"You have to understand that in times like these when people are panicking, confidence is more important than anything else. As long as the people don't make trouble, we can always find a way out. If the people make trouble, we're completely screwed."

On the boat, Xu Wei smiled faintly:

"Besides, didn't we just steal 3,000 dan of rice? The rich man donated another 2,300 dan. It should be no problem to hold out for ten days or so. Don't be so nervous."

"Hey, wasn't I worried that things weren't going well for you, Master, and that you couldn't buy food?" Wu Chengen said worriedly, "Ten days and eight days passed in the blink of an eye."

"You are just worrying about something that is not your fault." Xu Wenchang laughed and said, "What is the greatest strength of our Mr. Zhao?"

"I have money." Wu Cheng'en answered honestly.

"Can't you buy food if you have money?" Xu Wenchang sneered, "If you have money, you can even have someone cook rice for you. It's just a little more expensive."

"That's right. If the young master announces that five taels of silver will be given for one stone of rice, I guess all the rice merchants in Suzhou and Songjiang will send him rice. Not to mention the Chamber of Commerce, even the government won't be able to stop him." Wu Cheng'en nodded.

"Then it's over. Anyway, he's desperate. He can just do it with one move and solve everything." Xu Wei patted Wu Chengen on the shoulder and said, "Old Wu, I'm going to Nanshan Temple tomorrow. I hope to read the next chapter when I come back."

"Haha, look..." Wu Cheng'en thought to himself, I haven't written a single word yet.

"Oh, by the way, I made up the story of 'Liu Xiu Gains the City'." Seeing that the writer was trying to fool him again, Xu Wei took a small revenge.

"Uh..." Wu Cheng'en almost strangled the fat man to death when he heard that.

Writers are all crazy about textual research. He spent the whole night looking through the book last night. But he still couldn't find the source of the quote...

It turns out that his mother's story is made up, made up...

~~

Mr. Zhao, who was highly expected by Xu Wei and Wu Cheng'en, took a boat down the Lou River yesterday and arrived at Taicang Prefecture, thirty miles away, in just half an hour.

"No wonder Suzhou is so prosperous. The rivers connecting all directions are comparable to highways." Mr. Zhao was deeply impressed by such convenient transportation conditions.

"Young Master, you are saying something incomprehensible again." Qiaoqiao jumped out of the cabin with a smile. This time, Young Master took the initiative to bring her out, full marks.

"Then tell me something you can understand. Selling coal lotus roots here will definitely make more money than in Beijing." Mr. Zhao said with a smile.

"It's a pity that Jiangnan doesn't produce coal." Ma Xianglan also came out and shared an oil-paper umbrella with Qiaoqiao.

They both wore the same light yellow wide-sleeved shirt, but the styles were slightly different. The slender secretary Ma wore a vertical collar and a double-breasted shirt, while the petite and delicate cook wore a round collar and a double-breasted shirt, which was just right and very decent.

After being with Secretary Ma for a long time, Miss Qiaoqiao's fashion sense has improved rapidly.

"In fact, there is, and it is very close." Young Master Zhao smiled bitterly. It was a pity that his father was exiled to Kunshan, and he could only sigh in despair.

As she was sighing, she suddenly heard firecrackers and drums on the shore. Qiaoqiao asked curiously, "Who is getting married?"

"It's to welcome the young master." Ma Xianglan said, leaning close to his ear and whispering with her hands covering her mouth, "Don't get excited when you hear firecrackers."

"You're talking nonsense again." Miss Qiaoqiao pinched Secretary Ma and whispered, "Did that otherworldly Sister Ma take it?"

"Really?" Ma Xianglan smiled and thought to herself that it's because I have a family now.

Only then did Master Zhao see that his three disciples, Hua Shuyang, Yu Shensi and Jin Xuezeng, and the purple-bearded Wang Rulong, were waving at him vigorously at the dock.

He couldn't help but look back at Secretary Ma in surprise, and saw that she wasn't wearing glasses either. "You have good eyesight, don't you?"

"I am a little shortsighted." Secretary Ma explained in a low voice.

"Is that so? That's really overusing your eyes." Zhao Hao nodded, then turned around and waved towards the shore with a smile.

