Jiuxi

Chapter 656: 654 [Conscience]

Ruyin City, the Governor's Mansion.

Lu Chen sat in the main seat, looking at the visiting card in his hand, and asked thoughtfully: "How much do you know about this new governor?"

Sitting below was a thin young man with handsome features and a pale complexion. It was not a natural paleness, but an unhealthy paleness caused by long-term work.

He is Yang Jingxuan, the Jiangbei Inspector of the Weaving Bureau, and also Qin Zheng's nephew.

It has been nearly two years since Yang Jingxuan came to Jiangbei. He is no longer the smart but slightly immature young man he used to be. He has already acquired some of Qin Zheng's demeanor.

His responsibilities were very broad. He was in charge of the spies from the Weaving Bureau in Huaizhou and Jingzhou, and was also responsible for contacting some spies in the enemy territory in the north.

Hearing Lu Chen's question, Yang Jingxuan thought for a moment and said slowly, "My Lord, Xu Fangbo is from Xiping County, Qilin Prefecture, Luzhou. He has lived a hard life since childhood. He was a top three Jinshi in the ninth year of Yuankang, and was sent to be the magistrate of Jiang County, Yiquan Prefecture, Hezhou. After the late emperor ascended the throne in Yongjia City, Xu Fangbo served as the co-magistrate and prefect of Yiquan Prefecture, and later served as the Langzhong of the Ministry of Personnel and the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. He was one of the noble civil officials that the late emperor relied on very much."

Lu Chen nodded slightly, and then asked, "Is he really the same inside and out?"

This statement seemed too straightforward. Yang Jingxuan remained calm and nodded, "Yes, sir."

Lu Chen had his own information channels. The resume of the new governor of Dingzhou had long been on his desk. The reason why he specifically asked Yang Jingxuan for his opinion was simply to get evidence from multiple sources.

He placed the visiting card on the table, looked up at Yang Jingxuan, and said with a smile: "Before leaving Beijing, Lord Qin sent someone to tell me that he was a little worried about your condition. Now it seems that your condition is better than I expected, and you have not been affected by the turmoil in the capital."

"Your Excellency is too kind. How could it be that there is no impact at all?"

Yang Jingxuan looked calm, and then said: "I thought I would be waiting for a transfer order or a dismissal document, but I didn't expect that the imperial edict of your majesty contained many words of encouragement and a lot of money and property."

Dingzhou is far away from the capital, but the news channels of the Weaving Bureau are not slow. Before Lu Chen left the capital, Yang Jingxuan already knew the details of the assassination case in the imperial mausoleum.

Perhaps others would be hesitant, but Yang Jingxuan could see at a glance that this was a fatal move against his uncle.

Several assassins openly attempted to assassinate the emperor in front of the imperial mausoleum. Qin Zheng, as the director of the Weaving Bureau, must take responsibility. The only difference is whether he resigns, is dismissed from office, or is punished.

As for himself, Yang Jingxuan was already prepared to be dismissed. After all, he was Qin Zheng's nephew, and this close relationship was enough to affect his future.

Lu Chen thought for a moment, then explained: "Because of the assassination case, His Majesty may take action against Qin Tiju, but he will not force you to take action. After all, you have done a good job in Jiangbei in the past two years, and the Textile Bureau has provided great help to the border troops. The turmoil in the capital cannot be blamed on you, and the officials in the court will not accept the appearance of being implicated."

Yang Jingxuan looked at the Duke of the County, who was about the same age as himself, and suddenly asked directly, "Sir, if there had not been that assassination case, could my uncle have continued to be in charge of the Textile Bureau?"

This question goes straight to the heart of the matter.

Lu Chen felt the young man's trust, so he didn't use official language and said softly, "It's difficult."

There was a hint of disappointment and relief in Yang Jingxuan's eyes.

Lu Chen sighed softly and said, "Lord Qin is right, but the position of the Textile Bureau Director is too important, so it is reasonable for His Majesty to do this."

"I understand."

Yang Jingxuan's expression returned to normal, and he said solemnly: "Thank you for speaking frankly, sir."

"lets change a topic."

Lu Chen waved his hand and changed the subject, "I asked you to come here today because I want to ask the brothers in the Sutra Weaving Department to help with something."

Yang Jingxuan bowed and said, "It is our duty to serve the Great Qi."

Lu Chen said slowly: "After the Battle of Yongqiu, the Emperor of Jing dismissed Qing Yugong from his post as the Marshal of the Southern Court, and there has been no follow-up so far. I am quite suspicious about this. Normally, a defeat would not cause Qing Yugong to fall to the bottom of the abyss."

Yang Jingxuan pondered and said, "Does the lord suspect there is a trick?"

Lu Chen said: "Whether it is a trick or not, we must figure out the relationship between the monarch and his subjects. Right now, the Jing army is ready to make a move on the border. Several defense areas have reported that the frequency of the Jing army's cavalry has increased significantly, which shows that the other party obviously does not want to live in peace. If the Emperor of Jing and Qing Yugong do have irreconcilable conflicts, our border army can respond more radically. If the so-called dismissal is just a show, our army needs to be patient."

Since this matter concerns the strategic plans of the border troops, Yang Jingxuan naturally knows its importance.

After a brief thought, he replied, "Please rest assured, sir. The most important task for the Textile Bureau is to gather intelligence on the capital of Jing State and find out as much as possible about the true situation between the monarch and his subjects."

Lu Chen praised: "Okay, I'll trouble you to take care of this matter, and you can put other things aside for the time being."

Yang Jingxuan said sincerely: "It is my duty, and I dare not not do my best."

