At the crack of dawn, the guards sent by the Zhang family had already arrived. Normally, there were 150 guards, and there were 40 members of the Zero Squad. They were either training or learning various battle tactics, as well as the key points that Wang Juan had taught them in certain situations, such as how to defeat the strong with fewer and the weak.
They rarely accompanied Zhang Zhong, but today's situation was special. Zhang Xiaobao didn't want to throw his father into danger because he wasn't prepared enough. He had seen too many similar scenes in the movies before. If he didn't prepare in advance despite knowing that there was danger, wouldn't he be a fool?
The 40 members of the Zero Squad were no longer as arrogant as they were at the beginning. They looked like they hadn't woken up yet. Compared to the guards, they had less backpacks on their backs and more pockets on their bodies. Some were full, some were empty, and others were full. Outsiders wouldn't even know what was inside.
When Little Tong saw the 40 people, he was completely relieved. When he looked at the horses of the 40 people, he was even less afraid. If they really encountered danger, as long as they didn't enter the range of the arrows, even a thousand people here wouldn't be able to stop them from breaking through.
The horses were good horses, and each one was worth at least 200 strings of coins. The weapons were also long-handled crescent halberds made of stainless steel. There was also a fixed handle on the horse's body. It was not used to place the halberd, but to hold it.
When charging on horseback, the outcome of the battle could be decided in one move. The longer the horse was, the stronger the horse was. Whoever could touch the opponent first would basically win. Especially when facing people, don't expect to perform many actions. Usually, there was only one action, which was to stab. After the stab, one would have to bear the impact of two horses.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had tested it before. It was no different from being hit by a car traveling at 50 to 60 kilometers per hour. If one was stabbed, the force would be concentrated on a certain point, and it would be too easy to cause a penetrating injury.
When Zhang Zhong saw that everyone was present and had a comfortable breakfast, he waved his hand and got into another car. This car was not as comfortable as the first one, but it was safer. In case there was an assassination attempt, he had to get a fake one.
With so many people, the speed at which they were advancing had also slowed down. In addition, when the guards came, they had Zhang Xiaobao's words, so there was no need to rush. They wanted to give the other party more time to prepare. It would probably be a tug of war to deal with these people. There was no need to rush. They should focus on economic development. Fighting was an art. The most important thing was to achieve their goal, which was to help the people lead a better life.
Zhang Zhong was also happy to be idle. He followed the team and walked for three days before arriving at Lake Tai. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan did not come. Otherwise, they would have discovered that Lake Tai was different from the previous one. The size and shape did not overlap.
The team followed the captives' directions and came to the foot of the mountain next to Lake Tai. There were terraced fields and trees on the mountain. There were also two streams flowing down into Lake Tai.
"Master, it's here. You can reach the copper mine along the road. You see, the road is wide and the pressure is firm. It's for transporting the ore."
The leader of the guards rode forward and came to the side of Zhang Zhong's most luxurious car and said in a loud voice.
Zhang Zhong, who was in the other car, said, "Go up the mountain." The team then went up the mountain.
When the team had just walked for three miles, the mountain road became steeper. Suddenly, more than ten men appeared on the road in front of them. They were holding sticks in their hands and blocking the way.
"Who dares to break into the mountain?" Before Zhang Zhong's people could ask, one of the men blocking the road first questioned.
"Is the mountain yours? Why do you care who it is? If you want to go up, then go up. Are you thieves who occupy the mountain and block the road? " Not everyone had to explain their identity. A person from Zhang Zhong's team came out. He didn't care about the dozens of men staring at him. He urged his horse forward and asked condescendingly. He looked like he was going to start a fight if the answer was not good.
The men blocking the road didn't expect that the person who came would be so angry. They were all stunned for a moment. While they were stunned, the Zhang family's guards surrounded them and pointed the weapons in their hands at the men.
