Cui Jishu frowned and looked haggard. He and his son were pushed into the tent one after another.
He raised his head and saw Liu Taozi sitting in the upper seat, and sighed sadly.
"Sit down."
Cui Jishu slowly sat aside, while Cui Gang stood behind him.
"I want you to do a favor."
Liu Taozi spoke, and Cui Jishu slowly raised his head. He narrowed his eyes. He was still analyzing Taozi's motives and origins. Maybe he would know the truth now, right?
Cui Jishu quickly recovered and once again put on his original scheming expression with a kind face, "Liu Jun, please tell me."
"You help me dismantle the Cui family and appease the place."
Cui Jishu opened his mouth subconsciously. He wanted to curse something, but his quality stopped him. His lips trembled, "When I came to you to discuss this matter, you refused and said no.
Listen, and now the two largest houses of the Cui family have been destroyed by you, and you can dispatch troops to destroy the rest at any time, but now you want to come to me for help? What on earth do you want to do? Why?!"
"If you help, I can forgive the other people named Cui. If you don't help, I will slaughter them later and leave no chickens or dogs behind."
Cui Jishu suddenly laughed bitterly, "I knew it would be like this."
"Whatever, whatever, what do you want me to do?"
"It's very simple. Count the money, grain and land of the remaining houses, distribute them to the people according to the system, then disperse them, destroy their forts, let them move to various places in Dingzhou, and are not allowed to return to Boling."
"This time the land granting will be carried out throughout the state. The governor does not have such talent. If others are unwilling to do it, Cui Gong can help."
Cui Jishu stroked his beard and was a little surprised, "Implementing it across the state? How brave."
He nodded, "That's right. In this way, the harvest of the whole state can be improved a lot this year. I remembered that King Changshan had mentioned many times before that he would control the farming of mulberry trees in Hebei to solve the problem of money and food shortage. Your
The idea coincides with that of King Changshan."
Cui Jishu said and looked at Liu Taozi again, trying to see some changes on his face.
But disappointingly, Liu Taozi's face remained unchanged. He looked at Cui Jishu calmly, "To do it or not to do it?"
"Do it, do it, of course do it. This thing is beneficial to the temple. The problem of money and food shortage is getting more and more serious. If it is not solved, there will be problems with military pay this year. Besides, Liu Jun has a knife in his hand. I
How dare you disobey?"
Cui Jishu said proudly: "Liu Jun is quite knowledgeable about people, and I am quite good at governing. If the land is granted to a county, it can be done by ordinary people. If the land is granted to a county, a wise man is needed."
People like me, if you want to grant land in this state right now, I have to be the one to do it!”
Cui Gang secretly glanced at his boastful father, and then slowly lowered his head.
Cui Jishu asked: "When will this matter start?"
"There's no rush yet. You can handle Anping's affairs now, and then extend it to the whole county, and then the whole state."
Cui Jishu nodded, "That's fine, but the evidence is conclusive that the second room is rebelling. As the second room, don't I have to act as a prisoner?"
"With Cui Ang in the temple, he won't be able to die, and I'm afraid you won't be able to die either."
Liu Taozi said gloomily, as if he felt sorry that these two people could not die.
Cui Jishu still failed to find out the information he wanted.
However, Liu Taozi had already stood up and motioned for the two of them to follow her.
The three of them just walked out. The school ground was still very lively. Even when they saw Liu Taozi, these people did not stop practicing. Looking at the knights practicing with all their strength, Cui Jishu was amazed. He glanced at Liu Taozi again.
The sword he is wearing, his expression is constantly changing.
Liu Taozi sent the two of them to the gate of the school ground.
"You can go back, I will send someone to contact you."
After Liu Taozi finished speaking, she turned around and left.
Cui Jishu stopped him.
"Liu Jun."
"I can do things for you, but there is one thing. I have to figure out which side Liu Jun is on? I have to know who I am following, right?"
After hearing Cui Jishu's words, Liu Taozi stood up. He looked into the distance for a moment, and then pointed in a direction.
"I'm from their side."
