There is a cloud in officialdom: 'Shangguan is not auspicious on the fourth day of the first month, the seventy-sixth day of the first month is the most hurtful, and the nineteenth is even more suspicious of twenty-eight, and fools who do not believe will suffer.' It is inevitable that people will die when they are in office, and they must be injured at the end of their term. ”

Therefore, after some deliberation, it was decided to enter the city on the second day of February.

The sedan chair guard of honor was prepared in accordance with the prefect's regulations, but the flags were reduced by one pair to show that they would not trespass. Eight sedan chairs, flags and honor guards, blowing and blowing from the east post station of the city, you can no longer go back, otherwise it will be a ghost hitting the wall, and you will not be able to be promoted again.

All kinds of people in the county have been prepared for a long time, waiting at the east gate of the county seat early, everything is in accordance with the rules of welcoming the prefect, everyone knows that Lord Shen is a well-known protégé of the Son of Heaven, the champion of the six heads, and he came with the king's order, and he is the prefect! It's just that because of the lack of seniority, it is expedient to know that the steps of moving the siege will be corrected sooner or later.

Therefore, no one dared to slack off, all of them were careful to flatter, in front of the city gate three after three greetings, crowded sedan chairs from the east gate into the city, to the west, this is called purple gas from the east, rushed to the government located in the northeast city...... When the north is respected, but due north is the emperor can not trespass, so the government is located in the northeast slightly north of the place.

Sitting silently in the sedan chair, wearing a double-winged black gauze hat, wearing a new blue silk official uniform, a white pheasant on his chest, and a silver sash around his waist, it was the official uniform of the five grades of the Ming Dynasty.

In the crowd and the noise of firecrackers, he was very calm, sitting in the sedan chair without squinting, and there was no complacency in his heart.

"My lord, the yamen has arrived." After walking for a while, there was a path of light outside.

Shen Mo opened the sedan curtain and looked at it, and saw a wall of the wall where the public announcement was posted, nodded, and the team blew and walked inside. Bypass the wall of the wall, then arrive at the square in front of the government office, just like all the government offices in the world, the archway of five directions corresponds to the wall of the yamen, forming a square in front of the yamen, there are also two pavilions in the square, but the square in front of the Suzhou government is much smaller than that of Hangzhou and even Shaoxing.

The front of the yamen is also like the governor's palace, with high eaves, gates, and eight-character walls, but there is no big flag, which is not as majestic as Hu Zongxian's yamen.

The sedan chair entered six doors, bypassed the Xiao wall, and entered the courtyard, the left and right courtyards, one side is the Yin Hotel, and the other side is the county prison, and the two have one thing in common, that is, they can stay for free.

After entering the second door, you must get off the sedan car. Silent step by step and kneeling, public uniform to worship the door of the ceremony. Enter the instrument door, the 'ring stone pavilion' in the middle of the road is coming, the ring stone under the pavilion is engraved with the three big characters of 'Gongsheng Ming', silently bow to worship, and then turn to the inner side towards the direction of the lobby, 'Erfeng Erlu, the people anoint the people's fat; The people are easy to abuse, and the heavens are difficult to deceive' sixteen shocking characters.

Gui Youguang, who served as the salute, shouted these sixteen words out loud, and then everyone shouted them three times in unison. Every time he shouted, Shen Mo had to say loudly: "Remember! "It's very powerful, but it's never very effective.

After the worship, wear the ring stone workshop, you can see the majestic and majestic hall of the mansion, which is the place where the government holds major ceremonies, such as greeting the holy oracle, the inauguration ceremony, etc., but often does not work here.

Lord Shen stepped onto the platform, stepped onto His Majesty, and came to the lobby. Tidy up your clothes, kneel three times and bow to the north, thank the emperor, and then bow to the seal, which is considered to be officially inaugurated.

But the ceremony is not over yet, and you have to worship the gods and ghosts in the palace. After passing through the second hall and the third hall, I came to the inner house, and began to burn and worship the prince, the god Xiao He, the land prince, the horse god of the stable, and the four princes of the dragon king in the prison temple, otherwise the gods would be angry, and the consequences would be very serious.

This is the completion of the part of the grandson, under the guidance of Gui Youguang, Shen Mo returned to the lobby again, to accept the worship of his subordinates, in addition to Suzhou Tuguan Gui Youguang, Wu County Zhixian Wang Yongji, as well as Taicang Zhizhou Xiong Huan Zi Yuan Cheng, Huguang Wuchang people, Jiajing 29 years Jinshi.

