Once magnificent, now brilliant

Although the He Mansion was raided at night, the news cannot be concealed.During the day, the commander of the imperial army brought his men to search all over the mansion. The officers and soldiers came in and out in a dignified manner, and moved out some things from time to time. No matter how you look at it, the mansion was raided.

As for the reason, the common people are not clear, they can only wait for the imperial decree to come down.However, this did not delay their guessing, and the rumors seemed to be true, which made the tense atmosphere in Beijing and China more interesting to chat about.

Qi Xiang didn't know what was going on in the prison.However, if you enter the Ministry of Criminal Justice, you will definitely have to spit out something. As for whether you take the initiative to recruit and suffer less suffering, or whether you will be completely questioned if you use torture, it depends on your own consciousness.Anyway, staying in that kind of place won't make you feel good.

Everything in the Third Prince's Mansion remains the same, and Qi Xiang is not surprised.He Yuen wants to marry high, and He Li wants to cling to him, but the third prince is not a fool.If such a dangerous thing could drag him out lightly, then he wouldn't be a prince long ago.The third prince didn't move, he probably already had a plan in mind.As for whether He Li is willing to become an abandoned son, or to fight to the death, Qi Xiang just listens to the news at home.Anyway, no matter how much you talk about it, you can't bring it to him. Even if He Li finds out that the number of grains mixed with stones is wrong, there is no reason to argue. The interrogator will only think that he wants to reduce the sentence.According to what he found, the stone-mixed grain prepared by He Li is not limited to the one shipped out. As long as the rest is found, it means that He Li is not only premeditated, but he is not going to stop at once, and no one will understand his defense. Believe it.

Taking ten thousand steps back, even if He Li can prove that some of the grain mixed with rocks was not prepared by himself, then they still have to find out the clues of someone else.Qi Xiang has arranged everything very well, and will never let others find any clues.Without clues, if the Ministry of Criminal Justice wants to close the case, it will only feel that He Li is using tricks to delay time.Anyway, it's either death or the result of exile, and the Ministry of Punishment will not talk too much with him.

Xianzheng quickly found several suitable shops, all of which were in good locations and with reasonable rents.So these few days Qi Xiang followed him to look at the shops, and he had to look at many places to choose the most suitable one.

Qi Xiang also took this opportunity to mention Ai Wu to Xianzheng, saying that Ai Wu is familiar with fabrics and can be the shopkeeper.As for Xiao Er, Ai Wu has a fellow villager who came with him. He used to be a waiter in a jewelry store, and he can be regarded as a businessman. You can use it to see.

Xian Xing naturally has no objection, he must be at ease with Butler Pan as the guarantor.

"Ai Wu knows a little about the channels for purchasing fabrics. They have been running businessmen between Beijing and other places for many years. There are also those who specialize in fabric business. They earn a lot of hard money and the price of fabrics is also reasonable. Southern fabrics in need can be sold to others." They brought them here specially. The rest of the ordinary materials are easier to get, there are people who specialize in weaving for a living everywhere, and there are quite a few in the suburbs of Beijing, just pick and buy for a long time.”

Xian Yu said with a smile: "That's it, the major issue is settled, and the rest are trivial matters. I have already asked the embroiderer at home to help me find out about recruiting a tailor. She is good at craftsmanship, and the person she introduces should not be bad."

With a family background like Xianzheng's, there must be an embroidered mother in the family.It's just that there are only two men in the family, he and the Taifu, and the embroidery patterns needed are simple, so most of them have been dismissed, and there are only two old people in the family. That's it.

"That's fine. After the shop is settled, I will ask Daoist Guo to choose an auspicious date for us, and then do a ceremony in Xiangyun Temple to wish the business prosperity, and everything will be fine."

Xian Xuan laughed at him, "It's normal to ask for auspicious dates, why are you still doing Buddhist rituals? You are too grand."

Qi Xiang didn't take it seriously, "I rely on it for food, of course I have to do everything I need to do."

"What you said is also reasonable. Then I will invite the lion dancer to add another excitement."

"Alright."

Speaking of this, Xianzheng smiled slightly, and said: "I mentioned to my grandfather about opening a store, and my grandfather agreed very much. Guess why?"

Qi Xiang asked him leisurely: "Do you want me to guess right or not?"

Xian Xing laughed a bit awkwardly, "You know the reason for saying that."

Qi Xiang stirred the chilled mung bean and lotus seed soup, "If there is a day for the fourth prince, whether it is you or Jun Yu, the best choice is to retire after success.

