291-300

Chapter 291 Will I get rid of you first?

After a sleepless night, I finally made a helpless decision.

He was going to meet the boss behind Longsheng Grain Store.

No matter what, we have to explain the current situation.

There is no way to do business without leaving a way out.

If it really doesn't work, he can give in and beg Longsheng to let him live.

However, that is the last resort.

The best result is to be able to coerce and induce Longsheng to bow to him.

The greeting card was delivered to Longsheng Grain Store, and Hu Ertong sent a message to Yuan Xiu and Lin Xuezhu.

Yuan Xiu asked Lin Xuezhu: "Madam, what did you say?"

Lin Xuezhu smiled slightly and said: "I won't say anything. Husband, please inform Hu Ertong that the grain seeds reported from various places will be shipped tomorrow. The stuck point will be before spring sowing. , delivered to the hands of farmers."

These grains were purchased by local government agencies from Xingsheng Bank and purchased from Longsheng Grain Store.

For Lin Xuezhu, it was just a matter of changing her left hand to her right hand, and she was just doing some food stuff.

But this kind of exchange is extremely necessary for the entire northern territory, because it represents circulation.

Only with circulation can the market become active.

She wants to rebuild the economic order in the north and involve every citizen.

Instead of relying solely on the materials in her space to support this huge land.

Yuan Xiu asked: "Madam, you really don't see that golden side? He is a person who is very trusted by the head of the Zhou family."

Lin Xuezhu shook his head, "No, not much of the Zhou family's business can see the light of day. It's just... Relying on their backing, they unscrupulously use some dirty and despicable methods to quickly accumulate wealth. If they want to cause trouble in the north, they can just kill them. There is no need to waste time on such people."

Yuan Xiu smiled and took out . The bamboo whistle blew a note.

However, Lin Xuezhu didn't see a piece of gold, but a piece of gold showed up on his own.

That afternoon, Captain Wang Shen came to invite Yuan Xiu and Lin Xuezhu, saying that the shopkeeper of Zhou Ji wanted to see them.

Ordinary people could not come to the place of exile, so they could only invite Yuan Xiu and Lin Xuezhu out to meet them.

Lin Xuezhu was very confused and asked Yuan Xiu, "Husband, can the Zhou family find out those people under your command?"

"No." Yuan Xiu answered firmly.

The people under him are well-trained, and hiding their identities is their basic ability.

Since even his imperial brother cannot be found out, how could the Zhou family be so capable?

Lin Xuezhu wondered, "If you are not here for the bank and the grain store, then what are you here for?"

However, he has the approval of the Southern Territory Governor. Even Kong Bo can't stop him from meeting Yuan Xiu and Lin Xuezhu, so he can only send them obediently. The carriage will come to pick you up and send you there properly.

Lin Xuezhu sat on the carriage and vaguely guessed something.

The meeting place is set at the Sibao Tea House in Feiyun City.

Yi Yijin arrived early and was sitting in the private room waiting for the two of them.

When Yuan Xiu and Lin Xuezhu entered, Yi Yijin only glanced at Lin Xuezhu lightly and said hello to Yuan Xiu first.

Lin Xuezhu knew that Yijin knew her.

The time Prince Qing met her in Jian'an City, it was a piece of gold that got her through.

The meeting place was also in a gold shop.

Although Ichijin himself did not show up, he must have been observing her secretly.

Including her men's clothing appearance, it should be impossible to hide it.

This is also the reason why Lin Xuezhu will not meet him as the boss behind Longsheng Grain Store.

After sitting down, he asked for tea and a few fruits, and then they started chatting.

Lin Xuezhu disliked the appearance of such a profiteer, and so did Yuan Xiu.

When Yi Yijin was bragging eloquently about how big Zhou Ji's business was, Yuan Xiu interrupted him.

"Shopkeeper Jin, did you ask me and my wife to come over for something? If so, you might as well say so; if not, I won't accompany you." Yuan Xiu said coldly.

A sip of Vajra's tea was just stuck in his mouth.

It was very embarrassing to swallow but not be able to swallow, and to spit out but not be able to spit it out.

After a long while, his choked throat eased.

After drinking the tea, he smiled and said: "I know Mr. Yuan's time is precious, so I won't beat around the bush. I came today just to inquire about something with Mr. Yuan and Mrs. Lin."

After saying that, he deliberately left something to be desired. His eyes looked at Yuan Xiu and Lin Xuezhu.

If you are an ordinary person, you will definitely ask now: What do you want to inquire about?

But Yuan Xiu and Lin Xuezhu were not ordinary people. They stared straight at Yi Jin, waiting for him to continue.

It's hard to get off the stage with a mouthful of gold, so I have no choice but to talk to myself.

"My young master once asked me for help in Jian'an City, saying that he fell in love with a girl in the exile team, and asked me to give him some silver coins for payment. The exile team was exactly where Mr. Yuan and Mrs. Lin were. Yes. Now, Mr. Yuan and Mrs. Lin have arrived in the North for a long time, but there is still no news about my young master. When the master saw that I was doing business in the North, he sent someone to send me a message and asked me to find someone to find out the whereabouts of the young master. I think Mr. Yuan and Mrs. Lin must know. "

This is almost what Lin Xuezhu expected.

But she didn't expect that a rich man would be so shameless.

They asked them about Zhou Shenyi's whereabouts, but they didn't mention anything about him sending thugs to Zhou Shenyi to kill them.

Lin Xuezhu sneered, and just as he was about to speak, he heard Yuan Xiu say, "We don't know."

Yikujin obviously expected what they would say.

Hiding a knife in his smile, he said: "Mr. Yuan, our Zhou family is not a small business. The master is the only son of the family. If something happens, he will definitely not let it go. Madam Lin, the master once mortgaged the Zhou family's jade plaque to "You, if you insist that you don't know the whereabouts of the young master, you will be treating him as a fool."

Lin Xuezhu pretended to be surprised and said with an innocent face: "Ah, your young master is short of money, so he pledged the jade token to me in exchange for money. I am kind-hearted. " It's my fault to help him? Doesn't it make the good-hearted people in the world feel cold when Shopkeeper Jin says this? "

Isn't this old fox trying to whitewash peace? Then she can just pretend to be stupid.

Let's see who can pretend to be better than who!

A man with a mouthful of gold has always been good at messing around.

Unexpectedly, I met someone more shameless than him today.

He felt a little impatient.

He has not yet completed the task of selling grain sent by his employer, and he doesn't know how to explain it later.

Now that something happened to the young master, are you planning to kill him?

A golden eyeball rolled around and said: "Ms. Lin, don't think I haven't asked about it. The girl our young master liked died in exile. Now that the young master has disappeared, how can you say that these two things are not related? Not man-made?"

Lin Xuezhu chuckled lightly and asked, "Then I have to ask you, are you a member of the Zhou family or a member of Prince Qing? Now that Prince Qing has lost power, everyone related to him has been convicted. If the Zhou family knew about your Will I get rid of you first? "

Chapter 292 A mouthful of gold's clever plan

Lin Xuezhu's words made a mouthful of gold tremble all over.

He stared at Lin Xuezhu in shock with his eyes widened.

He had never seen this girl before, but he didn't expect her to be so powerful!

A mouthful of gold is indeed King Qing's spy in the Zhou family.

King Qing was suspicious. Even though the Zhou family had given him many benefits, he was still worried.

The reason for buying him a fortune was because he gained the respect of the head of the Zhou family.

Over the years, the Zhou family has shown great loyalty to King Qing.

Therefore, there is no place where a mouthful of gold can play a role.

Therefore, he was able to survive until now without offending both King Qing and the Zhou family.

However, Lin Xuezhu is right, this moment and the other moment.

He used to be able to do it with ease, but now that King Qing is dead, all relevant people are implicated.

Because the Zhou family is secretive, it has not been investigated yet. This is a fluke.

If the Zhou family knew that he had been bribed by King Qing, they would definitely not let him go.

Thinking of this, cold sweat dripped down Yijin's back.

Looking at Lin Xuezhu's expression, there was no trace of contempt.

"Does Shopkeeper Jin have anything else to do?" Lin Xuezhu asked coldly.

The golden general gritted his teeth and knelt down with a plop.

She said pitifully: "Ms. Lin, I was also ordered by the master to track down the whereabouts of the young master. When the young master took money from me in Jian'an City and asked for a man, there was no news after that. The master blamed me, so of course I am I can't afford it. Please be kind to Mrs. Lin and let me live."

Lin Xuezhu almost laughed when she said this.

She finally understood Yi Yijin's philosophy of life.

If you can scare the other party, scare them. If you can't scare them anymore, quickly surrender.

You have to try any tricks on the left and right, and you have to entangle the person first.

