Chapter 131 Shanglin Xing (10) (8k2 in 1 debt repayment)
The summer rainy season has arrived as expected, and the eastern capital has become chaotic as expected.
Just as Zhang Xing expected, this time the chaos started in the bustling commercial areas on both sides of Luoshui. Instead, the south of the city absurdly escaped the final round because the poor people who had eaten too much but didn't have enough money really couldn't have gold or silver.
Start with a knife.
The first one to take action was indeed Jingjiehu.
There is no way, there is really no way. They have always had similar businesses and have always made money from commercial activities. Many general banners even have gold and silver businesses based in the country. They are so-called professional counterparts... At the same time, they have been facing commercial activities and business all year round.
The life in the market also makes the street tigers of Dongzhen Fusi naturally disorganized, or simply said, corruption is rampant. There are many general banners and small banners. If taken alone, they are basically a white-skinned gang.
This made them feel no psychological pressure, and almost as a matter of course, they chose to transfer the gold and silver allocation to the merchants in their own jurisdiction.
A general banner is in charge of three or four squares, with dozens of serious captains, a monthly salary of several taels of gold, dozens of taels of silver, which can be exchanged for hundreds of copper coins, and he can walk among merchants inside and outside, even if he is an executor
I couldn't help but extort a little more, and spread it among the many merchants and gangs with no background in the area, but it still seemed like there was no trouble at all, and it drifted away naturally.
However, what the tigers in the streets can do, can’t the Jinwu Guards do it? Can’t the government officials do it?
Can't the Jinyi Patrol do it?
Even at the level of Jinyi patrolmen and various temple supervisors, there is no need to do it yourself. After expressing their intention, the executors below will send their share directly to their homes in the form of pumped water.
Large-scale and systematic extortion began immediately, and once it started, it was impossible to stop it.
And soon, its scope and fluctuations far exceeded everyone's imagination, including Zhang Xing's.
"The price of rice has increased."
It was a day off, and there was not much rain. Zhang Xing, who had already touched the threshold of the end of Tongmai, was studying "Yi Jin Jing" with Li Ding on the corridor of his home hall. At noon, Qin Bao and Yueniang walked from there under umbrellas.
Zhang Xing was confused by Yueniang's first words when she came back from shopping for rice and vegetables.
"How much has it increased?" After regaining consciousness, Zhang Xing asked with a frown.
"It is said that the price has increased by more than ten cents. We bought it in the shop. Knowing that our family is an official, it only cost eight cents..." Yueniang said as she carried the basket in her hand into the kitchen.
"Actually, it's not just rice. Other oils, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea, meat, and cloth have all gone up." Qin Bao muttered, then he put down his umbrella and sent a large bag of rice into the kitchen with one hand.
"But the price of eggs has not increased." Yueniang came out of the kitchen and strolled to the corridor, and added impatiently. "The price of fish has not increased, and the price of firewood has not increased. The uncle who delivered firewood yesterday just came and delivered half a truck of firewood and firewood.
Half a truckload of fodder..."
"I know what's going on." Hearing this, Zhang Xing suddenly realized. "This is because the merchant who opened the store was blackmailed and couldn't wait to get the money back, so he spontaneously raised the price. The eggs are usually from the farmers themselves, and the fish are caught by the fishermen."
The firewood was chopped by the woodcutter himself, and was not extorted from the central government at all... I was indeed a little confused. I thought this matter would only be dealt with by the merchants, but I forgot that the official business would blackmail the merchants, but the merchants also knew that they would pass it on.
To everyone.”
"Indeed." Yueniang nodded quickly. "Those who raised prices privately scolded the street tigers, Jin Wuwei and the county officials, saying that they scraped the land endlessly and acted as if they wanted to eat people... There were people on the street.
If he didn’t want to give it, he was taken directly to the Penal Department Prison by the Jinwu Guards.”
"The common people are feeling a little uncomfortable this time." Li Ding responded with a sigh.
Zhang Xing had no expression on his face and said nothing.
"Why doesn't anyone care?"
Qin Bao, who followed him out of the kitchen, seemed a little hard to understand. "I know this matter will be unstoppable, and I know those people will blackmail the merchants, but why don't the bosses care about it?"
