Ming Dynasty: My Father Zhang Juzheng

Chapter 41 Preparations
On that day, Zhang Yunxiu arranged for the palace maid to stay at his fourth brother's home, and then went home to begin preparations for the "treasure hunt".

First of all, this thing has to attract people.

Zhang Yunxiu immediately thought of Han San. This man was an old Beijinger. He might not have come into contact with any important people, but he must know a lot of people under him.

Zhang Yunxiu immediately sent Zhang Fu to call him over.

Zhang Fu took the order and left. After a while, he came back, followed by Han San, who was wearing a round hat and a black shirt.

Because of his previous meritorious service in supervision, he was promoted to the next level and became a trial centurion of the sixth rank.

Wearing the official robe of a centurion, he really looked more spirited.

Seeing Zhang Yunxiu, Han San stepped forward, clasped his fists and saluted, "Sir, you are looking for me?"

Zhang Yunxiu nodded and pointed to the stool on his left, motioning him to sit down. Han Sandao said "thank you" and sat down.

After they sat down, Zhang Yunxiu told Han San everything. Han San's eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "This is a great idea. Which gambler in Beijing is not obsessed with money?"

"If you allow the Jinyiwei to master this method of making money, the status of the Jinyiwei will be greatly improved."

Zhang Yunxiu nodded.

Of course, he would never give this method of making money to the eunuch.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yunxiu smiled and looked at Han San, and ordered: "When you go back, call everyone you know. Ask them to go to Erlang Street and wait at noon five days later."

"Don't worry, sir. I will try my best." Han San expressed his loyalty and then took out a red purse from his waist.

Zhang Yunxiu took it and looked at it. Inside was an ancient jade with blood stains.

"What do you mean?"

"Han San congratulates you on your success in the provincial examination. This is just a small gift, not a token of respect." Han San grinned.

good boy.

This jade looks quite old, it must be worth at least a hundred taels of silver.

The monthly salary of a centurion was no more than ten dan of rice, which was only 60 taels of silver per month. This kid must have made a lot of money.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yunxiu took the purse with a smile, stood up and patted Han San on the shoulder: "Don't do this again."

Han San bent his body to please him, and Zhang Fu, who was standing by, felt jealous and couldn't help but sneered, "I didn't realize before that Captain Han was so generous. This ancient jade is nothing to you."

"How about you give it to us some other day, as a token of your appreciation?"

Han San was not angry at the stab, he turned to look at Zhang Fu and said: "I can't see you for a long time, but you, my brother, are always by your side."

It is good to know.

Zhang Fu tilted his neck back and smiled.

"Alright, alright, go and get ready. Your future will be completely different after this is done." Zhang Yunxiu saw the two of them fighting openly and secretly, and waved his hand impatiently, urging Han San to hurry up.

Han Sanyi bowed and walked out of the house.

At this time, Zhang Fu came up and said flatteringly: "Sir, what should I do?"

"Go find a bookstore and ask them to advertise all over the street. Regardless of whether it makes money or not, you must first create momentum." Zhang Yunxiu instructed with a flash of enthusiasm in his eyes.

"Don't worry, sir." After getting the assignment, Zhang Fu ran away.

One day later.

In the Chunlai Teahouse on the left side of Chongwen Street, Han Sanda with a golden sword was seen sitting in the first seat, surrounded by men in coarse linen clothes with sallow faces on both sides.

They looked at Han San, who was in high spirits, with envy on their faces and started talking about him.

"Third brother, now that you are successful, don't forget us brothers." A short man with a pointed chin and monkey cheeks teased.

"We were all visiting brothels together last year. I didn't expect that our third brother has become a big shot now." The black man next to him rubbed his palms, with a flattering look on his face. "Need I say more? Our third brother is also a well-known figure in Shitou Alley."

"."

Hearing the flattering voices of the crowd, Han San's vanity was greatly satisfied.

He waved his hand, and everyone immediately quieted down. Then they stared at Han San, waiting for the words from this "big shot".

"The Emperor will give you a reward in four days. Anyone who wants to make money should go to Erlang Street."

"What reward?" a brave man asked.

"One penny for fifty pennies, isn't that a reward?" Han San glanced at the person who came, then turned his gaze back to the crowd and said, "Everyone only needs to pay one penny, gather a hundred people, and then open the door to see who won the fifty pennies."

"One penny for fifty pennies?"

"There is such a good thing in the world. Wow, no wonder people say that the emperor is merciful."

"Giving a penny to a child can only buy him a candied haws. It's better to try your luck."

"When you go back, bring more people. The more people you bring, the greater your chances of winning." Han San saw that everyone was interested, and continued to make promises, "One to fifty, fair and honest. If it weren't for the fact that you are brothers from the same village, I would not be willing to tell you."

Everyone burst into laughter and praised Han San for not forgetting his roots.

After dealing with these ordinary people, Han San left the teahouse and turned into an alley opposite the building.

Turning left and right, he walked straight into a dim little house, where seven or eight men with strange looks and ruffian expressions stood.

The leader was a hairy man.

"Master San." Seeing Han San coming, the hairy man hurried forward and bowed.

"Where's the goods?"

"This is the Tang Bohu painting you wanted, as well as Xuande kiln and Yuan blue and white porcelain." The man said, and ordered the things to be taken out.

Han San carefully took the bundle, looked through it carefully, and after confirming that it was correct, he raised his eyes and asked, "How much is it?"

"It's not worth much, only about seven or eight taels of silver. If you like it, just give it to me."

"You really think I'm a robber, don't you?" Han San glared at the man and took out seven taels of silver and put it into the sturdy man's hand.

The sturdy man was stunned for a moment, took out three taels of silver, made it into ten taels and handed it back to Han San.

Guess you know the truth.

Han San took the silver, glanced at the men, and shouted, "Look at you, why do you have to fake something when you can do something else? You even make it look like the real thing."

"If you hadn't met me, you would have been beheaded long ago, understand?"

"Understood. Understood." Several people lowered their heads and nodded repeatedly.

Han San suddenly remembered something, grabbed the leading burly man, took him aside, and asked in a low voice: "Is the ancient jade you gave me real or fake? If it's fake, I'll fucking kill you."

"Whether it's real or fake, it's absolutely real. It's the only real thing we have, and I had planned to keep it as a family heirloom." The sturdy man wanted to tell the truth, but when he thought about it, even he couldn't tell the real thing from the fake, let alone these laymen?

Han San breathed a sigh of relief.

He asked many people about the ancient jade, and only after they all said it was authentic did he dare to give it away.

It is said to have been handed down from the Warring States Period. Now that he has confirmed it once again, he is completely relieved. He took a breath, stared at the strong man and said, "Wang He, you are not bad. When I become rich in the future, I will definitely help you."

"Thank you for your advice, Third Master." Wang He smiled flatteringly.

Han San waved his hands impatiently, holding the baby in his arms, and ran straight to Qipan Street.

(End of this chapter)