"You are not worthy of being consulted!"
After watching the beating outside the Meridian Gate and seeing Si Nan being carried away, Gao Rui, a sturdy doctor from the Ministry of Works, was furious. He was like an enraged bull, with his eyes wide open as if sparks were about to fly. Then he roared in a low voice with righteous indignation that will be remembered forever.
"Sir Zhu, it seems that the important task of inspecting the Taicang silver treasury this time can only rely on you and me." After a long time, Gao Rui calmed down, exhaled, looked at Zhu Pingan with a wry smile and said.
"Ping'an lacks experience and needs more guidance from Sir Gao. Ping'an will do his best to assist Sir Gao." Zhu Ping'an bowed.
"I feel relieved with Lord Zhu's words, but I don't deserve your guidance. You and I should cooperate with each other to complete this important task together. Oh, by the way, I wonder how Lord Zhu came to the Dali Temple." Gao Rui was humble for a moment and asked again.
"I came here on horseback." Zhu Ping'an replied.
"Okay, I also came here on horseback. Without further ado, let's go back to the Dali Temple to retrieve the horses and ride directly to the Taicang Silver Vault. How about that?" When Gao Rui heard Zhu Ping'an say that he came here on horseback, he immediately made a decisive proposal.
I guess he was afraid that he would escape too.
"I dare not disobey your command." Zhu Ping'an nodded.
So, the two of them went directly back to the Dali Temple from the Meridian Gate, took back their horses from the Dali Temple stables, and then rode directly from the Dali Temple to the Taicang Silver Vault.
Gao Rui was probably born in a noble family. Although he was a civil servant, he was very skilled in mounting a horse. He waved the whip in one hand and held the reins with the other, riding the horse in such a dashing and elegant manner that it was obvious that he was a martial artist.
His mount was a large chestnut horse from the Western Regions with long flowing mane and well-proportioned muscles all over its body. It ran like the wind.
There is really no comparison. Unlike the Shamatte dark horse, this guy is almost as fat as a ball...
Gao Rui rode away in a cloud of dust, followed closely by Zhu Ping'an. The sound of horse hooves and the cries of "Ga-ga" crossed the long streets of the capital. The two men rode their horses, one in front and one behind, straight to the Taicang Silver Vault.
At this time, inside Tingyu Pavilion.
Li Shu was sitting in front of the dressing table, holding an exquisite little jade cup in her slender hands, mixing kodan (ancient nail polish). Her slender hands were painted with red nail polish. Her pink and white fingers and red nail polish were very eye-catching, making Li Shu look even more charming and beautiful.
Baozi's maids Hua'er and Qin'er were standing by, helping Li Shu skillfully, grinding the newly picked Impatiens, Achnatherum splendens, alum, egg white, beeswax, and Western Region glue in a jade mortar according to the proportions... ... .
"Oh, I almost forgot. Hua'er, have someone notify the gatekeepers in the mansion and tell them carefully that from today until your husband is relieved of his duties as the treasury manager, if anyone comes to give gifts, no matter which mansion they are from or what they give, whether it is expensive or cheap, they will not be accepted. If anyone is so blind as to accept even one nail, I will report it to the old ancestor and have this person with dirty hands and feet sent away."
Li Shu stopped what she was doing, looked at Huaer with her watery eyes, and gave instructions seriously.
Will anyone give a gift
The little maid Baozi was stunned when she heard this, because ever since her son-in-law passed the imperial examination and became the top scholar, it seemed, no longer seemed, but definitely, that apart from her son-in-law's good friends, no one had come to give her gifts.
"Does anyone want to give a gift? Don't worry, miss. I'll go find Madam Liu right away and ask her to give instructions to the concierge."
But Baozi, the little maid, is a good girl. No matter whether she understands it or not, since the young lady has given the order, she has to do it well.
Qin'er standing by was also a little confused.
"It wasn't the case before, but it may not be the case today." Li Shu's beautiful eyes were full of longing, and she glanced at the two of them with a smile on her lips. Then she instructed Qin'er, "Qin'er, go to the old ancestor later and give him two boxes of the best donkey-hide gelatin cakes. By the way, tell him what I mean."
"Yes, miss."
Huaer and Qiner both have strong execution abilities and quickly completed the tasks assigned by Li Shu.
When the concierge Lao Li received the order, he was a little confused at first, and then he wanted to laugh. He felt that the order of the fifth lady was really like selling water by the river - a superfluous act. If someone gave a gift to the Marquis, it was reasonable, but as for giving a gift to the fifth uncle, it was like the sun rising from the west.
Miss Fifth is really overthinking.
No one has ever given a gift to the fifth uncle.
The doorman, Old Li, took a sip of herbal tea, fanned himself, and leisurely sat in a chair with his eyes closed to rest. He played mahjong until late last night, and since no outsiders had come to his house recently, he might as well catch up on some sleep in the doorman's room.
As soon as he closed his eyes, he felt sleepy. The doorman, Old Li, fanned himself with the fan slower and slower until it soon fell on his stomach. He began to snore.
However, after a while, the doorman, Old Li, was awakened by a loud noise.
As soon as he opened his eyes, the doorman, Old Li, was so scared that the fan in his hand fell to the ground. What was going on outside? How come there was a hustle and bustle outside the gate just as he closed his eyes
Old Li hurriedly got up and pushed open the door. The scene outside made him dumbfounded.
Just outside the gatehouse, there were more than ten people queuing up to submit gifts. They were all well-dressed and obviously from a high-ranking official's family. As for the people carrying gifts and driving carriages outside the gate, there were even more of them, which at one point blocked the road outside the gate.
I saw the concierge door open and there was a lot of excitement outside, and people rushed in.
"I am the housekeeper of the mansion of Mr. Zhang, the manager of the Taicang Treasury. Today I have been ordered to deliver a visiting card to Mr. Zhu, the son-in-law of your mansion. This is our gift list. Please pass it on. This small gift is just a token of respect."
A well-dressed butler squeezed in front of Zui, handed the visiting card and gift list to the doorman Lao Li, and quietly stuffed a silver ingot into Lao Li's sleeve, winked at him, and asked Lao Li to pass on the bill.
"I am the third brother of Mr. Wang, the head of the Ministry of Revenue. Today, I come to pay a visit to Mr. Zhu of your house as instructed by my elder brother. Here is the gift list..."
"I am from the residence of Lord Wang, the former treasurer of the Taicang Treasury. Our Lord has a younger sister who admires the number one scholar very much..."
The others were not willing to be left behind and crowded forward to hand in their visiting cards. The gifts listed on the gift list were so gorgeous that they were jaw-dropping, and everyone was very generous.
These people were dressed very elegantly, and they all carried valuable gifts, including jade antiques, valuable calligraphy and paintings, gold and silver jewelry, the best venison, flying dragons, and so on. There was even a pink sedan with a fragrant smell, and a beautiful sound of playing the piano came from inside...
The doorman, Old Li, was stunned. He hadn't seen such a scene for many years. Although there were many people when the old lady celebrated her birthday last time, they were all relatives and friends. He hadn't seen such a grand scene of people lining up to formally submit visiting cards and give gifts for more than ten years.