Chapter 327 A First-Rank Official! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
It is only natural that Liu Hong was punished.
Xiao Jinghong was not surprised by the result.
To her surprise, the emperor issued an edict to punish her based solely on a memorial from her grandfather, which seemed rather direct.
According to the laws of the imperial court, the conviction of a second-rank official requires the investigation of the imperial envoy, the trial by the nine ministers, and the final decision by the emperor; none of these steps can be omitted.
Moreover, Liu Hong committed the heinous crime of treason, so it is necessary to find out who colluded with him and whether he had any cronies.
Just like Zhu Hao.
Their illegal sale of ironware to Vaishsa through the Jizhou Trading Company is a clear case, and their crime deserves death. Therefore, the people of the Jizhou Trading Company should also be arrested and brought to justice.
The principles are the same.
Liu Hong had been in Shuzhou for many years, and his influence was deeply entrenched. All the families and sects that had been in contact with him had to be investigated to prevent any from slipping through the net.
As Xiao Jinghong pondered these thoughts, his gaze softened slightly.
The punishment of Liu Hong is a good thing for the Xiao family and for Shu Prefecture.
As for the other powerful families, without Liu Hong standing in front, the Xiao family, with its resources, will be able to eliminate them one by one sooner or later.
Moreover, Zhu Hao has already been brought to justice, so the Xiao family and the Dingyuan Army will have an easier time in the future.
A moment of silence.
Xiao Xuanshuo said with a smile, "According to that Eunuch Feng, His Majesty lost his temper at the court meeting the day before yesterday."
Even Minister Cui Mao was reprimanded for his poor supervision and failure to promptly discover the situation of officials outside the capital.
"The words were very harsh, such as embezzlement, collusion between officials and businessmen, dereliction of duty, and treason, making the court officials feel like they were sitting on pins and needles."
"Then what?"
Seeing that Xiao Jinghong was interested, Xiao Xuanshuo lowered his voice and continued, "His Majesty seems to be using the matter of Liu Hong and Zhu Hao to initiate a reform."
"The salt monopoly will be narrowed, and tea and porcelain will be brought under state control. A thorough investigation of land ownership will also be conducted..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinghong's expression changed slightly beneath his armor.
Salt and iron trade was an important source of revenue for the Frontier Commandery, especially the salt permits.
Salt merchants would hand over grain, receive equivalent salt certificates from the Regional Military Commission, and then use these certificates to obtain salt quotas to sell in designated areas.
There are many rules and regulations, and the rules are very strict.
Even so, salt trading was still an extremely profitable business, several times more profitable than grain or medicinal herbs.
This has led to a great deal of corruption.
Even without Xiao Jinghong's investigation, he knew that Zhu Hao and others received no less than 100,000 taels of silver from the salt merchants every year.
Adding tea and porcelain would indeed increase the national treasury and the imperial coffers considerably, but it would also breed more corrupt officials.
There's also the matter of inventorying farmland...
In the Great Wei Dynasty, there are numerous powerful and influential families across the nine provinces and three prefectures. Which family dares to say that they have never concealed their land holdings?
Even in Tonglin Town, the fiefdom of the Xiao family, people cultivate the land every year, and the farmland has increased by an unknown amount compared to two hundred years ago.
If all these are accounted for, the grain tax paid by the Xiao family each year is not a small amount.
Of course, since the Xiao family was cultivating their own fiefdom, they wouldn't be punished for having more land.
However, some powerful families have acquired far too much land.
It wasn't just individual households that were annexed; it was a common occurrence for entire villages to be swallowed up.
"There must be many opponents, right?"
“My niece Jinghong is right. It was just a matter of someone speaking up, and many ministers jumped out to oppose it.”
Xiao Xuanshuo said with a sneer, "They are afraid that the emperor will find out about their family's land holdings, which will affect the inheritance of their family's estate."
"However, His Majesty was not angered by this, but said he would consider it. The courtiers wanted to say something to dissuade His Majesty, but they were interrupted by another matter."
At this point, Xiao Xuanshuo's face turned serious. "Chen Xuanji is back."
Xiao Jinghong paused slightly upon hearing the name, then recalled, "Is he my husband's father, the current head of the Chen family who was sent as an envoy to the Buddhist Kingdom?"
