10. Wu An Tian Xia
The county government office is not far from the town, and it is a quick walk, so it only takes a quarter of an hour to get there.
Fan Changyu was lucky as he met an acquaintance who was also going to the county town, so he took the other person's ox cart. When he arrived at the county government office, the yamen runners had just started their duties.
She told the guard at the gate the name of Captain Wang, and soon she was led into the duty room at the back of the yamen.
"…When patrolling the streets, I met homeless beggars and took them all back to the government office and the prison. As the New Year is just a few days away, I have to be more careful!"
Captain Wang seemed to be giving someone a lecture, so Fan Changyu did not go in but waited quietly outside the door.
After Captain Wang finished giving his instructions, he caught a glimpse of Fan Changyu waiting outside the door and waved his hand. The detectives then took up their official swords and walked out in twos and threes, apparently going to patrol the streets.
Fan Changyu then walked in and said, "Uncle Wang seems to be quite busy today. Sorry to bother you."
It was very cold outside, but there was a charcoal brazier burning in the room, making it warm. A mist soon formed on her eyelashes.
Captain Wang poured her a cup of ginger tea to drive away the cold and said, "It's nothing to be busy about. It's like this every year. But this year, the bandits were too rampant and killed many people. The authorities have been strict on outsiders. Those without household registration passes have been arrested and thrown into prison. They have also been checking for vagrants and beggars these days."
When Fan Changyu heard this, he thought of the fact that Yan Zheng no longer had a household registration, and he couldn't help but clench his frozen red hands.
Captain Wang saw that she seemed to have something to hide, so he asked, "Are you here today to transfer the ownership of your house?"
Fan Changyu nodded.
Captain Wang said, "I forgot to tell you earlier that Fan Da's lawsuit has been submitted. Before the case is settled, the property cannot be transferred. But don't worry, since you have already confessed to bribery, even if you go to court, the county magistrate will award the property left by your parents to you. It's just a little troublesome."
Fan Changyu did not expect that there would be such a complicated process.
She thought of the basin of water she had splashed outside the courtyard wall last night and asked, "What if my uncle didn't go to court on that day?"
Captain Wang looked at her and said, "The lawsuit is invalid. Moreover, this action is suspected of ignoring the law and disrupting the court. He should be beaten with 20 sticks to serve as a warning to others!"
Fan Changyu immediately regretted that he should have poured the entire vat of cold water out of the wall last night.
Captain Wang asked her, "Why are you asking this?"
Fan Changyu coughed lightly and said, "I'm just asking out of curiosity."
She held the hot teacup in her hand, and her fingertips unconsciously stroked the wall of the cup: "There is one more thing I need to ask Uncle Wang for help."
Captain Wang said, "Just keep talking."
Fan Changyu then told Xie Zheng about his life story, "My husband's money and household registration documents were all taken away by bandits. Now he has given me the money as a reward, and I want to get a household registration for him."
Captain Wang stopped smiling and said after a while, "It's really not easy to get a new household registration at this juncture."
But when Fan Changyu and Fan Da go to court, since she has confessed to the bribery, the county magistrate will definitely ask her where her bribed son-in-law is from. If there is no household registration to prove his identity, her bribed son-in-law might also be thrown into jail.
By then, she would lose her house and her husband would be in trouble.
Captain Wang walked back and forth in the duty room twice, and finally stamped his feet fiercely and said to Fan Changyu: "Come with me."
The chief clerk in charge of the household registration of Qingping County was a good friend of Captain Wang. Thanks to this relationship, he helped Fan Changyu to complete the household registration of her husband.
Fan Changyu thanked Captain Wang profusely, but Captain Wang just said, "Don't tell anyone else about this, or I'll be in trouble. Your father saved my life back then, so I'm helping you today as a way of repaying your father's kindness..."
Fan Changyu quickly assured, "You have helped me so much, I am grateful enough, how can I not say nonsense outside."
Captain Wang thought of his old friend and sighed: "Your father is really a weird person. With his skills, he could have worked in the government, but he insisted on killing pigs."
Fan Changyu said: "My father was a bodyguard in the early years, and my mother was always worried. After my father retired, he just wanted to make a stable living in order to reassure my mother."
These were what she had heard from her parents before.
Captain Wang also knew his old friend's temperament, so he sighed and said nothing more.
After saying goodbye to Captain Wang, Fan Changyu went to his sister's favorite candy shop and bought a bag of maltose.
She had originally thought that after transferring the property, she would sell a few acres of land in the countryside to exchange for silver, and buy some New Year goods, and also have enough money to buy pigs and piglets.
But the plan could not keep up with the changes, and the property could not be transferred for the time being. Now all she had in her pocket was the small amount of money given as gifts by the neighbors who came to the wedding yesterday, which added up to less than one or two ounces.
Naturally, Fan Changyu couldn't afford the supplements that she had intended to buy for Yan Zheng, but she didn't want to go back empty-handed. She saw a street vendor selling hair ties and headbands and so on, so she spent a few coins to buy him a dark blue headband.
Except for his wedding day, he rarely tied his hair.
Fan Changyu guessed that it was because he didn't have a headband, and the red headband for the wedding was not suitable for everyday use, so he decided to buy him one.
As Fan Changyu was paying, a ragged man ran over in front of him, even knocking over several stalls in panic. The officials chasing him shouted, "Stop!"
The man didn't dare to stop and continued to run forward for his life. Several officers also hurriedly chased after him.
