Seeing that everyone is still full of doubts about the distribution of money, they can't decide what to do.
Li Ran's expression couldn't help but change, and suddenly became a little solemn.
"Everyone knows that the interests of the family and the country are far greater than the personal interests of you and me!"
As soon as these words came out, the clan elders in the clan council were startled at first, and then burst out collectively.
"What are you talking about! You, Li Ziming, have only been living for so many years, and you dare to teach old men like me a lesson today?!"
"Hmph! I've lived for decades, don't I know what 'the righteousness of family and country' means?!"
These clan elders are all respectable figures in the Ji clan. And their abilities in business are also considered to be among the best.
If it weren't for the concerted efforts of these clan elders, the Ji clan would not have grown to its current size in just a few decades, let alone sit on the top of the world's merchant groups.
But it is precisely because they all feel that their achievements are great, so they all rely on their elders.
Li Ran was only in his early twenties this year, so a newborn calf dared to speak to them in such a tone and tone? Isn’t this too much of a “lower crime”?
It is unbearable!
"Hmph! When I was helping the country solve its problems, you, Li Ziming, were still rolling in the mud!"
"Needless to say! People with foreign surnames cannot belong to this family after all! The risk of this matter is too great! If it doesn't work, won't I have to lose all my money when I sacrifice my clan? When the time comes, do you want us old bones to all Are you going to beg on the streets?!"
"Yes! It can be said that 'people who are not of my race must have different intentions'. You are not deceiving me!"
Once the topic changed, it finally landed on the fact that Li Ran was not a member of the Ji clan.
They determined that Li Ran was not Jishi, so this method was definitely to harm Jishi.
For a moment, this seemingly "indisputable" fact immediately aroused the collective response of all the clan elders present. When these people saw this, they all refuted what Li Ran had just proposed.
"Although it is not the sacrifice of the clan, there is nothing that I have done that is not for the benefit of the clan? And which one is not for the benefit of Zheng Guo?!"
"From the Guodi Association to the Xuntun Alliance Association, everything we do is based on the principles of heaven and conscience, and our hearts can be learned from the sun and the moon!"
Li Ran was obviously a little angry. Even now, these old guys are still a group of people who look at others through colored glasses.
Not only that, but he still insists on whitewashing himself in a high-sounding way, which is really disgusting!
And thinking about him, Li Ran, since he came to Zhengyi and married into the family, everything he did was with a clear conscience!
Dang Ji first noticed that the expression on Li Ran's cheek was slightly excited, and knew that he was still young and energetic after all, and his mood was already a little high. So, he hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over.
"Can you all be quiet?! How can you be so noisy?!"
After hearing Ji Xian's scolding, the venue suddenly became quiet.
And this is the so-called prestige of the head of the family!
Immediately afterwards, Ji Xian continued to support Li Ran and said:
"Everyone has seen what Ziming did. If you say that Ziming had second thoughts? I would be the first one not to believe it!"
"Although Zi Ming's so-called 'Zi Qian' this time is difficult to understand for a moment, it is obviously focused on the family and the country! I think back then our ancestors offered sacrifices to Zhong and assisted me, the fifth king of the Zheng Kingdom, and they also served the country. Work day and night for the people!"
"Now, as his heirs, how can we only care about our own gains and losses, regardless of the righteousness of our family and country?"
Ji Zhong, the most powerful official in the spring period, is also the most glorious representative of the Ji clan.
When Ji first said his name and then what he had done in his life, all the clan elders present fell silent for a while.
"Ziming, please relax, I support you!"
"But this method is still quite risky after all. Ziming can use the financial resources you have first, and then I will contribute half of the capital. You have the right to give it a try first!"
Ji Xian chose a very safe method and did not involve all Ji clan members.
After all, Jishi can't really put all his efforts into this matter before seeing results.
"metropolitan!"
"Sect Master doesn't..."
"Shut up!"
There were some clan elders who wanted to continue to object, but they were shouted down on the spot by Ji.
Li Ran was well aware of the caution of offering sacrifices to ancestors, so he immediately bowed and thanked him:
"No, my son-in-law thanks my father-in-law."
…
Therefore, after getting the approval of the priest, intensive preparations began for Zi Qian's method.
In fact, it is not difficult to do this method of making money. Because Zichan has also relaxed policy restrictions on the court, so as long as someone is willing to give it a try, and after some people have tasted the sweetness, then others will naturally follow suit.
Of course, since everything is still in the exploratory stage, Li Ran still needs to be personally responsible for the specific operations.
With the country providing young people and Li Ran providing money, a vigorous New Deal reform began in Zheng State.
In the Ji family courtyard, Li Ran and Ji Le were calculating the specific amount of money needed from various places, while Sun Wu came in from the outside with a hint of joy on his face.
"Sir, I have an idea."
Li Ran had been asking Sun Wu to investigate Shu Niu's accomplices in Jishi and Zheng Yi.
