Chapter 150: The young minister is tired of doing this.

……

“What’s the wind today? It brings you, Lord Liu, here again.” When they met, Wen Tingxian said with a smile.

Liu Yizhi naturally heard the sarcasm in Wen’s words, so he smiled and said, “Did I disturb your pleasure?”

“Ahem, what are you talking about!”

Wen Ting felt a little embarrassed, so he sat on the chair and said seriously, “Is it about the Jiangnan salt merchants? Do you think it was my instruction?”

Liu Yizhi smiled awkwardly and said, “That’s not what I meant. What I meant was that the six big salt merchants died in such a strange way. Could it be that Jia Jing sent someone to do it?”

Wen Ting thought about it and shook his head, “It’s unlikely. If he really ordered someone to do it secretly, what was his purpose? The chaos in Lianghuai will not benefit him in any way.”

Liu Yizhi said confidently, “I guess he wants to take this opportunity to reform the salt tax! Without the solidarity of the six major salt merchants, if he changes the tax by force, how can the small salt merchants below stop him? If it really succeeds, the emperor will definitely be very pleased.”

“As for the suffering people in Huaibei and Huainan… apart from those of us who truly serve the country and the people, who else would care? The retired emperor only cares about money and pleasure. He will give promotions to anyone who brings him money.”

Wen Ting frowned unconsciously.

If Jia Jing continued to be promoted, it would pose a huge threat to him.

This is something he absolutely cannot allow.

“What does Lord Liu mean?”

Liu Yizhi smiled and said, “There are only initial signs of chaos in Lianghuai now. Why don’t we take this opportunity to add fuel to the fire and make Lianghuai completely chaotic? This way, even if Jia Jing makes any moves, he won’t dare to do anything.”

Wen Ting asked: “How to add fuel to the fire?”

Liu Yizhi seemed to have thought of a strategy long ago. He smiled faintly and said, “Add fuel to the fire and let the price of salt continue to rise! Then the people will not be able to eat salt and will not be able to survive. It will definitely cause civil unrest and lead to turmoil in the whole of Jiangnan.”

After saying this, he sighed softly.

“This is the only solution. For the long-term interests of the people, we can only make them suffer first. This way they will become chaotic and Jia Jing’s conspiracy will not succeed.”

Wen Ting thought about it, and finally sighed: “That’s fine.”

“If Jia Jing and other treacherous officials continue to make great achievements, the people will suffer in the end. We may have to cut off the source of the trouble and punish him.”

“How much is Lord Wen going to buy?”

“The total is 100,000 yuan.”

Now the salt permits in Lianghuai have been sold for three taels per permit, and 100,000 permits means 300,000 taels.

Of course, for Wen Ting, who has been the deputy assistant for ten years, three hundred thousand is nothing, not to mention that this is a purely money-making business.

If you can take advantage of the opportunity to support one of the top six salt merchants, you will make even more money.

Liu Yi nodded, unwilling to be outdone.

This is a reshuffle of the six major salt merchants. Whoever occupies more will be qualified to take the position of the new six major salt merchants.

“Well, I will also order someone to buy 100,000 silver coins.”

After saying that, Liu Zhiyi suddenly said, “Lord Wen, do you think Jia Jing and his men will become desperate and issue excessive salt permits? If that happens, our plan will fail.”

And all the money was lost.

Wen Ting smiled slightly.

“Don’t worry, it’s impossible.”

“This concerns the reputation of the imperial court. He is not so bold.”

“Unless he wants to abolish the salt permit.”

“Haha.” Liu Yi laughed and said, “That’s impossible. If the salt permits are abolished, how will the court rely on tax revenue?”

Soon, the two of them finished writing the letter.

They passed it on to each other.

……

The residence of Prime Minister Ye.

Ye Gao, who has almost all the power in the world, is basking in the sun in his study, reading quietly and drinking tea.

“Master, there is news from the south.”

“Yeah.” Ye Xiang nodded slightly: “Put it there.”

The housekeeper hurriedly put the note away carefully, then bent over and walked out.

Ye Xiang finished reading two pages of the book, took a sip of tea, and then picked up the note and gently unfolded it.

Sure enough, it was not what he expected.

The price of salt resumed its upward trend, and even the salt price in the whole Jiangnan region was affected. The salt permit that was originally worth one tael of silver directly rose to three taels of silver.

Salt merchants of all sizes in Lianghuai were frantically hoarding salt permits, preparing to become the new six major salt merchants.

At this time, Ye Huayang, the eldest son of Ye Xiang, strode into the study and said with a smile: “I heard that there is news from Lianghuai. What is the specific situation?”

Ye Xiang looked at his elegant eldest son, smiled slightly, and handed the note over.

“See for yourself.”

Ye Huayang was overjoyed when he read the note.

“Father is indeed as good as a god!”

