There was a clanging sound, and the study room, which had been decorated according to Feng Shui and elegantly according to the guidance of experts, was so messy that it was difficult to see its original appearance. Novel .
A group of confidants and staff were kneeling in the middle of the room fearfully, not daring to hide even if something hit them.
No one cared about feeling sorry for the expensive pens, inks, paper and inkstones that only cost 1,800 taels on the floor. They all worried about the heads on their necks.
This was the first time that the thousand-year-old Liu Zuzong lost his temper since he entered the ceremonial office in October of the first year of Zhengde.
From time to time, everyone glanced at the butler Liu Duofu out of the corner of their eyes, but their eyes were not letting him make up his mind, but they were full of resentment and resentment.
It was Liu Duofu who instigated his ancestors and insisted on bringing Li Jing to Beizhen Fusi for trial. Then where was Beizhen Fusi? The Eighteenth Level of Hell must be better than that!
As expected, the person died, well, all kinds of unsavory gossip spread outside, saying that the ancestors were forced to marry and they killed the matchmaker, etc., which made the ancestors very angry...
Although Liu Duofu glared at everyone who looked at him with a sideways look on his face, it would be a lie to say that he had no regrets at all.
That was the day he received Yang Zhuangyuan and his entourage who were escorting Li Jing. After hearing what Shen Rui said, there was someone behind Li Jing's instigation, and Liu Ren had confirmed it. He just thought about this.
Li Jing was given to Liu Duoxi, the second housekeeper.
The money had just arrived in front of the ancestors, and he could take this opportunity to trample Liu Duoxi to death, who had been eyeing his position as the chief steward, and let outsiders understand that if they want to climb high, they have to hand him the money to get the ladder to the sky.
Advice to the ancestors.
Who knew it would be like this!
I just hope that after the ancestor has finished smashing things, he will stop hitting people. Buddha will bless him. He will admit his mistake and set a punishment for himself first, lest the ancestors come up and kill him.
It wasn't until there was nothing that could be thrown on the desk that Liu Jin seemed to have completely vented his feelings. He sat down on the large Taishi chair, panting heavily, and stared at the people in front of him with his bloodshot eyes, as if
It's like eating people.
These days, he was going smoothly, with talents and money flowing into his pocket, and his reputation was rising day by day because of the food inspection incident. Unexpectedly, just this month, he encountered so many troublesome things.
.
With the current status of his ancestor Liu Qiansui, if he wanted to recruit a son-in-law, I don’t know how many people would break their heads and come to join him. However, this young man doesn’t know how to praise!
Jiao Fang is right, southerners are not good at anything. Well, that damn Li Jing is also a southerner!
Yes, Li Jing deserves to die, and he is already dead. It’s just that he died at the wrong time!
Liu Jin naturally hated Li Jing for being unfavorable in doing things, and felt that Li Jing was definitely not a fool. He must have been instigated by someone to stir up trouble in a house like this. Therefore, he ordered Yang Yu, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, to interrogate him carefully and pry open the door of this guy.
mouth.
Unexpectedly, this guy died as soon as he was whipped after entering Fusi, Beizhen.
The scholar is not so weak, and Yang Yu is not so stupid! Liu Jin also came through the palace in a bloody storm. He saw many ups and downs, and various calculations. He immediately realized that he was afraid of
He fell into a pit.
Sure enough, no matter how hard he tried to cover up the matter, rumors soon spread on the street, accusing him, Liu Jin, of bullying scholars, and a group of bitter scholars took the opportunity to make noise.
Liu Jinyuan didn't expect that he would have all the Jin Yiwei under his control. After all, Yang Yu was a complete waste compared to Mou Bin. He knew this very well, but he didn't expect that Yang Yu's confidants could also have someone insert a nail.
The hands behind the back are quite long!
Liu Jin gritted his teeth and secretly sent his confidants to screen Beizhen Fusi, but he also hated Dai Dabin and Li Jing when they proposed marriage. If you had agreed to it, what would happen next? You are shameless, let's just wait and see.
But before this matter was over, something even more shocking and angry happened.
Previously, he instigated the emperor to reestablish the West Factory and let Gu Dayong take over the affairs of the West Factory.
Although there are Jin Yiwei in charge of bodyguards, arrests, and prison matters, Dongchang is responsible for investigating treason and treachery, but for out-of-town investigations, unless Beijing dispatches personnel for major matters, other cases are basically assisted by the local Jin Yiwei, and there is no
A government office specializing in foreign missions.
The reestablished Xichang had a very wide scope for investigation. "From the capital to the whole country, we can investigate things on the sidelines, even if the palace is unavoidable."
Gu Da used the West Factory to investigate the matter of grain and grass. By the way, he also went to monitor the dynamics of the royal palaces in various places. The latter was also one of the reasons why the young emperor agreed to establish the West Factory.
As for Liu Jin’s idea, it’s just that Qiu Ju’s east factory is not obeying orders, so he can just set up another factory. If he doesn’t overthrow Qiu Ju, he will also be left alone!
In the past, Gu Dayong respectfully handed over the information about granaries and other matters in various places, as well as the secrets of the royal family, to Liu Jin, and let Liu Jin go to heaven to listen.
In this way, Liu Jin earned enough status and reputation as a holy family, and he also paid filial piety. He was very satisfied with Gu Dayong. He even planned to kick Qiu Ju away and let Gu Dayong take charge of the East Factory.
But he never expected that Gu Dayong, who had always been following him around and supporting him in everything, would one day become disobedient.
Today, Gu Dayong bypassed him and reported directly to the young emperor. After investigation, Wu Dengxian, a resident of Nankang County in Jiangxi Province, and three other families were good at building dragon boats and were suspected of treason. He expropriated the three families and sent 930,000 taels of silver to the capital.
In April and May, there were droughts and locust plagues in Shandong and Henan, floods in the south of the Yangtze River, and it was discovered that grain and grass were damaged in Shanxi and Shaanxi, and there was a shortage of money everywhere. Gu Dayong sent money, and the little emperor naturally smiled brightly.
Praise for the usefulness of the grain.
Gu Dayong suddenly became a capable minister who won the emperor's trust in governing the country. The young emperor also expressed his intention to give Xichang more power.
As for whether building dragon boats is an old Dragon Boat Festival custom in the south of the Yangtze River, no one cares whether the three families were wronged or not.
This time Liu Jin didn't get any credit, let alone any money.
Three families were confiscated, and the money they took to Beijing for escort was only a million taels. I wonder how much Gu Da used this guy to swallow! Will a family that can build a dragon boat for the Dragon Boat Festival be a family with little money?
Moreover, there is that one vassal in Jiangxi! That one is famous for being a man with a lot of money and spreading money around. I am afraid that Gu Da used this skill to show that one. How could that one be seen?
Can you come up with the money in both hands?
Thinking of losing so much money, Liu Jin felt like he wanted to be pricked by needles. Thinking of Gu Dayong selling money to the emperor to win his favor, he even wanted to eat his flesh and sleep on his skin.
The combination of these things made him smash up the study room in anger.
