Chapter 742 Zhen Lan: Sister, look, Uncle Yongning is here
The next day, Yangzhou
The annual Oiran Competition is held at the Slender West Lake in Yangzhou, on a balcony built in front of Xichun Terrace. Eight companies including Huanhua Tower, Huancui Pavilion, Caichun Tower, Luanming Pavilion, Bihaiyuan and Zizhuxuan have passed the preliminary round.
The brothel oirans were waiting behind the Xichun Terrace on the curtains and reed canopies set up on both sides.
In addition to the hosts such as Yangzhou salt merchants, there were also local officials from Yangzhou who attended the grand event, such as the prefect Yuan Jichong, Xuedao Meng Dong, and Liu Shengzao, the transfer envoy to the Huaihe River.
Yangzhou Prefecture has jurisdiction over Xiao Zhiwen, the magistrate of Tongzhou, Wanchuncheng, the magistrate of Jiangdu County, Zhuang Qian, the magistrate of Baoying County, as well as the Zhizhong, Tongpan and other subordinate officials of Yangzhou Prefecture.
In addition, there is Shui Yu, the former deputy envoy for inspection and control of Jiangbei Camp. Because all the military generals from Henan have taken over the training affairs of Jiangbei Camp, Shui Yu, who is idle and light-hearted at the moment, also agreed to Wang Shouqi’s request.
Invite me to come here to relax.
According to an unnamed source in the Yangzhou magistrate's office, during the turmoil set off by Yong Ningbo, the Minister of Military Aircraft, and the Jinyi Commander Jia Heng to reorganize the Jiangbei camp and eliminate old and weak soldiers... Shui Yu
He has passed the customs and attended several army reorganization meetings at Jiangbei Camp. In his concluding speech, he mentioned that Minister of Military Aircraft Jia Heng’s reorganization of Jiangbei Camp was firm, powerful and timely.
Shui Yu picked up the tea cup in his hand and took a sip, his eyes dim and unclear.
At this moment, I still feel extremely painful. I handed over 400,000 taels of silver at once. There is also a property in Jinling in Yangzhou. The cash on the book was almost wiped out. Moreover, it was only a preliminary handover, and it would be replenished year by year.
.
The Jiangbei camp was organized under the guiding principle of "thoroughly investigating corruption and strictly enforcing military discipline." Under Jia Heng's "criminal bargaining fund" that reporting could reduce the punishment, almost everyone reported on each other, setting off a war from top to bottom.
In the anti-corruption storm, everyone from the commander of the Guards to the officials of hundreds of households were reviewed and interrogated by the newly established Military Justice Department.
Yangzhou Jiangbei Camp called the recovery of 70% of the corrupt ink as "criminal silver". However, Jia Heng was very disgusted with this statement, which reminded people of He Shen.
Wang Shouqi was talking to Xiao Hongsheng beside him. This old man with a kind face and who always valued peace, looked obviously a little sad.
In the past few days, with Bao Zuhui and Huang Cheng still in custody at the Jinyi Mansion Baihu Prison, these salt merchants were already on tenterhooks and panicked all day long. They originally had the intention of canceling the Oiran Competition, but Wang Shouqi proposed that it be held as scheduled.
By the way, let’s test Jia Heng again.
Liu Shengzao was also absent-minded at the moment, not paying much attention to the solo dance of Huancui Pavilion that had started as a warm-up.
Because his son Liu Changdao's whereabouts are unknown these days, and his mother Liu Shengzao's first wife Yang launched the Hedong Lion's Roar.
If at first the Liu family thought it was Liu Changdao who had gone off to play somewhere, but after a few days, no servant came to report it, it would naturally make him feel irritable because of his fortune.
In addition, the Cheng and Ma families fell into the hands of the Jinyi Mansion, which meant that the year was unlucky and everything went wrong.
Liu Shengzao originally wanted to find Gu Ruoqing to relieve his boredom, but he didn't want to be warned by Ye Nuan, the daughter of An Nanhou.
As time passed, Liu Shengzao had faintly noticed that something bad was coming, or that a storm was about to come.
At this time, Yuan Jichong turned to look at Liu Shengzao, smiled and said, "Why is Master Liu looking so bad, but he didn't sleep well yesterday?"
Liu Shengzao looked gloomy and said, "The dog has not been found in the past few days. I don't know where he went."
