Women Wearing Men: The Growth Path of the Bastards of the Aristocratic Family

Hearing Yan Zhengqian say that he would dedicate the extra grain to himself, Pu Tingnan's expression paused slightly. He slowly raised his eyes and saw Yan Zhengqian's smiling face, his eyes full of flattery and greed. , the next moment, Pu Tingnan also laughed.

With just a brief eye contact, Pu Tingnan understood, and the two instantly reached some kind of congenial deal.

Pu Tingnan put down his tea cup with satisfaction and said meaningfully: "As the chief envoy of Sichuan, I occasionally give you some guidance and advice. That is also my responsibility, and it is not a great favor. You two repay me with such a great gift. , I feel so ashamed, and I don’t know where I can do what I can for you two?”

Yan Zhengqian had a smile on his face and a humble attitude: "I have been cultivated by you for many years, and I am extremely satisfied. I don't dare to ask for anything more. It's just that our 'dai' fellow magistrate of Xuzhou Prefecture, this time he collects taxes." I have contributed the most, so I have the courage to ask for credit for Chen Tongzhi."

Yan Zhengqian emphasized the word "generation" particularly hard, and the meaning was already obvious.

Chen Xunzhou was the acting Tongzhi. Strictly speaking, he only had the power of Tongzhi temporarily until the imperial court sent new officials to take office, and he could not hold the position for a long time.

However, the reason why Chen Xunzhou was able to hold the position of Tongzhi for so many years was because he spent a lot of money to manage things, and asked the officials in the Xuzhou Mansion and the Chief Secretary to cover for him, so that he could always take advantage of the court's loopholes.

However, Dai Tongzhi is Dai Tongzhi, and Chen Xunzhou has never been a regular official of the imperial court. If one day the imperial court comes to its senses and discovers that the position of Tongzhi, the fifth-rank official in Xuzhou Prefecture, has been vacant for a long time, and casually sends an official to fill the vacancy, then Chen Xunzhou's many years of hard work have come to nothing.

Chen Xunzhou took a big risk in raising the rents of the tenants this time, because if he was not careful, the tenants might be provoked into riots.The extra grain collected was not only to give the Xuzhou Prefecture a central government, but also to present it to the chief envoy Pu Tingnan, asking him to help him run it and remove the word "Dai" from the front of his hat.

And Chen Xunzhou has been living in Xuzhou Prefecture for many years. Because of his background, the officials in the Chief Secretary rarely pay attention to him. If he wants to successfully climb the tree of Chief Secretary, he has to rely on Yan Zhengqian to help him. This is also his In recent times, everything has been following Yan Zhengqian’s reasons.

Sure enough, after hearing Yan Zhengqian's words, Pu Tingnan waved his hand and said simply: "It's easy. Chen Tongzhi is also a supervisor of the Imperial College after all. There is no problem in terms of qualifications. It's just that he worked as a low-level official in Xuzhou Prefecture in his early years. People may notice this point in the official position and feel that it is against the rules to be promoted from an official position to a government official."

"After some time, I said hello to the people below and directly changed Mr. Chen's registration record. I said that after the original Tongzhi left office, the post of Tongzhi of Xuzhou Prefecture has been vacant, and later it was replaced by the supervisor of the Imperial College. There is no temporary substitute for the vacancy that Chen Xunzhou is filling."

"The relevant procedures that Mr. Chen lacked will also be completed by others. In the future, performance evaluation, promotion and transfer will be the same as ordinary officials."

Chen Xunzhou was so excited when he heard this that he wished he could kowtow to Pu Tingnan on the spot: "Thank you, Mr. Pu! Thank you, Mr. Pu! Mr. Pu's kindness will definitely be remembered by Chen Xunzhou in his heart, and he will repay it with his whole heart and brains!"

Although there is only one word difference between "Dai Tongzhi" and "Tongzhi", the gap between them is huge.From now on, Chen Xunzhou was not only an official of the imperial court, he no longer had to worry about someone taking his place at any time, but he could also undergo normal assessments and promotions like Yan Zhengqian.

Yan Zhengqian is less than 50 years old this year. If nothing else happens, he can be promoted at least one more time after his term as deputy magistrate of Xuzhou Prefecture expires.By then spending some money on operations, maybe he could be sent to the beautiful south of the Yangtze River to enjoy two years of peace and happiness, or even directly transferred to the capital.