Xiao Xuanshuo nodded. "It's him."
"He returned to Kyoto Prefecture midway through the court session, and the Emperor interrupted the session to personally lead a group to welcome him, which shows how much importance he attached to the matter."
"That's not all. When His Majesty received Chen Xuanji, he pulled him aside to continue the court session, asked him some questions, and then immediately issued an edict to bestow titles and rewards upon him."
Xiao Xuanshuo looked at Xiao Jinghong and said in a deep voice, "Chen Xuanji has been promoted to the first rank and appointed as one of the Nine Ministers—the Minister of War."
"Minister of War?"
Xiao Jinghong was genuinely surprised this time.
Before Chen Xuanji was sent as an envoy to the Buddhist Kingdom of the Western Lands, he was the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Jiangnan Prefecture. His qualifications and abilities were indeed sufficient to be promoted to the Nine Ministers.
What surprised Xiao Jinghong was the position of Minister of War, who was in charge of the promotion of military officers and the allocation of military equipment.
"Then... what about Lord Luo?"
Xiao Xuanshuo knew she was referring to the former Minister of War, Luo Yong, and shook his head slightly, saying, "He's retiring to his hometown."
"What does His Majesty mean?"
"It must have been the result of His Majesty's discussion with him before that day, but the announcement was only made after Chen Xuanji returned to court."
Xiao Jinghong nodded knowingly; that made sense.
After thinking for a moment, she continued, "I remember Chen Xuandu is now the Right Envoy of the Northern Prefecture Administration Commission?"
"Yes, the Chen family of Jiangnan Prefecture is truly illustrious and enjoys the Emperor's favor."
Xiao Xuanshuo couldn't help but think of his own family. Compared to the Chen family, they were worlds apart.
Chen Xuanji was ranked among the Nine Ministers, Chen Xuandu was also a second-rank official, in charge of the administration of a prefecture, and Chen Yunfan, the eldest son of the Chen family, was the advisor to the administration of Shu Prefecture at the time...
Thinking of this, Xiao Xuanshuo's expression became more serious, and he hesitated slightly before saying:
"My niece, Jinghong, there's something I'm not sure if I should say..."
Xiao Jinghong glanced at him, roughly guessing what he wanted to say, and simply shook her head, her tone flat:
"Let's talk about it when we get back."
Upon hearing her say this, Xiao Xuanshuo sighed inwardly and remained silent.
The Chen family is now powerful and influential, while the Xiao family is weak.
Even though Chen Yi is now just a son-in-law of the Xiao family, it's hard to guarantee that the Chen family of Jiangnan Prefecture won't use some means to influence the Xiao family through him.
Just then, footsteps were heard outside the hall.
Xiao Xuanshuo sat upright and solemnly.
Xiao Jinghong turned his head to look over.
Li Fu, Commander-in-Chief of Shu Prefecture.
His appearance was unremarkable, quite ordinary, and his physique was not particularly tall or imposing.
But when he walked over in that bright red official robe, complete with his official hat and jade belt, he exuded a certain air of grandeur.
Li Fu entered the hall and sat in the seat of honor.
Xiao Xuanshuo bowed respectfully.
Xiao Jinghong sat motionless.
Li Fu waved his hand, indicating that Xiao Xuanshuo didn't need to be polite. His gaze fell on Xiao Jinghong, and he shook his head with a smile, saying:
"General Xiao has really put me in a difficult position this time."
Xiao Jinghong remained unmoved and asked calmly, "What troubles the Commander?"
"Zhu Hao defied the imperial decree and attempted to kill the envoy to escape from Shu Prefecture. If I don't take action, you'll be in even greater trouble."
Li Fu's smile remained unchanged. "Troublesome as it may be, there's still a chance to get Zhu Hao to confess the truth and his accomplices."
"Now that he's dead, neither Eunuch Feng nor I can explain ourselves to His Majesty."
"That's between you and Eunuch Feng, it has nothing to do with me."
"...General Xiao is still as quick-witted as ever."
Xiao Jinghong glanced at him, her tone turning colder, "Commander, you don't need to label me and launch the first attack."
"The person is dead, but the matter remains."
