Chapter 168 River Works

Wei Tingyu came out of Cuizhen Pavilion and headed straight for Duke Jing’s Mansion.

When Wei Tingzhen heard that Song Mo invited Wei Tingyu to participate in the dredging of the canal, he was overjoyed, as if a pie had fallen from the sky. He couldn't help but ask: "Is this true? What did Song Mo tell you? What did he say? How much silver does it cost? Which part will be given to you?" He sent away the maid who was serving in the room, pulled Wei Tingyu to sit on the big kang by the window, and started asking questions like a machine gun.

Wei Tingyu excitedly told Wei Tingzhen everything about their conversation.

Wei Tingzhen's mind raced.

For river works, the price is set by the Ministry of Works, the money is provided by the Ministry of Revenue, and the manpower is the corvée labor of various prefectures and counties. All they can do is to underwrite some stone materials. They are not used to doing this stone business, so they naturally have to find a few powerful merchants. The four river sections are a big business worth millions of taels. Even if those merchants are asked to pay some, I am sure that some people will rack their brains to compete. If they only earn the difference in the middle, although the money is less, it is stable and they don’t have to worry about it...

She seemed to see piles of silver flowing into her pocket, and she became extremely excited: "Brother, you must agree to this. As long as we can make this deal, our family will have the capital to open a shop or run the Shiku business in the future. Then it won't matter if you want to distance yourself from Song Mo..."

Mentioning this matter was like a bucket of ice water pouring down on Wei Tingyu's head, chilling his enthusiasm a little: "This, this is not good, right? Crossing the river and then destroying the bridge, they also had good intentions, so they invited me to invest..."

"Didn't you say that Song Mo is cruel and ruthless and not a good person?" Wei Tingzhen was embarrassed by Wei Tingyu's revelation and couldn't help shouting, "You said this and you said that. What do you want?"

"I, I... didn't say anything," Wei Tingyu murmured. Thinking of Song Mo's cold eyes, he suddenly felt a chill in his heart. "Or, let's not get involved in this business... I heard that river engineering can easily lead to corruption cases. I don't know how many important officials in the court have been demoted or beheaded for this... It's really not a good business! Otherwise, Gu Yu and Song Mo are not people who lack money, so why did they think of pulling me in..." The more he spoke, the more he felt that he was right, and his tone became firm. "It's better for us to have less contact with Song Mo. Mother also said that peace and safety are the best. If it's not ours, we shouldn't force it..."

Wei Tingyu's words also cooled down Wei Tingzhen's mood, and she began to think about this matter seriously.

My brother is right. How come such a good thing that others can't force suddenly fell into his head?

Or maybe something was about to happen there, and Song Mo wanted his brother to take the blame?

Otherwise, it doesn't make sense why Song Mo took the initiative to make friends with his brother...

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that there was something fishy about it.

Could it be that Song Mo had made up his mind when he first started dating his brother?

"You're right!" Wei Tingzhen frowned and said to Wei Tingyu, "This matter..." She originally wanted to say "Let's just forget it", but when she thought of the huge sum of money flowing into other people's pockets, she felt distressed and changed her words, "We have to think about it in the long run... It's best to discuss it with your brother-in-law... You should also quietly inquire about it... What if Song Mo really wants to help you? Wouldn't we have missed the opportunity in vain! There are not many opportunities like this... We may not always have the chance... We have to think carefully..."

After discussing it with his brother-in-law, Wei Tingyu thought this was a big deal and urged Wei Tingzhen to invite Zhang Yuanming over.

Wei Tingzhen was moved and said with a smile, "Why are you in such a hurry? Your brother-in-law is settling accounts with the housekeeper. Didn't Song Mo also say that this matter has just begun, do you want to make it known to everyone now?! Of course, I will wait until your brother-in-law is done with his work, and then I will talk to him properly." He also instructed Wei Tingyu, "This matter is of great importance, you must not tell anyone else, even Wang Qinghai, you must keep it a secret, understand?"

"This... isn't very nice, is it?"

"You blockhead," the Wang family was founded by the river engineers from the Ministry of Works, and Wang Qinghai was a person who could not keep secrets. If the secret leaked out inadvertently, with Wang Qinghuai's shrewdness and ability, if he tried to intervene, even Song Mo and Gu Yu would be troubled. But Wei Tingzhen could not say this directly to Wei Tingyu, as he took his friends too seriously.

Wei Tingzhen took a deep breath and said, "If this fails, how will you explain to Wang Qinghai? And how will the Wang family look at you? Can you be more cautious?!"

"That's right!" Wei Tingyu touched his head embarrassedly, made a few promises to his sister, said some words of anticipation, and some words of worry, full of anxiety. When it was time for dinner, he was worried about his mother being alone at home, so he declined his sister's request to stay and returned to the Jining Marquis' Mansion.

Zhang Yuanming was kept in the outer courtyard by his father for dinner. Wei Tingzhen ate hastily alone and lay on the kang thinking about this matter.

