Behind me is the earth

Chapter 309 307. Become the King

The rain in early winter seemed to be particularly cold. Ren Pingsheng stood at the gate of the Chief Envoy and looked up. The rain fell from the lead clouds, falling one after another, falling hazy on the broad, straight and long Suzaku Street outside the door. Behind the rain curtain, we could vaguely see the majestic city wall.

A gust of wind blows on the person's face, like a knife, it hurts!

Amidst the sound of horses' hooves colliding with bluestones, the rainwater accumulated in shallow depressions was trampled by horses' hooves and burst out. A team of about a hundred people gradually approached from Zhuque Street.

"Xu~"

Pulling the reins, father-in-law Li Fugui, dressed in black and wearing a bright red cloak, stopped.

When he took a closer look, he saw Ren Pingsheng personally greeting him at the gate. After being startled for a moment, he quickly jumped off his horse, bowed to Ren Pingsheng and said, "Ren Pingsheng actually went out to greet you in person. I'm really ashamed of you." Home."

"We said goodbye last year, but my father-in-law is still as charming as ever."

Ren Pingsheng took a step forward and helped Li Fugui up: "Come on, let's go in and talk."

When Li Fugui entered at the middle gate, walked through the vast front office, and walked into the back house, he also saw the bluestone bricks opened on the ground, with dark green soil exposed underneath, which made him look stunned and couldn't help but squat down. The body, not bothered by the dirt on the ground, picked up the dark green mud soaked by the rain.

It was smooth in my hands. I brought it to my nose and smelled it. A grassy smell came to my nostrils. When I saw the withered trees that had not been dealt with, I couldn't help but sigh: "This time, Mr. Ren has eliminated a harm to the people and the court. What a great merit.

Wang Anguo has wasted the emperor's kindness, despised human life, and poisoned the place. He should be punished like this! "

After entering the room, Li Fugui washed his hands in the copper basin brought by the maid.

"Eunuch Li has been traveling all over the world, and the food and drinks are being prepared in the side hall."

Ren Pingsheng invited Li Fugui to take a seat.

After the hosts and guests sat down, Li Fugui and Ren Pingsheng handed over their hands and said: "Now Zhongzhou Province is in war, and a large area of ​​land has been controlled by Liu Ziqi of the Beiwan Group. This time our family came out, we still detoured to Xinpan. Province, take a boat from Hufang Pier to Dongyang County Pier before arriving in Wuzhou Province.

In less than two years, the changes in Dongyang County and Yuntai County are jaw-dropping!

The cement roads and trains are simply miracles on earth! I also purchased a few bicycles from Qingcheng City, and I would like to present them to His Majesty when I return to Nanyang Capital City.

Your Majesty likes these novel things the most..."

Along the way, Li Fugui was filled with emotions.

He knew, and His Majesty naturally understood, that Ren Pingsheng was not a loyal minister.

However, this person's ability is undeniable.

In this land, if the president takes a look at it, Li Fugui feels that the greatest threat to the Dajing Dynasty in the world is Wuzhou Province!

However, the Dajing court, which is now terminally ill, is not most afraid of Wuzhou Province or Ren Pingsheng.

But the thieves and bandits who have corrupted several provinces in the Central Plains in the north, and have sandwiched Jingzhou Province in the middle!

Nowadays, everything is just a matter of making friends from far away and attacking closely, drinking poison to quench thirst, preserving vitality, and looking for a way out.

Ren Pingsheng smiled and said: "My father-in-law, why bother spending money? When I pass by Qingcheng Town when I go back, I will give you a few cars."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Ren."

Li Fugui cupped his hands and smiled and said: "After Wang Anguo's matter was reported to the court, His Majesty was furious, but he admired Mr. Ren very much. This time, he defied all opinions and named Mr. Ren the 'King of Wu'. From now on, our family will call him Mr. Ren is now 'His Royal Highness'.

Your Majesty's appreciation for the prince, I have never seen anyone who is more right than the prince. Since the founding of Dajing, there have been only a handful of people with different surnames who have been crowned kings! "

Li Fugui raised his hands to Ren Pingsheng and said.

"Your Majesty loves me so much."

Ren Pingsheng cupped his hands toward the north and smiled.

Li Fugui observed the words and expressions, but did not see any expressions on Ren Pingsheng's face that he wanted to see. Such expressions as surprise, surprise, excitement, joy, gratitude, etc. that are often seen after the imperial edict of conferring awards were not seen on his face. Yes, some are just plain smiles.

Although he is not very old, his mood is so stable and his thoughts do not appear on his face at all. The depth of the city is rare in life!

After Li Fugui and Ren Pingsheng had a brief chat, he picked up the brocade imperial edict from the tray in the hand of the little eunuch beside him and went through the process.

After the last proofing, Ren Pingsheng sat on the chair, and Li Fugui's expression did not change at all, and he directly read out the imperial edict.

"The emperor's edict is to carry out the destiny..."

Ren Pingsheng listened to the imperial edict, picked up the teacup, and blew the foam on it.

