Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

Fireworks in March are a beautiful scenery in Jiangnan.

At dawn, in a restaurant in Wujin County, Changzhou Prefecture, Jiang Xinghuo changed into a nobleman's attire, wearing a white brocade robe with a jade belt tied around his waist. He held a folding fan in his hand and leaned on the railing to look into the distance.

However, Jiang Xinghuo came here not to see the scenery, but to connect.

This is not a costume detective drama like "Young Bao Qingtian". Jiang Xinghuo really lacks detective talent, so in order to quickly understand the situation in Changzhou Prefecture, he chose to summon the leader of the local Jinyiwei secret stronghold.

Well, it’s the same as Sun Wukong calling Mr. Tu Tu.

Looking down from this restaurant, you can have a panoramic view of the Changzhou Prefecture.

The scope of Wujin County starts from Guanhe River in the north, to the old Beijing-Hangzhou Canal in the south, to Daguan Tower in the west, and to Shangzhou Pavilion in the east. It consists of Neizicheng, Waizicheng, Luocheng and Xincheng, which are marked by different city outlines and walls. It evolved into a rare pattern of "cities and rivers dependent on each other, rivers embracing the ancient city, and cities on top of each other".

On the criss-crossing rivers, there are stone arch bridges, stone slab bridges, three-hole bridges and wooden plank bridges of different shapes. In the "chessboard" formed by these rivers, there are various residential patios, entrance styles, and grids. Changzhou government offices, Wujin county offices, temples, nunneries, docks, water passes, and gardens are all arranged in scattered and beautiful places.

However, Jiang Xinghuo was not in the mood to appreciate it at this time, because their meeting encountered a little trouble. A diner dressed as a police officer kept staring at him, wondering what went wrong. It stands to reason that a foreigner came with his entourage. It seems that when you come to visit, you shouldn’t be paid so much attention.

"Little brother, why hasn't your signature dish arrived yet? I've been waiting for a long time!"

After knocking on the folding fan, Jiang Xinghuo looked impatient and complained to the shop assistant nearby.

The waiter's name was Zhao Haichuan. He looked at the code on Jiang Xinghuo's folding fan, nodded slightly at Jiang Xinghuo without leaving any trace, and then acted as if he was helpless when his customers complained.

"Sir, all signature dishes must be made with fresh ingredients. You came too early. Please be patient and wait a little longer. I just asked the shopkeeper. I think he will be here soon. I will cook it for you as soon as he arrives."

In front of a few diners who were eating breakfast sporadically, Jiang Xinghuo suddenly became furious, like a hot-tempered dude. He was never short of money, but he couldn't bear this grievance.

So he directly took out a silver coin and slapped it on the counter: "Young master, can't you afford it? Where is your shopkeeper? Hurry up and serve the signature dishes. If you delay for a while, don't blame me for tearing down your signature dish."

Zhao Haichuan smiled bitterly: "Master, I really didn't lie to you. The shopkeeper really can't get away now..."

"What do you mean? Are you kidding me? Believe it or not, I will beat you to death!"

Wang Bin, who was behind Jiang Xinghuo, became furious when he heard this. He grabbed Zhao Haichuan by the collar and pressed him on the table.

The diner dressed as a police officer was a little unhappy and was about to say something.

"Bang bang bang——"

At this moment, there was a rapid knock on the door.

Jiang Xinghuo let go of Zhao Haichuan and snorted: "Get in."

A waiter walked in timidly, saluted Jiang Xinghuo and said, "Sir, I'm really sorry, but the shopkeeper invites you!"

"That's pretty much it." Jiang Xinghuo nodded with satisfaction and followed the guy away.

Catching the diner asked: "Come from out of town?"

Zhao Haichuan wiped the sweat from his forehead, wiped his nose, and sighed: "Hey! This man is finally gone!"

"The accent should be from Ningguo Mansion."

The diners nodded in understanding, but did not pay much attention to it. If there were no other accidents, this kind of trivial matter did not need to be reported. There were so many foreign tourists in Changzhou Prefecture every year, especially such rich noblemen. Wouldn’t it be exhausting to report and pay attention to them one by one?

Just looking at Wang Bin who was following Jiang Xinghuo, the policeman was still a little confused. This man seemed to have a murderous aura about him. He just stared at him for a moment, which shocked him, but he was not a gangster like that. .

After hurriedly picking up a few small steamed buns with chopsticks, the catcher stood up with his knife. It was time to go to the Yamen to order some steamed buns. When he was about to order some steamed buns, he told the head catcher Li Hu.

At this moment, in another box, a middle-aged man dressed as a shopkeeper stood respectfully in front of the closed window, watching Jiang Xinghuo come in.

"My subordinate Cao Song from the Imperial Guards has met the Imperial Master!"

An official named Cao Song knelt on the ground and said.

Jiang Xinghuo helped him up, looked at him carefully for a moment, and asked.

"Are you in charge of the intelligence of Wujin County?"

Cao Song said: "Reporting to the Imperial Master, in addition to the intelligence of Wujin County, the intelligence of the entire Changzhou Prefecture is also under the jurisdiction of my subordinates!"

"oh?"

There was a trace of surprise on Jiang Xinghuo's face, and then he smiled and said, "It seems that Cao Baihu is quite trusted by the disciplinary commander."

Cao Song's face turned red and he said in a low voice: "My subordinate's qualifications are dull. My ancestors are members of hundreds of Jin Yiwei families, so they are hereditary."

Jiang Xinghuo waved his hand while flipping through the recent information recorded by Jin Yiwei.

"Price fluctuations and market rumors are well documented, so you don't have to belittle yourself."

