Hu Liang did not know how he got through the night. The voices in the cabin next door did not stop from evening to dawn.
He collected a lot of bits and pieces of information, but he did not know which was true and which was false. The person next door deliberately told him the news.
When the person next door asked him a question and he did not answer, the person next door would knock on the cabin board so that he would not fall asleep. There were two times when he was really too sleepy and was about to fall asleep, but he was woken up like this.
"Young Master Hu, you're awake? Come with me to wash up, breakfast is about to begin. " Hu Liang walked out with sleepy eyes. Before he could get used to the dazzling morning sun, a person appeared beside him and greeted him with a smile.
"Thank you for your trouble." Hu Liang politely cupped his hands and followed the person to the bathroom.
The bathroom in the morning was different from the bathroom where Hu Liang bathed yesterday afternoon. There were two large pools for bathing, and there was something that sprayed water from the top. The inside of the pools and the floor were covered with baked tiles. Ordinary people did not even dare to think about using them, and this was only a place prepared for the people of the inner courtyard.
The bathroom was three large pools that were half the height of a person. They were also covered with tiles. At this time, there were already many people coming to wash up. They were all men. The women were probably more troublesome.
There was a row of mirrors in front of the pools. Some of the men were facing the mirrors and tying up their hair. Some were tied up with ribbons, some were tied up, and some were pinned up with hairpins.
"Young Master Hu, here are your toiletries." The person who led Hu Liang here opened the cabinet in the bathroom and took out a thin porcelain box. He turned around and handed it to Hu Liang.
Hu Liang gently opened the box. There were a few things inside, most of which he recognized. There was a toothbrush with a brown handle, a tube of aluminum toothpaste, a towel made of pure flour, a tea scented soap, a tube of something similar to toothpaste and tea for washing his face, a razor, and a comb.
There was only a very small and long scissors. He did not know what to do. He looked around and found that someone was using the scissors to cut his nose hair. He could not help but chuckle and muttered, "Just pull it out. Why bother to cut it? Men are not like men."
That person didn't say anything immediately. When Hu Liang started washing his face and the other party finished cutting his nose hair, he turned his head and said to Hu Liang with an unfriendly expression, "After you're done washing up, we'll go out and fight."
"What for?" After wiping his face, Hu Liang asked in surprise.
"I'll let you see who's not a man. I'll fight you with one hand. If I can't beat you down within three moves, I'll voluntarily quit the seedling protection team. I'll take off the seedling protection team's logo and throw it into the river." The man pointed at the rice seedling logo on his chest.
"Ugh!" Hu Liang estimated the fighting strength of both sides. While squeezing toothpaste into the toothbrush, he said, "Why bother? Actually … pulling is really more convenient than cutting. I've always used the pulling method. "
"Ignorant. It will grow and become thicker after it is plucked out. At that time, it can only be used to block stones and not dust. I don't think you dare to fight one-on-one. Hmph!" The members of the Seedling Protection Team left after they finished speaking.
Hu Liang began to brush his teeth vigorously as he stared at himself in the mirror. His gaze was unfriendly. After brushing his teeth and preparing to shave, he carefully observed his surroundings and continued to mutter, "Do you think I'm afraid of you? You're just brave and ruthless. I'm a think-tank. "
After shaving twice, he stopped to look at the razor and muttered, "Good stuff. The inner courtyard's special provision is really extraordinary. Let's shave. I didn't shave before and let it grow on its own. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan said that only rich people can grow beards. Ordinary people grow beards that delay work and grow parasites. So troublesome."
After Hu Liang finished cleaning up, the person who led the way just now called him again, "Young Master Hu, follow me. What do you want to eat?"
"Do you still have the smoked chicken from yesterday?" Although Hu Liang was full last night, he still planned to eat. Last night, not counting other things, he ate two smoked chickens alone. Fortunately, they were semi-big chickens that were specially raised for a short period of time for the sake of tenderness.
Meat chickens and egg-laying chickens had not been fully cultivated and needed many generations of cultivation. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were already working hard to do this.
The person who led the way glanced at Hu Liang. Weiwei shook her head and replied, "There's no whole chicken. There are cold plates made of bits and pieces. If you want to eat meat, there's cold shredded chicken made of chicken breast meat. Once you've decided, you can't change it. It's shameful to waste basic food. It doesn't matter whether you spend money or whose money you spend."
