Chapter 18 Chapter 16

Lin Shanshi couldn't understand why the money came so slowly back then. He worked hard to teach four apprentices, and he took out three acres of land, and he still lived a tight life.Now I only go to the granary for an hour a day, drink a pot of tea, and the priests spend a moment doing routines, and the monthly money is not enough.At this time, I realized that the salaries of the officials in the imperial court had two, and the salary of nineteen taels of silver was only displayed for the people to see, and there was a monthly rule behind it that everyone had.Lin Shanshi didn't know what level he was, but anyway, he got the same amount as the granary accountant—thirty-five taels a year, paid out on a monthly basis.In the past few days, the weather has just turned hot, and the granary has issued a hot summer and cold ice fee, a total of three taels of silver, saying that the managers, planners, and instructors have worked hard, so they can get some ice to keep at home to cool off the heat.Lin Shanshi was secretly happy, but also uneasy.I thought to myself: If I sit here and drink tea, I will pay for the heat. How about those who plow the fields under the scorching sun?If an official doesn't do anything, then he really has no conscience.

But Lin Shanshi really couldn't do anything, just wanted to teach the soldiers a few more sets of punches, and found that the entire warehouse was lazily quitting, they all felt that practicing the routine of sticking incense would be enough to give the court face.Lin Shanshi and Mu Chi yelled and cursed, but it still didn't help.Lin Shanshi said: "If you continue to do this, I will dismiss you and destroy your jobs." Several soldiers sneered twice, disapproving.A man who was always late, lay on the grain and drank wine and said, "Oh, it's so rude, it hasn't been raised into a yellow flag, so you use us as slaves? It's better to have a daughter, father and daughter Expensive."

Lin Shanshi was about to lose his temper when the instructor Zhou Tuozi stopped him and said in a low voice, "Don't be angry, chief instructor. Most of these people are Manchurians, and some of them are descendants of the Eight Banners who entered the customs from the Dragon. Don't talk about dismissal, they are born Come down to eat the imperial rations. You can practice as long as the Manchus are willing. The Qing Dynasty does not lack this money. Shall I call the dozen or so Han people over to practice again?" Lin Shanshi snorted coldly and said: "They are all brave soldiers. They only train Han Chinese and not Manchurians. What is that? Then there is no need to practice." Feeling sullen, he continued to drink tea.Just like this day after day, wasting time, receiving some unclear money from time to time.With more money, I gradually feel more uneasy than secretly happy.He often asked himself, why make so much money?I accidentally think of robbers and thieves.

Finally one day, the prefect of Li scolded him severely, saying that the yamen was overstaffed and had a loose style of work.All Gongmen personnel are required not to drink tea in hiding, and all go down to the village to plant orchids for a day.We must share the hardships with the people and personally contribute to the creation of "Blossoming Zhangzhou".The high-ranking officials in the warehouse suddenly complained, thinking that the prefect of Li likes to play superficial things.Lin Shanshi was very happy, having earned so much money, he was feeling uneasy, and finally had the opportunity to do something practical for his hometown.I was the first one to run to the field that day, picked up the shovel, and worked hard under the scorching sun.Lin Shanshi smelled the fragrance of the land and felt that he had found his roots, which was a unique sweet flavor.I saw other colleagues, some came down with leather boots and shoveled two or three handfuls of soil, some simply sat by the water and ate peanuts, some chatted and made a scene there, and even paid for a double to do the work.Lin Shanshi sighed, feeling that the common people were really not worth it, raising pigs was much better than raising them, so he gripped the hoe even tighter.

Behind Tian Ye, all the painters of the Minnan School of Painting came, and they were rushing to record the scene of the government and the people's family, and the harmony between the government and the people.People from the Minnan Poetry Club even wrote dozens of poems on the spot, saying that they should convey the truth through writing, and praise the political deeds of sharing the suffering with the people in the prosperous age.All of a sudden, the officials all went down to the ground, stopped scolding the magistrate, stopped scolding their lives, and started working hard.Lin Shanshi looked up and saw that Master Li's carriage had arrived.Behind the carriage are more painters and poets.

Prefect Li got off the carriage with the chief secretary and Tong San, holding a handful of soil affectionately, with tears in his eyes.He ignored the crowd, approached a real farmer, patted his shoulder and said, "My fellow, is the harvest okay?" The old man didn't look back, squatted on the ground to work, and said slowly: "What a fart. You don't know that this year is dry, the rain is like impotent peeing, and a little water in the reservoir is used to grow orchids." Li Zhifu's face froze, and Tong San was about to get angry when Xu Jing, who had just been promoted to be a head catcher, kicked him and shouted: "Kneel down and talk, don't even look at who is coming."

