"Oh, and remember, just act naturally and obediently at the Prime Minister's residence!"
Nowadays, Sun Jiachen has no real power; he is merely a minor official.
As the saying goes, sincerity is often the best weapon.
Unlike Zhu Fei, he wasn't the cunning old fox. As long as he acted honest and simple, it would be enough to put the suspicious Sima Lie at ease.
Sun Jiachen, carrying the silver notes, quickly arrived at the Prime Minister's residence.
In front of the gate, a group of elderly, weak, women and children were still kowtowing and waiting, while Sima Lie hesitated at the gate.
Should we give some money to appease these lowly people?
If taken, this amount of money is not a small sum, especially considering the current need for continued use.
But if we don't take it, these lowly people will definitely cause trouble for a few more days!
At that very moment, he heard the guards cursing.
"This is the Prime Minister's residence; no one is allowed to trespass!"
Hearing some discussion, Sima Lie asked his subordinates.
"What? Does some lowly commoner dare to trespass into the mansion?"
"No! It was an official from the Ministry of Revenue named Sun Jiachen who said he had something to discuss with you."
"To see the true form?"
Sima Lie raised his head and saw the ugly-looking Sun Jiachen from afar, a look of impatience on his face.
There are plenty of lowly people trying to curry favor with him every day, why should he be seen?
Especially this disgusting-looking guy, who has no sense of propriety and had to pick this time.
Sima Lie waved his hand.
"Don't see him, let him leave!"
The order was given, but Sun Jiachen showed no sign of leaving; instead, he started shouting loudly.
"No! I have important matters to report to the Prime Minister."
Sima Lie was so annoyed by the disturbance that he eventually had someone bring him up.
"Speak! I'm busy right now!"
Sun Jiachen quickly followed Qin Yu's plan, took out the silver note, and respectfully handed it over.
Sima Lie's eyes lit up when he saw the rather large denomination on it.
What's going on here?
Sun Jiachen immediately began to explain in a muffled voice.
"This silver is what I've saved up over the years while working at the Ministry of Revenue, eating leftovers and scraps. I heard that the Ministry of Revenue's pension issue has troubled the Prime Minister, and I couldn't bear to see that, so I came to lend you a hand."
Sun Jiachen was indeed a bit ugly, which was a flaw, but now it's become an advantage.
His harmless demeanor, coupled with his incredibly sincere words, immediately disarmed Sima Lie.
Surprised, he found the middle-aged man rather endearing.
"Okay, okay!"
Sima Lie was satisfied with the compensation, saying, "I have many people under my command, but none of them are like you, who can share my burdens so well. Very good!"
"I happen to be short of funds, so I'll use this money of yours to make up for the losses in the first place!"
After saying that, he took the silver and then had the steward exchange it for cash in front of Sun Jiachen and distribute it.
After all, only a few people gathered in front of the Prime Minister's residence demanding silver; 100,000 taels was more than enough.
Sure enough, with this money, he successfully sent away the old, weak, women and children.
Sun Jiachen still had that same honest and unassuming look.
"Prime Minister, now that your worries have been resolved, I shall take my leave!"
"Don't rush!"
Sima Lie observed Sun Jiachen throughout the entire process, and his impression of him changed drastically.
"Prime Minister, is there anything else?"
"My colleague Sun has come with great care to solve my urgent problem. If I don't invite you in for a cup of tea, wouldn't people say that I, Sima Lie, don't know how to treat guests? Come in!"
As a matter of course, Sun Jiachen entered the main hall where Sima Lie held his meeting.
"Come! Steward Sun, you are my honored guest today, please take a seat."
"No, no, I wouldn't dare." Following the emperor's instructions, Sun Jiachen struck a pose, "There is a distinction between the noble and the lowly. How could I, a subject, dare to sit in the position of the prime minister?" With that, he found a casual seat and sat down.
Although Sun Jiachen usually treated these obsequious officials with indifference, he had been an official for so many years and still understood the basics of interpersonal relationships.
Of course, the most important thing about these words was that they expressed his feelings to Sima Lie.
The latter only heard the loyalty of his subjects.
Satisfied, he gave orders one after another.
"In that case, please make yourself at home, Steward Sun. Someone, bring some tea!"
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Sima Lie also squinted and began to probe.
"The Minister of Revenue has left, and now it is all under the jurisdiction of Lord He. Logically speaking, if you want to communicate with the Prime Minister, you should go through him first. You, Chief Clerk Sun, are above the rank of official. Aren't you afraid of displeasing Lord He?"
Sun Jiachen had already thought of his answer on the way.
"Alas... To be honest, Prime Minister, my family has been poor for generations. I finally managed to get a government post in the capital, but I have no money to give gifts to Lord He or to participate in their after-court entertainment activities."
"Over the years, although I have been eager to advance and do more for my Great Xia, I have been disliked by Lord He and others, so I have no choice."
Sima Lie was a shrewd man among shrewd men. Hearing him say such things, how could he not know that this guy wanted to climb the social ladder on his own?
But there are many dogs under his feet, and not all of them can catch his eye.
"Oh?" Sima Lie asked with interest, "That Master Sun is in the prime of his life, is he really willing to accept this?"
"This humble servant is naturally unwilling, but I am troubled by not having the support of a noble person, and now I can only mingle in the Ministry of Revenue."
"Then," Sima Lie glanced sideways, "what if I said I was willing to lend Lord Sun a hand?"
Sun Jiachen was secretly delighted, knowing that he had achieved his goal.
Without the slightest hesitation, he stood up and knelt down.
"If the Prime Minister is truly willing to promote an unknown like myself, though I am of limited talent and learning, I will certainly be loyal and dutiful in serving the Prime Minister, willing to devote myself to the Prime Minister until my dying breath. I will obey your command even if I die nine times..."
Sima Lie had heard far too many sycophantic words of loyalty, and there were even more eloquent ones.
However, considering Sun Jiachen's attitude of treating people differently based on their status, and how he actually emptied his pockets to gain his trust, his loyalty is definitely not just empty talk!
Sima Lie's old eyes gleamed with a sharp light.
Without a doubt, he wavered!
Of course, he did not agree directly; Sima Lie was still testing the waters.
"In that case, you should go back now!"
"yes!"
Sun Jiachen was about to leave when the latter called him back again.
"Master Sun didn't get the answer he wanted from me today, and he even spent 100,000 taels of silver for nothing. Isn't he a little dissatisfied with me?"
Sun Jiachen turned around and a smile appeared on his lips.
He knew that Sima Lie was still testing him.
He knelt down again, his tone filled with fear and trepidation.
"It is my order that the Prime Minister is willing to promote me. However, I am aware that I am not capable enough to meet the Prime Minister's approval, which is normal. How could I dare to be dissatisfied with the Prime Minister?"
After saying this, Sun Jiachen respectfully took his leave.
Seeing his receding figure, Qiu Beiming, who had been sitting quietly in the lobby listening without saying a word, stood up.
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