Chapter 1257 Jealousy!

Half an hour later, Murong Qingwu walked out of Ye Cui's villa. Behind her was Ying'er holding Xiao Ba, and several maids. They were walking on the way back to their own villa. Murong Qingwu looked a little absent-minded.

Just as Murong Qingwu and his group were passing by the back garden, they ran into Bai Yuanyuan and her group who were walking out of the back garden. When Bai Yuanyuan saw Murong Qingwu, she immediately took the initiative to greet them:
"Sister Murong, what are you thinking about so much?"

Bai Yuanyuan's question interrupted Murong Qingwu's thoughts. When she came to her senses and saw that it was Bai Yuanyuan, she said perfunctorily:

"Just think of some household chores!"

Feeling the perfunctory tone in Murong Qingwu's words, Bai Yuanyuan did not ask any more questions, but changed the subject and said with a smile:

"Sister Murong, my second brother sent me some Huangshan Maofeng from Anqing. If you like it, I'll send someone to give you some later."

Hearing Bai Yuanyuan mention his second brother Bai Changjiu and Anqing, Murong Qingwu's eyes flashed with a cold light, but on the surface he still smiled and responded:
"In that case, I would like to thank you, Sister Bai. It just so happens that I haven't had Maofeng tea for a long time!"

Seeing that Murong Qingwu really agreed, Bai Yuanyuan was a little surprised. What she said just now did not mean that she really wanted to give Murong Qingwu Maofeng tea.

Although it was a little surprising, after all, the words had been spoken, so Bai Yuanyuan continued to say with a smile:

"Sister Murong, you are too polite. It's just some tea leaves. I hope you like it!"

"My second brother is now the governor of Anqing. If you like, I will ask my second brother to send some more later..."

Feeling the hidden sarcasm in Bai Yuanyuan's words, Murong Qingwu remained calm and composed. After a brief chat, Murong Qingwu led the group and set out on the way home again. After a cup of tea, they returned to their own villa.

Murong Qingwu sat on the chair with her eyebrows slightly furrowed. She looked as if she was stuck in some difficult problem. Seeing Murong Qingwu like this, Ying Er began to persuade her:
"Madam, please don't be angry. Bai Yuanyuan is just arrogant for a while. She will get her comeuppance sooner or later!"

Murong Qingwu smiled and shook her head when she heard this and said:

"Ying'er, I'm not as petty as you think. Bai Yuanyuan is not worth my anger!"

Ying Er was a little surprised when she heard this and said:
"Then why are you angry, ma'am?"

Murong Qingwu just shook her head when she heard this, but she didn't say anything. Although Ying'er was a little curious, she knew what to do and didn't ask any more questions. Just when the atmosphere became a little awkward, a nanny suddenly came in and said to Murong Qingwu:
"Madam, there is new news from the Attendant Department!"

Hearing the words "Attendant Department", Murong Qingwu's expression froze and she immediately asked back:

“Is it about reform?”

"No! It's news about Jiangnan!"

"Jiangnan? What's the news about Jiangnan?"

"The Marshal is rectifying the administration of Jiangnan. The Jiangnan Governor Zhu Chen has been arrested. It is said that hundreds of members of the Communist Party of China were implicated..."

Upon hearing the news, Murong Qingwu's expression immediately became a little surprised. Then she seemed to have thought of something, and a hint of joy appeared in her beautiful eyes, but she still instructed the nanny:
"Keep watching the Attendant Department and report back immediately if there is any news!"

"Yes!"

After the nanny left, Ying Er also asked Murong Qingwu with great anticipation:

"Madam? I remember that the Marshal brought the master with him when he went to Jiangnan. Now that Zhu Chen has fallen, do you think it is possible for the master to come back?"

In response to Ying'er's question, Murong Qingwu did not give an immediate answer, but fell into deep thought.

Having been with Ye Mingsheng for such a long time, Murong Qingwu had some understanding of Ye Mingsheng's political thinking. She knew that Ye Mingsheng attached great importance to the development of Jiangnan. Ye Mingsheng appointed Zhu Chen as the governor and Xie Fan as the censor in order to maintain the stability of Jiangnan and continue to maintain its economic prosperity.

But with Zhu Chen's downfall, Ye Mingsheng's original idea was basically on the verge of bankruptcy!

