MM Racing Chapter 168 Gu Tingye Zhangjing
Chapter 168 Gu Tingye Zhangjing
Chapter 168 Gu Tingye Returns to Beijing
"I'm innocent!"
Inside a house in the western part of the inner city, cries and screams filled the air, and many onlookers had gathered nearby to watch the spectacle.
However, the soldiers showed no mercy and let them cry out.
Some soldiers would scold them because they found it annoying, and some hot-tempered soldiers would even resort to violence.
Inside the main hall, Yu Xingzhi listened to the noise outside and admired the furnishings inside.
"These wealthy merchants are really rich. Such a large mansion in the inner city is now worth no less than 100,000 taels of silver. The furnishings in the hall are also very valuable."
The deputy commander, who was standing beside Yu Xingzhi, looked at the furnishings in the hall with burning eyes and whispered, "Commander, should we keep some—"
"What did you say?"
Yu Xingzhi turned around abruptly, staring at the deputy commander and said, "Did you ignore what I said before?"
"This humble general dares not," the man quickly bowed and said.
"I'll say it again, you're not allowed to cut a single penny. Even if it gets lost during transport, you'll have to pay for it yourself, understand?" Yu Xingzhi said calmly.
"Rest assured, Commander, I understand!"
"Um.
""
Yu Xingzhi's expression softened a bit, and he said, "I don't need to teach you the principle of being full at one meal and being full at every meal."
Now that the Imperial City Guard has finally been given an important position, I tell my brothers that we must not let small things lead to big losses.
If anyone, driven by greed, ruins everyone's future, don't blame me for turning my back on them.
"Rest assured, Commander, I will pass on the message immediately."
The deputy commander bowed and hurried away.
No sooner had he left than a captain ran in.
"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, the Chen family has 181 members, including servants and laborers. Except for a few who are currently living elsewhere, not a single one is missing!"
"Yes, take them all back!"
Before those outside came to arrest people, Yu Xingzhi had already sent people to do so, so there was no need to worry.
After the soldiers escorted the man out, Yu Xingzhi gave a few instructions to the deputy commander, and then led the soldiers to escort the prisoner back to the Imperial City Guard.
Meanwhile, similar incidents were happening simultaneously in several other establishments in Bianjing.
These people all say that he is a famous wealthy merchant in Bianjing, and many of them have connections with officials in the imperial court.
The news of the Imperial City Guard arresting so many people spread quickly throughout Bianjing.
Ordinary people watched the spectacle, while wealthy merchants and officials were filled with apprehension.
Fearing that their families would be implicated, they all asked around to find out more information.
Yu Xingzhi led his men back to the Imperial City Division, and the other teams responsible for the arrests also returned one after another.
Nearly two thousand people were arrested and brought back.
With so many people, the Imperial City Guard prison certainly couldn't hold them all. So they imprisoned the key members of those families, and temporarily detained the rest in the soldiers' quarters.
Those ordinary servants were sent to the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution) after their identities were verified.
These kinds of things have nothing to do with servants, but servants are also a form of property.
When a master commits a crime, some of his trusted servants are executed, but some ordinary servants are sent to the brothel.
The Jiaofangsi was not simply a government-run brothel, but an institution.
Only the female relatives of families whose property was confiscated could become official prostitutes. These ordinary servants would become official slaves and be given as rewards to court officials or meritorious individuals.
With this arrangement, there aren't many prisoners left.
Yu Xingzhi immediately arranged for the interrogation.
Many high-ranking officials in the court received news that the Imperial City Guard was arresting people everywhere, but they did not take any action.
The Imperial City Guard was ordered to investigate the rebels, and those arrested must be related to this matter.
The situation is unclear, and nobody wants to get involved.
After a long interrogation, the people left behind by each family to inventory their property gradually returned.
Yu Xingzhi took the compiled confessions and the amount of money seized to Wang You.
Wang You didn't even look at it, and told him to go to the palace to report on his own.
Yu Xingzhi couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder he's a man who wants to be a horse; he looks down on these palace laborers."
However, he was very excited and took these things to the palace to see the emperor.
Upon learning of this, the emperor summoned Yu Xingzhi.
He didn't care about the testimonies at all, but he was very interested in the figures regarding the assets.
When he saw the specific numbers, even though he was now the emperor, he couldn't help but gasp.
Several wealthy merchants alone had over 200,000 mu of farmland confiscated.
The houses, shops, and valuable treasures are beyond measure.
On the contrary, they didn't have much cash; even the wealthy merchants combined didn't have more than 200,000 taels.
A rough estimate suggests that the wealth of these merchants, converted into silver, should be no less than five million taels.
It should be noted that the annual revenue of the Song Dynasty last year was just over 100 million.
