In the flower hall
The two of them sat down separately as guest and host, sipping tea.
Jia Heng raised his eyes and looked at the Prince Consort of Kuaiji. The Princess of Kuaiji had actually died of illness two years ago. This Prince Consort of Kuaiji was an authentic Kejia official and was the number one scholar in the First Grade. However, because of this, he was the Longzhi Emperor. He valued the concubine's daughter and married the princess of Kuaiji to Guo Shaonian, which to some extent cut off Guo Shaonian's ambition to be the king of the upper left.
At this moment, the two of them had warm eyes and a warm smile, while the other had a pure and upright gaze, faintly looking at each other, and looked at each other speechlessly.
After a while, Jia Heng took the initiative to break the silence and asked: "Mr. Guo, I think I know what I want to do."
The prince-in-law of Kuaiji nodded and said loudly: "I have been in charge of the Huaidu Transfer Department for more than ten years. What does Yong Ningbo want to ask? I will tell you everything I know."
Through the correspondence between old friends in Beijing, he had learned that the person in front of him was valued by King Yong, and he intended to betroth Princess Xianning to him and become the emperor's son-in-law.
But the interesting thing is that this young nobleman has been married for a long time, and he has also been granted the title of wife. King Yong is still the same as before, using any means to achieve his goals.
Jia Heng pondered for a moment and said: "The deficit of the Salt Transportation Department was recorded in the account books from the first year of Chongping to the 15th year of Chongping. However, the corruption and deficit in the Longzhi period even earlier, the accounts books of the Transportation Department were burned due to Zhurong. , Mr. Guo should know very well."
To put it bluntly, the Lianghuai Salt Transportation Department of the Han Dynasty was in deficit, which is somewhat similar to the Lianghuai Salt Transportation Department during the Qing Dynasty in parallel time and space.
During the Qianlong period, the Lianghuai salt administration was executed. Gao Heng, the Lianghuai salt administration who was executed at that time, was the brother of the imperial concubine Huixian, while the previous salt administration Ji Qing was the cousin of the imperial concubine Lingyi.
And now one is Emperor Longzhi's son-in-law, and the other is Emperor Longzhi's brother-in-law.
"Does Uncle Yongning, the commander-in-chief of Jinyi, really not know the reason why Yunsi has suffered losses year after year?" Guo Shaonian stared at Jia Heng tightly and laughed at himself: "Why ask even though you already know?"
Jia Heng frowned and said in a deep voice: "The palace is within the palace, and the Lianghuai Salt Merchant is the Lianghuai Salt Merchant. They cannot be confused with each other. The emperor occupies a high place in China and is nourished by the world. How can a salt merchant be allowed to do anything he wants?" False accusation?"
When Guo Shaonian heard this, he stared at the young man opposite him with stern eyes. He was silent for a moment and then looked at the servants around him. The servants bowed and retreated one after another.
Guo Shaonian said in a deep voice: "Actually, there is no difference. Back then, when the emperor visited the south, the salt merchants and the Zhen family picked him up six times. Each time, they were accompanied by palace moths and concubines. They went south on dragon boats, sightseeing in the mountains and rivers, and spent as much as seventy-eight dollars on the national money. One million, the emperor said that he would not take one tael of silver from the national treasury, but in fact it was all donated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Lianghuai salt merchants. In addition, there was also the remaining silver in the imperial envoy Jinling Tirenyuan's inventory, and the Lianghuai salt merchants mostly received it from The transportation treasury is borrowed on credit, and the amount of salt tax money from the Ministry of Household Affairs is decreasing year by year, so our salt administration can only operate miserably."
Jia Heng narrowed his eyes and said in a cold voice: "I'm afraid that Yan Zheng is involved in this and is lining his own pockets. Why is Mr. Guo hiding it?"
Emperor Longzhi happened to be the king of the third generation. It happened that the country was prosperous and the people were strong, and the country was booming. Emperor Longzhi went south to enjoy himself, which quite depleted the internal funds and the remaining silver of the Salt Transportation Department.
