The prince is more stable

Chapter 369 Plan and act later

The situation is a bit serious, but not a big problem. Zhao Xiaoqian is confident that he can solve it.

Although he understood Li Qingchen's situation, Zhao Xiaoqian was undoubtedly a little disappointed.

During the two years since taking office, apart from submitting memorials, Li Qingchen has only compromised and put himself in Zhao Xiaoqian's shoes. If he were the prefect of Zhending and had no background or support in the court, there would actually be other ways to eliminate this group of cancer.

But Li Qingchen's choice was the most negative one.

With his speech blocked, he chose to protect himself.

Everyone wants to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, which is understandable.

Zhang Zai's saying "establishing a mission for the people" is ultimately just an ideal of scholars. In the thousands of years of Chinese history, how many people have truly been able to do it?

The four sentences of Hengqu eventually became a slogan for scholars to promote themselves.

Li Qingchen was also a scholar.

The cowardice and limitations of scholars have become a destined fate for this group throughout the ages.

Is Zhao Xiaoqian considered a scholar?

As a product of the assembly line education production line in my previous life, I managed to get an undergraduate degree after much trouble, which is barely enough.

At least Zhao Xiaoqian was able to face head-on the people and things that scholars of this era avoided.

Regardless of his background, Zhao Xiaoqian is Zhao Xiaoqian, and his confidence comes from himself.

Li Qingchen spoke in great detail. It seemed that he had been pent up with resentment towards the officials and generals of Zhending Prefecture for a long time, and at this moment he had nothing to say to Zhao Xiaoqian.

The border town is difficult to get the imperial order to reach, and it has almost become a no-man's land.

Any dark and dirty things could be thoroughly resolved under the pretext of border unrest and banditry, and reported to the court, but the court would not investigate.

This is the magical thing about the border town.

In Zhending Prefecture and the nine counties under its jurisdiction, the officials of Zhending Prefecture have formed an interest group, and all will suffer if one suffers.

What they were most interested in and what also brought them the greatest benefits was the trade between Song and Liao.

The work that should have been done by merchants was taken over by officials and military generals. Outsiders were not allowed to participate at all. Whoever came would die.

There was a Salt and Iron Bureau in the court of Bian Jing, but the salt and iron transactions in Zhending Prefecture did not go through the Salt and Iron Bureau, and the officials did the transactions themselves.

The Liao Kingdom in the north happened to be short of salt and iron, so the officials of Zhending Prefecture secretly communicated with the officials and merchants of the Liao Kingdom, selling salt and iron to them and making a profit from it.

The relationship between the two countries was not like the so-called brotherly states described in diplomatic rhetoric. In fact, the rulers and ministers of the two countries were wary of each other. Pig iron was a strategically controlled commodity in that era and was absolutely prohibited from being sold to enemy countries.

The officials of Zhending Prefecture did it anyway.

What’s amazing is that there were actually Song soldiers escorting the goods for them, and the two sides handed over the goods at the border.

They are enemies on the surface, but make huge fortunes in private. The border armies of the two countries are almost allies of interests.

Once war breaks out, how can such an army resist the Liao army?

In addition to the private sale of goods banned by the Liao Dynasty, the taxes, commercial taxes, land taxes, etc. in Zhending Prefecture, as well as the current situation of exploitation of the people, are also shocking.

It is said that last year, the farmers in Luancheng County under its jurisdiction were forced into a desperate situation, and hundreds of people from various villages gathered to rebel, but they were suppressed in time by the imperial guards led by Zhang Lan. The matter was suppressed and not reported to the court at all.

After listening to Li Qingchen's detailed account, Zhao Xiaoqian was silent for a long time. He then slowly asked, "Were all the officials in Zhending Prefecture involved? Not a single person is innocent?"

Li Qingchen smiled bitterly: "Of course there are, but the innocent people are not qualified to participate because their official positions are too low."

Zhao Xiaoqian asked the question that concerned him most: "Where are the troops? Are they also participating in the 50,000 border troops stationed in Zhending Prefecture?"

Li Qingchen sighed and said, "The army wasn't involved much, only a few garrison commanders participated. The other generals were of low rank, and the commanders didn't want to dilute their profits, so they didn't allow them to interact with the generals on a daily basis. They only sent a battalion of soldiers to escort the goods when they were being transported."

