City gate.
Several county officials became increasingly agitated, and they tried their best to persuade, win over, threaten, and abuse.
But no matter what they did, the county officials in front of them were determined and blocked the city gate, insisting on interrogation.
The county official couldn't bear it any longer, "I said let it go, and I will let it go!"
"Do you, a mere county official, dare to stop me here?"
The county officials said nothing, but stood side by side at the city gate.
More and more people are coming in and out, and there is no way to pass. People are shouting and venting their dissatisfaction, but the county officials don't care at all. They just block the road. As a city gate official, they cannot squeeze out anything from the people who go in and out of the city.
With some benefits, can he still be considered a qualified city gatekeeper?
The county officials looked at each other and then stepped forward to push. They did not dare to use weapons directly and wanted to use their numerical advantage to push away the few people in front of them.
Seeing that the situation was becoming more and more chaotic, Monk Hu, who was leading the carriage, stopped the county officials.
He got out of the car and walked calmly in front of the county official, "Since the superior officer wants to investigate, let's do it. Since things are done according to the law, we should obey it."
The county officials began to conduct interrogations and collected taxes from them. After working for a long time, they were allowed to enter the city.
Next, several more groups of carriages appeared, some led by monks and some not. But when they came to the city gate, the first thing they did was to go straight to the familiar county officials, check the place, and then go in directly.
.
The county officials blocked the city gate for a long time, and the harvest was already very good.
When the time came, they changed their posts with the people who came, and someone took over from them to continue to guard the city gate, while they returned to the county government office with their things.
At this moment, a group of people galloped from the city on horseback.
There were eight people in total, each riding a horse. They rushed to the city gate, then jumped down and walked in front of the county officials.
As soon as the county official saw the person, he immediately felt courageous and hurriedly stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, these are the people who have been here since morning, harassing and extorting money. We tried to stop them, but we were insulted and beaten by them."
The prince listened to his subordinates' words and looked at the county officials in front of him coldly.
"Okay, openly blackmailing the people entering and leaving the city gate, how brave!"
"Come here, tie up all these people!"
Upon hearing these words, several county officials pulled out their sabers in unison and looked at the county officials with fierce eyes. As long as they dared to step forward, they would dare to chop.
The county officials who were shouting to come forward were so frightened that they stayed where they were and did not dare to come forward again.
These county officials were all brought by Taozi from Cheng'an.
They were not county officials in the past, they were a group of bandits.
Even though they were wearing official uniforms, when they drew their swords, their faces were ferocious and their expressions were ferocious. Their ferocity was not on the same level as that of Liyang County officials.
The prince's face was gloomy, "If you disobey the superior's order, you will be killed with a rod. If you dare to resist, don't you take the law seriously?"
At this moment, a man led a big horse and ran out from nowhere. Behind him were several county officials.
The one who came out was naturally Yao Xiong.
Seeing Yao Xiong, several county officials put away their knives and hurriedly bowed to him.
Yao Xiong looked at the county officials in front of him unscrupulously, "Don't try to scare people with any laws. There are laws in the temple, and you are not allowed to disobey the officials. But you, what rank are you in?"
The prince was furious, his face turned red, "I am a county official, and you are county officials. I am the superior official."
"Which law stipulates this? You said that the county magistrate should listen to the prefect. I know this, but I have never heard that the county officials should listen to the county officials."
"Besides, how come there are gatekeepers in this county?"
"Do you know the law?"
Yao Xiong asked loudly.
Suddenly someone came forward and whispered something to the prince. The prince's eyes immediately changed when he looked at Yao Xiong, and he quietly took a step back.
"I know the law! We are here to monitor these county officials!"
"Monks, a distinguished family, they are all specially favored and are exempted from tax and corvee. It is known to us that these city gatekeepers are extorting good people who come in and out of the city! We want to bring these people back.
County government interrogation!"
Yao Xiong chuckled, holding the handle of the knife with his right hand, "I don't want to surrender to anyone, what can you do?"
The prince's lips trembled for a long time, then he gestured to the left and right, and rode away again.
Seeing them leaving, Yao Xiong waved to his family, asking them to come closer to him, and continued to give instructions: "Don't be afraid of these villains. If they want to do you harm, just kill them! The worst is to exchange one life for another, what's the matter?
