"Yes, Shizifei!" Zhu Xing accepted the order respectfully.
Niu Changan instantly lost all his strength and almost collapsed on the ground, with only one thought in his mind: It's over! It's all over now!
"No--" Niu Chang'an suddenly screamed loudly, "You can't sell me... yes, you can't sell me! I didn't sell myself to the Xiao family, you don't have my contract of selling myself, and you don't have the right to sell me."
Nangong Yue's eyes moved slightly, but she was slightly surprised.
But any big family with a little background would not use a servant who has not signed a death contract, let alone let him manage such a large village. However, at this time, he was able to say such words, obviously what he said was true. But, so what?!
The corners of Nangong Yue's lips curled up, and she said lightly: "So I'm still a fugitive slave... Butler Zhu, I'll trouble you to report to the government later, saying that this concubine accidentally lost a contract of selling herself as a servant, so that I can let you go." They made a new one."
Power is a good thing, regardless of whether this Niu Changan has a physical contract or not, and whether he is a good citizen, since he works in the village under Xiao Yi's name, if Nangong Yue says he is a slave, he is a slave!
Niu Changan Wan didn't expect this to happen, he was dumbfounded and collapsed on the ground.
His body was immediately wet, and there was a fishy smell.
Fearing that he would bump into Nangong Yue, Xiao Ying and Xiao An stepped forward and dragged him out from left to right. Along the way, they heard Niu Changan yelling incoherently, "No... Uncle! Uncle! Help! You can't Sold me! Uncle! Ah--"
Crack! Crack!
The muffled sound of the thick and strong wooden stick hitting the flesh overlapped with Niu Changan's heart-piercing screams, and it sounded very creepy...
"As for these people." Nangong Yue glanced at the bloodless hooligans who were kneeling on the ground, and said casually, "Send them to the government. They used to be fish and meat neighbors, but today they are trying to find my concubine again." Life, how to deal with it, just follow Dayu's law."
According to Dayu's law, at least three thousand miles is the journey.
Zhu Xing responded, retreated, and ordered people to find Ren Yazi and the government servants to come over without mentioning it.
Outside the courtyard, the boards were still beating.
Temporarily unable to find a wooden board for execution, Xiao An simply found a wooden stick as thick as an arm, lifted it high and dropped it heavily, hitting with full force every time.
Watching the beating with sticks, and seeing Niu Chang'an's skin torn to pieces, the veterans and the onlookers felt very happy, and half of the bad breath in their hearts seemed to disappear.
Although Niu Guanshi was not caught, Niu Changan was not inferior to his uncle at all, and now he has finally received retribution, God has eyes! They stared at the execution board, only hoping to be beaten. Get heavier, get heavier!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The wooden stick was still falling down one after another, Xiao An hit a stick, and Xiao Ying counted: "... twenty, twenty one..."
At the beginning, Niu Changan was still screaming and begging for mercy, but soon, he was screaming until his voice became hoarse, and the pain was so painful that he wished he could pass out, but he couldn't. When Xiao Ying saw him leaning over, he immediately poured a bucket of cold water on his head, and continued beating.
Martial arts practitioners like them are quite sure about the strength in their hands, enough to beat him to half-death, but they just keep him from dying!
"...forty-six, forty-seven..." Xiao Ying continued to count down until the last "fifty".
After the solid fifty sticks were beaten, Niu Changan was already lying there half dead, unable to even make a sound of wailing, his back was bloody and bloody, and only the slight ups and downs of his body remained to show that he still had a breath.
Xiao Ying stuffed a heart-protecting pill into his mouth to ensure that he would survive and go to the Northwest Kuyao alive. Otherwise, if he just died like this, it would be too cheap for him.
Although these fifty sticks cannot undo the past damage, they can relieve the resentment accumulated in the heart for many years. Whether it is the tenants watching around or the veterans in the hall, they all feel indescribably relieved.
I don't know who smashed the first rotten egg in his hand, and then all the rotten fruits and vegetables fell on Niu Chang'an. anger...
