Chapter 146: An Zisheng, the Fool
Towards the gate of Shangyang City.
A team was coming. Because of the snow, although these people had horses, they dismounted and led the horses.
When the magistrate of Shangyangcheng County approached with many officials from the yamen, the two burly men in the front immediately stepped forward to stop the crowd.
"Your humble servant, the magistrate of Shangyang County, respectfully welcomes the Prime Minister."
As the Shangyang County Magistrate said this, the two guards stepped aside, revealing a man who was surrounded by many stars.
When Constable Yang, who was following behind, heard what his own county magistrate said, he was completely stunned.
First...Prime Minister?
If I remember correctly, the Prime Minister is the highest-ranking official in the world, except for the emperor.
Did I hear it wrongly?
The Prime Minister is coming to their Shangyang County?
In all the years he had been serving as a constable, the highest-ranking official Shangyang County had welcomed seemed to be a fourth-rank official, and the title of Prime Minister was something he could not even dream of.
Lin Ye's gaze followed the crowd that made way and saw the "Prime Minister". When he saw that person again, he was stunned for a moment, and the next moment he turned around and returned the same way.
"Uncle Xu, I'm closed to visitors today. I'm just saying I'm feeling unwell due to a cold."
"good."
Although Uncle Xu was somewhat puzzled as to why his master suddenly closed the door and refused visitors after going out for a while, since his master had said so, he would carry out the instructions to the letter.
…
…
A quarter of an hour later!
A group of people were standing outside the Lin Mansion.
Constable Yang, who was in charge of leading the way, was startled when he saw the young Prime Minister stop in front of the Lin Mansion. Could it be that the Prime Minister knew Young Master Lin?
Just now, the county magistrate invited the Prime Minister to the yamen, but was rejected by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister said frankly that he came to Shangyang City to visit a friend.
"Lin Mansion, this is that..."
The county magistrate looked at the plaque on the door of the Lin Mansion, and the lawyer beside him reminded him, "Sir, this is the residence of Mr. Lin, the most handsome man in Shangyang City."
"It's him."
The county magistrate suddenly realized that he had been in office in Shangyang County for less than a year, but he had also heard of the fame of Mr. Lin from Shangyang County.
When he took office, he hosted a banquet for local gentry, but Master Lin did not show up, which made him a little dissatisfied. But now he is extremely glad that he was just a little dissatisfied and did not make things difficult for Master Lin. Otherwise, he would be able to easily control him just by relying on his status as a friend of the Prime Minister.
No wonder they didn't come to participate. As a county magistrate, I'm afraid they don't take me seriously.
"Captain Yang, knock on the door."
The county magistrate gave Captain Yang a look, and Captain Yang went forward and knocked on the door, but there was no response for a long time.
"Mr. Lin, Mr. Lin..."
"Uncle Xu..."
After knocking several times, the small door on the side finally opened and Xu Bo's figure appeared.
Looking at Captain Yang and his group of men standing outside the door, Xu Bo was stunned. He had never seen the county magistrate, but he had dealt with Captain Yang before. Captain Yang had a good relationship with his own son.
"Captain Yang, are you looking for my young master? He has caught a cold and won't be seeing visitors these days."
"Caught a cold?"
Captain Yang was puzzled. He saw Master Lin with a rosy complexion just a moment ago, so how come he caught a cold the next moment?
Could it be that it was caused by the cold wind just now?
"Well, I'm very sorry. I will tell my son about Captain Yang's visit. When he recovers, I will ask him to apologize to Captain Yang."
The county magistrate beside him became anxious after hearing this. The Prime Minister was here, and he had to wait for the patient to recover. He immediately shouted, "Hurry up and inform your son, just say..."
"Uncle Xu, why don't you recognize me?"
The Prime Minister interrupted the county magistrate and looked at Xu Bo with a smile. Xu Bo stared at him for a while and asked uncertainly , "You are..."
"An Zisheng." the man reminded.
"Oh, yes, yes, you are the Mr. An who was... "
The words stopped abruptly. Xu Bo thought that there were so many people in front of him. If he brought up what happened to Master An in the past in front of so many people, wouldn't it be embarrassing for others?
