The Hairpin of the Red Chamber

The author has something to say: the time is connected to the first half of 199

After Baoyu had a heart-to-heart talk with Liu Xianglian, he solemnly came to find Baochai the next day and said, "Sister Bao, brother Liu said that you promised to escape for him, right?"

Baochai and Daiyu were looking at the Nian Geng horoscope sent by the matchmaker. When Baoyu asked, they both looked up and looked at each other with a smile. went around."

Baochai said: "He even told you this? It seems that we had a very happy conversation yesterday."

Baoyu said: "We are both innocent, sister Bao, don't talk nonsense."

Daiyu teased: "She only said that you two had a very happy conversation, and she didn't mention anything else. How could she slander your innocence?"

Baoyu blushed, bowed her head and said nothing.

Seeing his appearance, Daiyu looked suspicious, so she exchanged glances with Baochai, and Baochai smiled and said, "What we promised, we will naturally do, but you, you told him something yesterday. What?"

Baoyu said: "I didn't say anything. It was just that he persuaded me to be an official and benefit the people. I advised him to take care of himself and stop doing this kind of banditry for a living."

Baochai said, "That's all?"

Baoyu vowed: "That's all, nothing else."

Baochai clearly saw that his eyes were wandering, and knew that there must be something hidden in this matter, so she was not in a hurry to point it out, but said: "If you want him to get rid of the crime, that's easy, just use the method you said at the beginning, and say that he is a criminal." The person you sent to the water bandits is."

Baoyu said in amazement: "Sister Bao herself said a lot of disadvantages of this method yesterday, why did she tell me to use this method today?" Then he asked suspiciously, "Sister Bao is prevaricating me, isn't she?"

Baochai laughed and said, "The method is the same, but the people who use it are different."

Baoyu stomped her feet anxiously and said, "What time is it? Sister Bao is just trying to tell me! Tell me quickly."

Seeing that he was impatient, Baochai poured a cup of tea more and more slowly, drank it slowly, and said, "You are just a small county magistrate, with magistrates and fellow magistrates on the top, and county magistrates and canon historians on the bottom. It is natural that there are many inappropriate things to handle this matter, but if it is handled by another person, no one will question it."

Baoyu seemed to have realized something, raised his hand and pointed upwards, Baochai said with a smile, "as long as you change the jurisdiction, you don't have to worry about this matter anymore, but you are a county magistrate attached to the country. "Guo" refers to the county magistrate attached to Guo. His every move is seen by his superiors.

Baoyu said: "However, I am the magistrate of Fuguo County, and the magistrate is a real local official. Within the jurisdiction of Suzhou, everything has to be done by himself. It's different if he handles it. Sister Bao said that it's a different person." Come to do it, is that what you mean?"

Baochai smiled and nodded, Baoyu frowned and said, "However, I am not related to him. I have only been in office for half a year, and I don't even know his temperament. How can I let him act for me?"

Baochai said: "Do you still remember that when you first came to office, we asked Lian's second brother to go around and spread the word that you were a son of a nobleman in the capital, a son of a family, and the son-in-law of Master Tanhualin?"

Baoyu nodded, and Baochai said, "The magistrate has been in the local area for many years, so he is naturally very familiar with Uncle Lin. Knowing that you are his son-in-law, he naturally treats you differently."

Baoyu said: "Looking at it differently, I'm afraid you can't agree to such a thing?"

Baochai shook her head with a smile and said: "You have done a good job in assisting the officials and the people, but you are still not good enough to figure out the Shangguan's mind. What do you think is the most troublesome thing for the prefect?"

Baoyu said in a daze, "It's a water bandit."

Baochai said, "Do you know why they are water bandits?"

Baoyu said: "Because the banditry is serious and threatens the people's livelihood..." Glancing at Baochai, his voice lowered: "This year, the Holy Majesty exempted Jiangnan from money and food, and only took peace as an assessment."

