"But in this case, what is that Ge Gongzi? Could it be that those Hu Yi saw that the Ge family had a livelihood for this ship, so they asked him to do this? But isn't the Qin family a better candidate? Although Chen Hailiang did not question Li Tianyu's explanation, he couldn't figure out what the connection was.

"I think that's because that Ge Gongzi is not a person who directly connects with those old diplomats, I think there is a high-level big man above him, and he is at best just helping people run errands." Li Tianyu didn't want to tell Chen Hailiang that there was a salt gang behind Gongzi Ge, so he pretended to speculate. It's just that at this time, he vaguely felt that the so-called Salt Gang should be a strong enemy, and it was very likely that it would be much stronger than his own Heavenly Feather Alliance.

"Well, I think so. I said why the men and horses on this ship belonged to the Nage family, but they never saw any marks of his family. Tianyu is really smart, if his younger brother can be as good as Tianyu, he doesn't need to worry about it at home. Chen Hailiang sighed.

"Hey! Big brother, did you say that about the younger brother? Besides, in fact, I'm on par with Tianyu, but I don't want to show it more. Yes and no, Tianyu? Chen Youliang saw his eldest brother exposing his shortcomings in public, so he said a little unconvinced.

"Yes, Youliang." Li Tianyu responded very cooperatively. Chen Hailiang couldn't help but sigh when he saw the situation, but Cui Hao laughed directly.

"By the way, Brother Hailiang, did the people on the ship say where these things were shipped?" Cui Hao seemed to remember something, and asked casually. Li Tianyu couldn't help but throw an appreciative look when he heard this.

"I've asked before. They said that after the ship reached Nahailing County, someone else took over, and then they knew nothing. Now it seems that it should be the big man behind the scenes. It's a pity that it's already in Hailing County, and it's really beyond the reach of the whip. Chen Hailiang sighed with some loss. And Li Tianyu After they heard about Hailing County, the three of them couldn't help but look at each other.

"Actually, Brother Hailiang doesn't need to worry. After all, the goods they are carrying on this ship do not violate the laws of my Datang. Even if it is shipped abroad, it is understandable, but it is a pity that now my Datang has not imposed tariffs on these outbound materials, but it is cheaper for those foreign devils. As for the smuggling activities that the people behind the scenes did behind the scenes with the Ge family, I am afraid that it is difficult to verify at the moment, because if I were them, I would definitely not have missed these profitable businesses because of some petty profits. Li Tianyu is becoming more and more interested in the salt gang at the moment. To be honest, although he had thought of countless ways to start a business before, such as setting up a bank, but those were all based on industrial investment, and now it would be great if the foreign trade business of the Salt Gang could be grabbed by himself. Not to mention that this kind of business is highly profitable and low-risk, and a lot of good things can be exchanged from that foreigner alone, and the previous Handegan is a clear example.

I don't know if he paid attention to what he had told Uncle Liu about the addition of foreign trade ports. Although he had chatted with him at the dinner table before, he still hoped that he could make a difference and explain the matter to Li Shimin. In this way, even if they can't grab the foreign trade business of the Salt Gang, they can still fight cattle across the mountains and make their profits greatly reduced. Otherwise, if this trend continues, even if his bank is smooth sailing, he will be thrown out of the salt gang sooner or later.

"What Tianyu said is not unreasonable. The government's top priority in handling cases is to catch thieves and take stolen goods. Looking at the situation now, I am afraid that I will not be able to detain it for a few more days. By the way, I heard that Mr. Ge is now sick in bed, and the livelihood of the Ge family has been taken over by the uncle Wang next to him in the past few days. Thinking about it, he also knew that the government would not detain these cargo ships for too long, and once the search was fruitless, they would still have to be released. No wonder I haven't seen a person from the Nage family come forward to run away in the past few days. It seems that Uncle Wang is really much more sophisticated than that Ge Gongzi. Chen Hailiang said with some head. In fact, he hoped that someone from the Ge family would come forward to run the door, so that it would show that there was a problem with the cargo ship, and even if there was no problem, he could be caught "going through the back door".

"That's, after all, ginger is still old and spicy." Li Tianyu originally wanted to take on the sentence "The thief is an old slippery", but considering that Chen Hailiang was present, he didn't say it in order to avoid embarrassment.

"But, Brother Tian, why do I always think that no matter how spicy they are, they are not as spicy as you." Cui Hao said on the side, not knowing whether to praise or pour cold water.

"I think so, too." Chen Youliang echoed.

"I'm so envious of you." Chen Hailiang couldn't help laughing.

