Shen Xi almost burst out laughing. Cao Qiang's IQ and EQ were not good enough to make him the head of the family.
Even if someone is the head of the family, he can only be a figurehead. If he were to actually have real power and be easily manipulated, he might end up doing a lot of bad things.
"Alright, it's settled then. I thank Patriarch Cao on behalf of the common people."
Cao Qiang immediately waved his hand, "No need to thank me, no need to thank me."
He dared not let Shen Xi thank him; he would be eternally grateful if she would not cause him any trouble.
“Patriarch Cao, as the head of the family, you should naturally set an example. How about this, spring is the time when the land needs the most manpower for tilling, so you can go and work in the fields for half a year, how about that?”
Working?
Looking at his own fat body, Cao Qiang wondered if he would be exhausted to death if he went to work in the fields.
He wanted to refuse, but he was terrified, terrified out of his mind.
Well, I guess I'll just have to work. It's better than dying.
"I'll go." Cao Qiang, not daring to refuse, immediately agreed.
Cao Changgeng and Cao Wang understood it.
This is Shenxi's way of punishing Cao Qiang, which is equivalent to making Cao Qiang perform forced labor.
"The land there isn't far from here, only about fifty miles away. The conditions are a bit tough, but that's how we can show Patriarch Cao's sincerity."
The places where Cao Qiang was sent to work were all places where people who had committed crimes were sentenced to hard labor.
Chenxi reclaimed a significant portion of the land belonging to the punished aristocratic families. Some of it was distributed to the villagers, while the rest was kept as government-run land for future use.
Cao Qiang felt terrible. If the conditions were so tough, how could he possibly stay?
But having already agreed, I dared not go back on my word.
"Okay, I'll go, I definitely will."
Shen Xi nodded. "Someone come here."
Zhao Xun walked over and said, "Commander, I'm here."
He was in charge of all the punishments and disposals of the prisoners.
"I'm entrusting Patriarch Cao to you. You must take good care of him."
"Yes, sir."
After bowing to Shen Xi, Zhao Xun said to Cao Qiang, "Patriarch Cao, please!"
Cao Qiang was stunned. What? Was he going to be taken there now?
He planned to go home, so he took a few servants with him. Although those servants no longer had indentures, they were still his family and quite obedient.
These days, they won't let you bring anything, they just take it away without warning. It feels like being sentenced to prison.
In fact, Cao Qiang was right. Shen Xi had essentially sentenced him to six months of hard labor, plus the huge fine that the Cao family had paid a few days ago.
Cao Wang could see that Shen Xi had no intention of letting Cao Qiang off the hook; he just hadn't put him on trial in public.
But Cao Qiang's crimes and punishments will definitely be made public later.
The Cao family has really lost face; the patriarch has been punished with hard labor.
Seeing that Cao Qiang was completely bewildered, Cao Wang had no choice but to step in, "Chief, could you please allow my family head to go back and tidy up?"
Zhao Xun said, "There's no need to pack. Everything you need is there. Also, since the Cao family is setting an example, it's natural that he won't allow anyone to follow him."
Well, all the roads are blocked.
what to do?
What else can we do but accept our fate? At most, if it gets too embarrassing, we can change the head of the family.
Cao Wang had no choice but to make this decision.
The head of the Cao family cannot be a criminal.
If Chenxi really makes these crimes public, Cao Qiang, the head of the family, will definitely have to be abandoned.
Before it's officially announced, you should make plans and find out whether Shenxi will actually make it public.
If the situation looks unfavorable, a new head of the family will be chosen before the official announcement.
In that case, Cao Qiang would no longer be the head of the Cao family, and whatever he did wouldn't matter so much.
Cao Qiang is not the only member of the Cao family to have been convicted of a crime and sentenced.
Large families are bound to have some filth and unfilial descendants. How many young masters and nobles have been punished by Chenxi this time?
It's not just the Cao family that's disgraced; as long as they're not the head of the family, it doesn't matter who in the Cao family gets sentenced.
This is not only shameful, but having such a head of the family can easily affect the future business and the careers of the younger generation.
Thinking of this, Cao Wang relaxed.
He said directly to Cao Qiang, "Patriarch, since you're not allowed to bring anyone, you can come along. You'll be back in six months, and we'll be waiting for you."
Seeing that there was no room for negotiation, Cao Qiang could only leave with a bitter expression, following Zhao Xun.
Shen Xi smiled slightly, "Chang Geng, you won't let Cao Qiang cause any rift in our relationship, will you?"
"Of course not, sir. Rest assured, the head of the family must set an example. We understand."
"That's good. Now let's discuss the specifics of recruitment."
After this discussion, the Cao family agreed to hire more than 500 people to work.
Cao Changgeng had no choice. Previously, his family had quite a few long-term laborers, enough to clear the land.
But what can I do if I don't agree?
Furthermore, existing long-term workers cannot be dismissed simply because new employees have been hired.
Cao Changgeng had no choice but to pay to avoid further trouble; if he was required to do so, he had to.
Shenxi gave him a suggestion, "Chang Geng, actually, there are many places that need manpower. The north of the city is under construction, and some shops have already been built. You can rent or buy some of them. A lot of supplies are needed there."
Or, in areas that haven't been built yet, I've already had a portion planned out. You can directly lease the land, build your house or shop, and use it yourself, or lease or sell it.
This is how Shenxi made things convenient for Cao Changgeng.
After all, Cao Changgeng really couldn't use so many people.
If these people don't work or do very little work but still get food and wages, they'll be spoiled and become lazy. Chenxi certainly won't do that.
Besides, she really needed money. She was providing food for the refugees, and those who did a good job were also being paid wages. As Chenxi watched the food and money being sent out, her heart bled.
With only so many refugees, it would be impossible to build the North City all at once. In order to better develop the North City, Chenxi set aside a portion of the land and planned to lease it to these aristocratic families.
On the one hand, it can accelerate the construction of the northern part of the city and restore the economy and people's lives as soon as possible; on the other hand, it can make money.
Cao Changgeng was very clever; he immediately realized that this kind of thing could definitely be profitable.
So he agreed without even thinking about it.
If we agree sooner, we can get good land sooner, and once it's built, the money will flow in like water.
Cao Wang saw it all and kept it in mind.
In fact, he knew very well that Cao Changgeng was more suitable to be the head of the family.
But since Cao Changgeng was previously an illegitimate son, now that the acknowledged Cao Qiang is gone, Cao Changgeng has the opportunity to become the head of the family.
Shen Xi smiled and saw Cao Changgeng out. Cao Changgeng was flattered and bowed deeply before leaving.
"Commander, this is a good idea; it achieves multiple goals at once."
Di Yingxue praised him as she wrote the document.
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