"Hey, hey... How dare you not give me face? You don't even drink, and you rush to reincarnate?"
The Minister of Justice, a third-grade senior official, is considered an upper-middle-class official in the capital. As usual, such officials are easily targeted by the censor. If there is anything wrong, they will be involved in the investigation!
In fact, the imperial censor also depends on what the person chooses. The first and second ranks cannot be offended, and the fourth and fifth rank officers are too young and can easily make people feel like they are being weak.
Then look for officials of the third and fourth grades to be impeached on a regular basis, so that they can show that they are courageous and hardworking in their duties!
This Niu Shilang was diligent and careful in the past. Even when he came to the land of fireworks, he kept a low profile and had no reason to cause trouble!
What's more, this Sai Shishi is the most popular in the capital. Fifth Master Yi Pei and Cheng Beile are both regulars, so they are very proud!
According to common sense, a third-grade minister would never cause trouble in a place like this. Unfortunately, this one drank a little too much today and has already forgotten what he was doing!
The person who invited him to drink was a salt merchant from Shanxi. His son Yingying was convicted of murder and was sentenced to death!
In order to buy his son's life, the old man spent one hundred thousand taels of silver to bribe the Ministry of Punishment, selected a white duck and sent it to the prison to replace his son.
This is the very famous 'white duck' in the Qing Dynasty!
What is a white duck? It's those poor people who really can't survive, who sell their lives to rich people and become imposters on death row!
The Ministry of Punishment has a special underground industry for this business. Depending on the complexity of the lawsuit, the number of white ducks slaughtered at one time ranges from 50,000 taels to 200,000 taels!
A two-hundred-year-old store with a guaranteed reputation and integrity!
Today, Niu Shilang took a big deal, a hundred thousand taels of white duck, and in the end he was able to get more than 20,000 taels. He felt so happy that he couldn't help but drink a few more drinks!
People! Being greedy will make things worse! He was so carried away that he forgot where this place was and who he was!
Ignoring the obstruction of the people around him, Niu Shilang swayed and chased outside. He wanted to find his face in front of the beauty and show his majesty as a third-grade official!
As soon as he walked out of the main hall, he saw Master Sai at the second door laughing so hard that his waist softened, and his whole body was pressed against a middle-aged man in simple clothes.
That's called intimacy! Holding the man's arm, she kept rubbing her chest upwards, looking at her posture, she had to get down to business tonight!
"Haha... Miss Shishi... you... you are a bit... disrespectful!"
"Why... there must be someone... first come, first served... Come, come, let's have a drink with me..."
He bumped into him head-on, reaching out to grab Sai Shishi. A minister of the Ministry of Justice dared to offend Li Hongzhang's tiger beard!
Before his hand could touch Sai Shishi, he saw a black shadow fly past, and there was a crisp sound that turned out to be a hollow slap!
The guards around Li Hongzhang were all veterans who had come out of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood. This slap directly knocked out one of Niu Shilang's back molars!
He woke up immediately and said, "Ah! How dare you hit someone... Do you know who I am? You're done, you're done!"
Master Sai glanced at him with disgust and whispered a few words in Li Hongzhang's ear: "The third-grade minister of the Ministry of Punishment..."
Li Hongzhang was too lazy to pay attention to this drunkard and said nonchalantly, "Find a few people to take care of him tomorrow! Send him home to retire..."
His career as an official was ruined with just one word. The Niu Shilang's eyes showed fear: "You...who are you?"
Sai Shishi took Li Hongzhang into her back house and washed soup alone to buy food and drinks for the commander. A secret door suddenly opened in her small kitchen.
"Greetings to Mom!" Master Sai knelt down and kowtowed respectfully. Opposite him was her leader, Jasmine Mamasang!
Jasmine, the proprietress of Shanglinxian Pavilion, walked to the kitchen window and frowned and thought for a long time, "Can't explain it? Even if Li Hongzhang wants a woman, there is no need to come here in person?"
"With his status, if you send a post here, you will have to come to serve him. Why would he come here in person? I'm afraid there is only one explanation!"
"He is going to taint himself! I heard that both the Emperor and Prince Gong are wooing him. When he has no choice, the best way is to taint himself..."
"Yes, by making yourself a bad guy, you can stop those who want to reuse him!"
"Help him. If you want to taint yourself, then make a bigger name for yourself!"
Sai Shishi is such a smart person. She understood it as soon as she heard it. Putting down the bowl and chopsticks, she walked back to the front yard and looked at the helpless and frightened Niu Shilang, and said disdainfully.
"What's going on? Are you still here and not leaving? You are considered a high-ranking official of the imperial court. You are already in the third rank and you don't have any discernment?"
"You don't even know the news about Li Hongzhang and Li Shuai returning to Beijing. How did you become an official? Haha, go back and wait for the appointment..."
ah! Everyone watching the excitement was shocked, "Oh... no wonder it looks so familiar to me! I didn't even recognize him because I wasn't wearing official uniform today!"
"Let's go... don't disturb Sir Alex's sweet dreams. It seems that this old cow is going to be cold!"
Sure enough, the world is vast and the one with military power is the largest. There are too many first-rank officials in the capital, and there are dozens of first-rank and junior rank officials.
But always remember, the most powerful are those with guns in their hands, and commanders who form an independent army and are almost semi-warlords are even more powerful!
The people in this courtyard are all minor characters. If they dare to confront Li Hongzhang head-on, they all leave in despair!
The news that Li Hongzhang stayed overnight at Master Sai's house spread like a gust of wind the next morning. Prince Gong frowned after hearing this. He didn't say anything but told his son not to provoke him again in the future.
When Emperor Tongzhi heard the news, he looked gloomy for a long time: "Idiot, isn't this intentional to give others an excuse? I want to promote you, but you don't know how to promote me!"
"Is this the good minister recommended to me by my mother?"
"Wait a minute... No matter how unwise this Li Hongzhang is, he can't be so impatient, right? With his status, what kind of woman does he want? Come and show off to the palace!"
Seeing Cixi Zaichun express her doubts, Cixi said without even thinking, "Hey... after all, these Han people are not of the same mind as us Manchus!"
"Li Hongzhang is trying to protect himself! Do you know what he did before he went to find a woman last night? He went to find Gordon, the foreign devil you respect!"
"Haha... If my guess is correct, Gordon will have to come to the palace to see you soon... He won't help you lead the troops, so don't dream!"
Zai Chun felt cold, "Li Hongzhang actually dared to threaten Gordon? Does Gordon have something in his hands?"
"Yes! Let's think about it carefully. After so many years of fighting, no one has a handle on anyone? Do you really think they are all good people?"
"Go and think about the truth behind this!"
