Need for money

Li Guanshi always thought that his status in the Lin Mansion was not low, and he was quite powerful. No bold guy would dare to stand up and testify against him, so he never expected that after the two little girls went out for a trip, they would find more than a dozen of them at once. Personal ID.

Lin Jingzhi was also a little surprised at this time. He didn't understand where these two little girls had such great appeal. In his opinion, it would be considered good if they could find one or two witnesses.

"Second Lord, these people can all testify for the servants." The little maid named Lu'er who was kneeling on the left earlier kowtowed and pointed at the four rough envoys behind her.

The four rough maids nodded repeatedly when they heard the words, indicating that Lu'er was not lying.

Another maid named Ping'er pointed to the three men kneeling behind her and said, "Second Lord, these three people can testify to this servant. It has been half a month since this servant went to help in the woodshed."

"Fart, I think you are impatient, you dare to slander..." Li Guanshi did not expect that the servant who would bow down to him when he saw him on weekdays would actually dare to testify, he is used to domineering , At this time, he was so angry that he forgot Lin Jingzhi, but he had just yelled halfway, when he suddenly let out a miserable cry.

Slowly retracting his feet, Lin Jingzhi's face turned blue from anger, this slave really has the guts to ignore him, how can he not be angry!

So Manager Lin only yelled half a sentence, and he kicked him hard in the face.

"Dog slave, how dare you yell in front of me, I think you are impatient!"

After Li Guanshi was in pain, he remembered that there was still a master sitting in front of him, so he quickly kowtowed and begged for mercy, "Second Master, I know I was wrong, please forgive me this time."

Lin Jingzhi didn't pay attention to Li Guanshi anymore, but looked at the servants, and asked, "What do you all do, are you really willing to testify for Lu'er and Ping'er?"

"Back to the second master, the slave is called Gouwa, who is in charge of chopping firewood in the firewood house, and is willing to testify for Ping'er." A ten-year-old, strong-bodied young man kowtowed first.

With the leader, the rest of the people also answered yes.

"Li Zhong, now that Lu'er and Ping'er have brought the witnesses, what else do you have to say?" Lin Jingzhi glanced at Li Zhong coldly, and asked.

Such things as slaves bullying their masters can be big or small, it's all in the master's mind, if the master is not favored, the master will naturally turn a blind eye, but if he accidentally offends someone who shouldn't be offended, That would be a great disaster. Guanshi Li has been in the Lin family for so many years, so he naturally understands this truth. At this time, he can also see that Lin Jingzhi treats Aunt Wan very preferentially, otherwise he would not call him a friend because of such a trivial matter. So many servants came to ask questions.

Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, Guanshi Li was finally losing his temper now, because he was afraid that Lin Jingzhi would punish him severely, Guanshi Li thought that he could only grit his teeth and deny it to the end, otherwise he would have no way out, "Second Lord, The slave is wronged, and even if these two little girls are indeed working elsewhere, it is not certain that the slave ordered it!"

"Bold, you still dare to quibble, why, do you really think that I dare not use family law against you?" Lin Jingzhi slapped the table violently, and the shaking teacup jumped very high. Steady, he poured out the tea, the cup spun a few times, and fell to the ground with a bang.

Seeing this, several maids hurried forward to wipe off the water stains on the table, and picked up the broken cups.

"Second Master, you can't be punished without being taught!" Li Guanshi's face turned pale with fright, and he let out a wailing cry. He understood that if this punishment continued, his future would be over.

"You..." Lin Jingzhi pointed at Guanshi Li with his finger, and he was so angry that he couldn't speak. He punished him without teaching. Isn't this the same as saying that he is unreasonable!

Aunt Wan who had been sitting by the side was startled when she saw this, she quickly stood up, stroked Lin Jingzhi's back with her hands, and persuaded: "Second Lord, you put out the fire, it's just a trivial matter, it's not worth it. "

Aunt Wan's small hands are incomparable, and Lin Jingzhi really felt better after stroking them all the way. He suppressed the anger in his heart, smiled at Aunt Wan, and signaled her not to worry, then turned his head and said angrily: "Don't worry, I will definitely show evidence today to convince you!"

