Back to Daming to be a genius

Chapter 192
(PS: The first update will be delivered, the second update may have fewer words, and strive for two updates.)
"Miss Hong Niang, she took the Dongchang waist card and went to the magistrate's yamen in Datong to find the next official." While Wei Zhongxian was still in the palace, Ma Shiying introduced the ins and outs of the matter to Young Master Zhang, "At that time When the yamen servant reported to the lower official, the lower official was very surprised, because as far as the lower official knew, there seemed to be no female police officers in the East Factory, and he almost misunderstood that the red lady was a fake. Fortunately, the red lady said this again The waist card was given to her by you, Tanhualang, and I know that Tanhualang, you have always been known for your integrity and selflessness, and you know that there must be a big deal in it, so you feel relieved and meet the red lady alone."

"Is this guy scolding me?" Young Master Zhang rarely blushed a little, and said in his heart that I was considered honest and impartial, and there would be no corrupt officials in this world.Ma Shiying over there continued: "After the meeting, Miss Hong Niangzi told me that her parents and relatives were detained in a warehouse in the Datong branch of Wang Ji Company by Zhangjiakou Wang Ji Company under the guise of hired workers, and were given This is a coercion, forcing Miss Hong Niangzi and the caravan of Wangji Company to go north to the grassland, saying that she is going to send Miss Hong Niangzi to a nobleman in the north. She would rather die than obey, and only then did she know the whereabouts of her relatives. After seeing her parents in Datong, the red lady took the opportunity to escape from the surveillance of the Wang family, and took the badge you gave me, Tanhualang, to my prefect's yamen to ask for help."

"Did you rescue her parents and family?" Young Master Zhang asked worriedly.Ma Shiying nodded, and replied: "After listening to Miss Hong Niangzi's narration, the officer immediately dispatched two hundred soldiers to lead the way to the warehouse in the name of anti-smuggling, and successfully rescued Miss Hong Niangzi's whole family—— It’s just that what Xiaguan never dreamed of was that in that warehouse, Xiaguan’s soldiers actually found two hundred yin of private salt without official stamps! There are also [-] catties of tea bricks that have not been registered with the government!”

Speaking of this, Ma Shiying said in a low voice: "Tanhualang, you also know that smuggling is rampant in the border market. Although the lower official is the magistrate of Datong, he is supposed to inspect smuggling, but he has repeatedly banned it. He can only turn a blind eye and close his eyes. Let the small ones go, but [-] catties of private salt and [-] catties of tea bricks are definitely not a small case! So after discovering these prohibited materials, the lower officials did not dare to neglect, and quickly ordered the closure of the warehouse of Wangji Company , and asked the guards to arrest the shopkeeper of the Datong Branch of Wangji Company and bring him to justice, preparing to interrogate the confession, and follow the vines to find out the real culprit behind the scenes. But what the Xiaguan didn't expect was that the warehouse had just been sealed off, and the front foot had just The criminal was caught in the yamen, and his hind legs..."

"Your immediate boss, Zhang Yiming, the governor of Datong, came to intervene and let you let the Wangji firm go, right?" Young Master Zhang's face was gloomy, and he snorted coldly: "Maybe you can't get away from Xuanda Governor Zhang Pu, Xuanda governor Zhang Suyang, Xuanfu governor Qin Shiwen, perhaps Shanxi governor Geng Ruqi and Xuanfu general Yang Yingrui also came to intercede with you."

"Tanhualang, how do you know?" Ma Shiying was taken aback, and replied: "Yes, these people have indeed come to me to intercede, some wrote letters, and some simply came to Datong in person, like Zhang Puzhang, Governor of Xuanda University. , his government is in Yanghe (now Yanggao, Shanxi), and he rarely comes to Datong a few times a year, but this time he actually came in person, saying that Wangji Company communicated outside the customs and was an important assistant for the Ministry of War in purchasing war horses. I can’t move lightly, and asked me to put the overall situation first and let Wangji Company go. My immediate boss, Zhang Yiming, also gave me 500 taels of silver, saying that it was entrusted to me by someone.”

"Where's Qu Jiazhen, the commander-in-chief of Datong? Did he intercede with you?" Young Master Zhang asked again.Ma Shiying shook his head and replied in a low voice: "General Qu is an upright man. During the battle against the thieves who invaded Datong, he fought many bloody battles himself. He has a good relationship with the subordinate officials. He was not involved in this matter."

Young Master Zhang nodded, knowing that Ma Shiying was not lying - through the process of Song Jin and Xiao Chuan secretly investigating the eight major firms in Zhangjiakou with East Factory spies, Young Master Zhang had already noticed that Qu Jiazhen was not involved in this case.Young Master Zhang asked again: "So many people came to you to intercede, how did you deal with it in the end?"

