Bastard's Counterattack [Rebirth]

After Ping Nanhou recommended Guo Da and Rong Youtang to the emperor, he bowed his head as usual, and Yu Guangyun gave the expressionless King Qing a look.

"Guo Da?"

Emperor Chengtian smiled, resting his right hand on the armrest of the dragon chair, tapped his index finger slowly, shook his head and said: "Although he is suitable, he is currently Ze Yong's right-hand man. Supervising the construction of the Northern Camp is a major plan of the country, and it is not appropriate to transfer the main generals."

Pingnanhou nodded regretfully, and then took advantage of the situation: "Then, why don't you send the champion of the new department, Your Majesty? He is quick-witted, quick-witted, and trained under King Qing's command. In addition, he is familiar with Hejian, so he is perfect."

Emperor Chengtian squinted his eyes and pondered, slapping the handrail one after another.At this time, it was the middle of the day and missed breakfast, and all the ministers were so hungry that they couldn't straighten their waists.Li Deying lowered his eyebrows and looked down, and offered it respectfully with a teacup. Emperor Chengtian took it and drank a few sips of minced chicken soup without any oil, chatting to satisfy his hunger.

King Qing kept his expression on his face, ignoring Pingnanhou's proud and provocative eyes, and his heart was burning with anger.

After a long while, Emperor Chengtian frowned and said, "The champion of the new division?"

The second prince sneered secretly, went out and cupped his hands and said, "Father, although Rong Youtang is young, his experience is far richer than that of his peers: he has the talent of a top scholar, the courage to suppress bandits, and he can manage the Beiying kitchen well—" Since ancient times, "heroes come from youth", the father and emperor are sage and benevolent, and the rulers are full of talents, and all the pillars of the court are talented. No matter who is appointed as the imperial envoy of Guanzhou, it must be able to solve it properly."

Hmph, the new champion?If you have the ability, go out of the limelight of the Guanzhou Rebellion!

It was rare that the goals were the same, so the eldest prince came out and said solemnly: "Father, my minister thinks what Brother Xiang said makes sense. Rong Youtang is younger, but he must be given some opportunities to experience so that he can mature as soon as possible, and thus Share your worries and serve the court."

"Oh." Emperor Chengtian looked thoughtful, opened his old drooping eyes vigorously, looked at the stern-faced third son of the emperor, and asked slowly: "Yong'er, the new champion came from your command , He is indeed talented, so I selected him as the No. [-] scholar. Do you think he is suitable to be the imperial envoy of Guanzhou?"

Disaster.Zhao Zeyong quickly considered:

He is well aware of the other party's ambition to climb the peak, but the imperial envoys are ordered by the emperor, and they attract the attention of everyone. If they do well, they can be promoted to rank and rise to the top; if they make mistakes, they will directly anger the emperor and lead to disappointment. Disgust, very little room for maneuver.

"Huh?" Emperor Chengtian raised his head slightly.

King Qing thought it over clearly, and said calmly: "Return to Father Emperor: Rong Youtang has experienced under the subordinates, but the time is not long, only half a year, and the qualifications are very shallow. He is light and lacks experience in the world. Imperial envoys are no different than others, and when he is appointed to Guanzhou, he needs to start investigations. I am afraid that one person is not competent, so I propose to appoint two imperial envoys to safely fulfill the emperor's order."

Emperor Chengtian pondered for a moment, accepted it readily, and said, "There are some reasons. Which two do you think should be sent?"

Gao Xin, Minister of the Ministry of War, came out and said humbly: "Your Majesty, I am not very familiar with the champion of the new department, but in the early years when he was ordered to patrol the Guanzhong, he worked with General Qi for a short time. Diligent and honest, and being personally praised by His Royal Highness Prince Qing, I think he is the right candidate."

"That's right." Emperor Chengtian said solemnly, "Qi Zhiyang is one. Where's the other imperial envoy?"

Civil and military officials bowed their heads in silence, and most of them were wise and safe.Taifu Han successfully protected his only son, and then returned to his cautious appearance of reticence.

