Zhou Botao's subordinates proposed a simple and crude method: directly intoxicated Zhou Qi and stuffed it into Qiu Hong's bed. Bring Chen Minggang again. It looks rough, but it works. Even if Chen Minggang knew that someone had set up a situation, he had to expel Zhou Qi for the sake of face.

However, this method has great sequelae, and Chen Minggang can immediately know that someone is going to deal with him. will cause them to be alarmed. Moreover, after the on-site investigation, Zhou Botao felt that this matter was not very easy - there were six or seven of Chen Minggang's subordinates who were guarding near Qiuhong's house, and there were four or five servants in the courtyard, and there were too many people involved. Chen Minggang is not a fool after all.

It's also difficult to get started outside, according to the report of the surveillance personnel: Qiu Hong rarely goes out. Originally, Chen Minggang didn't allow her to go out. She wasn't a local, and there weren't many acquaintances in the county who could walk around. Lingao is also a small place, and there is not even a decent temple - there is no opportunity to enter the temple to burn incense, which was a common leisure activity for women in ancient society.

Just hiding like this, there is nothing to be done. You can't get in, you can't pull it out. Zhou Botao couldn't think of a better way, so he had to continue to let the people of the special propaganda group continue to spread gossip.

Zhou Qi himself was still unaware. After the start of the autumn campaign, his things were very much. Chen Minggang gave him most of the things to do. Zhou Qi also felt that this was the master's trust in him-he was originally worried about Qiuhong's beating, which would make him feel that his trust in front of the master was still undiminished, and his heart was finally half relieved.

Although the brand of "Zhangtian" has been played this year, the master has already passed through with them, and the key is to "talk about the pound" with the big households.

"The benefits of our masters, this is the first thing to negotiate." Chen Minggang instructed him, "But the Australians must also be perfunctory, the original under-reporting, hidden fields and the number of fields sent by tricks, the big households have to spit out a little bit, and this matter can pass." ”

As for how much each family spits out, although the specific amount is to negotiate the price, Chen Minggang also made a list and set a bottom line, each family has to report some acres of land according to the scale, and it is absolutely impossible to spend money to eliminate disasters and not report one acre.

Chen Minggang knows very well that if you want to borrow the Shili of Australians, you have to do some real performance, and it is not possible to take bribes to do things in the hands of Australians.

Zhou Qi can understand Master's mind very well, so these days he has been busy running around in the countryside, basically spending his time talking to people about the conditions.

Of course, things are not easy to do, and Chen Minggang's conditions are very harsh: not only should each family report some hidden fields, but also increase the amount of rice consumed. In the past, there were grain households that did not pay rice consumption or underpaid, but this time Chen Minggang did not compromise and resolutely demanded that they pay off according to their quotas.

"If you don't push them hard now, there may be no such good opportunities in the future." Chen Minggang instructed him, "Don't be afraid to speak stiffly, let alone say cruel words. With the Australian lord backing us up, what are you afraid of? We are not afraid of making a big fuss -- the party gate is so rampant, don't we hang our heads at the gate of the city! ”

Having said that, Zhou Qi was reluctant to do so. Master is Master, he is him, and it is difficult to say whether he will be able to become the secretary of the Yamen in the future -- as he is now, he probably has no hope. Chen Minggang has three sons, the eldest of whom is twenty years old. The master is still not very old, and it will not be a problem to work for another ten years, and it will naturally be passed on to his son when the time comes. When the time comes, who knows what kind of attitude this junior brother will have towards him!

I'm not an official official, so to speak, I'm just not a "black man". In ancient times, "compilation" was also very important. Zhou Qi holds the principle of multiple friends and multiple roads, and is still very polite to the big households, and always greets them first: this is arranged "above", not his own idea.

"The little ones can't help themselves," he always accompanies the big ones with a smiling face, "You see that the little ones are thirty years old, and they don't even have a wife, but they have to ask the old men to be more considerate!" ”

This is nothing more than a hint to everyone: I don't get the benefits. There is a debtor who is wronged.

Liujiazhai.

"So, do you have to report a few more acres to pass the customs?" Liu Guangbiao asked.

Liu Youren asked Liu Guangbiao to discuss the conditions with Zhou Qi on behalf of the Liu family, so that if the talks collapsed, there would be room for turnaround.

"That's right." Zhou Qi nodded affirmatively, "If Australians want to engage in Zhangtian, they can't just thunder and not rain." Don't give any face. ”

"Well, that makes sense." Liu Guangbiao stared at Zhou Qi deadly, trying to see any tricks from Zhou Qi's face, but Zhou Qi was still smiling all over his face, and he only promised.

"Old Seven, let's draw a line, how many flowers do you want?" Liu Guangbiao asked.

"The number of flowers is not busy, please show Liu Sanye, how much does Liu Jiazhai plan to report?" Overreporting and underreporting are directly related to the amount of private expenses. There is no mistake about this holiday.

Zhou Qi has the bottom list that Chen Ming just opened to him. In the past, I also did food payment for Liujiazhai. I know that the starting class here in the field is less than 400 acres. And Liu Youren actually has more than 2,000 acres of land.

