The summer rainy season has arrived as expected, and the eastern capital has become chaotic as expected.

Just as Zhang Xing expected, this time the chaos started in the bustling commercial areas on both sides of Luoshui. Instead, the south of the city absurdly escaped the final round because the poor people who had eaten too much but didn't have enough money really couldn't have gold or silver.

Start with a knife.

The first one to take action was indeed Jingjiehu.

There is no way, there is really no way. They have always had similar businesses and have always made money from commercial activities. Many general banners even have gold and silver businesses based in the country. They are so-called professional counterparts... At the same time, they have been facing commercial activities and business all year round.

The life in the market also makes the street tigers of Dongzhen Fusi naturally disorganized, or simply said, corruption is rampant. There are many general banners and small banners. If taken alone, they are basically a white-skinned gang.

This made them feel no psychological pressure, and almost as a matter of course, they chose to transfer the gold and silver allocation to the merchants in their own jurisdiction.

A general banner is in charge of three or four squares, with dozens of serious captains, a monthly salary of several taels of gold, dozens of taels of silver, which can be exchanged for hundreds of copper coins, and he can walk among merchants inside and outside, even if he is an executor

I couldn't help but extort a little more, and spread it among the many merchants and gangs with no background in the area, but it still seemed like there was no trouble at all, and it drifted away naturally.

However, what the tigers in the streets can do, can’t the Jinwu Guards do it? Can’t the government officials do it?

Can't the Jinyi Patrol do it?

Even at the level of Jinyi patrolmen and various temple supervisors, there is no need to do it yourself. After expressing their intention, the executors below will send their share directly to their homes in the form of pumped water.

Large-scale and systematic extortion began immediately, and once it started, it was impossible to stop it.

And soon, its scope and fluctuations far exceeded everyone's imagination, including Zhang Xing's.

"The price of rice has increased."

It was a day off, and there was not much rain. Zhang Xing, who had already touched the threshold of the end of Tongmai, was studying "Yi Jin Jing" with Li Ding on the corridor of his home hall. At noon, Qin Bao and Yueniang walked from there under umbrellas.

Zhang Xing was confused by Yueniang's first words when she came back from shopping for rice and vegetables.

"How much has it increased?" After regaining consciousness, Zhang Xing asked with a frown.

"It is said that the price has increased by more than ten cents. We bought it in the shop. Knowing that our family is an official, it only cost eight cents..." Yueniang said as she carried the basket in her hand into the kitchen.

"Actually, it's not just rice. Other oils, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea, meat, and cloth have all gone up." Qin Bao muttered, then he put down his umbrella and sent a large bag of rice into the kitchen with one hand.

"But the price of eggs has not increased." Yueniang came out of the kitchen and strolled to the corridor, and added impatiently. "The price of fish has not increased, and the price of firewood has not increased. The uncle who delivered firewood yesterday just came and delivered half a truck of firewood and firewood.

Half a truckload of fodder..."

"I know what's going on." Hearing this, Zhang Xing suddenly realized. "This is because the merchant who opened the store was blackmailed and couldn't wait to get the money back, so he spontaneously raised the price. The eggs are usually from the farmers themselves, and the fish are caught by the fishermen."

The firewood was chopped by the woodcutter himself, and was not extorted from the central government at all... I was indeed a little confused. I thought this matter would only be dealt with by the merchants, but I forgot that the official business would blackmail the merchants, but the merchants also knew that they would pass it on.

To everyone.”

"Indeed." Yueniang nodded quickly. "Those who raised prices privately scolded the street tigers, Jin Wuwei and the county officials, saying that they scraped the land endlessly and acted as if they wanted to eat people... There were people on the street.

If he didn’t want to give it, he was taken directly to the Penal Department Prison by the Jinwu Guards.”

"The common people are feeling a little uncomfortable this time." Li Ding responded with a sigh.

Zhang Xing had no expression on his face and said nothing.

"Why doesn't anyone care?"

Qin Bao, who followed him out of the kitchen, seemed a little hard to understand. "I know this matter will be unstoppable, and I know those people will blackmail the merchants, but why don't the bosses care about it?"

