Great Qing Xiangguo

Chapter 53

On the second day, Dai Mengxiong led Yang Naiwen to Wufeng Temple early.Chen Tingjing ordered Zhen'er to pour tea, but Zhen'er was angry and pretended not to hear.Dashun hurriedly poured the tea and handed it over.

Chen Tingjing said: "I have sent someone to report to the imperial court the method of coordinating the large households in Yangqu. If this method can solve the urgent need of the imperial court's military salary, Daizhi County will do a great job!"

Dai Mengxiong couldn't help but said: "Thanks to the imperial envoy for your cultivation!"

Chen Tingjing asked: "How much money was spent on the Dragon Pavilion in Lijiazhuang, does the magistrate Dai know?"

Dai Mengxiong said: "Li Jiasheng built it voluntarily. The county government did not send anyone to supervise it. I don't know the details. He himself said that it cost more than 200 taels of silver, which should be good."

Chen Tingjing asked again: "How many Dingkou in the whole county of Yangqu?"

Dai Mengxiong replied: "There are 450 men and women in the county."

Chen Tingjing asked: "How much silver and grain does the county pay every year?"

Dai Mengxiong said: "Every year, the silver is 720 three taels, and the grain is 270 three shi."

Chen Tingjing nodded, very satisfied: "Master Dai is a capable talent, he has settled the accounts very clearly!"

Yang Naiwen hurriedly echoed, "Master Dai has an nickname of Iron Abacus, and his calculations are even more powerful than Yongshu, the master of money and food!"

Dai Mengxiong was modest, and said: "When I return to the imperial envoy, I only remember these few things in my heart."

Chen Tingjing looked at Dai Mengxiong with a smile for a long time, and said slowly: "Master Dai, I will invite the imperial court. From next year, Yangqu will double the amount of silver and grain received!"

When Dai Mengxiong heard Chen Tingjing's sudden words, Monk Zhanger couldn't figure it out.He didn't seem to believe his ears, his mouth was wide open, he looked at Chen Tingjing for a long time, and then said: "Master Imperial Envoy, this matter must never happen! How can the people of Yangqu have such financial resources? Your Imperial Envoy is not harsh on the people. !"

Chen Tingjing said coldly: "I am not harsh on the people, you have already been harsh on the people!"

Dai Mengxiong lowered his head and asked, "Master Imperial Envoy, where did you start talking about this?"

Chen Tingjing said: "There are 230 people in Dingkou of Lijiazhuang. It took more than 200 taels of silver to build the Dragon Pavilion, which is about one tael per person."

Yang Naiwen was in a hurry, and quickly interjected: "My lord, the money for the construction of the Dragon Pavilion in Lijiazhuang was paid by Li Jiasheng himself willingly, and it cannot be distributed to the common people."

Chen Tingjing said: "Maybe every village has a Li family name? The money will still be spread to the people in the end. What's more, the more villages compare, the more the Dragon Pavilion is built, the more powerful it will be, and the more money will be spent!"

Dai Mengxiong plopped down on his knees and begged: "I, Dai Mengxiong, knelt down to the imperial envoy for the people of Yangqu! The people of Yangqu are loyal to the imperial court and pay taxes and grains as scheduled every year. If there is an additional tax increase, it will be a tyrannical government!"

Chen Tingjing glanced at Dai Mengxiong, and said: "The imperial court is raising troops to pacify Yunnan, and urgently needs military pay. Since the people of Yangqu have financial resources and are loyal, they should serve the imperial court as much as possible!"

Dai Mengxiong kept kowtowing: "Master Imperial Envoy, this is absolutely unacceptable!"

Zhen'er and Dashun were also very puzzled, and looked at Chen Tingjing strangely.Chen Tingjing said again: "Master Dai, you came up with a plan in Yangqu to coordinate with a big family. This is meritorious service. It is a crime to build the Dragon Pavilion privately. Regardless of merit or crime, it must be reported to the imperial court and judged by the emperor."

Dai Mengxiong shook his head and said: "I don't dare to be greedy for merit, I only dare to accept crimes!"

Chen Tingjing said: "The road returns to the road, and the bridge returns to the bridge. You first report to me the account of the county's donation to build the Dragon Pavilion."

