The husband's son-in-law

Alkali needs to be purified.

Gu Zhaoxian made a note of the beach area where the glass was produced. It is best to finish the road repairs and prepare the goods to be sold when going out, but in the commercial area, he can only play a leading role. Go back and discuss with Zhou Zhou about the specifics.

Although asking Zhaozhou city merchants to donate money to build roads is called cutting leeks, but Gu Zhao was just joking, and didn't really think so-he couldn't do everything and squeeze these merchants for a long time.

Merchants are also Zhaozhou people.

A good cycle There are various commercial production lines in the local area, which can be developed for a long time and make money. It can provide jobs for the people of Zhaozhou, and the people can have enough food and clothing and have extra money.

Gu Zhao wanted to break up the current business situation in Zhaozhou, and intervene to support his own people-this would depend on Zhou Zhou.He doesn't believe that these big merchants who are too deeply rooted will see high profits in the future, can keep their conscience, and will not oppress the people by force and exploit them layer by layer.

This is not the situation he wants.

Take Zhaozhou as an inclusive city, and welcome businessmen from Dali and other small foreign countries to come and go.Otherwise, if the local merchants grow bigger, it is easy to form a strong moat, and it will be a den of bandits. Who dares to do business?

"I have planned the roads in Annan Prefecture, and they will be repaired according to the method. First, I will work hard to build the road near the limestone mountain. The road here will be open, and other places will be able to transport things." Gu Zhao said.

The magistrate of Annan County should be respectful.

"This year's harvest is about to come down. During that time, road construction will be stopped first, and there will be extra manpower to burn cement. This can be put away. Next year's fertilizer production method will come down to explain that the stone powder used in fertilizer methods can be collected for free first. When the harvest comes back next year, it can be paid with grain or labor.”

"Fertilizer methods must be arranged for every household in every village, and can be adjusted according to the fertility of the local soil. These agricultural officials will ask."

"Work hard for the past few months."

Gu Zhao saw that the county magistrate of Annan was also a confused official, not as good as the county magistrate of Bolin. The magistrate of Bolin knew that he was coming, and answered all the questions he asked.

But the magistrate of Annan County is stupid. When asked how the crops, fruits, and sugar cane were planted, he faltered and couldn't answer, or the teacher next to him answered with stuttering.

Gu Zhao looked at the wooden man with a serious face and said in a harsh voice, "If you can't do these small things well, some people want to squeeze your position."

Although he is an acquaintance, Mr. Chen doesn't care about things. In the whole Zhaozhou, officials who are lower than him have the right to be transferred, promoted or demoted. There is no right to dismiss him, but he can let him stay for a while, and then write a note and hand it over to Chief Secretary, at the disposal of His Excellency the Chief Secretary.

However, Zhaozhou City is in a free-range state. Mr. Chen handed over the paperwork to the chief secretary every year. Except for the money, he would not give approval, and everything else was done. Zhaozhou was left to toss.

Therefore, as soon as he finished speaking, Annan County Magistrate immediately knelt down, and he would not stumble in this meeting, and said that it would be done, please rest assured, my lord.

"There are rewards and punishments. If you do a good job, you will not forget your contribution." After Gu Zhao slapped him, he now painted a big cake and said, "The fertilizer is a good idea. If you spread it, you will Put your heart into it, if Annan's harvest doubles next year, I will personally add political achievements to you in your job report."

Annan County Magistrate was afraid just now, but now he is excited.

If he has such achievements in his job report, will he be able to be transferred to another side?Don't you need to stay in Annan?Immediately keep the work in mind.

Gu Zhaolian made a cake and saw that it was all right, so he set off for the next door.

The two prefectures of Bolin and Annan mostly grow agricultural products, not to mention grain and rice, cotton, sugar cane, and various fruits. Afterwards, Rongguan and Jiting are on the coast. food tax.

Due to the influence of the climate, there are not many places that can be planted, and there are often heavy rains and storms. The people here can’t eat enough to eat three kinds of food a year, because sometimes the crops are planted, and they will ripen in ten and a half months. But a storm came, and there was nothing left after washing away.

So there are many kinds of people in the two prefectures of Rongguan Jiting, three times a year, at least one and a half times can be eaten, right?

