novelAbuy Chapter 26 The Prince's Direct Successor
Chapter 26 The Prince's Direct Successor
Silent all night.
The brick and tile factory burned all night, billowing black smoke. Currently, apart from acid and alkali production, and the fact that Wang Jun personally applies a coat of glaze to the glazed tiles, the factory has no other production secrets. It can be completely entrusted to Liu Hou'er to keep the factory running.
At present, brick and tile factories are not in a hurry to produce glazed tiles; hollow bricks and 3:7 lime mortar are the main products, requiring them to operate around the clock, even at night.
Of course, the main work at the factory at night was the smoldering of bricks and tiles, so the labor requirement was not actually that high.
Wang Jun couldn't keep up with the continuous work schedule, so he could only rush over the next morning. From afar, he saw Liu Hou'er with dark circles under his eyes, and he said very happily, "Boss, you've finally arrived."
Liu Hou'er was already thin, and now his face looked even more gaunt. "Liu'er, you've worked hard. This month I'll give you an extra 10% bonus for project work. Look how tired you are, go and rest. Your health is the most important thing; don't overwork yourself."
"Once we get through this period and the Imperial Guard's camps are finished, things won't be so tiring anymore. These hollow bricks should fetch a good price then, and I'll give you a bigger bonus."
Six Monkeys still retained some of the air of a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry). Upon hearing this, he said, "Master, you're being too polite. Money is irrelevant. Since leaving the army, I've been living a muddled life and have earned no respect from anyone."
After joining this company, I felt like I had inexhaustible energy when I was working, and I didn't feel tired at all.
"Boss, don't talk about me. We have a distinguished guest at the factory. Second Master arrived early this morning and is waiting for you in your office."
"Second King? Ah~, it's Zhao Guangyi, he's come in person? And so early?"
As he spoke, Wang Jun himself was startled. Even though he didn't know history as well as his son, he knew that Zhao Guangyi was the future Emperor Taizong of Song.
Moreover, Zhao Guangyi had a characteristic that no other emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty had: he appointed people based on his own connections and was narrow-minded.
Wang Lu had told him that although the emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty were somewhat nepotistic in their appointments, Zhao Guangyi was the most extreme example.
They don't value seniority or ability at all; they only care about your loyalty and whether you can steadfastly carry out orders.
Especially those so-called former officials from the prince's residence, whether civil or military, even if they were mediocre, could easily climb to high positions.
This person's personnel management style is somewhat like Trump's, which is definitely not a good thing for the country and its people, but it's perfect for his so-called "insiders."
The father and son's goal was, of course, to become military generals and rise to the rank of first-grade official during Zhao Kuangyin's reign, but he could also be considered an alternative by currying favor with Zhao Guangyi.
Therefore, upon hearing that Zhao Guangyi had arrived, he immediately adopted a posture of utmost humility and fear, straightened his clothes, and hurriedly went upstairs. As soon as he entered the door, without saying a word, he gave a very large and deep bow.
"I never expected the Second King to grace us with his presence in person, causing him to wait so long. I am deeply sorry, deeply sorry."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Guangyi stepped forward and helped him up, saying, "I apologize for coming uninvited. I just arrived myself. Why must you do this, Master Wang? Please sit down. Have you had breakfast yet, Master Wang?"
"Not yet...."
Actually, he had already eaten when he left home, but when he looked up and saw the fried dough rings that he didn't like on his desk, he knew that Zhao Guangyi had bought them, so he quickly said that he hadn't eaten them.
At the same time, his mind started racing, analyzing why Zhao Guangyi was trying to win him over with such obvious goodwill.
"Let's eat together then. This was made by the palace cooks. But I heard that Master Wang is also extremely skilled in cooking? It's a pity I wasn't fortunate enough to eat it that day."
"Whenever the Second Prince is free, I can make it for him. It's just some simple techniques that I can teach to the cooks in the Second Prince's residence."
"Good, good, that would be best. I have a rather strong appetite. By the way, Daoist Master, do you have a Daoist name and courtesy name?"
