Chapter 68 Section 68

In Wang You, he always holds the ring of caution.Things are good, but I'm afraid that if I can't hold my breath, the first sentence will be inappropriate and unpleasant, so Concubine Zhen replied: "Don't mind this kind of business!"Then nothing can be said. Calculation and calculation, but also to wait for the opportunity.On this day, the Empress Dowager Cixi sent someone to present the rewards, which were just two purses. As usual, the rewards would be given out after thanking them from afar.There are also general rules for the number of rewards, such as this kind of rewards, there is always eight taels of silver, but Wang You deliberately gave less and withheld half of it.

"What's going on?" The little eunuch of Chuxiu Palace stretched out his palm, held the four taels of silver, and asked with a raised face, "These four taels are for Su La, right?" "Brother!" Wang You replied, "Just feel wronged! You only walked a few steps, and four liang of silver is still less?" The people sent by Chuxiu Palace are all domineering because of their strong backing. This little eunuch doesn't even pay attention to the concubine Zhen, so why would he care about Wang You?Immediately swearing, and the words are vicious, saying "look at the top and respect the bottom", it must be looking down on the "Lafayette", so the rewards are deliberately withheld as usual.He wasn't fighting for the four taels of silver, "he was fighting for face and status for Lafayette!"

This big hat was suppressed, but no one could bear it, so someone else came out to smooth things over, even Wang You himself softened, and he gave another eight taels of silver, and the reverse proportion cost four taels more. Concubine Zhen has been watching through the glass window.I was very angry, but it was inconvenient to come forward, because of the disparity in status, if the little eunuch contradicted me, even if the Empress Dowager Cixi could vent her anger on her behalf, it would still be uneconomical to blame the rude little eunuch, so I kept holding back. It wasn't until the matter was over that Fang Shi asked Wang You to ask him carefully.

Wang You's arrogance and respect to the little eunuch, as well as someone coming out to smooth things over, were all arranged by him in advance, in order to attract the attention of the concubine Zhen, so that he could pay attention to the bitter experience he lamented. He took care of the account for Concubine Zhen.All the expenses of Jingren Palace are handled by him, "The master's division is three hundred and sixty taels per month. It is said that there is no need to spend money on food, and the odds and ends are less than two hundred taels a month. You can spend one hundred taels a month. One hundred and sixty taels is left over, and it is quite ample to save up to reward people during festivals. But," he said with a frown, "these two years have been different. Last year's income and expenditure were balanced, and the deficit was limited. , from this year onwards, I will lose hundreds of taels every month. If this continues, I will lose more and more, even if there are mountains of gold and silver, I can't stand it!"

Concubine Zhen was surprised, "It turns out that there is a deficit every month! I didn't know." She asked anxiously, "How did the deficit come about?" "Isn't this the reason why the servant had a quarrel with someone just now?" Wang You replied, "Lafayette usually sends someone to present a reward, and the reward from the person who came here turned out to be only two taels of silver. I don't know who was extra flattering and gave eight Two, this has become a rule. This is still "restricting food", appreciating food, and rewarding purses like today, ordinarily, you should give twelve taels of silver. Lafayette's grace is too much, I can't stand it! "

"Then..." Concubine Zhen suddenly thought, "How about the other palaces?" "The other palaces are also full of complaints. However, their rewards are not as many as the master's, which is better." Wang You said again, "Even the Long Live Lord is terrible. The new rules, go to the Lafayette to pay respects, every day You have to pay fifty taels of silver." "Isn't that going to rebel? Who made the rules?" Concubine Zhen blushed with anger, "So what if I don't give it?" "If you don't give it, you will be unhappy. For example," Wang You took two steps, bent down, and his voice became lower and lower, "Isn't the Lord Long Live unwilling to meet the Queen? If you give the money, there will be thoughts Move the method for a while, and miss the two. Or Lafayette sent a letter to Long Live Lord in private that day if he was unhappy or taboo. It was all for the effect of the fifty taels of silver. If it is bad, it can teach Long Live Lord to be unhappy for several days."

"There is such a thing!" Concubine Zhen sighed heavily, biting her small white teeth, "One day..." "Master!" Wang You shouted loudly, but he had nothing else to say. The shrewd Concubine Zhen didn't think it was rude for Wang You to interrupt her so suddenly, she could accept his loyalty, and knew that it was out of the recklessness of the guard, preventing her from saying anything that could make others wary of her. After such a setback, her resentment of being bullied by the emperor disappeared, but the curiosity that the emperor also had to be sought by the eunuchs still existed. After thinking about it for a while, she asked again: "According to this, my lord When an official enters the palace, he has to be covered by the door?"

"Yes!" Wang You replied: "This is a long-standing rule. But in the past, the governor or the vassal was sent only when he came to Beijing, and it was a matter of politeness, so we can't argue about it. It's very different now. Now, whoever pays tribute, or the Lafayette gives food, or sits and listens to the opera, has to pay the "Palace Gate Fee". Needless to say, the governors of other provinces, the adults with red caps can barely deal with it. The most bitter ones are Nanshufang, The gentlemen in the upper study. The Hanlin in the south study is even more incredible."

