Liu Ji stood up, shaking.
Looking at Liu Ji, who was already dying and whose days were numbered, Gu Zhengchen felt an inexplicable sadness in his heart.
Time defeats heroes.
Liu Ji opened the curtain of the carriage, looked deeply at Gu Zhengchen, and said with a calm expression: "Zhan Tong said that you are very wise and consider the long term. In my opinion, he was only half right. You are still right." Lack of experience..."
Gu Zhengchen smiled and said: "Everything in Jurong, which one is not training?"
Liu Ji waved his hand, lowered the curtain, and a voice came from inside: "Jurong, you are the magistrate, the head of a county. Wind and rain cannot hit the magistrate's office. But it is different in Jinling, even if you live in Quanzhou County The male residence can be blown by wind and rain. Come on, take care..."
Gu Zhengchen watched Liu Ji's carriage slowly drive away and disappear around the corner, his heart heavy.
As an elder in the court and an extremely resourceful civil servant in the Ming Dynasty, Liu Ji had fought against Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong and knew how the situation would evolve and develop. This time he ran home. It seems that he anticipated the danger of not bowing his head in time.
Bao Chao Li Si.
Gu Zhengchen hurriedly walked in, ignoring the craftsman who was whispering after saluting, and went directly to the outside of the engraving room.
Fei Zhen looked at Gu Zhengchen worriedly, stepped forward and asked, "Are you okay?"
Gu Zhengchen patted his chest and said with a smile, "I'm very energetic. I heard that the engraving has been completed?"
Fei Zhen nodded repeatedly and entered the room with Gu Zhengchen.
When Song Shi, Ding Qiu and others saw Gu Zhengchen coming, they bowed solemnly.
The person in front of me has single-handedly improved the life and situation of his whole family. It can be said that the kindness is like an ocean!
"I don't need to give you the gift, just take out the engraving."
Gu Zhengchen walked towards the desk.
Song Shi carefully held the two copper plates with both hands and handed them over: "Deputy Gu, this is the original master plate of treasure banknotes. The details have been compared and there are no problems."
Gu Zhengchen took it and inspected it carefully. He picked up the design samples and compared them one by one. They were indeed exactly the same. He took a magnifying glass and observed the details. The slightest lines were clearly visible.
"very nice!"
Gu Zhengchen sighed.
A smile appeared on Song Shi's old face and he rubbed his hands, like a child who had been praised.
Gu Zhengchen knew the hard work of these craftsmen. During this period, they sat on their chairs and concentrated on carving for more than eight hours every day.
Whether it is sunlight or candlelight, they forget to eat or sleep.
Ding Qiu was so ashamed that he lowered his head and said: "The other master plates, five hundred, three hundred, two hundred and one hundred, all had problems during the engraving. They have been destroyed and it will take some time to re-engrave them." .”
Gu Zhengchen did not blame Ding Qiu and others, but said with relief: "It is too difficult to carve the master plate. If you are not careful, your hand will shake slightly and all your efforts will be wasted. As long as one of the five of you succeeds, it will be enough to give the imperial court a commission. The remaining Just adjust the next few pages and carve them slowly."
A master craftsman, with the help of a magnifying glass, still has a very high error rate, which shows how difficult it is to create a master copy of treasure notes that is full of details! This kind of difficulty is exactly what Gu Zhengchen needs, and it is also the best way to reduce counterfeiting of treasure banknotes.
"Are the watermark rollers prepared by the craftsmen ready?"
Gu Zhengchen looked at Fei Zhen and asked.
Fei Zhen shook his head slightly: "Shang is still in the process of preparation and testing. The so-called watermark you requested is His Majesty's avatar. This is not easy. The best craftsmen are used in carving the master plate..."
"How about, let me try."
Song Shi came out.
Gu Zhengchen smiled and said: "In that case, come and give it a try. However, before the watermark roller is made, you need to assist other craftsmen to complete the printing test of Guanbao banknotes. The control of pigments is a difficult problem. How to do it?" It’s bright and full without distortion, and the multi-color combination doesn’t look messy…”
Song Shi nodded repeatedly. One of the biggest differences between Ming Dynasty banknotes and Yuan Ting banknotes is the use of color to distinguish the value of the banknotes. They are no longer all black, gray and white.
The problem of pigment is not too difficult to solve. The red ink pad is not difficult to get. The most difficult thing is the control of the weight of the pigment and the matching of the pigment.
This does take some time to test.
"The time given by the court is running out. Let's complete it as soon as possible."
Gu Zhengchen arranged.
Song Shi and others quickly agreed.
At this moment, there was a noise outside the door.
Zhang Pei walked into the room, looked at Gu Zhengchen, and said with a gloomy face: "Master, the officials from the Criminal Department are here."
Fei Zhen was shocked, and Song Shi, Ding Qiu and others became even more uneasy.
Gu Zhengchen looked at the door with cold eyes.
I saw two Zaolii holding water and fire sticks rushing over fiercely. When they saw Gu Zhengchen, one of them took out the hook sign from his arms and shouted sharply: "Gu Zhengchen, the magistrate of Jurong, is suspected of corruption, abusing the people, and housing the daughter of a sinner. For violating the etiquette and other ten crimes, according to the decree, the Minister of Punishment, Li Yan, will arrest you and bring you to justice!"
"Will?"
Gu Zhengchen stared.
Zhang Pei was even more panicked and didn't know what happened.
"Young man, I have been ordered to do something. Please, Magistrate Gu, please don't make things difficult for us. Please."
The yamen servant Xu Yan laughed and extended his hand to ask.
The yamen servant Yu Lei on the side frowned, put away the hook-up documents, and patted the chain behind his waist. Just as he was about to take it out, Xu Yan pushed him out of the way.