Ruan Zisong of Jiading Zhixian County, the word Sizhu, a native of Anqing in Nanzhili, and a Jinshi in Jiajing for 35 years.

Changshu County Ling Wang Tie, the word Dewei, a native of Dongyang, Zhejiang, Jiajing 29 years of Jinshi.

Wujiang County Ling Tang Di, the word is Bi, a native of Lanxi, Zhejiang, and a Jinshi in Jiajing for 32 years.

Kunshan County Order, the word Jianqing, a native of Huguang Yingcheng, has been diligent since childhood, erudite and literate, and has been a scholar in Jiajing for 32 years.

Shen Mo has jurisdiction over seven counties in one state, and this time he came to Wuzhi County, one Zhizhou, and two people were absent from the county order, one is Tang Yicen of Chongming Zhi County, and the other is Hai Rui of Changzhou Zhi County.

But the situation of the two is different...... Chongming Island and the mainland face each other across the water, and the bearer of the heavy responsibility of defending Suzhou is that Yizhi County must stick to his post. Moreover, Chongming County is under the direct management of Taicang Prefecture and is represented by the top boss, which is also reasonable, not to mention that Tangzhi County also has generous gifts.

But the situation in Haizhi County is diametrically opposite, the county government is less than a mile away from the government office, and it is only possible to reach it with your legs, and you can't talk about it if you are still absent. Gui Youguang is a loyal elder, and he was afraid that Shangguan would evil the sea pen holder, so he explained on his behalf: "Haizhi County went to the countryside to investigate, but I haven't returned to the county government for several days, and I don't know the news that Fuzun has arrived, so I can't rush back, and I don't prepare gifts." ”

All the officials looked at the newly arrived and extremely young Lord Fuzun, wanting to see some clues from his face, but they were disappointed, because Shen Mo's face did not show even a trace of unhappiness, he just said lightly: "It doesn't matter whether you welcome or not, the important thing is to do your errand well and keep your duty, that is the best gift for this official." ”

These words were said beautifully, and all the officials applauded, but few of them took it seriously in their hearts, and they all felt that Lord Shen would definitely hold a grudge, but it was estimated that the champion was decent and did not want to attack on the spot.

Shen Mo did not break down with them, and after everyone finished saluting, Gui Youguang invited him to speak, and Shen Mo did not shirk, and said to the officials sitting in the hall: "The contemptible people have just arrived, and they are not familiar with the situation in Suzhou Mansion, so they will not give orders to you for a while, please perform your duties, and follow the steps, if there is any problem with this official, I will naturally send someone to inform you." ”

Such a low-profile inaugural speech relieved the officials who were worried that he was young and vigorous and eager to make meritorious contributions, and praised the adults for being 'old and serious'.

He set up a reception banquet in the flower hall to wash the dust for the adults, but after all, it was the first time they met, and they didn't touch Shangguan's temper, because everyone was still a little reserved, and they didn't drink indiscriminately, so they dispersed in the afternoon.

All the officials returned to their own offices. Leaving only the light alone...... He is a magistrate in Suzhou, and he works in the government office, and he can't go anywhere.

The two looked at each other, a little embarrassed, and asked silently, "Does Zhenchuan have business?" ”

Gui Youguang smiled and said, "If you don't count with adults, you won't." ”

"Very good," said with a silent smile, "In this case, can you accompany this official on a tour of the mansion?" ”

"And rightfully so." Gui Youguang stretched out his hand and said, "My lord, please." ”

"Please." Shen Mo walked in front, Gui Youguang followed closely, went out from the Yin Gong Gate behind the lobby, and entered the second hall at the back, hanging the plaque of 'Si Bu Tang', the pattern is similar to the lobby, only slightly smaller, this is the place where he receives officials and subordinates, reviews civil cases, and holds general ceremonial activities.

The two of them bypassed the second hall screen and passed the third hall, which had already entered the inner house of Lord Fuzun, and outsiders were not allowed to trespass. The bright room of the main house is a hall, which leads directly to the four halls, the west side is the study, and the east side of the house is the signing room. The signing room is the core of the entire government, it is a two-room suite, the inner room is the place where the lord of the palace handles official business, approves official documents, and stores confidential documents. The outside room is a place to summon officials and subordinates to talk, because the second hall is crowded and mixed, it can only be a place for officials to meet in person, and if you really want to have an in-depth conversation, you have to put it here.

