I never expected that the deputy governor's wife would do such a thing.
Xiao Hanzheng still had a gentle smile on his face. "I asked Deputy Governor Xiao to help me hire some craftsmen to come to the county town, and he proposed to use you to exchange his wife for me."
"I value talent, so I agreed."
When they were discussing it in the beginning, it was indeed he who first suggested that he wanted his scumbag father to help find some skilled craftsmen.
The scumbag father's cronies then hurriedly proposed to exchange the craftsman for his wife, so he was not lying.
The pit has already been dug, and the scumbag dad has to jump into it.
It just so happens that the scumbag dad’s confidants and close followers are still here.
So he looked at the close friend and said, "Didn't we talk about this at the beginning?"
The confidant always felt that something was wrong, but it was indeed like this before.
So I could only bite the bullet and nod, "Yes, that's what we talked about at the time."
The attendant next to him thought, he is worthy of being the eldest son, it turns out that he had already figured out how to break the master's plan to sow discord.
What surprised him was that Xiao Hanzheng had already made such preparations before negotiating the replacement.
It was no wonder that the master and his wife were repeatedly defeated by Xiao Hanzheng and his wife. How could they defeat such a powerful mental method? He looked at the craftsmen, and they all looked unhappy.
They were obviously resentful of being cheated, and because the deputy governor-general had abandoned them without hesitation.
Anyone would be unhappy about this.
But now that it has come to this, even the closest followers can’t save the situation.
So he looked at Xiao Hanzheng and said, "Young Master, the person you wanted has been delivered. When did you release the lady?"
Xiao Hanzheng smiled and said, "Tomorrow morning, I will send someone to personally escort your wife back to North City."
The attendant did not think that Xiao Hanzheng's action was well-intentioned.
His heart skipped a beat, "That's not necessary."
Xiao Hanzheng smiled and said, "No, this is a must."
"I want craftsmen. Deputy Governor Xiao personally selected them and asked you to escort them to Heyang County."
"Since we are going to exchange your wives, I will naturally have to send someone to escort her back, so as not to be disrespectful."
"And if I don't escort her, and something happens to her on the way, how can I explain it to your deputy governor?"
He said in a tough manner: "I can't give him a wife as compensation."
In Xiao Hanzheng's territory, what could the followers do but to agree.
"Then I'll trouble you, young master."
Would the eldest son, who hated his wife so much, really be so kind as to let someone escort her? I don't know what this eldest son is up to, but I always feel that something is wrong.
Xiao Hanzheng smiled and waved his hand, "Then you should go back to the inn and rest first. Tomorrow morning at noon, you should come to the gate of the county government office and follow us to escort your wife back to North City."
"Then we'll take our leave!"
The personal attendant originally wanted to hear what Xiao Hanzheng had to say to the craftsmen so that he could report to his master when he returned.
But the other party had ordered them to leave, so he had no choice but to leave with his former confidant.
After the two left, Xiao Hanzheng looked at the craftsmen and their families present.
"Your indentures are in my hands now."
"As for me, I only have one request for you. Do your job well and don't betray me."
"I will give you five years. As long as you complete the tasks I assign to you diligently during these five years, and do not leak any of the workshop's technologies or betray me."
"After five years, I will return the indentures of you and your family to you."
"Your descendants will no longer have to be slaves. If they can read, they can also take the imperial examinations. Or they can use the money they have earned over the years to find a wealthy village, buy some land and settle down there."
The imperial court allowed the descendants of merchants and craftsmen to take the imperial examinations, but did not allow indentured slaves and their descendants to do so.
Xiao Hanzheng saw that the originally dull eyes of these people were now shining.
He added: "And for those of you who perform well in the workshop, I can allow your descendants to study in the new school that will be built in the county government soon."
"Even if you don't take the imperial examination in the future, after you get rid of your slavery, you can find a stable and respectable job to live, such as a shopkeeper or accountant, which is also easy."
Hearing this, the craftsmen and their families present were all shocked.
There is such a good thing.
Before, they had a lot of resentment in their hearts, did not have much hope for the future, and felt very confused.
But now, it was as if they were given a shot of chicken blood, especially a few old craftsmen, whose eyes were filled with tears.
They had no choice but to sign the indenture, but it also caused their descendants to become slaves. They thought this would be a lifelong regret for them.
Unexpectedly, Deputy Commander Xiao’s son actually wanted to release their indentures and make them good citizens.
One of the old craftsmen couldn't help but ask, "Is what you said true, sir?"
Did they trick them into working first? Xiao Hanzheng smiled and said, "Of course it's true. I can sign a contract with you and record it in the county government documents."
"If I don't do what I agreed to, you can sue me."
This can be regarded as a guarantee and promise that can give these people peace of mind.
Sure enough, the craftsmen felt relieved after hearing this.
Everyone bowed to Xiao Hanzheng gratefully, "Thank you, sir!"
Xiao Hanzheng still had a smile on his face, but his eyes were sharper now. "I've given you this opportunity, I hope you cherish it."
"If anyone leaks what you were asked to do or the techniques you were taught, not only will you not be able to escape slavery, but you will also be sent to jail if you are found out."
"This will also be stated in the contract, and we must abide by it."
It is impossible to just give sweet dates, there should also be a stick hanging over these people's heads.
If they betrayed, their descendants would not only continue to be slaves, but also go to jail. The price to pay was extremely high.
These people were stunned when they heard this, and they were no longer as relaxed as before.
But it is understandable. After all, which master would want to see his servants betray him?
"Yes, we dare not betray you, my Lord." They said in unison.
Being able to free slaves and allow their children and grandchildren to go to school was the motivation for them to work for the next five years.
They fought hard for their descendants.
The workshop has not opened yet. He has to deliver the urgent documents to the emperor to the capital, and it will take some time for the emperor to send rubber.
So Xiao Hanzheng asked the housekeeper to arrange for these people to stay first, and let them go to renovate the courtyard behind the county government office.
Shi Qingluo delivered the last batch of rubber grass seedlings and taught the villagers how to plant them, then returned to the county town.
The yard had not been repaired yet, so they still lived in the inn.
After she finished taking a shower, Xiao Hanzheng came back from the yamen.
He recounted what happened today.
Shi Qingluo laughed and said, "This time, my scumbag father is quite efficient."
"Then I'll go to North City with you tomorrow."
Continue at 16:00~ (End of this chapter)
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