Chapter 170: A Lot of Help for the Right Person, but Little Help for the Wrong Person (Please Give Me Your Monthly Vote!!!)

Empress Dowager Cao wanted to see Qin Hao obviously to win over him, and it happened just after Zhao Zongquan met him.

But who wants to be the Queen Mother? This face must be given, so Qin Hao followed the old eunuch to the Queen Mother's palace.

"Qin Aiqing is here, please give me a seat." Empress Dowager Cao looked kind and kind.

However, Qin Hao did not dare to be careless. This Queen Mother was definitely not a fuel-efficient lamp.

"Thank you, Queen Mother."

There was a hint of yearning and sadness in Empress Dowager Cao's tone: "When the late emperor was still here, he told the Ai family that Qin Aiqing was a rare talent. When you offended King Yong, the late emperor sent you to Japan to protect you. Alas , this scene seems like it happened yesterday.”

"Qin Aiqing has indeed accomplished extraordinary feats as the late emperor said. Now she not only holds a second-rank official position, but also has a title of title. Her future is limitless. It is a pity that the late emperor has passed away and will not be able to see this day."

This is obviously a trick. Although Qin Hao has a good opinion of Emperor Renzong, it can only go so far. Moreover, Queen Mother Cao is not Emperor Renzong. With this argument alone, he wants him to risk his wealth and life to overthrow Zhao Zongquan. The regime is a bit whimsical.

Of course, some superficial work still needs to be done. Qin Hao bowed and said: "Wei Chen will always keep in mind the kindness of the late emperor to Wei Chen."

Empress Dowager Cao wiped her tears and suddenly changed the topic: "This harem is too deserted. An old woman from the Ai family has lived in the palace for a long time, so she is lonely. Qin Aiqing has two children. She is really envious of others. I heard that Qin Aiqing's daughter is very lonely." She is cute, and she has been granted the title of county lord. Why not send her to the palace and teach her the rules, so that the Ai family can find a good family for her in the future."

As soon as these words came out, the old eunuch next to him had an expression on his face: he would send his daughter to the palace as soon as possible.

When Qin Hao heard this, he felt angry and cupped his hands: "The youngest daughter in the family is only two years old now, and she is very naughty. The Queen Mother has many things to do, so I don't want to bother the Queen Mother."

After saying that, Qin Hao turned around and left.

An old eunuch screamed from behind: "Bold!"

Qin Hao turned his head and glanced sideways at him, locking the old eunuch with murderous intent, then gave Empress Dowager Cao a warning look and walked away.

The moment the old eunuch was enveloped by Qin Hao's murderous aura, he peed his pants. After all, the eunuch's urinary system was already damaged, and he could easily lose control after being frightened.

Queen Mother Cao also didn't expect that Qin Hao would fall out with her over a daughter. In her opinion, the daughter of a noble family is just a bargaining chip. Take herself as an example, isn't it the same? The Cao family sent her to the palace for a higher status. For the benefit of the family, what does a mere daughter mean?

However, she didn't know that the child was Qin Hao's enemy. Qin Hao did not have the mentality of favoring sons over daughters. On the contrary, in the ancient environment where sons were generally favored over daughters, Qin Hao felt even more sorry for his daughter.

The moment he walked out of the palace, Qin Hao even had the urge to chop the old witch directly.

All the way home, it was already late at night.

Yu Yanran immediately came up to meet him. Seeing that Qin Hao's expression was not right, she asked with concern: "Master Hou, what's wrong?"

Qin Hao did not answer, but asked: "Where is Sister Lan?"

Yu Yanran said with some amusement: "The children are all asleep now."

Qin Hao came to the next room. Two little ones were sleeping soundly, especially the little girl. She was lying on her back like a big character and her mouth was moving. She didn't know if she was dreaming about breastfeeding.

"Master Marquis." The maid on night duty in the room woke up instantly when she saw Qin Hao coming and saluted quickly.

Qin Hao made a shushing gesture to them, looked at the children sleeping soundly, and left.

This also alerted the maids at home. They must not doze off during the night watch in the future, otherwise they would be in trouble if the Marquis saw them.

Yu Yanran saw Qin Hao go to the next room and come back for a while, and she became even more curious: "Master Hou, what's wrong with you?"

Qin Hao did not hide anything and told the story of Zhao Zongquan and Queen Mother Cao's successive summons tonight.

Yu Yanran was also shocked. Recently, the most popular topic among the nobles in Bianjing City was the power struggle between the officials and the Queen Mother, and they were all afraid of falling into it.

