In a blink of an eye, at the end of the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, Wang Qiang had returned to the palace for more than half a year. Approaching the Spring Festival, the palace is lit up everywhere, and the festive atmosphere is getting stronger. The governors from all over the country have returned to Beijing to report on their work, and there is an endless stream of people who visit and give gifts to the palace, Wang Qiang's position is high, and he naturally received many New Year's gifts, but like other chief eunuchs, he didn't see anything special. However, Li Gang, Shang Dayong, Tian Jingming, Zhang Xiaoping, and their cronies all prepared generous gifts separately and entrusted people to bring them in.

On the morning of this day, Wang Qiang returned to his residence after a private meeting with Chen Yuanyuan, and when he arrived at the door of his house, he saw a person in eunuch uniform sitting in the hall, and his entourage was standing next to him respectfully, Wang Qiang was slightly surprised, and walked into the room quickly, only to recognize that the person sitting on the chair was actually Xiaoshanzi, and couldn't help but be overjoyed! When Xiao Shanzi saw Wang Qiang coming in, he quickly got up and saluted and said, "Xiao Shanzi greets the chief manager of Wang." ”

"Oh, it's Xiaoshanzi, get up." Wang Qiang deliberately said without pretense in front of Xiao Lizi.

Xiao Lizi followed Wang Qiang earlier, knowing that Wang Qiang and Xiao Shanzi had an old relationship, and said knowingly: "Father-in-law Wang, you and Father-in-law Xiaoshanzi will chat first, I will go to the imperial dining room to find a few kinds of wine and food, how about inviting Father-in-law Xiaoshanzi to eat here at noon today." ”

Wang Qiang smiled: "You still have the eyesight, so let's do it." ”

"Yes." Xiao Lizi turned around and went out to buy food and drinks.

After Xiao Lizi went out of the courtyard, Xiao Shanzi knelt down again and forcibly saluted Wang and said, "Xiao Shanzi greets Lord Wang." ”

Wang Qiang hurriedly stepped forward to help Xiao Shanzi up, and said reproachfully: "Eh! Xiaoshanzi, what are you doing here, I said a long time ago, our own brothers, we are not allowed to come to these false courtesies in private. ”

Xiaoshanzi got up, looked Wang Qiang up and down, left and right, and saw that Wang Qiang was in good health and looked very good, so he was relieved. Wang Qiang asked while letting Xiao Shanzi back to his seat, "Xiao Shanzi, why are you here?" ”

"Lord Wang, I'm transferred back to the palace!" Xiao Shanzi said.

"What? Why are you? Wang Qiang asked in surprise.

"I took the initiative to transfer it back," Xiao Shanzi briefly recounted the process before and after returning to the palace. It turned out that after Wang Qiang returned to the palace on his orders, Xiaoshanzi followed Wang Qiang's instructions to select and transfer a group of cronies from the militia group to go to various places to prepare for farms, and did not return to the Tongzhou Special Economic Zone until last month. But at this time, the Special Economic Zone is already a matter of things, and there is still a place for Xiaoshanzi. Xiao Shanzi had nothing to do, worried that Wang Qiang would be isolated in the palace, afraid that Wang Qiang would suffer, so after discussing with Tian Jingming, Shang Dayong and others, he spent money to buy a position of 100 households in the East Factory, and transferred up and down to the Inner Palace, and became the steward eunuch of the Jingshi Room, but his secret identity was the leader of the dozens of secret agents in the East Factory, and Xiao Lizi is now also his subordinate.

When Wang Qiang heard the truth, he was moved in his heart, patted Xiao Shanzi's hand and said: "Good brother, you left the palace so easily, but now you come back by yourself, what a pain." ”

Xiao Shanzi said: "If it weren't for Lord Wang's support, I would still be doing that miscellaneous work in the outer palace now, and Xiao Shanzi can have today is all due to your kindness." Besides, my return to the palace this time is not what it used to be, you are in the light, I am in the dark, take care of each other, there will be no loss for us. ”

"Yes, with you coming back to take care of me, I will be more down-to-earth here." Wang Qiang said, and then he also told Xiao Shanzi about his situation during his time in the palace, of course, he was embarrassed to say the ugly thing of climbing flowers and folding willows.

