I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 341 Lychee
As soon as Tang Zhao arrived at the entrance of the Salt Transport Commissioner's Office, he saw a middle-aged man dressed in plain robes with a refined appearance standing respectfully beside the stone kylin. Upon seeing Tang Zhao, the man quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and bowed deeply, saying, "This humble subject, Yang Rong, greets Your Excellency, Commander of the Salt Transport Commissioner."

"So it is Mr. Hongru. Please rise quickly," Tang Zhao said, reaching out to help him up. "I have long heard of Mr. Hongru's profound knowledge and noble character. The Hongshan Academy he founded has sent countless talented individuals to the court. I admire him greatly."

"Your Excellency, you are so complimentary."

Tang Zhao and Yang Rong walked side by side into the Salt Transport Commissioner's office. "I should have paid a visit earlier this morning, but I have been entangled in worldly affairs and overwhelmed with paperwork. I have not been able to find the time until now. Please forgive me, sir."

"How dare I, a humble commoner," Yang Rong said with admiration. "Your Excellency has made sweeping reforms to the salt administration, not only turning the vast sea into an inexhaustible salt reservoir, but also reducing the price of salt from 200 wen per jin to 10 wen, benefiting the people of Jiangnan and even the whole country. Such benevolent policies are truly remarkable."

"Where."

The two exchanged pleasantries throughout the journey, and upon entering the main hall, they engaged in further polite exchanges. Finally, Tang Zhao, weary from his long journey, spoke first, "May I ask what business Mr. Hongru has with me?"

Yang Rong swallowed the flattering words in his mouth, his face filled with shame, and said, "Your Excellency, I have been entrusted by my family to come and apologize to you." As he spoke, he was about to kneel down.

Gu Ci quickly stopped him, forcefully pressing Yang Rong back into his chair, and said calmly, "We juniors cannot accept such a grand gesture from you, Master Hongru."

"I was so ashamed that I lost my composure for a moment," Yang Rong apologized.

Tang Zhao raised an eyebrow, "What crime has the Yang family committed?"

“The Yang family is lax in managing its subordinates, and they even ordered their own members to hire assassins to kill the adults,” Yang Rong said, his face turning red. “The clan leader was furious when he learned of this and has already sent men to beat the thirteenth brother to death.”

Tang Zhao blinked. "If I remember correctly, Chief Yang is an official appointed by the imperial court."

"I have also advised the clan chief in the same way. Thirteenth Brother is an official appointed by the imperial court. His life, death, right and wrong should be dealt with by the imperial court and the law. How can we resort to private punishment?"

“But the clan chief brought out the discipline staff that the late emperor had bestowed upon the Yang family. This discipline staff can be used to punish treacherous officials and wicked gentry. As long as there is a legitimate reason, even if someone is beaten to death, it is in accordance with the law.”

Tang Zhao glanced at Gu Ci.

Gu Ci nodded slightly.

Good heavens, the Yang family has such a powerful weapon; no wonder they're so bold!

“Since it was bestowed by the late emperor, and the one who made the mistake was a member of the Yang family, the Yang clan head can deal with it however he sees fit, in accordance with the law.”

Yang Rong shook his head, "The existence of this staff is against the law."

Tang Zhao laughed dryly.

Yang Rong knew it was best not to delve too deeply into this matter, so he continued, "Assassinating an official of the imperial court is a capital offense, and assassinating Her Highness the Princess and Her Highness the Prince of War is an even greater crime deserving the extermination of nine generations of their family."

"But sir, this was done by my thirteenth brother alone; the rest of the Yang clan knew nothing about it!"

Yang Rong slid down the chair and knelt on the ground. "Please, Your Excellency, for the sake of the thousands of innocent people in the Yang family, show mercy!" he said, then kowtowed heavily to the ground.

Tang Zhao and Gu Ci let him kneel and kowtow for a long time without getting up.

After a moment of contemplation with his eyes lowered, Tang Zhao thought of the deadline for the alignment of the nine stars and sighed inwardly, "Forget it. Just as the master said, one should bear the consequences of one's own actions. Why involve innocent people?"