"How else can I deal with it?" Ma Shiying smiled wryly, and said in a low voice: "Master Zhang, Zhang Pu, Zhang Suyang and Zhang Yiming are all directly in charge of my immediate superiors, and I have to get all the memorabilia for the imperial court from their hands." What else do I dare to say? I have no choice but to secretly release the whole family of Hong Niangzi, collect the money, remove the seal, return the goods to Wang Ji, and destroy the case in front of Zhang Yiming. Only then did they appease them. But the officials did not dare to lie to Tan Hualang, and the officials also kept a hand, and secretly copied a copy of the case files and statements for future needs."

"You did the right thing." Young Master Zhang admired Ma Shiying's way of handling things very much, and said in a deep voice, "I'm not encouraging you to cover up evil businessmen who smuggle prohibited items, but your superiors and subordinates are unreliable. If you continue to investigate forcibly, it will only harm you." Your own life. A man can bend and stretch, keep the green hills there, don’t worry about running out of firewood, when it’s time to give in, you have to give in for a while.”

"Thank you Tanhualang for understanding Xiaguan's difficulties." Ma Shiying expressed his gratitude, and then said: "However, Xiaguan only gave in on the surface. The name secretly investigated the details of Wang Ji's firm, but if you don't check, you don't know, and you will be shocked! In Zhangjiakou, the firm that secretly supplies all kinds of prohibited materials outside the customs is by no means Wang Dengku's family, but the Eight Great Masters! These firms are based on business. They not only smuggled prohibited materials such as grain, tea, cloth, salt and weapons to the Tatar tribes outside the customs, but also smuggled a large number of cattle, sheep and horses into the customs for sale, evading taxes and causing unimaginable tax losses to the Ming court! What is unimaginable is that these companies are not smuggling quietly in the dark at all, but blatantly smuggling in broad daylight. All kinds of prohibited materials without official stamps can freely enter and leave the Great Wall Pass in Zhangjiakou without paying taxes. If you don’t check, no one cares about it at all, it’s simply lawless, fighting with open flames!”

"What's even more unexpected for the lower official is still behind." Ma Shiying's face became more and more gloomy, and he said in a solemn tone: "I don't know what happened, the person sent by the lower official to Zhangjiakou to investigate, after sending two letters to the lower official, suddenly He disappeared without a trace and lost all news. Within a few days, Xiaguan suddenly received a letter from the imperial court Shaofu, Du Yushi Cui Chengxiu, and Hubu Hall official Feng Quan Feng. In addition to the investigations conducted by the government, the importance of the border market in Zhangjiakou was more or less mentioned, implying that the lower officials should not touch those businessmen in Zhangjiakou. Whether it's the servant or the pen, they all came into contact with the lower official suddenly, and in the words and letters, they also mentioned the Zhangjiakou border market, implying to warn the lower official - only then did the lower official know that I have stabbed a big The hornet's nest is in big trouble, and the people I sent to Zhangjiakou are probably in danger."

"Master Ma, you have indeed stabbed a hornet's nest." Young Master Zhang nodded and said with a smile: "It is also thanks to Master Ma that you have performed outstandingly in suppressing the riots in Shaanxi and won the appreciation and favor of Nine Thousand Years. Otherwise, these people I'm afraid I didn't even bother to warn you, so I just beat you to the end."

"I think so too." Ma Shiying replied dejectedly: "These people include nine-thousand-year-old cronies, officials of the Donglin Party, and relatives of the imperial family. It's easier than crushing an ant. So I have no choice but to back down again, not daring to send anyone to investigate this matter."

"The person you are really afraid of is Nine Thousand Years Old, right?" Young Master Zhang said with a smile, "Cui Chengxiu and Feng Quan are notorious rivals. Years old? That's why you invited Zhi to come to Beijing to report on your duties, and secretly tested Nine Thousand Years' words. If Nine Thousand Years is really behind the scenes, I'm afraid it's not as simple as not stopping the investigation, is it?"

"Tanhualang is really good at predicting things, and I am so impressed by the lower officials." Ma Shiying did not hide anything, and said directly in a low voice: "To be honest, if there is really a nine-thousand-year-old behind this incident, then the lower official I didn’t dare to be an official anymore, so I just found an excuse to report illness and return home, and hid back to my hometown in Guiyang to avoid the limelight for a while, so as not to die in an unclear future.”

"Then why do you believe me again?" Young Master Zhang stared into Ma Shiying's eyes, and asked in a low voice with a smile: "If I also support those businessmen in Zhangjiakou behind the scenes, if you tell me all these things, you won't be afraid that I will kill you." You shut up?"

