Chapter 741 Chen Xiao: It’s not unusual for her to be squeezed dry by two demon concubines someday.
Huanhua Building
Gu Ruoqing and Madam Liniang were following the sound, and saw a burst of light and rhythmic footsteps coming up the wooden stairs, and then a figure wearing a light yellow dress appeared at the entrance of the stairs, with a towering bun, combing the clouds and skimming the moon.
The beautiful woman with exquisite jewelry hanging all over her body, accompanied by her maid and nanny, climbed up to the second floor like a star.
The beautiful woman is about thirty years old, with a graceful and gorgeous temperament, a golden hairpin pinned between her lush temples, her face is snow-white and jade-like, as rosy as clouds, almost as charming as a peony stamen, and the white jade under her neck is beautiful
, under the snow-like skin, it looks like the full moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival emerging from the torn clothes.
At this moment, under the curved eyebrows, a pair of beautiful eyes as full as water looked at Gu Ruoqing.
She was the daughter of An Nan Hou, whose maiden name was Ye Nuan. Her husband died of illness early, so she returned to her natal family and started running the business of the An Nan Hou Mansion in Jinling City.
Gu Ruoqing bowed gracefully and said softly: "I've met Madam."
Ye Nuan looked at Gu Ruoqing and asked in a soft and round voice, "I heard from Liniang, do you want to go back to Jinling?"
There was a hint of hesitation on Gu Ruo's cold jade face, and finally he sighed and said, "The ground here in Yangzhou has been unstable and things are in chaos lately. I'm thinking of going back to Jinling."
In fact, the recent situation in Yangzhou is either the Tiqi cavalry coming out in all directions, the Jiangbei camp mobilizing troops and horses to search for bandits, and of course Liu Shengzao's harassment.
"Ruo Qing, if it's Liu Shengzao's problem, you don't have to worry too much. I've sent someone to inform Liu Shengzao and he won't pester you anymore." Ye Nuanying sat down and the jade belt tassels on her skirt fell down.
Next, he said softly to Gu Ruoqing.
As the daughter of Marquis Annan, born into a top martial arts wealthy family in Jinling City except for the vassal kings and the four princes and eight princes, Ye Nuan has face with both officials and businessmen in Yangzhou City.
Moreover, this woman does like singing, dancing, and folk arts. In fact, only women of this kind who come from noble families have the leisure and elegance to explore art.
The worry in Gu Ruoqing's eyes disappeared, and she nodded and said, "If that's the case, then I'll just participate in this Oiran Competition."
The Ye family, who is in charge of the Jiangnan camp, is the target of the Holy Cult's efforts to win over. She needs to maintain certain contact with the Ye family for future plans.
Looking at the girl with pure temperament, Ye Nuan took Gu Ruoqing's hand. There was a different meaning in Ye Nuan's eyes, and said with a sweet smile: "With Ruoqing's talent, he will definitely win the first place in this oiran competition."
Let the name of Huanhua Tower spread throughout the Yangtze River."
Gu Ruoqing felt uncomfortable under Ye Nuan's gaze and said softly: "I'll do my best."
Ye Nuan smiled, then asked softly: "Ruoqing, I heard that King Rilu assassinated Uncle Yongning, were you there to witness it?" Gu Ruoqing said "hmm", but there still seemed to be lingering fear on his jade face.
He said softly: "Nan Ling and I both saw that day. The gangsters broke into the reception room with the intention of assassinating Uncle Yong Ning. The two parties fought, and the smell of blood filled the room..."
Ye Nuan listened quietly as he passed by, his expression moved slightly, and he said softly: "Can you tell me, what is the situation with Uncle Yongning? Is his bravery really as good as what is spread in the streets of Yangzhou today?" After the assassination of King Lu,
In addition, the remnants of the Ma family robbed the prison, and now everyone in Yangzhou knows that Jia Heng is extremely brave.
Gu Ruoqing's bright eyes flashed with curiosity and asked: "Why are you asking this, madam?"
