Wang Gang stayed with Hai Chaoyun in the room for a while, and then reluctantly came to the main hall of Sheng Mansion to see Gu Tingye.
When he arrived at the main hall, Sheng Hong and Sheng Changbai were chatting with Gu Tingye.
Nowadays, Gu Tingye is not only the young prince of Ningyuan House, but also a popular person around the prince. He performed well in the palace examination and won the Jinshi. Although he was not in the first class, he was among the top thirty of the second class. He officially entered the prince's east palace to work on errands.
In terms of official rank, Sheng Hong had to call the younger generation Gu Tingye "Master Gu".
Fortunately, Gu Tingye didn't have any airs about him, and he had a good relationship with Sheng Changbai and was polite to Sheng Hong, so when the three of them sat down and chatted, the atmosphere was very good.
As soon as Wang arrived, Sheng Hong and Sheng Changbai found an excuse to leave.
"Chang Feng, you are a newlywed, don't you blame me for coming to disturb you?" Gu Tingye teased Wang Gang with a mean smile.
"If I say I'm sorry to bother you, will you leave?" Wang Gang said angrily.
Gu Tingye smiled even happier and said, "Actually, I'm not looking for you today, I'm also entrusted by others."
Wang Gang didn't even think about it and said, "Did the prince ask you to come to me?"
Gu Tingye said in surprise: "How do you know?"
Wang Gang smiled and said: "Other than His Highness the Crown Prince, who else has such great dignity to ask Mr. Gu to come and invite someone to my house?"
"Chang Feng is really smart. No wonder his ability surpasses all the students in the world and he won three prizes in a row." Gu Tingye said flatteringly.
"Where did the prince ask me to meet?" Wang Gang asked.
Gu Tingye put away his smile and said, "Come with me!"
Wang Gang made a gesture of invitation, and the two of them left the Sheng Mansion and walked towards the palace.
Prince Zhao Shu did not meet Wang Gang in the Prince's East Palace. Gu Tingye took Wang Gang around the palace and went directly to a courtyard in the west of the city.
As soon as Wang entered the courtyard, he discovered that there were many guards hidden in the seemingly empty house. The closer he got to the pavilion in the garden of the courtyard, the tighter the guards became.
In the pavilion, Prince Zhao Shu was making tea. After Gu Tingye brought Wang Gang, he asked him to stand aside and not disturb Zhao Shu.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, drinking tea was not as convenient as in later generations. The process of making tea was cumbersome and the resulting tea was similar to tea soup, which was only popular among the upper class of the aristocracy.
Zhao Shu should be a master of tea ceremony. He is skilled in tea making techniques and is very attentive when making tea. He didn't even notice anyone coming.
Wang Gang and Gu Tingye stood by the pavilion, patiently waiting for Zhao Shu to prepare the tea.
"Ting Ye and Zhuang Yuan Gong are here! Sit down quickly and have a taste of my tea." After Zhao Shu saw Wang Gang and Gu Tingye, he warmly invited them to drink tea.
After Gu Tingye brought Wang Gang to the ceremony, he sat opposite Zhao Shu.
Zhao Shu personally handed the tea bowl to Wang Gang, who took it with respectful hands and thanked him.
Gu Tingye was more casual and didn't need to greet Zhao Shu. He just picked up a bowl of tea and drank it in one gulp.
"How many times have I told you, you have to taste this tea slowly. How can you taste the tea if you drink it for a long time?" Zhao Shu said to Gu Tingye.
"Your Highness, I am a rough man and I really don't know how to taste tea. For me, tea that can quench my thirst is good tea." Gu Tingye said carelessly.
Zhao Shu shook his head helplessly, and then looked at Wang Gang again.
Wang Gang took a slight taste, then put down the tea bowl and said, "Your Highness, I don't know much about tea, and I seldom drink tea."
Zhao Shu regretfully took a sip of tea by himself, as if he was regretting not having met a close friend.
In fact, Wang Gang not only understands tea, he has also drunk better tea, but he is really not good at tea. He prefers drinking.
Gu Tingye is the same as him in this regard, so the two can become drinking buddies.
"I invite you here today because I want to comfort you. My father transferred you to Hongzhou Mansion to train you. Don't be resentful." Zhao Shu finished drinking tea and got down to business.
"Thunder, rain, and dew are all gifts from God, and I have never felt any resentment in my heart." Wang Gang said.
Zhao Shu shook his head and said: "Actually, it is not that no one knows about you and King Yong."
Wang Gang was slightly startled and didn't understand why Zhao Shu mentioned this at this time.
Although King Yong died, and Wang Gang was not found out until his death, Wang Gang did not naively think that no one knew about his relationship with King Yong.
Although Wang Gang could threaten King Yong and make him shut up, he could not restrain King Yong's men.
"You don't have to worry. At the beginning, King Yong was very powerful and there were many people who wanted to cling to him. The court couldn't kill them all." Zhao Shu said with a smile.
As soon as Wang Gang heard this, he knew that Zhao Shu probably didn't know what he was doing secretly. Zhao Shu just thought that he had wanted to cling to King Yong.
