Chapter 190 Don’t be in a hurry
Zhang Ru burst into tears. At this moment, Chen Cao was the only one standing at the door. She could no longer bear the excitement in her heart and ran up to hug Chen Cao.
Tears instantly wet Chen Cao's shoulders. He reached out and hugged Zhang Ru tightly: "You have suffered..."
"Ah..." Zhang Ru burst into tears: "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I couldn't hold our two children..."
Chen Cao understood clearly. It was obvious that Zhang Ru was imprisoned because the Zhang family found out that she was pregnant. If she were an ordinary person, she would have been imprisoned in a pig cage if she became pregnant out of wedlock.
"I'm sorry for you..." Chen Cao patted Zhang Ru's back gently.
"I thought I would never see you again in this life..."
"I have sent out detectives in Yingtan Town and Guixi County. They are helping me keep an eye on you. It's just that I went to Japan last year and I really wronged you..."
Zhang Ru told Chen Cao all his experiences in one breath.
It turned out that more than a month after Chen Cao had a relationship with her, Zhang Ru found out that she was pregnant with his child. She was stubborn and determined to give birth to his child. However, her family found out that she was infertile when she was five months old. He said that none of the Zhang family knew about this. What made the Zhang family angry was that Zhang Ru refused to tell who the child was even after she was beaten to death. In order to protect the reputation of the Tianshi Mansion, the Zhang family forced Zhang Ru to drink abortion pills and gave birth to an abortion. She was imprisoned in the Tianshiya Prison, where she was left to die alone.
Zhang Ru has been obsessed with Chen Cao in her heart that she will definitely come back to find her. After waiting for a year, she finally came...
"Don't worry, I, Chen Cao, will protect you from now on. You will be my Chen Cao's woman, and I will never let you suffer again..." Chen Cao picked up Zhang Ru, and Zhang Ru hooked her hands around Chen Cao's neck. Although I cried a lot, I still looked happy in the end.
After Zhang Guoxiang learned that it was Chen Cao, Marquis of Dingwu, he couldn't say anything else. In addition, Zhang Xianyong told what happened that day, so Zhang Guoxiang agreed to marry Zhang Ru to Chen Cao.
After delaying for a few more days, Chen Cao took Zhang Ru and a group of people back to Nanjing after finishing all the arrangements with Zhang Ru.
In March of the sixth year of the Apocalypse, spring begins and all things grow...
Today is a good day for Marquis Dingwu to marry another wife, and there are two of them again. People in Jinling are jealous, but most of them are talking privately that Marquis Dingwu is a lecher.
The identities of the two people getting married today are not simple. One is the daughter of the former Minister of Household Affairs in the capital, and the other is the daughter of the Tianshi Mansion in Longhu Mountain. Just a pomp is enough.
There were more than a dozen tables set up in Dingwuhou's mansion, and the guests were all dignitaries and high-ranking officials from Jinling. Even the Duke of Wei, Xu Hongji, came to the side room, which was considered to give Chen Cao enough face.
Needless to say, Chen Cao spent one night with two women that night. Three days later, Chen Cao, who was preparing for Shanghai County affairs, was still packing up documents. Zhao Xin ran into the study room in a panic, and was ridiculed by Chen Cao for a while: "What? You accept it?" Your head wife disagreed with the matter of the sixth concubine and was beaten?"
"Master Marquis, don't make fun of me. I have serious matters to report," Xin Zhao said, taking out two letters from his arms: "This one is from Shaanxi."
While Chen Cao was reading the letter, Zhao Xin quickly said in a low voice: "According to the instructions of the Marquis, the Tianfang people sent them firearms. These rebels were able to defeat them, but they were defeated by Liu Ying of the Shaanxi Army the month before. The local regiment led by Yu was caught off guard, and that's not all. The main thing is that the report sent to the capital by the Fusi of Nichinan Town was intercepted by his subordinates, and it informed that someone was transporting firearms to the rebels."
Chen Cao was startled, then looked up at Xin Zhao: "Where is Xin?"
"The second letter is..."
Chen Cao opened it and took a look. Sure enough, the letter was sent by the Shaanxi governor's Yamen to the Jinyiwei in Xi'an with a secret order to send to the capital. How could he dare to intercept such a letter?
"Master Hou, not only that, it is reported that in order to share the benefits, the Prince of Qin's Palace sent guards to escort a batch of seized firearms to the capital. The route was Datong, Shanxi... Master Hou, there are clear regulations for firearms across the country. The way out, if the court traces it, might lead to Nanjing."
Seeing Zhao Xin's panic, Chen Cao put down the letter: "The investigation of Nanjing's firearms must be carried out by the Nanjing Ministry of War and the Fifth Army Commander's Office. How dare they go to investigate Xiaoling Guards?
Besides, the number of firearms eliminated by various health centers every year is not very large. How do you think the court can check it?
Xin Zhao, don't be in a hurry when doing things. This is what you told me before. "
Zhao Xin took a deep breath, and then said the second thing: "Master Hou, in addition, the Beisi Division said that they could not find the origins of those dead soldiers, so my subordinates sent people to inquire along the way, and asked in the name of Nanzhen Fusi We visited the nearby guard post and there were no missing soldiers."
"It's just unnecessary..."
Chen Cao has put aside the matter of assassinating himself, because it is really unclear who is responsible for this kind of thing, just like the last attack in Jinling was the same.
"Let's let this matter go. As the saying goes, there are only three things. If I am attacked and killed again, then I will not be a good boy. If they force me to rebel, then I will rebel in front of them;
By the way, pack it up and summon someone from the Thousand Household Office. We will go to Shanghai County in two days..."
