I was a salted fish in ancient times

What happened, Liu Jingxuan thought about it carefully.

When he came to Liangzhou by boat, he brought the emperor's trust in his family and the desire to show his talents in his heart.In the imagination, everything is beautiful.

But when I got to the place, I realized that everything was very difficult.

There are four major merchants in Liangzhou, Zhao, Liu, Wang, and Yue, with extraordinary financial resources. They took the lead in uniting those small merchants to establish the Liangzhou Chamber of Commerce.The four families intermarried with each other and were relatives by marriage. In this Liangzhou, the roots were intertwined, and if one family was moved, the four families would be affected.

The magistrate's mansion has already been taken care of up and down by them. For those yamen servants, there is no difference between changing the magistrate and not changing the magistrate.The money they received from these four families was far more than the salary given by the government.

At the beginning, Liu Jingxuan was also very confident, thinking that she could change the status quo.Several major merchants in those chambers of commerce wanted to invite him to dinner and listen to Qu Jian, but he refused without thinking.

He didn't bother to be with these people at all, let alone give them any expectations.

Those people didn't get angry either, they just said it's okay, the future will last forever.

Liu Jingxuan didn't pay attention to a group of low-status businessmen, but slowly he discovered that those yamen servants in Zhizhou Prefecture obeyed him on the surface, but turned a blind eye to his orders in private.The people he wants to arrest will never be caught, and the government orders he implements are blocked everywhere, and they cannot be implemented at all.

And when he didn't know, Liu San, who was the most trusted by his side, was dazzled with money and lost his heart.That's right, people give more money than Liu San has ever seen in his life.

Given the money and accompanied by the beauty, Liu San's heart was naturally crooked.

Liu Jingxuan has been the favored child of heaven since she was a child, and the object of fawning on others, she never expected that it would be so difficult to do things in Liangzhou.He had achieved nothing in Liangzhou for two months, and he was also afraid that the emperor would feel that he was not capable enough, so he held his breath in his heart.

Even in my dreams, I want to walk the road straight.

Liu San naturally knew that he was distressed, so when the Chamber of Commerce sent someone to say that he wanted to have a meal with Liu Jingxuan, he began to persuade Liu Jingxuan to get in touch with those businessmen first to see what they wanted to do.

At that time Liu Jingxuan trusted Liu San more, thinking about what he said was also reasonable, how could he grasp the opponent's handle if he didn't know the opponent well.

So Liu Jingxuan agreed to the invitation from the chamber of commerce.

The scenery in the south of the Yangtze River is beautiful, and there are many gentry.

That night, at the most prosperous restaurant in Liangzhou City, Liu Jingxuan met the four major merchants and some educated gentry in Liangzhou City for the first time.

It was the first time I met these businessmen, and they all looked benevolent.

They knew that literati were high-spirited, so they asked those gentry to talk to Liu Jingxuan, discussing allusions to poetry and dictionaries, and used this to open up the conversation.And they just sat and listened, their postures were extremely low.

They responded to what Liu Jingxuan said, even if he said something sarcastic, they happily accepted it.

After the meal that night, those people said that they just wanted to get to know Liu Jingxuan and had no other intentions. After all, everyone is a friend when they know each other.

That night, Liu Jingxuan looked at them coldly, thinking, she must see what tricks they were trying to play.

As a result, nothing happened that night.After that night, no one gave Liu Jingxuan a tael of silver, and no one asked him to do something.

On the contrary, those yamen servants carried out his orders quickly.

His work efficiency is getting higher and higher, his political achievements are getting better and better, and his reputation is getting better and better, all of which have spread from Liangzhou to the capital.

Both his father and the emperor were satisfied with this, and felt that he could do a lot in Liangzhou.

Seeing this situation, Liu Jingxuan knew that these businessmen wanted to show him off, so that he would know whose territory Liangzhou belonged to.If he refuses to invite him to dinner, it will be difficult for him to move forward in Liangzhou.

Liu San echoed that what he said was too right, those businessmen did this on purpose, and then used this behavior to tell them that if they want to live in peace, they have to give those people face.

What Liu Jingxuan said at the time, he said why did he want to give face to a group of businessmen when he was a dignified magistrate.

