhu Division, you are still your general flag."

Song Chunniang was stunned, "How can it be like this?"

Pei Yuan said, "What else?"

Song Chunniang's good mood disappeared instantly.

Pei Yuan asked her, "I saw that when you came here just now, you seemed to be lost in thought. Did something good happen to you?"

Song Chunniang was so depressed that she didn't want to talk.

Pei Yuan stopped attacking her.

After a long while, Song Chunniang finally let out a breath and said angrily, "It's fine as long as I'm the general flag. Anyway, you gave me the position of Chief of Criminal Affairs."

Pei Yuan saw that Song Chunniang had figured it out, so he continued to ask, "So why were you so happy just now?"

Song Chunniang said gloomily, "Zhang Lian is back from patrolling the border."

"Oh." Pei Yuan thought of this.

Zhang Lian, who uncovered the "Liang Ci case" and was not afraid of authority, repeatedly angrily criticized Liang Chu in the court.

Therefore, after the "Liang Ci's case" was settled, he gained huge reputation.

Zhang Lian originally had a reputation for being upright and incorruptible because of Zhang Heling's affairs, and now he was praised by both the court and the public, so the court wanted to make great use of him.

However, the court wanted to make use of him, and the reason could not be that he had offended Liang Chu and Zhang Heling, so sending him to the northern border for inspection was a good transitional excuse.

Basically, after this border inspection is over, the court can honor his reputation, give him an official position, and let him move up.

Pei Yuan was a little surprised. "Then why are you so happy? After Zhang Lian comes back, I'm afraid it won't be that easy to meet your woman again, right?"

Only then could Song Chunniang help but laugh.

"As soon as Zhang Lian returned to Beijing, the imperial court made an appointment. Because of his outstanding achievements, Zhang Lian was transferred to Shanxi as an inspector. Shanxi was a long way away, and I heard that the Maitreya sect was causing chaos there, so Zhang Lian's wife and daughter had to stay in Beijing."

Pei Yuan thought to himself, so that's what's going on.

Wouldn't this make Song Chunniang completely happy?

Then, Pei Yuan also felt a little envious.

The Shanxi Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, this is a third-rank official!

Jumping from the seventh rank to the third rank, you will be invincible.

But Pei Yuan couldn't envy him, because he was a censor.

As long as you work hard to increase your reputation, you don't need any qualifications or years of experience. As long as your reputation is increased, you can cash it in directly.

The censors of the Ming Dynasty were divided into two categories: one was the censors of the Censorate, and the other was the six-department officials.

This is what the Censor of the Censorate is like.

First, you hang up at the seventh level, accumulate reputation, and look for opportunities to stand out. When you have enough reputation, or are lucky enough to meet a tyrant and treacherous minister who is easy to bully, you can go up and attack.

After that you can go through the promotion procedures.

The minimum is four levels, and six levels is normal.

As long as they were sent out, the mainstream would be the fifth rank Ancha Qianshi or the fourth rank Ancha Fushi. For someone like Zhang Lian who had offended the nobles and the cabinet ministers, no one could say anything if he was given the third rank.

This is what the six departments of the Imperial Censorate are like.

He first served as Xiao Karami, a "Jieshi Zhong" of the seventh rank in various departments, then moved up the ranks and was transferred to the "You Jieshi Zhong" of the seventh rank, and then to the "Zuo Jieshi Zhong" of the seventh rank.

This is the turning point in life. The next promotion will make him a seventh-rank super "Du Jishi Zhong".

How did “Du Geishi Zhong” make such a leap in life?

Officials in Beijing start from the fourth rank, while officials outside the capital start from the third rank!

In the Ming Dynasty, if a seventh-rank "Du Jishi Zhong" was notified to be demoted to a third-rank governor to participate in government affairs, he would be so upset that he would want to hang himself!

(End of this chapter)