The pattern of the county government is three entrances in front and back, and a small courtyard on each side. The courtyard on the west side is the signing room, and the courtyard on the east side is where the two masters live. In the main hall of the middle, there is a plaque of "Mirror Hanging" as usual, and there is a big stone at the door, which is engraved with the three big characters of "Gongsheng Ming", which means that justice can be discerned, which can be regarded as a warning to the parents who judge the case here.

The courtyard of the back office is equivalent to the private residence of the county official, and the place is not small, and the main house and side rooms are available. Guan Zhuofan was accustomed to living in the main room, but he chose the west wing room to live in, while Tulin, Zhang Shun and the four personal soldiers lived in several ear rooms outside the courtyard gate. Guan Zhuofan settled down, paced out of the West Chamber, and saw a huge courtyard, empty, and couldn't help but look at the main house and the East Chamber: If the Bai family and the Ming family were also brought here, how good would it be?

But in the end, it can only be imagined. When a county official goes to work, it is true that he can live with his parents, or he can bring his inner relatives, and even his brothers and sisters, brothers-in-law, and sisters-in-law can come, but who has ever heard of bringing two sisters-in-law to take office? I had to smile bitterly, went out of the yard, and went to see my two "old masters".

The old master is an honorific title for the master. The county officials govern the county, and they can't do without the help of the master, these two, one surnamed Ji and the other surnamed Qin, are both from Shaoxing, which is "the world's knife and pen, seven out of ten", but what they have learned is different. Master Ji is in charge of the criminal name, and Master Qin is in charge of Qian Gu, both of which can be regarded as ancestral "crafts".

The master is not an official appointment, but a private appointment from the county. According to the rules in the yamen, the proprietor is not allowed to call these two masters, and if there is something, he must personally move to the east courtyard to ask for advice. But Guan Zhuofan's identity is different, Ji Qin and the others naturally didn't dare to do this thought, explaining that there is something wrong, just let Zhang Shun say hello. Now that he saw Guan Zhuofan's dignity, he couldn't help but be moved, and they came out together, pushed it for a while, and sat down in the older Master Qin's house.

These two people were hired by Jin Yulin, who were originally "once a son of heaven and a courtier", and when a new official takes office, he will always be replaced by his own private person. But Guan Zhuofan heard from Libin that the reputation of these two is not bad, so he was too lazy to toss it, and still hired them, and according to his usual style, he said that if the political affairs go well, he will give a bonus at the end of the year.

In Master Qin's room, naturally Master Qin is the master, and what Guan Zhuofan is looking for is precisely him-the situation in Shanghai County in this era is quite unfamiliar, so I want to listen to him talk about it. Master Qin also knew a lot about this, so he took it upon himself to give him a detailed introduction.

The county seat of Shanghai was built in the Jiajing period of the previous dynasty, and it was originally used to "prepare for the Japanese". There are more than nine miles around the city, the city wall is two feet high and four feet high, and there are six city gates in total. Among them, the four gates of the southeast, the northwest, each have a proper name, respectively called Chaozong, across the sea, Yifeng, Yanhai, and there are two small gates, commonly known as the small east gate and the small south gate, all of which can be berthed.

As for the Yi Boundary, it is divided into three areas, the British and American concessions, all of which are north of the county seat, starting from an inland river called Pidgin. The French Concession is in the northwest of the county seat. The county could not collect taxes from the foreigners in Yijie, while the Chinese in Yijie were collected by the Ministry of Industry Bureau in Yijie and then transferred to the county treasury.

"Old Master Qin, I don't know how many foreigners there are in the Yi Realm?"

"There are always about two or three thousand people," Master Qin replied, "I don't know if I count them carefully, I probably have to ask Master Zhang of the Daotai Yamen." ”

Guan Zhuofan nodded, and said in his heart that this number is about an untold secret of Wu Xi, and outsiders have no way of knowing.

"By the way, I don't know the Chenghuang Temple in the north of the city, has Dong Weng gone?" Master Qin looked at Guan Zhuofan with a solemn expression.

"I've never been." Guan Zhuofan shook his head, a little puzzled, "What, is it a fun place?" ”

"It's not for fun." Seeing that he didn't understand, Master Qin explained to him, "The City God Temple is the temple of Qin Yubo, the city god, and when you come to Shanghai, you must first fast and bathe, go to offer gifts and burn incense, and then stay for one night. First, you can seek the blessing of the city god, and second, you can also get the dream of the city god, indicating what grievances are not clear in the city. ”

"Oh, oh." Guan Zhuofan responded casually, thinking, I see, then this county official is very good, just starve every day and work in the temple.

