Chapter 103 – A Pebble in the Eyes of the Ming Family

Suzhou city is a prosperous scene, the tender green color seen everywhere is not much different from the rest of the Kingdom of Qing. But the stores, the busy docks, the endless crowds, the government offices in the southern city, the rich salt merchants in the western city, the royal residence, the east city, the girls on the street, the road lightly folded Zhangtai Willow, the north city, those tough, cunning and cunning brothers on the road, all of which weave a scene of all the world’s different flavors, that is, the adventure, the excitement, the affluence, the desire. The flavor is adventure, excitement, affluence, and desire.

Here, learning acidic text to cover up a lot less, the pressure of a thousand years of dynasty to be a lot less, although the majesty of the official government is still no one dares to challenge, but because of the flow of population is too much, in and out of the port of the goods of the huge silver, the citizens have money in their pockets, do things to the bottom of the air is also a lot of foot. And not to mention those with the government is deeply involved in the merchants, alone those who eat the waterway meal on the road brothers, also began to learn from the Kyoto students wore a green tunic, no longer a fight to kill.

Suzhou wharf by the downstream side of a large area, are the Ming family’s property, at this time those long-shirted men are honestly listening to a young son of the training, these long-shirted men seem to be the generation of fine martial arts, but in front of the soft face of this son of the gentleman, but did not show a trace of arrogance, because that son of the gentleman is the Ming family’s old man’s son – Ming Lan Shi. -Ming Lan Shi, these people who were hanging out at the docks were basically feeding off the Ming family, and were considered to be half household servants.

When young master Ming left, these men tugged at their long shirts and wiped the sweat on their foreheads, whispering and wondering in their hearts why young master Ming would specially come today to remind himself and these people to be more honest in Suzhou city these days, could it be that with the power of the Ming family, they are still afraid of anyone coming to pull out their pigtails? The Governor General has the ability to do this, but these few years could it be that Elder Ming hasn’t fed the other side enough?

Long shirts to wipe sweat is convenient, these brothers on the road, after all, is not a genuine Kyoto students. However, there are some smart people among them, vaguely guessing that it should be related to the immediate arrival of the new spring opening of the inner treasury …… Haven t you heard? The Cui family, and the Ming family and the two great families of the Cui family, in the New Year, actually was the court a net fishing all! This matter is said to be handled by that young Lord Tisch of the Supervisory Yuan, who …… is the Lord Qinzhi who is now in Jiangnan!

No wonder young master Ming is so cautious, afraid of being caught by the officials on some pretext, it turns out that he is afraid of that young Lord Fan who is six parents and oil and salt.

“It’s not that I’m afraid of him.” Ming Lan Shi was sitting in the car at this time, no longer able to maintain his composure and calmness in front of outsiders and subordinates, and said with a sinking of that face, “Rather, Little Lord Fan is really different from any other official in the court.”

If Fan Xian were to see the person with whom he was conversing with Young Lord Ming at this moment, he would definitely be shocked. For the person sitting across from the carriage was actually the official from Jiangnan Road, the host of the martial arts tournament at the West Lake in Hangzhou!

At that time, when Fan Xian watched that official speak and act, he secretly admired him, only that he would never have guessed that this official’s relationship with the Ming family was so deep. The fact that Ming Lan Shi spoke in front of the other party without avoidance made it obvious that this official was a figure that the Ming family absolutely believed in. At that time, if Fan Xian had been more careful, he would have been able to find out the relationship between the other party and the Ming family, and would have been more alert to the so-called martial arts conference.

This official’s surname was Zou Lei, he was the imperial inspector of the south road of the metropolitan inspectorate, only to hear him say doubtfully, “Cousin, what is so different between the imperial inspector and other officials in the dynasty?”

Ming Lan Shi laughed coldly, “Lord Fan is so young, yet he holds so much power in his hands, can other officials compare? The Supervisory Yuan is not the same as your Du Cha Yuan, and now that he has the status of an imperial envoy, he is even more unhindered in doing his work, and the Governor General has to give him a few moments of face. You should have received the news, this little Lord Fan to the inner treasury, they cut off the head of five trouble treasurer, including two big workshop master! Now he has also removed all the officials placed by the Princess in the Transit Department! This kind of spicy tactics, that official in the court has the courage to make it out?”

Zou Lei sighed and shook his head, “Without an insider, it will be much harder for the clan to do tricks in the future.”

Ming Lan Shi looked at him, mockingly smiled and said contemptuously, “I think you are confused when you are an official, what time of the year is this? Still want to do tricks? I just pray that that Lord Chinaman doesn’t do our tampering is good.”

