I have a role in the heavens

There were very few entertainment items in this era, so Youshi and others gathered at two tables and played dominoes, which was quite lively.

Dominoes are a gambling device created during the Xuanhe reign of the Song Dynasty, so they are called "Xuanhe tiles". Emperor Zhengzong of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Jishi, invented the "Xuanhe Pai", and later Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Gou, issued an order to promulgate it throughout the world.

Dominoes evolved from dice, and one card contains two sides of the dice. It sprouted in the Spring and Autumn Period, evolved in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, took shape in the Tang Dynasty, matured in the Song Dynasty, and flourished in the Song Dynasty. There are 32 cards in a deck of "Xuanhe Cards", including "Heaven, Earth, Man, Harmony" and other cards, which have profound meanings. Tooth cards are made of bones, bamboo, wood and ivory. They are called dominoes among the people. After they were introduced to the palace, they were made of ivory, so they were called tooth cards.

Ten pairs of Xiang, also known as Chan Zen, is a domino game invented by Yangzhou people. It was spread and popular in the Qing Dynasty. The ten pairs of dominoes are to change the original chaotic dominoes into orderly patterns to win. It is considered to be an intellectual game containing Zen and Yin and Yang principles.

Jia Chang was not interested in this and just watched from the sidelines. Seeing that he was bored, Lin Daiyu asked Jia Chang to be a consultant.

"Sister Lin, it's fine to be a consultant, but I won money and need to treat me to a drink!"

Lin Daiyu was very proud when she heard this and nodded in response.

"No problem! I'll be the host later and treat everyone to a drink together!"

Jia Chang has profound wisdom and knows everyone's cards well. He helps Lin Daiyu make plans and win everything, which makes others reluctant and prohibits him from helping Lin Daiyu.

Public anger was hard to offend, so Lin Daiyu did not dare to let Jia Chang continue to help. She only relied on her own ability. She did not know whether it was because of her poor poker skills or bad luck. She lost five or six games in a row and lost all the money she had just won. .

Jia Chang looked at Lin Daiyu, who was frowning, and felt funny in his heart. Seeing her hesitating and not knowing what to do, he secretly used means to transmit messages into secrets, give guidance, and save Lin Daiyu from the fire and water.

A strange look flashed across Lin Daiyu's pretty face, and she glanced at Jia Chang, who had his mouth tightly closed. She was secretly surprised in her heart. She didn't expect that Jia Chang had such miraculous means.

Under Jia Chang's secret guidance, Lin Daiyu reversed her previous decline, won consecutive battles, and won a lot of money. However, she was more restrained than before. She won two or three times out of five. At the end of the count, she actually won seven games. For eight taels of silver, I made a small fortune.

As the sun set in the west, everyone broke up the card game and had dinner. When everyone was enjoying their meal, there was suddenly a burst of yelling and cursing.

Jiao Da of Ning Guo Mansion is an old man in the mansion. He was the bodyguard of Ning Guo Gong. He drank some wine tonight and was drunk. Because of his seniority, Jia Zhen and others couldn't deal with him and he was acting drunk.

Jiao D first scolded Lai Er, the chief manager of Ningguo Mansion, saying that he acted unfairly and bullied the weak and was afraid of the strong.

"When you have a good errand, send someone else. If you have to send someone off in the middle of the night like this, send me. What a heartless bastard! You pretend to be a housekeeper! You don't even think about it. Mr. Jiao raised one foot and compared it with yours. His head is still high. Who does Mr. Jiao have in his eyes in the past twenty years? Not to mention you bastards!"

Jiao was in the mood for scolding. Everyone tried to persuade him to stop, but Jia Rong couldn't bear it anymore and said angrily.

"Have someone tie him up! When you wake up tomorrow, ask him if he still wants to die!"

Jiao Da was arrogant and did not take Jia Rong seriously at all. Instead, he yelled and shouted at Jia Rong.

