FRAUD

A servant of a certain imperial censor was standing idle in the market by chance, when a man in rich clothes came up and started talking to him. The man asked the servant about his master's name and rank, and the servant told him one by one. The man introduced himself: "My surname is Wang, and I am the emissary of a certain princess's family." The two became more and more speculative, and Wang said: "Nowadays, the official career is dangerous, and high-ranking officials have to cling to relatives of the emperor. Your master has taken refuge in Who is it?" The servant replied: "There is no one to take refuge in." Wang said: "This is what is called being stingy with small money and forgetting the big disaster." The servant said: "Then, who should I take refuge in?" Wang said Said: "My princess treats others with courtesy and can protect her. A certain servant came to see the princess through me. If you are willing to spend a thousand taels of silver as a meeting gift, it will not be difficult to meet the princess." The servant was very happy and asked about his address. Wang pointed to a gate and said, "I live in an alley every day. Don't you know?" The servant went back and told the censor. The censor was very happy and immediately prepared a sumptuous banquet and asked his servants to invite Wang. Wang came happily. During the dinner, he talked about the princess's temperament and daily life in great detail. He also said, "If it weren't for the sake of my colleagues, I would not be like a dog even if I was given a hundred taels of silver as a reward." Thank you for your hard work." The censor was even more impressed and grateful. When parting, the censor made an appointment with him on a date to meet the princess. Wang said: "Just prepare the gifts. I will find an opportunity to tell the princess. There will be a reply within a day or two." After several days, Wang came. , riding a horse, very beautiful. He said to the censor: "Please hurry up and prepare gifts and follow me. The princess has a lot of things to do, and the people who go to see her come one after another. From morning to night, there is no time at all. Now that I have some time, I have to go quickly. If we delay, we will never see each other again in the future." The censor took the best quality silver and followed Wang. After walking for more than ten miles in a roundabout way, we arrived at the princess's mansion. The censor got off his horse and waited respectfully. Wang took the gift and went in first. After waiting for a long time, Wang came out and shouted loudly: "The princess has summoned a censor." Several people called out one after another. The censor bowed his head and walked in. He saw a beautiful woman sitting in the high hall. She looked like a fairy, and her clothes and jewelry were dazzling. The maids were all dressed in brocade clothes and lined up in rows. The censor knelt down and saluted. The princess conveyed the decree, gave him a seat under the eaves, and brought him fragrant tea in a golden bowl. The princess said a few words in a soft tone, and the censor respectfully withdrew. From inside came the satin boots and ermine hat given by the princess.

After the censor returned home, he was very grateful to Wang. He took the name card and went to the door to thank him, but found that the door was closed and there was no one inside. The censor thought that Wang had not returned from serving the princess. I went there three times in three days and never saw him again. He sent someone to the princess's house to inquire about it, but found that the door was locked. When he inquired about the nearby residents, they all said: "There has never been any princess here. Several people rented this house and lived in it a few days ago, but they have left. It's been three days." When the inquirer came back to report, the master and servants could only look downcast.

There was a deputy general who came to Beijing with money and wanted to find a regular position, but he had no way out. One day, a man wearing a leather robe and riding a horse came to visit and introduced himself: "My brother-in-law is the emperor's personal attendant." After drinking tea, he asked the deputy general to move the others away and said: "Now There is a vacancy for a local general. If you are willing to spend more money, I will ask my wife and brother to speak kindly for you in front of the emperor, and this position can be obtained. No one, no matter how powerful, can take it away." The deputy general suspected that he was boast. The man said, "There's no need to hesitate. I just want to get a small sum of money from my wife and brother. I won't take a penny from the general. Let's agree on a sum first and set up a paperwork certificate. We won't ask you to actually pay until the emperor summons you." Money; if not, your money is still there, who can snatch it away from your arms?" The deputy general was happy and agreed.

