Today's saints built a path along the east wall of Chang'an City to make it easier to visit Qujiang.
The road wall is the same height as the outer city wall, isolating the imperial road from the outside world. It starts from Daming Palace in the north, passes through Xingqing Palace, and ends at Furong Garden in the south.
Xue Bai and others were not qualified to see this royal road, so they had to bypass Qixia Gate from Shengpingfang and then turn towards Qujiang.
The carriage and horses moved slowly, with the female relatives behind.
Du Wulang ran away to nowhere, leaving Xue Bai and Du Younja to walk side by side, listening to his childish remarks about power.
"Wang Zhi regarded him as the censor Zhongcheng and also the household minister, and Pei Gong regarded him as the censor doctor and the household minister, and they all overpowered him. I was originally a fifth-rank praise man, but now he has been reinstated as a sixth-rank Yuanwailang. I think it must be Duke Pei's intention. Get rid of the king, let me be promoted to the fifth rank of doctor, and put on the red robe again..."
The cicadas were chirping in the distance, making a bit of noise.
Xue Bai sighed slightly in his heart and turned to look at Du Youlin. He saw that he was personable and friendly. In short, his character was trustworthy and he was not pedantic in his dealings.
After all, he is the one with the highest family background, qualifications and prospects among Xue Bai's core cronies at the moment, and the degree of mutual interest binding is far from what Yan Zhenqing and Yang Zhen can compare with.
In other words, Yang Zheng is only the leader of the Yang Party, and Du Youlin is his current face of the Xue Party. He should spend more effort to support and patiently train him.
"In my nephew's opinion, rank is the least important thing. Saints need to be given red robes, goldfish talismans only need a word, power and position are important."
"good."
Du Youlin nodded repeatedly, knowing that Xue could win the Holy Family by playing cards, and his vision must be different, so he was very convinced.
Xue Bai said: "The struggle for power is actually to ask the power giver to choose who to give power to after doing his job well. Then my uncle is appointed as the household department, so he should do his job."
"Can't I help Wang Fei?"
"Of course, the so-called 'Yuan Wai Lang' is a person who is added to the designated number to serve as an assistant to the Lang Guan. My uncle's duty is to assist the king. To advance in the officialdom, you should first do your job well. For example, although people in the world scold Ge Nu, in fact He never delays the sage's orders..."
Du Youlin was impressed by what he heard. He couldn't help but look at Xue Bai a few more times and sighed.
He used to live a noble life, waiting for his son-in-law to make the Du family prosperous, but as a result, his two daughters were useless and could not be counted on at all. It is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself, and you have to fight for it yourself.
From a false position to real power, there is a lot to learn. Without Xue Bai's help, I would always feel weak.
But how can we get closer to each other? It was originally a good idea to adopt an adopted son, but unfortunately, the bad temper of the daughter ruined the situation. In the blink of an eye, Xue Bai's reputation was good, and the opportunity had been missed.
"well."
Du Youlin sighed in his heart, turned around and saw a scene, and suddenly had an idea.
But he saw Du Wulang riding his horse beside Lu Fengniang's carriage and talking through the curtain. He was handing a wild flower in, and it was Xue Sanniang who stretched out his hand to pick it up...
~~
The scenery of Qujiang Pool is beautiful. On the east bank is the Royal Furong Garden, while ordinary people play on the west bank.
The sky is bright and clear in April, and the willow trees by the water are blown by the wind, and the catkins are floating like snow.
The group of people got off the carriage. Lu Fengniang and Liu Xiangjun sat down and watched several small children chasing each other. They continued to whisper about the topic just now, but saw Du Youlin waving to her.
"What's the matter, Mr. Lang?"
"What do you think about letting Wu Lang marry Sanniang of the Xue family?"
Even in the current situation, Du Youlin's first consideration was still family status. He pondered and said slowly: "Xue family from Hedong, the great-granddaughter of Pingyang County Duke, her family background is not bad."
Lu Fengniang was stunned for a moment and said: "Mr. Lang is confused. Xue Sanniang has a marriage contract. I said so."
"According to the law, if the man regrets the marriage and will not return the betrothal gift, let the Xue family take a step back, return the betrothal gift, and end the matter."
"Ms. Liu was just talking about this matter. Originally, the other party accused the Xue family of cheating the marriage and insisted on compensating the betrothal gift. Now she wants to return the betrothal gift, but the other party refuses to break off the engagement."
Du Youlin frowned. According to the law, if the woman regrets the marriage and demands sixty sticks, and continues to fulfill the engagement, there is nothing he can do.
Even if he or Xue Bai come forward to deal with this matter, I am afraid that Xue Ling will have to be brought back to deal with it.