When he saw the price of rice, a flash of understanding flashed in Jiang Xinghuo's eyes, but he immediately continued to look through it as if nothing had happened.

"Are Ding Meixia, the governor of Changzhou Prefecture, and Yao Gongzhi, the magistrate of Wujin County, still honest?"

Cao Song wanted to say something, but he immediately became alert and acted as if he was hesitant to speak. Seeing him like this, Jiang Xinghuo smiled.

Looking at the intriguing smile of the Imperial Master, Cao Song breathed a sigh of relief.

After experiencing the heavenly days of the Jianwen Dynasty for four years, how many local officials in the south of the Yangtze River were clean and honest? It was just a relative term. No matter what I said, it might not be in line with my own interests and the answer that the Imperial Master wanted to hear. , it’s better not to say anything.

"Judging from the records, these officials were quite timely in providing flood relief, but the price of rice soared sharply."

Cao Song carefully weighed his words and said: "Officials in Changzhou Prefecture heard that the Imperial Guards were going east to inspect the five prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River for disaster relief. Changzhou Prefecture was the first stop, so they were naturally concerned about disaster relief. As for the price of rice after the disaster, it is inevitable that there will be some fluctuation."

Jiang Xinghuo smiled and nodded gently in approval.

He originally thought that Cao Song was just an ordinary member of Jinyiwei, but now he saw that although Cao Song was not very outstanding, he was very careful and good at collecting information, especially the daily intelligence information of various markets. He was very accurate and Complete, for example, he could find intelligence basis for all the things he needed to investigate this time.

Jiang Xinghuo took out a note from his arms and handed it to Cao Song, and said calmly: "This matter must be investigated clearly."

Cao Song felt a chill in his heart. After taking the note and browsing it in a hurry, his expression changed slightly. He burned the note in front of Jiang Xinghuo, and then hurriedly said: "Don't worry, Master National Preceptor, my subordinates will do their best to find out the truth."

"Do a good job, and this time the Qianhu official will come out to give your son a chance."

Jiang Xinghuo left a word and left quietly.

Cao Song watched his back disappear, and then he took a long breath, sat back on the stool, picked up the tea cup, and took a sip of herbal tea. The cold tea slid down his throat and into his stomach, making him feel excited all over. It was as if he regained his strength all of a sudden.

He took a deep breath, turned around and walked out of the house, instructing the waiter: "Pack a portion of the food you just prepared in a box and ask Zhao Haichuan to deliver it to the county magistrate."

The guy was a little confused, but he did it anyway.

"Old Yao, I have done my best to be benevolent and righteous. Don't blame me. Although money is good, power is much more fragrant than money."

After a while.

"Hundred households."

Zhao Haichuan walked in carrying a food box, raised his chin, and signaled the direction Jiang Xinghuo was leaving.

"Are you going to keep an eye on Brother Pai?"

He only knew that the other party was from the Jinyiwei system, and thought he was sent for verification.

Cao Song was startled and said seriously: "No one is allowed to follow you without my order!"

Zhao Haichuan was startled. He didn't expect that the other party was of such a high level. He asked again: "Then Magistrate Yao's line is just cut off? We brothers are all living with the money on that side."

"broken!"

Cao Song gritted his teeth and said, "We didn't get involved in that muddy water in the first place. The water is too deep and most of the nobles in the capital are involved. We are just collecting hush money, so there is no need to involve ourselves in it."

Zhao Haichuan nodded, dressed as a waiter, and walked to the county government office with a food box in hand.

——————

After turning around several alleys and making sure that no one was following them, Jiang Xinghuo and Wang Bin met up with several other guards.

Jiang Xinghuo covered his mouth with a folding fan and whispered.

"The local Jin Yiwei has something fishy."

Wang Bin asked softly: "What did the Imperial Master discover?"

"The intelligence conclusions of local officials are ignored, and the grain prices and grain trading volume are different from the actual situation we have seen all the way from the countryside. In other words, the data is compiled too perfectly."

Jiang Xinghuo told the other party what he had discovered today.

Wang Bin's expression changed several times, and he said in a deep voice: "The trip to the countryside that Master Imperial Master made before was indeed worthwhile, but if this is true, the Jinyi Guards may not be reliable."

"Of course, rural surveys are necessary. Without going to rural villages to actually understand the situation, it is naturally impossible to know the current food situation among the people."

"As for the Jin Yiwei, they may not be completely unreliable, but they still have to be used on precautions."

Jiang Xinghuo shook his head: "I can't tell the specific situation, but I always feel that there are many things involved behind it, and it's not just within Jinyiwei. Changzhou Prefecture is so close to Nanjing, it should involve the capital."

Wang Bin nodded slightly and agreed. These things in Nanzhili can be traced from the princes in the temple, either explicitly or implicitly.

"Where is the information from Huikong? We may not have enough manpower now, and my subordinates are very worried about the safety of the Imperial Master."

Jiang Xinghuo put away his folding fan, looked at the river running through the city in all directions in the distance, and shook his head.

"There is no need to worry. The waterway Huikong and the others are taking is now at a temple in Changzhou Fucheng. They have brought some capable people to wait. We will go look for him later. Now let's go and investigate the price of rice. Without on-site investigation, there will be no You have the right to speak."

PS: [Important reminder (there is no charge for this content)] Chapters 316 to 356 are about the rectification of officialdom and the suppression of rebellions in Jiangnan. They do not contain any theoretical knowledge. They are all practical content. If you are not interested, you can jump directly to Chapter 366. "Class" will contain theoretical knowledge content from now on.