In other words, the wealth of a few rich merchants was equivalent to one-twentieth of the annual income of the Song Dynasty.
If all the merchants' homes in Bianjing were searched and their property confiscated, how much money would they have?
What about all the wealthy merchants in the world?
Thinking of this, the official's breathing quickened.
It took the emperor a while to calm down. He frowned and asked, "Where is Wang You? Why are you the one reporting this?"
"Your Majesty, I consulted with Wang Xiuzhuan, and he sent me to report this!" Yu Xingzhi said.
The official sneered inwardly upon hearing this, and said, "From now on, report everything to him. Let him report it, understand?"
"yes!"
Yu Xingzhi sensed the anger in the official's tone and inwardly groaned, having thought the official would bestow some reward.
Not only did they not receive any reward, but they also displeased the emperor.
The Emperor's expression softened slightly, and he said, "I know how hard the Imperial City Guards have worked. Once the investigation of the traitors is complete, I will reward them accordingly!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Yu Xingzhi was overjoyed upon hearing this.
"Go, gather the evidence as soon as possible!" the official said, waving his hand.
"Your Majesty, I take my leave!"
Yu Xingzhi bowed and withdrew.
"Hmph, these people are quite rich, but the officials are even richer!" the official sneered.
Before becoming emperor, he frequently visited the palace, and in his eyes, the palace was full of majesty.
But ever since he became emperor, he has found fault with everything in the palace.
Because the emperor valued frugality, many parts of the palace appeared somewhat old, and the furnishings were simple.
He used to have the filter of power, so naturally he thought everything was good.
But after he ascended the throne and became the master of the palace, he became somewhat disdainful of it.
He couldn't undertake large-scale renovations of the palace after ascending the throne, so he could only have some furnishings added to the interior.
As a result, the inner court only added a few furnishings, which greatly dissatisfied him.
He summoned the eunuch in charge of the inner palace and reprimanded him, but the eunuch complained about being poor.
It's not that they don't want to decorate more elaborately, it's that they don't have the money.
The emperor was furious when he heard this. Not only did the three ministries complain about being poor, but the imperial treasury also started complaining about being poor.
The royal family owns so many estates, and the produce all goes into the royal treasury to supply the royal expenses.
The late emperor was so frugal, he should have saved a lot of money, how could he be short of money?
The eunuchs in the inner palace said that it was true that the late emperor was frugal, and the inner palace did indeed have a considerable surplus every year.
However, the late emperor had repeatedly diverted money from the imperial treasury to the Three Departments. After the emperor's funeral and some rewards after his ascension to the throne, there was not much money left in the imperial treasury.
If we don't save some, the palace will go hungry.
He found it hard to believe at first, but after a thorough investigation, it turned out to be true.
In other words, after he inherited the throne, he was completely penniless except for the power he held.
Not only is the national treasury empty, but even the internal treasury is empty.
Now that so much money has been seized from just a few wealthy merchants, he has made up his mind to keep a portion for the Imperial Treasury and hand over the rest to the Three Departments!
Wang You was unaware of these things, and after sending Yu Xingzhi away, he didn't think much of it.
He didn't plan to get involved in what happened next, since the emperor was sure to target the civil officials this time.
If he gets involved in everything, the civil officials might eventually turn their anger against him.
Although he himself didn't care, he didn't want to come to his father and brothers because of these things.
He didn't want to get involved, but the authorities weren't going to let him off the hook.
Upon hearing Yu Xingzhi's words, Wang You could only curse inwardly.
-
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Although it is only late autumn in the northern border region, the north is already experiencing howling winds.
On the city wall of Xiongzhou, a group of soldiers, having finished their patrol, entered the city tower and gathered in front of a brazier.
"Phew, it's so cold, looks like it's going to snow soon!"
One soldier reached over the brazier to warm his hands, muttering something under his breath.
"Just bear with it a little longer. Our time to guard the border is almost up this year. Once the rotation arrives, we can go back to Bianjing," another soldier said.
"Haha, Lao Liu, you're missing your wife, aren't you?"
"I think so. Old Liu, remember to reinforce your bed when you go back this time. I heard that you collapsed your bed when you went back to guard the border last time."
"Haha, that shouldn't be the case. The last time was six years ago. If Lao Liu goes back now, he probably won't be able to stand up again."
"Get lost, I'm not even forty yet, how come I can't get it up?" Old Liu laughed and cursed.
The soldiers in the barracks were all rough men, and they didn't usually hold back when they spoke.
Old Liu chatted and laughed with the others for a while. After he warmed up, he looked around and sat down in the corner.
"Gu Tingye, don't think too much. Now that the Emperor has ascended the throne, he will definitely grant a general amnesty. You will be able to return to the capital soon."
