Do you know the long song of laughter?

Chapter 487: Thorough Investigation of Salt Affairs
When Qi Heng heard the Queen Mother's words, he staggered and looked at her in disbelief.

The reason why he organized people to impeach Han Zhang was because of what the Queen Mother said.

Now the Queen Mother says that she wants to return power to the Emperor. What happened before was her own idea and she was not deceived by Han Zhang.

Even if everyone knows that the Queen Mother's words are insincere, so what?

"You should assist the emperor wholeheartedly in the future. I will return to the palace to recuperate." After the Queen Mother said this, she turned around and left.

"Your son respectfully bids farewell to your mother!" Zhao Zongquan bowed.

"Congratulations to the Queen Mother!"

The civil and military officials who came to their senses bowed and saluted.

After the Queen Mother left, Zhao Zongquan turned around and looked at Qi Heng and the officials of the Censorate who were standing there in shock. He said in a cold voice: "Although the censors have the right to report rumors, they cannot impeach the prime minister without reason. Moreover, your words imply that I will imprison the Queen Mother and alienate the relationship between the royal family. Your crime is unforgivable!"

"Qi Heng, Liu Jing, Tang Wanzhao..."

Zhao Zongquan read out more than a dozen names in a row before he stopped and said calmly, "Demote!"

Demotion does not mean dismissal or exile, but demotion to another place.

After all, these people are censors, and too harsh punishment would be disadvantageous to them.

Moreover, other officials in the court might also plead for them, which would lead to further complications.

Zhao Zongquan is now in a hurry to deal with the trouble left to him by the Queen Mother and has no time to waste any more thoughts on this matter.

…………

Every autumn rain brings a chill. After several rains in succession, the weather turned cold.

The last time Qi Heng contacted the censors to impeach the Prime Minister, it ended with the Empress Dowager announcing the return of power, and Qi Heng and a group of officials in the Censorate were demoted.

After the incident was over, although no one dared to discuss it openly, there were various speculations in secret.

But no matter how people speculate, it is an indisputable fact that Zhao Zongquan, the official, is officially in power.

After Zhao Zongquan came to power, without the constraints of the empress dowager, he strengthened his control over the imperial guards on the one hand, and cultivated his confidants in the court on the other.

For a time, official positions in the court were frequently transferred.

By the end of the year, Zhao Zongquan seemed to have control over the situation in the court.

The turmoil in the court had little impact on Li An. He spent his days in the Hanlin Academy and never spoke when he occasionally attended the morning court.

After finishing my shift, I return home and spend time with my two wives, which is quite pleasant.

At the end of December, my parents and my eldest brother Li Ping and his wife came to Bian Jing with their children.

Rui Ge'er is seven years old now. He hasn't seen his uncle Li Ang for nearly a year. When he saw his uncle Li Ang, he was still very clingy and hugged him tightly.

But my eldest brother's daughter is less than two years old now. She was only half a year old when he left. She can't speak and can't remember Li Ang at all.

Li An wanted a hug, so she quickly hugged her mother and hid in her arms.

"Uncle, Sister Yu is a little shy." Zhang Qing explained quickly.

"It's okay, he's just a kid." Li An said with a smile, "He'll be familiar with it in a few days."

"That's right. Rui'er is closer to you than to me, his father." Li Ping felt a little jealous.

Li An smiled and said, "That's because my elder brother is too strict with him."

Since ancient times, family education has been characterized by strict fathers and kind mothers, and this concept was particularly evident in ancient times.

This was Li Ping's first time being a father, and sometimes he was inevitably too strict.

But children are simple-minded and naturally a little afraid.

"I said Ping'er was too strict with Rui Ge'er, making Rui Ge'er afraid of you." Li Nan shook his head.

Li Ping opened his mouth but said nothing in the end.

There is a reason why he is strict with his son. After doing business for so many years, he has come into contact with many people.

I have seen and heard many examples of offspring being spoiled.

He had no experience as a father, but he also didn't want his son to be a playboy.

Liu took Minglan aside and asked her quietly about the child and the recent situation at home.

Minglan found out she was pregnant in May, and now it's already seven months.

It's only two or three months away from production.

The family talked about what had happened during this period, and only moved to the side hall and sat down to eat until Haitang informed them that the meal was ready.

After dinner, Li Nan and his friends went back to their rooms to rest as they were tired from the journey.

Over the next few days, Li An accompanied his parents and older brother to visit Bian Jing.

The Chinese New Year was soon here, and the family had a lively reunion.

On the second day of the Chinese New Year, Li An accompanied Minglan back to the Sheng family. Several married girls and sons-in-law of the Sheng family also returned.

Sheng Changbai accompanied Hai to the Hai family, but Sheng Changfeng's wife Liu did not go back because her parents' home was far away.

No matter what conflicts the brothers and sisters had in the past, they still appeared to be in harmony on the surface.

