The young man was beaten and no longer dared to speak.
But anger had to come from somewhere, so he gave the middle-aged man an angry look in his eyes. As a royal guard, he was indifferent to fighting him. He kept this hatred in his heart.
The middle-aged man felt miserable. He was not indifferent just now, but couldn't move.
He now knew that the Jinyi Guards envoy in front of him had unfathomable strength and was not something they could deal with. But for the question Lu Bai just asked, he suddenly had an answer.
"Sir, catching the escaped slaves is the second priority. The reason why the Jin Yiwei took action to arrest them is because their family members are related to this rebellion!" The middle-aged Jin Yiwei was neither humble nor overbearing: "It is the duty of the Jin Yiwei to capture them."
"You're talking nonsense!" the two women said in unison.
When the young man heard this, he shouted: "Who is talking nonsense? Their home happens to be the place where the rebellion started. We suspect that they have some unknown dealings with the gang of thieves who gathered in the mountains and forests after the rebellion!"
It has to be said that the reason given by the middle-aged Jin Yiwei made Lu Bai irrefutable.
However, Lu Bai glanced at the young man and said, "What do you want here? Get out of here!"
"you--"
The young man was anxious, angry, angry and afraid, and hid aside in despair.
Lu Bai pondered for a while and said: "Since this matter is related to the rebellion, then these two girls will be temporarily under the custody of my people. We will just pass through Ankang City. If it is true as you said, I will take them
Leave it to you."
Lu Bai did not do this on a whim, but as a result of careful consideration.
What does rebellion mean?
Rebellion means human life, and human life means merit. When Lu Bai heard about it on the boat, he had already wanted to get involved. Now that he didn't delay his trip, he had an excuse. Lu Bai felt sorry for himself even if he didn't go.
Speaking of this, Lu Bai was from Nanzhen Fusi and had the right to control them, so the middle-aged man had no choice but to agree. Lu Bai was just about to ask his men to monitor all the Jinyi guards in Ankang City when he turned around and suddenly
I saw a young man approaching.
"What are you doing?" Lu Bai was confused.
The young man said arrogantly: "You are a foreigner. I forgot to tell you that my master's surname is Shi, and his nickname is Mr. Shi Qi. You -"
"Get out of here!" Lu Bai said angrily.
"oh."
The young man huddled in the corner in despair.
After Lu Bai told his men to keep an eye on these people, he continued to go back upstairs to eat. He walked up to the sloppy Taoist priest and said, "Disciple, there is a saying that once you are a teacher, you will always be a father. If you want to cause trouble again, you will be with these dandy boys.
about there."
"Well--"
The sloppy Taoist priest who was drinking put the wine gourd to his lips and didn't know what to say for a moment.
The wicked monk was delighted, "Haha, you Taoist priest, you gave yourself a father for wine! Haha."
The sloppy Taoist priest glanced at the wicked monk and said, "You must be wicked, but what's wrong with recognizing a father just based on this wine?" He raised his head and sat on the stool, "Everything in this world is empty, only this wine
it is true."
When Lu Bai went up to eat, Lu Qinghuan had almost finished eating. She asked the two women to be escorted up to listen to their side of the story.
The woman in the bamboo hat had a fiery temper, and pulled the woman in the cloak and said: "Don't tell them, they are the same as each other. They are obviously bullying others, but they detained us and sent us to Ankang City. What's the difference between that and a sheep entering a tiger's mouth?
I finally understand that all crows in the world are as black as black."
Gu Qinghuan picked a dish for Lu Bai without saying a word.
Yun Niang said calmly next to her: "In that case, there is nothing more to say. For those who drown, there is only one straw to grasp. It seems that you two have not reached the coffin yet, please go down."
The woman in the bamboo hat hesitated for a long time before speaking hard, "Humph, I'm right, Zhiran, don't talk nonsense to them -"
Yun Niang poured a glass of wine for Lu Bai, "Making friends is also a skill. Some people claim to be loyal, but they always find ways to push their friends into a trap. The key is that she always treats you under the guise of being good to you——
"
Yun Niang glanced at them lightly.
She was very familiar with this kind of friends. When she was in the brothel, such intrigues were inevitable.
"You——" The woman in the bamboo hat was unconvinced.
"Ruchuan——" The cloaked girl Zhiran pulled the woman in the bamboo hat and saluted Lu Bai and others: "My friend is impatient and can't speak wisely. If there is any offense, please forgive me——"
Yun Niang said calmly: "There is a big difference between having no brain and having a brain but not using it."
The woman in a bamboo hat named Rouchuan raised her eyebrows and said, "You!"
Yun Niang raised her eyebrows and glanced at her lightly, "Since there is nothing to say, you and Jin Yiwei can go down."
