Chapter 260 – King of Rolls

Zheng Chi was lying on the wall at this time, with two tears in his eyes, and with his blurred eyes, he could only see Zhang Anshi’s righteous stance, and the resentful look of the people who were driven away by Zhang Anshi.

As soon as the man with the stretcher was gone.

Zhang Anshi then said, “It’s really strange lately, how come there are so many people carrying huge sums of money around? It’s really outrageous, when did my Great Ming, become so rich?”

The lieutenants on the side were all afraid to utter an atmosphere, they were just ordinary lieutenants, who had thought that they could be lined up in the same class as the Duke of Wei.

One man gathered his courage and stumbled, “Your Excellency, today is the winter solstice, and from the winter solstice to the end of the year, it is the day to send charcoal to honor the people.”

Zhang Anshi said: ”Of course I know, I was just deliberately gloomy. Son of a bitch this group of guys, all the people’s fat ah, so much of the people’s fat, are sent to the lords of the capital here, but also so blatant, really do not want the face! I Zhang Anshi still do business, they are good, lying down to collect silver.”

When the lieutenants heard this, they all said, “Your Excellency is right.”

“You guys protect me.”

“Here.”

In fact, Zhang Anshi really do not need protection, now the entire capital, almost every street has a lieutenant ride, and all the gates, all the docks, can be said to be impermeable! What small people get the wind, has long been hiding, the atmosphere does not dare to come out.

Only Zheng Chi, at this time, was as if his heart was cut by a knife.

Fang that was driven away, although he has no impression, but with his years of doing official intuition, the other side said is Henan’s accent, he has a few disciples, is to do in Henan as a local official …… in previous years …… will send people to ……

Zheng Chi couldn’t wait to jump straight off the wall and fight Zhang Anshi to the death.

Still, he was very much a man of life, and, holding back his grief, he climbed down the ladder, slowly.

“Father, what is it, are there a lot of brocade guards out there?”

Zheng Chi stifled his red face and cursed only after half a day, “Zhang Anshi, I’m into his mother, he won’t let me have a good time, I’ll fight with him.”

When Zheng Zhong heard this, he shivered in fear and busily said, “Father, no, no, we can’t make a mistake.”

Zheng Chi, however, said, “Go, quickly go and inquire and find out what is going on outside, and inquire carefully.”

Zheng Zhong froze and said, “The son himself?”

“Of course you go in person.” Zheng Chi glared at him.

Zheng Zhong heard, where dare to nag, busy and went.

Zheng Chi carried his hands behind his back and returned to the center hall with a gloomy face, pacing back and forth while sighing in distress.

It’s impossible to live.

His salary as a minister is definitely not low.

But the expenses are even greater, a large family, his own wife and concubines are six or seven, and his son, who also has a wife and concubines, and in the future there will be several grandchildren ……

And then how can you serve such a large family without dozens of slaves?

On top of that, there are three or four carters, otherwise how would the family travel? There had to be three or four cooks, and errand boys, sedan chair bearers, all kinds of people.

But which of these doesn’t require silver?

With that salary, how can I do that?

In fact, based on the salary alone, the family can also live quite nourishing, especially his Shangshu, the sum of all the salaries added up, is certainly much better than the ordinary people.

The problem is, if that’s all there is to it, then isn’t it a waste of time for me to be an official?

In fact, Zheng Chi is quite clean, he is really clean, because apart from the charcoal tribute and ice tribute, Zheng Chi also basically does not take anything that should not be taken.

Every New Year’s festival, and the winter and summer solstice, is the time of the gate, but can and Zheng Chi a little relationship, everyone is a steady stream of gifts.

And of course, that gift giving is pretty rolled up.

I don’t know exactly when the original charcoal respect and ice respect started, but back then, people still just wanted to do things and ask favors, so they sent something under a certain name.

You send something, people give you to do things, and even give you a promotion, this is called one hand to pay, one hand to deliver.

But when it came down to it, it got worse.

Because more and more people are giving it away, everyone is giving it away, which means everyone is not giving it away.

