It is no small matter to thoroughly investigate the smuggling of official salt. From the minister of the household department to the salt and iron envoy, all officials are involved in the case, and even officials from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Punishment have been implicated in it.

Liao Fanzhi didn't dare to act hastily, so he tied Chen Ping by his side first, and discussed with him secretly in the name of a lesson.

The entire salt field is controlled by Tingwei, and the soldiers are united as one, so it is difficult to find out what is going on.In the past three days, Liao Fanzhi played with Chen Ping on the surface for fun, but in private he made arrangements carefully.

Cao Fang hangs out with Liao Fanzhi for a day, and the next day he finds out that this man has no intentions at all, other than asking for wine and food, he just plays tricks on the prisoners and gathers people to gamble.

Don't take it lightly if you don't do anything. To be cautious, Cao Fang played with him for two days and then let him do his best in the salt field. He also gave the officers and soldiers a lot of money and asked people to play with this master.

Liao Fanzhi made money by gambling, showing his true nature of greed, and decided to go back to Liangzhou City to deal with business.

Cao Fang paid the money, but saw that he hadn't written a single word, coaxed him to say a lot of good things, and only got one sentence: "I will discuss it with Zheng Yushi in person, and then I will not be too late to write the memorial."

Cao Fang gritted his teeth in hatred, but he had to ask someone to do something, so he had to endure his temper and arrange to return to the city.

Liao Fanzhi leaned on the back of the chair like an uncle, took the tea that Chen Ping knelt down, spit out the tea stalk and said with a smile, "cough~ For the sake of being sensible these days, tell me, what reward do you want?"

Chen Ping ecstatically kowtowed and begged, "I don't want any rewards for the little ones, I just want to let the little ones go back to their hometowns."

Fang He got up and shouted, "Bold, whoever is punished by the court dares to pardon without permission!"

Cao Fang waved his hands indifferently and persuaded, "Fang Tingwei, don't get angry, Mr. Hu is Zheng Yushi's aide, so naturally he won't be ignorant of the seriousness."

Liao Fanzhi glanced sideways at Cao Fang's note, then slapped Chen Ping hard, and cursed, "I slapped you in the face just now when you said you were sensible! For another one, apart from returning home, you will be rewarded with gold, silver, jewelry, jade and jade!"

Chen Ping had been beaten many times, so he didn't get in the way. He knelt on the ground and begged, "I just want to go back to my hometown..."

Liao Fanzhi wanted to kick his feet, but Chen Ping hurriedly covered his head and face and shouted, "It's okay if you don't come back, I beg Mr. Hu to transfer the younger one to the drying yard, the younger one doesn't want to work in the mine anymore..."

Liao Fanzhi retracted his feet, tilted his head and asked, "Doesn't everyone work the same everywhere? Why don't you just ask for some gold and silver to make your life more comfortable?"

"Master Hu doesn't know something... the daily work in the mine is too hard. Although the frying field is considered service, it is definitely not as hard as the mine. I beg you to understand my frail body..." Chen Ping glanced at Fang He sideways, Seeing people throwing a strong sense of threat at him, he didn't dare to reveal the inside story.

"Forget it, since the master has agreed, he will naturally fulfill his promise, Mr. Cao...you see..." Liao Fanzhi turned his gaze to Cao Fang.

"Uh... It's a bit against the rules, but since Mr. Hu is asking, then Fang Tingwei will do it for you." Cao Fang gave Fang He a look in a pretense of embarrassment. It doesn't matter.

Fang He snorted coldly, reluctantly agreeing, and if he can't escape from the salt mine, it can be regarded as giving Hu Chat a face.

Chen Ping rolled his eyes, and immediately cried, "Master Hu... I can't bear you..."

"Hey...you're an interesting dog, what's the matter? You've become addicted in just a few days?" Liao Fanzhi smiled kindly, and spat with Chen Ping's chin with his toe.

"Master Hu should teach the younger ones no matter what, but many of the prisoners are reckless and murderous. The younger ones are really afraid that once you leave, someone will take the opportunity to retaliate and kill the younger ones..." Chen Ping cried and howled. of telling.