The next day, the man came again and took the deputy general to see his wife's brother, saying that his surname was Tian. The Tian family is as majestic as a prince's family. The deputy general came forward to pay homage. Tian was very arrogant, looked sideways, and did not return the courtesy very much. The man took the document and said to the deputy general: "I just discussed it with my wife and brother. This matter must cost about ten thousand taels of silver. Please make a pledge immediately." The deputy general complied. Tian said: "People's hearts are unpredictable, and I'm afraid that they may change their mind later." The man smiled and said: "Brother, you are worrying too much. Since you can give him an official position, can't you take back his official position? Besides, the civil and military generals of the entire dynasty, I want to make friends with you but I still can't. This general has a bright future and is not so mindless. The deputy general also swore a solemn oath before leaving. The man sent him out and said, "I will reply to you within three days." "

Two days later, just as the sun was setting, several people ran in shouting and said, "The emperor is waiting to summon you!" The deputy general was so surprised that he hurried to the palace. I saw the emperor sitting in the Golden Palace, and the warriors stood solemnly. After the deputy general kowtowed and saluted, the emperor decreed that he should sit down and comfort him earnestly. He said to the people around him: "I heard that this man is extremely brave. Today I saw that he is really a talented general!" So he said to him: "Somewhere It is a dangerous place. I leave it to you now. Don't let me down. You will be granted a title of marquis one day." The deputy general kowtowed and came out to express his gratitude. Then the man wearing a leather robe and riding a horse from the day before yesterday followed him to the inn, took the money and left according to the documents. The deputy general then sat back and relax, waiting to take over the title and show off to his relatives and friends every day.

A few days later, the deputy general went to inquire about the news and found that the original vacancy was already filled. He was furious, came to the lobby of the Ministry of War and argued angrily, saying: "I was appointed by the emperor, how could I give it to others?" The Minister of the Ministry of War was very surprised. When the deputy general talked about how he was favored, it seemed like a dream. The Minister of War was furious and arrested him and sent him to the judicial officer. The deputy general then revealed the name of the introducer, but there was no such person in the palace. The deputy general spent another ten thousand taels of silver before he was pardoned and dismissed.

This is really strange! Although this military attache is stupid, can the palace sect also fake it? I suspect there is some magic involved. As the saying goes, "Thieves don't use guns or swords."

Li Sheng, from Jiaxiang, Shandong, is good at playing the piano. One day he came to the eastern suburbs by chance and saw a worker getting a guqin while digging in the soil, so he bought it at a low price. After being wiped, the guqin emits a strange brilliance; when the strings are placed and played, the sound is very clear and exciting. Li Sheng was so happy, as if he had received a priceless jade. He put it in a brocade bag and hid it in a secret room. Even his closest relatives and friends refused to take it out to see.

Cheng, the county magistrate, had recently taken office and came to visit Li Sheng with a famous invitation. Li Sheng rarely interacted with people, but because he was visiting the county magistrate, he went to pay his respects. A few days later, Cheng County Cheng invited Li Sheng to drink again. After repeated invitations, Li Sheng went. Chengxian Cheng was a very elegant man, and his talk was free and generous. Li Sheng liked him very much. One day later, Li Sheng sent an invitation to Cheng County Cheng and held a banquet to thank him. The two chatted and laughed happily, becoming more harmonious. From then on, the two of them met every morning and every night. More than a year later, Li Sheng happened to see the Qin in an embroidered bag on the table in Cheng County Cheng's official office, so he opened it to watch it. Cheng Xian Cheng asked: "Are you also proficient in this?" Li Sheng said: "This is my favorite in my life." Cheng Xian Cheng said in surprise: "We became close friends not just in a day, why don't you let me listen to your unique skills?" Listen?" So he turned on the fire, burned agarwood, and asked Li Sheng to play a piece. Li Sheng played a song respectfully. Cheng Xiancheng said: "Master! I am willing to show my humble skills to make a small witch see a big witch. Please don't laugh at me." Then he played a piece of "Yu Feng Song". The sound of the piano was clear and sweet, with an otherworldly artistic conception. Li Sheng admired him even more and wanted to become his teacher to Cheng County Cheng.