After listening to it with a smile, Xiao Shanzi smiled evilly and said, "Hehe, Lord Wang also knows a lot about this in the palace. Saying that, he took out a booklet from his sleeve and handed it to Wang Qiang, Wang Qiang opened it and watched, the more he looked at it, the more frightened he became, this booklet was the record of Wang Qiang's surveillance by the secret agents of the East Factory, which was very detailed, Wang Qiang went to meet Chen Yuanyuan one day, which day he met Xinrui in the forest, and he remembered it clearly how long he stayed and came back. These are all things that can't be put on the table, and if you poke it at Chongzhen, there will naturally be no good fruit to eat.

Xiao Shanzi took back the booklet and said: "Don't worry, my lord, fortunately, I entered the palace in time, and I got this booklet when I handed over to my predecessor, and these things have not yet reached the top." ”

"Great." Wang Qiang was reassured.

Xiao Shanzi said on the side: "Lord Wang, this little Lizi beside you is the secret agent of Dongchang. ”

"I guessed this, but I'm not thin on Xiao Lizi on weekdays!" Wang Qiang said.

"That's right, this Xiao Lizi takes great care of you, but the things in this are not reported by Xiao Lizi." Xiaoshanzi Road.

"Oh? There are others. ”

"Kunning Palace's attendant eunuch Li Si'er is Liu Hai's cronies, he is privately monitoring your whereabouts on Liu Hai's orders, and it just so happens that this person is from Dongchang, so I am afraid that there is also a copy of this booklet Liu Hai." Xiao Shanzi said.

"Damn it! This person relies on the queen's support to bully men and women, and I will punish him sooner or later. Wang Qiang said hatefully.

"There are also a lot of handles in this bang, and it shouldn't be difficult to punish him." Xiao Shanzi said confidently.

Wang Qiang said: "This matter is not busy, you have to see the opportunity to cure him so that he can't turn over." By the way, in the six months since I entered the palace, I have also made a lot of confidants, all of whom are low-level eunuchs, and you can use the identity of Dongchang to gradually bring them under your command. ”

"Hey."

Wang Qiang took a pen and paper and wrote the names of more than 20 people, all of whom were taken care of by his kindness and loyal to him. Xiao Shanzi took the list and read it, and then put it in his sleeve.

"What's going on in the SAR now?" Wang Qiang held back for a long time and finally asked.

"Alas! The SAR is over! Xiao Shanzi sighed deeply, and couldn't help but hang his head, Wang Qiang's heart sank down when he heard it!

Wang Qiang's transfer from the SAR was a very happy thing for the corrupt officials and officials in the DPRK and China. In their eyes, the SEZ is a cornucopia of every inch of land and gold, but during Wang Qiang's presiding over the Tongzhou Special Economic Zone, he was honest and honest as an official, with the support of the emperor behind him, and Shang Dayong, Tian Jingming, and other cronies under him, and no one dared to brazenly attack the idea of the SAR. Now that Wang Qiang is gone, the SAR has no reliance, and these people will naturally celebrate each other and flock to this gluttonous feast.

The flames of war first ignited in the cabinet, and the Donglin Party led by Wen Tiren and Qian Qianyi and the faction led by Zhou Yanru and Chen Shaoliang fought fiercely for the task of replacing Wang Qiang. The Tongzhou Special Economic Zone is now an important place for the imperial court's wealth, and its contribution is no less than that of Jiangnan; Trade markets, factories, and farms are all profitable and profitable; The issuance of treasury bonds can control nearly 10 million taels of silver, and the supply of military supplies was originally a dreaded chore, but now it has also become a fat shortage, and such a shortage of fat naturally makes these corrupt officials and ink officials rush to it. The sparks of the two factions above the court are splashing wildly! After arguing for more than ten days, a compromise was finally reached, and several important positions were divided between the two factions.

