Chapter 410 Gift Giving Also Involves Internal Competition
On the banks of the Xunyang River, there was a dock with a large area of empty space set aside, where a large group of officials were waiting.
Many passersby stopped to watch the spectacle, while the Jiangzhou officials who had been waiting for a long time began to whisper among themselves.
At the forefront of the group of officials, there were roughly three groups standing, subtly distinct from one another.
Wang Lengran and his officials; Ouyang Rong and the Xunyang Prince's family; and female officials such as Rongzhen and Miaozhen stood in the very center.
"Someone come here!"
In the bleak autumn wind, Wang Lengran was the first to become impatient:
"Military Advisor Chen, why hasn't Elder Qin's ship arrived yet? Didn't your department report that it would be from 1:45 AM to 1:45 PM? What time is it now? Why are the Prince and Lady Historian waiting for so long?"
Chen You stepped forward from behind, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Xunyang King Li Xian, Rong Zhen, and Miao Zhen, then faced the king with a cold, bitter expression and said:
"The messenger from Yangzhou wrote the day before yesterday, saying that I confirmed the itinerary with them several times before informing the officials... They should have arrived by now, it's strange."
Wang Lengran was somewhat agitated: "Could something have happened on the way... Why is it so late for no reason?"
After speaking, he glanced at Ouyang Lianghan, who was standing not far away with the Prince of Xunyang and his son, and his expression was somewhat displeased.
In order to welcome Qin Jingzhen today and leave a good impression on him, Wang Lengran spent a lot of money and effort preparing for a long time.
Fine wines, delicious food, and beautiful scenery are all available.
In particular, Wang Lengran learned from Wei's sources that Qin Jingzhen was a gourmand who loved food. His recuperation in the bustling city of Yangzhou was probably due to his enjoyment of all the delicacies of Jiangnan.
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, where the average lifespan was no more than fifty years, living to seventy or eighty was considered a long life.
Other old men in their seventies and eighties either have lost all their teeth or walk with a cane, but Qin Jingzhen is even more outrageous than "Is Lian Po old enough to eat?" He is indeed a warrior who has spent his life on the battlefield. It is said that he has a huge appetite at every meal and is tall and healthy.
This time, after discussing with the Council of State, the Empress dared to confidently appoint this veteran general, partly because he was still going strong despite his age and his condition was quite different from that of an ordinary old man.
Since he liked to eat, Wang Lengran decided to cater to his tastes and sent people to collect all the special delicacies from various parts of Jiangzhou.
Once Qin Jingzhen disembarks, all the arrangements will be made to ensure he eats his fill, with a different meal every day for ten days straight.
Wang Lengran racked his brains this time, feeling that he had shown the utmost sincerity.
In particular, all of his actions were carried out in a relatively low-key manner, concealed from Ouyang Lianghan and the Xunyang Prince's Mansion. Moreover, just a few days prior, Ouyang Lianghan had taken the newly appointed Jiangzhou Prefect, Li Fusu, on an inspection tour and was not in the city.
Just this morning, when everyone gathered at the dock, Wang Lengran glanced at them without making a sound, and immediately laughed.
As expected, apart from the people and carriages, Ouyang Lianghan and the Xunyang Prince's Mansion did not prepare much to entertain Qin Jingzhen. It seems that Prince Li Xian of Xunyang was going to take the path of treating scholars with respect, and only brought his heir, wife and daughters to greet him.
Wang Lengran sneered inwardly.
Qin Jingzhen was no poor scholar; he was the legitimate son of a duke and a nobleman from the Guanzhong region.
Qin Jingzhen has now been appointed as the Grand General of the Jiangnan Road Army, and even the King of Wei has to step aside, relinquish his military power, and greet him with a smile.
The Qin family is currently extremely popular both in and out of the government.
If you don't offer anything substantial, what's the point of being courteous and respectful to scholars? Are you still thinking of using the title of Prince Xunyang to make empty promises, just like you did with Ouyang Lianghan and other poor scholars?
These grand plans and empty promises are something the powerful and wealthy families of Guanzhong have been tired of since their ancestors served the emperor.
Times have changed. Now, the pie that their ancestors ate has been successfully delivered and they have been fattened up. They are now sitting on the chessboard, able to vote and bet on the candidates for imperial succession, such as the Wei family, the Prince Xiang's Mansion, and the Prince Xunyang's Mansion, or sit back and watch the tigers fight, following whoever wins.
If you don't offer some tangible benefits or delicacies, why would anyone help you?
Or are they just trying to fool us with empty promises of sincerity and sentiment?
Do you think people are obsessed with eating pancakes?
Moreover, if we're talking about sincerity, Wang Lengran felt that the Wei family's sincerity was no less than that of the Xunyang Prince's Mansion.