Cui Jishu looked in the direction he pointed. In the distance was a large muddy land, desolate and remote. There were two people, an old man and a young man, struggling to lead a donkey. The donkey's back was loaded with mountain goods. The two of them were heading towards the county town.
Moving forward, there were a few dead trees, standing alone in a few corners, with birds flying from the tops of the trees. There were several remains of carriages, which seemed to have been burned by someone, and they were completely black.
Cui Jishu looked at it for a long time before looking at Liu Taozi, hesitantly.
"Liu Jun. What's over there?"
"There are people over there that people like you can't see."
"Father!"
"Father?!"
Cui Gang drove the car and called Cui Jishu's name hurriedly.
Cui Jishu was sitting in the car, his eyes widened, and he began to murmur again, seeming to become more paranoid and crazy.
Cui Gang quickly stopped the car, opened the car curtain, and looked at his nagging father. Cui Gang couldn't help crying.
Originally, my father was worried about the affairs in the DPRK, and he was imprisoned these days. He couldn't eat well, didn't wear warm clothes, couldn't sleep well, and was frightened in various ways. Now he turned out to be like this.
"Father!!"
Cui Gang called again, and Cui Jishu suddenly woke up. He grabbed Cui Gang's hand, "Get in the car! Chase! Go to the city gate! Go to the city gate!!"
Cui Gang was at a loss, "Father, I'm going to find a doctor."
"I am the doctor! Listen to me! Drive me the car!!"
Cui Jishu gave the order hurriedly. Cui Gang did not dare to refuse, so he quickly jumped into the car and drove Cui Jishu towards the city gate. Cui Jishu poked his head out and looked at both sides with a nervous expression.
Finally, when he was about to reach the city gate, Cui Jishu hurriedly shouted: "Stop!!"
Cui Gang quickly stopped the car, and Cui Jishu jumped down from the carriage and rushed out quickly. His body was still very clear. Even after running like this, Cui Gang couldn't catch up.
He saw Cui Jishu rushing to the side of the road. The father and son were looking at him in horror. The man hugged the child with one hand and held the rein tightly with the other.
There were tears on the man's face, "Noble sir, I can't give you this donkey. Please."
Cui Jishu's eyes widened and he stared at them angrily, "Who are you?!"
The man shuddered and said, "Your Majesty, we are farmers in Anping. We have no food at home, so we went to get some mountain products in exchange for food."
Cui Jishu's face was ferocious and uncertain.
I don't know how long he stood there, but he suddenly put away all his anger and ferocity, his whole person became a little silent and reserved, and he put away all his emotions.
He got on the carriage, Cui Gang pulled him, and walked all the way towards his house. Neither father nor son spoke.
When the two came to a familiar house, they didn't know whether the slaves had escaped or were killed. The place was in chaos and no one could be found.
Cui Jishu and Cui Gang walked into the inner room.
Cui Jishu came to the leftmost corner of the inner room, bent down, knocked on the ground, then took out the dagger hanging on the wall, inserted the dagger into the ground, tilted it hard, and saw a wooden quilt.
He pushed it out.
The dust on the wooden board quickly fell, and Cui Jishu struggled to tear the board apart and threw it aside.
Cui Gang cautiously walked to his side and lowered his head to look.
Under the wooden board, there were actually shining gold jewelry.
Cui Gang was shocked. He looked in disbelief at his father, who had always demanded honesty and frugality from him.
Cui Jishu looked at the money blankly, and vaguely saw a handsome young man standing in front of him, looking at him with a smile.
"Master Cui. Nowadays, there are many high-ranking officials and lawless people who prey on the people and do whatever they want. I cannot condone it. I know that you are upright and honest. I specially order you to impeach the lawless people and stop bribery. I, Xu Qing, can raise the issue at any time. I hope you can ask for orders for the people and uphold the principles.
Be straightforward and don’t be partial or concealed!!”
Cui Jishu's lips trembled. He looked again and saw that the young man had already disappeared.
The king who attacked the nobles has disappeared, and the upright and honest ministers have also disappeared.
Only in the soil in front of you, there is golden light shining, and the halo is twisted on it, showing charming colors.
