In the seventh year of Kangxi, the Qing Dynasty was the capital of Shuntianfu.

Today, on the ninth day of the first lunar month, the Jade Emperor will.

In front of the Longfu Temple of the White Flag in Dongcheng, under a stone carving Tiangong furnace, on the top table of the altar made of the table of eight immortals, the incense is ethereal, the upper offering is five fruits and six fasts, and the lower is dedicated to the five sacrifices of the gods.

From the Qianliang Hutong in the north of the temple, the Gongxian Hutong in the west, the Toutiao Hutong in the east, along the Siqian Street to the Dafuxiang Lane in the south, Fahua Temple, all became the square of the temple fair.

One pot and two tables, hot dumplings, donkey rolling, rotten donkey meat, white water sheep's head, candied candy people, one by one the small sharp food stalls are propped up, and there are even the merchants with baskets and straw bales, selling along the street.

“… Noodle people, noodle people, noodle people, now kneaded noodle people, it's not like you don't want money! ”

“… Ya pear, green dates, frozen persimmon cake, delicious and non-sticky, not sweet and no money! ”

“… Lamb belly, sheep lungs, salted lamb liver! ”

“… Ice... Sugar... Calabash! ”

On the street, there are stalls selling dry goods, local chickens and eggs, thirty big money for an old hen, five catties of four liters of rice, three big money for an egg, a basket for hanging, a basket of thirty-five or six pieces, and send one more blue.

Many big girls and old daughters-in-law squatted in front of the stall to pick and choose, and from time to time they took down the local chickens that were tied to the feet of straw ropes and shook the eggs.

"When the firecrackers go off, there are ten thousand taels of gold."

A shout sounded in the shed of the fireworks on the street in front of the temple, and the table and ground in the shed were full of boxes and flower pots of various colors, two kicks, ten flying sounds, and a thousand whips.

"Bang bang!"

A stall owner with braids, wearing a light green coat, an old cow belt around his waist, and a beard on his face, from time to time he hugged his fists and saluted all kinds of people who stopped outside the shed, and then grabbed a few cannonballs, twisted them with a little incense, and threw them outside the shed.

"Bang... Bang bang! ”

As soon as the littered artillery hit the ground, a few squatting outside the shed called Hanako were scared to dodge again and again, and if they couldn't dodge, they just "clicked", and the coarse porcelain bowl in their hands was already open-mouthed, and they had to hold it in their hands if they didn't pay attention to the next begging.

"It's slippery, give it to me."

A thin man wearing a pair of fluffy cotton, a pair of plasters on his cheeks, and a hanging-eyed man with strange things on his ears, paced over with his hands behind his back, and caught a glimpse of a group of people called Huazi dodging on the side of the street, his phoenix eyes glared, and he scolded with his crossed hands, "What day is this?" Zhang Yuhuang's birthday congratulations, before the play started, you sang that the lotus flower has fallen? ”

"Long life Chu Ye, great fortune and great wealth."

Among the beggars came an old beggar, with greasy and yellow braids, sleeves clutched, snorting, wrapped in a torn jacket with exposed cotton patches, and fat trousers tied to the dirty waistband, with a pitiful face.

He first knelt on the ground and kowtowed, then stood up and made a gesture, waving his hand to the beggar behind him, while nodding and smiling, "Master Chu is convenient, we all understand the rules." ”

"Dingding... Clang. ”

There was a crisp sound of copper coins falling into the bowl, and two middle-aged beggars bent down and walked forward, and suddenly threw a copper coin into a small errand basin with a copper basin behind the thin man.

"Don't litter, it's mixed... Third brother. ”

The little errand officer with the copper basin was not very old, at most thirteen or fourteen years old, and he was looking down to check the pile of money, flat money, and big money in the basin.

This is all "booth management fee", the new money law, the money system of the previous dynasty, mixed with Shunzhi Tongbao, centicoin, copper coin, white tin money, and the value varies.

Only one Shunzhi Tongbao, there are more than 20 kinds, according to the back of the Manchu text "Baoyuan", "Linhe", "Donghe", "the same cent", "short one", "same", "thistle", "Xuanhe" and so on, the value of the currency is very different.