Most of the enthroned people are deeply involved in power and lose themselves. In the end, they are either arrogant or domineering, or corrupt and accept bribes, and they do not end well.If you count as a civil servant, it's fine if you can keep the Qingming, but Jun Yu is a general, and the high meritorious service can kill him.Now that the Bai family has been feared, this expedition has been discussed for a long time, which shows that the emperor does not want to use General Fengbei.This is the case today, and it will only be worse in the future. "

"Now, you are classmates, so you can stab him in both sides. In the future, if you become monarchs and ministers, you will be tabooed, and your former interests will become threats."

"Your Highness, he..." Xianzheng wanted to argue for Rong Cang.

Qi Xiang raised his hand to interrupt him, "It doesn't matter what your Highness is, the important thing is to sit in that position, it's hard not to be suspicious, and you can't help yourself. If His Highness is the exception, that's fine. But if you look around, Is there any monarch who is an exception? Your Highness is of great character, and helping him to the top is for the benefit of the people. I believe His Highness will also be a wise monarch. A gamble of friendship may result in death. This is not what I want to see, nor what the Taifu wants to see."

Xian Xuan's throat rolled, and he said discouragedly: "I understand, but I grew up with His Highness, it is difficult to let go of this affection."

Xian Xuan is the one who has followed Rong Cang the longest among them, so his relationship is naturally deeper than theirs.

"Put the relationship in the right place, and you and His Highness will have this friendship for the rest of your life, but if you put it in the wrong place, it will only become a past that you can't wait to erase. Proper advance and retreat will protect your life and your relationship. "

Xian Xuan nodded, "I see, then let's build the store well, I still expect to retire in Beijing."

"Okay, then let's talk about the shops we visited these few days..." Qi Xiang said this to Xianzheng, without the intention of provoking, he also hopes that the fourth prince will ascend the throne, which is also the safest for him.But because he and Xianzheng are good friends, there are some things that others can't say or don't want to say, so he is willing to say a few more words to Xianzheng.It is also because he knows that Xianzheng is not someone who guesses randomly and has extreme thoughts, so he dares to say so much with confidence.

What he said was indeed the best choice for Xianzheng and Bai Junyu. The Taifu could see it clearly, and he could also understand it. Now Xianzheng also understands it. I hope Bai Junyu can know it in his heart in the future.

Xian Xuan and Qi Xiang are busy with the business of the store here, and in the emperor's study room, more than a dozen ministers stand with their heads bowed, the atmosphere is serious and tense.

"Where are the people from the Ministry of Punishment?" The emperor was in the upper position with a dignified expression.

"The minister is here." The Minister of the Ministry of punishment came out.

"Did He Li ask something?"

"Back to the emperor, He Li didn't explain anything, but he didn't know what was going on. But the people under him recruited him to order people to add stones to the grain, and there was also some bribery. Besides, Those servants don’t know much about it, and they don’t know where the grains replaced by grains mixed with stones are hidden.”

"Is there no punishment?" The emperor frowned.

"Not yet." He Li is basically unable to keep his official position, but he was an official of the imperial court before. Even the Ministry of Punishment, without the emperor's acquiescence, is not allowed to commit suicide without the emperor's acquiescence. Advocate, they also dare not act hastily.Those servants, on the other hand, used all they needed, but they didn't vomit much, which shows that He Li is still somewhat cautious.

Prime Minister Zuo took a step forward and said: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Punishments must not abuse punishments. It is normal if they don't ask for anything. As long as He Li's hidden food and grass are not destroyed, he can always find it, and he is not in a hurry. The most important thing now is to get it as soon as possible." The additional grain and grass will be sent to Beiguan."

"The Ministry of Households came to report that there was not enough food and grass in the treasury, and it had to be distributed to other passes." The emperor was also very troubled. He thought that the food and grass would not be a problem, and indeed, if there hadn't been such an accident, the food and grass would have lasted until the end of the battle.No matter how bad it is, in three or four months, the south will have a good harvest of grain, which can be replenished.But now, the grain and grass in the inventory are becoming insufficient. Food is needed everywhere, and we can't just stick to Beiguan. I don't know if there is any embezzlement of national grain in the middle. Mainly.

The officials below talked a lot, and they all felt that this matter was difficult to handle.

The emperor originally had doubts about whether this matter had something to do with the third prince, but just now Prime Minister Zuo tried his best to ask

Please put the delivery of food in the first place, and there is no intention of delaying the delivery. It should be possible to remove the suspicion of wanting to harm the army. Prime Minister Zuo is no longer suspected, and the third prince is naturally gone.

Some officials stood up and suggested, "Your Majesty, I think that we can ask for grain from the people, and just use silver as compensation."

"No!" Some officials objected, "The market price of grain will definitely rise in this way, and the compensation given by the imperial court will not be enough to buy grain.

Another official said: "My minister thinks that collecting grain is a way. But it must be voluntary. If you pay a certain amount, you can reduce some taxes. Presumably in this way, the people will not complain."

