Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2304 Profitable

Ning Cheng looked at Xue Ruitian with a bewildered expression. He didn't quite understand why the Marquis had such a strong prejudice against someone he had never met before.

"Huo Huaizhi?" Shen Cha felt that the name sounded familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before. "I have some impression, but I can't remember it." She looked at Shen Haolin, "I remember someone once told us about it, right?"

"Yes, General Xuanyuan mentioned it." Seeing Shen Cha racking his brains, Shen Haolin smiled and reminded him, "Prime Minister Dou and General Xuanyuan have some friendship, and Huo Huaizhi is one of Prime Minister Dou's favorite students. It's just that the old general doesn't like him very much."

"Ah!" Shen Cha clapped her hands gently, "I remember now. It's more than just dislike. Brother, that's too euphemistic." She sneered, "The old general's original words, he is a man who will do anything to achieve his goal."

"Is this person so bad?" Ning Cheng was very puzzled after hearing what several people said, "If his character was problematic, how did he become a prefect?"

"His character is problematic, and it has nothing to do with his ability." Madam Ning sighed softly, "The Duke, Marquis, and General's evaluation of him is very pertinent. Although Lord Huo has good abilities, his interpersonal relationships are a mess. He is not a righteous person, but a villain."

"An obvious villain?" Ning Cheng was even more confused after hearing this. "Aren't villains always those who like to act behind the scenes? What is an obvious villain like? Mother, I've never heard of him before."

"You can't be close friends with him, and you can't be open with him. Otherwise, sooner or later, he will reveal all your secrets and use them as a stepping stone for his promotion." Old Madam Ning sneered, "I heard that you have inquired about the illegal salt case many years ago?"

"The old lady also knows about the smuggling of salt?"

"The incident in Jiangning Mansion was so big that it shook the entire Jiangnan officialdom and business community. How could they not know about it?" Old Madam Ning sighed. "At that time, I was still young, and I heard a little about it. What I want to talk about is not this, but Lord Huo. The time when he was transferred to Yangzhou was not much different from the time when this case happened."

"What do you mean?" Shen Cha raised his eyebrows, "Could he be related to this case as well?"

"It's related, but it's not related either." Madam Ning sighed softly and said, "You all know that Jiangning Prefecture and even Jiangnan Prefecture alone cannot handle such a large-scale case. What that prince uncovered was just the tip of the iceberg. The subsequent cases related to smuggled salt took more than a year to be thoroughly investigated. Even so, smuggled salt has not been completely eradicated."

"We know this. Where there are buyers, there are sellers. This business is very profitable, so there will definitely be more people coming." Shen Cha nodded, "But what does this have to do with Huo Huaizhi?"

"Don't be anxious. Listen to me slowly." Madam Ning drank a sip of tea and said, "This case involves many people, openly or secretly, not only the big families in Jiangnan, but also the nobles of Liao and Jin." She glanced at Xiao Fengqi intentionally or unintentionally, and saw that the young man was also looking at her, so she smiled at him and continued, "Even the powerful people in Xijing City are involved in this case."

"I can imagine that." Xue Ruitian nodded. "We can't do this kind of thing on our own. If we want to grow our business, we must have the guarantee of the powerful in Beijing. In case the truth comes out one day, there will be someone to cover the bottom and clean up the mess."

"That's right." Madam Ning sighed softly, looked at the children, and continued, "Prime Minister Dou was implicated."

"Prime Minister Dou?" Shen Haolin, Shen Cha and Xue Ruitian looked at each other, "How is that possible!"

"That old man." Shen Cha thought for a moment, "My mother took me to see him when I was a child, right?" Seeing Shen Haolin and Xue Ruitian nod, he continued, "I remember he looked like an immortal, and it seemed like he was about to become an immortal. He didn't seem like the type who would be involved in worldly matters!"

"He was indeed an immortal who no longer cared about the mundane world, but his transformation occurred after the Jiangning Prefecture case." Old Madam Ning sighed with some regret. "When the case broke out, news spread from Xijing City that Prime Minister Dou was ill, and his illness was very serious. Even though he recovered later, his energy was no longer as good as before, so he retired and no longer appeared in the court."

"It seems like a coincidence!" Shen Cha thought for a moment, "But if Prime Minister Dou is related to this case, Grandfather Huang will not let him go easily, let alone let him practice Taoism in peace."

