The rain came to a sudden stop, Liang Caoshan's boots were full of mud spots, and he stepped into the door with the corners of his robes on his back. He heard the sound of the rain outside abruptly stop, took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his face, and said succinctly, "Let's start counting."
The sound of flipping the abacus in the house suddenly crackled, as if a just-in-time shower had started falling again in the office.
Liang Luoshan sat on the Taishi chair with the cabinet votes in his arms, opened the piles of the Eight Cities' ledger again, and buried his head to recalculate. He has a good mental calculation and understands taxes, and the speed of posting is very fast, but for the sake of safety, he still has an abacus and pen and paper at hand.
It rained all night in the office of the Ministry of Household Office, during which only the handymen came and went to make refreshing tea for everyone. However, in this noise, the queen mother also stayed up all night.
Incense was burning in the hall, and the queen mother turned the beads, leaning on the couch, and Aunt Liuxuan beat her legs. There is no one else in this hall, the queen mother removed Dongzhu, and looked a little haggard with her eyes closed.
"The commander has already communicated with Fuman," Aunt Liu Xiang comforted softly, "There should be some movement from the prince's end."
The empress dowager opened her eyes slightly and said, "Today we were discussing matters at Mingli Hall, and the prince also interjected. Aijia really regarded Kong Boran as a student when he saw that Kong Boran's love for her had changed."
"Isn't this all instigated by Xue Yanqing," Aunt Liu Xiang's hands were orderly and orderly, "She was raised outside the palace, how can she understand government affairs?"
"I don't know whether to advance or retreat, regardless of the importance. If she wants to intervene in the government, she must have the confidence to do so. Today Qi Zhuyin refuses to agree to Aijia, because she thinks that Xue Xiuzhuo has a way out. They are in a hurry to calculate the surplus food in the eight cities," the queen mother said. Looking at his hand wrapped around the beads, "Just do the math."
The lights were slightly dimmed, and the queen mother looked calm and did not panic.
* * *
The more he counted, the more frightened Liang Luoshan became. He dialed the abacus several times in the noisy sound of counting beads, but the result was just like what he had calculated in his head. It is the most fulfilling granary in Da Zhou today.
How did that happen
Liang Maoshan pushed aside the abacus and stood up, once again wiping the sweat from his face with his handkerchief.
* * *
Pan Lin leaned back on the chair, her face pale by the candlelight. He was locked here for a few days, and the crumpled corners of his robe showed the embarrassment of the noble son. He hung his energy and looked at Xue Xiuzhuo with tired eyes.
"When you inspected the land tax in Bacheng at the beginning of the year, you also knew the details of their granary." Xue Xiuzhuo was also very tired. He covered his eyes with a wet handkerchief for a while and recovered a little, "Is the granary in Bacheng vacant?"
Pan Lin answered with silence.
"Inheritance," Xue Xiuzhuo changed his words to Pan Lin, "you let Yao Yuanzhuo go because you still have good intentions. You are not like Wei Huaigu, so why do you have to run errands for them without your conscience? Dancheng starved to death last year. Many people, if the imperial court cannot reclaim the land and return the land to the people, many people in Dan City will still starve to death next year.”
Pan Lin's throat slid, he raised his head slightly, staring at the dark roof.
"Qi Zhuyin has entered the capital many times to seek salaries. The Qidong garrison has not been able to send troops yet. The twelve Biansha troops have already reached Bianjun." "Inheritance, I need food."
A moth flew out of nowhere, rested on the window, and flew away again in the long silence, towards the night. It wandered in the dark, brushing past the speeding carriage. The carriage stopped in front of the mansion, and before Hongying lifted the curtain, Hua Xiangyi had already jumped down.
"Husband..."
Hua Xiangyi held up her skirt and ran after stepping through the door. The hairpins in her hair were adorned with pearls and shook violently as she ran. Panting, she walked through the complicated vestibule and corridor, ignoring the exclamations around her, and ran into Qi Zhuyin's yard like this.
Qi Wei was talking to the servants when he suddenly saw Hua Xiangyi running over, he was startled, thought it was an assassin, and immediately shouted: "Protect the commander!"
The personal soldiers in the courtyard drew their knives instantly, and the light of the knives flickered in an instant. As soon as Qi Zhuyin opened the door, she was splashed with bright pearls all over her body. Hua Xiangyi hurriedly supported her hair on the sideburns, sweating out from her slightly hurried breathing.
