Guangchusi Teahouse is located in Tiren Pavilion on the east side of Taihe Palace Square.
Tiren Pavilion is nine rooms wide and three rooms deep, which is not enough. The east verandah next to it also takes up a row.
The duty rooms of the tea warehouse are also here, with a total of three rooms.
Those on duty now are one Yuanwailang, two treasurers, two deputy treasurers, and seven treasurers.
Guang Chusi has an office in the imperial city, and there are also Lang officials working there.
Although Brother Ninth had ordered someone to go to the Department of Punishment to deliver the message, he arrived first because the Ministry of Internal Affairs was right next to the Square of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Several chief officials and minor officials on duty all greeted him with trepidation.
Brother Jiu looked directly at the Yuanwailang in front and said, "Isn't today the day to open the tea warehouse? Have you finished collecting the tea from each palace?"
The foreigner bowed and said: "As usual, I have come to collect it in winter, but it's not the time yet."
Brother Ninth glanced at everyone's faces. They all had their tails between their legs. No one dared to raise their head.
"Okay, I just want to see what kind of tea each palace receives..."
He Yuzhu was alert and quickly pulled a chair from the side and set it up respectfully.
Brother Jiu sat down directly and took a look at his pocket watch.
It's not yet Sichu, there's still more than half an hour left.
He looked at the foreigner and said, "Bring me the tea distribution booklet and show it to me!"
Ginseng can be exchanged for money, and so can tea.
Brother Jiu doesn't believe in the integrity of these people.
The foreigner tremblingly took a few withdrawal books next to him and offered them to him with both hands.
He Yuzhu took it and handed it to Brother Jiu.
Tea withdrawals were divided into palaces.
For example, in Yikun Palace, there is a concubine, two nobles, two Chang Zai, a young elder brother, as well as various official and family daughters, mothers, and others.
According to the different status of the masters, the level of tea supply is also different.
There are more than twenty kinds of tea leaves with names and several kinds of tea leaves without names.
Brother Jiu put down the booklet of Yikun Palace, looked at the booklet of Qianxi Fifth Institute, and said to a younger treasurer: "Go and bring me the tea that Qianxi Fifth Institute received today!"
The five houses in Qianxi live in the favored prince, the unfavored prince, the clan prince and the two young grandsons.
If you want to do anything, my brother's side is the best to fool.
The treasurer's body stiffened and he quietly looked at the Yuanwai Lang next to him.
Brother Jiu saw this and snorted coldly: "What? My words are useless?"
The treasurer didn't dare to be nagging anymore and went to get some tea bags.
Since tea was being used today, the Treasury envoys had already sorted out the numbers for each palace in the morning.
Brother Jiu signaled He Yuzhu to open them all.
In the expenditure booklet, it is clearly stated that the prince's tea leaves are seven taels of Lu'an tea and four taels of Tianchi tea per month; the emperor's grandson uses two taels of Liu'an tea and one tael of Tianchi tea.
In addition to this, the prince has 120 bags of yellow tea for making milk tea every month; the emperor's grandson has 60 bags.
Although Nersu is the great-grandson of the emperor, all supplies follow the rules of the emperor's grandson.
When He Yuzhu opened the tea bags and placed them on the tables one by one, the officials in the teahouse lowered their heads.
Brother Jiu stood up, looked closer, and couldn't help but sneer.
It's not surprising, this palace is really the most snobbish place.
The masters were still polite, but the slaves divided the masters into three, six or nine grades.
For two bags of Qiliang Liu'an tea of the same weight, the first one is green and neat, and when you open the tea bag, there is a strong aroma of tea leaves; the fifth one is dark in color, with a lot of broken tea leaves, and the tea smell is also bland.
Look at the two packs of tea leaves from the third institute. The two packs from the third institute are new tea, and the two packs from the second institute are old tea.
As for the yellow tea bags of the princes and grandsons, they are all paid quarterly at the tea room of Qianqing Palace. Only the twelfth elder brother and the thirteenth elder brother have left the study room and are no longer paid by Qianqing Palace.
Brother Jiu looked at these people and didn't even want to scold them.
If he is not taught but punished, he is called cruelty.
But he had already given special instructions, as early as the first month of last year when the little emperor's grandson entered the palace, he had given instructions not to be disrespectful as soon as supplies were provided, and if anyone made a mistake, he would take the blame.