"Stop, all of you stop. It's a misunderstanding. It's a misunderstanding." Just as the Zhangs were about to make a move, an old man came out from the bushes nearby. He was wearing new linen clothes and leather boots. His hair was tied up in a ponytail with a silver hairpin in it.
When he came over, he had a panicked look on his face, but his eyes were calm. He cupped his hands to the leader of the guards, then turned his head and scolded the men: "Why aren't you throwing your weapons away? Don't you want to lose your heads after offending the master?"
The men cooperated and threw the weapons in their hands to the ground. They lowered their heads and looked uneasy.
The old man turned back, raised his arm, and wiped his forehead with his sleeve. He said to the leader of the guards: "I didn't know that you were coming. Please forgive me for offending you. Because of this, bad people often come here. This village has sent people to guard it. May I know who is on the carriage, sir?"
"If you don't know, then don't know. You don't need to know. Get out of the way. Otherwise, don't blame the weapons for having no eyes." The leader of the guards made a good pose and waved his hand. The team continued to move forward.
The old man seemed to be anxious. With a sad face, he said pleadingly: "Good man, this old man is the village chief of Shanhu Village. If you don't make it clear, this old man can't explain himself."
The leader of the guards smiled and handed the knife in his hand to the old man. He curled his lips and said: "The mountain is not your mountain, and the road is not your road. What can you do if you're the village chief? How you explain yourself is your business. What does it have to do with us? If you don't get out of the way, you'll be charged with assaulting an official. Kill! "
"Kill!" The other guards shouted in unison, but there wasn't any murderous intent.
The team moved forward with their swords. The men and the old man didn't dare to stop them. When the carriage and horses had passed, the old man spat and said disdainfully: "You're so arrogant.
"You're so arrogant. Official, what kind of official are you? When you're in Shuzhou, you have to follow behind and see which official the delivery team meets. What bad luck."
Zhang Zhong and the others were not fools. As soon as they heard the old man's question, they knew that the old man still did not know their identity. The only reason they stopped them was to see who the official who caused the accident was.
As for how they knew it was an official, it was very simple. Those who weren't officials were usually only equipped with a sword. A military bow wasn't that easy to carry.
"Scout the way." Zhang Zhong, who was in the carriage, instructed the people outside. Immediately, ten members of the Zero Team left the team and ran toward the mountains on both sides. As soon as they entered the grass, their figures disappeared, as if no one had ever been there.
This time, the guards were completely convinced, especially those who were added later. They thought that their usual training was already pretty good. Today, when they saw the very mysterious Seedling Protection Team in action, they realized that they were still far from it. They could not even find a trace of them. If this was a battle, a few arrows from the back would be fatal.
The remaining 30 members of the Sprout Protection Team acted as if nothing had happened. Their responsibility was to protect the Master. They did not care about the safety of those 10 people. They believed that there was no one here who could win against the members of the Sprout Protection Team in the mountain station.
In fact, it was indeed so. The equipment of the ten people who were sent to scout the way and check for danger was not what ordinary people could imagine. In addition, they often played "hide and seek" with people in the jungle and were equipped with the Clairvoyance. As long as they met other people, they could discover them in advance.
The team continued to move forward without any surprises until they reached a steeper place in front. They had no choice but to stop in the carriage.
Zhang Tong jumped out of the second carriage and carefully observed the place. There were grass, trees, and a small stream flowing past. There were also two thatched cottages. Other than gravel and mud on the road, there were also stairs built along the road. There was even a small pavilion. The scenery was not bad.
However, he knew that this was the mining place mentioned by the captives. To be precise, it was a mine cave along the road. Normally speaking, this should be a place with gravel. Otherwise, it would be difficult to transport large pieces of ore. At the same time, it also took up a lot of space. The road up should also be broken. Who would care if the miners were comfortable going up and down?
However, this place was filled with fragrant grass and gurgling streams. Not to mention a mine, even the dregs of ore could not be seen. High, it was really high.
