The rain fell intensively, and the white expanse fell from the sky endlessly, and the night was strangely drenched in the rain and became bright.

The two of them came to the Wu house under Wu Mountain with oilcloth umbrellas and buckled the iron door. The sound of the clang, a little sad in the sound of the night rain, the porter of the Wu family opened the door and asked, "Who are you?" ”

"I'm worried that you will say hello to your eldest man, and Liang Dujian has invited him to come to the mansion."

"It's raining heavily......"

"Hugh is wordy."

"Yes." The porter walked in to give a report.

Wu Qinan was talking to his family in the living room, he was the master of the salt warehouse, and he was not a firm anti-Zheng Shi faction, the matter was making a big fuss, and his expression had been in a trance for the past few days. Hearing the report from the gatekeeper and looking outside the door, the heavy rain poured down, hitting the crump, making a crackling sound, like the jade basin was broken one by one, and it was like thousands of troops and horses wrapped in iron hooves.

Wu Qinan muttered: "It's so late, it's raining heavily, what's the matter with calling me?" ”

"I don't know the little ones," said the porter.

"Of course you don't know......" Wu Qinan stood up, put on his official uniform, looked at his wife, two young sons, and eldest daughter, and finally said to the eldest daughter: "Hangzhou is on the verge of breaking out, no matter what, I will not end well, you are the biggest in the family, and you know the reason, you have to take care of the two younger brothers......"

"Daddy."

"That's it," Wu Qinan shook his head and sighed, a faint sigh seemed to come from the Yellow Spring Hell, and then he put on his hat and rushed out in the heavy rain.

When they arrived at the door, the two said, "Yes, please." ”

"Please."

The rain became denser, connected into an endless curtain of beads, the three of them walked by, their boots stepped on the ground, the stagnant water on the ground splashed some broken waves from time to time, and the ink-colored waves quickly fell down, following the rain into the distance.

There is a fork in the road in front, one is downtown, one is straight through the stone path on Wu Mountain, the latter is closer, and one of them said: "Please go from here." ”

"The road is slippery on a rainy day."

The four words were spoken, the two stopped at the same time, looked around, except for a black tree and the sound of rain, there was no one around, and the person who spoke just now suddenly asked: "Liang Dujian is going to strike tomorrow, ask Wu Zhubo what he thinks?" ”

"Strike?" Wu Qinan muttered again.

"Yes, strike!"

"It's over!" Wuqi South Road.

Salt strike has never happened since the founding of the Song Dynasty, and the seasons are different.

Nowadays, sea salt is boiled salt, and boiling salt requires salt mud with high concentration, and withered grass and trees, so the salt season is winter, and it is also the season when private salt is most rampant. In May, the grass and trees are blooming, and there are many rainy days in Huangmei days, which is the lightest season for salt, and the imperial court can tolerate it. It is unbearable, the salt strike is the duty of the salt supervisors of the salt farms, once the market is boycotted, since Hangzhou, several salt warehouses have been launched, Wu Qinan also believes that they have this ability, but the people can't buy edible salt, how much turmoil will it set off?

"Master Wu, you don't agree?"

"Forgive me." After Wu Qinan finished speaking, he looked at the west, there are thousands of households living in the west, although it is a vast heavy rain, many people have lit oil lamps, and the light is bright to break the rain curtain, like stars twinkling, where there is a little starlight, it is his home, smiled miserably, and said: "If you want to do it, just do it here, I won't shout, but please Liang Du for the sake of colleagues, please be kind to my family." ”

"We'll tell you." One person said in a deep voice, and as he spoke, he pulled the handle of the umbrella, and the handle of the umbrella turned into a sharp thin sword, and in a rain curtain, the thin sword flashed with a strange light.

"What a delicate design," Wu Qinan stared at it distractedly.

"What a guts."

"Don't be brave, I don't want to die, but these few days I am calculating, you will definitely kill me, although I am nostalgic for the world, I can't have both, I have to die, please do it." Wu Qinan closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry!" As he spoke, the thin sword stabbed Wu Qinan's chest.

Suddenly, two strings sounded, and two cold arrows shot quickly.

…… It's a giant candle that burns.

Zheng Lang will not be stingy with oil lamps, and his attitude here is the same as that of his father-in-law, he will not do extravagant things, but he will not deliberately be hypocritical.

The family's income plus salary, 15,600 a year, why do you live a poor life?

The candlelight jumped, and Zheng Lang fell.

Fu Bi said: "Why do you want to settle here? ”

"There are no children to fall behind, and you can play idle chess."

"I have a son to fall to," Fu Bi said with a smile. The chess strength of the two is similar, they are both half a catty and eight taels, and they have two games and win one game each. But Fu Bi won the game by winning eight sons, and Zheng Lang won the game by winning two sons. It's not like playing the piano, Confucianism, calligraphy and painting, and Fubi's confidence is full.

As the two sons fell, the two sides each walked for more than a dozen, the skills were poor, and they couldn't take the long test, so the son fell quickly, and after dinner, it only took an hour and a half to go down to the third plate.

The porter walked in and said, "There is a woman outside the door who is dressed as a man and says that she wants to see Governor Zheng." ”

"Let her in."

A twenty-seven girl brought in, fourteen or fifteen years old, and her long section has not yet grown up, but the country is beautiful and fragrant, although she wears a Confucian shirt, she can't hide her delicate appearance.

Holding a sunspot and looking at her, Zheng Lang asked, "Who are you?" What's the matter with seeing this official so late? ”

"The little woman is the eldest daughter of the salt barn owner."

"You are Wu Qinan's beautiful daughter."

"Yes, I dare not say pretty."

"Don't be humble, I've heard that in order to marry you, the Feng family spent three thousand silks, as well as other dowries worth tens of thousands."

"Governor Zheng, don't mention the Feng family, please ask Governor Zheng to save my father."

"It's rare for me to play a few games of chess with Futong today, saying this, it's vulgar, Xian'er, you take her down to rest." Zheng Lang left another son.

"Governor Zheng, please promise the little girl, the little woman is willing to serve as a cow and a horse to serve Governor Zheng."

"Little lady Wu, this is inappropriate, although you are not married, but you are engaged, how can you wait for me?"

"Feng family, he, he ......"

"It seems that you are stimulated and your speech is slurred, it really can't be done, you sit here and rest for a while, and then talk about it when you think about it."

"I ......"

"Don't need me, listen to it, who are those people singing in the backyard, they are all very good-looking, and they also want to wait for me, but this Yanfu official doesn't understand the amorous feelings, not to mention that you are engaged, there is a lot of controversy."

Wu Xiaoniang is angry, although she is engaged, but what the Wu family has done, since you are confrontational, you will not know it. Why am I still a good family, how can I compare with those records. But looking at Jiang Xing'er, who was standing on the side, she swallowed this sentence alive.

Continue to fall.

The little lady of the Wu family knelt down again: "Governor Zheng, time is pressing, if you don't save it, my father will be in danger, please agree." ”

"Well, if I knew that was the case, I shouldn't have let you in. Can you wait until I'm done with this game? ”

"Can't wait."

"I judged that Futong and I were stinky chess, and the game was very fast, please wait a while."

"I really can't wait."

"Vulgar, vulgar, such a beautiful scenery, there is a beautiful singing voice in the backyard like the sky, and there is the sound of rain like the sky, if it is the sound of the pipa of the Jin Ge Iron Horse, but it is disturbed by you. Please take a seat, and if you don't sit down, the official will send someone to drive you out. ”

"Are you such a good officer?" The little lady of the Wu family said angrily.

The singing voice in the backyard, she knew that since the prefect handed over the case to the three prefects for trial, things had become big.

For the officials of the salt farm and the salt warehouse, the three magistrates only have the right to supervise, and it is not easy to investigate, but that night they brought some entourage, but the entourage was easy to check the torture, so that the three magistrates were arrested and quickly obtained confessions. The case was transferred to Hangzhou.

The Hangzhou government is also not easy to review the case, and must cooperate with the transit envoy. But now there is one of the biggest opportunities, Shi Jie has the right to deal with the affairs of the salt prison as appropriate, so this prefect cooperated with Shi Jie, combined the power into one, and arrested all several officials.