Nangong Yue didn't ask anyone to stop her. These tenants have suffered a lot, and it's time for them to vent their grievances and anger.
Not long after, the guards and Ren Yazi arrived. At this time, Niu Changan was already smelling bad, as if he had fallen into a cesspit and was picked up again.
The guard saluted Nangong Yue respectfully in the courtyard, and took the gangsters away, promising to "take good care" of them. And Ren Yazi didn't dare to be negligent at all, after receiving Zhu Xing's money, he quickly dragged away the half-dead Zhu Changan, and swore that he would make him alive.
After these people were gone, the courtyard became quiet, which made the veterans feel unreal. They looked at each other in blank dismay, everything that happened today was so sudden that they have not recovered until now.
The imperial concubine dealt with Niu Chang'an in such a grand manner, was it really because the Niu family acted recklessly without telling the eldest son, or did they have other intentions
The suspicious eyes of the veterans fell on Nangong Yue, and Nangong Yue was not embarrassed by this. It is easy to destroy a person's trust, but not so easy to rebuild it.
However, time sees people's hearts.
Nangong Yue got up, walked to the door, and raised her voice to the tenants outside the courtyard, "I will order a new steward to come over later. Starting this year, rent will be exempted for three years, and after three years, the rent will be adjusted to 20%. There will be no rent increase for ten years. In addition..." She said, and then instructed Zhu Xing, "This steward Niu is just a servant, so he is not qualified to own private property. Butler Zhu, you will bring some people later and let him own everything. All the private property of the village was confiscated, and all the rent collected this year was refunded. The rest of the money will be used to repair the houses of the tenants in the village and buy a few cows. In addition, if the tenants have sold their children, you should try your best Find a way to buy people back."
Zhu Xing respectfully agreed.
For Nangong Yue, even if the rent here is exempted for more than ten or twenty years, it will not have any impact. But people's hearts are unpredictable. One year or two years, it will be regarded as the grace of the master, but after getting used to it, it will be taken for granted, and there may be troubles again at that time. Make a rule that rent-free for three years is enough to recuperate, and if there is any famine in the future, the rent will be reduced or exempted.
As for the new steward, Nangong Yue thought about it, and finally decided to let her companion take over.
If a little daughter-in-law has just entered the house, she meddles in her husband's property and arbitrarily arranges her companion room. If it falls into Xiao Fang's ears, this "crime" is really serious. In fact, at such a time, it would be more appropriate to have a child from the palace, but... Nangong Yue once again deeply felt that Xiao Yi's background was still too weak.
Forget it, take your time.
Anyway, the capital is far away from the southern border. In the capital, she is the biggest! Xiao Fang wants to teach her a lesson, but he can't do it.
Nangong Yue's few words were like a drop of water falling into a hot oil pan, and the surrounding tenants exploded all of a sudden. They couldn't believe their ears, and whispered to the people around them to confirm that the prince Is the concubine really wanting rent-free children? Do you want to build a house and buy cattle for them
How good will their days be!
And those tenants who had to sell their children were crying bitterly. Several women covered their faces with their hands and began to cry.
The tenants of Liuhezhuang finally made it through!
"thump!"
The clever Mrs. Yang was the first to kneel down on the slate floor, raised her arms and kowtowed: "Thank you for your kindness and virtue!"
Seeing this, the others knelt down one by one, kowtowed and shouted:
"Thank you, Shiziye, Shizifei!"
"The concubine is really the reincarnation of Guanyin Bodhisattva, so merciful and merciful!"
"Our days will be better in the future..."
"..."
While talking, several tenants couldn't help but shed hot tears. It is said that men don't flick their tears lightly. They quietly wiped away the tears with their sleeves. After thanking them, they hurried back and went to Family and friends report the good news...
This year, they can all have a good year!
No, not only this year, but also in the future, they can live a good life!