Li Guanshi knelt on the ground trembling all over, not daring to say another word.

The kneeling servants in the hall saw that the second master was so angry, and they were also afraid, but they were afraid. This time they had to sue Guanshi Li, otherwise there would be no good fruit in the future, Gouwa He was more courageous, and spoke first: "Second Lord, Miss Ping'er was arranged by Manager Li to help in the firewood room. I dare to guarantee my life on this matter, and there will be absolutely no falsehood."

Lin Jingzhi nodded when he heard the words, and seeing that Gouwa seemed to have something to say, he said, "What else do you want?"

"Second Master, in fact, the slaves who came here this time, apart from testifying, will sue Guanshi Li for uneven distribution of work and deduct our monthly bill!" The matter has come to this point, and Gouwa knows that they are no longer at odds with Guanshi Li. , so he simply stated the purpose here in the future.

In fact, if Mrs. Lin came to question this time, they would not dare to testify, because everyone in the Lin family knew that Mrs. Lin would praise Guan Shi every now and then, saying that Mr. Li was It is not an exaggeration to be a confidant of Mrs. Lin, but it is different if it is Lin Jingzhi. Lin Jingzhi is a fair person and has always been known for being strict. No matter what happens, he will not take sides.

And there is another most important reason, that is, these servants have been forced by Li Guanshi to have no way out.

"You...you spout blood!" Although Li Guanshi barked his teeth and claws, he didn't have much confidence.

"Whether it's bloody or not, I will naturally find out, Gouwa, please tell me carefully, how did Manager Li distribute the work unevenly, and how did you deduct your monthly allowance?"

"Back to the second master, it's like this. There are hundreds of people eating in the Lin family. According to the rules, there must be at least twelve people in the firewood room, eight people are responsible for chopping, and four people are responsible for hauling. That's the only way. In order to ensure that enough firewood can be supplied to each kitchen every day, but Manager Li not only arranged for two less, but also refused to let his nephews work. Now there are only seven people who actually work in the firewood room. The seven servants, not only You have to split the wood, and you are also responsible for transporting the chopped firewood to the kitchen. At the end of the day, you can be so tired that you can't stand up."

When Gouwa said this, he was very wronged, "But even if this is the case, the servants will do more work at most, and they will not be exhausted. Scold the seven of us for being lazy and not working, as long as we find some excuses, our monthly bills will be deducted."

"Second master, the treatment in the Lin family is good. The slave is just a lowly servant, and there is a hundred cash per month. This money is enough for the daily expenses of the slave's family of four, but Li Guanshi is not so generous. Every time I see you When the slaves rest, they will scold the slaves for being lazy, but the work of chopping firewood is physical work, and there will be a day without rest. In the past month, I could only get fifty cents, but in the past, the slave’s father could earn dozens of cents, and the whole family could live on, but recently the slave’s daughter-in-law gave birth to a baby, and it’s not enough.”

"It was you who was lazy and slippery. I fined you a monthly fee. Also, I didn't favor my nephew. I don't know if they are working or not." Li Guanshi refuted with a thick neck.

"You're talking nonsense. You're obviously protecting us. Last time you personally lectured us, saying that your nephew has a lot of family affairs and you want us to do more." Another firewood clerk retorted.

"Second Master, please be the master of this old slave!" At this moment, a rough envoy woman suddenly cried loudly.

The few servants kneeling in the hall turned their heads when they heard the words, and saw that it was the mother-in-law who was crying, and their faces showed unbearable expressions. Obviously, they all knew this mother-in-law and knew what difficulties her family had.

Seeing the mother-in-law crying sadly, Aunt Wan couldn't bear it, she gently advised: "Don't cry, if you have anything to say, the second master will definitely decide for you."

Seeing that Lin Jingzhi nodded to her, the mother-in-law responded with a choked up voice, forcibly stopped her tears, and told the whole story about her family.

