"That's true!" Shi Kuan said with a smile, "I heard that Yang Shoushan has mobilized hundreds of thousands of civilians to dredge the Yellow River. It's unwise for Brother Zichuan to leave the River Governor's Office at this time."
Cheng Chi laughed and said, "Is it so easy to recruit hundreds of thousands of civilians? Moreover, although this winter is cold, it is April. I am afraid that spring will come early, and spring plowing will start before hundreds of thousands of civilians arrive at the bank of the Yellow River..."
Shi Kuan couldn't help but raise his eyebrows when he heard this, and said, "I didn't expect you knew the calendar!"
"It's just a hobby!" Cheng Chi smiled indifferently, "It's not very accurate."
Shi Kuan asked, "Brother Zichuan, do you want to get out of this?"
"It's not that I want to get out of this." Cheng Chi poured another glass of wine for Shi Kuan and said, "Since I have been recommended by Lord Song, I can't let him down. It's just that Yang Shoushan has just taken over Gu Jingyu's hand and wants to make a new atmosphere. It's a bit too hasty and it's not a good time. I just want to stay out of the spotlight."
The implication is that Yang Shoushan is a stubborn person and is not optimistic about the dredging of the Yellow River.
Shi Kuan thought for a moment and said, "Isn't Lord Yuan a relative of yours? You can follow Lord Yuan's path!"
Cheng Chi smiled bitterly and said, "Lord Yuan and Lord Song are not on good terms!"
Shi Kuan looked quite helpless after hearing this. After thinking for a while, he said, "How about I help you make some connections? I have some contacts with Wang Chuan, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Why not find him? I can find any excuse to transfer you back. When spring comes and the things on the Yellow River are almost done, it won't be too late for you to go to Jining. Anyway, you hold the title of Deputy Minister of the Water Conservancy Department of the Ministry of Works, so it's reasonable." At this point, he slapped his forehead and said, "I remembered that the lotus flowers in the Taiye Pond in the Western Garden have not bloomed well in recent years. The people of the Direct Palace Supervisor asked the people of the Siwan Bureau to take a look. They said that they were going to be cleared. The emperor is going to let the Ministry of Works undertake this task. I think you might as well use this as an excuse to come back to Beijing to do this job." As he spoke, he lowered his voice and said, "Maybe the crown prince will be asked to supervise and the emperor's eldest grandson will assist."
Cheng Chi was not tempted.
After knowing that the entire Cheng family was executed by the emperor in the previous life, he still felt resentful.
It is impossible for the Cheng family to rebel.
It is wrong for the emperor to exterminate the Cheng family.
He smiled and said, "I mainly wanted to avoid the dredging of the Yellow River this time. I didn't think much about other things."
Shi Kuan looked at Cheng Chi carefully and felt that what he said was true. He admired him greatly and said, "Brother Zichuan is a true gentleman."
Cheng Chi smiled and said, "There is only a fine line between being a gentleman and a villain. If I want to stay at home and relax, I will naturally be a gentleman. If I want a smooth career, I may as well be a villain!"
Shi Kuan was very impressed and raised his glass to Cheng Chi, saying, "Brother Zichuan has a broad mind. I can't wait. I will take care of your return to Beijing."
Very arrogant.
Cheng Chi's eyes flickered, and he and Shi Kuan lingered in the back alley of the tavern for nearly an hour. He drank so much that his tongue was a little limp, and then he gave the remaining two bottles of wine to Shi Kuan. The two of them left the tavern one after the other. Shi Kuan left from the front door in a sedan chair, and Cheng Chi got on a carriage not far from the back alley. But as soon as he got on the carriage, his eyes, which had been a little blurry, immediately became clear. He asked Huaishan, who had been waiting for him in the carriage for a long time, to serve him with a pen and ink, and wrote a note to Huaishan in the carriage, asking him to deliver it to Zhou Shaojin.
Huaishan did not dare to delay, and hurried to Yuye Hutong with the note and handed it to Nanny Shang.
Zhou Shaojin opened the note and saw that Cheng Chi asked her if she knew Wang Chuan and what position he eventually held.
She thought about it carefully and told Cheng Chi that after the new emperor ascended the throne, Wang Chuan soon replaced Qu Yuan, the former Minister of Works and Grand Secretary of Jinshen Palace, and became the new cabinet minister and Grand Secretary. His son was promoted from the Hanlin Academy to the Shangbao Division Shaoqing, a fifth-rank official. Once, Lin Shisheng and others took on an errand in Shanglin Garden. When settling accounts, they asked Wang Chuan's son to use the seal. For this purpose, they also gave him a double-layer pearl necklace with each pearl the size of a thumb. Only then did she know that the Shangbao Division Shaoqing was Wang Chuan's son. Moreover, after the Cheng family was raided, Liao Shaotang went to ask Yuan Weichang for help, but he refused. The reason for his refusal seemed to imply that he had lost the emperor's favor, and Wang Chuan might become the chief minister of the cabinet, and he himself would be in danger.
Cheng Chi sneered when he received the note.
The Shangbaosi was in charge of the imperial seals, plaques, and seals; the Gongbu was in charge of the city repairs, civil engineering repairs, artisan farming, rivers and canals of the country... After the Gongbu was done, they had to go to the Shangbaosi to use the seals before settling accounts with the Hubu. The father was in charge of the Gongbu, and the son was in charge of the seals, which was like passing the court's money from the left hand to the right hand, and the father and son had the final say.
If Wang Chuan wasn't the Fourth Prince's confidant, that would be weird!
Cheng Chi burned the note Zhou Shaojin wrote.
