Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 440 Impossible Mission
Pei·Uncommon·Qianhu·Yuan took a deep breath and asked Zhang Rui jokingly, "It's not a waste of help, is it?"

Zhang Rui burst into laughter.

Perhaps because he laughed so quickly and answered so quickly, his voice was sharper than usual.

He touched Pei Yuan's shoulder with the back of his hand in an intimate manner, "How can I help you for nothing? Aren't we family members from now on?"

Pei Yuan laughed in agreement, but he was in a bad mood.

This was terrible, not because he was forced to frame an innocent woman, but because he was forced to turn his attention in a more troublesome direction and see more troublesome things.

As the size and strength of the Pei Yuan Group gradually grew, it also expanded and slowly touched upon more profit margins.

——The Grand Canal strategy, which can be regarded as the lifeblood of the Pei Yuan Group, is not without rivals.

That is Zhang Heling, who has always relied on his sister's favor and is extremely arrogant.

Zhang Heling not only relied on his power to seize a large number of farms and monopolize many trades in Beijing, but also extended his hands to the Grand Canal.

In the words of people at that time, "the clan members and servants went up and down the canal, obstructed trade, tortured the innocent, and spread slander and complaints."

So why would Zhang Heling, who was so arrogant and aggressive in occupying land near Beijing, be interested in the Grand Canal?

That’s because Zhang Heling purchased a large amount of “residual salt” from major salt fields by issuing certificates.

The "residual salt" that these salt fields had to hand over needed to be smuggled everywhere through the convenient transportation of the Grand Canal.

The amount of salt revenue that was embezzled was so huge that it even affected the country's fiscal expenditure.

The officials of the Ministry of Rites submitted memorials to impeach the two Zhangs many times, but were stopped by the Hongzhi Emperor, who loved nothing but his wife. He also ordered the Imperial Household Department to stop the officials from mentioning the brothers Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling, and wrote a handwritten note: "I only have this marriage, there is no need to mention any more."

Even the famous Li Mengyang was thrown into prison by Emperor Hongzhi for speaking out and impeaching Zhang Heling.

Later, after the death of Emperor Hongzhi, Zhang Heling became more and more arrogant.

Because his sister had risen from being the queen to the supreme empress dowager.

So he teamed up with Zhou Shou, Marquis of Qingyun, and wrote a large number of notes to the emperor requesting to buy the unused "residual salt" from Changlu and Lianghuai.

The young emperor, who was eager to show his power when he first ascended the throne, approved these things without knowing the truth.

As a result, this matter aroused fierce opposition from the Minister of Revenue Han Wen, who believed that "these people are buying salt in the name of making up for the remaining salt, but in fact they are encroaching on the regular taxes", so he demanded that these slips be cancelled immediately.

The evil Empress Dowager Zhang acted without hesitation, and in the end it was the Minister of Revenue Han Wen who was kicked out.

So is Zhu Houzhao really so heartless and unmoved by this matter?
No.

After Zhu Houzhao seriously examined his court and introduced a powerful eunuch to hold the seal of the Imperial Household Department, the first major case he handled was to ask the censors and the imperial secretaries to investigate and sell 1.16 million "Gezhi Salt Vouchers" in the names of Du Cheng and other merchants from the Lianghuai Transport Bureau in Yangzhou.

This Du Cheng is the white glove of Zhang Heling's family.

The salt law reform in Liu Jin's new policy dealt a heavy blow to Zhang Heling.

This is also why Zhu Houzhao's psychological defenses collapsed so quickly when he was betrayed by his friends and relatives in the fifth year of Zhengde.

Because at the most critical moment, the straw that broke the camel's back was Empress Dowager Zhang.

——"Wuzong hesitated and was always afraid of disaster, so he rushed to see Cishou and told him the situation. Cishou agreed... and then he was sent to Jinyi Prison."

So what position did the super trump card like Empress Dowager Zhang occupy in the process of killing Liu Jin?

When Zhang Yong ran to Queen Mother Zhang at the critical moment, was it because he suddenly remembered to ask Queen Mother Zhang for help, or was he going to find his real master?

Whatever the motivation, however the process evolves, the outcome is clear.

Empress Dowager Zhang, who had forced her husband to surrender time and time again, once again forced her own son to surrender.

The young emperor Zhu Houzhao took a step back in front of his mother, and then the Ming Dynasty quickly declined.

This young emperor, who was the smartest, most ambitious, had good political wisdom and the courage to implement new policies, was fighting against the wind from the very beginning.

Although he optimistically trained loyal soldiers, adopted a large number of brave men as his adopted sons, and rode like the heroic Emperor Yongle to defend his country...

However, with the collapse and fall of Liu Jin's party, no one stood by him anymore.

