After lunch, Liang Wensheng and Chang Sui came to the counter and asked the shopkeeper: "Shopkeeper, you have such a serious shortage of food here?" Noon is the time when there are many guests, so you are in a hurry to let the guy buy rice? It's not the same time to buy rice. ”

"You outsiders don't know, we are crazy about food shortage, and every family is rushing to buy food. I heard that there will be a shortage of food for six or seven months, but I don't know if it's true or not, anyway, buy more insurance. ”

"Isn't it that the grain stores haven't opened this morning? Will this open the door? ”

"The three of them discussed it, and said that the door would be opened together."

Subsequently, Liang Wensheng asked the boss about the addresses of the three grain stores, took the guards, rode a donkey, and went to the Qijia grain store first.

Before I arrived at the grain store, I saw that the whole street was full of people buying rice, some pushing carts, some driving donkeys. Liang Wenhui stepped forward to stop a man who had bought rice and asked, "How much silver is rice today?" ”

"Two taels of silver and one stone, yesterday Zhou Ji also paid one tael and five coins of silver, and today the Qi family has risen to two taels, it's really fucking black." The man replied angrily.

"Isn't the quality of the rice good?"

"Okay? You're an out-of-towner, right? Can the Qi family buy good rice? As he spoke, he opened the grain bag, took out a handful of rice and showed it to Liang Wensheng and the two of them, and said: "A bucket of sand can be found in one stone of rice." Do you say that there is a lack of virtue? If you have to go home and buy this kind of rice carefully, it is better to raise more silver and not mix it with sand! ”

Liang Wensheng looked at the rice that the man took out, the white rice and the black sand, which were very distinct. So he asked the man, "Their rice is not good, so you can go to another house and buy it." ”

"The rice of the Liu family and the Zhang family is also mixed with sand, and they have discussed it. It's the same with which one to go. ”

"Isn't there no rice in the entire Juzhou City that is not mixed with sand?"

"Indeed, the Zhou family's rice is not mixed with sand, and the price has not increased, but it was smashed yesterday?"

"What is the reason why such a conscientious merchant was smashed?"

"What else could it be? It's in the way of other people's money. Then the man took up the sack and went away.

Liang Wensheng looked at the bustling crowd, stood on the street and thought for a while, and said, "Wenhui, I'm not going anywhere in the afternoon, let's go to Zhouji Grain Store to have a look." Let the guards go out and do something for me. ”

Then, Liang Wensheng whispered to his elder. After listening to this, Liang Wensheng looked at the people on the street and said, "My lord, this matter is a bit difficult, I'm afraid it won't be done this afternoon." ”

"It's okay, I can't do it today, I will do it tomorrow, by the way, let them inquire more about the details of these three families, we have time."

"Okay, then I'll arrange it."

Liang Wenhui made some arrangements, and then with only one guard, the three of them went to the Zhouji Grain Store.

I inquired all the way, and after a while, I arrived in front of the Zhou Ji Grain Store. Now there is no longer the bustle of yesterday, and occasionally three or two people walk past the front of the store, and there are people standing next to them, pointing and whispering something. The plaque of the Zhou Ji grain store was hanging crookedly, the door was also broken with a few holes, and a few guys in the store were cleaning up.

When the three of them saw that the door was not closed, they walked into the store. A guy who was cleaning saw someone coming in, so he stopped and said, "Guest officer, there is no rice to sell in the shop today, so you might as well come back another day." ”

"I'm not here to buy rice, we're outsiders. I'm just curious about what sold well yesterday, why is it like this today? ”

"Guest officer, we can't say anything about this, if you don't buy rice, please go back. I'm sorry, guest officer. The fellow politely rebuffed them. When the three of them walked out, they closed the door.

After the three of them came out, they saw a bookstore next to them, so they walked in, Liang Wensheng picked two books at random, and after paying the money, he talked with the storekeeper: "Shopkeeper, the grain store next to you was smashed, why?" ”

"Listen to the accent is a foreigner, right? I might as well tell you that yesterday there were a few ruffians and scoundrels who made trouble, saying that the rice was mixed with sand, so they instigated the crowd to smash it, and the rice was also robbed, and the guy was also injured. Fortunately, the proprietor and the shopkeeper were in the backyard, so they ran early, or they would have to be beaten. ”

"Rice mixed with sand?"

"That's just a reason, our family buys his rice all year round, and the quality is very good, and we have never seen it mixed with sand. If you want to say that they mix sand, I don't believe it. ”

"And where did this rice mixed with sand come from?"

The shopkeeper whispered mysteriously: "I heard that it was transferred by those ruffians, and someone saw it at the time, but no one dared to say it." ”

"Did someone instruct the ruffian to do it?"

"I don't know." The shopkeeper hurriedly changed the topic: "Guest officer, what else do you need?" If I don't need to, I'll go and greet the other guests. ”

Obviously, the shopkeeper knew but didn't dare to say more, and Liang Wensheng didn't ask much, and the three of them walked out.

The next day, Liang Wensheng took his entourage and guards to visit the city for another day, and learned about the reputation of the state officials among the people.

Early in the morning of the third day, Liang Wensheng was still dressed as a common person, walking in the front, letting the donkey hunch a bag, Liang Wenhui led, walked behind, followed by four guards, and swayed through the streets and alleys all the way, and came to the gate of the state government.

When the two soldiers standing guard at the gate of the yamen saw them, they thought they were the people who had gone into the city to buy food. One of them cried out, "Oh, that donkey, it's wrong." This is a state office, not a bazaar, go away! ”

Liang Wensheng became angry when he heard it, obviously I was walking in front, but you said that donkey, when I was transparent? When will this big-headed soldier learn to scold and not spit dirty words?

