Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 282: Uncle Lang (Part 2)
After being praised by his sister as the best brother, the best brother Zhu Tingfang came to the Zhang family gate early the next morning with several guards. When Wu sent Zhang Shou out with the horse, she was shocked to see the big scene in front of the gate. When she asked the reason, she couldn't help but feel touched and terrified.
Zhang Shou didn't want to drag it out any longer - after all, he had already determined last night that Brother Zhu couldn't be persuaded to come back. Therefore, he could only persuade Wu to go back in a few words, and then he rode forward to meet up with others.
Having learned from Zhu Tingfang's reticence, he felt that talking to Brother Zhu was a bit tiring, so he was too lazy to initiate a conversation on the rest of the way. But unexpectedly, when they were getting closer to the Imperial College, Zhu Tingfang actually took the initiative to say, "The day after tomorrow is an auspicious day, suitable for moving to a new house."
If the lady said this with a smile, Zhang Shou would not be surprised at all. But at this moment, Zhu Tingfang said this expressionlessly, and he felt it was incredible to the extreme. He could not help but look at her face several times, and then he coughed and said, "I have classes in the Imperial College the day after tomorrow, and I probably won't be able to make time."
"Yingying will go to your house to help." Zhu Tingfang said this in a completely declarative tone, and then added, "And grandma has already instructed to pick 20 to 30 people to help. You don't have much luggage and belongings, and I heard that Zhang Yuan has been tidying up and cleaning, but they just moved in, so I'm afraid they don't have enough manpower. Although Ah Liu found a lot of people from somewhere, it's still not enough."
Zhang Shou had to admit that Zhu Tingfang was right. Many people dream of having a house like a park, but many people have not considered one thing, that is... a good environment needs to be taken care of by people, especially when the whole garden belongs to your home! Sure enough, Zhu Tingfang gave him a series of numbers.
"At that time, there were a total of . Twelve cleaners, eight gardeners, eight in the big kitchen, four in the small kitchen, eight grooms, eight laundrymen, and four servants serving in the untitled hall..."
"Stop!" Before Zhu Tingfang could finish reporting those frightening numbers, Zhang Shou reached out to stop him, then rubbed his brows with a headache, "It seems that I was right before. Even if a poor official in Beijing took over such a house, he would definitely not be able to afford it."
"That's right." Zhu Tingfang smiled faintly. "So, what you said before about postponing the wedding date and telling Yingying that poverty brings sorrow to a poor couple is the key to moving Dad. When Emperor Ruizong was still a vassal king, although the Queen Mother was a princess and my grandfather was a commander, the family was actually in decline. My grandmother and Dad both knew how hard life was."
"So, before you have enough wealth, I hope you won't reject my family's kindness."
Zhang Shou smiled bitterly. "I guess the emperor gave me this Luwang Villa because he thought the money invested in it every year was too much. If someone lives in a house, the money invested every year may be limited, but if no one lives in it, it will decay very quickly, which is probably hard for ordinary people to imagine. The money spent on repairs and maintenance every year alone is a huge number."
"This is actually the principle of running water never rots and door hinges never rot." Zhu Tingfang nodded, but at this moment, Zhang Shou said something else that was beyond his expectation.
"This villa is so big that it is indeed short of manpower, but Ah Liu has hired more than just a few people."
"I have sent a message to Mr. Yang in Rongshui Village. All the children in the village who are over six years old and under ten years old and cannot do much farm work. The elderly who are over forty-five and under sixty years old and do not have enough physical strength to farm but can still do some work within their ability. The widows who have children and have difficulty in farming and limited weaving can all come to Zhangyuan in the capital to work if they are willing."
At this point, Zhang Shou saw Zhu Tingfang was slightly stunned. Although he was not so petty as to think that had turned the tables, he could not help but chuckle at the fact that he had surprised Brother Zhu.
"The villagers are all tenants of the Duke of Zhao's mansion. They have a lot of land to cultivate, and they cherish the land very much, so of course I can't take those strong laborers away. Moreover, they have switched to growing rice, and now the harvest is very good. The women raise silkworms and weave silk. Even if we can't say that they have become well-off immediately, their lives have gradually improved."
"Comparatively speaking, those young children, elderly people, and widows who have to support their families and raise their children need a job. Just like the job of being a handyman in the Imperial College that I introduced to Xiao Cheng, this will make them feel that they still have value, rather than just accepting charity."
