serious man in the red chamber

Chapter 445 Killed by Money

The snow was falling heavily, and groups of rebels rushed out of the camp and rushed towards Waiguo City where the people lived.

In the wind and snow, countless rebels passed through the streets with long knives raised high!

People were running around in panic everywhere, and countless people's frightened screams and cries echoed over the outer city.
On the tower of Chaoyang Gate, Jia Hu put aside his clairvoyance and said to Lin San behind him: "Let someone send a letter to Li Chengyang. The decisive battle will take place in the southern suburbs of Jinling in three days." After that, he walked down the tower.
In a blink of an eye, it's the end of the year again, and the New Year's Eve is just around the corner.

In the old days, people who owed rent or were in debt had to pay off their debts at the end of the year. People who were in debt had a difficult time celebrating the New Year, just like passing a test, so it was called the New Year Pass.

In the past, the term "New Year's Eve" mostly referred to poor people.

This year, many sixth- and seventh-grade Qingliu officials may also be celebrating the New Year.

Because the treasury was empty and there was not much money, starting from the first year of Yongxing, all Beijing officials received only half of their salary, and the other half was converted into grain and rice.

At first, officials at all levels thought it was okay, because after all, people have to eat, and the excess can be sold to rice banks for cash, and then go to the market to buy daily necessities with the silver.

There is a rule in everything, scarcity makes things more expensive. As more grain flows into the market, the price of grain will naturally drop. In addition, grain and rice from Nanyang are constantly being transported by sea. Gradually, the grain and rice in the hands of officials It can only be discounted at a low price and cannot even be sold.

It's OK for the common people to have enough food, but not for an official. He is an official. He has to ride in a sedan when he goes out. He has to have followers when he goes out. He has to have servants to serve him when he comes home. He has to have social interactions in officialdom.Even if he remained poor and did not welcome or entertain his colleagues in the officialdom, he still had a fixed expense every year, which was to make a decent official uniform, which cost at least ten taels of silver.

The Great Zhou Dynasty was different from the Ming Dynasty. Official uniforms had to be made or purchased by the officials themselves. The "buzi" symbolizing rank on the official uniforms was uniformly made by the Weaving Bureau and distributed free of charge by the court to officials at all levels.

Life in the capital is not easy, but it is even more difficult now!

Beijing official salaries are paid twice a year, namely in spring and autumn, roughly once in March and April and once in September and October, and each time you receive half a year's salary.

Due to Li Chengyang's rebellion, the tax money from Jiangnan provinces was not sent to Beijing, and the Ministry of Household Affairs had no money to issue salaries. The salaries of Beijing officials were delayed until the end of the year. Many officials had no choice but to borrow or even take out loans.

Today is the day to reissue salary, so no matter how heavy the snow is, there is a long queue outside the Guangying Treasury in the early morning. Everyone's eyes are looking at the warehouse door of Guangying Treasury that has not yet been opened. Many people are already waiting. It's been one morning, and I'm already suffering from hunger and cold, but I'm still holding on. I can't survive this new year, so I'm counting on today's salary repayment.

In the expectant eyes of everyone, the closed door of Guangying Treasury finally opened. Looking at the empty warehouse, everyone was startled at first, then glanced at Liu Yong, the left servant of the household department, who was standing at the door of the warehouse, and then looked at him The piles of money bags behind him were imagined to be filled with money.

In order to prevent officials from rushing in, the warehouse door was only half opened and a heavy table was placed. The roster of officials from various ministries was placed on the table.

At this time, everyone's eyes were turned to Liu Yong again. Why did the Zuo Shilang of the Household Department need to come forward to repay the salary arrears? Something must have happened, and it was bad news.

Although he was mentally prepared, Liu Yong couldn't help trembling in his heart when he was looked at by so many people, and he greeted the cabinet and Jia Zheng.

Liu Yong swallowed his saliva and said loudly: "Each person will be given a replacement salary of twelve ounces of copper coins, and it will be the same for everyone."

After a pause, "Officials of third rank and above will not be repaid their arrears."

Sure enough, the crowd immediately exploded, countless heads crowded over, and countless pairs of angry eyes looked at Liu Yong from outside the warehouse door:
"This is only eight taels of silver. Let alone the New Year, it is not enough to pay off the debt!"

"Your household department is too shady! My salary arrears is 25 taels!"

"Is that all you have?"

Liu Yong looked at the countless pairs of angry eyes: "I said that officials of third rank and above will not be repaid their arrears this year. After the New Year, the court will find a way to pay everyone's arrears."

Many people shouted again:

"Don't talk to us about officials of third rank or above. None of them expect to live on this salary!"

