In fact, when Lishu took power, there was no doubt as expected, because she was originally a patriarchal wife, and delaying or early administration had no impact. Some people even think you are capable because you take care of things in advance.
But don't expect to gain power and have everyone listen to you, just like an emperor who claims to be a loner after ascending to the throne. Once you are really in power, you can no longer trust what the people around you say. Every word and action they say has a purpose.
If you can manage a family of three well, you may not be able to manage a home of hundreds of people. If you can manage a home of hundreds of people, you may not be able to manage a home of tens of thousands of people. Therefore, many people saw that although Lishu could take care of the clan's small family, they may not be convinced that she could take care of the large Zheng family.
When Lishu took over the family affairs from Mrs. Ju Er, she did not immediately train people, but first took a clear look at the account books over the years. She never fights an uncertain battle. Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle. She sorted out the similarities and differences between Mrs. Zheng's period and Mrs. Ju Yi's period.
At this time, she refused to interact with others, and Zhulan was outside to take care of the situation. She was no longer as shy as she was in the early years and was easy to talk to, and she most appropriately carried out what Lishu said.
Zhulan can take care of every little thing.
But when encountering big things, you still have to come in and ask Lishu for her opinion. For example, here is one: "Grandma, there are three private schools in Clan Studies. There are 16 people in total whose monthly salary has not been paid. They know that Grandma is in charge of the business, so Let people ask when it will be released? It’s already a month late this year.”
Li Shu found it funny: "It's a month late, why are you coming to me again? Why don't you go ask Mrs. Ju Yi first what's going on?"
Zhu Lan quickly took the order to go to Mrs. Ju Yi, but Mrs. Ju Yi said: "I was sick last month, so I can't remember these things. Since there is no money in the account, I'll just ask your grandma to pay it again. "
Although Zhu Lan had already known about Mrs. Ju Yi's greed in advance, now that she was speaking openly like this, she was shocked by her shamelessness. She obviously didn't get a monthly salary, so she must have mishandled the money, and now she actually asked her grandma to pay for it. But she was not Lishu. No matter how powerful she was, she still had to be polite to the ladies of the clan, so Zhulan had no choice but to go back.
Seeing the girl's back, Yang breathed a sigh of relief. All the handovers were completed yesterday, who cares about you?
After Zhulan came back, Lishu could only sigh: "I have to pay the money first. In the future, my husband's monthly salary must be paid according to the due period."
"You just admit it like that?" Zhu Lan was a little in disbelief. This was not like Li Shu's temper.
Li Shu said: "Even I will make some omissions. I calculated that the private school teachers in our clan earn one rice and one stone per month and ten taels of silver per year. There are sixteen in total, which is three hundred and one taels." , sixteen shi of rice and grain. Especially the rice and noodles are distributed first. Since the silver is paid on a monthly basis, excluding the two months of rest, one tael a month is now thirty-one taels of silver and sixteen shi of rice. Let’s do this first. If we start a fight over such a small amount of money, even if I’m right, others will think I’m being careless.”
Here Li Shu quickly wrote a note, gave her a pair of cards, and asked Zhulan to go to the accountant to pay the money. All the money and food were distributed before dark, and the rice and noodles were all new rice.
The private school teachers in these clans are all children of the Zheng family in Xingyang. Most of the children are children of the Zheng family. Originally, the free school field in the family property was used to make tuition fees for the children of the Zheng family to study. It was Zheng Hao who sent these things over. Zheng Hao was the eldest son. Zheng Hao heard Li Shu mention it when the couple had dinner together at noon.
"She dug a hole for you, and you actually jumped in?" Zheng Hao looked like he wanted Li Shu to make a scene.
Li Shu waved her hand: "It's nothing, check it. How to check it? I haven't read the account books yet, which means I have no evidence, and I have to fight with her for a long time. I think this Yang has evil intentions and will always show up. Tails, why should I worry about this little money now."
In fact, she talked about things at home with Zheng Hao: "You know, as long as I don't be greedy, to be honest, the money used for your family's sacrificial field, whether it is the monthly salary of the school teacher, the tuition fee, or it can be used to help you." It is more than enough for the old, weak, women and children in the clan, as well as for your family temple. The reason why you feel it is not enough is probably because you are too greedy."
For example, there are other disciples from the Zheng family who come to join the school. These people have to submit the training, and these trainings are for the teachers.
