Funing Hall

Zhao Shiqi hurried to Chuzhou, but failed to return to Chuzhou.

He went elsewhere.

When he was returning to Chuzhou, he was stopped halfway again. This time, he met Lin Bai and others, the transfer envoy from Yangzhou.Although the transfer envoy is only a fourth-rank official, he is already the highest official in the locality. There are only about twenty people in the whole Song Dynasty, and he can be ranked even in the official family.

He travels, and the scene is not small.

The geographical location of Huainan East Road is very important, and it is very natural to be a transshipment envoy on Huainan East Road.

When Lin Bai was taking the imperial examination, the chief examiner was Du Yu. Although the Taizu tabooed the examiners to be too close to the students, for a hundred years, there was still some faint connection between these chief examiners and the students.

Zhao Cong is not very shy about such a relationship, and using it properly can make the relationship between the DPRK and China more stable. He thinks that many of Taizu's actions are too absolute.Du Yu also proposed Lin Bai's appointment as the transshipment envoy on Huainan East Road back then. Zhao Cong saw that he had a good resume, and asked him to go to the palace to talk a few times before he was appointed.

Everyone has advantages and disadvantages, and Lin Bai's disadvantage is that he is too pedantic and upright.He thought that among officials, since there is a distinction between superiors and inferiors, superiors should maintain their posture, and subordinates should respect their superiors.Moreover, he actually did not agree with His Majesty allowing members of the clan to participate in the political affairs of the court, and he even played it several times.

Zhao Cong ignored him, but he also felt that this person was interesting.Ignore it, he still plays.

So when he met Zhao Shiqi at this time, he didn't look very good.

Zhao Shiqi and Xiao Tang sent letters to Li Zhicheng when they were about to arrive in Chuzhou, and Li Zhicheng sent them a letter in a hurry.Lin Bai was already angry. Although Xiao Tang was a big celebrity in front of His Majesty, he was still a sixth grade, not to mention that His Majesty's nephew didn't even have an official position.

His Majesty ordered them to handle the matter of reform, but they didn't send the letter to him early!

He rushed to Chuzhou with a group of people, and rushed to Yancheng County in vain. On the way, he met someone who was going to Chuzhou to call for guards. When he heard that the salt people in the salt field were making trouble!Lin Bai was even angrier, he thought that the man of the county prince's mansion was really messing around!How can we go directly to contact the salt people without informing the officials and local officials?

Officials and people, officials and people, officials before the people, even if reforms are made, the river will flow from top to bottom, so the salt people just accept it!Still reason with them? !

He had nothing to fear, he got off the carriage and was still waiting for Zhao Shiqi to salute him.

Zhao Shiqi was an emperor in his previous life, but in this life he only bowed his head to Zhao Cong and knelt down to Zhao Cong and his mother.

Others are nothing in his eyes, and he doesn't like Lin Bai's pedantic appearance when he sees it, so he looks down at Lin Bai while riding on the horse.

Lin Bai was not afraid of Zhao Shiqi, but other officials were terrified.

If it were other people, Yangzhou Zhizhou and others would have shouted angrily, but the person in front of them, they dare not!

Lin Bai was already middle-aged and had grown a beard. Although his expression did not change, his beard trembled with anger when he saw him like this.

Zhao Shiqi had already done what he was supposed to do at this time, and without talking to them, he pulled the reins, turned the horse in another direction, and was about to leave.But he heard the sound of horseshoes coming from the direction of Chuzhou. Later, he saw the dust flying in the distance. A guard came on horseback in a hurry. When he couldn't reach him, he fell off his horse, knelt down in front of Lin Bai, and said loudly: "My lord! Master Yang was assassinated! He has died!"

Lin Bai raised his eyebrows, surprised and angry: "What?!"

"My lord! Master Yang was stabbed to death on the boat heading to Chuzhou! The blood stained the surface of the water, and the people on the other boats were able to discover it!"

The magistrate of Yangzhou was also in a hurry: "Master Yang's mother-in-law is celebrating her birthday. He has been in Suzhou for the past few days. He heard that there are officials from Beijing coming here. The subordinate officials sent him a letter, so he hurried to Chuzhou!"

"Send someone to bring Master Yang's body back immediately!" Lin Bai was furious. In the past few days, there have been accidents on Huainan East Road, which undoubtedly challenged his ability and majesty, and even affected his political achievements.

"My lord! Someone has gone to retrieve Master Yang's body!" The guard then told them about the situation on the spot.

Zhao Shiqi didn't listen any more, he didn't expect the officials here to be so interesting.

