The next day, Yangzhou
The annual Oiran Competition is held in Yangzhou's Slender West Lake, on a balcony built in front of the 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 curtains and reeds set up on both sides of the Xichun Terrace.
In addition to the hosts such as Yangzhou salt merchants, there were also local officials from Yangzhou who attended the event, such as the prefect Yuan Jichong, Xuedao Meng Dong, and Liu Shengzao, the transfer envoy to the Huaidu region.
Under the jurisdiction of Yangzhou Prefecture, Xiao Zhiwen, the magistrate of Tongzhou, Wanchuncheng, the magistrate of Jiangdu County, Zhuang Qian, the magistrate of Baoying County, and other subordinate officials of Yangzhou Prefecture, such as Zhizhong and Tongpan, gathered together.
In addition, there is Shui Yu, the former deputy envoy for inspection and control of the Jiangbei Camp. Because all the military generals from Henan have taken over the training affairs of the 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 military 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, only a preliminary part was handed over, and it will be replenished every year. .
The Jiangbei camp was organized under the guiding principle of "thoroughly investigating corruption and strictly enforcing military discipline." Under Jia Heng's suggestion that reporting can reduce the punishment of crimes, they almost reported 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 "criminal silver". However, Jia Heng was very disgusted with this statement, which reminded people of He Shen.
Wang Shouqi was talking to Xiao Hongsheng on the side. This old man with a kind face and always valued peace had an obviously bad expression on his face.
In the past few days, as Bao Zuhui and Huang Cheng were still in custody at 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. He didn't pay 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 somewhere to play again, but after a few days, no servant came to report it, it would naturally make this man who was in good fortune and feel irritable.
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: "Master Liu, regarding your son's matter, I have sent out the third team of Yangzhou government officials to look for him. 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 will have to be grounded for half a year when he comes back this time."
At the end of the sentence, his voice was a bit harsh. This incompetent 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. Master Liu, please don't be too demanding and blaming."
At first 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 the several salt merchants who were imprisoned have exposed him or not. It is not very related, but 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, "Mr. 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-spiritedness and liveliness of previous years.
As for the celebrities who lived in Yangzhou, Yan Xing and Xie He were
As usual, he was drinking wine with a smile and commenting 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 after all, 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 flashed, 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 playing, 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 lives in Hangzhou. Only then did I know that Cao Zijian's words are true and graceful. He is as graceful as a swimming dragon, and his elegant conversation is truly the charm of Jinan Province."
Yan Xing smiled and said, "Brother Xie said this, I really want to meet you later."
On the other side, there is the double-eaves pavilion on the southwest side of the stand. Beside a pavilion surrounded by beautiful trees and stacked rocks, Zhen Lan led her younger sister Zhen Xi, disguised as a man, and under the covert protection of several Zhen family guards, they stepped on their feet and looked through the crowds of people towards the direction not far away. View from the balcony.
"Sister, if we follow the eldest sister and sneak away like this, the third uncle will know that he is going to get angry." Zhen Xi said softly.
Zhen Lan is wearing the brocade robe of a young master. This girl with charming and sharp eyebrows, who resembles Zhen Qing, is at the age of hairpins, and occasionally she shows the charming and innocent 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 annual poems? 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.
Maybe they have been together for a long time, and Zhen Qing really looks like she is in love... When she closes her eyes, she can see the image of her and Jia Heng entangled to death, and in her mind is the image of Jia Heng kissing her passionately and passionately.
However, Jia Heng loved only one word: "Oh."
Zhen Xi felt a little shy, and soon, curiosity appeared in her soft 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 those 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, white is dazzling.
The cool and cool dress of Wu Wa, the daughter of lotus collectors, is somewhat rare even in the enlightened places 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 and immoral."
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 competitions here in Yangzhou are different from those in Jinling. Jinling is a place of poetry and poetry. Although there are poems and singing here, most of them are music and dance. The so-called Yangchun Baixue and Xialiba people are like that." 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, they would also invite courtesans from Yangzhou and Jiangnan to perform folk arts, but this would 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 make a name for themselves, 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 around them were also protecting them secretly.
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 saw a large number of Jinyi cavalry, guarding 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 walked up quickly pointed and said, "Sister, look at Uncle Yong Ning 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 filled with sparkle, as if she knows a lot about you, sister.
Zhen Lan narrowed her narrow and 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.
"Would you like to say hello later?" Zhen Xi asked. Because Mrs. Zhen told the Zhen family to treat Jia Heng as one of their own and not to have any children, Zhen Xi obviously listened. Zhen Lan 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 and swallows, watched Toward the young man below who was surrounded by Jinyi Mansion guards.
"Nan Ling, is that Uncle Yong Ning?" Ye Nuan stood on the second floor of the attic and looked out. He frowned and asked the girl in pink skirt standing beside him.
It wasn't that she was interested. This beautiful woman had probably raised too many boys as children, and was not interested in men, and was even sexually indifferent to men. When her husband found out, she shouldn't divorce her because she was the daughter of Marquis Annan. 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 say that the second daughter of the An Nanhou 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 Yong Ning. After all, it was a bit risky. That person is watching the wolves 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 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? The dead cannot 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 everyone else 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 left. Jia Heng calmly glanced at all 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?"
Other salt merchants in Yangzhou were also shocked, 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 a confession from Cheng, Ma and others."
"This is a slander!" Huang Rishan was the first to say.
Jiang Tong said in a deep voice: "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. The Yangzhou Salt Transport Depot pays taxes to the 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 temperament, Lin Ruhai would be jealous if she even looked at the woman next to her. Take off the 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. Just when the court heard the news of an investigation, 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 in a cold voice: "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 the 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 all confessed that you were 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.
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 others 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 royal 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 Jin Yiti's cavalry rushing over and already holding down several subordinate officials such as the salt transportation division magistrate and transportation judge.
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 boy in the python suit with frightened expressions.
This scene was also seen by onlookers from a distance, and there was a lot of discussion.
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 boy in the python suit, her eyes twinkling as she fell into thought.
Ye Nuan, who was looking from the balcony in the distance, narrowed his eyes slightly and couldn't help but feel surprised in his heart.
As my father said, after the Supreme Emperor is completely adopted, will a major case in 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, so I'll excuse you first."
Jia Heng said: "Master Qi will go first, and I will go 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, "Master Wang, I'm here to review the Yangzhou Oiran Competition. Why doesn't Master Wang welcome you?"
Wang Shouqi woke up from a dream and looked at the smiling Jia Heng as if he had seen 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 be chaotic now. We need to think of a way quickly. Only those in Jiangnan and Beijing need to think of a way. And what is the purpose of Uncle Yongning only arresting Liu Shengzao but not them? With the arrest of Liu Shengzao, the whole case of Yangzhou salt warehouse deficit has completely kicked off.
