With this sentence, Xiao Chaoguo was not praising Ning Fei.
He pointedly said: "I have seen people like you in the capital, but the money I found in secret is enough for him to live for ten lifetimes."
Xiao Chaoguo was already suspicious.
Because Ning Fei is too honest, this is simply unimaginable and impossible.
Today's imperial court is not stingy when it comes to officials. Ning Fei's annual salary from his official position is equivalent to nearly three hundred taels of silver!
One tael of silver is enough to feed a family of three or five people for a month.
Even if you eat better, as long as you are not extravagant, five taels of silver a month is enough.
It costs less than one hundred taels a year.
How can three hundred taels not be enough? You still have to open up wasteland and cultivate land here. Isn’t it too much to pretend to be an upright official?
What's more, within the imperial court and the Xuanjian Division, there are many silver rewards every year, and there are dozens of taels for major reforms. These are all pure silver.
Common people cannot earn more than twenty or thirty taels a year. Such price conditions cannot be enough.
"Ning Fei, I'm curious, where did your salary go?" Xiao Chaoguo asked.
Many people suppressed their laughter, an expression that all men understand.
But Ning Fei coughed and said, "That's not the case. The lower official is busy with things and has a wife at home, so there is no need to go to those places for entertainment. What's more, if he doesn't have enough food and clothing for his family, he goes out to have fun alone. Is this still a man?"
"Master Ning said it well." Someone praised.
Xiao Chaoguo: "Then why is your salary not enough?"
"My lord, do you really not know?" Ning Fei looked embarrassed. He thought Xiao Chaoguo knew.
"What should I know?" Xiao Chaoguo frowned. He didn't expect that this was actually related to him.
At this time, all the Xuanjian Division members present also breathed a sigh of relief.
You're not pretending, you really don't know?
Ning Fei immediately knelt down and bowed: "My lord, please forgive me for the sin of overstepping my position... I have always suspected that it was you who was the mastermind..."
Xiao Chaoguo suddenly felt bad: "What did you say?"
Someone said: "Your Majesty, we can't even get all of our salary. We only have half of it after coming down from the General Office in the capital."
"What!?" Xiao Chaoguo was shocked.
He quickly explained: "This is not what I ordered! Who, who dares to do this, dare to interfere with the salary of my Xuanjian Division!?"
I was shocked for a whole year!
This is how Xiao Chaoguo feels now.
I hold the best judicial institution in the world, and someone actually asks my subordinates for protection money?
The most ridiculous thing in the world!
Seeing that Xiao Chaoguo really didn't know, Ning Fei smiled bitterly: "The superiors said it was Deputy Chief Xiao... We always thought that you also knew about this."
"Xiao Luoye?"
When Xiao Chaoguo heard this, he immediately understood that Bi had done this behind his back!
"Since when did your salary get discounted?" Xiao Chaoguo asked. He originally came to investigate Ning Fei, but he didn't expect that he would be investigated.
Suddenly I felt that I was off the mark.
"It has been four or five years since Deputy Chief Xiao entered the Xuanjian Division." someone answered.
"This is digging into the foundation of our Xuanjian Division. I asked why the branches in various places are becoming less effective in doing things. It turns out that this is the reason!"
Xiao Chaoguo finally understood.
You don't even need to calculate your wages clearly, yet you still expect them to work hard?
If things go on like this, it is very rare for anyone who is not hitting the clock every day and not being greedy for ink.
"My lord, we are living a hard life. People who don't know outside think that we are very prosperous, and it's okay to have only half of our salary. The key is that the whole family is pointing at me alone..."
Ning Fei said: "If you don't cultivate the land, your salary will be spent too quickly. I'm afraid that you won't have time to wait for the salary and you will be left with nothing."
"Even if you were cut in half, you still have more than one hundred and fifty taels. How could it not be enough?" Xiao Chaoguo noticed the problem keenly and realized that there might be something wrong here.
As soon as he said this, everyone looked strange.
Xiao Chaoguo became even more suspicious and asked: "What's the matter, are you still hiding something? I said it today, even if I can't make the decision, I can ask His Majesty to make the decision when I go back!"
Several people exchanged glances, and Ning Fei said:
"This is the Palace of the Prince of Qi. The land of Qi is the fiefdom of the Prince of Qi. He can govern here. The people of the Prince of Qi's Palace collect a lot of miscellaneous taxes from us and take away almost half of our salary."
"What?" Xiao Chaoguo's eyes widened.
"How dare King Qi do this?"
Ning Fei said: "Every time, King Qi's chief historian comes forward, so we naturally think that King Qi knows about it, but this time his chief historian stole new grains, and he should be a spy from Beiliang."
"Spy?"
Xiao Chaoguo nodded: "I understand..."
This is also digging into the foundation of Hanging Sword Division.
No, this is digging into the foundation of Daxia!
Deliberately creating excuses to charge exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes to make people resentful, no wonder there are so many thieves in Qilu.
It turns out that it is these spies who are deliberately doing this to disrupt the peace of our country in Great Xia!
"I will negotiate with Prince Qi's Mansion. If the money cannot be recovered, I will ask Prince Qi for it!" Xiao Chaoguo also sounded cold.
"Don't worry, after I return to Beijing, I will report to Your Majesty, sell off the confiscated Xiao Luoye's property, and pay back the salaries owed to you one by one." Xiao Chaoguo promised.
"I'm afraid it has been spent a long time ago, how can I pay it back..."
Everyone also smiled bitterly, knowing that this was just a word of comfort.
"All I want is that this never happens again."
"Your Excellency, Sir, even if this is the case, we insist on clearing our names and have not smeared the Xuanjian Division!"
