The atmosphere in the warm pavilion was a little somber.

Lu Shen sighed and diverted the topic: "Father, how is the family business good recently?" ”

Lu Tong bowed his head and said, "Okay." I have read your previous letter, there is no problem with your thoughts, the Lu family business is indeed not suitable for the development of Jiangnan, one is that you have too much blood on your hands from the children of the Jiangnan Wang clan, and once you step into this mud pit, it is very likely to have a bad impact on you in the future. Nowadays, the focus of business operation is mainly in Huaizhou, and in addition, with the east wind of Dingzhou Guishun, there are also some layouts in the north. ”

Lu Shen smiled and said, "I wonder if my father is interested in interfering in Shazhou?" ”

"Shazhou?"

Although Lu Tong is in Jiangbei, he is obviously no stranger to the movements in the capital, and muttered: "The goods in Shazhou are indeed profitable, but I heard that the imperial court has arranged for major businesses in the south of the Yangtze River to send representatives to Chengzhou, will it be too late for our family to make a move at this time?" ”

Li Shizhi looked around at everyone and said with a smile: "I haven't seen you for a few months, but your sycophant skills have grown a lot." ”

Lu Shen heard the meaning of his words, and said reluctantly: "Why doesn't my father stay in the capital for a while longer?" Let me accompany you around and enjoy the scenery of Jiangnan. ”

Ding Hui said, "Yes." ”

These high-ranking families have wealth and resources unimaginable to ordinary people, especially all kinds of workshops, shops, and farmland, and they have their industries not only in the capital, but also in all parts of the south of the Yangtze River.

"This time, we have gained a lot of benefits, thanks to Brother Shi's strategizing, and everything is like a god."

Lu Tong took a sip of the teacup and said slowly: "Shen'er, do you think there is still a danger lurking in the shadows here in the capital?" ”

The flower hall fell silent, and Ding Hui sighed with emotion: "Brother Shi, I really didn't expect it to be so smooth. ”

All these can show that the current capital is in the most stable moment in more than ten years.

Pei Fangyuan was overjoyed, and hurriedly got up and said, "Thank you, for your support!" ”

Lu Shen asked puzzledly: "Just like my father said, what does the person hiding in the shadows want to do?" Now that His Majesty is in charge, no one can shake the status of the crown prince, there will be no chaos in the change of imperial power, and the mastermind behind the scenes will not simply want to eradicate those forces for His Majesty, if this is the case, he is a loyal minister of Daqi. ”

Taking advantage of chaos is obviously what Li Shizhi is best at.

Li Shizhi said leisurely: "Your Majesty urgently summoned Lu Shen to return to Beijing to prove that the day will not be too far away, what you have to do now is to do things honestly, and don't be caught by others at this time." ”

For a time, sycophancy was like a tide.

Lu Shen raised his eyes and asked, "What does my father mean by this?" ”

The father and son gossiped for a while, Lu Tong turned his head to look at the sky outside, and said: "I have one more thing to do this time, to clean up the goods and stores of the firm in the capital and Jiangnan, except for leaving you a group of people in the Hou Mansion, I will bring everyone else back to Huaizhou." ”

Lu Shen got up to help his father add tea, and then explained: "That was my proposal, but Shazhou was negotiated by me, and I will definitely leave a way for my family." There is a Jinchuan department in Shazhou, and the head is named Hardy, who is extremely keen on doing business, and the resources in the Jinchuan department are also very rich. If my father is interested, he can let people go to Shazhou to have a look, whether it is looking for Luo Yaozong or Hardy, the Lu family business can pass unhindered in Shazhou. ”

Li Shizhi said a few more words, and the two left this remote manor in a carriage.

Of course, he knew that Li Shizhi, as a waiter of the Ministry of Rites, had no right to interfere in the appointment of the Guozi Priest Wine, but many past examples proved that the future head of the Jinlin Li family never lied. Although he had entered the core circle around Li Shizhi, he still didn't know how deep the Jinlin Li family was in the Great Qi court, so he became more and more in awe.

"Over the past year, I have been very concerned about the movements in the capital, mainly worried about your safety, so from the perspective of a bystander, I always feel that in the muddy waters of the capital, there are not only those people who have been exposed, but also some forces hidden under the water."

In a manor in Beicheng, Shang Shuding of the military department had a ruddy face and looked proud, in stark contrast to the melancholy face of two months ago.

Lu Tong shook his head, turned to look at Lu Shen, and said solemnly: "Maybe my feeling is wrong, but you would rather be careful in the capital than be secretly calculated." ”

In the carriage, Li Shizhi looked at the envelope in his hand calmly, and took out a thin piece of stationery, on which were written a few very short sentences, on the surface it was just an ordinary greeting, but there was obviously another secret language.

Not to mention, Li Shizhi is still the chief examiner of next year's spring festival, and a large number of young handsome people have entered the Daqi officialdom through his recognition.

Lu Shen stood up and said, "Yes, father, I will pay attention." ”

Li Shizhi said indifferently: "Now we can't take it lightly, after Your Majesty dies and the new monarch ascends the throne, some things can be arranged." ”

"I don't rule out this possibility, but what puzzles me is, who has such an ability and can hide it so perfectly?"

After the death of the eldest prince, the third prince was still imprisoned in Qiushan Lane, and the position of the second prince was as stable as a rock, coupled with the wave of the Son of Heaven's hand, so that the elites of the Manchu Dynasty's civil and military forces gathered under the banner of the prince, and the country's foundation was stable and unshakable.

