At the gate of Yangzhou City, which was filled with dust and crowded with people, suddenly dozens of horsemen and horses appeared approaching quickly.
Although the officers and soldiers guarding the city gate could tell at a glance that the man was either rich or noble, they still stepped forward to hear the news because of their duties.
"The imperial envoy has entered the city to attend to matters, please leave as soon as possible."
The group of people who came had no intention of slowing down, and the officers and soldiers guarding the city quickly retreated when the soldiers who opened the way shouted.
After the majestic group entered the city, the young general at the city gate quickly called two of his trusted aides and whispered: "Go and report to the guards and the Grand Master that the Imperial Envoy has entered the city!"
…
"I have dreamed of Yangzhou for ten years and won the reputation of a brothel. Yangzhou, Yangzhou! The famous capital of Huaizuo really deserves its reputation."
Even though it was not his first time to Yangzhou, Jia Lian was still moved by the prosperity of Yangzhou City, which has the charm of a Jiangnan water town.
Riding on the ten-mile long street, as far as the eye can see, there are small bridges, flowing water, and beaded curtains and embroidered curtains. From a charming attic in the distance, there is also the faint singing of warblers and swallows. Among the blooming flowers and branches, the unique style of Yangzhou's thin horse is displayed to tourists from afar.
This is the elegant style of Jiangnan, a resort for literati and a paradise for the rich.
Looking at this prosperous and comfortable city, Jia Lian couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt when he thought that perhaps because of his arrival, this atmosphere would be broken.
"Is this your first time in Yangzhou?" Liu Xianglian behind him asked with a smile when he saw Jia Lian like this.
"I've been here once before, but unfortunately I came and went in a hurry and never fully experienced the spring scenery here."
"Hahaha, after the Marquis's important matters are over, if you are interested, I can recommend a few places for the Marquis to visit..."
Hearing Liu Xianglian's familiar appearance, Jia Lian couldn't help but glance at him and asked with a smile: "Oh, it sounds like Erlang is very familiar with Yangzhou. Tell me, how many good friends do you have here?"
Liu Xianglian seriously wanted to introduce Yangzhou's attractions and interesting places to Jia Lian, but when she heard what Jia Lian said, she suddenly didn't know how to answer the conversation.
Although the other guards were mocking on their faces, they were envious in their hearts. With Liu Xianglian's appearance, it would be easy to seduce the ladies in the flower house and make them jealous.
Then he looked at the brothel in the distance, and he couldn't help but feel more yearning for it.
Although Beijing is prosperous, when it comes to entertainment, I'm afraid it's far behind this famous mansion in the south of the Yangtze River.
"Okay, let's get things done here. If you have time, Erlang will take us to have a good time. But there is no need to call me to eat flowers and wine and admire the beauties. You can go by yourself then.
I am a man with a family, so I am not as carefree as you, and can be as free and unrestrained as you want. "
Jia Lian laughed and waved his horse's reins, speeding towards Yanzheng Yamen.
The guards and the officers and soldiers of the Imperial Guard behind him all smiled at Jia Lian's words.
Although he knew that Jia Lian meant to joke with them, he also knew that with his status as a marquis, he could not find any kind of beauties in the world, and he was afraid that he might not be able to look down on those prostitutes.
But for them, it's different. Who doesn't want to see the world-famous "Yangzhou Skinny Horse"?
Hearing from Jia Lian's tone, it seemed that he didn't object to them going to see the experience, and everyone was moved in their hearts, thinking that if there was a chance this time, they would definitely give it a try...
When they arrived at the Yanzheng Yamen, their subordinates performed their duties. Jia Lian also directly took Yang Xun and others who were greeted by them into the quiet room to discuss matters.
"So, what have you found out these days?"
"I am ashamed..."
"What the Marquis expected was good. All the accounts and files of the Salt Administration have been sorted and updated. There are almost no errors or omissions. The subordinates are not proficient in this, so they have not found anything powerful. clue.
But at least it is certain that the various salt merchants in Yangzhou, and even the entire officialdom of Yangzhou Prefecture, must have evil intentions, and the cover-up is a bit too obvious. "
Jia Lian nodded. Jia Lian had never thought about finding out and solving this matter from the books, unless those salt merchants were all fools.
"What about Ellsworth?"
"An Siyuan's coffin has been brought back a long time ago. Because it was an official involved in the case, it was not buried. It is now placed in the back office."
"Where is his family? Have they been interrogated?"
"An Siyuan has a wife, a concubine, and a pair of children... However, his son is not here."
"Not there?"
