Chapter 448
Even though Zhan Feiyu's reputation was ruined, it was far from enough for Lord Jin Jiu and Commander Xie. The former had lost his family fortune and become a stray dog, while the latter had lost elite subordinates cultivated over many years. Dismissal and punishment were only a matter of time.
On this day, the sun shone brightly. Boxes of treasures were carried by constables and placed on the open ground outside the yamen. Soldiers in armor stood guard around them, and the common folk only dared to watch from afar, not daring to approach.
The middle-aged man in the blue long gown scanned the people in the room as soon as he entered. With an arrogant expression, he walked towards the round chair in the front.
The dozen or so people conversing in the room stopped talking involuntarily. Among them, a young man dressed as a scholar, about twenty years old, quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and bowed, "Mr. Zhao has also arrived."
"Zifang, you speak incorrectly. If the yamen summons accountants skilled in mathematics, and Zhao the Divine Calculator does not come, how dare we enter?" As these flattering words were spoken, everyone in the room chuckled in agreement and greeted Zhao the Divine Calculator with salutations.
"You flatter me, Zhao is ashamed to accept," Zhao the Divine Calculator's attitude remained arrogant, but there was a hint of a smile on his face. He directly sat in the main seat and, with a displeased sweep of his gaze, said, "Why is there no tea? Serve tea!"
Zhan Feiyu, who was yawning in the corner, was startled. "I am also here to do accounts."
A mere girl is also an accountant? Zhao the Divine Calculator sneered, "This is a yamen, how can you cause trouble? Get out!"
Others had noticed Zhan Feiyu before, but this was the yamen. Although they were curious how a young girl could be here, they chose not to ask, adhering to the principle of minding one's own business.
"Little girl, this old man has been calculating accounts in Minhe Prefecture for nearly fifty years. I didn't know when a female accountant was added!" The old man stroking his beard chuckled disdainfully and waved his hand, "As a woman, do not covet the outer world, do not wander freely. Leave quickly!"
Although others did not speak, their expressions ranged from contempt to disdain. If it weren't for their status and the fact that this was a yamen, they would have likely had Zhan Feiyu driven out.
"Empress Suzong decreed the compilation of the 'Da Qing Law,' and women can also participate in imperial examinations. Why can't women be skilled in mathematics?" The young man also standing in the corner spoke out indignantly, "We are all accountants who came for the examination. Besides Lord Yao, no one has the right to drive her out!"
There was a moment of silence in the room, and everyone's gaze shifted to the young man who spoke up for Zhan Feiyu.
"I wondered who it was, but it turns out to be the Shi family's麒麟子," Zhao the Divine Calculator said with a forced smile, his sarcasm undisguised. "Back then, the eldest daughter of the Shi family shamelessly attached herself to the Jin family. Why are you not wagging your tail and begging the Jin family today?"
Shi Fan clenched his fists in anger, thinking of his little aunt who had died in disgrace, his eyes turned red with rage. "Heaven is just. Zhao Chunlai, you are jealous of the capable and caused the death of my little aunt. You will be repaid!"
A burst of wild laughter erupted. Zhao the Divine Calculator sat on the main seat, his expression so arrogant it was detestable. "Whether I will be repaid or not, Zhao does not know. The grass on the grave of the eldest daughter of the Shi family must be a person's height by now, right? It's also because your Shi family has no rules. A贱人 carrying an illegitimate child can even be buried in the ancestral grave. No wonder the Shi family is dying, becoming useless, and now can only rely on you, a child who hasn't even weaned, to hold up the family."
"You!" In his anger, Shi Fan lunged forward, his clenched fists seeming to want to knock the malicious smile off Zhao the Divine Calculator's face.
A flash of cunning flickered in his eyes. Zhao the Divine Calculator remained seated and did not move, while Shi Fan was held back by several people.
The slender fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy faced three or four middle-aged men who were interfering. Not only could he not hit anyone, but he was also pinned to the ground in an instant.
With a cold sneer, Zhao the Divine Calculator glanced towards the door and slowly stood up, looking down at the subdued Shi Fan, his malice undisguised. "Your Shi family is ungrateful and deserves this fate!"
The Shi family had been accountants since their ancestors. They were skilled in mathematics. It was said that the Shi family had a unique accounting method and a rare collection of mathematics books, which contained fast and convenient calculation methods. This also made the Shi family a renowned mathematics family in Longyou Circuit.
With the Shi family suppressing them, other accountants had no chance to emerge. Shops would only hire people from the Shi family as accountants, cutting off the financial resources and livelihoods of other accountants.
