The Pang's pharmacy late at night was completely different from the darkness of the past. The dim firelight shone through from Pang Yu's room.
Pang Yu and He Xianya took their own place on the square table, lighting up the precious tung oil and working overtime.
Pang Yu grabbed the apple next to the table and took a bite, frowning sourly.
At this time, there were no improved varieties like Red Fuji. The apples produced locally in Tongcheng were only the size of plums. Although they were crispy in texture, they tasted very astringent. They were somewhat useful for refreshing yourself after working overtime at night.
Pang Yu prefers to eat Northland apples, which are red in color, big, good-looking, and very sweet in taste. Although they are a bit soft and chewy, they are better than the local apples in Tongcheng.
However, Pang Yu has no money recently, and He Xianya bought these local apples, so there is nothing he can do if he dislikes them.
"Pah!" He Xianya said with a frown after swatting a mosquito to death, "Why are there so many mosquitoes in your house? Please write for at least a quarter of an hour, otherwise the blood will be sucked dry."
"I can't bear this little hardship."
Pang Yu cursed, but she was also complaining in her heart. The lights at night attracted countless mosquitoes, and there was no mosquito repellent at this time. Pang Yu's mother took a handful of leftover mugwort and smoked it.
Probably it was left on for too long and the effect didn't last long.
"This half of the book is all about upper middle fields. Don't write the tax rate wrong when you write it."
Pang Yu rubbed her eyes and warned He Xianya, "I have poor energy at night, so I have to be especially careful when writing this ticket. If I make a mistake at the beginning and then follow it up, my work will be in vain for most of the night."
"Don't worry, second brother, remember this."
He Xianya yawned and said, "In our willow tree, there are quite a few upper fields and upper middle fields, some fish farming fields, and very few reed fields. It is considered a rich place within the forty-seven miles of Tongcheng."
There are two silver heads, which is a bit more complicated than others. Let’s not wait until all the tickets are written before handing out the tickets. It’s best to send the ones in Liushuli tomorrow, and the silver heads have to be sent to the flower shop.
"
"Then you go to the willow tree tomorrow afternoon and call the two silver heads to the house."
Pang Yu rubbed his sore wrist, "This ticket is really life-threatening. How come there are so few people in the yamen who can write."
"The calligraphers in each room can write, but only the secretary of each room can touch them, so don't even think about asking them.
Speaking of this calligrapher, I saw Jiang Guoyong this morning. He is also a calligrapher. It is said that the execution room is going to send him away. If he hadn't said that, the second brother could have recruited him."
Pang Yu recalled it briefly, but soon remembered that this man made an unintentional mistake that day and offended the entire yamen. In the end, he was beaten twenty times. No one dared to call him a porter, so he endured the pain and crawled back.
of.
The officials in the yamen are well-established, and even the county magistrate cannot fire the clerks who take over the houses. However, such clerks and helpers do not have a well-established staff, so the chief clerks of each house can fire them.
Pang Yu shook his head and said, "Of course the prison clerk can't keep him. We must not get involved with someone like Jiang. We would rather stay up late and do more by ourselves."
"Brother asked me about the surrender today and asked if we needed someone. I think he wanted to come too?"
Pang Yu frowned and thought about it. Jiao Guozhao hadn't paid much attention to him recently, so this time was a chance to relieve his worries.
But Pang Yu also had some concerns in his heart, and finally shook his head and said, "I also want my eldest brother to make some money together. This is what brothers should do, but the things my eldest brother did in the past offended the household. The county magistrate named him that day.
I want to give him a slap in the face. Now that we are working in the household house, we first consider the thoughts of the county magistrate and Zhao Sili. At least recently, it is not suitable for the eldest brother to participate in the household house affairs, otherwise everyone will not be in good stead."
He Xianya sighed and said, "Second brother is right. I think so too. It's just that he is not very useful in the fast class now. Team leader Li treated him well before, but this time he came back and got angry. He knew that the elder brother's legs and feet were not very good.
It's not easy to pursue, so I send my elder brother to hunt for Mr. Zheng every day. Everyone knows that Mr. Zheng is in the Wu family, how can he possibly catch him."
While he was talking, He Xianya swatted two more mosquitoes. Pang Yu saw that he couldn't write this for long, so he had no choice but to say, "Then I'll write five more copies and then I'll make the decision."
The two of them persisted in writing five copies despite being bitten by mosquitoes, and He Xianya quickly cleared the table.
Pang Yu scratched his itch, went to the patio, looked up at the stars in the sky, and then stretched for a long time.
The Pang's medicine shop had to go out through the main door. Pang Ding was sleeping in the store. He woke up Pang Ding before he could pass. The two of them lowered the door panel, which was just enough for He Xianya to go out.