As soon as the passenger ship stopped, three disciples immediately boarded and kowtowed to Zhao Hao.

"Okay, everyone get up." Young Master Zhao said with a smile, his hands behind his back.

After the three of them stood up, they helped the master get off the boat carefully. Then Hua Shuyang introduced the Taicang kings who came to greet the master.

Uh, to be precise, it’s all the people with the surname Wang in Taicang.

~~

Taicang is the world of the Wang family. It is extremely rich and prosperous, and eight or nine out of ten of it is occupied by the Wang family.

The Wang family in Taicang is divided into two branches: one is the Langya Wang family who lives in Pailou, and the other is the Taiyuan Wang family who lives in Zhouqiao.

The Pailou Wang family was of distinguished origin, with generations of high-ranking officials and nobles. They also attached great importance to reputation, and their status in Taicang Prefecture was equivalent to that of the Gu family in Kunshan.

But in Suzhou, or even in the Ming Dynasty, the Gu family was far behind.

The Wang family of Zhouqiao was much inferior, but they were damn rich. After several generations of accumulation, they had firmly established themselves as the richest family in Taicang fifty years ago.

As the saying goes, one should make up for what one lacks. Since then, the Wang family's descendants have studied hard for generations, and finally, smoke came out of their ancestral grave, and the chef Wang, who was known as the master of the Huajian teapot, emerged... Oh no, the second place in the imperial examination, Wang Xijue.

As fate would have it, the Pailou Wang family had a bad fate. Wang Shizhen's father, the Governor of Ji and Liao, Wang Rong, was framed and imprisoned because he offended Yan Song, and was then executed. The Pailou Wang family suddenly fell from grace and was no longer as high and mighty as before.

As one family gained strength while the other declined, their status gradually became equal, but no conventional fight occurred.

Because Wang Xijue's father, Wang Mengxiang, and Wang Shizhen were both very good at judging the situation, the two families became closer and closer, and finally even became clansmen...

The two families do have the same origin, but that can be traced back to the pre-Qin period!

Compared with these two families, Zhao Hao and Zhao Jin are like real brothers.

But so what? Relationships are built through interaction. If family affection is not enough, it will be stronger through interaction.

In addition, when Wang Shizhen and his brothers rehabilitated Wang Rong, Wang Mengxiang generously donated money and became their solid financial support.

Even Wang Shizhen's memorial for rehabilitation was revised by Wang Xijue before being submitted.

So over the years, the two families have become as close as one family.

~~

On the dock.

Zhao Hao heard from Hua Shuyang that those who came to greet him included Wang Xijue and Wang Dingjue's father, Taicang's richest man Wang Mengxiang, and Wang Xijue's uncles, aunts and cousins.

There was also Wang Shizhen's younger brother Wang Shimao, and his cousins ​​Wang Shide, Wang Shiye, Wang Shiwen, Wang Shiwang... and so on, who directly drowned him in the ocean of Wangs.

They came out in full force to welcome Master Zhao.

Mr. Zhao was flattered by this overly grand treatment, but he couldn't help but feel worried. What on earth were they trying to do?

Zhao Hao showed no sign of this at all. After being introduced by his disciples, he greeted the kings very politely.

Then he automatically ignored the other Wangs, leaving only Wang Mengxiang and Wang Shimao in his eyes.

"My old uncle has wronged me. Why should I bother to welcome you in person when you come to visit me?" Zhao Hao was polite to Wang Mengxiang again.

"Hey, what do you call uncle, doctor?" Wang Mengxiang is not much younger than Zhao Liben, and looks like an older Wang Xijue, but without the chef's stubbornness. He is as smooth as a pebble at the mouth of Loujiang River.

"You are the master of my second son, we should treat each other as equals."

As he said this, Old Man Wang gathered his beard and laughed, "From now on, you can call me brother, and I will call you my dear brother!"

Zhao Hao was so sweaty that he waved his hands and said with a smile: "That's not appropriate. I am already taking advantage of Brother Yuan Yu by calling him my brother. How can I raise my status by one more generation?"

"Oh, really?" Wang Mengxiang sighed, seeming a little regretful that he couldn't be close friends with Master Zhao.

ps. First update, please give me monthly votes and recommendation votes~~~