Chapter 1762
Unity and Solidarity!
Chapter 1762 Unity and Solidarity!
Because of their shared hometown and the fact that Tian Yu was always very respectful, among the five members of the Gao G group under his command, Murong Yuliang trusted Tian Yu the most. He even intended to recommend Tian Yu to Ye Mingsheng to succeed him as the governor of Jianghuai after he was promoted to the position of Grand Secretary. Therefore, Murong Yuliang could not think of any reason for Tian Yu to betray him.
To be honest, if Liu Mingyang hadn't brought it up, he really wouldn't have thought of it that way. But now that Liu Mingyang has said it, Murong Yuliang feels that among the three remaining people, the one most likely to betray him is not Tian Yu, the Provincial Governor of Jiangnan, but Zhang Baoping, the Prefect of Lin'an.
The Great Qian Dynasty has two large cities with a combined population of over one million, including the surrounding area. One of these cities is Lin'an, and the other is Yijing.
Although Yijing, as the capital, held a higher political status than Lin'an on the political map of the Great Qian Dynasty, its economic development lagged behind that of Lin'an. Therefore, the position of prefect of Lin'an was considered a desirable one in terms of both career prospects and financial rewards.
Zhang Baoping, as the prefect of Lin'an, was a very capable person. He made significant contributions to Lin'an's rapid development in recent years. However, Zhang Baoping was not a perfect person. He also interfered with the economic development achievements of Jiangnan.
Murong Yuliang understood this perfectly, but he also knew that faced with so many temptations, it would be difficult for anyone to resist. Therefore, he sometimes adopted a tacit approval approach. Actually, Zhang Baoping taking a little wasn't too wrong. Among the hundreds of prefects throughout the Great Qian Dynasty, it was hard to find a truly clean one. The only difference was how much they took. All crows are black, so no one should laugh at someone else's shortcomings…
Murong Yuliang truly believed that Zhang Baoping was the most likely person to betray him, because he had previously sensed that Zhang Baoping might harbor resentment towards him!
Zhang Baoping was a native of Jiangnan and was highly respected among the local officials. When the candidates for the Jiangnan Provincial Administration Commissioner were being re-evaluated, Zhang Baoping, who was then serving as the Deputy Provincial Administration Commissioner of Liaoyang, received a lot of support and admiration. For a time, he was the most popular candidate and seemed to be the only one who could be chosen as the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Jiangnan.
At that time, in order to make achievements in Jiangnan as soon as possible and deliver a satisfactory report to Ye Mingsheng, and also to gain the support of local officials in Jiangnan, Murong Yuliang made a big promise to Zhang Baoping and won him over as the Deputy Provincial Governor of Jiangnan!
However, seeing that Zhang Baoping was highly respected among the local officials in Jiangnan, in order to prevent a repeat of the Huainan incident and to prevent Zhang Baoping from leading the local officials to sideline him, Murong Yuliang ultimately chose the unremarkable Tian Yu as the candidate for the Jiangnan Provincial Governor.
To compensate Zhang Baoping, Murong Yuliang arranged for him to take on the lucrative post of Prefect of Lin'an, and reiterated his promise that within two or three years, he would immediately recommend Zhang Baoping to the Emperor as Provincial Treasurer of Jiangnan. While Zhang Baoping appeared calm and agreed to follow Murong Yuliang and contribute to Jiangnan, Murong Yuliang still harbored some distrust towards this representative of the Jiangnan local Communist Party…
Besides this reason, according to Murong Yuliang's understanding, among the five people—Tian Yu, Liu Yufeng, Yin Xiang, Wei Gaojie, and Zhang Baoping—although they all had private relationships with Sun Wenheng and had all received money from Sun Wenheng, Zhang Baoping had the best relationship and the deepest friendship with Sun Wenheng!
This matter is no secret. Murong Yuliang believes that whether it is Zhang Mang, the imperial envoy in name, or the General Dispatch Office and the Inner Guard conducting the investigation in private, they can easily find out. Therefore, Murong Yuliang thinks that if he were the imperial envoy, he would definitely try to use Zhang Baoping as a breakthrough point and use both soft and hard tactics on Zhang Baoping.
Murong Yuliang was somewhat familiar with the methods of the Ministry of Justice and the Joint Investigation Department. Although Zhang Baoping was the prefect of Lin'an and a high-ranking official, according to the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty, before a conviction was made, Zhang Baoping could not be subjected to severe torture without the decree of the emperor and the cabinet.
