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

Chapter 847 Mr. Qiao

Hearing what the postmaster said, Lou Lao Er couldn't help but frown. Although others didn't know about the imperial court's ban on mining in the Chongzhen year, Lou Lao Er knew about it. After all, he was the coach of the new army and held the military title of commander of the new army. Moreover, he was now a viscount newly conferred by the emperor. He had followed Zhu Shenzhui for so many years, and even if he didn't care about it on a daily basis, he still knew a thing or two about the imperial court's affairs.

For example, the ban on mining is one of them. Don't forget that Li Hu and the other two from Yangtou Mountain were originally miners. After they went to the capital, some news was no longer a secret in the capital. It is said that when Zhu Shenzhui was regent, he planned to resume mining, but it was shelved for various reasons. However, it has never been heard that the court has resumed local mining.

Now it's strange. Lou Lao Er heard from the postmaster that the mine in Niutou Mountain had been mined a long time ago, and it was mined since the third year of Chongzhen. Lou Lao Er couldn't help but frowned.

As a local, Lou Laoer knew very well about the mine in Niutou Mountain. This mine was very famous and when the mine was discovered, many people from Yiwu went there to work as miners. Lou Laoer's ancestors were the first group of miners in Niutou Mountain. Later, due to the competition for mining resources, there were frequent armed conflicts in the surrounding villages. Lou Laoer's ancestors were noticed by Qi Shaobao because of their bravery in fighting and joined Qi's army.

The mine in Niutou Mountain is not only a large silver mine, but also a gold mine with considerable reserves. The mine was opened and closed for nearly a hundred years, from the Jiajing Dynasty to the Tianqi Dynasty, and was not closed until Emperor Chongzhen ascended the throne. Now the mine is being mined again, which is very strange. Just as Lou Laoer was concentrating on thinking about it, there was a noise outside the post station. The postmaster apologized and went out to see what was going on outside.

A few people were heard talking outside. After a while, the postmaster came back, but his expression was a little different from when he left. There was embarrassment and hesitation in his expression.

"Brother, what's wrong with you?" Seeing his look, Lou Lao Er asked.

"Well...brother, I'm afraid you can't live in the upper room. A distinguished guest suddenly came outside, and I really can't afford to offend him, so I can only ask you for a favor. But don't worry, there is a small courtyard behind the post station, which is my residence. Although it is not as spacious as this one, it is clean. I will go and vacate the small courtyard at the back and make sure it is clean. Please and your family stay there for one night. I..." As he spoke, the postmaster felt more and more embarrassed, and for a moment he didn't know how to continue.

"What do you mean? Want my master to move out of the upper room?" Before Lou Lao Er could say anything, the young officer next to him raised his eyebrows and couldn't help asking.

This young officer is the captain of Lou Laoer's personal guard. As one of the chief coaches of the new army, Lou Laoer and the other two are the founders of the new army and have a high prestige in the army. Moreover, after Zhu Shenzhu entered the capital, the new army had a formal court organization, and its commander was the current Left Commander-in-Chief, Ningshan Marquis Wang Jinwu. As for Lou Laoer and others, they also had formal military positions in the army. Although the military position was not high, it was also a third-rank commander. Moreover, he was now a second-class viscount of the Ming Dynasty.

This time when he returned home, Zhu Shenzhui granted Lou Laoer a favor, which was to allow him to retain his post as commander and have a small number of personal guards. This favor was not available to ordinary nobles, not even generals in the army, but Lou Laoer was eligible, which was enough to show his status in the emperor's mind.

As the commander of the new army and a second-class viscount of the Ming Dynasty, he couldn't even live in the upper room of a post station? He had to give up his room to others. This was simply a joke. When the young officer understood what the post station chief meant, how could he bear it? Who was so arrogant? He actually wanted to drive Lord Lou out of the upper room?

"Don't be anxious, little brother. Don't be angry, old brother. If it were any other day, it would be fine, but today we can't afford to offend the person who came. You came back from the north. This time you are returning to your hometown to retire. You will have to live in your hometown in the future. You have to pay attention to every aspect of the place. If you offend someone and get into trouble, it will be a big deal. Brother, I really have no choice today. The person who came from outside is too powerful. To put it bluntly, you'd better avoid him or be patient."

"Who is that outside?" Lou Lao Er was also unhappy. After all, he had just settled down and had no time to rest, and this happened. No one would be happy about it. Moreover, although he was only a centurion when he stayed at the post station, the official position of a centurion was not low. The centurion of the Ming Dynasty was a sixth-rank official.

The postmaster turned his head and glanced at the door, then leaned in and whispered, "The person outside is the Zhejiang Provincial Governor Wang Jiwang..."

"Wang Ji, the Governor of Zhejiang?" Upon hearing this name, Lou Lao Er's eyelids jumped. If it was Wang Ji, the Governor of Zhejiang, then he must give up the upper room. In the Ming Dynasty, the Governor of a province was the highest local official, equivalent to the head of a province.

Although the Ming Dynasty frequently sent governors to various provinces since the Wanli period, in fact, this governor was not a permanent position. From the meaning of the word "governor", we can see that the governor-general simply represented the emperor to inspect and pacify the local areas. Even though there were signs that the governor-general had replaced the governor in recent years, the civil affairs of a province were still controlled by the governor.

The governor is a civil official, of the second rank, and can be said to be a high-ranking official in a region. Not to mention that Lou Lao Er is only a centurion now, even if he uses his title of commander, it will not work. You should know that the commander is only a third rank, one level lower than the second rank. Moreover, in the Ming Dynasty, civil officials are more important than military officials. Although the rank of a third rank commander is not low, it is nothing in the eyes of civil officials. Not to mention that the other party is a governor, even if he is a mere seventh rank county magistrate, he will not take you seriously in front of a third rank commander.