He doesn't change faces in Sichuan Opera as quickly as he does.

Okay, if he wants an explanation, then she will give him an explanation.

Lin Xuezhu said: "You also know that the girl your young master likes is dead, so what reason does he have to stay in the exile team? You gave him money and gave it to others, so of course he can move freely. Is it possible that we Can a group of exiled prisoners hold him back?"

There is nothing wrong with what he said.

Even if you don't believe it, there is nothing you can do.

If he wants to clarify his case and is given it, what reason does he have to keep pursuing him?

"Then Mrs. Lin, does she know where he went?" There is no other way, a small sum of money can only be used as a living horse doctor.

Lin Xuezhu sneered and asked, "He didn't tell you where he went. Will he tell me?"

With one sentence, another mouthful of golden energy and blood surged.

Okay, this bitch is hard to deal with. He can just find someone else to ask.

Lin Xuezhu and Yuan Xiu were too lazy to talk nonsense to him, so they got up and left without waiting for him to say anything.

Anyway, Zhou Shenyi died of illness on his own, and it had nothing to do with them.

What's more, if Zhou Shenyi had been a kinder person, he wouldn't have ended up like that.

It can only be said that there is no good cake in the Zhou family.

If you walk too much at night, you will always encounter ghosts.

No matter how you swallow the ill-gotten gains, you will spit them out and suffer backlash.

After leaving the Sibao Teahouse, Wang Shen asked: "Mr. Yuan, Madam Lin, what happened to shopkeeper Jin in this week's diary? Can you two tell me something? This way, when he goes to find Mr. Kong again, you can have a countermeasure." ."

Lin Xuezhu glanced at Yuan Xiu and said nothing.

Now that this matter has been revealed to Kong Bo, they naturally cannot reveal anything.

Just let Yuan Xiu decide how much to reveal.

Yuan Xiu seemed to have a plan, and said warmly: "The young master of the Zhou family was in danger when he went out to look for medicine, and was rescued by my wife's cousin. In order to follow my cousin, he traveled with our exile team for a while. Later, my cousin passed away. Mr. Zhou's old illness relapsed, and he also left with his cousin. Shopkeeper Jin wanted to inquire about his whereabouts from my wife."

Wang Shen frowned, looking puzzled, "I just wanted to inquire about his whereabouts. Why bother working with the governor of the southern region to suppress him with approval?"

Seeing that he had reached the point, Yuan Xiu explained: "The Zhou family colluded with King Qing, and King Qing's rebellion was indispensable for the Zhou family's money support. This is just the case with King Qing. "Fa, I don't know how the Zhou family got away with it. It seems that there are other backers in the court. The Zhou family has always used power to suppress others, and this time is no exception."

By the time he pointed it out, Wang Shen had already understood.

Without saying much at the moment, he put Yuan Xiu and Lin Xuezhu into the carriage, hurried back, and reported the matter to Huang Hao.

After hearing this, Huang Hao felt that the matter was of great importance and immediately went to report to Kong Bo.

Kong Bo connected what Zhou Ji did in the north with what Yuan Xiu said. After thinking for a moment, he deduced the stakes.

Judging from the fact that King Qing and Yuan Xiu do not deal with each other, the relationship between the Zhou family and Yuan Xiu will definitely not be harmonious.

The Zhou family spread grain to the north and tried to drive up grain prices. In addition to grabbing high profits, they must have ulterior motives.

Maybe the Zhou family's purpose is to mess up the Northern Territory.

As for why they did this, it depends on who is still colluding with them.

The more Kong Bo thought about it, the more he felt that this matter was too deep.

Although it was not something that a little prefect like him could handle, since he knew it, he would naturally be on guard.

Therefore, when Yi Yijin asked to see other prisoners the next day, Kong Bo refused.

A mouthful of gold took out the approval document of the Southern Territory Governor and tried to blackmail him, but Kong Bo remained unmoved.

In terms of official positions, the Northern Governor and the Southern Governor are at the same level, so there is no question of who is overpowering the other.

The governor of the southern region can make a request, and the governor of the northern region can disagree.

Yi Yijin was frustrated again and felt very complicated.

The old days of relying on the power of the Zhou family to open shops everywhere and dominate others were gone forever.

When we arrived in the north, we encountered obstacles at every turn.

After gritting his teeth, he had no choice but to write the answer given by Lin Xuezhu into a letter and send it back to the head of the family first.

Anyway, no one knows whether the young master is dead or alive now. If the body cannot be found, even if he is still alive.

Yi Yijin feels that the matter of Zhou Shenyi has not yet been decided, but the matter of selling grain in the north is imminent.

If he can't win the Longsheng Grain Store, his position in the Zhou family will be in danger.

After careful consideration, we decided to settle the matter of the grain store first.

After spending an entire afternoon grinding in the room, he finally came up with a clever plan.

That night, a fire broke out in the Longsheng Grain Store, and the fire spread to the Zhouji Grain Store next door.

When the fire was extinguished, it was discovered that the Longsheng Grain Store was not seriously burned, but that the Zhouji Grain Store was almost completely burned down.

Kong Bo went to court to interrogate the case overnight. Shopkeeper Zhou Ji Grain Shop Jin accused Longsheng Grain Shop of deliberately setting the fire and asked Longsheng to compensate them for all losses and deal with the arsonist in accordance with the law.

It was already midnight when the news reached Yuan Xiu.

Yuan Xiu, who had always been sleepy, sat up when he heard the whistle and woke up Lin Xuezhu.

Although his movement was not big, it still woke up several people in the Lin family.

Yuan Xiu, Lin Xuezhu and Lin Chengyao got dressed and were about to leave when Wang Shen had already arrived with someone.

Chapter 293 Doing this is not good for him at all.

"Ms. Lin, have you received the news?" Wang Shen looked at the Lin family who had already dressed and was very surprised.

But after thinking about it, I think it makes sense.

After all, Yuan Xiu and Lin Xuezhu are not ordinary people.

Without any explanation, Wang Shen directly let the three of them onto the carriage.

"Sir, is anyone injured? How are my wife and children?" Lin Chengyao asked in a panic before he could even sit down.

"Doctor Lin, don't worry. I have checked with the doctor. They are all fine." Wang Shen replied: "They were rescued when the fire first started. The little baby was probably a little frightened, but his body is fine. "Yes."

After hearing this, Lin Chengyao felt more at ease.

However, he still looked restless.

Lin Xuezhu is not worried about the safety of Jiang Qishuang and Lin Yuxuan.

After all, there are people from Yuanxiu watching over there, so nothing big will happen.

She's just being rude, and that guy next door is always up to something.

As the saying goes, don't be afraid of thieves stealing, just be afraid of thieves missing you.

That gold is the thief who is always thinking about their grain store!

The carriage moved forward at full speed and went straight to the back door of the government office.

Lin Xuezhu, Yuan Xiu and Lin Chengyao were taken to a side room.

In the side room, Lin Yuxuan was held in the arms of a man who looked like a soldier.

There were two soldiers standing opposite. Although they were wearing military uniforms, they were dancing funny.

Lin Yuxuan's little face was still stained with tears, and he stared blankly at the two dancing soldiers.

When Lin Xuezhu and the others entered the door, the two dancing soldiers were embarrassed.

"Cousin." Lin Yuxuan stretched out his little hand and started crying again.

Lin Xuezhu quickly picked up the little guy and held him in his arms to comfort him.

She blamed herself a little, wondering if she had given Jiang Qishuang too heavy a task.

Auntie has to take care of the children and take care of the store, and now she has to deal with being framed for a fortune. Is it too much?

"What's going on?" Wang Shen asked the three soldiers.

The soldiers replied: "Shopkeeper Jiang is still confronting Shopkeeper Jin in the court, so he can only leave this little baby to us. The baby cried a lot at first, so we thought about how we could comfort him... "

At the end of the sentence, the soldier's voice became smaller and smaller, accompanied by a sense of shame.

"Thank you." Yuan Xiu said.

The three soldiers were all border troops in the past. During the Northern War, they cooperated with the Northern Expedition Army and jointly attacked the barbarian tribes.

They respected Yuan Xiu very much.

It was the first time today that I had such close contact with the General Protecting the Country, and was even thanked by the General.

Their mood was simply too exciting to express.

"This is what we should do!" The three of them answered in unison, majestically.

This sound frightened the child Lin Yuxuan to tremble and shrink into Lin Xuezhu's arms.

Lin Xuezhu patted Lin Yuxuan and asked, "What's the situation in the court now?"

Fu Bing said, "We checked the origin of the fire, and it was indeed the outer wall of Longsheng Liangpu. When the fire broke out, there was a gust of north wind, Master Kong. It is speculated that the wind blew the sparks to Zhou Ji's grain store, but now that Zhou Ji's shopkeeper was killed, Longsheng's people set the fire in order to burn down his granary so that he would have no food to sell. Let the boss behind Longsheng come out to confront him."

