Xu Sijin chuckled: "I want to discuss Lin Bo with you!"

"Lin Bo?" Xu Lingyi was stunned. "Why did you think of him?"

Lin Bo and Zhao Ying used to be Xu Lingyi's personal servants. It goes without saying that they were smart, capable, loyal and courageous. After they were released, one was in charge of Xu's overseas business in Guangzhou, and the other was in charge of the overseas business in Ningbo. They both did a very good job, especially Zhao Ying, who was bold and careful. Now he is one of the most important figures in Ningbo City. Even the prefect of Ningbo has to be courteous to him when he sees him.

"The emperor did not agree with me following Ouyang Ming to hunt down Duoyan at that time. Later, the emperor reluctantly agreed because the empress dowager personally asked about it. It can be seen that in the emperor's mind, I am too young and not qualified to take on such a big responsibility." Xu Sijin said, his smile gradually faded. "By chance, I captured Duoyan. When the emperor saw me, he laughed at me for being 'lucky' and said that I was his 'lucky general'."

The emperor said this in the Golden Palace, and Xu Lingyi was also present.

This caused a burst of laughter among the ministers at that time.

He nodded slightly.

"Whether His Majesty said this sincerely or was afraid of 'a tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind', His Majesty should not have let me be the general of Guizhou. There are only 21 governors in the entire Zhou Dynasty, including the generals of the grain transport. Even if I bend over, others will still see me." Xu Sijin said solemnly, "After seeing off Lord Gong, I went to Prince Yong's mansion. From what Prince Yong said, I can only be the general because of a word from Princess Jiangdu..."

Xu Lingyi knew more about the cause and effect of this matter than Xu Sijin, but he really wanted to hear what his son would say.

"Is it an exaggeration?" Xu Lingyi said disapprovingly, "This is a national event!"

"The emperor knew that the elders wanted to compete with the Ministry of War for the position of general." Xu Sijin, "Then the people from the Ministry of War got the upper hand, and the emperor was a little unhappy. It happened that Princess Jiangdu felt that I was wronged and went to the Empress to complain. The emperor listened and suddenly decided to appoint me as the general of Guizhou, and appointed the Fujian Dusi Tongzhi recommended by the elders as the general of Sichuan. Speaking of which, this is also the emperor's way of balancing and restraining."

Xu Lingyi looked at Xu Sijin in surprise.

His son has really grown up. He is no longer the child that made him worry all the time and whom he dared not let go for even a moment.

He was both uncomfortable and surprised that Xu Sijin spoke to him like a colleague.

"Do you think you can guess the emperor's will?" He scolded his son softly, but there was no anger in his tone. Instead, there was a hint of relief.

Xu Sijin could naturally hear it. He looked at his father with a playful smile and changed the subject: "Good staff are hard to come by, so I won't force it. Let's find a few people who can write official documents first. The most urgent thing is to find someone who can help manage the silver mine - I am young, a noble and a relative of the emperor, and I have just arrived in Guizhou. How can those old and experienced soldiers obey me? If I want to secure my position as the general of Guizhou, I will have to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys and discipline a few people. If I keep an eye on the silver mine every day, those people will definitely find Prince Yong, and that will be troublesome. Lin Bo has done a good job in Guangzhou in recent years, but he is more cautious than Zhaoying. Let him manage the silver mine for me. He is the best person."

Whether it was Linbo or Zhaoying, whether he would let them work as managers of Guangzhou and Ningbo business firms, or just leave them idle on the farm, it all depended on his words. Xu Lingyi was more interested in what Xu Sijin said, "disciplining a few people."

"Oh!" He raised his eyebrows. "So, you already have a plan for what to do after you go to Guizhou?"

"Not yet." Xu Sijin cracked his knuckles, looking eager to fight. "Anyway, no one can take advantage of me." He added, "This is my first job. If I mess it up and my reputation gets out, it will be hard for me to do anything else in the future."

Xu Lingyi nodded secretly, not asking any more questions, and said with a smile, "Your fourth brother is in charge of the family affairs now. Lin Bo is the manager of Guangzhou Commercial Bank. The income of Guangzhou Commercial Bank in recent years has accounted for one tenth of the family's income. If you want to take Lin Bo over, talk to your fourth brother first!"

Xu Sizhun is the elder brother and the crown prince, so we should respect him in this respect.

Xu Sijin laughed when he heard this, "Before I came here, I went to fourth brother first. Fourth brother said that no matter who I like, I can take him away as long as you agree. He also gave me four thousand taels of silver and told me not to take money from those subordinates when I take office. It's ugly to be greedy and will make people look down on you." As he spoke, he drooled and nudged Xu Lingyi with his elbow, "Dad, you have led troops as well. Four thousand taels of silver is like drizzle in the eyes of those Tongzhi and Qianshi who have fought in wars. Fourth brother only earns that little in a year. , you have already given me 4,000 taels of silver. You are still the Marquis of Yongping, so you should give me some private money! Otherwise, mother will nag me for spending money recklessly. You also know that if mother wants to do something, she will definitely accomplish it. Maybe for this matter, she will send Wan Daxian to Guizhou to check my accounts. I am a senior official in the province after all. My subordinates see that my mother still wants to check my accounts when I am so old, like a child who has not been weaned. Where can I put my face? How can I rule the people..."