"Pill City's granary is empty, no matter how much grain is left in Dan City that is reviewed by the Ministry of Households," Hua Xiangyi was still clutching her skirt, looking at Qi Zhuyin, "...It's all a blindfold."
Qi Zhuyin returned the hairpin she caught to Hua Xiangyi and looked at Qi Wei.
Qi Wei immediately stepped back, turned around and rushed out of the hospital, calling someone to report the news to Liang Luoshan.
At this moment, the day is approaching three quarters of the ugly hour, and at the second quarter of the Yin hour, all the officials will be ready to wait outside the palace gate, and Mao Shi will enter the palace early in the morning. The time is tight, and no one dares to delay.
* * *
Pan Lin fell into complete silence after Xue Xiuzhuo said those words. He stared at the roof and saw the old signs of disrepair on the beams, the parts that were not covered by the new paint were exposed, crawling with fine insect eyes and rotten in a mess.
Pan Lin sat here, but felt the wind. He counted the worm eyes silently, killing himself with a dull knife in the silence. He understood that Xue Xiuzhuo's expression might just be a disguise, but he also understood that what Xue Xiuzhuo said was the truth. During the days he was in the cell, the silence wasn't all about avoidance.
"Let me ask you," Pan Lin turned his head dully, finally willing to face Xue Xiuzhuo, he said, "Why did you kill Yuan Zhuo?"
Xue Xiuzhuo leaned back in his chair and looked directly at Pan Lin.
"You want to help Mrs. Li, and Mr. Haige also wants to help Mrs. Li. You both supported Emperor Tianchen and replaced Hua Siqian," Pan Lin moved her shackled hands to the table, "but you He killed Emperor Tianchen for the prince again... Xue Yanqing, you are hiding in the waves, I can't tell whether you are a loyal person or a traitor."
Pan Lin needs an answer. Xue Xiuzhuo can wash away the part of himself that is not acceptable to a gentleman in this question. As long as he gives Pan Lin a plausible reason, he will be able to win a big victory tonight.
But Xue Xiuzhuo said, "I killed Yao Yuanzhuo because he deserved it."
He didn't look so upright because he stayed up late, sitting opposite, even willing to loosen his tightly-buttoned official robes.
"The family always thought that this court was still their world, but as early as the last period of Yongyi year, they had lost control of this carriage. Look at your father, if the family is strong enough, why should he be here? The two sides of the first mouse under the attack of the noble family and the poor family? The defeat of the Bo Bing in the middle of Xiande made me understand one thing," Xue Xiuzhuo raised his finger and pointed to the ground, "The noble family was infiltrating Da Zhou and at the same time being infiltrated by others. Siqian thought he could play Amur in the east, but in fact he was just a jackal that Amur had caught while watching Da Zhou. The most ridiculous thing was that Hua Siqian thought he was the one holding the chain until he died people."
"Teacher and I watched the rise of King Libei, and the iron cavalry became a brave teacher in the northeast, but they were not used by the Li family. Their surname was Xiao. No matter how loyal Xiao Fangxu and Xiao Jiming were, Libei iron cavalry would no longer accept it. The generals from Zhedu, they call themselves the wolves, and they also call themselves the iron wall. Yes, they are indeed the iron wall, but while blocking the Biansha cavalry, they also blocked the city. If not for the chaos of the queen mother Zheng, Emperor Guangcheng would have disintegrated the Libei Iron Cavalry as early as in the late Yongyi year. When they were still called Luoxia Cavalry, it was the army that really belonged to the Li family. Don't you understand Xiao Fangxu? But he still refused to hand over military power. , he believes in himself, he may be right, but he can't control the gradually solidified iron cavalry."
"There are many people who are criticized and suspicious, but who can ensure that such a large and powerful army will always have a sober commander? Even Xiao Fangxu himself knows that it is impossible. What you need to sit here is not verbal commitment and personal trust, but Real balance and restraint. Xiao Fangxu has long understood that he wants to hand over a son to Qidu. The teacher is looking for suitable opportunities in order to take into account the friendship and face of Li Bei. However, before the teacher has acted, Hua Siqian is to fill the void. Losing the six states of Zhongbo to Amur, the reason why Xiao Chiye entered the capital became the heart disease of Yedu and Libei."