Even the defeat in the Battle of Liaodong, if we look closely at the reason, is that the long-term imperial rule of Longzhi and the spread and erosion of the entire Han court's military and political system were caused by the trend of ups and downs.
Guo Shaonian shook his head and said: "At that time, everyone was worried about the Southern Tour. Even if the salt officer was corrupt, how much money could he have? It's just a drop in the bucket. The old man will only get tens of thousands of taels of silver in his life. Otherwise, with the salary of Princess Kuaiji, Why should I worry about food and clothing?"
Jia Heng looked sullen and noncommittal, because most people ignore their own mistakes.
"The current emperor is not ignorant of this matter. In the third year of Chongping, Prince Ru was found in Fujian. Chang Jin, the weaver of the Suzhou Weaving Bureau, was arrested by King Luo Zhi of Zhongshun. After checking the account books, he had a glimpse of the imperial envoy Tiren. The huge deficit of the three major weaving bureaus under the jurisdiction of the hospital is just caused by the current situation." Guo Shaonian recounted an old incident.
Jia Heng's face was calm, but his heart moved slightly.
Suzhou weaving often enters? This was Miaoyu's father, who was also an important minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Suzhou.
Miaoyu's original sentence against Baoyu in the Red Mansion also supports Chang Jin's scenery: "I'm not talking nonsense, I'm afraid you may not be able to find such a vulgar utensil in your family?"
Thinking of this, Jia Heng couldn't help but think of that arrogant and innocent face. He also wondered how Miao Yu would feel after receiving the letter he sent.
After being lost for a moment, he regained his focus again and stared at Guo Shaonian aggressively.
Guo Shaonian smiled and said: "Uncle Yong Ning said this. I have nothing to say. It's just that most of the salt officers at that time had retired from office, and some salt officers were even no longer alive. Does Uncle Yong Ning want to track down these old news? "
There is also the issue of statute of limitations in criminal cases. Some crimes are minor, but thorough investigation will shake the already stable social order and put everyone in danger.
Jia Heng's eyes were a little gloomy and he asked: "Mr. Guo, do you have the relevant account books?"
This is a smart man. Compared to Liu Shengzao, he is at least self-aware.
However, upon analysis, it is not surprising that the Prince Consort of Kuaiji was born in Kejia. It should be because his character and talents were appreciated by Emperor Longzhi that he was able to marry the emperor's daughter. Then this kind of "Phoenix Man" and "Son-in-law Gang" must have With extraordinary human qualities.
Liu Shengzao, on the other hand, was an uneducated nouveau riche. He relied on Concubine Liu's sister to become a relative of the emperor. So it is not surprising that the "brother-in-law of the contractor" acted arrogantly.
Guo Shaonian said: "There are a lot of account books. Uncle Yongning can take them back and read them slowly."
As he spoke, heavy footsteps came from under the eaves of the corridor. Butler Guo, who had just gone to the study to collect the account books, directed several young and strong servants to carry six large wooden boxes and packed them in the spacious hall. The words are arranged.
Jia Heng looked over and asked, "Is this the account book for twenty years?"
"Although it is not as detailed as the withdrawals and balances, it is still detailed and complete. If Yong Ningbo doesn't believe it, he can check the details with the account books of Chonghua Palace's southern tour that year." Guo Shaonian said in a young voice.
Jia Heng pretended not to hear this sinister suggestion and asked, "Does it contain the details of the money owed or misappropriated by the salt merchant?"
Guo Shaoqing smiled and said: "Every item is very detailed. Some have been returned and some have not. They need to operate the salt industry and pay a fixed amount of tax every year. It is not easy to force people to die, right? .”
Jia Heng was silent for a moment, speechless.
It has to be said that what the Kuaiji Prince Consort said was reasonable. In the context of the salt merchant tax package system, the imperial court originally allowed the Yangzhou Salt General Merchant to borrow silver on credit from the Salt Transportation Department for operations.
Moreover, because of Emperor Longzhi's southern tour, salt merchants were short of cash for business after making large donations, so it was logical to withdraw money from the Salt Transportation Department.
It is even possible that the Salt Transportation Department itself lent part of the money to the salt merchants for Emperor Longzhi's expenses in the name of donation and return.
