After watching Qin Dewei leave, Shangshu Gan still felt sorry for the 20,000 taels of silver and the 300 craftsmen. He couldn't help but said to Yan Shifan, "Why do this!"
In Gan Shangshu's mind, Yan Shifan's behavior is like "spending money to buy peace." Don't you think it's useless? What's the difference between Yan Shifan and the Song Dynasty who gave him New Year coins?
Yan Shifan, however, had another opinion and said: "Qin Dewei seems to be whimsical and never does anything uncertain! This time he suddenly proposed to develop the Laoshizi cannon. I think it is possible for it to come true!"
Now our Ministry of Industry gives people money, and when they are actually built, won’t they get half of the credit from the Ministry of Industry? So as a person, you should have a long-term view and don’t care about trivial matters.”
Feeling that Uncle Yan didn’t know how expensive firewood and rice were when he was not a family member, Shangshu Gan said angrily: “That’s twenty thousand taels of silver after all!”
Yan Shifan added: "In addition, now that Xia Yan has left, my father and Qin Dewei each have gains to digest, so it is really not appropriate to start another war. It is not a loss if you can spend some money to block his scheme!"
Although Xia Yan, the first assistant to Xia, left, he left behind a large amount of "political legacy", such as central authority, the Jiangxi gang, and allies in Southern Zhili.
During this period, Mr. Yan Ge and Qin Zhongtang's main energy was actually spent on receiving and digesting the inheritance, and they had a tacit understanding not to cause trouble for each other, so as not to take advantage of others. This was a rare honeymoon period.
Yan Shifan understood the current situation and saw Qin Dewei's intention to attack the Ministry of Industry.
As the saying goes, a small impatience will ruin a big plan. Problems that can be solved with money are not problems. They are all public funds anyway. As long as Qin Dewei can be prevented from getting involved in the Ministry of Industry, it is worth it!
The Ministry of Industry's significance to the Yan family and his sons is not just a sphere of influence, it is currently the largest source of income, and is extremely important and cannot be ignored.
Therefore, Yan Shifan did not want to turn the Ministry of Industry into a "battlefield", otherwise the flames of war would not distinguish between ourselves and the enemy. Even if Qin Dewei could not make any money, the Yan family would still suffer a loss.
But when Qin Zhongtang came out of the main hall of the Ministry of Industry, Fang You, a member of the Zhongshushe who was waiting outside, hurried forward to greet him.
Then Fang Sheren noticed that Qin Zhongtang's face was not very good, so he asked cautiously: "Is it possible that the Ministry of Industry refuses to give Zhongtang face?"
Qin Dewei said a little depressed: "It's too shameless! I gave you 20,000 taels of silver and 300 craftsmen!"
This made people in Fangshe confused. The Ministry of Works had given so much, so why was Zhongtang still unhappy?
Qin Dewei explained casually: "This is called tactical gain, but the strategic goal has not been achieved!"
Fang Sheren didn't understand this sentence, but it didn't stop him from writing it down first.
Qin Zhongtang's strategic plan is to open his mouth like a domineering lion, push the Ministry of Industry to the point where it can't bear it, and then break up.
This is tantamount to laying hidden dangers for the Ministry of Works, then cooperating with the eunuchs and achieving great success, then settling old scores to deal with the Ministry of Works, and using this as an opportunity to intervene in the affairs of the Ministry of Works in the future!
The ultimate goal is to completely separate some subordinate bureaus and factories under the Ministry of Industry and put them under its own jurisdiction, and then use them exclusively as technology research and development institutions, such as the Ordnance Bureau.
Like the Yiwu yamen, this traditionally marginal yamen can only shine in the hands of time travellers. So Qin Dewei really has no choice but to choose me, but no one can understand him.
Moreover, there are too many new technologies that need to be developed, and we cannot always ask others for help. For example, if we want to develop a giant cannon this time, without the support of Eunuch Qin, we will not even dare to start the project.