Liu San didn't answer, but only comforted him by saying that he should soften his temper a little bit, even if it was to soften his face.

Liu Jingxuan ignored Liu San's words, he didn't want to be gentle with those businessmen, and at the same time he couldn't bear his reputation.So he took this opportunity to rectify the Yamen of Xia Zhizhou, let all the thorny servants who were disobedient at the beginning go away, and temporarily appointed the more trusted people he brought as servants.

Those people only listened to his orders and found free time. Liu Jingxuan also planned to find some poor but upright people to maintain the law and order of the prefect.

He has no difficulty in doing these things.

Later, the people from the Chamber of Commerce invited him to dinner several times.Every time I go to the most extraordinary place, I hear the most beautiful music and watch the most graceful dance.

Those who accompany him are both beautiful and talented.

Literati all have this kind of elegance, and Liu Jingxuan is no exception. It's just that he has always been on guard, waiting for these people to make moves, so he doesn't show it every time.But this group of people seemed to be simply inviting him to dinner, wanting to know more about him, and had no other intentions.

Liu San asked whether these people were deliberately testing them and looking for their weaknesses.

Liu Jingxuan thought it was very possible, anyway, the muscle in his heart was always tense.He never drank alcohol when he ate with those people, he was afraid that drinking would cause trouble.

It wasn't until he cleaned up the yamen that at that time there was already news in Beijing that Liu Jingyi wanted to discuss marriage with the crown prince.At that time, he had made up his mind to bring down these merchant chambers of commerce.

And those businessmen also heard the news that the Liu family was going to marry the prince, and when they invited him to the restaurant again, their faces were full of panic, and they just begged for mercy.

Liu Jingxuan looked at them with some complacency in her heart.

That night he drank a cup of tea that Liu San handed over, and he became dizzy not long after.

He felt that he was being helped into a room full of fragrance. He could feel many things, but he couldn't control himself.

The next day he woke up in the biggest brothel in Liangzhou, lying beside him was a young man who usually only sold his talent and appearance in the building, and there were all kinds of IOUs with his fingerprints beside the bed.

Not long after, a girl's exclamation came from the room. Many people knew that he, the magistrate of Liangzhou, lived in a brothel.There was a law in the Great Zhou Dynasty that officials of prisons, supervisors, and state capitals were not allowed to engage in prostitution.

At that time Liu Jingxuan already knew that she had fallen into a hole dug by others.

When he returned to the mansion in a daze, Liu San brought the servants he brought from the capital to kneel down in front of him and pleaded guilty, only saying that they failed to control themselves and were caught.

If at that time Liu Jingxuan really broke up with these mermaids and repaired a letter to the capital, although he would lose his official position and lose the trust of the emperor, he would not continue to be trapped in this quagmire.

But at that time, Liu Jingxuan didn't want to lose his official position and didn't dare to lose, because the marriage of Liu Jingyi's prince had just been settled.

If something happened to him at this time and the lintel was involved, the marriage would definitely be void.At that time, not only will Liu Jingyi's reputation be damaged, it will be difficult to find a better husband's family in the future, but his father will also be reprimanded by the emperor for his ineffective parenting, and the Liu family will also be ruined.

Later, someone sent him the house deed and some handprinted IOUs. The house was not far from Zhizhou's mansion, and the young man had already lived in the house.

The sender didn't say a word, it was up to his own choice.

Liu Jingxuan was silent for a long time, then accepted the house deed and the IOU, and then the remaining IOU was burned in front of his face.

From then on, he knew that he couldn't change Liangzhou City, and even if he could, he would change it after compromising with those people. Fundamentally speaking, nothing had changed.

He abandons himself, his family is clean and honest, and he spends a lot of money on weekdays.

But in Liangzhou, gradually, he also got used to drinking dozens of taels a pot of wine, eating meals worth hundreds of taels, and wearing the best clothes.

They give money and all kinds of beauties, and he accepts them.

It is difficult to stick to one's heart, but it is very fast to be assimilated.

It is easy to have fun, but difficult to keep one's duty.

This has been the case for the past few years, the merchants gave him money, and he provided shelter for these people.

There are several big merchants, no one is messed up, and if something happens, as long as he is the magistrate of Liangzhou City, it will be easy to settle it.

