I studied in modern times

Chapter 765: Lu Huiqing’s Experience (2)

Not long after, the guard who went to investigate came back and reported: "My lord, it's just some rogues causing trouble..."

Lu Huiqing said "oh", not surprised by this.

Although the capital city is the best place to live, public security has always been in chaos.

During the Xining period, Wang Cai, the thirteenth son of the late Wang Xiangmin (Wang Shao), was kidnapped by criminals during the Lantern Festival.

Thanks to the intelligence of this Thirteenth Young Master, he did not panic after being kidnapped by the criminals. It was not until he saw a convoy of nobles sitting in luxurious carriages that he immediately shouted "Catch the thief", scaring the thief away.

As it happened during the Lantern Festival, the late emperor celebrated with the people on the Xuande Gate Tower.

It happened that the late emperor was worried about his offspring at that time, so the eunuchs reported this matter as a lucky draw.

The former emperor was very pleased to hear this and personally met Wang Cai who had been abducted by the bandits.

During this process, Wang Cai showed great wit and intelligence, which won the praise of the late emperor. Later, he even helped the government to capture the thieves who kidnapped him.

Thus, a story about a child prodigy became a legend in the city of Bianliang.

According to legend, not long after this incident, a concubine in the palace became pregnant and gave birth to the current emperor.

This matter has been quietly circulated among the people since the current emperor ascended the throne.

Later, the news reached the ears of Empress Dowager Xiang. After hearing about it, she consulted the eunuchs and after knowing that it was true, she regarded the Thirteenth Boy as a good omen.

There has been an imperial decree, specially appointing him as Taimiao Zhailang.

This is the Beijing official!

One step to the sky!
If Wang Cai's biological mother had not passed away in the spring of the eighth year of Yuanfeng and he had to observe mourning, the emperor would probably have another close minister named Wang by his side today.

There is no way, the Heavenly Family has a strong sentiment for child prodigies!

What's more, this Wang Cai has the aura of auspiciousness and fertility prodigy.

At that time, Wang Xiangmin was already the Deputy Privy Councilor and a dignified minister of the two ministries.

Even his own son was captured by some people.

One can imagine the security situation in Bianjing.

Although the public security in Bianliang has improved greatly in the past two years, it is said that this is because the gold mine in Denglai has been opened, so the restless scoundrels in Beijing in the past have all gone to Denglai to pan for gold.

However, this capital city is a prosperous city with a population of over one million.

There must be shadows beneath prosperity.

Lu Huiqing had been in Beijing for just over a month when he encountered more than a dozen fights between hooligans.

Generally, these fights are over turf, which is not surprising.

Lu Huiqing didn't intend to care about it, so he asked his guards to protect him and Shu Tan and his party and leave here.

However, when walking past the place where the fight was taking place, Lu Huiqing heard a sharp and piercing sound.

"What is the livelihood of the Prince Consort's family?"

"I am destroying the prince consort's livelihood!"

Lu Huiqing turned his head and saw a sturdy and strong man with a face full of flesh.

I saw this sturdy man holding down a man who looked like a businessman and was wearing green clothes, and punching him in the face again and again.

While greeting him, he cursed, "You bastard! Can the prince consort not pay back the money? Can the prince consort embezzle my family's money?"

Lu Huiqing couldn't help but stop and look at the other person with narrowed eyes.

His guards also followed his gaze and looked at the burly man.

This guy is really too big!

He was at least five feet six inches tall (about 178cm), with broad shoulders and a thick waist. His bare chest showed his firm tendons and there was an obvious scar on his face. He looked like a desperado who often engaged in physical sparring with others.

"Prince consort?" Lu Huiqing chewed on the words in the other person's mouth. There were only a few prince consorts in the dynasty.

The several princes-in-law of the emperor in the Ren Temple had either passed away or were being educated in the sages' teachings in the Imperial Academy, so it was obvious that there could be no problem with them.

So, he is the prince consort of Yingmiao?

No one should dare to touch the husband of Wang Shiyue, the eldest daughter, Princess Dening, of the three daughters of the Ying Temple.

The second daughter, Princess Baoan, was married to Wang Shen...

Well, it’s the one who doesn’t even dare to be buried in his ancestral tomb.

Therefore, the answer is obvious - Zhang Dunli, the son-in-law of the third daughter, Princess Shoukang.

"Interesting!" Lu Huiqing commented and took his people away.

This is the crows' area of ​​business.

It has nothing to do with him!

However, Lu Huiqing could guess that the burly man and the people he brought with him were probably pawns pushed to the front by someone.

I'm here just to disgust Zhang Dunli.

I believe that the troops from Kaifeng Prefecture will arrive soon and clean up the situation.

Then, the crows will come following the smell.

