I

Zhao Han had just settled in the inn when he heard noises from the street.

He hurriedly went out to look, but saw a big blue sedan chair in front of him, followed by many entourages with swords, and behind him was a long line of carrying people.

Back in the store, Zhao Han asked the shopkeeper for news: "May I ask, sir, what are the backgrounds of all these people outside?"

The shopkeeper glanced at the door, shook his head and sighed: "The eunuch has finally moved, and the gentry and merchants in Hekou Town will have to bear it."

"I see, thank you for your advice." Zhao Han cupped his hands and said.

In the Ming Dynasty, there were local eunuchs guarding eunuchs and sub-guarding eunuchs. At first, they only supervised and assisted frontier military affairs, and gradually spread to the whole country to supervise military and political affairs. Later, the "mining tax supervisor" suddenly expanded, and the eunuch went to the local area to supervise tax collection.

In addition to the civil servants and military generals, Gao Huai, the mine tax supervisor, is also to blame for the chaos in Liaodong.

Gao Huai was originally a gangster in Beijing who collected taxes for others in Chongwenmen for a living. He heard that Wanli was going to send eunuchs to collect taxes in the local area, so he swung a knife from the palace and bribed his favorite ministers to get the position of tax supervisor in Liaodong.

Because of his excellent search skills, Wanli gave him the mansion of the guarding eunuch in Liaodong to live in. Gao Huai was so proud that he proclaimed himself the guardian eunuch, but was impeached by the officials. After hearing this, Wanli not only didn't blame him, but said, "I'm sure of my fate", and he really promoted Gao Huai to be the eunuch guarding Liaodong.

In ten years, in Liaoyang alone, all forty-seven large households went bankrupt, and the emperor only received more than 45,000 taels of silver. More than 90% of the silver taels were swallowed up by the Li Supervisor and Gao Huai himself.

The big households will pass on all their losses to the common people.

The big households are all bankrupt, how miserable will the lives of the common people be?

So there was a demon in Liaodong, who bewitched more than 3,000 people (recorded as 50,000 in "Chosun Records") to revolt, and it took half a year for Liaodong's elite to suppress it.

After such a big commotion, Gao Huai had nothing to do, and continued to search Liaodong under the emperor's order. A large number of Liaodong military households, craftsmen, and common people were forced to flee to join the Jurchen, and Nurhachi's strength increased rapidly.

In the end, it was too shameful, Emperor Wanli couldn't suppress the public opinion, and finally called Gao Huai back.

Ten years after the eunuch left Liaodong, the Battle of Salhu broke out.

At the beginning of Chongzhen's succession to the throne, most of the guarding eunuchs and tax eunuchs were revoked.

However, only one or two years later, the eunuchs were sent to the whole country. Because he didn't trust civil servants and generals, he wanted to use eunuchs to control the army and taxation.

The news that the emperor reused eunuchs came out, and a large number of people swung their swords from the palace. There were so many eunuchs that the imperial court had to reiterate the decree that those who came from the palace would be punished, and the neighbors would be punished.

But it is said that Wang Heng, the tax supervisor of Qianshan, was originally a civil servant in the capital, and he beat himself cruelly, and got a fat job by bribery.

This guy went to the post alone, spent a year searching, and used money to recruit a large number of local ruffians. Now, he has privately set up cash gates in the four waterways. In order to facilitate control, he moved his base camp to Hekou Town, which is the center of the entire Qianshan County.

The fleet rushed to the mouth of the river, Wang Heng came to the door of the Zhejiang Guild Hall, and said to his subordinates: "This place is very good, let the people inside move."

All of a sudden, all the merchants were driven out, and the Zhejiang Guild Hall became the residence of the eunuch's tax supervisor.

The dead eunuch had been planning for a long time, and had already grasped the situation in Hekou Town, but the local gentry still didn't realize it.

Half a day later, Fei Huan, the leader of the Iron Foot Society, was quietly invited to the clubhouse.

Fei Huan was so frightened that he knelt down and said, "Grassman, bye...bye bye...well, bye bye, Mr. Tax Supervisor!"