In this way, the two large freighters in charge of the Ge family in the east of the city finally came to an end. Although Chen Hailiang felt a little regretful, he was helpless, but Li Tianyu was very content, after all, he had learned some about the financial situation of the Yan Gang and the fact that the higher-level institutions were likely to settle in Hailing County. However, to his surprise, two days later, he accidentally learned from his father that Uncle Naliu had been pondering the matter of increasing export tariffs on foreign trade recently. After asking, I learned that Uncle Liu had received a letter from the local government, which proposed to add a lesson on export tariffs in Jiangsu. This coincided with Li Tianyu's thoughts, and Li Tianyu even doubted whether it would be an excerpt secretly handed over by Chen Hailiang.

"Virtuous nephew, why haven't you come to my house to play these days? Did the nephew treat the old man as an outsider, or did he think that what the old man said earlier was a joke with you. ”

I saw that in the water pavilion in the courtyard of the Li Mansion, Li Tianyu, Cui Hao, Li Jiacheng, and Liu Yunlong were sitting around a small round stone table in the pavilion. On the stone table were a dazzling array of melons and fruits and steaming tea. Originally, Li Tianyu was planning to bring some gifts to visit Liufu to find out what the governor thought about the export tariffs. Unexpectedly, Uncle Liu and his father came to the Li Mansion again that afternoon.

Uncle Liu smiled. It just so happened that my nephew was busy with some trivial matters these days, so he never visited the house. I also hope for my uncle Haihan. Li Tianyu pretended to be guilty and said. And Cui Hao on the side was a little disdainful when he heard it, you secretly drove out in a carriage early this morning, and didn't return to the Li Mansion until after noon, so sneaky, I think you must have gone to have a private meeting with a young lady.

In fact, Cui Hao's guess was good. Li Tianyu did go to Han's house to find Han Di'er this morning. Originally, when he passed by Fengqi Tower that day, he planned to go to Hanfu first. Who knew that in the end, he was arrested by Chen Youliang and Cui Hao, so he had to give up. After that, he helped the Nakang family to give advice, and helped Chen Hailiang to identify the Latin Bible, and he had to go to the Nafulong pawnshop to inspect the work on the spot. Yesterday, when I went to the gang headquarters and was explaining the new combat knowledge and training items to the special squad led by Li Feng, Zhao Tianba's kid came back from a business trip. So he stayed at the headquarters for another afternoon, and learned about the situation in Hailing County with Zhao Tianba, and verified his speculation even more. After that, several people discussed some countermeasures, and Li Tianyu also entrusted the work of preparing the bank to Zhao Tianba. This is why I was able to go to the Han Mansion this morning to find Han Di'er and live in the world of two.

"It doesn't matter. The old man naturally knew that the virtuous nephew was not the idle person. In fact, the old man came today, but he had something to ask his nephew for advice. ”

Brother Liu said this seriously. Bao'er, a junior who is not familiar with the world, how can he take on the word 'ask for advice'. ”

"Tianyu is in front of his uncle and father, and he can't deserve it." Li Tianyu said modestly flattered.

"There is no need to be presumptuous. Thinking about Sun Quan of Dongwu back then, he went to Jingzhou at the age of nine. Now if the virtuous nephew goes to the imperial city and sees the saint, it is not surprising that he is an official and pays homage to the prime minister. Moreover, the reason why the old man said that he wanted to ask the virtuous nephew for advice was because the virtuous nephew mentioned this matter when he chatted with the old man some time ago. ”

"I wonder what my uncle is talking about?" Of course, Li Tianyu guessed that what Uncle Liu was going to say was the opening of a treaty port and raising the price of foreign trade, but at the moment, he still had to pretend not to know.

"A few days ago, when the virtuous nephew chatted with the old man, he said that he used the means of non-governmental trade between the two countries to suppress Fanbang. After the old man went back that day, he also weighed this plan repeatedly, but he felt that it was a clever strategy to win without a fight. It just so happened that the day before yesterday, Suzhou sent another excerpt, which also proposed to add a tax to the trade of that state. Although the reason is not as far-sighted as that of the virtuous nephew, it is also somewhat similar. ”

"Oh? I don't know what that fold says. Li Tianyu was a little curious, but he didn't expect that Suzhou would have such a discerning talent. I thought that those officials only cared about the bright things on weekdays, and they didn't care about the domestic product value that was secretly lost every year.

