Upon hearing this, Zhang Qian quickly shook his head and waved his hands, denying it, "Ah? No, no, Your Majesty has never borrowed money from me!"
"Hmph~ What? You mean His Majesty made a mistake? Or is His Majesty breaking his promise and not wanting to return it to you?"
Zhao Zhong snorted coldly, his smile vanished, and he looked coldly at Zhang Qian.
"this...."
Zhao Zhong's sudden change of expression left Zhang Qian somewhat at a loss. He hurriedly said, "Attendant Zhao, you misunderstand. That was not a loan, but a donation. It was a donation from me to His Majesty!"
Hearing Zhang Qian's words, Zhao Zhong put on a smiling face again, "A loan is a loan. You have helped His Majesty, and His Majesty is a man of his word. He will not let you suffer losses for nothing!"
Seeing Zhao Zhong's constantly changing expression and understanding the meaning behind his words, Zhang Qian realized that Zhao Zhong had indeed come to him to repay the money.
Thinking that he and his family had been spared, Zhang Qian said excitedly, "Your Majesty is wise and virtuous, surpassing even the ancient sages. Your Majesty's wisdom is unmatched, even by the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors."
"Haha~ You're quite the smooth talker!"
Zhao Zhong couldn't help but laugh out loud. These people were really good at flattery.
Zhang Qian also smiled ingratiatingly and said, "These are all my heartfelt words, Your Majesty..."
Seeing that Zhang Qian seemed determined not to stop, Zhao Zhong quickly waved his hand to stop him, and then looked at Zhang Qian.
"Alright, where's the IOU? We'll repay it according to the amount agreed upon between His Majesty and you!"
"Uh... to answer Zhao Changshi's question! The IOU was burned by this humble servant!"
Upon hearing Zhao Zhong demand an IOU, Zhang Qian paused for a moment, then cautiously looked at Zhao Zhong.
Zhao Zhong couldn't help but glance at Zhang Qian. This guy was indeed sensible and quick-witted.
Remembering the Emperor's instructions, Zhao Zhong took out the letter from his bosom and said with a laugh, "This was written to you personally by His Majesty. Take a look! You lucky fellow!"
"A handwritten letter from His Majesty to this humble servant?"
Zhang Qian stared wide-eyed at the letter in Zhao Zhong's hand, unable to believe her eyes.
"Of course, would my family lie to you?"
"No, no,"
Zhang Qian, his face beaming with joy, excitedly reached out his trembling hands and took the letter from Zhao Zhong.
Then, he carefully took out the letter and began to examine it closely in front of Zhao Zhong.
After reading it, Zhang Qian was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. He knelt down and bowed towards Luoyang.
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your divine grace. Your Majesty's kindness to my Zhang family is higher than the heavens. Even if I were to die ten thousand times, I could not repay even a fraction of Your Majesty's kindness!"
It turned out that the letter was written by Liu Hong to him, about methods for purifying spirits and salt.
Furthermore, Liu Hong promised in the letter that the spirits and salt he produced and purified using this method would be purchased by the royal family and labeled as imperial, and he was granted the right to operate a private store.
Regardless of how much profit he could make, the honor brought by being a royal patron was enough to make the Zhang family rich and powerful.
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