Ye Huayang knew everything about the court, and chuckled, “In this case, the chaos in Jiangnan is settled, and Jia Jinglin and Ruhai will definitely be pushed out by the emperor to quell the public anger. There is no need to worry about them anymore.”

“Wen Ting is even worse. His prestige and strength are not enough to settle the chaos in Jiangnan. Only you, father, have the ability to turn the tide.”

Ye Xiang shook his head slightly after hearing this: “We can’t let our guard down. What if Jia Jing comes up with a countermeasure? It’s not convenient for me to leave Beijing. You go to Lianghuai in person and take charge of the overall situation there.”

Ye Huayang nodded.

“Alright.”

“Let me go meet Lord Jia and see how capable this Lord who comes from a noble family is.” Having been a junior Lord for twenty years, Ye Huayang still spoke with confidence.

“By the way, father, my little sister has been running around lately. Are you not taking care of her?”

Ye Xiang had three daughters, two of whom were married, and the youngest one had just reached the age of marriage and was waiting to be married.

It is the flesh of Ye Xiang’s heart.

Over the past year, several families who considered themselves to be prominent had come to his house to propose marriage, but he had rejected them all.

Or maybe your family background is not good enough.

Either the child will be useless.

The whole of Kyoto can be seen by him…

There is one.

And they are considered a perfect match.

It just so happens that the two families are sworn enemies.

Of course, even if they were not mortal enemies, there was no possibility of their two families marrying each other.

Otherwise, the emperor would be so frightened that he would not be able to sleep well.

“After all, she is still young. Let her make trouble happily for a few years. When she gets married and is under the control of others, she won’t be able to make trouble even if she wants to.” Ye Xiang said with some pampering.

Little Ye Huayang curled his lips and said sourly: “Father is partial. How many times did you beat me with a stick when I was that old?”

“How dare you say that!” Ye Xiang said with a dark face, “If you were half as smart and studious as your sister, you wouldn’t have failed to pass the imperial examination. In the end, you graduated from the Imperial College and became a minor official, neither high nor low.”

“Do you know what I envy Jia Jing the most?”

“It’s not the title of his family, it’s that he has a good son who will inherit his legacy in the future!”

Ye Huayang chuckled and said, “I heard that Jia Ge Lao’s son went to practice Taoism outside the city. Father, you are talking about his grandson, right? That young man is quite famous, but I don’t know if he is really talented or just boasting.”

Ye Xiang waved his hand and said, “Son or grandson, anyway, Jia Jing has someone to succeed him. I occasionally read one of that kid’s essays. It’s really good. It’s almost certain that he will pass the imperial examination.”

Ye Huayang was surprised: “Father, have you read that kid’s article? Is a junior worthy of your…”

Ye Xiang waved his hand and said, “Of course an ordinary young man is not worthy. He is Jia Jing’s grandson.” “With the connections of the Jia family and Jia Jing’s status, once that kid enters the court, he will definitely rise to prominence!”

“What about you? If you are not from a scholarly family, it is basically impossible for you to enter the court. I am afraid that my family will become a third-class family after a hundred years.”

Ye Huayang said anxiously, “Father, I want to enter the court! With your current status, it shouldn’t be difficult to talk to the emperor and ask for a position as a deputy minister of the Six Departments for me, right?”

Ye Xiang sighed, “It’s not difficult, it’s not difficult, but I said, you are not from a family of imperial examinations, even if you are an official in the court, you will be looked down upon. Now others may be polite to you for my sake, but what about the future?”

Ye Huayang vowed: “As long as I make achievements, I am not afraid of what others say.”

“This time my son goes to Lianghuai, he will definitely do a great job. Who will dare to say anything bad about him then?”

“Father, if I can support you for a few more years, maybe I can enter the cabinet and become a real minister.”

“I’m tired of being a junior minister these past few years. I want to be a real minister!”

……

Let’s talk about Jia Rong. After spending most of the day with the sailors, he just returned to the boat and found Lin Daiyu already in the attic.

“Rong’er is back, come and have dinner, your aunt has already prepared it for you.” Lin Daiyu said with a smile.

“I’ve already eaten there today.”

He went to the kitchen in the morning to ask for some seasonings for the grilled fish he had with the sailors, and the grilled fish really tasted much better.

“Now that you’ve eaten, let’s read.” Lin Daiyu pointed to the table where the books were already placed.

Jia Rong went over to take a look and was a little surprised.

I thought Lin Daiyu was urging him to write a novel, but I didn’t expect that he was actually reading seriously.

Lin Daiyu seemed to see through his thoughts and said seriously, “I naturally know the priorities. You should study hard first and then write a novel when you have free time.”

“Haha.” Jia Rong smiled slightly. “I don’t just play around over there during the day. I spend most of my time reading. It doesn’t hurt to start writing now.”

“No!” Lin Daiyu said with a straight face, “Study hard and write articles first. Only after I check them and see if they are acceptable, will you be allowed to write novels.”

