Yanggu County, Shandong.

As soon as the county magistrate returned from the front hall after hearing the case, he was blocked in the corridor by the documents that had just been recruited.

"My lord, you have to think twice about this case. ”

The county magistrate was stunned for a moment, and when he saw the person who came, his brows were raised: "The surname is Gao, what are you? Pointing fingers at the county three times and twice, what's wrong, what's wrong?"

The person who was scolded was a person from Shandong, who had been a civil official in the Han Dynasty, and was later hated by the Han King because of his personal affairs and was deposed.

However, this person is talented, but also writes a good hand, is also decent, after returning to Shandong, in the waterway must pass through the county to find a private school Mr. errand to do, and then was appreciated by the local big households, recommended to the county order to do the paperwork, in the county to be a small official.

In the face of the insults of the county order, Gao Towering was unmoved, and did not leave, and said: " The court changed the law three years ago, whether a woman is at home or married, she has the right to inherit her parents' property, the Shen family has three sisters, only the eldest sister is an adult, and she is only fifteen years old, but because of the death of both parents, the uncle teamed up to try to encroach on the niece's property, and also sold the eldest niece and the little niece to the old man in his forties as concubines, if this was placed in the past, the adult can still say that the parents are not there, the uncle is the greatest, and the etiquette dictates it, but now, it is clear that the three sisters can control the property left by Lord Shen and Mrs. Shen, and the uncle must not be disheartened and sell nieces, and the three sisters of the Shen family will sue their uncle who is inferior to the beast to the court, and the adult, as a parent official, should be the master of the three sisters, how can it be said that the three sisters do not know the grace of their uncle and are ungrateful people. ”

The county magistrate blew his beard: "This county will try the case, and you will be taught, the matter that women can inherit property is a new law issued by the imperial court, who knows if it will be changed tomorrow? Since ancient times, women have been married out, splashed out is water, and they still want their mother's property, they are now surnamed Shen, and will they still be surnamed Shen when they marry in the future? The law is there, and few people in this county have heard of it. ”

Gao Jian straightened his body and raised his eyebrows: "This is a national policy customized by the imperial court, and it is supervised and implemented by the princess of the prison country herself, how can the order be changed overnight? Moreover, they were born with the surname Shen, and they are also surnamed Shen when they marry and start a family, if the lord of the mansion does not recognize it, he can ask the deceased Lord Shen and his wife, and ask them if they want their daughter's surname Shen, or their daughter and man as a concubine and marry the old man." ”

"You are presumptuous. The county magistrate jumped to his feet: "Are you cursing this county to die, so that you can meet those two short-lived ghosts? A princess of the prison country, she is also a girl, and besides, is she related to you? If it weren't for the face recommended by the Lanling officials, the county would have driven you away now." ”

Gao said loudly: "Even if the adults want to drive away the villain, the villain must say that the law does not allow blasphemy, and if the adult judges the case and does not handle it according to the law, it is favoritism and dereliction of duty." ”

"Get out of here. The county magistrate shouted: "I told you clearly, I don't know the current affairs, you are so good at studying the law, why is it still a small paperwork, otherwise this county will order you to be a poor scholar who has no ability, you know that you can put your mouth and fingers, get out, get out, get out, this county doesn't need you to pretend to be an uncle in front of this county." ”

Gao Xuan took a long breath and said: "I can go, but if the adults still have to uphold the original verdict and can't give the people justice, Gao will fight a lawsuit for these three sisters and will come back." ”

After speaking, he bowed slightly to the county order: "Farewell." ”

The county magistrate pointed to the gate: "You get out of here." ”

After the towering nasty ghost left, the county magistrate wanted to go to the back office to sleep well, but as soon as he took off his shoes and soaked his feet, the palace newspaper from the imperial court came: "My lord, it was the official who opened the sea ban, and the city department opened the door again." ”

The opening of the sea market is a big deal, so that the silk tea can be sold to the South Seas.

The county order took the newspaper and read it carefully, in addition to the original three ports of Guangzhou, Quanzhou and Ningbo, there was also a city shipping department in Jiaozhou.

"Yes, yes. The county order sighed again and again, the city is short of fat, and it opened four at once, and I don't know who it will fall to.

But don't think about it, he can't go anyway.

Of course, there is no need to go to the city to do things, if you come and go in the wind and rain, they are very good.

Although there is no maritime trade, all the goods by water, as long as they lead to the capital, must pass through them, as soon as the ship goes ashore, it is tax silver, and as soon as it goes ashore, it is money.

The city division is not necessarily better than him.

The county magistrate hummed a little song and detained the newspaper on the table, and the mood that was disturbed by the towering was now better.

The county order was about to go to bed, and the little official came in cautiously: "My lord." ”

"What's the matter?" and let people not sleep? The prefectural order was a little impatient.

The little official was busy: "It's the Lanling official who is here." ”

"What is he doing here?" the county magistrate sank his face, could it be for the sake of the towering thing? It's too fast, isn't it?