At this moment, Liu Jin had vented enough and regained her breath. When she glared at the butler Liu Duofu, Liu Duofu quickly knelt down, took two steps on his knees, kowtowed, and said in a trembling voice: "You damn boy, go get it right now."
Twenty boards, let’s find out who are the blind people making trouble outside, and we will definitely let them know the consequences of daring to slander our ancestors..."
Liu Jin snorted from his nose and waved his hands. Seeing that Liu Duofu was only kowtowing and did not dare to look up at his gesture, he felt annoyed again and shouted: "Go, go, go!"
Liu Duofu hurriedly rolled out and crawled out. The two stewards who were working with him also took the opportunity to "roll" out.
Liu Jin's eyes glanced at the steward Liu Duoshou.
This person was originally a Jinyi school captain, with some martial arts skills and an understanding of Jinyiwei's detective skills. He was recruited from Jinyiwei after Liu Jin removed Mou Bin from power. He changed his slave's name and is now responsible for contacting Jinyiwei and things.
Two factories.
After all, Liu Duoshou was born in the army, but he was not as cowardly as Liu Duofu. He took a step forward, bowed and said: "After the investigation by the commander, Mr. Yang and the younger ones, three suspicious people have been found, and they were quietly detained.
When I got up, I didn't alert the snake. The younger one was thinking that just two people couldn't accomplish such a big thing, so I would like to ask my ancestors for advice if I should continue to sift through it."
Liu Jin said with a cold face: "Let Yang Yu do the work over there. From now on, you go and keep an eye on Xichang, Gu Dayong, and the two stalls his men left in Beijing. What did you see?
Whatever you do, I want to know!"
Liu Duoshou was a little surprised, and subconsciously looked back at the few stewards and staff behind him. Although they were all confidants of his ancestors, not everyone should know about this. As expected, many people's eyes widened.
"Ancestor...this..." He hesitated.
Liu Jin closed his eyes and called out the name of his godson, and the young chamberlain eloquently explained what Xichang had done in Jiangxi and Gu Dayong's performance.
Only then did everyone know the real reason for Liu Zuzong's anger. Many people were stunned, wondering if Liu Duofu would be furious if he knew that the twenty extra strikes he had given him were in vain. But he was at fault after all.
This board is not unfair.
After hearing what the young eunuch said, Liu Duoshou already had some concerns in his mind. He lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said to Liu Jin: "After all, he is from Xichang. I'm afraid I have to borrow some people from Mr. Yang."
Liu Jin looked calm and said in a cold voice: "Go and recruit some more useful people. Those from Yang Yu's side who want to come over will be accepted after checking them out."
Liu Duoshou was a little surprised, but he didn't dare to ask any more questions. He just responded, took two steps back, and exited with his two men.
Liu Jin asked two more staff members to write a countermeasure to quell rumors about forced marriages from outside. He also asked a staff member from Shaanxi to go to the provincial guild halls in Beibang to learn about the family status of unmarried people among the new Jinshi.
At first, he didn't take Dai Dabin's refusal of marriage seriously at all, thinking that after finding out the person behind Li Jing, he could still fulfill his niece's wish.
But now, with the commotion outside like this, even if Dai Dabin comes back and begs on his knees, he won't agree, so he has to find a good man for his niece.
The people who received the mission walked out of the study one after another.
The remaining few seem particularly "useless". When working around Liu Zuzong, it is definitely not possible if you don't know how to flatter, but if you can't do anything but flattery, you won't be able to tolerate it. Liu Zuzong is very seeking for talents.
Cherish and cherish talents.
The smart staff thought about Liu Jin's words just now, took a step forward, bowed and said: "No matter the West Factory or the East Factory, all of them were favored by Qiantai in the past. Now that they are in power, they only think about how to make progress and don't think about repaying anything in return.
My benefactor, this is not only the coldness and shallowness of the two of them, but it is also human nature."
Seeing Liu Jin slowly drinking a cup of ginseng soup, without even raising his eyelids after hearing these words, the staff took a step forward, but his voice was lowered: "It doesn't matter who is in the hands of the second factory of this thing.
If you want to plan for yourself, the students think that it is better to capture this factory in your hands, Chitose, and you are afraid that one of them will turn the world upside down."
Liu Jin put the cover cup aside and said angrily: "You are thinking well, are you going to kick out all Qiu Jugu and let me, your ancestor, take over the control of these two places?"
The staff member hurriedly said: "With so many things to do at a thousand years old, how can I still manage so many jobs at the same time? The student thinks that the East Factory has the responsibility of supervising the Jinyiwei, so who will supervise the East Factory? Let alone the West Factory. Without supervision, it is inevitable
Out of control, it would be better to set up a separate yamen and take charge of it personally. Not only could it be responsible for the affairs of the east and west factories, but it would also be responsible for supervising the east and west factories..."
Liu Jin glanced sideways at the staff member, "This yamen gate was built immediately?"
The staff member guessed Liu Jin's words and said with a smile: "When Taizu was the emperor, there were only Jin Yiwei. When he became the ancestor, he added the east factory. When he arrived at the Xian Temple, he added the west factory. Whether it is established or not, there is no ancestral law.
Isn’t it all a matter of the emperor’s words? Xichang, isn’t it because of Chitose’s advice that the emperor agreed to reinstatement?”
Liu Jin closed his eyes slightly, snorted a laugh from his nose, and said nothing.
The staff member felt more confident, so he whispered again: "Didn't you ask Liu Duoshou to recruit more people? There must be a place for the people to be placed, and they are all placed in the house. I'm afraid it's not appropriate. It's easy.
It’s not a good idea to record the population records and put them in the new government office. We should also take this opportunity to check the East and West No. 2 Factory.”
Liu Jin then smiled with satisfaction and said: "This is also true."
The staff member couldn't help but be overjoyed and hurriedly said: "Then the student will go down and write a statement, and we will consider it later?"
Liu Jin raised his eyelids and said, "Go."
At this moment, a steward outside reported respectfully: "Prince Zhang Yong, Eunuch Zhang, is here to visit."
Liu Jin's eyes immediately stood up, and he said in a humorless voice: "Why is this old boy here?" He swallowed the second half of the sentence "Here's a fucking joke about his ancestors".
The steward outside handed the post in cautiously, his hands trembling so much that he could hardly hold the paper. The chief steward and the second steward had both been rewarded with boards, so they couldn't help but not be afraid.
Liu Jin took it and saw that there was a gift list attached to the post. She couldn't help but said "Hey", flicked the list with two fingers, and a smile slowly appeared on her face.
He waved his hand and scolded: "Why are you so stupid? Your Grandpa Zhang is here, why don't you hurry up and serve tea in the flower hall?!"
Zhang Yong has gained some weight in the past two years, and his face looks a bit like Maitreya Buddha when he smiles. It is completely impossible to tell that this is a brave man who has led troops to suppress bandits and can also pick up a knife to kill thieves.
"Yande, why are you so polite?" Liu Jin also smiled, and his words were full of intimacy.
