Prime Minister of Great Qin

Chapter 173 Shi Lu! (seeking subscription)
Breezy.

Blowing the ground also wrinkled the spring water.

Hu Hai has left.

Ji Heng's house was quiet again.

The city was still as noisy as the previous few days, even a little more noisy.

"The smog is the air, the rain and the soil are faint, the sky and the earth are bloody, and the upper and lower are surly." Such a rumor suddenly spread in the city. I don't know where the rumor came from, but it quickly spread throughout the city. Strangers and acquaintances are whispering to each other, competing to tell a series of iron and salt stories that have fermented for several days.

There are even more alchemists in the city who are busy explaining.

But in any case, in the end, they all came together in surprise.

Something is going to happen to Qin!

It will eventually fall on the salt and iron.

When the city people gathered to whisper, someone in the crowd suddenly asked a question.

"Didn't the government keep excess salt and iron?"

A word fell.

The surroundings quickly quieted down.

An old man also asked, "Does the government have salt and iron?"

For a long time no one said anything.

After a while of silence, someone laughed loudly and said, "The broken bastard is still asleep, and your old man is still not awake? What can't the government get out?"

"Just say that the twelve golden men standing in front of the imperial city, if they really go to melt, how many good agricultural tools can be forged, the key is whether the court is willing to melt?"

"Your Majesty should be willing." Someone in the crowd said uncertainly.

"What are you criticizing again? If anyone dares to talk nonsense and slander His Majesty and the government, don't blame the officials." At this time, a small official in soap-colored clothes came from nowhere, and he did not forget Word of warning.

Seeing the little official, everyone dared not say a word.

They winked at each other and stopped talking, but they couldn't hide the worry in their eyes. After hesitating for a while, the old man still couldn't help but asked: "Dare to ask the officials, what is the government's opinion on the matter of salt and iron in Guanzhong?" , what is the attitude?"

"It's been almost ten days, why haven't you seen any movement from the government?"

I saw someone speak up.

The people around the little official also spoke one after another.

"Yes."

"It's going to be spring plowing soon, and we can't do it without salt and iron."

"The iron lei in my house has been broken for a long time, and it can't be used at all. I tried to save money and wanted to buy a new one, but the iron salt sank in the water. If the spring plowing is delayed, what should I do? .”

"Yes, yes."

"Shangli, dare to ask what the government thinks?"

"."

Everyone was talking in a hurry.

There was a hint of impatience in the eyes of the soap-clothed official, he shook his sleeves, shook away the four or five hands that were holding his clothes, and said dissatisfiedly: "I don't know about the affairs of the court. No, how do you know the government's attitude? And even if there is any movement from the government, the Shaofu has to come forward."

"How can I know so much?"

Done.

The little official in soap clothes wanted to go out.

But before he could take a few steps, he was blocked by the crowd again.

The little official in soap clothes showed a sullen expression on his face.

But in the face of the raging crowd, he could only keep his face sullenly, not daring to be tough at all, he could tell that these people in front of him were already a little paranoid.

The old man said again: "Shangli, you are an official in the government, so you know more than us, and you know some things. This is related to the livelihood of our family."

The old man stamped his feet anxiously on the ground.

The soap-clothed official showed embarrassment, hesitated for a long time, and then reluctantly said: "I really don't know much, but it's not necessarily true if I say I don't know at all, after all, I am also an official."

When it comes to "officials", there is a hint of arrogance on the face of the little official in soap clothes.

He continued: "I have also inquired in the past few days. The court still attaches great importance to the matter of salt and iron in Guanzhong this time. His Majesty even arranged for the eldest son to deal with it, but it is different from what you think. The eldest son handles it. It's the shipwreck case in Huai County."

"I didn't care about the lack of salt and iron."

There was a burst of exclamation from all around.

"what?!"

"Don't care?"

"how can that be?"

"That's dozens of large ships. So much salt and iron has sunk, how could the eldest son not care about it? How many people's lives are related to so much salt and iron, don't you kid. Don't talk nonsense."

The little official in soap clothes didn't respond to them in a good mood, and sneered: "What do you know? Is the government the same as what you see? You are staring at your own field every day. Who is the eldest son of the family? That is the eldest son of His Majesty, care about it." can be like you?"

"Not to mention the salt and iron of dozens of ships, even if there are hundreds of ships, if they sink, they will sink."

"It doesn't catch the eye at all."

"You kid, what do you know? That's salt and iron? During the spring plowing, even His Majesty would personally lead the ministers to hold a ceremony and bow to the plowing with Leisi in hand. How could the eldest son not care about it? He is the eldest son. The eldest son in the name of benevolence and righteousness." The old man shouted angrily.

But he didn't know whether it was Fusu's indifference or the angry court's indifference.

"I don't know. Anyway, the eldest son did not care about the information I heard, and he may not even know about it. You are the only one who makes trouble about these things. How many people in the government care about it? But if you really want to It is not impossible to let the court take action."

"At least." The little official said sadly, "Let the eldest son know about this."

