The summer rainy season has arrived as expected, and Dongdu has become chaotic as expected.
Just as Zhang Xing expected, this time the chaos started in the bustling commercial areas on both sides of Luoshui. Instead, the south of the city absurdly escaped the final round because the poor people who had eaten too much but didn't have enough money really couldn't have gold or silver. Start with a knife.
The first one to take action was indeed Jingjiehu.
There is no way, there is really no way. They have always had similar businesses, and have always made money from commercial activities. Many general banners even have gold and silver businesses based on them. The so-called professional counterparts... At the same time, they have been facing commercial activities and The life in the market has also made the street tigers of Dongzhen Fusi naturally disorganized, or simply said, corruption is rampant. There are many general banners and small banners, and if taken alone, they are basically a white-skinned gang.
This made them feel no psychological pressure, and almost as a matter of course, they chose to transfer the gold and silver apportionment to the merchants in their own jurisdiction.
A general banner is in charge of three or four squares, with dozens of serious captains, a monthly salary of several taels of gold and dozens of taels of silver, which can be exchanged for hundreds of copper coins, and he can walk among merchants inside and outside, even if he is an executor I couldn't help but extort a little more, and even among the many merchants and gangs with no background in the jurisdiction, it still seemed like there was no trouble at all, and it just drifted away naturally.
However, what Jingjiehu can do, Jinwuwei cannot do? Can't the government officials do this?
Can't the Jinyi Patrol do it?
Even at the level of Jinyi patrolmen and temple supervisors, there is no need to do it yourself. After expressing their intention, the executors below will send their share directly to their homes in the form of pumped water.
Large-scale and systematic extortion began immediately, and once it began, it was impossible to stop it.
And soon, its scope and fluctuations far exceeded everyone's imagination, including Zhang Xing's.
"The price of rice has increased."
It was a day off, and there was not much rain. Zhang Xing, who had already touched the threshold of the end of Tongmai, was studying "Yi Jin Jing" with Li Ding on the corridor of his home hall. At noon, Qin Bao and Yueniang walked out from under umbrellas. Zhang Xing was confused by Yueniang's first words as soon as she came back from shopping for rice and vegetables.
"How much has it increased?" After regaining consciousness, Zhang Xing asked with a frown.
"It is said that the price has increased by more than ten cents. We bought it in the shop. Knowing that our family is an official, we only paid eight cents..." Yueniang said while carrying the basket in her hand into the kitchen.
"Actually, it's not just rice. Other oils, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea, meat, and cloth have all gone up." Qin Bao muttered, then he put down his umbrella and sent a large bag of rice into the kitchen with one hand.
"But the price of eggs has not increased." Yueniang came out of the kitchen and strolled down the corridor, adding eagerly. "The price of fish has not increased, nor has the price of firewood. The man who delivered firewood yesterday just came and delivered half a truck of firewood and half a truck of fodder..."
"I know what's going on." Hearing this, Zhang Xing suddenly realized. "This is because the merchants who opened the shops were extorted and couldn't wait to get their money back, so they spontaneously raised prices. The eggs are usually from the farmers themselves, the fish are brought by the fishermen, and the firewood is chopped by the woodcutter. There is no centralized extortion at all... I was indeed a little confused, and I thought this matter would only be dealt with by the merchants, but I forgot that although official officials would extort money from the merchants, the merchants also knew that they would pass it on to everyone."
"Indeed." Yueniang nodded quickly. "Those who raised prices privately scolded Jingjiehu, Jinwuwei and the county officials, saying that they were endlessly scraping the land and acting as if they wanted to eat people... Some people on the street did not want to give, so they were taken directly to Jinwuwei. Went to the prison of the Ministry of Punishment."
"The common people are feeling a little uncomfortable this time." Li Ding responded with a sigh.
Zhang Xing had no expression on his face and remained silent all his life.
"Why doesn't anyone care?"
Qin Bao, who followed him out of the kitchen, seemed a little hard to understand. "I know that this matter will be unstoppable, and I know that these people will blackmail the merchants, but why don't the higher-ups care?"
