Shen Mansion, evening, Shen Wu study

After Shen Muzhou settled Hu Fei's entry into the palace, he hurriedly returned home, according to his father's letter, he was afraid that something big would happen.

Under the candlelight, Shen Wu's face was a little tired, in the past few days, he has received secret letters from Jiang Chunhe in Jiangsu, and the secret letter revealed that the Suzhou Salt Division was colluded with each other, and the officials covered up the corruption.

Shen Muzhou sat opposite him, and after reading these letters carefully, he asked, "Father, Pei Qixuan just came to propose marriage, and Master Jiang sent a secret letter, which is it?" ”

"Pei Qixuan has been in Suzhou Salt Division, he is too familiar with the extension of the Jianghuai area, from the moment he came to propose, I became suspicious, Pei Qixuan knew that the Pei Shen family was not in harmony, why did he dare to come alone to propose, this is obviously ready for the next move." Shen Wu recalled Pei Qixuan's expression when he left that day, he was the son of Pei Lao Fox, and he would definitely not give up so well.

"Father is worried that Pei Qixuan will use Jiang Chunhe to make a fuss?" Shen Muzhou asked, although he has served in the army for many years, he has a very keen insight into the government.

"Jiang Chunhe is my student, he was picked up by me, and his appointment as the Jiangsu Salt and Iron Envoy is also my guarantee, and now that such a big thing has happened to Jiangsu Salt, it is difficult for our Shen Mansion to be affected." After speaking, Shen Wu's expression became darker and darker under the candlelight, in his opinion, the situation of the court was like a war situation, and if he was not careful, the whole army would be wiped out.

"I heard that when Pei Qixuan first went to Suzhou, he also visited Jiang Chunhe, respected him as a gentleman, and praised him as an exemplary contemporary official and a model for the world. This is not good for the reputation of their Pei family. ”

"There's nothing bad about this," Shen Wu turned his back and looked at the big words "Be cautious until the end, then there is no defeat" hanging in the study, he said: "Pei Qixuan is a member of the Pei family, from beginning to end, he will only protect the interests of their Pei family, he worshiped Jiang Chunhe in such a high-profile manner at that time, I should have guessed that he was going to grab Jiang Chunhe's pigtails and use them to deal with our Shen family." ”

"Father, is this Lord Jiang Chunhe really guilty? Could it be that he was really involved in the salt corruption case? Shen Muzhou asked with blazing eyes, this matter may be more complicated than he imagined.

"People who do salt work will more or less charge a little, there is no way to avoid this, Jiang Chunhe's mistake is wrong, he used selfishness." Shen Wu said helplessly.

Shen Muzhou didn't speak on the side, he patiently listened to his father's words.

"Jiang Chunhe's letter said that he gave a family surnamed Dong in Suzhou to privately send a salt citation, saying that this Dong family was also a big family in the south of the Yangtze River before, and then slowly dilapidated, once, a descendant of the Dong family came to him, and told him about the hard work of the people in Huainan to eat salt, after his rendering, he used the power in his hands to give the Dong family a private salt citation."

Shen Muzhou took a few steps after hearing this, his mind was spinning rapidly, and suddenly he seemed to think of something, and said, "Father, there is something wrong with this Jiang Chunhe!" ”

After Shen Wu heard this, he also fell into deep thought, if Jiang Chunhe was one person in front of him and one behind his back, then how to deal with it, he inexplicably felt a trace of fear in his heart.

"It's hard to bring down a dignified salt and iron envoy, so this Jiang Chunhe must be hiding something. Moreover, Jiang Chunhe went from a local official to a senior member of the central government, and then to a local important position, holding heavy power, how could a later student be able to say a few words, and there was obviously a problem in this. Shen Muzhou's words were convincing.

Shen Wu put his hands behind his back and began to think about this matter from the beginning, Jiang Chunhe was pulled up by him, it can be said that he has great trust in this person, could it be that this person really intends to shield the Jiangsu salt officialdom.

"Father, why don't I go to Jiangsu in person and investigate this matter thoroughly, if it doesn't arouse vigilance, I'm afraid Pei Fu wants to make a big move this time." Shen Muzhou said with a worried look.

"No, you are the general of Pingxi canonized by the imperial court, and you are not allowed to go out of Beijing without an edict, now, you should go back to the northwest as soon as possible, and the defense of the northwest is a big deal!" Shen Wu said with a solemn face.

"The rumors of the Jingshi, Pei Qixuan's sudden return to Beijing, and the matter of Jiangsu Salt Affairs, a series of recent events in the Beijing Division are obviously aimed at our Shen Mansion, and I am leaving now, wouldn't I ignore the safety of our Shen family." Shen Muzhou said loudly.

"Targeting the Shen family is targeting the defense of the northwest, once the defense of the northwest is breached, the people of the northwest will really suffer, which is more important, can't I tell the difference, I have my own decision on the matter of Jiangsu salt affairs." Shen Wu said sharply.

