A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 72 Bad idea

When Zhang Kang felt that he had given enough instructions, he asked Bao Zheng to digest them carefully.

"When does Shi Er Lang eat?"

Zhang Kang touched his belly:

"Come with me to the stove and have a look."

"it is good."

Song Xuan already understood in his heart.

This is something we need to talk about, and it is not appropriate for Bao Zheng to be present.

So they both stood up and ran to the kitchen.

"Where is that Bao Zheng from?"

Song Xuan then told Zhang Kang a few things, and he nodded slightly:
"The foundation is solid, but I don't know how to adapt. My writing is a bit stiff. I'm afraid I didn't have any famous teachers to teach me when I was young."

"If he continues to study hard and reaches the palace examination, I guess his ranking will be a little lower than mine."

"Yeah." Song Xuan responded, and then heard Zhang Kang say:
"He's from Luzhou. Did his father ever serve as the governor of Nanjing?"

"I don't know him very well. I just happened to run into him and saw that he was in such a mess."

Zhang Kang nodded slightly.

He had heard that Governor Bao had a son with a face as black as charcoal, and this was probably the son.

Never mind, it doesn’t matter.

"By the way, I don't see any areas in your policy that need improvement." Zhang Kang said carefully:
"Shi Er Lang, but my suggestion is that your writing style should not be too fixed."

"Otherwise, given your personality, it's inevitable that some examiners will want to deliberately dismiss you in order to temper your character."

"Of course, I mean it in a good way."

Song Xuan nodded. There were indeed examiners like this who liked to establish their own authority by dismissing some students, under the pretext of doing it for your own good.

"I'll think about it."

While Song Xuan and the other person were talking, they arrived at the kitchen.

Zhang Kang was very interested in Song Xuan's food, especially since he said last time that he would come again if he had the chance.

He originally wanted to give Song Xuan some advice today based on his experience in the imperial examinations, but the fact was that Song Xuan did not need his assistance.

At this time, a waiter was carrying 100 kilograms of charcoal and 200 kilograms of coal into the kitchen. Seeing this, Song Xuan went over to help.

Zhang Kang looked at the coal, then saw that the kitchen window was wide open, and didn't say anything else.

I believe Shi Erlang knows that although coal is useful, it is poisonous.

It is very convenient for Tokyo residents to buy coal.

There were twenty government-run coal mines along the Bian River in Tokyo, and in the city there were charcoal shops that specialized in selling coal, as well as charcoal lumps and coal balls.

Among them, "Jiedong Chejia Charcoal" and "Zhouqiao Charcoal Zhangjia" were famous charcoal and coal specialty stores in Tokyo City at that time.

These two branches are also located in Songcheng, Yingtian Prefecture.

"Shi Er Lang actually likes to cook and eat at home."

In fact, Zhang Kang felt that Song Xuan was not short of money, so he should eat out every day.

Because in larger cities like Bianjing and Songcheng, many people are not used to cooking at home, but prefer to eat out or order takeout.

The business of the Song Dynasty was too developed.

There are teahouses, hotels, and restaurants everywhere.

Whether they are nobles or common people, there are restaurants that they can afford.

Therefore, they often buy food in stores because it is convenient and quick, and it is cheaper than cooking it themselves.

After all, firewood and the like are hard to find in the city, and charcoal is so expensive that it hurts.

"The food outside is just average. I don't like it. Officer Zhang will try it later."

Song Xuan went over and washed the dust off his hands.

Zhang Kang nodded slightly and then asked:
"Actually, I've run into a problem. I've been thinking about it all day, but I can't think of a good solution. Shi Er Lang is known to be very smart, so I wanted to ask for your opinion."

"Although Magistrate Zhang says so, I'm quite good at coming up with bad ideas."

Song Xuan wiped his hands and responded bluntly.

"Hahaha."

Zhang Kang laughed heartily, clapping his hands and holding his fat belly. "Shi Er Lang, you are a man of few words. I will tell you about this case."

He met a farmer who came to report that his ox had its tongue cut off, but he couldn't find out who did it.

"No witnesses?"

"No, and since there was no one around, he didn't dare to tell anyone, so he ran to report to the police."

In the Song Dynasty, oxen were considered high-level commodities, and slaughtering them at will was illegal.

Even if someone wants to eat beef, there are plenty of ways to do it, but they dare not kill it openly.

But cows can be forced to be "sick".

The problem is solved.

For example, there was a period of time in the Song Dynasty when eating dog meat was banned.

Then many merchants started selling dog meat under the guise of selling mutton, and this is where the saying came from.

Sometimes the more you prohibit something, the more impossible it becomes to prohibit it.

Without a tongue, the cow cannot eat or drink, and will eventually starve to death.

Oxen were extremely valuable to the common people, and sometimes they were even more precious than servants.

People can starve, but cows cannot.

"It sounds like someone is deliberately seeking revenge."

Song Xuan also did some research on the laws of the Song Dynasty.

Especially before becoming an official, it is to protect oneself.

There are red lines that cannot be crossed to avoid getting into trouble.

After all, you are not from the scholar-official class, so people will not protect your interests.

"Well, what Shi Erlang said hits the nail on the head, but it's inevitable that pots and pans will clash between villages, and more than one family will be involved in the feud."

Zhang Kang also believed that someone was deliberately seeking revenge.

Just can't find anyone.

There were no witnesses and no physical evidence.

In addition, the death of the cow is a huge loss to the people, and it will also allow the evildoers to go unpunished.

How can the people not resent the government?
Zhang Kang didn't want such a stain on his tenure as he wanted to climb up the ladder in the future.

This damages his image as the magistrate of Yingtian Prefecture!
According to Song Xuan's idea, this was actually a case of "locked room murder" in a broad sense.

"Zhang Tuiguan, my opinion is that since the cow is going to die anyway, we should just let the farmer kill it and sell the meat."

"Killed on your own initiative?"

Zhang Kang's face was full of surprise and suspicion.

Song Xuan took Zhang Kang out of the kitchen:

"Yes, let him go back and spread the word that the cow died of old age. Then we'll see who will report it to the authorities."

The Song Dynasty did not achieve great unification.

The North China Plain was not occupied.

The only arable land is in the heart of the Central Plains and the southern hills.

Sichuan, the land of abundance, was in turmoil after nearly fifty years of war and only began to stabilize during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong.

This grain-producing land has not yet exerted its full potential.

For this reason, the Song Dynasty attached great importance to oxen, and private individuals were absolutely not allowed to slaughter oxen without government permission.

Even after the oxen were slaughtered, their hides, tendons, and horns had to be handed over to the imperial court to be used to make strategic materials such as armor, bows and arrows, and horns.

If someone is found to have slaughtered oxen without permission, the punishment could be exile a thousand miles away, or imprisonment for two to three years, and the informant could receive fifty strings of cash.

Under such laws, most people did not dare to kill cows in public.

Even if they killed him, they would sell him secretly.

Zhang Kang narrowed his eyes after hearing Song Xuan's bad idea.

After careful consideration, this is to make the perpetrator jump out on his own initiative.

It’s much better than doing nothing!
"Shi Er Lang's method is really brilliant!"

(End of this chapter)