So it became commonplace to have ice toasts and charcoal toasts at this time of year!

Standing order means, you send this little thing, isn’t it proper? With this you still want to teach me to do things? Who are you?

The scary thing is, although everyone received your gift, and no intention to do things, but if you do not send, this is out of order, the Commission belongs to the ranks of the blow.

As for the weight of the gift, there is a doorway.

At first it was just a regular gift, we also talk about the elegance of the literati, collect a little calligraphy and painting, or what porcelain vase, what antiques and other things to send.

But when it came to the Yuan Dynasty, everyone was too lazy to be polite, because at that time, the proportion of people who were officials, the literati was not much, especially those Tartar aristocrats, you send them this, it is not an amusement to people?

Eventually, the so-called ice respect and charcoal respect become naked . Naked. Naked send gold and silver.

After the founding of the Great Ming, the Song system was restored, and many of the systems and bad habits of the Yuan Dynasty were vigorously attacked. As for the ice and charcoal respect, which were full of copper flavor like that of the Yuan Dynasty, they were inherited intact.

After all, crude is a bit crude, but you can really make a lot of money.

And that’s something that’s more reliable than a salary.

The salary is issued by the emperor, the emperor of the Zhu family in the eyes of the ministers character are very questionable, if he owes you any month, you can not take him.

But this filial piety is not the same, filial piety is the next person to send, these people can look up to you, to your head, people to send this, afraid of the contrary is that you do not accept.

At this time, Zheng Chi, the more he thought about it, the more angry he became, and he was close to having his nose crooked.

He back his hand, such as the ants on the hot pot, anxious to go round and round, really can not hold back, the mouth and cursed up: “I knew he was not a good person, is a traitor ……”.

“Asshole son of a bitch, this is going to pay off sooner or later ……”

Cursed enough more than half an hour, dry mouth, and remembered what: “This dog thing he unloaded the donkey ah, just Ting pushed his State Duke, turn the other cheek, really worse than a pig dog, not afraid of being struck by lightning.”

At this time, the son Zheng Zhongqi finally panting rushed back: “Father, father ……”

Zheng Chi immediately perked up, grimaced, looked at Zheng Zhong who was panting heavily, and asked urgently, “How’s it going, what’s the news from outside?”

“There’s good news and bad news.” Zheng Zhong said.

With a mindset of bitter before sweet, Zheng Chi said, “What’s the bad news?”

Zheng Zhong said, “Indeed the brocade guards blocked our streets and alleys, ostensibly to say that the investigation of unlawful things, in fact, it is to run to those who send ice tribute and charcoal tribute, but all those who are carrying huge sums of money on their bodies and have no other reasons, are ordered to repatriate, and now everyone is scared, do not dare to show their heads.”

Zheng Chi was so angry that he wanted to stomp his feet.

“Where’s the good news?” Zheng Chi felt that at this time, he needed good news to wash away the gloom under his eyes.

Zheng Zhong was happy: “The good news is …… that the Duke of Wei is not targeting our Zheng family, good guy …… all the docks and ferries, and the city gates, the streets and alleys, and the ministers’ mansions, are all the people of the Jinyiwei, father, not Zhang Anshi is targeting you, he is targeting everyone.”

Zheng Chi heard it, but he only felt dizzy, raised his hand, and cursed, “Sinful animal, what kind of good news is this!”

Zheng Zhong hurriedly dodged, holding his head and mumbling, “It’s not our family’s bad luck, isn’t that good news?”

“You go eat dirt.” Zheng Chi huffed and pointed at Zheng Zhong’s nose and cursed.

Zheng Zhong aggrievedly said; “And it is not the son who offended you, it is that Zhang Anshi …….”

Zheng Chi glared at him and said; “I can’t afford to mess with Zhang Anshi, but I can’t teach you a lesson?”

After the brouhaha.

Zheng Chi finally gradually calmed down, he closed his eyes and sat dryly, not saying a word.

Instead, Zheng Zhong stood aside and carefully looked at Zheng Chi’s face and said, “My son has heard that on the side of the Brocade Guards, they say that they want to make this a regular practice.”