Hu Liang understood the hidden meaning in the other party's words. He estimated that there was something better. If he chose chicken meat, he would miss out on good things. He said, "I know, I know. Zhang Xiaobao said that only poor people would order a table of cheap dishes. They would buy steamed buns that cost 100 strings of coins and throw them away because they couldn't afford a dish that cost 1,000 strings of coins. Wait, let me see first.
I'm not busy. "When they arrived at the restaurant, Hu Liang was proud of his wisdom. He opened the breakfast menu. There were 30 kinds on one page and a total of 12 pages were listed.
While he was dazzled, Hu Liang found it difficult to choose. He wanted to eat everything he saw. He scratched his head and asked the person who led the way, "What do you want to eat?"
"A bowl of bean porridge, three pies with pork fillings and three cucumber and egg fillings, half a plate of radish pickles and half a plate of garlic and cucumber. That's all," the person who led the way answered.
Hu Liang thought about the taste and shook his head. He asked again, "What did Xiaobei eat this morning?"
"I don't know. Let me ask." The person who led the way turned and left. After a while, he returned. "Xiaobei chose a bowl of milk, two sauced steamed eggs with salted mushrooms, two taels of sugar-free cake, and a fruit platter. That's all."
"Why didn't she eat fried eggs? You can tell from the name that it's too troublesome to make. "Hu Liang added.
"She doesn't like to eat it." The person who led the way answered quickly.
"What about Xiaoyuan?" Hu Liang did not plan to eat the same thing as Xiaobei.
"She added a sauced steamed egg with salted mushrooms." The person who led the way answered quickly.
"Yes, yes. Xiaoyuan is a boy and has a bigger appetite than a girl. Where's Xiaoqiang?" Hu Liang was speechless.
"Two bowls of soy milk, half a kilogram of youtiao, half a plate of spicy cabbage, half a plate of salted garlic, and a plate of dried tofu with onion oil."
"Why do you want two bowls of soy milk?"
"Because she likes to drink it."
"Alright. Give me two bowls of soy milk, two trays of soup dumplings, a large plate of soy sauce smoked chicken wings, six spicy duck heads, and a plate of pig's ears. If I can't finish them, can I take them back to the cabin?"
"That's fine. But we can go to the kitchen whenever we want to eat, as long as it doesn't affect our work. If you want to eat buns, I suggest you order tofu pudding instead of soy milk."
"I like to eat this way. I don't need the duck heads and chicken wings first. I'll go to the kitchen to choose when I'm hungry."
After spending a lot of energy on breakfast, Hu Liang finally chose what he wanted to eat. He looked around and chose a table near the window of the cabin of the restaurant and sat down.
While waiting for the food to be delivered, Hu Liang continued to observe. The restaurant wasn't small. There were 30 square and round tables inside. If it weren't for the few wooden pillars holding them up, the canopy would probably have fallen down.
The words "Restaurant No. 1" were written at the entrance. Thinking about it, there should be restaurants No. 2, No. 3, and so on. Maybe it was a big restaurant and a small restaurant, and Xiaobei and the others wanted to sit alone.
While Hu Liang was thinking, the breakfast he ordered was brought over by the servant who was in charge of leading the way. The servant sat across from him.
Just as he was about to speak, everyone in the restaurant stood up at the same time and said in unison, "Hello, Madam."
Hu Liang also stood up. He was shocked.
"Hello, everyone. Please take a seat." When they heard a woman's voice, they all sat back down with a 'hua' sound.
Only then did Hu Liang see the person who came out of the door through the gaps between the people who were walking to and fro to get food. With just one look, he was stunned.
The person who came in was Jang Wong Clan, Madam Wang, Xiaobei, and the other 11 children. They were puzzled and asked the servant opposite them, "Is the Master eating together?"
"Why are you here if you're not eating together?" The servant asked.
"What I mean is that the Master needs to have the identity of the Master. If you're always with the people below you, it's easy to lose your dignity. Only by keeping a distance can the people below you respect you, understand?" Hu Liang explained.
