From Chang'an City to Luoyang, then to Bianzhou, and then southeast to Yangzhou, these are mature routes of the Grand Canal.

As Li Kuan and his party went down the river, there would naturally be no accidents.

"The lights on the city bridge are as bright as the sky, and the water rafts are nearly half full. This city of Yangzhou is worthy of being the economic center of the south."

Li Kuan got off the ship and before entering the city of Yangzhou, he felt the scene of trade and merchants gathering in Yangzhou.

To put it bluntly, today's Yangzhou is already the most important economic center in the south of the Tang Dynasty. Even maritime trade cities such as Hangzhou, Mingzhou, Quanzhou and Guangzhou cannot compare with it.

Because Yangzhou, as the most important city at the estuary of the Yangtze River, is itself a very important maritime trade city, the Yangzhou Shipping Department was established last year.

"Yangzhou is the intersection of the canal and the Yangtze River. After the Eight Kings Rebellion in the Western Jin Dynasty, many Central Plains nobles migrated to the south of the Yangtze River. Now the most prosperous area in the Tang Dynasty has slowly changed from the Guanzhong area to the Jiangnan area.

It’s a trend.”

Wang Xuance is well-informed and his analysis of this is very accurate.

In fact, his analysis is very consistent with the statements of many experts and scholars in later generations.

Yangzhou is the starting point of the Hangou section of the Grand Canal. This canal was originally dug by the Wu state in the Spring and Autumn Period. After dredging and improvement during the Yang Guang period, by the Zhenguan period, it had become a link between the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River Basin, and also led to Chang'an.

The most important waterway in Luoyang.

At least 30% of the foreign goods in Chang'an City come from this canal.

Of course, there is another very important factor that Wang Xuance does not know.

That is why Yangzhou was so prosperous in the Tang Dynasty because Yangzhou at this time was the apex of the Yangtze River estuary, and no other city could compete with it, because below it was an estuary bay like a trumpet with open water, which facilitated the movement of ships.

.

However, as the sediment in the Yangtze River accumulates, sandbars merge into banks, and the mouth of the Yangtze River slowly moves eastward, the Yangzhou river channel is not so suitable for large ships to dock.

This is why by the time of the Braid Dynasty, Yangzhou was still the junction of the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal, but its status was far inferior to that of the Tang Dynasty. Instead, the seaside city of Shanghai rose.

"Yes, whether it is a fleet from Lingnan or a fleet from various countries in Southeast Asia, if it wants to go to Chang'an, it will basically either dock from Hangzhou or Yangzhou. Even if it docks in Hangzhou, it will still have to be docked in the end.

Passing by Yangzhou, in my opinion, the status of Yangzhou will probably increase in a short period of time."

Although Li Kuan did not know much about the situation in Yangzhou, we can see how important Yangzhou's status was from the situation in Tang poetry.

In fact, Yangzhou's most glorious time was actually the Anshi Rebellion, when the strength of the Guanzhong region dropped significantly, and the status of Jiangnan rose rapidly.

"Your Majesty, speaking of it, Yangzhou is still the place where I was born, but I was still too young at that time, so it didn't leave a particularly deep impression on me."

Wu Meiniang's words surprised Li Kuan.

"Meiniang, weren't you born in Lizhou?"

In later generations, there has always been controversy about where Wu Meiniang was born.

Some say it's from Lizhou, some say it's from Chang'an, some say it's from Luoyang, there are various theories.

Li Kuan really didn't expect that she was born in Yangzhou.

"Your Majesty, my late father came to Lizhou to take up his post in the second year of Zhenguan. At that time, I was already bigger than Little Corn. How could I be born in Lizhou? But I grew up in Lizhou, which is correct."

"Ying Guogong has also served as an official in Yangzhou, but I really don't know that."

"When my late father was in Yangzhou, it was just a long history. It is normal for the prince not to remember it."

Wu Meiniang herself didn't know much about her experience in Yangzhou, so she naturally wouldn't mind if Li Kuan didn't know about it.

"I didn't expect you to have such a connection with Yangzhou, so we will have to stay here for a few more days."

…

Jiangdu County, Yangzhou.

County magistrate Gu Lian was eating lunch in the backyard of the county government office, but he looked absent-minded.

Although the dish on the table is my favorite braised mutton, I stopped several times when the chopsticks were brought to my mouth, and I didn’t even notice that the mutton on the chopsticks fell off.

His daughter Gu Panpan, who was sitting next to him, couldn't help but ask: "Aye, could it be that the deposed envoy from Chang'an wants to make things difficult for you? I heard that he has been staying in Jiangdu County for several days."

His Royal Highness the King of Chu came to Yangzhou as the deposed envoy, so it was naturally impossible for him to keep a low profile. Everyone in Yangzhou Mansion knew that a big shot had come to the court during this time.

