Shipin Dalizheng

What could Mayor Gao have said? The one who backed the Gao family was Yang Lianye, who was too busy cleaning up his mess and was in danger to care about the Gao family.

He decided to report to the county magistrate, seize the imperial farm, punish the Gao family with the maximum penalty, and send the entire family to the northwest to open up wasteland.

Don’t they love farming? The vast expanse of loess in the northwest is enough for them to cultivate.

After finishing his official business, Rong Tang's serious face softened noticeably as he greeted, "Chief Gao, you've come a long way and are so exhausted. I, the prince, should show my hospitality. Come on, serve the wine and the food."

The wine was brewed at home, and the dishes were new recipes devised by Aunt Dahu. They were served one after another. Mayor Gao was dizzy. How could he eat and drink like this?

Not daring to refuse, he sat down and accompanied him with a smile. After taking a few chopsticks to pick up the dishes and drinking a few glasses of wine, Mayor Gao started to chuckle and asked, "Why is this wine so fragrant, so strong, and so enjoyable?"

Rong Tang urged him to drink while chatting enthusiastically, "Mayor Gao, you are an important official in charge of a region, a key minister of the country. Leading the people under your jurisdiction out of poverty and into prosperity is your unshirkable responsibility. Is that correct?"

That's true, but...

"Does Prince Rong think too highly of me?"

An important official of the country? Is he worthy of it? In front of Rong Tang, he didn't even dare to call himself a subordinate.

"You are important."

Rong Tang patted him on the shoulder vigorously and affirmed his value, making Mayor Gao feel the sincerity of being respected and valued, and even more excited like a good horse meeting a good horse trainer.

"Mayor Gao, to be honest, I'm also concerned about the livelihoods of my clansmen, and I'd also like to help out my distant relatives and neighbors. These past few days, I've been looking for a business that, if successful, could boost the economy of our entire town. Do you know what the economy is? It's money. If the villagers under your jurisdiction become prosperous, you'll have achieved political success as mayor, and a promotion is just around the corner!"

Mayor Gao was a little confused, but his mind was not too muddled. On the surface, what Rong Shizi said sounded all right, and it didn't seem like a trap. Even if the news leaked to the enemy, there was no handle.

I couldn't help but nod, "Yes, that's right!"

"When you become powerful, I'll mention your name before His Majesty, and you'll soar to the sky!"

When Mayor Gao heard the word "His Majesty", his mind cleared up for a moment, "Prince, can you still see His Majesty?"

"Why not? Wasn't I, the Crown Prince, personally appointed by His Majesty? Brother Gao, I won't harm you. Taking this opportunity, why don't you invest a share? I won't let you take more than you deserve. Just one hundred taels, I'll give you one share. It's not that I'm short of this hundred taels, so I'm asking you to invest. It's because when you become successful, someone might use this to accuse you of accepting bribes or something. One hundred taels isn't a lot, Brother Gao, you must have it, right? Don't you have it with you? Don't worry, don't worry. Sign the deed first, and I'll have someone take you home to get the money. Come on, the deed is ready. Sign here, and put your fingerprints here. That's right, all done."

While he was saying this, Mayor Gao was persuaded to drink a few more glasses of wine. His legs were weak and he was wondering why he couldn't drink that much...

With a thud, he fell to the ground.

"Rong Shen, send Mayor Gao back to town. Remember to bring back the silver."

Rong Shen stood by the side the whole time and saw with his own eyes how Mayor Gao was tricked by Rong Tang and signed a contract.

Mayor Gao arrived on a donkey, his men at the paddy fields dealing with the Gao family. Rong Shen put him on the donkey's back and rode on his horse. When they reached the paddy fields, he said to Mayor Gao's men, "Let's go."

The men thought that their mayor had been knocked unconscious, until someone heard that the mayor was drunk, and then they felt relieved.

When they arrived at the town, twenty or thirty members of the Gao family were detained and sent to the county town for trial at another day. Mayor Gao was personally sent home by Rong Shen, who asked Mrs. Gao for one hundred taels of silver as a share of the investment.

Mayor Gao's family was of modest means, affluent but not wealthy, and one hundred taels was no small sum. Madam Gao slapped Mayor Gao, but he couldn't wake her up. She only heard him shouting, "Good wine, good wine!" She then looked at the deed, which was signed and stamped by her husband himself. One hundred taels was just a stake, not a waste of money, so she gritted her teeth and gave it.

The next day, Mayor Gao sobered up and looked at the deed again. He saw that the store he was interested in was the town's liquor store, so he knew he had boarded a ship called "pirates".

If he wanted to get back half of his fortune, he had to first help Prince Rong gain actual control of the store so that his share would not be wasted.

After much thought, the only person I could have dealt with in the past was Yang Lianye, and Minister Jin had no chance of getting close to him. But Yang Lianye was so arrogant and indifferent. He was just the brother of a lowly concubine. Why are you so arrogant?

It's different here. This is the Crown Prince. In some ways, his status is comparable to that of Minister Jin. As the saying goes, don't despise the young and poor, the sunset can never compare to the sunrise. What's more, he now owns a share in this shop, which is "his own shop".

"Damn, give it a try."

At this moment, he chose a side for himself. Not only that, he remembered that Rong Shizi had four more stores in the county town. Did he want to join them...

After seeing off Mayor Gao, another hour of leisure passed. Rong Zhan, who had gone to the capital to gather information that morning, returned. "As expected, Master, Yang Liangui has been released and is still the chief steward of Fuxinzhuang."

Rong Zhan drank water in big gulps while feeling angry. Yang Liangui's matter could be a big deal or a small one. His Majesty acquiesced to the Rong Family Army's handling of the matter. He was a man of blood and should have known to fight for a way to survive for the retired wounded soldiers. At the very least, he should let Yang Liangui bleed heavily to compensate those who suffered losses. This damn Wang Biao took over the Rong Family Army in vain, but had no mercy on the retired soldiers of the Rong Family Army. He was worse than a beast.

"I'm afraid there aren't many officers and generals left in the Rong family army who can speak."

"Originally, two lieutenants and a captain were very angry when they heard about this. I heard they submitted their resignations."

Rong Tang sighed. They handed in their resignations, and Wang Biao was probably overjoyed. Finally, there were no old members of the Rong Family Army left, and it was time for the Rong Family Army to change its number.

After talking about this infuriating thing, there is some good news.

"The Jingzhao Prefecture's investigation into Yang Lianye's accounting fraud has been confirmed, and he's officially in custody awaiting trial. I heard that Minister Jin personally went to retrieve him, but was sternly rebuffed by Prince Jing. The Jingzhao Prefecture has tipped off our subordinates that as long as the prince doesn't confess, they'll hold Yang Lianye to account."

Rong Tang chuckled. This Jingzhao prefect was a wonderful man. Why would he let the man go? It didn't happen.

"Master, I'm afraid Minister Jin will put pressure on you from now on."

"Tell him to come over. By the way, what about the letter?"

Rong Zhan paused and said carefully, "Master, I didn't ask. I know that if I asked, they would definitely be willing to help. But this might not be good for you, Master."

"How to say?"

"The communication channels between the former master and Jiangnan are very complex and secretive, so the correspondence must be reviewed word by word. Is the master writing to that side sure to let the former master review it first?"

That is definitely not possible.

Rong Tang then realized how inappropriate his previous thoughts were. Rong Zhan's move was truly considering the issue from his own perspective. Compared to their former master, he trusted the other one more.