The old man staggered, was kicked painfully, and secretly looked at the group of adults in front of him.Just now the old farmer's leisurely disappeared. Although I still don't know who is in front of me, but looking at the posture, I am afraid that he is one level older than Lizheng.His legs went limp on the spot, and he knelt on the ground and trembled. Prefect Li's face was cloudy, and he suddenly threw the soil he was holding onto Xu Jing's body, and cursed: "Bastard! You should kneel down! What a good people, anyone who kicks people casually in the future, I will kill you!" Throwing at whom. Doing this, do you still expect the people to tell the truth? You know, water can carry a boat, and it can also overturn it. If there are no truth-tellers, the country and society will be in danger."

There was thunderous applause behind him, and two literati from the poetry club were moved to tears on the spot.Lin Shanshi also exclaimed, but his heart was very complicated. While feeling sad for his apprentice Xu Jing, he also had mixed feelings about Li Zhifu's behavior.He has dealt with this magistrate several times, and he knows that this person is not a good official, but you still can't say anything.Maybe this is the so-called big shot. Lin Shanshi continued to work, but thinking of what the old farmer said, he felt that working was a sin, so he sighed and drank tea with the other petty officials.

As the sun was setting, Lin Shanshi was about to leave, comforting himself by saying that he had worked for Zhangzhou for a day for free. The accounting official came to distribute the money again, saying it was a fee for going to the countryside.Lin Shanshi weighed it, it was two taels of silver, and felt his face was as red as his butt.The head of a household beside him said loudly: "Why is it only four taels of silver this year, and five taels in the past two years. I don't know which dog to feed the remaining one tael." A member of the military department said: "I'm afraid I fed some nun."

Everyone laughed, and then cried poorly, and agreed that there was something wrong with the one or two taels of silver that were not issued. Lin Shan walked to Jintong Inn, drank a lot of wine and said to Ruan Rumei: "Mr. Ruan, I really don't know what's going on. I used to be annoyed by money all the time, and I always thought that when I get rich, all problems will be solved. Now it's a bit I’m tired of money. I often feel like I can’t run out of the money I’ve been sending out. Drinking tea every day, shopping around, I’ve got a lot more money. Think about those farmers who are sometimes embarrassed to take money .”

