The Heavens Begin with Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 60: Plans are not as fast as changes

But Xiren and the other four girls were ordered to slack off, so they found a small hut outside the yard, made some hot tea and melon seeds, looked at the snow scene outside the window, talked and laughed, and were very happy.

Not long after, Master Xue came out of the courtyard again with a smile on his face. After seeing the four girls, he gave each of them a silver ingot and ordered:
"Baoyu has used up too much energy and is now tired and is resting. Don't go in and disturb him. Just call him back after half an hour."

The four girls took the silver with a smile and agreed.

They chatted for another half an hour, and as the sun was setting and the sky was getting darker, they knew that the flower-viewing party should be almost over, so they went into the courtyard to greet Baoyu.

Originally, they were all servants of Baoyu, and had always been spoiled by him, so they had no taboos and went straight into the room. They saw Baoyu lying on the bed, with his hair disheveled, a slight blush on his face, his brows slightly wrinkled, and he was sleeping soundly.

Xiren went over and gently pushed his shoulder, calling softly, "Second Master, wake up, it's time to get up."

After being called twice, Baoyu woke up, opened his sleepy eyes, looked at Xiren, yawned, lifted the quilt and was about to get up. However, just when he had lifted the quilt halfway, he suddenly covered it again. His face turned pale and he looked at Xiren and the others in horror.

Qingwen had sharp eyes and seemed to see what looked like a beautiful dress under the quilt, which was worn by Baoyu. She smiled and went forward to lift the quilt off, saying teasingly:

"What kind of clothes are you wearing that we haven't prepared for you? How come you don't look like you've ever seen this one before?"

Xiren and others also started laughing, but the laughter stopped abruptly when the quilt was lifted.

This dress... is obviously for women!

Moreover, just by looking at the wrinkles and dirt on it, one can guess what happened in this room just now!
The four girls gasped at the same time, their faces turned pale instantly, their legs went weak, and they all collapsed to the ground.

Baoyu still couldn't tell the difference between the important and the unimportant, and was still there in awkward temper.

He snatched back the quilt, covered himself with it, and shouted in shame and anger:
"What are you looking at?"

"Get out now!"

The four girls were so frightened at this moment, their minds were blank and they couldn't react at all.

Baoyu shouted a few more times in embarrassment and then he noticed the abnormality of the four girls. He didn't care about being shy anymore and jumped off the bed in a hurry, rushed to Xiren, hugged her, shook her body, and shouted in panic:
"My dear sister, what happened to you?"

"But is he ill?"

Seeing the four girls' dull eyes staring at the dirty and luxurious evening dress on him, with tears rolling down their cheeks, Baoyu became even more panicked. He covered his butt with one hand, endured the pain, and ran out in his high heels to look for someone.

The four girls were horrified and rushed over to hold him back, begging:

“You can’t go out!”

"Second Master, you are not fit to be seen in this state!"

Seeing the four girls like this, Baoyu realized that it was his clothes that frightened them, so he smiled awkwardly and said:
"My dear sisters, it's not that I want to wear this dress. It was Brother Xue who instigated me to do so. He said that since you care so much about us sisters, we should put ourselves in their shoes and understand their thoughts, so..."

When Qingwen heard this, she started shouting and cursing.

"That Xue guy is really a piece of shit!"

"If I had known that he had such a sinister intention, I should have beaten him out with a stick!"

Xiren and the other girls were so angry that they were shaking all over and started cursing together.

"With a son like this, I'm afraid the people in the Xue family are not good people!"

"People like this shouldn't be allowed into the mansion. They should be sent away early. Go wherever you want!"

"They just have a few bucks and they show it off everywhere. I should have known that they have bad intentions!"

The four girls felt that the silver in their arms was extremely hot and they thought it was a death warrant.

Baoyu listened to them cursing with resentment. In his heart, he felt that it was very inappropriate for his family to put all the responsibility on Brother Xue, and he felt even more apologetic in his heart.

But he was a irresponsible person to begin with. Seeing the women all talking and denouncing Xue Pan, he did not dare to say anything. When the four women calmed down a little, he smiled and pleaded:

"Good sister, you can't let my wife know about what happened today, otherwise she will beat me to death!"

