Chapter 71 Hands-on evil

"Brother Yu Zhong, among the women who can compose poetry, Huang Jieling—what do you think?" Qian Qianyi asked with a smile while playing with a poetry fan in his hand. The group of creditors cast a glance. This was the morning of the ninth day after he happened to run into Dong Xiaowan on his way to Huqiu and was kidnapped.Due to Liu Rushi's repeated requests and urging, Qian Qianyi finally accepted He Yun's suggestion and decided to intervene in the matter of Maoxiang and Dong Xiaowan.They found Liu Luding, and after asking about the situation, they sent someone to notify the creditor yesterday, asking them to send Dong Xiaowan immediately.Early this morning, Qian Qianyi invited Liu Luding and a group of guests to come to Bantang Dong Xiaowan's house in three large boats, parked at the pier, and started to deal with it as soon as Dong Xiaowan delivered it. debt.

"Ah, the two daughters of the Xiushui Huang family are both virtuous and talented. Regardless of calligraphy and painting, this poem is good after all." Liu Luding replied, and at the same time looked at Qian Qianyi.He was obviously a little puzzled: Creditors gathered on the shore one after another, a big dispute was imminent, why this old Qian Mu still had time to talk about poetry and papers!Liu Luding has suffered from the creditors and knows how powerful this group of local snakes are.Nine days ago, after the negotiations broke down, he also thought about going back to Rugao to ask Maoxiang for help, but firstly, he was a little embarrassed when he boasted about Haikou; secondly, he was a little unwilling to admit defeat.In addition, considering that it would take too long to go back and forth, I decided to stay and find a way on the spot.For many days after that, he ran around asking for help, but when he heard about such a thing, everyone shook their heads and waved their hands, expressing that they were very difficult and could not be offended.Only then did Liu Luding become anxious, regretting that he was too much for Meng Lang back then.He was at a loss, when he suddenly heard that Qian Qianyi was willing to take the responsibility and intervene in this matter, Liu Luding was really overjoyed.He knew that Qian Qianyi had lived in his hometown for a long time, had a high reputation, had connections with various parties, and was very influential in this area.If he is willing to come forward, the situation will naturally be very different.However, Liu Luding is still worried that the matter may not be resolved smoothly.In fact, he himself is not that kind of incompetent person. When he took office in Yulin Zhizhou, he was known as shrewd and capable; open.Many of these people are veterans who are used to litigation. Not only are they not afraid of meeting officials, but they are also eloquent.Last time, Liu Luding had learned from a litigator surnamed Hao. His penetrating tongue was really turbulent.Liu Luding's eloquence was good at first, but he was also stunned and unable to deal with it.So this time, Liu Luding was secretly concerned about how sure Qian Qianyi could be.Seeing that he was still talking about poems and papers with great interest when he was about to fight, Liu Luding's doubts became even heavier.

"Then Brother Yuzhong thinks, this is all virtue and both make the two sisters. Is the sister better than the younger sister, or the younger sister is better than the older sister?" Qian Qianyi continued to ask. Liu Luding was stunned for a moment, and replied honestly: "Since he married Zhu Taishou of Guiyang, he has kept a secret, and his poems have rarely been handed down to the world; and as the wife of the Yang family, Jieling still travels around in public places from time to time. The door of power and power, and the reputation is also loud because of it. However, with the humble opinion of late life, it is unavoidable that all people are in a state of prostitution, and it is not as if they are all virtuous and intelligent!"

Qian Qianyi looked at the poetry fan in his hand, listened with a smile, and did not speak immediately.After a while, he handed the poetry fan to Liu Luding and said, "Look, this is also a poem written by Jieling, can it have the air of prostitution?" When Liu Luding took the fan, he raised his head, stroked his beard, and recited with relish: "'The lamp is bright, but I am a shadow, and the forest is cold and the birds are sparsely singing. People rest in the window, and the sound of the wind and snow...'This kind of Poetry, its sound is desolate, its rhyme is lonely, like the fallen leaves in the frost forest, or the midnight Buddhist bell, how can it be a bit of wind and dust! The humble Neihe Dongjun once said: "All Ling's poems are close to monks." Xiang's generation, a collection of famous ladies and ladies from ancient and modern times, can be compared to each other, but they don't know their expressions and spirits. An can be said to know poetry, and An can be said to know everything!" At this point, he looked at Liu Luding, and saw that the other party bowed his head and said nothing. , Qian Qianyi realized that he was only talking about it, but he was a little rude to Liu Luding, so he shut up.

