After receiving the secret memorial,
Tu Chen directly asked Jia Jing to continue on the path of the Xue family.
He sent a secret edict to the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Justice, asking them to find out the accounts in Jiangnan.
After receiving the secret edict, the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Justice smiled bitterly.
After finding out,
It was still unknown whether they could send it to the capital.
However, the Emperor had already given the order, so they could only investigate.
Fortunately, it was not that they had no idea.
These people were abusing their power in Jiangnan. Naturally, some people could not stand it. The Minister of Revenue had already received the news.
That person had given him something, and it was something extremely important.
However,
They could only let either the Minister of Revenue or the Minister of Justice go.
Only the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Justice knew about this.
Among the ten people who came with them,
No one knew that it was still time for them to eat.
Someone had stuffed a note into the hollow chopsticks and sent the news to him. However,
They were not sure whether it was an enemy or a friend.
"So we can only rely on Lin Ruhai and Wang Teng," the Minister of Revenue said.
The Minister of Justice sighed helplessly. "That's the only way.
This matter …
The two of us definitely can't do it. "The Minister of Justice was also a little helpless.
Among the people they brought, they could not guarantee that no one had been bribed. They naturally did not dare to tell such a big thing to the other ten people. "However, no matter what, the two of us must go this time, whether it's true or not," the Minister of Justice said.
"Yes." The Minister of Revenue was also helpless. That person said that he would only see him or the Minister of Justice. If there were others, he would never appear.
The Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Justice summoned Lin Ruhai and Wang Ziteng over and secretly discussed how to meet that person.
Seeing that Lin Ruhai and Wang Ziteng were called over by the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Justice, the people on the side finally couldn't hold back and said to the people around him, "Don't you think that Lord He and Lord Yuan trust Lin Ruhai and Wang Ziteng very much? Every time something happens, the two of them are the first to come to mind. Obviously, we are all the same. We were appointed by His Majesty to help the two ministers."
"Tao Yun, if you want to be jealous of others, Lin Ruhai and Wang Ziteng, don't drag us into it. Since we came to Yangzhou, we have encountered many assassination attempts. If it wasn't for the Jia family, do you think you have the right to speak here?" Another official rolled his eyes. Heh, did he really think that everyone else was a fool? If he wanted to provoke jealousy to deal with Lin Ruhai and Wang Ziteng, he had to figure out his position first. If it weren't for Lin Ruhai and Wang Ziteng, they would have been buried in the river even with the protection of the five hundred people sent by the Emperor.
The man called Tao Yun was unhappy. "I was just complaining a little. Why are you having such a big reaction? We took such a big risk this time. What if the credit goes to someone else?"
The people around him ignored Mister Tao. Hehe, he was only thinking about the merits now. It was better to think about how to return to the capital safely. Thinking about how much care he had received from the Jia family along the way, why would he want to get involved in this mess? It was all because of Lin Ruhai and Wang Ziteng.
At night, Tao Yun avoided the other people and quietly went to a house. He went in through the back door.
"What's the situation with those two?" A man wearing a black official's uniform asked.
"Reporting to Mister, apart from Lin Ruhai and Wang Ziteng, Mister He and Mister Yuan don't really trust the other eight people." Tao Yun was also somewhat helpless. He had clearly shown that he was very disgusted with the vermin of Jiangnan, but the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Justice refused to put him in an important position and refused to give him any information.
"Lin Ruhai, Wang Ziteng?" The man in the black official's uniform frowned.
"Mister, these two people are from the Jia family, Wang family, Shi family, and Xue family. Lin Ruhai is the son-in-law of the Jia family, and Wang Ziteng is the second son of the Wang family. This time, when you sent people to assassinate them, it was also these four families that secretly helped. Moreover, among the people protecting us, there were people from the military." Tao Yun said.
The man in the black official's uniform frowned. "The Jia family, hmph, really meddling in other people's business. In Jinling, it's fine if they are local tyrants, but they actually extend their hands to Yangzhou."
