Chapter 331 "Gold Mountain Girl"
Xiao Duan and Xiao Wu came over with joy and eagerness on their faces, but when they heard what A Che said, they immediately became unhappy.
What do you mean...why are they here?
"Brother Che, what are you talking about? Now that the girl can finally settle down, of course we have to come over to work!"
They were picked up by the girl, so isn't it normal for them to come to work? If they don't come, the girl will probably forget about them. The girl is very powerful now, and there must be no shortage of people around her! They are in the Xuanzhou Grand Princess's mansion, and although they are not short of food and drink, children who crawled out of the mud can't be content with the status quo. The two were afraid of being abandoned again. They couldn't see the girl for a long time and couldn't help at all, so they inevitably had a sense of crisis.
Seeing the two of them looking aggrieved, Ah Che quickly added, "That's not what I meant... I meant, the girl hadn't had time to send a message asking you to come to Jiangdu yet, so why did you suddenly come here?"
A Che said, motioning to look behind the two of them.
Xiao Wu then replied, "Her Royal Highness the Grand Princess sent someone to Jiangdu, so we followed along!"
At this time, a lake blue figure jumped out of the carriage in the long procession, walked over, and smiled at A Che: "Little A Che, we meet again."
Ah Che blushed for a moment, raised his hand and saluted: "Miss Yaojin."
Whenever he saw Yaojin, A Che couldn't help but think of the first time he met him - that was at the Chang family's ancestral tomb in the capital, and he was digging the hole very enthusiastically.
Yao Jin couldn't help but think about it, but she was older and could maturely ignore some embarrassing memories.
Just at this time, Chang Kuo came out of the governor's mansion with his men. Lord Chang, who was originally chatting and laughing with his subordinates, saw the shaking gold, his smile faded and he frowned quickly.
Having been a messenger pigeon between the Grand Princess and Chang Kuo for so many years, and being responsible for delivering the shaking gold of their quarrels from time to time, he was already accustomed to this, and still smiled and stepped forward to salute: "Greetings, General Chang."
Chang Kuo looked at the convoy behind her warily: "...What do you mean?"
"These are the gifts that my prince prepared for Madam Chang." Yao Jin added with a smile: "To congratulate Madam Chang for her great victory in taking back Jiangdu—"
Of course, this is just a lie, at least not entirely true.
What Princess Xuan'an really wanted to congratulate was Chang Suining on his new post as the governor of Jiangdu. However, when the motorcade set out from Xuanzhou, the imperial edict granting the official post had not yet arrived in Jiangdu, so her words had to be subtle and prudent.
"So it's a gift." Chu Xing said, half to ease the rude atmosphere created by his own general, and half out of genuine surprise: "At first glance, I thought it was a betrothal gift."
bride price?
Who to hire?
There is no way he would agree to it! Don't even think about it! Chang Kuo sneered in his heart.
Facing such distinguished guests and generous gifts, Chu Xing, who was not good at socializing, was forced by his own general to show some of his common sense. He bowed his hands and thanked him repeatedly: "Your Highness the Grand Princess is really generous. I would like to thank you on behalf of the girl."
"Mostly just fireworks." Yao Jin said with a smile: "His Highness said that Madam Chang has won many victories one after another, and now Jiangnan is at peace. This is a great joy, and we should have a lot of fun."
Chu Xing understood, it was fireworks. Fireworks are made of gunpowder, which has always been regulated by the government among the people. No wonder so many people were needed to escort them.
Chang Kuo took a glance, and in front of everyone, for the sake of his daughter's face, he finally forced himself to say, "A Che, entertain her well!"
But from the powerful tone, if one didn't know, one might think that it was a reception in which all 108 kinds of torture instruments were displayed.
After Chang Kuo finished speaking, he did not hesitate at all and rode away with Chu Xing and others.
"May I ask where General Chang is going?" Looking at the departing troops, Yao Jin asked Ache.
Chang Kuo's trip was to prepare for the battle against the Japanese army, and this was no secret, so A Che answered truthfully.
Yao Jin was silent for a moment. She thought that she would not be back in a short time, but His Highness had asked her to pass on a message - yes, you are such a good father. It is not enough that you are seeking death yourself, but you also send your son to the battlefield! If Sui An makes any mistake, I will burn down your Chang family's ancestral tomb!
Chang Kuo, who had escaped the warning about burning his ancestral graves because he walked fast enough, was now riding a horse with the horse's face on top of him - this was because Chang Kuo's face was really long.
Chu Xing, who was standing on the horse beside him, said, "General, there is something I don't understand..."
Chang Kuo interrupted his subordinate irritably: "...Don't ask more questions, I don't want to mention her!"
