The frequent mobilization of the army made the atmosphere in Zhangye somewhat tense, but fortunately after Yang Ji took office, he changed defenses from time to time, took turns to rest from time to time, and held confrontations from time to time, so people were somewhat accustomed to the presence of densely packed troops. In addition, martial law was not enforced, so there were still pedestrians coming and going on the streets, and the wine shops and inns were crowded with business travelers from all over the world.
Everything seems to have not been affected by the army!
However, the secret words "Northern Expedition to Murongbei" are not something that can be taken lightly for the Liangzhou Prefectural Mufu. Although this Northern Expedition will involve all the troops on horseback, the mobilization of the army, It still takes a lot of time to prepare military supplies, arrange major military and political events in Liangzhou, arrange confrontation nodes, and spring plowing related to people's livelihood.
They were taking the initiative in the Northern Expedition this time, so it was naturally much easier than the last time. However, in order to prepare for the upcoming war, Yang Ji specially gave himself a seven-day holiday to conduct intensive training at home.
The nine major administrators in Liangzhou also knew his intention and necessity, and generally would not disturb him with government affairs, and he went to the state capital much later than before.
In the early morning of this day, Yang Ji got up early to practice martial arts as usual. After sweating profusely, he watched the rain in front of the window of the study room in the middle hall. The new leaves of the osmanthus tree outside the window were bright green and stretched in the rain, which was pleasing to the eye.
A majestic gyrfalcon flew across the lotus pond in front of the window in the rain, and in an instant it fluttered its wings and soared into the sky. In the rain curtain, I saw the executioner Xiao Yu walking quickly along the corridor.
As soon as Xiao Yu came, Yang Ji lowered the window. Xiao Ying, who had been leaning next to him to watch the rain with him, reluctantly withdrew and stood under the dripping eaves at the door to watch the rain with Liu Rumei. With them standing there as doorkeepers, no one could eavesdrop on the conversation in the room.
"See Zhou Mu!" Xiao Yu is like a gentle gem, with a friendly smile and elegant manners. His handsome appearance and upright posture can charm many girls. He is a handsome young man in troubled times no matter where he is. The image exudes unparalleled elegance and charm at all times.
Yang Ji, who is also handsome and elegant, has to admit that this is the real noble son of aristocratic family! It even vaguely feels as if "Gentleman is Like Jade" was created specifically for Xiao Yu.
It's just that Xiao Yu has a bad temper and is far less easy to get along with than Xiao Cong and Xiao Jue! At best, he is upright, aboveboard, and self-disciplined; at worst, he is hard, smelly, and unreliable. This can be seen from the fact that he also calls his brother-in-law "state pastor" in private.
"Xiao Xingcao, please take a seat!" There are many tough people like Xiao Yu in Liangzhou. Yang Ji is now not only used to their existence, but also figured out the way to get along with them. But even though they seem to be very stubborn and pedantic, they are extremely capable of doing things, understanding, and have a high level of awareness. As long as you convince them theoretically, morally, and influentially before doing something, then Not only will they be convinced by you, but they will also help you get things done properly.
And on the premise that they agree with you and are willing to help you do something, they will be happy if you even let them take the blame! For example, Xiao Yu, his brother-in-law, was the leader Yang Ji used to take the blame and take the blame.
"Thank you for sitting down!" Xiao Yu bowed his hands and sat down at the bottom.
To be honest, Xiao Yu didn't think highly of Yang Ji. He admired the boy's talent and grace, but he hated Yang Ji's arrogance and sharp-edged way of life. He believed that this kind of behavior was not in line with what he admired. Excellent qualities such as introspection, self-restraint, caution in independence, and tolerance of others.
Especially after Yang Ji took the Xiao family's baby cabbage, Xiao Yu didn't like Yang Ji no matter how he looked at it.
Yang Ji knew that Xiao Yu was always dissatisfied with him, but he didn't care. As long as you, Xiao Yu, help me get things done and take the blame, no matter how picky you are, I will treat you as fart. He picked up the tea cup in front of him, took a sip happily, and then said to Xiao Yu with a smile: "A Ying just poured this cup of tea. The tea leaves, water, and brewing method are the same as before, but now it tastes special. Xiang, Xiao Xingcao is very knowledgeable, do you know why this is?"
Xiao Yu's face suddenly turned into the bottom of a pot.
Why? Of course, you are drinking the tea made by my sister in front of me, so you have an extra sense of accomplishment and feel that this cup of tea is extraordinarily fragrant.
He bowed his hand to Yang Ji and was about to say something, but Yang Ji accused him with a fierce face: "As early as four days ago, I said that before the expedition, I would train behind closed doors at home, practice martial arts hard, and study... The military book, and this matter is also the consensus of the state and animal husbandry, doesn’t Xiao Xingcao know about it?”
"You know your humble position, you know your sin because of your humble position!" Xiao Yu felt extremely aggrieved, but he had to change his direct accountability into an apology.