But God’s complexion is not easy to arrange. There are three times a year of rice, and only half of it can be used to make ends meet. Naturally, the grain taxes of the two prefectures and counties are not paid in full this year, and the people did not starve to death. Crawled for food to fill their stomachs.

Gu Zhao led the team to Rongguanfu County.

The county magistrate is very attentive, and greeted him directly at the gate of the city. When he saw the horse team approaching, he stepped forward to greet him from a distance, "I will let the county magistrate see Mr. Gu."

Gu Zhao reined in his horse and got up with the support of the county magistrate.

"Don't be too polite, just go in and talk." Gu Zhao didn't get on his horse, and entered the prefecture with the county magistrate.The gate of this prefecture and county looks like it has just been cleaned. Once inside, the local roads are also swept very clean. The people that can be seen on the street are clean and decent, with cloth shoes on their feet.

There are still people wearing straw sandals in Zhaozhou City.

In a poor prefecture and county, I didn't see a commoner who had patches on his body and wore straw sandals.

Gu Zhao knew that this was the magistrate Rongguan's ostentation, and sent him away after he finished his inspection. The payment is not complete, and this time I saw it on the spot, the people are in good spirits, they are fully clothed, and they are not as poor as they say on the paper."

"What Mr. Gu said is true." County magistrate Rong Guan said with a smile: "There used to be a year or two before, but under the jurisdiction of the lower officials, everything is fine, fine."

"good."

Gu Zhao nodded, and asked Rongguan about last year's grain production, and what to plant more, and the county magistrate Rongguan answered fluently.

Last year's grain production was a bit more than that of Annan next door.

Gu Zhao watched the county magistrate Rongguan open his eyes and talk nonsense, and knew why it was like this. The two houses of Rongguan Jiting were next to each other, the local power was too great, and they all had the same surname——Li.

It is allowed that the county magistrate's second wife is Li's daughter.The original ex-wife is said to have died of illness.

The surface information that Gu Zhaoneng found is like this, and the Jiting Prefecture next door is also average. His wife is not dead, but he married a daughter from the Li family as a flat wife. The children born to the flat wife are all brilliant. No one cared about his son and daughter, and the whole mansion was under the control of his wife.

The two prefectures and counties are close to each other, and the officials at the top are inseparable from the local Li family. The Li family is becoming more and more powerful. Even the three major merchants in Zhaozhou City are not willing to come here. If there is friction with the local goods, That is to use money to blur the past and settle things down.

It can be seen that the power of the Li family.

It is said that the county magistrate Rongguan came out of the city gate to greet him, and he still knelt down to salute, and he made a show of effort—from the current official reception, Rongguan and even the Li family behind him were the first to politely flatter him as a new official.

It's definitely not that he can't get off the stage, even on the contrary, you still have to give him money after watching it for a while.Women probably won't.The head of the Li family went to Zhaozhou City to participate in the silver donation activity.

Those merchants with eyes can tell that Master Gu respects Mrs. Gu, and he doesn't like sex or greedy for money.

The magistrate of Rongguan welcomed him to the mansion very graciously, and washed him away.Gu Zhao agreed, and said, "Very good, I just happened to be covered in dust along the way."

Arrived at the mansion.

The county magistrate personally sent Gu Zhao to the yard, saying that there was no rush, and Mr. Gu rested slowly.Gu Zhao waved his hand, seeing the county magistrate went down, he didn't say much, washed and changed his clothes - a maid came to serve him when changing clothes, but Gu Zhao stopped him.

The maid stepped back in a proper manner.

Gu Zhao put on his clothes, opened the door and saw Meng Jianyun standing outside, "Why don't you wash up? Go, it's okay."

Meng Jianyun didn't move, his expression was wrong.

"Say what you want to say, or shut up and go wash up."

"My lord, the county magistrate Rong Guan is not a good one." Meng Jianyun said in a low voice, and after he finished speaking, he looked at the yard and said, "The people who entered the city were all dressed up and not real people. .”

"Oh?" Gu Zhao asked curiously.

Meng Jianyun: "I just saw a firewood seller who didn't know how to carry a load. He put the firewood on the pile and rubbed his shoulders. It's not for this business."

