Chapter 2607: Different Paths to the Same Destination
Tang He glanced at him and said, "With just a few words, our group has become just a foil, and you're quite happy?"
Bai Shan smiled and comforted him, saying, "Different paths lead to the same destination. Thank you so much, senior. I'll treat you to dinner at Jiufulou when we get back."
"I want ten meals."
That would cost him a month's salary. Bai Shan felt a little sad, but he kept a smile on his face. "No problem, no problem."
It was already dark, but Lord Tang did not go back to the house. Instead, he followed the instructions of Governor Yu and wandered around in the backyard garden.
If he went back now, he would definitely be caught by Censor Liang and his men. He had not yet thought of what to say to persuade them, so he decided to avoid them for the time being. He also wanted to think about this Governor Yu.
He walked in the darkness with his hands behind his back, turned his head and said to Bai Shan, "Although walking with him will bring more restrictions, judging by his words and actions today, he is indeed rough but also meticulous. Since he has a plan in mind, we are not afraid."
In official circles, one is not afraid of powerful opponents, but is afraid of stupid teammates. Since their new teammates are not stupid, Lord Tang does not mind making some concessions in the attitude of cooperation.
In the main courtyard, Governor Yu stripped off his clothes and soaked in the tub before saying, "This Lord Tang is quite generous. I thought this time I would not only have to deal with the various forces in Qizhou, but also with the inspectors from the capital. I didn't expect him to be so sensible and generous."
The deputy general, standing behind the screen, replied, "Is it about that Lord Bai? I've noticed that Lord Tang seems to hold Lord Bai in high regard, and I don't want him to offend him and break the rules of officialdom. Furthermore, Lord Tang addresses him as "junior" and seems quite cordial in his behavior."
Governor Yu rubbed the mud off his body vigorously and said nonchalantly, "I know. Ping An asked around when I was in the capital. Bai Shan was once a student at the Imperial College and later became a companion to the Crown Prince at the Chongwen Academy. He also graduated from Yizhou Prefecture School. Whether he was a student at Yizhou Prefecture School or at the Imperial College, he and Tang He had some connection. I just didn't expect their relationship to be so close."
"But this also has its advantages. If I do them a favor, we'll be able to get along well in the future."
Governor Yu thought of something, shook his head and smiled, saying, "But this shouldn't be the key reason. The most important thing is that this is the fastest way to quell the tenant uprising."
"What will your Excellency do?"
Governor Yu said, "Since we are renting land to the tenants of Da'an Village, why not rent it to all tenants who cultivate the land? What's the point of renting for one year? I can let them rent for three years, or even five years."
"Your Excellency, this is a brilliant move. This way, we will be doing them a favor. It will make it easier for us to govern Qizhou in the future."
Yu the governor said, "You have just killed someone, so you should be more gentle."
"It's just that the rent that Mr. Bai promised was too little."
Yu the governor said: "It's not a big deal. It will only take three to five years. After these three to five years, we can make a promotion."
"By then, I guess you won't be here anymore, so you won't get any of this benefit."
Governor Yu said nonchalantly, "Even if I collect 50% or 60% of the rent now, I still won't benefit from it. Do you think the Ministry of Revenue is giving money to us in Qizhou for nothing?"
He said, "They all have to be repaid. Right now, the Qizhou government treasury is out of money, so the Ministry of Revenue is paying for it. Before I left, Minister Liu specifically came to talk to me and told me to either return the redemption money to the Ministry of Revenue after the property is confiscated, or, in the future, the annual rent from the redeemed land must be returned to the Ministry of Revenue until this portion of the debt is paid off."
Governor Yu said, "I've made up my mind. I won't pay you back with the money I have already paid."
He said, "It will take more than a year for the crops to come out, but what business does in Qizhou these days doesn't require money? Let the Ministry of Revenue slowly collect the rent."
The deputy general couldn't help but laugh, "Your Excellency is wise."
