Hidden in the court

Since Xin Yu brought back the good news, the border post that Xihe Huchen had prepared long ago came in handy.

The low tariffs in the North attracted many merchants from Liangwu. When the first group of caravans entered the North with great expectations, they were stunned when they saw the familiar "Suo Ji" sign in the town where they settled.

"Is the Suo family's business so big?"

Over the next two days, I saw the Suo family's signboards again and again in the places where I stayed.

"I'm afraid there may be a clan named Suo in the North."

However, when they arrived in Chang'an City and saw more than one Wanhelou, they could no longer hold back.

"What the hell, this hand is too long! Also, the mental state of the people in Chang'an... is a bit good."

When they came to the specially set up market following market supervision, they were completely dumbfounded.

The official handed him a piece of paper with the following words written on it: "Regulations on the Administration of Foreign Trade in the North..."

"The most important rule is that the price of goods shall not be higher than 1.3 times the original market price plus tariffs. You came early, and the stalls at the entrance of the market are still empty."

Look at the shops on the street and then look at the small stalls in the market in front of you.

……

When they went around asking if the shops were for sale, they got a uniform response: "No."

Just kidding, Xie An had already bought all the shops in Chang'an City that were in good locations and sold takeout some time ago. Now when they ask, they are either the property of some adults or retail investors who rely on the shops to support their families. The conclusion is: "Not for sale!"

But even so, the low import tax still made the merchants from Liang Wu profitable. The problem was that the Liang Wu court was really deceived. In the original plan, they would successfully rely on the advantages of goods and merchants to achieve a trade surplus. Now, the merchants and goods are out, but the situation they face in the north is like chicken ribs.

The most important thing is the situation of the Suo family, the largest merchant family in Liangwu.

If Su Mengyang paid special attention, he would have discovered that among all the export tariffs reported by the Ministry of Revenue these days, there was no report from the Suo family.

The Suo family only needed to pay local taxes to the Northern Territory and Liangwu. And unlike Liangwu, Suo Wanjin didn't need to spend a lot of money to run the business.

If you want to ask whether the Liang Wu court can tolerate this kind of behavior of having the best of both worlds.

Officials of all ranks said, what a joke! Do you know how much money Suo Wanjin pays me a year?

Emperor Nangong Lin said, what a joke, do you know how much tax the Suo family pays in a year?

What good would it be for me to stab the Suo family in the back? Not only would it incur public outrage, but I would also have no money to earn in the future and would also have to face the prospect of a large number of laid-off workers.

Everyone in the Ministry of Revenue knows this, except, um...

"Master Su, do you want to go further?"

The Minister of Revenue Jia Qian came up to Su Mengyang and spoke mysteriously.

This sudden action made Su Mengyang a little stunned, but after thinking about it carefully, it shouldn't be a bad thing, so he should ask clearly.

"Sir, what does this mean?"

Jia Qian stretched out a finger and pointed upwards: "Go up."

This is the plan of the three people from the Ministry of Household Affairs. Since Su Xiao refuses to leave, we will carry him up.

"I think you, Mr. Su, are a man of outstanding talent. You are definitely not an ordinary person. Moreover, you are still young and have a bright future. I have a great gift that can help you make the leap."

What Jia Qian said was so tempting that Su Mengyang almost believed it.

"Sir, what do you mean by that?"

Seeing that he was not taking the bait, Jia Qian did not wait any longer and spoke directly: "Han Gui, a fourth-rank official in my dynasty, I wonder if you know him?"

"I do not recognize."

"I don't know him, that's great. This Fatty Han is nothing..."

Listening to Jia Qian's accusation of Han Gui's numerous crimes at the top of his voice, Su Mengyang was dumbfounded. No, what kind of hatred or grudge is this? A dignified Minister of Revenue and a small sixth-rank supervisor like me are talking bad about a fourth-rank official.

"It's like this. I have evidence here that Fatty Han is a corrupt official and abuses his power."

Hearing this, Su Mengyang instantly perked up. He remembered Ji Mingshang's words, and it seemed that it was good to be able to make progress.

"But why, Lord Shangshu? You have a grudge against this Han Gui."

Jia Qian's face turned stern. "I just can't stand his behavior. He is a sinister person. He flatters his superiors and bullies his subordinates. He is a complete clique. He is the cancer of my Liang Wu court, the scum of society, and the public enemy of the world. I am really ashamed to work with him. I ask Su Zhuangyuan to take action and report to His Majesty to restore peace to my court and the world."

Su Mengyang looked at the two assistant ministers beside him in surprise and saw that they were nodding repeatedly.

"Um...why don't you guys go?"

Jia Qian was stunned by Su Mengyang, but he quickly reacted: "Now I am the Minister of Revenue. Even if I go, this achievement will not allow me to advance further. But you are different. With this achievement, you can make Su Zhuangyuan rise to prominence from now on. I am just an honest official who prays for the people."

This world is crazy. The mouse is the bridesmaid for the cat.

Su Mengyang didn't believe this at all. It was nothing more than the advantages outweighing the disadvantages. Think about it, it's okay to get rid of Han Gui, but it will only make everyone feel insecure, and no one in the officialdom will be friends with you. If you fail to get it done, you will offend a "mad dog", which is a thankless task.

Su Mengyang knew that there were many things involved, but did he really want to let such a bad guy go?

Su Mengyang flipped through the so-called evidence and found that Jia Qian had indeed cleared himself of all charges.

The evidence includes, but is not limited to, bribery of officials, illegal business operations, abuse of power, oppression of the people, bullying of men and women, and not being clean...

As Su Mengyang watched, his anger grew. Seeing that his expression was becoming increasingly ugly, Jia Qian knew that he had taken the bait.

Su Mengyang made up his mind and decided to do it.

Then he stood up and clasped his fists towards Jia Qian, "Thank you very much, Lord Shangshu."

Jia Qian was also very happy. If it worked out, Su Mengyang would be promoted. If it didn't work out, Su Mengyang would be finished.

"We still need to think about it in the long run..."

Su Mengyang just took a quick look, and now he found that there were more than a dozen lower-level officials involved. Fortunately, there was only Han Gui, and... Prince Ji Liancheng was also mentioned.

Su Mengyang just felt a headache. How could this be evidence? It was just a death warrant!

"Why don't we look for Brother Ji? Although the prince may have problems, Brother Ji is absolutely innocent."

Well, Su Mengyang couldn’t tell whether Jia Qian wanted to help him or harm him.

Looking at the evidence in his hand, Su Mengyang fell into deep thought. Would His Majesty move a fourth-rank official just for a small supervisor like me?

If Prince Ji really has a problem, will Brother Ji be implicated?

And can I really shake them?