Emperor Que Shaohua

Canglang Pavilion is a spacious three-story building.After the dinner, a group of officials and ministers, under the hospitality of the host, came to visit this book collection pavilion located in the corner of Biluo Garden with some curiosity.

There are faintly visible candles floating in the garden at night. Qian Fu thinks that the multicolored halo of glazed lamps will disrupt the natural tranquility of the garden. Each candle lamp is decorated with translucent discs made of pearl oysters. It is only the size of a fist, and it is placed on the side of the flowing water, with a lustrous and soft luster, and the surrounding several feet seem to be immersed in milky white pearls.

Everyone walked into the Canglang Pavilion, and the furnishings inside were simple and heavy. As far as the eye could see, there were shelves of books, and the special wooden shelves were full of scrolls. Several quiet rooms were hung with calligraphy and paintings by famous masters, and there were book pages in the building. The fragrance of ink that has been precipitated for a long time.If there are any deficiencies, it may be that the Canglang Pavilion is not old enough, and the background needs to be accumulated.

After appreciating and appreciating for a while, the visitors climbed to the third floor one after another.The space here is relatively wide, and the window lattices on all sides have been opened.The window screens of Canglang Pavilion are all silver-red, like crimson clouds and smoke, and the shimmering lights in the Biluo Garden are like fireflies under the moonlight, showing a kind of mystery and dream that is different from the daytime.

King Jing entered the room together with others, and saw Shen Ling, the deputy commander of Jing Yuwei, standing in front of a silk window and looking out.Luo Pingyuan was not in Luocheng, and Shen Ling was in charge of Jingyuwei's affairs. Just now, he was in the Flower Hall of Qian Mansion, and Deputy Commander Shen came over to greet him.

In a blink of an eye, he saw Kong Shangye, the governor of Los Angeles, in front of a bookshelf by the wall, intently admiring the stacks of maps placed on it.Kong Shangye likes to collect maps of mountains and rivers from all over the world. Many people in Beijing know this little hobby, and it is no wonder that he was attracted by the collection in front of him.

Most of the guests' attention gradually shifted to watching the night view, and they praised in a low voice.

At this moment, a clear sound of the qin passed by, it seemed to be very far away, but also seemed to be close to the ear, and Bai Ruohan had already sat down in front of the qin at some point.The sound of the piano is flowing, first the spring is gentle, and the tune is bright and joyful, it is a welcome song.She is cold in front of people, but when she hears this song, she is like a beautiful woman welcoming guests by her side, with a smile and witty words, making one feel at ease.

At the end of the song, the sound of the zither paused, and after a while, the sound of lingling strings reappeared. At first, it was like the sound of pattering rain, and gradually became denser. Then, black clouds rolled over the ground, white rain danced, and finally poured down.

Strangely, in the ethereal and dense sound of the piano, it seems that one can recognize the clarity of the water curtain under the eaves, the roundness of the rain hitting the plantain, the scouring of the wind and rain like white practice, and the thousands of Qionghua aroused by the torrential rain on the lake. Broken jade, during the period, it seemed to be accompanied by the excitement of lightning and thunder.Each sound has distinct layers, like a tide composed of phonology.

Luo Yanhua stood in a corner of the hall and listened quietly. Even in front of her, Bai Ruohan had never shown such complicated and brilliant techniques. The tunes she played for him were always soothing and gentle, as if she wanted to bring as much comfort as possible.He always felt that the most moving part of the sound of the piano was not the skill, but the feelings like water in it. Hatred is not as good as Chao Youxin. When lovesickness begins to feel that the sea is not deep, deep and melancholy thoughts, with expectations and hopes, in time wait.At this moment, he seemed to be able to sigh uncontrollably deep in his heart. Once upon a time, there was a figure of Pingting in his heart. At first it was only faint, but gradually it became a deep imprint as he waited.Even if the lead, pink, and beauties will eventually be worn away by the years, the original beauty will still remain in the memory.But that's all.After all, there are too many important things in the world that must be taken into account and are difficult to surpass.

