A Thousand Hills

Chapter 183

The timing of Xu's appearance was very embarrassing.

As Jiang Xingyun said, if it is a major matter involving the entire Fujian garrison, even the fifth prince will not be able to handle it here.It's not just a matter of the law not blaming the public, a slight mistake will lead to major incidents.

In particular, the fifth prince's time in the feudal domain is still short.

Moreover, the fifth prince was not in Fujian Province at this time, and he brought his wife and children out with him.

There are less than five thousand personal guards around.

Xie Moru suddenly said, "General Zhaowu Mrs. Liu is not here."

Jiang Xingyun said, "It is said that Mrs. Liu got a cold. She was ill a few years ago, and she still can't get up."

Xie Moru held his head and thought for a while, "What good is this for the Xu family?" It was the Xu family who presented the evidence. He is a merchant family, no matter how rich he is, he is still at the bottom of the list, and the most likely to be sacrificed is the Xu family. How does this benefit the Xu family?

Xie Moru was still thinking, Jiang Xingyun said, "What's so hard to know, I'll arrest Xu immediately!" She came from a general family and likes to use force to speak!

Jiang Xingyun hurried away, Xie Moru told Wisteria, "Please come here, my lord."

The fifth prince was still talking to the officials. If his wife invited him, the fifth prince went to see his wife first, and the officials waited.Everyone looked at the governor in unison. Governor Tang was worthy of being a first-rank official, and he was still sitting upright, looking at his nose and nose, looking at his heart. His mind and mind were united, and he remained motionless.Really, it looks like he has something to do, he doesn't know what the fifth prince is doing!But at this moment, there is no one who can invite the fifth prince, so it depends on my lord?fool!
Look, Governor Xiaosu is sitting upright.

Governor Xiao Su, Governor Tang, who is in his early fifties, calls Governor Su who is not yet in his forties, so he can naturally call him Governor Xiao Su.As everyone knows, Governor Xiao Su is quite dissatisfied, and feels that Princess Xie was quite a well-behaved person in the past, so why did she ask His Highness to leave at this time?In this case, it is not suitable.But I'm worried, is there something urgent with the princess?Thinking of this, Governor Xiaosu sat upright.

When the fifth prince passed by, Xie Moru told the fifth prince about Mr. Xu, and the fifth prince said, "What evidence does he have? He has to see me before he can show it." The Xu family flattered the eldest prince for many years, and the fifth prince was in the imperial capital just know.The Xu family wanted to hand over the evidence, and the fifth prince was a little suspicious immediately. He didn't like the Xu family very much.

Xie Moru said, "I don't know, but I really don't see any benefit to the Xu family."

Xie Moru has always been meticulous, she must ask for clarity when she thinks about things.The fifth prince consciously thinks IQ is not as good as his wife’s, but the fifth prince has the same thing. He was educated by the royal family. He is the one who has the final say!" At this time, hand over the evidence, what are you doing!
Xie Moru looked at the fifth prince, who couldn't help but smile, alas, his wife can also show such a confused look in front of him.The fifth prince's heart was full of pride, he coughed lightly, his face regained his dignity, he pulled his wife's hand to stand up, and said, "Come here, I will teach you a trick."

The fifth prince took Xie Moru to the front meeting hall. It was the first time that Xie Moru formally met the local officials with the fifth prince.When everyone saw the fifth prince and the princess coming, they quickly stood up and saluted. The fifth prince waved his hand, "Sit down."

The fifth prince himself sat in the middle of a soft couch paved with red brocade. Under the soft couch, there were two rows of imperial chairs on the left and right for civil and military officials. The fifth prince gave up half of the couch, and the couple sat together. The fifth prince said, " Old Tang, is there something you haven't explained to me!"

Governor Tang was a little confused, and the fifth prince called his name, "Song Shuangcheng, Liu Zhaowu, something about your army!"

As soon as the three of them touched the chairs, they immediately stood up again after the roll call. Governor Tang was puzzled, "My lord, if you have any questions, I will tell you the truth!"