From then on, the two became piano friends, and their friendship became even deeper. After more than a year, Li Sheng learned all Cheng Xiancheng's piano skills. However, every time Cheng County Cheng came to Li's house, Li Sheng would just play an ordinary qin for him and would never reveal his treasured guqin. One night, Li Sheng was a little drunk. Cheng County Cheng said, "I have recently practiced a new piece of music. Are you willing to listen to it?" He played "Hunan Concubine" for Li Sheng. Li Sheng was full of praise. Cheng County Cheng said: "It's a pity that there is no good Qin; if I get a good Qin, the tune will be even better." Li Sheng said happily: "I have a Qin hidden in my chest, which is very different from ordinary Qin; I met it today My best friend, how dare you hide it all the time?" So he opened the cabinet and took out the piano bag together. Cheng Xiancheng brushed off the dust with his sleeves, leaned on the table and played again, with hardness and softness, in line with the melody, with exquisite craftsmanship and superb perfection. Li Sheng beat the beat and was filled with admiration. Cheng Xiancheng said: "My poor piano skills have let this good piano down. If my wife is allowed to play it, there will be one or two sounds that are audible." Li Sheng said in surprise: "Is your wife also proficient in this skill? ?" Cheng Xian Cheng said with a smile: "That piece of music just now was learned from my wife." Li Sheng said: "It's a pity that she is in the boudoir, and I can't listen to it." Cheng Xian Cheng said: "You and I have nothing to do with each other. If you are so close, you shouldn't be bound by these rules and regulations. Please bring the piano to my house tomorrow and let her play for you through the curtain."Li Sheng was very happy.

The next day, Li Sheng carried the guqin to Cheng County Cheng's official office. Chengxian Cheng then served wine and food to drink with him. After a while, Cheng Xiancheng took the guqin into the inner room and quickly came out and sat down. After a while, I saw a woman in gorgeous clothes looming inside the curtain, and then a faint fragrance floated outside the door. After a while, the sound of the piano sounded softly. When Li Sheng listened to it, he didn't know what the music was. He just felt that his heart was shaking, his bones were soft, and his soul was flying. After finishing playing the song, Li Sheng approached the curtain and took a peek. He turned out to be a peerless beauty in her twenties. Chengxian Cheng persuaded Li Sheng to drink from a large cup, and another song "Ode to Leisure Love" was played behind the curtain. Li Sheng was even more fascinated physically and mentally. He drank heavily and got up to say goodbye, hoping to get his guqin back. Cheng County Cheng said: "You are afraid that you will fall down and break the piano when you are drunk. Come back tomorrow and let my wife do her best."

Li Sheng went home. When I visited again the next day, the government office was completely quiet, with only an old government official guarding the door. Li Sheng asked him, and he said: "The county magistrate left with his family at the fifth watch. I don't know what he was going for. He only said that it took about three days to go back and forth." Three days later, Li Sheng went to wait for him. By nightfall, there was still no news. The officials and government servants became suspicious and reported to the county magistrate. They opened the door and looked into his room. The room was completely empty except for the table and bed. I reported it to my boss, but I couldn't figure out what was going on.

Li Sheng lost his guqin and couldn't eat or sleep. He traveled thousands of miles to look for it in Cheng County's hometown. Chengxian Cheng was originally from Hubei. Three years ago he donated money for the official position of Jiaxiang County Magistrate. Li Sheng took his name and went to other places to find out, but there was no such person there. Someone said: "There was a Taoist Cheng who was good at playing the piano. It was also said that he had the golden touch. Three years ago, he suddenly left and was never seen again." Li Sheng suspected that it was this person. I also inquired about the Taoist priest's age and appearance in detail, and found that they were exactly the same. Only then did I realize that the Taoist priests spent money and donated money all for the sake of the guqin. After being close friends for more than a year, the Taoist priest did not talk about the music. He gradually took out the guqin, gradually showed off his skills, and gradually used beauties to seduce Li Sheng. After three years of gradual progress, he took the guqin and walked away. . The Taoist priest loved his piano even more than Li Sheng. There are all kinds of scams in the world, and this Taoist priest can be regarded as an elegant figure among the scammers.