So at this time Ye Mingsheng faced a choice: should he continue to maintain his original idea and let the local officials in Jiangnan serve as the governor, or should he arrange for officials from the Yijing court to serve as the governor in Jiangnan?
This is a very difficult multiple-choice question. With a bad example like Zhu Chen, it is not easy for local members of Jiangnan to get promoted. After all, no one can guarantee that the new members are clean and have no collusion with some local figures.

But if we draw from the Yijing court, there won’t be many suitable candidates...
First of all, you are going to Jiangnan to develop the economy. You want to make the economy develop better and provide more taxes to the court, so there must be certain requirements in terms of ability. It is best to have successful experience in developing the economy of a region before, so that you can be convincing!

After all, Jiangnan is a very important place. It has always been the money bag of the imperial court. The leader of this place must be experienced, have high prestige, be mature and stable, calm and composed, and be able to control the situation!

Therefore, Zhao Wanxian, Zhang Zhiwen, Bai Changjiu and others do not meet this requirement. They may have the ability, but they do not meet the requirements in terms of seniority and prestige!

The only one who meets both of these criteria is her father Murong Yuliang!

Murong Yuliang was a veteran of the Fengwu Army. He served successively as the Governor of Liaoyang and the Governor of Hebei and Henan. He made indelible contributions to the Fengwu Army's conquest of the world, and he also had a successful case of leading the economic development of Hebei and Henan!

However, although Murong Yuliang meets the requirements, he also has his own problems!
First of all, Murong Yuliang was demoted when he went to Huainan before. As a result, there was a problem with the candidate he strongly recommended in Huainan, and Murong Yuliang, as the recommender, was also implicated. His title of Huainan Governor was also stripped, and he is currently in a penniless stage!

Now, it has only been about two months since Murong Yuliang was removed from the post of Huainan Governor. So whether Ye Mingsheng, who had just removed Murong Yuliang from the post of Huainan Governor, would let Murong Yuliang take over so soon, is a big question mark························
Thinking of this, Murong Qingwu instructed Ying Er:
"Take good care of Ke Xin and Xiao Ba at home!"

"Madam, where are you going?" "Where is Pei Zhixiu!"

As soon as Murong Qingwu finished speaking, she stood up from the chair and walked out the door, and the two maids followed her!
After a cup of tea, Murong Qingwu arrived at Pei Zhixiu's courtyard. However, Pei Zhixiu had not returned from Changshan Medical Clinic yet, so Murong Qingwu waited for a while under the arrangement of the maid Wanying.

Murong Qingwu did not have to wait too long. Half an incense stick of time later, Pei Zhixiu, dressed in plain clothes, returned home carrying a medicine box.

Pei Zhixiu was a little surprised to see Murong Qingwu appear in front of her, but she also understood that Murong Qingwu's arrival must be for something important, so she immediately led Murong Qingwu into her study. As soon as the two of them sat down, Murong Qingwu spoke very solemnly:
"Sister Pei, I know that the eldest lady asked you to write a letter to your husband to persuade him to give up the tiered tax rate!"

Hearing Murong Qingwu talking about this matter, Pei Zhixiu's eyebrows slightly raised, not understanding why Murong Qingwu brought up this matter.

An Miaoyi had indeed approached her before and asked her to write a letter to Ye Mingsheng to persuade him to give up the idea of ​​a progressive tax rate. Pei Zhixiu had heard Ye Mingsheng talk about the idea of ​​a progressive tax rate before. She knew that Ye Mingsheng wanted to introduce a progressive tax rate in order to make Da Zhou more fair, so that the rich would pay more silver and the poor would pay less silver, thereby promoting the redistribution of wealth...

Although Pei Zhixiu didn't quite understand Ye Mingsheng's ideas or what wealth redistribution meant, she knew that there was light in Ye Mingsheng's eyes when he talked about these things, so she also supported Ye Mingsheng's ideas.

Therefore, despite An Miaoyi's coercion and inducement, Pei Zhixiu finally did not write the letter to Ye Mingsheng. Unfortunately, the issue of the tiered tax rate ultimately encountered too much resistance. After weighing the pros and cons, Ye Mingsheng finally gave up the idea temporarily.