"Does the Commander-in-Chief's Office intend to give me an explanation for the delays in the Dingyuan Army's provisions and weapons, as well as the matter of grain taxes?"
Li Fu's smile faltered. "General Xiao, you flatter me. This matter..."
"Is the Commander implying that you were unaware of this?"
"……no."
Faced with Xiao Jinghong's aggressive questioning, Li Fu shook his head helplessly and said seriously:
"After this matter is investigated and the actions of Zhu Hao and his cronies are clarified, I, Li, will report to Minister of War Luo... Lord Chen, who will then inform His Majesty and make a decision."
Xiao Jinghong was still not satisfied, and then uttered a few words: "Salt and iron management."
Li Fu frowned slightly. "General Xiao, what do you mean by this?"
"Commander, you are asking a question you already know the answer to. Zhu Hao is in charge of salt and iron revenue, how could he not be lining his own pockets?"
"So General Xiao intends to investigate this thoroughly?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinghong looked directly at him and asked with sharp eyes, "Commander, do you not intend to conduct a thorough investigation?"
Li Fu met her gaze, his expression shifting between light and shadow, seemingly somewhat troubled.
Xiao Xuanshuo kept his eyes down and his body still, but he listened to their conversation without missing a single word.
I couldn't help but admire what Xiao Jinghong said.
Over the past five years, the Xiao family and the Dingyuan Army have suffered numerous overt and covert suppressions from the Commander-in-Chief's Office.
Now that Zhu Hao is dead, some scores really need to be settled.
a long time.
Li Fu withdrew his gaze, picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and carefully chose his words:
"General Xiao has been in Shu Prefecture for many years and should be familiar with the situation here, just like in Guangyuan..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Jinghong interrupted, "Please forgive me, Commander, but I am mostly in the army and do not know much about the outside world."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Li Fu put down his teacup, shook his head with a wry smile, and said, "I promise you, Zhu Hao and his cronies will not lose a single penny of the money they embezzled."
Seeing that Xiao Jinghong remained silent, he gritted his teeth and continued, "A portion of it will be allocated to the soldiers of the three towns."
"Is General Xiao satisfied?"
Xiao Jinghong stared at him for several breaths before withdrawing her gaze and calmly saying:
"Then let's do as the commander says."
She's not one to stick to rigid principles; as long as she achieves her goal, that's enough.
Moreover, she was well aware that the forces within Guangyuan County, where the Commander-in-Chief's Office was located, were deeply entrenched.
Especially those salt merchants, who have countless interests and people involved behind the scenes.
Unless absolutely necessary, Xiao Jinghong did not want to push things to the extreme for the time being, lest the Xiao family's situation worsen.
Li Fu muttered to himself, "What do you mean by 'my'? It's clearly yours."
That's what he thought, but he didn't show it on his face at all: "The matter of Zhu Hao's death..."
"Act in accordance with the rules and laws, and Jinghong will take full responsibility."
Upon hearing this, Li Fu finally smiled. "That's good then. General Xiao, please wait a moment while I prepare a banquet in the city..."
To everyone's surprise, Xiao Jinghong stood up and said, "No need. It's rare for Jinghong to come to Guangyuan. I need to visit the Fu family."
"If Eunuch Feng sets off, please trouble the Commander to send someone to inform the Fu family."
"good……"
As Xiao Jinghong and Xiao Xuanshuo walked away, the smile on Li Fu's face gradually faded.
Sit quietly for a moment.
Li Fu sighed, muttered to himself something like "the woman is narrow-minded," and then got up and walked towards the outer room.
After tidying his clothes, he pushed open the door: "Eunuch Feng."
Feng Erbao stood in the room looking at a painting on the wall, with several elderly eunuchs and two guards in armor beside him.
Hearing the voice, Feng Erbao turned around and smiled gently: "Commander Li, have you already dealt with General Xiao's matter?"
Li Fu nodded. "As you predicted, General Xiao believes he is not wrong and is unwilling to back down."
Feng Erbao's eyelids twitched slightly, and his smile became somewhat stiff.
After a moment, he waved his hand and said with a smile, "It's alright, it's alright."
"General Xiao meant well. If it weren't for her help, and that scoundrel Zhu Hao had really gotten away, neither of us would have been able to bear the consequences."