The four girls looked at each other and lamented in their hearts that the "beating to death" that Baoyu mentioned was just an adjective, but if Mrs. Wang really knew about it, the four of them would be the ones who would be beaten to death!
Xiren sighed softly, pulled Baoyu to the bed, pushed him down, and began to strip off his clothes.

"My dear Second Master, how dare we let the Madam know about this!"

"Let's just pretend that what happened today never happened, and no one is allowed to mention it!"

"I just hope you can be more careful in the future, Second Master. Don't let yourself be fooled so easily again!"

The other girls also hurried up to help, and they changed Baoyu's clothes in a hasty manner. He put on his original clothes again and became a handsome young man again.

Qingwen rolled up her changed clothes and the strange shoes and walked out. Baoyu hurriedly called her to stop.

"Hey, Qingwen, what are you going to do with that dress?"

"What else can we do?" Qingwen raised her eyebrows and shouted angrily, "Of course we should find a place to burn it!"

"That..." Baoyu actually liked this beautiful dress very much, but seeing the attitudes of the four girls, he didn't dare to say it, so he had to push the blame on Xue Pan again.

"These clothes and shoes were brought by Brother Xue, so we should wash them and return them to him!"

"What are you returning?" Qingwen was like she had eaten gunpowder. Her eyebrows were not eyebrows, her eyes were not eyes, and the fire in her eyes seemed to want to set the clothes on fire.

"That Xue guy is not a good guy, don't associate with him anymore!"

Baoyu was rebuked and dared not to retort. He could only watch with regret as Qingwen took away all the clothes and shoes and burned them.

After they finished their work here, Lady Jia also finished admiring the flowers and sent someone over to tell her to bring Baoyu over for dinner.

The four girls hastily wiped away their tears, wiped away all traces, and then supported Baoyu and went to the back.

When they met everyone at the back, Grandmother Jia noticed that Baoyu always walked with his legs crossed, so she asked curiously:

"What happened to Baoyu?"

Baoyu smiled and said:

"I encountered a piece of ice on the road and accidentally fell down, which made our ancestors worried."

When Mrs. Wang heard this, she hurried over to ask about her health and scolded Xiren and the others.

Xiren and the others didn't dare to talk back. They just bowed their heads and admitted their mistakes, thus making the matter go away.

Let’s talk about Zhan 24. After a night of romance, he washed up and had breakfast with the help of the three women. Then he left Ningguo Mansion and took a car to Chunfeng Tower. Ambassador Song had been waiting there for a long time. When he saw Zhan 24 coming in, he hurriedly stepped forward to greet him with a smile.

"Haha... Master Zhan is here. I have been waiting for a long time. Please take a seat!"

Zhan Ershisi didn't bother to be polite with him, and sat down at the main seat, saying with a smile:

"Speaking of which, I will inevitably have to deal with Ambassador Song more in the future, so I hope Ambassador Song will take care of me in the future."

Ambassador Song smiled happily when he heard this. He asked people to serve wine and food while he said politely:
"I wish I could ask Master Zhan for advice, but I am afraid that my position is too low and I may not be worthy of Master Zhan's approval!"

"Ambassador Song is being polite. You are an official and I am a citizen. Who is looking down on whom? If Ambassador Song doesn't look down on me, we can have more exchanges in the future!"

After hearing this, Ambassador Song became even happier and rushed to curry favor with him.

Both of them were interested in making friends with each other, so naturally both host and guest had a great time and got along very well.

Ambassador Song called the singer again and asked them to play the zither, harp, and pipa, creating a lively atmosphere.

Just as the atmosphere was getting lively, there was a sound from the door outside. A man came in through the curtain. He was dressed in a green robe and a small hat, and he looked like a butler. He had an arrogant look on his face. He stood in front of the table, half-raised his head, and glanced at Zhan Ershisi and said:

"Are you Zhan Niansi from Hebei?"

Zhan Ershisi saw that he had bad intentions, so he stopped drinking and did not answer. He just asked in a cold voice:

"I am here to entertain guests. Who are you? Why do you suddenly barge in? What do you want?"

The butler exhaled through his nostrils:

"Since you are Zhan Niansi, then come with me. My prince wants to see you!"

Prince?

Which prince?

Prince Zhongshun or Prince Beijing?

But no matter which one it is, this attitude is not the attitude of treating someone.

