Yangzhou, under Huanglong Mountain, Jiangning Prefecture.

There is a house like a city, with towers and mountains, and a simplicity and heavy feeling everywhere. In the center of the house, there is an exquisite second-story pavilion with the word "Heaven I" written on the door.

This is the place where Chen Hai, the chief of the Chen clan in Yangzhou, works and discusses affairs. It is known as the "Tianwo Pavilion". I don't know how many Yangzhou families are. Officials are obsessed with this place and are proud of visiting this place.

"Master, news is coming from the capital."

At this time, a middle-aged man who looked like a housekeeper stood at the desk and said respectfully to the old man who was wiping ink.

The old man did not look up, but finished painting in one go, putting the brush back on the rack, then slowly raised his head, revealing a face that was not angry and powerful. Although he was covered in white hair, he was energetic and full of energy. He only heard him say lightly:

"What news?"

"The emperor issued an order to use Di Renjie and Bao Zheng as the imperial envoy to patrol the south of the Yangtze River and inspect the coastal defense!" The middle-aged man did not dare to neglect and replied quickly.

Chen Hai raised his eyebrows and said in surprise:

"Inspecting the coastal defense?"

"Yes, lord, that's what the letter said." The middle-aged man hurriedly said.

Chen Hai frowned and stood up and walked slowly in the room. After a long time, he suddenly stopped and looked at the middle-aged man with shiny light and said:

"Chen Er, how much was the annual income from Yangzhou Passing the Seaway last year?"

"This..." Chen Er was stunned and bowed quickly:

"Master, the fifth master is dealing with the matter at sea, so I don't know very well."

"Go and invite the fifth master here!" Chen Hai immediately ordered.

"Master, it's so late, I'm afraid Master Fifth is..." Chen Er hesitated.

Chen Hai's face suddenly waved and he scolded:

"If you want to go, you will go. Now you are so angry, what are you sleeping!"

"Yes, yes, master, I'll go and call now!" Chen Er was startled and nodded and said with a hurry.

After saying that, he turned around and left the study as if he ran away...

Time passed by minute by minute, and Chen Hai's expression became more and more gloomy. After looking out the door a few times, his face became more and more ugly. The chill in his eyes was so strong that it could kill people. Just when Chen Hai was about to say something...

"Brother, what's the matter going on in the middle of the night that I have to come here?"

With a dissatisfied voice coming, a middle-aged man in a somewhat disheveled dress strode from outside the door.

"Brother, you..."

What else the man wanted to say, Chen Hai immediately snorted heavily, frightening the middle-aged man and not daring to say anything again. Chen Hai stared at the man with a gloomy face and said in a deep voice:

"Say, how much money did you pay to the court last year?"

The man couldn't help but be stunned, and asked in confusion:

"Brother, what money did you say?"

"What are you talking about? How much was the tariff paid for the patrol last year?" Chen Hai said word by word.

"This..." The man's expression became a little panicked and said with a forced smile:

"Brother, I will naturally pay as much as I should pay, I..."

"Chen Ying!"

Chen Hai suddenly shouted loudly and said sternly:

"Say, how much!"

"Seven...720 taels..." Chen Ying blurted out by Chen Hai.

"Ba"

"Ouch--"

Chen Hai looked at Chen Ying, whose head was bloody after being smashed by his inkstone, and shouted angrily:

"You beast, do you want to kill our Chen family?"

"Seven hundred and twenty taels of silver, are you fooling around!"

"I..." Chen Ying covered her head and looked at Chen Hai who was furious, stammering and hesitating and wondering what to say.

"Do you know that the imperial court has sent an imperial envoy to Jiangnan to investigate the tariffs on the sea route!"

Chen Ying's face suddenly changed. Although he was greedy, he was not stupid. He knew the power of the court very clearly. Although their Chen family was king and domineering in Jiangnan, if the court really wanted to deal with them, their Chen family might not be able to deal with it. He couldn't help but say in panic:

"Brother, what should I do?"

"When you took the money, did you think about the consequences?" Chen Hai became more and more angry and scolded:

"What are you treating the imperial court, what are you treating the emperor, what are you? A puppet that you can use to fiddle with? You say you are a thing, but you don't have enough to do anything. Do you know that you have harmed our Chen family? If you can't handle it this time, I'm afraid my Chen family will be removed from the list in this world."

Chen Ying became more and more scared when Chen Hai said that, and knelt on the ground with a thud, hugging Chen Hai's old legs and begging:

"Brother, I know I'm wrong. You should think of a solution!"

As he spoke, he raised his hands and slapped his face a few times, and his cheeks immediately became swollen.

"Okay, look at your current ghost appearance. Our Chen family has not yet died!" Chen Hai saw that Chen Ying really knew she was wrong, and the anger in his heart couldn't help but ease. After all, he was his own brother, so he couldn't kill him, but when he saw Chen Ying's appearance that the sky was about to fall, he was so angry that he shouted loudly.

"Yes, yes, yes, brother said!" Chen Ying smiled and nodded repeatedly. He wanted Chen Hai to calm down this matter as soon as possible. He didn't want to see his ancestors now.

Chen Hai frowned and wandered around the house for a few times, then suddenly turned around and said to Chen Ying:

"You go to the Haidao Yamen to find Deputy Envoy Li immediately and ask him to destroy all the accounts immediately!"

"ah?!"

Chen Ying screamed in horror and said in disbelief:

"Brother, destroying the account book is a serious crime of beheading!"

Chen Hai looked at Chen Ying who was still hesitating, and his heart was filled with flames. He stepped forward and kicked Chen Ying and staggered to the ground, and said angrily:

"Are you a pig's brain? If the account book is destroyed, you will not create another new one!"

Chen Ying then came to her senses, and did not care about the pain on her body, and said in surprise:

"Brother, I understand!"

"Since you understand, why don't you go quickly!" Chen Hai shouted.

“Yes, yes…”

Chen Ying nodded repeatedly and ran out of the house in panic. Looking at Chen Ying's stumbled figure, Chen Hai couldn't help but curse:

"waste!"

"Chen Er!" Chen Hai shouted outside the door.

"master!"

"Chen Er, this time the imperial court sent an imperial envoy to Jiangnan for most of the time, because of the tariffs on the Shanghai Channel. You can immediately give orders and let the people on the Shanghai Channel shut down my mouth. Whoever dares to gossip... Humph, I will take his family's life!"

"Tell them that as long as this matter is over, one counts one, each person will have five thousand taels of silver!"

"Yes, lord!" Chen Er hurriedly agreed.

"There are also Haizhou, Mingzhou and Huating who have both looked at me, especially the Maritime Trade Office and the Maritime Trade Federation. I have watched any strangers visit and go to see if there are any strangers."

"Yes, Master!"

"Okay, you go down!" Chen Hai waved his hand and asked Chen Er to retreat.

Walking into the yard alone, looking at the full moon hanging high, his expression became heavier, and he murmured:
Chapter completed!