The prince was very concerned about He Xi's safety, and specially assigned the palace guards to protect He Xi. These were the Luan Yi Guards. Today's Jinyi Guards are still new, and their costumes are not much different from those of the palace guards. Therefore, Guo Huan admitted his mistake at the first sight
.
However, Guo Huan was still shocked after he found out that he had admitted his mistake.
After all, not everyone can use palace guards as bodyguards.
He knew that He Xi had a big background, but he never expected that it would be so big.
After more than a hundred palace guards occupied key positions near the dock, and even forcibly occupied the positions guarded by some Hangzhou soldiers, He Xi came out of the cabin under the protection of two people. One was Xu Baoer. The other
He is Qianli, the king of hundreds of households in the East Palace of the Prince's sect.
Although Xu Bao'er is young, he is Xu Zheng's adopted son. He is not familiar with matters in the palace and outside the palace, but he still understands them all. He even brought a maid to take care of He Xi's food and daily life. As for Wang Qianli, he is naturally a bodyguard.
He Xi's safety.
He Xi himself was unwilling to disturb Zhou Zhang in such a big way, but Zhu Yuanzhang did not allow it, and neither did the prince.
Zhu Yuanzhang naturally wanted to ensure his absolute control over He Xi and would not let He Xi escape his control. As for the prince, he really regarded He Xi as his younger brother. Naturally, he had to make proper arrangements for him.
As soon as He Xi came out.
Guo Huan immediately stepped forward and saluted and said: "I'm here to pay my respects to Secretary He."
He Xi immediately stepped forward to help him and said, "Mr. Guo, why do you say this? He Xi is only a district secretary, how dare you call yourself a superior official?"
The secretary supervisor system has also been improved a lot during this period. The secretary order is the third rank, and the secretary man is the seventh rank. He Xi's official position is the secretary man. Speaking of it, it is only the seventh rank. How can he be the chief envoy?
Shangguan.
Guo Huan said: "Secretary He is here on behalf of His Majesty, isn't he a superior official?"
Guo Huan's reply also had no flaws at all.
He Xi didn't know how to refuse for a while.
Guo Huan said: "Secretary He is tired from the journey, so please give me a favor and let me help you."
He Xi looked at Guo Huan and said, "Okay."
Guo Huan immediately called for many sedan chairs. He Xi was asked to get on the sedan chair.
He Xi said: "Give me a horse. Treating people as animals is not done by a benevolent person. Don't you think so, Mr. Guo?"
Guo Huan's face froze, then returned to normal in a moment, and said: "What Secretary He said is absolutely true. Come on, change the horse."
A group of people came to the Chief Envoy's Yamen.
All the leading figures from the Zhejiang Chief Secretary's Yamen and the Zhejiang Police Chief's Yamen have arrived.
Guo Huan introduced them one by one. However, He Xi found that the Zhejiang Capital Command Department, that is, the Zhejiang military, did not have a single heavyweight.
He Xi asked: "Where is the commander of the capital of Zhejiang?"
Guo Huan said: "Secretary Lang does not know that the ground in Zhejiang is not peaceful. There are often rebellions by scoundrels at the junction of Chuzhou and other three provinces. The Marquis of Yan'an is commanding the three provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Fujian and is encircling and suppressing bandits. Almost all the soldiers and horses in Zhejiang
They are all in Chuzhou, and all the commanders are at the command of the Marquis of Yan'an. They are not in the city."
He Xi nodded and said, "That's it."
When Guo Huan said this, He Xi remembered it.
Just like in later generations, just after the founding of the People's Republic of China, there was a long period of war to suppress bandits. The same was true in the Ming Dynasty, especially in the south. This kind of war lasted for many years before gradually settling down.
Although the subsequent suppression of civil unrest in various places in the Ming Dynasty was in the nature of suppressing peasant uprisings, the frequent suppressive activities in various places during the early Ming Dynasty cannot be regarded as simply suppressing peasant uprisings. It does not necessarily mean establishing rule.
The management of local areas in the Yuan Dynasty was quite crude, and local tycoons in various places were rampant and dominant. After many local tycoons entered the Ming Dynasty, they transformed into aristocratic families. However, the local tycoons in some remote places may not be so smart.
Although the Ming Dynasty has been established for more than ten years, many people are still alive in the Yuan Dynasty. After all, they spent the first half of their lives in the Yuan Dynasty. They are used to the almost indulgent generosity of the Yuan Dynasty. Many things do not feel like a big deal. But the court wants to ask questions, that is
Too much control.
The more remote and isolated the place, the more so. The local bullies are used to it. So they must submit to the imperial government?
Even the Yuan Dynasty didn't take care of them. You, Zhu Chongba, came to take care of them, and you relied on the sky to be high and the road to be far away. The mountains are high and the rivers are long. I don't think the Ming Dynasty will mobilize troops. But what kind of person Zhu Yuanzhang is, he will naturally not be merciful to these people.
Tang Shengzong, Marquis of Yan'an, was one of the generals responsible for pacifying local areas. In addition, there were several others, such as Nanxiong Marquis Zhao Yong, who suppressed bandits and put down rebellions in various places.
However, these generals who put down the bandits were actually politically frustrated people.
There is no other reason than pacifying these bandits. There is not much credit at all. After winning the battle, the general commanding thousands of troops to pacify the bandits is what he should do. But in fact? These old bandits are all very cunning.
