Several other bankers did not dare to hesitate, and pressed Zheng Rong to the ground in two clicks.

Zheng Rong was twisted on the cold ground, and he didn't dare to leave anything to chance, shouting: "The hero spares his life, I say, I say ......"

Shi Jin said: "It's too late, I'll see if your account office is also eating forty sticks." ”

After saying that, he walked to the courtyard.

Seeing Shi Jin walking over, Zheng Rong hurriedly cried: "I said, I said, there are still three thousand taels of silver in the secret room, and the hero spares his life." ”

"Twenty more sticks, don't beat them to death."

Shi Jin didn't look back, and said another sentence that made Zheng Rong faint almost directly, and walked into the courtyard.

Ruan Xiaoqi kicked Zheng Rong and said with a smile: "Sixty sticks, you can't be killed, this job is not easy." You hold on a little bit, don't die. ”

At this time, Zheng Rong was snot and tears flowed out, and begged: "A good man spares his life, and there is a secret room where 1,000 taels of gold and 10,000 taels of silver are hidden." The hero spares his life, only I know where this secret room is, and if I am killed, no one will be able to find it. ”

When Ruan Xiaoqi heard this lot of gold and silver, he kicked Zheng Rong hard and scolded: "You don't shed tears when you don't see the coffin, is there any gold and silver?" ”

Zheng Rong said that the accumulation of several generations was dripping blood in his heart, just to save his life, he couldn't care about it anymore, shook his head and said: "No, it's really gone, the hero spares his life." ”

Ruan Xiaoqi also felt that these gold and silver should be all the family funds of this guy, so he kicked again and said, "I'll ask my brother to see if he will spare you." ”

After speaking, he came to the courtyard with an excited face.

There are hundreds of people in the Zheng family, including the old and young, and the slaves, all of whom are crowded in the courtyard and look at the strongmen around them in horror.

Shi Jin, Chen Da, and Yang Chun entered the courtyard, and when they saw these many people, they shouted, "Who is the account room?" ”

A man in his fifties with a goatee trembled and said, "Back to the hero, the villain is." ”

Shi Jin nodded and said, "How many years have you been in the Zheng family?" ”

The account room didn't know what Shi Jin meant, and said honestly: "Back to the hero, the villain has been in the Zheng family for twenty-three years, but the villain only manages the account books on weekdays and has not done evil." ”

Shi Jin nodded and said, "It's been a few years, so how much do you estimate the Zheng family has?" ”

The bookkeeper didn't expect Shi Jin to ask him this question, and he was stunned for a while.

At this time, Ruan Xiaoqi also walked in and said with a smile: "Brother, just now Zheng Rong said that there is a secret room with 1,000 taels of gold and 10,000 taels of silver, but only he can find it, and wants us to spare his life." ”

Shi Jin's family has thousands of acres of dry land, Shi Taigong is generous to Zhuang Ke, and Shi Jin, the master of spending money lavishly, has accumulated tens of thousands of family fortunes.

The Zheng family has more than 3,000 acres of paddy fields and dry land, and he has stripped customers in every possible way, how could Shi Jin believe that his family fortune is less than 10,000 yuan.

One thousand taels of gold, ten thousand taels of silver are worth forty thousand guan, plus nearly ten thousand taels in front, a total of fifty thousand guan, but it is about the same.

Shi Jin didn't believe Zheng Rong easily, but said to the accounting room: "Do you have an answer?" If you say 50,000 guan, then I can only ask you to eat dozens of sticks with Zheng Rong. ”

The account room knew how much grain there was in the treasury, and when he heard that the master's family had recruited 40,000 yuan, he wanted to say about 50,000 yuan.