He Xianya's home is in the direction of Xiangyangmen, not too far away. The two were about to say goodbye when they suddenly heard a burst of chaotic footsteps outside. Pang Yu and Pang Yu opened their eyes wide and saw three figures hurrying from east to west on the dark street.
And passed.
"Who the hell can run so fast at night? Are there people who ran at night in the Ming Dynasty?"
Pang Yu was a little surprised and cursed in his heart. People were not allowed to walk outside after the curfew at night. There were no pedestrians on the road except the watchmen. It was rare for people to run around like this.
The three figures seemed to have noticed two people on the street. One of them fell down in a panic, and the other two cursed in a low voice. When he got up, the three of them headed west without stopping.
Pang Yu and Pang Yu looked at each other, feeling baffled.
Pang Yu told He Xianya to be careful on the road. He was not worried about the watchman. He Xianya was from the county government, so he only needed to report his identity.
The two broke up in a hurry. Pang Yu was also extremely tired and fell asleep on the bed.
He didn't wake up until the last minute of the second day, and Pang Yu had a rare sleep.
Since Yang Zhixian went to Anqing Mansion on the 17th, the yamen has been managed by Wang Jiaoyu from the county school. This Wang Jiaoyu does not sit in the hall. He goes to each room every day, and then goes to the South Prison before getting off work.
.
If you don't have morning service, you don't have to go to the reception room to check in. The two leaders of the household room are not here, so Pang Yu naturally doesn't have to go to work at a certain time.
After slowly washing up, it was already getting dark. Pang Yu packed up and arrived at the door. Zhou Yueru, who was never late in the past, was nowhere to be seen.
"Is it possible that you want to pay off the mortgage and have already run away?"
Pang Yu thought in his heart, but Zhou Yueru had gained a lot of benefits from following him recently. Except for his poor performance in Nantang, he always worked hard to earn performance. Pang Yu had no doubt at all.
After standing at the door for a moment, the street was still as usual, with all the pawnshops opening their doors. However, Pang Yu always felt that something was not right. After paying closer attention, he realized that passers-by were walking faster than usual. The two neighbors started walking.
I didn't even say hello to him when I passed the door.
"What good thing are you doing?"
Just when he was feeling strange, he saw Zhou Yueru's figure running over from a distance.
Zhou Yueru's face was flushed, and she said in a panic: "Something happened, something happened."
"Don't panic yet. Tell me clearly what happened. Is your father sick again?"
"No, someone posted posts everywhere on the street, saying that one hundred thousand soldiers would come to Tongcheng soon to enforce the law on behalf of the emperor."
Pang Yu said in astonishment, "What one hundred thousand soldiers?
Where to stick it?”
"There are them everywhere. I saw more than ten when I came from East Street. They are being circulated everywhere."
Pang Yu suddenly turned his head and looked in the direction of Yimin Gate, and saw several people gathered around the street, all pointing at the wall, which had large posts posted on it.
Pang Yu rushed to a post, pulled away the neighbors in front of him, stared at the words on the post, and whispered softly, "...Jin Gentlemen openly preach morality and practice unkindness secretly. The king's law has been in Tongcheng for a long time, and we have
Up to Jingxiang..."..."...down to Tongmeng River, we have been training soldiers for ten years, and we are recruiting tens of thousands of heroes. If the king's law cannot be followed by me, I will enforce the law on behalf of the emperor and eliminate..." The county government said
In the middle, Wang Jiaoyu looked panicked and read the anonymous posts sent from everywhere. As he was reading the posts, a steady stream of news came from all over the county. Announcements were posted on several streets and markets in the county.
There are also crowded places inside the city gate, and the whole city is in panic. Tongcheng County, which was originally peaceful, suddenly became tense.
Pang Yu had just arrived at the county government office, and he and He Xianya were listening to the discussions of several adults under the platform. The number of people in front of the hall today was smaller than usual. I don't know if they didn't come or if they went back to their rooms.
"This, what should I do?"
Wang Jiaoyu's forehead was covered with thick beads of sweat. He was just an agent acting for the county magistrate. He usually took care of the county school affairs. He had never dealt with such emergencies.
Wang Jiaoyu suddenly pointed at a person and said, "Commander of the Military Chamber, you are in charge of military affairs. It is your duty to take care of this matter. What do you want to do now?"
The military officer stammered, "My job is just to manage the public house and post office. In this peaceful place, I'm afraid the execution room is more suitable for patrolling and chasing down murderers."
Secretary Zhang of the execution chamber took two steps back, "The execution chamber is only for criminal proceedings, and it is not in charge of arresting people. That is a matter for the Kuaiban and Zhuangban."
Wang Jiaoyu was nervous and impatient. He raised his voice and asked, "Then where is the leader of the quick class Zhuang class?"
No one answered. After a while, a Zaoli next to him said, "Just now I heard that Captain Li has gone back to settle down with his family."