It is also located in the mountains, and the terrain is limited, so it is impossible to move large troops. There are even many remnants of the heroes who were defeated in it, so the combat effectiveness is not necessarily weak.
Ordinary generals may not be able to defeat them. If one fails, the ship will capsize.
The same was true for Tang Shengzong. Although he was an old general in Huaixi, he was a little too close to Li Shanchang. As soon as Li Shanchang came to power, he was implicated. After living idle for several years, he also quelled civil unrest in various places. Zhu Yuanzhang discovered that these bandits were all
It was a hard bone with no meat at all. Only then did I think of the veteran Tang Shengzong.
Just enabled.
However, He Xi had seen this name in the list given to him by the prince, and the prince even personally told He Xi: "I don't know whether you can believe these people in Zhejiang, but Uncle Tang is a kind man. He did what he did back then.
I made a mistake and was left idle by my father. I have regretted it all these years. Guo Huan is a hard-working man and that's all. If you really want him, just go and invite Uncle Tang immediately."
These are the thoughts that flashed through my mind.
After the two sides exchanged greetings.
Guo Huan said hello and the food was served.
As soon as He Xi looked at the table, he immediately said: "Mr. Guo, is this Hangzhou style? I've never seen it before?"
There were four large plates in front of He Xi. The plates were divided into dozens of grids at the center of the circle, and there was a dish in each grid. The colors were colorful and looked dazzling. Although each portion was very small, when added up, this
Four large plates with probably dozens of dishes.
Full of color and flavor.
It's just that this plate is a little strange.
Guo Huan said: "That's it. Secretary He has come from afar. As hosts, we naturally have to entertain him well, but we don't know what Secretary He's appetite is. The imperial court stipulates that local officials can only receive four dishes and one soup. We can't
I don't dare to violate the rules. That's why I came up with this strategy. Ask Secretary He to taste it. Whatever dishes you like, I will give you those dishes in the future."
"Yes, yes. Yes." Wang Zhong, the inspector of Zhejiang on the side, said with a smile: "This is also what we Zhejiang officials think of Secretary He. It has a name, known as the Hundred Flavors Feast. Please accept Secretary He."
When He Xi saw this, he turned his eyes left and right, picked up the chopsticks, and seemed about to put them down. After a while, he dropped them.
He Xi said: "Your Majesty, your ministers must remember the court regulations carefully. Since the court stipulates that officials can receive only four dishes and one soup, it is better not to do this kind of thing well. Take away all the dishes and serve them again."
He Xi said this.
It suddenly became cold.
He Xi knew that this banquet was actually a test by Guo Huan. What was Guo Huan like to test He Xi? What was the purpose? He Xi originally wanted to give in. But after thinking about it, he really didn't have the confidence.
Hide your feelings in front of Master Guo.
On the boat, He Xi repeatedly studied Guo Huan's information. No matter how he looked at it, he was a talented person. If He Xi hadn't determined that Guo Huan must be a corrupt official, he would have believed that Guo Huan was innocent.
In the same way, the greatest evil in the world must be accompanied by great wisdom and courage.
Without great wisdom and courage, one cannot be a great treacherous person. Guo Huan is also a genius in corruption. He embezzled more than 20 million shi in total. What is the concept? This is the annual income of the Ming Dynasty. It is equivalent to someone who embezzled nine dollars in 2021.
Around one trillion, which is China’s total fiscal revenue.
In this case, simply state your intention.
See if you can alert the snake.
Guo Huan was unfazed by the humiliation, and seemed not to be affected by He Xi at all. He immediately stood up and said: "It's all the fault of the lower official. The lower official thought that Secretary He Tianhuang, a noble man, must not be able to endure the hardships of the place, so he racked his brains to do this in vain.
This is all the fault of the lower official. The lower official apologizes to Secretary He."
Even if He Xi was dissatisfied with Guo Huan, he had to say a few words at this moment. After all, you can't dismiss a chief minister just because of a table of food. He Xi could only say: "It's a trivial matter, it's not worth mentioning."
Guo Huan said: "Come, please change seats."
After a while, some famous Hangzhou dishes were served, such as Dongpo Pork, West Lake Vinegar Fish, etc.
Nothing happened again. After the reception banquet, He Xi went back to rest.
Zhejiang Inspector Wang Zhong looked a little ugly and said to Guo Huan: "This time, the person who came was not good and the good person did not come. But is there any oversight in the capital?"
Guo Huan closed his eyes and meditated for a while, then opened his eyes and said: "No. If there is something wrong with the capital, the one who comes should be the Jin Yiwei. Even if it is not the Jin Yiwei, he should send an old official. How can he be so young?
Sheng doesn’t look like a man with means.”
"Our Majesty is not a merciful Lord."
Wang Zhong said a little impatiently: "Why is that? This He Xi doesn't give any face at all. He clearly comes with prejudice. Have we offended anyone?"
Guo Huan said: "In these years, we have always met each other half and half, and we are kind to others. How can we offend others? Don't worry, it's just a matter of soldiers coming to block the water and covering up the water. A mere child can't turn the sky upside down." When Guo Huan said this, his words were all over the place.
Suddenly there was a hint of nervousness, and he said: "I'm just afraid, He Xi's coming here is just a pretense, and someone else is here to deal with us."
Wang Zhong said: "Who?"
Guo Huan said: "Jinyiwei sent people to keep an eye on the Qianhu Office of Jinyiwei in Hangzhou. I want to know what they do."
Wang Zhong said: "Don't they think they are full?" This chapter has been completed!