The Happy Life of Small Officials in Northern Song Dynasty

In the city of Luzhou, the third chairman of the chamber of commerce racked his brains to think of strategies. Zhu Shiyong's words before his departure seemed to mean something. Commander Long and his men were dissatisfied with Su Jin. What kind of role can it play?Could it be that they still dare to disobey and disobey Su Jin's order to transport grain?

Of course not, Long is really not a fool, no matter how dissatisfied, he will never disobey orders, seeing that Commander Long is also a rolling figure in the officialdom, although Qiu Bazhi is a bit full of spirit, unlike civil servants who are all like wily foxes who can't figure out the depth , but if you say that he would be so stupid as to disobey orders, and no one would believe him, that would be a problem with your own head.

Tang Jiyuan couldn't figure out what was going on in his head. Looking at the other two, he also frowned and thought. Vice President Huang is hopeless. Although this man is fat and fat, he probably has nothing in his head except fat and water, but he is skinny. Chairman Liu is different. Little Zhuge's name is not just a joke. Numerous things have proved that there are more poisonous schemes in this person's belly than the wrinkles on his face.

"Old Liu, what should we do about this matter? Is there anything you can do?"

Vice President Liu tapped his fingers on the table, and said cautiously: "Actually, I have a way, but... I'm afraid this way won't work."

"What time is it, you're still playing tricks, tell me." Vice President Huang shook his head, and the fat on his face was like dough in the hands of a noodle chef.

"It's not that I'm playing tricks, this method will definitely work, but once it is revealed, you and I will have no bones left." President Liu lowered his voice to the lowest level, and the two had to lower their heads and lean closer to his mouth to hear clearly.

Tang Jiyuan had never seen Chairman Liu so cautious before. He knew that the matter must not be simple, so he quickly winked and signaled Chairman Tang to go outside the private room to see if anyone was there.

President Huang poked his head out and saw two maids and a clerk standing there a few steps away waiting for orders, so he said, "So who, you three stand at the stairs, don't let anyone else come in, no one is allowed." .”

The three left as they said, only then did President Huang retract his body, pull the curtain tightly, leaned against President Liu, and listened quietly.

Chairman Liu let out a sigh of relief, and said with a low voice: "Both of you are close friends of my Liu. For more than ten years, we have been in the same boat through thick and thin, and we have established a good situation on the ground of Luzhou. If it is like this today, I have great trust in the two of you, so today I am the most reassuring to the two of you who expressly say that I, Liu; A grasshopper on a vine must live and die together."

Tang Jiyuan said: "My dear brother, you are worrying too much, but to put it bluntly, we are already close friends of life and death, and neither of us will be so stupid as to do anything against the other, because our fate is already connected. .”

Chairman Huang also said: "Brother, brother can swear to God, but you just say it's okay, and you don't even think about it. Among the things the three of us have done, you can pick out one thing that is not a crime of ransacking the family and exterminating the family. Why are you worried now? "

Chairman Liu said with a smile: "Yes, but I'm worrying too much."

Tang Jiyuan said: "Say, now is the time for you to die and live. Zhu Zhifu is right. Although Su Jin is not coming for us this time, I am afraid that we will not escape his hand. The relationship between us and him is like killing the father." Revenge, he almost went to jail that day, and he can't take care of anything this time, if he can make his errand fall through, from now on, this kid will accomplish nothing, and when he returns to Luzhou, we won't let us rub him down Is it?"

President Liu said: "That's what I said, that's what I'm thinking about. Yangzhou's turmoil is caused by the lack of food, and Su Jin went to Yangzhou to stabilize the situation and start his reputation as a food-raising envoy. Judging from the current situation, Su Jin's method is nothing more than adjusting grain prices and lowering prices, and then buying time to delay the deadline ordered by the imperial court, digging out the grain hoarded by merchants and wealthy households in Yangzhou City in one fell swoop, and solving the food shortage crisis in Yangzhou."

Tang Jiyuan nodded and said: "The old man also judged in the same way. After the matter of Yangzhou is settled by him, the court may trust him even more, but his next move will get further support from the court. By then, we will have a good day." It will be difficult, and the best result may be that he can't find our grain, and there is no evidence to punish us, and we can only let the 30 shi of grain go moldy or be used as rations for ants and rats. to get past this.”

President Huang said angrily: "How do we do it? This is 70 to [-] yuan. If this happens, won't our vitality be greatly hurt?"

Tang Jiyuan patted Chairman Huang's hand and said, "Be safe and don't be impatient. Isn't this an analysis of the situation? Can we make this happen?"

Chairman Liu smiled and said: "If you want us to suffer from a dull loss and keep silent, it is impossible to think about it. For the current plan, we only need to let 50 shi of grain not be delivered to Yangzhou, and the problem will be solved; you think, the situation in Yangzhou is tense every day." It seems that one day, Commander Su Jin ordered the Dragon Commander to bring an army of two hundred horses to guard grain, but he hurried to Yangzhou. Obviously, the fire was imminent; , how could he let him do things so easily."