It's not that Liu Jingxuan didn't do some good things for the common people, it's just that the things he did for the common people had little conflict with the interests of those businessmen.As long as there is no absolute conflict of interest, those businessmen will not force him too much.

Those businessmen scolded him behind his back for his hypocrisy, but they didn't dare to offend him to death in person.

Once corrupt officials become ruthless, they will also kill people.

Liu Jingxuan's appetite for money is getting bigger and bigger, the excuses for collecting money are getting more and more absurd, and his behavior is getting more and more unrestrained. It is common for him to stay overnight in brothels.Those businessmen became more and more at ease with him, as long as Liu Jingxuan didn't go too far and they were always like grasshoppers on the same rope, then everything would be easy to talk about.

Liu Jingxuan also used the money to cultivate a group of forces of her own. As long as there is money, there will naturally be people who work hard, and those merchants dare not tear themselves apart.

The two sides maintain a delicate balance in this way.

Not only use each other, but also guard against each other.

Until the beginning of this year, these people played his father's idea.

Liu Jingxuan knew in her heart that these people had always wanted to drag his father and prince into trouble.Zhizhou's gun, how can it compare to the academician of the Hanlin Academy and the dignified prince.

If they become one and the crown prince ascends the throne in the future, they will not only have the crown prince's handle but also the merits of the dragon, so they will naturally get more benefits.

It's just that Liu Jingxuan has been standing in front for the past two years and didn't pull the line. Now that he can't stop it, he can only say yes in front of this group of people, but he will take the lead in the interests.

After stabilizing the group of people, he moved as quickly as possible in private.

This group of people dare to think, but he dare not.

In the past two years, it's not that the officials below have reported the things he did. As a result, most of the group of people were recruited by them, and a small part was solved by Liu San and others.

Liu Jingxuan kept taking the money, but he refused to do the murder.

If he doesn't do it, those people will let Liu San do it, and they will report to him afterwards. He can't wash it clean no matter what.

The county magistrate Wang Xin in Su'an was an exception.

Wang Xin usually gives people the impression that he is as timid as a mouse. Besides, Su'an is not a rich place, and not many people pay attention to it.

Liu Jingxuan also accidentally discovered that Wang Xin could be used, so this time he deliberately used Wang Xin's hand to send a booklet to the capital.He knew that the eldest prince Xiao Rong had always been at odds with the prince, so he deliberately sent the booklet to Xiao Rong's residence.In order not to let Wang Xin leak his words and to save his life, Liu Jingxuan arrested him and locked him in the cellar.

Liu Jingxuan had her own people in the past two years, so Liu San naturally didn't need to intervene in this matter, and the group of people in the Chamber of Commerce didn't know about it.

So overall it went pretty well.

When news of Wang Xin suing him spread from the capital to Liangzhou, he took the opportunity to scold those members of the chamber of commerce.

Let them find Wang Xin immediately, but naturally they can't find anyone.

Everyone said that Wang Xin ran away.

During this period, Liu Jingxuan had already made two-handed preparations. If the emperor sent someone from the prince's lineage to Liangzhou, he would hand over his crimes to Liangzhou openly.If the emperor sends others to come, he will write a copy of what he committed to the prince before these people arrive.

In short, he is not a fun guy, but he really does not dare to hurt his family and the Crown Princess.

Hearing that it was Xiao Shan who came, he made up his mind.He had heard from his father that Xiao Shan was very loyal to the prince.Then he used this reason to stabilize the Chamber of Commerce, and his behavior was as absurd as ever.

What he did can't be concealed, and now he doesn't want to hide it. At this point, Liu Jingxuan just wanted to state his crimes face to face, at least to let the crown prince know that he never thought of harming the crown prince.

This is also good for Liu Jingyi.

After listening to Liu Jingxuan's words, everyone was silent.

Xiao Shandao: "According to what you say, is the atmosphere in Jiangnan official circles like this?"

Liu Jingxuan nodded.

Xiao Shan said: "What about Gu Yin, the magistrate in the south of the Yangtze River, was he ever like you, did he ever know what you committed, and did he ever protect you?"

About Gu Yin is what he wants to ask most.

