Chapter 467: Laying a solid foundation
August 1st.
The streets of the capital were deserted and the vegetable market was crowded with people.
The six hundred and twenty-nine people implicated in the 'Longgen case', regardless of age or gender, were all killed by thirty-seven ghost-head knives - until several days later, the long street seemed to still be filled with the sound of cries for injustice.
On the seventh day of August, the autumn rain continued.
Sun Shaozong came out of Xiangling's room early in the morning and left the house reluctantly. He didn't leave until the carriage stopped outside the government office. However, he was still thinking about his daughter who was just ten days old.
On July 27, Xiangling gave birth to a daughter. She seemed healthy, but on August 1, she suddenly developed a low-grade fever, which lasted for four days.
This tiny baby can't take any medicine, so the only way to cool down the body is through physical methods, but how can we see any effect?
Seeing his daughter's chubby little face become extremely thin in just a few days, Sun Shaozong was so distressed that he not only took care of her personally all day long, but he even did something unprecedented and invited Taoist Zhang from Qingxu Temple to his home to perform a ritual.
This was mainly Ruan Rong's idea. She suspected that the ghost of the innocent victim in the "Long Gen case" was haunting the child and disturbing him. Although Sun Shaozong did not believe in ghosts and gods, he did not care much when he was desperate and had to seek medical help.
Oddly enough, after the Taoist priest Zhang performed a mysterious ritual, the child's illness really got better. In the past two days, not only has the low-grade fever subsided, but the child's breastfeeding has also become much sweeter than before.
It was for this reason that Sun Shaozong had the leisure to accept the mission and prepare to go to Jinmen Prefecture to submit the list of people to be executed in autumn - now the early August was almost over, if the list was not sent in, it might not be able to make it in time for the imperial approval of the execution in autumn.
Of course, the fact that Sun Shaozong chose to go to Jinmen Prefecture on official business at this time was also closely related to the Crown Prince's increasingly enthusiastic attempts to win him over recently - ever since he accidentally saw the Crown Princess's underwear that day, the Crown Prince had sent people to ask about her well-being every now and then, and a few days ago he even sent a whole cart of tonics to the child.
The book does not elaborate.
But when Sun Shaozong arrived at the government office, he ordered his men to move the list of executed persons on to the carriage, and at the same time he went to Jia Yucun's courtyard to apply for the official document for this assignment.
With Han Anbang's complete downfall, Jia Yucun vaguely guessed that Sun Shaozong played a key role in the "Longgen Case". He became more and more enthusiastic about Sun Shaozong and no longer showed the intrigue of the past.
This time is no exception.
When Sun Shaozong arrived at his courtyard, he was already waiting at the door. Before Sun Shaozong stepped forward to pay his respects, he hurriedly came forward and asked with concern, "My dear brother, after the old immortal Zhang performed the ritual, has my niece's illness not recurred?"
The look in his eyes, the trembling beard, the subtle facial expressions, it seems that this old fox's acting skills have improved again!
Sun Shaozong secretly complained in his heart, but he also pretended to be touched, bowed and said: "Thank you for your concern, my daughter is fine now, otherwise I would never go to Tianjin at this time."
"That's good, that's good!"
Jia Yucun let out a long sigh, and invited Sun Shaozong into the hall arm in arm.
After the host and the guests were seated and the tea was served, Jia Yucun dismissed his attendants and said solemnly, "In fact, from your point of view, I should have gone to Jinmen Mansion a long time ago."
Hearing him mention official business, Sun Shaozong hurriedly stood up and said, "I was delayed in submitting the list of autumn executions due to family matters. It is true..."
“Hey!”
Jia Yucun shook his head and interrupted him, patting his chest lightly, saying disapprovingly: "Ask yourself, who in this world is selfless? I have no intention of blaming you, brother. I just want to give you some advice from the perspective of someone who has experienced it."
Sun Shaozong saw that he was serious in his words, and knew that he had been trying hard to please him recently so that he could take over the prefect's position securely, so he thought he would not do it without a purpose.
So he also put away his official tone, bowed solemnly and said: "I would like to ask for your guidance, brother."
"Please teach me... I can't really say that yet."
Then Jia Yucun answered the question irrelevantly: "Brother, you sailed north with me on the same ship, so you naturally know that I was an official in Jinling Prefecture. Do you know how many officials from my Jinling Prefecture have been transferred to the capital in the past year and a half?"
"this……"
Sun Shaozong was somewhat puzzled by the question. How could he know about the transfer of officials in Jinling Prefecture?
However, Jia Yucun did not want him to answer, so he paused for a moment before continuing, "In the past year and a half, a total of seven officials have been transferred from Jinling to the capital, two above the sixth rank, and five below the sixth rank, six civil officials and one military official."
As he spoke, he reached out and tapped his black hat gently, and said calmly: "Who promoted these seven people, when did they arrive in Beijing to take up their posts, what families did they bring with them, whether they had a hard life in the capital or had a happy family, their character, appearance, talents, hobbies..."
