Because I arrived at night the day before yesterday, I didn't see it clearly, but this morning when all the village leaders came to greet Minglan behind the screen, Minglan immediately felt that something was wrong. ~ Wu Guang, the general manager, made every move and color, and the other stewards behind him
They all knelt down, kowtowed, and sang, saying hello to Minglan. When it was quiet, no one around interrupted, and most of their replies to Minglan were in an orderly manner.
There are only two explanations for this situation. Either it is like when Yao Yiyi's unit welcomed the leaders or the health inspection in the past, and everyone in Guyanzhuang had rehearsed it in advance, or...
Even when she asked to measure the land just now, Wu Guang responded with a calm expression, and also prepared the corresponding fish scale book and farmer's list. The village leaders below immediately lined up to help.
Minglan lowered her eyelids.
There is no airtight wall in the world. The way she announced the sun in Black Mountain Villa can be told by any boy or tenant farmer. The same trick cannot be used by Lao. Black Mountain Villa can catch her off guard, but Gu Yan
Zhuang was gone. Besides, she didn't want to be on guard in the first place.
Unlike Heishan Villa, Guyan Villa is the property of a criminal who was confiscated many years ago. It has been the property of the Imperial Villa for more than ten years. This property is managed by the eunuch of the imperial clan. With the emperor as the leader, no matter what happens in the village
There are few people who ask about things.
Minglan wanted to see how deep the water in the ancient rock village was and how well the peaceful scene could be whitewashed. The Cui brothers continued to measure the land as usual, Gongsun Meng was ordered to visit the tenant farmers, and Minglan dragged
Chief Steward Wu Guang spoke.
"...It turns out that Manager Wu is a relative of Eunuch Wu, the manager of the bank. It's really disrespectful and disrespectful." Minglan smiled as warmly as the spring breeze.
"How dare you, little one? You are just a relative of Jiuguaibawan, using your name to make a living." Wu Guang bowed respectfully and replied, "The emperor rewarded the village. Originally, my father-in-law called me Xiao Si.
I'm an errand here, but I've been here for many years, and I've developed feelings for him both inside and outside, so I thought that if my wife and the governor liked me, I'd be willing to stay and serve."
"Why is this so embarrassing? After all, Mr. Wu is a relative of Eunuch Wu. It would be against the rules to say it out loud. It would be bad if someone said it outside." Minglan showed a hint of hesitation.
Wu Guang's eyes flickered and he spoke tactfully: "You're a young man, but...my old uncle has a good relationship with all the father-in-laws in the palace. They all say that the governor has always been heroic and generous, and he doesn't stick to trivial matters.
I'm happy to make friends with the governor, even if I think about it, I won't have any words."
This sentence was profound and well-spoken. Minglan smiled and picked up the tea cup: "What Manager Wu said makes sense. I am a woman, so I have to discuss this matter with the master."
After three days of investigation, the Cui brothers and Gongsun Meng came to report in detail, as well as the information that the Tu brothers sent to secretly inquire about. After hearing this, Minglan knitted her brows into a knot and gave a short order to call.
Wu Guanglai.[Ye*][*]
After a few words of greeting, Minglan said gently: "I have thought about this matter carefully. The so-called family has family rules and the state has national laws. Not only has the Gu family never had any reason to ask outsiders to manage the affairs of the village, but they have also gone all over the capital to inquire.
Several families dare to call on the stewards of the original Huangzhuang. After all, it is unreasonable."
Wu Guang's green and white triangular face suddenly darkened.
"...If I really keep Mr. Wu, not to mention how people outside will laugh at the Gu family's lack of rules, even the Gu family's parents will come and scold them immediately." Ming Lan joked with a smile, looking carefully through the Shark silk gauze screen.
From the look on his face, she bet he wouldn't sell himself into slavery.
Wu Guang's face darkened, but he recovered quickly and sighed: "What Madam said is reasonable, but these fifty or sixty households of tenant farmers still owe rent and debts to the village. The debts have not been paid off. It's not good for the small ones."
Tell your superiors."
Minglan was slightly shocked. She didn't expect this guy's courage to be so strong and well-developed. At this time, there was a slight sound behind the fan on the side of the hall. She glanced sideways and asked, "How much do you owe in total?"
Wu Guang was prepared for it, and he opened his mouth and said: "The rent arrears of the tenant farmers over the years is estimated to be about 20,000 taels. People who eat grains always have headaches and fever. When the tenant farmers' families cannot pay for it, they have to borrow money. In total, there are still 20,000 taels of rent."
Thirteen to five thousand taels."
Minglan was surprised: "So many?!"
"Alas..." Wu Guang pretended to sigh loudly, "It's nothing else, the loaned money is what matters! How can the young ones have money? Most of it is the money of the nobles above; besides, if you think about it in detail, years ago,
This village has rewarded you, and the rent in arrears also belongs to the royal family!"
