Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 433 There is a successor
Li Linfu had no interest in such trivial matters, so he was happy to hand them over to someone else. As for the contents of the ledger, he didn't bother to care. After tidying up his notes and handing them to the steward, he left and headed to the guest hall in the mansion.

Yuwen Rong was flamboyant and high-profile, and he was also happy to recommend talented people. He had many envoys under his command, so many talented people who were eager to get ahead were happy to gather under his wing. After he became prime minister, the number of people who came to visit him was even more endless.

However, how these visitors would be treated depended on Yuwen Rong's mood. If he was in a good mood, even commoners could be invited to his residence and attend his banquets. But if he was in a bad mood, he would not hold a grand banquet for his guests, but would only summon a few close confidants to discuss matters.

Yuwen Rong was not in a good mood today. After returning home, he did not interact much with the guests and went straight into the main hall. The guests were all stopped in the front hall and not allowed to enter. Some left disappointed, while others lingered there with anticipation.

As Li Linfu walked out of the side courtyard, he passed by the Yuwen family's stables and heard the servants talking inside.

"My lord has been in high spirits these past few days, why do you return home so dejected today?"

"I heard that a thief escaped punishment. It was the villain who forcibly bought the mansion of the Wei family's cousin. As a result, he protected a high-ranking official and was spared punishment."

Li Linfu was about to walk quickly through this area, but upon hearing this, he immediately slowed down and overheard the servants' subsequent conversation.

"Are you talking nonsense? Our lord is the current prime minister. What high-ranking official has more authority than our lord? What kind of traitor can escape the punishment of the law!"

Several servants began to argue, and then another person came forward and said, "You're talking about Zhang Dai, the grandson of Zhang Yan, who had a falling out with the lord in his early years. He used to serve in the Secretariat, but has now been transferred to another department. The lord kept him in the province today to discuss matters and wanted to recommend him for the position of Left Remonstrance Official, but he refused!"

"You're talking nonsense! If he's an enemy, why keep him alive? Besides, who doesn't want a promotion..."

Not only did the servants nearby laugh and scold this man for talking nonsense, but even Li Linfu, who was passing by outside, couldn't help but scoff at it. This was completely absurd. These servants were really deserving of punishment for fabricating rumors and distorting their master's words and deeds behind his back!

He wasted no more time, quickened his pace, and left the area, heading to the front hall to request entry. Compared to the other guests present, Li Linfu still held some sway in the Yuwen family. A servant first led him into the central courtyard, then went inside to announce his arrival, before emerging with a smile and saying, "Our lord invites Shi Lang to the hall to discuss matters."

Li Linfu entered the hall and saw that besides Yuwen Rong, there were also the Wei Heng brothers and several confidants such as Gao Chen. He first greeted Yuwen Rong and then casually found an empty seat to sit down.

"What Zhang Dai said in the province today was very enlightening for me..."

Yuwen Rong continued the previous topic, and upon hearing this first sentence, Li Linfu felt a sudden sense of unease and immediately became extremely attentive to what Yuwen Rong was about to say.

Yuwen Rong had long been in charge of finance and had seen and personally solved many practical problems. His experience in managing finances was extremely rich. It was precisely because of this that he was able to appreciate the great value of Zhang Dai's "opening the middle method" even more. If it could be successfully implemented, it would surely have a profound impact on the current situation of the Tang Dynasty, both internally and externally.

This is why he was particularly annoyed that Zhang Dai refused his attempts to win him over. This fellow, though intelligent enough to devise ingenious plans, lacked magnanimity; he judged others by his own standards, failing to believe he was truly willing to accept and forgive him, which would only lead to his own downfall!
Pei Guangting was a gloomy and dull man. Although he managed to become prime minister by leveraging the power of various parties, he was destined to achieve nothing. Zhang Dai's decision to place his future on such a person was a waste of talent.

"Seventeenth Brother, today you should organize and hand over the case, and prepare to return to the Ministry of Revenue under the moon to take up your post as Director. Organize all the Ministry of Revenue matters related to salt affairs in recent years and submit them for review as soon as possible!"

Although Yuwen Rong was fond of grand talk, he was not an unrealistic boaster. He was also very efficient in execution. Even though he failed to win over Zhang Dai, he immediately decided to begin preparations for the relevant matters.

"Don't worry, my lord, I will do my best to handle these matters!"

Wei Heng was initially displeased with Zhang Dai's escape, but upon hearing that he was about to be promoted to the position of Director of the Ministry of Revenue, he couldn't help but beam with joy and nodded repeatedly, even forgetting about revenge for the moment.

Although he had expected it, Li Linfu still felt a pang of disappointment when he heard these words, and his eyes were filled with envy as he looked at Wei Heng.

This fellow was only in his thirties and had no outstanding political achievements or deeds to speak of. He rose to a high position simply because of his cousin's patronage, and was appointed as the Director of the Revenue Department. If he were to be promoted further, he could become a Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat or a Palace Attendant, and then be appointed as a governor of a region. When he returned to the capital, his qualifications would be sufficient to serve as a Vice Minister of the Six Ministries, thus entering the ranks of truly high-ranking officials and gaining the capital to seek the position of Prime Minister.

If we consider that Yuwen Rong served as prime minister for several years, Wei Heng could be regarded as Yuwen Rong's chosen political successor! Li Linfu was envious of this, but he did not have much dissatisfaction.

