Chapter 230 Going to Raojiang

In August, midsummer, everything grows.

Xiao Yan treated the empress to a fish banquet, with poetry as the starting point and wine as the farewell gift, and finally sent off the heroic King Qi. The so-called "Yanzhou Li Jiu Sending Off King Qi" was naturally framed by the empress and taken away as a token of thanks.

Thus, the so-called King Qi’s secret visit to the Central Plains came to an end.

After Yang Shuzi caused some trouble, the communication between Xiao Yan and the empress became more in-depth and harmonious. The close alliance between Huanyinfang and the Central Plains Bad People (Xiao Yan's tribe) naturally became the general trend, which helped the empress a lot to a certain extent and fulfilled some of her thoughts by chance.

However, the empress naturally did not know how much of a shock Yang Shuzi had caused to the Bad People, nor did she know what she and her Qi country would have to bear next, or how someone would fan the flames behind the scenes because of this move...

Even Xiao Yan couldn't guess.

At this moment, he just needed everything he could use to accelerate the growth of his overt and covert strength, whether it was to deal with Zhu Wen or to take on the attack from the three hundred year old marshal.

So after the Empress and Guangmutian led some followers from Huanyinfang to the west for a long time, he still stood beside the pavilion with his hands behind his back, watching silently for a long time before turning around.

Next to the dozen or so tied mounts, a few bad guys were cleaning up the mess, but even so, the river bank next to the long pavilion was still filled with the aroma and fishy smell, because no matter how hard they tried, the basket of fish could not be used up, and the rest had been sent to the nearby villagers.

Among them, Gong Yang Zuo was still proudly and loudly boasting about his cooking skills, saying that if the seasonings were not incomplete, he would be able to feed all the young people in Yanzhou to death today. Not to mention the big talk, anyway, he received a lot of praise in the end.

As for the others, they were nothing more than Miao Chengtian and Yu Youshu who were exchanging their painting experiences, and Xuan Jingtian and the other two who were standing beside them with longbows on their backs and looked enlightened.

However, the girl who was looking west with him had not yet come to her senses. She was leading a mount and just combing the mount's mane in a daze.

"Why, are you afraid that you will be wronged if you follow me from now on?" Xiao Yan laughed, sweeping away those messy thoughts. He rubbed his chin jokingly and pretended to be worried: "Hiss... From now on, there will be one more person to feed in the mansion. I don't know if the money saved will be enough to spend..."

Ji Ruxue was immediately a little embarrassed and annoyed, and suddenly raised her head: "You are a champion marquis, and you can't even support a woman!?"

But she reacted immediately, rolled her eyes at him, and snorted, "At worst, I can just go out and make my own way in the martial arts world! I can also save some money to help you, my lord, with your family expenses!"

The last few words were clearly spoken with gritted teeth, with a hint of counterattack in them.

Xiao Yan was in a good mood and laughed again. Then he stepped forward and suddenly put his arms around the girl's waist and carried her onto the horse's back. Then, under the astonished gaze of everyone, he ignored Ji Ruxue's slightly blushing ears, and nimbly hugged the girl's slender waist from behind. He gently squeezed the horse's belly and galloped out.

"Gong Yang Zuo, let's see who will return to the city first. The loser will go to plant grass outside the city..."

Gong Yangzuo, who was laughing and joking at the scene, suddenly became stunned. Then, looking at Xiao Yan's back who had already run nearly a hundred meters away, he just looked up at the sky, touched his beard, jumped on the horse angrily, and whipped the horse's belly hard.

"Why are you so unreasonable, sir?!"

At this moment, everyone present just laughed wildly in the back.

…………

Chongzhengyuan.

Jing Xiang has not been relaxing recently. Ever since Zhu Wen received Xiao Yan's flattery, he has been very complacent. He has ordered the construction of the palace that he had been reluctant to spend money on in the past. He also wants to imitate the scale of the Ziwei Palace in Luoyang, and needs to use high-quality wood from Lingxi and even Jiaozhi (Vietnam) as pillars, which is very troublesome.

But as far as Jing Xiang knew, the area west of the Ling Mountains was almost in the territory of Raojiang. Apart from the Xuanming Sect, Daliang's tentacles could not reach there at all. Not to mention that in addition to getting the cooperation of King Ma Yin of Chu, they also had to contact Liu Yin, the governor of Jinghai and Qinghai.

But Ma Yinshang didn't mention it. It might be fine to give some benefits. Even if he couldn't do his best, at least he could provide some manpower to help.

But Liu Yin is different.

In addition to being the original military governor of the Qing Navy, he was also the military governor of the Jing Navy and the Protector of Annan. His influence covered the entire Lingnan and Jiaozhi (Guangxi, Guangdong, and Vietnam). Because the emperor was far away, and he was separated from the Central Plains by several regimes, such as Shu, Chu, and Wu, if it had not been for the official recognition, he might have even established himself as a country.

In addition, he has been named King of Nanping by Zhu Wen this year, and in fact the country has been changed to Nanping Kingdom. It can only be appeased reluctantly. How can he be forced to do anything?

