The scholars felt a chill in their hearts when they heard this, and then Wang Xian asked leisurely: "The reason why you are unwilling to fulfill your contract is that you cannot afford to lose face."
"Yes." The scholars nodded.
"So your face is very valuable?" Wang Xian asked again.
"You can... put it this way." The scholars already felt something bad in their hearts.
"How much is it worth?" Wang Xian asked.
"This... Why do you say this, sir?" Li Yu said with a bitter smile.
"I am the most fair person, and I always talk about equal exchange." Wang Xian said slowly: "Since you don't want to lose your face, then you can pay to redeem it."
"Redemption?" All the scholars were dumbfounded. They really couldn't keep up with Fourth Master Wang's imagination. "What kind of redemption method?"
"How much do you think your face is worth? Please give me a price." Shuai Hui understood the adults' intentions and explained from the side: "If we adults think it is appropriate, we will allow you to buy your face back with money."
"This, this is too ridiculous..." The scholars cursed in their hearts, isn't this blackmail!
"Who said that as long as you don't go swimming in the West Lake, anything will be fine?" Shuai Hui curled his lips and said, "If you hadn't begged me, I would rather just watch the excitement!"
Li Yuxin said, stop nagging, otherwise something will happen again. He nodded heavily and said, "That's right. How much does it cost, sir?"
"Didn't you listen to our adults?" Shuai Hui rolled his eyes and said, "You guys think how much your face is worth!"
"..." All the scholars are so depressed. Isn't this embarrassing for others? If they say too little about contempt and too much about heartache, how can people open their mouths?
Wang Xian was not in a hurry, and sipped the West Lake Longjing tea, so he had some time to discuss with them.
"How about ten taels of silver per person?" a scholar suggested in a low voice.
Wang Xian didn't even raise his eyelids, and the other scholars also cast a complaining look at him. Fourth Master Wang is clearly making us bleed, and you are just sending us away to beg for food!
"Fifty taels..."
Before Wang Xian even raised his eyes, Shuai Hui, who was standing next to him, sarcastically said: "It turns out that the face of all of you is worth fifty taels of silver!"
This sentence made the scholars blush, and Li Yu gritted his teeth and said: "One hundred taels of silver per person, that's enough, right?"
"Okay," Wang Xian finally opened his eyes. The scholars had not yet breathed a sigh of relief, but they heard him say again: "Xiao Hui, give your gentlemen seven hundred taels of silver and ask them to run around naked in Fuyang County."
"This..." Li Yu said through gritted teeth, "Sir, please give me a price."
"It sounds like I am desperate for money." Wang Xian said calmly: "Don't worry, I don't want a single tael of silver. I will donate all of it to the Salesian Bureau and the Almshouse." After that, he stood up and said: "Everyone.
Let’s discuss it carefully. If it doesn’t work out, go back and ask your elders. If you still don’t agree, there’s no need to run to me anymore.”
After saying that, Shuai Hui lifted the curtain and Wang Xian entered the back room.
The scholars looked at each other in confusion. If they had known that this guy was so vengeful, they would not have provoked him even if they were beaten to death. However, it is too late to say anything now. Let's think about how to get past this level.
Because Wang Xian only gave him one chance to bid, the scholars did not dare to make their own decisions and quickly asked people to inform the old men.
When such a big thing happened, how could the old men stay in the countryside? They had been living in the county town for a while, and were currently gathering in the Li family's villa, so they got the news very quickly.
When the housekeeper mentioned this, the old men couldn't help but sigh, what a bunch of nerds! What Fourth Master Wang wants is not their face money at all, but their father's life money!
.
It has been eight days since several outsiders were imprisoned in the squad room. When the subordinate staff saw the fat sheep coming, they naturally had to treat them carefully. They deliberately locked the outsiders with chains next to the urinal in the yard, and the chain was tightened very tightly.
, so that they could not sit down, and after being detained like this for a short time, several members of the police were smelly and tired, and they couldn't stand it anymore.
Officer Li loudly called Team Leader Li to come over and said, "Li Laosan, we are also from the same family, how can you torment me like this?"
"Don't be ignorant of your blessings," said Captain Li, grinning with his big yellow teeth: "If you were merciless, you elders would be in jail now, not in the squad room." In ancient times, the squad room and the jail were not the same.
It's the same thing. The prison is a prison where prisoners are formally detained, and the prison cell is similar to a detention center in later generations, where the government temporarily detains suspects. "When you enter the prison, regardless of the reason, you will be rewarded with a killing stick first! A few of the members are very petty.
The tender meat will definitely be too much for you to eat."
"Then, I have to thank the squad leader," Li Yuanwai said in a muffled voice: "Help people till the end, we will definitely not escape, let's take this chain away."
"Haha..." Prison head Li narrowed his eyes and laughed mischievously. A jailer next to him laughed and said: "It's easy to be comfortable outside the prison. There are tables and beds in the inner room. Three meals a day, two rations and one dilution. If you can't get used to it,
, you can also ask the little ones to go out and buy it, to ensure that the other members feel at home."
"The relationship is great." Several members of the staff were overjoyed: "How can we move in?"
"You have to spend fifty taels first to remove the chain and then you can enter this room." The jailer said, "If you make a bunk on the floor, it's twenty taels a day, and you can go to bed with fifty taels."
"So expensive?" The non-members' eyes widened: "The most popular girl in Xiao Qinhuai, Caiyun, only costs five taels of silver per night!"