For example, the "Baoquan" of the Baoquan Bureau of the Ministry of Households, and the "Baoyuan" of the Baoyuan Bureau of the Ministry of Industry can be hung with 90 Wen, and the market price is "a hang". Changed to white tin "Xuan" money, one hanging will cost one hundred and twenty wen, and the rice shop stalls are not willing to accept it.

The value of the coins varies greatly depending on the fineness and weight of the coins and the different copper contents. In addition, the local private coinage has been legal since the Song Dynasty, and a major part of the maritime exploration trade with Japan is to sell money.

China lacks copper, all dynasties are short of money, but the surrounding countries are even more short of money, the demand for Chinese copper money is huge, and it is impossible to cast it by the official bureau alone, whether it is the local governor or the old money of the gentry in various places, all cast money.

The currencies in Japan, Vietnam, North Korea and other countries are all Chinese copper coins, and buying things and making money is also about "text", "string", "hanging" and "through".

As long as the clay model of coinage is not the same as that of the official bureau, the inscription is different, and private money can also be circulated. The "thistle" money is cast by the treasure thistle bureau in Jizhou, which belongs to saving money, because it is slightly heavier and larger than the official money, and it is as popular in the market as the official money of the household department.

It's just that the money is too miscellaneous, the quality is different, and the counting is more troublesome.

He had to do the math one by one, and then he could stuff all the miscellaneous money in the basin into the box that his companion was holding beside him. The paper is checked by the companions, and the team leader checks and draws. He put the slips away, returned to the camp for write-off, and the "management fee" was "paid in full".

The fee is abundant, but the head is also strict, a little sloppy is the water and fire stick to serve, the skin is still good, and the errand is not where to cry, so he can't be careful.

He was looking down to count the money, and when he saw that Hanako was speechless, two handfuls of copper coins were thrown in, and he was anxious.

"Old leper, do you know the rules, or do you want to break the master's rules?"

The eye-catching thin man is called Chu Laosan, a street bastard in military uniforms, and he is not a staff member of the Dongcheng Terracotta Division of the Five Cities Metropolitan Procuratorate, and he is an errand officer.

There is no official body, no establishment, no salary, no assessment, no promotion, non-official, non-official, but not a citizen, because he is a glorious "assistant policeman", a white servant!

A white-bodied supernumerary officer!

In a monarchical society, everything is hereditary, and the government is hereditary, and the imperial power is not lower than the county, and even more so below the county level. The former Ming Dynasty was a Ming Dynasty official, and in the Qing Dynasty, it was still a Qing Dynasty official.

One radish and one pit, and if the yamen does not expand production, it will be difficult to add an addendum. The hereditary ones are all iron rice bowls, not seeking merit, but seeking no fault, and all those who usually do things are white servants.

In addition to helping the full-time officials of the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division to arrest thieves and chase the murderers, levy and assign soldiers, listen to the wind and do things, and maintain law and order, the white service also has the function of the top cylinder.

Once the oppression of the people rebounds badly, and provokes the ruthless master who should not be provoked, the white servant can become a "temporary worker" at any time.

The tiger wolf in the eyes of the people is like a wolf and a tiger, and in the eyes of the officials, it is actually the same as Du Yuesheng's number, which is the night pot!

The brilliance of the surface.

A society in which people eat people is one layer at a time, and white servants are certainly not the bottom of society.

What is Social Status? It depends on which layer you are eaten and which layer you are eating.

No one can eat because of kindness?

Yes, this is the greatness of religion, the power of faith.

Chu Laosan saw that the beggar threw money without saying hello, snorted coldly, reached into the basin and pinched two big coins in his hand, threw them on the ground, and said to the leper old beggar in front of him, "The master collects the fee and the market stall management fee, understand?" You're holding a broken bowl and hanging around, where did you come from? You are destroying the city's appearance, damaging the essence... What's going on? ”

"Spiritual Civilization Construction!"

Holding the small difference in the cash box, he saw that the head of the team stumbled and immediately picked it up.

"Yes, the construction of spiritual civilization."

Chu Laosan nodded, and waved his hand at the old beggar impatiently, "Go and go, lead your disciples and grandchildren to the east entrance of Qianliang Hutong, and take a broom and dustpan." Miscellaneous filth is calculated according to the car, a cart is half hanged, how can there be ten hangs and eight hangs in an alley, is it not better than you holding a bowl and asking for rice? You are here to affect the city's appearance, and if you don't leave, you will go out! ”

After a pause, he turned his head sideways and instructed his attendant, "Junko, return the money to him and let him pick it up by himself." ”

"Huh!"