The war in the cabinet has stopped, and the local government is full of wolf smoke. The prefectures and counties around the Special Administrative Region have long criticized the tax exemption policy given by the imperial court to the Special Administrative Region, and now that Wang Qiang is gone, he naturally rushed to share the feast of the Special Economic Zone. In less than a month, countless checkpoints have been set up on the official roads leading to the Tongzhou Special Economic Zone in various localities, some set up by provincial governments, some county governments, and some local garrison troops. The same is true on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, where governments at all levels along the coast have set up cards to collect taxes and peel off their skins layer by layer.

The corrupt officials at all levels in the Tongzhou Special Economic Zone are not idle, and the imperial court has a clear decree to give the Tongzhou Special Economic Zone tax exemption for three years. In this regard, the corrupt officials and inkmen gave full play to their imagination and creativity! First of all, the rent of the trade market was greatly increased, and merchants had to pay booth management fees, market management fees, land occupation fees for goods, admission fees, transaction circulation fees, etc. Migrant workers have to pay a capitation fee to work in the SEZs, and drivers have to pay a toll to pull people and transport goods to the SEZs. Those who work in the SEZs must also apply for a SEZ permit and pay a fee, and those who do not have a permit are not allowed to work or live in the SEZ. To open a restaurant in the Special Economic Zone, you need to pay a land occupation fee and a street cleaning fee. For a while, the street was full of officials in official clothes, and wolves rushed to collect fees from house to house! There are even some lawless rich businessmen who collude with the government to take advantage of the law, and change the way to squeeze out those businessmen who abide by the law, and adopt monopoly operations to make huge profits!

A large number of businessmen have closed their shops one after another, abandoned their own businesses and left the SEZs, and business in the trade market has gradually withered, and the transaction volume has plummeted, and by the end of the year it has become a deficit! In only half a year, after the collusion of corrupt officials and officials in the imperial court, the Tongzhou Special Economic Zone has lost its vitality and has since embarked on the road of decline.

At the beginning of the year, the Qing Emperor Huang Taiji sent heavy troops to attack, and the unattained strategic goal was easily accomplished by these corrupt officials, and it was really unreasonable for the Ming Dynasty not to die.

The Tongzhou Special Economic Zone was defeated, Wang Qiang's cronies were also scattered and withered, Shang Dayong drank all day long, did not think about training, and the Tongzhou garrison was lax and military discipline was slack; Tian Jingming tried his best to support the mess of the SEZ trade market, and in half a year finally dumped the money that Wang Qiang and others had invested in the construction of the market; although he was the chief official of the SEZ trade market, he was now directly under the jurisdiction of the household department, and this chief official has become a fictitious title and cannot manage anything. Li Gang led the militia to Jinzhou and was sent to Huludao to guard; Zhang Hao was appointed as the alternate of Zhili, and was later appointed as the prefect of Yanzhou, Shandong, which was considered a good end. The officials who had been brought back from prison by Wang Qiang were also dismissed, and most of them were pardoned and returned to their villages.

Wang Qiang's return to the palace this time held the purpose of "hiding in the palace", and spent all day long in the flowers and grass, idle, ignoring foreign affairs, especially the affairs of the Special Administrative Region, and deliberately avoiding them, in fact, he was afraid of hearing such news. Now after listening to Xiao Shanzi's narration, seeing that the special zone he had built with great sleep and food had fallen to this, he couldn't help but feel sad and heartbroken, he was completely desperate for Chongzhen, and he felt that such an emperor deserved to hang himself on the coal mountain.

For the next few days, Wang Qiang was immersed in depression and hesitation. When he was transferred back to the palace, out of resentment towards Chongzhen, he had a broken jar mentality, he didn't care about anything, and he was idle all day looking for beauty, but in fact he was just paralyzing himself, and in his heart he was reluctant to build the special zone he built, reluctant to those brothers who fought side by side, and he couldn't lose his ambition to serve the country. At this moment, he was trapped within these high walls, and he didn't know what to do. Don't know what to do?

Early in the morning on the twenty-ninth day of the Lunar New Year, Wang Qiang came out for a walk, and he couldn't sleep well for several days, his spirit was a little sluggish, and he didn't even have the interest in finding friends.

