I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 720 The fragrance of osmanthus in August

The fragrance of osmanthus in August.

Walking in the streets of East Beijing, you can always smell the faint fragrance of osmanthus flowers. Especially in Nanxunfang, Baodafang, Renshoufang and Chengqingfang where wealthy families gather, the fragrance of the flowers is particularly fragrant and refreshing.

But when you turn to Chaoyangmen Street, the smell of people and fireworks is diluted. Especially when you arrive at Huanghuafang, the original Zhihuayuan and Wuxue area, you can smell the smell of coal smoke and the aroma of various delicacies.

Zhihuayuan has now become Chaoyangmen Primary School. The former martial arts school and Lu Mi Cang opposite have now been converted into Chaoyangmen Market, specializing in daily necessities.

Porcelain from Henan, earthenware jars from Shanxi, large vats from Baoding, hoes and shovels from Luanzhou, hammers and nails from Taiyuan, iron pots and iron spoons from Zhangqiu, and cotton towels from Shanghai.

Now there are Tianjin enamel washbasins, bowls and plates, teacups, and Tianjin thermos bottles placed in the shop, and a large wooden sign with bold characters written in chalk is hung on the door.

"Peony brand basins, bowls and cups from Tianjin Enamel Factory have recently arrived. Buy them now!"

"Tianjin Thermos Bottle Factory Lotus Brand Thermos Bottle, keeps water hot for 12 hours. If it doesn't keep water hot, return it at the original price!"

There were a lot of people crowded in these shops, and noisy sounds could be heard coming from inside.

"Give me six washbasins!"

"Didn't you see the sign posted by the store? Each person is limited to three purchases!"

"I'll bring three more for my family, no!"

"No! You guys bought up all the goods and then sold them at a higher price. You are profiteers!"

"Who are you calling a profiteer?"

"Whoever talks back is a profiteer!"

"You want to get beaten, don't you?"

"Come on, come and hit me if you dare! The police station is 300 meters away, let's see who is faster, you or the security team!

Hit me, hit me! The Chaoyangmen Health Center is 600 meters away. If you don’t beat me in today, you’ll be raised by your stepmother!”

"Okay, you two, we're all here to buy things, not to get angry. We're all on the street, we'll see each other sooner or later, so why get angry?

Three per person, clerk, come and bring three enamel basins to each of these two guests, choose the most colorful ones. Please, pay over there."

The dispute here was settled, but it started again over there.

"Why are kettles so expensive?"

"Sir, this kettle is made of glass, which is expensive in itself. Adding the secret technique of keeping warm, it becomes even more expensive."

"It can't be so ridiculously expensive. It's almost as expensive as a set of Jingdezhen porcelain. It's just for keeping water warm. What's the big use? Why is it so expensive?

Cheaper! "

"I'm sorry, it's not cheaper. Sir, the weather is warm now, so the kettle is still sold at the regular price. When it gets cold, the price will go up."

"Hey, you are such a stubborn shopkeeper. How can you not bargain when doing business? I have been talking to you for a long time, but you won't budge even a penny. That's really unkind of you."

"Sir, it is your right to bargain. If you can lower the price by one cent, we will have nothing to say. But we also have the right not to lower the price.

There is no article in the laws of the Ming Dynasty that states that if a customer bargains, the store owner must lower the price."

"Hey, you are such a shopkeeper. I came to your shop to buy something and you started to argue with me about the law."

Some customers were unhappy.

"The one in front, do you want to buy it?"

"What does it have to do with you whether I buy it or not?"

"If you don't want to buy, just go away and don't delay others from buying."

"Hey, what's the problem? You're leaking out."

"Your grandmother didn't hold it tightly enough, and your grandfather leaked out! If you can't afford it, just stay somewhere cool, don't act like a big shot here!"

"How are you talking!"

"I speak with my mouth! Unlike some people who speak with their eyes!"

"Mad, do you believe I can kill you?"

"I don't believe it! Even if you have eight guts, I wouldn't dare to do it!