He asked Huaishan to bring a valuable gift to visit Shi Kuan: "... Just ask him to negotiate for me. Forget about the job in Xiyuan. I can go back to Beijing to rest for a few months, so that I can finish the wedding."
Cheng Chi then washed, changed his clothes, and prepared to go and pay his respects to Old Madam Guo.
Qingfeng came in and said, "Fourth Master, Master Wen heard that you are back and he must see you..."
After all, he was a relative of his own, so Cheng Chi invited Cheng Wen to sit in the study, asked Qingfeng to brew some good tea for him, and then he went to see Cheng Wen after he had packed up.
Cheng Wen went out for a walk early in the morning. After seeing the prosperity of the capital, he became more confident in himself. He was ready to do something exciting. When he saw Cheng Chi coming in, he took a few steps forward and grabbed Cheng Chi's arm, and said hurriedly: "Chi Congdi, I plan to rent a shop in Xizhimen to do tea business. What do you think?"
Cheng Chi smiled and said, "That depends on how much capital you have."
Cheng Wen blushed and scratched his ears, saying, "I plan to sell the shares of Yutai Bank, which should be able to collect about ten thousand taels of silver."
Cheng Chi knew that he wanted him to lend him money for his business.
He pondered and said, "If I were Brother Wen, I would first find an expert. The tea business may seem simple, but there are many tricks involved. Let alone other things, the purchase and sale of Mingqian tea and Yuqian tea are not simple. Otherwise, if the new tea arrives later than others, or is delayed on the road, the business for the year will be over. If there is no division of the clan, I can assign a big shopkeeper to you to take charge and bring a few assistants out, but now the eldest branch is also seriously injured, I am afraid I can't help you like before. However, I have been in this business circle for a few years, so I can try to introduce you to a few big tea merchants. As for the shopkeeper and assistants, I can only see if they have any good introductions."
This is better than lending him money!
Cheng Wen was very moved, and said sincerely: "Zichuan, you are still straightforward, worthy of being a man who has accomplished great things. You may not know yet? Ever since you handed over Yutai Bank to the Second House, the Second House has taken over the management of the general manager there, and changed the quarterly settlement you set before to an annual settlement. Not to mention, they also drove out some of the old people in Yutai Bank. I think Yutai Bank will collapse sooner or later if it is handed over to them. Zichuan, have you ever thought about going back? I know that my cousin Miao sold his shares to the Third House. I will go to the Third House and tell them that, together with the shares I have, our two families will protect you and take charge together! What do you think?"
The so-called old men of Yutai Bank refer to his brothers and nephews from outside his marriage, right
For some things, you can’t tell their length without comparison!
Cheng Chi laughed and said, "Brother Wen is confused. I am now an official appointed by the court. How can I do business again? Besides, look at this capital city. It is a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery. Who would want to go back to Nanjing and control a small Jiuru Lane after staying here for a long time?"
"Yes, yes!" Cheng Wen suddenly realized and agreed, saying, "Don't mention you, even I don't want to go back. Brother Chi, what do you think, should I move my family to the capital? I'm really tired of staying in Jinling City."
In the capital, he is Cheng Wen, but in Nanjing, he is the fifth master of the Cheng family in Jiuru Lane.
Cheng Chi sensed his thoughts and said with a smile, "This is a big deal, I can't give you any advice. How about you settle the business first? With income at home, life will be more comfortable. You moved to the capital to enjoy life, not to suffer!"
"I knew that Brother Chi had a broad vision, and he couldn't be compared with those old and fussy people." Cheng Wen said happily, turning around and leaving. "I have to go find my classmates who have settled in the capital, and see if they have any way to introduce me to a big shopkeeper or something like that. When I have found a shop and people, I will trouble you to introduce me to a few big tea merchants."
He left without even drinking tea.
Cheng Chi looked at his back and shook his head.
But when he went to Madam Guo's place, he met Wu Baozhang who came to greet Madam Guo and was about to leave.
Cheng Chi didn't even look at her, but nodded coldly, and walked straight into the hall with the little maid lifting the curtain.
Wu Baozhang couldn't help but look back.
Cheng Chi is really good-looking… His body is straight, his back is very straight, his shoulders are broad, his arms are long, and his waist is thin. He walks with steady and brisk steps, and you can tell at a glance that he can handle things. He is not like Cheng Nuo or Cheng Lu, who are thin and pale, and look like they can’t lift anything with their hands or shoulders… Only when you become a woman can you understand the difference… Compared with Cheng Xu and Cheng Chi, if Cheng Chi is a big tree that can shelter from wind and rain, making people feel tough and solid, then Cheng Xu is a ginkgo tree, beautiful and upright, but only for viewing, but not necessarily useful at critical moments.
Zhou Shaojin, you are so lucky!
As she thought about it, she felt as if a fire was burning in her heart.
Both of them were officials born in poor families and both lost their mothers at an early age. Why can some people get what they want without doing anything, while she cannot get what she wants even after trying her best
Wu Baozhang clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into the flesh of his palms but he didn't feel any pain.
Cheng Chi asked Mrs. Guo, "Why is Nuoge's wife here too?"
"Your cousin Wen brought the couple here together." Old Madam Guo said indifferently, "I think they want to come and see the fun. I think they represent the fifth branch. If they are present when you get married, it will also let those relatives and friends in the capital see whether it is us or the second branch who are wrong in the division of the family line. I have already told Zheng girl to tell Jia girl to bring her husband to Chaoyang Gate to drink the wedding wine."
※
Dear friends, today’s update on the spirit beast eggs!
The update is still scheduled for 9 am tomorrow.
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)