Chapter 125 A Full Bowl of Money【VIP】
Qingfeng Town, Mufeng Academy.
This school was built with the help of Li Menghong and funds from local gentry and merchants.
The students attending this school, apart from those who passed the examination this year, are only those who will take the examination next year. As for the others, they are not even qualified to squat under the window.
When Zhao Xiaofu rode his horse to the outside of the school to find Lin Zhenyu and Hu Shijie, the two men had just come out of the school and headed towards the inn, holding books.
The two suddenly saw Zhao Xiaofu in the crowd and ran over excitedly.
"Su Xing, why are you here? Aren't you traveling with Mr. Yang to various villages to promote winter wheat planting?"
Hu Shijie looked at the horse that Zhao Xiaofu was leading, with a hint of envy in his eyes.
At this time, many students came out of the school and looked at the three of them. Some students who had taught together in the Shen Family School also came over to greet Zhao Xiaofu.
Lin Zhenyu knew that Zhao Xiaofu must have something to discuss with them, so he invited him to his residence.
The cheapest room in the city inn was a large bunk bed, so when Zhao Xiaofu followed Lin Zhenyu and Hu Shijie upstairs to the room, he was quite surprised.
"The food and lodging for us students are all borne by others. Of course, if we want to have these things, there are conditions. We have to go to the houses of the gentry to entertain them three or four days a month." Lin Zhenyu smiled bitterly when he said this to Zhao Xiaofu.
Hu Shijie was more open-minded than him. He just drank some wine to help them look good.
"Su Xing, why are you looking for us?"
Zhao Xiaofu took out his own handwritten copy of the Fang County Chronicles and handed it to someone.
"Our foundation is poor, and we can only learn many things from books. This county annals was borrowed by the teacher from Lord Li. I don't have much free time, so I only copied this one. You two can take it and read it more." Zhao Xiaofu said.
The county annals are very thick, and the handwriting on them is neat, and every stroke represents Zhao Xiaofu's care.
"Su Xing, thank you for thinking of us." One person accepted the book without refusing.
Lin Zhenyu stood up, opened the door, and took a look outside. After making sure that the wall was clear, he closed the door and sat back down, saying in a low voice, "We're keeping an eye on what you asked of us."
Zhao Xiaofu leaned over and learned from Lin Zhenyu that in addition to drinking with these gentry in private, Li Menghong had indeed accepted a lot of gifts in secret.
"Su Xing, do you still remember Fang Qiankun?"
How could Zhao Xiaofu not remember?
"Among them, the gift from the Fang family is the most generous."
Zhao Xiaofu frowned slightly and bowed to one of them to express his gratitude. The two wanted to invite him to have dinner with them, but Zhao Xiaofu declined.
Hu Shijie and Lin Zhenyu personally saw him off. As they watched him leave with his horse, they simultaneously remarked, "It would be great if we could also become Yang Jizong's disciples."
During those banquets, Lord Li, whether intentionally or unintentionally, let slip that if the winter wheat could be harvested, Yang Jizong could become the prefect of Ezhou.
Although he was not reinstated, it can be seen from this that his future promotion was a foregone conclusion. Unfortunately, he only accepted Zhao Xiaofu as his student.
"It's better to rely on yourself than on others. Let's go back to the house and read the book Su Xing gave us." Lin Zhenyu patted his friend's shoulder.
The back hall of the government office.
Li Menghong was so happy when he learned that the promotion of winter wheat was already halfway completed that he couldn't stop smiling. "I knew that this matter would be perfect if I entrusted it to you. Great! That's great! I have lived up to the trust of the emperor."
Yang Jizong put down the teacup in his hand and continued, "There is one more matter that I would like to trouble Lord Li to send someone to investigate."
"What's the matter? Just tell me."
"On our way back, we encountered several tenant farmers blocking the road with knives. If it weren't for the horses and swords you two officials lent us, I'm afraid Su Xing and I would have had a hard time escaping."