Tao Yun nodded and said, "Isn't that right? The Jia family is relying on their relationship with the Retired Emperor. Their hands are a bit too long."
"Alright, it's getting late. You should go back first. Don't let them discover your tracks. Also, you must be sure to keep a close eye on those two people, understood?" The man in the black official's uniform said.
"Yes, Mister, then after this matter is finished … …" Tao Yun's meaning was hinting at something.
"Don't worry, there will be no lack of benefits for you. Yun Niang will also go back with you." The man in the black official's uniform guaranteed.
"Yes, then this official will take his leave." Tao Yun smiled and turned to leave. When he opened the door to the study, the moonlight shone in and just happened to be able to clearly see the appearance of the man in the black official's uniform sitting behind the desk. Impressively, it was the current governor of Yangzhou. He had also passed away. The disciple of the former First Prince? Great Uncle Xu Zhao?
After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the door to the study of the governor of Yangzhou was pushed open again.
"Father, the person has already been sent away. Nobody noticed." The person who came in was the son of the governor of Yangzhou, the disciple of the First Prince? His cousin Xu Hao?
"Alright, you must be tired. Rest early." The governor of Yangzhou said.
"Yes." Xu Hao's footsteps were a bit hesitant. He thought about it and decided to go back to rest.
Just as he was about to leave, the governor of Yangzhou opened his mouth again and said, "If you have something to ask, just ask directly. Don't be vague and shy. What are you like? In the future, you will inherit the position of the head of the Xu family. If you are so hesitant, how can you lead the family well?" The governor of Yangzhou was dissatisfied. He felt that his son was too awkward. He was not decisive at all. How could he accomplish great things in the future?
Xu Hao stopped and waited for the governor of Yangzhou to finish reprimanding him. Only then did he open his mouth and say, "Father, in order to win over this Lord Tao, I feel that this Lord Tao is not very reliable."
"Fool, although this Tao Yun is not reliable, it is undeniable that this Tao Yun has some ability. Without ability, he would not have been chosen by the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Justice, those two old foxes. This Tao Yun is ambitious, greedy, and lecherous. Although this kind of person is not reliable, he is easy to control. For example, after Yun Niang hooked up with this Tao Yun, this Tao Yun was dead set on Yun Niang. However, this kind of person also changes his face very quickly. If Yun Niang betrays him, or if only one of them can live, he will definitely choose himself." The governor of Yangzhou smiled mockingly.
"In that case, why did the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Justice choose him?" Xu Hao did not understand.
"When looking at things, don't just look at the surface. Even if it is a beggar on the street, if you use it well, it will have unexpected effects." The governor of Yangzhou smiled.
Xu Hao nodded, indicating that he understood. "But father, the Jia family also joined in this time. How should we deal with it? When the eldest son was still alive, our family also tried to rope in the Jia family. However, the two old fools of the Jia family always said that the Jia family would not participate in the fight for the throne. Now they are pretending to help the Emperor." When mentioning the Jia family, Xu Hao was very angry. At the beginning, they were rejected so many times by the Jia family. Now, they wanted to ruin their good things. They were really too much.
"I said, don't casually talk about the Jia family." The governor of Yangzhou glared at his son. The Jia family, when their Xu family had a grown up prince, their Xu family could not compare with them. Not to mention now, the eldest son had passed away. Thinking about the Crown Prince's hand, it was really too ruthless. Three princes who had the chance to seize the throne were killed. The Crown Prince had been merciful all his life. That was the most ruthless and only time in his life.
"Father, is the Jia family so terrible?" Xu Hao didn't think so.
