Tianliangyuan

Chapter 235 Let's Make a Deal

Whether the Kong family likes it or not, the common people will not fight against the officials, especially since the Kong family is in the wrong!

The next day, the Kong family reluctantly prepared all the necessary documents, including the house deeds and land deeds, and ordered people to carry dozens of boxes of copper coins to the Chang residence.

After seeing these things, Master Chang felt a little better, but the Kong family could not return everything.

For example, the jewelry, silk, and other items that his mother brought as part of her dowry may have already been used or sold by the Kong family, so they could only grit their teeth and send them in silver.

In addition to that, there is another thorny issue.

Logically, after the family division, Kong should have lived separately with his own children.

However, the old master favored Kong Shi back then, so after Kong Shi entered the family, she always lived in the courtyard closest to the old master's study.

The Kong family was unwilling to move away from this place, saying only that they missed their grandfather.

Master Chang naturally did not believe this.

If you really miss the old master, why not just hang yourself with a white silk ribbon?

That way you won't have to miss them anymore; you can meet them directly on the road to the underworld.

Besides these, the Kong family had taken away a lot of good things from Old Master Chang over the years, such as hundreds of acres of fertile land and jewelry. However, since these things were given by the old master, Third Master Chang could not directly take them back.

But if he let Kong Shi be so carefree, Third Master Chang felt a tightness in his chest.

Not only that, back then, the Kong family also took advantage of the grandfather's favor to forcefully give a spot for a student of the Imperial Academy to the offspring of the second wife.

The children in the direct line could only find ways to study hard on their own.

You should know that students of the Imperial Academy do not need to participate in the previous imperial examinations. They can directly participate in the metropolitan examination as students of the Imperial Academy, which means they are several levels ahead of others!

Master Chang could disregard material possessions, but when it came to his son's future, he could never forgive the dead old man.

Chang Yuande is not yet married, and now he has to prepare for the provincial examination. How could this not make Third Master Chang feel frustrated?

Xu Zhaozhao finally received confirmation.

Both Master Chang and his son Chang Yuande were extraordinary, especially Master Chang, whose years of forbearance demonstrated his unwavering resolve.

With the burden of filial piety weighing on him, he had no choice but to endure it, even if he didn't want to.

Finally, the old master passed away. Afterwards, because he had to observe the mourning period and was still an official, he naturally couldn't rush to take action against the Kong family.

It was precisely because Master Chang did not take immediate action against Madam Kong that Madam Kong and her two half-brothers thought he was cowardly and weak and dared not resist them.

That's great, let's go for the big one.

Now, Master Chang is facing two difficult problems.

Firstly, he wanted Kong Shi to move out, but Kong Shi insisted on not moving and even threatened to kill herself. In Chang Sanye's view, she deliberately stayed to annoy people and wanted to make the whole Chang family a mess.

Secondly, it concerns the future of his son, Chang Yuande.

Master Chang still valued his eldest son highly. Perhaps because he disliked his father's behavior of favoring concubines over his wife, Master Chang did not take any concubines and did not even have a maidservant by his side. All his children were legitimate sons and daughters.

This kind of family tradition set a good example for Chang Yuande and his siblings.

"Zhu Zi, send a message to Master Chang in the name of Baiguoyuan, saying that there is something important to discuss."

"Yes, master."

Xu Zhaozhao did not intend to meet him in person. After all, she was an unmarried girl, and although Master Chang was an elder, it was really inappropriate.

But now that she had no one of useful skills around her, Xu Zhaozhao had no choice but to arrange for Zhuzi to step in.

Zhu Zi works for Xu Zhaozhao, and anyone traveling outside knows that he is the spokesperson for the Princess of Anle. I believe that Master Chang will understand this as soon as they meet.

Master Chang never expected to receive a message from Baiguoyuan.

He was wondering if they wanted his Chang family's shop to also sell Baiguoyuan's wines and spirits.

Upon meeting, the man beside Master Chang whispered a reminder: "Master, this is the steward under the Princess of Anle. He has been working for the Princess of Anle for the past two years. I heard that he was ordered to go to Nanzhao last year and only returned this spring."

Now Master Chang understood who he needed to talk to and was ready to proceed.

"This humble servant greets Lord Chang."

Although Master Chang was a nobleman and held an official position, he was nothing compared to the second-rank Princess Anle!

"Please, no need for formalities. And who is this steward?"

"Oh, my name is Zhuzi. My parents were saved by the Marquis back then, so my father was allowed to take the surname Xu. That's why people outside call me Steward Xu. It's because everyone gives me some face. In front of you, my lord, I dare not put on such airs. You can just call me Zhuzi."

"Steward Xu, why be so modest? Although you are young, you are known for your competence and I've heard that you have the utmost trust in the County Princess of Anle. I hope that in the future you will have the opportunity to say a few good words for me in front of the County Princess."

Just because Xu Zhuzi called him "Lord" instead of "Third Master" made Third Master Chang feel much more favorably toward him.

Xu Zhuzi smiled and invited them to take their seats, but after being urged several times by Master Chang, he finally dared to sit opposite him.

This behavior demonstrates respect for Master Chang.

Although Xu Zhuzi was just a servant, as the saying goes, even a fifth-rank official has to stand in front of the prime minister's door!

Princess Anle is deeply favored by the Emperor and has just been granted a fief. Such an honor is beyond the reach of many men.

Could the servants around Princess Anle be ordinary servants?

Even the county magistrate wouldn't dare to boss Xu Zhuzi around.

"My lord, the reason I invited you out today was not because of my own motives."

There was no one else in the room at this time, so Xu Zhuzi got straight to the point: "My master said that he can help the eldest son of the Chang family enter the Imperial Academy, and at the same time, he can also make the Kong family move out of the Chang residence willingly."

This is exactly what Master Chang is struggling with, and he never expected that Princess Anle already knew about it!

"To be honest, my lord, what happened on the street that day was witnessed by my master herself, and she arranged for someone to notify the county government as soon as possible. My master is a kind-hearted person and has always valued rules. Most importantly, my lady has praised Madam Chang many times, so my master has developed a deep respect for Madam Chang."

Although Master Chang was quite satisfied with Xu Zhuzi's way of doing things, he wasn't stupid and didn't show favor without a reason.

"Please enlighten me, Steward Xu, is there anything the County Princess needs my assistance with?"

Xu Zhuzi was secretly amazed; his master had indeed been right.

“My lord is a straightforward man, so I won’t beat around the bush with you. Our master has been granted a fief in Lantian County, and construction is already underway there. However, the area is sparsely populated. Our master has heard that you have a nephew who works in the Ministry of Revenue, and he was thinking of asking you to pass on a message to see if you could investigate whether there are any unaccomplished or disabled refugees near the capital. Our master doesn’t mind any of them, as long as they are not completely useless cripples.”