Chapter 75: Chapter 74 Rumors Abound Chapter 75: Chapter 74 Rumors Abound “You, go out first!”
Yang Zhenshan first sent Yang Mingzhi out of the study.
“Sir!”
After Yang Mingzhi left, Luo Shang looked anxiously at Yang Zhenshan.
Yang Zhenshan smiled faintly and said, “Shopkeeper Luo, let’s sit down and have a chat!”
“Oh oh~~” Luo Shang sat somewhat awkwardly in front of the desk.
Yang Zhenshan poured him a cup of tea and asked, “Does Shopkeeper Luo not have a few trustable friends within the castle?”
“Yes!” Luo Shang didn’t understand what Yang Zhenshan intended to do but still honestly replied, “It’s just that they can’t help!”
He had been running his business in the castle for over a decade, and although he didn’t belong to any clan force, he had some friends.
Compared to the officials he tried to ingratiate himself with, his civilian friends were more trustworthy.
But such a matter could hardly be helped by an ordinary person.
Yang Zhenshan picked up the tea and took a light sip, “I can’t help you with this matter, as you know I’ve only recently arrived in the castle and hardly have any foundation here!”
“But, Sir~” Luo Shang couldn’t help but plead again.
Yang Zhenshan raised his hand to stop him, saying, “Let me finish speaking.”
“I can’t help you personally, but I can offer you some advice.”
“This time when Chongshan Town marched to war, Zhang Yude embezzled a lot of provisions!”
Yang Zhenshan might not be clear about other matters.
But he knew something about Zhang Yude embezzling provisions because he was the grain transport official. During his time returning to the castle with the grain, he had frequent dealings with people from the Governor’s Office, the Ministry of Revenue, and subordinates of Zhang Yude.
He didn’t know how many people were involved, but he was aware that each time he received provisions, there would be a shortage of thirty percent.
Zhou Lan was aware, and Zhang Shouwang probably knew as well, but neither of them said anything. Thus, Yang Zhenshan also didn’t interfere further; after all, as a minor grain transport official, he couldn’t manage such matters. Whatever amount was given, he transported, and what happened next was not for him to concern himself with.
Perhaps it was something everyone knew but no one dared to speak about.
“What does this have to do with me?” asked Luo Shang, puzzled.
“Our army has been defeated, the court will surely assign blame, and as the garrison eunuch, Zhang Yude certainly doesn’t want to attract the attention of the court!”
“If the scandal of Zhang Yude’s embezzlement spreads throughout the entire castle, do you think the court will deal with Zhang Yude?”
Yang Zhenshan spoke slowly.
At this time, Zhang Yude would naturally have to behave himself.
“Are you implying that, Sir?” Luo Shang seemed to grasp the idea.
Yang Zhenshan continued to remind him, “If Zhang Yude falls, what would the Zhang family amount to?”
“Even if Zhang Yude doesn’t fall, causing him some trouble so he has no time for other matters, the Zhang family probably won’t be able to bother you for a while, and maybe you can even take the opportunity to rescue your son!”
Upon hearing this, Luo Shang’s eyes lit up.
If he could rescue his eldest son, he was naturally willing to try.
“Does Sir mean to spread rumors?”
“No, it’s not a rumor; it’s the truth!” Yang Zhenshan said with a smile.
Luo Shang wasn’t foolish; his many years of doing business in the castle proved he had his principles of conduct.
Seeing Luo Shang’s understanding, Yang Zhenshan’s expression became serious and he said, “Once you leave this room, remember I haven’t helped you with anything, nor have I said anything extra to you. Do you understand?”
Luo Shang was startled, then stood up, bowed deeply, and said, “I understand, I shall forever remember Sir’s kindness in my heart!”
By now, he had calmed down and also understood Yang Zhenshan’s difficulties and considerations.
Yang Zhenshan giving him advice was already more than enough to earn his gratitude. If he had any conscience at all, he shouldn’t implicate Yang Zhenshan.
He could put himself at risk for his own salvation, for the rescue of his son, but Yang Zhenshan should not take the risk for his sake.
