"What the hell is going on?" Shen Mo lowered his face and asked.

"Back to the adult," Lao Ma said, "the turtle has a turtle road, and the shrimp has a shrimp road, anyway, they all go to make money...... For example, Wang Qiming, he opened an oil shop, sold vegetable oil from Tongzhou once a month, and sold it in the store. To tell you the truth, I and everyone present also have their own livelihoods, some of them are fortune tellers on the flyover, some are copying books for people, and some are working as bookkeepers in the store......"

"As far as I know, the Qipin Jingguan's Yulu is ninety stone of grain a year, ten zhang of cloth, and the salt is free." Shen Mo didn't believe it: "Although Kyoto rice is expensive and it is not easy to live, most of you are from other places to be officials, and there are only three or four people in a family, how can it not be enough?" ”

"My lord once sealed Su Song, he must have been Zhong Mingding's food, and he has never tasted poor, so naturally he doesn't know us poor people." Lao Ma smiled and said: "Yes, it is said that ninety stone of grain is enough for a family to live, but over the years, when has it been distributed?" ”

The people on the side couldn't help but be indignant: "That's right, the best years are only more than half of the time, and when you catch up with bad luck, you can't even spread half of it, how can you support your family?" ”

"Is this the case for all the officials in Beijing?" Shen Mo asked softly.

Lao Ma replied: "Of course not, those big officials, as well as the colleagues of the important yamen, some of them are men to make money, only a Qingshui yamen like us will be so miserable." ”

Shen Mo thought about it, and then said: "Don't talk about the past, just say that in the past few years after the opening of the port, isn't it not in arrears?" ”

"It's not in arrears," Lao Ma said angrily, "Now it's all changed to 'recruitment'." ”

"Help?" Shen Mo really didn't pay attention to this, because his brothers were very wealthy in their families, and the only poor ghost Xu Wei lived in the palace all day long, and he had no concept of money at all, so no one had mentioned this word to him.

"It is said that it is the Ministry of Household and Industry, the lack of finances and troubles, and the temporary payment of aid, all Beijing officials will voluntarily pay half of the money to fill the national treasury." Lao Ma said depressedly: "It was originally an expedient measure, but who knew that it would be accepted until this year, and it seems that it is going to become a rule......"

Shen Mo was really a little angry now, he originally thought that after the opening of the port, he would provide a large amount of silver to the imperial court every year, which should ease the country's finances, who knows that his nephew still played the lantern - as usual, but he didn't know where all the money he had worked so hard to earn had gone!

"Those adults who make policies naturally don't care, they have the ice respect and charcoal respect of the magistrates, and they don't expect that money to pass by at all." Lao Ma opened the conversation box and chattered and complained: "But we, the sesame mung bean officials, if we don't do something else, the whole family will starve to death." ”

Shen Mo nodded, signaled him not to say any more, waved his hand and said: "Let's go and get busy, the purchase of the goods, the practice of the stall, when I don't exist." ”

Although Lord Shen's expression did not seem to be fake, no one dared to slip away, and they all accompanied him honestly, but they did not have any common language. The old horse couldn't stand this depression and said, "I'll make tea for the adults." ”

"Save some tea, just plain water." Shen smiled silently, and he didn't know whether he was talking or really sympathetic.

After sitting for a while, even Shen Mo felt bored, so he said to Lao Ma: "Tell me about the responsibilities of our Economic Bureau?" ”

"Yes," Lao Ma said: "The Southern Dynasty Prince Liang has a canonical bureau, and the Northern Qi Dynasty has a canonical scripture workshop, but the name of the bureau, but it comes from the Sui Dynasty, and is responsible for the printing and collection of scriptures, canons, books, and official documents, as well as the writing of sermons. ”

"Then we should have a lot of books?" Shen Mo asked.

The old horse looked strange for a while and said: "It's okay, it's not as good as Wenyuan Pavilion, and it's not as good as Hanlin Academy." "Wenyuan Pavilion is the emperor's library; The Hanlin Academy, on the other hand, is the National Library.