"Don't use this excuse to fool us junior officials! I have already inquired clearly. Yesterday, the treasury received a sum of money, a total of 50 taels, right?"

"Tell me, where did your household department take all the money from the imperial court?"

The officials began to surge, and they crowded toward the warehouse door in a dark crowd. Several scribes and warehouse workers quickly pressed their bodies against the desks.

"answer!"

"answer!"

The crowd roared again.

Liu Yong sighed, and just as he was about to say something, a snowball hit him on the head!

Everyone was startled, and then shouted: "If he doesn't reply, beat him, no matter who he is!"

Liu Yong was still weak at first, but when he saw that they were so rude, his face turned ugly and he said sternly: "I am standing here alone now! If you dare to rebel, drag me out!" Then he shouted to the scribes and warehouse workers: "Get out of the way!" The surging crowd was actually suppressed by his momentum, and the entire Guangying warehouse fell into a deathly silence.

Liu Yong looked at them: "The cabinet has said that as long as King Ning defeats the rebels, Jiangnan's tax bank can enter Beijing."

At this time, an unknown person shouted in the crowd: "The imperial court treats the Jia family like this. Prince Ning may not fight a decisive battle with the rebels. Jia Zheng cannot represent the Jia family!"

Liu Yong's face sank, and his eyes flashed as he searched the crowd: "Who is talking? Who was talking just now?"

The speaker was obviously exhausted and did not dare to speak anymore.

"Humph", Liu Yong said: "I know everyone is living a hard life, but the court is indeed in difficulty right now. Please be considerate and persevere. It will be fine after the New Year."

At this moment, the sound of running came from behind the crowd, accompanied by shouts of "What are you doing? Are you all going to rebel?"

Qi Jianhui, carrying a sword, strode in front. A group of guards from the Hubu Department, carrying swords, divided into two rows and trotted over behind him.

Qi Jianhui walked to the crowd, glanced at these sixth- and seventh-grade officials, and said with a sneer: "The cabinet and the palace have decided that each official should be reissued twelve ounces of copper coins. You can either sign and take the money and leave. Or take off your official robes. There are many people who want to be officials in the Zhou Dynasty, and there is no shortage of you! Gathering a crowd to fight is a rebellion!"

At this point, he shouted loudly: "Come on, help them line up!"

The guards roared in response, then rushed forward to drive away the officials who were blocking the entrance of the warehouse.

The anger of the officials who had calmed down suddenly rekindled. They rushed forward one after another, showing faces of the same enemy, uttering deafening curses, and some even threw snowballs at the guards.

During the push, an official was knocked to the ground by the guard's sword scabbard.

Like water droplets splashing into a boiling oil pan, it aroused public anger, and someone shouted loudly: "If this guy doesn't give us a way to live, beat him to death!"

"Hit him!"

Immediately, countless officials rushed forward, pushed the guards to the ground, and beat them randomly!
Another group of officials swarmed towards Qi Jianhui. After all, Qi Jianhui was a high-ranking military general. He ducked away. Seeing that things were getting serious, he turned around and ran away.

At this time, Liu Yong stood on the table and shouted: "Stop! Stop it, everyone."

"If we are not allowed to live, no one will be able to live!"

"Hit him!"

A group of officials rushed towards Liu Yong, dragged him down, tore him apart and beat him!
Liu Yong got the energy from nowhere and broke away and ran towards the warehouse door. Many officials roared and chased him to beat him.

"Move the table quickly!" Liu Yong shouted to the warehouse workers in the warehouse as he ran.

A clerk was clever and opened the warehouse door. Liu Yong hurriedly hid in, but the angry officials also rushed in.

Liu Yong had no choice but to continue to escape inside.

When the officials saw that they could not catch up with him, someone picked up the money bag on the ground and threw it at him, almost hitting him.

Seeing this, other people picked up the money bags on the ground and threw them at Liu Yong. Suddenly the money bags hit Liu Yong like raindrops.

A money bag happened to hit Liu Yong on the back of the head. Liu Yong staggered and fell to the ground, and then the money bag hit his head like raindrops.

Money bags, large and small, soon piled up on Liu Yong like a mountain.

"Stop!" Someone yelled, and all the officials calmed down.

"Master Liu?"

An official stepped forward and said loudly to the warehouse workers: "Quickly rescue Mr. Liu from under the pile of money!"

The warehouse workers rushed over one after another and moved the money bag away from Liu Yong with all their hands.

Everyone's eyes were opened, and they saw Liu Yong lying there motionless, with a pool of blood on the ground where his head was.

"Killing people~" Everyone dispersed in a hurry!

Only Liu Yong was left lying quietly on the ground in Guangying's library. The poor left minister of the household department was beaten to death by money.
(End of this chapter)