After the tenants gradually dispersed, Nangong Yue walked up to these veterans again. She looked at them and said with guilt: "The son of the world brought you here for the purpose of taking care of you. Although something like this happened, But I still hope that you can continue to stay here, and I can guarantee that there will never be a second time." She paused, and then added, "... If you want to leave, you can, but at least you have to wait for the son to come from here. When Nan Jiang came back, he personally made amends with you."
The oldest one-armed veteran looked at Nangong Yue with scorching eyes, and after a while, said, "Is the concubine Shi Zi wanting to continue to imprison us?"
As soon as this remark came out, the veterans who had already calmed down were commotioning again. Baihe and Baihui couldn't help stepping forward to protect Nangong Yue.
Nangong Yue was noncommittal, and this was indeed one of the reasons. Xiao Yi was in a difficult situation in southern Xinjiang, and these veterans obviously still harbored resentment towards him. If they go back now, if they talk about it with people they know well, it will inevitably cause turmoil in the army, which is not good for Xiao Yi's safety. What's more, Xiao Yi brought these veterans to the capital for the purpose of serving them, and fulfilling their relationship with the old prince. Now even if Xiao Yi is not around, she still has to take care of this matter!
Nangong Yue didn't avoid his gaze, instead she asked instead: "I heard from Uncle Chu that what Guanshi Niu told you is that the prince brought you to the capital because of the request of the concubine, is that right or not?"
The one-armed veteran didn't speak, his face was full of sarcasm.
"Then do you still remember what Niu Chang'an said just now?" Nangong Yue said with a stern look, "He kept claiming that his uncle was Wang Hao's real uncle!"
The face of the one-armed veteran changed suddenly. If Nangong Yue hadn't reminded him, he would have almost ignored it.
The veterans also looked at each other in blank dismay. They were all from southern Xinjiang, so they naturally knew that the concubine, Xiao Fang, was the concubine of the Fang family.
If it was because the princess felt pity for them that the prince brought them to the capital, why would it be the princess' own uncle who abused them
And that steward Niu often claimed that the elder son asked him to do this.
What exactly is going on
The doubts and contradictions in it make it difficult for them not to study it carefully.
The veterans couldn't help but have a thought in their hearts: Could it be that they really wronged the son
Thinking about it carefully, it is not impossible. After all, Steward Niu bears the name of the eldest son Xiao Yi from the beginning to the end, and they have never met Xiao Yi from the beginning to the end... Unknowingly, some veterans began to waver. I wondered if I was blinded by a moment of anger. Even the eyes of the one-armed veteran were not as sharp as before.
Nangong Yue breathed a sigh of relief, but she didn't continue to explain after saying this.
Now it's just a matter of making them suspicious of what Manager Niu said, it's not beautiful to talk too much.
It takes a long time to see people's hearts.
Nangong Yue's voice was soft, but she continued forcefully: "The prince brought you to the capital not because of anyone's pleading, but because you are old people who have been with the old prince. Just for this, for It is also what the elder son should do for you to take care of your retirement. The elder son is not in the capital now, and I will take care of your life in the future."
As she spoke, she walked back to the main seat and ordered Zhou Dacheng to settle these veterans.
The houses that Niu Changan arranged for them before were either remodeled pig sheds or crumbling dilapidated houses. Those houses must not be able to live anymore; moreover, the clothes they wore and the bedding they used were even worse than beggars; and these The veterans have old injuries to some extent, and the torture of this year has hurt their foundations even more. We need to ask a doctor to take a good look...
These things can't be done in a day or two.
Nangong Yue simply spent money and asked Zhu Xing to temporarily hire a few people from the young and middle-aged tenants to renovate all the houses in the village, including building new houses for the veterans, and promised to have three meals a day.
Not only was there money, but also white rice and white flour steamed buns to feed them. In addition, they were repairing their own houses.
After picking enough people, they hired some women to cook and deliver water for them.
As for the veterans who had nowhere to live temporarily, Nangong Yue made the decision to let them live in the main house first, and then sent them to go to the tailor shop to buy ready-made clothes and invite a doctor.
