"Nie Shan, courtesy name Benyuan, was later given the name Nie Chang by the emperor. He originally had a close relationship with Wang Fu, but later followed Cai Jing and was slandered by Wang Fu. He was dismissed from his previous position and appointed prefect of De'an. A lawsuit with a fellow townsman led to his demotion to deputy military governor of Chongxin Army and stationed in Hengzhou."
"He served as the prefect of Kaifeng three times. The biography of Nie Chang in the History of the Song Dynasty commented on him as 'Chang was a man of few ideas, and he enjoyed helping people in need. However, he was too clear-headed in his gratitude and resentment, and would never give up even for a slight. When Wang Fu died, Chang actually sent someone to assassinate him, and his body was abandoned on the roadside.'"
"Ah, Wang Fu finally died at the hands of Nie Chang?" Zhang Shixun asked in surprise.
“That’s right!”
"Ha! The person who killed Wang Fu shouldn't be a bad person."
"That's probably the case, but his ending wasn't very good either. He was killed by rebels during the Jingkang period." Wang Dong yawned. "Okay, do you have any more questions? I'm going to sleep."
"Please help me investigate Wang Fu. Although I know he's not a good person, I don't know the specific details."
Wang Dong quickly found out, "Wang Fu was a handsome man with eyes like gold, eloquent, and a talent for debate. He was not very talented but had little academic knowledge, yet he was intelligent and cunning—this is how he was described in the History of the Song Dynasty."
"Is this person very lewd and lascivious?"
"He kept many children and fine goods for himself, and presumably planned to imprison the emperor. He seduced and seized the concubine of Deng Zhigang, the Minister of Huiyou Pavilion, and then exiled him to Lingnan for his crimes."
"I request the establishment of a Yingfeng Bureau, which will be responsible for the administration of the expenses. All foreign and domestic currency will be used freely, and the treasury will be exhausted to meet the expenses. Officials will follow my instructions and take all the rare and precious goods from the people. Only one tenth of what is presented to the emperor will be taken by the people, and the rest will go into their own pockets."
Wang Dong finished reading the records in "History of Song Dynasty", said goodbye and went to bed.
Zhang Shixun was no longer sleepy.
There were footsteps coming from a distance, and someone could be vaguely heard talking.
The only ones who can move around freely in the prison are naturally the jailers.
They cursed and occasionally hit the walls of the corridor or the bars on the cell doors with the short sticks in their hands.
When they arrived at Zhang Shixun's cell, they saw him sitting there with his knees hugged. The head jailer raised his stick, hesitated mid-air, then lowered it, frowning and asking, "It's already the third hour of the night. Why aren't you sleeping yet?"
"I slept too much during the day and can't sleep... Is there any water?"
"Water?" Several jailers were stunned.
"Hmm! I'm thirsty."
The jailers exchanged glances and laughed. The head jailer laughed heartily, his tone tinged with sarcasm, "Young Master, do you think you're in your own home? You don't even realize where you are, or what time it is... Just wait. Tomorrow at noon, you'll have food and water. Even though we're in prison, there's no reason to let prisoners starve or die of thirst."
Zhang Shixun didn't waste any time talking to him. He took out a piece of silver from his pocket and handed it to him, saying, "I drank some wine before coming here, and I'm very thirsty. I just want to drink some water now."
Any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem.
The jailer was startled, then smiled. He took the piece of silver, weighed it in his hand, and his tone immediately changed: "Young Master, if you want some water, there's nothing wrong with that... Zheng Qi, bring me a pot of water, a big one."
"Okay! I'll go right away." A young jailer agreed and went. After a while, he brought back a large pot of water and a black porcelain bowl.
The jailer took out the key and opened the cell door. Zheng Qi handed in the teapot and bowl of water. Zhang Shixun took them and said, "Thank you!"
The jailer locked the door again and whispered, "Young Master, in our Silu Division, you can drink wine and eat meat, let alone water." As he said that, he tossed the silver in his hand again and winked at Zhang Shixun.
"I'm not Yanei, the one lying inside is. His father is General Gao." Zhang Shixun pointed at Gao Yanei on the bed. Although there was some meaning of taking advantage of the power of others, only a fool would not use it as a shield.
"Ah! It's Gao Yanei! How did he get jailed too?" Zheng Qi peeked through the bars and muttered to himself, "Mr. Nie has been really mad lately. I don't know what's wrong with him, but he's always picking on Young Master Yanei. He just let Liu Yanei go yesterday, and now he's even locked up someone of Gao Yanei's status. He must be feeling really bad."
As soon as he finished speaking, he was slapped on the head by the jailer, "Shut your damn mouth! You are uncomfortable because you can't control your mouth. If Nie Fuzun hears, he will skin you alive."
Zheng Qi rubbed his head and said, "Mr. Nie never comes to the prison. He wouldn't be able to hear it unless he has super hearing."
"Haven't you heard that walls have ears?" The prison warden glared at him. "Come on, finish your rounds of cells and go back to sleep."
Zheng Qi stuck out his tongue and asked Zhang Shixun, "If you are not the yanei, then who are you?"
This guy is obviously a very curious person, and he obviously doesn't know the truth that "curiosity kills the cat".
"I am just me, an ordinary citizen. However, Gao Yanei always follows me around, calling me brother all the time. It's really annoying." Zhang Shixun smiled at him, rummaged in his arms again, and handed over a piece of silver.
By the way, Zhang Shixun still had quite a bit of change in his arms, which he had brought with him on purpose before leaving.
"Thank you, sir." Zheng Qi took the silver with a smile, and seeing the jailer staring at him, he handed the silver to him.
The jailer took the silver and stuffed it into his arms without hesitation. He said to Zhang Shixun in a very friendly manner, "Young Master, relax and go to sleep. Lord Nie is just trying to scare you. You won't be locked up for long. I guess you will be released soon."
"Yes! Thank you!" Zhang Shixun nodded. This was what he thought.
If Nie Shan was an incorruptible official like Bao Gong, he would have been recorded in history books long ago.
In the thousands of years of Chinese history, how many honest officials like Bao Gong are there?
If you don't do bad things, you will be a good official.
Several jailers walked around the cell and were about to leave when they heard Wang Hongfu yelling from next door, "Let me go! Let me go! My father is Prime Minister Wang."
The jailer frowned, spat on the ground, and said, "Even in his sleep he still mentions his father's official position."
"That's right," a jailer said, "If my father were the Prime Minister, I'd probably mention it to everyone I met... Being the Vice Prime Minister, how impressive."
"Stop talking nonsense and go back to sleep. You're so sleepy." The jailer yawned.
Zhang Shixun listened to the footsteps receding and tried to reach for the door lock, but couldn't find it.
This was expected. Zhang Shixun had specifically checked when he came in. The cell lock was on the wall away from the cell door. This design made sense and could effectively prevent criminals from stealing the lock. No matter how good your lock-picking skills were, it would be useless if you couldn't reach the lock.
Since the day it was invented, locks have been used to protect against good people but not against bad people. There is no safest door lock, only relatively safe ones. No matter how powerful a lock is, it can be opened by force.
If you encounter a skilled thief, as long as you have the right tools, ordinary locks can be opened in just a few clicks.
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