in the sound of swallows

Chapter 79 "Fighting" Corrupt Officials

The woman in blue was stunned for a moment, glanced at the harvesting grain in the distance, and said with a wry smile: "Don't lie to Madam, my husband and I have worked hard for half a year to produce ten shi, pay taxes four shi, and pay rent three shi , and the remaining three stones will cost us a family of three to eat for half a year."

Four stones?Shen Guiyan gasped, Sixi's family only had two acres of land and they had to pay four shi, while other people had seven or eight mu, wouldn't they have to pay more than a dozen shi in half a year?

This is simply absurd. The [-]% agricultural tax clearly stated in the government decree doesn't these people know it?

"Madam, would you like to lend Sixi to me for a few days?" Shen Guiyan thought for a long time, then looked at the woman in blue and said, "The little girl belongs to Prime Minister Gu's residence. If Madam is worried, you can follow her to the residence for a few days." day."

The woman's eyes widened, and she took a few steps back in fright, Sixi quickly reached out to support her, and said, "Mother, don't be afraid, the school Xi'er is in was built by Madam, Madam is much better than those fierce people. "

The woman didn't come to her senses for a long time. After all, the prime minister is a high-ranking official, a big figure that ordinary officials don't see.It's unbelievable that someone suddenly came and said that it was from the prime minister's mansion.After being dazed for a while, the woman in blue went to talk to her husband for a while, and asked the man to follow Sixi to the gate of the house.

"Miss, what are you doing with this little girl back?" Baoshan asked curiously, "I think it's kind of you to give some money and food."

"What's the use of treating the symptoms but not the root cause?" Shen Guiyan hugged Sixi and pinched her little face: "Since Sixi is so clever, I believe that she can save the common people from suffering."

Save the common people from the fire and water?This is too exaggerated.Baoshan couldn't help but fiddle with Sixi's shofar braid.As a child, it would be nice if he could save his family.

The little girl sat in Shen Guiyan's arms blankly.

Gu Chaobei is practicing martial arts in the backyard. Since he became a governor, he has become much stronger.Those soldiers were arrogant, and they couldn't suppress them without any ability. Didn't they force him to start strengthening his body?

Just after practicing, I heard a little girl's exaggerated cry from the front yard: "Wow - so beautiful."

Putting away the long sword, Gu Chaobei turned around to see that Shen Guiyan was walking towards the main house with a dirty little girl.

"Who is this?" Gu Chaobei asked.

Sixi turned her head, looked at Gu Chaobei and was stunned, grabbed Shen Guiyan's hand and shook: "This... this is what the master said!"

"What?" Before Shen Guiyan could answer Gu Chaobei's words, she lowered her body and asked Sixi.

Si Xi seemed to be looking at the words for a while, patting his head for a long time before suddenly realizing: "The master said, 'There are bandits and gentlemen, who are like cutting like learning, and like grinding.' That's what it looks like!"

Gu Chaobei raised his eyebrows, came over to look at Sixi in a very comfortable mood, and said, "Little girl can really talk, my brother will teach you, that's called a gentleman like jade."

Sixi looked at him, and nodded in a daze, with a hint of shyness on her muddy face.

"No wonder the lady wants to bring her back, she's so cute." Gu Chaobei looked up at Shen Guiyan, smiled with his lips curled up, "It's just that she's a little younger, otherwise I could have taken her for my husband... Hiss!"

Before he could finish his teasing words, someone squeezed his waist severely.

Shen Guiyan smiled very gently, looked at him and said: "Sixi is not used to tease my husband, I want to ask my husband for help."

Gu Chaobei screamed in pain, and after walking around in the yard, he looked at Shen Guiyan seriously and said, "Young lady, if you have anything to do, just tell me!"

Shen Guiyan pulled him into the room, and told what the people had seen and heard recently.

"The wine and meat of Zhumen stinks, and there are frozen bones on the road." Shen Guiyan said: "In the past, Uncle Wen Guo used chariots and circuses to entertain refugees. Today, there are tax officials collecting taxes arbitrarily, making the people hungry, and man-made disasters are natural disasters. Didn't the emperor give an order? , can any corrupt official be 'beat'? Why don't you try, 'beat' the previous 'beat'?"

Gu Chaobei listened, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "Why do you always care about such things?"

There was no smile on Shen Guiyan's face: "For the people of our dynasty, why can't we pay attention to these things? The criminal law does not stipulate that women should not think about the world."

Her eyes were too firm, Gu Chaobei sighed, he was used to it, and lowered his eyes and said: "But now I am just a small eighth-rank supervisor, and the tax officer of the household department is also an eighth-rank, he is not mine. Next, how can I beat it?"

The decree said lightly that anyone who is corrupt can be beaten.But the officialdom naturally has official rules. If you really offend someone and get retaliated in the future, isn't it yourself who suffers?
Shen Guiyan looked at him deeply: "Isn't your husband always unruly? If you want to fight, who would dare to stop you? Even if the opponent is someone higher than you, isn't there still your father-in-law to back you up?"

People with high positions and powers can bully the people wantonly, why should they behave well and not beat up those corrupt officials?If you have the conditions, you have to beat them up. It's better to vent your anger for the people first.

