During the Yuanfeng period of the Northern Song Dynasty, Raozhou produced a child prodigy named Zhu Tianci. He became an official because he could read poems and books at an early age. As a result, Zhu Tianci became famous and his neighbors followed suit. He was from a well-off family. People invited their husbands to teach their children to study the Four Books and Five Classics, hoping that they could be like Zhu Tianci and become a scholar.
It is said that in order to force children to study, some people used bamboo baskets to hang playful children on trees. Some children were not allowed to eat or sleep because they could not pass their homework. As a result, many children were tortured to death. Human nature , Comprehension, destiny is mostly determined by God, and you have to work hard the day after tomorrow and act according to reason. If you insist on it blindly, it is biased against human nature, and what those who imitate do is simply a big joke in the world.
(In modern times, a piano prodigy named Lang Lang has appeared. This is great. Pianos all over the country are extremely charming. As long as their children are of the right age, they all want to learn piano. Those from well-off families will spend more than ten or two hundred thousand to buy them for their children. They hire tutors to force their children to learn the piano. Some parents are even more outrageous. The children accomplish nothing but the parents train them to become proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. All of this is difficult to describe in one sentence. Blind ignorance is a major disease of the Chinese people.)
The story of the child prodigy was told to Da Kui by Huang Ying. Da Kui was amazed after hearing it. When the group arrived in Raozhou, they settled at Raozhou Fuyuan Inn. Da Kui sent more than 20 people to investigate, and the two spies previously sent to Raozhou came to the inn. Met with Dakui and reported in detail the investigation.
It turns out that the salt eaten by inland people was transported from all over the coast. Because salt is dried by natural seawater, the cost of making it is very low. However, transporting salt to the inland for sale is a hugely profitable business. Therefore, all dynasties have been very strict about salt affairs. Private sales are not allowed and must be handled by officials, commonly known as official salt. Transporting official salt requires a huge amount of manpower and material resources. From this, a business organization specializing in transporting official salt for the government was derived, which the people called the salt gang.
Unscrupulous traders saw that there was a profit in violence, so they took the risk even at the risk of beheading and jailing, so they organized private chambers of commerce to transport sea salt to the mainland. This kind of sea salt was private salt. After hearing what the spies had discovered, Da Kui After reporting the report, I couldn't help but frown. Since Pan Ke, the governor of Raozhou Prefecture, was able to do such a thing, it must be difficult to find any loopholes. If he wanted to grasp the real evidence, he would need to conduct an in-depth investigation.
All the foreign goods were in the cargo yard in the west of the city. Where could they go to find out more about the truth? Da Kui ordered two spies to go find out more, and then went back to his room alone.
While walking, Dakui couldn't help but think of an idea. When he saw Huang Ying, he quietly talked to Huang Ying. Huang Ying was surprised and said: "You are a second-grade court official, but you go to associate with the people in the market. How can that be done?" Dakui actually wants to go Working in warehouses and other places to carry coolies in disguise is a hard and tiring job.
Dakui chuckled and said, "If I hadn't used this method, how could I have married such a beautiful daughter-in-law like you?" Her words were extremely complimentary. Huang Ying was filled with joy after hearing this, but she still couldn't let go of Dakui.
Dakui comforted him: "If you don't enter the tiger's den, you won't catch the tiger's cubs. Okay, okay, just follow my wishes. We can't live in the inn all the time. Going to the hotel costs a bunch of money a day. What a coolie." If you have money to live in such a nice place, you have to find a decent house to live in,"
Huang Ying smiled and said: "It doesn't matter where you live, but it will make you suffer."
Dakui chuckled and said: "It doesn't matter, hehehehe,"
Huang Ying had no choice but to follow Da Kui's arrangement, and Da Kui immediately ordered people to find a suitable house and prepare to move.
Coincidentally, there happened to be a large house located in the west city of Raozhou. This house was the old house of a Beijing official. There were only a few servants in the house to guard the courtyard. The environment was quite elegant and clean, so Da Kui fell in love with this place. , after all, he couldn't bear to leave Huang Ying behind and endure hardships with him, so he had to settle Huang Ying well before he could worry about it.
Huang Ying was temporarily staying in the inn. The house had to be informed by the owner of the house. Da Kui ordered people to investigate the background of the official in the capital. Only then did they find out that his surname was Wu Shida, but he was the supervisor of Linyuan in the fifth rank of Beijing, and his official position was Although it was not big, the old house was rented at will. Da Kui had no choice but to send someone to Yingtian with a letter and asked Tang He to handle the matter. In the letter, Dakui warned Tang He not to leak the matter.
After waiting for more than ten days, the messenger came back and brought back two letters, one from Tang He to Dakui, and one from Najing official to his family.
Dakui opened the soup and the letter and handed it to Huang Ying, who then read the contents of the letter to Dakui in a crisp voice: "Brother Dakui read the letter like he said it, and the tasks entrusted to him have been completed. Tang temporarily borrowed his mansion in the name of his family. A group of people in the mansion are waiting to stay and leave as you please. It is our responsibility to eradicate the traitors and uphold the law. Tang Heyao wishes brother Dakui success and smooth sailing." After listening to the content of Tang He's letter, Dakui smiled. Brother Tang is doing everything right. If you are decent, you will inevitably have a drink with him if you look back.
The day after receiving the letter, Dakui packed his bags and went to the Wu Mansion in the west of the city.
