The owner of the pottery, Bo Mantian, asked for a price, and Zhou Zhixian sat on the ground to pay back the money.

Master Tao insisted that four thousand taels should not be less. Zhou Zhixian covered his face and cried, complaining how wronged he was as an official. At the end of the sentence, he knelt down and kowtowed.

A grown man burst into tears when he cried. Han Xiufeng really couldn't bear it, but Tao Master Bo was unmoved. Zhou Zhixian saw that begging for mercy was in vain, so he wiped away his tears and pretended to be breaking a jar.

You only need one thousand five hundred taels of silver, no matter how much you ask for it, just take it if you want.

Possibly thinking that the county government office, the government office and the Daotai government office were all not far from Chaotianmen, and that it might lead to long nights and many dreams, Master Tao didn't want the cooked duck to fly away, so he finally agreed to "privately keep" the one thousand five hundred taels and let everyone know.

The county hurried back to the boat to get the banknote.

The situation is stronger than the people, and Zhouzhi County can only suffer the loss of being dumb.

Taking advantage of the opportunity when he went back to get the banknotes, Master Tao asked Guan Baotou to bring the shop owner of Li Ji Copper and Tin Co. to the court. He looked at Li Defu as if he were a prisoner on death row and asked coldly: "You are so brave, Li Defu, do you know that you

What crime was committed?"

Li Defu's courage had long been frightened. He kowtowed and cried: "I know, I know, the villain knows. I beg the second master to be noble and let the villain go..."

"Let you go. You have committed a serious crime of losing your head. How can I let you go?"

"The villain is willing to pay. Second Master, the villain is willing to pay five hundred taels. Is five hundred taels enough?"

"Five hundred taels, Li Defu, your wealth and life are worth only five hundred taels? You think you are a beggar! By now, you should know that what you have committed is a serious crime of beheading and confiscating your property. If the official business is done, not only your head will not be saved, but also your head will be saved."

Your little family property will also be confiscated!"

"Five hundred taels, the villain is doing a small business, and the villain can only take out so much."

Master Tao slapped the koan loudly and scolded: "Li Defu, it seems that you are determined not to die until the Yellow River. Well, I will grant you a favor and close the gate...!"

"Here!" Guan Captou responded.

"Lock up the criminal who stole official copper and escort him to the county government office to await trial!"

"嗻!"

Li Defu thought that if he was imprisoned, no matter how much money he spent, he would not be able to save his life and fortune. He hurriedly climbed to the front of the case, hugged the leg of the case and cried and begged: "Second Master, I can't afford so much money at once. Can you please forgive me?"

The villain gives me a thousand taels for a few days. I am willing to pay a thousand taels, but I only ask the second master to be kind enough to let the villain go."

"One thousand taels, you are teasing me, even your house has more than one thousand taels!"

"Second Master, there is an old man above him and a young man below..."

"I have an eighty-year-old mother, right? That's what everyone who was brought to the Yamen said! For the sake of your usual honesty, I can be generous and let you go, but you have to take two thousand taels, Shao

No need to talk about one or two."

Li Defu is not only the shopkeeper of Li Ji Copper and Tin Shop, but also one of the principals of the Copper and Tin Tooth Shop. All those who trade copper and tin in Ba County must pay him, especially those who trade copper pounds. Some people are not convinced and complain.

Go to the Yamen, but the business has rules and they have a license issued by the government, so there is no point in filing a complaint.

His family has a great business, he has the support of the Huguang Guild Hall, and he can talk to the county magistrate and even the government office. Those in the city who are engaged in copper and tin trading dare not speak out.

Han Xiufeng had long disliked him and felt that asking him to pay two thousand taels was not much, so he couldn't help but said: "Shopkeeper Li, if you can't even save your life, why do you need so much money? I know your family background.

, the second master doesn’t care if you ask for two thousand taels, it’s really not much, and he also wants to help you take on such a huge responsibility.”

"But...but those banknotes on the case are mine too!"

"Yours?" Master Tao was amused. He patted the official case and laughed and said, "Shopkeeper Li, please open your eyes to see clearly and listen carefully. This is seized from the hands of lawless people who steal and sell official copper.

Stolen silver. If you keep saying that these banknotes are yours, I will not be able to excuse you even if I want to."

Han Xiufeng reminded: "Shopkeeper Li, don't say this nonsense. If you spread it, you will lose your head."

Li Defu was not a melon boy, so how could he not understand this truth? He could only say with a bitter face: "The second master is right, those banknotes do not belong to the villain, but the villain really can't get out two thousand taels in a short while."

"If you can't get it now, you can ask your family to go back and get it."

"I don't have it at home, nor on the cabinet. There's no use going back."

"If you don't have anything on the counter at home, you can borrow it. Your Huguang Bank has helped so many wealthy businessmen, and your shopkeeper Li has such good connections with many people. Borrowing two thousand taels is not just a matter of a few words!"