Wang Jiaoyu and several officials looked at each other in confusion.
Finally, Official Yin and Yang stood up and said, "Since the Lord has entrusted Wang Jiaoyu to temporarily take charge of county affairs, Wang Jiaoyu is the official sitting in Tongcheng and the backbone of the county government. We must not mess up the situation first."
Wang Jiaoyu nodded quickly, calmed his mind first, and then said, "Master Tan is right, but where should I start now? Can I get a charter?"
"This has just happened. If it's just a threat, it's fine. If someone is really planning to cause trouble, it will be a big deal. Tan suggested that your Excellency send horses to Anqing Mansion first and report the situation here to Mr. Yang and Mr. Pi, the prefect.
The first is to ask Mr. Yang to come back and take charge of the overall situation, and the second is to inform the Anqing Mansion of the news earlier."
"But Anqing Mansion has no soldiers."
Official Yin and Yang argued, "Anqing Mansion has no soldiers, but Huiningchi Taibing Road always has soldiers."
Several other officials all objected, "We must not send troops. We don't know where the bandits are now. If we provoke these soldiers for no reason, it will be a lot of trouble to send them away. If Qiu Ba continues to poison the countryside, we will be ashamed of the people."
.”
Officer Tan Yin Yang had no choice but to compromise and said, "It's not like I sent those soldiers on my own initiative. I have to invite Magistrate Yang back first."
Wang Jiaoyu suddenly realized that as long as Yang Zhixian came back, he would not have to take responsibility, and he quickly scolded the Zaoli next to him.
"That's right, get the people from the fast class quickly and ask for the horses to be fast! Ask the groom to prepare the horses. Go and prepare them now!"
The Zaoli was driven to the point of peeing and hurriedly went to the fast class to find someone.
Wang Jiaoyu said to Tan Yinyang again, "It takes two or three days to get back to Anqing Mansion, but what about today?"
Tan Yinyang pondered for a moment and said, "Your Excellency, first send all the government officials out to tear up those papers, and put up notices to reassure the people, letting everyone know that the government offices are operating as usual, and then close the city gates to prohibit entry and exit, and all government officials go on patrol on the streets to reassure the people.
Sir, you must first visit the gentry in the city, firstly to reassure them, and secondly, to borrow their help to stabilize the people in the city. They have a lot of money, so they should be able to help you."
Pang Yu nodded after hearing this. Officer Tan Yin Yang had a clear mind and was of a higher standard than the teachings and several other officials.
"Yes, that makes sense."
Wang Jiaoyu gasped.
"Lord Wang."
Tan Yinyang said in a deep voice, "The most important thing at the moment is that you can't cause chaos, my lord. The county magistrate, county magistrate, and Dianshi are not here. If you cause chaos, the Yamen will be in chaos, and no one in the county can control it."
Wang Jiaoyu's forehead was covered with thick sweat, and he said with a sad face, "What Mr. Tan said is true, but my heart is shaking. The anonymous poster is just an ordinary evil person, I am afraid it is the Shanshan bandit."
The top soldiers are coming to seize the wealth of my children in Tongcheng."
"My lord, you must not think like this. There are no police in Huaining, Qianshan, and Shucheng. The bandits may not have flown here."
"Then what if we cross Longmian Mountain from Huoqiu, where the mountains and rivers block the news, and June will say that some kind of sweeper has been to Huoqiu, and that the thieves burned, looted and killed people. They are extremely vicious. How can we, the people of Tongcheng, resist?
..." "Sir Wang, please don't worry, officials. If bandits are coming, there will be a warning in Anqing Mansion."
Everyone around him had a look of fear on his face, and no one listened to Tan Yinyang's words of persuasion.
Pang Yu whispered to He Xianya, "They are just scaring themselves.
If according to Wang Jiao's words, the bandits are really coming to rob their children and their property, then I hope all the people are in the city so that they can catch them all without having to make a bunch of anonymous posts to scare them away."
He Xianya said nervously, "Who knows what the rogue bandits are thinking. I heard that they killed a lot of people in Huguang, Henan. Please don't come to our southern Zhili."
Pang Yu curled his lips, he still didn't believe that the bandits were here, but he never expected that a few posts could cause the county government to be in such chaos.
Mr. Tan was confused by a group of pig teammates. It was not until around noon that he finally came to an agreement and found the leaders of the strong and fast classes, and finally sent someone to call the police in Anqing.
The Zhuang class and the Kuai class went to strengthen the security of the six gates. Pang Yu and other people from the Zao class were sent to the market to tear up the posts. Because of the delay in the morning, the Yamen's peace notice had not yet been written. Pang Yu and others could only add more when they arrived.
Make a trip to post it.
When we came out of the Yamen, there were already some people with luggage on the county front street. Most of them were going east. They were obviously leaving the city to avoid trouble.