"When it comes to fun, there are a lot of good places in the old town." Master Ji is not as old-fashioned as Master Qin, and said with a smile, "If Dong Weng likes to watch the liveliness, the Yu Garden behind the City God Temple is a good place to go. ”

What is there to see? Guan Zhuofan was stunned, and saw that the smile on Master Ji's face was quite ambiguous, and then he suddenly realized: This flower is not another flower!

was thinking about how to answer him, and it happened that at this time, Zhang Shun came to the door and said that he had something to report.

"Master, Mr. Li sent a little guy to say that he has made an appointment with that Mr. Jin."

*

*

Libin was very efficient in doing things, and in less than two days, he made an appointment with Jin Nengheng, and the place was set in the Ruxiang Pavilion in the city box, and invited him to eat this food.

The dishes were good, and things went well. During the banquet, Guan Zhuofan bluntly said that he was going to reorganize the foreign gun team, and asked Jin Nengheng to help him with this favor and go to talk to Wall. Jin Nengheng also agreed very happily, and did not mention any conditions, but regarded this matter as a favor that Guan Zhuofan owed to him.

is also an American, in the eyes of Jin Nengheng, Wall is a lonely American-style hero, so he believes that Guan Zhuofan's decision to ask Wall to go out of the mountain again is very correct: "Yixuan, I think you have found a very suitable person, and I can guarantee his character and ability." In fact, I think he has a great chance of accepting your invitation. For him, opening a restaurant is just the most helpless choice. ”

He was confident that he would convince Wall, of course. In addition to expressing his gratitude, Guan Zhuofan also made it clear that he would remember his help this time.

With this layer of foreshadowing, Guan Zhuofan thought to himself that Yang Fang was the initiator of the foreign gun team, and he should also go there, and he should go there with both prongs and be more sure. So, in the afternoon of the next day, he sat on his blue tweed official sedan chair, and no one shouted, only took a Zhang Shun, and went to worship Yangfang leisurely.

He knew that Yang Fang's identity was quite complicated, whether he was an official, a businessman, or a comprador, he really couldn't say it for a while, but there was one thing: he was obsessed with foreign affairs and was rich, there was no doubt. Sure enough, the sedan chair was carried to the front of Yang Fang's house, which was a small white Western-style building, and there was a small garden in front of the building, which was very different from the style of the old houses in the city.

Guan Zhi County came to visit, and he was naturally a distinguished guest. Yang Fang is an alternate Dao, with the title of salt transport envoy, but in front of Guan Zhuofan, there is no Shangguan's shelf, so he personally extended him into the living room and invited him to sit on the Western sofa. Guan Zhuofan looked around, only to see the long window ceiling, elegant and luxurious, all of which were decorated in a European style, and in a trance, he suspected that he had returned to modern times.

"Yixuan, if you don't come again, I'm going to invite you to dinner in the next post." Yang Fang said with a smile.

"I should have come to see Lord Yang earlier," Guan Zhuofan said, "It's just that I just received the seal, and there are many official affairs in the yamen, so I didn't leave for a while." ”

"Don't call me Lord Yang, I can't afford it - my character is Qitang, it's okay to call my character."

Yang Fang is of medium stature, his hair is slightly gray, and on the tail fingers of his hands, he has a turquoise jade ring. When he speaks, he is gentle and gentle, and he is the type that makes people feel good at first sight. Guan Zhuofan thought to himself, no wonder he eats well in all aspects of Shanghai, and he looks like a long-sleeved and good dancer.

"Yes, I'll call Qi Weng." Guan Zhuofan owed a bow on the sofa and said respectfully and affectionately.

"Okay, okay, Yixuan," Yang Fang also had an unseen attitude, "I see that you arrived alone, and you only brought a box." If there is a shortage of food in the county government, just say, I will let you take care of it. ”

"I'm worried about Lao Qiweng, I'm used to being alone, I'm going to live, and I don't feel that anything is missing." Guan Zhuofan said insincerely, making an envious look, "It's not as good as Qi Weng will enjoy happiness, a high-rise house and a western-style house, just to nourish qi and move the body." Is my wife okay too? ”

This sentence is not right. Yang Fang shook his head and said, "Neiko passed away six years ago, and now I have two concubines and a daughter to live here." ”

Guan Zhuofan was a little embarrassed, thinking that he hadn't done his homework well, and said apologetically: "I lost my words." ”

"Hey, Yixuan, you can see the outside world when you say that," Yang Fang said with a smile, "My precious daughter, but Bing Xue is smart, which is enough to comfort the old man." It's just that I've been raised since I was a child, although I've seen some of the world, but I'm a little used to it. After that, he raised his head and shouted: "Ying'er, come to see Master Guan." ”

"Here we go!" There was a crisp answer upstairs, and sure enough, the sound was like a yellow warbler.

Guan Zhuofan gasped: What kind of rhythm is this?

*

(Two more, ask for recommendation~)

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(Xiexie Horse Feeding, YCBH, Autumn Wind's Tips, Xiexie Autumn Wind's Update Ticket.) ）