After a while, Zhang Yong stopped talking, looked at Chen Kan and asked: "Master Hou, do you really not need to inform Mr. Xu that they are coming?"
Chen Kan shook his head slightly: "No need, I came here today just to ask you if you know where the Jin Yiwei moved the prisoners in the prison."
Hearing this, Zhang Yong asked cautiously: "Master Hou, do you want to see Mr. Fang?"
"good."
Chen Kan didn't hide it. He still trusted the Five Cities Military and Horse Division that he founded.
What's more, it's human nature for him to go see Fang Xiaoru. A student goes to see a teacher, and even Zhu Dilai can't find anything wrong with him.
Seeing Chen Kan's confirmation, Zhang Yongdao said: "As far as my subordinates know, in addition to the prison in the Yamen, Jinyiwei also has two prisons outside the city, one in Zhongshan and one in the Yangtze River Water Prison. The subordinates don’t know where Master Fang is imprisoned, but since Master Fang was imprisoned, the information about him has been cut off by the Jin Yiwei, so we can’t find out.”
Chen Kan nodded expressionlessly, this result was within his expectation.
As the saying goes, it is normal for Jinyiwei to have more than one prison.
"Do you know the specific locations of these two prisons?"
"One is on the mountain behind the imperial mausoleum, not far from the Ordnance Supervision and Treasure Bureau, and the other is in the Yangtze Mountain, thirty miles upstream of the river, but the specific location is not clear to my subordinates. These days, Zhao His Highness the King did not allow us, the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division, to confront the Jin Yiwei, so a lot of news is lagging behind."
After Zhang Yong finished speaking, a look of shame appeared on his face.
Thinking about how prosperous the Five Cities Military and Horse Division was when it was under Chen Kan, even the Jin Yiwei and the others dared to go head-to-head.
Since Chen Kan left, their sphere of influence has shrunk and shrunk, and they can only turn from bright to dark in the local area.
It is impossible to say that there is no imbalance in the mind.
"Okay, I understand. You can go about your business."
After getting the exact location, Chen Kan was not with Doliu, the military commander of the five cities.
After leaving Nancheng Bingma Division and walking on the road, Chen Kan suddenly felt that things were right and people were different.
There are advantages and disadvantages to staying away from the center. The advantage is that you can avoid the whirlpool above the court, especially the fight for the reserve.
Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaoxu have now switched from secret fighting to open fighting. Fortunately, the two of them are still restrained, and their mutual temptations are within Zhu Di's tolerance, so there hasn't been any big trouble yet.
But the disadvantages were also obvious. As soon as he returned to the capital, his eyes darkened. Although he could still continue to use the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division, after all, the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division had someone else's imprint. Is it right to imagine that he could use it as easily as before? It's possible.
As for some hidden lines, their role in the capital is really limited.
It is not as easy to handle official affairs as the Five Cities Military and Horse Division.
But as the saying goes, every loss must be followed by a gain, so Chen Kan's mentality was quite stable.
Now that Fang Xiaoru doesn't know which prison he is locked in, he can only visit both prisons.
After thinking about it, Chen Kan had already returned to Fang Mansion.
There is no rush to see Fang Xiaoru. Today is the first day back to the capital. I have been busy all day, beating Chen Ying and setting fire to the Jinyiwei Prison. Chen Kan has long been exhausted.
Jin Yiwei's prisons are all outside the city, so they can only go there tomorrow.
When Chen Kan walked into the Fang Mansion, he saw the Fang brothers and two sisters-in-law there. The four of them were chatting with Zheng.
Noticing Chen Kan's return, the two brothers rushed out to greet him.
Fang Zhongxian asked excitedly: "Junior brother, I heard that you beat Chen Ying during the court meeting this morning?"
Fang Zhongyu said with a worried look on his face: "Junior brother, you are too impulsive. Beating a court official in front of the court is a serious crime."
The tone of the two people was completely different, but Chen Kan could hear the concern in their tone.
After leading the horse to the manger and tying it up, Chen Kan greeted him with a smile: "It's okay. This matter is just a lesson to Chen Ying. Your Majesty has no intention of holding him accountable. You two brothers don't have to worry."
Chen Kan didn't tell them the price he had to pay for beating Chen Ying.
Both the Fang brothers were white. They abided by Fang Xiaoru's teachings and never stepped into officialdom.
Since they were not part of the officialdom, Chen Kan did not want to drag them into the whirlpool of the officialdom, especially at this juncture when Fang Xiaoru was imprisoned again.
The two of them didn't dwell on this topic. Anyway, it would be enough for the junior brothers to come back in full.
As for His Majesty's accountability, they had not thought about it.
How can the father-in-law and son-in-law not get along with each other?
After walking into the room, the two sisters-in-law started cooking. Chen Kan came to Zheng's side and chatted with her.
After eating the simple meal cooked by the two sisters-in-law, the sky inevitably darkened.
In the past, the Fang brothers took turns accompanying Zheng in the Fang Mansion. Now that Chen Kan was back, he asked them to go home and rest, and just come back tomorrow.
Although the two of them were unwilling, Zheng family expelled them, and they could only leave Zheng family and Chen Kan alone in Fang Mansion.
Send away two brothers and sister-in-law.
Chen Kan brought a pot of water and put it on the fire. While boiling the water, he told Zheng some interesting things he had met in Beijing.
