"Master Han, in order to find out these news, it doesn't matter if you spent all the two hundred taels you gave a few hundred taels a year ago, and you don't care if your friend borrowed dozens of taels, otherwise you really didn't rush back to report the news."

"It's worth it, it's well done." Han Xiufeng didn't care about calculating small accounts, and there were no fish when the water was clear, and he didn't bother to think about whether Su Jueming had made a false report, so he took out a stack of silver tickets from his arms, counted out a few and stuffed them into his hand: "Jueming, here are five hundred taels, you work hard, go back to Taizhou immediately, no, go directly to Yangzhou, go to Yangzhou and continue to investigate." I will send two archers with you, and if you find out the news of the Taiping bandits, you will have the archers rush back to report the news. ”

The two hundred taels given a year ago were actually only half spent.

The five hundred taels that just arrived, you can earn another half if you say the least!

Su Jueming was happy to do this errand, and said without thinking: "Okay, I'll go to Yangzhou, and as soon as there is news, I will ask the archers to come back and report to you." ”

Han Xiufeng thought about it, but still shook his head: "In order to find out the news, you haven't had a good year, so it's better to rest in the yamen for a day and leave early tomorrow morning." ”

"It's okay to leave tomorrow, everything is at your command."

"Okay, let's go rest first, and let Shiheng help you clean up the room."

After sending Su Jueming away, Han Xiufeng immediately called Pan Er, Yu Youfu and Datou in, and while signaling Pan Er to grind ink, he talked about the news that Su Jueming had just sent back.

Pan Er was taken aback: "Fourth brother, are the Taiping bandits really coming to Jiangsu?" ”

"Eight or nine are not far from ten, the two rivers are rich, if I am the leader of the bandits, I will also go down the river and take advantage of the situation to capture the two rivers. What virtues do you know, and expect them to intercept them, it is better to go to the temple and offer incense to ask the Bodhisattva for blessing. The world is going to be in chaos, and this official is getting worse and harder! Han Xiufeng sighed, picked up the pen and began to write a letter to Han Chen.

Yu Youfu felt that Hubei was so far away from Jiangsu, and the Taiping bandits should not be able to fight for a while, so he was not particularly afraid, but asked in a low voice: "Four children, even the governor of Hubei is dead, so Qian Junchen is also unlucky?" ”

"Su Jueming didn't have him on the list of martyrs, I don't know what he is like now."

"Fourth brother, Su Jueming's youngest official on this list is also a Daotai, it is estimated that Qian Junchen's official is too young, and people didn't count him in."

"It's possible, but now I can't take care of him, let's think about ourselves."

"Four children, the Taiping thieves are powerful, and the court has nothing to do with them, what can we do?" Yu Youfu asked puzzled.

"I can't afford to provoke and hide, suppressing bandits and quelling chaos is a matter for the imperial court, and it is a matter for the emperor and those civil and military ministers to worry about. Thousands of miles for officials are only for money, we have the old and the young, and we abandon our wives and children to come to Jiangsu to make money, not to give up our lives. I don't know where the Taiping bandits are killing at this time, it's a pity to resign at this time, let Su Jueming go to Yangzhou and then investigate, first see the situation, if the signs are wrong, resign and go back to my hometown, I don't want to die in a foreign country. ”

Han Xiufeng thought for a while, and said solemnly: "If the bandits really kill Yangzhou, we should have time to hide, but it will be difficult to go back, the waterway is not passable, and the land route is not safe, so we can't help but plan early." ”

Pan Er was timid, and like Han Xiufeng, he didn't want to die in Jiangsu, so he couldn't help but say: "Fourth brother, why don't you go back and put it aside first, you have to do the silver matter quickly." The sum of several of us had more than 10,000 taels of silver tickets, and as soon as the war came, it was difficult to get the silver out of the bank. ”

"Yes, yes, yes, the matter of silver must be done quickly!" Han Xiufeng put down his pen, raised his head and said, "Changsheng, you will go to Taizhou with Datou later, and go to Qianzhuang to take out all the silver." ”

"It shouldn't be difficult to take it now, but what if you take it out?" Pan Er said worriedly: "If the Taiping bandits are killed in Yangzhou, the fourth brother, you will definitely not be able to do this inspection again, how can you leave with more than 10,000 taels of silver when the time comes, we are fleeing for our lives, and it is inconvenient to bring so much silver!" ”

"Otherwise, you go back first!"

"Shall we go back to our hometown first?"

