"Zhi'er is here?" Old Master Zhu's voice came before he even showed up.
The old lady stood up to greet the person who came in and smiled, "You're back early today."
Hua Zhi knelt down, "Zhi'er greets grandpa."
"No need to be polite." Mr. Zhu sat down at the head of the table. "How is your grandfather?"
"It's still good, but it looks a little older."
Old Master Zhu sighed. How could he not be hit after experiencing such a big event? They all looked powerful and influential, but they didn't know that they were all walking on thin ice. The emperor was becoming more and more unpredictable, and no one could say whether they would be the next unlucky one.
The old lady smiled and interrupted, "Zhi'er has something to ask you, why don't you go to the study to talk?"
"Okay."
This was not the first time Hua Zhi came to the Zhu family's study. People would subconsciously relax in familiar places, and she was no exception.
"Some colleagues also talked about you today."
“… I thought you all were very busy.”
"Hahaha, no matter how busy we are, we still have time to talk." Old Master Zhu laughed. "It's because you handled the Hua Yan incident so well. They didn't know you went to the North. You didn't respond after the Feng family's sedan chair came to your door twice, so they thought you were helpless. Fortunately, you came back in time, otherwise..."
Old Master Zhu shook his head. Everyone knew that rumors could kill people, but as long as it didn't happen in their own family, no one cared.
"Do you think Feng Changyu acted this way at the behest of the Feng family or was he just attracted by the beauty?"
"It's both true. It's true that Feng Changyu had evil intentions, and it's also true that the Feng family fanned the flames behind the scenes. I tried to muddy the waters, but it didn't work. After all, Hua Yan wasn't an innocent victim. It was her own will that allowed the Feng family to find an opening."
This is what is meant by "a fly won't bite an egg that has no cracks". Hua Yan herself handed the handle to the other party, so there was no reason for them not to take advantage of it. Hua Zhi even regretted that she was too lenient with Hua Yan. Although she knew that she had chosen a desperate path, it was not a punishment she had given, so it was not a pleasant feeling.
"But you closed the loophole in time. Even if others want to do something bad, they have to think of other ways. You just need to keep a close eye on your family and don't give them any chances."
"Yes, I just asked my grandmother to help me find in-laws for my sisters. After all, the Hua family has not fallen to the bottom. The girls have good reputations. Except for the lack of adult males to support the family, it is not poor. In such a big city like Beijing, there must be some discerning families."
"Don't be in a hurry. Let your grandmother look for it carefully." The old man looked at his granddaughter and finally suppressed the question. All the girls in the Hua family can get married, but she is probably the only one who cannot get married for the time being.
Hua Zhi turned the topic to business, "Come to think of it, I haven't congratulated you yet, Your Excellency."
Mr. Zhu waved his hands. "It would be fine if it was any other time, but if we go there at this time, we will lose our reputation."
"I came to you today because of this matter." Hua Zhi chose her words carefully. "I got the news that the emperor will personally appoint people to provide disaster relief, and the Qisusi will supervise the whole process. You must keep a close eye on the money that leaves the Ministry of Revenue, and don't let anyone take advantage of the chaos to tamper with it. Even if there are problems after the money leaves the Ministry of Revenue, you don't have to worry about it. The blame cannot be put on you."
The old man looked at her seriously, "The Seventh House is supervising the entire process? Is this information accurate?"
"allow."
Having spent his entire life in officialdom, Mr. Zhu would never ask about the source of the news. It was enough for him to know that the news was accurate. If there really was supervision by the Qixiu Division, all his previous worries would no longer exist.
The tension in his heart finally relaxed. The old man sighed and said, "The south has been flooded every year after repairing the dike. I looked through the records and found that the cost of repairing the dike is enough to feed all the people in the south for a year. It's better to throw it into the canal. At least it can make a sound."
"The last time I went south, I stayed in Xiangyang for a few days because of the flood. The people there were numb and were not in a hurry when the water level rose to five or six points. There are several dry rivers in Xiangyang. Opening up these rivers can alleviate some of the problems. How much of the silver can actually reach the local areas after being extorted from various levels? Even if it did reach the local areas, I'm afraid it would be divided up. Why would they go to repair the dikes?"
The old man waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about this. What else do you know about disaster relief?"
"You should have heard about Zeng Xian's story."
"Of course, the emperor himself said that he would review his case. He is also an official of the Ministry of Revenue, so I will pay more attention to him."
"Zeng Xian's son Zeng Han and I have some relationship." Hua Zhi briefly explained what happened in Yinshan Pass, focusing on Zeng Xian's tragic case. "So when I heard that you were promoted to Minister of Revenue, I was not happy at first, but worried. It's already a rotten nest, and I'm afraid you will be trapped in it."
Old Master Zhu had heard about Zeng Xian's affairs before, but compared with what his granddaughter said, those were just superficial things. After three years in the Ministry of Revenue, it would be wrong to say that he was completely unable to see the nature of those people. It was just that his good relationship with Hua Yizhen was known to the whole court, and Fang Hongzhi himself only had two daughters, and his nephew, who had been raised by him, entered the Hanlin Academy. Therefore, even if he was suppressed by Fang Hongzhi, he did not dare to go too far. He also accepted some benefits appropriately to give Fang Hongzhi face, and the two sides lived in peace.
But after the fall of the Hua family, Fang Hongzhi had fewer concerns. Over the past year, no effort had been spared to suppress him, and he could only barely protect himself, neither losing touch with the Ministry of Revenue nor getting involved in it. In this way, he survived until Fang Hongzhi's fall.
"I understand your concerns. I am also aware of them. I will personally supervise the disaster relief this time and will not allow them to take any chances."
This is the purpose of Hua Zhi's coming. Those people were able to benefit from Fang Hongzhi and stand by and watch when Zeng Xian was in trouble. They might be willing to set a trap for my grandfather.
The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of the country's money and grain. Everyone can see how lucrative the position of Shangshu is. My grandfather was too blind.
Money and food? Hua Zhi suddenly thought of something, hesitated for a moment, and still mentioned it, "I went south with another person before, and I accidentally gave him an idea to relocate the people of Lingzhou County, and when the flood comes, Lingzhou will be used as the price to save..."
"Did you come up with this idea?" Old Master Zhu interrupted her, his eyes were strange. Everyone in the court knew that the disaster that happened once in a few decades could be avoided so easily because the Seventh Division had made preparations in advance. With a beautiful move of abandoning the small city of Lingzhou to save the big city, the losses were successfully reduced to the lowest level in history. He also praised it highly at the time, but he never thought that the one who came up with the idea was Zhi'er? ! Thinking about what she just said, that is to say, Zhi'er and the Seventh Division have established a relationship
"That's not what I want to tell you." Hua Zhi said evasively, "Now the emperor wants to leave a good name for himself and wants to dig a large canal from Lingzhou. Although it has been suppressed for some reason, he may bring it up at any time. You hold the purse of Daqing, so he will definitely come to you first, so you must not give in."