Because Shu Niu fled to the State of Lu, these accomplices had been hiding underground, and Sun Wu was never able to find out the reason.
However, this time after the Zi Qian incident was revealed, Sun Wu finally had some new clues.
"This is the list that has been investigated recently."
"They are all people hiding inside my clan!"
Sun Wu directly took out the list in front of Ji Le, which meant that Li Ran had no intention of hiding this matter from Ji Le.
Li Ran also handed the list to Ji Le very readily and asked her to read it first.
But who would have thought that after reading the list, Ji Le's face suddenly became unhappy.
"Why are there so many people?"
You won’t know if you don’t look at it, but you will be shocked when you look at it.
There were more than twenty people on the list sent by Sun Wu!
Moreover, these people all control an industry within the Ji clan!
"Have you found out everything?"
She couldn't believe it.
"It has been found out that they still have secret connections with Shu Niu from the State of Lu. What's more, in the past few days, several of them sent people to the State of Lu to meet with Shu Niu. , news has also come from Dr. Shusun’s side.”
As he spoke, Sun Wu handed Li Ran the slips and documents from his uncle Sun Bao.
Li Ran opened it, looked at it, and handed it to Ji Le.
After Ji Le finished reading, he immediately closed the slip angrily and said angrily:
"What Brother Meng has done has been witnessed by all of these people. How can they continue to collude with him?!"
"It's really annoying!"
Ji Le put his hands on his hips, his stomach suddenly filled with anger, and his beautiful face was full of dissatisfaction.
Unexpectedly, Li Ran acted very calmly about this.
"It's no wonder. After all, Shu Niu has been operating within the Ji clan for many years, and the tree has deep roots. Although he was expelled to the State of Lu, his heritage is still there after all."
"It's not surprising that there are so many people secretly connected with him."
"Chang Qing, you have to keep a close eye on these people."
Li Ran circled a few names on the list, and then handed the list to Sun Wu again.
"Sir, what you mean is..."
"These people seem to have close personal relationships with several high officials in Qi State..."
Li Ran's words made Sun Wu understand immediately.
When Shu Niu started causing trouble in Zheng Yi, he had secretly colluded with the people of Qi. Now these elders of the sacrificial clan have close personal relations with the Qi officials of Qi. Is there something fishy about this?
Moreover, this is an important moment for the Ji clan to re-formulate their strategies and plan the trade war. Once these people interfere with it, wouldn't the Ji clan's plan to interrupt their trade contacts be equivalent to shooting themselves in the foot?
Li Ran would not give them such an opportunity, so the people circled on the list must be strictly monitored!
After all, in order to deal with foreign affairs, we must first settle within.
——
Chapter 191 The reason for the obstruction
&n-->>
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bsp; The reason why Li Ran was busy dealing with the internal collusion between the Ji clan and Shu Niu was naturally to allow Zi Qian to carry out the project more smoothly.
However, after more than half a month of trial operation, the effect of the money distribution was unexpectedly poor.
This really surprised Li Ran.
So, one day was chosen, and Li Ran led Ji Le and Chu Dang to go to the countryside to check it out in person.
Although he could get information about the cities and countryside in Zhengyi, he still wanted to see for himself what was going on.
It stands to reason that since the common people have the protection provided by their money, they have no reason to reject the New Deal.
Arriving at a countryside outside Zhengyi City, Li Ran and Ji Le joined hands and walked side by side, with Chu Dang following behind him.
Looking up, a large area of farmland came into view, and many villagers were farming in it.
There were many villagers walking on the road, so Li Ran stopped one of them, bowed and asked:
"May I ask, old man, who owns the fields here?"
He knew that those who could have so many people farming there belonged to the families of the "big landowners".
The old man responded and mentioned the name of a doctor in Zhengyi City.
Li Ran looked at the farmers in the fields and couldn't help but asked in surprise:
"Old man, I heard that the government has recently issued a new policy. If the old man is willing to reclaim wasteland on his own, it will be your own land! At that time, you will be taxed on an acre basis, and you will also be given money, which can be used to purchase some agricultural tools. expense."
"Why don't you go to cultivate the land yourself?"
The casual Ji Le was also very curious and looked at the old man with big eyes from the side.
When the old man heard Li Ran's question, he looked Li Ran up and down again before putting down the pickaxe in his hand.
"I guess this gentleman is from the city, right?"
Before the old man finished speaking, he returned Li Ran with a great gift.
Li Ran hurriedly helped him up.
At this time, the villagers in the fields also saw the movement here, and they also put down their work and gathered around.
"Junior Li Ran is just a traveler from Zheng Guo."
"It's just that this junior is responsible for distributing the money this time. Recently, I was distributing money in the city, but no villagers came to collect it. I couldn't help but be curious, so I came to visit."
"Please let me clarify my doubts."
Li Ran's respectful and humble attitude immediately won the favor of the villagers.
The old man immediately said bluntly:
"Sir, I'm not saying it bluntly as savages like us, but isn't that money used by those wealthy families to deceive us savages who are ignorant?"
