Liu Zeqing and Gao Jie were not at the same level at all. Zhou Shixian put on a cold face, and the old man who had lost all courage gave in. This made Zhou Shixian completely unable to feel the pleasure of victory. However, it was time for the other party to spit out the dirt.

Silver, not even a cent should be missing. This is a matter of principle.

After dealing with these two unlucky thorns, Zhou Shixian immediately started a tour of southern Zhili, and successfully received more than 400,000 taels of stolen money and more than 10,000 shi of grain from Gao Jie, Liu Zeqing, and Liu Liangzuo.

, there are also many jewels and silks, young men and women, there are five of them among the so-called wealthy businessmen’s daughters, all of which were specially presented to Zhou Shixian by Gao Jie, Liu Zeqing and Liu Liangzuo.

Zhou Shixian naturally knows that these are not all stolen money, nor are they all young men and women. There are some things that can be forced, but when the time comes, you can't really push too hard. Since Gao Jie and Liu Zeqing are already bleeding,

Then he has to cooperate and put on a good show.

However, Zhou Shixian did all of this in the name of Emperor Chongzhen. The so-called rectification of the four towns was also done in the name of Emperor Chongzhen. He even sent people to spread the news in Nanjing, saying what Emperor Chongzhen liked.

The content was then passed from the east of the dynasty to the ears of Emperor Chongzhen.

At this time, Emperor Chongzhen's indecisive character was reflected again. What's more, Zhou Shixian was still his son-in-law. As soon as the rumors came, he relaxed again and gained a lot of trust in Zhou Shixian.

Zhou Shixian took Zheng Chenggong to collect a round of protection fees and showed these military leaders what a real army is, and then returned to Yangzhou. After all, he showed Zheng Chenggong what collecting protection fees meant, and Zheng Chenggong also had to show him what it meant.

It's called "acting".

On the fifth day after Zhou Shixian and Zheng Chenggong returned to Nanjing, they secretly went to Zhenjiang Prefecture, and Zheng Chenggong even sent his men to board the ship on the evening of the first day.

In Shuicheng, northeast of Zhenjiang City, more than a hundred sea-going ships are docked quietly. As the waves sway slightly, most of the sea-going ships are armed smuggling ships. There are also many water transport ships from Yangzhou and Changzhou.

The ships gather here.

There is a small islet in the middle of the river to the north of Zhenjiang. The originally gentle Yangtze River water is diverted here, heading for Nanjing. Most of the ships, avoiding wind and waves, loading goods, and replenishing fresh water and food, gather here, and some of them even come from Japan.

The red seal ship.

Zheng Chenggong stood on the bow of the Fuchuan, looked at the prosperous Zhenjiang Pier on the shore, and respectfully said to Zhou Shixian next to him: "Consort, those officials who have not been demoted have already sent people to wait at the Nanjing Pier.

"

Zhou Shixian smiled, and now everything is still under his control: "We will see success by then. In addition to getting the money from the demoted officials, these frightened birds can probably get more with a little tapping."

If you get 40,000 to 50,000 taels, you can have 1,500 sets of scale armor."

Zheng Chenggong frowned slightly when he heard this. Zhou Shixian told him a rough plan before, but he only said he had a clever plan on how to operate it. Now he told him to do more, which made him confused.

.

"Husband-in-law, so what should I do if I lower my rank so that I can get more benefits?"

Zheng Chenggong actually had an idea in his mind, but he couldn't express it directly in front of Zhou Shixian. After all, during these days' trip to Jiangbei, he also understood that the other party was also a conspirator, and what he needed was not an adviser, but a general.

After understanding this, Zheng Chenggong naturally knew that it would not be a good thing if he showed too much. In front of a talented person like Zhou Shixian, the most important thing is to be obedient and capable.

"What do you think of success?"

Zhou Shixian was confident, but he wanted to see what Zheng Chenggong thought. After all, Zheng Chenggong was very shady in history, but Zhou Shixian really didn't know how shady he was.

Zheng Chenggong listened and knew that Zhou Shixian was testing him. Since it was the request of the other party, he could rest assured: "Xiaoguan thought that he could lie and claim that it was the money of those officials who were still in office who were in trouble. When the time comes,

The remaining money and goods belong to the officials who are at stake, so that the matter can be handled easily and we don't have to deal with the pressure. Those who come to cause trouble will naturally have someone to deal with them."

Zheng Chenggong was actually worried that this conspiracy with Zhou Shixian would affect the reputation of the Zheng family, so he had to handle it properly, remove the Zheng family, and let the officials fight on their own.

You know, although some officials have been dismissed from their posts and are caught at such a time, it is basically impossible to make a comeback. But whether the other party has the same year and friends is the key to the problem.

Zhou Shixian smiled and nodded. This was exactly what he thought. If he wanted to successfully swallow the money, he had to involve all the officials who were still in the government. Let them think that they had divided the spoils, and they would naturally help the Zheng family to block it.

