"Zhang County Magistrate is truly blessed with great fortune and a prosperous career. He even managed to get to know the eunuch Chen Hong, who holds the seal of the Imperial Horse Administration. We have nothing to worry about. When Zhang County Magistrate becomes successful in the future, he must not forget us."
"Zhang Xiancheng is really enviable. Last time he went to Beijing, he got to know the young Lord Yan. This time he got to know the eunuch Chen Gonggong who is in charge of the Imperial Stables. With such a relationship, it will be difficult for him not to rise to prominence in the future. Zhang Xiancheng, I hope you will..."
A group of clerks stood up and toasted County Magistrate Zhang, flattering him in the hope that he would take care of them in the future.
As for whether they would be seen as eunuchs or looked down upon by others by making friends with eunuchs, they had no such concerns at all. Because, in these days, all officials formed cliques for personal gain, and making friends with eunuchs was quite common. Even the current Yan Ge Lao was said to be very courteous to the eunuchs in the palace and often tried to win them over and make friends with them.
If they could become eunuchs, they would be eager to do so. By becoming eunuchs, they would at least have the opportunity to rise from the lowest end of the bureaucratic group's contempt chain, "clerks", to become "officials". However, they just don't have the opportunity. They know that they are not qualified to become eunuchs. Even with their current status, the eunuchs still look down on them.
However, tomorrow is an opportunity that must be seized. If I can catch the eye of the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Stables, my future will be secure.
"Ahem, the person I know is not the eunuch Chen Hong, who is in charge of the Imperial Stables, but..." Listening to the flattery of the clerks, County Magistrate Zhang coughed somewhat embarrassedly. After all, he was going to entertain a distinguished guest tomorrow and he couldn't hide it. If he didn't make it clear in advance, it would make a bigger joke tomorrow.
What?!
Mr. Zhang, what did you say? You said that the person you met was not the eunuch Chen Hong, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Stables? !
The clerks were dumbfounded when they heard this. They were originally excited as if they were on fire, but after hearing what County Magistrate Zhang said, it was as if a basin of cold water was poured over their heads, and their enthusiasm was extinguished with a "hiss".
Sir Zhang, aren't you making fun of us
You didn't meet the eunuch Chen Hong, the seal holder of the Imperial Stables, so why did you tell us so much about Chen Hong, the eunuch of the Imperial Stables? Aren't you making us happy for nothing? !
Although the clerks did not complain out loud, their disappointment was evident in their words.
Seeing the expressions of the crowd, County Magistrate Zhang smiled slightly, calmly picked up the teacup and took another sip of tea. He waited until all the clerks noticed his unexpected calmness and confidence before he said to them calmly, "The person I met is not the eunuch Chen Hong, the seal holder of the Imperial Stables, but it's almost the same. Through this noble, it will be easy for me to get to know Eunuch Chen."
After hearing what County Magistrate Zhang said, the clerks were excited again. Now they understood why County Magistrate Zhang said yes and no meaningfully when they asked him whether this distinguished guest was the one who was in charge of purchasing the gold, treasure and pearls.
"Sir Zhang, please stop keeping us in suspense and tell us." A clerk said with a wry smile.
"Haha, this noble man is none other than the godson of the Imperial Horse Supervisor, Eunuch Chen Hong—Eunuch Qianxuqian." County Magistrate Zhang said to everyone with a smile, "Eunuch Chen, the seal holder of the Imperial Horse Supervisor, has four godsons in total. This Eunuch Qianxuqian is his youngest godson and also the one he values the most."
It turns out that the noble man is Eunuch Chen's godson, Eunuch Qianxuqian! No wonder County Magistrate Zhang said it was easy to get to know Eunuch Chen through him.
Eunuchs can't have children, so what's the difference between his adopted son and an ordinary person's biological son? They are a family. Eunuch Qian is Eunuch Chen's adopted son, so it's easy for him to know his father through his son.
All of a sudden, all the clerks became excited again.
