From the current point of view, the Tang family only married their daughter to Dong Zuchang, the son of Dong Qichang, and there is no other deep-seated relationship. Of course, as in-laws, they have close contacts, and even some economic contacts are normal. "Feng Ziying
Explained: "As for the Lu family, they don't have much contact with Tangjiajing. They are just locals."
Yang Lian and Sun Juxiang both breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.
The relationship between the Lu and Dong families was too close, and there were also Songjiang scholars such as Zhang Nai and Xia Jiayu involved, as well as Yuan Keli and Gao Panlong who were closely related to the Songjiang scholars. This would complicate matters.
Now it seems that only Dong Zuchang, the second son of the Dong family, married a daughter of the Tang family.
Moreover, except for Dong Qichang, there are no outstanding people in the Dong family. At least Yang Lian has never heard of any outstanding people in the Dong family. That means that the second son of the Dong family is probably just a mediocre person, so it doesn't matter.
Already.
"That's good. If the Tang family is the biggest power in Songjiang, it must be eradicated. Brother Shuxiang, do you think you should go to Huizhou or Songjiang?" Yang Lian laughed.
"You two, Songjiang should not be underestimated. In addition to owning a large fleet and shipyard, the Tang family also has a not-so-good reputation. They should have had deep connections with Japanese pirates at sea. The Japanese pirates' power has declined greatly over the years, so
I don’t hear the sound much anymore, but twenty years ago, before the Imjin Japanese Rebellion, the Tang family was in collusion with the Japanese pirates. If we wanted to attack the Tang family, I’m afraid we would need the cooperation of the army. Just rely on Long Jinwei.
I’m afraid we still can’t handle it with the officials in Songjiang Prefecture.”
Ah? "Feng Ziying's warning surprised both Sun Juxiang and Yang Lian, "The Tang family has colluded with Japanese pirates? Then why hasn't it been discovered?"
It’s hard to describe how Japanese pirates wreaked havoc along the coast a few decades ago. Almost everyone from Shandong to Guangdong was harmed by Japanese pirates for several decades. It was not until around the time of the Imchen Japanese Rebellion that they gradually stopped. However, they still occasionally
There was news about Japanese pirates raiding the coast.
Investigating and cracking down on Japanese pirates has always been a task that Long Jinwei, the Ministry of Punishment, and local officials have never relaxed. However, the rapid decline of Japanese pirate power has made this task gradually fade out.
Now Feng Ziying suddenly mentioned that the Tang family had colluded with the Japanese pirates. No wonder everyone was shocked.
"We have to ask the Nanjing Criminal Department and the Long Jinwei who were there for more than ten or twenty years." Feng Ziying smiled and looked at Zhao Wenzhao, "Wen Zhao, who was the Long Jinwei here in Nanzhili for more than twenty years?
Are you responsible?"
Zhao Wenzhao shook his head in embarrassment: "Master Feng, how can you find out such a thing clearly? It was still Commander Gu during the Yuanzhao period, but Commander Gu definitely couldn't control it. To be honest, at that time, various coastal areas were colluding with Japanese pirates.
There were many merchants, and Songjiang was probably not the most serious one. Ningbo, Quanzhou, and Zhangzhou were all rampant, as were Jiaxing and Suzhou. At that time, Long Jinwei also investigated and punished many of them, and they all killed or exiled the whole family, but the situation was still the same.
Can't live.
"Humph, this is the evil consequence of the tribute system. Where the benefits lie, who can stop it? Later, the imperial court's maritime ban policy actually became a mere formality, so the Japanese pirates gradually stopped, but there are still some Japanese pirates that gradually evolved.
Becoming a pirate, specializing in robbing merchant ships at sea... Feng Ziying sighed, "The Tang family may have given up on it over the years. Shipbuilding and sea trade alone are enough for them to make a lot of money, but this
It does not mean that their original sin can be annihilated."
"Of course!" Yang Lian and Sun Dingxiang are both jealous of evil, especially the collusion with Japanese pirates. They are absolutely intolerable. They heard that the Tang family may have colluded with Japanese pirates to get rich. How can they accept it? "This kind of thing must be done."
We need to find out clearly. If it is really related to the Japanese pirates, then the Tang family must confiscate their homes and exterminate them!"
"Brother Wenru and Brother Shuxiang, I suggest that you and the Tang Family's Procuratorate will not intervene for the time being, and let Wen Zhao and the others take the lead. To deal with these powerful men, they have more means and more skillful techniques. Of course, they also have less manpower.
Limited, I will let the navy battalion of Denglai Navy cooperate. Mr. Songjiang Prefecture, I am really a little worried. On the one hand, my ability is worrying, and on the other hand, it is also due to confidentiality. Brother Shuxiang, I remember you once
I have served as a co-president in Songjiang Prefecture, so I can recommend one or two reliable people to help guide the way and prove my identity."
Feng Ziying is not optimistic about people like the Metropolitan Procuratorate investigating these powerful people. The advantage of the Metropolitan Procuratorate lies in its deterrent effect on local officials. If they want to deal with this
For those powerful men who don't have much official contacts, Long Jinwei and the Ministry of Punishment will have to find more solutions.
"Of course, when Long Jinwei finds out that these powerful people are colluding with local officials, it will be more appropriate for the Metropolitan Procuratorate to intervene. And I can guarantee that these powerful people must basically have something to do with local officials. It's just that
It just depends on the depth and the level of the officials involved.”
Yang Lian and Sun Dingxiang both knew this. How could powerful people expand and become powerful without the indulgence and support of local officials?
