Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 145 Does his family deserve to enjoy the Ancestral Temple? 【Thank you for your support! Goodbye! 】

Bianjing

In the palace, the chief minister held a small bamboo tube in both hands and hurriedly walked into the palace. He said respectfully next to the emperor: "Your Majesty, this is a secret report from Yangzhou."

The emperor continued to look at the memorial on the table. He reached out and found a small bamboo tube in his hand. He opened it and poured out the small note inside.

After reading this, the emperor frowned and said, "How long has it been, and the chaos over there has been like this?" Naturally, the high-ranking official on the side did not dare to say anything more.

The emperor held the small bamboo tube in his hand and thought for a while before saying, "Did Ping Ning come to the palace a few days ago to talk to the queen about the officials in her family?"

"Back to your majesty, Princess Pingning said that her husband had usurped the dukedom of the country, and she had never done anything to fulfill her filial piety to your majesty and the queen. She and the queen were discussing that as the end of the first month approaches in the next few days, she would reduce her income. It will reduce the burden on the court."

The emperor smiled when he heard this and said: "Ping Ning is a filial child. Let's draft a decree and ask the Qi family to go to Jiangnan East Road to help get this matter done."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Also, send a message to the Yamen, asking the cavalry army to send out half a battalion, and the infantry and Tianwu army to send out half a battalion to follow Qi Guogong."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Xingguofang

Duke's Mansion of Qi

The servants were packing up the incense table and other items used to receive the order just now. Duke Qi, who had just received his new position, looked at Princess Pingning with some joy and said, "Madam, I asked you to worry about it."

Princess Pingning smiled and said: "Husband and wife become one, this is what I should do."

Duke Guo of Qi rubbed his hands and looked at his eldest wife and said, "Then, let's get our fleet ready, and we'll set off on a different day."

Looking at Princess Pingning's serious eyes, Duke Qi slowly stopped talking.

"Officials, I often hear my mother say in the palace that salt affairs are a major matter of the country, and salt tax is even more important. How can we take a leisurely boat there! Moreover, my father has sent a cavalry army."

Listening to Princess Pingning's words, Duke Qi also became serious. He looked at Princess Pingning for a while and said, "Madam, you mean, I want to ride to Yangzhou Mansion?"

Princess Pingning nodded and said: "You have to ride a horse with one person and two horses. Officials, if we take this important matter of the country seriously and handle it with our heart, our father will take us at ease. I will go to the Xu family immediately. The Cao family will talk about this matter."

Duke Qi nodded solemnly.

That night, the forward scouts of the Knight Cavalry Army had already ridden out of the city, notifying the stations along the way to prepare the appropriate number of people and horses for the trip.

Early on the next morning, Duke Guo of Qi also left the Yihua Gate of Bianjing with three followers, and met outside the city with the sergeants of the Xiaoqi and Tianwu 2nd Army, who were equipped with one man and two horses.

Duke Guo of Qi looked at the young men in the team and said, "Da Lang, Si Lang, why did your father send you guys here?"

Xu Zaiduan raised his hands on his horse and said, "Uncle Qi, my father asked me to protect you."

The children of the Cao family on the other side also raised their hands and said, "Father also said the same thing."

"Okay! They are all my good sons and daughters, Da Zhou. Let's set off!"

After saying that, more than two hundred soldiers began to rush toward Yangzhou on the smooth official road.

Because there were supplies at the inns along the road, and they were riding two horses, the speed was unusually fast. In less than seven days, the group had arrived outside Yangzhou City.

The horse was fine, but Qi Guogong and his servants were suffering a little, and the inner thighs were badly worn.

Shen time (4 p.m.)

Yangzhou,

Moriya

In the Shouan Hall, there were only the old lady, Xu Zaijing, and Fang’s mother.

Listening to Xu Zaijing's words, his expression gradually became serious.

"Jing'er, are you saying that the head of the Imperial City Department told you about this matter in detail? At the Bai family?" the old lady asked.

Xu Zaijing nodded and said, "My great-nephew doesn't know why he and I made it so clear that although we went into battle together to kill thieves, it was supposed to be an errand for their Imperial City Department."

The old lady pondered for a moment and said, "The various relationships behind this businessman are complicated. If their government office is back again, there must be some that cannot be found. This is to give our family a warning. Mother Fang, go and find out." The master and the eldest lady are calling." After a while, Sheng Hong and his wife arrived at the Shou'an Hall with worried faces. Wang Ruofu was even more surprised to find that Liu's mother was left outside the main hall.