"Madam has already kept a distance. She usually doesn't joke with us. Only Xiaobei likes to joke with us, but how can we dare to think that she's easy to bully? Do you understand? "The servant replied.
"That's too casual." Hu Liang insisted on his opinion.
"If you keep talking about it, I'll chase you off the boat. No, I'll lock you in a small dark room. It's safer to eat together. If there's any danger, the people around you will be your cover." The servant was obviously angry.
Hu Liang raised a hand and signaled for the other party to stop talking about this topic. He lowered his head and began to eat. As he ate, he realized that other than the sound of eating, the restaurant was very quiet, so he raised his head again to look.
He whispered to the servant in front of him, "To be honest, if you guys go to a big family, the treatment you get is much better than the Zhang Clan and Wang Clan. For example, if you get 10 strings of cash a month in the Zhang Clan and Wang Clan, you can ask for 10 strings of cash a month. If you go to a big family, you can ask for 10 strings of cash, which is 100 strings of cash, and people will fight to get you."
"Really?" The servant asked in a low voice.
"Of course." Hu Liang nodded.
"Can you introduce me to a big family?" The servant asked again.
Hu Liang shook his head in disappointment, "I'm just kidding. I thought you would scold and refute me. Who doesn't know the benefits of being in the Zhang Clan and Wang Clan? The monthly salary is only a small part of it. The real benefits are the stability of the family and the other benefits.
For example, if it's a meal, other than you, who else would let you choose from hundreds of different kinds of food? You see, if I want to join the inner courtyard of the Zhang Clan and Wang Clan, is it difficult? "
"Not difficult, not difficult at all." Hu Liang was very happy to hear the reply, but he was surprised because the voice came from behind him, and it was a child's voice.
Hu Liang turned his head and saw Xiao Bei standing there with a piece of watermelon in her hand. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, asking, "Why don't you walk?"
"Because I'm wearing soft-soled shoes. I like to run around, and hard-soled shoes aren't good for my feet. Back to what I said just now. Tell me your family's name and address, and I'll find them. You can directly join the Inner Yard, okay?"
Xiao Bei raised one of her feet to show the soles of her shoes. Her eyes were smiling like crescent moons as she asked.
"This … is not necessary. I'll apply to join after I learn more skills. When I get to Hangzhou, I'll be separated from you. I really don't want to leave."
How could Hu Liang tell her his family? He pretended to be very regretful, but he refused.
Xiao Bei smiled indifferently. "I don't want to leave you either, so you have to go to Jiang District with me. You can't stay in Hangzhou. Actually … we already know where your family is. Your father's surname is not Hu. Don't underestimate our family's intelligence system. Maybe you can reunite with them in a few days. Thank you."
"You … sigh!" Hu Liang's eyes suddenly widened. Then, he sighed in frustration and stopped talking. Instead, he stared at Xiao Bei.
"I'm going back to eat. In the future, remember to always tell yourself that as a spy or a spy, you either keep silent or nod and show agreement no matter what others say. That's the only way to qualify. Sigh! I'm Dudu Qiubai.
"Eat slowly. You can eat whatever you want while you're in Jiang District. There are also various games for you to play. Don't feel burdened. Cherish the peaceful time."
Xiao Bei said something to Hu Liang and then silently floated away.
Hu Liang fell silent again and lowered his head to eat. He didn't need to ask at all. Just based on his reaction just now, the other party knew a lot of things. The first was that he still had other people. The second was that he cared about his family. The third was that his surname was fake.
From the other party's words, he could also understand what the other party meant. He couldn't spread the news. The other party had made it very clear that he knew that he didn't have good intentions. At the same time, he didn't care about what he could do. He might even make use of him.
After he finished eating, the inner courtyard opposite him put down his chopsticks at the same time and said, "Young Master Hu, come here. You can play games now. There are classic Monopoly games and sandbox games for commanding. If you don't want to play, you can play billiards, mahjong, poker, and so on."
Hu Liang nodded and walked out of the restaurant with the inner courtyard. He turned his head and asked, "Will I die?"
The inner courtyard shook his head. "I don't know. I only know that you won't die now. Wait until Jiang District. Didn't you already think about dying on the ship when you came?"
