After Wu Renyun's death, the people of Xihua did not move much. They were still doing their own work and living a normal life without any sign of sadness. However, Yuan Lun was disturbed and could not eat, while Lu Deguang was probably very happy. It's time to have a celebration party. Yuan Lun was very angry, but Lu Deguang did this matter airtight, and the crime of rebellion could not be refuted. Of course, the county magistrate had to be re-appointed, and the magistrate named Zhao was undisputedly chosen - the magistrate's cousin Professor Zhao. In short, Wu Renyun's death reversed the situation of overt and covert fighting in Chenzhou, and Magistrate Lu finally had a place here that was strong enough to fight against others.
And Ye Yongjia was reborn as a result. He lost his hesitation and became more determined and sharp, like a tall lion, intimidating, and people couldn't help but praise him as "a good minion of Lu Deguang."
The so-called three things a new official should do when he takes office, but Professor Zhao's fire is not burning brightly in the daytime, but a faint flame lit in the dark.
It turns out that not long after he came to power, he either colluded with businessmen to drive up prices and made huge profits; or levied excessive taxes, but the prefect did not bother to check them, so he accumulated thousands of dollars and lived happily all day long.
He then thought about buying some rare things. A businessman selling famous goods happened to be walking here. Hearing that the magistrate always wanted to buy valuable items, he happily brought jade and other things to Professor Zhao's mansion. When he told Professor Zhao about his origin, the servant at the gate hurriedly reported back to Professor Zhao. .
"Since there is such a person, invite him as soon as possible!" Professor Zhao urged.
When the merchant came in, he knelt down to the magistrate first, and the magistrate also bowed. He got up and smiled flatteringly: "I usually heard that the magistrate likes to play with jade. When I saw him today, he turned out to be a gentleman. This little guy was relieved. "
Professor Zhao was embarrassed and quickly said: "Where...where..."
"Forget it, let me see the goods first!" He untied the bag behind him with one hand, which contained jade in small boxes. He opened it gently, and the brilliance of the jade shone in the magistrate's eyes. The magistrates took them one by one and looked at them. The merchants looked at him carefully and sometimes asked him how the jade was. The magistrates all said "good" and had no opinion.
Seeing that he knew nothing about jade, the merchant wanted to make a fortune from it, so he picked out a piece of jade of inferior quality and teased him: "This piece is the best jade produced in Yarkand, sir, let's take a look."
Zhao Xue took it to taste with seriousness, and the luster seemed to be a bit bright. Seeing that he was moved, the businessman hurriedly added fuel to the flames: "I have never seen such beautiful jade in my life. This jade can be said to be as solid as gel, with light inside, pure, thick and warm texture, dense veins, loud voice, and it is beneficial to wear it." The spirit can ward off evil spirits.”
Professor Zhao smiled and nodded. Looking at the jade again, it was indeed crystal clear. "How much?"
"Eighty taels of silver."
"Eighty taels!?" Professor Zhao shouted.
He rubbed the jade again and hesitated.
"If the county magistrate is unwilling to pay, I'm afraid this jade will be sold in a few days." The businessman seemed to feel regretful about this and sighed deeply.
Zhao Zhixian hesitated for a moment, then finally made up his mind and gritted his teeth: "Take the money!"
The servants beside him hurriedly ran to the back room.
"How did you get the jade produced in Yarkand?" He couldn't help but still have doubts.
"Uh..." the businessman's mind turned. "When I was purchasing goods in the capital, I saw merchants from the Western Regions selling jade in the market. When I saw such a good product, I bought it."
"It should have been sold long ago."
"At that time, the villain was reluctant to tell anyone about it. Today, because he wanted to buy some land, he went around looking for someone to sell it to. Didn't he happen to come to your house?..." As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Professor Zhao. , Feeling unsure, I’m afraid he won’t buy it again.
Although Professor Zhao was wary in his heart, he thought it was an opportunity not to be missed. Hearing what the merchant said was reasonable, he took a bag of silver brought by his servant and weighed it. It was eighty taels.
The businessman took the money with a smile and thanked the magistrate Zhao. Zhao magistrate sent him out and walked around the house admiring the beautiful jade.
After all, he was still a little worried. It happened that several friends came from other places, and he hosted a banquet to entertain them. They ate and drank wildly at the banquet. While chatting, Professor Zhao took out the jade and showed it to a friend who knew jade. The man said : "This is a poor-quality imitation. It costs about three or four taels of silver. How can I need eighty taels? My dear brother was deceived by him."
After hearing this, Professor Zhao's head was buzzing and he was so angry that he cursed the businessman and smashed the jade in front of everyone. As that wasn't enough to vent his anger, he complained to everyone a few more times before that was all.
But the eighty taels of silver would not be recovered for a while. He originally thought that it wouldn't matter if he saved food and drinks for this money, but now that he was cheated, he became furious and wanted to earn back the money no matter what.
He immediately thought of a clever way to bribe the salt merchants who secretly sold private salt in Chenzhou, so that they could not be banned by the government in Xihua. He allowed them to sell inferior salt and made huge profits for himself. But Xihua is not a wealthy place. It is estimated that after one month, it will only cost thirty taels of silver, which is really too little.
A bookkeeper helped to make suggestions and said: "Since you think Xihua is poor, why don't you give the prefect of Yanglu a certificate to sell the illicit salt in Huaining?"
"No," Professor Zhao said, "If such a scandal were to be decided by the magistrate, if it were leaked in the future, I'm afraid his reputation would be completely lost; someone who values his reputation so much would not dare to make the decision on his own."
The chief clerk smiled and said, "It seems that you don't know Chenzhou's rules."
"What rules?"
"Anything that cannot be done openly, we only need to discuss with Ye Tongzhi. If Ye Tongzhi agrees, it means that the prefect has also nodded."
"Is this really true?" After being deceived by the businessman, Professor Zhao became very suspicious.
"Absolutely true."
"Okay. I will send my subordinates immediately. If you tell any lies, I will hold you accountable!"
When Professor Zhao returned home from the Yamen, he called a servant and ordered him to carry a letter written by himself, with a fifty-tael silver note sandwiched between the letters, and set off for Huaining.
Ye Yongjia is doing business in the second hall. It was dark there, with only the west window open, letting in a faint light. The door suddenly creaked, and the sun shone directly in, hitting Ye Yongjia's face. The pair of eyes were deep and turbid, cold and ferocious, like a vulture on an isolated cliff, looking down at everything calmly.
His eyes were completely different from before. Instead, they looked more like the claws of a hawk and a dog driven by someone.
Professor Zhao's servant stepped forward and handed over the letter in his hand, "Master Zhao wants to sell private salt in Huaining."
Ye Yongjia pursed his lips deeply and said nothing. He slowly opened the letter and the banknotes inside fell on the table. The slave smiled slyly.
Ye Tongzhi first put the note aside, tore off a small piece of paper, and wrote vigorously on the piece of paper while smiling at the slave. It was an unnatural, even ferocious smile, with faces rubbing together.
After he finished writing, he put down the pen, stamped the paper again, stood up and handed it to the slave. The ferocious smile never stopped, as if it might tear his face apart at the next moment.
Only to have the door close again. That leaves no gaps at all.
