Wu Zhong just heard such a short sentence, and his eyes suddenly turned redder. If it wasn't so ugly for a big man to cry, he would really shed tears.
When a person is in an enemy situation, surrounded by enemies, he is afraid of talking in his sleep even when he is sleeping. But Jianlu was cruel, beating and scolding, and he could even be killed if he was not careful.
In the past, it was the official banner of the Imperial Guards. No matter what, it was majestic when going out. Everyone was afraid and awed. However, in the enemy's territory, when seeing people, they would nod and bow, saying If you act against your will, your face will be thicker than the walls of the capital city. What kind of self-esteem and dignity are they? They are gone long ago!
However, these are not the reasons why Wu Zhong is so emotional.
When he was with Jianlu in Liaodong, he didn't expect to become the consort of the slave chief Huang Taiji. He had been worried that if he came back and said it, Daming would doubt him and no longer believe him. Unexpectedly, in the first sentence of the meeting, the commander just said, "I'm sorry for you!"
This sentence contained trust and understanding, which moved Wu Zhong inexplicably!
But when he came to his senses, he became worried again. Because he definitely didn't think that the commander already knew everything, so he was ready to confess. If the commander knew that he was the son-in-law of the slave chief and was offended by him, then he would admit it.
With this in mind, after he stood up, he immediately looked into Li Ruolian's eyes and reported: "Sir, my subordinates had no choice but to take revenge on the Tatars in Liaodong, so they married the third daughter of the slave chief Huang Taiji. At that time, my subordinates felt that this woman did not regard us Han people as human beings..."
"Haha, you are so lucky! Come on, come on, sit down first!" Upon hearing this, Li Ruolian smiled and took his hand, asking him to sit in the seat closest to the main seat, and at the same time said, " The emperor has already told me about your stay in Liaodong, haha, I really didn’t expect you..."
When Wu Zhong just heard Li Ruolian's words, his heart sank. He subconsciously thought that Li Ruolian's words about good luck were sarcastic to him. However, then he heard Li Ruolian say something about him. The emperor had already told him, and he was immediately stunned.
I came back by boat and landed on Liugong Island. But when I was on Liugong Island, I just reported my name without saying anything, and then came directly to Haizhou. However, just like that, the emperor knew about his affairs in Liaodong?
At this moment, he suddenly felt a little suspicious. Could it be that there was another Jin Yiwei spy among his men?
But thinking about it, he felt that it was impossible, because judging from the time, even if he had Jinyiwei spies under his command, it would not be possible to spread the news so fast on Liugong Island, right?
Thinking this way, he became even more confused, and asked Li Ruolian with surprise and stuttering: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty knows everything? Are you talking about... are you talking about everything that happened to your subordinates in Liaodong?"
Hearing his words and looking at his expression, Li Ruolian smiled and nodded: "Of course, the emperor said that you proposed to the slave chief, but he didn't expect it to happen. In fact, you only pursued you because that woman was not human to us Han people. I'm going to beat you, so I just said it casually. Therefore, you will teach that woman a lesson after marriage, right? Haha..."
Wu Zhong was stunned when he heard this. Does the emperor really know everything?
When Li Ruolian said this, he suddenly remembered something and looked around. Most of his subordinates knew Wu Zhong and wanted to talk, but when they saw the commander's appearance, they immediately understood and retreated voluntarily.
As soon as they left, Li Ruolian patted Wu Zhong on the shoulder and said to him seriously: "The emperor also asked me to tell you that in the house of that thief Fan Wencheng, you fell into his treacherous plan. The responsibility is not yours. There is no need." Any concerns.”
Wu Zhong has always kept this matter in his heart. It is the thing that he is most afraid of. I originally thought that I would kill him and refuse to tell him, but I didn't expect that the commander said it at this time. The most important thing is that he was paraphrasing the emperor's words to reassure him that it was not his fault.
Immediately, Wu Zhong felt as if a big stone had been lifted off his body. He felt relieved to an unknown extent. At the same time, he was also very surprised. Logically speaking, only he, Fan Wencheng and the manager of Fan Mansion know about this matter. Of course, the princess herself must also know. But such a secret matter was still far away in Liaodong, but the emperor knew it clearly.
At this moment, Emperor Chongzhen immediately became mysterious and unpredictable in Wu Zhong's heart, and he felt that the emperor was really a purple star in the sky descending to earth? Is he the True Dragon Emperor?
