Lu Fangxuan rested in Zhenjiang for a few days, and after arranging the affairs of the mansion properly, he had time to contact outsiders.
He first met with the Zhenjiang magistrate, explained a few official duties that were to be carried out immediately, and asked about the local situation. The latter replied: "The situation in Zhenjiang under the lower government is probably similar to that in Nanjing. The year before last, Sihe Academy sent people to incite
The scholars and people had some evil effects, so they took root here and built a new academy."
"You don't plan to deal with them?" Lu Fangxuan asked.
"Hey, how much effort did it take for Suzhou to destroy the political participation academy?" The prefect bit his finger and said with a frown, "Not only did they have a close relationship with the scholars and scholars, but they also always taught them to meddle in other people's business and please the people.
The people's appetites have been whetted, and there is no peace in front of the Yamen. Recently I heard that they are preparing to win over the squires to consolidate their power, and they are obviously trying to sideline me as the chief!" After that, he knocked on the table angrily.
Lu Fangxuan sighed twice, feeling that this was the most difficult thing at present. Having such a local force would inevitably break the old order, which of course all bureaucrats were unwilling to accept.
"The squire may not really support them, he just sees that they are strong and has to bow his head and surrender."
"Lu Gong is brilliant, but their interests are not in line with the academy. But how to disintegrate their power and make them defeated and separated is quite distressing." The prefect took a sip of tea and sighed.
However, Lu Fangxuan suddenly thought of a solution, and his heart suddenly became enlightened. It was not convenient to speak directly to the prefect, so he temporarily changed the topic and said something irrelevant.
The magistrate had no plans to save him, so he didn't want to talk about anything else. After dealing with it hastily, he sighed and left the house in disappointment.
As soon as he left, Fang Jiancai's carriage had arrived. At this time, he was proud of the spring breeze. He opened the carriage curtain, asked his servants to clean his boots, helped him down, and then stepped into the mansion gate with his head held high. He reached the inner courtyard.
Among them, Lu Fangxuan was seen from a distance, his back was slowly bowed, his head was slowly lowered, and he suddenly lost his dignified appearance, as if he had remembered his identity.
"We meet again after a long absence, my Lord Yue, Mr. Lu!" Fang Jiancai came over with a smile and kowtowed twice.
"Yes, Mr. Fang's face has become thinner. It seems that he has worked a lot for my Yue Mansion." Lu Fangxuan patted his cheek and helped him up.
"It's all a trivial matter... Where is Commander Zheng?" He dusted off his clothes and sat down.
"Oh, Commander Zheng is still counting the troops and preparing to integrate them into the local barracks." When Lu Fangxuan said this, he turned his head to one side, looking a little unnatural.
Fang Jiancai was a shrewd man. Thinking of the rumors that had spread in Nanjing in recent days, the two of them tacitly understood each other and stopped talking for a while.
"You have been running a dyeing workshop in Zhenjiang for a long time. You should know the situation here, right?" Lu Fangxuan coughed and finally spoke.
Fang Jiancai was stunned: "If you have something to say, just say it."
"How is Sihe Academy doing now?"
"They are running the business well, and the academy is becoming more and more prosperous. With the Nanjing Literary League as a cash cow, there is nothing they can't do except for rebellion."
"What can you do to deal with them?"
"Every dye house I open will give them three cents. If I aim to eradicate it, it will seriously damage the vitality of my house. But the villain feels that Zhenjiang and other places are like ringworm on the skin. Although it is very poisonous, it does not damage the root; and in Nanjing
The Literary and Art League is a heart and lung disease, and if it is not cured as soon as possible, it will be the end of the road."
Lu Fangxuan said: "I know it too. It's a pity that Nanjing is in the hands of Wan Dang, and I can't help."
"Maybe we can unite?" Fang Jiancai blinked slightly.
Lu Fangxuan pinched his chin and focused his eyes on the dazzling sunlight outside the window: "I'll think about it..."
The next day, Lu Fangxuan received a report from Zheng Shiyan, saying that "all members of Yue Mansion have finished ordering their troops and are waiting for Mr. Lu to personally review them." So he put aside the troubled matters in his mind and rode to the school field outside the city to review them.
'Bang! Bang! Bang!'
Three cannon shots were fired, the flag was rolled up, and in the place filled with gunpowder smoke, Lu Fangxuan appeared on horseback wearing a black helmet and black armor. The whole battalion cheered three times and knelt down on the ground.
Zheng Shiyan nodded and jumped off the platform, clasping his fists and worshiping: "We came out of Nanjing and moved to Zhenjiang with a majestic momentum that the people here have never seen. All the officers and men were very happy and high-spirited. I hope you will reward me generously and reward everyone for your protection."
The merit of the wings is to please the soldiers’ hearts!”
Lu Fangxuan clapped his hands in praise, stepped onto the general stage, handed the rosters from left to right, and asked him to read out the awards one by one.
So everyone got the promotion they deserved, the money they deserved, and everyone got what they wanted. They each showed off the rewards they had received. The sound of laughter and curses filled the sky and the earth, and everyone's face was filled with smiles.
At this time, Lu Fangxuan saw the last page, and saw the dazzling words on the paper: "One of the missing members: the deputy generals will ask for advice". His heart skipped a beat, and there was a pain in his stomach. He quickly turned the book over and covered it.
, closed his eyes and raised the corner of his mouth coldly: "Commander Zheng, tell everyone to calm down."
Zheng Shiyan was also honest and did not hesitate. He hurriedly pressed his sword and shouted: "Stop arguing, Mr. Lu wants to speak!" The school grounds fell silent immediately.
"The position of deputy commander is vacant, do you understand?"
"Understood, Commander Qi is no longer here." All the troops immediately became serious and looked at their Commander Zheng - he was the only one who didn't know anything about this.
"Then who wants to be fooled?"
"Listen to Mr. Lu's orders!"
Lu Fangxuan remained silent and glanced at Zheng Shiyan from the corner of his eye.
Zheng Shiyan secretly felt the hidden terror, shuddered, and nodded to himself: "Then...Tang Xiaoyi, you can do it."
Tang Xiaoyi had stayed in the Yue Mansion for a very long time and was in his sixties. In terms of qualifications, he was the perfect person.
Everyone was also mentally prepared, so they all recommended Tang Xiaoyi to go up. There was thunderous applause and no silence.
Tang Xiaoyi burst into tears with excitement. He swallowed hard and came to the stage with red eyes.
"Brother Tang," Lu Fangxuan looked at him with a smile, "your son passed the imperial examination this year, right? How was his ranking?"
Tang Xiaoyi wiped away his tears and said with trembling hands that were tightly clasped in fists: "To be honest with you, the dog Tang Wenshi came in second place this year. The emperor personally invited him to see him and he has been elected to the Imperial Academy."
"Okay!" Lu Fangxuan smiled, "This is not a double happiness! Come here, hand over the deputy general's officer's military talisman and bring it to my brother!"
The primary schools on both sides came with seal talismans and put them on Tang Xiaoyi's neck. Xiaoyi rubbed his official seal and cried bitterly, unable to speak for a while.
After the celebration, General Tang Lao was helped away, while Lu Fangxuan returned to his mansion with Shi Yan.
Zheng Shiyan couldn't hide his worry. Seeing no one on the road, he stepped forward and asked, "Did you really get all of them exempted?"
Lu Fangxuan said nothing and made a beheading gesture.
This shock made Zheng Shiyan's eyes widen, so that he froze on the spot, while Lu Fangxuan rode away.