"Gu~~~"
The sharp and loud crowing of cocks tore through the darkness, and dawn fell.
Liu Taozi put on her brand new official uniform, which was still black.
In the pre-Wei Dynasty, five-color official uniforms were prescribed in the temples, and they were required to be uniformly worn according to rank. However, in Daqi, "the clothes are all Xuanxuan and Xiaxia", and there is no obvious distinction.
But this official uniform is completely different from the former travel uniform. The travel uniform is a short coat, including the lower skirt, which is also tight and covers the top of the skirt. The cuffs are tight and need to be fastened with a tie. The crown is a military crown.
弁, with a stronger flavor of military attache and nomadic flavor.
Now this official uniform is a large-sleeved shirt with crotch pleats at the bottom and a waistband divided into two layers. The outer coat is shaped like a cloak, and the inner short coat is beautifully woven and embroidered with various beasts.
Wearing thin sleeves and a red and white cage, just looking at the coat, he looks like a madman from the Wei and Jin Dynasties. If you look at the inside, he also has a bit of nomadic madness. The saber on his waist has also been replaced by a long sword. He is really majestic.
Very different from the past.
Yao Xiong and others were already waiting at the door. When they saw Liu Taozi striding out, they were stunned.
It's not like they have never seen such clothes before. They often wore them like this when they were on the road.
But when Liu Taozi puts on this outfit, she is really completely different. She is already tall and has a majestic appearance. With this outfit, she doesn't look like a ninth-grade county magistrate, but has the demeanor of a first-grade general who records affairs.
Yao Xiong hurriedly said: "Brother is so powerful!"
Tian Zili was not in the mood to listen to this guy's flattery. He hurriedly pulled one of them to Liu Taozi's side and said with a smile: "Brother, Li Lushi Shi Tian Cengliang was waiting here and said he would take us to visit him."
The county magistrate will then summon the officials."
The Liyang Chronicler is called Li Jun, and it was this person who took the lead in welcoming Liu Taozi yesterday.
This man was about thirty years old, with plain appearance, twinkling eyes, and a smile on his face. He was a standard Daqi county official.
He quickly flattered him and said, "Mr. Liu is so majestic and so handsome! When my subordinates see him, they feel as if they are seeing a heavenly being."
Tian Zili interrupted him with a smile, "My county magistrate doesn't like to hear flattery!"
"Wherever there is flattery, it is all from the subordinates' innermost thoughts."
Li Jun was talking to Tian Zili. Obviously, after this night, Tian Zili had some interactions with several officials in the county. It was not friendship, but they had a certain understanding of each other.
Li Jun hurriedly asked people to clear the way. He nodded and followed Liu Taozi, leading the way for him.
"Mr. Liu will meet with the county magistrate later, but you must be careful with your words."
"The county magistrate has an eccentric and eccentric personality. When we visit him on weekdays, we are always careful not to offend him in the slightest. If we offend him, we will be beaten severely."
Li Jun subconsciously touched his face, then looked at everyone, "Everyone should be more careful in the backyard to avoid offending this person."
Hearing these words, Yao Xiong immediately sneered.
Another fucking bitch.
Kou Liu was also filled with indignation and looked ugly.
Tian Zili narrowed his eyes and just smiled softly.
Li Jun led a few people to walk more than a hundred steps and arrived in front of a house. The house looked extremely dilapidated, which perfectly matched the style of the entire county government.
The walls of the house were damaged, and weeds even grew at the door.
An old soldier stood at the door, taking a nap with a spear in his arms.
When Li Jun saw it, he couldn't help being furious. He hurriedly stepped forward and pushed the old soldier awake, "I told you last night that the county magistrate was coming. How dare you, old man, neglect me?!"
The old pawn looked at the other party with fear in his eyes, and he knelt on the ground and apologized repeatedly.
A look of fierceness appeared on Li Jun's face, but disappeared immediately. He returned to Liu Taozi with a smile, "Mr. Liu, it's my fault in discipline, please don't blame me."
He pointed to the dilapidated house in front of him, "The county magistrate lives here. He has a weird temper. Alas, the magistrate had to go in by himself."
Liu Taozi asked everyone to stay here, while he pushed open the courtyard door, his voice was so rough that Li Jun couldn't help but tremble.
