kingnovel Chapter 444: Can “gangsters” also take the civil service exam?
Chapter 444: Can “gangsters” also take the civil service exam?
The carriage jolted, the small table tilted, and the jade pendant slid to the edge of the table.
Yu Zhengqing quickly grasped the jade pendant, picked it up and stuffed it into Shen Zheng's hand, "Please keep it first, don't drop it."
Shen Zheng held the jade pendant in her hand. A warm feeling came from it. She subconsciously opened her fingers, frowned, and slowly looked at her hand.
This jade pendant is translucent, white and delicate, with a layer of oil on the surface, bright and pure.
Upon closer inspection, she discovered how exquisite the craftsmanship of the person who carved the jade pendant was.
She felt a strange feeling in her heart, and raised her head to ask, "You haven't told me yet, what is this jade pendant? Also, what does the Fifth Chief Bookkeeper's family do?"
Yu Zhengqing did not answer immediately, but lifted the carriage curtain and looked back, "Just now, Diwu Tanwei did not want you to ride with me. I guess she was afraid that I would tell the truth, so she wanted to trick you into her carriage."
"What?" Shen Zheng moved to the side and looked in the direction Yu Zhengqing was looking, but saw nothing.
She felt like she was being scratched by a cat, and urged him, "Please tell me quickly. I feel so confused and miserable."
Yu Zhengqing thought for a moment, sat up straight and said tactfully: "You know, in almost every state capital, there is a little-known but necessary trading place."
He placed his hands on his knees and lowered his voice, "This place sells almost everything. Clothes and accessories, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, jade, as well as natural treasures and all kinds of secret medicines and poisons used by low-class people."
Shen Zheng's scalp tightened, and she asked in a low voice: "Is it possible to buy and sell all kinds of information? From the underworld, the local officialdom, or even the imperial court?"
Yu Zhengqing was a little surprised. "How do you know? Have you heard of the fifth family?"
"No." Shen Zheng shook her head blankly, "That's what it says in the book."
Yu Zhengqing thought she was talking about Jianghu Miscellaneous Books, and said with a smile: "It's almost the same, but there are two points."
He turned his head and looked back, as if he was looking at the Fifth Tanwei through the carriage.
"The first point is the news from the palace, which the Fifth Family will never touch. The second point is... apart from the news from the martial arts world, they only exchange and do not sell the rest of the news. The more important the news that the visitor has, the more precious it will be."
In an instant, countless scenes from martial arts novels emerged in Shen Zheng's mind - it was a dark and windy night, a flower boat bigger than a house was floating on the lake, people were toasting on the boat, and lights were on in every house.
The camera zooms in to one of the small windows, and two voices can be heard through the window paper.
——"Where is the thing I want?"
——"Of course I brought it, but...I wonder if you have prepared what I want?"
——"What? You want to raise the price at the last minute? That's not how you do business!"
——"Don't worry... From what I see, you have already prepared what I want."
——"What is it?"
——"Your dog life!"
--"ah!"
"Bang--" the wheels pressed on the gravel on the side of the road, and the carriage shook again.
Shen Zheng shuddered, and even the color of her lips faded a little. "The Fifth Chief Bookkeeper's family is a little... uh, unconventional..."
If it were in the previous life, the Fifth Family would be a definite gang!
Oh my god! How can the underworld of Da Zhou pass the civil service exam?
She recalled what she had just said to Diwu Tanwei, and held her head in pain, "I actually told Diwu Zhubu that I could take care of her family's business and fulfill our colleague relationship with her."
No wonder Diwu Tanwei had a weird expression at that time. He might have laughed at her for being a country bumpkin in his heart...
Shen Zheng's face wrinkled up. She held the jade pendant and bared her teeth, saying, "What they did should not violate the law, right? The law does not prohibit the sale of poisons, nor does it prohibit the sale of information."
What a great fifth company! It is actually skirting the law and engaging in a gray industrial chain!
Yu Zhengqing nodded and shook his head, "Before Diwu Nazheng took over the Diwu family, the things the Diwu family did were not so clean. If the court investigates carefully, they can still take down their entire family."
"Then..." Shen Zheng asked curiously, "What did the fifth chief clerk's grandfather do? Why did the fifth chief clerk become an outsider?"
Even if the "political review" of the Great Zhou Dynasty was not very strict, it would not allow gangsters to take the civil service exam through the back door, right? Although the Fifth Chief Clerk looked like a good person and did not look like a gangster, she had a dark background!
She thought of something, and her eyes lit up, "Could it be that they have been recruited by our Majesty?"
Yu Zhengqing smiled softly and shook his head, "It can't be considered as amnesty. Not only did the Fifth Nazheng come to power suddenly, but his methods were also extremely cruel. In just one month, he wiped out all of the Fifth Family's assets and even sent many people to prison."
Shen Zheng was dumbfounded and didn't know what to say for a moment. She could only praise him awkwardly: "The grandfather of the fifth chief clerk was a ruthless man..."
"And then?" She asked again, "In this way, the Fifth Family and the imperial court can at best keep to themselves, and it won't be possible for the Fifth Chief Clerk to even have a foot in the official career, right?"
Yu Zhengqing nodded and asked her, "The Fifth Family has businesses all over the place, and they are very popular. But do you think they will pay taxes?"
"Definitely not." Shen Zheng shook his head vigorously.
But isn’t the first step for the mafia to whitewash itself to transform its industry, pay taxes, and gain recognition from the state?
——Many things are not black and white, and the Fifth Family and the imperial court are not incapable of coexisting. On the contrary, if the Fifth Family suddenly disappears, it may bring turmoil to the Great Zhou.
"You mean, they started paying taxes?"
"That's right." Yu Zhengqing showed a hint of admiration in his eyes. "It was indeed a smart move for Diwu Nazheng to do so. Because before that, His Majesty had already issued an order to settle accounts with them."
Shen Zheng hissed and asked uncertainly, "The news of the liquidation...was released by His Majesty, right?"
Although she didn't know the situation at that time, she had never felt the undercurrent surging at that time.
But judging from the current results, it is very likely that His Majesty took the initiative to release the news.
Yu Zhengqing was a little surprised, raised his eyes and asked: "Why do you think so? My father said the same thing at that time. He said that His Majesty was giving directions to the Fifth Family."
"That's a good description." Shen Zheng's eyes were empty, and she stroked the jade pendant in her hand and said, "The Fifth Na Zheng hinted to Your Majesty as soon as he came to power. Your Majesty received the hint, acted decisively, and put forward conditions with actions."
She looked in admiration and praised him with a grin, "Our Majesty is truly wise and powerful. In this way, the Fifth Family will have the potential to stand on the side of the court, so the Fifth Family will not trade in information from the palace."