Chapter 835 Fan Xian Goes to Beijing

At first, the common people in the capital did not take the white lines drawn by the Bingmasi seriously, and continued to do as they pleased. As a result, many people were caught by the Bingmasi patrol team. Some were fined silver, and some were fined three days of corvee labor.

For a time, there were complaints in the capital, which immediately attracted the attention of the Censorate. The memorials impeaching Qin Hao floated on the desk of Emperor Qing like snowflakes.

Because he had agreed with Qin Hao to a three-month deadline before, Emperor Qing ignored these memorials, but only asked the Inspection Office to keep an eye on them and report at any time.

Qin Hui also found Qin Hao a few days later and asked him to pay attention to the impact. He also said that if the silver was not enough, he could ask him, and not to ruin his future for the sake of the immediate interests.

"If father can make up the monthly salary owed by the Bingmasi, I will immediately recall all the patrol teams."

Qin Hui rolled his eyes when he heard this. The Bingmasi was the army that protected the capital. Privately issuing salaries was tantamount to rebellion. He would not dare to do so even if he had money.

In addition to his adopted father, the crown prince and the second prince secretly gave Qin Hao generous gifts. In their opinion, Qin Hao made these strange things just to make money. As for the fact that he did it to make up for the salary of the soldiers of the military department, it was just an excuse.

A ninth-rank master who is greedy and lustful is simply the best target for winning over.

Qin Hao was naturally unceremonious about these gifts and accepted them all. As for who to join, it depends on who gives enough chips to make people excited.

Anyway, the main goal is to accept gifts from both sides and not offend anyone.

Soon, a month later, the people in the capital suddenly found that these rules set by the military department did not seem to be all bad. In the past, the streets of the capital were messy, with garbage everywhere and sewage everywhere.

But since the patrol team began to arrest people, only those dandy boys were left to litter. Anyway, they had money and were not afraid of being fined.

And those who occupied the road for business became honest after being fined several times, and the streets were much wider than before.

If these are just subtle changes, what really makes the people of Beijing applaud is the punishment of the military department for those dandy boys who ride horses and injure people in the downtown area.

In the past, when these dandy boys rode horses and injure people, they would blame the people for blocking their way. Not only would they not compensate the victims, they would even order their slaves to beat the people half to death. Mei Zhili, the prefect of Jingzhao, was a bully who only tried to smooth things over and didn't dare to intervene at all.

Now it's different. As long as there are dandy boys riding horses and injuring people, the victims report to the military department, and the soldiers of the patrol team are like chicken blood, and they will immediately go to the door to arrest the people.

No matter if you are the son of a minister or the nephew of a minister, as long as you are in the hands of the military department, you will be treated mercilessly.

At first, some people relied on the superior force of their guards to arrest people. Later, Qin Hao abolished several eighth-grade masters in a row, and no one dared to provoke the patrol team. After all, if they committed a crime, the worst thing they could do was to compensate the victim with silver, and then hand over some fines to the Bingmasi, and then they would be punished with dozens of military sticks. Eighth-grade masters are not leeks in the field. They can grow again after cutting them. How many masters that families have cultivated with great effort were abolished just like this, which is heartbreaking!

The Bingmasi also changed their previous submissiveness. What is there to be afraid of if something goes wrong with the commander?

Especially when Qin Hao paid his salary for the first time after taking office, when all the soldiers received the full amount of salary, from that moment on, even if there were mountains of swords and seas of fire ahead, as long as Qin Hao ordered, they were willing to rush forward.

However, this economic system supported by fines started to have problems from the second month. The Bingmasi patrol team soon discovered that few people littered or occupied the road at will, and even those dandy boys behaved much better.

In the past, we couldn't catch all the thieves every day, but now we can't catch any even if we wait for half a day. The commander has also strictly ordered that "killing innocent people for credit" is not allowed. If this continues, how can we pay the salary this month?

Qin Hao had naturally prepared for this. He had driven all the mobile vendors to set up stalls in fixed areas before, and spent a month gathering popularity. The areas where these mobile vendors gathered formed orderly markets in the capital, which were very lively.

The reason why these markets can attract so many people is not only because of the concentration of mobile vendors, but also because of the management of the military and horse division. Barricades were set up on both sides of the street, and carriages were not allowed to pass through, and only people could walk. In addition, there were patrol teams in the market to protect the lives and property of customers.

