After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 180
Zhou Shigong was speechless.

After being silent for a while, he didn't know whether it was because the pot had been broken or because he really wanted to seek the truth. He asked Hai Xiya: "Brother-in-law, can you be sure? Maybe... my father did it without telling the people around him? It’s not that he has bad intentions, he just wants to help the border troops, but he is worried that if others find out, outsiders will find fault with other generals..."

Hai Xiya sneered: "To be honest, in the year when the frontier army was in the most difficult financial situation, the imperial court refused to allocate money at all. More than one general spent his own money to buy grain and grass to subsidize his sergeants. No one deliberately concealed it. Look, everyone is generous, and what should be credited has been credited. After the news spread, not only the wealthy merchants in Chang'an donated money one after another, but also the large and small caravans in the northwest also gave money, and there were even some people with low financial resources. The common people donated money and food, fearing that the soldiers in the border army would be starved and would not have the strength to fight the barbarians.

"The Duke of Zhen Guo also wrote a memorial about this matter, listing all the military generals, wealthy households and merchants who donated money, and submitted it to the court to let the emperor know that there were people in the court who wanted to starve the Chu army to death. It was these loyal and patriotic people who The generals, as well as the people in the northwest, have supported their own soldiers! Because the northwest frontier army has done a good job in guarding the land and calming the people, and keeping foreign enemies out of the country, the dignitaries in the capital only care about fighting for power and gain, and do not care about the wealth and lives of the people in the northwest. But the people in the northwest will not sit still and wait for death! After that, the imperial court will no longer dare not to allocate military expenditures. Even if it is a half, the soldiers must at least be half-fed, otherwise another large donation from the northwest will make the imperial court look bad. Where to save?!"

After that, the emperor's attitude towards the Zhou family became even worse, but the Zhou family also woke up and knew that they could not completely rely on the court to allocate money for food.If the imperial court cuts off supplies one day, and the northwest frontier army makes another large donation, there is no guarantee that enough money and food will be raised.Moreover, although the food and grass that year were sufficient, the weapons and horses were unable to be replenished.When an army fights a war, it doesn't just need to have enough food and drink. There are many places to spend money. It's too passive to rely on the court for everything.Therefore, Marshal Zhou and several other generals discussed it, organized their own manpower, established caravans, and used the trade routes in the northwest and western regions to make money.Even if the imperial court deducts military expenditures, they still have money to feed their own people and enough armaments to fight against the Hu army.

As for whether the imperial court would deduct military expenses after the border troops made money, they didn't care.The situation on the battlefield was tense at that time. Who could care about trying to figure out the thoughts of the emperor and the cabinet ministers?
Although Hai Xiya has been away from Chang'an for more than ten years, he spent his entire youth and adulthood here after all, and he is very clear about what happened back then.Although he held a low official position at the time, because he was good at accounting, settled accounts quickly and well, and was good at helping people with ideas and opening up new ways of making money, many health offices would ask him to help.He actually had a certain understanding of the economic conditions of most of the health clinics under the jurisdiction of the Shaanxi Capital Division at that time, but he was very tight-lipped and would never let it out easily.It was also because of his reputation among the grassroots of many guards that someone recommended him to the old man of the third room. Later, he worked under the old general for six years.

He told these past events to Zhou Shigong, the eldest son of Mr. Sanfang, just to let the latter know that it was not taboo for a general to use his own money to support the border troops. Many people had done this, and the old man was no exception. , there is nothing to worry about at all.It's just that the old lady donated a lot of money in his account at that time. He was on par with the Duke of Zhen, which was only 3000 taels. He was already the first among the generals of the northwest frontier army.But this number is far from destroying the Zhou family's three-bedroom property.

