On the streets of Lanzhou, Fan Liangchen was walking in despair, and unknowingly came to the door of the pawn shop. Looking at the big word "pawn", he couldn't help but think of the time when his mother pawned her only jewelry in order to support his education when he was a child. Fortunately, he
To strive for success, he was selected as a scholar at the age of sixteen, and then he was selected as a candidate for the imperial examination.
It's a pity that the officialdom was dark. I came from a poor family and didn't bother to associate with them. I was gradually ostracized by my colleagues.
I am willing to let it go. I just made a small achievement, and then someone took my hat off without any reason. I really have no way to sue and I am desperate.
That box of stationery was a family heirloom. When she was so poor, her mother was reluctant to sell it. She said it would be used when she took the exam in the future, but she was robbed by herself. Fortunately, she was not fooled to death, and she was still able to sell it.
After being able to redeem it, Fan Liangchen shamelessly walked to the pawn shop, took out the pawn ticket, put it on the counter and said: "Sir, can you save this thing for me for a while, and I will redeem it when I have enough money."
The accountant looked at the words on the pawn ticket and understood immediately, and scolded him disdainfully: "Do you know the rules? If you don't redeem it when it's due, you'll die as a pawn. The pawnshop can do whatever it wants, so why don't you come back when you have money?"
Are you waiting for me all your life if you have no money? A pawn shop is not a charity, cut it! Get out."
Fan Liangchen's face was burning and he exited the pawn shop. Money makes a hero brave. Even a pawnshop accountant can bully you if you don't have any money. He sighed and touched the only one tael of silver and twenty coins left in his arms.
Qian, I’m thinking about what to eat for the next meal. I haven’t eaten for two days. I’m so worried that I don’t even feel hungry anymore. But I have to eat this meal. I can’t do anything until I’m full. I can write on my own.
After all, it's always possible to be a bookkeeper, or at worst, you can open a writing stall and help people write letters home or something.
Having made up his mind, Fan Liangchen went to a street near Tea Horse and asked from house to house whether he would accept the cashier. However, when people saw him coming, they were hesitant and did not dare to answer him. Finally, a kind person told him: "Xun Xun"
The Shangdao Yamen issued a warning not to help him, otherwise he would be against the Yamen.
This is to force people to a dead end. Fan Liangchen walked downstairs in despair. He used to live in the Chama Si Yamen. After he was dismissed, he temporarily lived in the house of an old Yamen servant. But when he arrived at the door, he realized that he
The quilt had been placed at the door, and the old yamen servant's wife rubbed her hands apologetically. Without her opening her mouth, Fan Liangchen knew that this was also the meaning of the business road, and deprived him of his last shelter.
It's really too much of a lie.
Fan Liangchen is no longer angry. Although he looks haggard and looks like a middle-aged man, he is actually not yet thirty years old. He passed the imperial examination at the age of twenty. He has been an official for eight years now. His eight years of officialdom have allowed him to see a lot.
, also sharpened his character. Although his temper is not very stubborn, he is extremely resilient. As long as he still has breath, he will not give up.
Fan Liangchen carried his quilt on his back and quietly came to the north gate of Lanzhou Mansion. There were relatively few people who knew him in this area. At least he had a better reputation. He put the quilt in a corner and took out a few
I bought a few pieces of paper and a piece of ink with some money, and used the brush I brought with me to write a paper sign saying "Writing letters from home". I stood at the gate of the city with both hands raised. No one could tell that this down-and-out Chinese
A few days ago, the Nian scribe was Cha Ma Ti Si, a dignified seventh-ranking official in the imperial court.
There were many people going north and south, but they all passed by in a hurry. No one took care of Fan Liangchen's business. It was summer, and even though he was standing under the shade of a tree, he was still dazzled by the sun. He had too little money in his arms, and even a cup of
I was reluctant to buy the tea. After a while, there was thunder in the sky, and the heavy rain came at any time, and the paper I just bought turned into paste.
The thunderstorm was short-lived, and the sky cleared up after a while, but the paper turned into paste and the quilt got wet. There was no place to sleep tonight. Fan Liangchen sat down slowly, tears streaming down his face, mixed with the rain.
At the same time, no one could tell that as soon as he sat down on the dirt, business came. People coming and going thought he was a beggar, and some kind-hearted people threw a coin or two in front of him.