As soon as Qin Jingzhen, who had been living in seclusion in Yangzhou, was reinstated by the Empress, the Prince of Wei's mansion had already sent people to Yangzhou. Under the pretext of delivering a message from the Prince of Wei to hand over military power to the expeditionary army, they contacted the Qin family in Yangzhou, subtly showing goodwill.
In addition, Wei also learned that Qin Jingzhen's eldest granddaughter, Qin Ying, was still unmarried and waiting to be married, and that preparations for her marriage had recently been made.
Upon learning of this, the King of Wei deliberately chose a topic in his letter: a particularly outstanding young man in his palace who was of the right age and lacked a suitable match, as a subtle hint to the Qin family.
To facilitate this arrangement, the Prince of Wei's residence even sent a letter to Wang Lengran, asking him to act as matchmaker in Xunyang City...
All of this demonstrates that Wang Lengran was fully prepared for this day.
Especially when I came over this morning, I found that the Prince of Xunyang's residence was indeed unprepared.
If neither side is prepared, or if both are prepared, then so be it.
But now the green leaves set off the red flowers.
Firstly, the preparations of delicacies and gifts were very thorough, and they warmly welcomed the guests.
The other party received no welcoming gifts or elaborate ceremonies.
Comparing the two.
From the guest's perspective, it's obvious which side shows more importance and which side shows less importance, and the difference in their attitudes and perspectives is quite clear.
However, Wang Lengran did not let his guard down completely.
He still vividly remembers how Ouyang Lianghan turned the tables on him with a broken umbrella as a gift at Xie Xue'e's birthday banquet, and how he was publicly humiliated.
To prevent Ouyang Lianghan from secretly preparing another painting by the Sage of Painting to curry favor with Qin Jingzhen, the Wei family also used their connections to acquire a painting by Wu Daoshi in Chang'an at a high price, and sent it to Wang Lengran as a gift for their first meeting this morning—both elegant and expensive…
Wang Lengran's preparations were naturally seen by Li Xian and Li Dalang, who had come unprepared. The father and son understood the connection and were naturally anxious.
Wow, the Wei family even rolled up their gifts!
They hurriedly sent Princess Wei Mei back to the palace to prepare a generous gift. Although it might not be as extravagant as the wealthy and meticulously prepared gift from the Wei family, they could at least show respect. The meager gifts they had given upon first meeting were simply not presentable.
Originally, Li Xian and his son realized their mistake too late; it was too late for them to do so.
But who could have imagined that Qin Jingzhen's ship would be late? It was past the second quarter of noon and it still hadn't arrived.
It was past lunchtime, almost afternoon, and there was still no sign of any Yangzhou boats on the Xunyang River.
The belatedly realized Xunyang Prince's Mansion took advantage of this time, painfully spending money to prepare the gifts and the grand ceremony.
This made Wang Lengran frown even more, becoming increasingly impatient and annoyed.
"Hurry up, don't just stand there like an idiot! Quickly send someone to inquire and see if there's any urgent news to be sent to the Jiangzhou government... If Elder Qin runs into trouble on the way and delays the imperial court's important task of suppressing the rebellion, we'll all be in deep trouble!"
His tone was urgent.
"Yes." Chen You accepted the order and withdrew, sending someone back to the main hall of Jiangzhou to inquire.
Ouyang Rong ignored Wang Lengran's ulterior motives.
Just now, Li Xian and Li Fusu asked Wei Mei to replenish the gifts and make a grand display. He thought about it and didn't stop them.
Today, Ouyang Rong was wearing a snow-white cloak and a white fox fur shawl, both gifts from the Xunyang Prince's Mansion. He stood calmly in the cold wind, gazing at the river view, waiting patiently.
Ouyang Rong remained silent, but Li Xian and Li Fusu exchanged glances.
They looked back and saw Princess Wei Mei returning from her preparations, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Wang Lengran flicked his official sleeves, snorted coldly, and paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.
On the other side, Rongzhen and Miaozhen exchanged a glance without saying a word. Miaozhen then turned around and led several female officials away.
While the people at the dock were either frowning or waiting with worry.
Chen You rushed back:
"We've found him!"
"Your Highness, Prefect Wang, Chief Secretary Ouyang, Marshal Qin... he has arrived at the main hall of Jiangzhou and asked me to call you back to discuss the important matter of suppressing the rebellion."
Li Xian, Li Dalang, and Wang Lengran were all stunned.
Miaozhen stopped investigating and exchanged a surprised glance with Rongzhen.
Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow slightly:
Why are there no boats at Xunyang Ferry?
"It seems that Marshal Qin disembarked at Shuangfengjian and has already entered the city."
Chen You sighed in response, and everyone fell silent.
Waaah, it's a little late... There'll be another long chapter at midnight, no kidding, I'll be spending New Year's Eve with you guys.
(End of this chapter)
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