Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 533 Zixu Wuyou
His eyes fell on Fan Sanba, and Zhu Qiuqi frowned slightly, as if he was slightly dissatisfied with the absence of Fan Yongdou, the head of the Fan family. However, he soon returned to normal and smiled.

"I am Wu You, and I have been appointed as the Censor of Shanxi by the grace of the Emperor. I passed by your place and learned that the Fan family lived here. I have long heard of the name Fan Yongdou and had planned to meet him, but I did not expect that your father was not at home..."

Zhu Qiuqi said calmly, with a hint of regret in his words.

"It's Lord Wu." Fan Sanba bowed again and said, "My father is away doing business all year round. I am the only one left at home. I didn't know Lord Wu was here. I am really sorry. I just heard what Lord Wu said. Does Lord Wu know my father?"

Zhu Qiuqi laughed and said, "Haha, your Fan family is quite famous in Shanxi. I have never met Fan Yongdou, but before I became the Censor, I was the Imperial Censor in Beijing. When I left Beijing, my colleagues told me about the Fan family. Since I came to Shanxi to serve as an official, and the Fan family is a leader among Shanxi merchants, I originally wanted to meet Fan Yongdou when I passed by Zhangyuan Village, but I didn't expect that he was not there..."

As soon as these words came out, Fan Sanbo immediately understood. After all this fuss, this Lord Wu was originally a Beijing official, and he was a censor. Although we don't know his specific official position when he was a Beijing official, he might have been appointed as the Shanxi Provincial Surveillance Commissioner by Emperor Chongzhen. This Lord Wu's official position would at least not be low, and it might be that he was a basic high-ranking official like the Left or Right Censor-in-Chief.

Moreover, this Lord Wu had received guidance in the capital before coming to Shanxi. The Fan family of Shanxi had a considerable status among the Shanxi merchants. Although they were not as famous as the Zhang and Wang families, they had surpassed the two families in terms of wealth, though their foundation was a little weaker.

As the saying goes, one becomes an official thousands of miles away just for money. It is a lucrative position for an official from Beijing to be sent to a provincial capital to serve as an inspector. It is only natural for him to meet with the wealthy businessmen in Shanxi when he takes office. Moreover, officials also need money as a basis for governing. The Fan family is wealthy and powerful, and their background in the court is not strong. It is normal for Lord Wu to want to cheer up the Fan family when he first took office.

"I see. I wonder if that gentleman knows my father?"

"You don't need to know this. Since your father is not here, let's do this, Liu Da!" After leaving half of the sentence, Zhu Qiuqi went on to say to Liu Bo who was standing beside him.

Liu Bo responded immediately and pretended to listen.

"Get ready, we'll continue on our journey." After saying that, Zhu Qiuqi turned around and prepared to get in the car, ignoring Fan Sandbo, looking like he was about to leave.

Seeing this, Fan Sanbo was shocked. He didn't expect that Lord Wu would leave after learning that his father was not there. He was a little anxious for a moment. He was afraid that Lord Wu would have a bad impression of the Fan family, especially after he left, and it would be troublesome if he attacked the Fan family after he took office.

The Fan family is a merchant family, and the other party is a high-ranking official of the imperial court. His official position is almost equivalent to a frontier. It is unwise for the people to fight against the officials. Moreover, Fan Sanbo knows better than anyone what the Fan family has done over the years. This Lord Wu must not be offended. Not only must he not be offended, but he must be retained, which also reflects the "respect" and "enthusiasm" of the Fan family for Lord Wu.

If he lets Lord Wu go like this, who knows what will happen in the future, not to mention waiting for his father Fan Yongdou's reaction when he finds out about this. Fan Yongdou might even kick him out of the heir in a fit of rage, and he will never be able to make a comeback in his life.

Thinking of this, Fan Sanbo hurried forward and sincerely begged Zhu Qiuqi to stay. He said that although his father was not there, his father had told him before he left home that all matters at home would be left to him. Since Lord Wu was the parent official of Shanxi, he had just taken office and came to visit the Fan family. This was a great honor for the Fan family. How could they let Lord Wu pass by the Fan family without entering? If his father knew about this, not only would the Fan family be impolite, but he would also be blamed by his father.

Fan Sanbo said that since he was already here, he might as well rest at the Fan family today and let him entertain Lord Wu on behalf of his father. As for the affairs of the Fan family, he could naturally make the decision for his father. Lord Wu could ask him anything, even if he could not make the decision for the time being. He would report to Fan Yongdou in Zhangjiakou as soon as possible and would definitely give Lord Wu a satisfactory answer.

As he spoke, Fan Sanbo secretly took a handful of silver beans from his bosom and stuffed them into the hands of Liu Bo standing beside him, and winked at him. Liu Bo was slightly stunned, and then he reacted. He looked at the sky and said to Zhu Qiuqi that it was already afternoon, and it would be dark in two hours. Going north from Zhangyuan Village along the official road is Pingyao City, but according to the distance, it might be difficult to reach Pingyao before dark today.

If they could not reach Pingyao City before dark, they would have to find another place to stay. Moreover, since the imperial court had abolished the post stations in various places, there were no post stations to stay in all the way north from here, and it would be unsafe for them to stay in the wild.

Since Fan Sanbo invited you to stay at the Fan family, it would be better to stay for a day and leave tomorrow. What Fan Sanbo said makes sense. Although Fan Yongdou, the head of the Fan family, is not here, Fan Sanbo can at least be half the head of the family. If you have something to discuss with the Fan family, you might as well ask Fan Sanbo first. If he can do it, that would be the best. Even if he can't, Fan Sanbo can write to his father and let Fan Yongdou make the decision.

