Jinyi Town Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 136
Yamen of the prefect of Taizhou.

The white-haired prefect Fan Cheng is waiting for the imperial envoy He Liu at the gate of the yamen.

"I respectfully invite Sheng An!" Fan Cheng knelt down to He Liu with the support of the yamen servant.

"Saint Gong'an. Let's get down." He Liu said.

He Liu looked Fan Cheng up and down, and frowned slightly.Looking at Fan Cheng, he was in his seventies and almost eighty.He Liu was puzzled that Taizhou was the front line against Japanese pirates.The position of Taizhou prefect is extremely important.How could Hu Zongxian let such an old man be the magistrate.

There are two ways for scholars in Ming Dynasty to become officials.

One is that Tongsheng, Xiucai, Juren, and Jinshi all pass the entrance examination, and they are mixed in the two rankings.With the fame of Jinshi, one can enter the officialdom.

There are tens of thousands of scholars in Ming Dynasty, how many Jinshi are there in each subject?
Many scholars have stagnated when they got the fame of Juren.

Juren can go to the Ministry of Officials to register their names and rank them.The sesame officials of the ninth and eighth ranks are released from all over the world.Juren's background cannot be a big official in the frontier.Some people have been mixed for 30 to [-] years, and at most they can only be the seventh-rank county magistrate.

This Master Fan Cheng, a 25-year-old Zhongjuren, had been named in the Ministry of Officials for five years, and he was released as a ninth-rank county government official at the age of 30.After 45 years of ups and downs in the officialdom, he became a county magistrate.

After 45 years of official career, Fan Cheng can be regarded as a veteran of the three dynasties.

In recent years, Taizhou has been plagued by Japanese pirates and has become a dangerous place.The officials racked their brains and tried their best to come to Jiangnan to make a fortune, not to cause military disasters.No one wants to be the prefect of Taizhou.

In the past two years, the three magistrates assigned to Taizhou by the Ministry of Officials actually complained of illness one after another, and they refused to take up their posts.

Fan Cheng lived to be nearly eighty years old, and thought to himself: I have been an official for 45 years, but I am only a seventh-rank magistrate.Anyway, the fortune teller told me that I was 81 years old, and that I was about to travel westward in the past two years.It's better to take the initiative to go to Taizhou and get an official position as a magistrate, which will not be in vain for the ups and downs of the 45 years of officialdom.

Ever since, Fan Cheng took the initiative to hand over a statement to the Ministry of Officials, requesting to be the prefect of Taizhou.

Yan Song, who supervises the Ministry of Officials, is worrying that no one dares to go to Taizhou.I happened to see Fan Cheng's statement.

Yan Song's Ministry of Officials Wenxuan Qing Lisi Langzhong advised: "This Fan Cheng is just a county magistrate of the seventh rank, and it is against the rules to be promoted to the magistrate of the fourth rank. The Ming Dynasty only had a precedent of being promoted to three ranks in a row. How can there be a promotion to six ranks in a row? Besides, this Fan Cheng is already 80 years old, he is old, his life is dying, and his life is not long..."

An inadvertent sentence from Wen Xuansi's doctor broke Yan Song's taboo!Yan Song is almost 80 years old.You say that Fan Cheng is old, the sun is setting, and his life is not long. Doesn't it mean that Yan Song is old, the sun is setting, and his life is not long?

This Wenxuansi doctor was born as an academic official in the Imperial Academy, he was a sour scholar who couldn't speak, which made Yan Song furious.

Yan Song sneered: "I want to set a precedent for this consecutive promotion to the sixth level! Immediately put up a sign and issue a ticket to promote Fan Cheng as the prefect of Taizhou!"

Ever since, Fan Cheng, who was over eighty years old, picked up a prefect of Taizhou.

Of course, the doctor of Wenxuan Division did not eat any good fruit.Half a month later, I was confused and transferred to Yunnan to become a magistrate.

He Liu asked Fan Cheng: "General Qi escorted [-] Japanese felons who smuggled firearms to Japanese pirates last month. Has the prefect Fan interrogated them?"