Lin Xuezhu chuckled, this man is a good scheming man, and he is indeed a capable member of the Zhou family.

He couldn't sell his own grain, so he burned it down and asked Longsheng to compensate him for the money. How fast the money came!

Using this incident to bring out the mastermind behind Longsheng is really killing two birds with one stone.

From the time Lin Xuezhu entered this book until now, she has never been made so passive by anyone.

This bit of gold is really worth it.

Lin Xuezhu was desperately thinking of countermeasures.

She couldn't reveal that she was the mastermind behind Longsheng, otherwise, she wouldn't be able to explain the origin of so much food.

But if we don't come forward, I'm afraid this matter won't be resolved properly.

Especially since Jiang Qishuang was involved, she couldn't leave her aunt alone.

"Master Wang, can you take my husband and me to the scene of the crime?" Lin Xuezhu asked.

"Of course." Wang Shen nodded and said to the three soldiers: "Find two people who are familiar with the situation and take Mr. Yuan and his wife there."

Lin Xuezhu handed Lin Yuxuan into Lin Chengyao's hands and said, "Uncle, I will go to the scene to see Look, take care of me here."

"Eldest niece, go back quickly!" Lin Chengyao was very nervous.

Thinking that his wife was still in court, he felt uneasy.

I'd like to take a look if I want, but I'm afraid it's against the rules.

Fortunately, Wang Shen saw what he was thinking and said, "When the government hears cases, people can also listen. If Doctor Lin wants to go, he can listen through the screen."

"Really? That's great." Lin Chengyao If you don't get what you want, you will immediately follow Wang Shen.

Lin Xuezhu had already stepped out of the wing, then stepped back and said, "Uncle, Zhou Ji belongs to Zhou Shenyi's family. You can go and listen, but don't reveal your identity." "

Understood." Lin Chengyao nodded solemnly.

After Lin Xuezhu finished explaining, he quickly followed the two soldiers out.

Longsheng Grain Store is located on the busiest street in Feiyun City, not too far from the government office.

Lin Xuezhu and the others arrived quickly in a carriage.

Two government soldiers led the way, pointing to the most charred area on the outer wall of Longsheng Grain Shop and saying, "This is the presumed starting point of the fire."

Lin Xuezhu took one look at it and asked, "What was the ignited item?"

"Sulfur. ." Fu Bing replied.

Lin Xuezhu watched the traces burn from Longsheng's outer wall to Zhou Ji's backyard, and couldn't help but sneer, "I'm afraid these are not sparks blown by the wind, but someone paved the way with sulfur."

​​"Yes, even Zhou Ji's back door was burned down Yes." Fu Bing replied.

Several people walked into Zhou Ji's backyard and saw a dozen soldiers checking around.

Lin Xuezhu looked at the barn which was quite a distance away from the back door, and said: "It's so far away. If you want to burn it, you'll probably need something to burn. So the question is, how did Longsheng's people get past Zhou Ji's courtyard?" Who threw

the sulfur into the wall? Or, during the time when the fire was burning from Longsheng to Zhou Ji's barn, was Zhou Ji's person dead? The fact that Longsheng's exterior wall was exposed to Zhou Ji's barn is undoubtedly man-made. Judging from this evidence, Longsheng is indeed very suspicious," Fu Bing said.

Lin Xuezhu smiled, "If Longsheng wanted to set fire, he could just burn Zhouji. Why bother setting the outer wall of his house on fire?"

Fu Bing replied: "Jin, the shopkeeper of Zhouji, said that it was Longsheng's move to deceive others. I want to remove my suspicion."

"Then can I also turn the tables and say that it was Zhou Ji's shopkeeper who did it himself and wanted to frame Longsheng?" Lin Xuezhu asked in return.

Fu Bing laughed dryly and replied: "It is possible, but from a motive point of view, Zhou Ji's shopkeeper does no good to himself at all!"

Chapter 294 Sir, I was wronged.

Lin Xuezhu smiled without saying a word and went back to the barn.

She grabbed a handful of burnt grain and threw it aside. She grabbed another handful and threw it aside again.

Repeated several times, it seemed like an unconscious movement, but her brows wrinkled involuntarily.

"Husband." She waved to Yuan Xiu.

Yuan Xiu walked to her side and his eyes also fell on the grains.

"It's too light." Lin Xuezhu said.

Yuan Xiu also grabbed a handful, weighed it in his hands, and then gently twisted it with his fingers.

The burnt grain shattered into dregs in his hands.

"It turns out to be bran." Lin Xuezhu sneered: "That mouthful of gold really belongs to a chicken thief."

There is a layer of real grain on the outside, but the inside is filled with bran.

Not only did he want to extort Longsheng's money, but he also wanted to keep his food.

If Lin Xuezhu guessed correctly, these burnt grains were old grains that Yijin planned to mix with good grains and sell.

Lin Xuezhu told Wang Shen about this, and Wang Shen had people turn over the grain in the barn.

Sure enough, most of what is hidden inside is bran, and what is left outside is the real grain.

"This old thief!" The fu soldiers kicked the bran angrily.

Lin Xuezhu said: "If Longsheng's grain cannot be sold, and he is jealous of Zhou Ji's good business, and sets fire to it with evil intentions, it is completely understandable. However, the actual situation is that no one cares about Zhou Ji's grain, but Longsheng is full of people every day, and Longsheng is full of people. Why is it necessary to deal with Zhou Ji?"

Fu Bing was convinced.

Lin Xuezhu remembered that all the Zhou Ji stores she had visited had darkrooms, and thought that most of the grain stores had darkrooms as well.

Otherwise, where has the real food been hidden for a mouthful of gold?

If it were transported out of the grain store, it would be impossible not to attract attention.

"Husband, look for a secret door here." Lin Xuezhu said, looking around.

Yuan Xiu went directly to pat the bricks on the wall.

When the soldiers of the government saw that they were looking for them, they also followed them.

I don't know who took the photo of which brick worked, but with a bang, the floor tile sank down, revealing a dark corridor.

"Go in and have a look." The soldiers took the lead and walked in holding torches.

Lin Xuezhu and Yuan Xiu followed them into the corridor.

Lin Xuezhu's expectation was good. At the end of the corridor, there was indeed a barn.

There are mountains of food piled inside, so it's hard to be too rich.

"Haha." Fu Bing sneered and called to the others, "Let's go back and recover."

Yuan Xiu gave Lin Xuezhu a thumbs up and said with a smile: "It must be Madam."

Lin Xuezhu said modestly: "That's not it. Because of my husband's support."

The couple followed a few soldiers, blowing rainbow skins to each other as they walked, and had a great time.

Got on the carriage and quickly returned to the government office.

This time the soldiers did not delay and took the two men directly to the back of the court.

The sound of the trial in the courtroom can be clearly heard here.

When Lin Chengyao saw the two coming, he hurriedly greeted them and asked in a low voice, "How are you doing, eldest niece?"

"It's settled." Lin Xuezhu said concisely and concisely.

When Lin Chengyao heard this, his anxious heart finally relaxed.

The eldest niece said it was solved, so it must be fine.

All he had to do was wait patiently.

As for Lin Yuxuan in his arms, when he saw Lin Xuezhu coming back, he opened his little hands and wanted Lin Xuezhu to hug him.

This made Lin Chengyao very embarrassed.

Although the eldest niece had her own reasons for the arrangement, Xiao Xuan'er became less and less close to him by separating him from his wife and children.

The soldiers called the master and explained the situation they had just discovered.

The master went to court calmly and whispered to Kong Bo again.

After hearing this, Kong Bo's expression did not change and he said: "The soldiers found out that the fire was caused by sulfur. It was caused by sulfur from the outer wall of Longsheng Grain Store to the barn of Zhouji Grain Store. It was obviously man-made. Shopkeeper Jiang, you What else is there to say?"

"There is nothing to say about what a civilian woman has never done." Jiang Qishuang's voice was very calm.

Lin Chengyao couldn't help but puff up his chest, as if he was very proud.

Lin Xuezhu didn't notice that her uncle was worthless, so she hugged Lin Yuxuan and walked away.

At this time, I heard a golden saying: "Ms. Jiang, the evidence is conclusive, it's useless for you to deny it. Instead of suffering the pain of flesh and blood, it's better to quickly find your boss behind the scenes. If you should pay, pay, go to jail, and save you a woman." You have to take the blame for him. If you don't think about yourself, you have to think about your child! If such a young child loses his mother..."

Kong Bo interrupted him: "Shopkeeper Jin, how much do you think is appropriate?"

