Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

Chapter 473: Secret possession of a map is a capital crime

Shen Zheng thought for a moment, then led Diwu Tanwei to the veranda at the entrance of Yu Shizhang's courtyard and sat down. She looked at her seriously and said, "There is one thing I have to tell you in advance. After you listen to it, consider whether we should cooperate or not."

Although Diwu Tanwei was puzzled, he could not help but sit up straight when he saw her serious expression: "Go ahead."

Shen Zheng rubbed her fingertips slowly and organized what she was going to say.

"Since I wanted to set up a cloth shop, I have thought of a general business model for the cotton cloth business in the county. I also know that cotton cloth is now a hot commodity, and both the imperial court and private merchants are eyeing it, but..."

Shen Zheng paused, and the smiling faces of the county residents flashed through her mind. "But I promised the people at the beginning that the cotton cloth business is not for profit, but for the benefit of the people. Now that the cloth workshop has been built, my idea is still the same. The deputy governor of the Canal Transport Department, Lord Wei, came here a few days ago, and I am sure you know it."

Diwu Tanwei looked at her seriously and didn't understand the meaning of her words for a moment, "You mean..."

Of course she knew that the governor of the Grain Transport Bureau had been here, otherwise why would Tongan County have built a wharf?

Shen Zheng pursed her lips and spoke out her thoughts directly: "What I mean is that the reason why His Majesty sent Lord Wei here and the Canal Transport Bureau is willing to help Tong'an County build a wharf is because the county's cotton cloth business has already reached a cooperation agreement with the Canal Transport Bureau. All cotton cloth in the county that needs to be transported by the Canal should be transported to various places by the Canal Transport Bureau."

She sighed in her heart, realizing that she had really been in the officialdom for too long.

It would have been clear enough to say "I can't let you transport the cotton cloth", but now you have to take a big detour to explain it.

Judging from the current situation, His Majesty is interested in making friends with the Fifth Family, so as a subordinate, she must follow His Majesty's steps closely.

If she spoke too bluntly and let Diwu Tanwei mistakenly think that Shen Zheng looked down on the Diwu family, thus worsening the relationship between the two sides, she would not have the face to return to the capital to meet His Majesty in the future.

Shen Zheng was feeling worried, but Diwu Tanwei beside her chuckled.

She turned her entire upper body to the side, facing Shen Zheng and said with a smile: "It seems that I am still not good at speaking, so you misunderstood."

"What?" Shen Zheng was suddenly stunned.

Diwu Tanwei smiled at her, took out a piece of kraft paper from his arms and unfolded it in front of her.

If someone unfolds a piece of paper in front of you, what is your first reaction?

Of course I watched it!

Shen Zheng is no exception.

Before her brain could react, her eyes subconsciously looked at the piece of brown paper.

I saw that the kraft paper was as big as half a dining table and was yellowed all over. It was obviously an old item. There were dense pictures and words on it, and there were also many red words as annotations.

Pictures? Words? Annotations?

Shen Zheng moved half an inch closer, and her pupils suddenly contracted.

But after just one glance, she was frightened by the contents and quickly pushed the brown paper away, "Take it away, take it away, I don't want to read it."

Diwu Tanwei was amused by her reaction. Instead of retreating, he moved the brown paper in front of her.

Shen Zheng couldn't dodge in time, and gritted her teeth and asked, "It's a capital crime for civilians to keep maps privately. Where did you get this thing?"

The maps at this time were not as ubiquitous as the maps in the previous life. As long as they wanted to see them, ordinary people could basically see them, except for state secrets and important military areas.

But nowadays, every mountain, every river, and even every state capital on the national map is a "state secret", and there are only a few people in the country who have the right to view the map.

Such an important "state secret" was so easily taken out from Diwu Tanwei's pocket and then displayed in front of her?

Shen Zheng was a little dazed.

"This is a map drawn by our clan ourselves. In the past, our clan had a special business, and we needed to go to many places and contact many people. As time went by, we got a general idea of ​​the maps of various places, and they have been passed down to this day." said the Fifth Tanwei.

In fact, the phrase "I have a rough idea" can be considered a humble statement.

This map has been passed down from generation to generation and has undergone several calibrations and changes. Even every time a war broke out, border movements, or regional mergers were clearly marked on it.

Shen Zheng's scalp tightened when he heard this, and he pointed at the parchment and said, "Are you saying that this map was created by your ancestors running on their own two legs?"

The Great Zhou was so vast, was it really possible to draw maps of various places without any official connections, just by traveling and exploring?

Shen Zheng felt that this matter was a little too fantastic.

Without government agencies to measure land areas and mark borders, maps drawn would be inaccurate by the slightest mistake.

But the Fifth Tanwei was so confident, and the Fifth Family had also used this map for hundreds of years.

Can a map with problems be used for hundreds of years? Shen Zheng asked in her mind.

Of course it’s impossible!

Even if there is a problem with the map at the beginning, if the problem is discovered during use, it can be modified in time. And looking at the appearance of the map, it is often modified.

Diwu Tanwei saw that her face was very serious and thought she was worried about him.

She comforted him, "Don't worry. This map only shows the division of states and mountains and rivers. It doesn't show border fortresses, local garrisons, or mineral distribution. We are sensible and will never touch these."

Shen Zheng's expression did not ease at all when she heard this.

Because she was not worried about the Fifth Tanwei, but worried that the map would fall into the hands of someone with ulterior motives, and even wanted to report it to His Majesty...

report!

"Does Your Majesty know about this?" Shen Zheng asked sincerely.

The Fifth Tanwei was stunned. "I think... I don't know either. But business people have the general route of the business, which is also a tacit secret among all merchants. People in the court should also know it."

Shen Zheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry when she heard this.

"Are you a businessman now, or am I a businessman? We are both officials appointed by the Great Zhou court. How can you speak for the merchants? And look at you..."

Shen Zheng took the map from her hand and unfolded it.

This time she looked at the map carefully.

The provincial capitals and the perimeter lines were winding, and it was obvious at first glance that they were not drawn randomly. The famous mountains that she had heard of were also prominently shown on them, and even the counties in various places were marked in detail.

"Is this what you call a 'rough route'? If you add a few more red dots on it and say it's a border fortress, people will believe it!"

The Fifth Tanwei didn't know how to answer for a moment, so he could only tell the truth: "In my clan, only the direct descendants know about this map. Until now... only my father, grandfather, and I know about it."

In other words, everyone who knew about this map before had been killed by her grandfather.

"Things that only you three knew, and you just took them out with your little hands and closed your little mouth, and let me, an official of the imperial court, know it?" Shen Zheng held his forehead and sighed.

She looked at the map in her hand. It would be wrong to return it to the Fifth Tanwei, but it would also be wrong not to return it.

It's really a hot potato.

The Diwu family has been doing business for so many years, and if Diwu Tanwei doesn't show it to her, she will know nothing.

But now the picture is displayed in front of her so clearly, is she expected to pretend she doesn't know?