Hu Liang nodded and then suddenly shook his head. "When I came here, I thought that I would have a chance to go back alive. The success rate was very high. Who would have thought that you guys are different from what I thought?"
"It's okay. Maybe Xiao Bei and the others will be happy and let you go. You're just a pawn. It doesn't matter whether we kill you or not. It won't affect us."
The inner courtyard comforted Hu Liang again.
The two of them walked and talked in low voices. If people who didn't know the details saw them, they would think that the two of them were not enemies but close friends.
Old Man Wang finished his meal in advance. He was old and slept less, but he slept more often. He liked to go to bed early and then get up early. After eating, he would find a place to stroll around and talk to people of similar status.
When he was in Hangzhou, he usually chatted with the local Provincial Governor and the people of the various departments. After all, the identity of his master was not ordinary. Although the Emperor had somewhat alienated him and sent his master out of the capital, the position of Provincial Governor was still there.
In addition to such an official, he could only find the local big families. Usually, he would do business with them, so there were not many people he could talk to. He was not like Xiao Bei, who could chat with people regardless of their status.
Xiao Bei had a good brother and sister. He didn't need to care about what promises he made with others and couldn't fulfill them.
It was the same today. He wanted to find the technicians on the ship or those who specialized in learning to chat. When he turned his head, he saw Hu Liang with the people of the inner courtyard. They were talking and laughing as they walked toward the entertainment room. He was stunned for a moment. He raised his hand to call a maid and asked,
"How are you going to deal with Hu Liang? I think he looks good today. Did you reach an agreement with him? "
The maid didn't have much defense against Old Man Wang. She replied, "He didn't sleep well last night. He forced himself to stay awake. He will probably fall asleep when he plays the game later. We can't have any agreement with him. We don't kill him now because he is still useful.
When he's no longer useful, we'll have to see what Young Master Xiaobao and Young Lady Cuckoo want to do. I reckon that the two of them won't kill Hu Liang. Instead, they'll give him a new identity and train him so that he can continue doing what he's doing now. "
Old Man Wang thought for a while and understood. If Hu Liang was kept alive, others would feel uncertain. Especially when they saw that Hu Liang was treated well on the ship, they would think that he had betrayed the organization in exchange for benefits.
And Hu Liang couldn't commit suicide himself. He must find a chance to spread the news. This was the time for the two sides to compete with wisdom and courage to see who would be better.
"I will also go to the entertainment room to have a look. Unfortunately, I can't play gateball. When I was in Hangzhou, I had nothing to do, so I played gateball. But I can only play it once every ten days. Everyone else is busy."
Old Man Wang walked in the direction of the entertainment room as he spoke.
The maid thought for a while and said, "Steward Wang, you shouldn't go to the entertainment room now. You should go to the infirmary. Yesterday, when Young Master Xiao Bao sent the news, he said that you should go to the infirmary to have a look. Then you can be nursed back to health.
You can't eat three meals a day now. You have to eat at least four meals a day. You must have snacks a few times in between. You have to eat less every meal and eat more every day. You have to follow special procedures to maintain your health. "
"I am already so old, and I have seen Xiaobei and the others. Even if I die tomorrow, I will be satisfied. Xiaobei is so smart. I don't know how to teach him. Xiaohai is also good. He has the style of a master in the family, especially since he usually doesn't talk. I think he will be better than Xiao Bao in the future."
Old Man Wang still walked in the direction of the entertainment room. He looked stubborn.
The maid didn't stop him, but followed him. She said as she walked, "Yes, if I had a younger brother and sister like him, I would have no regrets if I died tomorrow. But if I could live, wouldn't it be better? The longer I live, the longer I can take care of them.
If they cause trouble outside, I can also help. Our family designed a life with rules. It's not a rigid rule, but a very flexible one. Ordinary people can't enjoy it. In the imperial court, people below the fifth rank and under the age of sixty are definitely not given a hand. "
Old Man Wang stopped walking at this time. He stood there and thought for a while. Then he asked, "Where is the infirmary?"
*****
"Xiao Bao, Xiao Bao? Cuckoo, where is she? This emperor has a good idea to tell you. Where is she? "
While Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan ran to the observation deck to enjoy the scenery, Li Longji ran into their room and walked around. After coming out, he stood below the observation deck and shouted.
