Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

Wang Yue was caught and imprisoned, but he knew that revealing his identity as an imperial envoy was not only useless, but also likely to lead to his death.

After all, he has now mastered the criminal facts of Li Zhiqing and others. Once his identity is leaked, he will surely drown like Wang Chunlai, the transfer envoy of the Huaidu and Huaihe Rivers, and Wailang Guandong, a member of the Nanjing Household Department in Yangzhou Chaoguan.

Now he is facing a catastrophe. If he can get ashore smoothly, he can counterattack. If the matter is exposed, he may be buried here.

But even at this moment, he did not regret his choice to take the risk. After all, without this experience and without personally seeing the people and things here on the ship, how could one fully see the true face of this group of people?

ah? Fake?

Su Bancheng had already chosen to believe that Wang Yue was a salt merchant, but when he saw Wang Yue actually using a forged deposit receipt, he immediately looked at the tall old man in shock.

This is no longer strange, but they want to seek death. Officials here in Yangzhou are notoriously cruel.

Gao Heng took the deposit slip from the clerk's hand and said with a smile: "Haha... It's a good method, but the sticking method is too clumsy!"

Wang Yue sighed helplessly when he saw the deposit ticket.

Naturally, it was impossible for him to conjure twenty thousand taels of silver out of thin air, and the deposit check in his hand was naturally fake. It's just that this description is actually not correct. The deposit check is real, but the amount on it has been modified by myself.

If Mr. Li had just inspected carefully at Si Qian Pier, he could easily have discovered the problem. After all, there are obvious signs of adhesion.

It was just that it was time to ship the ship, and Su Bancheng and other salt merchants just complained, so he was allowed to get through with the fake deposit receipt and board the ship smoothly.

Ordinarily, after arriving on the ship, the fake deposit slip in his hand would have been checked, so he would not be suspected.

This is also true. Gao Heng and the clerk had no doubts about the deposit, but God's will was in the dark. The clerk pressed the seal and the small piece of paper stuck to it was stained. .

After all, he lost to God's will, but he was once again played hard by this thief God.

"Mr. Deputy Ambassador Gao, there must be something wrong with this person!" The scribe had never encountered such a "weird" situation before, and reminded him vigilantly.

Usually counterfeit deposit checks are used to defraud money from money shops, but Jiangdu Money Shop has a bottom check. If you get the deposit check and compare it with the bottom check, you will know the authenticity, so the purpose of the forgery this time is not to defraud money.

Since it was not for the purpose of defrauding money, and considering the fact that they did such illegal things here, the motives of this unknown member Hu were obviously impure.

Wang Yue was also very nervous at this moment. His motive for boarding the ship was too obvious. He risked boarding the ship just to expose their illegal activities today.

If it was confirmed that he was on the ship to spy on intelligence and collect evidence, even if they didn't know that he was an imperial envoy, they would probably kill him.

"Uncle Hu, you said you didn't have time to raise enough money, so there's no need to use such methods! We businessmen must pay attention to integrity. Now that you have lost integrity, who will dare to do business with you in the future?" Su Bancheng saw Wang He became more and more nervous, but suddenly he gave a lesson.

Huh?

Gao Heng was about to suspect that this stocky old man had evil intentions, but when he heard Su Bancheng's words, he took a new look at this extraordinary Hu Yuanwai.

"Exceptor Su, if I miss this opportunity, I have to wait until the imperial envoy leaves Yangzhou City! But the imperial envoy is injured. If he stays in Yangzhou to recuperate, he will have to stay for several months. How can I afford to wait? I don't want to miss this. Opportunity, that's why we made this move!" Wang Yue did not expect that Su Bancheng would do anything to him, so he followed Su Bancheng's idea and explained.

The clerk had a mustache like Master Li, but he pinched the tip of his mustache and questioned: "If you are really worried about missing the transaction, why didn't you subscribe in full just now? Isn't it contradictory?"

"The reason why I hesitated just now was because I was holding a fake deposit check in my hand. If I subscribed in full, it would be a fraud, so I can only refuse! By the time the ship lands, my servant must have exchanged the silver. It's OK, it's not too late to make another order then, at least it's better than using fake deposits to defraud!" Wang Yue also had a desire to survive and defended seriously.

"Do you really think so?" Gao Heng asked seriously after seeing that Wang Yue did not look like a charlatan.

Wang Yue naturally would not deny it, and immediately expressed his dissatisfaction: "Of course it is absolutely true! I admit that it is wrong to forge deposit receipts, but now in Yangzhou, what matters are not decided by you? You originally agreed on the deal The time is the first day of February, but you have repeatedly delayed the time, and this time you suddenly moved the time forward, will I not be able to raise enough money?"

Su Bancheng secretly gave him a thumbs up. If it weren't for the idea he just gave him, he would really believe what Hu Yuanwai said.

"You may be as eloquent as you are, but you broke our rules this time! If someone comes, please take him down below and keep him under guard. The matter will be left to Prefect Yang to decide!" After all, Gao Heng is either the one in charge of investigating the case, or gave the order.

"Yes! Let's go!" Two big men came over and said, ready to take Wang Yue down and lock him up.

Wang Yue sighed inwardly, knowing that this was already a good result, and now it was much better than having his identity exposed and being silenced by them.

Su Bancheng watched Wang Yue being taken away thoughtfully, but turned around and saw Gao Heng, and immediately smiled as if he had a different face: "Mr. Deputy Ambassador Gao, I want to buy it in full, ten thousand Zhang Yanyin!"

Gao Heng took a deep look at this wealthy businessman, but he knew that this man was extremely powerful. It was said that this man was the new richest man in Suzhou City.