"Oh, stupid. The two brothers of the Jia family followed Emperor Taizhuang to overthrow the previous dynasty and were conferred the titles of Duke Rongguo and Ning Guogong. Among the four princes and eight dukes who founded the country, there were two Jia family members. Emperor Taizhuang was fighting outside, and Empress Taizhuang gave birth to the current Duke Rongguo. The current Emperor Taizhuang and the Duke Rongguo were brothers who wore the same pants and grew up together. Look at the Zhen family in Jinling. They only served the Emperor Taizhuang for a while, but they were conferred the title of Madam Fengsheng. With the Emperor's favor, they became the fifth largest family in Jinling. You should understand how much the royal family favors the Jia family." Seeing that his son didn't care about the Jia family, the Governor of Yangzhou was very angry.
"But the Jia family is not a top family in the capital now. The Duke Rongguo is recuperating in his mansion and hasn't shown up for a long time. The last time he showed up was at his son's housewarming banquet. He was so angry that he almost died. It is said that his illness is incurable. Today, the Duke Rongguo's eldest son inherits the title of Duke in Rongguo Province. Although he was conferred the title of Marquis, he doesn't hold any official position in the imperial court. In Ningguo Province, the current head of the family is Ning Guogong's grandson. Although he was conferred the title of Earl, he doesn't have any official position like the Rongguo Province. Except for the Jia Jing of Ningguo Province, he is a minister of the Ministry of Rites. But the Ministry of Rites, to put it bluntly, is just a place to raise idle people. Among the six ministries, it is only a little stronger than the Ministry of Works. The glory of the Jia family has passed. Father, you are too careful of the Jia family."
"How unlucky am I to have such a stupid son like you? Most of the clans would go through a process of prosperity and decline. However, other than those clans that had been passed down for thousands of years, the Jia Clan seemed to be not particularly outstanding in the capital city. However, don't forget that the royal family still favored them. If they did not stand out, it would be unwise for them to be too outstanding. Now, the Jia Clan was truly transforming into a true aristocratic clan. The symbol of a clan's transformation into a true aristocratic clan was to cast aside the ostentatiousness on the surface and truly begin to consolidate its foundation. How stupid was his son to look down on the Jia Clan?
Xu Hao curled his lips. What real aristocratic family? He didn't see any aristocratic family that had been passed down for thousands of years except for the Kong family. Now the Kong family was no longer the direct branch of the Kong family. Although they were conferred the title of Duke Yansheng, they were just a branch of the concubine. They were just forcibly adopted by the direct branch. "But father, now the Jia family is helping those people from the capital to deal with us." What he meant was that no matter how much he praised the Jia family, it couldn't change the fact that they wanted to deal with them.
The Inspector of Yangzhou was silent for a moment and narrowed his eyes. Since things had come to this, he had to go and meet the Jia, Wang, Shi, and Xue families in Jinling. How dare they oppose him? "Tomorrow, if you have time, come with me to Jinling."
"Yes." Xu Hao also wanted to see how Jinling could be compared to Yangzhou.
"Your Excellency, the informant sent a message. Today, the Inspector of Yangzhou is going to Jinling." Lin Ruhai came to report.
"Jinling? Why is the Inspector of Yangzhou going to Jinling at this time? " The Minister of Revenue frowned and looked at Lin Ruhai. Jinling was the place where the Jia, Wang, Shi, and Xue families were rising. Why would the Inspector of Yangzhou go to Jinling at this time?
Lin Ruhai shook his head. He also couldn't figure it out.
"Is it possible that he is going to persuade the Jia family to stop helping the Jia family?" The Minister of Justice asked.
The Minister of Revenue shook his head. He couldn't figure it out. If they wanted to persuade the Jia family to stop helping the Jia family, they would have to give up on Lin Ruhai. However, Lin Ruhai's wife was the only daughter of the Jia family. It was said that she was very favored. If they wanted the Jia family to give up on Lin Ruhai, they would have to give up on the Jia family. However, based on his understanding of the Jia family, the Jia family was trying their best to hide their power. If they accepted the benefits, they would only expose the Jia family to the public. He didn't believe that the Jia family would do that. However, nothing was absolute. If the Inspector of Yangzhou offered benefits that the Jia family couldn't resist, then giving up on a daughter wasn't a big deal.
The Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Justice looked at each other and smiled bitterly. The Inspector of Yangzhou had just left and they were already thinking so much. If the Jia family couldn't be trusted, then they would be isolated and helpless in Yangzhou.
"Well, let's put this matter aside for now. It's good that the Inspector of Yangzhou has left. It's easier for us to do things." Without the Inspector of Yangzhou, it was relatively easier to meet that person.
Xu Hao followed the Inspector of Yangzhou to Jinling. When he saw the state of Jinling, he sneered and said, "Although Jinling is a place of prosperity, compared to Yangzhou, it's a far cry. The only place that can be compared to Yangzhou is the capital."
"If you don't know how to be careful with your words and actions, then shut your mouth and speak less." The Inspector of Yangzhou's face fell. Although Yangzhou was prosperous, the power of Yangzhou was also intertwined and complicated. Although this time, because of the capital's sudden attack on Jiangnan, several powers had shown that they were harmonious. However, because of the capital's external enemy, even if they cooperated now, they were on guard against each other. The Jia family's power in the capital, the Wang family and the Shi family's power in the military, and the Xue family's means of making money complemented each other. If it weren't for the Zhen family, Jinling would be like an iron plate.
Xu Hao pursed his lips. Although he was still not convinced, his mouth was quiet.
The Inspector of Yangzhou's carriage directly drove to the front of the Xue family's gate. Xu Zhao said to the servant outside, "Go and knock on the door."
"Yes." The servant got off the carriage and directly went to knock on the door.
The Xue family's gate opened and the steward of the Xue family walked out. He sized up the servant who had come to knock on the door. It should be the servant of some important person. The steward of the Xue family immediately became polite and asked, "May I ask why you have come to our Xue family's gate?"
"Our master's surname is Xu. He came from Yangzhou and specially came to pay a visit to Master Xue." The servant passed the invitation to the steward of the Xue family.
The steward of the Xue family took the invitation and said, "Please wait for a moment, I will go and report to our master."
"Yes."
The steward of the Xue family thought about it. Someone from Yangzhou, surnamed Xu. He remembered that the Inspector of Yangzhou was also surnamed Xu. Could it be that the visitor was the Inspector of Yangzhou? No, it shouldn't be. The imperial envoy from the capital was in Yangzhou. At this time, how could the Inspector of Yangzhou dare to casually leave the city? Even if it was someone from the Xu family, it should be one of the masters of the Xu family. It definitely couldn't be the Inspector of Yangzhou.
"Master, there is a master surnamed Xu outside. He came from Yangzhou. This is the invitation." The steward of the Xue family found the master of the Xue family, Xue Zhuo, and gave him the invitation.
Xue Zhuo opened the invitation and looked at it. He actually saw Xu Zhao's name at the bottom. Of course, he knew who Xu Zhao was. He was the current Inspector of Yangzhou. Xue Zhuo's expression didn't change. He closed the invitation and said to the Xue Wang Clan, "I will go and see this guest. You are pregnant, you should rest in your room."
"Yes." The Xue Wang Clan smiled sweetly. She rubbed her belly. She had been married to her master for so many years, and she was finally pregnant. She thought about her elder sister who had been married to Rongguo Province and had given birth to Zhu Ge in less than two years. She had suffered a lot.
Xue Zhuo left the backyard and said to the steward of the Xue family, "Bring the guest to my study." Xue Zhuo opened the invitation again and looked at it. He sighed. The Inspector of Yangzhou had left Yangzhou to come to Jinling, so he probably didn't come with good intentions. Whatever, whether it was a blessing or a curse, he couldn't avoid it. Xue Zhuo had already been in Jinling for so many years, it wouldn't be easy to do anything to him.
When the steward of the Xue family brought Xu Zhao and Xu Hao to Xue Zhuo's study, Xue Zhuo quickly walked over and bowed to Xu Zhao. "I didn't know that Lord Xu was coming to visit. Please forgive me for not coming out to greet you."