Zhan Ershisi's face darkened and he sneered:
"I'm sorry, but I'm just a businessman. I can't afford to marry a prince, so I won't try to curry favor with him."

The steward's eyes widened immediately, and he raised his hands to the side above his shoulders and said in surprise:
"I am from the Prince Zhongshun's Mansion, and my master is Prince Zhongshun!"

Then I won’t go!

Just looking at his attitude, the manager is just like calling a servant. Now he just walks away after being greeted like this, isn't that lowering his own status?
Look at the scholars in the storybooks. They have to be invited three or five times before they agree to do something, and those who come when called are basically small fry.

Although Zhan Ershisi was not a scholar or a military strategist, he knew that it was Prince Zhongshun who was looking for him, not him going to Prince Zhongshun to beg him to do something, so there was no need for him to be so servile.

As for whether Prince Zhongshun would secretly interfere and make things difficult for the emperor in front of him.

Zhan Ershisi didn't really care.

He is indeed trying to get close to the current emperor and express his attitude in various ways, but if this side does not accept him, he can just turn around and join the Supreme One and hang out with the Four Kings and Eight Dukes. That is not a bad idea!

Although these teammates are all useless and cannot be led, and they will definitely go their separate ways in the future, it is still possible to use their influence, which has not yet been completely extinguished, to strengthen their own strength and increase their own value.

When it comes to politics, there is no hatred or difference in stance; it is all about interests.

Today he is a small figure, and the Emperor does not feel that there is any loss without him. But in the future, when he becomes a wealthy businessman and money flows into the Emperor's wallet like water, Prince Zhongshun, who pushed away the man who rushed to seek refuge with the Emperor, will probably find it difficult to speak in front of the Emperor.

It is said that a thousand-foot-high wall is strong if it has no desires.

The one he needs help from is the present emperor, not the present emperor's younger brother, Prince Zhongshun, so there is absolutely no need for him to put himself in a difficult position.

Besides, if it really doesn't work out, he can still take out his old plan, rob the Rongguo Mansion, kill all the target people, and go back to being a mountain king again!
Of course, this is just a thought and will never be put into reality. He is a kind gentleman, how can he do such an unrighteous thing?

But no matter what, he didn't care about Prince Zhongshun's attitude.

You treat me as a national hero, and I will naturally repay you with business gold and silver.

You treat me like a piece of trash, so who would know who you are?
Zhan Ershisi drank a glass of wine slowly, smacked his lips, and said:

“It’s not as good as Erguotou.”

"Of course I know the name of Prince Zhongshun, but as I said just now, I am just an ordinary businessman. I cannot afford to marry the prince, so I won't go to pay my respects to him!"

"You...you are so brave!"

The manager was so angry that his face turned blue. He stretched out his hand and pointed his halberd at Zhan Ershisi, shaking all the time.

Ambassador Song who was standing by now understood what was said, and he suddenly regretted it, thinking that he must have made a mistake somewhere. Although the person who greeted him was from Prince Zhongshun's Mansion, he was afraid that the person behind Mr. Zhan was not Prince Zhongshun.

The singers, musicians and others nearby had stopped singing and dancing long ago, and hid in a corner out of fear that a fight would break out and they would be covered in blood.

Zhan Ershi looked around, threw the wine glass on the table, and said with a curled lip:

"A good banquet was ruined by uninvited guests. What a bummer!"

After finishing speaking, Zhan Twenty-four stood up and left. Ambassador Song, now in a state of confusion, did not step forward to see him off, but just watched from the side.

When the manager saw that Zhan Ershisi was so blind, he became furious and waved his hand outside.

"Someone, take this guy back to the prince!"

A group of people rushed in and tried to arrest people. Zhan Ershisi did not tolerate them and raised his foot, kicking the manager in the chest.

The manager had not seen anyone dare to provoke him for many years, and he never thought that Zhan Twenty-four would dare to resist. The kick hit him right on the chest, breaking the window with a bang, and he was kicked out and fell directly onto the street.

Zhan Ershisi acted with discretion, knowing that the floor was not high and the fall would not kill him.

But the manager broke his leg and lay on the ground for a long time without being able to get up.

Chunfenglou is also a famous restaurant in Beijing. Those who can come here to consume are always rich or noble, and none of them are poor.

