Chapter 031: Traitor 31
Xiao Yan said calmly, "What if embroidery becomes a big job here?"
Chen Zhilan's eyes lit up: "That's feasible!"
For example, the coastal areas are rich in seafood, the northern frontiers are rich in melons, and the southern regions are rich in tea, silk, fragrant wood, spices, and grains. Although they belong to the south, they are also close to the north. Their grain production cannot compare with that of the rest of the south, nor can it compare with that of the north. To put it bluntly, they have no local specialties of their own.
If they reached a cooperation agreement with the government and made embroidery a local specialty, not only would the government be affected, but if anyone dared to interfere, the common people would be the first to object. Even more ambitiously, even the imperial merchants might get a piece of the action!
But the only problem is, if the government takes it as its own, wouldn't that be letting others take advantage of it?
Chen Zhilan raised the issue, and Xiao Yan, after careful consideration, said, "If we want to maintain long-term stability, cooperation with the imperial court is inevitable..."
This is equivalent to the joint venture between private and state-owned enterprises in modern society, where the state shares are greater than 50%, or even if they are not greater than 50%, they still have actual control.
If they wanted to form a joint venture with the imperial court, they could only give 51% of the shares to the imperial court, and the remaining 49% would be in their hands, so they would not have to worry about officials coming and taking advantage of the situation.
The advantage of a joint venture is that it has the imperial court as its backing, there will no longer be powerful people like the Guan family, and it can enjoy the royal merchant policy and sales channels and other problems.
The downside is that they have little controlling stake and are subject to numerous supervisory agencies, effectively giving up a portion of the profits to the state. However, these companies are currently operating on a small scale. If they can expand their business, even a 1% stake would be a bonanza.
As for whether the court would agree, that would depend on their convincing the county magistrate, and that was the county magistrate's decision. He had to understand that the court was currently facing a series of disasters, and rather than allocating money annually, it believed that the local areas could "be self-reliant." The court would certainly agree, as commercial taxes were a source of national revenue.
This is something that we welcome.
With a solution to the problem in hand, everyone could no longer hold back and began to prepare to persuade the magistrate.
Chen Zhilan and Aunt Zhao were in charge of this matter, as Xiao Yan and Xiao Chen would become officials in the future. The imperial decree prohibited officials from engaging in business, so they naturally didn't want to be criticized. However, as scholars who "wanted a better homeland," it wasn't impossible for them to act as lobbyists.
As for the benefit he didn't get, Xiao Yan said: "A gentleman loves money and earns it in a proper way. As long as it can help more people in need, it can be regarded as a small gesture from us two brothers."
The idea is to use their dividends for good causes.
Now that their family was well-off, the only thing left to talk about was the issue of dividends. It was important to nip any potential problems in the bud. Embroidery was merely a way to improve their family's living conditions, and with the provincial examination just around the corner, it was best to start planning early.
Exchanging benefits for fame is not a bad thing.
Chen Zhilan was no fool, so she naturally understood what Xiao Yan meant. She nodded and said, "Don't worry. With my aunt and I here, we will definitely not let anyone embezzle the money."
Although Aunt Zhao was puzzled, she was filled with admiration when she heard that it was used for charity. As for Xiao Chen...
Xiao Chen had no objections at all, because he knew that this whole thing was initiated by Xiao Yan. If it weren't for Xiao Yan, he would probably still be struggling to copy books and sell paintings. Therefore, he had no objections.
The only problem is...
"Do we still have to design this embroidery? I'm afraid we won't have the time in the future. If you have this plan, you'd better hire an artist as soon as possible."
Chen Zhilan had this in mind, because the Xiao brothers would be taking the imperial examinations in the future, so how could they have time for painting? Now that the two brothers had no intention of hiding their private works, she would not be hypocritical.
The next day, before daybreak, several guests arrived at the magistrate's private residence.
The magistrate was not an ignorant person regarding the Guan family's affairs. He thought they had come for this matter and looked embarrassed.
