Chapter 168 Fighting Between Gods (Please Vote for Me!!!)

After being granted the title of Marquis, Zhao Zongquan was given a house just behind the Dongchang Hou Mansion. It was originally the residence of Xuan Ping Hou. However, he rebelled with King Yan, not only costing his own life, but also his whole family. After being questioned, the Xuanpinghou Mansion became vacant.

"Daddy." Sister Lan was carried by Qin Hao to play in the new house. She muttered a lot. Unfortunately, for a child over one year old, baby talk is really difficult to understand. Except for the words "daddy", she said it more clearly. , the rest are a little bit confused.

Yu Yanran was in high spirits directing the people to move things. The advantage of living in separate houses is that from now on, she will be the mistress of the house. From now on, when other people see her, they will shout: Mrs. Yu, or Mrs. Jinghaihou, rather than like Just like before, with Qin Liu on top of her head, she could only shout: Mrs. Yu.

"Zihan, why didn't I see you after looking around for a while? It turns out you are hiding here for peace and quiet." Gu Tingye entered the pavilion in a hurry.

Qin Hao smiled and said to his daughter: "Sister Lan, this is your second uncle, please call me second uncle."

"Second uncle." Sister Lan held it in for a while before she came out.

Gu Tingye was so happy that he took out a jade pendant from his arms and gave it to Sister Lan. The color turned out to be mutton-fat jade.

"It seems that calling me uncle is not in vain. Sister Lan, why don't you thank me, uncle." Qin Hao knew Gu Tingye's family background and did not refuse. He would just give him a generous gift when Gu Tingye gets married some time later.

"Thank you, Uncle Er." Sister Lan grabbed the mutton-fat jade pendant with her chubby hands and played with it for a while, then lost interest. Qin Hao asked the maid who took care of her to put it away. The child was too young to fall easily. When she grows up, Some more for her to wear.

Qin Hao was a little curious: "You are not preparing for the wedding at home, so why are you coming to me at this time?"

Gu Tingye chuckled: "Some time ago, I asked the officials to give me a house. I didn't come here to see how you arranged it."

Qin Hao nodded. Chengyuan was formerly the Governor's Mansion. It was the residence where Emperor Taizu Gao granted him the title of "Zhongjing Marquis". It was a neighbor of Ningyuan Marquis Mansion, so the street in front of these two houses was also called Zhongning Street. Later, the Zhongjing Marquis Mansion was involved in a treason case, and it was revealed that his title was taken away, his property was confiscated, his family was confiscated, and his family was exterminated.

Later, the Zhongjing Hou Mansion was given to the famous official "Xiong Linshan" and renamed "Chengyuan". After Mr. Xiong retired and returned to his hometown, he handed over the garden to the imperial court.

Gu Tingye did a good job this time. When Zhao Zongquan asked him what reward he wanted, Gu Tingye thought of Minglan who was about to marry him, so as to prevent her from being angry with the Xiao Qin family, so he said that he wanted a separate house and lived in separate houses after the marriage. .

So Zhao Zongquan gave Chengyuan to Gu Tingye.

Qin Hao took Sister Lan and Gu Tingye for a walk around the yard. The Xuanping Marquis Mansion was about the same size as the Dongchang Marquis Mansion, covering an area of ​​about 100 acres. It was equipped with gardens, ponds, pavilions and waterside pavilions. It can be seen that the original Xuanping Hou's family background was still very rich.

If he hadn't participated in the rebellion, he wouldn't have ended up like this.

After walking around, it was already noon, so Qin Hao simply left Gu Tingye down to eat. After all, he had just received a jade pendant from someone else, so he had short hands.

During the meal, Sister Lan kept staring at the roasted leg of lamb on the table. Unfortunately, her teeth could not bite it, so she could only drool. This made Qin Hao feel bad, so she tore the lamb into strips and mixed them with the rice. Feed her the paste.

Seeing this, Gu Tingye joked: "I didn't expect Zihan to take care of the child in a decent manner."

That is to say, the friendship between the two is deep enough, otherwise this statement would be considered a curse in ancient times. Qin Hao didn't take it seriously and continued to feed his daughter rice cereal.

"You moved out right now, and the madam didn't stop you?"

After Gu Yankai's death, Xiao Qin was promoted to the rank of concubine. Her status was suddenly elevated, but her temper became a bit irritable. If it weren't for the maintenance of her benevolent persona for many years, it is estimated that the subordinates in the mansion would Everyone will suffer.

