After discussing the ownership of the He family sisters, Kou Ji left the palace.
Return to the house.
Kou Ji entered the side hospital.
Kou Zhong lives in the side courtyard. Recently, his body has been unable to bear the pain and he may die, so Kou Ji visits the side courtyard every day.
The courtyard is filled with the smell of herbs, which is a bit pungent.
Kou Zhun, supported by Wang Shu, walked back and forth in the yard.
After seeing Kou Ji, he immediately stopped.
"Go in quickly and take a look to see if Kou Zhong has anything to tell you."
Kou Zhun urged anxiously, Kou Ji nodded and entered the bedroom in the yard.
In the bedroom.
Kou Zhong was lying on the bed, his face was pale, his breath was weak, and his whole body was skin and bones. The young man he had adopted knelt down beside his bed, serving him carefully.
"Uncle Zhong..."
Kou Ji entered the room and called out softly.
Kou Zhong opened his mouth weakly and only made two ahhh sounds.
Kou Ji stepped forward and said softly: "I have made all the arrangements that should be made. You don't have to worry. Just lie down in peace."
Kou Zhong opened his mouth and gasped for a long time before he said a complete sentence, "I'm afraid I won't be able to serve the old master and young master anymore..."
Kou Ji sighed and said, "There are many servants in the house now. Just let them serve you. You don't need to serve anyone anymore."
There was a trace of regret on Kou Zhong's face, "Old servant still wants to stay with the old master for a few more years..."
Kou Ji didn't say much, he just held Kou Zhong's hand to reassure him.
Kou Zhong spoke word by word and said a lot.
Kou Ji stayed with him and listened to every word.
After talking for a long time, Kou Zhong was probably tired. His eyes were slightly blurred and he said: "Young Master... Zhang Kou's mother and son, and the old servant are placed on Dongshuimen Street next to the Street Viewing Pavilion.
After the old servant leaves, please go and have a look, and don't let anyone take advantage of the opportunity."
Kou Ji nodded and said, "I understand..."
Kou Zhong tried his best to open his eyes, but held Kou Ji's hand, and said with some excitement: "Don't let Master Kou Li's son wear sackcloth and show mourning for his old servant. You can't do anything that is inappropriate or inappropriate."
Kou Ji frowned slightly, "I have promised you before."
Kou Zhong said hurriedly: "I didn't take it seriously, young master. Don't take it seriously either. An old servant is a servant after all. Even if Master Kou Li's son is no longer welcome by you and the old master, he is still his master.
If a master pays filial piety to his servant, he will be laughed at and criticized by others.
The old man is a rare sage in the Song Dynasty.
You are a rare capable person in our Song Dynasty.
You and the old man are destined to leave their names in history.
Don't bear the stigma because of your old servant."
Kou Ji frowned and said, "You have been following me for a long time. You should understand that I don't care about this."
Kou Zhong gasped, "I care...I have my own children and grandchildren..."
As he spoke, he glanced at the boy kneeling beside the bed, with a look of pleading on his face.
Kou Ji frowned.
"You can rest in peace and recuperate first, and we'll talk about this later."
Kou Zhong stared at Kou Ji and said, "If you don't agree, the old servant will have no choice but to beg the old master."
Kou Ji hesitated for a while, then sighed and said, "That's all, I promise you. But you cannot refuse the entry into my Kou family's ancestral tomb, and there is no room for negotiation."
When Kou Zhong saw that Kou Ji agreed to his request, he nodded excitedly and lay on the bed again. His heart seemed to be relieved.
Not long after lying on the bed, I fell asleep.
Kou Ji called the doctor in to check his pulse, and after confirming that Kou Zhong was really asleep, he ordered the young man and the maids to take care of him, and then left the bedroom.
Kou Zhun was always in the yard outside the house and did not leave.
After Kou Ji left the bedroom, Kou Zhun came up to him and said with a long sigh: "Kou Zhong may not be able to survive. The imperial doctor and the officials in the house have said that Kou Zhong may leave in the next two or three days."
Kou Ji was speechless.
Wang Shu, who was supporting Kou Zhun, said softly: "Birth, old age, illness and death are human nature. My father-in-law does not need to be too sad."
