Seeing Hong Zhenji pick up the soldering iron from the brazier, Hong Zhenkang was frightened.
"Zhenji, what are you doing? I want to teach you a few words for my brother's sake, and it's also for your own good..."
"Bah!" Hong Zhenji spat on Hong Zhenkang's face, "Did you call me Zhenji? You, a prisoner of the first rank, still dare to call me by my name?"
Seeing that Hong Zhenji had really turned against him, Hong Zhenkang quickly relented and said: "Brother, I just drank a few more drinks for my brother, and my words were a little less measured. Don't mind."
Hong Zhenji frowned and said: "You are becoming more and more unreasonable. Whose brother are you? Who calls you a brother?"
You are a prisoner Xu Zhiqiong picked up from the North. I took pity on you so I took you in. Do you really think you are King Lu?"
Hong Zhenkang shook his head repeatedly and said: "These words, however, cannot be said nonsense..."
"Who is talking nonsense? Ask the judge named Sun, who came back with you. Doesn't he know where you are from?"
Only then did Hong Zhenkang realize one thing. He had too many handles in Hong Zhenji's hands.
If only I had told the truth to the emperor!
Now it's too late to explain. I deceived the emperor before, and the emperor will definitely not forgive me.
Hong Zhenji, the traitor, wants to threaten me with this, that's all. I won't argue with him for now and just give him a soft thumb.
"Zhenji, I remember your life-saving grace. Brother Wei is not an ungrateful person. Brother Wei knows he is wrong. Don't argue with me!"
Hong Zhenji sneered and said: "You think you are such a mean person? I originally planned to brand you with the word "mean", but for the sake of love, I will give you a few less strokes and brand you with the word "prison"!
"I can't do it, I can't do it!"
Tsk! There was a burst of white smoke, and the iron was burned on the chest.
Hong Zhenkang seemed to have fainted, but it was not clear whether he was really fainting or fake.
Hong Zhenji turned around and told Cong Ming: "Send King Lu back to his mansion."
Hong Zhenkang was thrown back to the mansion. The pain was unbearable, but he did not dare to seek medical treatment. He called a servant and asked him to get medicine for the wound, apply the medicine and bandage himself.
Needless to say, this process is familiar to him. He was tortured by Yuan Chengfeng a lot in the past, and he always applied medicine and bandages himself.
After treating the wound, Hong Zhenkang's anger surged.
How dare he attack me!
Ever since he was young, Hong Jinji never dared to raise his head and speak in front of him!
How many troubles did he cause when he was a child? When did he not always cry and beg me to help him deal with the aftermath?
If I say one, does he dare to say two in front of me? If I ask him to kneel, will he dare to stand up?
Just because I gave him a few words, he dared to do this to me?
The more Hong Zhenkang thought about it, the more unbearable he became, and he wished he could take revenge today.
But revenge requires capital, and Hong Zhenkang has no one he can use.
The group of soldiers and disciples Yuan Chengfeng trained back then were all wiped out in the last fierce battle.
Besides, even if these people are still there, they are no match for Cong Ming.
Go to the emperor brother to file a complaint against him?
No, there are a lot of things going on here that I cannot let the emperor know.
After thinking about it, Hong Zhenkang suppressed his anger and decided to wait for revenge. He had to collect all the tribute silver first.
He ordered the housekeeper to invite the Minister of Household Affairs to discuss the matter of increasing the tax.
The housekeeper agreed and went to invite him.
I invited him three times, but there was no reply from the new Minister of Household Affairs, Qu Guangling.
The butler replied: "Your Majesty, I have been here three times. Shangshu Qu always said that he was not feeling well and he did not see me at all."
Hong Zhenkang said angrily: "I will go and invite you personally!"
He went to the House of Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, ignored the obstruction of his disciples, and went straight in. When he met Qu Guangling, he went on his errand without discussing it.
Qu Guangling really didn't want to get involved with things related to Tunu. The previous minister, Zhou Jinxiu, was beaten into a cripple by the Lord Shen and is still in prison.
But when the prince came forward in person, Qu Guangling did not dare to refuse, and issued a document according to the rules, ordering all states and counties to collect more silver.
