"I don't know who it is." Xue Ya said, looking at Xie Yan who was sitting back down again, and was not surprised to see Xie Yan's face suddenly darken.
"Master Xueya." Xie Yan said coldly: "My king's patience has its limits."
Now that he had admitted defeat, Xue Ya's attitude became calmer.
He stood with his hands behind his hands and looked at Xie Yan calmly and said: "Now that the matter is over, I have no need to lie to you. I really don't know who he is."
Xie Yan chuckled lightly and said: "So, Mr. Xueya wants to tell me that there is a person who gives you millions of taels of silver every year without any consideration of remuneration or even revealing his name, just for doing good deeds?"
No one knows how much money it costs to raise troops and horses, no one knows better than Xie Yan.
Even for a country as vast as Dasheng, maintaining nearly a million soldiers and horses all year round is already a huge burden. So when he received a letter from Lingchuan Marquis saying that Luanyi Division had hidden an army of ten troops in southern Xinjiang,
When there were tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, he knew that this was definitely not something that a mere Luan Yisi could afford.
Even if Yu Ji did leave a lot of wealth back then, it would be okay to use it for other purposes. If it could be used to raise troops and horses for two or three years, it would be considered a great thing.
Xue Ya said in a deep voice: "If the prince doesn't believe me, I can't help it. I didn't handle the matter of transferring part of the Luanyi Division's main force to southern Xinjiang back then, and I don't know how the previous chief came into contact with the other party.
All I know is that every year the other party will send two million silver and the necessary grain and grass on time. As for the price..."
Xue Ya glanced at Xie Yan deeply and said: "The people who transport money and food will take away a large number of jade, jade, gemstones and medicinal materials that are abundant in Southern Xinjiang from Southern Xinjiang every year, and... every year they will take away a group of elite soldiers from Southern Xinjiang."
"How many people?" Xie Yan frowned slightly.
Xue Ya said: "There are about two thousand people every year. Those people will board the ship with the supplies from the ports on the coast of southern Xinjiang. As for where they go, I don't know. Those who go out have never gone back in so many years."
Xie Yan said solemnly: "It has been at least seven years since the establishment of the Clouded Leopard Army. If this happens every year, you will have sent out at least tens of thousands of people."
Xue Ya smiled and said: "To be precise, there are seventeen thousand people. This is part of the deal. Most of those elite soldiers are slaves from various tribes in Southern Xinjiang or people who escaped from the Central Plains to Southern Xinjiang. They are tough and good at fighting but not brave.
Fear of death. If the Clouded Leopard Army hadn't taken them in, they would have had to live the most humble and difficult life in southern Xinjiang, so why not?"
"Boarding... at sea?" Xie Yan thought thoughtfully.
Xue Ya said leisurely: "Your Majesty has been in the northwest these years. I wonder if you have ever heard of things happening in other places?"
Xie Yan looked at him before he finished speaking, and Xue Ya said: "For example...in recent years, pirates have become rampant along the coast..."
Xie Yan looked coldly at Xue Ya, who had a leisurely look and clearly wanted to laugh at him, and said coldly: "You know."
Xue Ya said: "Although I don't know where those people were taken and who took them away, but... after all, they were trained by Luan Yisi, and some habits cannot be changed. As long as you have seen them
, naturally you can see it.”
Xie Yan naturally understands this truth. Just like the soldiers and horses of Dasheng, there are differences between the Dingguo Army and the Zhenguo Army in terms of conduct and daily training. A layman cannot understand it, but as a person in charge of the Zhenguo Army, how can
Can't you see it?
"Your Majesty, even without Luan Yisi, there are still many people who want to rebel." Xue Ya said with a sneer, "No matter how hard you work, you are not the one who controls the Xie family, so why bother?"
Xie Yan snorted lightly, stood up and said, "If Master Xueya had used this ability to stir up people's hearts to think about serious matters, he might not be in jail today."
Xue Ya's face instantly darkened. She watched Xie Yan walk out and said angrily: "I've already told you what you want to know. What else does the prince want?"
"Well, just stay in the prison." Xie Yan said calmly: "For Ruan Ting's sake, I won't kill you. But I advise you not to think about running out. I will face you outside.
It’s not that safe.”
Xue Ya sneered and said: "If you ask me to kill Ruan Ting if I don't accept his kindness, I can tell you whatever you want to know."
Xie Yan looked back at him and said, "No, you are not as valuable as Ruan Ting."
"..." Xie Yan opened the door and walked out without looking back. After a while, two guards came in and said: "Master Xueya, please."
Xue Ya glanced at the two of them sadly and walked out without saying a word.
After Xie Yan went out, he did not leave the prison, but went to the cell where Ruan Ting was imprisoned again.
