The two chatted for a while, and Zhang Shixun knew that this guy would not come to the temple for no reason, so he asked him, "What's the matter with you looking for me so early in the morning?"
"Well! I don't have anything to do, just taking a walk." Gao Yanei took out a folding fan from his arms, fanned it twice and then closed it.
"Oh! Then take your time. I won't keep you company anymore. I still have a lot of housework to do." Zhang Shixun stood up.
"No! I have a small favor to ask you." Gao Yanei approached Zhang Shixun and asked slyly, "Brother! Do you have any treasures in your hands?"
"Is this the reason why you came here today?" Zhang Shixun glanced at him, sat down again, and crossed his legs.
"Hehe! I've been calling you brother for a long time, but you still treat me as an outsider." Gao Yanei said with an apologetic smile.
"Just because you call me brother a few times, we become one of our own?"
"I consider you my own."
"So what?"
"I just want to ask if you have any treasures to sell. If you do, I can sell them to anyone, but you might as well sell them to me."
"That bracelet is already a priceless treasure. Are you still not satisfied with it?"
"this……"
"Tell me the truth, what do you want so many treasures for?"
"This..." Gao Yanei hesitated.
"Since it's inconvenient to tell me, forget it." Zhang Shixun stood up.
Gao Yanei quickly grabbed him and said, "I'm telling you, don't tell anyone else."
"If it's a secret, you'd better not tell me."
Gao Yanei lowered his voice and said, "The emperor has recently fallen in love with a woman and wants to give her a gift."
The official refers to the current emperor - Zhao Ji.
"Giving swords to warriors and rouge to beauties, the emperor is very good at pleasing women."
Gao Yanei shook his head and said, "It's easier said than done. It's not easy to send something to this woman."
"Why?"
"This woman is not an ordinary woman. She disdains gold, silver and jewelry."
"It seems she is very rich."
"This has nothing to do with money. It's mainly because the woman is beautiful."
"With three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines in the imperial palace, there shouldn't be a shortage of beautiful women, right?"
"Brother, there's a saying I wonder if you've ever heard of?"
"What?"
"Home flowers are not as fragrant as wild flowers."
Zhang Shixun couldn't help but laugh, "I understand now. This woman isn't a concubine in the palace. The emperor has taken a fancy to her and wants to curry favor with her by giving her gifts."
Gao Yanei nodded and said, "The emperor has searched all the treasures in the palace, but has not found a single treasure worth showing off."
"There's no treasure worth showing off in the palace?" Zhang Shixun was unconvinced and blurted out, "Who is that woman?"
"This..." Gao Yanei hesitated to speak, his expression becoming ambiguous.
Seeing his embarrassed expression, Zhang Shixun suddenly had an idea and thought of a famous beauty in history - Li Shishi.
In later generations, Li Shishi was listed as one of the top ten beauties in ancient times. Her name appeared in many literary works, and her image could be seen in many film and television dramas.
Gao Yanei saw that he was deep in thought and smiled: "Brother, you should have guessed who this woman is, right?"
Zhang Shixun nodded. "I think I guessed it." "Brother, many of the emperor's close ministers heard the news and are frantically asking around, willing to pay exorbitant prices to buy these rare treasures."
"It's understandable. These people are simply trying to use this opportunity to curry favor with the emperor."
"My father doesn't need to seek favor. He is just helping the emperor to share his worries." Gao Yanei defended his father.
Zhang Shixun curled his lips and asked, "Has your father presented the bracelet to the emperor? Is the emperor satisfied?"
"My father entered the palace yesterday afternoon and presented the bracelet to the emperor. When the emperor saw the treasure, he couldn't let it go." Gao Yanei smiled so hard that his eyes narrowed.
"Since it has already been presented to the emperor and he is very satisfied, why are you still asking if there are any other treasures?"
"This..." Gao Yanei hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "My father has been favored by the emperor for decades and has served as the Palace Marshal for almost ten years. His greatest wish now is to be promoted to the rank of Grand Master of the Imperial Court."
"Kaifu Yitong Sansi, what kind of official is this?"
"He is a first-rank official."
"Oh." Zhang Shixun had no idea about the official positions in the Song Dynasty, he only knew that they were very complicated.
"My father is a military officer. If he could open a government office, that would be amazing."
"How is it so powerful?"
"Let me put it this way. In the Song Dynasty, the size and specifications of a mansion cannot be arbitrarily built. Even if you are very rich, you cannot build a mansion casually. If you dare to violate the rules, you will be guilty of treason. Similarly, there are strict regulations for ceremonial guards when traveling. If you open a mansion, the ceremony will be very grand. Do you understand, brother?"
After hearing this, Zhang Shixun understood that the so-called Kaifu Yitong Sansi was a relatively high honor, and the standard of enjoyment reached the pinnacle of human officials.
Gao Yanei nodded repeatedly: "My father has been an official for decades, and he has always dreamed of becoming an official with the rank of Imperial Secretary. This is a perfect opportunity. If we can please the emperor, my father's dream will come true."
"So, that night pearl bracelet was given away for free?"
"It's not a free gift. The government is very satisfied."
"What the yamenei meant was that although the emperor was very satisfied, it was not enough to reward your father with the title of Kaifu Yitong Sansi."
"Exactly!" Gao Yanei said, grabbing Zhang Shixun's sleeve excitedly. "My father said that when giving someone a gift, you have to cater to their preferences and give them something substantial, so that they're overjoyed and speechless."
"I'm embarrassed to refuse your father's request, right?"
"That's exactly what I meant."
Zhang Shixun gave a thumbs up.
"Brother, your family has been overseas for so long, you must have accumulated a lot of treasures."
"Young Master, don't be greedy." Zhang Shixun played hard to get and deliberately turned his face away with wandering eyes.
Gao Yanei noticed his expression, chuckled, and said, "Brother, I know you still have treasures, but you are reluctant to take them out."
Zhang Shixun's expression was calm, but he was already very happy in his heart. Anyone who doesn't make money is a fool. This is a business that comes right to his doorstep.
Seeing that he remained silent, Gao Yanei became more convinced that he still had treasures. He moved closer and said, "Brother, don't hide them. If you still have rare treasures, please sell them to me. If you have any requests, just tell me and I will definitely help you. If I can't do it, my father will definitely do it for you."
"You tickled my ears." Zhang Shixun was unmoved and pushed him aside.
"Brother, as long as my father can please the emperor, he can be promoted to the rank of Grand Master and become a Palace Marshal, which will make his position as Palace Commander more secure..."
"No matter how stable your father's official position is, it's your family's business. What does it have to do with me?"
"We are good brothers now. Whether you want to be an official or make money, my Gao family is your greatest support."
"Yeah?"
"Of course."
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