Jiang Ru chuckled lightly and did not reach out to take it: "We are here to decorate the mandala, and we don't have time to show such kindness."
Zhao Shu glared at her: "Isn't Liang Shuo thinking about how to claim credit all day long? This is the method I gave him. Don't send this letter directly to the county government, but give it to Liang Shuo and ask him to talk to Wang Juncheng.
He said that he learned that people in the countryside in Xingluo County were suffering from hunger, and he did not want to sit back and watch the situation, so he planned to send grain and rice to the county government for relief."
Jiang Ru frowned and said, "Are you making decisions for my young master? Why should you borrow grain and rice for these untouchables?"
Zhao Mo had a serious face: "Liang Shuo said that I can ask him for anything I need. And I'm tired. I don't want to go anywhere else until I see grain and rice delivered to this village."
"Are you taking advantage of the situation to blackmail?" Jiang Ru said with anger: "My young master thinks highly of you, but you don't want to push yourself too far!"
Zhao Shu took a deep breath, resisted the urge to curse, and explained: "Do you think that this time the imperial court sent various taverns to Xingluo County, it was really just to see who can suppress bandits and demons better?
Luojun is not a poor frontier county. As long as it is managed well, it is a place with rich wealth. If there is any shop that can not only suppress bandits and demons, it can also alleviate the people's livelihood difficulties and make Xingluo County, which has experienced the war,
Restore it as soon as possible so that it can be reused in the future.”
Jiang Ru leaned on the carriage and said: "Reuse? Do you think other guilds can be compared with Chongxuan Pavilion? The leader of Liang dominates the capital with one hand, and the hussar general sits on the border at Xiongguan. What positions can compare with these two?"
?”
Zhao Shu sighed: "Sure enough, what kind of owner breeds what kind of dog."
Jiang Ru narrowed her eyes and smiled and said: "Zhao Fuli should be careful when sleeping at night, so as not to have his tongue pulled out by the goblin."
"I'm helping Liang Shuo! You can't even tell the difference between good and bad?" Zhao Shu said immediately: "He came to Xingluo County with great merit. I don't believe that Liang Shuo really doesn't care. Now.
He has lost his magic weapon and is hiding in the City God's Temple all day long. If he doesn't do anything, you can't expect to follow him to heaven!"
Jiang Ru's expression changed: "How do you know that he lost the Immortal General? This matter is strictly prohibited from spreading to outsiders!"
"Look, if I lied casually, you would have spilled the beans, right?"
Zhao Shu was secretly shocked. It was him who accidentally let it slip just now. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and dealt with it immediately:
"Don't think that others can't understand. The imperial court conferred the title of City God on such a person for no reason. This is clearly trying to cover up your Chongxuan Pavilion. Can the Immortal General of Falu and the City God be the same thing? I will set up an altar myself to practice Dharma.
How can you not feel the slightest bit? Liang Shuo is in this situation. He neither dares to risk himself on the battlefield, but is also eager to gain more achievements. Anyone with a discerning eye can see it!"
Jiang Ru's face changed. She naturally knew that Hengbi Immortal had removed the Dharma Ribbon. Liang Shuo lost his temper and became angry in the first few days, and Jiang Ru herself felt uncomfortable.
What the Hengbi Immortal General represents is not only the execution of magic and summoning power, but also Liang Shuo's immortal blood and his naturally extraordinary status. Losing the Immortal General will turn Liang Shuo into a person with a little exaggeration.
Shuo lost the protection of his immortal ancestor, and maybe Jiang Ru herself would also lose her support.
And if outsiders knew the inside story, how would they view Chongxuan Hall and the Yongjia Liang clan? This is why Chongxuan Hall would quickly go to the court to seek a decree to seal the city from the emperor, thus covering up Liang Shuo's loss of his immortal general.
Jiang Ru was meditating there, while Zhao Shuze continued: "If you don't want to risk fighting, then you should care about people's livelihood. The banditry in Xingluo County is widespread, but in the final analysis, the people's livelihood is difficult. Although the county government has issued an order to grant land, they will barely be able to survive in the future.
Settlement, but now is the lean season, the people are short of grain and rice. Those with skills will go to the city to work, and those with connections will go to relatives to help, but there are still many villagers who can only guard the fields. If there is no grain and rice,
Damn it, the government refuses to provide relief, what do you think the result will be?"
"How can the county government let the hungry people go without providing relief now?" Jiang Ru asked.
"Yes, but who is responsible for this matter? And who is responsible for doing it? If the local food in Xingluo County is not enough, where will it be dispatched? How will it be distributed after dispatch? There are too many explanations here!" Zhao Shu gushed.
Jue: "Don't you Mr. Liang like to give orders? Isn't this an opportunity? Relying on the power of Chongxuan Hall, Wang Juncheng will naturally obey your arrangements, and the Yongjia Liang family is the first-class Zhongding family in Huaxu.
Isn’t it difficult to temporarily borrow grain and rice from other counties?”
