The next day, the sun rises in the east.
Yang Qingyuan, Ye Jianhan and Li Xunhuan also woke up from their lucid dreams. I have to say that the guest rooms in this Yongjicang are quite luxurious, at least much better than those in Dali Temple.
Yang Qingyuan and the other three slept comfortably, but some people had trouble sleeping.
Two high-ranking officials suddenly came to the capital (very high for Master Kong), and they had to check the accounts when they arrived.
This made Kong Zhiwei, who had a ghost in his heart, sleep peacefully. He tossed and turned all night, thinking only about how to send these two plague gods away as soon as possible! It wasn't until dawn that he fell asleep in a daze.
"Master Registrar! Master Registrar!"
In his daze, Master Kong heard someone shouting outside the room. He put on his coat and opened the door.
"What's the matter?!" Kong Zhiwei, who had just fallen asleep and was disturbed, was obviously upset to wake up.
"Master Registrar! Master Yang and Yushi Li have finished their breakfast and are waiting for you in the main hall!"
Although the clerk knew that Kong Zhiwei would be in a bad mood if he was woken up, he still came here. Although the chief clerk was an official himself, those two were big shots from Beijing. Although the county officials were not as good as the current ones, But these two have much more background than the county magistrate!
Master Kong, who was originally dazed and in a bad mood, suddenly woke up when a basin of cold water was poured over his head.
"Just wait a moment, I'll collect my descriptions and go immediately to meet the two adults!"
Kong Zhiwei closed the door, and then there was a panic sound in the room.
In the main hall at this moment, Yang Qingyuan and three others were drinking tea. While drinking tea, the three of them were still communicating and discussing.
"Qingyuan, you are talking about a warehouse of officials and soldiers. How many people were involved in this matter?"
Yang Qingyuan gave Li Xunhuan a strange look. Although Li Xunhuan was older than him, Li Xunhuan usually wouldn't call him Qingyuan.
But when he calls out this title, it means that Li Xunhuan's heart is filled with turmoil. The last time he called himself Qingyuan, it was when Li Xunhuan returned from a tour of the capital, saw the chaos in the world, and found a way forward.
But this time facing Yongji Guancang, Li Xunhuan was confused again.
Yongji official warehouse is as heavy as Mount Tai.
If you are not careful, the river will collapse, the temple will collapse, the country will be overturned, and the common people will be robbed.
Even so, some people still dared to risk the disapproval of the world to steal the grain stored in the official warehouse of Yongji. And looking at An Jia's actions, this batch of food is by no means a small amount.
This is not something that one or two corrupt officials can do.
"Brother Li is confused again?!"
Li Xunhuan shook his head, "I just don't understand? Is money so important?!"
Yang Qingyuan put down the tea cup in his hand, "It's not that money is not important, but you and I are not short of money?! Brother Li comes from a Shanxi family and has a lot of money. And I have the support of my teacher and my pen to supplement the family income, so We have never worried about money, so we can’t put ourselves in their shoes and consider how they feel!? Corruption is not necessarily just about money.”
Li Xunhuan could not agree with Yang Qingyuan's statement.
"Brother Li, how much is your monthly salary?"
"The monthly salary is ten guan, the meter is twenty stone, and every year there are five pieces of silk, two pieces of Luo, fifteen pieces of silk, and a few others."
"How much is the total annual salary?"
"About two hundred taels in total?"
Yang Qingyuan took a sip of the tea in the cup, "Can these two hundred taels be enough for Brother Li to drink for a year?!"
"..." Li Xunhuan fell silent.
A small jar of Qingwuyuan's wine costs at least three taels of silver. If he drank only on his monthly salary, he would not be able to drink it more than a few times a month.
"Then with Brother Li's annual salary, how long will it take to buy a luxurious mansion in the capital? And daily expenses, eating and drinking among colleagues? After all these calculations, an ordinary sixth-grade official wants to live a decent life in the capital. Even if these two hundred taels are calculated carefully, I'm afraid there are still some shortcomings!"
"If my family is poor and my parents are seriously ill and urgently need money to buy medicinal materials, does Brother Li know that I will not participate in corruption just to fulfill my filial piety?!"
Yang Qingyuan's words made Li Xunhuan fall into silence.
He once visited the residence of the Grand Scholar of Wuyingdian and the Minister of the Ministry of War, Yu Yanyi. The Grand Scholar was impartial, honest in his official duties, and never formed any clique for personal gain. There were only five or six old servants in his family. However, Li Xunhuan remembered that in front of the Grand Scholar's home, The paint peeling off the walls of the courtyard. And this house is a gift from the Lord. Otherwise, as a great scholar, I might not be able to buy this house in my lifetime.
Seeing Li Xunhuan's silence, Yang Qingyuan shook his head.