Zhang Xing was stunned for a moment, and finally asked back: "Why should the superiors take care of it?"
Qin Bao was speechless for a moment and didn't know what to say.
"You two..." Li Ding finally laughed, but then looked at Qin Bao, who was standing in the rain. "Qin Erlang, who do you want to care about?"
"The chief ministers and ministers above are extorting money from the officials below." Qin Bao stood in the rain, indignant. "Those officials almost robbed in the streets... The Jingjiehu robbed them once, and the Jinwu Guards and county government officials robbed them again. They not only collected gold and silver for themselves, but also for their colleagues and the entire government... I met them on the road An acquaintance, he told me that not only Beiya was preparing to distribute to Jinwuwei, but also Jing'antai was going to distribute to Jingjiehu, asking them to go to the street to 'help exchange' gold and silver! I went to the store, Even the acquaintances in the shop, when they see my white ribbon, they all speak carefully for fear of offending me! When walking on the street, they are even treated as thieves and dodge."
"Second brother Qin was spat on while walking today." Yueniang added without missing a moment. "That person thought it was raining and Brother Qin didn't see it. In fact, Brother Qin pretended not to see it... I saw it all."
There was silence for a moment in front of the hall, and Zhang Xing, the main person to whom he confided, did not say a word.
Immediately, Li Ding, who was slightly embarrassed, paused for a moment, and finally took up the topic with dark circles under his eyes: "Actually, as far as I know, the Sixth Department and the temple supervisors are also looking for ways, and they are all apportioning...the Criminal Department, the Work Department Let’s not talk about the Ministry. We have always had connections. The Ministry of War is preparing to ask the garrison in various places to find a way. The Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Civil Affairs are also preparing to ask local governments to help... which means that the Ministry of Rites is a little embarrassed. It is said that there have been many quarrels within the Ministry of Rites over this matter. It may even double the price of the official servant's redemption."
Well, all the official servants have been blackmailed.
"Don't the ministers and ministers know?" Qin Bao was stunned for a long time, without any intention of walking out of the rain, and continued to ask questions in the drizzle.
I don't know if it was an illusion, but Zhang Xing always felt that his voice was trembling a little.
"I must know." Li Ding dodges with a smile.
"Then why don't you care?" Qin Bao couldn't ask further.
"Because..." Li Ding became increasingly embarrassed and simply looked at Zhang Xing.
"First of all, it's difficult to check." Zhang Xing reluctantly took the words and tried to explain. "This is an edict, an official document, and it must be upright... You can check it out, and no extortion is allowed. Well, the officials really don't have gold and silver at home, so they have to exchange it with merchants at the official price... The merchants are unwilling According to the official price, who broke the law? So how to investigate? "
Qin Baodeng was breathing heavily.
"Secondly, there is no way to check." Zhang Xing continued to preach seriously. "This matter is about the edict from above, the profit from below, and the harmony in the middle... If you check it out, for the above it is against the edict and will, that is, against the saint and Nanya; for the below , just to prevent everyone from getting rich; to the middle, you are just trying to gain fame and reputation, and let other colleagues of the same level bear the name of collusion for nothing... So why do we need to investigate? "
Qin Bao waved his hand and turned back to his side courtyard without saying a word, without even going back to see his spotted leopard.
Yueniang Ming seemed to realize that something was wrong with the atmosphere. She stuck out her tongue and ran to the opposite courtyard to read.
"Why did you tell Qin Erlang so thoroughly?" Li Ding asked in a low voice as soon as the two left. "After all, he is young. He knows too much and can easily get hurt."
"After all, he is a person with seals and ribbons. He should know something..." Zhang Xing shook his head. "No one told him that he thought the court was reasonable."
"That's the problem." Li Ding said with a bitter smile. "Qin Erlang is an honest boy. He wants to get ahead wholeheartedly. To get ahead, he naturally wants to be a high official in the court. But what will he do if the court is unreasonable? Isn't this difficult for him?"
"Sooner or later, we have to think about this issue." Zhang Xing's eyes were burning. "You have to think about it. Sooner or later he will have to pass this threshold... including the root of this unreasonableness, he will have to think about it."