Jiang Ru thought about it carefully and found that she really couldn't refute Zhao Shu, but she was still a little dissatisfied: "Isn't it just a poor village that has to engage in such a big battle?"
Zhao Shu also understood that he was making a fuss out of a molehill. He had just opened the altar and finished practicing the Dharma. He was already feeling unhappy. Thinking of the luxury and glitz that the monks of Chongxuan Hall lived in on weekdays and the deep poverty of the villagers in Xingluo County, he couldn't help but point out the situation.
"If you can't govern the army, then govern the people." Zhao Shu added: "Suppressing bandits is only temporary, managing people's livelihood is a long-term solution. Even if you don't say anything to benefit the people, if you want to be in power, of course you have to do things. Officials and Cao
The promotion and dismissal of officials, the taxation and corvee work of ordinary people, only by truly mastering these things can you have power in your hands. Instead of hiding in a big house drinking tea all day long, waiting for others to do things for you!
If that’s the case, wouldn’t the power be emptied out?”
Jiang Ru was secretly surprised when she heard this. Zhao Shu stuffed the letter into her hand, turned around and waved: "Forget it, it's all in vain to talk to people like you. Hurry up and have the grain and rice delivered. If this matter is not done well, I
Just stay here and don’t leave!”
After saying these words, Zhao Shu went back to the village to find the old people: "I have sent someone to take a letter to Yanze City. Grain and rice should be delivered in a few days."
"Thank you, Immortal, thank you, Immortal!"
Several old people were about to kneel down as they spoke. Zhao Shu quickly supported them: "It doesn't have to be like this."
The old man thanked Zhao Mi profusely and hurriedly invited Zhao Mi into the village. He did not refuse and asked at the same time: "I remember that the county government had previously issued a work-for-relief decree. Repairing city walls, dredging ditches, and strengthening river embankments all require a large number of manpower.
, as long as you go to work, no matter how much you earn, at least you can fill your stomach. Is anyone in your village going?"
"Alas, the immortal doesn't know something." The old people said: "The young people in our village were either killed by the bandits or ran away with the bandits. Most of the spring sowing is done by women."
Zhao Shu was stunned for a moment and had nothing to say.
It was getting dark, so the villagers went down to the river to catch a fish, stewed a pot of fish soup to entertain Zhao Shu, and invited him to stay overnight. Zhao Shu had no intention of leaving, so he agreed.
At night in the countryside, there were no lights, and the villagers went back to their houses to rest. Zhao Shu was placed in a clean farmhouse. The owner of the house was obviously careful and tidy.
It turns white after being washed many times.
Zhao Shu did not fall asleep in a hurry. He found incense burner candles and cinnabar talismans from the bamboo basket. A monk like him consumes talismans every time he performs rituals and rituals, so he naturally needs to replenish them in time afterwards.
Just as Zhao Mo was raising his pen, he heard light footsteps outside the house. The visitor hesitated, as if he wanted to enter the house, but couldn't make up his mind.
"Who's outside the house? Just tell me if you have something to say."
With a faint stroke of the Qingxuan pen, the door was opened from the air. Under the dim light, a village woman could be vaguely seen standing outside, holding the hem of her clothes with both hands. When she saw the door open by itself, she was so frightened that she let out a soft cry.
"It's late at night, madam, what do you want?" Zhao Mi walked out with a candlestick in his hand. He saw the village woman with her hair tied up. She was obviously a married woman, but judging from her appearance, she was probably about the same age as himself.
"Immortal, Immortal, I..." The village woman lowered her head and did not dare to answer.
Zhao Shu vaguely guessed the other party's intention, but still asked: "Did someone else ask you to come?"
The village woman nodded in a subtle and difficult-to-detect manner. Zhao Shu immediately imagined the jade mirror in the bright hall, his eyes swirling with red light, and the dim village was as bright as day. He saw an old man hiding behind a big tree not far away, looking around.
This is one of the techniques obtained by Cunxiang Mingtang Palace. The red light of the jade mirror focuses on the eyes, allowing one to see things at night.
Guessing that the village woman might have been forced to come here by others, Zhao Shu sighed inwardly and said to her, "Come in."
The village woman did not dare to answer and entered the house silently. Zhao Shu covered the door and turned around to put the candlestick away. He saw the village woman standing in the house, restrained and did not dare to move.
"Sit down." Zhao Mian gestured to the village woman to sit down. Under the candlelight, he saw that the fabric of her clothes was exactly the same as the bedding, and he immediately realized: "Is this room yours?"
The village woman sat by the bed and nodded. Zhao Miao scratched his forehead, feeling that he was holding back a breath of air, but had nowhere to vent it.
"Where is your husband?" Zhao Shu avoided looking at him, not daring to look at the village woman.
"Dead." The village woman's voice was as thin as a mosquito.
"Killed by bandits?" Zhao Shu asked.
The village woman shook her head gently: "A few years ago, the county corvee took him to mine and he died in the mountains."
The other party's voice was small and calm, not like she was harboring incomprehensible pain, but every word she spoke was like a wedge driven into Zhao Mi's heart.