And it's not so much, I heard that this towering is just a private school in the Lanling family taught a few students to be appreciated by the big officials, and it's not a lifelong friendship, let alone a relative, can you need to protect it like this?

This Lanling official is the richest man in the local area, and he has some ties with the nobles in Beijing.

Although the county commander was not happy, he finally changed his clothes and came to the hall of the back of the yaya to meet the guests.

"Oh, big official, it's really time for you to come, and later, the official will fall asleep, and after a day's trial, he is very tired. ”

This Lanling official is tall, with a square face and a wide mouth, typical of northerners, and looks very decent.

The county magistrate's words were obviously dissatisfied, but he acted as if he hadn't heard them.

"I've read the newspaper published in Beijing five days ago, and it hasn't arrived with us yet, but the news must be accurate, the four ports are going to start opening to ships and open the sea market, do you know about it?"

The county magistrate yawned: "I just read the Di newspaper, this has something to do with us, and it is not Yanggu to set up a city department." ”

The Lanling officials raised their eyebrows slightly, and their faces were majestic: " Naturally, I came to find adults, this time the open sea market, not only Quanzhou, Guangzhou, Ningbo three, but also Jiaozhou, Jiaozhou is not far from us, you think, when the sea is banned, silk can not go to sea, a silk is seven or eight taels of silver, all from under our noses, this is the profit, but once the sea is opened, the price of a silk is ten to twelve taels of silver, three or four taels more than our waterway, at that time who still took the waterway to sell things, all went to the sea, this is still one of them, I also heard that the imperial court to directly open up the sea and waterway, so that the waterway to Jiaozhou, can go from us, but can also go from Linxian, if from us, that's okay, nothing has to change, if you go from Linxian, this is bound to become a barren county, and there are no past merchants, so what business do I do?"

When the county magistrate heard the last sentence, his head instantly sobered up.

Then it's no longer interesting for him to be a county magistrate.

"But this is determined by the imperial court, and we can't intervene. The county order stomped his feet in a hurry.

Hou muttered: "This has to talk to the court, otherwise the court won't take us Guyang, won't we become a dead county?"

If the sea route is opened, the inland water and land will inevitably decline, but if the water route can be connected to the sea route, there is no need to worry.

However, the premise is to obtain the consent of the imperial court to connect the port.

The Lanling official raised his hand slightly and said: "Don't panic first, since the imperial court said that it will connect the water and sea routes, it will consider us, but it is just to earn it with Linxian, we still have a chance, as long as we are accommodating with the people above before the imperial court decides, we can do it." ”

The county magistrate rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "Big official, although this official is a county magistrate, but you also know that it is not as good as you, you still have a good family in the capital, and you can speak, I don't know which way to worship the immortals." ”

There was a helpless thing flashing in the eyes of the Lanling officials, and he said: "The open sea market belongs to the abbot of Princess Yong'an, and I have no relatives with the princess, so I can't find it." ”

After speaking, he said: "But we also have to go for a walk, we can't sit still." ”

The county magistrate also thought about who to go to, but he couldn't get along with Her Royal Highness the princess.

The Lanling official suddenly said: "What about the document I recommended to you? He is from the capital, and he has served as an official in the capital before, so he should know some people, maybe he can help." ”

That man has also been an official in the capital? Isn't he just a Xixi?

The county magistrate was a little surprised, pursed his lips and said: "He is not obedient, and he always opposes the county, pointing fingers at the county's ruling, and the county has just sent him away, and he hasn't had time to tell the officials." ”

The Lanling official looked at the county order with puzzled eyes: "Drove him away, that person is very talented, and his character is dignified, why did you drive him away?"

The county magistrate said: "How did I know that he had been a Beijing official? Since he was a Beijing official, how could he come to our place, he must have committed a crime, and this kind of official who has committed a crime will not need him." ”

The Lanling official thought of the letter he had accidentally seen, which Gao Gao had written but had never mailed, and it was clearly written to his younger brother, although it was not signed, but his younger brother seemed to have an extraordinary future.

The Lanling official shook his head and said to the county order: "You ask people to get him back, let's discuss with him." ”

The county order was dissatisfied at first, but then he couldn't resist the big officials, who were the head snakes in the local area, and they had to give some thin noodles on both black and white.

So he sent a small servant out.

Gao Jian rented a bungalow not far from the county office. So the little official went and came back soon.

"My lord, there is a guest at Mr. Gao's house, and he said that he will not come, and he wants to receive the guest. ”

"What guest is more important than the official summoning him?" The county magistrate is really angry, why is this towering so ignorant.

The little official said: "The little one didn't dare to ask, there was more than one guest, it was a horse team, there were people guarding outside the courtyard, all of them were dressed the same, their eyes were poisonous, they were more ruthless than we were catching heads and looking at people, and the small ones were not close yet, so they were so scared that their legs trembled, and it seemed that they were not small." ”

The county magistrate pouted: "Just towering, what decent guests can there be." ”

The Lanling officials had doubts about the towering in their hearts, and they didn't dare to take it lightly, so they said to the county order: "Let's go and have a look, this person should not be underestimated." ”