Li Ding put away his smile and asked seriously with dark circles under his eyes: "Have you thought about it?"
"I've thought about it." Zhang Xing was extremely honest, but he immediately asked back. "Have you thought about it?"
"What I think may be different from what you think." Li Ding replied a little nervously. "Unlike you who care about the world, I am a bit utilitarian and petty..."
"When did you think about it?" Zhang Xing couldn't ask further.
"When the Wu family was rebelled." Li Ding sighed.
Zhang Xing wanted to ask more questions.
But Li Ding seemed to have expected it, and directly took the initiative and said: "It was my suggestion that Wu Jingfeng go to Nanyang Luocao... I told him that the more you want revenge, the more you have to be useful, and you have to cultivate yourself." When you bring it up, you also need to leave a reputation among the people, the world, and the court, so that the people in the court will be afraid of you, the world will respect you, and the people will think you are a good person... In this way, you can wait for the right time, and wait for the day when the opportunity comes. Only then can I have the opportunity to put my talents into full play.”
Zhang Xing thought for a while and nodded: "He is quite obedient."
"That's the good thing about him, but it's also a bad thing...he's too easy to listen to." Li Ding sighed with emotion. "I'm afraid he will get into trouble with this in the future."
"It is indeed a bit confusing and easy to be fooled." Zhang Xing also expressed some agreement and looked at the dark circles under the other person's eyes. "So, if one of the court's unreasonable things comes down to you, your plan will be the same as Wu Jingfeng's?"
Li Ding did not show his dark circles to the other party, but turned to look at the rain that was getting heavier: "Actually, it's the same if I stay in the court now... just wait."
"Waiting to serve the Wei Dynasty?" Zhang Xing said with a smile. "If in two or three years, your fortune suddenly changes, you will be directly appointed as a county magistrate, and then a county guard and a general. You will be able to become a general of the current dynasty and a Shangzhu state before the age of forty. You may not be able to personally command and pacify the Dongyi and demons. Are Dao and the Wu Clan determined to do their best for the imperial court?"
"Save some face." Li Ding took the opportunity to cover his nose, as if he was embarrassed. "The situation in my clan...as long as the imperial court doesn't take the initiative to find trouble, we can't take the initiative to rebel, right? Is it for nothing that I let the Li family of Longxi kill me alone?"
Zhang Xing seemed to be smiling but not smiling.
And Li Ding was also decent. He never asked the other party, what would be the result after "thinking about it"?
In this way, the rain fell gradually and suddenly, and within the next two or three days, prices skyrocketed, and finally came back - because the price increase of basic materials such as rice, flour, oil tea, etc., in turn, drove up the price of firewood, fodder, fish eggs, and general * **Price for work.
In the end, the whole city will raise prices together.
This time, Zhang Xing did nothing, and Bai Yousi did not ask Zhang Xing for advice. They all knew that the source of the matter was Ziwei Palace, and Ziwei Palace was beyond their control at this moment, or in other words, Bai Yousi Si had tried his best to stop it, and Zhang Xing also ensured that Fulongwei could stay out of it.
These days, Bai Yousi has been studying some ancient books and classics, and has also applied to go to the third floor of Langya Pavilion. He doesn't know if he is planning to give up martial arts and study literature, and take the Jinshi exam with Yan Qing next year. As for Zhang Xing, his focus is basically on cultivation. Zhang Sanlang, who has entered the twelfth meridian many days ago, is working hard to exercise and pulse the meridian in order to break through the most difficult stage of the twelfth meridian as soon as possible and enter The stage of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians that is more flexible and more effective.
Then go and take a peek at what the so-called Ren Du Second Meridian really means.
After all, at this time, he resented his lack of cultivation even more... If he really reached the pill condensation stage, the worst he could do was that he wouldn't be able to serve him anymore!
With this kind of thinking, Deputy Changjian Zhang now dreams about making a breakthrough. Even when he goes to Nanya to work shifts and guard Zhang Han, he seems a little absent-minded.
But it turns out that the last positive path is really difficult.