Seeing Yu Yanran's worried look, Qin Hao comforted her: "Don't worry, I have my own sense of discretion."

"But, after all, the Queen Mother is still the official's mother in name. The Song Dynasty has always respected filial piety. If the Queen Mother insists on letting Sister Lan enter the palace, I'm afraid the officials will not be able to stop her." Yu Yanran said tremblingly.

Qin Hao said extremely seriously: "You just need to remember, no matter what, don't let the two children out of your sight. Even if the Queen Mother makes an edict, you can use the excuse that the children are sick. I have everything."

Yu Yanran leaned lightly on Qin Hao's chest. She was really scared. That was the Queen Mother.

Of course, Yu Yanran was reluctant to let Sister Lan enter the palace. After all, she was the flesh that fell from her own body. Although she often scolded her, it was because of her deep love and responsibility.

"Let's do this. I'll leave a hundred guards for my family. During the time I'm away, you will stay at home and wait for me to come back." Qin Hao remembered that when King Yan rebelled, he first sent the family members of the noble family to death. He was deceived into the palace and made those nobles afraid to act rashly. There is no guarantee that the Queen Mother would not imitate him.

"The Marquis' trip is dangerous, so we'd better take everyone with us. I'll just close the door of the mansion tightly. No one will dare to attack the Marquis' mansion."

What Yu Yanran is most worried about is Qin Hao's safety.

Qin Hao shook his head and said: "This time when the government sends me to Jiangnan Road to set up defenses, I will definitely arrange the most capable soldiers. I don't care about the personal guards. I won't have any worries if you are safe."

"Then, Lord Marquis, please be careful. The children and I are waiting for your safe return." Yu Yanran's eyes turned red as she spoke.

Qin Hao comforted him with a smile: "Okay, they are just some soldiers and crab generals. They are no match for your husband. Compared with the strong winds and waves on the sea, this danger is not worth mentioning."

Five days later, Qin Hao and King Huan left Bianjing City together. In addition to King Huan's thousand bodyguards, Qin Hao also commanded a Dragon Guard Army of five thousand people, which was considered a relatively strong fighting force among the Forbidden Army. .

Zhao Zongquan also spent a lot of money this time. You must know that these elite troops of the Forbidden Army are basically in the hands of some veteran nobles. Zhao Zongquan has not yet fully obtained the support of these nobles. This is already the most effective force he can control. Team up.

Qin Hao also specially requested an order to transfer two warships and a thousand naval troops from the Mingzhou Navy. The Jiangnan Road canal was developed, and most of the local navy had been completely infiltrated by the Cao family. If he wanted to carry out the salt tax reform, he must investigate the illegal activities. Salt, it will definitely not work without the support of the navy.

"History of the Song Dynasty" Volume 93 "History of Rivers and Canals·Bianhe" records: The Bianhe River transports 5 to 7 million dendrobiums of rice every year. This shows the importance of the Bianqu. In the Northern Song Dynasty, it was even called the Bianqu. For: the foundation of the country.

Because there are 1.5 million people living in Bianjing City alone, and nearly 800,000 forbidden troops are stationed nearby, and most of the food is transported to Bianjing City through the Bianhe River.

Once there is a problem with the Bianhe River, the entire Bianjing City will starve. Coupled with the presence of 800,000 forbidden troops, once these people are extremely hungry and start a mutiny, the Song Dynasty may have to change its dynasty.

King Huan Zhao Yingce said to Qin Hao with some emotion: "This is the lifeline of our Song Dynasty."

Qin Hao shook his head secretly. Zhao Yingce was definitely considered an outstanding person in ancient times, but his vision was still a bit narrow. In fact, from a historical perspective, Bianjing was not suitable as a capital.

On the one hand, there is no danger to defend here. There are no Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures in the north as a barrier. Once the northern nomads move south, they will face the danger of national subjugation. On the other hand, the terrain of Bianjing is too low. Without sufficient water conservancy facilities, once upstream, The waterlogging in Bianjing is extremely serious due to the bursting of the embankments or continuous heavy rains.

But it's no wonder that moving the capital is not a decision that can be made easily. Since the Qin Dynasty unified and established the feudal dynasty system, it seems that the only person who successfully moved the capital during the non-turbulent period of the dynasty was Zhu Di.

Only a decisive and confident emperor like Zhu Di could withstand the pressure of his ministers and complete the move of the capital. Zhao Zongquan and Zhao Yingce did not have Zhu Di's ability, let alone his courage.

After Zhao Yingce sighed with emotion, he said seriously: "This salt tax reform is of great importance. Where does Zihan think we should start?"

