The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 436 The Belated Treasure

One month ago, in Shangdu.

Since Emperor Qianwu personally led an expedition to the southwest and won a great victory, he returned to the capital.

The outer city is much more lively than it was a few months ago.

The main reason is that in recent months, the counties and prefectures near Shangdu have seen a large influx of people who had fled for more than half a year and returned home.

After observing and comparing, these people came to a conclusion: an emperor with military power is different from the eunuch emperor of the previous dynasty.

Especially those who came from military backgrounds.

He hadn't even settled into his throne yet, and he dared to personally lead the imperial army on a campaign.

I have absolutely enough confidence.

Just as they expected.

The southwestern barbarians, who had always resisted the court's control, were subdued by the imperial army in less than two months.

Along the official road, news of a "great victory" could be heard from time to time, stretching for eight hundred miles.

These developments are undoubtedly a shot in the arm for people returning to their homes.

The people outside the imperial city craned their necks to see the trucks returning fully loaded.

I watched this spectacle for three days straight.

Three days.

The endless convoy carried goods to the palace for three days.

Someone asked curiously, "With so many truckloads of goods, they can't all be grain, can they?"

Those with inside information pointed out in the crowd: "Of course there's grain, but what was transported the day before was all gold and silver!"

Those around who heard this were so envious that drool dripped from the corners of their eyes.

“My eldest grandson went to school for a few years, and he counted carefully. On the first day, he transported more than 1,200 carts from morning till night! If it were all in copper coins, that would be one thing, but if it were all in gold and silver, it must have been tens of millions of taels! We have never heard of Sichuan being so wealthy before!”

The person in the know looked around and whispered to familiar neighbors:

"My second maternal uncle's brother's youngest son is acquainted with a member of the Imperial Guard in the capital. It is said that the imperial army raided the entire clan of that rebel king in Sichuan! You don't know that the wealth of many powerful and wealthy families in Sichuan has been taken by that rebel king's family."

"Through the power of their single clan, they plundered more gold and silver from powerful families in just three years than the national treasury collected in ten years during the most prosperous period of the previous dynasty!"

The people sighed:
"Incredible! Incredible! This battle was incredibly worthwhile!"

"Then we know all too well what the national treasury was like when the previous dynasty's eunuch emperor ascended the throne. It was so empty that horses could run on it. In order to save expenses, the eunuch emperor drove most of the eunuchs and palace maids out of the palace."

"Saving money was useless; even a skilled cook can't cook without rice! In the end, it was only after those monks stripped the temple of all its donation money that we were able to survive."

"Heaven is watching what people do. They even embezzled temple donation money; what good can come of that?"

"Leaving aside that unfortunate eunuch emperor of the previous dynasty, it's a great thing that the imperial treasury is now full!"

"Yes, the big river is rising and the tributaries are overflowing. We ordinary people should have a few good days ahead."

really.

Following the ceremony of bestowing honors, the imperial court announced that all farmers and artisans nationwide would be exempt from taxes for three years! Commercial taxes were also reduced to their lowest level since the previous dynasty.

The good news swept across the country at lightning speed.

The people all shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

Only one old woman stared intently in the direction of the inner city, her eyes filled with resentment.

Zuo Wenxuan never dreamed of this.

The treasure map, which was preserved at the cost of dozens of lives and the exile of nine generations of the Zuo clan by their direct lineage, has now become an awkward existence.

One step behind, and you'll be behind at every step.

Would an emperor who has just acquired a huge fortune still covet this treasure map that only exists in legends?
Zuo Wenxuan pinned all his hopes for revitalizing the Zuo family on this treasure map.

You won't know the importance of status until you come to Shangdu.

However, the new dynasty is now flush with cash!

I heard that my cousin's wife, the Jade-Faced Rakshasa, was promoted to General of the West and also received the title of First-Class Earl.

Zuo Wenxuan's mentality completely collapsed!

but.

Come here.

He's suffered so much for this. If this doesn't work out, where in the world will he find a safe place to live?

It's not that he didn't want to keep the treasure for himself.

The key point is that he looked at the picture many times, but he still couldn't figure it out at all.

Having witnessed the confiscation of the Zan family's property in Sichuan, he feared that his entire family might be wiped out again by someone with malicious intent.

Think about it.

A hot potato still needs to be thrown away.

Having lived in the border town for nearly four years, Zuo Wenxuan used some connections to get in touch with the bearded imperial guard.

When he changed into a new set of clothes and entered the palace with the palace attendants, the powerful family that had retained him was stunned.

what's the situation?
Has the old woman who used to empty the chamber pot turned into a spirited young man?
Leaving aside the psychological trauma Zuo Wenxuan left on his former employer, let's talk about the present.

He was taken into the imperial study, and more than half an hour had passed.

Trembling, he finally heard footsteps before fainting.

How dare a commoner behold the Emperor's countenance?
Emperor Qianwu stared at the trembling young man kneeling on the ground, his tone heavy:
"A treasure map? Where would your Zuo clan get a treasure map?"

He knew about the origins of the Zuo family in Daming Prefecture and Lezhi County.

To everyone's surprise, the other party replied:

"Your Majesty, my ancestors migrated from the Western Xia to Daming Prefecture more than two hundred years ago. My great-grandfather once said that the Zuo family and the Western Xia royal family were related by marriage."

in law?

That's not surprising.

The area where the Western Xia Dynasty was located was originally inhabited by both Han and non-Han peoples.

Their royal family had relatively relaxed marriage customs, and intermarriage with other ethnic groups was common.

It's just unknown who Zuo's ancestors married.

Emperor Qianwu had no interest in probing the family's origins; he was focused on studying the parchment scroll they had presented.

This parchment scroll is about two feet long and one foot wide. The edges are worn and frayed, and the surface is covered with fine cracks.

The texture has undergone some special treatment, making it exceptionally soft.

Unfolding it reveals a detailed landscape map.

The mountains are outlined with dark brown lines.

Rivers are depicted with silver threads.

Scattered among the mountains and rivers are some mysterious symbols, some resembling ancient star charts, and others being strange totems.

On the back of the parchment scroll are two lines of text embroidered in gold thread: "Mountains and rivers are our witnesses, the sun and moon are our guiding lights."

Then, gone!
There were no further prompts.

If it weren't for Zuo Wenxuan's solemn oath, guaranteeing it with his own head...

Even Emperor Qianwu suspected that the other party was deliberately using this tattered sheepskin to mock him, the supreme ruler.

If it weren't for the treasures of the Zan family of Bashu, he would probably be incredibly frustrated with this treasure map right now.

A treasure map is one thing.

Finding the treasure is another matter entirely.

Say.

How much treasure can a family with kinship ties hide?

He said calmly:

"You may leave now. I will have a master of feng shui examine the map before we discuss it further. If the treasure map is genuine, I will reward you accordingly!"

"Yes!" Zuo Wenxuan kowtowed again, his undershirt soaked with sweat.

He understood that it would be futile to say anything before seeing the treasures of the Western Xia Dynasty.

Given Emperor Qianwu's character, he wasn't worried that the other party would embezzle the treasure.

After leaving the palace, Zuo Wenxuan was taken to the camp on the outskirts of the city.

By the time he realized what was happening, he had already been deprived of his personal freedom.
(End of this chapter)