Fan Cheng has been an official for 45 years. He is the most experienced old state and county in the entire Ming Dynasty. He is naturally an old fox: "How dare the lower officials interrogate such a repeat offender? The lower officials think that since it involves the Japanese, the Jinyiwei will send people anyway." They came for interrogation. Therefore, the lower officials just kept a close watch on them."

He Liu smiled: "Prefect Fan is indeed a man who has been an official for nearly 50 years. He is really meticulous in his work."

He Liu and Fan Cheng came to the lobby of the government office.

Fan Cheng asked: "My superior, do you want me to order someone to take the prisoner to the lobby so that you can interrogate him strictly?"

He Liudao: "It's really like a mountain. Prefect Fan, your magistrates interrogate prisoners in the lobby. Our Jinyiwei interrogates prisoners, but they always interrogate them in the cell. Just take us to the cell!"

Into the Fuya prison, more than 20 strong and strong men were imprisoned in the A-shaped cell.

He Liu ordered the yamen guard to open the cell door and enter the cell.

"You 20 people, who is the leader?" He Liu asked.

No one answered.

Lao Hu suddenly noticed that one of the men's trousers was torn, exposing half of his calf.A boat was stabbed on his calf.

When Lao Hu saw the tattoo, he knew the identity of this group of people.He said to Prefect Fan: "Go down first."

In the cell, only Lao Hu, He Liu and more than 20 criminals were left.

Old Hu faced them, crossing his hands in a cross-shaped gesture.Then he said loudly: "What kind of water do you eat, what kind of firewood do you burn? What is it called? How many loads of grain are there? Where is the grain unloaded? What is the mark? How many are peaceful? How many are out of repair? How many grain ships in total? What kind of flag to play? The form on the flag? Is there a streamer?"

He Liu looked at Lao Hu in surprise, and thought to himself: What is this old guy asking nonsense?Could it be that he drank too much Xiliang wine that my wife gave him?

Unexpectedly, a black and strong man with a beard replied loudly: "The flag is bordered with red, the jade-colored streamer, the red and black bright moon buds, the dragon and phoenix flag, and the jade-colored streamer. Entering Beijing is colorless." Dragon and Phoenix flags, go out of Beijing Xinghuang flag, cross the Yellow River, beat red boys. 51 grain exchange boats. Load 660 tons of white grain. Three are peaceful, and two are out of repair. Tickets are collected on the Wusong River, and firewood from Yanshan is burned. Eat the water after the tip."

Lao Hu asked again: "Your boss?"

The strong black man replied: "Songhusi".

Old Hu asked again: "The Guizi school?"

The strong black man replied: "Big characters."

Old Hu said: "Burn three tops and three incense burners below, the word of courtesy."

Then, the black and strong man lowered his voice and said to his companions: "This is an old senior from our Cao Gang, and he belongs to us!"

Lao Hu laughed loudly and said, "Brothers, the gang sent me to rescue you."

He Liu was dumbfounded.Why do these criminals take him as their own when the old beard speaks nonsense?

He Liu didn't know that what Lao Hu was talking about was the Cao Gang's slang words.

Since the construction of the Grand Canal in the Sui Dynasty, the canal has become a link connecting the north and the south of China.Thousands of laborers rely on the canal for food.

In the current dynasty, during the Yongle period, those canal laborers who worked hard in order to get rid of the oppression of the government and wealthy businessmen formed a "cao gang".

In the past hundred years, the Cao Gang has become the largest gang in the world.Even Zhao Feihu, the yin commander of the five northern provinces who lives by killing people, wants to let the Cao Gang get three points.

The court's attitude towards the Cao Gang is both useful and defensive.

Caobang has its own set of slang words.The right cut is the family members of the gang.Sorry, it's an outsider.

Before Lao Hu followed He Liu's father, he was sent by Jin Yiwei to the Cao Gang in the south of the Yangtze River as an internal response for two years.Therefore, they will speak the slang words of the Cao Gang.Above the Xiangzhu of the Cao Gang, a boat was tattooed on his right calf. He recognized the tattoo and concluded that the more than 20 criminals were all members of the Cao Gang.

(End of this chapter)