It was April 15th, the sixth year of Zhongping in the Han Empire, which was the fourth day after the death of the emperor.
At three o'clock in the middle of the day, the blazing sun was baking and scorching the earth. Zhao Lin walked out of her home when the clapper sounded.
He wore a blue robe, a white plain suit over it, and a white band tied around his forehead.
During the national mourning period, the people of Luoyang did not need to mourn for the emperor, but the officials did.
According to etiquette, they had to kowtow and mourn in the square outside Chongde Hall every day for seven days, just like the annual gathering of all officials in the city.
However, the new Taichang Yang Biao is still decorating the mourning hall venue, arranging music and etiquette, and making preliminary preparations. There is no need for them to go to mourn.
In fact, the mourning ceremony of the officials usually takes place one week after the death of the emperor. After they have mourned, they will be replaced by the princes from various places who arrived in Luoyang.
On the occasion of national mourning, all princes and clans surnamed Liu from all over the country must come to Luoyang to mourn. Because of the long distance, the princes are the last to mourn.
After the princes mourned, the ministers supported the new emperor to ascend the throne, and then the old emperor was buried, which took about a month.
Therefore, apart from wearing plain clothes and waiting for summons at home, Luoyang officials do not need to do anything else. Because the government affairs of the court have been suspended, they do not need to go to work.
Zhao Lin is now Guanglu Zuopushe. As the fourth-in-command of Guangluxun with a rank of 600 stones, he can barely be regarded as a mid-level official. Although he does not have much power, he cannot be underestimated.
After he came out of the house, he carefully checked that there was nothing wrong with his clothes, then locked the door, opened the courtyard door and walked out.
"Zhao Pushe, are you going out at this time?" Zhao Lin's neighbor across the door was cleaning the yard. When he saw Zhao Lin coming out, he said hello: "It's hot now, why don't you go out later."
"There's nothing we can do about it, these are extraordinary times."
Zhao Lin shook a white cloth bag prepared under her robe, which was used to hold corn, and replied with a smile: "If it's any later, the millet market will be closed, and we can't open the pot at home."
"I see. Then I'll go with you. I don't have much rice left."
The neighbor looked surprised. Not only was there a national mourning, but wars were going on around Luoyang, and the price of food was rising every day. It was indeed necessary to stock up on more to prepare for emergencies.
Because they, as officials, were well-informed, although they still had some rice left at home, their neighbors had already put down their brooms and were preparing to go to the millet market with Zhao Lin.
Zhao Lin nodded with a smile and stood at the door waiting. After a while, Kong Wuli's neighbor came out carrying a large sack.
"How many kilograms of food are you hoarding?" Zhao Lin was speechless. She just bought a rice. Is it such an exaggeration?
When not in wartime, people in the Han Dynasty only ate two meals, and their appetite was about the same as people today.
If you are used to enduring hunger, one kilogram of rations per person per day, which is about five or six kilograms of food, is enough.
There are only three people in the neighbor's family, so a big sack can hold at least two stones, which is enough to feed their family for a month.
"Didn't Zhao Pushe say that in extraordinary times, we should prepare for emergencies?"
The neighbor smiled honestly, shook the bag and said, "Let's go."
The two of them lived outside Jinmen in Nancheng. To go to Su City, they had to first enter the inner city of Luoyang through Jinmen, and then enter Su City from the straight road outside Nangong through the Huamen Gate in the east gate.
The neighbor chatted with Zhao Lin while walking and said: "Zhao Pushe's salary is six hundred shi, half money and half food. All his relatives have been sent back to their hometown. He lives alone. The court gave him more than 400 shi.
Are you short of rice?"
Zhao Lin smiled bitterly and said: "Now that the government has been suspended, rebellions continue around Luoyang. Da Sinong has not paid salaries to officials for more than two months. If I don't buy food, I will starve to death."
The salary in the Han Dynasty was an annual salary. Six hundred shi did not mean that 600 shi of food was given every year, but 840 shi of grain.
According to the rules at that time, half money and half grain, 35 dendrobium grains per month, and coins worth 35 dendrobium grains, which is equivalent to about 500 kilograms of grains as wages every month, and the other half is money worth 500 kilograms of grains.
From this point of view, the wages in the Han Dynasty were not low. A low-level official could support a family of three on his own with eight dan per month.
The problem is that this is the salary during the Western Han Dynasty. During the Western Han Dynasty, the annual fiscal revenue was only 4 billion, half of which was used to pay officials' salaries, so officials' salaries were extremely high.
However, prices were also very cheap at that time.
For example, during the Yuankang period of Emperor Xuan, rice prices were only five qian per stone, which was the lowest rice price in history. In the early years of Emperor Wu's founding, the price of rice was eight qian per stone. During the reign of Wen and Jing, the price of rice was generally 30-40 qian per stone. Therefore,
Official salaries during the Western Han Dynasty were very good.
