Yu Shen San, a person who has lived in Yangzhou, no matter how lively the Spring Festival in Shangyuan County is, is actually limited, after all, he has seen the rich and noble salt merchants, and those big salt merchants have nothing to do every day just thinking about how to spend money, and when the New Year comes, they are naturally more spending, and their wealth and excitement are still more than the emperor's house, let alone a county yamen.

But when the New Year was approaching, the scene in the Yamen of Shangyuan County made Shen San's eyes a little insufficient. As a new bookstore, he is ready to be "set up rules" in his heart. Although the clerks are not the rough of the bureaucracy, the literati's methods of rectifying people are not much better than those of the officials, and they are destined to suffer.

Until he really got started, Shen San found that the character of the clerks and clerks here may not be better than elsewhere, and what he was worried about would not happen. Second, there is no need, there are fewer people and more work, and it is best to have new people come in to share the work.

The intensity of the work of the household in Shangyuan is almost the hand of six rooms, and the calculations of Qiangu and Dingkou are non-stop every day, and these things are related to the foundation of the operation of a county, and cannot be ignored. It was the first time Shen San had seen that in a county town, almost every day, people asked to move in and apply for household registration, and people lined up outside the house to wait for the formalities, and there was a long queue from dawn, and there was still no decrease when it got dark. Remembering that his fellow villagers had originally planned to go to Shangyuan to beg for food, Shen Sanyu was extremely patient with these people.

When the Spring Festival approached, more and more people came to the Yamen, and it was more like a bazaar than a yamen. A large number of ordinary people carried grain, vegetables and fruits into the yamen, and when they saw the errand, they stuffed them into their hands. As soon as Shen San came out, he was grabbed by an old woman, and just wanted to struggle but recognized that this old woman was the mother of Dong Xiaowu who he had helped at the beginning.

"Childe...... Engong! The old woman has been looking for you for a long time, wanting to repay your kindness, but I didn't expect to meet you today. When the old woman came to the Yamen, she was originally going to give a gift, but when she saw her father-in-law, she didn't give this gift to others, only to her son. The old woman's family is poor, and there is nothing to give, so don't dislike this worthless little object. ”

The old woman brought a small basket with a number of unmatched pieces of silk. This kind of silk is rarely collected in the silk village, but it is enough to be a person's clothes. Especially Shen San, who is not particularly tall, is more than enough. Although living in Yangzhou, Shen San's family background is not enough to wear silk clothes, this is the first time he has the opportunity to wear silk clothes, he quickly shook his head and said: "Auntie, this is unacceptable." The gift is too expensive for me to accept. ”

"What's so valuable about this? If you want me to say, you can't do it. Next year, when my son revives the family business, my wife will send the whole horse of silk. This little meaning, but I don't have the face to say what kind of etiquette, that is, a heart, you can't forget your roots, and you can't repay your kindness is your duty, everyone comes to the county yamen to show your heart, and you can't let the county master feel that we people have no conscience. ”

Shen San wondered: "Auntie, didn't you come here for fear that the yamen would trouble you, so you came here to give gifts?" ”

"Where did Engong think, how could he dare to trouble the people in Shangyuan County? Now the officials of Shangyuan are afraid of the people, as long as the people go to complain, those officials will be unlucky. Everyone is saying that it is better to be Cantonese. Before, there was a general constitution of the sea, and he made a whip in Yingtian, and our people have already enjoyed it. Now that Fan Qingtian, a Cantonese man, is here, he is better than Hai Zongxian. I only hope that the imperial court will send a few more Cantonese people to serve as officials here in the future, and the people will be blessed. ”

"Hai Gangfeng is a model of Qing officials in the world, why do you think that it is not as good as Fan Qingtian? If Hai Qingtian was in power, these people would definitely not dare to accept gifts. Shen San pointed to a few officials who were walking towards the backyard with rice bags or vegetable baskets, and there was a bit of disdain in his eyes. No matter how good it is, in the end, he still has to exploit the people, and he has seen a lot of this kind of thing, but since Fan Jin is known as the white bread man, it is a little too much to say that he is doing this.

