Promotion and fortune in Song Dynasty

Prince Zhao Zhen, who issued this edict a day and a half ago, naturally did not have the supernatural powers to predict the situation of the young master in prison. He purely followed the point that Lu Ci emphasized in the memorial that "soldiers are precious and quick" , so he did not hesitate to send out the gold medal that hadn't shown up for a long time.

After all, the longer time allowed the officials at Guandu Office to have a chance to sell the stolen goods, and based on the testimony provided by Lu Ci, the county, which was in a state of filth, might have an opportunity to argue.

Arriving at the same time as the prince's edict, Wang Si and others who were hurriedly rushed by the Shibo Secretary were also ordered to raise the Shibo Si and others.

Seeing this unprecedented battle, all the dignified officials...

Chen Zhixian, who still knew nothing about the actions and actions of the people below, was completely dumbfounded.

This is the third year he has been ordered to know the county, and because it is almost the twelfth lunar month, it can be said that there is only one step away from the reconnaissance after the end of the salary, and even the possible future destination, he has almost taken care of it in advance .

Chen Zhixian's back was covered with cold sweat, and he forced a smile on his face, but his heart was flustered intermittently.

Although he didn't come to the county government very often, there were people staring at him. He had never heard of any major disturbances, so why was he so quiet? Showing a ferocious posture?

If there is a thorough investigation, he can't stand it!

Of course, it's not just his place that can't stand the investigation. Seriously, if the county government offices in various places are to be thoroughly sorted out, which one can be clean and clean instead of filthy?

After hearing Wang Si's identity again, he realized where the fatal problem was, and his heart sank uncontrollably, until he broke down.

During the holidays, he could get a lot of bribes from the subordinates, especially Guandu, so he always followed the example of the previous magistrate and turned a blind eye to their actions.

Anyway, in the past, the situation of merchant ships being horizontally locked was not uncommon in various places, and it was repeatedly prohibited.Only after the punishment was increased by the law, did they not dare to be so blatant, and the names of extortion were restrained and covered up.

The reason why subordinate officials are greedy and frequently take advantage of their positions to steal from themselves is also closely related to their extremely meager salaries.

Feeling helpless, Chen Zhixian had no choice but to send people to inquire for a while, to 'make sure' those people had their own sense of proportion, and were good at observing the situation. They only picked soft persimmons, and their appetites were not too big. After that...then let it go with peace of mind.

What he thought at the time was that if something happened in the east and countless people would be implicated, he would at most be just drifting with the tide, so it shouldn't matter much.

Recalling the obsession with ghosts at that moment, the magistrate of Chen County at this moment felt so regretful that his intestines turned green.

Where is the momentum of insignificance!

In fact, Lu Ci could more or less guess the reason why the magistrate Chen ignored him for a long time.

It is not difficult to imagine that there must be many people who have the same idea as this person, so the harsh situation of merchant ships being coerced and crossed has always existed, and most of them have to choose to swallow their anger and finally get used to it.

Part of the blame has to be pinned on the official system of the Great Song Dynasty—most magistrates will serve no more than three years. What you do is as difficult as reaching the sky.

Just like what he once explained to the prince, the first year is often only used to explore and get familiar with the situation, the second year to rectify the old affairs, and the third year, to prepare for transfer to four banquets and make contacts.

When faced with the magistrates of iron-clad officials, and the intertwined local officials and the covetous general judges, except for a very small number of determined and capable people, if they want to rectify, they often have no one to use because of their hands and feet. And there is no way to start.

Of course, this should never be a legitimate reason for him to act as a minion and let himself go.

Facing the frightened and sweaty Chen magistrate, the sergeant who hurried to hand over the shop just put on a straight face and said routinely: "Secretary Lu will supervise and accept the order."

Supervisor Lu?Who is this man?

This, is it not for him?

Chen Zhixian, who was straining his nerves and pondering for a while whether to pretend to be stupid, or kneel down to call for injustice, or abandon his car to save his handsome man, suddenly became at a loss.

After waiting for a while, the sergeant of the shop was stunned when he didn't get any response.

Such a situation, he had never expected.