At this time, Liu Luding also realized that being too serious would damage the atmosphere of mutual cooperation. In order to cover up this embarrassing situation, he smiled, and then the other party said: "Women who can write poetry, although there have been women in all ages, The only thing is that there are so many of them, but they are no bigger than this dynasty. Especially in the past few decades, not to mention the famous ladies, even brothels, business women and poor women, they even have noses and babble, talking about 'waist waist', 'crane knee', They are mediocre, recalcitrant, and there are quite a few outstanding people, this can be regarded as a big strange thing!"

Qian Qianyi nodded: "This is also due to the prosperity and prosperity of the dynasty. Therefore, many smart beauties are born at the right time. Needless to say, for example, Brother Pijiang, who is like a king in the future, is impossible. What a wonderful woman!" Liu Luding was worried about today's matter, when he saw Dong Xiaowan mentioned by the other party, he quickly said: "That's right, otherwise, with Pijiang's arrogant personality, how could he easily promise her? However, those creditors are really greedy." It's so vicious, it's extremely hateful, I'm afraid it may not be easy to give in."

Qian Qianyi shook his head, and said indifferently: "Brother, don't worry, this matter is on the students. Brother Pijiang is a person I love and respect very much. In terms of talent and knowledge, he is the only one in the world who can rival him in today's world. It’s just one of the few! Therefore, this time, the students must not only accomplish this for him, but also arrange a banquet at Huqiu, invite celebrities from all over the world, and give Xiao Wan a farewell feast!” "Ah, I have troubled Elder Mu so much, why should I do so! Mr. Wansheng thanked Elder Mu for this generation of Bijiang!" Liu Luding, who was overjoyed, stood up quickly, and said, clasping his hands.

Qian Qianyi smiled slightly: "It's just a little work, what's the point? If Brother Yuzhong also goes to Rugao, the student would like to trouble you to pay tribute to Brother Pijiang on my behalf!" "Of course, I must convey it!" After that, Liu Luding sat down again, and the two talked about other things.Finally, the ship shook slightly, and Gu Ling excitedly walked into the cabin and said: "Old Mu, Wanniang's boat has arrived!" Qian Qianyi said "Oh", turned his head and made a modest gesture to Liu Luding, saying, "Please!"

So the two stood up and walked out of the hatch. At this time, more people gathered on the shore, at least three to five hundred, some of them were creditors, their servants and thugs, and many people came to watch the excitement.Seeing Qian Qianyi and Liu Luding appearing on the bow of the boat, the people who had been yelling and pointing together in the east and west suddenly fell silent, turned their heads together, and stretched their necks to look this way. After all, Liu Luding was worried, and couldn't wait to look for it with his eyes.He found that the small fast boat carrying Dong Xiaowan had already docked, but it was moored far away, at least three or four zhang away from his own boat.Two women who look like servants are helping Dong Xiaowan to get off the boat, and there are five or six strong men on the shore, each with a stick, ready to go.As soon as Dong Xiaowan stepped onto the pier, they immediately guarded her tightly, as if they were facing an enemy.Obviously, if the demands of the creditors are not met, they will take Dong Xiaowan away again anytime and anywhere.

At this time, Qian Qianyi had already seen the situation clearly, but he kept his expression on his face. He just turned his head and asked in a low voice to Gu Ling who was beside him, "Well, are you all ready?" head, said to Liu Luding: "Brother Yu Zhong, please go back to the cabin and sit down to watch the students' fate. Please!" After Liu Luding moved his footsteps, he turned around and told Gu Ling: "Do everything according to my orders, and don't be tempted by Lang!" After speaking, he walked back to the cabin in a calm manner. Liu Luding and Qian Qianyi had just sat down in their seats when they heard Gu Ling shouting outside:

"People on the shore, listen up: Old Mr. Qian Muzhai from Yushan came here today to resolve the debt disputes between the Dong family and everyone. Mr. Qian has a long-standing reputation and a clear reputation. You all want to know it, so you don't need to write any more. Said. It is really a blessing for the country to accept that he agreed to preside over this matter. You can rest assured that everyone in the custody is satisfied and everyone gets what they want! Now, please invite Miss Dong to come on board and speak." As soon as Gu Ling finished speaking, there was a commotion on the shore, and several voices shouted at the same time: "No, you can't give him someone!" "Unless the debt is paid off, we will never let him go!" "We're not three-year-olds, who would be fooled!" Liu Luding heard it from the cabin, and thought: "If you want them to hand over Xiao Wan just by saying a word, I'm afraid you think the opponent is too docile!" He glanced at Qian Qianyi, only to find that the old man was stroking his beard calmly, as if he wasn't nervous at all.After Gu Ling negotiated with the creditors outside for a while, but still had no effect, Qian Qianyi turned around and whispered something to Li Bao who was standing by his side.Li Bao agreed and walked out of the cabin.So, only to hear that Gu Ling no longer persisted, but said loudly: "Everyone must pay off the debts first, that's okay. Now there are three boats here. For the sake of speed, we decided to pay off at the same time——For those under 22 taels, you can go to the boat on the left, and Mr. Qian Zunwang will distribute them. ; From 20 taels to 60 taels, you can go to the boat on the right, and Mr. He Shilong will distribute it; if you are more than 60 taels, please board the next boat, and Mr. Qian will distribute it in person. Please!" Hearing what Gu Ling said, Liu Luding couldn't help shaking his head secretly: "This way of dealing with them is nothing more than trying to divide their forces and defeat each of them. Although the idea is brilliant, I'm afraid the other party may not be willing to submit." Sure enough, before he could think about it, there was already a commotion on the shore.After a while, Gu Ling stepped in angrily and said, "Old Mu, they are still unwilling, and they must first agree to pay the principal and interest according to the original plan before they are willing to board the ship. How can we deal with it?" Originally, it seemed reasonable to pay the principal and interest according to the original plan, but most of these rich people who lent money took advantage of others' dangers to extort money. There are dozens of times more than the cost.If repaid in this way, the hundreds of taels of silver and several catties of ginseng brought by Liu Luding would definitely not be enough to cope with it.Now that Qian Qianyi doesn't intend to pay for Maoxiang, the only way is to persuade the other party to reduce the interest.But it seems that the creditors believe that Mao Xiang is a rich man, and they will never let go of this opportunity to make a fortune.That's how Liu Luding talked about his collapse last time.Now seeing that Qian Qianyi was silent after hearing Gu Ling's report, he couldn't help becoming anxious, leaning his body and saying: "As far as Wan Sheng knows, there is a man named Hao in this group, who has been a litigator for many years. All bad ideas come from him. This man is eloquent, sinister and cunning, and he is extremely difficult to deal with." Qian Qianyi nodded, but did not answer.He pondered for a while, and then said to Gu Ling: "Well, well, let them push two people out to discuss matters on board!" Gu Ling promised, and went outside to convey Qian Qianyi's words.This time, the creditors did not make any more noise.After a while, I only heard Gu Ling's voice saying: "Oh, it's you two, please!" With the voice, the hull of the boat shook, and then two people walked in one file at a time.The first one was a fat gentleman in his fifties, with a big beard and a pair of goldfish-like bulging eyes. He was Zhang Yuanwai who was in charge of imprisoning Dong Xiaowan; Yes, it happened to be the litigator surnamed Hao. "Student Zhang Xiu, pay my respects to the two adults!" Zhang Yuanwai seemed a little afraid of Qian Qianyi, and said timidly, arching his hands. The litigator surnamed Hao seemed calm and alert.As soon as he entered the cabin, he looked around with sparkling eyes.After Zhang Xiu finished speaking, he bowed politely and said, "My lord, Hao Siping, has met the two adults." Qian Qianyi didn't speak immediately, but looked at each other silently, and after weighing them one by one, he stood up with a big smile on his face. "Oh, so it's the two gentlemen, I've admired you for a long time!" He said back, and then looked back at Liu Luding, "I don't know if Brother Yuzhong has met these two before?" These two people were the leaders who had come out to negotiate on behalf of the creditors last time, they were fierce and cunning, and Liu Luding's scalp tingled when he saw them.He blushed, and said resentfully: "Why, Yuanwai Zhang, Master Hao, it's you two again, okay, hum!" He flicked his sleeves and angrily sat back on the chair. Qian Qianyi smiled slightly, since he had figured out the identity of the person who came, he knew it well.So he stopped being polite, pointed to a chair, let Zhang and Hao sit down, and he sat down again himself. "Two gentlemen, just now I heard that Dong Weng will pay the principal and interest according to the original plan, so as to take advantage of Mr. Pijiang's financial resources. It is really difficult to do it. I hope that Dong Weng will reduce it by one or