Zhang Yong smiled and said, "This is not something I'm asking for, brother." Although he knew there was no one around him, he still pretended to look at him twice, then leaned forward and whispered about Li.
After hearing this, Liu Jin said with a half-smile: "Whether it's a knight attack or a vanguard of the government army, you, the royal horse supervisor, can handle it. Why do you still come to my place?"
Zhang Yong slapped his thigh and said, "It's not that I'm being disrespectful, but I still need to ask my brother to give me some accurate words. How dare I not report any of these things to you, brother? That's really a shame.
."
Liu Jin laughed, pointed at Zhang Yong and said, "Don't come to praise me!"
After hearing two words of flattery, he knocked on the table, squinted his eyes, seemed to think over and over again, and finally smiled and said: "I can't even remember which Li is this. But the Marquis of Fengcheng...
..." He smacked his lips and said, "I can't tell, but he does have some family background."
Even if he didn't mention this, Zhang Yong would still have to say it. This is what he came here for today.
Zhang Yong said with a smile: "Li is an honest leader. That is to say, you should save some money during the suppression of bandits in Guangdong. It's not like you don't know about the bad things going on in the Hou family in Fengcheng. That old lady, hey, don't mention it, Li
This time the eldest son of the concubine also gave up all his wealth to seek a future."
"He wanted to burn incense, but he couldn't reach the threshold of the Buddhist hall, brother, so he took a few detours and got to my side. Brother, don't think you're too plucked, haha, brother.
The one who picked up the top ones has brought you here, so I beg you to be honest. The others are all brothers and I will run errands for them. The rest must be a little sweet for the boys below."
Liu Jin laughed loudly and said, "Look, you're too polite. Why spend money on such a trivial matter? How can I prevent you from falling behind?"
When Zhang Yong saw him holding the tea cup, he knew that this was done. Fang also picked up the tea cup, held it down twice, laughed, and joked unintentionally: "I'm not afraid of calling you Qiu Houhou."
Do you want to be the first? Brother, there is a first-come-first-served basis. Now that I have agreed to my request, no matter how much money Qiu Houhou gives me, just tell me and don’t go back on your word, as this will make things difficult for my brothers."
Qiu Ju refers to Qiu Ju. When he was young, Qiu Ju was as skinny as a monkey, so he got this nickname. Now he is no longer what he used to be, but he is a monkey spirit. The old people in the palace still call him Qiu Ju behind his back.
When Liu Jin heard about Qiu Ju, he frowned and said, "Is there anything else about him here?" His tone was light, but it was not hard to hear a bit of gritted teeth.
Zhang Yong seemed to have just realized that he had said something wrong. His fat cheeks trembled before he smiled and said: "I heard that Sun Ming, the Marquis of Huichang, went to the Qiu Hou family. I am not... thinking that Sun Ming has always been able to
In order to make money, for the sake of a few acres of land for my uncle, the brothers went through many scams. I don’t know how much money they spent on this, because they were afraid that an honest poor guy like Li would not be able to defeat him."
Liu Jin had already made a strong note of Qiu Ju in his heart, and immediately dealt with Qiu Ju and Gu Dayong's two disobedient things, but did not show it on his face. He sneered and said: "Yande, when are you so timid?"
Passed? Come on, brother, just keep your heart to yourself. Now that you have spoken, brother, how can I leave you and deal with others? This is how much it is, and I can still let you supplement me? It’s a joke.”
Zhang Yong also laughed and said a few funny words, which seemed to smooth over the matter.
The two of them chatted some more, and Liu Jin suddenly changed the topic and said: "What I want from Long Live is to send someone to the Shanshan-Shaanxi border to carefully inspect the granary and pasture. We have gone to the West Factory to inspect it first.
Naturally, I can’t go this time. Even if I want to avoid suspicion, it’s not easy for the people in the official prison in the Li Jian to go. I think it’s best to leave someone from your Royal Horse Prison.”
Zhang Yongyuan also thought about this. Although Liu Jin's people checked the food and grass all over the world and uncovered many frauds, there was definitely a lot of money hidden here. Especially in Shanxi, Wengui, the Minister of War, kept talking about building forts. That money
Wherever it was sent to the border, a lot of it went into Liu Jin's private pocket. It's hard to say whether this matter will withstand investigation.
Since Liu Jin said he wanted to find a royal horse supervisor, he just wanted him to cover up. Since he wanted to use Liu Jin's help to deal with Qiu Ju, he was ready for Liu Jin to create trouble for him.
Zhang Yong immediately laughed and said: "If someone really comes from the Royal Horse Prison, brother, I will definitely find someone who is prudent and safe, so that I can give him a good life, run errands for you, and live up to the relationship between the emperor and me."
The trust of our Royal Horse Guards. It’s just that it’s hard to say whether this matter falls on the Royal Horse Guards. The ordinary foreign missions, except for the Jin Yiwei, are Dongchang..."
Liu Jin glanced sideways at Zhang Yong, but did not accept the words. Instead, he said: "I see, Luo Xiang has been very down-to-earth in his work these years. If he goes on this errand, he will be an old brother. It's good to come back."
Arrange a good place for him in which camp, so as not to forget about our old friends all the time when we gain power."
Zhang Yong was stunned for a moment, and then slowly laughed, until his eyes became slits, and he looked more and more like Maitreya Buddha.
Luo Xiang was inserted into the Royal Horse Prison by Qiu Ju, and Liu Jin wanted to help him get out. The two of them had reached an alliance to deal with Qiu Ju.
"Brother Luo is really talented, but I'm afraid he's also quite straight and doesn't know how to turn around. When we get to the border, if we make those warriors crippled and the generals turn around and complain, it won't look good on our face." Zhang
Yong smiled and said.
Liu Jin dusted off the corner of his clothes and said nonchalantly: "Straight has the advantage of being precise."
He is not afraid that Luo Xiang is Qiu Ju's man and will come to check him out. He has many means to make Luo Xiang submit. Maybe he can use Luo Xiang's medicine introduction to deal with Qiu Ju.
Zhang Yong stopped talking and said no more. He cupped his hands and said with a smile, "Since I said so, the Royal Horse Inspector is obliged to do this job."
On the fifteenth day of the fifth month, Li Guo and his heir held a banquet in honor of relatives and friends.
Naturally, this banquet was not held at the Fengcheng Hou Mansion, but in his small house.
There were only a few guests at the table. In addition to Mrs. Li's relatives, they were his friends and subordinates in the Jinyi Guards, and even his brothers from the Marquis of Fengcheng Mansion were not present. The Tai Madam even complained that she was ill in the future.
I don’t know how many people in Youjue saw his jokes.
Although Shen Rui and his wife appeared at the ceremony, they dressed in a low-key manner and asked the Li family not to publicize their identities. Most of the guests were low-ranking military officers and did not pay attention to the new Jinshi. No one knew the origins of this young couple.
Li was quite calm about this situation, but Li Xi couldn't help but feel a little angry. He wanted to make some use of Shen Rui's identity, but was stopped by Li.
