The news of Gao Tianshi's "sudden death" quickly spread throughout the city of Guangzhou. This famous "Lidi Prefect", who was even feared by the Jin gentry, was still alive and kicking a few days ago, but suddenly died of an "emergency".
Gao Tianshi's death immediately became a hot topic on the streets of Guangzhou.
It was rumored that Gao Tianshi was "possessed by an evil spirit". Many people vividly claimed that Gao Tianshi was actually related to the Maojia Inn case. He practiced sorcery and was refined into a demon that backfired, causing ulcers all over his body and his sudden death.
The rumor naturally spread to Liang Cunhou's study. Liang Cunhou just smiled slightly when he heard the news. He told the boy who was inquiring about the news to leave.
It's early summer, and the sun outside is scorching and extremely dazzling. However, standing in front of the long carved window of the study, it's still cool and pleasant - the sun cannot shine through the deep and wide eaves, and can only cast the shadow of the pull rod in the corridor.
The birds under the corridor have all been hung deep in the corridor to prevent them from suffering from the sun. Several maids are waiting on the corridor, quietly not hearing a sound.
Although they are still dressed as maids, most of these maids are actually past their prime, and two of them are already over thirty - the leading maid is a middle-aged woman in her early forties. Cultivating maids is popular in Guangdong
, the Liang family is no exception. The person who can serve Liang Cunhou will naturally not be a maid who has just entered the house.
Seeing her master appear at the window, the maid in charge took a step forward, ready to obey orders. Seeing that her master showed no sign, she quietly retreated.
This deep compound surrounded by high walls still did not make Liang Cunhou feel safe. He even felt that the foundation under his feet was slowly shaking.
The Australian's troubles in Guangzhou naturally have no hindrance to him, and can even be said to be beneficial: in the past, just the "regular silver" expenses of entertaining people at all levels of government offices every year were reduced by thousands of taels of silver. The streets are clean,
The road was smooth, and even though he took a sedan whenever he went out, he still felt refreshed and comfortable.
However, the letters sent from the countryside made him feel that the crisis was imminent. The stewards of his rural farms in Nanhai, Panyu, Dongguan and other places wrote letters one after another, saying that the Australians had begun to measure acres. I was afraid that the large number of "hidden fields" would be difficult to continue.
"Hidden" went down.
This is the second step. The key is that when measuring acres of land, it will inevitably involve the issue of "contribution" of land in the past, because there are rumors that Australians will soon re-issue land titles. According to what the Australians have done in Hainan and other places in the past
If the landowners who "donate" the land under the policy do not take the initiative to explain the problem and re-register the land title, they will no longer recognize that the original owner has any rights and interests in the land. In other words, in the past, small and medium-sized landowners and rich farmers used "donation" to obtain land property rights.
Going back to the "permanent tenancy" model to avoid taxes is no longer feasible.
As soon as the news came out, the hearts of many landowners and rich peasants who had surrendered to the Liang family were shaken - the public claim for land deeds had not yet happened, but the call for the Liang family to "find a way" has never stopped. Some people have not stopped calling for the Liang family to "find a way".
He even came directly to Liang's house to inquire.
Although Australians this year's summer Fu still use the old Ming practice of "Xiao Gui Cao Sui", and there will probably be no changes in the Autumn Fu, but "cleaning up Tian Fu" is already an urgent matter!
If I can't come up with a countermeasure quickly, I'm afraid the Liang family's farms in various counties will soon fall apart. This large family seems to be flourishing and prosperous, but without the rent paid by the tenants, it will be a disaster.
A tree without roots will fall down in an instant.
While he was thinking hard, Suixue quietly walked out from the depths of the study and whispered a few words in his ear. He immediately nodded, turned around and walked toward the depths of the study.
Deep in the study room, there was a small library, full of bookshelves and bookcases. He fiddled with a bookcase lightly, and the bookcase opened like a door. He walked in, and there was a bookcase inside.
This is a small secret room, but it is not surrounded by white walls, but by strange rocks, and the ceiling is made of thick stone strips - this is the heart of the rockery outside the back wall of the study.
In the secret room is an old man wearing rough clothes and wooden shoes, who is Taoist Mu Shi.
Not only did he change his clothes, but his appearance also changed a lot. He looked very old and looked like an old farmer who had been working for many years.
"It's not appropriate for you to come here." Liang Cunhou's voice was very indifferent, "The trees here are big and attract the wind, and I don't know how many eyes are watching from outside."
Taoist Mu Shi laughed and said, "Don't worry, sir. No matter how capable the Australians are, how can they still see into the Liumai Canal? I just escaped from the earth and came to you."
There is an underdrain in Liang Mansion that leads to the Liumai Canal. Liang Cunhou had long heard that this channel was as wide as a river and could be used for boating. When he was young, he wanted to go down there out of curiosity, but as soon as he opened the stone slab and went down, it was pitch black and full of water.
Not to mention the dirty water and filth, the filthy odor accumulated over the years is simply unbearable. It is said that in the past, thieves tried to sneak into the homes of wealthy families through channels to steal, but were suffocated to death by the turbid odor inside.
.
This wood and stone Taoist was able to pass through it without any hindrance. It was not surprising that Liang Cunhou knew that he had a "secret skill". He said: "Gao Tianshi is dead now. But Wu Zhiqi was captured by the Kun thieves - he
But he knows a lot of things..."
