Chapter 052: Walking on the Grass (Part 3)
Night watch.
The old man's gray hair and beard were all stained with blood. He was hung by ropes in the middle of the torture pool. He had just received several iron whips. The torn clothes on his body were covered with bloody wounds from the iron whips. He was shaking all over. In the end, he couldn't bear it anymore. His dry lips moved: "I... confess."
"explain."
Zhou Ting threw down the iron whip with blood and flesh stuck to it, causing a faint red splash of water.
"I did make the silver needle on my master's head," the old man trembled, his throat soaked with blood, making his voice unclear. "I can't do anything. My little grandson is in their hands!"
"who are they?"
Zhou Ting held the wrist guard and slightly moved his sore wrist bones.
"I don't know..." The old man muttered with empty eyes, "They found me. They promised me that after the task was completed, they would not only return my grandson to me, but also give me more rewards."
Zhou Ting was about to ask again when he heard hurried footsteps approaching. He turned around and saw Chao Yisong walking quickly down the stairs and approaching the torture pool.
"Master Xiao Zhou, we have searched the Wu Mansion again. We have also searched the old servant's house, but we only found these." Chao Yisong raised his hand and showed him the thick stack of Jiaozi in his hand.
Zhou Ting walked over. The lights in the torture room were dim, but the fire nearby was burning brightly. With the bright light, Zhou Ting took a photo and glanced at it.
“And this.”
Chao Yisong stretched out his other palm, in which lay an abacus bead.
Jiaozi is not a rare thing. About sixteen years ago, there were Jiaozi shops that used Jiaozi as a voucher. People could deposit their iron coins that were inconvenient to carry in the shops. The people could then exchange the Jiaozi for iron coins. By now, people in Qi have become more and more accustomed to using Jiaozi instead of iron coins in the market.
The abacus bead in Chao Yisong's hand was smooth and shiny, and it was obviously made of good wood. The hole in the middle was inlaid with a jade ring, but perhaps because it had been used for too long, the words engraved on it were blurred.
Zhou Ting picked up the abacus beads and turned to look at the old man, "Won't you tell me the origin of this thing?"
"It fell from one of them."
The old man had difficulty breathing.
Zhou Ting carefully examined the words on the beads in the light of the fire, and it turned out to be "Man Yu".
He almost immediately thought of Manyu Money House in the capital. Although the first Jiaozi shop in Da Qi was not Manyu, Manyu was one of the most famous Jiaozi shops that made Jiaozi spread throughout Da Qi. After that, Jiaozi shops were renamed as money houses, and Manyu Money House first established itself in Daizhou, almost monopolizing the right to issue Jiaozi in many places around Daizhou.
Zhou Ting looked at the jade ring embedded in the hole and said, "It is indeed a kind of abacus that only Man Yu can afford."
A close official of the Night Police came out at night, carrying a badge of Han Shizun, the Night Police, and searched the Manyu Money House from top to bottom, but did not find the shopkeeper who had returned to Beijing not long ago.
Until the next day, the night watchmen searched the city for the owner of Manyu Bank, but they only found a rotten corpse in the tiles.
"Man Yu's colleagues have identified the body. They all insist that the deceased is indeed Hu Li, the shopkeeper of the Yunjing branch." Zhou Ting's eyes were a little red from staying up all night, but he did not look tired at all.
"The body is rotten, how can we recognize it?" Han Qing put down the tea bowl and snorted.
"We can only identify them based on their clothing and the relics they carried."
Zhou Ting nodded.
"It doesn't matter whether this person is really dead or fake. Anyway, he disappeared just after returning to Beijing on the night of the Lantern Festival. It's been so long. Even if he is alive, it would be difficult to find him."
Han Qing tapped his knees with his knuckles. "Why did the people from Manyu Bank want to harm Wu Dai? From our perspective, the government doesn't care. Although the government still has some feelings for Wu Dai, it only stops at not sentencing him to death. As for whether he is insane or not, who cares? But today, the government issued an imperial decree, requiring the governor of Daizhou to question Cao Dong, the owner of Manyu Bank, about this matter."
"Zhou Ting, do you know why this is happening?"
“I don’t know.”
Han Qing raised his eyelids and looked at him. For some reason, a strange smile appeared on his face. "How long have you not been home? Your father's memorial has arrived at the palace. I believe your family should have received a letter from home."
When Zhou Ting heard him mention the word "father", he was startled, and then said: "Your Excellency, may I ask what my father reported?"
"Wanjiang Transport Commissioner Zhou Wenzheng petitioned His Majesty to take back the right to issue Jiaozi to meet military expenses, prohibit private Jiaozi shops from issuing new Jiaozi, and take back all the Jiaozi that have been issued, establish a Jiaozi monopoly, and turn private Jiaozi into official Jiaozi."
Although Han Qing seldom appeared before the emperor, he had a godfather who was known as the eunuch in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Therefore, he learned the news relatively quickly.
"The government... wants to use this incident to target Manyu Bank?"
