In late October, the weather got colder.
The small house in Yanshi County was obviously not as comfortable as the big house in Chang'an, and it was freezing cold at night. Du Wulang couldn't help but feel glad that he was married, and sleeping with Xue Yunniang was not so cold. He was also glad that she was not a squeamish high-born daughter, so she didn't dislike this place.
When the rooster crowed that day, it was not yet completely bright. Xue Yunniang felt Du Wulang turn over. When she looked again, she saw him lying there with his eyes wide open, and she couldn't help but be surprised.
"Qi Lang, are you awake so early?
"But I'm awake." Du Wulang yawned, but couldn't sleep, and said, "Oh, I'm thinking about Wang Yi. What does Wei Fuyin mean by 'assist in handling the case'? The case is almost over. But the people are not released... Also, why do you think there are so many things in this small county town? Chang'an is not so troublesome. It really fits the saying that the little demon in the temple is strong, but there are many bastards in Chiqian."
"That's when Li Lang started to take charge of political affairs." Xue Yunniang had experienced hardship, but she knew that the prosperity of Chang'an was a special case, and the heavy burden on the people was the norm.
After chatting for a few words, Du Wulang simply stood up.
There is a lot to do at the moment, the iron and stone shipments are coming, Guo Wanjin’s property is still being searched, the matter of privately minting copper coins has not yet been solved, and we still have to consider how to improve the lives of farmers and water workers in the county... In short, there are countless things. Things are complicated.
“With a small salary, being a staff member is too tiring.
Du Wulang muttered, and went out of the house to the front yard, where he saw Xue Xin fetching water from the well. He was only wearing a single coat in the cold weather, but he was much stronger than him despite his young age.
"Brother-in-law.
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"Is your butt healed? Just let me do such a heavy job." Du Wulang spent a lot of effort to pour the bucket of water into the tank. He almost couldn't breathe, and said with emotion: "Where is the place?" Go ahead and sharpen people."
"The maid sent by Magistrate Lu has been sent back. If you want to avoid being controlled, you have to do more things for the time being." Xue Xin learned Xue Bai's teachings, remembered them in his heart, and limped towards the lobby. go.
"You click on me.
When the two arrived at the lobby, Yin Liang, Lao Liang, Jiang Hai and others were already having breakfast. They looked relaxed, chatting and laughing, and they happened to comment on the county magistrate Lu Linghao.
Lao Liang scooped up the minced meat and put it into the cake. When he looked up and saw Du Wulang coming, he said, "In my opinion, Lu Linghao's ability is comparable to Wulang.
Du Wulang didn't know whether he was praising him or scolding him. He sniffed and said, "The steamed meat is delicious today."
"Don't underestimate Magistrate Lu." Yin Liang said: "He doesn't seem to be strong, and he can subdue all the high-ranking families in the county. Now that Gao Chong is missing, the county office dock is operating normally, which shows his ability. Look at the recent ones. The sound of the wind.”
"What happened to the wind?"
"Magistrate Lu wanted to make the matter as minor as possible, and the news that circulated followed his wishes. Everyone only said that Guo Wanjin was guilty, and that Gao Chong was absconding in fear of the crime.
Du Wulang asked: "Isn't that because this is exactly what the people above want?"
"Being able to guess the thoughts of officials and the court is also a skill. Water has no shape, and Lu Linghao has practiced deeper than Gao Chong. Gao Chong is like a torrent, but he is a pool where people can drown."
"The real skill is to sail against the current." Du Wulang had seen a lot, but he was a little heroic and took a bite of the meat pie.
But when he arrived at the county office and processed the official documents, he immediately became worried again.
At chen's hour, Xue Bai came over at chen's hour, looking like he was sleeping well.
"You don't have to worry about it." Du Wulang couldn't help but said: "There are so many things going on in the county. More than a hundred desperadoes are almost here with knives. You still have to go to Luhun Villa. What's going to happen to your life is still sleeping. Get it.”
Xue Bai had many important matters of life and death brewing in his heart, but he was not as worried as Du Wulang about the general affairs in the county.
"It's okay, I'm a county captain, and I have the court backing me."
Du Wulang said: "Why don't you see the imperial court supporting Wang County Lieutenant? You need to pay attention to Wang Yi's matter."
"I know, it will be done in a day or two."
Xue Bai took a sip of the tea soup, knowing that this place was so messy and that both black and white had to be mastered in order to walk steadily... But he had nothing to say to Du Wulang.
"Huh? This tea is good.