Chen Da looked at the accounting room and didn't speak, and scolded: "This is the most treacherous way to do accounts, let him eat dozens of sticks first, and then ask." ”

When the bookkeeper heard this, he didn't dare to hesitate anymore, and hurriedly said: "At most, 60,000 yuan, there is no more." In the early years, grain prices were not high, and the Zheng family's income was also small. If it weren't for the money that the customer borrowed from the Zheng family and generated a lot of profits, 60,000 yuan would have been nothing. ”

Shi Jin felt justified when he heard what the account room said, and nodded: "Let's get rid of Zheng Rong's stick first, and take him to take out all the gold and silver." Find some artificial food, everyone walked for half the night, they must be hungry, full of food and drink, so that they have the strength to rectify these people. ”

The people who were driven into the courtyard and huddled in a bunch heard Shi Jin say this, and several timid people suddenly knelt on the ground in fright and shouted, "A good man spares his life." ”

Shi Jin waved his hand and said, "I am not an official, nor a victim, you don't have to kneel to me." Get up, old and little woman, and go to the wood-house first. The man stood in this courtyard, pondering his mistakes, and when the day dawned, I would ask the people of the village to testify, and those who aided in the abuse would not be punished. ”

In this era, kneeling was not popular, and most of the time when seeing the emperor was only used as a bow and to address the official.

In addition to worshipping heaven and earth, it is generally to kneel when giving thanks and apologizing.

After speaking, Shi Jin took Chen Da and Yang Chun into the front hall.

As soon as the three of them sat down in the hall, Ruan Xiaoqi dragged Zheng Rong in.

"This guy wants his brother to promise to spare his life before he is willing to tell where the secret room is, why don't you let the brothers search it first?"

Zheng Rong looked at Shi Jin cautiously and said, "The good man spared my life, and the villain will not dare to do evil in the future." ”

Shi Jin looked at Zheng Rong with a smile and said, "Have you forced someone to kill someone?" ”

Zheng Rong wanted to shake his head immediately, but he couldn't help but hesitate when he thought of the end of concealing the money in front of him.

Shi Jin also knew the answer when he saw Zheng Rong's appearance, shook his head and said: "You have done a lot of evil, and you will not escape death today." But if you hand over the gold and silver honestly, I can consider leaving you a queen, and we can't take the land away, your Zheng family is still a big family, otherwise ......"

On the side, Chen Da shouted: "Such a big harm, you should kill him all over the house, and leaving some evil to plant is also a scourge to the people." ”

Ruan Xiaoqi also kicked Zheng Rong over and said: "What Brother Chen Da said is that he killed him all over the house and let the children dig in this courtyard for a day, and if you don't believe it, you can't find his family's secret room." ”

Shi Jin smiled: "Don't worry, let him go outside and think about it." Shi Zhu, get some tea soup for everyone, it's a cold weather. Then let the bookkeeper lead the brothers to get all the money and paperwork in the treasury, and search the secret room by the way. ”

Ruan Xiaoqi picked up Zheng Rong, his eyes widened, and he said, "Since this guy doesn't say it, then I'll beat the sixty sticks just now?" ”

Zheng Rong saw Ruan Xiaoqi carrying him like a chicken, and when he thought of being beaten by him for sixty strokes, he trembled with fright and cried: "I said it, but the hero wants to give me a good time." ”

"Phew"

Ruan Xiaoqi spat to the side and scolded: "You eggless bastard, grandpa still has itchy hands." ”

Shi Jin was also a little surprised when he saw Zheng Rong agree, and said with a smile: "Okay, let him take his brothers to move the gold and silver out." ”

"Soft eggs."

Ruan Xiaoqi scolded again, and pushed Zheng Rong away in disgust.

Zheng Rong took a few steps back before standing firm, and said to Shi Jin: "What the hero just said to leave me behind?" ”

Ruan Xiaoqi saw that Zheng Rong was getting an inch, his eyebrows were raised, and he shouted: "Didn't you just give you a pleasure just now?" It's not fun, is it? ”

Shi Jin smiled: "No problem, I will definitely leave you a queen, this yard, we will not destroy it." I hope your son will be a good man and not be like you. ”

Zheng Rong hurriedly nodded and said, "Thank you hero, thank you hero." I must let him be a good man. ”

Shi Jin waved his hand and said, "Go ahead, remember to be a good person in the next life." ”

Zheng Rong wiped his tears and choked up: "Yes, yes." ”

Ruan Xiaoqi couldn't help but kick Zheng Rong and scolded: "Don't cry like a girl, hurry up and take the master to take the gold and silver." Grandpa chose to cut your head with a quick knife. ”

"Thank you, good guy."