In other words, in addition to the monthly salary of the school master, there are also the disciples of the attached school. Mrs. Ju Yi once did not pay the monthly salary because she had many apprentices. However, the monthly salary was paid out again, so the three hundred taels were paid. It’s obvious who is greedy.
"Also, I have a problem. This is the school of the Zheng family, and not just any cat or dog can come here. Those unlearned and unskilled disciples spend their days beating dogs and chasing chickens. It's good to prosper the dragon and Yang, but what about the fireworks in Liuxiang? , these people can be expelled." Li Shu said to Zheng Hao, she knew that Zheng Hao was very disappointed with clan studies.
Zheng Hao nodded: "Now that the master is old, although he has great ambitions, he has been at the border these years. He has to take care of himself and is impatient with worldly affairs. In this way, I also manage the clan's studies and provide a good foundation for the family and clan members. Share the worries.”
Lishu approved: "So, this is why I paid my monthly salary happily."
In fact, Li Shu also wants the couple to work together. Otherwise, if Li Shu is busy alone and Zheng Hao is idle, something may happen if he comes and goes first.
This is why the rice, flour, food and monthly salary were distributed smoothly, and the school teachers discovered that the rice distributed this time was not old rice, but new rice. When Mrs. Ju Yi was here, all the rice distributed here was old, and some of it was moldy. The teachers were very pleased.
The tutor's monthly salary was paid out so quickly, and Lishu didn't even bother Mrs. Ju Yi. Mrs. Ju Yi breathed a sigh of relief. She thought that Li Shu was probably strong on the outside but not as powerful as she thought, but at the same time she felt at ease.
People always have a sense of luck. Lishu is still in the stage of understanding clan affairs, so she seems to be easy to talk to. She even found a famous talented girl in the clan to teach the little girls in the clan to study.
There were many girls in the clan, and Li Shu said straight away that she also used the clan property to train girls, and the female school teacher's training was only ten taels per year, and one stone of silver per month.
In this way, including the Xiang sisters who had just grown their hair, there were ten girls in total. The older ones were taught by Zheng Lu, the sister-in-law of the widowed Grandma Gui, and the younger ones, Lishu, were given to the Tan family.
Grandma Gui's family is in trouble, and she also has a widowed sister-in-law to support. As the saying goes, poverty leads to resentment. In fact, Grandma Gui also felt sorry for her sister-in-law. Otherwise, she would not have brought her widowed sister-in-law back home or sent her to the family temple. But as time went by, life became difficult for her family, and it was inevitable that there would be discord.
Now that she has this monthly salary and rice noodles, Zheng Lu is very grateful. However, Mrs. Tan doesn't care about her family at all. Ningxiang and others in the same room are honest and honest. She has nothing to do. When Li Shu asked her to be a female private school teacher, she also With such a high monthly salary, being able to serve as a role model, and having something to do, Mrs. Tan hastily agreed.
But Li Shu also had a point: "We set this up for the girls of the Zheng family. We want the girls of the Zheng family to go out and others will know that they are polite. Therefore, there is a rule. If there are people who are attached to the school outside, they must watch their words and deeds. You can't do it just for a few taels of bundles, which will ruin your reputation. Of course, if they send bundles of cultivation, they will also hand it over to the clan as tuition money, and the private school teachers are not allowed to take it privately."
Tan thought to herself that there were only a few women out there who could afford to go to school, and she herself had a family background. Those who have money hire teachers at home, and those who have no money even drown their daughters. How can they have the spare money? Besides, some families are pedantic and tight, and even if they have money, they may not be willing to spend it on their daughters.
Therefore, she responded quickly: "Sister-in-law, please don't worry, I can't do these sneaky things."
When Zheng Lu came back from her husband's family, she brought back half of her dowry. Her brother, sister-in-law, and nephews were having a hard time, so they spent almost all of it. Now she was thanking Li Shu for finding a job. She was just teaching the girls in the clan, which was already very good. How could she dare to accept someone else's Jing Zhi privately?
Seeing her express her position alone, Lishu smiled again: "I just give you a bundle of silver, and you can take the rest of the gifts, such as dried meat, back by yourselves."
Before she could sort out all the accounting matters, Lishu had been investing money to build a girls' school in the clan. He also hired people to build the houses in his clan that were about to collapse one by one. He also personally visited the clansmen who had no children and earned a lot of fame.
There is a gap only when there is a comparison. Mrs. Ju Yi claims to be the wife of the patriarch, but in fact she wants to make money, so she does everything to make money. She is so powerful that she thinks she can cover the sky with one hand. Anyway, her account books are impeccable and ordinary people can't find them. Errors and omissions.
