"One hundred, three hundred and sixty-four thousand three hundred and twenty taels of gold, eight hundred and seven hundred and thirty-six thousand seven hundred and sixty-three taels of silver, seven hundred and eighty-three thousand six thousand two hundred and forty-one taels of money, and another

Jewelry and jade. More than 3,200 pieces of jade and agate, Yanzhuang..."

Looking at the shocking figures on the memorial, these things together almost equaled the imperial court's tax revenue for two or three years. Zhao Zongquan was extremely angry. He couldn't help but think of his son Zhao Ceying's voice and smile. These were all based on his own son.

In exchange for his life.

The more he thought about it, the more angry Zhao Zongquan became.

"One hundred and thirty-eight officials were involved in the case. The amount of money involved, according to current rough statistics, exceeds 15 million taels. The heads of 36 salt merchants have all been handed over to the Yamen of the Ministry of Justice..."

"That's enough!" Zhao Zongquan lost his composure in front of his ministers for the first time and jumped up, interrupting Wang Zhong's words.

Zhao Zongquan was already furious, but in front of all the civil and military officials, after venting his anger, he could only suppress the anger in his heart: "Look, you all, look, these are my good ministers, one hundred and thirty-eight people.

A total of one hundred and thirty-eight people!"

"Your Majesty, calm down!"

This was the first time that Zhao Zongquan got angry, and all the officials in the palace knelt on the ground.

"Calm down, how do you ask me to calm down? One hundred and thirty-eight people! Not one hundred and thirty-eight steamed buns! These are only those who are currently in office."

Han Zhang, who was ranked first among the civil servants, straightened his body and said loudly: "Your Majesty, the top priority is to fill this gap quickly. Salt affairs are the lifeblood of the imperial court, and there must be no more mistakes."

Zhao Zongquan took a few deep breaths, stood up, held the fold with both hands, bowed towards the curtain behind the dragon chair and said: "Please take a look at it, the Queen Mother!"

Behind the curtain, the chamberlain beside Empress Dowager Cao immediately stepped forward to take the folder and handed it to Empress Dowager Cao. At this time, Empress Dowager Cao had no intention of reading the folder. She was so angry that her chest heaved violently and her whole body started shaking.

He took the fold and threw it out, causing the bead curtain to clank and make a continuous sound.

I just heard Empress Dowager Cao yelling at the top of her lungs: "Bastard! Bastard!"

"They're all a bunch of bastards!"

"You eat the emperor's salary and bear the emperor's worries. The late emperor treated you so kindly. Is this how you repay the late emperor?"

"One hundred and thirty-eight people, fifteen million taels of silver!"

"Is this how you repay the late emperor?"

Faced with Empress Dowager Cao's stern rebuke, all the ministers in the palace dared to respond and chose to remain silent. When Empress Dowager Cao finally vented her anger, Han Zhang, the leader of the civil servants, was the first to stand up.

"Madam, please calm down!" Han Zhang held the wat board and said, "The most important thing now is to thoroughly investigate the salt affairs case, thoroughly clean up the moths that are attached to the imperial court and drink blood and eat flesh, and restore the purity of the court.

The second is to track down the real culprit behind the assassination of King Huan and use thunderous means to demonstrate the majesty of the imperial court."

"Xiangong Han, you are the prime minister of the current dynasty and a veteran of the three dynasties. When the late emperor was in power, he relied heavily on you. What do you think we should do about this matter?"

Zhao Zongquan sat on the dragon chair without saying a word, and it was Empress Dowager Cao who did all the talking.

Han Zhang said with a serious face: "We should investigate strictly. All those involved, whether they are princes, nobles, or common people, will be punished in accordance with the law, and will be severely punished without mercy!"

"In that case, this case will be supervised by you, Mr. Han, personally! When will the case be settled, and when will you come to see the Ai family again!" Empress Dowager Cao directly made the final decision, not even giving Han Zhang a chance to refuse, as soon as she finished speaking

He got up and left.

All the eyes of the officials in the palace were focused on Han Zhang.

"I accept the order and thank you!" Han Zhang raised his chest and raised his head, with no trace of panic in his eyes.

"If you have something to do, leave the court if nothing happens!" After receiving the signal from Zhao Zongquan's eyes, the chamberlain shook the dust in his hand and stood on the jade steps and shouted loudly. The unique male duck voice clearly fell into the ears of the ministers in the palace.

middle.

After the court meeting, Wang Zhong returned home, took a bath and changed clothes, washed away his fatigue, and put on a pair of loose clothes. Minglan had already asked the kitchen to prepare dishes, and watched Wang Zhong put them on the table when he was about to bathe and change clothes.

.

"My lord, let's have a bowl of soup to warm our stomachs first!" Minglan stood up and helped Wang Zhong scoop out a bowl of soup stewed by old hens and soft-shell turtles.

Wang Zhong took the soup bowl and asked: "What are you talking about? It's so lively?"

Wang Qier said with a smile on her face: "I am telling my aunt about the assassin we encountered during our salt patrol this time!"

