Chapter 1207 Hypocritical and insincere!
The next day, afternoon

The new governor of Jingchu, Sun Xiuquan, once again came to Ye Mingsheng's temporary residence in Shouchun. Originally, Sun Xiuquan had prepared to wait, but he was somewhat flattered that as soon as the guard went in to report, after a cup of tea, the deputy director of the attendant department, Song Haibo, came out to greet him with a smile.

“Lord Sun, you are here! The Marshal is waiting for you, please follow me…”

Song Haibo's enthusiasm made Sun Xiuquan a little flattered. He knew that Deputy Director Song of the Attendant's Department and Commander of the Personal Guard Battalion Ye Kui were Marshal Ye's close ministers and confidants. Therefore, when Ye Mingsheng and his men just arrived in Shouchun, he asked his men to deliver a small gift according to the old rules!

However, what Sun Xiuquan did not expect was that neither Song Haibo nor Ye Kui accepted his kindness. In particular, Song Haibo taught a lesson to his subordinates who were sent to deliver gifts, asking them to concentrate on their work and not to do these little tricks that were not presentable.

At that time, Sun Xiuquan was still wondering if he had not done his job well enough, which made Ye Kui and Song Haibo dissatisfied with him?
Or maybe you simply feel that his thoughtfulness is a little too little?
But Sun Xiuquan felt that he was already very generous. Compared with the previous rules, this kindness was three times more!

Sun Xiuquan originally thought that Song Haibo and Ye Kui were too greedy about this matter, but now looking at the smiling Song Haibo, he couldn't help but wonder if the wind direction had changed?

After all, Song Haibo is Marshal Ye's close associate and is very familiar with some of Marshal Ye's ideas. Thinking of this, Sun Xiuquan couldn't help but flash a gleam in his eyes.

Under the guidance of Song Haibo, Sun Xiuquan soon arrived outside Ye Mingsheng’s study. Because Ye Mingsheng had given orders before, Song Haibo did not inform him unnecessarily, but directly brought Sun Xiuquan in...

"Marshal, Governor Sun is here!"

"I, Sun Xiuquan, pay my respects to the Marshal!"

Ye Mingsheng, who was reading the memorial, also put it down and said with a smile:
"Envoy Sun, please stand up!"

"Thank you, Marshal!"

Seeing Sun Xiuquan standing up, Ye Mingsheng looked at Song Haibo and said with a smile:
"You are such a tactless person! Go get a chair for Governor Sun!"

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, Song Haibo immediately wanted to go and get a chair, but he was stopped by Sun Xiuquan.

"Director Song, wait a minute! Wait a minute!"

After stopping Song Haibo, Sun Xiuquan immediately said to Ye Mingsheng very sincerely and respectfully:
"How can I have the right to sit in front of you, Marshal?"

"It is good enough for me to stand here and listen to your teachings, Marshal!"

Ye Mingsheng smiled and shook his head when he heard this.

"You are too modest, Minister Sun. You have just accomplished a great feat. Not only did you capture that bastard Xu Kang, you also prevented an assassination attempt against me and captured Xie Wenjun, the treacherous official hiding in the Huainan government office!"

"Your contribution, Governor Sun, is very great. This time, in addition to promoting you to the position of Governor of Jingchu, I am also planning to reward you handsomely!"

“But I heard that your Sun family is a very wealthy family, so I guess I don’t know what your Xu family lacks…”

Hearing what Ye Mingsheng said, Sun Xiuquan immediately knelt down in front of Ye Mingsheng and preached very sincerely:
"The reason why I was able to accomplish this small feat and capture Xu Kang and Xie Wenjun, the black sheep, is entirely due to your great blessing, Marshal!"

"It was after you announced your southern tour that these thieves started to stir and I was able to capture them. All this is thanks to your wisdom and bravery and your good command! I really don't dare to take credit for it!"

Listening to Sun Xiuquan flattering him seriously, Ye Mingsheng felt disgusted in his heart, but on the surface he still smiled and nodded and said:

"Governor Sun, please get up quickly. You are in your 50s or 60s, so don't kneel down easily!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Xiuquan slowly stood up from the ground and said respectfully:
"Thank you for your consideration, Marshal!"

