The cold wind is blowing, and the dead leaves are falling.
The sun rarely broke out of the thick clouds, peering into Chang'an City, but it could not give the busy people any warmth. Boats were coming and going on the river outside Chunming Gate in the east of the city, and the docks were full of helpers carrying supplies, but no one noticed.
Carriage after carriage quietly left the city against the cold wind.
There is a Juxian Village five miles outside the city. The village has beautiful mountains and clear waters, winding paths, and elegant scenery. There is an attic near the water, with green trees and swaying flowers, which are stubborn and green in the cold wind.
The carriage slowly came over, and after it stopped, a man in rich clothes got out. Immediately, an elegant and beautiful woman came up to answer, and led him into the attic. The attic was already full of guests, and it was lively and noisy. The charcoal on several stoves was burning red, and it exploded from time to time.
A spark, as warm as spring, is completely different from the desolation and decay of the outside world.
The person sitting at the head of the table was none other than Kong Yingda, a great scholar of the generation, and with his status as a descendant of Kong Sheng, no one dared to look down upon him.
In the corner, several beautiful women were playing music for fun, but who was really going to appreciate it? They were all drinking and gossiping, so happy. Even Kong Yingda was so drunk that his face was red, and he was in high spirits. He raised his glass and said: "Everyone, have another drink, in order to win the judges."
Congratulations!"
The students of the Imperial Academy jointly submitted a letter, the candidates went on strike to protest, and with pressure from hundreds of officials, Li Er, for unknown reasons, agreed to arrange another candidate for the review, but the examiner remained unchanged.
As long as you have the right to review, what does it matter who takes the exam? At that time, it won’t be enough for everyone to say who did well in the exam. Once you have the right to speak, nothing else will matter.
"Thank you Master Kong!" Everyone raised their glasses and expressed their sincere thanks. Thinking that Jinke, a member of the family, would have the opportunity to be on the list and enter the official career, their hearts became more and more passionate and excited.
Some people couldn't help but say: "The martial arts king of Han is not familiar with the meaning of the classics. In my opinion, I am afraid that I have not understood the four books and five classics. What kind of test questions can I come up with? All the sons of your tribe are talented, and they are familiar with the classics, far better than the king of Han."
Winning the ranking is easy, come on, everyone raises your glasses again and congratulates in advance!"
"That's right. I heard that the King of Han was naughty when he was a child. He didn't understand poetry and books, and couldn't write well. What kind of exam questions could such a person ask? Otherwise, in the future, the examiners will suggest that those warriors be the ones. The questions are simple. You and my family can do it.
Wouldn’t it be great if the middle and younger generations passed easily?”
"This statement should come to light!"
"Hahaha!"
Everyone raised their glasses generously and was excited.
After a few glasses of wine, the topic gradually changed. One person said: "Everyone, let me tell you some good news. The department store has adjusted its operations and is now very popular. It sells tens of thousands of guan every day. In the past two days, it received orders of more than 200,000 guan. On the other hand,
The market closed early this morning and cannot continue to operate."
In fact, the market is Xiu Mu, and it is also a smoke bomb released by Qin Huaidao.
Everyone didn't know it and laughed.
Some people couldn't help but say: "If this happens, wouldn't it mean that the Department Store is the only one?"
"Of course, you guys can wait to get rich." The person just now said with a smile.
"The market is closed, so our department store can raise prices on the ground. It's New Year's Day, and the roads are blocked by heavy snow, making it difficult for goods to enter Chang'an. We take the opportunity to raise prices to make up for the losses in the past few days. Isn't that pleasant?"
"I agree, not only do we have to raise the price, but we have to raise it significantly so that those unscrupulous people can spit out all the advantages they have taken. I never thought that the King of Han would be where he is today. Hahaha, you guys have it, win!"
"Drink victory!"
Everyone became excited, as if they had won a battle.
At this time, the general manager of the department store opened the door and rushed in, shouting anxiously: "Everyone, it's bad, the merchant who agreed to supply the goods suddenly disappeared, and there is no goods in Chang'an today."
"What do you mean?" Everyone was a little confused and looked at the manager.
The general manager explained anxiously: "The merchant who supplied us has disappeared. Without goods coming in, we cannot deliver goods to others on time. As of today, the department store has received orders of 300,000 yuan, of which 200,000 yuan is three times the number."
Fine, I thought it was a sure deal, but who knew the supplier disappeared."
"Disappeared?"
Everyone was startled, then thought of something, and their expressions changed drastically.
"Crack!"
Many people dropped their glasses and were shocked. One of them asked: "Three times the fine, doesn't it mean a fine of 600,000 yuan? Why did you place such an order?"
"Yes, why would you agree to such an order?" Many people asked.
The manager looked bitter and quickly explained: "The price offered by the other party is high, and the department store is in a hurry to get back the money, and the delivery date is sufficient. It's just a flip-flop. It's a sure-profit deal. Who knows who will supply us?"
He disappeared suddenly. If I hadn't been uneasy and afraid of people checking, I might not have known about it."
"More than one company supplies goods to the department store, and all of them have disappeared?"
"They're all gone." The manager's face turned bitter as if he were mourning for his heir.
Someone suddenly became alarmed and said: "Something is wrong. The disappearance of one family may be an accident. There is definitely something wrong with multiple disappearances at the same time. This is a conspiracy. Someone wants to harm us. Could it be the King of Han?"