But the reputation of His Highness the King of Chu has both good and bad reputations.

Yangzhou is relatively far from the city of Chang'an, so a lot of news from Chang'an becomes distorted as it passes from person to person.

Many times, people tend to believe the negative news about these princes and nobles, but they may not necessarily believe the positive rumors.

Of course, the rumors about Li Kuan are quite special.

Some people who like him simply worship him as a star.

Some people who don't like him think that he is just a dandy. Even if there are many excellent works that have been circulated, they were completed by the hands of others.

Gu Panpan, Gu Lian's only daughter, is the latter.

As a famous talented woman in Yangzhou City, she had naturally heard of Li Kuan's name.

But when she heard that "Once upon a time, everything was difficult for water, except for Wushan, it was not clouds" was written by Li Kuan in a brothel, and Li Kuan was the chief of the four evils in Chang'an City, she became skeptical about the subsequent rumors.

"There happens to be a rather difficult case in the past few days. If I don't handle it well, His Highness the King of Chu may use me to scare the monkeys."

Gu Lian did not deny or admit it, but this afternoon Li Kuan continued to listen to his case trial at the Jiangdu County government office, which put a lot of pressure on him.

"Aye, I will go to the county government office with you in the afternoon. I would like to see if His Royal Highness, King Chu, is really as powerful as the rumors say."

The Gu family is a wealthy family in the south of the Yangtze River, and is said to be a descendant of King Gou Jian of Yue.

During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, with its strong economic strength, he and the Langya Wang family, a powerful family from the north who migrated south after the Yongjia Rebellion, jointly assisted Sima Rui in ascending to the throne.

In return, the Gu family became the object of care of the Eastern Jin Dynasty royal family, and many family members began to enter the core of power in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

The Gu family in Wu County truly became a famous family at that time. Until the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was still the leading family in the Jiangnan region.

Gu Lian is the legitimate son of Gu's family, and Gu Panpan is Gu Lian's only daughter. In Yangzhou City, even the governor of Yangzhou has to give some face to the Gu family, which has created Gu Panpan's character of not fearing anything.

"Panpan, don't act recklessly, His Royal Highness the King of Chu is not something you can afford to offend."

Gu Lian has too much time to take care of himself now, and this deposed emissary has the right to give him the authority of the county magistrate on the spot.

"Aye, don't worry, I'm measured."

…

Jiangdu County Government.

"Snapped!"

Gu Lian took a deep breath, looked at Li Kuan, Wang Xuance, and a handsome scholar who was a little unfamiliar, and slapped the gavel tree vigorously, shouting, "Shengtang!"

"mighty--"

Two rows of subordinates in the hall were holding wooden sticks that were half red and half black and kept hitting the ground, giving people a vague sense of urgency.

Li Kuan has been watching Jiangdu County Magistrate Gu Lian try cases for two days, so he is naturally familiar with this set of procedures.

This set of procedures is probably to convey some pressure to the prisoners.

It is easier for people to confess when they are under heavy pressure.

"Bring someone to commit the crime!"

Gu Lian glanced at Li Kuan secretly and found that he had no intention of speaking.

"Your Majesty, Magistrate Gu's trial of the case is quite satisfactory. There is nothing outstanding or any flaws."

Wang Xuance whispered quietly at the side.

Li Kuan had little political experience, and Wang Xuance knew that.

Especially these grassroots county government affairs, Li Kuan knew very little about them.

"I have seen the trial scene before when I was in Lizhou, and it was much more straightforward than here in Jiangdu County."

The unfamiliar scholar Gu Lian saw just now was really Wu Meiniang disguised as a man.

Although she was born in Yangzhou, she is not familiar with Yangzhou and has no relatives to visit.

Li Kuan went to the county government office to listen to the trial for two days. She stayed aside and had nothing to do. She simply dressed up and followed Li Kuan.

"Oh? How about the direct method?"

"When hearing cases at the local level, oral confessions are taken very seriously. It can be said that the entire case trial process is centered around obtaining oral confessions, and the final judgment is also based on the oral confessions. Therefore, in order to obtain oral confessions, it is inevitable to use executions to extract confessions.

Already."

Wu Meiniang was very happy when she saw Li Kuan listening attentively.

"Execution to extract a confession?"

Li Kuan was stunned for a moment, but he soon felt relieved.

In an era when there is no clairvoyance or fingerprint detection, it is completely unrealistic to use the theory of "innocence" to try cases.

On the contrary, execution is often necessary, and many cases are solved in this way.

Of course, it is inevitable that there will be some unjust, false and wrong cases.

"Yes, the laws of the Tang Dynasty also specifically stipulate the tools used during torture. Well, the special interrogation stick that is three feet and five inches long, with the big head 3/2 centimeters and the small head 2/2 centimeters, is the standard execution tool.
To be continued...