After the Eastern Han Dynasty, the economy became much more developed. The central finance reached 20 billion during the reign of Emperor Guangwu, with a surplus of 8 billion every year.
But inflation is inevitable. In normal times, the price of grain is 300-500 yuan. During times of war, it soared to 1,000 yuan per stone. In a few years, during the era of separatist rule at the end of the Han Dynasty, even 2,000 yuan could not buy a stone.
This point is often recorded in the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty", such as "Book of the Later Han·Biography of Yu Xu": "When Xu arrives, there are thousands of grains and rocks, and eight hundred salt and rocks." Cui Bao of the Jin Dynasty recorded in "Annotations to Ancient and Modern Times" that at the end of the Han Dynasty
During the separatist period, "there was a great famine in the prefectures and counties, and two thousand grains and stones were lost."
Just like in later generations, in the 1990s, people's wages were generally around tens to hundreds of yuan, which was enough for people at that time to live a very happy life.
Because the house prices at that time were only a few hundred yuan per square meter, the price of rice and salt were extremely low, and going out for breakfast only cost three to five cents, or even one cent or two cents. Until after 1995, one cent or two cents was still available.
The money slowly stopped flowing.
By the 2020s, people's wages have generally risen to 3,000 yuan, but a large number of people are still living in difficulty.
Because at that time, house prices had risen to more than 10,000 yuan per square meter, and things were expensive. Breakfast and fandom started at least 10 yuan, not to mention the expenses such as smoking and drinking.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! So regardless of the high salary, officials like Zhao Lin are also having a hard time under inflation. Many officials can only afford to support themselves because of the support of local powerful families.
Servants, maids and attendants.
Officials from poor families like Zhao Lin and others who do not have family background support naturally have to live a hard life on wages and barely make ends meet.
The two chatted all the way and soon arrived at Sushi. Zhao Lin made an excuse to stop by the horse market in the north, so she parted ways with her neighbor at Sushikou.
At this time, Su City was crowded with people, war was imminent, food prices were rising every day, and people were hoarding food crazily, causing Su City to create a false prosperity in a short period of time, and the whole of Luoyang was in chaos.
Zhao Lin, who was wearing white plain clothes, was easy to recognize among the crowd. A prison slave quickly approached him and whispered to him: "Zhao Pushe, this way."
Zhao Lin understood this and followed the prison slaves through the crowd and entered a restaurant.
Many people know that Wang Jun has always been very low-key since he was promoted to a regular servant. Not only does he rarely rely on his power to bully men and women, but even his house in Luoyang is just an ordinary medium-sized house with three entrances and three exits. Unlike
Like other regular servants, they built wealthy houses.
But few people know that most of Wang Jun's property was used to purchase properties and help his clan purchase land. In particular, several of his brothers are now officials in Qingzhou and have a lot of land there.
This restaurant is one of Wang Jun's properties.
Zhao Lin quickly entered the restaurant. It was not easy for an official like him to meet a regular waiter. If he did it in public or went directly to the other party's home, he would be noticed by interested people.
Especially in such an emergency period, the staff in He Jin's mansion clamored to kill the eunuchs every day, which made many servants dare not leave the palace at all. Wang Jun also took a great risk when he came out.
Under the leadership of the prison slave, Zhao Lin came to the backyard of the restaurant and the inner hall. After entering the door, he saw Wang Jun, Chen Mu, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and several old acquaintances.
"Xuan De Xiangheng's son returns to the clouds and grows his virtue."
Zhao Lin was overjoyed. During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, everyone had known each other for many years. However, we rarely get together and stay apart. We may not see each other only once a year, but now we rarely get together.
"Brother Boyu."
Everyone also said hello and called him to come and sit down.
Everyone put several mats together, gathered around and formed a group.
After he sat down, Chen Mu finally spoke: "In March, I heard that His Majesty was seriously ill and that the rebels were resurrected, so I rushed to Qingzhou and joined my second and third brothers to help my eldest brother defeat the Jizhou rebels.
I wanted to rush to Luoyang as soon as possible to see His Majesty, but I didn’t expect that I wouldn’t see him for the last time.”
"I see."
Wang Jun sighed: "Before his death, His Majesty issued an edict to recall you, reinstate you to your original post, and continue to serve as Minister. It is a pity that Your Majesty did not wait for your son to return even on the day of Long's funeral."
Chen Mu sighed: "Originally, my eldest brother and I rushed from Yewang non-stop to express our condolences to His Majesty, but at this moment, it is not the time."
Liu Bei and the others learned the news yesterday. They galloped through the starry night and arrived in Luoyang this morning.
Originally, Liu Bei planned to enter the palace immediately, but was stopped by Chen Mu.
They didn't close their eyes all day and night, and slept all night. They got up in the afternoon and gathered a few trustworthy people here to discuss important matters.
Wang Jun looked moved and said, "What did Zigui see?"
"Murder is everywhere."
Chen Mu looked at Liu Bei and said: "Brother, Luoyang is now a dragon's pond and a tiger's den. If you are not careful, you will die and your family will be destroyed."