"Cui Jun!!"
A group of people broke into the house and saw Cui Gang who was silently cleaning things. They couldn't help crying. They stepped forward and quickly surrounded Cui Gang.
"Is Mr. Cui okay?"
"Where is Mr. Cui?"
Everyone's faces were full of worry. Cui Gang looked very strange at the moment. In the past, he would have been extremely kind and enthusiastic to these tribesmen, but now, his response was very cold and dull. He saw that
He turned toward the inner room and said, "He's in the room."
These people didn't have time to think too much and rushed to the inner room.
"Mr. Cui?!"
They shouted outside.
"Come in."
Hearing Cui Jishu's voice, these people rushed into the inner room in a hurry. When they saw Cui Jishu sitting in the upper position, everyone hurriedly knelt down in front of him. There were more than ten people in total. At this moment, their faces were full of sadness and they were wiping their hands.
tears.
These are all survivors of the Cui family.
Cui Jishu looked at them and said, "Don't cry anymore."
Hearing Cui Jishu's words, they stopped immediately. Cui Jishu was silent for a moment and then said: "If you come to me and want me to uphold justice for you, you can leave now."
"There is nothing I can do about this matter, not just me, but no one can do anything about it."
Hearing his words, the leading old men quickly raised their heads.
"Cui Gong. This county captain is acting recklessly. Even Yang Min can't cover the sky with just one hand. I heard, King Changshan."
Cui Jishu shook his head, "Don't think about it. We have gone too far. Do you know how much the tribute paid to Boling County last year? Do you know how many households were reduced?"
Everyone looked at him blankly.
Cui Jishu suddenly laughed, "I didn't know that my family has become a disaster for the temple. It's really strange."
"What Liu Junwei has done is beneficial to the country and the people. There is no such thing as King Changshan and Prime Minister Yang. No matter who is in power, Liu Taozi will not be punished."
Cui Jishu waved his hand, "Forget it, after going through such an ordeal, maybe you will be able to remember more in the future. Let's all go back. I will ask Liu Taozi to spare your lives. It's just your family property and farmland. I can't do anything about it."
Maybe, he will expel you from Anping and go to other places."
"There are too many Cui surnames in Anping, and it's really time to go to other places."
"I will do my best, but you can no longer resist, otherwise, even I will suffer."
Cui Jishu said and slowly looked at the people in front of him.
The faces of everyone in the Cui family were ashen, their eyes were full of despair, and their bodies were all exhausted. They sat there one by one, as if they were already dead.
Cui Jishu sent everyone away, then picked up the crutches and walked slowly into the courtyard.
Cui Gang was still cleaning the courtyard with a blank look on his face. Even when he saw his father coming out, he did not come forward to pay his respects.
Cui Jishu ignored him and walked out of the house.
In front of his house, there is a small road that leads directly to the county seat. This small road is called Jiangzuo Road. Obviously, this was a road built when he first became the Minister of Jiangzuo. Cui Jishu was wearing crutches and was not in a hurry.
Walking slowly on the road, gradually, you can see some people walking on the road, carrying food on their backs and smiling on their faces.
When they looked up and saw Cui Jishu, they were shocked and took a detour to leave.
Cui Jishu hurriedly stepped forward to stop them, "Do you know me?"
Those people shook their heads.
"Then why do you have to avoid me when you see me?"
"When I see a noble person, I'm afraid of disturbing him."
Cui Jishu smiled and asked, "Where do you get this food from?"
The leader timidly said: "The county government is distributing grain today, saying it is to repay the extra tribute collected last year."
"Oh, you live near here?"
"We were originally tenants of the Cui family."
"So that's it, just giving out food?"
"Real farmland was returned to me. I should have been granted forty acres of farmland originally, but I don't have even one acre of land in my name. The county government just gave me the farmland in name only today."
Cui Jishu chatted with them for a while, then said goodbye to them with a smile and left.
Those people were relieved when they saw that Cui Jishu was not trying to make things difficult for them. They walked quickly on the road, and they could still hear their discussions from a distance.
"Living Bodhisattva, living Bodhisattva."
