Chapter 169 Is he worthy?
Zhu Chong's slap landed hard on Cheng Hongbo's face, making him spin around on the spot.
The loud slapping sound and the funny spinning made the people around laugh, but at the same time, they were stunned with shock.
Cheng Hongbo was completely stunned by Zhu Chong's slap. After turning around, he fell to the ground with a thud. He covered his face for a long time without coming to his senses. He only felt a buzzing in his head and stars in front of his eyes.
After a long time, he finally reacted. His face turned red and he jumped up from the ground, staring at Zhu Chong fiercely with an expression as if he was ready to eat him.
He had never suffered such humiliation in his life, and it happened in front of so many people. He felt that if he couldn't make up for it today, he would have no place in Yingtian Prefecture in the future.
"Hit me..." Cheng Hongbo pointed at Zhu Chong regardless and was about to explode, but was held tightly by the servant who came with him.
"Master, no, he's an official, we..."
Zhu Chong looked at Cheng Hongbo coldly with a look of contempt. He looked at the five cities' soldiers and horses around him who seemed ready to make a move, and felt even more disdainful in his heart. He deliberately asked loudly to Zhang Quan, who had not yet recovered from his surprise.
"Zhang Quan, you're just such a jerk. Why waste your time talking to him? Does he dare to hit you? Or does he dare to hit me?"
Zhang Quan came to his senses in an instant, and realized that Zhu Chong was trying to do something bad in his words. He immediately put on a strange expression, bowed, and stepped back, waiting to watch the show.
Others may not know, but Zhang Quan knew that if civilians attacked imperial officials without reason, no matter what their purpose was, the lightest punishment would be exile to the border, and the worst punishment would be the execution of the entire family.
The people from the Five Cities Army suddenly stopped moving. Cheng Hongbo also reacted and the look he gave Zhu Chong suddenly became filled with resentment.
But he didn't dare to say a single harsh word, fearing that Zhu Chong would attack him again, so he could only hide behind the Wucheng Bingmasi in shame.
Seeing that Cheng Hongbo was getting scared, Zhu Chong decided to put him aside for the time being. Originally, he didn't intend to use his power to pressure others today, but now it seems that is not the case. Zhang Quan might not be able to handle the current situation, so he had to do it himself.
The cotton merchants on the other side saw that Cheng Hongbo was getting scared, and their eyes when they looked at Zhu Chong suddenly changed.
Everyone originally thought that Zhu Chong was young and could not suppress the Five Cities Army and Cheng Hongbo, but unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, Cheng Hongbo was intimidated and the people from the Five Cities Army did not dare to act rashly. Everyone was immediately looking forward to Zhu Chong's next move.
Zhu Chong looked around and waved to Zhang Quan, "Go and tell those people that if they are willing to sell cotton to my Baochao Tizhusi, they should register with you first. Write down who they are, how much cotton they want, and what the quality is.
"Everyone who has registered with you, follow me now and transport the cotton back to the Baochao Tizhusi!"
Before Zhang Quan could react, the cotton merchants who heard it clearly all had their eyes lit up.
"Sir, what are you doing..." Zhang Quan was still confused, but Zhu Chong gave him a look that finally made him understand.
So it didn't take long for Zhang Quan to make a preliminary statistics of the names, trade names and weights of cotton merchants present.
Zhu Chong glanced at the list presented by Zhang Quan and made a rough estimate. There were nearly 10,000 kilograms of cotton here.
This is a lot more than the 6,000 kilograms he had previously announced, but he didn't care. He could use it anyway, and it was a good opportunity to let the Five Cities Army and Cheng Hongbo drink his pot again!
"Okay, let's go." Zhu Chong collected the list, waved his hand, and ordered all cotton merchants to prepare to leave with him.
Seeing this, Cheng Hongbo immediately became furious and quickly called on the soldiers of the Five Cities Military Department to stop him. The soldiers of the Five Cities Military Department were a little frightened, but they still blocked Zhu Chong's way and said, "Sir, please stay."
When the cotton merchants saw the officers blocking Zhu Chong, they felt a pang of fear in their hearts, but they all chose to believe Zhu Chong and followed him to see how he would solve the problem.
Zhu Chong glanced at the officer calmly and asked, "Why, what are you trying to do? When did the Wucheng Bingmasi start to take control of my Baochao Tizhusi?"
"I dare not!" the chief officer said with a sad face, "Your Excellency wants to leave, so I dare not stop you. But these cotton cannot leave. I am only following orders. Please don't make things difficult for me."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Chong sneered, "What are these cottons? They belong to me, the Imperial Treasury, and the Emperor. Why are you, the Five Cities Military Commission, trying to stop us?"
After several hats were put on them one after another, the faces of the officers instantly turned crimson purple and sweat broke out on their foreheads.
Although they were following orders, the matter at hand was against the rules after all. However, thinking of the instructions given by their superiors, the officers gritted their teeth and finally straightened their necks.
"Please don't make things difficult for us, sir. We really can't pass on this cotton!"
A strange light flashed in Zhu Chong's eyes. This was the sentence he was waiting for. Just as he was about to attack, a voice suddenly interrupted his train of thought.
"Sir, please be patient. Please allow me to talk for a moment!" At this time, a scholar came out from behind the officer, bowed to Zhu Chong, and had a warm smile on his face.
"Are you the one in charge here?" Zhu Chong raised his eyebrows and glanced at the officers, but saw no one move. He then glanced at Cheng Hongbo who was hiding behind the officers, and he immediately understood.
"Your Excellency does not need to know who I am." The scholar laughed. "Your Excellency only needs to understand that today, if you can show some mercy, my master will reward you handsomely."
Hearing the other party say this, Zhu Chong suddenly lost interest. Is he worthy enough to negotiate terms with him?
"If you're not from the Five Cities Military Department, then you're irrelevant. I don't have time to waste with you. Get lost!"
Hearing Zhu Chong's rude words, the scholar did not get angry, but continued to persuade him: "Sir, please excuse me and listen to my conditions. I guarantee that after hearing them, you will definitely change your mind."
When such words were spoken openly to Zhu Chong in front of so many people, the strange light in Zhu Chong's eyes became even brighter.
According to Ming Dynasty law, bribery of ten taels can result in property confiscation. These people are so bold. Who gave them the courage? Old Zhu or Sister Jingru?
"Your Excellency must know that in Yingtian Prefecture, my master has a say no matter where he is. This will also be beneficial to your future career, so..."
The scholar was still talking, and his words contained a hint of threat to Zhu Chong, which immediately made Zhu Chong laugh.
Zhu Chong was amused, but the cotton merchants behind him all changed their expressions. They did not expect the other party to be so arrogant and domineering, and dared to say such words to the court official in front of so many people.
However, they also understood that the person who attacked them this time was probably a high-ranking official, and their faces suddenly became sad.
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