Tea sent by the county magistrate. Yin Liang said, "He does know how to taste tea." "
It was rare for Xue Bai to drink matcha soup that was not salted, and he was not used to it.
When the aroma filled the air, although he didn't understand tea, he still commented: "There are not many people in the world who understand tea like this."
That morning, Xue Bai went to Luhun Villa and talked about tea with Song Mian on the way.
"The one who really understands tea is Li Gong, the governor of Jingling County." Song Mian said: "Li Gong is a distant relative of the clan and served as the governor of Huaizhou. He was demoted to Jingling because of his friendship with Li Gong, the left prime minister. He met him in Jingling. A young man named... Lu...
Song Mian was erudite and had a strong memory, but recently he had been overworked in keeping watch over his younger brother's body, so he didn't sleep well and couldn't remember it for a while.
Xue Bai said: "Lu Yu?"
Xue Bai said: "Lu Yu?
"Yes, the county captain actually knows this too?"
"I heard it occasionally, it seems that the county magistrate mentioned it."
Song Mian saw that he knew, so he didn't say much and said: "Lu Yu is proficient in tea ceremony, so Li Taishou will always have tea in his return gift every year.
"Huaizhou governor?" Xue Bai pondered for a moment and asked: "Gao Chong has a sworn brother, Gao Shang, who was recommended by Prefect Li when he took office in Huaizhou, right?
"yes.
"Gao Chong was also a subordinate of Prefect Li at that time."
Song Mian said: "It's just a friendship. Prefect Li must not know about Gao Chong and smuggling."
This is definitely true. When Li Qiwu promoted Gao Shang, Gao Shang didn't even know An Lushan.
Xue Bai also understood what Song Mian meant.
"For example, Magistrate Lu took the benefits and let Gao Chong go. This does not mean that he is an accomplice, nor does it mean that Gao Chong participated in Magistrate Lu and the wealthy gentry's occupation of fertile land. To use another analogy, Gao Chong and Guo Wanjin collaborated in smuggling, They robbed and sold good people, and Guo Wanjin collaborated with another person to mint copper coins privately. Doesn’t that mean that this person was involved in smuggling?”
Song Mian was stunned for a moment and said: "The county captain likes to joke more and more.
Xue Bai said: "Perhaps the more rice you have, the more sincere you are?
They didn't say anything else on the way. Xue Bai didn't have many people with him, only Lao Liang.
During the funeral, when he heard the Song family crying that sooner or later Gao Chong would be killed to avenge Song Li, Lao Liang lowered his head to cover up the mockery in his eyes.
When he stayed at Luhun Villa at night, he had received instructions from Xue Bai, saying that if a beauty climbed into his bed, he would accept her.
After nightfall, Song Mian indeed arranged for them to live in separate rooms.
Lao Liang deliberately picked his teeth, breathed in front of the bronze mirror, and wiped himself. As a result, he lay there for most of the night and no one came. He was about to fall asleep when he finally heard the door knock.
People who are used to seeing life and death are not very good at mother-in-law. When someone comes up like a slippery fish, he will hold it down and make a fuss. At the end, I did not forget to exclaim.
"It's bad, are you trying to harm my husband?"
"The county captain invites you."
At night, Song Mian personally held a lantern and led Xue Bai up the mountain road and climbed to the Yueyan Pavilion in the mountain pavilion.
This is the second time Xue Bai comes here. The first time he came here was during the day, but this time he came here in the dark.
Looking around, there are no mountains, rivers or cities in sight, only the sky and the earth are open, the morning stars are faintly shining on the outline of the mountains and rivers, and the waves of the Yellow River can be heard in the ears.
The attic was brightly lit, and there was an old man and four middle-aged men sitting around the stove, watching the stars and the snow scene. The five of them all looked elegant and elegant. At first glance, they looked like a noble scholar's home.
The old man was more than seventy years old, with white hair and white beard. When he saw Xue Bai arriving, he said: "I am a friend of the Song Dynasty."
“I’ve met Song Gong.
Song Zhiti successively served as the Jiedushi of Jiannan, Yin of Taiyuan, and served as the right-wing general Lin Wei. Compared with Xue Bai, a small county captain, he was obviously a big shot.
He had lost all his teeth, but he smiled amiably and said, "I fell in love with Xue Lang as soon as I saw him. He was like my brother when he was young, and he became famous all over the world."
It looks like he has charm and talent, but Song Zhiwen failed to become the queen's guest. In this way, it actually doesn't look like him.
Xue Bai said: "This junior will never dare to accept this praise."
