It is said that Jia Cong extorted 2 million taels of silver from Mr. Tian, the magistrate of Fuping County, kept 1.5 million for himself, and took the remaining 500,000 to Mopan Mountain to redeem Situ Cen. The bandit did not act sloppily, and paid the money with one hand.
Hand over someone with one hand and end with the other.
Situ Cen was a trustworthy man, so he borrowed five hundred taels of silver from Jia Cong on the spot to thank the bandit who helped him get food. The bandit happily accepted it and saluted. Situ Cen looked at him without blinking and said:
"The banditry is not easy to do, so you might as well go and do some small business with your money, so that you can find a wife and start a family in the future."
The gangster said casually: "Doing business is a lot of trouble. You have to deal with all kinds of government servants, and there are so many taxes. How can you feel free to be a bandit?"
Jia Cong, who was standing by, thought angrily: "A harsh government is stronger than a tiger." Situ Cen sighed, turned around and left.
Another subordinate sent the two of them down the mountain, and Jia Cong chatted nonsense with them all the way. Seeing that they were almost at the bottom of the mountain, Jia Cong asked casually: "Your Mopan Mountain is not high, so aren't you afraid of the officers and soldiers?"
The subordinate said: "Although it is not high, it is very dangerous. Besides, there are no officers and soldiers nearby. We moved here not long ago, and we don't think the village is so simple. We only came here after the man named Tian from Fuping County came.
"
Jia Cong nodded: "Your Majesty is very clever. Do you want to pay protection money to Magistrate Tian?"
The minions laughed and said, "That's natural. It's just that he doesn't charge much, and he doesn't care about anything. Otherwise, why would we bother moving here?"
Jia Cong said: "As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. When one parent is a bandit, the good people quickly flee and the bandits quickly gather."
The subordinate said: "It is not easy to eat our bowl of rice. It is exposed to wind and rain. If you encounter a powerful bodyguard, you will not be able to protect yourself. Not to mention, you will have to lose a few brothers."
Jia Cong said: "Let me ask, what did you do before you started this business?"
The subordinate said: "I am a soldier, and I was kicked out by the superiors. I have no other skills. I am a military household, so I cannot go home. If I go home, I will become a deserter. I have no choice but to become a bandit."
Situ Cen asked: "What did you do? Why did you get kicked from above?"
The minion said: "I don't have money to give gifts, so I was kicked."
Jia Cong hurriedly said: "Don't pay attention to this guy, he is just a flower in the greenhouse, he doesn't know anything." He looked sideways at Situ Cen, "Do you know that you are getting paid for free? Kick out some soldiers, and the leader can get a lot of money.
Military pay. Otherwise, the military households will not be able to go home?" He clapped his hands and said, "This is called a policy from above and countermeasures from below. No matter how the King of Shu calculated, someone was trying to hide it from him."
Situ Cen's brows were furrowed like twists and turns: "How can it not leak? Who has the ability to cover the mouths of so many soldiers?"
"Of course it's Brother Kong Fang." Jia Cong said, "Everyone has a share! Only with common interests can everyone work together to hide the same secret." Situ Cen turned his head and said nothing.
Arriving at the foot of the mountain in a blink of an eye, Jia Cong waved goodbye to his followers. Then he glanced at Situ Cen and said, "Hey, don't get sulky while walking. Be careful of falling."
Situ Cen let out a long sigh: "I just think that the Western countries are all in chaos, and I don't want Shu to be in chaos as well."
Jia Cong comforted and said: "I am not good at governing the country. These are all the Supreme Emperor... Well, it is not a good idea to put this blame on the Supreme Emperor. It should be left behind when the late emperor was in power." He thought for a moment and said, "I did it when I was a child.
Many seemingly unusual things were actually taught to me by my husband. As I grew up, I gradually became more sensible, but when I thought back to my childhood, I realized that something was completely wrong."
Jia Cong impressed King Xian and others at a young age. Situ Cen knew this from a young age. Hearing this, he couldn't help but wonder: "What's wrong?"
Jia Cong looked at Huizi and pointed his riding whip at the big rock in front of him: "Sit down and talk." Situ Cen nodded.
The two then jumped off their horses and sat side by side on the stone. Jia Cong raised his head and looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, trying his best to make a sad and bright expression. "When I was a child, I once regarded a gentleman as a white-eyed wolf. Then
His name is Jia Hua, have you heard of it?"
Situ Cen said with a smile: "But the one that Wang Ziteng killed? I've heard of some, but not all of them."
"I'll tell you in detail." Jia Cong then told Jia Yucun's origins, his character, and how he poured the grain reincarnation thing all over him from the beginning to the end. Situ Cen listened with great interest. At the end, Jia Cong said, "
Ah Cen, in your opinion, what’s wrong with my family, and what’s wrong with yours?”
Situ Cen thought for a while: "Your second uncle Jia Zheng has no vision and no knowledge of people. What does my family... have to do with my family?"
Jia Cong glanced at him: "You are the grandson of the emperor! The imperial court is run by your family. My family's fault is that my second uncle does not know people. What about your family? Jia Yucun was dismissed from his post due to corruption and cruelty. You guys
Is the family giving reinstatement members casually?"