But Li Shu was not greedy for money at all. The difference between a thousand taels of boiled cabbage and a plate of ten cents of boiled cabbage was not much to her. She has charcoal fires in winter and ice in summer. It is enough to be fed and clothed.
It is precisely because of this that she can put the money from the field sacrifice to practical use.
There is also the Zheng family temple, especially in places where there are many female Taoist nuns. She invites famous doctors to select Taoist temples with good talents and teach them to be familiar with herbal medicine and medical principles, so that women can be saved.
Zheng Hao didn't understand this.
Li Shu smiled and said: "I tell you, women have been ashamed to see doctors since ancient times, especially there are more male doctors than female doctors. Most of the so-called medical women are barefoot doctors or wandering doctors, and sometimes they are allowed to look at them in a crooked manner. Disease, most of the time, is a mess of quackery. The Zheng family supports these people. We cannot look directly at them and we must really help some people. Otherwise, what is the use of reciting those scriptures every day. We don’t do anything to really save people. , can you save people by just saying a few words?"
"It makes sense." Zheng Hao admired Li Shu very much because she was very measured and had kind thoughts.
Li Shu raised her chin: "What about you, how are you?"
Zheng Hao raised his forehead and said, "There are so many snakes, insects, rats, and ants."
Lishu encouraged him: "You must also have thunderous tactics, and don't speak softly. These half-year-olds are the worst, they are naughty and disobedient."
"Yeah, some rich kids are extremely bad, I will definitely get rid of them." Zheng Hao also pursed his lips, very thoughtful.
The Zheng family's studies are indeed getting worse year by year. Even Zheng Ze, an official, retired and became a private school teacher. He is good at it, but he is also quite greedy. It's no wonder that he has a grandmother like the Sixth Old Lady. It only costs one or fourteen taels to bring in a rich kid, and another sum of money to run a small stove for others in private is enough to make a living.
But when Zheng Hao came over, he first gathered all the candidates and asked them questions in the hall.
Most of these candidates were eleven or thirteen years old, and the younger ones were about eight or nine years old. They looked up at Zheng Hao. Zheng Hao flicked the test paper, and then said in a deep voice: "The clan supports everyone to study, not for you to play here. I am here to warn you today that the Zheng family's studies are going to change. Those who do well in the exam will be rewarded with tuition and money. , enter the inner house to study, and add two extra dishes to every meal. If you get into the top ten in the middle house and the lower house, you can also get tuition money. As for among them, there are those who have despicable conduct, poor knowledge, and often arrive late and leave early. , ordered to drop out of school.”
The students were in mourning, but no one dared to say anything to the unsmiling Scholar Zheng, because behind him were two tall men standing nine feet tall.
These two are Rongfei Rongda who Zheng Hao specially borrowed from Lishu. They look majestic and majestic. How can these students who are like chickens in vain dare to make a mistake in front of Rongfei Rongda? Zheng Hao is even a close minister of the emperor, and his power is overwhelming. It also scares them.
Mrs. Shu had already sent her nephew Shu Zhaozhong to study through his relationship with Mrs. Ju Yi. This child's family background was ordinary, but after he came to the Zheng family, he became rich and wealthy. When others went to brothels, he followed suit and squandered. Now he has a stomachache I didn't learn much knowledge here, just dawdling around anyway.
I just heard the person next to me say to Shu Zhaozhong: "It's over. It's over now. I finally got in through some connections. If I do poorly in the exam, my family will definitely scold me."
Shu Zhaozhong glanced at him. He recognized this man. Like himself, he was also an in-law of the Zheng family.
It is a great honor to be able to study with the Zheng family. Not to mention that the Zheng family has been a famous family for thousands of years. Nowadays, there are many officials in the Zheng family. There are also many officials in the Zheng family's private schools, and they have the honor of raising their sons and supervising students. Unlike other places.
Shu Zhaozhong looked at his slender body, first he cursed Lord Rabbit in his mind, and then said: "Your family is not ordinary. Your family is related to Mrs. Rongyi. Your relationship with Yang Lan is not ordinary. You can definitely stay." .”
This Yang Lan is the nephew of Mrs. Ju Yi. The Yang family of Hongnong is also a famous family, but she is just as good as Longyang. Mrs. Rong Yi has a good relationship with the clan, so Shu Zhaozhong is very jealous and feels that he is worried in vain.
