This time, I directly took the appointment letter of the third-rank military general in the Ministry of War. With the right assistant minister Wang Zhuoqing secretly taking care of him, everything must have been quite smooth.

Luo Chong was named the third-rank general of the Conquering General, Ma Hanzi was named the fourth-rank general of the Ranger General, and Yue Hu and others also became military generals of the fourth-rank, but they were all Luo Chong's subordinates and were not transferred elsewhere.

It is obvious that Emperor Jingyu is expressing his trust in Luo Chong in this way, but it is not certain how long this trust can last.

Three more days later, Luo Chong took Princess Yongning's convoy on the way home, but this time it was not escort, but was accompanied by it.

The itinerary is not just over 300 miles, but it spans two thousand miles across two provinces.

His Royal Highness's carriage has been replaced, and it is a carriage that is more suitable for long distances. The luxury and comfort level will definitely be reduced. Moreover, there are no marks representing the royal family on the carriage, so of course I don't want to disturb local officials all the way.

She originally thought that only three carriages would be enough, so she would not add too much burden to Luo Chong, but Luo Chong said: For me, three or five cars are no different, but for you, it is better to be as comfortable as possible.

Seeing that he cared about him so much, Yongning felt relieved, at least it could show that he did not hate him...

Get on the way and go home!

A few days ago, Yongning was still full of expectations and was quite happy. Although the scenery along the way was not much different from when he was going to Muyang County, it was mainly because of his mood. This time, not only was he around him, but he also had a kind of relaxation and excitement with a high sky and a vast sea, as if the birds in the cage had finally gained freedom.

But next, once you walk out of the capital, you can see the people who have been robbed by Qingyuan cavalry from time to time, turning into refugees, grouped in rags, and many people are walking barefoot on the official road, with no chance or hope in their confused eyes...

Yongning's mood gradually subsided.

The bird-like joy disappeared. Luo Chong could guess her mood change and knew that she wanted to hear what she said the most. Unfortunately, those promises could not be given to her. If this country wants to fundamentally change, it must be fundamentally overturned. The direction she is working hard will only be futile.

The further she went, the more miserable scenes she could see, especially the once-in-a-century wilderness in Jinzhou, with countless refugees and various misery. Luo Chong decided to change the water route in advance, so there was no need to let her see those.

Anyway, she can't change anything.

Sure enough, the scenery on both sides of the canal can indeed change a person's mood. Luo Chong hired a large ship with only a dozen personal soldiers on the ship, as well as Princess Yongning's personal servants and several guards.

The cavalry team handed over Ma Hanzi and asked him to escort more than 2,000 war horses and a large amount of property to return to Guangling by land, which is expected to be three or four days later than Luo to rush to them.

The canal is an artificial river, with basically no wind and waves, and the boat is stable. Most people will not be seasick. They will be smooth all the way south.

However, smooth sailing refers to natural factors, and man-made incidents are not included, and I encountered trouble the next day on the boat.

That morning, Yongning was enjoying the scenery on the front deck, and there were tables and chairs placed around him, and a set of tea sets.

To put it in the words of the personal maid: Your Highness has learned from him. There is such a strong wind on the river, how can you drink tea? If you stand for a long time, you will catch a cold.

Soon, two fast ships chased after him from the back. Yongning couldn't understand them and they blew the flags. Anyway, our ship began to slow down until it stopped against the shore.

What's going on?

Yongning recognized that the two ships painted with the canal salt department's logo do have the right to check passing ships, but aren't they only able to check cargo ships? Why do even passenger ships like us intercept?

On the stern of the boat, the inspector of the Salt Class Department had already contacted the boat boss and shouted: The routine inspection is not excluded!

"Official, what's the matter with the passenger ship? If there are distinguished guests on the ship, don't disturb the nobles."

The boss of the boat smiled and gestured with some gesture, implying that he was willing to give some money and not to make things difficult for us for no reason.

The ship boss did not know the specific identities of Luo Chong and Yongning, but he still had the most basic vision. You can tell at a glance that so many guards must be the identity of a housekeeper.

The audit team leader of the Salt Course Department may have been promoted from the sixth rank deputy. He has a mixed-faced face and looks fierce. His expression and tone are not like an official when he speaks, but he is a mountain king who blocks the road and robs.

"How dare you? How dare you?"

The boss of the ship waved his hands repeatedly, and the crime of thousands of harboring personal salt was too great, and the family confiscation and exile were all light.

There are two types of people who sell private salt. One is specialized in this industry. Over the years, it has connected all the relationships between the salt department in various places. Although most of the money earned every year is used for bribery, relatively speaking, what you eat is a stable meal.

The second type is an adventurer who occasionally plays a vote. He has basically no special relationship with the Yankeshi. He is purely gambling. If he loses, he will lose everything and become a big fortune.

The auditing force of the Salt Course Department is the second type of person who is investigated and captured.

