Wu Shilai really does what he says.

After reporting to the government office today, he did not even go back to his prefectural government office. Instead, he changed into casual clothes and took a sedan chair to West Chang'an Street, to an inconspicuous mansion adjacent to Xiyuan.

A plaque with the words "Xu Mansion" hung on the lintel of the door of the four-courtyard house. Four Jinyiwei in bright red cotton armor were guarding the door. It was the residence of Xu Jie, the chief minister of the cabinet.

Wu Shilai was a frequent visitor to the mansion. After getting off the sedan chair, he went straight into the mansion without having to report to anyone.

At this time, Lord Xu had already gone to the cabinet, but his eldest son Xu Fan was at home.

Wu Shilai came to find Xu Fan.

Xu Fan was only forty years old. He was tall and handsome, but his eye sockets were a little deep and his nose was a little hooked. At first glance, he looked like a very cunning person.

He was Xu Jie's eldest son. His mother died when he was two years old, and his father was demoted to Yanping, Fujian, for disobeying the Prime Minister Zhang Cong. Although he grew up in poverty, he was strong-willed, intelligent, and studious. He loved reading and was particularly familiar with the historical allusions of the dynasty. Therefore, when Xu Jie was in the cabinet, he would discuss all the secret reports and replies he made with Xu Fan, all of which were related to the great plans of the country.

Therefore, after Yan Shifan was defeated, the title of "Little Prime Minister" seemed to fall on his head.

Now Xu Fan holds an idle position of the third-rank Minister of Rites, and spends most of his time accompanying his father in the cabinet to serve as an advisor.

However, during the period before the New Year, there were many guests in the mansion and many miscellaneous matters that needed to be dealt with, so Xu Fan stayed at home.

At this time, Xu Fan was checking Xu Yuanchun's homework. He had high hopes for this son, hoping that he could make up for his regret of not having gone to school and continue the Xu family's tradition of succession.

However, this boy had been in a bad mood since returning from Miaofeng Mountain, and the article he wrote was also absurd, which made him very furious.

He got so angry that he gave the unfortunate kid a few beatings.

Only after hearing that Wu Shilai had arrived did Xu Fan let his son go and rushed to the study to meet him angrily.

After his father left, Xu Yuanchun rubbed his swollen palms and thought silently, I wonder if the county lord's sister's injury has improved?

~~

After entering the study, Xu Fan had regained his composure and said with a smile: "Brother, you came at the right time. Let's play a game of hands."

"Oh, I'm busy today and not in the mood." Wu Shilai waved his hand.

"My father always praises you, brother, for not being afraid in times of danger and being able to be entrusted with important matters. What's the matter that worries you so much?"

Xu Fan and he sat on the armchairs along the wall. They were from the south and were not used to sleeping on the kang when they came to the north.

"Oh, this is what happened..."

Wu Shilai told Xu Fan exactly what happened yesterday.

"What?!" Xu Fan was furious when he heard this.

"Is Cao Sanyang a young man who just passed the imperial examination? Doesn't he know that the word 'stable' is the key to success in Shuntian Prefecture? Why is he so reckless as to invite three hundred candidates to come and watch over the government office?"

Wu Shilai thought to himself, he is worthy of being the strategist of Xu's party, he really knows how to use words, and he used the word "watch" very well.

But he wanted to speak a fair word for his boss, "Who knew that a small scholar could have such great power? Not only could he attract two or three hundred scholars, but even the princess came to protect him?"

"There are many unexpected things in this world. Even a boat can capsize in a gutter!" Xu Fan slammed the table in anger and said:

"I think he's a fool. He's lost his mind because of his official position. He thinks he can handle anything just because he's the governor of Shuntian Prefecture and a third-rank official, right?"

"When you are an official, isn't it better to have less trouble than more, and less trouble than nothing?" Xu Fan was so angry that he couldn't breathe for a long time. "He shouldn't have been involved in this matter from the beginning!"

"He said that this matter involves too many people, including..." Wu Shilai swallowed his saliva and whispered, "Third Master."

"Xu Ying?" Xu Fan was stunned, and his anger turned into embarrassed annoyance.

"I repeatedly told him to do business honestly and that it would be better to let the middlemen make a profit than to deal directly with the maritime merchants."

"Young Lord, this is a mature statement. After all, Third Master is still young. He doesn't know that some money cannot be earned." Wu Shilai agreed and said, "Those people are eager to drag him into the water, promising him huge profits and flattering him. Third Master can hardly resist."

"He is just obsessed with selfishness!" Xu Fan snorted coldly, "He didn't tell me about this before, which shows that he is planning his own business."

"This is human nature..." What else could Wu Shilai say?

After Xu Fan calmed down and thought for a moment, he said in a deep voice:

"First, go back and have Cao Sanyang warn those people that they must leave Beijing without a single one left alive within twelve hours."

Wu Shilai nodded in agreement. Within the Xu Party, Xu Fan's words represented the will of Lord Xu.

