Fu Shifeng

Chapter 111
"Ministry of Internal Affairs?"

In the Jiedu Mansion, Yang Taichu sat on the couch, glanced at Kanhe Yufu, and then looked at the plump Zhaoyang Jun in front of him with a strange smile.

"The old man is old and his legs and feet are inconvenient, so I can't be polite, please forgive me." Yang Taichu looked majestic, but with a bit of contempt.

Yang Taichu was born in the Yang family of Hongnong, and he was also a high-ranking family in this dynasty. There are many officials and eunuchs. For Mr. Zhaoyang, a martial artist who works like an eunuch, he has always been regarded as a treacherous and lucky person, and he did not leave on the spot. , is already giving them enough face.

Lord Zhaoyang sneered in his heart, he saw that Yang Taichu did not have great martial arts skills, in order to show his power and status, he arranged several masters to stand by his side, and there were a lot of brave swordsmen ambushing in the corridors, only in this way can he feel at ease face yourself.

It's really pitiful——Jun Zhaoyang thought to himself, his own past experience, as well as what he saw and heard from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, proved again and again that power and status are all unreliable external forces.

The lofty status and official rank that the world looks up to may not be able to protect itself in a real crisis.No matter how loyal his subordinates are, he will betray him for various reasons, or be passive and lazy. Only his own martial arts will not betray him.

"Where is Yang Gong?" Jun Zhaoyang crossed his hands in a friendly salute: "You are a national leader and a pillar of peace. You are a villain and a reckless person. You are occasionally appreciated by Feng Dadang. How dare you accept Yang Gong's courtesy?"

Hearing these compliments, Yang Taichu let out a faint smile, leaned on the table, and said indifferently: "What's the job of the Minister of Internal Affairs here?"

"I heard that a murderer invaded Lingwu City a few days ago and killed many people?" Mr. Zhaoyang asked.

"The incident has already been known to everyone, so there is no need for the envoy to probe." Yang Taichu's face sank like water: "The murderer first massacred a family in the city, and we found out where he was hiding, and he appeared violently. , has now been forced to retreat."

"Duke Yang, do you intend to write a memorial as it is and submit it to the sage for viewing?" Lord Zhaoyang raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Could it be possible for the envoy to use this as a threat?" Yang Taichu had no intention of giving in and retreating: "I am very clear about the methods of your internal servants. You are under the power of lust. To appear in such a grandiose conversation, in the final analysis, is to extort property."

Mr. Zhaoyang was reprimanded face to face, without the slightest hint of resentment: "Oh? In the past, there were officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs who extorted property from Mr. Yang?"

"Two years ago, the Hu people made a note of registration registration, and someone from your Ministry of Internal Affairs went to several resettlement prefectures to check the population, and then said that I concealed my household registration and embezzled livestock property privately. If I open my mouth, I will ask for 100 million yuan." Yang Taichu sneered. road.

Mr. Zhaoyang was thoughtful and silent. As Gongchenwei, he was ten years old, and usually he would not participate in such trivial matters as investigating taxes.

But he had heard more or less that the imperial court called the newly attached Fanhu Liaoyi a "touhuaren", and they could reduce taxes for ten years, and after ten years, they would be registered as households with the same people, and they would pay livestock and submit to conscripts like ordinary people in the interior.

The Jiedushi of Shuofang was facing the Tule and Uyghur tribes, so naturally there were a lot of converts, and many of them came here for the tax reduction and exemption for the past ten years.

Of course, no matter how good the laws and regulations are, their implementation will be riddled with holes.

It is almost impossible to fully implement the ten-year tax reduction and exemption, and the local officials have a dazzling number of extraction methods that are cleverly named. If they can be compiled, they can be compared to martial arts cheats.

Moreover, local towns, prefectures and counties will also continue to conceal the converts by forging registers.For example, the attached Hu people who have paid taxes and livestock property normally, and even the Hu people who have been engaged in farming and weaving, are no different from the Han people, and they are still newly attached to the Hu people within ten years in the register. Naturally, it falls into the pocket of Jiezhen, Zhouzhou and County.

What's more, there are powerful and powerful clans among the Hu people. Those chief shepherds longed for the colorful world of the Central Plains, luxurious clothes and delicious food, and spared no effort to squeeze the people of the tribes. The collusion with the officials of Jiezhen, prefecture and county is also reasonable.

Yang Taichu was born in the Yang family of Hongnong, which doesn't mean he won't make money, but Mr. Zhaoyang didn't take this matter too seriously.

But being reminded by the other party, Mr. Zhaoyang also had to doubt whether Mrs. Liu's death was related to this?It is precisely because of investigating the taxation of the Shuofang states and touching Yang Taichu's secrets that he was murdered?
But according to the information obtained by the subordinates, it is clear that Yang Taichu had a close personal relationship with Mrs. Liu, and after Mrs. Liu died, he hugged the corpse and cried for a long time.

