1007 Accepting Gifts and Developing Local Power

After things on the island were dealt with, the Ninth Prince did not stay any longer and brought Feng Qingchen and Zuo An back to the shore. At the same time, the "Ninth Prince" who was recuperating in a small county town also announced that he had recovered from his illness and officially set out for Shandong.

After recovering from his illness, the Ninth Prince changed his previous low-key attitude and accepted hospitality from local officials whenever he arrived in a town. He also accepted generous gifts from his subordinates. Feng Qingchen once quietly asked him if it was okay not to accept the gifts?

"No, not accepting gifts will cause trouble, and I don't want to get into trouble." Not accepting gifts does not mean that you are honest in the eyes of others, but that you are dissatisfied with someone. Even if he is a prince, he cannot offend these people in the officialdom.

"What trouble will there be?" As an ordinary citizen, Feng Qingchen knew the darkness of officialdom and could adapt well to it, but she still hated the act of giving gifts. She did not expect that the Ninth Prince would be one of these people.

You have to know that these gifts are extremely valuable and officials cannot afford them with their salaries. They are all obtained through corruption and are the hard-earned money of the people.

"When we get to Liaocheng, you'll understand that I won't accept gifts from the local governor." The Ninth Prince did not explain the unspoken rules of the officialdom, but only let Feng Qingchen see it with his own eyes.

Although honest officials are good, there are so many officials in the world, and the emperor is far away. How can everyone be so honest? If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. The Ninth Prince does not mind if the officials are a little corrupt, but they must remember their duties and not let the people complain.

Feng Qingchen had a vague feeling that the Ninth Prince was going to do something again, but seeing his frank expression, she did not think much about it. Moreover, she also wanted to know what trouble would happen if the Ninth Prince did not accept the gift.

They traveled along the way, stopping at every city they encountered, and the gifts they received almost filled up a boat. Feng Qingchen once thought that if they ran out of money in the future, they could just let the Ninth Prince go around and take them on a tour. In this way, the money they received would be enough to live on for decades.

After a day's rest in the Governor's Mansion, the Ninth Prince left early in the morning. The Governor presented a thick list of gifts and sent the Ninth Prince off with a humble smile. |

The Ninth Prince didn't take anyone seriously from the beginning to the end, but even so, the governor was very happy as if he had got an advantage. Feng Qingchen knew that this was a common problem among officials. If the people above are willing to accept your gifts, it means they are satisfied with you.

The three of them led the mighty ****'s personal guards forward again. The advantage of marching openly was that they did not encounter any army or even bandits along the way. When they met a caravan or something along the way, the other party would take the initiative to make way and avoid them. No one dared to cause trouble, and of course there would be no one who would block the road and ask for justice.

Feng Qingchen once asked the Ninth Prince why he wanted to travel so ostentatiously. Wouldn't it be better to hide his identity as before? It would be a waste of time to stop and go along the way.

The Ninth Prince's answer was: A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall, and a son of a wealthy family does not sit in a hall. Although hiding one's identity is convenient, there are many unknown dangers, and it will also make the emperor wary.

Everything is laid out in the open, not only will the emperor have no excuse to deal with him, but their personal safety can also be guaranteed. With his identity as the Ninth Prince's uncle, he will definitely have a safe journey in Dongling. No one dares to mess with him, and the emperor will not send troops to take action.

The Ninth Prince died in Dongling under the protection of many personal soldiers. No official can bear the blame for this crime, and Dongling cannot afford to lose this person.

Just as the Ninth Prince said, after revealing his identity, not only did he not encounter any trouble along the way, but he was also treated to delicious food and drinks wherever he passed by. This was much better than the life he had to live in before, when he had to be on guard day and night.

After enjoying the leisurely journey, Feng Qingchen said that it was good like this now, with fine clothes and delicious food being served along the way, and she could also think about where to start when she arrived in Shandong.

After all, Shandong is not only a game between the Ninth Prince and the Lu family, but also a game between the Emperor and the Ninth Prince.

After walking for two days and staying overnight in a small mountain village, Feng Qingchen and the Ninth Prince arrived in Liaocheng in the afternoon of the next day.

The governor of Liaocheng had been waiting outside the city gate since early morning. When he saw the Ninth Prince's carriage, he ignored his own fatigue and hurriedly led officials of all ranks to kneel down to greet him.

"Your humble servant respectfully welcomes the Ninth Prince. May He live a thousand years, a thousand years, and a thousand thousand years."

When Feng Qingchen got off the car, he saw a series of people kneeling on the ground, including officials and guards.

Along the way, Feng Qingchen had become accustomed to this kind of welcoming ceremony. Although it was very official, it had to be said that if it weren't so official, Feng Qingchen would have thought that the local officials had something against the Ninth Prince.

"No need for the formalities." The Ninth Prince did not put on airs, but he made the other party kneel before speaking.

"Thank you, Your Highness. May you live a thousand years, a thousand thousand years." The Governor of Liaocheng stood in the front. He quietly looked up at the Ninth Prince, then quickly lowered his head, looking cautious as if he didn't dare to look directly at him.

"Your Highness, I have prepared a banquet at your residence to welcome you. I hope Your Highness will do me the honor of attending." The Liaocheng governor said flatteringly.

The officials along the way were all like this, and the Ninth Prince did not refuse. He ate what he should eat and took what he should take. The Liaocheng Governor thought that the Ninth Prince would do the same, but he waved his hand and said, "I am tired, let's go directly to the post station."

The governor of Liaocheng was stunned for a moment and his face turned pale. He couldn't figure out what he had done wrong. He kept apologizing and said that he didn't expect the Ninth Prince's hard work along the way. He kept nagging, but finally the Ninth Prince interrupted him impatiently.

"Go to the post station." It was concise and clear, yet it revealed an unquestionable majesty.

"Yes, yes, yes, Your Highness, please come this way." The Governor of Liaocheng was so frightened that his legs were shaking and his head was almost buried in his chest.

Inside the city, the Liaocheng governor had already prepared a sedan chair, but the Ninth Prince refused to sit in it and turned to get into his own carriage.

The governor, who could make Liaocheng tremble with just a stomp of his feet, was now like a puppet, not knowing how to deal with the situation.

When getting on the carriage, Feng Qingchen saw the pale face and frightened look of the Liaocheng Governor, and looked at him with sympathy.

When they arrived at the post station, the Ninth Prince sent away all the officials and had a simple dinner at the post station. As soon as the dinner was over, a servant came to report that the Governor of Liaocheng and local officials had sent gifts. The Ninth Prince ordered his men to refuse them one by one, saying that they would not accept them.

Those who came to give gifts were all sweating profusely and kept saying nice things, trying to get the gifts in.

The Ninth Prince brought Feng Qingchen to watch this scene outside the post station. The Ninth Prince squeezed Feng Qingchen's hand and said, "Now you understand why I did not refuse their hospitality and gifts."

Refusing a gift is more troublesome than accepting one, and the Ninth Prince hates trouble. Of course, it's not all like this, he has his own intentions...

Feng Qingchen sighed and stammered, "In the future, I mean... if one day you are in the highest position, will you also acquiesce to the officials below doing this?"

Giving gifts is a custom, and Feng Qingchen knows that she cannot change it with her power, but...

She couldn't ignore it even though she knew it was wrong.

"If you want the horse to run, you have to feed it with grass. Gift-giving is a common practice in the officialdom, and it is not easy to stop it, but I will try my best. Let's go, I will take you to the Liaocheng Governor's Mansion to have a look."

The Ninth Prince knew that Feng Qingchen still found it hard to accept, but he didn't want to explain too much. There were some things he couldn't do now...