"..." Chu Xing was stunned for a moment, but then he subtly understood who the "she" in his general's mouth was, so... who was it that was mentioning it? Chu Xing, who had a little understanding of what happened back then, but didn't know the whole story, suppressed his thoughts and said, "I don't want to ask about the Grand Princess, I want to ask..."
Chang Kuo's face turned red as a pig's liver: "...Why do you have so many questions?"
Chu Xing looked wronged. He hadn't asked anything yet! As Chang Kuo spoke, he shouted "Go" in anger, and drove the horse faster, leaving Chu Xing behind.
Chu Xingpian quickly caught up with him and said persistently, "General, I want to ask why the girl brought Liuhuo to Jiangdu?"
When he first saw Liuhuo in the Governor's Mansion yesterday, he thought it was fake, or like the sword on the girl, it was deliberately imitated out of respect for the late Crown Prince.
Since we have copied the Sun Sword, it would be reasonable to find a horse that looks the same, right?
It’s just that… the body shape and fur color can be imitated, but how can the white spot on the forehead be made exactly the same?
Dyed it?
At that time, by the lotus pond, Chu Xing, out of curiosity, reached out and rubbed Liu Huo's forehead. This inappropriate action made Liu Huo furious, and he almost pushed Chu Xing into the pond.
Chu Xing, who had escaped the disaster by virtue of his good skills, had the answer in his mind - it was the real Liu Huo! Whether it was the white spot on his forehead or his fiery temper... they were all genuine! So, the question was, why did the real Liu Huo appear here? It was understandable to have a heart of respect, but the girl herself was a proud person. Was she willing to live under the shadow of the former Crown Prince?
Chu Xing often worried about his girl's mental state.
"Ask, ask, ask... I asked someone to bring him here. I want to take care of Liuhuo in his old age. Is that not okay?" Chang Kuo answered with a complete loss of patience.
Chu Xing: “…Okay.”
Chang Kuo became more and more annoyed as he thought about it. "I have money but nowhere to spend it. Why send fireworks at this critical moment? They are flashy and useless... Can they be eaten or drunk? With all this gunpowder, why not use it to do something else? It's just that Xuanzhou is rich, right? She's showing off here!"
Chu Xing: “…….”
Well, the fireworks haven’t even been set off yet and the general exploded. It seems we can’t communicate normally today.
Here, Chang Kuo was on his way cursing, while over at the governor's mansion, Yao Jin had already brought Xiao Duan and Xiao Wu to meet Chang Suining.
When Xiao Duan Xiaowu saw the girl he had been thinking about day and night, he knelt down and kowtowed to her first.
When the two stood up, Chang Suining nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad, you have grown a lot taller."
A boy of thirteen or fourteen can grow up very quickly if he is well taken care of.
Chang Suining still remembers that when he picked up the two men outside Dengtai Tower during the Dragon Boat Festival last year, they were skinny little monkeys, but now they have turned into juicy radishes.
Although she doesn't like eating radishes, she still feels pleasing just looking at them.
But just growing taller was not enough, Chang Suining asked, "How have your studies been in the past six months? Have you made any progress?"
Xiaoduan, who was taller and more outgoing, and who had beaten Xiaowu for a steamed bun, nodded heavily and shouted, "Three, two, one, up!"
When Chang Suining was at a loss, he heard the two of them reciting in unison: "The sky and earth are dark yellow, the universe is vast and boundless. The sun and the moon wax and wane, the stars are lined up..."
The two radishes stood straight, with their hands hanging down and their chests puffed out. Their eyes were determined as if they were ready to join the army. They opened their mouths wide like baby birds begging for food in a bird's nest and loudly recited the Thousand Character Classic.
When the two recited to the part about "Virtue is established, reputation is established, form is upright, and appearance is correct", Chang Suining raised his hand to interrupt them and asked, "What about Kung Fu? Do you practice it every day?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Duan shouted "Get up" again, and the two of them immediately drew out the long sticks behind their backs and started fighting.
Chang Suining watched carefully for a while and nodded in affirmation. The moves and strength cannot be faked, and it is easy to tell whether there is any laziness at a glance.
Very good, these two radishes were not picked in vain.
After Chang Suining roughly checked the homework, he asked Xier to take the two excited carrots away and familiarize himself with the affairs of the governor's office.
Chang Suining expressed his gratitude to Yaojin to the Grand Princess's Mansion.
Princess Xuan'an helped her brother treat his injuries, kept a lover for her temporarily, and helped her grow radishes. She really deserved her gratitude.
Yao Jin had just finished a cup of tea, and put down the cup at this moment, smiling and saying: "Madam Chang, there is no need to thank me. His Highness said that Huainan Road is adjacent to our Jiangnan West Road, and we have always been in a relationship of mutual dependence. Fortunately, it was Madam Chang who quelled the rebellion in Jiangnan this time, and it is our Highness who should thank Madam Chang."
