The dishes are very simple, eight dishes and one soup.

The Ming Dynasty is actually very strange. The more high-ranking officials and dignitaries are together, the simpler the food is.

Because when big people eat together, no one does it for the sake of eating. Chinese people have a habit of talking about things at the wine table.

The reason may be that people like to talk more under the influence of alcohol.

Li Xiao sat under Sun Chengzong, while poor Li Lin and Sun Zhijie could only stand on both sides holding a jug.

As soon as the glass of wine is empty, pour it immediately.

"Mr. Sun, if you have nothing to do, come out and walk around. Meet people and see the colorful world of Ming Dynasty.

Don't stay here on Yuquan Mountain all day, planting flowers and grass. It's hard to reach the sky just waiting for others to meet you. People below have already spread rumors that I have locked you up.

Come on, let everyone see how old you are. Don't let people call me so sinister!" Li Xiao took a sip of wine and complained helplessly to Sun Chengzong.

"Haha! When we, men, are in this position, we must not be good at hearing or seeing.

Five years ago, do you still remember your meeting with officers above the rank of major general of the Liao Army?" Sun Chengzong took a sip of wine, picked up a huge prawn and peeled it.

"Five years ago? It seems that there was such a thing. It was the time when India was conquered. All the major generals and above officers came to the capital to participate in the celebration. It seemed that all the major generals and officers were here.

I also met them at Huairen Hall!"

"That's it! Do you remember that one of the majors was chosen by you to attend this interview because of his bravery in battle?"

Sun Chengzong said with a smile.

"There seems to be such a person, I thought it was just a staff officer who was receiving the reception, and I left him behind when shaking hands.

As you know, there happened to be a flood in the Yellow River in those days. The counties of Lankao in Henan became Zeguo again, and hundreds of thousands of people were affected by the disaster.

In those days, I always had this thing in my mind, and I forgot about it when we shook hands." Li Xiao thought about it carefully, and there was indeed such a person.

"Haha! I also know that that person just looked at you lightly and then turned away." Sun Chengzong stroked his beard and looked like he was holding back a bad look.

"That's what happened! People around me reminded me, and I even sent someone to send a message to apologize to him." Li Xiao thought about it, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong with his handling of the matter.

"Haha! You are very approachable, but do you know? That guy is now prosperous just relying on your apology.

In the capital, everything was happening, including steel, cement, and court projects, which were in short supply. He helped people go to various ministries."

"He's just a major officer, who takes him seriously?" Li Xiao sneered.

In some small places, major officers can dominate, but in the capital, colonels are everywhere. Naturally, major officers are not enough!

"Haha! Who takes him seriously? He goes to every yamen in the imperial court and is received by top leaders. As long as it is not a special project, there is nothing he cannot negotiate."

"How is this possible!" Li Xiao was so shocked that he almost jumped up.

The Luggage Owl knows very well what kind of character the official in the imperial court is. Not to mention his eyes, his nostrils are all pointing upward.

The chief officer of a yamen is a bastard who thinks too highly. There is no way for them to condescend to receive a small major officer.

Could it be that that major officer has some strong background?

"How is it possible? These impossible things happened one after another right under our noses.

It is true that there is a role in asking for money from others, and it is also because of your original apology.

you!

The Generalissimo of the Ming Dynasty specially apologized to him. So what kind of background does this man have?

Common people will spread rumors, but in fact, official circles spread rumors even more powerfully.

Everyone said that this person was so-and-so's illegitimate son, or a close relative's nephew. Even the commander-in-chief had to give face to someone. Think about the officials in the yamen, who would dare to offend him?

Who dares to stop the project he commissioned?" Sun Chengzong drank a glass of wine, and his eyes no longer had the joking expression before, but became very solemn.

Such a guy who pretends to be an uncle can actually run rampant in the capital. If Sun Chengzong hadn't known Li Xiao very well, he might have been deceived.

"There is still such a thing, I have to check this person carefully after I go back." Li Xiao couldn't help but feel a little annoyed when he heard that someone actually did something to him.

I didn't expect that a word out of guilt would actually trigger such a thing. It was really unexpected.

"If he was just helping people get projects, I wouldn't mention it to you specifically, Brother Xiao.

But now, he has endangered the country of Ming Dynasty.

There was a flood in the Yangtze River two years ago, and you know that the embankments that were washed away in the Jiujiang section had no steel bars, but only bamboo."

"I know, I even scolded Li Hao for this matter. Officials from the provincial capital, county, and county raped a bunch of people, and the Hedao admiral was beheaded in the city.

Could it be that this matter has something to do with him?" Li Xiao asked in surprise.

"The more things this person can do, the bigger his appetite will naturally be. He is no longer satisfied with the money sent by the donor. He wants to contribute to the project. Guess how much he will contribute." Sun Chengzong looked at Li Xiao and asked

.

"How much?" Li Xiao didn't expect that a huge rat was right under his nose, and he didn't notice it.

