The sky was a little gloomy, and a yellow leaf fell from the sycamore tree in Liu Zhizhou's mansion.
There were only three people in the yard: Liu Zhidong, Fu Xiaoguan and Liu Sanye.
Fu Xiaoguan still brought a box of Xishan Tianchun and two bottles of perfume.
"This is perfume, for the women in the family. It's a long-lasting, wonderful fragrance when sprayed on the body. One bottle has the scent of osmanthus, and the other has the scent of jasmine. This little gadget has just been trial-produced. Let's give it to the adults' family to try and see if they like it."
Liu Zhidong took the perfume and looked at it carefully. The glass bottle was very exquisite. A fragrance emanated from the bottle. The faint scent of jasmine drifted into his nostrils, which was very pleasant.
This young man is really capable. I guess this little thing will be sold for a lot of money.
Liu Zhidong did not exchange pleasantries with Fu Xiaoguan. He called a maid and asked her to take the two bottles of perfume to the backyard to show the lady and the young lady.
Third Master Liu poured tea for Prefect Liu and Official Fu. Liu Zhidong took a sip, his smile gradually fading. He then said to Official Fu, "My dear brother, I'll dispense with the formalities. The truth is, His Majesty has dispatched four imperial envoys to investigate the whereabouts of disaster relief supplies in the thirteen prefectures of the country. The five prefectures north and south of the Yellow River, north and south of the Yangtze River, and Hedong are the primary destinations. These are the five largest administrative regions of the Yu Dynasty's thirteen prefectures, governing dozens of prefectures and hundreds of counties. Many of these prefectures and counties have also been the hardest hit by disasters over the years, and they are the primary destinations for the imperial court's disaster relief supplies."
Fu Xiaoguan frowned, thinking, "Why are you telling me this? I'm not a court official, and I have nothing to do with disaster relief."
Liu Zhidong paused, then continued, "Do you know how big a mess this will cause once it's investigated?"
Fu Xiaoguan was silent for a moment. "So... the corruption in this area is very serious?"
"I can tell you this: if we really investigate, from the prefects to the county magistrates in these five provinces, few have clean hands."
Fu Xiaoguan thought that all crows in the world are really the same black.
He still didn't realize how this had anything to do with him, so he looked relaxed.
Liu Zhidong took a deep breath, thinking that Fu Xiaoguan was just a small landlord and must not understand the affairs of the court very well, so he decided to explain it to him more clearly.
"The origin of this matter is the more than 30,000 disaster victims you received in Yao County!"
Fu Xiaoguan was suddenly shocked at this moment. He remembered that Yu Wenjun and Dong Shulan had both sent letters to Shangjing from Xishan.
So it seems that their letters, at least Yu Wenjun's letter, reached His Majesty's hands, which is why His Majesty ordered the imperial envoy to conduct an inspection.
Since he was the cause, then those officials who were unlucky in this inspection would only blame him, and only him!
Oh my god, I’m the one getting caught in the crossfire!
Of course he knew the intricacies of the officialdom. Even if these officials fell, the senior officials behind them would not fall, and the blame would be placed on him sooner or later.
The Fu family has nothing but a lot of money and land. If a big hand were to come down and hit them, with their thin arms and legs, they would be smashed to pieces in an instant.
"Do you understand now, dear brother?"
"Thank you for your advice, sir. I understand. But I dare to tell you that this was not my original intention. I just thought that we needed people to build Xishan, that's all."
"It doesn't matter what you think, what matters is what others think!"
Liu Zhidong took a sip of tea and continued, "To be able to sit in the position of Taotai is already a high-ranking official in the imperial court. Of the thirteen Taotai in the country, which one doesn't have connections to the imperial court? The mystery of this is beyond your imagination. If this is truly investigated, one or two Taotai will probably be beheaded to appease the people. Perhaps it will be the Prime Minister's faction that suffers misfortune, or perhaps it will be the fate of a prince's faction. No matter who suffers misfortune, the blame will be placed on you. That's what they want. Although you are insignificant in their eyes, killing you is a matter of attitude."
"You also need to understand that even if there's interference from above this time, and it turns out to be a lot of noise but little action, you will still be punished because you broke their rules."
"In the officialdom, especially in the upper echelons of officialdom, the ultimate outcome of their struggles is at the bottom."
"I'm sure someone is behind this incident, and it all depends on who has the tougher hand. This storm has begun, and you're already in it. Have you thought about how to escape?"
At this point, Fu Xiaoguan understood everything.
He, like a little butterfly, flapped his wings in the small Yao County, but caused a storm in the distant Shangjing.
This storm will not even manifest itself in the capital, but it will definitely break out somewhere in the thirteen provinces, hundreds of prefectures, and thousands of counties. Many officials will be dismissed and many will die because of it.
Then Fu Xiaoguan from Linjiang is the culprit of this incident. Killing him or even destroying his entire family is the final result.
This is not a good thing!
Fu Xiaoguan frowned. It was the first time he felt a serious threat after coming to this world for more than four months.
If he was alone, he could just run away. He believed he could survive comfortably in any country, but the current situation was that he couldn't run away.
I have a father at home, and he just married five concubines. Where can I go with this whole family?
"If you don't want to be torn apart by this storm, then hurry up and find a big tree to support you. If you delay any longer, it will be too late."
There are very few big trees in the world that can help him withstand such a storm. Liu Zhizhou knows that there is such a tree, and it depends on whether Fu Xiaoguan can hold on to it.
"Thank you, Lord Liu, for saving my life. I will repay you in the future. I will go back first and visit you again after this matter is over."
"Go ahead. I've already locked Yu Lian up. Linjiang Prefecture... we also need to make a statement."
…
After Fu Xiaoguan left, Third Master Liu was puzzled and asked, "Sir, the Fu family is doomed this time. You should have avoided it. Why did you tell him so frankly?"
Liu Zhidong smiled faintly, "Because I know he has a big tree."
"How can you be sure that he can get close to Concubine Shang?"
"If he can't get close... then I can't help him. I might even personally lead people to raid the Fu family. I also need to give an explanation to the Taotai, right?"
Master Liu Sanye understood that if Fu Xiaoguan attached himself to Concubine Shang, Concubine Shang would definitely protect the Fu family. Once things developed like this, Master would be tied to Fu Xiaoguan, and perhaps Master would have a chance to be promoted.
But Mr. Liu Sanye didn't understand what methods Fu Xiaoguan would use to curry favor with Concubine Shang. Would Concubine Shang become an enemy of an important official or prince in the court just for Fu Xiaoguan?
Concubine Shang has a son, the current Fifth Prince. His Majesty has not yet appointed a Crown Prince. If Concubine Shang wants to fight for the Fifth Prince, it seems that it would be more beneficial to put aside Fu Xiaoguan.
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