"Do you understand? There are scorpions from the desert in this water. Amur relied on them to move the situation, making Da Zhou rot and stink, but the aristocratic family pretended to be deaf and dumb. My teacher and I have gone through untold hardships to support Li Jianheng. When he ascended the throne, he expected Li Jianheng to clean up the court, but he was a complete waste."
"Yao Yuanzhuo's reputation has accumulated to a terrifying place, but he can never be used by Qidu. If I don't kill him, he will definitely be used by others. You leave Yao Yuanzhuo for the so-called righteousness, and you can see the world's famous people now. The tide is flocking to Zhongbo, and he is making suggestions for Shen Zechuan."
Xue Xiuzhuo paused for a long time and said expressionlessly, "I am neither a loyal nor a traitor."
What exactly is he
he does not know.
When he was enlightened, he was taught by Mr. Changzong and thought he could be a gentleman. He has admired Qi Huilian in the past few years, and even communicated with Qi Huilian. He thought that Qi Huilian could understand his ambition, but Qi Huilian refused. He respects Hai Liangyi and is willing to be driven by Hai Liangyi. To this day, he still calls Hai Liangyi a teacher, but Hai Liangyi firmly believes that Li Jianheng can become emperor under his own guidance - Xue Xiuzhuo can't wait, he wants to be able to open up The monarch of chaos, if not, he can only be able to gain.
He didn't need pity or justification, he was willing to pay double the price for what he had done. He has only one life, and he bet his life on the dusk of the big week. No matter whether it is the dawn he expects after the dark night, he is willing to work hard.
This is Da Zhou and his last chance.
Pan Lin raised her hands and covered her face in front of the table. After a long time, she said, "When I was serving as a servant of the household department, I knew that Wei Huaigu was doing false accounting and that there was a problem with Dancheng's land tax." He revealed Eyes, with slight wrinkles, "But my name is Pan Lin, I can only..."
Pan Lin didn't go on, he rubbed his face hard.
There were hurried footsteps outside the cell. Pan Lin and Xue Xiuzhuo sat quietly, listening to the noise approaching at the last moment when the door was opened.
"empty."
Pan Lin said tiredly.
"Eight cities are empty."
Xue Xiuzhuo stood up suddenly, swept away his exhaustion before the subordinate behind him spoke, clasped his neckline, nodded slightly to Pan Lin, and said, "Thank you."
There were people outside the cell, and when Xue Xiuzhuo was about to leave, Pan Lin suddenly said, "You have exhausted your selfish desires, and you are no longer tolerated by ordinary people. As you said, what you need here is balance and restraint... What can you do to keep the prince restrained?" of?"
Xue Xiuzhuo looked sideways and did not answer.
Pan Lin seemed to understand something, he watched Xue Xiuzhuo leave. The prison door closed with a "squeak" sound, and he was the only one left sitting here, the small window on the side showed a thin morning light, but it did not shine on Pan Lin.
Pan Lin tried her best.
* * *
Pan Xiangjie rummaged through the boxes to find the ledger. Those old booklets accumulated at the bottom of the box were all weapons to punish him! When he woke up, he heard the wind and wanted to burn everything before Xue Xiuzhuo arrived.
Yongyi year, Xiande year, Tianchen year!
Pan Xiangjie tied the accounts neatly. He knelt in front of the box, ripped off the rope with his bare hands, and then threw all the accounts into the copper basin.
There were too many, and he couldn't burn it alone.
Pan Xiangjie was so anxious that his mouth was filled with sour water, but he never thought that Gaokou was his own son. He's been cornered - he can't stop there!
"Yongyinian..." Pan Xiangjie read the accounts along his fingers, "Hua's...Han..."
Everyone is here, and Pan Xiangjie is ecstatic. As long as everyone is here, then his Pan family will not die. The sound of running in military boots suddenly broke into the courtyard. Pan Xiangjie clenched the ledger tightly, stood up with the box, and walked to the door tremblingly.
It was Han Cheng who came.
Pan Xiangjie pretended to be calm, covered his wide sleeves, and said to Han Cheng: "The matter has not yet reached that stage, can the Queen Mother be unable to bear it? The method of abandoning the soldiers to protect the car is definitely not the best way! Xue Xiuzhuo is at odds with the aristocratic family. , everyone can't run away."
Pan Xiangjie has pretended to be confused all his life, followed Hua Siqian and Wei Huaigu as a tortoise, knelt down and begged for mercy at every turn in the courtroom, but now he can speak clearly and fluently.
