Chapter 050 Huai’an Cao Gang
It took Xin Zhao fourteen days to go back and forth, no more, no less. Chen Cao spent this time in the navy and right back. He had big plans to do.
In the study, Zhao Xin is eating barbecue lamb leg made by Chen Cao himself.
"Well," Xin Zhao said with some hesitation, "It's so delicious. Sir, you are really amazing. You can be both civilized and martial, and your cooking is so delicious."
Chen Cao was not idle either. He asked the workshop to make a dense grid grill and grilled it at home. "Is this delicious?" Chen Cao tore off a piece of meat with a knife and put it in his mouth: "This thing only has Salt and some spices, and some Sichuan pepper powder, if there are chili peppers, it will be more delicious."
"Chili peppers?" Zhao Xin's hands were full of oil: "Sir, those spices are tributes sent by the Manchurian and Southeast Asian countries. They are so expensive that even my subordinates dare not buy them. It is too luxurious. So are the peppers also a foreign product?"
"Hey..." Chen Cao sighed: "You don't know, that chili pepper is really delicious when used in food. If used in the military, it can not only keep out the cold, but also kill the enemy. It is a real good thing. .”
"Really? What does it look like?" Xin Zhao didn't stop talking.
Chen Cao said: "The green twigs, after they bear fruit, they are green first, and then red, long and bright."
"Well..." Xin Zhao quickly stopped talking and put down the leg of lamb: "Sir, please don't tell me, my subordinates have seen it before."
"Have you seen it?" Chen Cao frowned: "Where is it? Tell me quickly."
"Hey, my lord, why do you always like weird things from this country?" Zhao Xin joked: "The last time my lord went to Shen Ji's grocery store, my subordinates had nothing to do and took a walk in their backyard. That Shen Ji's There was something like this in the garden. It was extremely bright red and was long. My subordinate had itchy hands and picked one and put it at home. As a result, the thing fell off soon after and he threw it away."
"Nice job," Chen Cao said with a smile: "Tomorrow we will go to Shenji and dig up that thing. It can be planted this season."
"We also have that thing in the Duke of Wei's mansion," Zhao Xin said disapprovingly. Under Chen Cao's horrified expression, Zhao Xin said: "Sir, don't be surprised. The wealthy businessmen and wealthy families in Jinling all like to grow that thing. They don't even eat it. Bring it." I looked at it and thought it was a flower..."
Chen Cao nodded: "Wash your hands, let's get down to business..."
Zhao Xin was about to wipe his greasy hands on his robe. Chen Cao stopped drinking and took out a yellow lump: "This is called soap. It can perfectly wash away the greasy hands. It doesn't hurt at all." Dirty hands, you sir, I invented it myself, you try it..."
After Zhao Xin finished, his hands felt very comfortable and he praised: "Sir, you are really a genius. This thing is so useful. It can be sold to those wealthy businessmen..."
"Well, that's what I think too." After saying this, Xin Zhao was stunned: "Let's get down to business..."
After Zhao Xin was done, he said: "My subordinates quickly went to Jinan as ordered by Your Excellency. You don't know, Your Excellency, that Miss Weng was not imprisoned in Yousi Yamen in Shandong, but directly in the Governor's Yamen."
"Governor Yamen?" Chen Cao frowned?
"Yes," Zhao Xin nodded: "Fortunately, my subordinate is the governor of Nanzhen. He met Governor Zhao Yan in the name of our Jinyiwei. The old guy has a bad temper. He doesn't recognize our Jinyiwei and refuses to let his subordinates treat Miss Weng." take away."
"Where are the people?"
Zhao Xin took a sip of tea: "My subordinates used your name to pressure Zhao Yan, but the old guy refused to let him go, saying that we were acting recklessly and making trouble unreasonably, so my subordinates used their identity as Jin Yiwei to exert pressure. , and told what happened to Li Weihan."
"So simple?" Chen Cao looked at Zhao Xin sideways and didn't believe what he said.
Zhao Xin laughed: "Of course, my subordinates said that you are a popular person in front of Eunuch Wei. They heard that he was going to the capital to become a senior official, and then they threatened him."
"You bastard," Chen Cao couldn't help but hit him on the head again.
Zhao Xin grimaced in pain, but also smiled stupidly: "So, Zhao Yan agreed with his subordinates to take Miss Weng away, but the matter was transferred to the Governor's Yamen of Water Transport."
Chen Cao was confused, but he figured it out again. Zhao Yan knew the stakes, so he handed Weng Meixin, the hot potato, to the governor's office: "Zhao Yan, the old thief, is very good. This way he won't offend." The Kong family doesn’t have to worry about our private revenge.”
"Speaking of revenge, my lord, my subordinates heard from Jin Yiwei's brothers in Jinan that the Kong family seems to know that we were responsible for the wall, but we can't find any evidence."
Chen Cao is not afraid of a mere Kong family member: "So what if I know, when your lord and I become successful, hey, you can choose any woman from the Kong family..."
