Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 326: United Front! (Happy New Year to everyone!)

Fan Chunren smiled and said, "Well, you have this idea, which shows that our Fan family's education has not failed, and we have not lost our principles in the face of huge wealth."

Fan Zhengmin said shyly, "Father taught me well. I will return the share certificate later."

Fan Chunren shook his head, and in the midst of Fan Zhengmin's surprised look, he slowly said, "No, wait a minute, let me meet Su Yun first."

Seeing that Fan Zhengmin was puzzled, Fan Chunren explained, "Money is not the most important thing. What is important is the political situation. Do you understand why your father said this?"

Fan Zhengmin suddenly fell into deep thought, he knew that this was his father's advice to him, this was the inheritance of a big family to their children. The reason why children from big families can make more steady and faster progress in officialdom than those from ordinary families is that their fathers passed on these official knowledge to them.

Fan Zhengmin thought for a while and tried to say, "Is it because the Su family has returned to the court? Now the three Su brothers from Meishan, Su Shi, Su Zhe, and Su Yun, two Hanlin academicians and one Zhongshu Sheren, occupy the inner and outer systems of the court.

My father is the Minister of Personnel and the co-director of the Privy Council, so he also needs help. If the Three Su brothers from Meishan can help, they will surely be able to do more for the court and the people."

Fan Chunren nodded and said, "Of course I have this consideration, but those in power must look further ahead."

Fan Zhengmin fell into deep thought again, and after a while he said, "Is it because Su Yun is so young, but he has already reached the level of a minister? In the next few decades, he may be an evergreen in the court. If we make friends with him, we can also have a long-term support for our Fan family?"

Fan Chunren nodded and said, "This is of course one reason, but the more important reason is that I am very worried about the current political situation.

Sima Gong is seriously ill and will probably die soon. Without Sima Gong to keep the peace, the court will probably be in turmoil again soon. "

Fan Zhengmin was surprised and said, "The New Party has been expelled, and the court is full of people. It should be the time to make great plans. Why does father still have such worries?"

Fan Chunren laughed and said, "The court is full of people... maybe, but the signs of factional strife have appeared again, alas."

Fan Zhengmin was surprised and said, "The New Party has been completely demoted to local areas, so how can there still be party disputes?"

Fan Chunren looked at his eldest son and said, "Haha, now those people around the two Chengs, Liu Zhi, Wang Yansou and others, as well as the three people from the Meishan Su family, have clearly formed a situation of factional strife. Shu Luoshuo, the storm is rising again!"

Fan Zhengmin immediately grasped the point and asked, "Father, are you going to side with the Shu Party?"

Fan Chunren shook his head and said, "No, we won't favor anyone, but we must establish friendship with Su Yun."

Fan Zhengmin frowned immediately and said hesitantly: "Father, these shares are worth a fortune. If we accept them but do not stand on the side of the Shu Party, will it cause hostility from the Shu Party?"

Fan Chunren smiled and said, "I'm not sure whether to accept it or not. I just said that we will not get involved when the three parties are fighting. But if Su Yun needs our help, as long as it does not involve party disputes, we can still help."

Fan Zhengmin thought about it and nodded: "It seems that it is okay."

Fan Chunren nodded and said, "These are just things in the near future. What I am thinking about is things six or seven years later. The current emperor..."

Fan Chunren had a worried look on his face, and said, "...The current emperor is probably quite similar to the previous emperor. In six or seven years, when the emperor takes power, I'm afraid the New Party will make a comeback. If no one mediates, many ministers in the court will probably end up in a bad way."

Fan Zhengmin thought of how Sima Guang and others abolished the new law as if it were a worn-out shoe, and how they hated the ministers of the New Party as if they were enemies, and he suddenly felt cold all over. The ministers of the new law were treated like this by Sima Guang and others. When they return, I'm afraid their methods will be even more vicious. By then, it will be another hellish scene!

Fan Zhengmin said quickly: "So father's idea is that Su Yun has a close relationship with the new law minister Zhang Dun and others. When the new law minister returns, can Su Yun be asked to mediate?"

Fan Chunren nodded and said, "That's the idea."

Fan Zhengmin exclaimed: "Father is indeed a man of foresight."

Fan Chunren nodded and said, "As for the details, I still need to meet with Su Yun to have a chat. I want to see what he wants specifically."

……

Yushitai.

