Speaking of this, Wu Zheng looked at Mo Shuo Qing with pity and said, "I know that you shouldn't have let you do such dark things. It's too aggrieved you. But I can't do anything. I'm using it as an old man from the Mo family. If I send someone who is unfamiliar with it, it will be difficult to integrate it in a short time... So when Mo Lao recommends, I agree."

Mo Yiqing lowered his head and replied, "It is Qing'er's blessing to be able to serve the prince."

"Don't worry, I will keep paying attention. Whenever there is a suitable candidate, I will let you go back."

Mo Yiqing was silent without saying anything.

"There is one thing..." Wu Zheng hesitated for a while and said it, "With absolute safety, try to contact Qian Qiaogong and Chen Zhiyuan."

"yes."

Wu Zheng said solemnly, "Remember, you would rather not contact than avoid adventure."

Mo Yiqing was shocked, "The prince means... Qian Qiaogong, Chen Zhiyuan and the other two..."

Wu Zheng took a deep breath and said, "Although there is no evidence, I believe them. As I say, I do it!"

"Qing'er remembers it."

....

The next morning, Wu Zheng took Zhang Huangyan, Jiang Quanyi, and six escorts to Jiaxing Prefecture.

One hour later, a group of nine people entered the territory of Jiaxing Prefecture.

Wu Zheng ordered to go west and go directly to Xiushui County.

"Let's wait!" Zhang Huangyan asked in confusion, "If the prince doesn't go to Jiaxing Mansion first, at least he should have informed Ma Shiying?"

Wu Zheng shook his head and said nothing.

Zhang Huangyan said: "Although Jiaxing Prefecture has been liberation for more than a year, the Qing army occupied it for a longer time... It is difficult to guarantee that there are no ulterior motives. The prince inspected this time in a condom... It is better to go to the prefecture first for the following officials."

Wu Zheng glanced at Jiang Quanyi. Jiang Quanyi understood it and consciously stepped back.

Wu Zheng said: "Since I was visiting privately and went to the prefecture city, wouldn't it be known to all the prefectures? Besides... Although I believe Ma Shiying would not sue Qing, I still have some doubts about his official rank. Before, I had appointed him as the prefect of Jiaxing, and I had been hesitating for a long time. I originally wanted to put him under my eyes, but since I used him, I had to not doubt him. In addition, he was the chief minister of Hongguang Dynasty and his disciples, and there were still many old friends... Xiushui County is close to the prefecture city, I am afraid, will he...?"

Zhang Huangyan understood, and nodded and said, "The prince is very worried, so let's do it according to the prince's wishes. However, if you go to Xiushui, you have to be careful."

....

The name of Xiushui can be traced back to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.

Xiuzhou was established in the third year of Tianfu in Jin Dynasty, which was the beginning of the establishment of Jiaxing. Xiuzhou was named Xiushui, and some were also called Xiushui.

In the fourth year of Xuande in the Ming Dynasty, it was divided into two parts, and Xiushui County was established in the northwest of Jiaxing County, and the Jiaxing Prefecture Capital was Jiaxing County.

Xiushui County is connected to Nanhu Lake in the southwest and the Grand Canal in the north. At this time, it is actually the hub for the Grand Canal freight transportation.

It was almost noon.

On the streets of Xiushuicheng, people were flowing like tides.

Wu Zheng and nine people found a tavern along the street to beat the top.

While eating, a fleet of carriages and horses were passing by outside the store, with dozens of them coming and going in front and behind.

Wu Zheng didn't pay attention at first, but it was a coincidence that when one of the cars passed by the door of the restaurant, they suddenly slammed the wheels.

The car went to the right side, and two and three bags of sacks piled up like hills on the car fell down.

One of the bags, which were baled with straw, was spread all over the floor.

Only then did Wu Zheng notice and looked back and forth.

Then he asked Zhang Huangyan: "Brother Xuan, the three prefectures under the jurisdiction of the General's Mansion in Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Songjiang have no longer been taxed on grain. Why is there such a huge amount of grain shipment here?"

That's right. It's almost winter now, and it's not the harvest season for grain. A car must carry at least about five stones of grain. There are at least six or seventy vehicles in this fleet, which means three or four hundred stones of grain.

In a county town, such a large grain transport fleet would be difficult to see if it was not for the government's transfer.

But the problem is that Wu Zheng had already set a halving agricultural tax with Mo Xi Nian three years ago, and reduced and exempted agricultural taxes from 10% every three years.

In the three prefectures, most people use tea, sericulture and textiles as their businesses.

Therefore, the agricultural tax also followed Zhang Juzheng's "one-whip method" and did not collect grain, but instead sold it as silver.

The grain of the three governments can only be self-sufficient and is almost never exported to other places.

Most of the time, because of the need to prepare for war, Mo Nian bought grain from Huguang and Fujian in the name of the Chamber of Commerce.

This is also the reason why merchants such as Xi Benzhen, Chen Wenhuan, Cheng Benyuan, etc. gathered to petition the General's Mansion to raise grain prices before.

Because the rice price set by Wu Zheng has not fluctuated for three years.

The grain purchased by merchants from other places was sold in Sanfu, Hangzhou at low prices.

The problem is that it won’t be enough if you don’t sell it, because the General’s Mansion issued a deadly order to the Chamber of Commerce in order to store grain.

At present, such a large amount of food transportation has indeed made Wu Zheng suspicious.

Zhang Huangyan shook his head and said, "I don't understand, why don't I go and ask?"

Wu Zheng nodded and said, "Don't reveal your identity."

Zhang Huangyan responded to the counter and asked the shopkeeper for inquiries.

After a while, Zhang Huangyan came back.

Seeing that his face was not very good, Wu Zheng asked, "Is it possible that there are really officials in this who are greedy and abused the law?"

Zhang Huangyan remained silent.

Wu Zheng didn't ask, he knew that Zhang Huangyan would say it sooner or later.

Sure enough, Zhang Huangyan was stunned for a while before looking up at Wu Zheng and said, "Although this matter is hateful, it is really not illegal."

Wu Zheng said in surprise: "How do you say this?"

Zhang Huangyan said: "Jiaxing Prefecture is adjacent to Suzhou Prefecture, but it belongs to the rule of the prince and the general's office and the imperial court. The government orders of the two places are different. Jiaxing Prefecture taxes on silver, but Suzhou Prefecture, which is less than a hundred miles away, is still taxed for grain. With this difference, merchants from the two places took the opportunity to trade food back and forth. In two or three years, a group of people who became rich have been created in the two places, especially the Zheng family. The team of grain trucks outside the door are from the Xiushui Zheng family... Jiaxing and Suzhou are both the territory of the Ming Dynasty, but this group of tyrants trade grain back and forth to make huge profits. Some of them are hoarding grain, raising the price of grain, exploiting the people, and so on, transporting grain back and forth back and forth, wasting people's strength and canal capacity for no reason... Prince, this matter has to be taken care of. I want to bring these tyrants to justice one by one to quell the public's anger!"

Wu Zheng thought for a while and said, "It's necessary to take care of it! It's wrong to bring it to justice. The General's Office did not order banning the sale of food. The so-called law can be done without banning it. What you need is to improve the law as soon as possible, rather than punishing it without teaching."
Chapter completed!