It turns out that the old woman's family is the son of the Lin family, that is to say, they have been slaves of the Lin family for generations, so they have no freedom. Even in the government, there is no household registration certificate. The old woman is over 40 this year, but because she has suffered a lot , seems to be 60 years old, her husband's family name is Zhang, and her name is Zhang Bao. She has given birth to two sons. There were originally a family of four. They lived a good life, but the eldest son died of illness when he was nine years old. Zhang Bao couldn't bear the blow, his health deteriorated day by day, and he closed his eyes and died three years later.

Since then, the family of four has become two, and only the old woman and her youngest son, Zhang Shi, are left to depend on each other.

Because Zhang Shi was the second child at home, everyone he knew called him Zhang Er. When he was ten years old, because he was relatively strong among his peers, he was recruited by the steward of the Lin family to practice martial arts at the training ground and became a guard. .

There is only one incense stick left in the Zhang family. In the days to come, the old lady will be in a state of fear, for fear that one day Zhang Er will encounter a bad person when he goes out to perform a mission and lose his life. In [-], Zhang Er also married his wife, and he became a father not long ago.

Originally, the old woman was already used to her son being the guard of the master's house, and she had heard people say that her son was a good man, so her heart gradually relaxed, but she never imagined that in the end of the disaster, it would be It happened to my son, he was alone yesterday morning, but after going out for a trip, he lost an arm!

This blow was fatal to the Zhang family, because the Zhang family now only has Zhang Er, an adult male.

Seeing that Zhang Er's injury had become like this, the old woman and daughter-in-law both hugged each other and cried, and then hurried to find a doctor to see a doctor for their son. The doctor finally came, but the medicine prescribed was ridiculously expensive. When Zhang's family got married in [-], they almost used up all their savings. Later, they had a child, and the family was even more struggling. How could they buy expensive medicinal materials.

Really desperate, they found Guanshi Li and asked about Zhang Er's injury. The master didn't care about it. Li Guanshi didn't have a good face at the time, and directly said that it was not good for the guards to protect the master, and the second grandma was injured. It's not bad to come out to play the board, how can I give Zhang Er money to see a doctor!

After hearing this, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had no choice, so they had the cheek to borrow money from others, and finally got Zhang Er two pairs of traditional Chinese medicine.

But these two medicines are only enough for one day, so what should I do tomorrow? When the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were secretly wiping their tears, Steward Li took the initiative to find the door and pointed them to two ways. Zhang Er's daughter-in-law, who has not returned her milk, works as a nanny for another family, so that she can earn more money.

The second is to directly sell Zhang Er's son who is under two years old.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were shocked when they heard the second method. The Zhang family finally added a man, how could it be sold as an item? To be a nurse.

Manager Li knew a lot of people, and he said that he had a network, so he could introduce them to the host’s family, and asked Zhang’s second wife when she planned to leave. Careful, because before Zhang Er proposed to her family, a nephew of Li Guanshi also asked a matchmaker to come to talk about the marriage, but Zhang Er's father-in-law heard that Li Guanshi's nephew did not learn martial arts, so he did not agree.

Zhang Er's daughter-in-law kept an eye out, saying that she would leave tomorrow, and then after Li Guanshi went out, she handed over the child to her mother-in-law to take care of, and followed her out secretly.Guanshi Li didn't expect someone to follow him, so he went straight to a tavern, where his nephew was waiting.

The two asked for a private room to eat and drink, while Zhang Er's daughter-in-law quietly slipped to the door to eavesdrop. The master had already paid for the medicine, but he directly deducted the money into his own pocket, and planned to trick Zhang's second wife out and directly allocate it to his nephew as his wife.

Now the only male in the Zhang family is crippled, lying half dead on the bed, and there is only one elderly woman left in the family. If he is really cheated, there is no one to ask for reason.

Zhang Er's daughter-in-law told her mother-in-law what she had heard when she got home. After the two discussed it, they planned to go to the Lin family's head steward to file a complaint today, but after searching all morning, they couldn't find the head steward. It happened that I ran into Lu'er and the others, and said that the second master was interrogating Guanshi Li in Aunt Wan's yard, so they followed along to seek justice.

