I'm in the Red Mansion

Chapter 219 Dominate
At this time, Xue Da couldn't help but hand over Wu Zhuangtou's visiting card with both hands.

When Jia Cong opened it, he saw the following words on the visiting card:
"My village head Wu Erxin wishes you good health and happiness in the new year, honor and safety, promotion and salary, and all the best."

This visiting card cannot be said to be almost the same as the one written by Wu Jinxiao last year, but it can be said to be exactly the same.

Well, this visiting card has probably become a fixed pattern.

As he unfolded the list, he saw the following words written on it:

"One hundred large deer, one hundred musk deer, one hundred and fifty goats, sixty Siamese pigs, and sixty soup pigs..."

"Each item of livestock is worth five thousand taels of silver, as a gift to the brothers and sisters: six pairs of live deer, ten pairs of live white rabbits, ten pairs of live black rabbits, six pairs of live golden pheasants, and six pairs of Western ducks."

Jia Cong took the number on the visiting card and compared it with Wu Jinxiao's number last year.

For various livestock and rice grains, the amount is almost three times that of last year.

Even the amount of silver is twice as much as last year, when there were only 2,500 taels of silver.

This year, there are only three more farms than last year that were not recovered.

From this we can see how much Wu Jinxiao embezzled by using his hands.

Of course, this is probably also related to the fact that Wu Zhuangtou had just taken office in his first year and was determined to show off in front of him.

After this year's tribute, he may not have much left.

It will probably be reduced in the future.

However, Jia Cong actually arranged people to patrol. If he went too far, Jia Cong would naturally not forgive him.

If it is within Jia Cong's red line, it won't be a problem.

If the water is too clear, there will be no fish; if the person is too strict, there will be no followers. It is almost impossible to expect subordinates to be as clean as water and to do their duties conscientiously.

Next, Jia Cong asked someone to invite Wu Zhuangtou in.

After a while, Wu Zhuangtou came in and kowtowed in the courtyard to greet him.

Jia Cong ordered someone to pull him up.

This Wu Zhuangtou is a tall man with a pair of huge hands covered with calluses.

Looks very honest.

But people always change. When Jia Cong met Wu Jinxiao last year, didn't he look loyal and honest?
Wasn’t it discovered in the end that he was a corrupt official?

Jia Cong asked a few questions, encouraged Wu Zhuangtou, and then sent him away.

Then, Jia Cong ordered people to keep some of these things for his family, keep the rest for himself, and keep some to give away.

Apart from others, I have to send New Year gifts to Prime Minister Kou, Master Zhao, the Mei family, and my two senior brothers.

In addition, Jia Yun, Ni Er and others have worked hard with him for a year, so naturally they cannot do without some appreciation.

But these things are very limited.

There are already a lot of things this year, almost three times as much as last year, so there are also a lot of things left over.

As for the rest, Jia Cong ordered his men to divide it up among the clansmen and pile it up under the platform. He also ordered his men to call the clan's nephews and nephews to distribute it to them.

Soon, the nephews and nieces of the clan came hurriedly to claim their things.

Some of these people have indeed fallen into decline.

They even rely on the things distributed among the New Year's relatives to celebrate the New Year.

But after they arrived, they found that there were much more things this year than last year, almost three times as much as last year!
You know, they received a lot last year.

Last year, Jia Cong moved into Ningguo Mansion and became the patriarch of the Jia family.

The things left by Jia Cong were much less than those left by Jia Zhen before, so naturally there were more things distributed to the clansmen.

This year, the number has reached an exaggerated level.

These tribesmen who came to collect their things originally came with baskets and other things.

When I got there, I found that there were so many things that the basket could not hold them all.

They had to go home, or ask more people to get the things, or simply harness a cart to load them.

Finally, all the things were taken away one by one. Almost every tribe member who received something was smiling and beaming with joy.

With so many things I have received this year, I will definitely have a prosperous new year.

Even these things are not enough for their family to finish.

Not only can you share some with your relatives and friends, you can even sell some for money.

In this case, how could these tribesmen not be happy?

And this year's joy is not over yet.

This is what Jia Cong distributed.

Next, each of them will get a share.

And this portion is the output of the sacrificial land purchased by Jia Cong.

This year, Jia Cong spent tens of thousands of taels of silver to purchase thousands of acres of sacrificial land.

In addition to maintaining the ancestral hall and clan school, the output from these sacrificial fields was used to save a portion of the remaining money for emergencies.

The rest will still be distributed among the Jia family members.

Because this is the common property of the entire Jia family.

And this income is no less than what Jia Cong distributed.

If these two were calculated in silver, it would be at least thirty or twenty taels of silver.

There are so many things, five or six times as many as when Jia Zhen was here!
With these thirty or twenty taels of silver, if they lived frugally, it would be enough to cover their expenses for a year.

What's more, now that they have so many sacrificial fields, if they want to do something, they can actually find something to do.

The Third Master has only been the head of the Jia family for a year, and their lives have undergone tremendous changes.

How could this not make all the Jia family members ecstatic?
Therefore, during the days before the New Year, almost all members of the Jia family were praising the Third Master of the East Mansion.

Naturally, this news could not be hidden from the eyes and ears of Lady Jia, Lady Wang, Wang Xifeng and others in the West Mansion.

But after hearing the news, they couldn't help but play deaf and dumb, pretending they didn't hear it.

This news was really ironic for them.

This was indeed due to Jia Zhen.

But as for the act of purchasing sacrificial land, couldn't they have done it before?

As long as we discuss it with Jia Zhen, we will definitely be able to buy it.

However, none of these elders did so.

Instead, after a younger generation became the head of the Jia family, he initiated a series of changes in the clan.

It unexpectedly made the Jia family prosper.

Apart from anything else, their East Palace turned losses into profits in just one year.

At the end of the year, not only did they not suffer a loss, but they even made a profit of 10,000 or 20,000 silver coins.

What about Rongguo Mansion?
This year it is still a loss.

You know, in the past, the situation of Rongguo Mansion was actually better than that of Ningguo Mansion.

Now the two sides are reversed.

This comparison made them seem even more inferior to that evil creature from the East Palace.

At this time, even Grandmother Jia couldn't help but think about it.

If that evil creature from the East Palace were allowed to be in charge of the West Palace, could he turn the West Palace's losses into profits?
After thinking about it, Grandmother Jia didn't dare to make a conclusion.

In fact, Grandmother Jia even felt that if he was allowed to do it freely, he might be able to do it.

They were quite forgiving, like the Lai family, who were let go without hesitation. (There is a follow-up plot, how could they let the Lai family go so easily?)

However, things were becoming increasingly difficult at Rongguo Mansion.

(End of this chapter)