Minglan clenched her fingers so tightly that the roots of her teeth ached. After she regained her breath, she said in an embarrassed tone: "This matter is really difficult to handle. Manager Wu, please help me figure it out..."
Wu Guang felt relieved. He was from a womanly family and was young and timid. He had observed over the past few days that he knew that Gu Tingye did not care much about public affairs, and he doted on this young lady very much. He obeyed everything. When he thought of this, he hurriedly said
: "Madam, don't worry, as long as the little one is here, these messy people will always be able to take care of everything for madam!"
Minglan smiled and sent him away, spreading out her palms, which were covered with nail marks.
Next, she kept silent and continued to ask people to check the village affairs. Even Tu Hu and Gongsun Meng were very angry and wanted to find bad luck for Wu Guang and other village leaders, so they stopped her.
Two days later, in the afternoon, Gu Tingye suddenly came back. He took off his red robes and armor. After bathing, he sat on the kang in his regular clothes and held a tea bowl comfortably: "...the weapons are gathered, the army is here."
The conduct is neat and tidy. Although it cannot compare with the strict military discipline of Marshal Bo back then, it is still respectable. I will rest for half a day today and the emperor will come to review it tomorrow."
Minglan personally brought the fruit that had been soaked in well water. Hearing this, he chuckled and said, "Isn't this just a show of skill? If the emperor really thinks that everything in the army is going well, wouldn't it be bad to use troops? (·~)"
Gu Tingye smiled slightly and said: "With just a few days of work, we don't know magic, how come the emperor doesn't know the details." However, it is the first time for the new emperor to review the military affairs, and it is also important to show off.
"In that case, can the master breathe a sigh of relief now?" Minglan smiled and peeled the loquat fruit for him.
Gu Tingye was eating the sweet fruit, and saw Minglan's slender fingers as white as coconut milk, flexibly flying among the golden and fragrant loquat fruits, as if their fingers were also delicious. He looked at her quietly for a while
.
"What happened in the village?"
Minglan looked up at Gu Tingye, puffed out her cheeks and said apologetically: "I wanted to wait until you were done with your work."
"Tell me." The man pinched her cheek and said warmly, "How amazing it is. Tell me."
Minglan bit her lip and finally told her what she had seen and heard in the past few days and the whole story. The more he listened, the darker his face became. Gradually, he couldn't bear it anymore. He punched the kang table with his fist in anger, and the loquat fruits on it jumped together.
jumped.
Minglan quickly opened her arms to hug Yuan Guo, who was about to run down, and looked sideways at the door. Fortunately, Xie Ang led his guards to surround all these rooms. Otherwise, she would be afraid of ears in this place.
.
"...I had not made up my mind at first, until Ah Meng and the others reported the news one after another, I was really angry." Minglan picked up the loquat fruits one by one and put them back into the small basket made of white jade bamboo stems. "Not only did Tian
The rent is 20 to 30% higher than that of the nearby Huangzhuang. The man surnamed Wu often makes tenant farmers do private work for him, asks for money during festivals and festivals, and increases the rent when there are excuses. The village bosses take advantage of their power to humiliate them wantonly.
A man's wife and daughter are truly worse than animals. A mere manager ignores the laws of nature and exploits her to this extent. I cannot tolerate him!"
"I was panicking when I heard what they said." Minglan threw back the last fruit with a look of unbearability, "In the cold winter, the family had no firewood and only relied on a few single clothes to keep out the cold. The child died of frostbite.
Some, because the rent is heavy, the elderly are reluctant to eat, and some even starve to death; even so, working men and women still have to work in the fields non-stop - "
The sick coughed up blood and had to do it, the feet were rotten by the cold and had to do it, the children were freezing and hungry and crying in the house, and they had to do it... The tenant farmers didn't want to give it a try, but there were some who were able to breathe.
Inspecting the yamen of the inspection department, there was a thug named Zhuangtou who was a wolf and a tiger leopard. The tenant farmers were stared at hard, but they didn't know how to go to the Yushi Yanguan to complain. After they made trouble several times and were suppressed, they became even more violent.
Cruel.
Minglan's eyes were getting wet. She couldn't imagine this situation, and she felt angry in her heart. In all her years in ancient times, she had never hated anyone so much. Those women in the inner house were doing nothing, and it could be said that they were forced to survive.
Because of society and the system, what about people as crazy as Wu Guang? Minglan really wants to shoot them, one by one!
Gu Tingye's face was stormy and sullen. He said to Minglan, "I have heard about it a little bit, but I don't know what it is. I don't have any hands to take care of these beasts. I left some manpower for you just to let you deal with them."
Yes! I’ll tie him up and send him to the Yamen.”
After losing his temper, Gu Tingye breathed deeply several times and sneered: "How dare you threaten the Lord? I'm afraid this scoundrel is tired of living! It's just that you have been comfortable for too long! What's wrong with the palace in the palace?"
So many noble people! They were just relying on the kindness of the late emperor to make money and show off their evil deeds. A village with a yearly income of three to five thousand taels, but only twelve or thirteen years old, actually had a rent arrears of twenty thousand taels?!