"Is it the old man in the village who asked you to come?" Zhao Shu said: "I have promised them that the county will have grain and rice delivered to them in a short time. I am staying in the village as a guarantee so that you can feel at ease."
The village woman stopped talking and tugged at the hem of her clothes with both hands. Seeing her like this, Zhao Shu asked, "Why did they ask you to come? If you don't tell me, I don't know what to do."
"My father-in-law said that after the grain and rice are delivered, I just ask the immortal to give our family an extra seven or eight dou," the village woman said.
"Seven or eight fights?" Zhao Shu felt speechless. He had seen the miserable situation of selling his son to sell his daughter, and he also knew that in a family with a tight life, the wife would even sell her body to make up for the family income. But when it really happened to him,
Before his eyes, even related to himself, his abundant knowledge and ability to speak well were immediately destroyed and turned into nothing.
When the village woman saw Zhao Mi thinking deeply, she immediately added: "I, I can wash and cook, I can go to the fields and help plows, and I also know some needlework. I can sew clothes and soles for the immortal. I just hope that the immortal can take me away."
.”
When it came to the latter part, the village woman simply knelt down in front of Zhao Miao and bowed her head.
Zhao Miao said: "You get up first... Did your father-in-law teach you this?"
The village woman knelt down and nodded. Zhao Shu frowned and said, "What about yourself? What are your plans?"
As soon as he said these words, Zhao Shu could not wait to give himself a slap. In such a remote and remote country, how could a young widow without her husband have any "own plans"? It really hurts to stand and talk!
As expected, the village woman looked blank and said numbly: "My father-in-law said that he wants me to serve the immortal."
Not to mention that Zhao Shu has no intention of having sex, but the appearance of this village woman is not good-looking. Her hands, which have been worked for many years, are covered with rough calluses and scars from old injuries. If it were Liang Shuo, he would probably put this village woman into a trap.
The woman was treated like dirt and dust, and she didn't even bother to look at him, let alone talk to him.
"I will distribute more grain and rice to your family, but I am busy and can't bring anyone else with me." Zhao Shu said, "I don't need you to serve me, but I won't drive you away. You can sleep here tonight."
.”
The village woman raised her eyes to look at Zhao Mi, then quickly lowered her head in fear, not daring to answer.
"You can go to sleep and don't worry about me." Zhao Shu put the things back into the bamboo basket, sat in the corner, blew out the candle, and the hut fell into darkness.
…
In the early morning of the next day, Zhao Shu quietly left the hut and found a secluded place to practice some exercises. He returned to the village when the sky was bright and met the old man who had been peeping behind the tree last night.
"Xianzhang Zhao, how was your rest last night?" the old man stepped forward and asked with a smile.
Zhao Shu resisted the urge to smash his old face with a punch and said with a smile: "It's not bad."
"That's good, that's good." The old man pointed to the carriage outside the village: "I see that Zhao Xianchang and his companions did not come in. I wonder how to arrange it?"
Zhao Shu waved his hand and said, "I don't need to pay attention to it, I'm afraid of meeting strangers."
After exchanging a few words, Zhao Shu came to the outside of the village and was confirming whether the Qi of the mandala was stable when he heard Jiang Ru's voice coming from behind: "Zhao Fuli is really charming and diligent. Not only does he ask for food and rice from the villagers, but he also
They work tirelessly and spread the rain and dew widely. I heard that these country women often work in the fields and their bodies are much stronger than those of other ladies. Could it be that Zhao Fuli likes this kind of thing?"
Zhao Shu suddenly turned around, and the markings on his eyebrows appeared, like a ferocious tiger, staring fiercely at Jiang Ru.
Jiang Ru was startled and couldn't help but take half a step back, but then she regained her courage and said, "What? I'm not right? But Zhao Fu doesn't need to worry about it. If a village woman can ask Zhao Fu to spread the rain and dew, it's because her ancestors have accumulated virtue."
Zhao Mo's body moved instantly, and his five fingers turned into claws and clasped Jiang Ru's neck. His words contained the roar of a tiger: "Monster! Do you really think I don't dare to kill you?"
Jiang Ru's beauty turned pale. This was the first time she experienced the killing intent from Zhao Shu. It was completely different from a martial arts swordsman like Luo Xixian. Zhao Shu's killing intent was like the rolling magma deep in the ground. It was usually hidden very deep, but once it broke out, it would be unstoppable.
Clean it up. And Zhao Shu's five fingers are so powerful at this moment that if it were an ordinary person, his neck would have been broken long ago.
"Stop!" The voice of Lingxiao extinguished the anger in his heart. Zhao Shu suddenly woke up and let go of Jiang Ru.
"You..." Jiang Ru stroked her neck gently, her lingering fear still lingering, and she looked at Zhao Miao with fear in her eyes.
"There is no difference between you and her." Zhao Shu breathed a long sigh of relief and looked down at Jiang Ru with a bit of compassion and helplessness in his eyes: "Although you wear fancy clothes and ride in fancy cars, there is actually no difference between you and her.