However, although there is an office here, because it is already regarded as the mansion's own home, it is half official and half civilian, with only office utensils such as tables, chairs, bookshelves and a bed, and there are no things like various title cards.

Behind the three halls is the four halls, also called the upper room, the place is very large, and it is the place where the house and the dependents live. The official atmosphere here is very light, quiet and elegant, which makes people feel refreshed.

Silence and return to the light wandering in this back house covering an area of more than ten acres, but see that there is a pond in the west, there are stacked mountains in the east, the rockery towers, the green water is around, the pavilion is covered, quiet and elegant. The two of them walked for half an hour, and they were a little tired, so they sat down in the pavilion by the goldfish pond. Seeing that the government was quite agreeable, Shen Mo was in a good mood, and felt that he should show concern to his subordinates: "What is the geometry of Zhenchuan Gonggui Geng?" ”

"I just know the destiny of heaven." Gui Youguang touched the wrinkles on his forehead, sighed and said: "Time flies, and in a blink of an eye, he is over half a hundred years old." ”

Shen Mo knew that he was born as a person, and he came out to be an official after repeated attempts, and he had been promoted to this seven-grade official for more than ten years, so he didn't ask about his career, but asked: "You seem to be from Suzhou Prefecture, right?" ”

"My lord Mingjian, the lower official is from Jiading." Gui Youguang couldn't help but be a little surprised: "There is a question, I have long wanted to ask adults, I don't know whether to talk about it or not?" ”

"Zhenchuan Gong is outside," said with a silent smile: "I just arrived, and I was about to ask you for more advice, what else should I not talk about?" ”

"But it's not a business matter," Gui Youguang said slowly: "Xia Guan just wants to know, I am a small pusher, and his name is not obvious, why do you seem to know so much?" ”

Can Shen Mo tell him because I've read 'Xiang Zhi Xuanzhi'? He was also happy to keep this mystery, so he smiled faintly and said, "I've heard about it." "Although it's not good to be tricky, but the way of the royal family, the most taboo is to dig out your heart at every turn, you can make people unclear about the details.

Sure enough, Gui Youguang beat the drum in his heart: "It seems that the adults are prepared, and I guess I have already figured out our bottom thoroughly." I couldn't help but ask abruptly, and said secretly: "You can't take it lightly anymore." ’

Shen Mo naturally didn't care what he thought, and asked with a smile: "When I came, I often heard a sentence that slipped out of my mouth, saying that I am from seven counties in Suzhou, and what do you say 'Jintaicang, Yinjiading' or something...... How? ”

"Oh, it's 'Jintaicang, Yinjiading, Tongchangshu, Tie Chongming, Tofu Wujiang, Zhaohua Kunshan, Paper Changzhou, Hollow Wuxian." Gui Youguang said with a smile: "This is Wu'er's joke, and it can't be elegant." ”

"It's a joke." Shen Mo smiled: "But it's also a self-assessment, so it must be able to explain some of the situation." ”

"That's right." Gui Youguang saw that the adult was very interested, and knew that he wanted to ask the truth, so he had to concentrate for a moment, and said slowly: "This is actually a sarcasm for being an official, and it is just a ranking of the difficulty and thinness." ”

"I would like to hear about it," Shen Mo smiled, "This is not a court, and it is not an errand now." Just two friends chatting in private, no one will spread the word, right? ”

What else can you say about the light? He smiled bitterly and said, "Okay, the lower officials will talk about it for the adults." Gold and silver are rich, the most fat, so the top two are Taicang and Jiading, first talk about Taicang, although Taicang is small, it is a state, the rank is high, and it is far away from the capital city...... The situation in Jiading is similar, but the grade is slightly lower. ”

Shen Mo heard the hidden subtext of Gui Youguang from the words 'coastal defense and moisturizing' - this clearly means that being an official in these two places can reap countless benefits from coastal smuggling, so he is rich in gold and silver.