Liu Jingxuan committed a crime, it can also be said that he is the elder brother of the crown prince and has little relationship with the crown prince.

But Gu Yin is different. Gu Yin is Xiao Jin's cousin and the magistrate of the south of the Yangtze River. If he commits a crime, it is easy to guess that it is the Gu family in the capital who ordered it, and it is the prince's intention.

In the territory of Jiangnan, Liu Jingxuan may not be a big deal to the prince, but Gu Yin is the key.

Xiao Shan doesn't need to ask, but Zong Qing will check.If Gu Yin really had a problem, Zong Qing would play even if it was difficult.It's better to ask directly, he has a plan in mind.

Liu Jingxuan said: "Master Gu is different from the lower officials. Mr. Gu comes from a hairpin family with a deep family background. Others can't beat him with money. No one dares to hit him with thunderous methods. The lower officials commit crimes." , In the final analysis, I still have shallow knowledge and uncertain hearts. There is no comparison between a lower official and Mr. Gu."

Xiao Shan rolled his eyes and didn't speak any more.

Zong Qing also heaved a sigh of relief, now he was afraid that Liu Jingxuan would say something suddenly, and Gu Yin was the same.

Then he didn't know how to report to the emperor.

Although he was loyal to the emperor wholeheartedly, he still had to consider the matter of breaking the prince's arm himself.

It's best not to.

"It's ridiculous that a few businessmen can play with the court's officials." Xiao Shan stood up and said with no dust on his body: "In this case, Mr. Liu will send a message to those big businessmen , you make arrangements for this king and Lord Zong, and this king and Lord Zong will also go to see the means of monitoring these businessmen."

"Master Liu, I want to see the big scene in Liangzhou. I will let them prepare well in the next few days. Master Liu told them not to disappoint me. As for what to say, Master Liu has thought clearly .”

Liu Jingxuan naturally dared not refuse.

***

The Liangzhou Chamber of Commerce has been taking turns to be the president these years, and this year it is the turn of the Zhao family.

After hearing that someone went to Zhizhou Yamen, Liu Jingxuan ran out to meet him without even getting dressed, President Zhao immediately notified other people to come to the chamber of commerce, and everyone sat together to study the matter.

Everyone started talking there before their butts were hot. There were all kinds of guesses. The most guess was that Liu Jingxuan was welcoming an imperial envoy from the capital, and it was even more clear that the person who came was Xiao Shan.

What the members of the four families want to know most is why Xiao Shan entered Liangzhou separately from the imperial envoy, whether he wanted to investigate Liu Jingxuan privately, or whether he wanted to come in advance to help Liu Jingxuan clean up the mess.

Some people tend to be the former, most think it is the latter.

In their eyes, Xiao Shan belonged to the prince, so naturally it was impossible to touch Liu Jingxuan, the prince's brother-in-law, unless Xiao Shan had a dissatisfaction with the prince.

It's just that they didn't discuss the reason, and Liu Jingxuan's sedan chair arrived in front of the chamber of commerce.

Hearing that Liu Jingxuan had arrived in person, Chairman Zhao and the others were a little surprised.

Liu Jingxuan is the most hypocritical person, he is greedy for money, he sleeps for beauties, and he secretly cultivated a group of forces of his own to fight with them.We have had many contacts in these years, but Liu Jingxuan insisted that he was a scholar, and never set foot in their chamber of commerce, saying that the place was full of copper smell, and for some reason, he came here in person today.

No matter what everyone thought, Liu Jingxuan was welcomed in immediately.

Liu Jingxuan came in and sat on the main seat, then looked at the crowd and said: "King Li has come to the official residence."

Chairman Zhao and the others were not surprised, after all, they discussed this possibility just now.

Seeing everyone's peaceful faces, Liu Jingxuan sneered twice and said quietly: "The prince took Liu San down as soon as he came."

Everyone was startled, President Zhao couldn't help but said: "What do you mean, my lord, but Liu San was rude in front of the prince?" He originally wanted to ask directly if Liu Jingxuan was bragging, and Xiao Shan didn't have a good relationship with him at all, so Xiao Shan cut off Liu San's arm as soon as he came.

If so, then they have something else to think about.

