Zhao Han personally cultivated and persuaded the peasants, and simplified the etiquette, which is a microcosm of the tradition and innovation of the new dynasty.

To sum it up, it can be summed up in eight words: respect for tradition, pragmatic and innovative.

Innovation is always difficult, so difficult that Xiaohong divorced her husband. Both of them are officials, and they have gathered less and left more, and they finally returned to their hometowns for the holidays, and they are full of gossip everywhere.

Her husband couldn't bear the pressure of public opinion and took the initiative to make peace, and Xiaohong immediately went to the government to go through the formalities.

Xiaohong knows her husband's difficulties, what to eat soft rice, to use his wife's relationship to promote quickly, and his wife cuckolds him in the field. Not to mention ancient men, for many modern men, psychological pressure can crush people.

Sadness is definitely sadness, and the only solution other than divorce is resignation.

But Xiaohong doesn't want to resign, she has a strong sense of professionalism.

After the Spring Festival, Xiaohong returned to Quzhou. She learns from Zhao Han in everything, sets up a mailbox at the door of the mansion, and regularly opens and reads letters every month.

This time, I read a letter, and the content was very simple: the bidding for the construction of the Quzhou government residence was greasy, there were corners cut in the Xixi River embankment in Fucheng, and the construction party of the two projects was the same trading company.

Anonymous letter, I don't know who wrote it.

Xiaohong immediately called the Tongzhi who was in charge of the relevant work and asked him to investigate whether the embankment had cut corners. A few days later, I got a reply and no corners were found.

Xiaohong was still not at ease, so she sent her cronies to check the documents for the bidding for the construction of the official building, and everything was in line with the normal process.

So, Xiaohong didn't ask about it again, thinking that the content of the report was fake.

Two months later, Xiaohong received a long letter reporting a large number of officials. The whistleblower also said that the integrity and judicial departments of Quzhou and Xi'an County have been corrupted into a sieve by the Zheng family.

Even more detailed content is available, saying that the umbrella of the Zheng family is Zheng Tongfu in the Ministry of Industry.

This is a fat shortage, although the official quality is not high, but it actually handles the national government projects.

On March 3, I went to the green.

Xiaohong disguised herself as a noblewoman and took the maid out of the city. Although she is famous, she has always worn official clothes, and suddenly she is dressed as a noblewoman, and no one recognizes her.

When she came to a river embankment outside the city, Xiaohong saw an old man selling flowers squatting under the willow tree.

As soon as she walked over, the old man hurriedly stood up, asked with a smile on his face, "Madame, do you want to buy apricot blossoms?" The villain's apricot blossoms are very good, they were newly picked this morning, and they can be put back for a few days. You should bring flowers when you go green, Madame look over there, the apricot blossoms of the young ladies are all bought from me. ”

Xiaohong paid for an apricot blossom and sighed casually: "This embankment is really well repaired, and the scenery is even more beautiful when I go green." ”

"Hehe, it's a good repair." The old man's smile seemed to have a sense of mockery.

Xiaohong asked, "Is it not good to repair it?" ”

The old man shook his head again and again: "Good repair." ”

Xiaohong didn't ask again, but after going home, she sent a confidant to investigate.

The little guy inquired for a few days, and came back and said, "Fuzun, the river embankment has indeed cut corners. Several sections were often washed away by floods, and the government's request was to use Sanhe soil to lay the foundation. When the embankment was repaired last year, it was poured with cement and then rammed earth. In addition, the trading company that built the river embankment deducted the wages of the workers, and it has not been paid in full until now. ”

At this time, the cement is relatively poor in quality due to the problem of furnace temperature and cannot be used to build water conservancy.

The Sanhe soil used to build water conservancy, although the raw materials are not expensive, but the process is quite complicated, time-consuming and labor-consuming, it is more convenient to use cement.

"What is the reputation of the Zheng family?" Xiaohong asked again.

"It's hard to say." The little guy replied.