After all, the connections were there, and Wei Heng's grandfather, father, and uncle had all served as prime ministers. His family possessed considerable political resources, and he didn't only have Yuwen Rong as a backer, which meant his potential for advancement was already very large. It was only natural that Yuwen Rong appreciated and promoted him.

What truly alarmed Li Linfu was his appreciation and emphasis on Zhang Dai's "opening the middle method," and even his intention to focus his work around this strategy.

Yuwen Rong's emphasis on this method of opening the middle gate was a bit excessive, which made Li Linfu recall the conversation he had overheard among the servants when he passed by the stables. At the time, he thought it was nonsense, but now it seemed that it might not be entirely unfounded!
The thought filled Li Linfu with intense rage. Zhang Dai was no longer just an enemy to him; he was a nightmare haunting him, someone he desperately wanted to eliminate!
Since returning to the capital, he has devoted himself to Yuwen Rong, and has worked tirelessly to help Yuwen Rong become prime minister.

Now that Yuwen Rong has finally become prime minister, Zhang Dai has already received an olive branch from Yuwen Rong before he has even had a chance to taste the fruits of his victory. This is truly outrageous!
Seeing that Yuwen Rong was still assigning tasks, Li Linfu's mood sank. He took a few deep breaths, trying to control his emotions and suppress his anger for the time being.

After finally waiting for the relevant topics to come to a close, Li Linfu hurriedly presented the contents he had compiled recently with both hands, and said respectfully, "Sir, you have made progress through financial means, and your wish has been fulfilled. However, if you want your position to be completely stable, you still need to raise a sum of cash as soon as possible to support the country's expenses. Other strategies, no matter how good they are, do not need to be given too much importance if they cannot meet the urgent needs."

Regarding the recent, meticulously planned matter of recovering embezzled public funds, I have recently conducted a thorough search of all the clerks and officials in the capital responsible for apprehending the embezzlers, and have compiled a complete list here for Your Excellency's review. At any time, arrests can be made based on this list, and the individuals brought to justice and interrogated rigorously!

Yuwen Rong took the register and glanced through it briefly. He then nodded in satisfaction and looked at Li Linfu with a smile, saying, "Prime Minister Li is very thoughtful. With this register, we can follow the clues and achieve twice the result with half the effort!"

Li Linfu was overjoyed by the praise and immediately said, "I believe this matter should be implemented as soon as possible. Zhang Dai, that treacherous fellow, recently used this as an excuse to cause trouble. Although I don't know how well he knows things, he is still a hidden danger. In order to prevent all the involved officials from becoming suspicious, this matter should be done sooner rather than later!"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Rong frowned. He put the register away and placed it on the table, saying in a deep voice, "The situation has changed again. There are new reports of meritorious service in the Hexi Corridor, and the court is currently raising funds for rewards in various places. If we mobilize to recover the embezzled funds now, the money will be difficult to keep in the office and may be used elsewhere. It is not advisable to take any action on this matter for the time being. We will make a plan after the year-end budget review and approval."

Upon hearing this, Li Linfu's face immediately showed disappointment. He had placed high hopes on this matter, but unexpectedly, Yuwen Rong had pushed it to the end of the year with just a few words. Even if he were to take charge of it at the end of the year, there wouldn't be enough time!
"Since Your Excellency took office, you have been busy with many matters and have gradually become thinner, while I am in a leisurely position with nothing to do all day long. I feel more and more ashamed when I think about this, and I am willing to serve Your Excellency like a dog or a horse!"

He quickly composed himself, rose from his seat, and bowed to Yuwen Rong again.

"Li Cheng, don't rush. Things need to be arranged step by step, and people need to be guided gradually!"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Rong immediately frowned in displeasure and said that Li Linfu was too eager for quick success and instant benefits. He had only been prime minister for a few days, and this guy was already impatient to ask for an official position, as if he would forget his contributions if he was late.

Hearing Yuwen Rong's clearly displeased tone, Li Linfu dared not press the matter further and quickly agreed to leave.

The discussion continued until late at night, but Li Linfu lost interest in participating and simply sat there in a daze. After the meeting ended, he rested and fell asleep in Yuwen's guest room.

When Li Linfu woke up the next day, Yuwen Rong had already left home for court. His house was bustling with activity early in the morning, with servants busy welcoming guests and no one coming to entertain him.

Li Linfu left Yuwen Rong's house feeling dejected and wandered aimlessly through the streets, eventually ending up in Pingkangfang.

Of the two adjacent residential plots in Pingkangfang, one already had a house built and surrounded by a courtyard wall, seemingly nearing completion. The other, larger plot, however, remained abandoned, with only a few ditches and scattered wooden stakes.

Seeing this, Li Linfu's mind became increasingly chaotic. He even considered jumping over and burning down Zhang Dai's newly built mansion.

However, he also knew that this idea was just wishful thinking. Even if we disregard the patrolling Wuhou Street, the craftsmen and servants in the house would not let him do as he pleased.

Just then, the sound of servants shouting to clear the street came from the west side of the street. Li Linfu looked in the direction of the sound and saw the wife of the newly appointed prime minister, Pei Guangting, leaving in a carriage. Watching the servants escort the carriage onto the newly paved sand embankment, Li Linfu's eyes lit up with desire. He quickly changed his mind and secretly followed on horseback.

(End of this chapter)