"The fold said that the number of trades in Datang every year is huge, and the materials shipped abroad are a huge amount, and then the stakes of the additional taxation are explained in detail. The favorable layer naturally means that it can protect the local people of my Tang Dynasty, and it can also use the foreign money to fill my Tang treasury, but the harmful layer is that it will inevitably damage the face of my Tang Dynasty. After the old man read it, he didn't know how to reply for a while. If the old man opens this tax in the area of the two rivers, I am afraid that if he makes trouble in the capital in the future, he will inevitably be attacked by those old ministers of the court. Lao Li, if it were you, what would you think? After that, Liu Yunlong picked up the tea bowl and took a sip of tea, waiting for Li Jiacheng to express his opinion.

"Brother Liu, you and I have been officials for decades, and I think we are well versed in this officialdom. As the saying goes, a companion is like a tiger. The court seems to be calm, but in fact, there has already been an undercurrent surging, and it is not uncommon to have intrigues openly and secretly. There is a saying that if you want to eat this royal beam with peace of mind, then you must do not seek merit, but seek the realm of no fault. Now, if you set this tax, you will be told by those who have a heart. Even if it is to present the request for a recital, there will inevitably be various voices on the Golden Palace, if someone takes the opportunity to fall into the ground, then you will be in Jiangsu, but it will be difficult to argue. Li Jiacheng remembered his old friend's previous official career experience in that court, and said steadily and conservatively.

After Li Tianyu listened to his father's words, he thought deeply. On the one hand, he didn't know much about the open and secret battles in the court, but he only generally believed that the people in the palace were usually two or more camps, forming gangs with each other, attacking dissidents, and forming parties for personal gain. Even the formation of everyone standing on the top of the hall is that the well water does not interfere with the river water, so there is a saying that the defeated side "stands on the wrong team". In addition, the saint is also very busy on weekdays, and the excerpt that starts up will never be as ambiguous as the one Liu Yunlong received, and it must be the content with a clear intention and a prominent theme. After all, the saint didn't have so much energy to deal with some twists and turns, what he wanted was that these officials below had the judgment to handle official business. If you think it is worth reporting, you should write down the content and the reason for it; If you think it's inappropriate, then you will dismiss it. Otherwise, if he asks for instructions on matters big and small, then what is he doing with those feudal ministers. The reason why the court raised them was to let them share their worries for the monarch, not to let them have nothing to do. Of course, if you don't start anything, you will also be judged by your achievements in this place. Once any basket is found, it will be demoted or dismissed from office for investigation, and exiled to the frontier or beheaded at worst. This is also why officials have the idea of "not seeking merit, but seeking no fault."

"Virtuous nephew, what do you think?" After listening to what Li Jiacheng said, Liu Yunlong seemed to sigh slightly, and then asked Li Tianyu again.

"Well, I think my dad makes a lot of sense. This matter still needs to be considered in the long run, and we must not make a decision on it. If one day you can come to Chang'an to meet the saint, it is the best policy to start playing on the top of the golden temple at that time. Li Tianyu obviously also thought of Uncle Liu's official career, so he had to say conservatively.

"By the way, uncle, is it after the Mid-Autumn Festival, and I will go to Beijing in more than a month." As soon as Cui Hao heard that he was entering the capital to face the saint, he secretly calculated the time and asked.

"Not bad. At that time, we will depart early, so there will only be a month after the Mid-Autumn Festival. ”

"Lao Li, I'm afraid I can only rely on you and my nephew at the moment. After entering Beijing, if the virtuous nephew gets the opportunity to be summoned by the saint in private, he can speak freely. The previous Prime Minister Wei in the court had been summoned by the saint to the couch many times, and the prime minister of Wei had always been known for his outspoken admonitions in the court, and even had spoken out many times to collide with the saint, but the saint not only did not condemn him, but instead added him to the rank of knight and promoted him to the county duke. It's a pity that the old man is now inconvenient to promote virtuous and capable people to the court, otherwise he will be the first to recommend a virtuous nephew to the saint. Liu Yunlong remembered the rights and wrongs in the capital at sunset, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Then Prime Minister Wei is an indispensable talent around the saint. When I stayed in the capital before, I occasionally heard about the deeds of Prime Minister Wei. I heard that a certain county on the periphery of the imperial city in the past had written a letter to anger the saint, and the saint was extremely angry at first, and then the prime minister of Wei heard about it and went to admonish him, and afterwards the saint did not condemn the county prince, but rewarded him with silk. And the reason why the saint attaches so much importance to Prime Minister Wei is that I heard that it is also related to the fact that Prime Minister Wei has the support of Empress Eldest Sun behind him. "When Li Jiacheng went to Beijing to discuss matters before, he heard a lot of rumors about Prime Minister Wei from his colleagues. After all, a courtier who behaved like Prime Minister Wei was unique in the current dynasty.