After Yao Jin finished speaking, he stood up, took out a letter from his bosom, and handed it to Chang Suining with both hands: "Your Highness, on behalf of the major merchants in Xuanzhou and Jiangnan West Road, we hope to resume trade with Jiangdu and other places as soon as possible, and rebuild the destroyed trade routes in various places as soon as possible."
This is the real reason why Yao Jin came here.
Xuanzhou, the head of the western route of Jiangnan, started out as a business city. Although it was not affected by the war, it still suffered a lot.
The Jiangnan West Road not only does business with the Huainan Road, but the trade routes leading to other places, especially those facing the north, both by land and water, mostly pass through the Huainan Road. Due to Xu Zhengye's rebellion, the road has been almost paralyzed for the past year.
"This is also the top priority for Jiangdu's revival." Chang Suining took the letter and relaxed his brows: "Yesterday I discussed this with Jiangdu officials, but I know nothing about business, and I still need to integrate the opinions and suggestions of major merchants in Jiangnan before I can implement it further. Now that Her Royal Highness the Grand Princess has taken the initiative to mention it, I can get twice the result with half the effort."
Princess Xuan'an's "active mention" is naturally not just a sentence, but represents that there will be active measures to promote this matter.
The Grand Princess stated clearly in the letter that she would actively cooperate with Chang Suining to reopen various trade routes. The expenses would be borne by both parties. However, considering that Jiangdu had been devastated by the war, the Jiangnan West Road could first pay the full amount, and then repay it in installments after Jiangdu recovered.
After reading it, Chang Suining felt a little more at ease. After all, she was really poor now.
The imperial court would certainly allocate money for reconstruction and relief, but there were too many places where money would be needed, and we couldn't expect the current imperial court to be willing to allocate enough money.
In this situation, everyone is busy with their own affairs. It is better to rely on oneself than on others. It is most important to manage one's own piece of land carefully. Although there is one more creditor before the great cause is accomplished, it is better to have something to borrow than nothing.
At this moment, Chang Suining was holding the letter from the Grand Princess, and he felt that he was holding a golden IOU.
As the saying goes, the more debts you have, the less you worry. It doesn't matter if she writes one or two IOUs. If she is short of money later, then can she...
Chang Suining raised his index finger in his heart and seriously considered the possibility of offering Princess Xuan'an as a long-term creditor.
Not only her, but also Wang Changshi, who was leading people to count the gifts into the warehouse at this moment, couldn't help but have evil thoughts. He thought that he must persuade his own governor and establish a good relationship with the rich and generous Princess Xuan'an.
Thinking of the beauty of Princess Xuan'an, Wang Changshi has begun to scan the surroundings with a vicious gaze, screening out candidates who are promising.
Li Tong also heard the rumors. At this moment, he stopped the servants from the Grand Princess's Mansion who were about to pay their respects to her. He looked furtively into the hall and asked in a low voice, "...Who is the leader?"
The servant also replied tactfully: "My dear girl, it's the girl who made the gold."
Li Tong looked embarrassed. She couldn't beat Yao Jin nor could she run away from him. It would be easy for the other party to catch her.
Just at this moment, the voice of Yaojin came from the hall: "But the girl is coming?"
Although the servants were stopped midway during the salute, the sudden change of movement did not escape Yao Jin's attention.
Li Tong walked in resignedly.
Seeing his own girl, Yao Jin couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
She had finally managed to lure Mr. Chang back home, but the girl, on the other hand, followed him to Xingyang and lost him. She then hid at Mrs. Chang's place and didn't dare to go home.
"Girl, pack up in the next two days and follow me back to Xuanzhou."
"But...Sister Chang still needs me here!" Li Tong looked at Chang Suining quickly.
Chang Suining was unable to follow her wisdom for a moment, and looked at Li Tong with a look of seeking tacit understanding - what is the need? Otherwise, give me some hints? "I heard this morning that Sister Chang plans to let each business in Jiangdu elect a person in charge to discuss with the government the strategy of resuming trade!" Li Tong said seriously: "Those merchants are in urgent need of help now, but the merchants are cunning. Who can guarantee that they will not take the opportunity to ask for more benefits?"
"There are many tricks that outsiders don't know, and it's easy for them to fool them!" As Li Tong spoke, he stood next to Chang Suining and recommended himself, "I don't have any other skills, but I was born and raised in Xuanzhou, and I've dealt with those big businesses over the years. It's enough for me to help Sister Chang keep an eye on things and give her some advice!"
Yaojin was speechless for a moment, what the girl said was true.