Zhang Tong gave an evaluation. He was not talking about the local miners, but about the young master and young lady. They actually knew what they would do. If they foolishly rushed over in the name of investigating the theft of the mine, not only would it be embarrassing, it would also be easy to be impeached.
Since they already knew, there was no need to be anxious. Zhang Tong turned back and went to Zhang Zhong's empty carriage. He said, "Master, the carriage in front can not move forward. Master, please move."
As his voice fell, someone brought up a slide pole. There was a cover on it. In fact, it was a palanquin. It stopped beside the carriage. The curtain moved, and the people who lifted the slide pole began to move up.
When the group of people moved back and forth, Zhang Zhong changed into a guard's clothes and followed the crowd of guards. He was at a position slightly behind, and he also walked up with a knife in his hand. The 30 people of the protection team protected the slide pole.
Step by step, Zhang Zhong carefully looked at the things on the road and on both sides of the road. He could not help but admire this group of people. If it were not for his son and daughter-in-law's reminder, he would have thought that the captured people were talking nonsense. This was clearly a good place to cultivate.
When they reached the pavilion, Zhang Zhong looked at the stone used for resting. He didn't know where they found it, but it was actually polished to the point that it looked like jade. Coupled with the simple and unadorned pillars and the carvings on them, which had already lost its color, if a scholar saw it, he would definitely compose a poem.
"Okay, okay, listen to Xiao Bao. In the future, every ten days or half a month, come and take a look. What's that called? Oh, right, it's called the construction of spiritual civilization. Find a scholar to come and write a poem that suits the occasion. Put it in the brothel and the school. "
Zhang Zhong looked at the scenery in front of him and said to the guard beside him. The guard really did not understand the meaning behind it. Since the master had decided, it was enough to support it.
The crowd continued to walk up. After turning a corner, a water bubble appeared in front of them. Oh, perhaps the people here had to call it a lake. From the position, it looked like the location of the mine.
Zhang Zhong was puzzled. It was not strange to plant rice on the surface, but this lake was so easy to make. Why didn't it seep down? Amazing. It seemed that he had underestimated these people who stole the mine.
The most amazing thing was not the lake, but the light boats in the lake. There were tourists on the lake, and the singing of female singers could be heard.
"Guan Guan Ju Jiu, in the River Continent. A fair lady, a gentleman's good mate. "
The voice came from afar. Not to mention Zhang Zhong, even the guards knew what the song was. They were not sure if the song had just changed, or if the song had just started.
Zhang Zhong listened for a while and looked for a while. He gave a few instructions to the guard beside him. The guard went forward and whispered to the guard leader. The group approached the lake. The people there seemed to have noticed the group and came over with a small boat. A person stood at the bow of the boat and bowed from afar.
"May I know which elegant scholar is on the shore? Can we board the boat for a chat? "
"Who are you? You dare to alarm the Provincial Governor? Get out of here quickly! "The head guard shouted as he put up a defensive posture.
That person did not retreat. Instead, he let the boat come closer and said, "Provincial Governor? Do you have proof? "
'Whoosh!' An arrow flew over and hit the water in front of that person.
"This is the proof. If you come any closer, you will be killed!" The guard leader warned as he put away the bow.
After getting off the boat, he did not dare to continue forward. He turned around and retreated as fast as he could. The person on the boat did not speak anymore.
"The Governor has been alarmed. Return to the residence." The guard leader shouted again. The group began to turn around. The rear group became the front group and slowly left.
When the last person in the group disappeared from the mountain, the boat came to the shore as fast as it could. The person who spoke just now jumped down and ran along the side road without saying anything.
Zhang Zhong returned to the place where there were vehicles and stopped beside them. Zhang Zhong entered another vehicle and turned around, quickly going down the mountain. After walking for about half a li, ten people from the protection team were already waiting by the road. There were also four people who were tied up and gagged.