Zhang Xing was stunned for a moment, and finally asked back: "Why should the superiors take care of it?"
Qin Bao was speechless for a moment and didn't know what to say.
"You two..." Li Ding finally laughed, but then looked at Qin Bao, who was standing in the rain. "Qin Erlang, who do you want to care about?"
"The chief ministers and ministers above are extorting wantonly the officials below." Qin Bao stood in the rain, indignant. "Those officials almost robbed the streets... After cleaning the streets, the tigers robbed them, and the Jinwu Guards and the county government officials again
After a robbery, I not only collected gold and silver for myself, but also for my colleagues, and for the entire Yamen... I met an acquaintance on the road, and he told me that not only Beiya was preparing to allocate gold and silver to Jinwuwei, but also Jing'antai
I have to give Jingjiehu a share again and let them go to the street to "help exchange" gold and silver! When I went to the store, I was an acquaintance in the shop. When they saw my white ribbon, they all spoke cautiously, for fear of offending me.
He killed me! When I walked on the street, I was dodged as if I were a thief."
"Second Brother Qin was spat on by someone while walking today." Yueniang lost no time in adding. "That person thought it was raining and Brother Qin didn't see it. In fact, Brother Qin pretended not to see it... I saw it all.
"
There was silence for a moment in front of the hall, and Zhang Xing, the main person to whom he confided, did not say a word.
Immediately, Li Ding, who was slightly embarrassed, paused for a moment, and finally took up the topic with dark circles under his eyes: "Actually, as far as I know, the Sixth Department and the temple supervisors are also looking for ways, and they are all apportioning... the Criminal Department, the Work Department
Let alone the Ministry, which has always had connections, the Ministry of War is preparing to ask the garrison troops from various places to find a way, and the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Civil Affairs are also preparing to ask local governments to help... which means that the Ministry of Rites is a bit embarrassed. It is said that there have been many quarrels within the Ministry of Rites over this matter.
It may even double the redemption price of the official servant."
Well, all the official servants have been blackmailed.
"Shang Shu, don't the ministers know?" Qin Bao was stunned for a long time, without any intention of walking out of the rain, and continued to ask questions in the drizzle.
I don't know if it was an illusion, but Zhang Xing always felt that his voice was trembling a little.
"I must know." Li Ding dodges with a smile.
"Then why don't you care?" Qin Bao couldn't ask further.
"Because..." Li Ding became increasingly embarrassed and simply looked at Zhang Xing.
"First of all, it's difficult to check." Zhang Xing took the words helplessly and tried to explain. "This is an edict, an official document, and it must be upright... If you check it, you are not allowed to extort. Well, the officials are honest.
If you don’t have gold and silver, you just have to exchange it. You have to ask a merchant to exchange it at the official price... If the merchant is unwilling to exchange it at the official price, who is breaking the law? So how can we check?"
Qin Baodeng was breathing heavily.
"Secondly, there is no way to investigate." Zhang Xing continued to preach seriously. "This matter is the result of the edict from above, the profit from below, and He Guang Tongchen in the middle... If you investigate, it will be a confrontation for the superiors.
The edicts and decrees are against the saints and Nanya; for those below, they are preventing everyone from getting rich; for the middle, they are just fishing for fame and reputation, leaving other colleagues of the same rank to bear the name of collusion...
So why check?”
Qin Bao waved his hand and went back to his side courtyard without saying a word, without even going back to see his spotted leopard.
Yueniang Ming seemed to realize that something was wrong with the atmosphere. She stuck out her tongue and ran to the opposite courtyard to read.
"Why did you tell Qin Erlang so thoroughly?" Li Ding asked in a low voice as soon as the two of them left. "He is young after all. He knows too much and can easily get hurt."
"After all, he is a person with seals and ribbons. He should know some things..." Zhang Xing shook his head in response. "No one told him that he thought the court was reasonable."
"That's the problem." Li Ding said with a bitter smile. "Qin Erlang is an honest boy. He wants to get ahead. Naturally, to get ahead, he has to be a high official in the court. But if the court is unreasonable, what will he do? This Isn’t it difficult for him?”
