Zhao Shouzheng took the envelope and looked at it. He couldn't help but say happily, "It's a letter from my nephew. Has he settled down in Beijing?"

"Father, just look at it yourself." Zhao Hao looked at the scenery outside the window and felt that Jinling City was a great place for feng shui. It would bring prosperity to me, really prosperity to me... He had originally planned to spend some effort to persuade the county magistrate Zhang. But this letter from Beijing saved him from worrying any more.

"Oh..." Zhao Shouzheng responded, took out the letter and read it, and immediately exclaimed: "What? He received an imperial decree to be promoted to the Minister of Rites before he even arrived in Shandong. He was promoted to the Minister of Imperial Households before he took office in Beijing? How many levels of promotions did he get?!"

"From the seventh-rank censor to the minister of imperial edict, that's seven levels in a row." Zhao Hao replied with a smile.

The Guanglu Qing was listed among the Nine Minor Ministers and was already a third-rank official in the imperial court, marking that Zhao Jin had officially entered the ranks of top senior officials.

This terrifying speed of promotion has clearly told the Ming Dynasty government and the public that Zhao Jin will be put to great use - the next step will be either to serve as a vice minister in one of the six ministries, or to be sent as the governor of a province!

Moreover, the fact that Zhao Jin was promoted so quickly was obviously due to the great efforts of his peers, especially Wang Bengu, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

How could those officials in Nanjing's Ministry of Revenue, who were just eating free meals, offend the dignitaries of the court for the sake of a small pawnshop owner?

"Alas, I thought my son had another clever plan, but it turns out he was just bullying me." Zhao Shouzheng carefully put away the letter and said happily, "I can do this, too."

"Father, as a juren, it's better for you to avoid suspicion." Zhao Hao rolled his eyes at him and said, "Don't go to the government office all the time. People will say you're taking on all the lawsuits."

"Oh, that makes sense. Then I'll go find my classmate to drink." Zhao Shouzheng was the kind of person who preferred to have less trouble than more, so he was happy to be lazy after hearing that.

The carriage stopped by the roadside. Zhao Shouzheng got out, got into his own sedan chair, and staggered towards the Qinhuai River.

Zhao Hao did what he said. On the day Zhao Shouzheng passed the imperial examination, he was given a sedan chair and sedan bearers, as well as an umbrella bearer, a long-time attendant, and four bodyguards. A total of eight people followed him, making him look respectable and safe. Zhao Hao did not have to worry at all.

Huh? Are there eight people? Why do I feel like there's one person missing...

~~

Shangyuan County Government Office.

Magistrate Zhang did not have any work today. He was wearing a brocade robe and leaning on the bed, enjoying the massage of his No. 1 concubine with his eyes slightly closed.

The second concubine held a purple clay teapot and fed him a sip of tea from time to time.

The magistrate was enjoying the blessing of having many wives when that annoying doorman came to make trouble again.

"Master, a guest has handed in a letter."

"Didn't I say that the master is not feeling well today and won't see any guests?" Concubine No. 1 said dissatisfiedly.

"Alas, our Shangyuan County Magistrate is destined to be a maid." County Magistrate Zhang raised his eyelids and motioned to the second concubine to take the visiting card to see who it belonged to.

He is now old and his eyesight is dim, so the second concubine still serves as a secretary. She took the visiting card, glanced at it, and said disdainfully: "It's just a student named Zhao Hao, how dare you bother the master!"

As she said this, she was about to throw the visiting card to Menzi.

But County Magistrate Zhang suddenly sat up and caught the visiting card flying in the air with both hands.

"No, no, no." Magistrate Zhang held the visiting card carefully in his hand and said, "This student is not that student. He is the kind of student who cannot be provoked."

"Could it be a son born through imperial favor?" Concubine No. 2 knew a little about officialdom and knew that the sons of high-ranking officials could be admitted to prison to study through imperial favor.

"That's about right." County Magistrate Zhang thought that although he was not the son of a high-ranking official, he was now the brother of a high-ranking official, and he could not afford to offend him. He stood up and asked the doorman to invite Zhao Hao to the flower hall for tea. He then quickly changed his clothes and met the guest with the help of his concubine.