When Li Xi met Shen Rui, he couldn't help but complain vaguely.
But Shen Rui only smiled and said: "There is a saying that you are never afraid of being late if you have a good meal. I wonder if Brother Li has heard of it."
Li Xi was stunned for a moment, then forced a smile. He was a smart man after all, so he didn't say much and just thanked him profusely.
Shen Rui originally wanted to stay and have a feast, but seeing the situation, he gave up. After watching the ceremony with Yang Tian, he left.
It happened to be still early, so the young couple went to Xiyuan happily, hand in hand.
On May 16th, an imperial edict suddenly arrived at the Fengcheng Hou Mansion. Yesterday, the wife, who had claimed that she was too ill to leave the courtyard, now had better legs and feet than anyone else, and she quickly dressed up and arrived at the front hall.
However, when the imperial eunuch heard that Li, the eldest son of the concubine of the Marquis of Lao Fengcheng, was to take over the imperial edict, the lady was like a thunderbolt and fell on her widowed daughter-in-law.
After that, she became really ill, and until her death, she never took a step out of her own hospital for twenty years.
As for Li Xi's widowed wife, she had been serving her mother-in-law who was "seriously ill" for twenty years, and was also known as a story of filial piety.
As for Li, he received two imperial edicts on this day.
The former group inherited the title of Marquis Fengcheng, and the latter group took charge of the vanguard of the government army.
This time Fengcheng Marquis Mansion held another banquet, with hundreds of tables in the inner and outer courtyards, and most of the noble families in Beijing came to congratulate the banquet.
Of course, Shen Rui and his wife did not go that day.
Li Xi was made drunk by brothers, friends he knew and did not know, and he was carried back to the room until the banquet was over. He was induced to vomit, and his stomach was completely vomited.
The maid of the house brought a bowl of japonica rice porridge.
I don't know if it was because his stomach was empty, but the aroma of the rice porridge was so alluring that Li Xi didn't even care about boiling it, and drank more than half of the bowl in two or three mouthfuls.
The maid beside him proudly claimed the credit: "I expected you to have a few more drinks. The table in front of you is greasy, so I'm afraid you won't be able to eat it. Porridge is the most nourishing. This is first-class."
Good pearls and fragrant honey, my servant will keep an eye on the fire..."
Pearl fragrant honey. Li Xi stopped and looked at the bowl of porridge carefully.
This rice is named for its pearl-like shape, fragrant aroma when cooked, and extremely sweet taste when eaten. During the Chenghua period, it became tribute rice, and wealthy people often ate this rice to show their status.
When he was young, the only time the family would have a reunion dinner together on New Year's Eve was that the precious tribute rice from his grandfather, Marquis of Fengcheng, would be allocated for all his children and grandchildren to eat. Each of them would only have one bowl.
, there is a certain amount of success.
His father was an unpopular bastard. It was good to have food on weekdays, and he didn't have to choose what kind of rice it was. Ever since his grandfather passed away, he had never eaten such fragrant rice.
Pearl-flavored honey, the tribute rice that the wife could not wait to eat one by one, now he can have a maid by his side to cook porridge at will.
Li Xi was holding the rice bowl and suddenly burst into laughter.
The maid just said that he was drunk and crazy, so she nudged him and continued teasing and coaxing him. But she heard him ask, "Have you ever heard of that saying, it's never too late to have a good meal."
The maid was a little confused and said blankly: "I don't like porridge, but you want to eat? My stomach is still empty, so it's better to drink porridge first. Dry rice is too hard, so don't hurt your spleen and stomach..."
Li Xi ignored her and laughed louder and louder, eventually becoming almost crazy.
The next day, the mansion received a pile of posts one foot high inviting Marquis Fengcheng and the Crown Prince (who were not invited to the title but were both called as such) to the banquet.
However, Li Xi didn't even look through it. He asked Li for permission, then rummaged through boxes and cabinets in the warehouse to find some rare items. He ordered people to quietly distribute them to Zhang Yong's private residence and the British government palace. Li Xi took a copy and went there in person.
Go to Shen Mansion.
"It's not that I want to ask for a title. I also know that my father just got this title and it needs to be secure. But I can't be so idle. I want to find a job. I don't ask for any future. I just want to do some practical things.
My son, it’s good to learn your skills, even if you gain more experience. Unfortunately, I’ve never known a sensible person before, and I don’t understand anything, so I shamelessly come to ask my second brother for advice.”
Li Xi is a full six years older than Shen Rui, but he calls her second brother affectionately.
Shen Rui didn't correct him. If Li Xi took advantage of the situation and came to discuss the affairs of Prince Feng, Shen Rui would send the guests off with a few perfunctory words. From then on, he would only deal with Li and would not pay attention to Li Xi anymore.
But when Li Xi came and wanted to find a job where he could learn his skills, Shen Ruigao looked at him.
Shen Rui smiled lightly and said: "Brother Li..."
Li Xi hurriedly said: "Yesterday, my father told me to choose the name, Yaoting. Second brother, just call me to give me the name."
Guangyao Menting? Shen Rui smiled and followed the rules, "According to the laws of this dynasty, brother Yaoting will soon have the title of Jinyiwei Baihu. Xiyuan is not accessible, and the avant-garde of the government army is under the control of your father. To avoid suspicion
You can't go either. Brother Yaoting can go wherever he wants." Li Xi hurriedly said: "I'm clumsy, second brother, don't blame me, I really don't know where to go."
Shen Rui couldn't help but curse in his heart, if you were clumsy, all the parrots in the world would be mute.
I heard him say quite frankly: "To tell you from the bottom of my heart, if the second brother Zhang is still in Jingwei Martial Arts School, then I will naturally follow the second brother Zhang. But now the second brother Zhang, Ding You, others, hey,
I'm not afraid of my second brother's jokes. No one really thinks highly of me. I think I'm just lucky. I really want to learn something and don't want to get a salary for nothing and let them sit around."
This was a true statement. Shen Rui looked at Li Xi for a while and suddenly asked: "Do you recognize Zhao Hongpei, the fourth son of Uncle Wu Jing's house?"
Li Xi hurriedly said: "I recognize him, but I'm afraid... the Fourth Young Master doesn't recognize me. Does the second brother want to introduce me to the Fourth Young Master Zhao?"
Shen Rui did not answer, but asked again: "I think you have never traveled far, do you dare to go out?"
Li Xi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly became ecstatic, "Second brother is saying that Fourth Young Master Zhao is going to send a foreign mission?"
Shen Rui waved his hand and said: "Don't be too happy too early. Foreign travel is not a good thing as everyone says. This trip is a hard job, and maybe there is not much to gain."
Li Xi said quickly: "Second brother looks down on me. Am I the one who pursues profit?! I really admire Mr. Zhao Fourth and am willing to follow him..."
"Yes." Shen Ruike was too lazy to listen to the flattery of this smooth-tongued man, "If you are willing, I can recommend him, but whether or not Mr. Zhao chooses him or not is beyond my control."
Li Xi hurriedly stood up and bowed his head. He was so grateful that he even tied a grass ring in his hand to repay his kindness.
