Chapter 588 The Means Are Dirty
Xiao Yan said, "Your arrangement does make sense, but the methods of those people down there aren't so clean. Lord Cao may not have seen them before. It's best to find someone to accompany you when you first go there, so he doesn't suffer any serious consequences."
Cao Dejiang nodded: "This old man knows."
He wanted to use those people from Shezhou as whetstones to practice his knife, not to break the knife.
He treated having someone accompany him as a trump card. Unless he encountered a life-and-death crisis, everything depended on him alone. But if there was any big trouble, he would not let anyone else lose his life and endanger the Cao family.
Perhaps it was because Xiao Yan took the initiative to talk to them. Seeing that he was not as surly as rumored to be when he spoke to them, and was also very friendly to the Cao family, the people from the Cao family relaxed and returned to their previous ease at the table.
Fu Laiqing asked, "Duke Dingguo, are the officials in Shezhou very powerful?"
Xiao Yan laughed: "It's just such a big piece of fat meat, countless people want to grab it, if you are not strong enough, how can you take the first prize?"
"Because the capital is under the emperor's rule, the power structure in the court has long been divided, so officials still follow certain rules when dealing with each other, and some methods are not too extreme. However, Shezhou is different. With interests hanging in the balance, everyone wants to compete for a higher position."
Seeing that everyone at the table was listening attentively, Xiao Yan said:
"Many high-ranking officials in Shezhou originally came from shady backgrounds. Most of the positions vacant after this purge are powerful ones. Local officials, including some veterans who have served for many years, won't miss the opportunity to move up."
"The most important thing is that the court is only executing and arresting those directly involved in the disaster relief efforts. However, they have been able to serve in Shezhou for so many years without anyone reporting the matter, and there have never been any reports of bandits being used as officials in Shezhou. Why do you think that is?"
Cao Jia Silang whispered, "Are those other people not clean either?"
Xiao Yan said, "Indeed, apart from the mastermind, the rest of the people are not innocent either."
"Although they didn't directly intervene in those matters, since these people were able to work safely under the Lu family and those masterminds, and even without any changes for many years, they are either in cahoots with those people, or they have received bribes to keep silent."
"Only when interests are shared can unrelated people be brought into complete harmony and act in unison towards the outside world."
As Xiao Yan spoke, he looked at the eldest son of the Cao family. "Lord Cao asked you to go to Shezhou, even if it's just to start as a minor official. But if you try to climb the ladder, you'll inevitably block others' path. Unless you can turn a blind eye like those people, conflict is inevitable."
"With the Cao family behind you, they're bound to be wary and suspicious of you investigating something on behalf of the Censorate. Whether it's for their own benefit or their own safety, they'll do everything in their power to stop you or drag you down, and the methods they can use are far beyond your imagination."
Xiao Yan's voice was light, but the words he said made people feel cold all over.
"For example, they'll push someone into pretending to be at odds with the others, making them criticized everywhere and unable to find a place to hide. This way, they'll trick you into thinking that person is different and you'll become friends with them. Once you consider them a close friend, they'll use the excuse of friendship to slip you things you shouldn't have, dragging you and the Cao family behind you into this mess."
"For example, after using some means to isolate you, they'll leave a gap for you to slip into, making you think you have a chance to deal with them, but in fact you've fallen into a trap and been taken advantage of."
"These are still relatively polite methods. If there are those with more evil intentions, they will directly find a woman to set up a trap to tarnish your reputation, hang you in front of the government office after a night of passion, or take the child and make trouble in the capital. Not to mention your future, even the Cao family will be dragged down because of you."
Cao Jia Dalang's face turned pale.
Fu Laiqing and the others opened their mouths wide in shock.
How can you do this?!
Whenever they thought about the situation Xiao Yan described appearing before their eyes, their scalps couldn't help but go numb.
Xiao Yan remembered Cao Dejiang's kindness to him, so he was naturally willing to take care of the younger generation of the Cao family.
He did not hesitate to tell these children of officials who had never seen the wickedness of human nature since childhood about the wickedness of human nature, but his words were extremely shocking to these people in the Cao family.
Xiao Yan picked up a piece of greens with his chopsticks and dropped it into his bowl. "Never underestimate human nature. When it comes to profit, some people's methods are a hundred times more filthy than this. So after going to Shezhou, be careful about everything and don't trust anyone easily."
Fu Laiqing turned his head and looked at his eldest cousin with sympathy.
The eldest son of the Cao family nodded with a stiff face: "Thank you, Duke Dingguo, for your advice."
…
When leaving the Cao family, the people in the Cao family had become very friendly towards Xiao Yan. The fourth son of the Cao family, who had looked down on Xiao Yan before, now pestered him with questions about many things in the officialdom and called him "Brother Xiao" all the time.
Xiao Yan didn't ask him to change his words, but instead talked a lot with them.
When they left, even Cao Dejiang's eldest son looked at Xiao Yan with a sense of closeness.
Cao Dejiang looked at Xiao Yan from the carriage and said, "You are quite capable of making these kids obey you."
Xiao Yan raised his lips: "Didn't you deliberately let them get close to me? I can't embarrass you."
He knew about the things going on in the officialdom, and Cao Dejiang naturally knew about it as well. Xiao Yan could see that he just wanted to take the opportunity to make the younger generation of the Cao family close to him.
Cao Dejiang laughed and said, "You are the most clever one."
When Fu Laiqing got into the carriage, the two had already stopped talking about the previous topic, but both had a faint smile on their faces.
Fu Laiqing was curious: "What is Brother Xiao doing in our house?"
Xiao Yan said, "Go find Madam Fu."
grandmother?
Fu Laiqing's doubts grew even greater, and Cao Dejiang explained, "Although the palace had granted him the marriage, he and Princess Xiangning still had to go through the three letters and six ceremonies before they could get married."
Fu Laiqing suddenly realized that Xiao Yan wanted to ask his grandmother to be the hostess and propose marriage for him and Tang Ning. He couldn't help but feel a little envious.
He knew everything about Xiao Yan and Tang Ning. These two lovers finally got married, and the marriage was now a done deal.
But he...
Thinking of the delicate peacock who had not responded to his repeated advances, Fu Laiqing couldn't help but sigh.
To Qian Qiyue, men are not as interesting as whips. If he had not helped Tang Ning and the others on the day of the palace banquet, I'm afraid that Jiao Peacock would not even bother to pay attention to him.
Fu Laiqing became depressed when he thought of Qian Qiyue, and for a moment he lost interest in talking.
When the carriage arrived at the Fu family, someone immediately came forward to pull the carriage and placed a small stool in front of the carriage.
After Xiao Yan and Fu Laiqing got off the carriage first, Fu Laiqing just turned around to help Cao Dejiang get off the carriage when he heard a soft female voice behind him.
"Brother."
Fu Laiqing turned around and smiled when he saw the person coming: "Jinrou."
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