Daming talker

Chapter 251
After thinking for a while, Wang Yuanwai asked another key question: "Although Governor Yang is powerful, how much can he support you?"

Zheng Zhiyan is now really afraid that someone will stab him in the back, and recently he feels that Wang Yuanwai is not very honest.

After all, only true colleagues can know what illegal and criminal things each other has done.

So Zheng Yuanwai decided to show his trump card, "If I invite the Cabinet Assistant to say hello to Governor Yang, do you think Governor Yang will take it seriously?"

Wang Yuanwai was both surprised and not surprised at the same time. You little Zheng has hidden it quite well!
Today, the first assistant is Shen Shixing, a native of Wu County, Suzhou Prefecture, and the second assistant is Xu Guo, a native of She County, Huizhou Prefecture.

Zheng Yuan's ancestral home is also in She County, so he and Xu Guonai are from the same hometown, and it is normal for him to gain a relationship with Xu Guo through this.

Besides, given the current trend of worshiping money, the leader of the Yangzhou salt merchants was worthy enough to associate with Ci Fu.

"Huizhou people must help Huizhou people." Wang Yuanwai immediately said, "I can lend you my manpower."

Zheng Yuanwai was relieved now. Previously, he always felt that Wang Yuanwai was an unstable factor.

Now that Wang Yuanwai has lent all his men to him, it is equivalent to temporarily handing over "military power", so he can rest assured for the time being.

After returning home, Wang Yuanwai came to Lu Xiucai and asked, "Did Lin Tailai ask you to find me? Or did he show any intention to contact me again?"

Lu Junbi replied: "No, Lin Jieyuan has never mentioned you at all, and it seems that he has no intention of contacting you again."

Wang Yuanwai was a little confused. Why did Lin Tailai suddenly ignore him?Was the previous enthusiasm for cooperation all fake?

Could it be that Lin Tailai was just using himself as a cover?Are you just a tool to attract Zheng Zhiyan's attention?

Southern Zhili is one of the most special "provincial regions" in the Ming Dynasty, both politically and economically.

For example, there are two governors in southern Zhili, one each in Jiangnan and Jiangbei. Of course, the terms Jiangnan governor and Jiangbei governor are folk sayings, and there is no such official title.

In the official abbreviation, the one in the south of the Yangtze River is Governor Yingtian and Premier Qian Liang, and the one in the north of the Yangtze River is called the Governor and Governor of Fengyang He Cao.

Another significant difference between the governors of the Ming Dynasty and local officials is that generally local officials are "responsible for guarding the territory" and the government offices are fixed in one place.

Although the governor also has a relatively fixed residence, he can actually move his office within the province. The procuratorate built for the governor in other places is also called "Xingtai".

These related names are both "Xun" and "Xing", so you can imagine the working conditions of the governor.

Lin Daguan didn’t know much about the early governor system, but he guessed that when the governor system was first established, it might be to make up for the shortcomings of local officials being restricted by the system and unable to flexibly adapt across regions.

Regardless of the governor Yingtian or the governor Fengyang, among the more than [-] governors in the Ming Dynasty, they are considered to be one of the most important.

A few days after Yang Junmin, the current governor of Fengyang, took office, he had just completed the handover with the former governor Li Shida in Huai'an, and Li Shida was promoted to Nanjing's Minister of Civil Affairs.

Yang Junmin has a very powerful background. He is a native of Puzhou, Shanxi. In recent years, there has been an explosion of talents in this place, and there have been official officials such as Wang Chonggu, Yang Bo, and Zhang Siwei.

Wang, Yang, and Zhang have also become the top famous families in Puzhou and even Shanxi. They are all extremely wealthy because of their business, and the three families have been married for generations.

Yang Junmin is the son of the boss Yang Bo, and is married to Zhang Siwei, the former chief assistant. This background is definitely one of the best in official circles.

Although Zhang Siwei suddenly died of a sudden illness in October last year, his legacy is still there. Yang Junmin, who is currently the leader of this faction with strong qualifications, is almost destined to be promoted to minister, and most likely to be minister of household affairs.

After all, in the tradition of Ming Dynasty officialdom, it was a common promotion path for He Cao, the governor and governor of Fengyang, to be promoted to minister of household affairs.

There were several main reasons why Governor Yang went to Yangzhou after completing the handover with his predecessor Li Shida in Huai'an.

First, Yangzhou is an important town in the north of the Yangtze River. As the governor, he should come and inspect it.

Second, in order to befriend the former governor Li Shida, Governor Yang personally sent Li Shida to Nanjing to take up his new post and sent him all the way to Yangzhou.

After all, Li Shida is also a well-known official with very senior qualifications and has a very close relationship with Qingliu forces.

This time Li Shida was promoted to Nanjing's Minister of Civil Affairs, and he might one day go north to the capital to become a minister with real power.

Third, due to the implementation of the Kaizhong method in the salt industry in the early years, many Shanxi and Shaanxi businessmen gathered in Yangzhou.

