At the gate of Yangzhou City, which was filled with dust and crowded with people, suddenly dozens of horsemen and horses appeared approaching quickly.
Although the officers and soldiers guarding the city gate could tell at a glance that they were either rich or noble, they still stepped forward to hear the news because of their duties.
"Your Majesty, the imperial envoy, has entered the city to attend to matters. Please leave as soon as possible."
The group of people who came had no intention of slowing down at all, and the officers and soldiers guarding the city quickly retreated when the soldiers who opened the way shouted.
After the majestic group entered the city, the young general at the city gate quickly called two of his trusted aides and whispered: "Go and report to the guards and the Grand Master that the Imperial Envoy has entered the city!"
…
"I have dreamed of Yangzhou for ten years, and won the reputation of a brothel. Yangzhou, Yangzhou! The famous capital of Huaizuo, it really deserves its reputation."
Even though it was not his first time visiting Yangzhou, Jia Lian was still impressed by the prosperity of Yangzhou City, which has the charm of a Jiangnan water town.
Riding horses on the ten-mile long street, as far as the eye can see, there are small bridges, flowing water, and beaded curtains and embroidered curtains. From a charming attic in the distance, there is also the faint sound of warblers and swallows, and among the blooming flowers and branches, the road is far away.
Visitors come here to show off the unique style of Yangzhou’s thin horses.
This is the elegant style of Jiangnan, a resort for literati and a paradise for the rich.
Looking at this prosperous and comfortable city, Jia Lian couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt in his heart when he thought that perhaps his arrival would break this atmosphere.
"Is this your first time in Yangzhou, Lord Marquis?" Liu Xianglian behind him asked Jia Lian with a smile.
"I have been here once before, but unfortunately I came and went in a hurry and never fully experienced the spring scenery of this place."
"Hahaha, after the Marquis's important matters are over, if you are interested, I can recommend a few places for the Marquis to visit..."
Hearing Liu Xianglian's familiar appearance, Jia Lian couldn't help but glance at him and asked with a smile: "Oh, it sounds like Erlang is very familiar with Yangzhou. Tell me, how many good friends do you have here?"
Liu Xianglian seriously wanted to introduce Yangzhou's attractions and interesting places to Jia Lian, but when she heard what Jia Lian said, she immediately didn't know how to answer the conversation.
Although the other guards were mocking on their faces, they were envious in their hearts. With Liu Xianglian's appearance, it would be easy to seduce the ladies of the flower house and make them jealous.
Then I looked at the brothel in the distance, and I couldn't help but feel a little more longing for it.
Although Beijing is prosperous, when it comes to entertainment, I'm afraid it's far behind this famous city in the south of the Yangtze River.
"Okay, let's get things done here. If you have time, Erlang will take us to have a good time. But there is no need to call me to eat flowers and wine and admire the beauties. You can go by yourselves then.
I am a man with a family, so I am not as carefree as you, and can be as free and unrestrained as you want."
Jia Lian laughed and waved his horse's reins, speeding towards Yanzheng Yamen.
The guards behind him and the officers and soldiers of the Imperial Guard all smiled at Jia Lian's words.
Although he knew that Jia Lian meant to joke with them, he also knew that with his status as a marquis, he could not find any kind of beauties in the world, and he was afraid that he might not be able to look down on those prostitutes.
But for them, it's different. Who doesn't want to see the world-famous "Yangzhou Skinny Horse"?
Hearing from Jia Lian's tone, it seemed that he didn't object to them going to see the experience, and everyone was moved in their hearts, thinking that if there was a chance this time, they would definitely give it a try...
When they arrived at the Yanzheng Yamen, their subordinates performed their duties, and Jia Lian also took Yang Xun and others who were greeted by them directly into the quiet room to discuss matters.
"How is it? What have you found out these days?"
"I am ashamed..."
"What the Marquis expected was good. All the accounts and files of the Salt Administration have been sorted and updated. There are almost no errors or omissions. The subordinates are not proficient in this, so they have not found anything powerful.
clue.
But at least I can be sure that the various salt merchants in Yangzhou, and even the entire officialdom of Yangzhou Prefecture, must be shady, and the cover-up is a little too obvious."
Jia Lian nodded. Jia Lian had never thought about finding out and solving this matter from the books, unless those salt merchants were all fools.
"What about Ellsworth?"
"An Siyuan's coffin has been transported back a long time ago. Because it was an official involved in the case, it was not buried. It is now placed in the back office."
"Where is his family? Have they been interrogated?"
"An Siyuan has a wife, a concubine, and a pair of children... However, his son is not here."
"Not here?"