Jilin and Yanzhou are short of manpower right now, and the procuratorate, courts and the magistrate's office would like to have as many people as possible to punish people like you who are looking for trouble, severely, quickly and strictly.

Now that the clipper ship from Tianjin to Longkou has been opened, I will quickly send you to Yanzhou for labor reform for a few years to contribute to the construction of the New Ming Dynasty!"

"Good fellow, this guy is really good at talking. He made the man dare not say a word and walked away in shame."

"You don't know, this thermos is popular in the government offices. People in the government offices are used to it, and they want to buy one at home. People who come to buy thermos are either people in the government office or have people working in the government office. How can they be good people?"

"I see!"

Most of the shops in Chaoyangmen Market are like this, and there is a part near Huanghuafang Street that is a restaurant area.

All markets in the capital are now configured like this.

There is a restaurant area at every entrance and exit, some large and some small, with anywhere from a dozen to forty or fifty foot shops, selling all kinds of food and tea. There is the Liulichang Market, which specializes in antiques, calligraphy and paintings; the Jiutaicang Market, which specializes in silk and floral fabrics; the Dongbianmen Market, which specializes in grain; the Chaotian Palace Market, which specializes in books and stationery; and the Gulou Market, which specializes in gold and silver jewelry.

People walk around these markets, and when they get tired, hungry or thirsty, they find a place to sit down and eat and drink tea.

There is a restaurant in the dining area of ​​Chaoyangmen Market, Maowujia Sheep Offal Restaurant. Although the store is small, the mutton offal is very authentic and popular. Even many dignitaries like to eat here.

It was not yet half past eleven, and the twenty tables inside and outside the Maowujia Mutton Offal Restaurant were already full.

The tables are not big, and can only seat four or five people at most. Diners who haven't had breakfast come here early to have a bowl of mutton soup, two stewed or cooked pancakes, or three or two noodles, to complete their breakfast and lunch.

The diners ate steaming soup and noodles, and took time to chat.

"Have you heard?"

"What's the matter?"

"The thief king was caught calmly."

"Ah, Bei Congrong was actually arrested! This is incredible."

"This Bei Congrong is said to be the disciple of the thief god Zhu Guochen. He can fly over eaves and walls, and is very powerful!"

"You two, I have heard of Bei Congrong, but who is the thief god Zhu Guochen?"

"Zhu Guochen was a famous thief in the capital during the Jiajing period. He was elusive and came and went like the wind. He also tricked Lu Bing, the commander of the Jinyiwei."

"There is also this matter? Can you tell me more about it?"

"Back then, this Zhu Guochen sneaked into the Lu Mansion and stole the gold, silver and jewelry in the mansion. Lu Bing did not dare to make it public, but one day he mentioned the matter when chatting with the Five Cities Censor. That night, Zhu Guochen sneaked into the Lu Mansion and said to Lu Bing, I told you not to make it public, why did you tell others.

Lu Bing nodded but dared not speak. Zhu Guochen smiled and said, "So what if you are the Imperial Censor of Five Cities? What can you do to me? I will not kill you today." Then he jumped over the wall and left without a trace.

"How is it possible! Who is Lu Bing? He is the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guards and a favorite of Emperor Shizong. All civil and military officials are afraid of him.

A petty thief dared to jump over his head and go to the toilet with a lantern! Rumors, rumors made up by the market."

"There are so many talented people in this world, just forget it if you don't believe it." "I really don't believe it. Zhu Guochen is so amazing, why didn't he kill Yan Song!"

"You are just arguing"

"You two, don't be angry, we're just chatting for a while. By the way, is Bei Congrong also a person like Zhu Guochen?"

"That's not the case. Bei Congrong is just good at disguising himself. He wears a formal robe and attendants, goes out lavishly, and is well versed in classics and poetry. He claims to be a Sichuan scholar and associates with officials and scholars, so no one suspects him.

