The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 417

Yan Song said with some hesitation.

"That's simple. Just issue another notice stating that anyone whose commercial tax has been overcharged or the amount is incorrect can go to the Embroidered Uniform Guard to beat the drum and appeal. These Embroidered Uniform Guards are still usable for now. As for the future, if there is any collusion between the Embroidered Uniform Guards and officials, then we'll have to find another way."

Zhou Chu made the decision.

Everything has two sides. While giving officials a cut of the profits, it also leads some officials to exploit lower-level merchants against their conscience. This is not what Zhou Chu wants to see, nor is it what the imperial court wants to see. Once lower-level merchants are exploited too much, the economy of the entire Jiangnan region will lose its vitality.

This is definitely not what Zhou Chu wanted to see.

Therefore, it is necessary to supervise these officials to a certain extent. At present, the Jinyiwei in Jiangnan Province are still usable. After all, they followed Zhou Chu to do many great things last year, which made their status in Jiangnan Province unprecedentedly improved.

The loyalty of the Imperial Guards in Jiangnan Province to Commander Zhou Chu and to the imperial court is now unprecedentedly high, and at least in the short term, there shouldn't be any problems.

As for the future, with the gradual increase in commercial taxes, the regulatory mechanism will be improved, and even the Jinyiwei (Imperial Bodyguard) will be subject to certain regulations.

Otherwise, if the Embroidered Uniform Guard could monitor all officials and there was no one to check and balance them, the Embroidered Uniform Guard would eventually fall into an abyss.

However, in recent years, the Imperial Guards in Jiangnan Province have been sufficient.

Seeing how thorough Zhou Chu's considerations were, Yan Song felt even more that this young man was unfathomable. This commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard either didn't do something at all, or if he did, he would consider every detail. Even details that Yan Song couldn't think of, Zhou Chu could think of.

In terms of ability, skill, vision, and perspective, Yan Song realized that he was no match for the young man in front of him.

Such a person is destined to become a famous minister who will be remembered in history. Yan Song was very motivated to work with such a person. He knew very well that as long as he followed Lord Zhou's lead and did everything Lord Zhou arranged, his future promotion would be a matter of course.

In the capital, Yang Yiqing received a letter from his grandson Yang Shengzhai. He opened it and was immediately amused by its contents.

"Father, what did the third son say?"

Yang Zhian looked at his father, his face full of confusion.

"Zhou Hengqi appointed him as a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate Yan Weizhong."

Yang Yiqing didn't hide anything and told him directly.

Yang Zhian was completely bewildered when he heard this.

"What is Zhou Hengqi trying to do? Could there be a trap here?"

As a father, Yang Zhian disapproved of Yang Shengzhai's words and actions, but he was still very concerned about his son's safety. He would feel extremely guilty if his son were to be plotted against by Zhou Chu because of this.

“There is indeed a trap, but it doesn’t matter. Zhou Hengqi just wants to use his father’s influence to make his mistress cause a huge scene in Jiangnan Province. Investigating Yan Weizhong is a pretense. What Zhou Hengqi really wants your son to do is make a huge scene, act against the rules, and arrest all the officials who don’t implement the performance evaluation system.”

Yang Yiqing was well aware of Zhou Chu's thoughts. Zhou Chu knew that Yang Yiqing could understand, which was why he specifically told Yang Shengzhai that he could write him a letter to ask for his opinion.

Zhou Chu believed that Yang Yiqing would tell his grandson what to do, and that Yang Yiqing could say many things that Zhou Chu was not comfortable saying.

After all, Zhou Chu only asked Yang Shengzhai to investigate Yan Song. As for what Yang Shengzhai should do and how he should do it, Yang Yiqing had to explain it to his grandson.

"How can this be allowed? If we do this, won't the third brother offend those officials in Jiangnan? Besides, if he acts so recklessly and doesn't follow the rules of officialdom, how can the officialdom tolerate him in the future?"

Yang Zhian became anxious upon hearing this.

Yang Yiqing, however, smiled and stroked his beard, showing no sign of urgency.

"Why are you in such a hurry? This is a good thing. Zhou Hengqi can use his mistress, which means he has value. Whatever that value may be, as long as you have value in this life, you will have no worries about finding a way out. The reason I sent him to study in Yuyao was to get him to connect with Zhou Hengqi, wasn't it? If you want to connect with him, why wouldn't you want to do anything? There's no such thing as a free lunch."

Yang Yiqing glanced at his son and said with a look of disappointment.

Yang Zhian's emotions were not calmed at all upon hearing this.

“But how old is the third son? He’s just a kid. In this kind of situation, if he’s not careful, he could be smashed to pieces.”

"Then you underestimate Zhou Hengqi. Throughout his career as an official, every single thing he has done has been a dance on the edge of a knife. Yet, he always manages to land safely. Before doing anything, Zhou Hengqi considers every detail carefully. The mistress might have some trouble afterward, but there won't be any danger."

Yang Yiqing spoke eloquently.

"Trouble represents opportunity. He has done so much for the court and His Majesty, so he will definitely come into His Majesty's sight. The young man is still young. At worst, he will be imprisoned for a period of time. He may not even be that bad. He will just be dismissed from his post. After this incident has calmed down, and after a few years, it will be the time for the young man to really show his skills."

Yang Yiqing couldn't help but sigh as he said this.

“Zhou Hengqi, Zhou Hengqi, you really are a master strategist. You probably even foresaw my thoughts. I have no choice but to do your bidding and write a letter to this kid.”

As Yang Yiqing spoke, he looked at the servants beside him.

"Fetch the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone."