Do you know the long song of laughter?

Chapter 500 Undercurrent
"Ok?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ceying looked at Li An with some confusion.

How can being plotted against by others turn out to be a good thing?

"Your Highness." Li An smiled and said, "Sometimes the more you do, the more flaws you will find. We have been in Jiangnan for a while, and those people's reactions are too indifferent. This is not a good thing."

"What you said makes some sense. So what do you think we should do now?" Zhao Ceying asked.

"We can now break the impasse here. We can investigate the Cheng family in Tongzhou thoroughly. This is also the key to breaking the impasse."

"It's no secret that Zhong Huai went to the Cheng family to arrest people. The Tongzhou Xiangjun showed up at the right time, which shows that those people also got the news in advance."

"They clearly had time to notify the Cheng family, but they didn't do it. Instead, they showed up at the critical moment and gave the Cheng family a chance to escape. What does this mean?" Li An said.

"This shows that the Cheng family is not simple!" Gu Tingye finished speaking and bowed, "Your Highness, these officials also thought of it afterwards and sent people to investigate. This Cheng family is the maiden family of a concubine of Yan Xiang, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel!"

"Are you saying that someone deliberately exposed the Cheng family in order to force Yan Xiang to help them?" Zhao Ceying frowned.

The position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is not low.

Among the six ministries, most of the powers of the Ministry of War were divided up by the Privy Council, and most of the powers of the Ministry of Revenue were divided up by the Three Departments.

Today, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue are not much better than the Ministry of Works.

The Ministry of Justice is in charge of criminal law. Its powers are broad, but also have significant restrictions.

Among the Six Ministries, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel had the greatest power. One was in charge of official selection and county schools, and the other was in charge of official evaluation and promotion.

The Minister of Personnel is also called the Heavenly Official. The ministers of the current dynasty include the Ministers of Rites and Personnel, and the other ministers are of lower rank.

The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is second only to the Shangshu in the Ministry of Personnel and higher than the Right Vice Minister.

It can be said that among all the officials in the Song Dynasty, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is a little far from being ranked in the top ten, but there is definitely no problem in ranking in the top twenty.

He can truly be said to be in a high position with great power.

"Maybe it's not coercion, but maybe he is a little dissatisfied with Minister Yan's refusal to help." Li An said.

Zhao Ceying was stunned when he heard this, and quickly understood what Li An meant.

As a salt merchant, the Cheng family had Yan Xiang as their backer, and Yan Xiang was likely involved in it.

After all, the promotion of officials in charge of salt affairs is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel.

Although the Ministry of Personnel does not have the power to directly appoint officials when their positions reach a certain level, it does not mean that the Ministry of Personnel has no influence.

The imperial court had a system of itinerant officials, and officials serving in local positions could not stay in one place for a long time.

However, if there are people in the Ministry of Personnel, they can continue to serve in one system.

Manage the salt affairs in this place, and manage the salt affairs in another place.

The location changed, but the position did not change.

Thinking of this, Zhao Ceying's expression turned cold.

"Zhong Huai, I will not pursue the previous matters. We must catch the Cheng family as soon as possible!" Zhao Ceying said.

If we can find evidence to eliminate Yan Xiang, it will surely shock many people.

By then, people's minds will be aroused, and the investigation will be much easier.

"Yes!" Gu Tingye replied.

This time, Gu Tingye didn't say anything about wanting to protect Zhao Ceying.

The repeated failures were a big blow to him.

Before Gu Tingye came, he had actually sent someone to contact Shitou's brother and sister-in-law.

This time he must find the Cheng family in order to wash away the shame.

"Go!" Zhao Ceying waved his hand.

…………

After Gu Tingye left, Zhao Ceying also began to close the net.

I have been in Yancheng County for so long and have found many clues. Now it is time to close the net.

On that day, hundreds of imperial guards were divided into dozens of groups and arrested the chief officers of all the salt fields in Yancheng County.

Only the adjutant was left to manage the salt works.

For a time, the entire Yancheng County was in a panic.

However, the person was caught, but the interrogation results were not optimistic.

Although Zhao Ceying said that the number of rainy days recorded in the account book did not match the actual number, these people's faces changed.

But no one was willing to confess.

If it were an ordinary person, they could still be tortured to extract a confession, but these people were all civil servants.

Punishment is not imposed on doctors, but if it is imposed on a civil servant, even if he is a prince, it will be a big trouble.

No matter how Zhao Ceying threatened or bribed them, these people were unwilling to speak.

"Your Highness, it is normal for them not to say anything. After all, they are involved in it. The outcome will be the same whether they speak or not. In this case, it is better not to say anything. Only if they don't say anything will someone save them." Li An said.

For these civil servants, they would not die anyway. Given their crimes, they would be exiled whether they spoke out or not.