Her first reaction was that she was a widowed woman, and she had other strange thoughts, but it seemed that she had never heard of any inappropriate anecdotes about the eldest lady of the Ye family after she became a widow.
Where did this brave inquiry come from?
Ye Nuan chuckled lightly and said, "I'm just asking for help. That person is a little curious about Uncle Yong Ning."
When he was in the Hou Mansion, his father asked him to use the spies in Yangzhou to help him inquire carefully, especially to inquire about some details about Jia Heng's camps in Yangzhou and Jiangbei and the last assassination.
As he said that, he looked at Nan Ling with his charming eyes and asked, "Did Miss Nan Ling see you that day?"
"Madam, it was a chaotic day with swords and blood and shadows. I didn't dare to look at it, but Uncle Yongning was very calm." Nan Ling said in a cute voice, Young Master
The woman's eyes were sparkling, as if they were hiding stars.
Ye Nuan smiled and looked at the girl with a double bun. This Nan Ling was too young and said: "How did I hear that Wang Shouqi redeemed your body and planned to give you to Uncle Yongning?"
Nan Ling's eyes suddenly dimmed again, and she said, "Uncle Yong Ning was unhappy and didn't keep me."
Ye Nuan looked at Gu Ruoqing and said, "What does Ruoqing think of Yongning Bo Jiaheng?"
Gu Ruoqing frowned and said, "Madam, Uncle Yongning's martial arts skills are indeed extraordinary, and he is extremely strong. He is used to fighting on the battlefield."
Ye Nuan nodded, his beautiful eyes thoughtful, and said: "If you put it this way, you are really a fool."
Based on other information, it appears that he is indeed brave, resourceful, and extremely powerful.
Gu Ruoqing's eyes were dark, and some bad memories seemed to be welling up in his heart, and he said: "Just because you are not as good as the weak one, you will inevitably be arrogant and arrogant."
In the eyes of the White Lotus Saint, whether Jia Heng's words or deeds that day were good, it was still the subsequent performance.
Ye Nuan nodded and said with a smile: "Anyone who has the ability should always be arrogant. I heard that Wang Shouqi invited Uncle Yongning to tomorrow's oiran competition. How about waiting for Ruoqing to help me introduce him to him tomorrow?"
Because her father's identity was a bit sensitive after all, especially since he had an agreement with the Governor's Office of Liangjiang that he could not visit Uncle Yongning directly, so she made the connection through him.
This was the survival wisdom of the Ye family of Annan Hou. Facing Shen Fang, the governor of Liangjiang, they had to cooperate with Shen Fang for the sake of a group of old generals, and find someone else to show their favor to Jia Heng in order to raise the price.
However, in order to prevent Zhen Zhu from being looked down upon by others for his second-rate behavior, he had no choice but to let his daughter take action to cover up the situation.
Gu Ruoqing thought for a while and said softly: "I'll look for an opportunity that day, but I'm not very familiar with Uncle Yong Ning either."
Junior sister is right next to that person. If it doesn't work, I might as well ask junior sister to help him.
Just as the two were discussing Jia Heng, Jia Heng, Chen Xiao and a group of Jinyifu guards' retinues had quietly returned to Yangzhou by speedboat.
At this moment, it is almost midnight, and a dim yellow full moon hangs in the sky, casting countless bright rays. The back hall of the Yanyuan Yamen is brightly lit, and the silhouettes of people are reflected on the screen.
Qi Kun and Lin Ruhai sat opposite each other, drinking tea and talking.
Lin Ruhai put down the tea cup, with a smile on his elegant face, and said: "Mr. Ge, I'm afraid Ziyu is still on the way. It won't be too late to discuss it tomorrow."
Qi Kun said: "It doesn't matter, I'll just wait."
The arrest of Liu Shengzao, the salt transport envoy from the Huaihe River and Huaihe River, and the uncovering of the Yangzhou salt transport warehouse deficit case were so serious that when he just received this letter, he felt his heart skip a beat.
Although I thought that Uncle Yongning, with his decree, must vigorously and thoroughly investigate the loss of the Lianghuai Salt Transport Envoy, he was still a bit shocked and stunned by such a vigorous and resolute action.