"Let's go!" Two sturdy men urged Wang Yue down the stairs, seemingly untroubled.

When Wang Yue was going down the stairs, he accidentally saw a small boat following behind him, and he couldn't help but frown slightly.

In his plan, he arranged for this group of people to pick up the official ship where it docked, but he did not expect that Wang Yu, his grandson, would follow him.

"grandfather!"

Wang Yu saw Wang Yue's figure from a distance and waved his hands very excitedly, but he still knew how to speak appropriately. He shouted in a low voice, but only he could hear it.

"Sir, you are really discerning. You picked my boat right away. My boat is famous for being fast!" The boatman is a lean middle-aged man who seems to be boasting.

Wang Yu's mind was not on the boatman. He was looking at the stairs over there eagerly and said: "As long as it doesn't sink too fast, hurry up and follow the boat in front!"

"Sir, let me tell you, the boat ahead is not simple! If it weren't for your extra money, I really wouldn't dare to follow!" The boatman is from Yangzhou, but he gave serious advice.

Wang Yu squinted his eyes and watched his grandfather disappear from sight, and then said very seriously: "Don't you like gossip? I'll follow you later, and I'll make sure you get the most sensational news in Yangzhou City today!"

"Okay, sit tight, we will speed up soon!" The boatman is an honest man, and he paddles the oars hard.

The official ship has entered the canal and is just going down the river. As long as it makes a big bend along the river in front, it can return to the south pier of Yangzhou City.

Wang Yue was taken to the cabin at the bottom of the ship. Who would have thought that the dignified imperial envoy would become a prisoner.

Things were indeed unfavorable, and Wang Yue obviously lacked luck.

Originally, the best outcome was to wait quietly here for the official ship to dock. However, not long after the official ship sailed, a strong man came down and said: "Hu Yuanwai, let's go, the prefect wants to interrogate you!"

"Interrogating me?" Wang Yue frowned slightly, but he was very confused.

Although he did forge deposit checks, Jiangdu Qianshi did not belong to an official organization, and he did not use it for fraud, so he was not seriously considered a criminal.

The sturdy man seemed to be in a bad mood and urged impatiently: "Be smart with your hands and feet and come up with me quickly!"

Wang Yue's hand quickly wiped a handful of cloth on the ground, and then wiped it on his face. Just now, he vaguely felt that Yang Mingyuan was a little kind.

This officialdom is "big or small," and once Magistrate Yang discovers his identity as an imperial envoy, everything will be over.

The two of them went up the stairs. When Wang Yuexian saw his grandson waving to him again, he felt a little more at ease and went to a room on the third floor.

The air here is filled with the smell of alcohol and medicine. A young woman is getting dressed, while Yang Mingyuan, the prefect of Yangzhou, is still lying on the bed.

"I have met Mr. Fu Zun!" Wang Yue came to the outside of the room and said to Yang Mingyuan, who had his back turned to him.

Yang Mingyuan was holding a picture album in his hand, but he didn't bother to take a look at it and said, "You forged the deposit receipt?"

"That's right!" Wang Yue admitted happily knowing that he couldn't deny it.

A disdainful expression appeared on Yang Mingyuan's face, and he asked, "Do you know your guilt?"

"Master Magistrate, I wonder which law of the Ming Dynasty I have violated?" Wang Yue frowned slightly and argued with reason.

Yang Mingyuan put down the book, only to find that he had twisted his neck while exercising, so he gave up and turned around and said: "In Yangzhou, the prefect is the law. Do you need anyone to teach you this?"

"Prefect Yang, I am also anxious to buy salt. Could it be that I am trying to deceive?" Wang Yue defended himself, knowing that this was the face of local officials.

Yang Mingyuan continued to look at the unrefined picture album in his hand, and said righteously and solemnly: "If everyone is as unruly as you, how can I manage the government?"

"Prefect Yang, what do you want me to do?" Wang Yue said helplessly, knowing that this was not a place for teaching.

The corners of Yang Mingyuan's mouth raised slightly, as if there was something in his words: "It depends on whether you know how to do things!"

"What do you mean by this?" Wang Yue asked in confusion, his brows furrowing slightly.

Yang Mingyuan was lying comfortably, and he tried to deal with this unruly wealthy businessman and said: "It can be as simple as locking him up for three days, or as serious as...beheading him!"

"I just forged deposit checks and did not use them to defraud. There is no national law that does not allow it. So you are going to lose your head?" Wang Yue said in surprise when he found that the prefect was just looking at human life.

Yang Mingyuan sighed, but said calmly: "Come here! Take this villain back to the government office and lock him up for three to five days. Then I will personally try him!"

He had clearly made his words very obvious, but this person still couldn't understand his intention, so he could only let him suffer a little first.

When the suffering is almost gone, this person will naturally understand what he means and know what to do.

"Sir, I have recently fallen in love with a beaded hairpin. Can you buy it for me?" The young woman had already worn clothes, but she came over and said coquettishly.

"Yes!" The man who escorted Wang Yue looked at the young woman greedily and said respectfully.

When Wang Yue left, he finally understood what Yang Mingyuan meant.

This is because he sees that he is a fat sheep, so he wants to use this to blackmail him. If you are not satisfied with him, you may be sentenced to death.

I originally thought that the salt administration was corrupt, but as a local official, Yang Zhifu actually used his power to openly seek benefits. He was really a beast in disguise.

"You...you are?" Just as Wang Yue was going out, he met Li Zhiqing at the door. Li Zhiqing looked shocked and pointed at Wang Yue.