Chapter 2444 Gui Zi Juan offends and wins people

 Feng Ziying couldn't help but frown.

  Shen family.

When it comes to Jiangnan, the Shen family is a topic that cannot be avoided.

 In the former Ming Dynasty, the Shen family was the richest man in Jiangnan or the country.

 As for Shen Wansan, everyone knows that Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang especially dislikes this person.

Although Shen Wansan offered all kinds of loyalties to please him, his efforts to help build Nanjing and reward the three armies violated Zhu Yuanzhang's taboos. Therefore, he was repeatedly attacked by Zhu Yuanzhang, and eventually he lived in Yunnan and died in a foreign land.

However, it is undeniable that the Shen family is very good at doing business. The Wucheng branch in Huzhou and the Changzhou branch in Suzhou did not die out because of the destruction of Shen Wansan.

Especially after the Great Zhou Dynasty replaced the former Ming Dynasty, the Shen family revived rapidly, and its influence spread throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty, not just limited to Jiangnan. Both Shanshan and Shaanxi merchants and Jiangnan merchants must recognize the influence of the Shen family. force.

Although there is a Dongting Merchant Gang in Suzhou, there is a Shen family that is independent of the Dongting Merchant Gang, which means that the Shen family's reputation is enough to overwhelm the entire Dongting merchants.

Of course this is just talking about reputation, not that the Shen family’s wealth and influence can overwhelm the entire Dongting merchants.

But the Shen family is unique among merchants, which is enough to show that they are different.

The Shen family is divided into two branches in Dazhou, one in Suzhou and one in Huzhou. The Suzhou family is known as the richest man in Southern Zhili, while the Huzhou family is known as the richest man in Zhejiang and Zhejiang. They are both the richest people, but the Suzhou family is obviously the same in strength. The branch is obviously stronger.

Both families are the largest landowners in Suzhou and Huzhou respectively.

The Shen family in Suzhou owns more than 30,000 acres of land, and the Shen family in Huzhou owns more than 20,000 acres of land. They are all the best high-yielding cultivated land. The Tao family of the New Four in Nanjing is like a younger brother to the Shen family.

Moreover, the most prosperous street sections in Suzhou and Huzhou are all owned by the Shen family. The Shen family in Suzhou alone owns more than 150 shops, which are said to be worth more than three million taels.

The Shen family also spared no effort in supporting Jiangnan scholars. Whether it was the Jiangnan scholar group represented by Ye Fang or the Jiangnan scholar group represented by Tang Mi, the Shen family never spared money.

However, the Shen family has always maintained a certain distance from the Zhang family. This is probably a lesson learned by their ancestor Shen Wansan after he suffered a loss from Emperor Hongwu.

Whether it was Emperor Yuanxi's six expeditions to the south of the Yangtze River, Emperor Yonglong's sudden emergence as the new emperor, or Prince Yi Zhong's isolation in Nanjing, the Shen family maintained a neither salty nor indifferent attitude.

I would rather have good relations with the scholars, but never stay close to the Tian family. The reason is the ancestral precepts.

For this reason, from Emperor Yuanxi to Emperor Yonglong and even the current Emperor Wan Tong, they all resented the Shen family. It was just because of the close relationship between the Shen family and the Jiangnan scholars that it was difficult to attack them.

The Shen family also knew the taboos committed by their own family, but the ancestral precepts must be true, so they also relied closely on the Jiangnan scholars.

As far as Feng Ziying knows, the Shen family in Huzhou is not only very close to Fang Congzhe, but also related to Zhu Guozhen. Fang Congzhe’s ancestral home is Deqing, Huzhou, and Zhu Guozhen is from Wucheng. The Shen family in Suzhou is related to Gu Tiancheng and is related to Gao Panlonghe. We are all good friends with Miao Changqi.

Not only did Miao Changqi join the cabinet, it was said that one of Gu Tianjuan and Zhu Guozhen was going to succeed Guan Yingzhen as Shangshu of the Ministry of Commerce.

It can be said that the Shen family has a very special relationship with the wealthy scholars in the entire southern Zhejiang and Zhejiang provinces. This is also the reason why the Shen family dares not to bow down in the face of the Tian family's strengths.

Although such a case was a backlog of more than ten years ago and contained hundreds of thousands of dollars, it directly led to the murder of Shen Tongyuan, the head of the Shen family in Huzhou. He refused to admit that he had caused this murder and vowed to find out the real culprit behind the scenes.

However, given that the bandits robbed and killed and then set fire to the house that night, and then it rained heavily, which erased many traces, the case was finally concluded as a crime committed by Taihu Lake water bandits.

Later, the governments of Huzhou, Suzhou, and Changzhou jointly launched a campaign to suppress the Taihu water bandits, but to no avail.

The Taihu Twelve Link Wound Water Bandits disappeared as if they had evaporated. It is said that they went to the Yangtze River to join the Yangtze River Water Bandits.

Now this Nine Phoenix Pearl Crown has appeared in the Japanese pirate lair in Chenqian Mountain, making the story here even more complicated and confusing.

If according to common sense, the Shen family is indifferent to the Tian family, then if Emperor Yuan Xi wants to instruct someone to do this kind of thing, it will appear that the layout is too small and ugly, and the key is that this Nine Phoenix Pearl Crown is intended to be given as a birthday gift. It seems a bit unreasonable to kidnap Prince Yoshitaka's concubine like this.

Moreover, in the thirty-eighth year of Yuanxi, Emperor Yuanxi no longer interfered much with political affairs and gradually handed over to Emperor Yonglong who had just become the crown prince. However, at that time, Prince Yi Zhong was still somewhat unwilling and the two sides were still fighting.