Of course, Mr. Zhang Han actually no longer needs Fulongwei to follow him before he can enter the meeting hall. Although the other princes in Nanya are still very cold, they are not at the point where they didn't even say anything at first... Fu The Dragon Guard is now just standing outside the meeting hall and Zhang Han's public house, acting as a higher-level Jinwu Guard. There is really nothing to care about.
This is the only reason people are lazy.
"When can the Ministry of Civil Affairs collect the gold and silver?"
It was still raining that day. Zhang Xingzheng stood on the porch outside the meeting hall and watched the rain. Although he didn't look back, he knew Bai Hengqiu was talking just by the sound.
"It doesn't matter when we can get it all together." Zhang Han's voice immediately sounded behind him. "You can make it up as you go...the key is the design plan and the overall structure. The truth is that if the plan is approved, construction will start immediately."
"It's not impossible." After a long pause, someone spoke up, but it seemed to be Prime Minister Su Wei. "I think we can let people from Beiya take over the Tower of Babel."
"Of course you can, but I have something to say first." It was still Bai Hengqiu's voice. "The Tower of Babel is no trivial matter, so when our Ministry of Industry came to repair it, we worked hard to improve it, using only 10,000 laborers. We were careful and careful, so that now it only has four floors... Beiya can take it away, but we should let it The people from the Ministry of Industry will be completely and completely withdrawn, and then let Bei Ya accept it completely in person, and then sign a document and so on... Of course, you can ask us for anything you need, and there is nothing we can't give... In a word, since It was not us who repaired it, and neither I nor our Ministry of Industry can bear the responsibility for this."
"Is Mr. Bai too careful?" Someone seemed to be trying to persuade him.
"Don't be careless." Bai Hengqiu said firmly.
"Then let's do it." Zhang Shizhao suddenly said. "Let's do it this way... Whose business will be cleared by everyone, don't push it around... It's better for one person to confiscate the house and exterminate the family than for two people to exterminate the family, not to mention that it would cost half the court to confiscate the British prince's house. They are all gone, but Gao Dugong only has one brother and two nephews, so he can chop them with ease."
As soon as he said this, the original voice of persuasion no longer appeared.
Things seemed to be settled.
"So... does this mean that the plan for Tianshu Golden Pillar has already been prepared? Is it just sent to Ouchi first?" Emperor Cao Lin's voice suddenly came up again.
"Yes." Zhang Han responded quickly.
After a period of silence, Prime Minister Su Wei came and asked: "Can you leave a base for Nanya? What is its approximate shape? How tall and big is it? How much gold and silver should be used? It can't really be built a hundred feet high as rumored. A solid gold pillar, right?”
"Ms. Su is just kidding." Zhang Han seemed amused. "No matter how stupid I am, how can I be so ridiculous... If it can still stand a hundred feet high, then the Supreme Being will have to come down to earth to repair it... In fact, it is still basically iron-clad."
Zhang Xing was still looking at the raindrops dripping under the eaves of the council hall, not paying attention to the discussion behind him. He was thinking about what to eat tonight. Anyway, tonight was to be eaten at Zhang Hanxin's imperial mansion. Money.
"Here's the plan." Mr. Zhang quickly began to introduce it. "One hundred and fifty feet, fifteen feet high...but it will take about a mountain of earth and a three-story platform...including the three radiances on the top."
"oh."
"I'll just say it."
"The main body is made of iron, but there is a dragon on the outside. The dragon is made of copper... Gold and silver are mainly used to carve flowers and engrave inscriptions on the pillars about the saint's achievements... The top three-hui icon must be gilded or plated. Silver...Then the four imperial pillars should also be reflected on all four sides, but the main body is the Tianshu Golden Pillar, so there is no need to exaggerate...It can actually be done directly on the four sides of the earth mountain..."
"How thick is the main body of the Tianshu Golden Pillar?" Someone suddenly interrupted, and it seemed to be Zhang Shizhao's voice.
"This depends on the specific production. It can be hollow, as long as it stands firmly..."
"How many kilograms of iron will it cost? How much is the total cost?" Zhang Shizhao chased after him. "Isn't this what Cao Zhongcheng meant by waiting for a long time? Why does Mr. Zhang have to be secretive and always say other things?"
