Xianjin shook his head, "I didn't think about that."

"Then what are you thinking about?" asked Manager Dong.

Xianjin smiled, turned the abacus horizontally, and the abacus beads finally went to where they should go.

"I'm trying to figure out how much money I should extort."

-----

One of the "two idiots" mentioned by Chen Fu, Zhu Ersha, was pacing back and forth in his spacious and bright second courtyard, unable to extricate himself from anxiety. He would call servants to ask questions every once in a while, and after waiting for a long time, he finally saw Master Chen Liu coming in from the gate with a gloomy face and hunched back.

Zhu Ganglie rushed forward, tears streaming down his face before he could say anything, "That hoof..."

I think of the tip of the pen against my throat a few days ago.

"That burden is too much!"

Zhu Ganglie cried as he took out the note in his hand and said, "Zhou Er Gou sent it to me this morning. Take a look!"

Master Chen Liu took the note and narrowed his eyes.

The note reads:

"According to the Great Wei law, those who embezzle or illegally seize private property shall be punished with fifty strokes of the cane and thirty years in prison."

There are words on the back of the note.

Master Chen Liu turned over.

"Within three days, one thousand taels of silver can buy fifty canings and thirty years of imprisonment. Within five days, the price will rise to one thousand two hundred taels. If there is no silver after five days, I will see you in prison."

Fifty sticks...

He must have died a long time ago!

Don't meet him in prison, let's meet at the mass grave!

Zhu Ganglie cried, "Sixth Master, I'll just run away. I don't have one thousand taels left! Even if I sell this house and myself, I still can't get enough money!"

run?

You can't run away!

The population of the Wei Dynasty was strictly controlled, with ten households forming a village. Passes were required to enter and exit the city gates, and even a list issued by one's trade, family, or village head was needed before one was allowed to pass.

This one thousand taels, plus the eight hundred taels they paid before, was exactly the private money they had taken from the shop in the past five or six years, plus a two percent profit.