Zheng, who was very worried, couldn't help but feel a little lighter when she heard Chen Kan tell those interesting things.
Although he is accompanied by his two sons these days, Fang Xiaoru's imprisonment was a huge blow to him, and he has always been in a depressed state.
Now that I have finally waited for Chen Kan to come back from Beijing, I feel a lot more relieved.
How can I put it, although the two sons are filial, they are white after all, and they can't help much when the other party's Xiaoru is imprisoned.
Chen Kan is different. He is Zhu Di's favorite son-in-law and the youngest marquis in the Ming Dynasty.
Even if Fang Xiaoru could not be rescued from prison, with him in the capital, at least Fang Xiaoru would not be in danger of his life.
Although Mrs. Zheng is old, she is shrewd at heart.
After the water boiled, Ms. Zheng yawned and said, "Yuansheng, you just came back today. You must be exhausted. Go and rest early. Don't worry about me, old lady."
Chen Kan smiled, knowing that Mrs. Zheng was sleepy, so he found a copper basin and poured water to wash Mrs. Zheng's feet.
Zheng took off her boots, revealing a pair of skinny feet with no trace of flesh visible.
Seeing this, Chen Kan felt a little more guilty. He really should have come back earlier. Even if he couldn't do anything when he came back, he might as well stay in front of Zheng and fulfill his filial piety.
Although he is not that Chen Kan, he came to Ming Dynasty and took over this body, so he has the obligation to support the two old people.
If it weren't for them, this body wouldn't be what it is today.
After sending Zheng back to her room to sleep, Chen Kan poured water and started washing.
He was indeed tired. He didn't sleep well on the boat last night, and he barely got much rest all day today. Even if he was made of iron, he couldn't withstand such high-intensity work.
After washing up, Chen Kan came to the room that belonged to him.
The decoration and layout of the room have not changed, and there is no musty smell in the room. I guess Zheng must have cleaned it frequently.
The bed boards are a little firm, but that's not a big deal.
Lying on the small bed, Chen Kan felt an inexplicable sense of peace of mind.
After all, this is where this body grew up.
Soon, Chen Kan fell into sleep.
As the night passed, Chen Kan felt that all functions of his body had reached their peak.
Stretching out of the room, the two sisters-in-law have already come over. As for the two brothers, they have their own things to do, so they usually don't come over in the morning.
Chen Kan walked in the small courtyard, breathing in the unique humid air of Jiangnan, and felt that his mind was a little clearer.
It is better to be in Jiangnan, the climate is good, and Beijing is also good, but Beijing is too dry. When I wake up every morning, my head is always groggy, and my nasal cavity is dry and sore.
I don't know which sister-in-law had already helped Chen Kan feed the horse, so Chen Kan entered the main hall.
The eldest sister-in-law is tidying up Zheng's room, while the second sister-in-law is cooking porridge on the stove.
Seeing Chen Kan appear, the second sister-in-law bowed to Chen Kan and said with a smile: "Yuansheng, wait a moment, the millet porridge will be ready soon."
Chen Kan touched his nose, poured a basin of hot water, took it to the front yard and started washing up.
Put the willow branch dipped in green salt into your mouth and fiddle with it a few times to brush your teeth. Then wash your face and you will feel refreshed.
After drinking three bowls of millet porridge, Chen Kan rode out the door.
Zheng has two sisters-in-law to take care of her, so he is not worried.
After arriving at the Hou Mansion and gathering his personal guards, Chen Kan prepared to visit Zhongshan first.
I also happened to go to the Ordnance Supervision and Treasure Bureau to have a look.
Now both departments are on the right track. In less than two years, the new type of treasure banknotes produced by the Bao Banknote Bureau have been accepted by the market. Today, few people in the capital use gold and silver to trade.
More and more people are using treasure banknotes for large-value transactions. As for small merchants and hawkers, they still use copper coins.
However, the Treasure Banknote Bureau is now consciously recycling copper coins on the market and preparing to issue some treasure banknotes with smaller denominations.
The firearms bureau is now in full bloom. Primitive firearms such as Hundreds of Tigers with Arrows, Hongwu Cannon, and Eagles Chasing Rabbit Arrows that existed in the Ming Dynasty now have a hint of modern craftsmanship, and Chen Kan has always been strict with the fire blunderbuss. Short guns and other weapons also began to be gradually equipped to all the armies of the Ming Dynasty.
When he was in Shuzhong, Chen Kan promised that all Ming troops would be equipped with advanced firearms, which is gradually becoming a reality.
Of course, all of this is inseparable from strong financial support. Within a year of Zheng He's voyage, Ming's maritime trade more than doubled, and tariffs were also rising.
In addition, the Ming Dynasty could return blood from the Japanese country at any time, and large ships of silver would come across the sea from time to time to replenish Zhu Di's treasury.
It is with this money that Zhu Di can flourish in all directions.
Not only do they have money to fight wars, but they can also develop new firearms to confront the grasslands, and they can even start a construction frenzy in Beijing and Nanjing.
Yes, Nanjing is also engaged in construction, but the focus of Nanjing is on the docks.
Any place along the coast that is suitable for building docks is being built. The Liujiagang dock where Zheng He built the ship was now more than twice the size, and new ships are launched every day.
Zhu Di was no longer satisfied with the benefits that one fleet brought to him. Looking for his nephew's fleet, he felt that it was not impossible to get a few more.