Not to mention that Liu Yin also had a grudge against Ma Yin. It would be a fantasy for the two of them to work together to go to Raojiang to transport nanmu and other things according to demand.

But if Zhu Wen really wanted the timber from the Lingxi area, it was impossible for him to cross Raojiang, let alone bypass the Chu State and Nanping State bordering Raojiang. It was impossible for him to send a large army to travel thousands of miles to cut down trees, right?

Of course, Shu Kingdom also bordered Raojiang, and there was another so-called Dachang Kingdom (Nanzhao), but these two forces had no good relationship with Daliang at all. Not to mention Shu Kingdom, Wang Jian had already proclaimed himself the emperor of Da Shu, and he was determined to compete with Zhu Wen.

As for the Nanzhao faction, they have been fighting with the Central Plains for generations. If we trace it back, it can be traced back to the period of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty. With hundreds of years of grievances, they would not care about Zhu Wen or not.

In addition, the word "Raojiang" is more or less full of mystery, and it is not certain that the State of Chu and the State of Nanping are willing to wade into this muddy water. It is really difficult to say goodbye to going through so much trouble for a few hundred pieces of wood, not to mention negotiating the conditions.

Things like this have become Jingxiang's recent worry. People from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue come to him to complain every day, which is really annoying.

"Tell the people in the Ministry of Rites to send an envoy to Changsha after the Mid-Autumn Festival to talk to the King of Chu. They can waive the tribute after the New Year and ask them if they can solve the problem of wood for building the palace."

He checked off a few manuscripts and had lost a little weight in this hot summer. He suddenly thought of Li Zhenlai.

Although his long-time friend had a somewhat harsh personality, at least he had considerable abilities. Jing Xiang never cared about his selfish thoughts of coveting the position of Chongzhengyuan envoy, and would visit him to negotiate at critical moments, just hoping that he could give him some of his own insights.

Unfortunately……

He shook his head, took a sip of the tea beside him, and sighed.

Seeing this, an official nearby couldn't help but say, "Prime Minister, the weather is hot and you are so busy, why don't you drink some sour plum soup from Anle Pavilion to cool down a bit..."

"I am old now." Jing Xiang smiled and said, "Don't drink too much of this kind of cold food."

Seeing this, the official had no choice but to give up in disappointment.

However, Jing Xiang saw through the clerk's thoughts at a glance. He looked up and glanced at the dozen or so officials in the government office, then stroked his beard and smiled: "Forget it, it's okay to break some taboos appropriately..."

He took out a coin from his bag and put it on the table, then called in a servant and said, "Go to Anle Pavilion and buy some sour plum soup to share with everyone."

The clerk could not help but feel delighted, and not only him, but other officials were also delighted.

In the past, they saw that Jing Xiang had never used drinks like sour plum juice, so it was naturally not appropriate for them to buy it in this official residence for his boss, who was their boss's boss. Although it could relieve the heat, they could not help but worry about leaving a bad impression in front of Jing Xiang.

As soon as Jingxiang spoke, the clerk said happily: "Why do you need to pay for it, I will buy it myself." Jingxiang just pointed at the money and said with a smile: "Public is public, private is private, I ask you to use it, what's wrong with using my money?"

After that, he stroked his beard and said, "I heard that Anle Pavilion's business has always been good. If you go too late, you won't be able to buy anything. Go quickly, go quickly."

The servant did not take Jingxiang's money and left in a hurry.

It was understandable that the prime minister had to pay for something out of his own pocket, which was already shocking. How could the servant accept such money in front of all the officials? He did not dare to tarnish his reputation as the prime minister.

Jing Xiang smiled helplessly and buried the case again.

But just at this moment, someone came to report that Xiao Yan came to ask for a meeting.

Jing Xiang was a little surprised, and then he sent someone to call the Minister of Revenue Zhang Wenwei, and at the same time sent someone to meet him.

A moment later, a tall figure in a dark robe walked calmly into a side hall next to the government office, following the respectful clerk who was leading the way.

Many officials who were distracted by the heat all looked out the windows secretly. Who else could he be, other than the champion Hou Xiaoyan, whose belt was tied very tightly and attracted all the men in the city to imitate him?

However, what is particularly noteworthy is that behind him there is a slightly thin scholar in his thirties, who also walked in calmly.

"Your Majesty has granted you half a month's leave. Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival. From what I think, you should not have time to come to Chongzhengyuan." Jing Xiang had already sat down, closed the tea lid, and just smiled faintly.

"I am ashamed to accept it." Xiao Yan bowed solemnly before waving his hand and said, "After the victory ceremony, I should have come to see the Prime Minister earlier. I was so busy with worldly affairs that I delayed it until today. When I went to the palace to see him, I learned that the Prime Minister was in Chongzhengyuan every day, so I came here to disturb his official duties."

Jing Xiang smiled and stroked his beard, without saying much, and then looked at the thirty-year-old scholar, "I wonder who this is..."

"But I forgot to introduce you to the Prime Minister."

Xiao Yan pointed at the latter and said with a smile, "Han Yanhui of Youzhou, Han Zangming, I was able to successfully quell the chaos in Yandi, and this person played an indispensable role. I came here today to introduce him to you, Prime Minister Jing."

