Chapter 791 Willing to Serve the Young Elder
The capital city in late autumn is like a noble lady who has been waiting for a long time in the spring and summer, ready to show her charm in this harvest season.
The grain production data from various parts of the Ming Dynasty are being summarized. Data from various places continue to come in, and the Ministry of Revenue is extremely busy with this.
This big empire is running according to its own inertia. Everyone has his own responsibilities, just like a part of a huge machine.
At this time of year, the wealthy and powerful would bring their own output, grain, livestock, and even wild delicacies from their farms in various places.
Qiu Luan had quite a few farms. When late autumn arrived, farms from all over the country began to send grain and other supplies to the marquis's mansion in the capital according to their distance.
"Thanks to the Marquis, we harvested more grain this year."
A farm outside the capital arrived first, and carts of grain were brought into the mansion. The farm's steward thought it was great to be able to see the housekeeper, but he didn't expect to see Qiu Luan, and he couldn't help but be flattered.
Qiu Luan had someone open a bag of grain, reached in and grabbed a handful of wheat grains, threw a few grains into his mouth, chewed them a few times, and spit them out.
"Master Hou!"
Menzi came over and said, "A guest has arrived."
"Who?" Qiu Luan clapped his hands. The butler glanced at him and saw that he looked relaxed. He then kicked the manor's steward and scolded him with a smile, "The Marquis is too magnanimous. He has let you, the dog, mess around for another year."
"Yes Yes Yes."
The steward smiled apologetically.
"It's the Marquis of Nancheng." said the doorman.
"What is he here for?"
After Qiu Luan left, the housekeeper quietly handed over a purse. The housekeeper seemed to pat the back of his hand, quietly took the purse, weighed it in his sleeve, and sneered, "Everyone said it would be especially cold this year. Clothes and charcoal are all free. Times are hard, so we have to stick together, right?"
You bastard, are you dissatisfied that I didn’t give you enough? If you continue to exploit them, the farmers in the village will rebel… The steward smiled and said, “Yes! But the cheap bones are not having a good time this year. I’m not worried that if I go too far… it will be bad for the reputation of the Marquis, don’t you think?”
The housekeeper's expression eased a little, "Speaking of this, you have to be careful, don't rely on the reputation of the Marquis' Mansion and the Marquis to do evil things outside. Remember, especially this year, if you cause trouble, don't blame the Marquis' Mansion for being ruthless!"
The steward was startled, "But is there something wrong?"
The butler glanced at him and sneered, "Who is the Marquis' biggest enemy?"
"Isn't it... that Jiang Qingzhi?"
"That guy is back."
"You're back? No wonder I saw so many places happily offering discounts when I entered the city today. I thought there was good news from His Majesty's harem..."
"You think you can amuse your Majesty?" The butler pretended to kick him, but his expression showed disapproval.
It was not uncommon for the people to tease the emperor and even spread gossip about him, and the more they spread, the bolder they became. There were even third-rate writers who, in order to make money, wrote novels specifically about the secrets of the imperial palace or used the emperor as the male protagonist.
Attracting attention has never been a patent of later generations. Our ancestors have long been tired of these tricks.
"Jiang Qingzhi won a great victory in the northwest." The butler lowered his voice, "He returned with great power. The life here, Lord... do you understand?"
The steward nodded, looking worried, "My Lord, do you have to keep a low profile again?"
"Yes!" The housekeeper stood with his hands behind his back, "However, Jiang Qingzhi is too popular now, and sooner or later he will bring disaster. The Marquis said he was lying in wait, but there are still many opportunities!"
"Oh!" The steward was a little absent-minded. He was wondering when the big ship of the Marquis' Mansion would sink if it continued at this rate.
"Are you worried about the Marquis' Mansion?"
"Yes." The butler did not hide it. On this point, he and the housekeeper had the same position. "Although I have not been educated, I know that this circle is maintained by benefits. You give me benefits, I give you benefits, this way it is good for you, me and everyone else.
If someone is incompetent and cannot bring benefits to others, those people will naturally distance themselves from him.
If a powerful family cannot make a name for itself in one generation, the next generation will not even be able to enter that circle. Naturally, it will decline. I am not worried about the young marquis..."
The butler sighed, "The Marquis is also considering this matter. But don't worry."
"Why?"
"Jiang Qingzhi seems to be in great glory, but the higher he stands, the harder he falls." The housekeeper pointed to the sky, "The more glorious he is, the more enemies he has. Our Marquis' Mansion can take advantage of this opportunity to act..."
"You mean..."
"In the half day since Jiang Qingzhi returned to Beijing, the number of people coming to the Marquis' Mansion has increased by 90%! 90%!" The housekeeper said with a smile: "Jiang Qingzhi rose to fame through military merit. If those people want to deal with him, they have to find military men to help. The Marquis is a famous general... understand?"
"Oh! That's great news. As long as we can survive this generation, the Marquis's family will be rich and prosperous for generations."
"No matter how many nice things you say, if next year..." The housekeeper took out his purse and weighed it, smiling, "If it's still this low next year, don't blame me for not giving you face. There are countless people who want to manage the manor, and if someone else takes over, they won't be worse than you."
"The housekeeper doesn't know that I have squeezed the peasants to the bone. If I continue to squeeze them like this, I'm worried..."
"Do those bastards dare to rebel?" The housekeeper sneered, "Just do it."
"That's all."
……
The last time Liao Jiang went to Taiyuan to investigate the White Lotus Sect, he was assassinated and hid in his base. After Jiang Qingzhi arrived in Taiyuan, this guy did not actively cooperate and make meritorious contributions, but stabbed him openly and secretly. Later, after Jiang Qingzhi defeated the White Lotus Sect, the capital was furious. The Taoist said that since Liao Jiang was seriously ill, he should stay at home to recover!