"Sooner or later, he will have to think about this issue." Zhang Xing's eyes were intense. "Sooner or later, he will have to pass this threshold...including the root of this unreasonableness."
Li Ding put away his smile and asked seriously with dark circles under his eyes: "Have you thought about it?"
"I have thought about it." Zhang Xing was extremely honest, but immediately asked, "Have you thought about it?"
"What I think may be different from what you think." Li Ding replied a little nervously. "Unlike you who care about the world, I am a bit utilitarian and petty..."
"When did you think about it?" Zhang Xing couldn't ask further.
"When the Wu family was rebelled." Li Ding sighed.
Zhang Xing wanted to ask more questions.
But Li Ding seemed to have expected it, and directly took the initiative and said: "It was my suggestion that Wu Jingfeng go to Nanyang Luocao... I told him that the more you want to take revenge, the more you have to be useful and cultivate yourself. When you bring it up, you also need to leave a reputation among the people, the world, and the court, so that the people in the court will be afraid of you, the world will respect you, and the people will think you are a good person... In this way, you can wait for the right time, and wait for the day when the opportunity comes. Only then can I have the opportunity to put my talents into full play.”
Zhang Xing thought for a while and nodded: "He is quite obedient."
"That's the good thing about him, but it's also a bad thing...he's too easy to listen to." Li Ding sighed with emotion. "I'm afraid he will be bad at this in the future."
"It is indeed a bit confusing and easy to be fooled." Zhang Xing also expressed some agreement and looked at the dark circles under the other person's eyes. "So, if one of the court's unreasonable things comes to your head, your plan is to follow Wu Like a convulsion?"
Li Ding did not show his dark circles to the other party, but turned to look at the increasingly heavy rain: "Actually, it's the same if I stay in the court now... just wait."
"Waiting to serve the Wei Dynasty?" Zhang Xing said with a smile. "If in two or three years, your fortune suddenly changes, you will be directly appointed as a county magistrate, then a county guard, a general, and you will be able to become a general of the current dynasty before the age of forty. , Shangzhu Kingdom, if you can’t personally command the pacification of Dongyi, Yaodao and Wu Clan, will you have to dedicate yourself to doing your best for the court?”
"Save some face." Li Ding took the opportunity to cover his nose, as if he was embarrassed. "The situation in my clan... As long as the court doesn't take the initiative to find trouble, it can't take the initiative to rebel, right? Let the Li family of Longxi do it for me. Yet?"
Zhang Xing seemed to be smiling but not smiling.
And Li Ding was also decent. He never asked the other party, what would be the result after "thinking about it"?
In this way, the rain fell gradually and suddenly, and within the next two or three days, prices skyrocketed, and finally came back because the price increase of basic materials such as rice, flour, oil tea, etc., in turn, drove up the price of firewood, fodder, fish eggs, and general food.
The price of work.
In the end, the whole city will raise prices together.
This time, Zhang Xing did nothing, and Bai Yousi did not ask Zhang Xing for advice. They all knew that the source of the matter was Ziwei Palace, and Ziwei Palace was beyond their control at this moment, or in other words, Bai Yousi
Si had tried his best to stop it, and Zhang Xing also ensured that Fulongwei could stay out of it.
These days, Bai Yousi is studying some ancient books and classics, and has even applied to the third floor of Langya Pavilion. He doesn't know if he is planning to give up martial arts and study literature, and take the imperial examination with Yan Qing next year. As for Zhang Xing, his attention is basically
In terms of practice, Zhang Sanlang, who has entered the twelfth meridian many days ago, is working hard to exercise and flush the meridian, in order to break through the most difficult stage of the twelfth meridian as soon as possible and enter a more flexible and versatile stage.
The stage of the eight extraordinary meridians.
Then let’s take a closer look at what the so-called Ren Du Second Meridian really means.
After all, at this time, he resented his lack of cultivation even more... If he really reached the pill condensation stage, he would no longer be able to serve him!
With this kind of thinking, Deputy Changjian Zhang is now dreaming about making a breakthrough. Even when he goes to Nanya to work shifts and guard Zhang Han, he seems a little absent-minded.