"Your Highness, I forgive you. I was confused at first, but when I found out about King Yong's rebellion, I immediately distanced myself from him and vowed to defend the imperial authority to the death." Wang Gang knelt down at the right time to show his loyalty.
Zhao Shu stepped forward to help Wang Gang up and said: "Speaking of which, Gu's life was also saved by Shanda people. How could Gu not know your loyalty?"
Wang Gang said: "The prince is so blessed that he can avert danger even if he has no ministers."
Zhao Shu helped Wang Gang up and said sincerely: "I should repay you for saving my life, but when Shanda Ren was released, I didn't help. I'm really ashamed."
Wang Gang and Zhao Shu staged a show of virtuous kings and loyal ministers, which made Gu Tingye feel sleepy.
"This time Shanda people go to Hongzhou Mansion to take office, they also shoulder a major responsibility." Zhao Shu finally got to the point.
Wang Gang said: "No matter what the prince orders, I will not hesitate even if I go through fire and water."
Zhao Shu said: "Hongzhou Prefecture is infested with bandits and has been suppressed repeatedly. I hope that after Mr. Shanda takes office, he can relieve the imperial court's worries."
Wang Gang said in surprise: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants me to suppress the bandits?"
Zhao Shu smiled and said: "I have heard Gu Tingye say a long time ago that Shanda people are both civilized and martial arts. Not only are they good at writing beautiful articles, they are also masters of martial arts and proficient in the art of war."
Wang Gang glanced at Gu Tingye, who did not dare to look at Wang Gang.
"I am not worthy of my honor, but I have only read military books for a few days."
Zhao Shu laughed loudly and said: "I have seen your martial arts skills with my own eyes. The dead soldiers of King Yong are in your hands, and they are no match for you."
Wang Gang stopped talking.
Zhao Shu continued: "I have asked my father for a decree to allow you to take charge of the military and political power in Jiujiang. The commander of Jiangnan West Road will also cooperate with you. The imperial court vows to extinguish the banditry in Jiangxi this time."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Wang Gang frowned and said: "Your Highness, how can the government trust the task of suppressing bandits to a boy? The imperial court can recruit many generals who are good at fighting?"
Zhao Shu sighed and said: "There are indeed many generals in the imperial court who are good at fighting, but most of them need to guard the borders. The banditry in Jiangxi is somewhat special. You will understand it after you take office.
This time I have issued a military order with my father, if you fail to suppress the bandits, I will also be implicated!"
Wang Gang said seriously: "I will not disappoint His Highness."
Zhao Shu smiled and said: "Don't be too burdened. Just work with peace of mind. When you go to Hongzhou, the most important thing is to train the county soldiers and keep the place safe. As for the real main force in suppressing bandits, there are others."
Wang Gang suddenly realized, no wonder Zhao Shu wanted to meet him in another courtyard. He wanted to use him to train a private army!
All attempts to suppress bandits are just excuses. What Zhao Shu really wants is military power.
When he mentioned King Yong's matter just now, he probably just wanted to use it to get a handle on Wang Gang.
Who can sit on the throne of the prince, which one is easy?
"When the bandits in Jiangxi are wiped out, I will ask for credit for you and transfer you back to the capital." Zhao Shu began to draw the pie.
What else can Wang Gang say, of course, he is grateful.
"That's right." Zhao Shu seemed to remember something and asked, "There are some parts of the commercial tax reform that you wrote before, but I don't understand it."
Zhao Shu took out the test paper he had prepared and asked Wang Gang to explain it to him.
Wang Gang did not hide his secrets and gave Zhao Shu advice on the commercial tax reform.
The Northern Song Dynasty was different from other dynasties in that it attached great importance to business and incorporated commercial taxes into the court taxation.
However, due to the limitations of the times, commercial taxation at this time was not perfect, and there was a lot of tax evasion and tax evasion. The court wanted to find out and fill the gaps, but it didn't know where to start.
Wang Gang pointed out the path of business taxation for Zhao Shu, which opened Zhao Shu's eyes and made him look at Wang Gang a little differently.
"Sheng Sheng is so talented. No wonder King Yong looks at you with special eyes." Zhao Shu praised and nodded, which made Wang Gang roll his eyes inwardly.
He realized that the prince and King Yong were the same person, but Zhao Shu was more low-key.
When we came out of the Prince's Courtyard, it was already approaching evening, and Wang Gang's back was soaked through.
Gu Tingye personally sent Wang Gang home, and no one said anything along the way.
"This prince is not simple. You must be careful when you stay with him in the future." Wang Gang finally couldn't hold back and gave Gu Tingye a word of advice.
Gu Tingye stopped, put away his usual cynicism, and said to Wang Gang: "Chang Feng, you have entered the officialdom, you must adapt to it as soon as possible!"
Wang Gang was slightly startled, as if he had met Gu Tingye for the first time, but then he thought about it, it was right, Gu Tingye was born in the Hou Mansion, and even if he couldn't see the true face of the person in power, Gu Yankai would give him a heads up.