A mouthful of gold said quickly: "There are fifty thousand kilograms of grain in my barn. According to the market price of ten cents per kilogram, I should be compensated five hundred thousand yuan, which is five hundred taels of silver."

"Oh, really?" Kong A cold smile appeared at the corner of Bo's mouth, and he asked again: "I wonder how much shopkeeper Jin thinks fifty thousand kilograms of bran should be worth?"

Jin's proud smile froze at the corner of his mouth.

Kong Bo said calmly: "Fifty thousand kilograms of grain, the outer layer is grain, but the inside is bran. Shopkeeper Jin, you are so clever at changing the weather!"

A golden look dodges. , the corner of his mouth twitched and said: "Master Taishou, what are you talking about? How can good grain turn into bran?"

"Then what is this?" Kong Bo was stunned and immediately asked. The soldiers from the government carried several sacks up.

Cut the sack open with a knife to reveal the blackened bran inside.

He was so frightened that his body went limp, and he quickly said: "Your Excellency, the bran is indeed genuine, and I put it in the barn. By chance, the people in Longsheng set fire to my shop, and I I wanted to blackmail them, so I lied that it was food. Lord Taishou, I have evil intentions. I know I was wrong, but Longsheng is definitely guilty of arson."

Kong Bo asked without changing his expression. Why did Long Sheng set the fire? "

Of course it was to eliminate a competitor," Jin Dayan said confidently.

Kong Bo snorted coldly and said: "Competitor? How much grain have you sold since Zhou Ji Grain Store opened? Do you deserve to be called Longsheng's competitor?"

"Sir, you can't say that! My The grain store there is always a threat to Longsheng. "Kui Yijin argued: "Longsheng wants to kill me before I become big. This is a common method in the business world!"

"I think it's only people who frame others. It's your usual method!" Kong Bo said word by word: "We have found a secret room in your grain store, where you store your 50,000 kilograms of grain. Use it as food, then set it on fire and frame it on Long Sheng. Then while demanding compensation, you are shouting that Long Sheng's boss should be sent to prison. I think Long Sheng is not afraid of you becoming big, but you are. I am jealous of Longsheng's good business and want to kill them!"

"Sir, I was wronged!" At this point, Jin Yijin could not say anything else except these words.

Chapter 295: I will send my uncle away in the next wave

. Kong Bo was stunned and said: "Pass on, young man."

Under Jin's frightened eyes, the young man from Zhou Ji Grain Store was brought up.

The boy was a law-abiding civilian and had never seen what a courtroom looked like in his life.

Leng Buding was brought up, and his calves were trembling with fear.

Before Kong Bo could ask, he said in a trembling voice: "Master Taishou, all this is the fault of Longsheng Grain Store. They burned down our grain store, and this matter has nothing to do with me."

"You said Longsheng I burned down your grain store. Do you have any evidence?" Kong Bo asked.

The boy trembled and said: "The fire came from Longsheng, they must have set it."

Kong Bo sneered and said: "Our government office has already obtained the physical evidence, do you still want to lie? In court Lying will get you a second degree of punishment."

When the boy heard this, he was frightened to death, and he quickly went to take a look at the gold.

Snap!

The little boy was so frightened that he lowered his head instantly.

But he still saw it, with a mouth full of gold and a gray face, looking like he was dying.

Could it be possible...

The young man struggled internally for a moment and then made up his mind.

"I said, I will tell you everything."

He said hurriedly as if he was afraid that someone would rob him, "It was the shopkeeper who asked me to set the fire. He said that he would burn down the two houses together. By then, the prosperous We don't have to do business anymore, we can still blackmail them. However, when I went there, as soon as I finished spreading sulfur outside the courtyard wall, I heard a whistle in the air, and then Longsheng's guy ran out. , the fire stick fell on the sulfur and was ignited. I was afraid of being discovered, so I ran away. You know what happened next." As

soon as the boy finished speaking, he fainted with a golden sound.

Kong Bo's face was as dark as water and he said: "Shopkeeper Jin asked you to set fire, so you can set fire. If it hurts someone's life, you won't survive."

"Sir, I really didn't want to set the fire, it was the shopkeeper who coerced me. My mother is sick . I need some money for medical treatment. The shopkeeper said that after the deal is completed, he will give me ten taels of silver to treat my mother." The young man burst into tears and his head banged on the ground.

Kong Bo sighed and said: "Even if you have a reason, you shouldn't do evil things. Once you have done something, you must bear the corresponding punishment. Since you have a good attitude in admitting your mistakes and you have done merit in exposing it, I will be given a lighter punishment and the rod will be punished." After twenty days, you can go back. As for shopkeeper Jin, he will be punished with fifty rods and sent to prison. The remaining food will be confiscated."

As soon as Kong Bo finished speaking, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

"Sir, I was wronged. It was all this guy's fault and had nothing to do with me. Your Excellency, you know better, don't wrongly accuse a good person." Kowtowing with a mouthful of gold is like pounding garlic.

At this point, he could only blame his bad luck.

Not to mention being clumsy when recruiting a guy, he also makes some kind of whistle when doing something.

Why doesn't the whistle sound normally but at that time?

What bad luck!

However, no matter what he thinks, the punishment he deserves cannot be less.

Even though he struggled hard and cried out for injustice, he could not escape the fate of being slapped on his butt.

Soon, the cry of injustice turned into crying for father and mother.

As the board fell on my butt one by one, the sound of crying for father and mother gradually became smaller.

By the end, Yi Yijin couldn't even make a sound.

When he was thrown into prison, he had only half a breath of gold left, and it was still unclear whether he could survive.

Kong Bo released Jiang Qishuang and Hu Ertong in court.

Jiang Qishuang saluted repeatedly, "Thank you, Mr. Kong."

Hu Ertong followed suit.

Kong Bo smiled and said, "Don't thank me, but thank you for having a capable niece."

"My eldest niece is here?" Jiang Qishuang's face was full of surprise.

Kong Bo smiled and said nothing and asked people to take them to the back hall.

"Madam!" Lin Chengyao saw Jiang Qishuang coming and immediately rushed forward eagerly.

Lin Xuezhu didn't even notice the worthless look.

Fortunately, Lin Yuxuan was holding her in her arms, otherwise Lin Chengyao would have had to throw the child away and hug his wife.

However, Lin Chengyao's enthusiasm only received a perfunctory response from Jiang Qishuang.

Jiang Qishuang walked around him, walked to Lin Xuezhu, and said with a smile: "Thank you, eldest niece."

"That's right." Lin Xuezhu also smiled, "Auntie is helping me and my husband, how can we ignore auntie. But this time "Xiao Xuan'er was frightened."

Jiang Qishuang couldn't help but smile helplessly as she looked at her son, who was lying on Lin Xuezhu's shoulder, sleeping unaware of his situation.

I was really shocked, but I recovered quickly.

Lin Xuezhu said again: "The grain store is busy and needs people inside and outside. If my aunt and the second brother of the Hu family are too busy, they can recruit more workers, and the money will come out of the grain store's account. For today's matter, give me Let's all be reminded that villains are hard to guard against, so we should be more careful." " I understand

." Jiang Qishuang responded, "Don't worry, eldest niece, I will look for more strong men tomorrow."

After two words, Lin Chengyao's expression changed obviously.

However, it was hard for him to say anything. After all, the safety of his wife and children was the most important thing.

Lin Xuezhu said to Hu Ertong again: "Second brother of the Hu family, my aunt is a woman. There are some things that are not convenient for her to come forward, so I need your help. When people are recruited, you will be fully responsible for discipline and restraint. From now on, you will be "He's a housekeeper."

"Yes, Miss Xuezhu."

Hu Ertong was very happy. Miss Xuezhu had promoted him and he had to show off to his elder brother later.

Lin Xuezhu pulled Jiang Qishuang over again and whispered: "If Auntie has time, help the second brother of the Hu family to look out for a suitable girl. As long as the person is good and capable, our family can give more betrothal gifts."

Jiang Qishuang responded with a smile . He said: "I know."

The Lin family doesn't support idle people, so even the daughter-in-law they marry must be capable.

She understands what her eldest niece is thinking.

Yuan Xiu looked at the sky and reminded: "Madam, uncle, we should go back."

After struggling for a long time, it was almost dawn.

Lin Chengyao felt inexplicably sad.

I finally got to see my wife and children, and I didn't even say much. They were about to separate.

He stared at Lin Xuezhu with resentment, not daring to say a word.

Lin Xuezhu carefully handed Lin Yuxuan to Jiang Qishuang. Thinking of something, she said again: "Xiao Xuan'er has to find the best teacher to go to school. Auntie will pay the money from the account first, and I will make up for it later."

"I know. Don't worry, I'm already looking for something. I'll send Xuan'er to school when things at the grain store are pretty busy." Jiang Qishang said with a smile.

