Thousands of Mountains

Chapter 32 Cangyuan

Taifu Liang had analyzed the situation in the court for Yin Cen and Chen Ji that day. In the cabinet, besides Taifu Liang himself, Minister of the Ministry of War Gu Cheng, Minister of the Ministry of Households Mao Yingtai, and scholar Zhang Qianchun of the Wenyuan Pavilion did not show their uniqueness on the surface. Qi Yanzhi was ahead of his time, but he paid close attention to Qi Yanzhi's tendencies when discussing important matters and drafting votes. It seemed that Zhao Lun would also be promoted to the cabinet by Qi Yanzhi. This cabinet could almost be said to be dominated by the Qi Party.

"Looking at the court for many years, Qi Yanzhi is a low-key and cautious person. Even if he disagrees with others' political views, he will not speak sharply. He is very good at keeping a low profile and buying people's hearts." Taifu Liang described it like this.

Yin Cen asked, "What does the teacher think of this person?"

Liang Luoshu thought for a moment, stroked his beard, and said slowly, "Deep and sophisticated, full of forbearance, and unscrupulous."

"Does the teacher think he is a big treacherous person?" Yin Cen asked again.

Liang Luoshu shook his head unexpectedly, "I have been unable to understand what he is asking for these years. If a person does it for his own selfishness, it can be considered evil, but I think he is not doing it for himself. As the chief assistant of the cabinet these years, on the one hand, he is indeed With the merits of governing the country, there is no excuse for things that benefit the country such as water conservancy and disaster relief. But at the same time, because of his moderation, the officialdom is corrupt. The emperor is addicted to alchemy and does not control himself. I, Daning, are even more degraded." Liang Luoshu looked at Yin Cen, "This person has deep scheming, since he can't see the superficial selfish desires, what he seeks can only be greater."

Chen Ji said at the moment, "Qi Yanzhi's student, Zhao Lun, is not as calm as his teacher. We will pay more attention to him in the future, and maybe we can find out what they are planning."

Yin Cen nodded and said, "Ah Yue wants to go with me."

The two looked at each other and smiled, and Liang Luoshu nodded slightly.

------

The old house in Pai'er Hutong was replaced by the lanterns of the Yin Mansion. When Yin Cen went out at dawn, a simple carriage was parked at the entrance of the alley. An old coachman opened the curtain when he saw him. The gilded temples drove past.

A bright yellow boy stood far away from the gate of the palace. Yin Cen jumped out of the carriage and walked towards Chen Ji. Chen Ji smiled and said, "This is the first time I see Brother Pingshan wearing clothes other than black. This indigo court dress is really pretty."

Yin Cen smiled shyly, "I didn't go out until I took care of it for a long time today, and I feel that I don't look like that."

Chen Ji raised his hand to help straighten his head with the Chengyou crown on his head, and then took a closer look from head to toe. He was dressed in green and plain in white boots, with a clean and warm complexion, and his slender phoenix eyes were full of smiles. Chen Ji followed My heart seemed to be blooming.

The courtiers who entered the palace arrived one after another. Yin Cen and Chen Ji entered the Yongming Hall together, and stood silently at the end of the court hall, watching Chen Ji walk up the second-floor steps of the Jinluan Hall.

"Long live my emperor!"

The courtiers worshiped collectively, and behind the hanging curtain on the top of the steps, a vague figure waved, "Let's get flat."

Although I saw the emperor Chen Ze from afar last time on the riding and archery range, but this time in the court hall, Yin Cen saw the thin figure behind the hanging curtain, and felt that this person seemed to be thinner again, and just a short sentence would not be enough. He could hear the smell of qi and blood deficiency.

According to the usual practice, the ministers of each ministry first report the progress of the matters they belong to, as well as various matters that need to be discussed in the court.

In the case of the assassination of Yuan Yuanshan, Jiang Wansheng, the Minister of Dali Temple, submitted the investigation result that he was injured by the villains in the riots in Nancheng. Regarding this result, Yuan Ping vowed not to accept it, but Jiang Wansheng listed the witnesses and evidences one by one After coming out, even Chen Ze also spoke, and the investigation on this matter ends here. Xin Shangyun, as the commander of the imperial army, should be dereliction of duty, and he will be fined for one year.