In fact, this is the main reason why Zhao Zongquan did not choose Gu Tingye, who was more trustworthy, but handed over the important task to Qin Hao.

When it comes to bravery, Gu Tingye is naturally good at it, but when it comes to intelligence, Gu Tingye is far behind Qin Hao.

After Qin Hao thought for a moment, he put tea on his hand and wrote two words on the table: "Yan Yin."

Zhao Yingce was a little confused: "What's the explanation for this method?"

Qin Hao smiled and said: "His Royal Highness King Huan, why do you think the Cao family can control the official salt business?"

Zhao Yingce suddenly realized: "Zihan means to cancel the official salt monopoly?"

Qin Hao nodded, then shook his head: "It's not cancellation, but sharing. Your Highness might as well think about it. The Cao family has always controlled the official salt business. Isn't there anyone who is greedy?"

"To put it bluntly, it's just that with the support of the Queen Mother, others don't dare to offend. Now that the officials have issued a decree to carry out salt tax reform, some people are bound to be tempted. What we have to do is to intensify the conflict between them and the Cao family and put these People are drawn into our camp.”

"The good way is more help, the bad way is less help. In this way, the Cao family's monopoly on official salt will naturally be destroyed!"

Zhao Yingce's eyes lit up and he praised: "Zihan really has a lot of clever ideas."

"But, how can we win over these people? After all, they themselves have a competitive relationship, right?"

In fact, most people don't hate monopolies. What they hate is that they are not the ones monopolizing.

Qin Hao smiled faintly: "It's very simple. We divide the salt supply into regional sales. The Song Dynasty is divided into thirteen channels. We can use this as a unit to distribute salt supply. Only one merchant is allowed to sell official salt in one area. , and at the same time severely crack down on illegal salt sales and illegal sales, so that everyone benefits and will naturally be on our side!"

I have to admit that the Cao family is indeed powerful and has even monopolized the country's salt production. After so many years, you can imagine how much money the Cao family has made.

It’s no wonder that the salt tax reform became a flash point in the conflict between Zhao Zongquan and Empress Dowager Cao.

"Haha, with Zihan here, this trip will be worry-free." Zhao Yingce thought for a moment and understood the powerful relationship.

There are two advantages to doing this. On the one hand, it can attract other forces to cooperate with him. On the other hand, selling salt by region can not only ensure a certain monopoly, but also allow them to form a competitive relationship and avoid collusion with each other. The court expired.

But soon, Zhao Yingce's good mood disappeared. On the third day after leaving Bianjing, he was warned and a crossbow arrow was nailed to the bow of his boat.

Zhao Yingce broke off the crossbow arrow with a livid face, gritted his teeth and said: "What a courageous dog, I want to see what they can do to me."

Qin Hao was also wary and sent people to strengthen security overnight.

However, in the next few days, everything was calm. As they were approaching Jinling City, a group of water thieves suddenly attacked the fleet.

This group of water thieves were all well-equipped, and even had eight-niu crossbows. Qin Hao quickly pulled Zhao Yingce into the cabin. This was not the time to show off as a hero. The eight-niu crossbows at this time were equivalent to mortars in later generations. It basically hung up.

After a fierce fight, the Mingzhou navy defeated the enemy. Seeing that the water thieves were helpless, they did not fight to the death. They jumped into the river one by one and tried to escape.

However, in terms of water properties, the Mingzhou navy was a force that could fight through waves in the sea. Naturally, they would not let them escape easily and captured a dozen water thieves who were half drowned.

Those who were injured on the boat all bitten the poison and committed suicide. Zhao Yingce gritted his teeth when he saw this scene.

"They even used dead soldiers. This Cao family really wants to get rid of this king and make the queen faster!"

However, Qin Hao felt that something was wrong. If he really wanted to assassinate Zhao Yingce, he would not attack so blatantly, and only sent so many people. It was obviously impossible to succeed.

"Cui Zhi."

"Master Hou."

"Put these people down and interrogate them individually!"

"promise."

The remaining half-dead soldiers who were drowned became the key to a breakthrough.

After two days and two nights of torture, someone finally spoke up, and the answer they got surprised Qin Hao and Zhao Yingce. It turned out to be Manichaeism!

The purpose of Manichae's assassination of Zhao Yingce was also very simple, which was to explode the conflict between Zhao Zongquan and the Queen Mother, so that they would both lose in the fight, and take the opportunity to overthrow the Song Dynasty.

Zhao Yingce didn't know for a moment whether he should believe the confessions of these dead soldiers, and even suspected that it was arranged by the Cao family in advance to remove suspicion.