Liu Jingxuan gave him a sideways look, and said with hatred on his face: "I'm still angry if you don't say that. Liu San used to have such a flexible mind when he followed me, but now the one you have taught is stupid, with only eyes Four fingers are as long. The official asked him to collect some disembarkation money. It is good for him to collect more and less. Who is the father? Is that the current Holy One, someone he dares to replace?"

"You have heard of the reputation of Prince Li. Is he a person who can bear this kind of anger? What is Liu San? He is not even a fart in front of the prince. Because of this, the prince was angry and came to Liang Zhou Leng didn't show up for a few days, and was ready to let the official fend for himself. Seeing that the imperial guard of honor was about to arrive, the prince came out. If it wasn't for the sake of His Royal Highness, with Liu San's words, he would The three were slaughtered together with the official."

What Liu San did at the ferry would be clear once checked, and Liu Jingxuan is not afraid of their investigation.

Everyone saw Liu Jingxuan's blushing and thick neck, and they also scolded Liu San in their hearts for being too complacent and arrogant by them in the past few years, and dared to say anything.

Seeing that they were all honest, Liu Jingxuan said again: "My lord has seen the world in the capital, it's not easy to come to our Liangzhou. Find a place for you to make my lord happy."

Hearing this, President Zhao said, "What do you mean, sir?"

Liu Jingxuan gave him a blank look: "This is the meaning of the prince. You try to serve people well and prepare the best things. After two days, I will introduce you to the prince. But I will say something ugly first. , who dares to speak out in front of the prince this time, don't blame me for not being sympathetic."

President Zhao and the others agreed repeatedly upon hearing this.

They thought to themselves that if they saw Xiao Shan, it would be tantamount to serving the prince.

It proves that they are going to be in the same boat with the prince soon, isn't this kind of thing exciting?

***

A few days later, the guard of honor arrived at the edge of the city, and Xiao Shan immediately ordered some of them to enter the capital on the same day, and some to enter the city on the second day as originally planned.After two thousand guards scattered into the city, Xiao Shan and Zong Qing said they wanted to meet those merchants.

That night, when going to the banquet, Xie Zhui dressed up as a guard and followed Xiao Shan.

Speaking of which, Chairman Zhao and the others originally arranged to go to the largest painting boat in Liangzhou, which has two floors.

Their Liangzhou painting boat is considered a masterpiece. In the painting boat on the water, you can watch dances, listen to music, drink, watch fireworks, and there are all kinds of beauties and brothers in it.

As soon as the news was delivered to Xiao Shan, Xiao Shan scolded Liu Jingxuan, saying that he has no fate with boats in his life, and whoever loves to go on a boat will go.

Liu Jingxuan turned around and scolded the members of the chamber of commerce again, scolding them so badly, didn't the majestic prince have seen a boat?Boats can be placed in the lake of the Royal Palace Garden.

President Zhao and others were scolded, but they were not angry. It doesn't matter that Xiao Shan is difficult to serve, as long as they are allowed to serve, everything is easy to talk about.Everyone picked and picked, and finally picked a private house, which has a small bridge and flowing water, and the scenery complements each other.

The utensils are very elegantly placed throughout.

What they mean is that if Xiao Shan likes it, they can give it to him as a place to stay.

When Xiao Shan, Xie Zhui and Zong Qing arrived, Zong Qing looked at the house and felt in his heart that there were not many houses like this in the capital.

Xiao Shan raised his eyebrows, looking interested.

But this interest was only towards the yard, as for Chairman Zhao and others, he didn't even give him a look.

President Zhao and the others have met many officials, big and small, but this is the first time for the prince.

They also put up with Xiao Shan's arrogant attitude.

Just like they endured Liu Jingxuan at the beginning, anyway, in the future, if they are in the same boat, today's patience will be capital in the future.

They sat in a pavilion in the courtyard, surrounded by water on three sides, and only a wooden corridor led to the rest.

The water under the pavilion is alive and gurgling.

The lights on the opposite rockery are dizzy, and standing against the rockery in the water is a performance stage, which is very elegantly arranged.

Among the group of people, Liu Jingxuan was the only one who could talk to Xiao Shan. After sitting down, Liu Jingxuan toasted Xiao Shan.

