"You also send people to investigate the Huaidong matter. I want to know the real situation! How many people are involved in the case and whether anyone in the capital is involved, I want to know!" When Li Chongju was called, Liu Chengyou looked calm. With a confident expression, he ordered indifferently.
After hearing the order, Li Chongju was still calm and capable, and did not talk nonsense. He cupped his fists and said: "Yes! I will make arrangements immediately!"
"Wait!" Liu Chengyou waved his hand, pondered for a moment, and said: "Carry out the investigation in secret, don't attract other people's attention!"
"Yes!" Li Chongju replied with only one thought flashing through his mind.
Regarding the Huaidong corruption case, although Liu Chengyou called several ministers to show off his authority, he was ultimately sent to the Ministry of Punishments and the Metropolitan Procuratorate for investigation and handling. Under this situation, Liu Chengyou did not intend to cause trouble. As for using Wu Desi, he just wanted to add an insurance policy.
Judging from the current situation of the Huaidong case, it seems that there are some problems in the Transportation Department, the Inspection Department, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate. How could Liu Chengyou not take a warning. The key issue is that these three yamen were all established or reorganized by Liu Chengyou, and they were deeply imprinted with his emperor's mark. When such a major case occurs, no matter what others think, at least for Liu Chengyou, it is a damage to his prestige and face.
"How many spies does Wude have in Huaidongbu?" Liu Chengyou asked.
"Your Majesty, there are a total of 67 detectives at all levels, including 12 elites including Du Zhi!" Li Chongju answered without thinking.
"There are too few people! We need to expand!" Liu Chengyou looked at Li Chongju and ordered: "I don't need to completely monitor, that is unrealistic, but at least I can detect when there is some trouble!"
"I understand!" Li Chongju still behaved so calmly.
"Go!"
"I resign!"
"Your Majesty, please tell me that the Minister of Rites, Minister of Rites, has returned from Shu. I will wait in front of the palace for the imperial edict to be reinstated!" In a irritable mood, Zhang Dejun came to report.
"He's back?" With a slight boost of energy, Liu Chengyou immediately ordered: "Xuan!"
Before long, Zhao Pu, dressed in meticulous official robes, steadily entered the hall and knelt down.
"No courtesy, Qing Zhao!" Liu Chengyou looked at Zhao Pu, his eyes swept over him, and chuckled: "It seems that Chengdu is raising people!"
After a trip to Shu, Zhao Pu's whole person was obviously richer and more mellow. Faced with the emperor's ridicule, Zhao Pu was a little embarrassed, but he still said suddenly: "I am in Chengdu. I have a small banquet every three days and a big banquet every five days. The Lord Meng Shu treats me warmly. After more than ten days, my body has gained weight!" "
After the peace treaty was reached, Zhao Pu stayed in Chengdu for a few more days. It was called a tour, but it was actually for spying. In order to show off his muscles and dispel the idea of the Han army attacking Shu in the future, Meng Chang also took the initiative to review the army in the suburbs and asked Zhao Pu and his party to accompany him. As everyone knows, this makes people see his guilty conscience.
"It seems that the conversation was very pleasant! Otherwise, why would Monarch Meng Chang and his ministers be so kind to me!" Liu Chengyou said.
After hearing this, Zhao Pu took out a letter of this chapter and handed it to Liu Chengyou, saying: "The ministers talked with Li Hao and Wu Zhaoyixiang, the prime ministers of Shu, and reached a total of four articles of peace agreement. Please take a look at it!"
He took it, opened it and looked at the details of the peace agreement, and the corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily, with a look of satisfaction. Of course, Liu Chengyou only pays attention to the annual tribute details, and there is nothing more real than this.
Closing the pages of the album, Liu Chengyou looked at Zhao Pu and said gently: "If Zhao Qing has lived up to his mission, this can be considered a windfall, but for a big man, it is not a small sum of money. Your contribution to Shu is worth it." A huge compliment!”
Facing the emperor's praise, Zhao Pu's face showed joy, but his words were still very humble: "Your Majesty, I really don't dare to hold back on merit. The reason for this decision is that, first, I rely on your Majesty's divine power; second, the Han soldiers fought bloody battles Thirdly, it is also the case that Meng Shu’s monarchs and ministers have lost their ambition and are weak and can be bullied.”
"It seems that Zhao Qing gained a lot from his visit to Chengdu!" Hearing Zhao Pu's words, Liu Chengyou looked very interested. Seeing that he was still standing, he asked for tea and said: "Tell me about it. , experience in Chengdu!”
"Yes!" Zhao Pu sat down respectfully, organized his words a little, and spoke calmly.
"... After submitting my credentials, I visited the streets of Chengdu. The situation was as reported by Wu Desi. Due to the additional conquests of the Shu court, people's hearts were impetuous and the mood of the people was uneasy. The price of a bucket of rice had reached 24 Wen. Every time there is new grain, it is often robbed. Luocheng, Chengdu, is surrounded by nearly thirty miles, embraced by two rivers, and has convenient transportation.
The Shu court built a large-scale sheep-horned wall around Chengdu. It was built by Meng Chang in his early years for defense. It was nearly fifty miles around, but many of it was damaged. When the officials arrived, they found that the Shu court was mobilizing people to repair it. "
"It is said that when the price of food in Shu was at its lowest, it cost four or five yuan for a bucket of rice. Now, this has increased several times!" Liu Chengyou said.
