Rise From the Humble

"Zi Hou, please come here. It's relatively quiet here and no one will disturb you. It's just the right time for Zi Hou to check the books and books."

Jia Langzhong of Taicang Bank led the way from the front and led Zhu Pingan to a row of low rooms at the back of the bank. He opened a door and extended his hand to invite Zhu Pingan to come in.

This is a row of old houses. They are not high. They are only two or three centimeters higher than Wu Yishen's Zhilu. They look like abandoned warehouses. They must not have been inhabited for a long time. Standing in front of the house, I feel... There is an eerie feeling.

"Thank you, Mr. Lao Jia, for taking the trouble." It was indeed quiet enough. Zhu Pingan glanced at it, slightly curled his lips, and thanked Mr. Jia with his hands.

"Why are you so polite to Zihou? Come in and see if the room is suitable. If it is not suitable, I will change the room with you. If it is suitable, I will have all the account books and books in Taicang for the past three years moved to you. Jia Langzhong said with a smile.

Zhu Ping'an also smiled and followed Jia Langzhong into the room. The room was not small. It was more than forty square meters. It should have been cleaned up yesterday. The interior was fairly clean, but the light was not very good. Forty Laiping's room only had one window, and although the sun was shining brightly outside, it wasn't very bright inside.

The room was relatively empty, with no extra furnishings. There was only a table by the window, two chairs, and a small bed with a brand new thin quilt and mat.

"This mat and bedding were specially brought by our Zhang Guanku from home because we were worried that Zihou would be tired from checking the accounts and books and would not be able to rest well. With this mat and bedding, Zihou can take a nap when he is tired..." Jia The doctor stood in front of the bed and said so.

"Please also ask Mr. Jia to express my gratitude to Mr. Zhang on my behalf." Zhu Pingan handed over his hand again.

"Look, Zihou is being polite to us again. Then I will ask someone to bring the account books over?" Jia Langzhong shook his head and smiled, then looked at Zhu Pingan and asked.

Zhu Pingan would naturally not object.

"Na Zihou, please wait for a moment. I'll have the account books delivered, as well as some tea and snacks."

Jia Langzhong's face was full of smiles when he saw this. After speaking, he turned around and left. There was still a smile on his lips when he went out.

This house was "carefully" selected by them. They chose this place yesterday after a lot of searching. Apart from the benefit of being secluded, this house is extremely poor in terms of lighting, comfort, ventilation, heat dissipation, etc. .

The room is fine now, but when the sun rises higher, the room will be as hot as a boiler room, and there is no ventilation. Staying in it will be a torture, and you will be sweating after a while, even if you put an ice basin in it. Use it, and living in it is almost like a year.

In the afternoon, the sun finally set in the west, and the room was not so hot anymore. However, the lighting in the room was not good to begin with. The sun set in the west, and the room was even darker. It was impossible to see the account books clearly.

Did you choose this room to mess with Zhu Ping'an?

Not really.

The reason why they chose this house was just to make Zhu Pingan unable to stay in this room, and to influence Zhu Pingan in a subtle way, so that Zhu Pingan would check the books quickly, show off, go through the process quickly, and save unnecessary trouble.

After all, Taicang belongs to the national treasury and is responsible for more than 80% of the Ming Dynasty's fiscal revenue and expenditure. The account books are so vast that if you check them carefully, it will take several days, let alone Zhu Ping'an alone. Even if you transfer a few more accountants, it will take several days. Only then can it be finished.

That's why they came up with a way to urge Zhu Ping'an to investigate quickly from the side, just as a formality.

Think about it, so many books and books, such a terrible house.

"Master Zhu, please use it with caution."

Not long after Jia Langzhong left, someone brought tea, fruits, and snacks, which were placed on the table one by one.

Zhu Pingan nodded his thanks, poured himself a cup of tea, and observed the room while sipping the tea.

It's secluded, but the room is low, has poor light and ventilation, and there are no trees outside. I think the sun will rise, and the room will be very stuffy.