"Well, he said he was raised at my grandma's house... But my lord, I have always felt that there is something fishy about this matter. An Siyuan is also considered a high-ranking official, and he has only one son. He doesn't have to keep him by his side to educate him properly. Instead, it was sent to the father-in-law's house, which was a bit unreasonable.
Moreover, the official looked at An Siyuan's wife, Mrs. Xu, who looked depressed all day long and seemed to have something on her mind, but the official could not find out anything.
Since the court has not yet convicted An Siyuan, the Xu family is not considered a criminal. It is inconvenient for the subordinate to ask too much. Therefore, no results were obtained from the inquiry. The subordinate is incompetent. I hope you will forgive me. "
Jia Lian waved his hand, Yang Xun had only been here a few days, and he was humble. It would be easy for people in Yangzhou to trick him.
As for the doubtful points mentioned by Yang Xun, they are basically nonsense. If there were not such doubts, the court would not be so concerned about this matter, and there would be no need for him to come here.
After asking for more details, Yang Xun and others all answered one by one. Afterwards, they looked at Jia Lian thoughtfully. Yang Xun and Jinyiwei Baihu Zhao Cheng looked at each other and took out a stack of banknotes from their arms. Yang Xun said: "This was the gift given by the salt merchants on the day I first entered Yangzhou. The lower officials accepted it according to your Lord's instructions and asked the Marquis to deal with it."
Jia Lian glanced at them and said, "Since it was given by those salt merchants, you can just keep it. They occupy the entire salt shop in the south of the Yangtze River. They are all extremely rich, and they caused such a big thing. I have to wait thousands of miles away. It is also appropriate for them to pay some of their hard-earned money for a trip.
However, you should also know that this inspection of the salt administration was personally entrusted by His Majesty to us to handle it strictly. Therefore, you must not think about taking someone's advantage to cover it up. Otherwise, if something goes wrong in the end, I will be responsible for it. I can't protect you. "
Yang Xun and Yang Xun were slightly shocked and immediately agreed.
He was no longer polite and took back the banknote. There was nothing to worry about. The salt merchants were willing to give away such generous sums of money to their entourage, so they were certainly not stingy towards Jia Lian.
The reason why he chose to hand over the bribe money was just to see Jia Lian's attitude.
Although he guessed that Jia Lian was not a pedantic person, seeing that Jia Lian let them each accept the banknote without even looking at it, it was inevitable that he would have admiration and good impression of Jia Lian in his heart. A Shangguan who has a structure and is willing to make profits for his subordinates is a Shangguan who is convincing and willing to follow.
After the discussion, Jia Lian came out and saw Lin Youquan arranging guards to drive away idlers and arrange defenses. Jia Lian was relieved.
This was one of the reasons why he did not go to the residence prepared by the local government, but lived directly in the Yanzheng Yamen. Lin Youquan can be regarded as the boss here. With him arranging these things, he is familiar with the business and will not make mistakes easily.
After a brief explanation, Jia Lian came to the place where An Siyuan was buried.
Because he was an official involved in eucalyptus, he simply placed a coffin in the side hall, guarded by a few family members and domestic slaves in mourning clothes. After a while, no one came to express condolences, and no one dared to express condolences.
With the idea that death is the most important thing, Jia Lian first went to the funeral, burned a stick of incense and bowed twice.
Maybe they knew Jia Lian's identity, or maybe the soldiers who had taken control inside and outside looked so fierce that the people in the An family seemed a little reserved and afraid after Jia Lian entered the palace.
But according to etiquette, someone has to thank you on your behalf at this time. So a woman in her thirties, with good looks and a plump figure stepped forward and bowed to Jia Lian.
Behind her, there was a girl of twelve or thirteen years old, with a delicate appearance and very beautiful features. She followed the woman step by step, and at the same time she was poking her head, as if sizing him up.
Jia Lian looked over and asked, "Madam, is Mr. An's wife?"
"Your Majesty, I am the imperial envoy. I am the Xu family." She didn't look at Jia Lian, her voice was gentle, and there was no emotion in her expression.
"My condolences, madam."
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Imperial Envoy."
After Jia Lian said this, he stopped talking. He just lowered his head slightly and looked at the woman in front of him.
At this time, the atmosphere in the secluded mourning hall suddenly became quieter.
The soldiers around Jia Lian looked serious and looked intently. The few An family members lowered their heads one by one.
The woman seemed to have noticed something. She finally raised her head and glanced at Jia Lian, bowed and was about to leave.
"I wonder what Madam Xu thinks about Mr. An's death?"
"My late husband has always been frail. He was busy with government affairs all year round. His health was already poor. Perhaps he could not bear the pain of being escorted, so he died of illness on the road..."
