The Happy Life of Small Officials in Northern Song Dynasty

Su Jin, who was busy in the middle of the night, was still asleep when he was awakened by a rush of shouts. Su Jin got up and saw Wang Chaozheng standing at the door and calling out with a straight voice.

Su Jin scolded: "What's the name of the early morning? Looking at the light of the day, I'm afraid it hasn't arrived yet."

Wang Chao said with a mournful face: "My lord, do you think I want to be scolded? Song Zhifu asked the villain to invite you, saying that he has something important to discuss."

Su Jin had no choice but to get up, wash indiscriminately, put on his clothes and go out. He lived in a guest room in the inner hall of the Yamen, not far from the lobby of the Yamen. It was covered with frost, the air was cold, and the exhaled white air lingered around his face like a long dragon. The weather was really cold.

Entering the yamen lobby through the back door, Su Jin was stunned by the atmosphere inside. He saw Song Xiang sitting in the hall in a daze, and a group of officials and yamen servants stood in the hall. There were dozens of people tall and short, but they were silent. Surprisingly, there was a dead silence.

After taking a look at the hall, Su Jin was startled, and saw four human figures wrapped in white cloth lying on the straw mat in a daze, obviously four corpses.

When Song Xiang saw Su Jin, he immediately stood up from his seat and cupped his hands, saying, "Master Special Envoy, I invited you here early in the morning. It was really a sin for you to not let you take a good rest in the wind and dust yesterday."

Su Jin cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, you are welcome." Pointing to the dead body, he said: "What's going on?"

Song Xiang sighed and said: "Early in the morning, some people came to report to the officials. This is Wang Laoliu's family in the west of the city. Wang Laoliu, his wife, and two underage children all died at home last night. "

Su Jin frowned and said, "Miemen? Are there traces of the murderer?"

Song Xiang said with a bitter face, "I'm afraid we won't find the murderer."

Su Jin said: "Why? Isn't there a little trace?"

Song Xiang said: "That's not true. Wu Zuo just had an autopsy. All four of them died after drinking arsenic. There was some wild vegetable soup at the bottom of the pot at home. After Wu Zuo's drug test, he found that the soup was highly poisonous."

Su Jin's heart tightened, and he stepped forward gently, lifted a corner of a white cloth, and saw a man with a black and blue face, his eyes slightly open, his death and pain, which could be seen as symptoms of poisoning.

Su Jin looked at the other corpses again. The two six or seven-year-old children also died in a miserable state. Su Jin felt sad and felt sick in his throat. Fortunately, he didn't eat in the morning, otherwise he might have vomited them all up.

Su Jin stood up and asked, "Master Song, can you find out why they took poison?"

Song Xiang said to an official beside him: "Ma Tixing, tell the special envoy about the situation."

The official looked sharp and looked about [-] years old. Hearing the words, he stepped forward and cupped his hands and said: "Master Special Envoy, after I received the report, I took people to take away the neighbors around him. According to the account of the neighbor Mrs. Yan, this old Wang In the past few days, Liu has committed suicide, and yesterday afternoon he was cursing at the door of his house without knowing what to do, and at night he heard his wife crying."

Su Jin frowned and said, "Why do you commit suicide? What does Wang Lao Liu do?"

Ma Tixing sighed: "Master Special Envoy, Wang Laoliu was originally a coolie carrying goods on the wharf. His wife lived at home with two children. Since my Yangzhou grain store ran out of food, it is said that the whole family has not eaten a grain of rice for several days. , the work on the pier is not always available, and the money earned is not enough to buy a handful of rice on the black market. In recent days, the neighbors have always seen him swearing at others, saying that life is meaningless, and that they are too tired to support their wives and children. , it would be better if the whole family died cleanly, and the neighbors wanted to help but couldn’t take care of themselves, I didn’t expect to really commit short-sightedness.”

Su Jin remained silent, his heart was suffocated and uncomfortable, he did not expect that this matter has reached such a point, this is a sign of an outbreak, once the people are not afraid of death, it will be time for crises to arise, and the officers and soldiers will suppress it Sustaining is absolutely impossible.

Su Jin held the last ray of hope and said: "Master Ma, there is not enough evidence for suicide. You can go to the city's Chinese medicine shop and ask the shopkeeper whether Wang Laoliu has ever bought arsenic in a certain shop. If there is such evidence , can be classified as suicide."

Ma Tixing knew from Su Jin's few words that he was an expert, so he put away his previous contempt, and turned around and ordered the two policemen to go and investigate quickly.

Song Xiang came to Su Jin's side and said: "Special Envoy Su, if this matter did not start because of food, the government would not bother you. Now you see how this matter will end up. Hey, I didn't expect that such a world would happen under my rule. Tragedy, this government is incompetent, and I am ashamed of being kind to the Holy One."

