Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 114 Who is this child? !

"Oh? Using yourself as bait to make Liu Xin reveal his flaws?
"This...is indeed a good idea!"

Hou Junji stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"Fishing enforcement" was a bit ahead of its time for the Tang Dynasty.

However, as experienced as he was, he immediately realized the brilliance of this move.

His Highness Li Ming tried to carry out a major reshuffle of the Liaodong bureaucracy, but not only was His Majesty unhappy, but the officials themselves also had objections.

Everyone works hard to be born and to achieve fame, and finally becomes an official.

Suddenly a prince descended from the sky and uprooted everyone. Isn't that a bit overbearing?

Although the dignitaries usually look down on those local officials who were exiled to remote areas.

But when facing the annoying "that" prince, it is inevitable to feel sympathy for him.

But if Your Highness lures out the snakes, Liu Xin and his gang will reveal their true colors.

Then you will have nothing to say, and in this way, there will be much less resistance to cleansing the Liaodong bureaucracy.

His Highness Li Ming is worthy of being the one who can come up with such a wicked, yet effective plan.

The Minister of Personnel Hou Junji said that he had learned something and would definitely apply it in this year's official assessment.

Wei Daijia felt somewhat unsure:
“Even if Pingzhou is a low-ranking state and Liu Xin’s assessment is poor, he is still a governor after all.

"Now we are asking for an audience as businessmen, will he meet us?"

Scholars, farmers, industry and commerce, businessmen are the lowest.

No matter how wealthy a businessman is, he is still a commoner, and there is an insurmountable gap between him and a lowly official.

Don't treat the governor as a cadre.

"What's so difficult about this?"

Hou Junji was much smarter than Wei Daijia. He took out a piece of paper and pen, scribbled a note, signed it with his name, and handed it to Wei Daijia:
"Let's use the note as proof and say that we are friends of the Minister of Personnel and that we are here in Liaodong to do some big business. Please, Envoy Liu, please help us."

In order to meet the governor, Hou Junji relied on his connections in the Ministry of Personnel.

Well, that makes sense.

Li Ming glanced at his Grand Marshal.

Why are you so skilled? How many times have you given others the advantage by writing notes?

The two old hands brought the rookie governor and knocked on the gate of Pingzhou prefecture.

Although it is called a "provincial capital", it also serves as the Lulong County Government, and looks quite shabby.

However, in Lulong County, where a lot of things are waiting to be rebuilt, this small courtyard with high walls seems a bit out of place.

The policeman at the gate of the prefecture saw three outsiders coming towards them from afar, and he shouted rudely:

"Hey! Who are you? What can I do for you?"

The more he spoke, the less confident he became.

For three people, young and old, fancy clothes are secondary.

The main reason was that the three of them had an indescribable temperament that frightened him.

"Guan Ye."

Wei Daijia crossed his hands and saluted:

"We are merchants from Chang'an, and friends of the Minister of the Capital. We would like to discuss some matters with Envoy Liu, so please give us some convenience."

As he spoke, his little hand reached into his sleeves dishonestly.

A corner of yellow was faintly visible from the cuffs, which turned out to be large strings of copper coins.

The servant replied almost immediately:
"I'll pass the message right away!"

After saying this, he slipped into the provincial capital as if escaping.

He left Wei Daijia out in the cold, still trying to take money out of his pocket.

"what?"

The development of things seemed to be different from what Wei Daijia had expected.

What happened to the little devil who was said to be difficult to deal with?

Shouldn’t you ask for a red envelope to moisten your throat?
How come the announcement was so quick?
"Don't be anxious. Everything is possible before you meet the person." Li Ming patted Wei Daijia comfortingly.

These three guys don't follow the beaten path, they look like they're asking for trouble and bribes.

However, it did not happen.

The messenger returned soon:
"Envoy Liu is free, please follow me."

The three of them looked at each other and had to follow.

Although it is called a provincial capital, it is actually not very big. It is just a courtyard with three entrances.

Several people walked along the corridor, and Wei Daijia chatted along the way:
"Sir, we are new to your place and may not understand some of the rules."

The slave scratched his head:

"Don't force buying or selling, just bully and dominate the market."

"We are unfamiliar with Pingzhou and have no one to look after us."

"You can hire native guards."

“We brought a lot of money.”

"Oh, then be careful. Pingzhou is plagued by bandits."