Lin Chengyao was very moved and a little ashamed to see his eldest niece caring so much about his wife and children.

He waved to Jiang Qishuang silently, then reluctantly got on the carriage, and sighed deeply as soon as he sat down.

Lin Xuezhu looked at him and couldn't help but smile: "Uncle, don't worry, the separation is only temporary. I will send uncle away next time."

Chapter 296 Isn't this full of content?

Lin Chengyao couldn't help but shiver after hearing Lin Xuezhu's words.

He understood that his eldest niece meant well, but why did these words sound so scary?

Lin Xuezhu ignored her uncle, who had an extremely rich inner life.

She had something else on her mind.

The climate in the north is slightly cooler than in the south, so rice is planted later than in the south.

Probably until Manzhong Day.

But before that, water needs to be poured into the ground.

In ancient times, unlike modern times, with technology and equipment, watering could be completed in just a few days.

In ancient times, it all relied on manpower, so preparations needed to be made in advance.

Lin Xuezhu thought about it and told Wang Shen about it.

Wang Shen naturally took it seriously and sent someone to send a message to Kong Bo.

Only then did a few people set out on the road.

Kong Bo is a resolute person.

The next day, Huang Hao began to arrange farming matters in Anbeicheng.

At the same time, he also brought Kong Bo's new decree.

That is, the first batch of exiled prisoners who arrived in the north could build houses near farmland and settle down.

Of course, building houses requires local materials, and the government does not bear any costs.

Even so, the prisoners were also very happy.

You don't have to live in a cold and damp cave. Even if you only have an earthen shed, you can still live a normal life.

The newly cultivated farmland is located next to a large mountain.

Huang Hao led people to designate a plot of land at the foot of the mountain for the prisoners to build houses.

Moreover, although the style of the house can be freely displayed, there are strict requirements on regulations and floor space.

The government allowed prisoners to perform freely within established specifications.

After the plots were plotted, the officers and soldiers took representatives from each family to select plots.

As usual, Lin Xuezhu chose the farthest plot of land.

The land is located in a mountain col, so the privacy is relatively good.

There is an irregular open space near the mountain col, which can be used to grow vegetables and raise chickens.

After she made her choice, others also chose their favorite plots.

In principle, at least twelve people must live on a plot.

For families with insufficient population, two families can live together.

Lin Xuezhu's family has fourteen people, and they occupy exactly one plot of land.

She couldn't help but secretly rejoice that she was lucky enough to send a few people out.

Otherwise, several people in the family will have to live with others.

Lin Xuezhu looked at her land and secretly wondered how to build a house so that the whole family could live in the most comfortable way.

At this time, Huang Hao came over and chatted: "Ms. Lin, your cave is the best. Isn't it a pity that you have to move out after just one winter?"

Lin Xuezhu smiled and said, "It's not a pity . , even if I knew in advance that we would move out, I would

still build the cave. Otherwise, how would I survive the winter with so many people in my family? I would always put people's health and safety first. That's what Mrs. Lin said." Huang Hao smiled.

Lin Xuezhu asked: "We are the first batch to build houses. Will the prisoners who come later still have a chance to build houses?"

Huang Hao nodded, "Yes, but it depends on the number of prisoners. Just like Mrs. Lin's batch, Some of them are distant relatives who have been jailed together and will be released after serving two or three years. Then the house will be freed up for other prisoners to live in. "

Lin Xuezhu remembered what Ma Xing said that the imperial court was sending prisoners from all over the country to work as coolies. He couldn't help but remind: "There are fewer prisoners on the road in winter. Now that the weather is warm, more prisoners will be sent to exile from various places. Master Huang must make plans in advance to avoid being caught off guard."

"Yes, Master Kong said the same. "We were afraid that the cave would not be able to accommodate so many people, so we let some people come out to build houses first," Huang Hao said.

Hearing that Kong Bo knew what he was thinking, Lin Xuezhu didn't say much.

She was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "I have a little plan. I wonder if Mr. Huang is willing to listen to it?"

"Ms. Lin, please tell me." Huang Hao said with sincerity.

Lin Xuezhu lowered his voice and said: "The prisoners on the first floor of our cave were the first to arrive, and they all modified the cave to be more comfortable according to the style of my house. After we move out, Mr. Huang can use these five caves as a bonus and reward those who are willing Prisoners who work more."

When Huang Hao heard this, his eyes lit up and he quickly asked: "How to reward him?"

Lin Xuezhu said: "It can be stipulated that if a person is willing to complete a certain amount of work, he can live in a better cave. Let them sign up on a first-come, first-served basis."

"This is a good idea." Huang Hao couldn't help but clapped his hands and said, "And the whole family will definitely sign up to live together."

"Yes, let the prisoners work more. We must give them clear rewards so that they will be happy and so will you." Lin Xuezhu said with a smile.

Huang Hao realized.

Madam Lin's method is applicable to many situations.

Really learned.

Lin Xuezhu felt a little worried when she saw Huang Hao's appearance.

These soldiers fighting in the war have relatively simple minds and don't have so many twists and turns.

But if you want to manage people, you must be very thoughtful.

So she added: "The rewards must be given slowly and with conditions, but the punishment must be thorough, fast and precise."

Huang Hao tasted the products, and it seemed like that.

When they fight, they have to win to get rewards.

But if you escape on the battlefield, you will be beheaded immediately by military law.

What's the saying?

A dog that is full does not bark.

Yes, this is what Mrs. Lin said.

There is also a saying called killing chickens to scare monkeys.

Well, got it.

Mrs. Lin is indeed very resourceful.

Huang Hao sighed in his heart.

By this time, all the land had been divided among the prisoners.

Huang Hao called the people together and said: "You prisoners were the first batch to arrive in the north, did the most work, and made tools for the construction site. Allowing you to build houses here is a reward for your merits. As long as If you are willing to work hard, there will be benefits waiting for you in the future. Keep working hard."

"Okay!" the prisoner representatives cheered.

Criminals are the lowest class of people in the world. They have no hope of living a normal life.

But now, everything they have is because they followed the right person and met a kind-hearted official.

They are really contented.

Lin Xuezhu was very pleased to see Huang Hao selling his favor quietly.

This person knows how to learn and apply, and he has a future.

Huang Hao added: "In addition to completing the work on the construction site every day, you must also cooperate with the officers and soldiers in farming. The rest of the time can be freely used to build houses. Later, I will have someone send you the rough drawings of the houses. "

Thank you, sir!" the prisoners said happily.

As long as we can build a house and keep them awake, that's fine.

Build a house earlier and live a better life earlier, and everyone will be energetic in their work.

Huang Hao smiled and nodded to Lin Xuezhu, then asked his officers and soldiers to take the prisoners back.

Mr. Kong requires the prefects of each city to submit a performance report every quarter. Isn't this full of content!

Chapter 297 Sure enough, human beings' joys and sorrows are never the same. As

soon as Lin Xuezhu returned to the cave, he opened the drawings given by the officers and soldiers and pondered over them.

The remaining people in the family, Yuan Xiu, Lu Mo and Lin Chengyao share a room, Lu, Lin Jiayuan, and Lin Xueyi share a room with themselves, Yan Da, Hu Yitong and Wang Tianzhu and Wang Dizhu share a room, and Mammy Ma , Cui'er and Gu Zhenniang live in the same house.

Calculated this way, a family of fourteen people would need four houses.

Coupled with the kitchen and hut, this requires careful planning.

Yuan Xiu frowned as he watched Lin Xuezhu write the room allocation on the paper.

He leaned into Lin Xuezhu's ear and asked: "Madam, don't you share a room with your husband?"

Lin Xuezhu turned to look at him and said calmly: "I share a room with you, how will the rest of the people be divided?"

There are many people in the family. Didn't he have any idea?

Do you want to allocate rooms according to couples, and let those who are single live in mixed rooms?

Lin Xuezhu thought it was outrageous.

Yuan Xiu sighed softly, feeling quite melancholy.

After a while, he muttered: "Madam, you and I have been married for several years, but we have never had sex."

Lin Xuezhu's heart skipped a beat.

Yuan Xiu is asking for a roommate?

She half-smiled, glanced at Yuan Xiu and said, "Is your husband anxious now? When you left me to go to the battlefield on the wedding day, why didn't you expect today?"

Yuan Xiu was stunned, and his face turned red at first, but soon His normal expression returned.

He leaned close to Lin Xuezhu's ear and lowered his voice: "The madam at that time is not the madam now. Who are you complaining about?"

"Oh, man." Lin Xuezhu rolled his eyes at him with disdain and studied on her own. Get the drawings.

It was impossible to have sex with her, even though she coveted Yuan Xiu's beauty.