Wang Heng played with a jade pendant and said with a smile: "A few days ago, Hekou Town resisted the tax and even killed the tax collector. I heard you took the lead?"

"It has nothing to do with the grassroots, it's the collusion of the gentry and gentlemen." Fei Huan quickly separated the relationship.

"Come on!" Wang Heng shouted suddenly.

Fei Huan was so frightened that he was trembling all over, kowtowed again and again: "Master, please forgive me, please forgive me!"

Wang Heng smiled and comforted: "Don't panic, I don't want your life, but I will give you benefits."

There were five ingots of two taels of silver, and they were quickly placed in front of Fei Huan.

Fei Huan was puzzled and looked at the eunuch stupidly.

Wang Heng said seductively: "Iron Foot Club beat up the tax collectors and even killed two of them. This is a life-threatening lawsuit. Our family is magnanimous, and we can let the past go. You can redeem your merits and become the head of the Iron Foot Club. From now on, only Listen to our family's orders?"

Fei Hun evaded, "Caomin is just the fourth leader of the Iron Foot Society, so words really don't carry much weight."

"Our family says you are the master, and you are the master!" Wang Heng smiled and stared.

Fei Huan was in a dilemma, but in order to protect himself, he finally gritted his teeth and kowtowed: "Thank you for your support, Master, I will always listen to Master's words from now on."

"Call your people to control the Iron Leg Association with our family," Wang Heng continued to coax, "If you do well, I will recommend you as an official from now on."

Fei Huan was originally a son of a wealthy family, but it's a pity that the clan branch was relatively biased, and it completely declined in his generation.

He was also cheated by his clansmen, and his only remaining land was confiscated, so he could only work as a coolie at the dock for a living.

The eunuch heard the news clearly and specially chose Fei Huan as the second and fifth boy.

Fei Hun's mind was full of twists and turns, he didn't want to betray the brothers of the Iron Feet Society. However, the eunuchs threatened and lured them, either to die or to serve, and if they served, they might even become officials.

The choice is easy to make!

Fei Huan left the Zhejiang Guild Hall, and as soon as he went out, he saw Bai Lifu, who had already blocked the gate of the hall. But Sun Xianzong, the head of the family, heard that Fei Huan was captured by the eunuch, so he immediately brought his brothers to rescue him.

As expected of sworn brothers, Fei Huan was moved in his heart.

Sun Xianzong asked: "My dear brother, did the eunuch make things difficult for you?"

"Don't worry, brother, he doesn't dare."

Fei Huan stepped forward, suddenly drew out his dagger, and stabbed Sun Xianzong in the stomach.

"You..." Sun Xianzong couldn't believe it.

Before everyone could react, Fei Huan immediately withdrew to the guild hall and shouted: "The surnamed Sun eats up his food, kill him quickly. Brother Dazhu, we have agreed!"

Li Dazhu hurriedly shouted: "I didn't, this fellow framed me, avenge my brother quickly!

Standing upstairs, Wang Heng witnessed the whole process, nodded and praised: "Sure enough, he is a smart man. Let the arrow go!"

The eunuch's subordinates were all from local hooligan backgrounds, and the bows and arrows were shot crookedly, without causing too many casualties.

But the coolies of the Iron Feet Society were frightened and ran away.

Fei Huan took the opportunity to persuade him to surrender: "Brother Li, come with me!"

Li Dazhu's scalp was numb, and Fei Huan yelled at him a few times. How could he prove his innocence? He simply turned his back on the spot, summoned a few confidants around him, and killed Sun Xianzong, Sun Zhenzong, Zhang Tieniu and other leaders.

Sun Xianzong was stabbed with a dagger and suffered heavy injuries long ago. He was beaten to death on the spot before he could retreat.

"Damn it, pay back my brother's life!"

Sun Zhenzong didn't run away either, and led people back with a stick, and the eunuch also sent people to kill with knives.

One side uses sticks, the other side uses knives.

One side panicked, and the other side was prepared.

The outcome will be decided instantly.

Zhang Tieniu was slashed twice, so he didn't dare to fight any more, he rushed out wielding a wooden stick, and fled without a trace in the chaos.