Even if Lou Laoer's rank of commander was not as high as that of governor, his rank of second-class viscount was still not very useful among such important officials. If such an important person came, Lou Laoer would certainly give up the upper room. Even if he was a lord, he was not considered an important person in the eyes of the governor. Just when Lou Laoer was secretly shocked, he heard the postmaster continue to say: "...Mr. Qiao, the manager under Mr. Qiao Changfu, Mr. Qiao, the staff of Mr. Wang..."

"What?!"

Lou Lao Er was stunned for a moment, and even the young officer next to him was stunned. The two of them could not help but look at each other.

Did they hear correctly? The person the postmaster just mentioned was not Wang Ji, the governor of Zhejiang Province, but a manager under Wang Ji's advisor named Qiao Changfu? Who was this person?

His brain was a little idle for a while, but after coming back to his senses, he finally figured out what was going on. Lou Laoer realized that this so-called Qiao Erye was actually the servant of the governor Wang Ji's advisor. The person who made such a fuss for them to vacate the upper room was such a person? Lou Laoer's face suddenly became a little ugly. If it was Zhejiang Governor Wang Ji who came, he would certainly give up the room without saying a word. Even if it was the prefect of Jinhua Prefecture, Lou Laoer would do the same. But the problem was that the person who came was not an official at all, not even an ordinary person. He was just a steward under the advisor. To put it nicely, he was a steward, but to put it bluntly, he was a servant. How could a servant of an advisor actually ask Lou Laoer to give up the upper room? How could such a thing happen in the world?

"Haha, a mere servant is so arrogant that he actually asked the court officials to give up the upper room? Who gave him the courage?" The young officer couldn't help but sneer. The servant of the master asked his master to give up the upper room? It's a joke!
"Little brother, please don't say that. Be careful with your words!" Hearing the young officer say that, the postmaster was frightened and his face turned pale. He hurriedly advised: "Mr. Qiao is not easy to get along with. He has a bad temper. Don't think that he is just the manager of Mr. Qiao Changfu's family. You don't know that Mr. Qiao is Mr. Wang's confidant. He can be regarded as half of Mr. Wang's family in the government office."

"Is there such a thing?" Lou Lao Er asked in surprise.

"Of course." The postmaster nodded and said, "Brother, it's normal that you don't know when you just came back. You will understand after you stay in your hometown for a few days. Lord Wang is the governor of Zhejiang Province. Lord Wang has the final say on Zhejiang's civil affairs. Mr. Qiao is from Shaoxing Prefecture. He was a classmate and friend of Lord Wang in the early years. However, he was unlucky and had a hard time taking the imperial examination. He failed to pass the imperial examination and failed to become a Jinshi. He only had the title of a scholar."

"But Lord Wang is lucky. He passed the imperial examination in the year of Wuxu in the Wanli reign and first served as an official in Beijing. Later, he was sent to a place to be a county magistrate. After Lord Wang became a county magistrate, Mr. Qiao joined Lord Wang. Although Mr. Qiao did not do well in the imperial examination, don't forget that he was born in Shaoxing Prefecture. Shaoxing Prefecture produced many legal advisors. Mr. Qiao's great-grandfather was also a legal advisor, and it can be considered a family skill. After following Lord Wang, he helped Lord Wang a lot. After that, Lord Wang was promoted step by step, from county magistrate to prefectural governor, and then to prefectural governor. Mr. Qiao's status naturally rose with Lord Wang's presence. In addition, they have a good personal relationship. After Lord Wang became the governor, Mr. Qiao became even more amazing. It is said that many government affairs are handled by Lord Wang on the surface, but in fact, they are handled by Mr. Qiao. Isn't this equivalent to being half of Lord Wang's family?"

"As for this Second Master Qiao, it goes without saying that he is the cousin of Old Master Qiao and is trusted by Old Master Qiao. He also has some face with Lord Wang. He is not an ordinary steward. If you offend Second Master Qiao, it is equivalent to slapping Old Master Qiao in the face. If you slap Old Master Qiao in the face, it is equivalent to not giving face to Lord Wang. How can we afford to offend such a person?"

"To be honest, today is not a good day. Mr. Qiao is ordered by Mr. Qiao to go back to his hometown in Shaoxing Prefecture. It's getting late and he plans to stay at my post station for one night and leave tomorrow. Brother, you just returned home, so it's better to have less trouble than more. As the saying goes, although you are an official, this official position is nothing compared to... So brother, you'd better be patient. It doesn't matter where you live. It's just one night's work. When we go our separate ways tomorrow, this matter will be over, right?"

The young officer was so angry that he laughed. How could a mere servant ask the Viscount of the Ming Dynasty to give up his house? How could this make sense? Even if the Governor Wang came, there would still be a first come first served rule. What's more, such a thing was going to ride on the head of Lord Lou? It was simply lawless!

Just when the young officer was about to refuse, Lou Lao Er raised his hand to stop him. After thinking for a while, he said, "Forget it. I won't make it difficult for you. In this case, let me take the upper room."

“Sir…” The young officer was stunned and was about to persuade him.

"Okay, it's just one night anyway, let's go to bed early. Go pack up and take the lady and the young master to the backyard. Brother, thank you for your help."

"I'm ashamed... I'm ashamed... Thank you, brother, thank you, brother..." The Postmaster showed a look of joy and thanked him repeatedly. He was really worried that Lou Laoer would get angry and refuse to give in. If that happened, he would be in trouble. After all, Lou Laoer was an official. Mr. Qiao might not be able to do anything to Lou Laoer, but it would be easy for him to control a small postmaster like him. Now that Lou Laoer had made concessions, the Postmaster finally breathed a sigh of relief.

(End of this chapter)