Chapter 84 The Emperor's Southern Tour with Official Hat and Peacock Feather
The next day, Lanxin Pavilion, main room.
Chen Junbo stood guard outside the embroidered screen, listening to the sounds of the doctor packing medicine boxes inside. "Sir, what about Madam's injury?"
"Mr. Chen, the young mistress's injury has largely healed. It's normal that she's a little weak after lying down for so many days. I'll prescribe some mild tonics for her to drink for a few days, and she'll be fine." The doctor came out and clasped his hands in a fist salute.
Nine out of ten people are weak, and Li Yang felt that as long as she went out and jumped around, she would be full of energy again without even needing to take medicine.
Sure enough, as Xiao Lu saw the doctor out, she heard Li Yang shouting, "Finally, I can go out! Chen Junbo, the doctor said I'm fully recovered, you can't stop me anymore!"
"good……"
In the blink of an eye, the young master had been staying in the room every day to take care of the young mistress, and even his official business had been handled in the main house. The young mistress's life was so comfortable; all she had to do was eat, lie down, and act spoiled. What was wrong with that?
She really couldn't understand why the young mistress insisted on going to the flower shop; what was there to do there?
After she saw the doctor off and returned to the main house, Li Yang, already dressed in new clothes, was about to go out with Chen Junbo. "Xiao Lu, let's go to the flower shop."
Xiao Lu curtsied and said, "The sun is shining brightly today. I think it's still early. The bedding on the young mistress's bed hasn't been aired out for quite some time. It's a good day to air it out."
Li Yang didn't say anything, but Chen Junbai said, "She's quite thoughtful." So he let her stay at the Chen residence.
Watching the two leave, Xiao Lu carried the bedding out of the room, propped it up on two chairs, and ran ahead to find Bi Fang.
Carriages and horses rumbled past the gate of Chen's residence.
Li Yang looked at the man opposite her: "I'm all better now. You're so busy, you don't need to come with me to the flower shop."
Chen Junbo smiled and said, "I've been free lately, so let's go to the flower shop together. Yesterday afternoon, I wrote to Lord Zhong and we agreed that if the 'Gathering of Heroes' tasting is successful, then the luncheon for the Emperor's southern tour will be held at your flower shop."
Although he was talking about serious matters, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. "You're going to tell me to 'let it go,' so how can I not go to the flower shop with you?"
Upon hearing this, Li Yang was overjoyed: "Really? It must be because Lord Lin and Lord Zhang were very satisfied after dining at the Flower Pavilion last time, so Lord Zhong thought this method was good. Springtime will be the perfect time to appreciate flowers and enjoy food. By then, it should also be the time when the new tea, Kui Long Zhu, is on the market. That would be wonderful."
Seeing her delight, Chen Junbo smiled and said, "Yes, yes, if the Kuilong Pearl receives praise from the Emperor, you can sell it in the capital without worrying about getting a good price."
After the two reconciled yesterday, Li Yang told Chen Junbo about Madam Zhang's suggestion to sell tea. After all, Madam Zhang approached her because it was an added bonus based on the existing cooperative relationship between Lord Zhang and Chen Junbo.
She wasn't naive enough to think that her tea could actually attract the Salt Commissioner's wife by word of mouth.
Chen Junbo only pondered for a moment after hearing this, but didn't say anything. He just told her to be careful when dealing with Madam Zhang and not to give anyone anything to gossip about.
When the two arrived at the flower shop, Li Yang was already brimming with energy. He was busy discussing with Zhong Qian how to find tea merchants to buy tea, and then he was having Fang Yuan find a chef to taste the dishes. He was so busy all day that he didn't even have time to say a word to Chen Junbo.
Seeing how busy she was, Chen Junbo finally felt relieved and didn't go to the flower market with her the next day.
-
March 13th, the sixteenth year of the Daqing reign, morning.
Before the morning air had faded, a thick white mist rose from the canal.
Early in the morning, Zhong Zhengyuan, Lin Yihuai, Zhang Youdao and others, along with a group of local officials of all ranks, were already waiting at the ferry crossing.
For today's grand occasion of "Imperial boats anchoring at the confluence of three rivers, with banners stretching for thousands of miles upstream," the canal has been cleared and closed to navigation for many days. All private merchant ships and fishing boats have been ordered to anchor and give way, bringing north-south grain transport to a standstill.
