"Brother Zhu, before you came, my uncle, in the name of the elders, ordered the steward to withdraw 200 taels of silver from the account for him to use first. The steward reported to me, and I asked him to ask him why he was withdrawing so much silver, and he said it was for exams. I thought 200 taels of silver was not a small amount, so I waited for you, Brother Zhu, to come back and let you decide on the withdrawal."
"Although the mansion has been spending a lot recently to set up Zhurong Commercial Bank, the money in the account is still enough to cover the expenses."
When Zhu Ping'an changed his clothes and had a midnight snack, Li Shu sat beside him and picked up a shrimp for him and whispered.
"Of course not! How can you need two hundred taels of silver to prepare for the exam? Ever since I can remember, my uncle has been asking for money from my grandparents, father, and uncle every now and then under the guise of preparing for the exam. Every time he got the money, he never really prepared for the exam. He always went out with his bad friends to eat and drink and have fun!"
"My grandparents always spoiled my uncle, which is why he developed the bad habits he has today. My grandparents' unbridled indulgence has caused my uncle to make one mistake after another, but I cannot just sit there and watch him make the same mistakes again."
After hearing this, Zhu Ping'an refused out of responsibility for his uncle. He knew his uncle's character very well. What preparation for the exam? If his uncle got two hundred taels of silver, he could move into the brothel right away, and there would be no exceptions.
"Is this okay? Your uncle has come all the way from home. Will he blame us for not caring about family affection? Will he say something bad about you, like you've forgotten your roots? Or that you don't recognize your poor relatives when you're rich..."
Li Shu squinted her eyes, held her chin, and spoke softly, like a lazy Persian cat.
"This is my responsibility to my uncle. Even if he doesn't understand, it doesn't matter if he spreads some rumors back. My reputation in my hometown is much better than my uncle's. People in my hometown trust me more than my uncle."
Zhu Ping'an gently held Li Shu's jade hand and said with a smile.
Zhu Ping'an is not exaggerating. In the eyes of his family, Zhu Ping'an's credibility absolutely crushes his uncle Zhu Shouren.
Uncle Zhu Shouren's image has long been notorious in the village. Whether he brought back prostitutes from his studies or was blocked at the door by gamblers asking for money after gambling outside, my uncle has long become a negative example for the villagers to use to educate their children.
Zhu Ping'an is not bragging, he is definitely the neighbor's child that the villagers talk about when educating their children.
This combination of positive and negative made Zhu Ping'an invincible in the village's public opinion circle. If his uncle said something good about him, it would be fine. But if he said something bad about him, the villagers would just think that his uncle was spreading rumors and making trouble, and was jealous of his talent... ...
Before they finished their midnight snack, their uncle sent someone to call Zhu Ping'an, saying that he had something important to tell him.
When Zhu Ping'an returned to the front yard, his uncle, Hu Wei and Xia Qiang had already changed into the clothes that Li Shu had prepared.
The cotton-padded clothes are all made of the finest silk, and there is also a cloak, the styles of which are also the popular ones in Suzhou.
The uncle put them on and admired himself in the mirror again and again. He walked slowly in front of the mirror with his hands behind his back and looked like a normal person again.
When Zhu Ping'an came in, his uncle was still admiring himself in the mirror.
Seeing Zhu Ping'an coming in, the uncle waved and said, "Nephew, come here, uncle has something important to tell you."
"Uncle, you speak." Zhu Ping'an stepped forward and said.
"It's like this, my dear nephew. I'm a little short of money lately, and the imperial examination will be here in a while. Can you lend me three hundred taels of silver so I can prepare for the exam well?" The uncle said calmly, as if asking Zhu Ping'an to borrow three hundred taels of silver was as simple and casual as borrowing a pen.
"How much do you want to borrow?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Ping'an couldn't help but twitch his lips. He just asked the steward to withdraw two hundred taels of silver from the mansion's account, but in just the time it took to eat a meal, the amount increased to three hundred taels. Even the loan sharks would have to admit defeat when they saw you.
"Not much, not much, just three hundred taels." Uncle Zhu Shouren said casually with his hands behind his back.
"Why?" Zhu Pingan asked speechlessly. Three hundred taels, isn't that enough?! Then how much silver is too much?!
"Because you do."
Uncle Zhu Shouren replied as if it was a matter of course, as if he was saying that 1+1 equals 2.
Oh shit!
Your reasoning and logic are so damn impeccable!
Even though Zhu Ping'an knew his uncle's character, he was still defeated by his uncle's shamelessness.
"Uncle, do you know how much my annual salary is?" Zhu Ping'an asked with a smile.
Uncle Zhu Shouren shook his head.
"Uncle, let me tell you. As a fourth-rank official, my monthly salary is 20 dan, which is equivalent to about 6 taels of silver. To earn 300 taels of silver, I would need to save for 4 to 5 years without eating or drinking. I have been an official for less than a year, so how can I get 300 taels of silver?"
Zhu Pingan said speechlessly.
"Haha, nephew, you can't fool me. Although your monthly salary is only 20 shi on the surface, but secretly, with the tributes from the officials below, the offerings from the gentry and merchants, and other various incomes, you earn at least this amount a month. It doesn't take four or five years, one or two months is enough."
After hearing this, uncle Zhu Shouren laughed, held up two fingers and said as if he knew everything.
Zhu Pingan was completely speechless. "Uncle, I don't know about other people, but as an official, I only have one income. Apart from my salary, I have no other income."
"What? You only have a salary?! Oh, my dear nephew, you are really too young and don't know how to be an official. What are you studying for?! You are such a spendthrift. You should take much less silver. One month is at least one hundred taels. Two months is two hundred taels. Half a year is six hundred taels. One year is more than one thousand taels. No, no, during the New Year, the gift should be three times heavier. In a year, it will be at least one thousand five hundred taels. This is Suzhou, the richest city in the world, a first-class lucrative place. The gift should be at least three or five times heavier. You are such a wasteful nephew. How much silver have you missed..."
Uncle Zhu Shouren said with a look of heartache, pointing at Zhu Pingan with an expression of disappointment.
Before Zhu Ping'an could speak, his uncle Zhu Shouren said, "So, I should have come to help you a long time ago. I am still late. But don't worry, nephew, everything will be different now that I am here. I will help you and I promise that you will never have to worry about money again."
Oh shit!
What do you mean?! Are you going to help me accept gifts and bribes?! Zhu Pingan almost vomited blood.
"No need, uncle. I, Zhu Ping'an, am an official not for the sake of money. I will never accept gifts or bribes. This is my bottom line. Please don't mention it again, uncle. Also, please remember not to accept a penny in my name. Otherwise, my nephew will plead for mercy, but the law is ruthless." Zhu Ping'an warned his uncle with a serious face.
"Ahem, ahem, I just wanted to test my nephew's moral integrity. Yes, yes, my nephew has passed my test. If my nephew had agreed just now, I would have had to give him a good lecture."
Uncle Zhu Shouren coughed, made a 180-degree turn, and spoke with a red face and heavy breath.