The sound of the piano was like rain, and all the guests present were fascinated and listened with bated breath, unwilling to miss a trace of the artistic conception in the music.When the qin music was played to the fastest point, the tune suddenly rose and turned steep and passionate, just like purple lightning piercing the sky. It is hard to imagine that such a magnificent momentum would come from Bai Ruohan's slender fingertips.

At this time, Kong Shangye was also listening to the piano with the same attention as the other guests. He couldn't move when he saw the precious map, so he stood by the wooden frame all the time.Just as he was engrossed in listening, he suddenly felt as if he had been bitten by a bug on the side of his waist, and there was a sore itching. He couldn't help stretching out his hand to rub it.However, he moved his feet slightly, and his right calf felt numb again, as if some tendon had been twisted suddenly, and his whole leg instantly became weak and unable to exert strength. His fat body suddenly staggered, and he was about to He fell heavily to the ground, so instinctively, he supported the wooden map frame beside him, trying to use his strength to regain his footing.

Unexpectedly, this seemingly solid and thick shelf was completely unstressed. As soon as it leaned on it, it immediately swayed and slid backwards. Confucius lost his balance as if leaning on a void, and the other leg was in a hurry. To make matters worse, he also went numb, he couldn't hold his body any longer, and finally fell heavily. He could only hear a loud bang when the wooden frame was brought down, books and books snapping down, and the sound of crumbling in the wall around him. It seems to have a spring inside.

All the guests who were holding their breath and immersed in the piano music were startled.The guqin under Bai Ruohan's hand made a low sound like a cracking silk, and a string broke, and the sound of the qin stopped abruptly.

It took only a few breaths for everything to happen, everyone looked in this direction, and saw that the wooden frame had collapsed, and in the map scattered all over the floor, there was Mr. Fu Yin who struggled several times and still fell down in a mess.Even though everyone regretted that the qin music could not be finished, the scene in front of them was really funny, especially the embarrassment and embarrassment on Kong Fu Yin's face, some people couldn't help but smile.

Kong Shangye wanted to cry, but he couldn't explain the big ugliness he had lost, and he couldn't figure out why his waist was sore and his legs were numb all of a sudden, whether it was because of a twisted calf or other reasons.For a moment, I just regretted why I didn't look at the almanac before I went out today, and secretly scolded Qian's mansion that even a shelf for collecting books was not well made, so I couldn't help touching it.

His legs and feet are fine now, so he quickly stood up, thinking about how to resolve the current predicament, but seeing everyone's eyes burning, they all looked behind him.

Kong Shangye turned around and saw an open secret cabinet appeared on the wall behind him at some point. It could be seen that the design was exquisite, and there were no traces of it under the cover of the bookshelf. At this moment, it must have touched the mechanism just now, and it was already opened. , all the things inside are exposed to the public: a few stacks of neatly arranged books, but a bulging green cloth bag is placed on the outermost side, which is not very tightly wrapped, and the precious light inside can be seen at a glance. Flashing, full of curiosities, some are simply exposed.

Many guests were a little embarrassed. It is not uncommon to have a secret door in the house, but the purpose is to store things that you don’t want to be seen by outsiders. Now it is accidentally displayed. Pretend to turn a blind eye, and turn to care about whether Confucius' Fu Yin has fallen or not.

Qian Chongyi was even more astonished than the others. The secret cupboard in the Canglang Pavilion in the garden was very hidden, and the mechanism that touched it was clearly hidden behind a copper tripod in the corner. Just open the bookshelf?Moreover, he has always only used it to store rare books, and has never seen this baggage.

He didn't have time to think about it for a while, and hurried forward to smooth things over, while hinting to his two sons to ask someone to clean them up.

Prince Duan came late, and he was still unhappy that the rare piano music was interrupted. When he glanced at the secret cabinet, he was taken aback, rushed forward, and said in a low voice: "This is not my king's. Eight Treasures Purple Gold Crown, why is it here?"

The officials in Luo City have all heard about lone thieves stealing treasures from the palaces of the princes in the past few months. The stolen treasures are all treasures from various households. Among them, Prince Duan lost a purple gold crown with eight treasures. They were all shocked when they heard the news , have gathered close.

