The land under An Zhongyi's name was rented out to the common people in a 30% to 70% split. An Zhongyi confiscated property and exterminated clans, making huge fortunes, but he never touched a single cent from the common people.
These are not said by anyone, but Xiaobai saw them with his own eyes.
He saw the restaurant owner who was usually timid in front of the East Factory guards, and would give them some silver every time they came to eat, but when they encountered trouble and asked him for help, he would solve the problem quickly.
What he saw with his own eyes was different from what others said. Xiaobai was sure in his heart that maybe in the eyes of some people, An Zhongyi was indeed an out-and-out traitor and villain, but in Xiaobai's eyes, he was a real good person.
Reading not only allows him to learn to read, but also makes him wise. After reading, he becomes more aware of the horror of scholars. The people of the world can only hear what they want to say.
Whether it is black or white, it only exists in their mouths.
"I will study hard, take the imperial examinations, and help Master An." Xiaobai said.
The expressions of the group of East Factory guards who had a grudge against him eased a little.
In this way, they are one of us.
One by one, they withdrew their hostility towards him.
An Jingzhi chuckled, "Okay, then you must study hard and become my father's right-hand man to fight against those civil officials. Then I can stay at home and be my son comfortably."
Xiaobai nodded heavily, "Okay! Brother Jing, don't worry, I will study hard!" After that, he pulled An Jingzhi's sleeve with his hand, "Hurry up, Brother Jing, I have to go back to study!"
"Slow down, slow down!" An Jingzhi shook off the other person. "You study, you study, I don't need to study. You can go back first. I want to take a slow walk."
Xiaobai thought about it and said, "Okay, then Brother Jing, you can have fun. I'll go back first."
Then he quickened his pace and hurried towards the city.
An Jingzhi opened his folding fan and swayed it slowly. It's good to work hard. Everyone should work hard so that I can relax and enjoy life.
…
"Dad, help me find some managers. I want to do coal business."
An Jingzhi adhered to the principle of going to his father when he had any problems, and while An Zhongyi was at home, he briefly stated his request.
An Zhongyi not only did not feel that his son was bothering him with trivial matters, but he enjoyed it and enjoyed his son's dependence.
"Okay, that's no problem, I'll find one for you right away. But son, you can't do the coal business, right? Coal is poisonous. Will anyone buy it if you sell it?"
Recalling the coal-related death incident a few years ago, An Zhongyi reminded.
"Back then, the Liu family also wanted to get into the coal business, but in the end, many people were poisoned to death. After the incident became a big deal, if someone from above hadn't protected him, he would have been blamed."
An Jingzhi said confidently, "Don't worry, Dad. I've already done my homework before I start this business. Coal is indeed poisonous, but as long as there's ventilation when burning it, it won't kill anyone. Those people you mentioned who were poisoned to death probably used coal in the winter with the doors and windows closed, right?"
An Zhongyi only knew that someone was poisoned to death, but he didn't know the details. After listening to An Jingzhi's words, he felt that there was some truth in it. There were many people who used coal at the beginning, but not all of them were poisoned to death.
"Son, are you telling the truth?"
"Whether it is or not, we will know if we try it."
An Zhongyi nodded. If they really wanted to do this business, they had to give it a try. Otherwise, no one would believe them or buy it.
Losing money is a small matter. An Zhongyi was afraid that his son would be sad. After all, this was the first thing his son had done.
What An Jingzhi meant by "trying it out" was to lock some poultry in a room, and then burn charcoal fire in the room, as a control group, to see if they would be poisoned to death.
But An Zhongyi didn't think so. After all, there are some differences between humans and animals. If he only used animals, it would probably not be convincing. There were many people who deserved to die in the Dongchang prison, and he could easily name a few.
"Master, the people have been brought in, the windows have been sealed, and the coal inside is burning."
Afterwards, An Zhongyi and An Jingzhi sat here, drinking tea and chatting.
Next to me was the sound of Xiaobai reading aloud.
"You've found a good little brother. He's smart, studious, and quite clever." An Zhongyi looked at Xiaobai with satisfaction.
He originally wanted to hire someone to teach his son how to read, but he ended up giving the little beggar a chance.
Fortunately, the other party is loyal to his son and is willing to make progress, so he can be considered as cultivating a confidant for his son.
An Jingzhi smiled and said, "Dad, how could my son's vision be bad?"
An Zhongyi smiled dotingly, "Yes, yes, it's okay to be liked by my son."
The prisoners locked in the room had their limbs tied up and could only sit there, unable to move. In the distance was a burning charcoal fire. Although the weather was getting colder, it was far from the time when charcoal fire was needed.
Burning charcoal can be poisonous, which is a fact known to most people. These people were terrified and struggled desperately.
There was constant noise coming from the room.
An Jingzhi frowned. An Zhongyi looked at him and waved his hand, calling Zhang Baotian behind him. "Is it tied up tightly?"
"Don't worry, they're all tied to the pillars. They won't be able to break free."
An Zhongyi nodded and asked people to leave.
"Son, let's go somewhere else. It's too noisy here, and these people won't die anytime soon."
…
The charcoal was burned in the afternoon and the person died in the middle of the night.
An Zhongyi made a comparison between two groups. The group that opened the window was safe and sound except for being a little weak, while everyone in the other group died.
Weakness is also caused by scaring yourself.
"My son is very smart. Now that the coal business is promising, your father has found a manager for you. Now it's time for my son to show his talents." An Zhongyi never hesitates to give praise.
"Okay, since Dad has already found a manager for me, then I can handle the rest myself. Dad, just wait and see how I earn money for your retirement."
An Zhongyi doesn't need any retirement money, as he won't be able to spend all his money in his lifetime, but who doesn't like to hear nice words, especially from his most beloved son.
An Zhongyi smiled and narrowed his eyes, "Okay, okay, then Dad will be waiting patiently."
…
The first step in selling coal is to promote the idea that its toxicity is controllable.
An Jingzhi treated the people from the East Factory like his own family.
The news spread quickly, and many people conducted their own experiments to confirm that if there was ventilation when burning coal, people would not be poisoned.
Many people secretly cursed An Jingzhi and An Zhongyi, father and son, for being cunning.
Some even believed that they wanted to kill Censor Liu just to seize the mountain of coal owned by his family, because once coal was proven to be usable, it would be a gold mine.
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