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

Chapter 576

At dusk, Zhou Yuan held the map with a frown on his face.

The thirteen private salt mines were all around Yangzhou, which was unexpected and revealed the difficulty of the situation in Yangzhou.

Except for Yunnan and Sichuan, most of the salt mines in the world of Dajin are concentrated in Lianghuai and the southeast, and Lianghuai is the most prosperous.

Although Yangzhou has the leading salt drying field in Dajin, most of it is official salt, and commercial salt is a minority after all, but there are thirteen private salt mines here.

This means that no one in the whole Yangzhou is clean, Yue Lingkang is definitely one of the participants, and Qin Zhaoxian may not be out of it.

In this way, the situation is quite dangerous, and the other party has already set up a killing plan.

"Go and call Guan Lu to me!"

Zhou Yuan ordered outside.

This time he waited for about half an hour before Guan Lu hurried into the mansion.

"The thirteen salt mines are all in Yangzhou, which means that Yangzhou is completely rotten. Since I have made my cards clear, the other party should take action."

Zhou Yuan analyzed: "Is there any situation in the Yangzhou garrison camp and the government office?"

Guan Lu shook his head and said: "Not yet, Yue Lingkang is still as usual, Qin Zhaoxian is also on duty and has not taken a day off."

"But there is one thing that is worth doubting. Since yesterday, the news about the Wusheng Sect's rebellion has spread more and more."

Guan Lu's expression was not good, and he said in a deep voice: "Our spies said , In the past two days, it has been rumored everywhere in Yangzhou that the Wusheng Sect has committed all kinds of evils, such as burning, killing, looting, and committing all kinds of evils, which has caused panic among the people. Many people dare not go out. "

"I suspect that the other party will use this to make a fuss."

Zhou Yuan seemed to have thought of something, his face changed slightly, and he immediately said: "Have our people arrived?"

"There are still two days."

Guan Lu said: "At most two days, all will be here."

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath and gritted his teeth and said: "Oh no, the other party may be faster. It seems that this is a tough battle."

As soon as the voice fell, Li Yu'an walked in.

She looked at Zhou Yuan and said lightly: "Someone is looking for them. It's Chu Feifan and others."

Zhou Yuan stood up and said immediately: "Let them come in to see me."

Soon, a group of seven or eight people entered the study and knelt on the ground.

Zhang Fei said excitedly: "Meet the lord! I haven't seen the lord for more than half a year since we parted last year."

This time, Zhou Yuan did not correct his address, but looked at other people.

Zhang Fei introduced them quickly: "These are brothers from all over the world, and they are all well-known figures in the martial arts world. To be honest, in addition to money and martial arts, the more important reason for asking them to help is the reputation of the lord."

"The lord recovered the Central Plains and bombarded the Eastern Tartar, which greatly boosted people's hearts. All the passionate men in the martial arts world admire the lord very much."

Zhou Yuan waved his hand and said: "Everyone, stand up. Since you trust me, I naturally trust you too."

"Salt Administration Corruption harms the country and the people. The people of our Great Jin Dynasty suffer greatly from it and live in misery. "

"I, Zhou Yuan, am an official appointed by the court, but I am absolutely unwilling to be in cahoots with those treacherous people. Therefore, I will go south to inspect the salt industry and eradicate the corruption of private salt."

"Therefore, the other party will naturally want to kill me. This time, my safety depends entirely on you heroes."

An old man in his fifties or sixties, with dark skin, a very burly figure, and high bulging temples, is obviously a prestigious master.

He clasped his fists and said, "You are too polite, Lord! We are just some gangsters, we don't know any rules, we just say whatever we want."

"Lord, you drove away the Eastern Tartars at Shanhaiguan, our Great Jin was proud, and we were happy too."

"Now that Lord is in trouble, we will definitely go all out, and we will never regret it even if we die."

These words may seem empty, but they are actually simple, showing the generous patriotism and chivalrous heart of the righteous people in the martial arts world. Zhou Yuan was very moved when he heard them.

He could only clasp his fists and say, "Thank you, heroes. This battle is dangerous, the enemy is fierce, and it is the enemy's territory. This mansion is our last fortress."

Zhang Fei said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, lord. More than a hundred of us brothers will firmly occupy the surroundings of the mansion to ensure that no enemy can come in."

After saying a few words of encouragement, everyone left.

Li Yu'an whispered, "With Chu Feifan in charge, there won't be much of a problem. At least no martial arts masters can get in. Even if it's a musket, we have an advantageous position and can attack with hidden weapons."

"Also, didn't you ask Princess Qinshui to go north? She has already arrived in Jinling and is currently living in the Qu family."

"But another person has come to Yangzhou."

Zhou Yuan raised his head and asked in confusion, "Who?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the door of the study suddenly opened, and a black shadow flashed in instantly..

"Brother!"

A petite figure threw herself into Zhou Yuan's arms and hung on him like a koala.

Smelling the familiar smell, Zhou Yuan hugged the petite body and couldn't help laughing: "Xiaoying, you are still so light, didn't you eat meat?"

Xiaoying puffed up her cheeks, then smiled sweetly and said: "Eat! Eat a lot! Sister said I can eat!"

The sister she mentioned was Qinshui.

Zhou Yuan was in a good mood. He hadn't seen Xiaoying for a long time. This time they finally reunited. The girl was in much better condition than before, and it seemed that she had returned to the time when she was in Shenjing.

He put Xiaoying down, scratched her nose, and said with a smile: "With your protection this time, brother will rest assured."

Xiaoying nodded heavily and said: "Yes! I prepared a lot!"

"A lot of what?"

"Insect poison! Poison! All on my body!"

Zhou Yuan was startled, fearing that he would be stained with poison, so he couldn't help but lower his voice and said: "Where is it hidden? Brother will check it for you."

Li Yu'an rolled her eyes in annoyance and said: "You brothers and sisters can reminisce about the past, I'm leaving first. I also want to tell you that Zhuang Xuansu is waiting for you outside."

It seems that the staff of the Inner Court Division has finally arrived.

Zhou Yuan ignored her for the time being, but took Xiaoying's hand and said with a smile: "How are you doing recently? Are you sick? Are your previous injuries better?"

"All is well! Very good!"

Xiaoying giggled, and then pouted and said: "Brother doesn't keep his word!"

Zhou Yuan said: "Why don't I keep my word?"

"You...you said you would come back in three or four months, and it's been nine months!"

Speaking of this, she seemed very aggrieved.

Zhou Yuan hurriedly said: "Isn't this a war? Now that you are helping me, I am not afraid. Xiaoying, you have to help your brother kill more people this time."

Sure enough, changing the subject is very effective for the girl.

Xiaoying immediately nodded as if to ask for credit: "That's for sure! I prepared a lot of poisonous insects!"

Good guy, didn't she realize that she was repeating herself?

Zhou Yuan certainly didn't care about these, but whispered: "You helped me this time, I will go back to Guizhou with you next time, okay?"

"Really?"

Xiaoying's eyes lit up, and she said in surprise: "Are you going back to the village with me!"

Zhou Yuan said: "Of course, go see your hometown, it is said that the scenery is very beautiful."

"It is very, very beautiful!"

When she talked about her hometown, she was very proud, and she didn't stop talking at all.

Finally, she looked at Zhou Yuan eagerly and said: "Brother, don't lie."

Zhou Yuan patted his chest and said: "I promise!"

Then he saw that the time was almost up, and said in a low voice: "The kitchen is making snacks, it's delicious..."

"I'll go and see!"

Xiaoying ran away like a puff of smoke.

This little greedy cat still can't change his old habits...