Sixi next to her didn't quite understand what they said, but she knew that the madam was begging for the good-looking person in front of her, so she knelt down obediently and kowtowed to Gu Chaobei, her eyes were very clean: "Please, my lord!" Help, Sixi doesn’t want to be hungry all the time. Sixi has studied hard and helped weed when she got home, but why is there still less and less food to eat?”

Gu Chaobei was taken aback for a moment, and his heart inevitably softened.He is used to spending his time on the top, and he has never put any effort into these common people.Since Yan'er wants his help, it doesn't matter if he changes his plan.

Originally, he wanted to expose Fu Xueshi's corruption, but because his foundation was too stable, he might not be able to bring it down at once, so he did not take action for a long time.Since Yan'er asked him to play the tax official, he should play the tax official.

It's just to give the emperor a step down and please him, and the rest is nothing.

"Okay." Gu Chaobei nodded.

Both Shen Guiyan and Sixi laughed, and Sixi hurriedly stood up and praised Gu Chaobei as taught by his master. He said all the exiled immortals in the sky, and praised Gu Chaobei so much that his teeth gleamed with a smile. Modestly said: "Yes, I am like this."

Shameless, Shen Guiyan muttered in her heart, but seeing Gu Chaobei's smile, she felt that Sixi was right.

After a few days, Gu Chaobei set off with an iron rod he found somewhere, and it was already dark when he came back. Shen Guiyan looked at his exhausted appearance and asked, "How is it?"

Gu Chaobei waved his hand, gulped down a few mouthfuls of water and said, "You wait for something big to happen in the mansion tomorrow."

event?Shen Guiyan raised her eyebrows, how big a deal could it be?

As a result, Gu Chaobei was not exaggerating this time, as soon as the sky dawned, the prime minister's mansion was surrounded by guards.

"Return to the master." Gu Butler came back after inquiring about the news, and said to Prime Minister Gu tremblingly: "The Ministry of Punishment sent people to arrest people, saying that a martial artist injured more than ten officials, big and small, and finally fled into the prime minister's mansion. "

Prime Minister Gu turned pale, and immediately found out all the warriors in the mansion: "Who did this terrible thing?"

Xu Zhuangzhou and the other warriors were at a loss and shook their heads.The concierge who was summoned tremblingly said: "No warrior left the mansion yesterday, but the fourth young master went out with a stick..."

Before Shen Guiyan got up, she heard a terrific noise outside.After thinking for a while, I went out to see the situation.

Zhuiyun blocked the entrance of the North Courtyard, with Prime Minister Gu and a group of imperial guards outside.

The prime minister was getting angry, and said to Zhuiyun: "Even the old man has to go in?"

Zhuiyun bowed his head, and said seriously: "Master told me, when he doesn't get up, the slave will stay here, and wait for him to get up and see you later."

"You son of a bitch!" Prime Minister Gu was very angry. Seeing that his servant was about to force him to charge, Shen Guiyan hurriedly opened the door and said, "Please wait a moment, Guiyan will wait for you to get up immediately."

Others in the yard were also woken up. Jiang came out wrapped in clothes and bowed to Prime Minister Gu. Prime Minister Gu said with a sullen face, "Your aunt should also remind the master to get up early. What does that sound like?"

Jiang's innocence was affected by the anger, and she stood by and couldn't say a word.

When Gu Chaobei came out with half-open eyes, he was slapped by Prime Minister Gu: "Unfilial son!"

Shen Guiyan was taken aback, and subconsciously stood in front of Gu Chaobei: "Eunuch, calm down, it's so early in the morning, what is your crime?"

Gu Chaobei frowned, his face soon turned red and swollen, and his brows were full of impatience: "Every time the old thing does it without asking, it's so boring. If it weren't for the sake of you being my father , I have already fought back."

"You!" Gu Chengxiang was so angry at his words that he raised his hand and wanted to hit him again.Shen Guiyan stepped forward to block it, and said sternly: "Eunuch, why don't you speak clearly, and it won't be too late to fight."

The guard commander from behind came up, cupped his hands and said: "Yesterday, Gu Tiju beat the officials with a stick, a total of twelve people, from the tax officer to the head of the household department, were all seriously injured. The emperor was furious, so he sent someone to arrest Gu Tijutsu, ask questions in the hall."

Shen Guiyan gasped, and looked back at him in surprise: "Did you hit someone?"

Gu Chaobei nodded nonchalantly: "Yes, the Holy Will said that corrupt officials can be beaten, and you also said that I can do it, so I just..."

Shen Guiyan's forehead twitched, and it took a long time before she took a long breath and said, "This 'hit' is not the other 'hit', how can you seriously hit someone, my lord?"

It is said that "beating" a corrupt official is to sue for a crime, so that the yamen can beat him, not to ask him to beat someone with a stick.

Prime Minister Gu was full of anger, Shen Guiyan stepped aside helplessly.

"Let me escort this traitor to the main hall."

"Prime Minister." The commander of the imperial guards said, "The emperor means to enter the palace directly."

Prime Minister Gu said with a serious face: "This old man has failed His Majesty's high hopes. If you teach such a rebellious son, you will naturally have to give him a good beating before you can face the Holy Majesty."

Both Shen Guiyan and Jiang Shi were taken aback, and the commander of the imperial guards also frowned: "This..."

"Take it away." Prime Minister Gu waved his hand, and the servants behind him directly came to pick him up.

(End of this chapter)