Aggrieved Fish Sprite

Li Youfu sniffed, he smelled a tempting aroma of stewed meat.

You can't go wrong, this is the signature dish of the "Ke Yun Lai" restaurant in Xishi, and it has the aroma of sesame cakes.

There is no better restaurant than his in Ningtai City. The people who order the food are gluttons. The combination of these two dishes is delicious and tasty.

But here is far away from the West Market, even if you put it in a suitcase and wait to bring it here, it should be "outdated". The sponge cake will be dampened by the heat from the stew, and the stew will become cold and condense. , Why does it smell like it was just served on the table now?

Could it be that there is another Keyunlai branch here?

Li Youfu looked around, but there was nothing but a row of medicine shops, dry goods shops, and tea shops.

Originally, this street should not sell food at all.Ningtai was built following the example of Taijing, and the neighbors in the market are very particular. The sellers of dead goods are separated from the live ones, and those who sell dry goods and fresh goods are not together.

To come here from Keyun, you have to walk seven streets, even for the guards who often run errands in their patrol city yamen, it will take two quarters of an hour.

Although the road is empty today and not as crowded as in the past, but to make these two dishes taste good, you have to fly over with a suitcase.

Li Youfu subconsciously looked towards the roof.

——Strange, the fragrance seems to really come from a high place.

He sniffed again, but there was only residual breath, and he was not a dog, so he couldn't follow the smell.

"Lieutenant Li?"

"Here we come!" Li Youfu came back to his senses, dismounted and walked in front of an old official.

King Ning's official system was chaotic, with both the official position of the imperial court and the official title of the vassal king's vassal.

The captain is a military officer with a rank, but the captain is different from the captain. Cheng Jingchuan is a very formal sixth-rank captain in the Xuncheng Yamen. Jiupin, it's more like a school lieutenant than the leader of the police.

The servants and the catchers are low-ranking officials with low status, and future generations cannot be scientifically tested.

Li Youfu's monthly salary is issued by the yamen, if he doesn't go from the household department, there will be too much to do here, and he will basically be deducted half of it.

How do the officials and servants support their families if they can't get money, so they go to exploit the people.Among them, the tax collectors are the most vicious. They have dozens of ways to make money. The most common method is big buckets and small scales. When collecting grain taxes, they don’t look at the weight, only look at the container. , They can collect 120 catties of the [-] catties of tax and grain set by the imperial court.

Although the tax collectors are wicked and hateful, the tax collectors themselves actually have a lot of resentment.

Only a small part of the money they "fished" belonged to themselves, and the rest had to be handed over to their superiors, who deducted their rations and salaries.

"We are just a dog. We are released to bite people, and we can live by wagging our tails when we come back." Li Youfu's grandfather was a tax collector. If you eat, you may be killed and boiled meat tomorrow. We have done everything we can to harm our morality outside, have we really reaped any benefits?"

The Li family was very dissatisfied with these words, what is a dog, how could they be so self-deprecating.

Only Li Youfu suddenly remembered that some of his colleagues in the yamen were beheaded last autumn on the charge of extorting and disturbing the rule of the people because they had confiscated all taxes. , the prisoner's wife and children cried helplessly.

Their home was ransacked, penniless and trembling.

After a few days, these people disappeared, and it is not known whether they were sold to a workshop or a kiln.

Li Youfu couldn't let it go, because it was more and more difficult to collect taxes every year. Most of the land was in the name of the powerful, and a small part was returned to the temple. Even if you die, you won't be able to squeeze out a few catties of oil!

If the tax collectors do too much, they may be "cleaned up by the people of the rivers and lakes" and left dead in the countryside; let's be lenient, even if they can't collect enough food and can't pay the errands, the whole family will die.

Li Youfu stepped forward to hold his grandfather's hand in grief, and said loudly: "I have lost my morality, my head is hanging on my belt, and I don't know when I will die. The benefit is that my grandfather has supported our family, so that we will not become like those farmers. The refugees were exhausted from working, or starved to death. But shouldn’t this be our original benefit, we work hard for the government’s errands!”

Father Li cursed at the sound: "Those unscrupulous people only plan to eat on the ground, how can they talk to us..."