"It's said to be related, but it's not related. Before he fell ill, someone anonymously impeached and reported that a big shot in the court had guaranteed these daring families in Jiangnan and received a lot of money. This big shot was Prime Minister Dou."

"Who reported it? This kind of thing must be confidential, and only an absolute confidant can know it, right?" As soon as Shen Cha said this, he immediately reacted, "It was Huo Huaizhi, the favorite student of Prime Minister Dou?"

"The general is smart, that's him." Old Madam Ning sneered, "But later it was found out that Prime Minister Dou was actually suffering from an unprovoked disaster."

"What do you mean by this?"

"Now that the old lady mentioned that, I seem to have some impression of it." Xue Ruitian touched his chin, thought carefully, and said, "I remember that my father and mother seemed to have talked about it. They said that Dou Shang was wrongly accused. Fortunately, the injustice was cleared in time, and he was only punished for the crime of negligence."

"The crime of not observing?" Shen Cha blinked, "What do you mean?"

"It is true that someone from the Dou family acted as a guarantor for the big families in Jiangnan, but the guarantor was not Prime Minister Dou, but his nephew." Xue Ruitian sighed softly, "His nephew is a playboy who likes to stir up trouble everywhere. He always likes to use his name to stir up trouble everywhere. I don't know where he got the courage to act as a guarantor for the salt smugglers."

"Of course it's because it's profitable, and it's not just a small profit, it's a huge profit!" Old Madam Ning sighed, "Prime Minister Dou is not without responsibility for this happening. He has always been strict with himself, to the point of being very strict."

"I've heard that Prime Minister Dou has been honest all his life, unlike other powerful people." Shen Haolin smiled, "He himself is honest, but his family and clansmen are dissatisfied."

"Your Excellency is right. I have also heard some rumors about this." Xue Ruitian nodded and thought for a while. "Prime Minister Dou was born in a poor family. He was able to pass the imperial examination and become an official because of the support of his entire family. At the same time, he is also the first among many poor students to become a senior official of three dynasties. Throughout history, anyone who has reached his position cannot be truly incorruptible. They will more or less accept some gifts, especially those who have students and old friends all over the world."

"As long as it's not against the law, like New Year gifts, festival gifts, birthday gifts, whether it's colleagues or students, just accept it. This is normal interpersonal communication!" Shen Cha looked at the third master, "Isn't it the same in Linhuang Mansion?" "Of course, interpersonal communication requires gifts to a certain extent. Can you maintain relationships with just your mouth?" The third master chuckled, "At the very least, when I celebrate my birthday, I set up a few tables and invite relatives, friends, and close colleagues to get together. They can't come empty-handed, right? They always have to bring gifts. I don't care what kind of gifts they are or how expensive they are. They come to give me face, right? When others celebrate their birthdays or birthdays, can't I come empty-handed? Even for juniors like Fengqi and Xiaoqi, even if they don't come, they have to bring gifts. Isn't this normal?"

"What we consider to be normal exchanges, Dou Xiang refuses them all. Apart from the rewards from the palace, he does not accept any gifts from others, and does not allow his family and clansmen to accept them either. As a result, although Dou Xiang has become powerful, the lives of his family and clansmen have not improved at all, and they are still in dire straits. Therefore, if he wants to live a better life, he can only take risks."

"This is indeed a bit too much." The third master frowned slightly. "If a clan uses its power to promote a person to a high position, it should at least improve the lives of the clan members, so that the descendants have food to eat and clothes to wear, and the children of the clan can have books to read, right?"

"This is the normal way of thinking. Prime Minister Dou is a little paranoid." Madam Ning sighed, "That's why he ended up causing such a disaster, isn't it? If he wasn't so strict with himself and others, and was a little more flexible, his family and clansmen wouldn't have gotten into such a big mess."

"Wait a minute, this doesn't seem right!" Shen Cha tilted his head and thought for a while, then said, "Prime Minister Dou doesn't even know what his family and clan members did behind his back, so how did Huo Huaizhi know?"

"This is Huo Huaizhi's ability, and it's also an ability that everyone despises."

"How to say?"

Shen Cha was really curious about this. She really couldn't understand how Huo Huaizhi, an outsider, could find out so much about this when even Prime Minister Dou didn't know about it.

"Of course it is." Xue Ruitian sneered, "It's a scam!"

"Cheating?" Shen Cha thought for a moment, "Oh, I see. Since Huo Huaizhi could be placed under Prime Minister Dou's tutelage, it means that he also came from a poor family, and his family should be similar to the Dou family, right? He can especially understand the situation of the Dou family, so the nephew who coaxed him told him everything, right?"