At this time, Murong Qingwu continued to say to Pei Zhixiu:

"I know Sister Pei, you don't like to get involved in these things, but this time I hope you can persuade your husband!"

Pei Zhixiu still didn't say anything after hearing this, but her brows furrowed even deeper. Seeing this, Murong Qingwu continued:

"Although my husband has given up the idea of ​​a tiered tax rate, he has not stopped the pace of reform. However, the country has just been unified and cannot withstand such turmoil!"

"My husband's steps are so big that even the civil and military officials in the court can't keep up with his pace!"

"Sister Pei, you should have heard about the five measures announced by the Attendant Department a few days ago. The first and fifth ones are easy to deal with. There are basically no problems!"

"The second rule is not to build a palace and not to employ eunuchs. Although it goes against etiquette and will be opposed by some in the court, if the husband insists on doing so, the officials in the court will not have any major objections!"

“But there are big problems with these three or four items. Although your idea is good, these two items can be said to affect the interests of many people. If you want to force it, it may be passed in the court, but it will definitely encounter considerable difficulties at the local level...”

Listening to Murong Qingwu's words, Pei Zhixiu said in a deep voice:

"Sister Murong, you can definitely write a letter to tell your husband these words!"

Feeling the rejection in Pei Zhixiu's words, Murong Qingwu smiled bitterly and said:
"Sister Pei, I can indeed write to my husband about what you said, but he won't listen to me!"

After saying this, Murong Qingwu hesitated for a moment and said:
"Although my husband has always been very kind to me, I know he is wary of me! So if I write to him, he won't listen to me at all. And now only you, Sister Pei, can persuade him!"

"Sister Pei, in my husband's heart, you and I are different. You can even say you are different from everyone else. My husband will be on guard against me, the first lady, and Bai Yuanyuan, but he is not on guard against you!"

"So now he will only listen to you when you speak!"

"We all know that my husband has great ambitions and is a great hero, but I am worried that since the unification of the world, my husband has become overconfident and has been blinded by the victory in front of him, and has lost his former wisdom and bravery. Sister Pei, to be honest, I am really worried!"

"Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Ming of Tang were all like this. I really don't want my husband to follow in their footsteps!"

Feeling the worry in Murong Qingwu's words, Pei Zhixiu also fell into deep thought. Seeing that things were going well, Murong Qingwu continued:
"Looking at the whole world, if there is only one person who can persuade my husband, it is you, Sister Pei!"

Pei Zhixiu hesitated for a while and said:
"Qingwu, give me some time to think about it!"

"Ok!"

After finishing the business, Murong Qingwu did not stay long, and immediately said goodbye and left. When she walked out of Pei Zhixiu's courtyard, a faint smile appeared on Murong Qingwu's face. From Pei Zhixiu's reaction, she knew that the matter was settled...

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Yijing, the Office of Coordination
"What? Lin Kun was arrested!"

"Yes, sir. Captain Lin has been captured by the Royal Guard Battalion because there is solid evidence of collusion with Zhu Chen!"

Listening to his subordinates' reports, Wang Xuecheng felt a buzzing in his head, and then he fell into the chair.

Seeing Wang Xuecheng so distraught, his subordinates asked with concern:
"Sir? Sir, are you alright?"

Wang Xuecheng waved his hand upon hearing this, and the subordinate immediately bowed and retreated. After the subordinate left, Wang Xuecheng, who was alone in the room, closed his eyes in pain!

Wang Xuecheng knew that Lin Kun was not a tough guy, so he would definitely not keep any secrets once he fell into the hands of the Royal Guard Battalion!
Lin Kun must have confessed everything, saying that he took money from him and promoted him to the position of a thousand households, and that he sent him to Jiangnan to make money!
When Wang Xuecheng thought of this, his heart was filled with regret. He regretted that he had accepted five thousand taels of silver from Lin Kun, and regretted that he had sent Lin Kun to Jiangnan to make money for him!

At this moment, Wang Xuecheng's mind inevitably emerged with the figures of Ye Hongsheng, Ye Baode, Lin Huaiwu, Liu Zhengyue, Gu Shouting, Gu Zhongshi and other old friends.
As Wang Xuecheng thought about it, he felt a chill on his back. He knew that some of his scandals had been exposed and one foot had already stepped into the gate of hell. At this moment, he must do something to save his life and career...

(End of this chapter)