The return of the son-in-law

A group of people hurried and hurried, and finally came to Xuzhou.

Li Shaojin had been holding back a lot of dissatisfaction for a long time, and when he saw Xie Bing standing at the gate of the mansion, this dissatisfaction burst out all over his head.

"What are you! Standing at the gate of the government office is respect for me? It's just a small prefect, why didn't you send someone to meet me at the border of Xuzhou earlier?"

Xie Bing was taken aback, and couldn't help explaining: "This... there is no law saying that the prince should be greeted at the border of the state."

Li Shaojin was so angry that his face was distorted: "You are so courageous! You have no one in your eyes!" He rolled his eyes, searched the crowd for a while, and sneered: "Where is Guo Zhan'an? The prince is here, he is alone What is the crime for the little general judge not to come out to greet him?"

Xie Bing replied truthfully: "Master Guo went to Shen County two days ago, and there are still some matters that Mr. Guo needs to deal with. I am here to apologize to the Fourth Prince on his behalf."

Li Shaojin smiled but didn't smile: "Master Guo is really a big air, how dare I care about him like him? Where do I live? Have you arranged it?"

Xie Bing quickly replied: "The post station is mixed with fish and dragons. We specially opened up an open and quiet yard in the backyard of the government office for the fourth prince to rest. It has been cleaned a few days ago, and we are waiting for the fourth prince to have a look."

Li Shaojin still wanted to show off his prestige again, and the staff who acted as Mr.'s staff behind him whispered: "Your Highness, there are still people watching."

Only then did Li Shaojin restrain himself, and glanced at Xie Bing: "Lead the way."

Xie Bing quickly led the crowd into the government office.

After setting up Li Shaojin, Xie Bing was too lazy to show off his smiling face. He happened to have some government affairs that had not yet been dealt with, so he told his people to guard the door. If Li Shaojin had any needs, as long as they were not out of line, he would do his best to satisfy them, and he would leave the backyard and go to the front study.

Li Shaojin glanced at the people guarding the door with disgust, and said in a vicious voice: "You guys, drive them out of the yard, close the door, and leave me to discuss important matters with the two gentlemen."

The entourage responded, stepped back and went out respectfully, and then closed the door, only to hear a few unfriendly shouts from outside the door.

Only then did Li Shaojin feel a little bit happier, and turned to his two staff members and said, "Gentlemen, when do you think the meeting with the Tatars should be scheduled?"

One of them replied: "Know yourself, know your enemy, and win every battle. Your Highness, I heard that in three days it will be the day to do business with Tatar. Why don't we go and have a look first, see what we need to pay attention to, and come back to discuss countermeasures." , and meet the Tatars again."

Li Shaojin frowned: "Those Tatar people are rude and rude. I heard that the goods they brought are very smelly. If you let me go to such a place, it will cost me half my life."

"Your Highness, be careful, what does this have to do with fate?" Another staff member hurriedly interrupted Li Shaojin's cursing himself, and then bowed his hands: "I was rude to Your Highness just now, please forgive me."

He is still useful to Li Shaojin, so Li Shaojin didn't care about him for the time being, and continued: "In my opinion, there is no need to go, just find some people who have been there and ask. Has Guo Zhanan been there? Pai People go to get him back, even if I have something important to look for him, even if he has something big to do, he must rush back to me immediately."

The two staff members looked at each other, and found helplessness in each other's eyes, but Li Shaojin had made up his mind, and they couldn't persuade them much, so they could only say: "Master Guo is in Shen County, and it will take two days for us to send orders to come and go. Please wait patiently, Your Highness. The two of us will go to see the market in three days, and bring a few merchants to meet His Highness. As for the two days, His Highness will take a good rest first, and then take this opportunity to What Master Liu said has been done."

Thinking of what Liu Wenhua told him before leaving, Li Shaojin smiled sincerely for the first time in the past few days: "I understand, you go down and rest. You have worked hard with me for the past few days."

The staff even claimed that they "didn't dare", and seeing that Li Shaojin had nothing to continue talking with them, they went down to rest without mentioning it.

Xie Bing did not dare to neglect Li Shaojin's order, and called the messenger to hurry up, and finally delivered it to Guo Zhan'an who was having breakfast in Shen County early the next morning.

Huo Yu, who was at the side, saw Guo Zhanan read the letter and put it aside casually. He couldn't help being curious: "Brother, is there something urgent? The messenger delivered the letter early this morning, so he must have been on the road overnight." .”

Guo Zhanan reached out and took a grain of rice from Huo Yu's mouth, wiped it on the handkerchief beside him, and said, "It's nothing serious, it's the fourth prince who ordered me to see him."

"Fourth prince?" Huo Yu thought about it carefully, and couldn't help worrying: "I remember that the fourth prince and my brother were at odds, why did you ask my brother to see him at this time? My brother is the general judge of Xuzhou, and he is not allowed to leave Xuzhou without an edict. How do we leave?" Going to the capital to meet the Fourth Prince? If someone else finds out, please refer to Brother for a copy, what should I do?"

