On August 14th, the streets of Ruzhou were bustling with pedestrians. Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and everyone is out to buy goods. Since the Jin army invaded last year, everything in society has been in ruins. It wasn't until Wang Xiaolie came back that Ruzhou became peaceful and regained its vitality. People who have returned to a peaceful life pay special attention to this festival and it is extremely lively.
Not far from the government office, people crowded into three floors to buy mooncakes.
Ruan Chao held a small bag in his hand and walked quickly towards here. He met his neighbor Yan Sanlang and said, "It's so early, third brother. Are you here to buy mooncakes too?"
Yan Sanlang picked up the oil paper bag in his hand and said, "Yes. The mooncakes here are really exquisite. I don't know how they made the various patterns. What I bought here is the Jade Rabbit Pounding Medicine, which coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival. Come and eat.”
Ruan Chao said: "I only heard that it looks good, but I don't know if it tastes good or not."
Yan Sanlang said: "Someone over there has tasted it, and it tastes sweet. There are many fillings in it, and you can choose the flavor."
Ruan Chao said: "This is the best. My children will be very happy if I have this mooncake for them."
The two stood on the street chatting for a few words. Ruan Chao saw more and more people gathering there, so he hurriedly said goodbye and squeezed in.
After finally squeezing to the front, I saw a large table with many mooncakes on it. There are ten in a pile, with a sign on the side that says packaging materials, and they are arranged neatly. Behind the long desk are a dozen young boys, all dressed in blue clothes and socks, and dressed cleanly.
Ruan Chao couldn't read, so he pointed at the sign and asked the boy about the traps one by one. This filling is very rich. There are red bean paste ones, lotus seed paste ones, red dates ones, and even five-kernel ones. I don’t know which five- kernel ones it is.
Wang Xiaolie couldn't find the five benevolences. It's just that this name was too famous in the previous life, so I just used it. Without five-nut mooncakes, it’s like mooncakes have no soul. Finally, walnuts, melon seeds, pine nuts, almonds and sesame seeds were used to make it more famous.
But what really attracts people is the shape of the mooncakes. In addition to round ones, there are also square, heart-shaped and many other shapes. Unfortunately, people in this era are still not interested. What they are interested in are the patterns printed on the mooncakes.
Wang Xiaolie found a skilled carpenter and carved many molds. On it are printed stories related to the Mid-Autumn Festival such as the Jade Rabbit pounding medicine, Chang'e flying to the moon, Wu Gang cutting laurels, and Toad Palace collecting laurels. These are the stories that are truly fascinating.
Ruan Chao asked them one by one and said: "There are many traps and I don't know which one is more delicious. Well, just choose Jade Rabbit Pounded Medicine and Toad Palace Zhelian Gui. Give me a few of each. I have enough money for three pieces here. Bought them all.”
The boy agreed loudly and took the money. I chose what Ruan Chao wanted, wrapped it in oil paper, and tied it with a string, making it very neat and tidy.
Ruan Chao squeezed out of the crowd carrying mooncakes. Walking on the road, I weighed it with my hands and sighed: "These things are so expensive!"
Even though he said this, there was still a smile on his face. A pair of children have suffered for a year, but if they are happy this year, it is worth spending any money.
The Jade Rabbit makes medicine for her daughter, and it is a story about a little girl. The title of Toad Palace is for the son. I hope that when he grows up, he can really go to high school and come back as a Jinshi like the father of Zhizhou Wang Xiaolie.
In the government office next to it, Wang Zhong put a few packages of mooncakes on the table and said to Wang Xiaolie: "I didn't expect that this mooncake shop is actually opened by the government. When I walked there, I saw many people squeezing to buy. Go in and take a look , they were particularly beautiful, so I bought some and took them home. Little did I know, Xiao Sheren had already prepared them here. But I spent money that I shouldn’t have spent.”
Wang Xiaolie said: "This is a moon cake, you can eat it, it is not a waste of money. This thing can be kept for many days, go back and let your family taste it."
