After Dong Tongying answered, the hall fell into silence.
The line of white smoke from the incense burner was still floating majestically, becoming a huge thing, unceremoniously devouring other smells in the hall, taking over all the refreshments on the table, the inkstone, the paper, the tables, chairs, and people in the hall.
What you have, unified into a rich and fragrant fragrance.
With the doors and windows closed, the aroma becomes stronger and makes people feel slightly uncomfortable.
Dong Tongying was getting older, and she couldn't stand this kind of influence. She almost felt the pain of suffocation. She couldn't open the window to breathe, so she could only try hard to blow her nostrils and take a few more breaths.
While suffering, he realized the intention of Jin Shang's question.
There were no major changes in the Yellow Book, and salt was still eaten as usual. In three years, why was it that only the salt tax in Zhangde's 22nd year was reduced by nearly 400,000 taels?
He began to keep thinking about what happened that year, whether he had caught the earth-shattering private salt dealer, but after thinking about it, he couldn't find anything.
Private salt sales are hugely profitable, but there are only ghosts if there are no private salt dealers. Private salt dealers exist every year. Why did the salt tax drop so much in that particular year?
He remained silent until now, and after a long while, he asked the two of them to step back, and asked Wei Qiao, his chamberlain who had been with him for many years, to summon Su Ting.
Wei Qiao left with the order and was alone in the Wende Hall today, reading what was written on the paper: "In the 22nd year of Zhang De's reign, he suffered from wetness and evil, weighing less than a pound, and the price reached forty-seven yuan. Mr. Zhang
Instigated Li Lin, the deputy envoy of the third division of Duzhi, to collude with private salt traders, steal the green and white salt of Xia State, and sell it in Guangzhou, Quanzhou, Chaozhou, Guizhou, and Liuzhou. They charge half a catty for a catty, sell it for twenty, and steal it for hundreds.
Ten thousand catties, a total of 200,000 taels were obtained, which was delivered to the Zhang Mansion and sold privately in the river. Jiang Yue drowned in the river in the 23rd year of Zhang De's reign. Wu Yang moved to Qinfeng Road and then disappeared without a trace. Since then, there has been no news
, If you want to find out the truth, you can start from Wu Yang."
This was an informant letter sent to the Forbidden Army Su Ting during the Dragon Boat Festival. What he copied was only one of them.
The original letter paper was just an ordinary piece of bamboo paper, which was scattered all over the streets. Even the handwriting was a copy of the "Chunhua Secret Pavilion Dharma Poster", which could not be found.
The informant letter was quietly delivered to Su Ting's study room while Su Ting was on duty. After Su Ting saw the letter, he did not dare to hide it and presented it to Jin Shang that night.
After reading the letter, I immediately told Su Ting to shut up and not tell anyone about the matter. He also took the letter out to find out who was behind it.
Before Su Ting took the letter out, he copied the first paragraph himself. He was full of doubts and stayed up all night. After going to court, he immediately summoned Dong Tongying and inquired about the difference in salt tax for three years on the grounds of asking about the annual tax.
Unexpectedly, when the difference came out, he found that the difference was a full four hundred thousand taels.
It can be seen that it was not just Li Lin who was doing this that year, maybe the Zhang family also instigated others.
It's just that the informer only knew about Li Lin.
Could it be that the informant is related to Li Lin?
Li Lin is dead and there is no way to verify it.
Thinking of the Zhang family going behind his back and instructing his officials to pry into his corner and earn money from his treasury, he became furious. Then he thought that the Xia Kingdom had already broken off diplomatic relations, which made him even more angry and almost broke his silver teeth.
However, no matter how angry you are, the broken teeth can only be swallowed into your stomach.
He raised the Zhang family in order to suppress Empress Dowager Pei.
The Queen Mother Pei was his biological mother, but since he succeeded to the throne, the relationship between mother and son has become increasingly weak. The Queen Mother Pei knew that he liked the Zhang family daughter, but she forced him to marry the Pei family daughter as the queen, which put pressure on him and the Pei family daughter.