It used to be that if I didn't have enough status, I would easily lose control if I did things too far ahead, or the results would be robbed by others. Now the time is almost ripe, and I can take a big step forward.
But Qin Dewei didn't expect that Yan Shifan would actually learn to pretend to be a grandson and give him whatever he wanted, which made it impossible to advance the strategic plan.
Thinking of this, and then thinking of Zhai Rujian who successfully tested himself through the transformation of two faces, Qin Zhongtang couldn't help but sigh and said: "It's been such a bad year recently. How come everyone is getting slapped in the face by me?"
Fang Sheren still can't understand that 20,000 taels of silver and 300 craftsmen were extorted from Mr. Yange's territory. What are you feeling depressed about, Qin Zhongtang?
Then Fang Sheren asked for instructions: "Where to go next?"
Qin Zhongtang ordered: "Go to the Criminal Department in Xicheng!"
The Ministry of Punishment, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the Dali Temple's Legal Department are all located in the West City, not on Qinglong Street in the East City.
People in Fang She always felt that Qin Zhongtang's behavior today seemed like he was going to grab territory. He went to the Ministry of Works first, and then to the Ministry of Punishments. Either Yan Song's territory was the territory of Xia Yan, the original chief assistant.
There was no words all the way. When they arrived at the Xicheng Criminal Department, Qin Zhongtang was invited to the left side hall of the main hall.
When he entered, in addition to Mao Bowen, the Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, who was sitting in the main seat, there was another guest. Qin Dewei identified it and found that it was Yan Song's adopted son Zhao Wenhua.
I met Yan Shifan in the Ministry of Works and Zhao Wenhua in the Ministry of Justice. I don’t know if it was considered a “hand-off” between the two armies.
Zhao Wenhua was originally in the Ministry of Justice. After Yan Song gained power, he was promoted to the General Affairs Department, where he specialized in monitoring Chinese and foreign memorials for Yan Song.
However, Qin Dewei ignored Zhao Wenhua and only said to Mao Bowen: "I have a few words to say to the great commander, please ask the rest of the gang to go out."
As a backbone of the Xia Party, Mao Bowen had very complicated feelings about Qin Dewei.
But before Mao Bowen could say anything, Zhao Wenhua said angrily: "Qin Zhongtang is so arrogant!"
After Yan Song came to power, Zhao Wenhua, as the adopted son of Yan Ge, had not been treated like this for a long time.
Qin Dewei said disdainfully: "I don't know you. Judging from your official uniform, you are only a fifth-rank official. Why are you so arrogant?"
Zhao Wenhua was so angry that he said, "I saw him by the waterside of Haidian outside the city. How can I not recognize him?"
Qin Dewei said simply: "Forgot!"
Afraid of a fight between the two in the Criminal Department, Mao Bowen quickly said to Zhao Wenhua: "If you have anything to say, please tell me quickly."
Zhao Wenhua remembered the purpose of his visit, took out an invitation, and said to Mao Shangshu: "The day after tomorrow, my adoptive father is on vacation and wants to hold a banquet at home to invite fellow Jiangxi people to a gathering. Let me invite Da Sikou to come!"
Everyone can see that Yan Song is trying to win over Jiangxi forces, and Zhao Wenhua is just running errands.
Qin Dewei watched with cold eyes. When he heard this, he suddenly said: "That's a coincidence. I also want to invite Da Si Kou to a banquet in the future.
You see, Mr. Yan Ge only sent an unworthy person to invite you, but Ben Zhongtang came to invite you personally, which shows who is sincere!"
Mao Bowen was speechless. Can Yan Song compare with you, Qin Zhongtang?
Not to mention the high status of the cabinet bachelors, how can they visit everywhere? Let's say that the current Yange senior has entered the Zhiwuyi Palace to serve the emperor Xuanxiu, how can he have the freedom to travel around?
After hesitating for a moment, Mao Bowen accepted the invitation from Zhao Wenhua.
Zhao Wenhua glanced at Qin Dewei proudly, and now he knows who is the outsider, right? What can you do if Qin Dewei comes to poach people in person?