There are always countermeasures. The law only says that severe punishment is not allowed, but it doesn't say that you can't be locked in a dark room and not be allowed to eat or sleep. Even worse, there are methods like deliberately biting you with mosquitoes. Murong Yang really thought that Zhang Baoping would definitely not be able to withstand these methods.
When Zhang Baoping speaks, many things will be over!
Although Liu Mingyang was good at understanding Murong Yuliang's thoughts, he was not a god and did not have the ability to read minds, so he could not guess Murong's thoughts every time. At this moment, he continued to tell Murong Yuliang his thoughts.
"My lord, during the daytime arrests of Liu Yufeng and Wei Gaojie, I noticed a hint of unease in Lord Tian's expression, a sense of shared vulnerability. Furthermore, if something were to happen to you, I believe that to maintain stability in Jiangnan, Lord Tian might not be arrested. In that case, Lord Tian would be the one who benefits the most..."
Liu Mingyang thought his words made a lot of sense and could move Murong Yuliang so that he could avenge the grudge he had suffered at the hands of Liu Mingyang years ago.
However, Murong Yuliang felt that Liu Mingyang's two reasons were far-fetched!
Thinking of this, Murong Yuliang also gave Liu Mingyang a deep look.
He remembered that Liu Mingyang had told him the last time that the situation was dangerous and that he should sacrifice his pawn to save the king, cut his arm to survive, and make Tian Yu and Liu Yufeng the scapegoats!
In the end, I decided on Liu Yufeng and Wei Gaojie!
Now, Liu Mingyang has once again set his sights on Tian Yu!
This made Murong Yuliang think a bit. If he remembered correctly, Liu Mingyang had used his name to seek personal gain, but Tian Yu and Liu Yufeng caught him, and he had taught him a lesson for it!
So now Liu Mingyang is trying to kill Liu Yufeng and Tian Yu again and again, perhaps because he wants to use him to take revenge on Tian Yu and Liu Yufeng!
Thinking about this, Murong Yuliang felt that this possibility was very high, and her eyes showed a hint of disappointment when she looked at Liu Mingyang.
Liu Mingyang is indeed a talented person with some unique insights, but he is also vindictive and has no sense of the big picture. Even at this point, he is still thinking about fighting among his own people!
He didn't even consider whether, if he couldn't get through this hurdle, he could still live a life of luxury, being treated as an honored guest by those merchants and earning money just by saying a few words.
Thinking of this, Murong Yuliang couldn't help but reprimand him:
"Mingyang, this is a matter of life and death for us. The more critical the moment, the more we must unite as one. We must never turn on each other or stab our own people in the back..."
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Yijing Palace
An Miao leaned back on the sofa, seemingly half asleep, while the palace maid Guo Yan stood beside her, holding a newspaper and reading the serialized romance novel "The Red Makeup" to An Miao.
Reading novels to An Miaoyi was an easy and lucrative job, making it a highly coveted position in the palace. Therefore, Guo Yan diligently studied reading techniques to secure her position. She could read just a few hundred words with perfect intonation, vivid expression, and evocative imagery.
As the novel's male protagonist, Li Wuji, was getting married to the second female lead, Lin Feifei, the female protagonist, Huangfu Fang, suddenly appeared to steal the bride. An Miaoyi, who had been resting with her eyes closed, couldn't help but open them. However, at that moment, Guo Yan's voice abruptly stopped. Seeing this, An Miaoyi looked at Guo Yan with some displeasure. Although the Empress didn't reprimand her, feeling the Empress's gaze, Guo Yan trembled involuntarily and quickly explained:
"Your Majesty, this concludes Chapter 195 of 'The Grand Red Dowry'!"
Hearing this, An Miaoyi frowned slightly, her expression full of lingering interest. This novel, "The Red Makeup," was arguably the best she had read in recent months.
What An Miaoyi liked most was that Huangfu Fang, the female protagonist of this novel, was not as weak and suffering as the female protagonists in other romance novels, who could only give up and choose to endure and accept the pressure from her family and clan.
Huangfu Fang is a woman of strong character, capable of both love and hate, and dares to fight for her love. At the same time, although she likes the male lead, Li Wuji, she is never obsessed with romantic love and will not completely lose her true self for a man…
An Miaoyi saw a reflection of herself in the character Huangfu Fang, but she felt that she was not as lucky as Huangfu Fang to have a man like Li Wuji who loved her unconditionally and who stood behind her and silently supported her no matter what she did!