After several months of recuperation, Ruan Ting's injury has obviously recovered.
When Xie Yan entered, he was sitting at a square table writing. When he heard the footsteps, he just raised his head and glanced at Xie Yan, "Why did the prince leave and come back?"
Xie Yan said: "Ruan Yuelou went to sea?"
Ruan Ting's hand holding the pen paused and quickly returned to normal, "I don't know what the prince is talking about."
Xie Yan said: "Xueya has left a force of more than 100,000 troops in southern Xinjiang. There is a person behind him who supports Luanyi Division to raise troops every year. I guess... this person should be the same person who helped Prime Minister Ruan ascend to power."
Ruan Ting finally put down his pen, raised his head and looked at Xie Yan and said: "Your Majesty, I understand the principles of success and defeat, and I accept that my skills are inferior to others. For others, I have nothing to say."
"It seems that Prime Minister Ruan didn't have this attitude last year." Xie Yan was not angry, but said: "Ruan Yueli and Ruan Fu are in Ningzhou now. If they want to survive in an upright manner, one day they will have to fight to the death with Luan Yisi.
.Xueya is in my hands. If one day Ruan Yuelou dies carrying the name of a pirate. Ruan Xiang...has worked hard for half his life, what will you have left?"
"The Ruan family has been sent to the border, why does the prince bother these orphans?" A trace of anger flashed in Ruan Ting's eyes, and the hand on the table clenched into a fist.
Xie Yan looked at him deeply, "It's not that I'm embarrassing them, it's that the new head of the Ruan family doesn't want to carry the reputation of his guilty minister in the world, and they want to get rid of your influence."
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! These people after the guilty minister obviously deeply irritated Ruan Ting. He is a very proud person. Xie Yan's words are obviously insulting.
His mood.
His face turned pale, he lowered his head and coughed a few times. Xue Ya had injured him badly last year, and even though the injury was healed now, it still inevitably left behind the root of the disease.
Xie Yan ignored Ruan Ting, turned around and walked out of the cell.
In the cell, Ruan Ting stared blankly at the paper filled with writing in front of him, motionless...
In a remote courtyard, Cao Jie sat alone under a tree, frowning as if thinking about something.
Cao Mao walked in quickly and was startled when he saw the figure sitting in the yard. He quickly stepped forward and whispered: "Master, why are you out?"
Cao Jie did not answer his question, but asked: "Is there any news about Yang Xin?"
Cao Mao's expression changed slightly and he silently handed a letter to Cao Jie.
Cao Jie took it and opened it. He scanned it carefully and was speechless for a long time. After a while, he slowly said: "A big deal."
Cao Mao couldn't help but shudder when he thought of the content of the letter, "Master, this person is too ruthless." Those were four water villages with thousands of people. Cao Mao was really afraid of that mysterious person now.
As a teenager, he simply doesn't look like a normal person.
Cao Jie chuckled, "You only see this?"
Cao Mao said quickly: "This man is not only ruthless, but the power under his command... is probably incalculable." You must know that most of those water forts are fierce bandits, and even the government's efforts to suppress the bandits often fail.
How many days has it been since they sent the message? To sum it up, it almost means that Mr. Dongfang sent people to Yangxin immediately after receiving the letter, and destroyed all the water villages in less than two days.
"Does the person who took action have any clues?" Cao Jie asked.
Cao Maodao: "Our people were guarding near the Salt Lake Village and saw some people. Those people were all black-clothed and masked, and they had extraordinary strength. They seemed to be wild men, and the leader among them was particularly powerful. Several of the people in the Salt Lake Village
The master is quite famous in the world, and hardly anyone can get through ten moves in his hands."
"Oh? Are you sure it's all Jianghu's way?" Cao Jie frowned.
Cao Maodao: "The person who replied to the letter is very sure that the people in the rivers and lakes are different from the well-trained officers and soldiers of the imperial court. Those people do not behave like the imperial court. The young master is worried..."
Cao Jie frowned and said, "I always feel that this person's appearance is too coincidental."
"From what I saw, that young man didn't act like someone from the imperial court. What's more...according to Yang Xin's news, the leader who destroyed several water villages was almost extremely powerful. And there were those who followed him that day.
The person next to the young man is also a top master. Where did the imperial court come from so many unknown masters? Nowadays, the first-class masters that the imperial court can handle are all in Shangyong, and no one has left the capital."
Cao Jie raised his hand and rubbed his eyebrows and said, "Maybe I'm overthinking."
Cao Mao sighed and said with some distress: "This time's test... I didn't expect that person to act irrationally and destroy four water villages in a row. Young Master, I'm afraid it's hard for us to explain to the Fang family."
