The Imperial Palace, the Ming Hall.

"Your Majesty, Cheng Guogong is asking to see you outside the hall!" Qixi tiptoed in, stood about three meters behind Emperor Yongxi, and bent down to say.

"He picked the right time." Emperor Yongxi, who was meditating and cultivating, slowly opened his eyes and ordered, "Please let him in." ”

"Yes."

Seven Up nodded and quickly retreated.

"Chen Shen Zhuang see Your Majesty, Your Majesty is blessed." After Shen Zhuang came in, he knelt down in front of Emperor Yongxi and said loudly.

"Brother Shen, why bother, although we are monarchs and ministers, we have also been friends for many years, and we are not in the Great Palace, so there is no need to greet us this time." Emperor Yongxi got up, held Shen Zhuang up, said warmly, and at the same time ordered Qixi to send the brocade stool over.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"I know that you have recently lost your beloved son, and I have ordered Nan Ya to investigate the murderer thoroughly, the deceased is gone, and the living still need to mourn, don't break your body because of this." Emperor Yongxi said like a spring breeze, "By the way, the old lady is okay?" ”

"Your Majesty Lao cares, my mother is so sad because of her grandson's affairs that she hasn't gotten out of bed for several days."

"Then let Xia Yuanli come over and take a look?"

"Your Majesty Xie is sympathetic, my mother just misses her grandson, doesn't think about food, it's okay, I don't have to work Lord Xia." Shen Zhuang declined.

"Let's take a look, the old lady is old after all, I will give you two more three-hundred-year-old ginseng plants to go back to make up for the old man?"

Shen Zhuang thanked him again.

"Your Majesty, I heard that you want to use next year's salt tax as collateral and want to borrow 10 million taels of silver from the 'Huitong' bank?" Shen Zhuang stepped forward and asked.

"There is such an idea, but it is not the salt tax of the entire Great Zhou, but the salt tax of Yangzhou, Suzhou and Ningzhou." Emperor Yongxi lowered his head slightly and said slowly.

"Your Majesty, the salt tax in these three states adds up to less than two million taels a year, and now the three states are still at war, and next year's salt tax will not be collected at all, you only use one year's salt tax as collateral, is it too much to take away 10 million taels of silver, you might as well go directly to 'Huitong' and take the money directly." Shen Zhuang said that although the "Huitong" money village is taken care of by his Shen family, it is not his alone, and the royal family also has shares and dividends every year.

"The three southeastern states are important salt-producing towns, and the salt tax can reach five or six million taels of silver per year when the salt tax is the highest, and the court has cracked down on illegal salt in recent years, and the stronger the crackdown, the more rampant the illegal salt dealers, and the salt tax is also declining every year, but the annual salt production is constantly increasing, Brother Shen, do you know why?"

"Your Majesty, salt and iron are the monopoly of the imperial court, and the Shen family is only responsible for collecting taxes, you should ask the tax supervisor and the mine supervisor, they are directly responsible."

"Ningzhou Salt and Iron Envoy Liu Qian is the younger brother of your concubine Liu Zhimei, right?" Emperor Yongxi said, "And Suzhou Yanliang Si Tang Zhe is also from your family, right?" “

When Shen Zhuang heard this, a layer of fine sweat suddenly appeared on his forehead.

"If I ordered their homes to be raided, why wouldn't I have more than that?" Emperor Yongxi walked over and slowly leaned down.

"Your Majesty is magnanimous, and the minister understands." Shen Zhuang hurriedly got up and knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head.

"Of the ten million taels, six million taels were borrowed from you by the salt tax, and the four million taels were voluntarily donated to the imperial court." Emperor Yongxi said.

"I understand." Shen Zhuang knew very well why Emperor Yongxi wanted to do this, the salt tax in the three southeastern states was at most six million taels per year, and the tax silver in the future could not be lower than this amount, as for the four million taels, it was said to be a donation, but it was actually a confiscation.

Otherwise, Emperor Yongxi would tear his face on the spot, and it would not be this bit of silver.

"I heard that Nan Ya asked for an open coffin autopsy on the fourth son, do you disagree?"

"Yes, the deceased is gone, why bother to disturb the peace of the child again, what's more, the inspection department has not inspected it, and the minister has also carefully looked at the child's wounds, it is the killing secret technique of the Xirong Puppet Shadow Hall 'Youhong', what is there to doubt?" Shen Zhuang straightened his waist slightly and said.

"I believe that Brother Shen will not be mistaken, but the external wounds caused by 'Youhong' can be faked, and if you want to be completely sure that it was caused by 'Youhong', you must conduct a full autopsy on the body."

"Your Majesty means to disembowel my child?" Shen Zhuang was a little displeased, he couldn't even save his son's corpse, so could he still be considered a father?

"If it helps to find out who did it, it can be done when necessary." Emperor Yongxi said, "Doesn't Brother Shen want to know who bought the killers of the Seven Star Pavilion to kill Shen Sigongzi?" ”

"The minister only needs to know that it is the killer of the Xirong Puppet Shadow Hall!"

"So you took revenge on Luo Jing's stronghold in the Xirong Puppet Shadow Hall, and blamed the True Martial Academy?" Emperor Yongxi asked.

"The minister didn't, and the minister didn't dare to do this." Shen Zhuang directly denied it.