"I heard that as soon as you took office, you investigated the smuggling and looting cases of Gao Chong and Guo Wanjin?"
"Mr. Song Mian deserves more credit for this matter."
Song Zhiti was afraid of the cold, so he pulled on the thick fur coat on his body. Immediately, someone closed the doors and windows and turned on the fire.
"It has been more than thirty years since my brother built Luhun Villa. The old man lives here in seclusion, and the county magistrates come and go... I have seen a lot."
As he spoke, the old man blew the ashes on the stove.
A small gesture, but the attitude shown is very clear. To him, Gao Chong and Guo Wanjin were the ashes of Yanshi County, which were blown away as soon as they were blown away. This shows that he is the real owner of this land.
In addition, it was also stated that the Song family was definitely not involved in the rebellion.
Xue Bai nodded to show that he understood, and said nothing.
"Do you have anything to ask me, County Lieutenant?"
"I would like to ask about Guo Wanjin's private coining of copper coins."
"Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the matter has been strictly controlled. Anyone who dares to steal the coin will die and his family will be ruined. However, there were many abuses in the previous dynasty, and illegal coins were banned repeatedly. The root cause is that the Tang Dynasty was prosperous and prosperous, and the market was prosperous. Official money is far from enough...
Song Zhiti spoke slowly, and it took him a while to get to the key point.
"When I was young, privately minting copper coins became a common practice. Until the Kaiyuan Dynasty, the sage issued many edicts strictly prohibiting this matter.
Xue Bai guessed that Song Zhiti should have secretly minted copper coins very early. It was not until the middle of the Kaiyuan Dynasty that the imperial government became stricter, and then it was turned secretly.
There was no point in going round and round, so he simply asked directly: "The official money is insufficient, can the Song family make up for it and help mint coins?
Song Zhiti smiled, seeming to be laughing at this rhetoric.
There are people from the Song family here. If you want to get rid of Xue Bai, you only need to push him down Shouyang Mountain. There is nothing you dare to say.
"It's not easy to maintain this family business." Song Zhiti sighed.
Although there was no answer, he had already answered.
He was old and tired after talking for such a short time, so he closed his eyes to rest.
After that, Song Mian talked to Xue Bai in front of several elders.
"Why is the county captain investigating this matter?
Xue Bai had only speculated before, but it was only at this time that he truly determined the truth behind the private minting of copper coins. The Song family was the one who minted the coins, the Guo family was responsible for selling them, and Gao Chong protected them as a county magistrate.
He asked: "If I don't check, what can you give me?
Song Mian smiled when he heard this and said, "It depends on what the county captain wants."
"Money, power." Xue Bai answered simply, "I might as well say what I can do for you first... Guo Wanjin,
Gao Chong is dead, and water transportation is no longer safe for you. Whether it is bringing in raw materials or transporting copper coins out to exchange them, it is no longer convenient for you. I can replace them.
"I'm afraid the county captain cannot replace Guo Wanjin.
Yeah?
"He transported light goods, grain, slaves, everything. Can the county captain go to Jiangzhun and Yangzhou to buy like him?
"Yes." Xue Bai said: "Don't forget that Mrs. Guo's Mansion is standing behind me. I also have a lot of property in Chang'an."
Song Mian looked at Song Zhiti and saw that the old man seemed to be asleep and unresponsive.
With this small move, Xue Bai began to take more initiative and said, "Do you still need me to prove that I can replace Gao Chong and hold an umbrella for you?"
"Can the county lieutenant settle Guo Wanjin's case earlier?"
"able."
The wind was strong on the top of the mountain, and the wind blew the windows. Song Mian heard the noise, turned around and took a look, looking a little nervous.
“What does the county captain want?
"Take your time." Xue Bai said: "I want to get Gao Shang's power first. Do you know where his iron stone comes from?
Everyone in the Song family looked at each other, and Song Miansui answered.
"Yancheng.
"Who in Yancheng sold it to him?
Song Mian did not answer directly, saying: "The mining and metallurgy of the Tang Dynasty is under the control of the Shaofu Supervisor. There are 96 Copper Smelting, five Iron Mountains, two Xishan Mountains, and four Lead Mountains. However, private mining is also allowed, and the government levies a mining tax. , one of the ten taxes, Tieshan in Yancheng belongs to private people.
He answered a lot of questions but didn't answer at all. Apparently he couldn't trust Xue Bai.
Xue Bai said: "If I really want to investigate a letter sent to Chang'an from the official sources, even if it takes some trouble, I can always find it. Why doesn't Mr. Song tell the truth?