"Niece of the Chen family, we are not outsiders, so I will tell you the truth: it's not that I won't help you, but the Guan family is involved in the laws of our dynasty, so I can't help."
The former calls himself "old man" to show the care of an elder for the younger generation, and the latter says "this official" to show that he will not bend the law for personal gain or abuse his power.
This shows his own attitude.
Chen Zhilan smiled and said, "Uncle, as my niece's elder, how dare I embarrass you? I came here today because I have something important to discuss."
The magistrate disagreed: "Oh? I'd like to hear more about it."
Chen Zhilan read out the draft she had prepared, and the magistrate's eyes became brighter as he listened.
After calming down his excitement, he said, "Are you...really willing to hand this matter over to the court?"
Chen Zhilan said righteously, "As a commoner, how could I not be willing? But you also know that as common people, we also need to eat and drink. This matter of dividends needs to be discussed in detail."
Like them, the magistrate was also happy to facilitate this. With only a year left until the performance report date, he had all the achievements in his hands! All his achievements!
As for the distribution of dividends, the county magistrate was a shrewd man and naturally knew that there would be some haggling involved, but as long as this matter could be accomplished, it would not be a big deal to let them take some of the benefits.
In the end, after a lot of wrangling between the two parties, Chen Zhilan got 10%, Aunt Zhao got 15%, the Xiao family used 10% for charity, another 10% for improving local construction, and the remaining 55% belonged to the court.
Although it was not as good as planned, this was the maximum concession the magistrate had made. After all, it was not so easy to take advantage of the court.
After the negotiation, the magistrate was a little impatient, but he saw Xiao Chen said casually: "They say that a peaceful family brings peace. I wonder what you think?"
Although the magistrate did not know why Xiao Chen said this, considering that the two brothers would definitely succeed and use their own interests for good deeds, the magistrate would still give him some face.
"Of course. I wonder why this little brother said that?"
Xiao Chen shook his head and said, "Nothing serious. I just heard that there's a family outside the village who has a beloved dog. The owner loves it so much that even the servants in the mansion respect it so much that they lay out soft golden mats for it to step on wherever it goes, for fear of getting its feet dirty."
"This black-haired dog is quite clever and shrewd. It knows it's highly valued by its master, so it threatens everyone it meets. If anyone wants to drive it away, the servants around it will dissuade them, saying that this dog is worth a fortune. If you want to touch it, you have to consider whether you can afford to offend its master."
He sighed, "Even an animal knows what it means to bully others by taking advantage of their power, hence the lament. Your Excellency, do not worry about it."
The magistrate also knew that this was a metaphor, but he always prided himself on being an honest official who had never done anything harmful to the world and morality. He also restrained the runners in the yamen, so how could he be bullying others by taking advantage of his power?
He was puzzled, but Xiao Chen stopped there, and the magistrate did not dare to ask any further questions. He could only bury this suspicion in his heart for the time being and look for any omissions when he had some free time. At the moment, political achievements were the most important.
After the guests left, the magistrate returned to the courtyard with his hands in his pockets, but heard a report from his servant.
"Sir, Madam invites you to the tea room."
The magistrate was so busy preparing paperwork that he didn't even have time to eat breakfast. He waved his hand casually and said, "Tell my wife I'm busy."
The servant hesitated and said, "I heard that Master Dai came here early this morning...why don't you go and take a look?"
Their wife had always been virtuous and sensible, but her only flaw was her tendency to support her brother. While others supported their younger brothers, their wife supported her nephew. Because her only sister had died young and her brother-in-law had remarried, she naturally doted on her nephew and often provided him with financial support.
Most people don't say they are grateful, but at least they won't cause trouble. But their lady's nephew is different. He is idle and despised by everyone. If it weren't for their master's consideration, he would probably be put in a sack and have his legs broken based on his ability to cause trouble.
The magistrate frowned, and suddenly thought of the dog that Xiao Chen had mentioned before that took advantage of its power to bully others, and he immediately understood.
It was in vain that he had been cautious and prudent for decades, but he neglected how to get along with his wife and allowed his nephew to use his name to become an accomplice to the evil!
