景翰 Eleventh Year, the ninth day of the eighth month. During the early court, Emperor Jinghan, Zhou Zhe, approved several official promotions, including the decision to promote Li Pin, Li Dexin, the former magistrate of Nanhe County, to Deputy Transport Commissioner of Hedong Circuit. Search: \(¨Complete¨Book¨God¨Station¨) to read high-quality literature for free.

During the Wu Dynasty, the Transport Commissioner, at the height of his power, was equivalent to a provincial governor in later generations. And in the capital, those who truly directly controlled the national transportation were usually prime ministers, which shows their esteemed position.

Of course, the Deputy Transport Commissioner was a fifth-rank official, which was not considered very high in the capital. Among the officials who were received due to promotion, his position was also the lowest. However, Li Pin was originally a seventh-rank county magistrate, and this time, before his term was up, he was directly promoted to Deputy Transport Commissioner, a position with real power, which can indeed be called a promotion of three ranks.

Therefore, among the several officials who were promoted, he was quite noticeable.

"... Nowadays, there is a very bad trend among scholars." After the early court, when Zhou Zhe summoned several officials for an audience, he spoke about this matter, "They want to be officials, but they are afraid of being officials outside the capital, especially afraid of being local officials, the parents of the people. They are afraid of taking office, especially the position of county magistrate. I am very saddened."

"In the third year of Jinghan, there were 135 vacancies for county magistrates nationwide. By the seventh year of Jinghan, there were still more than 90 vacancies, especially in the Guangnan area. Some people got real positions but were unwilling to take office, delaying in the capital and running around to various connections! I know all about it."

"Of course, the position of county magistrate carries heavy responsibilities, strict assessments, and once you take office, you may not see your family for years, no matter how far away. I understand these things. But parents of the people! What are parents of the people! The so-called county magistrate is the most basic official of this country, the closest to the people! They talk about ten years of hard study to serve the country, but in reality, they are just picky and choosy. Once employed, they eagerly want to be officials in the capital! To be honest, anyone who gets the position of county magistrate but doesn't take office will hardly have a chance to be an official again! I have a record of all these things in my mind."

Since the solemn early court had passed, in order to show closeness, Zhou Zhe arranged this audience to take a walk near the imperial garden, which can be considered a way to relax the atmosphere. But at this time, when he spoke of these things, the emperor, with his calm temperament, carried his hands behind his back, and his tone became serious. The ministers behind him followed closely, feeling apprehensive.

Zhou Zhe raised his hand, signaling them not to be so nervous, and continued to walk slowly.

"I once said that anyone who can be a good county magistrate can do anything well. Since the third year of Jinghan, I have promoted county magistrates beyond their ranks more than once. Dexin, you are a model for county magistrates. This time, I promoted you to Deputy Transport Commissioner. Many people have said things, but after seeing your performance in Nanhe, I still decided to give you this position. You go to Hedong and help Liu Congming well. Do a good job and don't disappoint me. The situation in Hedong is very thorny." The Liu Congming he mentioned was Li Pin's superior, the Transport Commissioner of Hedong Circuit.

Li Pin, walking at the very end, bowed his head: "Your subject will definitely do his best and live up to Your Majesty's expectations."

Zhou Zhe showed a slight smile on his face and turned his head to wave his hand: "It's not about living up to my expectations, but about not disappointing the local people..." He pointed to the others behind him, "You are the same. Nowadays, the Wu Dynasty seems peaceful and prosperous, as solid as iron, but in reality, there are both internal and external troubles."

As he spoke, he stepped onto an arch bridge in front of him: "Externally, the Liao people are gone, but don't think that the Jin people are easy to get along with. They also come from remote and harsh places, with the ambition of wolves, difficult to tame. This war is not yet over, and they have already torn up the previous alliance. If it weren't for the efforts of Tong Shumi, General Guo, and many others, not an inch of land in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun would have been recovered..."

"... And domestically, this time, several circuits in the north and south have been affected by disasters, and millions of people are in dire straits. And at this time, there are still many ants and蛀虫 (zhù chóng -蛀虫 literally means woodworm, here it refers to people who harm the country) stirring, wanting to undermine the foundation of this country! You must keep these things in mind. If you mess things up, I won't punish you, but the millions of people below won't let you, the parents of the people, go. You... remember these words. This is my expectation of you."

Zhou Zhe finished speaking, and the purpose of this summons had actually been achieved. Afterwards, the emperor and his ministers chatted a few more words, and Zhou Zhe even asked about the family affairs of several of the ministers. Although he did not single out Li Pin again, he had actually been the center of attention during this summons. After the audience, everyone went out together, and several of them expressed their friendliness to Li Pin, inviting him to lunch together. After leaving the imperial city, he saw several carriages already waiting outside. The person at the head of the carriage was the shopkeeper of Bamboo Records, obviously waiting for him.

Li Pin thought that Ning Yi wanted to invite him to celebrate, so he went over to say hello, wanting the other party to leave first, as he had to attend this meal with his colleagues. However, the shopkeeper smiled and bowed: "My master knows that Lord Li will definitely have a small gathering with the lords at noon today to talk about private matters. Therefore, he just asked me to wait here. Wherever the lords want to go, I can help arrange it."