This complicated situation is even more chaotic in Jiangnan. Jiangnan is the base of Prince Yi Zhong, but the ascendance of Emperor Yonglong, who has become the crown prince, is a foregone conclusion, and Emperor Yuanxi is still the emperor. Anyone in Jiangnan can have a hand, and whoever has a hand in the Shen family Not very welcome.

This Japanese pirate is an ally of the Tang family or can be controlled by the Tang family. Did they carry out such an attack just to steal money, or did they have the instruction of someone?

Especially the reactions of the army and local officials before and after the Shen family's incident were obviously abnormal, which added to countless doubts.

Han Xu remained silent. It was obvious that he also knew the inside story of the murder case in which the Shen family in Huzhou was almost wiped out.

As the Minister of Justice, the first time you take office, you have to learn about the unsolved major cases in the entire Dazhou territory.

Although the case of the Shen family in Huzhou was nominally solved, a large group of Taihu water bandits from the Twelve-Luanwu Station were not able to capture any of them.

It is impossible to use one missing sentence as the answer. It does not make sense that you have come to such a conclusion through the joint action of the three governments and such a large-scale campaign to clean up Taihu Lake.

They said they were going to invest in the Yangtze River water bandits, but there were so many Yangtze River water bandits that they were divided into several shares. Which one did you invest in? Why was there no further news from him?

There are also lake bandits in Taihu Lake now. Are the remnants of the Twelve Chain Pier resurrected and resurrected? These situations seem to have no longer occurred.

 It’s just that this case was backlogged more than ten years ago and is very difficult.

Although the Shen family has been pushing for a thorough investigation of the case, the level of the Nanjing Criminal Department and the officials who were in office have been promoted. The main insider of the case, Shen Tongyuan, has died. Although Shen Tongqian, the younger brother of the successor family head, Shen Tongyuan, has a positive attitude. , but the appeals are still mostly verbal. No concrete evidence or new things have been presented, but no one has seen them.

 But this time the appearance of the Nine Phoenix Pearl Crown became an opportunity.

Mao Jianda and Dayou Sanhe were both captured, and none of the four brothers of the Tang family slipped through the net. This means that the origin of the Nine Phoenix Pearl Crown can be known quickly. So where did the Nine Phoenix Pearl Crown come from, and who was involved in the crime sixteen years ago It seems that the murder case can be revealed.

However, neither Feng Ziying nor Han Xu is so optimistic. On the surface, it seems that all the important suspects involved in the case have been caught in the net, but if the fog here is lifted, new and unexpected things will emerge. Come.

"Mr. Yu Chen, what do you think?" Feng Ziying saw Han Xu's expression was deep but he didn't say anything. She also knew that this guy was in trouble now. "I will fully cooperate with you, but you also know that Mr. Liu Ji and you have just arrived. There are many things." I also have to hand it over, especially since many of these belongings were previously under the custody of Longjing Lieutenant and the army. They need to be handed over clearly one by one. In addition, the Zhen family is about to start working on it, so I'm afraid you will have to worry more about this case. "

Han Xu gave Feng Ziying a sharp look and said angrily: "Ziying, you caused such a big mess for me as soon as I came here. I was still thinking about the Ministry of Punishment. How big of a deal could it be to come to Jiangnan?" , if it is really involved in the case, the Ministry of Punishment can just guide the local officials to handle the case. Without the Nanjing Ministry of Punishment, wouldn’t the various government offices be able to handle the case? Who would have thought that I would find trouble for me. "

"Hey, Mr. Yu, it's inappropriate for you to say this. How can you turn a blind eye to such a big case? How can you call it a troublemaker?" Feng Ziying said with a smile: "The Shen family is the richest in the world, and they are also famous. In the world, if the Ministry of Punishment can use this case to establish its prestige, it will also be a confession to the entire Jiangnan gentry and common people, and it will also make the Jiangnan people respect the imperial court even more..."

Regarding Feng Ziying, Han Xu was really at a loss. He could only wave his hands and said impatiently: "Okay, okay, Ziying, don't sing high-profile and wear high-profile hats for me here. You two go out first. Ziying and I are still I have something to say.”

 Fang Youdu and another principal left quickly, leaving only two people.

"Ziying, do you really not understand or are you pretending to be confused? This case of the Shen family involves too much. The key is that the thirty-eighth year of Yuanxi was the most delicate time. At that time, the relationship between the several emperors was complicated. I don’t believe that there was no government manipulation behind this case, but what was the purpose of the manipulation? To take advantage of the situation to eliminate the Shen family’s influence in Jiangnan and suppress the sponsors of Jiangnan scholars, or was it a fight between two kings that would bring disaster to Chiyu? Or is it just a way for the Supreme Emperor to vent his long-standing grievances? Is it significant to find out who is the main messenger now? If not, we might end up asking for chicken feathers all over the place."

Han Xu's words further strengthened Feng Ziying's views and confidence, "Mr. Yu, I think this is a good thing. What does their dog-eat-dog affair have to do with us? On the contrary, this case will definitely involve many people. , Based on my observation, whether these people are in office or in office, they can all be cleaned up. Only when the house is cleaned can things be done easily..."

Han Xu was startled for a moment and then thought about it, "But Ziying, if you expose this, it will definitely cause too much trouble and offend many people, even people we didn't expect..."

"Master Yu, do you think we can avoid offending people by coming here? Don't we just come here with the purpose of offending people? How can we win people if we don't offend them?"

Feng Ziying asked confidently, while Han Xu nodded thoughtfully.

 (End of this chapter)