Jinyi Town Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 65 Inspecting the Wu Mansion
Hu Zongxian led He Liu into the inner room.

Hu Zongxian treated He Liu frankly: "Lao Liu, I know that you came to Jiangnan to search Wu Liangyong's house. Secretly, you came to investigate the deficit of Lianghuai salt tax."

He Liu smiled: "There are rules in the imperial court. If you are on an official mission under a secret order, you must not leak the order! I also ask Hu Butang to be considerate."

Hu Zongxian sat on the chair, took a sip of tea from the teacup, and said, "Yes, the imperial court has court rules. There are only two of us here. There are no governors or imperial envoys, only Jin Yiwei's peer friends. You don't want to admit it, I can't ask any more questions. I just want to ask you a question, do you know how much of the tax revenue of Ming Dynasty will be accounted for by Zhejiang and Nanzhili?"

He Liu thought for a while and said, "The two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty are the most prosperous in the south of the Yangtze River. The finances and taxes of Zhejiang and Zhizhi probably account for half of the national treasury revenue."

Hu Zongxian nodded: "Last year, there were floods in Henan, locusts in Shaanxi, and drought in Shandong. This winter, there was another famine in Beizhili. Although the Tatars had negotiated peace with the imperial court early, they were still provocative in the important towns on the nine borders. The defense of the nine frontiers consumes a large amount of military expenditure every year. An Nanguo in the south is eyeing the southern border. The southeast also needs to defend against Japanese pirates. The emperor built several Taoist temples and built several palaces this year. The treasury of Ming Dynasty, It can be called stretched..."

Hu Zongxian first complained for the court for a while, and then he changed the subject: "The taxation of Zhejiang and Zhizhi accounts for half of the treasury revenue. The treasury is stretched. Therefore, Zhejiang and Zhizhi cannot be messed up! If Zhejiang Zhizhi is in chaos, it will lead to troubles. The whole body is affected by one shot! As the governor of Zhejiang Province appointed by the emperor, I have to look at the overall situation. Sixth, can you understand my difficulties?"

There is something in Hu Zongxian's words: Zhezhi can't be chaotic.It doesn't matter that you, He Liulai, check the Lianghuai salt tax, don't talk about it, and stir up Zhejiang straight into a pot of porridge.

He Liu is not stupid.He could hear Hu Zongxian's voice.

He Liu pretended to be confused: "Hu Butang, I don't understand what you are saying. I follow the rules and regulations, so can my errands disturb Jiangnan?"

Hu Zongxian smiled wryly: "What do you think? Don't speak dark words in front of Ming people. Too many officials are involved in the shortfall of Lianghuai salt tax! There are many factions in Jiangnan officialdom. Eunuch Lu’s people are fighting like black-eyed chickens all day long. As a tinkerer, I can only try my best to maintain the balance of Jiangnan’s officialdom. In a word, you have to handle things with moderation! And you have to think about the overall situation!”

Hu Zongxian is a minister capable of governing the world.He served as the governor of Zhejiang Province for three years, spending all his time on clothing and food, and working hard.The censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate once reported that Governor Hu lost a full twenty catties in three years.

It is precisely because of this that Emperor Jiajing said: The court cannot live without the southeast for a day, and the southeast cannot live without Hu Zongxian for a day.

He Liu clasped his hands and said, "Don't worry, Hu Butang. I, He Liu, am not a young man who is greedy for success and profit, and I will keep a good sense of proportion when I do errands."

Hu Zongxian said: "Well, old six, I have already heard about your handling of the "Hundred Officials Record". It can be seen that you are a calm person. Well, you are also tired, so I will leave first. If you need it, just send someone to tell me."

Hu Zongxian left.

Lao Hu walked into the inner room: "Lao Liu, what did Hu Butang tell you?"

He Liu sighed: "He told me not to disturb Zhezhi because of the lack of salt tax. If Zhezhi is in chaos, the world will be in chaos."