Then the two transporters made a forced intervention.

The Hangzhou government refused to release the people, and they forcibly came to supervise and interrogate the case. In this case, several officials did not recognize it. However, the prefect said: "The imperial court does not kill scholars and doctors, they are civil officials, but they can be exiled to Lingnan, and life is better than death in Lingnan." You don't kill civil officials, but you can kill officials. According to the law of the Song Dynasty, the people involved in the case have no life, but there are too many people involved, even if it is the imperial court, they will not kill all of them, they can't afford to kill, and most of the people who commit minor crimes will be released at once. Most of the criminals were released, and the remaining criminals were severely punished by the imperial court in order to warn future generations. Not only will you die and live a difficult life, but even your family members will be exiled or insulted as officials. Taking a step back and opening up the sky, you have saved your life and your family. Further, you, your whole family have fallen into a precipice, and there is no chance of turning over. ”

After the words were uttered, they all opened.

But on the other side, he didn't wait for death, he wrote to the court, and there were others, including the ransom of Qin Fengniang and other leaders. They all know their intentions, and they are redeemed as family maids, and in order to retaliate, they will immediately live worse than die. Let this prefect use the name of probationing the people to rehearse operas, detain these women at home and refuse to let them go.

Even a dozen girls have to be saved, why don't you save my father?

"Do you know what a good officer is?" Fu Bi said, but squeezed his eyes at her twice.

"Fortis Judgment ......"

"Governor Zheng asked you to sit, you sit, why don't you sit!"

"Yes," the little lady of the Wu family replied and sat down anxiously.

After a few more drops, Fu Bi said, "Haha, I'm going to win again." ”

The little lady of the Wu family took a look, and the Fubi white chess was about to form a big dragon in the upper left corner, and more than a dozen black children were struggling in the middle, but they were lifeless. Once Bai Zi eats these dozen black seeds, Bai Zi will win a big victory in this game of chess. But she looked down and said, "That sunspot down there." ”

"Wanjin Niangzi, vulgar, vulgar, don't you know how to watch chess and be silent!"

Fu Bi was still looking for the black piece on the chessboard, Zheng Lang dropped a piece, and the idle chess piece just now immediately echoed with the chess piece in the upper left corner. If you forcibly eat these dozen sunspots, you may be surrounded by sunspots on the periphery, and swallow the large whites in the upper corner.

It's not a clever way to play, Zheng Lang can remember to mention the black piece of cloth, and then lure the white chess step by step into this trap, which belongs to his extraordinary play.

Fu Bi lay on the table and pondered, and after a long while, he fell heavily on his son, and Zheng Lang immediately followed him.

Fu Bi pondered again, and lost a son with difficulty, and Zheng Lang followed up with another son.

After each side lost five discs, Fubi was constantly broken, and all the large white pieces in the upper left corner were isolated, and the big loss was in the blink of an eye. Fu Bi said unconvinced: "Governor Zheng, are you doing this on purpose? ”

"You like to eat seeds, I'll ask for your surname to let you eat enough."

Fu Bi was not angry, he didn't play chess well, and if he lost, he lost, so he pushed the chess piece and said: "It seems that people can't be too greedy." ”

"Self, contentment is always happy, and if you are not satisfied, you will make a mistake and hate it for eternity," Zheng Lang said, looked at the restless little lady of the Wu family, and said: "With this layman here, I won't go down." ”

Put the pieces into the altar.

Fu Bi squeezed his eyes at the little lady of the Wu family again, don't take it to heart.

Where could Little Lady Wu endure it, she knelt down again and said, "Governor Zheng, your chess game is over." ”

Fu Bi sighed and said: "You are sincere in saving your father, and your filial piety is commendable, but you can't hold your breath like this, don't wait, I'm afraid you are not even qualified to enter this family." ”

It's not that he wants to be a matchmaker, it's a concubine, there is no talk of protecting the media, it is quite normal for a doctor to raise a few concubines, Fu Bi himself also has several concubines, Zheng Lang has nothing except one wife and three concubines, Fu Bi came up with this idea, it is very normal.