The fifth prince patted the armrest of the couch, adding a bit of anger, and scolded directly, "This king said earlier, you were in the army first, let it go, let it go! This king wants to save you here, have you wiped your butt clean?" !"

When the Fifth Prince scolded him a little bit, although everyone was a little panicked, they couldn't help getting closer.This is not surprising, the main reason is that the tone of the fifth prince's speech is completely like one of his own.

Xie Moru was really surprised, not knowing that her husband had such a trick.

The fifth prince then scolded these people. After being scolded back, Governor Tang and others felt at ease physically and mentally, and finally talked with the fifth prince about food and grass.It was difficult for Governor Tang to say, "For the food and grass of the local army, half of the money has always been allocated by the imperial court, and the remaining half has been intercepted and raised by the local government. None of the money from the imperial court has been allocated on a regular basis. 20, 15 to the place is luck. The imperial court has regulations on the rations of the army, like the Hou Ye, they use the new rice of the year, and this is the treatment that only the imperial guards have." Said and looked at Yongding Hou, Marquis Yongding did not raise any objections, so it can be seen that Governor Tang was telling the truth.Governor Tang continued, "Only 20 of the 15 silver is left, and local taxation is limited. Your Highness also knows that the taxes in our Fujian region cannot suppress the people too hard, and local construction should not be too much." Save it. Otherwise, if you are poor, you will be even poorer, and the life of the people will not be able to survive." It’s just one word, it’s difficult.

The fifth prince said, "I know the Ministry of Accounts but there is a transfer of money, you will inevitably go to get it, but only 20 of the 15 silver is left, isn't that too cruel?"

Governor Tang winked, thinking of explaining to the young prince in private.Unexpectedly, Governor Su said directly, "In the past, it was only a thousand pieces of silver that had to be paid to the household department. Recently, the amount of money managed has been increasing steadily. I don't know where it went."

Governor Tang was so worried that he said earnestly, "My governor Su, be careful with your words." We all know that your father is the chief assistant, and if this news gets out, your chief assistant father will not be able to catch it, okay?

Governor Su simply kept silent.

"Governor Su can say what he wants, and don't ask anyone to speak!" The fifth prince was quite dissatisfied, and said, "This king is in the Ministry of Rites, and I haven't encountered this matter."

Governor Tang sighed, "What is your Highness's identity? How can anyone dare to make things difficult for His Highness. Even if His Majesty allocated money, 50 cents, which is a lot, this is the first time I have served as a supervisor in Fujian."

The Fifth Prince asked Governor Tang several people, "Do you have any clues in the Xu family's hands?"

When he heard that it was about the Xu family, Governor Tang's face was slightly terrified, and he didn't bother to cover up and conceal it at the moment, and said, "Every time the local army rations are collected, it is the new rice of the season. In order to save some money, we asked the Xu family to exchange rice. Over Chen Mi."

General Zhaowu hesitated to speak.

Governor Tang's eyes drooped slightly, and the corners of his lips were slightly pursed.

Of course, all of this cannot escape Xie Moru's eyes.Xie Moru said, "Wang Ye's words are still valid. For this sake, if you still keep it secret, I will have nothing to say."

For a moment, the chamber was eerily silent.

An old guy like Governor Tang broke out in a cold sweat.

General Zhaowu's face was also pale, but Song Shuangcheng didn't understand, he looked at this and that without any trace.However, he felt that there was no trace, and the Fifth Prince Xie Moru and his wife who were sitting on it couldn't see anything.In addition, the governor of Su and the envoy Zhou Ya were also dignified, and Xie Jin frowned slightly.

A needle could be heard in the meeting hall, and the Fifth Prince felt that he heard Governor Tang's violent heartbeat.

Of course, this may be the reason why Governor Tang sat under him and the two were relatively close.

Or, it was the fifth prince's auditory hallucination.

I don't know if it was an illusion, but a gust of spring breeze blew across the conference hall, bringing a bit of chill to this spring day for no reason.Xie Moru said, "If you want to leave, go now."

The fifth prince glanced at his wife, could it be that his daughter-in-law already guessed what was going on?
Xie Moru said lightly, "It's nothing more than a matter of Jingjiang Palace."