The second prince smiled and said: "Father, my son thinks the new champion is suitable."

King Qing glanced at it from the corner of his eye, and accurately drifted towards Wu Yu, Shangshu of the Household Department, implying coldness!Although the latter is old, he has good ears and eyesight. Because of his different positions, he wrestled secretly with King Qing for half a year. Seeing this, he could only go out and bow his hands, and said sadly: "Your Majesty, the new business and taxation policy is a matter of the household department. Now there are some problems, and we should try to solve them. I only sigh that the old minister is old and weak, although I really want to share your majesty's worries. , but the body can’t hold it. I implore His Majesty to send people from the household department to go to Guanzhou to investigate the taxation and people’s situation on the spot, so as to implement the new policy more reasonably and quickly.”

Emperor Chengtian said indifferently: "Taxation is indeed the responsibility of the household department. In this case, I really have to choose a person from the household department and let the Beijing officials go to the local area to visit and investigate, lest you do things based on the news screened and submitted by the state government. "

Otherwise how to do things?

Do you want us to go to various places to verify one by one?Wouldn't the public affairs pile up higher than the sky?

Wu Yu was stunned and indignant, but he didn't dare to show dissatisfaction at all. He bowed his head and said: "Your Majesty is wise, and the old minister obeys the order. Rong Youtang first joined the ministry as the head of Zhili. He is diligent, motivated, studious and humble, and he has surpassed With his age, tolerance and wisdom, the veterans think that he can be an imperial envoy."

King Qing then came out and said righteously: "Father, Qi Zhiyang has been appointed. Since the eldest brother, second brother, Yang Hou, Wu Shangshu and others recommended Rong Youtang, they are all important officials of the court, and they must have good vision. It is rare to recommend them at the same time. Thinking about it, Rong Youtang should have something extraordinary."

——Whether you want to shirk, flatter, or frame me, if something happens to my staff, don't even try to escape!

King Qing's jaw was tense, his face was cold and hard, not angry but mighty.

Emperor Chengtian let out a long breath, and ordered vigorously: "In this case, I will appoint Qi Zhiyang and Rong Youtang as imperial envoys to go to Guanzhou to thoroughly investigate the conflict between government and businessmen tomorrow morning. The deadline is one month. If the deadline is overdue, they will be punished for dereliction of duty! Yushufang, Immediately draft an order."

"Yes."

The city gate caught fire, and one of the pond fish that was affected was completely unaware.

At this moment, Rong Youtang was rolling up his sleeves, busy in a small side room of the Ministry of Household Affairs Office.

This side room was left by the former director who died of illness. Before he left, the other party hastily handed over the official duties to another director, but he was ill at the time, so the handover was inevitably not very clear.

Rong Youtang patiently and meticulously sorted and sorted the accumulated files, took a pen and took notes carefully, sweating profusely.

The open door was suddenly knocked lightly:

"Knock Knock~"

Rong Youtang looked up, got up immediately, and walked forward with a smile: "Brother Ji, please sit down, I'll come." He hugged the heavy bundle of files and put them on the table.

"Hey, I haven't seen you this morning. It's completely new, and it's so clean! Brother Yu is ashamed."

Jisper looked at the neat and tidy small ear room, and greatly appreciated it.He was over forty years old, and was elected to join the Ministry after he was born as a Jinshi with the Erjia Award. He has been the head of Zhili for ten years, and he has been safe and stable.

"It was just tidied up while sorting out the files." Rong Youtang explained cheerfully, and sighed: "My little brother is new here, so I don't understand a lot, and I always trouble Brother Ji to take the time to guide me, so I am very uneasy."

Ji Sibo walked up to the bundle of files, put his left hand on his hips, patted the file with his right hand, shook his head and smiled indifferently: "Hey, you are so polite! We became colleagues because of fate. I think when Brother Yu first took office, there were so many of them. Professor Chen Qing was able to get started. Alas, what a pity, a benevolent and generous person like Mr. Chen should have passed the old age smoothly and took care of his life, but his old illness relapsed and he was ill for a long time."