""
"Then I'll take Brother Liu's good wishes."
Gu Tingye, who was lost in thought, smiled upon hearing this.
He was sentenced to exile, not to be exiled to the army.
Normally, they should be sent to the border to do odd jobs.
However, the Gu family still had some influence in the military. After he was sent to the border, he was assigned to the military not long after.
Although he was no different from the other soldiers, he was not under surveillance.
However, as someone who was exiled, he was not eligible for promotion and had no term of office.
To prevent border generals from becoming too powerful, the Song Dynasty adopted a rotational garrison system for its border troops.
A cycle lasts three years. When the time is up, the generals will remain the same, but a batch of soldiers will be transferred from the western suburban camp.
The original soldiers could be transferred back to the western suburban camp.
Because of the frequent troop movements, the generals had no way to turn these troops into their own private army.
Is Gu Tingye here?
Just then, a soldier walked into the city gate and shouted.
"exist!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Tingye immediately stood up.
"Come with me quickly, Commander Zhou wants to see you!" the soldier said.
"yes!"
Gu Tingye responded and left with the soldiers, leaving the others to discuss amongst themselves.
The soldiers led Gu Tingye to the military camp inside the city. After winding their way to a tent, they informed the guards outside, who then went in to report.
A moment later, a guard came out and said, "The Commander-in-Chief allows Gu Tingye to go in alone!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Tingye entered the tent.
"Greetings, Commander Zhou!" Gu Tingye bowed to Zhou Yuan behind the desk.
"No need for formalities!"
Zhou Yuan waved his hand and sighed, "Back when I was guarding the northwest border, I served under Lord Gu. I never imagined that in the blink of an eye, everything would have changed so much."
When Gu Tingye heard Zhou Yuan mention his father, his breathing quickened.
Although he hated Gu Yankai for killing his mother, Gu was still his biological father, and he felt a sharp pain in his heart whenever he thought about how he had angered his father to death.
"Please sit down."
Zhou Yuan picked up a letter from the table and said, "The imperial court has already issued a general amnesty decree, and this letter was sent by your brother."
Gu Tingye only accidentally killed someone, and the other party had plotted against him first, so it wasn't a serious crime and he was naturally included in the amnesty.
Upon hearing that the letter was from Gu Tingyu, Gu Tingye frowned slightly.
Gu Yankai died while he was in prison.
However, when news of his death arrived, the Kaifeng Prefecture specially requested that he return home to attend his father's funeral.
Perhaps because they felt that Gu Tingye was no longer a threat, Gu Tingyu and Madam Qin stopped hiding their identities.
The two not only berated him for causing Gu Yankai's death, but also refused to let him into the house.
At the time, Gu Tingye didn't think much of it, only assuming that they hated him and had angered his father to death.
However, during his time in prison and exile, he gradually sensed that something was amiss.
Gu Tingye took the letter, unfolded it, and began to read.
After reading the contents of the letter, Gu Tingye trembled, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing that Gu Tingye's expression was off, Zhou Yuan asked, "Has something happened to the Gu family?"
"Commander Zhou—"
"Now that you've been pardoned, there's no need to hide your identity anymore. Just call me Uncle Zhou," Zhou Yuan said, waving his hand.
Because of his special identity, Zhou Yuan arranged for Gu Tingye to join the army in order to conceal his identity, without giving him any special treatment.
Gu Tingye only told the other soldiers he knew that he had committed a crime and was sentenced to exile. His family spent some money to get him assigned to the army.
"Uncle Zhou, nothing's wrong with the Gu family. I just wanted to ask, did you help me back then because you knew I was being exiled, or because my brother asked you for help?" Gu Tingye asked.
"It was a letter from your brother."
Zhou Yuan said, "My family is not in Bianjing. They only heard about the death of Marquis Gu and did not know about your exile."
After hearing this, Gu Tingye bowed and said, "Thank you for your care, Uncle Zhou!"
"Why are you being so polite with me!"
Zhou Yuan took out a money pouch, stuffed it into Gu Tingye's hand, and said, "Take this money for your journey. Although you have been pardoned, you still need to go to the place of exile and get the official documents before you can return to Bianjing."
I've arranged everything; someone will take you there.
"Thank you, Uncle Zhou!"
Gu Tingye didn't stand on ceremony; he did need these things when he returned to the capital.
Zhou Yuan patted Gu Tingye on the shoulder, summoned a guard, and asked him to escort Gu Tingye away.
Gu Tingye first bid farewell to the soldiers in his camp, and then, accompanied by his personal guards, returned to the place where he had been exiled, obtained his official documents, and then parted ways with his guards before embarking on his journey back to the capital.
It took Gu Tingye ten days to return to Bianjing. He stood at the city gate for a long time before entering the city.