Lao Hu nodded: "Hu Butang is known for his good plans for the overall situation. He is right. The national treasury is now fully supported by Zhejiang Province. If this place is messed up, the entire Ming Dynasty will have to follow suit."

He Liudao: "But what the emperor and Commander Lu told us, we have to do it!"

Old Hu said: "You have to sort things out first. Among the most senior officials in Jiangnan, Hu Butang is the old man of Yan Ge; the governor of Nanzhili Zhao Zhenji is the man of King Yu; the governor of Zhejiang Zheng Bichang is the old man of Yan Ge He is the son and daughter of Wu Liangyong, the former Lianghuai salt transport envoy; He Maocai, the governor of Zhejiang Province, is also an old man of Yan Ge... If you want to expose Wu Liangyong's background, it is equivalent to exposing the old background of Yan Ge's old background—it is also equivalent to exposing the old background of Yan Ge Most of the veterans in the Jiangnan officialdom."

He Liudao: "Actually, Hu Butang is only half of Yan Ge's old man. Before I left, Commander Lu said to me personally: Hu Zongxian is not only Yan Ge's disciple, but also a person who is loyal to the emperor."

Old Hu said: "Forget it, Commander Lu gave you two errands. One is to search Wu Liangyong's mansion, and the other is to find out the deficit of Lianghuai salt tax. Let's finish the first errand in the next few days Just search Wu Liangyong's house."

On the second day, He Liu and Lao Hu led a hundred guards in brocade clothes to the mansion of criminal officer Wu Liangyong.

Wu Liangyong has been decreed to deprive him of his official position and sent him to imperial prison.His house has long been watched by more than 300 soldiers from the Governor's Mansion, waiting for imperial envoys from Beijing to come and search it.

He Liu and Lao Hu entered the Wu Mansion.This Wu Mansion is even more magnificent than the houses of the six ministers and cabinet members in the capital!
Wu Mansion is divided into six entrances in the front yard and six entrances in the back yard.There is also a huge garden in the backyard.In the garden, there are many rockeries and a small lake.

He Liu asked the governor's mansion who served him personally: "How much money can such a house be sold in Jiangnan?"

He replied in a pen and post style: "There are twelve gates in the front and back of this house, and it can be sold for at least 30 taels of silver."

Lao Hu took a deep breath: "We have copied 30 taels of silver! This house is 30 taels of silver!"

He Liudao: "We'll have to search this house for at least four or five days. Let's start with the front yard first!"

The living room in the front yard is spacious and spacious.He Liu said to Lao Hu: "Please be innocent."

Lao Hu opened the "innocent box" and took out the floor listener and the wall tiger.

He Liuming said: "Listen to the land first."

He Liu put one end of the earphone on the ground and the other end on his ear.

Lao Hu stomped his feet within five steps of listening to the ground.

After a while, He Liu discovered the clue.

"The bottom of this stone slab is empty!" He Liu said.

Lao Hu pulled out a small knife and lifted the stone slab under his feet.Under the stone slabs, the white flowers are full of silver!
He Liu told his wrestlers: "Don't be dumbfounded, move the money!"

There is a living room in the front yard, and there are as many as four silver cellars hidden under the floor!The wrestlers piled up the silver in the silver cellar into a hill.

Lao Hu roughly counted and said in amazement: "Liu Liu, we have copied out 8 taels of Tibetan silver in just two sticks of incense!"

He Liuhuan went to the customer hall for a week, and said again: "Don't worry, I haven't invited the tiger on the wall, scrape the wall!"

Lao Hu took out the "tiger", and he tapped on the wall of the living room with the hammer.He Liu leaned his ears against the wall, listening for any echoes.

"Boom, boom~donger~" After knocking twice, He Liu found another clue.

"This wall is also hollow! Come on, use a sledgehammer to smash this hollow wall!" He Liu ordered his wrestlers to say.

A wrestler picked up a sledgehammer and smashed it.

"Boom~crash."

From the hole in the wall, a large pile of five-two-one-ingot gold coins flowed out like flowing water.

(End of this chapter)