"Well, he said he was raised at my grandma's house... But my lord, I have always felt that there is something fishy about this matter. An Siyuan is also considered a high-ranking official in one party, and he has only one son. He doesn't have to keep him by his side to educate him properly.
Instead, it was sent to the father-in-law's house, which was a bit unreasonable.
Moreover, the official looked at An Siyuan's wife, Mrs. Xu, who looked depressed all day long, as if she had something on her mind, but the official could not find out anything.
Because the court has not convicted An Siyuan yet, then the Xu family is not considered a criminal. It is inconvenient for the subordinate to interrogate too much. Therefore, no inquiry has yielded any results. The subordinate is incompetent. I hope you will forgive me."
Jia Lian waved his hand, Yang Xun had only been here a few days, and he was humble. It would be easy for people like Yangzhou to trick him.
As for the doubts Yang Xun said, they are basically nonsense. If there were not such doubts, the court would not be so concerned about this matter, and there would be no need for him to come here.
After asking for more details, Yang Xun and others answered one by one. Afterwards, they looked at Jia Lian thoughtfully. Yang Xun and Jinyiwei Baihu Zhao Cheng looked at each other and took out a stack of banknotes from their arms.
Yang Xun said: "This was given to me by the salt merchants on the day I first entered Yangzhou. The lower officials followed your instructions and accepted it, and asked the Marquis to deal with it."
Jia Lian glanced at them and said, "Since it was given by those salt merchants, you can just keep it. They occupy the entire salt shop in the south of the Yangtze River. They are all extremely rich, and they have caused such a big thing. I have to wait thousands of miles away."
It is also appropriate for them to make a trip and give some of their hard-earned money.
However, you should also know that this inspection of the salt administration was personally entrusted by His Majesty to us to handle it strictly. Therefore, you must not think about taking advantage of others to cover up, otherwise if something happens in the end, I will be able to
I can’t protect you.”
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Yang Xun and Yang Xun were slightly shocked and immediately responded.
He was not polite anymore and took the banknote back. There was nothing to worry about. The salt merchants were willing to give away such a generous sum of money to their followers, so they were naturally not stingy towards Jia Lian.
The reason why I chose to hand over the bribe money was just to see Jia Lian's attitude.
Although I guessed that Jia Lian was not a pedantic person, seeing that Jia Lian didn't even look at the banknotes and let them each accept them, it was inevitable that he would have admiration and good impression of Jia Lian in his heart. A Shangguan who has a structure and is willing to make profits for his subordinates.
, is the Shangguan who is convincing and willing to follow.
After the discussion was over, Jia Lian came out and saw Lin Youquan arranging guards to drive away idlers and arrange defenses. Jia Lian was relieved.
This was one of the reasons why he did not go to the residence prepared by the local government, but lived directly in the Yanzheng Yamen. Lin Youquan was also the boss here. With him arranging these things, he was familiar with the people and the roads, so it was not easy for him to make mistakes.
After a brief explanation, Jia Lian came to the place where An Siyuan was buried.
Because he was an official involved in the scandal, there was only a coffin placed in the side hall, guarded by a few family members and slaves in mourning clothes. No one came to express condolences, and no one dared to express condolences.
With the idea that death is the most important thing, Jia Lian first went to the funeral, burned a stick of incense and bowed twice.
Maybe they knew Jia Lian's identity, or maybe the soldiers who had taken control inside and outside were so fierce that the people in the An family seemed a little cautious and afraid after Jia Lian entered the palace.
But according to etiquette, someone had to thank Jia Lian on his behalf at this time. So a woman in her thirties, with good looks and a plump figure stepped forward and bowed to Jia Lian.
Behind her, there was a girl of twelve or thirteen years old, with a delicate appearance and very beautiful features. She followed the woman step by step, and at the same time she was poking her head around, as if she was sizing him up.
Jia Lian looked over and asked, "Madam, is Mr. An's wife?"
"Your Majesty, the Imperial Envoy, I am the Xu family." She didn't look at Jia Lian, her voice was gentle and her expression showed no emotion.
"My condolences, madam."
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Imperial Envoy."
After Jia Lian said this, he stopped talking. He just lowered his head slightly and looked at the woman in front of him.
At this time, the atmosphere in the secluded mourning hall suddenly became quieter.
The soldiers around Jia Lian looked serious and looked intently. But the few An family members lowered their heads one by one.
The woman seemed to have noticed something. She finally raised her head and glanced at Jia Lian, bowed and was about to leave.
"I wonder what Madam Xu thinks about Mr. An's death?"