At this time, Qin Zilong walked into the main hall with steady steps, came up to him and bowed, saying, "My lord, Xu Fangbo's carriage has arrived at the front street." Yang Jingxuan stood up, saluted, and said, "I will take my leave."

Lu Chen thought about it, and finally nodded and said, "Okay, let's talk about it another day."

The main gate of the Governor's Mansion was wide open, and Lu Chen led a group of officials to the outside of the mansion to greet them. Not long after, they saw a very ordinary carriage slowly approaching, with only a dozen or so attendants and guards around it.

The carriage stopped in front of the steps, and a middle-aged civil servant wearing the official uniform of a first-rank governor appeared.

"Mr. Xu."

Lu Chen bowed first with a warm smile on his face.

There are many rules in the officialdom, and there are strict rules on who should greet others first.

Although in terms of rank, a provincial governor and a grand commander are equal and there is no difference in rank, but Lu Chen also has the title of county duke, which is a real super-grade title, even higher than the rank of prime minister.

Of course, in real life, no one with any military merit would be so arrogant as to wait for the prime minister to pay him respects. The problem is that the weight of a governor of a state is obviously not comparable to that of the prime minister.

Under normal circumstances, Lu Chen only needed to stand on the steps and wait for Xu Zuo to salute him. After all, he had already given great respect to the new governor by opening the main door and taking the initiative to greet him.

Although Xu Zuo was a straight-forward person, he was not unfamiliar with official etiquette, so after seeing Lu Chen's actions, he was obviously stunned for a moment, but fortunately he reacted quickly, hurriedly stepped forward a few steps, bowed and said: "Your subordinate greets the county lord."

Lu Chen took his arm and said with a smile: "Fang Bo is the pillar of the country, please don't be too polite, please."

Xu Zuo had no chance to say the words he had prepared as Lu Chen took his arm and led him straight into the mansion.

The officials and scholars around him had different expressions.

Huang Xianfeng, the chief secretary of the Governor's Office, had a smile on his face, Liu Yuan, the chief clerk, had a calm look, and Chen Xun, the attendant, seemed to be thinking about something.

Huang Gongfu, the master of epigraphy who came with Xu Zuo, looked at Lu Chen's back, feeling a little worried.

From this very common detail, we can see that this young duke is used to taking the initiative and has a very strong temperament, which is consistent with his rapid rise to prominence over the years.

The problem was that Xu Zuo's visit today was not just for casual chatting and socializing, and Huang Gongfu couldn't help but secretly worry about him.

A group of people went straight into the main hall, the servants served them fragrant tea, and there was another round of greetings among them.

Lu Chen and Xu Zuo sat at the top, while Huang Xianfeng, Huang Gongfu, Liu Yuan, Chen Xun and others sat at the bottom.

After offering tea, Lu Chen said calmly, "Mr. Fang must be very tired after traveling all the way. I originally planned to visit you in a few days, but Mr. Fang came first. Please forgive me for being rude."

Although his attitude was very polite, how could the people in the hall not hear the hidden meaning behind his words?
According to the regulations set by the court of Da Qi, the military and political powers of a state are separated. The two sides are not to say that they will never have any contact with each other, but at least they cannot get too close.

Both the Provincial Governor and the Grand Commander-in-Chief had the right to present secret memorials directly to the emperor, and they had the responsibility to supervise each other.

Xu Zuo certainly understood all these points, and said calmly: "Thank you for your consideration, Lord. I am still strong, and I am not walking fast or slowly, so it is not too hard. This time I passed through Jiangnan and Jiangbei, from Xinzhou to Huaizhou and then to Dingzhou. I found that the prosperity and tranquility of Jiangbei are not inferior to those of Jiangnan, so I stopped and walked for some time. Speaking of which, Jiangbei can have the present appearance, Lord, the Lord has made great contributions, how can I not come to pay a visit?"

In fact, Lu Chen was not unfamiliar with the scene of fancy sedan chairs being carried by everyone in the officialdom. However, these words coming from the mouth of Xu Zuo, who was always rude, made him feel a little strange.

As his mind raced, Lu Chen looked calm and said with a carefree smile, "Mr. Fang, you are off base."

Xu Zuo insisted: "The Duke is too modest."

Lu Chen shook his head and said frankly: "Fang Bo, I am just a military man. I have nothing to gain from governing the country and benefiting the people. How can I take credit for other people's achievements? If we talk about the credit for protecting the territory and the people, it was the two Dukes before me. I just did my duty. As for the people living and working in peace and contentment in the territory, it is obviously the credit of Lord Chen, Lord Yao and government officials at all levels."

Xu Zuo looked at the young nobleman and said with emotion: "The Duke of the County is indeed an extraordinary person. What I have seen and heard along the way has left a deep impression on me. This time, I have been appointed as the Governor of Dingzhou by Your Majesty's order. I feel that the responsibility is even greater. I dare not slack off in the slightest, fearing that I will fail Your Majesty's trust and the hard work of Lord Chen and others. Today, I really have something to discuss with you, and I hope that the Duke of the County will be generous with his advice."

"Oh?"

Lu Chen said calmly: "Please speak clearly, Lord Fang."

Xu Zuo considered and said, "When I was meeting with Lord Chen, I found that there was a government arrangement that might not be appropriate. Because it concerns the county lord himself, I took the liberty to come to your door today."

Lu Chen asked: "What's the matter?"

Xu Zuo stared into his eyes and said calmly, "The resettlement of tens of thousands of members of the Seven Stars Gang."

(End of this chapter)