Thinking like this, Wu Zhong at this moment couldn't help but feel more in awe of the emperor. This kind of awe is no longer just awe based on status, but the kind of awe that mortals have for gods in the sky. Otherwise, he would really not be able to understand many things.
If the emperor is regarded as a god, then it is not surprising that he can do calculations, have ears for the wind, and be clairvoyant!
While he was thinking about it, Li Ruolian smiled and said: "Your trip to Liaodong this time made the emperor very satisfied. He said that Jinyiwei has such a loyal general like you, and he was very pleased with Jinyiwei. By the way, even I was also commended by the emperor."
"By the way, the emperor also told me that the imperial court will create medals in several categories. The highest-level medal is called the Ming Dynasty Hero Medal. It can be hung on the chest at ordinary times. It can only be worn by those who have made very significant contributions to the Ming Dynasty. This Medal of Heroes of the Ming Dynasty. You kid will be the first person in my Ming Dynasty to receive this Medal of Heroes of the Ming Dynasty! Not only do I not have it, but no one in the court has it yet. If you wear it later, tsk tsk, you will be envious of others! "
After hearing this, he knew that he would be the first in the Ming Dynasty to have this medal. Only those who had made very significant contributions to the Ming Dynasty could have it. Suddenly, Wu Zhong felt that the things he had experienced before were not counted at all. What happened, at this moment, his whole body was full of strength!
Naturally, he didn't know that Emperor Chongzhen had always disagreed with a point of view, saying that undercover agents would not have a good ending! In this regard, he had to give the undercover agents a good ending! Not to mention anything else, this kind of undercover thing, dealing with all kinds of ferocious enemies in the dragon's den and the tiger's den, may be discovered at any time and die. It can be said that undercover work is really not done by humans. In other words, if you can complete the undercover mission, then such a person is a real hero!
Even if you look at it from another perspective, the information obtained from undercover work is often very useful. Even if measured according to the value of the information, it is still worthy of a heavy reward. Therefore, if Ming Dynasty wants to get the highest medal of honor, Wu Zhong is definitely qualified.
"You are now a member of the Imperial Guard." When he was in a daze, Li Ruolian continued, "The emperor knows the purpose of your being sent to the Ming Dynasty by the slave chief. Therefore, he sent me to rush to Haizhou to wait for you. It’s up to you to do things. Once this is done, you will be the commander of the Imperial Guard."
Wu Zhong was willing to sneak into Liaodong and do things with a narrow escape. He was certainly not the kind of saint who said he was doing things for the Ming Dynasty without any reward.
At this time, knowing that the emperor would give him the highest honor and then promote him to the rank of commander second only to the commander in the imperial guard, he was of course very happy and immediately said to Li Ruolian: "Please make it clear, my subordinates will go through fire and water. Don’t give up even if you die!”
Li Ruolian nodded when he heard this, motioned for him to sit down, and then said to him: "You are coming back this time to find Jiangnan businessmen for Jianlu to replace Shanxi merchants. The emperor has already arranged this for you!"
"..." Wu Zhong was speechless. Is it possible that the emperor really wants him to do this?
Fortunately, the emperor said so, otherwise, even if Li Ruolian said this himself, he would have reason to doubt whether the commander is suspected of treason for the sake of huge profits!
Seeing a trace of doubt on his face, Li Ruolian knew what he was thinking, and immediately said seriously: "In our Ming Dynasty, in addition to the cancer of Shanxi Shang, there is another cancer, and the emperor also wants to get rid of it. . But because there is something on your side, the emperor just let you handle it, which is a win-win situation. Time is a bit tight, so please listen carefully."
After hearing this, Wu Zhong confirmed that it was the emperor's request, and immediately nodded to show that he was listening seriously.
He heard Li Ruolian say to him: "The south is a heavily taxed area in the Ming Dynasty, and the salt tax is the most important tax among all taxes. However, in the salt industry, it is not the court that is rich, but the salt merchants. The price was high, but the people couldn't live without it and had to buy it with enough money, making their lives even more difficult. However, the court could not collect much salt tax, and all the money in the middle was made by the salt merchants. I believe you also Know."
