The dragon lantern is shining, the flags are fluttering, all kinds of gongs and drums are blowing, and the old man of the city god moves and goes out of the temple to patrol the streets.

The city god is the god of the underworld, and the team patrolling the streets is also called the "Yin Mission", there are young people dressed as ghosts, impermanence, judges, and bull heads and horses, etc., to escort the city god to patrol the streets.

The young men of the government were responsible for maintaining order, Wang Kefan took two teams of personal soldiers as a guard of honor to open the way for the street patrol team, and there were incense cases at each intersection, and the streets on both sides were crowded with people watching the excitement.

"On the first day of the new year, the door of the City God's Temple was opened, the bull head and horse noodles were lined up on both sides, the judge was holding the book of life and death, and the little ghost was holding the life chasing card......"

The artists who sang the song played the huqin and begged for rewards from the surroundings, and the people were full of interest, excitedly pointing and talking and laughing, but there was a group of people in the street patrol team frowning and blackening their faces, which was incompatible with the joyful atmosphere around them.

Xu Bingzhong, Song Daguan, the subordinate officials of the county government, the gentry and merchants ......of Chongyang, and all the people who witnessed the scene in the side hall of the City God Temple all had their own thoughts and doubts at this moment.

What the hell is Wang Kefan doing?!

Perhaps, it's just a momentary hot-headedness of young people. The young man's ambition is inevitably frivolous, his behavior is frizzy and whimsical, and he hits a nail solidly, which is also a lesson for him.

This matter is over.

"Well, how did you get here?" Xu Bingzhong suddenly found that he had taken the wrong road, and the street patrol team was going in a circle, heading towards the direction of the East Gate Wharf, asking left and right, and his subordinates were also confused, only knowing that the Gongyi battalion was leading the way in front, it should be Wang Kefan who changed the street patrol route.

"Take me there!" Xu Bingzhong faintly felt that something was wrong......

At the front of the street patrol team, Wang Kefan restrained his mount at the door of a commercial house.

With a wave of his hand, the soldiers of the Gongyi battalion stepped forward and showed their swords and guns, stood in two rows, and stood solemnly at the door of the trading house. The people saw that there was a bustle to see, and crowded the surroundings into three layers inside and three layers outside, and suddenly there were officials who separated the people, and Xu Bingzhong rushed over with a large group of gentry and tooth merchants.

Wang Kefan jumped off the horse, stopped Xu Bingzhong and said something, and then raised his voice and called Jingliang to him.

"Take the merit book and see who owns this firm?"

Without waiting for Jingliang to reply, Yu Saburo came out of the crowd, stepped forward and knelt down, doing the official etiquette on a formal occasion, his face was flushed, and his movements were a little stiff, nervous, excited, but not flustered.

"General Qiqi Wang, this is the contemptuous Tongjiang Commercial Bank, which is an industry handed down from the ancestors." After Yu Saburo said two words, his breath gradually stabilized, and he actually talked eloquently: "It's all up to General Wang to drive away the water bandits." Although San Lang is not talented, he is also willing to contribute to the local peace and donate a piece of merit and silver......"

Oh? Wang Kefan still has such a backhand? That's a good idea. Xu Bing was relieved in the center, took two steps back, and looked at it with interest.

Jingliang flipped through the merit book and found the name of Tongjiang Commercial Bank.

"Tongjiang Commercial Bank should donate one hundred taels of silver."

"Okay, I would like to give a hundred taels ......of silver," Yu Saburo agreed very happily.

There was an uproar, and a sigh of surprise erupted among the surrounding people, one hundred taels! Ordinary people have never seen so much silver in their lives!

The tooth merchants all changed their faces, and Song Daguan glared at Yu Saburo hatefully, and then showed a disdainful sneer. Can Yu Saburo's poor goods give a hundred taels of silver? This is too fake, saying it will only make people laugh out of their big teeth!

Do you play a double reed? Well, it's all about the show. I won't give money after reading it, what can you do with me?

However, Wang Kefan acted very devotedly and with great interest, and praised San Lang: "The shopkeeper Yu understands the righteousness and the fairness of Tongjiang Commercial Bank's trading should be commended." Come on, hang a plaque for Tongjiang Commercial Bank! ”

"Kindness"!

The huge gold-lettered plaque was hung high on the gate of the Tongjiang Commercial Bank, firecrackers rang out, gongs and drums were noisy, and the people applauded. Some people really praise Yu Saburo, but some people are coaxing and throwing out a hundred taels of silver without blinking, which is even more enjoyable than watching a play, and today is here!

The street patrol team continued to move forward and came to the "gold does not change" ironware workshop.

Three hundred taels of silver!

Su Hanzhang also got a plaque of the same.

Su Yuanwai has always liked fame, and in the more enthusiastic cheers of the people, he only felt drunk.

Continuing to walk forward, there was "Long Maochang" in front of him, and Song Daguan's face became more and more ugly, and he couldn't smile anymore.

"Yuntai, the plaque you prepared for Long Maochang is probably different, right?" The corners of Xu Bingzhong's eyes were crooked, and he forced a smile.

"The specifications are the same, and the words on it are a little different."

"Okay, don't overdo it, I'll go first and go to Simon." Xu Bingzhong decided to withdraw as soon as possible.

Outside the west gate is the battlefield of the battle with the water bandits, hundreds of people died on both sides, and today the dojo of Zhai Jiao is set up there to surpass these lonely souls and wild ghosts.

