Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 45 Making a feint to the east and attacking in the west
Yang Can got up early in the morning, and Xiao Tan helped him wash up and cleanse his face.

It was as if nothing had happened last night.

Xiao Tan wasn't embarrassed, so Yang Can naturally wasn't either.

Yang Can used a bitten willow twig dipped in salt to brush his teeth, thinking that he should try to make a toothbrush someday.

He had considered this idea before, but there was no patent law in those days, and this thing didn't present any technical difficulties.

The reason it hasn't been published is simply because no one has thought of it yet.

As soon as he can create it, others will immediately learn how to make it.

But if he could own his own business, that would be a different story.

He can produce and stock up in large quantities in advance, so that it can immediately fill the market as soon as it is launched.

Even if someone else copies his work, he will still be able to earn his first pot of gold.

Furthermore, it will be able to maintain a brand advantage in the subsequent market.

Therefore, he will not reveal this method of making money until he owns his own business.

After washing up and changing his clothes, Yang Can went downstairs to have breakfast.

In the hall, Li Damu and Xiao Qingmei had already arrived.

As soon as Qingmei sat down, Sangzhi's intriguing gaze lingered on her.

Qingmei left quite late last night.

Because Qingmei knew roughly how long Yang Can could keep up this fuss.

This honest kid timed it perfectly, estimating it to be close to the usual time before leaving.

It was already past midnight.

Moreover, while she was sitting, she remained wary of Yang Can, her legs poised to spring into action at any moment.

As a result, she got a cramp when she went downstairs because her leg muscles were too tense.

What do you expect Sangzhi and Xiaotan to think of this scene?
Qingmei knew what Sangzhi meant by looking at her, but the more she tried to explain, the worse it got.

Helpless, Qingmei could only sit there sulking.

At this moment, Yang Can and Xiao Tan walked downstairs with a leisurely air.

Upon seeing the culprit, Qingmei immediately glared at him with her big eyes.

Yang Can raised an eyebrow at her for no apparent reason.

This bastard is still pretending to be stupid with me?

However, the way he raises his eyebrows is really handsome...

Nonsence!

Qingmei's eyes were only momentarily dazed before she immediately saw through Yang Can's charm.

You stinky man, trying to seduce me? Do you think I'm such a... shallow person?

It's just raising an eyebrow, who cares?

Breakfast ended with Sangzhi deep in thought, Qingmei feigning composure, Li Damu quite puzzled, and Yang Can calm and collected.

At this moment, the head of the village, Lai Gulu, came over to invite them, and Yang Can and his group followed him out of the courtyard.

This courtyard offers good privacy, with high walls separating it from other areas.

Upon entering the central courtyard, one sees nearly thirty guards from the Zhang family doing their morning exercises on the drill ground.

The iron-tipped spear gleamed with a cold light in the sunlight.

Most of these guards and servants were descendants of Han Chinese and mixed-race Rong, Man, and Di peoples from Longshang.

Therefore, their physique and appearance appear particularly lean and wiry.

The martial arts guards chosen by Master Zhang are naturally the best.

……

On Zhang Yunyi's side, the accountant, field supervisor, granary manager, and tenant leaders of Feng'an Village had all arrived.

Seeing Yang Can and his group approaching, Zhang Yunyi quickly glanced at Xiao Qingmei, who was half a body behind Yang Can.

She was indeed a charming and delicate young woman, whose beauty surpassed that of Sangzhi and Xiaotan.

With her watching over him, Steward Yang wouldn't be able to cheat on her, so he would have to make some changes to his plan.

For example... creating an opportunity to catch them "in the act"?
However, we cannot do this until the true intentions are fully revealed; let's wait and see.

Today is Yang Can's first day of officially inspecting Feng'anzhuang.

So early in the morning, Master Zhang led a large group of people to accompany Yang Can and his group to get a general understanding of Feng'an Village.

The division of land in Feng'anzhuang, the construction of water conservancy projects, the management of supporting ditches, water storage ponds, grain storage areas, as well as mills, blacksmith shops for making and repairing farm tools...

Regarding the population of the village, Master Zhang also provided a more detailed introduction:
Free citizens who own a small amount of land and need to pay taxes and perform labor on farmland;

The households of retainers who serve as civilians in peacetime and soldiers in wartime;

Propertyless tenants who rented land from manor houses, etc.

Zhang Zhuangzhu naturally never mentioned the common people who had fled here from the Central Plains or other areas ruled by powerful clans for various reasons.

Master Zhang took them in and had them cultivate the wasteland, turning them into tenant farmers.

These tenant farmers and the newly reclaimed land all belong to Zhang Zhuangzhu, a fact unknown to the Yu family.

As Yang Can was taking a quick look around, a corpse quietly floated up in the moat of Feng'an Fort.

The man was thin and disheveled; everyone in the village recognized him. His name was Zhen Laoshi.

Zhen Laoshi was a hardworking self-cultivating farmer. He and his son spent several years working from dawn till dusk to cultivate more than ten acres of fertile land.

Because his son fell ill from exhaustion, he borrowed money from Master Zhang at exorbitant interest rates, and the outcome was as expected.

His land eventually belonged to the Zhang family, his son died of illness, his daughter-in-law remarried, and Zhen Laoshi went mad.

Now, the insane Zhen Laoshi has completely left this world.

After a day's work, Yang Can had gained a direct understanding of the local agricultural production, population management, tax payment, and village rules and regulations. By the time they returned from their inspection tour, it was already evening.