Pang Yu frowned and looked at these people. Unexpectedly, in just one night, his peaceful life would be completely disrupted.
The people of Tongcheng are like a piece of loose sand. A few anonymous posts can make people in the city panic. If rogue bandits really come, how can they defend it?
...On August 23, night fell.
Pang Yu spent a day running around the city today, and the matter of surrendering in Liushuli was delayed. Not only did he have to tear down anonymous posts, but he also posted notices for people's peace. The number of government officials became smaller and smaller as he went to the back. He insisted on posting the notices for people's peace, not even 30% of them.
Everyone else deserted halfway.
Wang Jiaoyu still took care of things seriously, and even led a few people on the fast shift to patrol the walls at night.
Even Pang Yu didn't get home until it was almost dark.
The Pang family had dinner early and closed the door tightly.
The same is true in the surrounding stores. No one is interested in doing business, and the streets are filled with a tense atmosphere.
The father asked Pang Yu about the situation in the Yamen and was speechless.
Mom said worriedly: "Let's go hide in the countryside for a few days and stay at my second brother's house."
Dad replied, "His home isn't big, so it's better not to go there without causing nuisance."
"There's nothing we can do about it."
Pang Yu interrupted, "Don't worry, it's just some posts. A barking dog doesn't bite people, so maybe it's just a scary prank."
Mom sighed, and the family didn't have anything to say, so they sat in the patio until midnight before going back to their houses to rest.
Pang Yu placed a knife for cutting medicine on the bedside. Although it was not very convenient, it was better than nothing.
But in his heart, Pang Yu was actually not too nervous. He did not believe that those who posted anonymous posts could do great things. The purpose of anonymous posts may be to build momentum, but it may also be that he did not have the guts to take action and release false news to retaliate against society.
After sleeping in a daze until midnight, Pang Yu was awakened by a noise. He heard someone screaming outside and dogs barking everywhere in the city. He quickly got up and went to the patio.
At this time, my father and mother also got up, and he was buttoning the inner buttons of his outer robe. When he saw Pang Yu, he said, "Yu'er, go and wake up Pang Ding. Get a stick."
After Pang Ding got up, Pang Yu set up a bamboo ladder in the courtyard and climbed up to the roof. He saw a blazing fire in the direction of the south gate and east gate, and the sky was dyed dim yellow, flickering on and off with the flickering of the fire.
There was a sound of footsteps on the street near Yiminmen, and two voices followed behind and shouted loudly. I don't know who they were.
Pang Yu's hands were shaking a little and his heart was beating fast.
The people who posted the notice were not bluffing, they really wanted to take action. Although the fire was only at the south gate at this time, the night was still very long, so I don’t know what their goal was.
If rogue bandits attack, how will my family respond? A feeling of helplessness comes over me.
Pang Yu took a few deep breaths to calm down, then went down the ladder and said to his father and Pang Ding: "There are fires on the southeast side. Everyone should put on their clothes and put their knives and sticks in the hand.
Judging from the little movement, there shouldn't be a large number of thieves. Let's not go out and stay at home first."
Pang Ding's voice trembled, "Then what if they come and burn us."
"If a large group of thieves come to kill us, let's go to the west gate and pack up the sheets. If the Yimin Gate doesn't open, we can go up the wall from the city ladder, connect the sheets together and descend out of the city."
The family got up and sat in the patio again, neither daring to sleep nor opening the door. Except for Pang Yu who occasionally climbed up the stairs to observe, everyone else sat in the patio, watching the changing light and shadow in the sky with anxiety.
In the middle of the night, the fire at the east and south gates dimmed, and the surrounding area became quiet. It seemed that the scale of the disturbance was not large.
Finally, after dawn, Pang Yu opened the door carefully. The nearby neighbors had just opened their doors. Many people were greeting each other and walking quickly east. Pang Yu put the medicine knife on his body and followed with Pang Ding.
Following the footsteps of others, more and more people were met on the road, all talking to each other and exchanging news. Pang Yu followed the crowd and did not stop at the gate of the county government office.
Soon we arrived at Dongzuo Gate, and the door was crowded with people coming from all over the place. They pointed towards the gate tower, and screams could be heard from time to time in the crowd.
Pang Yu slowly raised his head. There was a charred corpse hanging on the gatehouse. The feet were tied with ropes and hung upside down. The charred skin was rubbed by the ropes, revealing the black and red muscles inside. Hanging next to the corpse was a bloody human head.
, the broken part of the neck is hung with torn flesh, and the eyelids on the human head are half-open, revealing the pale eyes, which are slightly swaying on the east door in the morning wind.
People were vomiting around from time to time, and many people left as if running for their lives.
Pang Yu endured the nausea in her stomach and stared at the head for a long time. Although the head had lost its life, the features between its features were still distinguishable.