"Yes, he is a person who will betray anyone for power and official position, and will even disown his relatives!"
"But the more such a person is, the easier it is to deal with him, because he and I have no conflict of interest, and I can't step on his head, and he can't put his hand in my bag!"
With such chaotic thoughts in my mind, the official ship is getting closer and closer.
~~
Boom, boom, boom!
Three cannon shots were fired and smoke filled the air.
"Hahaha!" Amidst a burst of hearty laughter, Li Zhigang appeared on the bow of the ship with great satisfaction, and said with cupped hands to the dock, "Li, I am sorry, please..."
As he said that, his eyes suddenly condensed, showing a hint of anger.
He originally planned to return to the court as an imperial envoy and all the princes in the court should come to welcome him, at least the ministers and ministers from the six departments should be there!
But looking around now, there are only two of them!
There was Xie Jin, whom he did not want to see, and Li Jinglong, Duke of Cao, whom he had always kept a distance from before.
"This is unreasonable!" Li Zhigang cursed in his heart.
How can Li Jinglong's dignity be shown with such a small number of people?
There are so few people, so who can show Li Zhigang the tricks he has painstakingly planned to make a big splash?
~
At this moment, I saw a figure boarding the bow of the ship and said with a smile, "Li Butang! I haven't seen you for a long time, but your style is even better than before!"
If this person is not Li Jinglong, who else could he be?
I saw him looking Li Zhigang up and down, frowning at first, and then smiling, "I thought that the soil and water in Suzhou and Hangzhou would make people fat, and the ministry might make them fat! But now that I see..."
As he said that, Li Jinglong shook his head and said, "You actually reduced your income! You really echoed that ancient poem..." At this point, Li Jinglong put his hands behind his back and chanted, "If you end the affairs of the king and the world, it will be in vain!"
"He... actually used Xin Jiaxuan's words to praise me?"
At first, Li Zhigang thought he had heard wrongly, but after seeing Li Jinglong's sincere eyes, his heart felt warm, and he actually felt a bit like a confidant.
"Isn't it just for the sake of the king's affairs? Otherwise, if I am so full that half of the officials and gentry in the Ming Dynasty wish that I would die tomorrow?"
"Since I was an imperial envoy, I have been fighting with fear as if I were facing a powerful enemy. Hua Fa was born early and had trouble sleeping and eating. Isn't it for the sake of the country and the country of the Ming Dynasty?"
At this time, I heard Li Jinglong laugh and say, "Bu Tang, let me get off the boat with you! Long live the Lord has spoken..."
Li Zhigang drooped his hands fiercely and bowed, "Your Majesty Li Zhigang, listen to the holy teachings..."
"The emperor said that you are not allowed to salute!" Li Jinglong said with a smile, "The emperor said that Li Aiqing is tired from traveling all the way. It is very hard! After getting off the ship, she will go home and have a good rest. Come to the palace tomorrow to have a meal with me and talk about it.
What I have seen and heard in the four provinces of Jiangnan in the past six months!"
Li Zhigang was a little disappointed that he could not see the emperor immediately.
But when he heard that the emperor's oral instructions told him to enter the palace tomorrow and have a meal with the emperor, he felt inexplicably happy.
"My lord, Li Zhigang, thank you for your holy grace!"
Seeing Li Zhigang bowing profusely again, Li Jinglong smiled and helped him up, "It's been a hard journey, please get off the ship with me!"
Seeing that Li Jinglong respected him so much, Li Zhigang was overjoyed and said with a smile, "I dare not trouble the Duke..."
"Tsk..." Li Jinglong feigned anger, then smiled and said, "You haven't handed over the imperial envoy yet? If we really talk about official positions, will I also claim to be a subordinate in front of you?" After saying that, he raised his hands and smiled,
"My lower official, Li Jinglong, has met the imperial envoy..."
"Hey, sir! You're going to kill me!" Li Zhigang laughed.
Li Jinglong also laughed heartily, and the two of them got off the boat arm in arm.
"Li Budang's achievements in the four provinces of Jiangnan this time, I, Mr. Li, saw in my eyes and admired in my heart!" Li Jinglong said as he walked, "In the past, I, Mr. Li, did not have a close relationship with you, and it was because of some other people.
In other words, I would rather keep you at arm’s length from Bu Tang!”
"I, Li, have short-sighted eyes, are ignorant and dull, have no vision, and do not recognize heroes. But now Li has only admiration for you in my heart. In the future, you and I will be officials in the same court. If the ministry does not mind, Li will definitely stay close to you."
!”
These words may seem like a joke to others.
But Li Zhigang recognized this! He still believed this!
Look, Cao Guogong Li Jinglong used to show off to me! Now he is rushing to please me. What does this mean?
Doesn’t this mean that I, Li Zhigang, am no longer what I used to be?
"My lord, you are so polite!" Li Zhigang said with a smile, "Actually speaking, Li is also a sweet-tempered person. His emotions and emotions are all on his face. He likes to make friends the most!"
As he said that, his smile suddenly faded away.