"Why didn't the envoy speak?" Yang Taichu questioned, this person was not timid in the face of the embroidered emissary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

"I just don't understand, why did the murderer want to kill Liu's entire family?" Mr. Zhaoyang wanted to test the other party: "Death for money? Or personal revenge?"

Yang Taichu looked sad for a while, clenched his hands into fists, his nails almost pierced into the flesh of his palms: "The old man is sending people to investigate, so I won't bother you to ask me."

Mr. Zhaoyang took every detail of Yang Taichu into his eyes. Thanks to Caihua's ability to observe words and expressions over the years, Mr. Zhaoyang can almost be sure that Yang Taichu really has deep feelings for Mrs. Liu, and it is not a lie.

"No way, is it true?" Mr. Zhaoyang cursed secretly, but he felt a little unbelievable. A wealthy family, a magistrate of a noble family, a group of wives and concubines are not easy, and there are so many singing and dancing girls that they can give them away casually. Can't forget a widow?
Mr. Zhaoyang really suspected that Mrs. Liu was silenced by Yang Taichu, but the subordinates who went to Liu's house to investigate secretly came back and reported that the secret room where the files and documents were stored was as usual, and there was no large-scale robbery or damage. It can be seen that Yang Taichu may not know Liu Madam's true identity.

Looking at it now, Mr. Zhaoyang still retains his original opinion——Yang Taichu is an old and foolish person.

Mr. Zhaoyang has seen a lot of high-ranking officials and nobles, but not all of these people are as brilliant as the rumors in the world, and there are probably not a few incompetent and mediocre people.

It's just that when they are in that position, some of them are friends and guests, and officials of the government office give advice and suggestions for them.Just like this Yang Taichu, Mr. Zhaoyang can kill him with one finger, and it doesn't prevent him from being protected by a large group of experts.

"I do have news about the murderer here." Mr. Zhaoyang decided to guide the situation and add more firewood.

"Oh?" Yang Taichu was originally depressed, but when he heard this, he immediately cheered up, his eyes burst into light: "My envoy, please come quickly."

"The name of this murderer is Cheng Sanwu. He used to be active in the Western Regions. He has a small reputation for serving as a guard and killer for a trading company." Jun Zhaoyang smiled: "Of course, they are all bad names."

"A mere reckless warrior deserves the attention of the Ministry of Internal Affairs?" Yang Taichu questioned.

"Duke Yang has countless elite soldiers and strong generals. Someone must have seen that what Cheng Sanwu displayed was the martial arts of the frontier army." Lord Zhaoyang had a lot of meaning: "A person who can kill dozens of elite cavalry in one fell swoop, this kind of person is placed on the battlefield. Everywhere is worthy of a lot of money and gifts, and it will never be used to seek wealth and death."

Yang Taichu may be in a daze, but after being in the officialdom for many years, this kind of reasoning is still understandable: "Could it be that the envoy wants to say that what Cheng Sanwu did was ordered by others?"

Mr. Zhaoyang smiled coldly: "Since Mr. Yang just mentioned the Hu people's registered registration transfer, you should understand that it is not our Ministry of Internal Affairs that is really going to vigorously check the registers of people and redefine taxes and duties."

"Lu Yan?" The corners of Yang Taichu's eyebrows twitched. Now in the Great Xia court, a group of world-class officials headed by Lu Yan are in the same situation as the generals of the border towns and noble princes.

Yang Taichu was in Shuofang, so he naturally heard about Lu Xiang's proposal to promote the New Deal, but he didn't expect him to be the first to attack him.

"The envoy has nothing to prove, I'm afraid he might be suspected of framing the blame." Yang Taichu still retained a sliver of reason and did not fully believe it.After all, the Ministry of Internal Affairs represents the emperor, so it is natural to balance the two sides of the officials and the noble generals.

"When Cheng Sanwu was in the Western Regions, he worked for the Baochang Society." Lord Zhaoyang had already found out, and even he himself felt that there was a good reason: "Baochang Society was originally Lu Xiang's eyes and ears in the Western Regions. However, last year, the demons of the Western Regions After the rebellion, Baochang Society was banned by Anxi Governor Qi Jingyang. For all the above, Yang Gong can send people to investigate. As for the reasons, I don’t think I need to explain too much, right?”

Yang Taichu relied on his strengths and fell into deep thought for a long time, no joy, anger, sorrow or joy could be seen on his face, but his heart was overwhelmed.

"What advice does the envoy have?" Yang Taichu knew very well that the Ministry of Internal Affairs would not say these words to himself for no reason.

"The crime of killing a family is not worthy of the powerful strength of beheading dozens of elite cavalry. A good person will find out the clues after a little inquiring." Mr. Zhaoyang paced back and forth, thinking for a while: "I heard that, Has there been a monster in Yanchi in Lingzhou recently?"

"It's true, but it's just a strange force." Yang Taichu waved his hand.

Jun Zhaoyang smiled faintly, but he didn't think it was any kind of strange force.Walking along the Jianghuai River in his early years, and then joining Gongchenwei of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he saw all kinds of monsters and ghosts, which opened his eyes.It is not pragmatic, but rather pedantic, to dismiss the hidden and unpredictable and unclear descriptions as strange powers and chaos, and turn a blind eye.