Xiao Shan took a sip lazily, and said: "Didn't you say that there is a good program in preparation? This king wants to open his eyes."

Liu Jingxuan hurriedly clapped her hands.

The lights on the opposite side were turned on, the curtain on the stage was slowly opened, the sound of silk and bamboo was heard, and the dancing girls came out one after another.

The string and bamboo are pleasing to the ear, and the dancing posture is graceful, with clear songs and elegant dances, visual enjoyment.

In the middle of the dance, the sound of the pipa suddenly sounded, and the woman covered in soft white tulle walked out slowly.Under the lights, the woman's face was faintly visible, but it could be seen that she was a stunning beauty.

And when the pipa sounded, the performance stage suddenly moved.

It wasn't until this moment that everyone discovered that it was not a platform for performances at all, but a two-story painting boat, which was just disguised as a platform.

Waiting for the boat to start gives people a feeling that a beauty is about to fall into his arms.

President Zhao looked at Xiao Shan with a smile on his face.

I saw Xiao Shan with a smile on his face, just quietly watching the boat sailing toward the pavilion.

When the sound of the pipa became sharper, the dancing posture of the person above became more tender and affectionate.

When the boat was about to touch the pavilion, everything stopped suddenly.

The people on the painting boat stood up and saluted with clear and melodious voices.

Everyone looked at Xiao Shan.

Xiao Shan raised his eyebrows and looked at Liu Jingxuan sideways, then he said with a half-smile: "Lord Liu, is this the surprise you gave me?"

There was neither surprise nor joy in his tone.

Zong Qing honestly sat aside and said nothing, Xie Zhui felt that the painting was very dazzling and wanted to chop it up.

To be honest, Liu Jingxuan really felt that this pipa playing could be called a masterpiece.

The music is beautiful and the dance is also beautiful, which can be said to be pleasing to the eye and refreshing.

But Xiao Shan said so, he could only stand up and plead guilty, and when he pleaded guilty, Chairman Zhao and the others had to be frightened.

Xiao Shan sneered: "Master Liu, you said these are my king's surprises, are you deliberately humiliating me?"

Liu Jingxuan hurriedly said that she didn't dare.

Xiao Shan sneered: "Why don't you dare? I know that I didn't love those poems and songs since I was a child. You are doing this for me now because you deliberately don't make me feel happy. If you really let me Wang is happy, why don't you get two crickets to fight on it?"

Everyone: "..."

Chairman Zhao and the others thought, how could King Li say such a thing?This is vulgar.Isn't this telling everyone that he is not good at reading, has no knowledge, and only loves to fight crickets?

As a prince, isn't he afraid of losing face?

Xiao Shan didn't have time to pay attention to them, he raised his eyes to the group of businessmen and raised his chin: "Who is he?"

Liu Jingxuan followed his gaze and replied, "It's Chairman Zhao of the Liangzhou Chamber of Commerce."

"Take him down." Xiao Shan said coldly.

Liu Jingxuan didn't expect him to attack him so suddenly, his face was a bit dazed: "Huh?"

Xiao Shan said indifferently: "He has neither fame nor title, he is just a businessman, and his clothes are more restrained."

The status of a businessman is low, and there are regulations on what clothes to wear, but President Zhao is wearing silk and satin, which is very conspicuous.

Liu Jingxuan blinked, Xiao Shan looked at the others again: "I have seen it, these people have more or less faults in their clothes, let's take them down."

No one moved in the pavilion, Zong Qing clapped his hands, Xie Zhui stood in front of Xiao Shan.

Not long after, the guards filed in.

Someone reported that the guards of those people outside had been taken down.

In the confusion, Xiao Shan said to Liu Jingxuan: "This king thought that the person who dragged you into the water must have the ability to reach the sky, but now it's nothing more than that. I really don't know if Mr. Liu is stupid in reading, or if he is born If you don't have enough brains, a group of businessmen can't grasp the handles, but instead let yourself fall into such a situation and be completely used by others, it is really ridiculous."

"In the end, all the reasons are because you are willing to indulge in pleasure."

"The most correct thing you have done in your life is knowing that you are stupid but not thinking of dragging the prince into trouble, otherwise you Liu family and nine clans are not enough to destroy."