It was snowing heavily at night on the third day of the Upper Yuan Dynasty.
The Emperor had issued a decree before the New Year to officially change the name of the dynasty on New Year's Day and grant amnesty to the world. It was the first year of the Dazu Dynasty. The origin of this name was because Yang Fan went to Fangzhou to rescue Prince of Luling. In order to get out of prison, he forged a huge footprint left by a golden-armored immortal in prison, so the Emperor changed the name of the dynasty.
Although it was easy to change the name of the Wuzhou Dynasty. A big star appearing in the sky or the Emperor growing a new tooth could be the reason for changing the name of the dynasty, but this time the name was changed because of Yang Fan. Yang Fan, who was sitting in the Furong Tower, had a strange feeling in his heart. How many people could leave such a mark in history?
The heavy snow fell and sprinkled all over the Qu Chi. The red plum blossoms downstairs bloomed in the snow. Their pink petals reflected the red in the snow, making the temples, buildings, gardens and the river more warm. All kinds of lights decorated the branches, making the petals on the branches crystal clear.
Half drunk, Yang Fan pushed open the window and looked at the Qu Chi under the shadows of the lanterns in the night. The Qu Chi River was a vast expanse of whiteness, but in Yang Fan's eyes, there was still a pool of water, half of the green leaves, and the graceful figure of the beautiful woman, with a lotus fragrance, riding a leaf orchid boat, looking at him with a smile.
There seemed to be a jingle in his ears, gently knocking on Yang Fan's heart. Ning Ke's face was like a blooming lotus lingering in his mind. But the beautiful woman's beautiful smile, even if he was willing to exchange everything in the world, he could not make it appear again.
Someone was setting off fireworks by the river. The brilliant fireworks suddenly lit up, just like the beautiful woman was sitting under the osmanthus tree. The setting sun was like blood, the osmanthus fragrance floated in the air, and a wisp of smoke curled up. Her slender fingers rolled up the warm evening wind, accompanied by falling petals, playing a song for him.
Yang Fan slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the moisture in his eyes had disappeared. He gently closed the window, and the warmth in the room immediately wrapped his whole body. Yang Fan did not look back, but just stood there quietly for a long time. He was dressed in white, but he didn't have Young Master Jiang's aloof and arrogant coldness. Instead, he gave off a feeling of gentleness.
Behind him, Dugu Yu silently stood there, gazing at Yang Fan's back. He seemed to know what Yang Fan was thinking, and his heart was both comforted and sorrowful.
Yang Fan slowly raised his cup and took a sip of the wine. The wine had already turned cold, but it felt like a ball of fire as it entered his throat. When the Jiannan Braised Spring began to burn in his stomach, Yang Fan said in a low and hoarse voice, "Big Foot is a good sign. Let us … kick them away!"
…
The leader of the Heavenly Eagle Clan's Caokou, Xu Lin, got off the carriage. In front of him, a servant carried a lantern and walked into the alley.
Although the alley was wide, the snow in the alley had not been swept, so the carriage could not go in.
A gust of wind blew, and the snow was sucked into his collar. It was a little cold, and Xu Lin pulled his cloak tighter.
This was the third day of the Upper Yuan Dynasty. The number of people on the streets to watch the lanterns was not as much as the previous two days. Coupled with the heavy snow tonight, the streets were even more deserted. Of course, this was only compared to the previous two days. In general, the streets were still very lively, and there was a constant stream of people coming and going in the alley. The thousands of lanterns still glowed dimly in the vast snow. Walking along, it was as if one was in a fairy tale world.
The leaders of the Caokou of the various sects on Ba were all dispatched, entering the city to look for their backers. In fact, they had already been here for a few days, but they had not seen the people they were looking for. It was not because these officials had too many social engagements and did not return at night, but because Chen Dong of the Ministry of Justice and Hu Yuanli of the Censorate were in full swing during the Spring Festival. Almost all the officials, including some officials with no duties, had been seconded by them.
Once Chen Dong and Hu Yuanli borrowed these people, they had the officers and soldiers of the Thousand Horsemen Battalion watch over them, in the euphemistic name of "to prevent leaks." As a result, these people were under the eyes of the officers and soldiers every day, and even had to stay in the barracks at night. Although this made the officials very dissatisfied, Chen Dong used the righteous reason that the Emperor was about to go west and wanted to clean up Chang 'an into a clean world, so they could not refuse.
Moreover, Hu Yuanli had even said very sinisterly while stroking his beard, "The reason why those wanted criminals could escape before we could arrest them must be because someone had tipped them off. The tip-off must be the Chang 'an officials who had been bribed! " In order to avoid arousing suspicion, these officials could only take the initiative to cooperate, never leaving their line of sight, to prove their innocence.
Until today, it was said that the joint rectification campaign to crack down on and clean up public security had been a great success. These officials who had worked hard for half a month could finally go home to reunite with their families, and those who had been waiting for them at the Caokou of the various gangs in Ba Shang could finally see them.
Xu Lin came to the front of a house with black bricks and white stone steps. A manservant came forward with a lantern and knocked on the door knocker. Hearing the news that his master was at home, Xu Lin was overjoyed. Soon, his figure disappeared at the door, and a beam of light moved toward the second courtyard in the misty snowflakes.
…
Ma Qian, the helmsman at the Caokou of the Circle Gate, was in the study of Gao Jingqian, the Administrator of the Chang 'an Local Government.
