Qian Mingzheng, who heard this number, couldn't be happy at all. There is also a kind of nose that is crooked, and he still knows something about Lin Zhengbei's family background. The mere five hundred taels of silver really made Qian Mingzheng feel like he was being sent away by the other party. Even if Lin Zhengbei is asked to come up with five thousand taels of silver, it is not an exaggeration. In front of everyone's eyes, as the prefect of the fourth grade, he is also a person who wants face and reputation, so it is naturally not good to come blatantly. Although his surname is Qian, he really doesn't love money much.

At the same time, Li Wenxuan, who heard Lin Zhengbei say "five hundred taels of silver", almost sprayed the tea that he drank into his mouth. He thought to himself, this amount of silver, even he can take it out without any burden or pressure. If he were Qian Mingzheng, he would definitely coerce and lure Lin Zhengbei, who was the richest man in Guangxin Mansion, to take out 50,000 taels of silver for disaster relief.

If he agrees to Lin Zhengbei's donation of five hundred taels of silver, I believe that no one behind him will be able to exceed this figure. He didn't want to see fewer and fewer donors coming out later, and even a situation of dozens of taels of silver, so he still couldn't help but say: "Squire Lin, isn't the amount of silver you donated too inconsistent with your identity as the richest man in Guangxin Mansion?" ”

Lin Zhengbei, who had a bitter gourd face, suddenly stood up and shook his head, and said duplicitously: "Lord Qian, you don't know anything." I, the first assistant of Guangxin Mansion, is actually a strong outsider and a middle cadre, not at all like the one that is painted and painted in the market. I hope that adults can understand the difficulties of old age. ”

I have long scolded Qian Mingzheng, who is considerate of a fart, in my heart, and I really want to have a hard apportionment. However, he did not implement this idea, and he still had some scruples about the local heroic power. In addition to today's accidents, I also need to deal with them for a long time. Qian Mingzheng, who was quite helpless, persuaded him with kind words: "Squire Lin, this government hopes that you can still be more considerate of the victims." ”

"Since Lord Qian looks up to me Lin, then I will pledge another five hundred taels of silver to make up one thousand taels of silver." The index finger of his right hand was stretched out by Lin Zhengbei, which was regarded as giving the other party a face.

Look at the money Mingzheng who talked about this part, and it was not good to say anything more. He seemed very helpless, so he had to let the clerk sitting next to him write it down. Then, everyone present pledged their donations one by one according to their actual status and situation in the local area. Li Wenxuan, who donated 100 taels of silver, and a small group of gentry were the last of all the pledged amounts.

Of course, none of the people present would be willing to grab that first place, after all, they needed to come up with a lot of money. Half an hour passed, and the total amount of the book office was a total of 10,800 taels of silver. In a normal year, one tael of silver can buy two stones of polished rice. According to the measurement method of the Ming Dynasty, one stone of rice weighs about 153.5 catties. This catty is not the current 500 grams of catties, but a catty of 594.6 grams in the Ming Dynasty, which is equivalent to about 92-94 kilograms in modern times.

However, in the current situation, if one or two pieces of silver can buy a stone of rice, it is already very good. Therefore, the polished rice that can be bought for 10,000 taels of silver is at most more than 10,000 stones. If you were to replace polished rice with brown rice, you would be able to do more. If this food is used to help tens of thousands of victims, I am afraid that it will not be enough.

After all, this drought is not a one-day, two-day drought that can end here. Even if we survive this year's drought, it will be a matter of several months for spring plowing to resume production next year. It will take several months until the rice seedlings grow up, mature, and the grain is laid. It will take at least half a year to add up to this.

For half a year, people always have to eat. Even if life-sustaining food rations are kept to a minimum, huge quantities of food are needed as supplies. Among them, it does not include the greed of officials, who peel off their skins layer by layer. Li Wenxuan, whose heart is like a mirror, deeply feels what is called the suffering of people's livelihood.

I feel that Qian Mingzheng, who is better than nothing, at this time, the extra 10,800 taels of silver in his hand really have a little confidence, and at the same time, he can breathe a sigh of relief. He has been an official for many years, but he is not ignorant of the efficiency of the government. If you encounter the relief food above and can't reach him in time, you can also use this to deal with it for a while and buy more time, so as not to give birth to a big mess that will affect your own political performance.

The squires who had already donated their money didn't want to sit here longer, and Qian Mingzheng was also unwilling to keep them. So it didn't take long for the squires present to disperse together. In a huge room, only Qian Mingzheng and his henchman were left.

