From ancient times to the present, which dynasty's relatives have not been a single person who has ascended to heaven, I want to know Tian Hongyu's status in Beijing, just look at the grandeur of his courtyard, I am afraid that in addition to those princes, the mansion of the cabinet scholar is not as good as him. If nothing else, it is just to invite yourself, a foreigner who is hated by a thousand people, to be a guest at home, which is something that ordinary important ministers and nobles can't do. No matter what the purpose, it's too late for ordinary people to hide now.

Yang Hongzhang really couldn't guess what Tian Hongyu wanted to do, so he also gave him a glass of wine in return, and then said with a smile: "Hongzhang is stupid, I don't know what the adults have to say when they come to Hongzhang, and ask the adults to quote their words, otherwise Hongzhang can't understand the intentions of the adults, wouldn't it be to delay the big thing." ”

Tian Hongyu was slightly embarrassed when he heard it, obviously he was not used to Yang Hongzhang's way of chatting, and then laughed: "Brother Shilin is really fast-talking, but the old man really doesn't mean anything else, what he wants to say just now, it's just that the meaning, the old man feels that the old brother is entrusted by the emperor, and the old man wants to help, this is from the idea of helping his own family to invite the old brother to come over and talk." The old man knows that the current affairs are difficult now, the treasury is empty, and the old brother is not only responsible for taxes, but even the safety of the Ming Dynasty, the old man really wants to help, but it is not easy to say it directly in front of the emperor, otherwise those courtiers will definitely write to impeach,"

"Your Excellency has a heart, and the emperor will definitely praise it when he knows about it. But speaking of the adults will soon have a chance, Hongzhang's goal of this reform is to be a noble like an adult, so that the court nobles and officials pay taxes as a whole, and then the adult only needs to be a pioneer, just wait for the emperor to issue an edict, the first adult to stand up and respond, the emperor will definitely praise the adult. At that time, the status of adults among the nobles will naturally flourish. ”

"Uh...... This, as long as the emperor has an order, the old man naturally does not dare to shirk, but ......"

Yang Hongzhang was amused in his heart, and said in his heart that Tian Hongyu was not a saint, and he would naturally be embarrassed to lead the other army like this, but since the other party didn't know what to say, he could only continue to pretend to be confused: "If you have the spare strength, you can explain it to the emperor and Hongzhang among the nobles, so that others can also understand more about the difficulties of the imperial court, and supporting the new policy of the imperial court is a great merit." ”

"It's nature, it's nature...... But brother, you still have to be careful, every one of the nobles in Beijing City is easy to mess with, although the emperor is determined, I think there will be great resistance in the future. You will know in the future, you and I will not say much when we meet for the first time, my brother is young and promising, but he is also alone in the capital. Since the old man is a few years older than you, and he is not entangled in so many official duties, thinking about it, there is still a lack of caring people around the elder brother, did those singers just now have a fancy to them? If you like it, take it back and stay with you as a companion. ”

“……”

"Brother doesn't need to be embarrassed, you have won the trust of the emperor in this capital, and all kinds of entertainment will be indispensable in the future, and it is always not like that when the house is empty. The old man is in charge, and he will send two of them later, haha......"

Then the two of them made excuses to drink a few times, this time Yang Hongzhang was really a little drunk, that Tian Hongyu didn't know if he pretended to be or drank too violently, anyway, he walked staggeringly, his eyes were erratic, and his tongue began to roll when he spoke, so Yang Hongzhang got up and said goodbye, and Tian Hongyu no longer kept it, but asked the housekeeper to send Yang Hongzhang home. said that it was too late today and tomorrow to send the two singers to Yang Hongzhang's house, but Yang Hongzhang had no choice but to refuse.

Yang Sheng accompanied the wine but didn't drink much, waited for the carriage, and finally couldn't help but say: "Young master, I always feel that this emperor's father-in-law has something to say, hey, it's really a headache for you scholars to talk." He doesn't look like a gang of nobles, maybe he can help the young master. ”

"Once born and twice matured, Tian Hongyu is an old fox, no matter whether there is anything or not, you can't ask for it when you meet for the first time, that is, you have to talk deeply. It's embarrassing in case of rejection. But he is right in one sentence, he relied on Tian Guifei to gain power. Tian Guifei needs the emperor's favor and the stability of the Ming Dynasty. So he should be one of the few people who really hopes that the Ming Dynasty will prosper forever. As long as his position remains unchanged, and we do our best to serve the court and the emperor, at least we can still live in peace until direct interests are involved. ”

"I hope so." Yang Sheng was a little lacking in interest, obviously he didn't like this kind of banquet between officials, he was very restrained. The two chatted in the carriage, and Yang Hongzhang had no bottom in his heart, since ancient times, those who advocated reformers such as Shang Ying, Zhang Yi, Wang Anshi, etc.

When it came out, it was the beginning of the lanterns, but now it is the dead of night, and it is also thanks to Tian Hongyu's housekeeper who opened the way in front, so he did not encounter the soldiers and horses patrolling the city.

It's just that the carriage stopped at the alley where Yang Hongzhang's mansion was located, and then the middle-aged housekeeper walked over a little anxiously and lifted the curtain of Yang Hongzhang's carriage: "My lord, it seems that something has happened." ”

Before he finished speaking, Yang Sheng had already jumped out of the car, and then Yang Hongzhang also got out of the car, and when he looked up, he saw a fire not far away, it should have been a fire, and the location was Yang Hongzhang's newly bought house! Looking at the fire, the whole house seems to be burning in all directions at the same time, it is estimated that there is no way to put out the fire, this is obviously not an ordinary fire, it should be arson.