"Uncle Xu has a good memory."
An Zisheng also looked a little embarrassed. He recalled what happened in the past. He went to ask Master Lin for money, but was stopped by Uncle Xu. Later, he was tied up by Master Lin at home.
"You are not rebelling with the rebels. Oh, yes, you are a soldier now. Mr. An, are you an official now?" Although Xu Bo had never seen the county magistrate, he was still able to recognize him because he was wearing an official uniform.
"I also want to thank your young master for his enlightenment. I was lucky enough to get a position in government."
An Zisheng was very humble. The county magistrate, who was about to say that Xu Bo was insolent, did not dare to speak again after hearing this.
From what the Prime Minister said, it seems that he has a special relationship with Mr. Lin, so I'd better not interrupt him.
"Uncle Xu, is it okay for me to go meet your young master?"
Xu Bo looked a little embarrassed. He knew that his son had not really caught a cold, but his son had just explained something, so he could only say, "Master An, I'm so sorry. My son has caught a cold and is not able to see guests recently."
"Butler, go and inform him that this person is the Prime Minister."
The county magistrate at the side couldn't help himself in the end. The Prime Minister came to his house. No matter if he had a cold, as long as he was still alive, he couldn't refuse him.
"Prime Minister?"
Xu Bo was stunned. An Zisheng said modestly, "It doesn't matter what position it is. Xu Bo just needs to report to Master Lin."
Although he didn't mean to show off, An Zisheng thought that since the county magistrate had reported his official position, Xu Bo should not stop him. However, what he didn't expect was that Xu Bo shook his head after being stunned for a while.
"My son is seriously ill and cannot see guests."
This time, it was An Zisheng's turn to be stunned. Captain Yang on the side even gave Uncle Xu a thumbs up in his heart. He rejected the Prime Minister and thought that Old Xu was definitely the most powerful butler he had ever seen.
"How dare you speak to the Prime Minister like that. If you don't notify your son, I will have someone..."
"Shut up."
An Zisheng directly scolded the county magistrate, and then said to Xu Bo: "Since Master Lin is ill, I will stay in Shangyang City for a few days and write a letter to the capital to ask the imperial physician to come and see Master Lin."
Xu Bo did not respond because he did not know how to respond. He decided to report the situation to the young master and wait for him to deal with it.
"Since Master Lin is temporarily unavailable, I will go visit an old friend."
An Zisheng glanced at Qingfeng Temple on the side. If the Taoist priest of Qingfeng Temple had not provided food, the uprising would have failed in Shangyang County.
Although the uprising eventually failed, at least the spark of hope was preserved.
…
A quarter of an hour later, An Zisheng walked out of Qingfeng Temple, feeling both amused and helpless. At Qingfeng Temple, he was also turned away.
According to the enlightened Taoist priest in Qingfeng Temple, the old Taoist priest has gone into seclusion, and all matters of Qingfeng Temple are handled by Master Lin. Master Lin is sick now, which means that Qingfeng Temple is also closed to visitors.
"Let's go to the government office first."
An Zisheng felt a little helpless. Was it such a coincidence that he came here?
The county magistrate didn't dare to say anything. Didn't he see that even the Prime Minister didn't force anyone to see him? There might be a lot of water involved. He just had to be responsible for entertaining the Prime Minister.
When Constable Yang left, he took a deep look at the gate of the Lin Mansion. Master Lin was truly a man of hidden talents.
The most important thing is that Master Lin knows a noble man like the Prime Minister, and he is so kind and polite to them, the detectives, unlike those officials who call them at will and send them away at will.
Government office.
An Zisheng declined the welcoming banquet hosted by the county magistrate and invited the city gentry to attend. After a simple dinner, he went to rest in the courtyard arranged by the county magistrate.
late at night!
As An Zisheng entered the room, a flash of light appeared, and then a long sword appeared on his neck.
"Mr. Lin, you still haven't changed your habit of stabbing people in the back."
Facing the long sword on his neck, An Zisheng was not shocked at all, as if all this was within his expectations. The next moment, the long sword disappeared, and Lin Ye sat on the seat in front of him.
"You've learned to be smart."
