The old slave came back in high spirits.
After everyone knew how ridiculous Cheng Congyuan's command was, they all lay down in the pit, leaning on their shovels and snickering. Ye Yongjia personally came to call Cheng Congyuan - "Mr. Cheng! Sir, please have a rest. Someone will do the work here for you."
Cheng Congyuan suddenly turned around, with a serious look on his face, ran forward, and after kneeling down, the people quickly put down their things and squatted in the pit together. The crowd surged to see what he looked like.
But seeing Cheng Congyuan look happy:
"Master knows how to sympathize with us! Although I still want to do this, but Master has his own considerations, that's right!" He smiled and went to bow to the slave named Zhang Ping who replaced him. Ye Yongjia As if he wanted to explain the situation to him, Cheng Congyuan looked at him, smiled, and walked away without waiting for an answer.
A group of people suddenly felt lost. It can be seen that everyone felt at ease when they saw Zhang Ping walking forward slowly and showing his kind face.
Zhang Ping is also a veteran of the Ye family, but his approach is very different from others, which makes him very popular: he does not rely on seniority, has a gentle temperament, and is not lacking in ability in doing things, which is indeed enough to alleviate the storm caused by establishing power.
He quickly became familiar with everyone. He didn't use any means, just like usual, he chatted with everyone in his free time, without any airs of success. If his hands were itchy, he just picked up a shovel, jumped into the crowd, and followed the workers to dig. foundation. He himself doesn't have much calculation, and he doesn't think that he is trying to win people's hearts.
He even forgot about this important period to establish his authority, so he could not help but slightly deduct a few wages and put them in his pocket. Although Cheng Congyuan was relieved of his duties as a supervisor, such a loyal servant who fulfilled his duties would not rest peacefully. It was common for him to place a few close followers in front of and behind Zhang Ping, so that he could be ready at any time. Sort out the fortification matters. He didn't care about Zhang Ping as a person, he only cared about the most important things that had nothing to do with his own livelihood. In addition, in my free time, I like to play chess with a few old friends. Once I feel depressed about losing, I will yell and curse.
Today he still invited people to play chess. After playing for more than an hour, he still didn't feel tired. He was undecided about his chess game, with a deep frown on his eyebrows. The old servant who was playing chess with him looked out the window and saw a person walking in the corridor, seeming to be coming this way. "What are you doing! Mr. Cheng is playing chess, don't disturb me." He tilted his body and shouted outside.
"Wait a minute," Cheng Congyuan leaned forward and shouted out the window, "Come here and tell me!" He leaned back on the chair.
The man came in quickly, and Cheng Congyuan was still playing chess as if nothing had happened. The man was stunned for a long time, and Cheng Congyuan became impatient: "If you have something to say, tell me quickly, why are you doing this!" The man hesitated, and uttered a few words for a long time: "It's not easy for Mr. Cheng to handle this matter... , it’s Zhang Ping...I saw that he took a lot of money..."
Before he finished speaking, all the black and white chess pieces on the chessboard were scattered on the ground. A few chess pieces turned vertically for a few times before falling down.
"That's okay!" Cheng Congyuan slammed his hands on the chessboard, one hand still shaking a little. "Brother, I have to admit defeat now! I have to tell the master!"
He stepped across the threshold, "What's the basis?" he asked after walking a few steps.
"The money allocated by the council this time was sixty-six taels of silver. Zhang Ping bought twenty bundles of wood from local merchants, which was converted into nineteen taels of silver. The wages given to everyone were ten taels, and thirty-seven taels were lost in the middle. Two pieces of silver."
"What day did this happen?"
"About three to five days. I was afraid that something would go wrong. A few days later, before the money came out, he wrote an order and asked me to dial it again. I knew there was a problem."
Cheng Congyuan also nodded. The two immediately went to Ye Yongjia's room, but the master was still nowhere to be seen. They asked a few servants to ask, and those who knew about it said that the master had invited some friends out to eat and drink, and they didn't know when they would be back. Cheng Congyuan stood silently, his eyes filled with impatience. This kind of thing must not be delayed, and now we have to find another way.