"master!"
Zhang Pei said solemnly, with murderous intent in his eyes.
Seeing that Zhang Pei's knife had been pulled out three inches, Gu Zhengchen quickly stepped forward to stop Zhang Pei and said seriously: "Don't act rashly. You go back and tell your mother and wife that I went to the Ministry of Justice to have tea, so that they can rest assured." , don’t lose your sense of proportion.”
"But, Master, this was obviously deliberately framed by someone. Once you enter the dungeon, it's not them who has the final say? If something goes wrong, how will I, Zhang Pei, explain to the Gu family and live up to Master?!"
Zhang Pei's eyes were red.
Protecting Gu Zhengchen is her mission. Mu Ying has told the emperor that she must protect him even if she risks her life!
But right now, I can't move!
Gu Zhengchen raised his hand and patted Zhang Pei on the shoulder: "Listen to me, go home and protect your family."
Zhang Pei was unwilling to give in, but there was nothing he could do.
It would be easy to kill or knock down the two criminal officials, but the consequences would be unbearable and Gu Zhengchen might even be killed.
Fei Zhen gritted his teeth and took a step forward: "Gu Tiju is a notoriously honest official who works for the people. It's shameful that you framed him like this! Brother Gu, please go away. Fei will write a document to intercede for you right now! I I still don’t believe it, can’t I still explain the clear world, right and wrong, and black and white?!”
Gu Zhengchen looked at Fei Zhen and was quite moved, but still didn't want him to get involved, so he said: "You'd better do a good job with the treasure banknotes. I went to the Ministry of Punishment, and it's all up to you here. The money bank You should also pay more attention and remember, the gold and silver standards are freely exchangeable and no changes are allowed!"
Song Shi stepped forward and grabbed Gu Zhengchen's arm. The corners of his mouth were trembling. He wanted to speak but couldn't.
Ding Qiu, Zhu Xijia and others also felt unfair.
Gu Zhengchen's reputation is not small. He is known as the magistrate of the county for hunting tigers. How bad can he be for a civil servant who dares to go into the mountains and forests to hunt tigers for the people?
I heard that people in Jurong called him their father-in-law and called him a good official. Especially this year, Gu Zhengchen's timely response saved Jurong from a drought. Shangyuan County, Lishui County and other counties were also affected by the disaster, but only Jurong had a good harvest. good.
For a county magistrate who is supported by the people and can keep their jobs, how far can he be corrupt and how can he abuse the people?
Gu Zhengchen grabbed Song Shi's hand, exerted a slight force, then looked at Ding Qiu and others, and said calmly: "Remember your responsibilities, the Ming Dynasty's treasure banknotes will depend on you!"
Say it.
Gu Zhengchen walked out and strode forward, his thin back showing determination and strength.
Song Shilao burst into tears immediately and choked with sobs.
Ding Qiu and others couldn't help but turn away.
Xu Yan and Yu Lei followed.
Yu Lei looked at Xu Yan with some confusion and whispered: "The minister specifically told him that he would be shackled on his feet and taken to the prison of the Ministry of Justice step by step! Let everyone in Jinling see that if we don't shackle him now, we will How can I do business when I get back?"
Xu Yan glanced at Yu Lei and raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead: "If I knew that the person being arrested was him, I wouldn't accept this job at all! Brother Yu, it's not me who said it would be easy to shackle this person. But it’s going to be difficult to untie it. If he bites you back, you and I won’t be able to do anything good!”
Yu Lei was full of suspicion: "He is just a county magistrate..."
Xu Yan sneered: "You are a distant relative of Wang Shilang. You have not been in Jinling for a long time. I don't know who this person is. He is a Quanzhou County boy, a hereditary county boy, and a person who was knighted by the court!"
"Who doesn't know that the county man is a dead man? He is a living person..." Yu Lei sneered. Seeing Xu Yan's stern face, he stopped smiling and asked quickly: "Are you really the county man?"
Xu Yan looked at Gu Zhengchen's back and said in a low voice: "Pinglianghou's son broke both legs because of him. You don't even think about whether the person standing behind you can compare to Pinglianghou!"
Yu Lei was horrified.
My distant relative is neutral, and he can be called uncle based on his seniority, but he is only the minister of the Ministry of Punishment, and he dare not compare with the Marquis no matter what!
"This job is not easy to do."
Yu Lei was sweating a little on his forehead.
In the officialdom, people are most afraid of offending people. They cannot figure out the identity and background of people. Those who should be treated well are not given. There are not a few people who are punished by revenge.
This young man had the energy to make Pingliang Hou's son break his legs, and he probably also had the energy to break his own limbs, so it was better to be careful.
As soon as he came out of the treasure bank, Gu Zhengchen stopped and looked at the carriage stopped in front of him.
Zhou Zong, the man with the sword, walked towards Gu Zhengchen with the sword in his arms, glanced back at the carriage, and then turned to Gu Zhengchen and said: "The prince said that he will protect you with all his strength, so you don't have to worry. It's just that the current situation is uncertain, so we can't trust him." See."
Gu Zhengchen's mouth moved slightly, he bowed deeply to the carriage, and then said to Zhou Zong: "Tell the prince, let him be strong, the breeze will blow on the hills; let him be horizontal, the bright moon will shine on the river. I behave upright, proudly How can you be afraid of waves when you stand on the bow of a boat?"
Zhou Zong nodded heavily, looked at Yu Lei and Xu Yan, his face darkened, and he said with murderous intent: "If he has an accident, even if he is slightly injured, I can guarantee that your whole family, including three generations of clan members, will be killed." Get down! Take this sentence to the Ministry of Justice and tell everyone!"