"Brother Rong, don't act like a master in front of Jiao Da. Don't say that you are like this. Even your father and grandfather would not dare to stand up to Jiao Da! Jiao Da is not the only one. As an official, you will enjoy Glory and wealth? Your ancestors narrowly escaped death and earned this fortune. Now instead of repaying my kindness, you have become my master. It’s okay if you don’t say anything else to me. If you say anything else, we’ll go in with nothing. The red knife comes out!"

Seeing how impudent Jiao Da was, all the boys quickly gathered around him, holding ropes in their hands, trying to tie him up.

Unexpectedly, Jiao Da actually had some skills in his hands. He dodged left and right and knocked several boys to the ground. He became more and more arrogant and said nonchalantly.

"I want to go to the ancestral hall to cry for my uncle. How can I expect to give birth to these beasts! Every day, the family steals the dog and plays the chicken, crawls on the ashes, raises the uncle, raises the uncle, I don't know anything, we Fold your arms and hide them in your sleeves!”

It turned out that Jiao Da had heard Jia Zhen say something outrageous to Qin Keqing, and secretly remembered it in his heart. When he shouted out, Jia Zhen's face turned pale with shock, and Qin Keqing also turned pale.

Last time when Ning Guo Mansion was appreciating plum blossoms, Jia Chang entered Qin Keqing's room, and was noticed by Jiao Da, who thought that Jia Chang and Qin Keqing were having an affair, so he also yelled loudly.

Jia Chang's face darkened. He originally sympathized with Jiao Da Nai because he was an old man. He had contributed to the Jia family and shed blood, so he didn't want to argue with him. But he didn't expect that he actually bit him on the head. How could he allow him to be so arrogant.

Jia Chang stood up and walked slowly in front of Jiao Da, with a majestic look in his eyes and scolded.

"Drink some horse urine, just be here and act like a boss according to the rules!"

Jiao Dazui's eyes were bleary. Although he was quite old, his muscles and bones were still strong. He glanced at Jia Chang and said unconvinced.

"Try to move your uncle Jiao! Let's see if I don't hit you until your face turns red!"

Jia Chang was too lazy to argue with the drunkard. He moved his feet and instantly appeared in front of Jiao Da, acting like a ghost.

Jiao Da was startled. He swung his fist and smashed it towards Jia Da's face. He was impressive and powerful.

Jia Chang nodded secretly. It seemed that Jiao Da was not bragging. He should have fought on the battlefield. This punch had the shadow of martial arts in the military, but it was nothing in front of him.

Jia Chang turned his head slightly to avoid Jiao Da's fist. He raised his right hand and suddenly dropped it. He slapped Jiao Da to the ground. He lowered his head and looked down at the stunned Jiao Da and said sternly.

"You rely on your old age to act like one, you are arrogant based on your merits, and you are arrogant. This slap is just to make you calm down!"

Jiao Da sobered up in an instant. Although he was arrogant and resentful, he was a discerning person. He knew that Jia Chang was highly skilled in martial arts, and unlike Jia Zhen of Ningguo Mansion, Jia Rong was not someone to be trifled with, so he did not dare to continue to act recklessly.

"When you sober up, go back to the house and don't embarrass yourself here!"

Jia Chang was so majestic that Jiao Da saw Ning Rong in a trance and nodded in agreement. He was very honest, and he was not as arrogant as before.

Everyone then looked at Jia Chang in surprise. Everyone knew that he was a warrior on the battlefield, but they had never seen him take action. Today's action really shocked everyone and made them inexplicably brilliant.

Everyone was disturbed by Jiao Da, so they hurriedly dispersed and went home.

Time is like water, flowing continuously, and January passes in the blink of an eye.

Jia Chang was sitting in a carriage, walking on the official road, the wheels rolling, heading towards the Wu'an Hou Mansion.

"Hush!"

Suddenly, Li Hu, who was driving, tightened the reins, stopped the carriage, and reported to Jia Changhui in the carriage.

