After the last conversation, Master Huang persuaded Li You: "Master Li has rested at home for a few days, so let's go back to the city." ”

According to his estimates, with the information transmission and transportation efficiency of this era, it will take at least half a month to transport a large amount of rice from other places, especially the Huguang area, to Suzhou City. This is a very difficult period of time, which can be called a dead knot that cannot be untied, can I go back and continue to be a firefighter who is more effective than effective?

What happens when the people find out that despite the desperate efforts of Lord Li to jump up and down to make decisions for the people, they still start starving to death in the end? I won't be used as an outlet for the people who have lost their minds... Think about the fate of Inspector Yuan... Li You hurriedly wondered: "It is difficult for a good woman to cook without rice, she can't fill her hunger with painted cakes, she has no way to govern herself, her heart is burning, and she doesn't want to go back to the city to see the people of Li suffering." ”

Master Huang couldn't help but spit out a sip of tea, "Lord Li's official position seems to be that of a government official, how can he learn the tone of a pro-people official?" In a trance, I thought it was Li Zhixian. ”

Li You took the opportunity to complain: "What is the difference between what this official has done since this month and the work of the magistrate? Where is the county of Fucheng? At this time, he didn't come to work, and it was obvious that when he was afraid of difficulties and delayed on the road, he asked me to bear a lot of worries for him in vain. What's the use of such a faint official, Chen Lian still hasn't impeached him! ”

"If you impeach him, you won't be a magistrate, and the magistrates of Suzhou Prefecture are all going to be jinshi... Don't talk away, and ask Lord Li to go back, otherwise there will be no other officials in the city, and those little officials will not be able to hold back. You can't ask the dignified Chen Xundao and Fuzun to deign to come forward and run around. Master Huang discovered Li You's intentions, and repeated the old saying.

Master Huang said this, and moved out the two bosses to press it down together, and Li You, who still wanted to mix in the officialdom in his heart, had to sigh and acquiesce. The top boss and official are one level bigger and crush people to death, not to mention that the official is more than one level bigger.

This is also normal, how can there be a free lunch in the world, no matter how close the relationship is, the boss is also the boss, there is no reason to only envelop you and not use you, you should be told to work hard and have to work hard. As the saying goes, people can't help themselves in the rivers and lakes, unless Li You wants to make the drama of hanging the crown come true.

"Master Li doesn't have to worry too much, businessmen are the most profitable, and Suzhou rice is expensive, so naturally there are rice grains from other places to sell. As far as we know, by the end of the month at the latest, large quantities of Huguang rice will arrive one after another, and there are only a few days left. Master Huang said with relief.

Li You was overjoyed, "Is this true?" ”

Master Huang said with a smile: "I received a letter from a friend and learned that a big grain merchant is buying rice in Hanyang Province, and there will be no problem when it arrives at the end of the month when it is formed into a fleet and goes down the river. ”

It seems that he underestimated the business efficiency of this era, and his judgment was a little wrong, so Li You said awe-inspiringly: "The Lu of the food monarch, the matter of loyalty to the king." Chen Xundao said today that he deigned to come to appease him, how could this official dare to be arrogant again. ”

Master Huang persuaded again: "Please also ask Master Li to listen to the next word, and have time to read more of the Four Books and Five Classics." ”

Li You said disapprovingly: "Others read these in order to be an official, but since I am already an official, I will read these things again." Although the truth is good, it is not necessarily practical. ”

"It may not be useful to others, but it will certainly be useful to you. In the past, whether you were an inspector or a governor, you had a lot of dealings with peddlers and pawns. Nowadays it is different, you have to have more contacts with people in the officialdom, how to speak without reading some scriptures, you don't feel the special situation in the current period. ”

This is indeed Master Li's shortcoming, he didn't want to talk more about his shortcomings, and suddenly had a plan and said: "If a large number of grain ships dock in Suzhou, everyone will be happy." If Chen Xundao and the grain ship appeared in Fengqiao Rice Market at that time, what would be the situation? ”

Master Huang shook his head and said, "You are simply crazy, and it is not advisable." Chen Xundao doesn't need such a side subtotal. ”

Li You thought about it too. First, Lord Chen is not a local pro-people official in Fuzhou County, and there is no civil affairs to deal with, so the people's popularity is of little use; Second, when I was in my twenties, I became a sub-patrol, and low-key life is the right way to be a person with qualifications, and high-profile exposure is only bad and not beneficial; Thirdly, Su Songdao should be sent to patrol according to the deputy envoy of the fourth grade, and Lord Chen has a hard background, and can patrol according to the inspection of the five grades, as long as he has enough qualifications, he can be upgraded to the deputy envoy of the inspection according to the order, and it is the first priority not to make mistakes, so why bother to make unnecessary tossing.

Lord Chen doesn't need it, but he Li You can have it. It's never too much to gain prestige as a magistrate... Imagine that Li Tuiguan, who disappeared in Fucheng for a few days, suddenly appeared with a grain ship, what kind of legendary scene was it, ten thousand Buddhas, ancestral halls... Seeing off Master Huang, Li You instructed a reliable domestic slave: "Take the old man's name card stamped with the official record, go to the customs of Changzhou Mansion in the north to observe the passing ships, but whenever there is a large number of grain ships going south, they will report back quickly with a rush shop." ”

Insert a sentence here, the seal is equivalent to the official seal. Why is it said that Li You hung up the crown and went instead of hanging the seal... Because his official seal is still very hypocritically carried with him.

After that, Li You lived at home for a few days, and then prepared to go back to Fucheng. If you don't go back to the prefect's mansion, you will probably jump your feet, and if you really officially report a resignation, it will be troublesome to enter the dismissal procedure.

