Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 524 I want to destroy the Xingyue Sect!
Wu Zhan stayed in the Mansion of the Duke of Xingguo for three days, and then Qu Changkong personally escorted him out of the city. Not only did he give him a Sanhuangli, but his four brothers also received a lot of good things.

After leaving Nanhua City, the group of five rushed towards Kyoto as if they were fleeing for their lives.

Damn, this Duke of Xingguo is so scary. He is so good at changing his face and using intimidation and inducement. Wu Zhan is really scared.

It's not that he is afraid of death, but facing the Duke of Xingguo is more terrifying than going to the battlefield to face countless enemy chiefs.

The trip was supposed to take a month, but the group of five returned to Kyoto in less than half a month.

When Yang Zhengshan looked at Wu Zhan and the others who looked exhausted, he couldn't help but ask, "If this matter is not urgent, why are you rushing back?"

Wu Zhan opened the bag on his body and placed the jade box in front of Yang Zhengshan, "My Lord, help me!"

Yang Zhengshan first looked at the three yellow plums in the jade box, then looked at Wu Zhan, "What's going on?"

Wu Zhan smiled bitterly and recounted the whole story in detail.

"My Lord, can Miss Wanqing and the prince succeed?"

Yang Zhengshan couldn't help laughing after hearing this, "This Duke of Xingguo is really interesting!"

"My lord, if the relationship between the young lady and the prince doesn't work out, the Duke of Xingguo will probably take my life!" Wu Zhan wanted to cry.

Qu Changkong is a living devil, too scary. Even though half a month has passed, Wu Zhan is still frightened.

"Tell me about Qu Shaogong's situation first!" Yang Zhengshan said slowly.

Wu Zhan was a little hesitant. He was wondering whether he should really say a few good words for Qu Shaogong.

Yang Zhengshan looked at him with a smile, "Tell the truth!"

When Wu Zhan saw Yang Zhengshan's eyes, he almost jumped up.

D!
It’s okay for Qu Changkong to scare me, but why are you scaring me, Lord Marquis?

This look, damn, is no less than that of Qu Changkong!

"We bribed two servants from the Duke of Xingguo's Mansion. They said that Qu Shaogong was relatively well-behaved and did not have any maids around him. However, it was said that two cousins ​​who grew up with Princess Nanhua had always been interested in Qu Shaogong." He said honestly.

Yang Zhengshan nodded with satisfaction. It was not difficult to tell whether Qu Shaogong was a good person or a bad person. The situation in Nanjiang Town was unclear, but Wu Zheng knew Qu Shaogong's performance in Kyoto over the past six months very clearly.

"You're an adult already, but you're not scary at all! Does Qu Changkong really dare to do anything to you?" Yang Zhengshan looked at Wu Zhan with some amusement.

Wu Zhan had a sad face, "My Lord, the Duke of Xingguo is a congenital warrior after all!"

Yang Zhengshan smiled and said, "So what? Isn't Qu Shaogong still in Kyoto?"

Does Qu Changkong dare to do anything bad to Wu Zhan?

maybe!
But what is certain is that Qu Changkong will not easily become enemies with Yang Zhengshan.

Qu Shaogong is his biggest concern.

"Okay, go down and rest!"

Wu Zhan was still a little worried, "What about Miss Wanqing's marriage!"

"Don't worry, the Queen has already acted as a matchmaker, and it's time to discuss a marriage for them next." Yang Zhengshan said unhappily.

Wu Zhan let out a long breath, "That's good, that's good!"

After catching his breath, he said goodbye, "Then I'll go down first!"

"Take this away. Since it is given to you by Duke Xingguo, you can keep it. I will give the Sanhuang plums this year to Wu Zheng!" Yang Zhengshan said.

Wu Zhan heard this and laughed, "Thank you, Lord!"

Yang Zhengshan said to the other four people, "Keep the things given to you, and go find Lu Shou to get a jar of Baicao Wine later!"

The four of them were all smiling happily, "Thank you for the reward, Lord!"

Two of these four were former disciples of the Tianqing Sword Sect and the first batch of guards trained by the Yang family. Yang Zhengshan would naturally not treat them unfairly.

……

Inside the imperial city, in the imperial study.

Wang Zhongzhi has returned to Jiangnan. He personally led a team to Jiangnan to investigate the case of silk merchants colluding with pirates. It took more than two months, and now the case has finally been solved.

Emperor Yanping sat at his desk, reading the memorial presented by Wang Zhongzhi and listening to Wang Zhongzhi's narration.

"The sixteen silk merchants in Jiangnan, spread across nine prefectures and four states, are all colluding with the pirates. The disaster in Yuzhou this time was caused by the seven silk merchants in Haizhou, Songjiang, Suzhou, and Hangzhou who colluded with the pirate Yan Wushang!"