When Gu Tingye heard this, he curled his lips in disdain: "Of course you won't let me go so easily. I cried and complained to the Queen Mother several times, but I pushed her back."

Qin Hao reminded: "You still have to be careful about my aunt, she is not a fuel-efficient lamp."

"Yes, I was bewitched by her when I was young, which caused my reputation to be ruined. Otherwise, I wouldn't have married now. This poisonous snake is most deadly when it is hidden in the dark." Gu Tingye sighed.

The days passed quickly. On June 6th, the day of Gu Tingye's wedding, Qin Hao was also dragged into doing coolies, along with the gang from Yuzhou.

The nobles in Bianjing somewhat looked down on the people in Yuzhou, thinking that they were just lucky enough to get the title from the dragon, and the people in Yuzhou also felt that the nobles in Bianjing were just sitting on their corpses and lying on their ancestors' credit books. A dandy boy waiting to die.

Qin Hao actually didn't think highly of these people in Yuzhou, especially Shen Congxin, who made a mess of the situation he had worked so hard to manage, and finally asked him to wipe his ass.

However, for Gu Tingye's sake, Qin Hao didn't show it too obviously.

They beat gongs and drums all the way to the door of the Sheng family. At this time, the Sheng family was also decorated with lanterns and decorations. Gu Tingye was now a celebrity in front of the officials and had the title of Marquis Ningyuan. How many people wanted to marry him, but they were picked up by the Sheng family. Thanks to the advantage, Sheng Hong now wakes up laughing from his dreams at night.

With Sheng Changbai as an internal agent, Qin Hao and his party successfully passed through the middle gate, and Gu Tingye finally received the bride. Ming Lan, who was dressed in green, looked particularly beautiful, which made Gu Tingye's heart surge.

Wang Ruofu felt a little bit sour that such a good husband had taken advantage of Minglan, a girl born as a commoner, and she didn't know what kind of family her Rulan would find in the future.

Sheng Hong still told Minglan seriously: "When you marry someone else, you must be filial to your elders, be friendly to your sisters-in-law, and don't make people laugh at the Sheng family for their lax upbringing."

Minglan leaned forward slightly: "Thank you father for your teaching, Minglan will keep it in my heart."

Just when Minglan turned around to leave with Gu Tingye, Mrs. Sheng held Minglan's hand, tears streaming down her face.

After finally stopping her tears, Mrs. Sheng let go of Minglan: "Go, go, live a good life."

Minglan also burst into tears and her makeup was stained.

The next banquet was rather boring. Gu Tingye's popularity in Bianjing City was not good. In addition, he was relatively close to the people in Yuzhou. Most of the nobles in Bianjing City did not come, so they sent their family members to see him off. received a congratulatory gift.

However, King Huan came in person, and Gu Tingye also introduced Qin Hao.

King Huan Zhao Yingce was a very talented and ambitious man. Zhao Zongquan originally did not want to accept the blood edict, but it was his urging that persuaded Zhao Zongquan to use the military talisman to mobilize troops to serve the king.

However, Zhao Zongquan did not appoint Zhao Yingce as the prince, but gave him the title of King Huan, which is worth pondering.

Zhao Yingce stopped Qin Hao who was about to salute and said with a smile: "Zihan doesn't need to be polite. Since you are Zhonghuai's cousin, you are one of our own, so just be casual."

Qin Hao understood that the reason why Zhao Yingce was so polite to him was mainly because the auspicious white tiger helped Zhao Zongquan gain righteousness and made their father and son's political status more stable.

Zhao Yingce then asked Qin Hao about overseas situations. Qin Hao did not hide his secrets and recounted his experience of the Spice Islands in detail.

Zhao Yingce was amazed when he heard this: "It turns out that there is such a vast territory outside the Central Plains. In the future..."

At this point, Zhao Yingce paused. If he went on to say that, he was suspected of coveting the throne. Even between father and son, this was very taboo.

As he was talking, Gu Tingye was already a little drunk, but Qin Hao knew how drunk he was. This guy was obviously pretending to be drunk, probably in a hurry to enter the bridal chamber.

Gu Tingye, the rightful owner, left, and Qin Hao followed suit and returned to Xuanpinghou Mansion. Well, it had been renamed "Jinghaihou Mansion" at this time.