Later emperors of side branches enjoyed showing off their own cleverness, complacently abolishing Zhengde's bad policies, and were provoked by civil officials to fight against the air, but achieved nothing for state affairs.

It would be perfect if every emperor focused his energy on proving who he is and who his father is...

Pei Yuan's "Grand Canal Strategy" is now facing such a rude, powerful and arrogant Zhang Heling.

If they want to take action against Zhang Heling, they must eliminate the interference of Empress Dowager Zhang, who is obsessed with supporting her brother.

Empress Dowager Zhang was the most noble woman of this era, and even Zhu Houzhao was forced to bow his head to her.

So how can I complete this impossible task?
Pei·Not Extra·Qianhu·Yuan's eyes moved slightly and he suppressed his worries.

He first reassured Zhang Rui, "I can do this, and I can do it now."

Then, he smiled and said to Zhang Rui, "But you also know how noble the queen is. To what extent this matter should be done and how deep it is, I still need to ask Eunuch Zhang to make it clear."

Zhang Rui was happy to see Pei Yuan agreed readily.

Thinking of what his people had said just now, and with the support of Empress Dowager Zhang behind him, he said unscrupulously, "Captain Pei, just do it. Even if you expose the truth, there are people behind you to support you."

"The Queen Xia has long lost the Emperor's favor. This time the Queen Mother is planning to banish her to the cold palace."

Pei Yuan was skeptical about the statement that Queen Xia was out of favor.

Although Zhu Houzhao had already begun to worry about whether his younger brother's waist was white at this stage, he still treated Empress Xia with courtesy and was not harsh on her.

Once, Zhu Houzhao met Queen Xia in the harem and said in surprise, "I haven't seen you for so long, why have you become so thin?"

So out of pity, he gave Queen Xia two fat geese as a snack.

Unfortunately, Queen Xia’s expectations for her husband were not the two fat geese as extra dishes.

Pei Yuan skipped the question of whether Empress Xia was still in favor and asked Zhang Rui, "My job scope involves palace restrictions, and I occasionally hear some rumors. I have never heard of the Empress doing anything immoral, so how did she offend the Queen Mother?"

Zhang Rui said rather unscrupulously, "It's okay for you to know about this."

"Do you know that besides Queen Xia, Xia Ru, the Earl of Qingyang, has two other daughters?"

A year ago, Pei Yuan was just an ordinary person, so he naturally didn't know much about such an unfamiliar relative.

So he asked with a curious look on his face, "I'd like to hear the details.

Zhang Rui said, "Qingyang Earl Xia Ru had three daughters in total. Except for Queen Xia, one married Xu Pengju, the grandson of Duke of Wei, and the other married Zhang Zongshuo, the son of Marquis of Shouning and the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard." Pei Yuan was stunned when he heard this.

I couldn't help but say, "So, the relationship between the Queen Mother and the Queen should be considered as close, how could it come to this?"

According to Zhang Rui's hint that he wanted to find out something in the Queen's bedroom, the conflict between the two parties is more than just an ordinary mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflict.

Once Queen Xia was deposed or banished to the cold palace, her life would probably be over.

Zhang Rui said calmly, "It should have been so. Unfortunately, the Xia family girl was unlucky, and the young marquis of the Zhang family was a little too spoiled. He accidentally beat her to death after drinking. The two sides have a grudge now."

"Plus, Qingyang Earl Xia Ru is a tactless person. He has repeatedly fought with Shouning Marquis for land in Tianjin. This is not the first time that the two sides have had conflicts."

"After the Xia family girl died, Queen Xia claimed that the young marquis tortured her sister to death and went to the emperor to slander and defame the Shouning Marquis and his son."

Zhang Rui stared at Pei Yuan and laughed, "Isn't this just courting death?"

Pei Yuan thought about what he said and had a general idea of ​​it.

Most likely, Xia Ru, the Earl of Qingyang, had become a little arrogant since Queen Xia entered the palace, and thought that he could copy the model of Marquis Shouning and Marquis Jianchang and become a powerful and domineering relative of the emperor.

He relied on the fact that he was the father of the contemporary queen and felt that he should be not much different from the Marquis of Shouning, so he did not give in to the Marquis of Shouning.

Shouning Hou was spoiled by Empress Dowager Zhang and was used to being arrogant, so it was natural that friction would arise between the two sides.

Zhang Zong said that with a father like Zhang Heling, he would not be a good person under the influence of his father.

The girl from the Xia family naturally became the punching bag.

Unfortunately, the death of the Xia family girl still caused trouble for Zhang Heling, and Queen Xia reported it to the emperor.

When Pei Yuan understood this, he also realized the seriousness of the matter.

Empress Dowager Zhang was aiming to depose her directly, so how could he get too deeply involved?

