Xian Dynasty Era

Chapter 161 This Wind Can't Last!

After saluting, the guests and hosts will be seated again. Zou Yi explained the purpose of coming.

"That's it..." Zhou Guangji couldn't help but ponder on his face after listening to the narration, and said: "The construction and consolidation of the embankment of the Honghe River is related to the safety of the fathers and villagers in Fengle County. Steward, if you take five hundred gold from the account room and let Mr. Zou take it away, it can be regarded as the old man's little care for the renovation of the embankment of the Hong River."

Zou Yi's face changed slightly, but he didn't see the slightest joy, he looked closely at Zhou Guangji, and said: "Old Zhou doesn't seem to understand the meaning of the official's words, the king's order is to let all the families contribute manpower, money and food to overcome the difficulties together. "

Did Zhou Guangji treat him as a beggar?Send him five hundred gold?

Zhou Guangji pretended to be puzzled, and said, "Master Zou, isn't this old man paying for food and food now? This five hundred gold is enough for a middle-class family to spend five years in Fengle County. Is it possible that Master Zou thinks it is too little?"

Zou Yi suppressed the growing anger in his heart, and did not argue about the amount of gold and silver at all. Instead, he insulted the dignity of a county's frontier, but said in a deep voice: "The embankment of the Hong River is related to the safety of Fengle County. It is the overall situation that should be taken into consideration, but what Zou has seen along the way, it can be seen that there are more than ten thousand children and servants in Zhou's family, and the tenant farmers are even more ignorant, even if some are taken out, it will not affect anything."

Before Zhou Guangji could speak, his son Zhou Huaiwen, a 40-year-old middle-aged man, snorted coldly in his nose, and interrupted: "Master Zou, did the grass people hear you right? This is asking my Zhou family to serve in corvée? My family has lived in Fengle County for generations, even when Duke Sikong Fan supervised the construction of the embankment here, none of the children in the family have served corvee. Mr. Zou must have forgotten that my Zhou family has the right to be exempted from military service for many generations. Why, Mr. Zou pretends to be the county guard, so he will disregard the laws of the country and act recklessly?"

Zhou Guangji coughed, and shouted in a deep voice: "Huaiwen, don't be rude. Mr. Zou has just taken up his post, so he doesn't understand some details. Maybe he regards us as ordinary gentry in Zhulin County."

Listening to Wu Deben silently at the side, watching this scene quietly, he felt a little restless, and began to regret why he didn't take advantage of the situation and leave just now.

Zou Yi took a deep breath, with a gloomy expression, and said: "But the words of the lord are to let the children of the county go to the river to repair the embankment, and Mr. Zhou should know that once the Honghe River breaks the embankment, it is not a matter of one family and one surname. Le County will become a country of thousands of miles, and the refugees will lose their homes..."

"If you are not in your position, you will not plan your own government. This matter will be planned by a carnivore. The minister of the court is very wise. I believe he will be able to plan it properly. Mr. Zou is looking for me. I am dying. The old man in the country, even if he has the heart, It's also powerless, I'm afraid Mr. Zou has found the wrong person." Zhou Guangji said, sighing with "compassion and compassion", and said: "If Mr. Zou thinks it's too little, I can give you another five hundred gold, just to talk about it." Mind."

No matter how good-tempered Zou Yi was, he finally couldn't bear the majestic governor of a county, the chief official of the frontier, who was being bargained like a merchant. His voice could not help but be a bit cold, and he said in a deep voice, "Don't tell me you want to disobey the king's order?"

Seeing Zou Yi turn his face, Zhou Guangji's face turned ugly, and his voice became a bit colder: "I didn't say that, I just sent out corvees indiscriminately, which is clearly a disorderly life! Mr. Zou, it's not that the old man said you, you are young, and you don't know how deep you are!" , as a subject, you should be on the sidelines to persuade you, how can you follow the nonsense? Once such chaos is spread, won't it damage the reputation of the prince?"

As he said that, he picked up the tea bowls on the table beside him and stirred the tea soup, obviously he didn't want to have a deep talk, so he served tea to see off the guests.

After being taught a lesson by Zhou Guangji, Zou Yi's face was gloomy, she got up, and said coldly: "What Zhou said, I've been educated, please leave!"

Watching Zou Yi leave in a flick of his sleeves, Zhou Guangji shook his head and smiled, half sarcastically, half with emotion: "Young people just can't hold their breath."

I don't know if he was talking about Zou Yi, or if he meant something else.

Wu Deben only felt that his scalp was numb, forced himself to smile, and persuaded him: "Old Zhou, there are only a few child servants around, why don't you allow Mr. Zou."

From Wu Deben's point of view, good people don't fight with officials, and Zou Yi's borders are blocked by a county anyway. What's more, what he said is not unreasonable.

