From the beginning to the end, Yan Xiwen said this to Yuan Suo since he entered Xiang Ming Xuan.
"You, I see you're just bored!"
This made Yuan Su very embarrassed. He had good intentions to help you and Shulan get together, but his good intentions did not come true and he ended up in trouble.
Yan Xiwen had already left. Dong Shulan looked at Yuan Su with a smile and said, "Third uncle, you have seen it, so I hope to receive your blessing on my relationship with you. Also, when we get engaged, I hope you and your wife can attend. Shulan will be very grateful."
Dong Shulan and Fu Xiaoguan left Yuan's house. Yuan Chong and his wife looked at each other, still in shock.
…
“Still boring!”
Su Su put the last piece of candied haws in her mouth, her cheeks slightly puffed up, and she said this while chewing carefully.
Chunxiu disagrees, she finds it very funny.
"Why is it boring? My young master won, but didn't you see the expressions on the faces of the Yuan family's Patriarch and Madam? I was so arrogant earlier that I wanted to slap him, but my young master finally endured it for the sake of the overall situation. Then, when Young Master Yan came, he didn't show off in front of my young master at all. I saw that he was still very cautious. He is the eldest son of the Yan family in Shangjing, and his status is very noble, but he was still impressed by my young master's literary talent and elegance? So, in the end, the Yuan family's Patriarch and Madam felt uncomfortable as if they had eaten a fly."
Su Su could not understand all these things. She had been living in the Taoist temple, on the highest mountain in the temple, and rarely came into contact with ordinary disciples. Although her master said that this world and that temple were different, in this short period of time, her thinking still remained simple and direct.
She had never thought that there were so many things involved, so she was a little surprised after listening to Chunxiu's explanation.
"So... your young master really has some abilities?"
"Of course!" Chunxiu raised her neck proudly. "When my young master was still in Linjiang, his fame had already shocked the huge city of Jinling. Let me tell you, my young master's fame must have spread throughout the Yu Dynasty, because even the Wu Dynasty, thousands of miles away, knew about it. Otherwise, why would the Wu Dynasty specifically ask my young master to participate in the Cold Food Festival Literary Gathering?"
Su Su swallowed the candied haws in her mouth and frowned as she thought, it seemed to be true. Could it be that Dream of the Red Chamber was really that good?
It seems I should go and see it too.
I just told this Fu Xiaoguan yesterday that someone was going to kidnap him, why has he not reacted at all so far?
Is this what it means to be as still as a mountain?
Or are you confident?
Su Su didn't think about it anymore. After all, this was Fu Xiaoguan's business. If some blind bandits really wanted to rob Fu Xiaoguan, with her skills and those of her eldest brother and third sister, there would be no accidents unless a martial arts saint came.
Fu Xiaoguan and Dong Shulan's carriage stopped next to a teahouse.
"Wait a moment, I'll go get some tea."
"Isn't there tea at home?" Dong Shulan asked puzzledly.
"Well, it is said that Xiangyelou has received a batch of rock tea produced in Lingnan, and it tastes very good."
As Fu Xiaoguan said this, he got off the carriage, walked into Xiangye Building, and went straight to the third floor.
The third floor does not sell tea, only tea leaves. Ye Wusui, the owner of Xiangyelou, is stroking his beard and sipping a cup of fragrant tea very seriously.
It was the first day of the Lunar New Year, and people who were buying New Year's goods had already done so before the New Year. There was no one else on the third floor at that time.
Fu Xiaoguan looked around and found that the third floor was well decorated, with an antique style and a very artistic conception.
Ye Wusui hadn't expected anyone to come. He looked up at the young man and stood up to greet him: "Sir, what kind of tea would you like to buy?"
"Two liang of Mingqian Longjing, three liang of Taiping Houkui, four liang of Junshan Yinzhen, and five liang of Taihu Piaoxue."
Ye Wusui's heart tightened, and he said with a smile, "Sorry, sir, Longjing tea is out of stock before the Qingming Festival. There has never been snow in Taihu Lake, so there is no snow. How about trying something else?"
"Then I'll give you two ounces of Mengding Ganlu. Since there's no snow on Taihu Lake, I'll give you five ounces of Meiren Yusi instead."
Ye Wusui bowed and said, "Sir, please follow me."
Fu Xiaoguan followed Ye Wusui up to the fourth floor, wondering who the hell came up with this incision? It was too troublesome, and he had to make it simpler next time.
There were a lot of tea leaves placed around the fourth floor, with a tea table in the middle. Ye Wusui invited Fu Xiaoguan to sit down, and then said, "Wait for the envoy's order in December."
Fu Xiaoguan took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Ye Wusui. "I have something else to do. Please follow the instructions here and check as soon as possible. When you have any information, put a pot of plum blossoms in your window and someone will come to pick it up."
"December knows."
"Give me two kilograms of Lingnan rock tea, good quality. I'll give it to someone."
"good."
Ye Wusui turned around to get a wooden box and handed it to Fu Xiaoguan. "The most authentic Lingnan rock tea, with a cinnamon scent. Ten taels of silver per pound."
You have to pay for this?
Fu Xiaoguan thought he was an insider and could drink tea for free. Well, this matter cannot be changed. It is probably the private property of Concubine Shang.