So after looking around, he suppressed the doubts in his heart, raised his voice and repeated: "Lu Jiezhao."

Naturally, no one answered.

Wang Si was also taken aback, and she winked at the people around her calmly. The sergeant standing at the front frowned, and asked the blank-faced Chen Zhixian, "Where is Secretary Lu?"

Chen Zhixian's mood has been ups and downs many times, but now he sees some signs of turning a corner. If he hadn't been ups and downs in the officialdom for many years, he could hardly help telling the truth.

How did he know when a 'Secretary Supervisor Lu' came to this small county under his rule!

After almost suppressing this refutation, Chen Zhixian's thoughts changed suddenly, and he figured out the 'clue' in an instant.

According to common sense, although the people below have intercepted some passing merchant ships and demanded property, the number has never been large, and the sky is only a few dozen. For those merchants who do not want to cause trouble and delay time, Usually affordable.

Compared with the most prosperous Guandukou in Liangzhe and Jingshi, the money and goods they exploited are probably only a drop in the bucket.

How can it be so serious that the prince's edict, Lu Tiju's secretary of the city and others will be provoked?

Thinking about all the unreasonable things in this matter, magistrate Chen felt more and more reasonable.

If the person who committed the crime was actually a member of the court with the surname Lu from the third rank, then everything would make sense!

Seeing the willows and the bright flowers, the magistrate Chen suddenly became energetic, changed his slump just now, and vowed that he had never seen this "Secretary Supervisor Lu", and would dispatch all his soldiers to find the person who received the imperial edict.

Wang Si, who had seen enough of this farce, took a step forward at this moment, took out the temporary appointment she had received expressionlessly, and said coldly: "You should ask for more blessings."

Chen Zhixian's mind buzzed.

——That is also an edict from the prince's own edict, indicating that officials from Linluquan should be banned from their posts, such as Chen County Magistrate, and they should be detained and imprisoned, and they will be dealt with after investigation.

The batch of officials transferred by the crown prince from Linlu were all recommended by Li Di and Kou Zhun. Even if they were not jealous, they were full of energy and acted resolutely.

Before most people could react, they found the boat that Lu Ci was on at the ferry; after a while, they were exposed by the servants of the Lu family and the people from Linya; finally, they went back to the county government office to collect the case file , and then went to the prison in person in dubious faith, and met Lu Ci who caused this uproar.

When Wang Sicha got the confirmation of Lu Ci's return in prison, she thought she had heard it wrong.

Because of his position in charge, he is very clear about such evil behaviors that have been repeatedly prohibited. He also knows that in some places, the emperor is far away from the sky, or the upper and lower are colluding, and there are often lions who open their mouths, and even make people sue the officials. , the situation of family ruin.

But looking at the past files, I have never seen a subordinate official who was so bold as to repeatedly blackmail the minister of the third rank, and even arrested and sent him to prison because the purpose was not fulfilled.

If it wasn't for the fact that the county boss had lost his mind and insisted on seeking his own death, it would definitely be Lu Ci's deliberate action.

Wang Si vaguely tasted some of Lu Ci's true intentions, and couldn't help but shudder slightly.

He really wanted to see this ruthless man who was bullied by the subordinates without revealing his identity and allowed him to throw himself into prison in order to facilitate a thorough investigation of the matter...

When the Bielu officials who were in charge of rescuing Lu Ci arrived, they were speechless to see that Lu Ci, who had personally investigated the situation in the prison, was chatting and laughing with the inmates who didn't know his identity. .

Seeing this gentleman who is full of dignity but does not look down on their arrogance, and is still funny and calm in prison, when he is about to be taken away by a group of strange-looking officials, the prisoner who is talking to him about his old anecdotes , there are still some things to say.

However, even though he was full of reluctance, he could only stare resentfully at these people who took away his best audience and gradually walked away.

Contrary to what the 'inmates' had guessed, Lu Ci and Di Qing walked calmly at the head of the queue, one in front of the other, and a group of people behind followed obediently, like stars holding the moon, where is it? Was arraigned?

When they got to the gate of the mansion, Lu Ci smiled and bowed with them, "Thanks for your rescue."

