In mid-September, Qin Shihuang had already finished his short inspection tour in Nanchang, and the majestic convoy left for Hengshan County. After seeing off the emperor, all the officials in Yuzhang County could finally breathe a sigh of relief, and the county governor was much more nervous.
Everyone on the day had a holiday and took a day off.
The family of Nanchang County Magistrate Li Xian held a banquet on this holiday and asked his son Li Cang to guard the door early in the morning.
Li Cang is no longer the dirty little kid he was when Heifu visited Li Xian's house many years ago. He is a weak-headed boy of thirteen or fourteen years old. He is now an educated official. However, he wears plain clothes and soap-colored clothes.
Although he is decent, he is actually a bit simple and it is hard to tell that he is the son of the county magistrate.
After waiting for a short time, a richly decorated carriage stopped at the door of Li's house. A middle-aged man with a plate crown on his head stepped on the slave's back and got out of the carriage. He was very thin and had a sparse beard, but his clothes were particularly special.
It's wide and looks a little funny, like a skinny monkey wearing human clothes.
"Uncle Ji."
Li Cang did not dare to neglect, and took a few steps forward to bow. This person was none other than Ji Ying, the "supervisor of postal services" in Yuzhang County.
Postal Supervisor Cao Yu was a newly created position in the county last year after the emperor adopted the suggestion of Heifu, the governor of Jiaodong County, to oversee the postal and postal system of the entire county.
Yuzhang is a new county. There are only eight counties. There are 8 postmen. Each postman is in charge of 12 postmen. This means that a township has to rely on less than three postmen to maintain the official government.
The exchange of documents and news. In addition, the Postal Supervisor Cao Yu also managed the inns and roads. His duties and powers were not unimportant, but his rank and salary were low, only three hundred stone officials.
Ji Ying started out as a postman ten years ago, and there was no more suitable candidate than him. However, with his title, it was not enough to serve as a county official. Finally, with Li Xian's recommendation and the permission of the county captain Yin Tong, he became a postman.
Got this job.
Li Cang once heard his mother and father complain, saying that Ji Ying was lecherous and his behavior was not very well-behaved on weekdays. He often spoke without hesitation. What should he do if he committed a crime and implicated him as the master?
Li Cang wanted to avoid it at that time, but his father stopped him. Perhaps he felt that he was not young and should know some things, so he said something meaningful to his mother in front of him...
"The biggest leader of our Anlu Township Party is Weijun. If Weijun is here, even if Ji Ying and others make small mistakes, as long as they don't make big mistakes, who dares to do anything to us? If Weijun is not here, even if we are like Xiao Tao
Even if you work hard and diligently as an official, you will inevitably lose your position."
To use my father's metaphor, the people in Anlu are like hozens on a tree. They are both prosperous and devastated. Now that "Wei Jun" is thousands of miles away, it is impossible to protect them in everything, so everyone has to stick together underneath.
, so that the governor and lieutenant of Yuzhang County had to rely on them to govern the county.
At present, the main residents of Yuzhang County are probably immigrants from Nanjun, with Chu people and Yue people accounting for 30% each. The county guards, Wei, Cheng, and supervisors are transferred from the Central Plains, while the local officials are mainly from Nanjun, who basically followed the Hei Dynasty back then.
The military officials from Funan's expedition to Yuzhang settled down there and took root.
In this wild southern frontier, the soldiers and civilians stationed below trust the old officials far more than the newly arrived feudal officials.
As a result, the poor boy with slim legs who used to be from Anlu, Nanjun, transformed into a local snake in Yuzhang ten years later...
Among this group of people, Nanchang Ling Lixian is the person in charge, Fanyang Lieutenant Dongmen Bao is a strong general, Supervisor Ji Ying is responsible for liaising with everyone, and Shanggan Lieutenant Xiaotao is the most reliable link.
In short, nothing can work without anyone, so after my father was transferred to Nanchang County Magistrate two years ago, whenever the "uncles" below came to the county government for business, he had to call a gathering of everyone.
And this "Uncle Ji Ying" was a frequent visitor at every banquet. He was fond of wine and lust, and his words were witty and pleasant. At this time, he saw Li Cang waiting at the door. After praising the young man's handsomeness, he joked about him:
"I've been waiting here all morning. Could it be that I'm waiting for your wife?"
Li Cang suddenly felt a little embarrassed. Two years ago, his father married Dongmen Bao, the captain of Fanyang County who had given birth to five daughters in succession. The eldest daughter of the Dongmen family was promised to Li Cang, and they would get married in a few years.
As a matchmaker, Ji Ying always joked about this matter.
They said they were about to reach the east gate. Not long after, a bearded man in a martial arts uniform came on horseback. It was Dongmen Bao, the future wife of Licang.
Dongmen Leopard jumped off the horse, came over without saying a word, and slapped Li Cang hard on the shoulder. His hand was as heavy as a bear's paw, and Li Cang gritted his teeth to keep him from falling.
But Dongmen Leopard frowned and thought that Li Cang was too genteel. How could he behead someone for meritorious deeds in the future?
Ji Ying smiled and ridiculed: "Ah Bao, the world is peaceful now. You haven't fought in Luling to Fanyang for many years. You have grown up with a big belly and a thick waist. How can you get your son-in-law?"
In the past, in Luling, we could still suppress the Yangyue in the mountains, but in Fanyang, we could only catch the thieves.
After resting for a long time, Dongmen Leopard was indeed much fatter than before, but he raised his eyebrows and glared: "Although there is no external war, there are rebels in Ruochu land just like Qi land not long ago. Ting
We have been summoned to quell the chaos, but Nai Gong can still lift the halberd and rush into the formation. As for you, Ji Ying, you can only pull the baggage!"