Both banks of the canal were prepared in advance by laborers who splashed water to eliminate dust and sprinkled the road with clean water. Officials in brightly colored robes and guards in gleaming armor stood solemnly on both sides.
Looking north along the Grand Canal, a thousand sails raced, dragon flags fluttered. Emperor Qing's imperial ship sailed in the center like stars surrounding the moon, its banners billowing like clouds, its ceremonial guard imposing.
The imperial boat slowly approached the shore, where kneeling crowds of people spontaneously came to greet it, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" In an instant, the sounds of string and wind instruments, commands, the lapping of water, and the boatmen's chants mingled together, creating a magnificent symphony of the empire's golden age.
The most striking element in this magnificent spectacle was undoubtedly the dozens of boatwomen at the ferry crossing, clad in colorful gauze dresses, their makeup both bold and subtle. As the imperial boat approached, they stretched out their slender arms to grasp the rough tow rope, letting the colorful gauze cuffs flutter in the wind like drifting clouds.
They pulled the tow ropes with 'effort,' yet their steps were as light as a dance. Every gesture precisely conveyed obedience and hard work, like a moving bonsai, gracefully presenting the gentle charm and submissive devotion of Jiangnan as a gift.
Upon seeing this, Emperor Qing was overjoyed. He was helped off the boat by the chief eunuch beside him. His dark eyes swept over the group of boatwomen by the ferry and he said, "My dear ministers, you have worked hard."
Officials and salt merchants lined up to welcome the emperor, escorting him directly to the imperial palace in the southern suburbs.
After a brief conversation, the officials bowed and were about to leave when Emperor Qing rubbed his temples and said, "Lin Yihuai and Chen Ziheng, stay."
The two exchanged a glance and stopped.
Xu Fangtong saw the officials off, closed the main hall door from the outside, stood by the door with his hands at his sides, and nodded to the departing officials.
He was an old hand in the emperor's service, and all the prominent officials addressed him respectfully as Eunuch Xu. As for the rest, those minor officials who probably had no chance to see the emperor's face, he naturally wouldn't care about them.
If the relationship is truly "real," this eunuch Xu might say something like, "It's a deal that could cost you your life," before you even enter the door.
Only this Mr. Chen, during the Emperor's last southern tour, had just taken over the Lianghuai salt permits from his maternal grandfather. When he conversed with the Emperor, his exceptional wisdom and competence were evident, and he showed no fear whatsoever. This earned him the title of Minister of the Imperial Household Department, bestowed upon him by Emperor Qing. He was not to be underestimated.
Of course, this official who received the title of Minister was also very sensible. Over the years, no one in the Imperial Household Department had ever seen him, yet everyone had received his favors.
Thinking of this, a faint smile flickered across Xu Fangtong's lips.
Emperor Qing: "The war in the southern border is not over yet. Yi Heng hanged himself while surrounded by enemy troops..."
His words seemed to be about the war in the southern border region, thousands of miles away from Songshan Town, but Lin Yihuai and Chen Junbai both understood that Emperor Qing was not just casually talking about some troublesome matters.
The two men prostrated themselves on the ground, exchanging glances out of the corner of their eyes. Lin Yihuai spoke first, saying, "Your Majesty has devoted yourself to the Great Qing Dynasty. I am ashamed."
These words seemed amusing. The emperor swallowed lightly and forced out a few laughs. "My dear minister, please rise. Hehehe, you have done your duty faithfully. What is there to be ashamed of? It is I who have failed the people of the world." After the two of them stood up, Emperor Qing said again, "How did you handle the matter of submitting your proposal for the salt permit earlier?"
Getting back to the main topic, Lin Yihuai straightened his expression and gave a detailed report on the method of pre-extracting salt permits.
This is not a long-term solution. If the treasury is replenished, he can abolish this method soon.
"Your Majesty, this measure has resolved the current predicament and is a temporary solution. Its effectiveness is now evident, and the predicament in the southern border war should be resolved soon."
Chen Junbo's thoughts coincided with Lin Yihuai's, and at this moment, he also kept his eyes down and didn't say much.
Upon hearing Lin Yihuai's report, Emperor Qing suddenly changed the subject, "Ziheng, what do you think?" He addressed him by his courtesy name, showing even more intimacy than if he were Lord Lin.