"We don't understand what is exemplary, we just know that we have to eat. At that time, Mr. Hai made everyone very poor, and as soon as Master Fan came, someone could get rich. My family is a silk weaver, when the old man Hai came, no one dared to wear silk in the whole Yingtian, everyone either moved away, or wore beggar's clothes to make a broken sedan chair, and my family's silk had no place to sell except to sell it to the imperial court. Money can be eaten, but when will you get rich? Now that Master Fan has given us a chance, he wants to stop weaving and rejuvenate the silk industry, and my little five sons have hope to come out. The yamen lent him money and asked him to buy a loom, so that he could not only work it himself, but also hire people. Now so many beggars who can't eat have moved to Jiangning, and there are also many skillful women in them. I want to pick a few eyebrows and go back this time, not only to be a hired worker for Xiao Wuzi, but also to be his wife, my Dong family is going to spread out. ”

Shen San seemed to have an understanding, and looked at the others again, "Then they too?" ”

"Not really, everyone is mainly grateful to Master Fan for his benevolence. At that time, Mr. Hai engaged in a whip, although it was also strict, but when it came to the bottom, everyone's life was not good, like my family, who couldn't grow fields, the days were actually more bitter, it was nothing more than everyone was just as bitter, and everyone didn't say anything. Master Fan now gives people the hope of making a fortune, and everyone naturally wants to thank him. The farmer wants to occupy a stall in the grass market, the brain wants to be a tooth economy, the strength wants to be a bodyguard, and no matter how bad it is, he wants to find a job in the city and serve the court to earn money, which is better than in the village. These things are inseparable from the yamen, how can you do it if you don't come to worship the mountain gate in advance. ”

As he was talking, a group of people came over, but it was a few women in public uniforms, holding water and fire sticks in their hands and waist knives in the sea. Around them, they are all small rich people in the countryside, although they have a little money, they don't see much in the market, and they can't take a step when they are hooked by the eyes of such women, and they follow step by step.

The women said impatiently, "Don't run away!" Don't you know so much at the end of the year? You guys don't look like you're going to borrow money, what's the point of always surrounding us? The mouth is dry, I can't even drink tea, and I don't let people live. ”

"Agarwood girl, don't be angry, we don't borrow, we can cooperate. Isn't it just Raff at the end of the year? We are all familiar with each other, and there are many tenants in the family, so you can talk to us about this. The master has said that the yamen should be close to the squire, I am the squire, shouldn't we be close to ......"

Aunt Dong smiled: "Look at it, these women catch fast, this is the only one in the Ming Dynasty." ”

At this time, there was another commotion, and the economic inheritance of the household had already come to greet Shen San to work, but it was more than a dozen big families in the city under the leadership of the Yang family who sent New Year's greetings to the Yamen.

In the past, this kind of thing was carried out secretly, after all, it was impossible to explain it on the table, but this time, the Shangyuan gentry were afraid that people would not know, so they hired drummers with great fanfare and banners, and prepared dozens of carts. In addition to rice, noodles and wine, there are pigs and sheep, and then there are fish. These foods, wine, and meat were all given to the officials and officials of Shangyuan County, and Fan Jin did not object, but only asked the households to make records and distribute them fairly. Officials, clerks, officials, and assistants all have a share in different ranks, and they are all happy. Compared with these materials, what excited the officials the most was the red and colorful clothes on the bodies of several catchers who were recognized by the gentry as the best service to them or the most effective in running errands.

In fact, the red silk is not worth much, and in the past, when the New Year came, the officials went to the streets for a trip, and the wealth they got was not much more than now. However, most of the quick book offices would rather not have money than have such an honor. Several red-clad officials led by Zhang Tiejian and the Liufang staff who were selected as excellent officials because of their excellent work also stood there, as if they were a head taller than the other officials.

In the past, the officials were known as the city gods on the ground, and the common people ran when they saw them, and if they couldn't run, they begged, and they naturally wanted to be scolded behind their backs, and as for the gentry, they were too lazy to look at these officials. Like now, it is the first time that the gentry took the initiative to send New Year's tribute to the fast catcher. Not to mention that a few senior officials wore red and hung colors on the officials, and then the county yamen would send people to surround them and patrol the streets to make a name for themselves. Those public servants and officials who did not get the red silk secretly encouraged themselves: wait and see, and wait until next year to see who this red hangs on.

Shen San had a lot of dealings with the officials in Yangzhou, and there were some good people among them, but even those officials who still had a little conscience did not have the spirit of their Shangyuan counterparts. In my mind, I imagined what the world would be like if the yamen in the world could be like this, but then I denied this idea by myself.