The experienced and flexible bookkeeper got up and walked to his adult's side, deliberately lowered his voice, and asked: "How to record, I hope the adult will make it clear." ”

Qian Mingzheng, who could hear what he meant by this, really didn't plan to make a big deal of a short catty, but leaned back on the chair and said lightly: "Erase the odds, just remember the whole number of 10,000 taels of silver." ”

"Adults are incorruptible." The bookstore, which has been immersed in the yamen for many years, really did not deliberately flatter, but out of sincerity. He really felt that his adults had taken too little, so he deliberately pretended to hear it wrong and repeated: "I received eight hundred taels of silver from Lin Zhengbei for disaster relief." ”

Qian Mingzheng, who was wiped out by him for 10,000 taels of silver, understood his mind very well. However, he is not an insatiable type, and he doesn't want to make a mistake at this juncture to affect his career. He didn't nod his head in agreement to do so, and corrected in time: "More is more." As for the erased fraction, even if it is for the errands below, the clerk's patch is repaired. ”

I couldn't believe that he just let go of this great opportunity to make money, and reminded: "My lord, did you really decide to do that? ”

In order to be safe during the period, Qian Mingzheng, who had made up his mind, said unequivocally: "Don't say more, do what the government says." ”

……

Li Wenxuan, who walked out of the prefect's yamen, had nowhere else to go, so he went home directly. As soon as he sat down, he saw Su Meiniang walking in from outside. sent her who followed the maid behind her, and said with interest: "Husband, can I gain anything from this trip to the prefect's yamen?" ”

Li Wenxuan, who crossed Erlang's legs and leaned on the circle chair, told the truth: "I didn't get anything, but I donated a hundred taels of silver." ”

Su Meiniang, who thought he was going to make money, heard the opposite of what she thought, and said strangely: "Could it be that the prefect's family still lacks such a little bit of silver?" ”

Li Wenxuan, who briefly told the story, hung his head and looked at how she would react.

Su Meiniang, who roughly summed it up in her heart, is also the lucky one who has the opportunity to read a little bit of a book. She pursed her lips, and said with another emotion: "Sure enough, everything is inferior, but only reading is high." There is a golden house in the book, and there is a thousand bells in the book. The ancients, as expected, did not deceive me. It's easy to make money when you become an official, and you can make a lot of money in less than a morning. I just don't know if the ten thousand taels of silver will buy the grain? I don't know how much of the relief food from the imperial court will be able to fall into the mouths of the victims in the future? ”

Li Wenxuan, who also had her guesses and thoughts, said calmly: "Don't think about everything in a bad way. Based on my many contacts and observations with Qian Mingzheng, I feel that he should be a rare official. Even if he can't be called incorruptible, he can be regarded as an operator. Except for this drought, the whole territory of Guangxin Province is still relatively calm. ”

Su Meiniang, who had a different opinion, said in a salty and nonchalant manner: "From the point of view of the slave family, there are few people who are officials who do not love money and money, but choose to love the people. Even if he can guarantee that he is not greedy, who can guarantee that the officials below him will not reach out to take it? If my Ming officials really lived only on Yulu, they would not be in the same situation as they are today. ”

"You see, everyone has his own problems. I am the seventh grade of the Ming Dynasty, and a year's worth of money is converted into cash and is only a few dozen taels of silver. Ushering in the send-off, human nature. Officials are human beings, and they are no exception. Just relying on that meager income to support the family, I'm afraid not many people will be willing to give up, fight hard, and dare to pull the emperor off the horse This kind of desperate energy to study. "Li Wenxuan, who talks about things, does not target anyone and puts himself in his own shoes.

stared at Su Meiniang, who had been looking at him for a while, and said puzzledly: "What benefits did the officials give you, you speak for them like this." ”

"Then let me ask you, how did the officials offend you and make you hate them so much." Li Wenxuan, who couldn't help laughing, responded according to the way she spoke.

Su Meiniang, who relied on her past life experience, did not distinguish the difference between this official and an official. She confused officials and officials, and summed it up in a clear word: "Anyway, those who are officials know that they are corrupt and pervert the law and oppress the good people." ”

Li Wenxuan, who has another understanding, explained accordingly: "People who are meager and not greedy are either people with extremely noble ideological and moral consciousness, or people who really regard money as dung. If you don't have both, you will inevitably not be greedy. I think it's understandable as long as you don't go too far, and the premise is to do your job well. For those officials who do not work and stretch out their hands indiscriminately, it is natural to crack down on moths with zero tolerance. ”

Su Meiniang, who didn't understand what he was talking about at all, felt like a mist in the clouds and mountains, and was puzzled: "Husband, what did you say?" ”

Only then did he realize that he was Li Wenxuan, who was unscrupulous just now, and said with a smile: "What I said is nonsense." ”

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