Immediately, Liu Hong's expression shifted, and he glanced at Zhang Rang, seemingly casually, before muttering to himself:
"It seems... we need to find some ways to make money as soon as possible."
Liu Hong shook his head helplessly and gave a bitter smile. It seemed that he would inevitably follow the same path as Emperor Ling of Han, except that he would definitely not sell official positions.
Zhang Rang, who was standing to the side, suddenly noticed something useful.
"His Majesty is short of money."
Zhang Rang may not be very good at other things, but he has plenty of ways to make money, especially extorting money from those powerful landlords, which is just too easy for him.
Soon, Zhang Rang not only contacted his family, but also many eunuchs and low-ranking officials who had recently expressed interest in joining him.
In Wen County, Zhang Rang's elder brother, Zhang Zhong, invited all the well-known local powerful landlords to his home for a banquet.
After several rounds of drinks, Zhang Zhong stood up, holding his wine glass, and glanced around at the powerful landlords present.
"Thank you all for giving me the honor of attending this meeting. I would like to propose a toast to you all."
After saying that, Zhang Zhong tilted his head back and drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.
"You're too kind, Master Zhang. We are deeply honored to receive your invitation. Cheers!"
The powerful landlords present also rose to offer their congratulations while drinking their drinks in one gulp. At the same time, they secretly despised them, thinking, "If your younger brother hadn't become a high-ranking official and someone close to the emperor, what would you be?"
"Very well, you are all straightforward people. So I will speak frankly. The reason I invited you all here is to discuss something."
Seeing that everyone was cooperating with him, Zhang Zhong stopped talking and explained the purpose of inviting everyone.
"What is it, Lord Zhang? Please speak frankly, and we will do our best to help."
A powerful and influential figure spoke up, and the others nodded in agreement.
"Yes, that's right. I received a letter yesterday from my younger brother who serves the emperor in the palace."
"Oh? What are the contents of the letter?" the powerful man asked.
At this moment, Zhang Zhong, who had been smiling, suddenly lowered his head, sighed, and wiped his eyes, as if he were thinking of his father.
"My brother wrote in his letter that the country is currently facing difficulties, and the emperor is working tirelessly for the nation, unable to eat or sleep."
Seeing the emperor so young and already burdened with such toil, he couldn't bear it. So he sold all his property and donated it to the national treasury, but that was just a drop in the ocean.
But seeing the Emperor still deeply worried and my younger brother anxious, yet helpless, he fell seriously ill. As his elder brother, I am heartbroken!
After holding back his emotions for a long time, Zhang Zhong finally burst into tears. If someone who didn't know him were to see this, they would probably think he had suffered some great hardship.
Seeing Zhang Zhong's appearance, everyone instinctively felt a sense of unease, but they still mustered their courage and asked:
"How can we possibly serve Lord Zhang?"
"Borrowing money"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