~~

In the same flower hall as last time, Zhao Hao came alone, but County Magistrate Zhang became more and more enthusiastic.

"Oh my, what brings friend Zhao back here again?" Magistrate Zhang's smile was filled with flattery, and he obviously knew about Zhao Jin's situation. "I was planning to visit him these days, but I didn't expect friend Zhao to come first. How disrespectful."

"You are too polite, senior." When Zhao Hao saw his attitude, he realized that the other party already knew about Zhao Jin.

How could Magistrate Zhang not know? Zhao Jin's seven consecutive promotions were already big news that shocked the court and the public. He was extremely fortunate that he stopped at the brink that day and did not ruin his relationship with the Zhao family. Otherwise, at this time, if Zhao Jin casually said hello to Wang Shaozhongzai, he might have been transferred to Yunnan and Guizhou to be a magistrate...

I can't afford to offend you. I really can't afford to offend you.

After a round of blushing flattery, County Magistrate Zhang asked Zhao Hao why he came.

"Well, I'm here to ask my parents for help." Zhao Hao said, and then he told Deheng the story, naturally omitting the part where he wrote with squid ink.

"This is outrageous! Is there no law?" Magistrate Zhang slammed the table and said, "He actually dared to steal the secret recipe so blatantly. I think his pawnshop is over!"

As he said this, he called his assistant who signed the tickets and ordered him to issue a ticket. He also sent officers to seal up De Heng Pawnshop and arrest Mr. Zhang and the court official for trial.

"Dong Weng." The assistant thought he was flattering his superiors and bullying his subordinates again, so he had to remind him in a low voice: "Mr. Zhang is a righteous official like Mr. Liu, and he cannot be arrested. Moreover, Deheng has shares of the Lord of the Southern Ministry of Revenue, so they cannot be seized."

"Just do what I tell you to do!" Magistrate Zhang glared at him fiercely and said, "No matter who his backers are, they can't stop me from making decisions for the people!"

When the assistant saw Dong Weng's righteous expression, he finally realized that he was acting, and hurriedly slapped himself in the face, saying, "The student is talking too much. I'll go get him a ticket and arrest him right away!"

"Well, go ahead. Don't worry. If the sky falls, this county will hold it up." Magistrate Zhang pretended to be serious. After the assistant left, he asked Zhao Hao, "What result do you want, my friend Zhao?"

"It's clearly written on the pawn ticket. According to the rules, I have to pay ten times the amount." Zhao Hao said calmly, "He originally set the price at 2,500 taels of silver. Now he has to pay me ten times, which is 25,000 taels."

"This is probably going to be quite difficult..." Magistrate Zhang rubbed his hands subconsciously, but suddenly stopped and said, "You heard it just now. Zhang is a sixth-rank official. Although he is a righteous official, I have to call him a superior official when it comes to the truth. Besides, he has deep connections with the people in the Southern Ministry of Revenue. I heard that many officials have taken stakes in his pawnshop. If he is really pushed to the limit, I am afraid that Zhao Pengyou and his son will not be able to suppress him."

"Does he have the strength to challenge me?" Zhao Hao lifted the hem of his brocade robe with both hands and crossed his legs.

This is what he has always wanted to say but has never been qualified to say. Now he can finally say it.

"Of course, Mr. Zhao has two students, one of whom is the first place winner and the other the runner-up. They are both sons of wealthy families. They also have strong connections in the capital. If we fight head-on, Mr. Zhang will definitely lose." County Magistrate Zhang advised earnestly, "But as the saying goes, if you kill one thousand enemies, you will lose eight hundred of your own. It's not worth fighting to the death for a little pride."

"What do the old parents mean?" Zhao Hao asked quietly.

"Of course I am on Zhao's side, but I advise you to give in a little and not push him to the edge." Magistrate Zhang was afraid that Zhao Hao would misunderstand, so he hurriedly explained and then suggested:

"How about giving him a discount?"

ps. The second guaranteed update is here, please give me your monthly votes and recommendation tickets~~~~