Minglan's smile reached the corners of her eyes, and there was the look of Wang Qier just talking about the thrilling part, holding on to the handkerchief tightly, and she was so nervous that she almost broke out in a cold sweat.

"Don't listen to this girl's nonsense, she doesn't have a word of truth in her mouth!" Wang Zhong said to Minglan softly with a smile.

"Slander! Third uncle, this is a naked slander. What nonsense did I say? Every word I said is true!"

Wang Qianer quit and immediately defended loudly, then quickly took Minglan's arm and said: "Auntie, I'm not talking nonsense!"

"Auntie believes you!" Minglan smiled and took Wang Qier's hand and said, "Okay, okay, let's eat quickly!"

Wang Zhong had already picked up a sliced ​​piece of roast goose and started to chew it.

Seeing this, Wang Qier quickly snatched the two roasted goose legs, and very filially gave one to Minglan and one to her mother, Wang Li, and raised an eyebrow at Wang Zhong.

Wang Zhong ignored her, but put a piece of stewed mutton into the bowl of Wang Xu, who was smiling at the side. He also told her: "Eat more meat to gain strength!"

"Thank you, uncle!" Wang Xu and Wang Qier, siblings, have almost completely opposite personalities.

Wang Qian'er is talkative, carefree, upright, and has no scheming thoughts. Wang Xu usually doesn't talk much, but he is very thoughtful. He is very talented. Although he doesn't have a photographic memory, he also has a good memory.

Being able to draw inferences from one instance is very smart.

"Okay, okay, let's stop talking to each other and eat quickly!" Seeing that Wang Qier was still trying to stir up trouble, Mrs. Wang Li quickly glared at her.

Wang Qianer could only stop her activities and did not dare to make any more noises.

Everyone was using their chopsticks and eating together. Minglan suddenly said, "By the way, when do you plan to go to the Gu family to see Brother Gu?"

This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Let's go after dinner!" Wang Zhong said.

"I want to go too!" Wang Qier quickly put down the half-eaten roast goose leg in her mouth (which was put back into her bowl by Mrs. Wang Li) and spoke hastily, for fear of being slow.

Wang Zhongdao: "Zhong Huai has taught you for a while, even if you are half a master, you should go. Brother Xu will go too, and take brothers Zhang Xin and Zhang Yi with you."

"Xiao Tao, go find the second grader of junior high school and ask him to inform Brother Xin and Brother Yi!" Minglan immediately ordered Xiao Tao next to him.

"Slave, go now!" Xiao Tao always did what Minglan said, without any hesitation or asking why.

After dinner and without bringing any gifts, Wang Zhong and Minglan were sitting in the carriage. Wang Qianer, Wang Xu, Zhang Xin, and Zhang Yi brothers all rode in front, and soon they arrived at Chengyuan.

.

After waiting in the front hall for a while, Gu Er just arrived late, supporting the pregnant Zhang.

Zhang was conceived in October last year, exactly three months before Gu Yankai's death, and now she is almost eight months pregnant. Her round belly bulged out her loose clothes.

Gu Yankai had just left less than half a year ago, and Gu Er's errands had already been relieved. He only stayed at home to pay homage to his late father. He didn't even go to his favorite restaurant in the past. He just temporarily took over the errands of Zhang's housekeeper.

Come here and spend your days busy with trivial matters at home and outside.

The two hadn't seen each other for a long time, and Gu Er's body was almost rusty from being suffocated at home, so he took Wang Zhong and began to spar.

After a cup of tea, Gu Er, who was feeling sore all over, raised his hand to stop.

"Your skills are still as good as ever!"

"So what if you're awesome!" Wang Zhong shook his head and sighed: "One person is limited after all!"

Gu Er was silent for a moment, picked up the hot tea on the table and drank it all in one gulp before saying: "Yes, a body of flesh and blood, no matter how powerful it is, is still limited."

But he remembered Zhao Shichang and King Huan who were shot into hedgehogs.

Looking up at Wang Zhong, Gu Er asked, "I heard that Xiao Duan won't be able to use force in the future?"

Wang Jian nodded and said: "I injured my lungs, so I'm lucky to be able to save my life."

Although they have not known each other for a long time, Gu Er still has feelings for Xiao Duan and Shen Congxing, who sincerely regard him as friends.

"I heard that you have been assassinated more than 20 times in Jiangnan in the past few months?"

Wang Zhong glanced at Gu Er and said, "Haven't you seen how arrogant those salt sellers are!"

"Yes!" Gu Er showed a self-deprecating smile on his face: "The Bai family are also salt merchants!"

Wang Zhongdao: "They went too far and made the matter too big. The Queen Mother personally issued an order, ordering me to investigate the matter thoroughly and deal with it severely!"

"I understand!" Before Wang Zhong could finish speaking, Gu Er interrupted him: "It's all their own fault. I thought they were from the same lineage as my grandfather, so I showed mercy several times, but they didn't know how to restrain themselves.