Corruption has been a problem since ancient times. Even if civilization continues to develop and materials continue to become abundant, the problem of corruption cannot be fundamentally solved.
It is difficult to be a Beijing official.
During the day, you meet with wealthy businessmen and celebrities in the Great Hall, chatting and laughing with wealth, and there are no idlers in your interactions. But at night, you have to live in a shabby room, facing the rent-demanding taunts of the old woman with Tongtian pattern. Such a psychological gap really requires a firm belief to stick to your heart.
"I'm late for my humble duty! Please forgive me, my lords!!"
Director Kong of Yongjicang broke the silence at the scene.
"I slept peacefully yesterday, and I couldn't wake up from my dream. Please forgive me, sir!"
Kong Zhiwei excused himself to sleep well, but the black bags under his eyes had given him away.
Yang Qingyuan and the other three did not expose it. After all, it was normal for them to be unable to sleep yesterday after doing such a thing.
After Kong Zhiwei sat down, he tentatively asked, "Have you not checked the account books in the treasury?"
Kong Zhiwei's eager eyes were full of expectation. If the examination is over, get out of here as soon as possible!
Yang Qingyuan did not answer immediately, but blew on the hot tea in the cup and took a sip.
Seeing Yang Qingyuan like this, Kong Zhiwei felt anxious. Could it be because he didn't give a gift?
But facing the Prime Minister of Dali Temple and the Supervising Censor, Kong Zhiwei really didn't dare to give gifts!
As soon as this gift was given, it was taken as evidence of bribery by these two people.
Just when Kong Zhiwei was in trouble, Yang Qingyuan put down the tea cup and spoke.
"Master Kong, Li Yushi and I reviewed the account books overnight and found that there seems to be a slight problem with the amount of grain and grass entering and leaving the Yongji warehouse."
Yang Qingyuan's tone was calm, but in Kong Zhiwei's ears it was like a bolt from the blue.
"This... this is impossible!? I... have personally reviewed this account. How could there be such a problem?"
Kong Zhiwei was shocked in his heart. He was serious about falsifying the accounts in the granary. He was conscientious in falsifying the accounts in the granary and did not dare to be careless at all.
"My lord, are you mistaken!?"
Yang Qingyuan smiled and said, "Master Kong doesn't know something. During the imperial examination, I was ranked first among all the students in the imperial examination. I'm afraid I can't be wrong!"
After finishing speaking, Yang Qingyuan stood up slowly and said, "Master Kong, it doesn't make much sense for you and me to argue, so why not?! Let's go to the granary together and let your Yongji Granary do the counting with us to see what's going on in the granary. Are there any rats eating it!?"
As soon as the words fell, Yang Qingyuan, Li Xunhuan and Ye Jianhan used Qinggong all the way to the granary, ignoring Master Kong who was calling behind him.
When the three of them walked a hundred steps in front of the granary, they were intercepted by the Longwu Army soldiers guarding the granary.
"In this important land of granaries, three adults, please stop!"
The two leaders of the team stepped forward and shouted, "I have a humble duty, please forgive me!"
Behind the two captains, there were sixty crane-controlling crossbows, which were already nocked and aimed at Yang Qingyuan and the others.
"I want to open the warehouse to inspect the grain, why don't you two get out of the way?!"
Yang Qingyuan's answer made the two of them look at each other, "Sir Yang, the court's grain inspection is on the third day of March every year, the day when new grains are sown! Do you have a certificate to inspect the grain at this time? If you have a certificate, please show it and let me wait. Check it out."
Yang Qingyuan took a step forward, "The food inspection requires the presence of the Cabinet, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the Ministry of Household Affairs. I am walking in the Wenhua Palace, and Mr. Li is the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate! As for the Ministry of Household, there is suspicion of corruption, so he will not be inspected this time. Under investigation.”
Yang Qingyuan's words made the two team members hesitate, "Mr. Yang, although we are responsible for guarding the granary, we are under the jurisdiction of the Longwu Army. Without the military order of the Longwu Army, we really don't dare to open the warehouse door!"
"If the investigation is delayed, are you responsible?!"
Seeing that the logic didn't make sense, Yang Qingyuan directly started to threaten.
"this……?"
The two team members were smiling bitterly. They were two small members of the Yongji Battalion of the Longwu Army. They were not even in the ninth rank. How could they shoulder any responsibilities?
"Since you can't shoulder this responsibility, then open the warehouse to inspect the grain. When entering the warehouse, two people can search our bodies to check whether there are any things that can cause fire or poison on us, just to make sure everything is safe!"
Yang Qingyuan said this, and there was really no reason not to let them in to check.
Anyway, after checking, there won't be a grain of food missing. If any government affairs are really delayed because of their obstruction, when the time comes to blame them, they and their brothers will be punished.
"Okay! I'll send someone to ask Master Kong for help. We only have two keys in our hands!"