Han Cheng held onto the hilt of the knife and said, "You are being executed at the moment, leaving room for everyone to breathe. Who would dare not to miss your kindness? I will keep your descendants alive, and there will be a chance to revive them in the future."
Pan Xiangjie watched the sword light approaching, and couldn't help raising his voice: "You killed me today, but you are forcing Xue Xiuzhuo to step up your pace! How many days can Trent City survive?"
"Stop talking nonsense!" Han Cheng also sweated on his forehead, and he waved his orders, "The Queen Mother knew that you would leave a way out for herself. This account is a mess, but you remember clearly, burn this yard!"
Pan Xiangjie held the door, watching his family cry, shouting in the chaos: "I have already let Chengzhi copy these accounts, burn them! If you kill me now, these accounts will still fall into the hands of Xue Xiuzhuo. !"
"Pan Lin's treason has become a reality," Han Cheng drew out his knife, "Didn't he secretly let Yao Wenyu go? Yao Wenyu is now Shen Zechuan's advisor! The evidence of your Pan's collusion and betrayal of the party is conclusive, and his words are somewhat valid. Letter? He is Shen Zechuan's meticulous work in Yedu!"
Pan Xiangjie fell to the ground while being pushed and shoved, and he shouted: "The rabbit died and the dog cooks... the birds are all bowed! I am a lackey for you, and this is the end today! Han Cheng, I died today, and you How long can you live!"
Han Cheng had the badge of the Eight Great Camps and couldn't wait any longer. He walked towards Pan Xiangjie during the sudden rise of the fire, and was about to slash with his sword. Unexpectedly, Qi Wei behind him was faster, instead of going around the corridor, he jumped directly over the roof ridge, swooped down from the top, and rolled out with Han Cheng.
Taking this opportunity, Pan Xiangjie suddenly raised the ledger and shouted towards the gate of the hospital: "Master, save me!"
While struggling, Han Cheng threw the badge of the Eighth Battalion, and also shouted: "At the feet of the Emperor, the army is the greatest! Qi Zhuyin's troops stopped in the suburbs, how dare you hinder my Eighth Battalion from doing things?"
"I asked the commander to arrest the offender. There are both the Ministry of Punishment's ticket and the order of the Ministry of War, why not?" Xue Xiuzhuo threw off the robe and said sharply, "Fight the fire to take the person, and take it with Han Cheng!"
Han Cheng said, "I am under the order of the Empress Dowager, how dare you?!"
The eight major battalions in the courtyard immediately drew their swords and suddenly approached Xue Xiuzhuo.
Qi Zhuyin used the scabbard to poke the blade away, and then said, "Since the eight major battalions are the army of the capital, they are the army of the emperor. The prince asked me to come to assist in the case, but you want to listen to the queen mother?"
Han Cheng originally thought that Pan Xiangjie was deceiving himself, but who knew that Qi Zhuyin was really here! He dared to kill before Xue Xiuzhuo came, because he held the eight major battalions and could threaten the cabinet, but now that Qi Zhuyin's troops were parked outside the city, it would definitely suffer in a real fight.
Han Cheng's arrogance fell short, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Of course... I'll let the prince arrange it."
The Eight Great Battalions returned their swords to their sheaths, watching Qi Zhuyin's personal soldiers enter, and escorting Pan Xiangjie and Han Cheng away. The fire didn't burn for a long time and was easily extinguished. Xue Xiuzhuo waved away the smoke and picked up a few unburned ledgers.
* * *
The Empress Dowager was shocked to hear that Xue Xiuzhuo had taken the ledger, and she couldn't help falling down on the couch. She frowned and said with hatred, "Pan Xiangjie, you bastard!"
Pan Xiangjie actually dragged everyone into the water in order to save his life!
"Where's the prince?" The queen mother regained her composure. "Well, Xue Xiuzhuo has the ability. If he wants to break the net with Aijiayu, let him see if the 'True Destiny' in his hand is tough enough."
The queen mother took off the beads and threw them into the burning copper basin, splashing countless soot.
* * *
After Han Cheng was caught, he closed his eyes and went to sleep. He faced the wall and ignored anyone. He was sure that Xue Xiuzhuo did not dare to move himself. Pan Xiangjie returned to his old appearance, sitting across the table with his sleeves clasped and whimpering.
"I explained... I explained..." Pan Xiangjie wiped his tears, "but let me have a bite first, Yanqing, I'm very hungry."
