"Zi Bian, won't I accompany you to Zhaojiazhuang?"
Tian Liang had a smile on his lips, patted Huang Dong's shoulder, and hurriedly comforted him.
Hearing Tian Liang's initiative, Huang Dong felt slightly relieved in his uneasy heart.
The two of them walked together to the public house of the shopkeeper of Zhaojiazhuang Workshop, which was also located in the convenience service center.
Tian Liang is an acquaintance, so naturally there is no need to inform Zhao Ping when he comes to the office of the general manager of Zhaojiazhuang.
As expected, he is the general manager, and the public house is also very large, with a radius of three feet.
As the chief shopkeeper's office, how could it be missing a picture? The wall behind Zhao Jie is also a huge landscape painting.
Unlike Qian Shao who painted the entire Zhaojiazhuang, his background is a pure Zhaojiazhuang.
Next to it are the cranes, pine trees, and waterfalls of Chunyang Cave, in the middle is Zhaojiazhuang, and on the right is the Waier River.
If Qian Shao's ink paintings are full of luxurious atmosphere, then Zhao Jie's are full of spirituality and fairy spirit.
In Zhao Jie's eyes, Zhaojiazhuang Town is just the periphery of Zhaojiazhuang, and the real core is Zhaojiazhuang.
Without Zhaojiazhuang, Zhaojiazhuang Town would have declined sooner or later.
The purpose of his stay was to protect Zhaojiazhuang, the workshops here, and every plant and tree here.
Zhao Jie's face was flushed, and he was sitting in the middle of the public room, drinking tea and reading official documents.
On either side of him were chairs, obviously prepared for guests and visitors.
Tian Liang bowed and said, "My nephew has met my uncle."
"Ziming, what's the matter?" Zhao Jie looked at the two of them, nodded slightly, and motioned for them to sit down on the chairs.
Tian Qing, the staff officer, had already made the two of them drunk without giving any instructions.
Tian Liang glanced at Huang Dong with an anxious expression on his face: "Uncle, my nephew is here to ask for help."
Huang Dong was immediately grateful. He didn't expect that Tian Liang would take action in person, which would be much easier to say than taking action on his own.
"Ask for help?" Zhao Jie looked at the two of them and smiled jokingly, "I didn't give you such a workshop, isn't it enough?"
He is an old fox. Now that Huang Dong is here, he doesn't know what the two of them are thinking, so he directly blocks his nephew's mouth.
"Uncle, this time in Xiejiazhuang, 1,500 people without household registration suddenly appeared. My nephew was so scared that he fell to the ground." Tian Liang patted his chest and said with a pale face.
Zhao Jie's joking smile froze for a moment, and he couldn't believe his ears: "Ziming, didn't you say last time that Xiejiazhuang was as beautiful as an ink painting, why did 1,500 black people appear again?"
"Bah, Zhumen's wine and meat stink, and there are frozen bones on the road." Tian Liang spat bitterly, "Xiejiazhuang is a group of out-and-out hypocrites. The place they live in is like an ink painting, while the rest of the people live in A stinking ditch.”
Zhao Jie looked at the saliva on the floor and frowned.
Now these floor tiles are covered with a layer of glaze, and they can almost make out human figures, which makes him quite proud.
This is the glazed tile developed by Zhaojiazhuang's latest technology. It has just been put into trial production and has not yet been put into the market.
Zhao Jie liked it so much that he took the lead in laying it on his public house. Unexpectedly, his wife and nephew actually spat on it.
But the other party was his nephew, and he didn't tell him this, so he had to acquiesce.
I must give some advice next time, or put a warning on the cover, such as prohibiting spitting.
Tian Liang hasn't realized that he made a mistake yet, and still vents his anger endlessly.
"Ziming, aren't you trying to deceive me because you want to open more workshops?" Zhao Jie looked at him with a gleam in his eyes.