Zheng Rong saw that Ruan Xiaoqi had a bad temper, so he hurriedly walked outside.

In a short time, a few foot soldiers carried three boxes.

The account clerk followed behind with a cower, and said, "The villain has seen three heroes. ”

When Chen Da saw the three boxes, he said, "Smash them open." ”

"Yes."

A minion with a hammer answered, and the lock on the chest was broken with a few hammers, apparently the hammer they had used to go to the storeroom.

Two boxes of copper coins, one box of silver, and some paperwork on them.

Shi Jin asked the minions to take the documents over and flipped through them, there were notes that the Zheng family had borrowed money from the people in the village, and there were also contracts signed by the Zheng family with tenants and slaves.

Shi Jin didn't look at it much, flipped through it slightly, and let one of the minions take it and burn it.

After a while, Ruan Xiaoqi led the minions to carry a few boxes.

This time the box is a lot smaller, but it is a little difficult for a minion to hold a box that is more than a foot wide.

Ruan Xiaoqi strode in and said with a smile: "I've grown so big, it's the first time I've seen so much gold and silver." Children, open them all and let my brother see them. ”

A few minions put the boxes on the ground, lined them up, and lifted them open.

Under the light of the lights, the hall seemed to suddenly light up a lot.

One chest of gold, six and a half chests of silver.

Ruan Xiaoqi said with a smile: "The two secret rooms have been emptied, one thousand taels of gold, and thirteen thousand taels of silver. ”

Shi Jin and Yang Chun have seen each other many times along the way, and they are not surprised.

But it was the first time for Chen Da to see so much gold and silver, and his eyes widened.

Yang Chun saw that there was a small box on top of the last half box of silver, so he asked, "What's in that little box?" ”

Ruan Xiaoqi shook his head and said: "The house deed, the title deed, it's useless for others to ask for it, but the guy is still hiding in the secret room." ”

Shi Jin said with a smile: "If there is a white deed, you can still return the land to the person who sold the land." You show it to me. ”

Although Shi Jin didn't care about the family business, before Shi Taigong died, he also checked his own property, and he was no stranger to the title deed.

Those who have paid the deed tax and stamped with the official seal are called red deeds, and when they file lawsuits, the government only recognizes the red deeds.

However, because of the trouble in handling the red deed, and the large number of deed taxes and additional money, many private transactions are privately concluded and do not have official seals, so they are called white deeds.

For formal land transactions, you must first submit a petition to the government, apply for a transaction, and obtain a document; Then the buyer mainly asks his relatives and neighbors, and if his relatives and neighbors do not buy it, others have the right to buy; Then the contract was concluded, the tax was paid, and the official deed was approved.

The official contract is printed by the government, in quadruplicate, one for the buyer and the seller, one for the county government, and one for the commercial tax court.

If the two parties make a white deed, when there is a dispute, the government's decision is generally to restore the land to the owner, and the money is confiscated into the official, so as to force people to enter into a red deed.

If the Zheng family loses the white deed, then the person who sold the land can naturally get the land back, and the Zheng family wants to sue the government for both losses, there is no contract, and the government will not be able to confiscate the money on the contract from the original landlord.

Ruan Xiaoqi also knows these things, but the people in Shijie Village basically make a living by fishing, cutting reeds, and picking lotus.

Leaned over and picked up the box and sent it to Shi Jin.

Shi Jin took the box, opened it and took a look, and at a glance he saw that it was all a contract uniformly printed by the government, picked it up and flipped it, saw that it was stamped, shook his head and said: "This guy is careful, all of them are red deeds, the government has a bottom, and the people in the village can't take it back." ”