A flash of thought flashed through Yuan Jichong's chubby little face and his small eyes squeezed into mung beans, and he said: "Mr. Liu, regarding your son's matter, I have sent out the third team of Yangzhou government officials to look for it. Could it be that he went to Jinling and didn't inform you?"
Liu Shengzao pondered: "It's also possible that Changdao is too playful, and when he comes back this time, he has to be grounded for half a year."
At the end of the sentence, his voice was a bit stern. This ineffectual person had caused him so much trouble over the years.
Yuan Jichong smiled and said: "Young people are always more playful. My son is filial and sensible. Mr. Liu, please don't be too demanding and blame me."
Back then, he helped Liu Chang settle some matters, although he always asked his subordinates to
Tong San will take care of it, but there are actually consequences.
I don’t know if any of the several salt merchants who were imprisoned were able to reveal his connection to others. Ordinarily, they were not very related. However, he did not accept their money. Everything was done under his banner by his younger brother who had a concubine in the same room.
Do your own thing.
As the Yangzhou salt merchants were cut in half, corrupt officials in the Jiangbei camp were dismissed one after another. Yuan Jichong, who had a keen sense of smell, also vaguely realized that something was wrong.
Liu Shengzao asked Wang Shouqi in the row behind him and said, "Master Wang, why don't you see Uncle Yongning today?"
As soon as this statement came out, several other salt merchants and several officials from Yangzhou Prefecture all looked at Wang Shouqi in unison.
Wang Shouqi smiled to himself and said, "The invitation has been sent out, and Uncle Yong Ning said he would come over and have a look."
It can be said that all the judges of this year's Yangzhou Oiran Competition have their own minds and have lost all the high spirits and lively chatter and laughter of previous years.
As for the celebrities who lived in Yangzhou, Yan Xing and Xie He were
As usual, I drank wine with a smile and commented on the participating brothels in Yangzhou.
Yan Xing looked at the dancing girl and smiled and said: "Huancui Pavilion is mostly filled with young girls with slender waists. The dancing can be barely noticeable, but in the end they are just vulgar girls."
"Huanhualou invited Gu Ruoqing, a famous prostitute from Jiangnan, to please Brother Yan." Xie He picked up the wine cup, took a sip of wine, and chuckled.
"Brother Wenzhai, are you talking about Gu Ruoqing?" Yan Xing smiled, his eyes flickering, and there was a hint of fascination on his handsome face, which was nearly thirty years old.
Xie He said with a smile: "This girl's music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and dancing skills are all outstanding in the south of the Yangtze River. I was fortunate enough to see this girl dancing at the banquet of Mr. Lin Quan who settled in Hangzhou. Only then did I know that Cao Zijian's words were true and graceful.
He is as graceful as a swimming dragon, and his conversational style is elegant, which is really the aura of Jinan Province."
Yan Xing smiled and said, "Brother Xie said this, I really want to meet him later."
On the other side, next to the double-eaves pavilion on the southwest side of the grandstand. Beside a pavilion surrounded by beautiful trees and stacked lake rocks, Zhen Lan led her sister Zhen Xi, disguised as a man, and was secretly protected by several Zhen family guards.
He got down, put his feet on his feet, and looked through the sea of people towards the tower not far away.
"Sister, if we follow the eldest sister here and sneak away like this, the third uncle will know that it's time to get angry." Zhen Xi said softly.
Zhen Lan is wearing a brocade robe and shirt like a young master. This girl with charming and sharp eyebrows looks like Zhen Qing. She is in the age of hairpins, and occasionally she still shows the charming and naive look that belongs to her age.
When Zhen Lan heard this, her eyebrows were as curved as crescent moons, and her cherry blossoms were slightly blooming. She smiled softly and said: "What's the value of the poems every year? Besides, how old are you? There's no rush to wait for another two years. Let's take a look at these."
For the Oiran Competition, we can just go back in the afternoon. With my eldest sister here, dad won’t say anything."
It turned out that last night, the two sisters came to Yangzhou with Zhen Qing by boat, intending to take a look at the diorama of the Yangzhou Oiran Competition.
As for Zhen Qing, she came to Yangzhou for business and did not tell Jia Heng in advance, intending to give Jia Heng a surprise.
Perhaps they had been together for a long time, and Zhen Qing really felt a bit like she was in love... Every time she closed her eyes, she could see the image of her and Jia Heng entangled to the death, and in her mind, she could see Jia Heng kissing her hard and getting involved.
However, Jia Heng loved only one word: "Oh."
