Kou Zhong has found out about the purchase of a house. He coveted the position of chief steward as before, but it seemed that everything made Cheng Congyuan feel more and more relaxed, but even if the old guy was satisfied, he never showed his appearance, and he was still as still as if he was waiting for all the opportunities to surface, and finally he had to be skilled in fishing and collecting nets, which made Kou Zhong feel powerless.

Since then, the purchase of a house has not been worried, and Cheng Congyuan has also taken a break from here to find something else for the Ye Mansion. He found Ye Yongjia to discuss and discuss the shortcomings of the decision. The two sat facing each other, Ye Yongjia picked up the porcelain bowl on the table, sipped the tea in it, and stared at the horizontal lines of the wooden table, as if thinking about things; Cheng Congyuan squinted his eyes and looked through the account books reported everywhere, sometimes meditating on the accounts; It's all dead silent. After a long time, Ye Yongjia focused on his eyes and said: "I looked at this account and found that after our mansion bought the land on a large scale, the grain collected did not increase much......

"That's true," Cheng Congyuan slowly bowed his head, "I don't know if you have any insight into this?" Ye Yongjia lay back on the back of the chair and gently rubbed his eyebrows, "I see that the government recruits more homeless people and rents them from the fields, and the homeless people are in exile everywhere, there is no long-term cultivation of the field, and the technique of managing the field is stupid, and it is difficult to achieve great results, this is one of them; All the fields are supervised by the government, and if there is one more person in charge in the middle, it is inevitable that their people will be rich. It's easy to get rid of; But if you don't do it, I'm afraid that the peasants will have the opportunity to be idle, which is a big difficulty. He was speechless and thought again.

"Ye is worried." Cheng Congyuan said, "The Zhou family saw that our house had this drawback, and after a long memory, they hired farmers and paid back the monthly money, and everyone was eager to go to Zhou's house." I think it's okay to be like him. Ye Yongjia shook his head slightly: "The gourd drawn in the same way is not as real as the real one after all." ”

"Master's words are wonderful," Cheng Congyuan closed the account book completely, and said in a deep tone: "But the gourd in the painting may not be as beautiful as the real gourd." ”

Ye Yongjia suddenly got up: "What can Mr. Cheng do?" ”

"Naturally, you can't do it all," Cheng Congyuan smiled slyly: "Compared with monthly money, farmers prefer grain or something." Therefore, our government can make an appointment with them, and when the grain is harvested, the farmers will take three points of their own grain, and we will take seven points; In this way, they must have worked hard for food, and naturally they have to save supervision. ”

"I'm afraid the farmers won't come. They held the fixed moon silver in Zhou's house, but it could be kept for a long time; And once our government enacts this law, if there is a drought year, the peasants will not have a harvest. Mr. Cheng estimated, why did they come to my house to suffer this risk? ”

Cheng Congyuan was speechless for a while, and he didn't know where to start for a long time, so he frowned and thought deeply.

Ye Yongjia took a sip of tea and continued: "Mr. Cheng's method is very good, but there is something to be considered. I think that the monthly silver can be allocated on top of this system, and there is no need to give more, and it is enough to ensure the lives of those peasant households. If they do not want to be poor, they will reap more. There is no risk in this way, and they have made another effort, why does Mr. Cheng think it is? ”

Cheng Congyuan glanced at him appreciatively, and then let out a hearty laugh: "I didn't expect that Ye was even higher than me!" Over the past few years, I have seen a lot! ”

Ye Yongjia just smiled back, said "too good", paused for a moment, and then changed the conversation again: "Mr. Cheng has any news from the master in the past two days?" ”

Cheng Congyuan groaned slightly, his brows tightened, "There is a lot of news, but it's not good." So saying, he walked over to the table, holding it with one hand.

"Recently, the people on Liu Zhennian's side have launched an impeachment offensive, but only a few scattered people have written to the letter, and there is no sign of collapse for the time being; The person who can be sent said that Liu Zhennian is preparing to make a joint performance, and at that time he will be in a dilemma......" Ye Yongjia listened calmly, and his face was not very anxious. Cheng Congyuan glanced at him and sighed again: "Although the master sometimes plays some tricks on some people, he is a person with a strong temperament. He may not be able to handle the affairs of the court well, and in the face of this kind of thing, I am afraid it will make it worse. If it weren't for the fact that the old lady in the family had been seriously ill for a long time and needed me to come to the house to calm the situation, I really wanted to rush to the master's place! ”

"Yes, thinking that my mother's condition has deteriorated rapidly since the fall, it is really an internal and external trouble." Ye Yongjia sighed and rubbed his eyebrow bone. "There is nothing that can be done about this," Cheng Congyuan looked out the window, "Settle Zhou Jingshi's case first, this is the most important thing at the moment." ”

"Who will be sent to the trial?" Ye Yongjia put aside his worries for the time being and asked.

"Kouzhong." Cheng Congyuan flashed a smile.