"That's right. Dou Xiang's nephew is an unlearned man, so naturally he is not as cunning as Huo Huaizhi. After all, most of Dou Xiang's disciples are as old-fashioned and stubborn as Dou Xiang. It's rare to find someone who shares the same interests with you, so naturally he will treat him as a close friend." Xue Ruitian sighed, "So, he knows all the inside stories of the smuggled salt case, and when the case is uncovered, he will directly report it anonymously."

"He's so cruel that he even betrayed his own teacher." Shen Cha sneered, "But even if people knew about it, they would say that he sacrificed his relatives for the greater good, and there would be no stigma against him."

"The people will definitely think so, but my colleagues," Xue Ruitian shook his head gently, "may not think so!"

"What happened next?" Shen Cha thought for a moment, "Prime Minister Dou should know that it was Huo Huaizhi who did it, right?"

"Of course he knew." Madam Ning nodded. "It was just that he knew too many secrets of his family and clan. He couldn't accept it all at once and fell ill. After he recovered, I don't know if he was discouraged or something, so he just retired and found a Taoist temple near Xijing City, saying that he wanted to repent for his life. Anyway, no matter who tried to persuade him, the old man was stubborn and stayed in the Taoist temple."

"From what I've seen of his mental state, he is indeed in good condition." Shen Cha sighed softly, "Huo Huaizhi's accusation against Prime Minister Dou, is that a false accusation?"

"Not really." Xue Ruitian shook his head gently. "If he hadn't reported it this time, what the Dou family did wouldn't have come to light. Prime Minister Dou should be grateful to him. If it weren't for him, the Dou family might have caused a bigger disaster. By then, I'm afraid Prime Minister Dou wouldn't be able to hide from the world even if he wanted to."

"It was also because of this report that Huo Huaizhi was considered to have made a contribution. He was directly transferred from the Hanlin Academy to the position of Yangzhou Prefecture Co-magistrate. Less than two years later, the former Yangzhou prefect died, and he was directly appointed as Yangzhou prefect from Co-magistrate."

"I remember now. The old general did say that." After hearing what Xue Ruitian said, Shen Cha immediately recalled the disdainful expressions of Xuanyuan Liang and Tan Tai Pingchuan when they mentioned this person. "When the two old men talked about this, they were very disdainful of Lord Huo, thinking that his successful career was entirely due to stepping on his fellow disciples and mentor."

"That's the truth. The prefect of Yangzhou before him was often reported by him for not doing his job properly." Xue Ruitian nodded and looked at Madam Ning. "Everyone in Jiangnan should know about this, right?"

"Indeed." Madam Ning nodded. "But seriously speaking, he did nothing wrong, right? Every time he did something, it was for the greater good. Although his methods were a bit despicable, they were all for the people."

"That's right." Shen Haolin and Xue Ruitian looked at each other and nodded at the same time. "Every time he speaks, he has a reason and evidence. Others can't refute him at all. In addition, his political achievements are indeed very impressive, so..."

"I see, he wants to be a lone minister?" Shen Cha sneered, "But a lone minister is not like him."

"Perhaps no one wanted him to take this path, so after he was promoted to the governor of Yangzhou, no matter how outstanding he was, he could never return to the capital."

"Huo Huaizhi is arrogant and will definitely not want to stop here. If so, he will be worried about this." Shen Cha looked at the Third Master, "Is it Huo Huaizhi that you and the Master went to the Huo Mansion to see?"

"That's right." The Third Master nodded gently. "I don't know if it was because he did too many things he shouldn't have done when he was young. When we met him, he was already terminally ill and skinny. Even if Hua Tuo were alive, he wouldn't be able to cure him."

"This is retribution!" Madam Ning raised her eyebrows slightly. "Although I have never seen him, after entering the mansion, I felt that the whole house was filled with a strong smell of medicine. It felt like he had been sick for a long time." She smiled at Shen Cha, "My family does have some dealings with the Huo family, so when we heard that he was seriously ill, we asked our doctor to go and take a look. Unexpectedly, we met Brother Yelu."

"Yes, while my senior brother was treating Mr. Huo, we waited in the side hall and chatted for a while. Although we spent a short time together, we got along very well. I thought we would meet again if I stayed in Jiangnan, but I didn't expect that it would be decades later."

"It's great that we can still meet." Madam Ning smiled, "This must be fate!"