After the old woman finished speaking, tears were streaming down her face. Everyone in the room except Li Guanshi had red eyes, while Lin Jingzhi's face was dark and angry. He didn't expect that there was such a wolf-hearted thing in Lin's residence.

Li Guanshi wanted to quibble a few words, but when he saw the angry expressions of everyone, he opened his mouth, but he couldn't say a word, and his face turned ashen.

"Come on, go and call Shi Mo, the big housekeeper, and the accountant." Lin Jingzhi really wanted to take Li Guanshi's skin off now.

The girl who had been by Lin Jingzhi's side heard the words, and ran out quickly, and came to the courtyard. There were still a few servants in the room who didn't speak, so she asked, and those people responded, and then asked again. After counting out Guanshi Li's crimes, after a while, Shi Mo and Chief Guanshi rushed over one after the other.

After Shi Mo entered the room, he greeted him, and stood behind Lin Jingzhi. He was Lin Jingzhi's right and left hand, always obeying orders. The head housekeeper, Xu Fu, also kowtowed and walked slowly aside.

Xu Fu is in his early fifties this year. He is not tall, and his body is a bit blessed. When walking, he walks calmly, without any nervousness. When facing Lin Jingzhi, he is neither humble nor overbearing. This person, however, has a good impression.

"Come here, bring a chair for Butler Xu." Although Xu Fu is a slave, he is one of the few old people in the Lin family. The Taijun met on weekdays, and he was quite respectful. Lin Jingzhi's voice fell behind, and the servant girl immediately moved. Xu Fu said a few words politely, and then sat down firmly.

"What did Steward Xu do this morning?" Lin Jingzhi asked this question when he remembered that the old lady said that she had searched all morning but couldn't find Xu Fu.

Xu Fu's face was calm, he bowed his body slightly, and replied: "Second Master, the servant went outside the city today to see if it's time to harvest grain, and by the way, I went to visit the Third Master, and the old lady asked me to The servant brought some delicious food over."

"Oh." Lin Jingzhi responded, and then pointed at Li Guanshi and said: "Today someone sued Li Guanshi for cheating the master, withholding monthly bills, embezzling money and silver, deceiving young women, and uneven division of labor. There are reasons and evidence. You see Should this be done?"

Xu Fu frowned when he heard the words, and just as he was about to reply, Guanshi Li suddenly shouted: "The steward, the slave is wronged, what the second master said is not the truth, they have no evidence at all."

"Bold!" Xu Fu's face was serious, and there was a sense of power in his body. Li Guanshi was so frightened that he trembled all over, and he didn't dare to say another word, "Second Lord is sitting in front of you and didn't ask you to speak, so there is no reason for you to speak. Come here, give me twenty slaps!"

Wherever Xu Fu went, he was followed by a few capable men, and after hearing the words, he rushed up immediately, just scratching his head.

'Bah, bang, bang...'

After twenty beats, Xu Fu stood up and bowed to Lin Jingzhi, saying, "Second Master, this slave has violated the rules, please punish me."

Lin Jingzhi waved his hand, but he didn't care, but felt that he was playing less.

Xu Fu sat on the chair again, and answered the question just now: "Second Lord, the monthly regulations for detaining servants are to be punished fifteen times, and the status of steward is removed. In addition, three times the amount of embezzled silver will be fined. People who are greedy for ink and silver, should find out the amount of silver taels, fine five times the amount of silver taels and confiscate them, if the division of labor is uneven, they should be slapped at thirty, rearrange the work of servants, and seduce young women, they must be punished according to the circumstances, and if it is serious, send them to the official Punishment, if it is light, is also the punishment of walking the staff."

What Xu Fu said was clear and logical, but he only missed the link of slave bullying the master.

Li Guanshi's face turned pale every time he heard one of them. If these charges were really convicted, he might not have a chance to stand up again in his life.