"In the first two years, in order to consolidate Qin Feng's imperial preparations, most of Shu's money and food were sent to the north. However, the roads were inconvenient, and millions of military rations were transported, resulting in huge losses. Later, they suffered a series of defeats, and the military situation was urgent. The country's grain and fodder were all urgently supplied. Border customs, combined with profiteers, kept food prices in Chengdu high. When I returned to the capital, I suggested that the lurking Wude officials secretly collude with Shu merchants to continue to raise food prices..." Zhao Pu explain.
After hearing what he said, Liu Chengyou said: "Zhao Pu, you think the livelihood of the people in Chengdu is not difficult enough!"
Clearly noticing the smile on the corner of Liu Chengyou's mouth, Zhao Pu responded: "I went all the way to Sichuan to inspect. Because of Meng Chang's good governance in his early years, the people of Shu are grateful for him. But no matter how great a kindness is, it can't compete with food, clothing and warmth. The people's livelihood is difficult. If the people's morale is bad, it will be beneficial for our country to seize the two rivers in the future.
Otherwise, even if Chengdu is taken over in the future, the court will still need to spend more energy to eliminate Meng Chang's influence and win people's hearts. At the moment, the monarchs and ministers of the Shu Kingdom are ruining their country's fate, and the ministers are just suggesting and adding fuel to the flames! "
Nodding, Liu Chengyou motioned for him to continue.
"The Prime Minister of Shu, Li Hao, and Wu Zhaoyi hosted a banquet for the ministers. When the ministers went to the banquet, there were dozens of bright lamps and hundreds of colorful satin in the hall of Li's mansion. On the banquet, there were hundreds of dishes of delicacies, and they were served by servants, maids, musicians, singers, There are hundreds of dancers, and the extravagance is staggering..." Zhao Pu described: "In order to bribe the minister, Li Hao and Wu Zhaoyi actually gave the minister two thousand pieces of silk!"
"What a generous gift!" Liu Chengyou couldn't help but click his tongue.
Paying attention to Liu Chengyou's eyes, Zhao Pu quickly explained: "The silk collected has been returned to the capital with the minister, and will be donated to the internal funds!"
It would be false to say that one was not tempted by such a large sum of wealth. However, Li and Wu were so generous that they gave away two thousand horses at a time, and Zhao Pu did not dare to keep it secretly.
Regarding Zhao Pu's kindness, Liu Chengyou did not refuse, but accepted it with a smile, and joked: "I heard that there are still a few Shu girls who will follow you back north. This time you can enjoy the beauty!"
Hearing this, Zhao Pu was shocked and wanted to stand up to defend himself. Seeing his somewhat nervous expression, Liu Chengyou waved his hand and said, "It's okay, I know you're going to do some tricking and taking advantage of the situation!"
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty!" Zhao Pu breathed a sigh of relief.
"As for those Shu girls, since they are gifts from others, just accept them as they are, or keep them in the house without any good intentions. Just treat them as my reward for your trip to Chengdu!" Liu Chengyou said with a smile: "I heard that Shu girls are delicate and delicate, so please take care of yourself!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty! Your Majesty is joking!" The emperor joked, but Zhao Pu was even more cautious.
After the joking stopped, Zhao Pu explained the situation in the Shu Palace, especially the banquet scene in the Crystal Palace. He still couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "It is said that it took a year and a half to build the Crystal Palace in Moke Pool. , the money and food spent can be equivalent to the losses in the fierce battles between Qin, Feng, and Hanzhong."
Hearing this, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but sigh: "The country's fortunes are not good, but Meng Chang and his ministers are so extravagant. How can they survive? No matter how deep the family fortune is, they can't withstand such squandering!"
"In addition, I also discovered that the contradictions in the court of Shu have become very acute!" Zhao Pu said again.
"Tell me!"
"The main focus was on the political struggle between the prime ministers such as Wu and Li and the Privy Councilor Wang Zhaoyuan. Wu and Li advocated a peace treaty. This peace treaty was also promoted by the two. Wang Zhaoyuan, on the other hand, always opposed and even rejected Meng Chang. Meng Chang is already dissatisfied with the invitation to attend the royal banquet!" Zhao Pu said, and then generalized some of Wang Zhaoyuan's remarks and attitude towards the peace negotiation.
After listening, Liu Chengyou sighed with emotion: "We have always thought that Wang Zhaoyuan was not worthy of his reputation. He was too ambitious and talked about military affairs on paper. Now it seems that this person has the most backbone in the Shu court?"
"It's just a political dispute!" Zhao Pu said: "Li, Wu and others are actively flattering me. I'm afraid they may not have Wang Zhaoyuan's insight. It's just that the world situation is like this, and they want to find a way out for the future."
"So, after the peace negotiation, the political situation in Shu will become even more chaotic and turbulent?" Liu Chengyou murmured.
"Exactly!" Zhao Pu said with certainty.
Nodding with satisfaction, he suddenly said: "Did you mention 'Mrs. Flower Stam'?"
Zhao Pu was stunned and a little surprised. When talking about military and state affairs, the emperor actually mentioned a woman. But when he heard about it, that unparalleled figure appeared in his mind, and he said: "Meng Chang chose women with beautiful faces and graceful figures to fill the harem, which are called stamens. Among them, Concubine Hui Xu was the most outstanding, and the Crystal Palace was also Meng Chang's. Chang was built to be enjoyed!”
"Haha!" Liu Chengyou chuckled and said, "It sounds like she is a peerless beauty who will conquer the country? If I have the chance, I would like to see her..."
"Where is the envoy from Shu?" Liu Chengyou asked again.
"Back to Your Majesty, you are taking a rest in the hotel!"
"Xuan!"