In theory, when encountering this situation, as long as Luo Chong reveals his third-rank official position, the other party will not dare to make things difficult for him, and will definitely let him go immediately.

However, a personal soldier went to the side of the deputy, and said a few words in a low voice, but the other party sneered: "What are the third-rank military generals? Those private salt dealers just put a village girl in the cabin, covering their faces with gauze on their faces, and dared to pretend to be the daughter of the prime minister's family. I have heard too much of this."

Well, he doesn't believe it yet.

Of course, there are ways to make him believe it, but Luo Chong is unwilling to do anything again, which allows Yongning to witness with his own eyes how corrupt the current officialdom is.

"search!"

The deputy raised his hand and waved his hand. More than a dozen men raised the boat board and jumped onto the plyboard of the ship. They all had waist knives, and there were people on the two fast ships holding crossbows, which was quite ready. It can be seen that they often encountered violent resistance to the law on weekdays.

Because Luo Chong's personal soldiers and Yongning's guards were all wearing casual clothes, not wearing military uniforms, and there was no flag representing any official position on the ship, the deputy lieutenant mistakenly thought that this was a foreign passenger ship hired by a wealthy family, so he had the idea of ​​第一.

This guy had been in the canal for a long time and could tell at a glance that this was not like a passenger ship smuggling private salt, but it didn't matter, it was still an excellent target for their blackmail.

It is said that wealth does not fight with officials. When wealthy businessmen in other places encounter such things, they often spend money to eliminate disasters, and there is no place to seek justice in the future, because the current unspoken rule in the officialdom is to protect each other, and officials are all making money together, and no one will offend colleagues for such things.

How to blackmail?

It's very simple. There are a few sacks of private salt on the two fast ships. Whenever you throw them at Luo Chong's ship, you will say that they are the stolen goods found. What can you do?

If you don’t want to cause trouble, you will give up a hundred and eighty taels of silver. Even if this matter is over, it would be great to spend a little money to eliminate the disaster. Otherwise, hum...

In the cabin, Luo Chong told Yongning these inside stories in the simplest words, and she asked: "Is this a lot of situations? Why do those wealthy businessmen in other places still take a boat and are willing to suffer blackmail?"

"It's much better than encountering bandits frequently on land. If you encounter bandits, you may not be able to save your life every time."

Luo Chong replied, "The world is more chaotic and more serious than you think. Rich people exploit the poor, and officials exploit the rich and the poor, and your royal family exploits everyone. They all look like crazy dogs with red eyes..."

After saying this, Yongning was speechless.

Bang bang bang bang bang bang...

On the stern of the boat, the group of people from the Salt Course had blatantly brought a few sacks of salt and threw them on the deck of the boat. The sacks were broken, and the ashes were sprinkled out of coarse salt mixed with a lot of sand.

When framed and extorted, they were reluctant to take a look at the top-notch stolen goods. It can be seen how crazy these people are.

"Official, you can't do this."

The boss of the ship was still trying his best to dissuade him: "There are really noble people on the ship. This time you are really misleading. You may make things uncontrollable."

"Tell me, why can't I clean up?"

The deputy sneered in a gloomy sneer, thinking that if your ship really has a background in the officialdom, you should know the rules, flags, and proof materials on the canal long ago. In that case, everyone respects each other, and I can't do this.

Yongning saw this scene through the half-open porthole in the top cabin. He was so angry that he was burned with anger and his delicate body trembled slightly. It is said that hearing is better than seeing it at first sight. In the past, I only heard of it. Today, I witnessed this kind of thing with my own eyes and realized how sad and helpless it is to live in this world as an ordinary citizen.

When dealing with wealthy foreign businessmen who can afford such a large ship, they dare to blatantly blackmail them. Then, can ordinary people with almost no ability to fight, bully them at will?

No wonder, people are emerging from all over the country to rebel, and they can respond with one call and a hundred responses, and they can form a scale in a very short time...

"A minister who destroyed the country!"

Her extremely gloomy mood made her voice hoarse for a moment, and she said to herself as a low voice: "If the whole country is full of ministers who are destroyed, no matter how wise the monarch is, she will inevitably become the king of the destroyed country."

"It's not like, but the fact."

Luo Chong couldn't bear to hit her, but he still wanted to wake her up: "The tree in Jin Dynasty has decayed from its roots, and it is impossible to save it again. There is no time to save it in time. The best way is to push it down and plant a brand new and healthy sapling."

Then he said to her: "If you are reluctant to give up your status as a royal family, at worst, I will support you and establish a new dynasty in another name. Just be the founding queen who will be the eternal honor. However, this is a story in front of you, right?

He said such amazing words, regardless of how she reacted, and looked at the stern deck and said lightly: "These guys have actually blackmailed us, so we have to deal with them well no matter how hard we do it."
Chapter completed!