Do you know: I am Yuan Wenshao

Chapter 294 The Secret of Dragon Ball

Yuan Wenshao frowned and said: "You mean the officials are doing this to break the alliance between local officials? It seems that there is no point in doing this, right?"

Many local officials must be involved in the illegal salt business.

But it’s impossible to get everyone involved.

Moreover, moving one away and placing another in the past is of no use at all.

After all, local officials report to the group, even if the chief officer is transferred, the new one will be left out.

There is even a possibility of assimilation.

Yuan Wenshao believed that those arranged by Zhao Zongquan must have been carefully selected.

But in the face of interests, the human heart is the least able to withstand consideration.

Fang Hang shook his head and said: "Not only that, the officials did this because they wanted to learn about the illegal salt from us, so that they can find evidence faster during a thorough investigation. The illegal salt is very involved, and the officials want to The investigation will definitely be difficult, and if there is no progress for a long time, it will definitely be stopped."

After hearing this, Yuan Wenshao pondered for a while and said: "According to what you said, someone will definitely contact you next, and even officials will find excuses to summon you and ask about private salt. You have been an official in Shouzhou for several years. Yes, you should know a lot about private salt. Once someone comes in contact with you, or officials ask about it, tell everything you know."

He remembered that this thorough investigation of the salt affairs was indeed difficult, but he finally went ahead with it.

Fang Hang may be able to take this one step closer.

"Eldest brother-in-law, do you think this thorough investigation of the salt affairs will definitely succeed?" Fang Hang said in surprise.

The reform during the late emperor's period included an inventory of salt affairs.

In the end, nothing was found, so we had to let it go.

Fang Hang actually hoped in his heart that the salt affairs could be thoroughly investigated, but he didn't know how determined the officials were.

If the officials and the late Emperor end things like that, and he tells what he knows, he will definitely be retaliated against.

"I told you back then that the reason why the reform failed was because too many people's interests were affected, and the resistance was naturally strong. Today's officials are very rational and only check one salt affairs. Although they will encounter some resistance, But compared with the reform, it is much smaller and the problem should not be big." Yuan Wenshao said.

"Tao Te Ching" says that governing a big country is like cooking small dishes.

It means that when governing a country, it is like cooking, whether it is oil, salt, sauce, vinegar or heat, it must be just right, step by step.

There is also a common saying among the people: One bite will not make you fat.

Emperor Renzong's reform was just to make him fat in one bite, but as a result, those with vested interests quit.

We will all be hungry for that bite you take, and we will definitely object.

Zhao Zongquan is undoubtedly very smart. Even if he only checks the salt affairs, he will still encounter opposition.

But those officials who have not benefited from the salt will naturally not object.

Of course, they will not express support and watch the show happily.

After all, officials are not monolithic. In the past, they only united because everyone's interests were harmed.

Now that others are unlucky, they will naturally not get involved.

Anyway, it failed and the prestige of the official family was damaged, which was a good thing for them.

If it succeeds, many people will be unlucky. When the time comes to make room, they will also be able to benefit from it.

This is also the reason why the salt investigation in the original drama was successful.

"Okay, then I will do as the eldest brother-in-law said." Fang Hang nodded.

"If you can provide some useful information, I can introduce you to King Huan." Yuan Wenshao said.

Fang Hang was silent for a while and said: "I really know a lot of useful things. There are two huge gangs in Jiangnan, one is the Salt Gang and the other is the Cao Gang. The Cao Gang is actually the people who run boats on the canal. They were organized together to prevent being bullied. There are Caogang people in the canal area, but the Caogang gangs make money by running boats, which is quite peaceful. The Salt Gang is organized by those who operate private salt.

The Salt Gang fostered many extremely vicious people, many of whom were prisoners of the imperial court. Because there are many officials behind the Salt Gang, even if those imperial prisoners show up, they will not be arrested by officials.

Starting from these people is a good starting point.

In addition, the Cao Gang and the Salt Gang both work together on the river, and there are usually conflicts. If the Cao Gang can help, it will be much easier to investigate the salt affairs. "

Yuan Wenshao nodded and said with a smile: "I will attend the wedding banquet today, and I will take you to see King Huan tomorrow."

"Well, thank you, brother-in-law." Fang Hang said gratefully.

"Let's not talk about what kind words the family has to say. It's almost time for the guests to arrive. Let's go over and help greet them." Yuan Wenshao said.

Sheng Changfeng married a member of the Liu family, and although the party was lively, the guests who came were not of high status.

The person with the highest status is Sun Xu.

Sun Xu's wife is the legitimate daughter of the Liu family in Hedong, and she is of the same race as Sheng Changfeng's wife. She is in Bianjing, so she will definitely come to attend the wedding.

The wedding banquet was over and it was getting dark.

On the way back, Sister Wen fell asleep in the carriage.

……

Early the next morning, Yuan Wenshao went out to Fang's house after breakfast.