Li An and Minglan stayed at the Sheng family until the evening before leaving and taking a car home.

The next day, Li An went to Liu's house alone to wish his teacher Liu Xuewen a happy new year.

Minglan was pregnant and it was difficult to move around. Although Ruichu was his co-wife, Li An did not bring her along.

After exchanging pleasantries with Liu Xuewen and his wife, Liu Xuewen brought Li An to the study.

"Zi Qian, I will be returning to my hometown after the New Year. You must be careful in Bian Jing in the future," Liu Xuewen reminded.

He submitted his resignation letter when he was young, and it has been approved, and he will retire with the rank of fourth rank.

"Thank you teacher for the reminder. I will take note of it." Li Ang's eyes revealed a hint of reluctance.

Although Liu Xuewen didn't seem to teach him much over the years, he actually helped him a lot.

He used to be a student at the Sheng family. Every time he had a day off, Liu Xuewen would ask him to come over, ask about his studies, and answer his questions.

After he passed the imperial examination, Liu Xuewen also told him a lot about how to be an official.

"There's no need to act like a little girl. I'm old now, and my energy isn't as good as before. I'm returning to my hometown to retire. You should be happy for me." Liu Xuewen said with a smile.

"Yes, when I have time in the future, I will visit the teacher and ask for advice," said Li An.

"Haha, I have nothing more to teach you." Liu Xuewen smiled and said, "Books do need guidance and instruction at the beginning, but now you still need to figure it out on your own."

"Do you still remember what your teacher reminded you before?"

"Remember, let the students ask to be heard on their own initiative." Li An nodded.

"That's right. Now that your wife is pregnant, it is indeed not advisable for her to leave Beijing in the short term. But you can enter the six ministries to study. Although you can learn something in the Hanlin Academy, what is more important is this identity. You have been in the Hanlin Academy long enough, and there is not much use in staying any longer." Liu Xuewen said.

"The students understand." Li An nodded.

He really felt that he was of no use in the Hanlin Academy.

The Hanlin Academy is more concerned with the procedures of all matters of the court, but it does not have the power to actually manage anything.

Li An was already very familiar with the procedures, and there was no point in staying in the Hanlin Academy any longer.

However, because of Minglan, Li Ang originally wanted to wait a year before sending her out.

Liu Xuewen's words reminded him that going to the Sixth Ministry would not be a bad idea.

"Ah."

Liu Xuewen nodded and said, "Now that you have joined the Sixth Department, you must have the necessary social activities and can't be like before. I know you don't like it, but people can't be too aloof and stand out from the crowd. Sometimes you still have to be humble."

"Then teacher, you..."

"You want to know why I am so arrogant and aloof?" Liu Xuewen said with a smile.

Li An didn't say anything, but nodded. Since he met Liu Xuewen, Liu Xuewen rarely interacted with anyone, and he didn't see him socializing.

"I am different from you." Liu Xuewen said, "I was a teacher in Yangzhou. I was old at that time and thought that this was the end of my life, so I could do whatever I wanted. Later, I came to Bianjing and served as a censor. I couldn't have close contact with other officials."

"You were in the Imperial Academy before, and I, your teacher, never mentioned this. But if you enter the six ministries, including the government in the future, this won't work."

"These positions require contact with many officials. If you are aloof and stand apart from the crowd, you will only be isolated."

"Student understands!" Li An stood up and bowed deeply.

He did not socialize with other officials because he really could not stand the constant comings and goings.

But as Liu Xuewen said, he can do it in the Hanlin Academy. After all, there is a reason why the Hanlin Academy is known as the noble one.

Qing not only refers to a clean government office, but also means deserted.

In the entire Hanlin Academy, except for a few Hanlin scholars, the rest of the official positions have little influence.

After all, he is just doing clerical work and has no direct power. Others can neither ask him for help nor do they need to be afraid of him.

Naturally no one cares.

As for the nobility of Hanlin Academy officials, it refers to the future, not the present.

But this does not mean that officials in the Hanlin Academy will definitely hold high positions in the future.

So even though he was a Hanlin editor and had the merit of delivering the blood edict, he did not socialize and no one took the initiative to make friends with him.

To put it bluntly, no one cares, let alone curry favor with him.

So he was able to do that before.

However, whether you enter the six ministries or serve as an official in the local area in the future, it will definitely not work without socializing and entertaining.

His superiors and colleagues would think that Ang Lee is aloof and would naturally isolate him.

In the final analysis, the officialdom is also a kind of workplace, and what matters more is whether you can behave as a human being.

This is even more important than ability.

Perhaps because they were about to leave, Liu Xuewen and Li An talked about many things that need to be paid attention to in official circles.

Just because Liu Xuewen doesn't socialize doesn't mean he doesn't understand these things.

I didn’t say these things to Ang Lee before, firstly because his position didn’t require them.

Secondly, I also wanted Ang Lee to understand it himself.

