The atmosphere in the room suddenly became depressing. After Wang Zhong looked at what was written on the letter in his hand, his expression gradually became serious.

"Judging from the current situation, the degree of corruption in the Lianghuai Salt Service is even worse than we expected!" Wang Zhong said with a solemn expression.

Zhao Ceying frowned and said: "If this is really the case, then we will be in big trouble!"

Wang Zhong's eyes flickered, and he immediately bowed and handed over his hands, saying with a serious face: "Now that the prince's whereabouts have been revealed, it's better to stand out openly!"

"Anyway, the people under General Xiao Duan have also been dispersed. Instead of us investigating slowly bit by bit, it is better to wait for those who have guilty consciences to show their flaws, and then we can follow the clues and find out those black sheep."

"This is the only plan for now." However, Zhao Ceying was very puzzled: "But we came all the way in disguise without leaking any information. How did this news leak out?"

Wang Zhong seemed to have expected it, and said: "Now this case is getting bigger and bigger. There are no less than dozens of officials involved. This is only what we know. There are also those we don't know. I don't know how many more there are. We

Although his whereabouts are hidden, if we come out of Tokyo and head south, if we are serious, we can always find some clues."

Zhao Ceying looked around and lowered her voice very low: "Do you think there is anyone among our people..."

"It's really hard to say!" Wang Zhong said.

Zhao Ceying's expression changed for a while. Thinking of the current situation, he became more and more certain that his suspicion was right. However, Zhao Ceying was also a well-educated military scholar after all, and knew the principle of trusting those who employ and distrusting those who doubt. At this juncture, Zhao Ceying's expression changed.

, it is necessary to work together from top to bottom to investigate the salt case clearly. If one accidentally shakes the morale of the army, I am afraid that it will give those who conspire even more opportunities.

"Why!"

"Even if we really have those people's spies among our people, it might not be a bad thing for us!" Wang Zhong said.

Zhao Ceying looked at Wang Zhong and asked, "What does Zihou mean?"

Wang Zhongdao: "Don't you still have a list in your hands? The initiative is now in the hands of the prince. In fact, the prince does not need to do much at all. As long as he remains unchanged in response to changes, those black sheep with guilty consciences may be able to do it themselves."

It will show the truth."

"Furthermore, General Xiao Duan has already launched an investigation into the people on the list. As long as he has detailed results and the prince gives the order, can't we close the net?"

"As for the prince, it doesn't matter if someone really tipped off those black sheep!"

Seeing the smile on Wang Zhong's face, Zhao Ceying couldn't help but nod, obviously agreeing with Wang Zhong's statement.

The next day, a big flag was erected on the big ship, and all the guards put on armor, equipped with swords, guns, bows and crossbows. Zhao Ceying also put on a purple official robe, and appeared openly and openly at the Lianghuai Salt Transfer Department.

The current salt transfer envoy of the Lianghuai River is called He Rongchang. He is from a Longyou family. Although his official rank is not high, he is in charge of the entire salt affairs of the Lianghuai River and has great power.

It's a pity that the person who came now was not someone else, but Zhao Ceying, King Huan, who held the imperial edict. He Rongchang could only treat him with respect in front of King Huan.

As soon as Zhao Ceying arrived at the Yandu Transfer Envoy Department, he ordered that the transfer envoy's case library be sealed. Wang Zhong led a group of accompanying civil servants and scribes and began to review the records of two years in the past twenty years recorded in the case file library.

Various account books and documents of Huai Salt Industry will be verified.

Unexpectedly, on the night when King Huan and others entered the Lianghuai Salt Capital Transfer Envoy Si Yamen, a fire broke out in the archives, and all the files over the years were burned, leaving only ashes on the ground.

The next day, King Huan Zhao Ceying stood in front of the ruins with a pale face. He Rongchang led the two Huai salt capitals to transfer all the officials from the yamen to the ground and knelt on the ground, begging King Huan to punish him.

Zhao Ceying suppressed the anger in her heart, glanced at the officials kneeling behind her with a sharp gaze, and said coldly: "Don't you think that this can destroy the corpse and eliminate all traces?"

"I'm guilty, please punish me!" He Rongchang didn't even defend himself and led a group of officials to kneel on the ground.

"Who is in charge of the records library?" Zhao Ceying closed his eyes and took a deep breath. After a while, he opened his eyes and looked at everyone and asked loudly.

"Your Majesty, I am in charge of the records and documents treasury on weekdays!" A middle-aged official wearing a green official uniform stood up and knelt down again.

"The record library was burned. As the official in charge, you failed to discover and stop it in time. This is a dereliction of duty. Pull him down, give him a cane of forty, and throw him into prison!" Zhao Ceying waved his hands and turned around, sternly instructing.

Didn't even ask.

"promise!"

When two tall sergeants dragged the official aside and let him shout that he was wronged, they took off his official uniform and pressed him on the bench. Then the two men held water and fire.