Shen Mo didn't care about his cold water, got up and said, "Let's go, take the official to see the books." ”

"Well, let's change it?" Lao Ma and all the officials persuaded together: "It's dusty and the air is not good, so let's wait for us to clean it up, and then the adults will go again." ”

"I'm not that particular about people." Smiling silently, he walked out, and when he came in, the old horse pointed out the location of the library to him, and when he went straight to the door, he saw that it was not locked, and stretched out his hand to push the two doors open.

Lao Ma and the others who hurriedly followed behind, their hearts were beating faster and their mouths were dry, as if they were about to be captured.

When the dust cleared, he looked in silently, only to see rows of tall bookshelves, piling up the huge room, and couldn't help laughing: "We are really so poor that we only have books left." ”

Lao Ma hurriedly answered: "Yes, my lord, what's so good about the book, it's almost noon, let's eat......" Everyone answered: "Let's pick up the wind for the adults, go to the best restaurant, you can come out quickly." ”

This kind of desire to cover up made Shen Mogang curious, and he smiled faintly: "Don't be in a hurry to eat, wait for me to take a turn and see the storage of the library." By this time the air was almost circulating inside, and he stepped inside.

At first, there was a smile on his face, but the more he walked in, the more solemn his expression became, until when he turned out, the expression on his face was gloomy and out of water.

Lao Ma and the others suddenly turned pale with earth, and some people even had fierce eyes and wanted to kill people, but just looked at the guards with big shoulders and round waists beside him, so they swallowed and spit, shrunk their necks, and obediently waited for death.

What are you doing? It turned out that Shen Mo found that except for the outermost rows of bookshelves, the books on them were still in good condition, and the more they went to the inner shelves, the scarcer the books became, and when they reached the end rows, they were simply empty, and there was nothing but dust.

There is no need to ask, Shen Mo also knows where those books went, and they must have been secretly bought by these poor officials. It's okay to say that no one has inquired about this matter, once it is investigated, then the whole situation will be punished, and he, an innocent horse washer, will not be able to escape.

Seeing Shen Mo's gloomy expression, everyone knelt on the ground and looked at Master Xima in fear, and it was estimated that they would have to eat in prison today.

Shen Mo didn't have a seizure, he just ordered Sanchi to write the seal, sealed the library door, and when he was done, his expression returned to normal, and said lightly: "Get up, aren't you going to eat?" The crowd did not dare to move.

Shen Mo scolded with a smile: "Do you still want me to help?" The six of them had no choice but to get up and follow Shen Mo out dejectedly.

"It's all spirited." When he was about to walk out of the courtyard of the Economic Bureau, he silently whispered, "Don't make people laugh. ”

The big guy hurriedly laughed, but how did he sound like a group of night owls, which attracted the sideways glances of the people around him, and said that he couldn't digest what he ate?

Under the leadership of Lao Ma, the group came to the street of Zhan Shifu, there was a 'Wenkui Restaurant', and silently asked for the top floor box, so that the shopkeeper's specialty wine and food could only come up.

In normal times, these guys who faded out of their mouths would definitely swallow saliva and rejoice one by one, but today they really can't lift their spirits, and they are all depressed, and they don't dare to look at Shen Mo.

Shen Mo took a sip of the teacup, glanced at the old horse, and said lightly: "Tell me, what's going on?" Where did all those books go? ”

"Back to your lordship," Lao Ma's face did not lose the earlier indignation, but said with a look of fear: "Part of it was borrowed by your lords, speaking of which, this is the big head." And some of them...... We sold it. ”

"Can you get it back?" Shen Mo asked.

"It's enough to choke," Lao Ma said: "The books borrowed by adults have always been meat buns and dogs, and there is no return; The books sold to bookstores are scattered somewhere. ”

"Who is the last horse washer?" Shen Mo asked.

"The original lecturer of King Jing's Mansion is now the left attendant of the Ministry of Rites, Lord Yuan Wei Yuan." Lao Ma said: "To put it mildly, it is precisely because Lord Yuan is uninhibited and ignores the Economic Bureau that a large number ......of books have been lost."