"You need two million kilograms of iron, right?" Zhang Han's voice paused for a moment before giving the answer. "Two million kilograms of iron... I'll find someone to calculate the total cost. According to the market price, including iron, copper, silver and gold... the total cost is 200 billion."
Zhang Xing was at a loss outside the door. He was really at a loss because he didn't know whether the cost was high or low for Wei, who had a full warehouse.
But soon, the council gave him the answer.
"Isn't that a bit much?" Su Xian's voice trembled a little. "Mingtang and Tongtian Pagoda together are not even..."
"Not to mention the Tower of Babel, the cost of the Mingtang is actually all on manpower, and manpower is free." Zhang Hanyan said firmly. "And two hundred billion dollars just sounds like a lot. I am the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. How can I not know the fortune of the imperial family? Today, the tax collected every year can amount to 40 million shi of grain, more than 6 million pieces of silk, and more than 8 million yuan. Ma, and then salt, iron, tea, wine and other commercial tax monopoly are about 20 to 30 million Guan Wen... Not to mention that the food is not valuable, silk, silk and hemp plus commercial tax, the year is close to 50 million Guan Wen, that is, 50 million Guan Wen. Tens of billions of dollars.”
"In other words, is it four years' annual income?" Uncle Cao seemed a little angry. "How many soldiers are enough to support?"
"Mr. Cao, it will never affect the annual income." Zhang Han tried his best to explain. "The key is that the price of gold and silver is artificially high. As for copper, which costs the most, we just need to take out the copper coins in stock and melt them down...Those money are thrown in the warehouse, and the ropes stringing the money are rotten. Why keep it? Gold? Silver and copper cannot be eaten or worn, and the food and cloth will remain unchanged and will not delay important events."
"No, I remember an iron hoe costs dozens of cents. How come the two million kilograms of iron from your place cost only a few pennies per kilogram?" Bai Yousi suddenly thought of something.
"Because the price of a hoe mainly depends on the craftsmanship and craftsmanship of the iron, melting an iron pillar only costs the cost of iron ore..." Zhang Han was not afraid at all. "The iron ore belongs to the imperial court. When I say a few pennies per pound, it's as abundant as possible."
Zhang Xing was at a loss outside. Although he was used to discussing politics and history, he didn't understand economics. Why did he think what Zhang Xing said was more reasonable?
However, if the money is melted, won't it cause the price of copper coins to also increase, and then the prices of all commodities will take off further?
There are still two million kilograms of iron... Gold and silver are already in such a hurry, iron... except for mineral deposits and stocks... shouldn't they be confiscated again? For example, take back a hoe worth fifty cents and melt it down, turning it into a few cents worth of pouring iron? But no husband seems to care about this. They only care about the total cost, and what they use to compare is how many soldiers can be raised with this money.
This time, the discussion in Nanya lasted until the afternoon.
Zhang Xing was already dizzy.
However, it finally stopped, and several husbands came out together, some of whom looked quite tired. Without thinking, Zhang Xing waved directly and started from the corridor with Qin Bao and the other nine Fulong Guards. They spread out along the corridor first, pointing all the way from the door of the council hall to the door of Zhang Han's public room.
However, at this moment, an unexpected accident occurred.
Qin Bao, who had been standing guard with his head bowed, suddenly stepped forward, jumped into the small courtyard of the political affairs hall, and then braved the rain to respectfully salute several ministers and hold his hands in front of him, and said: "My ministers!"
Zhang Xing's heart skipped a beat. He thought of something and immediately jumped into the rain curtain, preparing to drag the other party back.
But it was too late.
"What?" Yu Changji, who was standing in the corridor, clasped his hands and stopped with a smile, making Zhang Xing's actions in vain. "Does this Fulongwei have anything to say?"
The other husbands had no choice but to stop.
"Report to Mr. Yu." Qin Bao's face turned redder and he hurriedly spoke. "I...I want to say...I want...to ask you gentlemen to take care of the people of Dongdu...Since the imperial court ordered all officials to donate gold and silver, in less than half a month, many officials have used it to exchange gold and silver." He blackmailed the traders in his name, and the traders were miserable, and they increased the prices arbitrarily. Now the price of rice, grain, firewood and firewood in Dongdu has skyrocketed..."