Afraid?"
"Everyone is staring at the city gate, keeping an eye on those 'good people'. If a fly from a good family flies into the city gate, I will have to squeeze out blood!"
Hearing Yao Xiong's words, several people laughed.
"Don't worry, Lord Yao. We are all from Cheng'an. We see a lot of this kind of thing at Cheng'an City Gate. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it!"
Several county officials guarding the city gate stood opposite, listening to their conversation with pale faces.
Who the hell are these people?
"The Duke of the County!"
Hearing the sound outside, Zhao Kai hurriedly threw away the arrow in his hand, signaled to the left and right to guard the door, and walked out quickly.
As soon as I walked out, I saw the county official named Wang.
At this moment, his face was full of grievances, and he almost cried.
"Mr. Zhao, the county government is bullying people too much, bullying people too much!"
"Those people are not officials at all, they are all unreasonable robbers!"
"They want to kill people at every turn. When I asked them why they extorted people coming in and out, they actually said: This is what they want to do, what can they do to me?"
"Several city gates have been occupied by people from the county government, and our people cannot get any benefits."
The royal officials have been in Liyang for many years, but they have never suffered such grievances, nor have they seen such arrogant and unreasonable people. This person did not come to Liyang to be an official, but he clearly came to be a robber.
If you rob the convoy today, you will rob the people tomorrow?
Looking at the pitiful Wang Li who was wiping his tears, Zhao Kai's face was also quite ugly.
"How many people are there in the county government now?"
"I don't know, there should be more than fifty. It's almost full."
"Now that they are meddling in city gate affairs, will they meddle in other things next?"
Zhao Kai, who had always remained calm, finally couldn't sit still at this moment.
If Taozi wants to kill someone, let him kill him, but meddling in government affairs is enough to cause huge losses.
The officials who guard the city gates are very humble and despicable, but this power is very important and cannot be transferred to the county government just like that.
Zhao Kai pondered for a moment, "Prepare the carriage and horses."
"only!!"
Zhao Kai got into the car and rushed towards the county government office.
For the first time, a look of worry appeared on his face. He was not afraid that Taozi would kill someone, but he was afraid that Taozi would seize power.
Although the county is one level higher than the county, the things they are responsible for are indeed different. The reason why he can send people to watch the city gates and send people to collect taxes is all because of suppressing the county government. The power of the county government cannot be released, so he can say
After all, Taozi's current actions are directly aimed at regaining the power of the county government.
Another Shi Yao?
Shi Yao still had no backing and no influence. He was just a bad scholar who only knew how to read bad books. But the county magistrate had the support of the Lu family, and the Lu family had King Changshan sitting in charge.
Among the princes of Gao, King Changshan is still very important. Except for His Majesty who passed away, he is the most powerful.
But now, Zhao Kaixin had a very scary thought.
Even Zhao Kai can only walk on foot in the county government office, and this county government office is completely different from the county government office. After entering the door, you can see the neat gravel road, pavilions on both sides, and the small lake in the distance.
What kind of county government is this? It is simply the residence of a wealthy family.
There were also many people in the county government office, and many of them were obviously not county officials. They were wearing luxurious clothes and raised their heads. Even when they saw Zhao Kai, they would not stop to salute.
The people patrolling back and forth were not county soldiers, but private guards, but their equipment was more luxurious than that of the county soldiers.
There are no county officials in the county government office. The county officials all work in the small courtyard next door, which is not much different from the county government office. The entire huge county government office belongs to only one person.
The current governor.
Zhao Kai walked for a long time and finally stopped in front of a large backyard. He lowered his head and remained motionless. After a long time, a servant took him into the backyard.
As soon as I walked into the backyard, I saw Buddhist monuments erected everywhere, with scriptures written on them.
All kinds of decorations also have a touch of Buddhism.
When Zhao Kai walked into the inner room, he heard someone chanting Buddhist scriptures.
Zhao Kai didn't dare to disturb him and just stood aside timidly.
In front of Zhao Kai, there were two people sitting.
A middle-aged man with an ugly appearance, who at first glance looked somewhat similar to Gao Yang, had his hands clasped together and his eyes closed tightly, listening to the chanting of the monk opposite.