Therefore, Governor Yang went to Yangzhou City with the intention of developing financial resources for his family.

The friendship with Zheng Zhiyan, the leader of Yangzhou Huizhou merchants, also plays into the hands of Governor Yang, and there are great opportunities for cooperation here.

What's more, Xu Guo, the second assistant, wrote to him and asked him to take care of Zheng Zhiyan.

Fourth, the renovation of Pingshan Hall, a historical place, has been completed. It is said that Wang Shizhen, the leader of the literary circle, will also go there. If he can appear at the first gathering of Pingshan Hall, he can also improve his reputation.

Gao Changjiang has been running back and forth between the city and outside the city for the past two days, constantly making arrangements according to the verbal instructions given by the sitting hall. He is so busy that his feet never touch the ground. It can be said that his life is very fulfilling. He does not know how many lifetimes of cultivation he has received.

According to the information, Governor Yang will arrive in Yangzhou City tomorrow and enter the city through Lijin Gate.

Tonight, Gao Changjiang came to Lin Zuotuan to make a general report on all the arrangements.

"Where is the sitting hall?" Gao Changjiang asked Zhang Wen, the Zuo protector who was sitting in the front hall.

Zhang Wen replied lazily: "I am currently in Wu Tianshi's room."

Official Lin treated Wu Tian very favorably and provided two separate rooms for Wu Tian to live in.

Gao Changjiang walked to Wu Tian's residence again. As soon as he approached the door, he heard voices inside.

So Gao Changjiang stopped for a moment and listened to the sounds inside first, so as not to interfere with the good thing of sitting in the restaurant and see things he shouldn't have seen.

"Official! No!" Wu Tianshi's soft exclamation was first heard.

I heard Lin Tailai's slightly annoyed voice again: "I've done so much for you, and you still dare to reject me!"

Then Wu Tianshi begged hard and said: "The slave family does not want to take revenge on the Zheng family, so I beg the officials to let the slave family go."

Lin Tailai scolded: "Since you are here and already here with me, you have to do it even if you can't do it!"

"It's really not possible!" Wu Tianshi was still resisting.

Lin Tailai's voice became colder, "Madam! You also hope that your son can grow up safely and study in the arts and even become a general or prime minister in the future, right?"

Gao Changjiang sighed, pushed the door open, and said to Wu Tianshi in a helpful way:
"Madam! I advise you to obey and don't go against your will.

Otherwise, I'm afraid you will be handed over to dozens of guys outside. How can you resist dozens of guys by yourself? "

The Grand Canal goes around Yangzhou in the east and south directions outside the city, so there are large docks in both directions.

Ships coming from the south like to dock outside the south gate, while ships coming from the north like to dock outside the east gate.

In the blink of an eye, the next day came, and the large dock outside Lijin Gate in the east of Yangzhou City was very lively, with dozens of local officials and celebrities gathering here.Because Governor Yang arrived at Yangzhou City immediately, disembarked here, and then entered the city through Lijin Gate.Therefore, as usual, local representatives must be organized to greet them at the pier.

After Governor Yang got off the boat, he was greeted by the government magistrate, the county magistrate, and the salt merchant leader Zheng Zhiyan.

It would be strange for a business leader to appear here in other places. Ordinary businessmen would not be able to get on the stage.

But this is Yangzhou, and salt merchants have a special status in Yangzhou, basically equivalent to gentry elsewhere.

After the greetings, everyone moved out of the way and respectfully invited Governor Yang to get on the sedan, and wait until they entered the city to receive the wind and wash away the dust.

But at this moment, a beautiful young woman suddenly jumped in front of the governor with her baby in her arms, shouting: "The daughter of the people, Wu Tian, ​​is suing the evil thief Zheng Zhiyan for murdering his colleagues and seeking wealth and life!"

Everyone was stunned, no one knew how this young woman appeared or how she got in.

It can only be said that this kind of interception of high-ranking officials to complain has always been strictly guarded against, but it has been repeatedly prohibited.

In fact, Wu Tianshi was not willing to complain in public like this.But I had no choice but to come.

Governor Yang looked at Wu Tianshi coldly and said, "If you have any grievances, go to the prefecture and county. Don't go beyond the level to file a complaint!"

If it weren't for the fact that the other party was a woman or a child, I would have given orders to fight him left and right.

Wu Tianshi shouted again: "This matter may be related to the officers and soldiers. It happened outside the city and involved the salt industry. How can the prefecture and county yamen deal with it? We can only ask Master Qingtian of Futai to make the decision!"

Governor Yang came to Yangzhou City for fame and profit, not for trouble.

He immediately scolded: "If there is no proof, what's the point of filing a complaint! Get back!"

The crowd shouted rhythmically: "Who said that a complaint must have evidence? If it is found to be a false accusation, it will be dismissed. What can't be accepted?"
If Futai doesn't want to file a lawsuit against the Zheng family, just say so! "

Governor Yang glanced contemptuously in the direction of the crowd, said nothing, and walked away.

