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Chapter 443 Changes with each passing day 3

"Alas! What my dear brother said is absolutely true, but it is hard for us officials to speak lightly, so it is difficult for Heaven to hear!" The old man from Hubu felt the same way when he heard this and nodded frequently.

"That's right, that's right. We, the officials, speak softly. No one listens to what we say, so we simply don't worry about it. Hey, shopkeeper, do you know what kind of business this Sun Moon Bank does and who owns it? ?”

The official surnamed Wang really doesn't worry about anything. No, it's not that he doesn't worry about anything. It's just that he doesn't bother to think about national affairs. He is very interested in the gossip of the market, so he didn't hesitate to ask the tea stall owner about it.

"Masters, I have been selling tea here for more than 30 years and have seen countless anecdotes about dignitaries, but I have never heard of this bank. It is extremely weird!" The tea stall owner answered casually, not saying that he didn't know. But he didn't give a clear answer right away.

There may be very few first- and second-grade high-ranking officials among the people who come to Qipan Street, but it is not uncommon for officials below the third- and fourth-grade to include some nobles. The more times I see it, the less afraid I become.

"Oh, it seems like you are an unusual tea doctor. Tell me what's weird!" Upon hearing that someone might know the inside story, the official named Wang immediately put a smile on his face and spoke a little more politely.

"Speaking of which, these shops have some background. Chang Yinxu, the Marquis of Huaiyuan, who led three battalions to the expedition outside Chaoyang Gate years ago, must be known to the three officials. He escaped from the battle and was imprisoned by the emperor. This place was also raided by Jinyiwei, and everything was sealed.

But a few days later, the store opened again, and after more than a month of cleaning up the business, it turned into a business called Sun and Moon Bank. At first, people here didn't know what a bank was. But after listening to the shopkeeper and reading the newspaper, they realized that it was a bank. "

The tea stall owner was very proud to be consulted by an official. Seeing that it was still early and there were not many customers, he simply put the copper pot on the fire and wiped the table with a towel while telling what he heard from the market. Grapevine.

When Chang Yinxu was mentioned, the faces of the three officials were obviously serious. The Marquis of Ming Dynasty was not very good at fighting, but his escape skills were truly top-notch. After the defeat outside Chaoyang Gate, he took more than a dozen personal followers and ran to Baoding Mansion in two days. It was more than three hundred miles away, only two or three hours behind the urgent battle report of eight hundred miles.

If the local captain had not received a notice from the Jin Yiwei to detain him, the man would have eaten some food and slept for a while, changed horses and continued running south. It is said that the destination is Nanjing.

When the three major battalions were defeated, he thought clearly. Beijing would definitely not be able to be saved, and the guard posts in Northern Zhili, Shandong, Henan and other places could not withstand the Jurchen cavalry's impact. Only crossing the Yangtze River would be slightly safer. As for my family, wife and children, I really can't take care of them, let's save my life first.

It's a pity that not only was his life saved, but the whole family was also implicated. It must be a serious crime to escape from battle under the emperor's nose. Offenders will be beheaded, beheaded and confiscated, and the whole family will be sent to hard labor in the Luanzhou coal mine. This also requires the emperor's mercy, otherwise it would not be unfair at all to destroy the clan.

Although Taining Marquis Chen Liangbi and Ningyang Marquis Chen Yingzhao were also defeated, they died on the front line anyway. The emperor did not complain at all, and allowed the descendants of the two families to inherit the title. He also issued imperial orders and erected archways to honor his ancestors.

"Marquis Huaiyuan... no wonder there is such a big property. Brother Wang, if you want to get the confiscated properties of officials, you will have to go through a lot of troubles, right?" Although they have no objection to the emperor's disposal, the officials of the Ministry of War have some doubts about the whereabouts of the confiscated properties. , if you want to find out the details, you have to ask the old man from the Ministry of Household Affairs. "Normally, the property of the criminal official has been put into the internal punishment treasury, and the household department has the right to intervene in what to do with it. But after all, it is an internal treasury, and the county magistrate is not as good as the current one. When he meets the benevolent king, the household department can still intervene. On the contrary, It would be nice if the Supervisor of Ceremonies could inform me afterwards."

It is true that this matter falls within the scope of the Ministry of Household Affairs, but only in name. The specific situation must be analyzed in detail. The old man from Hubu said it clearly and implicitly. Who has the final say on the goods in the dirty punishment treasury? The key is not the Ming Law, but the hardness of the emperor.

"That's right. Zhao Shangshu is about to reach the age of the Emperor. He will never argue with the emperor over such trivial matters. Shopkeeper, please tell me who opened this bank?" Wang The official surnamed understood everything. It was inappropriate for a minister to discuss the emperor's character in public, so he quickly found a different topic.

"Oh, these three officials, I have never heard the last name of the owner of this place. However, the shopkeeper here is a wonderful man. It sounds like a play, very mysterious. If the officials don't mind being verbose, Just say a few more words, little old man."

The tea stall owner is a standard businessman, knowledgeable, courageous, eloquent, far-sighted, and quick at work. As he spoke, he greeted two guests who came in for tea and rest. His voice immediately rose a few points to attract more people's attention.

"Don't be verbose, tell me quickly and start from the beginning!" The official surnamed Wang is also a veteran who often hangs around the market. He knows what to do at this time to hear the complete story, so he took out a few copper coins and slapped them on the table.

"Thank you for the reward from the high official... By the way... Wanli, the thirty-second year of Wanli, yes, it is the thirty-second year. The little old man remembers clearly that the next year will be the first year of Jingyang, the current Holy Emperor.

There are some beggars wandering around Qipan Street every day. Among them is a little beggar who calls himself Qian Fugui. He is from Shanxi. When he was nine years old, his hometown suffered a drought. The land was bare for thousands of miles and there was no harvest. He could only follow his parents to beg and come to Beijing to visit relatives. Bu Chengxiang contracted another serious disease on the road and became an orphan within a few days of entering the city.

This child speaks Shanxi dialect, which is difficult to understand. He is shy and taciturn. He is very marginalized by the beggars here. He can only squat in the corner of the book market all day long. After the sun goes down, he dares to come here to ask for stuttering food. He is hungry and full. After a long meal, he was as thin as a rib.

However, this child is a warm-hearted person. He will help anyone who has some work, regardless of whether he is paid or not. If he sees thieves attacking the merchants, he will also give a warning. Because of this, he was beaten a lot, and a section of his left little finger was even cut off by a thief.

After more than half a year, winter was about to come, and Qian Fugui didn't even have thick clothes. At that time, my old lady was still alive. She was soft-hearted and couldn't see the honest child suffering, so she altered an old cotton robe of mine and let him wear it. Even so, whether he could survive the winter depended on luck.

Even if God were to be confused at times, Qian Fugui disappeared when it snowed. My old lady even wandered around the streets nearby, but still couldn't find the child.

(End of this chapter)