I said I sat down, but in fact only one-third of my butt was on the chair.

Zhang Ren, who had written poems and poems and killed the thief chieftain, still felt nervous in front of Xiao Cheng.

No matter how kind and approachable Xiao Cheng appears.

In the mouths of many people in Jiangnan, Xiao Cheng is a bully who does all kinds of evil, a powerful official who takes advantage of the emperor's self-esteem and is domineering and arrogant;

In the words of the veterans who came out of the southwest, Xiao Cheng was an upright hero, a leader who led them to victory and victory. In the words of these veterans, Zhang Ren had never heard of anything about being an official.

.

In the hearts of the farmers and craftsmen at the lowest level, Xiao Cheng was a wise chief minister, bringing them a relatively stable life and hope for a better life in the future.

Everyone's position is different, and the perspective of viewing this person will naturally be different.

And Zhang Ren is exactly a person who straddles these ethnic groups.

In fact, until now, Zhang Ren couldn't explain clearly how he felt about the person in front of him.

"Your father has done a good job in Yunnan. He led everyone to reclaim wasteland and farmland. In one year, he reclaimed 30,000 acres of wasteland." Xiao Cheng smiled and said: "This year's harvest is quite good. In the local area, your father is very prestigious. Your eldest brother originally

I was planning to come to Jiangning to take the Jinshi Examination this year, but because I had to help your father with some official duties and also worked as a teacher at a local school, I didn’t have time to leave. This delay will be in three years."

"My father is a minister of the Song Dynasty. He should do his best to be loyal to his duties. My eldest brother is benevolent and filial. In order to prevent my father from being overworked, it is natural for him to share his worries!" Zhang Ren said carefully.

"What a natural thing!" Xiao Cheng praised: "If all the people in the world can act like this and do their best to do their own things, then why worry about the Song Dynasty not being prosperous, why worry about the Liao Dynasty?

If the barbarians come and destroy them, why worry about the world not being able to be unified? But the difficulty is that it should be natural!"

Zhang Ren didn't dare to respond. He felt that this was not a topic he could talk to.

"Of course, we can't let loyal ministers who work hard suffer losses." Xiao Cheng continued: "So, the imperial court decided to give your brother the same background as a Jinshi. He will first help your father handle local government affairs, and wait until everything is straightened out.

He probably has his own understanding of how to be the magistrate of a county, and he will make arrangements when the time comes. For an official like your father who is hard-working and has outstanding political achievements, it is only a matter of time before he is promoted."

This is not just about treating yourself as a human being, but also treating your whole family as a human being!

Zhang Ren smiled bitterly in his heart.

But he still had to stand up and bow to say thanks.

My elder brother's knowledge is not that outstanding. He is just a middle-class scholar in the local area. In the terrifying competitive field of the Song Dynasty Jinshi Examination, it is extremely difficult to pass the Jinshi examination.

Like my father, it was because he did not have the background of a Jinshi and he struggled all his life before he became a manager and joined the army. He became the magistrate of a county because he seized the limelight and quickly turned to the job that only the chief minister could do.

Although Tongjinshi doesn't sound good, it has the same treatment as Jinshi.

Of course, according to past traditions, it is impossible to become the ruler of the dynasty without being a good person.

But can these past traditions continue?

not necessarily.

Haven't you seen that many traditions have been smashed to pieces by the chief assistant in front of you?

Taizu said that he would rule the world together with the scholar-bureaucrats.

What now?

The first assistant had already put the scholar-bureaucrat's face on the ground and rubbed it again and again.

You have to serve as a soldier, you have to pay grain, you have to pay taxes, you have to do corvee service.

The special treatment given to the scholar-official class in the past is being removed one by one.

Whether this is good or bad, Zhang Renyi couldn't tell yet.

Will those who have been deprived of special treatment really swallow their anger and let their chief ministers ravage them?

Those people are not small families like the Zhang family, they have powerful power.

The patience in front of me may be the strength accumulated before the explosion!

If the first assistant has been going smoothly like this, those people will certainly not dare to make mistakes, but when will the first assistant lose?

For example, if there is a big defeat ahead, will these forces react?

But one thing Zhang Ren knows is that with the treatment their family is receiving now, Xiao Cheng is really going to be overthrown, and their family will definitely not be in a good place.