two!" Qian Qian Yi said straightforwardly that he knew that the other party would definitely not agree, so he didn't want to make more detours. Sure enough, Zhang Xiu, who had been prepared for a long time, immediately cupped her hands and said: "Oh, it's rare for the two adults to condescend to honor you. It's really a blessing for us to come forward to preside over this matter. I just suppressed the interest rate reduction discussion, and I should accept my orders. The fixed interest rate was determined by both parties at the time, and there is no disagreement between the two parties. Today, it is necessary to reduce it. I am afraid that people will be shocked, and it will only cause confusion, and it will not be easy to implement." "Well, there have always been national laws: privately lending money and debts, the monthly interest should not exceed three cents. Now I see that many of these debts are as high as four or five cents; It’s too much to borrow one and get one hundred for a few years! If it’s not reduced, how can it be achieved!” Qian Qianyi said with a straight face. According to the regulations of the Ming Dynasty, there is indeed a monthly profit limit of three points, and offenders can be whipped forty;But in fact, it has long been a dead letter, and few moneylenders will follow it.Unless some official wants to punish the moneylender for one reason or another, he will occasionally carry it out.Now that Zhang Xiu heard what Qian Qianyi said, he couldn't figure out his real intention for a while.But Zhang Xiu knew that this old man Qian was not Liu Luding. He was very powerful in the local area and had a close collusion with the government. Yes, he hesitated to answer. Seeing Qian Qianyi frighten his opponent with a few words, he was secretly happy.He was about to persuade him further when suddenly Hao Siping, the litigator sitting next to Zhang Xiu, laughed and said: "Mr. Qian saw it very well! From the point of view of the debt, the interest rate is indeed set higher, which should be reduced. Not only should it be reduced, but in fact, the matter of loan lending is often enough to encourage the merger of powerful families. It will dampen the life spirit of ordinary people, and there are a lot of evils, so it should be strictly prohibited!" He said solemnly, looked at the two hosts in the seat, and found that they both showed an air of listening attentively, so he smiled triumphantly, Then he said, "However, then again, this matter is actually unavoidable, why? Because the rich are the mothers of the poor, and once the poor have something to do, they must turn to the rich; If the right hand is not rich, it will be powerless to help the left hand. If lending is prohibited and the rich are not rich, it will be like cutting off the right hand, and the whole country will be useless! What's more, the laws of the country are originally intended to benefit the people. Now that the years have been fierce and the war has not stopped, there are more poor people and fewer rich people; The family of moneylenders will be discouraged, and they will find another way out of the money. In this way, the rich may have no serious problems, but the poor will have no way to borrow money, and their livelihood will be lost! The great harm of reducing interest rates is also expected. Think twice, old man!" Hao Siping spoke so eloquently that even Qian Qianyi couldn't help nodding secretly when he heard it, thinking: "Liu Yuzhong said that this person is eloquent and difficult to deal with, and now he really is!" In fact, Qian Qianyi How can Yi really uphold the law of three-point interest?He himself lends money in Changshu, and he also implements high interest rates and rolling interest rates.However, since he wants to preside over Maoxiang's repayment of the debt at this moment, he naturally can't take much care of it.Now, he can see more clearly: Zhang Xiu is easy to deal with, but the one who is hard to beat is Hao Siping, a litigator. If he is not restrained as soon as possible, the matter will not proceed.So he looked at Hao Siping and asked calmly: "Mr. Hao is really good at eloquence, he must be a 'champion scholar'?" The reason why he asked this question is that in Suzhou area, the atmosphere of litigation is very popular, and there are the most litigants, and there are also different ranks among them. The highest rank is called "Zhuangyuan", and the lowest is called "Balley".This group of people like to solicit right and wrong, manipulate lawsuits, and make money from it. Hao Siping was startled for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Don't dare." "So, how much principal and interest does the Dong family owe Mr. Hao?" "Oh, the Dong family has no debt relationship with this subordinate." "Then why are you here today?" "This—they asked me to come down to assist with this matter, so..." Hao Siping seemed to realize that the other party's tone was not good, and became a little nervous, not as airy as before. At this time, Qian Qianyi couldn't allow the other party to dodge. "Nonsense!" He slammed the table, and his dark face suddenly seemed to be covered with a layer of frost, "You have no debt relationship with the Dong family, so you should avoid Yuanyuan, but now you forcefully intervene in it, trying every means to incite , making waves, even going so far as to rob people as hostages, to blackmail people, to act recklessly, as far as this goes! He is clearly a stubborn and ungrateful traitor. If he is not severely punished, what is the law of the king!" He turned around and shouted: "Come here!" As soon as the words fell, there was a sound of thunder from the door leading to the inner