Governor Tang was sweating profusely, and the fifth prince was shocked, "You guys are colluding with King Jingjiang!"

Yongdinghou said, "I have been stationed in Haiyan for two years, and there has been no private communication with Jingjiang in Fujian."

Governor Tang paled, "Three years ago, there was a severe drought in Fujian, and I bought rice from Jingjiang."

Xie Moru changed his voice, and said, "What's the problem, the Jingjiang Palace is originally the palace of the vassal of the country, and it is adjacent to Fujian, so it is normal to buy some grain from Jingjiang. It is Wu and Fujian, so there is no business relationship?"

Governor Tang and General Zhaowu breathed a sigh of relief at the same time, Xie Moru said, "Speaking of which, His Highness and King Jingjiang are not outsiders, even on the way to the feudal domain, King Jingjiang specially ordered someone to deliver things. It's just that His Highness is busy with government affairs now. , no time to visit."

Xie Moru continued to sigh, "Talking about the land of Wujiang, not to mention the benefits of salt and iron, the land is rich, far better than our Fujian."

For a while, Li Jiujiang came in to report, and shopkeeper Xu Da invited him over.

The Fifth Prince said, "Show him in."

Boss Xu was able to get in front of the eldest prince, and he had some skills, and he was even more well-informed.Now that the fifth prince is making an inspection tour, many officials have been sacked along the way. The Xu family is not so clean to have the status it has today.It's not that Boss Xu was panicked, Xie Moru thought that this idea was the meaning of the eldest prince's family, but it might not be that the Xu family was pretending to be smart.

The Xu family tried to curry favor with the fifth prince and his wife several times but failed. Unexpectedly, today they summoned him in front of many officials. Boss Xu suddenly felt that something was wrong. The fifth prince had already asked, "I heard you have something to present to the king?"

Boss Xu's original intention was to submit it privately, but seeing how the fifth prince asked this question, it didn't mean a private transaction at all.Boss Xu was hesitant, and suddenly met a pair of cold eyes, he couldn't help but shiver, the fifth prince said, "If you have nothing to say to this king, then go down."

At this moment, Boss Xu understood that the Fifth Prince was completely different from the First Prince who had money and was easy to talk to, so he didn't dare to dawdle any longer, and quickly took out a blue leather cloth bag from his arms, and presented it respectfully.

Boss Xu, as a merchant, cannot come in front of the fifth prince. His own servants delivered the things on a tray. Before the fifth prince could look at the contents of the blue leather bag, he felt that the atmosphere in the room was once again tense. The fifth prince He ordered someone to raise a brazier to come in, and threw the blue cloth bag into the fire. The charcoal fire rolled up the blue cloth bag, and immediately exposed the paper pages that had started to be peeled and burned. The fifth prince said flatly, "What the king said , has always been effective. This thing, don’t worry about it.”

Governor Tang immediately fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face, and shouted, "Your Highness is so gracious, how dare I wait for you to do my best!"

The rest knelt down one after another.

The fifth prince was too lazy to listen to these nonsense, and only said, "From now on, this Fujian region must listen to me!"

"I'm waiting for orders!"

With the shouts of the ministers, Boss Xu's face turned pale to the extreme.

Xie Moru looked at the fifth prince, a smile flashed in his eyes.The fifth prince quietly squeezed his wife's hand: This is imperial power, and everyone in the world must listen to us!How can you be led by the nose by a merchant!
The fifth prince showed his lord demeanor once, bought people's hearts once, and said to Boss Xu, "From now on, you are at ease. You also want to save your life. This king knows your loyalty. Go!"

Boss Xu didn't say he was devastated when he left, but his expression was really not very good.

The fifth prince said, "Okay, let's have a nice meal at noon, and tomorrow the prince will go to the Zhaowu barracks in person."

There has been a wave of flattery from Governor Tang down.

The fifth prince also accepted it with a smile.

In the afternoon, the husband and wife started talking in private, and the fifth prince was a little thankful, saying, "Fortunately, you reacted quickly. I didn't expect it to be about Jingjiang."