Shen Rui was too lazy to talk about him. He himself wanted to send him to Zhao Hongpei, but he also liked his tongue and his ability to bend and stretch. It would be no problem to stop at the front station when he went out to run errands.
"You have to endure hardships when you go out. I see, brother Yaoting's riding skills are good?" Shen Rui asked.
Li Xi smiled bitterly and said: "First of all, there is only one horse left in the house. It is the last bit of dignity that the descendants of the Hou family have, so they have not been lost."
Shen Rui said sternly: "Brother Yaoting, your Majesty defeated the barbarians in Guangdong and made many military exploits, which enabled him to be promoted to the high position he is today. Brother Yaoting is now the only son of the Marquis. How can he not know about soldiers and martial arts?"
?Brother Yaoting, since he has the title of Jinyiwei, he still needs to pick up martial arts as soon as possible. In the future, whether he is serving in the capital or being sent on foreign missions, he will have nothing to fear."
Li Xi immediately bowed his head to the ground and said sincerely: "Second brother said all his kind words. Xi thanked him for his advice."
Shen Rui was recruiting people for Zhao Hongpei, who was about to leave for Shanshan and Shaanxi. At this time, the palace was also discussing the candidates for the "imperial envoy" to be sent to Shanshan and Shaanxi.
Xiyuan, Taisu Hall, Baofanggong Palace
Since the Xiyuan Garden was renovated and built, the young emperor would come here from time to time to play and stay for a while. Later, he simply moved to live in the palace and refused to return to the palace.
After entering Xiyuan, the Empress Dowager had a good conversation with him, and then the young emperor was allowed to return to Qianqing Palace.
It's hot now, and the little emperor couldn't bear his temper, so he came to Xiyuan to stay for a while, euphemistically calling it a summer escape.
When Xiyuan was first built, the Taisu Hall and the Swan Room Palace were connected into one, and the courtyard was built separately. The palace was built on several floors, with secret rooms on both sides and linked columns. The little emperor happily called this place "
"New House", where the living, sitting, sleeping, criticism and memorials are all located here. Because it is close to Baofanghu City, the outside is called "Baofang Gong's House".
At this time, in the Nuan Pavilion of the side hall, Liu Jin, Gu Dayong, and Qiu Ju stood with their hands down.
The little emperor was dressed in cool gauze, leaning on the bamboo couch with his feet up. There were white porcelain basins on the side where the cold air from the icebergs curled up like smoke, and there were obviously red and green fruits with water beads hanging on them, which made people feel...
It is a way of relieving the heat by looking at the mouth and tongue.
Brother Shou was holding the nine-link ring in his hand, as if he had no intention of understanding them. He didn't even raise his eyelids and said lazily, "Let's talk."
But it was Qin Kuan, the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, who was selected by the cabinet to be the censor of Shanshan and Shaanxi patrols. This man was selected with great difficulty by Li Dongyang, Wang Hua and Yang Tinghe, who had nothing to do with Jiao Dang or Liu Jin. Although this person was regarded as Wang Hua's,
Li Dongyang was not very satisfied, but there was no better candidate.
There was no objection from the little emperor's side, but he just proposed that someone from the inner court should be appointed as the imperial envoy.
The cabinet was well aware of this and immediately stated that the selection of candidates for the inner court would be decided by the emperor.
Therefore, the little emperor called Liu Jin, the three people in charge of factory guards, to hear their recommendations for candidates.
Liu Jin did his duty and was the first to stand up and said: "Long live my Lord, I think I can send the Royal Horse Prison Lieutenant on a foreign trip this time."
Brother Shou let out an exasperated sigh, raised his eyelids, and looked sideways at Qiu Ju.
Qiu Ju had a straight face, and when he saw the emperor's eyes glancing at him, he bowed and said, "My slave, I second the proposal."
Brother Shou looked away and nodded to Liu Jin to continue. He started tinkering with the nine rings again. When the silver rings collided, the sound was particularly clear and sweet.
Liu Jin then cleared his throat and said: "I think that Luo Xiang is an old man from the East Palace. He has served Wan Sui for many years. He knows Wan Sui's intentions well and is honest and upright. If he is sent to Shanshan, he will be able to investigate the matter for Wan Sui."
It’s clear and clear.”
Qiu Ju lowered his head, trying his best to block the ferocious look on his face.
He planned for Liaodong, and they came to rob him; he planned for the vanguard of the government army, and they dug him out of nowhere to rob him! Now, they also want to remove Luo Xiang, who he had worked so hard to insert into the Royal Horse Prison.
Once, twice or three times, which one is intolerable?
Do you really think I am dead?!
"I think Luo Xiang is not suitable." Qiu Ju didn't even raise his head, and his voice was almost flat without any fluctuation. "Although Luo Xiang is steady, he doesn't know how to fight. This time he has to investigate the matter of grain and fodder, and he also has to deal with the border generals.
, If you don’t know about military matters, I’m afraid it will be in vain if you go.”
Liu Jin interrupted coldly: "Since Luo Xiang doesn't know how to fight, he shouldn't be in the Royal Horse Prison. He should be transferred back to the Imperial Prison."
Qiu Ju ignored him, raised his head suddenly, and reported to the young emperor in a loud voice: "This time we want to investigate the fraud in the granary and pasture, we must find someone who knows the military affairs and the management of grain and grass, so that we can find out whether anyone has done anything.*
**The maid believes that Zhang Yong, the only one in the Royal Horse Prison who has led troops outside, understands everything here best and can clarify this matter for Long Live Lord."
As soon as these words came out, the remaining three people were startled.
Gu Da subconsciously turned his head to look at Qiu Ju, his face full of surprise and he couldn't hide it.
Liu Jin also had an angry look on his face, and said sternly: "I'm confused, Zhang Yong is the imperial horse supervisor, how can I leave him lightly?"
Brother Shou stopped taking apart the nine-ring chain in his hand, tilted his head, and looked up and down Qiqiu Julai with very exaggerated movements as if he was curious.
Qiu Ju didn't seem to notice the little emperor's gaze. He squinted at Liu Jin with his narrow eyes, showing great arrogance and contempt, and said sarcastically: "Are you afraid that Zhang Yong is too knowledgeable and will find out something disadvantageous to you?
"
Liu Jin was so angry that he laughed back and said solemnly: "I am dedicated to Long Live Lord and the Ming Dynasty, so why should I be afraid of being investigated? But you pushed Zhang Yong to the border. Who will be in charge of such a big thing in the Royal Horse Prison? Luo Xiang, can he do it?
?Or you, Qiu Ju, want to go to the Royal Horse Supervisor to get the palm seal?"
Gu Dayong lifted up his clothes and knelt down, kowtowed to the ground, and said only to himself: "Xichang is loyal to run errands for Lord Long Live, and I don't dare to have the slightest selfishness. Everything I checked is true, and I don't dare to lie in the slightest."
Qiu Ju's face was full of sarcasm, he snorted loudly, and asked: "Which one in the East Factory and the West Factory is not loyal to run errands for Long Live Lord? Everything I found out is straight, direct, and clear."