Seeing that Sun Xiuquan insisted on not using the chair, Ye Mingsheng gave up. Song Haibo also tactfully left the study and closed the door to give Ye Mingsheng and Sun Xiuquan a quiet space.

"Governor Sun, what do you think of Murong Yuliang's administration in Huainan?"

When Ye Mingsheng said this, Sun Xiuquan was stunned and seemed a little surprised. He came to see Ye Mingsheng this time because Ye Mingsheng asked him to recommend the deputy provincial governor yesterday, so he also made a lot of preparations around this matter and was ready to deal with various questions from Ye Mingsheng.

But he did not expect that Ye Mingsheng would throw such a complicated question to him, which really caught him off guard. For a moment, he did not know what to do...
Looking at Sun Xiuquan who seemed a little surprised, Ye Mingsheng also said with a smile:

"Mr. Sun Buzheng, you don't have to be too serious. Just have a simple chat. Just tell me what you think of Murong Yuliang. I'm very interested in this!"

Although he was not prepared for this, facing Ye Mingsheng's question, Sun Xiuquan could only quickly organize his words and say:

"Lord Murong's ability is absolutely unquestionable. I won't talk about his previous achievements. You know better than me, Marshal. Just to say that his achievements after coming to Huainan were immediate. The prices of some daily necessities such as grain and cloth have stabilized, and the public security in various parts of Huainan has also improved significantly!"

"The spring ploughing work in Huainan was also completed in an orderly manner under the command of Lord Murong. At present, the land in Huainan that can be used for crops has basically been planted with rice seedlings, and there is no phenomenon of abandonment."

"In addition, thanks to Lord Murong's propaganda, more than 100,000 people who had fled to Huainan have returned to Huainan in the past few months, and some merchants from Jiangnan are also preparing to invest in Huainan!"

"These are all thanks to Lord Murong. I admire Lord Murong's ability very much, and this is also where I want to learn from him!"

Listening to Sun Xiuquan bragging about Murong Yuliang, Ye Mingsheng asked with a half-smile:

"I heard that your relationship with Murong Yuliang is very tense!" Sun Xiuquan said frankly:

“Marshal, I don’t deny that Lord Murong and I have some differences on some issues, but I think the relationship between Lord Murong and I has not yet reached the point of tension…”

Seeing Sun Xiuquan's calm face and serious expression, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but sigh in his heart that Sun Xiuquan was truly an unshakable figure in Huainan officialdom. He must have some ability to remain standing despite having gone through the two periods of Feng Keqin and Xu Zhaojie!

Just looking at Sun Xiuquan's performance, if Ye Mingsheng didn't know how you two were fighting openly and secretly for power, Ye Mingsheng might have actually believed that he and Murong Yuliang were just fighting among gentlemen!

However, since Sun Xiuquan is very cunning and good at acting, Ye is no worse. He nodded slightly and asked with interest:
"What's the disagreement between you and Murong Yuliang?"

When Sun Xiuquan heard Ye Mingsheng ask this question, although he wanted to speak immediately, he still looked hesitant under Ye Mingsheng's gaze.

Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng also ordered:

"But it doesn't matter!"

Sun Xiuquan heard this and said without hesitation:

"I agree with Lord Murong's series of reform measures for Huainan, but I think that the reform in Huainan should be down-to-earth and gradual, and must not be quick to achieve success. It should be aimed at improving the economy and people's livelihood, rather than creating political achievements!"

Hearing Sun Xiuquan's righteous words, Ye Mingsheng smiled and asked:
"So you think Murong Yuliang is eager for quick success?"

"Yes! Lord Murong wanted to create political achievements as quickly as possible. In order to achieve this goal, he promoted Xie Wenjun, Fang Lin and others without getting to know them well. So I think Lord Murong has an unshirkable responsibility for the issues of Xie Wenjun, Fang Lin and others..."

"In addition, Lord Murong has been very crude in his reform measures, not paying attention to methods and means. He always threatens the lives of the people by intervening the garrison. The people of Huainan are very dissatisfied with this. I have seen it with my own eyes and am worried about it!"

Seeing Sun Xiuquan's grief-stricken look and his love for the people like his own children, Ye Mingsheng also asked with a smile:

"If you were asked to be the governor of Huainan, what would you do?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Sun Xiuquan's heart moved. Thinking of the courtesy Ye Mingsheng had shown him before, the new governor of Jingchu seemed to feel a glimmer of hope.