Jia Langzhong and the others are interested.

But what does it matter?

When I was a child, the house in Xiahe's old house was not as good as this. Moreover, when my family was separated from the old house, I lived in a thatched hut for a while. In addition, when I left Xiahe Village and started the imperial examination, I lived in a woodshed and a living room. Over the attic. In comparison, the environment of this house is not bad.

"Therefore, when Heaven is about to entrust this person with a great responsibility, he must first suffer from hardships in his mind, his muscles and bones, and his body and skin, which will benefit him beyond his ability."

Zhu Pingan said silently while drinking tea.

Just after drinking half a cup of tea, Jia Langzhong came in with four treasurers. The treasurers worked together in pairs and used a stick as thick as a bowl to lift a large box. The four treasurers carried a total of two boxes. Box ledger book.

This box was so big that when I put it down, the ground shook for a moment. The two boxes were put together like a bed.

"so much"

Zhu Pingan put down the cup and made a sound of surprise.

"Haha, these plus a box from Zhang Guanku are only for this year. Later, Langzhong Zhao and the others are packing last year's and the year before last, and they will be delivered soon." Zhao Langzhong explained with a smile.

"It's just this year" Zhu Ping'an seemed to be stunned.

"Oh, this is a bead plate. It is convenient for you to use for inspection." Zhao Langzhong smiled and nodded, then handed the abacus in his hand to Zhu Ping'an, "I just asked for it from the accountant, can you see if it works? .”

Zhu Pingan took the abacus and stretched out his hand to try to fiddle with it.

Doctor Zhao watched Zhu Pingan playing with the beads without blinking, and the smile on his lips became thicker. He could tell at a glance that Zhu Pingan didn't know how to use an abacus, and his gestures and methods of playing with the beads were like a layman's.

"Zi Hou, you check first. I'll go see how Zhao Langzhong and the others are doing." Zhao Langzhong said with a smile.

"Yeah" Zhu Pingan nodded, still studying the abacus and competing with the abacus beads.

When Zhao Langzhong saw this, he smiled and said goodbye.

Doctor Zhao left the room, headed west, turned two corners, and arrived at the stall about 150 meters away from the room where Zhu Ping'an was. There were many people in the stall, including Guanku Zhang, Langzhong Zhao, and five treasurers. There were also several accounting clerks gathered together. The atmosphere was generally relaxed but a bit serious.

"You are all the most senior accountants in Taicang, and these account books are all in your hands. Can you tell me, will anyone find any problems with these account books?" Zhang Guanku asked, looking at the several accountants.

"No problem, absolutely no problem. Don't worry, Mr. Zhang. There is a hierarchy of knowledge and expertise. We have been dealing with accounting books for half our lives. We still have this confidence. As long as it comes from our hands, it will never happen. Just a little mistake." A forty-year-old accountant patted his chest and confirmed.

Zhang Guanku nodded when he heard this and looked at the most senior and senior accountant in the accounting room.

This gray-haired accountant is the most famous accountant in the capital. He is the famous "Ghost Master" in the accounting field, which means that his accounting skills are beyond human standards and he has never failed in his life. He is the leader in the accounting field in the capital. exist.

Seeing Zhang Guanku's gaze, "Ghost Zhang" stroked his gray beard and smiled proudly, "Haha, I don't dare to say goodbye. Just talking about these account books, not even any accounting office in the entire capital can see the problem. .”

With Gui Shou Zhang's guarantee, Zhang Guanku and others were completely relieved, and the atmosphere became even more relaxed.

When Jia Langzhong mentioned that Zhu Ping'an couldn't even do abacus, everyone in the room couldn't help laughing.

"After Zhang Accounting House and the account books in our hands, even if we invite several other most famous accounting offices in the capital and give them a month, we can guarantee that there will be no problem, not to mention that none of them can even calculate an abacus. You are a layman, hahaha." The accountant in the room laughed even more.