Tomorrow, the imperial son-in-law Zhang Dunli will have to prepare to face the storm from the Censorate.

However, Lu Huiqing felt that the final result should be just to raise the board high and then put it down gently.

After all, Zhang Dunli was the emperor's uncle and the Empress Dowager's son-in-law, and he did not have a reputation for abusing the princess like Wang Shen did.

Therefore, just for the sake of the royal family's face, Zhang Dunli would at most be torn apart by the crows, but the outcome would not change - at most he would be fined and have his reputation ruined, but other than that, it would be likely that he would not lose a single hair!
As for the maternal relatives’ family, the least valuable thing is reputation.

Back then, Chai Zongqing, Taizong’s son-in-law and Zhenmiao’s brother-in-law, caused such a big mess and so many people died. What was the result?
It was just a mild punishment edict: I told you not to engage in private transactions and deprive the people of their profits, but you are doing it again now!

I've told you so many times, why don't you change? You did it again?!

Alas! What should I do with you?

Go to the local area and calm down!
In the end, this prince consort, who had caused countless people to freeze to death or be trampled to death in the winter, patted his butt and went back to the local area to continue his carefree life.

In the decades that followed, he continued to commit crimes such as harming civilians and robbing merchants.

He eventually died at home at the age of 63.

His official position ended up being the military governor of Wucheng Army and co-minister of the Secretariat.
This is the envoy! The envoy who is above the prime minister!
After his death, he was posthumously awarded the title of Shangshu Ling, given a stele, and his descendants were blessed with great benefits.

Even the Taichang Liyuan, which was responsible for making the final judgment and giving praise or criticism, gave him a posthumous title that could even be considered praise: Rongmi, because it took money from the Chai family.

The posthumous name law says: To receive great favor and honor is called "Rong", and it also says: To make up for past mistakes is called "Mi"!

The combined evaluation is that this is a good son-in-law of the Song Dynasty who has been honored and trusted by emperors of all dynasties, who once made mistakes but has corrected and made amends for them!
This is the normal style of the Song Dynasty's foreign relatives.

As long as you don't offend the imperial power, no matter how big the trouble you make, you will be safe and sound and enjoy a life of wealth and glory.

Therefore, Lu Huiqing left directly.

……

Just as Lu Huiqing expected, the soldiers from Kaifeng Prefecture arrived quickly within half a quarter of an hour after he left.

However, by the time the shop soldiers from Kaifeng Prefecture arrived, the thugs who had smashed and looted the shops in the streets had already run into the intricate streets of Kaifeng Prefecture and disappeared without a trace.

The shop guards of Kaifeng Prefecture rushed into the shop and saw all kinds of smashed furniture and utensils on the floor, as well as seven or eight shop assistants lying on the ground bleeding.

Inside the shop, there are big red posters written with cinnabar.

"It is only natural to pay back debts!"

"You scoundrel, give me back my money!"

"If you don't pay me back, I'll fight you till you die!"

The soldiers were stunned, trembling, and just wanted to run away.

But the crows that followed were inexplicably excited when they saw this scene!

This is……

Come to life!

Impeach a son-in-law!
Although, it is definitely impossible to successfully defeat the other party!
However, the significance of impeachment is not to topple the person, but the process.

If we had not impeached the son-in-law, how would the people of the world know that we are not afraid of power, dare to speak out and make remonstrations, and set an example for the world and a role model for scholars?
Therefore, the crows impatiently used their authority and took over the scene directly.

He immediately issued an official letter and sent a letter to Kaifeng Prefecture, requesting full control over the investigation and review of the case.

Then he carried the servants and soldiers present and ran straight to the Censorate.

At this time, the crows also discovered that those injured guys, although they looked miserable, were actually just flesh wounds, and only their skin was hurt.

After discovering this fact, the crows were so excited that they danced with joy like badger in a melon field.

Because this means that those thugs who smashed and looted things were here to give them something to use against them.

Therefore, the definitive evidence of the "prince consort's" guilt will soon be delivered to them.

……

Lu Huiqing and Shu Tan said goodbye in front of Maxing Street.

The two went to two different places - Lu Huiqing went to Ma Xing Street to look for the Li's cloth shop.

Shu Tan went straight to the Bian Jing Academy in Jing'anfang.

According to him, he has been studying the Bian Jing Academy these days, especially its elementary and primary schools, and has also talked with the bureaucrats in charge.

Zhang Dun didn’t ask him what he was researching?
After saying goodbye, Lu Huiqing led his men eastward along Ma Xing Street. When they reached the middle of the street, Lu Huiqing saw the sign of Li's cloth shop.

When he got closer, Lu Huiqing saw a wooden sign hanging at the door of the store, on which was written in red ink: [The cloth in our store has been sold out today].

Lu Huiqing was not surprised by this.