There isn't much else in Beijing, except for many noble people.

Not only are there a lot of them, but they are also idle.

There had always been fights and jealousies in Chunfeng Tower due to drinking, so passers-by did not think it was strange. Instead, they gathered outside and watched the fun with smiles on their faces.

Even the other guests in the restaurant leaned out and asked each other which noble family's son was fighting with whom.

Then, one after another human figures were thrown out from the private room on the second floor.

Every time someone came out, the people watching outside would applaud and shout "good". After they had shouted eleven or twelve times, they finally quieted down.

Someone who looked familiar recognized them as servants from Prince Zhongshun's mansion. Everyone spread the news to others, and soon everyone knew the truth.

Although they didn't know who had attacked the other party, the one who beat the dog had to look at the owner. This matter might not be resolved peacefully, so everyone became more and more excited.

Anyway, it has nothing to do with them, so they might as well watch the fun without worrying about any trouble.

When Zhan Ershida swaggered out of the restaurant, stepped on the bodies of the servants on the ground, got into the car and left, everyone realized that the young man who had just come out was the other party in the excitement.

Zhan Ershisi's car left, but the restaurant became lively and everyone was gossiping to each other.

"Who is that young man? Does anyone recognize him?"

"He looks unfamiliar. Could he be from out of town?"

"He is the only one who came out of the building. This kid is quite good at fighting. Could he be from some duke's mansion?"

"Forget it, those dukes of the Duke's family are all useless. You let them play with women and fight with each other, haha..."

Zhan Ershisi has become somewhat famous in Beijing these days and was quickly recognized.

"He's from Hebei, Master Zhan Nianshi, a relative of the Rongguo Mansion, the most famous fool in Beijing recently, the one who was eager to pay the liquor tax."

"What do you know? He's not stupid, he's... hehe..."

The man choked back his words halfway through. His hesitant look immediately attracted a large group of people to invite him enthusiastically.

"What do you mean? Brother, you have inside information, why don't you come over for a drink and chat?"

The man declined and made a few polite remarks, then moved to the next table. The two of them started whispering to each other, and then more people came to join in the fun. In the end, more and more people gathered, and a large group of people sat together.

There are smart people in the capital, especially those who are bystanders. Many officials and dignitaries can see or find out Zhan Ershisi's little thoughts as long as they are interested, but everyone has different positions and no one will interfere.

Even if they were originally from the same faction as the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, it would not be convenient for them to stop Zhan Twenty-four. After all... they themselves were of the same kind, caught in a dilemma.

But they are thinking about betting on both sides, but are reluctant to let others bet on both sides as well, because this will not show their importance.

If everyone is trying to show goodwill to the Lord, it is equivalent to no one showing goodwill.

Only if everyone refrains from showing goodwill to the current emperor, and their family shows goodwill to the current emperor, can they gain the most attention from the current emperor and have a more secure future.

Therefore, it would be fine if you can't find an opportunity, but if you find an opportunity, it would be best if you can kick everyone else off the boat and only leave yourself on it!

Now, seeing that Master Zhan had beaten the servants of Prince Zhongshun's family, some people immediately became interested. They paid their bills, said goodbye and left first, taking the news back to see if they could profit from it, or simply kick Zhan Niansi, who had just wanted to get on board, out.

Zhan Ershisi knew nothing about the plots these people were making behind the scenes. After leaving Chunfeng Tower, he headed straight for Ningguo Mansion.

It feels good to beat someone up, but you have to be able to settle the matter, that's considered a skill, otherwise you'd just be a reckless man.

Of course, his way of settling the problem was to find his close family friend, his half-brother, Brother Zhen!
Although in the original book of Dream of the Red Chamber, Prince Zhongshun sent a chief secretary to Rongguo Mansion, which made Jia Zheng tremble with fear, but that was four or five years later. At that time, Rongguo Mansion had already shown its decline and people really did not dare to provoke Prince Zhongshun.

But now the Ning and Rong mansions are still strong and can hold on for a few more years.

Last year, with a letter from Lin Ruhai, Jia Zheng was able to get Jia Yucun reinstated, and he was promoted directly to the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture. This shows that the Chinese people have very complicated connections. The rise and fall of a family cannot be judged by the size of a person's official position, but by influence.

