At the beginning, I became a county magistrate with greed of 500 million. The empress asked me to be

"The previous emperor ruled the country with leniency and benevolence, and never pursued the arrears of taxes and silver from the provinces. Over time, this eventually led to great harm."

"Over the years, the provinces have owed more and more silver. It is understandable that the court is holding them accountable, but Zhili protects the capital and has no money left to pay the taxes."

"This Governor has no time to save face today. I beg Lord Xia to consider the livelihood of the people in the twelve prefectures and seven counties of Zhili and ask His Majesty to issue an imperial decree to exempt Zhili from the taxes owed and restore peace to the people."

Zhao Gongming spoke continuously, and when he got excited, he stood up on the spot and bowed to Xia Yun with both hands.

"Master Zhao, please don't do this!"

Zhao Gongming's sudden action frightened Xia Yun, and he quickly stood up and bowed to Zhao Gongming in return.

After a few breaths, the two sat down again.

A solemn look appeared on Xia Yun's face.

He understood Zhao Gongming's intention. The other party thought that he had a close relationship with the empress, so he wanted him to plead for mercy in front of the empress.

To be honest, asking for mercy was not difficult for Xia Yun. After all, the purpose of his trip to Beijing was to report on his work.

He only needed to report the current situation in Zhili to the empress when reporting on his work.

However, what made him feel helpless was that there was no relationship at all between him and the empress.

"Master Zhao, I have a question. People outside are saying that you have extorted money from the people, causing Changshan City to become destitute and in chaos. Is this true?"

Xia Yun did not rush to agree to Zhao Gongming, but instead asked about the doubts in his heart.

When Zhao Gongming heard this, a wry smile appeared on his face.

"Although I am the Governor-General of Zhili, I am not in charge of the specific administration. The current Zhili Governor, Sun Yuanliang, is an official recommended by Lord Xu, and the Zhili Provincial Governor, Li Chenan, is an official recommended by Lord Wei, the Minister of Works."

Zhao Gongming only said half of his words, revealing the origins of the Zhili Governor and the Provincial Governor.

But even so, Xia Yun still understood what Zhao Gongming meant.

As the Governor-General of Zhili, Zhao Gongming had the power to control all officials in Zhili.

However, the specific government affairs on day-to-day basis are still handled by the governor and the provincial governor.

The two current governors and provincial governors were all recommended by the imperial court. In addition, Zhili was adjacent to the capital, so he had to be cautious.

"Was it an order from the governor or the provincial governor?"

Xia Yun continued to ask.

"Yes, some time ago, the governor issued a temporary decree, increasing taxes on all Changshan City residents by 30% and merchants by 40%."

"Sun Yuanliang is the main culprit for the current situation in Changshan City, but I am also guilty of overseeing the situation."

Zhao Gongming sighed and shook his head.

He had thought about arresting Sun Yuanliang directly, but even if he did that, it would not change the court's order to pay the tax debts.

"How about this, Lord Zhao? I will rest in Zhili for two days. After two days, I will give Lord Zhao an answer."

After Xia Yun pondered for a moment, he gave a cautious answer.

Although he had already believed Zhao Gongming 70% in his heart, there were some things he still wanted to see for himself.

"In that case, thank you very much, Master Xia!"

"Come, Lord Xia, I'll toast you three cups!"

Zhao Gongming laughed loudly, then raised his glass and drank the wine in it!

……

The banquet did not end until late at night.

Zhao Gongming and Xia Yun are both very capable.

After the banquet, the two men were still clear-headed. Zhao Gongming got on the sedan chair of the governor's office and disappeared into the night.

Xia Yun, accompanied by Jiang Wenzhong, strolled on the streets of Changshan City.

"Sir, the spies we sent out earlier have already investigated thoroughly. At present, notices have been posted throughout Changshan City, increasing taxes on the common people and merchants. Many people are suffering so much that they have chosen to leave Changshan City."

"On the other hand, other prefectures in Zhili did not impose additional taxes. Not only that, many prefectures also opened disaster relief shelters to provide relief and receive refugees."

Along the way, Jiang Wenzhong kept reporting the intelligence obtained by the spies to Xia Yun.

And this is exactly the same as what Xia Yun learned.

"Continue to investigate, and find out the details of Zhili Governor Sun Yuanliang and Provincial Governor Li Chenan."

Xia Yun said calmly.

Although it was curfew, Xia Yun saw many shops on both sides of the road covered with dust and cobwebs.

Obviously, these shops are now deserted.

The capital of Zhili has become so dilapidated that it makes me feel sad when it rains.

Judging from the current situation in the prefectures and cities of Zhili, most of the local governments should still be under the control of Zhao Gongming.

This is why, except for Changshan City, other provincial capitals are actively providing relief to refugees.

From a macro perspective, this was more of a game between Zhili and some Jiangnan Party officials in the imperial court.

Xia Yun pondered for a moment and gradually came up with the answer.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. His actions in Hangzhou City have undoubtedly offended almost all the Jiangnan Party officials.

Especially after Chen Hanzhi and Zuo Anning were sentenced to be executed in the autumn, he became the mortal enemy of those guys.

In the court, those ministers of the Jiangnan Party, whom he had never met before, repeatedly challenged him in front of the empress, and he was not completely unaware of it.

Those guys will also be there when he goes to Beijing this time, and they will have a fight with him.

Before they knew it, time had passed and Xia Yun and his group returned to the inn.

However, just after Xia Yun entered the inn, a number of uninvited guests appeared quietly outside the inn.

"My lord is back!"

In the inn, Xia Yun's return made Xu Wan'er and others feel relieved.

"My lord, Eunuch Li has already set off to return to the capital. Before he left, he asked me to tell you that he would definitely speak well of you in front of your majesty."

After meeting Xia Yun, Xu Wan'er first reported what happened in the inn.

"How much silver did you give him?"

Xia Yun smiled. Those eunuchs who delivered imperial eunuchs would not do anything without money. If they were not paid, they would not do anything.

"Two thousand taels."

Xu Wan'er responded.

"Three thousand taels of silver in exchange for a few nice words from him in front of the empress. This deal is really worthwhile."

Xia Yun smiled and shook his head.

To be honest, he was a little envious of the eunuchs' way of making money. They could easily earn thousands of taels of silver just by talking.

Where can we find such good things in this era?

"Sir, do you want to..."

At this time, Chong Heihu suddenly spoke and made a gesture of wiping his neck with his right hand.

The intention was very obvious. They planned to imitate what they did in Dai County and kill the eunuchs who accepted bribes.

Unexpectedly, Xia Yun shook his head when he saw this.

"No, things are different now."

Even if Xia Yun loved money, he would not choose to take action against the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict at this time.

"Sir, some guests have been waiting outside for a long time tonight. Would you like to invite them in?"

Suddenly, Xu Wan'er spoke again, and a hint of murderous intent flashed quietly in her cold eyes.