After all, he knew the market price and knew that a piece of silk cloth normally cost more than one tael.

This cloth shop of Li’s only sells it for six hundred coins, which is several hundred coins cheaper, so of course it will be a hot seller.

He came here just to test the waters and see what the relationship was between this cloth shop and Zhang Dun?

It is impossible that the silk cloth produced in Jiaozhou would appear in Bianliang in large quantities at a price lower than the market price for no reason.

Although Zhang Dun was usually very noble and proud, he had never had any problems with money since he started his official career.

However, his brothers and relatives were not as greedy as he was! Anyway, Zhang Dun's younger brother Zhang Kai and his father Zhang Yu had embezzled and occupied other people's land.

After Lu Huiqing told the guards to wait for him at the door, he took Li Kui into the cloth shop.

When Lu Huiqing walked into the cloth shop, he immediately discovered that the layout was very simple.

It was just a counter with special cash drawers on both sides with locks. An old shopkeeper in his sixties was sitting in front of the counter. Behind him was a wooden rack with cloth on it. On the rack were some satins, silk and other cloths.

Seeing the arrival of the customer, the old shopkeeper immediately stood up and smiled: "Sir, our shop has sold out the silk cloth today..."

"I know!" Lu Huiqing nodded and walked to the counter: "I'm here to see other fabrics in your store!"

The shopkeeper was overjoyed when he heard this.

Ever since Kaifeng Prefecture opened a government-run cloth shop on Ma Xing Street, his business has become much quieter.

no way!
The imperial court was selling large quantities of cloth to the market in a continuous and steady manner.

The prices of silk cloth, satin and gauze in Beijing continued to fall after the first month of the year.

At the beginning, cloth merchants were still choosing to buy in.

But soon, they realized something was wrong.

Because the court's cloth seemed endless, but the funds they had were limited.

Many people said that because of last year's war, the court's finances were exhausted, and the current government was unwilling to increase taxes, so it had no choice but to take out the cloth in the sealed warehouse and sell it in exchange for funds for rewards and military expenses.

As a result, all cloth merchants could only watch the cloth price drop day by day, but they were powerless to do anything.

Unfortunately, they can't lower the price.

Because all cloth shops are members of the Bianjing Cloth Shop Guild.

However, there is a unified price within the guild.

If you lower the price without the guild's consent, it would be tantamount to cutting yourself off from the guild, and cutting yourself off from the guild would cost your entire family.

The guilds were controlled by the big cloth merchants, who had long been accustomed to the price of cloth fluctuating within a stable range.

Moreover, the stability of cloth prices today is not something that will last for one or two years, or even three to five years.

Instead, it can be traced back to the stability of the Shang and Zhou dynasties or even the Three Kings era.

Over the long years, the price of cloth has been strong and stable most of the time, except for a few rare times.

It is the hard currency and equivalent from ancient times to the present!

Under such circumstances, would the big cloth merchants be willing to lower their prices? And lower them to the point of selling at a loss?

How can it be!

Everyone believes that the current fluctuations in cloth prices are temporary.

When the court's cloth is sold out, the price of cloth will definitely return to its previous price.

There is no doubt that this is path dependence.

They didn't realize at all what Lingjinyuan represented?
Everyone is trapped in their own information cocoon, hypnotized by themselves.

As a result, these days, business in all cloth shops has been bleak.

Finally, I caught a customer who came to my door.

The shopkeeper was very enthusiastic in promoting the cloth in his store to Lu Huiqing.

The silks and satins in the store were praised to the sky.

Lu Huiqing followed the other party's words and slowly brought it to his own channel, obtaining the information of the cloth shop owner bit by bit.

Soon Lu Huiqing found out the background of the owner of the cloth shop.

He was just an ordinary cloth merchant in Bian Jing.

If he had any background, it was only the half-son of the head of the Bian Jing Cloth Shop Guild.

This made Lu Huiqing a little suspicious.

However, he still took out the money and bought a piece of silk cloth just as he was about to leave.

The curtain outside the door was lifted.

A fat man in brocade clothes walked in.

When this person saw Lu Huiqing, he was stunned for a moment, then he looked at the shopkeeper.

"Where is my good son-in-law?" the other party asked.

Lu Huiqing narrowed his eyes and looked at the other person, knowing that this was Tian Qi, the head of the Bian Jing Cloth Shop Guild mentioned by the shopkeeper.

The other person looked to be around fifty years old.

It is said that the owner of this cloth shop is forty years old this year.

A father-in-law and son-in-law with a ten-year age difference?
This is very common among scholars and officials, but rare among the business community.

"Interesting!" Lu Huiqing commented in his mind, but he didn't take it seriously. Just as he was about to leave, he heard the shopkeeper say, "Let the officials know that our boss has been in the workshop outside the city these days..."