At first, there were some petty thieves who wanted to fish in troubled waters, but they were soon caught by the patrol team, and the teams behind them were uprooted. Since then, the so-called gangs in the capital have never dared to attack the market again.

With the patrol team's escort, both the common people and the wives of some officials are happy to visit the market, and the popularity is naturally increasing.

Of course, if you want to set up a stall here, you must pay some fees.

Compared with fines, the management fee of the market is a long-term stream.

In addition, there are management fees such as parking fees and garbage disposal fees for wealthy families. These incomes are not only enough to make up for the salaries of all the soldiers of the Bingmasi, but also have a lot of surplus.

Qin Hao spent part of this money on improving the food for the soldiers, and part of it was separately recorded to give some soldiers with difficult families to help them get out of trouble.

Qingguo Palace.

Emperor Qing put down his bow and arrow, and Eunuch Hou quickly picked up the arrows that fell on the ground and handed them to Emperor Qing.

But this time Emperor Qing did not take it, but suddenly asked a question.

"It's been almost three months since that kid from the Qin family took office, right?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, it will be three months tomorrow."

Emperor Qing took the arrow and aimed at the armor on the opposite side: "Oh? There seem to be fewer people participating in his memorials now than before. Has that kid become more restrained?"

Another arrow hit the breast mirror, but this time the arrow directly shattered the breast mirror. A trace of disappointment flashed in Emperor Qing's eyes. Seeing Eunuch Hou's expression of hesitation, he said with a straight face: " Why, are you hiding something from me now?"

Eunuch Hou was so frightened that he knelt down in front of Emperor Qing.

"Your Majesty, I don't dare to lie to you. I just don't know how to talk about it at the moment."

"Oh? You should tell me."

Eunuch Hou told the story of the changes that had taken place in the capital in the past three months. Emperor Qing became interested after hearing this.

"Oh, this is strange. Do you mean that the people in the capital not only don't criticize the soldiers and horses, but also praise them?"

"Everything I say is true, please tell the truth, Your Majesty."

"So, this kid is not only talented in cultivation, but also has a lot of clever ideas." Emperor Qing waved his long sleeve: "Go and call Gong Dian in for me."

Soon, Gong Dian came to the palace and immediately bowed down after seeing Emperor Qing.

"Okay, get up. I need to make some changes to the route I take to the temple to worship tomorrow."

Gong Dian's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. The emperor rarely left the palace, and the route was kept secret. Only a few people knew about it. If the route was suddenly changed, could someone want to assassinate the king?

After dismissing the palace ceremony, Emperor Qing asked Eunuch Hou again.

"Is there any news from the Inspection Institute?"

"Reply to Your Majesty, the news has just arrived."

Emperor Qing opened the secret letter, which clearly read: Fan Xian will enter Beijing tomorrow.

After turning around, Emperor Qing sat in the carriage and left the imperial city. This time he did not let the palace officials disperse the people along the way. The carriage drove slowly on the streets of the capital.

Suddenly the carriage stopped, Gong Dian knelt in front of the carriage and reported: "Your Majesty, Commander Qin is here."

"Well, let him come."

Qin Hao calmly rode his horse to the carriage. Just as he was about to salute, he heard Emperor Qing in the carriage speak.

"I heard that Qin Aiqing has completely transformed the entire capital in the past three months. Come in and tell me how you did it."

Under Gong Dian's envious gaze, Qin Hao got into the carriage.

"Okay, no need to be polite, just sit down." Emperor Qing changed his usual lazy appearance. Although he was not wearing a dragon robe, he was still quite dignified.

As soon as Qin Hao sat next to Emperor Qing, Emperor Qing asked Gong Dian to start again.

As soon as he walked to a busy street, Emperor Qing suddenly let out a sigh.

"Qin Aiqing, I found that the streets in this capital seem a little different from before. They seem to be a lot deserted."

Qin Hao cupped his hands and replied: "Your Majesty, in the past, the streets were not planned. There were businesses occupying the roads everywhere, and it was often difficult for a carriage to pass. Since I took office, I have formulated a series of rules. Shops are not allowed to occupy the roads. Mobile vendors can only go to fixed areas to set up stalls, and carriages are not allowed to park randomly."

Emperor Qing laughed and scolded: "I remember that at that time, your memorial was so piled up that I couldn't even put it on my desk."

"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty."