"Okay, I don't ask, but the whole thing is already related to the relationship between the imperial court and Xirong, the stronghold of Xirong Puppet Shadow Hall is semi-public, if we don't give Xirong an explanation, then, our people in Xirong's court will also suffer the same thing, also, your son was assassinated, the court also has to give an investigation, Da Zhou is now in a difficult situation at home and abroad, and can't fight on two fronts, what do you want me to do, for you, tear your face with Xirong, and the border between the two countries will start a war again, regardless of the demands of the Xirong people, perfunctory, Xirong's side will retaliate on the other side, Further escalation of contradictions and conflicts? Emperor Yongxi asked rhetorically, "Brother Shen, how do you choose your position in me?" ”

"Does Your Majesty think that someone is secretly sowing discord?"

"What do you say?"

Shen Zhuang was silent for a long time before he spoke: "Your Majesty, the minister can agree to open the coffin for an autopsy, but this matter cannot be carried out publicly, and Princess Liuli is not allowed to participate." ”

"Do you think Ruri is suspicious?"

"The minister doesn't dare, but is it a bit child's play for Your Majesty to hand over such an important case to a person who has no experience in investigating cases?" Shen Zhuang said.

"Wu Ninghou arranged an experienced assistant for Liuli, besides, Liuli herself is a royal princess, and I arranged for her to go to Nanya for training, but I didn't let her go through the motions."

"Your Majesty wants to train Princess Liuli, the minister naturally has no opinion, but the experience needs to start from the grassroots level, Princess Liuli does not have any experience in handling cases, even if she arranges someone to assist, can she control such a big case, the minister suggested that an old and serious person be selected from Nanya to be responsible for this case." Shen Zhuang said.

"What if someone else, does it have to be better than Liuli?"

"I believe it would be fairer to have someone else."

"Did you listen to any gossip, or do you think that Liuli will use this case to destroy the relationship between the imperial court and Xirong, and then destroy the relationship between the wolf lord of Xirong and her?"

"Isn't it, Princess Liuli is the true inheritance of Tianlan Sect, her ambition is not above the court, and she doesn't want to marry Xirong at all, it was His Majesty who made her agree to this family affair with great righteousness, but His Majesty has not thought about it, if this marriage is completed, it may not be a good thing for Da Zhou." After Shen Zhuang knew Emperor Yongxi's bottom line, he naturally spoke a lot harder.

How did Emperor Yongxi not know that he forced Ye Liuli to agree to marry out of practical needs, and he never thought of marrying Ye Liuli to Xirong and his relatives.

Therefore, the three conditions that Ye Liuli put forward to the wolf lord of Xirong, he was happy to see it come true.

The development of things is constantly changing, and with the stabilization of the war in the southeast, he has enough confidence for Xirong, but he does not intend to completely close the option of "marriage", which is equivalent to leaving no way back for himself.

Shen Zhuang keenly grasped the inner thoughts of Emperor Yongxi at this moment, he neither wanted to completely close the door to Xirong and kiss, nor did he want to marry Ye Liuli to the wolf lord of Xirong, and at the same time, he also wanted to delay the time, until the beginning of spring next year, and the situation in the southeast was completely settled.

If the situation in the southeast cannot be reversed, even if it is to quench thirst, it will also promote the marriage with Xirong, and if the Great Zhou wins, then the choice will be calm.

"Okay, I promise you, replace the glass." Emperor Yongxi thought about it seriously and nodded in agreement with Shen Zhuang's suggestion.

He was also afraid that Ye Liuli would make things bigger for his own interests, to the point where he couldn't control it.

For the Tianlan Sect, he was always on guard.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Shen Zhuang breathed a sigh of relief, and finally persuaded Emperor Yongxi, if he really let Ye Liuli continue to investigate, it would be really troublesome.

Ye Liuli has already found Ding Xian, and Ding Xian is his person, if Ding Xian is arrested, then many secrets in the three southeastern states will be exposed......

……

"What do you think?" Shen Zhuang left, and a gray-robed figure walked in from behind the hall and came to Emperor Yongxi's side.

"He's compromised, or maybe he's confusing you." Jiang Daozong said slowly.

"You say, I've forced him like this, will he already know that it's me?" Emperor Yongxi folded his hand, looked at the black spot outside the door of the main hall and asked.

"Your Majesty, Shen Zhuang doesn't look like that kind of ambitious person, would you be looking at the wrong person?" Jiang Daozong hesitated for a moment and said.

"He may not have this idea, but when he is in that position, he can't stop, will the people behind him agree?" Emperor Yongxi said.

Jiang Daozong was silent, this topic was too sensitive, and he was a close minister of the Son of Heaven, so he could say some things and some things he couldn't.

"He insisted that I replace Liuli, it should be that Liuli found out his sore feet, otherwise with his temperament, he would not take Liuli, a little girl who has just entered the WTO, to heart." Emperor Yongxi said, "Nanya should have found something over there." ”

"Your Majesty summoned Wu Ninghou into the palace and asked, don't you know?"

"My imperial uncle is not touched, he is not involved in the party struggle of the court, he is not involved in the army, he is not involved in the struggle for the throne, what can be done and what cannot be done, the division is very clear, and he will always abide by his duty and keep his measure."

"If Wu Ninghou was not able to do this, how could the Emperor and His Majesty put him in the position of Nan Ya for so many years?" Jiangdao Zongdao.

"Wu Ninghou is old, he has submitted his resignation to me, and wants to resign from the position of the governor of Nanya and return to the countryside, but Nanya can't be left without an owner for a day, he is gone, who can take charge of Nanya for me?" Emperor Yongxi said with a headache.

"Your Majesty promised Wu Ning to go into hiding?" Jiang Daozong was surprised.

"Not with this, but there will always be this day, I can't let him work in Nanya for the rest of his life, right?" Yongxi Emperor said.