"I remember all of this clearly and I dare not forget it all the time."
"Similarly, if they encounter any difficulties in the capital, I will naturally be one of the people they think of for help. Although I may not be the first choice, I will definitely not be ranked last."
After hearing this, Sun Shaozong had roughly guessed what experience Jia Yucun wanted to impart to him. It can be summed up in two words: forming a clique!
It is obvious that Jia Yucun regards the officials from Jinling officialdom as his natural cronies - although not every one of them can do as he wishes and become the obedient party under his banner, but with his inherent advantages, it should not be difficult to win over most of them.
But what does what he said have to do with me?
He had never been a proper official, and although he had a firm control over the Criminal Law Department, it was sheer wishful thinking to think that he could mass-produce officials from it.
Just when Sun Shaozong was puzzled, Jia Yucun leaned forward slightly and said, "Among the officials transferred to the capital from various prefectures across the country, Nanjing has always been ranked second. Do you know who is the number one scholar?"
"Could it be Jinmen Prefecture?"
This is actually not that difficult to guess. No matter how well you do in a place far away from the emperor, what use is it if your deeds don't reach the ears of the emperor or important ministers?
The Jinmen Prefecture has the advantage of being close to the water and being the first to get the moon. Once it has a reputation for performance, it will naturally be easier for it to be promoted or transferred than those who move to other places.
but……
Sun Shaozong couldn't help but smile bitterly and said, "But what does the promotion of officials in Jinmen Prefecture have to do with me?"
“It shouldn’t have been related.”
Jia Yucun shook his head and laughed, "But the great disturbance you made at the beginning of the year left a great reputation in Jinmen Prefecture, which is not necessarily much worse than the foundation I laid during my two terms as prefect of Jinling."
"What's more, the prefect of Jinmen Prefecture was just transferred a month ago, and the new prefect is my close friend."
A friend of life and death?
Sun Shaozong couldn't help but blurt out, "Xiang Yi was promoted to the prefect of Tianjin?!"
Among the friends he met in Tianjin, only Xiang Yi could be called a friend for life and death. Although Jia Shanyao had been through life and death with him, they were only superiors and subordinates and could not be considered a friend for life and death.
A few months ago, Zhao Wutong, the co-magistrate of Jinmen Prefecture, was found to have exposed the mastermind behind the Zhou Ruqing case in front of the Korean envoys. He was dismissed from his post and brought back to the capital. So Xiang Yi was transferred to Jinmen Prefecture and replaced Zhao Wutong as the co-magistrate of Jinmen Prefecture.
At the beginning, Xiang Yi even wrote a long letter specifically for this purpose, complaining to Sun Shaozong, saying that he was the second master of Cangzhou Prefecture, but was transferred to the provincial capital to be the third grandson.
Who would have thought that in just a few months, he was promoted to the governor of Tianjin!
Tsk~
Speaking of the Zhou Ruqing case, it was obvious that I had made the greatest contribution, but until now I am the only one who is still standing still.
It seems that being young and promising may not necessarily be a good thing!
Sun Shaozong was feeling depressed when he heard Jia Yucun say with a smile, "Yes, it was Lord Xiang who took over the post of prefect of Jinmen Prefecture."
"Now the position of Governor-General of Zhili is temporarily held by the cabinet minister, and all government affairs of Zhili Province are temporarily handled by the Provincial Administration Office. And this Governor Su, you should be familiar with him, right?"
Of course I’m familiar with it!
That guy was indecisive at the beginning, watching Zhou Ruqing defect with the money, and only joined in at the last moment under Xiang Yi's urging. He really did nothing but achieve nothing.
It was just that Sun Shaozong was seriously injured at the time and could hardly take care of himself. They were afraid that if they pushed that guy too hard, everything would end in a desperate situation. So they had to cover up for him in the joint memorial and also gave him some credit.
Because of this, Lord Su not only owed Sun Shaozong a favor, but also had a handle on him.
Thinking about it this way, the two chief officials of the provincial government in Tianjin both have a special relationship with Sun Shaozong. In addition, he established a reputation by capturing the Governor Zhou Ruqing and beheading the Chief Justice in the street. This Tianjin government is really a place where he can run rampant.
Especially since the capital and Tianjin are neighbors, if something happens, it won’t be too far away to be affected…
Seeing Sun Shaozong's eyes flickering, as if he was about to make a move, Jia Yucun smiled and said, "Although forming a clique for personal gain is not advisable, if you don't have a few like-minded friends to help you, how can you stay firmly in the court?"
"My brother has already established a great reputation in Jinmen Prefecture, and he is also quite close to the governor and the prefect. The fact that he was chosen by the emperor to participate in the case of the crown prince shows that Jian has a promising future in the emperor's heart."
"We already have the power and momentum. When we go to Jinmen Prefecture, we only need to select the young talent to show our gratitude, and then we can establish a great banner in Jinmen Prefecture."
