Assistant Minister Lu was really frightened this time. He was supported by someone and watched the lantern representing Zhang Zhong gradually disappear into the distance. He didn't dare to make a sound. This push also woke him up. He sighed and said to the person holding him, "Let's let go.
"Let go. Looks like we won't be able to rush back tonight. Look around and see if anyone can give us a place to rest. It would be best if there's something to eat. Remember to pay."
"Your Excellency, that Zhang Zhong, he …?" The person behind him asked.
"Forget it. County Magistrate Zhang is devoted to the people. He should be rewarded. When we go back, I'll help him write a memorial to ask for a reward." Assistant Minister Lu seemed to have suddenly become a different person.
The person behind him let go of his hand and said, "In that case, we'll go ask them and ask them to give us the best place and the best things. We'll give them a few taels of silver. It's too good for them."
"Hurry up and do it." Assistant Minister Lu said calmly and turned to go back.
Zhang Zhong didn't care about Assistant Minister Lu at all. He was still looking at the canal and asked the person next to him, "How's the situation on the other side of the river?"
"Your Excellency, it's fine. Since the opening here is getting bigger and bigger, the water level on the other side of the river has dropped. Your Excellency, how long do we have to keep the water flowing? If the opening is too big, we won't be able to fill it. "
The person who had just gone to check the situation replied respectfully.
Zhang Zhong raised his arm and pointed to the place where the water was flowing. "When that place becomes a lake, that's when we can stop."
"Your Excellency, if it really becomes a lake, there's no need to stop. We can just draw water from the lake and connect it to other places. Does Your Excellency really want that place to become a lake? There are still some people in the fields there. "The person was worried about Zhang Zhong.
"Yes, the shrimp fields. In the future, the people who originally planted there can raise shrimps. They won't have to worry about not being able to sell the shrimps. Many people will come to buy them. When the time comes, those who live near you can come and eat. When the mountain is repaired, remember the name. The first time is free."
Zhang Zhong's idea was his own. When Zhang Xiaobao mentioned this matter, he only mentioned raising something. Zhang Zhong felt that it was fine to let these people eat for free.
"Sir, my family is not from here. We are from a neighboring county." This person regretted not moving to Hua Yuan County earlier. It seemed that it was not easy to enter now.
Zhang Zhong smiled and said, "This time, you have contributed a lot to this county. If you are willing to stay and live in this county, this county will accept all of you. Won't it be close in the future?"
"Sir, you're not lying to me?" The man asked happily.
"Of course, I won't lie to you." Zhang Zhong couldn't wait for all the people in the surrounding counties to come and live with him.
"Sir, please wait for me. I will go and inform them that I am also a citizen of Hua Yuan County in the future. Sir, when the time comes, I will treat you to the free prawns." The person left behind these words and ran towards the people who came with him.
"Okay, go and come back quickly. I still have to watch over here." Zhang Zhong shouted at the man and laughed to himself, "This is a lot of people."
*****
Between the Clouds and the Water, San Shui County.
The old man was not resting yet. He didn't care whether it was dark or not. He sat in the pavilion with a bamboo hat on his head and continued fishing.
The water was boiling on the stone table in the pavilion. A man in ordinary green clothes was watching the fire. From time to time, he glanced at the old man who was fishing. When the water boiled, the old man put down the fishing rod and walked over. He washed the tea bowl, put some tea leaves in it, and rinsed the water. After a while, he poured the water out and rinsed it again. Only then did he close the lid.
"Minister Liu, do you think that Kid Lu can achieve his goal this time? I don't think so. Won't he just ask Zhang Zhong to hand him over directly? "
The old man grabbed a handful of snacks made of pumpkin seeds and ate one as he spoke to the person sitting in front of him.
Minister Liu also followed suit. He grabbed a small handful and put it in his hand. However, he wasn't in a hurry to eat it. Instead, he said to the old man, "Old Minister, you might have thought wrongly. Lv Yanzuo has always been working under me. He is reliable, patient, and meticulous. How could he do something wrong?"
"That's not right. On a rainy day, he rushed all the way here. Before he could rest, he was sent out by you again. Moreover, he saw the Clairvoyance and that fan thing. He felt wronged and wanted to make a big contribution. On top of that, he is a fourth-rank official. He rushed here in a hurry. If he doesn't do well, he might show his authority first.
If it was someone else, it would be fine. However, he is facing Zhang Zhong. How could Zhang Zhong let him do that? If Zhang Zhong stayed in the yamen, he might have returned empty-handed. However, if Zhang Zhong is busy with the county affairs, no one would be in a bad mood on such a rainy day. "
The old man knew what kind of character Zhang Zhong was. He had also interacted with Lv Yanzuo before. He always felt that the two of them didn't seem to get along. Zhang Zhong was the kind of person who did things straightforwardly. The old man had nothing to worry about. His family was rich and powerful. He also had a master guiding him behind the scenes.
Lv Yanzuo's character was more feminine. If it was a normal time or an official in the imperial court, he would know how to endure. However, he met a local official. In addition, it was an opportunity to make a contribution. Moreover, the weather was bad. It was very likely that he would use the method of suppressing the other party to get the matter done quickly. Originally, he wanted to contact the other party. If it was someone else, they would also want to find the person directly.
