Rise From the Humble

  Chapter 768 A Different Toad

   On the second day, it was dark outside, and Venus was still high above. Zhu Pingan had already led Liu Mu and Liu Dadao out of Linhuaihou Mansion on horseback, and headed straight for the Taicang Bank.

   This time, Zhu Pingan carried another day's food in his cross-body backpack, and the two gourds hanging around his waist were filled with water. In addition, Zhu Pingan also wore a soft silk armor next to his body, which Li Shu insisted Zhu Pingan put on in the morning.

  The silk soft armor was specially sent by Li Shu a few days ago to ask his second brother for it, and it was delivered to the capital from the south in a hurry yesterday. In the morning, Li Shu insisted that Zhu Ping put on this soft silk armor before letting Zhu Ping go out.

This silk soft armor is not as magical as it is written in the novel. It just uses a special method to process the silk. After dozens of processes, the silk remains supple and tough, and it is woven by hand. It is very light. , Wearing it is like not wearing it, and outsiders can't see it, and wearing it in summer has the effect of cooling down.

Compared with gold silk soft armor, silk soft armor is a little less effective against slashing weapons such as knives, but it can also effectively reduce the contact surface of swords and swords, reduce damage, and make ordinary swords and swords not fatal; In addition, compared with gold silk soft armor, silk soft armor is more effective in preventing bows and arrows.

  The principle is the same as during the period of Genghis Khan, Mongolian cavalry often wore a piece of silk clothing next to their body. The reason why Mongolian soldiers wear silk clothes next to their bodies is not to compare luxury and corruption, but to take a fancy to the toughness of silk. Wearing silk clothes is for self-defense. If he is hit by an arrow, the silk thread will be wrapped around the arrow. It will be attached to the silk thread and injected into the body. At this time, you only need to gently pull the silk thread to pull out the arrow, effectively reducing the damage of the bow and arrow.

Liu Mu and Liu Dadao also brought their own food and drinking water. In addition, Liu Mu also carried a sword on his waist, Liu Dadao carried a thick-backed machete, and each of them had six or seven darts in their belts. .

   After listening to Zhu Ping'an's reminder yesterday, the two of them brought enough self-defense gear today, and they were very vigilant along the way.

   But it’s okay, the journey was safe and sound, and the road went smoothly to Taicang.

  When we arrived in Taicang, the sky was just getting brighter, and the dawn was still brewing below the horizon.

  Zhu Ping'an went into Taicang alone, and went straight to the audit room.

  The people in the East Factory were divided into two shifts and stayed outside the house all the time, but they didn't expect Zhu Pingan to come to check the accounts so early, and they couldn't help but think highly of Zhu Pingan.

  Because the sky was not bright yet, Zhu Pingan lit the oil lamp in the room, and checked the ledger by the light.

  According to yesterday's speed, one day today plus half a day tomorrow, the account book can be checked.

From the perspective of the ledger, the further the future, the more false accounts and deficits in the ledger. Take the first ledger checked by Zhu Pingan today, this one is nearly 200 more than the ledger checked the day before yesterday. Fake accounts and shortfalls of two denarii.

  After Zhu Pingan checked an account book, the eastern sky burst into morning light.

Following the light of the morning sun, Zhang Guanku, Jia Langzhong and others arrived in Taicang early, an hour earlier than usual, thinking of rushing ahead of Zhu Pingan, stopping Zhu Pingan at the door, and talking to Zhu Pingan again Taicang "conventional".

   "Report to your lord, the inspector Zhu has come to Taicang half an hour ago." Ku Bing, who was on duty at the gate of the Taicang Bank, reported truthfully when Zhang Guanku asked.

"Grass!"

   Zhao Langzhong cursed fiercely when he heard the words, and slammed the box of tea in his hand to the ground.

  Others also had a bad face.

  Zhang Guanku glanced at Zhao Langzhong, and said with a serious face, "If you have something to say behind closed doors, why are you playing crazy at the door!"

   "I just can't get enough of it, this guy surnamed Zhu kicked his nose in the face."

  Zhao Langzhong shrank his neck and muttered something in his mouth, but he still followed Zhang Guanku obediently to Zhang Guanku's office room in Taicang.

