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Chapter 437: Accepting orders in times of danger, being selfless

Jiying Lane, Shengjia!

In the Shouan Hall, Sheng Hong sat on the first chair in the east with a worried look on his face. Mrs. Sheng, who was sitting at the top, looked surprised and confirmed to Hualan in disbelief: "King Huan was really assassinated and died in Yangzhou. Already?"

Hualando said: "I heard that the report that was rushed back from eight hundred miles away last night was jointly signed by the sixth brother-in-law, the magistrate of Yangzhou, and the general magistrate of Yangzhou. It said that something happened on the night of New Year's Eve. Now the news has spread throughout Bianjing. Yes, there will be no lies."

Mrs. Sheng said solemnly: "Prince Huan is the eldest son of the official family. Although he has not been canonized, it will be a matter of time for him to be crowned prince. Now he died in Yangzhou. I am afraid that this day will change!"

Sheng Hong was also shocked: "Why are those salt merchants so bold that they dare to assassinate King Huan? Aren't they afraid that the officials will be angry and send troops to raid their homes and exterminate their clans?"

Early in the morning, Hua Lan hurried to the door and went directly to Shou'an Hall. Not only did he go to Shou'an Hall, but he and Wang Ruofu were also called to Shou'an Hall. He said that he had important matters to discuss with them. Sheng Hong But I didn't expect that it would be such an important matter.

Wang Ruofu next to him was stunned when he heard the news. His mind went blank and he had no idea what to say.

Hualan next to him said: "There is nothing that those salt merchants dare not do. Didn't father forget that when we were in Yangzhou, Gu Erlang was also assassinated and almost died!"

When Gu Er's incident caused a big fuss in Yangzhou, he knew that it was probably the Bai family who did it, but unfortunately there was no evidence. Even Gu Er had no choice but to let the Bai family go unpunished. .

Hua Lan suddenly changed her voice and expressed her deepest worries: "Now that something like this happens, I'm afraid my sixth brother-in-law will be implicated!"

Although Hua Lan got married early, among the sisters in the family, except Mo Lan, she has the best relationship with Minglan. As the saying goes, husband and wife are one, if something happens to Wang Zhong, Minglan will definitely not be easy. , Hualan hurried back to discuss with her parents and the old lady.

"I guess Sixth Sister should have received the news by now!"

Mrs. Sheng's expression froze when she heard this. How could she not know what Hualan was talking about? What could she do if she just knew? Not to mention that Yangzhou was thousands of miles away from Bianjing. Even if they were in Yangzhou at this time, they couldn't help much. .

"Alas!" Old Mrs. Sheng sighed and said, "Now that the matter has come to this, we can only resign ourselves to fate!"

Sheng Hong immediately understood what Mrs. Sheng meant, and sighed helplessly, saying with emotion: "It's so good, why did something like this happen!"

"With Zihou's ability, as long as he follows the steps, he may not have the opportunity to worship the prime minister in the future, but now...hey!"

Thinking of this, Sheng Hong couldn't help but show a bit of sadness, and all his regrets and helplessness turned into a sigh.

He was originally a good son-in-law with both ability and political integrity, great intelligence, and a good understanding of how to survive in the officialdom, but he never thought that he would suddenly encounter such a thing. This is nothing.

"Hua'er, what's going on in the palace now?" Mrs. Sheng asked hurriedly.

Hua Lan hurriedly said: "I heard that the officials and the queen were so grief-stricken last night when they heard the news that they fainted from the rage. The imperial doctor has examined it. Although it is not serious, it needs to be calmed down. Mr. Han and Gao Shangshu The important ministers were summoned to the palace by the Queen Mother last night."

Now that it's the New Year's Eve, all government offices are on holiday, so news naturally doesn't spread as fast as in the past.

"Mom, should we do something?" Sheng Hong asked after thinking for a moment.

Old Mrs. Sheng shook her head and said: "At this time, it is better to be still than to move. Both the Queen Mother and Mr. Han are sensible people."

In fact, Sheng Hong and the old lady knew in their hearts that under the current situation, even if they wanted to help Wang Zhong do something, there was nothing they could do, but Sheng Hong was still a little unwilling in his heart.

Although Wang Ruofu hated Wang Zhongfei in his heart for forcing the Kang family to send his sister to the nunnery, but now that such a big thing happened, it would be troublesome if he accidentally implicated his family. Wang Ruofu came back to his senses and said, He took the initiative to speak and offered to go back to her parents' house to explore the situation.

Wang Ruofu's mother, the old lady of the Wang family, returned to Tokyo early in the twelfth lunar month with her grandson and granddaughter-in-law. Mrs. Wang's granddaughter-in-law was none other than Kang Yuan'er, the daughter of the Kang family.

"That's fine!" Sheng Hong nodded: "It's better than waiting at home."

"Then I'll go now!" Wang Ruofu stood up immediately and hurried out of Shou'an Hall.

Mrs. Sheng said: "Now that something like this has happened, I don't know what will happen over there tomorrow. I really feel uneasy."

"Grandma, would you like your grandson to accompany you to your sixth sister's house and take a look at your two nephews?" Hua Lan volunteered.

