Several days later.
Fifty miles southwest of Yanchuan City, the sun shone brightly.
It was already late September, and the golden wheat fields swayed in the wind, looking like gold to Zhao Cheng.
Zhao Cheng stood at the crossroads with Zhao Wu and Zhao Yan, followed by fifty soldiers from the Right Prime Minister's Office standing in neat rows.
An hour later, a large procession came toward the fork in the road.
The leader of the team was Chai Xin.
Next are Deng Fugui, Cai Qiong, and Li Lu.
Then came Miao Shaohua, Tu Ziming, Lu Chen, Mu Yan, and Jia Zhong and his son, among others.
Zhao Cheng quickly went to meet him.
Upon seeing Zhao Cheng, these people quickly dismounted.
"Young Prime Minister!!!"
Zhao Cheng cupped his hands to the crowd and smiled, saying, "I have come here especially to wait for you. You have all had a long journey. Thank you for your hard work!"
Deng Fugui quickly came over and hugged Zhao Cheng, laughing loudly, "Young Prime Minister, congratulations!!"
"Congratulations, young prime minister!!!" Everyone offered their congratulations.
Li Lu said, "We are still far from Yanchuan City. Why should the young prime minister wait here? It's too much trouble for you all!"
"I know you're all craving some wine, so I've already prepared some divine wine here!"
Zhao Cheng turned to the side and pointed to a spot.
It was a golden wheat field, but one area had been leveled and set up with tables and food.
Chai Xin exclaimed in surprise, "They're already drinking?"
Zhao Cheng raised his hand and glanced around, smiling slightly, "Such a beautiful view, isn't it perfect for enjoying with a drink?"
"Haha, I love the young prime minister's temper!" With that, Chai Xin quickly walked towards the wheat field.
"Ahem..." Deng Fugui coughed lightly to stop Chai Xin, then stepped forward and asked, "Young Prime Minister, shall we go to Yan Chuan to visit the Right Prime Minister first?"
Zhao Cheng said nonchalantly, "It's me who gave birth to my son, not my dad. Who are you all here to congratulate?"
"this……"
Seeing Deng Fugui hesitate, Cai Qiong waved his hand and said boldly, "We have come to congratulate the Prince Consort and the Princess, as well as the Right Prime Minister. But since the Young Prime Minister has made the arrangements, how can we refuse? Please, everyone, be seated!"
"Lord Cai is truly generous!" Zhao Cheng quickly used Cai Qiong's words to lead everyone to the table.
Before sitting down, Cai Qiong said, "Your Highness, before I came, the Champion King asked me to pass on a message to you. He is on the southern border, and the situation is special. Neither he nor the Assistant General can come."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Cheng bowed gratefully to the south and said, "I am deeply grateful for the Champion King's concern, but I am unworthy of such an honor!"
Cai Qiong smiled, showing no politeness towards Zhao Cheng, and after sitting down, raised her hand and said, "Let's go to the bar!"
Seeing the adults sit down, Zhao Cheng looked at Mu Yan and the others and said, "Don't be shy, come on in!"
Jia Shen Shen was the lowest in status and position among the people at the table. After everyone else had taken their seats, he sat down, accommodating Lu Chen, and pondered, "Spring and summer have passed and autumn has arrived, the wheat fields are golden and the wine is delicious. Officials, merchants, and princes-in-law gather together, and they feel that the bitterness in their cups is not so great."
"Great! Great poem!" Lu Chen quickly clapped.
Everyone at the table was stunned for a moment, and Tu Ziming quickly clapped as well, and then everyone joined in the clapping.
"What a beautiful poem!"
Zhao Cheng pursed his lips, wondering what this thing was.
Please don't lower the standard of my wheat field banquet, okay?
Although he thought this way, Zhao Cheng didn't want to embarrass Jia Shen, after all, she had come from afar to give a congratulatory gift. He smiled to cover up his embarrassment, quickly raised his glass to serve, and drank with everyone.
"Third brother, you are all guests who have come from afar, so please raise a toast to them!"
"yes!"
Zhao Yanping rarely drinks, but he is not incapable of drinking. He remained unfazed even after downing several cups of Xianjiu.
At this moment, Zhao Cheng surveyed the guests' procession and returned, saying, "Gentlemen, gentlemen, aren't you all bringing far too many gifts?"
Cai Qiong smiled and said, "The Prince Consort can help us make money, so what is this little token?"
Zhao Yan said, "Lord Cai, you must be an honest official! Otherwise people will say that we are colluding with businessmen!"
“Young Prime Minister, you are mistaken!” Deng Fugui interjected, “In the same area, you make your money and we build our political achievements, but political achievements and money are inseparable! The better the local economy is, the better our political achievements will look. So when Lord Cai said that you led us to make money, he meant that you helped us earn more political achievements!”
Deng Fugui looked at Cai Qiong and said, "Lord Cai, is that the truth?"
Cai Qiong pointed at Deng Fugui and burst into laughter: "That's right! That's the right thing to say, Lord Deng!!"
Li Lu picked up his wine cup and said with a smile, "I'm so envious of how well your Jiangyang County and Yunjing County are doing! Young Prime Minister, when will you expand your business to my Shangyang County?"
“I wish I could!” Zhao Cheng shook his head and sighed, “It’s just a pity that His Majesty has limited my scope, only allowing me to explore the eastern region of Dajing. Your area… is not within that scope!”
Li Lu argued, “But you have business in Yanchuan and business in Changsui. My Shangyang County is a necessary passage between Changsui and Yanchuan. Even if your business is just passing through and stopping for a while, it is still good for my Shangyang County!”
Zhao Cheng pretended to have a sudden realization and said, "That makes sense! Okay, when Park Moo-di and the others arrive, I'll talk to him and ask him to take charge. Let's see if Shangyang County has a chance."
“There’s a chance, there’s definitely a chance!” Li Lu said excitedly. “When Park In-di arrives, please introduce me, Young Prime Minister, so I can talk to him alone.”
"That's good, but... I'm afraid you won't be able to see me this time!"
"What do you mean? Didn't you just say Park Moo-di was coming?"
"He is coming, but you..."
Zhao Cheng sighed again and said, "I'm afraid we can't go to Yanchuan City!"
Everyone was stunned.
Zhao Cheng looked worried and said quietly, "I am deeply moved that you all came. This shows that you consider me and my father as your own people. I will also tell you that I consider you all as my own people as well, which is why I came fifty miles to welcome you and have the opportunity to speak my heart to you in this wheat field."
"But what I want to say is that my father and I are also in a difficult position. For example, when I do business, His Majesty has set limits for me. I don't need to explain why."
"You are the governors of the three prefectures, and the powerful families and wealthy merchants of the three prefectures. Just because I had a son and my father had a grandson, you have abandoned your posts and neglected your business to come and offer your congratulations!"
"If this gets out..."
How should I explain this to my father and me?
Zhao Cheng downed the wine in his cup in one gulp and said in a deep voice, "I know that none of you meant it, but if this is used by someone, what difference is there between this and flattery that would make my Right Prime Minister's Mansion suffer?!"
Hiss!!!
After hearing Zhao Cheng's words, everyone in the room gasped.
Deng Fugui dropped his wine glass, hurriedly stood up, and stamped his foot, saying, "I! I was so foolish!!"
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