Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 197: The Tide of the River

When Pu Yama saw this, he also raised his glass happily.

Wadiye was overjoyed and also a little proud.

Pu Yama, the old fox, was finally tricked by me this time.

I am about to return to my country, and I had originally planned to trick the Jin people and swallow up their goods when I left the Song Dynasty.

Unexpectedly, the Jin people also came to you this time, and you took the initiative to find me.

It's a 40% to 60% split, which is much better than if I worked alone.

Why shouldn't I agree to something as good as gold falling from the sky?
Pu Yama laughed even more happily than him, perhaps... it was because he had successfully convinced him.

At this time, one of Wadiye's followers walked in quickly, came to Wadiye's side, and said respectfully with his hands lowered:

"Master, Madam Li from Shifeng, a big tea merchant in Lin'an, wants to see you. She has already arrived at your house."

Mrs. Li from Shifeng?
Wadiye had heard about the Shishan Tea Plantation which had been flourishing recently.

He planned to buy more than ten stones of roasted tea when he returned home, but he had sent someone to the tea farm to inquire about it beforehand.

Deacon Yu replied that their tea farm was currently experiencing a shortage of business, and that the market outside the sea was not yet the employer's main target, so he did not agree.

With no other choice, he had to buy more than a hundred boxes of cake tea and ball tea as usual.

But...how come this elusive tea plantation owner actually took the initiative to visit him?

No matter what, he didn't want to miss the opportunity to get to know this great tea merchant.

So Wadiye immediately said goodbye to Pu Yama.

Pu Yama was also thinking about getting a batch of high-quality roasted tea. It was true that he was going to move to Quanzhou, but his trade with the West was also going on.

However, tea frying had just become a fashion, and the demand for tea could not keep up with the supply. He had sent people to Shifeng before, but they came back empty-handed.

As a businessman, how could he bear to see a mountain of gold right in front of him and miss it?

When he heard that the owner of Longjing Tea Plantation was coming to visit Wadiye, he immediately became interested.

If someone takes the initiative to visit someone, it means that he or she wants something from them.

Perhaps, I could take advantage of this opportunity to get a batch of the much sought-after roasted tea from this Mrs. Li?

With this thought in mind, Pu Yama became a sticky plaster that could not be shaken off. He followed Wadiye and went to his home together...

……

On the banks of the Qiantang River, the royal family and officials alone occupied a large area along the river.

Further away on both sides and on the other side of the river, people gathered here and it was bustling.

Since the location on Phoenix Mountain could not accommodate so many officials, the court built a long observation deck on the riverside.

The observation deck is three stories high, and the emperor, the empress dowager, the queen, and the concubines are naturally on the top floor.

Next came the generals of the three yamen imperial guards and some royal relatives.

It is against the rules for military generals to be so close to the emperor and even above the civil officials.

In order to achieve this goal, the imperial envoy Mu En came up with a clever idea.

He arranged civil servants of high rank on the observation platforms on both sides, and since there was an aisle in the middle, they were naturally separated from the emperor.

The viewing seats of these high-ranking civil servants, like the emperor's seats, were covered with colorful tents to provide shade, and on the tables in front of them, in addition to dried fruits and candied fruits, wine and beverages, there were also the four treasures of the study.

The government has issued an edict, ordering all civil officials to watch the Qiantang tide and the athletes playing in the waves, and if they feel anything, to write down their thoughts.

When there were major royal celebrations, even if the emperor did not call for it, the civil officials were very keen on recording the events in poetry.

Usually the titles of such poems and essays begin with "Grateful for the Emperor's Grace" or "Appreciating the Emperor's Grace".

If the emperor suggested that the civil officials write it, it would be a commissioned poem.

This is an opportunity to showcase one's talents, and the civil servants naturally want it very much.

In this way, they no longer cared about those generals being able to sit before the emperor's steps.

There were no colorful tents above the heads of the generals because they were afraid of blocking the officials' view.