The monk sitting opposite him was quite old and had a long white beard. He looked compassionate and was reciting scriptures in a low voice.
Zhao Kai waited anxiously for a long time. Finally, the monk finished reciting. He stood up and saluted the ugly man in front of him.
"Don't worry, His Majesty Daxing has always been kind and respectful to Buddha. He is already enjoying bliss at the moment."
After hearing this, the ugly man actually shed tears. He wiped his tears and quickly stood up to return the greeting, "Thank you, thank you so much."
The man escorted the old monk to the door. Zhao Kai quickly saluted the two men, but was ignored by the two men.
The old monk left the inner room gracefully, but the ugly man looked at Zhao Kai.
"Why aren't you at home in mourning?!"
Zhao Kai was shocked and quickly knelt down in front of the other party, "Your Majesty! Something big happened in the city, I dare not not come."
The man grabbed Zhao Kai's hair and pulled him up forcefully. Zhao Kai grimaced in pain but did not dare to resist.
"What big thing, what big thing is more important than me worshiping the Buddha and reciting scriptures for His Majesty Daxing?!"
"Your Majesty! This morning, all the carriages and horses entering the city gate were stopped. The carriage and boat taxes were paid in full, and a lot of goods were taken away from the city entry tax. The losses were huge."
After hearing these words, the ugly man finally let go.
He asked in shock: "Whose goods are these?"
"It's from Chongguang Temple and the Li family."
Hearing this, the ugly man was furious, "Why are you blocking their stuff? Do you know that the commission is all for me?!"
"Your Majesty, it wasn't me who stopped it, it was Xinxian Cheng Liu Taozi who did it!"
The ugly man was thoughtful, he turned around, walked a few steps, then sat down, and motioned for Zhao Kai to come over and sit down with him.
Zhao Kai carefully sat next to the other party, not daring to show any slightness.
"Why would he do this?"
Zhao Kai replied: "The reason for blackmailing people into the city is naturally for money."
"Why, didn't I ask you to give him a share? Did you swallow it all to yourself?"
The man looked at Zhao Kai, but he was not angry. He shook his head, "Kai, I can understand that you love money, but you can't swallow things given to others. To make money, everyone must earn it together."
.Let’s make a fortune together.”
The prefect talked to Zhao Kai about the principles of making money, from whether to swallow it or not, to how to swallow it openly and fairly.
The prefect had his own theory, "The ratio must be clear. If you contribute more, you will get more; if you contribute less, you will get less. Why don't you understand?"
Zhao Kai's lips twitched for a moment, and then he said: "Prefect, I was wrong. He is not for money. I am afraid that this person is just like that stone donkey."
After hearing this, the prefect finally lost his composure, "What?! Another lunatic like Shi Yao?!"
The prefect slapped his forehead in pain, "Why does Daqi have such a lunatic?"
"If they don't care about money or sex, what else do you think they can do as officials?"
"I guess it's the title of the picture."
"Names are useless. I really don't understand. How can I meet such a lunatic? What a bad luck! What a bad luck!"
Zhao Kai reminded again: "Your Majesty, this person is more difficult to deal with than Shi Yao. Although his official position is low, he still has the Lu family as his backer."
The prefect waved his hand, "The Lu family is nothing, what's important is my sixth cousin!"
"My cousin has a very bad temper. Back then, he dared to whip people in front of Emperor Daxing. What's more, now that Emperor Daxing is gone, who do you think can still suppress him??"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Kai quickly complimented: "Isn't there your aunt? The Queen Mother must be able to suppress him."
Prefect Lou Rui laughed and said, "If my aunt comes forward, then of course there is no problem. She loves me the most, but she is my cousin."
Lou Rui suddenly looked at Zhao Kai and asked: "What do you think of the current prince?"
Fear flashed in Zhao Kai's eyes, and he quickly lowered his head, "I, I, I don't know."
"Yes, yes! You are very good at mocking, the prince is just like you now!"
“My subordinates don’t dare!!”
Zhao Kai's pants were about to get wet, but Lou Rui said disdainfully: "The prince is cowardly and incompetent. His teachers and cronies are all Han people. He likes these crazy Han people the most. Even I think he is not worthy of being the emperor, but I am
The sixth cousin is brave and staunch, and has the most prestigious reputation."
Zhao Kai's pants were really wet this time.