Has there been a disaster here these years? How come I don’t know? Let’s see who dares to come out and argue!”
Minglan lowered her head and remained silent for a long time, sighing softly: "If I could have an attack so easily, I would have had an attack long ago."
"What are you worried about?"
"It's not that I'm worried, it's just..." Minglan sighed softly, "Years ago, there was a man named Qiu who lived in the same year as my father. Uncle Qiu believed that the third prince could become a great treasure, but what if he was very discerning? He didn't wait for the third prince.
When he was appointed heir apparent, Uncle Qiu had been impeached and imprisoned a few years ago, and later died in the military. The third prince did not have the emperor's order, so Uncle Qiu died in vain, and even now there is no one to reverse the case for the Qiu family."
Gu Tingye gradually calmed down his anger. The battle to seize the direct lineage that lasted for nearly ten years almost broke out in half of the capital. Countless civil servants and generals were involved. Under the constant attacks on each other for days and years, even those who were on the right side
It may not end well either.
He felt something in his heart and listened quietly to Minglan's words.
Minglan lowered her voice even more: "I would rather offend you than offend a villain. Although the late emperor died, those concubines and father-in-law may not have lost all their power. They may not be able to fight at this time, but as long as they survive the snake,
, for many years, if they hold a grudge, think about revenge, and seize the opportunity to do something behind their back, it will be very difficult to say. After all, breaking up and not having much contact are two different things. "
In the Sheng family, Mrs. Sheng mostly advised Sheng Hong with such advice, but it was a pity that Gu Tingye had no elders to rely on.
Gu Tingye closed his eyes, and the cicadas chirped softly on the big locust tree outside the window. One long sound and one short sound were just like Minglan's heartbeat. He was uneasy and confused. After a long time, Gu Tingye finally exhaled with difficulty.
"——Your concerns are justified. What do you want to do now?"
"I don't know." Minglan's face became confused, "Those abominable bad things that deserve to be killed, I really wish I could chop off their heads, but unfortunately I'm constrained everywhere and can't touch them, so I don't know what to do. However, I I think, at the very least, we have to drive them away, so that this village really belongs to us. Otherwise, if we raise these scum and have to worry about taking the blame for them all day long, I can't even sleep, so..."
"how?"
Minglan gritted her teeth and said in one breath: "Can we pay off this debt for the tenants, settle it once and for all, and send those people away to finish the matter!"
As soon as the words were spoken, Minglan hurriedly looked at his face, and saw that he seemed to be surprised at first, but then calmed down and began to think about it. Minglan was worried, and she knew that this proposal was quite wasteful; The average wealthy family of Zhongmingdingshi can only spend about 5,000 to 6,000 taels a year, but now Gu Tingye is asked to spend 30,000 to 40,000 taels in one go!
It's not about buying an official position, it's not about communication, or it's not even about enjoyment; this quality requirement is indeed too high.
Gu Tingye didn't speak any more, but slowly picked out a particularly plump loquat fruit from the basket, and slowly peeled the peel with his well-joined fingers. After a while, a pitted loquat pulp was picked up on the man's slender fingertips.
Minglan's eyes flashed, and a piece of fruit was stuffed into her mouth. Gu Tingye poked Minglan's bulging cheeks in a funny way.
"This is a great idea." He raised his eyebrows and smiled, with a cheerful look on his face, "I'll pay for it."
Before Minglan came to her senses in surprise, he turned around and loudly ordered Xiaotao to call someone; Minglan had no choice but to go into the back room to listen.
…
"Hao Dacheng."
"Young one." A steward of medium stature stepped forward and stood with a bow.
Gu Tingye put one hand on the Kang table and said, "You lead a group of people, give Wu Guang and the others eight good food and drinks, persuade them with good words, and don't allow them to leave the house. No contact with others is allowed; Ameng, you go too, if anyone dares to break in, show off your skills, in short, watch me carefully!"
Hao Dacheng raised his hand and responded loudly; Gongsun Meng happily followed him out.
Gu Tingye nodded, turned towards Tu Long, and said in a deep voice: "Go back to your mansion and ask Mr. Gongsun to write a famous post, and ask Lu Tongxuan of Shuntian Prefecture to send two county magistrates and scribes, and ask Eunuch Xiao Xia to send two My father-in-law is here to pick someone up, and the local state inspection department also wants to hire someone to do the job. Will three days be enough?"
Slaying the dragon has always been a sure thing, so he responded immediately with fists clasped.
"Sir, what about me?" Tu Hu had been waiting impatiently.
"Tiger, please lead the people to keep an eye on the village. If anyone dares to cause trouble..." Gu Tingye picked up the silk handkerchief on the Kang table and wiped his fingers gently, "I don't think anyone has ever hired thugs to help. Don't kill anyone. It’s done.”
The white silk handkerchief in the man's hand was dyed with a light golden color and had a light fruity fragrance.