Nangong Yue ordered in an orderly manner, while Zhou Dacheng was sweating profusely, wishing that he would have two more legs and four hands.
Everything is going on in an orderly manner.
The veterans discussed and exited the house, but they did not leave, but stood in the yard, watching all this. Although they still had wariness in their eyes, the engraved resentment just now had faded a lot.
On the other side, Zhu Xing managed to push all the trivial matters to Zhou Dacheng, and was reporting to Nangong Yue: "Shizi Concubine. The subordinate just asked Niu Changan. The uncle Zheng he was talking about was named Zheng Zhi. He comes from southern Xinjiang, he will come every six months, and Niu Guanshi will take away 70% of Zhuangzi's income... "
Before Ren Yazi came, Zhu Xing followed Nangong Yue's order and interrogated the half-dead Niu Chang'an.
"Approximately how much every six months?"
"Niu Chang'an is a jerk, he can't remember much, he only knows that his uncle just gave him three thousand taels of silver before he left."
Nangong Yue sneered, "That is to say, there are at least five or six thousand taels of silver every year..." She recalled, and said, "The account book that Liu Hezhuang handed over may indicate that this year's harvest is not good, so we can only hand it in. Three hundred taels of silver."
Zhu Xing was sweating profusely. He also looked through the account books, but he only saw that there were profits. Who knew that the accounts had such a big loophole.
Nangong Yue pondered for a moment, then asked again: "Then Guanshi Niu is really the uncle of Princess Ji?"
"Niu Chang'an said so." Zhu Xing thought about it carefully, and said with some uncertainty, "But I really don't know the name of Princess Ji's aunt."
"Has the manager of Liuhe Village ever changed?"
Zhu Xing shook his head and looked at Nangong Yue innocently, expressing that he didn't know.
Nangong Yue was helpless, so she asked him to find an older woman, and asked the same question again.
This old woman has lived in Liuhe Manor all her life, and said hurriedly after hearing the words: "My concubine, concubine, we have changed! Our steward has been changed!"
really…
Nangong Yue asked, "When did it happen?"
"About a year after the old prince passed away, Steward Niu came." The woman had a miserable look on her face, and from that day on, their life became more and more miserable. The family is the son of the world, the master of the world raises our rent in different ways every year, and it is all used for eating, drinking and having fun."
They ruined Xiao Yi's reputation like this, which made Nangong Yue very unhappy. But she still restrained herself, comforted the woman and asked some more about Steward Niu, and asked Baihui to send her back.
Zhu Xing's face turned dark when he heard it. He didn't expect that Xiao Fang would be so bold. As soon as the old prince left, he stretched out his hand into the property of the son of the son! If the concubine did not find out early, the reputation of the son of the son would have been destroyed. I'm afraid it will be completely destroyed...or it has already been destroyed! Zhu Xing was full of remorse, and the old prince went forward and entrusted all the property in their hands, but they failed to take care of it for the son.
Really death is not enough to forgive sins!
"However." Nangong Yue thought about it and said, "How did Concubine Ji know that the old prince left this place to the son. How much does she know about the other properties of the son?"
Zhu Xing couldn't answer. It stands to reason that when the old prince left these properties to the son, even the prince didn't know, otherwise he wouldn't have given them for safekeeping.
Nangong Yue lowered her eyes slightly, and said after a while: "Let's not mention these things for now, you can check them slowly when you get back. Go do your work first."
Zhu Xing responded and retreated, leaving only Nangong Yue still thinking.
Liuhezhuang is busy up and down, but for all the tenants, this kind of busyness is really sweet. It was only a long time ago, but the whole Zhuangzi felt as if it had taken on a new look. This feeling did not come from any change in the appearance of Zhuangzi, but that the people here, from the tenants to the servants, seemed to have gained a new life, and they all became radiant. Glow, they all see the hope of life, they know their life will get better and better!
He was busy until the sun went down, and when the new steward rushed over with Bai He's order, and Zhu Xing explained everything to him, Nangong Yue's carriage set off on its way back under the setting sun.
