Perfect
Lu Shi glanced at the man's figure. "Commander, should we bring this man back?"
"Why bring him back?" Li Shiqin wondered what was wrong with Lu Shi's brain. "We protected Daliugou, we didn't do anything wrong. What? Are you going to kill him to cover it up?"
Lu Shi paused for a moment, then nodded.
That seems to be the case, but he's gotten used to asking, and he always feels it's not good to leak information.
"Let's go, brothers, to Ganzhouwei and capture Zhang Yanming."
"My lord, what charge should we use?"
"The charge? Let me think."
Li Shiqin stepped forward and mounted the horse that the soldiers had brought.
"Deceiving the people and seizing land, slaughtering the people, attempting to kill innocent people and claim credit... That's all for now, arrest them first."
Lu Shi and the others mounted the remaining horses, while a soldier who had been left behind as a witness was tied up on a horse.
Li Shiqin traveled for ten miles before finally reaching the territory of Ganzhou Guard.
The guard asked in confusion, "You don't seem to be from our garrison."
Li Shiqin pulled out his waist token and flashed it, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard is arresting people. Get out of my way, or anyone who obstructs will be killed."
After hearing this and seeing the waist tag clearly, the two soldiers quickly opened the gate of the garrison, and Li Shiqin rode his horse straight to the main camp.
Hearing the commotion outside, Zhang Yanming rushed out in a panic. He saw the man riding a tall horse and was astonished.
He still remembered this person somewhat. "Who exactly are you? Tell me your name."
Li Shiqin showed his waist badge again. "I am Li Shiqin, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Commander Zhang, please come with me. I was originally checking your fields in this area when I unexpectedly ran into your men trying to massacre the village."
“I have an imperial edict in hand. The Land Bureau is to investigate the land as it sees fit. Anyone who disobeys will be beheaded and their heads displayed to the public.”
Zhang Yanming glanced at his men, who were bound hand and foot, and understood perfectly well that this was all a trap. He had set this up from the moment Gu Yu wrote to him that someone had come to Xi'an Prefecture to file a complaint against him.
He sneered, "What a motherless beast. I deserve it. What good could Gu Hanying's daughter be?"
Li Shiqin thought to himself, "It's a good thing Brother Xu didn't come. Otherwise, if he had heard this, I don't know how he would have tormented this person."
"If you were only here to investigate land matters, why would you be at Tongguanwei? Li Shiqin, do you really think that arresting me will make me tell the truth? Dream on!"
Li Shiqin instructed Lu Shidao, "Tie the man up and take him to Xi'an Prefecture first."
Throughout the entire process, Zhang Yanming kept a cold face and didn't say a word, but he ate and drank as usual, and didn't seem to be in any life-or-death situation.
After traveling at a leisurely pace for five days, they finally arrived in Xi'an Prefecture.
When Xu Qiu saw that Li Shiqin had brought the man back, he said, "Gu Hanying sent a letter saying that the traitor in the army has been found and is currently being escorted back to the capital, but he refuses to say who is behind it."
Li Shiqin looked at Zhang Yanming, who was imprisoned, and after thinking for a long time, he finally told him about how Zhang had cursed Gu Yu.
Xu Qiu's smile widened upon hearing this, "If that mouth weren't still somewhat useful, it really should be sewn up."
A cold wind blew through the prison, and Li Shiqin felt a chill in the air.
He glanced at Xu Yunliang, who was trembling in the distance behind Xu Qiu, and Wei Cong, who remained calm, and asked in bewilderment, "Why are these two still locked up? Didn't we just have a trial for a case involving the sale of smuggled salt?"
"Oh, those two? They're still arresting merchants who smuggled salt. That matter isn't over yet. Xu Yunliang still has the case of transporting grain to the Northern Di, and then there's framing court officials. It won't be that quick. It'll probably take at least half a month."
Xu Qiu followed Li Shiqin's gaze and looked at Wei Cong. "Wei Cong just asked me for paper and pen, saying he wants to write a plan for reforming the salt tax system. Brother Li, this smuggling of salt involves more than just Tongzhou. You need to explain the situation to the Emperor and grant some special privileges to Xi'an Prefecture."
"Then there's the matter of salt tax. If Wei Cong really writes something, you might as well present it to the Emperor. If it can help Da Sheng reform the current corrupt salt tax system, that would be a good thing. As for the land administration, I have some new ideas now. I'll write them down and give them to you later."
Upon hearing that there were so many things to do, Li Shiqin felt a bit tired. "Brother Xu, sort these things out and give them to me all at once. My head hurts right now, and I can't remember anything."
Xu Qiu said helplessly, "Then let's talk about Zhang Yanming first. We got some information from Ma Jing, who was captured. He's different from Xu Yunliang. Xu Yunliang doesn't dare to transport weapons."
