Chen Jingzong's monthly salary as a fourth-rank official was 12 taels, which meant he could only earn more than 140 taels a year, and that was without any salary deductions.
Of course, he also received a salary as a princess consort, but he gave that salary to Huayang to manage, and he didn't even bother to ask Huayang for money to spend.
In any case, four hundred taels is not a small amount. If this silver was really donated by Xiang Baoshan, Wang Feihu, Lin Yan, and Lu Da, it means that they each took out about one year's salary to honor him.
If Chen Jingzong was greedy for money, he would be very happy at this moment.
But Chen Jingzong only coveted two things since he was a child. One was fine wine, and he wanted to drink a few sips at every meal. The other was living a life of luxury in Ningyuan, and he wanted to sleep with him several times every night.
Smiling, Chen Jingzong closed the envelope and put it in his arms.
When he walked out of the room and met Xiang Baoshan and others while patrolling the guard post, Chen Jingzong either smiled and exchanged glances with them, or chatted with them for a while, but never mentioned the matter of "feelings".
Lu Da didn't know anything about the money and just kept doing his own thing.
Xiang, Wang and Lin found an opportunity to meet.
Wang Feihu asked anxiously: "Has the silver been sent out?"
Xiang Baoshan smiled and nodded.
Wang Feihu breathed a sigh of relief, and then looked down on Chen Jingzong: "It turns out that he only cares about money."
He is greedy for money, beauty, and power, but he also knows that some people are only greedy for one or two things. If they meet someone they are not interested in, they will not care even if others regard them as a hot commodity.
Lin Yan thought, "We should observe him for a while to confirm whether he is the same as us."
Xiang Baoshan: "Yes, let's take another look."
Outside, Chen Jingzong and Fugui were walking around aimlessly.
There were a total of 5,600 soldiers in the garrison, 2,000 of whom were combat soldiers who had to practice martial arts all year round. The rest were called garrison soldiers who were responsible for cultivating the military fields allocated to the garrison by the court. They worked in the fields during the busy farming season and went to the barracks for training during the slack farming season. In this way, the court could use one soldier to support another and reduce its burden.
But these are the rules set by Taizu, who has been dead for more than 200 years, and the rules are always dead. Today, some garrisons in various places may still strictly follow the rules, but most garrisons have loopholes in management. Either the military fields and military pay are occupied by local generals and officials, or the soldiers are used as ordinary laborers by senior officials to do private work. Anyone with a little power is busy enriching themselves, and the soldiers at the bottom suffer. It is said that many soldiers deserted because of the withholding of military pay and enslavement and harsh treatment.
The farther away from the capital, the more serious the situation is.
Wherever Chen Jingzong's eyes passed, the soldiers were either pretending to drill listlessly, or simply sitting on the ground to rest.
Chen Jingzong observed them, and the soldiers were also observing him and talking quietly.
"Is this the new deputy commander, the emperor's son-in-law?"
"At first glance, he is a rich boy's gigolo. Women like him. He looks good but is useless."
"No, he is the son of Elder Chen. Elder Chen is also from Lingzhou and Shiqiao Town. Last year, when the town was hit by a flood, Elder Chen personally led the people of our town to avoid the disaster. Afterwards, he even took food from his home to give to several families of the victims."
"Humph, they are just pretending. There are few good officials among these officials. When they were not rich, they all disliked corrupt officials. But when they got promoted, they were more corrupt than anyone else!"
Some people have loud voices, some have soft voices.
When Fugui heard a few words, he was so angry that he was about to roll up his sleeves.
Chen Jingzong held him down and went to the barracks where the soldiers lived. To his surprise, he found some soldiers still sleeping in their beds!
Chen Jingzong suddenly understood how the old man felt when he was furious because he deliberately slept in.
With such a military spirit, when the imperial court really wants to mobilize troops to fight, these soldiers will only die in vain if sent to the front line.
"Go in and tie him up!"
The big bunk bed was filled with the smell of feet and sweat from all the rough men. Chen Jingzong lowered the curtain and it seemed as if the fat butt of the lazy soldier who was in a hurry to put on his pants on the kang was still swaying in front of him. How unlucky!
Fugui immediately instructed the two soldiers outside the door to go in and get the person.