Going forward, I also ordered that my brother and princess should not be short of vacancies.
On weekdays, the royal dining room paid well, so he thought these people had a memory, but he didn't expect to see people ordering dishes like this.
If you give old bad tea to your master, what about the good tea instead?
Brother Jiu saw a set of tea trays next to him and went directly to get the teapot. The teapot inside was not Lu'an Guapian, but the scarcer Tianchi tea.
The Accounting Department and the Imperial Kitchen have learned from the past. The Piku was just cleaned up last year, and if everyone in the tea house still refuses to change their ways, then the outcome will not be unfair.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has a population boom, and there are too many idle people.
The bureaucracies in each yamen have sufficient qualifications, so there is no shortage of people who can be promoted and there are many people there.
Brother Jiu is determined that if he cleans up any yamen now, except for the person being dealt with who will be unhappy, the other cadres will happily wait to fill the gap.
Brother Ninth returned to his seat.
There was movement outside. It was the twelfth prince who had arrived with two imperial doctors on duty from the imperial pharmacy.
"Brother Ninth..."
The twelfth elder brother was a little puzzled when he saw that what was placed next to the ninth elder brother was not ginseng but tea.
Brother Jiu ordered He Yuzhu: "If you don't have the eyesight, I can pull up a chair for you, Master Twelve!"
He Yuzhu hurriedly moved the chair over.
After the twelfth elder brother sat down, the ninth elder brother said: "Don't worry, we will wait until the people from the Shenxing Department arrive."
The twelfth elder brother nodded and said nothing.
Brother Jiu pointed at the tea leaves and said: "The tea in the Fifth Institute has always been old tea? In the early years, you suffered a loss because you had a small snack. In the past two years, you have been an errand in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. How can you still suffer this loss?"
The twelfth elder brother saw that the two bags of tea were of different colors, lowered his eyes and said: "I didn't know the difference at first, but later I drank tea at the ninth brother's house and realized the difference. In the past two years, I have thought that it is better to do less than to do more, so I drink tea on weekdays. Milk tea, I don’t drink much clear tea.”
The ninth elder brother glared at the twelfth elder brother, feeling even more annoyed.
It's been more than two years. If he hadn't discovered it today, the twelfth prince would probably have endured it.
Even if the twelfth prince is a prince, can those few princesses still be fine?
Brother Jiu's face turned cold and he said to the treasurer: "Bring the tea leaves from Gegesuo..."
The treasurer went to get it, and Sun Jin followed, but he didn't dare to do anything.
When the tea leaves are opened, there will be no good quality, only old tea.
You know, the Lu'an Guapian in the palace is a local tribute tea, which can only be found outside!
The results of it?
These bosses are bold and greedy for their master's share. Their lives are better than those of the princes and princesses!
At this moment, the doctor of the Shenxing Division arrived with the subordinates of the Shenxing Division.
Du Tu said: "Master Jiu, two of the men, two of the men of the general office of the Guangchu Si Yamen, and two of the men of the tea warehouse, and the two men of the tea warehouse have been arrested..."
Having said this, he looked at the dozen or so people here and said, "The only people left here in the teahouse are..."
Brother Jiu pointed at the young treasurer and said, "Except for this guy and the treasurer, everyone else has been detained..."
Several people were so frightened that they could not stand still.
Du Tu signaled the guards to tie up the four people and put handkerchiefs in their mouths.
It's just that Brother Jiu only ordered people to be arrested before, but not charged. How can he be tried?
Du Tu looked at Brother Jiu, waiting for him to continue his instructions.
Brother Jiu pointed at the bags of tea and said: "First examine the theft of tea, then look back and see how much ginseng was lost, and then continue the investigation of the theft of ginseng!"
Du Tu listened solemnly.
If we just pay back the tea, if it is found to be inappropriate, we will lose our future; this involves ginseng, but it is hard to say.
You know, the civil and military officials outside, who are old or whose parents are old and sick, are rewarded with ginseng by the emperor, and they are also based on two. People like Liuku, if they really want to guard the ginseng, they will definitely not be half-hearted. question.
If that were to happen, he wouldn't be able to disturb the ninth elder brother.