“Goodbye, I won’t see you out!” Yang Zhenshan played the host with his tea.
Luo Shang took a deep breath, his expression once again turned to despair.
He left the study in a daze, and the corners of Yang Zhenshan’s mouth slightly lifted.
Fortunately, this man was smart.
…
Yang Zhenshan did not pay much attention to what happened with the Luo family afterwards, since he had already refused Luo Shang. Whatever Luo Shang did had nothing to do with him.
Of course, even if he did not pay attention, many rumors within Linguan Castle still reached his ears.
On the third day after Luo Shang left Linguan Castle, some rumors began to spread within the castle.
Some said the defeat in this battle was due to the inadequacy of military supplies.
The shortage of military supplies was because someone embezzled the army provisions.
The rumors became more and more widespread, with various versions implicating Zhang Yude, Zhang Shouwang, and even the governor Sun Xincheng.
With various rumors flying around, some were mere gossip while others held truth.
Luo Shang was just a nobody; he couldn’t possibly have created all these rumors, nor did he need to.
He just needed to start the rumor mill, and the rest would naturally be amplified by countless others.
Perhaps some among them also had agendas of their own.
But those matters were no longer related to Luo Shang.
Amidst these rumors, the Zhang family indeed kept a low profile. Perhaps Zhang Yude had warned them to stay discreet during this time, or maybe they felt the pressure and sensed the crisis themselves.
In any case, they now had no time to focus on a nobody like Luo Shang.
However, Luo Shang’s son was still locked up in prison.
Time quietly moved into late July, the weather was still scorching hot, and the river at the foot of Linguan Castle’s hill had completely dried up.
But the deep well Yang Zhenshan wanted had been dug.
The well water was plentiful, allowing Linguan Castle not only to have drinking water but also to irrigate some fields.
The matter of the drought also caught the attention of many.
The Governor’s Office and the Governor’s Office had issued orders for each military camp and garrison to dig wells for water, to ensure the harvest of this year’s farming.
But such measures were merely a drop in the bucket.
This year’s harvest in Chongshan Town would definitely be affected, and though it wouldn’t result in total crop failure, the output would significantly decrease.
Concerning this, Yang Zhenshan felt somewhat relieved. With this, even though Chongshan Town would be affected by the drought, it should avoid descending into chaos because of it.
“Dad, the Clan Leader has sent a letter!”
In the government office study, Yang Minghao came back with two letters.
He had just gone to the castle city with Old Li to purchase goods and happened to encounter the Lu family’s caravan.
Taking the letters, Yang Zhenshan began reading.
There were two letters, one was written by Yang Mingcheng.
Thanks to the Lu family’s caravan, Yang Mingcheng wrote to him every month, sharing trivial family matters.
Yang Mingcheng’s letter held nothing of interest; it was just his concern over their well-being at Linguan Castle, updates about family affairs, and what he had been doing recently.
Yang Zhengxiang’s letter, however, contained much news.
Firstly, the Yang family’s private school had been completed, and Yang Zhengxiang had invited a Scholar and two students from the county city to teach, with many children from Yang Family Village already enrolled.
Enrolling in the Yang family school was not free; tuition fee was required. Descendants of the Yang family could pay less, while children of other surnames attending the school had to pay more.
Besides the private school, the roads in Yang Family Village had been repaired, with the lanes paved with greenstones from the mountains, and the path connecting to the official road was built with compacted earth, not as durable as the official road but much more solid and level than before.
Then Yang Zhengxiang talked about the balance of the silver. Eight hundred taels of silver, along with miscellaneous war spoils added up to almost nine hundred taels. Four hundred taels were spent on constructing the private school and repairing roads. The remaining five hundred taels were all used by Yang Zhengxiang to purchase farmland as ancestral property for the Yang Family.
This land would be leased to impoverished families within the clan; they only had to pay thirty percent of the rent annually. The collected rent would be used to finance the private school and provide subsidies to those who had served the Yang Family meritoriously.
Yang Zhenshan was very satisfied with this. In fact, all these had been discussed with Yang Zhengxiang before.
Yang Zhengxiang had done mostly as he had suggested.