He knelt down on the mat, and the words on the document in his hand seemed to be floating.
"Mingfu."
Du Hui hummed.
Xie Ru came in and sat down, sighing, "I wonder what happened to Taiping."
"It was said that there was a surprise attack by more than 400 horse thieves." Du Hui's voice was very calm. "It was too late to rush for help."
Xie Ru hesitated to speak. He felt that Du Hui was too cautious in this matter.
Du Hui put down the document and said in a reminiscence tone: "When I first became an official, it was a smooth journey. Those old men were upright, until they quarreled with the superior for the sake of the people, and couldn't help but curse. From then on, I
So he was driven to Chenzhou, which can be regarded as an exile."
Xie Ru couldn't help but feel sorry for him, "What a pity."
"Yes! What a pity." Du Hui rubbed his brows and felt his eyes brighten a little, "The Shangguan is a powerful person, so no matter how many principles I have, it's useless."
Xie Ru said: "In the Ming Dynasty, power often means truth."
"If I knew this back then, why would I be like this?" Du Hui sneered, "In the past few years since I arrived in Chenzhou, I have been working diligently, but Chang'an still turned a blind eye. Those mediocre people have risen to the top one after another based on their background connections, and we are keeping our feet on the ground.
Those who actually do things have a bleak future. Like a dog!"
Xie Ru smiled bitterly, "Who says it's not the case! Whoever the Shangguan or the Ministry of Revenue wants to promote, they first look at the name and origin, whose family they are from, who they belong to... They have arranged a good place for these first, and the rest
I’m the one waiting.”
There was a hint of coldness in Du Hui's eyes, as if he was mocking something.
"If Taiping County is captured, you will definitely prepare to take it back." Du Hui's thinking was very sharp. "The horse thieves dare not stay for a long time after breaking the city. Otherwise, if the five counties and the state's soldiers encircle them, it will be a trap. People are prepared.
Attack and take back Taiping City as soon as the news comes."
Xie Ru admired this Mingfu's thinking very much, "Yes."
Just as he was about to make arrangements, he heard footsteps.
Why are you so happy?
A sergeant came outside the door and said, "Ming Mansion."
"How?" Du Hui picked up the water glass and covered half of his face with his sleeves. His eyes were full of coldness.
The sergeant said happily: "The horse thieves were defeated in Taiping County."
Um?
Xie Ru was startled, "There are more than four hundred horse thieves, and Deng Hu is deliberately retaliating. How can they be defeated so easily?"
Du Hui was startled and asked: "Explain clearly."
"We caught a fleeing horse thief and said that the Yang Ming Mansion had led a death camp for prisoners to fight. We lined up and waited, and stabbed many horse thief to death with spears. The horse thief then collapsed..."
Xie Ru raised his hand and stabbed it a few times like he was holding a spear, "Is this how you win?"
The sergeant nodded, "He also said that one of their leaders also died in Taiping County."
Du Hui smiled and said: "Good thing, young Yang Mingfu didn't expect to have such abilities, good!"
The sergeant resigned and Xie Ru raised his head, "Mingfu, do you want to go and congratulate me on this matter?"
Du Hui nodded, "Send someone there."
Thank you for going out.
Du Hui picked up the water glass and threw it to the ground. But he took it back halfway.
He took a deep breath and his cheeks trembled slightly, "Do something... Why is it so difficult?! Why is it so difficult!!!"
…
Outside Taiping City, the bodies of more than eighty horse thieves were buried.
"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."
The old thief held up his hands and Cao Ying asked: "Are you offering sacrifice?"
"Although I am in this business, thieves have their own ways and must respect the corpse." The old thief said sadly: "Back then, I was in a desperate situation because of this..."
"But in the tomb?" As the degree of integration continued to deepen, Wang Laoer also spoke more and more.
"Wrong!" The old thief squinted his eyes and looked at the north. "Back then, I was traveling underground. Some people said that the emperor's tombs in Northern Liao were the most luxurious, and they bet that I would not dare to go. At that time, I felt that there was no place in the world that I could not go to, so I became very high-spirited.
It’s gone.”
Wang Laoer became more and more curious, "Have you gone in?"
"Of course I got in." The old thief's eyes became brighter. "The tomb is really luxurious. I didn't want to disturb the corpse, but the bead was too big. When I missed it, I smashed the skull of the corpse."
"Then what?"
"Then!" The old thief looked ahead and suddenly laughed, "Then he was discovered."
"They didn't beat you to death? How kind." Wang Laoer felt that the old thief was very lucky.
"No, they wish they could crush me to pieces. What a journey! I will never forget my escape." The old thief sighed.
Cao Ying turned around and asked, "Then why did you go to jail?"
The old thief smiled bitterly, "Those guards chased me all the way. Even after I returned to the Tang Dynasty, they still kept coming..."
He said helplessly: "I have no choice but to find an opportunity to commit a crime and go to jail to escape."
Yang Xuan's eyelids were beating wildly.
"To be a good person, you need to be a good person, and to rob tombs, you need to rob the tombs of emperors." Suzaku summed it up in two sentences.
"I've seen the Ming Mansion!"
"I've seen the Ming Dynasty."
On the way back, I met many people and they all saluted.
An old man knelt down with a piece of horse meat and burst into tears: "The last time I ate meat was four years ago. Thank you Mingfu."
"Get up!" Yang Xuan frowned, "Don't kneel down!"
The old man was helped up, and he held his hands towards Yang Xuan, "Look back, I pray for Mingfu every day." He turned around and murmured: "There are good people in this world after all. I have endured it for decades,
I finally found a good Mingfu..."
Several women gathered together, and after seeing Yang Xuan, they stared at him boldly.
