Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1697 Untitled
There are many other examples of image crises caused by haircuts. These may seem like minor issues, but they actually reflect the clash between Ye Mingsheng's thinking and traditional values. An Miaoyi has always acted as a lubricant, ensuring that this clash does not lead to major problems.
Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but feel a little emotional. Although An Miaoyi was very ambitious, she had really done a lot for him over the years!

Without An Miaoyi's help, some things might have been resolved eventually, but they would have become more troublesome and difficult, requiring Ye Mingsheng to spend more time and energy to resolve them. From this perspective, An Miaoyi has still contributed to the country.

Just as Ye Mingsheng was pondering, Fan Xia interrupted his train of thought, saying:
"Sir, do you have any extra silver coins? I'd like to exchange ten taels of silver for ten silver coins of yours?"

"Ten taels of silver for ten silver dollars?"

"Yes! I wonder what your opinion is, sir?"

Ye Mingsheng was somewhat surprised to hear this. If he remembered correctly, the Daqian silver dollar currently in circulation and the Fengwu Army silver dollar previously issued weighed 7.2 mace, of which 90% was silver and 10% was white copper!

Because of their attractive design, portability, and high silver content, silver coins were quite popular among the common people. However, for various reasons, they were more often given as rewards to powerful figures in the Great Qian Dynasty, thus becoming a symbol of status and not widely circulated among the general public.

Although fewer people used it in the general public, the purchasing power of silver dollars was still very strong. A silver dollar with a value of seven mace and two candareens could often have the actual purchasing power of eight or nine mace of silver. Ye Mingsheng had previously tested this when he was traveling incognito in Yijing. He asked the imperial guards who were protecting him to eat wontons at a wonton stall in Changchun Garden Market.

However, exchanging one silver dollar for one tael of silver is a bit of an exaggeration!
Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng became curious. He glanced at Zhao Xi, and without Ye Mingsheng saying anything, Zhao Xi understood and took out a handful of silver coins from his pocket to show to Fan Xia.

Fan Xia, who was already looking forward to it, had his eyes light up even more when he saw the silver coins.

At this moment, Ye Mingsheng continued to ask:
"I didn't bring many silver coins from Yijing, so you don't need to exchange them for me. I'll ask you a few questions, and if you answer them properly, I'll give you two more coins as a reward!"

Upon hearing Ye Mingsheng's question, Fan Xia immediately replied:
"Please ask, sir. I will answer to the best of my knowledge!"

How much can you earn in a year as a hairdresser?

Although he didn't know why Ye Mingsheng asked that question, Fan Xia answered without hesitation:
"The hairdressing business doesn't make any money at all; you only cut about a hundred haircuts a year!"

Hearing Fan Xia say this, Ye Mingsheng thought for a moment and asked:
Is it because you're growing your hair out?

"That's right! We can't compare to Yijing here. Everyone here believes that our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents, so we can't cut our hair easily unless it's too long. Otherwise, very few people get haircuts, so haircuts are extremely rare!"

After finishing speaking, Fan Xia glanced at Ye Mingsheng's buzz cut and said with some anticipation:

"Sir, if everyone here were like you, that would be wonderful. I reckon your hair would need a trim every month or a month and a half. If that were the case, I, the barber, would be rich!"

Hearing Fan Xia say that, Ye Mingsheng smiled and asked again:

"With so little haircutting work, how do you, a barber, make a living?"

"I run a massage parlor in the city. I offer massages, facials, haircuts, beard trimming, cupping, and gua sha. These are all the services I provide. If I relied solely on hairdressing, my whole family would have starved to death long ago!"

"You can also give massages?"

Fan Xia said proudly upon hearing this:

"Yes! My massage skills are very good. Everyone who has had a massage with me says it's great. I have many repeat customers in Zhuoxian. They often come to me for a massage every month or two!"

Hearing Fan Xia say this, Ye Mingsheng was somewhat tempted. As the emperor, Ye Mingsheng also enjoyed enjoying himself. Especially after working in the Imperial Study all day, when his back and knees ached from sitting, Ye Mingsheng liked to ask Pei Zhixiu to massage his back.

However, Ye Mingsheng has not given any more massages since this inspection.