Question, Yangzhou salt merchants were awarded official titles and rewards by Emperor Longzhi.
What a bad debt!
We can only select some of the amounts that have not been used by the Emperor's Southern Tour for inspection, and let the remaining four general merchants return them.
This thought inevitably came to Jia Heng's mind. He looked at the six boxes and waved his hands. Behind him, Li Shu, a hundred households in Jinyi, who was holding a knife and waiting, and a group of Jinyi palace guards waiting outside, picked up the boxes and headed outside.
Guo Shaonian said: "There is actually another account here, but it is just a summary of the old man. This is what he came up with when he was idle at home. It contains the amount of money that the Yangzhou salt merchants actually owed to the Huaidu Transportation Department on credit. , Uncle Yongning can refer to it."
When Jia Heng heard this, his eyes were a little deeper, he looked at Guo Shaonian steadily, and asked: "Mr. Guo, where are the account books now?"
This Guo Shaonian seemed to have predicted that this scene would happen more than ten years ago and was prepared in advance.
I don’t know why, but a scene from my past life suddenly came to my mind.
A marquis is not a marquis, a king is not a king. Thousands of cavalry are traveling across Bei Mang. The cunning rabbit is dead and the good bow is hidden. After me, the king will return to mourning. I will sing Guangling San and wait for Yun Niang again?
Well, the biggest thing in the first half of the drama was that Shen Yishi had to pretend.
However, it was precisely because Emperor Longzhi made six southern tours, wasting people and money, and advocating luxury that today the Lianghuai salt tax cannot make ends meet, and the country is in dire straits.
As for Jinyang and him reorganizing the salt business, he can be regarded as their consort...
Well, it is a bit unlucky to think like this. There is no comparison between the two. Emperor Longzhi did it for personal enjoyment, while Emperor Chongping did it for the sake of the Han Dynasty. How can they be compared?
Guo Shaonian raised his eyes to look at the housekeeper and ordered: "Go to Yixinju and take out the account book from the hidden compartment on the bed against the wall."
"Yes, sir." When the butler heard this, there was a bit of surprise in his eyes. Apparently he didn't know when Guo Shaonian wrote down this account book, but he didn't say much else and left as ordered.
Jia Heng's face was as calm as an abyss and he didn't say a word. In this silent atmosphere, Guo Shaonian across from him suddenly asked: "Uncle Yong Ning went to Henan to quell the chaos last time. I heard that Xianning also went to Henan with him?"
In terms of seniority, Princess Xianning should call Guo Shaonian uncle.
Jia Heng's face paused slightly, he raised his eyes and looked at Guo Shaonian, and said: "At that time, Uncle Siguo of the Song Dynasty was in Kaifeng, Henan, and Her Royal Highness the Princess accompanied him."
"Uncle Yong Ning is a distinguished figure in the world. At a young age, he has already become a military commander. His future is limitless." Guo Shaonian was silent for a moment, and then suddenly said a sentence without starting or ending.
Jia Heng's expression paused slightly, but he understood the meaning almost immediately.
This is a kind of envy and reluctance, envy of his circumstances and unwillingness to accept his own fate.
At that time, Guo Shaonian thought that he could become the prime minister, but if he favored the princess, he would never think about it in this life.
Combined with the fact that he was the Prime Minister in the same year at that time, he must have felt unwilling to do so.
Jia Heng's eyes were as calm as an abyss, and he said slowly: "It's just the current situation."
The choice of history, this sentence is on the lips, but it is not said out. If it is said... it is transgression.
After a while, the steward of the Guo Mansion delivered the account books. Guo Shaonian winked. The steward of the Guo Mansion came to Jia Heng and said, "Uncle Yongning."
Jia Heng nodded, took a brocade box, and said, "Mr. Guo, if I have nothing else to do, I will take my leave."
With that said, with Guo Shaonian seeing him off, he left the Guo Mansion and looked at the cart full of account books and then at the brocade box in his hand.
Chen Xiao came closer and asked, "Did you get it?"