The two soldiers looked at each other, both cowering and not daring to move. One of them whispered, "Sir, he is Mr. Wang's brother-in-law, Huang Youcai!"
Lord Wang's brother-in-law rarely comes to the garrison. He stays at home with his wife, eating and drinking delicious food, and earns a white-collar salary. This time, because the son-in-law has just taken office, Lord Wang has made an appointment in advance, so Huang Youcai rushed over last night, cursing, and brought two pots of wine to play cards. He kept making a fuss until midnight, slept late, and simply stayed up in the morning, thinking that others would not notice that one person was missing.
Fugui said, "Huang Youcai is a piece of shit. It's no use calling him Huang Caishen. Are you going or not? If not, I'll spank you two too!"
The two soldiers saw that the prince consort had a stern face and thought that even Wang Feihu had to please this master, so they rushed in to arrest him without hesitation.
Huang Youcai had just put on his trousers and his cotton coat when he was held down by two people.
"You two, are you really brave?" Huang Youcai cursed in a low voice.
The two soldiers were often bullied by him. Now that they had someone to back them up, they took the opportunity to vent their anger. While tying the man up, they pretended to be embarrassed: "The Prince Consort has given an order, we dare not disobey! Don't worry, wait for Lord Wang to come, and beg for mercy. The Prince Consort will definitely let you go!"
Huang Youcai snorted and said nothing more.
Chen Jingzong went to the drill ground first and asked all the soldiers to gather there.
Luda was here, looking at him indifferently.
Xiang Baoshan, Wang Feihu and Lin Yan hurried over after hearing the news. Before they could ask any questions, they saw Fugui driving Huang Youcai, who was tied with ropes, over like a beast.
"Brother-in-law! Save me!"
Huang Youcai shouted loudly!
Wang Feihu: …
He looked at Chen Jingzong flatteringly.
Chen Jingzong looked back and asked, "Military discipline is as heavy as a mountain. He is flouting military discipline and still sleeping at this hour. What crime should he be punished for?"
Wang Feihu: …
He looked at Xiang Baoshan for help. He and Lin Yan each paid 200 taels of the 400 taels. He couldn't just let the money go to waste, right
Xiang Baoshan looked at the soldiers who had gathered together. Even though he was used to being domineering and never took the soldiers seriously, he was justified in his words. Now that Huang Youcai was caught by Chen Jingzong, how could he, as the commander, openly show partiality in public
Not only could he not help, Xiang Baoshan also righteously reprimanded Huang Youcai, and said to Chen Jingzong in shame: "My mother was ill a few days ago, and I was at home taking care of her. I didn't expect the people under me to be so lazy. I am really ashamed."
Chen Jingzong said politely, "It must be that you are too lenient in normal times, which has made them bold. Now that they have been brought here, please announce the punishment to serve as a warning to others and restore military discipline."
After saying that, he gave the middle seat to Xiang Baoshan.
Xiang Baoshan walked over with a serious face and announced the punishment for Huang Youcai with great righteousness.
Huang Youcai had his mouth gagged with a rag, and was pressed on a bench and had his pants stripped off.
Chen Jingzong looked away and only heard the dull sound of the military stick hitting the fat.
After being hit with twenty military sticks, Huang Youcai's white buttocks turned red and he fainted.
Wang Feihu was sweating profusely. He could already imagine how his wife at home would cry and scold him when she heard about this.
After the punishment was completed, Xiang Baoshan solemnly introduced Chen Jingzong to the soldiers and asked Chen Jingzong to say a few words.
Chen Jingzong looked at the tall, short, fat and thin figures and asked Xiang Baoshan: "Are all the 5,600 soldiers in the garrison here except those on guard?"
It was obvious that the number of people was seriously insufficient. Xiang Baoshan smiled and said perfunctorily: "Last year, the military farm had a poor harvest, so I took advantage of the slack season and sent some people to open up the wasteland."
Chen Jingzong: "Each garrison has a fixed amount of military land. Reclamation needs to be reported to the Ministry of War. For now, let's exempt them. Call them back tomorrow and I'll talk about it when everyone is ready."
Xiang Baoshan's eyes changed slightly, but he still agreed.