"This man used to be a bandit, and later he did some smuggling business. He had a relationship with Li Dacheng and used his own carriages to transport weapons for Li Dacheng, so he had met Zhang Yanming."
How about locking Zhang Yanming up opposite Ma Jing?
Li Shiqin's eyes lit up. "Good idea. Let's see when Zhang Yanming confesses."
"By the way, will your wife bring you lunch today? It was your wife who came up with the idea to capture Zhang Yanming, so I should thank her in person."
Xu Qiu eyed Li Shiqin warily. "No, she didn't come today. She has harvested the grain in her fields and wants to finish it before the first frost. But she asked me to ask you if you would like to come to our residence for lunch when you have some free time."
"Okay, I've heard that they grow something called taro in that field. I've never seen this before."
Li Shiqin recalled the scene when he first arrived in Xi'an Prefecture and said with some emotion, "It's been more than two months. If Zhang Yanming could just ask, this job would be almost done."
Xu Qiu laughed upon hearing this, "Yes, it's been more than two months. If Zhang Yanming's matter is settled, Brother Li, don't forget about the job at the Land Bureau. It's a legitimate job."
Li Shiqin looked bitter. He had almost forgotten that he thought he could return to Shengjing after interrogating Zhang Yanming.
Who knows when he'll be able to return to Shengjing? Thinking of this, he was somewhat envious of Xu Qiu, whose wife could come along without him having to worry about the pain of separation.
"Brother Xu, to be honest, I really admire you. You're a top scholar and you married the lady you love. You're incredibly lucky."
Xu Qiu's smile became more genuine. "I was orphaned and helpless in my childhood, and even God felt guilty towards me, which is why I am now living a more comfortable life."
"Just a few points?" Li Shiqin raised an eyebrow. This kid's words were really infuriating.
"It's not good to speak too confidently," Xu Qiu said with a smile.
Becoming the top scholar only accounts for one point, while marrying Gu Yu accounts for the remaining nine points, and there are too many coincidences and twists of fate involved in those nine points.
He was a coward, only wanting to hold on tightly to what he had, not daring to let go even a little, for fear that God would take back everything He had given him.
Li Shiqin snorted jealously and turned to interrogate Zhang Yanming. Now that he had evidence from Li Dacheng's side and Ma Jing as a witness, Zhang Yanming could not escape his guilt.
Gu Yu had just returned from the fields.
The cooks behind them were carrying baskets, which were full of golden and round taro. They had planted a basket of seeds and had now harvested nearly a dozen baskets.
Xi'an Prefecture has a cold and dry climate, often experiencing droughts. It is mountainous, and the main crops grown are millet, sorghum, and buckwheat.
The yield of these grain crops is about one shi per mu, and some are less than one shi, which is twice that of rice in the south.
In addition, the area suffers from frequent disasters, so food is a scarce commodity year after year.
However, based on the current trial planting results, the yield of taro is only about three to four shi per mu, which is still the result of the climate not being very suitable.
If planted in mid-spring, the yield per acre might be even more considerable.
When the taro was harvested, Gu Yu had already distributed some to Wang Erzhu and Zhao Wu, the tenant farmers who had been helping out.
She glanced at the remaining baskets and decided to give one away. She could eat the rest herself or save them for seed. She could discuss with Qian Chengbi about distributing the taro seeds to other tenant farmers.
"Miss, the master has sent a letter."
Liu Yun handed the letter that Gu Hanying had sent to Gu Yu.
Gu Yu's expression immediately changed after reading the letter. "Qiuju, has the son-in-law returned?"
Just as Qiuju was about to answer, she saw Xu Qiu gracefully step into the courtyard. "She's right behind you, Miss."
Gu Yu turned around and saw him. "The men Father escorted back to the capital are dead. They died less than a hundred miles from Shengjing City..."
“Those high-ranking officials in the court are very well-informed.” Xu Qiu smiled mockingly, his attitude still unhurried. “Madam, please continue.”
“During the escort, we encountered two groups of assassins. My father said that these two groups did not seem to be working together. The first group seemed to be gangsters, and someone must have paid a lot of money to kill them to silence them. The second group was well-trained and seemed to be from a military unit.”
“Their audacity shows they’ve been pushed to the limit. People like that might even try to kill Zhang Yanming,” Xu Qiu analyzed. “This news is good news for us. Zhang Yanming hasn’t spoken up because he thinks someone can protect him, but if he knows that those people are only thinking about killing him to silence him, he might change his mind.”
“If all the traitors in the army are dead, Father will surely be attacked by the court.”
“Madam, trust your father-in-law. He must have a backup plan. As long as Zhang Yanming speaks up, he will be fine.”