"Heh, Li Heng..."

There were a total of eight officials promoted this time, regardless of the size of their official positions, most of them would be assigned to other places. They had deep and shallow relationships in the capital, but no matter what, a meal to enhance important relationships in the capital would usually be arranged in the evening. These eight people would have a meal together at noon. Hearing Ning Yi's arrangements, Li Pin couldn't help but smile, but there wasn't much joy in that smile.

This kind of merchant behavior of being able to arrange everything one step ahead of time ultimately made him a little worried. Especially after the emperor had just said those words, immediately seeing this kind of thing related to wealth and power ultimately made him unable to feel good about it.

However, seeing that Li Pin had these connections, the others were somewhat interested. For them, although Li Pin's official position was still small, it was obvious that he had someone in the capital. Everyone usually guessed about this kind of thing. At this time, connecting Bamboo Records to the Prime Minister's Office, and from the Prime Minister's Office to Qin Siyuan and Li Gang's faction, being able to get closer was ultimately a good thing. And the other two officials among these people who had close ties with the Prime Minister's Office were able to enjoy all of this with peace of mind because they were older and had more experience.

After this meal at noon, the shopkeeper asked Li Pin about his future whereabouts and conveyed Ning Yi's intention to help him celebrate.

Li Pin had just been promoted, so the first few nights, he would naturally have to build relationships with some important figures, such as Qin Siyuan, who was now his backer, who was the most important. Ning Yi was just a merchant in the capital, so it was impossible to invite him to dinner to celebrate that night. However, Li Pin thought about it and said, "Later, please trouble Shopkeeper Li to send me to the Right Prime Minister's residence. I want to thank the Prime Minister for this promotion, but... please also tell Li Heng that if the Prime Minister is not available tonight, I wonder if Li Heng is free tonight, so I can... prepare wine and thank him."

That Shopkeeper Li naturally nodded in agreement, and then had a large carriage send Li Pin to the Prime Minister's residence, and then reported Li Pin's words to Ning Yi. When he came to the Ning residence to find Ning Yi, Ning Yi was in the courtyard, holding Ning Xi and teaching him one, two, three, four. Su Tan'er was sitting by the pavilion not far away, embroidering while watching the father and son. When Shopkeeper Li arrived, Ning Yi let go of the child, letting him sway towards his mother.

After listening to Shopkeeper Li's words, Ning Yi was somewhat puzzled: "Prime Minister Qin has an appointment with Grand Tutor Cai tonight, so he is not available. Go prepare a better dinner party, and... call Su Wending and Su Wenfang. Anyone who is free can come and join in the fun. Li Pin is a good person, and it's good for them to build relationships and get acquainted. I'll go call Qin Shaoyu too. Hmm, that should be about it."

Su Tan'er walked over from there, holding the child. After Shopkeeper Li left, she whispered, "For these things, wouldn't it be enough for you to have a private meal? Wouldn't it be more troublesome if Su Wending and Su Wenfang went?"

Ning Yi shook his head: "My acquaintance and interactions with Li Pin are all aboveboard. Now that he's been promoted, since he wants to invite, we might as well treat it as a gathering between friends to celebrate, which would be more comfortable. Besides, he occasionally helped with lectures at Yushan Academy, and he's not unfamiliar with Su Wending and Su Wenfang. So it's okay. What I find strange is... why would he invite me today?"

Su Tan'er smiled: "Maybe he feels in his heart that he was appreciated and promoted by Prime Minister Qin because of you, Husband."

"Maybe not." Ning Yi smiled, "The officialdom is the officialdom, and private friendship is private friendship. He's just been promoted, and this matter is not easy to do, so he should be trying to get on good terms with everyone to make his future path easier. He can't not understand these things..."

"Anyway, it's you men's business." Su Tan'er shrugged her shoulders, imitating him, and lifted the child up, teasing him with "la la la". When she married Ning Yi, although she was gentle, she still had the sharp edge of a young girl. But at this time, the outward sharpness had gradually subsided, and she had become more compatible with Ning Yi. She joked and played with Ning Yi occasionally, and she had become more casual, no longer awkward because this matter was "not dignified". In fact, she was still twenty-one or two years old after all, young and beautiful, and still brimming with a delightful vitality amidst the composure.

And at home, the relationship between the two people, and their status in the eyes of others, had become clearer. Ning Yi was calm and reliable, and Su Tan'er, as the head mistress of the house, also had sufficient authority and convincing ability. Almost any matter, as long as it was reported to one of the couple, there would definitely be a solution, although the styles were slightly different, the two could actually handle matters on the other's side very well.

At this time, after saying a few words, Su Tan'er no longer paid attention to Li Pin's side. That night, Ning Yi held a banquet at Bamboo Records to entertain Li Pin. During the banquet, Su Wending, Su Wenfang, Qin Shaoyu, and others accompanied him. He also called in several beautiful women from Fanlou. Amidst the clinking of glasses, it could be considered that everyone ate and drank to their heart's content. This continued until the banquet was about to end, and everyone was fooling around with the women with no regard for their image. Ning Yi went to the balcony of the private room to look at the night view outside, and Li Pin walked over with a wine glass.

