Ji Qingwen has had to eat a bowl at this stall several times when he enters the palace, so he is quite familiar with the couple who set up the stall.

Therefore, Ji Qingwen took a sip of wonton soup, and said with a smile: "Old Zhangtou, I made a fuss today, disrupted your business, and smashed this bench, I'm sorry!" ”

The man surnamed Zhang scratched his scalp and replied: "Where is this, my lord, do business, it is difficult to guarantee that there will be no natural and man-made disasters, and adults don't have to take care of it, and they will take care of the villain's business in the future, that is." ”

Ji Qingwen said: "That's not good! ”

As he spoke, he turned his head to Xiao Duozi and said, "Xiao Duozi, I have the loudest voice and the biggest cowhide to save you on weekdays, but today others came to beat me, but you shrank in the last one, like words?" In this way, I will punish you for taking two taels of silver out, invite a few of us to breakfast, and by the way, compensate for the bench that Huang Degong dismantled. ”

In fact, this can't be blamed on Xiao Duozi.

Although he is Ji Qingwen's personal servant, he didn't follow Ji Qingwen to Suzhou until the middle of this year, and he hasn't seen many big scenes, so it is reasonable to be scared stupid by the battle just now.

Until now, Xiao Duozi hadn't reacted from the shock, and shivered and took out a silver ingot and two taels from his sleeve and put it on the table.

The old man who set up the stall was not polite, put away the silver and said, "My lord, these two taels of silver are all trivial." You have offended so many officials in the imperial court - seeing that the clothes on your body are still first, second, or third-class, I'm afraid it will be difficult for this official to be a ......"

Halfway through the words, the old mother-in-law reached out and pulled his sleeve, and said angrily: "What are you doing with a fried fritters and wonton jam in the court?" Don't you see people lining up here to buy fritters? Why don't you come and help? And I said, now that the price of food in the city has doubled several times, the price of your wontons and fritters doesn't know how much it has risen? ”

"It is difficult to make a fortune in the country, it is a short life!" Lao Zhangtou blurted out his debut.

But he seemed to be a little afraid of guilt, and then his voice lowered, and he muttered: "The Tartar is outside the city, and there is still infighting in the court...... Alas, what can this country do......" said as he went down to fry fritters.

Li Yan had already eaten some breakfast, and his stomach was not very hungry, so he took a porcelain spoon, stirred it unhurriedly in the wonton soup bowl, and said: "Brother Ji, this old man is right, it is not a trivial matter to offend so many court officials. ”

Halfway through his words, Li Yan suddenly laughed: "It is not something that ordinary people can do to offend all the officials in the court." In addition to Brother Ji, I'm afraid it will be difficult to find a second person in the whole world. ”

Ji Qingwen took a bite of the hot wonton and sighed: "How can I have the strength to offend them?" It's just that they think I'm offended......"

As he spoke, Ji Qingwen told Li Yan about Emperor Chongzhen's order to the civil and military officials in the capital to donate funds to reward the army.

Li Yan shook his head with a smile and said, "Taking people's money is like killing your parents." The revenge of these officials for killing their father, Brother Ji seems to have betrayed it. ”

Ji Qingwen sighed and said, "There are many people who hate me, and there are not many of them, dozens or hundreds. I'm afraid that these officials will be very stingy, and in the end they won't be able to donate much silver, and the black pot on my body will be in vain. ”

When Li Yan heard this, he put away his smile and said, "Brother Ji is not unreasonable. Now that the enemy army is pressing the city, it is not the time for intrigue in the court! Brother Ji has won the emperor's grace, and he must be concerned about the government, the society, and the people, but he can't be angry at this time. ”

After Ji Qingwen crossed over, he was able to become the weaving admiral of this rich and rival country, although it was inseparable from his personal struggle, but in the final analysis, he still relied on the monopoly position given to him by the emperor.

The so-called back to the big tree is good for the shade.

Ji Qingwen didn't want a good Ming Dynasty to die like this, so he naturally hoped that Emperor Chongzhen could survive this hurdle.

According to the principles of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, the process of historical development is not subject to the will of individuals.

Put it on Ji Qingwen - although he also wants to help Emperor Chongzhen tide over the difficulties, but he only has 500 soldiers under his command now, and the nearly 100,000 taels of silver brought from Jiangnan are not around - even if he wants to help Emperor Chongzhen, he just can't help.