Just as he was about to leave the house, he received urgent news that more than twenty large boats loaded with rice had arrived from the north along the canal.

It was a few days earlier than Master Huang expected, and this year is worthy of the era of the budding prosperity and development of capitalism. Li You sighed that it was really time for the grain ship to come, and at the same time quickly boarded the boat, first to the intersection of the Xuhe River and the canal, and then went north along the canal to look for it.

After looking for a little while, I saw a fleet of more than 20 boats, moving slowly on the water surface of the canal, among which there were two large ships with different regulations, such as escort or stewardship ships.

Li You commanded his family to come up by boat, and he wanted to make a win-win deal with the grain merchants.

As long as this grain merchant from other places is willing to cooperate, Li Tuiguan can ensure that he will not be forcibly requisitioned by the government in Suzhou Prefecture, will not be taxed by the officials, will not be blackmailed by the servants, will not be depressed by local tyrants, will not be blackmailed by scoundrels, and will not be robbed by the people... Enjoying so many benefits and preferential treatment, the grain merchant will not pay any losses and costs, that is, when the people of Fucheng have any wonderful misunderstanding, just don't come forward to deny it. What reason is there not to agree to such a good thing?

As Li You expected, as soon as his identity was bright and the conditions were set, the merchant happily agreed, and then Li You's boat and the grain merchant fleet merged and sailed towards Suzhou Fucheng.

It is said that the city of Suzhou from the gate to the outside of the city to the famous Fengqiao, probably because of the proximity to the canal, the prosperity and dense population within a range of one or two miles, even more than most places in the city. Fengqiao is a big rice market, and it is also the hub gateway outside the city.

In late February, the weather has warmed up, the grass and trees are getting greener, and there are as many businesses and households in the Fengqiao area as ever. I don't know who was sharp-eyed, but I first spotted the shadow of a large boat in the distance, which caused an exclamation -- people with a little experience can tell the shape of a grain boat, which is too common in Jiangnan.

If it's just a boat, it's not worth exclaiming, but the sides of this boat after another are all low, obviously full of grain, what does this mean in the current Suzhou Prefecture?

An experienced person pointed out: "This is a 400-stone boat, and it has been carried for a long time in my opinion." Each ship is about 500 stone meters, and if you count 20 boats, it is 10,000 stones. ”

Another person analyzed: "It's enough for the people in the city to eat for two days." ”

There are also people who say: "Once the beginning, after that it will be endless, this rice famine is about to pass, fortunately." ”

Soon there was a louder exclamation, because the people on the river saw a tall and handsome young man standing in the bow of the leading boat of the fleet, and some people recognized it as Master Li Tuiguan, who had disappeared from the city for nearly ten days.

Rumors spread very quickly. Immediately, there were people with rich feelings in tears, what kind of Qingtian Lord is this, in the face of the shameful hanging crown of the hungry people, he still cares about Li Min, I don't know how much effort it took to find this 10,000 stone rice, Li Qingtian did not abandon me and other small people.

By the time the fleet had landed on the shore, the onlookers on the river port were already crowded.

When Li You got off the boat, the crowd gathered around and shouted for the blue sky. The hustle and bustle has been beaten one by one, and one wave has covered one wave after another.

Li Tuiguan was silent, expressionless, bowed his head and walked forward (unfortunately there were no sunglasses in these years), and the three or four entourages around him tried their best to open the way to escort. However, the population is really dense, the fans are really fanatical, and the scene is almost chaotic and out of control.

It's time to say a few words... Li You said secretly.

When he was about to speak, he heard a high-pitched, bright and cheerful suona sound behind him...... It turned out that the two-story ship in the fleet stood up at some point, and two servants each took a suona and was blowing. In this regard, Li You nodded and said, this grain merchant is also a knowledgeable person who can make friends.

Seeing several servants coming out of the big cabin, holding all kinds of things that Li You looked familiar, Li Tuiguan's pupils immediately shrank sharply.

Isn't the umbrella that was raised a canopy, and there are also in the prefect's guard of honor... Isn't it the official card that was erected, all of the high-ranking officials on the ship... I saw that the official card read: "Zhejiang's political envoy is right to participate in politics".

Seeing these nine words clearly, Li Tuiguan's pupils were fierce again... Lord Chen is the title of Zhejiang according to the inspection of the envoy department, and the sub-patrol of Susong Road, so the right participation of the Zhejiang political envoy who appeared in Suzhou Mansion is also the title?

From the three products of Zhejiang, the political envoy right to participate in politics and guard Su Song Road? It is probably because the grain merchants borrowed official licenses to avoid taxes for the sake of profits, and there are many such things in recent years, and it is not worth making a fuss.

The last man who came out of the cabin was nearly fifty years old, with a good appearance and three long white beards. This is nothing, but the scarlet official robe on his body made Li Tuiguan's pupils shrink again, and his legs and feet were weak.

What does the robe represent? O high officials!

The old man stood proudly on the boat, with a canopy on his head, his face like frost, and he looked at Li You coldly.

Zhejiang Cheng announced that the political envoy was right to participate in politics and guard Su Songdao, and the boss was actually hidden in the grain fleet... No words can describe Li Tuiguan's mood at this moment, this minute, this second, and this moment this year, this month, and his ears inexplicably echoed Master Huang's words: "You are simply crazy, and it is not desirable."

Why didn't Li Tuiguan, who has always been meticulous, think that what kind of merchant could use more than 20 400-stone class Dacao ships to transport rice in one go? It can only be said that I have been too carried away lately, and I have been obsessed with ghosts.

(To be continued)