Liang Min carefully selected 1,000 cavalry, infantry and navy troops in Liangshan, led by Liang Min and Liu Jinshan, the leader of the navy, and returned to Jiangnan with Fang Yuan.

Because the people and horses of Liangshan originally made a living by plundering, all of them were masters who licked blood from the knife edge, and would never raise idle miscellaneous people, etc., the ordinary old, weak, sick and disabled had long been eliminated, and the overall quality of the soldiers was relatively high. After Fang Yuan reviewed it, he was quite satisfied, and agreed to the establishment of these 3,000 people into the Xuanjia Army.

The remaining 5,000 people who could not enter the establishment or were unwilling to leave were led by Wang Qianzhong, the leader who sat on three chairs, and temporarily lived the life of a big landlord at the foot of Liangshan.

Of course, if Fang Yuan had an order to plunder the merchant ships heading north, they would also follow it.

After absorbing 3,000 men and horses from Liangshan, Fang Yuan joined Chigutai in Jiaxiang City.

This time, Chigutai selected a thousand people who could ride horses from among the people who were plundered by the Manchu Qing Tartars, as the reserve force of the Xuanjia Iron Cavalry, and those who passed the special training could join the Xuanjia Army. There were also three thousand strong men who were incorporated into the infantry battalions. The remaining young women selected 5,000 homeless people whose families were basically slaughtered by the Manchu Qing Tartars and brought them back to Jiangnan for resettlement.

The rest of the men and women were released back to the village and continued to work as farmers.

After taking inventory, Fang Yuan and Chigutai lost nearly 900 Xuanjia iron cavalry this time, but there were at least 7,000 soldiers and horses recruited, although these soldiers and horses could not reach the standard of the Xuanjia Army for the time being, they would have to go through at least a year of special training to reach the combat strength of the Xuanjia Army.

Before Fang Yuan returned to the south, he also went to Qingfeng Mountain with Liang Min and others to collect the bodies of the eight hundred brothers who died in the battle in Qingfeng Mountain and bury them.

The entire Qingfeng Mountain is full of corpses, and the corpses are stinking.

With tears in his eyes, Fang Yuan endured the disgusting smell of corpses, and found Zhang Da's body that had died tragically in the woods of the back mountain. More than ten arrows were hit on the corpse, which shows the fierceness of the battle at that time.

Fang Yuan and the Liangshan brothers dug a pit for a thousand people and buried all the 800 heroes who died in Qingfeng Mountain together.

And the carcasses of the Manchu Tartars were thrown and fed to the wild dogs in the mountains.

Fang Yuan spent 1,000 taels of silver, recruited people to build a large tomb, set up a large stone stele, and engraved the words 'Qingfeng Mountain Zhongliang Burial Bone Place' as a memorial.

After burying the 800 heroes who died in the battle of Qingfeng Mountain, Fang Yuan and his entourage took 8,000 soldiers and 5,000 women to the south along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and arrived at the Jiangdu City, the seat of Yangzhou Prefecture, half a month later.

This time he entered Yangzhou Mansion, which was very different from the previous time, and now Fang Yuan has long been a great hero of the anti-Qing Dynasty, and he is also the governor of the four prefectures, with a prominent reputation and a high-ranking feudal official.

Ma Minglu, the governor of Yangzhou Prefecture, and Tongzhiqu dared to slack off, and led a cadre of officials early to go out of the city twenty miles to welcome Fang Yuan's arrival.

Fang Yuan temporarily placed Liang Min and the others accompanying him in the guard barracks outside the city, and then led Chigutai and three hundred Xuanjia Iron to ride into Yangzhou City.

He stayed in Yangzhou City for two days, in addition to socializing with officials, gentry, and wealthy merchants, he hoped to see Yongwang Zhu Cizhi come to greet him, but he never saw Zhu Cizhi's shadow.

