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

Chapter 570

In the courtyard, two young girls were fighting fiercely, each holding a long sword.

They had graceful postures and elegant movements. It was better to say that they were dancing than fighting.

After all, they were learning the same kind of martial arts, which tended to be good-looking but not practical, suitable for young men or young girls from wealthy families to learn.

But Bai Xue was very fascinated, with her eyes slightly narrowed and fixed.

She analyzed the situation in front of her.

At noon, a woman suddenly came to the door and asked if the Duke of Wei had done anything to them...

She called the Duke of Wei by his name, with no respect in her tone. She must have a very noble status or power, or she was too close to the Duke of Wei and did not need the so-called respect.

So, Bai Xue thought that this young woman must have some say next to the Duke of Wei.

Seeing that she was also wearing a martial arts uniform and holding a sword, Bai Xue used words to let her and her sister Bai Bing communicate with each other.

They were both girls who learned sword skills, which was a rare opportunity. The two of them fought together, and the more they fought, the more they enjoyed it.

Bai Xue consciously let the two of them warm up their relationship, and after they finished fighting, she quickly handed them hot tea.

From Guan Caixi's perspective, this sister Bai Xue was really considerate, and this Bai Bing was also good at martial arts. They were really a pair of lovely sisters.

What was hateful was that such sisters were bullied by Zhou Yuan like this.

It's easy to change the country, but it's hard to change one's nature. Guan Caixi had been quiet for a few days, but now her mind couldn't help but become active again, wanting to practice her so-called justice.

"We... haven't been bullied yet..."

Bai Xue lowered her head, her pretty face turned pale, tears welled up in her eyes, and she said in a trembling voice: "But I think I can't escape this fate."

Seeing her pitiful expression, Guan Caixi felt very distressed, and gritted his teeth and said: "Zhou Yuan, that bastard, has obviously achieved his goal, but he still refuses to let you go, and even said that he is not lustful!"

Bai Xue's heart moved, and she really heard useful information - the goal was achieved? Does it mean that what her father wrote is indeed useful? Does the Bai family really not need to be killed?

Thinking of this, her acting skills became more refined. She quickly held Guan Caixi's hand and whispered, "Sister, don't talk nonsense. Although I don't know who you are, we can't afford to offend the Duke of Weiguo. We sisters are doomed. Xue'er hopes that sister won't offend that person, otherwise she won't have a good end."

Hearing this, Guan Caixi raised his eyebrows and said angrily, "Why can't I afford to offend him? Why should I be afraid of him!"

Bai Xue was even more delighted. Not afraid of the Duke of Weiguo, it means that she can definitely speak for the Bai family.

She pretended to be relaxed and forced a smile: "It's good that sister is not afraid of him, then Xue'er will be relieved."

"The fate of our sisters is already determined. I just hope that sister will live happily in the future."

"It's a pity that our sisters' efforts are insignificant. Maybe we will eventually be killed."

"But I am satisfied to know someone like my sister at the end of my life."

Bai Xue had already shed tears and her voice was choked.

Guan Caixi felt a great pain in her heart, and quickly hugged Bai Xue, saying anxiously: "My dear sister, don't think so. Zhou Yuan is not a person who kills indiscriminately. As long as he promised, he will do it."

"Oh, I'm going to ask him now, what exactly does he want? He has obviously got the information he wants, how can he turn his face and recognize him!"

She stood up, patted Bai Xue's shoulder, and said: "My dear sister, I will ask for you now. Don't worry, as long as your Bai family gives less, it's okay. I will fight for you. I want to see what Zhou Yuan has to say!"

With justice in her heart and sympathy for the girl, she came to Zhou Yuan's main hall angrily.

But before she got close, she felt uneasy again.

Is she really not afraid of Zhou Yuan? She is actually afraid.

But Guan Caixi still gritted her teeth. This time it was a serious matter, so she didn't have to be afraid of him.

"Zhou Yuan! How are you going to treat the Bai family!"

She said this and walked in directly.

So, she was stunned, her eyes slowly widened, and finally opened her mouth and trembled: "Dad? Why are you here?"

Guan Lindu was originally in a state of confusion. He didn't expect that Zhou Yuan would reply like that after he gave his name.

Before he could react, his little daughter appeared here again, which was really strange.

But he also went with the flow and nodded slowly: "Xi'er? Why are you in the imperial envoy's residence?"

Guan Caixi was full of doubts, but still whispered: "Yes...I was going south, and my sister asked me to go with Zhou Yuan, so we came here."

Guan Lindu said in a deep voice: "Okay, go and do your thing, I'm talking about business with the Duke of Wei,I'll see you later."