Fan Liangchen did not pick up the coins, but just sat quietly with his head lowered. Suddenly a pair of shoes appeared in front of him. Someone asked hesitantly: "Is this gentleman Mr. Fan?"
He was recognized by an acquaintance, and Fan Liangchen felt his face burning. He whispered: "Brother, you must have seen it wrong." His words were confirmed by the other party, and he exclaimed: "How did Mr. Fan end up like this?"
, get up quickly, let’s talk on the roadside.”
The other party was very polite, so Fan Liangchen sighed and stood up. He looked closely and saw that it was Mr. Yuan who sold the horse. Logically speaking, their relationship was just a casual acquaintance, not close, and last time he used worthless tea and horse coupons.
I defrauded someone of 300 horses. I'm very sorry.
"Mr. Yuan, I am already white. Don't call me an adult anymore. I deceived you with tea and horse tickets. This is retribution."
Unexpectedly, Yuan Feng was not angry and said: "Then let me call you Mr. Fan. Why did you end up like this? Is there anything I can do for you?"
Fan Liangchen sighed and briefly introduced the matter. After listening to this, Yuan Feng thought to himself that although there was an element of grabbing credit, there was probably someone from the Yuchi family who was causing trouble. In the final analysis, this matter was all his fault.
Since Fan Liangchen plays an indispensable role in his plan, he cannot be replaced by others under any circumstances.
Thinking of this, Yuan Feng said: "Master Fan, come with me."
First, he found a small restaurant to have a full meal. Speaking of which, Fan Liangchen had not eaten for a day and a half. Faced with a table of food, his tears quietly fell. He had cheated him of three hundred horses without any complaints.
Treating yourself to a meal was such a generous act, but it was a pity that I was unable to repay the favor.
After eating, he found a small inn. Yuan Feng helped him put three days' room payment on the counter and told him: "Don't go out for these three days, someone will pick you up."
Fan Liangchen was moved to tears. He took Yuan Feng's hand and said, "I can't repay this kindness. I still know a few words. If you don't dislike it, I am willing to write calculations and make suggestions for you."
Yuan Feng just smiled and said: "Remember, someone will pick you up within three days, and we will discuss it in detail then." After that, he went straight away.
When they arrived at the livestock market in the south of the city, the second batch of Qiang horses that Zhang Tietou and his gang were trafficking also arrived. Yuan Feng immediately ordered them to go down: He won't sell any of the horses, just keep them in his hands.
The second batch of Qiang horses also numbered 500. They were also bought on credit without taking any money, but they also brought a letter from the Qiang King, asking Yuan Feng to organize the supply of bricks, tea and ironware. The Qiang people had no shortage of horses, but
A lot of weapons were lost in the battle with the Turks and they were in urgent need of replacement. At the same time, the Qiang King did not want Sichuan to block the import of brick tea, so he hoped to find another way to import it.
It's easy to get brick tea. I have fifteen hundred tons of brick tea at home and I'm worried about having nowhere to throw it away. Yuan Feng became more confident and said, "I want to see if Master Zhou is the same as them."
The news of the Qiang horse's return caused an uproar in Lanzhou. All the merchants rushed over, hoping to eat this batch of goods. Naturally, the news came to the patrol business road. Wu Qingyuan knew that this was the best way to get promoted to an official position.
Good opportunity, he quickly told his brother-in-law to get this batch of goods no matter what. You must know that he had boasted about Haikou in front of Zhou Shangshu before, saying that his brother-in-law had a close relationship with the Qiang people. If he couldn't get this batch
Goods need to be worn.
My brother-in-law's name is Ding Sixi. He is a gangster from Lanzhou Prefecture. After listening to his brother-in-law's instructions, he patted his chest and said, "Brother-in-law, don't worry. I have my own way. I promise to handle this matter beautifully for you."
What good idea can a guy with a gangster background have, it's nothing more than robbery and robbery. In the past, he relied on his brother-in-law's support, but now it's better. He is the Seventh Grade Tea Matisi, a dignified official of the court, and a bunch of little brothers under him.
When you get an official position, what you want is not just a matter of words. It doesn't matter whether you are a Qiang or not. When you get to the boundaries of Lanzhou Prefecture, you have to listen to me!
Ding Sixi sent someone to deliver a message to the caravan, saying that these horses were not allowed to be sold to anyone else, but could only be handed over to the Tea Horse Company. Ding Tisi had a sneak idea here, and first withheld the goods for Master Zhou to see, and deceived them.