But thinking about getting Xue Ling back, the thought of marriage suddenly faded away.
Du Youlin looked at Du Wulang again and saw his son and Xue Shiyilang playing in the water by the pool, looking silly.
He couldn't help but wonder, could it be that he had guessed wrong?
How could it be possible that no one else noticed it, but that I, who didn't care about housework at all, noticed it?
~~
Xue Bai and the Du sisters were walking by the Qujiang River.
Looking sideways, the wind blew their skirts, revealing their beautiful curves.
"I already have a rough idea about donating weapons," Xue Bai said. "I happen to know Wang Wei from the Treasury Department of the Ministry of War, and I got to know Li Hua, the director of the Ministry of Industry, through his division. In this way, the official article can be easily prepared.
.”
"A craftsman from the labor department?"
"I'm afraid it's not enough. A better choice would be the people who built Wang's new house. I'll ask about it later."
Du Jin said: "In this case, it can be done. If we can really build the huge stone cannon you want, can you just present it to the saint directly?"
"There is still a reason." Xue Bai said, "It can't be said that we collected the Longyou intelligence in the darkroom of Fengwei Building. Whoever reminded us to build the huge stone cannon is also a credit."
"Do you still want to share the credit with Wang Zhongsi?"
"Well, that's how we keep our friendship."
Du Wei said: "But this is very dangerous. Yan Gong has reminded you not to make friends with the generals."
Xue Bai turned his head and looked at Du Wei.
Her eyes were like autumn water, always filled with tenderness and concern; while when he looked at her, his eyes never looked like those of a boy with tied hair.
In his eyes, she was always a young girl in her twenties, but she had a very hard life.
Du Wei lowered her head at his gaze.
"I'm thinking," Xue Bai said, "Is there a way to make Wang Zhongsi miss me, but other people don't know that I have this friendship with Wang Zhongsi."
When Du Jin heard this, she immediately felt that his words were a double entendre. She refused to say anything more and just held Du Jin's hand and walked away.
She was dressed very plainly, without any makeup, and she always behaved according to the words and deeds of a little widow who did not interact with others.
"Do you have an idea?" Du Jin asked, helping his sister out.
Xue Bai said: "I heard that when your great uncle was in Longyou, he recommended Wang Zhongsi?"
"have."
Du Jin nodded and talked about the friendship between the two families.
…
When Du Hope was appointed as the military governor of Hexi Province, Wang Zhongsi was demoted, so Du Hope recruited him to Hexi Province as Zuowei Weilang General to capture Tubo Xinluo City.
It is said that Tubo also sent out a large army to retaliate. Wang Zhongsi rode into the enemy formation alone, galloped left and right, and killed hundreds of people on his own, causing chaos to the enemy army. Du Xiang attacked from the flank and the Tibetan army was defeated.
It was this recommendation that enabled Wang Zhongsi to achieve great military exploits again, and later became a powerful figure in the border areas...
~~
Anrenfang, the Du family mansion.
Du Wei heard that a visitor was coming and rushed to the front yard to greet him. He couldn't help laughing when he saw the visitor.
"Brother Gongfu, Wang Twelve Mothers, it's rare for them to come see me."
"I know you are going to be the prime minister's son-in-law soon, and the wedding banquet will be complicated, so I came here to see if there is anything I can help you with."
While talking, Yuan Zai presented a gift. The brocade box contained a pair of jade Ruyi, which was quite decent.
He is about thirty years old, with a handsome appearance, a handsome body, a fair and square face, bright eyes, a high and straight nose, two slanting eyebrows, a well-groomed beard, and a good appearance.
.
If anyone were to guess, they would think that he was a child of an aristocratic family, but they would never guess that he actually came from a poor family.
Also coming with Yuan Zai was his wife Wang Yunxiu.
Wang Yunxiu was twenty-two years old at the time. She was the twelfth daughter of Wang Zhongsi, the Jiedushi envoy of the Four Towns. She really had the demeanor of a tiger girl in a general's household.
She is tall and slender, not as fair and plump as the Chang'an women. The wind and sand from the northwest have made her skin slightly rough, and she has the heroic spirit of a heroine.
Before she came out of the cabinet, she was known as "violent". In fact, she had a strong temperament and some unruly habits.
Du Wei once lived in Hexi with his father and knew Wang Yunxiu very well. He knew that although she had a tough temper, she was as loyal and heroic as any man.
As a friend, Du Wei knew that Yuan Zai had received a lot of cold treatment from the Wang family and left a poem to say goodbye. Wang Yunxiu wrote a poem in return, sharing weal and woe with her husband and leaving together.