Because the salt administration was actually controlled by the imperial court, the salt merchants in Songshan Town were also imperial merchants. Therefore, the system of designating the head merchant and the chief merchant was an official measure to reduce the difficulty of management for the government.
The salt administration only needed to manage the head merchants, who in turn managed the leading merchants, who in turn managed the smaller merchants under their jurisdiction. In this way, the efficiency of salt administration was greatly improved, and the power of the leading merchants was also greatly enhanced, resulting in a win-win situation.
Now that Chen Junbo is the leading salt merchant in Lianghuai, he is naturally someone the emperor needs to pay special attention to. Therefore, he is granted official hat and peacock feather, can attend court in official robes, and can directly access the Imperial Household Department.
Lin Yihuai was secretly surprised that Chen Junbai was so familiar with the emperor. No wonder Emperor Qing had specifically instructed him to seek out Chen Ziheng of Songshan to have more exchanges when he first took office.
Chen Junbo bowed and said, "Your Majesty, before this method was implemented, my colleague Lord Lin and I conducted a detailed analysis, and it is currently the best method."
He then explained in detail his thoughts on the method of pre-issuing salt certificates. This idea did not come out of thin air. In recent years, the country has been prosperous and the population of the Huaihe River region has increased dramatically. The number of salt certificates issued under the old system has long been insufficient, and many transport merchants have complained to him about whether it is possible to issue more salt certificates.
Every boom is followed by a bust. In the long run, there will be years when the population doesn't increase while the number of salt permits increases, and the required number of salt permits will naturally decrease. If next year's salt permits are brought forward to this year, and the proportion of pre-sales is controlled, the supply shortage in the next few years can be alleviated.
As he explained in such a detailed manner, Emperor Qing gradually began to understand.
Upon hearing Chen Junbo's words, Emperor Qing pondered for a moment and said, "Seeing the two of you working together, I no longer need to worry about the salt industry in the Huai River region. If there were more people like you two, so loyal and dedicated, it would be a blessing for the people of the Great Qing Dynasty."
Lin Yihuai hurriedly said, "Your Majesty is wise. In this prosperous and glorious era, only the bandits in the southern border dare to cause trouble. This is the common responsibility of all the people of our Celestial Empire!"
These words expressed my loyalty to the emperor. Although I am only a salt official, the war in the southern border is also my responsibility. Your Majesty, your empire is so prosperous; let me, your subject, serve you in these small matters.
What could a mere civil official like him do? He could only transfer money. Upon hearing this, Chen Junbai frowned instinctively. Seeing that he was forced to ask for instructions, Lord Lin had no choice but to resort to this tactic. In the end, he simply lowered his head and said, "I second that suggestion."
Lin Yihuai carefully considered his words. The matter of the treasury deficit was ultimately a spoilsport, and Emperor Qing was currently in high spirits. How could he approach the topic without incurring the emperor's wrath?
Emperor Qing was relieved of a major concern. He was somewhat bewildered that the war between the Southern Frontier and the Mangzi had dragged on for so many years. When he decided to attack the Mangzi, who had offended the chieftain of the Southern Frontier, he thought he would simply head straight for the Mangzi's stronghold. Who knew that the newly appointed leader of the Mangzi was a capable man who, by taking advantage of the wavering of the border chieftains and the firearms in his hands, had caused the war to drag on for three years.
Now, the only one who can extract this much money is the salt merchant, this big fat sheep.
He glanced at the two men in front of him. Now that they were working together to solve his urgent problem, he immediately smiled and said, "Guards, reward Lin Yihuai with the first-rank official hat and peacock feather, and reward Chen Ziheng with the second-rank provincial governor title."
Lin Yihuai's heart skipped a beat. How could he possibly speak again? He had no choice but to give up and seek another opportunity.
The two shouted "Long live the emperor!" and a deal between the emperor and his subject, made with genuine sincerity, was thus reached.
Having relieved himself of his worries, Emperor Qing enjoyed a leisurely day, riding a pleasure boat on the Grand Canal and listening to opera.
"The talented scholars and beautiful women depicted in this play are truly enviable. Zheng Qingbo, you were personally appointed a Jinshi by me in the sixth year of the Daqing era, and now you are living a carefree life in Songshan Town. I have lost a helper by my side."
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