Is this meant to catch them all in one fell swoop and leave no one behind?
While the two of them were sitting and talking, a guard from the Jinyi Palace entered the hall, cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Lin, the governor of my house is here."
Qi Kun and Lin Ruhai got up one after another, and saw Jia Heng coming from under the eaves of the corridor, wearing stars and moonlight, accompanied by Chen Xiao and several guards in brocade robes.
The lanterns hanging on the eaves of the corridor swayed in the wind with interlaced light and shadow, reflecting Wu Xun, a young man wearing a black and red python suit with a tall figure and sharp sword eyebrows.
Because against the illumination of the lantern and candlelight, the young man's face under the eyebrows was half-dark and half-dark, making the originally clear and chiselled face look a little more solid, like a mountain and abyss.
At this moment, although there is no sense of déjà vu like "Every time I hear you, the wind blows, every time I see you, there is thunder", but coming in the middle of the night, it does feel like I am running around in urgent matters.
Qi Kun stared at the young man with burning eyes and called: "Uncle Yongning."
Lin Ruhai also stood up and looked at the boy in the python suit, feeling a little excited.
After months of disputes, there is finally a glimmer of hope in clearing up the long-standing problems in the salt industry!
After this, it is time to thoroughly investigate the culprits related to the salt transportation warehouse's repeated losses and other related crimes.
Jia Heng nodded to the two of them and called
Said: "Mr. Qi Ge, Uncle Lin."
After being greeted, everyone sat down one after another. The guards of the Jinyi Mansion offered tea, then slowly retreated and stood with their swords in their hands.
Qi Kun looked silent for a moment, then broke the silence and asked: "Uncle Yongning, Liu Zhenfu said earlier that he could be arrested immediately. What's going on?"
Jia Heng looked at Liu Jixian, who was standing with him, and said, "Liu Jixian, come and give Mr. Qi Ge a detailed report."
Liu Jixian picked up an official document from the experience department, read it by the light, and said in a deep voice: "Mr. Ge, in order to get a lighter sentence, the relevant criminals confessed to the relevant criminals involved in the Salt Transportation Department's deficit case. All eight major merchants in Yangzhou are included.
, through eating grain and misappropriating credit, since the first year of Chongping, they have accumulated a deficit of tens of millions of taels. The deficit is so large and shocking that it has never been seen since the founding of the People's Republic of China. Now Jinyi Mansion is investigating, and spies are looking for relevant criminal evidence.
We have gone all out to collect, and Mr. Liu Shengzao Liu has been confirmed to be involved in the case. In order to prevent the criminal from escaping, hiding, and destroying evidence, Jin Yi recommends that he be arrested quickly."
After Qi Kun listened to the report, he was silent for a moment. The cabinet minister looked at Jia Heng with a clear look and asked: "Uncle Yong Ning, if all eight major salt merchants are involved in the case, how should the case be tried?"
Because Jia Heng had already obtained the imperial edict and presented it to Qi Kun, he led the reform of the salt affairs in the Huaihe River and Huaihe River, which was justifiable. However, all the eight major salt merchants in Yangzhou were wiped out. Even civil servants like Qi Kun were a little surprised.
.
Jia Heng's face was silent, and his voice was like the clanking of gold and stone, and he said: "How to deal with it in the end depends on the decree of the Holy One. All the embezzled silver must be recovered at least and returned to the warehouse. Even if they lose everything, they can't miss one tael! And according to the relevant
What salt merchants have done in recent years will be punished according to the severity of the crime."
Qi Kun frowned, thinking about the impact of this case on Yangzhou Salt Affairs, and asked: "Uncle Yongning, how will we start tomorrow?" "Tomorrow is August 15th, and the Yangzhou Salt Merchant invited Liu Shengzao to participate in the review of the Oiran Competition.
Tomorrow, Mr. Qi and I will lead the Jinyi Mansion Guards to capture Liu Shengzao. Then Mr. Qi can ask Jinyi to intervene in front of them to investigate the long-standing malpractices in the salt affairs. The other salt merchants can not be arrested for the time being.