Ruan Rumei smiled and said: "You are still too young. You have been in the circle of officials for too short a time, so I am sorry. After a long time, you will feel too little." Lin Shanshi opened his eyes wide and said, "Not enough? Mr. Ruan, let me tell you the truth, our salary recorded in the account book is only a small amount of income, and I don't know how to get the big one. But I have been Nothing, really nothing!" Ruan Rumei said: "Well. After waiting for a long time, you will naturally feel that you have a lot of things to do. People, it is the last thing to deny yourself. Now you deny it because you have been poor for too long before and have not adapted to the current life. Wait a lot Take it a few times, especially when you are used to other officials taking more, you will naturally find reasons and excuses for yourself.” Lin Shanshi said: "My apprentice Mu Muchi used to most want to go to the Minyuan Escort, but now I ask him if he still wants to go, and he immediately refuses. Where do you think this yamen got so much money?" Ruan Rumei said: "Go to the kitchen and bring me that uncooked piece of raw meat. Let me tell you where your money came from." Lin Shanshi suspiciously went to get the meat on the cutting board and put the meat down. Ruan Rumei asked: "What are you holding now?" Lin Shanshi said: "It's oil." Ruan Rumei laughed and said, "You understand? As long as you touch meat, your hands will be oily." Lin Shanshi was silent for a while and said: "You are right. Meat eaters have oil on their hands. I heard that the ancient granary was deliberately divided into two floors, and the upper floor was handed over to the state. It’s a big hole. The food that leaked down was divided among the officials, which is called Huoshaoyin. I heard that people with certain status know this secret. Sometimes I think, does the emperor not care about this?” Ruan Rumei said: "Can the emperor take care of it? This granary has a compartment, and the officials eat fire, it should be like this everywhere. It is impossible to arrest them all, so who does the emperor rely on to govern the people? Most importantly, the emperor Why should he care? He has already gotten the most oil, and if he doesn’t distribute it to others, why should others support him.” Lin Shanshi said in shock: "Ah! What did you say?" Ruan Rumei said: "From ancient times to the present, the emperor and the ministers have essentially shared the spoils. Only when the emperor is high above, the ministers can pretend to be powerful and get benefits. Only when the ministers get some benefits, the emperor can enjoy them with peace of mind. They are the same thing. Although this There are often quarrels in the middle, and some stories about upright officials will be played from time to time, killing a few officials who are too greedy, so as to leave a memory for the people. If the people rebel, it means that the pigs have run away, and no one has any meat to eat. Brother Lin, You haven't gotten the most benefits yet, and when the money is paid out at the end of the year, you'll know how rich your job is." Lin Shanshi slapped the table and said, "This society is really chaotic. People's hearts are not old." Ruan Rumei stared at him and said: "People's hearts have never been ancient, people are so greedy. Let me ask you, you are so upright. Have you ever thought about returning the inexplicable money to the people?" Lin Shanshi was stunned for a moment, and said: "This-this-mainly because my mother-in-law wants to make the house a few rooms bigger." "Haha, by the way, you're starting to look like a gentleman now." Lin Shanshi scratched his hair: "Mr. Ruan, don't make fun of me. I'm really—really—you tell me, what's going on, can we ordinary people be saved?" Ruan Rumei took a sip of wine and said, "You are no longer an ordinary person. You are a relative of King Jingnan, the father-in-law of the grand master, and the chief instructor of the largest granary in the south of the Yangtze River. Whether you can be saved is no longer in your consideration, you can only die Yu Quan. Whether the common people can be saved or not, I can say with certainty that they cannot be saved. A group of ordinary people talk about whether they can be saved or not. There might be some help." Lin Shanshi said: "Could it be possible to meet Emperor Taizong of Tang and have Bao Zheng and Hai Rui assist me. Is it all right?" Ruan Rumei said: "I don't know. It has never existed for thousands of years. If I were a commoner, I would not like honest officials. In a world full of corrupt officials, an honest official is naturally a person who can do nothing. Therefore, I would rather be a corrupt official, at least do something, get some money and at least build a few bridges." Lin Shan said stonyly: "What kind of talk is this!" Ruan Rumei said: "This is the truth. The problem of the Qing Dynasty is very simple. Where does the power come from? The capital. Who supervises the power? The capital. Who the hell can supervise themselves? If you supervise yourself, everyone will want to make more money. Even you Such people who have not lost their conscience and have died once are still reluctant to withdraw their silver. How can you expect those high officials who supervise themselves to be willing? The common people don’t hate corrupt officials, they hate themselves for not being corrupt officials. Why are there so many people competing for the imperial examination? Let me just say it directly. If you enter this circle, it is impossible not to be greedy. You will die faster if you are not greedy. Do you think the emperor really doesn’t know that the officials below are greedy? ? That was originally the emperor's bribery of scholar-bureaucrats in disguise for his own benefit, and it is also a disguised control. You can rest assured if you are greedy for him. The glory of your family will last forever, the emperor will think you are a capable minister." Lin Shanshi sighed and said, "Mr. can only see it so clearly." "There are many people who can see through, but I am willing to say it. And I am only willing to say it to you. Look at those officials who are confused every day, scholars who have never been in office, practitioners who take the initiative to become monks, and those who hide every night. Many people who drink on street corners have seen through it." "I feel