Although Yin Cen had expected that things would develop like this, but now seeing Jiang Wansheng and Xin Shangyun's performance so well, and the witness and material evidence presented so seamlessly, he also deeply felt that behind all these seemingly clear and bright scenes , the turbulent tide of darkness.

He has to face such a group of people, if one is not careful, he will be drowned by the tide.

Unknowingly, an hour had passed in the early court, and all the courtiers had finished their discussions. Chen Ze asked, "Do you have anything else to report?"

There was silence in the hall.

After hanging the curtain, Chen Ze straightened his body and said, "Since you have finished asking me, now it's my turn to ask you."

The courtiers looked at each other, who is this today?

Yin Cen also hesitated secretly, which song is this singing?Looking up at Mr. Liang, he was standing at the front of the queue, slightly hunched over, but steady.

Chen Ze said, "Yesterday, the Procuratorate submitted an interesting memorandum, which stated that this person has submitted a total of twelve memorials to the imperial court, the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the cabinet in the past year, but none of them have been heard from. I had no choice but to write a complaint memorial to the Procuratorate, and then it was handed over to me."

There was a little commotion among the people in the hall. Someone lightly touched Mao Yingtai's arm, Minister of the Household Department, "Does Master Mao know about this?"

Mao Yingtai's complexion was dark, and he turned his arms and replied in a low voice, "I don't know."

As he spoke, he unconsciously glanced at Qi Yanzhi twice. The other party stood upright with a calm expression on his face.

Chen Ze continued, "Everyone would like to know what is written in this notebook?"

Everyone was silent.

Chen Ze said, "The paper was submitted by Zou Hengkong, the censor of Zuodu of the Procuratorate, why not let him inform you."

Zou Hengkong went out to stand in the hall, and Yin Cen saw that this plain old Mr. Zou was his immediate boss. He was about middle age and short in stature. He couldn't see his face from behind, but somehow he was capable and tall. breath.

The people in the hall folded their hands and lowered their eyes, and said in a steady voice, "This memorial is presented by Qin Nianqin, the magistrate of Cangyuan County, Zhaoyang Prefecture, Yunnan Province."

Qin Nianqin?Yin Cen was dazzled by this name, it was so familiar, he seemed to have heard it somewhere before...Suddenly remembered that when he first entered the Prince's Mansion many years ago, when Taifu Liang was teaching Chen Ji in the study, he took this person's imperial examination papers for him. Chen Ji has seen it.

Yin Cen stretched his neck and looked towards the Golden Luan Hall, just as Chen Ji looked over with slightly surprised eyes.

Zou Hengkong continued, "Magistrate Qin was sent to Cangyuan County five years ago. Although he is only a small county magistrate, he still manages this small town isolated from the world in an orderly manner. But there is one thing he doesn't know very well. gone."

Zou Hengkong paused, then raised his voice slightly and said, "In the past five years, he has inspected Cangyuan County and even Zhaoyang Mansion's land boundaries and people's livelihood. It can be considered rich, but for some reason, the local people sitting in a land with abundant resources are getting poorer and poorer, and before he took office, there were many bandits. Naturally, he won't receive any taxes, and he is quite guilty of being a county magistrate."

Someone in the hall asked, "Master Zou, can you explain more clearly what are the products of Cangyuan County?"

Zou Hengkong turned his body around and answered in the direction of the question, "Cangyuan County is rich in tea and salt, and tea is the most abundant, accounting for five or six out of ten of the entire tea industry in Yunnan."

As soon as this remark came out, there was an uproar in the court, and the whispers were so loud that Chen Ji, who was on the steps, could hear them clearly.

"With tea and salt, how can people live in poverty?"

"This tea and salt are made by the government, could it be..."

Chen Ze cleared his throat behind the hanging curtain, and the hall fell silent instantly.

Chen Ze opened his mouth and said, "Mao Yingtai, Secretary of the Household Department, how much is the total tax payment of Zhaohe Prefecture in Yunnan this year?"

Mao Yingtai came out and clasped his hands and said, "Go back to the emperor, the Zhaohe government has paid a total of 6000 taels of taxes for ten months this year."