"Hey, I said the soldier, who are you scolding for being a donkey?" Liang Wensheng asked the soldier.

"I mean, how did the donkey lead scold you?" The soldier was still hard-mouthed.

"Obviously I'm walking in front, you're talking about the donkey, not scolding me, are you talking about the donkey?"

The soldier was furious and shouted insults: "Hey! You're kicked by a donkey, and you're a donkey day! I think you're tired of it! When you come to the yamen to find fault, believe it or not, I will arrest you and throw you in prison? ”

Seeing this, Liang Wenhui shouted forward: "What a big courage, this is the new Zhizhou Lord Liang, and he still doesn't kneel down to ask for guilt!" ”

That soldier was also a two-pole, and hearing him say this made him even more energetic. Said contemptuously: "Zhizhou? Zhizhou, who took office with a donkey? I've seen little, I've never seen one. If he is the governor, I will be the prefect, I think you are here to find fault! Then he turned to the other soldier and said, "Go inside and call all the brothers out, and you will say that you have come to smash the field." ”

Liang Wensheng was so angry, but he didn't expect to be scolded by a soldier in the morning. took the letter of appointment from his body, and said proudly: "This is the letter of appointment from the ministry, do you believe this?!" ”

The soldier took it, and without looking at it, he threw it on the ground. Said teasingly: "Hehe! Uncle I can't read, I can't understand you, Uncle Ghost Fu! Pretend to be an official of the court and gather a crowd at the gate of the yamen to make trouble, you just wait to go to jail! ”

Now, Liang Wensheng and Liang Wenhui have not withdrawn, they are illiterate, and they will not recognize you even if you give him the holy decree. It's really a show to meet a soldier, and it's unreasonable. The four guards who followed behind were also angry at this time, and they rolled up their sleeves and were about to make a move.

Suddenly, twenty or thirty armed servants poured out of the yamen, and they surrounded them with people and donkeys. Seeing that things are going to get bigger, it is really possible that Lord Zhizhou will go to prison before he sits in the court.

At this time, Liang Wenhui shouted: "I can't tell you clearly, let your acquaintance Master Zhang come and talk to me." ”

"What nonsense, tie it up first, put it in and talk about it!" One of the small leaders said.

The other soldiers rushed up and tied them up.

Zhuang Wenxuan was working in the duty room, and when he heard the noise outside, he called the handyman to ask what was going on.

The handyman replied: "It was a few outsiders who came to the yamen to make trouble and were arrested." ”

"Why is there trouble?"

"It's not clear specifically, it seems to be pretending to be a court official."

"Ho, that's a big daring. However, those who dare to pretend to be court officials are by no means ordinary people, so I'll go over and take a look. ”

Zhuang Wenxuan went to the front yard alone and came to the lobby.

The group of soldiers was escorting Liang Wensheng and a few of them to make noise in the lobby. When all the soldiers saw Zhuang Wenxuan coming, they all saluted, and a small leader said: "Lord Official, you have come just in time, the Lord Tongzhi is not here, and the little one is about to look for you." ”

"What's going on?"

"The little ones are at the gate of the yamen and arrested a few people who pretend to be court officials."

Zhuang Wenxuan looked at the people, one of them was about forty years old, with a thin face, bright eyes, a long beard, a slightly yellow face, and a temperament like a scholar, not like a fraudster.

Before Zhuang Wenxuan could ask him, the man opened his mouth and asked directly: "Are you Zhuang Wenxuan?" ”

Zhuang Wenxuan was shocked, thinking how he knew my name, no matter what, he didn't look like a liar, so he asked, "Excuse me, who are you?" Why are you making trouble in front of the yamen? ”

"I'm Zhizhou Liang Wensheng, and I'm here to take office today!"

Everyone laughed when they heard this, and the two-pole gatekeeper just now spoke: "Lord Official, he also said so just now, but how can there be a Zhizhou who led a donkey to take office?" Clearly a liar. ”

Zhuang Wenxuan was not so reckless, he still asked politely: "May I ask what credentials do you have, do you have a letter of appointment from the ministry?" ”

"You let them loosen their ties first, and I'll show you."

Zhuang Wenxuan instructed the soldiers to untie them, and Liang Wensheng took out the letter of appointment and the relevant documents issued by Yanjin County.

Zhuang Wenxuan took it and looked at it and checked them one by one. was shocked, and hurriedly apologized to him: "I don't know if Lord Liang is here, the lower official is guilty." ”

When everyone saw this, they all knelt down and pleaded guilty. The two-pole goalkeeper was really frightened, knelt down and kowtowed like pounding garlic, and cried and said, "My lord spare my life, my lord spare my life." It is small and has no beads, and offends adults. ”

Liang Wensheng looked at this two-pole soldier, angry and funny, and said: "You are really good, you don't scold people and don't spit dirty words." ”

When the soldier heard this, he was even more frightened, and cried: "My lord, you don't care about the villain. It was I who was kicked by a donkey, and it was a donkey day. You treat me as a fart, and you treat me as a fart. ”

Everyone couldn't help laughing when they heard this, Liang Wensheng saw that this person was just a little poisonous, not a traitor, but he had been in the yamen for a long time, and some dogs were just fighting people. said: "I can't let go of a big fart like you, today's incident is caused by your cheap mouth, life can be spared, but punishment is still necessary." Pull him down and whip him twenty ear scrapers. In the future, don't be so rude to the people! ”

"Lord Xie, Lord Xie!" The two pole soldiers thanked them again and again.