Zhou Ting understood immediately.
"You also know that in recent years, banditry has frequently occurred in Da Qi. Although Danqiu and Da Qi have temporarily stopped fighting, there are still frictions. Moreover, everything is planned in advance, otherwise it will be abandoned. The army must be maintained, but now the military expenditure is so huge that the national treasury can no longer support it. Your father's memorial is a timely relief for the government, but for you, it is... a hundred harms and no benefits. You understand all this, right?"
Han Qing said meaningfully.
"clear."
Zhou Ting didn't have any excessive emotions.
His father's memorial had hurt the interests of those officials who had colluded with Jiaozi shops like Manyu Money House to monopolize the right to issue Jiaozi.
His father is far away in Wanjiang, and has to face many disasters, and he may also face retaliation from many sides in the capital.
"Your father doesn't care about his own life or death, and he doesn't even care about the life or death of you, his son whom you haven't seen for several years. Don't you blame him in your heart?"
Han Qing was a little curious.
"Father did this for the sake of the country, how can I blame him?" Zhou Ting shook his head, "Your Excellency should also know that father wanted me to be a civil servant, and it would be unfilial of me to disobey my father's order. Now that I have chosen this path myself, I should let father know that I did not choose the wrong path."
"Then you should be more careful these days, and don't let those angry people plot against you."
Han Qing stood up and patted his shoulder.
"yes."
Zhou Ting responded.
The memorial submitted by Wanjiang Transport Commissioner Zhou Wenzhen was read out by Liang Shenfu, the chief eunuch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, during the morning court session, which immediately caused discussion among the court officials. However, Emperor Zhengyuan did not directly issue an imperial decree to approve the matter, but instead asked the court officials to express their opinions on the matter.
Some agreed, some opposed. The emperor, wearing a scarlet round-collared robe, remained silent on the throne, listening quietly to the court officials refutating each other without stopping them.
"Zhang Qing, what do you think?"
After a long while, Emperor Zhengyuan lowered his eyes to look at the old man who was not using a crutch, had a hunched back, and was wearing a purple official uniform.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Jing immediately stepped forward and bowed: "I think that changing private Jiaozi into official Jiaozi will indeed benefit the whole world."
"So, Mr. Zhang thinks Zhou Wenzheng's memorial is feasible?"
Emperor Zhengyuan spoke in a calm tone.
"That is not what I meant, sir."
Zhang Jing bowed his head.
Emperor Zhengyuan narrowed his eyes slightly, and his expression seemed to become more serious. "If this is not your meaning, then what else do you mean?"
“If there is no capital, it will hurt the foundation of the country.”
In the silent Chaotian Hall, Zhang Jing's voice was clear and powerful.
Meng Yunxian couldn't help but frown. He looked up and saw that the official on the throne kept changing his expression. He sighed helplessly, "If there is no capital, the foundation of the country will be damaged." This sentence means that if the allocated iron money is not enough and Jiaozi is issued excessively, the circulation of Jiaozi among the people will far exceed the actual need. The value of Jiaozi will depreciate again and again, and the more expensive things become, the more it will damage the people's livelihood.
The foundation of the country that Zhang Jing mentioned is the people.
Changing private Jiaozi into official Jiaozi can indeed make Jiaozi circulate more widely, benefit the people, and temporarily solve the urgent problem of military expenditure.
Zhang Jing's words were not to oppose Zhou Wenzhen's memorial, but to advise the king not to increase the amount of Jiaozi excessively.
Meng Yunxian couldn't help but frown. He always felt that Zhang Jing was a little strange today. Although Zhang Jing was a loyal minister, he was also able to judge the situation. But today, Zhang Jing seemed to be trying to anger the emperor.
"What a great Zhang Qing who serves his country and his people."
Although Emperor Zhengyuan was smiling, his eyes were cold and gloomy.
Emperor Zhengyuan had not made any decision on this matter until the end of the court session, but everyone knew that official exchanges would replace private exchanges, which would eventually become a foregone conclusion.
"Chongzhi, you were too lazy to calculate your own expenses before, and there wasn't even an abacus at home. Why are you so concerned about financial matters now?"
After leaving Chaotian Hall, Meng Yunxian walked forward without waiting for He Tong to help Zhang Jing.
He Tong came out a step late and saw the two gentlemen in front walking together and talking as they went down the stairs. He followed carefully behind them, only paying attention to the teacher's steps.
"I can be confused about family matters, but not about state affairs."
Zhang Jing held onto the white marble railing and walked down slowly.
"Why did you offend the government today?" Meng Yunxian really thought he was too abnormal. "Recently you have been investigating the performance of officials, but you have no plan for the next step. Now you are concerned about financial matters. I guess you have met with Pan Sansi? But I don't understand what you are doing."
"There must be someone who speaks out the advice that the emperor doesn't like to hear, not only for the emperor, but also for the court officials. If there are a few who dare to speak the truth in front of the emperor, that would be good. At worst, I think these words are for the people to hear. There must be someone to tell the people what is right and wrong."