After that, the financial difficulties of the Northwest Frontier Army were greatly alleviated, and there was no need for generals to spend money to supplement the army.The old man from Sanfang no longer led the army at that time. He only focused on logistics and supplemented the money privately. Where could the supplement go?At most, the people under his command will benefit.But the number of officials, clerks and soldiers under the old man Sanfang didn't exceed a hundred. How much money could he spend?If the subsidy money is too much, who can it be hidden from?
Hai Xiya even did private work for his old boss and helped settle the accounts of the Zhou family's third family, and had a certain understanding of the Zhou family's third family's property situation 20 years ago.Their family has four or five large villages in Shaanxi, with fifty or sixty shops and five workshops. When the biological mother of the three-bedroom old lady married into the Zhou family, she brought several properties from Shu as dowry, as well as a salt well and a salt well in Shu. Small cinnabar mine.These properties were inherited from ancestors, and were also given by previous mistresses when they got married. However, the third family had not been divided into separate families for nearly a hundred years, so the wealth had never been divided, and the wealth level exceeded that of the Duke of Changfang Town.

When Zhou Shiye, the youngest brother of the third-bedroom old man, separated from his family, he only took away a house, a farm, a few shops, and a few pieces of private jewelry that his grandmother specified in her will.The dowry of the Fourteenth Wife has been calculated separately, and the bulk of the property of the Third Fang is still there.Even if Mrs. Ma's dowry and subsequent inheritance were eliminated, the remainder would still be considerable.It only took 20 years in total. God knows how the Zhou family’s huge wealth of three bedrooms was lost in these 20 years!
Zhou Shigong was dumbfounded.He had known that his family was wealthy since he was a child, but he had never taken care of the accounts and rarely asked about these general affairs. He only knew about the dowry left by his deceased mother and listened to his stepmother to simply report the accounts every year.He had no idea that his family had so many properties.Even if his late father donated his gold and silver, those land-based shops would still be there and they could continue to bring in income every year. How could he be so poor that he had to build a glass workshop to make money in order to survive? !
Zhou Shigong's breathing became rapid.He turned to look at his wife: "Have you never taken care of the family's property? You haven't asked how much money is in the account every year?!"

Zhou Ma said aggrievedly: "I asked about it when I first got married. The family scolded me for being restless and wanting to seize power. Master, you still helped them speak... Later, Jinlin wanted to get married and find a job in the army. I even asked the family how much money the father-in-law could give me, but he was scolded all the time. What did the master say at that time? Wasn't it because he was so troubled? He said that the family would never treat Jin Lin badly, but the Jin and Lin couple I took only 2000 taels with me when I led a few servants I've been used to since childhood... When Jinpu got married, the master gave him 5000 taels!"

The 5000 yuan came from the official account. Zhou Shigong only said that he did not have much private property.Mrs. Ma, who always claimed to love Zhou Jinpu the most, did not spend a penny, but only urged Zhou Shigong to pay early, which made Zhou Jinpu burst into tears of gratitude to her. All the kindness was attributed to this cheap grandmother, and even his own father never truly thanked her. Pass a sentence.Zhou Shigong still regards people as filial sons. He has no idea how much injustice his truly filial son has suffered!
Zhou Ma felt extremely distressed when she thought of her son, but Zhou Shigong had no intention of caring about her at all.

He kept recalling the major events that happened in his family in the past 20 years: "I have never heard of any new property being added to the family. The children's marriages were all done according to the old practice, even if Jinpu spent a few extra dollars. Thousands of taels of silver are worth a lot. My father's funeral affairs were handled decently, but the accounts are being watched by the tribe, and the Duke of the country has also asked about it, so I think it's not out of line. Next, it's the dowry when my sister gets married... But the dowry I've seen the list with my own eyes. Even though there are a lot of jewelry, clothes, furs, antiques and other items, it's because I feel sorry for my sister who is getting married far away..."

Most of these things belong to the private house of the stepmother, Mrs. Ma. As for the other things, my father was still there at the time. If he spent a large amount of the public money, he would definitely ask for his approval.The old man didn't say anything, but I guess the dowry wasn't too much.

So, where does the money go? !

(End of this chapter)