So Ji Qingwen sighed again: "My strength is much greater than those adults." It's a pity that I don't have any money in my hand now, if I really have money, maybe I will directly dedicate it to the emperor, and I won't have to pluck the feathers from these iron roosters. ”

"yes!" Li Yan sighed, "If only I could have a windfall now." ”

While he was talking, Ji Qingwen suddenly saw Li Yuanyin hiding at the gate of the palace, chattering with his immediate boss Jin Yiwei to make Luo Yangxing talk about something.

At this moment, Ji Qingwen was in a bad mood, so he didn't bother to care about other people's feelings, and shouted on the street: "Hey, Li Yuanyin, come here!" ”

Although this Li Yuanyin was the commander of the Jinyi Guard, he was sent to Ji Qingwen on an errand by Ji Qingwen's side, so he didn't dare to disobey Ji Qingwen's order, so he said a few words to Luo Yangxing, and then trotted all the way to Ji Qingwen, and arched his hand: "What do you command?" ”

Ji Qingwen's face sank, and he said: "I said Commander Li, I will give you a bonus of several thousand taels of silver every year, which is a lot, so you can't stay away from Luo Yangxing?" I don't look at this guy authentically, you don't talk nonsense with him in the future. ”

Li Yuanyin had an embarrassed expression on his face, rubbed his hands and replied, "I'm afraid this won't work." Lord Ji, Jinyiwei pays the most attention to the relationship between the upper and lower levels, and the commander speaks, how dare I, the commander, keep ......?"

"Then don't be your brocade guard, only a few taels of silver a year? It's not as much as the money I gave you! Ji Qingwen said angrily.

At this time, Li Yan suddenly laughed out loud "hahaha".

He is a scholar of Sven Wen, and he smiles so wildly that it inevitably attracts attention - not only Ji Qingwen and others present all looked at him, but even the diners who were queuing up to buy breakfast couldn't help but cast caring eyes for the mentally retarded.

Ji Qingwen was afraid that Li Yan would be scolded by the group of officials just now for being a eunuch, so he couldn't get angry for a while, and he had a nervous breakdown, so he hurriedly asked, "Brother Li, what are you laughing at?" Weird people, shouldn't they be crazy? ”

Li Yan couldn't stop laughing, waved his hand, and said, "Brother Ji, you probably really want a windfall into your pocket!" ”

When Ji Qingwen heard this, his eyes lit up, but he still couldn't believe Li Yan's words, and hurriedly asked, "Brother Li shouldn't be playing tricks on me, right?" The nine gates of the Jingshi are now closed, just like an iron bucket, where can I get the silver out? ”

Li Yan gradually stopped laughing, and asked rhetorically: "I don't know if Brother Ji still remembers, when did I appear in the same place with Brother Ji, Li Yuanyin, and Luo Yangxing last time?" Where is it? ”

Ji Qingwen pondered for a moment and replied, "Then I'm afraid it's still in the post station in Fucheng County......"

It was two years ago, when Ji Qingwen went to Beijing to take the exam, he once stayed with Li Yan at the Fucheng Post Station for a night, and there was an incident where Wei Zhongxian hanged himself, and there were indeed Luo Yang and Li Yuanyin present.

(See Chapter 3, Sections 26-35 for details.)

"Yes, that's right, Brother Ji really has a good memory." Li Yan said, "Then Brother Ji must still remember that the Jinyi guard named Xu Chunchao who accompanied Wei Zhongxian at that time?" ”

"Remember, remember. What happened to him? Ji Qingwen asked.

Li Yan lowered his voice and said in Ji Qingwen's ear: "Then Brother Ji still remember, Xu Chunchao once said to us - if you are short of money, please go to the backyard of Baiyunguan to dig three feet into the ground......"

"Oh!" When Ji Qingwen heard this, all the memories in his mind were evoked, and he said, "He really said such a thing, and I didn't pay attention to it at the time." How? Could it be that Brother Li believes that what he said is true? In that Baiyun Temple, is there really silver buried? ”

Li Yan nodded vigorously: "That Xu Chunchao doesn't look like a person who talks nonsense, but it is also possible that the silver has been poached by other insiders." Anyway, now let's go to Baiyun Temple, if there is really silver, then it will solve the urgent need; If you don't have any money, it's just a trip for nothing. Brother Ji, do you think that's the truth? ”