But it turns out that the last positive path is really difficult.
Of course, Mr. Zhang Han actually no longer needs Fulongwei to follow him before he can enter the meeting hall. Although the other princes in Nanya are still very cold, they don't even say anything at first... Fu
The Dragon Guard is now just standing outside the meeting hall and Zhang Han's public house, acting as a higher-level Jinwu Guard. There is really nothing to worry about.
This is the only reason people are lazy.
"When can the Ministry of Civil Affairs collect the gold and silver?"
It was still raining that day. Zhang Xingzheng stood on the porch outside the meeting hall and watched the rain. Although he did not look back, he knew Bai Hengqiu was talking just by the sound.
"It doesn't matter when we can get it all together." Zhang Han's voice immediately sounded behind him. "You can do it as you go...the key is the design plan and the overall structure. The real meaning is that if the plan is approved, construction will start immediately."
"It's not impossible." After a long pause, someone spoke up, but it seemed to be Prime Minister Su Wei. "I think we can let people from Beiya take over the Babel Tower."
"Of course you can, but I have something to say first." It was still Bai Hengqiu's voice. "The Tower of Babel is no small matter, so when our Ministry of Engineering came to repair it, we kept striving for perfection, using only 10,000 laborers, and we were very careful.
So much so that the fourth floor has only been built now... You can take it away from Beiya, but we should have our people from the Ministry of Works completely and completely withdrawn, and then let Beiya fully accept it in person, and then sign a document or something...
… Of course, you can ask us for anything you need, and there is nothing we can’t give... In short, since it is not us who have cultivated it, neither I nor our Ministry of Works can bear the responsibility for this.”
"Is Mr. Bai too careful?" Someone seemed to be trying to persuade him.
"Don't be careless." Bai Hengqiu said firmly.
"Then let's do it like this." Zhang Shizhao suddenly said. "Let's do it like this...whose affairs will be cleared by everyone, don't push it around when the time comes...It's better for one person to confiscate the house and exterminate the family than for two people to exterminate the family, not to mention the British public.
I'm afraid half of the court will be lost if the family is looted, but Gao Dugong only has one brother and two nephews, so he can chop it down easily."
As soon as he said this, the original voice of persuasion no longer appeared.
Things seem to have settled.
"So...this means that the plan for Tianshu Jinzhu has actually been prepared? It was just sent to Ouchi first?" Emperor Cao Lin's voice suddenly came up again.
"Yes." Zhang Han responded quickly.
After a period of silence, Prime Minister Su Wei came and asked: "Can you leave a bottom for Nanya? What is its approximate shape? How tall and big is it? How much gold and silver should be used? It can't really be built a hundred feet high as rumored.
A solid gold pillar, right?”
"Ms. Su is just kidding." Zhang Han seemed to be amused. "No matter how stupid I am, how can I be so ridiculous... If I can stand a hundred feet high without collapsing, then I have to have the Supreme Being descend to earth to repair it... In fact, it is still basically iron.
of."
Zhang Xing was still looking at the raindrops dripping under the eaves of the assembly hall, not paying attention to the discussion behind him. He was thinking about what to eat tonight. Anyway, tonight was to be eaten in Zhang Hanxin’s imperial mansion.
Money.
"The plan is like this." Zhang Xianggong began to introduce it quickly. "One hundred and fifty feet, fifteen feet high... but it will take about a mountain of earth, a three-story platform... and the three radiances on the top are also included.
Holy image."
"oh."
"I'll just say it."
"The main body is made of iron, but there is a dragon on the outside, a dragon made of copper... Gold and silver are mainly used for carvings and inscriptions on the pillars to engrave saints' achievements... The top three-hui icon must be gilded or plated
Silver...Then the four imperial pillars should also be reflected on all four sides, but the main body is the Tianshu Golden Pillar, so there is no need to exaggerate...It can actually be done directly on the four sides of the earth mountain..."
"How thick is the main body of the Tianshu Golden Pillar?" Someone suddenly interrupted, and it seemed to be Zhang Shizhao's voice.
"This depends on the specific production. It can be hollow, as long as it stands firmly..."
