Prequel to the Red Chamber: I Am the Second Wife

Qingzhou is not as dangerous as Jia Zheng thought.After taking office, Jia Zheng didn't immediately come up with a new official to take office, but to build a good relationship first.Seeing that the new magistrate accepted all the gifts with a smile, and the king of Wei also paid a visit, he didn't pick a bone in the egg, and he didn't hold on to the old case.Just step by step to become a peace officer.The murmurs in everyone's hearts slowly dissipated.It seems that this so-called shrewd and capable Mr. Jia is also a lucky one who climbed up by relying on his family background.So the Qingzhou officialdom let out a long sigh of relief, everyone should do what they should do.

For the first time, Zili understood why so many people ran away without hesitation on the road to fame and interest.The feeling of having power in his hands is so cool for his grandma.Now Zili doesn't need to think about what is missing at home and how to fix it.How to make clothes when the child grows up, and the furnishings in the house are tired, and the question of whether to change them.Because there are always people who want to be ahead of Zili in everything.The freshest fruits and vegetables, as well as cattle, sheep, chickens and ducks, will appear in the government office's kitchen on time.Every festival, there are people who have prepared things for the festival, and there is no need for Zili to spend a little effort.These are trivial things. Within a few days after Jia Zheng came to Qingzhou, Mrs. Dianshi and Mrs. Li came to visit.

Unlike the last time when they greeted each other with smiling faces, Mrs. Dianshi and Mrs. Li both had sad faces. After seeing Zili greet and salute, Zili hurriedly said to the girl: "Move the chair and invite the two ladies to sit down and talk. I was thinking of inviting the two of you over to gossip. I was just worried that you were busy and I was afraid of disturbing you. You came by yourself today." Mrs. Li begged Zili before saying a word: "My master is outspoken, maybe a few days ago It is because we are ignorant that I contradicted your lord. Please let Mrs. Xian help me talk to your lord. My master has already realized his mistake. Please don’t be as knowledgeable as him, just treat him as a fart and let him go."

Mrs. Dian Shi hurriedly smiled and said: "Yeah, your words are too rough. Mrs. Xian didn't know that the adults discussed the matter of Ping Tiao a few days ago, and said that the rice shop would be closed down if they refused to Ping Tiao. Li Yuanwai's family In the rice shop, the shopkeeper was very confused, oops. It was just a misunderstanding. Now the shopkeeper of their house has been arrested. Mrs. Li came here to beg his wife."

Of course Zili knew about it, and the first thing Jia Zheng did when he took office was to announce the stabilization of rice prices.Merchants are not allowed to hoard rice and sell it reluctantly. The largest grain merchant in Qingzhou is the Li family.How could the Li family be honest and obedient.Not only did their family not obey the government's order, but they contacted those small merchants and only bought in large quantities, and did not sell to merchants from other places at all.Even the local grain market is reluctant to sell.In just one month, the price of rice has risen a lot.Mr. Zhou couldn't sit still, and murmured to Jia Zheng: "Qingzhou is originally a land of fish and rice, but the soaring price of rice is not a problem in the long run. I need to ask adults to think of a way."

Jia Zheng looked helpless: "Last year, Qingzhou was a big crop, and last year it was still a big crop. Why is there not enough food this year when the weather is good? It's just hoarding by hateful profiteers."

"My lord's words are biased. Merchants have always been hoarding. After a few years of bumper harvests, there is already a lot of food. Why do they still hoard. I heard the news is that the Li family's Hengsheng Rice Store sent a message about how many hands are there?" The grain purchased from the countryside is very cheap, and the pier of their rice shop is very lively when the sails meet each other. I think there must be something strange in it. You should be more careful, my lord." Seeing Mr. Zhou make a cryptic gesture, Jia Zheng immediately understood: "You mean that the Wei Palace is spending money to collect grain. His fief is so big, and it's all good fields, so there's no way they'll have enough food for the people! A thought flashed through Jia Zheng's mind. Although it was only a vague guess, the behavior of King Wei cannot but be suspicious.The king of Wei collected good horses, grain, and iron ore. This is the posture of setting up troops for rebellion.Even if King Wei didn't intend to use force, even disrupting the normal market order would be enough to cause headaches.

According to the next view, the situation is not so critical.It's just that the king of Wei is full of greed, and my lord always ensures the stability of one side in Qingzhou. Seeing the price of rice soaring and complaining, I ask my lord to think of a perfect plan.Mr. Zhou asked Jia Zheng to find a way.

Jia Zheng thought for a few days and still couldn't come up with a perfect plan. Mr. Zhou and Mr. Shan said together to Jia Zheng, "They are forcing us to express our position. Why don't you cast stones and ask for directions first, and see what they plan." So Jia Zheng An order was issued to smooth the sale and rectify the market order.So the shopkeeper of Li Jiaheng Sheng Rice Shop was arrested.Mrs. Li begged Mrs. Dianshi to come and intercede with her.

Listening to Mrs. Dian Shi's narration, Zili pretended to be very surprised and said: "I am a woman, how can I know what's going on outside. But I heard our second master mentioned that rice prices have risen after years of bumper harvests. I’m just surprised, since it’s Mi Duo, how come the price has increased?”