Kou Zhun let out a long sigh, "At an old age, seeing the people close to me passing away one by one, it would be strange for me not to feel sad."
Wang Shu sighed.
Kou Ji was still speechless.
After Kou Zhun sighed, he asked Kou Jida: "What did Kou Zhong tell you?"
Kou Ji said frankly: "He doesn't allow my brothers to wear mourning for him."
Kou Zhun frowned.
Wang Shu said from the side: "Uncle Zhong probably doesn't want you and Kou Ji to be stigmatized. He has good intentions. Just accept it. Don't let him die and feel uneasy."
Hearing this, Kou Zhun sighed and said, "That's all, if he insists on doing this, then just follow his wishes."
Kou Zhun turned his head and looked at Kou Ji, "How have you arranged for Kou Zhong to enter his ancestral grave?"
Kou Ji said bluntly: "Some elders in the clan did not agree. They felt that Kou Zhong was not of the Kou family's blood and could not enter the Kou family's ancestral grave."
Kou Zhun's face turned cold and he said, "Let's just tell you what they want."
Kou Ji sighed and said: "Two seventh-grade official positions, each family has 30,000 guan of money."
Kou Zhun snorted coldly: "They have a good appetite. In recent years, relying on my prestige and your prestige, they have been amassing money in the countryside. They all eat a lot of fat, but they don't know how to be grateful, and they are greedy.
Since you became Privy Councilor, they have become even more outrageous.
Now it is almost becoming a disaster in Huazhou.
Others compliment them openly, but secretly criticize my ancestors, Kou Zhun."
Speaking of this, Kou Zhun asked Kou Jidao: "How do you plan to deal with this matter?"
Kou Ji said frankly: "If it really doesn't work, we can only move the grave."
Kou Zhun said displeased: "You, a Privy Councilor, are afraid of them and give in to them?"
Kou Ji said helplessly: "They are all members of the clan, so I can't possibly send someone to kill them."
Kou Zhun was speechless and glared at Kou Ji.
After Kou Zhun thought about it for a moment, he felt that what Kou Ji said was reasonable, and immediately said: "Then prepare to move the tomb."
Kou Ji hesitated and said, "What if they are trying to stop me?"
Kou Zhun snorted coldly: "I will personally take charge of the tomb relocation. I would like to see who dares to stop it."
Kou Ji said frankly: "I'm afraid they will threaten their lives. If three or two clan elders block you, you can't force them to come."
Kou Zhun said dissatisfied: "Then what do you think we should do?"
Kou Ji thought for a moment and said, "According to their requirements, give them official positions and money."
Kou Zhun glared and shouted: "They can't be fed enough."
Kou Ji nodded and said: "I know they won't be able to feed them enough, but it's better to follow their wishes first. After the ancestral graves are moved out, we won't have to worry about their threats."
Kou Zhun thought about it and said: "After the ancestral graves are moved out, send some upright people to go over and treat them. Don't let them become a big harm."
Kou Ji nodded slowly.
After discussing the matter, Kou Zhun let out a long sigh and asked Wang Shu to help him back to his room to rest.
Kou Ji left the side courtyard, returned to his study, and ordered Lu Ming to take people and money to Huazhou to deal with the matter of moving the tomb.
After the matter was handed over to Lu Ming, Kou Ji handled official duties alone in the study, watching the news delivered by Cao Cao of Jiaozhi.
With Cao Li's entry, the battle situation in Jiaozhi changed dramatically.
The Prince of Jiaozhi County was the first to leave.
Followed by the Annan Army.
Now in Jiaozhi, only the cannibal soldiers and horses and Cao Cao's soldiers and horses are left.
The two sides have been fighting fiercely for a long time, and each has suffered casualties.
Cao used firearms to help him and had a slight advantage.
The Great Cannibal is now relying on the Mamu Liuke cavalry to hold on.
I believe that the war in Jiaozhi will be settled soon.
Kou Ji felt that it was time to plan for the subsequent governance of Cochin.
Kou Ji was not worried at all about whether Cao Lili would be defeated by the cannibal.
Although Mamu Liuke is tyrannical, the number of people is limited.
The Big Eater relies on Mamu Liuke to survive, which will speed up the consumption of Mamu Liuke.