In the West Lake in the upstairs building, Ming Lan Shi in front of this court official is how respect, at this time is not the slightest face, but Zou Lei seems to be very accustomed to this tone. This scene alone, you can see how much power the Ming family is hidden in the court.

Zou Lei will be worried brow tangled up: “But the Chinaman adults this time down to the south of the river, obviously the sword refers to the family, the old master can have any arrangements?”

Ming Lan Shi shook his head with a bitter smile, “This is what I said earlier, this Lord Fan and other officials are different, the general tactics simply do not work …… If it is another high-ranking official went down to Jiangnan, our Ming family has a lot of methods to deal with, but it fell on this little Lord Fan, the usual customary method, actually A little role is not.”

Zou Lei said tentatively, “There is no official in this world who is not greedy for money.”

Ming Lan Shi’s eyes narrowed, seems to think of a certain thing that makes him very chilling, after a long time of silence, only to say quietly, “This is the most vulgar method, but also the most effective method in the past, my father is extremely accurate in reading things, and knows that it is necessary to use the open mountain gold axe …… we have also tried. ” He shook his head and sighed, “The result is that the other party does not accept it at all, and returned it directly, and did not say any harsh words, just like a block of ice.”

“How much was sent?” Zou Lei simply does not believe that there are officials in the world who are not greedy for silver, even if you are the emperor’s illegitimate son, but there must be silver ah.

Ming Lan Shi compared four fingers.

Zou Lei asked doubtfully, “Just forty thousand taels?”

Ming Lan Shi brow appeared brake, lowered his voice scolded: “Forty thousand taels? Don’t you see that young master has 130,000 taels of silver in his suitcase? This time, my father has mobilized all the chips, and even pressed down all the tribute money to the capital, and put together 400,000 taels!”

“Four hundred thousand taels!” Zou Lei’s heart trembled and his lips trembled. Such a big price, buy a small vassal state can buy down, can not still buy not move the heart of the Lord Qinzhi?

Ming Lan Shi gritted his teeth and said, “There are also 20% dry shares.”

Zou Lei couldn’t believe his ears, this 20% of dry shares is more terrible than 400,000 taels, how can the clan use such a large sum of interest to buy Fan Xian? The usual offerings to the Eldest Princess had not been so generous–this, could not even be called generous anymore, it was completely cutting the meat to keep the peace.

Ming Lan Shi slowly closed his eyes, curtains slightly moving, face somewhat distorted, must be extremely unhappy again in the heart. Zou Lei dare not say anything else, the carriage fell into a silence.

After a long time, now has gradually for his father in charge of the Ming family most of the industry Ming Lan Shi only opened his eyes, slowly said: “We have underestimated Lord Fan’s appetite, do not forget, his father, but the dynasty of the Ministry of households. Four hundred thousand dollars can definitely buy a prince, but not him, so as I said earlier, this method will not work.”

“What about the Rapunzel’s side?” Zou Lei said with a slight hatred, “Our Ming family has put in so much effort for her, she can’t just watch and not care, right?”

After thinking for a while, Ming Lan Shi said softly, “Against the officials, the bribe can not be, it is vilification, from the center and send the limbs, it will be necessary to work in Kyoto, in the courtroom, counting all kinds of officials, but it is a pity that …… this trick does not seem to be going to work either.”

“Why?” Zou Lei was astonished.

Ming Lan Shi said mockingly, “Who is Lord Fan? Behind him is Lord President Chen and Minister Fan, although Minister Lin has resigned for a long time, but his remaining power is still there, as long as His Majesty does not show inclination, which official would dare to write a letter to senate him according to our wishes? Your Du Caiyuan did do it twice, but unfortunately it was chilled by His Majesty’s court scepter.”

Zou Lei thought about it and then shook his head and said, “Today’s times are different, now Lord Fan is far away in Jiangnan, less than self-defense, and far away from the Supervisory Yuan, the reaction will not be as fast as in the past …… Even if he has an extraordinary relationship with His Majesty, but even if he is a legitimate prince, it is not possible to make a big deal in Jiangnan without being recalled to Kyoto …… If we make some trouble out of it, maybe His Majesty will recall Lord Fan.”