"I -" Rouchuan swallowed the rest of her words.
Miss Zhiran saluted again, "How many times have we offended——"
Yun Niang interrupted her, "She should apologize for her mistakes. A true friend should point out a friend's mistakes instead of covering them up."
Miss Zhiran was speechless.
After a while, Yun Niang said: "If you two have nothing to say, just retreat."
After being so excited, Rouchuan said coyly: "Yes, I'm sorry, I was impulsive just now."
Yun Niang poured a glass of wine for Gu Qinghuan and said calmly: "I don't know how much trouble I would have saved by saying this earlier. Now tell me your side of the story."
Rouchuan muttered but did not speak, but looked at Miss Zhiran.
Girl Zhiran said softly: "My family and the Rouchuan family were originally wealthy families. My grandfather was once the prefect of Ankang City. In my father's generation, although he did not enter the official position, he passed down the family's poetry, writing, farming and reading, and established a good reputation in Ankang City.
Li Po is respected."
However, all this changed with the rise of the Shi family.
The Shi family originally belonged to a prominent family in Ankang City, just like the Rouchuan and Zhiran families. Later, the head of the Shi family found a backer in the capital ten years ago and became a high official. The Shi family also rose to great heights.
It became the leading aristocratic family in Ankang City. Seven years ago, the head of the Shi family became the lord of Ankang City. The power of the Shi family was unparalleled in Ankang City for a while.
When Lord Shi took office as Lord of Ankang City, Ankang City was hit by floods, food production was reduced, and people were in dire straits.
At that time, in the name of caring for the people, the Lord of the City of Stone issued an order of the City Lord, which was not to exempt the people from taxes and corvees, but to postpone them. That is, in the famine year, the taxes and corvees would not have to be borne, but the taxes and corvees to be borne in the next year would be increased by 100%.
twenty.
If you still can't afford it in the next year, push it to the third year. The increase has already increased by 20% to 20% of the total amount. At this time, when the three-year period is up, you can no longer default, and people must pay off the arrears of taxes.
and corvee, if they default again, they will be forced to use the land as mortgage.
Lu Bai raised his eyebrows when he heard this. Isn't this the legendary compound interest? The person who launched this policy is a talented person.
People are short-sighted.
It was a famine year and there was no harvest in the fields. The hungry people only thought about surviving the famine in front of them and had no idea what would happen next. Therefore, the city lord's order was implemented smoothly.
Although Rouchuan and Zhiran were vigilant at the time, they were both short of food and they would save what they could -
Lu Bai smiled.
He knew very well what their family was thinking at that time.
"The saved grain can be exchanged for the fields in the hands of the people at a low price when the people are hungry, right?" Lu Bai said.
Both Rouchuan and Zhiran came from wealthy families, and they were high-ranking officials. If they said that their families could not withstand the huge profits, Lu Bai would not believe it to death. The most miserable people were the common people. Even if they survived the famine, their fields would still be lost.
If you have it in hand, you won't be able to survive the compound interest. When the time comes, you will have to pledge the land to the big landowners or the government.
At this time, it is uncertain how much the land can be mortgaged. If greedy officials and landowners meet, it may not be enough to sell the iron, but also the sons and daughters.
After all this trouble, the wealthy gentry's money may be returned in full, and the common people's land will be divided into 30% and 70%.
Win-win.
Only the people suffer,
Zhiran was silent for a moment and then shook his head, "No, the Shi family has bigger intentions. They are plotting all the fields in Ankang City."
Three years later, when the land annexation was in full swing and the rice fields were golden, the Ningjiang River suddenly burst its banks, turning Ankang City's fertile fields into a vast ocean. Ankang City once again had no harvest. The city lord still thoughtfully issued a city lord order——
No need for Miss Zhiran to say anything now, Lu Bai also knew what happened.
These big landowners are desperately trying to annex land, and I am afraid that they have taken out all their family wealth. Land is real estate, which is equivalent to taking out a loan to buy a house. It is a sure-profit investment. Of course, these landowners are rushing to get it.
Now the family's money is empty, and the leeks have been cut by the city lord before the fields they bought produce any crops.
"Tsk, tsk." Lu Bai admired him.
This stone city lord is tall.
He estimated that the Ningjiang River burst its banks, and there was something famous inside.
Miss Zhiran sighed softly, "In order to survive the difficulties, my father borrowed money from the seventh son of the Shi family. However, the Ningjiang River burst its banks again the following year -"
This time, the Ankang City landlords knew the problem no matter how stupid they were, but now it was too late to regret it.
They were unable to repay their loans and taxes, so they had no choice but to hand over the land they finally annexed to the Shi family. Even so, they still couldn't exchange it, so the daughters of the landlords became property.
