Seeing his wife, Gu Yunji immediately restrained his anger and looked gentle: "Why don't you sleep yet?" ”

Xu Shuhua laughed at him for changing his face too quickly, and teased: "Haven't you slept yet?" It's late at night, even if Lord Gu is worried about official business, he still has to pay attention to his body, right? ”

"It'll be right away." Gu Yunji looked at the official business piled up on the table, and his mood sank again, "There are already many things, and if it drags on, it will only become more and more troublesome and variable." Shall you go to sleep first? I'll be with you later. ”

Xu Shuhua knew what he had been busy with recently, and when he heard this, he just shook his head, his eyes fell on the official business in front of him, and said softly: "Isn't the investigation going well?" ”

Speaking of this, Gu Yunji had a headache: "Fortunately, the inventory process is okay, there is no difficulty in carrying out, mainly because the shops that have been found out are not only very numerous, accounting for one-third of the relevant shops in Fucheng, but they also have a very negative attitude towards this, and they don't realize their mistakes at all." ”

"When I went to check the shop, nine out of ten of them had to say, 'Whoever sells is not selling, anyway, it's all making money, and selling to the Japanese is no different from selling to someone else.'" In their hearts, they think that their behavior is a little immoral at most, and even think that I am making a big fuss and holding the chicken feathers given by the officials as arrows. ”

"There are also people who have complained to my senior brother, saying that I am good at acting and persecuting them as good people. You say, can I not be angry? ”

Xu Shuhua muttered: "Punishing the Tongwan shops is only a symptom but not a cure, the key is to help the people change their concepts, and let them know that the Japanese are the Japanese and the enemies who are incompatible with the imperial court and all the people of Great Xia." ”

Gu Yunji nodded: "I understand this, but it takes time, you have to take your time." These days, while inspecting the shops, I popularized knowledge to the merchants, and at the same time summoned the governors and officials from all over the country, so that they could go back to educate the people at the bottom and help the people establish a national concept. ”

"There is also Su Qi, he eats, drinks and has fun, and he actually has the ingenious idea of making up a story about the murder of the people by the Japanese invaders, and then telling it to the people through the mouths of the storyteller. Don't say it, it's quite useful. During the day, I passed by a teahouse, and the guests were so angry that they wanted to rush to the battlefield to kill the two widows. ”

Xu Shuhua smiled and smoothed his frowning brows: "You already have such a complete plan, it is both punishment and education, both soft and hard, and the rest is nothing more than a matter of time, what are you worried about?" ”

"Since you became an official, I haven't seen anything you haven't done since you were determined to do what you want to do. It's just a temporary difficulty, and you'll solve it, and I'm sure you. ”

Listening to his wife's soft voice, Gu Yunji suddenly thought of something, and his eyes flashed.

He held Xu Shuhua's hand, complicated emotions surged in his heart, and he said worriedly: "Shuhua, what if...... What I'm saying is that if the people of the Xu family break the law, I have to move them...... What would you think? ”

Xu Shuhua was stunned, and then understood: "The matter of the Tongwei shop involves the Xu family, right?" ”

Gu Yunji was silent for a moment, but still said truthfully: "Yes." ”

"How serious?"

“…… It's a bit serious. Gu Yunji didn't dare to look at her eyes, and said stubbornly, "A considerable number of the shops that have been cleared are under the names of the Xu family, and they are all confirmed to have had collusion. Moreover, compared to others, they sold more materials to the Japanese Invaders, in larger quantities, and the circumstances were more serious. ”

In fact, Gu Yunji was still tactful, and the real situation was even more serious than this.

Although there are many merchants in Tongwa, most of the plots are relatively minor, which is nothing more than selling a few hundred catties of grain and dozens of pieces of cloth. Some of the more important goods, such as salt, are basically sold by the Xu family, and the amount involved is very large, ranging from hundreds of taels of silver to nearly 1,000 taels of silver.

This is not a very unusual thing, how can any powerful family not have a little shady business behind it? Not to mention that this is Jiangnan, where the scholars have the right and money, own the largest amount of land, and operate the widest range of businesses, it is inevitable that there will be a phenomenon of bullying men and women in the township.

Families like the Gu family and the Xu family mostly encourage their descendants to join the ranks and ensure their own status with official honors; As for the children of the collateral lineage, they acquiesced in infiltrating all walks of life, accumulating wealth and expanding their power. Even if it is overturned, the descendants can still be preserved and can make a comeback at any time.

To put it bluntly, feudal society is also a clan society, even if Gu Yunji can't touch the roots, he can also grasp the typical examples to set an example and beat these big families. However, the Xu family is his wife and Xu Shuhua's mother's family, and having such a relationship makes him very embarrassed.

Xu Shuhua couldn't see any emotion on his face, but just asked him, "What are you going to do?" ”

Gu Yunji pondered the words: "...... What do you want me to do? ”

"Look at what you're saying." Xu Shuhua sneered, "In case the Xu family commits a serious crime, do you still bend the law for my favoritism?" This isn't your style, Master Gu. ”

Gu Yunji's cheeks were hot: "It's not a felony...... You know, the fundamental reason for the merchants is that they don't recognize the seriousness of the matter, and subjectively they don't make any big mistakes. Senior brother told me early on that this time the punishment should be the priority, if you just sell things to the widows, it will basically be a fine, and there will be no heavy punishment. ”

Saying that, Gu Yunji hesitated again: "...... Although it does not involve life, the fine is not a small amount, this is your mother's house, I am afraid you will be sad. ”

"What do I have to be sad about? When I was a child, I followed my father in the capital, and later went to Luxi Academy, and I rarely stayed in the Xu family, and my relationship with them was not deep. Xu Shuhua smiled easily, and then said seriously, "If you make a mistake, you will be punished, not to mention that this is not an ordinary mistake." ”

"I have seen with my own eyes that you are busy fighting against the Japanese, and I know how you, Su Qi, and Senior Brother are desperate to restore coastal peace. Not only did I fail to help you, but my mother's family is still holding you back and making you embarrassed, and I should feel guilty. ”

Gu Yunji's heart softened, pulled her over and sat in his arms, and said softly: "Shuhua, don't say that, this has nothing to do with you, you have already helped me a lot." ”

Xu Shuhua looked at his eyes: "In short, I believe in you, you will not wronged anyone." As long as the evidence is conclusive, in order to restore peace along the coast, even the Xu family can't catch it, you just do it. ”

Hearing this, Gu Yunji was moved, and thought of another point: "But if I dispose of the Xu family like this, will the teacher ......?"

(End of chapter)