Chapter 96: Only those who have never tasted power...

Zhao Changning had obviously been abused by him for too long and had become accustomed to his occasional epileptic seizures, and even his expression did not change much.

He even calmly asked Mingxuan to sit down, "Come, let's have tea."

Mingxuan saw that there was no danger, so he sat down without knowing why, but he could guess a thing or two. The shock in his eyes made his gaze keep moving between the two of them.

Gao Cong was even more furious when he saw her attitude. "Tell me the truth, are you planning to burn your bridges? Are you going to abandon me?"

He still had so much money left to pay, so was this woman really going to change? This fickle, evil woman.

Zhao Changning used to feel embarrassed, but now he is calm. He looked Gao Cong up and down, then pointed at the steady Mingxuan.

"Just tell me whether I should abandon you or not?"

Gao Cong finally had time to look at Mingxuan. His face was not as pretty as his, his skin was not as fair as his, and he was just a little stronger than him. There was no other advantage to him.

"This shouldn't be happening, Zhao Changning, you..." He froze when he remembered how Zhao Changning had forbidden him from discussing their relationship in front of others. His hands were shaking with anger. "You're so mean, you're a jerk. You, you give me the money..."

Seeing him about to ramble on again, Zhao Changning sighed, "This is Lord Mingxuanming, the third place winner of the imperial examination, hand-picked by the late emperor, formerly the Governor of Zhejiang, now the Governor of Fujian, and my good friend."

Mingxuan stood up and asked, "May I know who you are?"

Zhao Changning spoke first, sneering, "The lover I met by chance in Yujing is Gao Cong, the grandson of the former Prime Minister Gao."

Mingxuan heard her frankness, and all his doubts disappeared. He clasped his fists and said with a smile, "Mr. Gao, I have long admired you."

When Gao Cong heard that this man had so many titles, including the famous Tanhua Lang, he was immediately discouraged. In addition, he had heard this name from his grandfather before, so he was speechless and his face turned red like a monkey's butt.

Zhao Changning shook his head. "Alright, I'll give you another thousand taels when I get back today."

Gao Cong knew that he was unreasonable today and was very embarrassed, but this woman was still willing to give him money, so he couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.

Zhao Changning glared at him and said, "Get lost."

"Oh, okay." Gao Cong felt relieved after being scolded. He turned around and ran away happily without any hesitation.

Mingxuan looked at his back and asked, "Is this a delaying tactic you're looking for? Is the situation in the palace not going well?"

Zhao Changning sometimes feels helpless. It is also very distressing when smart people are too smart.

"You figured it out?" She shook her head. "It's not that difficult, it's just that to be by the Emperor's side, I need an identity that won't be resented by others."

Mingxuan smiled and nodded, expressing his understanding that imperfection is the way to survive in the world.

After meeting Wen Yu, he found out that he was a chubby middle-aged man. They got along quite well. Zhao Changning did not behave like an ordinary man. Instead, he highly praised her method of using business to break the deadlock and praised her ability to break the deadlock.

Zhao Changning felt that Mingxuan was quite good at judging people, with Zhou Mi in front and Wen Yu behind.

A day later, after saying goodbye to Yunqiu for the final time, Zhao Changning continued on his journey with Grandma Xu and Gao Cong.

She did not stay in Jiangxi. Now if she went to Jiangxi again, the meaning would be different. Those people in Yujing would probably think that she was interfering in the porcelain-making business and wanted to profit from it. So she simply stayed out of it and there would be less criticism.

Fang Wenhai had already arrived in Guangzhou in person. The size of the Maritime Customs here had doubled, and officials were gradually taking their places. For him, this was a source of pride.

"Nu Shu Ling, you are finally here. We colleagues have been waiting anxiously for you."

Zhao Changning couldn't help laughing when he heard his slightly accented official language. "Master Fang, I was demoted this time. You don't have to be so polite."

Fang Wenhai waved his hands repeatedly, "Don't say such things, Nüshu Ling. Everyone knows why you were demoted and why you came here. The emperor trusts you, even a fool can see it. Nüshu Ling, we all know that you will be back soon."

Zhao Changning just smiled and said nothing.