"They are cows and mules, they are whipped and driven to work all their lives, we are pigs and dogs, we eat better than mules, horses and cows, and don't have to do strenuous work, but when we are useless or fat enough , what will happen?" Li Youfu burst into grief and cried loudly.

Grandfather Li, who was dying, suddenly smiled, and he was relieved, because finally one of his children and grandchildren was sober.

Grandfather Li worked in the Ningtai yamen during the Chu Dynasty. He experienced a series of changes such as Ning Wang's vassal, the fall of the Chu Dynasty, Ning Wang's self-reliance, etc. His immediate boss changed at least ten rounds. He is a smart man, he can read people's eyes, and he is not so greedy.

"Don't be too greedy... Be a capable hunting dog that others can't live without..."

Grandfather Li passed away after speaking intermittently. He was a smart man, but that was all he could think of, and he couldn't think of a better way out.

Tax collectors are too hated and eye-catching (the family has money).

Li Youfu tried every means to become a police officer, and consciously made friends with the small officials in this yamen and even other yamen. He gradually found that there were not a few people who thought like him, and then caught up with the opportunity.

He learned real martial arts and became a not-so-well-known school captain. He was already an official. People who didn't know his official title thought he was a commander.

King Ning passed away last night, and half of the city smelled of thick smoke. Compared to the restless Li family, Li Youfu wished he could take a deep breath and feel refreshed.

When patrolling the streets today, he was even in the mood to think about Ke Yunlai's signature dishes.

"Lieutenant Li has worked hard." The old official who stopped Li Youfu said with a smile, "Where is this going?"

"You're welcome, Mr. Gao." Li Youfu cupped his hands. He didn't sleep all night, but he couldn't see the slightest bit of fatigue. "It's not peaceful in Wuweifang. It seems to be the private soldiers of the Chen family. I have to go and see."

"This is exactly what this old man is here for." The old official smiled and signaled to the other soldiers patrolling the city, and then slowly got on a mule.

"go!"

Li Youfu waved his hand, and everyone followed immediately.

Ningtai City has never had such a peaceful morning, the shops are not open, there are no blackmailers, no dandies ostentatiously.

Wuweifang has been surrounded by three floors inside and three floors outside. Li Youfu's soldiers are not -->>

They fought against the Chen family's private soldiers. They were only responsible for blocking the intersection and catching those who wanted to take the opportunity to make trouble.

Fighting cries kept coming from inside, and Li Youfu couldn't help frowning.

"Lieutenant, do we... count as rebellion?" A soldier approached anxiously and asked.

Li Youfu raised his eyes and found that although he didn't ask about beating the other people, they were all worried.

"Whether it's rebellion or rebellion, what does it matter to us? Patrolling the city's yamen is only responsible for catching murderers and criminals, and we can't get close to the place where the accident happened!" Li Youfu said casually, "No matter who makes the new Ning Wang, in order to appease the hearts of the people, I have to give my brothers some benefits!"

Everyone looked a little better when they heard the words, and they were right, just dawdling around for a meal.

Li Youfu's eyes were sharp, and when he saw two people's eyes flickering, as if they were thinking about something, he coughed lightly: "The situation is unclear at the moment, and those Chen and Wang families are all unlucky. It's not a coincidence, I see them all panicking, I have to wait and see, I can't bring everyone up casually with my brothers' wealth and lives."

This made everyone very comfortable. Although they envied the extravagant life of the rich and powerful, they still knew how much they had.

Little people like them, even if they burn the stove correctly, they will probably get some bounties, and there is no hope of being promoted.

Unless the world loses a small county king and gives them an escort from Long Zhigong, then again, even if there is a small county king, they will hide him well at most, and they can't do more things!Can these illiterate soldiers be generals or prime ministers?Without this ability, how can you help the little county king to the top?

The two thoughtful people also gave up their thoughts. They originally wanted to inform the high-ranking officials who they thought were "very promising". No one is allowed to have the advantage.Don't fail to report the letter, plunge into the funeral.

The old official sneaked into the alley quietly, holding a token, with which he quickly entered the blockade and was brought before the general who led the suppression of the Chen family's private soldiers.

"General Ping, there are too many casualties, please wait a little longer, the Chen family will no longer be stubborn." The old official said respectfully.

The general laughed sarcastically, and was about to say something when the fighting sound stopped suddenly.

