Datang: Empress mother-in-law sent Li Er to test me

Chen Ran and a dozen gentry blushed from drinking.

Someone suddenly said: "Mr. Chen, if the two hundred catties of grain are borrowed, will Director Ma and Lu Changshi bear a grudge against us?"

Chen Ran put down his wine glass, glanced at him and said, "We borrowed the food, don't they remember us? Don't forget how we got those lands."

The gentry sitting in the hall nodded one after another and stopped thinking about it.

At this moment, the butler suddenly walked quickly into the hall, and said solemnly: "Patriarch, the people from the chief manager's mansion are here!"

"Huh?" Chen Ran was stunned, and asked in confusion: "What are the people from the Chief Manager's Mansion doing here? Who is it?"

The gentry also looked at the butler with puzzled expressions, and the butler said, "They're all here! Besides Manager Ma and Lu Changshi, there are three imperial envoys!"

Chen Ran stood up in surprise, and said, "Du Yan, Changsun Wuji is here too? Invite them in!"

"No!" The butler nodded quickly.

Soon, Zhang Dun strode in with Changsun Wuji, Du Yan, Ma Yuangui, and Lu Changshi.

Chen Ran hurriedly led the gentry out of the hall to greet him, cupped his hands and said, "Chen Ran of Taiyuan County, I have met Du Gong, Changsun Gong, Manager Ma, and Lu Changshi."

He finally set his sights on Zhang Dun and was shocked, what a young imperial envoy!

"This person should be the imperial envoy, Jing Zhao Shaoyin, Zhang Dun, Zhang Shaoyin, right?"

Zhang Dun said with a smile on his face, "Old Chen has good eyesight."

Chen Ran smiled, spread out his palms and said, "Everyone, come in and talk."

"no need."

Zhang Dun shook his head, "We are not here this time to beg for a drink, we have business to do."

Chen Ran snorted, and asked curiously, "I don't know what Zhang Shaoyin is talking about, what is it?"

Zhang Dun waved his hand kindly with a smile, and asked the soldiers who brought him to bring over the plaque, pointing to the plaque and saying, "We are here this time to thank you all."

Chapter 246 Zhang Shaoyin, are you going to use their hands to move to Mulixin?

"This is a plaque specially made by the General Manager's Office to commend you and help the General Manager's Office to relieve the victims."

"..."

Chen Ran was stunned, and the other gentry present also frowned, staring at the plaque.

Does the plaque he sent mean gratitude?

I lent out two hundred catties of grain.

Get a plaque that reads "Borrowing food for meritorious service".

It's more like sarcasm anyway.

Chen Ran came back to his senses, bowed his hands solemnly and said: "Zhang Shaoyin, we are also the people of Hedong Road, and it is what we should do to contribute to Hedong Road."

"We must not accept this plaque."

No charge?If you don't accept my plan, how can you proceed?

Zhang Dun looked at the old man in front of him deeply, shook his head and said:

"In "The Analects of Confucius", have you ever heard of the deeds of Zigong redeeming people?"

Chen Ran frowned, and said, "What does Zhang Shaoyin mean by this?"

Zhang Dun said in an unhurried tone: "During the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Lu formulated a law that if people of the State of Lu saw their compatriots being sold as slaves, as long as they were willing to pay to redeem them, they would be free when they returned to the State of Lu." be compensated and rewarded.”

"This law has been implemented for many years, and many Lu people who were exiled in other places were rescued and returned to Lu."

"Zigong, a student of Confucius, was a wealthy businessman. He redeemed many Lu people from abroad, but he refused the compensation from Lu, because he thought he didn't need the money and was willing to share it for the country. to redeem a man's burden."

"Confucius heard about this and scolded Zi Gong endlessly, saying that his actions harmed the nature and justice, and harmed countless Lu country compatriots who were in distress."

"Why did Confucius scold Zi Gong? I think Mr. Chen and you all should be able to understand the reason."

Zhang Dun raised two fingers, glanced at the crowd and said:

"Everything is nothing more than the words 'righteousness' and 'benefit'."

"The original laws of the State of Lu only asked for the word 'righteousness' in people's hearts. As long as everyone sees compatriots in distress and can feel compassion, as long as he is willing to take the trouble to redeem people and bring compatriots back to the country, then He's done an act of kindness."

"Afterwards, the country will compensate and reward him, so that the person who does good deeds will not suffer losses, but will be praised by everyone. If things go on like this, more and more people will be willing to do good deeds."

"So this law is a good law."

"That's why Confucius said that Zigong's deeds have certainly won him higher praise for himself, but at the same time they have raised everyone's requirements for 'righteousness'."

"In the future, those who redeem people and ask the country for compensation will not only not be praised by the people of the country anymore, they may even be ridiculed by the people of the country, asking why they can't share the country's worries like Zi Gong."

"Since Zigong, many Lu people have turned a blind eye to their compatriots in distress."

"Because they are not as rich as Zigong, and if they ask the state for some compensation, they will be reviled instead."

"Because of this, many Lu people cannot return to their homeland."

Zhang Dun put down his palm and said seriously:

"The reason why I tell this story to Mr. Chen and you is because what I want to do is to tell the people of Hedong Road through this matter."

"Those who provide disaster relief will not only suffer no losses, but will also receive awards and praises from the Chief Administrator's Office."

Zhang Dun said with a smile on his face: "In this way, more people will be willing to help the victims."

"Everything is for the word 'righteousness', to encourage everyone to do good deeds."