"How much more tax did your family pay compared to last year?"

Zhang Ren thought for a while and said: "My mother said this in her letter. Compared with last year, I probably paid nearly 200 more taxes this year. This also includes the family's tenants, servants, and weavers."

These people’s head tax, exemption money, etc.”

"Do you think it's much?"

Zhang Ren's heart skipped a beat and he quickly said: "It seems that I paid more, but I also earned more. In comparison, the family's income is more this year than last year. So my mother is still very happy.

Satisfied.”

Xiao Cheng nodded and said with a smile: "That's the truth. Your family has paid more than in previous years, but the income has not decreased, but increased, so your mother is also very satisfied and is not dissatisfied with the court, right?"

Zhang Ren nodded repeatedly.

"There are many families like yours." Xiao Cheng said: "They pay more, but they also earn more, because the court also gave them more opportunities to make money when formulating various policies. The so-called

Of course, it is more important to increase revenue and reduce expenditure."

"What the chief assistant said is absolutely true!"

Zhang Ren didn't understand why the chief minister told him this, but if it was true as the chief minister said, families like theirs were in this situation, and not just their family, it could only mean one thing.

The position of chief assistant in front of me will be secure.

After all, families like theirs make up the vast majority.

After all, big families like the Si family, Liu family, and Xu family are in the minority.

They must have suffered heavy losses.

After all, under the New Deal, their family has begun to become unstable, and the originally large family has begun to split up.

It's easy to separate families, but once they are separated, it's difficult to get them back together.

It is not easy for a scattered family to maintain the cohesion of its original influence.

What's more, the imperial court is still trying to create conflicts among these big families!

Looking at Zhang Ren's appearance, Xiao Cheng suddenly smiled and said, "Do you think I will kill my enemies quickly?"

Zhang Ren's hair stood on end, was he qualified to discuss these words?

"The first assistant is kind..."

Before he finished speaking, Xiao Cheng had already waved his hand and said: "Don't talk nonsense, I know that I am not kind at all."

Zhang Ren was immediately speechless.

"Actually, they shouldn't be considered my enemies." Xiao Chengyi pointedly said: "It's just that sometimes we have different paths. But we actually have many ways to resolve our conflicts, and then finally achieve the same goal through different paths.

Purpose."

Zhang Ren looked at Xiao Cheng with wide eyes, he really couldn't understand.

"A pancake is so big." Xiao Cheng compared it and said: "If ten people share it, then each person can only get a small piece! But what if the pancake is so big?"

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Looking at Xiao Cheng with his arms folded, it was probably several times bigger than the previous cake.

"If we divide it among ten people, what each person can get will be bigger than the original pie!"

"Congratulations, Chief Assistant!" Besides agreeing, what else could Zhang Ren say!

However, he felt that what the chief assistant said seemed to make sense.

But making this pancake bigger doesn’t seem to be an easy task.

"What are your plans for the future?" It seemed that he finally remembered that the person in front of him was just a mid-level officer who had just been promoted, so Xiao Cheng brought the topic back.

"It is the duty of a soldier to obey orders!" Zhang Ren stood up.

This made both Xiao Cheng and Yang Wanfu laugh.

"Look, our army is indeed a melting pot. Compared with Zhang Ren a year ago, Zhang Ren is completely different!" Xiao Cheng said: "But, since you were specially created by us,

If you look like a human being, then I still need to listen to your personal opinions. This is Yang Shilang's opinion. I hope you will give lectures at Jiangning Wushu in the future. You have been on the battlefield, have practical experience, and are well-read."

Yang Ren was stunned.

Going to Jiangning to teach martial arts?

This is indeed a good job, at least you don't have to fight on the battlefield. If my mother knew about it, she would definitely agree with it.

However, why do I feel so awkward in my heart!

Is the court afraid that he will die because of his appearance?

Indeed, on the battlefield, death is really a very simple thing.

"Are you willing?" Xiao Cheng asked with a smile.

"If I can choose, I want to return to the army!" Zhang Ren took a deep breath. "I feel that the battlefield is my destination!"

Xiao Cheng burst out laughing, "Shilang Yang, I told you, this will be the result!"

Yang Wanfu just smiled and said nothing.