Dianshi's wife also looked blank when she saw Zili asked: "But this reason, isn't it worthless if you have too much? I still remember that your rice business only harvested more grain in the famine years. The grain in recent years Duo, your shopkeeper is really an old fool, shouldn't it be money if you take the owner's money?"

Mrs. Li faltered and hurriedly explained: "Well, we had a bumper harvest here, but there were disasters elsewhere. The shopkeeper of my house sold the grain to merchants outside. In recent years, several places have suffered disasters. Food is cheap, but it is still in short supply outside. It is not easy for my master to do business. He is too impatient-he will never dare again. I also ask Mrs. Xian to help me, as long as I let my master off, I am willing to honor Mrs. Xian 1 taels of silver."

Zili listened to the 1 taels, his face moved slightly, and then he smiled and said, "What's the point, since Mrs. Li opened her mouth in person, I can't save your face in vain. Wait until I ask my second master first." Let's go." When Mrs. Dianshi saw that Zili didn't reject her, she knew that Zili's heart was moving, and immediately hit the iron while it was hot: "Since Mrs. Xian spoke, what is Mrs. Li talking about? Mrs. Xian is someone who has seen the world, you take 1 taels Wouldn't it be a joke to take out the silver?"

Mrs. Li immediately added: "The shopkeeper is also an old man of my family. Please tell Mrs. Xian and the master that as long as he is released, we will be more filial." But Zili interrupted Mrs. Li, stood up and said: "Your I know what it means, let's wait for my master to come back. It's not early today, you go back first. "

A few days later, Mrs. Dianshi ran to Li's house happily. When Mrs. Li saw Mrs. Dianshi's expression, she was moved immediately, and asked the maids to serve tea and fruit.Waiting for the girls to go out, Mrs. Li couldn't wait to ask: "But there is good news, Mrs. Xian has agreed to talk."

"Although it's not quite accurate yet, it's already perfect. Today my wife asked me to talk, and she suddenly said that she wanted to buy some real estate for business here. She also said that she didn't know the place well when she first came here, and she was worried that she would lose money due to bad business. I want me to ask you, the business in Qingzhou is good, and she is also good at running the business. That is to ask you to tell me, what I heard from Mrs. Xian’s words is that since this is a land of fish and rice, doing grain business makes money. Your family For such a big business, it’s not a good time to grit your teeth and take out a share to Mrs. Xian.” Mrs. Dian Shi gave Mrs. Li an idea: “This is a good opportunity that fell from the sky. There were several wives there that day. Don’t worry. Don’t be stubborn, if you are a step too late and someone else snatches this Qiaozong, you will regret it. The second wife of the Mei family is also there.” Mrs. Li felt a little pained when she heard Mrs. Dianshi’s words. It sounds vigorous, but in fact there are many ways inside.My own family is just a person with a false name, and the real major shareholder is someone else, but I can't afford to offend the magistrate or any important person.Although the shopkeeper was released, the magistrate ordered people to guard the traffic arteries in Qingzhou, and the food transportation must have the seal of the government.Those who guard the checkpoint are not soldiers, but poor people in the city.They were the ones who suffered the most from the soaring rice prices. The Li family received a steady stream of grain, but they couldn't transport it out to make money.Seeing that the silver in the warehouse is decreasing little by little, the food is about to fall into his own hands.

Mrs. Li gritted her teeth and said to Mrs. Dianshi: "I still have to ask my master. You go back first and help me deal with Mrs. Xian for a few days. I will give you news the day after tomorrow at the latest."

"Then you have to hurry up, don't let others take the lead!" Mrs. Dian Shi ordered, knowing that Mrs. Li couldn't make the decision on this matter, so she left first.

Where is Zili? As soon as the wife of the Dian envoy left, Jia Zheng came on the back: "The wife of the envoy Dian is gone? What does she mean?"

Zili said with a half-smile: "What else can I say, even if I leave her for dinner, I won't be in a hurry to leave. There is something going on in the family, and I want to report it. The second wife of the Mei family is really a transparent person. As soon as she finished speaking, she invited me to take a share in the Mei family's business. No matter how big the Li family's backing is, the county magistrate is not as good as the current one, and they still have to weigh it."

Jia Zheng tapped his fan first and pondered: "As long as you catch Wei Wang's handle, everything will be easy. Mr. Zhou and Mr. Shan are right, you must hide your strength and bide your time, and don't startle the snake."

"My lord, Li Yangde is here to see you." Prince Shi whispered in King Wei's ear.

"What, what is he doing here? The food hasn't been shipped yet? I gave him [-] silver, and I haven't seen the money yet!" King Wei took out the silver and asked Li's rice line to unite with other places on the ground in Qingzhou. Rice Bank has monopolized the grain business in Qingzhou, making huge profits from it and hoarding grain and grass for future "big events".

"He came because of no other way. Jia Zheng blocked the roads to and from Qingzhou, so the food couldn't be shipped out. And he made it clear that he wanted to take a share in the Li family's business. He wanted to ask the master what he meant. Is it a party? Parents, that Jia Zheng also has a background." Chang Shi asked Wei Wang what he meant.

Jia Zheng—King Wei squinted his eyes and pondered for a while, then he suddenly opened his eyes and patted the table: "Here, not only give but also give more! I'd like to see who he is!"