Behind the vermilion gate, in front of the three doors of the Fengying Library, the officials of the household department have already set up a big case, and the roster of officials of various ministries in the capital is placed on this big case.

The three doors of the Fengying warehouse have already been opened, and the warehouse workers are waiting in front of the cloth pockets one by one.

Everything was ready, but no one was going to open the scarlet door.

There are only less than twenty days left before the New Year, and the waiters of the household department, Langzhong, and the main affairs are here. Even Han Wen was here, and he, the head of the household, personally came to pay the arrears to these Beijing officials.

Such a big battle, such a high specification, and such a big thing, naturally I don't have a bottom in my heart.

The state treasury was so empty that there were thousands of officials in the fourth and ninth grades of the Beijing Division, and most of them could receive seven or eight liters of spices, and as few as one or two liters.

Once the door is opened, let these people know that they are counting on these spices for the New Year, and the disappointment will inevitably be filled with anger.

He, the head of the household department, and so many household officials, can be said to have a heavy responsibility on his shoulders.

It is necessary to speak bitterly and earnestly advise the big guys: we must be considerate of the difficulties of the imperial court, carry forward the spirit of inheriting the sages of peace and happiness, and live a happy year in which the material world is scarce but the spiritual world is rich.

Han Wen's face tensed, and it took a long time before he spoke, "Everyone! ”

Dozens of household officials looked at him, Han Wen shouted and sighed, and his face was full of indescribable worries about the country and the people.

"The treasury is so empty, and our household department is now clearing the bottom of the warehouse, and there is really no money and food to distribute. To tell the truth, no one can survive the New Year with these pepper and spices, and I really don't know what kind of scolding I will have to get when I send these things to them. ”

"Hey, scold, scold, Motobu knows that you don't want to be scolded, and I don't want to. But what can be done, we can only bear it, I hope they can understand the hardships of state affairs. ”

After saying this, Han Wen seemed to have made up his mind, gritted his teeth and shouted: "Open the door and send things!" ”

At the sound of the order, the warehouse workers began to carry bags of spices out, and the vermilion gate slowly opened.

Then I saw that there were people crowded outside the gate.

There are six large cases that are both long and wide, four of which are placed vertically along the sides of the vermilion gate, and the remaining two are horizontally in the middle.

If you look in from the outside, it is an inverted "concave" structure, which blocks the door tightly to prevent people from rushing in.

More than a dozen household officials sat behind the big case, and in front of each of them stood three clerks, one official and three clerks were in charge of a yamen, and there was a sign in front of them, which said that the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Crime, and so on.

The people who had just called for friends flocked to the sign that said "General Envoy Division".

The official of the household department changed his indifference from the past, and asked very politely: "May I ask the honorable name, what is the official and what is the position?" ”

Wu Boyan was a little flattered by this politeness, and arched his hand: "Wu Wenshan, Governor of the General Administration Department, please look for it." ”

As he spoke, he put his small official seal on the table.

"It turned out to be Governor Wu, disrespectful and disrespectful." The household official also returned the salute, picked up the official seal and looked at it, and then instructed the scribe beside him: "Find the list of Governor Wu of the General Administration Department." ”

"Yes." The scribe answered, and began to rummage through the registers, and after a while, he found Wu Wenshan's name, and then handed the list to the household official, "My lord, here." ”

"Hmm."

The household official looked at it, and after confirming that it was correct, he turned the list upside down and handed it to the brush, "Please sign Governor Wu." ”

There were already a lot of snowflakes in the inkstone filled with ink, Wu Boyan reached out and took the brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote the three words Wu Wenshan on the brush.

"Please send Governor Wu a fortune!"

The household official shouted, and then a clerk picked a small one from the pile of bags in the distance and put it on the desk.

Wu Boyan looked at this small cloth bag with wide eyes, and was happy at first, thinking that this year's imperial court was gracious, and all the hair was cash, but soon he felt that it was wrong, this shape did not look like silver, and there was a faint smell of pepper.

"Excuse me, what's in here?"

"Pepper. Governor Wu was in arrears for three months, and counting this month, the silver money was converted into one liter of pepper. ”

"This is Yulu?" Wu Wenshan's voice was screaming, and he felt a little dizzy.

"Yes."

Hearing this, Wu Wenshan immediately shouted, "My arrears plus this month's salary, it should be eight taels of silver, and four stones of rice, what are these peppers!" I have a family of five to raise, and my wife is still waiting for the rice to go to the pot, what do you mean by giving me these peppers! ”

"Is it that all the officials are peppering this year?" The officials behind Wu Wenshan were also anxious, and hurriedly asked.

"It's not. This year, the officials of the ministries and halls of the second and third grades, as well as the envoys of other provinces, the envoys of the patrol and the political envoys, did not pay a fortune. ”

"Don't tell me about these people!" Wu Wenshan waved his hand and almost hit the household official in the face, and shouted loudly,

"Do these big officials still need to worry about the New Year? These ministries in the capital have the annual tribute of each province and the emperor's reward. Those political envoys from other provinces, according to the envoys, will rush to give them silver, and fat can fatten them to death! ”

The household official said: "The imperial court has the difficulties of the imperial court, and the treasury is losing money this year."

Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Wu Wenshan, "If there are difficulties in the imperial court, don't we petty officials have difficulties!" Do you household officials also rely on these things for the New Year? ”

"What's going on?"

"This year's Yulu is not distributed evenly?"

The hundreds of officials in line heard the noise in front of them and asked anxiously.

Wu Wenshan and several officials standing in front of him turned around and shouted excitedly at these people: "There will be no money at all this year!" What kind of bullshit pepper is sent, the amount of silver I owe is nearly ten taels, so I will give one liter of pepper! ”

Hearing this, the countless people behind all blew up the nest, this time is no longer as good as the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, a liter of pepper may be worth ten taels, according to this kind of depreciation of silver is not a loss.

But now it is still according to the price of pepper in the early Ming Dynasty to convert silver, which is really crazy.

This litre of pepper is probably only worth a tael of silver.

One by one, the officials scolded one after another,

"Your household is too much of a thing, aren't you?"

"Do you also send these things to the New Year?"

"Say! Where did you get all the money of my Ming Dynasty! ”

At this time, the crowd was indignant, and a group of officials from the household department hurriedly stood up and said: "Everyone, now that the state affairs are difficult, everyone must be considerate of the difficulties of the imperial court, and you should calm down first..."

"I'll calm you grandma!"

"Fuck you!"

Wu Wenshan thought of his wife at home, remembered his parents, remembered peanuts and drinking and enjoying the snow, the whole person couldn't control it anymore, he was angry, picked up the cloth pocket on the case, and shouted to the people behind him:

"Ladies and gentlemen! We are court officials, but now we are not as good as the small people in the market, and the small people can still have food and clothing, but we and other court officials can only rely on these peppers for the New Year, is there still a way to live! Is there still a heavenly reason! It's too much of a deception! ”

As he spoke, his eyes turned red: "Is it tolerable or unbearable, if you want to swallow your anger, just endure it, I can't bear it!" ”

Without saying a word, Wu Wenshan slammed the cloth bag in his hand to the ground, and the pepper in it was scattered all over the ground.

Throwing pepper as a number, countless people could no longer control their emotions, waving their fists and shouting,

"Yes, I can't bear it! Kill these dog officials in the household department! Fight for the country! ”

(End of chapter)