As for what Zhao Ceying said, that as long as he said it, the punishment would be lighter, these old foxes would never believe it.

Even if the sentence is really lenient, dismissal from office is certain.

If the court fails to catch all those involved, they will face retaliation.

"Damn it!" Zhao Ceying slammed the table in anger.

"Don't be upset, Your Highness. Now that the person has been arrested, we can directly control the investigation of each salt field. As long as the evidence is in front of them, they will have no choice but to speak out."

"And as long as there is progress on Zhong Huai's side, maybe someone will be willing to speak up then," Li An said.

"This is the only way now." Zhao Ceying had no other choice for the moment.

…………

Zhao Ceying arrested the heads of dozens of salt fields in Yancheng County, and the news quickly spread.

What's more, there are many people who have been keeping an eye on Zhao Ceying.

Yangzhou
After Wen Duo learned the news, he immediately sent someone to find his confidant Xue Qing.

"Ming Gong!"

"Sit down and talk." Wen Duo waved his hand.

Xue Qing bowed, sat down, and said, "Mingsong, you don't look very well, but what happened?"

"King Huan arrested the chief officers of dozens of salt fields in Lianghuai, and they were guarded by the imperial guards. The specific situation is unclear." Wen Duo said.

"It's normal. If you want to investigate some things, you can definitely find out something. I just don't know how much His Royal Highness Prince Huan has found. If there is not much evidence, no one will say anything." Xue Qing said.

Wen Duo frowned and said, "I understand what you said. I just don't know how much King Huan has found out. If someone can't help but confess, I won't be able to find out for the time being, but I will definitely find out after a while."

"Don't worry, my lord. I think Minister Yan has already received the news. There are people who are more anxious than you."

Xue Qing pointed out something: "Besides, Prince Huan arrested all the chief officials of the Lianghuai Salt Fields at once, which will surely cause panic among the people. When the salt production decreases, it will cause big problems."

Wen Duo's eyes lit up when he heard this.

…………

In the inner city of Bianjing, in a house in the west of the city, there were two people sitting in the main seat in the main hall, and four or five people sitting on each side of the hall.

The youngest are in their forties, and most are elderly with gray hair.

The old man on the upper left is slightly fat, holding a teacup in his hand and sipping tea.

Seeing that no one said a word, he put down his teacup and said, "Everyone, we are now on the same boat. King Huan has been investigating the salt business for more than a month. If we don't find a way to stop it, we will all be doomed."

The people below lowered their heads when facing the old man's gaze, but no one spoke.

The old man was none other than Yan Xiang, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. He was in a high position of power and influence, so how could they dare to offend him?

The old man on the right cleared his throat twice, attracting everyone's attention, and said, "Minister Yan is so anxious because something happened to your people. I have long said that you should behave yourself at this time, but your people are so good that they not only committed a crime against the wind, but also hit His Royal Highness Prince Huan's boat."

"Fu Yang, I am not in the mood to talk to you about this. Do you think that if I am finished, you will be fine? Don't forget, you are the Director of the Salt and Iron Administration, and the salt affairs are under your jurisdiction. Now that it has become so corrupt, if the problem is really found out, can you get away with it?" Yan Xiang said coldly.

He didn't say anything about how he was finished and no one should come and threaten him.

Such words cannot threaten anyone because he does not have the courage to do so.

The problem of corruption in the salt administration began during the reign of Emperor Taizong, and by now, too many people are involved.

Most officials in the entire Bianliang would receive a tribute every year.

This filial piety was actually given by these people. Those who received the benefits knew it very well but pretended not to know.

This is also the reason why no one took up the idea when Zhao Zongquan proposed a thorough investigation of the salt business.

Because most people have taken advantage of the situation, the few who haven't taken advantage of the situation know how deep the water is and they don't even have time to hide, so they don't dare to wade into the muddy water.

Even if something happened, he would not dare to blame others.

If he dares to accuse others, he will be exiled at best. If he dares to accuse others, he will be dead soon.

This is the disadvantage of not killing civil servants. For civil servants, they are not afraid of the emperor because they cannot die anyway.

On the contrary, what scares them more is the conflicts among officials.

I have to say this is ironic.

"You..." Fu Yang was called by his name and glared at Yan Xiang with some anger.

Yan Xiang was not afraid at all. He was deeply involved with the Cheng family. If he was really caught and confessed something, he would be finished. How could he be afraid of offending others?

Just when the atmosphere was tense, there was a sudden sound of drums.

Because of the distance, the sound is not loud, but it can be heard clearly.

"Is this the Dengwen Drum?" someone asked.

There was actually nothing wrong with the beating of the Dengwen Drum, as there were Dengwen Drums in many places in Bianjing.

There is also a special management institution - Dengwen Drum Institute.