Now that he was about to leave, he would not have the chance to say anything in the future, so he naturally said everything he needed to say.

As for whether Ang Lee can understand it, it depends on Ang Lee himself.

At noon, Li An and Liu Xuewen drank some wine. Liu Xuewen got a little tipsy and went back to his room to sleep.

Li An also said goodbye and went home.

…………

Because the late emperor passed away last year, although the national mourning has been over for nearly a year.

However, Zhao Zongquan still did not invite his ministers to enjoy the lanterns during the Lantern Festival this year, and he didn't even have anyone prepare Aoshan.

It just doesn't prohibit folk celebrations.

Although there is no Aoshan Mountain, last year's Lantern Festival was a period of national mourning, so this year's Lantern Festival is particularly lively.

After the Lantern Festival, Li Ping and Zhang Qing took their children back to Yangzhou.

Li Nan and Liu stayed because Minglan was due to give birth in a month or two, so they naturally couldn't leave.

At the morning court on the second day after the Lantern Festival, the government announced that this year's reign would be changed to Zhizheng.

Although Zhao Zongquan ascended the throne last year, according to etiquette, after the emperor's death, the new emperor could only change the reign title the following year.

Therefore, the reign title of the previous emperor was still used last year.

Perhaps it was because of the change of the reign title, or perhaps it was because Zhao Zongquan felt that he had great power and seemed to be in high spirits.

After Zhao Zongquan announced the change of the reign title, Zhao Ceying stepped out and said, "Father, I have discovered a problem these days."

"What's the problem?" Zhao Zongquan asked.

"I have discovered that the court's salt revenue has been declining year by year. From decades ago to now, the salt revenue has dropped by 30 to 40 percent, while the salt revenue accounts for nearly half of the court's revenue. The corruption in the salt business is related to the foundation of the country. I believe that it should be thoroughly investigated!" said Zhao Ceying.

"I have heard a little about the salt business. Salt business is related to the foundation of the country, so we must investigate it!" Zhao Zongquan looked at the ministers and said, "Who is willing to take this task and thoroughly investigate the salt business?"

quiet!
Zhao Zongquan and his son sang the same tune and did not give anyone a chance to speak. They directly changed the request for a thorough investigation of the salt affairs into a request to investigate the salt affairs.

Everyone in the court is a shrewd person, so they can naturally see through the little tricks of the father and son.

For a moment, the hall was very quiet, and wherever Zhao Zongquan looked, the officials bowed their heads slightly.

The salt administration involves a wide range of issues, and many people know something about them.

It is impossible for everyone present to participate in it, but they all know the ins and outs of it, and no one is willing to wade into this muddy water.

"How come there is no one in the court who is willing to share my worries and the court's worries?" Zhao Zongquan said with a gloomy face.

However, after Zhao Zongquan finished speaking, he waited for a while, but still no one came out, and no one stopped him.

It’s not that no one wanted to stop it, but Zhao Zongquan’s proposal to thoroughly investigate the salt affairs was too sudden.

Those involved were not prepared at all, and jumping out to stop it in a panic would be disadvantageous to themselves.

And they don't think that this matter can be settled today.

"Okay, very good!"

Zhao Zongquan said coldly: "On ordinary days, people argue endlessly over trivial matters, but now it is a major matter concerning the country, and no one speaks."

"Father!"

Zhao Ceying bowed and said, "I am willing to be responsible for a thorough investigation of the salt business!"

"it is good!"

Zhao Zongquan said, "You will be in charge. Weibei Marquis Shen Congxing will bring 5,000 imperial guards to escort you."

"His Majesty!"

Many of the civil servants who had remained silent before became anxious when they saw Zhao Zongquan directly decide on the candidate.

They thought that no one would respond and the matter would be left unresolved.

Even if Zhao Zongquan brings it up again later, they still have time to discuss it.

Who knew that Zhao Ceying would actually volunteer, and Zhao Zongquan agreed.

Many people reacted. Zhao Zongquan should have anticipated their reactions and did not plan to let anyone else go.

The reason why Zhao Ceying did not volunteer was that he was worried that someone would use his age and other reasons to oppose and stop him.

They didn't say anything just now, and Zhao Ceying volunteered, so they couldn't find an excuse to stop him.

"What? Minister Huang is willing to take on the important task of thoroughly investigating the salt affairs?" Zhao Zongquan interrupted him directly.

"I...I think this matter should be discussed carefully and not be treated so hastily."

"What? When I was discussing with you just now, no one spoke. Didn't that mean you agreed? Now that I have given the order, you told me to discuss it carefully. Did you just turn a deaf ear to my words?" Zhao Zongquan said angrily.

"I dare not!" the minister said hurriedly.

"In that case, it is settled. Dismiss!"

After Zhao Zongquan finished speaking, he stood up and left, not giving anyone else a chance to speak.

What he has to do today is to define the matter directly.

(End of this chapter)