The first year of Xingqing in the Great Song Dynasty, autumn, Sichuan, Kuizhou Road, Kuizhou City.

In the Song Dynasty, the first-level administrative unit was the "road", which was equivalent to the province of later generations, and there was a two-level system of prefectures and counties. In the fourth year of Xianping in the Northern Song Dynasty, Shu was divided into four roads: Yizhou, Zizhou, Lizhou and Kuizhou, which were collectively called "Sichuan Gorge Four Roads" or "Sichuan Road". During this period, there were official positions such as the Sichuan pacification envoy and the Sichuan Xuanfu envoy, from which Sichuan got its name.

The Song Dynasty crossed to the south, and the fourth Sichuan road became the fifth road: Chengdu Fu Road, Tongchuan Fu Road, Kuizhou Road, and Lizhou East and West Road. Among them, the two roads of Lizhou are the northwest border, also known as Shukou, and border Jinguo. The other three roads are located in the interior of Sichuan.

Kuizhou City, Kuizhou Road Governance Office, located at the mouth of Qutang Gorge, the situation is dangerous, it has always been an important military town in eastern Sichuan, and the place where soldiers must fight.

On the street, most of the people come and go, most of them wear linen clothes, there are fine woven products, and naturally there are grass products.

In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Kuizhou was under the rule of the Chu State, so the people of Kuizhou were also called the Chu people. Kuizhou does not have sericulture, and ordinary people cannot afford to wear silk. However, Bayu is the origin of ramie, and the fine linen cloth woven is of high quality, and the people of Kuizhou generally wear linen, so there is a saying that "Chu people are all linen at all times".

In the south street of the city, in an alley, I saw a few officials appearing, and a few people who were selling chickens, ducks, rice and grain fled, but they were blocked back by the officials who had been prepared for a long time.

"All stand! Take your stuff! ”

A man with a meaty face and a round waist came up, stood in front of a smiling citizen, looked at the ducks he was carrying, and smiled coldly.

"Pay taxes, 500 Wen!"

"Official, didn't the imperial court decree that the people would not pay taxes when they sold the chickens and ducks they raised? The newspapers have said that they still have to pay taxes on their sons? ”

The people who said boldly were about forty years old, with a dark complexion, coarse linen clothes, and thick joints on his hands, indicating that he was a peasant man.

"The Qianyuan Festival is coming, the birthday of the official family, do you dare not pay taxes? Do you want to be disrespectful to the officials? Is your turtle son going to rebel? ”

The horizontal flesh on the face of the official trembled, and his hand rested on the handle of the knife.

The peasant man's face was pale, and he had no choice but to tremble, took out the banknotes, paid the taxes, and got back only a light and crumpled worthless receipt.

"You, yours have to pay taxes too!"

The cross-meat official turned his gaze to another thin young man, and stared at him.

"Official, the official's birthday, the villain has already paid taxes."

The young man had yellow muscles and thin eyes, and he carried a grain bag on his back, bowed his head and waist, and his face was full of sneers.

"I know a lot! This was levied by the imperial court. The imperial court wants to train a new army in Sichuan, so many soldiers serve the country, do they not eat, drink, or pay military salaries? Quick, 500 wen! ”

The bull's eyes of the cross-meat officer glared again.

"Official, haven't you seen the imperial court levy? The newspapers didn't say anything about it! ”

The young man seems to be very clever, seems to be well-informed, and wants to argue with reason.

500 Wen, but it is enough for his family to eat and drink for several days.

"The imperial court levies it, do you still have to publish it in the newspaper for you grass people? Hurry up and pay it, otherwise you will go to the yamen with Lao Tzu! ”

The cross-meat man made a look, and several officials came up with iron chains, and they were about to take people.

"Official, I'll hand it over! I'll deliver! ”

The people do not fight with the officials. The young man panicked, quickly put down the grain bag, quickly took out the money from his arms, and handed it to the official.

"Count you kid acquaintance! Let's go, keep patrolling! ”

The Hengrouxu official collected taxes on the remaining people, issued tax receipts, and waved his hand impatiently at the passers-by around him.

"Scattered! Scattered! What's there to see? ”

The Hengrouxu official took his subordinates and swaggered away, and passers-by on the street got out of the way.

