HLnovel Chapter 1076: It is better to govern the heart than to govern the people
Chapter 1076: It is better to govern the heart than to govern the people
Nanny Gu whispered her thoughts to Shen Zheng.
"I've considered this before. The Mei family has managed Xiliu Manor for many years. It wouldn't be appropriate to confiscate Mei Bing's management rights."
Shen Zheng held up her chin and motioned her to continue.
"I have three concerns. The first, and most important, is to ensure a safe autumn harvest."
Then, she talked to Shen Zheng about how to manage the village.
"The farm has hundreds of acres of rice fields, and they all rely on the tenants' familiarity with planting and harvesting. Mei Bing has been managing the farm for decades, and he can tell with his eyes closed which fields are drought-resistant and which tenants are good at harvesting. If he were to be removed now and replaced with a novice, not to mention how long it would take the new manager to learn the ins and outs, the tenants' misgivings alone would easily lead to missed harvests."
Looking at the lush tree outside the hall, she sighed, "Autumn harvest is the most important event of the year, and we can't afford to mess around. Although Mei Bing made some mistakes, he was able to calm these tenants and make them work with peace of mind. This is something a novice can't compare to."
Shen Zheng agreed with this statement very much.
This is actually the same as the saying "It is easy to see the King of Hell, but difficult to deal with the little devils."
The only thing that can subdue a little ghost is a little ghost; the only thing that can subdue a little ghost is an evil ghost; the only thing that can subdue an evil ghost is the judge.
Because the little ghosts know that they cannot see the King of Hell; the King of Hell also knows that there are too many little ghosts and he cannot see them all, let alone take care of them.
It is easy to kill but difficult to control.
Seeing Shen Zheng's agreement, Nanny Gu continued, "My second concern is that without experienced hands, the farm will be difficult to manage."
"This official estate values 'familiarity' above all else. If the manager is changed hastily, the new manager will have to slowly establish connections, or else he'll need the palace's help. Then... the tenants will suffer. I know, my Lord, that you hate to see the people suffer."
As she spoke, she also took the opportunity to praise Shen Zheng.
Shen Zheng smiled and asked her, "What is Madam's third concern?"
"I think there's no need to exterminate them all just yet." Nanny Gu's tone was filled with the thoughtfulness bred in the palace. "As Your Majesty often says—'Punishment is meant to make people change, not to keep them from changing.'"
"It's better to govern people than to govern their hearts. The Mei family is now like an old tree infested with borers, but the trunk is still strong, and it would be a pity to cut it down... It would be better to remove the borers and trim the dead branches, so that it can continue to protect the farm from wind and rain. While you are away from the capital, I will keep a close eye on the Mei family. If they show any signs of misbehavior, I will show no mercy. After the autumn harvest, I will immediately send a new steward to replace Mei Bing."
At the end of her speech, Nanny Gu's eyes darkened slightly, and became more majestic than before.
Shen Zheng tapped her teacup and said with a smile, "Madam, you have thought it through. Now I can return to Tongan with peace of mind."
The turmoil in Xiliu Village found a delicate balance between "punishment" and "detention".
As for which side the scale will eventually tilt towards, it doesn't depend on Shen Zheng or Grandma Gu, it all depends on the Mei family.
......
Tangliyuan.
"Dad! Don't smash it! Dad! Please leave some for your son!"
In the yard, Manager Mei was carrying a sledgehammer, panting, and smashed all the treasures that Mei Li had collected there.
Mei Li was furious, and he didn't dare to stop it. He felt so painful that his heart was bleeding.
"My treasure bottle... my treasure box... Dad! How did you find this place? Are you still my dad?"
"It's because Dad still treats you as his son that this happens." Mei Rui removed the door curtain with a cold face and pushed Mei Li aside, "Brother, please move aside and don't block the way."
Mei Li's mind was in a mess. Mei Rui pushed him and he couldn't believe it: "Mei Rui, you dare to push me?"
"So what if I pushed you?" Mei Rui pulled down the door curtain, and the beads on it just happened to smear Mei Li's face. "It was my sister who reported my brother's corruption to Lord Shen."
Mei Rui at this moment was completely different from usual.
Mei Li's mouth opened wider and wider, and he held his head in pain: "Are you and Dad both crazy?"
Is this still his little white rabbit sister?
What about the gentle words you say every day?
What about his usual timidity?
What about the usual nodding and lowering of eyebrows?
"And more!" Mei Li suddenly reacted and pointed at Mei Rui's nose, "You were the one who told Shen Zheng about the cowshed incident? Did you get kicked in the head by a bull? I'm your brother! We're family!"
This Mei Rui is really a traitor!
"Brother, be careful with your words. Don't address Lord Shen by his name!" Mei Rui looked at him straight in the eyes, emphasizing each word. "Brother, don't you understand yet? To put it nicely, my Mei family is the steward of Xiliu Manor. To put it bluntly, we are just dogs sent by the Shen family to guard Xiliu Manor. And I, Mei Rui, have become a dog, and from now on I must be a loyal dog, not like you, who eats the master's food, lives in the master's house, and in the end, bullies the master's other puppies!"
Mei Li was so angry that he trembled. "You mean... I can't even be a dog properly?"
What a shame!
He doesn't even want to be a dog!
Mei Rui smiled softly, "That's right. From now on, brother, you must not get involved in the affairs of the manor. I hope you will reflect on this. If you change for the better, maybe Nanny Gu will even pity you."
Mei Li choked for a long time after hearing this.
His eyes scanned Mei Rui's body, and after a long while he said, "Mei Rui, when did you become like this?"
Although I don’t want to admit it.
But the current Mei Rui scared him.
"My sister has always been like this, but my brother was so absorbed in playing that he never noticed." Mei Rui walked out holding the door curtain.
When she reached the door, she stopped again.
She turned around and said, "From now on, I will take good care of you for father. I hope you will be careful with your words and actions."
After saying that, she walked out of the yard.
"Huh? Huh? Huh...?" Mei Li was stunned and punched and kicked the gate, "Mei Rui, come back here!"
"Snapped--"
"Dad, why did you slap me again?"
"From now on, listen to your sister, otherwise... my Mei family will be destroyed by you sooner or later."
"Ha, Dad, you're crazy too."
"Snapped--"
"father!!!"
......
mudflat.
Mr. Qiao spent half a minute on the site survey, another half a minute drawing the blueprints, and finally half a minute annotating the materials.
A minute and a half later, a clear blueprint was delivered to Grandma Gu.
"If you build the cowshed according to this blueprint, it will last for at least ten years."
Nanny Gu immediately sent people to find craftsmen and purchase materials. Seeing this, Shen Xingjian stopped playing Monopoly and stood up and followed the people who were doing the shopping.
"I'll bargain."
That afternoon, while the lambs were still being roasted in circles, the craftsmen and ingredients had already arrived at the farm.
Across the mudflat, tenant farmer Zhang was trembling with excitement. He even pulled the tenant beside him and said, "That over there is Master Shen. The doctor and the craftsman were all summoned by her. We must remember Master Shen's appearance so that we won't be unable to recognize him when we see him again."