Chen Lao, Chen Hanliang, the former boss who passed away due to illness.

Rong Youtang asked with concern: "Little brother came late, and I haven't met Mr. Chen. It's really a pity. Did Brother Ji visit recently? How is senior?"

Ji Sibo shook his head worriedly: "It's not good. Mr. Chen lives in a small town in the southern suburbs. Brother Yu went to visit the day before yesterday. He can no longer get out of bed to entertain guests. His waist, neck, and legs are not good. He must rest. But he has three sons, and one If you haven’t married yet, how can you marry a daughter-in-law without spending money? Parents have to ask for it. Alas, Mr. Chen is honest and honest, and his only savings are not enough to see a doctor and support his family.”

Six-rank officials, monthly salary ten stone.If there is no oil and water, the life is at best slightly better than that of the middle peasants, and it is impossible to take concubines and maidservants to be the grandfather.

"Since there are three sons, the elder brothers can help the younger brother to start a family." Rong Youtang frowned and reasoned it out with common sense.

Ji Sibo smiled wryly, and waved his hands again and again: "No way, no way! It's hard for every family to recite scriptures."

Rong Youtang understood, nodded sympathetically, sighed, and said seriously: "When I have the opportunity to go to the southern suburbs to do business, I will definitely visit Mr. Chen!"

"There are plenty of opportunities. We are usually responsible for running errands to implement the orders of Shangfeng, such as money and food, land taxes, and population registers. We run to the yamen and check on the spot. Mr. Chen has been running for most of his life. His muscles and bones are exhausted. Is it?" Ji Sibo revealed in a low voice while supporting the file on his elbow.Although he intends to complain about the heavy workload, he has a teasing and smiling face, is kind and easy-going, and it is easy to make people feel good.

The various departments of the imperial court handle affairs, the emperor, the minister, the minister, the doctor, and the Yuanwailang, discuss at all levels, make decisions and issue them - but it is useless to make decisions and must be effectively implemented.The principals are low-quality officials who are responsible for the specific implementation of decisions, and they are indeed "running errands".

Rong Youtang knew it well, but nodded in awe in cooperation, cupped his hands gratefully and said, "Thank you, Brother Ji, for your reminder."

"Hey, it's nothing, colleagues, it should be." Ji Sibo waved his hand generously, then patted the file and told: "Let's not talk about gossip. Come on! My dear brother, these are the temporary replacements of Mr. Chen after he became an official. You manage the household registers of the people in the eastern and western suburbs as soon as possible, and try to find out if you have any doubts. The population in the capital is mobile, and the imperial court stipulates quarterly inspections. The more backlogs, the more they will be checked. It’s not good to start.”

"Okay, Brother Lao Ji has worked hard to take care of it for a long time. I will start to sort out the household register after finishing the field tax files!" Rong Youtang said with high spirits, and invited: "I heard that there is a new teahouse in Dongcheng, and the storytelling is very exciting. , my little brother is very curious, is Brother Ji interested in going to visit after he is on duty?"

Ji Sibo's smile continued, but he sighed with regret: "Brother Yu really wants to go for a walk, but the child is just starting out, so he has to rush home to teach him, lest he won't be able to finish his homework until late at night, and cry in anxiety!"

Sure enough, Ji Xiong is a well-known smooth and good guy, he won't offend any party, and cleverly maintains neutrality.

"Hahaha, so that's the case, then we can only make an appointment next time." Rong Youtang smiled brightly, and boasted: "Brother Ji is so lucky, his family and wife are good, and his children are a pair."

"My virtuous brother will have some too." Ji Sibo hurriedly patted Rong Youtang on the shoulder, and joked: "With your appearance, the matchmaker must have stepped through the threshold of your house, right?"

Rong Youtang was a little embarrassed, and replied: "Little brother doesn't know, it's all up to my father."

Two foxes, one big and one small, were trying to understand each other, but suddenly they heard a loud and sharp announcement from outside: "The imperial decree has arrived! Please accept the decree, Lord Rong Youtang Rong."