“Standing orders?” A hint of coldness swept across Zheng Chi’s eyes, “He’s determined not to teach us a good time?”

Zheng Zhong, however, said, “Father, shouldn’t we reflect on whether we have been too harsh on Zhang Anshi on weekdays? I’ve heard that not many of the courtiers in this dynasty have good things to say about Zhang Anshi.”

Zheng Chi raised his head, glared at Zheng Zhong, and eventually lowered his eyes again, slowing down before saying, “No panic, no panic.”

“Father has a solution?”

Zheng Chi snorted coldly and said, ”It’s not that Lao Fu has a way, throughout the ages, the ushering in and out of this heaven has never been broken. Zhang Anshi is too tender, he thought that pointing to this, he can cut off these? Hey, after all, is young ah, do not understand the human world. When I was young, I also had the ambition, thinking of all kinds of stereotypes, this rule, not just good?”

After a pause, Zheng Chi continued with an old spirit, “But after reading many books and floating in the eunuch sea for so many years, I realized that …… the reason why anything under this sky still exists has his own reasoning! It’s not something that can be solved by cleaning up a bit.”

“You see the great ancestor of the high emperor, at first how harsh ah, than this Zhang Anshi, to be ten times more ferocious hundred times, how many people killed, this dynasty up and down, everyone is precarious, at first there are a lot of people on the court before, but also have to explain their own aftermath with their families first, but in the end how it?”

He gazed at Zheng Zhong and continued, “So ah, there will be a way, as long as you hold on, there will be a way. It’s just that these days, I’m afraid I’ll have to suffer a bit.”

“Bitter a hundred officials?” Zheng Zhong said.

Zheng Chi slowly said, “Suffer a bit, starting today, you come to set an example, the monthly money given to you, as well as your mother-in-law’s grooming money, as well as all other expenditures, all stop, to scrimp and save.”

“Ah ……,” Zheng Zhong wailed.

…………

The entire Jinyiwei, more than 20,000 people, divided into three shifts, not only in the capital, has long been divided into provincial cities and prefectures of the lieutenant, three months ago, also carried out a replacement.

That is to say, those who have been expatriated are transferred back to the capital, which then allocates a portion of them to be distributed to various places.

This was avoided because the Jinyiwei who had been stationed in various places for a long time were familiar with the locals and could not strike hard.

What’s more, the South Zhenfu Si this side and staring, the inner thousand households also check tight, the North Zhenfu Si up and down, now there is nothing to rely on, know that at any time they may make a mistake, was Zhang Anshi rectification, next, subject to that family law extreme punishment.

Since the Duke of Wei will be this as the first thing to grasp, and is the largest action after the Duke of Wei full control of the South Zhenfu Si.

That’s why everyone was working very hard and just hated to be in front of Zhang Anshi.

Zhang Anshi was on duty for the first half of the night, and returned to the mansion in exhaustion, not even having the energy to eat a midnight snack, and directly wanting to fall asleep.

At this time, I realized that the original patrol street is also so hard, so to the next day, they called the North and South Township Division of the Tongzhi, Commander, Zhenfu to discuss, decided that from now on, to set aside a sum of money, dedicated to the patrol of the streets of the lieutenant and the Tijie cavalry a subsidy.

The silver is not much, only half a taels of silver per month, but it is a sudden boost to the morale of this up and down.

The money was considered a sum of silver for the lower ranks of the lieutenants, while the military officials did not look upon it as such, but that did not prevent them from thinking that the Duke of Weiguo was generous.

What’s more, this Jin Yiwei on the street, there are some other benefits, that is, weekdays of the small people, are gone.

Many places that hide dirt and grime have also closed their doors, so they dare not do business.

Zhang Anshi went to the Southern Zhenfu Division, and then began to enter the palace.

He has been crowned Duke of Wei, and has yet to give thanks.

That’s a top priority too!

…………

At this time, in the Mandarin’s building.

Yiluoha was talking to Zhu with a smile, as if he was pulling a family affair.

