In the east side hall.

The officials were stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. Laughter is contagious, and finally someone couldn't help laughing out loud, and then everyone burst into laughter.

Tian Baiguang was furious. This eighth-rank boy was too rude to humiliate him in such a way.

But the other party was just following the drinking rules obediently, and he couldn't get angry, so his fair face turned the color of liver.

At this time, Tian Tongpan saw Mr. Zhao coming in from outside the palace, and immediately found a target to vent his anger on. He pointed at Zhao Hao and said sharply, "County Magistrate Zhao, your subordinate is so arrogant and rude that you actually spoke ill of the Minister of the Central Chancellery behind his back and just humiliated me in public! Just tell me what to do!"

"Well, well..." Zhao Shouzheng scratched his head and said with a wry smile, "We'll discuss this later. The Minister of the Central Chancellery wants this boy to have dinner with him."

As he said this, he winked at Zhao Hao and said, "Go quickly."

"Yes, father." Zhao Hao was finding it fun, but he had no choice but to put on his sunglasses, grab his fan, and go out in disappointment.

"Alas, my son is still young, so it is inevitable that I spoke a little harshly. Please forgive me." Zhao Shouzheng bowed to Tian Tongpan and hurriedly followed him out.

"Son, son, did your grandson bully you just now?" Mr. Zhao couldn't wait to ask before he walked far.

That powerful voice was clearly heard in the hall. "Dad will have him chopped off later."

"Him? I don't even think it's fun to bully him." Young Master Zhao curled his lips, feeling that Lin Run was looking for him with bad intentions.

"That's right," Mr. Zhao couldn't help but laugh, "Mr. Xu and the young master are both carrying manure on Xishan Island. He, a little magistrate, wants to go and collect night incense, but he is not qualified."

The father and son chatted and laughed, then disappeared around the hall.

Only the judge Tian was left disheveled in the wind.

The group of officials came back to their senses from staring at each other in confusion and looked towards Xuelang.

"Is that boy the son of Magistrate Zhao?"

"Of course. Mr. Zhao is the fig leaf of the Ming poetry world!" Xuelang then proudly introduced him:

"It's a pity that he has been so obsessed with science in recent years that he is less and less willing to spend time on poetry." He sighed and said:

"This doggerel is too sarcastic and lacks beauty. I am really troubled as to whether it should be included in the "First Sight Collection"..."

Upon hearing this, the corners of Tian Tongpan's mouth twitched. He did not expect that the eighth-rank official was actually Zhao Hao, the leader of the poetry world and the idol of thousands of young boys and girls.

If this was included in the "First Sight Collection", wouldn't I be infamous forever?

In fact, if it is not included, it will probably become a story about Mr. Zhao. A villain who is extremely stupid.

Judge Tian felt like he couldn't breathe.

But where is this going? He listened to the officials' excited discussions again.

"Then wouldn't he be the scientific Mr. Zhao who has five Jinshi?"

"Isn't it? He is also the major shareholder of Xishan Company, the godson of the eldest princess, and a boy that even the young cabinet minister has to kneel down to!"

The officials quietly distanced themselves from Pan Tian. Having offended such an arrogant young man, this guy would probably be in big trouble in the future.

Tian Tongpan was so frightened that his face turned pale and his teeth were chattering slightly. He was really worried that he would not be able to leave Kunshan.

But it wasn’t over yet, as officials continued to rub salt into his wounds.

"Oh, he invented cement!" someone suddenly shouted.

Today, they all saw the cement concrete embankment, how miraculous it was. Even the governor, who was always calm, was lying on it and was very greedy, not to mention these officials who were eager for promotion.

It was the common wish of all officials to have a good relationship with Jiangnan Company. Tian Baiguang had offended Mr. Zhao, so he could never hope to get any benefits from cement in his life.

Tian Tongpan's knees went weak and he collapsed to the ground, feeling as if his whole life had lost its light.

~~

There was a gentle breeze in the back hall. After Zhao Hao followed his father in paying his respects, Lin Run ordered the two of them to sit down.

Lin Zhongcheng sat on the main seat facing the door, Zhao Shouzheng sat on his left, and Zhao Hao naturally was willing to sit at the last seat, facing Governor Lin.

Lin Run looked at Zhao Hao and saw that the child had red lips, white teeth, and eyes like bright stars, just like the boy Shancai beside Guanyin.

Too young.

Zhao Hao also glanced at Lin Run, and felt that this man and Xuelang Chunlan Qiuju were each good at their own things, and he couldn't tell which one was better.

If he had to decide who was better, he would vote for Lin Run because Xuelang was too annoying and had no hair.

Lin Run was not so serious when talking to the younger generation. While eating, he smiled and talked to Zhao Hao about poetry and lyrics, and asked him how he came to heaven.

With Zhao Shouzheng joining in the fun, the atmosphere at the table was quite good.

When they were almost done eating, Lin Run glanced at Zhao Shouzheng and said, "You don't have to stay here with us. Go and have a drink to avoid people gossiping about you."

"It's okay. What's important is to accompany the Zhongcheng." Zhao Shouzheng stood still.

Zhao Hao thought to himself that this gentleman was flattered by the county people all day long and had completely lost his sense of vision. Can't you see that Lin Run wants to talk to me alone?

"Father, go ahead. I'll be with you here." Zhao Hao gave him a wink.

"Oh, okay." Zhao Shouzheng suddenly realized and quickly stood up to leave.

Only Zhao Hao and Lin Run were left in the hall, and the door slowly closed.

~~

In the back hall, Lin Run took a sip of the vegetarian wine in his cup and asked directly: "Excuse me, my friend, does Jiangnan Company export cement?"

"To Zhongcheng, in order to ensure the quality of construction, cement is not currently exported. Only Jiangnan Company can be responsible for the construction." Zhao Hao replied with a smile.

"Similar to Kunkaisi's model?" Lin Run asked quietly.

"That's not necessarily true. Of course it would be best if we could receive cash." From the moment Lin Run asked him to accompany him, Zhao Hao knew that this was an inspection of the Jiangnan Company by the highest local official.

If one thing is not handled properly, it will affect the development and even survival of Jiangnan Company, so Zhao Hao has to be cautious.

"Is that so?" Lin Run nodded. He was the most sharp-eyed official in the Ming Dynasty.

Although Zhao Hao said this, Lin Run dared to bet that all counties would be willing to copy the Kunshan model.

Which county could afford the millions of taels of silver for the project? Even if they could, who would be willing to tighten their belts?

Of course, they chose to use the land obtained from the dike to pay off the debt. How could there be any exception?

This suddenly made Lin Run feel a chill down his spine. He realized that in another ten or eight years, the entire Jiangnan region would probably be controlled by the Jiangnan Company.

Not only did they seize all the water conservancy projects in Jiangnan, they also seized hundreds of thousands of acres of land in various counties. And through development companies, they brought government officials and gentry on board.

By then, the Jiangnan Company will be truly worthy of its name. I am afraid that even the words of the Yingtian Governor will not be as effective as those of the Jiangnan Company.

This realization made Lin Run a little uneasy. But what he was going to do next still needed the cooperation of Zhao Hao and Jiangnan Company, so he could only suppress his long-term concerns and solve the immediate worries first.

Then Lin Zhongcheng smiled and said, "Then I have a big business to introduce to you. I plan to completely control the flooding in Taihu Lake. Are you willing to undertake this project?"

ps. Second update, please give me your monthly vote!