Then Xu Fan said with a solemn expression: "Tonight I will advise my father to order Shuntian Prefecture to conduct a major cleanup of the capital's public security before the New Year, cooperate with the Five Cities Military Command to expel all vagrants in the city, and search inns, temples, brothels, guild halls and other places of filth, arrest and punish the treacherous people who have fled to the capital, so that the capital can be clean to welcome Your Majesty for the first Spring Festival after his accession to the throne!"

"I understand." Wu Shilai was terrified after hearing this. In fact, there was no need to use force to expel the sea merchants who had moved to the capital.

The young minister made such a fuss just to show it to Emperor Longqing, so that His Majesty would believe that the Xu family and the Haishang Group were not in the same group...

At the same time, it is also a good idea to teach those guys in the southeast a lesson so that they don't lose their heads and extend their claws to the capital.

The emperor remained silent all day long. Did you really think that he was a clay sculpture of the Buddha?

In addition, there is another reason that is not known to outsiders.

Even if the national treasury is really out of money, the grain in the granary must be kept to survive the spring famine next year.

How could they have the spare energy to feed so many refugees for nothing?

~~

In the study.

Xu Fan took a sip of tea to calm down, then said coldly:

"I will advise my father tonight to arrange for the Ministry of Justice to impeach Cao Sanyang for his misconduct and lack of diligence in his official duties. He is not suitable to continue to serve as the governor of Shuntian Prefecture and should be sent away."

"Ah, not really?" Wu Shilai finally couldn't help asking, "Fortunately, we handled it in time last night and nothing happened. Do we really have to be so harsh?"

"Brother, I don't mean to be harsh." Xu Fan sighed and said, "Shuntian Prefecture is right under the imperial city. The slightest movement will not escape the eyes and ears of His Majesty. If we don't take action first, we will be in a more passive position when His Majesty takes action."

"Your Majesty may not think that way, right?" Wu Shilai's face turned pale.

"I hope so." Xu Fan looked up at the roof and said, "But we have to plan for the worst in everything and cannot let His Majesty make unlimited associations. So I have to apologize to Lord Cao."

"As for those refugees, if they want to blame someone, they can blame Lord Cao..." Xu Fan said, closing his eyes and muttering:

"Your Majesty sent Hai Rui south last time, which made me feel a little uneasy..."

"Hai Rui? Master, have you ever been so kind to him?" Wu Shilai opened his mouth wide. He felt like his brain wasn't enough today.

"My father thinks so too, otherwise he would not agree to this appointment." Xu Fan shook his head slowly and said:

"But I don't think so. Can you really tame a vicious dog that would bite even the emperor when it gets mad? It's hard to do."

"It shouldn't be..." Wu Shilai felt that he was worrying too much and was scaring himself.

"I hope everything is fine." Xu Fan opened his eyes and forced a smile, "It may be that I was frightened by what happened to Yan Ge's family. I am always suspicious and make my senior brother laugh at me."

"It's better to be safe than sorry." Wu Shilai shook his head slightly.

"Yeah, it's better to be careful." Xu Fan nodded, and wanted to change the topic to something lighter, so he asked with a smile: "By the way, have you told that... Young Master Gao about the revision of the poem?"

"It's Young Master Zhao. I've already told him." Wu Shilai nodded and corrected.

It turns out that the request for Zhao Hao to praise him again did not come from Lord Xu, but from his son... Does this mean that Zhao Hao is wrongly accusing Lord Xu?

~~

Wu Shilai continued the conversation and said with a smile, "What a coincidence! His father was the scholar from yesterday."

"What?" Xu Fan couldn't help but asked in surprise: "Didn't they just come to Beijing from Jinling? How did they get in touch with the princess? Isn't this a bit far-fetched?"

"It was because Zhao Xiaolian's son saved the life of Lanling County Lady." Wu Shilai replied, "Yesterday, the young master personally went to the government office to ask for the person. I heard him say this, so it shouldn't be false."

Upon hearing this, Xu Fan's face, which had just returned to normal, darkened again.

He immediately asked the housekeeper to call Xu Yuanchun over.

Then I asked my son if this was true.

When Xu Yuanchun heard that the princess actually asked the young master to save Zhao Hao's father, his eyes went dark.

At the same time, I imagined that, amid the festive wedding music of "A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix", Li Chengen sent Li Mingyue, who was wearing a bright red wedding dress and a red veil, to the boy surnamed Zhao. Then the two of them got married in front of the eldest princess...

Thinking of this, Xu Yuanchun's tears welled up in his eyes and he felt like his heart was broken.

"Didn't I tell you, a fool, to get closer to the county princess? How did you let someone else get there first?!" Xu Fan scolded with a look of disappointment on his face, "You're still studying at home, go out and find a way. If you can't marry the county princess, you might as well become a monk!"

When Xu Yuanchun heard this, he could not help but recall the scene of himself wearing monk's robes, shaving his head, and wearing the scars of ordination, wiping the altar in the Niangniang Temple. But he saw Zhao Hao and Li Mingyue holding a pair of twins and returning to the Buddha...

ps. First update, please give me monthly votes and recommendation votes~~