"My late husband has always been frail. He was busy with government affairs all year round. His health was already poor. Perhaps he could not bear the pain of being escorted, so he died of illness on the road..."
"Mrs. Xu, are you sure Mr. An died of illness?"
"yes……"
Jia Lian asked the question casually, seemingly not caring about Mrs. Xu's answer. But in fact, Jia Lian still took Mrs. Xu's expression in his eyes.
Seeing how he pretended to be serious when answering, but his eyebrows lowered involuntarily, he knew that Mrs. Xu might know something. But why was she unwilling to tell him? If An Siyuan was really murdered, he would obviously
He is the only person who can redress An Siyuan's injustice.
Without forcing him, Jia Lian glanced at the girl behind her and said with a smile: "I heard that Mr. An has a son and a daughter. This must be your daughter. But I don't know where the eldest son is now?"
"The child was naughty, so he gave it to his grandpa to educate him..."
"Oh, where does your father's family live? How many years has your son been sent away?"
"My father is originally from Datong Prefecture. He was sent there for four or five years..."
Jia Lian smiled, walked closer and asked, "Four or five years ago? Didn't Madam never miss Mr. Ling, so she was willing to keep him at grandpa's house so far away?"
Mrs. Xu glanced at Jia Lian again and said, "I miss him a little, but my father is a well-educated scholar and is idle at home. It is better to educate his children and grandchildren than to stay with me and my wife, so..."
"Mr. An suddenly died of illness, and your wife didn't accept your son's return to fulfill your filial piety?"
"Here, his father is under suspicion. It would be better to wait until the court investigates the salt policy and clears his name before discussing the aftermath..."
"Oh, it's rare for Madam to be so clear-headed. I thought Madam would be heartbroken when Mr. An passed away, but I didn't expect that Madam is so calm and quick, and she was able to answer all my questions fluently, as if she had rehearsed them."
Mrs. Xu was stunned and raised her head again, because Jia Lian was less than one step away from her at this moment. At such a distance, if Jia Lian was rude to her, she couldn't even react, so she hurriedly took a step back and said in a hurry: "Sad
I am sad, but I also know that it is useless. Now I am willing to cooperate with the government and investigate the salt administration to atone for the sins of my late husband. As for your question, several adults have asked similar questions before, so I can have the answer.
Prepared..."
"Yeah."
Jia Lian showed a meaningful smile. Just when Mrs. Xu was quite uneasy, Liu Xianglian came to send a message: "Master Marquis, the magistrate of Yangzhou, the Prime Minister and other lords are here to see you."
Jia Lian nodded, but did not move his steps. He still smiled and looked at Xu in front of him like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
In this situation, anyone who is smart can probably see what Jia Lian is thinking.
Sure enough, Jia Lian seemed to have exhausted his patience, so he approached Mrs. Xu again and said with a smile: "It turns out that I was sad. I thought Madam was not sad at all. After all, with Madam's beauty, even if Mr. An went away, he wanted to choose another one."
It is not difficult to find a good son-in-law."
Looking at Jia Lian's picture, Mrs. Xu's face suddenly showed a look of anger. She glared at Jia Lian angrily and finally lowered her head and said: "After all, I am also the wife of an official of the imperial court. Please respect yourself, the imperial envoy."
"Hahaha, don't be anxious, madam. I just feel that Mr. An's death is still quite suspicious. I want to find out the true cause of Mr. An's death so that Mr. An's soul is in heaven.
Well, I have something else to do this time, so I’ll invite my wife to my residence tonight, and we can have a good talk."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "You..."
This dog official is really interested in seeing the color.
"I'm sorry, but I obey."
Mrs. Xu's eyes looked sad, but Jia Lian didn't seem to notice it at all. Instead, he ordered his surroundings to invite Mrs. Xu to his room tonight.
"You are not allowed to bully my mother!"
The girl was new to understanding human affairs. She was too scared to interrupt before. Now she was about to cry when she saw her mother being bullied. She immediately stepped forward to stand between Jia Lian and Mrs. Xu, and shouted softly.
Jia Lian glanced down at her, stretched out his hand as if to pinch her little face, but she dodged it, and smiled: "You are Mr. An's daughter, right? It just so happens that I also have something to ask you, so you can follow your mother's will.
, go to my residence tonight for questioning."
After Jia Lian finished speaking, he glanced around and saw several people immediately guarding the mourning hall.
Such behavior, not to mention the angry expressions of the servants of the An family, even the imperial guards who followed Jia Lian were dumbfounded.
Lord Zhenyuan, is he so romantic?
Moreover, is the Marquis so unscrupulous and careless? Even if he has fallen in love with the mother and daughter of the An family, he can't do anything behind the scenes, but he does it in public. Aren't he afraid that they will spread bad words about him after returning to Beijing?