"The road sweeps away the traces of hunger and cold, and the sorrow of the sky makes people angry. Give up the tears of farewell, and join hands in the Western Qin Dynasty."
It was Wang Yunxiu's courage to run into the night that inspired Du Wei to marry the fourteenth mother of the Li family.
Therefore, he still calls her "Twelve Queens" to show his respect for her.
The three of them sat down and talked.
"I returned to Beijing to guard the election. I have gone to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to inquire about it, and there is a big official who can judge affairs." Yuan Zai said: "If I can find it, I can stay in Chang'an for a while."
"You have been sent out for two terms, so you should definitely seek an official position in the capital." Du Wei pondered.
He wanted to help his friend, but in order to do so, he would inevitably have to use his connections in the Prime Minister's Office, which was not what he wanted.
Yuan Zai did not force himself and said: "My official position is small and my father-in-law returned to Chang'an, but it is very difficult for me."
Wang Yunxiu said: "It's not that I don't want to attack Shibao City. I intend to do it slowly. But the saint listens to the villain's words. I wonder if Du Gong can give me advice?"
Du Wei smiled bitterly, looked at the couple, and said: "I'm afraid there is no room for maneuver regarding the Stone Fort City matter."
Wang Yunxiu was really disappointed when he heard this.
She was indeed concerned about this matter and felt sorry for the tens of thousands of soldiers.
Yuan Zai just frowned slightly.
They had always had a good relationship with each other, but Du Wei felt a little sorry that he couldn't help with important matters, so he wanted to help Yuan Zai seek an official position. He muttered: "I can try asking Li Siqing about brother Gongfu's request for an official position.
?”
He was not familiar with Li Daosui, the Minister of Dali Temple, so this matter was difficult.
"I misunderstood." Yuan Zai shook his head and said, "I dare not bother you with such common things."
Du Wei's heart was moved, and he thought about Yuan Zai's eloquent talk about the salt method, which was very insightful, and couldn't help but said: "If you want to have Que members, it's not just Dali Temple?"
"You mean, Yan Guan?"
"Brother Gongfu is here today, would you like to go for an outing in Qujiang?"
…
Twelve-year-old Du You just poked his head out from behind the screen, when someone grabbed him by the back of his collar.
He looked back and saw that it was Du Hope who had brought someone here.
"Grandpa, my brother was coaxed by Yuan Zai to go to Qujiang."
When Du Xiang heard the word "coax", his frown eased a little, and he said with a straight face: "You go and study."
"Why is brother going on an outing while I want to study?" Du You immediately grimaced.
"There is no reason, just read it if you want."
~~
By the Qujiang Pool.
The horse's hooves stepped on the green grass. Du Wei raised his eyes and looked around, and suddenly said: "There they are."
After that, he led Yuan Zai and Wang Yunxiu to see Du Youlin.
When they got closer, Yuan Zai looked over and saw a boy about sixteen years old fluttering at butterflies. His small eyes were rather lackluster. He couldn't help but wonder if this was not Xue Bai, who was known as a beautiful boy. Could it be a young boy?
Is there a famous Du Qi?
It's really Du Wulang.
After exchanging a few words, Yuan Zai unexpectedly discovered that Du Wulang's vision was quite good. He was not surprised to learn that he was born in poverty and became a Jinshi before the age of thirty. When talking about the imperial examination, he inadvertently mentioned Zheng Qian, Xiao Yingshi, etc.
A genius-like person.
"Brother Gongfu, you are also a motivated person, so you can definitely talk to Xue Bai."
"It would be an honor to discuss salt with Xue Lang."
"Huh." Du Wulang turned around and realized, "Where did Xue Bai go?"
"..."
Everyone then asked Qinglan and Qu Shui to look for him.
The two little maids trotted along Qujiang for a while, shouting all the way, and Du Erniang came out to greet them.
"What's the rush?"
"The elder man from Anrenfang has brought his friends here and wants to get to know him."
"Which friend?"
"It seems to be Brother Gongfu."
Du Jin said: "I understand, you go first, I will take them back together."
After driving away the two maids, she waited by the pool for Xue Bai and Du Wei to finish their conversation, and the three of them walked back naturally.
"Du Wei is easy to talk to, has many friends, and is sincere in his treatment of others. In my opinion, he wants to find a job for his friends."
"Now that Yang Zheng has just come into power, it is time to recruit troops. The most indispensable thing is the personnel." Xue Bai said: "As long as the people can be used."
Du Jin said: "Yuan Zai Yuan Gongfu is Wang Zhongsi's son-in-law. Didn't someone give you a pillow when you fell asleep?"
"Yes, he and I thought about it together."
