Jinyi Town Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 67
He Liu and Lao Hu led a hundred brocade-clothed guards and searched Wu Liangyong's house for nine days.Twelve into the hospital finally completed the inspection.A total of 110 million taels of cash, 40 taels of bank notes, 8000 taels of gold, and a large amount of antiques, jade wares, calligraphy and paintings were copied.

He Liu settled the liquidation, and all the property added up to almost 200 million taels.

After checking the last room in Wu's mansion, Lao Hu said: "Lao Liu, we have finally completed one of the two errands entrusted to us by Commander Lu. At noon, I will ask someone to bring some food and wine. Let's have a good drink. "

He Liu nodded: "Okay."

The back garden of Wu Mansion is quiet and elegant, and there is a gazebo among the rockery.He Liu and Lao Hu asked people to put the food and wine in the gazebo, and they had a hearty drink.

Three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.Lao Hu asked He Liu: "Lao Liu, we passed through a sieve three times when the twelve entered the yard. There should be no omissions. Don't say that you smell silver again."

He Liu smiled: "No. In the past nine days, we almost demolished all the twelve yards."

He Liu glanced at the small lake beside the rockery.Something seemed wrong to him.

Lao Hu saw that He Liu had a different expression: "What's the matter, Lao Liu?"

He Liu pointed to a small lucky boat parked beside the small lake.

Old Hu said: "Rich people pay attention to being able to visit mountains and rivers in their own homes. Mountains are artificial mountains. Water is just a small lake dug with waterside pavilions. A boat is parked beside it. It is also common for ladies and wives to go boating on the lake in their leisure time. .”

He Liudao: "Don't you take a look, how big is this lake? How big is that little lucky boat? It's all right for young ladies and wives to go on a boat trip on the lake! This little lucky boat is the size of a sea boat! It's almost as big as ours back then. I have borrowed Sun Chunbin's Huya warship in Tianjin Wei!"

Lao Hu fumbled his chin covered with white stubble, and said, "It's a bit strange for you to say that. I remembered that 26 years ago, when your father and I went to Fujian to inspect a garrisoned house, he was behind More than one hundred thousand taels of silver sank in the small lake in the garden!
He Liu ordered more than a dozen wrestlers to find a dozen bamboo poles as thick as a child's arm, and tied two iron hooks to each of the ends of the bamboo poles.Then he boarded the boat with the warriors and rowed the boat to the center of the lake.

The wrestlers took bamboo poles and scrambled in the small lake.

A wrestler suddenly said: "Master Liu, I seem to have caught something."

He Liu hurriedly said: "Pull it up!"

Lishi replied: "Master Liu, I can't move it!"

He Liu asked more than a dozen wrestlers to put their bamboo poles into the water to hook the thing, but it was in vain - the thing under the water was so heavy that it couldn't be hooked at all.

He Liu asked: "Which one of you is better at water?"

A short wrestler replied: "This subordinate's father used to serve in the Fujian Navy, and this subordinate grew up by the sea, and his water skills are not bad."

He Liudao: "Go dive to the bottom of the lake and see what's on the bottom of the lake."

The short wrestler took the order, took off his clothes, took a deep breath, and dived to the bottom of the lake.

The water in the small lake is not deep, almost two feet deep.

After a while, the short wrestler surfaced.Several wrestlers pulled him onto the boat.

"Master Liu, there are many big wooden boxes under the water!"

He Liu and Lao Hu looked at each other and smiled.He Liudao: "It seems that this small lake is also a cornucopia!"

Old Hu said: "Those wooden boxes should be full of silver. How to fish them up? I'm afraid bamboo poles won't do anything."

He Liu thought for a while and said, "It's easy to handle. People in the Ministry of Industry often say that if there is water, it can be drained. Let's do it!"

He turned his head and told a warrior: "Go to the governor's office. Ask the governor's office to help find [-] civilian husbands to come here."

More than an hour later, Tan Lun, the official of the Governor's Mansion, personally brought [-] civilian husbands to the Wu Mansion.

He Liu commanded the men to dig more than a dozen canals around the small lake, and drain the water from the lake into the swill ditch in the backyard.For a moment, the surroundings of the Wu Mansion became a swamp country.

The water in the small lake gradually drained away, and the dozens of large wooden boxes at the bottom of the lake finally saw the light of day!
Lao Hu took a big iron rod and pried open all the copper locks on dozens of wooden boxes.In dozens of wooden boxes, all of them are filled with silver!

After some counting, there were more than 80 taels of silver hidden in the lake!
Lao Hu slapped himself on the head: "Oh dear. Lianghuai Salt Transport Envoy for three years - Wu Liangyong has been greedy for nearly 300 million silver? One million taels a year, 100 to 9 taels a month?"

He Liudao: "At the beginning, the old Yan Shifan of Xiaoge came to me. He said to me: "The Lianghuai Salt Transport Envoy is the most lucrative in the world. It can get 80 million taels of silver in a special year. Even if it is quite satisfactory, the income is ordinary. According to the regulations, you can earn 30 to [-] yuan a year." It seems that what Xiao Ge said is true!"

Old Hu said: "The investigation of the Wu Mansion is over, shouldn't it be time for you, an imperial envoy, to give a memorial to the court?"

He Liudao: "Have someone count the amount of money again, organize it into a book, and send it to Beijing urgently within [-] miles. At the same time, let the governor's office send a few large ships and a team of sailors to escort the dirty money to Beijing!"

It is almost three thousand miles from Jiangnan to the capital.Eight hundred li is expedited, and Kung Fu Memorial can reach Beijing in five days.Dirty silver travels much slower by water, and it takes almost a month to reach the capital.

He Liu and Lao Hu returned to the office of imperial envoys in the back office of the governor's office.Hu Zongxian, governor of Zhejiang Province, was already waiting there.

He Liu cupped his hands and said: "Hu Butang, I was just looking for you. The Wu Mansion has been confiscated. All property is about 280 million taels of silver. In front of the governor of Zhejiang Zhizhi, you are in charge of all the officers and soldiers in Zhejiang and Zhizhi. Canal sailors. Please send a team of sailors to escort this batch of dirty silver to Beijing."

Hu Zongxian said: "I came here for this batch of dirty money. Sixth, I beg you for something!"

He Liudao: "What's the matter?"

Hu Zongxian had a sad face on his face: "Lao Liu, if you do this for me, it will break the rules of Jinyiwei. If you don't do it for me, it will make Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou's [-] sons feel cold."

He Liu cupped his hands: "Hu Butang, please speak clearly."

Hu Zongxian said: "To tell you the truth, there were catastrophes in several provinces last year. The imperial court transferred silver from the treasuries of Zhejiang and Nanzhili provinces six times for relief. Now the treasuries of Zhejiang and Zhili are empty! Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayou Leading Qi's and Yu's troops to fight bloody battles with Japanese pirates along the coast, but the imperial court issued a memorial and asked Zhejiang and Zhizhi to raise their own military salaries. I don't even have any money to pay for the military! They are almost sold out! I am anxiously waiting for 70 taels of silver to save my life!"

He Liudao: "You want to deduct 70 taels from Wu Liangyong's dirty silver? According to Jinyiwei's rules, after checking the dirty silver from hundreds of households in other provinces, it must be shipped to the capital immediately. You can submit a memorial to the court. Wait until this sum When the dirty money arrives in the treasury, the emperor approves your memorial, and then transfers the money from the treasury to you."

(End of this chapter)