...
In later generations, the Shanghai Administrative District included the entire Songjiang Prefecture, Jiading County, Baoshan Prefecture, and a large area of Chongming Island belonging to Suzhou Prefecture. However, the current Shanghai County of Songjiang Prefecture actually covers only the estuaries of the Huangpu River and Wusong River. between meeting points.
In the words of later generations, they are Pudong and Puxi. The east and west banks are separated by two rivers that merge into one river, but the seat of Shanghai County is in Pudong.
The city walls were made of fences mixed with soil and piled with cobblestones. They were no taller than a person and were no more than four miles in circumference. In some places, there were no walls at all.
"This earthen wall was built during the Jiajing period. At that time, Songjiang Prefecture was a key state capital attacked by Japanese pirates. Jinshanwei was beyond reach, so the fishermen on both sides voluntarily built earthen walls to defend against Japanese pirates."
As he spoke, Zhao Xin pointed to the surrounding fishing villages in front: "When I came down, I checked the household register of Shanghai County. As of the second year of Tianqi, there were 1,300 households in Shanghai County, with a total population of 4,600 people. .”
The confluence of Wusong River and Huangpu River formed a natural seaport between Pudong and Puxi. It is no wonder that this place became the financial center of the world in later generations, and Chen Cao's arrival today is to create a city with the highest wealth value for the Ming Dynasty.
"Master Marquis, the Shanghai County Magistrate is here."
Shanghai County is too poor. The people here are all fishermen and farmers. Because of the sea ban, although the local officials turn a blind eye, the less than 5,000 people living here have to rely on the sea for food and drink. maintain.
Chen Cao got off the warship and walked to the land surrounded by hundreds of Jinyi guards and Dingwu troops. Yu Shimin, the prime minister of Shanghai County, hurriedly arrived to greet the new governor of Songjiang.
"I am lowered to the post of Yu Shimin, the Prime Minister of Shanghai County, and I pay homage to the Governor of Songjiang, Lord Dingwuhou..."
Shanghai is a small county. Even the magistrate is only an official from the seventh rank. He, the county magistrate, is only from the eighth rank. Moreover, Yu Shimin is not a local. He is a Juren of Huating County and spent a lot of money to buy it from Songjiang Magistrate's Yamen. Such a Shanghai County Magistrate, but up to now, his income in Shanghai County has not been as much as what he has spent.
"Master Yu, no courtesy, please lead the way."
"Marquis Dingwu please..."
"Master Marquis..." A school lieutenant came over and said, "Reporting to Master Marquis, Huang Shijing, the prefect of Songjiang, has arrived at the reception pavilion in Shili."
"I am the governor of Songjiang, and I can't wait for him."
After Chen Cao finished speaking, Zhao Xin also joined in: "Master Marquis, it stands to reason that Governor Su Song is still your superior..."
Chen Cao looked sideways and said, "That's right. Please ask Commander Zhao to contribute 100,000 taels of silver to express condolences to Governor Su Song."
Xin Zhao: "..."
.
"It makes the Marquis laugh. The county's financial resources are so meager that it really can't afford to build the county government..."
This county government office is second to none compared to all the county government offices Chen Cao has seen. The signboard is the same as that of the 100 households in Chiba. The wall on the left even collapsed and was not taken care of.
After Chen Cao sat in the lobby, he asked Yu Shimin for the household register. The result was that the entire Shanghai County had less than 1,300 households and only 700 households were registered. This was different from what was registered by the Nanjing Household Department. .
Yu Shimin was sweating on his forehead. Without the county magistrate, he would be the one taking the blame. He couldn't help but feel nervous now.
"Yu Xian Cheng, if you answer my questions well, I will never let the past go. If you are messing around or want to hide it," Chen Cao said, pointing to Zhao Xin: "This is the commander of Fusi, Jinyiwei Nanzhen. , they have a way to make you tell the truth, I would like to ask you, why is the number of people in the household in Shanghai County different from that registered in the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs?"
How could Yu Shimin, a Juren who wanted to make money, have so many scheming ideas? He immediately knelt down towards Chen Cao: "Master Hou Mingjian, the number of households is really not something that a lower official can decide. When the previous magistrate was here, this population There are only two thousand;
The Marquis doesn’t know that all the people in Shanghai County are fishermen, this... this..."
Chen Cao knew some things that could not be said, so he waved his hand to interrupt Yu Shimin's words: "I would like to ask you, how much money have you embezzled in the past few years in Shanghai County?"
Yu Shimin looked embarrassed and opened his mouth to prove that he had not taken anything. It was not until Zhao Xin stood in front of him with his knife pressed on his head that Yu Shimin said tremblingly: "Go back to the Marquis, Shanghai County is too poor. I have been here for four years, and it is really hard for me. There is no oil or water squeezed out, the most is salted fish, but even so, the magistrate at the magistrate's office has to send a large cart of salted fish over..."
Even salted fish must be robbed?
The prefect of Songjiang must have gone crazy because of poverty...
Chen Cao's face twitched, and when he heard this, he said with a dark face: "How much money did you spend to buy an official position? I heard that you are just a candidate in Huating County."
"I didn't dare to deceive the Marquis, so I sent three hundred taels of silver to the magistrate, and then I replaced him with a county magistrate from Shanghai County, but I really can't make any money here..."
"You are an honest person..." Chen Cao snorted: "What party are you from? Do you have any connections?"
Yu Shimin raised his head in embarrassment: "Master Hou, if this official had connections, he wouldn't have come to such a remote place."
