Outside the Huagai Palace.
Chen Ning looked at Hu Weiyong with some fear, took two steps forward, and asked in a low voice: "Prime Minister Hu, since you are a salt inspector, how did you end up in Suzhou? Isn't this pushing me into a pit of fire?"
Hu Weiyong looked at the sunset and said calmly: "This is not to harm you, but to save you."
Chen Ning was suspicious.
Hu Weiyong glanced at Chen Ning, he was considered a talent.
In the first year of Hongwu, Chen Ning was promoted to the left to participate in politics in Zhongshu Province. In the third year of Hongwu's reign, he was appointed magistrate of Suzhou due to a series of incidents. It's just that this person was ruthless in his methods. When he was the prefect of Suzhou, due to the urgent tax collection, he used hot iron to burn people's skin. The officials and the people suffered, so he was known as "Chen Hot Iron".
I value him because of his methods, "The law is strict and people will not offend lightly, and officials will not be spared." Only in this way can people know who should be listened to and who should not be listened to.
Hu Weiyong seemed a little sulky: "You left a bad reputation in Suzhou, and you made His Majesty hate you for killing your son. If I hadn't come forward as a guarantee, how could you sit in the position of the censor Zhongcheng? You shouldn't doubt my intentions. "
Chen Ning hurriedly said: "Prime Minister Hu, I would rather follow the left and right than dare to think twice. It's just that I left a bad reputation when I was in Suzhou, but now Wei Guan, the prefect of Suzhou, has brought great rule to Suzhou in three years and the people support it. Comparing the two, isn't it true that your majesty Do you hate me even more? Besides, Prime Minister Hu and Wei Guan are not on good terms, and your Majesty must know about it."
Hu Weiyong chuckled and said confidently: "Although the Yan disciples are from Huai'an Prefecture, as long as we insist that the Yan disciples are the remnants of Zhang Shicheng, Suzhou will be unable to escape the involvement, and Wei Guan will not be able to stay out of the matter."
Chen Ning was still a little worried. If Wei Guan could do it so easily, he would have done it himself.
He is not an ordinary person. He has served as the prince's attendant, the prince's wine sacrifice, the magistrate of Longnan County in Jiangxi, and the head of the official department. He is an honest man, and even the censor can't find anything wrong with him.
"Even so, we can't get rid of him."
Chen Ning whispered.
Hu Weiyong looked at the blue sky and said softly: "Don't worry, as long as your majesty knows that Wei Guan is closely related to the salt disciples - that's enough. You know, your majesty has a good memory, and he doesn't recognize people when he settles old scores." …”
Chen Ning sighed: "But Mr. Hu, His Majesty won't just settle the old accounts. It would be difficult if there are no new accounts to remind you..."
Hu Weiyong stood outside the gate of Zhongshu Province and said firmly: "Literaturemen are bound to write some sordid poems and allusions. Just wait, he will show his flaws. Now we need to do a good job in suppressing the salt disciples. Most of the troops are in the north, north and south. There is no room for mistakes in water transportation. If something goes wrong in this matter, you and I can't afford it, so we should handle it seriously."
Chen Ning agreed, returned to the censor's desk, wrote a memorial, and asked for an order to patrol the censor and go to Huai'an Mansion.
Huai'an Prefecture, Shanyang Magistrate's Yamen.
In the lobby, the clamping sticks creaked loudly, and two prison officials pulled hard. A prisoner screamed and trembled all over.
Snapped!
The prefect Ren Guangzu was stunned and looked at Zhang Sanxiu angrily: "Will you explain it?"
"Your Majesty, the Prefect, I have said everything that needs to be said, what else do you want me to say?"
Zhang Sanxiu looked at her disfigured hands and fell to the ground in pain, breathing heavily.
I haven't explained everything clearly. You have all been convicted. It's already August. If you wait for another month, it's time to be beheaded. Let me feel comfortable for a month. I have to endure such a beating. Are you sick?