There are countless great sages and ministers in the opposition who do not hold any official position but can comment on national affairs and influence major plans.

The leader of the Donglin Party was not a high-ranking official, nor a cabinet minister in the court. However, his words were law and everyone respected him.

In the original book, Keqing died and the mourning period lasted for 49 days. When the funeral was held, all the guests, including the four kings and eight dukes, were present, which fully demonstrated the influence of Ningguo Mansion.

But after the decline of the two mansions, when Jia Jing died, it was only the sisters of the You family who came to handle the funeral. There was no mention of whether those noble guests came or not.

The Ningguo Mansion at this time should be the last rays of light, but with the addition of a "righteous" brother like Zhan Ershisi, the Ning and Rong Mansions have been crowded with guests recently, and it seems that they are about to be reborn from the ashes.

Although all these guests are women, this connection has nothing to do with gender, as long as it is useful.

And there is another advantage of Brother Zhen, that is, he can get things done for money!

As long as you give him enough money, he will really do things for you!

If it was a big trouble related to state affairs, Jia Zhen might not be able to handle it. But it was just a beating of Prince Zhongshun's steward, and the man was not dead yet, so he could definitely handle it.

Politics is nothing more than an exchange of interests.

Someone who always holds grudges and seeks to vent personal grievances cannot achieve such a high position.

The key to solving the problem lies in how much money Zhan Ershisi needs to pay to feed Brother Zhen.

But for Zhan Ershisi, as long as the problem can be solved with money, it is not a problem at all!
Zhan Ershisi rode in a carriage and slowly came to Ningguo Mansion. He went straight into the hall, found Jia Zhen, and said straight to the point:

"Today, I was drinking with Ambassador Song, the tax officer of the Xuanke Department, in the Chunfeng Tower. I had a conflict with him and beat him up."

"It was only later that we found out that the dozen people who were beaten were all servants in the Prince Zhongshun's mansion."

"Brother Zhen, you know that I am just a businessman. How can I afford to offend Prince Zhongshun? That's why I came to ask Brother Zhen for help. I can mediate and pay some medical expenses to those people."

Zhan Ershisi deliberately only mentioned the identities of the steward and the servant, but never said that they were "inviting" people on behalf of Prince Zhongshun.

One has to be flexible in one's bottom line. When it's time to cheat, one cannot admit it.

If he didn't know the identities of these people, he would have beaten ordinary servants in Prince Zhongshun's mansion. If he still beat them after knowing the identities, he would have been hitting Prince Zhongshun in the face.

The price is different!

The witnesses at the scene were Ambassador Song and a group of singing girls. Who dared to say anything?

Anyway, he will never admit it, so what can Prince Zhongshun do even if he knows he is cheating?

Isn’t this the case for everyone in the upper class?
Face is given by others, but you lose it yourself.

Mr. Zhan admitted that he could not afford to offend Prince Zhongshun, so he asked a middleman of sufficient weight to mediate the matter. He paid the money when necessary and performed all the formalities.

The next question is the simplest one, which is more important, his servant's legs or the face of the Ningguo Mansion Jia family.

According to Chinese customs, the step was handed to Prince Zhongshun, and face was given to him. If he had not insisted and said that Master Zhan beat him only after knowing his identity, and had not put his own face on the scale, then it would be Prince Zhongshun who lost his face, and he could not blame Master Zhan!

When the dispute arises, the middleman will definitely speak on the side that gives both face and money.

Mr. Zhan understood this principle, and Jia Zhen certainly understood it as well. He immediately laughed and said disapprovingly:
"I thought it was something!"

"He's just a steward. Prepare a generous gift and I'll have Lai Er deliver it to clear up this misunderstanding."

Master Zhan smiled and said:
"In this case, I'll have to trouble you, Brother Zhen."

"As the saying goes, one thing should not trouble two masters. As for the selection of gifts, I will ask Brother Zhen to help me. When you need the money, let Butler Lai come to me to settle the bill."

After listening to this, Jia Zhen also smiled.

It's a pleasure to talk to smart people.

Master Zhan knew that Brother Zhen would definitely take advantage of the situation, and Jia Zhen also knew that Brother Zhan deliberately gave him the opportunity to take advantage of the situation to express his gratitude for his kindness.

