"Master Hou, take a step to speak." Lei Yuan leaned over to Zhang Ru and gently pulled his arm.

Zhang Ru nodded, and said to Wang Zhou and Fan Tong: "Keep an eye on it." ”

After hearing this, the two of them leaned on the table, their eyes looked around through the gap in their arms, and after continuous adjustment, they each chose a position. There is no other benefit to this posture, except that it is just right to be able to see the movement of everyone at a dozen tables in the entire lobby.

After the two stopped moving, Zhang Ru stood up and walked outside with Lei Yuan.

After walking up to the second floor, Lei Yuan led the way in front, walked to the very corner and opened a room, let Zhang Ru in, and then Lei Yuan closed the door tightly.

As soon as Zhang Ru entered the door, he sat down and looked at Lei Yuan with a smile: "Governor Lei called Ben Hou out while everyone was drunk, what is the secret to say?" ”

After Lei Yuan took a deep look at Zhang Ru, he sat down carefully with half of his butt next to the stool, sighed and said, "The matter that the lower officials want to report to the Hou Ye is indeed disgraceful. However, this is not because the lower official has done something unseemly, but because the lower official doesn't want others to know. ”

Zhang Ru said lightly: "You Lei Yuan is also a parent official, is it possible that there are still people in the realm of Fuzhou who can help you." ”

Lei Yuan shook his head and smiled bitterly, and while picking up the teapot on the table and pouring a cup of herbal tea for Zhang Ru, he said: "It's not that the lower officials are arrogant, in this Fuzhou Mansion, although the lower officials are nominally parents officials, in fact, they are not even as good as a small official who runs errands in the yamen." Since Hou Ye has come to Fuzhou, he must also have a certain understanding of the situation in Fuzhou, and it is those maritime merchants who really have the final say in Fuzhou.

Not to mention the small prefect of Xiaguan, who is the political envoy of Fujian, he is afraid and does not dare to confront these maritime merchants head-on. They have money, and there are too many people who buy it, as long as the people behind them say a few words in the court, the black gauze hat on the head of the lower officials can not be guaranteed, I am afraid that it will affect the family. ”

Zhang Ruqi said: "Oh. Could this Ming world become a place where anyone covers the sky with one hand? You are an official of the imperial court, and you will be afraid of a few maritime merchants who have some troubled things. If you tell me this, forget it, if it gets out, I'm afraid that if you don't use those maritime merchants to do it, the black gauze hat on your head won't be able to keep it. ”

Lei Yuan took a sip of tea and sighed faintly: "How could Xia Guan not know that he was an official of the imperial court, but this Fuzhou is close to the sea, and Xiamen Port, the real gathering place of maritime merchants, is completely controlled by maritime merchants. The capital's control over Fujian was not as strong as in other places, and the people under these maritime merchants were all begging for a living at sea, and they had a strong temperament, and a civil official in the lower official could not compete with it at all.

Some officials of the imperial court were black-hearted, and they only thought about taking money, but they did not think about the laws of the imperial court.

Xia Guan has been an official for seven years, three years as the prefect of Xiamen, and four years as the prefect of Fuzhou, so he has a very good understanding of the people in this coastal area. Those sea merchants had no one in their eyes, not even the imperial court. There is no shortage of murder and goods, but no one can take care of it.

Before Xiaguan became the real prefect of Fuzhou, his position in the imperial court was the prefect of Fuzhou, but Xiaguan's power at that time was only one Xiamen Port. It was all agreed upon by the sea merchants, and if I want to take back my own power, I must listen to them.

Of course, it is not a secret, and the lower officials have not taken any less benefits from them over the years, which the lower officials have always been ashamed of.

On weekdays, the case can be judged as fairly as possible, and after seven years of getting along, those maritime merchants will not give face to the officials.

But the lower officials have always been a scholar, and they are the officials of the imperial court, so that these Diao people are above the laws of the Ming Dynasty, and it is difficult for the lower officials to atone for their sins.

Hou Ye came, and the officials had the courage to report, only asking Hou Ye to return Fuzhou to a clean place, and the people of Fuzhou to be fair. ”

Zhang Ru's personality, Lei Yuan has inquired, he still has so many classmates and friends in the capital. It was precisely because he had inquired about Zhang Ru's personality that he would take the risk of pulling Zhang Ru to talk to him in detail.

At least in the mouth of his classmate, Zhang Ru was a man who acted unscrupulously and hated like hatred, and the letters showed that the classmate and friend respected Zhang Ru very much.

Lei Yuan's official is different from Gan Qing, the latter is just for money, so even if he is a fellow intellectual, he is willing to become a lackey of the maritime business. He is different, he is a reader with some ambitions and aspirations, he doesn't just want money, he wants his life.

Although many people in Fuzhou now have a much higher evaluation of him than Gan Qing when they talk about it in private, there are still many people who complain about their injustices in private. The maritime merchants were rampant, and no one could control the murder and arson. When you give face, you can push out one or two ghosts for the dead to let the executioner cut down the souls of the dead in vain at the entrance of the vegetable market, and when you don't give face, you can simply push the black pot on the pirates entrenched on those islands.

Others don't know Lei Yuan, but they know very well that nine times out of ten, those pirates are raised by maritime merchants, and the purpose is just to cultivate their own forces to compete with officers and soldiers.