"Acting according to the order, I dare not take this thank you." The man responded reflexively, holding back and holding back, racking his brains, and finally squeezed out a big truth: "...Secretary Lu is not chaotic in the face of danger. He has the style of a general, which I admire very much."

I've never seen a prison where everyone's discoloration has changed so well, not only did not shed a layer of skin, but it was like a fish in water.

Lu Ci raised his eyebrows, and replied with a smile, "I'm overwhelmed."

The first thing Lu Ci did after he was 'released from prison' was to ask for hot soup and clean clothes for him and Di Qing to bathe and change.

In terms of eating, relying on the other party's schemes, he was not wronged, but in terms of hygiene, he was treated equally and badly.

Although in this cold weather, taking a shower every three to five days is quite normal, but Lu Ci likes to be clean, and he is willing to endure this pleasure for nearly four days, which is definitely close to the limit.

Even without today's crop, he, who can't bear the dirt on his body, will try to get out.

After taking a comfortable bath, Lu Ci lazily leaned on the small couch, and his servants wrung out his long hair for him.

The contents of the edict made him completely relieved.

The little prince finally guessed some of the reasons why Lu Ci left the capital. Although the little master has always used it smoothly and satisfactorily, this time he kindly held back and did not directly arrest Lu Ci as a strong man, but reassigned him. Other officials recommended by the two prime ministers came to thoroughly investigate the matter.

As the official of Lu Tiju Shibo, Wang Si is very familiar with the unhealthy tendencies that exist in the company, and she never condones and tolerates them. Such an upright demeanor is quite favored by Kou Zhun, so she was naturally selected this time.

To everyone's surprise, there were only a few sentences in Zhao Zhen's edict to show Lu Ci that Wang Si was trustworthy, and also expressed his indignation towards "eat Naka". There are some complaints and complaints about the recent events in the DPRK and China.

At the end, I did not forget to emphasize one point to Lu Ci repeatedly - even if it is inevitable to delay for a while because of this matter, don't delay the return journey because of this.

Don't look at the fact that the little prince has become more mature and prudent after taking up the post of supervisor of the country, and he is unanimously praised by the court.

However, the depression accumulated in his heart also increased day by day, and because the young master he liked and trusted was not in Beijing, no one talked about it at all.

Now what he is looking forward to most in his heart is undoubtedly Lu Ci's return, and what worries him the most is of course that Lu Ci's return date will be postponed.

After Lu Ci finished reading, he was moved, funny and sad.

He silently put away the imperial edict properly, and left the mansion to meet Wang Si.

When seeing Lu Ci for the first time, Wang Si's dark eyes showed a hint of surprise.

After all, Lu Ci has recovered his usual radiant face and radiant spirit, not at all like suffering and suffering in prison.

Such a lord who talks and laughs at Yan Yan is completely different from the ruthless man Wang Si imagined who can personally resort to such bitter tricks.

It really is unbelievable.

Wang Si muttered to herself.

He was usually taciturn, and he had never met Lu Cisu. This time he came here with a heavy responsibility on his shoulders.

After exchanging a few simple greetings, the two roughly revealed each other's behavioral style, happily and tacitly stopped the unnecessary politeness, and went straight to the point.

With Lu Ci's identification, Wang Si immediately successfully locked most of the people involved, especially the most important officials in the county bureau, litigation and prison, and almost all of them fell into the water.

It only took a few days from the prince's fury to the arrival of the edict via the urgent foot shop. In addition, the county ship secretary was completely unprepared, so he was caught off guard.

They were still in a trance and didn't know where they were until they were knocked to the ground by the swarming soldiers and brought into the prison.

Before they were interrogated, Wang Si personally took people to the homes of these people, and searched out the silk, gold and silver treasures that were far from their meager salaries and had not yet been sold because of the incident.

Facing the situation where everyone gets all the stolen goods, these people are not yet desperate.

They knew that if they didn't admit it, they might still have a chance, but once they confessed, it would be a near-death situation.

So they killed it. This is a gift letter left by relatives and friends in the merchant ship in the past, not obtained by extortion.

