That day, Song Hongshen got the news and hurried to the Shen family.
Shen Zhixiu and Su Qingyu had just finished lunch with the old lady and were drinking tea and chatting together.
Ever since Su Qingyu became pregnant, the old lady has been counting the days almost every day, looking forward to seeing her grandson as soon as possible.
Just now, a few people were talking about the sons of Yan Shi, the Duke of Wei's mansion. The old lady said that more sons bring more blessings. However, Shen Zhixiu said that one useful son is enough. If he is a spendthrift and a troublemaker, the more he has, the more trouble he will have.
The old lady scolded him for his bad mouth and said that the descendants of the Shen family would never say that to him.
As she got older, she liked the scene of having many children and grandchildren around her.
Shen Zhixiu agreed with his words, but he was thinking in his heart, how could these things be true?
Now it seems that the younger generations of the Shen family are indeed quite good, but who knows what they will be like in two or three generations.
He couldn't even guarantee what his son would become. He might even raise a playboy or a treacherous villain.
But he didn't dare say this to the old lady, so he could only go along with her and try to make her happy.
When Shen Zhixiu heard that Song Hongshen had arrived, he ordered that he be invited to the study for tea first.
The old lady knew that something must be wrong, so she said, "Go ahead, I don't need you to accompany me."
"Qingyu should go back with you. You haven't been here for three months yet, so you should get more rest."
"You don't need to worry about me. You don't need to come here often."
Shen Zhixiu nodded, stood up and took his leave, and took Su Qingyu out of the main room.
Before leaving Qingyuan Residence, Shen Zhixiu specifically instructed Madam Hua, "Mother is old. If anything happens, please send someone to the West Courtyard to inform me."
Aunt Hua replied, "Yes, Third Master, I will remember this."
On the way back, Su Qingyu asked Shen Zhixiu, "King Zhongyong is here at this hour, is there something important?"
It is now the time for the lunch break. If it were not for something important, Song Hongshen would not come at this time.
Shen Zhixiu said, "He came for the one million taels of silver. I got the news this morning and have already sent someone to investigate."
Su Qingyu had heard about the one million taels of silver before lunch. When Shen Zhixiu brought it up again, she asked doubtfully, "This is something the Emperor has agreed to. Who dares to touch this silver?"
One million taels of silver is not a small amount of money. Even the Minister of Revenue did not dare to take the silver privately.
Shen Zhixiu smiled faintly and said, "Minister Jin definitely doesn't have the courage."
After he took over the Ministry of Personnel, Chen Zheng arranged his favorite student Jin Hanhai to the position of Minister of Revenue.
This time, the reason that Minister Jin gave to Song Hongshen was that it was the end of the year and a time of great turmoil, and the money would not be enough after being moved around.
After arriving at the west courtyard, Su Qingyu went back to rest, while Shen Zhixiu went directly to the study.
As soon as he entered, Song Hongshen stood up and bowed slightly, "Teacher."
Shen Zhixiu motioned him to sit down, and he also sat down behind the desk. "Don't worry, I've sent people to investigate, and there will be news soon."
Song Hongshen's expression was not good. In front of Shen Zhixiu, he didn't need to hide it. He said coldly, "Whether we investigate or not, the result will be the same. This must be the Crown Prince's revenge."
He sneered again, "As the crown prince, he doesn't care about the safety of the people along the southeast coast at all."
Shen Zhixiu thought, what does the safety of the people in the southeast matter? The thirty-two states in the northwest have all been promised to the second prince by the crown prince.
He knew that Song Hong was deeply resentful. Ever since the emperor asked him to lead the southeastern navy, he had been studying strategies to fight against the Japanese pirates.
But the prince first burned the warship blueprints and then took away his silver. It would be strange if he was not angry.
Shen Zhixiu ordered the servant at the door to make a cup of fetal chrysanthemum tea for King Zhongyong.
Song Hongshen laughed and said, "Teacher, are you asking me to cool down?"
Shen Zhixiu said: "Let's wait for the news first, I think it will be soon."
It's not difficult for his subordinates to investigate such matters.
He would not jump to conclusion until there was concrete news.
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door outside the study.
Wen Zhu then came in and reported, "Third Master, we've checked. The money was allocated through legitimate channels, used to repair rivers, build bridges, pay military salaries in border towns, and raise food and fodder..."
After Wen Zhu finished speaking, Shen Zhixiu understood.
These silvers were all destined for legitimate purposes, but Shen Zhixiu knew that some of the silver was not urgently paid. However, the one million taels allocated to Song Hongshen was already set and had to be paid out immediately.
After listening to Wen Zhu's report, Song Hongshen hesitated and asked Shen Zhixiu, "These are large expenditures. Minister Jin is not so bold. Even if Elder Chen wants to make a move, he must obtain the emperor's permission."
"Teacher, what does His Majesty mean?"
Shen Zhixiu pondered for a moment and said only two words, "Knock."
Song Hongshen was stunned at first, then he suddenly realized.
It seems that the previous incidents have made the emperor dissatisfied with the Song family. He is taking this opportunity to warn the Song family and remind them to remember their duties as ministers.
"Isn't the emperor afraid of delaying things?" Song Hongshen said dissatisfiedly.
Shen Zhixiu smiled and said, "The emperor is waiting for the Song family to surrender. As long as the Song family surrenders, the silver will be available immediately."
"But if the Song family continues to be so awkward, perhaps the generals in the southeast will have to be replaced."
Song Hongshen frowned, "Submission? What does it mean to surrender?"
Shen Zhixiu said: "Your father will go and say a few soft words to the emperor, and then you can show your good side to the prince."
"The Emperor is having a falling out with the Song family right now. You have to give him enough leverage before he can come down."
Song Hongshen snorted coldly, "Your Highness the Crown Prince has really made a good calculation. If the Song family takes a step forward, they will lose the emperor's favor. If they take a step back, they will break their backbone."
Shen Zhixiu certainly knew that whether advancing or retreating, it would not be a good thing for the Song family.
You can only find another way out by advancing and retreating.
When the two of them were thinking with their heads down, a servant reported that the third young master of the Lin family, Lin Wuchen, wanted to see him.
Since they were all family, Shen Zhixiu asked Lin Wuchen to come in.
Lin Wuchen didn't expect Song Hongshen to be there, so he asked, "Do you have any official business to discuss? Is it inconvenient for me to be here?"
Shen Zhixiu asked Lin Wuchen to sit down, shook his head and said, "Our matter is not urgent, do you have anything to do?"
Lin Wuchen sat down next to Song Hongshen and took the tea handed to him by the servant. "It's nothing important. I came to talk to you."
"The ship the Bai family left on a few days ago was hijacked by pirates at sea. I just got the news and I'm feeling a little uneasy, so I came to talk to you about it."
Although one of them was in business and the other in politics, they had been friends for many years. Shen Zhixiu's insights on certain matters often gave Lin Wuchen sudden enlightenment.
So over the years, whenever he encountered some entanglements or difficulties, he would talk to Shen Zhixiu about them.
Shen Zhixiu's heart moved when he heard this, and he looked at Lin Wuchen meaningfully in a daze, which made Lin Wuchen panic.
"I say, Elder Shen, don't look at me like that. It looks like something bad is going to happen." Lin Wuchen blurted out.
Shen Zhixiu came back to his senses and asked, "Do you want to completely solve the problem of pirates at sea?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