If the sun is stronger, then just bask in it.

Only the rough guys who are not presentable enough sit there.

With an inexplicable sense of superiority, the civil servants happily walked up to the observation decks on both sides and found their seats.

Today's surfing scene is much more grand than the last time when Duck Brother won the surfing championship.

There were twelve teams participating in the competition.

Merchants in Lin'an, who were good at business, also put up colorful flags on both sides of the river. Most of the flags had the names of their shops or products written on them, which could be considered a form of advertising.

The tide is huge and spectacular.

When the athletes from the twelve teams jumped into the river with red flags in their hands and demonstrated their water skills, cheers from both sides of the river shook the sky.

Supporters of different trend-setting teams were beating drums and gongs loudly, waving their arms and banging them.

The civil servants sat on the stage, watching the tide and the water, feeling contented.

Some people have already frowned and started thinking about whether to write a poem or an essay, and how to come up with the idea and wording so as to stand out among their colleagues.

It was much more lively on the official stand.

Those warriors who had high ranks and sat close to the officials were a little more reserved.

The military attachés in the front row had already rolled up their sleeves, and were even pounding their desks and cheering loudly.

They drank from huge bowls and laughed loudly, they were really a bunch of unsophisticated people who were not presentable!
Taking advantage of the atmosphere of countless tide watchers on both sides of the Qiantang River, all excited by the wonderful performance of the tide-riders, Yang Cun Zhong raised his glass and walked towards the imperial table with a smile.

The civil servants in the distance naturally saw Yang Cunzhong's actions, but... being so close to the emperor, it was just a matter of offering a glass of wine. There was already a group of people who had taken the lead in offering a glass of wine. They were the old officials who had retired and were invited by the emperor to watch the tide.

They have not seen the emperor for a long time, and now that they have received the emperor's grace, it is reasonable for them to be the first to toast the emperor and express their gratitude.

These old ministers are the civil and military officials headed by Li Xianzhong and Liu Qi.

Yang Cunzhong was an old guard who served as the Grand Marshal of the Hebei Army when the emperor was still serving as His Royal Highness Prince Kang. It was normal for him to come forward and offer a glass of wine.

"Your Majesty, today we are watching the tide at Qiantang. There are so many people watching. The scene is even more spectacular than before! Haha, I, the old minister Yang Cunzhong, congratulate you!"

Yang Cun Zhong was already a little drunk. He walked forward with a drunken laugh and toasted Zhao Gou with a glass in hand.

Zhao Gou was delighted. He raised his cup and took a sip of wine. He patted the wooden steps beside him and said with a smile, "Mr. Zhengfu, come, come, come and sit next to me."

"Eh!"

Yang Cun Zhong walked over and sat next to Zhao Gou.

Zhao Gou was sitting on a chair, and Yang Cunzhong was sitting on the steps of the observation deck next to the chair.

However, he was of large build, and although he was a bit shorter than Zhao Gou when he sat there, it did not hinder him from talking to Zhao Gou.

Zhao Gou pointed at the Qiantang River and said a few words to Yang Cun Zhong with a smile. Yang Cun Zhong also responded with a few words with a smile, looking like a harmonious relationship between the monarch and his subject.

Zhao Gou was accompanied by two close aides, one was the attendant Yu Huai, and the other was the chief eunuch Zhang Quwei.

However, the sound of gongs and drums and shouting were deafening, especially from the group of unsophisticated people in the front who were not presentable, their roars were too loud.

Unless the two of them put their ears close to the emperor and Yang Dianshai, they would not be able to hear what the emperor and his minister were saying.

Zhang Quwei listened for a long time with his ears perked up, but he could not make out a few words, so he had to give up.

"Mr. Zhengfu, I want you to rest for two years. What do you think?"

"Look, sir, that man is such a great swimmer!"

Yang Cunzhong pointed at the duck holding a big red flag in the water, and got rid of his opponents like a dragon. He also took the opportunity to pull out the small flags on the backs of two opponents.