Xiaohong was puzzled: "What does it mean to say?" ”

Xiaowu explained in detail: "The Zheng family built bridges and paved roads in the countryside, especially at the junction of Xi'an (Quzhou Prefecture) and Longyou, and those villages and towns praised the Zheng family. But the people in other places hated the Zheng family. The Zheng family received the goods in the countryside, and the price was very low. The projects contracted by the Zheng family also often deduct wages, saying that they will be pressed first and settled next time. The Zheng family also has a side branch that occupies two vegetable markets in Fucheng, and the people who sell vegetables must buy goods from the Zheng family. ”

Xiaohong frowned: "The Xi'an government doesn't care?" ”

The little servant replied: "The Zheng family did not come forward themselves, but gathered some idlers and beat them without listening to the Zheng family." The government also manages it, and they are all punished by gathering crowds to fight, and each time they are beaten with 50 boards. Xiaomin was beaten and fined by the government, and after a long time, he did not report to the official. ”

Xiaohong knew that the Zheng family was a well-known wealthy family in Quzhou.

Zheng Tongfu took refuge in Zhao Han very early and participated in the Zhejiang Shizi Uprising. Because of his outstanding ability and outstanding achievements, he was quickly promoted to the Ministry of Engineering.

Even, Zheng Tongfu was commended by the emperor, saying that he could do ten things alone.

Of course, the Zheng family's real fortune is in business.

Since the Longyou merchant gang could not compete with the Hui merchants, the Western merchants, and the Jiangxi merchants, they took the route of surrounding the cities from the countryside. Moreover, the business footprint is as far as the southwest and northwest, and the money earned is all hard money.

Nowadays, the society is stable and the officials are clear, which is very suitable for the development of the Longyou merchant gang, so many Longyou merchants have become rich because of this.

The Zheng family is one of them, and I heard that when the Datong Army was conquering Guizhou, they helped to purchase and transfer grain and made great contributions.

Can such a business family deduct wages and dominate the vegetable market?

But there must be a problem, and the situation of Quzhou officialdom, those officials is very serious!

Xiaohong sent a letter to Nanjing, and Zhao Han's reply was: Submit it to the Metropolitan Procuratorate for thorough investigation.

The Metropolitan Procuratorate is the former Department of Integrity and Integrity, and it is the white impermanence of "black and white impermanence".

A total of 12 people came, all dressed in people's clothes, and quietly visited the people for more than half a month.

Finally, they encountered the situation outside the wet market.

"Don't sell vegetables here!" The two patrol policemen are fierce, and they also have the duties of urban management.

The old farmer said aggrievedly: "Master Jun, if you don't sell it here, where do you let the little one sell it?" ”

The patrol officer said: "There are stalls in the vegetable market. ”

"The stalls in the vegetable market have to pay taxes, where is the value of home-grown vegetables?" The old farmer pleaded, "The small ones are farming outside the city, and the vegetables are only allowed to be sold to the Zheng family, and the price is so low that it is frightening to death." The small ones can only enter the city by themselves, so they sell a few small dishes, and the military master is good, and he will spare the small ones this time. ”

The patrolman began to open the stall, kicked the old farmer to the ground, and took away all the loads of vegetables.

The old peasant was crying, and the passers-by were pointing and pointing.

Dai Wenmeng stood by and watched, muttering, "Quzhou is very evil here." ”

Mei Zhuyou said: "The law enforcement yamen, the judicial yamen, the clean government yamen, and the industrial and commercial yamen all have problems. Peasant associations in villages and towns outside the city may also have problems. Listening to Huang Zhifu (Xiaohong), she asked the government to investigate the river embankment, but the river embankment cut corners but did not report it, this Tongzhi must have colluded with the Zheng family. ”

Dai Wenmeng concluded: "The officialdom of Quzhou Mansion is rotten! The inspection team of the Metropolitan Procuratorate came once in three years, and they were all fine at that time. If it weren't for the dereliction of duty of our inspection officials, it would be Quzhou that has plummeted in the past two or three years! ”

Mei Zhuyou was a little excited: "I'm afraid, we will catch a big fish this time!" ”

Twelve "white impermanence", two by two to investigate, every three days to the inn to exchange information.