This time you want to harm me and seize the inheritance left by your grandfather in my hands!

Now that they are facing this fate, it is all their own fault and they cannot blame anyone else!"

Wang Zhongdao: "Not all of the Bai family are greedy for profit, there are also some who are honest and honest."

As we were chatting, the topic suddenly changed: "By the way, in more than two months, my younger brother and sister will give birth. You should be more careful in these few months. Don't make your younger brother or sister angry, let alone make your younger brother and sister suffer."

Stimulate."

How could Gu Er not know what Wang Zhong meant? He was not just the ones from the fourth and fifth bedrooms, especially Gu Tingbing from the fourth bedroom was implicated in Ni Wang's case. After being exiled to the border, all the people in the fourth bedroom were everywhere.

Treating him as an enemy, his fourth uncle never gave him a good look. Instead, he came to the Hou Mansion every three days to cause trouble for him under the guise of an elder.

"Yeah! I took note of it!"

Within a few days, the reward order came down. Wang Zhongqing had meritorious service in investigating the salt affairs case, and he was awarded the title of Zhengyi Dafu, direct bachelor of Longtuge, promoted to Salt and Iron Envoy, and Governor of Salt and Iron Division.

In one step, he crossed a threshold that ordinary people could not cross in decades or even a lifetime, and he became a third-rank official. Even his official uniform was changed to purple.

The reward given to Wang Zhong did not cause much sensation. After all, Wang Zhong and others took the risk of almost death when they went south to patrol the salt. Even King Huan lost his life.

I heard that assassins would kill you every two days. I had to hold a knife in my arms every night and turn a blind eye, for fear that the assassin would touch me at night and kill me with a knife.

Although Zhao Zongquan lost his beloved son, he did not involve the officials who accompanied him, and he did not hesitate to reward the meritorious officials. Such a generous behavior attracted a lot of praise from the officials. Some officials who originally remained neutral

, and therefore fell towards Zhao Zongquan.

The increasingly fierce dispute between the emperor and the empress in the court temporarily came to an end due to Emperor Zhao Zongquan's concession. Empress Dowager Cao had more and more power in her hands and intervened more and more in everything in the court.

After Wang Zhong was promoted to Salt and Iron Envoy, instead of relaxing, he became even busier. Because of the salt affairs case, even Wang Zhong's predecessor was implicated, not to mention the rest of the small fish and shrimps.

Wang Zhong took charge of the Salt and Iron Department and began drastic reforms in the Salt and Iron Department. The dozen students who had followed Wang Zhong to Quanzhou also joined the Salt and Iron Department one after another. They dissolved the coarse salt, filtered it, and then distilled and crystallized it.

The method to achieve the purification effect has also been rapidly spread to various salt farms across the country.

Within the Fujian, Lianghuai, and Jingdong roads, Wang Zhong expects to build 480 more salt drying plants within three years, raising the production of sea salt to another level.

The most important thing is that under the leadership of Wang Zhong, the Salt and Iron Department began to control the price of salt. The salt merchants in Huaihe, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other places had just been cleaned up. The prestige of the imperial court was rising, but within a few months, the market was once in chaos.

Salt prices were brought under control immediately.

Not long after the method of purifying coarse salt became popular in various places, the Salt and Iron Department issued a series of policies to classify various types of salt produced across the country, classify them into grades, and set prices.

The finest fine salt is the fine well salt produced in Sichuan. It is as fine as dust and as white as snow. The price of a pound is as high as 500 Wen.

Among the coarse salts, sea salt is the most popular. Sea salt is coarse and tastes far inferior to well salt and lake salt. Therefore, even the best quality sea salt costs only fifty cents per pound. The price of inferior quality sea salt is much lower than that of well salt and lake salt.

Also lower.

Wang Zhong did not take the initiative to crack down on those private salt dealers, nor did he have time to play any chasing and interception games with them. All Wang Zhong did was to lower the price of official salt, increase the annual salt production, stabilize the salt price, and allow ordinary people to I can also afford salt.

In addition to salt affairs, the Salt and Iron Department also manages all matters related to the mining and smelting of iron ore across the country. This is the origin of the word salt and iron.

While Wang Zhongmen was concentrating on his career in the Salt and Iron Department, the situation in the DPRK also underwent tremendous changes.

With the death of Zhao Ceying, Gu Er stayed at home to pay homage to his late father. Emperor Zhao Zongquan seemed to have lost his arms, and only Shen Congxing was left by his side. Although he still had the support of Han Zhang, the reputation accumulated by Emperor Jiayou for more than 40 years could not be eliminated. It's not like he can overcome it in just a few years.

Zhao Zongquan changed his previous attitude and stopped tit-for-tat with the Queen Mother Cao. Instead, he asked the Queen Mother Cao about everything. Regardless of whether the court affairs were big or small, the Queen Mother Cao's opinions were subject to it. Together with Queen Shen and his wife, they spent every day in the morning and evening. Treat Empress Dowager Cao as filial as her biological mother.
Chapter completed!