When Xin Zhao heard this, his eyes lit up: "Really?"
"Well," Chen Cao suppressed his smile: "Give me everything under the age of thirty, and anything over the age of thirty is yours, don't shirk it..."
"Ah?" Xin Zhao: "..."
"You mean Weng Meixin is now at the Governor's Office of Water Transport?" Chen Cao asked.
"Yes," Zhao Xin nodded: "Yang Yipeng received the official document and asked his subordinates to choose an opportunity to conduct another trial. If nothing can be found in the trial, then Qiu Jue will be executed. Sir, when should we take action?"
"There's no rush," Chen Cao had already planned. "We'll wait until Weng Linzhi takes action. After you go back, let me find out the situation in Huai'an."
"Yes..." Zhao Xin, who turned to leave, couldn't help but turn around and asked Chen Cao: "Sir, are you over thirty years old?"
Chen Cao nodded with a righteous look on his face: "After blowing out the lamp and pulling out the wax, it's all the same..."
Xin Zhao: "..."
...
Huai'an Fucheng, Water Transport Governor's Office
Pan Yourong and Yang Yipeng were sitting in the same direction. Opposite them sat a middle-aged and elderly man in his fifties. He looked powerful but not very energetic.
Yang Yipeng was dressed in a scarlet robe: "Hall Master Weng, what do you think? As the governor of Water Transport, I naturally have to take Water Transport as the leader. If your Rentang is acting recklessly in Jinan and cannot be disciplined, I feel that this so-called Rentang is dispensable.”
Weng Shijie sneered, then stared at Pan Yourong beside him and said: "Pan Yourong, I think you have forgotten the ancestral precepts of the Cao Gang. Now that you are in power, you can do whatever you want to do directly without bringing in the government officials." , by doing this, don’t you think your villainous behavior will be unpopular within the gang?”
"Hahaha..." Pan Yourong laughed loudly: "Weng Shijie, things have reached this point, and I won't hide it. The imperial court is quite complaining about water transportation. The capital is now eyeing water transportation. You, the Weng family of Rentang, are the most dissatisfied with me. Cao Gang, the Qian family is now aware of current affairs and follows my Rentang, but you insist on forming your own faction. Tell me, if your Rentang loses the banner of my Cao Gang, what can you do?"
Weng Shijie's face did not change: "Since the Meng Yuan Dynasty, my ancestors of the Weng family have made a living on the canal. At that time, they were the largest water transport families in the entire canal. Your Pan family and Qian family later joined us. Weng Qian Pan The three families are in charge of water transportation. Pan Yourong, you have forgotten the teachings of your ancestors. How can you have the face to say this to me? Again, Rentang cannot join. I, Weng Shijie, am still alive. You, Pan Yourong, can't even think of any good plans. Execution..."
Yang Yipeng had an angry look on his face. When Pan Yourong saw this, he also broke his face and said: "Weng Shijie, all your offices in Jinan have been taken over by the yamen. The people under your command will either surrender or be eliminated. Those who like to resist stubbornly, They were also treated as thieves and killed the whole family. Your three sons led people to resist the army in Jinan, and they have all been killed..."
"A dog thief..." Weng Shijie couldn't sit still at all. He was about to stand up and take action, but he was pinned down on the chair by the soldiers who had been prepared: "I'm going to kill you, a dog thief."
"Don't be excited," Pan Yourong mocked: "Your third son, Weng Linzhi, is still alive. I heard that this kid went to Jinling to ask for help. You don't know that he asked Chen Cao of Jin Yiwei for help. For a while, I was really still There's really nothing we can do against him, but your daughter Weng Meixin has been convicted and asked to be executed by Queen Qiu. Then Chen Cao promoted her to Jinling in the name of Jin Yiwei. It's a pity. By the way, she has been escorted to Huai'an. Right in the city, let you father and daughter meet before you die, and then you can go to Huangquan Road together."
Yang Yipeng was an official, so he couldn't act too ruthless on the surface, so he got up and walked out: "I'll leave this to you. It's best to end the Caobang matter quickly, otherwise I won't be able to protect you if something happens in the court. you."
...
"Sir, the city of Huai'an is just ahead," Zhao Xin stood on his horse and was drinking water. It was already very hot in South Zhili in July: "There are our people in Shanyang County, both in the north and the south."
Huai'an Prefecture, Shanyang County where the government is
"Sir, who in our southern Zhili territory dares to disobey your discipline?" Xu Kaixian said proudly.
Needless to say, since Wei Zhongxian became stronger this year, the status of the Jinyiwei has risen sharply. Now in Southern Zhili, if we talk about officials, it is Chen Cao, the leader of the Jinyiwei of the eunuch party.
Chen Cao touched the sweat on his body. This robe was really not suitable for wearing in summer. He had already thought about what kind of clothes he would design in the future: "I'm not leaving. Let's go to the tea stall in front to have a cup of tea first. I'll do that too." hungry..."