Jia Rong: “…”

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Seeing Jia Rong staring at her blankly, Lin Daiyu said angrily with some embarrassment.

Jia Rong spoke truthfully: “I feel like you are different from before.”

Lin Daiyu’s heart skipped a beat, and she lowered her head and said, “You’re talking nonsense again. What’s different about me?”

Jia Rong asked, “Why are you suddenly concerned about my studies?”

Lin Daiyu said, “Of course I’m afraid that Master will…beat you with a stick.”

Jia Rong shook his head and said, “No, weren’t you expecting him to beat me a few days ago, and were you gloating over his misfortune?”

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, “Have you never heard of ‘one time is another time’?”

Jia Rong: “What do you mean?”

Lin Daiyu: “Guess.”

Jia Rong: “I guess you’re afraid that I’ll get beaten and won’t be able to write a novel for you.”

Lin Daiyu: “Haha, not bad!”

“Hurry up and read and write articles.”

“I’m right here watching you.”

Jia Rong: “…”

It’s like a teacher has arrived!
“What are you looking at me for? Read your book.”

“Otherwise I will tell Master that you are not studying hard.” Lin Daiyu urged.

Jia Rong suddenly became suspicious and asked, “Why are you calling me Grandpa?”

“Um, I…”

Lin Daiyu covered her head with one hand and said, “I’m used to hearing you talk about this every day.”

“Just study and stop looking around.”

Just study!
Jia Rong had already formed a habit of reading quietly during these years. Once he picked up a book, he would immediately concentrate on it, even if Lin Daiyu was around.

Seeing that Jia Rong had “turned a deaf ear to the world outside and focused on reading the books of sages,” Lin Daiyu smiled and took out a book to read.

An hour passed quickly. The days are short in winter, and it got dark before the hour of You.

Xiaoxiao lit the lamp quietly and went out. Amber brought the tea and placed it carefully on the table. Zijuan brought a new heater and placed it next to Daiyu.

After being busy for a while, the three of them sat outside, chatting in private while doing needlework.

Zijuan said, “It looks like they will be watching until very late tonight.”

Amber smiled and said, “Our daughter is fine, right? This is to urge your grandfather to study hard and pass the imperial examination in the future.”

Xiao Xiao: “I know.”

As Jia Rong’s eldest maid, she naturally understood it very well.

……

Imperial Palace, Imperial Study Room.

“Your humble servant pays respect to the Holy Emperor.”

“Qin Zhao, please stand up. How is the situation?”

Zhao Quan bowed and said, “In reply to the words of the Holy Emperor, the duties of the Jinyi Guard in the capital have been completed, and the Jinyi Guard offices in various places have also begun to recruit personnel. It is expected that by next summer, the Jinyi Guard will be able to control most of the country.”

“Next summer?”

The Emperor frowned slightly: “It’s still too long. We should speed up the recruitment of personnel. It would be best if we could place Jinyiwei all over the country by next spring.”

“Sir, obey the order!”

Zhao Quan felt a headache and was excited at the same time.

The headache was that the Imperial Guard had been abandoned for decades since the Emperor Retired ascended the throne, and was basically just an empty shell. It was simply unrealistic to expect to quickly take control of the entire country.

What’s exciting is that the emperor finally remembered them!

The Embroidered Uniform Guards were the sword in the emperor’s hand. When the emperor wanted to use them, they would have unlimited power, even surpassing the first-rank officials of the court.

If the emperor does not want to use them, they are nothing more than hereditary military households.

Even being despised.

Fortunately, this situation is gone forever.

The Jinyiwei, who are feared by all officials, are finally coming back!
After returning to the mansion, Zhao Quan called his subordinates and began to make arrangements.

“Have you almost found all the Jinyiwei soldiers in the capital? Are there any left out?” Zhao Quan asked in a deep voice.

In order to ensure that there are no infiltrators in the Jinyiwei, the Jinyifu has a rule that the Jinyiwei can only recruit people from the hereditary Jinyiwei households, and no one is allowed to recruit people from outside to supplement the number of Jinyiwei privately.

The clerk below hurriedly said, “To answer your question, there are a total of 1,000 Jinyi Army households in the capital. Except for a few families that have no descendants, basically all of them are here. After all, it is a good thing, and everyone is very enthusiastic.”

Zhao Quan nodded in satisfaction and sighed, “How many years have we, the Jinyiwei, endured? Now it is finally the day to be proud of ourselves!”

“Are there any outstanding talents among these people?”

The clerk smiled and said, “There are a few.”

“Yesterday, Captain Liu organized a martial arts competition in the training grounds. There was a young man who was very good at martial arts. He is a top-notch talent!”

“it is good!”

Zhao Quan smiled and said, “Talent like this must be kept. I will promote him myself!”

Everyone was envious: “That person is so lucky to be promoted by Zhao Tangguan himself!”

……

(End of this chapter)