Most states and prefectures in the Tang dynasty had idle officials, and the quota of officials was far higher than the actual number of officials that should be allocated. In other words, officials who had no official position and only received salaries. At the same time, some states and prefectures that were busy with affairs often set up more officials than the quota.
For example, as an assistant capital, the Chang 'an local government should have a member of the Record Counselor. But in fact, besides Chu Tianxing, there was also Gao Jingqian, who was also an official. There were three other Record Counselors in the Chang' an local government, but they had no official position and were not responsible for specific affairs.
Ma Qian told Gao Jingqian what happened on Ba Shang to him, who had just returned to the mansion. In addition to describing how arrogant and domineering the ASEAN gangs were, he cleverly hinted at how unscrupulous the officials and gentry behind the ASEAN gangs were, and how they did not care about Gao Jingqian and the others at all.
Gao Jingqian understood that Ma Qian's words had a hint of provocation, but this was not the point. The point was that Ma Qian spread out a box of gold and several land deeds on the table.
Most people in the Chang 'an officialdom knew that this year, the so-called Emperor's tour of the western capital of Chang' an, was actually to move the capital back to Chang 'an, but it had not been publicly announced to the world. And once the Emperor moved the capital, he would inevitably bring a large number of officials from the capital Luoyang. Even if the original officials in Chang 'an were not purged, most of them would be transferred to make room for the Emperor's trusted aides.
Gao Jingqian's qualifications and background weren't enough for him to stay in Chang 'an. It was inevitable that he would be transferred. At that time, he would no longer be able to provide convenience to the Canal Gang, and he wouldn't be able to receive enough benefits from them. Therefore, it seemed like a good choice to make some money before he left.
Gao Jingqian paced slowly in the room. The shadow of the lamp cast his shadow on the wall, and there was a golden flash in the shadow, like a reflection of the river. It was the reflection of a box of gold under the lamp.
Adjunct Gao stood still and looked at the golden light in the projection. He said in a deep voice: "Tomorrow morning, I will send people there. The people behind them will not be idle. You have to be clean, don't let others get hold of your weakness!"
Ma Qian was overjoyed and quickly bowed to the ground. "Rest assured, Adjunct, I have already made arrangements!"
…
The Chang 'an Major Zhao Haochen's mansion also welcomed a guest. The guest was the Taiping Gang's Canal Head, Tang Long. Tang Long had also brought a generous gift, one that was difficult to refuse, so Zhao Haochen was hesitant.
Zhao Haochen was the trusted subordinate of Liu Xiantian, the magistrate of the Chang 'an government. Once the emperor moved west, he might not be able to hold the position of Minister of War anymore. However, as a trusted subordinate of Liu Xiantian, he might not be transferred away from Chang' an. Therefore, he hoped that he would be safe during this period of time.
With this goal in mind, he did not want to do anything, especially stand up for the Taiping Gang and directly use the power of the government to suppress the other Canal Gangs. But the Taiping Gang's gift was too generous. It was more than five times the previous gifts. Tang Long also promised that if they could eliminate the ASEAN gangs in one fell swoop, the Five Elements Guild, the Circle Sect, and the Taiping Gang would be in charge of the Canal Gang, and the annual gifts would increase by forty percent.
After thinking for a long time, Zhao Haochen thought to himself, "Chen Dong and Hu Yuanli can crack down on Chang 'an to help the Emperor move the capital. As local officials of Chang' an, it is also reasonable for us to clean up the surrounding areas of Chang 'an. Everyone wants Chang 'an to be peaceful when the Emperor moves the capital. This time, I take advantage of the current situation. I not only cater to the imperial envoy, but also smuggle some goods. If I do it well, the Emperor will be pleased, and maybe it will be beneficial to me! "
Thinking of this, Zhao Haochen secretly made up his mind.
…
A guest also came to the mansion of the founding Marquis Wang Shixiu. After listening to the guest's story, Marquis Wang sneered, "The Dugu Family? The Dugu Family has long been in decline. They have no influence in the officialdom. Since they don't care about me, I will let them know how powerful I am! "
Marquis Wang slapped a box of expensive gifts and proudly raised his eyebrows at the guest. "Don't worry. Go back and tell your Grand Master that I will take care of this! Isn't it just some bullshit Shun Gate? I will destroy it and let the Dugu Family know who has the final say in Chang 'an City! "
…
The next morning, Chang 'an County Officer Wu Luoran strode into the county government office.
Along the way, firecrackers and broken lanterns were scattered everywhere. It was like this just after the Upper Yuan Festival. Bōshō did not have time to arrange for the workers to clean up. It was the New Year before the first month, so it was normal to be a little lazy. But for County Officer Wu who liked cleanliness, it was a little unbearable.
County Officer Wu rushed to the county government office. When his colleagues saw him, they all cupped their hands and greeted him. County Officer Wu smiled and returned the greeting. When he was about to go see the County Magistrate, Arrester Xiong suddenly rushed over. When he saw County Officer Wu, he said, "The Imperial Magistrate has finally arrived. I have just received an urgent order from the Ming Mansion, asking the Imperial Magistrate to lead three teams of constables to the Wannian County government office to act together!"
County Officer Wu was shocked, "What is the idea of imperial envoy Chen and Hu?"
Arrester Xiong smiled bitterly, "This time it is not the imperial envoys who are stirring up trouble. It is said that Major Zhao, Adjunct Gao, Marquis Wang and others have jointly reported to the government office, saying that the Barren Plain's fishermen have formed gangs and fought, causing many deaths and injuries. The Imperial Magistrate has ordered Chang 'an and Wannian County to act together to rectify the public order of Barren Plain!"
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