Based on the friendship between the Cao family and the Fang family, it is naturally impossible for Cao Jie to send the people of the Fang family to the sword of others so easily. Therefore, Yanhu Village is not a hidden stake of the Fang family. On the contrary, Yanhu Village has always been a real enemy of the Fang family.
Anzhuang Xikou Village is incompatible with water and fire.
I wanted to take the opportunity of testing to see if I could kill two birds with one stone, but I didn't expect that the young man who claimed to be surnamed Dongfang was so ruthless that he wiped out all the large water villages near Salt Lake Village.
Cao Jie glanced at Cao Mao and said, "If you don't tell me, and I don't tell you, how will the Fang family know that this matter is related to us?"
Cao Mao quickly nodded in agreement and asked carefully: "Sir, what are your plans for that young man?"
The mysterious young man is ambitious and wants Yingzhou. Not to mention that the Fang family has been running Yingzhou for generations and has deep-rooted local influence. Even the relationship between the Fang family and the Cao family is far from an ordinary friendship. How can they really allow it?
A young man of unknown origin went to Xiaoxiang to think about the entire Yingzhou?
But on the other hand, the young man took advantage of the Cao family, so they had to treat it carefully.
Cao Jie said: "Tell him that I want to interview him in person."
Cao Mao nodded respectfully and said, "Yes, I will send someone to deliver the letter right now."
"Let people continue to investigate. As long as he is in Yonghuang City, I don't believe that no one knows who he is!" Cao Jie continued.
"yes."
In the Regent's Palace, Luo Junyao smiled and looked at Qu Tiange and Xie Xiao who were standing in front of him and said, "Well done, thank you for your hard work."
Qu Tiange had nothing to say as usual, but Xie Xiao smiled and cupped his hands and said, "The princess said something serious, it's all my subordinates' responsibility."
Luo Junyao looked through the files Xie Xiao brought back and asked, "How do you feel?"
Xie Xiao said: "Young Master Qu is extraordinary and admirable. Things are going very well, but... Princess, since you have gone, why don't you let us clean up the entire coast of the Lingjiang River?" Only in Yangxin can we have a deeper understanding of the water bandits.
The disaster was so serious that if the princess hadn't specifically ordered him to do so, he would have sent out his troops to take care of all those people.
Luo Junyao glanced at him and said: "You are Jianghu forces with unknown origins. You are here to kill people, not to suppress bandits."
"..." Xie Xiao touched his nose helplessly. He was a dignified new scholar and the chief of the palace, but his first task after taking office was to commit adultery and commit crimes. It really goes against the principles of a scholar.
Luo Junyao put the files together and said, "Thank you for your hard work. I'll go back and see Princess Ancheng after I've been away for a few days."
Xie Xiao nodded in agreement, surrendered and left.
Only Luo Junyao and Qu Tiange were left in the study. Luo Junyao looked at Qu Tiange and asked with a smile: "Master Qu, what do you think of Xie Xiao?"
Qu Tiange said: "He is a smart man."
Luo Jun shook his head and said: "He is indeed very smart, and he has done this matter beautifully. If he were not naturally carefree and careless about his official career, his future achievements would not be lower than those of Prince Ancheng."
Qu Tiange looked at Luo Junyao meaningfully and said, "The princess is the one who surprised me." Qu Tiange still remembered the first time he fought against the princess, which was only a few months ago.
That’s all.
Luo Junyao smiled sweetly and said, "Young Master Qu is so complimentary. I asked someone to send me a banknote to ask him to do something before. Do you have any clues about it?"
Qu Tiange nodded and said: "Of course, money can make the world go round, especially in the world of martial arts."
"Can you trust it?" Luo Junyao asked.
Qu Tiange said: "It's foolproof."
"Very good." Luo Junyao smiled with satisfaction.
"Princess." Ye Feng pushed the door open and came in. He glanced at Qu Tiange who was standing aside and said nothing.
Qu Tiange was about to resign, but Luo Junyao raised his hand to stop him and said to Ye Feng: "Young Master Qu can be trusted, so just say so."
Ye Fengdao: "Cao Mao sent a letter, saying that he wants to see the young master and talk about something."
"It seems they have also received the news." Luo Jun smiled and said, "Is it Cao Mao or someone else?"
Ye Feng shook his head and said: "I didn't say anything. Cao Mao has been very careful recently. We can only lock their approximate location. It will take some time to know where they are."
Luo Jun waved his hands and said, "I don't want to arrest them, so there's no need to go to such trouble. If you have something to do, let's do it. Mr. Qu?"
Qu Tiange nodded slightly and reported his address.
Luo Junyao looked at Ye Feng and smiled: "Do you understand?"
Ye Feng nodded in agreement, "I understand, Princess, don't worry."
Luo Junyao said: "Let's make it tomorrow afternoon and tell Cao Mao that I... will invite Mr. Cao to tea."