like I'm disliking the world less and less." Ruan Rumei said angrily: "You can be your rich man with peace of mind. Cats have nine lives, and you already have two. Cherish them well. It's enough to make money to support your family. What do you want to do so much?" "I wanted to be a hero." "Hahaha, this is the funniest joke I've heard in the inn for so many years." Lin Shanshi returned to the Guyi granary drunkenly, a little sick, unable to practice or teach Wu.Crying and crying poor when nothing happened, but gradually the relationship with his soldiers became extremely harmonious.From the head of the granary to the pawn, everyone felt that Lin Shanshi was sensible.Lin Shanshi thought to himself: Since everyone is cheating money, I have nothing to do.Take the money you should get, and just don't do bad things.So he drank tea and basked in the sun every day, and only occasionally did a few tricks with his apprentice Mu Muchi, and sometimes wrestled with the Manchus, which was supposed to refresh his muscles and bones. Manren's kung fu is very simple, but it's really hard for you to deal with it if they really stick together.They also have a set of Erlinzi martial arts, which specializes in hitting the head with an iron palm.Lin Shanshi is a martial idiot, although he knows that this kind of kung fu is very remote, if he really fights, as long as he controls the distance, this full-fledged kung fu is useless, but he still enjoys learning it.This old man hung shoulders to shoulders with the Manchurians, and the relationship between brothers came and went, and the relationship became better.Lin Shanshi thinks that the Manchus are not as bad as some people say they are, they are heartless and easy to get along with, but sometimes they have a stronger sense of superiority.Occasionally, Zhou Tuozi also ran out to challenge.Zhou Tuozi's gossip boxing is well-known in martial arts, but it's just like that when he fights. He fell to the ground after a few rounds under the watchful eyes of everyone.What about "Tai Chi treachery, gossip slippery, and the most poisonous Xinyiquan", it all depends on the person, a pampered like Zhou Tuozi, even if he has something, he will return it to the master.Lin Shanshi felt that if a person is willing to sweat and punches a day, and hits a big tree thousands of times a day, he will be a master in ten years. There was also news from the Shimen. Zhen Qiming, head of the Shaolin Baihemen, asked the senior brother to teach the martial arts. His words were quite polite, and he expressed the anxiety of the Shimen when Lin Shanshi was imprisoned.Lin Shanshi was very upset, and shook his head. He didn't see them farting when the accident happened, and he posted it so quickly after he was a bit famous, so he should be more mature.So she tore up the invitation with tears. At the end of the month, Lin Shanshi, who was drinking tea, received another silver ticket, which was said to be the "Manchu Qing Loyalty Award", which was specially awarded to the conscientious Gongmen.Lord Suo, the chief manager of the ancient granary, suddenly walked up to Lin Shanshi who was basking in the sun. Lord Suo was an official of the fifth rank, the highest leader of the granary, but bowed his hands and saluted him first.Lin Shanshi hesitated for a moment, and when he saw the bank note in his hand, he was about to kneel down on one knee.Master Suo helped him up and said, "Brother has been in the granary for a month, and I have always wanted to get close to Brother Lin, but I always have no time. Even Shuo Erhui, the former leader of our inlaid blue flag, has always wanted to see you, and has always wanted to see you. Busy with business. I told Zuo Ling that Shaolin Grandmaster is in our warehouse, and I will definitely meet up for a drink when I have some free time. I think Brother Lin will definitely give this thin noodles." Lin Shanshi has been around the crowd for so long, and of course he knows what a noble official the Xun Jiu Zuo Ling of the Xianglan Banner is.He said on the spot: "How can a person in the mountains be worthy of being favored by a leader. I'm really sincere and afraid, and I dare not be the one." Master Suo blew his beard and said: "Brother Lin speaks so politely, we Manchus value heroes the most. Our Zuoling doesn't look at your grand master and father-in-law, but respects your Shaolin master. Zuo Ling also said, why is such a master If you are an instructor in the granary, you can come directly to Xianglan Banner to be a general, at least you have a rank. You also scolded the Geng family for being petty, and you entered the Zhenghuang Banner by yourself. Even if you can’t carry your father-in-law into the Zhenghuang Banner, at least you can It’s a bordered blue flag. If Brother Lin doesn’t give up, he can go directly to Mr. Shuoerhui and become the Jueercha clan of the bordered blue flag, how about it?” Lin Shanshi felt very awkward in his heart. In the Qing Dynasty, this was called raising his nationality. He could change from a Han Chinese to a Manchu, and he didn't even have to pay taxes on the land. This was undoubtedly a great honor.But it is absolutely impossible for me not to be a descendant of Lin Chong, but to be a descendant of that shit.At the moment, he didn't know how to refuse, so he sweated and said, "Lord Xie Suo, and Master Zuo Ling are very kind. However, the next martial artist only wants to promote kung fu. He really has no desire to be an official, nor the ability to be an official." Mr. Suo obviously wanted to win over Lin Shanshi, so he put his arms around his shoulders and said, "What kind of ability do you need to be an official? Do you know how to herd sheep? Anyone who can herd sheep will become an official. A person may not know how to work or plow the fields, but he will definitely not Maybe he won't be an official. Look at those idiots at the end of the Ming Dynasty, they lost their country, aren't they still officials?" Lin Shanshi muttered: "I...I still want to work in the granary." Master Suo smiled, and said: "That's right. Although the work in the granary is not very beautiful, it is also a bit lucrative. Apart from the salt administration and water transportation, my brothers who take care of me have the highest salary, even Jiangnan weaving, household departments in various places, etc. , is not as high as the granary. If Brother