"Mrs. Xu, are you sure Mr. An died of illness?"
"yes……"
Jia Lian asked casually, seemingly not caring about Mrs. Xu's answer. But in fact, Jia Lian still took Mrs. Xu's expression in his eyes.
Seeing how she pretended to be serious when she responded, but her eyebrows lowered involuntarily, she knew that this Mrs. Xu might know something. But why didn't she want to tell him? If Ellsworth was really murdered, he was obviously the only person who could clear his name.
Without forcing him, Jia Lian glanced at the girl behind her and said with a smile: "I heard that Mr. An has a son and a daughter. This must be your daughter. But I don't know where the eldest son is now?"
"The child was naughty, so he gave it to his grandpa to educate him..."
"Oh, where does your father's family live? How many years has your son been sent away?"
"My father is originally from Datong Prefecture. He was sent there for four or five years..."
Jia Lian smiled, walked closer and asked, "Four or five years? Has Madam never missed Mr. Ling, and is she willing to keep him at grandpa's house so far away?"
Mrs. Xu quietly glanced at Jia Lian again, "I miss her a little bit, but my father is a well-educated scholar and is idle at home, so he can educate his children and grandchildren. It would be better than following me and my wife, so..."
"Mr. An suddenly died of illness, and your wife didn't accept the young master's return to fulfill his filial piety?"
"Here, since his father is under suspicion, it would be better to wait until the court investigates the salt policy and clears his name before discussing the aftermath..."
"Oh, it's rare for Madam to be so clear-headed. I thought Madam would be heartbroken when Mr. An passed away, but I didn't expect that Madam is so calm and quick, and she was able to answer all the questions asked by me fluently, as if she had rehearsed them."
Mrs. Xu was stunned and raised her head again, because Jia Lian was less than one step away from her at this moment. With such a distance, she couldn't even react if Jia Lian was rude to her, so she hurriedly took a step back and said hurriedly: "It's sad to be sad, but I know it's useless. Now I just want to cooperate with the government and investigate the salt administration. To atone for the sins of my late husband. As for your questions, several adults have asked similar questions before, so I can be prepared..."
"Yeah."
Jia Lian showed a meaningful smile. Just when Mrs. Xu was quite uneasy, Liu Xianglian came to send a message: "Master Marquis, the magistrate of Yangzhou, the prime minister and other lords are here to see you."
Jia Lian nodded, but did not move his steps. He still smiled and looked at Mrs. Xu in front of him like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
In this situation, anyone who is smart can probably see what Jia Lian is thinking.
Sure enough, Jia Lian seemed to have exhausted his patience, so he approached Mrs. Xu again and said with a smile: "It turns out that I was sad. I thought Madam was not sad at all. After all, with Madam's beauty, even if Mr. An went away, he wanted to choose another one." It is not difficult to find a good son-in-law."
Looking at Jia Lian's picture, Mrs. Xu's face suddenly showed a sullen look. She glared at Jia Lian angrily, and finally lowered her head and said: "After all, I am also the wife of an official of the imperial court. Please respect yourself, the imperial envoy."
"Hahaha, don't be anxious, madam. I just feel that Mr. An's death is still quite suspicious. I want to find out the true cause of Mr. An's death so that Mr. An's soul is in heaven.
Well, I have something else to do this time. I will invite my wife to my residence tonight so that we can have a good talk. "
"you……"
This dog official is really interested in seeing the color.
"I'm sorry to have to obey."
Mrs. Xu looked sad, but Jia Lian didn't seem to notice it at all. Instead, he ordered his surroundings to invite Mrs. Xu to his room tonight.
"You are not allowed to bully my mother!"
The girl was new to understanding human affairs. She was too scared to interrupt before, but now she was about to cry when she saw her mother being bullied. She immediately stepped forward to stand between Jia Lian and Mrs. Xu, and shouted softly.
Jia Lian glanced down at her, stretched out his hand as if to pinch her little face, but she dodged it, and smiled: "You are Mr. An's daughter, right? By chance, I also have something to ask you, so you can follow your mother's instructions. , go to my residence tonight to be interviewed."
After Jia Lian finished speaking, he glanced around and saw several people immediately guarding the mourning hall.
Such behavior, not to mention the angry expressions of the servants of the An family, even the imperial guards who followed Jia Lian were dumbfounded.
Lord Zhenyuan, is he so romantic?
Moreover, is the Marquis so unscrupulous and careless? Even if he falls in love with the mother and daughter of the An family, they can't do anything behind the scenes, but they do it in public. Aren't they afraid that they will spread bad words about him after returning to Beijing?