Kong Shangye, who is in charge of Jingzhaoyin, has been troubled by this case for the past few days. The owners all urged the arrest of the thieves, and he couldn't afford to offend any of them. When he heard Lost Treasure appeared, he even forgot to fall and lose face. He immediately walked over and asked, "" Can the prince be sure that it is the lost item in the mansion?" Shen Ling also stepped forward with him.

Prince Duan had already held the precious and exquisite purple gold crown in his hand. The engraved and carved crown was inlaid with longan-sized gemstones and pearls, each shining brightly, and said: "This is it. .”

There were also a few houses that had lost their treasures, they couldn't bear to see such a scene, they all crowded to the front.

Recently, Shen Ling also assisted Jing Zhaoyin in investigating the case with Jing Zhaoyin's help. He untied the green cloth bundle, and saw the sheep fat jade wall, the coral wreath lotus lamp, and mother-of-pearl beads, all of which were stolen and reported to the official.

Most of the people present were well-informed, but it was rare to see so many treasures at the same time.Not only the owner was happy, but the Confucian government official was also overjoyed. His pressure mainly came from the need to recover the lost treasure. Now that the lost treasure has been recovered, the responsibility will be greatly reduced, but the process is weird. Could it be that the fall just now was God's blessing?Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look at Qian Shilang who was entertaining everyone to go upstairs.

Qian Chongyi only felt that the matter was inexplicable, why the current scene of the summer banquet took place in his family's Canglang Pavilion, the Qian Mansion was involved for no reason, and he glanced at the prince as if asking for help.

Seeing that his complexion was not good, the crown prince comforted him and said, "You don't need to worry about Qian Shilang, no one in Los Angeles doesn't know that your family is noble and innocent. If someone intends to frame you, it's not that easy. This burden appears to be strange, and this matter will definitely be investigated. clear."

Qian Chongyi hurriedly cupped his hands and said: "Thank you for your trust, the Crown Prince, I really don't know the reason." He was not afraid of being deliberately framed by others, but if his mansion was watched by Jing Zhaoyin and Jing Yuwei, it would always be troublesome.

Shen Ling took out the things in the bag and inspected them one by one, and found that they were all intact, and saw that there was an account book at the bottom, because it was ordinary, it was not easy to ignore it among a pile of curiosities.

"The person who steals the treasure is quite interesting. Could it be that he still wants to make a book and keep accounts after he wins it?" Deputy Commander Shen said with a smile, picked it up and flipped through two pages, and the smile on his face disappeared.Bystanders saw that his expression turned serious, and he could not believe it. An inner page fell down while flipping, but he didn't pick it up.

Kong Shangye was curious, and leaned over to pick up the fallen paper, but saw that it was neatly written line by line:

On the ninth day of the third month of the Renxu year, three grain ships were transported by water to Jinzhou Ferry, and Taicang counted 3000 shi.The net was [-] taels of silver.

On March 9000rd, four water grain ships were delivered at Linqing Wharf. Chen Cang counted [-] shi, and the net gain was [-] taels of silver.

On the ninth day of April, two grain ships were transported by sea to Dengzhou port wharf, and Tongcang had an imaginary 500 shi, with a net gain of [-] taels of silver.

…………

All the lines of lower script records are the shortage of granaries in Los Angeles and even nearby counties. Kong Shangye's face also changed. He and Qian Chongyi have been officials in the same dynasty for many years, and his handwriting can be discerned. What is written on this account page If it's not a joke, it's a big deal.

Li Pinglan stepped forward, took it from his hand and looked at it, but his face was still expressionless.

At this time, when he saw King Jing approaching, he silently handed him the account page.Luo Yanhua glanced at it, then passed it on to Prince Duan who still didn't know the situation.

Shen Ling was still flipping through the account books, there were many similar records in it, and in addition to the details and the distribution of the officials who handled them.He saw the names of many household officials.

Qian Chongyi had already noticed that the atmosphere was abnormal. He didn't pay attention to what Shen Ling took out from the bag at first, but when he saw the account books clearly, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and his face turned pale.