"Approximately how many kilograms of iron will be spent? How much will the total cost be?" Zhang Shizhao chased after him. "Isn't that what Cao Zhongcheng meant by waiting for a long time? Why should Mr. Zhang be secretive and always say other things?"
"You need two million kilograms of iron, right?" Zhang Han's voice paused for a moment before giving the answer. "Two million kilograms of iron... I'll find someone to calculate the total cost. According to the market price, including iron, copper and silver belts."
The total amount of gold...is 200 billion."
Zhang Xing outside the door was at a loss. He was really at a loss because he didn't know whether the cost was high or low for Wei, who had a full warehouse.
But soon, the council gave him the answer.
"Isn't that a bit much?" Prime Minister Su's voice trembled a little. "Not even Mingtang or Tongtian Tower..."
"Tong, the cost of Mingtang is actually manpower, and manpower is free." Zhang Hanyan said firmly. "And two hundred billion sounds like a lot. I am the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, how can I not know the family background of the imperial court? Now every year
The taxes collected can amount to 40 million stones of grain, more than 6 million bolts of silk, and more than 8 million bolts of linen. And then the commercial tax monopoly of salt, iron, tea, and wine is about 20 to 30 million guan... Let’s not say that the food is not valuable.
, silk and linen plus commercial taxes, it is close to 50 million yuan a year, which is 50 billion yuan."
"In other words, four years of annual income?" Uncle Cao seemed to be a little angry. "How many soldiers can it support?"
"Cao Gong, it will never affect the annual income." Zhang Han tried his best to explain. "The key is that the price of gold and silver is artificially high. As for the copper that costs the most, we just need to take out the copper coins in stock and melt them down...those money is thrown in
In the warehouse, the ropes used to string money are all rotten, so why keep them? Gold, silver, and copper cannot be eaten or worn. The food and cloth will not change, so it will not delay important events."
"No, I remember that an iron hoe costs dozens of cents. How come the two million kilograms of iron from your place cost only a few pennies per kilogram?" Bai Hengqiu suddenly thought of something.
"Because the price of a hoe mainly depends on the making of iron tools and craftsmen, melting an iron pillar only costs the cost of iron ore..." Zhang Han was not afraid at all. "The iron ore belongs to the imperial court. I said it costs a few cents per pound, which is already enough."
That’s as rich as possible.”
Zhang Xing was at a loss outside. Although he was used to discussing politics and history, he did not understand economics. Why did he think what Zhang Xing said was more reasonable?
However, if the money is melted, won't it cause the price of copper coins to also increase, and then the prices of all commodities will further take off?
There are still two million kilograms of iron... Gold and silver are already in such a hurry. Iron... apart from mineral deposits and stocks... shouldn't they be confiscated again? For example, take back a hoe worth fifty cents and melt it down.
How many pennies of pouring iron will it cost? But no husband seems to care about this. They only care about the total cost, and what they use to compare is how many soldiers can be raised with this money.
This time, the discussion in Nanya lasted until the afternoon.
Zhang Xing was already dizzy.
However, it finally stopped, and several husbands came out together, some of whom looked quite tired. Without thinking, Zhang Xing waved directly, took Qin Bao and the other nine Fulong Guards to start from the corridor, and went ahead.
It spread out along the corridor, pointing all the way from the door of the assembly hall to the door of Zhang Han's public room.
However, at this moment, an unexpected accident occurred.
Qin Bao, who had been standing guard with his head bowed, suddenly stepped forward, jumped into the small courtyard of the political affairs hall, and then braved the rain to respectfully salute several ministers and hold his hands in front of him, and said: "My ministers!"
Zhang Xing's heart skipped a beat. He thought of something and immediately jumped into the rain curtain, preparing to drag the other party back.
But it's too late.
"What?" Yu Changji, who was standing in the corridor, clasped his hands and stopped with a smile, making Zhang Xing's actions in vain. "Does this Fulongwei have anything to say?"
The other husbands had no choice but to stop.
