Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

He believed in the vision of Jiang Lang of Huaizuo.

Of course, even if he were to be double-crossed, Gu Tingye wasn't a money-grubbing person. He would simply resolve to become successful and then seek revenge later.

Jiang Zhao took the letter, read it word by word, and then nodded slightly.

The letter was handed back to Gu Tingye. Jiang Zhao waved and called out loudly, "Hesheng, go and invite Chen Fu and Zhang Ci here."

"Yes, son."

Chen and Zhang?

Gu Tingye had a vague idea in his mind.

In the past two days, he has also inquired about a lot of things related to Yangzhou.

The first thing that naturally comes to mind is: whose territory is Yangzhou?

The answer is the Jiang, Zhang, and Chen families—the three major families!

Jiang Zhao seemed to have seen through Gu Tingye's thoughts. She carried a cup of tea to his side, raised her chin, and gestured, "Zhonghuai, please sit inside. Leave the other side for them."

really!

Gu Tingye quickly moved to a slightly more comfortable spot.

A short while later, Chen Fu and Zhang Ci walked in one after the other.

"Zichuan, what are you doing out here?" Chen Fu laughed heartily, sitting down and pouring himself some tea.

Zhang Ci was serious and composed, rarely smiling.

Jiang Zhao smiled and extended his hand, saying, "This is Gu Tingye, the eldest son of the Marquis of Ningyuan."

The eldest son of the Marquis of Ningyuan?

Chen Fu and Zhang Ci exchanged a glance, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.

The two men stood up simultaneously and bowed politely, saying, "Young Master Gu."

In terms of historical and cultural heritage, the Chen and Zhang families were certainly inferior to the Jiang family, but they were not far behind. The older generation of pillars of both families were almost all retired at the fourth rank.

However, Chen Fu and Zhang Ci were ultimately no match for Jiang Zhao.

Without a teacher who was a high-ranking official of the second rank, without a reputation that shook the world, and without being a literary giant, the two men immediately became more reserved and less casual in their demeanor.

The higher you go, the more astonishing the disparity in power becomes.

Even a difference of half a grade makes a world of difference.

Take Han Zhang, for example. He held the rank of second grade official, which on the surface was only one or two levels away from the third-grade officials such as the Vice Minister and the Nine Ministers. In reality, Han Zhang could almost easily promote officials to the third grade. It was just a matter of whether it was worth it or not.

Especially in political struggles, a single sentence from a second-rank official can often bring down a powerful regional governor.

The appointment of a fifth-rank official in a prefecture or region is a matter of a single word from a powerful figure like Han Zhang; it's purely a matter of mass production, copying and pasting.

Just because Jiang Zhao can have a leisurely conversation with the eldest son of the Marquis of Ningyuan doesn't mean that Chen Fu and Zhang Ci can too.

Marquis Ningyuan commands the Imperial Guards and wields immense power. He enjoys the Emperor's favor and his strength is undeniable.

They are truly lucky to have married Gu Tingye!

Gu Tingye quickly returned the greeting: "My mother bestowed upon me a courtesy name when I was young, so you may both call me Zhonghuai."

Jiang Zhao then introduced, "These two are Chen Fu and Zhang Ci. Chen Fu's courtesy name is Bofu, and Zhang Ci's courtesy name is Zian. They are both the eldest sons of this generation who have achieved great things and have a promising future."

Chengqi, eldest son.

Gu Tingye suddenly realized.

Once these two words are linked, it means that the next head of the family is almost certain. No wonder Jiang Zhao specially summoned the two of them.

This matter probably doesn't even require the heads of the major families to intervene to resolve.

That's the benefit of finding the right person!

"I specifically invited you two here because of the matter of the old master's inheritance." Jiang Zhao looked at Gu Tingye, picked up his teacup and took a sip: "Zhonghuai, tell me more!"

Gu Tingye nodded, placed the will on the table, and brought up the matter of the will again, as well as the protection fee.

He knew that none of the major families lacked such a small amount of money, but he still had to show the proper attitude.