However, now they are exiled prisoners and have to do hard labor.

If they were in the same room and killed someone, she would have to suffer a lot.

She also understood what Yuan Xiu meant by saying that things should be done at any time.

Let's make arrangements when conditions permit.

Men have to hang up.

If he gets it too easily, he won't know how to cherish it.

While Lin Xuezhu was sketching on the drawing, he asked, "Uncle Yan, can you build a house?"

"I really can't." Yan Da scratched his head in embarrassment, "I was still young when I followed the old man. We have never built a house in the mansion."

Lin Xuezhu expressed his understanding.

Hu Yitong said: "Miss Xuezhu, I can do it, and all three of us brothers can do it. When we worked for rich people in the past, we learned to build houses from others."

Lin Xuezhu: So now the three people who can build houses are gone. Two, only one seedling left.

It's okay, she doesn't panic and can hold her own.

Lin Xuezhu said: "Then please worry about it. My idea is to build a stone house and paint the walls with yellow mud. The house is the same as the current cave, with a Kang. There are two rooms on the left and right, and the kitchen in the middle. "Building a hut in the backyard will be troublesome in the middle of the night, but the house will be cleaner. Is there any problem?"

After this year of experience, Hu Yitong has fully accepted Lin Xuezhu's way of speaking.

He nodded and said: "No problem."

Lin Xuezhu continued: "There are few men in the family, so the women have to work when the house is being built. Everything is subject to Hu Yitong's command. Is there a problem?"

"No." There is one among the women. Counting one, they all gave a positive answer.

Lin Xuezhu likes the happy spirit of her family. They can do whatever they say without anyone nagging them.

The matter was settled, and in the afternoon, the whole family went to the fields to fill water.

According to Lin Xuezhu's idea, as long as a trench is dug to divert the stream from the mountain to the fields, everything will be settled.

After the water is filled this time, the ditch will be blocked, and when it is needed, it can be opened a little, and the water can continue to be diverted, once and for all.

Huang Hao agreed with Lin Xuezhu's method and immediately organized people to dig trenches.

With more people and greater strength, we worked for several and a half days. The ditch was dug and the water was filled.

People who needed to build houses went to work on their own homesteads, and Huang Hao also introduced a reward mechanism - trading coolies for one floor of the cave.

At first, the prisoners showed little interest.

The prisoners on the second floor of the cave came early and imitated the Lin family in renovating the cave.

The stay was quite comfortable and there was no need to bother with that.

And since the people on the first floor of the cave have gone out to build houses to live in, it will be their turn soon, not to mention no more trouble.

Therefore, no one signed up for the second-floor cave.

Some of the prisoners on the third, fourth, and fifth floors arrived late and didn't know how cold the northern winter was, and they didn't realize the benefits of having doors, walls, and fire pits; some felt that even if everyone didn't work more, the officers and soldiers would We couldn't leave the first floor of the cave empty. Sooner or later we would have to arrange for people to stay there, so I didn't even think of signing up.

It stayed like this for a few days.

It wasn't until one day that a large family on the fifth floor signed up and occupied half of the cave that they started to worry.

Someone complained: "No one else is stepping up, but your family is active. Is it worth working more to change to a cave?"

The male owner of that family was quite honest and said with a smile: "I can't help it. There are a lot of people in the family and we live on the top of the mountain. , I have to walk for a long time every day to work, so it's very convenient."

When he said this, people who lived in high places thought it made sense.

Needless to say, if you skip climbing the mountain twice a day, you will save time on work.

Because that family was the first to sign up, the officers and soldiers allowed them to choose a cave first.

There is no doubt that they chose the Lin family's cave.

Several other prisoners also came down to take a look, and found out that there was a Qiankun in the Lin family cave. It was

a double-story building where men and women could be separated and lived in a spacious place.

The living area is divided reasonably, and there are huts and vegetable plots outside.

Their cave with only four walls is not on the same level as this one.

If you are smart, you will immediately go to the centurion to sign up.

It's first come, first served. This cave in the Lin family is the best. If you come late, you won't have it.

There are also those who are not convinced, thinking that their own homes can be remodeled to resemble this cave, and there will be no difficulty.

It's still work anyway, and it's not more comfortable to do it for yourself than to do it for others.

However, when they went back and talked to other people in the cave, they realized that they were naive.

People live on the first and second floors, so it's easy to do anything.

They live on the top of this big mountain. Even if they want to renovate the cave, just transporting materials will be troublesome.

The families reacted and quickly signed up.

Working on a construction site, after all, you have the tools, it doesn't take much effort, it just takes some time.

It's much better than messing around on your own.

People have a herd mentality. When others do good things, they are afraid of being left behind.

So, a lot of people rushed out to sign up.

In order to ensure fairness, the officers and soldiers set up a registration point near the cave.

Arrange these people on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you get stuck to 100 people, you won't be accepted again.

As a result, the 100 people who signed up were overjoyed and thankful that they acted quickly.

Those who didn't report it beat their chests and beat their chests, annoyed that they were too hesitant.

Sure enough, human beings' joys and sorrows are never the same.

Chapter 298:

A person named Yitan Yuanxiu sent a message that the Zhouji grain stores in various cities in the north were in chaos because they had not been able to contact Yijin for a long time.

The grain cannot be sold, and there is still no news from the boss sent by the boss. Shopkeepers everywhere are very worried.

When Yuan Xiu and Lin Xuezhu talked about this, Lin Xuezhu just smiled.

"Madam, do you have any ideas?"

According to Yuan Xiu's understanding of Lin Xuezhu, his wife must have another idea in her little head at this moment.

Lin Xuezhu replied: "It's not yet time."

Yuan Xiu asked: "What do you want to do?"

Lin Xuezhu said: "When they can't stand it any longer, they will naturally come to Feiyun City to inquire about the news. By then, they will go to jail for a piece of gold. Well, then we have to worry."

Yuan Xiu smiled lightly, "Madam, you should be calm."

Lin Xuezhu thought for a moment and asked, "Does your husband still have people who can be used?"

"How many people does Madam want?" Yuan Xiu asked back.

Lin Xuezhu thought for a while, "It's still necessary to put two in one city."

"No problem." Yuan Xiu agreed happily.

Before returning to Beijing, he dismissed all his cronies.

These people apparently returned to their respective families, but in fact some of them followed his exile and came to the north.

At this time, they were scattered in various cities, responsible for helping him collect information.

Since Madam wants to employ someone, then isn't this someone already available?

Lin Xuezhu knew that Yuan Xiu was powerful, but she didn't expect him to be so powerful.

He could accept all the conditions she casually offered.

This is too useful.

Lin Xuezhu thought for a moment, then leaned into Yuan Xiu's ear and talked like this and that.

A few days later, Zhouji stores in various cities learned of the news that Yijin was imprisoned.

Some of these shopkeepers brought them from Zhou Ji with a fortune, and some found them locally.

It's okay to bring people with a mouthful of gold. After all, they are backed by the Zhou family, so they are considered safe.

If the shop in the north cannot continue to operate, it will not prevent them from returning to the Zhou family's territory and continuing to open a shop.

But hired people are different.

A mouthful of gold was gone, and they couldn't even afford the monthly silver.

Seeing that the month is about to be completed, isn't it a busy schedule?

In a hurry, some people start to think about evil things.

The easiest thing to do is to sell the food in the store at a low price.

If one person does this, there will be a second and third person.

When the head of the Zhou family got the news, several shopkeepers ran away.

The head of the Zhou family hurriedly selected someone from several Zhou Ji shopkeepers to take over the position of Yijin.

The man reported everything that happened during Yi Yijin's reign.

Of course, the letter he sent this time reached the owner of the family safely.

It was not detained by Yuan Xiu's people.

This was Lin Xuezhu's instruction.

A mouthful of gold is dead, but the Zhou family's actions will not stop.

To deal with such a huge family, she must use a trick to lure the snake out of its hole.

Just collecting a trivial amount of money cannot shake the entire Zhou family.

While the Zhou family was organizing countermeasures, the whole northern border was busy cultivating seedlings and transplanting rice seedlings.

Lin Xuezhu used her limited but advanced agricultural knowledge to popularize science throughout the country.

With more scientific planting methods and the blessing of spiritual spring water fertilizers, the northern border will definitely have a bumper harvest.

As long as there is sufficient food, the northern border will no longer be a border area that needs charity from the court.

And Yuan Xiu can also display his ambitions here and plan his new life!

After the rice planting was completed in Quanbei, Zhou Ji's new boss also arrived.

Zhou Shenrong, his name is only one character different from Zhou Shenyi.

When Lin Xuezhu heard about this, he started to doubt his own mental state.

She asked doubtfully: "Husband, why did I vaguely hear that Zhou Shenyi is the only child of the Zhou family? What's going on with this Zhou Shenrong?"