"What? How could such a thing happen? These unruly people!" Li Menghong angrily slammed the table and paced back and forth in the room. "I will investigate this matter thoroughly. Can you tell me which village those tenant farmers are from?"
Yang Jizong told Li Menghong the details of the tenant farmers. Just as he finished speaking, he heard the old official outside the door saying that Zhao Xiaofu had something urgent to discuss with Yang Jizong.
Li Menghong secretly sighed that this kid came at the wrong time, but he could only let Yang Jizong go out and take a look. As for the matter of someone instigating the tenant farmers, he would definitely investigate it thoroughly.
In this way, Yang Jizong was taken out of the yamen by the old official.
"Teacher." Zhao Xiaofu stood outside the door and bowed. He looked anxious, but since there were outsiders around, he couldn't speak directly.
Yang Jizong looked back, finally sighed, led the horse, took the monthly salary and left the government office with Zhao Xiaofu.
As soon as the two men left, Li Menghong impatiently summoned the old official beside him and asked, "Do you think this was done by Fang Qiankun, or was it someone sent by Prime Minister Wang?"
The old official stepped forward to relieve his worries, "Sir, in my humble opinion, this was probably done by Fang Qiankun. Fang Qiankun and Zhao Tongsheng have had a feud before. Besides, we have been strictly guarding everyone entering and leaving the city these days. It is unlikely that it was ordered by Prime Minister Wang."
“I had doubts, but I didn’t tell the old official.
This doesn't seem like something the Fang family would do. The Fang family wants to make friends with Ji Zong recently, so they wouldn't do such a thing.
"Sir, should we send a few more yamen runners to protect them?"
"No need. He is not an official yet. There are many people around and they will talk too much. It is better to avoid being caught by others. You can go down." Li Menghong waved his hand.
The old official bowed and retreated.
At the same time, Yang Jizong and Zhao Xiaofu bought pens, ink, paper and inkstone at a bookstore, and went to Li Xin and Liu Chuang's homes to get thick clothes for them before leaving the city.
When one person reached the intersection of the bluestone road and the country road, Yang Jizong tightened the reins, slowed down the horse, and looked at the deserted country road thoughtfully.
Zhao Xiaofu rode his horse alongside him and told Yang Jizong the news he had heard from his good friend.
But Yang was shocked.
The emperor knew every penny Li Menghong took in bribes, and it was the emperor who asked him to do so.
The treasury is now empty, but it can solve the problem.
"Li Menghong will never betray us if he wants to be promoted. As for the Fang family, they are just a piece of fat meat delivered to our mouths." Yang Jizong analyzed these to Zhao Xiaofu, letting him know the twists and turns in the officialdom.
Zhao Xiaofu sat on his horse and thought carefully before saying, "I have learned a lesson."
"You entered the city today and gave the Fang County Chronicles to Lin Zhenyu and Hu Shijie. You did a great job in getting this information." Yang Jizong praised.
Zhao Xiaofu breathed a sigh of relief.
It was noon when one person returned home. Yang Jizong and Zhao Xiaofu agreed on the time to set off the next day and then entered the house.
"You're back. I fried some crispy pork. Go wash your hands and come over to try it." Chen Yao came out of the kitchen when she heard the sound of horse hooves, holding a spatula in her hand and smiling at Yang Jizong.
Yang Jizong washed his hands under the eaves, entered the kitchen, stood beside Shen Yao, took out something from his arms and put it in front of her.
"Oh, why did you buy this?" Chen Yao was a little surprised when she saw a pair of silver jasmine earrings in front of her.
She often works in the fields and rarely wears jewelry. She just wears a headband on her head, nothing else.
"Ayao, do you like it?"
"I like it. Put it on for me." Chen Yao raised her head and tilted her ear in front of him.
Yang Jizong bent down and pulled out the grass stem from her ear hole and replaced it with silver jasmine.