In addition, there are troubles for the families and friends of those officials who lost all their money.

"If this matter is handled properly, those officials will be successful close friends from now on. If we successfully grasp this point, we can also give an explanation to your father."

Zhou Shixian continued to smile and said: "No matter how long you stay in Nanjing, you will still be just a civil servant. Even if you pass the imperial examination and win the first prize, it will not be easy to enter the cabinet. After all, you are too young to succeed.

I'm afraid it will take five or six years to reach the central government no matter how quickly, but at that time, it's hard to say whether the opportunity will be there or not."

Zheng Chenggong felt strange when he heard Zhou Shixian, who was three or four years younger than him, say that he was too young. However, the truth behind what he said was clear. If he wanted to take the civil service path, even if he had the right

With the support of the emperor's consort, given his age, less than ten or twenty years old, it is difficult for him to enter the decision-making level.

Moreover, Zheng Chenggong did not want to be a civil servant, especially after seeing the strong army under Zhou Shixian's command, his idea of ​​leading troops to fight became even stronger: "The prince-in-law means..."

"In today's situation, perhaps leading the army is the right way. It would be a waste if the Zheng family's troops stayed in Fujian. If you succeed, you can lead an army north alone, cross the Huaihe and Yangtze Rivers, protect the Ming Dynasty, and be granted the title of marquis and prime minister.

Why not?" Zhou Shixian didn't hide anything and got straight to the point.

. The next day, five lucky boats sailed into an inconspicuous pier on the outskirts of Nanjing, and then stopped at the pier. There were only about twenty sailors on each boat, and the hulls of these lucky boats were rotten.

In this place, the foresails of several ships were in tatters, and only half of the poles for hanging the sails were left, and even the mizzen sails were missing.

Those who had been waiting here all looked at the boat with surprised faces, looking at each other, and at a loss. They went out for more than a dozen boats, and now only less than half of them came back. They knew without even thinking that something big had happened. They

They're all just housekeepers. If they can't get the money back, there's no way they can explain it.

After a while, Zheng Chenggong stepped off the gangplank and walked quickly towards the housekeepers of these officials. Before he could get closer, the housekeepers all rushed up to him, looking at Zheng Chenggong anxiously and asking all kinds of questions.

:

"Mr. Zheng, what's going on? The boat... the boat..."

"Mr. Zheng, why are you here? Why..."

"Our adults' goods, are they okay..."

Fortunately, the whole family of the officials who had the trouble had been temporarily arrested. Not to mention the housekeeper, they didn't even send a coachman. Otherwise, Zheng Chenggong might have had to face twice as many people.

Zheng Chenggong remained silent. After a while, he seemed to have regained his breath and said to the anxious housekeepers in front of him: "Everyone, it's not convenient to talk here. Let's go to the room over there to talk."

A group of people followed Zheng Chenggong and soon walked into a large house nearby. The Zheng family also arranged for servants to guard the place, and outsiders were generally not allowed to approach.

This wharf was chosen by the Zheng family to smuggle officials from the DPRK and China to make money in exchange for the support and protection of the DPRK and China. Although there were other ships docking, the wharf was basically managed by the Zheng family's agents, and they were managed internally and externally.

You can avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble.

As soon as he entered the room, Zheng Chenggong suddenly raised his hands to several housekeepers and said in a choked voice:

"Gentlemen, I, the Zheng family, have betrayed your lords' trust. The fleet encountered strong winds on its way back this time. Of the dozen or so ships, only these five were able to come back. Many of your lord's cargoes and...

My Zheng family's ship, with more than a hundred sailors and crew, was blown away by strong winds and waves and capsized in the sea."

After hearing this, the housekeepers all opened their mouths in surprise, and the room became strangely quiet for a while.

Nowadays, the government is in turmoil, and there are rogue bandits and Tatars in the north. Many officials are trying to save money so that they can have a way out in times of crisis, or even keep their official positions.

The one who had the silver was actually knocked over into the sea.

"Then, then, then..." These housekeepers surrounded Zheng Chenggong, wanting to say something, but they couldn't. They couldn't imagine how they would explain it to their adults when they went back.

But Zheng Chenggong did not wait for them to say anything questioning, and immediately said: "But gentlemen, don't worry, no matter what, our Zheng family will not sit idly by and do nothing. Although our Zheng family has also lost several ships, more than a hundred

A sailor, hundreds of thousands of goods, but my Zheng family will definitely find a way to collect your money and goods and return it to you."

However, as soon as Zheng Chenggong finished speaking, another steward asked: "Mr. Zheng, aren't there five more ships? Whose goods are they?"

These housekeepers are all fine people. Naturally, they don't believe what Zheng Chenggong said. Everyone can say good things. When the so-called compensation will be realized is another matter.

After hearing this, the others didn't care anymore and asked Zheng Chenggong quickly: "Master Zheng, something big happened in the court. Some of the money and goods on the ship will not be collected by anyone. Please hurry up."
Chapter completed!