Although Wang Jinsheng was unwilling, since his uncle had already said so, he could only wait here.
Thus, the singing started again, and the dancers started moving again.
Then, the music continued!
Before long, the sound of horses neighing could be heard outside.
Immediately after, there was the sound of a carriage opening and closing.
Someone was coming!
Wang Qingquan and Sun Liansheng stood up and walked towards the door with smiles on their faces.
Wang Jinsheng also followed, feeling a little excited.
He had already asked his uncle about this lord’s identity.
He was Jiang Wanshan, the Head of Secretariat of the Imperial Court, and the external affairs manager of the Jiang family in Nanhe.
In the Great Jin, the Head of Secretariat was the highest-ranking official in the Central Secretariat. He was in charge of drafting imperial edicts and issuing them.
Although he was not as powerful as the Minister of Records, he was still a Grand Secretary Official. His words and actions could even affect the Emperor’s decree.
Of course, in this chaotic world, it was difficult for even an Imperial Decree to leave the Central Continent. This was just a position in the Imperial Court, so Wang Qingquan did not take it so seriously.
What really concerned him was Jiang Wanshan’s identity in the Jiang family of Nanhe, as well as the Emperor’s edict in his hands.
The Jiang family of Nanhe and the Wang family of Langya were both part of the Seven Distinguished Families.
But if the Imperial Edict was pushed by the Head of Secretariat who was part of the Seven Distinguished Families, it would be completely different.
“Hahaha, Lord Jiang has come on a starry night. I’m sorry for not coming out to welcome you!” Wang Qingquan laughed as he invited a middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties into the house.
“Greetings, Uncle Jiang.” Wang Jinsheng walked up and bowed respectfully.
“Hahaha, so you’re my nephew. When I saw you ten years ago, you were only this big.” Jiang Wanshan laughed and gestured at his waist. Then, he sat at the head of the table and asked, “How’s your father?”
“My father is fine, and he often misses you, Uncle.” Wang Jinsheng pretended to be obedient.
“Back then, Prime Minister Wang was one of the three Dukes and even recorded official affairs. If not for his efforts, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Jiang Wanshan first reminisced about the past before getting straight to the point. “I’ve always been a grateful person. Here’s an edict bestowed by the Emperor. It just so happens that this can be used as repayment for Minister Wang’s kindness.”
As he spoke, he took out a piece of yellow cloth with words written on it from his sleeve. He unfolded it and presented the contents to Wang Jinsheng, Wang Qingquan, and Sun Liansheng.
“…Cui Heng, the county magistrate of Juhe County, has contributed greatly in the defense against the attack of the Yan rebels. He will be conferred the title, General Weiyuan. He will be rewarded with 300 taels of gold and an Army Seal. He can recruit 100,000 soldiers.”
Hiss! Hiss!
When Wang Jinsheng and the other two saw the contents of the edict, they could not help but gasp.
The title bestowment was actually nothing. The title General Weiyuan was only the equivalent of a fifth-grade military official. Although it was on the same level as a county governor, it was not enough for them to take him seriously.
What was really outrageous was the last point.
Permission to recruit 100,000 soldiers!
This meant that one could officially amass a private army of 100,000. He no longer had to secretly raise private soldiers, nor did he have to worry about being criticized morally.
He could even attack others under the guise of serving the Imperial Court.
He could simply rebel openly!
As long as he had this power, the position of State Overseer would be at his fingertips, and the Immortal Opportunity of Fengzhou would be in his grasp!
Such a bestowment was actually given to Cui Heng?!
Wang Jinsheng was furious and jealous. His eyes were red.
“Why? Nephew looks very angry?” Jiang Wanshan noticed Wang Jinsheng’s expression and smiled. “Don’t worry, this bestowment has nothing to do with Cui Heng. This is all yours.”
“What?” Wang Jinsheng was pleasantly surprised.
Previously, Wang Qingquan had only told him that Jiang Wanshan would bring him great benefits, but he did not expect it to be this.
He could obtain the right to openly recruit 100,000 soldiers!
Moreover, it was snatched from Cui Heng. This was very satisfying!