"It's not that the old man is stingy, but that this trend cannot last forever! Today the little gentleman made me serve in corvée, and tomorrow he might be forced to clear the land and force me to release the boy servant... The old man has some face in Wenyi, The news is quite clever, do you know who this little prince has chosen as Wen Yizai?" Zhou Guangji's eyes were deep, and he said mockingly: "Yan Chang, my nephew may not know who this is. When this man was in Chu State, To help a bunch of mud-legged people, to divide the fields of the nobles and nobles, and to be the first-class lawless people in the world!"

Wu Deben sighed, his grandfather used to be the prefect of Changle, but that was the old calendar of many years, and his Wu family did not have the confidence of Zhou's family.

only……

During Zhou Guangji's speech, he didn't show much respect to the princes, which is really frightening.

Zhou Guangji said: "Nephew, I will inform everyone later, this time we will advance and retreat together, and we must not allow people to push forward and eat away at every step!"

"Old Zhou, no matter what, Zou Yi's words are not wrong. Once the Honghe River breaks its embankment, our property will also be affected." Wu Deben pondered for a moment, and then persuaded him.

After all, it will be the home of the in-laws.

Before Zhou Guangji could speak, Zhou Huaiwen on the side first smiled and said: "Brother Wu doesn't know something, my nephew who works in the county government mentioned this matter, in fact, it is only to strengthen the embankments of Xiuwen and Yangping counties. The manpower in the county is still sufficient. As for the two counties of Qingpu and Zhulin, they can ignore them and let them be submerged. Instead, the flood is released to ensure the safety of the county. Tian, ​​accepting refugees... do a good deed."

Xu Shi is about to become a family of in-laws, Zhou Guangji's eldest son, Zhou Huaiwen is less secretive in his speech, and his words are shameless, making Wu Deben frown secretly.

Of course, although Zhou Huaiwen's words are a little bit naked, they are the truth.

In the year of catastrophe, when refugees swarmed, it was the time to annex fields and raise slaves to be extinct.

It can be said that at that time, it was the feast of the noble family of the county and the powerful in the county.

Wu Deben's complexion changed, but his heart was covered with a haze.

Wu Deben left with his thoughts in mind.

Zhou Huaiwen watched Wu Deben leave, and seemed to have guessed some of Wu Deben's worries, and asked: "Father, since the emperor came to the throne, he has acted harshly, and he has not hesitated to kill ministers and senior generals. Wu Deben's worries, Not necessarily unfounded."

Zhou Guangji smiled slightly, and said indifferently: "As a father, there is naturally a reliance. This young prince acts headstrong, and he is arrogant and self-serving, but he can't see the general trend. How long Su Yi can support him is uncertain."

"This... the child is stupid, please tell my father clearly." Zhou Huaiwen's complexion changed slightly, and as he spoke, he waved at the subordinates around him, and turned away from the left and right.

But Zhou Guangji didn't care, the people present were all born of the family, whose life and death were earlier than the hands of the Zhou family, who would dare to tell the truth.

"What's the meaning of what father just said?" Zhou Huaiwen asked.

Zhou Guangji said: "Follow my father, do you still remember the national war ten years ago?"

Zhou Huaiwen nodded, stepped forward to help Zhou Guangji walk to the backyard.

"At that time, Zheng Guo's army all attacked Fengle County..." Zhou Guangji recalled the past, and he was also quite sad, "If it wasn't for his father to know the current affairs, the Zhou family, with thousands of people, old and young, would hardly be able to live. For a while, but at least I got to know Zheng Guoshaozai and several ministers, and in recent years, the family has been in the grain and cloth business, and there are many business contacts, you should also know about this."

Zhou Huaiwen nodded, and suddenly said: "The family business has been laid in some counties and counties of Zheng State. It is strange to say that it is often convenient to meet officials. It turns out that it is my father."

"It was the convenience of some friends who made intentions at that time." Zhou Guangji said: "So, the old man only recently heard a rumor from those friends."

Zhou Huaiwen was startled, and asked, "What rumor?"

"Zheng Guo will send troops to destroy Su Guo in one fell swoop. At this moment, the army is preparing for war. Su Guo has no reinforcements to defend the country this time." Zhou Guangji said with emotion: "It's only our little prince who is too ruthless. hot."

Zhou Huaiwen was shocked, and said, "Father, is the news reliable?"

"You are in charge of the family's food business. You should know that some time ago, Zheng Guobian County's food supply was in short supply. How could the war of one country not be prepared in advance? Before the soldiers and horses moved, the food and grass went first." Zhou Guangji pointed out.

In every national war, there will definitely be a large amount of food, grass and luggage, and no matter how to hide it, there will be some clues left behind.

The Zhou family was originally in the grain and cloth business, no matter from some details, or from some information obtained from Zhou Guangji's friendship with Zheng Guo officials in his early years.

The combination of the two supported the judgment at the same time—Zheng Guo will commit crimes against Su!

(End of this chapter)