Seeing that Chen Xunzhou was blushing with joy, Pu Tingnan reminded: "However, it is easier to change official resumes during the end-of-year assessment. Needless to say, Mr. Chen must also know how to handle the official affairs of Tongzhi. Don't make any mistakes, otherwise we will be in great trouble."

"There is a severe drought this year, and the grain production in the fields has been greatly reduced. In the past two days, people still have some food left in their homes, but it is not obvious. In late autumn and the cold winter months, people's food reserves have been used up, and it is very easy for widespread famine to occur. That is the worst A period worthy of attention." Speaking of this, Pu Tingnan glanced at Chen Xunzhou and said with genuine words: "Of course, there is another fall grain tax collection this year. The summer tax collection in Xuzhou Prefecture has been completed so well. I dare not say that the autumn tax will be collected as well. It should be the same as the summer tax, at least not too far behind..."

This means that I still want some more benefits.

Pu Tingnan is the chief envoy and the nominal leader of Sichuan. If you don't want to have difficulty in the officialdom of the southwest in the future, don't try to offend him.Chen Xunzhou was a small nominal supervisor with no background to rely on. If it weren't for Yan Zhengqian's introduction this time, he might not even be able to see Pu Tingnan.

So Chen Xunzhou readily agreed and boasted to Haikou: "Don't worry, Mr. Pu, the grain output in autumn has always been higher than in summer. There will definitely be no drought in the second half of the year. The autumn tax grain of Xuzhou Prefecture will definitely be higher than this summer grain." There are more, I know how to do it.”

Pu Tingnan nodded with satisfaction and said, "With Master Chen's words, I can rest assured. After we finish talking about the business, Magistrate Yan and I still have some gossip to talk about. Master Chen, please go down and rest first."

"Yes."

Pu Tingnan and Yan Zhengqian were very familiar with each other. As soon as Chen Xunzhou left, he immediately relaxed and leaned on the back of his chair and said lazily: "Didn't you look down on such nominal supervisors who were not from the imperial examination? Not to mention that Chen Xunzhou is still a He is a low-level official, the most humble in the officialdom, and you are actually willing to bring him to be the Chief Secretary and take the initiative to ask for credit for him?"

With a smile on his face, Yan Zhengqian said bluntly: "This summer grain collection, there is a fool like Gu Yunji in the government office who is watching, and he does not dare to force the tax. The missing tax grain can only be collected by Chen Xunzhou from his own tenants. He raised the rent of the land under his name to [-]%.

"The entire Xuzhou government was scolding him. People were secretly scolding him on the street as he has eighteen generations of ancestors. He has paid so much, so we have to let him taste some sweetness, right? Otherwise, even if I don't want to bring him to the Chief Secretary's office, He also refused."

Pu Tingnan keenly caught the mention of Gu Yunji in his words, raised his eyebrows and asked: "What does it mean that Gu Yunji is a straight idiot? Why, you don't have a good relationship with this young man from the capital?"

Yan Zhengqian's expression was at a loss for words. He carefully considered his words and said: "I can't say it's not good. In short... our political ideas are somewhat conflicting, and it is not smooth to cooperate on official business..."

Pu Tingnan narrowed his eyes slightly and said coolly: "Yan Zhengqian, don't blame me for not reminding you. Gu Yunji's family background is not something you and I can afford. Moreover, he is the most outstanding one among the younger generation of his family. Gu Yuanhui, the Minister of Punishment, put him He looks like an eyeball, and he has beaten me several times overtly and covertly. He is very protective of his shortcomings, so you'd better avoid provoking him."

"Just because he is staying in Xuzhou Mansion today does not mean that he will stay in Xuzhou Mansion in the future. That is to say, the Gu family's power is mostly distributed in the south of the Yangtze River and there are few connections in Shu. This is the opportunity for you to become the master in Xuzhou Mansion. You'd rather live with him than offend him, otherwise I won't protect you if you expose him."

Yan Zhengqian had investigated Gu Yunji's background and naturally knew that he had an unusual background, but he did not expect that Pu Tingnan, a chief envoy and a dignified third-rank official, would have this attitude towards Gu Yunji, and his face was not good-looking for a moment.

"...Don't worry, Mr. Pu, I understand everything."

After a few perfunctory words, Yan Zhengqian's expression returned to normal, and he soon put on a more flattering and enthusiastic smile: "I have something to offer to Mr. Pu this time."