"With you saying that, Father-in-law, I am relieved."
"No problem..."
Let's chat for a bit.
Li Fu glanced around and, seeing that Feng Erbao was gesturing for him to speak frankly, asked:
"May I ask for clarification, Your Majesty... how did he discover Zhu Hao's involvement?"
"Xiao Xuanshuo... a memorial written by the Xiao family?"
Feng Erbao glanced at him sideways, "What is Commander Li worried about?"
“I dare not hide it from you, my lord. I, Li, have failed to properly manage my subordinates, which has alarmed His Majesty. I am truly ashamed.”
"If that's the case, Commander Li can rest assured."
"The imperial court did not favor the Xiao family; rather, someone else presented him with a memorial."
"Oh, may I ask which one of you from Shu Prefecture?"
“Provincial Inspector Tang Zixin, and… Chen Yunfan.”
Li Fu suddenly realized, "So it was Lord Tang! That makes sense now."
He paused, then continued, "Chen Yunfan...I think I've heard of him..."
Feng Erbao said with a half-smile, "The eldest son of the Chen family in Jiangnan Prefecture."
Li Fu frowned almost imperceptibly. "Lord Chen, Minister of War... Thank you for your guidance, sir."
"It's not about giving guidance; even if we don't say anything, you'll understand in a few days."
"You're too kind, Father-in-law..."
...
As night fell, Xiao Jinghong and Xiao Xuanshuo left the Fu family and headed to the Commandery.
Xiao Jinghong remained silent throughout the journey.
Xiao Xuanshuo felt the same way as her; they both found the current situation of the Fu family difficult to accept.
Originally, the Fu family had a close relationship with the Xiao family because of Fu Wanqing, and they enjoyed great prestige in Guangyuan County.
However, after the news of Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing's deaths in battle came, the Fu family's situation, like that of the Xiao family, gradually declined.
Now, the Fu family is almost unable to survive.
"Jinghong, after we get back, your second uncle will talk to your father and he will definitely find a way to take care of the Fu family."
Xiao Jinghong hummed in agreement and was about to speak when he caught sight of a shop at the street corner not far away.
Outside the shop, which seemed to have just opened, a group of scholars were gathered, pointing and commenting on the signboard at the entrance.
"The three characters of Baicaotang are written with vigorous and unrestrained strokes, which are indeed more pleasing to the eye than Wei Qing's style."
"This must be the 'running script' that came from the prefectural city?"
"Seeing is believing, and it truly has something special."
"Nonsense! Mr. Qingzhou's running script has reached perfection. Even if this plaque is just a rubbing and does not reveal his calligraphy skills, it is still unmatched by others."
"Instead of praising it here, you might as well find some paper and pen to copy it. Perhaps you can learn some basics of Mr. Qingzhou's running script."
"That's true..."
As Xiao Jinghong listened to their discussion, his gaze fell on the three characters "Bai Cao Tang".
She recognized Chen Yi's handwriting, and a smile involuntarily appeared on her lips.
My husband is not in Guangyuan, but I still hear news of him here.
This feeling... is quite strange...
After a moment, Xiao Jinghong came to his senses and thoughtfully surveyed the bustling Baicaotang.
"Second Uncle, I remember Grandpa saying that Baicaotang's expansion was a collaboration with our Xiao family?"
Xiao Xuanshuo nodded, "Yes..."
He realized what was happening and asked, slightly surprised, "You mean..."
Xiao Jinghong nodded slightly, pointed to Baicaotang, and said, "Let the Fu family take charge of Baicaotang's affairs in Guangyuan County."
The Xiao family is not short of the silver from the share of profits in Guangyuan County, but the Fu family is.
Rather than choosing the Fu family, which is cheaper than other prominent families here, it is more appropriate to choose the Fu family.
Xiao Xuanshuo nodded knowingly and said, "After we get back, I will discuss it with your grandfather and Wan'er."
"Yes, since my eldest sister is now in charge of the household accounts, we should indeed inform her."
Of course, Xiao Jinghong didn't think Xiao Wan'er would refuse.
After saying that, she looked at the three characters "Bai Cao Tang" again, her heart filled with longing to return home.
"Let's go, it's time to head back to the prefectural city..."
(End of this chapter)
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