For him, the emperor's reward had greater symbolic meaning than practical significance.

The man on the dragon chair in the imperial court of Dajing obviously knew this too. The imperial edict was not long in length. The whole article boasted that Ren had been an upright man and had outstanding achievements in his life. He had contributed to the country and blessed the place. With him as an official, Ren had a great life. It is the blessing of all people in the world, the pillar of the great imperial court, etc.

The last thing is the key point, Ren Pingsheng also pricked up his ears.

"Give the King of Wu the title of nobility, enfeoff the land of Wuzhou Province, open a palace and build a tooth, everything will be in accordance with the prince's regulations..."

The contents of the rewards in the imperial edict are all things that Ren Pingsheng has already obtained, and they will not be changed in the slightest due to the imperial edict.

Even without the imperial edict, Ren Shengsheng's prestige among the people in Wuzhou Province is already so deep that it cannot be shaken.

With this imperial edict, it only established a legal foothold, which was the icing on the cake.

Ren Pingsheng took the imperial edict delivered by Shaoyao and scanned the contents.

"King Wu, King Wu..." Ren Pingsheng read a few times, then shook his head at Li Fugui and said bluntly: "I don't like this title."

"Well."

Li Fugui, who was about to take a seat, heard this, and the smile suddenly froze on his face.

The newly minted prince had already made enough gestures from the beginning, and even went out to greet his eunuch in person. But now his attitude suddenly changed, which made him feel at a loss for a moment. He had to ask cautiously: "Dare you ask me, prince?" , can you make it clear?"

"I don't like the title of King Wu."

Ren Pingsheng said again.

"Perhaps Your Majesty still doesn't know the origin of King Wu. Although Emperor Taizu was from Pingshan, he made his fortune in Wuzhou Province. He once..."

Li Fugui tried to explain.

"Of course I know that this is the title used by Emperor Taizu of the Jing Dynasty before he ascended the throne. He is very respected."

Ren Pingsheng interrupted what Li Fugui said and shook his head: "But I think 'Qi' is the title, I prefer it."

He not only wanted to change the title, but more importantly, he wanted to express an attitude. He Ren Shengsheng is not a vassal of the imperial court, and the imperial court should not think of any unreasonable ideas just to reward him with a flashy royal title.

From now on, the surname of Wuzhou Province is Ren. From now on, Wuzhou Province can only have one voice, and no other voice can be heard.

Ren Pingsheng's attitude made Li Fugui feel this very sensitively.

He nodded and said, "I will inform Your Majesty. Everything will be decided by His Majesty."

"good."

Ren Pingsheng saw that Li Fugui had understood what he meant, so he stood up with a smile, walked to Li Fugui, took his hand and said, "Let's go, I just shot a sperm in the mountains two days ago." Water type sika deer, this kind of monster, has the most tender meat, Eunuch Li is very lucky to have it."

Walking in the corridor, the rain was pouring down. When they saw Ren Pingsheng and Li Fugui approaching, they all stood on both sides to make way, bowed their heads and saluted. After everyone had gone away, they stood up and continued. Go do your own thing.

"Xiaolian, wait for me."

A short girl carrying a basket caught up with the girl in front of her who was wearing a blue cloth with an ebony hairpin stuck in the back of her head.

"Shh, keep your voice down. I just passed by. If you disturb me, you will get some good results!"

Xiaolian quickly stopped and said.

This frightened the little man to stop talking and cover his mouth. She looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to them, and then she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's go out quickly, so as not to delay the affairs of Manager Ruhua."

Xiaolian held up an oil-paper umbrella and pulled the little man along the corridor path and out through the small door in the back alley.

In the long and moist alley, the two stepped on the water splash on the bluestone bricks and walked quickly towards the Suzaku Street outside.

"Qingtian cloth in Qingcheng Town!"

"Qingtian cloth, a piece of cloth only costs 880 yuan, come and take a look!"

In the hazy rain curtain, a cry with a Wu Bei accent reached their ears.

“The cloth from Qingcheng Town is sold here!”

Xiaolian looked at the street in surprise. On a carriage under the awning, there was a vendor selling cloth on the street.

The area around the carriage was already crowded with people from Yangjiang City.

Cloth in Yangjiang City, even the cheapest cotton, is sold for 10 taels of silver per piece, while silk and other silk fabrics can be sold for tens or even hundreds of taels of silver.

In the eyes of the people of Yangjiang City, this kind of blue sky cloth, which cost more than 800 yuan, is not much different from giving it away for free. They crowded in like a swarm of people, with a kind of speed and slowness. If you don't have enough copper money, you can buy a few feet. If you have enough money, you can buy it in pieces!

In the ten minutes it took Xiaolian and Xiaozi to pass by and come back, they had already been robbed!

Only the people of Jixiang Trading Company were left, messy in the wind.

It was so popular, it was still raining, and it only took a few shouts and it was already sold out! Compared with places like Dongyang County and Guyi County, it can only be said that it is worthy of being the capital of Wuzhou. The people of Yangjiang City are better off than elsewhere!