"Let's go down. I don't know what he's thinking of again. Can't he see that the two of us are enjoying some alone time here?" When Zhang Xiaobao heard the voice, he looked down and saw Li Longji looking up. Opposite him, Wang Juan said with a smile.
"I guess it's about the people's livelihood. He's recently become addicted to this kind of thing. He always wants to achieve communism one step at a time, communism under the control of imperial power."
Wang Juan said as she climbed down.
As soon as the two of them came down, Li Longji began to complain, "Look at the two of you. Why didn't you tell me that you were going up there? You made it difficult for me to find you."
"If you want to go somewhere in the future, you should tell Your Majesty first. Or, you should send someone to wait for Your Majesty at the entrance so that Your Majesty doesn't have to ask twice."
Zhang Xiaobao didn't believe that Li Longji would spend a long time searching. Basically, he would know where he and Cuckoo were the moment he asked the second person.
"Sure, sure, it's not that troublesome. Xiao Bao, what did I think of?" Li Longji seemed very excited, as if he had a good idea waiting for Zhang Xiaobao to ask.
Zhang Xiaobao played along and asked, "Your Majesty, what good idea did you think of this time? Quick, tell this subject. "
"Next time, you have to be more professional when you pretend. Just by looking at your expression, I can tell that you don't mean what you say. However, this time, this emperor really did think of a good idea. It's an idea that can help the people in need when the rich people in the village are too busy."
Li Longji didn't lose interest because of Zhang Xiaobao's perfunctory words. He waved his arm and looked like he was giving advice.
Zhang Xiaobao didn't respond to Li Longji's words. Instead, he looked at Wang Juan. Wang Juan and Weiwei nodded and said, "Your Majesty, did you think of this idea? If a village needs help, for example, if there's a family that doesn't have enough manpower, other than the old and young, you can ask the other villagers to help.
When the time comes, you will give them a certain amount of benefits, such as reputation or worthless awards. Isn't it similar to how merchants sponsor schools? "
"Ah?" Wang Juan's words shocked Li Longji. He asked in confusion, "Cuckoo, how did you know?
Didn't you and Xiao Bao always say that when building a material civilization, we can't forget about building a spiritual civilization? Otherwise, once there's a deviation, it'll be very difficult to change it back. It'll take years, decades, or even decades to hundreds of years before the people can regain their confidence.
This emperor thought that when it comes to the spiritual side, which is also the moral side, we naturally have to start from the most basic social structure. A village is just right. What do you all think? "
After saying that, Li Longji stared at Zhang Xiaobao, afraid that Zhang Xiaobao would say something against his idea.
This was how interesting the world was. The more one was afraid of something, the more likely it would happen.
If it was someone else, they might say something against their will to please Li Longji. However, Zhang Xiaobao definitely didn't care about Li Longji's feelings, especially when it came to the people's livelihood.
After hearing Li Longji's words, Zhang Xiaobao didn't consider Li Longji's feelings at all. He directly said, "Actually, after this year, I'm thinking of taking over the matter of merchants sponsoring schools so that the merchants don't have to continue investing.
The funds required for the schools will all be taken care of by Your Majesty's money in the bank. Honestly speaking, the amount of money invested in the children isn't too much, and our Great Tang can still bear it.
Great Tang needs the people to have a conscience and guide them to a better direction, but it doesn't mean that we should push the responsibility to the people. The people have already paid the taxes, so why should we make them pay more? That only shows that the people in charge are incompetent. "
Zhang Xiaobao's blunt words made Li Longji feel very uncomfortable. If it was anyone else, he would have already chased them away or flung his sleeves and left.
But facing Zhang Xiaobao, he couldn't do so. He knew that getting angry at Xiao Bao and Cuckoo was useless. The losses outweighed the gains, and it would only make him seem petty.
"Xiao Bao, Cuckoo, the two of you are the people We trust the most. Since these words came from Xiao Bao's mouth, I believe that you should have a good idea. Share it with us."
Li Longji cleverly pushed the question to Zhang Xiaobao, but who would have thought that Zhang Xiaobao would look at Wang Juan once more.