Lu Tong got up and paced to the window, looked at the Xiao Suo courtyard outside, and said slowly: "The rebellion of the four families of King Guo and Ningle seems to be turbulent, but in fact it is completely under the control of the Son of Heaven - except for the accident of the eldest prince, it is obvious that the Son of Heaven did not expect him to be so strong. Looking back on the past, these rebellions are more like they were deliberately forced into a desperate situation, not only the persecution of the Son of Heaven, but also other forces secretly seem to be at work from it. ”

After the rebellion in the capital was quelled, the imperial court immediately launched the liquidation of the rebel forces represented by the four families of Guo, Wang and Ningle, which was obviously not as simple as Ling Chi's beheading.

Lu Shen said with admiration: "This is very good, my father is more thoughtful than me." ”

It's not that the Son of Heaven is too generous, but he can't do too much, he has to appease people's hearts, so he gave other clans a chance to intervene.

After all, it was the first time they had met privately in more than two months.

Lu Shen responded with a smile.

……

On the surface, after quelling the rebellion of the family, the Son of Heaven held great power, and the forbidden army and the Beijing army were all in his hands, and he really reached the level of dictatorship.

After chatting for a while, Qi Weili and Pei Fangyuan took their leave.

He obviously knew more about the inside story than those two, in fact, the biggest impact of the rebellion was not the wealth of those clans that were divided, but the countless positions vacated in the court and army of the Great Qi.

"I don't know."

His tone was very calm, but Lu Shen knew that his old father was not an ordinary businessman, and this sentence was obviously not untargeted.

Qi Weili took the opportunity to answer: "At that time, Guo Wang Ningle's four families were raided, and the lower officials were still worried that they would be affected, not to mention that they wanted to avoid this turmoil, and they could get so many benefits from it, which was really unexpected." ”

Pei Fang praised: "This is called blessing and misfortune, but it is they who are unlucky, and it is us who enjoy the blessings." In the final analysis, it is Lord Li who is far-sighted, so that we can enjoy the glory and wealth. ”

Even Ding Hui didn't know who was Li Shizhi's secret hand in the current Great Qi court.

Ding Hui was the first to respond: "Brother Shi, don't worry, we know what to do." ”

Lu Tong frowned, and then said: "The reason why I feel this way is because I am familiar with this method. When the Heluo Palace was burned, I hid outside the wind and rain, and when the Jing army broke through the Heluo Emperor and wanted to escape, I took advantage of the chaos to burn him to death. The most important thing in this kind of thing is to create chaos and then take advantage of the fire. In the rebellion in the capital some time ago, the four families would not have come to this point, and someone must have stirred up the storm in secret. ”

Lu Tongmo held the white porcelain tea cup, and a slightly ridiculous smile appeared on his face: "Is it for that Luo girl?" ”

Everyone laughed.

Lu Tong pondered for a moment, nodded and said, "Okay, I will arrange for someone to go to Shazhou to find out on the spot." ”

Ding Hui looked at Li Shizhi, the left waiter of the Ministry of Rites with a calm expression on the opposite side, and did not hesitate to praise his words.

The imperial court ate most of it, and the treasury became full, and the remaining part was naturally swallowed up by other gate valves that had been prepared for a long time.

"Other forces...... Father is saying that someone deliberately gave these four families to the Son of Heaven for surgery? ”

Lu Shen said calmly: "There are indeed considerations in this regard, but I always feel that Shazhou's strategic position is very important, and maybe it will play a pivotal role in the Northern Expedition in the future." From these perspectives, it is harmless to further deepen the friendship with Shazhou. ”

Qi Weili, the secretary of Dali Temple, and Pei Fangyuan, the secretary of Guozijian, were even more excited.

The two prime ministers know each other in general, and the other Jiangnan clans are becoming more and more well-behaved and docile.

"Impossible, this queen has the name of a virtuous queen but has no foundation and heritage, the Son of Heaven has consciously suppressed the power of the descendants in the early years, and the Xu family is just rich and noble. They can secretly help the Three Princes cultivate a group of dead soldiers to assassinate you, but they absolutely do not have the ability to collude such a big conspiracy. ”

Li Shizhi said again: "The position of Guozi Priest Wine is currently vacant, Brother Pei can prepare in advance, you have to pick up this burden." ”

"Could it be Queen Xu?"

"If only you had this heart."

Lu Tong walked closer and patted him on the shoulder, and said warmly: "After the affairs of the capital are completed, you go back to Guangling, arrange the marriage in advance, and put other things aside for the time being." ”

Lu Tong smiled slightly, and then said: "Now that the north is unstable, although the Jing army cannot threaten Huaizhou for the time being, the business must also make various preparations in advance. On the other hand, regarding the incident you mentioned at the beginning, I had a gang to secretly recruit a group of craftsmen, and then sent all of them to Baotai Mountain. Huaizhou people have many eyes, and there will definitely be eyeliner in our family's business name, and those craftsmen are safer in Baotai Mountain. ”

The Jinlin Li family and the Qingyuan Xue family only made a symbolic move, and the ones who really got the benefits were the other families in the nine families in Jiangnan, as well as other big families in the next grade, including Ding Hui and the other three people here.

Lu Shen knew very well that he was not in business, so he didn't express too many opinions on this matter, he believed that it was just easy to run Shazhou with his old father's hand.

The Son of Heaven took advantage of the situation to promote many confidants and courtiers, but he still couldn't fill so many gaps, and there were bound to be many middle- and lower-level officials who were promoted.

He put the letter paper into his sleeve and said to his henchman Li Jinshan, who was waiting beside him: "Tell the person who came, I agreed." ”

There were only a few simple words, Li Jinshan didn't understand what it meant, and could only say respectfully: "Yes, master." ”

(End of chapter)