But Qin Dewei didn't seem to care, and suddenly laughed and said: "I just want to come over and see with my own eyes whether your position, Mao Shangshu, is stable! Now it seems that you can consider nominating the next chief minister!"
Mao Bowen: ""
Could it be that you, Qin Zhongtang, came here just to scare people?
Qin Dewei stood up without hesitation and prepared to go out. Before leaving, he said: "I have something to say to Mr. Mao. Don't say it was unforeseen. Mr. Mao can do it for himself!"
In terms of titles, Qin Dewei did not even use Da Sikou and Mao Shangshu. Obviously in his mind, Mao Bowen was already a "dead man".
If these words were said by others, they might just be harsh words for fun, but when spoken from Qin Dewei's mouth, the shock effect is definitely different.
Zhao Wenhua comforted him and said: "Qin Dewei is not a good guy, he is just used to making alarmist remarks!"
After struggling for a while, Mao Bowen returned the invitation to Zhao Wenhua and sighed: "Thinking of Xia Guizhou's kindness, I still won't go!"
Even if Qin Dewei is not a good person, Yan Song is also Xia Yan's enemy, and taking refuge in Yan Song is also a "betrayal" of Xia Yan.
Zhao Wenhua was anxious. If he couldn't hire Mao Bowen, he wouldn't be able to explain it to his adoptive father!
Among the people Yan Ge Lao wanted to win over, Mao Bowen was considered a very important one, and because of his connections with fellow Jiangxi people, he was destined to win.
Zhao Wenhua advised: "Could it be that the great Sikou was intimidated by Qin Dewei? If Lao Ding of Yan Ge stood up to support him, what would the great Sikou have to fear?
To put it ten thousand steps back, you should never act in both directions and look forward and backward! A great commander should understand this truth."
Mao Bowen was extremely irritable. Why is it so difficult to be a human being or an official? Besides, who are you, Zhao Wenhua, to dare to point fingers at him? Do you think you are Qin Dewei?
Finally, he waved his hand impatiently and said to Zhao Wenhua: "No!"
After Qin Dewei came out of the Ministry of Punishment, he casually said to Fang You outside the gate of the Ministry of Punishment: "Everything is really not going well today. Neither the Ministry of Punishment nor the Ministry of Works were captured."
Fang Sheren has nothing to say. It is true that as much imagination as there is, there will be great achievements. Who dares to think about taking down two troops in one day?
Besides, if Qin Zhongtang successfully takes over the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Punishment, then five of the six ministries are your own, so what is the point of the existence of the cabinet?
Qin Zhongtang asked again: "Do you think that if you kill Mao Bowen, can you get Mr. Yan Ge's concession on the issue of the Ministry of Industry?"
Fang You had nothing to say. As a close confidant, he couldn't understand why Qin Zhongtang, a top-ranking figure, would keep an eye on the Ministry of Industry, which was at the bottom of the six departments. But Qin Zhongtang, just be happy.
After that, Qin Zhongtang went to the Ordnance Bureau to inspect the work, and conceived future plans, and just kept running around outside.
As dusk approached, Fang You, a member of Zhongshushe who had followed Qin Zhongtang for a day, dragged his exhausted body back to his home in the southwest corner of the capital.
As soon as I entered the alley, I saw several people waiting outside my house. They were obviously visitors.
This would not surprise Fang Sheren. He had already realized this. After becoming Qin Zhongtang's "right-hand man" in Wenyuan Pavilion, sooner or later there would be such a day.
After that, Fang Sheren met the visitor in front of his house. He saw that the visitor was a middle-aged man dressed in fine clothes. He must be from a wealthy family.
Then I heard the other party introduce himself and said: "I am Zhai Rujian, and my father Zhai Ge is here today uninvited and taking the liberty of visiting!"
Fang Sheren was a little surprised at this time, mainly because he didn't expect that the other party had such a big background and was actually the son of the chief minister.
