Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 393 Smuggling
Moreover, this guy is incredibly greedy, and his methods are ingenious!
As everyone knows, there are two things in this world that cannot be touched: the government's private treasury and the army.

The former means you can't think about it, while the latter means you can't make a fuss about it.

In other words, if you have connections and influence that allow you to deceive your superiors and subordinates without being detected, then it's acceptable to receive military pay.

As long as no one pursues the matter, no one will investigate.

but!
If you act carelessly and are discovered, or even if things come to light, then I'm sorry, there's only one outcome for you—immediate execution!
Even more so, not only you, but your wife, children and elderly parents will also be deeply affected. Even if they are not reunited with your family and go to the Western Paradise together, they will be exiled thousands of miles away, and their descendants for three generations will be barred from holding official positions!

Unfortunately, even though the court had made the laws so strict, this brave Lord Yu still dared to break them!

In fact, as the son of a Grand Secretary, he is a typical example. If he were exposed, he would definitely not have a good ending!
Even if it's Grand Secretary Yu's influence, it won't make a difference. After all, everyone in the world has their own sense of justice, and they know that the current peace is thanks to the protection of the army.

If someone were to mobilize the military, they would be making an enemy of the entire world, and the resulting "trending topic" would be far more popular than someone's toilet!

On the other hand, this guy is quite a "hero" in some ways.

Not only do they dare to think, they fucking dare to do it!
However, Lord Yu dared to do it, but he couldn't bear the consequences.

Seeing that his misdeeds were about to be exposed, Lord Yu hurriedly ran home, hugged his father's leg, and wailed, begging him to save his wife and children!
This man was somewhat clever; at this moment, he only cried and begged Grand Secretary Yu to rescue his wife and children, without mentioning himself at all.

But couldn't Grand Secretary Yu see through his act?
If we want to save the others, we must extricate Lord Yu from this matter; otherwise, no one can save him or the Yu family.

After all, he committed a crime that implicates others!
Even Grand Secretary Yu couldn't protect them!

Speaking of this, we must mention who this Lord Yu is.

Lord Yu, whose real name is Yu Zhenghao, meaning upright and magnanimous, was the earnest hope that Grand Secretary Yu had for his life. The old man did not expect his son to achieve any great success, but only hoped that he could walk in the world with an upright and honorable heart.

Unfortunately, life is unpredictable. Lord Yu's life cannot be said to be related to his name; it can only be said to be completely different.

This guy not only failed his father's teachings and expectations, but it could even be said that he was a mistake from birth, a disgrace to his own name.

In other words, the name "Zheng Hao" cannot be uttered; otherwise, he would certainly be even more innocent than the white iron used to cast the treacherous minister.

In fact, Yu Zhenghao was not bad in his early years. Although he was not outstanding, he was still quite commendable. At the very least, he was hardworking and had achieved some success in the imperial examinations.

Although he only passed the provincial examination, he was still a successful candidate in the imperial examinations. Later, thanks to his father's influence, he became a county magistrate.

Unfortunately, his good fortune didn't last long. After Yu Yanran's biological mother passed away, he was like an old house on fire, pursuing his "true love"—Ms. Fang.

To be honest, Yu Zhenghao was a bad husband; he was influenced by his wife's words and ended up like this.

Ever since Fang entered the Yu family, the relationship between Yu Zhenghao and Grand Secretary Yu has been like Wang Xiaoer celebrating the New Year, getting worse year by year. Even now, Grand Secretary Yu has some suspicions that Fang might be involved in this matter.
It's not that Grand Secretary Yu is prejudiced, but rather that Yu Zhenghao simply doesn't have the guts to do such a thing.

As the saying goes, "One knows one's own child best," and Grand Secretary Yu knew exactly what kind of person his son was. It was precisely because he saw through Yu Zhenghao's abilities that Grand Secretary Yu had been suppressing Yu Zhenghao's promotions. He simply dared not let Yu Zhenghao be promoted, lest he cause trouble for the region.

Of course, Yu Zhenghao's abilities are also insufficient; he is only of average appearance, or even rather mediocre.

If it weren't for Grand Secretary Yu's secret protection over the years, Yu Zhenghao would have been held accountable by the court long ago.

However, even if Yu Zhenghao lacks ability, with the prestigious title of Grand Secretary Yu, there are plenty of people in the officialdom willing to promote him.

Therefore, not only did Yu Zhenghao work hard every year to build connections and make arrangements for his promotion, but Grand Secretary Yu also worked very hard.

He was already very busy, and every year he had to take time to personally look after his trusted confidants, instructing them to keep Yu Zhenghao in check, lest Yu Zhenghao actually get promoted and escape his constraints to a wider world, where he might have the opportunity to commit even more serious offenses.

And so, without Yu Ge Lao's careful attention, Yu Zhenghao committed such a serious crime!

In fact, Yu Zhenghao had been serving as an official in Yuzhou, near Bianjing, for many years. He was a county magistrate in a rather backward place, which meant he was serving under Grand Secretary Yu's nose.

For ordinary people, becoming a just and upright official in charge of the local people is a glorious achievement, but for Yu Zhenghao, it is a disgrace.

He couldn't see his own inadequacy; he was convinced that his father was deliberately suppressing him to avoid suspicion.
Otherwise, how could the son of a high-ranking official be so low-class?

Yu Zhenghao often "asked himself" and felt that he was truly "unappreciated despite his talents"!

And this might be one of the reasons why he dared to do this shameful thing—to quarrel with Grand Secretary Yu, the more you forbid me from doing something, the more I will do it!
To be honest, the suppression he received from Grand Secretary Yu was the main reason for the discord between Yu Zhenghao and his father.

Of course, Fang's role in fanning the flames is also a significant fault.

"Actually, Zhenghao is not a bad person by nature, he's just easily influenced."

Seeing that Sheng Changquan's face was grim and he remained silent, Grand Secretary Yu had no choice but to speak again. He said dryly, "Changquan, I won't beat around the bush with you. Actually, this matter can be big or small. At present, it hasn't escalated to that level."

Sheng Changquan understood that Grand Secretary Yu was right. After all, although Yu Zhenghao had made a mistake, the damage he caused was not significant.

Because of Grand Secretary Yu's early planning, Yu Zhenghao had not yet reached that level and could not cause any major impact. However, the nature of his behavior was extremely heinous. If Grand Secretary Yu's political enemies found out about this, then the old man could forget about returning home in glory. Without further ado, Yu Zhenghao would be doomed.

"Lord Yu, what you said is incorrect!"

Although he agreed in his heart, Sheng Changquan's stance was very clear—Yu Zhenghao was wrong.

"Although Lord Yu did not personally sell salt and iron into Liang Kingdom, he did give those merchants official travel documents. Moreover, as you said, he accepted generous gifts from them."

That's right, Yu Zhenghao is not capable of receiving military pay, but he dares to write permits for smuggling caravans on the border. His behavior is no less heinous than treason.

(End of this chapter)