From a son-in-law to a favorite of the empress

Chapter 589

Disbanding the Divine Bird...

Big Sister has a really big appetite!

The Divine Bird cost Zhou Yuan countless silver, combined with the foundation of the Wusheng Sect, combined with the forces of the Jianghu, and exhausted Guan Lu's efforts. It took more than a year to achieve initial results.

Big Sister said one word and wanted to disband...

"Zhou Yuan!"

Zhuang Xuansu hurriedly got off the bed and threw herself into his arms.

Her body was shaking, and her voice was choking: "Don't think too much, don't think that your majesty is killing the donkey after it has done its work. An intelligence organization like Shenque is intolerable to any king."

"It's difficult for your majesty to do this, it's really difficult, because this is the power you formed, and your majesty doesn't want to target you."

"But this organization cannot exist. Neither the king nor the law can allow it to exist."

"Your majesty doesn't know what to do. She can't do anything to you, and she dare not tolerate the continued existence of Shenque. She can only ask me to pass on a message, let me persuade you, and let you take the initiative to disband Shenque."

"In this way, your majesty can pretend that nothing happened, and will not hold anyone accountable."

"You are still your majesty's most favored minister, still the unique Duke of Weiguo, and still have extraordinary power."

"Your majesty wants you to come to Beijing to accompany her to sort out the administration and lay out the tax law reform in Jiangnan, which is the one-whip law and the land tax distribution you proposed."

The body in his arms was very soft, but Zhou Yuan no longer had any desire.

He did not push Zhuang Xuansu away, but said calmly: "Are you afraid that I will disobey?"

Zhuang Xuansu said: "Well, Zhou Yuan, I recommended you to His Majesty. I witnessed your rise with my own eyes. I know how important you are to His Majesty, and I also know how much His Majesty loves you."

"I don't want you to go on a road of incompatibility because of some trivial matters and some misunderstandings."

"Zhou Yuan, don't cross that line, okay? What His Majesty hates most is someone threatening the imperial power, and you have been doing that."

"Her Majesty is very sad. She doesn't want you to go astray, so she asked me to persuade you to go back."

Zhou Yuan sneered: "So you came up with this trick. It seems that my bad habit of lust is really known all over the world!"

Zhuang Xuansu still hugged him tightly and whispered: "Your Majesty didn't ask me to seduce you, but just asked me to persuade you well."

"I am not seducing you, I just want to make it up to you, Zhou Yuan, for the sake of the world of Dajin, for your future, for everyone, you compromise and give way to His Majesty."

"As long as you return to Shenjing, I will give you everything I have."

Zhou Yuan said: "Including your loyalty?"

Zhuang Xuansu lowered his head and dared not speak again.

Zhou Yuan smiled calmly and said, "So in fact, you just sacrificed yourself for His Majesty. You sacrificed yourself for her."

"Zhuang Xuansu, you are indeed His Majesty's most loyal dog!"

Zhuang Xuansu whispered, "I don't refute your words. I am indeed only loyal to His Majesty, because I know deeply that His Majesty is a wise king of all ages. Only His Majesty can change the current situation of Dajin, revive Dajin, and make the people live better."

"I am loyal to His Majesty, which means I am loyal to Dajin and the people. Am I wrong?"

Zhou Yuan shook his head and said, "You are not wrong, and His Majesty is not wrong either."

Zhuang Xuansu said, "Can you come back with me? Don't be angry with His Majesty. I know that you are just dissatisfied with what happened last year. If it weren't for that incident last year, you would definitely trust His Majesty."

If it weren't for that incident last year, why would I establish Shenque?

Zhou Yuan sneered in his heart, but shook his head and said, "Master Zhuang..."

"Call me Xuansu..."

Damn, you are really into the play.

Zhou Yuan said, "Okay Xuansu... I will write to Her Majesty and ask to go to Fuzhou. She will agree."

"I will pretend that what happened tonight didn't happen. I will pretend that I didn't hear what you said. I took advantage of you and regarded it as you repaying my favor."

"Everything, that's it."

He looked down at the woman in his arms and said, "Can you let go now?"