When everyone heard the word "King of Han", their pupils suddenly shrank.
It is actually the name of a person and the shadow of a tree!
The manager quickly said: "It shouldn't be the case. There is more than one person who placed the order, and they have all been operating in Chang'an City for many years. They have a good reputation. They should not be from the King of Han."
"Who else but the King of Han dares to scheme against our department store?"
"Are you looking for death?"
"Let's go find out who it is and want triple the fine. There's no way."
The crowd was so excited that no one dared to provoke the King of Han openly, and others did not take him seriously.
The steward's face was full of anxiety, and sweat began to form on his forehead in the middle of winter. He quickly interrupted: "Everyone, listen to me. Although it is impossible to be the King of Han, the attack is menacing. The Chang'an County Government has accepted the case and sent someone to handle it.
The Department Store Pavilion has been sealed. If I hadn't happened to be away, I would have been arrested. It's a very important matter. I can only come here to report to you first, and then go to the county government office to ask about the situation."
"Go together, go together!"
"Yes, let's see where Magistrate Ma got the courage to seal up our department store."
"Let's go and have a look!"
Everyone put down their wine glasses angrily and stood up one after another.
The group hurried out and got into their carriages.
Different from the quietness when we came, we went back together, the long motorcade was very menacing.
Not long after, everyone entered the city and went straight to the county government office.
Ma Zhou, who was drinking and chatting with Wang Xuance in the backyard, heard the report. He smiled at each other and stood up and said, "They are in a hurry. I'll go take a look. Wait for a while and then drink again when I come back."
"This time we have Lord Lao Ma." Wang Xuance said with a smile.
"You're welcome. The evidence is solid and written in black and white. I'm sorry they can't say anything?" Ma Zhou said goodbye and hurried to the front yard and walked into the lobby.
The lobby was already overcrowded. Ma Zhou was filled with indignation when he saw that everyone was full of alcohol and noisy like a vegetable market. He sneered in his heart and sat at the head of the table. Jingmu Tang slapped him and shouted: "Who is here and what are you telling me?"
"Quiet, mighty!"
The three squadrons of government officials shouted in unison, with a somewhat scary tone.
An inexplicable sense of majesty broke out, shocking everyone to shut up and calm down.
The general manager of the Department Store Pavilion came forward and bowed: "I am the general manager of the Department Store Pavilion. I heard that your Excellency just sent people to seal down the Department Store Pavilion. I don't know why? Please let me know."
"Someone reported that you couldn't deliver the goods as expected. Is this true?" Ma Zhou asked knowingly.
"Sir, the delivery date signed by the department store and the customer is still a few days away. The time has not yet been determined. Why do you think that the department store has broken the contract?" the manager asked in return.
Ma Zhou had already made plans and said coldly: "No one said that you broke the contract. The reason why the department store was sealed was because I was worried that you would not be able to deliver the goods overdue and escape privately. If that happened, the items in the department store would be used to compensate.
According to official statistics, the goods in the department store are worth more than 100,000 yuan, which is not enough to compensate. You came at the right time, can you tell me how to solve this matter?"
"Seizing down the department store before the time is up is simply ridiculous. It delays the department store's business. Who is responsible for the loss?" someone asked angrily.
Ma Zhou's eyes turned cold, he stared at the other party and shouted: "Are you teaching me to solve the case?"
"I don't dare, but you can't act recklessly either." The other party said with a straight face.
"It's already halfway through the delivery date. I heard that your supplier has disappeared. Even if you find a new supplier, it will take two days at the earliest. It will take another two days to prepare the goods again. It will take two o'clock to get them to Chang'an. In this way, it will take
Six days have passed, and there is a risk of not being able to deliver the goods on time. I received the complaint and seized the department store as collateral. What is wrong?" Ma Zhou stared at the other party and asked coldly.
The other party's face froze when asked, and he was unable to answer the call.
The general manager of the department store quickly said: "As long as the time is not known, the department store will not be considered a breach of contract. You cannot seal the department store and affect our business. Mr. Ma is shielding others."
Ma Zhou sneered and said: "If someone files a complaint, I have to accept it. To ignore it is to allow your department store store to deceive the victim. As long as the department store store puts out 600,000 yuan and puts it in the county government as a guarantee, the department store store will open immediately.
If the delivery is on time, the deposit will be returned in full, and the official will compensate for the shortfall. If it cannot be returned in full, how about the deposit being paid to the victim as a penalty?"
"impossible!"
"Why should I pay a deposit?"
"If the time is not up, it is not considered a breach of contract, and you cannot take any punitive action."
Everyone yelled and started to lose control of their emotions.
Ma Zhou curled his lips disdainfully. He dared to fight the King of Han even with this method, and he never died. He said coldly: "I will neither protect the sufferer nor give the department store a convenient door. The deposit is a compromise. As long as you pay
Come out, the department store store will continue to open for business, and the victims can feel at ease. Since the victims have complained to the county government, I will not ask any questions, let you deceive them, and fail to hand over the goods. Doesn't it mean that they are covering up and condoning crime? "
The words were resounding.
He was obviously protecting the sufferer, but he couldn't find any fault with him.
Everyone in the department store looked cold, but they didn't know what to do. As Ma Zhou said just now, once the supplier runs away, it will be too late to find someone to supply the goods again. There is indeed a possibility of breach of contract.