A few minions opened the way in front, removed the firewood piled up in front of the utility room door, reached out to unlock the door, and stood on both sides of the door, looking directly at the arriving Kouzhong. "Go in." A minion stepped forward and said respectfully. Kou Zhong waved his hand, did not answer, and walked straight into the room. It was almost empty, and there was a thick layer of ash on the ground, which could be lifted up in the air by kicking it with a foot, and even blinded people's eyes. Zhou Jingshi was surrounded by several bundles of firewood, and he sat in the middle, his clothes so dirty that he couldn't see his original appearance.

"Steward Zhou, just admit the embezzlement, the people who bought the house have all been tried, and you have a lot of evidence here......" Kou Zhong spoke in a slow tone and persuaded gently. Zhou Jingshi slowly raised his head, his complicated expression revealed that he didn't know whether he was angry or sad, and looked at him fixedly. Kou Zhong was undisturbed and calm.

"Steward, I won't excuse myself, but you and I are just driven by interests to assist each other, please don't talk about kindness and righteousness, it's okay to confess." Kou Zhong had no shame and said softly.

"You still have the face to talk like that? ......" Zhou Jingshi's low voice was full of anger.

"If you don't talk about morality today, I'm afraid that Steward Zhou can't understand these things alone." Kou Zhong said calmly, "I'm here to ask the steward to confess your guilt, and I don't care about anything else." ”

"I'm dead now, and I can't help it if I don't recognize it!" He let out a long sigh and paused for a long time before he spoke, "I confess." Kou Zhong laughed, but didn't say anything.

"Good. If you are willing to confess your sin, you will go out with me, but the exact amount will have to be clarified with the people in the council room, and I am not qualified to ask about these things. Come on. With that, he made a 'please' gesture and asked Zhou Jingshi to get up.

"Can you wait a while?" Zhou Jingshi said, "Just for a while." ”

Kou Zhong sighed softly: "Yes, but Mr. Cheng can't wait too long." ”

"I understand." Zhou Jingshi closed his eyes, and then said, "I want to die clearly...... I would like to ask you a few things. ”

"Just ask."

"You never intended to be loyal to me from the beginning to the end?"

"Steward Zhou should be clear today." Kou Zhong deliberately did not answer.

"For what purpose do you harm me?"

Kou Zhong pondered for a long time and responded seriously: "I just want to get rid of your clamps." ”

"My clamps?" Zhou Jingshi asked.

"You may think I'm lying, but I do feel a feeling. This feeling fueled my desire for power, and it became almost hopeless," Kou Zhong stared at the peeling wall, as if talking to himself. "Whenever I feel that there is something I must obey, shackles arise in my heart; No matter how kind that man is to me, I will always sting as if I were living among thorns. No matter how much time is delayed, it cannot be overcome. ”

"I'm afraid you'll never be able to get rid of it, and you'll end up being spurned by others."

"As long as I don't hesitate to do it, one day I can reach the top and get rid of it completely." Kou Zhong turned his gaze back to Zhou Jingshi, and seemed to be angry at his words. "But Steward Zhou can't see it." Kou Zhong pretended to smile smugly.

Zhou Jing sneered ten times, turned his head away, and was silent.

After calming down for a while, Zhou Jingshi straightened his clothes, did not talk to Kou Zhong, and strode straight to the door; Kou Zhong smiled angrily and had to follow.

Zhou Jingshi was sent to the council hall by his subordinates, and Kou Zhong silently retreated after explaining the matter to Cheng Congyuan on the side. "Standing." Cheng Congyuan turned his back to him and shouted casually. Kou Zhong had to stand still, but he panicked, and his palms suddenly squeezed out large beads of sweat.

"It's nothing, the master wants to reward you personally, go to the back room to meet the master."

"Ah, yes." Kou Zhong agreed, and then he exhaled; Wiped his hand on his clothes, bowed to Cheng Congyuan, and walked forward with his head down. What are you afraid of him for no reason? Kou was puzzled.

Either way, this is the master. The back room of the council hall was originally for the old lady to instruct the servants here, but because the old lady became more and more unwell, she couldn't move, so she used this place as a resting place for Ye Yongjia to summon her subordinates.

Kou Zhong hadn't seen this master for a year or two, and when he knelt on the ground, he always had to get a glimpse of Ye Yongjia's appearance. I found that his eyes became more resolute, but he lacked something so-called vigorous; The body is not as thick as before.

"Kou Zhong, you are the first person to come forward to expose the purchase of a house, I deserve to see you and reward you personally." After that, Ye Yongjia took out a silver ticket from his sleeve, "This ticket is written in twenty taels of silver, which is a lot." He beckoned Kou Zhong to stretch out his hand and hand him the silver ticket.

"If you are willing to work hard, you may be able to succeed Mr. Cheng in the future."

"Thank you for your praise," Kou Zhong first smiled all over his face, and then suddenly looked hesitant, like a rat out of the middle of the night, and said thoughtfully: "But I am different from Mr. Cheng, maybe I am smarter than him...... Of course, it's all up to the master. ”

Ye Yongjia listened carefully to his words, and was silent for a long time before replying: "You are all just subordinates, how can you start talking about differences?" ”

"The slave doesn't want to be inferior to Mr. Cheng, it's just that the slave has something that can fit with the master, but Mr. Cheng has no such thing."