Zhang Xing was stunned for a moment, and finally asked back: "Why should the superiors take care of it?"

Qin Bao was speechless for a moment and didn't know what to say.

"You two..." Li Ding finally laughed, but then looked at Qin Bao, who was standing in the rain. "Qin Erlang, who do you want to care about?"

"The chief ministers and ministers above are extorting wantonly the officials below." Qin Bao stood in the rain, indignant. "Those officials almost robbed the streets... After cleaning the streets, the tigers robbed them, and the Jinwu Guards and the county government officials again

After a robbery, I not only collected gold and silver for myself, but also for my colleagues, and for the entire Yamen... I met an acquaintance on the road, and he told me that not only Beiya was preparing to allocate gold and silver to Jinwuwei, but also Jing'antai

I have to give Jingjiehu a share again and let them go to the street to "help exchange" gold and silver! When I went to the store, I was an acquaintance in the shop. When they saw my white ribbon, they all spoke cautiously, for fear of offending me.

He killed me! When I walked on the street, I was dodged as if I were a thief."

"Second Brother Qin was spat on by someone while walking today." Yueniang lost no time in adding. "That person thought it was raining and Brother Qin didn't see it. In fact, Brother Qin pretended not to see it... I saw it all.

"

There was silence for a moment in front of the hall, and Zhang Xing, the main person to whom he confided, did not say a word.

Immediately, Li Ding, who was slightly embarrassed, paused for a moment, and finally took up the topic with dark circles under his eyes: "Actually, as far as I know, the Sixth Department and the temple supervisors are also looking for ways, and they are all apportioning... the Criminal Department, the Work Department

Let alone the Ministry, which has always had connections, the Ministry of War is preparing to ask the garrison troops from various places to find a way, and the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Civil Affairs are also preparing to ask local governments to help... which means that the Ministry of Rites is a bit embarrassed. It is said that there have been many quarrels within the Ministry of Rites over this matter.

It may even double the redemption price of the official servant."

Well, all the official servants have been blackmailed.

"Shang Shu, don't the ministers know?" Qin Bao was stunned for a long time, without any intention of walking out of the rain, and continued to ask questions in the drizzle.

I don't know if it was an illusion, but Zhang Xing always felt that his voice was trembling a little.

"I must know." Li Ding dodges with a smile.

"Then why don't you care?" Qin Bao couldn't ask further.

"Because..." Li Ding became increasingly embarrassed and simply looked at Zhang Xing.

"First of all, it's difficult to check." Zhang Xing took the words helplessly and tried to explain. "This is an edict, an official document, and it must be upright... If you check it, you are not allowed to extort. Well, the officials are honest.

If you don’t have gold and silver, you just have to exchange it. You have to ask a merchant to exchange it at the official price... If the merchant is unwilling to exchange it at the official price, who is breaking the law? So how can we check?"

Qin Baodeng was breathing heavily.

"Secondly, there is no way to investigate." Zhang Xing continued to preach seriously. "This matter is the result of the edict from above, the profit from below, and He Guang Tongchen in the middle... If you investigate, it will be a confrontation for the superiors.

The edicts and decrees are against the saints and Nanya; for those below, they are preventing everyone from getting rich; for the middle, they are just fishing for fame and reputation, leaving other colleagues of the same rank to bear the name of collusion...

So why check?”

Qin Bao waved his hand and went back to his side courtyard without saying a word, without even going back to see his spotted leopard.

Yueniang Ming seemed to realize that something was wrong with the atmosphere. She stuck out her tongue and ran to the opposite courtyard to read.

"Why did you tell Qin Erlang so thoroughly?" Li Ding asked in a low voice as soon as the two of them left. "He is young after all. He knows too much and can easily get hurt."

"After all, he is a person with seals and ribbons. He should know some things..." Zhang Xing shook his head in response. "No one told him that he thought the court was reasonable."

"That's the problem." Li Ding said with a bitter smile. "Qin Erlang is an honest boy. He wants to get ahead. Naturally, to get ahead, he has to be a high official in the court. But if the court is unreasonable, what will he do? This Isn’t it difficult for him?”