"Report to Mr. Yu." Qin Bao's face turned redder and redder, and he hurriedly spoke. "I...I want to say...I want...to ask you to take care of the people of Dongdu...Since the imperial court ordered all officials to donate money
After the silver, within half a month, many officers used the name of exchanging gold and silver to extort merchants. The merchants were miserable, and they increased prices arbitrarily. Now the price of rice, grain, firewood and firewood in Dongdu has skyrocketed..."
"Zhang Xing." Before he finished speaking, Bai Hengqiu became impatient. "Take care of your subordinates...tell him where this place is and what mistake he made by doing this?"
"Yes." Zhang Xing turned around helplessly and grabbed Qin Bao's hand. "Qin Erlang, of course you have good intentions when you do this. You don't want your husbands to lose their reputation... Nowadays, there are many nursery rhymes about your husbands in Dongdu.
, jingle... But so what? Those are just small details. In any case, you, a white-sanded Fulongwei, are not qualified to report directly to the husband other than Zhongcheng, because as soon as the example of skipping reporting is opened, it is like in the army.
If the class law is broken, it will only create new troubles... Why don't you apologize and step down quickly?"
Qin Bao took a deep breath and replied in a low voice amidst the silence of several ministers: "Yes, it is Meng Lang who has been dismissed. Please atone for your sins."
Zhang Xing pretended to have nothing to do and looked at Bai Hengqiu, then just glanced at him and hurriedly turned him around as if he had received some permission.
Bai Hengqiu twisted his beard and gave a dry laugh before leaving first. The other princes also laughed dryly and continued to disperse.
When Qin Bao returned to the corridor, his face was already red and wet from the rain. He just followed Zhang Xing and stood in front of Zhang Han's public house without saying a word.
However, when Zhang Han walked to the door with his hands behind his back, he suddenly reached out and pulled Qin Bao in.
Zhang Xing was stunned.
What made him even more stunned was that Zhang Han dragged Qin Bao into the public house, asked about Dongdu's price increase in detail, and then promised on the spot:
"I am the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and I cannot care about the life and death of the people. You are Qin Erlang, right? Don't worry, since you have come to repay your kindness, I will definitely intervene in this matter."
Qin Bao was moved to tears.
Zhang Xing stood at the door with his hair standing on end in fright, but he didn't know what to say... Of course he knew that Zhang Han was worried that he would lose his reputation and become the target of public criticism, but what would happen if he interfered?
Can this really be stopped?
Sure enough, just two days later, the imperial court issued a notice through Jingjiehu and the two counties in Luoyang and Henan, requiring that all prices should be the same as a month ago. If there is any unauthorized price increase, after obtaining evidence, the price will be compared.
Yes, he was immediately arrested for "raising prices and plotting evil intentions."
As soon as the news came out, prices in the city plummeted, and no one dared to gamble with a little profit to go to jail. The people at the bottom who were struggling to survive cheered.
Qin Bao also got excited, even though the notice didn't mention cracking down on extortion at all.
Seeing this appearance, Zhang Xing wanted to speak, but he didn't know what to say...According to his understanding, this kind of forcible cutting off the head without caring about the bottom, and even did not stop the source of the malignancy, would only make the matter worse...But
The dignified princess readily accepted Qin Bao's report and responded, making Qin Erlang very excited. What could he say?
Three or four days later, it was the last day of mid-April, a holiday. On this day, both Zhang Xing and Qin Bao took turns to stay at home.
Zhang Xingzi studied his Yi Jin Jing at home and tried to meditate, while Qin Bao accompanied Yueniang to go shopping as usual. Everything was as usual... However, not long after the two went out, Zhang Xing just tried to meditate. Suddenly, someone came
Knock on the door.
Zhang Xing was surprised. When he opened the door, he was even more surprised because the person who came was actually Yan Qing.
"Are you also being blackmailed?" After bringing the other party in, Zhang Xing blurted out as soon as he sat down. "The other party has a strong background and doesn't want to buy my face? Didn't he tell Miss Bai's name?"
"It can be considered as being blackmailed, but it doesn't count as... meeting a master." Yan Qing responded in embarrassment. "In early May, there is the True Fire Festival of the Red Emperor Empress. There is usually a celebration custom of lighting fire to remove dampness. In previous years, there is also
... As a result, this time a minister from the Ministry of Rites came directly to show up... Then a foreign minister who presided over the celebration in Beishi City spoke privately, asking us to pay more when we pay our contribution this year. They also made it grander and asked for gold and silver.