As the saying goes, if the family is at peace, there is peace. If the family is not at peace, what peace is there?
The magistrate came to the tea room with shame and anger, and saw Dai Shao sitting on a chair. When he saw him coming, he didn't even stand up to greet him, and even snorted indignantly, which fully demonstrated his arrogance due to his favor.
Now that he has discovered the problem, he will naturally not tolerate it any longer.
The magistrate, with a fierce face, shouted to his servants, "Come here, drive this fellow out of the house, he has no respect for his elders and bullies others by taking advantage of his power!"
Dai Shao: “???”
Dai Shao originally came to file a complaint and ask for money, but he did not expect that he would not only not get the money but also be kicked out. He was shocked, angry and indignant.
He hid behind his wife and said, "Aunt, you have to make the decision for me! Look at my uncle!"
The lady also frowned and scolded, "Zheng Shouye, what do you mean by this?"
The magistrate was so angry that he laughed at this scene of putting the blame on someone else.
He laughed in anger and said, "What do I mean? Why don't you ask your good nephew what he has been doing in my name all day long? He broke the leg of someone else's donkey that supported his family, that's needless to say? And a while ago, he molested decent women in the street. If no one had stopped him, would he have wanted to rape a woman in the street?!"
"Having a grudge or feeling jealous of someone would be fine, but actually trying to set fire and hurt someone! Which of these isn't against the law?!"
The magistrate grew even angrier when he spoke of this. "In the past, for your sake, I risked my dignity, apologized to others with a smile, and paid compensation, hoping to gain their understanding and let it go! But he still acts as usual!"
"I'm going to make this clear today! No matter what he does from now on, I won't be involved with him anymore! Report it to the authorities, and handle the case accordingly! If someone holds you accountable, follow the law. If you don't have the money, go to jail! Don't always make fun of me for paying him back. If you continue to indulge him, don't accuse me of being snobbish! All the money in our house belongs to you, and we'll divorce! Go back to your parents' home to protect him!"
After saying this, he swung his sleeves and turned to leave: "Think about it yourself! From today on, I don't want to see this person in our house again! If you see him, just beat him out!"
The lady did not expect that the usually soft-hearted magistrate would say such a thing, and her expression changed suddenly.
Dai Shao didn't dare to say anything at this time. Seeing that the servants were about to drive her away, he hurriedly called out, "Auntie!"
The lady had a headache. "You should go home now. We can discuss it later."
After the servants left, the lady sent a servant to ask, "Has anyone been gossiping around the master recently?"
The servant thought about it for a moment and shook his head, saying, "No, but today the daughter of the Chen family and the talented man of the Xiao family came to visit."
The talented men of the Xiao family refer to Xiao Yan and Xiao Chen. Because they always came out on top, people in the county called them the two talented men of the Xiao family, implying that two talents come from one family.
Seeing the servant hesitate to speak, Madam glanced at him before finally speaking, "That young master of the Xiao family once told the master about a... bully dog."
The lady's face was gloomy: "What a talented man from the Xiao family!"
The fight was still going on in the inner room. The servant squatting in the corner outside shook his head and then quietly left.
In the study, the magistrate is grinding.
"How is the lady?"
The servant who was eavesdropping outside repeated what he had said. The magistrate was silent for a while, and finally spoke.
"Well, since she can't let go of her feelings for her nephew, why should I be the bad guy?"
After being married for decades and being together as young people, they still couldn't be together until the end.
As soon as he picked up the brush and put pen to paper, a letter of divorce was ready.
"Min has been managing my backyard for years. All the property in the mansion belongs to her. If you have different opinions, we can discuss it. The servants in the mansion are all working indentures. If anyone wants to leave, they can find the steward to deal with it..."
Not long after, Min received the divorce letter and was in a daze.
"How dare he! How dare he do this to me!?"
The servants around didn't dare to say anything, but they were secretly complaining in their hearts.
It's not surprising that the magistrate did this. If someone has such a bad heart, always getting into trouble and not knowing how to clean up after it, and the other party doesn't think about restraining him but resents those who tell the truth, who can tolerate this?