"What nonsense are you talking about? How could the eldest son not know?" The old man was furious.

It's just that someone at the side stopped the old man and said in surprise: "Young Master, it's really possible that you don't know. I have a nephew who works in Tingwei's Mansion. He just came back from Huai County two days ago. I asked him yesterday. We were completely unaware of the impact of the iron deficiency on us."

"The eldest son is probably the same."

"But." The old man blushed.

The little official sneered and said: "This person is still sensible. What the eldest son sees is different from ours. What the eldest son deals with is not your matter, but the sinking of the ship in Huai County. Don't look at the matter with your eyes. Son, that is not an identity."

A male duck in the crowd whispered: "Young master doesn't know? Then you can't just leave this matter alone. It will be spring plowing soon. If you delay it, the farming work will be delayed. This is not killing people." ?"

"correct."

"If this is not resolved, how many people will die."

"."

Seeing the excitement around the crowd, the little official hesitated for a moment, and said in a low voice: "Actually, there is no way out. From my point of view, the government is so calm. I am afraid that the matter of salt and iron is not an issue at all in the eyes of the government. As long as the matter Pass it to the ears of the eldest son, and with the kindness of the eldest son, he will definitely help you solve it."

"And don't you forget."

"The Shaofu is in charge of the world's mountains, rivers and seas."

"Isn't that the source of salt and iron?"

"Other places are lacking, so Shaofu can still be lacking?"

"It's useless for you to pull me. I'm just a little official who runs errands. If the Shaofu makes a move, is this Wanjun's salt and iron still a big deal?"

"It's a big deal and it can be shipped from other places."

"Don't drag me down, either."

"I have something else to do."

While talking, the little official struggled to get out of the crowd.

He ran away as if fleeing.

After the little official walked away, the crowd gradually recovered.

The man with a male duck voice snarled and said: "This kid is right. It is useless to ask other people for this matter. The government will not care at all. It is only useful to ask the eldest son, and the eldest son must speak. Only then can these things be passed on to His Majesty's ears, so that the Shaofu can open a warehouse."

"Can Shaofu really solve it?" Someone in the crowd asked anxiously.

The man with a male duck voice said loudly: "That's for sure, didn't you hear what that kid said? The Shaofu is in charge of this, and didn't the Shaofu take over the production of salt and iron some time ago? Can the Shaofu save money for himself? Some salt and iron?"

"Will the Shaofu make a move?" Someone was still worried.

"It's always right to try."

Just when the crowd gradually heard that the Shaofu was able to solve the salt and iron issue, the little official in soap clothes had already retired, and now he has returned to the Tingwei Mansion, dealing with an official wearing a Xiezhi officer.

The official sitting in the hall has a square complexion, a crown and deep clothes, two thick sagittal beards on his lips, brocade shoes on his feet, and a bamboo scroll in one hand. He didn't look at the little official, and asked slowly: "The matter is finished?"

"Return to the chief official, and I have done as the chief official ordered."

"This is the eldest son's order." The man frowned and corrected him.

The little official was startled, and quickly changed his words: "The official made a slip of the tongue, and he obeyed the orders of the eldest son. If the eldest son hadn't spoken, how dare the subordinate speak so boldly."

The little official also smiled wryly.

The man glanced at the little official, seemed to have thought of something, and said: "You follow me back from Lingnan, and you must remember that you will lose your words if you talk too much. Right now, the Tingwei's mansion is not stable, so don't get yourself into trouble."

heard.

The little official's heart trembled.

He knew what the official was reminding him of.

In the past few days, rumors have suddenly spread in Tingwei's mansion that Meng Yi's dereliction of duty has caused dissatisfaction with the eldest son, and he may be dismissed because of this. Positive, left and right supervisors are selected from three officials.

The chief official in front of him is serving as Ting Weizheng.

If Shi Lu could go one step further, wouldn't he, who followed Shi Lu back from Lingnan, not benefit from it?
He hurriedly bowed his head and said: "Don't worry, the senior official, the subordinate official will never dare to cause trouble."

Shi Lu held the bamboo slips in one hand and stroked the beard on his lips with the other. He moved back and forth on the little official, and quickly made a decision. He put the bamboo slips in his hand on the case and said: "Take this bamboo slip back and have a look. , you went deep into the market in the past, and you have dealt with many merchants when you built the Lingqu Canal."

"The imperial court wants to draft a "Law of Commerce", and you may be able to make some achievements in it."

The little official's heart was pounding.

Can't he understand Shilu's voice?

This is clearly promoting oneself.

He suppressed the excitement in his heart, and hurriedly paused and said: "The officials obey the order, and after they go down, they will be strictly scrutinized, and they will never disappoint the love of the chief officials."

"Go down." Shi Lu raised his hand.

The little official bowed again, walked to the case on tiptoe, clasped the bamboo slips tightly in his hand, and walked out slowly.

Shi Lu closed his eyes slightly, looked outside the house, and took out a bamboo slip from under the case again, the same bamboo slip that was given to the little official just now.

(End of this chapter)