"Mr. Lin just happened to close the door to visitors. Isn't it because he doesn't want to see an uninvited guest like me?"
An Zisheng calmly picked up the teapot that the servant had put in and poured a cup of tea for Lin Ye: "I thought that Master Lin would be very happy to see me, just like the ancients met each other. I just don't know what misunderstanding has caused Master Lin to be unwilling to see me."
Lin Ye looked at An Zisheng. After a few years, this kid had become much smarter and had guessed that he would come at night.
"Since you have already guessed it, then you know why I am here, so start making excuses."
An Zisheng's mouth twitched. This Master Lin still liked to use this trick, but he was used to it. He explained seriously, "Master Lin's misunderstanding is because of General Qiao."
"At the beginning, I followed General Qiao to the north, but was accidentally surrounded by the soldiers of the former dynasty. I wanted to die with General Qiao, but General Qiao scolded me and the others to leave. General Qiao said that we had only joined the uprising army for a short time and were unarmed scholars, so the government troops would not pursue us to the end. I did not agree at the time, but General Qiao asked his personal guards to take us away by force."
Lin Ye just stared at An Zisheng, obviously trying to judge the truthfulness of An Zisheng's words.
"Master Lin, what I said is the truth. There were five of us at the time. After we left, we hid under different names and secretly accumulated strength. It was not until later that we started another uprising and overthrew Qian Chao. Even the current emperor is one of us five."
"The emperor has issued an order to confer the title of First-Class Duke on the Qiao family, which will be hereditary for generations."
Lin Ye sneered. What’s the point of giving a title to a dead person?
But this cannot be blamed on An Zisheng and the others. Based on his understanding of the eldest senior brother, this is indeed what the eldest senior brother would do.
"So our Prime Minister An came back this time to show off?"
"How dare I? I came back to Shangyang County this time to visit Master Lin and Qingfeng Temple. The grace of Qingfeng Temple in the past has been engraved in my heart by His Majesty. This time, His Majesty has specially issued an edict to confer the title of the National Guardian Taoist Temple on Qingfeng Temple and the title of the First-Rank Great Heavenly Master on the Taoist Priest."
"No need." Lin Ye directly refused on behalf of the old Taoist.
He believed that even if the old Taoist was still here, it would be the same. Based on the old Taoist's personality, it would be impossible for him to become a first-class great Taoist priest.
An Zisheng was somewhat puzzled: "Master Lin, this will make Qingfeng Temple a national temple. In the future, the temple will be very popular. All officials will go to Qingfeng Temple to burn incense. Military generals will dismount from their horses, civil officials will get off their sedan chairs, and the people around will also..."
“Qingfeng Temple is a Taoist temple for spiritual practice.”
Lin Ye's words made An Zisheng stop talking. Practice...
This world has its own rules. Practitioners do not participate in the changes of secular dynasties, and similarly, dynasties will not get too close to cultivation sects.
"I understand." An Zisheng was a little disappointed, but then he said, "Mr. Lin, I came here this time to tell you that I want to recommend you to the emperor. With your talent and intelligence, you are more suitable than me to be the prime minister."
"Stop!"
Lin Ye quickly waved his hands. Was he going to be the Prime Minister who would work himself to death?
He didn't know much about the other world, but as for the prime ministers in the real world's history, no matter whether they did a good job or a bad job, none of them had a good ending, and he was exhausted.
Wouldn't it be nice for him to be a carefree little landlord?
"Mr. Lin, I am sincere. I didn't quite understand what you said to me at the time. But since I became the Prime Minister, I have increasingly understood the deep meaning of your words."
Looking at An Zisheng's sincere eyes, Lin Ye sighed. This kid...it is possible that he wants to ask me for help, but his real purpose is probably to ask me for advice.
"I was just speaking casually. To use the words of you scholars, it is just empty talk. Empty talk will only lead to the country's downfall. If you want to ask me for advice, I'm afraid you've asked the wrong person."
Lin Ye narrowed his eyes and looked at An Zisheng. An Zisheng knew that his thoughts had been guessed, but he was not embarrassed. In his heart, Master Lin was an extremely smart person.
