In the 14th year of Chongzhen, April 20th...... Xuanfu Town, Yongning City. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Early in the morning, in Chengenfang, a quiet mansion in the corner of the city, Zhong Rong was quietly thinking about something in his study.

Uncle Zhongyong, it has been a few days since the shogun returned, and the shogunate members knew that the shogun had just returned from the expedition, and they did not dare to disturb his reunion with his family. But now that three days have passed, I should be able to go and report on the affairs of the department.

Compared with the haggard and tired little official in Chongzhen's seven years, the current Zhong Rong is full of energy, and the depression of the past has been swept away, but he is still very low-key, humble, calm in demeanor, and wears mostly green shirts on weekdays.

Zhong Rong was grateful for the kindness of the great shogun, and among the shogunate ministers, he was also the most diligent, leaving early and returning late every day, so that there would be no loopholes in the financial department.

After carefully checking the book in his hand and memorizing the data one by one, Zhong Rong breathed a sigh of relief, got up and paced in the backyard, stretching his body.

This courtyard was specially selected by the shogunate, and the shogunate specially assigned the main divisions and generals of the Shunxiang army, and the general and above officials and generals, all of whom were specially assigned to the residence by the shogunate. A big man like Zhong Rong usually has a generous monthly salary and bonuses, but now he has changed to a food stamp.

The scribes in the division also have a monthly salary, but in the past, the gray income of each person was gone, and the gray income of the small officials in the past was mainly the envy and increase of the field tax, which was often more than ten times the positive tax, but now the forts on the east road, in addition to the collection of positive taxes, the rest are not at all.

This inevitably cut off the wealth of many people, relying only on the monthly rations, each small official can not eat meat several times a month, but Wang Dou takes this into account, at the end of each year, depending on the degree of diligence of each person, he will be given different bonuses, and the bonuses are rich, even several times the amount of a year's salary, which greatly stimulates everyone's enthusiasm for work.

In addition, the education level of the people on the East Road has risen, and the Zhenfu Division is strictly watching, and one of their bonuses is to find out the fault of each division, pointing fingers all day long, raising eyebrows and glaring, which makes the anger of each division rise, but each division is independent, they have independent authority, what can you do if you don't bird?

All kinds of checks and balances, so the phenomenon of officials slippery as oil, rarely appears on the East Road, although it is inevitable that there will be dirty things, but compared to other places in the Ming Dynasty, it is much better. Whether you are clear or not, in fact, it is compared, the water is in dire straits outside, but the inside is full of food and clothing, others will think that you are in heaven and turn a blind eye to your mistakes.

Zhong Rong's bonus is also calculated according to the first grade, so the family can afford to support the maid and maid, and from time to time he can also help poor relatives.

When I arrived at the garden, the fresh air in the early morning greeted me, Zhong Rong was in good spirits, the servants and maids in the garden were busy, in fact, they were all distant relatives of the Zhong family and his wife's family.

The husband and wife couldn't get in the way, so they had to choose a few loyal people to stay in the house. The cook, the handyman, and the two maids are all nieces and aunts who are far away.

After walking for a while, his wife Yang came to call for dinner, and when she arrived in the hall, the maid had already laid out the meal, four dishes and one soup, with meat and eggs, all of which were of Shunxiangbao brand, as well as white steamed buns, steaming hot.

His wife is satisfied with her current life, and Zhong Rong is also relieved to see her old wife happy. The two of them are very affectionate, they were a small official back then, they were poor, and their wives never gave up, Zhong Rong was grateful in his heart.

However, the two are not without contradictions, Zhong Rong has a son and a daughter, the eldest daughter has already been married, and her husband's family is also a scribe. The daughter was shrewd, so she set up a chicken farm in Shunxiangbao, and then opened a cattle farm, with a lot of income, and the women were high and the men were low, so this contradiction came out. The daughter has been talking to her mother, asking her father to make it convenient for her to transfer her husband to the Si Zheng Department, not to mention her identity, just talking about the bonus, it is a cut higher. Zhong Rong also knew that with his own status and status, if he said hello to the Civil Affairs Department and the Suppression Division, all parties would sell face. Although he is virtuous and does not avoid relatives, his son-in-law is mediocre and does not have much outstanding, how can he be transferred to the important place casually, which is criticized? …,

He told his wife: "The reason why a husband can be an ambassador to the financial secretary is because the general remembers the old feelings, not to say how outstanding the husband is. Besides, the general is as kind to me as a mountain, how can I use power for personal gain and disappoint the general? The wife also understands that this is the right reason, the master-slave affection is the most important, without affection, it will be official business in the future, and the blessings and disasters are unpredictable. Xiang Gong is the ambassador, I don't know how many people are red-eyed, staring at this position, just waiting for their own man to make a mistake.