Ren Guangzu snorted coldly: "Describe your accomplices!"
"Zhang Jiu and Wang Sanliu are dead."
Zhang Sanxiu was furious.
He brought two brothers out, but they were caught. The two men's lives were not good. They were beaten to death by people from the Inspection Department when they escaped.
Ren Guangzu slammed the table and scolded through gritted teeth: "Zhang Sanxiu, don't pretend here! The people I'm asking about are not Zhang Jiu and Wang Sanliu, but others! If you continue to pretend you don't know, Be careful and wait for severe punishment!"
"camouflage?"
Zhang Sanxiu was stunned, what am I pretending to do.
In addition to Zhang Jiu and Wang Sanliu, I have other accomplices, who I don’t know.
"If you don't tell me, just hit me!"
Ren Guangzu took out the lot and threw it away.
Zhang Sanxiu was pushed to the ground, and the big stick continued to beat Zhang Sanxiu unconscious.
Wake up with cold water.
Zhang Sanxiu was still a little numb, and she didn't wake up until the pain burned her body.
Ren Guangzu looked at Zhang Sanxiu coldly: "You are not an ordinary salt disciple, but the leader among the salt disciples! Right?"
"What?"
Zhang Sanxiu was in a daze.
Leader?
Okay, that's right, I'm the leader. Among the three, I am the one taking the lead.
Seeing Zhang Sanxiu nodding, Ren Guangzu said solemnly: "Just admit it, then hand over all your three thousand salt disciples to me?!"
"ha?"
Zhang Sanxiu was confused.
"Tell the truth!"
Ren Guangzu urged.
Zhang Sanxiu blinked, "Three thousand Salt Disciples, Magistrate Grand Master, are you sure it's not the three of us, but three thousand?"
When did I have so many subordinates?
Why don't I know anything about it.
"What three thousand salt disciples?"
"Hit me!"
"Oh, Your Majesty, I really don't have three thousand salt disciples!"
"But your men have already attacked the prefect's office and the Water Transport Office, threatening that if the court doesn't release you, they will disrupt the canal! Zhang Sanxiu, if you don't do anything, I will beat you to death here today!"
"Holy shit..."
Zhang Sanxiu never expected that not only did he have three thousand subordinates, but he was also so fierce that he went against the imperial court.
Who the hell is harming me?
I am about to have my head chopped off, why should I suffer this...
Ren Guangzu looked at Zhang Sanxiu who passed out again and sighed: "He is indeed the leader of the salt disciples. He still didn't speak even under such torture. He will be taken back to the dungeon for the time being and will be interrogated tomorrow!"
Zhou Gu, the co-president, saw the people disperse and found Ren Guangzu: "Master Fu, why do I look at Zhang Sanxiu as the leader of the salt disciples? He seems to be an uninformed person."
Ren Guangzu motioned Zhou Gu to sit down, and then sighed: "I don't know, but if we don't recruit this person, we will have no way to arrest the salt disciples. We can't wait for the court documents to come down, we still have no clue and nothing to do. Bar?"
Zhou Gu understood and said worriedly: "This matter is really strange. Salt disciples have never dared to provoke the government. Seeing the inspection department and officials on the canal was like a mouse seeing a cat. But this time, not only did they confront each other, The government also blew up the walls of the magistrate's office and the Water Transport Office. Is this method barbaric or..."
Ren Guangzu picked up the tea bowl, glanced at Zhou Gu, and said slowly: "If it is not a barbaric act by the salt disciples, then someone is planning this behind the scenes! I hope it is the former. If it is the latter, things will be troublesome."
Zhou Gu lowered his head.
There is not much hope for the former. After all, the bombing of two places at once was not an accidental act, but a careful arrangement. He also knew that leaving a note had a purpose.
If it is the latter, what is his purpose?
Such a smart person should know that the consequences of provoking the government will be death without a burial!