"Lord Xue, please rise. I had nothing to do, so I came to Jinling to sightsee. The Xue family is famous in Jinling, so I came to pay you a visit. Lord Xue, you won't blame me for coming uninvited, right?" Xu Zhao smiled. The Xue family's ancestor had been given the title of Zi Wei Retainer. Although the Xue family didn't have that title anymore, they were still imperial merchants. They were in charge of the hairpins and flowers of the imperial concubines.
Xue Zhuo stood up and thought to himself, "Coming to Jinling to sightsee at this juncture, is there a mistake?" Jinling wasn't like Yangzhou. It didn't have any special mountains or rivers. Yangzhou's reputation as a skinny horse was enough to attract countless men. What was there to sightsee in Jinling? It was just Sima Zhao's idea.
"Lord Xue, you've come to the wrong place. Jinling can't be compared to Yangzhou. There's nothing to sightsee in Jinling," said Xue Zhuo.
"Lord Xue, you're too modest." Xu Zhao sat down on a chair. "For example, friends in Jinling are worth making. As long as you make friends with them, you can entrust your life to them. Isn't that right, Lord Xue?"
"That depends on what kind of friend they are. If it's a close friend, then it's naturally fine." Xue Zhuo stood respectfully to the side.
"As soon as I saw Lord Xue, I felt a sense of closeness. Lord Xue said that you and I could become close friends?" Xu Zhao smiled at Xue Zhuo.
"Lord Xue must be joking. This is the first time we've met." Xue Zhuo smiled in a manner that was neither servile nor overbearing.
"It seems that I've misjudged Lord Xue. In this world, there are many smart people, but there are also many people who think themselves smart. Smart people know how to adapt to circumstances, but there are also many people who think they're smart. Smart people know how to adapt to circumstances, but those who think they're smart always feel that they have to be loyal. They can't casually betray their friends and brothers. However, the world is bustling for profit, and the world is bustling for profit. If people don't look out for themselves, the heavens and the earth will destroy them. For a little personal friendship, you're willing to disregard the lives of your own people. It's truly lamentable." Xu Zhao stopped smiling and looked at Xue Zhuo.
After listening to Xu Zhao's words, how could Xue Zhuo not understand? The Provincial Governor came here today to win him over. Since he failed to win him over, he would naturally threaten him in the end. He was telling him to be smarter. "Lord Xue's words are correct. However, if I become friends with Lord Xue, what benefits would it bring me?"
"Lord Xue does business in the palace. I wonder if you're interested in getting involved in some new industries, such as Yangzhou's specialties?" Xu Zhao smiled.
"I'll have to think about that." Xue Zhuo smiled. What kind of specialties could Yangzhou have? This offer was really generous. It wasn't that he hadn't coveted the profits from salt before. However, at that time, Yangzhou was controlled by the other princes' families. Although the Xue family was one of the top families in Jinling, in Yangzhou, it wasn't enough. At that time, he could only give up.
"Then Lord Xue should think about it carefully. After all, this opportunity can't be missed. If you miss this opportunity, it won't come back again." Xu Zhao stood up and continued, "I'm afraid that I'll have to stay in Jinling for another two days. Once Lord Xue has thought about it, feel free to come find me."
"Yes, I'll see Lord Xu out." Xue Zhuo's smile didn't fade as he sent Xu Zhao out.
Returning to the carriage, Xu Hao finally couldn't resist and asked, "Father, will Xue Zhuo agree?"
"It's hard to say. As expected of someone who can use his identity as a merchant to climb up to the Jia family, the Wang family, and the Shi family." Xu Zhao rubbed his brows, his heart was filled with hatred. He didn't know which idiot did this to the imperial envoy earlier. That imperial envoy was much easier to deal with than the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Justice, causing the current situation. One by one, they started to become cowards. In private, they only knew how to fight and kill. In reality, they sent so many people, but none of them succeeded.
"He's just a merchant. Does he have that much power?" Xu Hao frowned.
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