Zhuang Xuansu slowly let go of him, but her tears were already rolling. She trembled and said, "Zhou Yuan, don't be like this... His Majesty has waited for you to appear with great difficulty. The current situation is not easy to come by."

Zhou Yuan smiled and said, "Your Majesty and I will handle our own affairs. You don't have to express your loyalty to the court in front of me."

He shook his head and walked out of the room slowly.

Zhuang Xuansu finally couldn't help shouting, "Zhou Yuan!"

Zhou Yuan turned around and said, "Anything else?"

Zhuang Xuansu took a deep breath and sighed, "My sister is here. She has been here for two days."

Zhou Yuan's figure was shaken, and he stopped talking and strode away.

He stayed awake all night and waited until dawn.

After taking a bath and having a comfortable breakfast, he came toto the Bai family.

Although the family has been reunited, facing the unknown fate, the Bai family is still in panic.

Seeing Zhou Yuan, Bai Jingtang hurriedly came up with a flattering smile on his face.

Zhou Yuan was in no mood to beat around the bush, so he said directly: "Someone will come over later and take you all to the Yangzhou government office."

"The next step is the trial and sentencing, which I will handle personally."

"Except for the Song family, you are the ones with the best ending among the eight families. Your whole family will be exiled to Qiongzhou."

Speaking of this, Zhou Yuan sneered: "The eight families all boast about their powerful backgrounds. The Wu family and the Xu family have already implicated the cabinet ministers."

"But in fact, the seven of you combined are not as good as the Song family. It's just that they are a military family and are low-key."

"Even if you voluntarily surrender, there has always been precedent that there will be no direct pardon, but the Song family is an exception. This time it is a direct pardon."

"You all underestimate the influence of Duke Song. Even if they are distant relatives, His Majesty does not want to make things difficult for Duke Song."

Bai Jingtang and others lowered their heads and could only sigh.

On this day, the Yangzhou government office publicly tried the private salt case, and countless people came to watch.

Under the ironclad evidence, the Song family, one of the eight major families in Yangzhou, voluntarily surrendered, was fined and their property was confiscated, three generations were prohibited from doing business, three generations of taxes were doubled, and they were fined 400,000 taels of silver.

This is the best ending. The ending that can be solved with money will not be too bad, not to mention that they can wait for pardon.

The Bai family provided evidence and their property was confiscated, and the whole family was exiled to Qiongzhou.

The other six major families, who sold private salt, dug salt mines, forged salt permits, opened black markets, resisted court inspections, and assassinated imperial envoys, were all sentenced to death.

Jiangsu Governor Qin Zhaoxian and Yue Lingkang were corrupt and sought personal gain, assassinated imperial envoys, colluded with garrisons in various states, and conspired for treason and rebellion, and were all sentenced to extermination of their nine clans.

The garrisons of Taizhou, Suzhou, Jinling, Fengyang, and Yangzhou were all exterminated for the crime of treason.

Your Majesty's mother's family, that is, the official family, was sentenced to imprisonment and a fine of 800,000 taels of silver for accepting silver and helping private salt.

On this day, Yangzhou was covered with blood and thousands of people were executed, shocking the world.

Duke of Wei, Zhou Yuan, was famous and infamous, and was controversial.

Some people said that he was a young duke, with justice in his heart, handled things impartially, and cleaned up the salt business, making him a modern justice.

Others said that he was the reincarnation of an evil star, and wherever he went, there would be blood and rain. Such a person would sooner or later bring disaster to the world if he held power.

Who could comment on his merits and demerits? Zhou Yuan had long since stopped caring about those rumors.

He felt empty in his heart and was a little confused for a while.

He had come all the way with his hands stained with blood. Although he had a clear conscience, would his ending really be better than these people?

At noon on the second day, Xiaozhuang, who had already arrived in Yangzhou, finally showed up.

She was wearing a black military uniform, her tall body was like an iron tower, and she strode into the residence of the imperial envoy with a black broadsword half a foot long hanging on her back.

Su Youzi lives in seclusion in Mount Zhongnan, and the Holy Mother Wusheng is seriously injured and lying in bed. At this moment, no one in the world or in Yangzhou can be Zhuang Xuanpu's opponent.

Whoever she wants to obey must obey.