Ren Guangzu arranged: "Ask the commander of the River Guards. Huai'an Prefecture knows the gunpowder ratio, how many craftsmen there are to make gunpowder, and whether there is any missing gunpowder in the inventory. Then check whether the gunpowder craftsmen have gone out unusually in the past month, especially We need to find out whether they have any relationship with the salt disciples.”
"The master of the palace suspects that a gunpowder craftsman is involved?"
"With a piece of broken bamboo, you can blow open a small section of the courtyard wall. This kind of power requires a skilled craftsman. Just follow this line to find it. If you don't get anything, it means that the other party is hidden among the people. We want to find him again." , it’s really difficult.”
Ren Guangzu was worried.
Day by day, the government office has been investigating, but there is still no clue, that is, no one has seen anyone with unusual movements, and no valuable information has been found.
The visual clue is the paper left behind by the powerful gunpowder and salt disciples.
The paper is extremely ordinary folk bamboo paper, which can be found all over the world, and the origin cannot be found. The handwriting was obviously copied by someone who couldn't write, and it couldn't be traced back to the individual. We can only look for clues from the gunpowder in the bamboo tube. If this thread is broken, the matter will become an unsolved case.
Ren Guangzu had a headache. He only took office at the beginning of the year, and this trouble came too quickly.
On August 2, the ship docked in Yangzhou.
Gu Zhengchen and Liang Jiajun stayed at an inn.
At this time, Yangzhou Ferry was bustling with many boats, but entering outside the inner city gave people the feeling of going the wrong way.
This place is dilapidated, desolate, gloomy, and lacks human habitation.
When later generations talk about Yangzhou, they will often say "I am rich in money and ride on a crane to Yangzhou". It is a prosperous and prosperous place.
During the Yuan Dynasty, the population of Yangzhou reached one million.
But the Yuan Dynasty destroyed the Ming Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty, and there were constant military revolutions and fierce battles and conquests, and the population of Yangzhou dropped sharply.
Especially when Zhang Mingjian led the Qing Army to occupy Yangzhou, they massacred them wildly. Historical records record: Mingjian and others had already occupied the city, so the violence was more beneficial and they slaughtered the residents of the city for food.
In the first year of Hongwu, "there were only eighteen households left in the city according to their registered residence" in Yangzhou.
In the six years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhu Yuanzhang mainly focused on the Northern and Southern War and domestic construction. When immigrating, he mainly focused on his hometown in Fengyang, and the number of immigrants to Yangzhou was limited.
But this city looks to Jinling in the south, is connected to Suzhou and Taihu Lake, is connected to Huai'an in the north, is connected to Kaifeng and Shandong, and to the east is the salt field at the core of the Ming Dynasty. It is difficult not to prosper.
However, this takes time, and six years is not enough.
Gu Zhengchen only felt that Yangzhou at this time was prosperous outside and desolate inside, with both life and death.
Wangyue Restaurant.
Liang Jiajun and Gu Zhengchen drank together, full of sighs and sighs about the city of Yangzhou.
"Brother Wang, I'm afraid it's a little inappropriate to enter the court at this time."
At a table on one side, two middle-aged men in Confucian robes clinked glasses of wine.
Gu Zhengchen frowned slightly, and Liang Jiajun stopped using his chopsticks.
"You should know that the person who is undecided, whether he is a minister or a minister, will change when he is told, and he will change when he is told. The person in charge of salt entered the Ministry of Punishment, the person in charge of finance entered the Ministry of Work, and the one who was good at work entered the Ministry of Rites. Today he is still the county magistrate, tomorrow he becomes a minister or minister, and the next day he is kicked out again. Rather than doing this, it is better to resign due to illness and stay in Yangzhou."
"Brother Wan's words are reasonable. The court officials are watching the scenery so often. I have never seen it before. Then I will stay in Yangzhou and see the scenery."
Gu Zhengchen looked at the wine glass in his hand and murmured softly: "If you become an official but don't become an official, you won't be afraid of someone losing your temper?"