The soldiers with sticks immediately started fighting one on the left and the other on the right.

The shrill screams stimulated the nerves of all the officials.

The screams lasted for less than five breaths and then stopped abruptly. How could an official who had always been pampered and pampered be able to withstand forty sticks? The person fainted after being hit with twenty sticks. By the time the forty sticks were finished, he was already only

All that's left is to vent your anger.

"Find a doctor!"

After ordering his men, Zhao Ceying saw the official being dragged down like a dead dog. Zhao Ceying walked up to He Rongchang, squatted down, looked at He Rongchang and said, "Don't you have anything to say to me, Ambassador He Zhuan?"

"Your Majesty is very aware of everything. I really know nothing about this matter!" He Rongchang quickly surrendered.

Zhao Ceying helped He Rongchang up, looked into He Rongchang's eyes and asked, "Does He Zhuanshi really not know?"

"Your Majesty is aware of this, I really don't know this!" He Rongchang quickly explained: "I have been at home since I went to the Yamen last night, and I have not gone out even once."

"He Zhuanshi is the humerus of the imperial court. How can I not believe in He Zhuanshi!" Now that there is no evidence, Zhao Ceying naturally cannot get angry.

This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Moreover, Zhao Ceying's trip is not only to solve the problem of salt affairs, but more importantly, to show his ability to win over the courtiers. If he blindly uses force,

It is inevitable that he will fall into the blame, and the Queen Mother and her family will definitely not miss such a good opportunity to impeach him.

"It's cold on the ground, please get up quickly." Even when going to court, all the officials only bowed and saluted the emperor. They would only kneel when they were offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, or when being canonized by an imperial edict.

However, He Rongchang and other officials knelt down in front of Zhao Ceying to plead guilty because the record library was burned.

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" A dozen officials stood up, but they still stood with a slight bow and their heads lowered.

He Rongchang said: "Your Majesty, now that the record library has been destroyed, I wonder what your Majesty's plans are next? If I can find a place for you, I will try my best to cooperate."

"He Zhuanjian is so polite!" Zhao Ceying said: "I was ordered by the officials to go south to inspect the salt and conduct a thorough inspection of the salt affairs. I didn't expect that when I first arrived in Yangzhou, something like this happened. It seems that this salt inspection lasted only a short time and a half.

I’m afraid it will be difficult to make any progress soon.”

When he said this, Zhao Ceying couldn't help but show a bit of dejection on his face.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, the salt from both Huaihe River and Huaihe River has been transferred, so everyone in the government office is following His Majesty's lead!" He Rongchang immediately expressed his stance.

"Then thank you so much to Envoy He and all your colleagues!"

They are all foxes of thousands of years, and each one is more involved in the performance than the other.

When she returned to her residence, Zhao Ceying threw the tea cup in her hand to the ground with great force. There was a crisp sound, and Zhao Ceying gritted her teeth and said, "Very good! Very good! This is to give me a blow."

Wang Zhong stood beside him, cupping his hands and saying: "Why do you need to be angry, Your Majesty? In fact, even if the case files are not burned, we may not be able to find any substantive evidence from them!"

"Huh? Why?" Zhao Ceying asked puzzledly.

"Yandu Transfer has kept the Yamen running for so many years, and there has never been any mistakes. All the officials who have served are not fools. The accounts that have been put into the treasury must have been done beautifully."

"Then why did they still burn the archives?"

"Maybe it's to confuse us, or maybe, as the prince said, it's to give him a show of strength."

Wang Zhongdao: "Yesterday, the prince said that the case warehouse would be sealed. That night, the case warehouse was set on fire, and the fire was so strong that it spread instantly. If the prince had not left troops and horses around the case warehouse last night, I am afraid that

The entire transfer office will be burned down."

Zhao Ceying immediately grasped the key point of Wang Zhong's words: "Being able to break through the blockade and burn the archives to this state silently means that the person who set the fire must have been in the archives all the time, or he was hiding in the archives.

Among the soldiers and horses surrounding the case library last night?"

"In addition to the people we brought to guard the archives last night, there were also many troops from the Yangzhou Command Battalion."

"Instead of tangled up with a few hidden rats, the prince would rather focus on Liu Zhenfeng, who was just imprisoned by the prince. If he can be made to open his mouth and explain, he might be able to gain unexpected gains."

"Isn't this Liu Zhenfeng the scapegoat being pushed out?" Zhao Ceying asked doubtfully.

Wang Zhongdao: "The scapegoat may not know the truth of the matter. Even if he does not know the whole thing, it is still excellent if he only knows part of it."

Zhao Ceying frowned and said, "I'm afraid we may not be able to pry his mouth open."

Punishment is not enough for the officials, and this dynasty co-ruls the world with the scholar-officials and always treats the scholar-officials favorably. Zhao Ceying has already used an excuse to beat the person severely. Even if he is punished again, it will only be demoted or dismissed, and it will not hurt the person's bones.