"Second Master, where do you want me to borrow it in the middle of the night?"

"This is your business. I have official duties and I don't have much time to spend with you. If you don't see the two thousand taels of silver before dawn, you will be thrown into death row and wait for the queen to be executed!"

…

If everything goes to the county government court, it will be too late. Shopkeeper Li does not dare to make fun of his family and life, so he can only follow Guan Baotou out to find his servant, and ask the servant to return quickly to report the news, and let the family raise money overnight.

Master Tao was very busy and asked Yu Youfu to bring the tea ganger's head to the court.

Although the Tea Gang had a backer, they were still a group of poor porters who worked hard and could not squeeze out much profit. However, to Tao Zhubo, grasshoppers were also meat, so he frightened him. In the end, the Tea Gang leader was willing to pay 150 yuan.

Two dollars to buy a life.

After everything that needed to be done was done, Liu San, a family member of Zhouzhi County, also sent 1,500 taels of silver notes.

Even if he gets into a huge lawsuit, as long as he can get a huge amount of money, everything will be fine! When Master Tao saw the banknote, he immediately asked Guan to release him, and the seized ship of Yunnan copper was also returned.

I got 2,700 taels of silver notes, and there will be another 2,150 taels to be delivered later. Mr. Tao was in high spirits on happy occasions, and in a rare act of generosity, he let his old servant Zhao Bo

I went back and asked my family to make supper and even brought two jars of fine wine that I had collected for several years.

After a few glasses of wine, Master Tao Bo said regretfully: "Brother, our hearts are still too soft! Look at the banknotes that Mr. Zhou asked his family to send. They are all 'Western Number', at least

A piece of paper is also two hundred taels, how can I make up for it? I bet that even if he asks for another two thousand taels, he can still get it!"

"Second Master, he's so anxious that he jumps over the wall. If we can pull out the bullet and get him to pay one thousand five hundred taels, it's already pretty good."

"That's true. That turtle son can't be an official for more than a few days. If pressed, he will really break a jar. Anyway, he is a dead pig and is not afraid of boiling water."

"So the money in hand is the money."

"That's true, brother, come on, let's have a drink!"

"Thank you, second master. I would like to pay tribute to you by doing it first."

Seeing Han Xiufeng finish the drink, Tao Master Bo also drank it in one gulp, and then changed the topic: "Brother, this matter was handled neatly tonight. To be honest, I really can't bear to let you go. Isn't it just a matter of being an official for thousands of miles?

Money, think about it, if you don't go to the capital to make a donation, you just stay in Ba County and do things like tonight three or five times a year. How can you not make a fortune? Why do you have to leave your hometown and go so far away when you don't know where to go?

I wonder if the gap can be filled, and even if it can be filled, I don’t know whether it is a fat gap or a bitter gap.”

"Second Master, you think I am willing to leave my hometown, but this matter tonight is a matter of chance."

"Who says you can only meet someone but cannot ask for it?" Master Tao Bo put down his wine bowl, looked at Han Xiufeng with a smile and asked: "Brother, the transport official named Zhou only transported 450,000 kilograms of Yunnan copper this time. Don't you think it's a little short?

, don’t you think it’s strange?”

Han Xiufeng was stunned and then realized: "Second Master, what you said is really strange to me. The Beijing Bureau relies entirely on Yunnan copper and Guizhou lead to make money, but this year only 450,000 kilograms of copper can be cast.

How much money, think about it, is less than in previous years, and much less!"

"I happen to know about this. The total number of copper shipments ordered by the imperial court in Yunnan has not changed this year, but it is not divided into one or two batches like in previous years, but into six batches. The turtle son named Zhou is the first batch, and there are others next.

The fifth batch may arrive in a few days. Do you think those luck officials are doing the same tricks as the turtle son named Zhou?"

"It's possible, but they may not be as courageous as Zhou Zhi County."

"Brother, a shrewd person like you should have thought that they can only do tricks in our Ba County. We have so many dangerous waterways in Ba County. It is normal for the ship to capsize and sink the copper. Only when the ship sinks will there be an excuse for a copper shortage. Wait.

After the Three Gorges entered the boundary of Hubei, the waterway was calm and calm, and they couldn't do anything even if they tried."

Han Xiufeng thought to himself that you have tasted the sweetness, but this money is not so easy to earn. If the incident comes to light, you will really get the money but lose your life. Han Xiufeng does not want to always take risks, so he thinks it is better to accept the opportunity and pick up the

Filling the cup with wine, he smiled bitterly and said: "Second Master, I know you are thinking about me, and I am not a ungrateful person. The main reason is that I went to Beijing to submit a confession not just to find a job, but also to honor my ancestors and comfort my uncle."
Chapter completed!