Dai Mengxiong said: "Yangqu is neither big nor small, and it has a radius of hundreds of miles. The accounts cannot be reported at once. Please allow a few days for the imperial envoy!"

Chen Tingjing said: "Okay, you are limited to three days!"

Dai Mengxiong hurriedly got up, nodded and said: "Okay, I'll take my leave now!"

Sending Dai Mengxiong away, Zhen'er laughed and said, "Master, you really deserve it! I really thought you didn't care about the lives of the people!"

Da Shun said: "I didn't realize it until the end, so the master is going to give Dai Zhi County a blow!"

Liu Jing and Ma Ming went to the official post early to deliver the memorial to Beijing, and then went to Yangqu County.There was a lot of snow on the street, and few people were seen.Liu Jing asked: "Ma Ming, do you see anything?"

Ma Ming said, "It's deserted."

Liu Jing said: "It's not just deserted. I haven't seen a beggar all the way. But in every county town, beggars are indispensable. But there are no beggars in Yangqu County, something is wrong!"

Ma Ming said: "It's been wrong for a long time. The master went to Lijiazhuang, and he didn't see a single person along the way!" Liu Jing said with a smile: "The master is not easy to fool, he understands very well in his heart!"

At this time, suddenly hearing the sound of gongs, the few passers-by on the street hurriedly fled to a secluded place.Liu Jing and Ma Ming also ran into a restaurant.The shopkeeper asked, "You two, what would you like to eat?"

Liu Jing replied casually, "Two bowls of noodles!"

Unexpectedly, the shopkeeper opened his mouth in surprise and didn't answer for a long time.

Ma Ming asked: "What's the matter, shopkeeper?"

The shopkeeper said: "Let's go, you two, we are not doing business anymore!"

Liu Jing also felt strange: "This is weird. You asked us what we would like to eat. I didn't want to eat it at first. Seeing how polite you are, I just ordered two bowls of noodles."

Hearing the sound of the gong getting closer and closer, the shopkeeper was in a hurry: "You two, hurry up."

Ma Ming asked: "Shopkeeper, why don't you do business?"

The shopkeeper said: "I can't say, you guys go quickly."

Liu Jing said: "Shopkeeper, we two brothers have traveled far and wide, and we have never seen such an inexplicable person like you. If you don't say you are ugly today, we will not leave!"

The shopkeeper had no choice but to tell the truth: "I'm afraid that the imperial envoy will be shocked!"

Liu Jing pretended to be confused: "What imperial envoy?"

The shopkeeper said: "Anyway, the county government ordered it to do so. As long as the guests have a foreign accent, they will not greet them. They say they are afraid of scaring the imperial envoys!"

It turns out that although Liu Jing and Ma Ming are from Shanxi, they have lived in the capital for more than ten years, and their accents have changed a bit.Ma Ming smiled and said, "We are also from Shanxi. Store, what does business have to do with imperial envoys?"

At this time, the sound of the gong was getting closer. Liu Jing and Ma Ming walked to the door and quietly lifted the curtain a crack. They saw Dai Mengxiong's sedan chair walking on the street, followed by Yang Naiwen and several government servants.

The sound of the gong gradually faded away, and Liu Jing and Ma Ming left the restaurant.Liu Jing said: "Ma Ming, why do the people see Dai Zhi County as if they saw a tiger?"

Ma Mingdao: "Yang Naiwen also said that Daizhi County is a commoner's private visit on weekdays!"

Liu Jing said: "I think Yangqu has a lot to say! Ma Ming, I have an idea."

Ma Ming said: "Brother Liu, please tell me!"

Liu Jing smiled and said, "One of us will go to Lijiazhuang to find out what happened, and the other will beg for food in the county town!"

Ma Ming heard it in disbelief: "Begging for food?"

Liu Jing said: "Just pretending to be a beggar!"

Ma Ming quickly shook his head and said, "If I want to pretend to be you, I won't pretend!"

Liu Jing said: "This is a serious matter, let's fight, no one will suffer."

After thinking about it, Ma Ming had to punch Liu Jing.Three punches down, Ma Ming lost, and pretended to be a beggar.Ma Ming was very reluctant, so he had no choice but to admit it.