"Hmm!" Han Xiufeng weighed it and said categorically: "If Ambassador Han knew the news that the Taiping bandits had not only captured the three towns of Wuhan, but also traveled down the river to Jiangsu, he would definitely have made a plan early, and Bacheng would have asked his family to escort the family back to his hometown." In the afternoon, you will first go to Taizhou to take out the silver, and then go to Yangzhou to deposit the 'Rishengchang' branch, and ask the 'Rishengchang' branch to remit the silver to the Chongqing branch, and then take the bill of exchange with Ambassador Han's family. ”

"No, no, what are you going to do when we're gone!" Yu Youfu said without thinking.

Han Xiufeng said confidently: "Uncle Yu, I'll be fine, I'm just a nine-grade inspector, and I'm not the main hall of the state and county, not to mention that it is my job to catch the thief." If the Taiping bandits really go to Yangzhou, I can fill in a few names on the blank summons given by Zhang Guangcheng, and then I can take people to Dongtai and even Haizhou and other places to arrest the criminals. ”

"Fourth brother, I don't care if Uncle Yu leaves or not, I won't leave anyway." The big head said eagerly: "Before I came, the eighth master and the sixth brother said, I will go where you go, and I won't leave if you don't go back." ”

That's more than 10,000 taels of silver, the wealth is moving, Han Xiufeng doesn't believe in anyone, only believes in the big head, and doesn't care if Yu Youfu and Pan Ergao are unhappy, staring at him and saying bluntly: "Big head, did the eighth master and Jiang Liu say that they should listen to me no matter what happens?" ”

"Got it!"

"Why didn't you listen to what you said?" Han Xiufeng asked rhetorically, and then said, "I asked you to go back not only worried about your death in a foreign country, but also worried about the more than 10,000 taels of silver!" I'm dead and nothing, and I can't lose all the money I've earned so hard! I don't worry about who the money order puts on me, I just believe you, you know? ”

"But ......"

"It's nothing, if you dare not listen, you will not be my brother Han Xiufeng!"

"I ...... Fourth brother, I'm ......."

"Don't mine yours, this matter is decided!" Han Xiufeng stamped his private seal on the place where the letter had just been written, and then said: "Uncle Yu, Changsheng, without further ado, you first find someone to send the letter to the corner of the corner, and then go back to the inner house to pack up the salute." As soon as the family members of the Han ambassador arrived, they went to Taizhou to get the silver, and then went to Yangzhou after taking out the silver, and then hired a ship to go north after exchanging the silver for a bill of exchange in Yangzhou, but did not need to go to the capital, and after arriving in Shandong, they would go through Hebei, from Hebei to Shanxi, from Shanxi to Shaanxi, and from Shaanxi back to Sichuan. ”

Yu Youfu said with a sad face: "Four babies, I can't just go back like this, if I go back like this, how can you let me explain to Duan Jingcheng and Guan Bantou?" I'll stay with you and let Changsheng and Datou send the silver back. ”

"No, I don't feel at ease without you on this journey."

"Fourth brother, you have to go together, anyway, you have already earned so much silver, it doesn't matter if this official does it or not." Pan Er couldn't help but say.

"You think I don't want to go back, but this official can't just be resigned. If I go back to my hometown like this, I will definitely be investigated by the imperial court. It's nothing to go to jail for a few days, but it will affect the future of the dog! People can't be without character, a family can't be without family style, I don't want dogs to be unable to raise their heads and be human in the future. ”

Seeing that they seemed to understand or not, Han Xiufeng had to patiently explain: "Why did I donate officials, why did I go all the way to the capital to make confessions, and why did I come to Jiangsu to be an official?" Not only to make money, but also to glorify the ancestors, in order to let the dog have a good future in the future! It's nothing if you don't be an official, but since you do it, you have to abide by the rules of officialdom. Death in war and starvation is a small matter, but loss of festival is a big matter! If the Taiping bandits really kill Hai'an, if I really can't get out after the killing, I can only die. If you survive, you will not only be ruined, but also affect future generations. ”

Pan Er muttered: "Those big officials in Wuchang City probably don't want to die, but they can't help but die. ”

"That's what I said, but the fortune teller did the math for me, saying that my face was not short-lived, and that I would live to be seventy years old. Besides, I have a stack of blank summonses, and some of them are ways to get out, so you don't have to worry about me. Han Xiufeng folded the letter and stuffed it into the envelope, and handed it to Pan Er: "That's it, hurry up and find someone to send the letter to Ambassador Han." ”

Yu Youfu knew that Han Si was a person who said the same, so he could only say with a bitter face: "Okay, let's go back first, but you must take care, even if you don't think about yourself, you have to think about Qin'er, think about the baby you have hugged since birth." ”

"Uncle Yu, if you put a hundred hearts, I will be fine, not to mention that the Taiping bandits will not necessarily kill Hai'an, even if they kill Hai'an one day in the future, it will not be so easy for them to want my life."

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