Fang Xuanling smiled calmly and said: "It's not necessarily true that we will never see each other again. I will go back to Chang'an to arrange some things. The river will thaw in spring after the new year, so I will take a boat back south to Huating Town. I may settle there in the future."

Jiangnan has a good climate and sufficient water vapor, which is suitable for maintaining health.”

He knew that although his son seemed to have no desires, he actually had great ambitions and could not stay away from the center. During his stay in Jiangnan, he increasingly saw the importance of Huating Town to his son, so he went south to Huating Town to support his son.

Protect this foundation.

"As for the undercurrents surging in the capital...why should we worry about it? We are old and cannot be greedy for power and position until death. Children and grandchildren will have their own blessings, and we can just let them do whatever they want. Besides, it may not be

He can’t do as well as us.”

As the prime minister who was once responsible for the political power of the entire empire, Fang Xuanling clearly felt the rapid changes today.

The navy's rampage across the oceans was not only unprecedented, but also the food and wealth that it waited for overseas were continuously transported back to the Tang Dynasty, which had a huge impact on the entire political structure of the empire. Throughout the dynasties, it was the top priority of national policies.

It is all food, and the problem of food shortage has never been truly solved in any era. However, with the introduction of overseas improved varieties into the empire and their continuous optimization and improvement, coupled with the large-scale popularization and application of iron tools and the improvement of farming technology, the Tang Dynasty is bound to usher in a food output

Period of great explosion.

If everyone could have enough to eat... what kind of era would that be?

Not to mention that they have begun to make plans for a new policy that is about to be implemented and is destined to shock the ages...

Some of them are brand new and unknown. The thinking of these old guys has long been solidified, and they may not be able to adapt to the new era, nor may they be able to do better than the younger generations.

Xiao Yu was a little stunned when he held it up, and it took him a long time to react. He gave Fang Xuanling a toast with a wry smile, and said with emotion: "It is said all over the world that 'Fang Mou Du Duan' is the rule. Although I am not dissatisfied, I never think that I am worse than you. Now

Only then did I realize that I am not as good as you in terms of realm. I boast that I have encountered ups and downs in my life, and that I have turned disasters into good fortunes. My tenacity of mind and outstanding abilities are rare in this world, but I have never thought of giving up.

, spend your whole life working as a coward, forming cliques, but in the end you end up in a sad retirement... Children and grandchildren will have their own children and grandchildren, it's a good saying, come and win."

When he was young, he was the prince of the Emperor of Nanliang. However, he suffered the misfortune of ruining his country and his family, and his whole family was forced to move to Daxing City. Although he was not a prisoner of his subordinates, he was imprisoned and free, and he could only hope to survive.

Queen Xiao lives.

Therefore, he has been tirelessly seeking power all his life, because only power can free him from the misery of having his life and death in the hands of others, otherwise he would not have reached the point where he is today.

But I have never thought that manpower will sometimes be poor, and that times have changed and destiny cannot be violated, nor have I ever thought of letting go of it all and getting out of the whirlpool of power...

Why seek central power?

With the background and reputation of the Lanling Xiao family, no matter how the situation changes, they are still the leaders of the Jiangnan gentry. Even if the emperor keeps his word and talks about the constitution, it is possible that he still dares to risk the turmoil and overthrow of the entire Jiangnan to target Lanling.

Mr. Xiao?

What's more, why do you always want to fight against the center?

The Xiao family of Lanling is now a subject of the Tang Dynasty. It is enough for them to cooperate with the imperial policies, support the unification of the empire, and maintain the stability of Jiangnan.

As for who will be the emperor... The Tang Dynasty has won the hearts of the people and is deeply rooted. It is impossible for anyone who wants to usurp the throne. The position of the emperor is just transferred within the clan. Who goes up and who goes down has nothing to do with the Lanling Xiao family.

?

Maybe there will be a new emperor, the New Deal will not be carried out, and the position of the Lanling Xiao family will become more stable...

"After listening to your words, I really had a sudden enlightenment! Before, I was in trouble and couldn't sleep, but now it's like an enlightenment."

Xiao Yu was in a relaxed mood and toasted repeatedly, and Fang Xuanling also accepted everyone who came. The winter rain outside the cabin was continuous, and the blue waves were like washing. The wine was full of wine, and they talked freely. For a while, the atmosphere was pleasant and they were quite compatible.

After drinking for three rounds, Xiao Yu pointed at Fang Yize and said, "Have you ever been married?"

Fang Xuanling looked at the blushing third son and said with a smile: "Our two families are already related by marriage. It is good to establish a relationship between Qin and Jin, so why bother?"

Xiao Yu put down his wine glass and sighed: "I pride myself on being shrewd and the best at recognizing people. When Emperor Gaozu raised troops from Jinyang, I went to join him at all costs, thinking that he could achieve great things. I spent half my life in officialdom, regardless of his simple subordinates.

Most of them were respectful to me and obeyed my orders. The only one who struck a chord with the second man of your family was that he married me, the direct daughter of the Xiao family, as his concubine.

The Xiao family showed no mercy when operating the knife, they didn't even blink, what a loss!"

If we say that since marrying Fang Jun, has the Lanling Xiao family taken advantage? The answer is naturally yes, but in everything, "Don't worry about the lack of numbers, but the unevenness." The navy's rampage on the sea has overwhelm everyone, leading to the sea trade of the Tang Dynasty.

It was extremely prosperous. Linens, carpets, and utensils produced in various parts of the Tang Dynasty could be exchanged for much-needed horse hides, grain, and iron materials by simply loading them on ships and shipping them to countries in the East and Southeast.