As a matter of fact, many officers and men of the guard post in Fuzhou were bribed by maritime merchants, and even last year, officers and soldiers personally escorted the big ships of maritime merchants out to sea.

After finishing speaking, Lei Yuan had been carefully looking at Zhang Ru's face, and seeing that the other party was expressionless, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

Zhang Ru suddenly laughed: "Lord Lei is so sure that Ben Hou will take care of this kind of nosy?" Not to mention that Ben Hou is not familiar with the life in this rich land in the south of the Yangtze River, that is, Ben Hou is a native of Jiangnan, and Ben Hou has no military power and no financial resources in his hands, why does Lord Lei think that Ben Hou can compete with those bold maritime merchants? ”

Lei Yuan gritted his teeth and said, "Because you are King Zhang Yan!" ”

Zhang Ru was stunned for a moment, and then laughed: "I didn't expect that the name that Wang Heizi gave me back then even spread to the southeast coast." You just believe in me? Aren't you afraid that Ben Hou will also be bought by those maritime merchants with yellow and white things? ”

Lei Yuan said confidently: "Because Hou Ye wants to open the sea ban, and this Fuzhou, Xiaguan has been in business for seven years, and he can't raise his head under the pressure of the maritime merchants, as long as the Hou Ye makes a move on the maritime merchants, the lower officials are the edge of the Hou Ye's long sword." ”

Zhang Ru's eyes burned, this time, he picked up a treasure.

He didn't pay much attention to Lei Yuan in the first place, after all, this was just the prefect of a remote prefecture. Moreover, there are maritime merchants, such an official who does not move his ass in one place for four years is not worthy of too much attention.

But after talking to Lei Yuan, he found that this Lei Yuan's vision was very accurate, and he was very bold and risky. In the future, once the sea ban is fully opened, there will certainly be many difficulties encountered, and Lei Yuan, an old official who is old but has the pioneering spirit of young people, is undoubtedly a heavy sword he put in Fuzhou.

"Okay, Ben Hou promises you." Zhang Ru said solemnly.

Lei Yuan's tense nerves were completely relaxed, and getting this promise was even happier than turning over the clouds and rain on the concubine last night.

In the lobby, the official of Yishui fell drunk and fell asleep on the table, the singer next to him had already left, Gan Qing's little eyes were dripping, pretending to turn over and secretly looked around with his eyes, and saw that everyone was asleep, and Zhang Ru and Lei Yuan didn't know where to go, he stood up suddenly.

After looking up and down, left and right, he found that there were many people in the corner room on the second floor, and he immediately tiptoed upstairs.

He didn't know that his actions were in full view of the two people next to the main seat.

Wang Zhou blinked at Fan Tong and motioned for him to give a warning, while Fan Tong shook his head invisibly.

When Gan Qing had already walked to the door of the room, Fan Tong muttered something and swept the wine jug on the table to the ground.

The crackling sound immediately aroused the vigilance of Zhang Ru and Lei Yuan in the upstairs room, and at the same time, Gan Qing, who tiptoed to the door but didn't hear anything, was startled.

Gan Qing cautiously turned his head to look down, and after a while, he breathed a sigh of relief and put his ear to the door.

Zhang Ru's very clear voice came from inside: "Master Lei, what are you doing here!" Ben Hou came to investigate the sea ban, but he didn't come to ask you for silver. ”

Lei Yuan's voice that made Gan Qing feel disgusted also reached Gan Qing's ears: "Hou Ye is angry, Hou Ye is angry, this is all Guo Hansheng Guo Yuanwai's little heart." Hou Ye came from afar, we naturally have to do our best to be a landlord, otherwise if it is spread out, everyone will say that our Fuzhou officials don't know how to behave. A little meaning, Hou Ye should not be too little, as long as Hou Ye is open, we will have more time to deal with in the future. ”

Immediately afterwards, I heard Zhang Ru's somewhat displeased voice come out: "What do you mean?" This marquis is the prince of the Ming Dynasty, and the emperor's grace is vast, so we naturally have to do our best to be a courtier. This yellow and white thing is not seen in the capital, and you need to pay respect. ”

Lei Yuan's voice became cold when he heard this: "Master Hou, don't be so ignorant, this Fuzhou is not the capital, and the officials of Fuzhou are not the officials of the capital." Although Xia Guan is just a scholar, not everyone can handle it. Guo Yuanwai said that as long as Hou Ye received the silver, no one dared to touch Hou Ye on the boundary of Fuzhou. If Hou Ye refuses to accept it, the lower officials dare not guarantee Hou Ye's thoughtfulness. ”

Zhang Ru snorted coldly: "Wow, I didn't expect that the marquis of the Ming Dynasty would be coerced by you, a little prefect." You can tell your master, let him let the horse come, and see if your master is powerful, or me, the Dingbian marquis. Lao Tzu killed tens of thousands of Tartars in Datong Border Town, and he didn't frown, and he was afraid that you clowns would not succeed. ”

Lei Yuan stood up suddenly, took two steps outside, and then froze: "Master Hou is so self-conscious." ”

Gan Qing outside the door was startled, and hurriedly took advantage of this effort to stand on tiptoe and run quickly downstairs, and when he went downstairs, he almost reached the table, and there was a creaking sound of opening the door from above.

Gan Qing hurriedly lowered his head, pretending to be drunk and unconscious.