Zhen Xi felt a little shy, and soon, with curiosity between her soft and gentle eyebrows, she looked at the sea of people in the distance and said: "There are so many people here, more than the people who attended the meeting in the garden last year, and there are also people over there
, how to wear...""
The young-looking girl said, feeling a little shy. She stretched out her slender hands to block her bright eyes, but she looked at the stands between her fingers.
It was clearly a sultry weather. The three women in Huancui Pavilion were wearing light gauze skirts, snow-white lotus-rooted arms, and a string of copper bells tied with red ropes on their jade feet. They danced and sang, and the bells on their ankles
Shake gently, the white dazzles.
This girl picking lotuses, Wu Wa Yue's cool and cool dress is somewhat rare even in the open-minded areas of Huaiyang and Jiangnan, so she aroused applause from the spectators in the stands.
Not to mention anything else, these alone are not a worthwhile trip.
At this moment, Zhen Xi heard a curse in her ears: "It's offensive to morals, it's offensive to morals."
Zhen Xi couldn't help turning her eyes and looked over curiously. She saw an old man with gray hair and his hands behind his back. He was about to say a few words when he saw the old man's eyes straightened, his feet on his feet, his neck stretched out, and his eyes almost moved.
It’s the same if it doesn’t open.
Zhen Xi's pink cheeks suddenly turned red, and she thought to herself, this person is really old and shameless.
"The oiran competition here in Yangzhou is different from the one in Jinling. Jinling is a place of poetry and poetry. Although there are also poems and songs here, most of them are music and dance, just like the so-called Yangchun Baixue and the Lower Riba people." Compared with the ones in Zhenxi, they are rare, weird and shy.
After a while, Zhen Lan was obviously generous, smiled, and explained.
The Mid-Autumn Poetry Festival in Jinling is more like a blind date for high-end celebrities and young men.
Of course, brothel courtesans from Yangzhou and Jiangnan will be invited to perform folk arts, but this will not ruin the fun of young gentlemen and famous ladies reciting poems and composing poems.
Even the scribes were the children of Jiangnan officials and gentry families. They used poetry gatherings to gain fame, such as the so-called Six Horses of Jinling. Those with the worst family backgrounds were small and medium-sized landowners.
As for the Oiran Competition in Yangzhou in front of us, it is more like Huyu's live broadcast annual meeting, or a certain gambling annual ceremony, and then some middle-aged businessmen who look at their breasts and thighs and listen to the music will join in. If they see it right, they will spend a lot of money, let's get straight to the point.
Zhen Lan, who is used to seeing elegant events, this time accompanied Zhen Qing to take a breather, and brought her sister Zhen Xi out to open her eyes.
Several maids who had also changed into men's clothing were surrounding the two sisters Lan Xi to prevent others from colliding with the two rich ladies. The guards of the Prince of Chu's Palace also secretly protected them.
Zhen Xi frowned and said softly, "Then you can't dress like this."
Zhen Lan smiled and took Zhen Xi's hand, jokingly saying: "Just look at it, sister, please open your eyes more."
With the warm-up program at Huancui Pavilion, the Oiran Competition is about to begin.
However, at this moment, a commotion was suddenly seen in the northwest where there was a sea of people surrounding it. Everyone followed the movement and looked around. Even the woman in Huancui Pavilion who was dancing was not noticed for a moment.
In the distance, I could see a large number of cavalry in fine clothes, guarding them with knives on both sides along a carpet for Yangzhou salt merchants and officials to go first.
House guards in flying fish suits were guarding a young man in python suits, walking quickly along the carpet.
Under Zhen Lan's beautiful eyebrows, she looked intently at the man on the red carpet.
The young man who came quickly from above pointed and said: "Sister, look at Uncle Yongning here."
There was confusion on Zhen Xi's pink and pretty face, and she asked: "It's Brother Heng, why is he here so late?"
Zhen Lan snorted softly, with a hint of amusement at the corner of her mouth, and said: "Sister, those with such high status are often the last to arrive. Haven't you noticed over the years?"
She discovered at home that this Uncle Yongning was good at everything else, but he liked to put on airs. Although he looked very tender, he talked to the old lady and the uncle as if they were the same age.
Zhen Xi: "???"
Turning her pink face, she looked at Zhen Lan blankly, her eyes full of color, as if you know a lot about me, sister.