"how?" "I don't know who came up with the rules. Nanshufang Hanlin is ordered to write poems and articles. When handing in things, you have to give a red envelope, otherwise you will be in trouble." "I don't believe it." Concubine Zhen asked, "Don't they dare to play tricks?" "Why don't you dare? There are so many tricks!" "What kind of trick? Tell me about it." "For example, if there is an ink mark on the manuscript, Lafayette will not be happy to see it. Or if you take something and don't hand it in, Lafayette will not say it until you mention it. One day, Lafayette suddenly remembered to ask After questioning, he said that he hadn't handed it in at all. It took many days, and if he handed it in or not, where should we go to argue? Master, please think, this Hanlin has suffered such a dumb loss, can the official luck be better?"

"Damn it!" Concubine Zhen said bitterly, and then asked: "Is it the same with the Emperor?" "Better." "No! I have to mention it to the emperor." "Slaves beg master not to do this." Wang You lowered his voice and said, "Nowadays, there are quite a lot of people who are jealous of masters. Masters don't think about themselves, they have to think about the boss, there is no need to recruit villains resentment." Hearing this, Concubine Zhen felt wronged.Guixiang was replaced by the right servant of the Ministry of Industry. Dexin's official reputation in Jiangxi was not good, but he was still his governor safely. Only his father Changxu, who has never filled the vacancy.I heard that the emperor mentioned it to the Empress Dowager Cixi, but why didn't there be any more words?Is it because someone said something bad?