"If you don't accept the plaque prepared for you by the General Manager's Mansion, you have imitated Zi Gong and gained greater praise yourself, but you have invisibly raised others' requirements for 'righteousness'."

Zhang Dun patted the plaque lightly with the palm of his hand, and said: "If some people do good deeds and help the victims because you don't accept the plaque, what they get instead is abuse, wouldn't it chill their hearts?"

What a sharp mouth!

Changsun Wuji looked at Zhang Dun, and the matter of giving them the plaque showed that there was something tricky in it.

Chen Ran and these gentry were unwilling to accept the plaque because they saw the problem.

Zhang Dun's words are tantamount to putting a big hat on, so don't accept it?If you don't accept you, you will destroy the good dharma!

You have become great villains!

Chen Ran and the gentry looked at each other and were speechless.

After a long time, Chen Ran looked at Zhang Dun with admiration, cupped his hands and said, "It's the old man who is stupid. In that case, we will be disrespectful and accept it. Thank you Zhang Shaoyin and the two imperial envoys."

Although the other gentry still had doubts in their hearts, when they saw Chen Ran's statement, they all hurriedly bowed.

Zhang Dun smiled and said, "This is what you deserve."

"Come here!" He looked back at the soldiers who came in, and said loudly, "Hang all the plaques on the gates of Mr. Chen and the noble gentry. Remember, don't leave any of them behind!"

"No!" The government soldiers clasped their fists and shouted loudly.

After they left, Zhang Dun shifted his gaze to Chen Ran and the others, cupped his hands and said:

"Old Chen, and all of you, the purpose of the Chief Steward's Mansion is to persuade people to be good, so without the order of the Chief Steward's Mansion, you must not remove this plaque."

Chen Ran nodded and said, "I understand!"

Zhang Dun said with a smile: "Since the matter is settled, we will go back and say goodbye."

"Three imperial envoys, Director Ma, and Lu Changshi, walk slowly."

Chen Ran didn't dare to be careless in his heart, with a smile on his old face, he led the gentry to send Zhang Dun and the others out of the mansion.

"My son, you have such a sharp mouth."

Seeing the people coming and going in a hurry from the chief executive's mansion, someone among the wealthy gentry suddenly said.

The other person nodded in agreement, and said solemnly, "I feel something is wrong."

"There's nothing wrong with that."

Chen Ran looked back at them, smiled and said, "Yimu Lixin."

"Although the food we borrowed from the chief manager's mansion is only two hundred catties in total, but if you don't tell me, I don't tell you, who knows how much we borrowed?"

Chen Ran looked up at the plaque on the door of the mansion that said "Borrowing money to make meritorious service", stroked his beard and smiled and said:

"Others looking at this plaque will only think that if you lend food to the chief manager's mansion, not only will you not suffer losses like opening a porridge shed, but you will get a greater reward."

"There will naturally be more and more people who lend food to the chief manager's mansion."

Chen Ran said with emotion: "This son is shrewd and has a very broad mind. No wonder the emperor can give him such a heavy responsibility at such a young age."

A gentry with a hood hesitated and said: "Then we are at a loss? It's just for nothing that he treats us as the wood of Lixin in the chief executive's mansion?"

Chen Ran glanced at him, pointed to the plaque and said, "Don't you get a plaque?"

Everyone couldn't help laughing, and some even burst out laughing.

Chapter 247 Let the disaster victims enter the city and 'distribute' food to them

Wouldn't it be better to get more rewards for such a good thing without paying much food.

"Everyone, let's continue drinking!"

Chen Ran smiled very happily, took everyone into the hall with strides, and continued to exchange glasses.

After leaving Chen's house, Zhang Dun, Changsun Wuji, Du Yan, Ma Yuangui, Lu Zizang and others headed towards the chief manager's mansion.

Along the way, Changsun Wuji and Du Yan kept looking at Zhang Dun, their eyes full of strangeness.

Zhang Dun turned his head to look at the two, and asked curiously, "Du Gong, Changsun Shangshu, what do you think of me like that?"

Changsun Wuji laughed and said, "Zhang Shaoyin, if the old man didn't know who you are, I would have believed what you said just now."

Zhang Dun said seriously: "I really think so."

"Do you think the old man believes it?"

Changsun Wuji sneered, "Tell me, what kind of medicine is sold in your gourd."

"Actually, I didn't show off anything."

Zhang Dun laughed, "I just want to borrow their hands to help Hedong Road get through this difficult time."

"With those few plaques, I don't think it will take long for it to work."

Hearing this, Du Yan looked at him suspiciously, "Are you really planning to use them as that piece of wood? To move wood and make a letter?"

Zhang Dun asked back: "Is it not possible?"

Du Yan raised his forehead, and Changsun Wuji also shook his head.

This is not a question of whether or not.

It's that they can believe that other people do this, but they can't accept Zhang Dun's doing this.

Because Zhang Dun is not such a person!

His character is the kind of master who repays the kindness of a drop of water, and repays the humiliation twice.

The Chen family, the governor of Taiyuan County, and those noble gentry, are they helping the chief executive's mansion?

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that they are humiliating the Chief Executive's Mansion!

Two hundred catties of grain, what is enough for it?

These people are not enough to eat!

Not to mention, use these grains to relieve the victims.

Can Zhang Dun not see it?He must have seen it!

However, he still wants to give people a plaque to express his gratitude.

Said there was nothing in it.

Who believes?

Changsun Wuji would rather believe that what he sent was arsenic, which is more reliable than thanking him.

There was a smile on Zhang Dun's face. He knew that his words could not be hidden from Du Yan and Changsun Wuji.

These two old foxes.