Shunzi agreed, took half a step forward with the copper basin, and looked up to signal the two beggars who had just lost the money to come and pick up the money.

"How dare you, it's all our filial piety." The old leper bared his teeth and bowed down with a smile.

"Honor your mother."

Chu Laosan glared with his hands behind his back, and his words were not polite at all, "I've warned you twice, but not the third time, you organize a temple fair, not for you to reach out and beg for money, if you have hands and feet to beg, what's the use of your hands and feet?" The next time I see you, I'll break your hands and feet,"

As he spoke, he reached into the basin, grabbed two handfuls of copper coins, and sprinkled them on the ground, "It's just a little more, that's it, pick up the money, and get out quickly." ”

"Master Chu..."The old leper still wants to be close.

"Third brother..."Junko saw that she sprinkled more money than asked Hanako to throw the money in the pot, and she was a little anxious.

"Alright, alright."

Chu Laosan waved his hand at Shunzi, and glanced at the old leper coldly, and he didn't bother to say anything.

"Master Chu is righteous, we are ashamed, let's go, and I will never cause trouble with you."

The old leper shook his head again, and reflexively beckoned to the group of beggars who were looking at him, "Let's go, take the broom and sweep the street." ”

When the beggars heard the sound, they rushed over and leaned over to quickly pick up the money on the ground, and surrounded the old leper head and killed in the direction of the Qianliang Hutong in the north of the temple.

"It's a poor man, too."

Chu Laosan sighed, touched the ear warmth hanging on his head, reached into his arms and took out a cloth jacket, untied the bag tied up by the rubber band, took out a handful of copper coins, counted them and threw them back six, and threw the rest into the copper basin.

The old leper was originally a well-off farmer, his home was in Fengtai, and the Manchu Qing Dynasty was staking land.

All of a sudden, the old leper turned into a landless outcast, and the Eight Banners strictly forbade the collection of slaves, and if he wanted to sell himself to make up for it, he could only beg for food with the old, weak, sick and disabled who had been driven out of the village.

Don't say that outside the city, inside the Beijing division is still a horse race, after the Qing army settled the capital, it was divided according to the flag, and the Beijing division became a full city.

To the west of the Forbidden City, adjacent to Shichahai, Taiye Pond, from north to south, it belongs to Zhenghuang, Zhenghong, inlaid red, inlaid with blue flags. East of the Forbidden City, from north to south, it belongs to the yellow, white, white, blue flags, and the inner city of Beijing is all flag products.

Chu Laosan's family is the former Ming Jingshi aborigines, well-off home, home in Dongcheng Huizhao Temple Hutong, adjacent to shipping, Beixin, Fuxin and other warehouse areas, dry warehouse business.

As soon as the Qing soldiers arrived, the piece of his house was classified as a white flag, and whether there was a title deed or not was a fate, and the roll was covered and gotten.

Overnight, Chu Laosan's family moved to the outer city south of the inner city in famine and famine, and lived in shacks.

Chu Laosan was born and raised in the shack area, he didn't know how to farm, and there was no farmland in the city.

is also a fallen person at the end of the world, and today's old leper is very much like Chu Laosan and his father more than ten years ago.

"Master Chu."

When Chu Laosan was appreciating his feelings, a bald monk in a garment and a young lama wearing a cockscomb hat and an arm on a cold day walked out of the side door of the temple and walked over with a smile and a shout.

"Amitabha!"

"Tashi Delek, Phuntseng Tsopa!"

"Master Jingyun, Hundred Lamas."

When Chu Laosan saw someone coming, he raised his hand and fist to salute, and asked directly, "What do the two masters command?" ”

"With the wish of your lord to propagate the Dharma, the Buddha statue in the temple has been sold out again, and another 300 statues will be sent."

Monk Jingyun flicked his sleeves, his eyes were eager, "Please also ask Manager Sun to send the two thousand plates of sandalwood and three hundred tubes of agarwood ordered by the temple as soon as possible, and the briquettes in the temple are also used up, and a few more carts will be sent." ”