"Zhang Xing." Before he finished speaking, Bai Hengqiu became impatient. "Take care of your subordinates...tell him where this place is and what mistake did he make by doing this?"
"Yes." Zhang Xing turned around helplessly and grabbed Qin Bao's hand. "Qin Erlang, of course you have good intentions in doing this. You don't want your husbands to lose their reputation... Nowadays, there are many nursery rhymes and jingles in Dongdu about your husbands... But so what? Those are just small sections. No matter what, You, a Fulongwei with a white ribbon, are not qualified to report directly to your husband other than the Prime Minister, because as soon as there are examples of cross-level reporting, it will be like the breakdown of the class law in the military, which will only give rise to new troubles... hurry up Please stand down!"
Qin Bao took a deep breath and replied in a low voice amidst the silence of several ministers: "Yes, it's Meng Lang who has been demoted. Please atone for your sins."
Zhang Xing pretended to have nothing to do and looked at Bai Hengqiu, then just glanced at him and hurriedly turned him around as if he had received some permission.
Bai Hengqiu twisted his beard and gave a dry laugh before leaving first. The other princes also laughed dryly and continued to disperse.
When Qin Bao returned to the corridor, his face was already red, but he was wet from the rain. He just followed Zhang Xing and stood in front of Zhang Han's public house without saying a word.
However, when Zhang Han walked to the door with his hands behind his back, he suddenly reached out and pulled Qin Bao in.
Zhang Xing was stunned.
What made him even more stunned was that Zhang Han dragged Qin Bao into the public house, asked about Dongdu's price increase in detail, and then promised on the spot:
"I am the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and I cannot care about the life and death of the people. You are Qin Erlang, right? Don't worry, since you have come to retaliate with good intentions, I will definitely intervene in this matter."
Qin Bao was moved to tears.
Zhang Xing at the door stood on end with fright, but he didn't know what to say... Of course he knew that Zhang Han was worried that he would lose his reputation and become the target of public criticism, but what if he interfered?
Can this really be stopped?
Sure enough, just two days later, the imperial court issued a notice through Jingjiehu and the county governments of Luoyang and Henan, requiring that all prices should be the same as a month ago. If there is any unauthorized price increase, after collecting evidence and comparing Yes, he was immediately arrested for "raising prices and plotting evil".
As soon as the news came out, prices in the city plummeted, and no one dared to risk jail time with a little profit. The people at the bottom who were struggling to survive cheered.
Qin Bao also got excited, even though the notice didn't mention cracking down on extortion at all.
Seeing this appearance, Zhang Xing wanted to speak, but he didn't know what to say...According to his understanding, this kind of forcible cutting off the head without caring about the bottom, and even did not stop the source of the malignancy, would only make the matter worse...But The dignified Prime Minister readily accepted Qin Bao's report and reacted so that Qin Erlang was on his way. What could he say?
Three or four days later, the last day of mid-April, it was a holiday. On this day, both Zhang Xing and Qin Bao took turns to stay at home.
Zhang Xingzi studied his Yi Jin Jing at home and tried to meditate, while Qin Bao accompanied Yueniang to go shopping as usual. Everything was as usual... However, not long after the two went out, Zhang Xing just tried to meditate. Suddenly, someone Knock on the door.
Zhang Xing was surprised, and he was even more surprised when he opened the door, because the person who came was actually Yan Qing.
"You were also blackmailed?" Zhang Xing blurted out as soon as he sat down after bringing the other party in. "The other party has a lot of background and doesn't want to buy my respect? Didn't he tell Miss Bai's name?"
"It's considered being blackmailed, but it doesn't count as... meeting a master." Yan Qing responded with embarrassment. "There is the True Fire Festival of the Red Emperor Empress in early May. It is usually customary to light fires to dispel dampness during celebrations. It has also happened in previous years... But this time, a minister from the Ministry of Etiquette came directly to come forward... Then a Yuan Wai Lang who presided over the celebration in Beishi City spoke privately. , they asked us to pay more when we pay our contribution this year, and they also made it grand, and they also wanted gold and silver, not copper coins and silk."