No copper coins or silk."
Zhang Xing was silent for a moment and shook his head in response: "This is not an encounter with a master, this is an encounter with a shameless one... Should a minister be dismissed directly? Or should we go to Bei City where everyone has a back-up?"
Yan Qing was embarrassed for a moment: "Actually, my family can afford this, but the main reason is that I can't find gold and silver anywhere, so I can't borrow it from the princess's jade shop, right? I was really helpless, so I thought of you, Brother Zhang San.
.”
"It's okay, it's in the fish pond." Zhang Xing stretched out his hand to signal. "I'll fish it for you..."
Yan Qing felt relieved.
After a while, Yan Qing thanked him and left. The fishy smell on Zhang Xing's hands had not yet dissipated when someone knocked on the door again.
When I opened it this time, I saw that it was a kind-faced man, and he was carrying a rectangular box with three layers inside and three layers outside.
Zhang Xing couldn't remember it for a moment, so he had to ask seriously: "Who are you?"
"Deputy Zhang, right?" The man carefully held the box outside the threshold and bowed slightly, then carefully raised his head. "When you went to buy "Seven Horses" that day, you left your name and address with a friend I know.
, I have always remembered it... I heard that you became deputy general inspector and were promoted to the black ribbon, so I came here to congratulate you... This is Wang Canjun's "Pailing Dragon Picture". "
Zhang Xing suddenly remembered who the other party was, and nodded: "Just wait, I happen to have some gold here."
After saying that, he immediately turned around, weighed out fourteen taels of gold that still smelled like fish, and then handed it to the other party on the threshold: "Fourteen taels of gold, equivalent to one hundred and forty taels of silver... I accept this picture."
Got it!"
As he spoke, he snatched the box from the other person's hand, closed the door, and turned around to go back.
The man held a few gold cakes with the jade sign in his hands, stood in the rain in front of the door for a moment, bowed his head and bowed to the closed door, then hurriedly took the gold cakes and ran away in the rain.
Next, there was no knocking on the door. Before noon, Yueniang and Qin Bao opened the door and came in. However, after Qin Bao came back, he went back to his small courtyard and never came out again.
"We went to buy rice, and the wife of the rice store manager was crying." Yueniang said helplessly to Zhang Xing who was reading "Pailing Dragon Picture" in the courtyard. "It was said that the Jingjiehu came and extorted money four or five times, and all the money was gone.
I wanted to raise the price but it wasn’t allowed. I wanted to close it because it was a government-rented rice store in the square but it wasn’t allowed... I worked for four or five years in vain... Brother Qin felt very uncomfortable at the time... As a result, he went to Tongtuofang to buy paper.
I found out that the shop where I usually bought paper had hanged myself because he pretended to be a well-backed person and refused the county government’s blackmail. As a result, the leader of the Luoyang County police officer found out that he only gave money to the street tigers and not to the county.
Then he directly tricked him into raising the price this time, took him to the county jail, and redeemed it after breaking up his house. When he found that he had nothing, he died immediately."
Zhang Xing was stunned for a moment, nodded, said nothing, and just continued to look at the pictures.
Seeing that Qin Bao still didn't come out after dinner in the evening, Zhang Xing finally got impatient and walked over to take a look, only to find that his face was red, his body was hot, and his forehead was sweating. He seemed to be sick.
"Are you sick?" Zhang Xing asked seriously.
"It's a little rainy." Qin Bao panted again and again, but covered the quilt again, as if to avoid something.
"Is it in the way?" Zhang Xing sighed for a moment.
"It's okay." Qin Bao replied hurriedly under the quilt. "Sweat a lot and you'll be fine tomorrow."
"As long as it doesn't get in the way, get up and help me kill someone. Don't act like you have no knowledge. Chang Jian is more of a man than you." Zhang Xing showed no expression and lifted the quilt. "We are not capable of big things, but we still have to do small things.
Are you capable? Do you know the names of the Jingjiehu General Banner and the Luoyang County police chief who are in charge of Tongtuofang?"