Everything went well when moving in. The three or five servants in the house obeyed and obeyed. Dakui was also dressed as a servant in Tsing Yi. He settled Huang Ying and the two maids, and arranged ten soldiers in the front house in case of any eventuality. Then he went out. After arriving at the Wu Mansion, we arrived at a private house not far away.
This private residence is also owned by the Wu family, but it is an exclusive courtyard on the street.
The yard is very simple. There is a water well with a windlass, and a water tank near the corner is half full of sewage. It may have been unoccupied for a long time, and the yard has become overgrown with weeds.
The house is very simple. There are two wing rooms on the left and right of the main room facing the main room. Da Kui took ten followers and looked at each room one by one. He couldn't help but frown a little. This is no place for people to live. Many household items were damaged. The doors and windows were broken and leaking air everywhere. He looked up at the roof. However, you can see several feet of blue sky, and occasionally see a few wisps of green grass covering it. This house can really be described as a shabby house on the street, a house that has been abandoned.
But now that we're here, let's clean up.
At that moment, Dakui and the ten attendants who came with him began to clean up. These attendants were all dressed as soldiers. When they saw Dakui, they also started to clean up. One of them, a man named Hong Wu, advised: "Why do you need to take action on such a small matter? I'll be able to take care of myself, so you can go for a walk on the street to relax."
Hearing this, Dakui pretended to be angry and said: "I have repeatedly warned you not to call me "sir" when you are outside. Didn't you hear?"
Hong Wu was stunned and couldn't help asking: "Then how should I call you, sir?"
Dakui thought for a while and said: "When I was at home, I was nicknamed Silly Dan. You can call me Silly Dan from now on."
Hong Wu and others did not dare to laugh when they heard this, and their faces turned red from holding it in.
Dakui personally led his ten subordinates to clean the courtyard, tidy up the rooms, repair the roofs, doors and windows, and went out to buy some tables, chairs, benches, pots and pans and other household items. All of this was done It was getting dark, and those who went out to inquire and those who stayed at the inn also came to the courtyard.
Dakui went to prepare food again, and when it was cooked on the newly purchased stove, everyone ate randomly in the main room. The main room was big enough, so it was not too crowded for more than forty people.
Huang Ying also had two maids, Xiao Hong and Xiao Cui, and ten attendants who all moved into the Wu Mansion. Their carriages, horses and luggage were also left in the Wu Mansion. Now there are forty followers around Dakui.
After everyone had finished eating, Dakui called everyone together.
Looking at the familiar faces around him, Da Kui said solemnly: "Everyone, our purpose of this trip to Raozhou is to grasp the corruption evidence of Pan Ke, the governor of Raozhou. Because he is in Raozhou He has been entrenched for a long time and has taken charge of the salt affairs. He must have deep roots. We cannot act rashly without concrete evidence." Dakui looked solemn and spoke firmly. After a pause, he continued: "Just leave five of you with me. The rest can They spread around Raozhou to do small businesses to cover up and conduct detailed investigations."
The forty personal followers all handed over to accept the order. After Dakui made arrangements one by one, he said: "All the things needed for business are in the Wu Mansion. Twenty people will stay here tonight, and the rest will follow me into the Wu Mansion. Tomorrow everyone will After taking the things, they dispersed."
"I will obey your orders," the forty followers agreed in unison...
The sky was shining brightly, illuminating the big bed, and Dakui got up and was very busy.
"Where did you pick up the clothes? They smell sour," Dakui put on his clothes while Huang Ying covered her nose and frowned.
Dakui chuckled and said, "Well, he looks a bit like a coolie." As he said that, Dakui went to look in the mirror again. The Dakui in the bronze mirror was unkempt and disheveled, and his clothes were in rags. He looked more like a beggar than a coolie.
Huang Ying looked at Da Kui's slightly thin figure and said: "You have just recovered from a serious illness and your body has not yet recovered. If you really go to do heavy work, I'm afraid you won't be able to bear it. Let's wait for some time before talking." Huang Ying's words were full of concern care.
"Hehehehe, it doesn't matter," Dakui said haha, not caring at all. He looked up and down and saw nothing was wrong. Then he walked to the door and picked up the pole rope that had been prepared long ago. He smiled at Huang Ying and said, "I, Zhang Dakui, can You are not a spoiled young master. There are no hardships that you cannot endure in this life, only blessings that you cannot enjoy."
Looking at Huang Ying who looked worried, Da Kui once again said with a relaxed look: "Okay, I'm leaving," he opened the door and walked out of the room, crossed the courtyard to the front house and met the five people waiting there. He followed him out of Wu Mansion together.
The six of them passed by Raozhou Goods Yard, which is a gathering place for goods from all over the world and is very busy with traffic every day.
When they arrived, the six of them all had mixed names. Dakui was the fool, and the others were the leftovers, stones, brooms, dustpans, and benches. These were all nicknames given by Dakui, and everyone naturally praised them in unison. Dakui's literary talent is outstanding, and he is very happy to make a slap in the face.
According to the rules, when the coolies arrived at the goods yard, they had to squat against the wall and wait for their employer to recruit people. Naturally, there was no exception when the six came to the field. There were already dozens of people waiting to work here. The six of them squatted against the wall and waited.
Dakui saw that the other coolies were all sallow and thin, and then looked at the five people he brought with him, but they were all big and round. His subordinates were all military men, and they had developed a good body through years of military career. Of course, with this size, Da Kui was secretly proud of being the employer's first choice for recruiting people. As long as he did more work and became familiar with it here, it would be no big deal to get some information.