Fang Yuan was secretly stunned, since Zhu Cizhi didn't come, he could only go to the Yongwang Mansion to meet Yongwang Zhu Cizhi.

Fang Yuan slowly walked into the Yongwang Mansion, and along the way, the Yongwang Mansion at this time was no longer the poor appearance when Shi Kefa gave it away.

The area is at least twice as large, and the house is full of pavilions, magnificent, male servants and maidservants, and there are at least 100 people coming and going.

Fang Yuan was secretly frightened when he saw it, and a question rose in his heart, the imperial court only allocated two thousand taels of silver to Zhu Cizhi's Yongwang Mansion every month, and the expansion and decoration of Yongwang Mansion required at least tens of thousands of taels of silver, where did this silver come from?

Zhu Cizhi greeted Fang Yuan in the lobby of the palace, Fang Yuan raised his eyes, but he didn't see the history of the Yongwang Mansion that he arranged, and he couldn't help but be more puzzled.

Zhu Cizhi was about to respectfully bow to Fang Yuan, but a man behind him stood up to stop Zhu Cizhi's salute, "Regarding the etiquette of teachers and students, Governor Fang is the teacher, and the Yongwang is the life; But in terms of the courtesy of kings and ministers, King Yong is a prince, and Governor Fang is a subordinate. This etiquette of meeting and saluting is also exempt! ”

Zhu Cizhi followed the man's words, no longer bowed to Fang Yuan, and said lukewarmly, "The teacher has worked hard along the way, and the Yongwang Mansion has already prepared a dinner party to entertain the teacher." I don't know when the teacher will leave Yangzhou Mansion, I will personally see the teacher off. ”

Fang Yuan's cold gaze went back and forth to inspect Zhu Cizhi, this Yongwang Zhu Cizhi had only been seen for a few months, but he was obviously much more estranged from Fang Yuan. Before, he begged Fang Yuan not to leave, but now he was rushing Fang Yuan away. What's more, it is ridiculous to allow a subordinate to make a big statement in front of everyone!

Fang Yuan forcibly suppressed his anger and looked at this man who had never met before and dared to speak out in front of him, "Your Excellency?" ”

The man bowed and said, "I am the new chief of the Yongwang Mansion, Sun Qing!" ”

"Who is Sun Qing?"

Fang Yuan had never heard of it at all, and he didn't remember this person in history, he shouldn't be a famous and erudite person in the contemporary era, Zhu Cizhi dared to drive Fang Yuan back home without informing Fang Yuan in advance, and he really wanted to fly with hard wings.

Fang Yuan was secretly angry, but there was still a faint calmness on his face, and he asked Zhu Cizhi again, "What about the long history before the Yongwang Mansion?" ”

Zhu Cizhi's face was embarrassed, and he was inconvenient to answer, and Sun Qing behind him stood up again and said, "The long history arranged by Lord Fang is that he is proud of his high and high eyes, and he doesn't even pay attention to His Royal Highness, so he was driven home and thought about it behind closed doors. ”

Fang Yuan looked up and down at this Sun Qing, and asked slowly, "What kind of fame is Sun Changshi?" ”

Zhu Cizhi explained embarrassedly, "Teacher, Sun Qing is a businessman and did not participate in the imperial examination. ”

The so-called business status is the temporary residence right given by the Yangzhou government to businessmen who come to Yangzhou from other places, with this business status, the children of merchants can study in local schools, and they are also qualified to participate in the imperial examination locally.

Zhu Cizhi actually made a businessman the governor of the palace, and the collusion between officials and businessmen has been exposed. The reason why Yongwangfu can be decorated so luxuriously, needless to say, is funded by these big businessmen behind the scenes.

What Zhu Cizhi and Sun Qing were doing in collusion, Fang Yuan had no way of knowing, but seeing that the Yongwang Mansion was expanded so extravagantly, Zhu Cizhi must have given those merchants a great benefit behind his back.