When she got married, her parents did their best to prepare a dowry of 120 kg for her. However, although it looked gorgeous, it could not stand up to scrutiny. Among the sisters-in-law, she had the weakest foundation. If it weren't for the fact that her father-in-law often gave them some money privately, they would have been stretched to the limit even with the daily social interactions. If this thing could be accomplished, she wouldn't have to be so tight on money. But if Zong Yao knew about this, he would definitely tell his father-in-law. Money can move people's hearts. If the father-in-law intervenes, what will the Wei family have to do? What should Wei Tingyu do?

Wei Tingzhen decided not to tell Zhang Yuanming about this.

As long as you pay attention, you may be able to find out the news!

When they made money, they would share it equally between the brother and sister. No, the brother could get the majority and she could get the minority. She only needed to have enough for entertaining relatives, and the rest could be given to her brother.

Wei Tingzhen thought of Wei Tingyu's marriage from this incident.

Husband and wife are one body. She knew that if she hit Dou Zhao in the face, her brother would also lose face. The reason why she proposed to marry Dou Zhao within 100 days was actually to find out Dou Zhao's status in the Dou family.

The Second Lady personally rejected the proposal, which shows that Dou Zhao was still highly respected in the Dou family.

I wonder how much dowry Dou Zhao will have when the time comes?

A wealthy family like the Dou family sounds nice, but because there are so many children, the amount of money that can be distributed to each individual is very limited. Moreover, Dou Zhao's mother is from an ordinary background, and Dou Zhao's stepmother Wang may not wholeheartedly help Dou Zhao... …

Thinking of this, she sighed deeply again.

Before exchanging the engagement letter with the Dou family, my father should have discussed it with her first.

Although the Wei family could not be called a wealthy family, Sheng's household affairs were simple, and his younger brother had successfully inherited the title. It might not be difficult for him to find someone with an outstanding family background and appearance.

All in all, it was just my father's fault for being too anxious about this matter.

Wei Tingzhen sighed helplessly, and suddenly her husband Zhang Yuanming's voice came from the room: "What's wrong? You look so sad." He had heard that Wei Tingyu had been here, so he smiled and said, "Is there something wrong with Tingyu?"

"What could possibly happen to him?!" Wei Tingzhen said perfunctorily with a smile, "I'm just worried about what will happen to him after he stops mourning."

Zhang Mingyuan was powerless to do anything about this matter.

He thought for a moment and said, "How about asking Song Mo for help? I think Song Mo thinks highly of his uncle."

Wei Tingzhen told Zhang Yuanming about Wei Tingyu's concerns about Song Mo, and said, "This kid is a bit of a troublemaker."

Zhang Mingyuan laughed and said, "My uncle is indeed a little too suspicious. Think about it, if the Duke of England was in the right, and Song Mo killed his own guards and acted like that, the Duke of England would have reported it to the emperor long ago. How could he swallow his anger like this? Don't worry about it. Song Mo is still a person worth making friends with."

Wei Tingzhen's eyes rolled as he listened.

It looks like the river engineering work can be done!

She felt as if she saw money flowing into her pocket like water.

Wei Tingzhen couldn't help but smile and personally made a cup of tea for Zhang Yuanming.

In Yizhi Hall of the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion, Gu Yu also personally made a cup of tea for Song Mo.

Song Mo jokingly said "thank you" to Gu Yu.

"You're welcome!" Gu Yu grinned disapprovingly, then said, "Are you really going to let that Wei Tingyu get involved? We don't lack money, and Wei Tingyu isn't someone who can do things..."

"It's not a good habit to eat alone!" Song Mo said with a smile, "Besides, how can we ever earn all the money in the world!"

Gu Yu was puzzled: "But now is the time when you need money..."

Just like when two countries are at war, food and grass come first.

If Song Mo wants to fight Song Yichun, he cannot do it without money.

This is also the reason why Song Mo decided to get involved in river engineering.

"Let him take a small share," Song Mo said, "just think of it as us taking care of more people from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue."

Gu Yu said nothing more.

Song Mo asked him, "I killed my own guard. Do your friends think I am a violent and cruel person?"

Gu Yu was stunned.

Song Mo smiled and said, "Just tell me what you are saying. I just want to hear the truth."

Gu Yu always thought Song Mo was very strong.

He nodded and said, "Not entirely. Some people just feel very surprised."

Song Mo said "Oh" and was in a daze for a moment.

Gu Yu asked him, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Song Mo said vaguely, and Dou Zhao's face, which seemed reserved and steady because of his calmness, appeared in his mind again. "Just asking!" A strange emotion kept growing in his heart.

Dou Zhao's guards were involved in this incident, and Dou Zhao should have known the situation at that time a long time ago.

But from beginning to end, she did not show any shock or fear.

What does she think?

How do you view this matter?

Song Mo really wanted to ask Dou Zhao.

After officially getting the job of the four river engineering projects, Gu Yu asked Wei Tingyu and asked Wei Tingyu to give him some silver symbolically. He then went to Jining and spent several days eating and drinking with the prefect and county magistrates before settling the river engineering project. Then he hurried to Xuzhou... When Gu Yu came back from Jiangnan, he had already eaten Laba Congee.

He washed up and went to the Duke of England's mansion.