Dai Mengxiong returned to the county government office, sat down on the chair in the signing room, and looked alive again.Yang Naiwen first cursed for a long time, and then said: "This Chen Tingjing, change your face if you say so! Master Dai, should the money for the construction of the Dragon Pavilion be reported truthfully or how?"

Dai Mengxiong snorted and said, "It's not how to report, but not to report!"

Yang Naiwen said: "But he is an imperial envoy!"

Dai Mengxiong laughed and said, "What's wrong with the imperial envoy? It's not me, Dai, who is contemptuous of the imperial envoy! The construction of the Dragon Pavilion was voluntary by the people, and they don't have to report the amount of money they paid to the county government. Now I want to report the amount within three days, and the report will come out." Is it? Yangqu is so big and it’s freezing, can it run over?”

Yang Naiwen asked: "Then what should we do?"

Dai Mengxiong said slowly: "Drag!"

Yang Naiwen was shocked when he heard the words: "Do you dare to procrastinate?"

Dai Mengxiong said: "Why don't you dare to delay? Chen Tingjing is in a hurry to invite Fu Shan to Beijing. He can't wait for a few days."

Yang Naiwen asked again: "Is the Dragon Pavilion still under construction?"

Dai Mengxiong said: "Build it, why not build it? The lower part was built by the people voluntarily, and the excerpt above was replayed by the governor. Even if the emperor blames it, he can't blame me. Chen Tingjing said to punish the crime, and he punished it! Tell him one by one. Let the people govern."

Yang Naiwen laughed and said, "Master Dai is really far-sighted!"

Dai Mengxiong said: "Maybe the emperor likes to build the Dragon Pavilion below! The emperor is also a human being. Let me tell you, when dealing with the officials from the capital, you should behave respectfully and speak nicely, so you can fool them." ! What should we do, and what else will we do!"

Yang Naiwen nodded again and again, and said, "It makes sense! It makes sense! Yongshu saw you kowtowing non-stop in Wufeng Temple, and thought you were afraid, sir!"

Dai Mengxiong laughed loudly, and said: "Afraid? You have been with me all these years, who have you seen me be afraid of? The officials from above, you can kowtow as much as you want, and you can fool as much as you want in private! I used to listen to the officials above I said to myself, the louder they kowtow to the emperor, the happier the emperor!"

Yang Naiwen clapped his palms and smiled, and said straightly: "Growing knowledge, gaining knowledge!"

At this time, someone suddenly heard noise outside.The yamen servant came in and answered, saying that a beggar insisted on crashing into the county yamen.Dai Mengxiong scolded: "Beggars? The people of Yangqu live and work in peace and contentment, how can there be beggars? They must be tricksters from somewhere!"

Yang Naiwen told the county magistrate to appease his anger, and ran out by himself.Sure enough, I saw a beggar with ragged clothes and dirty face, but he had knocked down several government servants and came straight to the lobby.Yang Naiwen yelled sharply: "Bold beggar, how dare you yell at the county government! Get out!"

The yamen servants got up from the ground and chased after them with their sticks.The beggar was agile, dodged and jumped in front of Yang Naiwen.The beggar is exactly Ma Ming's disguise, but Yang Naiwen can't recognize it.Ma Ming laughed and asked, "Maybe this is the county magistrate?"

Yang Naiwen stood at the entrance of the lobby with his hips akimbo: "I'm not honest enough to admit the fight!"

Ma Ming said: "Master Zhixian, you have to be reasonable when you beat someone!"

Yang Naiwen said: "Who is reasoning with you? Fight!"

The yamen servant danced with his stick loudly, but he couldn't hit Ma Ming.Seeing that there were more and more yamen servants, Ma Ming hugged Yang Naiwen and said, "Don't do anything, it's none of my business to hurt the county magistrate!"

Yang Naiwen scolded: "Stinky beggar, you are so bold and presumptuous! Let go now!"

Ma Ming said: "I just want to know! I have been begging for food for more than ten years, and I have never seen one like your Yangqu. No beggars are allowed to beg for food! I was starving to death, so I had to go to the county government to beg for food."

Yang Naiwen was so hugged by Ma Ming that he couldn't breathe, so he had to ask all the yamen servants to retreat.Ma Ming let go, looking at Yang Naiwen and laughing.Yang Naiwen said: "Hmph, you said you were going to starve to death, you hugged Grandpa so hard that my bones almost fell apart!"

