At this moment, in the weaving bureau, countless weavers were busy operating the looms in front of them. Those weavers were skilled in their movements and did not dare to relax at all.
Not only that, but there were also several bossy and surly-looking eunuchs passing by from time to time, and in the hands of those eunuchs were still holding wickers.
Once a weaver is slow or makes a mistake accidentally, what awaits them is a merciless beating.
"Please be careful, this is the silk that will be sold to foreign countries. If something goes wrong, no one can protect you!"
At this moment, Pang Qian, the eunuch in charge of the Weaving Bureau, walked out of the room at a leisurely pace.
When the eunuchs with surly expressions saw Pang Qian's arrival, their expressions instantly became extremely flattering, and they hurriedly greeted him with respect.
"Oh, ancestor, why are you here?"
Hearing this, Pang Qian looked at the eunuch who was speaking, raised his eyebrows, and asked with a half-smile, "Why, can't I come?"
When the eunuch heard Pang Qian's words, he suddenly realized that he had made a mistake. Then, he slapped himself hard twice, looked in the direction of Pang Qian, and said in a deep voice: "I made the mistake of saying the wrong thing to our ancestors." There’s a misunderstanding and it’s time to fight!”
After that, the eunuch looked in the direction of Pang Qian and continued to explain: "Ancestor, I mean, if you have anything to do, just tell me, there is no need to come here in person!"
Hearing this, Pang Qian nodded, with some appreciation on his face, and said slowly: "Well, not bad!"
After that, Pang Qian glanced at the eunuchs in front of him, and then said: "We came here this time just to see how the current progress is? "
"These silks are all about to be sold to foreign countries, so you can't be careless!"
Seeing this, the eunuchs quickly stepped forward and reported respectfully: "If I go back to my ancestors, there are currently 420,000 pieces of silk in the warehouse of the Weaving Bureau. Together with the silk currently being produced, we will collect it before the end of the year." Five hundred thousand horses is more than enough!"
"We can even make an additional surplus of hundreds of thousands of pieces of silk!"
After Pang Qian learned the news from the eunuchs, he narrowed his eyes, looked extremely happy, and said slowly: "Well, do your best, and our family will not treat you badly!"
When Pang Qian finished speaking, flattered expressions suddenly appeared on the faces of the eunuchs, and they nodded in agreement.
After Pang Qian walked around the scene, he went straight back to his room.
Not long after returning to the room, there was a knock on Pang Qian's door. Seeing this, Pang Qian frowned slightly and said: "Come in!"
After the words fell, the door of the room was carefully pushed open, and then a subordinate staff member walked in, leaned down, and reported respectfully.
"I have met Eunuch Pang!"
Hearing this, Pang Qian glanced at the visitor casually and asked, "Tell me, Mr. Wang, why did they send you here?"
After the visitor noticed Pang Qian's eyes on him, he couldn't help but panic. After organizing his words in his mind, he said: "Eunuch Pang, Mr. Wang and others asked me to ask you, those merchants... …”
Before the subordinate official finished speaking, Pang Qian impatiently interrupted him: "Go back and tell them that our family has sent out all the merchants!"
The subordinate official naturally heard the displeasure in Pang Qian's words, and a look of panic flashed across his face.
Then, he leaned down and said respectfully: "Yes, Eunuch Pang, I will definitely bring your words to you!"
After the subordinate official left, Pang Qian saw a trace of contempt flashing across his face, and said silently to himself: "Humph, these two adults really can't keep their temper. They send people out every once in a while. Come find out what’s going on!”
Just as Pang Qian was complaining secretly, he heard a rush of footsteps outside the door.
Not long after, a hurried eunuch entered the room.
After the eunuch entered the room, he subconsciously looked in the direction of Pang Qian and hurriedly reported: "Ancestor, it's bad, something big has happened!"
Hearing this, Pang Qian put the tea cup in his hand back to its original place, glanced at the eunuch with displeasure, and said coldly: "What happened? You are in such a panic. Didn't our family teach you the rules?" ?"
When the eunuch heard this, his face was full of uneasiness. He lowered his head and trembled: "Ancestor... Ancestor, many of the merchants we sent out to buy raw silk were arrested by government officials and the army. …”
Before the eunuch finished speaking, there was only a crisp sound of 'bang'.
Looking around, the tea cup that was originally placed on the table had already turned into ceramic shards on the ground. The tea in the cup spilled to the ground, still steaming a little.
At this moment, Pang Qian looked like he was choosing someone to devour. He suddenly stood up from his seat and said word by word: "What did you say?"
The eunuch who came to report the news suddenly panicked when he saw Pang Qian was angry. He fell to his knees on the ground with a thump and kept begging for mercy: "Ancestor, everything I said is true and there is no lie in it. "
"If there is even half a lie in it, I will be struck by five thunders from heaven. I beg my ancestors to spare my life!"