“Many ministers in the ministries hall have cursed away, saying that the brocade guards are pouring out and nuisance to the people, this people are too miserable, scared everyone.”

“The slave girl also heard that a few old ministry halls, this is also very dissatisfied, said a lot of not very good words.”

“And …… the Minister of Rites, Minister Zheng, he is sick again.”

When Zhu Di heard this, he frowned and couldn’t help but say, “Isn’t this just after being sick? Yesterday only canceled the leave, said the body has been well, how come again sick?”

“He said that his body is not yet refreshed, and he is afraid that he needs to recuperate for a few more days, but the slave girl has heard that he is sick with gas.”

Zhu said, “His wife stole a free man?”

Also Lost Ha: “……”

What is meant by thinking, what is meant by pattern, and what is meant by chi sickness are understood differently by different people.

For example, if you think of a person who is popular and sick, you must expect that this must have been counted on.

Zhu Di did not have much experience being counted on, he is a martial thinking, roughly can make a normal male child angry sick, is not it the men and women that a pickle thing?

Yilungha lowered his voice and said, “They said they were from the Brocade Guards, squatting in front of his house, staring at the passing crowds.”

Zhu raised an eyebrow and said, “What, the Brocade Guards are bullying people on the street?”

Yiluoha said hurriedly, “But there is no bullying, it is the inventory, so far, no one arrested into the prison, and even the scolding is not heard of, all are persuasion.”

Zhu Di said with an expression of speechlessness, “What does that have to do with this Zheng Chi?”

Yiluoha, on the other hand, wanted to say something; he didn’t dare to put words in his mouth.

Speak through it and it becomes pleasing to no one.

To Zhu Di, you’re smarter than me?

To Zhang Anshi, aren’t you suing me?

And to the hundred officials, aren’t you exposing us as irregular in collecting ice and charcoal respect? What does the business of the scholar have to do with you, the eunuch?

Just when Yizhuha hesitated, Zhu Di could see that Yizhuha was hiding something in his heart.

This is in fact the reason why Yizuha has been able to serve by Zhu Di’s side peacefully.

It’s not just because he’s figured out Zhu Di’s temperament.

The other most important reason was that Zhu Di had also figured out his temperament, and the latter, in fact, was the more important.

Many people compare those who can always win the favor of their superiors to deep pockets, which is actually not the case. We are all smart people, if this person, even Zhu Di himself can not see through, how can he be willing to feel at ease to stay at his side?

So the vast majority of the time, having flaws, or having slip-ups, is the only way to really survive.

Zhu was about to ask a follow-up question, but fortunately, at this moment, someone helped Yilungha to solve the problem.

However, he saw a eunuch tiptoe in and respectfully whispered, “Your Majesty, the Duke of Wei seeks an audience.”

Zhu Di said, “Come just in time, I still want to raise the offense with him, how to make people sick!”

Zhu Di laughed, waiting for Zhang Anshi to come in, salute, mouth: “I have no size of merit …… but Meng Your Majesty so love, really grateful ……”

Zhu Di waved his hand, interrupting him, “Alright, bestow a seat.”

Zhang Anshi owed to sit down, smiled and said, “After His Majesty’s Royal Decree, my family was overjoyed, especially my daughter-in-law, who said that His Majesty’s treatment of the minister was really unparalleled, and that he would teach the minister not to care about his family’s affairs outside, and that there was no way to repay such a generous favor without putting in a lot of hard work.”

Zhu Di revealed a smile and nodded his head, “Lady Wei Guo Gong is very sensible.”

Zhang Anshi added: “I reprimanded her at that time, and I said, “Are these words for a woman like you to say? Do you need to be taught such a great truth, that I, Zhang Anshi, would not understand it?”

Zhu said, “You are also very sensible.”

“Where, where, this is not all brother-in-law and A sister from childhood from the word of example, my A sister ……”

Zhu Di waved his hand, “Don’t continue to pull it off, say it again, your ancestors eighteen generations, are all my Daming loyalists.”