Entering the bedroom, looking at the old lady's very serious and ugly face, the couple looked awkward and neither dared to say anything.

The old lady said directly: "I don't want to talk nonsense. I just want to ask you two a few words. Do our families have any dealings with several salt merchants in Yangzhou Prefecture? Does your property have the benefit of having some salt merchants?"

Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu were both stunned. They thought the old lady was angry about Hua Lan, but they didn't expect it to be this issue.

Sheng Hong's thoughts changed quickly: "Back to mother, my family's business does not have much contact with the salt merchants, but because of the war in the north, I had more contact with the Bai family. Mother, what's going on?"

"Madam, where are you?" The old lady looked at Wang Ruofu.

"Mother, I don't have it either. The Qi family did deliver it to several salt merchants before, but because it was Lin Qige who came forward at that time. I felt that our family looked down upon her family, so we had a conflict with their family."

Hearing this, Sheng Hong looked a little embarrassed because Xu Zaijing was beside him.

"That's good, Jing'er, just tell your cousin what you know."

"It's my aunt. Cousin, since the head of the Bai family entered the salt farm business in Yangzhou Prefecture, the business has grown bigger and bigger, and many Bai family members have come to join him."

"Chief Zhao from the Imperial City Department said that the leader of the Bai family alone discovered after a self-examination that the clan members who came to seek refuge had deceived their superiors and deceived their subordinates. In the past ten years, they had paid nearly 10% less tax every year. When the leader of the Bai family went to Bianjing, they became more and more unscrupulous and even united with several other salt merchants."

Listening to Xu Zaijing's words, Sheng Hong's face became even more ugly. Even if the Bai family has moths and pays the fullest amount of taxes, then the other salt merchants will have even more problems.

As the general magistrate of Yangzhou, if he got involved with these salt merchants, then he would have no future.

"People from Beijing have been sent here and will arrive in Yangzhou in the near future. This matter is confidential, so please don't tell my cousins ​​and aunts about it." After Xu Zaijing finished speaking, he handed over his hands, and Sheng Hong and his wife quickly stood up and returned the gift without any pretense.

The couple were of the same age, their parents' family and other sources of information did not receive any news about this matter.

Moreover, Wang Ruofu looked at Xu Zaijing as if he didn't recognize him.

After all, Chang Bai, who was about the same age as Xu Zaijing, was still studying hard, but Xu Zaijing had already been exposed to major events related to the career of state officials, so she looked at the old lady with even more awe.

After the important things were said, the Shou'an Hall fell silent. Wang Ruofu glanced at Sheng Hong and saw that he had no intention of speaking. Wang Ruofu glanced at the old lady again and said: "Mother, today I am attending the thank you banquet of the eldest lady of the Hou Mansion. My daughter-in-law Heard some.”

"Brother Jing told me when he came back, but someone is spreading news about our Hua'er?" the old lady asked.

"Yes, yes! Mother, our Hua'er is such a good girl, but she became an unlucky person in the mouths of the people outside. If it weren't for the banquet of the Madam of the Hou Mansion, I!! What will happen to this Hua'er in the future? Do it!" Wang said with a somewhat anxious tone and a frown.

"Then do you know why our Hua'er has such a reputation?"

Wang Ruofu was stunned and didn't say anything, but he glanced sideways at Sheng Hong, which meant that he doted on his concubine and the housekeeper, making her a joke in Yangzhou.

The old lady sighed and said: "When Cai'er came to greet me just now, she knew that someone was coming to Yangzhou. As a eldest lady, you don't know anything?"

On the way back just now, Wang was filled with anger towards Sheng Hong and worry about Hua Lan's future, but she really didn't pay attention to Hua Lan's appearance.

The old lady's words asked Wang.

Seeing her daughter-in-law's confused look, the old lady said earnestly, "Do you know who the Superintendent of Schools in Yangzhou is?"

Sheng Hong glanced at his eldest wife and said nothing. Wang frowned and said, "The surname is Gao. She seems to be from Laizhou."

The old lady nodded and said, "Do you know who this senior supervisor is?"

Wang Ruofu thought for a while, straightened her back, glanced at Sheng Hong and said, "It is said that during the late emperor's time, the elders in the family had a capable minister who entered Zhaoxun Pavilion and had a status comparable to that of my father."

"But what does this have to do with our Hua'er's reputation?" Wang looked at Mrs. Sheng in confusion.

"Brother Jing said that the eldest son of the second wife of the Gao family had arrived in Taizhou with his mother a few days ago, and the news that he wanted to see him for his sake reached Yangzhou."

　Stupid from the cold

　　

　

(End of this chapter)