Tian Liang scratched his head and smiled bitterly: "Uncle, these are not only black households, but half of them live in huts, half of them are shacks, and most of them still wear paper clothes in winter. Chief Huang Ting, didn't you file a complaint? Let uncle take a look."
After speaking, he turned his attention to Huang Dong.
"Zhao Sanguan, this is the article I wrote to you. Please enlighten me." Huang Dong took out the article from his sleeve and handed it over respectfully.
He wrote two copies of the article, one of which was given to the county magistrate Qian Shao, and the other to Zhao Jie.
Zhao Jiezai read it carefully and stood up from his seat involuntarily.
His face was livid, he banged the table and cursed: "The conscience of the people of Xiejiazhuang has been eaten by dogs?"
"Zhao Sanguan and the refugees from Xiejiazhuang still hope that Zhaojiazhuang will help them." Huang Dong was overjoyed and struck while the iron was hot and made his request.
Zhao Jie looked him over, with a faint smile on his face: "Zibian, there is no problem with the rescue. Zhaojiazhuang can set up a few more workshops to give them a way to survive."
Huang Dong smiled bitterly and hurriedly bowed his head and said, "Zhao Sanguan, can you please help me?"
"Relief, we run so many workshops, and the people who work in the workshops are given a monthly salary of one or two guan, aren't you asking for help?" Zhao Jie glared at him, and directly came up with a method of lifting a thousand catties with four taels. Although the workshop will eventually make money, it will take at least half a year or even a year to see any results after investing thousands of pick-up cards in the early stage.
If the little saint hadn't ordered the construction of Xiehe Pavilion, who would be willing to set up a workshop in this remote place?
Not only do we need to rescue refugees, but we also need to invest heavily in building a wide road.
Huang Dong blushed again, suddenly showing embarrassment.
Fortunately, he reacted very quickly and was thick-skinned.
He bowed his hands and said respectfully: "Zhao Sanguan, these people are experiencing drought this year. It is difficult for these refugees to get food to survive the winter. Now they eat together with kudzu root, magic taro, etc."
"I know this, isn't there a government?" Zhao Jie said with a joking smile. He wanted to see how Huang Dong would solve the matter.
Huang Dong was anxious, but he didn't expect that Zhao Jie wouldn't accept the move.
He turned his eyes a few times, and suddenly his eyes lit up when he saw Tian Liang.
Huang Dong bowed his hands and said loudly: "Zhao Sanguan, these refugees are from Chengdu, and they named it Chengdu Valley."
"Chengdu Valley is a good name, but what does it have to do with Zhaojiazhuang?" Zhao Jie shook his head, with a faint smile on his face.
Huang Dong blushed and said loudly: "Of course it is related, because the little saint is the chief secretary of Chengdu Mansion, and this matter is certainly related to Zhaojiazhuang."
"This reason barely makes sense," Zhao Jie nodded, with a smile on his lips, "How much copper did the government pay?"
"The government paid five hundred coins." Huang Dong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, thinking that he finally passed this test.
Zhao Jie pondered for a while, rolled his eyes a few times, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
He looked at Huang Dong with burning eyes and said solemnly: "Zhaojiazhuang is willing to donate 30,000 kilograms of rice and 500 copper coins."
"What, so many?" Huang Dong couldn't believe his ears, his pupils shrank, and he couldn't help but take a few steps back.
Zhao Jie's lips curved into a teasing smile: "Why, you think it's too much, I'll take it back."
"Zhao Sanguan, of course the more the merrier, the more the merrier." Huang Dong's face was filled with a flattering smile, "Thank you, thank you."
"Since they are from Chengdu Valley, they cannot lose face with the word Chengdu." Zhao Jie's face turned solemn at this time, and he looked at Huang Dong with a burning gaze, "Zibian, do you understand?"
"Zhao Sanguan, I understand." Huang Dong also patted his chest solemnly, "Chengdu is the birthplace of the Kingdom of Abundance. I swear to let them live in the Kingdom of Abundance."