"Master Marquis, someone is blocking the road and seems to want to file a complaint!"

Jia Chang frowned slightly when he heard this. He should go to Shuntian Mansion to complain. What's the use of calling him a general? He stretched out his hand to open the curtain of the car and looked out. He saw a peasant woman with a sad expression, kneeling in the middle of the road and blocking the carriage. Before.

Jia Chang thought for a moment and ordered Li Hu.

"Go down and ask, what exactly is going on?"

Li Hu nodded in agreement, jumped off the carriage, came to the peasant woman, and asked in detail.

After a moment, Li Hu returned to the carriage and bowed to report back.

"Master Marquis, let me ask you clearly. This peasant woman is a commoner in Beicheng. Last year, her family was in trouble, so she borrowed usury money. The interest compounded like a snowball. She only borrowed five taels of silver and has already repaid twenty taels. She still owes seven taels. They couldn't afford to pay back ten taels, so the lender forced the family to sell their children and daughters to pay back the money!"

"She really couldn't survive, so she stopped the Marquis's carriage!"

Jia Chang glanced at Li Hu, who was hesitant, and knew that there must be something hidden in this matter, so he spoke.

"If you have anything to say, it doesn't matter. When did you learn to hesitate?"

"According to what this peasant woman said, the person lending money was someone from the Rongguo Mansion, so that's why they stopped the Marquis' carriage!"

Jia Chang's carriage was hung with a lantern with his last name written on it, so this peasant woman risked her life to stop Jia Chang's carriage, hoping to ask him to be merciful and let her family go.

When Jia Chang heard this, his face turned pale. He glanced at the woman kneeling in the middle of the street and said to Li Hu.

"Take her back to the house and investigate this matter carefully!"

"yes!"

Li Hu bowed and clasped his fists, nodded and accepted the order, and took the peasant woman back to Wu'an Hou Mansion.

In the evening, the night was hazy, the bright moon hung high, and the clear light shone like a veil covering the earth. Jia Chang entered the Rongguo Mansion and went straight to the Hall of Rongxi.

Jia Zheng sat behind the desk and looked at Jia Chang who was coming in a hurry. His expression was a bit surprised. It was so late. Why did Jia Chang come?

"Chang'er, it's already this hour and you suddenly come to see me again. But something happened?"

Jia Chang's face was deep, and he sat opposite Jia Zheng. He nodded and said in a deep voice.

"Today, on my way back to my hometown, I was stopped by someone and complained to me, saying that I borrowed usury from the government and was forced to sell my son and daughter. I can't survive anymore. I hope that the government can be kind and let them go!"

When Jia Zheng heard this, he stood up suddenly, his eyes flashed with anger and extremely gloomy, he slapped his right hand on the desk hard, made a loud noise, and said angrily.

"This is impossible. Our Rongguo Mansion is home to bells and pans, and we have monks who respect Taoism and accumulate virtues and do good deeds. How can we loan usury? This is a matter of conscience!"

"Jinmen Miscellaneous Notes·Yinzizi" records that those who usher in money are also the name of Jin people's money lending. He visits the door every day to ask for money, returns it, and puts a stamp on it, hence the name... If you borrow ten thousand, or eight thousand, you will pay it back in one hundred days, and you will pay back one hundred, or one hundred and twenty cash, every day. No wait.

There are also relevant records in "Cheng Xing Zhuan". The people had ten houses and nine empty houses. They had no need to take advantage of the opportunity to make money. They combined the coupons month by month. It was commonly known as "usuren money". Seventy-eight percent of the profits were made, and their wives and children were lost.

The interest rates on loan sharks are like a snowball, often forcing people to borrow money to be ruined. Selling children and daughters is a business that drinks human blood and destroys all conscience.

As a noble family, Rongguo Mansion would be ridiculed by other noble families if it was known that it had loaned money, and it would even be criticized by the imperial envoys. If one of them failed, Rongguo Mansion would be in trouble.

