There was no one around and it was late at night. Hu Zongxian straightened his appearance and walked up the steps of the Imperial Commissioner's Office.
"Stop! Who are you? What are you doing here so late at night?" The gatekeeper in front of the imperial envoy's office stepped forward and asked.
These guards are all servants brought by Zhao Wenhua from the capital. They are used to being powerful in the capital by relying on the power of the Yan Party. Our master came to Jiangnan as an imperial envoy. He represents the emperor, so he must be the number one person in Jiangnan. There are countless dignitaries who come to curry favor with our master along the way. The seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister is not just talk. If you want to see the master, you must please us brothers, otherwise we will not let our compatriots in. If we don’t inform you, don’t even think about getting in.
"I am Hu Zongxian, the Inspector and Censor of Zhejiang Province. I have something to offer to see the Imperial Commissioner Zhao." Hu Zongxian stepped forward and bowed.
"It's Master Hu. Master Hu, you came at an unfortunate time. My master is asleep. Let's talk about it tomorrow."
The doorman waved his hands and called out "Master Hu", but he showed no intention of moving or reporting anything.
Hu Zongxian's expression of surprise flashed away, and he raised his head with a smile, and unnoticedly put a fifty-liang silver fruit into the leading doorman's hand, and said with a smile, "Please be lenient. I have something important to report to Lord Zhao, so please inform him."
The leading doorman looked down and saw the amount on the banknote, and a smile suddenly bloomed on his face like a chrysanthemum.
Fifty taels of silver notes! This Censor Hu is really generous. It is equivalent to his monthly salary for half a year.
I will give ten taels of silver to my subordinates for drinking, and I will still have forty taels of silver left. Haha, when my new concubine sees this money, she will definitely do her best to serve me. Censor Hu is really my God of Wealth.
"Since it is an important matter, I dare not delay it. My master always taught us that state affairs are more important than Mount Tai and we must not delay them. I will go in and report it now. Censor Hu, please wait for a moment. What are you guys still standing there for? Why don't you quickly invite Lord Hu to the gatehouse and serve him tea and water?"
With money, things can be done more easily. The leading gatekeeper enthusiastically asked someone to invite Hu Zongxian to the gatehouse to serve him tea and water. He then personally trotted all the way to the yamen to report the news of Hu Zongxian's visit.
Soon, Hu Zongxian in the gatehouse heard footsteps in the yard and thought it must be the doorman reporting back.
It is not a problem for Lord Zhao to meet me, the problem is how to convince Lord Zhao and make him trust me.
As Hu Zongxian stood up to greet the doormen, he went over in his mind the plan for persuading Zhao Wenhua. There would be many people coming to visit Zhao Wenhua in the future, and he couldn't afford to offend these doormen.
"Haha, I was so happy to hear that Merlin was coming to visit me that I got out of bed in a hurry and my clothes were in disarray. Please don't blame me, Merlin..."
A loud laugh came from outside the door, and then Zhao Wenhua appeared at the door in pajamas. His shoes were not even on properly, and he was slipping on them like slippers. It was obvious that he was in pain. After hearing the doorman's report on Hu Zongxian's visit, he came out to greet him without even having time to put on his clothes.
"Your humble servant greets Lord Zhao. How could Zongxian have the honour to disturb your rest? You even bothered to come out to greet me in your pajamas..."
When Hu Zongxian saw that Zhao Wenhua actually came out to greet him in person, even in his pajamas and shoes turned upside down, he was shocked and deeply moved. He bowed deeply, and his tone was full of gratitude.
Seeing Hu Zongxian's surprise and touching expression, Zhao Wenhua couldn't help but smile. It was worth it that he took off his clothes and put on pajamas to greet him after receiving the news. This was the effect. In ancient times, Cao Cao greeted Xu You with his shoes turned upside down. Now, I, Zhao Wenhua, am wearing pajamas and shoes turned upside down to greet Hu Zongxian. This may be a good story that will be sung for thousands of years in the future.
"I have just arrived and am not familiar with the affairs of Jiangnan. I am eager to find talents. It is my great pleasure to have Meilin come to visit me."
Zhao Wenhua enthusiastically stepped forward, took Hu Zongxian's hand, and gently patted it twice to show his closeness.
"Your Excellency is eager to seek talents. Although I am not worthy, I am willing to repay your kindness. I have been in Yingtian for several months and am quite familiar with the customs and people of Jiangnan, as well as the military and civilian affairs. If you want to know anything, please feel free to ask. I will tell you everything I know."
Hu Zongxian was so grateful that he bent over and said, with an attitude of a woman who dresses up to please the man she loves, and a man who dies for the man who understands him.
As to whether Hu Zongxian was truly grateful or pretending to be grateful, no one knew except Hu Zongxian himself.
"Come on, Merlin, I brought a can of Songluo tea from the capital. Let's go to the study and drink while we talk."
Zhao Wenhua reached out and took Hu Zongxian's arm and walked into the yamen, speaking enthusiastically as he walked.
When Zhao Wenhua stepped over the threshold, a piece of his trousers appeared from under his pajamas. Hu Zongxian, who was following behind Zhao Wenhua, naturally saw it, but Hu Zongxian turned a blind eye to it and was not surprised at all. The excitement on his face did not change at all, because he had already seen it once when Zhao Wenhua bowed to him as soon as he entered the door.
This kind of silk trousers are worn under official uniforms and casual clothes. If you go to bed at night, you must take off the official uniform and casual clothes first, then take off the trousers, and then change into pajamas. No one would wear trousers and then pajamas. It would be too uncomfortable to sleep like that and it is not in line with common sense.
"The Buddha personally stir-fried it. It's hard to get a cup of tea worth thousands of gold. I didn't expect it to be the world-famous Songluo Tea. I'm so lucky to have it today. To be honest, I went to buy tea from Monk Dafang because of its reputation. Unfortunately, Monk Dafang only made a limited amount of tea, which was sold out long ago. There was no tea left for me, so I have never been able to taste the flavor of Songluo Tea. I deeply regret it. I didn't expect that thanks to you, my dream will come true today."
Hu Zongxian said with a look of surprise and gratitude, as if he had heard of Songluo Tea for a long time and finally got what he wanted.
Zhao Wenhua was quite pleased with this. This was right. Zhu Ping'an's reaction to Songluo Tea was too bland, which made him feel little sense of accomplishment. Hu Zongxian's reaction was much more appropriate, which made Zhao Wenhua feel a sense of accomplishment.
"Hahaha, Merlin, try it later. If you like it, I'll give you half a can of pine needle tea when you leave."
Zhao Wenhua laughed and said proudly.
"This pine moss tea is extremely valuable. It must have been difficult for you to get a jar. A gentleman does not take away what others love. How can I accept it with shame?"
Hu Zongxian declined with great gratitude.
"Oh, that's not the way to say it. As the saying goes, a good bow is given to an archer, and a good horse is given to a hero. If Songluo Tea finds a wise owner, it will not be in vain. I asked Zihou to taste the tea just now because I wanted to find a wise owner for the half-jar of Songluo Tea. Unfortunately, although Zihou is full of talent, he is not good at tasting tea and cannot appreciate the deep taste of Songluo Tea."
Zhao Wenhua laughed and enthusiastically pulled Hu Zongxian into the study.
This means that Zhao Wenhua failed to win over Zhu Ping'an. When Hu Zongxian heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up. Then he would be the first person.
Good, good!