But these words are obviously not clear to Youguang, if it weren't for his kindness, he would even directly use Taicang, known as the granary of the country, to prevaricate in the past, and now he can point it out secretly, which has already made Shen Mo very satisfied, so he said: "Mr. continued." ”

"Let's talk about the third 'copper Changshu', Changshu is a good place, the soil is fertile, there is no water and drought in the year, what is planted, it is extremely rich, and it is close to the golden waterway of the Yangtze River, if it is only in terms of income, it is not inferior to the first two. But just like gold, silver and copper are all wealth, people love gold and silver, and scold copper smells, and Changshu also has places that make people hate the root of their teeth. Gui Youguang said: "There is an accident-prone area, the gentry and peasants are all cunning and amazing, the county officials are extremely difficult to do, and the successive prefects are also very troubled." ”

"Besides, Chongming is a place outside the world, and it also manages Qidong and Yangshan Port, and there are more garrisons than ordinary people, so it is called Tie Chongming." Gui Youguang continued: "Then there is Wujiang, the tofu is bright in appearance and light in taste, which just shows the problem of Wujiang. It is also the thoroughfare between the north and the south, I don't know how many officials disturb it a year, the income is limited, but the expenditure is very large, and sometimes it is even beyond the means, so it is said that tofu Wujiang. ”

"Hehe, these five are at least complimentary," Shen Mo smiled: "The last three sound a little mean." ”

"Yes, Kunshan is the poorest, and he can't be better than Qu Yier," Gui Youguang said a little bitterly: "There are too many operas, and in the eyes of people, they become called Huazi, which is really a big misunderstanding." sighed a few words, and quickly jumped to the last two county roads: "As for the two counties of Wu County in Changzhou, you have to be sent at night." Among them, Wu County is where the government is located, and if you don't look up and look down, you will almost be a Shangguan helper, and it will be difficult to make a profit, and you have to paste it upside down, or what people will say," he smiled and said: "I didn't cultivate in my previous life, so I went to be a Fucheng County official." But in fact, it is not true, if you do it well, you will rise quickly. ”

After listening to Gui Youguang's words, Shen Mo had a feeling of understanding of the situation in the following counties, and asked: "If you are a parent official in Suzhou, what aspects will you focus your main energy on?" ”

Gui Youguang obviously had imagined a similar problem, and he had already made a decision in his chest, and he still said unhurriedly when he heard the words: "If you want to keep the house safe, you have to do three things well, tickets, mechanics and water control." ”

Shen Mo sat up straight and said, "Please sir be more detailed." ”

"Let's say it upside down," Gui Youguang said with a smile: "Let's talk about water control first, our Suzhou is next to Taihu Lake, which is considered to be a big bad luck, every year the lake water rises in the flood season, and even several rivers rise with it, almost half of the counties have to vigorously repair the embankment every year." The cost of building the embankment higher and higher is even more frightening...... The higher the embankment, the more water is stored, and if there is a breach, it will be a major flood. ”

He nodded silently and solemnly and said, "Mr. This matter has to accompany me for a field trip, and then we will discuss it again." ”

"Humble duty understands." Gui Youguang nodded and said, "Then let's talk about the middle one, the mechanic." He also said with a serious face: "In Suzhou City, there are already more than 500 silk reeling workshops and more than 800 silk weaving workshops, and nearly eighty percent of the men in the city work in the factory, and there are at least 20,000 people who come from other places to do black work...... These people can be collectively called 'mechanics', and they are full of contradictions with the machine owners who provide looms and sites," he said in an accentuated tone: "And these people are very united, often one person has something, and ten thousand people echo it, which is very dangerous, and adults should attach great importance to every move of these people." ”

Shen Mo nodded heavily, "I understand." ”

"And then there's the third one, the ticket." Gui Youguang sighed and said, "Do you know what this thing is? ”

"I know a little bit," Shen Mo shook his head slightly, "but I didn't know deeply." ”

"This is something that has only risen in the past two years, and all of a sudden everyone seems to be obsessed, and I don't know what is going on, but I know that the store that can only produce 1,000 catties of cakes sells tens of thousands of catties of cake coupons, and if there is any accident, everyone takes the cake coupons to exchange for cakes, and they can't afford to pay at all." Gui Youguang said with a sinister face: "I'm not worried about 'Wanfu Ji', the lower officials are worried that it will cause other kinds of coupons to be squeezed by the trend, and the shopkeepers will not be able to pay it at that time, and they will not be eaten by the creditors?" And the people who have been cheated of money are probably going to act radically. ”

"Call that Shen Hongchang tomorrow, I will ask him carefully." Shen Mo knew that Gui Youguang was very subtle, but in fact, he should change 'excessive' to 'riot'.

(To be continued)