Fang Hang has been an official for several years. Before he was transferred to Bianjing, he was already a general judge of the sixth rank.

The civil servants of the Great Zhou Dynasty received good treatment, and they also saved a lot of family property over the years.

In addition, Shulan had a lot of dowry, and Sheng Wei also helped her son-in-law a lot.

When it was confirmed that he would be transferred to Bianjing, he sent someone to buy a house in Bianjing.

But the location is not very good.

There is nothing they can do about it. Houses in the inner city are expensive but not marketable. Even if they are available, they cannot afford them.

It is also difficult to buy houses in the outer city close to the inner city.

Fang Hang and Shulan now have two children, both sons.

The eldest is five years old this year, and the youngest is less than two years old.

Before Yuan Wenshao went out, Hua Lan specially prepared a gift.

When they arrived at Fang's house, Yuan Wenshao gave Shulan gifts and asked Shulan to play with Hualan when she had time. After sitting for a while, he and Fang Hang went out to Prince Huan's Mansion.

Arriving at Prince Huan's Mansion, he was informed and taken in.

"I pay my respects to His Highness King Huan." Yuan Wenshao and Fang Hanghang said politely.

"No courtesy, please sit down."

Zhao Ceying waved her hand, looked at Fang Hang, and said with a smile: "This is Fang Hang, the former Shouzhou judge, and now he is the head of the household department, right?"

"It's your Majesty." Fang Hang bowed.

"Haha, sit down and talk, don't be formal." Zhao Ceying smiled and said, "Wen Shao, do you know Director Fang?"

"Exactly." Yuan Wenshao smiled and said, "We are brothers-in-law, and he married the eldest daughter of the Sheng family."

Zhao Ceying was able to call out Fang Hang's name, so he must have investigated Fang Hang, and it was impossible not to know about the relationship between the two.

"Oh, I didn't expect you to have such a relationship. I have read the evaluation of Director Fang's appointment in Shouzhou, and it was very good." Zhao Ceying said with a smile. Fang Hang didn't even dare.

After exchanging a few words, Zhao Ceying took the initiative to ask about the purpose of their visit.

Yuan Wenshao did not speak, but let Fang Hang speak for himself.

Fang Hang said what he said yesterday again in front of Zhao Ceying.

Of course, he did not say that he had guessed that the imperial court would conduct a thorough investigation of the salt affairs. He only said that he discovered that illegal salt was rampant in Jiangnan and other places and found some clues.

After hearing this, Zhao Ceying was silent for a while and said: "Since Chief Fang is Wen Shao's brother-in-law, he is one of our own. To be honest with you, my father intends to send people to Jiangnan to thoroughly investigate the salt affairs in the coming spring.

Now it has been a hundred years since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the population has increased a lot compared to the time when the country was founded. However, the income from salt is only 50-60% of what it was when the People's Republic was founded, and the salt affairs have reached the point where they have to be investigated.

My father was having a headache as to where to start. Chief Fang’s words could be said to have solved his urgent need. "

"If you eat the emperor's salary, you should share the worries of the army. This is what a minister should do." Fang Hang said.

Zhao Ceying said with some melancholy: "It would be great if all the officials in the world thought like Director Fang."

"Your Highness is so complimentary." Fang Hang said modestly.

"Master Fang, there is no need to be humble." Zhao Ceying pondered for a moment and said, "I originally wanted to take you into the palace and let you report to your father in person. But I was worried that this would attract the attention of interested people, so I gave up the idea. However, Don't worry, I will truthfully report your merits to my father, and you will be rewarded when the time comes."

"Your Highness has thought carefully." Fang Hang cupped his hands and said.

Next, Zhao Ceying asked in detail about the Salt Gang.

Fang Hang naturally did not hide anything and told everything he knew.

The chat lasted for nearly half an hour before it ended. Yuan Wenshao saw this and said goodbye.

However, Zhao Ceying said that he had something to tell Yuan Wenshao and left him alone.

After Fang Hang left, Zhao Ceying looked at Yuan Wenshao and said, "I heard that Princess Xixia wants to ask you for advice on poetry every day?"

"Your Highness, I don't know anything about poetry. Isn't it according to His Highness's words to find out the true purpose of Xixia's coming to Beijing this time, so I have to have more contact with the Princess of Xixia?" Yuan Wenshao said.

He didn't know if Zhao Ceying knew that he and Princess Xixia were in bed.

But these are not important. Anyway, when Zhao Ceying asked him to go, he asked him to find out the real reason for Xixia's mission.

If Zhao Ceying found out, the worst he could do was to find out the information and had to sacrifice his life to feed the tiger.

Well, still a tigress.

No matter what, he sacrificed his life for the country. Not to mention the reward, you can't blame him for this, right?

"Then how is your inquiring? You must know that Princess Xixia came to Zhou Dynasty for marriage. Although the marriage has not been decided yet. But you, a man, often come in and out of Princess Xixia's room. There are already many ministers in my father's room. You were impeached there, but it was because I kept putting in good words for you that my father suppressed the matter for the time being and did not pursue it," Zhao Ceying said.