During the whole process, both parties understood each other tacitly, and no one said anything out loud. The most striking thing was the tacit understanding.

No one mentioned money, but when they talked to outsiders, they said that the brothers had a deep bond and trusted each other.

Even if someone exposed the matter afterwards, it was done by the black-hearted guy Lai Er, and had nothing to do with the master.

Jia Zhen would not recognize it, and neither would Master Zhan.

Lai Er who was standing next to him also smiled happily when he heard this, because this matter definitely could not be handled by the master himself, it must go through his hands.

That means the eldest master gets the lion's share and he can get the smaller share, and since Master Zhan is so generous, he will definitely get a lot of money.

Mr. Zhan and his partner successfully concluded a round of PY transaction, and then they went to drink together again, arm in arm.

While they were drinking, Lai Er suddenly came in and told them, "Master, Prince Beijing is here to visit."

"Ok?"

Jia Zhen was stunned after hearing this. Although he and Prince Beijing were old friends and both were members of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, the Jia family could not even keep the title of Duke now. After being downgraded and passed down until now, they were already far behind the Shui family of Prince Beijing.

By the time of Jia Zhen's generation, the two families no longer had a close relationship; they were just in the same camp.

It is not a festival now, but it is a rare thing for Prince Beijing to come suddenly to visit, and come in person.

He thought for a moment, then put down his glass and stood up, "Brother Zhan, let's go out and greet them together, and by the way, I'll introduce you to Prince Beijing."

Zhan Ershisi was also very curious about Prince Beijing, so he got up and walked out of Tianxiang Tower. When he arrived at the gate of Ningguo Mansion, he opened the main door wide and came out to greet him.

I saw a large sedan chair carried by eight people sitting on the avenue in front of the mansion gate. Beside it were sedan bearers and guards, all dressed in black clothes and looking neat and tidy.

The sedan was wide and stable. The green silk curtain had been drawn open and hung on a copper hook beside the door. Inside was a person who was not yet twenty years old. He wore a white crown with silver wings and a white python robe with five claws sitting on it. He also wore a red sash with jasper. His face was like a beautiful jade and his eyes were like stars. He was a very handsome person.

Jia Zhen hurriedly stepped forward and greeted him respectfully. Beijing Prince Shui Rong was also a very humble person. He stepped out of the sedan chair with a smile and offered his hand to help him.

"Your and my families are old friends, why do you have to be so polite, old man?"

After a few polite words, Jia Zhen invited Shui Rong into his mansion, sat him down in the main hall of Ning Mansion and served him tea.

After Shui Rong sat down, he turned around and asked Zhan Ershisi with a smile:

"This must be the Master Zhan Nianshi, who has become famous in Beijing recently."

Zhan Ershisi's heart moved. This Shui Rong didn't have many roles in the original story. There were just some plots of winning over the Jia family. But now he came to Ningguo Mansion. Could it be that he was coming for him?

He immediately smiled and replied:

"I don't deserve the title of Master. I am just a businessman. Your Majesty, just call me by my name."

After hearing this, Shui Rong also started laughing.

"Although merchants are the lowest of the four classes, they are also an indispensable profession for the people of the world. Mr. Zhan, please do not belittle yourself."

Okay, it turns out that it is directed at me!

If it had happened in the past it would have been fine, but today I have already offended Prince Zhongshun, and I must not offend Prince Beijing again.

Zhan Ershisi became more careful and chatted with Shui Rong with a smile. He made up some vague stories about businessmen and talked nonsense. With his experience in spamming the Internet, King Beijing was stunned and then became fascinated.

"It is said that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Nian Si, you have traveled all over the country and you are indeed well-informed."

"If I didn't hold the title, I wouldn't be able to leave the capital at will. I really want to travel around and see more of this beautiful land."

Zhan Ershi then held him up and praised him:
"Your Highness is a pillar of the country. You bear the high hopes of Your Majesty. You are a role model for all officials. You are the food and clothing of millions of people. You shoulder a heavy responsibility, so it is inevitable that you have to make some choices."

"In fact, after seeing the scenery outside for a long time, you will find that it is just like this. It is basically written in books. Your Highness should read more travel notes. In fact, it is almost the same."

Originally, this was just a polite remark he made to fool Shui Rong, but Shui Rong actually smiled and invited him.