"You, what did you say?" the man stammered.
Zheng Hao stood up, put his hands behind his hands and gave his lower body a glance: "If anyone makes a noise, they will be kicked out directly and they will not be allowed to take the exam again."
Originally, Zheng Hao's temperament was actually a bit like Mrs. Zheng's. He liked to consider the causes and consequences of doing things, but after getting together with Li Shu, he found that his temper had worsened. Ahem, I can’t say it’s gotten worse, I just have the courage to change some things. Anyway, doing it is better than never doing it.
As soon as the bell rang, Zheng Hao was present to invigilate the exam in person and made comments on the spot.
While she was nervously taking the test in the examination room, Li Shu was still looking at the old account books. It was not easy to find clues to the account books for decades, but she was not discouraged.
Wintersweet brought chrysanthemum and wolfberry tea: "Grandma, the tea you asked for is here."
Li Shu took a few sips of tea and rested her eyes.
"I heard that the uncle is going to take the exam for the students of Jiezu Studies?" Lishu asked.
Tingxue smiled and said: "That's right. In order to prevent them from cheating, our uncle has to take the test himself."
Lishu sighed: "Girls cherish the opportunity to study, and few of them are messing around. My grandmother also told me that except for the extremely squeamish little girl, all of them study early. These boys have been studying since they were young. They are provided at home, but they are not cherished.”
Mrs. Tan was indeed living a happy life. Her previous life was about competing for favors, maintaining respectability, and saving money so that her status could be reflected when she went out. Now, she is a female teacher, and she enjoys her time teaching children every day.
Children are very straightforward. Sometimes they cry unreasonably, but maybe a piece of candy will calm them down and call you Mr. Tan every day.
Every time they study obediently, Ms. Tan feels extremely happy.
Even Zheng Qing felt that she had changed a lot: "Aren't you afraid of the children making noise?"
"Fortunately, they listen to everything I say, and my sister-in-law also gives me a monthly salary and lumi. What should I not do?" Mrs. Tan was really afraid that Zheng Qing would ask her to stop doing it.
Even because she was teaching recently, she suddenly no longer had any hatred towards Mr. Wang.
Speaking of which, she was much more pitiful than herself. No matter how rich she was, it was enough for her to meet people like the Sixth Old Lady. There was also Zheng Ze. She heard from her sister-in-law that Zheng Ze had accepted a lot. The money of the rich children has brought chaos to the family school.
No matter all the calculations, in the end, he still respected his mother-in-law. Zheng Ze was originally a good official, but I heard that he was dismissed from office and could not get back at home. The evaluation by his superiors was not good everywhere, and the officials selected were also very poor. Wang's I'm afraid life will not be as easy as marrying into the same merchant family.
Zheng Qing said with a smile: "Eldest brother also asked me to take charge of the clan and study, and said that he wanted me to have the word 'Qing' in my name. I have no fame, but I envy you. My eldest sister-in-law directly asked you to take office."
Mrs. Tan looked at her husband. She knew that Zheng Qing's health was back to normal now, and he also had the grace of a sixth-grade idle official, but he was still a big man with nothing to do, which was always not good.
It's good to be in charge of ethnic studies, but...
She worriedly said: "I heard that the Clan School is in a state of chaos. Don't be offended. Those people are very difficult to serve. I think my eldest brother is pissed off."
Zheng Qing smiled playfully: "My eldest brother is a person who does big things. I have to deal with those little ones. I just have nothing to do. We are brothers fighting tigers. We are father and son soldiers. My eldest brother and sister-in-law are so good to us. We It’s time to repay one by one.”
Mrs. Tan knew her husband very well. Even though others said he was a sick man, his mind was not comparable to that of ordinary people. But she thought that Zheng Qing should come out, to spend his time, and to help his eldest brother and sister-in-law. Since she entered the house, her eldest brother and sister-in-law have been very good to them anyway.
When lunch was over, some people in the examination room were writing with flying speed and with energy, which made Zheng Hao slightly satisfied. But mostly I wanted to take a peek or scratch my head.
There was a student in a green shirt whose blue shirt was almost turning white after washing, but he was the first to hand in his paper.
Zheng Hao looked at his knowledge, but it was a good calligraphy. Looking at his articles, although they were immature, they were rare.
"Student Xu Heng asks Duke Zhuangyuan to review it."
"Your handwriting is neat and your words are meaningful. Come directly to study this September."