The two girls, Rouchuan and Zhiran, were very pretty, and Master Shi Qi liked them very much, so there was a scene where Jin Yiwei was chasing them.
Lu Bai shook his head, "Dike burst again? The leeks were cut too roughly."
But that's normal. As long as no one finds out that the Shi family was responsible for the breach of the embankment, this is an aboveboard conspiracy.
Yun Niang waved her hand and asked Jin Yiwei to leave the two girls behind.
Before leaving, Lu Bai asked them: "Do you know that your names are a perfect match?"
"Ah?" Rouchuan and Zhiran were confused.
After they went down, Lu Bai asked: "Who is behind this Shi family, so arrogant?"
Although the Shi family has risen in the past ten years, Gu Qinghuan has collected a lot of information early on and knows the Shi family very well. "Of the four original aristocratic families, there is an inkstone washing pool behind the Gu family; there is an Immortal Exile Tower behind the Mo family;
Behind the Chen family there is Lanke Villa, and behind the Lu family there is Jianzhai." Gu Qinghuan said.
It was with the support of these sects that Gu Mo and Chen Lu became members of the four major families.
However, more than ten years ago, this situation changed. With the emergence of the Sword Immortal, although the Lu family became the first of the four great families, Jianzhai lost its spokesperson in the court.
Not only that, there is even a gap between the two families.
Because Jian Zhai is known as the sword sect in the world, it is difficult for swordsmen to surpass them. Now, a swordsman has appeared and taken away their limelight. You can imagine the embarrassment of Jian Zhai.
Not to mention these, Shan said that in order to continue their influence in the court and the secular world, Jianzhai had no choice but to choose spokespersons. This time, in order to recover quickly, they chose the Gu cultivation model, that is, they selected three families as training targets, and finally from
Select a suitable family from the three major families to be their spokesperson in the world.
Shi Zhong, the head of the Shi family, was very popular in the capital at that time, so the Ankang Shi family was selected by Jianzhai and became one of the three major families.
"Cultivation sects choose aristocratic families and political forces in the secular world mainly for money, medicinal materials and rare treasures, especially silver. With money, everything behind will be available." Gu Qinghuan said.
Therefore, the ability to earn money is the only criterion for a spiritual sect to select secular spokespersons.
She believes that the reason why the Shi family is so aggressive about cutting leeks is that the Jianzhai model of cultivating gu is coming to an end. The three major families will have to decide the winner, and Jianzhai will choose a new secular spokesperson.
"Oh, so that's it." Lu Bai suddenly realized.
From this point of view, it is not easy to be the spokesperson of this spiritual sect in the secular world. In order to make money for the spiritual sect behind it, you have to do all kinds of dirty and tiring work, and most of the money cannot be obtained by yourself.
It’s no wonder that as soon as a swordsman appeared in the Lu family, he immediately set up his own business and built Yiqiu Villa.
The world has been suffering for a long time.
Lu Bai estimated that he, the sharp sword in the hands of the eight major sects, would not have an easy life in the future. He would definitely be forced to do something and become a pawn in their hands. If he wanted to change this fate, he would have to do something.
People who play chess - become a spiritual sect like the Eight Great Sects, which they dare not underestimate.
Lu Bai's realm is breaking through now, comrades still need to work hard.
The snow was falling heavily, and when the lights were turned on at night, there was still no sign of stopping.
There were not many rooms in the inn, so they were given to the female relatives. Lu Bai was also allocated a room because of his noble status. As for the rest of the people, they could only sleep in the lobby of the inn with their clothes on. Snoring could be heard in the lobby, and the sound of "sloppy Taoist priests" echoed.
Talking in sleep "Master, give me wine" is also a rare experience.
When I woke up in the morning, the sky finally became lighter.
Lu Bai decided to set off in order to arrive at Ankang City as soon as possible to plunder the merit points without delaying his trip.
On this trip, there was a monk, two girls, and Ankang Jinyiwei.
Although the road is difficult to walk, there are many people pushing carts.
They stumbled along for a while, and finally heard the sound of dusk drums at nightfall.
This was the goal Lu Bai and the others set when they set out:
Arrive at Baiyun Temple at nightfall.
Baiyun Temple is a day's journey from Ankang City. It was originally a Taoist temple opened by a Taoist priest. Later, because Ankang City was not far from the Taohua Temple, Taohua Temple was often visited by Taoist priests. These Taoist priests were also capable of subduing demons and eliminating ghosts.
Over time, the reputation of Baiyun Temple has been improved, and the incense has become more and more prosperous.
The team was already tired, but after hearing the sound of the drums, they cheered up and rushed towards the temple. Not far away, the Jin Yiwei in front stopped and muttered a few words. One of the Jin Yiwei turned around and came to Lu Bai's car, "