The guard didn't ask any more questions and threw the four of them into another car. The whole group left the mountain as fast as they could. As for the other place that produced the Marble, there was no need to go. It must have been processed by someone else using the same method.
"Let's go back." Zhang Zhong had achieved his goal. He ordered and leaned his head on the top of the carriage, closing his eyes to rest.
The group stirred up a cloud of dust and disappeared.
After an hour, the guard who interrogated the four people came to report that the four people were here to keep an eye on them. They wanted to know who stopped the ores halfway. It was not a big deal to lose the ores once, but they were afraid that they would be watched in the future.
When Zhang Zhong rushed over after two days, he saw Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan in the courtyard with the four little guys skating. It could be said that they were skating. The 'ice' surface was made of marble. It was not a waste at all.
The four little guys sat on a cushion respectively. There were ropes connecting the front and back of the cushion. The people on both sides pulled back and forth, and the cushion kept moving on the marble floor. The children on the cushion seemed to like this feeling very much. They looked around and giggled.
The four little guys were still young. Otherwise, Zhang Xiaobao would have made four sets of protective clothing, which were knee pads, wrist pads, elbow pads, and helmet. He would also make a few pairs of roller skates. He would bring his younger siblings to roller skate. It would be a waste not to use the marble he picked up.
Zhang Zhong also knew that it was not easy to process the stone, but he did not expect his son and daughter-in-law to do it so quickly. The marble surface was polished like a mirror.
"Xiao Bao, come out. Father wants to talk to you." Zhang Zhong still had things to deal with. The four children had servant girls to play with, so there was no need for Zhang Xiaobao to guard there.
"Father, what's wrong?" Zhang Xiaobao asked curiously after he came out.
"Nothing. They built a lake. I don't know how they did it. It only took two or three days. They are quite skilled." Zhang Zhong told his son what he saw.
When Zhang Xiaobao heard that there was a lake there, he did not think much of it. As long as there was enough manpower, it could be done even with buckets. He just thought that the other party was a bit stupid. Couldn't they just make a field? If they had to make a lake, how could it not seep? It was just a matter of how much seeped.
Could it be that they were not going to dig again in the future? Otherwise, how much effort would it take to get the water out of the lake and then clean up the water in the mine?
After pondering for a while, Zhang Xiaobao said to his father, "Father, I will give you a plan tomorrow. You just need to follow it. The focus is still on the people's livelihood."
*****
While the Zhang family was happy, some people were worried.
The people in the government office of Shuzhou just found out that the copper and marble mines were being targeted. Four and a half days later, another piece of news made them worried.
They never expected that Zhang Zhong would go there for no reason. Usually, there were people watching Zhang Zhong, but Zhang Zhong was always wandering around. Why would he go to Lake Tai on a whim? Even if the people watching were beaten to death, they would not be able to do anything. How dare they be lazy and think that Zhang Zhong was always wandering around.
The County Magistrate of Lake Tai, the magistrate of the state, and the military registrar had all arrived. They gathered at the top of the Near the River Restaurant. Even though the waiter served the dishes one after another, no one touched their chopsticks. Zhang Zhong's appearance was like a huge mountain pressing down on their hearts.
"My lords, what should we do? Are we not going to mine there anymore? " The county magistrate of Lake Tai was in charge of that place, so he was the most worried. He asked the others first.
The others did not want to push all the blame to the county magistrate of Lake Tai. After all, everyone came up with the plan together. Moreover, the county magistrate of Lake Tai did nothing wrong. He even sent people to scout ahead.
Not to mention him, even if it was anyone else, they would not be able to avoid it. What they had to do now was to find a way to make up for it.
The military registrar poured himself a glass of wine and drank it. He exhaled heavily and said, "Fortunately, you have turned that place into a lake. After Zhang Zhong goes there to take a look, he will definitely think that the people we caught are lying. You did a good job, but the goods were taken by Zhang Zhong.