The mansion is under surveillance and access is restricted." Jia Heng said in a deep voice.
Qi Kun pondered for a moment and said, "This method is good."
Arresting all the relevant criminals at once would undoubtedly cause
People in the south of the Yangtze River are in panic, which is not conducive to the overall stability of the court, and it is also the annual time to collect autumn grain.
Only arresting Liu Shengzao, and then dealing with the relevant salt merchants after the relevant cases are found out, would be more effective in blocking Youyou's mouth. Qi Kun turned around and asked again: "I don't know how Yong Ningbo will figure out how to rectify the salt affairs in the future.
Longitude and latitude?"
Jia Heng smiled and said: "Mr. Qi Ge, please be patient and wait for the Salt Transportation Department to recover the balance and deficit. We will discuss this matter in no hurry."
When Qi Kun heard this, he also realized clearly that it was almost impossible to restore the method in Kaizhong.
In the past few days, he has actually been thinking about the method of opening the center. It does have fatal flaws, but he doesn't know how to change the salt affairs. What does Jia Heng advocate?
"Now that the salt industry is experiencing a deficit, it will inevitably have an impact on the production and sales of the salt industry and the people's daily salt consumption. Yong Ningbo should have made plans for the salt industry in advance." Qi Kun reminded him.
Lin Ruhai smiled and said: "The new affairs of the Salt Law cannot be decided in a few words. It is not too late to make preparations after the corruption case in the Salt Transportation Department is investigated."
Qi Kun nodded and said nothing else.
After Qi Kun left, Jia Heng and Lin Ruhai were left in the back hall, talking to each other.
Lin Ruhai asked with concern: "Ziyu, you went to the Zhen family the day before yesterday? What did the Zhen family say?"
Jia Heng said: "The old lady of the Zhen family said a lot of good things, but the Jiangnan camp has been reorganizing its military affairs under the leadership of the Liangjiang Governor's Yamen. It is said that a lot of soldiers have been recruited and the original Zhenhaiwei has been changed to Zhenhaiwei to use Zhenzhi.
In order to inspect the Navy's deputy envoys, conduct naval drills, reorganize river defenses, conduct strict inspections along the coast, and strictly prevent Jurchen women from spying." Now, the governor's office of Liangjiang and Annan Hou have taken the lead to reorganize the two guards of the navy and repair the boats.
Prepare to strengthen the river defense, and the army marshal at this moment is Zhen Zhu.
Well, Zhen Zhu finally realized his dream of being the deputy envoy of the Naval Battalion, getting a third-level salary, and being able to lead an army on his own and make great achievements.
After Jia Heng heard this letter, he hugged Zhen Qing, who came to apologize, and bumped her head more than a dozen times, causing both sides to
He wrapped his arms around Jia Heng's millstone and was annoyed for a while, like a mother cat that had given birth to kittens, and gently bit Jia Heng's neck.
As for Zhen Shao, she applied for leave to the Governor-General's Office of Liangjiang, and according to Mrs. Zhen's instructions, she did not accept the appointment of the governor-general of the Liangjiang Navy as military governor.
Lin Ruhai frowned and said in a cold voice, "The Zhen family has indeed gone too far."
This kind of political betrayal has always been looked down upon by officials, and it also spoiled, or in other words interrupted, Jia Heng's arrangements.
Jia Heng said: "Uncle, the Zhen family cannot last long if they act like this."
Keep a distance from the Zhen family, but you don't have to decouple, and Mopan also took good care of him several times in the past two days.
Lin Ruhai thought for a while and reminded: "Zi Yu, when the emperor was in Qiandi, he was not very happy with the Zhen family relying on the emperor's favor to run rampant in the south of the Yangtze River. He once asked Shu to thoroughly investigate Tirenyuan, but
Not watched by the Emperor."
Jia Heng asked: "Is there anything else?"
Lin Ruhai said in a deep voice: "When the emperor was in his dormitory back then, he saw that I, a man of great strength, was troubled internally and externally, and that he was strong on the outside but incapable of doing anything. He wanted to do a lot of things, but he failed to accomplish them."