"Turtle son, wolf heart and dog lungs, give birth to a son without an asshole!"

"What kind of world is this?"

The young man watched the man leave, spit on the ground with hatred, picked up the grain bag, and fled in a hurry with the other two sad-faced and muttering companions.

After this "looting", they no longer have the courage and mood to continue selling.

Under the eaves across the street, Fan Zhong, the head of the Sichuan Anti-Corruption Division, and several entourages around him were silent by default.

The scene of the officials collecting taxes just now, several people saw it clearly.

Sichuan, the land of abundance, is rich and prosperous, but I didn't expect that the people live in hardship, and people with yellow muscles and unkempt hair abound. Whether it is a corrupt official or not, the scene just now seems to be obvious.

It can be seen how the character of these rulers can be seen that they can make the people look like beggars and continue to collect the harsh taxes and miscellaneous taxes abolished by the imperial court.

"Xianggong, does the official family levy taxes for their birthdays?"

Fan Qian, Fan Zhong's nephew, asked suspiciously.

He reads poetry and books, is good at fists and feet, and follows his uncle to do things, complementing each other.

"I don't know. To be honest, I don't remember when the official's birthday is, but these officials know better than me. ”

Fan Zhong shook his head, also ignorant.

Qianyuan Festival, the emperor's birthday, did the emperor make a big deal for his birthday and levy the world?

What day was the emperor's birthday, Fan Zhong pondered and meditated, but he had no clue.

"The birthday of the official family is not mentioned in the newspapers, how can it be levied from the world? Sichuan has organized and trained the new army, although the newspapers have spread the rumor, but how can the official family say that they will be given additional funds? The official family loves the people like children, and will never do such a ridiculous thing! This is clearly robbing the people of wealth, and the harsh government is fiercer than the tiger! ”

Wang Ruoshui, a member of the Sichuan Anti-Corruption Division, said with a sneer.

"The imperial court has obviously banned the collection of harsh taxes and miscellaneous taxes from the people, why do these officials dare to commit crimes against the wind, who is supporting them and poisoning the people?"

Kou Yuanfang, another member of the anti-corruption sub-division, said indignantly.

"Don't rush to judgment just yet. Maybe the official family's birthday and the Sichuan training of the new army are levied, you and I don't know yet. ”

Fan Zhong snorted coldly, turned around, and stepped forward.

Fan Zhen and several people looked ugly and followed one after another.

Since the establishment of the Sichuan Anti-Corruption Division, these anti-corruption officials have made overt and covert visits, and the first target was the Sichuan scholar class. The crimes of some people are shocking.

Deceive the superiors and subordinates, take advantage of the air, buy and sell by force, land annexation, and even under the harsh government, the people are hungry and the people are not able to make a living.

In the rich and prosperous Sichuan, under the blazing fire, the people's livelihood is withering and the people are miserable.

No wonder the emperor said that the Great Song Dynasty was the prosperity of the officials and magnates, not the prosperity of the people. Under the sight, sure enough.

When I arrived at East Street, I saw a horse-drawn carriage parked at the door of a gold and silver shop, which was filled with charcoal. A few officials stood at the door of the shop with knives on their shoulders, and the crowd of onlookers was standing.

"Let's go, go over and have a look!"

Fan Zhong was in good spirits and took everyone with him.

"Pu Xianggong, the charcoal at home for the winter is enough."

An old man in brocade clothes was accompanying a smiling face, pleading with a tall and thin green-clothed official standing with his hands in his hands.

"Enough? Then buy more. Shopkeeper Lu, honor your parents and brothers, take care of your relatives and friends, love your neighbors, and share your worries for the court. ”

The green-robed official said, waving his hand, and the official on the side couldn't help but say, and handed the voucher with the official seal to the shopkeeper Lu.

"Shopkeeper Lu, this is a voucher, take it!"

After the green-robed official finished speaking, he turned and walked out of the store.

"Shopkeeper Lu, what are you doing with a sad face, remember to go to the yamen to pay charcoal money, and bring the car by the way!"

The official Xu admonished and hurried to follow.

"Pu Xianggong go slowly! Slow down, everybody! ”

The shopkeeper Lu was respectful and sent the officials out of the store.