Wang Si listened to their denials in every possible way with a blank face, and waited quietly until they were completely at a loss for words, and when they kept gnawing on the phrase "no cross-cord" over and over again, she ordered without hesitation: "The witnesses , The physical evidence will be brought to court."

When they saw that it was Lu Ci, they were not surprised at first: Although they didn't know how the high-ranking official who banned Chen Zhixian and sat on the throne to interrogate them came, but since the stolen goods have been found, this man surnamed Lu will definitely come out Confrontation.

But after seeing Lu Ci being summoned to the hall, he just bowed his hands slightly, and did not bow down like other people. Afterwards, when Wang Si even opened the mouth and moved a chair for him to sit down, they felt in their hearts. With a slight thud, a somewhat ominous premonition suddenly appeared.

Not all people have to bow down to salute when they come to the hall, let alone bow down, especially scholars, who often receive certain preferential treatment.

But it was unheard of for them to cope with it so easily, and to be able to sit comfortably in a chair.

Lu Ci didn't look at them, but slowly and clearly described what happened in the past half month.

Although his tone was steady and he never exaggerated the truth in his words, the information he revealed made those who heard it frown.

From refusing to pay the high "tolls" demanded by the other party, to having to compromise temporarily, submitting a lawsuit to the county government, waiting for several days without any results, and then wanting to leave, but was detained by the county ship officials who deliberately retaliated In the process, all the merchants on board were seized...

If it weren't for Lu Ci's extraordinary status, and the memorials he handed over could be heard by the heavens, wouldn't it be an ordinary businessman who would not be able to call the heavens and the earth ineffective, and could only silently endure the encroachment of money and people's bullying?

Wang Si had already frowned, and when she looked at those people, her tone became serious: "Do you agree with what the testimony says?"

A few people were intimidated by the tall and burly sergeants before, and they didn't dare to interrupt Lu Ci's speech. Now they came back to their senses and shouted for grievances loudly.

According to them, these were all 'normal human relations', and the large amount of property found did not belong to Lu Ci.

As for the reason why Lu Ci was arrested and imprisoned, it was because there were suspicious objects in the cargo on his ship, and they looked suspicious, maybe it was the secret work of the neighboring country, so it had to be so.

And after he was released from prison, he was not punished, but only detained. Once he was found out, he would be released.

When they spoke eloquently, confused black and white, and even had some inconsistencies, Lu Ci still had a smile on his face, and let Wang Si do his best.

Wang Si patiently listened to what they said, and then threw out the loopholes one after another: "Since the money found in your home is not owned by Lu Ci, where is the 'suspicious object' you mentioned?"

The person who reacted the fastest replied immediately: "It's a set of celadon bowls, which have been left in the court by the lower officials, and the details have not yet been ascertained! Please send someone to fetch it, and investigate this matter clearly!"

When they confiscated the belongings in Lu Ci's boat, those broken books were naturally regarded as the rags of literati and scholars, they never took a look at them, and only divided up all the valuable gold, silver, silk and satin.

But he has a soft spot for several exquisite celadon bowls that are smooth and delicate to the touch, especially the unidentifiable golden seal with changed handwriting on the bottom, which is absolutely extraordinary.

So he gave up everything else completely, and only took this set of porcelain bowls as his own.

And because I really like it, I put it in the company and watch it from time to time.

Now that the disaster was imminent, he obviously couldn't care about his beloved, but in a panic, he suddenly remembered the extraordinary gold seal at the bottom of the bowl, and hurriedly threw out the dead horse as if it were a living horse.

If the golden seal is really tricky and proves that Lu Cixu is a secret agent of another country, then wouldn't he not only have no faults, but also meritorious service?

Swearing to him firmly, Wang Si still looked indifferent, but she really asked someone to pick it up.

Lu Ci smiled slightly, and didn't say anything, let alone compete with them for any accusations and defenses, on the contrary, he looked in a good mood.

If he guessed correctly, the trick that this person used as a life-saving straw and wanted to bite him back

After the set of clear blue porcelain bowls were presented as evidence, Wang Si was not in a hurry to touch them, but ordered someone to place the bowls in front of the person first, and asked, "What did you just say?" , but this is it?"

