There are only a handful of people who can let an old Taoist priest cook in person.
After a year's absence, Fatty Li was lucky enough to have this special encounter today, which made Fatty Li scream with excitement.
That night.
The breeze was blowing softly, and the big trees in the courtyard were rustling. The three of them sat around the stone table under the tree, listening to the endless cicadas in their ears, and drinking Jiangzhou Prefecture's special old yellow rice wine that had been chilled in the well water for a day. I was so energetic that I couldn’t stop breathing.
Even the goats were munching carrots and shaking their heads from time to time, wagging their short tails from time to time to show that they were in a good mood.
After three rounds of drinking, Fatty Li sighed with sadness after listening to the experiences of Jin An and the old Taoist priest in the past year. When he heard that the whereabouts of the sharp sword had not yet been found, he said a few words of kindness. They all said that they should be happy to see each other again after a long separation. Jin An didn't want to The meeting with Fatty Li after a long separation was spent in a sad atmosphere, so we changed the subject and asked about Fatty Li’s experience this year and how he was transferred to Jiangnan?
When he talked about his official position, Fatty Li had a look on his face.
Jin An said that the Criminal Investigation Department was away on official business and it was understandable that it was not convenient to reveal the details of the case. Then just when he was about to take over the matter, Fatty Li finished the drink in the bowl in one gulp and said in a slightly drunk tone: " There are three people here, namely Taoist Jin'an, Taoist Chen and Li. Yes, there are also four senior brothers. Wu Zang Taoist Temple does not treat me as an outsider, and I have never regarded Wu Zang Taoist Temple as an outsider. Because Wuzhou Prefecture is not doing things well, I stabbed A big mistake has been made. This time he was transferred to Jiangzhou Prefecture as a criminal to take on a difficult case...
He didn't know whether Fatty Li was really drunk or pretending to be drunk. He was so drunk that he took out two money bags from his arms, poured out two piles of copper coins respectively, and asked Jin An and the old Taoist priest if they could see anything.
As a result, before the two of them could answer, he was already asking and answering questions to himself under the influence of alcohol.
"This pile of heavier copper coins, which are touched by the common people and is shiny, is the southern coins circulating in the south, but they are not officially minted. This newer pile is the northern coins minted by the official. Because the common people use them less, the quality looks new. some."
"Everyone asked whether southern coins circulated or northern coins circulated. My mission to Jiangzhou Prefecture this time was to investigate the wealth of southern coins and northern coins. Is there anyone who minted copper coins privately? To confuse the people, they abandon northern coins and only use southern coins. Business! Making copper coins privately is endangering the stability of the country and the country. Hanging a sharp sword by the side of the holy king's bed is a serious crime to kill the nine tribes!"
"The Jade Capital Golden Tower, the Zhenguo Temple, and the Tianshi Mansion sent immortal masters to escort the prince to meet the world on behalf of the emperor. The first stop was chosen by Xinxin to be Jiangzhou Prefecture, which is the richest, most developed commerce, and pays the most taxes in the country. You can Do you know why?"
Jin An and the old Taoist priest looked at each other and did not answer. Folks talking about the imperial court and the country are punishable by beheading, so when they first discovered the difference between southern money and northern money, Jin An specifically told the old Taoist priest to tell the difference. Keep things in your stomach and don't mention them to others.
The common people only recognized the southern coins and did not recognize the officially minted northern coins. This incident was enough to destabilize the country and divide people's hearts.
When the situation becomes serious enough that the national treasury cannot turn over money from the north and only pays money from the south to the south, then it will cover everything from the salaries of officials in the Manchu Dynasty, military expenditures, and border wars to the annual disaster relief and allocating money to people in various places. All money depends on Nan Qian. Millions of people across the country are waiting for Nan Qian, and they can easily control the national destiny of Kangding. When that day comes, a powerful man from the south stands up and raises his arms, it will be the time when the north and the south are torn apart and lead troops to rebel.
