Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 19 Stargazing and winning the handsome man
"You are not allowed to act arbitrarily in the affairs of the village, which will ruin the foundation of our ancestors. Today I summoned the elders of the five great halls to discuss and make a decision." The three members suppressed their anger and gestured to the four members beside them: "The fourth member , you go and send the five of them up."

Zhuge Bo knew that the uncles of the three tribes were in trouble today and would not let it go. They could only resort to tricks.

Among the elders of the Five Halls, Mr. Fifteen from Baohe Hall is in his early fifties and can be regarded as the youngest and toughest one. The other four are all trembling old men. Their feet are shaking even when they walk up the steps.

Zhuge Bojun sighed, at such an old age, if you don't take good care of yourself, why are you here?
He understood that Mr. Fifteen of Baohe Hall had always been a fence-sitter and a very tactful person. I was afraid that he was reluctant to come here this time, so he took the initiative and said: "Mr. Fifteen, the frost is getting worse. Please take care of yourself first." .”

He spoke very sincerely, and Mr. Fifteen of Baohe Hall looked embarrassed. Although they were all descendants of the Zhuge family, they had already left the Five Servers and did not need to pay attention to the prologue. Zhuge Bojun was much younger than him, but He is the clan leader who is from the direct sect of the eldest family. They are all side sects, so they bowed respectfully: "Clan leader."

Zhuge Bojun felt a little emotional and said: "I was ill a few years ago and didn't pay much attention to the affairs of the village. Last year, I was in peace. Sometimes I asked how the family's industries were doing now. I heard about the business of Baohe Hall. He did it right, and his life in the village was the best."

Mr. Fifteen said humbly: "Our Baohe Hall was originally a small sect, and the population was smaller. In the past two years, we have been slightly more prosperous."

Zhuge Bojun smiled and asked: "How will the division be divided next year?"

"Adult men who work in the shop will be paid according to the wages in the shop. Those who have no errands will be paid three to two cents a year." Mr. Fifteen said.

Zhuge Bojun nodded and said with a smile: "I have seen the account books. Baohe Hall has the most, with an average of three taels and two cents of silver per capita. Wuben Hall has the least, with an average of two taels and four cents of silver per capita."

Among the four clan elders on the Bagua stage, there was a dark-faced old man whose face froze. I guessed that he was from the Wuben Hall.

"Mr. Fifteen, when the Great Lion and his relatives came here to live in seclusion, do you know how much dividends were distributed per capita at that time?" Zhuge Bojun showed an intriguing smile.

"I don't know about this." Mr. Fifteen didn't understand what he meant.

Zhuge Bojun sighed: "Twelve and a half cents of silver. Based on the price of silver and rice at that time, the twelve and a half cents of silver at the end of the Yuan Dynasty is much more durable than the current twelve and a half cents of silver. Our village is already very poor."

"Oh." Mr. Fifteen was surprised. He considers himself diligent and extremely frugal. He took over from his uncle ten years ago. Only through hard work and frugality can he earn three or two cents per person.

Zhuge Bojun glanced at the others: "Why are our ancestors who took refuge here and were not yet stable, but are richer than they are now? Have you ever thought about the reason?"

Mr. Fifteen fell into deep thought, and the black-faced old man from the Wu Bentang sneered: "It must be that we unworthy descendants are stupid and cannot keep up with half of the wisdom of our ancestors. This is why Wang Xiaoer celebrates the New Year, and every year is worse than the last."

Zhuge Bojun shook his head and said loudly: "I have gone through the account books and clan records. When the Great Lion and his people first came here, they found that the land in this village is barren. Farming alone cannot support the young and old. They mainly rely on us. The company went to make money. At that time, the world was in chaos, but our company's business in medicinal materials was not bad. Boxes of real money and silver were shipped back. Unfortunately, there were two military disasters in the last three years, and the plague broke out after the military disaster. The disciples sent out to various businesses in various places lost hundreds or thousands of people, so the Great Lion decided to shrink the company to preserve its strength. He would rather share some money with others than send his children out to take risks. This is the origin of the Great Lion's legacy. The company's profits have been declining year by year, and after more than 200 years, they are no longer even one-third of what they were back then."

The three members listened to their chatter outside and said anxiously: "What we need to discuss now is what to do if the sixth child violates the clan rules, not to listen to your ramblings."

Zhuge Bojun's expression turned cold and he said, "I asked Uncle Six to release the teachers and students who accidentally entered the village, Mr. Wei. The men who led them deep into the underground river were all assigned by me." "Then it's your fault. According to the clan rules, what crime should be committed?" The three members said with suppressed anger.

Zhuge Bojun chuckled and said: "Uncles from three clans have one clan rule. You old man has forgotten that the great lion has taught that only the eldest son of the clan can serve as the clan leader."

"There is no one in the direct sect, but the side branch can also serve. Besides, you are not the only son of the direct sect. If you are dismissed, someone else will naturally take over." The three members looked selfless.

"Is this what you guys mean?" Zhuge Bojun showed an inquiring look.

Mr. Fifteen looked panicked, the dark-faced old man was proud, and the rest of them lowered their heads and felt uneasy.

The three members reprimanded: "We are concerned about the life and death of the whole clan, and we are not seeking personal gain, so why are we panicking!"

"You few can't represent the whole village." Zhuge Bojun fluffed his sleeves, stepped onto the center of the Bagua platform, and said loudly: "Our village is in the medicinal business, from planting the medicinal herbs to harvesting and processing, and then through the business. Every drug farmer, store clerk, shopkeeper, and accountant has contributed to transporting it to various places. They are all indispensable members of the village. If the life and death of the entire village is to be decided, it is up to the young and old to come together and make the decision."

There were countless men standing under the Bagua stage. They were originally listening to the debate on the stage in silence, but now they were noisy.

Zhuge Bojun stood in the center of the Bagua table. He saw Zhuge Xian being detained in a corner, staring at the four members. He stepped forward to untie him. Seeing the opportunity, he pulled out the scarf that blocked Zhuge Xian's mouth and said with a smile: "Sixth Old Master He is highly respected and the only elder of the direct sect's generation, Chang Fangshan, and owns [-]% of the company's shares, so no one in the family is more qualified to vote than him."

Zhuge Xian cleared his throat and said loudly: "There are also all the girls, wives, old ladies, and young ladies in the village who should also participate in the vote. Without all the ladies in the village cooking, washing, and growing crops for everyone, we Can the village still open a business?"

All the men in the audience burst into laughter.

When the three members saw the child tangling with him outside, they said angrily: "That's nonsense, such nonsense."

He gathered everyone to attack today, which was a perfect opportunity. He could win with all his strength. If the other party messed around and were dragged through the night, some of the clan elders would probably choose to do nothing again under the power of the direct sect leader.

Zhuge Xian smiled slyly and said, "Since Third Brother disagrees, how about you tell me your opinion?"

The three members outside frowned and said: "Our Zhuge family is the descendant of Wuhou. The patriarchs of the past dynasties are all knowledgeable about astronomy and geography. They are expert in stargazing and formation. Naturally, it is a place for those who can do it. How can we leave it to the ignorant and ordinary people?" It’s up to the ignorant woman to decide.”

"Okay, third brother is right. The head of the Zhuge family should be a capable person. Then he must watch the stars and win the leader!" Zhuge Xian took the lead in clapping and applauding.

The noise in the Bagua stage was like thunder, "gazing at the stars to win the handsome man" and "gazing at the stars to win the handsome man".

(End of this chapter)