"In the past decade or so, Jiangnan silk merchants, together with officials from the Jiangnan Maritime Customs, have colluded with Yan Wushang to operate silk trade in the southeastern sea area. Their trade scope includes the six major dynasties in the south, and the annual trade volume reaches tens of millions of taels of silver."

"Silk merchants provide the source of goods, officials from the Maritime Customs Office help with customs clearance and exempt taxes, and the pirate Yan Wushang is responsible for shipping."

"The reason they attacked Yuzhou this time was because they didn't want the Royal Merchants to complete their silk trade with the Ghani Dynasty."

Wang Zhongzhi said slowly.

After listening to this, Emperor Yanping asked, "What about Xingyue Sect? Didn't you say before that Xingyue Sect was also involved?"

Wang Zhongzhi bowed slightly and replied, "Yan Wushang has another identity. He is the seal protector of Xingyuemen. Originally, the silk merchants in Jiangnan just wanted to disrupt the silk trade between the Imperial Merchants and the Ghani Dynasty, but Yan Wushang led nearly 10,000 pirates to attack Yuzhou City. He should have been instructed by Xingyuemen."

After that, he handed another memorial to Emperor Yanping, "Your Majesty, this is information about Xingyuemen!"

"According to the investigation of the Secret Guard, the Xingyue Sect has four flag armies, more than 3,000 large and small ships, and 20,000 sailors. In addition, the Xingyue Sect also controls a large number of pirates in the southeastern waters. Yan Wushang's pirate group is just one of them."

"In the past few years, Shangwu Temple has been attacking Qixingtang. Xingyue Sect has fought with Shangwu Temple many times, but in our Darong territory, they have always been defeated!"

"Their attack on Yuzhou City this time was probably due to Shangwu Temple's crackdown on Qixingtang."

Emperor Yanping looked at the memorial in his hand, his expression becoming increasingly gloomy.

As for the forces in the southeastern waters, Dayong has always adopted the attitude of keeping out of their own business.

Because the navy is the weak point of Darong, Darong's government has always put manpower and material resources on the nine border towns, resulting in Darong's navy having almost no deterrent power in the sea area. There are many pirates in the southeastern sea area, and in Darong's eyes, all forces in the southeastern sea area can be called pirates.

"Star Moon Gate!"

Emperor Yanping's eyes flashed with ferocity. He might not care about other forces in the southeastern waters, but he must destroy the Xingyue Sect.

In the past, Xingyuemen supported Qixingtang in causing trouble in Darong, and now it is instigating pirates to attack Yuzhou.

If Darong continues to swallow his anger this time, then in the future all the forces in the Southeast Sea will probably think that Darong is weak and can be bullied.

Moreover, the times now are different from the past. In the past, Dayong could only barely maintain the nine border towns, but now Dayong’s court is not short of money. Dayong has the ability to fight a major war in the southeast waters to boost Dayong’s national prestige.

"Mingzhong, summon the cabinet ministers, the six ministers, the Left Censor-in-Chief, the Supreme Court Minister, the Duke of Ningguo, the Duke of Rongguo, the Marquis of Changping, and the Marquis of Jianchang to discuss the matter!" said Emperor Yanping.

Zhang Mingzhong bowed and replied, "Yes!"

About half an hour later, the summoned ministers arrived at the side hall of the Taiji Hall.

Emperor Yanping brought Wang Zhongzhi to the side hall, and all the ministers bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, no courtesy!"

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"Wang Zhongzhi, tell us all about Jiangnan again!"

Wang Zhongzhi stepped forward, stood in front of all the ministers and recounted the whole story again.

When he finished speaking, all the ministers showed ugly looks on their faces.

"Your Majesty, this matter must be thoroughly investigated. Not only the Maritime Customs, but I'm afraid the Jiangnan Provincial Administration and the Censorate are also involved!" Song Yuange was the first to speak up.

What he was concerned about was the officials implicated in the Jiangnan officialdom. As for the affairs of the Xingyue Sect, that was not his focus.

Zhou Yunsong next to him lowered his head and glanced at him, his old face expressionless.

The Jiangnan Governor and the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner were both his disciples. Song Yuange was stabbing him in the back.

Emperor Yanping looked at Wang Zhongzhi, who shook his head slightly, "Your Majesty, the time is still short. The Secret Guard has only investigated officials from the Jiangnan Maritime Customs. As for whether other officials are involved, the Secret Guard has not found any evidence yet!"

Although the Secret Guards are powerful, they are not omnipotent. It is not easy for them to understand the situation of Jiangnan silk merchants and the Maritime Customs in just two months. As for the rest, it is difficult to find out by secret investigation alone.