In any case, we have been exposed. Zhang Zhong is not stupid. Even if he can't find it in that place, he will think that we are secretly mining somewhere else. It all depends on what he wants to do. If he wants to send troops there, he can only send troops. I think there will be some of his people in the troops. We can't hide. "
"Yes, that's right. It seems that we will lose a lot of money. If Zhang Zhong sets his eyes on us, it will not only be a matter of losing money. If we don't do it well, we will lose our official positions. If Zhang Zhong catches us, we may not even be able to live."
The military registrar of Lake Tai also said. He had long eyebrows. When he spoke, his eyebrows became eight characters.
Hearing his words, the county magistrate of Taihu Lake was the one who was most afraid. After all, he was directly in charge of that area. His sweat kept flowing out. In addition to the hot weather, after a while, his clothes were wet. He looked at the registrar with a pleading look and said, "
"Milord, you have to save this lowly one. Who knows where Zhang Zhong would go for no reason? Furthermore, he doesn't make a big fuss like the others. Instead, he just brings people over whenever he wants to. I have to get people to carry water every day, otherwise the lake would be gone."
"Humph! Zhang Zhong has only been an official for a few years. He has been promoted to such a position. Naturally, he can't be the same as others. What's more, the guards in his house are equipped with the best weapons. Even his horse is not ordinary. He is not afraid of being assassinated. If it were me, I would also dare to go out for a stroll.
"Since this has happened, we can only blame ourselves for using the wrong people. The people who were sent to monitor Zhang Zhong dared to be lazy. But it's useless. We have to kill them. This matter has to be solved.
But … this is also good. We can see Zhang Zhong's reaction. He has already been there once. If he comes to ask us, we won't be able to deny it. That's right, immediately arrange for people to find a place to build a quarry. The stones are also part of the rent. "
The military registrar spoke at this time. In fact, he didn't have a better idea. If they were caught, it would be difficult to solve the matter.
The other people also couldn't think of any other way. They could only continue to report this matter and see what the higher-ups said. They couldn't stop production.
"Sir, can I continue to mine now? Oh, I have to spend a lot of money again. " The county magistrate of Taihu County was distressed about the money. He used a few days to take a break. In the end, he spent more than two thousand strings of coins. This was only because the local people could get some benefits.
If he continued to mine, it would cost more than two thousand strings of coins. Especially for the small lake, not only did he have to remove the water, but he also had to put in a lot of effort in the mine to continue mining.
This money could only be paid by the people of Shuzhou. As a county magistrate, his position was the lowest. Naturally, he had to pay the most. It was estimated that he had to work for free for six months this year.
The other people calculated differently from the county magistrate. They didn't calculate how much money they had to pay. They calculated the difference between the money they received and the money they took out if nothing happened.
The military registrar didn't know if he should continue mining immediately to make up for the loss. He thought about it and said, "Don't worry. Wait. Wait for ten days. If nothing happens, it won't be too late to start mining again. Someone will send you the news.
What you need to do now is to watch the local people. It's best to give them more benefits. Don't let them leak the situation there. Otherwise, no one can protect you. "" Yes, sir.
"Yes, yes, milord, I understand. I will go back and make the arrangements. I will definitely not let anyone speak of what happened over there. Milord, don't worry. I will definitely not be bad at using people. Oh, milord, I am not saying that you are bad at using people. No, I mean, I will wait and listen to milord."
The county magistrate of Taihu County suddenly realized that he had said something wrong when he was making his promise. The most fundamental reason this time was that the people who were watching Zhang Zhong thought that Zhang Zhong would go home after taking a stroll around the nearby area like before. In the end, they went to drink. When the matter came out, it was too late to say anything.
After making his promise, the county magistrate of Taihu County saw that the other officials didn't say anything. He tactfully found an opportunity to leave and go back to make arrangements as soon as possible. He didn't want them to vent their anger on him.
After he left, the rest of the people began to eat and drink slowly. The wine and dishes that they usually thought tasted good tasted like wax today. Even so, they still pretended to be calm and ate.
