On the tenth day of October, the day of rest, also known as the mid-day holiday, is a holiday for all government offices in Beijing. Before the late Zhenzong period, the mid-year holiday was only a military holiday, that is, the yamen of the court and the central government were on holiday, and the court did not have a holiday, and the emperor still sat in the palace and discussed state affairs with the minister. Zhenzong's health was not good in the late period, and the court and the central government were also like the yamen outside, and they had a holiday together, and they became accustomed to each other at this time.

Xu Ping didn't take a vacation, he was in charge of the commercial tax case, and today was the day of the mid-year assessment.

If in the past, the public officials under the tax case were only busy, Xu Ping himself was still on normal vacation, and he was not so diligent in his work. However, now that he received an errand from the emperor to compare the prices before and after the sacrifice ceremony, he was humiliated by Wang Sui again, and Xu Ping also held his breath in his heart. The more this happens, the more he has to do this errand well, and when the time comes, look at the price fluctuations, and whether those who laugh at him now have a face.

The estimation has long been there, and the system was established during the Tianxi period of Zhenzong.

Every ten days, the three divisions and Kaifeng Mansion gathered, convened the heads and households of the various lines, divided into upper, middle and lower three according to the color of the goods, and set the price respectively, and this price is the guide price of the goods in the capital after ten days.

After the price is set, it will be reported to the three divisions and Kaifeng Mansion for the record. This is also one of the purposes of the establishment of guilds in the Song Dynasty, in this way to grasp the price fluctuations of the people and take measures in time. In the actual transaction, it can fluctuate slightly on the basis of the guide price according to the situation, and as long as both parties agree to the establishment of the bond, the government will recognize the legality of the transaction.

At a critical time, the government can use the ten-month estimate to forcibly set the price, and on the basis of guaranteeing the cost of the business, it can impose a profit approved by the government, and use administrative means to calm the price fluctuations. In some cases, such regulations are so severe that offenders can be punished with death. This was another role of the guilds, which served as a tool for the government to intervene in the market.

Officials who participate in the appraisal can use the pricing power to collude with the merchant to make profits, and if the law violates the law, they will be severely punished. If the valuation is improper, it will be regarded as stolen goods, and if the bribe is accepted, it will be regarded as theft, or misappropriation or beheading, and the sentence will be heavier than ordinary crimes.

Normally, these are the things that subordinate officials do, and there are only a few officials in the government, and it is difficult to personally inquire about these daily affairs. However, in this extraordinary period, Xu Ping not only participated in person, but also asked Kaifeng Mansion to send people.

The person who came was Wang Ke, a petty official in Kaifeng Mansion, his father was Wang Yong, his grandfather was Wang Dan, and his uncle was Wang Su.

The Wang family of Sanhuai Hall has planted Sanhuai in the hall since Wang Hu, to the second generation of Wang Dan to carry forward, to Wang Su's generation has deep roots, to Wang Ke's generation has begun to differentiate.

What is Deep-Rooted? Even Xu Pingguan has also reached a certain level, and he knows a lot of people, and he is still friends with Wang Su, the current mainstay of the Wang family, and he can't tell how many ministers the Wang family has married with the court. On the bright side, there is the Han Yi family to which Han Zong, who has been working with Xu Ping for several years, and Wang Dan's younger brother Wang Xu's eldest son Wang Duan's father-in-law is the current Prime Minister Li Di, Wang Dan's brother Wang Yi's eldest son Wang Mu and Li Di are also in-laws, Wang Dan's eldest son, Wang Ke's father Wang Yong, and his father-in-law is Lu Yijian. Even Shi Yannian, one of Xu Ping's best-connected officials, is also Wang Xu's son-in-law. This intricate network of relationships is breathtaking, except for the Wang family's own people, I am afraid that no outsider can clearly know where this net stretches.

Differentiation began with the death of Wang Dan. When Wang Dan was there, the three brothers were not separated, and Wang Dan himself also advocated frugality, and the Wang family was not a conspicuous family at that time. When Wang Dan died, the three branches were separated, and each person had different circumstances, whether they were rich or poor. When Wang Dan passed away, Wang Su was still young, and when he grew up, his temperament was different from Wang Dan, and his life was pompous and extravagant. And Wang Xu's life is not easy, the eldest son Wang Zhen is an official outside, and he can't eat meat for several years.

After seeing the Sanhuaitang royal family, Xu Ping knew what a family was, it was not just a matter of having a field and a house, but using marriage to extend the family's tentacles to every corner of the empire. The down-and-out branches of this family, such as Wang Xu and son-in-law Shi Yannian, have been wandering for years, but they really haven't been stained with any light. And the branches of the scenery, such as Wang Su, the emperor also has to take a look at it.