It was easy for a minister to find a person who didn't have any achievements. However, that person was the lifeblood of the Zhang family. Not only did he do things well, but he also made money. How could Zhang Zhong let such a person go?
Minister Liu didn't think so much. He ate a pumpkin seed and felt that it tasted good. He smacked his lips and said, "Old Minister, don't worry. Lv Yanzuo won't cause any trouble. Even if he uses his official position to suppress others, he will definitely endure it and find an opportunity to retaliate.
But that Zhang Zhong, how can he be so daring? Then he needs to be properly sharpened. If his edges are too sharp, he's not suitable to be an official. As for his family, since he can make a curved plough, write nature, and even create a clairvoyant, I'll use the Ministry of Works' order to recruit him. "
"Then don't think about getting anything. If you anger that person, you won't be able to do anything else as a minister in the future. It seems that you don't know that person's methods. I actually hope that you can give it a try. Let this old man open his eyes."
The old man didn't think that Liu Zhirou could fight against the person behind Zhangjia Zhuangzi. That person's methods were hard to understand. When he was gentle, he was like a Buddha in ten thousand homes. In San Shui County, no one said anything bad about the Zhang family. When he was ruthless, he was like a cold wind blowing in one's face. Life or death, it was all in one's mind.
In particular, this person seemed to know almost everything. If he wanted to kill someone, he didn't need knives, guns, bows, or crossbows. Just the firecrackers in the grocery store were enough. Unfortunately, this person was deeply hidden and couldn't be seen by others. Li Xun sent someone over. He learned a lot of things, especially mathematics. However, the person who taught him was definitely not the person behind the Zhang family.
Liu Shangshu looked at the old man's eyes. His hands were already clenched into fists. He was very uncomfortable because of the pumpkin seeds. After a few breaths of time, he finally sighed.
"Since Old Minister said so, I naturally don't dare to look for trouble. It's just a pity that he can make so many things. Old Minister, don't tell me you don't want him to do something for the country and the people?"
He had a good grasp of when to advance and when to retreat. He didn't feel like he had lost face at all. The old man chuckled and said, "If we really want to talk about ability, it shouldn't be your Ministry of Works. It won't make a difference even if you put it in the Si Agricultural Temple. Look at the rice planted by Zhang Family and Wang Family. The average yield per mu is more than three dan. In the superior fields, it can even reach five dan.
How's this ability? Look at the poultry and livestock raised by the Zhang Family and Wang Family. Compared to other places, they are much better. The chicks can give birth to chicks without the need for a hen. How's this ability?
Even if you don't put him in the Si Agricultural Temple, it will be more useful if you put him in my Ministry of Revenue. Look at the business opened by Zhang Family and Wang Family. All the money of my Academy is paid by them. Do you know how much they have paid? "
"How much?" Liu Shangshu asked.
"Very much. Do you see those flags? Also, there are the banners here and the banners on the boat. They used 40% of the money to exchange for half a year's worth of food and clothing for the Academy's students. Shouldn't such people be put in the Ministry of Revenue?
Look at the place where the Zhang Family and Wang Family live in Zhuangzi. During the day, you can go there for a stroll. It's a beautiful rural area. At night, you can send people there to make trouble. If there are fewer people and they don't care about killing people, they will kill everyone who goes there. Is it okay to put such people in the Ministry of War? "
During this time, the old man thoroughly learned about the Zhang Family and Wang Family in Zhuangzi. The more he learned, the more shocked he was. The day before yesterday, there was a person who accidentally sprained his foot in the canal. He asked his family to go back to the courtyard Between the Clouds and the Water to find someone to treat him. However, before his family could go to the courtyard, a doctor came out of nowhere and treated him with medicine.
If the doctor could be so fast, then what about the guards? If someone went there at night to make trouble, the doctor would be really ruthless. It was scary to think about it. Perhaps when the sun came up, not even a corpse could be found.
Liu Zhirou had not been here for a long time, so she didn't know about these things. When she heard the old Minister's words, she thought about it and guessed some things. Because she guessed it, Liu Zhirou was even more excited.
"Old Minister, with such a person here, how can you just ignore it? He's an all-rounder, I wonder how old he is? If he's younger than you, Old Minister, he can do a lot of things. "
"Who said I didn't care? It's because of this that I didn't dare to force him. What if that person felt uneasy and left the Zhang family? I'm still teaching Zhang Family's two children. I don't know if it's because that person knows that such children have come to the Zhang family, or because he came. The two children are better than the children of ordinary families.
You may not believe it, but as long as you're willing to teach them, they're willing to learn. What you teach today, they'll mention something they don't understand tomorrow. Even if they learn it, when I teach them, they've already learned the Thousand-Character Classic and memorized the Analects of Confucius. Now they're learning the Selected Literary Works. When they reach a certain level, they feel that they can't catch up, so they start to memorize the Erya Classics. What do you think? "
The old man didn't hide anything. These were all relatively normal, the kind that wasn't normal. He told Liu Zhirou one by one. After listening, Liu Zhirou was stunned.
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