.

"As long as we are human, we have weaknesses. Liu Zhenfeng is willing to stand up and be the scapegoat. It is just because someone promised him some benefits, or there is some reason to get caught. But as long as we find his weaknesses, we are afraid that he will not

Do you want to speak?"

"What's Zihou's clever plan?" Zhao Ceying's eyes lit up and he asked quickly.

Wang Zhongdao: "We might as well learn from Zhonghuai and use some dirty tricks."

"A dirty trick?" Zhao Ceying really couldn't think of any other way.

Although Liu Zhenfeng was imprisoned, he was still an official. Naturally, the prison chiefs did not dare to neglect him. Not only did they live in a single room, they also ordered someone to hire a doctor to treat the injury on his buttocks.

Suddenly, Liu Zhenfeng was awakened by the sound of the door opening. Before he could see clearly, a tall and burly young man, holding a lantern and wearing a scarlet official uniform, walked up to him.

"Deputy Ambassador Wang?"

Liu Zhenfeng squinted his eyes and used the weak light of the lantern to see Wang Zhong's appearance clearly, and then hurriedly said: "I have seen Deputy Ambassador Wang. I am injured and have difficulty moving. I am not polite enough. I hope you will come back."

Deputy Ambassador Wang, please forgive me."

"Master Liu is very cheerful. Even though he is in prison, he can still be so open-minded. Wang admires him." Wang Zhong cupped his hands and said.

"Hey!" Liu Zhenfeng sighed and said helplessly: "The matter has come to this, if you don't look at it more openly, you will still be the one to suffer."

Wang Zhong walked up to Liu Zhenfeng, sat on the small stool brought by the jailer, put the things in his right hand on the small table that the jailer had just moved into the cell, waved his hand, and the jailers were driven away by the guards.

"Mingren don't tell secrets. Wang came here today because he wanted to ask Mr. Liu for help with something."

Liu Zhenfeng said: "Deputy Envoy Wang is very polite, but now that the official is behind bars, I'm afraid I won't be able to help Deputy Envoy Wang."

"Master Liu is too modest!" Wang Zhong smiled and pushed the box on the table to Liu Zhenfeng: "Master Liu, you might as well take a look at the gift I brought for Master Liu first."

"Gift?" Liu Zhenfeng, who was lying on the ground, opened the box doubtfully and took out a small skirt worn by girls, a pair of embroidered shoes, a rattle and a jade lock.

The moment he saw these things, Liu Zhenfeng's expression changed. He looked at Wang Zhong in shock and asked in confusion: "What does Deputy Wang mean by this?"

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Wang Zhong said calmly: "Master Liu was also a first-ranked scholar in the second rank. It is said that he is Wang's predecessor. He has served as county magistrate in many places.

Tong Yan was transferred to the Lianghuai Salt Department and served for only a few years. Although he was in charge of a small document library, he could be promoted to Tokyo as long as he had enough qualifications, and it was not necessarily impossible for him to rise to the top.

Now that he has become a prisoner of the rank and file and is behind bars, is it possible that Mr. Liu is not unwilling at all?"

"So what if you don't want to give in?" Liu Zhenfeng's face showed a bit of helplessness: "Deputy Ambassador Wang, just say what you want to say."

Wang Zhongdao: "Master Liu is a smart man, so Wang will not go around in circles. This time King Huan went south to patrol the salt, it was a decision jointly made by the official family and the eldest lady. King Huan is the eldest son of the official family, and he only waits for this inspection."

After the salt is over and great achievements have been made, the officials can issue an edict and canonize King Huan as the crown prince. Now that this great opportunity is in front of you, Mr. Liu doesn't know how to cherish it?"

Liu Zhenfeng was stunned for a moment, countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but he finally closed his eyes: "Why can't Liu understand what Deputy Ambassador Wang said?"

Wang Zhongdao: "It doesn't matter if you don't understand, but if Mr. Liu doesn't think about himself, shouldn't he also think about his father and two young children at home?"

Liu Zhenfeng had a look of horror on his face: "What does Deputy Ambassador Wang mean by these words?"

Wang Zhong smiled mysteriously: "Of course it means literally!"

After saying that, he turned around with the lantern and walked away without stopping at all, and without any intention of saying more. He didn't give Liu Zhenfeng any time to think about it.

But Liu Zhenfeng, who was lying on the haystack, instantly filled up countless messages in his mind.

What did Wang Zhong mean when he suddenly mentioned his father and children just now? Was he trying to harm them? To threaten himself? But this dynasty has always treated civil servants favorably, and even though King Huan was a prince, he could not go beyond the ancestral precepts.

But those are his father and children! What if...

Invisible threats are the most deadly, and invisible thoughts are the most unstoppable.

The moment Wang Zhong stepped out of the cell door, Liu Zhenfeng couldn't help but stretched out his hand to stop Wang Zhong.

"etc!"
Chapter completed!