"Cut~ You can make it up! You don't cause trouble, who wants your life? There are officers and soldiers stationed in the salt field, so the prisoners will not be allowed to fight privately." Liao Fanzhi turned his head and stopped talking to Chen Ping.

"Really, really... The little one has a deep grudge with Sun Hu. Last time, he almost died because of a cornbread. He has long disliked the comfort I have had in the past few days..." Chen Ping exaggerated After finishing speaking, he knelt and crawled over to hug Liao Fanzhi's calf and begged, "Master Hu, please do me a favor..."

"Forget it...For the sake of your hard work these days, I will help you again before you leave." Liao Fanzhi brushed off the dust in disgust, and said impatiently, "Fang Tingwei, you saw it too, Since he said so, it seems that the prison guards are not effective in supervision. For the sake of the safety of the prisoners, you should rectify it, and save this fear of death from crying in the sky."

Fang He took a deep breath, gave Chen Ping a warning look, stood up and clasped his fists and said, "The government of the salt field has always been strict, Mr. Hu must not listen to this bastard's nonsense."

"Hehe... Forget it, since this guy is afraid of things, you can explain it to Mr. Hu, so that Mr. Hu can be righteous." Cao Fang persuaded like a peacemaker, and didn't change the subject until Liao Fanzhi looked good, "Since the matter here Well, Mr. Hu should leave earlier, so that Zheng Yushi won’t be anxious waiting in the provincial capital.”

Liao Fanzhi got up to say goodbye, and didn't even glance at Chen Ping during the period, allowing Chen Ping to look forward to love like a bereaved dog, and stepped out of the room leisurely to leave.

Chen Ping was transferred to the decoction yard, and the cell boss took care of him naturally after receiving instructions, and he also stated that good people are not allowed to cause trouble.

Chen Ping spent a few days in fear, only to find that no one had beaten him, and he felt at ease.The decoction yard is nothing more than guys who carry firewood, cook salt and turn over the sun. No matter how tired they are, it is easier than going to the mine. In addition, there is no one to provoke, and they get to know the prisoners in the cell in a few days.

The conditions in the mines are very different from those in the drying yards. There are cells covered with mud bricks and firewood for heating, which is much more comfortable than living in a broken straw hut.

There are ten people in one room, two meals a day, and there is not enough to eat in the disaster year. Chen Ping dare not complain anymore. It is easy to carry firewood every day. There is no need to be filial to the meals, and he regains his strength in a few days .

Leisurely and leisurely, Chen Ping did not dare to forget about the case investigation, and in his spare time from work every day, he went around looking for news.The person in the same cell reported the matter to the jailer, but the jailer didn't take it seriously when he heard that he was actually inquiring about some food and work.

Chen Ping seemed to have no ambitions, but he still had some cleverness. At the beginning, he only asked some trivial questions, until everyone put down their vigilance, and then started to find out about the salt production.

Secretly kept the daily output in mind, and compared it with the brine transported from the mine. After half a month, I found that there was no discrepancy.This discovery also made Chen Ping wonder, is it possible that another mine also has a frying field?

After the heavy snow fell, Chen Ping was adding firewood by the stove while lying down with a snot in his nose. A prisoner who was nearly 50 years old chatted and asked, "You also have connections. Why didn't you bring winter clothes?"

Chen Ping sniffed and complained, "Where do I have any connections? If it wasn't for the money at home, I might have died of exhaustion in the mine."

"Money can make ghosts turn the clock. Your family's money is not used properly. I guess there is nothing left here." The elderly prisoner hunched over and reminded Chen Ping kindly.

"That's right! That must be the case. I said why 300 taels failed to send me here, and I was sent here by licking my feet." Chen Ping had an epiphany, and angrily dropped the firewood and cursed.

"Hehe... 300 taels is quite a lot. Why don't you send a letter to your family and ask them to hand it over to the government? If the money is used correctly, it will be enough even if the sentence is commuted." He's an old idiot, and he hasn't died after being locked up for seven or eight years.

"Fourth Uncle, you're still smart!" Chen Ping flattered with a thumbs up, and then muttered in a low voice, "But how do you send this letter home?"

"You go to the prison boss, promise some benefits afterwards, and he will naturally send it out for you." The fourth prisoner saw that Chen Ping followed behind and called his fourth uncle, which was considered friendly, so he made a point or two.

"When the elder brother brings the money, I will definitely give you two taels of good wine." Chen Ping thanked him doglegly.

"Hey hey hey...you're a good kid." Prisoner Lao Si squinted his old eyes and smiled. The family spent a lot of money because of his military service, and there was little subsidy in the past two years. If it wasn't for selling some information, he wouldn't even drink Can't drink anymore.

"Fourth prisoner! What are you doing! It's time to work!" The prison chief yelled, flicking his whip.

The fourth prisoner immediately bent down and agreed, rubbing his palms and whispering, "Follow me, don't make a sound, you can do whatever I do in a while."

Chen Ping immediately threw the firewood, and the fourth prisoner followed behind. Most of the people who came out to do the work were old people. From this, it can be seen that this work is really not something that anyone can do.

After walking to a fence on the north side, Chen Ping peeked out, and saw a group of people walking slowly in the distance. In front of them were a few officers and soldiers holding knives and guns, and behind them were prisoners escorting the carriage.

Good guy, it turns out there really is another mine...

The ragged prisoners finished unloading the barrels under yelling, and the leading officers and soldiers grunted a few times with the jailer, and then yelled like driving away animals to escort the prisoners back.

Chen Ping followed the prisoner Lao Si to transport the wooden barrels back to the frying ground, and then increased the firewood to cook the brine non-stop.

"Fourth Uncle, where did the brine come from? It looks purer than the one from our mine." Chen Ping picked up a pinch of fine salt and asked in a low voice.

"Don't be noisy!" The fourth prisoner turned his head and looked around, and explained in a low voice, "This is from another mine. It is estimated that a lot of people died of freezing at the other end, and there is a shortage of manpower to send the bittern here...you just know, Don’t yell, people will lose their heads if they hear it.”

Hearing that the prisoner's fourth brother didn't mean to scare him, Chen Ping quickly shut up and didn't dare to ask any more. When he was free at night, he took advantage of the water to ask, "Does fourth uncle know where the mine is?"

The fourth prisoner's eyes sharpened, and he even held back his urine, "Why are you asking this?"

"It's nothing, I'm just curious... I think you have stayed here for seven or eight years, so you must have been there," Chen Ping explained in a panic.

Prisoner Boss took a breath and cursed, "Fuck that! If I've been there, I'm still going to stay here? Don't ask around in the future, you know?"

"Understood," Chen Ping assured, wondering how to find out the exact location.

The next day, Chen Ping took the opportunity to ask the cell boss to send a letter, and promised that he would be filial when he got the money.The salt farm has little oil and water, and it all depends on taking advantage of the prisoners. Besides, how can the money handed over from outside get him?Even those who come up from filial piety are only trivial silver after layers of exploitation.

Two days after the letter left, Liao Fanzhi left and returned.

Coincidentally, when Liao Fanzhi returned to Liangzhou City, he immediately sent a letter to inform Liang Zijun. Liang Zijun not only brought the news back to Beijing, but also told him about Liu Daidi's runaway from home, and asked him to see him. Reply immediately.

They shouldn't stay in Liangzhou City for a long time, and if they don't leave, they are afraid of suspicion. Liao Fanzhi thought that half a month had passed, and Chen Ping probably had some clues, so he thought of coming over to find out a thing or two, so as to make further arrangements.

Unexpectedly, when I rushed to the small town at the foot of Liangshan, I ran into Liu Daidi who was asking people everywhere.

Liang Zijun took the opportunity to stay overnight in the town because he was tired, but Cao Fang couldn't beat him, so he had to go to arrange an inn first.While wandering around, Liao Fanzhi shook off the guards, covered his mouth and nose and dragged him to the alley, yelling "Shut up" like a villain

Liu Daidi originally wanted to run into a villain, and was about to rise up to resist, when she heard her husband's name and hurriedly asked, "Did you meet my husband? How is he now?"