She planned to leave quietly, but she couldn't hide it from the eyes of the tenants. She spread the word to ten, ten to hundreds... The carriage had only driven a few dozen feet, and Zhu Xing heard the movement behind.
When he turned his head and looked back, his eyes were red and he couldn't move. He saw the densely packed tenants not far away kneeling on the ground, silently kowtowing farewell to the direction of the carriage. Even those veterans who were hostile to them appeared in the crowd, standing still and watching them.
Zhu Xing was a little choked up, wiped the corners of his eyes, and continued to ride the horse forward, but looked at the carriage beside him, feeling awe in his heart.
Originally, Zhu Xing respected Nangong Yue only because he liked her, and because Nangong Yue had saved Qian Moyang again.
But this time, he was completely convinced by her.
He couldn't help but think of what Cheng Yu once told him, that a good mistress can not only make the rear house stable, but also be a helper for the son. At that time, he just heard the wind blowing by his ears and didn't pay much attention to it. Until now, this sentence came to his mind again.
What Cheng Yu said was right, to be able to marry Princess Yaoguang is indeed the blessing of the eldest son!
At this moment, Zhu Xing was convinced by Nangong Yue!
Nangong Yue in the carriage also learned about the tenants and veterans seeing them off in Lily's eloquent narration, but she was not relieved by this, but felt a little heavy instead.
Whether it is these tenants or veterans, they are all simple people who just want to live a good life of their own in peace and security, but sometimes even that little prayer can become so difficult...
Along the way, Nangong Yue has been lost in thought.
There are many properties under Xiao Yi's name. So far, she has only read part of Zhuangzi's account books, and these alone are already full of chaos. This is the case with Liuhe Zhuang, but she doesn't know what about other Zhuangzi, especially those Zhuangzi in the south of the Yangtze River, and it is impossible for her to go there herself... She has to find a way to completely rectify it.
Otherwise, it will only give the villain an opportunity to take advantage of.
And that steward...
Amidst Nangong Yue's thousands of thoughts, about an hour later, the carriage arrived outside the city gate.
Unexpectedly, the gate of the city was unexpectedly lively. The carriage stopped outside the gate of the south city, and only heard the sound of chattering and chattering outside the car. Obviously, there were quite a few people at the gate of the city...
Lily hurriedly opened the curtain and took a look outside, then turned her head and said: "Concubine Shizi, there are people serving porridge at the gate of the city."
Giving porridge? Nangong Yue was also a little surprised. She opened some curtains and took a look outside, only to see that there were indeed a few people outside the city gate who had set up a few big wooden buckets and were giving porridge. Into a long queue waiting to receive porridge.
Nangong Yue put down the curtains and looked away. A family who can serve porridge at the gate of the city and make the gate crowded but no one stops it is definitely not an ordinary family.
Baihe also thought of this, without Nangong Yue's order, she said: "Concubine Shizi, servant girl, go down and find out who is giving the porridge..." She jumped out of the carriage after speaking.
After a while, the carriage began to move forward slowly again... Just after passing the city gate, Lily jumped onto the carriage nimbly again, her eyes sparkling, she looked very excited and said: "Shizifei, it turns out that she is serving porridge at the gate of the city." Those are people from the Zhang family."
When Zhang? When mentioning this surname, the first thing Nangong Yue thought of was "Zhang" of Concubine Zhang, and Baihe immediately confirmed her guess: "It's Zhang Mianzhi, Mr. Zhang's residence. I heard that Mrs. Zhang was in the residence these two days." The eminent monks of Bailong Temple were invited to do the deeds, and porridge sheds were set up at the gates of the four city gates, so the beggars and common people in the capital flocked to the gates of the four gates."
Nangong Yue said lightly: "Old Madam Zhang has a heart."
"However, there are guards at the city gate to help maintain order, and the city gate is not so crowded. The city gate will be blocked just now, as long as there are a lot of people going out of the city..." At this point, Lily paused deliberately, and then Then he said, "Those people came from the nearby Zhengyang Town to participate in today's medical dialectical meeting. The dialectical meeting has just ended, and they are rushing back to Zhengyang Town before the city gate is closed."