"Mr. Lin, to be honest, I have kept your words in mind. Since I became the Prime Minister, I have issued several decrees to allow the government to govern towns and villages. In each town, a Civil Affairs Department was set up. Citizens can directly go to the Civil Affairs Department to sue the local bullies who exploit the people. At the same time, the evaluation of officials has also been changed. The evaluation will select the evaluation of the official from ten ordinary households in the jurisdiction."
Lin Ye looked at An Zisheng. This boy was really bold. All the officials in the world must be in chaos.
"These decrees have been issued since the establishment of the new dynasty. They were fine in the first one or two years, but starting this year, the voices of opposition from officials have become louder and louder. Some people are illiterate and cannot understand the policies of officials. Moreover, the gentry are not allowed to manage villages and towns, so a group of unruly people have emerged in many places."
An Zisheng looked somewhat distressed. He was full of confidence in issuing these decrees, but he did not expect that the actual results would be so different.
"Mr. Lin, may I ask what the problem is?"
"The problem is that the means of production are still in the hands of the gentry."
"Means of production?" An Zisheng was puzzled. He understood the meaning of this word when it was separated, but not when it was put together.
"Let me ask you, how many people in the village can read?"
An Zisheng thought for a moment and replied, "Not many. Those who can read are... I understand. Those who can read and file a complaint are actually only the gentry and landlords in the village. These so-called unruly people were created by them."
“That’s about the situation.” Lin Ye had been in the other world for so long that he had some understanding of it. Ordinary people could only understand some basic words, which were mostly numbers related to buying and selling transactions.
"So how should I change it?"
"No matter how you change it, it will be useless unless you can make all the people in the world literate. Otherwise, in a few years, a new interest group will still emerge, and then they will start to devour the land of the poor people. After years and months, the people will have no way to survive and will start to rebel again."
Even though An Zisheng was the Prime Minister, Lin Ye said it very bluntly: the change of feudal dynasties could not be stopped by one or two people.
"Is there no way?"
"There is a way that may be able to delay the change of dynasty."
"What method? Please teach me, Mr. Lin?" An Zisheng asked humbly.
“Develop commerce and improve the status of merchants.”
This was the only solution Lin Ye could think of. Only by developing commerce and allowing the economy of various places to flow could the limitation of using land as a means of production be broken.
"Improve the status of merchants?" An Zisheng's expression changed. "But merchants value profit. If the status of merchants is improved, then people in the world will all care about profit, and the moral atmosphere will be corrupted."
Talking about profit is the behavior of a mean person.
A gentleman does not talk about profit.
No matter how avant-garde An Zisheng's thoughts were, he still retained the characteristics of a scholar.
"The status of merchants I'm talking about is just to improve their convenience in doing business. In addition, the government can give This kind of reward can be in terms of status or reputation."
Seeing An Zisheng's expression of confusion, Lin Ye sighed in his heart. From a modern perspective, he naturally thought that this was a very normal thing, but for a person from another world like An Zisheng, what he said was subversive .
But this is the best way to crack the problem that land is a means of production.
Businessmen pursue profits, so they will develop, thereby stimulating productivity...
Of course, if Lin Ye is willing to bring some modern technology to the other world, the development of the other world will also advance by leaps and bounds, but Lin Ye does not intend to do so.
This is a world full of monsters and demons, and he doesn't want to attract too much attention. Under appropriate circumstances, he can set up a business.
Half an hour later, An Zisheng's face was full of energy. He had not expected that developing business would have so many benefits.
"Mr. Lin, if you are willing to come out of retirement, I will advise the emperor to let you serve as the prime minister." This time, An Zisheng really wanted to give up his throne to Lin Ye.
He did not care about the position of Prime Minister. What he cared about was how to govern the country well and let the people live and work in peace and contentment.
"Not interested, forget about this idea."
Lin Ye shook his head and then said, "In order to prevent the people of the world from talking about profit, you can organize the scholars and storytellers in the literati circle to make up some stories about Confucian merchants and spread them among the people."
Confucian businessman.
This is the method Lin Ye thought of for An Zisheng to control those businessmen, and this is also the case in all the real world examples.
If you are poor, you should take care of yourself; if you are rich, you should help the world.