, not to mention luxuries such as silk and porcelain, which can almost earn the same weight as silver and brass.

The wealth of the entire East and Southeast Asia flowed into the Tang Dynasty along with the sea water of various routes, and the businesses with sea trade licenses made so much money.

However, the Jiangnan gentry headed by the Lanling Xiao family did not make a big profit from it, because they were always constrained by various constraints and did not want to be led by the navy by the nose and throat. On the contrary, it was the second and third tier

Because they were unable to resist, the small family members were obedient and obedient. They were taken care of in the sea trade, and their wealth quickly gathered while their strength expanded rapidly.

The situation in which the Xiao, Chen, Lu, Zhang and other major families controlled Jiangnan changed rapidly. Many families began to rise, and with the support of the navy, they were very emboldened, which seriously affected the leadership status of the Xiao family in Lanling.

How could Xiao Yu not feel deeply resentful?

Fang Xuanling chuckled and said: "Shi Wenqian's idea is wrong. You only see that marrying Shu'er to Erlang as a concubine did not benefit the Lanling Xiao family far better than other families, but why don't you think about what would happen if Shu'er was not there?"

If your son enters the Fang family, will your Lanling Xiao family become the target of Erlang's first round of suppression and suffer heavy losses?"

"Well……"

Xiao Yu was stunned for a moment, don't tell me, it sounds like it's really not bad?

After all, Fang Jun wants to use the navy to control the entire Jiangnan trade, and the most convenient way is to "capture the thief first, capture the king." If the Lanling Xiao family can be severely suppressed, the rest will bow their heads.

Get what you want?

At this point, the topic of Xiao Yu's desire to have a marriage house naturally branched off.

The two great men who once dominated the court and ruled the world during the Zhenguan Dynasty reminisced about the past, recalling the hardships and thinking about the sweetness. Sometimes they sang songs, sometimes they composed poems with great enthusiasm. After drinking a glass of wine, the bitterness of a lifetime of glory turned into two lines of tears.

Everyone cried...

*****

Dali Temple was the highest judicial institution of the Tang Dynasty. Together with the Ministry of Punishment and the Yushitai, it formed the judicial system of the empire. It was commonly known as the "Three Law Divisions" among the people.

As one of the "Nine Temples", the Yamen Office of Dali Temple is not located in the imperial city like other Yamen, but is located in Yining Square inside Kaiyuan Gate. The alley in front of the door is full of cars and horses all year round, and there are endless pedestrians.

Under the majesty of this highest judicial institution, it is very quiet and trembling.

Dai Zhou, the minister of Dali Temple, was sitting in his duty room. He took a sip of tea and looked up through the window at the seven-story tower of Daqin Temple not far away, which was built by Emperor Taizong. He felt that his sight was blocked and his heart was depressed.

He snorted angrily.

Since the prosperity of the empire, a large number of people from Western countries have poured into Chang'an, bringing with them various sects, Nestorianism is one of them. These believers continued to deceive the people of the Tang Dynasty with their evil words, and many officials were even obsessed with them and fell into them, so they admonished them.

Emperor Taizong asked Emperor Taizong to build a temple for him. Emperor Taizong had a universal mind and readily agreed.

But in Dai Zhou's view, people who are not from my race must have different minds. Most of their believers are desperadoes who have done evil in their own country. Those who promote various doctrines under the guise of sects and turn themselves into serious people are actually just want to

The ultimate goal of spreading branches and leaves within the territory of the Eastern Empire is various interests.

Not banning it is already considered magnanimous, so why endorse it with the background of the imperial court?

"Dang, dang, dang," a soft knock on the door sounded, and Dai Zhou looked away: "Come in."

The door of the room was pushed open, and Dong Xiong, the young minister of Dali Temple, walked in quickly and presented a thick stack of documents to Dai Zhou with a serious look on his face: "Prince of the temple, there is a big case!"

Dai Zhou didn't dare to neglect, so he quickly put down the tea cup, picked up the documents, and read them carefully one by one.

However, someone anonymously reported that Renhong, the governor of Guangzhou, was greedy and derelict in his duties. He looted land and made hundreds of thousands of dollars. He lived a luxurious and lavish life. He even organized a gathering of young people under his rule to have several conflicts with Feng An, the general manager of Gaozhou, which led to

Social unrest and instability...

Dai Zhou frowned, thoughtfully: "Dang Renhong should have returned to Beijing to report on his work, right?"

Although the Tang Dynasty did not have a term of several years for officials from other provinces and frontiers, the Zhongshu Province would evaluate the officials' positions and order them to return to the capital from time to time to report on their duties. They would either be promoted if their political achievements were outstanding, or demoted if their jurisdiction was in chaos.

Dang Renhong, on the other hand, has not returned to Beijing to report on his work for more than ten years. Young officials have rarely even heard of his reputation and do not know his identity, but veterans of the two dynasties like Dai Zhou know it very well.

Dong Xiong nodded and said: "Zhongshu Sheng asked Dang Renhong to return to Beijing to report on his work. He followed the ancient Shangyu road. He just arrived in Lantian territory, and these corruption evidences have been sent to him."

There was definitely something wrong with Dai Zhou. News of Dang Renhong's misdeeds under his rule had long been spread. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, he was repeatedly impeached by the imperial censor. However, Emperor Taizong recognized his achievements and refused to accept the case.

Since Zhongshu Sheng ordered him to return to Beijing to report on his duties, he was obviously dissatisfied with his political performance, and there was a high probability that he would never take over the post of governor of Guangzhou. According to the rules of the officialdom, since the official had left the jurisdiction, most of the past matters would not be investigated.
Chapter completed!