In a flash of thought, Fang Sheren understood the purpose of the other party's visit. What else could be the reason? It must be the imperial edict for the appointment of chief minister that was accumulated in the pile of documents in Wenyuan Pavilion.
I really didn’t expect that he, a seventh-grade senior miscellaneous official and a member of the Shushe family, would one day be begged for mercy by the son of the chief minister!
Fang You was not rich, so he lived on Lumi. He was considered a lower-middle-class family in the capital. There was not even a decent place to receive guests at home, and he only had an east wing room to receive guests.
After Zhai Rujian sat down, he looked around and said, "Fang Zhongshu is indeed poor." Then he took out a Yuanfeng banknote and placed it gently on the table.
Fang You thought for a while and didn't accept the bill directly, but he didn't push it back either. He just said to Zhai Rujian: "I understand your purpose of coming. But Qin Zhongtang has a strategy and a long-term plan, which is beyond my control."
of."
Zhai Rujian did not directly ask why the imperial edict had not yet been issued. He only took advantage of the situation and asked: "Please give Fang Zhongshu advice, what exactly does Qin Zhongtang want?"
Fang You had already summarized his thoughts on the current situation, "Qin Zhongtang and Mr. Yan Ge should have a tacit understanding, each delaying the arrival of the new chief minister in order to reorganize the court according to their own ideas."
Rectification is a nicer and euphemistic way of saying it. Regarding its meaning, Fang You believes that he understands everything he needs to know. If he doesn't understand, there is no need to understand it.
Zhai Rujian asked again: "How long will it take to rectify it?"
Fang You recalled what he saw and heard today and judged: "I expect it will be soon!"
Qin Zhongtang was so bored today that he went to the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Punishment to grab territory. This may mean that he has finished digesting the spoils and is going to grab food from his opponents again.
Under this circumstance, it is no longer meaningful to drag Zhai Luan's appointment as chief assistant to prevent Zhai chief assistant from interfering.
Zhai Rujian pushed the banknotes on the table forward and said, "Fang Zhongshu is very knowledgeable. Please ask Fang Zhongshu to remind Qin Zhongtang."
Fang You quickly said: "It's easy to talk about."
Isn't it just a matter of spreading a word? It is indeed time for a reminder.
Qin Dewei himself did not know that his unintentional mistakes would be made up by others.
At this time, he finished drinking the tonic prescribed by Tao Xiangu, and after taking a bath, he and his good wife went into the house to start tonight's work.
The couple had just finished their warm-up exercises when they heard the maid shouting outside: "Master, please come out. There is also an official from the Yiwu Yamen at the gate asking to see the master. He said there is an urgent document! He said it was about the little prince."
When Qin Dewei heard this, he stood up like a carp, got out of bed, put on his clothes and ran out! This is an opportunity to change the pattern of the northern desert and cannot be delayed!
Xu Miaoxuan, who was left on the kang, was so angry that her teeth itched. She suddenly remembered a Tang poem: "Repenting from teaching a husband and looking for a title." The more he thought about it, the more upset he became. Suddenly, he felt sick, and he lay down by the kang and retched several times.
On the same night, Zhao Wenhua ran to Yan's Mansion. At this time, Yan Ge was in the palace, and only Yan Shifan met Zhao Wenhua.
After hearing about today's incident in the Ministry of Punishment, Yan Shifan thought for a moment and then said: "Father has long said that the violent Qin Dynasty is greedy! It only calmed down for a few days and then it started again!"
Zhao Wenhua said: "The man named Qin must be taught a lesson, otherwise he will continue to act unscrupulously!"
Yan Shifan said: "Actually, it's not the right time yet, and my father is not ready yet. And we can't get entangled in the issue of the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Punishment, otherwise we will lose no matter what, and we have to defend the enemy from outside the country!"
But we don’t need to step in, we just need to provoke others to consume Qin Dewei.”
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
5.4. I found that there were too many branch lines left a while ago, and writing them all together would be a waste of time.