"There was a man named Fan Lao in Yancheng. He came from a humble family, but he could also read poetry and books. At the beginning of Kaiyuan, he worked as a subordinate official in Huaizhong Mansion. Ten years after Kaiyuan, Huaizhou suffered from drought for several years. The saint exempted the people from rent. Mediocre. In the fourteenth year of Kaiyuan, the government collected the arrears of taxes, but the people resisted, and some unruly people killed the servants. Fan Lao was ordered to capture him, but he was arrested instead because he released the leader of the thieves privately. At that time, the governor of Huaizhou The official Li Gong admired him very much and let him go. Fan Lao returned to Yancheng, got together with a few desperadoes, and under the banner of Li Gong, occupied an iron mountain."
"I think he hadn't sold the iron stone to Gao Chong at that time?"
"Gao Chong only came to Yanshi in the third year of Tianbao, but they were both in Huaizhou in their early years, so of course they knew each other."
Xue Bai then knew that Gao Chong had not told the truth and concealed the matter.
It can be inferred that Gao Chong, Gao Shang, and Fan Lao were all old acquaintances in Huaizhou. Because of various things, including the suppression of Li Qiwu, they were dissatisfied with the court and did some desperate things.
The smuggling of ironware and the private minting of copper coins may have started in the Kaiyuan Dynasty, but the real involvement in the rebellion should be after Tianbao Liuzhi entered the Anlushan shogunate.
Xue Bai took out five brand-new copper coins from his arms and said: "You made these? The craftsmanship is good, but tin, lead, sand and other debris are added. Although the weight is almost the same as official coins, it is difficult to distinguish with the naked eye. , but contains less copper.”
Song Mian took it and took a look, squinting slightly, but still waved his hands in denial out of habit.
Xue Bai asked Yin Liang that the technical difficulty of casting money in the Tang Dynasty was very low, and the "mother money sand casting method" was used.
Therefore, he originally thought that the copper coins were minted privately by a mine owner like Fan Lao, but he found a large number of brand-new coins in Guo Wanjin's home. Just as he suspected that someone was minting coins at Luhun Villa, he met Diao Geng who spent money lavishly on copper coins. .
After questioning today, Xue Bai had an idea.
"Let me guess, the copper mine is also in Yancheng. Because it is an official metallurgical industry and the supervision is strict, it cannot be cast on site. Fan Lao mined the copper mines illegally and sold them to you, while Guo Wanjin used the Luo River to transport tin and lead. Coins were minted. If you need hydraulic blasting, why don't you cast it in Manglingshanyin?
Song Mian smiled. He revealed most of the information. It was normal for Xue Bai to guess it.
"One thing needs to be made clear. We only buy copper coins. Later they smuggled iron and stone, which had nothing to do with us.
"Okay, count me in?
Song Mian asked: "How can you trust Lieutenant Xue County?
Xue Bai said: "I can use the money and food from the county office to buy iron and stone agricultural tools. This money and food can be divided into three parts. I, the Song family, and Fan Lao each have one share. You can give me my share in copper coins." . I have just taken over from Gao Chong, and this first transaction is just to make a friend."
Song Mian nodded, thinking that this method was much safer than cooperating with Gao Chong.
To be honest, he really didn't like Gao Chong transporting the iron stones to the border town and selling them to the Jiedushi.
"Maybe the county captain can use the name of Madam Guo's mansion to exchange copper coins for light goods and treasures?"
"Can."
Song Mian asked: "What does the county captain plan to leave behind so that I can feel at ease?
It was at Lu Hun Villa that he dared to speak frankly, but who knew what Xue Bai would do after he left.
"No need." Song Zhiti was not asleep, so he closed his eyes and said slowly: "I believe that Xue Lang is sincerely cooperating."
Xue Bai is indeed very sincere. For him, he has to eat one bite at a time, and he has to digest everything in his mouth first.
The heads of the family all spoke. Although Song Mian was uneasy, he still responded: "Okay."
He picked up the wine flask, placed several gold cups on the table, poured the wine into it, and handed one of the cups to Xue Bai.
"After drinking this cup together, we will be in the same boat."
Xue Bai was not worried about Song Mian poisoning his wine. To have power, one must fight, but after fighting for power, profit-making is the norm in the world.
So several gold cups clinked together, and everyone looked at each other and smiled.
They stood on the top of Shouyang Mountain, overlooking the world, as if they were enjoying a gourmet feast, and drinking a glass of wine together seemed to invite Xue Bai to join the banquet.
Xue Bai will eat it deliciously, one bite at a time.