Three keys are needed to open the door of the Yongji Granary. One of them is controlled by the treasurer, and the remaining two are controlled by the team responsible for guarding the door of the granary that day. The three keys can be combined to open the door!
But now, the treasurer has taken leave of absence, and what was originally in charge of the treasurer has fallen into the hands of Director Kong.
Hearing this, Yang Qingyuan felt slightly embarrassed. If he had known it, he would have directly "borrowed" the key from Master Kong's hand.
Not long after the team sent someone to invite Kong Zhiwei, a breathless voice came intermittently.
"Two adults!! Please...please...stay!" Chief Kong trotted all the way to the two Longwu army commanders, holding one of them to breathe for a long time.
"Master Kong, you're here just in time. The three adults want to go into the warehouse to inspect the grain, and they need to borrow your key!"
One of the team members was very happy when he saw Kong Zhiwei coming, so there was no need to look for anyone.
"No! You can't open a position!!" Kong Zhiwei refused on the spot.
The two teams were looking at the determined Kong Zhiwei, puzzled, but they still persuaded Kong Zhiwei in turn.
"Master Registrar, Master Yang, there are only three of them, let's put them in and take a look! Master Yang promised that we can search them first. It's not a big deal, right?"
Were the two people with Kong Zhi's expression of disbelief bribed so quickly?
"It's nothing serious. Have you forgotten the crime of opening the granary door privately? We can't bear it!!" As he spoke, Kong Zhiwei pointed his eyes and tried his best to persuade.
The two captains were reminded overtly and covertly in their words that he was a high-ranking official in the capital, and if something happened he would be protected, so we small officials would definitely have to take the blame in the end.
When Kong Zhiwei said this, the two hesitated again.
"Hey! You two don't need to be in trouble!? Yang has an idea!" Yang Qingyuan slowly approached while talking.
As soon as they heard that Yang Qingyuan had an idea, the two teams' eyes suddenly lit up. He was worthy of being a big shot in Beijing.
"Just say that we kidnapped you two."
"???"
When the two teams heard this, their brains didn't react for a while.
hijack? A civilian official kidnapped us in front of two hundred well-armed Longwu Army elite soldiers? Who would believe this? !
"My lord is joking!"
Just when one of them spoke, Yang Qingyuan moved.
The original distance of a hundred steps had been shortened to thirty steps when Yang Qingyuan stepped forward while speaking.
Thirty steps away, the crossbow is fast.
Within thirty steps, a gust of breeze blew by. When Yang Qingyuan finished speaking, he had already appeared in front of the two teams. At some point, the sabers of the two men also appeared in Yang Qingyuan's hands, and they were placed on one of them and one of them at the same time. On Master Kong’s neck.
The soldiers who reacted immediately pointed their crossbow arrows at Yang Qingyuan. Just as the crossbowmen turned around, four white lights emitted from Li Xunhuan's palm. Before the soldiers could even realize what had happened, they heard a jingle of fine iron falling to the ground. Voice.
The arrowheads of the crossbow arrows originally carried by the army's crossbows had been cut off by Li Xunhuan's flying knife.
"You...who are you...?!"
Team Zheng, who was not restrained by Yang Qingyuan, was in disbelief for a moment and asked with a trembling voice.
"I, Yang Qingyuan, the Prime Minister of Dali Temple, would like to ask three of you to open a position. If anyone is held accountable, I will bear all the blame!"
A clear voice containing true energy echoed in front of the granary door of Yongji Granary.
The strength of the two of them is enough to intimidate hundreds of people.
After speaking, Yang Qingyuan took back the two sabers and handed them back to the two captains.
If I wanted to take action, it would be easy to kill you and others!
The two captains were also impressed by Yang Qingyuan and Li Xunhuan's martial arts and took out two keys.
Although Kong Zhiwei was unwilling to give in, if he didn't give him the key again, the Dali Temple Prime Minister might really dare to kill him. When the cold blade was pressed against his neck just now, Kong Zhiwei's legs trembled and he almost lost his balance.
Ye Jianhan on the side, watching Yang Qingyuan performing and Li Xunhuan taking action with the flying knife, silently tightened the remaining sword in his hand.
He couldn't defeat either of these two civil servants.
Needless to say, Yang Qingyuan can be regarded as half of his teacher; and the flying knife that Li Xunhuan just took was even more amazing. Ye Jianhan didn't even see how he made the move. He only saw four warm white lights shooting out, and the arrow fell. One place.
Not to mention Ye Jianhan who was struggling, the chief clerk Kong Zhiwei took out a key with his trembling hands and handed it to Yang Qingyuan.
The three keys were inserted into the three holes of the Yongji Granary Depot door and turned together.
"Creak..."
After a heart-wrenching sound, the closed food door slowly moved away.
