"Thanks to my uncle's advice and the advice of Mr. Qianliu and Mr. Xiaoqin, I was able to figure out the whole story." Thinking back on it now, Lai Sheng couldn't help but sigh that Wu Jinxiao's family still knew how to play. He smiled bitterly and said: "It turns out that since Mr. Zhen took over, the control of Heishan Village has been gradually loosened. Seeing this situation, Wuzhuangtou deducted a little from it every year."
Brother Rong asked the maid to bring a cup of hot tea to Lai Sheng, and said with a slight smile: "I think there was a lot of cheating when I came to their house."
Lai Sheng nodded and said: "Although there were deductions in the past, the annual rent was within a reasonable range. It is only in these years that the Wu family has gradually become bolder. The original annual rent of seven to eight thousand taels is in Wuzhuang." The more the head is held in the hand, the less it will be.”
"Oh? A Heishan village can give away seven or eight thousand taels of silver every year?" Jia Rong couldn't help but narrowed her eyes after hearing this. He couldn't help but laugh and said: "The silver Wu Jinxiao has sent in recent years has never exceeded 6,000 taels."
"That's true. If you look at the orders sent in recent years, you can tell something fishy. In the past, during New Year's Eve, there were also discounts of 7,000 taels of silver. Since then, the number has decreased year by year. In the past few years, it has only been 4,000 or 5,000 taels. Two taels of silver. Nearly half of the rent is missing. Not counting the tree hunting grounds in the mountains next to it, those things are equivalent to tens of thousands of taels of silver every year."
Seeing Lai Sheng sighing, Jia Rong couldn't help but take a sip of hot tea to suppress the anger in her heart. He sneered and said, "The Wu family is really good at calculation. They only send four to five thousand taels of silver out of ten thousand taels of silver a year. But their hands are longer than those of your Lai family."
When Lai Sheng heard this, he looked ashamed, but he couldn't refute and looked helpless. Most of the benefits of the Lai family are actually given by the masters and wives of the two houses. Although you can make some conveniences in various things, you will never make thousands of taels of silver a year.
Compared with the Wu family, the Lai family pales in comparison.
Manager Lai said sarcastically: "Master Jianliu and Fourth Master Xiaoqin originally wanted to transport all the Wu family's possessions to the mansion, but the amount was huge and they were afraid of accidents on the way, so they gave up the idea."
"A huge number? How big can it be?"
Brother Rong quietly made a calculation in his mind. In the past, the Wu family would only deduct a few hundred or even a thousand taels a year for their petty quarrels. In recent years, although they have become much more greedy, his greed for tens of thousands of taels is already as high as the sky.
Lai Sheng stretched out his five fingers.
Brother Rong asked: "Fifty thousand?"
Lai Sheng shook his head slightly and smiled bitterly: "I think more than the uncle."
More than fifty thousand? Could it be half a million? How is this possible? Jia Rong looked at Manager Lai in confusion and asked, "How much? It's impossible for him to embezzle half a million taels from a small Black Mountain village."
"Fifty thousand taels is certainly not enough, but over the years the Wu family has stolen and sold trees and wild animals in forest farms and hunting grounds in Heishan Village, and stolen rent money. A rough calculation shows that it is at least 150,000 taels. huge."
"What?"
Hearing that it was at least 150,000 taels, Jia Rong couldn't help but feel a tremor in her heart. She couldn't sit still anymore and stood up from the chair. Since a parasite in the Jia family is several times richer than the Jia family, what does this mean? They are comparable to He Shen.
Fists clenched tightly. It's all Jia Zhen, a prodigal, who has caused such a big problem in the Ningguo Mansion. No, more than one, including the insects in several villages outside Shenjing City. If this continues, not to mention the Ningguo Mansion, even if the treasury is replaced, it will be short-changed.
He gritted his teeth and asked, "Have you checked the Wu family's account books?"
Lai Sheng shook his head and said: "Wuzhuangtou is very shrewd. He has divided the money in and out out into several account books. It is difficult to check and count the money in a short time. That's why Mr. Jiuliu made a calculation and directly transferred Wuzhuangtou to Wuzhuangtou during the time when the rent was delivered. Ji and his only son were brought back to Shenjing, and the father and son were placed under house arrest."
"How dare they, how dare they. One hundred and fifty thousand taels!" Jia Rong was so angry that he paced back and forth in the room with his fists raised. The money should have belonged to the Ningguo Mansion, but now it was embezzled by the Wu family, who was in charge of the rent. Go. One hundred and fifty thousand taels is not a small amount. Even the Ning and Rong mansions cannot afford one hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver now.
A cold light shot out of his eyes, and he asked: "Where are the Wu family's father and son in the house now?"
Mr. Lai said: "The two of us are temporarily living in the servant's room in the east courtyard of the front hall, but we have been honest these days and have never left the house."
"Honest? If all the honest people in the world were like Wu Jinxiao, the world would not be completely in chaos." Jia Rong sneered, pretending to want someone to suppress the Wu family father and son.