Mu Fu later interrogated Zhou Li, and Zhou Li didn't know which official in Beijing Yang Yuan and Lin Bai were in contact with.He is quite accurate in seeing people. Lin Bai is very pedantic. Although his attitude is unpleasant, he really doesn't look like the kind of official who shamelessly swallows salt capital and collects bribes with subordinate officials .

Who did Yang Yuan's death come from?Yang Yuan died suddenly, who was he pointing at?

He raised the corners of his mouth and smiled coldly, originally he thought that the matter could be resolved in a few days, but now he was afraid that it would really take more than a month.

He flicked his whip and left, but Lin Bai stopped him: "Stop!"

Yangzhou Zhizhou and others also called him: "Mr. Lang! Please stop!"

Zhao Shiqi ignored him, and quickly disappeared from everyone's sight together with his horse.

Last time, Mu Fu sent someone to secretly search Yang Yuan's house, but he didn't know exactly what was found.He hurried to Yangzhou, he had to search Yang Yuan's home again.

When he met Lu Yuan on the road, he breathed a sigh of relief. He was worried that no one would be available, but luckily they were there.

Lu Yuan also came here on horseback. When he saw him, he was pleasantly surprised: "Young gentleman! You said that when you go back to Chuzhou today, the little ones will not be able to wait for you. Sister Chaxi is very anxious and ordered the little ones to come on the way Look, I just saw it!"

Zhao Shiqi pulled the reins, looked behind Lu Yuan, there were no more, no less, there were exactly five people on Lu Yuan.

He pointed to two of them: "You guys go to Hangzhou, the [-]th Lane in Hangzhou City, Xiao's Mansion. You just say that I sent you there, you find a person named Yu, and you tell him, Yang Yuan, the salt tax officer After being killed by someone, he will know what to do. Then you go to Yancheng County with them."

The two people who were ordered listened and learned it again. Zhao Shiqi nodded, and they turned around and left.

Lu Yuan is Zhao Cong's personal eunuch, and he has more experience than many officials. Hearing these words, he knew that something happened in Yancheng County.

Zhao Shiqi looked at Lu Yuan again: "You follow me to Yangzhou."

He didn't ask, and immediately responded: "Yes!"

Zhao Shiqi went to Yangzhou, and it was rewarding. He took the eunuchs in the palace to search Yang Yuan's house openly.A few account books were clearly placed in the study, presumably waiting for someone to search them.He picked it up and took a look, and finally knew who this group of people wanted to point to. On the account book, Yang Yuan gave Lin Bai all the salt money he had embezzled and the bribes he had received.

In addition, there is another letter, which mentions that Du Yu disclosed the salt money to Lin Bai, and even mentioned how much bribes he received.

It turned out that the person they were really pointing at was Du Yu.

But not only that.

After they searched, when they were rushing back, Xiao Tang sent someone to inform him that the saltman he stabbed was dead.

He laughed again, it turned out that he was the one pointing at this time.

And who hates him so much?For such a thing, I did not forget to pull him in.

He has only been back to Beijing for two months.

Afterwards, things could no longer be controlled, and the salt people who had been appeased were agitated again because of the man's death.Although Zhao Shiqi secretly guessed, someone must have deliberately instigated the salt riots.But this riot can't be suppressed no matter what.

He hurried back to Yancheng County, but Lin Baizi was still dissatisfied with him.

Zhao Shiqi is not a kind-hearted person, no matter whether Lin Bai is innocent or not, why should he save face for this person?He directly threw the account book on Lin Bai's face, and said with a smile: "I found this from Yang Yuan's house. Their family members saw it with their own eyes, and the personal eunuch I brought also saw it with their own eyes. Lord Lin, Lord Zhou, There are also some adults I don't know, look carefully, your names are all written on it!"

Although Lin Bai was angry, he was really not afraid, he just blew his beard in anger.Most of the others were tricky, and they were so frightened that they quickly picked up the account book to read.

A certain person at the top remembers exactly how much silver taels he got on a certain day.

To say that the person who made this account book is also very smart, nine points of the truth are mixed with one point of falsehood, which frightened those who really got the money and immediately knelt down on the ground.A few of them bowed their hands to Zhao Shiqi and said, "Your Majesty! This account book is fake!"

"You're not an accountant, so if you say it's fake, it's fake?" Zhao Shiqi looked at the crowd again, "As long as the name is on the account book, all of them should be tied up and locked up!"

"How dare you!" Lin Bai slapped the table.He has been an official for many years, he has been the magistrate of the state for ten years, and then he is a transit envoy. He has always been flattered by the local people, but now he has to be behaved like this by a clan child who has no official position and has always been looked down upon by him. , can he bear it?