Yuan Xiu said: "It is said that this Zhou Shenrong was born to the head of the Zhou family and his wife. I kept it secret before. Now that Zhou Shenyi's whereabouts are unknown, the head of the Zhou family has brought him back. "

"Oh..." Lin Xuezhu responded meaningfully.

In other words, Zhou Shenyi has been abandoned by the Zhou family.

And it is not yet known whether this Zhou Shenrong is the biological son of the head of the Zhou family.

In short, the head of the Zhou family will not let his foundation fall into the hands of other branches.

This week Shen Rong is either a puppet or a truly ambitious person.

Lin Xuezhu was somewhat looking forward to it.

"Husband, help me keep an eye on Zhou Shenrong." Lin Xuezhu said.

Yuan Xiu nodded.

No need for Madam to tell him, he will be stared at.

The Zhou family's fortune is huge and their methods are dirty. They are a cancer to the whole world.

Sooner or later, he would have to remove this cancer.

The couple has a united front, and the next step is to wait for the other party to take action.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Shenrong moved very quickly.

On the second day after taking office, he wrote a letter to the head of the Zhou family.

After receiving the reply, he sent a greeting note to Jiang Qishuang with sincere words and expressed his willingness to meet.

Jiang Qishuang couldn't make up her mind and asked Hu Ertong to send a message to Lin Xuezhu to see how the matter should be handled.

Lin Xuezhu thought for a moment and planned to meet Zhou Shenrong in person.

Three days later, Lin Xuezhu, dressed in men's clothing, took a carriage to Feiyun City.

Yuan Xiu dressed up as a coachman and went with her.

Lin Xuezhu entered the private room of the hotel alone and saw a young man waiting there.

The man was in his twenties, about the same age as Zhou Shenyi.

Lin Xuezhu made a bold guess. If this Zhou Shenrong was really born from an extramarital affair, it must have been Zhou Shenyi's father who had an affair with his mother during her pregnancy and childbirth.

In modern times, he is a complete scumbag.

Lin Xuezhu was scornful in her heart, but her face remained calm.

However, Zhou Shenrong stood up the moment he saw her and greeted her cordially: "What's your surname, this boss?"

"My surname is Shi, and my name is Yitan." Lin Xuezhu said without blushing.

Zhou Shenrong almost choked himself to death when he spat.

A jar of shit? What the hell kind of naming geek came up with this name?

Lin Xuezhu pretended not to see his mixed emotions and sat down directly at the table.

Zhou Shenrong calmed down and said with a smile: "Boss Shi, what kind of wine do you like to drink? The bamboo wine in my hometown is excellent. I brought some here specially this time. Do you want to try it, Boss Shi?"

Lin Xuezhu winced slightly. Lips, said: "Bamboo wine, is the wine brewed by pouring bamboo into it?"

"Exactly, Boss Shi is well-informed. Most people don't know the secrets of bamboo wine." Zhou Shenrong looked hypocritical. smile.

Lin Xuezhu complained: Compared with a modern person like her, Zhou Shenrong must have taken the wrong medicine this time!

She said carelessly: "I like drinking, but I don't drink with people I don't like. Since shopkeeper Zhou is so sincere, just pack a jar for me to take away."

Zhou Shenrong's hypocritical smile suddenly froze on his face .

Is there nothing wrong with this shit? Why do you have such a harsh tone when you come up?

Chapter 299 Shopkeeper Zhou, where do you have the courage to threaten me?

Zhou Shenrong's embarrassed look only stayed on his face for a moment, and then quickly disappeared.

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly and he said: "Since Boss Shi said so, then it's better to be respectful than to obey."

After saying that, he clapped his hands in the void, and after a while, a young waiter came to serve the food.

Zhou Shenrong thought he was very magnanimous and said: "Boss Shi, what I ordered are all the signature dishes of this restaurant. Please try them and see if they suit your taste?"

Lin Xuezhu remained unmoved and said, "Shopkeeper Zhou, what do you have? " Let's just say it straight, I'm very busy and don't have time to ramble."

Zhou Shenrong was choked again.

This set of polite greetings has been used repeatedly by him in the past.

Why are you so disliked today?

Zhou Shenrong silently gritted his molar teeth, forced a smile on his lips and said: "Boss Shi, no matter how business matters are discussed, people still have to eat. But since Boss Shi is very busy, I won't waste Boss Shi's time.

He cleared his throat and continued: "It's like this. Because of the poor management of the previous shopkeeper, my family's grain store business has completely failed. My father asked me to take over and dispose of the surplus grain. I would like to ask Boss Shi if he is interested? "

"You want me to collect your food?" Lin Xuezhu asked.

Zhou Shenrong nodded and said: "If Boss Shi purchases goods from other places, he will inevitably increase the cost of transportation. Food is inherently low-profit. If not, Boss Shi would accept the food from my weekly diary so that I can deliver business to my family. Boss Shi It also saves you the trouble of purchasing goods. Why not kill two birds with one stone?"

"Not interested." Lin Xuezhu said decisively: "You Zhou Ji sells good and bad food, and you are trying to take advantage of the shortage of food in the north. Selling it at three times the market price. I didn't notice the low profit margin from your Zhouji Grain Store. Now that the business has failed, do you think you are taking advantage of me if you want me to take over your grain? "

These words left Zhou Shenrong speechless again.

People in the business world are used to talking in circuitous ways. Even if the business fails, they still want to be benevolent and righteous.

He prepared a lot of rhetoric, but he didn't expect to meet someone who spoke frankly.

Not only did he fail to fall into the trap he set, but it also disrupted his original rhythm and forced him to reorganize his language.

"Boss Shi, you said that the quality of my food is adulterated, do you have any evidence?" Zhou Shenrong was also a little angry.

Lin Xuezhu said coldly: "It's not me who said it, it was the customers who bought grain at your house. Do you know why there are no repeat customers at your house? Because they bought from your house once, and then went to my house to buy it the second time."

Zhou Shenrong had saliva stuck in his throat. He couldn't go up or down. He was so uncomfortable that he died.

Before he came, what he prepared most was his bargaining skills with the other party.

But the premise of these words is that the other party is willing to pay for his family's food.

He didn't expect that the other party would reject him and directly reject his premise.

He didn't have a chance to say a single word of what he was preparing later.

Zhou Shenrong picked up his chopsticks and took a few bites of food, finally letting go of the breath that was stuck in his throat.

He couldn't give up, this was the first task given to him by the head of the family.

Once done, you can show your face in front of the head of the house.

As long as he can prove his ability, even if Zhou Shenyi comes back, he will not be able to shake his position.

Zhou Shenrong gritted his teeth and planned to try again.

Unexpectedly, just as he was about to open his mouth, Lin Xuezhu spoke first.

"The Northern Territory is full of waste, and the first thing to solve must be the food problem. Since the Zhou family is determined to do this business, and they have opened stores all over the Northern Territory, why did they give up halfway? It's just competition. Could it be that the Zhou family used to do business Is everything going smoothly?"

Zhou Shenrong laughed dryly and said, "Boss Shi is very clever, and I know I can't compete with him, so I plan to avoid the competition and leave the grain business in the north to Boss Shi. , also to make friends with you, so that if we have any business dealings in the future, we will not be so unfamiliar."

This sounded nice, but Lin Xuezhu didn't buy it.

She sneered and said: "I'm afraid you saw the vast rice fields after entering the Northern Territory, right? You know that after the autumn harvest, the Northern Territory will no longer be short of food, so you made a temporary decision to get rid of the food business. Zhou Ji stocked up There is so much food that I won't be able to sell for a while, so I plan to transfer it to a big owner like me. Firstly, you don't have to lose money, and secondly, you can destroy my sign. This is what you call killing two birds with one stone, right?"

Her words were too blunt. Bai, Zhou Shenrong's intestines were pulled out all at once.

Zhou Shenrong was so embarrassed that he dug his toes on the ground and heheheed for a long time before saying only one sentence, "Boss Shi, judging from what you said, you are describing me as a sinister and cunning person."

Lin Xuezhu did not reply to his words and only looked at him with her eyes. .

That look seemed to say: Aren't you?

Zhou Shenrong rubbed his hands under the table and secretly did some mental construction.

He can't admit defeat, no matter how unpleasant the other party's words are, he must get things done!

He took a deep breath and said seriously: "Boss Shi, since you also know that a lot of grain is grown in the north, why do you still open a grain shop? In autumn, your grain shop will have no business, so you are not afraid " I

'm not afraid." Lin Xuezhu said, "My purpose of opening a grain store is different from that of your Zhou family. You may not understand it even if I tell you, so why bother talking?

" Feeling tight in chest.