But at this moment, Pei Yuan had already agreed to Zhang Rui's request, and then he heard the secret, so there was no room for retreat.

Pei Yuan thought for a moment and asked again, "Is the Queen Mother planning to depose her?"

Zhang Rui's eyes moved, and he smiled and comforted Pei Yuan, "It's not that serious, it's just that some people don't know the seriousness of the matter, and they rely on Queen Xia's power to bark outside."

"There are also some officials who are unaware of the truth and are caught in the middle, doing things that make their relatives sad but their enemies happy."

"The Queen Mother just wanted to reprimand Queen Xia and educate her so that people outside can see the situation clearly."

Pei Yuan roughly understood that the main purpose of the Empress Dowager was probably to support Zhang Heling and help him completely crush Qingyang Bo Xia Ru from outside.

As long as the news that Queen Xia was reprimanded or banished to the cold palace spreads, who would dare to help Qingyang Earl Xia Ru?
Pei Yuan calmly agreed again, "This matter is easy to deal with. I will handle it for Eunuch Zhang later."

Zhang Rui listened, smiling, and tapped Pei Yuan's chest with the back of his hand, "You are not working for me, you are doing your duty, working for yourself, and working for Qianhu."

Pei Yuan said seriously, "I understand. But...what name should be used for this matter?"

Zhang Rui heard this and said calmly, "Let's just talk about witchcraft. This kind of thing happens frequently in the palace."

Pei Yuan's eyelids jumped, and he said to Zhang Rui, "The queen is practicing witchcraft, which is unheard of in the world. How can she gain the trust of the court and the people of the world?"

Zhang Rui smiled and said, "It's just an excuse, it's not important. It would be better if people in the world don't believe it. I want them to see clearly what the current situation is."

Pei Yuan was speechless.

Before coming here, he also advised Chen Xinjian on the trick of leaving some traces behind intentionally. Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the palace, he met a man who was also well versed in this.

But Pei Yuan didn't dare to agree. "Although this matter is not harmful in general, there is only one thing I dare not agree to."

The Queen Mother deliberately framed Queen Xia, but it was just a frame-up.

Zhang Rui was just a leaker, and no one was shouting with a loud speaker. It was Zhang Rui who was behind this.

But Pei Yuan, who had found witchcraft in the queen's bedroom, was clearly lying there.

The empress is nominally the mother of the country. If Pei Yuanzhen dared to be a clown, he would have to be mentioned in a few more lines in the "History of Ming Dynasty".

Jiang Chong, the Embroidered Robe Envoy who caused Emperor Wu of Han to lose his eldest son in the Witchcraft Rebellion, not only has a large chapter in "Records of the Grand Historian", but even has his own biography in "Book of Han".

Zhang Rui's smile froze when he heard this, and he stared at Pei Yuan fiercely, "What did you say?"

Pei Yuan had no intention of giving in. "Let's not talk about anything else, but witchcraft is absolutely not allowed."

Zhang Rui threatened, "Then you will not be able to leave the imperial city today."

Pei Yuan explained calmly, "Eunuch Zhang didn't understand what I meant. If this matter involves witchcraft, it is not something that a deputy commander like me can decide on my own. The court will certainly urgently summon Commander Han to the capital to confirm the matter."

"The emperor will be on guard by then, and the whole government will be watching. Under the watchful eyes of the public, will Eunuch Zhang threaten Captain Han again?"

The fierce look in Zhang Rui's eyes faded a little, and then he asked, "So what do you mean?"

Pei Yuan said, "Since the Queen Mother just wants to teach Queen Xia a lesson, then I can just say that I found something unclean and ask the Queen Mother to issue an order not to allow the emperor to go to the Queen's bedroom, or to move the Queen out of the bedroom and live in another palace. This way, we can still undermine Queen Xia's prestige, but it won't cause an uproar in the court."

"Otherwise, even if the ministers are unable to do anything, it will damage the Queen Mother's reputation."

Zhang Rui pondered for a moment after hearing this, and then said coldly, "Wait."

After saying that, he walked away.

Pei Yuan glanced around and saw several eunuchs of high rank, leading a team of military officers and looking at this side from afar.

He thought about it and finally decided not to act rashly.

Now is not the time to launch an "air transport".

Pei Yuan stood in the empty palace unobstructed under the scorching sun. He waited for a while, then raised his eyes and stared at the harem.

Thinking about the noisy and cowardly husband, the empress dowager who oppressed her filial son, and the two lawless brothers who were spoiled by the empress dowager.

Pei Yuan exhaled softly and rubbed his forehead.

What the hell is this stupid skit routine?
After waiting for a while, Pei Yuan's eyes gradually turned sharp from helpless.

Forget it, since you are blocking my way.

Then.

I am going to beat you up on behalf of society.

(End of this chapter)