vrcanaries Chapter 667 Bribery
Chapter 667 Bribery
Li Yifu has been in the limelight recently. Ever since he was spotted by Li Chengqian, he seemed to have embarked on a road to success blessed by good luck.
His teacher also spared no effort to run around for him, making arrangements in the court. Relying on his connections and prestige in the court, he paved many convenient promotion channels for Li Yifu.
Although he has not been officially promoted yet, he knows in his heart that the opportunity for promotion is right before his eyes, and as long as he waits patiently, it will come naturally.
On the surface, the job level remains unchanged in this horizontal transfer, but in reality, there is a world of difference.
He was transferred from being a direct scholar in Chongxian Hall to being a secretary in Zhongshu, and he also served as a scholar in Hongwen Hall and compiled national history.
The Secretary of the Secretariat was able to directly participate in the core confidential affairs of the court, the Scholar of the Hongwen Academy gave him a certain status in the cultural and academic fields, and the Compiler of National History allowed him to control the writing of history. This series of identity changes allowed his influence in officialdom to rise rapidly.
Li Yifu knew that as long as he could keep his composure and not be tempted by the small profits in front of him, it would only be a matter of time before he would become successful in the future.
That day, Li Yifu was sitting in his study, flipping through ancient books leisurely, thinking about how to make a big difference in his new position.
Suddenly, the butler hurried in and whispered, "Master, the son of Xu Anmin, the chief official of Xianyang, wants to see you."
Upon hearing this, Li Yifu paused for a moment, the book in his hand showing a trace of
Although he and Xu Anmin were both in the officialdom and had met and exchanged greetings a few times, their friendship was shallow and they had never had any private dealings.
Xu Anmin was really surprised when his son came to visit him unexpectedly today.
He frowned slightly, wondering inwardly: What on earth was the reason for this sudden visit from Master Xu? Was it a blessing or a curse?
But he quickly adjusted his mood. After a brief thought, he put down the book in his hand, straightened his clothes, and said calmly, "Since he is here, please invite him in."
When Xu Yuan saw Li Yifu, he bowed respectfully and said in a humble voice, "Xu Yuan, son of Xu Anmin, the chief official of Xianyang, greets you, uncle."
When Li Yifu heard this address, he subconsciously repeated it: "Uncle?"
He looked Xu Yuan up and down, his heart full of doubts.
He calmly asked, "Boy, your father and I are just casual acquaintances. We don't usually interact with each other. Why did you come to my house today?"
As he spoke, his eyes revealed vigilance. In this court environment where the Jinyiwei were everywhere, he had to remain highly alert to every stranger who suddenly appeared.
Xu Yuan was not surprised by Li Yifu's vigilance. After all, the current official situation was complicated and changeable, and one could fall into an irretrievable situation if one was not careful.
He wore a gentle smile on his face and said in a gentle voice, "Uncle, I have long admired your talent and character. I have always wanted to visit you and learn from you."
As he spoke, he quickly glanced around. Seeing that there were servants waiting on him, he approached Li Yifu and said in a low voice, "Uncle, there are so many people here and it's not convenient for me to speak freely, right?"
He paused for a moment, then continued, "Even though you and my father weren't close friends, as a junior, it wouldn't be too much for me to ask for a cup of tea at your uncle's house, right?"
There was just the right amount of humility and sincerity in Xu Yuan's tone, making it hard to refuse.
Li Yifu looked at the young man in front of him, then put on a warm smile and said, "It's not too much, it's not too much. If you have anything to say, just come in and say it. It's just a cup of tea anyway."
The two men came into the hall, and after the servants left, they were the only ones left in the hall.
For a moment, the house was so quiet that it was a little depressing, with only the occasional bird calls from outside the window breaking the tranquility.
Strangely, the promised tea was not served yet.
Xu Yuan showed a curious expression on his face. He looked at Li Yifu and asked, "Uncle, you just said you would treat me to tea, but why is there no sign of tea?"
Li Yifu rubbed his hands calmly, chuckled, and explained, "Tea, there's no rush, it's still brewing. My dear nephew, you should know that brewing tea is a matter of skill. The water temperature, tea leaves, and brewing time all need to be just right to make good tea. Sometimes, the tea is not brewed enough, and young people may not feel anything when drinking it and cannot appreciate its flavor."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, pretending to be well versed in the tea ceremony, and continued, "But for someone like me who has been drinking tea for half my life, I feel that it lacks a bit of flavor. It's not that it's unpalatable, but it just feels a little off."
Li Yifu's words seemed to be about tea, but in fact, he had a deeper meaning. He was secretly testing Xu Yuan's intentions and sincerity.
Hearing Li Yifu's words, Xu Yuan's heart moved, as if he had grasped something key. He raised his head and repeated: "Is it missing a bit of flavor?"
Then, as if suddenly enlightened, he burst into laughter. "Hahahahaha... It seems that Uncle thinks that I'm young and my words don't carry weight. Only someone like my father, who has been in the officialdom for many years, is qualified to have an in-depth conversation with you, right?"
Xu Yuan's eyes flashed with cunning, and he changed the subject, "But, uncle, how do you know that my nephew didn't bring enough things today for you to value?"
As he spoke, Xu Yuan slowly pulled out a banknote from his pocket. As he did so, he casually said, "My nephew is currently working for the Crown Prince, barely making ends meet. I wonder if your uncle is also feeling 'hungry' right now?"
Xu Yuan's tone was light-hearted and teasing, but it contained hidden meanings.
Li Yifu's gaze followed Xu Yuan's hand and fell on the silver note on the table, where he saw one thousand taels clearly written on it.
Looking at the 1,000 taels of silver, the expression on his face remained as calm as water, without the slightest change.
He looked at Xu Yuan calmly and said, "Nephew, what are you doing? Are you itching to write a few words? Why bother bringing paper yourself? Uncle has plenty of paper here. Do you want to send someone to give you some?"
Li Yifu's words seemed light-hearted and joking, but in fact he was testing Xu Yuan's bottom line.
Hearing what Li Yifu said, Xu Yuan couldn't help but sigh in his heart. This Li Yifu was indeed a shrewd and calculating veteran in officialdom. It seemed that he would have to work harder to convince him.
But this actually stimulated his fighting spirit even more. He thought this person was very interesting and became more determined to achieve his goal.
So, Xu Yuan raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a confident smile, and his hands kept taking out silver bills from his arms.
One, two... After he took out nine more, he stopped, sorted the banknotes on the table, pushed them in front of Li Yifu, and said, "Uncle, I don't know if these are enough. Can you have a good talk with your nephew?"
Xu Yuan's eyes revealed his determination to win.
Li Yifu looked at the neatly stacked banknotes on the table. Ten thousand taels, such a huge fortune in front of him, even if he had a strong willpower, his heart couldn't help but beat faster.
He still had a smile on his face and exclaimed: "What a generous gesture, nephew."
"Ten thousand taels, such a huge sum of money. I, Li Yifu, have never seen so much money in my life."
He paused, staring intently at Xu Yuan, and said with a hint of meaning: "I guess it's not just about making a living under His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, is it?"
"You have come here today with such a generous gift. Why don't you just tell me what it is that you are bringing here?"
There is no free lunch in the world. Xu Yuan came to the door with so much money, he must have an ulterior motive.