This person is a shitty person, as his name suggests, he is a daddy.

You can't speak politely, right?

Okay, let me show you what the Zhou family's methods are!

Zhou Shenrong suppressed his smile and said with a threatening look in his eyes: "Boss Shi, before I came to the north, I sent people to investigate and found no source of Longsheng's supply. I think these grains will not appear out of thin air. Right? If this matter is known, there is no guarantee that someone with bad intentions will want to investigate further. Will Boss Shi be able to explain it clearly?"

Lin Xuezhu smiled.

Hey, this guy has two faces.

What if she is just a fledgling and has no experience in the world?

She was unmoved and said coldly: "As Shopkeeper Zhou said, these grains will not appear out of thin air. There must be a source of supply. As for why Shopkeeper Zhou can't find out, isn't it because his subordinates are not doing things well? Zhou Instead of reprimanding his subordinates, the shopkeeper told me some nonsense, could threatening me make your subordinates work better?"

As soon as these words came out, Zhou Shenrong's face immediately looked like a dye shop, and it was colorful.

Lin Xuezhu knew well the truth behind murder and heart-wrenching, and added: "As long as the people in the Zhou family are more capable, they won't even be able to find out the whereabouts of the head of the family's only son. With such ability, how can you, Shopkeeper Zhou, have the courage to threaten me? ? Want to investigate further? OK, come and talk to me when you find out something. "

Chapter 300: Year of Catastrophe

After Lin Xuezhu said what he wanted to say, he stood up and planned to leave.

This Zhou Shenrong is indeed a puppet, but he also has his own ambitions.

In his letter to the head of the Zhou family, he did mention that grain was being grown extensively in the north and that the future of grain shops would not be good.

The head of the Zhou family also gave him approval to close the Zhou Ji Grain Store and look for other business opportunities.

As for the problem of storing food, the family owner doesn't care.

Anyway, you can sell grain anywhere, it's the difference between selling it at the market price or shipping it at a huge profit.

In short, their Zhou family will not lose money.

But this Zhou Shenrong insisted on proving his ability by causing some trouble for Long Sheng.

This is his ambition.

Lin Xuezhu chatted with him for a few words and knew that his ability was not enough to support his ambition.

I'm too lazy to make excuses with him.

As a result, as soon as she walked to the door, Zhou Shenrong said: "Boss Shi actually knows my brother?"

Lin Xuezhu paused and said without looking back: "Do you think I will open a store rashly without investigating my competitors? ?"

Zhou Shenrong was silent for a moment, and then asked, "Is my brother still alive?"

Lin Xuezhu could hear the guilt and hidden expectation in his words.

She curled her lips and replied: "Zhou Shenyi is refining the Spring Returning Pill for the current Saint, and is currently searching for medicinal materials all over the world. If he knew that someone was taking advantage of this gap to try to take his place in the Zhou family, do you think he would What to do?"

Zhou Shenrong trembled all over, and his heart suddenly fell to the bottom.

Zhou Shenyi is still alive and still looking for medicinal materials!

If he presented the Spring Returning Pill to the emperor, his position in the Zhou family would no longer be shaken.

When the time comes, not only will he not benefit from it, he will actually kill him.

Thinking of this, Zhou Shenrong couldn't help but swallow several mouthfuls of saliva.

He forced a smile and said: "Since brother is in good health, why don't you contact the Zhou family?"

Lin Xuezhu smiled lightly and asked: "Why, can't you guess it? If you only have this vision, you really can't compete with Zhou Shenyi. I advise You'd better take a break and plan your own escape."

Zhou Shenrong's chest felt heavy.

Of course he knew that the time Zhou Shenyi had originally promised to donate medicine to the emperor had passed.

The reason why the Zhou family is so eager to find someone is to give an explanation to the emperor.

Zhou Shenyi didn't show up at this moment, naturally because he didn't want to implicate the Zhou family.

If the search for the medicine fails and his whereabouts are unknown, the Zhou family can say that he had an accident while searching for the medicine.

If the search for the medicine was successful and he showed up directly with the elixir, the emperor would not be too harsh on him for the sake of the elixir.

In doing so, he was indeed very thoughtful and protected the Zhou family to the greatest extent.

Zhou Shenrong was so angry that his teeth itched with hatred.

As long as Zhou Shenyi doesn't die, he can't sit back and relax.

He took a few deep breaths and asked: "Boss Shi, my father has been looking for my brother for a long time. If Boss Shi has any clues, can you tell me something? Our Zhou family will definitely remember Boss Shi's kindness."

After hearing this, Lin Xuezhu, Finally, he turned around and gave Zhou Shenrong a meaningful look.

She hooked her lips slightly and said with a hint of ridicule: "I can't tell, you are quite cruel."

Zhou Shenrong suddenly felt as if his thoughts were broken, and the muscles on his face twitched a few times.

This shit is really a powerful character, nothing can escape his eyes and ears!

Lin Xuezhu glanced at him one last time, and said without saltiness or indifference: "If you really care about your brother, bring my words to your family master. If you want to know the whereabouts of your son, ask him to come and talk to me in person."

After saying that, she turned and left. .

It is impossible for Zhou Shenrong to say anything to the head of the Zhou family.

In this world, if there is anyone who least wants Zhou Shenyi to live, it must be Zhou Shenrong.

Lin Xuezhu deliberately made him think that he knew Zhou Shenyi's whereabouts, just to disturb him and contain him.

She went straight back to the carriage and greeted Yuan Xiu: "Husband, let's go."

Yuan Xiu remained calm, whipped up his horsewhip, and left Feiyun City in a short while.

Not long after leaving, he took out a few bamboo sticks from his waist, seemingly accidentally, and threw them back casually.

The two men's bodies fell down in response.

Lin Xuezhu opened the curtains and took a look, then asked: "The little tail sent by Zhou Shenrong?"

Yuan Xiu responded: "He can't find out your identity, so he should be very anxious."

"Let him be anxious." Lin Xuezhu smiled. Said: "After meeting me today, he will only be more anxious."

After all, he could not find out the boss behind Longsheng, nor could he find the source of the goods.

It would be bad luck for anyone to be destroyed by such a ghost shop.

After shaking off her little tail, Lin Xuezhu simply climbed out of the carriage and sat on the shaft with Yuan Xiu.

Yuan Xiu asked with interest: "Madam, what did you say to Zhou Shenrong?"

Lin Xuezhu smiled and took one of Yuan Xiu's arms and said, "I told him that my surname is Shi and my given name is Yitan."

" Ahem." Yuan Xiu choked for no reason.

As expected of his wife, her ideas are wonderful.

A jar of shit? Fortunately she could figure it out.

Even if Yuan Xiu was not present, he could still feel Zhou Shenrong's frustration.

This kid will definitely write a letter to the head of the Zhou family when he goes back, asking him if he knows a boss Shi Yitan.

Thinking that after receiving the letter, the head of the Zhou family would put on an expression that was uglier than eating shit, Yuan Xiu couldn't help but want to laugh.

Lin Xuezhu gave Yuan Xiu an overview of the conversation with Zhou Shenrong.

The two chatted and laughed all the way and returned to Anbei City very relaxedly.

At this time, the whole family was busy building a house on the homestead.

When Lin Chengyao saw the two people coming back, he hurriedly went up to greet them and said, "Niece, have you seen your aunt? How is she?"

Lin Xuezhu shook his head, "I didn't go, I don't know."

Lin Chengyao was shocked and stared at it in disbelief . Lin Xuezhu said, "You went to Feiyun City and didn't see your family? What about my brother, you didn't see him either?"

Lin Xuezhu continued to shake his head, "No."

Lin Chengyao's eyes were empty, and he didn't know what to say for a moment. good.

Lin Xuezhu was a little speechless, holding back a smile and said: "Uncle, I am being targeted by the Zhou family. When I came back just now, someone was following me. I didn't go to see my aunt because I didn't want to cause trouble for them. You Are you really afraid that someone will smell my scent and go to find my aunt and little cousin?"

When she said this, Lin Chengyao waved his hands repeatedly, "Oh, oh, you'd better not go then."

Lin Xuezhu smiled and changed the topic . Said: "Uncle, our construction site is densely populated. If an epidemic breaks out, it will be difficult to deal with. When I came back just now, I saw a lot of mugwort growing in an open field. After we finish the work, we will go and pick the mugwort back. , Uncle, you are responsible for cooking it, so you are prepared."

After hearing this, Lin Chengyao nodded repeatedly, "If you want it, mugwort is a good thing. It won't hurt to have more of it."

Lin Xuezhu's smile did not change and she didn't say anything more.

But I was worried after all.

According to the book, in the summer of the second year after the exile team arrived in the north, there were floods in the south, numerous casualties and plagues, and it was a year of great disaster.