Imperial Censor Liu Zhi was writing a document when a visitor suddenly came to visit him. The clerk reported that it was his good friend Wang Yansou. Liu Zhi quickly left his desk, went out to greet him, and said with a smile, "Brother Yanlin, why are you here?"

Wang Yansou was familiar with Liu Zhi, and he had already stepped in and said, "Master Shen, something big has happened."

Liu Zhi was surprised when he heard this and said, "Come in quickly!"

Liu Zhi invited Wang Yansou into the hall and served him tea. He then dismissed the clerks on both sides and asked, "Brother Yanlin, what happened?"

Wang Yansou asked, "Do you know what Su Yun, whom you impeached, wrote in his petition the day before yesterday?"

Liu Zhi frowned and said, "He just took back the three ministries, and instead of thinking about sorting out the work of the Ministry of Industry, he is so anxious to write a letter. You are so anxious to come to me, could it be that he is targeting us?"

Wang Yansou nodded and said, "It is indeed related to us, but it is a good thing."

Liu Zhi raised his eyebrows: "Good news?"

Wang Yansou nodded and said, "Last time you wrote a letter requesting funds to dredge the Yellow River and Yongji Canal to alleviate floods in the north, increase agricultural production, and implement light taxes and levies in the north to avoid excessive taxation and civil unrest, Sima Gong shelved your request. Do you still remember this?"

Liu Zhi nodded and said, "Of course I remember. We are all from the north. You and I both know how hard life is for the people in the north. Last time, you proposed to increase the food and wages for the garrisons in Hebei and Hedong and repair the border defenses to increase defense against invasions from the north, but that was also shelved."

Wang Yansou said solemnly, "Su Yun wrote in his letter that the Ministry of Works will allocate a huge amount of money to dredge the Yellow River and Yongji Canal to alleviate the flood in the north, and to establish military farms in the north to increase agricultural production. In addition, a huge amount of money will be spent on repairing the border defense fortifications, and the Ministry of Works will personally carry out the construction!"

When Liu Zhi heard this, he was stunned for a moment and asked, "Is this what Su Yun said in his letter?"

Wang Yansou nodded and said, "That's right, Elder Shen, tell me, what is Su Yun planning? You impeached him a few days ago, but why is he doing this now?"

Liu Zhi frowned. He and other officials from the north, such as Wang Yansou, naturally had to consider the interests of the north, so they wrote a letter to propose solutions to these problems. But Su Yun was a Shu person, so why was he so active?
Wang Yansou said again: "This is why I came to find you. Do you think he brought up these things because he fought in the northwest and knew that it was not easy to defend the frontier?"

Liu Zhi thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "He fought in the northwest. What does it have to do with us in Hedong and Hebei? Why didn't he mention the northwest, but spoke for us in Hedong and Hebei instead?" Wang Yansou slapped his thigh and said, "Yeah, I find it strange too! Why do you think he did that?"

Liu Zhi hesitated for a moment and said, "Is he trying to be friendly with us?"

Wang Yansou was stunned for a moment and said, "But you just impeached him..."

Liu Zhi tapped his fingers unconsciously on the table. After a while, he suddenly said, "Perhaps we have misunderstood him. He is different from Su Shi. He is a practical man. He may be using this incident to tell us that his goal is the same as ours, and to ease our relationship."

Wang Yansou frowned and said, "Easing relations with us? What does he want?"

Liu Zhi smiled slightly and said, "What I said may not be accurate, just listen to it and help me sort out my thoughts.

First of all, Su Yun had just taken over the manual department, and he needed to achieve some results, and these results would be the same no matter where he worked.

Secondly, Su Yun was feared by Sima Gong and others. Although he finally got an assignment this time, many people still doubted his position and thought he was too close to the ministers of the new law. Therefore, he may think that his position is unstable and therefore wants to get our support.
Finally, Su Yun had a very bad relationship with Cheng Yi, and Su Yun's Su School and Cheng Yi's Neo-Confucianism were as hostile as water and fire.

The conflict that broke out between Cheng Yi and Su Yun when Cheng Yi was lecturing to the emperor had already proved that the contradiction between Su's school and Cheng's school of thought was already difficult to mediate.

The group headed by Cheng Yi is quite large in number. I think Su Yun feels that there is a crisis, so he wants to make friends with our Heshuo officials to avoid being enemies everywhere."

Wang Yansou raised his eyebrows upon hearing this and said with a smile: "This person is really good at currying favor with others. He knows that we care about our hometown. Do we accept this kindness?"