After the Mamu Liuke were used up, the big cannibals had to withdraw from the Jiaozhi battlefield.
The big cannibals in Jiaozhi are like duckweeds without roots.
There is no deep foundation and no backing.
When the power in their hands is not enough to resist Cao's use, they have no choice but to withdraw from the battlefield.
Cao Lili is different.
Cao Liang has been rooted in the south for more than ten years, and his military and financial resources are far stronger than those of the cannibals.
The power in his hands alone is enough to deal with the giant cannibal.
Not to mention that the Zhennan Army and the Yongzitou Forbidden Army in Yongzhou were still watching eagerly on the Jiaozhi border.
Once Cao Lili showed signs of decline, Kou Ji would not hesitate to send the Zhennan Army and the Yongzitou Forbidden Army along two lines along the waterway into Jiaozhi, flanking the cannibals from both sides, and rushed to Cao Lili's aid.
Therefore, if the Jiaozhi War reached this point, Cao Lili would definitely not be defeated.
Winning is just a matter of time.
How to govern Jiaozhi, how to incorporate Jiaozhi into the Song Dynasty, how to completely turn Jiaozhi into Han territory, Kou Ji had a plan in mind.
Jiaozhi has been eroded by a long period of war, and its population has dropped sharply at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Nowadays, there are not many men in Jiaozhi.
Then it is imperative to migrate people to Jiaozhi.
It just so happened that when the Song Dynasty was reforming the government system, nearly one million extremely poor people were identified.
If they are moved there, the population of Cochin can be enriched in a short time.
But it is definitely not appropriate to directly ask the imperial court to move the people there.
So other methods of diversion must be used.
For example, attracting extremely poor people through private recruitment.
"A large number of people crossing the border will inevitably attract the attention of the imperial court. Therefore, after Cao Liang captured Jiaozhi, he had to express his sincerity to the imperial court and explain to the officials that Jiaozhi had no men.
Officials are struggling to solve the problem of nearly one million extremely poor people.
After learning about Jiaozhi's predicament, he should be moved.
The civil servants should have asked the officials to add sand into it to prepare for the inclusion of Jiaozhi into the territory of the Song Dynasty.
Therefore, the officials should have finally acquiesced to Cao Cao's introduction of nearly one million extremely poor people into Jiaozhi, but he would add sand into it."
Kou Ji muttered to himself.
After confirming that the introduction of people to Jiaozhi would not be blocked by the court, Kou Ji wrote a long letter and told Cao Lili what he was going to do next.
As for whether the people could become rich as soon as possible after arriving in Jiaozhi, and whether they could restore Jiaozhi's agricultural production as soon as possible, Kou Ji was not worried at all.
The people of the Song Dynasty were diligent, and the women of Jiaozhi were also diligent.
When they get together, they will become more diligent.
The land in Jiaozhi is fertile and there are three crops of rice a year.
Thanks to their hard work, Jiaozhi can regain some of its vitality in just one year.
As long as Cao Lili provided some guidance and asked the people of Jiaozhi to gather the uneaten grain and sell it to the Song Dynasty, and then sell some goods there, he could ensure that the local people could have enough food and clothing.
The specific details can be handled by the Kou Mansion's caravan.
When he thought of the Kou Mansion's caravan, Kou Ji suddenly thought, "Should the Kou Mansion's caravan should be further reduced?"
The Kou Mansion's caravans now spread all over the Song Dynasty, and their number has reached 50,000.
Some of them are in Hexi, selling grain and livestock from Hexi; others are in the interior of the Central Plains, selling cloth and farm tools; and some are in Sichuan, running the silk business that the Kou government obtained from the Mu, Qian, and Meng families;
There are also some people running Wanxiang Tower and Wanxiang Pawn Shop.
Kou Ji was not included in the manpower in the steel forging workshop.
"The bigger the business, the more people are in control, and the more troubles there will be. Some businesses should be released appropriately. For example, the grain and livestock in Hexi Province only need to be handled by the Kou government, and there is no need to participate in the specific process.
.
The local business of selling cloth and agricultural tools can be slowly handed over to the people, and the Kou government can only control production and supply.
The silk business in Sichuan Prefecture and the fields in Sichuan Prefecture should be separated and sold to mulberry farmers and weaver girls.
