my wife is queen

Chapter 93 One tael of silver

Emperor Jiazhen took a look, and immediately tensed his hands, wrinkled the official green paper memorial.

The ebony jade head and dust tail that was leaning on the arm slipped to the wrist, but he didn't notice it.

Emperor Jiazhen straightened his body, seemingly still meditating on the futon, but Feng Bao's eyelids twitched.

Even Feng Bao felt terrified, and there was only one thought in his mind, to leave the place of right and wrong of the three gates as soon as possible.

He didn't want to stay for a moment, and waited until the emperor returned to Luomanli again, and then waited on him.

Feng Bao, as Emperor Jiazhen's companion, had known the emperor for a long time, but judging from the slight emotional changes of Emperor Jiazhen that he would walk out of Luoman.

Just as he expected, Emperor Jiazhen held the official green paper memorial in one hand, and shook the dusty tail of the ebony jade head with the other hand, opened the curtain, and walked into the hall with three doors.

The three-door hall was built according to the specifications of the Forbidden City, richly decorated and carved with flowers and algae.

There are dense Dougongs under the eaves, and the highest-level Hexi color paintings are painted on Liangfang.

The upper half of the mahogany doors and windows is inlaid with diamond pattern, the lower half is embossed with cloud and dragon patterns, and the gilt copper leaves engraved with dragon patterns are placed in mortise and tenon joints.

Between Emperor Jiazhen and his courtiers, there is also a copper censer, lit with agarwood, the best agarwood from Nanyang, Yingge Green.

It is lit day and night, all year round.

Emperor Jiazhen walked out of Luoman and came to the main hall. The first sentence he asked sent a chill down Wan An's spine on the spot.

"The city tax paid by Caochangyuan to the imperial court is 20 taels of silver every year."

It's just this sentence, without any harsh words, a sentence with a questioning meaning.

Cold sweat broke out on Wan An's forehead, and he knelt on the ground tremblingly, knocking his forehead on the surface of Linqing tribute bricks, not daring to look up at Emperor Jiazhen.

After a long time, Wan An managed to squeeze out a sentence through his teeth: "Qi...Qi Your Majesty, indeed...it is indeed 20 taels of silver."

When Emperor Jiazhen heard Wan An's answer, he held the palm of the official Qing paper memorial even harder, and the paper made a slight sound.

The voice was inaudible, and was not heard by the officials of the scarlet uniform, but it made Feng Bao, who was standing next to him, terrified.

I have been with the emperor for many years, and I have never seen the emperor in such an abnormal mood as today.

Based on what he knew about the emperor, Feng Bao felt resentment towards the emperor who came from Bixian Yunyehe.

Emperor Jiazhen didn't say a word, turned his head to look at Yan Maoqing, who had an ugly face, and looked at him quietly, without saying anything.

Yan Maoqing knew that she could no longer pretend to be deaf and dumb, so she could only open her mouth to speak: "My Majesty, I am also the censor who leads the Changlu Salt Transport Yamen, and usually devotes most of his energy to the Yanyin Yamen. I don’t know much about the situation. The important task of monitoring the Caochangyuan city tax has always been placed on Wan’an, and the humble minister rarely asks.”

Wan An slammed his head on the Linqing tribute bricks harder than Ma Yun, with a tremor in his voice: "Your Majesty, I am only in charge of supervising the city tax of Caochangyuan. The specific amount of money collected has always been determined." It is in charge of Wucheng Bingmasi and Shuntianfu yamen. If His Majesty wants to ask how much the city tax of Caochangyuan is, you should call the officials of these two yamen, and ask Your Majesty to learn from you."

At this point in the matter, although Yan Maoqing didn't know what was written in the official green paper memorial, with his keen sense of smell, he had already noticed something was wrong.

He is an old bureaucrat who has been in the officialdom for many years. As long as there is any trouble, he will sell Wan An without hesitation.

Wan'an had no choice but to drag Wucheng Bingmasi and Shuntianfu Yamen into the water, hoping to find a few more people to stop the disaster and reduce the guilt.

Although he still doesn't know what he did wrong to offend Emperor Jiazhen, it's always good to admit the mistake first.

When Emperor Jiazhen took the initiative to tell the disadvantages of his work, there was no room for recovery, and he could only wait for his dismissal from office.

These are all light, and I am afraid that the head will move.

Emperor Jiazhen glanced back at Feng Bao, and the other party understood, and immediately bowed his waist and walked out of the three-door hall.

The moment Feng Bao left the main hall, he breathed a sigh of relief, stretched out the sleeve of his official uniform to wipe the cold sweat on his forehead, and hurriedly led people to find the officials from Wucheng Bingmasi and Shuntianfu Yamen.

This little matter doesn't need him, the governor of the East Factory, to do it himself. Due to the gradually depressing atmosphere in the three-door hall, he doesn't want to go in again.

Feng Bao personally took people to the two yamen, and called the officials in charge of the Caochangyuan city tax. No matter how much money the officials handed over, they would not accept them. Honest officials.

The two officials in charge of the Caochangyuan city tax, especially Lu Guangzu, still laughed at Li Mian's overreaching in his heart, just like the words Wan An sent back, which finally offended those who could not be touched.

Before he finished laughing, he felt uneasy, especially Feng Bao's refusal to accept the cash from the bank, which made him panic even more.

The officials of Shuntian Mansion Yamen learned that His Majesty wanted to inquire about the collection of Caochangyuan City Tax, Shen Guangzuo did not push it to his subordinates, and rushed to the three gates in person.

While Feng Bao admired Shen Guangzuo's character, he also thought that he was too dull. At this time, he should push out his subordinates to be scapegoats, which is the real way to be an official.

Lu Guangzu walked into the main hall with three doors, and saw Wan An kneeling on the ground from a distance, and the panic in his heart became more and more intense.

Without the slightest hesitation, he directly knelt on the Linqing tribute brick, kneeling in a row with Wan An.

No one in the three-door hall spoke, and there was always a depressing atmosphere.

Even Yan Maoqing couldn't bear it any longer, and wanted to kneel beside Wan An and Lu Guangzu, and take the initiative to take responsibility for the crime.

But he couldn't kneel down no matter what. Others didn't know the meaning of Emperor Jiazhen's question, but he vaguely guessed it.

Emperor Jiazhen suddenly made a movement, and looked up at Ma Yun who was kneeling on the ground: "From today on, I will also be the tax supervisor and eunuch in charge of Caochangyuan."

The tax supervisor of Caochangyuan?

All the officials in the scarlet clothes showed confused expressions. How could a mere Caochangyuan have the qualifications to set up a tax supervision office.

Before today, I had never heard that there would be tax supervisors and eunuchs in Caochangyuan.

Emperor Jiazhen flicked the ebony jade head and dusty tail, indicating that the officials in the hall can retreat for a while, and he will continue to practice Taoism.

As the officials of the scarlet suit left one by one, Wan An, Lu Guangzu and others also left as if they had received amnesty.

Emperor Jiazhen was the only one left in the hall.

There is also Feng Bao who stands by and waits carefully.

Emperor Jiazhen looked at the backs of the officials leaving, and muttered a sentence.

"One tael of silver and sixteen coins."

(End of this chapter)