"In the Ming Dynasty, slave fifteen is the best at serving people."
"In the Ming Dynasty, slaves will beat their backs."
"Slave knows how to cook."
Yang Xuan coughed dryly and said, "Go and get the horse meat."
"Young man, your waist hasn't grown yet, so don't let anyone do it to you." Suzaku's poisonous tongue opened.
Many war horses were captured today, and many were killed. They were slaughtered and distributed according to merit.
And all the people in the city who went out to clean the battlefield had horse meat. Even a child being carried on a back or an old man being carried had horse meat.
Later the city was filled with the smell of horse meat.
The adults were busy by the stove, while the children were waiting anxiously outside.
"Aye, are you okay?"
"Auntie, I'm hungry!"
Here, eating meat is a luxury.
"For these people, the Ministry of Husbandry, the Ministry of Punishment, and the prefecture all want to do as long as they starve to death. It doesn't matter if some of them starve to death if necessary." Cao Ying said very calmly, and the people who listened were also very calm.
You can see the feasting and feasting in Chang'an, and you can see the rich and noble people giving alms to beggars and poor people. They will see the miserable people crying. But in northern Xinjiang, the officials are struggling to support themselves, and the people are working hard to survive...
They were eager to get Chang'an's attention at first, but after being disappointed again and again, they stopped looking south.
"Every county magistrate is extremely disgusted with these criminals and often scolds and beats them." Cao Ying said: "Lang Jun ordered them to perform meritorious service and atone for their crimes. This is a favor. How could they not be moved."
"No, that's not what's important." Yang Xuan said: "In the eyes of Chang'an and the successive county magistrates, they are all cattle, but I regard them as human beings."
Cao Ying was shocked.
Yang Xuan entered the county house.
On the right front, Cao Ying saw an armored prisoner bowing respectfully with his hands crossed.
"people?"
Cao Ying silently recited this word.
"Aye!"
He saw the armored criminal turning around and squatting down. In front of him, a girl stumbled towards him. Not far behind him, a woman looked at this scene with a smile.
The criminal was kneeling on one knee. Even though he couldn't see his expression, Cao Ying could tell from his gentle movements that the criminal must have a gentle face at this moment.
This is people!
"Have you ever fought with your husband?" Yi Niang's first question was heartwarming.
"No."
"Then go take a bath quickly, hey! Those evil spirits and so on... please ask God to drive them away."
Please God?
After coming out of the shower, the whole family was squatting by the side, watching Yi Niang operate.
"Master, please sit down."
Yang Xuan sat down.
Yi Niang didn't know where she got the instrument and raised her hand.
"Pipa!" Zhuque heard it, "Xiao Xuanzi, it would be great if your last name was Bai."
The sound of the pipa was fierce, and Yi Niang had to conduct the ceremony while playing the pipa.
"The old thief is full of yin energy, and the gods are not happy with it. The second thief is pure and kind, so the second thief will come."
Old thief: "I haven't touched gold for many years."
Cao Ying coughed dryly and said, "I don't have a good memory. I'll take care of myself at home in the future."
The ancestral grave of Chunyu family!
Wang Laoer came forward to place incense and then bowed.
"Bow down."
"Two obeisances."
"Three obeisances."
The sound of the pipa became more and more intense.
Yi Niang muttered, "My husband kills all evil people. God, please enjoy the incense and go back to say good things to my husband... By the way, drive away evil spirits!"
Clang clang clang!
Yang Xuan sat there on his knees, with Suzaku shouting in his ears, "Where does the evil spirit come from? Tell her, the more people kill people, the less the evil spirit will dare to get close."
Yi Niang suddenly ordered: "Okay, Lao Cao, hurry up and say goodbye."
Cao Ying cupped her hands and blurted out a word of thanks.
Yiniang praised: "Old Cao is indeed a gentleman when he blurts out these words."
After dinner, Yang Xuan took Wang Laoer for a walk to eat.
The smell of meat could be heard in every house. A child was sitting outside, holding a bowl with a piece of meat on it. He carefully picked up the piece of meat, took a sip first, and then took a bite of the cake. After finishing the cake, there was still a piece of meat left.
Most of it. The child turned around and went in, "Mom, I can't eat it. You can eat the rest."
Yang Xuan looked at this scene thoughtfully.
After returning, he gathered everyone to discuss the matter.
“How to make Taiping people eat meat!?”
Yang Xuan raised this question.
"I can't afford it." Cao Ying shook her head, "How can we raise those chickens, ducks, or pigs if we can't even feed people."
"How about raising cattle and sheep?" Yang Xuan held a piece of dried mutton in his hand.
Wang Laoer's eyes shone, "Lang Jun."
Cao Ying frowned, "It's good to raise cattle and sheep, but... I'm worried that horse thieves and foreigners will come to plunder and be robbed."
"We got more than a hundred horses this time, and we will get more than a hundred horses later." Yang Xuan said, "The scouts often go out to investigate."
Cao Ying nodded, "Such a great kindness. Why don't you wait until next spring? Just go and plunder a few small tribes, and kill people to establish your authority."
"No, go now." Yang Xuan threw the dried mutton to Wang Laoer, who was so happy that he jumped three feet high.
"Why?" Yi Niang also didn't understand.
Yang Xuan said with a smile: "It is difficult for mutton to grow in autumn and winter. You have to raise it until spring when the pasture is abundant. During this period, you will lose money. So it should be the cheapest time to buy sheep now."
"Mr. Lang actually knows this?"
The old thief said in surprise.
"It's just some elementary school questions." Yang Xuan said calmly: "Such things need to be eloquent, cunning, and old thieves."