At this moment, Fan Xia seemed to realize that Ye Mingsheng was interested, so he invited this generous client as well:

"Sir, would you like to try my cooking? I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Mingsheng no longer hesitated and immediately lay down on the bed, saying:

"Then could you massage my back? My back is a bit sore!"

"Okay! No problem!"

As Fan Xia began to massage, Ye Mingsheng felt that this barber was quite skilled. Although not as good as Pei Zhixiu, the massage was still quite comfortable. At this moment, Fan Xia, who was massaging, seemed to notice something in Ye Mingsheng's waist and tentatively asked:
"Sir, you work in the yamen, don't you?"

"How do you know that?"

Upon hearing Ye Mingsheng's answer, Fan Xia, realizing he had guessed correctly, became even more respectful and said:

"You have some kind of problem with your lumbar disc! It seems to be the kind of problem caused by sitting in a chair for long periods of time..."

"You can tell from this that I work in the government office?"

"Yes! Your problem is a disease of the rich. You can't get this disease even if you want to, unless you spend a lot of time in jail. Who can sit in jail all day except for those who are in the government? Even someone like me can't sit down more than a few times a day when I'm busy!"

When Ye Mingsheng first heard Fan Xia say this, he thought it was a bit of an exaggeration. But after thinking about it carefully, he realized that what Fan Xia said actually made some sense. Looking around the world, there really aren't many jobs that require long hours in jail, except for being a prostitute.

However, Ye Mingsheng didn't intend to discuss this topic further with Fan Xia, but instead changed the subject and asked:

"You said that when you're busy, you can't even sit down a few times a day. Does that mean your business is doing well?"

"Yes! Since the Fengwu Army entered the pass, Zhuo County has become much more stable, and life is getting better and better. So, in addition to food and clothing, everyone also has money for massages and entertainment!"

"It's not just massage. In the past year, two new theaters have opened in Zhuoxian County. This was unthinkable before. In the past, there were only a few restaurants and one brothel in Zhuoxian County. There was practically nothing to do in the city!"

"Back then, people were lucky to have enough to eat, let alone have money to play around. People say that the current emperor is cunning and despicable, bullying the orphans and widows of the Great Zhou in order to seize the world!" "But I think His Majesty is doing a good job. If it were still the Great Zhou, Zhuo County would never have the new look it has today!"

After finishing her sentence, Fan Xia realized she might have said something inappropriate. She stopped massaging herself and looked at Ye Mingsheng somewhat awkwardly…

"Keep pressing! Don't stop! We're just chatting!"

At this moment, Fan Xia was unaware that the man under his command was none other than Ye Mingsheng, the cunning, despicable, and bullying orphans and widows he had described.

Seeing Ye Mingsheng's nonchalant attitude, Fan Xia secretly breathed a sigh of relief and continued to massage Ye Mingsheng's waist.

At this moment, Ye Mingsheng continued to ask:
"What's your Magistrate Wang's reputation like in Zhuo County?"

Upon hearing Ye Mingsheng's question, Fan Xia instinctively wanted to answer, but as if realizing something, he immediately swallowed back the words he was about to say and instead spoke:
"Magistrate Wang worked very hard in the yamen, often working until very late!"

Ye Mingsheng smiled and said upon hearing this:
"Don't worry! Your magistrate has already been arrested and removed from office!"

Upon hearing Ye Mingsheng's words, Fan Xia said in great shock:

"Magistrate Wang is in trouble? How could that be? I heard he has very powerful backers?"

"Your Magistrate Wang has already been imprisoned, so you don't need to hold back and can speak freely. Say whatever you want..."

Upon hearing this, Fan Xia licked his lips excitedly and said:

"That guy surnamed Wang, he's a real piece of work!"

"Over the years, he has colluded with those factory owners, truly bullying the people to death. He is utterly wicked among the workers in Z area. Several families have been ruined and killed because of him. Several people who wanted to go to Yijing to file a complaint had accidents happen to them as soon as they left Zhuoxian County!"

"Everyone knows it was an accident, but it was all that guy surnamed Wang who killed them. That bastard, he kills without blinking an eye, he's too ruthless. He can kill someone just like he's crushing a chick!"