  After arriving at Zhang Guanku's office room, several people closed the door and started another round of "conspiracy discussions" against Zhu Ping'an.

  After discussing for a long time, there was no result.

  However, although Zhu Pingan was suddenly so interested in checking the accounts, they still believed that it was impossible for Zhu Pingan to find out the problems with the books and books made by the top accountants in the capital such as "Ghost Hand Zhang".

Liu Treasurer, who has always been timid and fearful, was also persuaded by everyone. He was worried about whether Zhu Ping'an had found out the problem, and it was more because of his personality. After the fact, Liu Siku also believed that it was impossible for Zhu Pingan to find out the problem from the account.

You have to be strong in forging iron, so Zhang Guanku ordered Jia Langzhong, Zhao Langzhong and other well-connected people to prepare generous gifts to visit important officials such as the Ministry of Households to clear up the relationship; Secretly take care of the treasury soldiers and treasury officials, knowing the benefits and harms, everyone is a grasshopper on the same boat, if anyone dares to harm everyone without saying a word, then don't blame everyone for killing him first.

The effect was outstanding, and many officials from the Ministry of Households nodded in secret; Taicang became a monolithic body, unanimously speaking to the outside world—Zhu Ping'an, they all ate from the pot of Taicang, and they had the same interests, so naturally they banded together to deal with Zhu Ping'an. Ping An this guy who doesn't play by "convention".

When the people of Taicang unified their thinking, and under the leadership of Zhang Guanku and others, Zhu Ping'an was concentrating on checking the accounts. Except for a few inexplicable sneezes in the middle, it can be said that he didn't hear anything outside the window. , One mind only checks the account in hand.

  Like yesterday, Zhu Pingan checked the accounts again when the sun was setting and the night was dim, and then he put away the account books and brushes in his hands.

  There is only one box and one-third of the books left behind.

  The speed is faster than expected, and the investigation can be completed early tomorrow morning.

  Different from yesterday, when Zhu Pingan left the yard, there were no Zhang Guanku, Jia Langzhong and others outside the yard.

  At first, I thought that they would pull me again like yesterday, and tell myself a "rule" or something, but I didn't expect them to give up so quickly. Well, that's good, I saved myself from checking the accounts all day, and I had to deal with them when I was exhausted.

  Moon sets, sun rises, another day.

  As Zhu Ping'an expected, early in the morning of the third day, Zhu Ping'an reorganized all the accounts in Taicang for the past three years using double-entry accounting sheets.

   Fake accounts and shortfalls are simply astonishing! Far beyond Zhu Pingan's imagination.

   Shuo Shu Shuo Shu, you will die!

After checking the accounts, Zhu Pingan hid all the double-entry accounting sheets and the final statistics close to his body, and handed over all the accounts books of Taicang for the past three years to Dongchang Dripping Sword and others, and they escorted them to Xiyuan, where they were sealed and stored in the warehouse. .

  After Zhu Ping'an and Dong Chang's people left, Zhang Guanku and others couldn't wait to enter the audit room.

  The room was empty, with only a piece of rice paper left on the table.

   Familiar, yet unfamiliar.

  I say they are familiar because they have seen this piece of rice paper, and they remember the lotus leaf toad on it especially deeply. It is precisely because of this lotus leaf pair that they privately laughed at Zhu Pingan as the inspector of the toad.

  I say I am not familiar with it because on this piece of rice paper, there was originally only a sentence "sitting alone in a pond like a tiger crouching, and under the shade trees to nourish the spirit", now there are two more poems below this sentence, which completes this poem.

  "Seven Ancients: Chanting Frog"

   Sitting alone in the pond is like a tiger crouching, under the shade trees to nourish the spirit.

  When spring comes, if I don’t speak first, who dares to make a sound.

   "When spring comes, if I don't speak first, who dares to make a sound." Zhang Guanku read it silently, and suddenly felt a chill down his back, as if a thorn had been stabbed in his heart.

  Liu Saku and others couldn't help but change their faces when they read this poem, and their hearts were shocked. How could a toad be so domineering? !

  We say he is the toad inspector, is he mocking us as bugs? !

   Liu Siku, who was relieved at first, became inexplicably uneasy again.

  (end of this chapter)