"Thirty-seven! He's seven, and the contractor gets three. And the total project payment is 30%!

Think about it, 70% of the money for a project goes into his pocket. If he doesn't cut corners and use bamboo, what can he do?

Later, when something happened, he sent people to those people's homes to intimidate and induce them. The governor of the river channel was the worst, and he listened to him before going to the execution ground.

He said that he had already asked the commander-in-chief for instructions, and the call to keep someone under the sword would be coming soon. But the miserable governor of the river waited until three quarters to noon when the ghost-headed sword was raised, but he did not wait for your call.

Before he could even say the word "unjust", his head was chopped off with a knife. The governor of the river actually has some talent in controlling water." Sun Chengzong was a little lonely when he spoke.

"The governor of the river is...!" Li Xiao looked at Sun Chengzong with some doubts. This expression should not appear on this old man with a heart as hard as a rock.

Could it be that the little governor of the river has anything to do with Sun Chengzong?

But if there was any connection, why had he never heard of it? Otherwise, even if it was to take care of Sun Chengzong's face, Li Xiao would have dealt with it leniently.

Sun Chengzong did not speak, and Li Xiao looked at Sun Zhijie, who was standing behind Sun Chengzong.

"That's a distant clan brother of mine!" Sun Zhijie said helplessly.

"Then why didn't you tell me?" Li Xiao asked a little strangely. It was difficult for others to tell, but Sun Chengzong still had to give him face.

"We only found out after the fact that the guy lied to him and said that he could settle things with you and there was no need for the Sun family to intervene."

Li Xiao took a breath of cold air, even the descendants of the Sun family dared to lie and kill him. This kid is really brave. If the Sun family hadn't been afraid of his real relationship with him, maybe he would have...!

"Mr. Sun, I didn't know this person before. When I first met him, I just thought of his outstanding military exploits.

No one could have imagined the outcome today. I will ask Luzhu to arrest this person and leave it to you to kill or cut him into pieces."

"Hey...! Although this matter is a small matter, it can be seen from the small to the big. You just said a word, and the people below can understand Huahua.

Those officials in the imperial court just pointed out that they fawned over people like us and then prospered.

Back then, the little water affairs director of Qinhuangdao was just using my name to commit corruption and make money, but the local people turned a blind eye.

When his house was ransacked, more than two hundred kilograms of gold alone was confiscated.

Now you understand what I mean when I say you cannot be good at listening and seeing."

Sun Chengzong drank wine slowly, and his speaking speed also slowed down.

"Hey...! Mr. Sun!

To be honest with you, I want to take a sip many times. But looking at the Ming Dynasty, only you and Ao Ye, Man Ye can have a drink with me.

The last time Cao Wenzhao came to the capital, I invited him to drink.

This guy had to stand up every time he made a toast. He kept saying nice words one after another, which made me a little suspicious. Is this the same Cao Wenzhao who fought thousands of miles and conquered the Western Regions?

Under the power, even a tough guy like Cao Wenzhao has changed. Not to mention those ant-like subordinates.

I want to say that I have paid great attention to these things.

But there is no way, some greedy villains still took advantage of the loophole." Li Xiao shook his head helplessly.

"Brother Xiao! Do you know why the Ming Dynasty had Jin Yiwei and Dongchang in the past?" Sun Chengzong suddenly changed the topic to another topic.

"Jinyiwei? Dongchang?" Li Xiao knew that these were the two famous secret service agencies of the Ming Dynasty that were criticized in the history books of later generations.

Many people blame Dongchang and Jinyiwei for the fall of the Ming Dynasty.

However, Li Xiao felt that he didn't know what Dongchang and Jinyiwei were like in history. But the Dongchang and Jinyiwei he saw were all loyal to the Ming Dynasty.

Even when Emperor Chongzhen was defeated in the Southern Ming Dynasty, Dongchang and Jinyiwei still resisted the most fiercely in the end.

Today, Dongchang has long been completely destroyed in Xuanwu Lake. However, Jinyiwei has survived in another way.

"Some people used to say that Jinyiwei's prison was the Palace of Hell, the Devil's Cave!

But in fact, the responsibilities of Jinyiwei are quite extensive. The most important one is to serve as a bridge between the people and the emperor.

Did you know that Jinyiwei even records the vegetable prices in the East and West markets every day. Whenever vegetable prices fluctuate drastically, they will find out the cause and report it to the emperor.

Even though the emperor was hiding in the palace, because of the existence of the royal guards, the emperor actually knew the Ming Dynasty very well.

As for Dongchang, it is more like the Supervision Department you mentioned. They spy on everything in the imperial court, and anything that is not conducive to the imperial power will be dug out by them and nipped in the bud.

If Emperor Tianqi and Emperor Chongzhen were in power, this kind of thing would never happen.

The emperor will immediately know that such a person is active in the officialdom. If the emperor doesn't care, or wants to use him to achieve some purpose.
To be continued...