Baochai said with a smile: "Look, you know the truth in your heart, but you just don't want to think about it. When an ordinary person becomes an official, the first thing to worry about is the performance appraisal of the superior. The performance is the most important thing in everything. In pursuit of taxes, if the higher-ups want to rule the people, they must suppress bandits, and the prefect of Suzhou is no exception. Therefore, in the past six months, the servants have all shifted from urging taxes to hunting down water bandits. For all cases related to water bandits, the prefect All need to be personally tested, if you want to ask him to help you, you only need to say the word 'water bandit' first, and half of the work is done."

Baoyu said nonchalantly: "Sister Bao said it lightly, if I could find a group of real water bandits, why would I end up here! Besides, if I catch the water bandits, how can I convince the magistrate that Liu Xianglian is really not a water bandit?" Where's the guy?"

Baochai laughed and said, "If you give him some credit, he will reciprocate naturally." Seeing that Baoyu was still a little confused, he explained: "Liu Xianglian's crime, whether it is big or small, is always between the magistrate's thoughts. That is, he sees that you are a member of a family, and that you know how to flatter and are willing to make fun of you, and that there is an official reason, so he will not make things difficult for you. Your loss is nothing more than a small contribution, but Not only saved Liu Xianglian, but also left an informed evaluation with the magistrate, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages - there is a common saying among those yamen servants, which is called "everyone carries the flowery sedan chair", which means this. As for suppressing bandits? It's not difficult to say that it's difficult. After all, Liu Xianglian has been wandering on the water for so long. If someone like him says that he has no news at all, I don't believe it. You just need to try to persuade him to tell you the truth. It's not possible, I I found out that there are a few green skins in the local area, all of whom have lives in their hands, but they have not been arrested because of some unclear involvement in the yamen. You ask Lian's second brother to bring a team of yamen servants and secretly arrest them. They were caught and said that they tipped off the water bandits and called Liu Xianglian to come out to testify and make a solid case, which will not only eliminate harm for the local area, but also prevent the good people from being wronged.”

Baoyu was stunned for a while, before saying: "Sister Bao, I know that I have to be an official to maintain the family business, but sometimes, I really feel that this place is rotten from head to toe. I...I really look down on these people, I also despise myself."

Baochai smiled wryly and said: "It's not just you, sometimes I also look down on myself, but people live in this world, not just for themselves." A gentle look appeared on her face, and she said with a faint smile: "You and I are like this. Heterogeneous, now he can still stand here properly, discuss the gains and losses of the world, make some cynical remarks, and finally go back to the house to meet his beloved, buy the best clothing, food and shelter for her, and play with her in his spare time , let her live a carefree life, don't have to worry about the world's ridicule, hunger, cold, sickness, what she relies on is this rotten officialdom, and these people you look down on? You and I can't change this world , I have to adapt to it, if I have the ability, I will do my best to make some changes, if I can’t, I will protect the person I want to protect, that’s all.”

Baoyu sighed: "It's true, if I didn't happen to be an official, I wouldn't be able to help you...and Liu Xianglian."

Baochai laughed and said, "So I advise you not to always feel that being an official has wronged you. You must know that without this official, you don't even have the qualifications to express such emotion. Don't always feel that you are acting for your family and others. If you are wronged, you will benefit the most from being an official. Besides, if you scold the officialdom [-] times, it is useless for the country and the family. If you have that time, you might as well do one more thing for the people under your rule. It's actually better."

Baoyu sighed, then turned around and bowed solemnly to Baochai, saying, "Sister Bao, it's all thanks to you that I am today."

Baochai smiled wryly and said, "That's about all I can do to help you. In the future, you still have to go on your own."

Hearing that she mentioned parting again, Baoyu's eyes turned sour. He was afraid of making Baochai sad, so he quickly covered it up, and said with a smile, "since Sister Bao said so, I'll go ask Liu Xianglian immediately, and see what I think about it." The trick is to lie to him and coax him to tell a few people to come out." While talking, he went to look for Liu Xianglian without touching his feet.