Yang Ji put on Zhou Mu's airs and said in a businesslike tone: "Since you know, why are you here?"
Xiao Yu reluctantly stated the purpose of his visit: "Xing Cao has obtained evidence of the crime of Zhang Dinghuang, the governor of Gua, and his method of corruption and bribery is different from the previous corrupt officials. He cannot even be considered as corruption and bribery."
"Oh? But why?" Yang Ji was curious.
Xiao Yu said: "There are three antique shops in Dunhuang, Guazhou, two of which have excellent reputations. Most of the things they buy and sell are worldly rare and foreign antiquities. They are quite popular among people who like to collect and play with antiques, and even in Daxing. Branches have been opened in Johto, one of which was opened by the Queen Dowager five years ago, and now it seems that the younger sister is in charge!"
"..." Yang Ji had to admire my mother's vision. The collection industry is a typical "three years without opening, three years after opening". If she mixes in some forged "foreign" materials that even the collectors don't know during the sales process, "Exquisite", isn't it a huge profit?
Xiao Yu continued: "The other one is backed by Guan Longyuan's family; as for the third one called 'Collection Pavilion', it was opened by Zhang Dinghuang's family. It's just that 'Collection Pavilion' has a small storefront, and there are no rare treasures in the store. , although the collection can barely be regarded as antiques, there are few rare items. I heard that they sold a lot of fakes. As time went by and the reputation spread, no real collectors came to visit them. However, what is unexpected is that The 'Treasure Pavilion' is still running well, even though it is crowded, but Zhang never worries about the lack of business."
At this point, he talked about the process of handling the case: "Such a strange existence naturally became the focus of the criminal cao members who were sent to Dunhuang. Later, they found out that the 'collections' in the 'Treasure Pavilion' were used by Zhang Dinghuang to deceive people. Hidden things from the top down, embezzled and bribed, whenever someone asked him to do something, he would go to the "Treasure Pavilion" to buy those fakes. The higher the price the "guest" paid, the higher the price of what he was asked for and entrusted to him would naturally be higher, but the "guest" 'After all, he bought real things, so he said, 'He cannot be accused of corruption and bribery.' Of course, if he really did what the 'guest' asked and entrusted, the evidence of the crime would be out."
"The humble position knew the means of his crime, but for a while, no conclusive evidence of his crime was found. So ten people pretended to be businessmen and went to Dunhuang with gold to 'buy' counterfeit goods. Then they met Zhang Dinghuang through the shopkeeper, and He agreed to what he asked for, even some of the lighter promises." Xiao Yu reached into his arms, took out a tightly tied oil paper bag, and pushed it in front of Yang Ji: " The entire process of giving and receiving bribes, the amount and location of each bribe received by all participants, and the requests for help, have all been recorded in detail."
Xiao Yu is upright and upright, and his sleeves are clean, but these qualities do not mean that he is a pure gentleman.
What is a gentleman?
A gentleman has no power!
It means that as long as the heart is magnanimous, a gentleman should not stick to means and strategies, and does not need to be timid due to the constraints of secular ethics. In order to achieve a certain magnanimous purpose, a gentleman can even use some conspiracy methods.
When it comes to scheming, Xiao Yu is also a good player. For so many years, he has been criticizing the powerful family members and local powerful people, and he has become infamous all over Liangzhou and Daxing. If he didn't have some means and scheming, how could he be so cool as a prisoner until now?
The method he used in Zhang Dinghuang's case was "a gentleman does not use weapons" that is not restricted to formalities.
Yang Ji has not only used this kind of 'law enforcement fishing' a lot, but has also seen Xiao Yu use this method to make some corrupt officials who knew he had committed a crime but had no evidence of the crime be arrested and confessed, so he didn't feel the slightest bit about it. Half a surprise.
Yang Ji took a long breath and sighed: "This Zhang Dinghuang is greedy by nature and is best at amassing money. He was nicknamed "The Glutton" among the people when he was the county magistrate. Since the collapse of his former backer He Ruobi, he has been more careful. Wow, he actually worked so hard to come up with such a good way to hide the truth, it’s really hard for him.”
"Isn't it?" Xiao Yu shook his head and smiled bitterly: "He first asked his family to open such a shop and sell the worthless fakes there. Then he asked the people who asked him to buy them back at a high price. Then he gave them back as gifts. He used this as a proof for him to do things, which is perfect. Unfortunately, as long as a person does something illegal and criminal, there will be a tail left behind. Now that we have figured out his method of accepting bribes, we naturally adopt this method. We must find a way to deal with this corrupt official who takes bribes in various ways!"