"Moreover, this guy just let those few people lie dead in the wilderness and no one else could collect their bodies. He used those few people to intimidate the people and make them afraid to go to Yijing to sue YZ!"

"Besides the Z-site construction project, this Magistrate Wang also particularly likes to have all his expenses accounted for through the government. I gave him five massages, and they were all accounted for through the government. The jewelry he bought for his mistress was also accounted for through the government!"

"The clerk surnamed Tang who's with him is the one who does the books for the Wang family. These two are in cahoots, ruthless killers who don't even blink an eye, and heartless eaters who don't spit out the bones!"

"This kind of bastard deserves to be torn to pieces long ago. It's truly gratifying that he's in this mess now!"

After silently listening to Fan Xia's story, Ye Mingsheng asked again:

"Then what do you do with the silver dollars?"

Upon hearing this question, Fan Xia scratched his head and said:

"Actually, I'm collecting them for those wealthy bosses. I heard that those corrupt officials don't use silver ingots anymore. Silver ingots are considered old-fashioned now. They use silver dollars now. Many bosses in Zhuoxian want to use silver dollars to build connections in Yijing!"

"However, silver coins were not widely circulated among the people, so those merchants were willing to pay high prices to obtain them, and I made a profit from the price difference!"

After speaking, Fan Xia smiled somewhat embarrassedly. Ye Mingsheng nodded slightly and waved his hand. Zhao Xi, a guard standing nearby, immediately took out two silver coins and handed them to Fan Xia…

············
············
Yijing, Provincial Administration Office
Looking at the letter in his hand, Zhang Zhiwen's hands trembled slightly.

Regarding Ye Mingsheng's inspection, Zhang Zhiwen, as the governor of Youyan, had a simple idea: to avoid mistakes rather than seek merit, and then see if there was an opportunity to show himself. Zhang Zhiwen thought his strategy was already very sound, but he really did not expect that Chu Zhiyi would undermine him at this time!

Although I feel helpless and angry, it's too late to say these things now; he has already messed everything up!
If the aftermath is not handled properly, not only will I lose my position as provincial governor, but I may even face the risk of being beheaded!

Having just received news of Wang Chong's arrest, Zhang Zhiwen didn't have much time to think about the aftermath.

However, at this moment, the Governor of Youyan had already keenly realized that his relationship with Wang Chong could not be hidden from Ye Mingsheng. His Majesty should now most likely realize that he was Wang Chong's backer.

Thinking of this, Zhang Zhiwen also felt a little regretful. This Wang Chong was originally just a minor official in the Provincial Administration Commission, unknown among the hundreds of officials in the Provincial Administration Commission. However, he valued Wang Chong's efficiency, cleanliness, and decisiveness. He never dragged things out and also had a ruthless streak, capable of doing things that others dared not do. That's why he promoted him!

It was precisely this ruthlessness that made Zhang Zhiwen's factory relocation strategy so effective in Zhuoxian County over the years. But little did he know that it would ultimately be his downfall as well!

Although he didn't yet know how His Majesty would deal with him as the Governor of Youyan, Zhang Zhiwen felt that it was almost impossible for him to escape unscathed!
With this in mind, Zhang Zhiwen had a bold idea!

Whether I stick my neck out or not, I'll still get stabbed. Since that's the case, instead of sitting here waiting to die and waiting for His Majesty to order me to be dealt with, I might as well follow Lin Huaiwu's example and take the initiative!
Since the relationship between myself and Wang Chong could no longer be concealed, I might as well admit it and tell His Majesty that I was also deceived by Wang Chong. In fact, I really didn't know what methods Wang Chong used in Zhuo County, and Wang Chong was also very clever and never took the initiative to talk about it.

If Wang Chong were even slightly smart, he would have known that he was beyond saving at this point and there was no need for him to continue trying to implicate him!

With this in mind, a plan became increasingly clear in Zhang Zhiwen's mind. As the plan was finalized, Zhang Zhiwen immediately made a decision and instructed his clerk:

"Arrange a carriage for me right now!"

"No problem! Where are you going, sir?"

"Don't worry about where I'm going, just arrange a carriage for me..."

"Yes!"

(I've been experiencing some writer's block lately, does anyone have any good suggestions? I'd love to hear them!)