Tang Jiyuan clapped his fists and said: "Yes, choking his batch of food is equivalent to choking Su Jin's throat, but Commander Long will raise vehicles tomorrow, how can we prevent this batch of food from being distributed?" ?”

President Liu said: "The first step is to let the dragon commander have no cars to use. Tomorrow morning, we will greet all the car dealers, and the merchants below will also say hello. 50 shi of grain requires hundreds of carts. Fang Ke, he can't raise vehicles, let's see how he transports them away."

President Huang laughed and said: "Old Liu, you are really hurt, this move is quite poisonous, let Commander Long catch you blind, but if he begs to come to us, he will have to give face."

Tang Jiyuan said: "At that time, we can just raise dozens of cars for him. We have limited ability, and there is nothing we can do."

President Huang nodded and said, "Old Huang, you are hurt enough."

Tang Jiyuan turned his head to ignore him, frowned and said: "But this is not a long-term solution. Zuojin counties and prefectures will always be able to raise a cart, it's just a matter of time, and if he is in a hurry, he can send someone south Going down to Jiangling Mansion, Wuhu County, and calling for a big ship to come up, won’t it be of no use then?”

Chairman Liu said with a sullen face: "The delay is temporary. The longer it is, the more Su Jin will be an ant on the hot pot over there, so how long it can be delayed is as long as possible, but we must help Long Zhen at the critical moment." With a helping hand, you must not ask him to transport grain by water, then only dozens of carts and horses are needed to transport it back and forth to the dock, and then board the boat, and there is no chance of recovery."

Tang Jiyuan said: "How do you say that?"

Chairman Liu said: "There is still a hurdle they haven't passed on the land road, but when they get on the water road, they can't stop going down the river."

Tang Jiyuan said in surprise: "Land checkpoint? What checkpoint."

President Liu dipped his hand into the tea, wrote something on the table, and then wiped it off with his sleeve.

Tang Jiyuan and President Huang gasped. President Liu wrote the word 'bandit'.

The box fell into a deathly silence, and the candlelight burst into sparks, making a light chichi sound.

……

In the elegant hall in the backyard of Hefeng Building, Yan Biyun was sitting on a big chair, with Xiao Xian'er holding a hand stove standing behind him.

There were footsteps in front of the door, and someone said outside: "Miss, I'm back."

Yan Biyun twitched his eyebrows and said, "Come in and answer."

As soon as the door curtain moved, a servant lowered his head and entered the room with a sense of coldness, stood at the bottom and bowed his hands in salute.

Yan Biyun said: "Xian'er, pour him a cup of hot tea to warm his body, tell him to sit down and talk."

The young servant was flattered, took the hot tea from Xiao Xianer and thanked him repeatedly, Yan Biyun said indifferently: "Tell me, what did you see?"

The young man put down his teacup, cupped his hands and said, "The villain hung the tails of the soldiers and horses in the capital all the way according to the young lady's order, watching them enter the state capital to rest, and wait until the sun is about to set and see the magistrate leading a group of people." Go to the station to visit, villain..."

"Do you know who they are?" Yan Biyun asked, interrupting his narration.

"There are officials from the government office of the state government, and Mr. Tang from our Luzhou Chamber of Commerce..."

Yan Biyun's eyes lit up and said, "Can you see clearly? Is it President Tang?"

The young fellow said: "Master Tang is a famous and benevolent person in Luzhou, how can he not know the young ones; there are also Mr. Liu and Mr. Huang from the Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Liu hides behind the crowd, but his small eyes are sharp." , I saw him right away."

The boy is proud of his eyesight.

Yan Biyun returned to normal, and asked in a flat tone, "Then where did they go?"

The boy said: "Then Commander Long and a group of military masters went to the restaurant to drink with the magistrate, and the little one didn't come back until their banquet was over."

Yan Biyun said, "Which restaurant did you go to?"

"Isn't it the Zuixianlou of Mr. Liu's family? It's true, we and Fenglou have ten times better food than Zuixianlou, but the magistrate chose Zuixianlou to treat guests. He really has no eyes."

Yan Biyun frowned here, Xiao Xian'er hurriedly scolded: "Why are there so many gossips, you can answer whatever Miss asks."

The boy hurriedly lowered his eyebrows and remained silent.

Yan Biyun said: "Where did Long command them go now?"

The boy faltered and said nothing, Xiao Xianer scolded: "I didn't want you to talk a lot just now, but now you don't say anything when I ask you, needless to say you are lazy, you must have missed it. "

The young man hurriedly said: "I see, but it's hard to say it out, for fear of spoiling Miss."

Yan Biyun understood in his heart that he must have gone to the place of fireworks to have fun, so it doesn't matter if you don't ask; so he smiled and said: "You have worked hard too, go to the counter to get twenty yuan for wine and eat, and I will go to see it tomorrow. You must keep your mouth shut, and you will be appointed to be the foreman tomorrow in spring, so go down."

The boy was very happy, and went with a thousand thanks.