The more Fang Yuan thought about it, the more wrong it became, he stayed in the Yongwang Mansion and barely had lunch, so he said goodbye to Zhu Cizhi and left.

When he left the Yongwang Mansion, he did not return to the Yangzhou Mansion, but went directly to the mansion of Mao Bijiang to inquire about the ins and outs of the matter.

Mao Bijiang welcomed Fang Yuan into Mao Mansion and offered fragrant tea, but he wanted to speak several times and stopped, obviously because he had something on his mind.

Fang Yuan saw it in his eyes, took a sip of tea, and said straight to the point, "Mao Gongzi, why did King Yong resign from your position as a long history?" ”

Mao Bijiang sighed and said, "Lord Fang, I am only a shallow learner, and I really can't discipline King Yong well, so I ask Lord Fang to find another talent." ”

Fang Yuan also saw that he was disheartened, it seemed that he was deeply disappointed in King Yong, and hurriedly comforted him, "Mao Gongzi but it doesn't hurt to say it, who is the new Changshi Sun Qing?" ”

Mao Bijiang said lightly, "Sun Qing is a child of the Sun family of the Shanshan Gang. ”

Fang Yuan remembered that this Shanshan merchant gang was actually a big merchant gang from Shanxi and Shaanxi who bought and sold salt in Nanzhili. Because of the operation of the salt industry, it is a sworn enemy with the Hui merchants of Yangzhou Prefecture.

Fang Yuan asked again, "How did the Shanshan Gang get on the line with King Yong?" What are they doing in collusion? ”

Mao Bijiang said truthfully, "The auction of a big salt field in the eastern suburbs of Yangzhou Mansion was originally a high bid from the Hui Merchants Gang, but the Shanxi Gang spent 50,000 silver on Yongwang, and Yongwang sold the big salt farm to the Shanxi Gang at a low price, and now everyone knows about it when it is in Yangzhou Mansion!" The Hui merchants and merchants prepared to jointly write to the capital to sue King Yong for misconduct. I just advised King Yong to be cautious when he first came to Jiangnan, but he was caught by someone and driven out of the palace. ”

In the dispute between the Shanxi Merchants Gang and the Hui Merchants back then, the lawsuit went directly to Chongzhen. For the sake of some money, Zhu Cizhi was involved in the battle of these businessmen, and he had to make trouble in front of Chongzhen, which is simply ridiculous!

Fang Yuan said in a deep voice, "King Yong is just a vassal king, what right does he have to meddle in the affairs of the government and arrange the ownership of this big salt farm?" ”

Mao Bijiang looked at Fang Yuan in amazement and said, "Lord Fang really doesn't know?!" Yangzhou Mansion is the government of Lord Fang's governor, when Lord Fang leaves, he wants to exercise King Yong's political ability, Yangzhou Mansion does not dare to disobey, and hands over part of the government affairs to King Yong to practice! ”

Unexpectedly, as soon as Zhu Cizhi took over government affairs, he would make such a scandal of power and money trading, Fang Yuan was so angry that he trembled, slapped the table fiercely and said, "Mao Gongzi, I don't know at all, the culprit is Sun Qing of the Shanshan Merchant Gang?" ”

Mao Bijiang thought for a while and said, "There is also a palace maid from the capital, who is a palace maid beside Tian Guifei, called, called Qiu'er." ”

Fang Yuan was taken aback, Qiu'er Fang Yuan had seen it, and she was the henchman of Yonghe Palace when Tian Guifei was alive. This Qiu'er, who didn't come to Jiangnan with him at that time, how could he suddenly appear in Yongwang's Mansion?! It seems that the water in it is much deeper than Fang originally estimated.

His top priority is not to investigate Qiu'er's origin, but to immediately calm the anger of the Hui Merchants and Merchants Gang, and forcibly suppress the joint complaint, otherwise, as soon as this joint petition is filed, Zhu Cizhi's future will be completely over!