"Let's not mention my Taoist name, I'm no longer a Taoist. My courtesy name is Zhaoyuan."
This courtesy name was given to him by Wang Lu when he first transmigrated. However, during the Five Dynasties period, the overall social culture was in a great decline, and he had been mingling in the marketplace. As a result, for more than half a year, no one had asked about his courtesy name.
"Zhaoyuan, that's a fine name. Does your son already have a courtesy name?"
"not yet."
"Hmm, how about the courtesy name Jingfu? 'Lu' means fortune, and 'Jing' means great. It's taken from the phrase 'Your great fortune' in the Book of Songs. What do you think?"
Wang Jun was taken aback, not understanding why Zhao Guangyi would suddenly give Wang Lu a courtesy name, since Wang Lu's official age was always twelve, far from the age to be officially married.
However, Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Guangyi were not much different. Since the other party was giving him face, there was no reason not to accept it. He immediately put on a very happy expression and accepted Jingfu's courtesy name.
Zhao Guangyi nodded in satisfaction before getting down to business, saying, "Yesterday, my elder brother issued an edict appointing me as the Commander of the Palace Guards. However, as you know, my qualifications are still too shallow. I fear that the troops might not be convinced of my loyalty, and I will need the assistance of a more capable person."
I heard from my elder brother that Zhaoyuan aspires to a military career? If so, I'm currently lacking a capable assistant. I wonder if Zhaoyuan would be interested?
Here, Zhao Guangyi used a clever trick, making Wang Jun his assistant. This was actually Zhao Kuangyin's arrangement, but Zhao Guangyi didn't mention it at all. Instead, he personally came early in the morning to invite him.
After thinking for a moment, he added, "Although the position of 'Gou Dang Guan' is still a civil post and only ranks ninth, it is low in rank but heavy in responsibility. The position of 'Dian Qian Du Yu Hou' is responsible for the military discipline supervision of the entire Dian Qian Si."
The military judicial branch was responsible for the training, inspection, promotion, and punishment of the various troops under the Palace Guard Command. It was also in charge of the guard duties, garrison duties, and gate security checks of the various guard units within the Palace Guard Command.
"And since you're in charge of signing documents and handling paperwork for me, you can easily connect with all the generals in the Palace Guard, from top to bottom, building connections. If I want to pursue a military career in the future, at least I can become a familiar face."
This position doesn't require military experience or anything like that, so there's no fear that Zhao Guangyi, who has never been on the battlefield, will be difficult to command or give incompetent orders.
But everyone in the army had to curry favor with him. By controlling military discipline and rewards and punishments, he could quickly establish a foothold in the army for Zhao Guangyi, a man who had never fought a war and knew nothing about warfare.
Historically, although Zhao Guangyi later became the Prefect of Kaifeng, he still held the relevant powers of the Palace Guard Commander. For this reason, he even forced his successor, Zhang Qiong, who had saved Zhao Kuangyin's life, to commit suicide.
Yang Xin, Zhang Qiong's successor, suddenly became mute. Since taking over as the Commander of the Palace Guards from Zhang Qiong, he has never uttered a word, and all those in his subordinate positions are Zhao Guangyi's men.
As for working for him, although the official position was indeed not high, only a ninth-rank official, which was equivalent to the lowest-ranking official, the position was really important, as he was definitely a direct descendant of Emperor Taizong's former residence.
If nothing unexpected happens, when Zhao Guangyi becomes the Prefect of Kaifeng in two years, this minor official position will become an important tool for Zhao Guangyi to control the military power of the Palace Guard.
Having latched onto such a powerful figure, even if he did nothing during the entire reign of Emperor Taizu, it would be easy for him to enter the Privy Council during the reign of Emperor Taizong. With a little talent, he could easily become a high-ranking official such as Privy Councilor or Commissioner of the Imperial Secretariat.
"What more could I ask for?" Wang Jun immediately bowed deeply to Zhao Guangyi, his tone extremely solemn: "I am Wang Jun, and I am willing to follow the lead of the two kings, even if it means going through fire and water."