Cui Jishu walked all the way to the gate of the county town. At the gate of the county town, people were coming in and out. Those people who lived outside the city but did not belong to the township government had to go into the city to get food. After getting the food, they had to go out again.
Cui Jishu passed the city gate and took a casual walk in the county town.
Cui Jishu suddenly realized that it seemed that he had not walked on foot for many years. The feeling of walking in the city in a carriage was really different from walking in the city on foot.
The road leading to the county government office was almost blocked by ordinary people, with huge crowds of people and a lively atmosphere.
Cui Jishu saw the county government's strategy at a glance. It must be that no one dared to come to the land grant, so they used grain distribution to 'cheat' the people to come. In fact, it was just to complete the land grant.
This little county magistrate can still do some things.
He walked all the way to the gate of the county government office. It was much quieter here.
But he was already out of breath. He informed the clerk at the door of his identity, and soon, Prefect Lu personally rushed to the door to greet him.
Seeing Cui Jishu coming on foot without anyone around him, Prefect Lu was shocked, "Mr. Cui!! What's going on?!"
Cui Jishu shook his head, "No problem, no problem, just go out and walk around."
Governor Lu hurriedly supported Cui Jishu and led him to his backyard. The county government office was very deserted at the moment. Except for the gatekeeper, there was no one inside.
Prefect Lu explained awkwardly: "Everyone in the county has gone to other counties, and the whole county is currently in turmoil."
"I know, I know."
The two of them walked into the backyard, and Governor Lu quickly ordered his servants to prepare delicious food to entertain Cui Jishu.
The two of them were sitting together, with no one around them. Lu Taishou said helplessly: "Mr. Cui, it is really difficult for me to interfere in this Boling incident. Please forgive me."
"The temple has learned about what happened here and sent a horse to deliver the edict, which was read to the governor and me."
Cui Jishu was stunned, "Oh?"
"What does the edict say?"
Prefect Lu was silent for a moment.
"Read."
Cui Jishu trembled, then smiled bitterly again, "It's just as I expected."
Prefect Lu lowered his head and looked a little guilty, but Cui Jishu said gently: "You don't have to be like this, this is not necessarily a bad thing. It just makes the people remember. Wasn't Qinghe Cui even more miserable than us?"
What's more, this is not because of you. Well, maybe you will come to help me next."
“Help??”
Governor Lu looked at him in astonishment, "What is Cui Gong going to do?"
"Don't be afraid. I was recently recruited by Mr. Liu to serve as his staff and help with the land granting in Dingzhou."
"ah???"
"I'll have to trouble you from now on."
Prefect Lu's eyes widened. He looked around and suddenly asked in a low voice: "Mr. Cui, this Mr. Liu, what is his background?"
Cui Jishu laughed and stroked his beard, "This man"
"If you don't die, you will be the pillar of my great Qi."
"I always like to recommend talented people. If he can be reused in the temple again in the future, I will definitely promote this person."
Governor Lu's face was dark and he murmured in a low voice: "Liu Taozi"
Liu Taozi was standing outside the dense forest, and Tian Zili was beside him, telling him things in a low voice.
He nodded, but stared straight ahead.
After Tian Zili finished speaking, Liu Taozi then told: "Every county should speed up. Everything must be completed before spring planting, so there can be no delay."
"only!!"
While the two were talking, Gao Yanzong suddenly emerged from the dense forest. He was carrying a large wild boar. He was panting and had wounds on his face. Seeing his appearance, the knights rushed forward in a hurry, but Gao Yanzong did not.
He happily asked them to step back. He walked up to Liu Taozi with a smile on his face, threw the wild boar aside, raised his head proudly, and put his hands on his hips.
"Brother, how is it?!"
Liu Taozi took a look and said, "I beat a little pig, it's not bad."
"Little pig?? This is a wild boar, look at the hair."
Gao Yanzong couldn't help but argue, but Liu Taozi suddenly said: "This is not even a big beast that can eat people."
"There happens to be this big man-eating beast in several nearby counties. Do you want to follow me and hunt it?"
Chapter completed!