Wang Juan could only continue the conversation. "In truth, it's very simple. If Your Majesty wants the people to do something, don't give them any rewards. Let them feel that when they do something good, they aren't doing it for the sake of other people's appreciation. The rewards don't need to be material, and even the spiritual rewards from the court are dispensable.
When they do something, they think more about their own conscience. If they want to do something, they will do it. Just like me and Xiao Bao, we don't need Your Majesty's praise, and we don't care if Your Majesty is angry or not. We just want to speak frankly.
Because our hearts are open, we do things that are worthy of our conscience. If we want to do something, we will do it. It's just like how Xiaobei gave lollipops to Big Man and Little Man. "
Li Longji nodded, indicating for Wang Juan to continue. In his heart, however, he thought angrily, You don't care because you treat the Great Tang as your own. In your eyes, I, the Emperor, am just a symbol that helps you maintain your status.
When he thought of this, Li Longji didn't need Wang Juan to explain. He immediately understood and said, "We understand. What We want to do isn't to reward, but to let the people of the Great Tang treat the Great Tang as their own. Then, We won't care about anything."
Zhang Xiaobao was very satisfied with Li Longji's ability to think things through so quickly.
Seeing that Li Longji couldn't think of a solution at the moment, he said to him, "What Your Majesty needs to do now is to set up donation boxes in various places and then set up different funds. Anyone who wants to help others can take the initiative to put the amount of money they think they can afford into the boxes.
This way, it won't be a reward or a forced action. The donation boxes don't need any locks, and they have to be made of glass.
Everyone can see the money in the boxes and can take it out at any time. When faced with this kind of temptation, the people of the Great Tang would rather find work to earn a living. They would rather eat simple food than secretly take money.
When that day comes, the Great Tang will be invincible in the world. When the test of human nature is over, that will be the happiest moment of the soul. "
As Zhang Xiaobao spoke, he thought of the abnormal days he and Cuckoo had a hundred years ago. Although many people criticized them in that era, they had indeed done these two things.
Even if a father secretly put a grain of sand in the useless books and papers sold so that his child could go to school, his child would still report it. At that time, the lives of the people weren't rich, and in some places, a person only had three grams of oil a month.
However, it was precisely in that deformed era that people would help each other. It was also under the support of that kind of spirit that they fought one classic battle after another. Using the worst weapons to fight against the most advanced weapons, when the Horn of Charge didn't stop, the Horn of Charge wouldn't stop.
Unfortunately, a deformity was a deformity, and the development of society was too slow. When it developed faster, that spirit was gone. That was an era that made people feel helpless, but also an era that made people reluctant to part with.
As he thought of this, Zhang Xiaobao glanced at Wang Juan.
Wang Juan could be said to have a tacit understanding of this. Otherwise, she wouldn't have dared to clamor about using cold weapons to fight against the other party's hot weapons. It was because there was a word called spirit, and there was a kind of attitude that was fearless.
Those days were truly worth reminiscing about. The world was vast, and how many heroes had led the city to set up camp? But at that time, who dared to call themselves the world's number one army in the face of a charging army blowing trumpets?
Wang Juan smiled, a smile of pride unique to soldiers. Following Zhang Xiaobao's words, she said, "This matter can be said to be difficult, but it can also be said to be simple. I can guarantee that wherever I and Xiao Bao have family members who have been officials, the people there will very consciously abide by this rule that isn't a rule.
If there is good from above, then the people below will follow. Xiao Bao and I have already set an example. That is, when facing the lives of the people, when there are people who doubt us, as officials, we can have a clear conscience. When facing the development of business, we can be firm and unyielding.
If Your Majesty wants to do this, then you should also set an example. Invest the first copper coin, make the first declaration. I believe that at the very least, those people who have been depositing money in the Tang Bank two days ago will follow suit and take the initiative to supervise. "
Li Longji listened and thought. For a moment, he seemed to enter a dreamlike world. Faintly, he said, "Is it like that 'Ha Ha Ha Mirror Flower Fate' that you told Xiaobei and the others about?"
Zhang Xiaobao shook his head. "In this world, there is no such thing as a gentleman. There are only trade-offs. If you invest in one aspect, you will inevitably be rewarded in another aspect.
Take me and Cuckoo for example. In truth, everything we invest in is not in the pursuit of material goods. Although we make a lot of money, the purpose of making money is so that we can support the things we pursue.