"This is not a place to talk, come with me." Liao Fanzhi poked his head and saw the abandoned guards were looking for him, and hurriedly led Liu Daidi to the end of the street.

Liu Daidi had been away from home for nearly two months, and she managed to get to the foot of Liangshan Mountain with great difficulty, but she couldn't find any news about her husband by asking for help.

There is not much money left, most of it was cheated, and now there is only a jade bracelet given by the godmother to pawn, if he can't find a way, he really doesn't know what to do.

Tightening the burden in her arms, Liu Daidi cautiously opened a distance.This person's intentions are unknown, and he is not an official. How did he know the name of his husband?Could it be that you have run into a liar again?

After a few days of inquiring, I often encountered some bastards who took the opportunity to cheat money. If it weren't for the unfamiliarity of life and place, with Liu Daidi's disposition, she would not be credulous.But now that the husband is alive or dead, and the corpses are transported back from the salt field every other day, how can Liu Daidi not be anxious?

He heard people say that as long as you give more money, you can meet your husband, and at the worst, you can bring some clothes and food. Now it's snowing heavily, and I don't know if your husband is wearing a cotton coat...

There are many women like him in this town. When the day of mourning comes, everyone will watch in silence, afraid that their husband will be among the names reported by the officers and soldiers.

In addition to looking forward to it every day, I am also afraid of hearing the officers and soldiers reporting the funeral, and afraid of the cold body of my husband lying on the corpse truck.It's good to find out the news one day earlier, as long as you use the right money, you won't be afraid that your husband will not be able to eat and wear warm inside.

He didn't dare to ask the officers and soldiers who transported the corpse. Everyone said that if they gave it, it would be free. Those people are just bastards who take money and don't do anything.But if he doesn't ask for officers and soldiers, who can he ask for?He didn't know the jailer on duty, nor did he have any acquaintances here, so he had no other choice but to scout around.

Even if there was only a glimmer of hope, Liu Daidi didn't want to give up. The reason why she followed a stranger was because she was afraid of missing the opportunity to become a jailer.

Liao Fanzhi led him to a porch, stopped and asked, "Are you Liu Daidi from Chenjiagou?"

Liu Daidi grabbed the cloth bag tightly and nodded cautiously.

"Tsk~ If you didn't happen to hear someone talking about you, it would be strange if you could find the right person based on your nonsensical inquiries!" Liao Fanzhi scratched his scalp and taught, "Have you been cheated out of your money?"

Liu Daidi lowered her head in shame, then raised her head alertly and reprimanded, "What do you mean?"

"... Tsk~ I see that you are quite clever, why are you acting like a fool in such a hurry?..." Liao Fanzhi didn't have the time to explain so much, so he immediately pointed out where to ask for help, and then suddenly had an idea, and gave it to him. I gave him 1000 taels of silver and said, "As long as you do what I say, Chen Ping will naturally be able to live comfortably in it."

"Who are you? Why did you help me?" Liu Daidi asked dumbfounded while holding the 1000 taels of silver.

Liao Fanzhi chuckled, remembering a friend's latest saying "Don't leave your name behind when you do good deeds, please call me Lei Feng!"

"Lei Feng? Mr. Lei's great kindness and great virtue, Daidi will never forget it, and I will definitely be a grass knot in the future..." Liu Daidi immediately knelt down on the ground and kowtowed to thank him. No matter whether he lives or dies in the future, he They will definitely repay this kindness.

Before Liu Daidi finished speaking, Liao Fanzhi said without looking back, "Don't tell me, let Chen Qing know that you have to be impatient with Zijun. I don't want to hear my old friend complain...haha..."

Before Liu Daidi asked to leave the house, Liao Fanzhi had already left.Looking up at the corner of the street, Liu Daidi bit her lower lip and wept softly, "I'm sorry...Brother..."

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