Chang Sihao smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries. He did not mention anything about Qi Zhonghua, Ni Honglei, Guo Qiang, and Wu Zhiming. Guo Shuronghua also did not inquire. The two got into the Baodiao carriage. Guo Shuronghua said: "Hou I have come back safely this time, so I have to celebrate it well." Chang Sihao smiled: "I'm not busy then." He nodded and called Qin Juexiang. He asked for a document and handed it over: "Master Governor, please take a look at this first. "

When Guo Shuronghua took it over and looked at it, he saw that the content was a complaint against Guangzhou officials accusing Wu Shilai of arrogantly installing followers and cronies after taking office, and demoting and dismissing as many as fifty-nine people without reason. His expression was slightly startled.

Chang Sihao looked at him: "Oh, this matter has a very bad influence in the south. Governor, please think about what to do about this matter."

Guo Shuronghua said: "Wu Shilai is so bold. He simply doesn't care about the court's laws. This matter is within the rights and responsibilities of Dongchang. Ronghua will definitely handle it impartially. But... Mr. Hou has returned from Wanshou Mountain. Xu Mr. Ge caught a cold and has not recovered yet. Wu Shilai was recommended by him personally. Shouldn't we put the matter under control first and wait until he gets better? It would be better to deal with it personally."

"Oh." Chang Sihao said in surprise: "So Mr. Ge is ill. Then I have to go and have a look. Mr. Du, just accompany me."

There were no guests in Xu's house. It was quiet. The two maids quietly lit the candles in the study. The light fell on the paper on the desk, making Xu Jie slightly wince.

"Dad, please call me." Third Young Master Xu Ying stopped outside the door and bowed her head.

Xu Jie closed the book: "Come in."

Xu Ying raised her foot and stumbled slightly when she crossed the threshold. Then she steadied herself.

Xu Jie looked at him: "Why are you panicking?" Xu Ying lowered her head and did not dare to answer. The maid bowed and exited. Xu Jie said: "Is there any news about your eldest brother and second brother?" Xu Ying shook his head: "No." Xu Jie condensed. After a moment, he leaned back on the chair and sighed: "Qiu Cheng and his son, debts to husband and wife. You three, are all my troubles."

"Dad." Xu Ying knelt down on the ground with a thud.

Xu Jie said: "I heard that your eldest brother and second brother were enclosing land in Huating and forcing people to surrender, causing the people's families to be destroyed. The men in the family were left to work, and the women all gathered in small huts near the city to sell themselves to make a living. Yes or no. .”

Xu Ying lowered her head and was speechless.

Xu Jie sighed: "Your eldest brother is arrogant and restrained. Your second brother is full of tricks. I left them two in their hometown. I wasn't worried at first. But in the past few years, my father has taken the position of chief minister, and they have also changed underneath." .”

Xu Ying tried to say: "Dad, you can't blame the eldest and second brothers alone. Ever since Yu Dayou, Qi Jiguang and others wiped out the Japanese pirates, our private goods business has lost its income. There are many people in the Xu family, and the family has a big business. If we don't How can we make up for this shortfall by encircling more land? Besides, daddy, you will need money for your retirement in the future."

"Fart, fart, fart." Xu Jie was so angry that he slapped the table and his beard danced wildly: "Money is more important than life. Why do you need money if your life is gone?"

Xu Ying lowered her head and muttered: "It's not that serious."

Xu Jie said angrily: "It's not serious yet. How serious do you want it to be? Back then, Yan Shifan's corruption was all taken from the hands of the officials below. As for you, you took it directly from the hands of the people, from their flesh and blood. From the hands of the officials Take it. If something happens, you can still use him to block it. Take it from the people. How can you use thousands of people to take the blame? You don't have the brains of others. You just want to imitate others and collect money. This time Well, it fell into the hands of others. No one will be seen alive, and no body will be seen dead. You tell me what to do. Tell me what to do."

Xu Ying wondered: "It fell into someone else's hands. Which someone else?"

Xu Jie scolded: "You idiot. You think about the water girl and the drought girl all day long. Is there anything else in your mind? Qin Juexiang led a team of people to Jiangnan to investigate the cause of Chang Sihao's death. But he suddenly turned back. Judging from the time distance, he should have walked to Huating and turned back. Can't you guess what happened here?"

Xu Ying was stunned for a long time and could not answer. Xu Jie said: "Chang Sihao is Qin Juexiang's brother-in-law. The two of them are as close as brothers. Due to the relationship between their authority and jurisdiction, Nanzhen Fusi asked Qin Juexiang for orders this time. I’m dissatisfied. He went to Dongchang to ask for a favor and got a driving post from Cheng Lian’an before leaving the city. He spent so much trouble and effort. How could he retreat before he got there?”