This is a benchmark for Chinese people to behave in the world.
Nowadays, whenever a disaster occurs, there are people online who keep an eye on those entrepreneurs to see which entrepreneurs have donated money. If they donated too little, they will be cursed . Many netizens think that this is hatred of the rich, and whether to donate how much or not is the business of other companies themselves.
But in fact, this is what the Confucian business concept that people have accepted for thousands of years has brought about.
If you want to be a businessman in China, you must be a Confucian businessman. Otherwise, even if the government does not do anything, the people will criticize you first. In history, starting from Zigong, there have been generations of Confucian businessmen standing as the benchmark.
All businessmen can only align themselves with those people.
This is not so-called hatred of the rich.
What Lin Ye wants An Zisheng to do now is to establish a Confucian business environment in the other world as well. As long as the people know that to be a businessman, they must be a Confucian businessman, then there will not be a situation like in the West where people would rather throw away milk than finish it.
"Okay, thank you Mr. Lin for teaching and answering my questions. It is a blessing for the people of the world to have you around." An Zisheng looked very serious when he said this, and he sincerely believed so.
"It's not easy to do this. At least the resistance you will face will be great."
Lin Ye said meaningfully that the rise of businessmen was a challenge from new forces to old forces, and the vested interests would never sit idly by. If An Zisheng dared to do so, he would face numerous hostile forces, including his allies in the court who might turn against him.
"If General Qiao could do it, so can I." An Zisheng looked very determined. For some reason, Lin Ye thought of a sentence: I will go even if there are tens of thousands of people against me.
An Zisheng, like his senior brother, is a rational and pure person.
Persuasion is useless for such people.
"If you can't make it in the future, you can come to Qingfeng Temple and I'll leave you some food."
Lin Ye patted An Zisheng on the shoulder. An Zisheng was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "Mr. Lin, can you please stop discouraging me?"
"I'm not trying to hit you, I'm just stating the truth. Throughout history, none of those who changed the law had a good ending. You'd better dig a tunnel in your home to avoid being exterminated by others."
After saying this, Lin Ye didn't care about An Zisheng's reaction and walked towards the door with his sword. An Zisheng looked at Lin Ye's departing back and bowed slightly. He knew that Master Lin's words were not a mockery or pessimism towards him.
Master Lin is leaving him a way out.
If it really came to this, he would not have done this. General Qiao once said that it was Zuo Gong who awakened him.
In his mind, General Qiao is Zuo Gong.
And he is willing to be the next Zuo Gong.
"This fool!"
Lin Ye climbed over the wall and left the mansion, shaking his head and sighing.
…
The next day!
An Zisheng set off and left, which made the county magistrate and Captain Yang very confused. Didn’t they say to stay for a few more days and wait for the imperial physician to come and see Master Lin?
"Yes, the Prime Minister is a very busy person, so he doesn't have time to wait here. Mr. Lin also missed it."
The county magistrate sighed in his heart. No matter what the relationship between the Prime Minister and Mr. Lin was, the Prime Minister came back with a small entourage just to visit you, but was stopped by the housekeeper. If he were the Prime Minister, he would also feel unhappy.
The group was about to reach the city gate, and An Zisheng was about to get on the carriage when a voice came from behind.
"Master An, wait a minute."
Xu Bo ran over breathlessly. An Zisheng signaled the guards to make way and personally stepped forward to catch Xu Bo. This scene made the county magistrate's eyelids twitch. Well, he decided not to do anything.
"Master An, this is what my master asked me to give to you."
Xu Bo handed a package to An Zisheng. An Zisheng took the package and smiled. He looked towards the Lin Mansion in the city and said, "Thank you, Master, for me."
"good."
"Master Qi, there's no need to see me off."
An Zisheng got on the carriage and opened the package immediately. He looked at the brand new book inside. When he opened the first page, he could feel the ink that had not yet dried. He knew that this was the book that Master Lin had copied overnight.
…
…
At the Lin Mansion, Lin Ye was lying on a rattan chair, swinging his hands. In one night, he integrated Das Kapital, Zizhi Tongjian and even some red theories into one book, but it consumed a lot of his brain cells.
"I hope this fool can understand and live longer."