Seeing that Concubine Zhen was thinking about something on her mind, Wang You felt that the time had come to speak up, so he said in a low and sincere voice that gave off a sense of trust: "The servant is doing things for the master, day and night, thinking about it all day and night. Yes, how to plan for the good of the master? Now the cost is too high, and it is really terrible to think of a way. There are a few palaces, all of whom are quietly donated money by their mothers, which is really helpless ! With such a noble status, it is supposed to take care of the mother’s family, but who knows that it is not good, but it is tiring to the mother’s family! Thinking about it, I can’t justify it.” "That's right!" Concubine Zhen said anxiously, "That's too unreasonable. What's more..." She wanted to say: "Besides, my natal family is from a family of poetry and rituals, and I have never been a corrupt official, so I can't afford it!" But with Because of being young and good-looking, he retracted the words when he reached the point of his mouth. However, although the words were not uttered, because "and the situation" is the beginning of a deeper theory, so Wang You can guess that she still has other difficulties.In this way, the words are easier to hear. So, Wang You said lightly and cleverly: "In fact, as long as the master says a word, everything will be possible." Concubine Zhen was taken aback for a moment, her thoughts were quick, she immediately thought of it, and immediately made a decision, "You want me to pass the note to the emperor, you can't do it!" She replied sternly. Unexpectedly, Wang You hit a wall as soon as he opened his mouth!It took a lot of effort, and the words had just entered Hong Kong, so naturally he was unwilling to give up halfway, so he gathered his nerves, summoned up his courage again and said, "Master, why don't you find out the tone of the Long Live Lord? The Long Live Zuo Xing can't find anyone!" "You mean, why can't people be found?" "Sichuan Salt Tea Ceremony." Concubine Zhen didn't hear clearly, so she asked, "What way?" "Salt tea ceremony, control salt and tea." "Is there such a shortage? This is the first time I've heard of it." Seeing Wang You's gloomy face, Concubine Zhen thought very vigilantly that no matter what method he tried to make up for the lack of funds in the palace, he had to do his best to dispatch it, which was not appropriate. Let him be too disappointed, and he will be perfunctory first before reasoning, so he added another sentence, "Wait for me to think about it." "Yes!" Wang You agreed, without saying goodbye but without speaking. It seemed to be waiting for her reply.Concubine Zhen felt that he was pushing too hard and was displeased. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly realized that he was not waiting for a reply, but was waiting for herself to ask a question. If you want to perfunctory him, you have to act like it. Who is seeking this position and how much is it going to cost?Don't ask clearly, where do you think about it?So he asked, "Who is it?" "Yes..." Wang You suddenly realized that he must not tell the truth, so he changed his words and replied: "It's an official from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a bannerman, very capable, and has also stayed in Sichuan. He is familiar with both salt and tea. His name It's called Yu Ming." Then, he took out a pre-written white note from his pocket, and offered it with both hands. Concubine Zhen saw the five characters "Zhenglan Qi, Yu Ming" written on it, and asked, "What is his identity?" "Alternate co-prefect." Wang You replied, "I'm raising donations. Only by donating to become a Daoist can I get the vacancy." "Of course the shortage is a good one, otherwise he wouldn't have to bother so much. How did he find you?" "I also heard that the master is very eloquent in front of the Long Live Lord, so I personally came to find the servant and begged the master. I promised this amount." Wang You stretched out his right hand, spread five fingers, and flipped up and down. "How much?" Concubine Zhen didn't understand and didn't believe it, "One hundred thousand?" "yes." "That lack is worth so much money?" "There is no accurate number." Wang You said again: "There is no one in the middle, so this number is obtained." "Is there no one in the middle?" Concubine Zhen muttered to herself, wondering if this could be done? Meditating under the lamp this night, thinking over and over again, I really understood what it means to be in a dilemma.Selling officials to sell nobles has always been despised by him, and the emperor also understands his temperament very well, and he is upright.Now that he contradicts what he says and says it for others, how can he get it out of his mouth? If this way is abandoned, the use of the palace will increase day by day, and the deficit will accumulate more and more, how can we get it?I wish I had someone to discuss with, but the maids are ignorant, not only can't come up with ideas, but also don't know the severity, leaking these words will cause disaster, so they must not be allowed to share secrets.In addition, there is only my elder sister, Jinpin, who is not afraid of leaks, but she is honest, if she knows what happened, she must be afraid, so why bother her? When I think about it, there is nothing I can do. There is only one result: think again slowly.So when Wang You came to inquire the next day, she gave a vague and no definite answer.This meant to wait and see, but Wang You misunderstood, thinking that Concubine Zhen was just waiting for an opportunity to speak to the emperor. Outside the palace, Quan Geng's secret running has produced many tangible results.He found one of Yu Ming's foremen and hooked up with Yu Ming.Straight to the point and talk straight.Yuming heard that there was such a shortcut to the south, so of course he was willing to take it.However, if it does not work, you have to take a closer look. "Master Quan, since you are willing to help me with this favor, you already know that I have entrusted someone to do it. One 'tenon' and one 'hole' must match. Is it okay? Let me ask first." How about asking someone from my side, and then give you an old answer?" "That's why we can't talk about it." Quan Geng replied, "Of course I know your way. That way is also famous, but it may not be fast. Why? Because there are too many people changing hands, and here I only change hands. One hand. Think about it!" Yuming thought to himself, first entrust Taoist priest Gao, and then Li Lianying, and Li Lianying will have to find a chance to mention it to Empress Dowager Cixi.If it is not convenient for a while, or it has been mentioned before, the Empress Dowager Cixi can't remember to hand over the note to the emperor for a while, and she has to find an opportunity to remind her.In this way, I don’t know which year and month to fulfill my wish? Thinking about it this way, he decided to take Wang You's path first.But is there really a way, or is it blindly hitting the wooden clock, it doesn't matter?Can not be careless.Otherwise, throwing away a sum of money in vain, and leaving nothing to talk about, would be too uneconomical. As he muttered, Quan Geng naturally understood that he was just starting out in this business, and that he was no different than Taoist Gao and Li Lianying, who had already made a "signboard" and "reputable" people who came to "deal" with confidence and boldly paid first. silver.Therefore, he has already thought of a way to win people's trust, and he should make it clear at this time. "Treasurer Yu, you don't have to worry. If the matter fails, you don't want a mussel. You might as well try my side first, and stop it that way. When it is effective, I will accept your money. Do you think it's okay? " "That's great." Yu Ming happily replied, "Look at it in half a month, can it be done?" "Of course it's half a month. But you're still the same friend now." "I have already donated the 'Ministry Photo' of 'Pass Class', and I can get it in a few days." "Okay! From the day you get the ministry photo, I will complete it for you in half a month." Quan Geng said again, "You first write me an IOU!" This IOU is modeled on the method of buying a gunman in the township test. Before entering the house, the applicant writes an IOU to the gunman, stating the amount of silver and the date of repayment.If the marksmanship is not good, it is futile and fails to earn a "new imperial examination candidate" for someone, and the written evidence is of course invalid.At this moment, the IOU issued by Yuming must also state "New Sichuan Salt Tea Ceremony". If it is not for this title, this IOU is worthless waste paper. "This method is good. However," Yu Ming also had a very good business plan, and asked, "What if I got the salt and tea ceremony through another way? Isn't this IOU still useful?" "This..." Quan Geng thought for a moment and replied, "This is also easy to handle. Let me ask first, when will you be able to get down the photo of the donated priest?" "About ten more days." "Ten days plus fifteen days, a total of twenty-five days. The date on your IOU is deducted from the day when the twenty-fifth day is written. By that time, if the agreement has been made, how many days will it take for the edict to be issued?" God, let’s get another IOU.” Yu Ming thought about it carefully, and thought it was appropriate to do so, so he nodded and said, "Okay, but I hope it will be successful within twenty-five days, and the IOU will be useful. If it doesn't work for you, I'll try another way." , the date of filling the vacancy is wrong, and this IOU will naturally be invalidated." "That's exactly what you said." Quan Geng said very solemnly: "But there is one thing, 'the law is not passed on to the six ears', shopkeeper Yu, you can't tell the third person what we two are close to each other." "Yes, yes. I understand!"