Especially since there are very few scholars in this kind of family who are able to flourish and grow, there is something fishy about it.
Sun Dingxiang nodded first, "I think it's okay. When I was a magistrate in Songjiang, I also felt that the Tang family really felt like a fish in water in Songjiang. Entering and leaving the Jinshan Guards was like no one else, and the Tang family in Shanghai and Huating County Yamen
We also had close contacts, but my time as a colleague in Songjiang was too short, and I left before I understood many things clearly."
Sun Dingxiang had only served as a colleague in Songjiang for two years, and the Tang family also knew that Sun Dingxiang, a northerner, was not easy to deal with, so they deliberately kept a distance, so they basically had no contact with Sun Dingxiang.
"Leave the Tang family to Wen Zhao and the others. The Zhen family is the big fish that bears the brunt. Brother Wenru, Zhen Yingjia, and Zhen Yingyu can be led by you. As for Zhen Yinghui, brother Shuxiang, you just have to work hard. How about it?" Feng Ziying
His eyes turned to Sun Chengzong: "Brother Zhisheng, what do you think?"
"I think it's okay, but the Ding family..." Sun Chengzong hesitated, "There are also the Zhou, Hu, and Tao families..."
"For Zhen Yinghui, Brother Shuxiang can just arrange for someone to go there. Jinhua Mansion is far away in Zhejiang, so the Zhen family's influence is greatly reduced. Just go and capture it with two censors. I believe the colleagues in Jinhua Mansion can still recognize it.
To clarify the situation...Brother Shuxiang here may have to go to Nanchang in person..." Feng Ziying paused, "Ding Deju also has a lot of problems, but
This guy is very powerful and has a lot of connections. He has to ask Brother Shuxiang to suppress him in Nanchang.
Feng Ziying didn't say what problems Ding Deju had, but Sun Dingxiang didn't ask either. Some of the questions raised were inappropriate. Even Yang Lian was not necessarily willing to know everything. Not knowing was sometimes a good thing, so there was no need to worry.
**********
Zhen Yinghui has always been a little uneasy.
Zhen Yinghui has always criticized his two brothers for their greed, short-sightedness, narrow-mindedness and arrogance.
He only focused on plundering people at home, offending too many people through illegal salt trafficking, and the feud with Tang Mu was even more pointless. All these made the Zhen family's position in Nanjing continue to be marginalized in the later period.
On the contrary, the business between the two elder brothers and the Tang family and the Ding family became more and more extensive, because the private salt sales were increasingly entangled with the Han family in Zhenjiang, the Zhao family in Guangzhou, and the Meng family in Huzhou.
Zhen Yinghui admitted that the close relationship with these families has indeed made the Zhen family huge profits, and money flows into the Zhen family every year. But the problem is that this must be done under the premise that the Zhen family can stand firmly, but now Emperor Wan Tong has gone
After leaving the capital, Tang Mi and others also entered the capital. The Nanjing side was in vain and lost its support. No matter how much money the Zhen family had, could they keep it?
My brother also noticed this but it seemed a little late.
But Zhen Yinghui had no choice. His wife had already been sent back to the Tang family, and he had to help his brother contact the Dong family and the Lu family. Otherwise, once Gu Bingqian and his gang arrived in Nanjing, it would be too late.
But Zhen Yinghui was still restless. He didn't know what went wrong, or where the problem might lie. He didn't know what to do, or he knew how to do it but couldn't do it.
He had a frightening feeling that something was going to happen.
"My lord, I know that your lord has sent someone to ask you to go to the front hall, saying that we have something important to discuss..." The chief came to report.
Zhen Yinghui frowned in confusion, "What's going on?"
It seems to be something related to the Qing army. It is said that Japanese pirates have recently begun to harass the coast. Our people here need to organize and strengthen training..." Chang Sui thought for a while and said.
"That should be a matter for Shaoxing, Ningbo and Taizhou.
"Our Jinhua is still far away, right?" Zhen Yinghui disagreed: "Are we going to take our people out of the house again? Who will pay for this money?"
Chang Sui couldn't answer this question. Zhen Yinghui waved his hands a little irritably, "Okay, I understand..."
When he reached the door of the front hall, Zhen Yinghui suddenly remembered something and asked, "Is Mr. Qian alone?"
"No, there seem to be two more officials. I haven't seen him before and I don't know him. They seem to be from outside." Chang Sui shook his head.
Zhen Yinghui's heart skipped a beat and he subconsciously stopped: "Coming from outside? What's the accent?"
"Those two didn't talk the whole time," Chang Sui shook his head.
Even if you have to leave the government to form the Minzhuang, it is impossible for someone from the province to come. How can two people come with a piece of official document at most? And if someone comes from the military depot of the Minzhuang affairs of the government, how can the chief follower not recognize him? Even if they are.
A strong leader of the people should be seen by his long followers.
Suddenly alert, Zhen Yinghui turned around and walked out, but was blocked by two people coming out from the other end: "Master Zhen, why did you leave without going in? Master Qian is still waiting for you inside."
Zhen Yinghui's heart sank. He looked at the two strangers and shouted sternly: "How dare you! How can outsiders know what's going on in this government office? Come here, capture these two gangsters!"
"Master Zhen, why bother?" A somewhat unfamiliar voice, but one that clearly knew him, sounded in Zhen Yinghui's ears, but it was like a thunderbolt hitting him: "We came here to see you on Master Sun's order. We have been waiting for you for a long time."