At this moment, several more eunuchs hurriedly ran in. At this moment, these eunuchs were pale and trembling, looking like the end was coming.
"Ancestor... Ancestor, something bad has happened. Zhao Zhenji led his troops to surround the Weaving Bureau!"
For Pang Qian, this news was like a bolt from the blue. At this moment, his face was burning, as if he had been slapped.
I think when Hu Zongxian was still in Zhejiang, he would be treated a little less favorably.
And now, Zhao Zhenji, the newly appointed governor of Zhejiang, actually dares to be so bold and lead troops to surround the Weaving Bureau!
At this moment, Pang Qian was already overwhelmed by an unknown anger. He had never suffered such humiliation since he became the eunuch in charge of the Weaving Bureau.
He secretly made up his mind to make Zhao Zhenji pay the due price!
Then, Pang Qian came to his senses, looked around, and said in a deep voice: "Huh, so what if Zhao Zhenji is the governor of Zhejiang? You know, the Weaving Bureau is under the control of the palace!"
"If this matter comes to the court, Zhao Zhenji will also be blamed. You go out with our family and ask for an explanation from Zhao Zhenji!"
Seeing Pang Qian's confident look, the eunuchs couldn't help but feel confident.
Afterwards, these eunuchs were seen walking out of the Weaving Bureau under the leadership of Pang Qian, the eunuch in charge of the Weaving Bureau.
…
The situation outside the Weaving Bureau was the same as what the eunuchs reported earlier. It had already been surrounded by heavily armed soldiers.
The guards at the gate of the Weaving Bureau, who were originally fierce, bossy and looking at people with their nostrils, became more honest and did not dare to make any move when faced with the bright weapons in the hands of these soldiers.
At this moment, Zhao Zhenji was riding a brown war horse. Next to him were Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou, who were wearing burqas and armor.
When Pang Qian, the eunuch in charge of the Weaving Bureau, swaggered out of the Weaving Bureau surrounded by a group of eunuchs.
Zhao Zhenji couldn't help but squint his eyes, an inexplicable look flashed across his face.
Qi Jiguang, who was next to him, keenly caught the expression on Zhao Zhenji's face. Just as he was about to make a move, he was stopped by Zhao Zhenji: "No, let's see what tricks they can do!"
When Qi Jiguang heard what Zhao Zhenji said, he cupped his hands and said in a deep voice: "Yes, Lord Governor!"
Then, Pang Qian was seen stopping not far from Zhao Zhenji. Then, he was seen looking in the direction of Zhao Zhenji and asking.
"Sir Governor, what do you mean? Why did you lead the troops to surround the Weaving Bureau without saying anything? You know, the Weaving Bureau is under the control of the palace..."
Hearing this, Zhao Zhenji glanced at Pang Qian and said slowly: "Eunuch Pang misunderstood. You must also know that in recent days, some merchants have used the name of your Weaving Bureau to buy the goods from the people at low prices. raw silk!"
"Unfortunately, according to the accounts of those merchants, someone in your Weaving Bureau collected the money. Can you let me go in and conduct a search?"
After Zhao Zhenji finished speaking, he looked directly in the direction of Pang Qian, quietly waiting for his answer.
When Pang Qian heard this, the expression on his face suddenly became extremely gloomy. For him, Zhao Zhenji's proposal was absolutely unacceptable.
Let's not mention the many shady things in the Weaving Bureau. Furthermore, there are two reasons for everything. If he gives in today, it will only make Zhao Zhenji more and more arrogant in the future.
This time Zhao Zhenji dared to personally lead his troops to surround the Weaving Bureau. I don’t know what he will do next time!
After thinking about this, Pang Qian took a deep breath. After calming down his mood, he said: "Master Governor, we just said that the Weaving Bureau is under the control of the palace. If you want to enter, you must first obtain permission from His Majesty." Only with permission!"
"You know, not all cats and dogs can enter this Weaving Bureau!"
When Zhao Zhenji heard Pang Qian's words, an inexplicable smile appeared on his face.
Then, he glanced at Pang Qian and the eunuchs behind him, and said slowly: "Oh, really, but the news I got is different from Eunuch Pang!"
When Zhao Zhenji said this, he paused for a moment and continued: "Previously, people from the government discovered that an unidentified merchant had entered the Weaving Bureau in a big way!"
When Pang Qian heard this, his expression suddenly turned cold. Just when he was about to say something, Zhao Zhenji suddenly got angry, pointed his finger in the direction of Pang Qian, and said coldly.
"Hmph, you are just a eunuch in charge of a small weaving bureau. How dare you bark in front of me?"