Xu Yingdao: "So... he has found out the truth... No way. Chang Sihao was burned to death on the sea in Guangdong. Qin Juexiang's team only arrived at Songjiang Mansion. How could he find out. Unless..."

Xu Jie forced him to think: "Unless what."

Xu Ying's eyes were straight: "Unless Xi Sihao is not dead. They met on the way back to Beijing." Xu Jie: "After we met." Xu Ying's eyes were straight: "Liu Shiyan, Wu Shilai and the others The matter of planning the murder was leaked. But Chang Sihao cannot know about the eldest brother and second brother as the main conspirators. It is impossible to tell Qin Juexiang. How could they launch revenge..." Half of the sentence. Look at the pair of flashes of father's eyes. His shining old eyes were a little panicked for a moment.

Xu Jie said: "The killing of Chang Sihao was indeed their idea. You know it too, but you hid it from me alone, right?"

Xu Ying hurriedly knelt forward and climbed two steps: "Dad, we are also very angry. What kind of background does that surname Chang have? He dared to bump into you on the top of Wanshou Mountain in front of hundreds of officials..."

"Stop talking." Xu Jie flicked his sleeves: "The soldiers will stop him, and the water will cover him. No matter how happy he barks, he is just a dog barking at the sun. With a little trick for his father, he can be cured. Post. But what about you? You actually went to bite a dog. You didn’t even think about it. He was killed from a pile of dead people. That was a tiger. It was a wolf. With your yellow teeth and tender mouth, you can bite Pass him?"

Xu Ying was speechless and sat crookedly on the ground.

Xu Jie stared over: "Is there anything else you are hiding from me?"

"No, no." Xu Ying hurriedly knelt down and said, "There really is no more."

Xu Jie said: "Humph. It's best not to have it. It's best not to have it." Xu Ying raised her head slightly, moved her lips, lowered her head and said nothing. A family member outside the study came to report: "Marquis Yunzhong and Duke Guo came to visit the patient."

"Oh." Xu Jie was startled: "The two of them are together." After pondering for a moment, he told his son: "Go out and greet them. Please come to the inner room to meet them." Xu Ying responded.

Xu Jie returned to the inner room, loosened his hair, took off his coat and lay on the couch. He ordered people to lower the curtains and move the medicine stove closer. After a short effort, Xu Ying introduced Chang Sihao and Guo Shuronghua in. Guo Shu Ronghua was more sensitive to smells. When he smelled the medicinal smell that filled the room, he shut his nose for a moment. Xu Ying walked slowly to the bed. She bent down and called softly: "Daddy. Daddy. Marquis Yunzhong and Duke Guo are coming over. Let’s see you come.”

"Hmm..." Xu Jie let out a long snort in his nostrils: "Who."

Xu Ying came closer and said, "It's Marquis Yunzhong and Duke Guo."

"Ouch." Xu Jie opened his eyelids, pushed the quilt and struggled, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Hurry up. Help me up..."

Guo Shuronghua hurriedly said: "Mr. Ge is ill. Don't move lightly. It's better to lie down and rest."

Xu Jie propped himself up on his elbows and turned to his side: "The Governor and the Marquis are here to visit me. How can I be so rude? Oh, no, no..." Chang Sihao looked at him through the veil and saw that his white hair was fluffy, but his complexion was rosy. I understood in my heart: he must be dissatisfied with the emperor's forced climb to the Wanshou Mountain. After he came back, he made excuses for his illness. It seemed that he was bullying him. He really relied on his old age to make him old. He made a comforting gesture and said "We are here to visit the patient. If this disturbs Mr. Ge, how can we feel at ease? Mr. Ge is better to be casual." Xu Jie heard him talking about "patient" and "Mr. Ge" separately. He already understood the meaning. But he still pretended not to know the taste. He felt relaxed and sighed: "Sigh, old people's bones are loose. They can't withstand the wind and can't see the rain. Unexpectedly, I accompanied Wansui to climb Wanshou Mountain. When I came back, the high fever persisted and turned around again. He has a cough. It is still lingering and difficult to recover. Alas, it is of no use." Xu Ying tucked the pillow behind his waist and raised the curtain slightly. Xu Jie said: "You kid, you are only busy with what I am doing. .Hurry and show your seats to the Marquis and the Governor."

Chang Sihao said: "That day on Wanshou Mountain, Chang Sihao had a conflict with the elders. Then he went south according to the order. He couldn't find a chance to come to the house to accuse him. He was always uneasy."

Xu Jie waved his hand: "What did the Marquis say? Although everyone has different opinions, you are also thinking about the country. It is said that gentlemen are united but different. Some small arguments are nothing." Waiting for Guo, Chang Er. He sat down and said, "Once upon a time, the bandit army was very powerful, and the south was not easy to pacify. I wonder how the battle is going now."