"That's fine!" Mrs. Sheng nodded.

Sheng Hong said: "My son also went out for a walk to find out the news?"

After the family made a decision, they immediately split up and took action.

In the afternoon of the same day, Wang Zhong was ordered by Empress Dowager Cao to temporarily lead the Huaihe, Jiangsu and Zhejiang economic and pacification envoys, and the governor to inspect salt and other matters. News of the thorough investigation of King Huan's assassination spread throughout Tokyo. On the day of King Huan's assassination, After the news, there was another uproar.

In the princess's mansion, Hua Lan breathed a sigh of relief, but Minglan's frown deepened, and the sadness on Old Mrs. Sheng's face did not go away.

Seeing the reactions of his grandmother and Minglan, Hua Lan instantly figured out all the links. Those salt merchants were so bold that even King Huan dared to assassinate him, let alone Wang Zhong?
It is good to become an inspector, as it gives you the opportunity to make meritorious deeds, but the corresponding risks are also high. If you are not careful, you may lose your life.

"Sixth sister, don't worry too much. With the ability of sixth brother-in-law, it may not be a bad thing!" Hua Lan could only comfort Minglan in this way.

Old Mrs. Sheng took Minglan's hand and comforted her: "What Hua'er said makes sense. Now Zihou has taken over the Huaihe River. Jiangsu and Zhejiang economic pacification envoys have military power in their hands, and Zihou has always been thoughtful and considerate in his actions. King Huan has learned from his past mistakes, and he will definitely not give those salt merchants another chance to assassinate him."

Minglan forced a smile and said, "The matter is now over. It's useless for me to worry anymore. Officials always act thoughtfully. I believe he will come back safe and sound."

In fact, Minglan had been prepared before Wang Zhong followed King Huan south, but Minglan did not expect that King Huan would be assassinated.

Old Mrs. Sheng said with emotion: "We women are like this. Men are fighting and fighting outside. What we can do is to protect this three-acre land at home for them and educate our children so that they have no worries."

The old lady has experienced the pain of losing her son and husband one after another. Since she has been a widow, she has eaten more salt than the two sisters Hualan and Minglan have eaten rice.

······
Yang Naixing, the magistrate of the state government office in Yangzhou, was sitting in the back hall, the sorrow in his brows never dissipating.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man wearing a police officer's uniform walked into the hall quickly. Yang Naixing's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked before the visitor could speak, "How's it going?"

"Reporting to Duke Ming, it turns out that just as the deputy envoy expected, those remnants indeed sent people to intercept the prisoners. The deputy envoy led the ambush troops to attack and killed all the assassins!" "Okay!"

"it is good!"

"it is good!"

Yang Naixing excitedly shouted "Hello" three times. Now that things have developed to this point, what they can do is to make as many meritorious deeds as possible so that the officials will take this into account and not be too angry with them.

Although they know that the possibility is slim, it is the only thing Yang Naixing and other officials in Yangzhou can do now.

"Where is the deputy envoy now?" Yang Naixing asked excitedly.

"We are leading people to the Yamen, we should be there in a moment!"

As expected, Wang Zhong returned to the Yamen not long after, and Yang Naixing hurriedly greeted him.

"The deputy envoy had a clever plan, and the thieves really came to intercept the prisoners!" Yang Naixing flattered Wang Zhong without hesitation.

Wang Zhongdao: "These thieves are just pawns who follow orders. The real murderer has not been caught yet. Yang Zhizhou, don't be too happy too early. We still have a lot to do!"

"What the deputy envoy said is absolutely true!" Yang Naixing said, "Then let's go on..."

Wang Zhong said coldly: "The imperial court has its own laws. Naturally, we should do whatever we want!"

The interrogation went very smoothly, and within just a few days, the results came out. The people behind the scenes were the remnants of the eight salt merchants whose homes were ransacked, and they were also the ones who were imprisoned. Unfortunately, although they knew the real culprit behind the scenes, the group But the remnants have long since fled to no one knows where.

In the blink of an eye, it was late January, and the imperial edict from Bianjing was rushed to Yangzhou. Wang Zhong suddenly changed his identity and became the chief officer of this salt inspection southward. He also took over the military power of Huaihe and Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and was given the power to act expeditiously. power.

Wang Zhong could only mobilize his troops first, screen the salt merchants in the Huaihe River area again, and jail all officials involved in the salt affairs case.

At the end of the first month, King Huan's coffin was sent back to Bianjing. Zhao Zongquan was devastated when he saw Zhao Ceying's body. Queen Shen even fainted on the spot.

On the eighth day of February, Uncle Guo Shen Congxing led five hundred Qingqi to hurry up and finally arrived in Yangzhou.

Wang Zhong went out of the city to greet him personally. Shen Congxing's attitude was not very good. He had a cold face the whole time. However, Wang Zhong could understand. After all, his nephew had just died, but he was safe and sound. Not even a hair fell out. Even because of Gu Er's It had something to do with it, and Shen Congxing couldn't give him a good look.

Xiao Duan has been awake for many days, but his injuries are too serious and he is still recuperating. The first thing Shen Congxing did when he arrived in Yangzhou was to see Xiao Duan.

