That night, Yan Mansion.

"Father, what should I do next, Your Majesty has asked the child to be the chief examiner!"

In Yan Song's study, Yan Shifan was full of sadness and kept complaining to Yan Song.

"Hmph, Your Majesty asked you to be the chief examiner, and you will take care of it for me! If it fails, see how I clean you up. Yan Song may have been a little impatient, took off his reading glasses, and said in a deep voice.

"However, father, the child has no experience in this area, and if it is delayed at that time......" Yan Shifan said, his voice gradually quieter.

"If you don't have experience, you will learn, and if you don't know where you can, ask if you don't know, isn't your father still here? You can't make it! Yan Song said and spoke, and he was angry.

"The father is angry, and the child knows that he is wrong." Yan Shifan saw that his father was angry, and hurriedly spoke.

At this moment, a maid walked into the study with a basin of hot water, and when Yan Shifan saw this, he hurriedly stepped forward to serve Yan Song and took off his shoes and socks.

After Yan Song's feet were put into the hot water, his tone also softened, and he asked Yan Shifan, "Are those guys a little honest?" ”

Yan Shifan naturally understood what Yan Song was referring to, and after thinking for a moment, he responded: "Father, most of those guys are honest, but there are still a very few people who rely on their qualifications and don't take your orders seriously. ”

"Hmph, if they dare to do anything about the salt tax this time, I will never spare them!" After listening to his son Yan Shifan's answer, Yan Song said in a deep voice.

"It's just that the father, the child is still a little worried, after all, you have made a "military order" with Your Majesty before! I'm afraid there will be ...... Qingliu over there," Yan Shifan said, pausing for a moment, meaning something.

"I understand what you said, this time the salt tax is levied, and those clear streams will definitely get in the way and try to make the salt tax uneven."

Yan Song said, then lifted his feet from the hot water, and the maid on the side saw this, and hurriedly wiped it dry with a silk towel.

"Ah, what should I do then, will I see you being punished by His Majesty then?" When Yan Shifan heard Yan Song's words, he immediately panicked.

"It doesn't matter, it's not me who should be panicked the most at the moment, but Yan Maoqing, his whole net worth and life are on this."

"If the salt tax is collected, he may still be able to live, but if the salt tax is not collected, then his head will have to be hung by His Majesty on the wall of the city of Beijing to set an example! And according to what I know about him, he will definitely try to collect the salt tax by any means necessary, and wait for his good news. ”

"Besides, before Yan Maoqing left, I had already sent someone to provide him with all the black materials of the officials on Qingliu's side who might be obstructed from it, and he would know what to do."

Yan Song said, and then added.

"Father means, let that Yan Maoqing take the black material to deal with those Qingliu officials?" Yan Shifan was puzzled after listening to his father's story.

"If it were normal times, Your Majesty might not care too much, but now is the time to collect the salt tax, and Yan Maoqing's identity has also changed from the left deputy capital Yushi to the person in charge of the salt tax collection by the imperial court this time!"

"Let me ask, is the impeachment proposed by the person in charge of the imperial court's salt tax weighty enough?"

Yan Song said, and then added.

……

At this time, Yan Maoqing was rushing to Zhejiang by boat through the Grand Canal.

"How long will it take to reach Zhejiang at the earliest?" Yan Maoqing got up from the bed, called the guard, and asked.

"Report to my lord, according to the people on the ship before, at the current speed, it will be possible to reach Zhejiang in three days."

The guard in charge of Yan Maoqing's security saw Yan Maoqing's question, and after thinking for a moment, he replied respectfully.

"Well, I see, you go down and get busy." After getting the answer he wanted, Yan Maoqing waved his hand and motioned for him to leave.

"Yes, sir!" The guard said that, and then turned and left.

Looking at the back of the guards leaving, Yan Maoqing sighed, and then took out an envelope from under the pillow, which was full of black material from the officials over there in Qingliu.

"Elder Yan Ge is pushing my Yan Maoqing into the fire pit!" Yan Maoqing opened the envelope, and after seeing the name on it, he said quietly.

Yan Maoqing knows that his salt tax collection will not go too smoothly! He has always been a hardcore member of the Yan Party, and those officials of the Qingliu faction are eager to get rid of him when they see him, how can they honestly cooperate with him to collect the salt tax?

And Yan Maoqing quickly understood his position after the initial confusion, he will charge at the forefront this time, as a knife in Yan Song's hands, to attack the Qingliu faction! By the way, he collected enough salt taxes for the imperial court.

"Let's hope everything goes well!"

After Yan Maoqing finished speaking, he came out of the room and turned to the deck, looking at the night view on the shore, not knowing what he was thinking.

……

Zhejiang, the Yamen of the Political Division.

Since the last time Hu Zongxian gave his orders, Zheng Michang has not returned to his home, but has stayed in the yamen all day long, and every half hour, he has to personally take people to the treasury where the salt tax is stored to inspect it.

"My lord, my lord, it's time!" Just as Zheng Michang fell asleep, he was woken up by his subordinates.

"Who, dare to disturb the official's dreams, don't you want to live!" Zheng Michang opened his hazy eyes, and when he saw the person clearly, he immediately became furious.

"Big ...... My lord, you asked me to wake you up every half hour, saying that it should be like this no matter what happens. Seeing that Zheng Michang was angry, the subordinates said aggrievedly.

"You...... Alas, forget it, accompany me to the treasury! Zheng Michang said, rubbed his eyes, and said in a deep voice.

"Yes, sir!" The subordinates answered in succession and led the way in front.

Soon, Zheng Michang went to the warehouse under the leadership of his subordinates, only to see him yawn, and then took out the key he was carrying and opened the first lock! Then, his subordinate also took another key from his bosom and opened the second lock.

"My lord, let's go in." Zheng Michang's subordinates said that, they got out of the way and let Zheng Michang enter it first.

"Well, why should you hand over all the money? If it were as before......"

Looking at the neatly stacked silver taels, Zheng Michang's thoughts were fluttering, and he didn't know what he was thinking.

"Alright, let's start counting them!" Zheng Michang took his eyes off the silver, he was afraid that if he continued to look like this, he would not be able to suppress the greed in his heart.

"Yes!" After receiving Zheng Michang's order, the subordinates behind him entered it and began to count the number of silver taels one by one against the booklet.

"Eight hundred and seventy thousand taels, nine hundred and twenty thousand taels, one million and sixty thousand taels, one hundred and sixty thousand taels!"

"Hey, how can there be less than 100,000 taels!"

The official in charge of counting the silver taels looked at the booklet in his hand and wondered.

"What? How could it be less than 100,000 taels, it must be that you didn't count carefully. When Zheng Michang on the side heard this, he couldn't help but be shocked, and immediately lost his sleep, and then snatched the book from his hand and decided to personally count the silver taels in the warehouse.

"Eight hundred and ninety thousand taels, one million and thirty thousand taels, one hundred and sixty thousand taels!" After Zheng Michang personally counted the silver taels in the treasury, he couldn't help but feel that the souls of the dead were all rising, and it was over, and there was a loss of 100,000 taels of silver!

Zheng Michang suppressed the panic in his heart, and ordered in a deep voice: "From now on, no one is allowed to enter and leave the Yamen of the Political Secretary, and there will be no forgiveness for violators!" ”

"You went to the Governor's Mansion to report, and you said that the salt tax was less than 100,000 taels!"

"Yes!"

The person pointed out by Zheng Michang hurriedly responded, and then left quickly and rushed to the governor's mansion.

(End of chapter)