Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 394 Entry into the Cabinet
"Yes!"

Grand Secretary Yu gave a wry smile.

"Changquan, you're right, Hao'er did make a mistake, but he was also implicated by me and fell into someone else's trap!"

The reason why Grand Secretary Yu was willing to help Yu Zhenghao through this ordeal was not only because he was his own son and had to be saved, but also because Yu Zhenghao had actually fallen into someone else's trap.

"trap?"

Sheng Changquan raised an eyebrow!
Although he had already guessed it, his heart still sank when he heard Grand Secretary Yu's words.

"Are all power struggles in officialdom this severe? It's gotten to this point!"

Although Sheng Changquan was somewhat prepared, he still couldn't help but tremble a few times when he actually realized that he would face such a situation in the future.

Although Yuzhou borders Yanzhou and shares some territory with Liang, it is also extremely close to Bianjing (Kaifeng). Any major disturbance there could attract the attention of the censors and critics in the capital, making smuggling from there extremely dangerous.

Don't talk about the darkest place under the lamp; that's just one in ten thousand chances. If someone actually dares to use this "darkest place under the lamp" theory repeatedly...

Needless to say, this man is doomed!

Therefore, when Sheng Changquan heard that Yu Zhenghao had written a document in Yuzhou to send a caravan to smuggle goods into Liang Kingdom, he suspected that there was a trap set for Grand Secretary Yu.

After all, Grand Secretary Yu is in his retirement stage, and if someone wants to join the cabinet, he will inevitably have to take action.

It was precisely for this reason that Sheng Changquan continued to stay in the Yu residence and listen to Yu Zhenghao's sordid affairs.

There's nothing we can do about it; he's taking action after all!

Getting back to the point, to be honest, Sheng Changquan really didn't expect that the power struggles in officialdom could be so terrifying!

If you're not careful, your family will be wiped out and your descendants will suffer the consequences!

Thinking of how harsh the struggles in officialdom were, Sheng Changquan narrowed his eyes, becoming increasingly vigilant.

"No matter when or where, I must never be reckless!" Sheng Changquan secretly vowed!

"I have already sent people to investigate."

"The first merchant to come into contact with Hao'er was a man named Qiu Jie." Grand Secretary Yu's expression was solemn, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes. "However, my men searched the entire Yuzhou but could not find his household registration. In fact, there is no record of him in the road administration documents of recent years."

Road administration documents were records kept by local government offices of outsiders entering and leaving the area, much like today's entry and exit registration forms. This was especially true in places like Yuzhou, which were somewhat like border areas, where the checks were even more stringent.

"During the time of their transactions, Hao'er's documents were always handled by this person. He was the one who handed the documents to those caravans and then escorted them across the border to smuggle."

"You could even say that Qiu Jie is the core person of this caravan, and he is in charge of the whole thing."

Don't assume that Grand Secretary Yu has lost his power just because he is about to retire. In some ways, this may be the peak of his power.

After all, when someone leaves, it inevitably evokes emotions. At this time, in the eyes of the officials, Grand Secretary Yu was definitely more precious than a white lotus flower.

"As for the goods in the caravan, according to Hao'er, he didn't care about anything, he only knew that he would receive a tribute on the appointed day."

At this point, Grand Secretary Yu couldn't help but glance at Sheng Changquan, seemingly feeling somewhat embarrassed.

After all, how could someone as wise as myself have such a foolish "son"?

"Filial piety? How much money can this filial piety involve?"

At this point, Sheng Changquan couldn't help but wonder how much money Yu Zhenghao would get.

"Uh...this..."

Grand Secretary Yu's expression was somewhat off, and he hesitated without speaking clearly.

"In any case, anything that can be smuggled across the border can't be a small business. Lord Yu must have received quite a bit of tribute, right?"

Sheng Changquan didn't take Yu Ge Lao's evasive words seriously, assuming that he felt guilty because his son had profited from the national crisis.

"Ugh!"

Upon hearing this, Grand Secretary Yu let out a sigh.

"No need to make things difficult for Grand Secretary Yu!" Seeing that Grand Secretary Yu seemed unwilling to discuss the issue, Sheng Changquan couldn't help but say, "I was just curious. If it's inconvenient for Grand Secretary Yu, then there's no need to insist on clarifying it."

As he spoke, Sheng Changquan reached for a cup and took a small sip.

"Alas, it's not that I can't say it, it's just..." Grand Secretary Yu hesitated, "It's just... my family doesn't believe me!"

Now that things have come to this point, what is there that Grand Secretary Yu cannot say?

"That bastard only gets three hundred taels of silver a month!"

"Pfft...cough..."

"What? Only three hundred taels?"

Sheng Changquan choked and stared wide-eyed in disbelief!

"That's right!"

Since he had already said it all, Grand Secretary Yu had no intention of covering up for his son's misdeeds, so he simply told him everything.

"Just because of these nine hundred taels, that beast dared to commit such a disgraceful act. It's truly unbelievable that my family doesn't believe him!"

In response, Grand Secretary Yu could not help but sigh repeatedly.

In fact, for ordinary people, even one tael of silver is a huge sum of money, but for a family like Grand Secretary Yu's, even a thousand taels of silver would not be enough.

"Only nine hundred taels?"

Sheng Changquan looked at him strangely, unsure whether to say that Yu Zhenghao was bold or short-sighted.

"Changquan, there's no need to talk about this beast!"

Grand Secretary Yu had already lost hope in his son.

"The most urgent task at hand is to figure out how to cover this up."

Grand Secretary Yu spoke directly, saying, "I know you have some connections with the Shen family, so I ask the Shen family to lend me a hand in this matter."

"The Yu family has already reached this point, and I am already this old, so there are some things that I have to do."

Because of the friendship between the Yu and Sheng families, Grand Secretary Yu decided to be more frank with Sheng Changquan.

"For the sake of our children, as long as the Yu family can get through this crisis, then the matter of their entry into the cabinet will proceed as you wish!"

"Lord Yu..."

"No need for further words, my mind is made up!"

Grand Secretary Yu was not unaware of the consequences of his words, but compared to those who plotted against him, he simply placed all his bets on Shen Shouzhen.

"In that case, I'll agree."

Sheng Changquan weighed the matter in his mind for a while, and finally agreed.

"it is good!"

The deal was done, but for some reason, Grand Secretary Yu suddenly felt a little uneasy.

"Oh! Forget it!"

Looking at Sheng Changquan's dashing appearance, Grand Secretary Yu couldn't help but compare him to his own "unworthy son"—people really can't be compared!

Sometimes, the difference between people can be greater than the distance between a person and a dog!
"In any case, with Changquan around, the Shen and Sheng families will ultimately owe us a debt of gratitude!"

As the saying goes, children and grandchildren have their own blessings; let them worry about what happens next!

Grand Secretary Yu has already begun to accept this.

(End of this chapter)