"Sir, why don't we give Zhang Zhong some trouble and let him know how powerful we are? Fortunately, we'll give in on the mine. I've thought about it. We can poison the poultry and livestock raised by the people. As long as they die from the poison, Zhang Zhong will definitely be worried if he wants to let the people live a good life."
The secretary general put down his chopsticks and expressed his idea. Two people nodded at the side, thinking that this was a good idea.
However, the secretary general sneered and said, "Are you trying to force Zhang Zhong to go against us? Maybe they've noticed something, or maybe he's still thinking. It's easy for you to poison, but how many people can you poison? It's useless if there's too little poison, but if there's too much poison, then Zhang Zhong will catch people. As long as he gives us away, we can't do anything to avoid suspicion. "
"Sir, don't worry about this. Zhang Zhong won't be able to detect it. We'll act quickly and then run quickly. That way, he won't know who did it," the secretary general added.
"If he doesn't know who did it, then how can he give in? Does he know who to give in to? Remind him from the side? Then the first people he'll deal with will be us, not the poultry and livestock raised by the people. Do you think he's a fool? He'll get rid of us first, then he can continue to let the people live a good life. "
The secretary general glared at the secretary general. He was usually very smart, so why was he acting like a fool now?
After he said this, the others couldn't say anything else.
The secretary general took a breath and said, "Don't rush. It'll be troublesome if something goes wrong. Wait a moment and see what Zhang Zhong will do. Drink. "
Everyone could only listen to him. They all picked up the wine and drank it down, all of them looking worried.
*****
After waiting for ten days, Zhang Zhong seemed to have forgotten about that matter and put all his energy into helping the people improve their standard of living.
The secretary general and the others felt that it was about time, so they ordered the county magistrate of Taihu County to start mining again.
After another two days, when they thought that the matter was over for the time being, Zhang Zhong suddenly invited them to a banquet at his home.
They were puzzled and tried to guess what Zhang Zhong meant. Before going to Zhang Zhong's home, which was the house behind the state capital, they gathered to discuss what would happen when Zhang Zhong invited them over.
The secretary general was pushed to the front. The secretary general asked first, "Sir, what do you think Zhang Zhong wants to do this time? Is it about the mines, the people, or completely compromising with us so that he can get a share of the benefits? "
"Are you dreaming? Get a share of the benefits? Don't you know how much money Zhang Zhong's family has? Yes, I don't know either, but I know that it's definitely more than the entire mine. Would he care about that? It's probably about the people. "
The secretary general couldn't guess it, but he had to say it. The news had already been sent up, but they hadn't arrived yet. The new orders from the higher-ups hadn't come down yet. He didn't have a pigeon to send him information. Even if he did, he couldn't use it. The pigeon flying back and forth was too obvious.
However, he couldn't lose face. He could only find a reason to tell others to show his ability.
"Sir, you're right. Zhang Zhong's family doesn't lack money. It's impossible that he wants to get a share of the benefits. It can't be about the mines either. Otherwise, wouldn't it be obvious? Besides, he doesn't have any evidence. It's probably about the people. "
The secretary general quickly flattered at the side.
They couldn't figure out why Zhang Zhong was looking for them, so they just casually said a few words. When the time came, it would be fine as long as they didn't match up.
The seven people came to the house at the back at noon.
Ever since Zhang Zhong came over, they hadn't come here once. They didn't know what Zhang Zhong had done to his home, but they guessed that it wouldn't be too luxurious. Otherwise, once they left, there would be nothing left. It wouldn't be worth it to leave it for the next person.
Usually, when a rich person took office, they would choose to buy a house in another place. Even if they left office, it would still be the property of their family. It was impossible to transfer it to others. After all, when they bought it with the identity of an official, the price would be cheap. Everyone knew this.