Qin Hao knew that the Manichaeans in all dynasties had the ambition to subvert the political power, and they were actually allowed to do it in the Ming Dynasty. Unfortunately, Zhu Chongba was not a master who kept his promise. After the founding of the country, the Manichaeans were immediately That is to say, Mingjiao locates the evil cult and carries out encirclement and suppression.

In this way, the situation becomes more complicated. In addition to the Cao family, we also have to beware of Manichaeism.

Qin Hao once again strengthened his vigilance along the way. Every day's meals and drinking water were tried by others before being given to Zhao Yingce. This also directly caused Zhao Yingce to eat cold dishes and rice all the time. Fortunately, it was not necessary in the hot weather. Worried about eating bad stomach.

When they arrived at Jinling City, Qin Hao did not relax his vigilance and immediately reorganized Jinling's naval forces. Zhao Yingce was somewhat courageous and was not afraid of the assassination. That night, he hosted a banquet for Jinling's nobles, civil servants and big businessmen.

At the banquet, Zhao Yingce hinted that salt quotations would be redistributed, which immediately aroused the interest of many distinguished businessmen.

What's more interesting is that Qin Hao also met Sheng Wei, the head of the Sheng family, at the banquet. Being able to appear at a banquet of this level is enough to illustrate Sheng Wei's strength.

"It turns out he is Zecheng's uncle, so there is no need to be so polite. Just call me Zihan."

Sheng Wei was greatly flattered when he heard this, and said quickly: "Master Hou has broken the villain."

When the people nearby saw that Sheng Wei could actually establish a relationship with Marquis Jinghai, they immediately looked at him with admiration and planned to talk to him after the banquet.

After the banquet, Zhao Yingce also curiously asked Qin Hao: "Does Zihan recognize that merchant?"

Qin Hao smiled and said: "This man is Sheng Changbai's uncle. The Sheng family was in decline at that time. He can stand firm in the ups and downs of the business world, which is quite a talent."

"What Zihan means is"

"Sheng Wei is indeed a good candidate. Your Highness also saw the people in Jinling City today. They are still afraid of the Cao family. If they don't put some pressure on them, they won't take any action. !" Qin Hao said seriously.

"Moreover, Sheng Wei has a weak foundation and can only rely on His Highness to keep Yanyin. He will definitely serve His Highness wholeheartedly in the future."

Zhao Yingce was moved. As King Huan, although he had a fiefdom, as the future prince, the income from the fiefdom was not enough for him to spend. A penny would stump a hero, and Zhao Yingce was no exception. If nothing else, he wanted to make people If you work hard for him, you should be rewarded, right? If you have no money and just write bad checks, your subordinates will inevitably become disillusioned over time.

That night, Sheng Wei was invited by a group of guards to the place where King Huan Zhao Yingce was staying. Looking at the dazzling swords and guns, Sheng Wei felt palpitated and his legs felt weak.

But after entering the room, Sheng Wei breathed a sigh of relief. Qin Hao was also in the room, playing chess with Zhao Yingce.

Zhao Yingce suddenly dropped the chess pieces, stood up and said to Sheng Wei who was kneeling on the ground, "No courtesy."

The corner of Qin Hao's mouth twitched, this was too obvious, he had obviously lost.

Sheng Wei stood up timidly, not daring to raise his eyelids for fear of offending Zhao Yingce.

Zhao Yingce stepped forward and patted Sheng Wei on the shoulder, and said comfortingly: "The second member of the Sheng family became an official, and the first member of the Sheng family did business very well. The ancestors of the Sheng family are indeed very discerning."

Sheng Wei smiled bitterly when he heard this: "I dare not deceive Your Highness. Back then, my father spoiled his concubine, killed his wife, and took a girl from a brothel into his house, which caused the family to fall into ruin. Thanks to the old lady of the second wife's justice, it was not in ruins."

This kind of thing that damages the image of the ancestors is usually not told to outsiders. After hearing this, Zhao Yingce was very satisfied with Sheng Wei's confession.

"So, you are quite capable?"

Sheng Wei quickly bowed and said: "I don't dare to boast, but I still have some business ability."

Zhao Yingce tapped his fingers on the table and said casually: "Oh? Then what would you do if you got the salt guide?"

Sheng Wei's head exploded with a "buzz". He naturally knew that Zhao Yingce was busy with affairs, and calling him here was definitely not just a joke. He also knew very well the risks and opportunities involved.

If this step is taken correctly, the Sheng family will be under the scrutiny of the future prince. If it is taken wrongly, the entire Sheng family may be affected.

But Sheng Wei decided to take a gamble!