"Since then, I have lost all my jobs. I thought I could get them back after a while... Just a while ago, I submitted a petition, but I didn't expect it to be rejected. Damn it, I didn't believe it, so I asked someone to find the young minister, but he refused to see me, so he asked someone to say something..."
Nancheng Marquis Liao Jiang looked much fatter, but his expression was gloomy, "Jiang Qingzhi is still here! Brother Qiu, what Yan Shifan meant by this... is to provoke a fight between me and Jiang Qingzhi!"
When Qiu Luan heard Jiang Qingzhi's name, his eyebrows jumped suddenly. "Everyone thought that Jiang Qingzhi would lead the army back to Beijing in glory, but who would have thought that he would return alone. This shows how cunning this boy is. Yan Shifan's words were meant to provoke, not a bad thing."
"Oh! Please give me some advice, Brother Qiu." Liao Jiang bowed.
"Today, this Marquis learned that after Jiang Qingzhi met the emperor, Yan Shifan actually went out to greet him personally... This man is arrogant. Probably, apart from Your Majesty, no one else in the world can catch his eye, but he went out to greet him personally. Do you know the secret behind this?"
"Brother Qiu, please speak."
Qiu Luan tapped the table with his fingers, his brows sneered, "Yan Shifan instigated a fight between you and Jiang Qingzhi, which shows that he regarded Jiang Qingzhi as a great enemy. Then he personally went out to greet him, which was rude at first but respectful later."
Liao Jiang took a deep breath, "Yan Shifan is so arrogant, he actually treats Jiang Qingzhi like this..."
"He is building momentum for Jiang Qingzhi, and it is also a form of flattery." Qiu Luan chuckled and said, "Don't you understand? Yan Shifan is killing with a soft knife. This shows the attitude of the Yan Party towards Jiang Qingzhi. It also gives us a glimpse of... Jiang Qingzhi's situation."
Liao Jiang leaned forward and said, "The more enemies Jiang Qingzhi has, the worse our lives will be..."
"Jiang Qingzhi's current success is probably due to his military achievements. If they want to deal with him, Yan Shifan and his men will also have to rely on military achievements. So who can earn military achievements for them?"
"Back then, Xia Yan supported Zeng Xin's restoration for the sake of military merit. We... are the second Zeng Xin!"
Idiot, Zeng Xian's ashes are still warm, and you compare yourself to him, aren't you afraid of getting into trouble... Qiu Luan was disdainful in his heart, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, "That's right."
But Liao Jiang's words are true and point out the current situation.
"The cheers in the city were like thunder. As far as I can remember, the capital has never been so lively. This shows how powerful Jiang Qingzhi is," said Liao Jiang.
"Afraid?"
"Ah! Brother Qiu, you don't know. When we were in Taiyuan, I thought Jiang Qingzhi was lucky to survive. Who would have thought that he not only survived the assassination by those crazy people of the White Lotus Sect, but also beat the White Lotus Sect in Taiyuan to a pulp. It is said that the evil man of the White Lotus Sect also took advantage of the situation in this battle and was slapped to death by Jiang Qingzhi. Brother Qiu, do you know..."
There was a fear in Liao Jiang's eyes. "If Jiang Qingzhi hadn't gone to Taiyuan to suppress the White Lotus Sect, the White Lotus Sect's power in the northwest would have expanded, and the momentum of the Datong uprising would have been even greater. The cause and effect, this... seems like fate!"
Qiu Luan frowned, "He has a shitty destiny. If you had been able to suppress the White Lotus Sect in Taiyuan, how could Jiang Qingzhi have had the opportunity to go to Taiyuan. If there is a cause and effect, it is your cause and effect."
Liao Jiang covered his forehead and smiled bitterly, "This matter... that's all. The most important thing now is that we... Brother Qiu, we are in the same boat, and we are in the same boat! Do you have any way to make a comeback?"
When Qiu Luan mentioned this, hatred appeared in his eyes. "Jiang Qingzhi said that as long as he is around, I will not be allowed to make a single move. However, times are different now. The more successful he is, the more opportunities I will have."
"I hope so!" Liao Jiang had been idle at home for a long time. Once he was idle for a long time, he would either lie down and give up completely, or become flustered. Liao Jiang was obviously flustered, so he came to consult with Qiu Luan.
"Master Hou!"
Menzi came in and glanced at Liao Jiang first.
"I will be back soon."
Qiu Luan stood up.
"Easy to say."
Qiu Luan went out and the doorman whispered a few words.
A strange light suddenly flashed in Qiu Luan's eyes.
He walked in, and under Liao Jiang's gaze, he said softly: "Young Lord, please give me a drink!"
Liao Jiang was burning with jealousy, his eyes almost red with envy, but he forced a smile and said, "Congratulations, Brother Qiu!"
"We are in the same boat!" Qiu Luan knew that he had to win over a group of people before he would have the capital to bargain with them.
"Yes, from now on, I will follow Brother Qiu's lead."
"Hahahaha!"
……
In the Yan family's restaurant, Yan Shifan frowned and said, "It's too noisy."
The shopkeeper smiled apologetically, "There are quite a few customers today, all of them came to celebrate the great victory. Look, they haven't stopped laughing since this afternoon."
He felt that Yan Song was also a beneficiary, but he saw that there was more gloom in Yan Shifan's eyes.
After entering the best room, Yan Shifan saw Qiu Luan.
Being the guest who arrives first is a gesture.
Keep a low profile!
Yan Shifan smiled, "You're here?"
Pfft!
Qiu Luan knelt down.
"I am willing to serve the young elder!"
(End of this chapter)