"This law is inappropriate." Opposition came one after another, "Before, due to the conscription, some people's taxes have been reduced or exempted. If we reduce it again this time, the treasury will be tight. The treasury will be tightened, whether it is raising troops, defending the city, or even building bridges and paving roads." There will be a shortage of gold and silver. The emperor is a wise king and cannot bear the suffering of the people, so the tax is not high. If the rest is not enough, the money will be worrying in the future, and Okawa will be worrying!"

It's all said here, and the emperor has no intention of reducing or exempting, this method will definitely not work.

At this time, an official said: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid it will be difficult to come up with a suitable solution as soon as possible with only a few people waiting. It is better to ask other ministers to discuss together. In addition, the four princes have gone to Beiguan to share the emperor's worries. Presumably the other princes will also If you want to share the emperor's concerns but fail to follow the law, why not invite the other princes to discuss together. The matter is important, and more than one person always contributes more."

The emperor thought about it for a while, and said: "The eldest prince is not in good health, let him take care of it. The second prince has not been involved in court affairs and lacks experience, so that's all. The next third prince, Li Dian!"

"The slave is here." Eunuch Li said.

"Go and pass the decree, let the third prince discuss matters in the court tomorrow morning. You should all go away."

After the ministers left, Eunuch Li served the emperor a cup of lotus tea. Seeing that the emperor was still unhappy, he persuaded him: "Your Majesty, you are all veteran ministers in the court. You must be able to come up with a suitable method. Don't worry about it." Don't worry. It's hot and humid, you have to take good care of your dragon body."

The emperor drank his tea, and his anger subsided a bit, "I'm afraid that they will come and go and discuss with no results, they just blindly delayed the delivery of food, and the border is not stable."

"If the ministers can't figure it out, you can just recruit others to think about it. I have a lot of talents in Dachuan, and there is no shortage of smart people."

The emperor put the teacup away, "Speaking of smart people, I think of one person."

"I don't know what the emperor said..."

"Qi Xiang."

Eunuch Li suddenly said, "Young Master Qi, you have some ideas. The emperor has praised this old slave many times. If you adults can't think of a way, the emperor can call him to ask. The emperor After leaving his slavery, he is afraid that he will not be able to repay the emperor."

The emperor was happy with what he said, nodded and said: "If you understand it and can't discuss it, then pass it on to him."

The third prince was released from the ground restraint, so he acted very low-key.The court discussed it for a long time, but did not say anything. The emperor was not satisfied, but he could not ask for anything.The ministers failed to come up with a more favorable solution, and the court was chaotic, which caused the emperor a headache.

So in the afternoon, Eunuch Li went to pick up Qi Xiang in person and went to the palace to face the saint.

"Grassman Qi Xiang, kowtow to the emperor." Qi Xiang knelt down and saluted. Now he can call himself a grassroots man, which is much better than when he entered the palace last time.

"Get up." The emperor was very tired, and he didn't want to gossip, he just picked the main point and said: "Nowadays, there is not enough food and grass in the treasury, and the lack of food and grass supply for the soldiers will definitely cause confusion, can you have a way to get through this difficulty? "

The emperor didn't mention the matter of mixing stones in the grain, because he didn't want Qi Xiang to know too much.

If the emperor doesn't mention it, Qi Xiang won't mention it.He had been thinking about whether he could wait for the opportunity of shortage of food and grass to get some benefits, but he didn't expect the opportunity to come so soon, and he thought that he would have to fight for a few more months anyway.But he didn't feel happy. Not enough food and grass meant that Bai Junyu would be in danger. Whether it was worth it or not, Qi Xiang had a scale in his heart.

It can also be seen from this that the problem of food and grass this time is either that the emperor does not know enough, or there is a part of the food and grass that should be sufficient.

The distraction disappeared without knowing it.But this has nothing to do with Qi Xiang, and he doesn't count the omissions in the system.

Qi Xiang knelt down again, and said: "The grassroots do have a way, but before that, I have to ask the emperor for a favor."

"What do you want?" The emperor doesn't like exchanging power for things, but right now he has to listen.

"This method involves a matter of years, so I hope the emperor will not blame the grassroots after hearing it."

This doesn't sound like a serious matter, even so, if Qi Xiang can really help him solve this matter, how can he blame him?

"Just say it."

Qi Xiang bowed his head and said: "When Caomin's father went to war, in order to prevent anyone from tampering with the grain and grass, he set up warehouses in several places, secretly sent the unused grain and grass there for storage, and reported to the court that there was nothing left. Or only a small part is left. The grassroots in those warehouses have never been there, but if no one checks, the grain and grass should still be there. The grassroots know the location and can present it to the emperor to solve the urgent need."

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