After walking for a while, the Du sisters stopped and asked Xue Bai to socialize alone.
Looking at his back, Du Jin whispered something into Du Wei's ear.
"Don't talk nonsense."
Du Jin turned around to leave, but Du Jin hugged her waist.
In this beautiful scenery of Qujiang River, the two sisters chased and fought like they did when they were children, with their skirts flying.
~~
Xue Bai believed that Yuan Zai came here not by coincidence, but because he was an extremely smart man.
Wang Zhongsi, the sworn brother of the crown prince and the military governor of the four towns, is far less majestic than he looks at the moment, and he even looks like he is being roasted on a fire.
He wears the seal of commander of four towns and controls troops thousands of miles away. All the powerful military towns in the northwest are in the hands of one person. This is something that has never happened in the more than 100 years since the founding of the Tang Dynasty.
If Li Longji dies, Wang Zhongsi is the biggest guarantee that Li Heng can successfully succeed to the throne and take power. Li Heng will have to rely on him and comfort him for a long time until his wings are full.
The problem is that Li Longji does not look like someone who is about to die, and he thinks he can live for a long time.
Smart people can see that Wang Zhongsi has become a thorn in the saint's throat.
Stone Castle City, is it really a matter of border warfare?
To fight or not to fight, to win or not to win, how does Wang Zhongsi choose?
Yuan Zai must have understood this, and may have already planned a way out, but the emergence of Yang Hao's party could be a better way out for him.
"In front of Xue Lang, although I have only been back to Chang'an for a short time, I have already heard many stories about your deeds. When I saw you today, I realized that Xue Lang's demeanor is even better than the rumors."
"Brother Gongfu is so kind. I have admired your name for a long time."
"Oh? When did you hear about me?"
"I've heard good stories about brother Gongfu and his sister-in-law."
Yuan Zai then looked at each other and smiled slightly.
"Good things don't go out, and bad things spread thousands of miles." Wang Yunxiu glared at Yuan Zai, showing a bold and generous attitude, and smiled generously towards Xue Bai: "You call me sister-in-law, and if you have anything to do from now on, just ask."
Xue Bai was not polite and responded: "There must be something to do to find a brother and sister-in-law."
Everyone clapped their hands and laughed, and Yuan Zai talked to Xue Bai about salt, iron, and taxes.
After he became an official, he first served as the Xinping County Lieutenant and then as the Supervisor and Judge of Central Guizhou. He had a very good understanding of people's livelihood practices and was really talented. Xue Bai was impressed as soon as he opened his mouth.
"In addition to the fixed salt tax collected by the court, the salt industry is actually in the hands of large households. Maybe Xue Lang thought that all the laborers in the salt field were employed people? Otherwise. Managing the borders, repairing ponds, and watering and drying are all hard labor, and the laborers are all slaves of the large households.
Discussing the Salt Law of "People collect, officials collect, and traders", it is intended to allow the poor to collect salt, and the court will earn part of the profits and then sell it to traders. In fact, it interferes with the big salt industry and collects taxes from wealthy merchants. However, if it is not implemented properly, the price of salt will
The price will skyrocket, and in the end it will still be the ordinary people who buy salt who suffer..."
Yuan Zai talked eloquently, citing several examples of small local salt farms when he was an official, and at the same time observed Xue Bai's reaction.
When he saw that Xue Bai kept nodding and agreed with his opinion, he began to put forward his opinions.
"I think the key to discussing salt is to collect taxes on salt. Although there will be great results in the short term, if there is no control, if the price of salt rises and illegal salt is rampant, it will be chaotic. Therefore, the key lies in the government's ability to control it. The price of salt. Although I am not talented, I have a humble opinion on this. Xue Lang might as well take a look."
Having said this, Yuan Zai actually took out a piece of policy paper from his sleeve.
Xue Bai took it, looked at it carefully, nodded, and murmured: "Goodbye, Brother Gongfu."
His face became solemn, and he took a deep look at Yuan Zai, feeling a little hesitant.
Yuan Zai sat cross-legged on the grass, his body upright and his eyes full of confidence.
He didn't know what Xue Bai was still hesitating about, but he knew that he was the talent who could help Yang Sui handle the salt issue.
a long time.
Xue Bai seemed to have glanced at Wang Yunxiu and made a decision, saying: "Brother Gongfu, can you leave this policy document to me? I would like to ask my uncle to take a look."
Yuan Zai was very happy.
He was already a Jinshi, and he was stepping up to become an eighth-grade official in the ninth-grade official position, but what he did today was actually applying to a young man with a white body.
But it's worth it. With Xue Bai's words, his future has become clear...