Liu Bei wondered: "Is it so exaggerated?"
"have."
Chen Mu looked at Wang Jun solemnly and said, "I'm afraid many of the regular attendants no longer dare to leave the palace."
Wang Jun smiled bitterly and said: "What Zigui said is that now the general's words that he wants to kill all the regular servants are circulating in Luoyang. The regular servants are very frightened. If they dare to come out anywhere, I will take great risks to leave the palace.
"
"Aren't these eunuchs dead long ago? So what if they are killed?"
Zhang Fei yelled, and suddenly saw something wrong with Wang Jun's face. He quickly scratched his head and said, "Uh... I'm not talking about Xiang Heng, I'm talking about Zhang Rang and those people."
Chen Mu looked around and said: "Now that the country is in ruins and the political situation is in chaos, our four brothers, as well as Xiang Heng and Boyu, are all old friends for many years. We should work together to protect ourselves. Brother Xiang Heng, what is your plan?
What?"
Wang Jun said hurriedly: "Now everyone wants to kill me and other regular servants. I don't want to die. I haven't done any bad things. Why should I be buried with Zhang Gong, Zhao Gong and others? I obey my brother's advice."
Don't look at Zhang Rang, they are very trustworthy. As long as you are willing to spend money, you can buy anything. But one size fits the other, and being trustworthy does not mean they are good people.
There are many records in history books such as Zhang asked Zhao Zhong to condone their clan's bullying of men and women.
It is not without reason that people all over the world hate eunuchs.
"Brother, what's your opinion?"
Chen Mu looked at Liu Bei again and said: "The struggle between the generals and the eunuchs must be full of swords and blood. When we come to Luoyang, the first thing we need to do is to protect brother Xiang Heng. The second thing we need to do is take sides.
Now, brother, who do you decide to help?"
Liu Bei said without hesitation: "Of course I am helping the general."
This is a no-brainer.
At least He Jin has no problem with his reputation. If he helps the eunuchs at this time, he will be infamy for thousands of years. Even if he helps the eunuch group to win, his reputation will definitely be as bad as the eunuchs. Liu Bei does not want to join in the eunuchs' cesspool.
"Well."
Chen Mu finally set the tone: "Everyone, please listen to my arrangements. At the end of the afternoon, my eldest brother and I will enter the palace. The second brother and the third brother will lead the soldiers and horses to station outside the city. Brother Xiangheng will go back to the palace first to inspect Zhu Chang.
Regarding the movements of the servants, we will come here again at noon tomorrow to discuss matters."
Wang Jun hesitated and said: "Zigui, Duke Zhang and Duke Zhao, are there really no way out for them to leave?"
"well."
Chen Mu let out a long sigh: "If what I have predicted is correct, the only person in the palace who opposes the general is Jian Shuo. The general wants to support Marquis Shi to ascend the throne. The emperor loves Marquis Dong, so he will definitely explain to you and others."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Wang Jun closed his eyes and said painfully: "Yes, Your Majesty asked us to support Dong Hou to ascend the throne, but now everyone in the world is the enemy of our regular servants.
, how dare we risk the disapproval of the world."
"That's the problem."
Chen Mu shook his head: "Jian Shuo is a fool, and he still has military power in his hands. As I expected, he will definitely take action. When the time comes, the conflict between you and the general will break out sooner or later.
Between you and me, either the general dies or you die. Our friends, our interest can barely keep you alive. As for who dies in the end between Zhang Rang and He Jin, it can only depend on God's will."
There is no need to look at God's will. According to the history books, both parties perished together, and then Dong Zhuo picked the peach.
As for now, it depends on what Jian Shuo means.
If he could give up supporting Liu Xie and obey He Jin's wishes, and all the regular servants would support Liu Bian, and then go to Empress Dowager Dong and Empress He to intercede, maybe He Jin could let them go.
If Jian Shuo still wanted to support Liu Xie as recorded in history and planned to use his troops to resist He Jin, then no one could save them.
"well."
Wang Jun finally sighed. As a eunuch and at the center of a conflict, he certainly knew the problem, so in the end he could only sigh and say nothing more.
Seeing that Chen Mu had assigned tasks, Zhao Lin looked around and asked, "Zi Gui, what about me?"
"Brother Boyu's words..."
Chen Mu pondered for a moment and said: "It does have a difficult task. I wonder if Brother Boyu is willing to do it."
Zhao Lin said: "Now Luoyang is in chaos, with soldiers and horses all around like bandits, and the capital is surrounded by dangers. You may lose your life. If you can live, of course I will."
"If the situation becomes extremely dangerous, Brother Boyu must find someone."
Chen Mu said slowly: "Luoyang has now become a place of four wars. Rebels from all over the country, King Qin's Army, and the Southern Army are intertwined. There is no telling that a large-scale war will break out in the entire city, with countless casualties. Brother Boyu, go
If you find this person, you should be able to protect your safety."