Without waiting for Yang Hongzhang to check, someone had already run over in that direction, it was a few people selected by Yang Sheng to be Yang Hongzhang's companions, they stumbled all the way with blood stains on their faces, and when they saw Yang Hongzhang, they cried: "General, someone set fire, and everyone else died." There were seventy or eighty of them...... All of them are strongmen, everyone has bows and crossbows, they took advantage of the night to surround the house, and then a feather arrow, we can't dodge, the brothers want to resist, but only these are the few! He still lay on the ground and was killed and gagged with a damp cloth to escape the poisonous hands. They lit fires on all sides with fierce fire oil, and combs were tied to their bows and arrows, and after lighting the fire, all the people withdrew, and the brothers had no way to put out the fire......"

Yang Hongzhang walked towards his mansion step by step with a gloomy face, and walked around the corpses outside the gate, they were not burned to death but were injured by bows and crossbows. The fire was so fierce that soon only the ruins remained......

Yang Hongzhang gritted his teeth and checked around the house for a while, just as the people just now belonged, there were traces of bows and crossbows around the village, obviously directly surrounding the house, and then began to ignite the fire, and then shot the people who tried to escape one by one.

I went to Tian Hongyu's house tonight, if I stayed at home, I am afraid that I would become a charred corpse now. Seventy or eighty people blocked such a small house, and then the bow and arrow ignited the fierce fire oil and shot it on the house, this season is dry and dry, what are the chances of escaping?

Most of the sailors selected by Yang Sheng were experienced in fighting fires on sea ships, and it was experience that saved their lives, but less than half of the twenty people survived, and none of the newly purchased family members and maids were spared. This is a deliberate murder against yourself! Regardless of whether Tian Hongyu sincerely helped him, this time he owed him a big favor.

The fire soon alarmed the Fifty Percent Soldiers and Horses Division and Shuntian Mansion, and sent people to this side one after another. Yang Hongzhang looked at the house where he hadn't lived for a day, and he didn't want to deal with the upcoming errand, so he ordered Yang Sheng to give some silver to the few people who survived, so that they would want to spend the night with white hair, and then sighed and smiled at Tian Hongyu's housekeeper: "I can't really bother Lord Tian this time, let's go." ”

The housekeeper obviously didn't expect this to happen, and it was not the same thing to ask a court official to go door-to-door to knock on the door in the middle of the night, so he nodded and said to the coachman and walked towards the field.

Until he boarded the carriage, Yang Hongzhang's tears finally couldn't hold back, it was more than 20 living lives, they just gave their lives for no reason because they followed them, especially those family members and maids, who originally thought that the young Zhengsipin civil officials had taken them in, and it was estimated that most of them thought that they would live a life of brocade clothes and food with the official master from now on.

It was he who harmed them, it was the imminent tax rate reform that hurt them, and of course, it was those stubborn oppositionists, who were so blatant and impatient, that Yang Hongzhang, a person in a harmonious era, was also dumbfounded, he originally thought that Yang Sichang and Wang Lenian were already the ultimate civil officials in this era. He was wrong, and if he was wrong, he would pay with his life! Yang Hongzhang secretly made up his mind in his heart that he must be cautious in the future, he must not be soft, and he must also find an opportunity to avenge the dead!

Tian Hongyu was very surprised by Yang Hongzhang's return and return, and was even more surprised when he heard that Yang Hongzhang's house was set on fire, obviously he and Yang Hongzhang thought of those people at the same time. To be able to gather so many strongmen in the capital, as well as bows and crossbows and fierce fire oil, only the peasant rebel army and the general army of a town or the governor of each border town can make it up. And to bring these people into the city, in addition to the normal mobilization of fifty percent of the soldiers and horses, the energy required may not be able to be done by a single squire.

"My lord, Hongzhang is homeless, do you still insist on what you said?" The banquet was reopened, and Yang Hongzhang also began to cook himself.

"Brother, what are you talking about? The old man thought that they would take action, but he didn't think that they would act so quickly, and so ruthlessly! Everyone is just having different political opinions, why is this, why is this......"

"Fortunately, the emperor was kind and bought those cannons for 30,000 taels, and the house cost almost 5,000 taels including furniture, and the rest was enough for them to burn it several times. It's just a pity that my brothers who were born and died, and those innocent slaves, entered the mansion on the first day. ”

"Brother, don't worry, the emperor will definitely uphold justice for you when he knows about this matter."

"If the emperor has to come forward in everything, it will be difficult for Hongzhang to move an inch in the capital, let alone implement reforms. My lord, Hongzhang has something to ask for, and please be sure to agree. ”

"You say."

"Please take Hongzhang to visit the wine shops and teahouses in Beijing from tomorrow, and choose the most luxurious, and the best can only be entered by people with status like adults."

"What do you want?"

Hongzhang was entrusted by the emperor to implement the tax rate reform, and he always had to find out how the harvest of the most prosperous commercial shops in the capital of the Ming Dynasty was. Just one point, please be sure to keep your identity confidential. ”

"It's easy!"