However, when Qin Hao came to the main room, he found that the door was closed. Yu Yanran said to Qin Hao through the door.

"Master Marquis, it's inconvenient today, so I'd better go to Qingmei and Feicui's place to have a rest."

Well, it's obvious that he won't be allowed to rest.

Since Qingmei raised her aunt, she has the qualification to live alone in a small courtyard. This time she moved, and she was assigned to a pretty good courtyard. This is also the reason why Qin Hao only has two concubines now. The family is big, It can be accommodated in any arrangement.

"Master Hou." Qingmei was wearing a silk cyan wide-sleeved shirt today and looked at Qin Hao with a charming face.

Qingmei's figure was originally quite attractive, but it has grown in size over the years.

Qin Hao walked up to Qingmei and rubbed the back of his hand on her smooth face. Qingmei's breathing became rapid and she closed her eyes.

"Miss me?" Qin Hao leaned into Qingmei's ear and said.

After a night of silence, Qin Hao woke up the next day and Qingmei was still asleep. She tried her best to cater to Qin Hao last night, but after drinking last night, her fighting power increased greatly, and Qingmei was quickly defeated.

Qin Hao was about to stand up when Qingmei hugged his waist.

"Turns out she was pretending to sleep." Qin Hao pinched Qingmei's cheek.

Qingmei grabbed Qin Hao's hand and rubbed it: "Master Hou, can I have a child?"

Qin Hao was stunned for a moment, and then he remembered that because Yu Yanran had never had children, Qingmei and Feicui had to take Bizi Decoction. After all, it would be very troublesome if the eldest son was not a legitimate child.

"Of course you can." Qin Hao agreed. In fact, Yu Yanran also told him about this when she was in confinement. However, Qin Hao went to sea for more than a year and had no time to have sex with Qingmei and Jade, so naturally he Shelved.

Qingmei cried with joy. In ancient times, a woman's status was closely related to her children. If Qingmei could give birth to a son and a half for Qin Hao, even the concubine's future life would be guaranteed.

"Don't take Fuzi Decoction from now on, and take good care of yourself." Qin Hao wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and said softly.

"Thank you, Lord Marquis, for your mercy." Qingmei said gratefully.

In the next few days, Qin Hao hardly rested. He took turns spending the night in Qingmei and Jade's rooms every day. Thanks to the ancient noble families who had secret tonics, otherwise he would really not be able to withstand it. .

Qin Hao suddenly admired the ancient emperors. How did he manage to carry seventy-two concubines in three palaces and six courtyards, one every day? Qin Hao also deliberately wrote down the secret recipe of the Hou Mansion. In the future, if he gets this modern thing, it will be priceless. My baby, it’s much more effective than sildenafil.

A week after Gu Tingye and Minglan's wedding, Yu Yanran and Qin Hao went to Chengyuan. It turned out that it was already three o'clock in the morning and Minglan was still sleeping.

Yu Yanran joked: "It seems that Gu Hou has really pampered you to the heavens. How can any bride not wake up even after sleeping at this point?"

Minglan mouthed in a daze: "That's his fault too. I worked so late last night. How can I not be sleepy?"

Dan Ju, who was on the side, blushed after hearing this, and quickly pushed Ming Lan, indicating that she should pay attention to what she said.

Minglan also woke up, turned away with a blushing face, and covered herself with the quilt.

Yu Yanran smiled and lifted the quilt and pinched her face: "There is nothing to be ashamed of. We are all married women now, and we are no longer a little girl waiting to be married."

Minglan was made sleepless by Yu Yanran, so she could only yawn and get up to dress up.

Yu Yanran looked at Minglan's pretty face and couldn't help but secretly envy her: "Gu Hou is so lucky to be able to marry a beautiful girl like Minglan."

Ming Lan said coquettishly: "Sister Yanran is really becoming more and more arrogant in her speech. You should be disciplined by Marquis Qin."

While the two were laughing and joking, Qin Hao and Gu Tingye also came over. They had just walked around Chengyuan. The scenery here was more elegant than the Jinghai Marquis Mansion. It was not as luxurious, but it had a unique flavor. It was indeed a My husband's former residence.

Minglan suddenly asked out of curiosity: "Why didn't Sister Yanran bring Brother Ming and Sister Lan today?"

Yu Yanran explained with a smile: "My mother-in-law said she wanted to have a child, so she took her back to the Dongchang Marquis Mansion to take care of her for a few days, and we were able to have some peace and quiet."