Judging by common sense, this situation is definitely a pit, and you can't take it in order to avoid the pit.

As a frontier official, he naturally has enough responsibility.

Not to mention not accepting an unclear complaint, but what if the case is actually found to be unjust, false, or wrong?

But before I could get on the sedan, I heard someone shout again: "Here is the evidence that the Zheng family has harmed people!"

Looking back, I saw a dozen people tying up two men and pinning them to the ground.

Zheng Zhiyan frowned. He had already recognized that the two people tied up were the leaders of the Zheng family's thugs.

Three days ago, when I was recuperating in the martial arts gym, the martial arts gym was attacked by a surprise attack. More than a dozen people were arrested, and these two people were among them.

At that time, Zheng Yuanwai was short of energy and manpower and had no time to take care of him. He just wanted to wait for the governor to come and then try to save people. He didn't expect that they would show up in such a way today.

Someone continued to shout: "What Futai said just now is unfounded, and we don't accept it!"
Both of these two people participated in the Zheng family's siege against their fellow Wu family and can be used as witnesses! "

Others who were still watching thought that it seemed that the beautiful young woman who complained was also prepared, and now they were in for a show.

When Senior Official Lin heard what Wu Tian said about the tragedy in his family that day, he immediately guessed that if the Wu family's near-annihilation was really the work of the Zheng family, then [-]% of the Zheng family's thugs were directly involved at the scene, and they would at least be watching the situation at the scene. .

So 200 people were quickly mobilized to besiege the Zheng Family Martial Arts Hall, and a dozen suspected ringleaders were captured from among the wounded.

After careful interrogation, it was finally revealed that two people had participated in the siege of the Wu family.

When everyone was puzzled about Lin Daguan's attack on the Zheng Family Martial Arts Hall, no one thought that Lin Daguan was trying to capture a witness for another incident.

Governor Yang couldn't help but glared at Zheng Zhiyan next to him. Is this the leader of the salt industry?Nothing is done cleanly!

Now it's even more impossible to accept the title, once it is accepted, it will be a big trap.

If the complaint enters the judicial process, it will be "supervised" by interested people, which will be more troublesome, so not accepting it is the only way to avoid the pit.

Zheng Zhiyan was still in shock and doubt. He did not expect that such a trivial matter of the Wu family would be brought out at this time.

Don’t you really think that Governor Yang is the Master Qingtian in the storytelling, casually accepting the petition in public?

Governor Yang shouted to Zheng Zhiyan who was in a daze: "What is going on?"

Zheng Yuanwai replied without hesitation: "Please, Dazhong Cheng, please look into it clearly. These are all false accusations! And there must be someone behind it!"

Then he pointed at the two witnesses and said: "Three days ago, these two people were kidnapped by Lin Tailai from Suzhou! It is estimated that Lin Tailai set up a private court again and beat him up!"
The dozen or so people with Suzhou accents next to them are all Lin Tailai's associates! "

After some thought, Governor Yang decided to help Zheng Zhiyan pass the test. After all, Zheng Zhiyan's interests were too great.

And because of Zhang Siwei's relationship, the first assistant Shen Shixing and himself were obviously not in the same pot, so marrying the second assistant Xu Guo was a must.

Besides, this is just a small case and there is no difficulty in handling it.

As for Lin Tailai having a good relationship with the Shen family, that is not among Governor Yang's priorities.

After all, the chief minister Shen Shixing does not have the authority of Zhang Juzheng. For ministers who are backed by factions and powerful forces, they are not afraid of the chief minister; only those officials who have no backers or power backing will fear the chief minister.

After making up his mind, Governor Yang ordered: "Take all the people away and wait for this court to investigate whether the accusation is false and whether there is anyone instigating and instigating it behind the scenes!"

Immediately, dozens of the governor's soldiers came forward and surrounded the dozen people and the two witnesses.Without saying a word, he went straight to arresting people!

Suddenly, a sixth-grade military attache squeezed out of the crowd and shouted: "Wait!"

Governor Yang looked at this little sixth-grade military attache in surprise, who are you?
The military attache saluted and said, "I am Zhao Dawu, the officer of the Hundred Household Guards in Suzhou. I dare to ask the army to release him."

Governor Yang was too lazy to pay attention to the military attaché, got up in his sedan chair and left.

Anyone who comes to you for nothing is definitely a trap. It's better to ignore it. If you say another word, you will lose!
But before walking a few steps, not even reaching the city gate, I suddenly heard the roar of a crowd coming from outside the sedan.

Governor Yang raised the curtains of the sedan chair and looked outside, only to see that at least a thousand people had gathered outside the city gate ahead.

Not only did it completely block the way for the official sedan, it also gradually surrounded them from both sides.

This made the well-informed Governor Yang change his face. What exactly is going on?Was it a civil unrest or a riot?

If you say there is no organization, even a dog would not believe it, but who can organize such a large battle?

(End of this chapter)