Shen Mo nodded and did not speak.

When he had eaten, he let them go back and let them beat drums to buy candy, and to do their own thing, but no one was allowed to go near the storehouse.

"My lord, what will you do with us?" Lao Ma and the others asked fearfully.

"Put your heart in your stomach," Shen Mo smiled slightly, "You'll be fine." Then he put down the sedan curtain and left tremblingly.

Lao Ma and the others looked at each other, although the adults gave them a reassuring pill, but they were inevitably still worried in their hearts...... In fact, they don't have to worry at all, if there is no example of 'accepting aid', the imperial court will issue a salary on time, and if they still steal books, they will naturally be held accountable. But the reality is that their salaries have been deducted, and they can't survive anymore -- for the dignified Ming who claims to be rich from all over the world, it is a scandal that lower-level officials have to rely on stealing books to buy books!

Knowing that the court's decency trumps all silence, he understands that this matter will not make a big fuss, and the court will not hold these officials responsible...... Sometimes things are so nonsense, you obviously broke the law, but there are still people who try to cover up for you, just because you can't afford to lose this face.

But it doesn't mean that everyone will be safe and sound, and there must always be someone responsible when something happens. Who is responsible? The officer in charge is also. And Shen Mo has not officially taken office, so naturally he can't be held accountable, and going back to the front, it has become the responsibility of Yuan Wei and Lord Yuan.

It is said that this is not a big deal, and in the Ming Dynasty, being an official was still a very safe profession. As long as you do not rebel, do not make mistakes in the line, do not betray your relatives and leave your relatives, and no matter how big the mistakes you make, after you are dismissed from office at that time, you will be able to recover from your position in a low-key manner and continue to be an official in another place.

To give a few examples, such as Zhao Zhenji, Tang Shunzhi, Yan Song and others, they have all had such an experience, and they are indeed very common.

After going back silently, he told Xu Wei about this, and Xu Wei said: "Yuan Maozhong is a close minister of the Son of Heaven, and he is famous for his quick thinking, especially the green words he writes are the most ingenious, the most meaningful, and His Majesty can't leave for a while. So he persuaded him: "It's okay not to mess with him, and make a grievance." ”

"Hehe, should I carry this black cauldron silently?" Shen Mo shook his head and smiled: "Old Xu, you can't see Mount Tai with a blind eye." Then he said very firmly: "I dare to say that Yuan Wei can't afford this responsibility, and he never wants something to happen at this time." ”

"Why?" Xu Wei asked.

"Because ......" said with a silent and mysterious smile: "Because Zhao Zhenji is about to go into the wilderness, he, the second-in-command of the Ministry of Rites, is going to be nervous." ”

"Really? Zhao Zhenji wants to go into the wilderness? Xu Wei didn't know and said, "Where did you get the news?" ”

"What he said to me in person shouldn't be wrong." Shen Mo said: "You said that once he leaves, who is qualified to succeed him?" ”

"In addition to Yuan Wei, there are also Wu Shan, the right attendant of the Ministry of Rites, and Ouyang Bijin, the left attendant of the Ministry of Rites, and the final candidates are estimated to come from these three people." Xu Wei said: "But who can go depends on the results of Tingtui." ”

"Yes," Shen Mo smiled, "Do you think that at this juncture, he Yuan Maozhong dares to take this risk?" ”

"In this way, I really don't dare." Xu Wei shook his head and said: "I have a lot of contact with Yuan Wei, although this person is talented, but he is arrogant and uninhibited, and he wants to enter the cabinet wholeheartedly. "There are some unwritten rules in the officialdom, although they are not found in any regulations, but they have been observed by officials in successive dynasties, such as 'non-Hanlin is not allowed to serve as the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, and non-officials of the Ministry of Rites are not allowed to enter the cabinet.'" It's one of them.

In fact, both Yan Song and Xu Jie, both of them have been in the position of secretary of the Ministry of Rites, and this position can be regarded as the 'step of moving the siege' before entering the cabinet.

