Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 219 Seven Days (Part [-])
"Any herdsman official who loses his character, acts illegally, changes the good people, and gathers a crowd to rebel and lose the city will be executed."

——"Great Qing Law"

March [-]th, Longevity Day.

According to conventions and customs, except for the officials who came to Beijing to pay their respects, most local officials had to bathe, change clothes, and pray for blessings.Although no one is watching, everyone is more or less expressing this to show their loyalty.

For those who are of high grade, you can tell them "honestly" when congratulating the emperor on his longevity in the "Announcements".

Even those with low grades and who are not qualified to ask for a booklet, because of the effect of others, they have to go through this form.It's just a matter of trouble, and it's better than being caught as a small tail by unsightly people and impeached for the crimes of "arrogant and rude" and "no ruler".

However, Ye Fu, the magistrate of Yizhou who was temporarily invited to the study of the Daotai Yamen, was not in the mood to pray for blessings at this time.He only felt that his hair was numb, and he really didn't understand why his young and distinguished junior brother did this. Could it be that this is "three fires for new officials", but this fire is not easy to burn, and it may become a "prairie fire" trend.

He looked at the handwritten letter in his hand that was covered with the official seal of Dongyan Dao, his arms trembled slightly, his face became heavy, he hesitated a little, and persuaded: "My lord..." Because Cao Yong was wearing an official uniform, so Ye Fu called him that. .

After arriving in Yizhou for more than a month, Cao Yong wore the fourth-grade white goose make-up suit for the second time, without a smile on his face, which looked completely different from the warmth of the past, exuding a chill all over his body.

Ye Fu only regarded him as an official, and didn't notice his abnormality. He frowned and shook his head and said, "My lord, don't touch the pot lightly! The water here is too deep. I offended these people..." In concern, he forgot his honorific title for a moment.

Seeing that Ye Fu's concerns did not seem to be false, Cao Yong was secretly moved, and said: "Master Ye, don't worry, 'supervising agriculture and mulberry, cleaning up tax sources' is my duty. Even if they make trouble in front of the emperor, there is no fault of this officer!"

Although it is indeed troublesome to rectify Shaoguo Zhuangzi, it is the only way to raise food as quickly as possible and stabilize rice prices at the moment.What's more, since the development of this cooking pot, it has become a serious problem in the local area. If it continues to develop, it will make the local rice supply more and more tense, and things like this year will continue to happen.

Thinking of going to offend some people, and then thinking of those random relationships afterwards, although Cao Yong felt annoyed, there was also a hint of challenge excitement in his heart.It seems that although it is not for the sake of "cooperating with others", it should also "be in harmony with the light". Otherwise, if you look at it this way, you will not have the slightest dominance, and you will only become more and more passive.In order to be comfortable in Daotai for the past three years, it is better to keep some things under my own control.

Besides, it has been the 51st year of Kangxi. If history has not changed, then his time in Yizhou is not long, and his time in this world is also counting down.Since I came to Yizhou to be an official, I can't come in vain. I have to do my best for the people here and leave something behind.Even if I don't have the idea of ​​leaving a name in history, I don't want to spend my whole life without leaving even a trace.

"'It's better to offend a gentleman than to offend a villain', if it's not clear, there will be dark ones, how will the adults be better then?" Ye Fu said.

Seeing that Ye Fu didn't mention the people's living in peace, but just said this, Cao Yong looked at the ink on his cuff and couldn't help asking: "Ye Zhizhou, do you know about the rise in rice prices in the past half month?"

Ye Fu thought about it for a while, and then said: "It seems that I have heard my family mention it twice, which is not unusual. The new wheat is harvested at the end of May and early June, and March and April are when the harvest is short, and the price of rice increases every year. up!"

Daxing used as distiller's grains for rice grain sales, the sighs of people in front of the rice shops in Linmu Town and Junan Town, and the crying family in Juzhou, is this the so-called not unusual?The little girl's cry seemed to be in Cao Yong's ear, and it would not disperse.This is a harmonious and happy family of husband and wife. The man works to support his parents, wife and children.The soaring price of food made the steamed buns and noodle cakes on the dinner table turn into noodle soup.Their own flesh and blood were almost separated.