Or is it that the Marquis is sure and will take advantage of it to silence them afterwards, so he doesn't care? If so, that's not bad. No one wants to travel thousands of miles southward in vain.
On the other hand, Jia Lian's bodyguards and others were more familiar with Jia Lian's habits, and were a little bit unconvinced that Jia Lian, who had always been lenient and strict with his subordinates, would do such a dishonorable thing.
Therefore, when the brothers of the Imperial Guard quietly asked if the Marquis had always been so chic and charming, they all replied: "Don't tell me that the Marquis is not this kind of person. He must have other reasons, but...
…”
But it's not impossible. Before joining the army, the Marquis was notoriously lecherous in the palace.
Although he restrained himself a bit later, maybe it was also because he wanted to gain fame with peace of mind.
Now that the Marquis has become famous, maybe he doesn’t have so many worries anymore?
Mrs. Xu has such a charming life, and her daughter is also well-behaved and charming. It would not be surprising if the Marquis could take a liking to her...
Not to mention that Jia Lian's teasing of Mrs. Xu was spread secretly, but Jia Lian met with all the officials in Yangzhou leisurely.
The prefect Wu Zhirong and other manpower leaders asked Jia Lian to move into the imperial envoy's residence, saying that this was in line with Jia Lian's status, but Jia Lian directly rejected it.
Just when Wu Zhirong and others were chatting a little, Jia Lian agreed again. They would prepare a reception banquet for him tomorrow, which made Wu Zhirong and others secretly relieved.
He was about to strike a friendship while the iron was hot, but Jia Lian said: "I just arrived in Yangzhou and I am very busy, so I won't spend much time with you. You can go on your own."
By the way, whoever among you would like to trouble me, please send someone to bring over all the accounts, income and expenditure records of the Salt Transportation Department, and I will check them one by one."
"Yes, I will send someone to do it immediately."
"Well, you go ahead."
Wu Zhirong and others, who had been driven out of the main hall by Jia Lian, spontaneously gathered in the front hall.
One person couldn't help but laugh and said: "How powerful is this Zhenyuan Marquis? He actually thinks that the salt administration can be sorted out from the accounts of the Salt Administration Office and the Salt Transportation Department Office? I bet you,
In one year, he couldn't find any flaws, and in the end he must have returned to Beijing in disgrace..."
"Shh, be quieter."
Fu Cheng interrupted him and looked at Wu Zhirong, "I wonder what Fu Zun thinks?"
Wu Zhirong looked thoughtful, shook his head, and said nothing. He had just met Jia Lian, and he still couldn't quite understand Jia Lian's acting style.
Suddenly, a Yamen official from Yanzheng Yamen walked over. When Wu Zhirong saw this, he immediately stopped, and the Yamen official went to Wu Zhirong and whispered in his ear.
"really?"
"It's absolutely true. When Jia Lian saw Mrs. Xu, his eyes gleamed and he wished he could eat her on the spot.
He pretended to ask some questions about the An family, and then asked Mrs. Xu to go to his residence tonight for questioning. What was even more shameless was that he asked his daughter to go with him.
Now that An's mother and daughter have been taken care of by his people, they may not escape the fate of being abused by him."
"The Imperial Envoy asked An Siyuan? How did Mr. Xu answer?"
The official then explained the matter in more detail.
Wu Zhirong felt relieved, and then felt very strange.
With his status as Jia Lian, how could he be so lustful? Not necessarily, the capital is where the emperor resides, and these dignitaries in the capital are afraid to show off, and they are all suppressed.
After finally getting out of Beijing, the fox pretended to be powerful and had no worries.
Besides, Mrs. Xu really had the ability to seduce men. He also wanted to wait until the salt affairs incident was over to see if there would be a chance for her to become his first wife.
Unexpectedly, Jia Lian snatched her love away from her.
I don't feel jealous, I just feel that if Jia Lian is such an easy-to-manage person, it will be a good thing for them.
Therefore, the matter was immediately reported to everyone.
The officials on the left and right were naturally surprised, and then they all laughed: "Since the imperial envoy is so lustful, it is indeed easy to handle. Those salt merchants have no other skills, but their ability to raise beauties is better than the others.
.
In this case, there is no need for the governor to worry, just pass this news to them, and let them think of ways to win over this emperor's close minister, hahaha. Those salt merchants will be extremely happy to have someone with such a strong arm as their backer.
, their lives will become even better in the future."
"It makes sense. The salt policy has nothing to do with us in the first place. We should let them figure it out on their own."