Han Yanhui saluted with his hands crossed.

"Your humble servant greets you, Prime Minister."

"I have heard of the famous Hebei scholar Han Zangming for a long time. In the past six months, your name has appeared frequently in military newspapers." Jing Xiang smiled and waved his hand: "Mr. Han and the Lord are both important officials of the country. There is no need to be polite."

In fact, Jing Xiang had long known that Han Yanhui could not be considered a court official. Those positions such as Hanlin Bachelor were just honorary titles without any actual assignments. Even if he received these official positions, he only had a formal identity. He was mainly Xiao Yan's staff and could not be included in the position of a court official.

But even if he was just Xiao Yan's aide, he is now a hot figure. The bigwigs in the court have drawn a clear line between themselves and Xiao Yan, but the petty officials below are trying their best to get close to Marquis Guanjun. Since Marquis Guanjun himself can't see them, they naturally focus their attention on Han Yanhui. In addition, Han Yanhui has been busy with the work of arranging the Guide Army recently, so he has a little fame for a while.

However, since Xiao Yan personally introduced it to him today, it might not be that simple.

Xiao Yan also went straight to the point and said, "When we offered our victory, the Guide Army was fortunate to have Prime Minister Jing to rescue us. Otherwise, I would not be as glorious as I am today. Therefore, I should keep my promise to Prime Minister Jing."

He pointed at Han Yanhui and continued, "But Prime Minister Jing also knows that Xiao is a military commander and will not stay in Bianjing for long. His Majesty has planned to have me eliminate the Tianshi Mansion in Xuanwu Mountain some time ago, and I will leave after the Mid-Autumn Festival. Therefore, the affairs of this so-called 'bank' should be solely handled by Han Zangming and Prime Minister Jing."

Jing Xiang suddenly frowned and interrupted, "Tianshi Mansion? How come I haven't heard of it?"

Xiao Yan was also stunned.

At this time, Han Yanhui interrupted and said, "Your Excellency, I don't know that a few days ago, the Water and Fire Judge of the Xuanming Sect specifically conveyed a message to you, Your Excellency. It should be the Ghost King's suggestion..."

Jing Xiang frowned and said thoughtfully, "It seems that this is true, but I just thought it was a rumor. I didn't expect that they would be so anxious... Tianshi Mansion is the ancestral temple of the world's Taoist tradition and has a great influence. If you go there, you may be criticized..."

Xiao Yan just waved his hand and sighed, "Since His Majesty has given the order, how can I refuse? And as a warrior, how can I disobey the will of the emperor just because I am afraid of some criticism?"

Jing Xiang fell silent.

Then, Xiao Yan continued: "At the beginning, I promised Prime Minister Jing that I could rectify the finances. That is, the 'bank' would unify the currency, that is, the so-called 'jiaozi' would replace the copper coins in circulation..."

He gave a detailed introduction to the interaction between storage, exchange, and trading before continuing, "This is a new initiative, so it will be difficult to promote it. My suggestion is to hold a pilot project first, and then decide whether to promote it after seeing whether it is good or not."

Jing Xiang frowned, and soon understood the meaning of "pilot", and then hesitated and said: "Your Excellency has explained all these things clearly in the letter. But there is one thing I don't understand. Since you want to set up this "bank", there should be plenty of copper coins as a voucher, and the court cannot take it out at the moment..."

Xiao Yan just laughed: "That's why I said to set up some pilot projects first, and then promote them. And at the beginning, it doesn't need to be related to the court, so as not to damage the court's reputation. It can be handed over to private individuals first."

"Your Excellency means..."

"That's the second thing I want to say." Xiao Yan said, "I plan to use the power of Anle Pavilion to set up a few money houses near Bianjing first, and take advantage of the opportunity to launch the issuance of Jiaozi, which can be used by merchants. These merchants trade large quantities of goods between the north and the south, and they will inevitably need to carry a large amount of copper coins, which is very inconvenient..."

"I understand." Jing Xiang raised his hand, closed his eyes, stroked his beard and pondered.

Xiao Yan was naturally not in a hurry and just drank his tea slowly.

Han Yanhui also looked calm, as if he had not listened to the conversation between the two at all.

After a while, Jing Xiang finally opened his eyes. He had already realized the advantages of this matter, but he also vaguely felt that something seemed to be wrong, so he said, "I will discuss this matter with the Ministry of Revenue first, and then give you a reply. I also need to report it to His Majesty first..."

Xiao Yan nodded in agreement.

However, after hesitating for a while, Jing Xiang suddenly changed the subject.

"If you don't want to go to the Heavenly Master's Mansion, there is another place to go. Can you accept it? I may be able to speak for you in front of His Majesty."

"Please give me some advice."

"The so-called west of the ridge is Raojiang." Jing Xiang said, "I heard that the bad guys under your command are all elite. You can serve as a vanguard to explore the dangers of Raojiang..."

"Raojiang?"

Xiao Yan frowned, but fell into deep thought.

(End of this chapter)