In order to make Jingshi better, the Song family's mansion has often been brightly lit recently.

Many young people also pretend to be the myth of wealth and run around the streets.

On the other side, the emperor's dynasty will gradually return to normal.

And then there will be a more lively event in Beijing - the show girl enters Beijing.

According to the regulations formulated by the Ministry of Rites at the beginning of the year, a major event in the first year of Zhengde was to select a woman from a good family as the queen for Emperor Zhengde.

In fact, there was a rehearsal of this matter in the seventeenth year of Hongzhi, when Emperor Hongzhi had already instructed the Ministry of Rites and the Qintian Supervisor to investigate and determine the auspicious day, but this matter happened in the middle of the road, and Emperor Hongzhi was not in good health.

In the eighteenth year of Hongzhi, the new monarch ascended the throne and held a funeral, and the happy event naturally fell.

And this year, no matter how many reasons there are, it can't stop this matter, and if it drags on, the emperor will be older, and if he is too old to get married, this incident will be enough to disgrace the court if it happens to the emperor.

According to the process after the election in the Ming Dynasty, unmarried women of appropriate age (13-16 years old) across the country must participate in the selection, and after the first round, 5,000 people will be concentrated in Beijing.

With so many people, soon Jingshi will be lively again.

In addition, the current situation has also changed from the seventeenth year of Hongzhi, to put it simply, you only need to choose one princess the year before last. But this year, Zhu Houzhao, as the reigning emperor, actually wants to choose three people.

One queen and two concubines.

It's hard to have any emotional expectations from this number of people, you can't love three at once, right? All kinds of processes and etiquette will also dispel all thoughts.

Of course...... It's not that Zhu Houzhao has lost interest in this,

When the Ministry of Rites was reporting, he still listened carefully to many details.

At the same time, Gu Zuo had actually encountered such a thing in Yangzhou.

The people actually have a polarized attitude towards the election of the emperor, some families try their best to send their daughters out, and some are afraid of separation.

Walking out of Beijing and going to the people, Gu Zuo can deeply understand this.

After others arrived, all the major salt merchants in Yangzhou came to visit him one by one, not only prepared a luxurious mansion for him to settle down, but also took special care of his daily life.

I also heard that he came to guard the branch of the salt merchant, so people were more enthusiastic about him than Gu Zuo himself imagined.

Before he could rest, the first morning was full of people outside the house.

Accompanying him were his own people from Beijing, two nimble young men and a more servant girl.

"Did Zou Cheng come to transport salt?" Gu Zuo asked while wiping his face.

Liu Da replied: "It's also here, it's too early." And you can tell at a glance that it's him. ”

"Why?"

"All merchants respect him."

Gu Zuo paused slightly, before meeting these people, there were some things he had to think about by himself.

The purpose of the salt envoy must be to hope that he can be in the same stream as him and not report too many problems. The salt merchants, on the other hand, are simple, nothing more than more salt, faster salt, and a little better salt from the salt farm, in the final analysis, silver.

And the purpose of his coming here is to find out the bottom of the salt transporter, for example, how much salt can be produced in the salt field under his management, and how serious the phenomenon of private salt production is by stove households.

The other is also to find out the bottom of the salt merchants, if the imperial court wants to conduct an auction, what is their attitude?

Of course, we must not forget the basic duty of the salt patrol - to bring some salt taxes back to the emperor.

"Let's divide the work, the official stays here to attract their attention, Liu Da, Liu Er, you find an opportunity to go out and go to the people to understand the specific situation of private salt and salt prices. And whether these salt merchants and salt transporters are good or not, only the people know best, and you must also understand this. After you have figured it out, you come back and report to the official. ”

Liu Er was a little worried, "Master, we're all gone, what about your safety?" ”

Gu Zuo was not worried at all, "This official is the identity of the Qincha of the Imperial History of Salt Patrol, and he neither kills nor overrolls, what danger can there be?" Just go and don't worry about the rest. ”

"Yes!"

In fact, Gu Zuo hid his words, he was originally a jealous and hateful person, if he was willing to join the same stream, I don't know how many opportunities there are to be the same stream, and now that he has this identity to patrol the salt, he will not let go of those corrupt officials and corrupt officials!

On the way from Jingshi to Yangzhou, he had already thought clearly,

Others said he wouldn't be an official, and he admitted it.

But he himself is an official who is different from many people.

After coming to Yangzhou, if there is nothing worthy of presenting to the emperor at all, then he Gu Zuo is worthless!

】

In fact, it is not difficult to think clearly about this question, just think about Your Majesty.

If you want to talk about people's hearts, the emperor is one of the experts, doesn't he know what kind of person he is? But the emperor relied on him a lot, why?

So when he comes to Yangzhou, he must turn the world upside down, even if the emperor wants to hide back, he has to take out the facts and unfold them in the Qianqing Palace!

What does it mean to establish a life for the people? So much salt tax in the imperial court fell into the hands of these people, and he had to turn a blind eye, if this thing was really done, then where was his backbone?

Syllable!

Gu Zuo threw the towel in the basin, "Let's go, go meet them!" ”

Before Gu Zuo came, the three major salt merchants in Yangzhou City had already discussed with Zou Cheng. This time, the Qin sent to come, without bringing a brocade guard, nor with any holy decree of Cha Yu, nothing, just two retinues and a maidservant, it should be nothing serious.