Ma Ming said: "Fortunately, I'm still hungry, otherwise your bones would really fall apart!"

Yang Naiwen winked at the yamen servants and said, "Take him somewhere to eat!"

The yamen servants understood and led Ma Ming to the courtyard on the left side of the yamen.Yang Naiwen returned to the signing room and reported to the county magistrate.Dai Mengxiong scolded the troublemaker a few times, and went back to the house to rest.Yang Naiwen asked the master to rest at ease, and he will take care of the affairs in the yamen first.

Seeing the prison in front of him, Ma Ming pretended to be frightened and asked, "Why did you bring me here?"

The jailers swarmed up and pushed Ma Ming into the cell without thinking.The prison door slammed shut.Ma Ming yelled at the jailer: "What law did I break? If you beg for food in Yangqu, you have to go to jail?"

Ma Ming didn't see the jailers turning back to talk to him, but he heard bursts of laughter behind him.An old beggar laughed and said, "We are all beggars!"

Ma Ming took a closer look and saw that most of the people in the cell were dressed in rags and looked pale, so he asked, "Are you all beggars? Are you laughing at begging for food and going to jail?"

The old beggar laughed again: "Are you stupid? You are not satisfied with food, drink, and a place to sleep in it? You have to thank the imperial envoy!"

Ma Ming said, "What does it matter to the imperial envoy if I ask for food?"

The old beggar said: "When the imperial envoy came to Yangqu, the county magistrate locked up all of us beggars. We are happy! Take care of food and housing! I am afraid that the imperial envoy will return to the capital early! Countless cold weather, in It's cold outside!"

Ma Mingdao: "I still don't understand, why is our begging hindering the imperial envoy? There are also people begging at the emperor's feet!"

The old beggar said: "The magistrate of Dai County is an official of the imperial court. The people of Yangqu are living well. How can anyone beg for food? Besides, we people go from village to house and hear a lot of things. The magistrate is also afraid of us. Mouth nonsense!"

Ma Ming caught a glimpse of another prisoner in the corner, neatly dressed, sitting upright, expressionless.Ma Ming wanted to say hello to him, but the man just ignored him.Ma Ming felt strange, and asked the old beggar, "Who is that man? He looks serious."

The old beggar said: "He is the county magistrate!"

Ma Ming was really surprised. He wondered why there was another magistrate here, so he deliberately said, "He is the magistrate? The magistrate shut himself up?"

The beggars laughed loudly again, saying that the newcomer was really funny.The county magistrate in the corner turned a deaf ear and just straightened his back.The old beggar said: "He is Xiang County Chancellor of Yangqu, and he offended Mr. Dai, the county magistrate!"

Ma Ming went to say hello, but Xiang Xiancheng still ignored him.Ma Ming said angrily: "I don't think he looks like the county magistrate. Why is the county magistrate locked up with our beggar?"

Someone said: "Fortunately, he was locked up with us beggars, otherwise he would have been beaten to death by the prison boss! Officials, everyone hates them!"

The old beggar made fun of Ma Ming and said, "You don't overestimate yourself. He is the county magistrate, why would he care about you, a beggar?"

Ma Ming said with a smile: "He hasn't figured out who he is yet. If he is the magistrate, he has to listen to our common people. If he is a prisoner, he has to listen to our troubled brothers."

Xiang Xiancheng finally glanced at Ma Ming and said, "Just say what you have to say, what are you talking about?"

Ma Ming said: "Master Dai is a famous Lord Qingtian. Why do you have trouble with his old man? My name is Huazi. I heard that Master Dai built the Dragon Pavilion, and the emperor knew about it. I also heard that Master Dai ordered the big family to coordinate the land tax. , tax and food, and pay taxes and taxes every year.”

Xiang Xiancheng felt strange, looked at Ma Ming and asked, "You are a beggar, how do you know so much?"

Ma Mingdao: "It is precisely because I am begging for food, visiting villages and households, and hearing from hearsay, that I have learned a lot."

The old beggar said: "It's strange, we are also begging for food, why don't we know these things? We only know where the murderer was killed and the government didn't catch the murderer, and which daughter-in-law stole someone and was chopped off by the man."

The laughter in the cell was deafening, and everyone felt that the beggar who just came in was a bit strange.

(End of this chapter)