Yang Cunzhong shouted excitedly, then quickly lowered his voice: "Your Majesty's painstaking efforts, I understand, everything is up to your judgment!"

Zhao Gou stroked his beard and nodded with satisfaction: "If you take a rest, who can be of use?"

Yang Cunzhong said: "The three yamen commanders, cavalry commander, infantry commander and palace commander, should each perform their duties. Zhao Mi, Cheng Min and Li Bong can all be put to good use."

Zhao Gou looked at the scenery on the river and said slowly: "If the action is not big, it may be difficult to confuse his mind..."

Yang Cunzhong stood up and filled Zhao Gou's glass with wine. He took the opportunity to whisper, "Sir, if we make too big a move, the imperial guards may become unstable!"

"If it is not enough to paralyze the people and make them arrogant just by taking off the armor of this old minister, can we use a method to cause discord between the generals and the commanders?"

Zhao Gou's eyes flickered and he nodded slightly: "Well, this is not bad either. I understand."

He paused and asked, "Where are the two sons of Zhengfu serving now?"

Yang Cunzhong was immediately delighted and said quickly, "My eldest son Yang Xie is now in charge of the Secret Council. My second son Yang Tan is now the chief clerk of the Guanglu Temple."

After hearing this, Zhao Gou became even more satisfied with Yang Cun Zhong.

Yang Cunzhong was a high-ranking official in the government, in charge of three departments. If he wanted to use his power to secure a good future for his two sons, it would not be difficult.

But he was not as shameless as Qin Hui. He put his adopted son in the Privy Council as the head, and also tried to make his grandson the top scholar of the dynasty.

Yang Cunzhong has two sons. The eldest son is now the director of Zhimige, which is the palace library.

The second son was the chief clerk of the Guanglu Temple, in charge of matters related to wine, liquor and food.

That is to say, they brew wine for the royal family, grow vegetables, raise poultry, and supply green and pollution-free meat, eggs and poultry to the palace.

If Yang Cunzhong had intended to do this, his two sons would definitely not have ended up like this.

Zhao Gou nodded and said: "Your eldest son can go to the Ministry of War and serve as a deputy minister of the Ministry of War. Your second son can go to the Ministry of Revenue and serve as a deputy minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

The Ministry of Revenue of the Song Dynasty was divided into the Left Cao and the Right Cao, which were in charge of different duties.

The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was in charge of the Right Division to check and balance the Minister of Revenue, while the Left Division was directly under the Minister of Revenue.

News has come out from the court that the current Minister of Revenue will retire soon.

Qin Hui's confidant, Cao Yong, the current Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and Prefect of Lin'an, will be promoted to Grand Minister of Agriculture, and from then on he will be in charge of the Ministry of Revenue and become the financial steward of the Song Dynasty.

Now the government has transferred Yang Cunzhong's son to the Ministry of Revenue to be a deputy minister of the Zuo Cao...

This is the same as when Qin Hui just got his son into the Privy Council, the government immediately sent Zheng Yuandong to take charge of the Mechanical and Electrical Bureau.

The main purpose is to contain.

This position is not as high as yours, but it is a very important position.

Many government documents cannot go up or down unless they go through him.

Even if Qin Hui understood the emperor's motives, there was nothing he could do.

Any emperor, unless he is foolish and incompetent, would do the same.

Checks and balances are a normal thing.

Although he understood that the government's move was both to appease him and to restrain Qin Hui.

But Yang Cunzhong was still very happy. No matter how many meritorious deeds he had made, he could no longer be promoted.

Now that he is old, he wishes the government would give favors and opportunities to his two sons.

Yang Cunzhong suppressed his excitement, thanked him, and sat back.

At this time, the captain's flag was taken away, and the entire team that had lost the competition had already swam out of the river. There were only three teams left on the river, and the competition became increasingly fierce.

Under the colorful tents on both wings, many officials were writing with great pleasure!
(End of this chapter)