Although he was very excited and overwhelmed with information, Sun Xiuquan still forced himself to calm down and reported to Ye Mingsheng:

"General, to be honest, in terms of ability, I admit that I am not as good as Lord Murong. Lord Murong is a capable minister who governs the world, and ordinary people like us cannot compare to him!"

"But compared to Lord Murong, I know the situation in Huainan better. I know what the people in Huainan need. I will be down-to-earth and implement reforms step by step so that the flowers of reform can take root in Huainan!"

"I believe that if I am given three to five years, I will be able to restore Huainan to its former glory and let the people of Huainan live and work in peace!"

Listening to the big promises Sun Xiuquan made for him, Ye Mingsheng pretended to be in deep thought. Seeing this, Sun Xiuquan’s heart was in his throat. He finally saw a glimmer of hope. He really wanted to seize this opportunity to make Ye Mingsheng change his mind and let him sit on the throne of Huainan Governor...
Just when Sun Xiuquan was hesitating whether to say anything more, Ye Mingsheng stopped thinking and said:
"Who do you recommend for the position of deputy provincial governor?"

Seeing that Ye Mingsheng changed the subject and did not give a clear answer, Sun Xiuquan was a little disappointed, but he was helpless about it. After all, he had been in charge of the work of the Censorate for most of his life. As the saying goes, every profession has its specialties, and he can be said to be able to handle the work of the Censorate with ease.

However, when it comes to developing the economy and improving people's livelihood, he doesn't say that he knows nothing about it, but he really doesn't have any good ideas. Although several advisors have offered suggestions, after much research, he feels that the best way is to copy Murong Yuliang's homework and then make some changes to some details as his own plan.

Although he was a little disappointed, it was obviously too late to say anything now, so Sun Xiuquan could only adjust his mood and report to Ye Mingsheng:

"I have two recommendations for the deputy provincial governor!"

"The first one is Wu Jia, the assistant of the Censorate. He is a veteran of the Huainan Censorate and has been working there for the past ten years. He is very familiar with all the work of the Censorate. If you give him a job, he will definitely do a good job!"

"In the investigation of the remnants of the Zhennan Army, Wu Jia also performed very well. He captured more than a thousand remnants of the Zhennan Army!"

“This time, Wu Jia personally led the team to seal off Xie Wenjun’s home and arrest Xu Kang. He is a very capable man…”

Listening to Sun Xiuquan's description, Ye Mingsheng also remembered the little follower who followed Sun Xiuquan closely. At the meeting that day, he wanted Gao Zhenji to temporarily serve as the Censor. Sun Xiuquan disagreed but it was not easy to speak directly, so when this guy coughed, his little follower stood up to express his opposition!
After remembering Wu Jia, Ye Mingsheng continued to ask without changing his expression:
"Who's the other one?"

Sun Xiuquan said without hesitation:
'The other is Dou Kai, the governor's experience. Although he doesn't have the qualifications that Wu Jia has, he is known in Huainan for his outspokenness. Although he has never worked in the Censorate, he has been a county magistrate before and has some experience in criminal cases! '

"I think both Wu Jia and Dou Kai are very suitable candidates for the deputy censor. No matter which of them becomes the deputy censor, they will definitely be able to cooperate with the Gao censor and help him do a good job in the criminal law of Huainan!"

Seeing Sun Xiuquan talking about Dou Kai, Ye Mingsheng also had some impression of him. It seemed that this person was the one who said at the meeting that day that Gao Zhenji's temporary appointment as the Censor was not a blessing for Gao Zhenji or the people of Huainan!

To be honest, his words really left a certain impression on Ye Mingsheng. For this reason, Ye Mingsheng even asked Song Haibo to understand Dou Kai's identity and background!
Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng asked with interest:

"Governor Sun, I heard that this Dou Kai is your nephew?"

Sun Xiuquan also said in a deep voice:

"Your Excellency, Dou Kai is indeed my fifth sister's son, and my nephew!"

“But the ancients said that one should not avoid relatives when selecting talents. I recommended Dou Kai as the deputy provincial governor because I think he has the ability, not because he is my nephew…”

(End of this chapter)