The Great Ming Dynasty was full of talents, and Ye Mengxiong and Li Hualong were among the best in the Great Ming Dynasty. Whether it was Ye Mengxiong or Li Hualong, they were both famous officials, and their experiences were surprisingly similar: entering the civil service, becoming famous in the military, and being in charge of military affairs in Liaodong.
Governor-General Li already had presbyopia. He held Ye Mengxiong's letter and read it carefully under the lamp for a long time. He smiled, picked up a small copper hammer, and knocked on the copper bell hanging on the ancient heavy table. A "dang" sound echoed far away.
After a while, an old pedant slowly walked into the study. Li Hualong said, "Pass down my order, from today onwards, Bozhou will pay taxes to the imperial court, and Sichuan will collect and pay it on behalf of them!"
Yang Yinglong was not a local official under Li Hualong, and in terms of rank, he was not much lower than Li Hualong. More importantly, Yang Yinglong was a local official, and should pay tribute and not pay taxes. Even if he wanted to pay taxes, he should go through Guizhou. It had nothing to do with Governor-General Li, but Li Hualong's order was justified.
What was even worse was that his teacher, who looked like a winter roaster, nodded his head after hearing his instructions, turned around and left without saying anything else. What did he mean by not complying with the law? Laws were things that could be exploited if one looked carefully. If a commoner found a loophole, the government might not admit it, but if a provincial governor wanted to use this loophole, then it would become a loophole.
As for saying that Bozhou was not under Li Hualong's jurisdiction, as for saying that Yang Yinglong was a local official, and did not need to pay taxes, hehe …
Since the governor had given the order, he just had to find reasons and excuses. Bozhou was close to Sichuan, but far away from Guizhou. The territories of both sides were intertwined. Yang Yinglong had a huge industry, which was Yang Yinglong's economic lifeline, and its main sales route was through Sichuan, so how could he not find a way?
This kind of familiar advisor did not need to instruct him too much. He only needed to tell him what to do, whether it was reasonable, whether it would work, and how to find a reasonable reason for himself. The advisor would think of a way, and there was no need for Dongweng to worry.
…
"Li Hualong, you old man, you've really gone too far!" Li Hualong's sentence, when it reached Yang Yinglong's desk, became an official letter of over a thousand words, stamped with the Governor's seal in bright red. Yang Yinglong slammed his palm heavily on the official letter, his anger surging.
His cousin Yang Daqi, his second brother Yang Zhaolong, Tian Xiufeng, Big Mu Chen Xiao, Chief Military Officer Tian Yipeng, Tian Feipeng, Housekeeping Zhao Wenyuan and the others were all furious.
Yang Yinglong angrily cursed several times and then said, "For the time being, let's delay him for a few days. If he doesn't urge us to hurry, then we'll drag it on. If he is forced into a corner, Lao Er, you go to Chengdu, explain the situation to Li Hualong face to face, and hope he will be lenient. Prepare some gifts, Yang Yang Yang Yinglong.
Yang Brother. " Big Brother, I'll remember it. Just leave this matter to me. "
Yang Yinglong sighed. "That's true, but Bozhou is far away from Guizhou and close to Sichuan. We have many things to rely on. If we really ignore it, I'm afraid it will bring us a lot of trouble.
Yang Yinglong sighed and said, "That may be the case, but our Bozhou is far from Guizhou and close to Sichuan. We have a lot of things to rely on. If we really ignore it, I'm afraid it will bring us a lot of trouble. A little impatience will spoil the great plan! "
Tian Xiufeng's charming crescent brows twitched as she said, "Heavenly King is being too cautious. The Heavenly King's territory is thousands of miles wide, with the mountains in the northwest as the pass and the river in the southeast as the pond. Huang Ping and Caotang Two Pacifics, Zhen, Bo, Bai Ni, Yu Qing, Zhong An and Rong Shan six surnames, Tian, Zhang, Yuan, Lu, Tan, Luo and Wu seven surnames. Zhu Yuanzhang, a commoner, was able to become a great emperor. Could it be that the thousand-year foundation of a heavenly king could not become a great emperor? Why should we be under that old man Li Hualong? "
Everyone present was Yang Yinglong's absolute confidants, so Tian Xiufeng obviously had no qualms about what she said. Yang Yinglong fell silent for a while. "Let's make steady progress. The letter from Crouching Bull Ridge says that if we don't take control of the ridge soon, Ye Xiao 'an might be seen through one day. I think we should speed up the progress there. Xiufeng, go to Tongren again when you're free and take charge. "
Tian Xiufeng heard him say "make steady progress", but his subsequent words clearly had other intentions. He had already prepared for over a decade in Bozhou. How much longer would he have to prepare? Now that the heavenly king was in his prime, it was time for him to make his grand plans. Was he supposed to wait until he was past his prime before mobilizing?