Zhao Shiqi laughed again, anyone who dared to speak to him like this would have died long ago.

Lin Bai disrespected him, but he was not angry, he just hated such pedantic people.

He didn't even want to take a look, and motioned directly to Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan nodded, picked up the booklet and asked, "Which one is He Qing?!"

An official in seventh-rank official uniform tremblingly dared not raise his head, Zhao Shiqi raised his chin: "Tie it up."

Several young eunuchs immediately went forward to tie him up.The eunuchs have been taught by the old eunuchs in all kinds of ways in the palace, and they are no worse than the guards in doing these things, and even smarter than them.These are all civil servants. They studied when they were young and served as officials for a long time. Their bodies have long been weak and they can't resist at all.Lu Yuan reported their names one by one, and the eunuchs gagged their mouths one by one and tied them with ropes.

The eunuchs came from Funing Hall and usually served His Majesty, Lin Bai didn't count for much in their eyes, so they tied him up anyway.

At the end of the reading, there were only about five people who hadn't been tied up, and they were all low-ranking officials of the eighth or ninth rank. It is estimated that no one tried to bribe them.They breathed a sigh of relief, but were also frightened. They knelt down and bowed their heads, not daring to look at Zhao Shiqi.

Zhao Shiqi looked at the gagged officials and said, "I have no right to interrogate you, and I have no right to put you in prison. This is just because I don't want to let the fish that slipped through the net go through. Yang Yuan's body, I also have Send someone to check it out. When Master Xiaotang and I settle the matter of the saltworks, I will report the matter to His Majesty quickly. Whether to send officials here to investigate, or to take off your black hats on the spot, or just ask for it Your life depends on His Majesty! If you are innocent, nothing will happen to you."

"It's just that you should also know that the salt people are ignorant, and no one instigates them. They understand riots? No one taught them what they said, and they will say it? Where did the salt capital of the salt people go? What is the collusion between you and the officials? Since Master Xiao and I have come here by His Majesty's order, none of you can escape!"

After Zhao Shiqi finished speaking, he turned and walked out of the house.

Lu Yuan's face was also indifferent, and he led someone to check the officials who were tied up one by one, and checked with the roster again, before he sneered and said, "My lords, please wait!"

Lin Bai was gagged, his hands and feet were tied again, and he glared at him instead.

Lu Yuan smiled: "My lord, don't stare at me. Even though the young one is an eunuch, he also knows the suffering of the people. As officials, you suck the blood of the people like this! The young one can't bear it for you!"

After he finished speaking, he turned and left, and stayed outside with the rest of the eunuchs.

Zhao Shiqi kept spinning, and after finishing his work here, he hurried to the salt field.

Although Li Zhicheng is well-behaved, he remembers to work, and together with Xiao Tang, comforts the Yan people.When Xiao Tang saw him coming, he immediately wiped off his sweat: "Young Lord! You've come back!—"

Zhao Shiqi raised his hand to stop his words: "I already know that Lin Bai and others have been locked up by me."

"Ah?!" Xiao Tang and Li Zhicheng were dumbfounded.

Zhao Shiqi picked the key points and talked about Yang Yuan's death and his family's account books.

Li Zhicheng said in his heart, "My good boy!", Master Lin is still greedy for money!Thanks to him trusting and looking up to Lord Lin so much in the past!

Xiao Tang frowned: "Young Lord, my official position is under him, so..."

Zhao Shiqi didn't care and said, "I will take care of everything."

Xiao Tang thought about it for a while, before coming, His Majesty said that if the local officials wanted Qiao, his status as a gentleman would just be used.Did His Majesty anticipate this?

He couldn't help admiring His Majesty even more, thinking in his heart that if something like this happened, he would always send a letter to His Majesty.Otherwise, even with the status of Mr. Xiao Lang, it would be difficult for them to handle this matter!

Instead, he wrote a letter to pass it to His Majesty in Beijing.

Xiao Tang worshiped too much, and Zhao Cong expected that the local officials would be difficult to deal with, since they were all local snakes after all.He also knew that there must be tricks in the location of these salt pits, but he didn't expect there to be so many tricks.

When they came to Huainan, it happened to catch up with the wind, and Zhao Cong was not seasick, and he felt no discomfort on the water, and the boat went very fast.From the diversion of the Bianhe River to the Grand Canal, go down the river, and arrive at the wharf in Dechuzhou City five days later.Zhao Cong asked someone to ask, and Li Zhicheng, Zhao Shiqi, and Xiao Tang, who knew the state, were all gone, and they are all in Yancheng County now.

He didn't stay any longer, and went directly to Yancheng County by boat.