Jia Heng lamented: "It is not easy for the Holy Father to succeed to the throne."
Lin Ruhai laid the groundwork for a while, and finally gave a vague advice: "Zi Yu seems to be very close to the Zhen family. Of course, the Zhen family has been friends for a long time, and it is difficult to separate them immediately. However, if we can take advantage of the army reorganization, it is also an opportunity to distance ourselves."
.”
In the officialdom, the absence of clear-cut opposition is called cutting, and alienation is already a certain degree of cutting.
Jia Heng made a face and said calmly: "Uncle, I will pay attention to it."
He was originally using the Zhen family. What he wanted was that when he personally copied the Zhen family, the Zhen family would thank him, and Mopan would not blame him.
Well, you can say all the good things and never do the bad things.
Lin Ruhai finished expressing his advice and stopped. Because he was suspected of teaching an important military officer how to do things, he asked softly: "How is the Jiangbei camp? Are all the weapons and equipment and soldiers paid?"
Jia Heng said: "Today, the Jiangbei camp has fully replenished its soldiers. The relevant generals who are greedy for military pay have made up nearly one million taels of property. The 10,000 infantry troops from Henan and the Hebiao Battalion of Huai'an Prefecture have also been transferred to Jiangbei one after another.
Regarding recruitment and training, the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs has urgently raised a wave of soldiers' wages to recruit soldiers. It should be able to recruit 30,000 soldiers in full, and the Jiangbei camp will have 30,000 soldiers, which will be ready in a few days."
He planned to trial the system of remote service in Yangzhou and Henan, mobilize once a year, and then use other methods to appease the morale of the troops. There was a problem with remote service. The soldiers were homesick, and the bureaucracy deceived the superiors and deceived the subordinates, triggering mutinies.
For example, Pang Xun's Guilin Rebellion used hundreds of garrison soldiers to attack Xuzhou from Guilin, directly cutting off the Jianghuai River and knocking off the first domino of the Tang Dynasty's downfall, and then brewing the Wang Xianzhi and Huangchao Rebellions.
However, Yangzhou is not as difficult as Guilin. I am afraid that the Henan soldiers will soon be confused in the Qinhuai storm. As for Nanjing Hubu, since he said those words to benefit the movement, Tan Jie of Nanjing Hubu
He was more diligent than anyone else, and on the second day he was still a little pretentious and coy, but by the third day he had collected all the money.
Lin Ruhai nodded and said, "Ziyu is the best at these military affairs, so I won't talk about them."
After finishing their conversation with Lin Ruhai, Jia Heng and Chen Xiao returned to the courtyard where they lived. The slim and beautiful girl cast a pair of clear and bright eyes at the young man and whispered: "If the salt warehouse is short, we can recover a lot of money. We can use the army next year."
I have all my money.”
"When we have money, we can rebuild our navy and coordinate the army during the Northern Expedition." Jia Heng said with a slight pause on his face.
Chen Xiao asked: "With the current national strength, can we really regain the old land of Liaodong?"
Although the young man in front of me is a bit messy when it comes to matters between men and women, he is very knowledgeable in military matters.
Jia Heng shook his head, his eyes seemed to pass through the quiet moonlight, and fell on the vast grassland in the north. He said softly: "If Liaodong is destroyed, even if everything goes well, it will take at least five years. It may take a long time."
Some even take ten years."
Chen Xiao also looked at the bright moon that was gradually setting in the sky, and murmured: "Five years and ten years, is it so long?"
If he can really recover
The hometown of Liaodong was so prestigious at that time, and with that person's jealousy, he would definitely not be allowed to take advantage of the power of victory to regain the throne, and the world would be able to ignore the disgrace of his origins.
Jia Heng turned to look at the girl with a pensive look on her pure jade face, and called out, "Xiaoxiao."
At some point, he felt that the daughter of King Zhou had become his helper. When did it start? Perhaps it was that time...she tasted the soup? After all, ten drops of blood are thicker than water.