But when they really entered the Zhang family's courtyard, they all felt that they didn't have eyes. It was really too beautiful. The ground and the road were all paved with bluestone. Beside it was yellow sand. There were also all kinds of beautiful flowers and plants. Even the big trees were moved in. It was a very magical thing to see them die.
In addition to this, there were high mountains and flowing water. They didn't know how the water came up, but it flowed down from the rockery. There was a small pond at the bottom. In the pond, there were a few red fish swimming slowly.
While the seven people were shocked, no one thought that Zhang Zhong was stupid. He really wasn't stupid. It was because Zhang Zhong was rich and knew how to enjoy life. He didn't have to worry about being found trouble.
The seven people came in. Zhang Zhong personally welcomed them. The servant girls standing next to him were wearing the same clothes. This was nothing. The main thing was that the two rows of servant girls didn't look like servant girls. They were more elegant than some daughters of slightly wealthy families. People didn't dare to look at them directly to avoid offending them.
Ability, real ability. The seven people had the same feeling in their hearts. Previously, they looked down on Zhang Zhong, thinking that he had only been an official for a short time and wasn't the son of an aristocratic family. Now, no one would think so. Then, they thought of the person who helped Zhang Zhong deal with the official affairs and were confused for a moment.
How on earth did the Zhang family do it? The servant girls looked like the kind of people who were educated and polite. The male servants were also able to help with the official affairs. Could it be that the Zhang family found people from other places?
Zhang Zhong didn't know what the seven people were thinking, but he didn't have time to care. He was very happy today and was ready to fool people. Even though he was a high-ranking official, it was still a happy thing to have the opportunity to fool people.
Following his directions, the crowd walked through one courtyard after another. Finally, they came to the courtyard that was paved with marble. It was actually the courtyard of the four little guys. It was needless to say how beautiful it was, especially in the center position, there was a three-story structure 'small building'.
"Sit, everyone sit. I've troubled you a lot. Today's weather is warm, so we can drink and have fun in the courtyard." Zhang Zhong said to the seven people with a smile.
He sat at the head of the table. Immediately, someone served tea and snacks. It seemed that he was not in a hurry to eat.
The seven people originally thought that they would be able to eat in the main hall. They didn't expect that they would be arranged to eat in a very remote courtyard. They had no intention of entering the house at all.
As for what Zhang Zhong said about the weather being warm, there was no need to mention it. It was always warm, and they were sweating non-stop. It was summer.
The Judicial Military Officer was dissatisfied. He took a sip of the tea. It tasted good, but it couldn't dispel his anger of not being able to eat in the house. Thus, he said, "Sir, why don't we find a better place? This humble official doesn't think that this place is small. I'm sure we can find it."
"What?" Zhang Zhong's face darkened when he heard this. "Is it unfair for Military Officer Fan to stay here? Do you know where this place is? If I didn't invite you all here, normal people wouldn't even think of coming in. Look at that house. It's where my family and the four youngest children of the Wang family live.
If others want to come here, it's a dream. What if they bring in their illness? Look at the things in the courtyard. They're inlaid with gold and silver. Even the ground is made of marble. Do you want me to lead you to that small house? "
Hearing Zhang Zhong's words, the seven people were shocked. They began to look around the courtyard. It was just as Zhang Zhong said. It looked simple, but they had never seen anything that was casually taken out. They could only guess how it was used, let alone how much it was worth.
They looked at the small three-story house. There really were four children crawling back and forth inside. One of the little girls had even climbed to the first floor. She pushed open the small door on the first floor and stuck her head out to look at the people curiously.
She was a little afraid of strangers. She whispered a few words and then shrunk her head back to close the door. In addition, the windows were made of glass that had just been sold in the capital at a very high price. The seven people didn't dare to be picky in this regard.
The cute appearance of the children, the decorations of the small house, and the various layouts here, it was just as Zhang Zhong said. There was no place more noble than this courtyard.
The Judicial Military Attaché who had just spoken was frightened. His eyes were fixed on the three-story house. Through the glass, he could see what kind of carpet was laid out inside. The entire house was worth no less than 50,000 strings of coins.