Xu Heng was overjoyed. He had little money. He was the nephew of Zheng Ze's first wife. The Xu family had long been in decline, and Zheng Ze had also married long ago. Shu Xiu was secretly paid for by Zheng Ze, fearing that the current Wang family would know about it, so Xu Heng was very sensible and never asked for anything more. When he saw Zheng Hao today, he felt that he was worthy of being the world-famous Zheng Zhuangyuan. He was dignified in appearance, fair, knowledgeable, and very capable in writing questions.
But he was short of money and looked poor. He usually kept to himself when he was studying in the Zheng family, and his popularity was not good. He was even inferior to the calm and handsome young men in the Zheng family. He didn't expect that he would be admitted.
Everyone saw that a poor person like Xu Heng had been admitted. Some of the Zheng family's children also stood up to hand in their papers. Zheng Hao took a look at the article and saw that it was well written. He asked again: "Which house are you from?"
"My nephew is Zheng Miao, who lives in the fifth house and the sixth house."
"Okay, okay, you are personable and your writing is elegant. You are also admitted." Zheng Hao said with a smile.
Zheng Miao also breathed a sigh of relief. He was a son of the Zheng family. Although his parents died young and he was raised in his uncle's house, where he had all the basic necessities of life, including food, clothing, housing and transportation, his uncle was still studying politics in the province. But Wufang has many sons, and he doesn’t know when it will be his turn.
These children of the Han family saw that they, the children of the gentry, had a good appearance, but they didn't know that they also had their own troubles. He actually came back from the academy a year ago when he heard that the clan's family was coming back. How could he get some comments from Zheng Zhuangyuan? , better than other masters. And it is also the first step to enter the body. What is Qingyun Road? This is Qingyun Road.
Zheng Hao also intended to cultivate Zheng's children, and he also wanted to have more young talents like Zheng Miao, the better.
But there were also young businessmen from wealthy families outside who wrote nonsense articles and were scolded by Zheng Hao on the spot and dropped out of school. Zheng Ze stood up and helped speak because he had accepted Jing Zhi.
Zheng Hao said: "Fourth brother Ze, our ancestors said at the beginning that the imperial examination was the only way out for poor students. How can such people who are ignorant and incompetent and disrupt the Zheng family stay?" He sympathized with Zheng Ze because of his grandmother's behavior. Luxurious, he constantly wanted to make money to support his grandmother, so much so that his own clothes were starched and turned white, but the sixth old lady was covered in high-quality silk and satin, and used bird's nests as mouthwash. But just because you are stupid and filial, everyone has to make way for you.
Zheng Ze sighed, because they had paid two hundred taels to drive this person away, so he had to return it. Where could he return the money? I gave the money to my grandmother a long time ago.
Seeing this, Zheng Hao hardened his heart and ignored Zheng Ze.
After a while, after reviewing, he asked Shu Zhaozhong, Shu's nephew, to leave in front of the class, compared to the student who silently wiped away his tears before. However, Shu Zhaozhong knelt down on the ground and began to beg hard: "Please don't drive me home, Mr. Zheng. My grandparents have passed away a long time ago. Our home is just an old house. It leaks every time it rains. I have been a student for many years." Studying in the ice and snow day after day, it’s just that the students are beyond their means..."
Shu Zhaozhong's words prompted an honest school teacher to say: "Uncle Hao, there is no distinction between education and distinction. Since this student surnamed Shu is so poor and yet so eager to learn, why not take him under my tutelage and train him well in the future."
Zheng Hao said coldly: "Third brother, look at the black circles under his eyes and the calluses on his fingers. He is a man who both gambles and likes visiting brothels." Li Shu told him to judge who is good at gambling by looking at his fingers. Of course, in the future, He had touched the bottom before.
"After this man was collected for debt, he ran to our Zheng family. Others were afraid of my Zheng family and did not dare to come here again."
Shu Zhaozhong didn't expect Zheng Hao to understand so clearly. He cried again and said to the gentleman who had just spoken for him: "Old sir, it's my father who likes gambling. He had to take me to get it. But the student has changed his mind." I have done my wrongs, and I will kowtow to you. The Buddha said, put down your butcher knife and become a Buddha immediately. Please accept me."
Shu Zhaozhong was also very cruel to him. He really started kowtowing until his head bled.
Everyone sympathized with the weak, and they felt that Zheng Hao was a little unkind. Suddenly, everyone looked at Zheng Hao with pleading eyes, hoping that he would be merciful outside the law. :,,