Zhen Lan narrowed her narrow, clear phoenix eyes and said delicately: "This Yong Ningbo is really grand. I heard that when he was assassinated in Yangzhou, he brought two or three personal guards with him. This is a painful lesson."
Compared to the good girl who didn't talk much when she was in Fuxuan Hall, this girl is not as smart as Zhen Qing.
"Do you want to go say hello later?" Zhen Xi asked. Because Mrs. Zhen told the Zhen family to treat Jia Heng as their own family and not to have any children, Zhen Xi obviously listened. Zhen Lan smiled.
He smiled and said, "It's not too late to take a look later." At this moment, on the bamboo loft built in the distance, Ye Nuan, accompanied by a group of orioles, looked down.
The young men were surrounded by the guards of Jinyi Mansion.
"Nan Ling, is that Uncle Yong Ning?" Ye Nuan stood on the second floor of the attic and looked out, frowning and asking the girl in pink skirt standing beside him.
It's not that she is interested. This beautiful woman may have raised too many boys as children and is not interested in men. She is even sexually indifferent to men. After her husband found out, because she was the daughter of An Nanhou, she shouldn't divorce her.
Touch but cannot touch
, I can only linger outside in the fireworks and willow alley, and then die in depression.
Nan Ling couldn't take his eyes away and looked at the young man in python suit. A look of confusion appeared on his pretty face. Hearing the question, he responded quickly.
Ye Nuan said softly: "Wait a minute, Nan Ling, go and hand over the greeting card and tell me that the second daughter of the An Nan Hou family wants to pay a visit to Uncle Yong Ning."
Nan Ling responded quickly, feeling that she was reunited with Uncle Yong Ning, and her heartbeat speeded up a little faster. It was understandable that the girl was pregnant.
In the pavilion behind the stands, Gu Ruoqing also turned his attention to the young man in the python suit, frowning and moving his clear eyes slightly.
"Junior sister went to spy on the emperor's cronies like Uncle Yongning. After all, it was a bit risky. That person is watching like a hawk and he will find out sooner or later." Gu Ruoqing pursed her lips and sighed quietly in her heart.
Apart from her master White Lotus Virgin Mary, she is the only other person who knows Chen Xiao's identity.
But apart from repaying the kindness of raising her, she didn't want to get involved too much in the grudges of the previous generation. So what if she took revenge? Even dead people can't be resurrected.
However, Jia Heng came along the red carpet paved under the stands, stood up, and glanced at the Yangzhou salt merchants and officials sitting on the reed stands.
Wang Shouqi and the others all got up from their seats and went to greet Jia Heng. However, as soon as they got closer, they were surprised by Qi Kun standing next to Jia Heng.
Wang Shouqi's eyes narrowed slightly, and he complimented with a smile: "Master Qi and Master Jia are here. They are both civil and military stars. They really make Slender West Lake more beautiful."
Several other salt merchants and officials from Yangzhou Prefecture also smiled and complimented him.
Well, now there are only four of the eight major salt merchants in Yangzhou. Jia Heng calmly glanced at the officials present and said: "Master Qi, let's get started."
Qi Kun nodded, took out an official document, and said in a deep voice: "Liu Shengzao, according to the interrogation of Jinyi Mansion, the Yangzhou salt transportation warehouse has been in deficit for many years. This is because Liu Shengzao, the transportation department of the two Huaihe Rivers, and Xu Wengang, the transportation judge, Bao Shanzhi
The three of them joined forces to misappropriate it. I have been ordered by the emperor to reorganize the salt affairs. After discussing with Uncle Yongning, I will take you back to the Baihu Office of Jinyi Mansion to interrogate and verify this matter."
When Liu Shengzao heard this, his expression changed slightly and he said, "The transportation treasury is running low. How could this happen?"
And other salt merchants in Yangzhou were also shocked like a bolt from the blue, with cold hands and feet.
What are you really afraid of? What's coming!
The words "salt transportation warehouse is in deficit" are almost a huge stone weighing on the hearts of all salt merchants.
The smile on Wang Shouqi's face suddenly froze, and he exclaimed in shock: "Mr. Qi Ge, Uncle Yong Ning, what... is going on?"
Jia Heng said: "Mr. Wang, this is Cheng, the Ma family and others are here to confess."
"This is a slander!" Huang Rishan was the first to say.
Jiang Tong said solemnly: "These people must want to drag us into the water and end up with them. Mr. Jia, you have to be careful!" "Mr. Jia, this is a false accusation. Yangzhou Salt Transport Depot pays taxes to the imperial court every year.