Wang Ke's father, Wang Yong, is Wang Su's eldest brother, but he is a concubine with a taciturn personality. When he was young, his father was the prime minister, and although he also favored his official position, he never went out to be an official. Like his uncle Wang Xu, because of Wang Dan's relationship, the so-called "don't want to compete with the poor family" for the way forward, according to the convention, when Wang Dan was alive, he did not participate in the imperial examination, nor did he go out. It wasn't until after Wang Dan passed away that he became an official outside, and his career was not smooth.

's father is like this, Wang Ke's official career will not be very brilliant, relying on grace to become an official, and he is on duty under Kaifeng Mansion.

Speaking of which, his maternal grandfather is Lu Yijian, who is now the second prime minister, but his father Wang Yong is such a sullen temper, and he doesn't move around much, so he has no chance of soaring. As for Prime Minister Li Di's relatives, it is even more distant.

Coming out early in the morning, Xu Ping and Wang Ke first went to the Bianhe River to convene the guilds, agreed on the price of the capital for the next ten days, and were busy until the afternoon, before they had time to transfer to the northern city.

The lively place of Bianliang City is called Nanhebei City.

Nanhe naturally refers to the Bianhe River, where there are many guilds of various guilds, such as the Zhuruzi line, the paper line, the vegetable line, the rice noodle line and so on, which are related to people's livelihood. I think that Li Yonghe was working in the paper shop there when he was down, and after he was driven out, he was rescued by Xu Zheng, who was selling wine in that area.

Beishi refers to the bustling place outside the Donghua Gate of the Imperial City, which is close to the Imperial Palace, and the purchases in the palace alone are enough to feed many merchants. At this time, Xinghe buys, unlike the "palace market" in the Tang Dynasty, where shops have profits to make, and the more they gather, the more they gather. In addition, the ministers entered the court from the Donghua Gate, and the servants who rested here were also considerable customers every day. Mahang Street, especially the section of Pan Lou Street, is the most prosperous place in the world at this time, and there is no place to compare.

In addition to these restaurants and shops, there are also cattle and horses in the capital nearby, which is also the destination of Wang Ke of Xu Ping.

Most cattle and horses are sold from the north and enter through the north gate, so the market is here.

In winter, the days suddenly became shorter, and by the time we arrived, the sun had turned westward. The head of the cattle and horse shop and the main businessmen were already waiting here, and when they saw Xu Ping and Wang Ke coming with their officials, they hurriedly got up and saluted.

Seeing that it was not early, and Xu Ping was not too noisy, he asked everyone to agree on the price for ten days, and saw that it was not much different from what was reported before, and after discussing it with Wang Ke, it was settled. wrote a pleading, the head of the line and the households of each line were charged, Xu Ping and Wang Ke were also charged, the two of them were put away separately, and brought back to the yamen for the record, and today's errand was completed.

The price was agreed, and Li Tian, who was known as "Niu Ma Li Daguanren" by the head of the line on duty, breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, and said to Xu Ping and Wang Ke: "Two officials, it's not early, and you have to be free today, so it's better to go out and have a drink." ”

Xu Ping was about to refuse, but when he saw that the officials under his command who had been busy for a day were all moved, even Wang Ke had the intention of agreeing, so he nodded and said, "It's okay, the subordinates are also tired." It's good to eat at home, don't go to the big restaurant. ”

Li Tian nodded again and again: "Understood, understood." "It looks like everyone understands.

With so many subordinates, it is too much of an eyesore to go to the big restaurant, and outside the Donghua Gate is a place where officials and scholars gather, who may be looked at and left a handle.

(The marriage of Wang Dan's descendants is extremely complicated, and the list in the book is only the tip of the iceberg.) But at that time, the recusal system was strict, and most of the officials did not publicize their relatives, and they covered it up if they could. For example, the friendship between Wen Yanbo and Bao Zheng only knew that the two families had a marriage after relying on the unearthed epitaph for a long time, so Wen Yanbo's recommendation of Bao Zheng violated the avoidance system. Again, most of these marriages are planned for future generations, and there are not many political marriages. On the one hand, the descendants of the court officials got married, and on the other hand, it did not prevent them from fighting to the death in the court, such as Li Di and Lu Yijian. Therefore, the relatives of these officials will not be specifically mentioned later in the book, because it has little to do with political positions, but is only conducive to the mutual support of their descendants. (To be continued.) )