Zhang Anshi showed some slight embarrassment and couldn’t help but say, “Your Majesty, this is true ……”

Zhu Di is at this point in the turn of phrase, said: “I heard that these days, the North and South Zhenfu Si, very lively?”

Zhang Anshi quickly said, “Yes, these days, the capital, there are a lot of small-minded people, I was thinking, this is the foot of the emperor, if this is the foot of the emperor are not peaceful, how can this be? I am eating the king’s salary, loyal to the king’s affairs, so ……”

Zhu Di squinted at Zhang Anshi.

Zhang Anshi, however, continued to speak in a vigorous manner and was not ashamed at all.

There are some things that you can not point out, you can not say, all officials can be killed, I Zhang Anshi is to rule them.

Really, even if everyone’s cheeks are torn.

Zhu Di did not continue to dig deeper into this matter, but said, “How much wine was sold?”

“Sell …… sold over 7,000 bottles.”

“More than seven thousand?” Zhu raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at him fixedly, with a few moments of, you’re not doing anything serious look.

But …… five taels of silver in a bottle, can sell seven thousand taels, Zhu Di has felt some great expectations.

It s just …… that there are some gaps between this and the bull you Zhang Anshi blew in the beginning!

“I am mainly here to thank you for your kindness.” Zhang Anshi said, “In addition to that, I got the decree, especially seeing that His Majesty even added 50,000 food households to me, this …… this …… His Majesty treats me so generously, I can’t extol His Majesty’s kindness in a thousand words! ……”

Zhu Di, however, was very direct in pointing out his purpose, saying, “So you’re here to ask about the food households?”

Zhang Anshi said without changing his face, “I have come to thank you for your grace.”

Zhu Di did not bother with him, then said: “This food household, you see where to add in the right? I have thought about it, your former food households are in Annan, if it is still added in Annan, even if I give you all, not so many Han households! When I first agreed on this matter, I only felt that you have a lot of credit, and must be rewarded, but now it is difficult.”

Said Zhu, frowning lightly, showing a few tangled points.

Zhang Anshi laughed dryly, “Your Majesty, this ……”

Zhu said, “Looks like you have something in mind?”

Zhang Anshi shook his head, “Thunder and rain are all the king’s favors, Your Majesty’s willingness to reward, I am already grateful, since what Your Majesty bestows, I will willingly accept.”

Zhu Di fell at this time to relieve the frown, smiled and said: “In fact, this matter is not urgent, I have to think about it. You ah, sell wine well, how did you say to me in the beginning? You are still young, don’t be fussy, things should be done one by one.”

When Zhang Anshi heard it, he understood what it meant.

Who taught His Majesty to play with performance?

The matter of food accounts, look at it and then decide, and then tell you to sell wine properly, is not it obvious, take the food accounts and the performance of selling wine to be linked?

What can Zhang Anshi say? Only to say, “Yes, I honor your majesty s lesson, I …… will go back to sell now.”

Zhu smiled with satisfaction and waved his hand, “Go on, hurry up.”

Zhang Anshi came out of the palace.

He then grinned, this is what His Majesty himself said, he himself wants to play performance, then I, Zhang Anshi, have to come to be the king of the roll.

The time is …… ripe to sell alcohol.

Although he was tired in the first half of the night, Zhang Anshi still insisted on being on duty and personally took over the day shift from the lieutenant.

The lieutenants who were about to go off duty as well as the lieutenants who had been on duty with Zhang Anshi for the last half of the night were familiar with Zhang Anshi and knew that Zhang Anshi was not as harsh as they thought.

So everyone relaxes too.

After the handover, Zhang Anshi pressed the sword at his waist and taught the several lieutenants who were on duty together the art of self-defense.

“Self-defense, the first thing is to save yourself, and only after that can you kill the enemy, understand? As long as you live, the enemy will never be able to beat you, then rounded up, even if you win.”

“The so-called self-defense, that is, the eyes look around, ears listen to all directions, a little wind and grass, to be immediately alert! This person, wherever you go, you need to first observe the terrain, first find a place where you can hide, and always caution yourself that you are in danger ……”

The lieutenants nodded their heads, but in their hearts they thought, “My rotten life, what’s the use of learning it?