Have a child.
After King Jin was born, King Yan was born, King Chen rebelled, and most of the children of the Pei family were harmed. Empress Dowager Pei always thought that he was the instigator of King Chen's rebellion, and mother and son became strangers after that.
The Zhang family is at its peak.
Up to now, the Zhang family has no one to check and balance. The Zhang and Yue families insisted on getting married, but he never relented. However, he finally relented and allowed the two of them to get married.
He thought it was a good idea to bring up the King of Jin to check and balance the Zhang family.
He thought that the Zhang family was indeed forced to retreat by the King of Jin, but after reading this informant letter, he realized that the Zhang family's retreat was an illusion, and the entire court had reached the point where the Zhang family could do whatever they wanted.
If the Zhang family wants to lead King Yan to rebel, and then forces the imperial concubine and King Yan to death, the world of the Li family will become the world of the Zhang family!
Jinshang broke into a cold sweat thinking about it in the dull hall.
However, he still hesitated.
The investigation must be carried out, but after the investigation is found, who will lift the cover, and who will be asked to interrogate it so that he can be cleared?
After hesitating for a long time, he suddenly thought of King Jin. Maybe he could let King Jin take the lead.
He sat in a chair and slowly drank a cup of tea, still hesitant in his heart.
Jin Wang Li Shouming was like the Pei family, and his temperament had many similarities with the Queen Mother Pei.
On the night of the New Year's Eve, I heard from the chamberlain that there was a dispute between the brothers King Yan and King Jin. The dispute was started by King Yan, and King Jin, the eldest brother, refused to give in until King Yan was forced to retreat.
Just once, I got a glimpse of the Jin King's side like the Queen Mother Pei - unreasonable and unforgiving.
This made him feel that there was a layer between father and son, with the Queen Mother Pei in the middle. Under the influence of the Queen Mother Pei, the King of Jin would sooner or later become out of his control and become as overbearing and unreasonable as the Queen Mother Pei, and he would even do it again.
Empty him as the emperor.
Thinking of this, he even felt a little regretful - he regretted that he had pulled King Jin out of Tanzhou too early and allowed King Jin to enter Sansihudu.
Looking back now, if you can drive a tiger to devour a wolf, if you cannot control the tiger, the tiger will do more harm than the wolf in the future, and the consequences will be endless.
But then he thought about it and realized that there was nothing he could do about it. The Zhang family was so powerful that no one except the King of Jin would dare to compete with them.
If two princes could help one of them up, he would not be able to do so.
Fortunately, the King of Jin still has a father-son feeling in his heart, and without the help of his wife and family, it is too early for him to become a tiger.
Thinking of this, he made a decision in his heart and said loudly: "Weiqiao!"
Wei Qiao had already returned. Seeing that Jinshang was deep in thought, he said nothing. When Jinshang called him, he immediately stepped forward and said, "The villain is here."
"Is Su Ting here?"
"Go back to Your Majesty, just outside the palace."
Today, I ordered Su Ting to come in and asked the chamberlain to open the doors and windows. Once the doors and windows were opened, a warm breeze came straight in, dispersing the rich aroma in the hall and making people feel refreshed.
Wei Qiao called Su Ting to come in. Su Ting was tall and lean, tall and lean, with high cheekbones and a sharp face. His eyes were shining like a falcon. He was wearing armor and walked in without a smile.
After walking five steps into the hall, he knelt down on the ground, even kneeling meticulously.
After saluting, I asked him to stand up and asked him: "Can you find out the identity?"
Su Ting lowered his head and said, "I am incompetent."
Jin Shang was silent for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "That's all. It doesn't matter if the person who sent the letter can't be found. I already understand his purpose. What's important now is what's written in the letter. You have to lead people to find out these things one by one.
Just check as you need to, don’t be vague, the more detailed the better.”
"Yes, I understand."
"The investigation must be conducted quietly. I don't want to hear any rumors about this matter."
"yes."
After giving his instructions, I suddenly asked: "Do you think what is written here is true or false?"