Fang Wenhai did not ask any more questions. Now the lifeblood of the Maritime Customs was in Zhao Changning's hands. If she said she would give birth, the baby would be born. She was the only one who could get the ship. Anyway, she treated people well, and it was a blessing to have such a colleague.

Now Dayong has completely abolished the ban on going out to sea. Many small merchant ships have gone out to sea, but only the official ships of the court can ride the wind and waves and make a complete round trip every time.

There are many tricks involved here, involving various matters in the six ministries. Officials in the Ministry of Rites who are proficient in various languages ​​are even more valuable, and only Zhao Changning can mediate.

Speaking of which, it's actually quite good to have a woman in this officialdom. In the past, it was all men, who were prone to quarreling as soon as they opened their mouths, and were easily exploited like dogs. Suddenly, a woman got involved, and with the emperor's support behind her, she was not so greedy, and was not so fussy, so she could get things done much faster.

Thinking of this, Fang Wenhai couldn't help but respect Zhao Changning more, but his eyes were still very honest. He glanced at Gao Cong from time to time, unable to hide his curiosity.

"Come, Nv Shu Ling, let's not talk about business today. We have prepared some wine to welcome you. Please give us some face."

Zhao Changning readily agreed and found it very interesting.

Along the way, many people spoke up about her and Gao Cong, but it seemed that power could blind people's eyes. No matter how disdainful they were, they would not criticize her to her face, let alone say anything about what women should not do.

She turned to Gao Cong and said, "Are you coming with me, or do you want to go shopping on your own?"

Gao Cong didn't mind at all and reached out to her, "I want to go shopping by myself. Having dinner with you and listening to you talk is the most boring thing."

Zhao Changning didn't mind. He just asked Granny Xu to give him money and asked Fang Wenhai to send someone to follow him to prevent him from getting lost.

Fang Wenhai said politely, "The young master seems to be ignorant of worldly affairs and very interesting. No wonder the female secretary likes him."

Zhao Changning said gently, "He has a simple personality and is indeed interesting."

He is just a little stupid and doesn't know how hard it is to get power.

Only those who have never tasted power will act like this. Once you have tasted the pleasure brought by power, these banquets and people's intrigues are like fireworks celebrating you on the road to success, and every step is illuminating you.

The group went into the city, and Zhao Changning followed them to the largest restaurant. She liked the food from the south, which was light and refreshing.

The Guangzhou Maritime Customs almost relied on Zhao Changning. Before, there was only one supervisor stationed here, who was just waiting to die and his profits were not even as good as those of merchant ships.

Now the situation is reversed. Everyone knows that the imperial court's ships are the safest and only the imperial court's ships can go far. This has almost become a consensus and is also a manifestation of the prosperity of Dayong's national strength.

"Although we have a lot of porcelain now, it's just ballast after all. It doesn't take up much space. Our main job is to collect the shipping fees from others and make some small profits. Half of these fees will be paid to the local authorities, and the other half can be kept in the Maritime Customs Office."

Fang Wenhai was very knowledgeable about being an official. He immediately pulled out a stack of banknotes from his sleeve and said, "These are specially left for the female secretary. I hope the female secretary will accept them."

Zhao Changning actually didn't want to accept it, but seeing Fang Wenhai's hesitant eyes and the expectant eyes of his colleagues from the Maritime Customs, he raised his hand and took it. Sure enough, he saw that they all breathed a sigh of relief.

If she didn't accept it, how could they feel at ease? Only when they were equal to the world in terms of money could they be considered truly integrated.

Last time I came and went in a hurry and didn’t experience it well. This time, my life in Guangzhou was very comfortable. I mainly ate, drank and wandered around every day, which was not strenuous at all.

When in the palace, Zhao Changning often felt like the golden Western chiming clock in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. He had to pay attention all the time, wind it up, and his nerves were tense and he was very tired.

Granny Xu brought the seafood porridge and said with a smile: "Your appetite is much better now. This seafood porridge is delicious, but you can't eat too much."

Zhao Changning was not greedy for food. He stopped eating after eating one bowl. Looking at the spring scenery outside the window with thousands of willow branches hanging down and flowers and birds enjoying themselves, he felt relaxed and comfortable.

"The south is much more comfortable than Jiangxi, Granny Xu, what do you think?"

Granny Xu smiled and said, "You know what? It felt damp at first, but gradually it became quite comfortable. It's still a bit dusty in the north at this time of year."