Chen Yao touched her earlobe, which was a bit heavy, and asked, "Does it look good?"
"It looks beautiful." The silver jasmine was very small and emitted a faint glow, but the person in front of it felt like he had found a treasure.
Yang Jizong felt a little uncomfortable.
Chen Yao put the fried crispy meat into a winnowing basket and handed it to Yang Jizong, asking him to take it out and eat.
Yang Jizong did not go out, but cooked lunch with her in the kitchen.
After lunch, Yang Jizong went to the school with Chen Yao and used the remaining time to check the students' homework.
The next day.
Yang Jizong and Zhao Xiaofu rode horses, carrying large and small bags, to bid farewell to their families.
On the way to Mengusi Village, one person changed direction and took a longer detour before arriving safely.
After handing over the monthly salary and baggage to Li Xin and Liu Chuang, the four continued to teach the tenant farmers how to grow winter wheat in the following days.
When the first snow of winter fell, the wheat seedlings in the fields of each village had grown an inch tall.
Chen Yao's Champa rice harvest was plentiful before winter set in.
Every time Tian Baolai entered or left the warehouse, he couldn't help laughing when he saw the three stones of rice piled in the corner.
In the past few months, good things have been happening all the time, both at home and in the village.
Winter wheat was planted in the fertile fields of the two villages. The villagers followed Chen Yao's method and took good care of it every day. The wheat seedlings were stronger than in previous years.
As long as there are no natural disasters or man-made disasters next year, if you take good care of the crops, you will definitely have a good harvest.
During this period, the people in the two villages had no time to rest. The silkworm rooms, rabbit houses, and tofu shops expanded and many workers were hired.
Chen Yao had asked them to open up wasteland and plant crops such as peanuts and edamame, and they really made a lot of money before winter came.
Now that everyone had money, they bought more wasteland at the call of Tian Baolai. These wastelands were all near the Yan River, making it convenient to convert them into paddy fields to grow Champa rice in the future.
The children in the two villages were even more competitive. They studied early in the morning and late at night, competing with each other to learn. Even if there was heavy snow, the children would insist on going to Shen's School.
In the exams at the end of each month, not a single student was eliminated. Seeing the children studying so hard, their parents became more motivated to work.
A new house was built at home, and Chen Yao no longer suffered from the cold this winter.
There was a charcoal basin for heating in the study, and Chen Yao was sitting at the desk checking the accounts.
When Yang Wenying came in from outside, rubbing her hands, she heard Chen Yao flipping through the account book. "Ayao, should we give the workers New Year gifts this year?"
If it is sent, the things should be prepared.
Chen Yao replied while calculating the accounts on a piece of scratch paper: "Give it out. Thanks to everyone's concerted efforts and support this year, we have earned this money. From now on, we must give out New Year and festival gifts."
Yang Wenying drank hot tea and sat by the charcoal basin for a while until she warmed up. She took off her rabbit fur scarf and said, "Don't give up yet. Tell me first, what are we going to prepare for the New Year's gift?"
Chen Yao put down the brush and ink in her hand, thinking for a moment: "How about five pounds of pork and a chicken for each person, and then give everyone a red envelope? Everyone can buy whatever they want, what do you think?"
"Okay, then I'll talk to Zheng Dalang and ask him to order the New Year pigs and chickens in the city in advance. The pigs and chickens we raise at home are still too young!"
When Chen Yao heard her words, she suddenly thought of the fat free-range chickens at home and the two pigs in the pigpen. She couldn't help but teasing: "Wenying, I'm afraid you can't bear to part with them."
Yang Wenying came close to her, took a large red date from the plate in front of her and put it into her mouth, not afraid of her laughter: "I raised them with great difficulty. If we want to eat them, they should be eaten by our family. I can't bear to give them to others. Now we are rich, can't we still afford to buy them New Year gifts?"
Chen Yao looked at the string of numbers on the account book and smiled at Yang Wenying.
They really are all rich now!
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