Situ Cen exclaimed: "That was your second uncle's plan for him, okay?"
Jia Cong clapped his hands: "But here you come again! Who is my second uncle? He failed to pass the imperial examination, and because of me, he got involved with a foreign minister from the fifth grade of the Ministry of Industry. And you always know Jia Zheng's character and ability. Isn't that right?
A great Confucian, secondly, he is not a minister of the Ministry of Personnel, thirdly, he is not a pavilion elder, fourthly, he has never held a title, and fifthly, he is not a phoenix son or grandson. How can he recruit a fourth-grade official like Fu Yin, or a wealthy land in the south of the Yangtze River like Yingtianfu?
?Do you know what is the scariest thing?" He paused and said softly, "It was very easy for him to find this job for Jia Hua." Situ Cen shook his head. Jia Cong added, "What's even more terrifying is that you, A Cen, are
As a descendant of the Situ family, I don’t think there is anything wrong with this matter.”
Situ Cen smiled bitterly and said, "How could I not know that this was wrong? But it's too much to underestimate."
Jia Cong twitched the corner of his mouth: "Habits become natural. It's like the generals' empty pay, the county magistrate's tax increase, and the bandits' kidnapping. It's like the folk who have a good daughter who has to give it to the prince."
Situ Cen frowned and said, "My brother had no choice but to do that. He is the heir apparent. How much trouble will it cause if the heir apparent has no children?"
Jia Cong then broke his fingers and said: "First of all, it's inappropriate if the throne has to be passed on to a son. If he doesn't have a daughter, are you willing to give him your biological son? Although adoption sounds more respectable, blood and human relations are innate.
.Secondly, can that scholar’s daughter really be able to give birth to a son? What if she can’t? Wouldn’t it ruin her whole life?”
Situ Cen said: "The position of side concubine is second only to the imperial concubine."
Jia Cong looked at him with contempt: "Who gave you the confidence to mistakenly think that all the women in the country are willing to be your brother's little wife? Ask your wife if she is willing to be the crown prince's concubine?"
Situ Cen immediately said: "She is different from others."
"No!" Jia Cong said, "She, like most official and civilian women, is unwilling to go deep into the palace walls, be governed by rules, and cannot have freedom in food and daily life. There are very few official and civilian women who are willing to enter the palace. Otherwise,
How come all the women of the Supreme Emperor were married off in the blink of an eye?"
Situ Cen raised his eyebrows: "Huh? Aren't you sent to be a Taoist nun?"
Jia Cong spread his hands: "In less than two months, we are all married! There is no one willing to be a widow for the Supreme Emperor."
Situ Cen immediately said: "Weren't you robbed by thieves?"
Jia Cong curled his lips: "So you also believe the fake official statement? Because you can't use your original identity when you get married, you have to say you are a widow, so most of them marry merchants. Fortunately, they all have outstanding looks and marry well."
Situ Cen frowned: "Who did this?"
"The Empress Dowager," Jia Cong said, "marry off all the concubines who have not given birth in exchange for betrothal gifts so that they can support the palace expenses. The Empress Dowager is so poor! There are so many eunuchs in the palace, and the expenses are so high, until all the Emperor's possessions are sold out
Women have only begun to sell their titles. However, those women married voluntarily. The Empress Dowager said she didn’t need to marry, and she practiced Taoism while waiting for the Emperor to return from hunting in the east. However, there were no eggs, not a single one."
Situ Cen took a few deep breaths. After a while, he sighed: "That's right. There are three thousand beauties in the palace, how many of them can the emperor's rain and dew touch?"
Jia Cong said: "Therefore, even if the old scholar's daughter is as talented as Xie Lingjiang and Yang Yuhuan in appearance, she may not be willing to join the prince's house to fight for her husband with a group of women. People love their children like animals love their cubs. It is natural.
, no wonder they want to run away. Your brother is basically robbing people's daughters. He can use his power to bully others, why can't Magistrate Tian? The prince and Magistrate Tian fight for power, while the bandits fight for force. The root of power is also force. Without force, there is no way.
Use money, money can communicate with gods. With banditry logic prevailing, can Shu still be a good country?"
Situ Cen smiled bitterly and said, "These things..." He couldn't continue for a long time.
"You can at least persuade me, this is his country." Jia Cong said seriously, "Today is different from the past. People can leave if they can't survive in Shu! Don't you think Master Shi will leave?"
Situ Cen thought for a long time and asked: "I heard from the bandits that day that Mr. Wang Ziteng governed Guangdong and Guangxi in great peace?"
Jia Cong nodded: "Under Uncle Wang, there is no such thing as Magistrate Tian."
"How did he get rid of these people? Isn't he also a military commander?"