Zhao Ceying's intention is nothing more than to tell Yuan Wenshao, I don't care whether you have anything to do with Princess Xixia, and I don't want to pursue it.

But the premise is to see what you can find out.

Yuan Wenshao naturally heard it and said: "I haven't found out the true purpose of Xixia's mission yet, but I have found out another secret."

Zhao Ceying was a little disappointed when she heard the first half. When she heard the second sentence, she raised her eyebrows and asked, "What's the secret?"

"Your Highness, does he still remember Dragon Ball?" Yuan Wenshao asked.

"Then what kind of dragon pearl is it? After identification, it is actually a larger golden pearl. At that time, the Southern Tang Dynasty was known as the orthodoxy of the previous dynasty. It was probably a trick to win people's hearts." Zhao Ceying curled her lips and said.

Zhao Zongquan's throne was originally picked up and was not very upright.

After getting the Dragon Ball, I was overjoyed and wanted to take it out to prove that I was destined.

However, no one had ever seen what a dragon ball looked like. He was worried that if it was not the same, it would be self-defeating, so he asked the palace craftsman to identify it.

It was concluded that the so-called Dragon Ball was just a golden pearl.

Zhao Zongquan didn't know whether the dragon ball was originally a golden pearl or if this dragon ball was simply fake.

He was worried that if he announced the Dragon Ball to the world, the real Dragon Ball would appear and be slapped in the face, so he never announced it.

"Your Highness, I can confirm that that is the so-called Dragon Ball, and the Dragon Ball must hide other secrets." Yuan Wenshao said.

Zhao Ceying was startled and asked, "How do you know?"

"Because Princess Xixia suspected that the dragon ball was in the hands of her minister, she promised a high price to get the dragon ball." Yuan Wenshao said.

"Could it be that before the fall of the Southern Tang Dynasty, a batch of treasures was hidden?" Zhao Ceying asked doubtfully.

"I also had this idea at first, but when I think about it carefully, I think it is impossible. The original scope of the Southern Tang Dynasty was Jiangnan. Even if Xixia knew the place where the treasure was hidden, how would it be lucky to find it? And I heard that when the Southern Tang surrendered, The treasury is full and there are no signs of being transferred," Yuan Wenshao said.

Zhao Ceying nodded and said: "You are right. I have seen records about that time in the Hanlin Academy's collection of books. The surrender of the Southern Tang Dynasty, the money and account books of the national treasury and the royal treasury can be matched. The Southern Tang Dynasty's surrender can be matched." The officials of the Tang Dynasty also said that the number is right."

"So I don't think it is a treasure, but Xixia wants it so much. There must be other secrets in it. Your Highness can tell your Majesty to study the dragon beads carefully." Yuan Wenshao said.

Zhao Ceying's eyes lit up when he heard this and said: "I understand. There are many patterns carved on the bead with micro carvings. At that time, my father and I thought they were carved to make the bead look more like a dragon ball. Now we see It's probably a map."

Yuan Wenshao was a little surprised when he heard this. When the dragon ball was in his hand, he had never looked at it carefully and did not know what patterns were on it.

"Wen Shao, please go back first, I want to go to the palace." Zhao Ceying said excitedly.

When Yuan Wenshao saw Zhao Ceying's expression, he knew that he must have guessed what the secret of Longzhu was.

Seeing that Zhao Ceying had no intention of saying anything, he didn't feel comfortable asking, so he bowed and left the palace.

Sitting in the carriage, Yuan Wenshao was still thinking about the secret of Dragon Ball.

Zhao Ceying is so excited, which shows that the secret contained in the dragon ball is very important.

Moreover, he was in a hurry to enter the palace, indicating that this news was also very important to Zhao Zongquan.

Suddenly something emerged - the Imperial Seal.

After this, Yuan Wenshao really couldn't think of anything else.

Although it is said that the jade seal of the country was lost in the war before the establishment of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The last owner was the emperor of the Later Tang Dynasty.

Later, the Tang Dynasty was not a descendant of the Tang Dynasty, but was founded by a foreign race given the surname Li.

The same is true for today's Xixia royal family whose surname is Li.

The Southern Tang Dynasty is known as the descendant of the Tang Dynasty and seems to have nothing to do with the Later Tang Dynasty.

However, Nan Tang, a descendant of the Tang Dynasty, also claimed to be a descendant of the Tang Dynasty by identifying his ancestors, and there is no proof.

Who knows if he may be a descendant of the royal family of the Later Tang Dynasty.

After all, just after the end of the Later Tang Dynasty, another Tang Dynasty was established the next year, and all of them were still surnamed Li.

If this is the case, it is normal for the imperial seal to be in the hands of the Later Tang Dynasty.

If the Dragon Ball really contains the place where the jade seal passed down from the country is hidden, it would be well-deserved to be called this name.

(End of this chapter)