Wanxiang Pawn Shop is now like a useless thing to the Kou Mansion.
Vientiane Pawn Shop can sell them after splitting them up.
The signboard of Wanxiang Tower has been erected. People from all over the Song Dynasty, as long as they have good things, go to Wanxiang Tower to sell them.
Wanxianglou can appropriately set up branches in various prefectures and cities.
Branches in other places should be abolished.
As a result, the number of the Kou Mansion's caravan should be reduced to about 20,000."
Kou Ji thought carefully and finally decided to split the Kou Mansion's business and the Kou Mansion's caravan.
Neither Kou Ji nor Xiang Yan has so much energy to take charge of such a large business.
The higher Kou Ji's status, the busier he was with government affairs, and he was unable to take into account the business of the Kou government.
Xiang Yan now has to take care of her children and take care of two girls, Zhao Xu and Xiang's younger sister. She cannot take care of a business as big as the Kou Mansion.
Instead of waiting until the Kou Mansion's business grows bigger and bigger, becomes too big to be divided, and becomes so big that it becomes corrupted, it is better to start splitting it up now.
After the split, the stewards in various parts of the Kou Mansion can break away from their status as servants and become small businessmen, continuing to run the business of the Kou Mansion.
When the Kou government made money, they also made money.
After those stewards become small businessmen, they will definitely work harder in doing business.
In this way, it is a win-win situation.
With this idea, Kou Ji was going to go out of the study to find Xiang Yan to discuss the matter.
Kou Ji walked out of the study room and found that it was getting late.
Just as he was about to go to the backyard to look for Xiang Yan, he saw the servants serving Kou Zhong in the yard rushing to him.
"Master, Uncle Zhong has gone."
When Kou Ji heard this, his heart sank. He quickly ran to the courtyard where Kou Zhong was. Before he entered the courtyard gate, he heard mournful cries.
Kou Ji entered the courtyard and saw the maids and servants crying softly.
With red eyes, Kou Zhun walked out of Kou Zhong's bedroom with Wang Shu's support.
"grandfather……"
Kou Ji hurriedly stepped forward.
Kou Zhun said in a low mood: "Kou Zhong's funeral will be left to you. I don't want to stay at my house these days."
Kou Zhun probably didn't want to watch Kou Zhong's funeral and was afraid that he couldn't bear it, so he wanted to escape from here.
Kou Ji ordered people to send Kou Zhun and Wang Shu out of the house, and together with Xiang Yan who hurried over, they organized the funeral for Kou Zhong.
Kou Ji set up a mourning hall in the side courtyard of the residence for some of Kou Zhong's old friends and the servants and maids of the residence to worship.
Kneeling in the mourning hall is Kou Zhongshou's heir, that is, the young man.
Although Kou Ji did not kneel in the mourning hall, he stood guard outside the door.
Kou Ji finally complied with Kou Zhong's last wish and did not call a brother from Kou's mansion to watch Kou Zhong's funeral.
But in order to show his affection, Kou Ji guarded the mourning hall for Kou Zhong in an alternative way.
After the news about Kou Ji's funeral arrangements for Kou Zhong spread, all kinds of rumors started.
The servants in the houses of various powerful families were very envious of Kou Zhong for meeting a master like Kou Ji.
Because as someone who was inferior to Kou Ji and superior to ten thousand people, being able to guard the funeral of a servant of Kou Zhong was a unique thing in the Song Dynasty, and it was also an unimaginable thing.
But there are also different voices.
Some people who did not deal with Kou Ji, or people with ulterior motives, secretly spread rumors, accusing Kou Ji of being the master of the family and organizing a funeral for a servant, which was a despicable act, insulting to the country, the official reputation, and the official prestige.
After this matter was reported to the palace.
Zhao Zhen asked Chen Lin in disbelief, "Chen Lin, tell me, what did the fourth brother think? He arranged a funeral for a servant and even set up a mourning hall in his house.
All the powerful people in Bianjing City have to scold him."
Chen Lin said to Zhao Zhen with a solemn face: "I don't know what Privy Council Kou thinks. But he can do this for a servant, and we admire him."