Just when the father and son were at a stalemate, the head of the Shen Mansion outside the door reported: "Lin Chongyi of Suiyang Academy asks to see." ”

Lin Chongyi is the eldest disciple of Xie Bing, a scholar of the Chaozhong University, Xie Bing has praised him on many occasions as a model for scholars in the world, it is said that he is a noble person, he does not like to make friends with powerful people, and he has almost no contact with the Shen Mansion before, how could he suddenly come to visit?

Shen Wu couldn't guess the reason for a while, he said to Shen Muzhou: "You stand here for a while, listen and listen together." ”

Shen Muzhou nodded.

When Lin Chongyi was introduced, he was dressed in a green shirt, with a heroic aura on his body, his face was handsome, and his behavior was quite literati.

Shen Wu still has a little more appreciation for the world's scholars, but as soon as this Lin Chong came to him rashly, he had some doubts in his heart, so he asked with a calm face: "You are looking for me, what is the so-called matter?" Shen Muzhou stood beside his father and didn't speak, but he was full of interest in this person.

"The students came this time, it was rude, please forgive Lord Shen!" Lin Chongyi saluted unhurriedly, "After the First World War in Kunning, the defense of the northwest of the DPRK and the central government once became a plate of loose sand, if it were not for Lord Shen's painstaking management, I am afraid that most of the northwest land would have been lost. ”

"Make suggestions, you are a big student," Shen Wu's face became even more ugly, "Tell me, what plan can you make for me, what plan can you plan?" ”

"Something big happened to Jiangsu Salt Affairs, does Lord Shen know?" Lin Chongyi seemed to know something, and said with a determined face.

Shen Wu's face changed after hearing this, and he secretly calmed down: "Something big happened, you might as well say it directly, you don't have to say it." ”

After Shen Muzhou heard this, he couldn't help but secretly appreciate Lin Chongyi, this person grasped the key point as soon as he came, it seems that he is not a simple scholar, this person can be said to be familiar with the trends and trends of the current situation.

"Suzhou's salt system is all rotten, and Jiangsu Salt and Iron makes Jiang Chunhe have an unshirkable responsibility!" Lin Chongyi suddenly said with burning eyes.

Shen Wu's face changed, he didn't expect this young man to actually grasp the key, he was patient and listened to him.

"The officials of the Suzhou Salt Department, after collecting the salt made by the salt farmers at an ultra-low price, not only sold some inferior salt and salt mixed with nitrate to the local people at a high price, but also sold it to several local families at a high price under the pretense of issuing salt. In addition, they also sold some refined salt to the grassland people at a high price, in order to exchange for their gold, in order to prevent these things from being exposed, the entire Suzhou salt industry sealed each other, and a small governor of the Salt Envoy Department alone paid 10,000 taels of silver every year. ”

After Shen Wu heard this, his face turned pale, and he said coldly, "Where did you get all this news from?" ”

"This is when the students went home to visit their relatives last time, they secretly investigated it, why Pei Qixuan returned to Beijing from Suzhou this time, it is because he is very likely to become the first person to report the Suzhou Salt Division, once he reports, although Lord Jiang is not directly involved, but he also has the dislike of covering up, if Pei Mansion makes this matter bigger, saying that the mastermind behind the whole thing is Shen Mansion, then I am afraid that Lord Shen will be to blame." Lin Chongyi said.

Every word Lin Chongyi said made Shen Wu and Shen Muzhou, who were present and listening, deafening, they could imagine the seriousness of this matter, but they didn't expect it to be so serious.

Lin Chongyi continued: "Everyone knows that the defense of the western side of the imperial court is now formed by the Shen family's father and son, and if the Shen family is in trouble, the people of the entire northwest will suffer, so the students have the courage to come and admonish. ”

"Tell me, then, what should I do?" Hearing this, Shen Wu was already impressed by this young man.

"Today's plan, only the method of breaking the kettle and sinking the boat can solve the current dilemma." Lin Chongyi said firmly.

"How do you break the boat?" Shen Wu asked.

"Lord Shen needs to order Lord Jiang to write a secret letter to the emperor to state the corruption case of Jiangsu Salt Affairs, and he needs to explain the situation to the current saint in detail, and then, if the emperor takes the initiative to summon Lord Shen privately, Lord Shen needs to make a statement to the emperor, and the top priority is to abolish the prohibition law and carry out government reform, so as to solve the difficulties of the people in the world."

Lin Chongyi had long been familiar with these salt affairs, and he said: "The imperial court firmly controls the power to sell salt and iron, and the salt makers complain about their misery, and countless people are imprisoned every year for selling illegal salt. Over the years, the forbidden law has indeed accumulated a lot of money for the government, but the ordinary people have suffered countless people for eating salt, and some people have even suffered from various physical problems due to lack of salt, it is difficult to seek medical treatment, and they are desperate to death. After speaking, Lin Chongyi handed Shen Wu a booklet, which detailed the reasons why the salt reform should be carried out and the judgment on how to carry out the salt reform.