"Just assume that Yang Qian hired assassins to kill the Salt Commissioner and his subordinates, not Princess Zhaoshan and the War King."

Gu Ci gave Tang Zhao a deep look.

"Thank you, sir!" Yang Rong was overjoyed and straightened up to take the brocade box from the servant. "This is compensation from the Yang family to you, sir. Please accept it with a smile."

Zhaohui stepped forward, took the brocade box, opened it, and found a thick stack of land deeds inside.

Tang Zhao's words contradicted his thoughts: "What is this Master Hongru doing? How can I accept such a precious item? Take it back immediately!"

Yang Rong stood up with Gu Ci's help. "This is the heartfelt gift from the entire Yang family. Please do not refuse, sir." Tang Zhao feigned embarrassment, and after several tugs of the hand, Tang Zhao reluctantly accepted it.

"If you take someone's money, you have to do their bidding." Tang Zhao, being very moral, said, "Mr. Hongru, go back and tell the Yang family that they can rest assured, but they must also remember to restrain their clansmen and never produce another Yang Qian like them."

"This humble subject has learned a lesson," Yang Rong said, and left after achieving his goal.

Tang Zhao looked at the land deed, which was a foot high, and said with a double meaning, "It's good to be rich."

Gu Ci unfolded a land deed and placed it in front of Tang Zhao, saying, "You're the one who's in a bad situation now."

Tang Zhao:?
Gu Ci's slender finger pointed to the lower left corner of the land deed. "This land is in Minzhou."

Tang Zhao:!
Chaohui and Chaoyi hurriedly began to examine all the land deeds, and were furious. "Your Highness and Princess, these land deeds are all from Minzhou!"

Tang Zhao:! !

And such good things?

Minzhou is characterized by one part farmland, two parts water, and seven parts mountains. The soil is heavy and fertile. To the east, Japanese pirates and sea bandits would come ashore to harass the area, and to the south, the southern barbarians would cross the mountains to plunder. The people of Minzhou suffered terribly; to say they were starving and poorly clothed was an understatement.

They were practically no different from savages!
Tang Zhao:? ? ?
Is this too exaggerated?
Gu Ci gave an example: "Since the previous dynasty, Minzhou has been a place of exile. The transfer of officials to Minzhou is no different from being exiled. As soon as many officials heard that they were going to take up a post in Minzhou, they directly resigned and went into seclusion."

"But Minzhou has delicious lychees!"

"Lychees are a rare commodity in the north, but they are abundant in Fujian and Guangdong, and the locals are tired of eating them!"

Tang Zhao put all the land deeds back into the brocade box and said firmly, "I love eating lychees!"

Chaohui and Chaoyi looked at their master, hoping he could persuade Tang Zhao.

They don't want to go to Minzhou!
Gu Ci lowered his eyes and smiled, "When we go to Minzhou in the future, how about I accompany you to eat fresh lychees?"

Tang Zhao tightened his grip on the brocade box.

Gu Ci stood quietly in place, waiting for Tang Zhao's answer.

Seeing that the two were not in a good mood, Chaohui and Chaoyi quietly led their men away, leaving the house to the two of them.

Gu Ci's gaze was almost tangible; Tang Zhao could feel its fiery intensity even without looking up. She closed her eyes briefly and said, "I want to go back to the capital."

"Okay," Gu Ci's eyes dimmed, "I'll go with you."

Tang Zhao nodded, then quickly packed his bags and fled.

Yang Rong was stopped by Master Yang at the secluded path in the Yang Family Garden. "Where are you going, Second Brother?"

Yang Rong lowered his eyes. "I have completed the task that Father instructed me to do, and I am about to report back to Father."

"Don't think that your father relies on you and start having some unrealistic fantasies."

"Let me tell you, I am the eldest son, and the Yang family will definitely be passed down to me in the future. Don't even think about surpassing me to become the head of the Yang family!"

Yang Rong said calmly, "Brother, you've misunderstood me. I never intended to compete with you for the position of Yang clan leader."

Master Yang hated this kind of behavior the most. "It had better be this way, otherwise don't blame me for not showing any brotherly affection."

After Master Yang's figure disappeared, Yang Rong muttered under his breath, "Fool."