Emperor Yanping nodded slightly. The Xingyue Sect had to be destroyed and the Jiangnan officialdom had to be purged. The silk trade amounted to tens of millions of taels every year. If the Maritime Customs could collect taxes according to regulations, then at least one million taels could be collected.

This is just the silk trade. Jiangnan is the most developed region in terms of commerce and the most prosperous region in terms of maritime trade.

The Maritime Customs certainly did not just manipulate the silk trade; they probably also embezzled a lot of money from trades in other industries.

"Investigate, no matter who is involved, investigate thoroughly!"

"This case is mainly handled by the Censorate, with the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple co-handling it, and the Secret Guards and the Shangwu Temple assisting!"

Emperor Yanping was ready to raise the butcher knife. The Jiangnan Maritime Customs was involved in collecting taxes of up to millions of taels of silver. However, in recent years, the taxes paid by the Jiangnan Maritime Customs were even less than those paid by the Liaoan Maritime Customs.

The Liaoan Maritime Customs was responsible for maritime trade in the Liaohai area, and its main source of taxation was the Tenglong Guard. However, the maritime trade tax set by Yang Zhengshan for the Tenglong Guard was much lower than that of other Maritime Customs Offices.

But even so, the tax silver of Jiangnan Maritime Customs was actually less than that of Liaoan Maritime Customs. It is conceivable how much tax silver the Jiangnan Maritime Customs embezzled.

This matter is definitely not something that the Maritime Customs alone can handle. There must be other officials involved behind the scenes, perhaps even officials from Kyoto are involved.

Emperor Yanping's gaze fell on Zhou Yunsong, who lowered his head and said nothing.

He naturally understood what Emperor Yanping was suspicious of, but he really had no involvement in the matter.

For him now, the more he speaks, the more mistakes he makes. It is better to say nothing and avoid suspicion actively.

Upon hearing this, Guan Wenshuo, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, Wei Rong, the Minister of Justice, Yan Ruishu, the Minister of the Supreme Court, as well as Wang Zhongzhi and Zhang Luan, hurriedly stepped out and said, "We obey your order!"

Emperor Yanping nodded and said, "The disaster in Yuzhou was caused by Xingyue Sect. This time, the court must not tolerate Xingyue Sect anymore. I will destroy Xingyue Sect!"

"Do you have any objections?"

"Your Majesty is wise!" said the ministers.

"Do you have any suggestions, my dear ministers?" asked Emperor Yanping.

The ministers fell into deep thought, and then Ningguo Duke Zhou Mao stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, if you want to encircle and suppress Xingyue Sect, you must send out the navy. At present, our dynasty only has the Tenglong Vanguard, Jinhai Guard, Haizhou Left Guard, Quanhai Guard, and Leizhou Guard naval forces that can be of great use!"

"It's just that the Xingyue Sect is very powerful in the southeastern sea area. If it's just the Five Guards Navy, I'm afraid it won't be able to wipe out the Xingyue Sect!"

The Dayong Navy is a weak link, and today Dayong's most powerful navy is the Tenglong Vanguard. Although the Tenglong Vanguard has only been in existence for less than ten years, it now has the power to threaten Dayong's northeastern waters.

As for the other four guards, Jinhai Guard is the navy that protects Kyoto and can be used, while the other three guards are barely usable.

Zhou Mao was familiar with all of Dayong's armies, and these were the only naval forces he could think of that could be used in the short term.

"Doesn't my country Dayong have any other navy available?" Emperor Yanping frowned and said dissatisfiedly.

Zhou Mao fell silent. Duke Rong Duan Rui thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, the Jiujiang Navy may also be of use!"

"The Jiujiang Navy is an inland navy, and I'm afraid it can't operate on the sea!" Zhou Mao said again.

In fact, the Jiujiang Navy is also an elite force, and the Jiujiang Navy has five guards in the front, back, left, right and center, with a strength of more than 20,000 soldiers. Its main responsibility is to guard the waters of the three provinces of Bashu, Yunnan and Guilin, and Jiangnan.

But the problem is that the Jiujiang Navy is an inland navy and has never experienced a naval battle. Moreover, their warships are relatively small, without large Fu ships. Their warships are mainly small and medium-sized patrol boats and bird boats.

If the Jiujiang Navy is allowed to go into sea to fight, it must be equipped with large Fu ships.

Liang Chu also said: "I think it's not impossible. The Jiujiang Navy only needs a little training and can go to sea, but the warships may need to be replenished!"

Zhou Mao glanced at Marquis Changping and said, "You said it. You will be responsible if anything goes wrong."

Liang Chu also looked at him and said, "Old Duke, there is nothing we can do about it. We can't form a navy now, and His Majesty is angry, so it is better to come up with something at this time."

The two of them were arguing with each other, and Zhou Mao probably understood Liang Chu's thoughts, so he kept silent.

(End of this chapter)