"Then if this person is a scholar, his father usually brings firewood, but today his father is not feeling well, why should he come to deliver it?" Gu Zhao asked back.

Meng Jianyun stopped talking.

Gu Zhao looked at the empty courtyard outside, and said, "You took the subject to see it first, so naturally you didn't think about other possibilities behind it."

Meng Jianyun frowned, could it be that he misunderstood?

"But what you said is true." Gu Zhao looked back at Xiaomeng, and said, "I'm telling you this this time, so that you can see things more and judge more in the future. Don't be impatient. If you are really impulsive, you will find out later that you have wronged a good person." Woolen cloth?"

"Go and wash up."

Gu Zhao sighed in his heart as he was afraid that the two prefectures of Rongguan Jiting would be delayed. The first two prefectures and counties were too smooth for him, so it would be good if he slowed down here.

Take it easy.

About an hour later, the county magistrate personally came to invite Mr. Gu to a seat and said that the banquet was ready.Gu Zhao brought his entourage, Meng Jianyun, Su Shiyi, and the other bodyguards and yamen servants were settled by the county magistrate's housekeeper, so he didn't have to worry about it.

Eating and drinking is a round table feast, with some seafood and fruits.

The county magistrate said earnestly: "I heard that Mr. Gu likes the fruits of our Zhaozhou. Mr. Gu will try it. Unfortunately, there are no lychees this month."

"What's the matter? It's not just this year that I'm in Zhaozhou, so I can taste it in the future." Gu Zhao inserted a piece of pineapple to taste, the pineapple was sweet and refreshing, but it felt heavy to eat.

"good."

A smile appeared on the county magistrate's face, and he became more relaxed and at ease.During the period, several dogs were introduced, and Gu Zhao knew without introductions that those were the children of the stepwife Li's daughter, and which one was the birth of the deceased original spouse.

The clothes are not obvious. After all, they are the sons of the county magistrate. When they come out to meet guests, they are also his father's boss. This represents the face of the county magistrate's family.

The son of a girl from the Li family, who is the second wife, is all confident and hopeful. When talking to his father, the county magistrate, he can tell the relationship between father and son. Looking at the son of the original spouse, he is 24 or [-] years old. He is strong and strong, but he is stupid. With a clumsy tongue, he couldn't say a few words, the county magistrate frowned and backed away, and then begged him for mercy, "My eldest son is too dull, I hope Mr. Gu will forgive me for being rude."

"It's just a child." 28-year-old Gu Zhaoxiao said kindly.

During the dinner, someone was flattering and flattering. Gu Zhao’s appetite was halved, and he stopped his chopsticks because he had nothing to eat. As soon as he stopped, the other companions stopped. Everyone looked at the expression of the lord, and the county magistrate let him play first. Alright, let's talk about business.

What business.

I heard that Mr. Gu loves the people so much that the people in Zhaozhou have difficulty walking and want to build roads. There are kind-hearted merchants in Zhaozhou city who donate money for road repairs.

In a word: Let the squires donate money for road construction.

Gu Zhao looked at the people at the table who were holding silver coins, and wondered if they really wanted to donate voluntarily, or if their words were misunderstood.As for the banquet he held, all those who were qualified to attend were big leeks. Once the atmosphere of the scene was heightened, everyone was willing to take part.

But now it’s not that kind of thing, it’s more like there is a matter of donating money to build roads, I don’t know how the county magistrate Rong Guan spread it, and the merchants under the stand have to——It must have revealed that if you don’t donate money, you will Just wait, how about the new Shangguan taking the opportunity to collect money.

"Since it is everyone's kindness, I would like to offer you a toast on behalf of the people of Zhaozhou." Gu Zhao toasted the wine, collected the money, and asked Meng Jianyun to register on the side, while Su Shi recited.

Several squires have all kinds of surnames, but the Li family is the leader. The Li family donated 300 taels, and the other families donated [-] or [-] taels. No one lowered this threshold.

After the donation was over, the apprehension and apprehension on the faces of everyone all night can be regarded as relieved.

As long as Mr. Gu accepts it, he won't make things difficult for them if he accepts it.