“As the saying goes, what you learn from books is always shallow, and it is ultimately not as good as what you see with your own eyes and hear with your own ears.”

"It's rare for me to know about the customs and practices of the outside world. If you have nothing to do, you can come to my house and chat with me. Tell me about the scenery of the outside world."

"Xiao Wang also knows that Nian Si's business is booming. Chatting with Xiao Wang will inevitably delay his business, and he will make up for it."

"In the future, the Zhan family's business can be completely under the name of Prince Beijing's Mansion and be tax-exempt."

Although both of them are trying to win over people, the style of Prince Beijing Shui Rong is much better than that of Prince Zhongshun.

He obviously knew about the conflict between Zhan 24 and Prince Zhongshun today, which was why he came to win him over. However, he never mentioned Prince Zhongshun in his words and deeds, and always left room for him. Even if Zhan 24 rejected him, outsiders would only think that Zhan 24 was ungrateful, and it would not damage his reputation at all.

If there had not been a towering tree standing behind Prince Zhongshun, Prince Beijing would have crushed Prince Zhongshun to pieces.

The situation is now very clear.

Previously, Zhan Ershisi took the initiative to pay taxes to the court in order to show his stance to the current emperor.

At that time, the Four Kings and Eight Dukes did not take any action, because they knew very well that the more they forced others, the more they would push them to the opposite side.

But now that Zhan Ershisi and Prince Zhongshun were in conflict, Prince Beijing came in person.

Zhan Ershisi is certainly not so stupid as to think that he is so important now that King Beijing would come personally to win him over.

Even if he had set up some profitable businesses, he was still just a businessman.

The network of connections he had woven in the backyards of the powerful families in the capital only made him be looked up to.

Prince Beijing came in person because he could best represent the overall attitude of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes.

Now the purpose of Prince Beijing, or the families of the Four Princes and Eight Dukes, is to make him express his stance.

What the various powerful families need is to make those who are waiting to see whether Zhan Ershisi's method of "using taxes to please the superiors" will work completely give up this idea.

This is the collective will. Once the decision is made, even Jia Zhen cannot go against it, otherwise he would be cutting himself off from the circle of power and wealth.

Jia Zhen was indeed a dandy young man, but he had been influenced by his surroundings and although he might not be proficient in such matters as power and intrigue, it was impossible that he did not understand them.

So Jia Zhen just sat aside and drank tea silently from the beginning, without saying a word, without even raising his eyelids, without giving any glances, leaving it all to Zhan Twenty-four to make the decision on his own.

What, Brother Zhan?

We are not familiar with each other!

Fortunately, after listening to it, Zhan Ershi did not hesitate at all and laughed:

"What a coincidence!"

"In fact, I do have a big business, but I'm afraid I can't make it work with just the Ning and Rong mansions."

"If I can borrow the name of Prince Beijing, I might be able to give it a try."

After Shui Rong heard this, he also laughed and said jokingly:
"Everyone knows that you, Nian Si, can turn stones into gold and help people get rich. If there really is a way to make money, I'm afraid every family would want to get involved!"

Zhan Ershi clapped his hands and exclaimed:
"That would be great. The more people involved in this business, the better. I only think too little, not too much."

"For my business, I first need a very large flat piece of land outside the city, which must be several miles in radius."

"In addition to land, we also need inns, teahouses, wine shops, casinos, brothels, whorehouses, and a series of other places."

"I want to have all kinds of food, drinks, and entertainment on this land. As long as people come in with money, they can stay here forever. They can have whatever they want and don't need to leave until they spend all their money."

"This requires a lot of gold and silver and connections to support it, otherwise it is absolutely impossible to do it."

"Of course, this business doesn't have to be done all at once, it can be done step by step. Each company can invest a part first, and then continue to invest after seeing the results."

After finishing speaking, Zhan Ershisi raised his eyebrows at Shui Rong, cupped his hands, and said with a smile:

"My Lord, I'd like to ask you to help me get them all together so that they can have a share!"

Shui Rong originally thought that Zhan Ershisi was joking, but seeing Zhan Ershisi's expression and hearing what he said with certainty, it seemed like he was serious, so he became hesitant.

The four kings and eight dukes actually care more about people in officialdom, and they essentially despise businessmen.