Pavilion Chief is the private name given to "Weijun" by the old Anlu tribe. Only the four of them can call him.
Just like that, the two of them started talking to each other and quarreling.
The two of them were in their thirties, but they were like children. They always quarreled when they met. Li Cang was used to it, so he asked someone to go in and inform his father, while he led them into the inner courtyard.
Li Xian was also waiting at the middle gate. The three of them were all comrades in life and death, so there was no need to be polite. After chatting with each other, they joined each other at the table.
A banquet has been set up in the hall, but since no outsiders were invited, there are only three seats.
The guests had all arrived, and it was still dark, so there was no need to rush for food. The three of them sat down to drink and chat, while Li Cang was left by his father to refill the wine.
After joking about Dongmen Leopard He Feiruo for a while and talking about the current situation in Fanyang County, Li Xian began to talk about the reason why he invited the two of them to get together today.
"I have two pieces of news."
Li Xian looked at Ji Ying, and the Dongmen Leopard laughed and said: "The pavilion chief has made great achievements, and he has been awarded the rank of concubine. He is only one step away from becoming a marquis!"
The two of them were stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. Dongmen Bao was so happy that he drank a glass of wine on the spot, but then he felt a little sad: "It's a pity that the Northern Territory fought against the Huns and the entire territory suppressed the rebels. These two great battles...
It has nothing to do with us, what a pity, what a pity!"
Ji Ying smiled awkwardly, and then asked Li Xian: "Ao Ao...is this a meritorious service?"
Although Gong Ao also joined their Pao Ze very early and fought together through bloodshed, he was not from Anlu after all. Privately, the small circle of the four Anlu people still regarded him as a latecomer.
But this guy was not only brave in battle, but also stubborn. When Wei Jun got married, he actually resigned from his position as a false Wei in Nanchang on the spot and ran to drive Wei Jun's wedding auxiliary car. After that, he stayed with Wei Jun as a retainer and played with Wei Jun.
The Xiongnu did not miss any chance of quelling the rebellion. I heard from Li Xian that he killed the rebel "general" in Pingyuanjin and became famous all over the world.
Li Xian took a sip of wine and said calmly: "I have made a great contribution, and now I am the fifth doctor."
"Fifth Doctor..."
Dongmen Bao felt a little disappointed. He once had the ability to capture the flag. After destroying Chu, he had the highest title among Heifu's subordinates. However, in the past seven or eight years, he has only been promoted one level. Now he is just a public official, sharing the honors.
He was just a doctor back then, but now he is above him.
In a small group, there is also competition and comparison with each other. This kind of feeling of being caught up from behind is not good, not to mention that Dongmen Bao feels that he is better than Gong Ao.
"So, when we see Gong Ao again, we have to salute him?"
Ji Ying laughed a few times. He also had a similar feeling. The four of them were the most trusted subordinates of the "Pavilion Chief" and were the first to follow him. He only hated the fact that the imperial court had a system where when officials took office, subordinates were not allowed to follow them, unless they only held temporary positions.
of hangers-on.
Gong Ao and Chen Ping took advantage of this flaw and followed him from the north to Jiaodong. It is said that the pretty boy Chen Ping also accumulated merit and became a public official. He joined the Huns alone and drove a wedge between the Xiongnu Chanyu and his son.
People are amazed when they hear it!
There were so many important events that could make the world famous, but Dongmen Bao, Ji Ying and the others missed them all.
Ji Ying also attended the pavilion chief's wedding that year. Why didn't he think of resigning and accompanying him?
But there are also advantages to not resigning. In the early years of Yuzhang, it was indeed very difficult, and wasteland was opened up every day. But in recent years, Nanchang has seen a proliferation of household registrations. As cane sugar has become more and more prosperous, the first people who planted cane have also made a lot of money.
The sugar shop of the pavilion chief's family also gives them a large sum of "dividends" every year. This is the reason why everyone has had enough food and clothing for many years and does not need to prey on the common people and accept corruption and bribery.
Ji Ying was satisfied with this kind of life, but Dongmen Bao, who was happy to hear the war, was unhappy and sighed:
"Ten years ago, the pavilion chief once said that princes, generals, and ministers would rather have their own kind. Now, the pavilion chief is only one step away from becoming a prince, but we are still standing still. It's really embarrassing for me to kill you!"
As he talked, he kept pouring wine into his stomach.
Li Xian stood up and stopped him, tipping the wine cup upside down on the table: "Don't drink it yet."
Dongmen Leopard was unhappy and drunk. He immediately slapped the table and stood up, veins popping out of his forehead: "What a good Li Xian. My father-in-law gave you face and promised you a marriage, but you are not even willing to let me drink?"
The sound was like thunder, and Li Cang was startled. Ji Ying went up to break up the fight, but Li Xian had long been used to it. He wiped off the spit Xingzi sprayed on his face by Dongmen Leopard and sneered:
"Just stay awake first, and after listening to the second thing I want to say, I will get drunk with you!"
Dongmen Bao was still angry, his chest was rising and falling, and he had a pair of fists clenched, as if he would hit Li Xian at any time, but in the end, he stopped his hand, glanced at Li Cang, and muttered:
"If it weren't for the fact that the pavilion chief said before he left that Li Xian is old and stable, and asked us to listen to you more in the future, I would not have drank with you!"
Even so, he still sat down angrily. After he calmed down, Li Xian said:
"The day before yesterday, after His Majesty left Nanchang, Commander Yin Tong came to me and said that he had urged Your Majesty to conquer Baiyue. His Majesty had some thoughts. After returning to Xianyang, he would ask the ministers to discuss it."
"Yin Tong hopes that I can write a letter to persuade the pavilion chief to come forward and support the southern expedition!"