"Master Li!" Xie Jin appeared in front of Li Zhigang, cupped his hands and said, "I have been ordered to welcome you back to the capital!"
"Oh!" Li Zhigang nodded reservedly.
He originally wanted to wait for Xie Jin's next step, but unexpectedly, he just said a few business-like words and stood aside.
"Jealous of me!" Li Zhigang thought to himself, "He is definitely jealous of me!"
"He used to have a higher official position than me, but now I'm on an equal footing with him, and I'm even more holy than him. He must be unhappy!"
"Moreover, I have been in the limelight for the past two years and have unparalleled power. He is still teaching in the East Palace. He must be unhappy!"
"Haha, you snobbish person!"
In an instant, Li Zhigang's mind was already spinning a thousand times.
"Hiss... He is jealous of me. Are those old nerds in Nan Study also jealous of me?"
"My coming back this time will definitely be of great use, and I will definitely be promoted! Those old immortals have always been kind to me, so will I be isolated and helpless in the South Study Room in the future?"
Thinking of this, he suddenly turned his head and met Li Jinglong's gentle gaze.
"Cao Guogong... is still okay!"
"Li Butang invites you, the driver is ready!" Li Jinglong smiled again.
"Wait a minute!" Unexpectedly, Li Zhigang stood still and turned around to look at the fleet on the water.
~~
"Among the fleet returning to Beijing with my officer, there are businessmen from Suzhou, Hangzhou, Fuzhou, Quanzhou and Ningbo..."
Li Zhigang didn't care about Xie Jin's presence at all, so he whispered into Li Jinglong's ear, "Those twelve imperial merchants!"
After Li Jinglong thought for a moment, he knew who he was talking about!
These twelve imperial merchants are the imperial merchants who will be exclusively allowed to enter the Guangfu area after the opening of the port in the future. They have their names registered with the emperor.
They are all the God of Wealth!
"Here comes someone!" Li Jinglong said seriously behind him.
"Here you go!" A patrol military lieutenant in charge of security stepped forward.
"Go and bring two hundred people over!" Li Jinglong said solemnly, "Escort these non-commissioned officers off the ship..."
Then he said to Li Zhigang, "They all have houses in the capital, right?"
"Yes!" Li Zhigang nodded, quite pleased.
"Escort them home. If they have luggage or something, those who should help move it should help!" Li Jinglong said, "Remember, you must choose a tall and strong brother. You are not allowed to peek at other people's family members, let alone
Extort money! Also, if those outside the committee members ask, just say that Li Butang sent you!"
"Here!" After hearing this, the captain quickly went to the shore to pick someone up.
Imperial merchants were also merchants, and merchants were the least popular in the Ming Dynasty.
And Li Jinglong asked the officers and soldiers to escort them, which was equivalent to giving these people face invisibly.
No matter how rich you are in your hometown, it doesn't matter. This is the capital city. Any soldier can stop you and prevent you from entering the city. You still have to endure it!
But now, there are officers and soldiers taking the initiative to escort us! How much face is this?
Moreover, Li Jinglong calmly gave this favor to Li Zhigang.
"And!" Li Jinglong stretched out his hand to summon someone and said in a low voice, "Go to Guanglu Temple to find the Prince Consort and tell them that the imperial merchants have arrived in Beijing! It was Li Butang who brought him to Beijing. No matter how busy he is, hurry up and get rid of him.
Time to entertain these non-members!"
"Master!" After Li Jinglong finished his instructions, Li Zhigang spoke softly, "Actually, you don't have to be too nice to these merchants!" He said, looking at the fleet, "Save them from miscalculating their own weight!"
Li Jinglong laughed, "Isn't this just for your sake?"
"Ah? Haha!" Li Zhigang was stunned at first, and then laughed again.
Face is what Li Zhigang likes most.
"Look at those official ships...?" Li Zhigang pointed to the ships docked at the pier and said, "Do I need to trouble you to bring over more troops?"
"This..." Li Jinglong hesitated for a moment, "Brother Li, it's not a brother's refusal! There are more than two hundred troops in the capital, and they want the emperor's handwriting..."
"That's the military pay Li brought back from the four provinces south of the Yangtze River!" Li Zhigang smiled proudly.
"Hiss!" Li Jinglong suddenly took a breath of air, "You just brought over eight million back?"
"Who said more than eight million?" Li Zhigang shook his head slightly and sighed, "Hey, speaking of which, Li feels ashamed and has failed the Sacred Heart..."
Li Jinglong checked and found that there were about thirteen ships docking. Look at the water lines of those ships...
"Even if it's less than eight million, Long Live the Lord won't say anything..."
"Nine million three hundred and seventy thousand!"
"What?" Li Jinglong almost bit his tongue.
"Nine million three hundred and seventy thousand!" Li Zhigang smiled again, "Here are all of them!"
~
"Are you stupid?"
"I reported more than eight million, but you brought back more than nine million? Looking at your attitude, you really want to bring back ten million?"
"Are they all here? You didn't start from the middle... ah?"