Cao Yong couldn't help being a little annoyed by Ye Fu's incomprehension in the world, and frowned: "Isn't that unusual? In previous years, it only increased by a few cents, and at most it was only one yuan. Now the price of rice in Yizhou has increased by one or two or three yuan per stone, which is the original two. Times and a half; local counties, also more than two times to three times! It is only March now, and there will be nearly three months until the new wheat harvest in June. If it continues to rise like this, who can afford rice, and what do you eat? "After speaking, the louder the voice, the more solemn his face.

No matter how bookish Ye Fu is, he still understands what Cao Yong means.Nowadays, only food is rising, but others are not bullish, and people's livelihood will become more and more difficult.

Take the yamen servants of the Zhizhou yamen as an example, two taels of silver a month could originally buy rice and three stones, more than three hundred catties, which is enough for the whole family to chew.Today, they can only buy rice for one stone, more than a hundred catties. Those with a small population are fine, but those with a large population have to eat porridge.If the price of rice rises further, even a stone of rice can no longer be bought, and the whole family will go hungry. After a long time, I don't know what troubles will happen.

Ye Fu put away Cao Yong's warrant and said solemnly, "I am ashamed, but please rest assured, my lord, I will definitely live up to my orders!"

Cao Yong thought for a while and asked, "How many yamen servants and arresters can your yamen use?"

Ye Fu thought for a while, and said: "Returning to my lord's words, there are more than forty people, if we try our best to pull them out, there will be 50 people!"

Cao Yong nodded, and said: "It's okay to go to the rice and grain store, but to Shaoguo Zhuangzi, let them pick the young ones first! I have sent people to Andongwei, and they will send soldiers to go to the states and counties in two days. Help everyone 'clean up tax sources'."

Ye Fu then remembered that some Shaoguo Zhuangzi could not be dealt with by dozens of people like himself, and he admired Cao Yong a little more on his face, but he couldn't tell what it was like in his heart, so he said goodbye and left, and went back to the Yamen to prepare up.

In the study, only Cao Yong remained.

Cao Yong sat down on the chair all of a sudden, with an indescribable and unexplainable sadness on his face, he held the letter on the desk tightly, and his body couldn't help shaking.Mr. Zhuang and Wei Hei are not there, and he has no one who can talk to him right now.Everything, only oneself bears.

No one can understand Cao Yong's sadness and self-blame, thinking of the first meeting with Ning Chun, thinking of the little things we got along with in the past few years, his face became more and more gloomy.

Shocking news, really shocking news!
Just half an hour ago, Cao Yong was secretly planning for seven days, thinking about the step-by-step arrangement, to see where mistakes are most likely to occur, and where extra attention should be paid.The boy came to report, and the messenger came from the capital, claiming to be sent by the master of Wanyan Mansion.

Master Wanyan Mansion, besides Yongqing, who else?Cao Yong hurriedly asked to bring it up.

When he saw the man with unshaven beard and dusty face, he seemed to be unable to stand still. At that time, Cao Yong was taken aback, and hurriedly asked: "What happened?"

The person who came was Yongqing's long follower, Qijin, who was also common with Cao Yong. He gave Qianli immediately, and then took out a letter from his arms.Qijin came out of the capital on the [-]th of March. He traveled more than a thousand miles in four days and only rested for an hour or two every day. No wonder he was so tired.

Cao Yong pointed to the chair and told him to sit down. While opening the letter, he said: "It's such a hurry, but something big happened?"

Hearing this, Qi Jin didn't take his seat, but knelt down in front of Cao Yong with a "plop" and said, "I beg Master Cao to help my uncle, my uncle... my uncle is about to be forced to death by the master!"

Wan Jiha forced Yongqing to death, even if the father and son disagree, it doesn't have to be so, what is this and what is it?Cao Yong couldn't care less about being called Qijin anymore, he looked at three lines, and wanted to read the content of the letter first.

This is a book written by Yongqing himself. Ning Chun and his father and brother were exposed on the fifth day of the third month and were imprisoned by the Criminal Ministry. On the seventh day of the third month, the father and son committed suicide in fear of crime. .

Cao Yong looked colder and colder, what is going on?How did the matter of Yongqing involve Ning Chun?What kind of crime can make Ning Chun's father, son, brothers, and several male members of the family go to jail?