The sky was overcast, the northwest wind knife hit the face generally, Wang Qiang shrank his head, sleeved his hands, with a bitter and hateful expression, wandering aimlessly, unconsciously walked down the alley to the outer palace, the long road was when he was a miscellaneous servant every day, thinking that he was just a lowly miscellaneous servant with nothing, but carefree, but in three years, he jumped to the top and became a smash hit, but there were so many troubles, I couldn't help but be a little stunned. Wang Qiang sat down on a horse tether stone on the side of the road, looking at Yongdao in a daze. I only heard a squeaky sound, and the two miscellaneous little eunuchs pulled the cart and laughed all the way along the road, and the dung buckets were stacked high on the car, just like Wang Qiang and Xiao Shanzi back then.

When the cart arrived in front of Wang Qiang, the two little eunuchs saw Wang Qiang's appearance clearly, and they hurriedly came over and knelt down to salute. Wang Qiang shouted, and then asked, "What are the names of you two?" ”

"Back to the general manager of the king, my name is Xiao Renzi, and his name is Xiao Huzi." One of the little eunuchs replied.

"Hahahaha." Wang Qiang smiled happily: "Little Renzi, Little Huzi, the name is good, do you know it, I used to do this job, and my name was Xiaoduozi at that time." ”

"Know, know. From a miscellaneous servant, in less than three years, he became a famous minister and a famous general who resisted the Qing Dynasty, and now he is the chief of the inner house. The little Renzi said.

"What gods are not gods, I am the same as you, but the opportunity is better." Wang Qiang smiled, and he suddenly said with a childlike heart: "Hey, I'll discuss something with you." ”

"The chief manager, you said, as long as we can do it, we will do it for you." Xiao Renzi said.

"It's not a big deal, I'd like to pull the bucket again." Wang Qiang said.

"Huh? You can't do it, you can't do it, you are the chief manager, how can you do such a crude job. The two little eunuchs were so frightened that their faces changed color.

"Eh, what's strange about this, I should just evacuate and evacuate the bones." Wang Qiang said, got up and picked up the dung cart and left, and the two little eunuchs hurriedly followed, helping to push the dung cart on both sides. A group of three people went out of Yongxiang to a big mansion, a steward eunuch was waiting at the door, saw the dung truck coming, and scolded angrily: "Dog things, drag it until this hour, our family has drunk the northwest wind here for a long time, dare it be greasy!" ”

Wang Qiang didn't wait for the two little eunuchs to speak, and hurriedly said: "Oh, this father-in-law is angry, we chatted a few more words on the road, and the time was delayed, I can't compensate you." ”

"Fuck the little Wang Ba Lamb, don't work hard, and take care of it" The eunuch scolded, suddenly saw Wang Qiang's face clearly, trembled with fright, and knelt down and kowtowed in panic and said: "Oh mom, it turned out to be the chief manager of Wang, the chief manager is angry, the little one drank a few more mouthfuls of yellow soup yesterday, and he has not woken up until now, his words are offended, and he asks the chief manager for forgiveness." ”

"Hehe, okay, get up quickly, it's weird and cold on the ground, what a big deal, it's worth being so evil." Wang Qiang said with a grin.

Among the middle and lower class eunuchs, Wang Qiang is a well-known bodhisattva, the eunuch saw that Wang Qiang was not to blame, put his mind at ease, hurriedly got up, personally carried the dung bucket to the car, and his mouth was still strong for Wang Qiang, "Boss, how did you do this job, how many big things are waiting for you to plan, really." ”

Wang Qiang didn't explain, picked up the wheel and ran to the next location.

Wang Qiang is the deputy head of the inner house, but the eunuchs of the six palaces have done the work of collecting dung buckets! This news spread quickly, and soon it was shouted in Ouchi and even the entire capital, and various versions were compiled, what Wang Qiang was demoted back to Ouchi, wearing shackles all day long to pull dung buckets to atone for his crimes, what Wang Qiang offended the queen, was punished for pulling dung buckets, etc., all of which were sympathetic to Wang Qiang's grievances.

Wang Qiang was extremely bored and pulled back the dung bucket, which was an unintentional move, but unexpectedly set off an uproar.