According to the usual practice, the money was sent, and the wine was accompanied, and it was too early to leave-there was nothing wrong with these merchants.

But who knows, Master Gu's followers recorded the list, but Master Gu told them not to worry, "Since it is to build a road, a few donated money, you can choose a road to name it." He said to Meng Jianyun: " Go get the Kanyu map."

Wen Xian knew the elegant meaning, the county magistrate originally asked Mr. Gu to move, but Gu Zhao said: "Don't worry about it, just come here, let's be more casual."

The county magistrate asked the housekeeper's servants to remove the banquet and light more candles.

After a while, Meng Jianyun came to send the map, Gu Zhao took it, opened the map and spread it on the table, and showed it to several merchants who donated money, "Everyone choose one, and I will write it myself."

The merchants and country gentry were still apprehensive and dared not open their mouths.

"The 63 people in Zhaozhou City all chose the road of merit, leaving it to future generations to remember." Gu Zhao said.

Now someone dared to speak up.

Gu Zhao then added that these roads are all roads in prefectures and counties, and then they disappeared.There are no roads connecting prefectures and counties to villages and towns in all directions, and there are no roads between prefectures and counties and Zhaozhou City. Gu Zhao sighed in his heart, combined the map, and said: "This road construction requires cement. If you find suitable materials, then start construction. "

When the gentlemen of the country heard this, their expectations were lowered by half.Before I came here, I thought that it was just to make money by building roads and pay them money.Just now, when I saw Mr. Xinguan writing and painting, and what he said seemed to be similar, some people thought: Could it be that Mr. Gu is sincerely building roads, not greedy for money as they think?

But now, after hearing Master Gu's words, my heart suddenly turned cold.

If you don't find 'suitable materials', will you stop repairing?Where did the money for road construction go?

well.Where else can I go, it's not in Mr. Gu's own pocket.

Early the next morning, Gu Zhao left the prefecture with his entourage. The county magistrate couldn't ride a horse, and he fell behind after riding for a while. how.

Anyway, it's a foreign worker.

Gu Zhao knew that this was because he was afraid that he would see the real situation of Rong Guan people, not like what he saw yesterday, wishing to go up and whip a whip, but on their territory, Gu Zhao endured it and said: "If you are tired I will go back."

Hit the horse and lead the team away.

The county magistrate Rong Guan yelled at the back, but it was useless, he shouted angrily and followed the yamen servant: "Why are you standing there, why don't you hurry up and have a look—"

The yamen servant ran behind on both legs, and the teacher next to him said: "My lord, don't worry, Mr. Gu is going to the Li family's village. There are many villages in ten towns. How can there be no one of his own? Isn't it just that you are poor, let me tell you?" Master Gu has seen it, it’s nothing, even Zhaozhou City has rich and poor places, my uncle can’t help it..."

The county magistrate Rong Guan is not in a hurry, and he thinks it is the same reason.

Gu Zhao rode his horse all the way, only to see the real Rong Guan people's lives, he couldn't help but feel sad, they rode all the way, dressed in different clothes, wherever they went, the people would be terrified when they saw it, if they got off their horses and asked the villagers, the villagers would Either don't understand or understand the reply that avoids the important and ignores the important.

It's all good, it's nothing to eat.

When asked if there were any strong mobs in the area who oppressed the people, it was the Li family.The people who were asked quickly waved their hands and said no, some looked hesitant, and said yes, no bullying.I won't open my mouth if I ask again.

At first, Gu Zhao thought that these people were afraid to tell the truth because they were threatened by the Li family, but later he felt that something was wrong—when these villagers mentioned the Li family, their eyes were full of fear and a little love.

"You don't need to ask, the little one knows what's going on." Zhaozhou said to the yamen servant who came.

Gu Zhao nodded to let him speak.

The yamen servant has relatives in Jiting next door, but the situation is not far from that of Rongguan. When he recalled the words, he thought twice, saying: "There is not enough food here, and most of the big guys have to live in the sea to fill their stomachs. The fish, shrimps and crabs brought in , only the Li family collects it. Although the money is small, if the Li family does not receive it, it will only rot at home. go……"

It's better to sell to the Li family for less money than not to sell and not make any money.