This move angered Xu Zhiqiong!
I thought that after being beaten, Hong Zhenkang would know what to do and shirk the job. Unexpectedly, Hong Zhenkang was so eager for success that he actually dared to send out the order to increase the tax.
What is he seeking merit for?
With such a prominent status, does he still seek an official position? Does he also seek fame? Does he also seek wealth?
Hong Zhenji said from the side: "Marquis Yun, you are right. What he wants is money. Yuan Chengfeng doesn't know where he hid the money. After I sent Hong Zhenkang back to his house, I accompanied him to search for two days, searching all over the house.
, there are only eighty taels of silver in the treasury, and there is not even one more penny.
His mansion is large and there are many people there, and eighty taels of silver is not even enough for one day's expenses. I have to support him for all his food and drink these days."
"Didn't all the silver collected go to Tunu?"
"When you use grease on your hands, there must be some oil and water left behind."
Xu Zhiqiong nodded: "I know this. After all the oil has been poured out, Tu Nu collected five million tribute silver, and I'm afraid the people will have to pay eight million."
Hong Zhenji sighed: "I'm afraid eight million taels is more than enough, but ten million is still barely enough."
Xu Zhiqiong nodded and said, "King Lu seems to understand the rules very well."
Hong Zhenji was stunned and quickly explained: "Qiancheng has always had this shortcoming. This is something that everyone knows."
Xu Zhiqiong said: "Since everyone knows it, Hong Juncheng must also know it."
Hong Zhenji laughed dryly: "The Lord God is naturally aware of this, but he only tacitly agrees with it."
Xu Zhiqiong couldn't help but nod: "That's good, as long as it's tacitly understood."
After returning to the Punishment Department, Xu Zhiqiong summoned all the judges and immediately went to the state capitals through Chengfeng Tower, trying his best to delay the tax increase.
More than a hundred judges, working in teams of three, worked separately.
This was Xu Zhiqiong's second attempt at sabotaging a tax increase, and all the judges were familiar with it. Not long after they arrived at their destination, Ning Yongwei took the lead.
He pretended to be a small official who was giving gifts to seek an official position, bribed the guards of the prefect, and went directly to the outer house to find the prefect who was having fun with the outer room.
Ning Yongwei still used banditry methods. He broke one of the prefect's arms and forced the prefect to write a letter and issue a notice promising not to increase taxes within the state.
Three days later, the sixteen judges all succeeded. Although their methods were different, the results were not bad. All the prefectures and counties in various places postponed the increase of taxes.
There are people who can do things well, and there are people who can't do things well.
Shen Shuliang took two judges to Sizhou, and they also found the prefect. However, they failed to stop the tax increase, and the three of them were captured alive by the Yamen.
Xu Zhiqiong is very aware of the combat effectiveness of Yachai. Whether in Daxuan or Qiancheng, they can only be described with the word "unbearable".
Although Shen Shuliang's combat power is not high, he still has a fifth-grade cultivation level, and he was just arrested by a group of government officials?
In desperation, Xu Zhiqiong had no choice but to run to Sizhou to save him through his magical eyes.
After rescuing Shen Shuliang, Xu Zhiqiong asked about the reason and found out that Shen Shuliang was captured not because of his lack of fighting ability but because of his lack of scheming.
He found Qin Sizhong, the prefect of Sizhou, who explained the difficulty and said that the matter should be discussed with his subordinates, and Shen Shuliang believed in it.
Tan Sizhong immediately summoned all his subordinates and asked Shen Shuliang to wait for the outcome of the discussion, and Shen Shuliang agreed.
The unsuspecting Shen Shuliang waited in the backyard of the prefect's Yamen and was captured alive in a daze.
There were serious technical problems in the negotiation process between him and the prefect.
Xu Zhiqiong personally found out the prefect and broke down the various technical moves in detail.
"The fourth-grade prefect is a high-ranking official. He must be loyal to the court at the top and care about the people at the bottom. During the negotiation process, he must fully consider the difficulties of the other party."