You have to understand that a county magistrate is not a big official, but he is also not a small one. At least in this small place, he is the most powerful official. If a family member abuses his power to bully others, the local people will suffer.
For their futures, and also because of their different perspectives on life, it wasn't surprising that they ended up getting divorced. Realistically speaking, it was better to get divorced now than to have trouble dragging them down later. Furthermore, the magistrate had been very kind to Min and Dai Shao.
In today's world, which official, whose family, doesn't have one wife and multiple concubines? Any wealthy family would have a backyard filled with beautiful women, yet the magistrate's backyard was filled with only Min. When Min was still unmarried, she fell into the water and injured herself, leaving her unable to bear children. The magistrate never complained, and even risked his dignity to help Dai Shao clean up the mess repeatedly for Min's sake. But what did he get in return?
All he got was no repentance and even worse behavior! And his old wife is still holding a grudge against him for this!
No matter how much affection there was, it has already been exhausted.
Xiao Chen had also heard about this, but he didn't feel guilty about breaking up a family because of his words. What a joke! Was there anything he said that wasn't true? Why would he feel guilty about someone else's mistakes?
If he followed his past life's rules, he wouldn't care whether the county magistrate knew about this or whether the Min family had any difficulties! He would first find a way to put Dai Shao in jail, and then have the county magistrate be accused of condoning his relatives' misfortune in the countryside. This would be in line with his nature of seeking revenge from morning till night!
If I hadn't been so extreme in this life, I'm afraid this matter wouldn't have been resolved so easily.
But we should all be grateful for having his brother!
Xiao Yan did not comment on this.
While the magistrate was responsible for mismanaging his household, he personally apologized and made amends after the incident, showing no deliberate intention on his part. Family matters are often difficult to judge, but fortunately, the magistrate was otherwise a good official who served the people well. If the victim accepted the apology and compensation and didn't pursue the matter, what else could anyone say?
Therefore, we can only wait and see what happens in the future. I believe that with this precedent, the county magistrate will definitely take precautions in the future.
As time passed, Xiao Yan and Xiao Chen also set out on their journey to the examination hall.
The provincial examination, also known as the August Autumn Examination, was held in the provincial capital. Anyone who passed the examination was eligible to take the exam. Unlike the prefectural examination, the chief examiners in each provincial capital were appointed by the emperor, and the scale of the examination was also larger than that of the prefectural examination, demonstrating the importance the court attached to it.
Their county is dozens of days' journey by horse from the provincial capital. Candidates who live farther away will travel in advance. After all, in ancient times, the mountains were high and the roads were long, and it was common to take the wrong road or go the wrong way. Therefore, arriving early is a way to be prepared.
There was still more than a month before the exam, so Xiao Yan and his team went neither too early nor too late, just right.
Although banditry was rampant in those days, those bandits did not dare to attack the examinees, keeping a low profile for fear of angering the imperial court and being purged. However, even so, in order to ensure the safety of the examinees, local governments would also conduct surrounding clearance operations.
The Xiao family is no longer short of money, so naturally they will not put themselves in a difficult position. The two brothers agreed on a price with the escort agency and went with them.
The carriage moved slowly and met many candidates rushing to take the exam along the way. It then crossed the waterway and traveled for several days before arriving at the provincial capital.
The provincial capital was named Zhuzhou City. A great general was born here. His surname was Zhu and he died serving the State of Wei. To commemorate him, later generations took his surname from his birthplace to commemorate him.
The city gate was majestic. After checking the pass, I said goodbye to the people from the escort agency.
"Second Master, do you need a place to stay? Once you enter Zhegui Tower, I guarantee you will win the first prize!"
"Bah! How dare you compare this Zhegui Tower you popped up from with my Jidi Tower? Gentlemen, please don't listen to this person's nonsense. My Jidi Tower is one of the best towers in Zhuzhou City! Not only are our breakfast and dinner free, but we also have a special tea room for students to learn from each other..."
"Master, my Gaodi Building..."