This old slick wanted to delay time, blackmailed the queen mother with the ledger, and waited for the queen mother to find someone.
Although Liang Luoshan was in charge of taxes, he had seen these criminal trials and knew that none of these old guys were good at trial. He simmered all night, and now he took two sips of tea. After receiving Xue Xiuzhuo's inspiration, he said, "It will take time to cook noodles and dishes. Master will speak slowly."
Pan Xiangjie didn't seem angry when he saw Liang Luoshan, he just said, "Chongshen is so familiar with Chengzhi, he knows me." Very messy."
"How can I make the boss bother," Liang Luoshan put down the tea, "you just answer me. Yesterday, I counted the surplus grain in Dancheng, and found that the warehouse was full. Tell me, did you buy it somewhere else before the re-examination by the Ministry of Household. Food to pretend to be surplus food?"
"I don't care about the food," Pan Xiangjie innocently spread out his hands, as if anxious, "I'm in charge of the labor department! For the details of the food, you can ask the grain supervisor of Dan City, or Pan Yi."
"I've already asked," Liang Luoshan opened the booklet and showed it to Pan Xiangjie, "They all explained that you sold the grain to Yan Heru. After Dancheng sold it, the other seven cities also sold it, right?"
"I don't even know Dan City's account, how can I know about the other seven cities?" Pan Xiangjie knew that Liang Luoshan took out this thing to make fun of himself, and he said, "Since they have all explained it, Yanqing, are you public? Report it to the cabinet and show it to Yuan Fu."
Xue Xiuzhuo said, "I had to discuss matters early in the morning, and I reported it before Mao Shi."
When Pan Xiangjie heard that he had reported it, he could not tell the truth from the false for a while.
Liang Luoshan took out the ticket of the Ministry of Punishment from his sleeve and said, "Otherwise, how could the boss be invited to come to us? Naturally, he went according to the laws and regulations, and the Ministry of Punishment approved it."
Pan Xiangjie stared at the ticket for a while.
Xue Xiuzhuo leaned closer, looked at Pan Xiangjie, and said, "Your Excellency is in charge of the Ministry of Engineering. When the Guangou case in Xiande Nian happened, I saw that the dam of the Kailing River was well repaired, which shows that Your Excellency is also doing practical things and is willing to share the worries of the people. This time I didn't come for the adults, but he is very good, not to the point of killing or hacking, but Pan has some problems with the book, let's clear it up, and there is room for the rest."
This is to tell Pan Xiangjie that if he hesitates again, there will be no room for this.
Pan Xiangjie sobbed a few times, drooping his beard, and said to Xue Xiuzhuo, "I really don't know."
Xue Xiuzhuo said: "It seems that Dancheng is the 'private city' of the Pan family. You deceived the imperial court, colluded with the householder Pan Lin to embezzle private land in Dancheng, falsely reported land taxes, and re-sold official grains. A nest of snakes and rats has killed countless people, and this is all done by your Pan family."
Pan Xiangjie was startled when he heard it. He saw that Xue Xiuzhuo was coming, and hurriedly said, "Yanqing..."
"Ledgers, confessions, all the original texts are copied and submitted to the cabinet," Xue Xiuzhuo ignored Pan Xiangjie, "Such a corrupt and lawless person deserves to be raided to pay taxes and be executed!"
"The ledger hasn't been sorted out yet!" Pan Xiangjie stood up, shaking his hands and said, "Yanqing, Yanqing! We can talk in detail, but I haven't explained it yet!"
Xue Xiuzhuo turned around.
Pan Xiangjie could only say: "In this account—"
The prison door behind Xue Xiuzhuo suddenly opened, and the pen note stood up, not knowing what happened. Xue Xiuzhuo turned back and saw that it was the eunuch in the palace, and he couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat.
The little eunuch was out of breath and didn't dare to look directly at the courtiers. He knelt on the ground and hurriedly took a few steps on his knees, and said hurriedly: "Master, my lord! Chu Jun suddenly fainted before the court, Yuan Fu urgently called the imperial doctor, and now return… "
Just one step away.
Xue Xiuzhuo's hands and feet were cold, and the ledger in his hand was sweating. Pan Xiangjie immediately shut up and sat back again.
Beating a snake and hitting seven inches, the queen mother is really difficult to deal with!
Xue Xiuzhuo dropped the ledger in his hand, and a voice squeezed out between his teeth: "Enter the palace."