We don't have high requirements for material goods, at least according to the amount of money we earn. We only do it for the pure land in our hearts. The meaning of our lives lies in this. Thus, we will not allow others to sully this land. Otherwise, we will use blood to wash it away. "
Li Longji nodded. He had to admit that Xiao Bao and Cuckoo were true to their words. Anyone who dared to touch their bottom line was truly tired of living.
Their hands were stained with blood, but in the eyes of the people of the Great Tang, they were clean and pure. Those whose hearts were for the people were revered by the people.
After thinking about the two's words, Li Longji nodded. "We understand. We will think of a way to satisfy the needs of the people in terms of survival. Then, we will make the people feel that survival is not the only thing. There are still many things that they need to do. Their purpose in life is definitely not to eat and wear.
Then what should We do now? Immediately have people place glass boxes in the various villages? And then explain the use of these boxes? "
"That won't do. If we really do that, the people will be worried that their money will be stolen. The current situation is actually not bad. At the very least, the trust of the imperial court is still there. The people are willing to trust the imperial court, and they are even more willing to trust us.
The first thing we need to do is to strengthen this trust. At the same time, we need to strike at those with unstable minds. When everything has become a habit of life, why would we need to use glass boxes to store donations? "
Zhang Xiaobao was very glad that the imperial court was still able to control the people, and the people were also willing to trust the imperial court.
If a certain fund or 'association' was established, the people would be able to release Qian Juan without worry. They wouldn't have to worry about people being greedy. This was because they knew that the imperial court would constantly send out inspectors to supervise and control each other.
They knew that telegrams could be sent directly to the capital. If they found that some officials were unqualified and took away their donated money, the imperial court wouldn't just ignore them if they sent a telegram.
This was especially so for himself, Cuckoo, and Xiao Bei. The imperial court had zero tolerance for corrupt officials. It could even be said that if an official was caught by Xiao Bei and the others, even if they didn't die, they would at least lose a layer of skin.
This was an era where even the aristocratic families had to consider ethics and morality when doing things. This was because Li Longji, the emperor, didn't say that regardless of whether the underworld was right or wrong, as long as they could get money, they would be good people.
Li Longji didn't know what Zhang Xiaobao was thinking. Looking at Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan giggling at each other, he asked gloomily, "In other words, We can't realize our idea right now, right? There's no place to put the boxes to receive donations, and we can't monitor them. Is that right? "
"There's a place, there's definitely a place. I thought of a good place. Xiao Bei and the others set up a chain of 4,000 Candy Houses. Why don't we put them there? When someone goes to spend money, they can put the change into the donation boxes.
I believe that no one will dare to touch the unlocked boxes, and no one will suspect that Xiao Bei and the others didn't use the money on related matters.
If Your Majesty feels that the number is not enough, we can also put donation boxes in all of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's shops. When the people are relieved and get used to it, we can find the top 100 merchants on the list of top billionaires and ask them to put the boxes in their shops. "
Zhang Xiaobao didn't need to think too much about it and immediately said where the donation boxes should be placed.
When Li Longji heard this, he nodded repeatedly. "Yes, there's a place. So Xiao Bei and the others' Candy Houses can be used like this. Doesn't that mean that in the future, we can use them anywhere that is similar?"
Li Longji was happy. He believed that once this matter started, it would definitely achieve good results. When the time came, he would let 100 capable merchants take charge of this matter. Those merchants would definitely not take the risk for a small amount of money.
It was not an exaggeration to say that merchants who could enter the list of top billionaires were making a lot of money every day. After the donations were distributed, no matter how much money their shops could receive, it would not be enough for them to take the risk of being greedy.
Zhang Xiaobao nodded and then said, "Not only do we have to do this in the Tang Empire, we also have to help people from other countries. When the time is right, we will use righteousness to pressure other countries.
Even if their country's productivity is not good and their national treasury's income is not enough, we will use this banner to promote them. If they donate to us, we will use it. A portion will be directly used to improve their people's lives, and the other portion will be used to support their political opponents.
If they think that they are smart and set up such a donation box, we will secretly investigate them. I believe that in a situation where their productivity is not high enough and their education cannot keep up, there will definitely be people who will use this money for other purposes.