Liu Taozi walked into the courtyard, but saw that it was also extremely bleak. It was covered with weeds and debris was piled everywhere. If Li Jun hadn't said anything, no one would have thought that this was the residence of the county magistrate.
It is a warehouse where debris is accumulated.
Liu Taozi walked to the house opposite and patted the door.
"who?"
One person asked.
"Xian Cheng."
The door was slowly pushed open, and a man wearing ordinary clothes and a slovenly look opened the door.
This man looked to be about thirty years old, but he had a messy beard, a pale face, and a really weird expression.
The man looked up and down at Liu Taozi in front of him, his eyes wary, "Are you the new county magistrate?"
"yes."
"But he was born as a scholar who took exams?"
"no."
"Bang!"
The man closed the door without hesitation, with such force that the dust was shaken up by him. The door almost hit Liu Taozi in the face. Liu Taozi did not move at all, stood for a moment, turned around and walked out.
Li Jun saw him coming out and hurried forward, "Mr. Liu, the county magistrate didn't make things difficult for you, right?"
"No."
"That's good, that's good."
Li Jun sighed helplessly, "Hey, Mr. Liu, just follow me to the lobby to summon the officials."
The lobby in Liyang County looks a little shabby. There are several bright wooden pillars with a few gaps. The floor looks a bit dirty and cannot be washed clean.
Yao Xiong and others were no longer surprised. The county magistrate was away, so Liu Taozi took the upper position.
Li Jun and others were sitting below, lazily, there were more than a dozen people in total.
Tian Zili frowned, already unhappy.
"Li Jun, when Xincheng comes, no matter how many things happen, all the officials should be gathered together. Are these twelve or three people looking down on my lord?"
Li Jun quickly stood up and said to Liu Taozi: "Mr. Liu, I will never underestimate you."
"Our county government currently only has seventeen people including casual officials."
"What?!"
Tian Zili stood up suddenly and said: "Li Yangzhong County should have fifty-three official officials and twelve casual officials!"
"What do you mean?"
Li Jun's face was pale and his whole body was trembling. "I would never dare to deceive you. There is really no one in the county government."
"Speak clearly!!"
Tian Zili looked at Yao Xiong. Yao Xiong stood up quickly and put his hand on the handle of the knife at his waist. Li Jundang knelt on the ground, "Mr. Liu! Mr. Tian! Spare your life!"
"Two years ago, the city had the amount Arita-kun said, but in the past two years, the harvest was not good, the food was insufficient, the county treasury was empty, and the tribute grain could not be paid, let alone the officials' salaries.
There is no food to live on, and all the officials are either starved to death, or they have escaped or are loose officials in the county government. We have to arrest people from prison to serve as officials, and we have to put them in shackles on weekdays to prevent them from escaping."
Li Jun cried about the situation in the county, and Yao Xiong and others' eyes widened.
This county official can starve to death? And he has to work in shackles?
What the fuck is this place??
Tian Zili frowned, "Liyang is a major grain-producing county with fertile land and is quite famous. There have been no natural disasters in the past two years, so how can there be such a shortage of food?"
Li Jun's lips trembled a few times, "I don't know either. Even the county magistrate doesn't know."
He slowly closed his eyes and lowered his head, but refused to speak any more.
Liu Taozi looked at the casual officials, and sure enough, they were all skinny, with sunken cheeks and dull eyes, and the other officials didn't look very good either.
Yao Xiong and others suddenly understood why the Liyang County government office looked so dilapidated. It turned out to be because of poverty.
Liu Taozi didn't waste any more time, turned around and left the place, and everyone hurriedly followed.
After Taozi and others left, Li Jun got up and asked people to take the scattered officials back. At this moment, there were only four people left around him.
"how?"
"Emotions and anger cannot be expressed in color, so it's hard to describe."
"I think he is definitely not Han, he should be a Xiongnu Qihu. Look at the green-eyed one, he is definitely a Qihu. There is also a guy with a strange beard, he is definitely a Xianbei!"
"I once saw a patrolling Xianbei knight with a beard and hair like his. It was extremely ugly."
"Yes, there is also that scary-looking one! They say he is a doctor, but I think he is a Xianbei witch doctor! Only Hu people carry witch doctors with them!"