The girl is dressed in Qianhu's silver-white Feiyu uniform, with an embroidered spring knife on her waist. Although she doesn't have the sense of being a plum-blossom inner guard, she still has a graceful and graceful appearance like a swallow, and is valiant and capable.
Jia Heng nodded, looked at the eaves of the pavilion not far away, his eyes were on the ridge of the roof that was winding and undulating like a dragon, and said: "It's not easy to ask questions in the palace, but what you get in your hands is already the limit. "
Knowing the amount of tax arrears owed by the Yangzhou salt merchants, one can ask Wang, Jiang, Xiao, and Huang families for payment, and it is not appropriate to investigate further.
It's a taboo for the venerable to say that starting from Jinyang, the Supreme Emperor is also his father-in-law.
On the other side, in the Guo Mansion, Guo Shaonian sat for a while, put down the tea cup, and looked slightly stunned.
"Master." The butler asked with a worried look on his face.
"Prepare pen and ink." Guo Shaonian looked gloomy, sighed, and whispered that he was going to write a memorandum of apology and submit it to the current emperor.
At this moment, the little boy just entered the hall and called out: "Grandpa, you are still going fishing."
Guo Shaonian smiled and said, "I'll wait until grandpa is done with his work before fishing. I'll catch you a big carp, such a long fish, and make a whole fish soup, okay?"
As he spoke, he made a gesture with a kind look.
The kid curled his lips, with childish thinking in his dark eyes, and said, "Didn't Grandpa usually say that carps have dragon blood in them and cannot be fished?"
Guo Shaonian picked up the little boy and said with a smile: "Yes, follow grandpa to the study first, and let's go fishing for dragons first."
"It's fishing." The child corrected with a smile. He was at the age when his teeth were changing, so his milky voice was a bit leaky.
Just as the grandfather and grandson were heading to the study, Jia Heng followed Chen Xiao on horseback and returned to Lin's house in Suzhou Prefecture.
Lin Zhai
Jia Heng asked the clerk of the Jinyi Mansion's Experience Department to seal the account books, while he took the brocade box to the study room, ready to take out the books and read them.
Open the blue cover and lower your eyes to read.
It contains a series of figures, listed by year, and the amount of money withdrawn from the Salt Transportation Department's treasury by each name.
Jia Heng's brows gradually tightened. The familiar names of the Wang family, Huang family, Bao family... were clearly visible on the book.
Of course, the Bao family, the Cheng family, and the Ma family already have their wealth and have become officials, so there is no point in talking about it.
At this moment, footsteps as light as Hongyu came from far away. Chen Xiao entered the study room with a plate of large, rinsed snow pears in his hand, placed it next to Jia Heng's desk, and asked: "What is recorded above?" Is it detailed?"
Jia Heng nodded and said: "It's detailed, and every transaction is not just nonsense, and there is no secret even about Chonghua Palace."
Chen Xiao picked up the dagger and peeled the pear, and asked: "Guo Shaonian is the consort, and he is the only one who dares to record this account book. What are you going to do?"
"After I got the account book, I went to ask for the account. It is natural to pay back the debt. The money owed to the court cannot be less than one tael." Jia Heng put down the book, took the pear from the girl's hand, put it in his mouth and took a bite.
This amount of money is not a small amount. Each salt merchant still has five to six million taels that have not been repaid, even though the money must be returned.
Chen Xiao's bright eyes flickered under his knife-like eyebrows, and asked: "What about Guo Shaonian?"
Jia Heng was eating a big pear. He took a handkerchief and wiped his mouth. He said, "I'll just write a secret report and present it truthfully. We'll see how the palace handles it. This kind of matter is both a state matter and a family matter, but I think Well, the emperor sees that so much money has been confiscated and will not pursue it any further."
Before, he did not expect that Guo Shaonian would be as stubborn as Liu Shengzao. Now it seems that people who have studied are different and have left a way out for themselves very early.
Chen Xiao nodded and looked at the young man who was eating "happily". The clear eyes under his willow eyebrows moved slightly, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he whispered: "That's fine, it's really not appropriate to investigate further."
Jia Heng said: "Actually, the emperor has reduced his murderous intentions a lot in recent years."