Everyone in the court looked shocked again, but this time they covered their mouths and noses and stopped whispering.

In the state capital of tea and salt, the tax silver is only 6000 taels in the past year?Where did all the money go?

As soon as Mao Yingtai finished speaking, Chen Ze asked again in a strict voice, "Mao Yingtai, how much tea does Zhaohe Prefecture produce in total this year?"

Mao Yingtai was sweating faintly on his face, swallowed his saliva, and replied, "Return to the emperor, according to the records of the Ministry of Households, the total tea produced by Zhaohe Prefecture this year is 40 catties."

Chen Ze asked Zou Hengkong again, "Zou Yushi, what did the scripture say?"

Zou Hengkong replied again, "Back to the emperor, the magistrate of Qin County personally visited all the tea hills, tea farms, and tea merchants in Zhaoyang prefecture. In the past ten months of this year, they have collected a total of the tea produced by the factories, except for about 500 catties of tribute tea that was handed over to the Rites Supervisor. The rest total about two million catties."

As soon as these words came out, Manchao was in an uncontrollable commotion.

Mao Yingtai immediately said anxiously to Zou Hengkong, "How can the figures calculated by a county magistrate be accurate?!"

Zou Hengkong ignored it, and cupped his hands again towards Chen Ze, "Your Majesty, I just reported the truth according to the memorial presented by the magistrate of Qin."

Chen Ze asked again, "Mao Yingtai, according to what you said, the county magistrate's statistics are not accurate, but the household department's statistics must be accurate?"

Beads of Mao Yingtai's sweat trickled down his temples. In October, when autumn was high and crisp, he looked like midsummer, and his whole body was about to smoke.

He raised his head and replied, "The statistics recorded by the Ministry of Household Affairs are all counted by the government officials of each state and province. Naturally, they are more accurate than those of the county magistrates. Both tea and salt are prone to defective products. Often, a catty of tea leaves can be sifted out. What is left is only two or three out of ten, if Qin County Magistrate counts according to the weight before the sieve, it would be a big misunderstanding."

As Mao Yingtai spoke, he seemed to have found the confidence to rely on, and his voice became steady, and then he said, "The imperial court has always set up a tea and salt department in a tea and salt town, which is directly under the control of the supervisor of ceremonies. How can there be fakes under the supervision of the government?"

Chen Ze turned his head and asked Gao Ren who was outside the curtain, "Who is the tea and salt supervisor in Zhaoyang Mansion?"

Gao Ren bowed and replied, "Back to the emperor, it was Ren Tonghuan who was the father-in-law. When he was still in the palace, everyone called him Xiaohuanzi, do you still remember?"

Chen Ze frowned slightly, seemed to remember such a person, nodded, and then said loudly to the court, "That is to say, Zhaoyang Prefecture, the Department of Tea and Salt, and the Ministry of Households all counted that Zhaoyang Prefecture produced 40 teas this year. Wan Jin, but Qin Nianqin, the magistrate of Cangyuan County, has conclusive evidence that the actual amount is more than five times, that is, the tax money I actually received should also be more than five times, you say, who should I believe? good?"

It was silent again.

Suddenly the hanging curtain surged, and Chen Ze lifted the hanging curtain with a bang, and strode forward in a broad robe and sleeves.

All the courtiers stared wide-eyed in shock. Chen Ze had been behind the curtain for nearly ten years, and even some officials in the court had never seen the emperor's appearance.

For a moment, I don't know who raised the head first, and everyone knelt down and kowtowed.

Chen Ze waved his sleeves, "I haven't shown up for a long time, do you all think I'm crazy or stupid?!"

Then he pointed to the crowd, "Mr. Qi Ge, has the cabinet heard what Qin Nianqin reported?"

Qi Yanzhi said slowly, "Back to the emperor, I never know."

"What an unknown!" Chen Ze sneered, "Now there is only one Zhaoyang Mansion, and there is a difference of five times. How many Zhaoyang Mansions are there in the whole of Yunnan and my Daning? How many times the difference?"

"Mao Yingtai, the Ministry of Households has been complaining to me all day long about the lack of military pay, the lack of water conservancy supervision fees from the Ministry of Works, and the lack of regular salary from the Ministry of Officials. When there is a shortage of money, the abacus is better than anyone else. faster than anyone else?"