These things were treasonous to the imperial court. Jin An and the old Taoist priests knew it in their hearts, but they did not say it out loud because they were afraid of bringing unreasonable disaster to the Five Zang Taoist Temple.
Fatty Li was still drunk and continued: "Privately minting copper coins is not something that can be done in a day, two days, or a year or two. It involves many aspects, such as private copper mines that are not recorded by the court, and a large number of workers. Excavation and casting of copper coins also require a large site and abundant water resources... Without ten years and eight years of careful planning, these would not have been possible."
"This is not a trivial matter. It has directly alarmed the Holy Lord in the capital. The Holy Lord is furious. Just one word, investigate! No matter how many civil servants and military officers from the south are involved in this matter, whether there are officials from the south who colluded to rebel against the party, if one hundred people are found out, one will be chosen. There are nine tribes with a hundred people. If a thousand people are found, the nine tribes with a thousand people will be selected! This time the Holy King asked the princes to patrol the south on behalf of the emperor. The first is to test, the second is to intimidate, the third is to test several princes, and the fourth is to borrow the princes. The partisan forces behind him eradicated dissidents, and Wu also showed the attitude of the sage and stabilized the impetuous people in the world."
"You guys like me, who are just playing a vanguard, are just here to touch the bottom of the south first and let the princes find out how deep this muddy water is. The princes are on stage, this is the South Money and North Money case. The real protagonist."
"Do you know what rumors are being circulated among the people now? They say that strange phenomena in the heaven and earth, and that the days are short and the nights are long, are signs of the dimming of the emperor's star!"
Jin An and the old Taoist priest were silent, slowly digesting every word of Fatty Li.
They didn't expect that when they met Fatty Li again in Jiangnan this time, he would bring such shocking news. It really surprised the two of them and they needed to digest it.
"Such a big case can be handed over to you, Fatty Li. How come I don't think this is like a demotion or a punishment for you? It's more like you were promoted despite not being affected by Wuzhou Prefecture's affairs at all, and actually assigned You come to investigate this case
son. , Old Taoist Shi looked at Fatty Li, only to find that he was lying drunk on the table, snoring loudly.
Then the old Taoist priest looked at Jin An worriedly: "Little brother, what do you think of this matter?"
Jin An raised his head and looked at the sky; "The era of great strife not only involves the secular world and the spiritual world, but also involves the central court. The whole world is like a big oven, and the seemingly calm lake is slowly boiling. Not many people are being boiled. The individual can stay out of the situation.
Today's night is very clear, the summer night is full of stars, the stars and the moon are bright, just like the last tranquility before the coastal typhoon.
"Could it be that, like Mr. Yuan's group, the northern grassland tribesmen have always wanted to be Han Chinese?" the old Taoist priest guessed.
Jin An seemed to be like: "Maybe, maybe not... This time the effort is too big, it's not like a big chessboard that a few stragglers can play..."
The old Taoist priest looked over and said, "Little brother, are you worried about something?"
Jin An sighed: "Southern money is more expensive than northern money. If someone really takes advantage of this, this peaceful and prosperous age may be infected by ruthless war, and the first to suffer every time a war breaks out is always the ordinary people."
The old Taoist priest was so angry that he cursed: "Isn't it good to have peace? Everyone has enough to eat and drink, and there are wives and children looking forward to going home every day! But there are always people who want to die in wars every day! It's not good!"
The higher I stand, the more I realize the insignificance of personal power in this world of great strife. No matter whether it is a practitioner, a person in a superior position, or an ordinary person, old or weak, women or children, no flower or tree can escape the whirlpool of this world of great strife. . The only thing he can do is to work hard to be himself and do his best to protect everyone around him. Jin An's eyes are firm and he is even more determined to practice!
Jin An and the old Taoist priest packed up a side room and let the drunk Fatty Li stay in the Taoist temple for the night.