"I think it's better to talk to Duke Zhao and ask him to come forward directly. Most of these barbarians have eccentric personalities. If someone offends them with something they say, the county government will be slaughtered with blood!"
Li Jun gritted his teeth and pondered for a moment, "Okay, I'll go see Mr. Zhao."
Liu Taozi and others returned to their residence.
Everyone sat down on his left and right sides.
"Zili, tell me about the situation."
Tian Zili stood up in a hurry, "The magistrate of Liyang County, whose surname is Shi Yao and whose courtesy name is Bai Yao, is from Anxi. It is said that he is an official who started his career by taking the Confucian Confucian examination."
"His reputation in the county government is very bad. It is said that this person has been staying in the dilapidated courtyard for a long time, refusing to go out. He sleeps in the courtyard all day long and does not pay attention to the government affairs of the county government. He does not even have a bookkeeper.
.”
"In addition, Li Jun and others also said that this person has a perverse personality, likes to beat subordinates, is moody, and cannot get close to others. Although they did not say it explicitly, they all implied that the lack of food in the county treasury was because of this county magistrate. He did not
He cares about farming matters, and often sends his confidants to seal off the grain depot, not allowing others to inspect it, and determining the amount privately."
Before Tian Zili finished speaking, Yao Xiong couldn't help but said, "What a good official. Even the county officials were starved to death by him. How miserable must the people in this city be."
Tian Zili ignored him and looked up at Liu Taozi.
"Brother, is something wrong?"
Liu Taozi nodded.
Yao Xiong looked confused, "What's wrong?"
Tian Zili glanced at him and then said: "If it were you, and you were in Cheng'an, the prime minister of Lu County was replaced and a new prime minister came. You have never met. Would you dare to say bad things about Lu Yao to his cronies?
"
Yao Xiong stepped in, thought about it, and shook his head quickly, "I don't dare. Officials are close to each other. Officials are nothing. They may be sold one day."
"Why would a seemingly smart person like Li Jun do something that even a stupid guy like you wouldn't do?"
Yao Xiong frowned and did not answer.
Kou Liu pondered for a moment and said tentatively: "Are they the bad guys? Is the county magistrate a good guy?"
Tian Zili curled his lips and no longer had any hope for these two guys. He looked at Liu Taozi and said, "Brother, we have just arrived in Liyang. We don't know much about the situation above and below, and we can't make a hasty judgment.
"
"The best thing to do now is to walk around and see the situation inside and outside Liyang. Only when you understand the situation can you distinguish between ourselves and the enemy."
Liu Taozi nodded and immediately started making arrangements.
"Zili, please continue to walk around the county government office, keep in touch with these people, and talk to them more."
"Xiong, you go to the county military academy immediately and get to know the soldiers and cavalry officers there."
"Liu, please go back to the house and sleep."
"Have it both ways. Look around for a suitable mansion. I'll open a clinic for you. You can also sit in for medical treatment when you have nothing to do in the future."
Everyone had their tasks and left separately.
Of course, Liu Taozi was not idle either. He called two experts, rode a big horse, and walked out of the county government gate in a leisurely manner.
The green lion took long strides, and the sound of its hooves sounded crisply. Liu Taozi looked around, just like when he was the tour leader, his eyes were sharp.
Most of the buildings in Liyang are short and dilapidated, as are the roads. But if you look around, you can see living people. It's not like a ghost town like Cheng'an back then.
Occasionally, pedestrians passing by saw this official riding a horse and hurriedly ran away.
At every intersection, there were more than ten people, looking eagerly to the left and right. Most of these people were old people with gray hair and cloudy eyes.
When they saw someone riding a horse, these people were not afraid. Instead, they walked up to them and said, "Master! Take me in! I can do anything! I don't have much to eat!"
"I can blacksmith!!"
"Master, I just need to eat one meal a day."
These people were in ragged clothes, and ribs could be seen in the torn clothes. The knights brought by Liu Taozi hurried forward to stop them. These people were so frightened that they backed away. Liu Taozi looked at the knights aside and said, "Give me some money."
.”
The knight was stunned for a moment, then nodded.
Liu Taozi continued to walk forward, and he could see homeless people everywhere in Liyang. They were squatting at various intersections, lying on the roadside, or squatting in front of restaurants.
Some are disabled people, some are old people, and there are also a few sick children.