The Ministry of Households manages the money and food of the people in the world, and the amount of tax and silver taels passed on is more than tens of millions, but its own income from salaries is limited. In terms of family business or inner expectations, it is far from being satisfied.With power in hand and familiarity with official duties, one can gradually discover ways to make money.Rice in Huguang and Jiangnan is harvested twice a year. Every summer and autumn, grain-transporting tank boats and sea-going ships go north along the inland canals or the Southeast Sea Route, sending a boatload of grain and rice to the north.In several large granaries in Los Angeles and the surrounding state capitals, millions of stones of grain are stored all year round for supply.In a normal year, the mountains of new grain will become old rice after two years, and will be sold at a very low price, and will be taken over by large and small grain merchants; Loss, but since everyone in the household department can see this benefit, and everyone wants to reach out, the amount that can be distributed is limited.

Later, when he succeeded his predecessor in the Ministry of Households and began to be responsible for evaluating granaries in various places, he gradually received generous gifts and hints from his subordinates. After one or two years, these grains that have never actually been stored in the warehouse are reported as old rice that needs to be processed at a low price. As long as the joints that are handled are smooth, then no capital investment is required. Enjoy the price difference and get a generous share.

Qian Chongyi quickly developed from trembling to well-versed in this way. Whether it is a disaster year or a good year, as a place in Gyeonggi, the granaries in the Luocheng area must ensure that the granaries are full, and the officials responsible for entering and leaving the warehouse and regularly counting are all his subordinates. If such a convenient business is not done, it will simply block everyone's money.All that is needed is to be meticulous and careful, keep the accounts clearly, and not be discovered by outsiders.

He has always been very cautious, not only ensuring that there are reserves in the warehouse for emergencies, but also saying hello to the grain merchants he is familiar with. All have been placed securely.

It is in the past three years that we have started to cooperate with several major grain merchants in Zhangzhou.Zhangzhou is [-] miles northeast of Los Angeles, and the journey to transport grain and rice there is quite a long way. Therefore, the tank boats from the south unload the grain at the ferry terminal, and the other party transports it away by itself after handover.The net profit from selling to these few grain merchants is [-]% higher than that of other places, because after leaving the city of Zhangzhou and heading north, bypassing the mountains on the border, you can enter the border of Yi and Jin, which is not far from Beiliao. .The weather in the Liao and Jin countries is bitter and cold, and farming is not very developed. They can only harvest once a year, so there will be food shortages in spring and summer. Apart from looting, they can only try to buy from Yuzhou merchants on the border.

Of course, Qian Chongyi understood where all the grain sold to Zhangzhou went, and why the profit was much higher than other places, but what he thought was that if he didn’t make money himself, there would be others who would sell the grain to Liao and Jin for profit. Why let go of the money in front of you?

He just operated with extra care and prudence, and calculated all accounts by himself. The account book was hidden in a secret compartment in the study without anyone seeing it, and even the cronies who were grinding ink and serving tea did not know its existence.He took it out and looked at it alone three days ago, but why did he appear in the Canglang Pavilion in public now, and was taken out by Jing Yuwei's deputy commander from a package he had never seen before to look through it?

He suspected that he had misjudged his guilty conscience, and leaned towards Shen Ling with the hope of just in case, and looked at it carefully, his face turned from pale to completely ashamed.

There was a strange silence in the hall of Canglang Pavilion, and the scattered account pages had been transferred to the hands of Dali Temple Minister Yu Ke.The prince took it over and looked at it, but was speechless for a while.He is not entirely ignorant of Hubu's secret tricks, but he deliberately wants to keep Liubu in his hands, so he has always been ignorant.However, just judging from this account page, Qian Shilang's appetite is unavoidable. Jing Zhaoyin and the chief official of Dali Temple seized the evidence on the spot, and only the Ministry of Punishment was needed to make up a trio of joint trials. Next to it is Li Pinglan, the commander of the big house.He wanted to help Qian Chongyi, but he couldn't open his mouth. He just scolded the Qian family for not being able to keep the account books, and what kind of summer banquet was arty.

Now that the tax in Shao'an is at a critical juncture, the household department who requested to increase the tax actually made such a move for him, directly revealing the shady corruption to the public.