Or is it that the Marquis is sure and will take advantage of it to silence them afterwards, so he doesn't care? If that's the case, that's not bad. No one wants to travel thousands of miles south in vain.
On the other hand, Jia Lian's personal guards and others were more familiar with Jia Lian's habits, and were a little bit unconvinced that Jia Lian, who had always been lenient and strict with his subordinates, would do such a dishonest thing.
Therefore, when the brothers of the Imperial Guard quietly asked if the Marquis had always been so chic and charming, they all replied: "Don't tell me, the Marquis is not this kind of person. He must have other reasons, but... …”
But it's not impossible. Before joining the army, the Marquis was notoriously lecherous in the mansion.
Although he restrained himself a little later, maybe it was also because he wanted to gain fame with peace of mind.
Now that the Marquis has become famous, maybe he doesn't have so many worries anymore?
Mrs. Xu has such a charming life, and her daughter is also well-behaved and charming. It would not be surprising at all if the Marquis could take a liking to her...
Not to mention that Jia Lian's teasing of Mrs. Xu was secretly spread, but Jia Lian received a group of Yangzhou officials leisurely.
The prefect Wu Zhirong and other manpower leaders asked Jia Lian to move into the imperial envoy's residence, saying that this was in line with Jia Lian's status, but Jia Lian directly rejected it.
Just when Wu Zhirong and others were chatting a little, Jia Lian agreed again. They would prepare a reception banquet for him tomorrow, which made Wu Zhirong and others secretly relieved.
He was about to strike a friendship while the iron was hot, but Jia Lian said: "I just arrived in Yangzhou and I am very busy, so I won't spend much time with you. You can go on your own.
By the way, whoever among you would like to trouble me, please send someone to bring over all the accounts, income and expenditure records of the Salt Transportation Department. I want to check them one by one. "
"Yes, I will send someone to do it immediately."
"Well, you go ahead."
Wu Zhirong and others, who had been driven out of the main hall by Jia Lian, spontaneously gathered in the front hall.
One person couldn't help laughing and said: "How powerful is this Zhenyuan Marquis? He actually thinks that the salt administration can be sorted out from the accounts of the Salt Administration Office and the Salt Transportation Department Office? I bet you, He couldn't find a single flaw in a year, and in the end he must have returned to Beijing in disgrace..."
"Shh, be quieter."
Fu Cheng interrupted him and looked at Wu Zhirong, "I wonder what Fu Zun thinks?"
Wu Zhirong looked thoughtful, shook his head, and said nothing. He had just come into contact with him, and he still couldn't quite see Jia Lian's behavior.
Suddenly, a Yamen official from the Yanzheng Yamen walked over. When Wu Zhirong saw this, he immediately stopped, and the Yamen official went to Wu Zhirong and whispered in his ear.
"really?"
"It's absolutely true. When Jia Lian saw Mrs. Xu, his eyes gleamed, and he wished he could eat her on the spot.
He pretended to ask some questions about An Jia, and then asked Mrs. Xu to go to his residence for questioning tonight. What's even more shameless is that he also asked his daughter to go with him.
Now that An's mother and daughter have been taken care of by his people, they may not escape the fate of being abused by him. "
"The imperial envoy asked An Siyuan? How did Mr. Xu answer?"
The officer then explained the matter in more detail.
Wu Zhirong felt relieved, and then felt very strange.
With his identity as Jia Lian, he is so lustful? Not necessarily, the capital is the residence of the emperor, and these dignitaries in the capital are afraid to show off, and they are all suppressed.
After finally getting out of Beijing, he naturally pretended to be powerful and had no worries.
Besides, Mrs. Xu really had the ability to seduce men. He also wanted to wait until the Yan Zheng incident was over to see if there would be a chance to make her his first wife.
Unexpectedly, Jia Lian's love was snatched away with a sword.
There was no resentment at all, I just felt that if Jia Lian was such an easy person to handle, it would be a good thing for them.
Therefore, the matter was immediately reported to everyone.
The officials on the left and right were naturally surprised, and then they all laughed: "Since the imperial envoy is so lustful, it is indeed easy to handle. Those salt merchants have no other skills, but their ability to raise beauties is better than the others. .
In this case, the Lord of the Palace does not need to worry, just pass this news to them, and let them find a way to win over this emperor's close minister, hehehe. Those salt merchants will probably be extremely happy. Having someone with such a strong arm as their backer will make their lives even easier in the future. "
"It makes sense. The salt policy has nothing to do with us in the first place. We should let them figure it out on their own."
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