"From now on, you only need to pay attention to the officialdom of Jinmen Prefecture and use both kindness and force on the officials of Jinmen Prefecture. Why worry that the officials from Jinmen Prefecture will not follow your lead?"
"Also, if there is a suitable candidate around me, you might as well send him to Jinmen Prefecture to build a solid foundation..."
"If you can make sure that your name is known everywhere in Tianjin even though you are not in Tianjin , you will definitely have a place in the court in the future!"
Not to mention, after hearing this long-term plan, Sun Shaozong really felt his blood boiling.
He immediately bowed and said, "It is true that 'one word from you is worth ten years of study'. I have learned a lot today."
"Ha ha……"
Jia Yucun laughed and waved his hand, saying, "It's just some experience. If I hadn't been a local official before, I'm afraid I would have known it by heart. Why would I need to do this?"
As he spoke, he stood up again and returned the greeting solemnly, saying: "In the past, it was also because of my shortsightedness that I insisted on fighting for power and profit in Shuntian Prefecture. It was really ridiculous."
"Now that I think about it, if I stick together with my brother, what does a mere Shuntian Prefecture mean to me?!"
Hehe~
He was just listening to these words. If he didn't want to secure his position as prefect, how could he have tried so hard to show goodwill to Sun Shaozong?
However, the idea of building up power in Jinmen Prefecture is indeed somewhat feasible - if the Sun family wants to grow and become stronger in the court right now, what they lack is not connections with the upper class, but a foundation among the middle and lower classes.
Especially a few days ago, before Jia Zheng left, he revealed a piece of news with a hint of jealousy: the emperor is very likely to confer the title of Left Councillor of the Zhili Provincial Administration on Sun Shaozong in the near future.
Although the Left Councillor was only a fourth-rank official, he was a very important figure in the Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office. Not only could he inquire about and comment on any political affairs of Zhili Province, he also had the power to evaluate local officials.
Although Sun Shaozong's main assignment in the future would probably still be to be in charge of the criminal law of Shuntian Prefecture, with the position of Left Councillor, it would be legitimate for him to participate in the affairs of Tianjin Prefecture.
And if nothing unexpected happens, my cheap brother will be stationed in Jinmen Prefecture to train troops before the end of the year, and will have a lot to do with Jinmen Prefecture by then.
As long as it is done properly, with one person playing the good cop and the other playing the bad cop, it should not be a problem to win over people's hearts.
in addition……
Judging from what Jia Zheng said, it seemed that he still wanted to match him up with Xue Baochai.
If he could marry into the Xue family and take advantage of the reputation of Xue Pan's father-in-law, the Minister of Personnel Wang Zhe, he would be able to get things done with twice the result with half the effort - the title of King Zhongshun was very useful for intimidating people, but it seemed to lack some value for winning people over.
"Brother? Brother!"
Just as he was thinking about something else, he heard Jia Yucun's puzzled call. Sun Shaozong then remembered that he had not yet responded to his kindness. He stood up and bowed deeply: "Brother, what you just said is exactly what I wish for! Brother is now in his prime, and he is already on the verge of becoming a third-rank official. Although I am not talented, I can easily get a red robe within this year!"
"How can the future of you and me be restricted by the Shuntian Prefecture? Instead of fighting each other for petty gains, why don't we work together and compete with others in the court in the future?!"
When Jia Yucun heard this, he immediately looked very excited. He stood up and took a few steps forward, helped Sun Shaozong up, and held his wrist tightly, saying with tears in his eyes: "My dear brother!"
Sun Shaozong didn't have the ability to cry so easily, so he just held it back and said in a trembling voice: "Brother!"
Huh?
This scene seems familiar?
It seems like this has happened before...
Bang!
Sun Shaozong was complaining in his heart while trying to pretend to be excited, when the door was suddenly pushed open. A clerk rushed in in a panic, shouting excitedly: "Master Fu Cheng, Master Zhizhong, come out... come out come out..."
"Get out!"
Seeing that this great "lyrical atmosphere" was disrupted by him, Jia Yucun was so angry that he shouted angrily.
Unexpectedly, the clerk refused to obey orders. Instead, he swallowed hard and shouted, "Something bad has happened!"
Seeing that he seemed to have lost sight of his status and future, Jia Yucun and Sun Shaozong looked at each other and asked in unison: "What happened? Tell me quickly!"
"Yes...it's Judge Wei!"
Then the clerk said excitedly: "Yesterday, Judge Wei took advantage of his day off and went out of town with his friends for autumn hunting. He accidentally...accidentally..."
Hearing that he was stumbling again, Jia Yucun could not help but ask, "What kind of accident happened to Judge Wei?!"
The clerk shook his head like a rattle and stammered, "It's not...it's not that Judge Wei Tong had an accident. It's that he accidentally...accidentally shot the son of Earl Yong Yi...to death!"
What?!
Sun Shaozong and Jia Yucun were stunned.
