He had no money, was disobedient, and had no sense of belonging to the Tang Dynasty or the government.
What the old prefect said is definitely not just a problem in Guizhou Prefecture, but a common problem in the entire Lingnan today.
Looking at the old magistrate who looked lonely, he almost slapped the case and shouted: "If you want to kill the thief, you can't save him".
Xiao Han glanced at Feng An next to him calmly. Sure enough, Feng An, who had looked calm just now, now had a hint of shame on his old face.
After all, regardless of any reason, as the King of Lingnan, he failed to let the people under his rule live a good life, failed to allow the court to obtain the benefits it deserved, and failed to allow officials like the old prefect to have official dignity. Bear an unshirkable responsibility.
"Ahem, it will get better! It will get better in the future. Wasn't our Guizhou Prefecture once rich before?" Feng An coughed lightly to cover up and said in a low voice with a slightly red face.
Of course, he said this because he wanted the old prefect to shut up in front of Xiao Han and stop spreading these family scandals to the public!
Unexpectedly, I didn’t know that the old prefect was too old and his brain could no longer keep up. Still living in this poor place for so long, I have forgotten even the most basic official wisdom.
When Feng An finished saying these meaningful words, the old prefect did not stop there, but continued to shake his head and sighed: "Want to return to the past? Oh, it's difficult! It's difficult!
Think about it, when Guizhou Prefecture was prosperous in the past, it was because of the two rivers in front of it! The Guizhou Prefecture was crowded with passers-by and businessmen traveling from north to south. At that time, no matter who they were, they all wanted to go to the city to earn some money to supplement their families. The taxation naturally followed.
But look now, the river is still the same river, but the boats and people on the water have long disappeared! Even the dam has been abandoned for many years and no one has repaired it. Alas..."
The old prefect clapped his hands on his thighs and felt very sad. When he talked about the excitement, he almost burst into tears! Even after he finished speaking, he just sat there and sighed.
However, the sound of sighing sounded to Feng An's ears as if he were taking the sole of a shoe and slapping him in the face!
Were you rich before? How long ago were you talking about?
The last time Guizhou became wealthy probably dates back to the time of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, Yang Jian, right?
But why don't you tell me that as soon as his prodigal son Yang Guang took office, he caused great chaos in the world and made the people miserable. Not to mention Lingnan, Jiangnan almost didn't follow suit!
Think about it, when he, Feng Ang, took over Lingnan, the poverty was not ten times worse than it is now?
And at that time, this place was not only poor, but also at war all day long! Without the strong fetters of the imperial court, those races that were originally disobedient to discipline jumped out one by one.
Today the Vietnamese revolt, tomorrow the natives rebel!
In that situation, if he, Feng An, hadn't turned the tide and defeated those people one by one and knocked them down, would you, the prefect, still be able to live a safe life sitting in the yamen as you do now? Go ahead and dream! You must have been dragged out by those natives, roasted, and given a beating!
"Mr. Zhao!"
His face became darker and darker, Feng Ang took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his heart and said to the old magistrate: "Let's not talk about these things today. Xiao Hou has come from a long way and is tired. You hurry up and make arrangements. We have to be on the road tomorrow. !”
"Huh? Oh!"
Perhaps it was only then that the old prefect suddenly realized who the people in front of him were. He quickly patted his head in annoyance and kept saying, "Look at my memory! As soon as I see people, I forget everything." , everyone, wait a minute, I will make arrangements right now!"
Having said that, the old prefect, who knew he had gotten into trouble, did not dare to look at Feng Ang's face anymore, and ran out in a hurry. Looking at this quickness, how could he look like an old man in his fifties or sixties? I guess the dogs at the door can't run as fast as him!
The old man ran away quickly, leaving only Feng An, Xiao Han, and Liu Hongji in the room.
Looking at the door that was still shaking, for a while, no one took the initiative to speak, and the atmosphere in the whole house became quite mysterious.
"Ahem, let me go see the others!"
After a while, Feng Ang finally couldn't stand the mysterious atmosphere and couldn't keep his face down. He explained the key to Xiao Han and others, so he had to leave the room with a dark face and hurriedly left the room.
As for whether he really went to find someone else or settled the score with the old man, it is unknown.
"Xiao Han!"
Seeing that Feng Ang had also left, Liu Hongji, who had looked a little strange since just now, immediately jumped up and lowered his voice and said in Xiao Han's ear: "Why do I feel that something was wrong with that old man just now?"
"Ahem...what's wrong?" Hearing this, Xiao Han glanced at Liu Hongji in surprise and asked in a low voice.
"That's hard to say!" Liu Hongji frowned, recalling what the old man said just now, and said with some uncertainty: "However, I always feel that those words just now seemed like he was telling us on purpose. "
"Uh, you're thinking too much!" Xiao Han's eyes twitched when he heard this, and then he said: "We have no relationship with that old man, how could he ruin Feng An's face just to say a few words to us? Aren't you afraid that Feng An will give him little shoes to wear in the future? Don't forget, he doesn't know that Feng An is going to withdraw from Lingnan!"
"What you say makes sense!"
Hearing Xiao Han's words, Liu Hongji scratched Guang Guang's head, and suddenly felt that what he said seemed to be right. Maybe it was because the old man was old and liked to talk, so he said so much. Is it useful? Use words.
Thinking of this, he didn't bother to think about it any more. After all, using the knife was his specialty. Let Xiao Han and the others take the trouble to do such delicate tasks as using the brain. They wouldn't trick him anyway. , worrying about your neighbor?
——————
Today's dinner was also eaten in the government office.
However, compared to the clothes and accommodation, the food made Xiao Han and others a little surprised.
They originally thought that since the old prefect looked like he was about to starve to death, two steamed buns would be a good dinner.
However, what Liu Hongji never expected was that this dinner was actually extraordinarily sumptuous! The table was full of dishes. Although it could not be called delicacies, it still contained fish and meat. Compared to what they ate when they slept in the wild, it was definitely a big meal.
"Hahaha...I have long heard that Xiaohou likes delicious food the most. However, the old wife at home only knows how to cook and stew, so I invited the master chef from the restaurant in the city to come here to cook such a meal specially for Xiaohou!"
"Come on, come on, you're welcome, Xiaohou! Try this, our specialty of Guizhou Prefecture, Hehuayu! It's so delicious! And this Lipu taro, which was very famous in the past, and many rich people, Everyone is rushing to buy it.”