Zhao Changning sighed, "What a pity I didn't bring Xiaobai with me."

The rats here are very big, Xiaobai will definitely like them.

During this period, Yunsheng's letters came from time to time. He was a long-winded person and most of his letters were nonsense. He said that the eldest princess was wronged and cried today, a favored concubine was pregnant but still had a miscarriage, and the emperor was in conflict with the cabinet because he was reluctant to appoint a new prime minister. He felt that the emperor did not seem to want to appoint a new prime minister, and the number of cabinet members had not been increased.

Seeing this, Zhao Changning reluctantly paid more attention.

The cabinet without Gao Yun is like a fish without water, just like Hu Gouer's Silijian, which existed because of the late emperor.

Time passed by slowly and it was June.

Mingxuan wrote early, saying that he had asked the tea farmers to start picking tea. When the tea was ready, he would have the Maritime Customs ship dock in Fujian for a few days.

Zhao Changning agreed.

By the way, the route of transporting porcelain from Jiangxi was also changed, and the porcelain was shipped to Guangzhou. In fact, the journey was much longer than transporting it to Fujian, not to mention Jingdezhen, which is almost bordering Zhejiang. Guangzhou Port was just the optimal solution at the time.

Unexpectedly, they encountered strong opposition from the Maritime Customs, and everyone insisted on going out to sea at the port of Guangzhou.

"Nu Shu Ling, the Guangzhou port's capabilities are now mature, whether it's unloading or loading cargo, or loading ships for sailing. Most importantly, we have signed a space lease agreement with the merchants here, and we can't breach it. If there is no cargo, won't our Guangzhou Maritime Customs be back to square one?"

Zhao Changning raised his hand to suppress the noise, and everyone fell silent.

"Don't worry, the two ships at Guangzhou Port will remain stationary. More goods will be shipped through here in the future. We don't have to be obsessed with porcelain. Now that the ports are open, I will seek the best solution. Of course, I will also consider the opinions of my colleagues. Don't worry, it will definitely not harm anyone..."

This is why it is difficult to change the officialdom. They don’t care about the optimal solution. There will always be people whose interests will be harmed. When interests are harmed, there will inevitably be opposition, and conflicts will follow.

Although the court was acting for the greater good of the people of the world, in fact, it could not escape the word profit.

Zhao Changning was well aware of the root of the trouble here and did not intend to forcefully attack Guangzhou Port. He just pulled Fang Wenhai aside to discuss and planned to proceed slowly.

She was preparing to write a letter to the emperor and would add another ship, but that ship would be different from the one in Guangzhou Port. It would specifically sail along the southeast coast of Dayong, which would save time, but it would double the work.

"...I also know that my colleagues are working hard, so I plan to ask the Emperor to send some female officials who are good at calculating to help. I wonder if my colleagues in the Maritime Customs would mind?"

No matter what, she must let the female officials participate in every corner of Dayong's officialdom. As long as the emperor doesn't mind, this will definitely work.

At least so far, the female official has never embarrassed her or missed anything, and her performance is very reliable.

Fang Wenhai hesitated. He actually didn't want the female official to get involved in the Maritime Customs, but when he thought about the exchange of interests involved, he finally nodded in agreement.

After all, the Nvshu Ling has given everyone a lot of face. At least she didn't take a one-size-fits-all approach and was willing to give everyone time.

Zhao Changning felt very comfortable with Fang Wenhai's obedience. This kind of person is smart and useful, but very cunning and difficult to share hardships with. However, it was very unexpected that he was able to plead for mercy this time. Preserving the Guangzhou Port can be regarded as her small repayment.

She planned to go to Fujian in person. Transporting tea was a big deal, and she had to petition the emperor and get an official tea permit. Moreover, she had to invite someone from the Ministry of Rites who understood Portuguese.

If Mingxuan were to do it, it might require layers of approval and end up being stuck in the six ministries or the cabinet. Even if it passed, it would take time for the emperor to review it day and night, and then consult with his ministers. This back and forth would waste time.

Another reason is that Grandma Xu misses Yunqiu and she has mentioned Yunqiu several times.

This time, with Grandma Xu accompanying her, Zhao Changning chose to take a boat. It was indeed fast and convenient, and she also wanted to overcome seasickness.