Guo Zhanan gave Huo Yu a small piece of fermented bean curd, and said with a smile: "The fourth prince has come to Xuzhou, and he is probably basking in the sun in the backyard of the Xuzhou mansion right now."

Huo Yu was surprised: "Why did he come to Xuzhou? Brother, I will accompany you to see him. If he dares to attack brother, I, Huo Yu, will try my best to make him look good!"

Guo Zhanan scolded: "What nonsense! The Chinese New Year is coming, and you dare to joke about your own life? Have you forgotten what I said before, if you say such things casually, what punishment will you have?"

It was only then that Huo Yu realized that he had violated Guo Zhanan's taboo in a hurry, but Guo Zhanan cared about him, so how could he be afraid?Huo Yu repeatedly begged for mercy: "Brother, please forgive me this time. If I care about it, I will be chaotic, and I am afraid that my brother will suffer."

What Guo Zhan'an couldn't bear the most was Huo Yu's cute appearance. He put down his chopsticks and pinched the bridge of Huo Yu's nose: "This time, I will put it on the account first. If I dare to talk nonsense next time, I will make a profit with it." It's good."

Huo Yu blushed and responded in a low voice.

Seeing his lovely appearance, Guo Zhan'an couldn't help but leaned over and kissed his ear, and then continued to eat contentedly.

After waiting for three days in a row, Guo Zhanan did not come back.In the government office, two staff members had already left for the border market, and only Li Shaojin had nothing to do.He couldn't see Guo Zhan'an for a long time, and he was furious, but without two staff members, he really couldn't think of any other way except to use his status to force him.

If Guo Zhanan didn't come, he had nowhere to get angry, so he could only hold back his anger and meet with several business representatives.

The leading businessman specialized in the fur business, and he was quite colorful, and he gave him a box of gems early on, and when Li Shaojin had had enough fun, he asked with a smile: "It's just a small gift, and I hope you don't give it away." It can enter the eyes of the Fourth Prince."

When Li Shaojin saw this box of gems, most of his anger dissipated, and his dark face was replaced with a smiling face: "You are welcome, it has been hard work coming all the way to Xuzhou."

Knowing that Li Shaojin was satisfied, the businessman took advantage of the situation and said, "Thank you, Fourth Prince, for your concern. Although it is a long way from the northeast, the journey is quite comfortable. By the way, I still have two pieces of high-quality furs on my side, which are spread on the carriage. Didn't feel any bumps at all."

Li Shaojin couldn't help being overjoyed: "This is really good. I bought it for how much money."

The businessman still asked Li Shaojin, how dare he ask for his money, he said quickly: "If the fourth prince likes it, I will send someone to send it later. It is my blessing to be in the eyes of the fourth prince, but it is only two pieces of leather , how can it compare to the love of the Fourth Prince?"

Li Shaojin was completely satisfied now, and simply asked: "How many leathers did you bring from all the way? Are you going to do business with those Tatars?"

The merchant nodded and said, "To tell you the truth, I came here only when I heard that there was a big business here. As you know, this winter is very cold, and I thought I could sell these leathers for a good price. However, I When I arrived in Xuzhou one day, I heard that although this market is spontaneously organized by the people, it is controlled by a few merchants, and foreigners like me have no way to get a piece of the pie."

Li Shaojin pretended to be angry and said: "Who is so courageous? If I find out, he must be punished!"

The businessman dared to offend the local businessmen in Xuzhou, and quickly said: "I don't know the details, but they won't be around for long. I heard that the fourth prince came to Xuzhou to manage the business center with Tatar. I don’t dare to hide anything. I brought so many goods here, so I can’t let me go back empty-handed, right? The manpower and material resources spent on this journey have already cost me a lot of savings. I'm afraid I'm going to go bankrupt. I also ask the fourth prince to take pity on my family of five, and I have three children to raise, so I can take part in the market once."

Li Shaojin glanced at the box of gems, thought of the two pieces of leather, and said, "Don't worry, I'm here to prevent this kind of phenomenon. In the future, anyone can participate in the market, and no one will get stuck with you again." gone."

With Li Shaojin's words, the businessman was relieved, and said with satisfaction: "Thank you, Fourth Prince!"

Li Shaojin met with many businessmen one after another, and there were more and more treasures in the room specially opened as a warehouse. When the two staff members came back from the market, the whole room was full of boxes, making people nowhere to stay.

Looking at the room full of treasures, the staff couldn't help but click their tongues: "Fourth Prince, this is?"

Li Shaojin didn't hide from them, he said everything in detail, and finally sighed: "These people are good at life, much better than that Guo Zhan'an."

The staff looked at each other helplessly, and one of them said, "Fourth Prince, have you promised them anything?"

Li Shaojin thought for a while and replied: "It's nothing, it's just that they are not allowed to participate in the current market. The great opportunity for national power is to have as many people as possible, so that those Tatars will never dare to invade the dynasty again."