At this point, Xu Zhiqiong pressed the magistrate's hand and asked: "Prefect Qin, can you not increase the tax and leave a way for the people to survive?"
The magistrate of the Song Dynasty said righteously: "This is an order from the imperial court, and it is also my duty!"
Xu Zhiqiong looked at Shen Shuliang and said: "You understand now that being a prefect has many difficulties, so the first punch must be in the mouth!"
After saying this, Xu Zhiqiong punched Magistrate Song on the mouth, causing his lips to crack and his front teeth to break and fly out of his mouth.
Magistrate Song cried: "Don't hurt me again. I just obey your orders. I won't give you any gifts."
Xu Zhiqiong went on to explain: "Under normal circumstances, out of loyalty to the court, the prefect of a state will definitely resist to the end, so the second punch has to be in the mouth!"
Magistrate Song cried: "I didn't resist, I agreed."
Bang! Another punch hit his mouth. Magistrate Song's lips turned outward and he was speechless.
Xu Zhiqiong continued to explain: "After two beatings, if the prefect still resists, it proves that there is something hidden, and the reason must be considered, so the third punch is still a punch in the mouth."
Under Xu Zhiqiong's careful guidance, Shen Shuliang finally mastered the basics. Magistrate Qin, who was almost beaten to death, showed a happy smile.
Half a month later, all the judges from various states were successful, and the tax increase was delayed.
This delay made Hong Zhenkang's life difficult. The agreed period had come and Hong Zhenkang had not collected a single tael of silver.
After hearing the news, Hong Juncheng called Hong Zhenkang to the Enwei Hall and asked him the reason.
Hong Zhenkang put all the responsibilities on the prefects of various states and repeatedly accused them of incompetence, speaking with righteous indignation and blushing.
Hong Juncheng listened patiently to what he had to say, and then ordered his chamberlain to make a pot of tea for Hong Zhenkang.
Hong Zhenkang knelt down to thank him. Hong Juncheng smiled and said: "Zhenkang, I heard that you are a little short of money recently?"
Hong Zhenkang was shocked. He didn't expect Hong Juncheng to know about this.
"Brother, I'm used to being frugal." Hong Zhenkang responded ambiguously.
Hong Juncheng added: "Money is tight, so it's okay to make some, but we can't miss important things."
Hong Zhenkang is counting down the hairs on his head. What does this mean?
He suspects that I have squandered my money?
This is an injustice to me!
Hong Zhenkang kowtowed repeatedly: "I am incompetent, but I am dedicated to serving my brother, and I have absolutely no selfish intention."
"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter." After the tea was brewed, Hong Juncheng ordered it to be delivered to Hong Zhenkang.
Hong Zhenkang felt a little relieved, but when he saw the waiter bringing the tea to him, Hong Juncheng waved his sleeves lightly, and an aura of awe came over him. The teapot overturned and was placed on Hong Zhenkang's body.
The boiling tea water fell on his back, and Hong Zhenkang was so hot that he kept wailing.
Hong Juncheng smiled and said: "Zhenkang, you have suffered a lot in these years, right?"
Hong Zhenkang trembled for a while.
What does this mean?
Does he know that I was given to Yuan Chengfeng...
Hong Juncheng then smiled and said: "You don't want to suffer anymore in the future, do you? I will grant you some time. After ten days, I will see the five million taels of silver."
…
After hearing the news that the granting of gifts was not going well, Hong Zhenkang was scalded and covered in blisters. Hong Zhenji was overjoyed and specially set up a banquet for Xu Zhiqiong to enjoy the dance.
Hong Zhenji picked up the wine glass and sighed repeatedly: "This is called not accepting good advice, and you are responsible for it!"
In the end, Xu Zhiqiong was soft-hearted: "It's not easy to recruit the king. I have to find a way to get him some money."
Hong Zhenji suspected that he heard wrongly: "Marquis Yun, is this not a joke?"
Xu Zhiqiong shook his head and said: "I'm not joking, I really want to make some money."
"How many?"
"It's hard to say how much. It depends on how much Yuan Chengfeng leaves behind. Is the cook in your house still there?"