"It's a pity that he was assigned a purpose at that time and could not get rid of him in time! These urban foxes and rats have more success than failure!" Taoist Mu Shi said bitterly, "But don't worry, sir, this country ghost fire Taoist priest still has some good deeds.
, can withstand the severe punishment of the thief Kun - not to mention that if I take out his soul, he will have to endure the punishment even if he wants to go to the underworld after death."
Liang Cunhou said: "If that's the case, I'll be relieved. However, Taoist priest, you're not safe in Guangzhou, so it's better to take the best approach."
"If I leave now, what will happen to the important things entrusted by Shi Weng?" Taoist Mu Shi shook his head and said, "Half of the artifacts in the Liumai Canal have been put away. It's a pity that the magic objects can no longer be refined, and this formation can't be refined anymore.
It's only half done! This is because Kun Thief's energy has not been exhausted!" He sighed.
Liang Cunhou also sighed secretly.
"The plan has failed. The thief Kun is very lucky, and the poor man has another plan. He just needs your help, Mr. Liang."
"But it's okay," Liang Cunhou said.
"When Shi Weng was in Nanjing, he once heard Master Yun Zhongyue, the master of Kanyu, mention that Guangzhou has always had the aura of an emperor. Although Zhenhai Tower and Ma'angang were excavated, the aura of the emperor has not disappeared. The thieves occupy Guangzhou, but they cannot become an emperor.
, it is not difficult to seize a corner and become a grass-headed king. Nowadays, the court is busy, and the southeast is where wealth comes from. We must not allow the thieves to occupy the magpie's nest and sit in a big square. Only then did Shi Weng send the poor Taoist to destroy this.
The royal aura of the city. Master Yunzhongyue said: The Baiyun Mountain in the north of the city is connected to the Guangzhou territory. If a canal is dug between the Baiyun and Yuexiu mountains and the Ma'an Mountain is cut off, the royal aura will be dispersed and the thieves will never be able to take away the aura of the Ming Dynasty.
You're lucky." Taoist Mu Shi said.
Liang Cunhou nodded. Drilling ditches is a project. It cannot be done by just a few people hiding in secret. Not only does it require manpower and material resources, but it also requires the permission of the thief. This is not an easy task.
Taoist Mu Shi added: "Fortunately, Kun Thief is now digging and clearing ditches. If someone whom Kun Thief has always trusted can write to Kun Thief and propose digging the Bei Hao and opening up the Dong Haoyong, this can be done."
Liang Cunhou understood what he meant and said: "The students have understood what the Taoist Master means. We must try our best!"
"The difficulties and risks involved in this matter are also clear to Pindao. Shi Weng said: He will never forget the risks the young master took in Guangzhou, and he will definitely make up for it in the future!"
"If I covet peace and wealth, why should I be in trouble with the Kun thief? In terms of friendship with the Kun thief, the students are not inferior to Gao Zhou. As long as they add a little color, there is no need to worry about becoming the new rich in Guangzhou!" Liang Cunhou sneered, "It's just that the students know the Kun thief.
What we are planning to achieve is to dig out the foundation of our scholars for eternity! As the saying goes, if the skin is not there, the hair will be attached. How can the Liang family not understand this truth because they have been favored by the emperor for generations. Don't worry, students will do their best."
After seeing off Taoist Mu Shi, Liang Cunhou knew that it would not be easy. Although the Liang family had long been in contact with the Kun thief and had the past of jointly running a charity, it stands to reason that they should be the most popular "Australian upstarts" besides the Gao family.
, but since He Rubin crossed the sea to conquer and the Kun thieves burned down Wuyangyi Station, the relationship between the Liang family and the Australians has become estranged. In the past few years, it was just a matter of asking questions and exchanging courtesy. After the Kun thieves entered the city, the Liang family immediately
Instead of trying to cling to him, he only responded to the invitation from the Australians. Therefore, the relationship between the two parties was not repaired, but became even colder.
After the visit to the Chunyuan, Liang Cunhou realized that his family was actually under the "eyes" of the Australians. If he went to submit a letter, in the eyes of the thieves, he would be "showing courtesy for nothing". In case there is another expert who is proficient in Kanyu.
If you see the clues, your family will be in disaster!
Therefore, it is absolutely impossible to come forward on your own. There must be someone else - this person must not only be trusted by the thief, but also must have nothing to do with him.
For a moment, he thought of Huang Kunkun, but then he thought about it. Although Huang hated the Kun thief deeply and had an old relationship with the Kun thief, he knew the true face of his rebellion against Kun. If the matter was exposed, he would
There is no way he could withstand the torture of the bandits.
He thought hard and suddenly thought of Wu Ji, who was also a member of Yuyuan Society and was very proficient in Kun Studies. Many of his sociology classmates were now working for Kun Ze, and they were the talents that Kun Ze liked.
Although he knew himself, his relationship with him was very shallow. At most, he just thought that he was "disgusted" with the thief. Even if he was exposed in the future, his family would be torn apart.
The most important thing is that Liang Cunhou originally intended to support a group of people from the Yuyuan Society, and planned to arrange for him to enter the government school this year and become a scholar. However, because the Australians occupied Guangzhou, this matter was completely ruined. Wu Dai is still depressed to this day.
Full of resentment towards the thief.
It would be an excellent choice to use him to give advice. He secretly thought, aren't the Australians about to hold the imperial examination? Let him go! (To be continued.) 8