He said the four words "directly to heaven" one by one, with a strong accent, but his eyes glanced at Liu Jin again.
Everything found out in the West Factory was first reported to Liu Jin, and then Liu Jin came to the emperor to please him. How could the emperor not know about it? And if Liu Jin withheld information that was detrimental to him, the emperor would naturally not disbelieve it.
Liu Jin's face was ashen, he clenched his fists tightly in his sleeves, veins popped out, and he glared at Qiu Ju angrily, "It's an ancestral rule, and the Chief of Ceremonies' approval is to share the emperor's worries."
Qiu Ju sneered, but did not look at him. He seemed to be saying to himself: "It is the ancestral rule that the cabinet votes should be drafted and the ceremonial supervisor approves." The implication was that the factory guard's investigation was not among them.
With a bang, the little emperor threw the nine-ring chain on the table. The three of them were startled, and their previous snarling gestures immediately disappeared, and they all behaved themselves.
Brother Shou glanced at Gu Dayong, who was still lying on the ground, and said: "Gu Dayong, please use it." Then he looked at Liu Jinqiu Ju and said calmly: "I naturally know your loyalty. You are the one who chooses to go to Shanxi.
I also know what it means, and I will think about it. Just go."
But before the three of them left the hall, he had already raised his voice to greet Zhang Yong and Luo Xiang outside the door.
Liu Jinqiu glared at each other, sparks flying in their eyes, and finally shook each other's sleeves and left angrily.
Although the three of them were sent away by the little emperor, none of them left Xiyuan. They each found a room to sit in, waiting for the news inside.
After half an hour, Zhang Yongluoxiang hurried over.
The little emperor first called Luo Xiang to go in, but he picked up a pen and asked a few arithmetic problems, and asked the little chamberlain to take Luo Xiang down to do it.
Luo Xiang didn't know why, and his forehead was covered with sweat. He was not good at this. He kept thinking that this was over, so he went down to do the questions with a grimace.
When Zhang Yong was called in to see him, the young emperor was rewarded with a bowl of iced sour plum soup.
Zhang Yong was inexplicably moved and thanked him repeatedly. A bowl of sweet and sour plum soup, which was sour and refreshing, really quenched his thirst and relieved his fever.
At this time, I heard Brother Shou say: "Dad companion, I want you to take a trip to Shanxi."
The bowl of sour plum soup suddenly became sour and ice-cold. Zhang Yong felt his whole body stiffen and couldn't turn around. Why did this job fall on him?
"Slave..." Zhang Yong opened his mouth for a long time, as if his tongue was suddenly frozen, and he couldn't say "Zunzhi" for some reason.
Brother Shou looked solemn and said slowly: "My dear friend, have you ever remembered that I told you earlier that I wanted to use you on Jiubian, not on Southside?"
Zhang Yong came to his senses immediately, his body was no longer stiff, and his mind was clear. He immediately knelt down on the ground and said: "I am willing to die for the long live Lord."
Brother Shou then laughed, like a child who got his favorite candy, his smile was bright and innocent, but he spoke the cold words of an emperor: "Big companion, I only believe in you, go and check it out with me,
Every year, a lot of money is thrown away at Jiubian; the frontier army is so bad that if the Tatars knock on the border, they will be able to take a blow."
After a pause, he slowly said: "Let's go and see what's going on in Prince Jin's Mansion. There are too many things going on in his family. Go and show me who is causing trouble behind the scenes.
"
The sour plum soup with ice residue sent a chill through his belly, but Zhang Yong felt his blood boiling all over his body. He kowtowed heavily and said firmly: "I will definitely live up to my destiny!"
Brother Shou personally stretched out his hand to help Zhang Yong up. Looking at his excited face, he smiled and repeated softly: "Daban, I only believe in you."
Zhang Yong almost had tears in his eyes. All the difficulties, obstacles and conspiracies in Shanxi were irrelevant. Only the word "faith" of the young emperor was more important than Mount Tai.
However, the little emperor suddenly said: "This time, it was Qiu Ju who recommended you to go. Liu Daban is worried that there is no one in charge of the Yumajian stall."
Zhang Yong was stunned for a moment, then understood and whispered: "Long live, don't worry, I understand, I will act cautiously, and won't let this matter be exposed in the slightest."
Brother Shou nodded with satisfaction, then gave some careful instructions, and then rewarded Zhang Yong with a personal white jade dragon pendant, as written in the play, giving him the power to make arbitrary decisions when the situation arises.
As for Luo Xiang's test questions, he copied them carefully after answering them before he dared to ask the servant to hand them to the emperor. However, Brother Shou threw them aside without even looking at them.
Zhang Yong, who was beaming with joy in the side hall, put on a dejected look as soon as he left the palace gate, and walked all the way back to the Forbidden City from Bao Fang Gong's Palace. Everyone thought he had been reprimanded by the emperor.
Soon the imperial edict came down, and Zhang Yong once again served as an imperial envoy, and together with Qin Kuan, the patrol censor, inspected the border granary and pasture.
The servants thought they knew the reason for Zhang Yong's bitter look, and many people tried to persuade him openly or covertly. Even Liu Jin called Zhang Yong over to have a drink. During the dinner, they talked about how to protect him.
And how Qiu Ju harmed him.
Zhang Yong only got himself drunk and cursed Qiu Ju once while he was drunk. Using the strength of the wine, he squeezed Liu Jin's hand tightly and said with hatred: "Brother, Qiu Hou is so evil that he walked away."
I, he has taken over the Royal Horse Prison, and I am going to challenge you, brother. Brother, raising a tiger will lead to trouble, raising a tiger will lead to trouble."
He was a martial artist after all, and his hands were so strong that Liu Jin gritted his teeth in pain.
Liu Jin was furious and gritted his teeth and said: "Don't worry, Yande, I will knock the monkey's Tianling Gai back and drink with you with his brain."
Qiu Ju was naturally elated because he had managed to win the game. He also held a banquet and drank with his confidants. He was also planning on how to deal with Liu Jin in the next step.
Shen Rui also didn't expect that Zhang Yong would go to Shanshan in the end. Zhang Yong went to him privately and asked him for four ready-made accounting rooms in the Shen family's shop.
"My people are afraid that they have already found out clearly, and it is too dazzling, so I have to ask you to borrow someone." Zhang Yong said.
Shen Rui knew that Zhang Yong was serious about investigating Jiubian's fraud, so he needed to numb Liu Jin in front of him. Thinking that Liu Jin ended up falling into the hands of Zhang Yong in his previous life, he gained a lot of confidence.
He thought for a while and said: "You also know that Zhao Hongpei, the fourth son of Uncle Wu Jing's Mansion, has taken over Zhang Hui's errand and is going to Shanshan. There is also Li Xi, the heir of Marquis Li of Fengcheng, who is also going with Fourth Brother Zhao.
The twenty-seven men of the Lu family are all familiar to you. They are among our own people. You see, why not put these four accountants in their ranks and wait until they leave Beizhili before you take them away to avoid being killed prematurely?