Eunuch Qian Xu Qian, from the sound of his name, seems to be a person who is easy to get along with. I must seize the opportunity tomorrow and keep this Eunuch Qian company.
"Sir Zhang, please tell us how you got to know Eunuch Qian." A group of clerks asked curiously.
"As for this eunuch Qian, when I went to the capital to smooth relations, I visited Mr. Ouyang, the nephew of Lord Yan, and had the honor of meeting this eunuch Qian. This eunuch Qian is from the palace of Concubine Lu Jing, and Mr. Ouyang is the official in charge of the government of Prince Jing. Prince Jing is the flesh and blood of Concubine Lu Jing. So, I had the honor of meeting this eunuch Qian. It is a coincidence that the emperor took 150,000 taels of silver from the Taicang warehouse and ordered the comprador Jinbao Pearl. This matter is in charge of Eunuch Chen, the seal holder of the Imperial Horse Administration. To buy pearls, we naturally have to come to our Jiangnan coast. Eunuch Chen It is impossible for him to go to Jiangnan to buy Jinbao pearls alone. As the saying goes, brothers fight together in war, and fathers and sons fight together in battle. This time, he brought two godsons with him, one of whom was this eunuch Qian. This eunuch Qian was responsible for buying pearls in our Taizhou Prefecture. Unfortunately, he happened to encounter the Japanese invasion and was trapped in the mountains. A few days ago, I was dealing with the Japanese pirates and happened to hear the news that eunuch Qian was trapped in the nearby mountains, so I went to visit him boldly. I didn't expect that this eunuch Qian still remembered me, so we got to know each other."
When County Magistrate Zhang said this, he couldn't help but look proud, and was very proud of his decision to seize the opportunity.
Of course, County Magistrate Zhang did not tell everyone that he presented a large pearl inherited from his ancestors to Eunuch Qian.
This is the key to getting acquainted.
The family of County Magistrate Zhang used to be an ordinary family. It is unknown which generation of ancestor was lucky enough to get this big pearl, which changed their luck and made the Zhang family rich. From then on, this pearl became their family's lucky pearl and heirloom. The ancestors of all generations had a will that this pearl should be passed down from generation to generation as a family heirloom.
However, County Magistrate Zhang did not care about the will of his ancestors. What kind of heirloom is it? How can it be more important than the real benefits? If I can use this pearl to meet a noble person, then my future career will be much smoother. If my career is smooth, then my Zhang family will naturally be more prosperous, and then this pearl will naturally play its value.
Hearing that Eunuch Qian was coming to Taizhou Prefecture to buy Jinbao Pearl, County Magistrate Zhang presented his family's lucky pearl heirloom to Eunuch Qian without hesitation. This pearl is big and round, and the color is good. After being nurtured by the Zhang family for generations, the pearl has a faint spiritual aura... ... Eunuch Qian was overjoyed when he received the pearl.
Eunuch Chen, the seal holder of the Imperial Horse Administration, came to Jiangnan to purchase Jinbao Pearl. In order to improve efficiency, he sent two godsons to the lower levels. In addition to this Eunuch Qian, there was also an Eunuch Liu. The two were in a competitive relationship, and both wanted to do a better job and outshine the other, and win the favor of Eunuch Chen. Eunuch Qian was sent to Taizhou Prefecture, and Eunuch Liu was sent to Suzhou Prefecture.
However, Eunuch Qian was unlucky. He encountered Japanese invaders within a few days of arriving in Taizhou Prefecture and was trapped in the mountains. The task of purchasing Jinbao Pearl was naturally delayed. When he thought of Eunuch Liu's smug look, Eunuch Qian was upset. Unexpectedly, he received the ancestral pearl presented by County Magistrate Zhang at this time. Moreover, this pearl was a rare and top-grade pearl. Eunuch Qian was naturally overjoyed and liked County Magistrate Zhang, the person who presented the pearl, a lot more.
As a result, County Magistrate Zhang got to know Eunuch Qian.
After receiving the ancestral pearls and a lot of property from County Magistrate Zhang, Eunuch Qian accepted County Magistrate Zhang's invitation.