While eating, Gu Tingye suddenly said to Qin Hao: "The government will reform the salt tax in the near future. Does Zihan think this method is feasible?"

Qin Hao paused while picking up the food. The Song Dynasty was a dynasty with an extremely developed monopoly system. Many things were exclusive, which was actually a monopoly.

Among them, salt and mines accounted for the bulk, and they also accounted for the main source of tax revenue. According to the Renzong period, the annual salt tax revenue was 3.4 million yuan.

However, the monopoly also led to a very bad phenomenon, that is, tax evasion. The salt tax in the Song Dynasty exceeded 33%. In addition, salt imports also needed to be purchased through connections.

Over time, salt merchants began to think that they wanted to bribe officials anyway, so they simply gave more bribes. As long as the tax rate did not exceed 33%, they would make a profit. A large amount of private salt turned into official salt for sale with great fanfare, leading to salt Tax returns are greatly affected.

Zhao Zongquan did not dare to touch the salt tax before, because the salt tax accounted for about 6% of the entire Song Dynasty's finance. If the salt tax reform was not done well, it might shake his dominance.

Now that the shipping yamen exists, and the annual income from overseas commercial taxes alone is no less than 10 million yuan, Zhao Zongquan naturally has the confidence to lift the lid.

Of course, salt tax reform involves all aspects, and the relationships are intricate. It is certainly not easy to reform.

Qin Hao thought for a while and said in a low voice: "Actually, the focus of the salt tax reform is not on matters, but on people. Are the officials going to break up with the Queen Mother?"

The Queen Mother's maiden name was Cao, and she was born into a general. Her grandfather was the famous general Cao Bin, who was an official to the Privy Council. The Cao family was extremely powerful. This was why Emperor Renzong originally arranged for her to join Han Da Xianggong and others to restrain King Yong. There was not enough It is undoubtedly a foolish dream to limit an emperor's strength.

Gu Tingye's expression changed, and he nodded heavily: "I can't say I'm going to break up, but the Queen Mother will definitely not let go easily."

Zhao Zongquan was actually very smart. The first reform he chose was coinage, which did not involve the interests of Empress Dowager Cao, so as long as he got the support of the lord of the dynasty, it could basically be done. Zhao Zongquan did indeed gain extremely high profits by relying on the coinage reform. Fame.

Qin Hao's donation of the white tiger this time further consolidated Zhao Zongquan's position, so Zhao Zongquan had the confidence to challenge Empress Dowager Cao. The reason why those salt merchants dared to be so lawless must have something to do with the Cao family.

Qin Hao does not intend to get involved in the dispute between Zhao Zongquan and Empress Cao. With his current status, there is no need to get involved. No matter who wins between Zhao Zongquan and Empress Cao in the future, they will be inseparable from the huge profits brought by overseas.

"You have to think carefully about this matter, and push it aside if you can. The Cao family is not a soft persimmon who can be manipulated by others!" Qin Hao warned.

Minglan also stopped her chopsticks when she heard this and looked at Gu Tingye worriedly.

Gu Tingye shook his head at Minglan, and then said with a smile: "I shouldn't be needed for this matter. There is a high probability that General Duan will be sent, not to mention that the Anti-Smuggling Yamen can't do without me."

At a court meeting two days later, a little-known censor indeed proposed a proposal to reform the salt tax.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the court became strange. No one among the ministers spoke, that is, no one objected or agreed.

Everyone is not stupid. This censor is obviously cannon fodder who has been pushed out. Sheng Hong is trembling there, praying that the gods will not accidentally hurt him as a mortal when they fight.

Sure enough, an angry shout came from behind the curtain: "Bold, the salt tax is the foundation of the country, how can we change it on the spur of the moment!"

Soon, people from the Empress Dowager Cao's faction stood up and reprimanded the censor for his whims, and all said that the censor should be taken down and punished.

At this time, Zhao Zongquan spoke up: "Why are you doing this, gentlemen? The original intention of the imperial court in setting up a censor was to open up the world for speech. I don't think there has ever been a precedent in the Song Dynasty where people were punished for speech."

Now the originally noisy court became dead silent again.

Although the salt tax reform bill was not passed, all North Korean and Chinese officials knew that a storm was coming.

The confrontation between Zhao Zongquan and Queen Mother Cao will also intensify.

Alas, I spent a whole morning deleting some content, so I’ll make do with it.