Ming Lan Shi said mockingly, “This is where you officials see the drawbacks of the problem, you always fix your eyes on official rank and status. It’s not bad, even if a proper prince comes down to Jiangnan, our Ming family has a way to make him go back in disgrace, Fan Xian is only the illegitimate son of His Majesty, it seems we shouldn’t be afraid, but the clan looks at the problem very differently from the officials …… In our eyes, Lord Fan has power, soldiers, money, and a great reputation, and on the other hand, he has been extremely ruthless, and even if Even if he has some stains, they are all wiped clean by the Imperial Court’s Supervisory Yuan, which is responsible for magnifying them, and people simply can’t catch him …… Such a naked pebble, who can swallow it? He is a lot harder to deal with than what His Imperial Highness.”

“If you really incite the people of Jiangnan to make trouble according to your meaning ……,” Ming Lan Shi sneered, “do you believe that Fan Xian dares to transfer the black riders into Suzhou and directly wipe out our Ming family!”

Zou Lei sucked in a breath of cool air and said hesitantly, “Can’t be? Could it be that he really doesn’t care at all about …… the face of the court? The Qing law is not written for fun.”

“That’s a madman.” Ming Lan Shi gritted his teeth and cursed in a low voice, “A seemingly gentle and elegant madman. Don’t mess with him if you can, unless you’re sure you can make him disappear from this world.”

Zou Lei was suddenly quiet, and after a long time, he suddenly said quietly, “Martial Arts Conference?”

This is the Ming family secretly on the Jiangnan martial arts control, just cloak a piece of the imperial court, so although the Ming family did not control too many jianghu masters, but the hands of the hands, after all, also lent Zou Lei control of a number of outlaws, at this time, found that the Ming family for the pebbles of a Qinzhi adults actually can not be under the mouth at all, the heart of the ruthless idea of the flash, they mentioned the matter.

Ming Lan Shi looked at Zou Lei as pitifully as if he were an idiot: ”Don’t you know that Lord Fan himself is a ninth grade powerhouse? Don’t you know that His Majesty has sent a group of the most elite tiger guards to him? Don’t you know that the six swordsmen of the Supervisory Yuan who specialize in assassination don’t leave his body at all nowadays? Don’t you know that Miss Haitang from Northern Qi once lived with him in Hangzhou for a period of time?”

Ming Lan Shi spoke louder and louder, feeling more and more that this usually seemingly shrewd clan official really looked like an idiot today, cursing, “Just that martial arts conference? Father invited Yun big family …… from Dongyi City just showed up at the West Lake, and then he didn’t know who stabbed him with a sword! Now those bullshit masters of Dongyi City are being chased by those strange people in the four fields like a lost dog …… That is Yun Zhilan! Dongyi City! The descendants of the Four Gu Swords don’t even have a chance to make a move in front of Fan Xian, do you think these martial artists in Jiangnan can kill each other?”

Zou Lei’s face was a shade of green and a shade of white, and it occurred to him that Fan Xian wasn’t just as simple as a powerhouse.

In today’s world, Fan Xian is definitely considered to be the richest group of people, and those who are richer than him in the world are definitely not as powerful as him, those who are more powerful than him are definitely not as skilled in martial arts, those who are more skilled in martial arts than him are definitely not as shameless as him, those who are more shameless than him are definitely not as hard as him to rely on, and those who are even harder than him to rely on, are definitely not yet born.

Send money, he does not care; want to cut his power in the capital, he is not worried; want to assassinate him, he is not afraid; want to stink him, he does not care, will only directly use the knife to cut your head to vent the anger of the heart.

This is a decades ago past, in decades after the creation of the deformed existence, he is an invisible prince, but has a prince simply can not have the Supervisory Yuan and the Ministry of households, even secretly affect the dynasty more than ten years of Her Highness the Princess, want to deal with him have no way down.

What can the Ming family do?

Zou Lei comforted Ming Lan Shi, “Lord Guo is also in Suzhou now, see what he means, the Eldest Princess will make an effort in Kyoto, what you said earlier is reasonable, but Fan Xian is so arrogant now, I’m afraid that the Crown Prince and the Second Prince will be a bit uncomfortable, even if he can’t be transferred back to Kyoto, the palace people will talk, and will always be able to suppress his anger.”

Ming Lan Shi nodded, knowing that today’s situation can only be barely maintained, but when he heard that …… Guo word, he still couldn’t stop the veins from appearing on his forehead, and said in a cold voice: “Let that superior of yours stay out of it! Back then, he beat Fan Xian in the Ministry of Justice Yamen, and as a result, he was driven to Jiangnan …… does he still want to take revenge? Don’t forget, it’s the Chin man who’s the most vindictive young man, I just pray that I don’t get dragged down by that Guo Zheng old white face!”