Xiao Yan: “…”
The scene looked like hundreds of ducks quacking, making all sorts of puns, similarities and differences, and discussing which one was more authentic.
It has to be said that the imperial examination brought many business opportunities. For example, there are many names of inns, including pig's trotters named "Jinbang Timing", underpants (purple buttocks) named "Ding Ding Neng Xing", rice dumplings named "Yi Yu Gao Gao", chessboard named "Qi Kai De Sheng"... and countless other homophonic names, which have been played out by businesses.
It has to be said that although everyone knows that the result is not affected by external factors, it does not prevent everyone from seeking good luck and good fortune.
Xiao Yan pretended to be interested and said to Xiao Chen, "My dear brother, this Zhuzhou City is really prosperous. I wonder how much silver this night costs."
Xiao Chen understood the elegant meaning of the music and echoed, "That's right! In our county, it's already 40 cents a night. Doesn't it have to be 80 cents here?"
The broker who is trying to sell: "..."
One of the brokers curled his lips and said, "Eighty cents? You're really audacious!"
Xiao Chen was surprised and asked, "Could it be that they want another hundred coins? What should I do? I'm short of money and I'm afraid I won't even have a place to live!"
Before coming, they changed into relatively clean but ordinary clothes. The brokers, seeing their unusual demeanor, initially thought they were fat sheep hiding their insignificance, but they never imagined they were truly poor! They immediately dispersed and continued their search for the next fat sheep.
Xiao Chen, still unsatisfied, called out, "Hey, hey? Why are you all leaving? Could any kind soul tell me where I can find an inn that costs eighty wen a night?"
broker:"……"
Upon hearing this, the broker ran even faster, fearing that the two brothers would pester them and insist on recommending a cheap inn to them.
What a joke! This is the provincial capital! Even if it wasn't the autumn examination, it would still cost hundreds of coins. Forget eighty coins, don't even think about a hundred!
At this time, a young man who was about the same age as Xiao Chen came forward with a red face.
"My dear fellows, I have a relatively cheap place here, which is quite secluded. It's just me and my grandmother."
Afraid they wouldn't mind, the boy quickly added, "My grandma can't talk, so she won't disturb you... She has her own kitchen, with hot water, and it only costs eighty coins a day."
He looked at them cautiously and expectantly, his simple eyes and sleeves that were much shorter, making him look as ignorant and sad as a little deer, making it impossible to refuse him.
However, Xiao Chenlang's heart was as hard as iron and he remained unmoved.
Xiao Yan sighed and said, "Well, let's go and take a look. If it doesn't suit you..."
Although he is compassionate, he is not someone who would put himself in a difficult position.
The young man nodded hurriedly upon hearing this, "I can save it, I can save it!"
After saying that, he led the way.
The place the boy mentioned was at the entrance of a small alley on another street. There were many children here, all helping with housework, and some were taking care of their younger siblings, but it was not noisy.
Seeing outsiders enter, they looked at them with curiosity and timidity, and did not dare to approach. At first glance, it was a true portrayal of the saying "children from poor families grow up early".
The wooden door opened, and an old woman was sitting on a small bench, staring at an unknown wild grass in a trance. Occasionally, she playfully touched the grass leaves with her hand. She seemed to be immersed in her own thoughts and was not aware of the movement in the outside world at all.
Quiet and well-behaved, his behavior has a childlike mannerism that is unlike that of ordinary people.
"This is my grandma. She usually basks in the sun during the day and doesn't make any noise."
The yard is not big, with only two rooms, a kitchen, and a washing and toilet room built in a wooden shed.
Near the kitchen, there is a small well covered with wooden boards, probably to prevent the old woman, who is already unconscious, from accidentally falling into it.
He pointed to a room that had been cleaned and contained a large wooden bed, a wooden table, and a trunk for luggage. "Here it is," he said. "It's been swept, and the bedding and mats have been washed and dried."
"I can also cook. If you two gentlemen can give me money for the meal, I can help you cook!" He clenched his fists, his palms were full of sweat.
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