"Stop exaggerating here! I don't believe that with your cleverness, others can buy land and houses after fighting in the war, but you return empty-handed? Don't worry, your mother and I won't ask you for a penny. Just keep it to honor your grandmother! Don't complain about being poor." Before Xu Sijin finished speaking, Xu Lingyi couldn't help laughing, "As for your mother, she has always been sensible in doing things. Why would she send Wan Daxian to check your accounts? Besides, even if your mother sent Wan Daxian to check your accounts, others would only say that you are very respectful to your mother. Who would dare to laugh at you? If you plan carefully, you might even get the title of filial and honest..."

His mother had always been very strict with him regarding money. He had saved some private money and didn't want his mother to know about it, so of course he couldn't admit it in front of his father. Although his father wouldn't tell his mother on his own initiative, he certainly wouldn't hide it from her if she asked. With his mother's shrewdness, that would be the same as telling her.

"Dad! How can you say that!" Xu Sijin pretended to be wronged and jumped up and down. He really planned to find a way to let the censors criticize him if his mother sent Wan Daxian to check his accounts. In this way, he could also get a reputation for being filial. "Now that I have money, in addition to honoring my grandmother, I will also honor you and mother." His father saw through all his little thoughts. It would be better for him to go to Guizhou as soon as possible. Although the life there is hard, the emperor is far away...

"Okay, okay!" Xu Lingyi knew what his son was thinking. Shiyi Niang was very strict with her son about money because she was afraid that he would be like those dandy boys who kept actors and visited gambling houses. "Since Lin Bo wants to follow you to Guizhou, that's perfect. From now on, the Guangzhou Commercial Bank will allocate 10,000 taels of silver to you every year!"

"Dad," Xu Sijin was overjoyed and flattered his father, "You are so good to me!" Looking at his father's calm and composed look, an idea suddenly occurred to him, and he asked Xu Lingyi with a smile, "Did you plan this a long time ago?"

Xu Lingyi didn't say anything, but his expression straightened, staring at his eyes seriously and coldly: "The family doesn't expect you to bring money back, you have to work hard, and you must not compete with the people for profit. You must serve as an official and benefit the people. When the people mention you, they don't praise you, but you can't let them point at your spine and curse our Xu family's ancestors!"

Xu Sijin quickly suppressed his playful expression and answered "yes" respectfully and solemnly: "Dad, don't worry, I will never bring shame to the Xu family, and I will never do anything to harm the people." After saying this, he paused and added, "I won't let people point at my spine and scold you!" At the end, there was a hint of mischief in his brows.

"Everything you say becomes glib!" Xu Lingyi smiled helplessly, "Your mother and I are both serious people, how could we give birth to a son like you!"

"It is because you and mother are too strict that the Goddess of Childbirth gave me to you!" Xu Sijin and his father laughed and stood up to leave. "I'm going to ask my fourth brother for Lin Bo!"

Xu Lingyi smiled and nodded, and Shiyi Niang lifted the curtain and entered.

Xu Sijin quickly winked at his father and touched the purse containing small change, signaling his father not to tell Shiyi Niang that he had private money.

Xu Lingyi smiled and nodded slightly.

Eleventh Lady looked at the father and son suspiciously: "What are you playing?"

Xu Sijin's mouth twitched, and he was about to speak, but Xu Lingyi spoke before him, "He has done great things and is back. He was also granted the title of Wujin Earl and became the general of Guizhou. He must visit relatives and friends, so he wants to prepare expensive gifts. I want him to make extra money. I promised him, and asked him to discuss it with Zhun Ge'er."

This kind of interaction was customary in the government. Xu Sijin had always been generous, and Shiyi Niang did not suspect anything. She smiled and said, "Whatever you want to give, just write a list and I'll help you with the money."

Xu Sijin was very impressed. He cast a respectful look at his father, then quickly hugged his mother's shoulders and said, "Mom, keep your private money to buy flowers! This time I'm going to give Dad a lot of money." After saying this, he showed an impatient look, "I still have to go find my fourth brother." As he said this, he seemed to remember something, his expression dimmed, and his voice became a little lower, "I won't be back for lunch at noon - I want to go and pay my respects to Huang Xiaomao and Liu Erwu."

Eleventh Lady was very happy and said quickly, "Please help me burn some paper money." Then she asked Amber to weigh out ten taels of silver.

In the matter of worship, everyone must contribute his own money to establish his status.

Xu Sijin silently accepted the silver, bowed to his parents, and went to Xu Sizhun.

Eleventh Lady said to Xu Lingyi, "Mother called me over just now and specifically asked about Jin'er's marriage. She said that I should hand in the name card today. She wants to go to the palace in person to ask the Queen Mother for this special decree. No matter how much my second sister-in-law and I persuade her, it won't work. Lord, why don't you go and talk to her!"

Due to health reasons, the late emperor exempted the Madam Dowager from the New Year's Day court celebrations. The Madam Dowager has not been to the palace for several years. There were a few times when the Empress Dowager missed her and she would secretly visit her at her residence.

The two went to the lady's place.

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O(∩_∩)O~