Chen Xiao put back his chaotic thoughts, his clear eyes reflected the young man's delicate face, and he frowned and said, "Why are you calling me?"
Jia Heng stretched out his hand, patted Chen Xiao's shoulder gently, and said warmly: "When things are settled here, let's go for a walk. You've been feeling quite haggard during this time."
Sometimes I feel that the girl in front of me lives for hatred and does not even have any relatives, which is quite pitiful.
Chen Xiao: "...."
This guy is teasing her again, right?
After all, I experienced many strange things at the scene, and I got to know some of Jia Heng's "tricks".
Just when he met those warm eyes, the sincerity deep in the eyes was without pretense, an uncontrollable warmth surged in his heart. However, his jade-like face was like frost, and he glanced at the young man with cold eyes and said in a quiet voice:
"Sister Lin and Qing'er are accompanying you. Xue'er, let's go for a walk."
During her few days in Jinling, apart from mea and messing around with the two demon concubines, it was not unusual for her to be squeezed dry by the two demon concubines one day...
While Jia Heng and Chen Xiao were talking, on the distant coastline from the Chongming Sand Estuary to Tongzhou Port, the sea was calm, except for a bright moon hanging high in the sky with sparse stars, and a ship with a deep draft.
Sea ships and sails with their masts hoisted high rise with the sea breeze, and the "clatter" sound from the ship breaking through the water can be heard far away.
On the bow of the ship, there were several figures standing impressively. Prince Dodo of Houjin Yu was dressed in military uniform, with a sword on his waist. He was looking into the distance, with a pale face, as gloomy as iron.
Next to them were Yan Qing, the top boss of the Jinsha Gang, Qin Dong, the top boss of the Sihai Gang, and Shangguan Rui, the top boss of the Nujiao Gang. However, they were all wearing Jurchen standard armor, and the white flag's Yiniulu had three hundred people.
There were several pirate forces standing around, and it was hard to tell them apart for a while.
After some mediation and pressure from Duoduo, many pirates such as the Jinsha Gang, the Sihai Gang, and the Nujiao Gang, who were active in the Nanyang sea trade, gathered for profit. About seven to eight thousand people, riding on the
More than thirty ships were approaching Tongzhou Port.
Duduo looked into the distance and said coldly: "Everyone, what did I say just now? The navy soldiers in Chongming Station were completely unprepared, and there was no warning in Fenghou. This shows that the guards along the coast are negligent and lack of combat power.
We are vulnerable to a single blow. Once we annihilate the Zhenhai Guards at Tongzhou Port, we can approach Jinling."
Of course, everyone present knew that this was pure nonsense. How could they capture Chen Han's southern capital with only seven or eight thousand people? But as long as they looted the coastal cities, the harvest would be considerable. At this time, Shangguan Rui looked solemn.
, Weng Sheng Weng said angrily: "Prince Yu, there are quite a lot of naval forces in Tongzhou Port, at least more than 10,000 people."
"Master Shangguan is worried too much. The Zhenhai Guards at Tongzhou Port have been sparse in recent years and they are all old and weak." Deng Biao, who was beside Duduo, said.
The young novice from the Gourd Temple said: "I'm afraid it's a flat river all the way to Jinling. We can capture the old capital of Chen and Han in one fell swoop and establish the southern kingdom. It's just around the corner."
Qin Dong, the leader of the Sihai Gang, said: "There is still a troop of soldiers and horses in the Jiangbei camp. Besides, there are also many infantry in Jinling, and there are many guards around. It is impossible for us alone."
If it weren't for the fact that they were driven by the Donglu Prince's maritime trade interests, and if they were just pretending to be Jurchens, this trip into troubled waters would be really difficult.
Duduo said coldly: "The Jiangbei camp is also nothing to worry about, and the navy is almost non-existent. Besides, even if we can't capture the Jiangbei camp, the counties and cities along the coast are all rich and prosperous places, so it's not a worthwhile trip."
Already."
When all the pirates present heard this, their hearts felt hot.
Anyway, when the Jurchens are fighting a tough battle with the army, they will just stand by and cheer them on. This is a very profitable business.