"Besides, just like I asked the students in Banshan Hall to teach Xiao Cheng, when Xiao Qi and the others come back, they can also teach other children in Zhang Garden. To be honest, teaching children is the most challenging thing for a person's patience. They have to bite the bullet and review what they have learned, and the children can also have someone to enlighten them. It can be said that we have the best of both worlds."
"I taught those children in Rongshui Village, but I only taught them some Tang poems and simple characters, taught them to recite the Nine-Nine Song, and learn simple arithmetic. Unfortunately, Xiao Qi and Xiao Dai have good talents in mathematics, but their talents in classics and history are quite average. But even if there are no child prodigies in the village and they cannot take the imperial examination, it is necessary for children to learn to read and write."
Zhu Tingfang finally understood why, apart from Zhu Ying, his grandmother and stepmother all had a favorable impression of Zhang Shou. A person who always thinks a little more about the future of others will naturally win a lot of respect. He thought about it and finally nodded and said, "Okay, my family will lend you those people for emergency use and help you train some people."
Zhang Shou knew that it was not easy for farmers who had lived in the countryside for many years to suddenly come to the capital and work in a large courtyard. He knew that such a change was not easy and that training was indeed needed. Therefore, he certainly would not refuse Zhu Tingfang's kindness.
As for whether the tenants of Rongshui Village were set up by the Zhu family or other families from the beginning, he didn't care at all. He was not a conspirator, nor did he have an urgent desire to climb up to become a powerful official. His greatest wish was to be able to use what he knew and learned, so he didn't care what the emperor or the Zhu family asked.
The most valuable thing is his mind, and since there is no such thing as mind-reading in the world, it is naturally impossible to figure out what he is thinking.
There was such a huge commotion at the gate of the Imperial College yesterday. Although the officers of the Shuntian government office were not used in the end - no one thought that their whistles played much of a role, but everyone was afraid of being blamed by the unique superior who was a Duke and served as the prefect of Shuntian government. So early in the morning, the chief constable Lin Laohu, who was prepared for a rainy day, personally brought a few people to guard here.
So, when Lin Lao Hu saw Zhang Shou and his group, he immediately tensed up all over, and thought of a topic that many of his subordinates and runners had discussed in private.
They say that beauty brings disaster... Dr. Zhang, should we say that men bring disaster? How many troubles have occurred since he arrived in the capital? When Emperor Taizu was renovating Beijing, why did he insist on placing the Imperial College so close to the Shuntian government office? These detectives are born to take the blame!
Lin Lao Hu was extremely miserable, but he didn't dare to show it on his face. After all, although he was a powerful police chief, he was not even a ninth-rank official. When facing Zhang Shou, a sixth-rank Imperial College doctor who was definitely a special case and the future son-in-law of the Duke of Zhao, he had to be careful.
He was especially surprised when he found the young man beside Zhang Shou whose face . Although Zhu Tingfang was not a person who flaunted himself in the past, and was not as well-known as Zhu Er, the disturbance after his return was not small. Not only did he remember it himself, he also ordered his subordinates to remember Zhu Tingfang's biggest feature now - the scar.
Yesterday, after the students had dispersed, when they saw Zhu Tingfang, neither he nor his subordinates caused any trouble due to not recognizing him!
At this moment, Lin Lao Hu ran over and greeted him with a big smile on his face, "Young Master, are you here to take Dr. Zhang to the Imperial College?"
Lin Lao Hu thought he had said this very appropriately, but the answer he got still left him dumbfounded. Zhu Tingfang glanced at him and said in a very calm tone, "It's not a drop-off. Anyway, I have nothing to do, so I will come to pick you up every day these days to avoid the Shuntian government office being too busy."
Lin Lao Hu swallowed hard and almost wanted to kneel down. If the noble children in the capital had Zhu Tingfang's awareness of not bothering Shuntian Prefecture, how much less trouble would they have? However, let alone the future brother-in-law, even for the real brother-in-law or brother-in-law, how many brothers-in-law would be so thoughtful to pick them up in person?
The importance that the Duke Zhao's mansion attached to Zhang Shou was simply extraordinary! So extraordinary that he almost thought that Zhang Shou was the Duke Zhao's long-lost biological son...