Jia Cong chuckled: "That's right. But he understands two things: common prosperity is true prosperity; instead of killing chickens to obtain eggs, it is better to raise chickens that lay golden eggs." Without waiting for Situ Cen to ask, he explained, "Actually,
The original magistrate of Fuping County, Mr. Shi, would raise chickens that laid golden eggs. As the people became rich, he slowly collected taxes. For one egg, one egg shell, ten thousand egg shells would be a big deal. Wang Ziteng
Hong Kong's maritime trade has attracted merchants from all over the country to do business. He does not charge excessive taxes and miscellaneous taxes. The ordinary commercial taxes, food, accommodation, carriages and horses are enough to make Guangdong and Guangxi rich and build factories.
Open a factory. Factories need people the most. Where there are bandits disturbing the people, workers will not go there to work, but will go elsewhere. Regardless of whether they do errands or not, the salary they receive is about the same. Can the factory owner not be anxious? The protection fees paid by the bandits are still there.
Less than a fraction of the profit of the factory! Therefore, officials in Guangdong and Guangxi hate bandits the most. When Wang Ziteng launched the purge, all the thieves and bandits from Guangdong and Guangxi moved to Jiangxi - no one cared about it."
Situ Cen hummed: "The King of Yan is suppressing bandits in Jiangxi and has already forced some of them to come to Shu."
Jia Cong smiled and said: "You, Lord Youtian of Shu, are such a knowledgeable bandit official, but you must not become the second Jiangxi."
Situ Cen glanced at him: "Why don't you tell me these things?"
Jia Cong spread his hands and said: "I'm not sure whether he will listen. After all, he is also very powerful. He robbed people's girls. In addition to people's girls, it is impossible to say that he also robbed other people. Anyway, he was the one who benefited.
You may not be willing to listen to what I say. Besides," he said with a smile, "aren't you the one who was kidnapped by the bandits... You know it best. These things are like dominoes. If the prince had not kidnapped other people's girls, Mr. Shi
Then you won't run away, Mr. Tian won't harm anyone, and you won't fall into a bandit's den. Oh, by the way, there's something I forgot to tell you. I stopped Zhou Hu and didn't let him go to Chengdu to mobilize any troops.
"
Jia Cong originally said it in one breath. Situ Cen was still thinking about his words, and was shocked when he heard the last part: "What?!"
Jia Cong rolled his eyes: "I've never seen you so confused! You just suffered a loss and the scar is still not healed. He is your guard leader. You sent him away, just in case you exposed any tricks to the bandits.
Do you see the clues? If you die, you will die. I am afraid that all the guards like you will not survive. The son of a rich man will not sit in court! Ah Cen, you are as ignorant as ever~~"
Situ Cen said anxiously: "How could I show any flaws!"
"That's hard to say. After all, our A-Cen is a lone ranger who fights all over the West alone! If no one helps you clean up the mess secretly, you will be worth money immediately - five hundred thousand taels."
As soon as he finished speaking, several of Situ Cen's guards appeared from nowhere, and Zhou Hu knelt in front of him to plead guilty. What else could Situ Cen do? He didn't have time to lose his temper, so he only ordered him to "quickly mobilize the troops.
Don't leave the remnants of the Fang family." Zhou Hu left immediately. Situ Cen turned to see Jia Cong who was about to complain, but Jia Cong rushed to say: "Don't nag me! Let's go back to Chengdu to see your mother-in-law and listen to them.
If I approve of you, I approve of me."
Situ Cen stumbled: "Then there's no need to ask!"
Jia Cong snapped his fingers: "Isn't it over now?"
Situ Cen was helpless and sighed: "I hope nothing changes."
"As long as you don't show any flaws, there will be no changes."
Situ Cen felt inexplicably anxious and looked up at Mopan Mountain for half a day. Several guards came over and asked him to mount his horse. Situ Cen stood up and suddenly remembered something: "Where is my wife?"
"Sent back to Chengdu!"
"What other story did you tell me about her escape that day?"
Jia Cong chuckled: "Your wife is really interesting. When our bodyguard Liu arrived, she had already been sent to an outhouse of Magistrate Tian. How do you think she delayed the time?" Situ Cen rolled his eyes at him.
Jia Cong clapped his hands and said, "She told the people sent by Magistrate Tian in a rough voice that she could not see the master with unkempt hair and face. She had to freshen up first." Nai paused. Situ Cen rolled his eyes at him again. Jia Cong said.
Cong high-fived her again, "I also asked someone to bring her a knife and a hot towel. She needs to shave! He also asked for two big fluffy steamed buns. She has an urgent need."
Situ Cen understood after thinking about it for a moment, and laughed so hard that he couldn't stand up straight. Several guards also started laughing. This laughter made Situ Cen feel much better, so he got on his horse and said, "Let's go back to Chengdu."
"Hey, aren't you going to rectify Fuping County?"
Situ Cen rolled his eyes at him again: "How many people do I have? Why don't you go back to me to mobilize troops?" Nai snorted, "Let Magistrate Tian see the power and force."
"Remember to remind you to rectify the officialdom."
"I know, I know! There is also a Guangkai factory, right?"
"That's right! Acen is really a glass man with a heart of crystal. To open a factory, there must be free trade. You must have read a book in Dajiala."
"I've seen it before... I'm easy to coax, but my brother will have to spend some time talking."