Lou Rui suddenly stopped and looked at Zhao Kai, who was shaking like a sieve in front of him, "Stop mocking my prince. Although he is weak, he is my relative after all!"
Zhao Kai quickly raised his head and said, "I don't dare."
"Anyway, I think the next thing won't be too simple. Don't be too anxious about dealing with this crazy Liu. I'll check with my cousin first. But, he can't let him do the great things in this city.
broken."
"In the past few years, Liyang's tax revenue has been quite good. Otherwise, I would have submitted a letter to become the governor, and I would still be here to be a prefect. This is a good job, and I can't let it go bad."
Zhao Kai was also confused, "Then what should my subordinates do?"
"It's very simple."
"First of all, don't destroy his life, don't openly confront him, don't hurt him, King Changshan must give him enough face! In addition, don't let him do bad things, don't let me suffer, and the money I should earn cannot be less.
"
"Okay, that's it, go ahead and do it."
"If you can't do it, I'll chop off your head."
Zhao Kai walked out of the county office in a daze, his eyes empty and lifeless. He looked down and finally felt the moisture in his crotch. He walked into the car in silence, feeling a little desperate in his heart.
None of these fucking royal family members are normal, they are all crazy.
If I am not allowed to use force and I am allowed to protect my interests, should I go to his door and kneel down to beg him?
He returned to the house in despair, quickly called someone over, and handed the letter in his hand to him.
"Send more people and send me to Jinyang as quickly as possible and deliver it to King Changshan!"
"If it takes too long, I'll chop your head off!!"
The man responded quickly, took the letter and left quickly.
After sending this person away, Zhao Kai called another person. At this moment, he changed his clothes, his face was full of irritability and madness, "Go to the prison and get me a throwing pot."
Soon, wailing sounds could be heard in the Zhao Mansion.
Zhao Kai wiped the blood on his hands, walked out of the inner room, and boasted to the people beside him, "I hit all three arrows!"
The man also hurriedly praised him and said: "Mr. Zhao is really a master of ghosts and gods. We admire him."
Zhao Kai was in a good mood and no longer had the fear he had before. He suddenly stopped and pondered for a moment, "I have a solution."
"You go find it now."
At night, Liyang County Government Office was extremely quiet.
Although some people have been recruited, the county government office has not been filled and it still seems a bit empty.
The cold wind blew and flapped at the many doors. The sound passed through the corridor and sounded like bursts of crying.
A red figure suddenly appeared and slowly approached the backyard.
This figure seemed to appear suddenly, covered in red. In such darkness, it was very scary. The red figure slowly came to the window, and its tongue hung from the corner of its mouth to its chest.
It stood blankly at the window, the cold wind continued to blow, and it made a faint sobbing sound.
There was silence in the house.
It cried for a long time, but there was no movement. It stopped crying and gently tapped the window in front of it with its hand.
Its intensity became more and more rapid, and in the end, it simply started to dig out the window in front of it, making an unpleasant noise.
But no matter what he did, there was no movement in the room.
The 'ghost' was discouraged, turned around and prepared to go to the door.
"Why."
Suddenly someone tapped it on the shoulder.
At this moment, the ghost screamed in fear. It ran away, jumped onto the wall in front of it, and started running wildly on the roof. As soon as it ran for a while, it saw a person in front of it who also jumped onto the wall.
, the man was disheveled, looking at him in surprise and confusion, as if he was frightened.
Then there was a sound from behind again, and it jumped directly into the house next door.
Just after running a few steps, a black shadow rushed towards it. It was knocked to the ground, and before it had time to resist, several punches fell on its face.
The fist was so powerful and heavy that it had never received such a fist before.
Two punches hit the face, and it immediately stopped moving.
ps: If you don’t live in a temple and go out among the people, your eloquent words must be tested. Every time you walk in the city, people will surround you, because you shout with your fingers on your chest and say: Pity you, the common people don’t know anything, and they don’t know Master Atu of Bingzhou.——"
The Biography of the Divine Monk·Volume 3》
Rui (Lou Rui) had no other abilities, so he was honored by his relatives and indulged in wealth and sex. He served as the governor of Yingzhou and never tired of amassing money. - "Book of Northern Qi·Volume 15"
Chapter completed!