"Nonsense," Zheng Lang said.

Fu Bi smiled slightly, this little woman actually saw the wonderful use of the chess piece, coupled with her appearance, although she was the daughter of a small eunuch. After this catastrophe, Wu Qinan will inevitably be dismissed, and it is okay to be Zheng Lang's concubine. So he said: "I want to solve the amorous feelings." ”

"Xian'er, Xing'er, when the rich brother comes over in the future, he will only be given water to drink, and there is no need to give tea."

"Ah, sir," replied the two women in unison.

"It's sour, it's sour." Fu Bi fanned the air with his hands.

"It's so vulgar," Zheng Lang also fanned the air, but the direction of his hand was towards Wu Xiaoniang and Fu Bi, as if it was not enough, and said: "Si'er, bring the piano." ”

Si'er took out the piano, Zheng Lang stroked the strings and played, the song was very strange, and after playing for a while, Zheng Lang said: "I don't have the ability to play the ambush on all sides with Yaoqin, I don't know if the big monk in Fahua Mountain in Yuezhou can play it well?" ”

"The Great Monk?"

"Zhishu's junior brother Yihai, I heard that he also accepted a disciple named Zequan, and he is also a pianist master."

"If he hears your plays, it's too late to get angry, and you still expect to invite him to Hangzhou?"

"It's wrong or wrong, I don't know, if he understands my intentions, he will come faster."

"Why?" Si'er asked puzzled.

"I'm purifying Buddhism, they're real monks, will they see Buddhism become the light they are now?"

Fu Bi thought about it for a while, Yihai hadn't heard of it, but he had heard of some of Zhishuo's deeds, and it seemed that it was indeed this kind of person. Thinking about it carefully, the surname of this pair of brothers couldn't help but make him yearn for it leisurely.

"Si'er, you come and learn the piano."

"Me?" Si'er pointed to his nose and said.

"It's you, your heart is simple, simple is easy and clean, I have too many things hidden in my heart, I want the sound of the piano to be superb, it's probably not possible." Zheng Lang sighed.

"Official, slave is very stupid."

"Not stupid, not stupid, you're ten times smarter than those greedy people."

Zheng Lang is pulling east and west, but the little lady of the Wu family is like sitting on pins and needles, not sitting, not standing.

At this moment, the porter came in again to report: "Han Zhixian and Lu Zhixian have taken a few people and asked for an audience." ”

"Let them in."

People were brought in, in addition to Han Jiang and Lu Gongshu and more than a dozen officials, there were six people, four big Han Wu family little ladies did not know, but there were two she knew, one was also a small official of the salt warehouse, not an official, but an official, who was recruited to the salt warehouse before the trip, and there was another person, the little lady of the Wu family had already rushed over and shouted loudly: "Daddy." ”

"Lu Zhi County, Han Zhi County, let your people loosen their ties for them."

The official untied the ropes of the four big men, and Zheng Lang said, "You sit." ”

Let them sit down, and said to Han Jiang and Lu Gongbi: "You also sit." ”

A few people sat down, and Zheng Lang said, "Han Zhi County, Lu Zhi County, have you received a letter from home?" ”

"Roger." Both replied at the same time.

"Did your father say anything?"

Han Lu's faces were a little unnatural.

"It's normal, they arranged for you to come here for political achievements, thinking that I would take care of all parties like I did in Taiping Prefecture, and if you have the ability, then the political achievements will also be there. Originally, I planned to do what I did in Taiping Prefecture, and as for private salt, I know better than you, but I didn't plan to ask. The reason: I believe that Lu Xianggong and Han Xianggong also told you. Although before I came to Hangzhou, I saw the salt works of the salt officials, just to see the life of the pavilions. It is possible to advise on improving the miserable situation of some small pavilions, but other ideas are not there, too deep, and it is inconvenient to intervene. It's not a compromise, salt, tea, wine, alum, the imperial court is monopolized, the profits are too thick, there are too many tempting people, and there are no choices. But it's not that you don't do it, once the overseas thing is successful, you will use the deed shares to do some constraints. Until then, I won't move. I went out to inspect, you checked, I can't interfere. When I heard that you were coming, I had two worries, that you would not be able to do well, that you would not be accustomed to my methods, and that you would not think of this. Zheng Lang sighed.