But Xu Fu is different from Lin Jingzhi. Although Lin Jingzhi is the head of the family, he has never intervened in the chores in the backyard, so he is not very afraid, but Xu Fu has always been his immediate boss, and the long-term obscenity has long been buried in his heart. A seed of fear was planted in him, which made him no longer dare to defend himself.

"Second Master, do you really want to deal with this Guanshi Li?" Although Shi Mo was also annoyed that Guanshi Li just didn't distinguish between superiority and inferiority, he yelled loudly, but this person is the old lady's subordinate after all, if he is treated like this, isn't it? Did you slap Mrs. Lin in the face?

As soon as Lin Jingzhi thought about it, he knew what Shi Mo was worried about, but Guanshi Li had done too many evil things, and not punishing him would not be enough to convince the public!

Moreover, Guanshi Li had secretly bullied his woman, how could he swallow this breath!

Xu Fuduan sat on the chair, seeing Lin Jingzhi's gloomy and terrifying face, he was obviously really angry, thought for a while, and said, "Second Lord, if Guanshi Li really committed so many mistakes, I think the old lady will clearly reward and punish him." character, I will definitely not favor him."

Lin Jingzhi was about to speak when he heard the words, but there was an announcement from outside the door. It turned out that the little girl had found the accountant. The accountant's surname was Zhu Minghou. He was in his 30s. He was wearing a blue gown. Although he was thin, But he was quite energetic, especially his eyes, which flashed with a hint of cunning and shrewdness when they turned slightly.

After Zhu Hou saluted himself, Lin Jingzhi asked, "Yesterday, when the masters were offering incense, they met someone who assassinated the eldest son of General Xuanwei, and the second grandma happened to meet him, so she acted righteously and saved him. Come down, but in this battle, one of the guards of the Lin family was also seriously injured, do you know about this?"

"Second Master, this servant knows about this matter. After the old matriarch returned to the mansion yesterday, he told this servant to allocate more medical expenses to the guards who were seriously injured, and to comfort them more." Zhu Hou bowed his body and replied. road.

"The money has been allocated?"

"Back to the second master, I heard from the person sent by the old lady to deliver the message to the slave that those people were seriously injured and needed to be healed as soon as possible, so the slave transferred the money yesterday. It was the money that Manager Li received at the time, and returned it to the servant. The servant sent a note." Before Zhu Hou came, he had asked the little girl Lin Jingzhi why he was looking for him, so he was prepared, and after speaking, he took out the note signed by Guanshi Li yesterday from his sleeve.

After Lin Jingzhi took it and glanced at it, he casually threw it in front of Li Guanshi, and said coldly: "Li Zhong, just see if you signed this note? Don't say me again when it's time to receive the punishment." If you don't teach, you will be punished'!"

Li Guanshi didn't need to read it, he also knew that it was a note written by himself, and knowing that it was useless to justify at this time, he simply admitted all his mistakes, and at the same time kowtowed like garlic, begging for mercy loudly.

"Hmph, you have done all kinds of bad things, and you still want me to forgive you?" Other things are easy to talk about, but there are two things that Lin Jingzhi absolutely cannot tolerate.

One, Li Guanshi bullied Aunt Wan as a slave.

Second, taking advantage of the status of the manager, to embezzle Zhang Er's money for the doctor's purchase of medicine.

The former bullying Aunt Wan is tantamount to slapping him in the face, while the latter is greedy for Zhang Er's medical money, which is tantamount to murder!Moreover, the impact of this incident was extremely bad. If it was really spread that the Lin family didn't even care about the serious injuries of the guards in the mansion, then the Lin family would lose all face.

"Housekeeper Xu, now that Guanshi Li has confessed everything, what do you think should be the punishment?" Lin Jingzhi thought for a while, and it is better to punish according to the family rules, otherwise the punishment will be improper and the rules will be broken instead.

In the Lin family, being rejected by the head of the family, how can there be any good fruit in the future?

Xu Fu understood that Guanshi Li's life was over, but just when he was about to speak, he heard a door curtain slam, and then a girl walked in. Lin Jingzhi knew this girl, and immediately, his brows were tightly frowned. up.

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