Chapter 752 Li Zhao

Ning Xu had been holding back from seeing Rong Chuan. Dad said that Zhou Shuren had just taken office, and it was better for Ningguo Mansion to avoid contact with Zhou Mansion as much as possible. It was such a coincidence today. "Are you here to see paintings?"

Rong Chuan took another step forward, "Well, does the Marquis have an appointment too?"

Ning Xi nodded, "Yes."

Rong Chuan felt a little disappointed, but still asked, "Master Hou, are you very busy recently?"

I haven't seen him for a long time. Since then, I have felt that Lord Ning is my father. He has never received the love of his parents since he was a child. Suddenly, he has a father, and he gradually longs for his father's care.

Ning Xu was surprised. Rong Chuan really cared about him. The joy in his heart was about to overflow. He couldn't help but reach out and touch Rong Chuan's hair. "It's true that I'm busy recently. The army is about to return to the court."

He did not lie. He had indeed been ordered around by the emperor recently. This further confirmed that the emperor did not want the Ningguo Mansion to have contact with the Zhou Mansion, which affected Zhou Shuren.

Rong Chuan calmed down and took a step back, "My Lord, please go ahead and do your work."

Ning Xu nodded to the wife of Mr. Zhou who greeted him, then lowered the car window curtain and said, "Let's go."

Zhulan waited for the carriage to leave and looked at Rongchuan. Rongchuan had been staring at the carriage. When Zhulan was chatting with Mrs. Dong, she heard Mrs. Dong say that Changlian and Rongchuan often met Lord Ning. At that time, she really didn't think much about it and always thought that the uncle was taking care of his nephew.

Today she felt something was wrong. Why did her uncle look at her like a father looking at his son? Rongchuan also looked at Ning Xu as if he was his father. If she hadn't been sure that Rongchuan was the emperor's son, she would have thought too much.

Zhulan quickly thought of Shen Yang, and then looked at Rongchuan's appearance, and realized that the emperor and the empress were really protective of Rongchuan. They didn't want to be involved with Rongchuan at all, so they hinted to Lord Ning!

Zhulan took her granddaughter and several daughters up to the painted building. The painted building covers a large area. The shops on both sides are also painted buildings. They were opened last time, but you won’t be able to visit the whole place at once. Standing by the window, you can see the backyard of the painted building. There are many houses in the backyard where people live, and there are paintings in each house.

Zhulan stood at the window and said, "There are quite a lot of people here today."

The backyard is full of people coming and going.

Mrs. Dong was a little excited. It was her first time to visit the Art Gallery. "Mom, this should be the largest Art Gallery in the capital."

Zhulan, "I just heard Rongchuan say that this seems to be the largest art gallery. The paintings here are all good."

It’s a pity that the family funds are a bit tight, otherwise, she would have bought two paintings. When she thought about the money, her wallet would shrink at the end of each month.

At the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren and Qiu Yan were looking at the documents from various ministries requesting money. These were just sent over from the palace. Qiu Yan was used to it. "Just read them and have an idea of ​​what's going on."

Zhou Shuren didn't want to take it seriously, but he thought the reason was interesting, so he looked at it a few more times. The reason given by the Ministry of Rites was that the supplies in the Ministry of Rites were old and needed to be replaced, and some of them could no longer be used, etc.

The least noticeable one is the Ministry of Industry. There is no way. The Ministry of Industry really has no confidence. Well, it is the weakest.

Zhou Shuren didn't believe the Ministry of Rites' reasons. Although the Ministry of Rites had no real power, it was ranked third among the six ministries and could definitely get the silver. On the contrary, the Ministry of Works really needed to replace the silver.

Xiao Qing snorted, "The Ministry of Revenue finally got some money, but now they're asking for money at the beginning of the month."

Zhou Shuren said, "There is no letter from the Ministry of War here."

Xiao Qing's face darkened suddenly, "Wait, old man Li will be here soon."

People should not nag. Just as the words fell, the Minister of War, Lord Li, came in and said, "Brother Xiao, I wanted to come and see you, and you kept nagging me. We still have a good relationship!"

If Zhou Shuren didn't need to be polite, he would have looked away. Lord Li has a sharp tongue!

Zhou Shuren and Qiu Yan greeted each other, "Master Li."

Lord Li said cheerfully, "Ah, you two are here too."

Then he said to Xiao Qing: "I really envy my brother. His left and right arms are both capable people, unlike me, whose left and right arms are both stupid."

You can't even cry, make a fuss, or even hang yourself. If you can't even do these things, you still expect to take my position. There's no way. The Ministry of War can't be handed over to a fool, otherwise, you will be bullied to death.

Xiao Qing's mouth twitched, his beard moving. "We've been dealing with each other for so many years, we don't know each other. Even if you say I'm your brother, asking for money is not as important as asking for my life."

Li Zhao glared at him, "You are my brother, brother, you can't hurt your brother's heart."

Zhou Shuren looked back at the ceiling, otherwise he would have laughed. Anyone who could become a minister was truly amazing. He thought to himself that he was thick-skinned enough, but today he failed. He was no match for Lord Li!

Xiao Qing had a stomachache and said nauseously, "The door is behind you. Get out of my sight quickly. Our account department is very busy. You should leave quickly."

Li Zhao saw that he was in a very weak position, so he pulled over a chair and sat down. "Old Xiao, you can't get me away. I'm going to stay here with you today. Don't think of getting rid of me unless you give me 10,000 taels."

He really didn't come here today for the relief money, he came here to get the money withheld by the Ministry of War. The Ministry of Revenue had just received the money, and if he didn't give some back, after a long time, the Ministry of War would have nothing to get.

Xiao Qing's face darkened. He still had to discuss the library with his two assistants. He was not satisfied with the silver given by the merchants, and he also had to think about how to get more silver from the library. Anyway, no matter whether he cheated the prince or anyone else, he could only cheat once, as long as the Ministry of Revenue's pocket was comfortable.

Li Zhao looked at Xiao Qing with interest. He had been following the follow-up of the Ministry of Revenue. He had been dealing with Xiao Qing for so many years. He couldn't say that he completely understood Xiao Qing, but he understood half of him. He was confident that he could get the money.

Zhou Shuren and Qiu Yan looked at each other and decided to just act as the background.

Zhou Shuren wondered how much silver was left in the Ministry of Revenue. Even though it was more than 200,000 taels, there were many more places where the silver could be used, especially for emergencies. The flood in the south had taken away 100,000 taels in one go. There was also the salary and several urgent needs. The Ministry of Revenue really didn't have much silver left.

Xiao Qing gritted his teeth. He had experienced how thick-skinned Li Zhao was. Over the years, the Ministry of War had taken the most money from him. It was all thanks to Li Zhao. Li Zhao was a selfless person, otherwise, this old man would not have been able to sit in the position of Shangshu.

Li Zhao took the tea that was served to him. He felt jealous every time he drank it. He was a tea lover. "Every time I drink tea with the Ministry of Revenue, I envy them. Then I think about our Ministry of War. We can't compare. We are all rough men in the Ministry of War. We can't outsmart the other ministries. We have always been bullied!"

Xiao Qing pouted, "Shut up, if you are jealous, go and apply to the emperor!"

Li Zhao laughed dryly. He knew that the Ministry of Revenue was in a tough situation. The expenses of the Ministry of Revenue were specially approved by the emperor. He dared not do that. "I'm just saying it."

At this time, a report came in, "Sir, several princes have arrived."