Listening to these words, Xiao Chaoguo felt that his face was very red.
As the leader of the Hanging Sword Division, his subordinates have been suffering such a big loss, and they actually realized that some of the corpses were really starving.
"Let's go!" Xiao Chaoguo took the lead and was about to leave Ning's house.
Ning Fei asked: "Where to go?"
"Go to Prince Qi's Mansion first, and then return to Beijing." Xiao Chaoguo said coldly.
"No more checking?" someone asked.
Xiao Chaoguo said coldly: "What else are you investigating? I still have the nerve to investigate?"
Officials like Ning Fei were treated like this, not to mention other lower-level government soldiers and small flag officers.
Even if there is some uncleanness, it is completely forced by life and by his own people. Xiao Chaoguo has the nerve to blame others?
The anger in my heart had to be vented somewhere else.
…
"Master, you are really good at predicting events. How do you know that the officials sent by the imperial court to provide disaster relief will be attacked?"
Dianyi reported, surprised and frightened: "If we are not our people, we have been secretly protecting these adults, I am afraid that they will all die."
"Luo Yang..."
At the top of Suzhou City, above the south gate, Fang felt extremely angry.
This Luo Yang's wisdom is no longer limited to the battlefield. He is no longer a simple military commander.
"Luo Yang knows that we may find out that his real intention is to fight back to Liangjing... In this case, he will definitely act as a back-up to prevent our Yulin army and northern troops from posing a threat to Beiliang.
"
"So he concocted the Suzhou disaster. The biggest use was to tie up our troops and force us to provide disaster relief."
"Even if we see a fighter plane, we can't leave the people alone and attack the border areas of Beiliang. In this way, Luo Yang will buy a lot of time."
"This?" Ye Hongyi and Bai Qing were listening and were also very shocked.
"Isn't this Luo Yang too insidious?" Ye Hongyi couldn't help but say.
Bai Qing also said: "He knows that the Yulin Army will definitely not let go of the fighter plane. When the disaster relief officials from the court arrive, we will attack. So he wants to intercept and kill these officials so that we cannot free our hands."
"Oh my god..." Noriichi scratched his head. He felt that these people's brains didn't even know how they grew.
When it comes to harming others, one is smarter than the other.
Fang Juedao: "Don't be careless. You have to be on guard against them continuing to attack. I asked you to invite all the martial arts masters to protect them personally."
"Yes, Master."
Dian Yiyi said: "Those adults will arrive in Suzhou tomorrow and can start taking over the day after tomorrow."
"The day after tomorrow...that will be the sixteenth day when Luo Yang raised his army."
Fang Jue asked Ye Hongyi: "Has your Majesty replied to the letter? The opportunity to fight is fleeting."
Ye Hongyi shook his head: "No matter what, the news will come tomorrow night. If you are lucky, the flying pigeon will arrive."
Although flying pigeons to send letters is a black technology, it is really difficult to guarantee that it will be timely.
"Wait, without His Majesty's consent, neither the Yulin Army nor the Liangzhou and Lizhou Camps will be willing to attack." Fang Jue slapped the city wall, wanting only to give Luo Yang a shot.
…
"Your Majesty, the Young Master has a secret message. The Xuanjian Division also sent a secret message at the same time."
Wang Feng took the secret letter and came to the Yangju Hall.
"What's so important?" Xiao Ping was helpless and fell asleep.
However, Wang Feng ignored the etiquette and said: "Your Majesty, this is a big event."
Xiao Pingsi stood up suddenly: "Come in."
Wang Feng pushed the door open, walked in quickly, and handed the two secret letters to the emperor.
Xiao Pingsi took it and read the letter from the young master first.
"What?"
"Luo Yang wants to be the emperor of Northern Liang?" Xiao Pingsi thought it was outrageous. He pinched himself and realized that it was not a dream, and he felt even weirder.
After reading the letter, Xiao Pingsi frowned, his thoughts coincided with Fang Jue's.
"Luo Yang has taken away most of the troops and has conquered five states in a row, heading straight to the capital... There is no way he can return. He must work hard, otherwise it will be a dead end... At this time, we can definitely take advantage of Beiliang if we attack!"
Xiao Pingsi didn't care. He didn't even put on his clothes, so he got up from the bed in only his undergarments, walked to the desk aside and started writing furiously.
"Wang Feng!"
"I'm here." Wang Feng bowed slightly.
"Instruct the cabinet and the Ministry of War that my opportunity in Daxia has come. I will take advantage of the division's reputation to capture Beiliang! At the same time, I will reply to the young division. I will appoint him as the general for the expedition to the north and lead the Suzhou Yulin Army to Lizhou.
Battalion and Liangzhou Battalion to attack Northern Liang, at least to capture Linzhou!"
"Your Majesty, with only a secret message without a seal or imperial edict, the young master may not be able to mobilize the third battalion." Wang Feng reminded appropriately.
At this time, the imperial edict and military talisman became a shackles.
Xiao Pingsi also calmed down and said: "Then send a letter to each camp at the same time, stamp it with the treasure seal and military talisman, and then send people 800 miles away to rush out of Beijing to announce the decree immediately!"
"According to the order!" Wang Feng retreated.
After Wang Feng left, Xiao Pingsi lost his sleep and immediately ordered someone to take the map of the northern border that had been sent from Fang Jue from the imperial study.
Staring at the map, Xiao Pingsi noticed that in the map of the northern territory, Fang Juejiang also drew most of the southern part of Beiliang in great detail.
"Young Master, Young Master, did you already know that this day would come so soon, and you even prepared the map for me?" Xiao Pingsi looked at the map and was very excited.
Damn it, you must not miss such a good opportunity!