"Sooner or later, he will have to think about this issue." Zhang Xing's eyes were intense. "Sooner or later, he will have to pass this threshold...including the root of this unreasonableness."

Li Ding put away his smile and asked seriously with dark circles under his eyes: "Have you thought about it?"

"I have thought about it." Zhang Xing was extremely honest, but immediately asked, "Have you thought about it?"

"What I think may be different from what you think." Li Ding replied a little nervously. "Unlike you who care about the world, I am a bit utilitarian and petty..."

"When did you think about it?" Zhang Xing couldn't ask further.

"When the Wu family was rebelled." Li Ding sighed.

Zhang Xing wanted to ask more questions.

But Li Ding seemed to have expected it, and directly took the initiative and said: "It was my suggestion that Wu Jingfeng go to Nanyang Luocao... I told him that the more you want to take revenge, the more you have to be useful and cultivate yourself. When you bring it up, you also need to leave a reputation among the people, the world, and the court, so that the people in the court will be afraid of you, the world will respect you, and the people will think you are a good person... In this way, you can wait for the right time, and wait for the day when the opportunity comes. Only then can I have the opportunity to put my talents into full play.”

Zhang Xing thought for a while and nodded: "He is quite obedient."

"That's the good thing about him, but it's also a bad thing...he's too easy to listen to." Li Ding sighed with emotion. "I'm afraid he will be bad at this in the future."

"It is indeed a bit confusing and easy to be fooled." Zhang Xing also expressed some agreement and looked at the dark circles under the other person's eyes. "So, if one of the court's unreasonable things comes to your head, your plan is to follow Wu Like a convulsion?"

Li Ding did not show his dark circles to the other party, but turned to look at the increasingly heavy rain: "Actually, it's the same if I stay in the court now... just wait."

"Waiting to serve the Wei Dynasty?" Zhang Xing said with a smile. "If in two or three years, your fortune suddenly changes, you will be directly appointed as a county magistrate, then a county guard, a general, and you will be able to become a general of the current dynasty before the age of forty. , Shangzhu Kingdom, if you can’t personally command the pacification of Dongyi, Yaodao and Wu Clan, will you have to dedicate yourself to doing your best for the court?”

"Save some face." Li Ding took the opportunity to cover his nose, as if he was embarrassed. "The situation in my clan... As long as the court doesn't take the initiative to find trouble, it can't take the initiative to rebel, right? Let the Li family of Longxi do it for me. Yet?"

Zhang Xing seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

And Li Ding was also decent. He never asked the other party, what would be the result after "thinking about it"?

In this way, the rain fell gradually and suddenly, and within the next two or three days, prices skyrocketed, and finally came back because the price increase of basic materials such as rice, flour, oil tea, etc., in turn, drove up the price of firewood, fodder, fish eggs, and general food.

The price of work.

In the end, the whole city will raise prices together.

This time, Zhang Xing did nothing, and Bai Yousi did not ask Zhang Xing for advice. They all knew that the source of the matter was Ziwei Palace, and Ziwei Palace was beyond their control at this moment, or in other words, Bai Yousi

Si had tried his best to stop it, and Zhang Xing also ensured that Fulongwei could stay out of it.

These days, Bai Yousi is studying some ancient books and classics, and has even applied to the third floor of Langya Pavilion. He doesn't know if he is planning to give up martial arts and study literature, and take the imperial examination with Yan Qing next year. As for Zhang Xing, his attention is basically

In terms of practice, Zhang Sanlang, who has entered the twelfth meridian many days ago, is working hard to exercise and flush the meridian, in order to break through the most difficult stage of the twelfth meridian as soon as possible and enter a more flexible and versatile stage.

The stage of the eight extraordinary meridians.

Then let’s take a closer look at what the so-called Ren Du Second Meridian really means.

After all, at this time, he resented his lack of cultivation even more... If he really reached the pill condensation stage, he would no longer be able to serve him!

With this kind of thinking, Deputy Changjian Zhang is now dreaming about making a breakthrough. Even when he goes to Nanya to work shifts and guard Zhang Han, he seems a little absent-minded.
To be continued...