Kou Zhong continued, "Mr. Cheng is too concerned about the Ye Mansion, so he often ignores his master's thoughts. When Mr. Cheng killed Zhang Ping with a cane, the master himself knew that it was not good to say much as a slave; Of course, the slave is not a gentleman, but the master probably doesn't want to be surrounded by this kind of person. How many parties do you need to be loyal to your life? ”

"It's not your turn." A sneer appeared on Ye Yongjia's face, and he said resolutely.

"Sooner or later, the master will need me." Kou Zhong shook his head, rolled the silver ticket into his cuffs, and smiled at him: "Master, the slave takes his leave." Then she fell to her knees, staring at him with both eyes, waiting for a reply.

But there was no response at all. He could only kowtow and slowly withdraw.

The displaced people have all been expelled from the country, and they have no place in Jinan Mansion. Ye Fu naturally disregarded the livelihood of these people, and was busy recruiting farmers on a large scale, claiming that "the profits of the harvest will be distributed first, and the silver and grain will be distributed concurrently until the day", and dozens of peasant households came to invest in a few days, and many came from the Zhou family. Coupled with the corruption and bribery in the house, within a few months, the Ye family received a lot of grain, and the Zhou family was about to be incomparable. Cheng Congyuan also made a policy of buying people's hearts, and it seemed incumbent on him to release relief and disaster relief and other things, and even those people who had not been relieved were vying to praise the good governance of the Ye Mansion, and the Ye family seemed to be a prestigious family, which could be described as having both wealth and prestige.

It just so happened that these two days were to worship the ancestors, Cheng Congyuan suggested that Ye Yongjia take this opportunity to make a big show and show the prestige of Ye Mansion, Ye Yongjia agreed happily, but it seemed to have ulterior motives, and no one could know about it. Cheng Congyuan suddenly had scruples in his heart, but he didn't dare to ask, so he had to squint his eyes and look out at the gloomy space, and then hurriedly retreated.

Tomorrow after the discussion, the weather became surprisingly good, and the servants of the Ye Mansion were clustered in front and back, and in the middle were Ye and Cheng, like a array. The sound of gongs and drums was noisy and crowded into the avenue of Jinan City; Ye Yongjia was riding on a dark horse, his eyes sweeping into the distance. Suddenly, many people were attracted to the crowd on both sides of the road, cheers mixed with gongs and drums, and the noisy sound vibrated inside and outside the city, and some people stopped directly in front of them, most of whom were donated by the Endeye Mansion.

Kou Zhongxing was at the front, also sitting on his horse, and immediately shouted: "Everyone! My master inherits the wish of my ancestors, and it is bound to let the people of Jinan City enjoy peace forever! Why do you need to be so excited? It's all within my purview! After that, it attracted a wave of cries. Cheng Congyuan glanced at Kou Zhong, then turned his head and talked to Ye Yongjia.

"Mr. Cheng, wait a minute. Seeing that the people in front of me were so supportive, I have to say that it is not too late to say something another day. ”

Cheng Congyuan nodded: "There are many people in front, so be careful." Ye Yongjia agreed, pulled the reins slowly, and walked to Kou Zhong in front. Kou Zhong took a few steps back, and he shouted at the forefront: "Although everyone is grateful to my Ye family for their virtue, if our house is not prosperous, how can we have surplus wealth to help the poor?" In this way, this man should be praised even more! ”

Saying that, Ye Yongjia pulled Kou Zhong over: "This person's name is Kou Zhong, he pickets corrupt criminals in the mansion, is fair and honest, and changes the atmosphere!" If there is no such move, I am afraid that there will be no prosperity today, and I am afraid that there will be no support from everyone! Kou Zhong listened and looked at the master stupidly.

Cheng Congyuan could also hear it clearly behind him, and those words were very harsh. He pressed the wrath, consternation, and grief mixed in his heart, and his eyes looked straight at Kou Zhong. Seeing that some people heartily took off their red robes and threw them to Kou Zhong, Kou Zhong put the robe firmly on his body, stretched out his arms, and could not hear his voice in the noisy crowd, but as if he was boasting about his exploits, just like a soldier returning from the war.

……

This is a clever plan that the master has come up with. Cheng Congyuan's mind cleared up a little. That's a trick to get the upstarts to power. Cheng Congyuan washed his face, and put his hands behind his back in the house, facing the beams of the room.

"A heroic character with a clean and upright spirit!" The people on the road cried out.

This is equivalent to erasing the original Kou Zhong and replacing it with a whitewashed appearance.

What are you worried about here? It's just a matter of a moment. He instantly felt that Kou Zhong was not worth mentioning, and the master still had a lot of trust in him, and such an opportunistic villain would not be glamorous for a few days. Besides, there are many means of countermeasures, and Kou Zhong can only look up to his master alone. Thinking of this, he closed his eyes smoothly, and his mind was very clear at this moment. Cheng Congyuan is no longer worried about this, but the crisis in the distant Jingshi has not yet made him easy.