A hint of surprise flashed across Zhang Shi's eyes, and then he restrained himself.
He looked at Chen Hong seriously and said, "Have you read this carefully? This is no small matter! Our trade agreement with Beirong does include iron ore, but we are afraid that Beirong will become too big, so there are strict restrictions! If Fang Zhengyi really has secret dealings with Beirong, then he is colluding with the enemy! This is treason!"
Chen Hong lowered his head and quickly read it several times, and said with a troubled look on his face: "It can't be wrong! It definitely can't be wrong!"
Zhang Shi breathed a sigh of relief and slowly put his hands behind his back: "I didn't expect... this person would be so greedy! Fortunately, I discovered it early, otherwise who knows what kind of disaster it would cause in the future!"
Chen Hong shook his head, put down the booklet in his hand, and repacked the box.
He looked at Zhang Shi and said seriously, "Master Zhang, I think it would be too hasty to draw conclusions about this matter now."
"Looking at the account book just now, Paba is a very meticulous person. How could he easily miss so many items?"
"What's more, there are Wutu's imperial edict and his personal belongings. There may be fraud. What if it is to sow discord?"
Zhang Shi nodded: "Yes, you are right."
"But...did Paba personally check the goods before the delegation left?"
"No, someone else checked it. Papa was talking to someone in the yard at that time."
As Zhang Shi was talking, he began to pace around the room. Just as he was about to speak, there was a knock on the door.
The voice of the clerk outside the door came: "Master Chen! The Beirong envoys are here! They are here to pick up the missing items!"
"Please come in!" After saying that, Chen Hong and the other person pushed open the door and walked out.
When we walked into the yard, we saw a member of the Beirong delegation waiting there anxiously.
When he saw Chen Hong, he immediately shouted, "Master Chen, some of the goods in our delegation were missing, so we came here to get them."
The two men carefully watched the expression of the Beirong envoy.
He looked extremely anxious, sweating profusely...his nervousness was evident in words.
Chen Hong and Zhang Shi looked at each other, then looked at the messenger and said, "Where is it? Why are you so careless? Let's go and take a look."
The messenger bowed again and ran quickly into the guesthouse, followed by the two men.
Returning to the dimly lit hut, the messenger heaved a sigh of relief, looked at Chen Hong with a smile and said, "Thank you, Master Chen, that's all."
Chen Hong observed his expression and said with a smile: "Hey! Don't be polite. This is also the fault of the Honglu Temple. They should have checked and informed you earlier. Have you come back with the carriage and horses? If not, I will send someone to help you prepare it."
"Thank you, sir! It's ready!"
After another round of trouble, all the goods were completely transported away.
Chen Hong and Zhang Shi stood outside the courtyard, watching the delegation's carriages leave.
"I don't think this is fake. No matter what, you should report it to His Majesty earlier."
"Yes... This is a serious matter. Lord Chen, I will report this matter to His Majesty, so I won't bother you."
Chen Hong looked at Zhang Shi, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.
It looks like you want to take revenge on Fang Zhengyi! If you exaggerate the matter in the memorial, you will have to drag me in as a witness.
He is causing trouble for no good reason. No! We cannot let him get involved!
"No need! Since this incident happened in the Honglu Temple, I think it would be more appropriate for me to report it to Your Majesty." Chen Hong said indifferently.
Uncooperative? Zhang Shi frowned slowly.
"The delegation actually left behind a whole room of goods. Is it because the layout of the guesthouse is too poor? I just noticed that the lighting in the room is really poor."
"It would be a bit disrespectful to use it to receive foreign delegations. Even if it is used to place goods, it should be perfect."
“?!”
Chen Hong rolled his eyes and complained, "Yes! Our Honglu Temple has been in disrepair for a long time, so we can only treat foreign guests with disrespect."
"But there is nothing we can do about it! After all, the treasury is tight..."
"No matter how hard it is, we cannot let foreign guests suffer!" Zhang Shi said loudly, "Otherwise, how can we save the reputation of Dajing? Next year, in the early spring of next year, the Ministry of Revenue will allocate 100,000 taels of silver to the Honglu Temple to renovate it. What do you think?"
Chen Hong nodded repeatedly, his heart blossoming with joy: "Good! Very good! Then I would like to thank Master Zhang!"
"The Northern Rong delegation has just left, and I still have to sort out the official documents below. I am really too busy."
"Mr. Zhang, please report Fang Zhengyi's matter to His Majesty on my behalf."
"This is what we should do. No need to be polite." Zhang Shi smiled slightly and said, "Then you go ahead and do your work. I'm leaving now."
"Hey, take care, I'll see you off..."
.........
Inside the Prince of Wu’s Palace.
Zhang Shi sat on the chair with a calm expression and took a sip of tea.
"Your Highness, this is basically the case. What do you think?"
King Wu sat in the main seat, patting the fan in his hand. After a long while, he slowly said, "I think... maybe there is a trick."
Zhang Shi looked at the King of Wu and asked, "Why do you think so?"
"Sixty thousand taels... is too little." King Wu smiled contemptuously.
Paba’s methods are decent, but he is too shortsighted.
Sixty thousand taels? When I placed hundreds of thousands of taels in front of Fang Zhengyi, he didn't even blink!
Sixty thousand taels of bribe, who are you looking down upon?
"But...the profits from iron ore and ironware are far higher than this! Maybe Fang Zhengyi is eyeing future benefits?" Zhang Shi asked in return.
King Wu nodded: "Yes..what you said makes sense, but this kind of thing is too risky. There are many ways to make money. Fang Zhengyi is already rich enough. Why would he take such a risk?"
"In my opinion, it's just a plot by Prabha to sow discord."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