Xu Wei agreed with Shen Mo's point of view, but he was still puzzled: "But what's the use of your handle?" ”

"'Siege Wei to save Zhao'." Shen Mo looked at the roof with a fluttering gaze and said, "Don't forget who Yuan Wei is." ”

"You mean King Jing?" Xu Wei sat up and said. Yuan Wei is not only the waiter of the Ministry of Rites, but also the mentor of King Jing, King Jing is also obedient to him, and the relationship between the two is not comparable to Tang Ruji and others.

"That's right," Shen Mo also sat up straight and said, "At the end of the day, I'm still for that wishful ...... It doesn't matter if they come to see it, but I'm afraid that King Jing will come out with another moth, and someone has to help pull King Jing's halter, so that we can ensure safety. Saying that, he sighed and said: "I'm afraid that I can hide from the first day of junior high school, but I can't hide from the fifteenth, and sooner or later there will be a day when the stuffing will be exposed." ”

Xu Wei shrunk his neck and whispered, "I'm going to die of guilt......"

The next day is to pay homage to the jade Ruyi's Rong Grace banquet, the sun sets, the night has not arrived, the guests who are invited to come are basically all together, only to see the hall Zhang Hua lantern, the fire tree, the streamer treasure, just like day. A total of three tables were set up, and the family servants of Yishui Er Tsing Yi were waiting to serve on both sides of their hands, and the guests were also seated in tacit order, talking in low voices.

But on the table table, no one cared about the precious melons and fruits in the white ice porcelain plate, and the various dim sum cakes with authentic Suzhou flavor did not move at all.

Looking at the canopy in front of the gate, there are still eight large welcome lanterns, and you know that the highest status guest has not yet arrived. Half an hour has passed since the scheduled opening time, which is really a great faux pas, and the host can only apologize to everyone for not stopping.

Although everyone maintained a good demeanor, they couldn't help but complain in their hearts...... But it's not to complain about the master of silence, people have done a good job, but to blame the villain who has no manners, and he hasn't come yet.

It wasn't until it was completely dark that a relieved voice came from the door: "Lord Yuan of the Ministry of Rites has arrived in ......."

Shen Mo smiled bitterly and said, "You guys sit down for a while, and I'll go to greet Lord Yuan." "Everyone said, 'Brother Shen, please.'"

Silence went out of the door, the courtyard was as bright as white, only to see an old man in a gorgeous costume with a proud demeanor, accompanied by several family members, pacing into the courtyard.

Shen Mo hurriedly stepped forward and saluted: "The old man took the time to come, and the little one was too scared. ”

Only then did the old man squeeze out a smile and said, "Oh, I'm really embarrassed, I was there today to conceive the 'Green Chapter' of His Majesty's proposition, and before I knew it, it was too late." ”

"It's not too late, it's just right." Shen Mo smiled and said, "Boss, please come in." ”

"Lord Shen, please." Yuan Wei smiled faintly, regained his 'dignified and noble' expression, and entered the hall proudly. Who knew that because his head was raised too high, as soon as he entered the door, he was dazzled by the eighty-eight glass lamps hanging high in the hall, and he almost mixed garlic under his feet and fell into a dog to eat.

Fortunately, Shen Mo supported him in time, and Yuan Da did not lose his ugliness. But he was not without annoyance: "Why do you light such a bright lamp? Isn't it a waste! ”

Shen Mo hurriedly explained: "Because today is mainly to appreciate treasures, I have lit all the lamps that can be found." He was busy and half of it was extinguished, and Yuan Da was relieved. Entering the hall, the room full of 'late students' saluted him, Yuan Wei nodded, and sat down in the seat.

Shen sat silently with the main accompaniment, and asked Yuan Wei, "May I ask the boss, do you want to open the table first or appreciate the treasure first?" ”

"What is the purpose of your banquet, then let's do it first." Yuan Wei said.

"Okay, please move first, let's pay homage to the topaz Ruyi given by the emperor together." Shen Mo smiled at everyone, he had guessed that Lao Yuan would say this.

The big guy was already hungry and dizzy, but he had no choice but to get up and go to visit the topaz ruyi of Narauszi.

(To be continued)