Jinling City, the place where Taizu of the Dakang Dynasty built the capital is called Yingtianfu, which is Jinling City.

In the southeast of Yingtianfu, it is Jiangning Mansion, which also belongs to Dajinling City, and there are two mansions in one city, which is the characteristic of the Dakang Dynasty.

At the turn of spring and summer, the sky in Jinling has gradually become hotter, and the figure of people under the high city wall of Liudu in the center of Yingtian is extinct.

The first emperor moved the capital to Shuntian, Jinling set up the capital to stay, and the capital still retains six departments: officials, households, rites, soldiers, criminals, and workers, each of which has one Shangshu and two waiters.

In addition to the six ministries, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the General Administration Department, the Governor's Office of the Five Armies, the Hanlin Academy, the Guozijian and other institutions are also readily available, and the rank of officials is also the same as that of Suncheon, but the power is naturally very different.

Among all the institutions in Yingtian, the most powerful is the household department of the six ministries, which is responsible for collecting taxes and grain from Nanzhili and Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Huguang provinces, and is also responsible for transporting salt and salt.

You must know that the tax and silver in the four southern regions account for almost half of the Dakang Dynasty, so the power of the southern household department must not be underestimated.

The Yamen of the Household Department is very lively today, and Lord Ruan Jingnian, the head of the Household Department, is about to celebrate his 60th birthday, and the magistrates from the fifteen prefectures of Nanzhili, and the dignitaries of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Huguang provinces stationed in Yingtian are all looking for various reasons to come and visit.

Lord Ruan's home is in Changzhou Mansion, and Ying Tian lives in a simple courtyard not far from the Liubu Yamen, and he usually does not accept visits from guests, so as to show that he is a clean breeze with his sleeves, therefore, all the magistrates who want to visit Ruan Jingnian must come to the Yamen of the Ministry of Households.

At the turn of spring and summer, the household is the most idle time, Ruan Jingnian ushered in the send-off, will be a wave after wave of guests ushered in the send-off, he is a second-grade Shangshu, in dealing with these entertainment, very patient, each guest he personally sends, this is a scenery of the household.

Not far from Ruan Jingnian's office, there is an acre and three points of land for Lu Shanchang, the right attendant of the household department. Lu Shanchang is the head of the famous Lu family in Jiangnan today.

Jiangning Lu family, such a big name, can be compared with the Lu family, this is only the Ying Tian Gu family. The Chen family and the Zhang family are in decline, although they still have the names of the four major families, but in fact, they are far from the prestige of the four major families.

But the Lu family is different, Lu Shanchang is now the right attendant from the Sanpin South Household Department, and his eldest son Lu Lun is in the capital to worship the Honglu Temple Temple, although the grade is not high, but the influence is not small.

And Lu Ning, the son of the eldest grandson Lu Lun, was a high school jinshi two years ago, and now he has entered the Hanlin Academy, and he has a great future!

On Jiangning's side, the second son Lu Qian was an official in the same dynasty as him, and now Lu Qian is the deputy envoy of the General Administration Department of the Southern Imperial Court, and the father and son of the Lu family are in the same dynasty, which has long been rumored to be a good story in Jiangning and Yingtian!

It is not an exaggeration to say that there are two people in charge of the Ying Tianhu Department now, one is naturally Lord Shangshuruan, and the other is Lu Shanchang, both of them are officials in Jiangnan, and they are both old courtiers. Shen Jiong, the left waiter of the household department, is from the northern capital, he doesn't know much about Jiangnan, and he has just been in office for a short time, so he can't say too much in the household department at present!

Ruan Shangshu was busy until the beginning of the afternoon, and after he saw off the last guest, Lu Shanchang held the teacup in his hand and paced slowly to meet him. Ruan Jingnian is sixty years old this year, and Lu Shanchang passed the age of sixtieth birthday two years ago, and both of them are not young.

If they weren't in a high position and power, and if they weren't still relied on by the emperor, they would have been at home at home to tease their grandchildren.

Although the rules of the Southern Imperial Court are not as good as those in the capital, the work of the Southern Household Department is also very heavy in a day, and it is also a loss that both of them are still strong, otherwise they would have been exhausted.

"Ruan Shangshu, the sixty spring and autumn season is coming, this is a great joy. I have discussed with my colleagues in the ministry, we must celebrate it well, this is not only your great joy, but also the happy day of our entire household! Lu Shanchang said with a smile.

Although he was two years older than Ruan Jingnian, he didn't dare to hold it up in front of Ruan Shangshu at all. Ruan Jingnian was an old minister of the two dynasties, and the first emperor gave him a four-word comment that year: "honest and diligent".

He was appointed by the emperor to serve as the secretary of the Southern Household Department in the ninth year of Xinde, and it has been the tenth year, and there is no one older than him in the six departments of the Southern Imperial Court.

On the side of Liudu, there are not many courtiers who can speak well in front of the emperor, Ruan Jingnian is definitely one, and for this alone, Lu Shanchang is not as good as others.

Last year, the household department reappointed a left waiter from the capital, and Lu Shanchang's position as the right waiter was slightly awkward, how much power he could hold at hand and how many resources he could control depended largely on Ruan Jingnian, the old Shangshu!