Zhao Xiaoqian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, fortunately, as long as the army was not completely rotten, everything could still be salvaged.

If all 50,000 troops become accomplices in the evil, only knowing how to bully their own people and become weak when facing foreign enemies, then such an army will have no meaning of existence.

After pondering for a long time, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly smiled and said, "I just arrived in Zhending today, so let's put this matter aside for now."

Li Qingchen sighed helplessly, "I feel ashamed towards the emperor and the court... The only person in the world who can eliminate this group of poisonous tumors is the county lord. I hope that the county lord will eliminate the traitors as soon as possible and bring peace and prosperity to the people."

Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes flickered, and he smiled, "The songs and dances will continue. These problems have accumulated over the years, and they cannot be fixed overnight."

Li Qingchen asked anxiously, "Can't the Duke of the County do anything about them?"

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him and said, "If I wipe them all out, do you know what kind of earthquake will be caused in the court of Bianjing? I have no real evidence, and I just want to purge the officials and army of Zhending for no reason. Do you think the court is run by my family?"

"Also, this group of people have backers in the Bianjing court. I don't even know who their backers are. After I capture them, do I have to wait for others to shoot arrows in the dark?"

"If you're not absolutely sure you can eradicate them, then it's best not to move. Don't risk your life."

Li Qingchen was stunned, then smiled apologetically.

I was indeed a little anxious. I was so excited that I was not as rational as a young man.

After chatting with Li Qingchen for a long time, Chen Shou's voice came from outside the house.

"Your Highness, the officials of Zhending Prefecture are requesting an audience in the main hall. Tonight, the officials will host a banquet in the city to welcome you."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled brightly: "Eating and drinking for free is a lot of fun. Tonight I have to experience the special characteristics of Zhending Prefecture's cuisine."

Li Qingchen had calmed down by now and said with a smile, "I have the honor of taking the last seat to introduce the Duke to the officials of Zhending Prefecture, so that they can admire his elegance."

"Feel free to admire my charm. Since someone is treating us, it would be a bit presumptuous to charge them for tickets. I'll make an exception tonight and let them see it for free." Zhao Xiaoqian laughed.

Having finished the conversation, Li Qingchen tactfully took his leave.

After he left, Zhao Xiaoqian's smile gradually faded, and he called Chen Shou outside the door in a deep voice.

"Send someone back to Bianjing quickly and tell my father to send over some people who are good at accounting and financial management. I need to check the public accounts."

"This matter is top secret and must not be known to anyone."

Chen Shou responded solemnly and turned to leave.

…………

That night, Zhao Xiaoqian dressed up for the banquet.

As the governor and pacification commissioner of the western route of Hebei and the prefect of Zhending, Zhao Xiaoqian is the most powerful person tonight. To put it bluntly, in Zhending, Zhao Xiaoqian is the local emperor who holds real power.

All the officials of Zhending Prefecture, from Li Qingchen on down, raised their cups to toast Zhao Xiaoqian and were extremely respectful to him. The civil servants made witty remarks throughout the banquet, and the atmosphere was full of climaxes.

Zhao Xiaoqian had just arrived and the officials did not understand his character, but they would not offend anyone if they said a few flattering words.

So Zhao Xiaoqian gradually lost himself in the tide of flattery. After his past deeds were exaggerated by them, Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't help but believe that he was indeed a genius, the kind that only appears once in five hundred years.

Later, after drinking too much, he went out to urinate. When he saw his own reflection in the urine, Zhao Xiaoqian finally regained his sanity.

Flattery can indeed make people feel happy and relaxed, but you shouldn't listen to it too much, just the right amount is enough.

There have been so many incompetent emperors throughout history. It was probably because they listened to too much flattery and really thought they were wise and powerful. As a result, they ruined their families and destroyed their countries.

During this welcoming banquet, Zhao Xiaoqian and the officials did not talk about business.

No one asked about the group of strong men who were captured on the street during the day, as if the group of strong men had nothing to do with the officials, and they seemed to have never heard of such a thing.

Zhao Xiaoqian expressed his satisfaction and said that it would be better for everyone to pretend to be confused, as it was not the time to fall out.

(End of this chapter)