"You bastard, not long after you took over the Weaving Bureau, you dared to use the power in your hands to take bribes wantonly, making the entire Weaving Bureau a mess!"
"Before I came to Zhejiang to take up my post, Your Majesty gave me the power to kill you first and report later. Even if I kill you on the spot, no one in the court will dare to question you!"
"Come here, let me take down all these eunuchs!"
"Yes, Lord Governor!"
As soon as Zhao Zhenji finished speaking, the soldiers who had been waiting for a long time immediately showed their weapons and surrounded Pang Qian and others.
Looking at the soldiers around him who were constantly surrounding him, Pang Qian's face showed a look of fear that he hadn't seen for a long time.
"No, don't come over. We are the eunuch in charge of the Weaving Bureau. Don't..."
Pang Qian kept backing up, and then stumbled and fell to the ground.
Not only that, the eunuchs behind Pang Qian were also in chaos. They knelt on the ground and kept begging Zhao Zhenji who was riding on the horse for mercy.
For a moment, there was only a burst of crying and begging for mercy. When Zhao Zhenji saw this situation, he could not help but frown slightly, waved his hands, and ordered in a deep voice: "Bring them all down to me!"
"As you command, Lord Governor!"
Subsequently, the eunuchs of the Weaving Bureau headed by Pang Qian were controlled by heavily armed soldiers.
During this process, an eunuch from the Weaving Bureau took advantage of the soldiers' unpreparedness and forcibly broke away from the soldiers' hands and ran away.
However, before the eunuch ran a few steps, he was caught up by the soldiers behind him and stabbed through him with a Yanling knife.
When the soldier pulled out the Yanling Saber in his hand, he saw the eunuch of the Weaving Bureau who was trying to escape looking at his chest in disbelief.
Then, the whole person fell to the ground like a kite that had lost its strings. Dark red blood flowed from the wound and gradually gathered into a pool of blood under him.
This sudden change was beyond the expectations of everyone present, and the soldier who took action also looked at a loss.
Qi Jiguang on the side was about to say something, but Zhao Zhenji waved his hand, indicating that he did not need to speak.
Then, Zhao Zhenji glanced coldly at Pang Qian and the eunuchs of the Weaving Bureau, and then said: "Anyone who tries to escape will be killed without mercy!"
At this moment, Pang Qian and the eunuchs of the Weaving Bureau were already frightened. What they did not expect was that Zhao Zhenji would be so cruel.
When faced with a corpse, his face remained calm and his heart stopped beating!
After that, Yu Dayou on the side waved his hand, and soon some soldiers came forward, dragged the body down, and started cleaning.
Soon, the scene was cleaned up, but there was still a faint smell of blood in the air that lingered for a long time.
After Pang Qian and other eunuchs from the Weaving Bureau were escorted away, Zhao Zhenji turned around, looked at Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou respectively, and said: "Follow me in!"
When Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou heard this, they immediately looked stern and responded in a deep voice: "As ordered, Lord Governor!"
After that, Zhao Zhenji dismounted and, accompanied by Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou, entered the weaving bureau.
After Zhao Zhenji and his party entered the weaving bureau in a mighty manner, the weavers who were extremely busy stopped their work one after another and looked at the leader Zhao Zhenji with fearful expressions, as well as those who followed closely behind him, all of whom were fully clothed. Armed, ferocious soldiers.
Seeing this, a guard glanced at the weavers and said loudly: "This matter has nothing to do with you, don't stop the loom!"
…
On the other side, inside the inn.
After the former subordinate official left the Weaving Bureau, he rushed to the inn where Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing were staying.
"You mean, the Weaving Bureau has sent out all the merchants?"
In the room, Yan Maoqing looked away from the subordinate official and confirmed.
"Yes, sir, this is absolutely true. Eunuch Pang said this to me personally!"
When the subordinate official heard Yan Maoqing's words, he did not dare to hide anything and immediately informed him of everything he knew.
After learning the information he wanted, Yan Maoqing waved his hand quite casually, looked at the subordinate official, and gave instructions.
"Well, I know it. It's nothing to do with you. Go down!"
"Yes, sir!"
Hearing this, a look of relief flashed across the visitor's face. After bowing to Yan Maoqing and Wang Ting beside him, he turned and left the room.
After the subordinate official left, Yan Maoqing breathed a long sigh of relief, looked at Wang Ting aside, and said with emotion: "Master Wang, now the Weaving Bureau has dispatched all the merchants. According to the current progress, We will complete the task soon!"
Wang Ting heard what Yan Maoqing said, nodded, put down the tea cup in his hand, and said in agreement: "Yes, it's a pity that Ma Ningyuan didn't dig up any valuable clues, otherwise..."