"Xiaguan believes in Tanhualang." Ma Shiying replied with a smile: "Because Miss Hong Niang once told me how she knew you, and also mentioned that Wang Dengku planned to buy a batch of new muskets from you. I said that a batch of fake muskets once appeared on the grassland, so I dare to believe in Tanhualang, knowing that Tanhualang is definitely not the kind of silverfish that will bring disaster to the country and the people!"

Young Master Zhang nodded slowly, and the last bit of suspicion towards Ma Shiying dissipated.After a long silence, Young Master Zhang suddenly held Ma Shiying's right hand, and said in a deep voice, "Brother Yaocao, you and I will join hands to get rid of these profiteers and giant beetles that are wreaking havoc on the country and the people!" Young Master Zhang shook his hand and nodded resolutely, "Tanhualang, for the sake of the great Ming Dynasty, and for the sake of the country and the world, he will go through fire and water without hesitation! How to proceed, please advise Tanhualang."

"First of all, we have to figure out whether Jiu Qiansui is actually involved in this matter!" Young Master Zhang said in a deep voice, "To be honest, I am also worried that Jiu Qiansui is the real backer of these Zhangjiakou businessmen. In this way, the difficulty for us is too high.”

When Young Master Zhang and Ma Shiying were discussing in low voices beside the Jinshui Bridge, Wei Zhongxian had already swaggered out of the palace. Seeing Young Master Zhang and Ma Shiying talking happily here, Wei Zhongxian, who was used to Cui Chengxiu and Feng Quan, was very happy. He smiled and asked: "Monkey boy, Yaocao, what are you talking about, tell us about it?"

"Father, we are discussing about celebrating your birthday." Young Master Zhang replied with a smile: "November 25 is your sixtieth birthday, and I will discuss with Brother Yaocao how to celebrate your birthday. Congratulations on your birthday, I wish your dear father a long life, and a longer life than Nanshan."

Over there, Ma Shiying secretly admired Young Master Zhang's quick-witted mind, and said with a smile: "Yes, in a few days' time it will be Nine Thousand Years' birthday. I'm so busy with official duties, I'm afraid I won't have the chance to celebrate my birthday at Nine Thousand Years' Mansion. Therefore, I am asking Tanhua Lang to help me prepare a congratulatory gift for me, so that I can talk about showing my filial piety."

"Okay, okay." Wei Zhongxian was overjoyed, laughing and said, "You two monkey cubs are so filial and loyal to our family. Our family is very happy! Don't give any gifts, and do more errands Well, give our family more face, and our family is already very satisfied."

"Father, you are highly respected and respected all over the world. How can you rush through your sixty years?" Young Master Zhang shook his head again and again and asked with a smile: "Dear, my son discussed with Brother Yaocao, and when he reached sixty On the day of your birthday, how about a feast of whole cows for you?"

"Quan Niu Banquet?" Wei Zhongxian had never heard of this name before, so he couldn't help asking curiously: "What is Quan Niu Banquet?"

"Returning to my father is to use 46 different parts of the cow to make 46 beef dishes with different flavors." Young Master Zhang explained: "This kind of banquet originated from Guizhou, the hometown of Brother Yaocao. It takes three or four top-quality yellow cattle to make it, and every dish is incomparably delicious and luxurious. The child is thinking, only with your status as your own father can you be worthy of such a majestic banquet."

"Really?" Wei Zhongxian was a little tempted, and asked in embarrassment: "But in the capital, where do you go to find a cook who can cook this kind of whole cow banquet?"

"Dad, don't worry, there are no cooks in the capital who know how to cook whole cattle feasts, but there are in Zhangjiakou." Young Master Zhang said with a smile: "My child has already heard that there is a cook from Yunnan in the Fuxing Building in Zhangjiakou." Huihui cooks can make this kind of all-cow feast, but the price is too expensive, so even in Zhangjiakou, only eight shopkeepers who are extremely wealthy can afford it."

"Oh, so that's the case." Wei Zhongxian nodded, and then asked curiously: "Monkey boy, you said that there are eight shopkeepers in Zhangjiakou who are extremely wealthy, and those eight? They are richer than the shopkeepers of big shops in our capital." ?"

"Huh?" Puzzled looks flashed across the eyes of Young Master Zhang and Ma Shiying at the same time, and after a quiet exchange of glances, Young Master Zhang said vaguely again: "My boy also heard, but I don't know exactly how much money those eight firms have, so I just Just talk about it. I don’t know if my father is interested, if my father is interested, I will send someone to Zhangjiakou to invite that Huihui cook.”

"Forget it, our family will just ask casually. Regarding the birthday banquet, your godmother has already agreed with the emperor, and some imperial cooks will be sent to arrange it at that time." Wei Zhongxian waved his hand and ordered: "Get on the sedan chair. Go to our family's house, and our family will take care of you two monkey cubs."

(End of this chapter)