But if you go further and come to the south of Liyang City, the situation becomes a little different.
The roads here are quite flat, and the buildings have begun to become taller. Obviously, like the east of Cheng'an City, the south of Liyang City is also the residence of wealthy people.
Anyway, there are no beggars along the road. In the middle, you can see a tall pagoda, which is the tallest building in the city.
The further you go in, the more monks you can see. These monks are armed with sticks and swords. They are not afraid at all when they see the officials. They just go their own way. They have beards and look strong and fierce.
, not at all kind-hearted.
Liu Taozi passed them by, and these people didn't even look at Taozi.
They continued to move forward and walked like this for a long time. Finally, Liu Taozi stopped.
When we walked to the far south, that is, in front of the pagoda, we saw an exquisite courtyard wall. This wall was magnificent and the tiles and bricks used were unusual. It felt a bit on par with the county governor's mansion.
The courtyard wall has not yet been completed, and more than a thousand people can be seen, all of them young and strong, naked to the waist, carrying bricks and tiles, mixing mud and applying them. It is really more lively than the corvee.
As soon as Liu Taozi and others approached, they were stopped by a group of people.
These people were all wearing black clothes, with short hair, holding swords and sticks. They were tall and strong. They stood in front of Liu Taozi and others. A green-eyed monk looked at Liu Taozi in front of him.
"The pure land of Buddhism should not be approached by outsiders."
The knight was furious, "How dare you be rude to the county magistrate?!"
Hearing these words, the monk was not afraid at all. He raised his head and said, "What about the county magistrate? No one can approach this Buddhist pure land unless invited by the prison."
The knights slowly drew out their swords and looked at Liu Taozi. As long as Taozi gave the order, they would chop off the head in front of them.
At this moment, Liu Taozi raised his head and looked at the tall pagoda in the distance. He didn't even glance at the monk in front of him.
"I said you"
Monk Hu got angry and took a step forward. As soon as he opened his mouth, Liu Taozi slowly lowered her head and looked at him.
At this moment, Monk Hu's hair stood on end, as if he had encountered some terrible terror. His whole body was stiff and he could not move.
"Mr. Liu!!"
"Mr. Liu!!!"
Then he saw a person suddenly running out from behind. Liu Taozi had seen that person before, and he was a county official.
This man walked quickly to Liu Taozi's side with a smile on his face.
"Liu Gong, Zhao Juncheng from the county government is waiting for you. I have gone to many places but can't find you. Come back with me quickly."
After he finished speaking, he suddenly looked at Monk Hu, "Don't you know that this is the county magistrate? Get out of here!!"
Those strong monks lowered their heads and took a few steps back, no longer showing the aggressive posture they had just shown.
"Mr. Liu, Zhao Juncheng is waiting for you in his mansion. Can I take you there now?"
Inside the Zhao Mansion.
Li Jun was standing next to a tall man with his head lowered.
The man held the arrow in his hand, looked at the throwing pot opposite, gently dropped it, and the arrow missed.
The man hurriedly ran forward to pick up the arrow, and Li Jun ran back and forth with him.
The man was having a great time, but Li Jun was talking and running at the same time, completely exhausted.
Finally, the man stopped and looked at the panting Li Jun, "So, this man has a military background?"
"Anyway, it is impossible to be a Youyou. Whose Youyou can ride such a big horse? The war horse under his crotch is definitely a treasure beyond the Great Wall. There are also many Xianbei warriors around him. How can this be a Youyou?
What can we have?”
The man raised his arrow again, "But I heard that he was a scholar who took exams."
"Xiucai???"
"It's not like that."
Li Jun shook his head, and the man pointed the arrow at Li Jun with a smile, "So, you are afraid of him? You want me to come forward in person?"
Li Jun looked at the arrow that shone with cold light and couldn't help but swallow, "Mr. Zhao, I just thought that such a person can be your helper. We villains, if we said that wrong, it is not bad."
Is it important to you?"
Hearing these words, Zhao Juncheng finally laughed.
He changed the direction of the arrow again, "Okay, I guess what you said makes sense, I'll wait for him here."
"Go, go, keep an eye on Shi, don't let him make any further moves."
"only!!!"
The man threw the arrow.
Throw the pot right in the middle.
Chapter completed!