Zhao Zhen sighed and said, "I know that Fourth Brother is a person who values friendship. But I didn't expect that he would even disregard his own reputation for the sake of a servant."
Chen Lin said frankly: "This is the manifestation of Privy Kou's emphasis on friendship. If he can give up his reputation for a servant, he can sacrifice his life for you as an official. Perhaps in Privy Kou's eyes, friendship is more important than anything else.
Isn't it because the officials can truly regard him as their elder brother because he values friendship?"
Zhao Zhen was stunned for a moment and nodded solemnly.
"What you said makes sense."
Zhao Zhen thought for a moment, then wrote the word "loyal servant" with a pen and handed it to Chen Lin.
"Take this book, go to the Kou Mansion, give it to Kou Zhong, and shut up those nonsense."
Seeing this, Chen Lin said sternly: "This servant takes the place of Kou Zhong and thanks the officials for their kindness."
Zhao Zhen shook his head slowly, "No need to thank me. Kou Zhong served two generations of the Kou family and assisted me for two generations of loyal and virtuous ministers. He never married a wife or had any children.
This shows that he deserves to be called a loyal servant."
Chen Lin took Zhao Zhen's imperial pen and walked out the door without saying anything.
After leaving the door, he told the young eunuch beside him: "Go and bring us the official uniform that everyone in the chamber of bureaus knows. We will wear it when we go to the Kou Mansion."
Chen Lin holds several important positions in the palace.
The largest position among them is that of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
But he rarely wears the official uniform of the chamberlain, and instead often wears the clothes that represent the official chamberlain.
The purpose is to show his closeness to Zhao Zhen.
Now that he was about to go out, he decided to pay his respects to a loyal servant who died. He made the unprecedented decision to go there dressed in official regalia.
Even though Chen Lin kept calling herself "slave" in front of Zhao Zhen, I felt that he was really a slave.
In fact, if you receive an errand from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, you are qualified to call yourself "Chen" in front of Zhao Zhen.
He is also qualified to call himself "my official" in front of officials of lower rank than him.
Chen Lin has been in the palace for decades and has met countless dignitaries.
Almost all dignitaries do not treat their servants as human beings.
Some people who needed to curry favor with him were respectful in front of him, but in private, no one looked at him highly.
For those who don't need to fawn over him, treat him like a servant in your own home.
Kou Ji was the only one among the dignitaries Chen Lin met who treated his servants as human beings.
Now that Kou Ji had caused rumors for organizing the funeral for his servant, he felt that it was necessary for him to do something small.
After Chen Lin was served by the young eunuch and neatly dressed in official uniform, she twisted a little uncomfortably, and then sighed: "I have been a slave for so long that I almost forgot that I am a human being."
"Ancestor, you are not a slave, and no one dares to treat you as a slave..."
After the little eunuch helped Chen Lin get dressed, she flattered her in a low voice.
Chen Lin curled her lips and said, "You don't understand our thoughts, so don't talk nonsense. In front of the officials, we will always be slaves. Don't forget your duty.
Xiao Linzi was sent to another place by the officials because he forgot his duty and said too much when speaking to the officials.
Don’t imitate Xiao Linzi.”
The junior official hurriedly said: "My grandson understands."
Chen Lin nodded with satisfaction, "Remember, our family owes Kou Ji a favor. If our family cannot pay it back in the future, you can pay it back for our family."
The young eunuch hesitated and said, "Is it because Privy Kou is organizing funerals for Kou Zhong?"
Chen Lin stared sideways at the young eunuch and asked, "Isn't this enough? He risked his reputation by helping a servant with his funeral. Tell everyone in Bianjing that we servants are human beings too.
It's not just our family that owes him a favor.
In Bianjing City, all the servants in the Song Dynasty owed him a favor."
The young eunuch didn't know why.
Chen Lin sighed: "Just wait and see, after this incident passes, those of us who are servants will have a little more status in the eyes of others."
The little eunuch looked confused.
Chen Lin smiled and said: "It doesn't matter if you don't understand now, because you are still young. When you grow up, you will understand what our words mean."
After saying this, Chen Lin said no more.
He took Zhao Zhen's imperial pen and left the palace.
Along the way, Chen Lin did not cover up her whereabouts as usual, but rushed to the Kou Mansion openly.