Of course, Lin Lao Hu only dared to think about this thought briefly in his mind.
So, he saw Zhang Shou smiling and bowing to Zhu Tingfang, and then nodding to him and several other officers, and even saying "you've worked hard", and he quickly smiled and said it wasn't hard. After watching Zhu Tingfang and the guards leave, Zhang Shou also entered the Imperial College. He couldn't help but take a deep breath, thinking that with Zhu Tingfang picking them up, their task would indeed be easier.
But he never expected that after they had only stood under the archway for a while, an eight or nine-year-old boy ran out and ran straight towards them. Thinking that the third and fourth princes were studying in the Imperial College, he felt his scalp tingling, especially after hearing the words "Captain Lin", he almost instinctively wanted to kneel down and salute.
"Is that Captain Lin? I'm Xiao Cheng, a handyman at Banshan Hall. Dr. Zhang asked me to give this to you."
Xiao Cheng didn't notice Lin Lao Hu's embarrassment. He solemnly handed a cloth bag to the head constable with both hands, and then he coughed like an adult: "Dr. Zhang said that you have been patrolling here for the past few days. It's hard work. Take it to buy some wine."
He saluted again like a little adult, and then turned around and ran away without waiting for Lin Lao Hu to say anything. After he left, several constables gathered around him. One of them boldly poked his head in and saw that there were several silver coins in the cloth bag. He was immediately delighted: "This is enough to buy several meals of wine. Dr. Zhang is more generous than his brother-in-law!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Lao Hu glared at them fiercely: "We have dealt with many families throughout the year. The Duke of Zhao's Mansion is considered generous. You are still complaining behind their backs. Do you feel guilty? Do you want Mr. Zhu to personally give you rewards before you are satisfied?"
This sentence made the others speechless, so he poured out all the silver coins in the cloth bag in a bad mood and gave one to each person. Seeing that everyone had finally calmed down, he whispered an instruction.
"Take money from others, and help them get rid of their misfortunes. Apart from other things, two people should go and keep an eye on Dr. Yang, to prevent him from jumping around and causing trouble after waking up." Lin Lao Hu pointed two people to the Yang family, and then continued, "It is unlikely that there will be trouble at the gate of the Imperial College again, so all of you go back and change into plain clothes. Stay in the nearby restaurants and bars and listen..."
After assigning tasks to people two by two, Lin Lao Hu finally stood alone under the archway of the Imperial College and sighed.
When Wang Datou was in Shuntian Prefecture, the Duke of Zhao's Mansion had sent two people with the surname Zhu. Although they were all beaten with a quick knife and a stick, and the people were thrown out after suffering physical pain, the results were different.
Zhu Yu still drags his two broken legs to beg for a living on the street corner. He managed to survive the long and cold winter.
As for Zhu Gongquan, he was an aide but betrayed his master. Strictly speaking, this was different from a slave selling his master. At most, he would lose his job and would not be able to make a living from it in the future. However, the Duke Zhao's Mansion accused him of embezzling money and grain from the mansion.
This is not just an ordinary stain, but a crime.
Wang Datou allowed Zhu Gongquan to make up for the shortfall because he was a scholar. Zhu Gongquan had to use up almost everything he had, including the money he had embezzled and the money he had taken. He had to use up his savings over the years to make up for the shortfall. In the end, he was beaten with ten small sticks before he was able to get away. For this reason, it is said that he died of illness on the way after he hurriedly left the capital.
But look at Minister Lu of the Ministry of War. He is obviously the real instigator, but he remains unmoved!
After sending Xiao Cheng to reward Lin Lao Hu and others, Zhang Shou seemed to be unaffected by yesterday's incident when he was teaching in Banshan Hall that morning. His calmness, coupled with the fact that Yang Yiming was already on sick leave at home, naturally made many students who witnessed the scene yesterday feel that the division of classes in Banshan Hall was an inevitable trend.
When Zhang Shou walked out of Banshan Hall at noon, he saw Lu Sanlang standing outside the door waiting for him. Before he could speak, Fatty Lu straightened his back and said in a high-spirited manner, "Young Master, it's done!"
As he spoke, he winked at Zhang Shou and smiled softly: "I scared my dad for the first time in my life last night, and it felt great!"