The owner of the tea stall was so frightened when he saw the team of guards coming to the door. Xin Zhao's scarred face looked like a typical smiling tiger even when he smiled, so he asked Xu Kai to step in first to stabilize the owner, and gave him a penny. Dozens of school captains arranged it, but even so the boss still didn't dare to accept it, and said the money was too much, which made Xin Zhao draw a knife to his neck, and the boss accepted the money with a sad face.
"Xin Zhao, why are the people in South Zhili so afraid of our Jin Yiwei?" Chen Cao drank a bowl of bitter tea and wiped his mouth: "What did you do with this skin?"
Zhao Xin gnawed on a piece of steamed bun and drank a sip of tea: "No, according to your instructions, the land in Yanzhou Prefecture needs people to plant, so my subordinates will ask these traders from South Zhili to hand over filial piety silver according to the market price, and then use this money to recruit refugees. Go farm the land for adults.”
Chen Cao's eyes widened. No wonder people along the way were so frightened when they saw Jin Yiwei that they ran away wildly. This is where the emotional matter came from: "If you dare to do anything else in the name of Jin Yiwei again in the future, hehe, you know my relationship with Wei Zhongxian, I will castrate you and send you to the palace to be my spy."
Zhao Xin was so frightened that he dropped his buns and quickly gave in. Xu Kaixian mocked Chen Cao for a while before staring at him: "How's the matter that I asked you to inquire about?"
Zhao Xin put down his things: "Sir, I've got it figured out. According to the report from Fucheng's detectives, it was indeed Pan Yourong during the Weng era. The Weng family's influence in Jinan was basically uprooted. The Weng family has four sons and one daughter. The eldest son The second and fourth children resisted the army encirclement and suppression in Jinan and were killed on the spot. The third child, Weng Linzhi, escaped. I heard that Miss Weng covered his evacuation, so he was captured by Ren Chengwei and sent to Jinan. "
"Ren Chengwei? Jiang Wanchun seems to have been emboldened." Chen Cao sneered.
"I guess Jiang Wanchun was also acting under orders, and it must be Kong You who was behind it," Zhao Xin continued: "It was their idea that Miss Weng was taken to Huai'an. It is said that Weng Shijie was used as a prisoner after arriving in Huai'an. The governor's Yamen also arrested Weng Shijie because of his gang's behavior, as he was known to disrupt water transportation."
Chen Cao frowned and thought for a while: "It stands to reason that there must be someone in the imperial court who was able to gain a foothold in Jinan at that time. Pan Yourong punished him so much, why didn't his helpers take action?"
"I can't move my hands, sir," Xin Zhao interjected: "Water transport is related to the livelihood of Beizhili, and even the entire north. The imperial court is determined not to allow anyone to dictate water transport. Li Sancai was so majestic in charge of water transport back then, and whatever he says will be done. , dared to challenge the three parties of Qi, Chu and Zhejiang. Yang Yipeng was accused of giving Weng Shi a crown to the court. The emperor will definitely support Yang Yipeng. Sir, we must ensure the autumn grain harvest..."
"It makes sense..." Chen Cao nodded: "Yang Yipeng's current status is really special. I heard that behind him is Li Yangchong from the Metropolitan Procuratorate?"
"That's him." Zhao Xin nodded: "The amount of oil and water transported by water is astonishing. Ships going north must pass through Huai'an Wharf. Anyone who is interested can just shake at the wharf and charge ten cents per ship. Sir, it can be four to five hundred cents this year. Ten thousand taels of silver are readily available, so everyone in the court is trying hard to be the governor of water transportation."
"So, Yang Yipeng and Wang Yiqing, the water transport commander, are both from the same school?" Chen Cao frowned.
Xin Zhao nodded: "It's true, but Governor Zhao Yan should know the details, and I'm afraid he may have colluded with them."
Chen Cao took the last sip of tea and said, "These people are all a bunch of fat sheep. Hehe, it just so happens that the workshop spends a lot of money right now and I'm short of money. I'll kill him this time. I won't make a big fortune."
When Xin Zhao heard that he had money, his eyes lit up: "I will definitely complete the arrangements for you."
"Let's go to the city..."
...
"Gang leader, gang leader... something big happened..."
Pan Yourong was sorting out the account books: "What's the matter?"
"Chen Cao, the commander of Jinyiwei Nan Town Fusi, led a large group of Jinyiwei into the city. Now they have gone to the governor's office. Our brothers who were following us were arrested and were interrupted on the spot to retreat..."
A typical show of force...
Pan Yourong looked solemn. He knew that Chen Cao was coming, but he didn't expect it to be so soon. Moreover, when he entered the city, he went directly to the Governor's Office of Water Transport: "Go and prepare a hundred thousand taels of silver notes, and book a table at Chunfeng Building tonight. Up..."
"Yes, little one, let's go right away..."