After listening to Gu Tingye's story, Chen Fu and Zhang Ci exchanged a glance, already having made up their minds.

Chen Fu picked up his teacup and was the first to say, "No problem. Since there is a will, it is reasonable for Zhonghuai to inherit the estate."

Zhang Ci nodded repeatedly.

Since the share remains unchanged, it doesn't matter whose protection money we collect, we can also make a friend along the way.

More friends, more paths!

Gu Tingye was overjoyed and bowed, saying, "In that case, thank you very much, brothers. I am extremely grateful. If you three ever encounter any difficulties in the future, just send a letter to the Ningyuan Marquis's residence, and I will do my best to help you if it is within my power."

Military generals and nobles often resided in Bianjing, where their positions were hereditary and their wealth accumulated over generations. Gu Yankai was one of the leading figures among this generation of military generals, and his power was undeniable.

However, when it comes to wealth, they may not be able to compare with some prestigious families that have been established for many years.

Under the emperor's nose, one is destined to act timidly and hesitantly, never daring to make any rash moves.

Otherwise, given the power and influence of the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion, making money under strong pressure would be quite easy, and there would be no predicament of not being able to repay the national treasury.

Military generals and nobles are certainly wealthy, but there are differences in the degree of "wealth".

Inheriting the family business that Old Master Bai had built up over decades was a windfall for Gu Tingye, even for him.

Therefore, it's no wonder he was overjoyed.

Chen Fu and Zhang Ci both laughed.

While it doesn't matter who you collect protection money from, why must you, a complete stranger like Gu Tingye, be the one to collect protection money, instead of the Bai family?

It's all for the sake of making friends and doing someone a favor!

"Zhonghuai, sit down." Jiang Zhao pulled Gu Tingye to sit down, and then said carefully, "There's no problem with the inheritance. But regarding the assassination, if there's no evidence and the Bai family denies it, the authorities might not be able to convict them. Do you have any evidence?"

"Yes."

Chen Fu and Zhang Ci both became serious, their faces solemn.

The Bai family is far too arrogant; they even dared to assassinate the eldest son of the Marquis of Ningyuan.

It should be noted that if Gu Tingye really died in Yangzhou, things would become quite complicated.

Assassinating the sons of high-ranking officials is a taboo that neither the civil nor the military can tolerate.

Who doesn't have offspring?

This means that if Gu Yan were to take drastic measures to seek revenge, both the civil and military factions would choose to ignore it as a warning to the powerful local clans.

From top to bottom, from the fifth to the ninth rank, most of them will probably be dismissed and investigated.

This undoubtedly crossed the bottom line of several major families.

What is the foundation of a large family?

Minor official!

Those hundreds or thousands of minor officials held seven or eight tenths of the real power in the prefecture, and their influence was deeply entrenched.

That's the foundation!

As long as minor officials and clerks remain unshaken, even if a family loses its high-ranking officials for twenty or thirty years, it will not affect the family's development.

Now that the Bai family dares to carry out assassinations, they must be taught a profound lesson, otherwise anyone will dare to act recklessly, wouldn't that lead to chaos?

"This..." Gu Tingye pondered for a moment, his face showing hesitation, and slowly shook his head: "At the time, I was only concerned with escaping, and I really didn't pay much attention to the evidence."

"However, during the assassination attempt, I managed to snatch a knife from one of the assassins, and I used it to injure several people," Gu Tingye added.

“That’s enough!” Zhang Ci, a thin man, slammed his hand on the table: “As long as they haven’t left Yangzhou, we can find them.”

In Yangzhou, if the three major families are truly determined to find a few suspicious individuals, it won't be difficult!

Moreover, this time, the so-called "finding someone through deduction" is actually a search for someone with the answer in mind.

Even if the assassins can't be found, there will definitely be a few people who were "slashed" who will confess.

Localities have their own rules of operation!

Jiang Zhao nodded: "Then let's go and arrest them tonight! And remember to notify the government so that those people can go along too."

Chen Fu and Zhang Ci nodded and got up to make the arrangements.