Shen Wu read it preliminarily, and the fluency of the sentences, the subtlety of the change, and how to break the resistance of the change were all recorded, and even made him feel that this Lin Chongyi would be a candidate to be a Zaifu in the future.

Shen Wu said: "You gave me a big gift, what do you want from me?" ”

Lin Chongyi seemed to have anticipated Shen Wu's words, he lowered his head and thought for a while, as if he had made up his mind, he suddenly fell to his knees on the ground, saluted with both hands: "The student wants to marry the noble girl Shen Xitong as a lady, and I hope that Lord Shen and General Shen will be fulfilled." ”

Shen Wu was furious after hearing this, slapped the table with his hand, and reprimanded: "Just a scholar, you still want to marry me Xitong, and the idea that you want to climb the dragon and attach the phoenix is a little too obvious." ”

Who knows that Lin Chongyi replied unhurriedly: "If the student wants to climb the dragon and attach the phoenix, he will never want to marry Xitong, Xitong has a noble status, but Jingshi is not only a noble girl, the student wants to marry Xitong, because the student has been in love with her early, just because he heard that the people from Pei Mansion came to ask for marriage, the student was afraid, afraid that Xitong would really marry someone else, so he dared to come to see Lord Shen." ”

Seeing the young man's determined eyes, Shen Wu suddenly asked, "Have you seen Xitong before?" ”

"Three months ago, I went to Fangcao Pavilion to give a lecture, and after Xitong and I had some disputes, they went to the academy every day to talk to me. Although Xitong is not like other Beijing nobles, familiar with qin, chess, calligraphy and painting, but she is innocent, generous, after she looked for me for several days in a row, the student had some careful thoughts about her, but then she was obsessed with other things, and did not come to the student again, but the student has been secretly concerned about Xitong, until recently, she was passed on some unbearable words, the student is very worried about her, eager to bear these stigma for her. Last time in Graceland, Xitong almost cried after reading some poems, and the student secretly swore in his heart that he would only marry Xitong in this life. After speaking, Lin Chongyi saluted again: "Lord Shen, General Shen, if Xitong is willing to marry me, the student can swear here that he loves her alone in this life and will never take a concubine." ”

Shen Muzhou was also a little moved after hearing this, and couldn't help but say: "You let the college son Xie Bing's Chenglong fast son-in-law inappropriate, and came to marry Xitong, Shen Xitong, this girl is short-tempered and not easy to get along with at all, how can you ensure that you only love her." ”

"I can prove it with my actions." Lin Chongyi replied firmly.

"How?" Shen Muzhou stepped forward and continued to ask.

"I'll prove it as much as you want me to prove." Lin Chongyi raised his eyes and looked directly at Shen Muzhou.

"What if Xitong is against this marriage," Shen Muzhou asked.

"Although Xitong is young and a little anxious, she is a person who understands the truth, and I believe that the students will continue to run in with her, and she will definitely be able to understand and accept the students' intentions." Lin Chongyi asked confidently.

At this time, Shen Wu and Shen Muzhou could only glance at each other and did not speak.

In the next few days, the government has been a confrontation between the Shen Mansion and the Pei Mansion, and Pei Yi has been intentionally or unintentionally leading the direction of the government to Yanwu, but Shen Wu has been talking to the emperor about the matter of the troops stationed in the northwest.

Shen Wu has been analyzing the weaknesses of the northwest defense in front of the imperial court, and as soon as there is a war, he hurriedly transfers troops from all over the country, and his reaction is slow, and the army goes to the battlefield without putting it in order, and it is easy to lose the battle, and the best way is to garrison troops.

A large number of residents were migrated to live in the northwest, and farmland was cultivated in their spare time, and when the war came, they could quickly assemble an army of elite soldiers to prevent the Yuanxia people in the northwest.

The emperor was extremely interested in Shen Wu's method of stationing troops, and the two constantly discussed how to station troops, where to station troops, and where to migrate residents from there, so that Pei Yi never found a good way to draw the emperor's attention to the salt affairs in Jiangsu.

After receiving Shen Wu's letter, Jiang Chunhe, the salt and iron envoy of Jiangsu, hurriedly wrote down the current situation and predicament of all Suzhou salt affairs and the list of all criminals on several large pieces of paper, and secretly sent them to Jingshi.

Shen Wu felt more and more that this Lin Chongyi was by no means an extraordinary person, and after today's dynasty, he came to the residence of the Shen family's grandmother to discuss Lin Chongyi's marriage proposal.

The grandmother of the Shen family is also an enlightened person, she did not have a clear objection, but only said that she would see this Lin Chongyi first.

One morning in September, Lin Chongyi came to visit the Shen Mansion early in the morning, and after chatting with the Shen family's grandmother, the Shen family's grandmother was very fond of Lin Chongyi, and felt that he was not only highly educated, but also knew etiquette and etiquette, knew how to advance and retreat, and was a rare handsome man, and he couldn't wait to agree to this marriage immediately.

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