Dai Wenmeng and Mei Zhuyou followed the crying old farmer all the way out of the city. They did not dare to act rashly, for fear of startling the snakes, and did not knock on the old peasant's door until midnight.

"Knock knock!"

After knocking for a long time, no one opened the door, and there was a cry in the house.

The old farmer's family thought that the Zheng family had sent someone to retaliate against them for going into the city to sell vegetables without permission.

It is estimated that he felt that he couldn't hide, the door finally opened, and the old farmer knelt down with the whole family: "Zheng Daguan spares his life, Zheng Daguan spares his life." The little lard is blinded, and he shouldn't sell vegetables, and in the future, all the vegetables at home will be sold to the Zheng family......"

"Go in and talk." Devon Mengdao.

The family wept in terror and trembled and invited them into the house.

Seeing that the old peasant was about to kneel again, Dai Wenmeng took out the waist card of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, revealed his identity and said: "Old man, we are not the thieves of the Zheng family, we are the honest officials of the Metropolitan Procuratorate." The emperor knew that the Zheng family was evil, so he specially sent us to investigate ......"

"The Emperor knows, too?"

The old farmer didn't wait to finish speaking, then pulled the whole family to kneel and bow: "The emperor is a good emperor, and he is all bad officials." I beg the two officials to call the shots for the grass people! ”

"Silence!"

Mei Zhuyou frightened: "Don't shout again, and don't go out to say, we are a secret agent to investigate." Before arresting the Zheng family, if the news leaks, you will all lose your heads! ”

The family was so frightened that they trembled and said again and again: "Don't talk nonsense, don't go out and talk nonsense." ”

Mei Zhuyou took out a pen and paper to record, and Dai Wenmeng began to ask.

Dai Wenmeng asked: "The vegetables of the whole village must be sold to the Zheng family?" ”

"Not only the whole village," said the old farmer, "and all the vegetables in the town have to be sold to the Zheng family." If it weren't for the Datong Bank to collect grain, I'm afraid that the grain would have to be sold to the Zheng family. In the villages and towns around Quzhou City, the Zheng family is not even afraid of the prefect, but only the official of Datong Bank. ”

Dai Wenmeng asked, "There is no peasant association in your village?" Does the peasant union help the peasants? ”

The old farmer said: "There is a peasant association, the president's surname is Zheng, and the village chief's surname is Zheng. The mayor of the town is from outside, but he is not surnamed Zheng, but he worships the surname Zheng. The mayor of the town was also greedy, and occupied a barren mountain with the Zheng family, burning lime and cement to sell for money. The young and strong people in the town, only the peasant soldiers dare not provoke. Except for the peasant soldiers, whoever is disobedient will be beaten. ”

"How many towns are like this?" Dai Wenmeng asked.

The old farmer replied, "There are three towns that the grass people know. ”

He asked some more questions and asked the old farmer to draw a handprint.

The next day, Dai Wenmeng and Mei Zhuyou returned to the city inn to exchange information on the investigation with other anti-corruption officials.

A clean government hall named Cao Benshu said: "I got an inaccurate news from Lao Liang. The younger brother of Zheng Tongfu in the Ministry of Labor, married the daughter of Li Gelao's nephew. If the news is true, the officialdom in Quzhou rotted so quickly, most of it is related to Li Gelao. Li Ge Lao may not know it, but the Zheng family will inevitably use his signboard to do evil. ”

Everyone looked at each other, and this case actually involved Li Banghua.

"Why don't you present the case to Your Majesty first and see what Your Majesty intends to do?" An integrity officer said.

Mei Zhuyou said sharply: "Everything is troublesome Your Majesty, what do you want us officials to do?" Brother Cao, Brother Liang, you go to verify the news to see if it is related to Li Gelao. Others stayed in Quzhou to continue investigating the case. Even if he is implicated with Li Gelao, this case cannot be fooled, from the government to the county government to the village and town, I am afraid that there are hundreds of officials involved! ”