But be careful to sail the ship for ten thousand years, no matter what, Gu Zuo is not very easy to deal with, this reputation is outside, and it can't be faked.

It's really a headache for the emperor to reuse this person.

So they can't help it, like this, the emperor in front of the red can only eat and drink well, don't offend him, try to get the lake over, and send him back to Beijing.

As for leaving Gu Zuo's life in Yangzhou, it was a joke.

What is the personality of the emperor today?

Now the emperor hasn't paid much attention to Yangzhou and salt merchants, and if he really wants to do that thing, he estimates that this master is going to transfer the first-class guards of the Beijing camp, and in the seventeenth year of Hongzhi, it is not that there are no similar incidents.

So let's talk about some rules.

When he said that he could enter the mansion, Zou Cheng hurriedly took the three people behind him to trot all the way, and the others were left outside the mansion by him, and it was really inconvenient for many people to talk about it, but these people must come without worry, and there was no way to do it.

When I entered the gate and went down the stairs, I saw someone in front of the main house.

"Oh, Ambassador Zou, you have been standing outside the door for so long. Gu Mou had already reprimanded the people around him, even if it was because of the fatigue of the boat, it was too much to ask everyone to wait outside the door. Please forgive me, please forgive me. ”

Zou Cheng thought about many possibilities, but he didn't expect people to be so polite, "Where is the difference, we people should wait for the difference." ”

Gu Zuo bowed to the three people behind him again, and then turned sideways to get out of the way, "Come on, come on, please inside, please inside." ”

"Please go first, please go first."

Gu Zuo's height is actually not high, but Zou Cheng is not a big man, he has a small head and small eyes, and he doesn't know if it is the reason why he laughs here all the year round, in short, it looks a little flattering.

After some politeness, I went to the house and sat down.

Zou Cheng began to speak, "Shangcha, did you sleep well last night?" ”

"Okay, the fireworks will go down to Yangzhou in March, Gu has a good errand, since it is a good errand, it is natural to sleep well."

"If there is anything unfinished, please make it clear to the superiors, and the lower officials can arrange it. Hey. He added a laugh at the end, and gave the three salt merchants a look.

The three of them understood, and immediately attached it: "It's hard to travel on a business trip, and when you first arrive in Yangzhou, you must have a good rest, there is nothing else in Yangzhou City, and there are still some delicious food, good looks, and fun." Although it is not as prosperous as the Beijing Division, the small ones must also do their best, so that the trip is worth it. ”

"Ah, yes, yes, it's worth it."

Gu Zuo pursed his lips and smiled, "Don't rush if it's delicious and good-looking." Gu has an errand on his body, and he can't miss the right thing when he eats and drinks, which is what His Majesty cares about the most today."

"We have also taken this matter into consideration, so don't worry." Zou Cheng continued to smile and said: "Your Majesty is using the national policy of re-establishing the position, and the military needs must not be a small number, how can the lower official be inconsiderate as the salt envoy of the two Huaidu?" In addition, Shao Situ patrols the salt, no matter what, we will also make up a sum of tax money and ask Shao Situ to return to Beijing to pay the errand! ”

Gu Zuo was slightly surprised, "Cutting off people's money is like killing parents, and what I do is also an errand for the household department." Silver is the most rare thing in the world, Ambassador Zou and all of you...... Are you really willing to donate? ”

Zou Cheng is upright, and he has the consciousness of sacrificing his life for the country, "The minister is the official of the Ming Dynasty, so he naturally puts loyalty to the monarch first, otherwise how can he be worthy of the word loyalty?" ”

Gu Zuo couldn't deny, "What about these three, what do you think?" ”

"Oh, don't worry. We have no opinion on what Ambassador Zou said. ”

Gu Zuo groaned slightly,

If that's the case, then his errand is ...... Actually, it's over.

But how is that possible?

This time he's the one who's going to 'find trouble'.

So in front of them, Gu Zuo took out something from his cuff, a lens, white.

"It's also the official's maidservant who has a lot of trouble, and on the way here, she said that she was going to buy salt, but it turned out that she bought private salt."

As soon as the words of private salt came out, the hearts of Zou Cheng and the three salt merchants trembled.

"Gu sat in Beijing and looked at Yangzhou, and he really couldn't understand many things. For example, the problem of salt merchants' maintenance is serious day by day, and it is clear that they can't pay salt in the salt farm, but on the other hand, private salt is overflowing, Ambassador Zou, you said that you should let the official make it easier to pay to Your Majesty, how can you account to Your Majesty on this matter? ”

Gu Zuo's routine, they really don't understand. What did you say when you first came here? Because of this, the air is a little blocked for a while.

"Oh, maybe that's wrong. In fact, the main purpose of this trip is to solve problems for you. Of course, the imperial court needs a salt tax, but His Majesty's generation of holy monarchs always has to solve more critical problems. Shouzhi is one of them. ”

Zou Cheng and the three major salt merchants were unable to answer for a while, Emperor, what does this mean?

And Gu Zuo was thinking, how much of the salt tax of the imperial court was lost?