Su Jindao: "Your Majesty, you don't have to blame yourself. The situation is corrupt, but the main responsibility is not on your Majesty. If it wasn't for a natural disaster, why would there be such a tragedy on earth?"

Song Xiangdao: "Even so, the government can hardly shirk its responsibility. I am not afraid of offending you as a special envoy. The imperial court appointed you as a special envoy, but you came empty-handed. How can I solve my difficulties in Yangzhou? What did you say?" When will the 50 shi grains arrive?"

Su Jin didn't blame Song Xiang for his abruptness. Anyone under whose control this matter was under should be furious. After thinking for a while, he said, "The grain will arrive from Luzhou at the earliest, and it will take ten days at the earliest."

Song Xiang said: "It is still possible to arrive after ten days, so let's wait ten days and hope everything goes well."

Su Jin shook his head and said: "I'm afraid it won't be ten days. The current situation is slow, let's say ten days, even three days."

Song Xiang was stunned and said, "What? Is the special envoy afraid of...?"

Su Jindao: "When the people are not afraid of death, great chaos will arise. Although the lord of the government has an army, is it true that he is really going to attack these people who have nowhere to go because of hunger? In fact, they are An innocent man."

Song Xiang said doubtfully, "That's not the case."

Su Jin said: "My lord, as soon as this matter gets out, the common people will gather together to petition today. Didn't you see that Wang Laoliu is already desperate? I think there must be many people who are in a similar situation to him. These people are no longer afraid of life and death." , isn't the Lord Fu Zun arousing vigilance?"

Song Xiang was surprised, thought for a while and quickly ordered: "Head of Weidu, pass down the order and send more people to patrol the streets. If there are people who gather together, disperse them immediately."

The head of Weidu took the order to leave, Su Jin shook his head when he saw this, and said: "At this time, the lord of the government should not use heavy pressure, but need to be comforted by gentleness."

Song Xiang spread his hands and said angrily: "What do you tell me to do? You are the imperial court's food-raising envoy but you didn't bring a single grain. What can I do?"

Seeing that Song Xiang lost his composure, several subordinate officials hurriedly gave him winks. These words have lost their grace. Su Jin is a special envoy sent by the imperial court in charge of raising food. Just like an imperial envoy, Song Xiang didn't solve the matter like this, offended the imperial envoy, and I'm afraid it will get worse.

Su Jin didn't take it seriously, looked at the angry Song Xiang, and sighed in his heart, this Song Xiang was actually not suitable for being an official at all, good knowledge does not mean being a good official, it was justified to send him to the Imperial Academy to compile history books, or It's not bad to go to the emperor's side to be the Zhi Zhigao who drafted the imperial decree. As a state official, it's okay if nothing happens. Once something happens, he has no way to deal with it.

"Your Majesty, all in all, it may be too late to wait for Luzhou to adjust the grain. Looking at the weather, the wind is turning to the northwest, the clouds are getting thicker, and the fog is very thick in the morning. The first snow of this year is probably about to fall. Once Luoxue is probably worse; hunger and cold, I am afraid that a large number of people will not be able to survive, so we must make a decisive decision."

Song Xiang was angry to himself, and said angrily, "Then what do you think we should do?"

Su Jin quietly approached his ear and said, "My lord, how about taking a step to speak?"

Song Xiang took a look at Su Jin, seeing Su Jin's serious pleading expression, he didn't want to refute his face too much, and immediately brought Su Jin to the inner hall.

The two sat down, and Su Jin said: "Master Fu, tell me the truth, is there any food in the Yangzhou official warehouse?"

Song Xiang stared and said, "Where did the grain come from? There is only two thousand shi of grain in the official storehouse, which is the salary and ration of officials and officials. Two thousand shi of grain cannot last even half a month. Besides, even if the two thousand shi are taken out What's the use of it?"

Su Jin smiled and said, "Is it true? Think again?"

Song Xiang said with an ugly face, "Could it be that I, the magistrate, still lie to you?"

Su Jin put away his smile and said softly: "How did I hear that there are still [-] shi of grain in the official warehouse in Yangzhou that have not been moved?"

Song Xiang changed his tone and said: "How can the one hundred thousand stones be moved? That's military rations. The military rations were collected after autumn. The canals were dry and water transportation was impassable, so the third division delayed the transportation and temporarily put them in the official warehouse in Yangzhou. The grains were moved. It's the crime of beheading."

Su Jin said earnestly: "Can't we borrow it first? When the grain from Luzhou arrives, we will fill up the warehouse as soon as possible. It will solve the urgent need and will not cause any trouble. What should the magistrate think about it?"

Song Xiang said decisively: "You must not. I don't know where your 50 shi of grain is still. Once this matter is leaked, you and I will be executed. This matter is absolutely not agreed by the government."

Su Jin looked at his pedantic appearance, and a nameless fire rose in his heart. He felt like a powder keg, the fuse had been lit, and it was about to explode.