I don't know if it was because he was forty and his children were getting older. Although Emperor Chongping was suspicious and guarded in the past few years, he rarely punished him out of anger. In other words, he always matured.
To a certain extent, it can be regarded as a good time for him to catch up.
Jia Heng thought about this and stared at Chen Xiao, who had a frosty face. He stood up, picked up a pear, took the dagger, gently peeled the remaining peel, took the girl's hand, and said: "People It will always change, eat this pear.”
Chen Xiaoqing's eyes flashed and she repeated Jia Heng's words: "People will always change."
That's because no one poses a threat to him. When there is a threat, you will know it.
Jia Heng's face paused, and he looked at the girl who was holding a pear, took a bite of it, and said softly: "Let's do this for now. I will inspect Jiang Fang tomorrow and the next two days. If you have any news from Duduo, you can Talk to me."
After saying that, he stood up and said softly: "I'm going to see Sister Lin. Let's have lunch together later."
When visiting Suzhou these days, Zhen Xi was talking to Dai Yu, and because Dai Yu had just paid homage to her mother, he didn't shepherd the sheep at all, but just played chess and talked with her.
What Daiyu wants in this hometown should be spiritual resonance and emotional massage. If she is not worried about Daiyu's random thoughts, worrying about gains and losses, and torturing herself.
Nor would he...after all, a small sheep is difficult to shepherd.
Because he wasn't sure whether he would get used to Daiyu's petty nature in the guessing game before getting intimate with her and shepherding the sheep, which would lead to some misunderstandings among the more literary youths.
Chen Xiao paused with the dagger in his hand and watched the young man leave. The pear he was holding didn't seem to be as sweet anymore.
Girls may also need emotional massage at this time.
In the courtyard where Daiyu lived, it was almost noon, and the afternoon sunlight passed through the window, reflecting two petite and exquisite figures on the screen on one side of the cabinet.
Daiyu picked up a black chess piece and placed it on the chessboard, and then Zhen Xi on the opposite side quickly made the move without thinking.
The two are similar in age and both have a bit of a weak temperament. In comparison, Daiyu is not timid in front of acquaintances.
In the past few days, Daiyu and Zhen Xi visited the scenic spots and historic sites in Suzhou during the day, and slept in the same room at night and talked, and their friendship gradually deepened.
"Backgammon is much simpler than Go, and it doesn't take much effort to play." Zhen Xi said softly, with a voice like an oriole emerging from the valley.
Daiyu smiled, looked at Zhen Xi, who had a delicate face across from her, and said, "Brother Heng said the same thing at the beginning."
Zhen Xi said: "Sister Lin said last night that Brother Heng entered Ning Guo Mansion. What happened next?"
In the past few days, when the two of them were talking in bed at night, Zhen Xi asked Dai Yu about Jia Heng's past deeds. Dai Yu did not hide anything and told Zhen Xi what she knew.
"Later, the palace granted me the title of Ningguofu. Brother Heng refused and even wrote a resignation letter." Daiyu said softly, her starry eyes were bright and shining like diamonds under her eyebrows.
As he talked about Jia Heng's past with Zhen Xi, he seemed to be "reviewing" his original experiences and feelings.
At that time, she had not yet made a lifelong commitment to him, but that young man stood with his sword in Rongqing Hall, and would rather break than bend.
And the gentle words and caring words in her ears during the ritual ceremony at Qingxu Temple. Well, Brother Heng at that time... seemed to have fallen in love with her.
Thinking of this, Daiyu pursed her pink lips, her starry eyes shimmering with memories.
On the opposite side, the girl with airy bangs, fair face and childish teeth, her eyes as spiritual as a stream, was slightly absent-minded, and said softly: "Brother Heng was in Liutiao Alley, and it was not easy to get to where he is today."
"Speaking of it, a lot of things happened in the middle. If you talk about it, it would be as long as a book." Daiyu said softly.
At this moment, the girl seems to regard Jia Heng as her husband.
Zhen Xi smiled and said, "Sister Lin told me about it at night."
Daiyu nodded, looked at the girl opposite, and sighed softly.