Thinking of this, An Miaoyi picked up the newspaper and read it herself. Seeing that the novel had indeed only reached chapter 195, An Miaoyi reluctantly put down the newspaper and asked Guo Yan:
"Is the author of this book, 'The Crimson Dress,' named Xiao Luoluo?"
Guo Yan thought for a moment and nodded, saying:
"Yes, the author is indeed Xiao Luoluo, but she is a contracted writer with Yijing Daily. Her novel, 'Da Hong Zhuang,' updates three chapters every week!"
Upon hearing this, An Miaoyi immediately gave the order:
"Find this Xiao Luoluo, double her royalties, and let her focus on creating 'The Great Red Makeup'!"
"Yes"
Upon receiving the order, Guo Yan immediately relayed An Miaoyi's command, while An Miaoyi was still savoring the scene that had just unfolded.
To be honest, Xiao Luoluo's writing style in "The Great Red Makeup" is rather average. If judged solely on writing style, An Miaoyi definitely wouldn't have been drawn to this novel. However, An Miaoyi really liked the character Huangfu Fang, who was bold and passionate in love. She even felt a little envious of Huangfu Fang for having a man who would always support her…
As An Miaoyi thought about it, she couldn't help but think of her husband, Ye Mingsheng. Although the two of them had long been sleeping in the same bed but dreaming different dreams, An Miaoyi, as a woman, also had her own emotional needs. And only Ye Mingsheng could satisfy her emotional needs. So after Ye Mingsheng had been away from home for so long, An Miaoyi really missed him!
Besides missing Ye Mingsheng, An Miaoyi also missed her son Ye Jingren. She hadn't seen him for more than two months. Jingren had never been away from his mother for so long since he was born. An Miaoyi was also worried about whether Ye Mingsheng, a rough man, could take good care of Jingren, whether Jingren was eating well outside, and whether she was sleeping well.
At this point, An Miaoyi couldn't help but ask someone to call over Granny Huang. After Granny Huang arrived, An Miaoyi immediately asked:
"Is there any news from His Majesty?"
Without hesitation, Granny Huang replied:
"The news from Qilu is that His Majesty has been conducting research around Tao Port recently to understand its development. It is said that His Majesty has once again promised to invest 500,000 taels of silver in Tao Port over the next three years!"
Hearing this news, An Miaoyi was not surprised. After all, it was no secret that Ye Mingsheng valued the development of Taogang. The next few years were also a crucial period for the development of Taogang, so it was perfectly normal for Ye Mingsheng to increase his investment. However, Huang Mumu's next words caught An Miaoyi's attention.
"In addition, His Majesty secretly issued an order to transfer fifteen accountants each from the Ministry of Revenue and the Da Dong Sheng Bank to Qilu Tao Port..."
Upon hearing this, An Miaoyi's expression immediately turned serious. Although she was somewhat puzzled as to why Ye Mingsheng had transferred so many accountants to Taogang, her intuition told her that this was not good news.
Thinking of this, An Miaoyi immediately asked:
"Did His Majesty say what these accountants were doing in Tao Port?"
"He didn't say, but His Majesty requested that it be kept secret!"
Upon hearing the word "secrecy," An Miaoyi was completely certain of Ye Mingsheng's intentions. She knew that Ye Mingsheng was going to investigate Tao Gang's accounts!
Thinking about how these things were handled, it's very much in Ye Mingsheng's style!
During his inspection, Ye Mingsheng must have had doubts about Tao Gang's accounts, which is why he decided to investigate them.
In order to keep the Communist Party members in Taogang and Qilu from finding out, Ye Mingsheng deliberately proposed to invest 500,000 taels of silver in Taogang over the next three years, in order to keep those Communist Party members at ease and lower their guard.
At the same time, Ye Mingsheng privately ordered the Ministry of Revenue and Da Dongsheng Bank to each send their accountants to Taogang.
This step was also very detailed, fully demonstrating Ye Mingsheng's suspicious nature. He not only distrusted the Party members in Taogang and even in Qilu, but he also distrusted the people from the Ministry of Revenue and Da Dongsheng Bank. Therefore, these thirty accountants were not all from the Ministry of Revenue or Da Dongsheng Bank, but rather fifteen people from each department. This reduced the possibility of collusion between the two sides.
Thinking of this, a look of disdain appeared on An Miaoyi's face. She really didn't know what the point of living was for someone like Ye Mingsheng. He was afraid of everyone and wary of everyone. Even when he slept with many people, he would keep one eye open at night for fear that someone would harm him!