After Bamboo Records cooperated with Fanlou on some businesses, the two sides interacted closely. Su Wending and others were also old acquaintances with the Fanlou women who came this time. They were having a good time fooling around in the private room. Li Pin looked at the lively scene of people coming and going on the street not far away, and merchants hawking their wares. He chatted casually with Ning Yi for a few words, and then tentatively opened his mouth.

"Li Heng, I have many feelings in my heart after entering the capital this time. I understand in my heart that you helped me get to this position. I remember this matter in my heart, but because of this, I have a few words that I have been holding in my heart, and I must say them quickly. But I also hope that Li Heng doesn't misunderstand me as the kind of arrogant villain who finds fault with people after being promoted..."

Ning Yi glanced at him: "Speak without restraint."

"I want to know, what is Li Heng doing?" Li Pin thought for a while and opened his mouth with some difficulty, "You and I met by chance, and there is no need to beat around the bush about many things. Li Heng knows that I have been studying hard since I was a child, and I originally wanted to make a career. When I was in Jiangning, you and I met, and I admired Li Heng's knowledge very much. I was also curious as to why a talent like Li Heng would become a Son-in-Law. Li Heng has never answered this question directly, and I can only say that everyone has their own ambitions. Although Li Heng didn't care about his identity at the time, he had many positive thoughts in his lectures and teachings. You were willing to tell those students, and I have always believed in my heart that Li Heng ultimately wanted to do something."

He paused: "I have never doubted these things in my heart. Li Heng is knowledgeable, and his ideas may be different from others, but the great Dao is ultimately the same. Li Heng has always been very capable in various matters, including... the matter of Gu Yanzhen."

Ning Yi frowned. Li Pin smiled knowingly: "... including the matter of the imperial merchants later, including your danger in Hangzhou later, including the Liangshan bandits. Li Heng's ability to do things has always been beyond doubt. But... when I came to the capital this time, seeing these things, seeing this Bamboo Records, those large carriages you sent out, seeing the things you researched. I have to say, you have been very successful in this business, and you have probably earned a lot of money. This is your ability. But what exactly do you want to do?"

He asked this sentence with a gradually sinking voice. Ning Yi tapped the railing on the balcony with his finger and nodded slightly. Li Pin paused for a moment, then lowered his voice again: "Li Heng is a smart person. Now that I've said this, I don't plan to hide anything. These days, I've been thinking in my heart, this is the path to wealth for gentry and wealthy households, but Li Heng, what path can't you take? These gentry and wealthy merchants seem to have a lot of money and prestige on the surface, but in reality, they have never been looked up to. They... are trees without roots, duckweed without water. Even if they can help the Prime Minister's Office manage finances and accounts, what can they do? Li Heng is so smart, he can't possibly not see that this path will not lead to anywhere in the end, and may even..."

He hesitated for a moment and finally lowered his voice to the lowest level: "May even... be a path to death."

The noise from afar and the noise from inside the room were all coming. After Li Pin said this sentence, it made the balcony quiet. Ning Yi tapped the railing lightly with his finger, and a slight smile appeared on his face. In fact, from the moment the first sentence came out, Ning Yi roughly understood what the other party meant, and also understood that if he didn't truly regard their friendship as a gentleman's friendship, Li Pin would not have said this sentence at this time, especially since he wasted the time when he could build relationships with people on the first day of his promotion.

It's just that many of the thoughts in his heart can't be told to others. He nodded, and after considering it for a long time, he stopped his finger and then opened his mouth: "Dexin, let me ask you something, what do you think you were arranged in the position of Deputy Transport Commissioner to do?"

Li Pin frowned: "There is a famine in both the north and the south at this time, and the situation is urgent. I know that Lord Liu Congming is also secretly a member of Prime Minister Qin, but I am, after all, a new face. I can manage things and take action. Even if I offend people, I must ensure that the disaster relief grain channel is smooth and that the disaster relief grain can be distributed smoothly. I am psychologically prepared for these things."

"... Not entirely so." Ning Yi smiled, and after a moment, he shook his head, "Your greatest responsibility this time is not to ensure that the disaster relief grain channel is smooth, but to ensure that the business channel is smooth. You will understand this matter soon."

"Business channel?" Li Pin became puzzled.

But he heard Ning Yi say there: "The position of county magistrate has been promoted three levels to Deputy Transport Commissioner, and the position of transportation is also a truly important position. Dexin, for someone with slightly weaker ability, this matter is no different from arsenic, and even for you, it can only be considered a great tonic. Strong medicine can sometimes save you thirty years of struggle, but a little carelessness will backfire. It seems that you are somewhat psychologically prepared, which is the best."

Hearing Ning Yi point out this matter, Li Pin's expression truly became serious. At this time, he suddenly understood that the current Ning Yi knew far more about this matter, even the inside story of his promotion, than he had imagined. In this way, Ning Yi's position in the Prime Minister's Office was probably far from as simple as he had once thought...

He frowned, waiting for Ning Yi to continue.

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