It seemed like the heavenly king would move as soon as Crouching Bull Ridge fell into his hands! Thinking up to there, Tian Xiufeng became excited and immediately agreed.
Yang Yinglong said, "We can't force Ye Xiao 'an blindly. We have to pull and beat him, and give him some benefits. The foundation of the Gu God Sect is still there. Many people are loyal to Ye Xiaotian because of his identity as the Venerable. So even if we completely control Crouching Bull Ridge, we still need Ye Xiaotian's name to make them work for us. Ye Xiao 'an will always be useful! "
Tian Xiufeng said sweetly, "There's no need for heavenly king to instruct me. I understand the pros and cons. This Ye Xiao 'an can't escape from me. "
Great Mu Chen Xiao said excitedly, "Heavenly king, shouldn't we also make early preparations?"
Tian Yipeng said, "Ten years of silence, one brilliant feat!"
When Yang Yinglong heard this, even he, who had always been calm, could not help but feel his heart waver. He thought of the throne in the Forbidden City, the throne that he was extremely eager to have. Yang Yinglong took a deep breath and said, "Yes, it's better to be prepared!"
Everyone rubbed their hands and accepted the order!
…
Zunyi County, Great Compassion Pavilion.
This was a temple built with the donation of the ancestors of the Yang family. The ruler of Bozhou, the Yang family, believed in Buddhism and Taoism. In short, he believed that all those with great supernatural power could cultivate in both the present and the future. Therefore, Buddhism and Taoism flourished in Bozhou and coexisted peacefully.
However, it was embarrassing to know that the daughter of the Zhang family of Mount Longhu cultivated in the temple with her hair down. Therefore, not many people knew that the real wife of Heavenly King Yang was cultivating in the Great Compassion Pavilion. The master of the Great Compassion Pavilion was an insider, but he kept it a secret. Many monks in the temple only knew that there was a noble person cultivating in the temple, but they were not sure of her true identity.
Zhang's appearance was not ugly. No matter what, she was above average. It was just that compared to Tian Xiufeng, who was born with a seductive charm, she lacked some seductive charm. However, after years of stealthy cultivation, her temperament had also changed greatly. She looked simple and natural, with more Taoist Qi and Buddhist Aura, but less feminine charm.
She left Mount Longhu at the age of sixteen and married the Crown Prince of Bozhou, Yang Yinglong. She was only thirty-one or thirty-two years old. Tian Xiufeng was about the same age as her, but at first glance, she was still a womanizer. She was beautiful and enchanting, while Zhang's quiet and reserved temperament made her seem a few years older than her actual age.
Women were like flowers. Without men, they lacked the nourishment of love. Even if they immersed themselves in Buddhist scriptures and Taoist scriptures, they would still lack some liveliness.
Zhang was cultivating in the Great Compassion Pavilion. Usually, few people came to disturb her. However, in the past two days, there were many people coming in and out of the Great Compassion Pavilion to see Zhang. The people who came to see Madam Zhang all came in secret. Ordinary people wouldn't notice them at all. Although the senior monks in the temple knew that the visitors were of high status, they didn't know their exact identities.
Among the visitors, there were some dignitaries from the five departments and seven families of Bozhou. If Yang was the king of Bozhou, they would be the marquis of Bozhou. Under Yang Yinglong, they had territories and people inherited from them. Naturally, they could be called a feudal lord.
Unfortunately, these feudal lords did not have the condition of "the sky is high and the emperor is far away". Yang Yinglong was close at hand, so his control over them was naturally stronger. For example, the He family of Liutian and Qingshan. The He family had been a vassal of the Yang family for seven hundred years. It could be said that they were "as old as the country".
And today, among those who came to complain to Madam Zhang, there was unexpectedly the current head of the He family of Qingshan, He En of the Condolence Division of Bozhou, who had always been obedient to the Yang family and had never complained.