Zhang Yunyi wanted to arrange a grand banquet for Yang Can, but Yang Can politely declined.

"I appreciate the master's kindness."

But eating so much rich food every day is too much for my stomach.

Let's keep it simple today, keep it simple..."

Zhang Yunyi smiled slightly and agreed.

Anyway, since the person is in his manor, no matter what Yang Can does, it won't escape his eyes.

After dinner, Xiao Tan and Sang Zhi brewed tea and brought it up. Yang Can then dismissed them, leaving Li Damu and Qingmei behind.

Yang Can turned the oil lamp in front of him up a bit, put the lampshade back on, and glanced at Accountant Li and Xiao Qingmei.

"Gentlemen, you both know the purpose of our inspection of the newly acquired estates and properties."

Today, accompanied by Master Zhang, we have gained a basic understanding of the overall situation of Feng'an Village.

What should we do next? Do you two have any plans?

Qingmei's heart skipped a beat. Last night, she had heard Yang Can tell her what his plans were. Why was he asking them for advice again today?

Upon hearing this, Li Damu immediately perked up.

"Second Steward, in my opinion, we should take stock of their accounts."

The ledger that Yang Can received earlier was handed over by Yu Huanhu.

At that time, the second branch of the family was in charge of these six major estates. After the accounts of the six major estates were compiled, they were reported to Yu Huanhu.

Yu Huanhu compiled the account books for all the fields under his jurisdiction and then reported them to the clan leader.

Yang Can discovered some problems with Huan Hu's accounts. By comparing them with the general accounts of the clan leader, he found some issues with Feng'an Manor.

However, Li Damu was clearly unaware of this.

Yang Can knew that even if Li Youcai was biased towards Zhang Yunyi, he wouldn't risk so much for the sake of Master Zhang.

Li Youcai would not inform Master Zhang of such matters in advance, much less tell Li Damu.

Li Damu was eager to play a role at this time.

Deacon Yang was served by the beauties sent by Master Zhang. He must have already slept with her last night, right?

Thinking about all this, Accountant Li felt a strong urge to have the same treatment.

Especially that little sandalwood girl, who was as petite and adorable as a "fragrant fan pendant".

This type is Li Damu's favorite; it's petite and easy to handle.

If he could persuade Deacon Yang to make the accounting a key focus of this inspection, wouldn't his importance as the accountant be highlighted?
When the time comes, in order to curry favor with him, Zhang Zhuangzhu will make sure that whatever Yang Deacon gets, he also gets!

Accountant Li said eagerly, "Steward Yang, as far as I know, if a manor wants to deceive the master and profit from the situation, there are only a few methods. As long as we carefully review the accounts, we will surely find something."

"We can thoroughly investigate all the accounts of Feng'an Village tomorrow. If they've tampered with them, they definitely won't escape my notice."

Upon hearing this, Qingmei said dismissively, "Mr. Li, what if Feng'an Manor has two sets of accounts, one open and one hidden?"

Accountant Li knew that in these aristocratic families, the personal maids serving the noble ladies were also trained from a young age.

They are proficient in all aspects of managing household affairs and cannot be simply regarded as servants or maids who serve tea and water.

But you only have a superficial understanding; how can you compare to a professional like me?

Li Damu stroked his beard and smiled, "Miss Qingmei, once they've done it, there's no way they won't leave a trace. Checking the accounts is a necessary step!"

Li Damu gave Qingmei a few polite but firm retorts before turning to Yang Can.

"Deacon Yang, the properties of Feng'an Manor have just been handed over to the eldest branch of the family."

The incident happened so suddenly that they didn't have time to falsify the accounts.

All we need to do is thoroughly investigate the land registers, rent books, and warehouse records of Feng'an Village for the past three years.

If there are hidden fields, falsely reported expenses, or inaccurate grain storage flows, there will always be evidence left against them.

Yang Can smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "Yes, we must investigate."

Yang Can thought for a moment and then said, "Mr. Li, you can't manage all this by yourself."

You can select some junior accountants with low positions from Feng'an Village and have them work with you.

Especially those who were older and had never been given important positions in Feng'anzhuang.

Upon hearing this, Accountant Li immediately understood and couldn't help but give a thumbs up, praising, "Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!"

"Haha, those people are frustrated and unsuccessful. Now that there's a new emperor, there's a new court. They might just have the guts to take a gamble and make a big bet."

Yang Can smiled and said, "Even if they don't dare to betray the manor owner directly, if they feel resentful, they will 'unintentionally' hand the loophole to Mr. Li."

"That's right, hahaha..."

Accountant Li was eager to get started; he was ready to unleash his full potential.

As for whether anything can be discovered, that depends on how much Zhang Zhuangzhu pays in tribute.

As long as the "meaning" is conveyed, even if there is a real problem, he can't find it.

If he can't find out, it just means he's not good enough or he made a mistake. He shouldn't be punished for that, right?

Qingmei blinked and asked, "What about me?"

Yang Can said, "The breakthrough point is with Mr. Li."

The two of us would patrol the area daily, trying to attract Master Zhang's attention.

Li Damu clapped his hands in admiration: "Great idea! The steward is in the open, while I am in the shadows. By deceiving everyone, we can accomplish great things."

Qingmei glanced at Li Damu with a sly look.

Yang Can is a guy who's even more cunning than a monkey when he gets his hands on something.

Tch! It's hard to say who's in the right and who's in the wrong between you two.

(End of this chapter)