Great Warriors of Sui and Tang Dynasties

Chapter 22
"Why didn't Xiaoliu come?" Sanniang asked about the somewhat silly little brother.

Luo Feng spread his hands helplessly, "I asked him to lead the way, but I didn't know where to go early in the morning, and I couldn't find anyone."

"I must have gone wild with Du Da and Fu San again." The little girl pouted and said, Xiao Liu is only two years older than him, but she is more like a sister in many cases.

"Who are Du Da and Fu San?" San Niang asked.

"Du Da and Fu San are friends of Xiao Liu, so it's sure that nothing good will happen when the three of them are together," the little girl said.

Luo Feng didn't take it seriously, since he was just a friend and companion, he didn't have to worry about what could happen to a half-grown kid.

"Where's my brother-in-law?"

"Going into the mountains to hunt, the yamen asked your brother-in-law to hand in two deer skins, five rabbit skins, and five pheasant feathers before winter, but it's so easy to get. In the past two months, your brother-in-law has some time to go to the mountains I ran away, but up to now I have only hunted a deer and a few rabbits, and not a single pheasant feather." Speaking of this, the third sister couldn't help but sigh.

"Lianniang, who's here?"

Zhao's mother's inquiry came from the house, her son was not at home, and she was bedridden, so she couldn't help but worry when she heard the voice of an outsider.

"Mother, it's my brother who came. The fifth younger brother who dug rivers in Hebei has come back, and he brought three buckets of millet." Luo Lian'er said loudly to the room with some pride. Some brooding.Back then, if all the men in the family hadn't gone out to serve as slaves, the family would not be able to get rid of it, and she would not have married Zhao Bamian'er.

And the family was poor, and there was no dowry in the wedding, which made her feel a little bit embarrassed after entering the door.Especially now that my husband goes hunting in the mountains all day long, and the family can't take care of it. The days are getting harder every day, and it's almost impossible to let go of the pot.

When Mother Zhao heard about the three-dou millet, she hurriedly asked, "Isn't the three-dou millet a gift for your family? Why did you bring it again? What, your brother didn't agree with your marriage, and now you want to go back on it? I said Fourth daughter-in-law, you have been in my Zhao family for two months, you can't go back on your word!"

After hearing this, Luo Feng hurriedly walked into the courtyard and said, "Mother, you misunderstood, I didn't come here today to repent, on the contrary, I came to congratulate, I was not at home when the third sister got married, and now I am back , naturally have to come and go. Sandou Sugu has no other meaning, they are all relatives."

Zhao's small courtyard is actually not big, and it is very old.

Luo Lian'er helped Zhao's mother to the hall, and met Luo Feng and his sister, then Luo Feng saluted and explained the purpose of coming, which surprised Zhao's mother too.

"Aniang, what do you need at home? Our Luo family has prepared ten dowry for my sister."

Zhao's mother didn't believe it at first, but after listening to Lianniang's story about how her younger brother did meritorious deeds and how he got rewarded, she became somewhat skeptical.

"Can you help me buy a piece of deerskin and ten pheasant feathers, and help our family hand over the assignment from this yamen first?"

Deer are hard to hunt, and so are pheasants. If the errands cannot be completed, the son has to go to the county to eat boards and wear shackles.

Luo Feng had just heard his sister briefly talk about the task assigned by the government office. According to his understanding, the county government has this task, but in fact it is out of shape.

It is possible for the yamen to collect some mountain fur from the hunters below, but there will never be so many.Under normal circumstances, the brother-in-law would at most receive some prey fur or discount money from the yamen, but not much.It is absolutely impossible to claim ten deerskins at once, and then change to two deerskins after eating and drinking, plus ten rabbitskins and five pheasant feathers.

Obviously, the Hu Cao's helper either increased the task privately, or it was caused by the increase in levels from above.

"Don't worry, Ma'am, I've been recruited by the county magistrate to be a fast-track catcher in the county government. I'll help you find out what's going on later. If you really have to pay so much, it won't be too late."