Keep an eye on."
Zhang Yong pointed at Shen Rui and scolded him with a smile: "You are quite calculating, so you did a favor to Marquis Fengcheng and kidnapped his heir. He is the only 'son'."
Shen Rui smiled and said: "It's really not a plot against him, it's because he wanted to find a job where he could learn his skills. I saw that he was good at dealing with people and was very articulate, so I thought of finding someone to help Fourth Brother Zhao.
What he can learn from this trip is not much more than what he can learn from staying in any camp and eating nothing. This is mutual benefit."
Although Zhang Yong smiled, his face showed a sense of vicissitudes of life, and he sighed: "You little guys have grown up too. In the future, the emperor will be pointing at you."
Shen Rui joked: "You are only forty! Could it be that you will retire and return home soon?"
Zhang Yong laughed and gave him a light slap, but suddenly sighed: "The emperor has grown up and is no longer a child."
Shen Rui's heart trembled, and he immediately calmed down and said in a low voice: "Rui is saved. Rui never dares to overstep even half a point."
"That's good." Zhang Yong closed his eyes slightly, let out a long sigh, and said: "Your Majesty, you have always been very smart. Old Liu and Lao Qiu even wanted to treat him like a child and coax him. Hey, do you know who is coaxing him?
Who."
Both of them fell into silence for a moment.
Shen Rui also knew that the little emperor in front of him was by no means the child described in the history books of his previous life who only loved playing and was coaxed around by the Eight Tigers.
As Zhang Yong said, at present, we still don’t know who is coaxing whom.
Liu Jin seems to be so arrogant and assertive at every turn, but it may not be the sharp knife that the emperor uses to deal with those old ministers. When the emperor uses this knife to chop off the people who deserve to be chopped, and establishes the right to speak, he will kill Liu Jin, and he will be defeated.
This has been the consistent routine of emperors since ancient times.
He just didn't know whether the little emperor could master this degree. Liu Jin had already harmed many people. There were still two years until the downfall of this powerful eunuch in history. Moreover, another big event was about to happen.
There are still people’s lives to fill in...
Seeing that Shen Rui was deep in thought, Zhang Yong patted him on the shoulder again and comforted him: "The emperor is the person who values the most friendship. We have had friendship with you and Zhang Hui since we were young. You both have a sense of propriety."
You are such good children, the Emperor will naturally protect you."
He paused and said meaningfully: "Now, there are always things on your master's side, your father-in-law's side, and the government that are not in line with the emperor's wishes. I'm afraid you will be in trouble if you are caught in the middle. But you have to remember
, your loyalty to the emperor will not change, and the emperor’s affection for you will not change."
Shen Rui could only give a bitter smile, but this matter was unsolvable. After all, he was a civil servant.
Xiyuan, Swan Room.
The Swan House now lives up to its name. It surrounds a lake on an island and houses twenty or thirty swans. It has clear water and white feathers, and the scenery is picturesque.
However, Brother Shou was sitting in the pavilion by the lake, with his legs crossed and bored, throwing in handfuls of fish food, not even looking at the koi carps competing for food in the lake, and silently saying disgraceful words to Shen Rui:
"Liaodong
I have been clamoring for the tribute of Hai Dongqing for two years, but it has not been delivered yet. I am still waiting to see Hai Dongqing get the swan. The same goes for Lu Erqilang. There are many horses in Liaodong, so why not
Why don't we get some eagles?"
Shen Rui resisted the urge to roll his eyes and forced a smile, "Haidongqing is ferocious. I heard that it is difficult to capture it. It is even more time-consuming to cook the eagle. Even if they catch it, they have to train it before they dare to take it to the imperial court."
"
Brother Shou hummed twice, threw another handful of fish food down, and suddenly said happily: "By the way, you haven't heard Zang Xian's pipa, it is also a masterpiece. I will send him to him later, you can listen to him."
"Haiqing takes the swan", it's really like big beads and small beads falling on a jade plate..." After that, he asked Liu Zhong to tell the little chamberlain who was waiting at a distance to pass on people.
Shen Rui had no choice but to say thank you.
Brother Shou stopped feeding the fish. He threw down a bag of fish food, clapped his hands, and asked casually: "Zhang Yong, Qin Kuan left earlier, and Zhao Hongpei and Li Xi also left yesterday. These two groups
Why haven’t you left together yet?”
There was no one around, so he said bluntly without any scruples, "Did Zhang Yongyong ask you to borrow someone, and why did you go in two ways?"
"There really is nothing I can hide from the Emperor." Shen Rui said with a smile, "No, Lord Qin and Eunuch Zhang came to Beijing as imperial envoys. Although Zhao Hongpei and Zhao Hongpei also followed the emperor's instructions, they are not considered official envoys after all. It is not easy to communicate with the imperial envoys.
Traveling the same way, Zhao Hongpei and the others are walking a little faster, and they will probably be able to catch up when they enter Shanxi."
Brother Shou nodded and said with a smile: "You are still very thorough in your work."
Shen Rui thanked him with a smile, paused for a moment, and then mentioned: "As I mentioned to the emperor before, my uncle has set up a school on the outskirts of the city, and now some students are studying there. Because of Master Zhang Yongzhang, I want to
Yes, there is room on the farm to the left and right
, it would be better to open the agricultural schools, commercial schools, and craftsmen schools that the general mentioned in his previous letter. Besides, even cultivating accounting offices will be of great use, such as Liaodong, Shandong, and future sea trade and river transportation...
…”
He also took a fancy to the place, which was not far from the center of Beijing. It had beautiful scenery and simple folk customs, and could be used to create a "university town".
Brother Shou nodded and said, "You had a very good idea before, but I just don't know if the people will recognize it."
Shen Rui said: "Songjiang is doing well now. The several schools there are now managed by the brothers of the Chen clan. The farming school is the best. Because Songjiang also wants to build ships, the craftsman school is also prosperous now.
"In addition to boatmen, there are also many weavers. There is little land in the south. Ordinary people always have to find some way to make a living to supplement their family income. Weaving is an important one. The craftsman school teaches people how to weave fast and well, which is very popular among the people.
"Currently, the Commercial School is mainly teaching accountants. Since I have gained some experience in the south, I thought of trying it in the north."
Brother Shou said obligingly: "Then let's give it a try. There aren't that many business people in the north. I came out of the accounting office, but I was told to go to Liaodong. It's hard to leave my homeland, and I don't want to go even if I'm afraid."
Shen Rui smiled and said: "If the salary is high, I will be happy to go."
Brother Shou laughed loudly and said, "That's good."
While chatting about the progress of shipbuilding and navy maintenance in Xiyuan, Brother Shou seemed to suddenly remember something. He frowned and asked Shen Rui, "Where is Zhuangzi in the suburbs of Beijing?"
Shen Rui didn't know why, so he replied: "It's in the east of the city, about five or six miles away, over to Guojiatun."
Brother Shou relaxed his brows, nodded and said, "That's very good."
