Chapter 50 Intelligence Network (I)
Huo Chong was once again penniless. The replacement of the sixth-rank official actually asked Huo Chong for 1,000 taels of silver. Huo Chong really didn't know whether it was cheap or expensive. But it didn't matter anymore. The first thing Huo Chong did when he returned home was to get his life back to normal as soon as possible.
Before the arrival of the Fourteenth Elder, officials at all levels had carried out several rounds of harassment on Huo Chong's family, and they thought of different groups of people dismantling Huo Chong's production line and occupying a part of it. Huo Chong found it incredible.
The officials acted very quickly, and Huo Chong did not have time to dismantle the equipment. After running it a few times, they could immediately obtain Huo Chong's production process.
As a result, what Huo Chong had not done was completed by those petty officials, and the production equipment was artificially dismantled. This in turn made it impossible for those people to get Huo Chong's secret recipe.
During the reorganization, the junior brothers all looked frightened. The slightest movement outside would make them nervous immediately. Huo Chong always felt that he couldn't wear the official robe and show off in the village. What's more, the official robe of the Qing Dynasty had to be made by himself. Huo Chong's pocket was empty now, and he didn't want to spend money to make an official uniform.
"Brother, our cart was smashed by those people. Do you want to borrow another one?" Qian Qing asked.
Seeing Qian Qing was no different from before, and even more calm, Huo Chong felt very happy. After all, he was someone he could count on. He followed Qian Qing to see the deliberately damaged cart, and his anger towards these black-hearted officials increased.
These guys did it very well. They didn't use great effort to smash the whole car. They didn't just throw it a few times. Instead, they were very experienced and broke the axle and the spokes nearby. They did the same with the wheels and the frame, and they specifically damaged the support rods. The result was that the whole car was completely scrapped and couldn't even be used.
After seeing the destruction, Huo Chong had no choice but to go to Zhujia Village. Zhu Erniu was so scared when he saw Huo Chong outside the door that he dared not open it. He said through the door: "Brother Huo, you killed me."
"I'm sorry for making my second brother suffer. I'm here to apologize to him."
Zhu Erniu shouted through the door: "Don't come here again. We don't know each other!"
Huo Chong felt helpless and could only persuade: "Second brother, I'm fine now."
"It's good that you're okay! If you're okay, you can go back!" Zhu Erniu shouted through the door.
Huo Chong sighed, knowing that he had no way to solve the problem. On the way back, he thought about it and realized that he could only follow the most conventional way.
After all, Yang Youfang was in the county town, and his knowledge was obviously much better. At least he dared to invite Huo Chong in. Huo Chong said as soon as he opened his mouth: "Brother Yang, I have donated my official position. Now I am a reserve sixth-rank official."
Yang Youfang's eyes widened, his face full of confusion. Huo Chong then told Yang Youfang what happened, and Yang Youfang was skeptical. It was not until he read the official documents that he began to believe it. "Brother Huo, did you use the formula of Liuli Fire to exchange for this official position?"
After this incident, Huo Chong finally understood the difference between donating an official position and donating fame. He explained to Yang Youfang, "I used the formula of Liuli Fire to exchange for an official body, not an official position."
The Qing dynasty also valued respectability. It was not good for common people to buy an official position, and there was no such thing as donating money to become an official. According to regulations, only the tribute officials were eligible to buy an official position. As for ordinary people, they had no chance at all.
If a commoner wanted to buy an official position, he had to first donate money to become a student, then donate money to become a supervisor, and then donate money to become an official. He had to pay money three times before he could qualify to become an official.
In other words, if you are not a scholar, you are not eligible to donate money to become a student, and if you are not a student, you are not eligible to donate money to become an official. Even if you donate money to become an official, you still have to pay money many times to take office.
In addition to this process, donating merit also requires opportunities. The imperial examinations of the Qing Dynasty were held regularly, but the opportunity to donate merit was not available regularly. For example, this time the merit was donated to repair the Xiaoqing River, and I don’t know how long ago it was last time.
If a person donates to become a "shengyuan", he has to wait until this time to donate to become a "jiansheng". He also has to wait for the next opportunity to donate to become an official. Although I don't know what Li Shude was thinking, Huo Chong did jump three levels at once and became an official directly.
Yang Youfang understood, but his expression became confused. After a while, Yang Youfang suddenly said: "Brother Huo, you are an official now."
Huo Chong waved his hands quickly, "Brother Yang, whether we are officials or not, we are all dealing with outsiders. We are still good brothers. I caused you to be implicated this time, brother Yang, please don't blame me."
Yang Youfang stood up excitedly, wanting to say something but unable to. Huo Chong was worried that he might say something wrong when dealing with Yang Youfang, so he stood up and pulled Yang Youfang and said, "Let's go to Jinan again. I don't think anyone here can make the uniforms for a sixth-rank official."
In Jinan, the city of springs, you can see gurgling water in the canals even in winter, and people are coming and going on the main road leading to the city. Huo Chong and Yang Youfang and his party arrived at the city gate. The soldiers guarding the city gate immediately came up and stopped them, "What are you doing?"
Huo Chong was about to step forward to answer, but Yang Youfang had already taken two steps forward, "Sir, our master came to Jinan to make an official uniform."
When the soldier heard this, his expression changed immediately. He immediately ran back to the officer at the door and spoke to him. The officer immediately stepped forward, but did not go directly to Huo Chong who was obviously in the main position. Instead, he said to Yang Youfang: "Excuse me, brother, who is your master and what position does he hold?"
Seeing that the other party already knew how powerful he was, Yang Youfang replied, "My master is preparing to be a sixth-rank official."
Perhaps after hearing the word "preparation", the chief looked much more relaxed, "I don't know your official name."
At this time, Qian Qing had quietly asked Huo Chong to take out the "certificate". When he heard the leader's question, he quickly handed it over. The leader took a look and called a clerk over. The clerk wrote it down and left quickly.
Huo Chong had just seen some Qing Dynasty rules from somewhere, that officials had to register when entering the city. He didn't expect it to be true. It seemed that being an official was not easy. He stepped forward and asked, "Brother... "
"What's the matter, sir?"
"I don't know if there is a Zichuan hometown hall in Jinan?"
"I don't know either. Please wait for a moment, someone from the government will come to greet you."
While waiting, Huo Chong felt that he had thought things too simply. He whispered to Yang Youfang, "It seems that I need to find a master."
The so-called "shiye" refers to the close staff of officials who provide officials with various official rules and prevent their bosses from making mistakes. The reason why Shaoxing's "shiye" is famous all over the world is that they are an industrial chain in themselves, and all the "shiye" have undergone rigorous training. Their quality is generally higher.
Moreover, because the Shaoxing lawyers are connected with each other, they not only know the latest changes in officials across the country, but also gradually accumulate information about officials and network diagrams of their relatives and factions. Therefore, their preciousness is particularly highlighted.
As the person in charge of the platform, Huo Chong was well aware of the importance of establishing an intelligence network. He just didn't expect that he would be so slow to understand it during the Qing Dynasty .