Manager Lai smiled bitterly but stopped answering.
Jia Rong thought for a moment, thinking that if the money was swallowed up, she would naturally go to the Wu family to get it all back. It's just that such a large amount of silver was shipped from Beiliao, which is too eye-catching. If someone cuts you off halfway, there will be no place for anyone to reason with you.
Brother Rong was thinking about his future plans, how to arrange the money in Heishan Village, and how to deal with Wu Jinxiao and his son. Manager Lai, who suddenly saw him, looked hesitant and said dissatisfied: "Just say what you have to say."
Manager Lai leaned down slightly, lowered his head and reminded in a low voice: "The uncle also promised the sixth master and the fourth master Xiaoqin to give them 10% of the money they get from Heishan Village."
Damn, I almost forgot about this. For 10% of 150,000 yuan, doesn't it mean giving away 15,000 taels?
Manager Lai said worriedly: "How should we handle this matter?"
Brother Rong thought for a moment and made an instant decision. He said calmly: "Since it is something promised, of course we can't go back on it. So what about fifteen thousand taels? They deserve it."
After hearing this, Lai Sheng couldn't help but have a surprised look on his face. That's fifteen thousand taels, not one thousand five hundred taels. Even one thousand five hundred taels is not a small amount.
Just give it away?
Brother Rong chuckled lightly and said again: "They deserve it. Manager Lai has worked hard this time, and naturally he will not forget your contribution. Now that the New Year is approaching, Manager Lai still holds the position of manager of the mansion. "
Not only did he want to give away the fifteen thousand taels, but he also wanted to give it away in a grand and ostentatious manner so that everyone would know about it. I just want to tell everyone that they can't take away even a little bit of money from Ningguo Mansion, but as long as things are done well, tens of thousands of taels of silver can be rewarded. Of course, if Jia Juan and Jia Qin really want to get the money, it will not be so simple.
Wu Jinxiao's greedy money of 150,000 taels has not yet been delivered to Ningguo Mansion. Jia Rong didn't even see the income himself, so how could he spend money outside.
Lai Sheng agreed with a bitter smile. He really didn't expect that Uncle Rong would be so generous and really want to give it away. Even he, who had made meritorious deeds, was rewarded.
Shang Rong really did something wrong.
With one careless move, everything was lost, and everything was almost destroyed by Shang Rong.
well
Manager Lai thought of the Wu family father and son again and couldn't help but sigh secretly. The Wu family's hands were stretched too far and they were too greedy. When the manager of the Ningguo Mansion looked at Jia Rong again, the look in his eyes gradually changed. Based on Manager Lai's decades of experience, it can be seen that Uncle Rong's inner plan is to establish authority and rules, and at the same time win over people's hearts.
Uncle Rong actually used fifteen thousand taels to win over people's hearts. From now on, the eight-bedroom Jia family in Shenjing will not be able to rely on Uncle Rong to follow his lead. Killing two birds with one stone, even if the Empress of Xifu comes back, she may not be as prestigious as Uncle Rong.
People will listen to whoever can provide real benefits.
Manager Lai had a premonition: The Jia family was about to change.
The next day, Jia Rong did not immediately go to Wu Jinxiao and his son. He first went to Shuili Yingtian Mansion to register, but fortunately there were all acquaintances in the yamen. Brother Rong didn't need to get acquainted with him again. What made him even more excited was that the old river worker was also there.
"When did the old gentleman come here?" Brother Rong asked happily. He thought that he would take care of all the affairs of the Gyeonggi camp next to him.
"The Thirteenth Master was worried that Lord Rong would not be comfortable living in the Yamen, so he specially called the old man back from Jiangnan." The old river worker chuckled twice, "I will have to ask the Lord Rong, who is also the field envoy, to take care of me in the future."
"The old man is joking. Although I have been appointed as the envoy of the camp, I still need to ask the old man for guidance on many matters." Brother Rong sighed. It is easier to do things now that he has acquaintances, so as not to have to come here to establish his authority again. trip. At the same time, he also knew that King Zhongshun called the old river worker here because he was worried that he would not be able to control the situation, and on the other hand, he was worried that he would play too crazy and bring disaster to his prime minister's water conservancy camp.
The old river worker smiled and waved his hand, and walked over to the table next to him and brought out a lot of drawings. He smiled and said: "Master Ying Tian Envoy, please take a closer look. What is calculated above is the next camp field tasks in various places in Gyeonggi Province."
My grandma, how much does this cost?
Jia Rong's eyes widened as he looked at the thick stack of drawings. With hope in mind, Shang asked: "Have the waterways and fields in various places been inspected? Are there high and low level maps and preset waterway maps?"
The old river worker showed an honest smile and said, "Although I have old maps, I haven't done any survey."
Dry!
Brother Rong glanced resentfully.
How long will it take to conduct on-site inspections of each place? Don't even think about taking a break next year.
Turned it over slightly.
What the hell?