This is monopoly.Gu Zhao knows, but this problem is really tricky. No matter how high an official you are, it's easy for the superiors to issue orders, but the subordinates refuse to obey. You can't cut off the entire Li family.

"Furthermore, the Li family is actually kind to the fishermen in the village. I heard that there was an old man in Dagu's village who had an emergency, and the Li family in this village borrowed a mule cart to take him to the town."

"Whoever's family in the village is having a happy event, the Li family also contributes to help. This can't be done in the village without the Li family."

It is to squeeze the interests of the villagers, and it is to win over small favors and small favors.

"...Sometimes there was a dispute with the next-door clan or village during salvage, and it was the Li family who took the lead. How can I say that life is a little poor, but without the Li family, I really can't live on. .”

What the yamen servants said inside and outside the meaning is that the Li family is good, Mr. Gu, don't make any decisions about the Li family, otherwise what will the villagers do?

Gu Zhao glanced at the yamen servant, took note of this person, and said, "What if the road is repaired."

"My lord, I'm just joking. Even if the road is repaired, who can go all the way to Zhaozhou for a basket of fish." The yamen servant felt that it was troublesome.Fish can't make much money either.

Gu Zhao said yes with a smile, and moved his gaze elsewhere.

coconut tree.

Tall coconut trees can be seen everywhere.This is a good thing.

"My lord, this is a coconut tree. It ripens in July and August every year. The coconut juice is sweet and quenches your thirst. If you are walking, don't go under the coconut tree, or you will be smashed."

Rong Guan and Ji Ting currently have a single industry on the surface, only things like fish, shrimp and crab under the sea.But in fact, there are quite a lot of things, and those that are alive can be made into dry goods, and then sent to the Central Plains. If the Central Plains is not used to eating them, then there is this coconut——

Coconut is a good thing, coconut milk quenches thirst, coconut meat can be used to make coconut oil, coconut soap can be made, and the remaining coconut dregs when frying coconut oil are still shredded coconut after baking.

Mainly coconut soap and desiccated coconut are relatively easy to transport.

There is no single industry for making a living, and the local people don't need to rely on the Li family. However, this bone of the market needs other local people to gnaw, and the government will support it behind.

When it is spread out, businessmen will think of ways to improve the welfare of the people instead of squeezing it.The wages given by your family are low, so I won’t accept them. It’s the same when I go to other houses to work. If I don’t fish, I will pick coconuts.

"You just said, whose family is arguing with the Li family?" Gu Zhao asked.

The yamen servant said: "My aunt's village is mostly the Chen family, I don't know about the others."

"Chen family?"

"My lord, it's not the Chen family in Zhaozhou City. Here in Zhaozhou, the surname Chen is the common surname." The yamen servant returned.

Gu Zhao wants to stick to a Chen word and it will be done.

To seize the meat of the Li family, the first bite is the most difficult to hide, and the merchants and gentry nearby naturally dare not touch it, but the Chen family is different. With this first bite, the rest is supported by other local clans with surnames .

"It became to go to another place."

I have only stayed in Rongguan for two days, but there are not many limestones. It is located on a beach full of reefs. The location is far away from the prefecture and county. Prefectures and counties—but when I think of the several skills of the county magistrate, I will not mention road construction for the time being.

Gu Zhao is sure that if he says it can be used here, then Rong Guanfu and the county will not care about the inconvenient transportation of the people and the difficulty of labor. He is not the one who goes into battle himself, and he does not mind repairing the villages and towns first. Naturally, the roads in the prefecture and county are built first— — neat and stylish.

An official who can do face-saving projects, what do you expect him to do.

When Gu Zhao came to Rongguan this time, he only received a total of 3000 taels of silver from Rongguan's squires, and explained the method of fertilizing the fields, so that the magistrate of Rongguan ordered the people to use it when farming——

"My lord, what is this stone powder?"

Gu Zhao: ...

"Don't worry, this year's harvest will be here soon. You don't need to take care of the road construction and cement plant that you can manage, and the crops in the common people's fields will be tight first."

The county magistrate Rongguan quickly flattered and said something like a grown-up who sympathizes with the people and loves the people like a son.