"Zhonghuai, let's go get something to eat. We'll have a result by tomorrow morning at the latest." Jiang Zhao smiled gently. "However, with the Bai family in trouble, the arrangements for Old Master Bai's burial will probably have to be made by you."

"Exactly what I want!"

Gu Tingye nodded repeatedly.

His maternal grandfather had some grudges against the Bai family during his lifetime, and he didn't want his enemies to send his grandfather to his funeral.

Chapter 31 The word "official" has two mouths! (4k)

This night was destined to be restless.

The news of the assassination of the second son of the Marquis of Ningyuan was so shocking that it caused many people to be terrified and unable to sleep.

From high-ranking officials like prefects, assistant prefects, and sub-prefects to lowly clerks in government offices, everyone was alarmed and got up overnight to urgently attend to their work.

That night, the lights were on full display.

From time to time, yamen runners carrying torches would patrol back and forth.

Even the occasional shadow can make people extremely nervous and cause them to have a false alarm.

Even lowly officials are easily frightened, and high-ranking officials of the imperial court are no exception, breaking out in a cold sweat and feeling anxious.

Marquis Ningyuan was a powerful figure among the nobility, one of the top military generals.

Furthermore, since he is younger than the Duke of England, who is the head of the military, he may very well be the next head of the military.

Now that the eldest son of the Marquis of Ningyuan has been assassinated, even if he did not die, the officials of Yangzhou must give an answer.

Or rather, it's fortunate that Gu Tingye didn't die, otherwise it wouldn't have been as simple as just giving an attitude.

Bai Ye and Gu Tingye are the same person, but they are destined to receive different treatment.

There's no other reason than that his surname is "Gu"!

Prefect Sheng Hong spent the entire night without sleep, going to Qingfeng Tower to comfort Gu Tingye and personally leading a search party for the thieves.

If it were merely the eldest son of the Marquis of Ningyuan's family visiting Yangzhou for leisure, Sheng Hong wouldn't even need to meet him in person.

He was, after all, the third-in-command of a region, and a civil official. The eldest son of a marquis had no official rank, so it was best to pretend not to know.

However, the significance of the assassination of the eldest son of the Marquis of Ningyuan and the assassination of the eldest son of the Marquis of Ningyuan are completely different.

He was a prefectural judge, and one of his duties was to maintain public order. If the eldest son of the Marquis's family was assassinated, he would be the first person to take the blame.

Is this okay?

As it turned out, when the three major families of Yangzhou joined forces with the government to find people, there was nothing they couldn't find.

The next day.

In the main hall of the Yangzhou Prefectural Government, a plaque with the words "A Clear Mirror Hangs High" hangs, its magnificent characters conveying the authority of the government.

Prefect Sheng Hong sat solemnly in the main seat, with three chairs on each side. The Prefect and the Assistant Prefect sat at the head of the table, with Gu Tingye and Jiang Zhao in the next seats. The remaining two seats were occupied by Chen Fu and Zhang Ci.

The case involving the assassination of a marquis's eldest son was taken very seriously by both the government and the three major families of Yangzhou.

However, while the existence of prestigious and influential families may be objective, it is not possible for them to exist subjectively.

Even if it's just for show, you have to make "it" not exist, and not let "it" have too much presence.

Therefore, it is not appropriate for the heads of the three major families to appear in such a trial scene.

After discussion, it was decided to have three younger people, Jiang Zhao, Chen Fu, and Zhang Ci, attend as "Gu Tingye's friends" to show their concern for Gu Tingye's assassination attempt.

The bailiffs struck the blue bricks with their fire and water sticks, the echoes like muffled thunder, and a crowd gathered outside the hall to watch the spectacle.

The knocking sound was followed by three more strikes of the gavel.

Sheng Hong, his face stern, shouted, "Bring in the main suspect—Bai Jingdong, manager of the Bai family's salt business, and the other suspects, Bai Jingyuan and Bai Jingcheng!"

Sheng Hong may be refined and scholarly in his daily life, but when it comes to trials, he is a professional.