The key to the tea warehouse is usually left at the Guangchu Si Yamen. The key is only collected when the warehouse is opened on Wednesday, Saturday and September.
Now it is convenient for Brother Jiu to check.
The young treasurer who stayed behind didn't know whether he was lucky or unfortunate, with a look of misery on his face.
Brother Jiu looked at him and said: "You have become a treasurer of the seventh grade at a young age. You must be a child from a well-established family. Today, it depends on your choice whether you will persist in your stubbornness or make atonement for your sins!" "
The other treasurers and deputy treasurers all looked middle-aged. They were just this young, with no beards yet, in their early twenties.
It’s good to have junior qualifications, and the years to make up for the errands are short, and the involvement is not deep.
The young treasurer immediately knelt down and said, "I have heard from my brother that Master Jiu is the most benevolent person. I am confused. When I filled up the vacancy last winter, I discovered that there was something wrong in the teahouse, and I did not dare to say anything. I thank Master Jiu for his kindness in protecting me, slave." You must make atonement for your sins!"
Brother Jiu was not surprised when he saw him climbing along the pole. He just said: "What is your name? Who is your brother?"
"The slave's name is Li Wen, and the slave's brother is Suzhou Weaver Li Xu..."
The treasurer said honestly.
Brother Jiu raised his eyebrows and said: "This...how did you brothers make up for the errand? How do you remember that your family was involved in the accounting department last year?"
That one was also Li Xu's brother, but he was just a big fool. He was a scholar. He was fooled by everyone in the past. He didn't get involved in the Accounting Department's black account. He escaped with his life and was dismissed from the official position.
The treasurer said with a sneer: "Jiu Ye is talking about the slave third brother, who was the accounting department member Wai Lang at that time."
At that time, the accounting department raided many houses, and the Li family was frightened for a long time.
It was also because his second brother was released as a foreigner, his third brother was exempted from his errands, his fourth brother was in Suzhou, and his fifth brother was on errand in Changchun Garden. Li Xu arranged for the old man in the capital to fill the vacancy of the Guangzhou Division for his younger brother.
Brother Jiu said: "Since you are not an outsider, you should lead the way. Let's talk about the ginseng later. I will arrange a foreign mission in Suzhou for you..."
The Suzhou weaver is Li Xu. He is a local snake, so he can protect his younger brother.
Don't offend someone this time and be ostracized later.
The treasurer breathed a sigh of relief, took the key, and took everyone to Tiren Pavilion.
It is divided into large and small warehouses, among which the ginseng is stored in the two rooms on the north side.
One room contains third-grade or higher ginseng, and the other contains fourth-grade ginseng.
Brother Jiu holds a statistical booklet of ginseng in his hand. He mainly checks the ginseng that has been put into the warehouse within three years, mainly checking the second-class and third-class ginseng.
Only ten packages were randomly checked and four packages were found to be incorrect.
The size and specifications are the same, but the color and taste are completely different.
Brother Jiu sneered and said: "Look at the nine hundred kilograms of ginseng within five years, pack by pack. I want to see exactly how much is wrong!"
Ginseng is stored in packs of half a pound, which is easier to check.
The two imperial doctors looked at each package one by one. It was obviously cold in the room, but there was sweat on their foreheads.
There is also a pen-note style brought by Brother Jiu. With a pen and paper in his hand, he will record all the ginseng that he has checked and mark whether there are any abnormalities in color later.
The twelfth elder brother stood behind the ninth elder brother, with worry on his face, and whispered: "Ninth elder brother, grandma is getting older, and thanks to the grace of Ama, she gives ginseng to make tea every autumn and winter..."
This was because I was worried that the ginseng used by Grandma Su Ma might be different.
Brother Jiu glanced at him and said, "Send someone to grandma's place. Don't tell me we are checking for ginseng. Just say that you have been weak recently and want to use ginseng slices to get the ginseng from grandma's place..."
The good prince's elder brother was taught to be a little doormat, and the ninth elder brother was also somewhat dissatisfied with Aunt Su Ma.
Given Grandma Suma's non-committal temperament, if she knew that the ginseng was being checked here, she probably wouldn't have taken out the ginseng.
The quality of this ginseng could fool ordinary masters in the past, but it could not fool Grandma Su Ma, an old lady who had experienced four dynasties...