As long as Wang Kefan does not exceed the bottom line, he will secretly support the Gongyi Battalion, but as a county parent official, and he has a good personal relationship with Song Daguan, it is best to avoid some occasions.

"Teacher, walk slowly!" Wang Kefan smiled and waved his hand, watching Xu Bingzhong's official sedan chair leave, and when he turned around and saw Song Daguan, his eyes became as cold and sharp as a knife. Xu Bingzhong is so obviously conniving, of course, he must give full play to it.

Song Daguan's body trembled slightly, and after hesitating for a moment, he decided to endure this breath, and bowed his head for the time being. He came up and saluted and said, "General Wang, five hundred taels of silver is not a decimal number, and you really can't take out the contempt for a while, or, how about drawing a bet on the merit book first?" ”

"Hey, I just said it, I'll talk about it later." Wang Kefan refused.

It's too late to surrender now.

Kill the chicken to show the monkey, Song Daguan is the chicken, in order for the monkeys to learn the rules, the chicken must die.

"Come on, hang a plaque for Long Maochang!"

With Wang Kefan's order, several soldiers took out a plaque from the wooden box, which was exactly the same size and specification as just now, but it was replaced with black characters on a white background, which was more eye-catching.

"For the rich"!

"Wait!" Song Daguan's eyes were red, and he stopped in front of the gate with his arms open: "Wang Qian, don't deceive people too much, even if I don't donate the meritorious fruit silver, I shouldn't hang such a sign for Long Maochang!" I can't take out a piece of merit silver for five hundred taels of silver, and it has nothing to do with being rich and unkind......"

"Let's go back to the matter of Gongguoyin, you earned this brand yourself, and you can't rely on it." Wang Kefan paused for a moment, and coldly ordered: "Jingliang, read it to Song Daguan and all the villagers!" ”

Jingliang turned to the back of the merit book and recited it aloud.

"Longmao Chang Chongyang branch shopkeeper Hu, has always colluded with businessmen, a total of treacherous schemes, a certain month and a day to buy goods five military horses, each with a market price of 42 taels of silver, Hu instructed the tooth (specializing in selling horses of the tooth) to reduce the price to 17 taels per horse. On the same day, 150 fine iron knives were purchased, and the market price of each knife was 3900 wen, and the price was reduced to the usual 400 wen......"

The tooth merchants all looked terrified. They all remember this business very clearly, that is, they bought some seized materials in the Gongyi Camp, and they made a lot of money by lowering the price at that time, but they didn't expect that the old accounts would be turned over now.

Jingliang continued to read one by one, all of which were black materials collected in the past few days, how Long Maochang privately filled up and hidden, manipulated prices, forced to buy and sell, etc., all kinds of behaviors were not unfavorable, harming others and benefiting themselves.

After reading, the soldiers took out the relevant documents of these business transactions and showed them to the surrounding people, and the people were excited for a while, scolding everywhere, and the buns and eggs flew sideways, smashing the Song Daguan all over his body.

"Take the "Da Ming Law"!"

Wang Kefan gave an order, and his soldiers sent a copy of "Da Ming Law", and Jing Liang took it and read it aloud.

"Da Ming Law, Hu Law VII, Market House", where the tooth and the dragon control the market, sell things to be cheap, buy things to be expensive as cheap, and buy things as expensive as cheap, eighty rods. Assess whether the price is high or cheap, and if the price is uneven, the price will be counted as the increase or decrease; Those who enter themselves are quasi-theft theories, and they are free from stabbing ......"

Hearing only a plop, Song Daguan sat on the ground with a stumble, "Da Ming Law" punished tooth merchants strictly, if he was charged with a serious crime, he could be directly sent to the army.

"You, you are the president of the Gongyi Battalion, you can't use the "Da Ming Law" to judge me, you should ask Xu Da Ling to administer justice!"

"You are right, according to the laws of the country, I can neither arrest you nor judge you. But you must know that there are gods three feet above your head, God knows the ghosts and gods, Xu Daling is not here today, I will take care of this injustice in front of the city god! ”

Wang Kefan shouted again: "Come on, hang the plaque for him!" ”

……

The plaque was finally hung up, "for the rich and unkind", the four big characters were extremely dazzling, and the people around were thunderous.

Under the influence of hatred of the rich, they all stood on Wang Kefan's side, laughing at Song Daguan's embarrassed appearance.

The gentry have different identities and have nothing to do with themselves, and they are not worried about Wang Kefan's methods, and they are a little sympathetic to Song Daguan. Long Maochang hung such a plaque, not to mention the shame, and there is no need to do business in the future. If you knew this, why should you be reluctant to give up the five hundred taels of silver?

By this time, the situation had been seen very clearly, and the only way was to pay the merit money as soon as possible and spend money to buy peace.

Qian Wailang, Zhao Butou, Hou Yuanwai ......, merchants and shopkeepers lined up one by one, took the initiative to go to Jingliang to sign and draw the pledge, and ordered people to take the silver and exchange it for a plaque of "Benevolence and Charity".

Fortunately, each family's meritorious silver is between one hundred taels and two hundred taels, and with the precedent of five hundred taels of Long Maochang, this figure is already much lower than their psychological expectations and is acceptable.

More than 4,000 taels of silver were put into the account, Wang Kefan called the lieutenant and instructed him to inspect Long Maochang twice a day, not to take off the plaque, and then spread the gong to clear the road, raise the banner and play music, and led the street patrol team to the west gate.