Zhang Ping still works hard and doesn't hear what's going on outside the window, so he doesn't worry about corruption and other things. This is due to his age and habits have long worn out his instincts. Naturally, he was surprised by Cheng Congyuan's aggressive. "Cheng Yushun, what are you doing here? This place is not yours to take care of! If you want to have a drink..."
Before he finished speaking, he jumped up. Ke Chengcongyuan's cronies were quick-sighted and took out hemp ropes to restrain him on the spot. He struggled for dear life. The slaves working there were shouting loudly.
"Oh, don't be anxious. We don't take people for no reason, we still have orders from the master. Everyone... ah, and Zhang Ping
"Take out the account." Cheng Congyuan said slowly but with murderous intent, making everyone shudder. Only Zhang Ping struggled excitedly, his hair scattered around his face, and his eyes gradually showed bloodshot eyes: "You dog Cheng Congyuan! You must be slandering your master! Didn't you say that the master wants to arrest me? Damn it, please let the master come over! If the master doesn’t come...it’s just you, old dog, who is making things up!"
He still didn't let go of the foul language. Cheng Congyuan suppressed his anger and gritted his teeth and said: "Okay, okay, you have a rest. If I don't want to talk to you, go to the meeting hall to see the master!" As he looked to his side, a steward had already taken the I came over with a stack of papers, all of which were accounts. Cheng Congyuan picked up the account, squinted at it, and said in an accent: "Aren't you a hegemon? I'll tell you. I understand the account, it's sixty-six taels of silver; but how much wood did you buy?" Zhang Ping wanted to speak, but Cheng Congyuan asked the servants: "How many bundles did you move?"
"Mr. Huicheng, twenty bundles."
Cheng Congyuan smiled and stared at Zhang Ping sharply: "How much does twenty bundles cost? Why is it not enough?" Zhang Ping said angrily: "Fifty-six taels, no more, no less!" Cheng Congyuan Stomping his feet: "Fart! Think I'm stupid! Even if I don't know how much a bundle of wood costs, I'll be in charge of this house for nothing! You cut corners and add labor costs, but it only cost twenty-nine taels. What's left? Where did you put it!" Although Zhang Ping could not refute, he still maintained great anger: "Ask those people, how many of them don't take some dirty money! You, old beast, take less than me?"
"Okay! Then you just admit it!" Cheng Congyuan didn't allow others to interrupt and quickly ordered his servants: "Carry Zhang Ping to the meeting hall. I want to watch him personally."
"Old beast..." Zhang Ping's face was pressed to the ground, and he lay down reluctantly. "Lock the doors and windows." Cheng Congyuan was used to being scolded by him, and he didn't seem to care. Just when Zhang Ping was about to see his face clearly, the spacious meeting hall was already covered by dim shadows. Only the sunlight coming from the door gap revealed a cold wooden armchair and a figure that seemed to be sitting upright. He was stunned for a while, then went crazy again: "Old man, it's my master! If you dare to exercise power privately and exclude loyal people, let's see what the master will say when he comes back!"
"If the master is here, he must be like this. But things cannot be delayed..." Cheng Congyuan said slowly. Then he looked at him with a sneer: "Do you really think I don't dare to kill you?"
Zhang Ping still showed no fear at all, and still shouted angrily at Cheng Congyuan: "How dare you kill me? Even if I want to kill me, I may not agree!"
Cheng Congyuan did not fight back, but raised one hand easily - although Zhang Ping did not see it, through this moment of dead silence, he sensed a hint of danger, and then he held his breath and concentrated. He heard Cheng Congyuan's teeth trembling slightly.
"Beat to death in court..." Zhang Ping's head suddenly buzzed, and he thought he heard it wrong. But the stick beside him was dragged up; Cheng Congyuan's teeth were heard chattering again; then there was the sound of slightly uneven breathing; and then there was the sound of wind caused by the swing of the stick. After he was hit hard on the flesh, he broke away from that slow and detailed thought and began to scream in pain. Cheng Congyuan turned his head and disappeared, but when Zhang Ping's wailing became louder, he couldn't help but sweat a little. He took out his handkerchief and wiped it slowly. After a while, he was back to his previous state, sitting calmly. Soon after the sound died down, the men threw away their sticks, reached for their mouths and noses, and said numbly forward: "Zhang Ping was beaten to death."
