Hearing Zhao Jinbao say that he couldn't do things in the official mansion, Gu Yunji was surprised, and looked at him suspiciously: "Why do you say that? But who have you offended that make you afraid to return to your country?"

"Not really, it's just ......."

Zhao Jinbao hesitated, looking like he had some concerns, while hesitating, he glanced at Gu Yunji with fear, and finally gritted his teeth and simply confessed:

"To tell you the truth, Lord Gu, I didn't go to sea with my elders when I was a child, but my relatives committed a crime and had to flee overseas for fear of being implicated. Now that my household registration in my hometown has been wiped out, and I have no relatives or friends, I am afraid that the government still has my case record, how can I go back?"

Gu Yunji didn't expect such a thing, his eyes narrowed slightly: "...... Guilty of a crime? What crimes were committed? What kind of relative are you? When was that?"

Gu Yunji has been an official for many years, and he has somewhat developed a temperament that is not angry and arrogant, but at this moment, his face is slightly sunken, and he looks very different from Fang Cai's affinity. Zhao Jinbao was already weak-hearted, but at this time, his face was even more ashamed, and he muttered:

「…… It was a distant cousin of mine, who did not study well when he was young, but actually sold private salt, and when the incident happened, the government came to the door, and he himself escaped in advance, but we relatives were implicated!"

"At that time, the officials couldn't catch anyone, and they couldn't keep up with the bosses, so they asked us to scrape together a hundred taels of silver as 'stolen money, and the matter was settled.'" But we are all honest farmers, where can we get so much money?"

"It's my dad's foolishness too...... In desperation, he had a bad idea to take his family to Nanyang relatives, so he fled. As for when, I'm afraid it is...... What happened during the reign of Hyejong......"

The more Zhao Jinbao spoke, the quieter his voice became, and he buried his head low, like a child who had done something wrong.

It turned out to be like this, no wonder he shrank when he first saw Gu Yunji talking, thinking that he was afraid of being held accountable by the government.

When Gu Yunji heard this, his heart was relieved, and a smile appeared on his face again: "I see, I still think it is a crime, it doesn't matter at all, you think about things too seriously."

After listening to Zhao Jinbao's story, Gu Yunji guessed the cause and effect.

It is nothing more than a criminal among the relatives, and the local officials are inactive, and they run rampant in the township, and if they can't catch the criminals, they transfer the responsibility and pressure to the common people. The prisoner escaped, and as the prisoner's relatives, Zhao Jinbao's family naturally bore the brunt.

As for the so-called 100 taels of silver used as "stolen money", most of them were also casually nonsense by officials. Gu Yunji has been a magistrate for many years, and he can't be clearer about the faces of the low-level officials, some people are not so much officials as bandits, and their behavior is no different from that of bullies.

It's a pity that Zhao Jinbao's family is timid, and they can't help but be frightened, they really think that they were implicated by relatives who sold illicit salt and committed a big crime, so they had to flee overseas.

In fact, not to mention the estrangement of relatives, it is impossible for Zhao Jinbao's family to be implicated. At a critical time, the rule of law in the local area is not strict, and the sale of illicit salt is repeatedly prohibited, and if the circumstances are minor, the prisoner may have to do a few years of hard labor, and most of them will not receive more severe punishments.

Not to mention that it was during the reign of Huizong, after so many years, the past has disappeared, maybe the officials who intimidated Zhao Jinbao at the beginning have died a lot, where can he be held responsible.

Thinking about this, Gu Yunji couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Zhao Jinbao's family was frightened to leave their hometown and went into exile because of a few threats from officials, and now they are begging for a living under the hands of Westerners, and their livelihood is very difficult.

Zhao Jinbao has been in exile for so many years and has paid a huge price, if Gu Yunji tells him the truth at this time, saying that he is actually innocent, the other party is afraid that he will collapse.

So, Gu Yunji made up a white lie and concealed the truth of the matter, only saying that the court law had changed in the past two years, exempting him from the crime of selling illicit salt, and Zhao Jinbao was now free, and he did not have to fear that the government would investigate his guilt.

Sure enough, Zhao Jinbao was so excited that he burst into tears when he heard this, and he couldn't speak clearly: "Great, sir, you say

Really? I...... Am I not guilty? Can I go back home?"

Gu Yunji smiled and nodded: "Yes, you are not guilty, you can go home at any time." And on behalf of the government, I can assure you that with your artillery-making skills, as long as you are willing to come, we will give you a good salary, and we will not treat you badly."

"I don't know anything else, let's just say that in Shaoxing Mansion, the treatment given to ordinary gunsmiths is food and lodging, and the salary is fifty wen a day. If you are highly skilled, and even have the ability to innovate and invent, then the reward will be even higher, and it is not impossible to get a bonus of a few dozen taels of silver at a time."

Zhao Jinbao's eyes widened when he heard this, and his face was incredulous: "Just eat and live, the salary is actually fifty wen, and there is even a bonus?!" God, I'm afraid this is not a day only for the fairy nest, Lord Gu, you really didn't coax me?"

Gu Yunji smiled: "What am I coaxing you to do? What I said is absolutely true, and if any word is false at that time, you can come to me and ask for an explanation. The description of the fairy nest is a bit exaggerated, but people are all family lovers, compared to suffering outside, isn't the hometown their own fairy nest?"

This can be said to be in Zhao Jinbao's heart, if it is not a last resort, who would want to leave his hometown?

At the beginning, he followed his parents and elders to Nanyang relatives, and suffered a lot along the way, and his parents died one after another within a few years. He was left alone to crawl and roll overseas, and later, after several tosses and turns, relying on the ability to make artillery that he learned by chance, he barely begged for food under the hands of the Francophone man, and only he knew how many bitter tears there were.

Now that he has received Gu Yunji's affirmative answer, let him know that he can not only return to his hometown, but also go to the government to do things and have a stable livelihood, how can Zhao Jinbao not be moved? He longed to give birth to wings, and he didn't even want his luggage, so he immediately got off the Westerner's ship and flew back to his hometown.

Gu Yunji looked at Zhao Jinbao with a smile, and threw out an olive branch at the right time: "How about it, do you want to quit the errand of the Francophone caravan and return to China to do things?" You know, the government is in short supply of experienced gunsmiths like you these days."

Listening to Gu Yunji's words, Zhao Jinbao's eyes lit up instantly, but he didn't know what he suddenly thought, his mood fell again, and he smiled bitterly: "I naturally want to think about it, but look at me like this, can I go?"

"In addition to me, there are also a few Chinese gunsmiths in the caravan, and we have been involved in the whole process of cannon manufacturing for the Franc Robot, and we know so many technical secrets about them, do you think the Franc Robot can let us go?"