The purpose of the Dengwen Drum is to let the people redress their grievances. If the people have grievances and the local officials do not care or are corrupt, they can beat the Dengwen Drum.

The Dengwen Drum Court was responsible for collecting the grievances of those who beat the drums and reporting them to the emperor.

Simply put, it means filing a complaint with the emperor.

However, it was not like what was shown on TV. It was not set up at the palace gate, so that the emperor would hear it when you knocked and would immediately summon the person for punishment.

That's a bit too fantastical. After all, the palace is so big, and the drums have to be so loud that the emperor can hear them.

Moreover, the emperor was not that idle. He met with people who came to complain anytime and anywhere.

They were all registered by the Dengwen Drum Court, and after a simple verification, they were reported to the emperor, who handled them centrally.

Although there is a drum for reporting news, it is not struck very often.

It’s not that there is no injustice, but the idea that the people should not fight against the officials has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. When the people go to file a complaint, even if the official is executed, won’t he have many friends?
What's more, the Song Dynasty did not kill civil servants.

But no matter how few there are, there are still people knocking on it occasionally, so it's not surprising.

The reason why the man cried out in surprise was that since the death of the previous emperor and the accession of the new emperor to the throne, no one had struck the drum to report the incident.

"We will now discuss how to get the government to stop investigating the salt business."

Yan Xiang was in no mood to care about these things, and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, your situation is similar to mine. Just because I haven't investigated you now doesn't mean I won't investigate you later."

Everyone felt a sinking feeling in their hearts when they heard this, as there must be more people involved in the salt business than just them.

However, most of the officials in Bian Jing just took the gift as a reward and turned a blind eye.

However, among these people, some of their family members have obtained the management rights of some local salt.

Fu Yang didn't have one, but he was the Director of the Salt and Iron Administration, in charge of the salt and iron of the whole country.

"Lord Yan, I found Concubine Liu's sister and promised her various benefits, but she did not agree." said one person.

"I'll say it again, I asked you to come here to find a solution. What's the point of talking about something that has not been accomplished?" Yan Xiang frowned.

"Sir, I have an idea. Not only we profit from private salt, but also the salt merchants. Why not contact more salt merchants and ask them to sell less salt? We can secretly send people to spread rumors, saying that the reduction in salt production is due to the thorough investigation of salt affairs by His Royal Highness Prince Huan. Those fools are so ignorant that they will surely make trouble if we send people to incite them. Then we can write a letter to put some pressure on the government, and there will be a chance to stop the government from continuing the investigation." said an old man.

"Finally someone has come up with a feasible solution. Let's think about it and see if there are any other ways. This time we must make the government stop the thorough investigation of the salt business." Yan Xiang said.

Everyone started talking at once, some proposed some solutions, while others analyzed the feasibility of the solutions.

After talking for half an hour, they came up with several feasible solutions.

Yan Xiang asked everyone to go back and prepare first, leaving only him and Fu Yang in the hall.

"Sir Fu, I just had some meetings. I hope you can forgive me if I have offended you." Yan Xiang first apologized to Fu Yang.

"Okay, I know you are anxious. But the more anxious you are at a time like this, the easier it is to make mistakes." Fu Yang said.

"I know that, but I have to be anxious. Lord Fu, so many people in the court have taken benefits, don't they want to contribute?" Yan Xiang said.

"Haha, they did get some benefits, but they all pretended to be unaware and not involved, so they are naturally not in a hurry. Now that the government's attitude is unclear, how could they be willing to intervene?"

Fu Yang said with a hint of sarcasm in his tone: "When I found Minister Yan, weren't you in a hurry? Lord Yan not only took the benefits, but also participated in it. Those people just took some benefits."

Now I know I am in a hurry. What were you doing before?

If we were to ask who is most worried about the thorough investigation of the salt affairs, it would be him, the Director of the Salt and Iron Administration.

After Zhao Zongquan announced a thorough investigation of the salt affairs and the morning court ended, he began to contact people everywhere in an attempt to stop it.

But many people refused.

Later on, it was just a book or something published every few days, and the words were not harsh.

It seems like he is not afraid of finding out something.

In fact, they are not afraid at all, because they are just getting some benefits.

Knowing it was hush money, he treated it as a tribute to filial piety.

It was common for local officials to give gifts to officials in Beijing as a token of their respect.

It's impossible to expect them to get things done.

Even if the salt administration is really investigated and the people are corrupt after being replaced, we still have to give them money. Why are they in such a hurry?

Would you dare to give them up if Fu Yang gets into trouble?

dare not.

After all, those people just took the benefits and had no involvement, so it wouldn't be a serious crime if they confessed, they would just be demoted.

It is impossible for the government to deal with so many people at once, but Fu Yang will have to face their revenge.

(End of this chapter)