"Oh...then my daughter will take her leave..."

Guan Caixi responded and stepped back slowly.

"Stay!"

Zhou Yuan suddenly said: "Stay, and listen to what we are talking about."

Guan Caixi nodded quickly. She was indeed curious about what her father and Zhou Yuan were talking about. Was it about the salt inspection in Jiangnan? Was her father going to crack down on private salt? But he didn't hold an official position.

When Guan Lindu heard this, he frowned and said coldly: "What does the Duke of Wei mean? You leave my daughter here, so I dare not say anything?"

Zhou Yuan said lightly: "What I mean is very simple. She is in her early twenties and should know something."

Guan Caixi was confused, but still noticed that the atmosphere was a little wrong.

Guan Lindu snorted: "What if you know? What if you don't know? Do you think this can restrict me? Now you should also know my identity! "

Zhou Yuan smiled lightly and said, "Of course I know. The head of the Bai family, the biological father of the current emperor, although he was not named the emperor, is the actual father of the emperor."

Guan Lindu said, "Since you know my identity, you should know what you should do, right?"

Zhou Yuan looked at him and said lightly, "What do you think I should do?"

"Of course, I will stop while I am ahead!"

Guan Lindu said, "Now that the Great Jin has just passed the natural disaster and the war has stopped, it is the time to rebuild everything."

"If you really want to make trouble in Yangzhou and make the gods angry and the people resent you, what good will it do to the Great Jin?"

Zhou Yuan was unmoved, but said calmly, "Do you want to hear my true thoughts, or do you want to hear my flattery?"

"Of course it's my true thoughts! "

Guan Caixi blurted out, and then lowered her head quickly. She realized that she shouldn't interrupt.

Guan Lindu narrowed his eyes slightly, was silent for a moment, and then said: "I only want to hear words that are conducive to unity!"

Zhou Yuan laughed and said softly: "So you can't even listen to the truth? It's a pity that what I say is not decided by you."

He stood up, stood with his hands behind his back, and said proudly: "The Great Jin Dynasty has been established for more than 400 years. The contradictions and malpractices are so deep that they have penetrated into the lifeblood. The administration is like this, the land is like this, and the salt business is also like this."

"The court officials are corrupt, the land annexation is serious, the private salt is rampant, and the black salt market has become the mainstream."

"The people of the Great Jin Dynasty have heavy taxes and levies, and they don't have half an acre of arable land. Local officials exploit them, landlords and gentry oppress them, and they have to use their only living money to buy salt for food. ”

“Therefore, when natural disasters occur, there are millions of refugees. Therefore, Zhang Bailong, a mere scholar, can raise his arm and call for a response, gathering hundreds of thousands of peasant soldiers.”

“The malpractices of land and salt affairs have undermined the foundation of the court’s taxation, so the treasury is empty, so the military of the Great Jin is weak and oppressed by foreign races. It can only defend itself but has no power to fight back.”

Speaking of this, Zhou Yuan pointed outside and said in a serious voice: “In the past two or three years, I, Zhou Yuan, have traveled all over the Great Jin, from Xuanfu in the north to Xiangzhou in the south, from prosperous places like Shenjing and Lin’an Prefecture to dilapidated places like Kaifeng and Nanyang Prefecture…”

“No matter where, no matter prosperous or dilapidated, there are starving people everywhere, people are living in misery, and the dynasty is overthrown, which is beyond description.”

“That’s why! Your Majesty is sleepless nights, worried about state affairs, and works hard to revive the country.”

“That’s why! I, Zhou Yuan, will not only strengthen the army to resist foreign invaders, but also inspect the administration and reform to restore people's livelihood. "

"The world's salt transportation depends on the grain transport, and the world's grain transport depends on Yangzhou, so the private salt giants are all stationed in Yangzhou."

"If private salt is not eliminated, how can taxes be raised? If taxes are not raised, how can the country be prosperous? If the country is not prosperous, how can the people be prosperous?"

Zhou Yuan paused slightly, and then said coldly: "What do you mean by stopping when you see the good? What is good? Is it that the people's lives have improved? Or is it that the treasury is full? Or is it that my Great Jin has become stronger and stronger?"

"Private salt is not dead! Great Jin will not be better! There is no such thing as stopping when you see the good!"

"The moment I, Zhou Yuan, received the order, I had made up my mind to wipe out the private salt in Jiangnan one by one. This is a bone-scraping and healing wound to the Great Jin. No one can obstruct it, and it is absolutely not allowed to obstruct it!"

"Even if you are your Majesty's biological father!"