We will do our best to publicize this matter and criticize them. Then, we will encourage their people to rebel. This way, when we attack them again, their people will support us and think that we represent justice. "
When Li Longji heard Zhang Xiaobao's words, he unknowingly broke out in a cold sweat. This Xiao Bao was really too evil. As long as there was a resource that could be used, he would use it to harm others.
However, this was also what he liked, so he nodded and said, "Then let's start with Xiao Bei and the others' Candy Houses. We hope that one day, wherever the Tang Empire's will goes, the local people will overthrow their government and then welcome the Tang Empire's dragon grace."
*****
While Xiao Bei and the group of children were still learning, they received a telegram from their emperor uncle.
Xiao Bei was the first to take it and read it to the others. Then, she said, "Look, this is how Uncle Emperor trusts us. Tell the people who are building the Candy Houses in various places to work hard to speed up and strengthen the supervision. I want to see who dares to touch that sum of money."
Xiao Bei appeared very excited as she spoke. Her eyes swept across the faces of her brothers and sisters, hoping to get approval.
However, her brothers and sisters all frowned.
Xiaoyuan asked, "Then where should this sum of money be placed? If it is placed in a bank, who will be responsible for the interest? How do we explain it to the people who took out the money? "
"Interest? The interest will be used as labor costs. We have to arrange for people to withdraw the money, calculate it, and then help to send the money to the people who need it. This is all a cost, and when the time comes, we will use the interest to settle the bill.
If anyone objects, let them handle it personally and see if they want to be paid. Isn't that right? Even if we don't want the money ourselves, for example, if we want to buy food for the people who need it, won't the transportation cost be added to this?
Then it's about how to spend the money. We have to settle the accounts once a month and post it on a notice to let others know that we didn't get any benefits from it. Is that okay? "
Xiao Bei circled around this matter. In this short period of time, she had already thought of many things.
However, Xiaoyuan still shook her head. "But if we do as you say, the prices of the various items in each place are different. The transportation costs are also different. Some are transported by land, while others are transported by water. How are you going to make the people believe that the cost of the place you mentioned is that high?"
"Ah?" Xiao Bei was taken aback. Then, she said, "Our existence is a guarantee. Would anyone doubt us? If I were really greedy for money, why would I take out my own money to help others? Anyone who objects to us has bad intentions. "
"You mean to say that we are not allowed to have different opinions?" Xiaoyuan continued to pour cold water on her.
"We are allowed to have different opinions. For example, some people praise us and say that Xiao Bei and Xiaoyuan are great. This is one kind of opinion, but it can also be another. They say that if we don't believe Xiao Bei and Xiaoyuan, who else can we believe? Another saying is that if we have to find a faction that we are not afraid of, it will definitely be Xiao Bei and Xiaoyuan. At the same time, it can also be … "
"Xiao Bei, stop. Why do I hear you saying all the same thing? We can't be so shameless, okay? " Xiao Yuan was speechless when he heard Xiao Bei say the same thing in different words. He hurriedly interrupted Xiao Bei and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Ah, you can't always praise? That's easy. Let's have a meeting and say what you think. That's good. " Xiao Bei really couldn't think of any good ideas, so she used the most common method — a meeting.
While Xiao Bei and the others were having a meeting, Hu Liang heard about the donation box from the people in the inner court. He couldn't imagine Zhang Xiaobao's goal, but when he heard about this matter, his eyes lit up and he thought about his own organization.
Thus, he didn't rest well during the day, and when night came, he couldn't sleep again. This time, no one disturbed him, although the voices next door were still there.
He was excited. He thought that he could use the Great Tang's current policy to help his side gain more benefits.
While he was too excited to sleep, Hu Liang was troubled again. He realized that he was still on the boat, and this plan was about to be used by the Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Clan. If he couldn't follow suit, he wouldn't have a chance to enter this industry when the time came.
That was money. If a person was given one copper coin a day, with so many people in the Great Tang, they would receive more than ten thousand strings of coins a day. It was definitely not a small amount. He believed that even those on the top rankings would be tempted.
But this money had a limit. If he couldn't immediately spread the news, the organization would miss a good opportunity.
With this thought, Hu Liang couldn't sleep.
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