Lin just wants to be a rich man, that’s okay. You just drink tea and fight, this granary belongs to the emperor on the one hand, and you and me on the other.” Lin Shanshi wiped his sweat again: "Don't dare, dare not." Mr. Suo said: "Do you still think I'm lying to you? We are not so many fools. You take it, here are the keys, there are two keys in total. One for you, one for me. This is the key to the basement of the ancient granary , Huo consumption in several provinces in the south of the Yangtze River. In the future, both of our brothers must agree to open it. Of course, this is also a security requirement for the granary. The key to the two doors is in the hands of an official, which is taboo for any granary.” Lin Shanshi had only heard of it before. The granary was separated by two floors. The upper floor was the national treasury for inspection by superiors, and the lower basement was a small treasury for officials to eat privately.It was only confirmed today, and I followed the manager to take a look quietly, only to find that this small treasury is probably deeper than the treasury above.The treasury is often short of food, and the small treasury has never been short of food.To enter this basement, you have to go through two three-foot-thick copper doors. The location is remote, and it is the same color as the earth next to it. It is extremely difficult for non-granary personnel to find it.The sides and the top of the door are green bricks mixed with iron bars. Without a key, it may not be possible to open it even with a cannonball in red. Lin Shanshi held the key tremblingly, not knowing what else to say besides thanking him.Of course he knew that Lord Suo had given him the key, and this was regarded as a favor, that is to say, he was on the line of Grand Master Geng.Officialdom, officialdom, if there is no backer, officialdom is a coffin.As a subordinate, Lin Shanshi couldn't accept this favor. Mr. Suo said: "Mr. Lin's clothes are too simple. Look at me, the shoes under your feet are specially made by Jiangnan weaving, and all the threads are made of gold. In fact, others can't tell if they are worn well, but my own The mentality will definitely change-you, you are not confident enough. I brought you a pair of good shoes, try it on." Mr. Suo walked away with official steps. Lin Shanshi was wearing the new pair of shoes, knowing that these shoes might be the food and clothing of the peasants for half a year, and felt a sense of might inexplicably.Looking at Master Suo's figure going away, and looking at the key in hand, he felt heavy on his shoulders and light in his body.He squatted in the gap between the partitions and looked down. The boundless grains were full. How much golden sweat must be shed and how many straight spines must be bent.Now there are only two keys to this warehouse, and the middle one belongs to him, which probably means that he has the power in his hands.Lin Shanshi felt both excited and ridiculous.Caomin is like this, he died accidentally, but climbed up to a relative, and ascended to heaven by accident.There are indeed some problems in this world. Lin Shanshi fought a set of boxing on the granary. When he was a child, he practiced boxing to have enough food to eat. Now that he has enough food, it has nothing to do with boxing.Lin Shanshi felt a little melancholy, but he was able to enjoy kung fu more easily. Those boxing principles that he had realized in the prison at the critical moment of life and death were unleashed like mercury pouring down the ground.He is like a naughty boy who has never experienced the hardships of martial arts, he only has love and joy in his heart.Lin Shanshi thought: My daughter is probably in this state when she is practicing.That's great.There is food to eat, punches, and loved ones to think about.Then he said again: This key is nothing more than a kind of wooing.Anyway, when the manager wanted to open the granary, I followed suit.One who keeps the keys, don't take it too seriously. But Lin Shanshi was wrong.How wrong. Zhangzhou City posted a notice from Jingnan King Geng Jingzhong: "Heavenly fire protruded from Anzhi Mountain, and another big fish weighed forty catties was caught in the Minjiang River. There was a book in the belly of the fish. That is Geng, if God doesn’t take it, he will blame himself. Geng’s family was born in Liaodong, and he was originally a minister of the Ming Dynasty. However, when he broke into the king and entered the capital, his luck was not good. The Manchus stole artifacts and harmed our people. The only thing to do is to hide your courage and wait for the secret. Today, the Manchu and Qing dynasties are brutal, and wars are raging everywhere. King Pingxi fought in Yunnan and won many battles. There are all people with integrity in the world. The people of Li have been suffering for a long time. It is the right time to fight against the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty .” The next day, Suoli Mu, the general manager, was assassinated, and his body, hands and feet were divided into six piles.The shoes on the feet were taken away, and a group of family members were tied together in a pile, all afraid to speak.The key to the small treasury was not lost, probably because Geng Jun thought that the key belonged to Mr. Suo's own home, and his home had already been raided, so it was worthless.Lin Shanshi knew that the Gongmen ransacked the house and never needed a key. The soldiers of the granary gathered together, everyone was trembling, discussing with each other what to do, and no one dared to loosen the relatives of the superiors. Mu Mu said: "Master, all the Manchus didn't come today, they might have all been killed. I heard that the Jingnan Prince's Mansion started arresting traitors last night, so they won't arrest us as traitors, right?" Lin Shanshi quietly picked up the key, and now he is the only one who can open the basement of the granary.Looking at the split corpse, he didn't know what to say.He didn't like the Manchus either, but he didn't think they deserved to die, at least not in this way.Suddenly, a horse army rushed in from the granary and surrounded all the soldiers.Lin Shanshi instinctively picked up the stick. He felt that since he had received the salary from the court, he had no choice but to resist now.Looking around, the other guards had already knelt down.