No matter how Wei Daijia flirted, the young jailer refused to respond and took them directly to the study room behind the main hall.

"Envoy Liu Xin is inside."

After leading the way, Zaoli disappeared in a flash, leaving the three people in embarrassment.

After a while, Hou Junji scratched his head in confusion:
"What went wrong?"

Outsider, wealthy businessman, no roots, but rich.

All kinds of factors are in place, and for officials, it is simply a wealth of money available for them to pick at will.

The three of them were also prepared to spend a lot of money along the way.

But why didn't the slave take the bait?

"You three are looking for Envoy Liu?"

A teacher popped his head out of the study.

"Yes." Wei Daijia said yes and his hand slid smoothly into his sleeve again.

"Hold on."

The old man just nodded and went into the house to pass the message.

After a while, a tired voice came from the study:

"come in."

The three of them looked at each other again.

It was beyond their expectation that they could meet the governor so smoothly.

Li Ming tilted his head:

"Seeing is believing, let's meet Liu Xin first."

…………

"So, you are Shangshu Hou's... friends? You want to run a fur and medicinal materials business in Pingzhou?"

Liu Xin, the governor of Pingzhou, sat high in the main seat, looking at the note presented by Wei Daijia and just approved by the Minister of Personnel Hou Junji.

He was a middle-aged man with ordinary looks, dull eyes, sparse hair, and full of the greasiness and weakness of a middle-aged man.

It looks very bureaucratic at first glance.

A very "cool" carriage entered the city today, and the city gate officer has reported this to him.

He had already intended to pay a visit.

So when the owner of the carriage came to him, he readily agreed.

Pingzhou seemed to have been forgotten by the Tang Dynasty and had few distinguished guests.

It was rare to see a few wealthy businessmen who looked very well-known, so he naturally had to take the time to meet them. As a scholar who had passed the imperial examination, he certainly knew that agriculture was the foundation of the country and commerce was the last.

However, the vast majority of people in Pingzhou have no capital to rely on.

Because all the arable land in Pingzhou was occupied by "that family".

If there were more businessmen, they could help the poor people make some money and make a living.

The governor then felt relieved.

Let's just ignore the important and pursue the trivial, let's be laughed at by colleagues, let's get poor evaluation results as officials.

As a senior official, he couldn't just sit there and watch everyone starve to death.

Or become a bandit and join "that gang of thieves"?

"As the envoy said." Wei Daijia nodded, interrupting Liu Xin's thoughts.

"We are new here, and there are some things we don't understand. Please enlighten us, sir."

"What's not clear?"

Liu Xin raised his eyes and sized up the visitor with authority.

Even if he had something to ask of him, he was still a governor and it was impossible for him to kowtow to a merchant...

But as time went on, his "official authority" weakened.

Because they were two businessmen, their attitude could not be said to be disrespectful.

But for some reason, there is a very...hard to explain temperament.

It's like he is a superior who has been above others for a long time.

Liu Xin's momentum suddenly weakened a bit, and he turned his attention to the children of relatives who came with him.

But this glance made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Because the child was also staring at him.

What was twinkling in those bright eyes was not childish curiosity, but testing and critical thinking.

It's as if the boss is evaluating and assessing his subordinates.

For some reason, among these three people, this child has the strongest "official flavor".

It's not how elegant his posture is or how noble his manners are.

It is an instinctive fear among officials...

Liu Xin suddenly felt that his seat was a little hot on his butt, making him feel uncomfortable.

"Please take a seat!" He hastily and politely extended his hand, then turned around and called to the servant:
"Come here! Why don't you serve tea to the three distinguished guests?"

The three of them were a little surprised that a governor would show such respect to a businessman who was "not doing his job properly".

Hou Junji and Wei Daijia looked at Li Ming subconsciously.

Li Ming nodded slightly, and the three of them sat down.

Liu Xin saw all these small actions, which made him even more confused.

Who is that child?
He had been worried about the lawsuit until he saw the three of them sitting down to drink tea. Only then did he subconsciously breathe a sigh of relief and was able to sit down in his seat with confidence.

Damn it, I'm the host and they're the guest, why do they act like I'm asking them to do something for me...

Liu Xin muttered to himself, but still maintained his authority on his face:

"Are you all friends of Minister Hou? I have some connections with Minister Hou.