If the Ningguo Mansion had not declined so quickly, Jia Zhen would not have taken money seriously.

Because the country has always been like this, those who have power are not afraid of having no money, and naturally someone will take the initiative to send money to it.

Even the Xue family, as the imperial merchants in the past, were able to become so big by borrowing the name of the imperial court, right?

Without the support of the Supreme Lord, the Xue family would be nothing more than an ordinary businessman.

The so-called businessmen are just speculating in buying and selling, what can they do?
Zhan Niansi is indeed better than the people from the Xue family, and he is also smart, but he has no achievements at all, and his upper limit is just that.

Now he is needed to be a valuable horse bone to show the attitude of a powerful group to those who are interested, so it is okay to give him some benefits, but it is not appropriate for him to ask for so much support now.

Thinking of this, Shui Rong's smile faded a little, and he just evaded the question:

"If there is such a good business, everyone will definitely be very enthusiastic. When I have time, I will talk to the other companies. When I have some news, I will ask Nian Si to come and discuss it together."

When Zhan Ershisi saw that he didn't even ask for details, he knew he was trying to evade the question, so he laughed and agreed. However, he secretly sighed in his heart, these people forget their lives for small profits and cherish their bodies for big profits. No wonder they can't achieve anything!
Prince Beijing Shui Rong looks kind and amiable, but in fact he is even more arrogant than Jia Zhen. One can tell at a glance that this is nothing more than the hypocritical demeanor of a noble family that he has cultivated since childhood.

Then the two chatted for some more time, and Shui Rong said goodbye and left.

A few days later, it was time to pay taxes at the grain store. Ambassador Song brought the tax collectors to the door of the Zhan family grain store again.

Although some accidents happened in Chunfeng Tower that day, he had been following the follow-up developments of the incident after he returned. He found that after a few days, everything was calm, as if the incident was over without any ripples.

Ambassador Song racked his brains but still couldn't figure out what was going on.

But there was at least one thing he had figured out, that was, this Mr. Zhan had a powerful background, and no matter who was behind him, he couldn't afford to offend him.

So this time he took the opportunity of collecting taxes to meet Master Zhan again, apologize for what happened that day, and invite Master Zhan to Chunfeng Tower for a drink.

He could see that Mr. Zhan actually wanted to date him, so this was his chance and he couldn't miss it!
If he doesn't hold on to such a powerful figure, he will regret it for the rest of his life!

But who would have thought that things would change and the situation is now different.

After entering the shop, Ambassador Song saw Mr. Zhan's butler Yang Yougong sitting in the shop, so he hurried over to greet him with a smile.

"Oh, it's Manager Yang. I wonder if Master Zhan is in the store?"

"I am here to collect taxes again. I promise to strictly follow the rules and not collect a penny more or less."

Originally, this had been the usual practice for the past few months, but who would have thought that Yang Yougong, who was standing opposite, would suddenly become stern, point his finger at the flag erected beside the store door, and shout in a cold voice:

"You can see it clearly for me!"

"That's the flag of Beijing Prince's Palace. From now on, this store will be under the name of Beijing Prince's Palace, and according to the law, it can be tax-free!"

Ambassador Song turned his head blankly and saw a small flag the size of a palm hidden in the corner behind the door, with the logo of Prince Beijing's Palace embroidered on it.

But the flag was hidden too secretly, and he wouldn't have been able to see it at all without Yang Yougong's guidance.

"This...wasn't it before..."

Ambassador Song stammered, feeling a little confused. He wondered why Mr. Zhan, who had always been keen on paying taxes, suddenly changed his mind?
You paid the liquor tax of so much silver a few days ago, but today, the tax on the grain store is only a few taels of silver. Why are you unwilling to pay it?

"The past is the past, and the future is the future!"

After receiving the order from Zhan Ershisi, Yang Yougong acted arrogantly, waved his hand, and ordered:
"Come on, beat these guys out with clubs!"

The guys picked up their carrying poles and started beating them.

What's funny is that although Ambassador Song and his companions were officials, they did not dare to fight back when they were beaten. They were immediately beaten with sticks and fell to the ground on the street, staggering and in a miserable state. When they were seen by passers-by on the street outside, they were laughed at again.

(End of this chapter)