Zhao Zhu raised his head and glanced at Chen Sihai. Seeing that he didn't react, he continued, "But Chen Qiyu didn't give up. Instead, he closed down many of Prince Fu's salt shops, accusing him of selling illegal salt."
"In the end, there was no other choice, so Prince Fu returned the land to the people. But that was only a small portion. After all, those salt shops weren't that valuable, so it was impossible for Prince Fu to give up too much land."
"It was precisely because of this incident that Chen Qiyu and Henan Governor Liao Zhong had a conflict."
Hearing this, Chen Sihai suddenly raised his head and looked at Zhao Zhu, asking, "What kind of conflict is it?"
"It is said that Liao Zhong asked Chen Qiyu not to close the Fuwang Store, but Chen Qiyu did not listen to him, so the prefect Liao Zhong found all kinds of faults with him, and their relationship has not been very pleasant for the past two years."
Chen Sihai nodded and continued to ask: "Is there anything else?"
"Yes." Zhao Zhu also nodded and said, "Henan Governor Liao Zhong's reputation is not very good. Prince Fu had a relationship with the people, and everything involving land was eventually awarded to Prince Fu's mansion."
"It's common knowledge among the local people that the prefect Liao Zhong and Prince Fu are in cahoots."
"Also, in recent years, Liao Zhong has been extorting money from merchants and gentry in Luoyang. It's said he used a large dou to collect taxes, sometimes even collecting a dou and a half. This was deeply resented by the local people."
Chen Sihai frowned when he heard this. Is this Liao Zhong so hateful?
Chen Sihai didn't care about the collusion with Prince Fu. Instead, he was very dissatisfied with the tax collection method of using a large bucket.
Although using a large measure is a common practice in official circles, using a large measure of water is a bit excessive if it reaches one and a half measures.
The so-called big bucket is actually very simple. It is the bucket used for weighing when collecting taxes. Normally it should be a bucket according to the standard weight.
Some people would make you a particularly large dou, which would take up more than half of a standard dou to fill. After deducting some loss from the amount handed over to the court, the rest would naturally go into their pockets.
"This Lord Liao Zhong has taken in four concubines in three years. Every time he says he won't hold a grand ceremony, but if anyone gives less gifts, he will be in trouble later." Zhao Zhu continued.
"It's true that being an official requires some skills." Chen Sihai sighed.
In fact, these are common tactics in official circles, and they are certainly used by more than just Liao Zhong; it just depends on the extent to which they are used.
Some people are ruthless, thick-skinned, and stubborn, so they can be more ruthless. Some people are not so stubborn, not so thick-skinned, and are timid, so they will not be so ruthless.
Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty once said, "Three years as a clean official will earn you 100,000 silver coins."
Although this sentence has not been said yet, everyone knows that local officials are very good at making money.
They pocketed part of the money they earned and gave the rest to their superiors and their backers in the court. Otherwise, no one would protect them.
This is a very huge chain of interests.
Chen Sihai was wondering what he should do and to what extent.
Now he finally understood what his teacher meant. This matter was indeed a tricky one. If he did everything according to his own ideas, he would probably be called a cruel official. If he was not careful, he might not be remembered in history, but would be infamous for eternity.
At this time, Chen Sihai thought of Chen Qiyu. He didn't know what his cousin was thinking, but he could meet him first.
So Chen Sihai asked, "When is your next patrol?"
Zhao Zhu quickly stepped forward and replied, "Your Excellency, it will be tomorrow."
Nodding gently, Chen Sihai said, "Go and tell Chen Qiyu that we want to meet at a certain place."
"Yes, sir." Zhao Zhu agreed and said respectfully.
"Okay, go ahead." Chen Shihai nodded and said.
After Zhao Zhu left, Chen Sihai leaned back in his chair.
I haven't moved yet, but I already feel the pressure. I hope everything goes well.
The next morning, at the Luoyang County Magistrate's Office.
Chen Qiuyu got up early, stretched his muscles, washed up, and started having breakfast.
This is something he does every day, and for Chen Qiuyu, it is something he is very familiar with.
At this time, Master Li Fang walked in from outside. He went straight to Chen Qiyu and said, "Sir, Zhao Zhu is here."
Hearing Zhao Zhu's name, Chen Qiyu put down his chopsticks.
The Tongzhengsi's post station had been here several times, so it was nothing new to Chen Qiuyu.
But when he saw the expression on his master Li Fang's face, he knew that it didn't mean nothing was wrong.
"Is there anything wrong?" Chen Qiuyu asked Li Fang.
"Your Excellency, Zhao Zhu requested to see you, saying that someone asked him to deliver a message to you." Li Fang said hurriedly, with a hint of worry in her tone.
In fact, Li Fang's heart has been uneasy since the secret report was sent away.
Reaching out and putting down the chopsticks in his hand, Chen Qiyu said with a smile, "Then let him in."
Li Fang nodded, turned around and walked out, bringing Zhao Zhu in.
"Zhao Zhu, a ninth-rank official from the Ministry of Public Security, is here to meet you, Your Excellency." After seeing Chen Qiuyu, Zhao Zhu bowed.
Chen Qiyu waved his hand and said with a smile, "Someone asked you to bring a message to me? Who is it that wants to say?"
"Your Excellency, it's the Inspector General of the Ministry of Public Administration." Zhao Zhu bowed and said, "As for what the matter is, I don't know. The Inspector General simply asked me to pass on a message to Your Excellency."
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