"When I passed the imperial examination and went to Pingzhou, Minister Hou personally held my hand and told me to govern this place well."

"Haha, that's really a coincidence." Hou Junji smiled with his lips twitching slightly.

"Of course, I have some face in the capital." Liu Xin felt it and began to brag:

"Do you three know Jingzhao Wei? Wei and my Liu family are old friends. It was through Wei Yushi that I got to know Minister Hou of the Ministry of Personnel."

"Oh, really?" Wei Daijia raised his eyebrows curiously and watched him pretending quietly.

Li Ming covered his mouth and laughed:

"Does Envoy Liu have some influence in the Taiji Palace?"

"This... No, this really doesn't exist..."

Liu Xin stopped before asking the fatal question.

For some reason, he didn't dare blame the kid for interrupting.

He thought it was just the talk of a child, coughed a few times, and turned to Awei, the mink merchant who was the most talkative among the three.

Wei Daijia continued the previous topic:

"As Envoy Liu can see, we are from outside the area and are using this precious land to do business and seek wealth. We are not very familiar with the rules."

"Rules?" Liu Xin frowned slightly:
"Pingzhou is also part of the Tang Dynasty, and the rules in Pingzhou are no different from those in Chang'an.

“If you want to set up a stall in Pingzhou to buy medicinal herbs and furs, you can go to the Jianshi Market to complete the relevant procedures and pay taxes according to the Zhenguan Law.

"The next step is to operate with integrity and rely on one's own abilities.

"As for other business rules, even if you ask me, I can't answer them."

This flawless answer completely confused Wei Daijia.

Hou Junji was too lazy to argue, so he just showed his true colors and took out a gold ingot from his bosom.

A gleam of light flashed before Liu Xin's eyes, but he suppressed it and said in a muffled voice:

"What do you mean by several?"

Hou Junji did not shy away and said bluntly:
"It's just a token of my appreciation. We will often do business in Pingzhou in the future, so we need your care and attention."

Alas... Liu Xin sighed, smiled bitterly and shook his head:

"A gentleman loves money and earns it in a proper way. Although my family is not wealthy, thanks to Your Majesty's great blessing, my salary is enough to make a living.

"Even if I take your money, I can't have an extra meal, marry an extra concubine, or sleep in an extra bed.

"But you will have to live in fear from now on, afraid of being impeached, afraid that you will complain to Minister Hou if you don't make any money.

"The money gained through corruption is just a passing cloud. There are no actual benefits, but there are a lot of disadvantages. I will not do such a stupid thing."

Liu Xin spoke weakly, with the indifference that was unique to middle-aged people like Yang Wei.

He may be incompetent, but precisely because of his incompetence, he lives a clear and transparent life.

ah? this……

These words made the old corrupt official Hou Junji blush and he retracted his bribery hand in embarrassment.

Wei Daijia was also extremely embarrassed.

I wanted to conduct a sting operation, but wow, I actually stole out an honest official?

Just when things were awkward, Li Ming pouted:
“Before I make friends with my classmates, I always give them gifts.

"Envoy Liu refused to accept my uncle's gift. Does this mean he doesn't consider us his friends?"

In ancient times, for businessmen to be friends with officials was considered to be beyond their capabilities.

But Li Ming made good use of the advantage of "children's words are not restrained" and successfully rescued his two useless subordinates.

Liu Xin was startled and couldn't help but stroke his beard and laugh:

"No, as long as you are sincere, anyone can be your friend."

Then, he said to Wei Daijia and Hou Junji in a serious tone:
“Pingzhou is rich in products, and all of them are good things not available in the Central Plains.

"When you purchase supplies, if you can give some benefits to the local people, then you will be my friend, Liu Xin."

Wei Daijia and Hou Junji looked at each other.

Li Ming blinked his big eyes with curiosity:

"Liu Shijun, Liu Shijun, what products does Pingzhou have?"

"That's a lot. All the products from Liaodong have to pass through Pingzhou." Liu Xin listed them all:
"In addition to ginseng, deer antlers, fur and skin, there are also wood, snow frogs, honey, etc., and rice is also produced."

Li Ming followed up on this topic and asked:
"Then why is Pingzhou so sparsely populated, with only 3,113 households and 25,086 people?"

Liu Xin's expression changed slightly.

Which kid can talk about population registration casually during a chat?

(End of this chapter)