"Good money should be spent wisely, and you must have a careful plan." Zhao Jie looked at the two of them and warned.
The two looked at each other happily and said loudly: "No."
Xiejiazhuang Assembly Hall.
The patriarchs Xie Dewen and Xie Deshu, the elders Xie Dechun, Xie Deqiu, Xie Dexia and others all gathered together to discuss matters.
Xie Dewen made a report about the discovery of the Refugee Valley by the officers and soldiers, and asked everyone present to be mentally prepared.
These elders were so shocked by this sudden incident that they felt as if they had received an electric shock, and their spirits were in a state of half-dementia.
Xie Dechun's old face was so angry that he almost vomited blood. He swallowed hard and turned into a bitter face.
He looked at Xie Dewen longingly: "Chief, how much impact will the loss of 50% of the land rent have on us in the future?"
"How big it is, of course it will have a lot of impact." Xie Dewen said with a livid face and a gloomy voice, "Everyone's household income will be reduced by 20% in the future."
"Head of the Patriarch, we are missing 20%. I just took in my ninth concubine. How can I survive with this?" Xie Dechun's body went limp and he almost slipped from his seat.
He had just taken in his ninth concubine, and when it was time to spend money, he didn't expect that the patriarch would directly cut the family income by 20%.
The other elders were not much better than him, and they all shouted: "Patriarch, I also have a ninth concubine, how can I support her?"
These elders all want to save face. As long as the first one takes a concubine, the others will also follow.
"That's enough." Xie Dewen patted the table and glanced at these elders coldly, "Taking concubines is your own business and has nothing to do with the clan."
"Clan leader, can there be more?" These elders, all with faces as bitter as melons, asked one after another.
It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality.
These elderly people are accustomed to living a luxurious life, and if their household income is suddenly reduced by 20%, it will cost them their lives.
Xie Dewen shook his head, without any expression on his face, and replied decisively: "I treat household matters equally with you."
In fact, Xie Dewen also took a ninth concubine, but he was the patriarch, and his family income was twice as high as that of the elders, so he could bear these losses.
】
Xie Deshu also had no objection. Although his family income was not as high as that of the clan leader, it was still 50% higher than that of the elders, so it had little impact.
"Clan leader, the family cannot afford less. This is a rule left by our ancestors." Xie Dechun's eyes suddenly lit up and he found a solution.
Several other elders also shouted, fighting for their own interests: "Patriarch, all previous patriarchs have never been short of family income. Even if there are changes, it will only increase, if not, it will decrease."
"Being able to reduce household income by 20% this year is already the biggest concession. If we continue at this rate, we may not be able to save 80% of it in the future. You only care about your immediate interests, but have you ever thought that Xiejiazhuang will not be protected?" Xie Dewen's eyes glanced at the elderly like an eagle. Yes, he said coldly.
"No guarantee? This is wrong." Xie Dechun jumped out first, "Chief, Xiejiazhuang has been standing for hundreds of years. It has not fallen in the previous dynasties, and it has not fallen in the Song Dynasty."
"That's right, Xiejiazhuang has hundreds of years of history and 5,000 acres of fertile land. How has it ever fallen?" Another elder, Xie Deqiu, was not willing to be outdone and continued.
A sarcastic smile appeared on Xie Dewen's face: "Have you ever thought about it, what will be the consequences when the government discovers that there are 1,500 illegal households in Xiejiazhuang? If they are seriously investigated, the most serious ones will be beheaded, and the least serious ones will be exiled for three thousand miles."
Hearing these words, these elders felt as if a rooster had been grabbed by the neck. They were immediately speechless and broke out in cold sweat on their backs.
Xie Dechun was stunned, his mouth was open, and he was speechless for a long time. After a while, he shook his head and said, "Chief, is this true? I don't believe it."
"I don't believe it. There are 1,500 refugees in the valley. Are you turning a blind eye?" Xie Dewen said lightly with a sarcastic smile on his lips.