A gangster organization is really useless, and it is easily divided and controlled by eunuchs.

As a result, the eunuch Wang Heng controlled Hekou Town, Fei Huan and Li Dazhu acted as minions, and Tiejiaohui became the tax supervisor's thugs.

...

Goose Lake Fei House.

Settling down the clerk sent by Mr. He to deliver the letter, Fei Yuanyi frowned, and called his confidant servant: "Old Wu, what happened in the room of the young master?"

"Master, the little one didn't understand." The fifth child replied.

"Take it and read it," Fei Yuanyi threw the letter out, "Giving Zhao Han a naturalization is regarded as training him to be an official for the Fei family. But Zhao Han has already been dismissed, and he can't be an official in the future. He has a deed, and he also gave him land property and money to set up his own family?"

Lou's behavior was so abnormal that Fei Yuanyi couldn't help being suspicious.

After reading the letter, Lao Wu couldn't figure it out. He only had one thought in his mind: it's too nonsense, why didn't I have such a good thing in the first place?

Fei Yuanyi asked again: "I asked you to inquire about the news. It has been more than three months and there is still no clue?"

The fifth child replied: "Jing Xingyuan's words were very tight, and the young one gave away a lot of money, so the matter was probably found out. The young lady did commit suicide that day, and it seemed that she was rescued by a maid. The young master was not at home, it was Zhao Han commanded, including cutting off the fingers of the servants in our courtyard."

"Okay, okay, it's Zhao Han again!" Fei Yuanyi sneered again and again.

The fifth child was humiliated that day, and hated Zhao Han so much that he took the opportunity to slander him: "This guy has no one at such a young age, so he will be fine when he grows up?"

Fei Yuanyi muttered, "I still can't figure it out. A mere domestic slave can no longer be an official. Why should he return his life deed and spend money on land to help him establish his own family? This kind of thing is really unheard of."

The fifth thought changed his mind, and said in shock: "That Zhao Han, shouldn't... shouldn't..."

"explain!"

Fei Yuanyi scolded.

"Although that fellow Zhao Han is young, he is also physically fit and handsome. Could it be that he has an affair with the Young Madam?" The fifth child immediately misunderstood.

Fei Yuanyi was dumbfounded for a moment, the more he thought about it, the more likely it was, and gradually he was trembling with anger: "Destroying the style of the family, ruining the style of the family, such a thing can be done!"

Lao Wu hurriedly said: "Master, this matter cannot be publicized, not even mentioned."

"Yes, I can't mention it." Fei Yuanyi was terrified in his heart, for fear that the scandal would be spread, and he would never want to be in the ranks of country gentry in the future.

The fifth child suggested, "Zhao Han must disappear without a trace."

Fei Yuanyi thought over and over again, and said: "You take fifty taels of silver, and go to the county town with the messenger, and let Mr. He arrest Zhao Han and lock him up! Kill him, and find an opportunity to kill him in the prison!"

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, there were many refugees, and a large number of farmers who lost their land fled to the city to seek livelihood. This kind of homeless people can also be regarded as refugees.

Generally speaking, the government is too lazy to take care of them. If they really want to arrest them all, the county government prison must be full.

However, the government reserves the right to arrest the refugees, and officials will also look for opportunities to blackmail the refugees in the city!

Lou really didn't expect that Master was so greedy. Taking forty taels of silver was not enough, so he ran to Fei Yuanyi to report the letter, and so many incidents occurred.

In the eyes of Mr. He, Zhao Han is a bedbug, the kind that can be trampled to death with one stretch of foot.

Born as a domestic slave, as a refugee, and young, what is it if it is not a bedbug?

Don't say anything about bullying young people and being poor, in two or three years, before Zhao Han grows up, the master will be transferred away with the county magistrate.

Therefore, Fei Yuanyi is the one worth making friends with. As long as he has a good relationship with the squire, the master will live comfortably in the past few years.

Zhao Han offered fifty taels of silver, and Fei Yuanyi also offered fifty taels of silver. The master's choice must be: take away one hundred taels of silver, and obediently listen to Fei Yuanyi's words!

This approach has never failed.

The premise is, don't run into those who don't want to die.