But somehow he was exposed in the eyes of the Pacification Office, so they sent people to Sichuan to do some background check, and the secret was soon exposed, and then the guards went to arrest him.

He was very alert, and ran away immediately when he heard something strange outside. He could easily walk over the courtyard wall, which was two people high, as if he were walking on flat ground. But there were four or five guards waiting outside with rifles. With two shots, his leg was broken and he fell into the hands of the French.

"Everyone, the government has been very active recently. The Pacification Office and local police departments have been clearing out thieves and robbers everywhere.

In Renqiu County, a famous den of bandits in Zhili, Hebei's Hu Futai personally took charge and mobilized three to four thousand guards, cavalry from the Beijing camp, and marines from Tianjin. In one night, he wiped out twenty-three dens, arrested nineteen bandit families, and confiscated fifteen local powerful gentry. "

"Are there any powerful gentry?"

"Who sells the stolen goods? Of course, it's the powerful gentry. They hide the bandits in their own farms and resell the stolen goods, splitting the profits 70% to 30%. The gentry takes 70% and the bandits take 30%."

"My goodness, these powerful gentry are even more ruthless than bandits."

"That's right. In Shandong, not to mention the powerful gentry, even the county police are in cahoots with the mountain bandits."

"I've heard about this. Police officers from the county police bureaus in Jinan's Licheng, Tai'an, Qingzhou's Yishui, and Mengyin passed on information about the passing caravans to the mountain bandits. They robbed them and covered it up here.

I didn't expect to rob a caravan of the Shaofujian business. Shaofujian, this is a big deal. When the people from the Commercial Investigation Department checked, everything was exposed, including the Shandong Governor, the Provincial Administration Secretary, the Criminal Department, Jinan County, and Qingzhou County, from top to bottom.

Then Mei Guozhen, the chief historian of the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu, was transferred to Shandong as the governor and acting governor.

"Mei Guozhen Mei Kesheng, I have heard of this man, he also has horns on his head, he followed Lord Huo and Lord Cao in battles, killing and making decisions."

"That's right. As soon as he came to power, he dispatched troops to suppress bandits in various places, killing two or three hundred people and capturing nearly a thousand.

Then they followed the clues and arrested the informants, the dealers, and the harbours. No one could escape. They arrested two to three thousand people in one go, including hundreds of local tyrants and gentry.

"Hey, why are they indispensable everywhere?"

"These people are so powerful and arrogant in the village. Now, either their entire family will be executed or exiled to the northwest."

"You deserve it! In the past two years in Shandong, there have been many cases involving the Kong family, and they still don't know how to restrain themselves. They even dare to collude with bandits and rob and kill merchants. They deserve to be killed!"

"I have heard from merchants passing by that now all places are cracking down on mountain bandits and pirates, and cleaning up local hooligans. Shanxi, Henan, Shaanxi, Anhui, Huguang, Jiangxi, and even Guangdong have arrested a large number of Piaoma.

After they caught a group of people, they tried them publicly in the market. Those who deserved to be killed were dragged to the riverbank and killed without any mercy. They also dragged those ruffians and thieves whose crimes were not punishable by death to the execution ground and beheaded together with them.

"Are you going to be beheaded together?"

“Yes, I have a relative from Zhangde County, Henan Province, who told us about it in the autumn and winter of last year.

All the criminals were tried and sentenced together, then put on a horse-drawn carriage and paraded through the streets, and finally tied together on the riverbank. You had to kneel among the death row prisoners. Crack, the head on the left fell to the ground, and crack, the head on the right splashed with blood on your face.

He said that many ruffians were thieves and were beheaded. They were stinking, with feces and urine all over their bodies, and their legs were so weak that they could not walk. The guards had to carry them to the carriages.

"Haha, let's see if they dare to commit crimes again in the future.

These thieves are the most annoying. They are not big evils, but they are small evils all the time, and these evils are closely related to our lives, just like a fly covered in shit, suddenly flying into your mouth. "

"It's to scare them to death. The Criminal Law has been changed, and there are new laws that impose heavy sentences on repeat offenders."