Gu Zhao smiled like a foolish official, saying that he would not stay and wanted to leave.The county magistrate was enthusiastic to persuade him to stay again, and then he went out of the city gate to see him off. Seeing that Mr. Gu led the team to Jiting, he let out a long breath, "I've been exhausted for the past two days, running back and forth of."

"My uncle has worked hard." The master handed over the handkerchief.

The county magistrate wiped his sweat, thought for a while, and said, "Master Gu came here to let us take care of the work for three or four days, so we went around in circles. I didn't let me work on the fertile fields, and he said it would be okay to stop for a while, then What are you doing here? Are you really here to make money?"

The Chen family from Zhaozhou sent it back and said that Mr. Gu should be careful when receiving him.

The county magistrate felt that Mr. Gu was just like him, and there was nothing special about him.

As soon as Gu Zhao left, the squire who donated money to build roads that day knew about it. He was still thinking about building roads.

Alas, there are generally officials in the world.

Gu Zhao calmly managed to go to Jiting. The county magistrate of Jiting was not as incompetent as Rong Guan, and slightly better than the county magistrate of Bolin. But the people of Jiting live as poorly as Rongguan.

Speaking of which, the magistrate of Jiting County felt ashamed and said: "...it is said that he is the official of the parents, but the official is in vain to be the official of the people of Jiting."

From the information Gu Zhao checked before, he knew that the county magistrates of Rongguan and Jiting both married Li's daughters, especially this Jiting county magistrate honored the Li family's daughters as equal wives. Shang just came out of it calmly, he was really angry, and he calmed down a little after seeing the real person.

Later, when I saw the children of Jiting county magistrate, they were all similar, at least on the surface, it was impossible to tell which wife was born.

After that, I searched for limestone and looked at the property, because Ji Ting is next to Minzhang, and trees and fruits are also planted, but there are not many, and there is another kind of tree: "...the people unintentionally scratched the trunk, and the juice flowed out. Originally thought it was edible. Yes, there is a shortage of food here, and the first thought when encountering a novelty is whether it can be eaten, but unfortunately, the juice is unpalatable, and if you eat it, you will get a stomachache and almost die."

"Later, after letting it sit for a while, the juice was as sticky as paste."

Gu Zhao:?

rubber tree?

This is a good thing!Gu Zhao's eyes lit up, and he asked Ji Ting County Magistrate to lead the way. He was almost at the side of Minzhangfu County. There was a large area on the gentle slope mountain, with thick trunks and luxuriant growth.

"My lord, this is the place." Jiting county magistrate pointed the way, "There are still few trees in Jiting, and Minzhang Prefecture has the most trees."

Write down everything.

Jiting County Magistrate knew that Mr. Gu was going to Minzhang, hesitated for a while, and reminded: "My lord, Minzhang's people are tough, if you go, you should bring more people, and don't run around here and there. , there are many miasmas in the trees that will be poisoned."

"know."

The magistrate of Jiting County was a little more reliable. He found the limestone mountain. After it was blown up, Gu Zhaoneng handed over the road construction to the magistrate of Jiting County.Gu Zhao drew up the road construction map, mainly including the roads of Zhaozhou City, Jiting, Jiting and several towns and villages.

"Don't be so thoughtful. You have been an official in Jiting for so many years, and your wife is from the Li family. Zhaozhou City gave money for road construction. You send money to labor the people to work. With the help of the local Li family's influence, I drew The road map does not have to be copied, it has to be adapted to local conditions, and you can follow it." Gu Zhao explained.

Jiting county magistrate heard Master Gu's words of encouragement, and his eyes turned red——

Gu Zhao really didn't want to see a [-]-year-old man cry for him.

"To be honest, my lord, when I was transferred to this place, no one had no food or money, so I just wanted to use the power of the Li family. My wife's family is actually kind, and I have never done anything against the heavens and reason to oppress the people..."

Jiting County Magistrate started crying as he spoke. It had been so many years, the outside world laughed at him and Rongguan County Magistrate because of their nepotism. "My lord understands me! My lord understands me!"

Almost with tears in their eyes, they regarded Mr. Gu as their confidant.

Gu Zhao: ... I don't know what to say.