"Sir, don't be angry. It's all because Attaché Fan has seen little of the world. How could he understand the benefits of this courtyard? Sir actually let us stay in the place of your son and young wife. It can be seen how much importance Sir places on us. Attaché Fan, why haven't you apologized to Sir? "
The military attaché further understood what it meant to be rich and overbearing. If the entire courtyard, the house, and all kinds of strange things were added together, it definitely exceeded 100,000 strings of coins.
Which family's children could enjoy such treatment? Even the palace couldn't. Even the crown prince's grandson couldn't spend 100,000 strings of coins to let the children have a place to play. It was impossible to sleep in the courtyard at night, right?
The Judicial Military Attaché was like the little girl just now. He was so scared that he didn't dare to look directly at Zhang Zhong. He lowered his head and said, "Sir, please don't lower yourself to the same level as me. I …"
"It's okay, it's okay. To be honest, the ground here originally wasn't paved with marble. A few days ago, I was interested and went outside for a walk. As a result, I found a lot of marble. It's just right for the children to play with. It's very interesting to slide around on it."
Before the Judicial Military Attaché could finish his apology, Zhang Zhong interrupted him and pointed to the marble on the ground.
The seven people were just calculating how much the courtyard cost. When they heard Zhang Zhong's words, their hearts jumped. What did he mean? Marble? Was this the marble that should be taken away but was left behind by Zhang Zhong? Did he mention the marble to talk about something? How should they deal with it?
The seven people didn't know what to say for a while. They were afraid. They were afraid that Zhang Zhong would directly ask people to arrest them. Although Zhang Zhong's children were not far away, how could they go over to threaten Zhang Zhong? It was obvious that if they really rushed over, they would definitely be shot into hedgehogs.
Since Zhang Zhong dared to put the place in the children's courtyard, he would naturally make the corresponding preparations. Did he deliberately want them to rush over? Then he would have an excuse to kill.
The seven people didn't know what to say. They could only look at Zhang Zhong and listen to him.
Zhang Zhong looked very happy when he saw the seven people's faces. It was fun. It was really fun. He knew that he had given them enough pressure, so he said,
"Although the decoration of my house is good, I'm not happy at all. What's the use of having a good family? The people in Shuzhou have a good life. "
"Sir is really a good official. We are not as good as you, but we can help the people live a good life. We will definitely listen to Sir. Even if it's a mountain of blades or a sea of flames, we will not fear it."
The Registrar carefully followed Zhang Zhong's words. He really didn't know what Zhang Zhong wanted to do.
Zhang Zhong nodded solemnly. "If everyone can think this way, this official's heart will feel much better. In fact, this official knows that as long as the people follow that set of methods to raise poultry and livestock, they will be able to earn more money.
But what's the use? In order to let the people live a better life, His Majesty specially built a Pear Garden. Local officials like us should be considerate of His Majesty. I wonder if anyone has a way to let the people of Shuzhou have as many happy things as the people of the capital? "
Zhang Zhong's words made the seven people even more confused. What did he mean? Could it be that he also wanted to build a Pear Garden in Shuzhou? Sure.
Thus, the Registrar said, "Sir, do you want to build a Pear Garden? Sir, we are willing to help you build a Pear Garden. "
The other six people also nodded, looking like they were really going to work hard.
"Sir, perhaps we can build a Pear Garden in each county of this province so that the people can go and take a look when they have free time." The Registrar also agreed.
Zhang Zhong felt very good. He finally understood what Old Man Pi meant when he said that subordinates couldn't figure out the thoughts of their superiors.
Seeing that the seven people were waiting for him to speak, Zhang Zhong shook his head and said, "No, now is not the time. We can only start with small things, such as poetry. This official went to Lake Tai a few days ago and found that there is a good mountain there. The scenery is beautiful and there is a lake.
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