"Look, pull the charcoal in through the back door, go quickly!"

Shopkeeper Lu shook his head, then straightened his face and rose up to his subordinates.

The subordinate pulled the charcoal cart and left, and the shopkeeper Lu was about to enter the door, but was stopped by someone.

"Shopkeeper, the yamen sells charcoal to you, what's so uncomfortable about this?"

Fan Zhong came up and said with a smile.

The shopkeeper saw that Fan Zhong was well-dressed, with an entourage, and seemed to have a foreign accent, so he hurriedly gave up his hand and smiled bitterly.

"Guest officer, you don't know, charcoal is fifty percent higher than on the street, not to mention, there is still a shortage of two catties. Besides, do I buy so much charcoal to make sprinklers? ”

"Shopkeeper, then you don't want to buy it."

Fan Zhong laughed, heartless.

"Guest, I see that you are a foreigner. Don't buy? Do you still want to do business? ”

After the shopkeeper finished speaking, he stepped into the store.

"Shopkeeper, do you have tax receipts from the government when you buy charcoal?"

Fan Zhong followed, looking at the splendid shop.

It seems that this shopkeeper Lu is not bad for money.

"Why not? In case you come to sell again, don't you have the credentials? Not only do I have, but there are merchants in the entire Kuizhou capital. ”

Shopkeeper Lu pointed to the counter.

"Guest officer, look at it casually, I'll go to the backyard to dispose of the charcoal."

"Man, how can the government have so much charcoal?"

Fan questioned the guy in the shop.

"It's said that it's the government's surplus, who knows, isn't it? Not all the money from the sale has gone into the pockets of corrupt officials! ”

The guy was young and not in his own business, so he spoke out immediately.

"Man, that green-robed official just now looks really majestic!"

Fan Zhen said softly and continued to arch the fire.

"Majestic fart! Isn't his uncle the prefect of Kuizhou and appeased the minister? Nine times out of ten, the matter of selling charcoal is the instigation behind the appeasement of the prime minister! ”

The guy snorted coldly, and the indignation between his eyebrows was unmistakable.

"A dignified member of the court, forcibly buying and selling court materials, just that charcoal, I'm afraid I will have to be greedy for a lot of ink!"

A few people left, and Fan Zhen said it jokingly.

"Taxes are no less than charcoal money. It's a pity that all this money ended up in the pockets of corrupt officials and corrupt officials, and the court may not get a penny! ”

One of the members of the family let out another long sigh.

"Go around and take a look."

Fan Zhong's brows furrowed, and his face was gloomy, as if he was about to ooze water.

Kuizhou Road pacified Pu Hong, a dignified member of the court, and a member of the Kuizhou family, who did not want to be loyal to the monarch and serve the country, and supported the people, but instead fished the people and intensified.

After some investigation in the past few days, Pu Hong's crimes are even worse than he imagined, and ten times to kill his head is not enough. Sichuan fights tigers, I am afraid that they will have to pull up the radish and bring out the mud, and the officials will collapse en masse.

"Wang Ruoshui, there should be news from Chengdu Mansion."

Fan Zhong walked a few steps, suddenly stopped, and asked.

The emperor wants to rectify the border army, and the Sichuan Anti-Corruption Division cannot sit idly by, because the corruption of the border army is a fundamental matter, and no accident must occur.

"Uncle, it should be soon. Li Guoping is shrewd and capable, has a good brain, and will not make mistakes. ”

"When Li Guoping's news arrives, he will send the matter of committing a traitor with the border army generals to Cao Youwen and Yu Jue."

Fan Zhong said to his subordinates, thinking for a moment.

"Fan Zhen, you take a team of forbidden troops, wait for the news from Zheng Zhen's side, and you must not let the tiger return to the mountain. The mess in Chengdu Mansion is all on him. ”

If Zheng Zheng's crime is confirmed, the corrupt officials and corrupt officials in Chengdu, the richest government in Sichuan, will have nothing to hide but sit and wait for death.

The implementation of the new policy on Sichuan Road is just around the corner. Zheng Zheng made Sichuan a mess of chicken feathers, and he wanted to eat and drink enough to get out. How can there be such a cheap thing?