"I have asked people to find out everything. It was indeed someone from the house who did it. The person who came forward was Lai Wang'er, who is in front of Second Sister-in-law Lian!"

"You don't know if you don't investigate. Once you investigate, you will be shocked. Not only did the Rongguo Mansion usurp money, forcing many families to sell their children and daughters, but they also got involved in lawsuits. It was Wang'er who came forward!"

"What lawsuit?"

Jia Zheng's expression changed. This was no joke. If the imperial envoy knew about it, he would definitely buy a copy of it, which would be enough for the Rongguo Mansion to drink.

"It's not a big deal. I just asked Chang'an Jiedushi Yun Guang to force a guard to break off the engagement and took three thousand taels of silver as a favor!"

"Although the matter is not serious, we need to take precautions. If you are bold, will you dare to intervene in human life cases in the future!"

Jia Chang's face was expressionless and his eyes were piercing. He looked at Jia Zheng and spoke slowly.

After hearing this, Jia Zheng's face changed, turning green and black for a while. He was filled with fear and sat slumped on the Taishi's chair, sighing and frowning.

"Chang'er, I'm very confused right now and I don't know what to do."

"How do you think this matter should be handled? I will listen to you, and I will never tolerate such things that are insulting to the family tradition!"

Jia Zheng knew that Jia Chang had ideas and was able to take responsibility, so he asked him for advice. The matter must not be delayed. If the peasant woman can stop Jia Chang's carriage today, she can stop the sedan chair of the imperial envoy of the Metropolitan Procuratorate tomorrow. If Jia Zheng's small body could not bear to read a book in the court, and he would inevitably be dismissed from office and punished.

"This matter needs to be cut through quickly. We must first seize Wang'er's family, search out the account books, destroy all the accounts, and the usury money released is not allowed to be recovered again!"

"As for the second sister-in-law Lian, let her reflect behind closed doors for three months and hand over the power of housekeeping for the time being!"

"If I don't teach her a profound lesson this time, I'm afraid she will make a big fuss! Then the family will be implicated and she will regret it!"

Jia Chang was ruthless and cold-faced, and said very seriously.

When Jia Zheng heard this, he nodded and was about to greet Zhou Rui outside the door, asking him to order someone to capture Wanger's family.

But Jia Chang raised his hand, stopped Jia Zheng, stood up and said.

"It's better not to use the people in the house for this matter. Their rules are loose and they probably don't have any control over their words. If the affairs of the house are spread to the outside, I'm afraid it will cause trouble again."

"What should we do?"

Jia Zheng was like a headless fly, with no idea at all, and looked at Jia Chang anxiously.

"The personal guards in my house all followed me out of the pile of dead people. They work neatly and have a tight mouth. Let them do it. They will definitely not alarm anyone!"

Jia Chang turned around and walked out. His posture was tall and straight, as straight as a sword. He had a majestic and evil aura about him, like a general on the battlefield, which made people unconvincing.

"It's all up to you!"

Jia Zheng seemed to have a backbone and felt a little more settled. Jia Chang asked Zhou Rui to find Li Hu who was waiting in the front yard. After giving a few instructions, Li Hu took the order and left.

Within half an hour, Wang'er was escorted over without attracting anyone's attention. After a few interrogations, Jia Zheng and Jia Chang clarified the matter. It was Wang Xifeng who did this, and all the accounts were in Wang Xifeng's hands. hands.

Jia Zheng and Jia Chang did not waste any time and went straight to Jia Lian's small courtyard. Under the surprised gazes of Jia Lian and his wife, they directly sealed the courtyard and did not allow anyone to enter or exit, which aroused many people's confusion.

In the main room, Jia Zheng and Jia Chang are sitting at the top, Jia Lian is sitting at the bottom left hand, and Wang Xifeng is standing in the middle, looking panicked and frightened, pear blossoms with rain, very pitiful.