After asking a few questions about the injury, Shen Congxing went straight to the point: "Tell me in detail what happened that night!"

Xiao Duan nodded and said: "That night, because the case was progressing very smoothly, the prince was in a good mood. It happened to be New Year's Eve, so he ordered the kitchen to kill pigs and sheep to prepare a good reward for the brothers. I will accompany the prince to eat We drank until dinner and then we went back to our rooms to rest. I didn’t expect that when I was ugly, people suddenly came out from all directions..."

"Zhao Shichang and I followed the prince to the street, but we didn't expect that the assassins had already ambushed him. In order to protect the prince, Zhao Shichang was shot to death by random arrows. Even the prince..."

After listening to the short story with an expressive expression, Shen Congxing's fists were clenched tightly, his teeth were gritted, and his face was vaguely ferocious.

"Where is Princess Yong'an? Where is Wang Zhong? Where are they? Why are they okay?" Shen Congxing asked.

Xiao Duan didn't think much and said: "On the 26th of the twelfth lunar month, we followed the prince to the Taizhou Saltworks to investigate. On the way back, we were assassinated. In order to protect the prince, Princess Yong'an was hit by an arrow in the shoulder. The injury was not serious. She died in a short time. Fa Zai started to fight with others. It happened that the ancestral home of the Wang family was in Baishui Village outside Jiangdu City, so the prince asked Princess Yong'an to go home to recuperate.

On the night of the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, just in time for the Chinese New Year, the prince asked everyone to rest for a few days, and Wang Zhong went back to Baishui Village. He said he wanted to see Princess Yong'an and pay homage to his ancestors. He didn't want him to go, but he happened to escape. Tribulation. "

Shen Congxing nodded, having no doubts about Xiao Duan's words, and said instead: "According to what you said, there were at least 300 assassins that night, and they knew the prince's location clearly! So they set up an ambush early and set fire everywhere. , force you out of the house."

"First attack from the east to the west, divert the tiger away from the mountain, scatter the guards around the prince, set fires everywhere to cause commotion, and then take advantage of the opportunity to move forward step by step and drive you into the pockets they have already tied!"

Shen Congxing's eyes flashed with cold light, and he said coldly: "These assassins are by no means simple!"

After Shen Congxing arrived, the investigation into the murder of King Huan completely fell on Shen Congxing. Wang Zhong only had to concentrate on the salt affairs case.

In late February, Wang Zhong led his troops across the Yangtze River and entered the south of the Yangtze River. He took over the transportation department of the salt capital of the south of the Yangtze River and launched a thorough investigation again. This time, the speed was much faster than that in the Huaihe River. In just one month, Twelve salt merchants were imprisoned and their property confiscated.

Wang Zhong's methods were even more violent than those of King Huan. As long as those involved in the salt affairs case, unless they heard the news early and ran away with their families, no one was spared. Even those who ran away, Wang Zhong sent people to track Suo Nao all the way.

By mid-April, a total of 26 large and small salt merchants on Lianghuai, Jiangnan and Fujian roads had been confiscated, and as many as 34 were arrested and imprisoned in connection with the case. As many as a hundred county officials were locked up and imprisoned, and hundreds of subordinate officials were involved in the case. More than 20 local wealthy families were implicated, and there was no mercy at all.

Wang Zhong was unscrupulous and impartial, and he offended many people. People even gave Wang Zhong the nickname "Judge", saying that Wang Zhong was just like the judges in the underworld, he was impartial and impartial.

However, Wang Zhong's selflessness won a lot of praise from the people, especially the salt workers. They were the ones who applauded Wang Zhong's selflessness the most.

The officials at the top colluded with the salt merchants, and the subordinate officials accepted bribes, exploited them wantonly, and exploited them from top to bottom. In the end, it was not they, the salt workers, who suffered the most. However, his wages are only enough to keep his family fed and clothed. If he encounters some natural or man-made disaster, his family will be destroyed in a matter of seconds.

Although Wang Zhong's selfless and merciless attitude offended many people, it also won over many people's hearts. The magistrate was arrested, the general judge who temporarily acted as the magistrate, the county magistrate was arrested, the chief bookkeeper who temporarily took the power of the county magistrate, etc.

The officialdom has always been a carrot and a pit. Every year, there are countless Jinshi and Juren waiting to fill the vacancies. When the original carrot is pulled out, the pit naturally becomes vacant.

More than a hundred officials were arrested and imprisoned, and such positions were suddenly vacated. Although they were only temporary errands, it was not impossible to take those positions as your own as long as you did your job well.

These people will naturally spare no effort to support Wang Zhong, and help their relatives and friends to the vacant positions in an upright manner.

Since he is patrolling salt, Wang Zhong naturally does not only arrest people, but also maintains the normal operation of the salt transportation departments in various places, the normal operation of each salt field, and ensures the normal supply of salt in various places.

Wang Chongcai took two thousand soldiers and horses, escorted all the officials, salt merchants and assassins involved in the case, and took all the confiscated gold, silver, jewelry, emerald agate, coral and jade and all the treasures, and sailed north from Jinling to Bianjing.

(End of this chapter)