In Luo Feng's heart, he was 100% sure that the apportionment in the county government office was not so heavy. A lower-level official.

The entire household Cao is in charge of the collection of money, grain, taxes, population and household registration of the whole county, and the affairs are relatively heavy. However, the entire household Cao is only Cao Zuo and the following two historians. There are only these three officials in total, but a county has such a large population. There are so many things that can't be done by them, so they recruited helpers and asked them to share and assist.

But Hucao is the only three officials who are paid, and the servants below will not get money and food from the top. It all depends on the yamen itself, and the county doesn't care.

What can they do? Although the county has some public farmland and public money, the proceeds are for the county magistrate, county magistrate, Cao Zuo and other officials. Li has the power, so they use their power to distribute more money and food when collecting taxes.

Originally, Hucao was dispatched more, and when the helper was actually expropriated, another layer was added, so the burden of the common people became heavier and heavier.

This kind of thing is not unknown, but obvious, but the court has always been aware of it and ignored it. After all, the Sui court has a territory of thousands of miles, but there are only a few thousand officials with official ranks.The imperial court is only responsible for the salaries, money and food of these thousands of people. The rest of the various officials, whether they are servants or servants, don't care at all.

This is the so-called officialdom unspoken rules.

When it was almost dark, brother-in-law Zhao Scarface finally came back.

He walked heavily, tired all over, but worried. He went up the mountain for three days and only hunted two rabbits, a bamboo chicken and three mountain rats.

The most urgently needed wild and pheasants were not hunted.

"Lianniang, I'm back."

Scarface stepped into the house, put away the worry on his face, forced a smile on his face and shouted to the house, "I hunted some rabbits, bamboo chickens and mountain rats, we can have a meal tonight."

The one who came out to greet him was a handsome boy with curly hair.

"Brother-in-law."

Zhao Scar was stunned for a moment, he had never seen this boy before.

"you are?"

"Officer, this is my fifth younger brother. He just came back from digging rivers in Hebei yesterday, and just sent three buckets of millet. By the way, my fifth younger brother is now the county government's arrester."

Zhao Scar has a tall and burly face, with a strong back and a strong waist, but that face can scare a child to tears when he raises his head. He has a big scar on the left half of his face, which almost covers half of his face. Even if he keeps it The bushy beard is concealed, but it can still be seen clearly.

"It turned out to be Xiao Wu. He came here as soon as he came. Why did he bring millet? The family is so talkative, how can there be any food left?" He smiled and stretched out his hand to pat his wife and brother, and then said, "Why do you have to go to the river just after digging the river?" It’s not a good job to serve as an officer in the county, and it’s not a good job to serve as an errand in the fast class. I have done it before, and all kinds of dirty and hard work take turns, but there is no benefit at all.”

He thought his wife and brother were recruited to serve as servants in the county government.

Lianniang said on the side, "I don't know, don't talk nonsense, my brother saved the county magistrate's daughter, and was praised by the new county magistrate, and now he was recruited by the county magistrate himself to be an arrester in the county government, not a helper, let alone a servant. My brother said just now that he can help you solve the deerskin and other errands from the yamen, why don't you thank my brother."

Zhao Scarmian was really surprised and surprised, his eyes widened in disbelief, "How is this possible?"

"How can it be impossible? My brother captured the eighteen blue-faced ghosts."

"That's even more impossible. The eighteen blue-faced ghosts are so powerful, how could your brother catch them?"

"My brother-in-law is right, I really can't catch the eighteen ghosts, but I happened to meet my uncle's second cousin Shubao in Licheng on the way, and I was lucky enough to catch the eighteen ghosts together with him and a few fellow villagers. "

"Is this actually true?" Scared Zhao was surprised, the half of his scarred face turned purple.

"Scarface, I'm not at home. When will your fur be paid? I tell you, there are not many days left. If you can't pay it when it's due, don't blame me for not being sympathetic. Let me tell you, the board of the county government and The wooden shackle is not good!"

Outside the courtyard door, a dry and cold voice floated into the courtyard.

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(End of this chapter)