"As for what I'm doing,"
Zhang Jing's knees hurt so much that he rested his hand on the white marble railing and said, "Why I came back is what I am doing."
A loyal minister should not be loyal only to his king or father.
…
The owner of Manyu Money House was from Daizhou, so the construction of this branch in Beijing also has a Daizhou flavor, with buildings on all four sides, a common skylight, and colorful paintings.
Xu Hexue went upstairs with a lantern, and Ni Su followed closely behind. Even though the Night Office had temporarily sealed off this place, this huge bank was still guarded by someone, so she could only walk as slowly as possible.
The light illuminated a long, square ebony table, on which were neatly arranged abacuses, with round, full beads and jade rings inlaid in the holes. Ni Su glanced at the abacuses, "It seems there are no missing beads?"
"If there are any broken ones, they should not be put on the table again."
Xu Hexue gently fiddled with an abacus bead with one finger, and the bead spun around, revealing the other side engraved with the word "Man Yu" and special patterns.
"This thing is a little different from the one in the old servant's house in the Wu Mansion," Ni Su walked over to him and took a look, "that one only has words, no patterns."
Before Chao Yisong went to search the old servant's house, Ni Su and Xu Hexue had already been there. They were the first to discover the thick stack of Jiaozi and the abacus beads, and finally put them back to their original places, allowing Chao Yisong to take them back to the Night Palace.
"That is an old pearl, probably the same style as Man Yu's."
Xu Hexue looked at these abacus inlaid with gold and jade, "Ni Su, I didn't have Jiaozi when I was alive. Do you think Jiaozi shops care about abacus?"
"After all, they make a living by exchanging Jiaozi for iron coins. People deposit iron coins in Jiaozi shops, so abacus in Jiaozi shops is of utmost importance and cannot be sloppy. However, small Jiaozi shops cannot compare with big money houses like Manyu. How can they use such an abacus?" Ni Su said as he imitated him in playing with the abacus beads. "I heard that only Manyu has this habit of using the abacus. The abacus beads are inlaid with gold and jade. It should be that their boss in Daizhou wants to pray for a prosperous business."
“So, even if the abacus is broken, they should keep it well.”
Xu Hexue raised his eyes and saw an abacus hanging on the wall opposite. Although it was not inlaid with gold and jade, the beads strung on it were carved from seeds in great detail.
"Then let's look for it."
In the dim light upstairs, no one could see Xu Hexue's lamp. Only Ni Su could see things with the light she lit herself. For fear of alarming the night watchmen guarding the courtyard under the patio, she carefully opened a cabinet door. When she heard a "creaky" sound, she immediately paused and looked back.
Xu Hexue looked at her. Under the veil, his eyes curved into a very awkward smile. Seeing that she was about to open the door a little more, he raised his hand and pressed on the carved cabinet door to stop her from moving any further.
Ni Su raised her head in confusion. She could hardly see him clearly because of the two layers of veils covering her.
Xu Hexue lowered her voice and said, " If we keep looking like this, I'm afraid it will be difficult even until dawn."
"What should we do then?"
She was also very quiet.
The two of them stood in front of the cabinet door, their fair shadows almost overlapping with the dark shadows. Her fingers were still hooked on the copper buckle, and her knuckles were unknowingly pressed red. Xu Hexue reached out and grasped her wrist, pulling her fingers out from under the heavy copper buckle.
Ni Su's back was stiff. She clearly couldn't see his face, and he clearly wasn't breathing. She looked at her red knuckles and heard her own breathing.
A bit messy.
"Doesn't it hurt?" Xu Hexue was also looking at her hand.
Ni Su replied in a low voice.
Xu Hexue didn't hear clearly, so he leaned forward slightly. Ni Su looked at his earlobe and moved closer, "I said, it doesn't hurt."
He hadn't expected her to be so close.
The warm breath brushed his ear, and he almost trembled. He immediately stood up straight and whispered, "We should still find someone."
The young man who was dozing off by the stairs when he arrived was already snoring. Xu Hexue's body turned into a thin mist and floated down the stairs. Then he grabbed the man by the back of his collar and brought him to the second floor.
The young man woke up in fright, but hadn't reacted yet. Ni Su was afraid that he would scream, so she grabbed a black thing from the porcelain jar next to her in a hurry.
Xu Hexue held the sword against the young man's neck. The young man trembled all over from the cold thin blade. He saw the tortoise in the hand of the woman in the veil, which was still moving its limbs. He became even more panicked and wished he could close his mouth tighter, but never let that thing be stuffed into his mouth.
“…Put it back.”
Seeing that she was also frightened by what he had caught , Xu Hexue added an inaudible smile to his usually calm voice.
Ni Su put the turtle back into the porcelain jar with an embarrassed look.
Xu Hexue turned around and looked at the young man who was trembling with fear and his legs were limp:
"Answer me whatever I ask you. If you dare to scream, I will kill you."