He paid twenty taels of silver and went downstairs carrying the tea box. Ye Wusui watched the figure disappear, then looked at the note in his hand.
It’s the South Gate again!
Still a bandit!
Well, I heard that someone was beaten and crippled in that place, but the order was not to investigate who beat that person, but to investigate that person's identity, and that small wine shop... Ye Wusui thought for a moment and went downstairs.
Fu Xiaoguan and his party returned to the Dong residence and sat down with Dong Kangping and Madam Dong in Cuiqinxuan. Dong Kangping's expression was calm, but Madam Dong was a little nervous. She asked, "How is it? Is it going well?"
Dong Shulan smiled and nodded. "It was pretty much as I expected last night. Second Uncle didn't give us any trouble, but Third Uncle... he actually invited Yan Xiwen."
"Ah...!" Mrs. Dong's heart skipped a beat. "Did there happen to be a conflict?"
Dong Shulan shook her head. "No, Yan Xiwen has changed a lot compared to before. As for exactly what he's changed about, I can't really put my finger on it, it's just..." Dong Shulan frowned and thought for a moment before adding, "He's no longer as bookish as before. He's much calmer, and his words have lost that pedantic air..."
Dong Shulan told all the details to her parents. Finally, Mrs. Dong breathed a sigh of relief. Because of Dong Shulan's insistence, there was no way she could get close to the Yan family. Her son-in-law was a good person, but he had no foundation!
Even if my husband said that this kid would be of great help in the government, he still has to fight for it all by himself in the end - poor child, is the official career so easy?
Her husband also has no foundation. He only became the Minister of Revenue because he was once a classmate of the current emperor and gained the trust of His Majesty. Alas, I don’t know how far Fu Xiaoguan can go.
Forget it, forget it. Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. I will go make some delicious food for him. This is the only thing I can do for him.
Mrs. Dong left Cuiqinxuan and went to the kitchen in the side yard. Fu Xiaoguan and Dong Kangping were chatting, and it was mainly Dong Kangping who was talking, talking about the trivial matters between relatives.
"Uncle Shulan's third son, Dong Xiumu, benefited from the recent crackdown on corruption and abuse of power. After waiting for nearly three years, he was appointed Magistrate of Heyu County, Ningzhou, last October. You have a good relationship with Old Qin. Old Qin's son, Qin Dingfang, was appointed Magistrate of Ningzhou in the Yellow River North Road last September..."
Dong Kangping hadn't finished his words when Fu Xiaoguan understood. He was about to express his opinion. After all, this favor wasn't a big deal; he just wanted to ask Old Qin to mention it in his letter to Qin Dingfang. But Dong Kangping added, "The former prefect of the Yellow River North Circuit has been imprisoned. I know him, and we were classmates at the Jixia Academy. His name is Zhou Du, and he follows the path of Old Grand Tutor Fei."
"Xie Ling, the governor of the Yellow River South Circuit, has been suspended and investigated. He was once highly regarded by the previous head of the Shi family, Old Master Shi. Ever since Old Master Shi abdicated from the Privy Council, he has maintained close ties with the Yan clan. This time... he's likely doomed. There are currently two nominees for governor of the Yellow River North Circuit. One is Yan Qiuping of the Yan clan, the second son of Yan Beixi. The other is Xue Zhiqiu of the Xue family. He was formerly the governor of Caizhou in the Yellow River South Circuit and enjoyed a good reputation during his five years in office. Caizhou, under his jurisdiction, suffered the least damage from the disaster in the Yellow River South Circuit this time."
"Both the Yan and Xue clans have their eyes on the position of governor of the Yellow River North Circuit. The Shi clan doesn't seem to be making any moves, so Xie Ling will probably be taken down soon."
"In short, this is a major shakeup. The court will open on the seventh day of the first lunar month, and there will be many more adjustments to follow. In my opinion, His Majesty will recruit more new people, but in reality, these newcomers will still belong to the six major clans. So, you have to be more careful. His Majesty is not a foolish ruler."
Dong Kangping's voice was soft but very serious when he said this last sentence. Hearing it, Fu Xiaoguan frowned.
He did not have a deep understanding of the emperor. In the few times they met, he felt that the emperor was quite kind. In addition, with the relationship between them and Yu Wenjun, he did not think badly of the emperor.
But at this moment Dong Kangping said it so cautiously, which naturally meant that His Majesty knew all this, so solving this problem still had to fall on the shoulders of the six major clans.
Fu Xiaoguan had also thought about this. For an emperor, this kind of political strategy would not be inappropriate. He was also willing to be a lone minister and a reckless pawn in the hands of His Majesty, not for anything else, just to be able to live comfortably in this world.
So where should my heart be?
Seek benefits and avoid harm? This is obviously not possible.
Kill the donkey after it has done its job?
That's possible.
But I haven't turned the mill yet, so it's not urgent now.
After much thought, if we want to avoid this situation, we still have to strengthen ourselves.
There is no need to create a conflict with His Majesty, but one must have enough capital in his hands - not to say that he wants to rebel, as rebellion is too tiring and Fu Xiaoguan has never thought about it. But he wants His Majesty to be inseparable from him. Where should he start?
"Just like your chess game, starting from the subtlest details, and then... thunder in the silence!"
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