"It's gone, it's really gone. But everyone, please look out for our Jixiang Trading Company. We will have a batch of Qingtian cloth in the next few days, and we will also find a few shops on Zhuque Street. The price will still be the same then, so please help me. Thank you for your support!"

The steward jumped onto the carriage, bowed to the people who had not bought any cloth, and said loudly.

“Okay, it’s still this quality and this price, we will definitely support it!”

Some people said loudly.

"Yes, yes, but when you raise the price, we won't listen to you."

The common people who had not bought the cloth shouted loudly.

"You fellow villagers may not know that this blue sky cloth is produced in Qingcheng Town. It was Governor Ren who saw that the people in Qingcheng were not fully clothed and the winter was difficult and people frequently froze to death. He couldn't bear it. In order to keep the local people warm during the winter, he specially made it Create new weaving machines and techniques to weave cloth.

This is the Governor's hard work for the people. Do we dare to shoddy it? Can we sell it higher? Please look for our Jixiang Trading Company and supervise our Jixiang Trading Company. We are a time-honored brand and a member of the Longyou Chamber of Commerce. We will definitely operate with integrity! "

The steward said loudly to the people.

When it comes to Governor Ren, the people immediately nodded, feeling that this guy's words were much more credible!

Nowadays, Governor Ren is a golden brand, practicing people-oriented thinking, relieving people's difficulties, plus a series of mythical stories, spread by word of mouth, supplemented by newspapers, operas, storytellers, books, caravans, etc. Through a series of propaganda and dissemination, his public credibility has already exceeded that of local governments.

When the people watching in the rain dispersed, the story of Qingtianbu and Jixiang Trading Company also penetrated into their hearts.

"Shopkeeper, this cloth is so popular, why don't we take the opportunity to sell it at a higher price? When other shops come, we won't be able to make money for so many years."

A man said to the steward who had just jumped off the carriage.

"What are you saying? Our Jixiang Trading Company is not a one-time business, but a resounding brand.

Moreover, Company Commander Chen is now our uncle! Who is Company Commander Chen? That's Governor Ren's personal bodyguard, that's a hard-core confidant!

Before coming here, the master specifically told me that when doing business in Wuzhou Province, you must not do anything that will cause people to poke their backs. Otherwise, your reputation will be ruined. If Mr. Chen abandons the Hu family because of this, it will be a loss outweighing the gain! "

The steward told the guys: "Now, the master values ​​the family reputation more than anything else. I'm waiting outside. I must be vigilant and not do anything wrong. Do you understand?"

"I understand, I understand!"

The guys nodded.

"If you understand, just behave yourself. Qingtianbu costs 880 yuan, which is already more than eight times more expensive than Qingcheng Town. The benefits gained are not small.

Next, there will be more than a dozen cars of Qingtian cloth coming, and it will be the day when our auspicious cloth will become an instant hit in Yangjiang City! "

The steward was excited and looked towards the sky. Although the rain continued, for him, Yangjiang City was indeed a new starting point for his career, and he was full of expectations.

"Eh? What's that flying into the sky over at the Yamen? It's so fast!"

The steward saw a green figure rising into the sky and flying away like an arrow. Within a moment, it had broken through the clouds and was no longer visible.

"It looks like some kind of raptor. Forget it, no matter what it is, it flew out from the Chief Envoy Si Yamen. The affairs of those big shots are not something that I, a humble citizen, should worry about."

The steward lowered his head and called to the caravan man. They walked together on the street and inquired about the shops for rent.

Li Fugui, who had just let go of the blue-eyed eagle, was standing under the eaves with worried eyes.

"Daddy, can your majesty agree? This Ren Ping...Prince Ren, can be regarded as disobeying the decree and disobeying the holy order!"

The little eunuch who had been following Li Fugui was glared at and quickly changed his tune.

"Your Majesty will agree."

Li Fugui sighed.

In the current situation, it is enough for Ren Pingsheng to remain neutral and be willing to give up grain routes to the imperial court to transport grain from the valley, Wannan, Jian'an and other southern provinces, and to open the sea port of Dongyang County for the imperial court. It’s worth wooing!

What does it mean to resist and disobey?

If the imperial court is really at odds with the other party, once the other party cuts off the southern grain route, the grain produced in several southern provinces can only go west, bypassing Anhui and Yanzhou provinces. The road is long and impassable, with poor mountains and rivers, and it is also extremely vulnerable to border residents. Loot.

Or go south to the South China Sea, where there are many pirates and the waves are fierce. Once the ship capsizes, it will immediately cause a heavy blow to the court!

It is not an exaggeration to say that Wuzhou Province directly blocked the imperial court's food supply throat!

The young eunuch said: "Well, what my godfather said when he came here was to persuade the prince to send troops to Zhongzhou to suppress the bandits in Northern Anhui..."

Li Fugui shook his head: "It all depends on King Wu's will."

King Wu dared to resist and disobey the decree, how could he obey the imperial order?

His attitude has been extremely clear to him, to His Majesty, and to the court.