The two people in the ear room were stunned, Rong Youtang was puzzled, and said in a dull voice: "Why does it sound like you are calling me?" Could it be that someone in the household department has the same name as me?

As soon as the voice fell, the eunuch who passed the order outside had clearly repeated it.

"I'm calling you! Hurry up and get the order." Ji Sibo urged with a funny face.

"Oh, oh." Confused, Rong Youtang hurriedly left the anterooms where the heads of various divisions worked, and walked to the atrium hall of the Household Office.

"Hi, father-in-law, my subordinate Rong Youtang, I'm here to listen to the order." Rong Youtang cupped his hands apprehensively.

The imperial servant who delivered the decree was quite dignified and brought four servants with him. Although facing the junior official of the sixth rank who had just entered the official position, he was very kind and said with a smile: "Master Rong, please listen to the decree."

Rong Youtang knelt down and listened according to the law, holding his breath and concentrating.

"Following the fate of heaven, the emperor said: The new policy of the country will spread virtue and benefit the world, and now the new policy of Hejian Guanzhou is hindered. I am really worried about it. Rong Youtang, who was compiled by Erhanlin Academy, is quick-witted, wise and brave. , specially conferred the post of imperial envoy, bestowed Shang Fang with a sword, and thoroughly investigated the obstacles in Guanzhou within one month. Qin Zai! Dacheng Chengtian 52nd July 25th."

what?

I am an imperial envoy?can't you?There are a lot of talents in the court, and I don't have enough qualifications to rank and take turns!

Rong Youtang was dumbfounded, unable to understand what he was thinking, and froze on the spot.

After the imperial servant read it out, he folded the imperial edict carefully, and reminded with a smile: "My lord, accept the edict."

Rong Youtang felt like waking up from a dream, and raised his hands nervously: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness, and I have received the decree."

why me?

He was full of doubts, and after all the inquiries and congratulations from his colleagues, he was very apologetic and said to Ji Sibo: "Brother Ji, look at this... I really didn't know about it beforehand." Between Guanzhou and back and forth for at least a month, Shangfeng sent Ji Sibo to take care of the errand at hand.

Ji Sibo's mood was very complicated, he suppressed the sigh of dissatisfaction in his official career, and said with an open-minded smile: "Brother Yu is definitely not someone in the pool, Brother Yu is fortunate to be a colleague with you. It's really nothing, Brother Yu is familiar with it, just rest assured Guanzhou, work hard! The future is long, after the victory, you and I will go to the teahouse to listen to storytelling."

"Definitely!" Rong Youtang bowed his hands solemnly.

The incident happened suddenly, and he was due to take up his post tomorrow morning, so Shangfeng readily granted him half a day off.

Rong Youtang carefully put away the imperial decree, stood in the street for a while, lost his mind, first rushed to the Hanlin Academy to find Shangfeng to explain the reason, and then hurried home.

in two quarters of an hour

"what?"

Rong Kaiji was shocked, extremely surprised, and couldn't accept it. He hit the back of his right hand on the palm of his left hand, and said lamentingly, "Why did you send an imperial envoy? Didn't you just go to the Ministry of Households to take up your post?"

"I don't know either. In short, the imperial decree is clearly written." Rong Youtang was puzzled, but he couldn't hide his youthful spirit in front of his relatives, and said without fear: "Father, I'm going to Hejian tomorrow morning It's Guanzhou!"

Oh, what is going on here?

Butler Li Shun took it for granted and said, "It must be His Majesty who thinks that our young master is smart and capable, so he repeatedly entrusts us with important tasks. This is a good thing."

Rong Kaiji nodded against his will, caught off guard, turned around in a circle, and then forced himself to urge, "My brother is going to Guanzhou tomorrow morning, so I have to pack his bags quickly, regardless of clothes, shoes, socks, and money. Don’t miss out on the pills. You don’t have to buy them temporarily when you’re out on business.”

"Hey, good."

Several old people rushed to Rong Youtang's bedroom together, packing their bags with all their might.