Zhang Xing was silent for a moment and shook his head in reply: "This is not an encounter with a master, this is an encounter with a shameless one... Should a minister be dismissed directly? Or should we go to Bei City where everyone has a back-up?"
Yan Qing was embarrassed for a moment: "Actually, my family can afford this. The main reason is that I can't find gold and silver anywhere. I can't borrow it from the eldest princess's jade shop, right? I am really helpless, so I thought of you, Brother Zhang San." .”
"It doesn't matter, it's in the fish pond." Zhang Xing stretched out his hand to signal. "I'll get it for you..."
Yan Qing was relieved.
After a while, Yan Qing thanked him and left. The fishy smell on Zhang Xing's hands had not dissipated when someone knocked on the door again.
When I opened it this time, I saw that it was a kind-faced man, and he was carrying a rectangular box with three layers inside and three layers outside.
Zhang Xing couldn't remember it for a moment, so he had to ask seriously: "Who are you?"
"Deputy Zhang, right?" The man carefully held the box with both hands outside the threshold and bowed slightly, then raised his head carefully. "When you went to buy "Seven Horses" that day, you left your name and address with a friend I know. I have always remembered it... I heard that you had done a deputy routine inspection and been promoted to a black ribbon, so you came here specifically to congratulate... …This is Wang Canjun’s "Pailing Dragon"."
Zhang Xing suddenly remembered who the other party was, and nodded: "Just wait, I happen to have some gold here."
After saying that, he immediately turned around, weighed out fourteen taels of gold that still had a fishy smell, and then handed it to the other party on the threshold: "Fourteen taels of gold, for one hundred and forty taels of silver... I accept this picture." Got it!"
As he spoke, he snatched the box from the other party's hand, closed the door, and turned back.
The man was holding several pieces of gold cakes with the jade sign in his hands. He stood in the rain in front of the door for a moment, bowed his head and bowed to the closed door, then hurriedly took the gold cakes and ran away in the rain.
Next, there was no knocking on the door. Before noon, Yueniang and Qin Bao opened the door and came in. However, when Qin Bao came back, he went back to his small courtyard and never came out again.
"We went to buy rice, and the rice store manager's wife was crying." Yueniang said helplessly in the courtyard to Zhang Xing, who was watching "Pailing Dragon". "It was said that Jingjiehu came and extorted money four or five times. All the money was gone. I wanted to increase the price but was not allowed. I wanted to close it because it was a government-rented rice shop in the square but was not allowed... Four or five years of work were all in vain... Qin Er I felt very uncomfortable at the time... Then I went to Tongtuofang to buy paper and pens, and found that the shop where I usually bought paper had hanged myself because they pretended to be a well-backed person and refused the blackmail from the county government. As a result, I was killed by Luoyang County. The chief of the police saw through it and found that he only gave money to the street tigers and not to the county police. Then he directly cheated him to raise the price this time, took him to the county jail, and redeemed him after breaking his house. When he found that he had nothing, he directly died."
Zhang Xing was stunned for a moment, nodded, said nothing, and just continued to look at the pictures.
Seeing that Qin Bao still didn't come out after dinner in the evening, Zhang Xing finally got impatient and walked over to take a look, only to find that his face was red, his body was hot, and his forehead was sweating. He seemed to be sick.
"Are you sick?" Zhang Xing asked seriously.
"It's a little rainy." Qin Bao panted again and again, but covered the quilt again, as if to avoid something.
"Is it in the way?" Zhang Xing sighed for a moment.
"It's okay." Qin Bao replied hastily under the quilt. "Sweat, you'll be fine tomorrow."
"As long as it doesn't get in the way, get up and help me kill someone. Don't act like you have no knowledge. Chang Jian is more of a man than you." Zhang Xing had no expression on his face and lifted the quilt. "We are not capable of big things, but we can still do small things, right? Do you know the names of the Jingjiehu General Banner and the Luoyang County police chief who are in charge of Tongtuofang?"
PS: Good night.