However, he had some doubts. He looked at Jiang Wanshan and asked, “Uncle, but the decree clearly says…”
“Isn’t it up to me to decide what to write on the edict?” Jiang Wanshan immediately laughed when he heard this. He picked up a pen and directly crossed out Cui Heng’s name on it.
Then, he smiled and said, “A small county magistrate is not like us. He’s just a dog. How can he enjoy such a reward?
Don’t worry, Nephew. As long as the thing bestowed is real, there won’t be a problem.”
“You can even do that?” Wang Jinsheng was a little stunned.
He usually felt that he was already very arrogant, but he did not expect that he was still so far away from true arrogance.
He could actually rewrite the Emperor’s edict so easily.
It was as if he had just corrected a misspelled word!
“Jinsheng, there’s no need to be surprised.” Wang Qingquan patted Wang Jinsheng’s shoulder gently and said with a smile, “The Great Jin was established with the support of our preeminent families, so we naturally have the right to exercise our authority.
As long as you don’t fabricate an Emperor’s edict out of thin air, it’s fine as long as you show consideration for the Emperor’s face on the surface. Don’t you think so, Lord Jiang?”
“Hahaha.” Jiang Wanshan also laughed when he heard this. He said to Wang Jinsheng as if he was hinting at something, “As a mere Secretariat, I really don’t dare to fabricate an edict out of thin air.”
In other words, it was not necessarily the same for a higher-level official, namely a true Prime Minister.
For example, Wang Jinsheng’s father, the former Prime Minister Wang.
“Thank you, Uncle Jiang!”
Wang Jinsheng bowed and thanked him, pretending not to hear Jiang Wanshan’s words.
Now, he was only feeling extremely happy in his heart.
After all, these bestowments were originally for Cui Heng, but now, he had intercepted them.
This made him feel like he had gotten his revenge. He felt so good that he wanted to dance around.
So what if you’ve won the hearts of the people in Lu County?!
So what if you have a top expert by your side?!
“Compared to a preeminent family like mine, you’re just an ant that’s only worthy of being casually manipulated. You didn’t even know that you had been rewarded before it was snatched away by me!”
Wang Jinsheng’s face flushed red with excitement. He even wanted to jump in front of Cui Heng and mock him to vent his grievance and anger.
“Lord Jiang, actually, Cui Heng deserved that reward.” At this moment, Wang Qingquan suddenly said with a smile.
“Oh, what do you mean?” Jiang Wanshan asked with interest.
“It’s like this. Cui Heng is in Lu County City…” Wang Qingquan briefly explained how Cui Heng targeted the businesses of the sects and aristocratic families.
“There’s actually such a thing?” Jiang Wanshan’s gaze turned cold as he sneered, “These bumpkins are really becoming more and more restless.”
“That’s right. A mere county governor actually dares to touch our assets in Lu County!” Wang Qingquan nodded in agreement. “He’s simply courting death!”
“Lord Jiang, shouldn’t we think of a way to deal with him?” Sun Liansheng said with a fawning expression, “Otherwise, that county governor will probably push his luck. He’s only taking a fancy to our assets in Lu County City now. In the future, it might even be the entire Lu County.”
“Yes, we can’t leave this fellow alone.”
Jiang Wanshan nodded and revealed a ruthless expression. “Killing him directly is the best way, but that is too easy on him. Since he dares to use the businesses of our aristocratic families to exchange for the hearts of the people, I’ll make him lose the hearts of the people and let him be cursed to death by the people!
After returning to the capital, I will report to His Majesty that Lu County is adjacent to the Hong River and is at the center of Fengzhou’s waterway. It should have become a major trading city, but its current development is far from reaching that level. It can be seen that the county governor’s ability to govern is not good.
Moreover, the county governor deprived the businesses of generations of merchants for no reason and handed them over to ordinary people to manage. This greatly affected the merchants’ enthusiasm and made it impossible for the people to farm and produce food in peace. It’s a loss for the country and a disaster for the world!
This is all because of the county governor’s incompetence in governing. His Majesty should draft an edict to reform the city. The taxes for ordinary people operating shops must increase by 50%, while merchants who have been running businesses for generations will receive a 50% reduction in taxes. This way, the trade in Lu County can recover and the people can farm in peace. It’s the best of both worlds.
At that time, I will personally go to Lu County to implement the decree. What do you think?”