"Heavy sentences for repeat offenders?"

"Yes, even if you are a petty thief, at most you will be punished with a few strokes of the cane and a fine. If you are caught more than three times, you will be sentenced to a heavy punishment. It seems that the heaviest punishment is to be sent to hard labor in the northwest or northeast for fifteen years."

"hiss--!"

Others couldn't help but gasp when they heard this.

"If we look at it this way, Jiangsu's Hai Qingtian would be the Bodhisattva."

"How do you say this?"

"Hai Qingtian, the governor of Jiangsu, governed Yanqing. The biggest case he handled was the capture of a group of white dragons and water crows."

"What are the White Dragon Hanging and Water Crow?"

"Bailonggua is a group of rice thieves. They use long white cloth as ropes to climb over walls and smuggle rice out of government and private rice warehouses, hence the name Bailonggua. They are rampant in Changzhou, Suzhou, Huzhou and other places.

The Water Crows are a group of cunning boatmen who extort money from passing merchants on the river. They will deliberately quarrel with people on the boat, then pretend to fall into the water. If they don't come out for a long time, their companions will drag the person to their death.

Passing merchants were frightened and paid money to settle the matter privately. Those who did not want to fall into the water would sneak for 20 to 30 miles and go ashore in an invisible place to wait for the money to be divided. They often traveled in Yangzhou, Jingkou, Guazhou and other prosperous areas of water transport and river transportation.

Hai Qingtian cracked down on them several times, and the White Dragon and Water Crow were almost extinct. "

After chatting for a while, everyone sighed.

"Your Majesty is wise. Last year, he issued a series of edicts, strictly ordering all localities to improve local security, ensure that the people can live and work in peace, traffic is smooth, and business is accessible."

"It really needs to be rectified. Since the 42nd year of Jiajing, industry and commerce have flourished in various places, and the weather has been good. The people have extra money in their hands, and their lives are getting better and better.

Criminals also rise up, extorting money and endangering the local area. They should be severely punished so that the people can live and work in peace. "

"That's right. Not only should we fight these lackeys, but we should also root them out and get rid of the gentry and corrupt officials who support them."

Suddenly someone said sarcastically: "It's a pity that after beating so many jackals and wolves, you don't dare to fight a single real tiger. I think it's nothing more than this."

When everyone looked sideways, they found that he was a scholar with a look of indignation and disgust at the world.

Haha, this kind of person is never satisfied with anything. No matter how well others do, he will always find fault with it.

You ask him if he has any good suggestions, and he answers with disdain, looking like a hermit: I am only responsible for finding faults and solving problems, so don't bother him with such trivial matters.

Don't bother with people like this. The more you pay attention to them, the more excited they become.

In a remote and inconspicuous corner of the Maowujia mutton offal shop, two young men were sitting at a table. They were dressed in ordinary clothes, just like ordinary scholars.

But his every move and gesture exudes a unique temperament.

"What the poor scholar said just now is quite interesting."

"What do you mean?"

"Brother Jiansui, do you think Pan Yinglong can fight a tiger? He has always been very courageous and his methods are also very clever."

"Fighting a tiger? He has to find a real tiger. Brother Yang, what do you have to worry about?"

"Pan Yinglong is a man of deep thoughts. We must be on guard against him. In the first half of the year, he was busy rectifying local public security. Now he has jumped out again and launched Operation Wind and Thunder. Why do you think he did that?"

"It's simple. In the first half of the year, we will improve the security of the capital because of the Dragon Boat Festival. In the second half of the year, we will carry out Operation Wind and Thunder to extract more taxes so as to complete the tax collection task for the year."

"makes sense"

Suddenly, an attendant hurried over, approached the two men, and whispered, "Young Marquis, Young Master Yang, we just received news that Xiu Qiguang and Zhao Junhai have been arrested."

The two people's faces changed at the same time, "Why were you arrested?"

(End of this chapter)