Zhao Shiqi didn't know that Zhao Cong would come to Huainan, he had been living near the salt field these days, and he and Xiao Tang were both busy.After tying up Lin Bai and the others that day, he sent his assistant to investigate the body of the man he stabbed.Where he stabbed once, he was stabbed many times again according to the original cut.

He asked the doctor and the officer to inquire, only to know that the wound had been bandaged at that time, and the man was not a noble person, after the bandage was done, they all left.It was impossible to find out who got into the man's house and stabbed him several times.

And people who bleed too much will always die, even if it is not fatal.

The salt people who refused to listen to the persuasion repeatedly could not listen to the explanation anymore, using violence to control violence, it is useful to kill one at the first time, but killing it now will have no deterrent effect.

What do the salt people care about?

It is nothing more than survival, the salt capital they depend on for a living.

At this time, he can only deter them by finding out and killing the person who has swallowed their money.

The people sent to Hangzhou also traveled by water. Although Hangzhou is not far from Chuzhou, it is not very close. It happened that there was a headwind, and it took more than two days to go back and forth. More days.Therefore, when they returned to Yancheng County and picked up people to rush to the salt field, Zhao Cong happened to have just arrived in Chuzhou, so he happened to miss him.

Seeing that someone brought it up, Zhao Shiqi relaxed a little.

No matter what, Zhao Cong is a kind person, and he is willing to handle the affairs assigned to him as gently as possible.Just kill the person who deserves to be killed, and the innocent should not be implicated.

The man who was implicated by him to death, he had already ordered Lu Yuan to give Yinzi a place alone.

These two field officials had been trained by Mu Fu long ago, they were very honest, and they were recruited cleanly.It's just that the two of them are just ordinary decoction officials, and the people they confess are nothing more than some high-end salt households and low-level officials in Yancheng County.

Whether it is Lin Bai or Yang Yuan, they are not at the level they can touch.

But enough.

In the early morning of the next day, Zhao Shiqi asked people to gather the Yan people again.There is a wooden platform on the salt drying field, Zhao Shiqi is standing on it, Xiao Tang and Li Zhicheng are separated from each other.

Zhao Shiqi looked at the salt people below, feeling pity for them and hating them at the same time.But they are illiterate and do not study, how can they understand the truth?

Thinking of Zhao Cong's back tricks, Zhao Shiqi also felt that Zhao Cong thought far and had great ambitions.

It was a fine day, with gentle sea breeze and gentle waves.

Zhao Shiqi put his hands behind his back, remained silent for a moment, and said to the salt people below: "When I saw you last time, I told you that you will have an explanation in three days. But you don't believe me, let alone His Majesty, and there is another disturbance. The man I accidentally injured, I checked it a few days ago, and the result has been told to you, he was stabbed a few more times before he died."

"You are the gentleman in the palace, so naturally you will say what you say! Aren't we ordinary people being deceived by you?! You may be yours!"

Zhao Shiqi was a little angry when he heard this, but he wanted to accomplish something today, so he couldn't get angry.

He listened, ignored him, and continued: "Your Majesty knows exactly what you care about. Your Majesty knows even more what you doubt! According to the rules of my court, the salt capital of the salt people should be paid according to the time limit each year. Distributed, 35 guan for each high-class salt household, [-] guan for each middle-class salt household, and [-] guan for each low-grade salt household. In the past few days, Master Xiao and Master Li and I have contacted many of you and asked you , I also know that you have never received the salt capital on time, and even if you received it, it was far from the stipulated amount."

The people below nodded and shouted "That's right!".

"Do you think it's the imperial court that doesn't give you money?"

Some people nodded their heads, while others said hesitantly, "Maybe it's the adults above who stole our money!".

Zhao Shiqi nodded to Lu Yuan who was standing below, and the two eunuchs escorted the two officials to the wooden platform.Li Zhicheng and Xiao Tang were also taken aback, Zhao Shiqi ordered the eunuch to raise their heads, he pointed at them and asked, "Do you know each other?"

"This is the decoction officer in our saltworks!" Someone immediately recognized them.

Zhao Shiqi nodded: "Exactly. It's just that you know that they are urging officials, do you also know that they actually swallowed your capital?"

The people below showed unbelievable expressions. These urging officials deal with them all day long, live and eat in the same place, and it is said that their salaries are also very low. They are as pitiful as them. Embezzling their money? !

Zhao Shiqi sneered, and raised his chin slightly.

The eunuch took out the cloth towels in the mouths of the two of them, and they recruited again honestly, and they also told which officials they were working with and which high-ranking households they were working with.

There was an uproar below.