Lord Tang walked around the garden, surrounded by mosquitoes that kept buzzing. He was really annoyed, so he turned around and took Bai Shan back to the front.
He said, "This Governor Yu is so shrewd and experienced. I'm afraid Minister Liu will suffer a loss this time."
Bai Shan said, "I'm afraid Minister Liu is even more astute than him. I don't think he will suffer any loss."
Lord Tang said, "The money we used to redeem the property this time was all from the Ministry of Revenue. We originally thought the new governor would return it, but judging by his intentions today, he definitely won't."
He won't return it either.
Bai Shan suddenly remembered something and whispered, "Brother, it seems that the land deeds we redeemed have always been in our hands. Didn't Minister Liu previously instruct us to bring these deeds back to the capital for verification in order to calculate the expenditures?"
Lord Tang reacted and was speechless for a long time.
The two looked at each other and sighed in unison, "Old ginger is still the wisest."
Yu Zhishi, who was still unaware at the time, simply rubbed his hair, rinsed it, and came out. He said to his deputy general, "Damn it! Just to catch them off guard, I didn't even bring a maid with me. Go and ask someone to find a human trafficker to buy two maids who can serve me."
Washing your hair is a tedious task that needs to be done by someone who understands it.
The deputy general agreed with a smile.
The two of them returned to the guest house where they lived. As soon as they entered the yard, they saw Censor Liang and Censor Ren standing in the corridor with their hands on their waists, looking at them with anger in their eyes.
Lord Tang paused slightly and said in a low voice, "Hurry up."
Who knew that Bai Shan also slowed down, "Brother Tang, you are the chief officer."
"It's because I'm the chief officer that it's inconvenient. Hurry up..."
Bai Shan had no choice but to return to his normal pace, walked past Lord Tang and saluted the two imperial censors, "Lord Liang and Lord Ren, why are you standing here instead of entering the house?"
Censor Liang asked sternly, "Where did Lord Bai and Lord Tang go?"
Bai Shan smiled and said, "We went to the garden at the back. Come to think of it, we've been in Qizhou for ten days, but we haven't visited the garden at the back of the Governor's Mansion yet."
"It's dark, but Lord Bai and Lord Tang seem to be interested."
Bai Shan smiled and said, "Although it's dark, the moonlight is still beautiful."
Censor Ren: "Where is the moonlight?"
Bai Shan subconsciously looked up at the sky and found that there were only one or two stars in the sky, and the moon disappeared behind the dark clouds.
He forced a smile and said, "The starlight is also very beautiful."
Censor Liang and Censor Ren snorted at his lies, snorted coldly, and turned to go into the house.
Tang He smiled slightly and frowned at Bai Shan.
As soon as they entered the room, Censor Liang asked directly, "What are your plans, Lord Tang, regarding Governor Yu's murder?"
Tang He sat down on the chair and said with a smile, "Censor Liang, I've already said that this is not my responsibility, so I don't have any plans."
"Kai Yu, the governor, has been killing people since he arrived. I'm afraid that the relationship we've just been trying to improve will deteriorate again."
Tang He pondered for a moment before saying, "Governor Yu has already promised to rent more land to the tenants and give them a better share. Therefore, I believe that most of the tenants' difficulties have been resolved. All that remains is to suppress the other families with momentum, and then the matter will be settled."
The two imperial censors looked at each other and knew what Tang He was planning.
Bai Shan smiled and said, "Master Liang, Master Ren, our main purpose for coming to Qizhou this time is to appease the people and redeem the land. Once these two things are done, we can return to the capital. The rest is the business of the Qizhou Governor's Office."
The two censors fell silent and stopped talking.
An officer came to invite them, "Sir, the food is ready. Governor Yu invites you all to take your seats."
Lord Tang stood up and said with a smile, "Let's go. We can go to the backyard and talk with Governor Yu while we eat."
See you at 9pm
(End of this chapter)
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