"Shen San, what are you thinking?" The old official in charge of taking Shen San patted him on the shoulder, "It's time to send the New Year's goods, why don't you go to get it?" Something happens to your family, but things always have to be taken away. ”

"New Year's goods? Haven't you already sent it? ”

"It was given by the people of the city, and it didn't count. This one is issued by the yamen, it is the grace of the eldest master, don't know what to do, remember the benefits of the old parents. This elderly clerk was originally just a clerk, and he had been in the yamen for decades, because he was added to the quota of the economic system after the previous clerk's revolution and his resignation.

"I've been mixed in the yamen for half my life, three festivals and two birthdays are the days when the county lord gets rich, and the whole yamen is filial piety to the lord This is the rule. Don't be filial, it is a Qing official who has not been met in a hundred years, and there is only one person who wants to send us New Year's goods. I look forward to my old parents working in office for ten or eight years, and it is best to go all the way from Shangyuan County to the governor of Yingtian, and we will be blessed. Your kid works hard here, and after two years of mourning, he marries a daughter-in-law here to live, and in the future, Shangyuan's household registration is afraid that it is the most valuable in the world, and he can't get in if he wants to. ”

The New Year's goods prepared in the yamen are very rich, chicken, duck, wine and meat, and each person has two yuan, a brand new cotton jacket, even Shen San, who has just arrived, is no exception.

Put the things in the single room where he lived, looking at his father's spirit card at the head of the bed, Shen San's eyes were dull, and the scenes of the family getting along in the past were vivid. At this time of the year, his father will also come back with the property rewarded by the owner, and the two will live a happy New Year although they are poor. Now she can earn back a share of the top two, but there is no one to share with herself, her relatives are gone overnight, and there are no relatives in a foreign land, this New Year is not a celebration for her, just torture.

"Daddy......"

Lingpai hugged and then in his arms, the person lay on the pillow and sobbed lowly, a lonely soul in a foreign land, I don't know what to rely on, although there are cotton clothes on the coal stove in the room, it is still cold to the bone, so that the whole person subconsciously shrunk into a ball, crying so dark that I don't know why.

The door was quietly pushed open, and a figure walked in lightly, Shen San didn't notice it, still crying, until a hand slapped on the shoulder, Shen San was alert to a wrist lock, not wanting the opponent's strength and reaction to be far above him, turning his wrist back, but holding Shen San's arm.

"You know how to do kung fu! I thought you were just a scholar, but I didn't expect to know martial arts? ”

"Old ...... Old Parents...... It is also both civil and military, and the grass people admire it. Shen San choked up and said, hearing the voice, he also realized that he had overreacted just now and almost hit his own rice class master.

Fan Jin didn't get angry, but let go of his hand and sighed, "I actually guessed that you would be like this." No matter who you are, it's probably like this. Compared to them, you are very strong. But you always do this is not a way, if you don't take revenge, how can you get it if you collapse? If you fall ill, who will avenge your father's hatred and the villagers' hatred? ”

Shen San wiped his tears and said: "The grass people understand that the grass people will not always be like this, as long as this period is passed." ”

"Well, it's best if you can figure it out yourself. I also know that people are more likely to be lonely and lonely on this kind of day, in fact, the situation of this official is not much better than yours, my father died very early, my mother is now in Beijing, I can't do it if I want to go home and kowtow. ”

He pulled up the homely routine on the side, Shen San's mood gradually relaxed, and he also had some spirit. Seeing that Shen San gradually regained his composure, Fan Jincai said: "Just now, Yangzhou came to make a public announcement, saying that it was to arrest Shen Fengnian's family, the owner of the salt owl nest, and asked Shangyuan County to cooperate." ”

Shen San's face changed, "How can this be true!" My father has been law-abiding all his life, and he has never done anything to commit adultery, so how did he become the owner of the nest? They're bloody! ”

"I know it's a bloody spray, but this is the announcement of Yangzhou Mansion, and the attached signature on the salt road, the wicked people sue first, this is why they want to make trouble first. If you leave the yamen now, someone will arrest you or even kill you. Therefore, this official has an idea, you follow me and be a staff member for me. When I have the opportunity in the future, I will donate you the title of prisoner, so that you can bypass Yangzhou and go directly to the examination to get a reputation, what do you think? ”

Shen San was stunned for a moment, then knelt down on the ground and said, "Thank you for the grace of the eldest master!" The great grace and virtue will be unforgettable in this life, and everything will be arranged by the master in the future. ”