Wang Zhong nodded: "That's what Xiaoshe said. By the way, I'm going to buy some chicken, duck and fish in the afternoon to eat. Tomorrow we will have a happy Mid-Autumn Festival at home. Whatever Xiaoshe wants to buy, I'll go and buy it together." "
Wang Xiaolie thought for a while and shook his head: "How do I know what to buy? You go and buy it yourself. Buy what you think you want. In the end, I will calculate the money for you together. Let's go back together tomorrow. I will spend the holidays with my sister."
Wang Zhong smiled and said: "What are you saying, Xiaoshe? I just buy things, I don't have to use your money."
Wang Xiaolie said: "You have to make money to support your family. You don't know how much it is used in daily life, so you save the more. I also have a salary, so of course I use my own money for my own expenses. Remember from now on, as long as I have money for my family, you will write it down. .”
Seeing that Wang Xiaolie was serious, Wang Zhong had no choice but to nod in agreement. I just feel weird in my heart. He was recruited into the army by Wang Rudai, and he was originally supposed to take care of Wang Xiaolie. Unexpectedly, a year later, Wang Xiaolie would have to settle things with him.
After watching Wang Zhong leave, Wang Xiaolie returned to Zhou Yamen to take care of some daily affairs.
Wang Zhong is at his hometown these days, helping Wang Xiaolie with some family matters. As a veteran in the military, his salary will naturally be high. It is enough to support a family of one's own, even if Wang Xiaolie's family uses it together.
Qian Wangxiao Lie is very clear about it. If you use it at home, you should spend your own money, if you use it in the public house, you should use the public money, and if you use other people's things, you should spend other people's money. If the money is too little, the government can make more money and pay more. But you cannot use public money for private matters just because of lack of money or convenience.
This has been the case for Wang Xiaolie since he returned to Ruzhou. And he requires his subordinates to do the same. Using public money for private purposes is called embezzlement of public funds. Using public people and things for private purposes is called public use for private purposes. Once such behavior occurs, it must be severely punished.
In fact, this is a Chinese tradition. Although traditions are always broken, it has been like this since ancient times. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, officials' salaries were relatively small, many officials in yamen were private staff, and in many prefectures and counties, there was no distinction between public and private matters.
Since the establishment of political unification by Qin Shihuang, the national revenue and expenditure and the internal treasury revenue and expenditure have been two different systems. Although emperors often embezzled money from the treasury, the system remained. In the Song Dynasty, there were Zuozangku and Neizangku, each with different sources and different channels for spending money.
The emperor is like this, and the officials are certainly like this. There is a fixed amount of official money for state and county official expenses. Putting the minister's money into one's own pocket is embezzlement of public funds. For example, Fan Zhongyan wrote an article "The Story of Yueyang Tower", which was addressed to Teng Zijing, the magistrate of Yuezhou. Teng Zijing was severely investigated by the court because he served as a commander on the front line and used official money for covert operations. Unwilling to be humiliated, Teng Zijing burned all the minister's money books and was demoted. Later, in order to embezzle the official's money, officials often visited each other and used the official's money to send gifts. Come to my place and I will give you fifty taels. I will go to your place in a month and you will give me another fifty taels. As time went by, the official money went into his own pocket.
When serving as an official in the imperial court, one must distinguish between public and private matters. The court must have strict systems and officials must be self-disciplined. Otherwise, if you are found out, don’t say you were wronged. For example, Teng Zijing actually used the minister's money to do official business, but there were flaws in the system. In the end, he and his relatives and friends always felt that he was wronged, but the case could not be overturned. It is wrong for later generations to say that Tengzi was a corrupt official, but it is also correct to be treated as a corrupt official.
Wang Zhong was originally a guest of Wangjiazhuang. Slaves are not allowed to have private wealth. Spending money is the master's money, and savings are also the master's savings. When the time is up, it is just as much as the hiring fee. Wang Zhong found it difficult to understand Wang Xiaolie's actions, but other officials took it for granted.