Having said that, seeing that his daughter was displeased, he said that his father was rigid all day long, and he didn't have a daughter in his heart, so he couldn't help but have a knot in his heart.

Talking about his son again, Yang's heart is troubled, his son Zhong Ding is seventeen years old this year, has excellent knowledge, is a student of Yanqing Guanshan Academy, has always been the pride of Yang's heart, and then this kid has been unknown recently, it is useless to say that he is famous all day long, and he wants to abandon his pen and follow Rong and enter the martial arts hall for further study.

The Yang family of Wutang also knows that it is a place where the general specializes in teaching people how to fight, and his son studies hard to learn how to fight. Read good books, not to mention the future exams, Zhongjin Shi, or take his father's class, I really can't figure out what this kid thinks.

Listening to the old wife talking about this matter again, Zhong Rong put down his chopsticks and said: "It's okay to enter the martial arts hall, it's not okay to study in Da Mingguang right now, not to mention that the military merits of the East Road are respected, and others want to enter, but they can't get in." ”

The generals of the East Road, the major members of the shogunate division, and the preferential point is that the heirs can enter the lecture hall to study, which is the place where officers are trained, and how many people are crowded with heads to send their sons in.

Yang sighed: "Children and grandchildren have their own children and grandchildren, I can't control them, and my son can't help it............... Alas, sir, why don't you eat it? Zhong Rongji wanted to report to the general about the affairs of the department, he had no intention of eating, so he hastily ate a steamed bun and left, and when he arrived at the front yard, the coachman Fubo came over and said, "Ambassador Zhong, do you want to prepare the car?" Zhong Rong said, "Oh, Fubo, no. ”

Youtian escorted over, and Shi Li said, "Ambassador Zhong is early." Zhong Rong said: "Morning, Tian Guard, are you on duty today?" ”

Tian Huwei said: "Yes." ”

Quite few words, with the ability of a soldier. The Zhong family had a coachman and two guards, all of whom were sent by the shogunate and issued by the shogunate to Yulu. The two guards are also from the guard battalion, and there are two ambassadors from each division. On weekdays, Zhao and Tian are on duty in turn, and today it is obviously Tian's turn to be on duty. Zhong Rong also knew one thing, the coachmen and guards beside each member were all members of the Intelligence Department, and it was good to know this matter, and no one would be interested in picking it up. Zhong Rong took Tian to guard, walking on the street, the current Yongning City is clean and beautiful, because Wang Dou lives in the city, rich merchants have poured in, making the city more prosperous, the tide rises, and the price in the city has risen a lot.

Soon, in front of the General's Mansion, the wide bluestone square, the copper and iron gate squatting tall stone lions on the left and right, and the guards of the General's Mansion with iron helmets and iron armor on the steps, all show the majesty here.

Although the guards of the General's Mansion had already known about Zhong Rong, the chief on duty at the gate still carefully inspected Zhong Rong's waist card before letting him in, while the Tian guards stayed outside and were not allowed to enter the mansion.

Entering the General's Mansion, several in and out of it, counting in front, it is the office of everyone in the shogunate, Zhong Rong just entered the mansion, and saw Zhang Gui, the ambassador of the Civil Affairs Department, and Qi Tianliang, the ambassador of the Logistics Department, laughing and walking in, and when they saw Zhong Rong, both of them said hello.

Zhang Gui is still very hearty, - the appearance of Zhang Fei, but Zhong Rong knows that this person is thick and fine, and he should not be looked at externally.

There is also Qi Tianliang, this thin man, the dun army of Jingbiandun in the past, has also developed a bearing.

The three of them exchanged a few words, Zhang Gui touched his halberd and said, "Old Zhong, old Qi, you say, today's general, will you meet us?" Zhong Rong shook his head, and Qi Tianliang said cautiously: "The general is most concerned about government affairs, although he is not willing to reunite his family and be happy, he should receive us in the next two days." ”

At this point, he saw an ironclad guard coming, glanced at the three of them, and said, "Three ambassadors, the general is invited." ”