You have to take charge of your own body.

Zhao Changning had been on the boat for a while when he remembered that he had forgotten to inform Gao Cong. However, thinking that Gao Cong still had money on him, he was not too worried. That kid could take care of himself and spent money like water.

This time, Mingxuan did not dig mud in the mountains. Instead, he dressed up and came to greet them in person.

Zhao Changning was holding a large taro leaf in his hand, his face looked haggard. He was already a little seasick, and the hot summer sun made him drowsy. He finally got off the boat, but if it weren't for Grandma Xu supporting him, his legs would have fallen.

She said weakly: "Mingxuan, you have to thank me this time."

Mingxuan nodded repeatedly, not caring about etiquette anymore, and picked her up. "Okay, okay, I owe you a big favor this time. Don't talk for now, I'll take you to the clinic."

When Zhao Changning woke up again, he found himself lying on a narrow couch. He turned his head and saw Mingxuan sleeping beside his arm.

The evening sun was still scorching, but after being blocked by the curtains, it lost much of its warmth when it fell on his body. It was like a layer of sticky honey, delicately brushed on his handsome and flawless face, adding a lot of heroic spirit.

"Well, are you awake?" Mingxuan rubbed his eyes and asked with concern: "Are you feeling better?"

Zhao Changning nodded, his voice hoarse, "Much better, but I still feel like my body is shaking."

Mingxuan breathed a sigh of relief. "If anything happens to you, I will really die as an apology."

Zhao Changning chuckled, "You just feel sorry for the people. Don't worry, I've already submitted a petition to the Emperor, requesting money, people, and ships. I don't know how much he'll approve."

Mingxuan also smiled, his eyes showing gratitude and heartache, "It can be solved, there is no need to be so anxious."

Zhao Changning pursed her lips and smiled without saying anything. She was not anxious, she just didn't know how much chance she had of getting these things done.

Fortunately, the emperor did not delay. Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, after approving Zhao Changning's memorial, he ordered the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Rites to make arrangements. This time, the Ministry of Revenue did not pay, but directly allocated money from the treasury, which was very quick and efficient.

After receiving the reply, Zhao Changning was stunned for a long time. Was there enough money in the treasury? Did the emperor not contact the Ministry of Revenue at all?

She certainly didn't think that it was an impulsive decision made by the emperor for her. According to the emperor's character, this must have a deep meaning, or even be intentional.

Compared with the uncertainty of porcelain making, tea can make money in a visible way. There is no need to consider the routes and ships, and it is completely possible to replicate porcelain making.

Zhao Changning was a little worried. What was the emperor planning to do? Was he planning to completely abolish the Ministry of Revenue and fill the national treasury?

Judging from the current situation, the emperor is obviously going to consolidate his power step by step. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

However, this news made Mingxuan very happy.

He didn't know where the money came from, but he knew that the emperor was very generous this time and seemed to attach great importance to the tea from Fujian.

Even Wen Yu admired him very much and clamored for the officials in Fujian to give Zhao Changning a good welcome.

Zhao Changning declined. After all, things had just begun and he couldn't be too confident.

She moved into the backyard of the governor's office with Grandma Xu. Mingxuan lived there with Yunqiu and Taiping, and also hired a cook. Their life was pretty good.

Yunqiu played very well with the kids in the alley and often laughed in a clear and pleasant voice.

"Shouldn't we have been happier when we were little?" Mingxuan handed her a cup of barley tea and sat on the swing with her, watching Yunqiu play. "Looking back now, some of my memories are actually fuzzy."

Zhao Changning shook his head. "I wasn't happy when I was little either. In fact, we've been miserable since we were little, but the more we lived, the more miserable we became, which made us mistakenly believe that we were happy as children."

"It sounds like you had a hard childhood?" Mingxuan said softly.

Zhao Changning sighed, "I entered the palace when I was eight years old. How good could my life be? Being happy is even harder."

Ming Xuan smiled and said, "What a coincidence! I also returned to the Ming family when I was eight years old. Thinking back on the days before that, I felt..."

He paused, as if trying to describe the days at that time. After struggling for a while, he said, "I lived like a dog without any sense of honor or shame."

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The author has something to say: Mingxuan: I am the most miserable [clown][clown]