"You can't live in love." The jailer rolled his eyes. "If you have the ability, go live in Xiao Qinhuai."
The non-members couldn't bear it, being chained like dogs, so they had no choice but to admit it and said: "Let's take our chains off first."
"If that doesn't work, what should I do if I run away?" The jailer shook his head and said, "Either tie him up in the yard, or go inside and lock him up."
"..." The non-members had no choice but to reluctantly go into the house, but little did they know that this was the beginning of their nightmare. It was so humid in the south of the Yangtze River that it was impossible to make a bed on the floor. The non-members barely stayed the night, and they all moved to bed the next day.
Do you think that’s enough for fifty taels a day? You’re totally wrong! In this most expensive house in Fuyang County, everything costs money!
A bowl of water costs 5 guan, boiling water 10 guan, if you want to make tea, add 5 guan. Eat a meal with 10 guan, pickles, wotou and brown rice! If you want to eat well, you can add money! One vegetarian dish costs 5 guan and one meat dish 10 guan.
!
In addition, a quilt has fifty quills, a towel has ten quills, a candle has five quills, and the toilet has ten quills...
In addition to the necessary consumption, if you feel bored, you can also buy books for 50 guan a book, or you can find an actor to listen to a play for 100 guan at a time... But how can the members and non-members have the spare money for entertainment? Just what is necessary every day
One hundred taels of silver per person can’t afford food, accommodation, etc.!
The non-commissioners have always heard that there are all kinds of darkness in the class room, but when they live in, they realize that it is even darker than they imagined! What they don’t know is that it is actually not this dark at ordinary times. It was Wang Siye who took care of them, and they are so dark.
.
.
You said that the government is detaining officials and non-officials and receiving hundreds of taels of silver a day. Why should they let the scholars go for a few hundred taels?
What's even more terrible is the food! Under the strict guard of the government, they couldn't transport even a grain of rice, but they were detained for a lot of money.
At the same time, every county knew that Fuyang had bought rice from Huguang, and the province also went to Huguang to buy rice. Big households had to sell grain to protect their capital, and the price of grain fell accordingly! Nowadays, the big households in Fuyang are not making money, but are even trying to protect their capital.
It’s no longer possible!
Every day of delay resulted in the loss of thousands of taels of silver. The old men were so distressed that they had trouble sleeping and eating. Now that Wang Xian finally relented, the grandchildren were still in a daze. The old men were so angry that they cursed 'a bunch of nerds'.
Then ask the housekeeper to send a message, three thousand taels per person, if it is not enough, you can add more! But there is no money now, please be accommodating, and I will pay it off after selling the food!
"Our face is so valuable?" After hearing the old men's quotation, the scholars were shocked. Let alone three thousand taels, even five hundred taels, they would rather go to the West Lake for a trip!
"This is the money for the settlement between the two parties..." the butler explained in a low voice.
Only then did the scholars understand. Li Yu went in and asked Wang Xian to come out and tell him the family's price and request.
Wang Xian's expression became less serious and he said, "Okay, let's make an IOU."
The scribe immediately brought paper and pen, and the scholars wrote an IOU on the spot, 'I owe Fuyang Almshouse and Salesian Bureau three thousand guan of copper, with a monthly interest of two cents. The name of so-and-so is so-and-so, the seventh day of April in the 10th year of Yongle.'
The two parties signed and pressed their fingerprints, and Wu Wei was appointed as the middleman, and the IOUs for three thousand taels of silver each were completed. Wang Xian received the seven IOUs in his arms, then showed a smile and said: "Which hotel?
"
.
Private room on the second floor of Zhoujia Hotel.
Wang Xian was sitting high on the throne, and the scholars were standing around. Shopkeeper Zhou smiled and asked, "What kind of wine do you gentlemen want to drink?"
"I'm happy today, so of course I have to drink strong wine." Wang Xian laughed loudly. He was completely different from the cold Ruo Bingshuang when he was in the Yamen. He patted Li Yu beside him and said, "Do you know what the strongest wine in their house is?"
"It should be a bar." Li Yu said with a smile.
"You know what you do." Wang Xian smiled and said, "His old-style cooking is really a masterpiece!" He said to shopkeeper Zhou, "One person goes to the altar first!"
"Four Masters, a jar of wine in this shop costs five kilograms," Shopkeeper Zhou whispered.
"That's it." Wang Xian laughed and said: "I didn't realize that today we are all scholars and ministers. Li Bai wrote hundreds of poems about drinking wine. How can you be like this!"
"How can we compare with the Jiuxian..." the scholars said very low-key.
"You look down on your brothers, don't you?" Wang Xian pulled his face and said, "Didn't I agree that I won't come back until I get drunk?"
"Uh, okay, let's drink..." The scholars wiped their sweat and had no choice but to risk their lives.
Eight jars of fine wine were brought up, and after the mud seal was opened, the room was filled with the rich aroma of wine. Wang Xian praised: "Good wine, good wine!"
He drank three glasses of wine with the other scholars, then put down his glass and said, "It's really boring to just drink. Why don't we make a drinking order?"
"..." How come these words sound so familiar to the minds of all the scholars? But how can anyone not bow their heads when they are under the eaves? They could only smile and say: "Okay."
"Last time we made a written order, how about we play a game order this time?" Wang Xian asked with a smile.
None of the scholars dared to say no, so they all nodded and said, "Okay."
So Wang Xian took out three dice and said with a smile: "Let's throw the dice. Whoever throws the highest number will be exempted from drinking, and everyone else will have to drink."