"Second Master, I know I was wrong, please forgive me this time!"

At this time, Wang Xifeng still had the majesty of the past. She was like an eggplant beaten by frost, her head drooped, and she fell to her knees on the ground, begging.

"You are confused!"

"How can a family like ours usury usurp money and force the people to sell their sons and daughters? The Rongguo Mansion is short of food for you and clothing for you. If you make money like this, aren't you afraid of being discovered and bringing trouble to the family? ?”

Jia Zheng was furious. He had already read the account books, which involved hundreds of families in Shenjing City. Many of them were forced to live in ruins. This was simply outrageous and shocking. If the imperial envoy of the Metropolitan Procuratorate knew about it, Rong The government will definitely not be able to take advantage of it. Seizing a title or dismissing him from office is a trivial matter, and he may even be exiled thousands of miles away.

"I've burned all your account books, and the usury money you put out can't be taken back again!"

"Although Lai Wang'er is just an errand boy, he will inevitably be punished. Thirty bucks is indispensable. Send his family to the village!"

"As for you, it's better to stop taking care of the house for the time being and reflect on it behind closed doors!"

Jia Lian was also shocked. Although he knew that his wife was usually domineering and majestic, he did not expect Wang Xifeng to be so bold and dare to put loan money outside and intervene in lawsuits.

"What happened today is rotten in my heart and cannot be spread outside, otherwise don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Jia Zheng said with a cold face that he and Jia Chang had discussed these things in advance in order to teach Wang Xifeng to remember the lesson and not to act recklessly or play around with power.

Jiazheng and Jia Chang stood up and walked out with firm steps, giving people a depressing feeling.

Wang Xifeng was deprived of her housekeeping rights, and she felt angry. She raised her head suddenly and shouted loudly at the backs of the two of them.

"I run such a large Rongguo Mansion. I have no merit but hard work. I don't accept it!"

Jia Chang suddenly stopped and looked back at the hysterical Wang Xifeng. This fairy concubine was not very good-looking at this time. Maybe women would be just as ugly when they went crazy.

Jia Chang's eyes were cold, and a strong coercion fell on Wang Xifeng, causing her screams to stop suddenly. Her delicate body trembled slightly, and she was frightened and stood still.

"If you keep messing around, our Jia family will not tolerate such a bold daughter-in-law like you. I hope you will take care of yourself!"

As soon as these words came out, Wang Xifeng was completely frightened, her hands and feet went limp, and she collapsed on the ground, not daring to speak.

In the study room of Rongxi Hall, the lights were swaying, the light and shadow were mottled, shining on the face, and the atmosphere was a bit solemn.

Jia Zheng sighed, looked at Jia Chang opposite, and said with some embarrassment.

"Now that the housekeeper's power has been taken back, there are many things in the house, big and small, and we can't delay them for a day. What should we do?"

Jia Chang's sword eyes were lowered and his gaze was deep, making it impossible to see through his thoughts. Half of his body was in the light and half was in the shadows. Hearing this, he said.

"It's not difficult at this time. There are many sisters in the house, so it's time to learn how to be a housekeeper. If you marry into your husband's family in the future, you won't be in a hurry!"

"You mean to ask Tanchun and the others to manage the house? Are they afraid they can't do it?"

Jia Zheng shook his head, as if he felt that this idea was unreliable, and he did not believe that Tan Chun and others could manage the huge Rongguo Mansion.

"Although the Rongguo Mansion is big, the housekeeper is also simple. As long as the rules are set and rewards and punishments are clear, that's it!"

"I have underestimated the sisters too much. They are capable, but their characters still need to be tempered!"

"Now the Xue family sister is also in the mansion. She is a good housekeeper. If the sisters encounter something that they are not sure about, they can also ask her for advice!"

Jia Chang had already thought of a countermeasure, and the old god said calmly.