These words made Zhu Qiuqi, who was about to get on the car, hesitate for a moment. He thought about it and felt that Liu Bo's words made sense. Then he looked at Fan Sanbo and saw that Fan Sanbo was smiling apologetically and looked expectant. Finally, he nodded and agreed.

"In that case, I'll trouble you, Master Fan."

"No trouble, no trouble. Lord Wu, you are embarrassing me. Lord Wu, you can just call me Fan San. As for the Third Young Master, I would never dare to call you that." Fan Sanbo kept saying. Seeing Fan Sanbo's understanding, Zhu Qiuqi was quite satisfied and immediately asked Fan Sanbo to take him to the Fan family compound.

In this way, the group easily entered the Fan family compound under the leadership of Fan Sando. When they entered, Zhu Qiuqi and others noticed the high walls and tall buildings of the Fan family compound, as well as the heavy gate. Although their faces were calm, they were very surprised in their hearts.

Although he had long known that the Fan Family Courtyard was heavily guarded and that its perimeter was almost like a solid city, he could only see it with his own eyes to know the true situation of the Fan Family Courtyard. Especially after Li Hu, who was hiding in the crowd, saw the Fan Family Courtyard with his own eyes, he was more convinced that if he attacked head-on, it would be impossible for the people he led to take it down in a short time. Even if he took great pains to break into the Fan Family Courtyard, he would definitely suffer heavy losses.

After entering the courtyard, the group continued to walk forward, and after a while they arrived at the inner courtyard of the Fan family courtyard. This is where the main branch of the Fan family lives, Fan Yongdou and his children all live here, but Fan Yongdou's residence is not crowded now, and Fan Sanbo lives not far from his father.

When they reached the inner courtyard, Zhu Qiuqi winked at Liu Bo, who immediately nodded in understanding. He immediately told the people behind him not to follow him anymore, and asked Fan Sanbo to send someone to settle the dozen people he brought with him.

Fan Sanbo, who was about to speak, was completely relieved when he heard Liu Bo say this. Although the other party's identity was not ordinary, it was indeed inappropriate for those soldiers and followers to enter the inner courtyard. You know, there were female relatives in the inner courtyard, and it was really inconvenient for these soldiers to come and go.

Who would have thought that before he could say this, Liu Bo asked him to help arrange these people in advance, and Fan Sanbo's face suddenly became more smiling. He nodded quickly, called the housekeeper over, pointed at Li Hu and others, and gave them instructions, asking the housekeeper to settle them in a small courtyard closest to the inner courtyard.

After the housekeeper and Li Hu and others left, Fan Sando continued to lead Zhu Qiuqi and Liu Bo into the inner courtyard, and then to a residence that had just been prepared. This was where the Fan family entertained distinguished guests. The courtyard was very elegant, and the house was fully equipped with servants and good-looking maids.

When they arrived at the place, Fan Sanbo carefully asked Zhu Qiuqi if he was satisfied. Zhu Qiuqi looked around and nodded slightly, indicating that the place was nice and Fan Sanbo was thoughtful.

Fan Sanbo immediately said that this was what he should do. He personally led Zhu Qiuqi and Liu Bo into the main room, and asked the servants to serve good tea. He chatted with Zhu Qiuqi for a few words. Although his tone was respectful, he inadvertently asked Zhu Qiuqi about his real intention of coming to the Fan family.

However, Zhu Qiuqi was not an ordinary person, and of course he would not express his intention directly. He had been prepared and spoke a lot of nonsense in a confusing way. It sounded like he said a lot, but there was nothing substantial in it, which made Fan Sanbo confused.

At this moment, a servant came to report that Lord Wu's servant had arrived, and Zhu Qiuqi directly told him to come in.

Soon, Li Hu walked in. When he saw Zhu Qiuqi, he bowed and said that their people had been settled and he wondered if the adults had any other instructions.

Zhu Qiuqi said lightly that he had no other instructions for the time being, and asked them to live well in Fan's house and to restrain the soldiers who came with them. There were many female members in Fan's family, so they should not walk around casually when staying in the guest's place, and must not bump into the Fan family. After all, they were guests. If anything happened, he would find someone to inform them.

Li Hu understood and said yes, and bowed again without saying anything more. After Li Hu left, Fan Sanbo was very grateful to Zhu Qiuqi. After all, this was to give face to the Fan family, and it was said in front of him, which made Fan Sanbo feel much more relieved.

"It's okay. I'm here uninvited today. I'm sorry to bother you. If there hadn't been some unrest in Shanxi recently, I wouldn't have brought these people with me. The Jinyiwei sent by the emperor are better, but the few soldiers in the guard post are really not presentable. It would be inappropriate if they disturbed your female family members."

"No, no, your Excellency's kindness makes me so grateful. Today I saw that you love the people like your own children, which makes me admire you very much!"

"Haha, when you are an official, you should benefit the people. I have studied the books of sages since I was young, so I naturally understand the principles of sages. The people of the world are all citizens of the Ming Dynasty. Although the Fan family is a merchant, they are also citizens of the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, Mr. Heng Liao once said that scholars should establish their minds for the world, establish their lives for the people, inherit the lost knowledge of the sages, and bring peace to the world for all eternity. Naturally, I dare not forget it."

Fan Sanbo nodded repeatedly, pretending to be respectful, but he didn't agree in his heart. He had seen many officials who boasted, but where were the truly honest and good officials in the Ming Dynasty? The more beautifully this Lord Wu spoke, the more God knew what he was thinking!
What's more, it's very likely that Lord Wu came to the Fan family to extort money. He talked a lot of nonsense, but in the end, wasn't he targeting the Fan family's money?

(End of this chapter)