Xu Qiu glanced at the taro in the basket behind him and said, "I must have a good taste of what Madam has spent two months growing."
"These taro yielded nearly one shi (a unit of dry measure) from half an acre, even though the weather and strong winds knocked down many crops. Normally, one acre should yield three to four shi, and if the weather were better, it might yield even more."
"The other half of the acre of millet I planted didn't yield a good harvest, not even half a bushel. I distributed the millet to the tenant farmers and didn't bring it back."
Upon hearing this, Xu Qiu's eyes lit up. "What a wonderful thing, Madam! You have done a great service this time. If the grain yield per acre in the West is this good, I think we can continue to contact them. Perhaps there are other suitable grains available."
As Xu Qiu spoke, he reached out and hugged Gu Yu. "Madam, you've taken care of the grain seeds, and I'll take care of the land. The year of famine in Xi'an Prefecture will soon be over. If the results are good, we can extend it to the surrounding prefectures and states."
Seeing him so happy, like a child, Gu Yu also smiled and said, "Qiuju, go to the kitchen and teach the maids and servants how to cook taro to make it taste good."
She then looked at Xu Qiu and pointed to the nearest basket of taro. "Husband, think about who you can give this basket to to let them taste it. Also, find some time to let Qian Chengbi and I meet, and I'll talk to him about the taro seeds."
“Alright, I will follow Madam’s arrangements.” Xu Qiu said, “Madam has been working hard lately. I will take my day off tomorrow and accompany you to buy jewelry and some winter clothes. It’s windy and cold here, so please don’t fall ill.”
Xu Qiu originally didn't want Gu Yu to come to Shaanxi. The climate here is harsh and the winters are cold. Gu Yu is weak, and he was afraid something might happen to her.
However, he was more afraid that if Gu Yu stayed in Shengjing, they would become even more estranged. If she stayed by his side, they could develop a stronger bond.
It's his fault; he's always been greedy.
Fortunately, Gu Yu adapted well, and because she often went out for walks, she looked much healthier.
Gu Yu nodded. Not only did she need to buy more winter clothes, but Xu Qiu also needed to have several more sets of winter clothes made.
Qian Chengbi was overwhelmed with gratitude when he received the taro personally delivered by Xu Qiu.
To be honest, he definitely harbored some resentment towards Xu Qiu. This man didn't do his own job properly and only did things that overstepped his bounds. He wanted to manage everything and was so busy that he was dizzy every day.
However, he dared not openly express his dissatisfaction; he was no fool.
Xu Qiu is here to gain experience in the provinces, and he will surely be recalled to the capital soon. If he harbors any resentment, once Xu Qiu gains power, he only needs to show a certain attitude to have plenty of people suppress him so that he can never recover.
He received the taro he had never seen before. Looking at these golden and round grains, he was somewhat puzzled. "This is grain? Forgive my ignorance, but how do you eat this?"
Xu Qiu thought for a moment, "After peeling and boiling, it's ready to eat."
A wise man keeps away from the kitchen, and he was also somewhat unfamiliar with these things, so he could only give a vague answer based on the potatoes that were served to him.
Qian Chengbi nodded, observing the strange grain. It wasn't until Xu Qiu told him that the yield per mu could reach three to four shi that he held a few taro in his arms as if they were precious treasures.
At this moment, Li Shiqin walked in through the back door, laughing loudly, "Brother Xu, Zhang Yanming has confessed."
After Li Shiqin captured Zhang Yanming, he revealed his identity, and the government offices of Xi'an Prefecture were directly taken over by Li Shiqin.
Even the provincial inspector of Shaanxi, upon receiving the news, only dared to visit in private and dared not utter a single word.
Xu Qiu looked up and saw that the sky was vast and high, and it was a rare clear day.
He smiled gently, "Since you've confessed, and the weather's nice today, let's go and ransack the homes of those merchants who colluded with the enemy."
Li Shiqin's eyes lit up with an astonishing light. "Let's go, ransack their house!"
He was an expert at raiding homes, and he could even get a kickback for it.
The Embroidered Uniform Guards do dirty work, and as long as they don't go too far, the Emperor usually turns a blind eye.
The Emperor had already issued an edict to confiscate property and execute people, but Zhang Yanming had previously held him back.
"Lord Zhang, I'm troubling you. Please summon all the officials and constables from the government office." Li Shiqin secretly rubbed his hands together in his heart.
These merchants have been established for so many years, their assets must be considerable, and these people are definitely not enough.
He then went outside to find Lu Shi, and had someone borrow soldiers and carts from nearby garrisons, so that after confiscating and inventorying their property, they could be transported directly to Shengjing.
hey-hey,
To replenish the national treasury.
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