In fact, anyone who has been out and has some experience knows how wealthy the salt merchants are. The reason for this is that at this time in the late Ming Dynasty, the major salt merchants were generally Huizhou merchants. They had what later generations called the kind of local tyranny, and they liked to show off and fight for wealth, which made them famous.
At this time, there were more than four people in Yangzhou Prefecture. That is to say, "there are many officials, many businessmen, many literati, and many idlers". It is easy to understand that there are many officials and businessmen. There are many literati because Yangzhou Prefecture has many financial backers and can afford to support literati. At the same time, it can also afford to support idlers. Most of the wealthy donors were salt merchants.
How much money do these salt merchants have?
Let’s just say Huafang, which originally refers to a gorgeously decorated boat used for sightseeing. But in the hands of Yangzhou salt merchants, these boats were renovated in various styles: some were several stories high, and some were decorated with glass that was extremely rare at the time... all of which were extremely luxurious. Afterwards, these salt merchants spent their daily lives in the painted boats accompanied by famous prostitutes and beauties, reciting poems, tasting fine wines and delicacies, and never tired of it.
Also, there was a salt merchant who was so "big" that he wanted the houses, furniture, and other items to be as big as possible. He even built a five- or six-foot-tall copper chamber pot that he had to climb up every night. Climbing down is extremely hard, but I still enjoy it.
If this is not nothing, there are also salt merchants who invented the way of eating "traveling vegetables". Dozens or hundreds of dishes are prepared for each meal. Once the dishes are not satisfied, they are immediately removed and replaced. New dishes. This shows how much a meal is wasted!
As for the rest, it's all child's play.
For example, the tumblers made in Suzhou at that time were very exquisite and valuable. A salt merchant in Yangzhou once spent more than 3,000 taels of silver to buy up all the tumblers in the market in Suzhou and poured them all into the river for fun, which once caused the river to be blocked.
There was also a salt merchant, who wanted to experience the feeling of "spending a million dollars", so he sent people to buy gold foil with ten thousand taels of silver, then climbed up to a high building, threw the gold foil in the wind, and watched the people downstairs snatching the gold foil. But this man was laughing upstairs. Is it ridiculous? They are just rich and willful!
Some things have even spread to the north, and even people who have never been to the south can know about it.
Therefore, Wu Zhong naturally understands the wealth of salt merchants. The things he heard about showing off his wealth flashed through his mind. At the same time, he naturally thought of the drought in the north, the refugees after the war, and the suffering people who were plundered from Liaodong, which made him suddenly feel angry. .
At this time, Li Ruolian was still talking, so he stopped talking and continued to listen.
"These salt merchants, they have made a fortune. In addition to the salt industry that only they can sell, they also secretly mix a large amount of private salt into the official salt. Almost every big salt merchant has a private salt team under his command. Therefore, don't look at these The big salt merchants seem to only be interested in eating, drinking, and having fun, but secretly, they are all desperate for money and not afraid of the king's law."
"These people sucked blood from the court and the people, and accumulated countless wealth of the Ming Dynasty in their hands, but they only indulged themselves in luxury and waste, and brought bad luck to the Ming Dynasty. Once the emperor announces the reform of the salt industry, these people will inevitably rise up to oppose and secretly sabotage it. . Therefore, the emperor’s intention is to use your east wind to expose the true colors of these salt merchants to the broad daylight, so that everyone can recognize them."
"As long as we can cut off some big salt dealers and use thunderous means to shock them, then things will go much smoother when the emperor implements the new salt industry policy, increases the court's tax revenue, and at the same time allows the people to eat cheaper salt..."
Hearing this, Wu Zhong vaguely grasped the emperor's intention. After thinking about it, it seemed that it was indeed possible. As long as these salt merchants were given a chance, they might become the second Shanxi merchant!
Just as he was thinking this, he heard Li Ruolian say to him: "Go and contact those big salt merchants this time and promise huge profits. I don't believe these salt merchants will resist the temptation of profit. As long as you get them to collude with the rebels With the evidence, the emperor can use the same methods he used to deal with Shanxi merchants to deal with salt merchants, and at the same time, he can easily rectify the Jiangnan officialdom again."
At this point, Li Ruolian's face became very serious, and he told Wu Zhong: "This matter is of great importance, and it is also related to the officialdom of Jiangnan. The emperor has given instructions, and it must be done. Don't worry, I will cooperate with you secretly. "