Xie Moru said, "King Jingjiang has been in Wu for many years, if he has never infiltrated and operated in Fujian, it would be strange."

The fifth prince said, "I still have to tell my father about this matter, I don't know if my father will annoy me and make my own decisions." What kind of evidence does Boss Xu offer? The entire military and political system, in order to reassure people's hearts, has no choice but to do so.

Xie Moru was silent for a while and said, "One day when Jingjiang is subdued, will the officials in Jingjiang no longer be used? The current situation has to be like this. There is something I want to discuss with His Highness."

"What's the matter? You just say it."

"In my opinion, there are quite a lot of business exchanges between Fujian and Wu. What you and I have seen today is probably just a drop in the bucket. There must be an explanation for this matter. His Highness has to decide whether it will be changed to open business or completely banned. I have an idea." Xie Moru said, "If commerce and trade with Wu is completely prohibited, we must strictly deal with it in the future. If it is changed to normal trade exchanges on the surface, business taxes can be collected."

The fifth prince sighed, "I'm not sure about this matter."

"Then discuss with Tang Governor Su and the others." Xie Moru said, "Also, everything today needs to be explained to His Majesty in detail. Hey, His Royal Highness is going to be in trouble." Xie Moruyi sigh.

The Fifth Prince was not stupid, and said, "You mean, the Ministry of Households intercepted the flow."

"Out of the 20 taels of silver, the Ministry of Accounts intercepted 5 taels, which is unheard of in the world! Every year, the Ministry of Accounts allocates hundreds of millions of silver, and how much money does the Ministry of Accounts intercept! Where did the intercepted money go!" Xie Mo Ruleng Said, "What's going on here? It's the imperial court. Last year, His Majesty somehow squeezed out the 50 silver. Now His Highness is a feudal clan, and 50 silver is a lot. Will there be 50 left in Fujian? Where did the money go? The source of the water is not clear, how can we force everything in the middle and lower reaches to be clear? We have only been in Fujian these days, and we have to live with the world .”

The fifth prince sighed, "Let's just talk about it in private. I will report everything to my father about the matter in Fujian. It's just that the prince is the king and the brother. This is our guess. It cannot be written in the secret book."

Xie Moru said, "How can I not know about your Highness's difficulties? I'm not talking about His Highness the Crown Prince, but this matter involves the Household Department. The Prince has been in charge of the Household Department for many years. The extension is too long, and the crown prince is finally involved. The crown prince is different from others, the vassal king, but the lord of a place, we say it is for the crown prince and His Majesty to protect the country. After all, the ten thousand miles of the country, after all, belong to His Majesty It belongs to the crown prince. The household department is like this, it really slapped the crown prince in the face. Your highness wrote a private letter to tell the crown prince. The crown prince was negligent and was deceived by villains. Since your highness knows it, it’s better not to remind the prince.”

The fifth prince didn't have the heart to write a secret book anymore, so he threw the pen and said, "In the past in the imperial capital, there were occasional disputes between brothers. I was in the Ministry of Rites and didn't know about the other books. Now that I'm in Fujian, it's really difficult. It's frustrating. It's about Father, although what I said is the truth, I'm afraid Father won't feel good, Father is the most fond of the crown prince and elder brother." Years ago, his father gave him money, which moved the fifth prince so much.Although they belong to the royal family, their father-son relationship has always been harmonious, especially the fifth prince who has not received much love from his father since he was a child. Of course, his emperor father has never wronged him.However, the intimacy between father and son after adulthood still made the fifth prince more considerate to Emperor Mu Yuan.

Xie Moru persuaded him, "Since that's the case, Your Highness shouldn't always write these official affairs in the booklet. Wouldn't it be good to write about the close and interesting stories of brothers, father and son in the past? Your Majesty read it, and thought of the previous relationship between father and son, he can always be lenient. .Your Highness, here, I have done my son's filial piety, and my brother's love."

The fifth prince smiled, "You're right." He picked up the pen again and began to write the secret book.

Xie Moru smiled, "The children are also able to read, but their writing is not very good, and let the children write a few words to the concubine mother, and His Highness will send them along with them."

"it is good."

(End of this chapter)