After being stunned for a long time, Cao Yong asked: "You are with your master, and you can know something about Ning Lord. You know...you know what his family was 'exposed', and what 'crime' it was. The prison? Who is the person who reported this?"

Qijin replied: "You know better, the person who made the report is an alternate Taoist. He was originally the deputy envoy of the Lianghuai Salt Transportation Department, and he was a colleague of Lord Ning Ama. The person who exposed the report was the 39th year of Emperor Ning's reign. After taking office in Jiangnan, he once embezzled salt money, and provided sponsors to publish books on 'Great Rebellion'!"

The two hats of "greedy ink" and "big rebellion" are going to kill Ningchun's family!At the beginning of the month, what other books can be published that can make Kangxi furious, besides "Nanshan Collection"?Ning Chun's family is a bannerman, and even the bannermen joined in, so how could it not make Kangxi angry?Of course, it is just a cover, if it is true, there will be no so-called "suicide" later.

Cao Yong waved his hand and told Qijin to get up.He narrowed his eyes slightly, his heart was tensed up, he wished he could fly back to the capital immediately, to find out about Ningchun's affairs, to repay kindness and revenge!However, seeing the handwriting he had just written on the desk and remembering the crying of the little girl's family in his mind, he calmed down again and asked about Yongqing.

It is not only Cao Yong who remembers Ning Chun's life-saving grace, but also Yong Qing.As for the friendship between the three of them, even if he didn't have the so-called "life-saving grace", he couldn't stand by and watch Ning Chun's matter.

The Ning family's father and son were imprisoned for three days, and Yongqing was always walking around investigating, thinking about clearing up their family's crimes.As a result, he was brought before Ama Wangjiha.

Wan Jiha had just been promoted to the capital, and it was the time of the spring breeze. Seeing that the eldest son went to participate in these desperate things, he severely reprimanded him, directly asked for sick leave for him in the yamen, and grounded him in the mansion.

A few days later, Yongqing found an opportunity to leave the mansion, and heard all the bad news.Yongqing went to find a few masters who could speak normally, but they were all turned away.During this period, some people threatened Yongqing through various channels.

Originally, he didn't have any clues, but this unexpected abnormality made him pay attention. Following the clues, he knew that the affairs of the Ningchun family were not that simple. There must be someone in the six divisions and nine ministers planning, otherwise it would not make the Ning family a few days. The family was ruined within a few days, and there was no room for recovery.

In order to seek an explanation for Ning Chun's family, Yongqing, an upright man, really didn't have any good ideas, so he went to the Inspector's Office to beat the "Wendeng Drum" and knock on the door to appeal for Ning Chun's family.

The story of Niu Hulu wearing a red dress and swallowing gold as a martyr had been spread in the capital for a long time. After all, what happened to Ningchun's family was too bizarre, which caused all kinds of rumors among the people.

Yongqing's kowtowing escalated the rumors.Ning Chun's family was wronged, and more and more people believed it.However, the versions of various rumors are really weird.Even the burial of Niu Hulu's red clothes caused everyone to speculate.Even the version of bullying men and women has come out. It is said that there are princes and dignitaries who fell in love with this young lady, so they made a way to murder her husband and father-in-law. The purpose is to force her to remarry; I would rather die than obey, and go to the underworld with my husband.

Although knocking can reach heaven directly, how can it be so easy to sue?According to the law, no matter whether the soldiers or the civilians, or what the grievances are, the people who kowtow will have to travel thousands of miles.When the mountains are high and the roads are far away, how many people can come back alive?Only when it is a last resort, when people are forced to have no other way, will someone use this method to avenge their grievances.

"Before the master knocked on the door, he sent the letter to the young one, and asked the young one to send it to Mr. Cao in Shandong, saying that he wanted Mr. Cao to know what he knew. The little one was worried about the master, so he stayed in the capital for half a day. I didn't expect the master to go. After entering the Yamen of the Inspectorate, the master summoned his clansmen, and that day he was removed from the family tree, and he also handed over a certificate to the Yamen of the Infantry, to sue him for the crime of 'disobedience'!" Qijin said here, and gave Cao Yong another Kneeling down, he kowtowed and begged, "Master Cao, besides Lord Ning, he and Master Cao are the best friends! I beg you, please help my grandfather!"
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(End of this chapter)