Just then, a few men were escorting a large vehicle.

Zhang Anshi raised his eyes and directly exclaimed, “What kind of person?”

The lieutenants were immediately alert, and one by one they surrounded the men who were escorting the car.

The one in the lead hurriedly stepped forward with trepidation, piling on a smile and said, “Sir, we’re escorting the goods.”

Zhang Anshi tensed his face and said, “Bet on the goods, bet on what goods? Your thick eyebrows and big eyes look like a good person, but according to my many years of experience, the more like a good person, nine times out of ten must be an outlaw, come …… and take a look at what is in that car!”

A lieutenant immediately lifted the felt cloth of the big car, and then said, “Your Excellency, it’s wine.”

“Wine ……” Zhang Anshi rested his chin and walked up, but he saw that on the top, he did yard a full dozen boxes of wine.

Zhang Anshi circled around the wine and said, “This is palace imperial wine? What are you betting on this for?”

The visitor carefully said, “Wine, wine …… of course brought …… to drink.”

Zhang Anshi relaxed his guard and secretly nodded his head, “That makes sense, okay, okay, go ahead, let go, don’t worry.”

Zhang Anshi waved his hand and said to the lieutenants behind him, “It’s all right, it’s all right, it’s people buying wine to drink, pull back, pull back, don’t even get in the way.”

The man heard, as if amnestied, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and then scrambled to lead the fellow, pulling the cart away.

On the other side, another person came with a stretcher, and Zhang Anshi rushed forward with his men and shouted, “”Stop, what are you doing? ”

As soon as the other party saw Zhang Anshi and the others, he turned around with his stretcher and went on a wild goose chase.

Several lieutenants wanted to go after them, but Zhang Anshi waved his hand and said, “Forget it, forget it, it’s just the frightened people, unlike the outlaws, there’s no need to chase after them when they’ve all been scared away, so don’t scare them to death.”

…………

At the other end, the big car, in a sorry state, appeared in front of the firewood room in the Zheng family’s backyard.

The person in the lead, as if he was a thief, kept wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with a look of fear.

On the other hand, Zheng Chi, who continued to recuperate in the backyard room, was lying on the couch, his mouth emitting the sound of “ouch, ouch, ouch”.

The maidservants served tea and water, and I don’t know what happened to the master, but all of a sudden he got sicker.

The doctor came and seemed to be at his wits’ end, prescribing only some unusual prescriptions.

At this time, Zheng Zhong rushed in hurriedly, holding a worship invitation in his hand, and his voice said with a few moments of high voice: “Father, father, father ……”

“Ouch, ouch, ouch ……”

Zheng Zhong, however, was overjoyed, his mouth grinning up, dancing with joy: “Father, the Changde House …… Changde House is coming ……”

“Ai yu yu ……… ah yu yu yu ……,” Zheng Chi suddenly a harrier roll, sat up violently, eyes a, said: “Changdefu?”

“Father, you forget? At first …… your that prot茅g茅 …… Changde Zhifu Zhu Wenjie, the year before last, he is still only the county magistrate of Qiantang County, it is not the father you help the favor …… ”

Zheng Chi’s eyes slightly sheeted, said, “Think of it, think of it, it’s him ……”

Zheng Zhong cheerfully said, “He sent someone, specially from Changdefu, to send you charcoal respect.”

Zheng Chi froze, “This …… this ……”

Zheng Chi didn’t say much more, immediately shuffled up and said in a windy manner, “Dressing, dress me, it’s really strange, how did they send the charcoal honoring to me? This Zhu Wenjie’s people, they do have a few skills.”

In fact, in general, like this ice respect charcoal respect, rolled to the point that everyone sends after this gift will be sent to the gift, Zheng Chi such a person, in fact, will not even see to see, leave the gift list, give me a roll far away.

But today, Zheng Zhi must see it!

You know, this winter solstice until now, but he has not seen a single gift ah!

Enter motherfucking Zhang Anshi!