Xie Dechun reacted very quickly: "Patriarch, there are refugees in Xiejiazhuang, and there are also refugees in Zhangjiazhuang. Why is there nothing?"
"Zhangjiazhuang, can Xiejiazhuang compare with Zhangjiazhuang?" Xie Dewen said with a joking smile on his face, "Zhangjiazhuang has surrendered to the government, and there are far fewer refugees in Zhangjiazhuang than in Xiejiazhuang."
"Chief, Zhangjiazhuang has a good relationship with the government, so there is no need to investigate, but other major households in the Song Dynasty also have shady households, even more than Xiejiazhuang." Xie Dechun was very unconvinced and raised his neck.
Xie Dewen glared at him and said coldly: "Zi Nuan, no matter how much you say, it's useless. Zhaojiazhuang Town can't control those clans, but they can control Xiejiazhuang."
Upon hearing this, Xie Dechun was like a duck that kept quacking, but his neck was suddenly pinched, and his voice suddenly stopped.
"Chief, since the government has not pursued Zhangjiazhuang, it will not pursue Xiejiazhuang. Besides, it is not that there are no Xiejiazhuang people on Tongnanfu Road in Xiejiazhuang." Xie Dedong pondered for a long time and expressed his thoughts.
Xie Dewen smiled sarcastically: "There is indeed someone in Xiejiazhuang, just a judge on Tongnanfu Road. But what is the backstage of the little saint? It is Yu Xueshi, the Sichuan Zhizhi envoy. The government is determined to take Xiejiazhuang, are they still afraid of Tongnan? Isn’t it possible for a small judge in Fulu to succeed?”
Hearing Xie Dewen's words, the elder sitting on the ground felt as nervous as a stone, and his heart sank as if filled with cold lead.
Xie Dechun's face suddenly turned the color of pig liver, and he bowed his hands and said, "Clan leader, can you think of another way? The family's expenses are really too big, and they have been reduced by 20%. The blame may not be revealed in the future."
"That's right, Patriarch, we won't be able to reveal the blame in the future either." Those elders grimaced and begged one after another.
When they see that the hard one is not enough, they try the soft one.
Xie Dewen had a sarcastic smile on his face and said coldly: "Now the land rent can only be collected at 30%. Do you still want to go back to the old days?"
"Chief, although the old refugees are gone, aren't there still new ones?" Xie Dechun rolled his eyes and suddenly had an idea.
Xie Dewen looked at him as if he were an idiot and said coldly, "Zinuan, Zhaojiazhuang has a workshop here. Are these refugees still accepting 50% of the land rent like fools?"
"Zhaojiazhuang is not a workshop in Zhaojiazhuang Town. There is no waterway here, and there is a mountain road connecting here. How can we run a workshop?" Xie Dechun was not bad at thinking, and he immediately found the reason.
Xie Dewen still looked at him as if he were an idiot: "What does Xiehe Pavilion lack most right now?"
"What is the least lacking?" Xie Dechun felt confused when he heard this and shook his head, "I don't know."
"The biggest shortage of Xiehe Pavilion right now is manpower." Xie Deshu, who had been silent, answered on his behalf, with a sarcastic smile on his lips.
When Xie Dechun saw Xie Deshu's sarcastic smile, his old face almost turned the color of pig liver.
He asked unconvinced: "There is no shortage of manpower, but now there are too many refugees here, almost two thousand. The government also has a headache. If these refugees eat every day, even a mountain of gold and silver will be destroyed by them."
Having said this, Xie Dechun became more and more happy and proud. In the end, he couldn't help laughing.
Xie Dedong immediately followed up and laughed as well: "Chief, the government's relief is rice. Even if it is ten kilograms at a time, it is almost two hundred copper coins. No matter how much government money is, can it sustain it?"
When the other elders heard this, they all thought it was reasonable and kept laughing.