The staff had been to the bazaar and had seen with their own eyes how the Tatars did business.Compared with Li Shaojin, they are much more cautious: "Fourth Prince, don't rush everything. The business with Tatar is just the beginning. If there is no control now, anyone can participate, I'm afraid there will be trouble."

Li Shaojin was dissatisfied when he heard someone opposed him: "Oh? Then what do you want?"

When the staff saw Li Shaojin's face, they knew that he was unhappy, but if this matter was not handled well, Li Shaojin would definitely be reprimanded when he went back. : "The Tatars are very trustworthy, and they bring out the best goods. If someone on our side shoddy the goods and was discovered by the Tatars in the future, it is our side that is in the wrong. Moreover, the Tatars have nothing to do with us. The hostility has not completely disappeared, if this thing happens, I am afraid that there will be another war in the Northwest."

Li Shaojin doesn't think so: "It's just for business. They don't have eyes, so can they blame us? Besides, didn't Xie Bingzi say that all the people who come to the fair are small tribes. We are a big country. Can you still be afraid of them? You guys are just too careful."

The aides did not give up, and persuaded: "Fourth Prince, please think long-term. The participants must be strictly controlled. If spies are mixed in, it will not be worth the loss."

Li Shaojin was furious: "Are you in charge or I am in charge? I finally had a chance to commit crimes and make meritorious deeds. It's good for you to look forward and backward, are you the ones who do great things?"

Despite Li Shaojin's scolding, the aides persuaded: "Fourth prince, be careful! You have already been suspected by His Majesty because of that incident. If there is another mistake in the trade, it will be easier for the third prince!"

When he mentioned his opponent, Li Shaojin calmed down a little.Due to his face and the room full of treasures, he couldn't prevent those merchants from participating in this fair, so he could only compromise and said: "Record the names of the merchants who came to visit me in the past two days. The city will take them with you. When the time comes, send some people to keep an eye on them and don't let them get in the way."

The aides knew that this was the best result they could achieve, they flattered Li Shaojin for being wise and decisive, but secretly poured bitter water after they went down.

Two days later, Li Shaojin issued a decree that the trade with Tatar had been handed over to the imperial court, and no one could participate in the commercial bazaar without a token issued by the imperial court.As for the candidates to participate in trade, he, Li Shaojin, will personally review them first.

Guo Zhan'an heard about this decree in Shen County, and couldn't help but sneered: "He has a good plan."

Huo Yu was puzzled and asked, "Brother, do Ning Guhan and the others know that this government order has been issued so urgently?"

"Of course I don't know." Guo Zhan'an looked at the blueprint sent by Shu Junlang, and said, "Does he still think he is the fourth prince in the capital? No one dares to touch him in Xuzhou. But, hehe, the Tatars don’t recognize the identity of the fourth prince.”

As soon as Huo Yu heard this, he knew that there was something wrong, so he quickly asked, "Brother, are the Tatars going to teach this Fourth Prince a lesson?"

Guo Zhanan nodded and said, "It depends on the businessmen he picks. If you dare to sell them to the Tatars, you can fool them once or twice, but you won't be able to fool them forever."

After getting along with each other these few times, Guo Zhan'an has already roughly understood the character of the Tatar people.They worship martial arts and are aggressive, and now they come to the market because of their livelihood, which is nothing less than a shame and a great humiliation to Tatar men.If those merchants cheated them and sold defective products, then it would not be a simple compensation.

If someone else came, Guo Zhan'an would remind him, but since it was Li Shaojin, it was enough for him to wait and see how the situation changed.

After all, Li Shaojin still had two intelligent staff members by his side, who checked the goods brought by all the merchants participating in the market before setting off.Sure enough, they found many defective products that could not be sold.

Not to mention how these merchants temporarily dispatched goods, and how they gave gifts to flatter Li Shaojin, begging him to give him another chance, the first market that Li Shaojin was in charge of finally passed without any risk.

Li Shaojin was proud of himself, and when he came back, he told the people below that the names of the merchants who found defective products were removed from the list of the next market, and he said to the two staff: "I just said that you are too cautious. There are a few low-end ones, but most of the merchants are still trustworthy."

The two staff members could only laugh apologetically: "After all, the fourth prince is wise, just follow this charter, return to the capital in a month, maybe you can become king."

Before the private soldier was exposed, Li Chonghao had revealed that he wanted to make Li Shaojin king, but he had no chance.Now, isn't this an opportunity?

When Li Shaojin thought that he was the first among his brothers to become king, he couldn't help laughing: "How can you guess what the father is thinking? I am the son of the father, so naturally I have to work for the father. As for whether to be the king, I will Never cared."

The staff repeatedly said yes.

Unfortunately, one month later, just as Li Shaojin was about to return to Beijing, Xie Bing hurried over with a letter, out of breath, and shouted: "Fourth prince, the fourth prince is not good!"