"We borrowed their money to buy farm tools to open up wasteland for farming, but when the time comes, we not only have to use the food we grow to pay taxes, but we also have to use it to repay their money."
"They are also working for meat eaters. What is the difference between this and those ministers and officials?"
"What's more, the owner of the land here will still care about our worth and life after all. If we cultivate private land, then if we are really in trouble in the future, how will the officials care about our life and death? "
Obviously, they worked as tenants for the doctor just to make ends meet. And preconceived assumptions have caused common people to suffer from severe Stockholm syndrome.
Yes, when a person is oppressed too deeply, the so-called "persecution" will actually become a kind of "grace".
Moreover, they were asked to receive subsidy and cultivate wasteland. After all, in the eyes of all of them, isn't it just a disguised means of extraction? In essence, there seems to be no difference.
"What did the old man mean by this? This junior really didn't understand."
"Old man, if you open up wasteland for cultivation, these fields will be your own. No matter how much you harvest in the future, it will be yours. And the taxes that need to be paid and the money that needs to be returned are only part of it. It’s just a part, so why is it no different from what it is now?”
Li Ran's eyebrows were full of surprise and confusion.
At this time, several middle-aged men walked over from the fields, stopped a foot away in front of Li Ran, and then saluted Li Ran.
"Meet the adults!"
"Meet the adults!"
These middle-aged men are young and powerful, full of energy, and naturally speak loudly.
After Li Ran helped them up, he immediately asked:
"Why are you unwilling to implement Dr. Zichan's new policy?"
Just listen to one of the dark-skinned men say:
"Sir, that money is clearly a thing used by the big families in the city to deceive us. Your Excellency is kind, so of course you don't know what they are thinking."
"Sir, you see, if we borrow money from those wealthy families now to buy their farm tools and reclaim wasteland, then we will have to live on the food grown in the reclaimed fields."
"The money loan seems okay now, but if it comes time to pay them back, they have to say exactly what it is, how can we dare to argue with them? By then, it won't be them saying how much it is. , how much do we have to pay back?”
"In this case, won't our work be in vain for one year? In this case, we are willing to continue working for the doctors."
This man's speaking skills are not very high, but his logic is still very clear.
Generally speaking, they believed that Zi Qian was something wealthy families like Jishi were trying to steal from them.
Similarly, they are naturally even more unwilling to be encouraged to be the "cannon fodder" of the New Deal just for the sake of immediate benefits.
If we really go to cultivate wasteland, we will lose the harvest. If you borrow money but cannot repay it, what should you do then? Who else can leave a way for them to survive?
Therefore, of course they will not borrow money, nor will they implement the New Deal.
When other villagers heard what this man said, they all nodded in agreement.
"Meat eaters are despicable and don't care about our lives, so these things are all lies!"
"Yeah, in the end, it doesn't matter what they say?"
"Sir, you are a nice person. But stop helping them. None of these people are good!"
Even after listening to this, Li Ran couldn't help but sweat on his forehead. He never expected that Zheng Guoji would have such an image in the eyes of the common people. M..coM
He couldn't help but secretly feel lucky that he didn't reveal his identity as the head of the Ji clan here.
At this time, I saw a few more women and children arriving, accompanied by a few children who had just learned to walk, and they were also watching.
Li Ran looked at them and the child in their hands, and couldn't help feeling a little ashamed for a moment.
Yes, the officials really don't care about the life and death of these lower-class people. To the officials, these common people are nothing more than a string of numbers and a machine for producing food.
Even Li Ran had to admit this fact.
Therefore, it is no wonder that these common people are so hostile to the officials, but on the contrary, they are "grateful" to their masters.
As the saying goes, "the people cannot stand without trust."
Although this sentence was said by Confucius decades later. However, the dilemma Li Ran faces now is roughly the same.
But who can blame this?
Blame the people above?
They are limited by history and cannot see a longer-term future.
Then blame the people below?
They have been exploited by the powerful, whether they are savages or slaves, or from slaves to citizens, no matter what kind of status change, is it not a symphony of blood and tears?
Therefore, if we want this country to truly achieve long-term peace and stability, we cannot rely solely on the top or the bottom!
"Understood."
"So that's what happened."
Li Ran's inquiry was not in vain, and he finally had a clearer and more complete understanding of the facts in front of him.
The people below do not believe in the New Deal formulated by the "meat eaters" above. There is a barrier between the two, so it is strange that the New Deal can be implemented.
"In that case, I would like to ask you all to gather at the gate of Zhengyi City early tomorrow morning!"
Now that the problem is clear, it must be solved eventually.
And the reason why he, Li Ran, wanted to go deep into the countryside to inquire about public opinion was precisely to solve the crux of the matter.
On the way back, Ji Le cocked his little head and asked Li Ran beside him:
"So, what are you going to do, husband?"
Li Ran just smiled slightly and replied:
"Leer, don't worry, you will know tomorrow."