I saw that the head of the Chen family was pushed out, and was held hostage by several generals.

"Bastards! You betrayed me!" the Patriarch of the Chen family roared loudly.

"The general situation is over, the kings of the three counties are all dead in the palace, uncle, what are you still insisting on? Do you want the whole family to die together?" The young man of the Chen family scolded, turned around with a smile and cupped his hands, "General Ping, look... ..."

Before the words finished, General Ping had already slashed at him.

The young man fell down screaming, his eyes full of horror, Patriarch Chen laughed out loud, like crazy: "Death, only death, why don't you do it?"

The generals were at a loss as the soldiers and horses surrounding the Chen residence had already entered the door.

The old official showed sarcasm, he put away his badge and left quickly.

"General, who is that old man?" A guard asked suspiciously.

"It's just a villain."

General Ping snorted.

After the old official left Wuweifang, he returned to his old-fashioned appearance.

Along the way, he met many petty officials, some patrolling the city like Li Youfu, and some came out quietly to inquire about news.

"Old Gao, what should we do? It looks like a complete mess, let's...do we want to see how it works?"

"No, not enough people died!" The old official narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "You pretend you don't know anything, and things will happen naturally."

For those who inquired about the news, the old officials sighed and talked endlessly, and there were only a dozen or so people who could be reprimanded.

These people are very similar to Li Youfu. They used to be servants, but now they are officials. There is a strange excitement in their eyes.

This kind of thing happened in many places in Ningtai City at the same time, and there were hundreds of people like the old official.

The barracks, the prison department, the patrol department, and even the six yamen, but the identities of the people are different, and the degree of knowing the "truth" is different.Low-ranking officials suffer from being unable to be promoted, and family dignitaries who don't understand general affairs at all become their superiors one after another, and life becomes more and more difficult; leader.

Most of the people were soon appeased by the news that King Ning killed the family and killed each other, and a large number of official positions would be vacated soon.

Compared with the illusory support, the hated Shangguan loses power or dies, and he can be promoted immediately. This is good news. What's the point?It's better to show your ability, in case you are appreciated!

And a small number of people, such as Li Youfu, did not feel anxious at all, which seemed particularly abnormal.

"In the early years, my grandfather thought, as long as the family can survive, whether those people sell their daughters or their families are ruined, it doesn't matter what they do!" Li Youfu said to one of his guards, who couldn't help nodding.

The old official said to a tax collector in another alley a few streets away: "The land is either owned by high-ranking officials or dignitaries, or it is owned by temples and Taoist temples. The people's own land is getting less and less, and the number of people exploited by us is also decreasing every year. Shangguan's appetite is only limited. The gift will not be reduced, the harvest will be abundant every year, and if the grain and tax cannot be collected, who cares about our life and death?"

Chen's compound.

General Ping said to his cronies: "If the errands are not handled well and the grain harvest is not uniform, the tax collectors can only become more cruel. In order to survive, the people abandon their meager fields and go to temples to work as tenants with dignitaries. Tax collectors do all kinds of evil things. It’s terrible for such a villain to go crazy? They hope that the nobles of the family will die and their land will be confiscated, so that they can live a good life for more than ten years.”

in the palace.

Cheng Jingchuan looked at the person in front of him, and said calmly: "Jiangnan is peaceful, it is inevitable to have children, but there is only so much land, tenants have to do everything possible to please the stewards of the farm, and work hard to manage the land, so that they can renew their lease next year. If you can't be a tenant, Just reduced to a refugee, the whole family died, and the stewards of those farms were even more arrogant than the emperor. Jiangnan is so rich, and there are still countless dead bones every year. Fengxing Pavilion is connected to major commercial firms to know a lot of news in the world, and you will never understand this truth."

"That's why you ordered the massacre of several great families outside the city? Because they own the most land?"

The person who spoke was dressed as a scholar, looking shabby and awe-inspiring.

"Qiu... Pavilion Master Qiu, as long as the common people can cultivate the land safely and the world is selfless, won't these disputes be easily resolved?"

Cheng Jingchuan stood up and said, "Who is willing to hand over the land in their hands? So they have to die. Of course I can't kill these people, but I can destroy them. Since you want to be an enemy of the world, build a A new world."