When Wang Ting said this, he clenched his fists unconsciously. His original plan was to follow the clues through Ma Ningyuan and involve more members of the strict party in this case.
Unexpectedly, Ma Ningyuan died in the cell inexplicably. Although there was no direct evidence, Wang Ting knew very well that this matter must be related to Yan Song and the others.
At this moment, a rush of footsteps was heard outside the door. Not long after, a guard pushed in and hurriedly reported.
"Sir, what's wrong, just now, the governor himself led troops to surround the Weaving Bureau!"
"What did you say?"
As soon as the guard finished speaking, Wang Ting suddenly stood up from his seat with a loud sound, and looked at the guard in disbelief.
After the guard noticed Wang Ting's gaze, he couldn't help but panic. Then, he lowered his head and hesitated: "Sir... Sir, this news is absolutely true, he is one of ours..."
Before the guard finished speaking, Wang Ting seemed to have suddenly thought of something, and his face turned pale, with a trace of panic flashing across his face.
Then, he turned around and looked at Yan Maoqing who was standing aside, urging him: "No, something big has happened. Without further ado, we have to go to the Weaving Bureau right away!"
When the words fell, Yan Maoqing, who had not yet reacted to the shocking news, hurriedly got on the sedan chair and went to the Weaving Bureau under the leadership of Wang Ting.
…
"Sir Governor, we found two account books from the secret compartment in the room of Pang Qian, the eunuch in charge of the Weaving Bureau. Please check them!"
"Well, bring it over!"
After the words fell, Qi Jiguang came to Zhao Zhenji and handed over the two account books in his hand.
In the room, Zhao Zhenji was sitting at the top. After he took the two account books from Qi Jiguang's hands, he began to examine them carefully.
"This account book states that the Weaving Bureau produced silk in July, totaling 26,829 pieces, while another account book stated that the Weaving Bureau produced silk in July, totaling 30,000 pieces. Eight thousand nine hundred and twenty-three horses!”
"There is a difference of more than 12,000 pieces of silk!"
After finishing his emotion, Zhao Zhenji slowly put the two account books aside.
Zhao Zhenji had been in the officialdom for a long time, and before that, he had served as the censor of the Supervisory Council. How could he not see that the two account books in his hand were an open account and a secret account.
The so-called open account is to deal with the people sent by the imperial court to inspect, and the secret account is the real account book of the Weaving Bureau!
At this moment, the door of the room was pushed open, and Yu Dayou walked in. He leaned down and reported respectfully: "Your Majesty the Governor, the inventory has been completed in the warehouse. Currently, there are silks coexisting in the warehouse of the Weaving Bureau. Four hundred and twenty thousand horses!”
After Zhao Zhenji learned the news from Yu Dayou, he nodded. Then, he picked up the account books again and began to compare them carefully.
Afterwards, Zhao Zhenji put down an account book in his hand and said to himself: "It seems that this is an open account and this is a secret account!"
According to the open account, there are 320,000 pieces of silk existing in the Weaving Bureau, while in the secret account, it is clearly stated that there are 420,000 pieces of silk existing in the Weaving Bureau. There is a difference of 100,000 pieces of silk!
After Zhao Zhenji repeatedly compared the numbers on the two account books, his pupils suddenly shrank, and his face was full of shock.
Then, he came back to his senses, slammed the table, and said in a deep voice: "These bastards are so bold. These are a hundred thousand pieces of silk! How dare they?"
Zhao Zhenji knew very well that if these two account books were released, it would definitely cause an uproar in the court.
Since the imperial court lifted the maritime ban, the prices of silk, tea, and porcelain have skyrocketed.
Nowadays, a piece of fine silk can easily be sold for more than ten taels of silver.
In other words, the amount involved in this case is as high as one million taels, and there is no telling how many people will be involved in it!
Zhao Zhenji was horrified. After taking a deep breath, he managed to calm down.
Zhao Zhenji knew that as long as these two account books were there, regardless of whether he had the right to kill first and report later, his actions would be forgiven, and no one would be able to find fault with them.
"This is really an eye-opener for me!"
After finishing his emotion, Zhao Zhenji looked at Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou with a solemn face, and warned: "This matter is of great importance. Remember not to mention it to anyone. Do you understand?"
Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou saw Zhao Zhenji giving them such serious instructions, knowing that this matter was not something they could participate in.
Afterwards, they saw expressions of gratitude on their faces. They lowered their heads and respectfully said, "Thank you, Lord Governor, for your advice!"
Hearing this, Zhao Zhenji responded in a subtle way, then withdrew his gaze and gave instructions: "Order someone to take these two account books down and keep them safe. No one is allowed to touch them without my order!"
"Yes, Lord Governor!" (End of Chapter)