Li Tianyu had already heard that the Wei Prime Minister in their mouth was Wei Zheng. In fact, he also thinks that Wei Zheng is the number one bull in the court, and if he dares to argue with his boss, the key is to make his boss jealous of himself. I remember that there was an interesting history in the history books that Li Shimin liked to play with birds very much, and one day he was playing with a bird, and found that Wei Zheng came over, because he was worried that Wei Zheng would inevitably beep a lot of playthings after seeing it, and he hurriedly hid the bird in his arms. Who knew that Prime Minister Wei had already seen it, and beeped at his boss for an hour, but in the end, the bird really lived up to expectations and was suffocated. And Li Tianyu felt that what was even more powerful for Prime Minister Wei was that he was in charge of supervising the beheading of the Jinghe Dragon King, and in the end he killed the Jinghe Dragon King in his dream. The righteousness of this body is no longer as simple as the gods and ghosts are not inviolable.

"Not really. You must know that when the emperor was in power, this Prime Minister Wei was a counselor by the prince's side, and he had repeatedly made statements to the prince to suppress the saint. Later, after the change from Xuanwumen, the Holy Lord sent someone to arrest the Wei Cheng Prime Minister for questioning, and at that time the Wei Cheng Prime Minister did not give in and beg for mercy, but had a word and did not hide it at all. When the Holy Lord saw that he was straightforward in his speech and upright in temperament, he pardoned him and entrusted him with great use. As for the rumored rumor that the eldest grandson queen is his backstage, it is pure nonsense, but a few years ago, the saint and the eldest grandson queen prepared a dowry for Princess Changle, and originally wanted to prepare more dowry. At that time, only Wei Zheng objected to this, and he bluntly said that if he bought a double dowry, it would be double the dowry of the eldest princess back then, which was against human ethics and etiquette...... When Empress Changsun learned about it, she did not hold a grudge against Prime Minister Wei, but rewarded him for the saint, and said that she would support him to continue to maintain such a high and bright festival. Therefore, it was only later that the court began to spread the theory that Empress Changsun was the backstage of Prime Minister Wei. However, last year, Prime Minister Wei also handed a piece of music to the saint - Ten Thoughts of Emperor Taizong. ”

After Li Tianyu heard what Uncle Liu said, he somewhat understood the meaning of the legend of slaying the dragon in Wei Zheng's dream. Dare to love is used to allude to the Xuanwumen incident. And the backstage theory, I think it is either that the queen sees that he dares to speak out, so she wants him to maintain this fearless style, so that she can control the saint for herself; Either you do it on purpose to show him, since you are so upright, then you can, go back to your own family affairs, and you are married to your daughter, I see if you will continue like this, otherwise, you will be punished for the crime of "being strict with others and lenient with yourself". It turns out that the "Ten Thoughts of Emperor Taizong" was played last year, and it seems that now there should be the famous saying "water can carry boats, and you can also cook porridge".

"Then my uncle can also find this Prime Minister Wei to help." Cui Hao listened to the deeds of Prime Minister Wei for a long time, but felt that if such a person helped the court, he would definitely get twice the result with half the effort.

"I'm afraid this is not proper. That Prime Minister Wei has always advocated thin endowment, light rent and tax, respecting the original and suppressing the last, and governing the world with leniency and benevolence. This increase in taxation seems to be a bit contrary. Cui Hao just said the suggestion, but was interrupted by Liu Yunlong.

"It's really not right, Xiao Hao. Prime Minister Wei originally thought that the foundation of the society was agriculture and non-business, not to mention that he also advised the saint to be thin and benevolent to rule the world. Li Jiacheng sighed helplessly.

"From this point of view, Prime Minister Wei Cheng not only can't help, but may become an obstacle to his advance." Cui Hao couldn't help but sigh when he heard this.

"Actually, I kind of agree with Xiao Hao. Since Prime Minister Wei is a well-known 'counselor' around the saint, he can help us with his advice, and we just need to convince him. However, I am a little curious why people can't go to the capital on weekdays to meet them. Li Tianyu did not doubt Wei Zheng's ability to be a minister, and he also felt that the increase in foreign trade export tariffs and Wei Zheng's idea of "being prepared for danger in times of peace" were complementary to each other. Unless Prime Minister Wei is a stubborn old pedant, it is still very interesting to convince him.

However, as soon as Li Tianyu said this, not only Liu Yunlong and Li Jiacheng, but even Cui Hao cast a strange look at him, as if he had seen an alien.