Chen Jingzong continued to inspect various places in the garrison. After a tour, he had a basic understanding of the situation. He called Xiang Baoshan, Wang Feihu, Lin Yan, Lu Da, as well as the garrison's armory envoy and horse breeder over.
The Wubeikushi was responsible for supervising the construction and repair of military supplies such as barracks, weapons, and armor.
As the name suggests, the horse breeder is responsible for taking care of the horses in the garrison, including replacing saddles, reins and horseshoes.
The six people looked at Chen Jingzong in confusion.
Chen Jingzong took out the red envelope from his arms.
Xiang Baoshan, Wang Feihu and Lin Yanju's eyes twitched.
Chen Jingzong took out 100 taels to give to the horse-raising officer and 300 taels to the armory officer, explaining: "This morning, Lord Xiang gave me a sum of military supplies. I have inspected it and found that many weapons in our garrison are blunt, and some of the guns have cracks. They all need to be replaced, including some war horses. The old ones should be replaced with new ones in time. I will give you the silver and you will handle it separately. You must keep an account of any expenses. I will review them one by one with you in a month. If there is any mistake, replace the people as soon as possible."
The armory officer and the horse breeder looked at each other and realized that what they were holding in their hands were not silver bills but two fires.
It's easy to tell that these four hundred taels are a gift from Xiang Baoshan and others to the Prince Consort!
Lu Da was very happy. He had long disliked Xiang Baoshan and others, and now finally someone came who was unwilling to go along with them!
"What are you still standing there for? The Prince Consort has already given you a deadline. If you fail to meet it by then, you will all be punished by military law!"
Luda scolded the two officials.
The two of them stole a glance at Xiang Baoshan.
Xiang Baoshan nodded imperceptibly. Never mind. The four hundred taels would be just a stepping stone. Now the result was out. Chen Jingzong was a troublemaker!
.
As the sun was setting, the prince consort, who had been bullying his way through the day in the garrison, finally rode back to the city on horseback.
Xiang Baoshan accompanied them all the way with a smile on his face. After they separated inside the city gate, Xiang Baoshan rode his horse at full speed and headed straight for the Prince of Xiang's Palace.
"Father-in-law, Chen Jingzong is a tough guy. He is not greedy for sex or money. He used the 400 taels we prepared for military supplies. He also wants to summon all the soldiers. Today I said I would send them to open up the wasteland. He gave me face and didn't ask any further questions. But from the look on his face, if everyone is not there tomorrow, he will dare to ask me to take him to check the wasteland. Father-in-law, what should I do?"
There was no such thing as land reclamation. The King of Xiang wanted to build a villa, but he didn't want to spend money hiring workers, so he mobilized more than a thousand soldiers to do the work.
Prince Xiang narrowed his eyes, but was not too surprised. After all, they were Chen Tingjian's sons, and they were all noble.
If Chen Tingjian came, the King of Xiang would really have no choice, but Chen Jingzong...
The King of Xiang smiled and said, "It's okay. Take all the soldiers on the construction site back first. I will prepare a generous gift tonight, and the princess will present it to the princess tomorrow. Once the matter is settled, you can send those soldiers over."
All wives in the world have to listen to their husbands, and all princes-in-law have to listen to the princesses.
Chen Jingzong was not greedy for money. The spoiled little princess in the palace was ignorant of the sufferings of the world. How could she not like gold, silver and jewelry
As long as he could control Princess Huayang and let her take care of Chen Jingzong, Chen Jingzong would naturally behave himself.
Xiang Baoshan hesitated and asked, "What if the princess and Chen Jingzong are on the same page?"
Prince Xiang narrowed his eyes and said, "No hurry, let the princess go and test it first."
After Xiang Baoshan left, the King of Xiang went to the storehouse with his hands behind his back, and picked and picked among the room full of gold, silver, jewelry, jade, coral, and famous paintings and calligraphy, and finally picked out two items.
Bringing gifts to the princess, Prince Xiang gave her detailed instructions.
Princess Xiang lowered her eyes, listened quietly, and nodded from time to time.
After finishing his business, the King of Xiang said with regret, "It's a pity that I can't go there in person. Princess, you must find a way to get close to her and invite her to our palace in the future."
Upon hearing this, a trace of disgust flashed across Princess Xiang's eyes, but it disappeared in an instant.
(End of this chapter)