Nangong Yue was startled, a little dumbfounded, and said doubtfully: "I remember that the post from the Dialectical Association was only sent to the Supreme Hospital and a dozen medical clinics in the capital?"
When Lin Jingchen wrote the post the day before yesterday, Lily was also in the Lin Mansion. Of course she knew about it, so she asked someone curiously just now.
"Concubine Shizi, you don't know," Bai He replied with a smile, "The fact that Mrs. Lin wants to hold a dialectical meeting on medical skills has not only alarmed the entire capital, but also the medical clinics and pharmacies in several nearby towns. I said it, so everyone came to watch the fun. Those who are related, all took advantage of other people's posts and entered the venue today!"
This was beyond Nangong Yue's expectation.
I don't know if my grandfather has gained anything. Nangong Yue originally wanted to go to Lin's Mansion instead, but after thinking about it again, her grandfather must be tired after a hard day, so let's go tomorrow.
Anyway, it's not bad for the day.
Nangong Yue originally planned this way, but she didn't expect that as soon as she got out of the carriage, she saw Huamei waiting there, and reported: "Shizi Concubine, Master Lin Biao has come here with a stick of incense, and is waiting for you in the front yard."
Nangong Yue immediately thought that Lin Ziran came to her for the medical dialectical meeting, so she quickly asked Huamei to take Lin Ziran to the outer study in the front yard, and after tidying up her clothes, she also went there.
After the two met in the study room, Lin Ziran took out a letter, and said straight to the point: "Cousin Yue, my grandfather asked me to hand this letter to you personally." I know what it is for, but since my grandfather made this request and sealed the envelope with wax, the content of this letter must be of great importance.
Nangong Yue didn't open it in a hurry, but asked with a smile: "Cousin, please tell me about today's dialectical meeting. I originally planned to go, but I have something to do, so I left the city."
Lin Ziran also heard what Huamei said, and knew that Nangong Yue had gone out early in the morning and had only just returned now. He also guessed that Nangong Yue didn't really want to know about the Dialectical Society, what she wanted to ask was actually her grandfather, right
Although the grandfather didn't say anything, he wrote this letter as soon as he got home and told him to send it quickly. Looking at his cousin's attitude now, it seems that this medical skill debate has something to do with her cousin.
If it was before, Lin Ziran might feel that something was wrong and wanted to get to the bottom of it, but now...
He slightly hooked the corners of his lips, smiled lightly, and said, "Cousin Yue, don't worry, grandfather is having a great time." That's right, grandfather Lin Jingchen's favorite thing in his life is medical skills, and his daily life revolves around medical skills. In this dialectical meeting of medical skills, grandfather can discuss and discuss the way of medical skills with fellow enthusiasts, and speak freely, which is also a great joy in life for grandfather. Regardless of what the original intention of the Dialectical Council is, what does it matter
With Lin Ziran's personality, I'm afraid she can't say good things to make herself happy. Nangong Yue finally felt completely relieved, and said with a smile: "It's good for my grandfather to be happy! Tomorrow I will visit his old man..."
After the cousins chatted for a while about the topic of today's dialectical meeting, Lin Ziran got up and said goodbye.
Nangong Yue returned to the small study in Fufengyuan, asked the maids to retreat, took a deep breath, opened the envelope with a letter opener, and took out the letter inside.
The letter was in Lin Jingchen's handwriting, only one line was written.
But just this line of words, Nangong Yue read a lot.
Then, she furrowed her brows tightly and clenched her fists tightly. After a long time, she let go, and then burned the letter to ashes with a candle.
It turned out to be exactly as she had guessed!
-off topic-
Hmm... I really don't have a card today. The revealing of the truth is not here...
Thanks!
Ink Zero, 1314 Xiaoxiang coins will be given as a gift;
We are too persistent to give 9 flowers;
Thank you so much!