cabin, and then the curtain was lifted, and four men dressed as yamen servants rushed out like wolves, with a shake of the iron chain in their hands, Hao Siping The neck is nosed. This move was so unexpected that not only Zhang and Hao were caught off guard, but even Liu Luding opened his mouth wide in surprise, unable to close it for a long time. Qian Qianyi glanced sideways at Zhang Xiu, and found that the fat bearded man's face changed drastically, and he couldn't help shaking like he was sifting through chaff, so he said "Oh", changed his pleasant face, and said to him: "Student!" I know that this traitor surnamed Hao is responsible for all this, and has nothing to do with your honor. However, if your honor still holds the hostages, you will inevitably be responsible. Now, please go and ask your price to send the hostages to the ship Come on, talk slowly before it's too late." Zhang Xiu was very scared at first, but when she heard that it had nothing to do with him, her heart suddenly became half relieved, she dared to disobey, she hurried out of the cabin, called her servants loudly, and sent Dong Xiaowan aboard. The group of creditors who were gathered on the shore waiting for the news could only hear the yelling in the boat, but couldn't figure out what happened. When they suddenly saw that the hostages were going to be released, a few clever ones clamored loudly to express their disapproval.But the men who were in charge of guarding Dong Xiaowan were Zhang Xiu's servants, so they naturally obeyed their master.Instead, they shouted loudly, fended off the creditors who rushed over to try to stop them with sticks, and sent Dong Xiaowan onto the boat. At this moment, Qian Qianyi had already ordered the yamen servants to temporarily escort Hao Siping, who was gnashing his teeth with hatred, to the rear cabin to be guarded.Seeing Dong Xiaowan walk into the cabin, he stood up eagerly.Dong Xiaowan survived the desperate situation this time, she was so grateful that she exchanged tears, and knelt down sobbing.Qian Qianyi helped her up, really comforted her, and then ordered Dong Zijiang and Shou'er who followed on board to help her to the inner cabin to rest. After finishing all this, he turned around and looked at Zhang Xiu.Noticing that the fat bearded man was standing aside with a sad face, Qian Qianyi exchanged glances with Liu Luding, smiled slightly, and said to Zhang Xiu: "Brother Zhang, don't worry too much. Qian is not talented, but he can still distinguish between good and evil. The surnamed Hao is not evil, so he should be punished. As for Brother Zhang, if he doesn't dislike Qian, he wants to use his strength!" Zhang Xiu saw that Hao Siping was locked away, and the hostages were forced to return. Today was a crushing defeat, and his heart was in a state of panic. He didn't know what Qian Qianyi would do with him next. When he suddenly heard the other party say such words, he couldn't help but Startled, he raised his head suspiciously. "Well, please sit down and talk." Qian Qianyi pointed to the chair, and then sat down himself. "I know that Brother Zhang is a gentleman of sincerity and sincerity, and everything is easy to discuss." Qian Qianyi said solemnly, staring at Zhang Xiu intently, "It's just that the people on the shore are mixed, and there are inevitably some stubborn ones among them. My brother is afraid When the delivery is released later, this generation will come to be noisy and unrestrained again, which is unpleasant. Therefore, I would like to invite Brother Zhang to accompany me at that time and help me supervise and suppress it. With the prestige of Brother Zhang among his generation, this matter should not be taken seriously. It’s hard to do, I wonder if I can agree to it?” Zhang Xiuben was looking at Qian Qianyi suspiciously with a pair of goldfish-like bulging eyes.Hearing this, his expression changed, he stood up abruptly, shook his hands angrily and said: "Ah, this, this..." He clearly wanted to refuse, but under the gaze of the other party, he still dared not say it out. . Liu Luding, who was sitting on the side, was already sincerely convinced of Qian Qianyi's skill and courage.Seeing Zhang Xiu in such a mess, he didn't want to force him too much, so he said dissuadingly: "Old Mu——" However, Qian Qianyi stretched out a hand to block him, and at the same time squinted at the woman standing beside him. Gu Ling. Gu Ling understood, walked over and said with a smile: "Brother Zhang, why bother to see outsiders? We have already settled this matter. If Brother Zhang agrees, the principal and interest of the one hundred and twenty-eight taels under your name will still be kept according to the original amount." The coupons are set, and they will be issued without fail. And after the work is over, there will be another reward. How about such an arrangement, I don’t know what you want?" After a pause, he leaned forward again, and added, biting his ear, "This matter is only for a few people in the bureau. I know, I will never spread it to the outside world!" When Zhang Xiu heard that his bond could be issued according to the original principal and interest, Zhang Xiu's eyes lit up at first, and then he shrank again.He didn't speak, he lowered his head and was silent for a long time, finally, he nodded slightly. Qian Qianyi, who had been staring closely at the other party, his eyes flickered, a triumphant smile flashed across his dark face, and he immediately became extremely excited again.He stood up quickly, glanced at Liu Luding triumphantly, then turned his face to the outside of the cabin door, and said in a majestic voice: "Come here! Order to go down and start distributing!"