Naturally, the eldest princess's mansion cannot raise a useless girl. Everyone has different strengths. Her girl seems to have a quirky personality, but she is good at managing the household and accounting. In the past two years, she has been able to try to work independently and negotiate with major merchants in Xuanzhou.
But His Highness also said that the girl lacks experience in doing things downwards and lacks some downward training.
On the way to Xingyang, the story of the girl "becoming a disaster victim" had already been reported back to the mansion. Yao Jin felt that what his prince said was indeed reasonable. The girl could see through the tricks of those merchants in fine clothes, but could not see through those simple and pitiful disaster victims.
Looking at the land of Jiangdu today, what needs to be rebuilt is not only order but also humanity. For a girl, it is indeed a holy place for training.
Seeing that Chang Suining was also speaking up for Li Tong and was not reluctant to express his needs for Li Tong, Yao Jin became a little shaken.
Chang Suining was of course willing to help Sister Li Tong - just imagine, if she wanted to ask the Grand Princess for money in the future, wouldn't it be much more convenient with Sister Li Tong as a bridge? Yao Jin had no choice but to say, "After I return to Xuanzhou, I will ask His Highness for instructions first."
Anyway, Jiangdu and Xuanzhou are not far apart, just a few days' journey. If His Highness disagrees, she can come back to capture him.
Several people were talking in the hall, and soon, Wang Changshi, who had specially dressed up, came to pay their respects.
Unlike other officials, the Chief Clerk, as an assistant official of the Governor's Office, represents the Governor's intentions to a large extent. Chief Clerk Wang thought that his own Governor was young and energetic, and was not good at flattering others, so he would let him do it.
Wang Changshi was ready to pay for it, but he found that the person who came from Princess Xuan'an's mansion got along very well with his governor. After asking, he found out that the two sides had already had some interactions, but they just didn't want to tell outsiders.
Soon after, Wang Changshi learned of Li Tong's identity and was even more delighted. He secretly gathered his strength and determined to do his best to entertain this Jinshan girl.
After having someone send him some money and taking a rest, Wang Changshi accompanied Chang Suining to the study. On the way, Chang Suining suddenly thought of something: "Come to think of it, did Changshi miss one thing... Does Changshi need to ask me another question on behalf of the Saint?"
Historically, anyone who served as a governor in Dasheng had to be personally examined by the emperor, and only those who passed the examination could take up the position.
Chang Suining's situation was special and he was unable to come to the capital, so the Chief Secretary should have completed this task on his behalf.
Wang Changshi slapped his forehead suddenly with realization. Yes, according to the rules, the governor still needs to pass an examination before he can be entrusted with official duties.
But yesterday, the governor came up and immediately started handling official business, without giving anyone a chance to react. None of the officials present yesterday dared to say a word.
Speaking of this, Wang Changshi laughed and shook his head: "It doesn't matter if you don't want to take the test. Why do you need me to take the test?"
"But the Chief Secretary must give an answer to the court—"
"That's easy..." Wang Changshi was very tactful and whispered, "I will give you a record of the best in the first class and have someone send you back to the capital..."
Chang Suining nodded with satisfaction: "Thank you for your hard work, Mr.
After Wang Changshi was polite for a while, he asked carefully: "Speaking of which, I am very curious. Your Excellency is so familiar with local affairs, and you have such a good ability to govern people... I wonder where did you learn it?"
"Most of these...I learned them from my teacher." Chang Suining said casually.
Teacher.
Wang Changshi nodded in understanding, "Yes, although Qiao Jijiu is now the Jijiu, he was once the first counselor under the command of His Royal Highness the former Crown Prince, and he was also a top scholar... In fact, he is now wasting his talent."
"It's not a waste of talent." Chang Suining chatted with him casually: "Anyway, being a priest is just his side job, his main job is fishing."
Wang Changshi stroked his beard and smiled, nodding in agreement, but in his heart he still looked up to Qiao Jijiu. It was really surprising that some people seemed to be quiet but could secretly teach such outstanding students.
That night, after talking with Chang Suining for half a day, Wang Changshi was even more deeply moved and could not help but write a letter to the Taifu.
The first half of the letter expressed admiration for the governor, while the second half praised Qiao Yang lavishly, repeatedly marveling at "Qiao Jijiu's extremely effective teaching."
After expressing his feelings in the letter, Wang Changshi was able to undress and go to bed in a happy mood.
…
In the next few days, some disagreements arose among Xiao Min's army, which was about to return to Beijing, on the issue of "who should go and who should stay".
A big chapter of 5400 words, including some make-up chapters. Good night everyone! (When I asked for leave because of a headache yesterday, a book friend suggested that I scrape the acupuncture points on the top of my head. I scraped it in the middle of the night. Today my scalp hurts a lot, haha, but I don’t have a headache anymore. I’m going to scrape it again right away) (End of this chapter)
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