Shen Rui became increasingly confused and asked, "Is there anything wrong with the place?"
Brother Shou looked at him for a while, and finally sighed and said: "There is a rumor about impeachment. The British Duke Zhang Maozi Zhang Ming and Zhang Qin let their slaves commit crimes, seizing acres of land in Fengrun County, Shuntian Prefecture, and defrauding land taxes."
Shen Rui was shocked and hurriedly stood up. He wanted to say a few words for the British government, but he couldn't say anything.
He doesn't know the inside story of other people's affairs, so why should he guarantee them for them?
After all, this is not Zhang Hui's business.
Although Zhang Ming, the third son of the British prince, was very kind to the Zhang Hui brothers, he was caught by Dongchang for absenteeism from work in the first place. It is hard to say what his character is.
As for Zhang Qin Xingsi, in Zhang Hui's mouth, this was Zhang Gang's bastard. Especially his daughter-in-law's fourth wife, Yang Tian told Shen Rui about her behavior when the You family gave birth that day, which fully proved this point.
These two people committed a crime, what can Shen Rui say?
But the matter involves the British government...
Brother Shou watched Shen Rui's expression change, and finally sneered and said: "A big tree will inevitably have dead branches, don't you understand? I know you are worried about Zhang Er, but you look at me as a foolish king who expresses his anger indiscriminately.
?”
Shen Rui hurriedly said, "I dare not, I am afraid," and so on.
Suddenly, news came that Zang Xian was coming, and his pipa skills were indeed amazing, but Shen Rui had no intention of admiring them.
Especially when he saw Qian Ning coming with Zang Xian, Shen Rui felt that he didn't want to see her. It was worse than being out of sight and out of mind.
Brother Shou discussed music theory and repertoire with Zang Xian again, and had nothing to discuss with Shen Rui, so he allowed Shen Rui to leave.
After leaving Xiyuan, Shen Rui did not go directly to the British government residence, but went to Yue's family.
From Yang Tinghe's mouth, he learned that today, Zhang Huai, the Superintendent of Ceremonies, Zuo Jiancheng of the Ministry of Household Affairs, Zhang Jin, Zhang Luan, the Yushi of Zuo Qiandu of the Imperial Procuratorate, and Yang Yu, the commander of the Jinyiwei, jointly submitted a letter of impeachment.
This cheating of land taxes is not a recent occurrence. It can even be traced back to the tenth year of Hongzhi. Since Zhengde, land invasion has become more and more rampant.
Some local people in Fengrun County voluntarily opened up wasteland. Because it was adjacent to a British government estate, Zhao Wencai, the servant who managed the estate, forged the deed, invaded the acres cultivated by others, and recruited refugees to live in the land as tenants.
The imperial court repeatedly sent officials from the Ministry of Husbandry, the Ministry of Punishment, and even the Shuntian Prefecture to investigate and reconcile, but Zhao Wencai still dared to gather a crowd to throw stones and injure the officials. Everyone was afraid of Zhao Wencai's viciousness, so they just made a register and paid the report as before.
This time, it hit the hands of Zhang Luan, the censor of Zuo Qiandu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and was stabbed in front of the emperor.
"These guys..." Shen Rui tapped his hands and counted. Yang Yu, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, and Zhang Luan, the imperial censor of the Zuoqian capital of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, are all Liu Jin's people, and the Supervisor of Ceremonies... is probably the same. This matter
Is it Liu Jin who is making trouble?
"But because the British minister previously said that the strategy proposed by Wengui, 'making arrow windows and blunderbuss holes in the ancient piers to ambush the troops' was useless?" Shen Rui asked.
After all, Wengui paid for Liu Jin.
Yang Tinghe stroked his beard and said: "On the surface, they all appear to be Liu Jin's people, but that's not necessarily true. Zhang Huai, the Superintendent of Ceremonies, is from Li Rong's family. But Yang Yu is a fool."
Shen Rui smiled, Yang Yu was indeed a stick, and was easily taken advantage of.
Someone wants to drive a wedge between the British government and Liu Jin?
He couldn't help but think of Dai Dabin's incident, which was also a bit strange, as if he wanted to provoke Shilin's dissatisfaction with Liu Jin.
Is this someone who wants to bring down Liu Jin and create some enemies for Liu Jin here?
"Father-in-law, look, I want to inform the British government..." Shen Rui asked.
Yang Tinghe said calmly: "It's nothing. Qi Wan's honorable family has done things like this a lot. The Zhou family and Zhang family made trouble at the beginning... This time it was just a legitimate son and a bastard, and the old Duke could take care of it with just a raise of his hand. The British Duke
The mansion has stood firm after several dynasties, and it has its own secret method."
Shen Rui smiled and said, "My son-in-law is worrying too much."
Although he heard Yang Tinghe's words, Shen Rui still ran to the British government residence and had a secret conversation with Zhang Hui's study.
Zhang Hui'er was extremely calm after receiving the letter, and sneered: "This is not the only thing they did. These servants used to not even pay attention to the weaker masters of the family. How could they care about some small things?"
Officer, huh, now Zhang Qin is finished. It’s just the third uncle, maybe Zhang Qin can be coaxed to show his name.”
Shen Rui didn't want to interfere in other people's housework, but just wanted to give a few reminders, and then he just said: "Everything lately is a series of schemes, and there are traps everywhere. You should be more careful."
Zhang Hui smiled and said: "Don't worry, I am observing filial piety at home. If I don't go out, what trouble can I cause?"
However, neither Zhang Hui nor Shen Rui expected that this matter would snowball and involve more and more people.
All the officials who had kept silent because they were afraid of Zhao Wencai's evil were all questioned.
The British Duke Zhang Mao pleaded guilty and impeached himself. However, during the subsequent review by the Metropolitan Procuratorate, it was suddenly revealed that Zhang Ming was acting as a cover-up for someone else, and the real owners who occupied the farm were his grandsons Zhang Lun and Zhang Hui.
The Supervisor of Rites and the Ministry of Household Affairs further investigated the land in Fengrun County and found that more than a dozen clan members, relatives, and nobles, including Prince Rong, Princess Yongkang, Marquis Zhou Shou of Qingyun, etc., had occupied the land to varying degrees and defrauded land taxes.
The Jin Yiwei also found out that among the refugees recruited by Zhao Wencai and others as tenant farmers, there were actually the same batch of refugees from Shanxi in the winter of the first year of Zhengde.
These people were originally placed in Xiyuan to work. After the spring, the imperial court issued an order to repatriate them, but for some reason, Zhao Wencai gathered them at the village.
On the outskirts of Beijing, refugees gathered together with ulterior motives. If they were charged with treason, they would implicate the nine tribes.
At the beginning, the British government, the consort Cai Zhen and other nobles all wrote letters expressing their willingness to use Zhuangzi on the outskirts of their own city as a temporary resettlement site for refugees outside the city.
Going further back, the first place to encounter refugees was Shenjiazhuang at that time, now Xiang'anzhuang.
The first person to publish a note to appease the refugees was Shen Rui.