"Okay, if you want to go back to the army, then go back to the army." Xiao Cheng waved his hand: "Your experience will become the best example for the sons of good families and the sons of officials. The prime minister must rise from the state, and the powerful general must be

Yu Zuwu, I hope you can become a unique general in the future."

Seeing this, the meeting was almost over. Zhang Ren was about to salute and say goodbye when suddenly there were rapid footsteps and exclamations in the corridor outside.

He couldn't help but be shocked. This was the outer city of the imperial palace, the official gallery of the chief auxiliaries, and the offices of various ministries!

After hearing the shouting voice, Zhang Ren was even more shocked.

Because it clearly sounds like a government official!

"Guan Jia, please run slower!"

The footsteps are getting closer and closer, and the sound is getting clearer and clearer.

Not only Zhang Ren, but also Xiao Cheng and Yang Wanfu in the room also looked obviously shocked.

Small official families rarely appear here.

But today he not only came, but he came in an extremely hurry, actually running.

There was a hurried sound of desks, chairs and benches being pushed aside and documents falling to the ground. The official family arrived, and the scribes in the big room outside stood up and saluted, creating a commotion.

Before anyone in the room could react, the door was pushed open with a loud sound, and the red face of Zhao An, a young official, appeared in everyone's eyes.

"Guanjia, what happened?" Even Xiao Cheng, who was as calm as Xiao Cheng, was a little unsure at this moment what could make Xiaoguanjia appear in front of everyone like this. When he asked, he glanced and ran behind.

When Liu Fengkui came, Xiao Cheng felt relieved when he saw that there was still joy in his expression.

At least it's not a bad thing.

Liu Fengkui was really old. He was being pulled far behind by Xiaoguan's family. Now that he was close, he could still hear his breathing.

"Master, look at this!" Xiaoguan Zhao An raised both hands.

Zhang Ren saw Xiao Guanjia holding a red-skinned thing that looked like a sweet potato rhizome in one hand, and a foot-long yellow thing covered with particles in the other hand, which looked like some kind of crop.

.

The Xiaoguan family is obsessed with the cultivation of crops. This is something everyone knows. The Anmin No. 1 and Anmin No. 2 rice seeds cultivated by the Xiaoguan family are now being promoted all over the world. The yield per mu is higher than the previous seeds per mu.

Increased production by nearly 100 kilograms.

And the small official family also has a very high reputation among the people.

Probably Xiaoguan's family has come up with something new!

But Xiao Cheng's reaction was far beyond Zhang Ren's expectations.

He actually snatched the thing away from Xiao Guanjia's hand, then brought it to his eyes, looked at it carefully and over and over again, and then even pinched off a piece with his fingernail, and then took the thing

Put it in your mouth and chew it.

Then, Xiao Cheng laughed like crazy, hugged Xiao Guanjia without any regard for etiquette, and laughed loudly while spinning him around.

"That's it, that's it, found, found! Great!"

He was laughing, so were the petty officials, and so was Yang Wanfu.

But it seemed that Yang Wanfu was smiling a little inexplicably.

Liu Fengkui was also laughing. While laughing, he closed the door of the Chief Assistant's Office tightly.

After all, at this moment, Xiaoguan's family is still being carried around in circles by the chief minister!

Zhang Ren shrank to the corner. He felt that he had seen something he shouldn't have seen. He lowered his head and did not dare to make a sound. If there was a crack in the ground, he would definitely get in without hesitation.

The laughter in the room finally subsided, and Xiao Cheng put Xiao Guanjia down.

"Guanjia, where did it come from? Where did it come from?" he asked repeatedly.

"The Zheng family's fleet is back." Zhao An, a junior official, said excitedly: "They brought it back."

"Impossible!" Xiao Cheng's face was full of confusion: "Even if I gave them a rough route, considering the time, even if they have a smooth journey and arrive at the destination without anything happening, it is impossible for them to be like this

Come back quickly!"

"They didn't reach the place you mentioned at all!" Xiao Guanjia shook his head and said: "They encountered a big storm on the way, and only two of the ten large ships in the fleet were left. After the storm, they didn't even know they were

Being blown there, they could only struggle to find land on the sea as supplies. Just when the water on the ship was about to run out, they discovered an island."

"These were found on the island?" Xiao Cheng asked.

"Yes, they saw these things you painted on the island, master." The official said, "Master, is it correct?"
Chapter completed!