Well, since I was the one who sent Zhang Chen out, I'm afraid I have to take the blame!
Zhang Shou rubbed his head with a headache, and then said unhappily: "Where were we just talking about? Yes, you used the name of the Second Prince to buy up all the remaining cotton stocks on the market... Wait, where did you get so much money? Did you hire weavers for free? You opened a weaving workshop there, and rented looms for free? I remember you also asked you to hire a few carpenters as backup!"
If you had so much money, would you come back in a rage and tell them that Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu were running out of money
This time when Zhang Chen went to the countryside, Zhang Shou gave him half of the 5,000 strings of cash he had earned from selling the spinning machine to the eldest prince, and the other half was undoubtedly given to Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu. Zhang Chen himself was also ambitious, and he took his own 2,000 strings of cash without telling his parents - of course, all this money was in banknotes, otherwise he would have had to drive dozens of vehicles to Cangzhou, and there would be no way he could keep it secret.
For the sake of convenience, Zhang Chen had already exchanged the banknotes with the seals of the Duke of Qin and Zhang Shou for cash notes that could be redeemed on sight in the capital.
However, four thousand five hundred strings of cash was a huge sum for ordinary people, but when it came to actually doing things, it was not enough at all. He naturally understood this deeply, and at this moment he couldn't help but feel a little proud.
"The Second Prince's name is very useful. I took out 1,500 strings of cash, and the wealthy families immediately agreed to lend me the rest. I also wrote them IOUs. Because the cotton is still in the Xingtai warehouse and has not been shipped away, even if I claim to be going back to Beijing to see the Second Prince, others will still believe that I am really going back to report to the Second Prince, and they will not have any doubts at all."
"As for the weavers, I paid double the wages and easily recruited 70 or 80 people along the way. Because they heard that it would only take a few months and the place we were going to was not far from Zhending Prefecture, they were of course very happy to do it. The weaving workshop was already open and carpenters were also hired, so the yarn collected by Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu was just right for my weaving workshop. So, I still had 2,000 strings of cash left in the end."
At this point, Zhang Chen revealed an embarrassed expression: "So, I saw that Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu had no money to collect cotton yarn, so I lent them the little money I had on hand, and then I came to see you, young master, under the pretext of reporting to the Second Prince."
As expected, he was full of righteousness. After he had finished his work, he heard that Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu were getting more and more difficult, so he immediately used the money he brought with him to support the two brothers. Zhang Chen was a man of righteousness and generosity. He really didn't make a mistake in choosing him!
Zhang Shou confirmed that Zhang Chen was just as he expected, so he hooked his finger at him. Seeing that he really came forward, he whispered a few words into his ear. After he finished speaking, he saw that Zhang Chen's mouth was almost split open and he was about to laugh out loud, so he quickly patted him on the shoulder.
"Be reserved! It hasn't even happened yet, why are you so happy?" Zhang Shou managed to stop Zhang Chen from getting carried away, and then asked with a half-smile, "By the way, didn't you go to Xingtai to find a romantic encounter? So, did you find the beauty you like?"
Zhang Chen's face darkened immediately after these words came out. His current status in Xingtai is that of the Second Prince's confidant. Although others try their best to curry favor with him, they only regard him as a lackey, so most people have to lend him money even if they have to bite the bullet. However, when he showed up in front of people with a mustache and beat away the First Prince's men, his reputation in Xingtai was completely ruined.