Fan Changyu thought that the man had committed a crime, but someone beside him said, "It is said that a new official will start with three fires. The governor who just took over Huizhou is indeed a member of the Wei family. He used the banner of suppressing bandits but did not send troops to encircle and suppress those mountain bandits. Instead, he set the fire on the refugees who fled from the north. How innocent are these refugees who left their homes to escape..."
It turned out that those officers were chasing refugees. Fan Changyu thought of what Captain Wang had said and couldn't help feeling a little strange.
She glanced at the person who was speaking. He and his companions were all wearing long gowns of the same style. Fan Changyu had also seen Song Yan wearing this gown. It was the uniform attire in the county school. It seemed that these people were all scholars in the county school.
The man's companion sneered, "The father and son of the Wei family are all-powerful, the imperial power is declining, and the entire Dayin Dynasty has long been rotten to the core like a dead tree! Now the military power of Huizhou has also fallen into the hands of the father and son of the Wei family. In my opinion, the Dayin Dynasty should change its name to Wei!"
Although Fan Changyu had never left Qingping County, he knew who the Wei father and son they were talking about were.
The current Prime Minister Wei Yan, who supported the young emperor to ascend the throne and controlled the government for more than ten years, was the Prime Minister of the dynasty. Sixteen years ago, after the Crown Prince Chengde died in Jinzhou during a personal expedition, the old emperor was so sad that he died. Now the people of Dayin only know the Prime Minister, not the Emperor.
His son Wei Xuan even compared himself to the crown prince. His hands were stained with the blood of countless loyal ministers and generals. It is no exaggeration to say that he was full of evil.
Common people only care about making a living, and the news they hear is all released by the government. Among the various inside stories, those scholars who are preparing to take imperial examinations and analyze current affairs know more.
Fan Changyu couldn't help but prick up his ears and continue listening.
The scholar who spoke earlier said, "Without Marquis Wu'an guarding the northwest gate, it is unknown how long the world can remain peaceful. Even if Wei Yan wanted to, I'm afraid he wouldn't have the guts to sit on the dragon throne!"
The name of Xie Zheng, Marquis of Wu'an, is well-known in this dynasty, but his reputation is mixed.
His biological father was Xie Linshan, the great general who protected the country and who had accompanied Prince Chengde in the expedition to Jinzhou. He was pierced by thousands of arrows but remained holding the military flag and died standing.
His uncle was Wei Yan, who had held power for more than a decade.
Such a background was controversial in itself, and he was raised by his uncle, so the court officials regarded him as a member of the Wei Party.
Xie Zheng's methods were indeed extremely ruthless and brutal, just like his uncle's.
The famous battle in which he recaptured Jinzhou when he was seventeen years old still makes people shudder when they mention it. It is said that after he captured Jinzhou, he massacred the city, not even sparing the children. The armors of his eight hundred personal cavalry were all stained with blood, and people have since called his eight hundred personal cavalry the Blood-Cloaked Cavalry.
The Northern Jue people were even more terrified at the mere mention of his name, and he also took back the twelve counties of Liaodong that had been occupied by the Northern Jue since the previous dynasty.
Because of his outstanding military achievements, he was granted the title of Marquis of Wu'an at the age of twenty.
He was the only one throughout the dynasties who was given the title of "Sustaining the World with Military Power".
It was because Wei Yan had such an unstoppable knife in his hand that he was able to occupy the position of prime minister, undermine the imperial power, and control the government to this day.
On the one hand, the court officials criticized Xie Zheng for being a member of the Wei Party, but on the other hand, they hoped that he would defend the territory.
Some even asserted that if he stayed in the border area, the world would be at peace; if he aimed at the government and the people, the world would be in chaos.
At this moment, Fan Changyu was surprised to hear the scholar say "Marquis Wu'an is no longer guarding the northwest pass". Someone asked before she did, "What happened to Marquis Wu'an?"
The scholar said, "You don't know yet? After the battle of Chongzhou, Wu'an Hou's life and death are unknown, but his military power in Huizhou has been taken over by Wei Xuan, so I think he has died."
There was a burst of noise from the people present, most of whom questioned whether what the scholar said was true or not.
Everyone hates that Marquis Wu'an is the knife in Wei Yan's hand, and they are also afraid that he regards human life as worthless and kills people like flies, but it is also undeniable that he is the northwest pillar of the Dayin Dynasty.
Now that this pillar is broken, I wonder who else in the Dayin Dynasty can hold up the sky in the northwest.
The scholar was questioned by everyone and couldn't answer. He said angrily: "If you think what I said is false, then go and find out for yourself whether the Northwest Jiedushi has just been replaced!"
After hearing about the major national and family affairs, Fan Changyu felt a little worried on his way home.
Jizhou is adjacent to Chongzhou. If the war spreads to Jizhou, she and her sister would not know where to escape.
Thinking that Yan Zheng had fled here from Chongzhou, Fan Changyu thought that he could ask him when he returned. Maybe he knew something about what happened to Marquis Wu'an on the battlefield in Chongzhou.
Chongzhou was just a rebellion led by a rebel king, so how could the God of War Dayin be killed there?
After turning another corner, she reached the entrance of the alley. She ran into a woman who lived in the alley and greeted her warmly: "Auntie Tao, are you going to buy some vegetables?"
The lady nodded but hesitated to speak, and her expression looked a little strange.
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