Chang Sihao said: "Mr. Ge did not forget to worry about national affairs even when he was on the sick bed. It is really admirable and sentimental. Mr. Ge can rest assured. Although Zeng Yiben is cunning, he is no match for Mr. Yu. There are many problems in the rear. In comparison. It’s even more worrying.”

Xu Jie said: "Oh. Back then, Wu Shi came to ask for orders again and again to go to the governor's rear in Guangdong. He vowed to serve the court and contribute to the country. He must be a strong supporter of General Yu. I felt that he was sincere, so I recommended him. Could it be that he Are you not competent enough to do things in the south?"

Chang Sihao said: "I can't comment on how Mr. Wu is doing. But according to Mr. Yu, the supply of grain, grass and military supplies is not bad."

Xu Jieqi said: "Then what is the problem?"

Chang Sihao said: "The food in Guangdong Province is not enough for military needs. Therefore, most of the military food has to be transferred from other provinces. According to investigations, more than half of it comes from Songjiang Prefecture."

Xu Jie nodded slowly: "Oh. The land of Songjiang Prefecture is rich and the people are prosperous. Its grain production capacity has always been among the best among Jiangnan Prefectures. It is natural for them to produce more."

"Yes." Chang Sihao continued: "However, the supply from the official warehouse of Songjiang Prefecture has never been much. The main source is from wealthy private households. It is said that these wealthy households, no matter how big their business is, cannot provide enough. They produce so much food, but not only are they supplied abundantly, but also in an endless supply. This makes people wonder."

Xu Jie glanced at Guo Shuronghua, then glanced at his son Xu Ying. He groaned silently due to his illness. Chang Sihao said leisurely: "After investigation, it turns out that the reason why these wealthy households have food is that they or themselves have the power. Those who have power or are related to royal officials can use these tax-free conditions to vigorously launch a "donation" trend, instigating and forcing farmers to hand over their land to them. In this way, they not only get the land, but also eat it in disguise. Taxes. That’s why I became extremely rich and fat.”

Xu Ying couldn't hold it back and said: "Master Hou, let me add a word. The tax exemption on the land of the royal family, Qi Wan, meritorious officials, officials and gentry is an ancestral law. The matter of giving and receiving donations is common in all parts of the country. It's all fair and voluntary. According to the Marquis's words, it seems to have a derogatory meaning. Is there something wrong?"

Chang Sihao smiled: "Our ancestors established the law. I don't dare to discuss it. However, the price of military rations supplied by wealthy households in Songjiang Prefecture is far higher than that of other provinces. Master Wu insists on buying in large quantities. This makes people a little strange and suspicious. Mr. Wu is selfish. He has benefited from it, but he uses the country's money to line the pockets of those wealthy households."

Xu Ying's eyes were weak. She peeked at the bed and found her father's face was gloomy. Remembering what he had just said, "What else is he hiding from me?" Her neck trembled involuntarily and she lowered her head slightly.

Chang Sihao said calmly: "Some price issues are small and don't mean anything. The problem is that the military rations provided by the rich households are not their own. Instead, they use white slips of paper to refer to the country. I need to 'borrow' my name from the peasants." As she said this, she took out a piece of paper from her arms and handed it over. Xu Ying took it with trembling force and handed it to her father. Xu Jie saw that the note said " "Two pounds of grain". Half of the big red circle at the bottom was torn off. The remaining part was clearly half of the character "Xu". He froze immediately.

Chang Sihao continued as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him: "These wealthy households exchanged IOUs for grain and sold it to the country at a high price. However, they did not pay back the grain they owed the farmers. Instead, they asked them to take this piece of paper. The strips of silver were circulated in the market for spending money. However, this strip of "two catties of grain" could only buy half a bowl of noodles and tea. The people really couldn't make a living. Those who had land gave away their land, and those who had no land gave away people. I also voted. All the labor was given to the rich as servants and sharecroppers. The women in the family had to live outside the city to make a living. How miserable." He sighed deeply and looked sideways at Xu Jie: "The war in the south has not started yet. After the fight, the people in the rear were forced to do this. If a civil uprising was really triggered and a fire broke out in the backyard, it would be a serious matter. Mr. Ge, do you think so?"

"Well..." Xu Jie covered his sleeves and coughed several times. His head fell back weakly. He hit the bed and sighed: "It's annoying. It's hateful."

Chang Sihao hurriedly advised: "Mr. Ge, calm down. People's hearts tend to be profitable. It's normal to be greedy for money. It's just that if you take too much, you will inevitably make the world angry and resentful. But these are still small things. They are nothing. Guo Dugong just received this Some local officials in Guangzhou jointly filed a lawsuit against Mr. Wu Shilai. They said that after he took office, he eliminated dissidents and installed cronies. Don't you think the more chaos there is, the more people will add to it?"

Xu Jie turned his face and said, "Duke, it's true."
Chapter completed!