After being promoted to official positions, they would keep the money allocated by the Ministry of Revenue themselves and only give a fraction to the Qiang people. Five hundred horses could earn at least tens of thousands of taels.
They wanted to take the horses without giving them any money, but there was no way out. On one side were the tea-horse officials who were fighting for their power, and on the other side were the rough and unruly Qiang people. Naturally, they just took it easy, and Zhang Tietou didn't even need to whimper, and the fight started.
These one hundred Qiang people were all masters who had fought against the Turks. Their hands were black, so they used knives to injure two officials on the spot.
The matter got serious, and both the city patrol officers and Lanzhou government officials intervened in the matter. Hundreds of officers and soldiers surrounded the livestock market. It was a serious matter and no one could stop it. Soon the Gansu governor and the patrol merchant road, as well as
Lord Zhou knew about this.
It was about foreigners and horse affairs, so no one dared to neglect it. People from all walks of life rushed there quickly. Wu Qingyuan was so angry. It was okay for his brother-in-law to do things poorly, but he was still so capable of causing trouble. He wanted to do something good for him.
It's a mess.
He called Ding Sixi to him and asked, "Let me ask you, why did you cause such trouble when I asked you to collect the horses?"
"Brother-in-law, I didn't want to get some money to honor you, but these barbarians don't know how to show appreciation, and they won't release their horses until they see the money. They were so angry that they started fighting, and the result..."
Wu Qingyuan was speechless. At such a critical moment, horses were more important than anything else. He wanted to use his private money to buy these Qiang horses. Ding Si was so happy that he wanted to embezzle five hundred horses from others without plucking a dime. No one could be convinced.
ah.
Just as he was thinking about how to remedy the situation, Mr. Zhou sent someone to send a message and asked Wu Daotai and Ding Tisi to go over and talk.
Wu Daotai went over bravely, and saw a few people standing in front of Zhou Ziqing, with angry expressions on their faces. Needless to say, they were the Qiang people who sold horses. Master Zhou was calm and said: "Master Wu, please give me to this department."
An explanation."
How can someone like Zhou Ziqing be manipulated by Wu Qingyuan? Everyone knows that Wu Daotai is a corrupt official, but who in the court is not corrupt? As long as he has the ability to get Qiang horses, Zhou Ziqing is still willing to promote him
, the terrible thing is that he still wants to eat this bowl of rice if he doesn't have the ability, and delays the important affairs of the court, and no one can afford it.
Zhou Ziqing directly found the Qiang man who sold the horse. Through the Han interpreter who accompanied the Qiang man, he clarified the whole story in a few words. The Qiang man did not know Ding Sixi at all. Today was the first time they met, so Ding Tisi forced him to
They took plunder, and the distribution was not given to the five hundred horses who wanted to occupy others. The officials bullied others, and this led to conflicts.
Zhou Ziqing was furious. A stable channel for importing war horses was so important to the court! It was related to the fate of the country. If it was destroyed by people like Wu Qingyuan and Ding Sixi, the Qiang people would no longer want to sell their horses. The loss would be too great.
It's too big and no one can bear the consequences.
After all, Wu Qingyuan had been in the officialdom for several years, and an idea suddenly came to his mind. He knelt down and said, "Master Zhou, please listen to my explanation..." Then he confused right and wrong, but Zhou Ziqing didn't listen to a word.
"Let's leave these words to the Dali Temple in the capital. Come, please pick off Wu Qingyuan and Ding Sixi's hair and hand it over to the Procuratorate for disposal." The patrol road is under the control of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and Zhou Ziqing is an imperial envoy, so naturally he can
Treat an official of his level arbitrarily.
After dealing with the two officials, Zhou Ziqing said kindly to Yan Yue: "The corrupt officials have been dealt with. Can we continue the transaction?"
"No, the Qiang people have said that they only recognize old friends, and the Qiang horses are only sold to Fan Tisi, and others are not easy to use." Zhang Tietou said on behalf of the Qiang people. In fact, this is not what the Qiang people meant, it was clearly Yuan Feng
of instruction.
"This is easy to handle. The headquarters will reinstate Fan Liangchen to his post. Oh no, promote him to the Gansu Commercial Road Patrol. What do you think?" Zhou Ziqing is really grand in his work. Don't you Qiang people only recognize old friends? Then I will
I will greatly promote your old friends and you will definitely be satisfied.