Liu Zhi smiled and said, "It is not something we can stop Su Yun from giving benefits to the folks in Heshuo. It is not a question of whether we can accept it or not. However, since he has this intention, as long as they do not provoke us next time, we will not have any conflicts with them."

Wang Yansou nodded and said, "That's very good."

……

When the Secretary of the Central Secretariat Han Zhen returned home, his eldest son Han Zongsu went to greet him. Han Zhen knew something was wrong when he saw his eldest son's appearance, so he went straight to the study, and Han Zongsu hurriedly followed.

After entering the study, Han Zhen asked, "What's going on?"

Han Zhen knew that his son was looking for him probably because of the family business. The eldest son, Han Zongsu, was not very talented in studying, and he himself was not very interested in a career in politics. Instead, he was quite interested in running the family business. Therefore, he was in charge of the family business. Now he was looking for him probably because of this.

Han Zongshu said quickly, "Father, I recently found out about an industry that is very worthwhile for our family to invest in. However, if I were to seek cooperation, I'm afraid the price would be very high, so I would like to ask you to mediate a little."

Han Zhen shook his head and said, "Whether the price is high or not is nothing more than making more or less money. Our Han family is big and powerful, so there is no need to leave room for criticism. Just handle it yourself."

After saying that, he sat down at the desk and stopped looking at Han Zongshu. Han Zongshu said anxiously, "Father, this time is different! If we can get the property this time, our Han family may never be short of money again.

Moreover, not only that, this industry will have a great impact on the original business of our Han family's shops. If we can't enter the market this time, our Han family's income may be greatly affected in the future!"

After hearing this, even Han Zhen had to look up at his son.

Scholars can say that money is a thing, but literati cannot. The Han family has many children, and most of them are full-time students. Without a huge family fortune to support them, how can they produce talents in a steady stream?
This matter is the foundation of the family, it is not a question of how much you earn.

Han Zhen said, "Speak."

Han Zongshu said quickly, "It's the Qingming Riverside Park project that the Ministry of Industry has been working on recently. Father, you should have heard about it, right?"

As the Minister of the Secretariat, Han Zhen had been somewhat marginalized recently, but he was in the Secretariat after all, so he naturally understood the dynamics of the Ministry of Works. Hearing this, he nodded and said, "Do you want to get some shops in it, or do you want to get some shares?"

Han Zongshu said quickly, "We want both! I have seen the Qingming Riverside Park through my connections. Once it is completed, it will surely become the most popular business place in Bianjing. Therefore, our Han family must have some shops in it, so that our products can be more well-known.
The current valuation of Qingming Shanghe Park’s shares is still relatively low. Once you get them, their value can increase several times immediately, so this is also an excellent opportunity.

Of course, we won’t sell these shares. As long as we keep them, they will provide a steady stream of income for the Han family for decades or even hundreds of years to come!"

Han Zhen frowned upon hearing this and said, "My father has no friendship with the Minister of Works Su Yun. If I force myself to get to know him for these things..."

Han Zhen did not continue speaking. Han Zongshu naturally understood the implication, that his father just couldn't bring himself to do that.

Han Zongshu said quickly, "I have a classmate at the Imperial College named Yang Biao, who is also Su Yun's classmate. I can ask him to act as a matchmaker. We will host a banquet for Su Yun, and you can just show up at that time."

Han Zhen frowned and asked, "How much can you take?"

Han Zongshu quickly said: "My goal is 20 points."

"Twenty points?" Han Zhen frowned and asked, "Just twenty points, is it worth it for a father to be embarrassed?"

Han Zongshu smiled bitterly and said, "Father, do you know how much one share of Qingming Riverside Garden is worth now?"

Han Zhen was a little curious and asked, "Oh?"

Han Zongshu raised two fingers and said, "Twenty thousand strings of cash!"

Han Zhen's expression changed slightly, and he said, "One point equals 100 points, one point equals 20,000 guan, so one point equals 2 million guan. So the Qingming Riverside Garden is actually valued at 20 million guan!"

Han Zongshu exclaimed: "In fact, it is more than that. This is just the price someone bought it from the Ministry of Industry. If it is resold, it can be sold for more than 40,000 or 50,000 strings of cash!"

Han Zhen heard that he could earn 600,000 guan just by reselling 20% ​​of the shares. Adding the profits from the store, this appearance would be worth a million guan. So what was there to hesitate about? He immediately said, "You arrange it!"

Han Zongshu was immediately overjoyed and said, "Okay, I'll arrange it right away!"

(End of this chapter)