"...That's right. Don't publicize what he did. This matter of dead people...who doesn't want to die a slave? Let them talk." Cheng Congyuan stood up from the chair and saw the dead body, thick and thick on the ground. The red blood flowed calmly, or gradually seeped into the soles of the boots, or allowed to be scanned by the scattered cold light outside the house.
Zhang Ping's body was immediately wrapped in a straw mat. People were not mourning, just angry. It's not that he killed indiscriminately out of anger or died in anger, but he was angry that the leisurely life of the past few days was coming to an end. But now I don't have much to rely on to cause trouble, and when this happens, I have to let it go, with no choice.
Before the blood was as dry as water, Cheng Congyuan was busy welcoming his master. It was not too late when the master came back, but all the lights in the house were lit. When I saw Ye Yongjia's face, he was a little tipsy and looked like he had a little bit of wine. "I'm back! What are you going to do? I didn't even ask a servant to follow me. I'm so unsteady..." Cheng Congyuan greeted him with a smile, two eyes squeezed out from between his wrinkles, seeming to peek out. He was still in a clear state of mind and stepped onto the bluestone road step by step and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Cheng, I was just catching up with a few classmates and drinking some wine. Although there are still things at home, it doesn't matter."
"Sir... I have something to tell you..." Cheng Congyuan deliberately looked timid, and Ye Yongjia couldn't help but become suspicious. He opened his mouth to speak, but he noticed the oil lamps going back and forth, and was afraid that it would be inconvenient to press him at this time, so he showed his proper demeanor and interrupted: "If you have something to discuss, go to the meeting hall. Mr. Cheng, please don't break the rules."
Cheng Congyuan looked flustered again and said yes again and again; this made Ye Yongjia even more uneasy, his chest felt very tight, and his steps became chaotic.
There was no light in the dark meeting hall, and the breeze blew against his face with a fishy smell. Ye Yongjia almost vomited, and all the traces of alcohol in his body were wiped out instantly. Cheng Congyuan acted as if nothing had happened. He stretched out his hand to light a lamp, then turned around and saw his master's expression, and he was immediately silent. Ye Yongjia focused on the sparse firelight in the wick, and everything around him seemed to be swallowed up, with no place to stand. Cheng Congyuan was of course embarrassed to say it, but he had to say it after all. He cautiously approached and lowered his voice: "Sir... you know that I will not kill people at will. But he is greedy for money."
"Deserves to be killed?..." He was still stunned.
"Thirty-seven taels of greedy ink...it's Zhang Ping." Cheng Congyuan said.
"I believe that sir will not lie to me. But although he deserves punishment, in the end he deserves to die! How can he not act according to family law!" Ye Yongjia turned his head quickly, his eyes were burning, and he roared in a low voice.
"This method cannot be used at all times..."
"There is no need to use it at this time!" Ye Yongjia almost jumped up, "Then why is this? To establish prestige, human life is not worth anything anymore! We are a family of poets and calligraphers, Mr. Cheng..." Ye Yongjia came closer and said through gritted teeth. .
"Oh," Cheng Congyuan smiled bitterly, "The master is working in the court, and there are many enemies against him! If we just forget about it and are caught by others, the brand of this poetry and calligraphy family can be given to you. Take it off! Zhang Ping died for the Ye family, please think about it, sir! This life is worth a lot of money." As if he couldn't bear it, he stepped forward and patted Ye Yongjia's shoulder blade.
He remained unmoved and stared at the blood on the ground. He had no reason to argue. The blood was flowing from his own body. Thinking of this place, I feel chilled all over.
"I forgot to wipe it off! I'm going to have a rest first..." Cheng Congyuan pushed and supported him carefully. The only remaining lamp swayed gently in the breeze, and the light gradually disappeared until it turned into ashes.
The door was closed.