Rong Youtang carefully put the imperial decree into the drawer, hurriedly finished his lunch, drank a cup of tea, turned his head and shouted inside: "Father, I have to go to the master and uncle's house and say goodbye in person."

"That's right, it should be." Rong Kaiji probed and said: "Old Li, ask two guys to drive him there, he won't have to ride a horse and sweat all over, it's disrespectful."

"Okay!" Li Shun put down the work at hand and hurried to arrange the carriage.

Rong Youtang quickly took off his sweat-drenched official uniform, put on a light and breathable robe, and said while tying the clothes, "Father, I have to go to Prince Qing's Mansion."

Rong Kaiji paused as he packed his bags, and asked slowly, "Farewell to His Royal Highness King Qing? When will you be back?"

"Farewell is one of them. I heard that His Majesty sent two imperial envoys to Guanzhou this time, and the other is General Qi Zhiyang from Beiying." Rong Youtang said solemnly: "Although we worked together in Beiying before, I I have very little personal relationship with General Qi, so I want to inquire through His Highness."

"Oh~"

Rong Kaiji suddenly realized, he was relieved immediately, and praised repeatedly: "So it's good to have a companion! You are a young junior, you should take the initiative, treat your seniors with respect, and don't be arrogant and rude. General Qi served under the command of King Qing , I must have a good character, you should discuss with him quickly, go to Guanzhou to take care of each other, and finish the work as soon as possible and go home."

"Well, I got it." Rong Youtang put on his shoes, put on his money bag, and said energetically: "Then I'm leaving, I'll go home for dinner tonight, I'm full—"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Rong Kaiji shouted nervously.

Rong Youtang laughed and turned around: "I just want to say that I have enough food, rest early, and recharge my energy for the boat ride tomorrow."

"Go and get busy." Rong Kaiji waved his hand as a gesture of dismissal, with a gratifying smile mixed with countless worries.

Rong Youtang first went to bid farewell to his uncle Rong Zhengqing, but unfortunately the other party hadn't come down yet, so he had to ask his younger brother Rong Yu to tell him; then he closed his eyes and rested in the carriage, took a nap, woke up and arrived at the Lufu, but was in vain : His housekeeper told Lu Nan to visit friends in Dingbei Hou's Mansion.

Rong Youtang thought for a while, and ordered to go to Prince Qing's Mansion.

Although he is acquainted with Guo Yuan and Guo Da, he has never officially entered the gate of the Dingbei Marquis Mansion. The main reason is that the mansion of the Duke Marquis is deep, with a gray-haired old lady on the top and a babbling baby on the bottom. It is inconvenient to wantonly interrupt due to personal affairs.

In the afternoon, the Rong family's carriage stopped at the gate of Prince Qing's Mansion.

Rong Youtang can be described as an honored guest among the regular guests - he sometimes gives rewards, is humble, and is one of the favorite guests of the concierge boys.

"Is Your Highness in the mansion?" Rong Youtang asked with a smile.

"Here, Mr. Rong please quickly."

in no time

Rong Youtang stepped into the study room familiarly, only to find that King Qing, Master Lu Nan, Guo brothers, several generals, etc. were sitting in the room bustlingly.Among them, Qi Zhiyang was kneeling on one knee to thank King Xie Qing with tears of gratitude.

Rong Youtang was startled, then hurriedly greeted each of them, and finally stood respectfully behind the master's seat.

"This is the palace of the prince. Your Highness is generous and generous. You don't need to be restrained. You can sit down too." Lu Nan ordered softly.

"Yes." Rong Youtang sat down with the master.

Zhao Zeyong raised his hand to help, and said peacefully: "General Qi, please stand up. This king has always recommended only talented people. Your qualifications and experience are sufficient, and your character is valuable. It is obvious to all, and there is no need to be humble."

"Thanks to His Highness's recommendation, I will be deeply impressed by the final general."