Zhao Shiqi didn't stop them, but said again: "The salt field has been sealed, and the high-class salt households mentioned by the two of them just now can be caught immediately, and no one can escape!" He pointed at the two men again, " Everyone has also seen that it's not that His Majesty doesn't distribute money to you. His Majesty even thinks about these things every year. He often asks questions, and there are more detailed records in the palace. It's just that His Majesty is in Beijing and has to deal with many matters. How can he leave Beijing easily? , handle these things yourself?"

"Your Majesty knows your situation. Since he took office, he has been thinking of everything to improve your situation, so he came up with this method. Just now someone disdain that I am a member of the palace. I come from the palace, but I am even more your Majesty's." Nephew. Your Majesty sent me, my nephew, here to scare you, to fight against you, to kill people?"

They shook their heads involuntarily.He is a noble person, how could he do such a thing.

But Zhao Shiqi said again: "But today, I really want to kill people." After he finished speaking, he looked at Lu Yuan again.

Lu Yuan took the order, walked up to the wooden platform, and drew a dagger from his sleeve.While everyone was stunned, he had already raised the knife to the ground and cut the throats of the two of them directly with the knife. In an instant, the two of them were dead.

Li Zhicheng's legs trembled again, how could he be so caught off guard!

Fortunately, Lu Yuan saw it and gave him a hand, otherwise he would really kneel down.

The salt people are not much better than him, how can they not panic when they suddenly see two familiar people have their throats cut? !

What Zhao Shiqi wanted was such a situation, and killing chickens to scare monkeys should be used when it has the most deterrent effect.

Just when everyone was stunned, he said: "People like this who embezzle money from the salt people should be killed, they should be killed. From now on, as long as they dare to act like this, kill as many as there are! Your Majesty has all people in his heart and hates it." Such an unbearable person. Everyone here, still suspect that I and the two adults have bad intentions? Are you still puzzled by His Majesty's plan?"

"Don't doubt it!" they shouted back.

Zhao Shiqi sneered in his heart, he didn't believe it, but this time it is estimated that it will shock for several days.He looked at the people under the stage, and said again: "Your Majesty is doing everything for you! I said a few days ago that Your Majesty has other considerations. I might as well tell you today, Your Majesty..."

Zhao Shiqi never knew that he had such good patience, and he actually repeated Zhao Cong's good wishes to these people tirelessly, and even told them Zhao Cong's plan in detail.

But he couldn't see that these people misunderstood Zhao Cong's kindness. In history, emperors like Zhao Cong were really rare.

Zhao Cong really cared about the people, and since he cared, he couldn't disappoint Zhao Cong.He cares, but he can't care in vain, he wants everyone to know Zhao Cong's painstaking efforts.

If one day, everyone in the world will know Zhao Cong's painstaking efforts and wishes.

Then his own wish will probably be solved.

Zhao Shiqi explained in detail, but Xiao Tang listened obsessively.

From the moment he came to Chuzhou, everything this young man did and said was beyond anyone's expectations.He and Li Zhicheng were torn between believing and not believing.Every time when they thought they had entered a dead end this time, Zhao Shiqi was able to open a hole with his bare hands, and dazzling light poured in.

Such a person is a wonder.

He didn't know how to react besides admiration.

This road is really thrilling!

Li Zhicheng was even more obsessed, while listening to the young man's words, he was pulling his daughter at home.With his official position, his main wife can't be counted on.But this little gentleman is loved by His Majesty, and with such ability, he might be able to be named a prince in the future.Even being the side concubine of the palace is better than the main wives of other families!Even the side concubine must be included in the royal family tree!

Thinking that there is a Li family in the royal family tree, his heart became very hot.

In the salt field, only Zhao Shiqi's clear and bright voice explained His Majesty's various arrangements to everyone. Everyone listened carefully and nodded from time to time.

No one saw the people inside. Just at the gate of the salt field, a group of people stood ten feet away from the salt field.

Standing at the front is a gentleman, dressed in a concubine-colored gown and a viola-colored cloak, the hem of the cloak is gently swayed by the soft sea breeze.

But he didn't care, just looked at the black figure ten feet away.

The sea breeze is soft, but not unfamiliar, because it brings all familiar sounds.

It brought the familiar voice to Zhao Cong's ear.

The author has something to say: Eleven Niang: Blow my majesty into the sky!Don't sleep up and blow it together!

Zhao Cong: I heard [smiling]

Eleven Niang: [cover face]

Eleven Niang, also known as Zhao Shiqi, is the number one fan of Zhao Cong in Kaifeng Prefecture, a big Ace among fans, and the president of the Zhao Cong Support Club of the Great Song Dynasty.