Ruan Lao Shangshu has a breeze on his sleeves, and he doesn't see any hobbies, Lu Shanchang's experience is to find time to chat with him, two old men, talk about family life, talk about poetry, talk about children and grandchildren, the distance will be narrowed unconsciously, Ruan Jingnian has something at hand, he will hand it over to Lu Shanchang as soon as possible, it is logical that Lu Shanchang is the second person in the household department!

Ruan Jingnian waved his hand and said, "Good elder brother, don't be extravagant." It's not a good thing to live at our age, and there are always a group of people in the court who are staring at our old ministers every day.

We are old, can we still trust us in the affairs of the court? Although the emperor doesn't say it in his heart, but we do our own birthday every day, looking at the eyes of the emperor in the capital, I'm afraid that we really can't eat! ”

When Ruan Jingnian said this, he sighed lightly and said, "Brother Shan, in fact, to tell you from my heart, you and I are both dying people at this age. If not...... Hey, you're better, after all, the Jiangning Lu family has virtue, and you have four sons, all of whom are extraordinary.

Especially Jingxiu, it is very rare for him to be able to gain a foothold in the capital, and in time, he may not be able to get ahead! Look at my Ruan family again, how can there ever be a successor?

The Ruan family and the Lu family can't compare, but we are also heirlooms with poetry and books, who would have thought that this generation is weaker than the next, sometimes when I think about it, I can't help but sigh! ”

As soon as Ruan Jingnian said this, Lu Shanchang's heart couldn't help sinking, Ruan Jingnian held on endlessly, and he Lu Shanchang was even more so! Now the reason why the Jiangning Lu family can still stand tall and have the current influence is all supported by him Lu Shanchang!

If there is no successor to Ruan Jing, will there be a successor to the Lu family? This is really like a person who drinks water and knows how warm and cold he knows.

Lu Shanchang turned these thoughts in his heart, but said quietly on his face: "Lord Shangshu, I heard that you have a virtuous grandson, who can write at the age of three, can write at the age of five, and is proficient in poetry and songs at the age of ten. If you hadn't deliberately suppressed it, I'm afraid that your virtuous grandson would have been famous in Jiangnan a long time ago, right?

However, Rao is like this, this time the scientific expedition ended, and it was also a success, and now it is estimated that he has become famous, right? ”

Lu Shanchang opened the topic, saying that Ruan Jingnian was happy, about Ruan Jingnian's virtuous grandson, he also secretly inquired, he usually wanted to chat with Ruan Jingnian about family life, he did what he liked, he had a special study of everything about the Ruan family, and because of this, the two of them often chatted very happily!

However, there seems to be something wrong with the atmosphere of today's chat, Ruan Jingnian's expression did not show a look of relief, but became extremely strange, he looked at Lu Shanchang deeply and said:

"Brother Shan, let you see a smile! My grandson is well-known in Changzhou, but when he arrives at the hospital, it will not help.

It's your brother, you can't hide it, the talent of the Lu family is not obvious, Jiang Ning, Yingtian no one knows, at a critical time, you will directly get a small three yuan, and the skills will be shocking, and the reputation will be all over Jiangnan! ”

Ruan Jingnian said this, he smiled and said: "There is one more thing that my brother may not know, the prince of Qin also walked in Jiangnan this time, he went to Changzhou to give my family's useless kid a dismount, but then he fell in love with the son of the Lu family, haha, good elder brother, don't say anything in the future, there is no successor, your Lu family is the family of the three princes, and the heritage is profound, not that our small families can compare!" ”

Ruan Jingnian's words were plain, but listening to Lu Shanchang's ears was tantamount to thunder, he had been in the officialdom all his life, how could he not feel the coldness in Ruan Jingnian's words?

The key is that he doesn't understand Ruan Jingnian's words at all, can he not understand the descendants of his Lu family? How can you offend the Ruan family?

Countless thoughts instantly turned in his heart, and Ruan Jingnian said again: "Elder Brother Shan, this time there is a newcomer from our household department, although Shen Shilang is young, but I observe that he is always calm, and he was personally selected by His Majesty to come from the north and south to take office, can I, Shangshu, throw him a pair of small shoes to wear?" Not suitable, isn't it?

So, this year, I am ready to hand over the tax and silver of the household department and salt to him, I hope you can understand! ”

"Uh......" Lu Shanchang was slightly stunned, and said: "But Lord Shangshu, I have always been responsible for Zhili, if Lord Shen can't handle this matter, wouldn't it be ......?"

"Haha! Brother Shan, you and I are both officials in Jiangnan, we can't let the old men of the imperial history in the capital say that we can't insert needles and splash water in the southern household department, right?

As I said just now, you and I are both dying people, and we are still infamous when we are old, so why bother? Lord Shen is young and promising, and it is the time when he is energetic to do his career, so many things can be handed over to him to do, isn't it? Ruan Jingnian interrupted Lu Shanchang's words, and after he finished speaking, he picked up the teacup and began to drink tea.

Lu Shanchang looked at Ruan Jingnian's action, even if he had a stomach full of words, it was difficult to speak, everyone served tea and sent guests, what else could he say?

Immediately, he said, "Yes, Lord Shangshu!" Don't worry, I will cooperate with Lord Shen to do a good job, and I will definitely live up to the trust of adults! If nothing happens, the lower official will retire! ”

After Lu Shanchang finished speaking, he slowly came out of Ruan Jingnian's house, and he was already sweating on his forehead, and he was a little embarrassed!