Yang Ji took the oil paper bag in his hand, picked it up, and threw it in front of Xiao Yu, with a sharp look in his eyes: "Those who asked Zhang Dinghuang to do things must pay a hundred times in order to make back the money they spent on bribes, and in order to get a return that was far more than a hundred times. , oppressing the people a thousand times, so Zhang Dinghuang is certainly hateful, but those officials and local powerful people who bribed him are even more hateful. You must find more evidence of crime and pry open Zhang Dinghuang's mouth so that those people can also be punished by law. "
Xiao Yu took back the evidence of his crime, stood up and said, "Don't worry, Zhou Mu. I will dig deep to get to the bottom of this humble position."
Yang Ji smiled slightly: "I can rest assured that you will do the work."
Anti-corruption has always been the most powerful weapon in political battles. As long as someone takes up the banner of anti-corruption, he can kill his opponent openly. Of course, the premise is that the other party has indeed committed wrongdoing. Since Zhang Dinghuang has the elegance of "collecting antiques" , Xiao Yu just went along with it, and as expected, he successfully obtained his criminal evidence. But Yang Ji wanted to use Zhang Dinghuang as a starting point and follow the clues to move away the eight major surnames that had been entrenched in Guazhou for hundreds of years and the six major families that had been entrenched in Dunhuang, so he had this explanation.
Although Xiao Yu didn't know Yang Ji's deeper intentions, he was an upright evil nemesis and could not tolerate a criminal going unpunished. Naturally, he approved of Yang Ji's "cutting off the grass and root causes" with both hands raised. If he investigates to the end, the court, Yang Ji, Xiao Yu, and the people will all gain something, forming a "four-win" situation.
Xiao Yu had already finished his explanation and received Yang Ji's promise. He didn't want to waste time, so he cupped his hands and said, "I'm sorry to say goodbye!"
"No!" Yang Ji followed him to the door.
With a "peng" sound, the umbrella suddenly opened under the dripping eaves. Xiao Yu held the robe in one hand and the umbrella in the other, and walked towards the rain curtain in the courtyard.
The courtyard in the heavy rain gave people a feeling of loneliness, and Xiao Yu's back walking in the rain also gave off a feeling of loneliness and desolation.
"Alas!" Xiao Ying and Liu Rumei walked into the room. Xiao Ying sighed softly amidst the patter of rain: "I really don't understand why you men like to fight so much? My brother is like this, and you and The same is true for He Ruobi, Yu Wenshu, Yu Shiji and others..."
"As long as there are people, there will be fights. The top leaders are fighting for the world, power, and high-ranking officials and salaries. But for ordinary people, in order to have three meals a day, they not only have to fight with the sky and the earth, but also with their fellow villagers. Fighting for irrigation water sources... Although the purposes of fighting are different, they are still fighting. Even if we hide in the mountains and forests, when our children and grandchildren grow up and become a big family, they will still fight for fields, property, and houses. , This is human nature, and no one can do anything about it." Yang Ji said with a smile: "As for me, I don't have to worry about three meals a day, but I can only keep my official position, and our family can be on the road. We are together in a down-to-earth manner, and our descendants will start much higher than others, so I have to compete with He Ruobi, Yu Wenshu and others for my current status. And from the perspective of the interests of tens of millions of people in the Sui Dynasty, I, as the shepherd of Liangzhou , we must fight with the Turks and the Tuyuhun people. Only by conquering them can our Sui people be free from the threat of foreign enemies."
He walked up to the two women and said softly: "I know what you are worried about. Don't worry. If I don't have a perfect plan, I won't go to the Northern Expedition easily."
Xiao Ying nodded and gently threw herself into his arms.
Outside the window, the lonely rain curtain seemed to have a touch of tenderness.
After a while, Xiao Yingcai said: "I have no objection to Lang Jun's Northern Expedition for the country, but I don't know when Lang Jun will return in triumph. Isn't it time for you to have an explanation for the matter between you and Shuying?"
She did not mention this specifically for Pei Shuying, but because she considered that the Northern Expedition that Yang Ji was about to start was a unilateral and unauthorized action by Liangzhou.
It would be fine if they defeated Murong Bei, who was entrenched in the Great Lakes area. If they were defeated miserably or failed, then there would probably be many court officials who would add insult to injury.
If Pei Shuying is settled first, she can be used as a communication bridge to hold Pei Ju hostage. Even if Pei Ju does not clearly side with Yang Ji, he will remain neutral. With him as an example, Pei's officials will naturally He will also remain silent, which will ultimately reduce the pressure on Yang Ji to leave the faction.
Yang Ji didn't know Xiao Ying's good intentions and thought she simply wanted to facilitate this matter as soon as possible. He smiled bitterly and said, "I've been so busy these days. If you didn't tell me, I would have forgotten about it."
He reached out and pulled Liu Rumei, kissed her delicate cheek, and said, "Rumei, go and call Pei Shuying."
"Yes!" Liu Rumei blushed, but her eyes could not hide the joy in her heart. Her husband did not ignore her because of his intimacy with Xiao Ying. The slightest bit of disappointment disappeared with this kiss.