It reaches Tanggu and Bohai Sea in the east, and borders Jinmen and Langfang in the west. To run so far? Could it be that I can't go home again?
Brother Rong's upper lip couldn't help but tremble. Master Thirteen is so inconsiderate. There are two pregnant women at home.
Don't go.
Brother Rong carefully looked at what the Water Conservancy Yingtian Mansion needed to do next year, and the more he looked at it, the more depressed he became. Did King Zhongshun regard himself as a buffalo envoy, thinking that Uncle Rong had endless strength?
Even a bison needs to rest. Are you really afraid of getting tired and exhausted? How many people will be sad if their energy is exhausted.
On this day, Jia Rong had a busy day and returned home in the snow when the night was dark.
"Why did the Yamen leave so many things behind?" Qin Keqing said softly, and asked Xiaoqueer and Xiangling to hold their heads for Uncle Rong. "My uncle has returned to Kyoto. Why are there more things than before?"
Brother Rong closed his eyes and enjoyed it. Tuangui said: "I just returned to Beijing, and it's the end of the year. Naturally, there are many things to hand over. After these few days, it will be the Chinese New Year, and I can rest for a while."
Since the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the holidays for officials in the DPRK and China have been reduced again and again. Even in the Great Yan Dynasty, the 'excellent' traditions of the previous Ming Dynasty were inherited, and other redundant holidays were even cut off.
As a result, North Korean and Chinese officials only have more than 20 days of vacation throughout the year, and most of these 20 days are concentrated in the first month. In addition to sick leave, rest is only mandatory when family members have bereavements.
No wonder none of the Jia family members wanted to serve as officials in the court. Some even donated their official posts but refused to take office. They were too tired and miserable and had not rested yet.
Working continuously for 340 days in a year is not something that ordinary people can bear.
Brother Rong felt the warmth on the hands of Xiao Que'er and Xiang Ling, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh. After coming back from such a tiring trip, I really don’t want to do anything else.
He didn't want to see the Wu family father and son. I don’t want to visit Xifu either.
I just want to lie down!
On the early morning of New Year's Eve, the Wu family and his son, who lived in the servant's wing, couldn't bear it anymore. He took the initiative to approach Manager Lai Sheng and asked to see Uncle Rong.
"Can't you help it?" Brother Rong chuckled and curled his lips and said, "Today is the year-end festival of the Eighth House in Shenjing, so we don't have time to care about them."
The year-end ceremony represents the passing of the old year and the arrival of the new year. This ceremony is extremely important for any family in this world. Although other families would not have such a grand battle as the Ning and Rong families, this ceremony would definitely not be missing.
Jia Rong glanced at Lai Sheng and said calmly: "Let's prepare for the big sacrifice first. Send people to invite all the masters of the Xifu. Don't forget the elders and brothers in each room. The auspicious time is approaching, and other things will wait until the big sacrifice is over. Say it again."
At this year's year-end festival, Jia Jing finally walked out of the clean room he had stayed in for a year.
Jia Rong also had some time off.
After the banquet, Jia Juan and Jia Qin took the initiative to come to them.
"Brother Rong"
"Uncle Qian, brother Qin, I've troubled you this year." Brother Rong couldn't help but laugh when he saw the joy on the faces of these two people. "After the New Year, I have to ask Uncle Qian and Brother Qin to go to Heishan Village again. Once we understand the situation of the Wu family, we will definitely not break our promise."
Jia Qin laughed, her long shoehorned face full of wretchedness.
"Save it, save it."
Jia Qian was more steady than Jia Qin. He nodded and said with a smile: "We are all one family. We don't want to talk about troublesome things. If Brother Rong has any errands in the future, just call him and I will not postpone it."
"Uncle Jian is serious." Although Jia Rong said this, she was very satisfied in her heart. He laughed and said: "Although the matter in Heishan Village has not been resolved yet, Ning Guofu is willing to give out one thousand taels first as a reward for Uncle Qin and Brother Qin's hard work this year. When Uncle Qin and Brother Qin return to Heishan next year, Mountain Village, let’s settle the accounts then.”
Jia Juan and Jia Qin narrowed their eyes when they heard that they had money to take, five hundred taels each. They also knew that the money from Heishan Village was not sent to Ningguo Mansion. If they wanted to get the money, they still had to go to Heishan Village. Now that Ningguo Mansion has paid part of it first, how can it be unhappy?
Jia Qin said happily: "It saves money, saves money. After spring next year, Uncle Qian and I will go to Heishan Village."
After hearing this, Jia Rong couldn't help but look at Jia Jing who was at the front of the hall. He chuckled lightly and said, "There's no rush to go there. There's a big battle planned in Heishan Village, and the money won't have wings to fly."
Let the two of them get the money and keep the account books. On the first day of the new year, because Lin Ruhai and his daughter were alone in Shenjing, the Jia family invited the Lin family and their daughter over.
Jia Rong looked at the way Lin Daiyu looked at him from a distance and couldn't help but sigh: "It's really hard to bear!"