He En said worriedly, "Madam, after the beginning of spring, it will be the busy farming season. However, Great Ah Mu has sent news that he wants to carry out a large scale construction, requesting all local officials to provide manpower and goods. Rescuing people and items is originally part of our duty, but …
Sigh! What Great Ah Mu wants to expand and repair is not only the main building of Hailongtun. Earth City, Moon City, Ring City, Family Temple, Warehouse, Barracks, Treasury, Gunpowder Depot, Drill Field Dam, Quarry, Tongzhu Pass, Tiezhu Pass, Flying Dragon Pass, Chaotian Pass, Flying Phoenix Pass, Flying Tiger Pass, and the other nine passes need to be renovated. Raising Horse City, Hailongtun, Hailongtun, Hailongtun, Hailongtun, Hailongtun, Hailongtun on both sides of the Trumpet River in front of Hailongtun, all need to be expanded. How can we organize spring plowing … "
Song Shichen of the Song family of Bozhou frowned and said, "Not only that, our Bozhou has more than two hundred farmlands, more than forty tea fields, more than thirty wax cliffs, more than twenty fishing ponds, and more than one hundred weaving workshops. Next year, taxes will be doubled. Everyone is complaining and suffering. But Great Ah Mu actually said that if we can't collect them, Chieftain Lord can send someone else. This … is the foundation that has been passed down for thousands of years. How can it be changed so easily? "
Luo Chengen said, "Madam, Chieftain Qiao refused to obey. He has been stripped of his chieftain status and confiscated all his property. All the local officials are now in a panic. If they don't obey the Heavenly King's order, their lives will be in danger. If they obey the Heavenly King's order, they are afraid that the common people will have no way to survive. This will greatly damage the vitality of Bozhou!"
The head of the Dabao Tianzheng Palace at the Biyun Peak in the west of Bozhou was Madam Zhang's uncle, Zhang Shizhao. After his niece married Yang Yinglong, he came to Bozhou from Mount Longhu and became the head of the Dabao Tianzheng Palace. He spread the teachings of Mount Longhu and was a famous figure in the local Taoism.
At this time, he was also present. He said to Madam Zhang angrily, "The Heavenly King favors Tian Xiufeng. It is said that the Heavenly King's various rebellious actions are all instigated by Tian Xiufeng. Madam, you are the Handprint Madam of Bozhou. You can't sit by and watch as your concubine offends her superior and commits outrages! "
He En said, "That's right, Madam. Madam is virtuous and stands aloof from worldly affairs. That is naturally the best. But now Tian Xiufeng is bewitching the Heavenly King and doing things against his will. She is damaging the Yang family's thousand-year foundation. Madam, you can't sit by and do nothing anymore. "
Song Shichen said, "What I am most worried about is why Tian Xiufeng instigated the Heavenly King to do all these things. Madam, I am afraid there is more to this. If we are not careful, it will not only harm the Yang family's thousand-year foundation, but it will also attract a great disaster! "
Madam Zhang's expressionless face finally moved. After listening to everything they said, she also realized a terrible possibility. She was the Handprint Madam of this generation of the Yang family. No matter how arrogant Tian Xiufeng was, she was still the Third Madam. She was the Handprint Madam recorded in the genealogy.
She could disdain competing with Tian Xiufeng for favor. She could voluntarily give up the glory and authority of the Handprint Madam to cultivate in the temple because of Yang Yinglong's cold shoulder. But after all, she regarded herself as a member of the Yang family. If her husband had ill intentions, it would bring irreparable harm to the family. This was absolutely intolerable.
Madam Zhang took a deep breath and said, "Third Madam, are you in Hailong Tun now?"
He En, Song Shichen, and the others were overjoyed. As soon as they heard this, they knew that the Handprint Madam was really angry. Although Tian Xiufeng was arrogant, that was because Madam Zhang was unwilling to lower herself to compete with her. If she really used her identity as the Handprint Madam, she could firmly suppress that fox.
Once Tian Xiufeng was punished, Tian Yipeng, Tian Feipeng, and the other henchmen would also be out of luck. At that time, the Heavenly King would lose half of his wings. No matter what he wanted to do, he would have to have some scruples. He En immediately said, "Yes! Of course, the Heavenly King is now in Hailong Tun, so of course Tian Xiufeng is also there. Hey! That woman will not let go of any opportunity to curry favor with the Heavenly King. "
Madam Zhang took a deep breath and ordered in a deep voice, "Go and make preparations. Gather all the local officials of the five departments and seven families. In three days, we will return to Hailong Tun with me! This lowly servant who bewitches the master, I will ask the ancestors to punish her according to the family law! "