"Workshop?" Lu Huiqing's mind moved: "Are all the cloths in this cloth shop produced in our own workshop?"

This is very unusual.

Because this shop doesn’t look very big.

Logically speaking, he should be a small or medium-sized cloth merchant.

But a small or medium-sized cloth merchant has his own production workshop?
how can that be!

It doesn't make sense logically!

Tian Qi asked, "Did your son-in-law go to the workshop?"

"My good son-in-law is really diligent! He works hard every day, and even entrusts his wife, children and mother to a certain family!"

"When my dear son-in-law comes back, you should tell him that I invited him to come to my house for a while and take my wife, children and mother home..."

"It's normal for a man to be busy with his career!"

"But you can't even ignore your wife and children, right?"

This is even stranger!

Who is Lu Huiqing?

He left the cloth shop and told Li Kui, "Send someone to investigate the owner of this cloth shop carefully..."

Although it seems that this cloth shop has nothing to do with Zhang Zihou.

However, the interpersonal relationships and social background of the cloth shop owner are unusual and weird.

So, it’s always right to be careful!
Know yourself and your enemy and you will be victorious in every battle!
"Yes!" Li Kui nodded. Although he didn't know why Lu Huiqing made such an arrangement, he had followed Lu Huiqing for several years and had already developed the habit of obedience.

……

Yushitai.

Zhu Guangting looked at the letter in front of him and asked the clerk who delivered it, "Who sent it?"

The other party shook his head: "It was a man in blue clothes who stood at the gate of the Censorate and asked you to receive it in person... He said it was sent by some 'righteous people'..."

Zhu Guangting said "oh", waved the man away, and then opened the letter.

After just one look, he swallowed and his little heart started beating fast!
Because the letter only talked about one thing - Zhang Dunli, the son-in-law of the emperor and the governor of Mizhou, and Xiuzai, the abbot of Fayun Temple, had repeatedly embezzled and occupied the money donated by believers.

A number was also given above - tens of thousands of strings of cash!

This is a big case!
A chance to become famous overnight!

Zhu Guangting recalled the discussion in the Censorate today - it was said that Lu Tao, Gu Lin and others, while patrolling the streets, discovered that some criminals had smashed up a store somewhere, and it was no big deal.

The key point is that in addition to smashing and looting, the criminals posted many messages in the store denouncing the prince consort.

Although he did not name the prince consort, who was he?
But the entire Censorate was in an uproar!
Lu Tao and Gu Lin were even more eager to take action and were interrogating the shop assistants they brought back.

Zhu Guangting thought he was going to miss out on this incredible wealth and was very regretful!
Now, someone sent a letter to report it!
what is this?
If you want to fall asleep, come to the pillow!

Zhu Guangting immediately read the letter carefully again and again, then picked up his pen and began to build up his emotions.

An hour later, Zhu Guangting wrote a fierce and harsh memorial.

Under his brilliant writing, Zhang Dunli became the number one treacherous minister of the Song Dynasty!
He is an ambitious person hiding among the royal family's relatives!

He even compared his connections with Xiuzai, the abbot of Fayun Temple, to the relationship between Zhao Shiju and Li Shining in the past.

Therefore, Zhu Guangting was worried - if there are treacherous ministers secretly harboring evil intentions within, and evil people making prophecies and communicating with the outside world... If Your Majesty does not carefully examine it, I am afraid that there will be rebellious things happening within the palace.

This is the crow!
When something happens, don’t worry about whether it is right or not, or how important it is, but first assume it is the most serious and terrifying thing.

Although, nine times out of ten they are wrong.

But they are crows, crows that bring bad news, chirp and advocate for imperial power.

Not those eunuchs in the inner court who are full of flattery and only report good news but not bad news.

Therefore, the crows have the right to doubt and attack anyone in any sense.

At the same time, the crows can also launch all-round attacks on all ministers from moral to personal aspects based on reasons such as "I heard", "It seems", "Probably" and "Maybe".

Just like those crows in the Renmiao Dynasty besieged Di Qing back then.

Did Di Qing commit any crime?
No!

So did he do anything wrong?

nor!
But the crows insisted that when there was a flood in the capital and Di Qing took refuge in the Daxiangguo Temple, someone saw dragon horns growing on his head!

There were also crows that swore that someone once said that Di Qing looked like Taizu!
Three people make a tiger. Even if Ren Miao trusted Di Qing very much, he began to feel uneasy. So he sent Di Qing to be the governor of Chenzhou.

The next year, Di Qing suddenly fell ill and died.

Some people say that Di Qing’s illness can actually be cured.

But he refused to receive treatment and took medicine, and eventually died of the disease.

This is using one's life to prove one's loyalty!

(End of this chapter)