"This emperor is really far away, I don't appear in front of you every day, but I am not blind!"

Chen Ze said again in a strict voice, "Qi Yanzhi, how should we investigate this matter?"

Qi Yanzhi thought for a while, and replied, "Back to the emperor, I think you can send your trusted courtiers to the Zhaohe Mansion for a thorough investigation, and the numbers verified are based on this thorough investigation. , the Ministry of Household Affairs, or the county magistrate Qin Nianqin, all will be investigated one by one after investigation.”

Chen Ze put his hands behind his back and stood on the Golden Temple, "According to what you said, who should be sent there?"

Qi Yanzhi said, "The minister recommends Zhao Lun, a scholar of Wenyuan Pavilion, who is knowledgeable, proud and trustworthy."

After saying a word, Zou Hengkong also took a step forward and said, "Your Majesty, this matter is a matter of the Inspectorate, so naturally the people from the Inspectorate should go there. A few days ago, the Inspector Yushi recommended by Liang Taifu is in court today. I think you can send this person there, as the newcomers in the court and people from various departments in Zhaoyang Mansion are unfamiliar with him, and there is no conflict of interest, so it will be easier to handle the matter."

Yin Cen's heartbeat quickened slightly, and Chen Ze asked, "Where is the new supervisory censor?"

Yin Cen came out from the tail of the court team, clasped his hands and replied, "Return to the emperor, here is Yin Cen, who has a lowly position."

Chen Ze asked, "Are you willing to go to Yunnan?"

Yin Cen bowed and said, "Of course I am willing."

Chen Ze said again, "If this matter fails, your post of supervisory censor will be revoked immediately."

Yin Cen said, "Don't worry, your majesty, since I have accepted the errand, I will definitely not give up halfway."

"Okay, I order you to inspect the imperial censor for tea and salt, and leave for Zhaoyang Mansion immediately tomorrow."

"The minister obeys the order!"

At this time Liang Luoshu suddenly stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, I have a suggestion for you."

"Teacher please tell me."

"The matter presented in the Qin County Magistrate's Memorial harms the interests of the royal family. I suggest that the emperor allow the prince to go with him. One is to assist in the picketing, and the other is to allow the prince to observe the various conditions of the people's livelihood and learn from it."

Chen Ze walked back and forth a few steps, nodded slightly and said, "What the Taifu said is reasonable," then looked at Chen Ji, "The prince will go together tomorrow."

Chen Ji raised his eyebrows with joy, tried his best to restrain himself, and clapped his hands back, "Thank you, father, my son obeys the order!"

After Chen Ze finished speaking, he turned to the court, "Xin Shangyun, select the master guards and escort the two princes all the way to Yunnan. If there is any mistake on the way, you are the only one to ask!"

Xin Shangyun took the order to thank him.

After the court, Chen Ji went back to his home and changed into his regular clothes, and he couldn't wait to go to Pai'er Hutong. Yin Cen opened the door and changed into a black regular shirt. Chen Ji's smile came from his bones, and he couldn't help hugging Yin Cen He raised his arms against his shoulders, and ran back and forth in the yard for a few laps before he let the man down while panting.

"Brother Pingshan, let's go to Yunnan together!" Chen Ji shook his head happily.

Yin Cen couldn't help laughing, he never expected to encounter such an errand for the first time today.

Chen Ji added, "I still remember that time in March this year, when we went to the countryside for a horse race, you asked me if I had been to Jiangnan when I came back?"

"Remember." Yin Cen recalled that day with a very gentle face, "You said that you will buy a house in Jiangnan in the future."

"Yes, I still remember that I said that I will go with Brother Pingshan wherever I go in the future." Chen Ji's eyes were also shining.

Yin Cen fondled the corner of his jaw. Thinking of leaving the capital tomorrow, he had some expectations in his heart. Although he knew that the future of this trip was dangerous, he still yearned for the vast sky ahead. He also wanted Chen Ji to feel the joy of the capital. Outside, the sky is high and the land is wide, and you can gallop freely.

The author has something to say:

They finally went out for a walk~