"Yin, Mr. Lin from the Yanyuan can testify on this matter." Wang Shouqi also defended himself urgently.
Lin Ruhai did not attend the oiran competition because of her poor health. In other words, when Jia Min was there, needless to say, with Daiyu's mother's sensitive temperament, Lin Ruhai would drink it if she even looked at the woman next to her.
Take off vinegar.
Jia Heng shouted solemnly: "There is at least one million taels of silver left on credit, and there has been at least one million taels of silver in the past years, but now there is not even one tael left in the salt transportation warehouse. The court just heard the news of an investigation, and there was a big fire in your salt transportation department. You
Are all the princes and ministers of the court three-year-old children?"
After saying that, without waiting for Liu Shengzao to quibble, he said coldly: "Someone, take Mr. Liu away."
Several Jinyi palace guards gathered around and held down Liu Shengzao's shoulders.
Liu Shengzao's eyes trembled slightly, and he shouted: "Why do you want to take me, Jia?"
Jia Heng said: "According to the decree of the imperial court, and because I am a military aircraft of the current dynasty, the transportation department of Huaihe and Huaidu has been in deficit for many years, and its account books were burned to the ground not long ago. You, Liu Shengzao, are so lawless, have you ever taken the Holy Emperor seriously? Your son
Liu Changdao, Cheng Peili, Huang Cheng and others have all confessed that you are the mastermind. Do you still want to quibble?" Liu Shengzao calmed down, sneered and said, "I'm afraid you don't dare to check, all the silver in the salt shipment has been sent to
..."
"Come here, stop his mouth." Jia Heng shouted solemnly.
Before Liu Shengzao could finish speaking, Liu Jixian strode forward and with a sudden force, he removed Liu Shengzao's chin, leaving the second half of his words in his mouth.
Jia Heng glanced at the ashen-faced Yangzhou salt merchant and said in a deep voice: "Anyone who blames others or makes false accusations on superiors will be severely punished by the Jinyi Mansion!"
Although some of the money was sent to the palace, how could it be spread around for the sake of the royal family's dignity?
After saying that, he looked at the subordinate officer of the Salt Transport Department who had lost his master, and said: "Take them away together with the staff of the Salt Transport Department!"
Before the staff behind Liu Shengzao could react, they saw Jinyi Tiqi rushing over and had already restrained the Yanyun Secretary, Yunpan and other subordinate officials.
Wang Shouqi, Jiang Tong, and Bao Zuhui all had earth-colored faces and were trembling with fear, not daring to say a word.
Yuan Jichong, the magistrate of Yangzhou Prefecture, had a fat face as dark as the bottom of a pot, and the magistrates of Jiangdu County, Tongzhou, and others looked at the young man in the python suit with frightened expressions.
This scene was also seen by onlookers from a distance, and they started talking about it.
Zhen Lan, who was standing on the side of the pavilion with double eaves on the mountain in the distance, fixed her pair of narrow phoenix eyes on the young man in the python suit, her eyes twinkling as she fell into thought.
Ye Nuan, who was looking out from the balcony in the distance, narrowed his eyes slightly and couldn't help but feel a sense of surprise in his heart.
As my father said, after the Emperor is completely honored, will the major case of the Yangzhou Salt Transport Depot be about to happen?
Seeing that Liu Shengzao and the officials of the Salt Transportation Department were captured, Qi Kun turned to look at Jia Heng and said: "Uncle Yongning, I will first interrogate Liu Shengzao about the shortage of salt warehouse. I will excuse you first."
Jia Heng said: "Master Qi will go first, and I will go there later." Qi Kun left Slender West Lake accompanied by a group of generals from the Jinyi Mansion.
Jia Heng looked at the salt merchants who were already silent, smiled at Wang Shouqi and said, "Mr. Wang, I'm here to review the Yangzhou Oiran Competition. Why doesn't Mr. Wang welcome you?"
Wang Shouqi woke up from a dream and looked at the smiling Jia Heng as if he were seeing a ghost. A smile appeared on his face and he said: "Uncle Yong Ning, welcome, please come this way."
No matter what, we can't mess up now. We need to think of a way quickly. It's Jiangnan. Everyone in Beijing needs to think of a way. And what is the purpose of Uncle Yongning only arresting Liu Shengzao but not them? With Liu Shengzao being arrested, the entire
The case of Yangzhou salt warehouse deficit has completely kicked off.