Qi Zhiyang was respectful, knelt straight on one knee, and said with red eyes: "After my father passed away, he will spend more than ten years in Guanzhong. Fortunately, General Sang and others recommended him to be transferred to Beijing, and His Royal Highness appreciated him. I was able to enter the northern camp, and was allowed to return to the city at night to serve the sick family for two months, even if my body was smashed to pieces, I would not be able to repay your great kindness!" After speaking, he touched his knees to the ground and kowtowed heavily.

No relationship, lack of opportunities, no one to appreciate and recommend, the official career will never be open, and low-level officials will often die in remote places with no ambitions.

"Get up quickly." Seeing this, Zhao Zeyong had no choice but to get off his seat and help him.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Qi Zhiyang raised his sleeve and pressed his eyes hard.

Zhao Zeyong solemnly reminded: "Don't be careless, this trip to Guanzhou is not easy, but the imperial envoy is entrusted with the emperor's order, so you only need to strictly implement the emperor's order, and you don't have to worry too much."

"Yes!" Qi Zhiyang nodded sharply.With the support of King Qing behind him, he has no fear.

After a pause, Zhao Zeyong turned his head and asked Rong Youtang: "Have you also accepted the imperial decree?"

"Yes." Rong Youtang hurriedly stood up.

"This is an order in danger." Zhao Zeyong looked solemn, and asked again: "General Qi and Master Xiao Rong know each other, right?"

Qi Zhiyang nodded: "Return to Your Highness: Lord Xiao Rong worked in Beiying before, so he naturally knew him."

Rong Youtang stepped forward and cupped his hands and said: "I'm going to Guanzhou on this trip, and I hope General Qi can give me some advice."

"I dare not be ashamed." Qi Zhiyang clasped his fists back, and said humbly: "A certain martial artist from Qi, I am deeply afraid that I will disappoint His Highness's heart of appreciation and support."

Guo Da couldn't help but laughed and said: "Hahaha, push back and forth, the two imperial envoys are both from Beiying! It's really interesting."

"It's just an accident." Guo Yuan said calmly, "Your Majesty ordered one article and one weapon. Xiaorong is in the household department and has been to Hejian to suppress bandits before, so he is a suitable candidate."

The most important thing is: the other parties involved in the incident don't want to take responsibility at all. They are all afraid of Hejian's aggressive folk customs, and they are afraid that it will be thankless and even aggravate the riots. Will those savage people be incited to riot again by someone with a heart?At that time, even if the imperial envoy loses his head, he will not be able to appease the emperor's anger.

A newborn calf is not afraid of tigers, Rong Youtang said firmly: "The imperial decree has been issued, and now we can only do our best."

Zhao Zeyong took his seat and said methodically: "Ziyu, first tell them about the situation you have so far, so that they can have a clear idea."

"Okay." Guo Yuan, as the left servant of the household department, has been in charge of implementing the New Deal.He briefly described some inherent disadvantages in the process of collecting commercial taxes in Guanzhou, and implicitly mentioned the depth of public anger aroused by corrupt officials.

Qi Zhiyang was quite surprised, solemn and dignified, he made quick calculations while listening, and was smug; Rong Youtang was not surprised: when the bandits were suppressed at the beginning of the year, he was in charge of receiving the food escort team, and ate several meals at the same table with the rich merchant families in Guanzhou Fan, I heard a lot of subtle inside stories at that time.

After nearly two hours of discussion, the crowd dispersed.

This time, without King Qing's opening, Rong Youtang lingered on his own and stayed.

"At the beginning of the year, there was a large army, but this time there were only a few people. Are you afraid?" Zhao Zeyong asked in a low voice.

Rong Youtang withdrew his eyes from quietly scanning the surroundings, and said frankly: "I'm a little scared, but I really want to go."

"Okay." Zhao Zeyong nodded appreciatively.

Rong Youtang couldn't help himself, his eyes frequently looked at the bookshelves, desks and other places.

"What are you looking for?" Zhao Zeyong raised his eyebrows.

"I didn't find anything." Rong Youtang immediately shook his head, he would not admit that he was looking for a jade box if he was killed.

Zhao Zeyong knew it well, got up and asked:

"You like that?"

King Qing: Do you like that?

Rong Youtang: Which one?