For donations, the imperial court clearly marked the price, but not anyone who wanted to donate could donate. It doesn't matter in the yamen, the same official costs several times or even more than ten times the silver.

Shopkeeper Pan knew very well the bends in the yamen, and hurriedly said: "This is, this is, the big salt merchant in Jiangjin did not donate his background, but only donated a false title of seven-grade candidate magistrate and spent more than 10,000 taels." ”

"Even if you donate your background and donate to the official, you have made up for the shortage, and whether you can earn the silver back is the same." Guan Zhutou picked up the tea bowl and said with a smug smile: "Although I have never been an official, I have seen a lot, and they all say that there are 100,000 snowflakes of silver in the Qing Governor's Mansion in three years, but in fact, it is not so easy to be an official, it is not so simple." ”

The implication of Guan Zhutou's words could not be clearer, Han Si was young and begged for a living in the Yamen, although he did not get into the fame but could be an official, as long as he could make up for the shortcomings, he could make money. The shopkeeper Pan secretly thought that instead of forcing the Han family to sell their houses and land and not all the money they lent, it would offend a group of black-hearted scribes and servants, so it was better to gamble again.

He looked back at his son, and his gaze shifted to Han Xiufeng again: "Virtuous nephew, I have never missed anyone, I have long said that you are the Han family's Qianli Horse!" No, I quietly donated my background and donated my official, and I think I should be able to make up for the lack of inspection. Seeing that you are so competitive, Brother Yucai's spirit in the sky must be very pleased. ”

Listening to the tone of agreeing to the grace, Han Xiufeng was ecstatic, but still pretended to be calm and asked, "So Uncle Pan, are you willing to give me a few years of leniency?" ”

"The beauty of a gentleman's adulthood, besides, I am a brother and sister to Yucai, you and I are world friends, of course we must be lenient." Shopkeeper Pan smiled and changed his words: "But my uncle has two things to ask for, and my nephew must agree." ”

"Uncle Pan is serious, there is something to do, but it doesn't hurt to say it."

"Let's talk about the first case first, I can be lenient, or I can temporarily withhold the courtyard and the dozen acres of land in the countryside, but the note must be re-established."

It's really sad to be a tenant for others, Han Xiufeng doesn't want the whole family to live the days when they don't have clothes and food to eat again, and it is impossible to really ignore the aunt and sister, thinking that this may be the best result, he raised his head and said: "The note can be re-established, and I Han Si can also recognize my uncle's debt, but Uncle Pan, you have to lend me another five hundred taels." As you said earlier, it is easy to make up for the vacancy, and it takes money to make up for this shortage. ”

The shopkeeper Pan was stunned, and secretly scolded the little fox for daring to open his mouth!

"Virtuous nephew, it's not that my uncle doesn't want to help, but the counter really can't be opened." Shopkeeper Pan pretended to weigh it for a while, and said as if he had made up his mind: "Since the virtuous nephew has opened his mouth, the uncle has no more and less than one, what about fifty taels?" There is just a fifty-tael silver ticket of the 'West Number' on the counter, and you can cash it when you find the ticket number in the capital, and it is convenient to carry it with you. ”

"What can you accomplish with fifty taels?"

"Fifty taels is a little less, but I can squeeze out so much on the counter."

In Han Xiufeng's opinion, this is a pile deal, since it is a sale, you can bargain, so she simply pushed the wooden box in front of the shopkeeper Pan: "Uncle Pan, I am going to the capital for thousands of miles, if you only plan to borrow fifty taels, let alone go to Beijing to confess, I'm afraid it is not enough to go to the capital." Debt repayment, it is a matter of course, you still take this yard and the dozen acres of land in the countryside, my aunt and sister will go with you, and even the two licenses of the household department can be given to you. ”

"The birth was donated by you, and the officer of the Jiupin Alternate Inspection was also donated by you, with your name written on it, what is the use of asking you to donate the license of the prison and donation officer? Virtuous nephew, I don't make it difficult for others, I have already promised to be lenient, so don't you force me to be difficult, okay? The shopkeeper Pan was determined to let the head of the Han family's house admit the debt owed by Han Yucai, and pushed the wooden box back in front of Han Xiufeng.

"Uncle Pan, it's not that it's difficult for me to be a top four in Han, but I can't go to the capital if I don't get entangled, and I can't make up for the shortage without silver! If you can't make up for the shortcomings, you can't be an official, how can you make money? If you can't make money, how can you help my uncle pay off your debts? ”

"Virtuous nephew, don't coax me, you have already donated to the official, you must have already thought about how to make up for this shortage! Besides, isn't it about head hunting, there are so many uncles and uncles in the yamen, you must have a way. ”

Guan Zhutou thought to himself why he pulled me again, and hurriedly said: "Shopkeeper Pan, don't lift me up, I want to help the four children, but I can save a few dollars as an errand boy, so I really have more than enough heart and not enough strength." ”

The second child of the Pan family looked anxious, and muttered again: "Han Si, my father has promised to be lenient, isn't it just to re-establish a note, what do you have to worry about if you have such a big ability?" ”

Han Xiufeng didn't bother to deal with him anymore, stared at the shopkeeper Pan and said seriously: "Uncle Pan, it's not that I, Han Si, don't know how to lift, but that I, Han Si, never do things that I'm not sure of." Being an official is actually the same as doing business, it is necessary to make a profit! If I don't have five hundred taels, I will go to the capital, and I will not be able to fill the shortage, and I will not be able to become an official. Knowing that this deal could not be done, how dare I sign the note? ”

"But now it's about how to pay back the money your uncle owes me, not how to make up for your shortage!"

"Uncle Pan, your words are reasonable, but you also have to put yourself in my shoes and think about it, I, Han Si, want to be a filial nephew, and I must also be a filial son! If I have the capital, I dare to put the whole family on it. I don't have the capital, I don't dare to kill me, I can't affect my father and my three honest brothers. ”

Guan Zhutou suddenly found that the four babies had the upper hand, and couldn't help but say: "Shopkeeper Pan, there is a saying, I think of it, since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety cannot be both." It's not easy for four babies, not only to take care of his aunt and sister, but also to take care of his father and his three brothers, and they are in a dilemma, and they can't have both. ”

What loyalty and filial piety can't be both!

Shopkeeper Pan secretly scolded that the errand in the yamen was not a good thing, and secretly thought that he knew that he couldn't lend money to Han Yucai for that short-lived ghost when he was killed at that time, but now it was too late to regret it, so he could only say stupidly: "Filial piety comes first, and Brother Yucai really taught his nephew well." That's it, just for the filial piety of the virtuous nephew, I also want to fulfill it. ”

"Thank you Uncle Pan for success," Han Xiufeng got up to thank him, and then asked, "I just don't know what you plan to do Uncle Pan?" ”

"Virtuous nephew, I borrowed money from your uncle to show you a friendship before. Now that your uncle is gone, and the loan is two thousand taels, you can't mortgage it without something, and you can only use this yard and the dozen acres of land in the countryside if you think about it. I can be lenient, I can temporarily withhold this yard and the dozen acres of land in the countryside, but the same documents must be re-established, but I don't want you to sign and draw a pledge, as long as your aunt and sister press a handprint. ”

Looking at Han Xiufeng and Guan Zhutou's thoughtful appearance, the shopkeeper Pan explained: "That is to say, your aunt and sister will live in this courtyard, and your father and your three brothers will plant the land in the countryside, but just re-establish a note stating that this courtyard and the land in the countryside cannot be sold or pawned to others, and the house deed and title deed will be left here for me, and you will take it back when the debt is paid off one day." ”