The system of the Song Dynasty is like this, overlapping layers of layers, and the officials below want to check the smuggling of salt, what can he do, just like how can two transshipment envoys stop themselves?

He also said: "I was also wrong, I should have cut through the mess quickly at that time, and I couldn't delay it." There have been many murders, the case can't be closed, and the prisoner has been dragged in prison, and I have also spoken my mind, but I dare not publicly say that I don't investigate, it violates the laws of the imperial court, so there will still be people who are suspicious. It just so happened that two transfer envoys with bad surnames went to work, in fact, they said that people are not good, and I am not good, I used to read the Spring and Autumn Period, and ridiculed Zheng Zhuang Gongfu Duan, I don't want to use this strategy one day......"

Han Jiang said: "Governor Zheng, you said it was a matter of salt strike......

"What did I say? This time I raised several Gongshu Duan, do you know the Gongshu Duan I was talking about? ”

Han Jiang couldn't keep silent, even if Zheng Lang did it intentionally, Zheng Lang wouldn't admit it.

Zheng Lang turned his head to look at the four big men and asked, "What's your name?" ”

"The little one's name is Liu Sanqi."

"The little one's name is He Siba."

"The little one is called Qi Jiazheng."

"Little Zou Qing."

"Liu Sanqi, He Siba, Qi Jiazheng, Zou Qing, do you know what laws you have committed?"

The four faces were like earth, and they bowed down and said, "Governor Zheng, spare your life." ”

"I don't want you to confess, your confession doesn't mean much to the official."

"Yes, yes," the men said, shuddering. If you kill someone on your own side, and before you kill someone, you will kill someone who is in ambush, which shows that you have been prepared. They don't understand Zheng Zhuang's public uncle, but they know about the meaning, and the dare lover family has long known, and they dug a pit to let the big people above jump down.

"It's a capital crime, but you can live, do you want to live?"

"We want to live."

"Okay, you go back and tell you Liang Dujian that Wu Qinan and Xie Fangyan don't agree to work together, let you kill them. Of course, you can also inform them of the truth, and the official is not worried, and it is a big deal to cut off a few more heads in the future. ”

"Yes."

"Go ahead, move quickly, otherwise they will be suspicious, and the official will give you a way out, but they will kill you."

"Yes, yes," the four of them ran away.

Zheng Lang looked at Wu Qinan and said, "How much salt is in the salt warehouse, others don't know, you know." You can guess what happened earlier today, and it's not very easy to live these days. ”

Wu Qinan did not answer.

Zheng Lang playfully stroked Yue Shan of the guqin, and said: "Although you accept bribes, you will not die, there are too many people involved this time, if you have merit, the court will definitely forgive you." ”

Then I looked at Mrs. Wu again, Wan Guan woman, just to order a pro to give 10,000 yuan of dowry, how much will it be worth to get married? Although the appearance is good, no less than those leaders in the backyard, but is it really just a dowry, and it is worth so much?

Wu Qinan still didn't answer.

"I just met with King Yama, and he hasn't woken you up yet? I understand, this official will be transferred sooner or later, but no matter how you check in Hangzhou, some people still exist, and it is dangerous for you to stay in Hangzhou, not only for you, but also for your family. Not to mention that the court will let you be exiled at most, but your family can keep you safe. Wrong, you are the account book of the official's salt warehouse, they won't let you go, and the official won't let you go. It is the duty of this official to save your life, and I don't want you to thank you. But you continue to be obsessed and refuse to confess, the severity of the case is between the official's thoughts, and your family still wants to stay in Hangzhou at that time? Your two sons will go to Lingnan, and your wife and your daughter will go to Qinglou. Little lady Wu, aren't you waiting for me when the time comes......"

"Waiting for you......" Wu Qinan asked in a hoarse voice.

It was raining more at night outside.