Zhao the Divine Calculator had once sought to marry the eldest daughter of the Shi family in his early years but was rejected. Enraged, Zhao the Divine Calculator, along with other accountants, jointly boycotted the Shi family, wanting the Shi family to hand over their rare mathematics books.
Unfortunately, although the Shi family was considered a minor accounting family, their connections in Longyou Circuit were not to be underestimated. Zhao the Divine Calculator and his associates meticulously planned but still failed.
However, in the end, outsiders only knew that the eldest daughter of the Shi family was favored by the fourth master of the Jin family. Not only was she pregnant before marriage, but it was also rumored that she had tampered with the accounts, embezzling money from the Jin family. She was then escorted to the yamen by the fourth madam of the Jin family. Under the beating, the eldest daughter of the Shi family died with her unborn child, and the Shi family's assets were used to cover the deficits in the accounts. The reputation of the Shi family's divine calculators was completely ruined.
When a wall falls, everyone pushes! The Shi family was ruined, and naturally, Zhao the Divine Calculator and other accountants prospered.
Unfortunately, the Shi family's ancestral home was burned down by a fire. Not only were their rare mathematics books turned to ashes, but many people in the Shi family also died. It had been nearly ten years, and they could only rely on Shi Fan, a young boy, to hold up the family.
"What is all this commotion?" a scolding voice came from outside the door. A scribe walked in with a stern face, his gaze sweeping across the entire room. "This is a yamen, how can you cause trouble here!"
Zhao the Divine Calculator's arrogance vanished, and he quickly walked over. "The Shi family's brat is ill-mannered and started a disturbance. Please forgive him, Chief Clerk Tian."
While replying, Zhao the Divine Calculator moved his wrist, and a pouch filled with broken silver was discreetly slipped into the hand of Chief Clerk Tian.
"Hmph, a mere brat dares to cause trouble in the yamen? Guards!" Chief Clerk Tian reprimanded angrily, feigning righteousness. "Muzzle him and throw him out!"
Zhao the Divine Calculator retreated to the side with satisfaction, his eyes filled with ruthlessness. He would never allow the Shi family to rise again. If the roots are not removed, there will be endless trouble!
With his arms grabbed by two yamen runners, Shi Fan struggled violently. Meeting Zhao the Divine Calculator's malicious gaze, he knew he had been tricked. No matter how Zhao Chunlai provoked him, he should not have caused trouble in the yamen!
The others in the room watched coldly. Whether the Shi family was innocent or guilty, they could not let the Shi family rise, otherwise, where would their financial resources come from?
Especially the thin old man who spoke earlier, his face was full of malice. He had falsified accounts back then, only embezzling ten taels of silver. At the end of the year, the employer would have the Shi family's accountants do the calculations. The Shi family should have turned a blind eye, just like how he audited accounts for other businesses. Being strict meant cutting off people's financial path!
But the Shi family simply did not leave him a way out. The thin old man not only had to repay the ten taels of silver he embezzled but was also fired by his employer. Because the news of falsifying accounts spread, no shop would hire him as an accountant anymore, and he finally had to work as a porter at the dock to earn money.
"Wait!" Zhan Feiyu spoke out, instantly drawing everyone's attention in the room.
Zhao the Divine Calculator glanced at Zhan Feiyu, that meddling little girl. "Chief Clerk Tian, I don't know where this little girl came from, but she has also sneaked in."
Chief Clerk Tian took money to help people, and at this moment, he spoke again with a stern face, "Throw out this ignorant little girl as well!"
... But the Shi family simply did not leave him a way out. The thin old man not only had to repay the ten taels of silver he embezzled but was also fired by his employer. Because the news of falsifying accounts spread, no shop would hire him as an accountant anymore, and he finally had to work as a porter at the dock to earn money. But the Shi family simply did not leave him a way out. The thin old man not only had to repay the ten taels of silver he embezzled but was also fired by his employer. Because the news of falsifying accounts spread, no shop would hire him as an accountant anymore, and he finally had to work as a porter at the dock to earn money.
"Wait!" Zhan Feiyu spoke out, instantly drawing everyone's attention in the room.
Zhao the Divine Calculator glanced at Zhan Feiyu, that meddling little girl. "Chief Clerk Tian, I don't know where this little girl came from, but she has also sneaked in."
Chief Clerk Tian took money to help people, and at this moment, he spoke again with a stern face, "Throw out this ignorant little girl as well!"
Chief Clerk Tian took money to help people, and at this moment, he spoke again with a stern face, "Throw out this ignorant little girl as well!"