"How about a total of 500 acres of starting land?"

"You know better than me how much land is under Master Liu's name," Zhou Qi said slowly, "Besides, you can't say that there are only 500 acres of land as big as Calais--the Australian chief is not stupid." ”

Liu Guang said that this means that he can't pass through the door under the meaning of reporting one or two hundred acres. He said, "What do you mean—"

"At least half of it has to be reported, 1,200 acres."

"1,200 acres!" Liu Guang looked frightened, "How does this make it, it's too ...... It's ......"

"Liu Sanye!" Zhou Qi accentuated his tone, "Don't feel distressed, there is this half, and there is another half." You must think that there are too many newspapers, and when the time comes, the Australians themselves will go to the countryside to investigate--I am afraid that by then every penny will have to be made into a booklet......"

Liu Guangbiao knew that this was a sky-high asking price, so he waited for himself to repay the money on the spot. He thought for a moment:

"You can make a price, how much can you reduce?"

The two sides bargained for a while, and Zuihou negotiated a good price: Liujiazhai Xinbao went up 230 acres, so that the total amount of land for the class was more than 700 acres. As for rice consumption, the two sides agreed that this year it will be three buckets and three liters per stone - there is also an increase, and in the past, Liujiazhai's rice consumption was only one bucket and two liters. One of the new parts is Chen Minggang's "private expenses". This number is also unprecedented.

After sending Zhou Qi away, Liu Youren, who had been listening in the back hall, paced out. Liu Guangbiao hurriedly greeted him:

"Third uncle! Look—"

"It's okay, you've handled this well." Liu Youren sighed, although Zhou Qi's tone was deferential, but the appetite of Chen Minggang and his gang this year was really too great. In the past, it was only possible to deal with it by giving ten taels of silver, but this time not only did they add rice consumption and report to the hidden field, but even their private expenses dared to be attached to the rice consumption!

"This group of Australians is really harmful!" Liu Guangbiao hated, "How dare Chen Minggang be so rampant in the past!" ”

"Hmm." Liu Youren did not speak. He now understands perfectly. The so-called Zhangtian is probably the meaning of Australians. But it was used by Chen Minggang and became a tool for him to extort money. Otherwise, it is impossible for everyone to report some hidden fields, and if they report less, they will not be able to do it -- Chen Minggang also knows that Australians cannot be fooled around, and they have to show some actual results.

He just thinks it's strange that the Australian weishenme is messing around with Chen Minggang? With their ability, it is not accurate to go to the countryside to Zhangtian, and it will not disturb the people......

Liu Youren suddenly thought that if it was really Australians who went to the countryside to come to Zhangtian, then how could a big family like himself still do tricks! I'm afraid that one is one and two is two, and all the acres of land have been reported. Speaking of which, it is still a bit beneficial to have Chen Minggang, a silverfish.

However, the disgust of being blackmailed in his heart always lingered.

"You actually want to compromise with such a villain!" He hated. It seems that if you want not to be bullied, you have to hook up directly with the Australians. He Chen Minggang is not afraid of fooling around with Australians, and openly comes out to do things for them, he is a rich man in the countryside, what is the prison of the donated prisoners afraid of?

"After Chief Yun comes, you treat him well." He instructed Liu Guangbiao, "Talk to him more and talk to him about this incident." ”

"Yes, my nephew understands!"

"And the matter of Meilan, you have to pay more attention. I see that Chief Yun will let Meilan serve this time...... "Speaking of this, he thinks it's too ridiculous, Meilan is not a girl, she can't just stuff it into someone's house." On the contrary, it will make the other party look down on it.

"This nephew is here to figure it out." Liu Guangbiao understood.

"Her dad agreed?"

"If she can tie up with the Australian master, it's too late for her father to like it." Of course, Liu Youren knew that this nephew was talking nonsense, and probably used some coercion and temptation. But it doesn't matter: Liu Meilan's family is insignificant in the clan, and no one will care what they think.

"At the end of the year, when the rice is sacrificed, give it to his family a little more." Liu Youren said, "Meilan's dowry when she came out of the cabinet was also made by the official, so that she could marry beautifully." ”

"Sanbo has thought it through!" Liu Guangbiao said with a smile, "Not only can his family give more, but each house can add a lot of sacrificial rice this year." This year's harvest has been really good. It's better than the few that are close to the collar! The master joined the Heaven and Earth Society, and this step is really right. ”

Speaking of the harvest, Liu Youren's mood was a little relaxed: Fortunately, this year's harvest is not bad!

First, it is rare that the wind and rain are smooth, and there is no catastrophe; Second, after joining the Heaven and Earth Society, Chief Yun really did his best and used many methods to help his family farm. Some of them are not unusual, but some are incredible. Although Liu Youren is a landlord, he is very proficient in farm work, and he sees that this year's rice ears are not only numerous, but also generally heavy. He picked one branch and counted them, and not only were there many more grains on it than before, but there were very few empty grains.