Xiaoliu felt very upset. If he left at this time, he would feel like a shameful deserter.
"Do you think you are going there for fun? You have to ride a horse at full speed in the coldest days of winter. After you arrive in Qingzhou, you have to come back with the results as soon as possible. This is still the case if everything goes well. If not, just waiting there will make you anxious." Gu Yanxi spoke slowly, not sounding like he was comforting but more like he was scaring people.
Xiaoliu felt relieved after hearing this and nodded, "I'll do it as soon as possible."
"How you convince the emperor to let you leave the capital depends on your ability."
"Father will agree. He is eager to make a lot of money."
That's right. Hua Zhi laughed, "Now we all have his weakness. I hope it will be effective for a long time."
At this time, Yingchun led a few maids in. The table was filled with tea, fruits, snacks and food. The feeling of the tea party made Hua Zhi relax.
After being here for a while, she finally felt warm. She took off her cloak and handed it to Liu Xiang. "You don't need to be busy like a top during the New Year. If you have time, just sit around the fire, eat, drink, play and laugh. That's what the New Year is all about."
The maids all laughed and responded in unison.
Xiao Liu lowered his head and smiled. What is home? This is it. Even the maids make him feel at ease. For him, his new year has just begun.
Starting from the third year of junior high school, the days of visiting each other began. Hua Zhi went to the Qin family, and when she met the old man of the Qin family, she knew the attitude of the Qin family.
Looking at his sister's eldest granddaughter, the old man felt a little pity for her. He motioned for her to sit closer to him and joked with a smile, "I'm afraid this year will be a year of ups and downs."
"It's just a storm, it will eventually pass." Hua Zhi smiled softly, "No matter if it's the Hua family or the Qin family, they are not small seedlings or trees that will run away when the wind blows."
"That's true. How is the prince's health?"
"It's good."
Old Master Qin suddenly laughed, "After the Hua family got into trouble, when you came out to support the family, I thought about your previous appearance for a long time, but found that I couldn't remember it. At that time, the Hua family was famous for your two younger sisters. The eldest daughter of the Hua family was not seen by many people in Beijing. There was also a rumor that you looked ugly, but you could bear it and ignored it. You lived your life as usual. Your grandmother always shook her head when she talked about it. Who would have thought that in the end you would be the most responsible one."
"It's not as good as you said. I just forced myself to move forward. My mother can't bear the responsibility, and as a daughter, I have to help bear some of it."
Old Master Qin shook his head and didn't argue with her. Looking at what she had done in the past year, one would find that her actions were linked together. The people she chose to do business with didn't seem to have much real power, but they all had a lot of background and good character. She also kept a proper distance from the scholars and literati. She stood there like a rake, making them remember the Hua family all the time without getting bored.
The emperor was impressed by her ability to make money, so she created the seventh department. Not only did she resolve the crisis, but she also used it to add a talisman for herself. Because of this talisman, she can now sit here safely instead of being arrested and punished by the angry emperor. With the affection of the prince of the leader of the Seven Stars Division, she is no longer an ordinary person, and no one will look down on her anymore except for the Hua family.
As a woman, it is extremely rare to achieve the current level where she has already made a breakthrough. If she is given more time, her achievements will probably be far more than this.
"Although the Qin family is in decline, they have been rooted in the capital for many years and still have some connections. If you need them, just tell me."
"I won't be polite to my uncle. If I really ask for it, I hope you will help me."
"We are of the same blood, don't worry."
Hua Zhi stood up and bowed solemnly. The Qin family made such a promise, obviously making a choice.
"I don't know where my aunt is. I need to pay my respects to her."
"She went back to her parents' home on the second day of the Chinese New Year and has not returned. There is no need for our family to care about this." Old Master Qin changed the subject. Hua Zhi naturally did not ask any more questions and followed his lead to change the subject.
Someone was waiting at home, so Hua Zhi went home after lunch.
When Yan Xi entered the room, she was talking to Xiao Liu. Seeing a similar smile on her face, Xiao Liu looked even more excited.
"Have you all had your lunch break?"
"I've been sleeping for long enough." Gu Yanxi supported himself and moved up a little. The wound was covered by his clothes. If you only looked at his appearance, you couldn't tell that he had any injuries.
Hua Zhi tucked the quilt behind him so that he could lie more comfortably, and then talked to them about the Qin family.
Gu Yanxi watched her mouth open and close, thinking about the soft feeling of kissing and feeling a little absent-minded, "The Qin family has no real power now, and it is inevitable that it will decline. If they can grow double-season rice, it will be easier to move their position."
"The earliest will be in the second half of the year." Hua Zhi stood up and walked to the desk, lifted up her sleeves, poured water and ground ink. She was quite confident about double-season rice. In later generations, planting double-season rice was a common phenomenon in the south, so there was no reason why it couldn't be done here.
Seeing this, Xiaoliu went over to take over the job of grinding ink and watched Sister Hua spread out a large piece of rice paper to draw the relationship chart of the characters.
The most trustworthy are the Zhu family, the Lu family, and the Sun family. Their backgrounds determine that they are unlikely to betray. Then there is the Qin family, which has been cleared of wrongdoings. After that is the Cai family, who are relatives by marriage. The Jiang family and General Zhou, who have made friends through business, can also be used. However, the relationships with the others are too shallow.
Putting down the pen, Hua Zhi frowned. It seemed like something very impressive, but when she looked closely, she found that it was just so-so and it was far from enough.
She still has to weave that network. If she encounters something that is not favorable to her, she only needs them to intentionally or unintentionally guide the situation in the court and maybe things will develop in a good direction.
It's time to get up and do business.
But she still had to think carefully about how to do it and what business to do. She couldn't let the emperor think that she was just making money for herself.
"Azhi?"
Hua Zhi came back to her senses, picked up the rice paper and walked to the bedside to show him.
"It's clear and concise. Qisusi should learn it..." Gu Yanxi suddenly lost his voice. It was still unclear whether Qisusi would be under his control in the future.
Hua Zhi pretended not to know and leaned in close to him, head to head, and said, "There are only a few of them available. It's too few."
"It's not easy. After all, you have only been planning for a year. Don't worry." Gu Yanxi said helplessly, "How many families can you find? I have been confined to my residence for many years as a prince, and the leader of the Seven Mansions is a lone minister. Apart from the Lu family, there are basically no other connections available. Compared with me, you are much better off."
"You don't feel happy that I won." Hua Zhi handed the rice paper to Xiao Liu, "You should also write it down, you may need it someday."
Xiaoliu agreed obediently, and did not say that he had already memorized everything when she was writing. He really wrote it down again carefully.