The man was bound all over and couldn't move easily. Hearing this, he still struggled and immediately approached. After staring at it carefully for a while, he was still uneasy. He asked someone to turn the bowl over and stared at the fine gold seal on the bottom of the bowl again. After looking at it for a long time, I nodded firmly: "It's exactly this thing!"

When he was busy distinguishing, Wang Si asked someone to write down the content of the question just now, and now ordered him to draw a monogram to prove that this set of porcelain was the suspicious thing in his mouth.

Then, he put this object in front of Lu Ci, allowing him to take a closer look.

Lu Ci admired Wang Si's meticulous way of handling things in his heart, and was very willing to cooperate. At this time, he only took a look at it, then nodded and said, "Not bad."

Only then did Wang Si ask someone to present the set of porcelain and inspect it for herself.

Due to his position, he has come into contact with and inspected countless objects.

But the texture of this set of celadon made him feel uncontrollably familiar from the first time he saw it.

Wang Si remained calm and carefully held the bowl in her hand. After examining it carefully, the familiarity suddenly found its source.

The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, he glanced at the calm and composed Lu Ci, and resolutely turned the bowl over, revealing the gold seal on the bottom of the bowl as expected...

With indescribably complicated emotions, Wang Si glanced at Lu Ci and asked, "Who else has this seal...?"

Lu Ci had nothing to hide, and quickly revealed everything he remembered.

Wang Si only thought about it for a while, and knew that there must be a lot of stolen goods that had not been inspected one by one.

His eyelids twitched slightly, and he turned to look at the person who identified Lu Ci, and said in a deep voice, "The evidence is conclusive, and there is no room for sophistry."

Before the man could show his overjoyed expression, Wang Si lowered her eyes and said sharply, "Quickly arrest the prisoner!"

This person's vision is indeed good.

Not only did he take possession of the fine porcelain that was stamped in the private treasury of His Royal Highness and was specially fired by the official kiln for the royal family, but he also insisted on identifying the golden seal of His Royal Highness as a fine work.

In the end, it was used in a whimsical way to identify the former Zuo Yu De Lu Ci...

Among other things, this terrific misunderstanding alone is enough to knock this person's head off.

In the eyes of Wang Si and other people who know the truth, now that the evidence is complete, Chen Zhixian and others still need to investigate the crime before they can be convicted.

But these people who didn't know why the situation took such a sudden turn were completely dumbfounded.

Especially the one who thinks he is smart, while being rudely dragged by the sergeant to go out of the hall, he burst into tears and shouted desperately: "You are wronged, you are wronged!"

Wang Si turned a blind eye to their wailing and yelling of injustice, and went straight to the steps: "Fortunately, Supervisor Lu did not hesitate to personally implicate..."

After hearing the words 'Secretary Lu supervised', the heart-piercing cries of grievances came to an abrupt end.

——Secretary Lu?

Rao is that they have little officials and people, so it is absolutely impossible for them to know nothing about the word "secretary supervisor".

They were all stiff, turned their heads slowly, and saw clearly the profile of 'Secretary Supervisor Lu' before they were completely dragged out of the hall.

Secretary Lu, whom they regarded as a weak and bully fat sheep, was talking to the high official who was interrogating them with a smile on his face, with a calm expression on his face.

It was completely impossible to connect with the submissive and helpless gentleman they had seen before.

When they could no longer see Lu Ci, they turned their heads and saw the same shocked faces on each other, as if struck by lightning.

——Until this moment, they didn't know the name of the south wall that made them hit their heads badly.

The author has something to say: Notes:

1. Promoting a city ship officer:

In fact, it was only in the third year of Yuanfeng's life that he was in charge of the city's shipping affairs on Guangnan East Road and Liangzhe Road.Afterwards, the transfer envoy, deputy transfer envoy, or court official will act.The Wang Si in history is actually a Jinshi in the eighth year of Dazhong Xiangfu. Later, he was moved to serve as a censor, and he was also promoted as a transfer envoy and a city ship officer. The time has been brought forward (after all, I didn't find out what the name of the official in charge of this was in the second year of Tianxi, and I don't know whether there is such an official). ("Song Dynasty Official System Dictionary" p3)