Emperor Qing said with a straight face: "Stop flattering me, I'm asking you, if the street is so deserted, will these shops be ruined? How can those ordinary people survive?"

"Your Majesty, you might as well find a shop and ask them about their business conditions." Qin Hao replied loudly.

Soon, the carriage stopped at the door of a restaurant. Emperor Qing stopped Gong Dian's preparations to clear the place and took Qin Hao into the restaurant.

"Masters, do you two want to be seated upstairs or in a private room?"

"Let's have a private room."

"Okay, you two can come upstairs."

While going upstairs, Emperor Qing was also paying attention to the business of this restaurant. After arriving in the private room, he asked the waiter.

"Your restaurant has a good business. Has it always been like this?"

The waiter in the store replied with a smile: "That's not the case. It only took the past two months for business to get better."

"Oh? Why? Could it be that your boss hired a new chef?" Emperor Qing asked curiously.

"Still the same cook. It's strange to say that three months ago, the Bingma Division was in chaos, business was a lot deserted, and the owner was so worried that he couldn't eat. But two months ago, the streets were so refreshing and tidy. "Master, we have set up a parking lot in front, so that there is a place for the carriages to park, and more and more distinguished guests come to our restaurant for dinner."

Emperor Qing glanced at Qin Hao and continued to ask: "Oh? There's also this matter. That's because the business of your restaurant is good. How about other business?"

"Of course everything is fine. Look at those sellers of cloth, silk, and gold and silver jewelry in front of you. They all make a lot of money."

After casually ordering two side dishes and sending the waiter away, Emperor Qing squinted his eyes and said to Qin Hao, "Qin Aiqing, the waiter doesn't recognize you, does he?"

"Your Majesty is joking. I have just been summoned by His Majesty. How can I prepare in advance?" Qin Hao looked innocent.

Emperor Qing thought the same thing. His travel plan was confidential, not to mention that the route had just been modified last night, so Qin Hao could not know in advance.

After just two bites, Emperor Qing lost interest and asked Gong Dian to drop a few taels of silver and return to the carriage.

The carriage drove slowly to an open space at the back of the street. Lines were drawn around it with white paint, and carriages bearing family imprints were parked one by one within the white lines.

"Qin Aiqing, tell me why the streets look deserted, but business has improved?"

Qin Hao smiled and said, "Your Majesty, the deserted streets are just a surface phenomenon. The streets looked lively before, but that was because the streets were congested. Now that they have been unblocked, although they look deserted, there are actually more people shopping."

"Well, it seems to make sense to say that it is better to unblock than to block. But do you not care about the common people?"

"Your Majesty, there is a market that I have replanned ahead. You might as well take a look."

In the market, Gong Dian and a group of Emperor Qing's guards always remained alert. On the contrary, Emperor Qing leisurely shuttled through the bustling market and bought a lot of strange folk handicrafts.

"My dear brother, is this market so lively every day?"

"I don't deserve your respect, sir. To answer your question, today's market is not that lively. It is really lively during the rest period. If you come late, there will be no place to stand."

"Oh? Then you can make a lot of money by setting up stalls here, right? Will the military department make a lot of money?"

"Hehe, sir, you are joking. It's just hard-earned money. As for the military department, it does have to pay some management fees, but it's fair. You see the soldiers patrolling the market. Even the sons of nobles dare not make trouble here. It's reasonable to charge some fees."

When they came out of the night market and passed a ditch, Emperor Qing stopped the carriage.

"Qin Aiqing, I remember that this river used to have a foul odor in the summer, but now it seems to be much clearer."

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the population of the capital is crowded, and the people dump waste and sewage into the river, so the river water naturally stinks. Three months ago, I set a rule that anyone who dumps garbage anywhere will be fined. The people have finally earned some money, so how can they bear to be fined for nothing? Naturally, they dare not dump it at will."

"But these garbage must go somewhere, right?"

"I hired some hangers-on to transport these things outside the city. After a period of time, they can be used to irrigate the farm."

"Qin Aiqing, I didn't expect you to be a minister who governs the world."

"I dare not accept your majesty's praise, but I am just loyal to the emperor."

Emperor Qing patted Qin Hao's shoulder with satisfaction.

"If all the civil and military officials in the court can have Qin Aiqing's sincere heart, I will rest assured."

"If Qin Aiqing has nothing to do today, go to the Qing Temple with me to worship."