Yang Taichu was born in a noble family, and he had the grace to inherit the throne. It can be said that he was well-clothed and well-fed since he was a child. This kind of people pay attention to whether a son of a thousand gold can sit still, and he didn't even show up in person to capture Cheng Sanwu. Put the Yanchi monster in his eyes.

Mr. Zhaoyang read a brief report about the monsters in Yanchi in Chang'an, and he also felt that they were just some local mountain spirits and water monsters, not big monsters that were difficult to deal with, but this did not prevent Mr. Zhaoyang from making use of the topic.

"Strange power and chaotic gods also have the benefits of strange power and chaotic gods." Lord Zhaoyang said: "There are many salt ponds in Lingzhou, which are related to the financial support of the Shuofang states. It is not appropriate to let the monsters make trouble. If there are foreign thugs colluding with the monsters, then it will be too late. How to deal with it?"

Yang Taichu's eyes changed, even if what Lord Zhaoyang said has not been confirmed, if Lu Yan wants to rectify Shuofang Jiezhen, he must exclude himself.If Cheng Sanwu merged with the Yanchi monsters and caused all kinds of disasters, Lu Yan would definitely seize this point to participate in the impeachment.

"Could it be that Cheng Sanwu didn't run away?" Yang Taichu asked.

"I have dispatched people to follow up in advance, and I learned that Cheng Sanwu and others stayed in Mingsha County for a while, then crossed the Yellow River east, and headed towards Baiyanchi." Zhaoyang Jun said with a smile: "If you want to come, Mr. Yang also dispatched powerful scouts. , It won’t take long to get similar news.”

Yang Taichu clenched his fists tightly, his chest full of hatred, Cheng Sanwu's battle to break out of the city had already caused his subordinates to lose troops, but now this person will continue to run rampant in Lingzhou and make waves, completely treating himself as a weak and deceitful person , is tolerable or unbearable!

"The envoy came here to inform this matter, do you want me to send someone to destroy Cheng Sanwu?" Yang Taichu had already made up his mind to kill Cheng Sanwu, and it was really ill-advised to order Cheng Sanwu to be captured alive to vent his anger. .

The only question is, why did the Ministry of the Interior get involved in this matter?
Lord Zhaoyang naturally expected Yang Taichu's doubts, and Cheng Zhu said in his heart: "Lu Xiang used the reckless martial arts to commit murder and frame him. It may be useless for people to testify to impeach Prime Minister Lu, and Prime Minister Lu has a lot of ways to deny it. Therefore, it is better to treat Cheng Sanwu as a rebel and bandit, and Yang Gongming justifiably sent troops to destroy it, so that Prime Minister Lu has no way to criticize."

Mr. Zhaoyang's words are mixed with truth and falsehood. It is impossible for outsiders to verify whether Cheng Sanwu was really driven by Prime Minister Lu.But Cheng Sanwu did have a subtle connection with Lu Xiang. This person lived with Qilang of the Lu family in Chang'an, and he was like a servant supported by the Lu family. He could be found out by sending anyone there.However, the relationship between Cheng Sanwu and the Ministry of Internal Affairs was not easily known to the outside world.

The intentions this time are not malicious. Lord Zhaoyang just wanted to plant the seeds of suspicion in Yang Taichu's heart, making him believe that Cheng Sanwu's appearance in Lingzhou was a huge conspiracy planned by Lu Xiang. Out of self-preservation, Cheng Sanwu had to be eradicated.

What surprised Mr. Zhaoyang was that Cheng Sanwu and his party actually continued to go to Yanchi, which made his plan go smoothly.

"Since this is the case, the old man must not let this thief go." Yang Taichu clapped his hands, although he looked at Zhaoyang Jun: "But there is one thing, please help me to show my sincerity in this matter!"

Compared with Lord Zhaoyang's plan, Yang Taichu was worried that the other party was trying to provoke a conflict between himself and Prime Minister Lu.Only by dragging the Minister of Internal Affairs into the water together and making it public, can the Ministry of Internal Affairs share Lu Xiang's hostility for him in the future.

Of course Mr. Zhaoyang could guess the intention of the other party. He originally wanted to find an opportunity to kill Cheng Sanwu himself. Now that Yang Taichu personally asked for it, it would be easy to explain the past in front of Eunuch Feng in the future.

Anyway, the blatant killing of Shuofang officers and soldiers is also suspected of killing the secret agents of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. If all these facts are confirmed, Cheng Sanwu will not say that he will work in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. I am afraid that Eunuch Feng will let Yan Fengjun come to deal with the trouble up.

Of course Lord Zhaoyang would not let the situation evolve to the point where Lord Yanfeng intervened in person, otherwise his flaws would be exposed and he would not be able to please him.

"It's natural." Lord Zhaoyang immediately agreed to Yang Taichu's request: "Then please ask Yang Gong to send more elite soldiers and strong generals to go with me!"

(End of this chapter)