Although I don't know where this bag of lost treasures came from, and why it appeared so suddenly, but the account book is in Qian Chongyi's handwriting, and it was found in his residence, so it is difficult to refute.Moreover, it is not difficult to verify, as long as Taicang and Chencang are closed and the amount of grain stored is checked, everything is clear.

Prince Duan's character is relatively straightforward, he still didn't want to believe it, and asked: "Old Qian, this account book belongs to your family, if it's not, just say it, no one can wrong you."

Qian Chongyi was usually quick-witted, but at this moment his mind was in confusion and he didn't know how to answer.He has been an official for many years, and he never thought that one day he would face the current predicament. If he said yes, he would admit it directly; if he said no, he would not be able to hide the truth.

He murmured: "I really don't know what this package is about." But he knew in his heart that after tonight's incident, the matter would definitely be reported to the capital and reach heaven. It is absolutely impossible to make up for the emptiness of the official warehouse without being noticed. My official career is over, and I don't know if I can save my life.

With such a hesitant attitude, in the eyes of everyone, it is no different to admit it directly.

The dropped account pages had returned to Shen Ling's hands, and they were re-folded into that terrible account book.The guests who gradually came to their senses began to whisper and discuss in low voices.

Kong Shangye, as the Governor of Luocheng, had no choice but to come out to end this unmanageable situation.He coughed dryly: "The lower official is on duty. Tonight, I have to bring the items in the package back to Jing Zhaoyin as evidence. It will take a few days before the items can be returned to their original owners. I wonder if your lords will allow it?" Originally, I wished to return it immediately, and put it in the government office, and I had to worry about it for several days.

Prince Duan waved his hand and didn't care too much: "Since it's for official business, you might as well take it home with your own."

Shen Ling said: "It's not easy for the lower officials to stand still. Tonight, I will send some people to help the Confucian Governor. They will take good care of him. Don't worry, my lords."

Kong Shangye asked for a pen and paper, and asked his followers to count the records on the spot as evidence.

A night of accidents happened one after another, and the unrelated guests bid farewell and left one after another. They all knew that after tonight, they would not receive invitations to come to Biluoyuan for a long time, even if If there is a chance to step into the garden again, I am afraid that things will be different.

Although Prince Duan found the eight-treasure purple gold crown, he was really dispirited in his heart. He sighed and said, "Mr. Qian is good at doing things for himself, and this king can't help you." Then he turned and walked out. Bai Ruohan, who was tuning the strings by the qin platform, said: "Ruohan, let's go together, I'll take you back with a chariot and horse."

Qian Chongyi stood there blankly, watching the music in the Canglang Pavilion end. This might be the last feast in his life. He never imagined that it would end like this after the bustling end only in an instant.

King Jing stood on one side and didn't speak all the time. He only nodded imperceptibly when he received a quick glance from Bai Ruohan before he left.He glanced at the distraught Qian Chongyi, the well-maintained white face of the servant of the household department was only decayed, and he said lightly: "I saw the night scene of the pearl lantern in the mansion tonight. It is indeed unique and ingenious. I heard that a pearl lantern is worth a lot Nine coins, but I don’t know how much Qian Shilang has spent on elegance and elegance this evening? My lord is in charge of the people’s livelihood in the household department, but what he thinks and does is to benefit the people, emptying the books on the first floor.” He looked around at the stacked books on the shelves. , "Even if you draw the water of the Canglang, how can you wash your heart? It's a pity."

Qian Chongyi couldn't say a word, King Jing had already turned around and went downstairs.

The prince looked at the leaving figure of King Jing, although his expression remained calm, his face turned blue.He could already imagine Emperor Tianyi's reaction when he saw the private account. It was exposed in public like this, and there was no room for maneuver. Among them are household officials.The Minister of the Ministry of Households does not know whether he can keep his official position. I am afraid that his many years of management in the Ministry of Households will be in vain, and the Shaoan tax that he has painstakingly planned will also be unsustainable.

Angry and confused, he left surrounded by several officials and followers.He ignored the people in Qian's mansion, including Qian Zhan who often visited the East Palace.What about Biluo Garden and Canglang Pavilion, it's really unlucky for his big event to be ruined here.