Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 46 Seals
Seeing the impressive presence of the guides, Zhang Qi, once on board, became even more mindful of his words and actions.

Once aboard the boat, a young gentleman was seen with his back to the door, bowing his head to light an incense burner.

Before Zhang Qi could get a good look at him, the young master had already turned around.

Zhang Qi glanced at him hastily, then said, "I am Zhang Qi, a grain merchant. I have come to pay my respects to Young Master Qin on the recommendation of my younger brother."

Shen Qingzhou glanced at him, then looked at Zhang Laosan behind him.

Zhang Laosan hurriedly said, "These are my elder and second elder brothers. I can't raise 50,000 taels of silver, but my elder and second elder brothers can. Please do me the honor, young master."

Shen Qingzhou glanced at Zhang Qi indifferently.

This is that beastly thing.

Zhang Qi hadn't expected this young master Qin to be so unapproachable, and that he himself was less respected than the third brother in front of him. His back began to itch.

Remembering his purpose, he didn't waste any words: "After hearing about this from my younger brother yesterday, I am also very interested in this big deal that you have in mind. I wonder if you could also give me some consideration?"

Shen Qingzhou said, "You want to join too? My starting price is 50,000 taels of silver, not a penny less."

"Money is no problem, but may I see the seal on your hand, young master?"

Coincidentally, after the accounts were divided, he happened to have about 40,000 taels of silver on hand. If he really needed 50,000, he could just withdraw the 10,000 taels he had in the bank and make up the difference.

But the question is, can this man surnamed Qin prove that he really has business dealings with the imperial court?

"You came all this way to my door, asking for my seal? You don't trust me, do you?" Shen Qingzhou stared straight at them. "If you don't trust me, why did you come all this way?"

Zhang Laosan grabbed Zhang Qi: "Brother, what are you doing?!"

When Zhang Qi saw that Shen Qingzhou hadn't said a single word and seemed to be ignoring them, he immediately felt guilty.

He took a breath and said, "Young Master Qin, you misunderstand. It's not that I don't trust you, but my two brothers and I have invested two shares together, which amounts to 100,000 taels. The imperial taxes are heavy, and it's not easy for us businessmen to make money. Please understand."

"As soon as I see your seal, I will immediately go back and collect the silver, without hesitation!"

Shen Qingzhou glared at Zhang Laosan with a stern face: "If I had known you were so unreliable, I would never have revealed any information to you."

"I haven't even blamed you for spreading rumors, and you're already starting to doubt me? Throw them out!"

Zhang Laosan panicked: "Young Master Qin, please forgive me, it's all my fault for not explaining things clearly to my family! Could you give me a little more time so I can try to raise some money elsewhere!"

As soon as he said this, the other two members of the Zhang family grabbed him by the arm.

Shen Qingzhou watched them struggle, then said in a deep breath, "Fine. Since you're already suspicious, you'll naturally doubt me even if someone else comes. Even if you pay the money and put your fingerprints on it, you still won't trust me."

"Tang Yu, bring the things over here."

Tang Yu, who was at the door, came in as instructed and handed a rolled-up map to Shen Qingzhou.

The map was spread out, and Zhang Qi, who was closest to it, immediately saw the three characters "Tanzhou Prefecture" at the top of the map. When he looked further back, his eyes widened involuntarily!
"This is...this is a map of the waterways of Tanzhou Prefecture!"

Zhang Qi's face now stung with pain.

This map is only available to the government; it is impossible for outsiders to obtain it.

The fact that it appeared in his hands is enough to prove that he is a government official! Moreover, the fact that he was able to obtain the map of the river also shows that he has connections in river transport!
"Take the map to Master Zhang and let him verify its authenticity." Shen Qingzhou glanced at him. "You all need to look carefully, lest you later say that I stole this map." Guo Yi has a lot of such maps in his hand, and if they don't believe him, he can produce a whole bunch more.

Lu Jia gave him that jade pendant, which was certainly more convincing than this, but since he had something readily available, why not use it?

Cold sweat broke out on Zhang Qi's forehead. He turned his head and saw the other two, who were also speechless with their mouths open.

This map not only bears the seal of Tanzhou Prefecture, but also the seal of the imperial court; it couldn't be more authentic!
Such an important item would naturally be placed in the safest place, so who could possibly steal it?
"I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness. Please forgive me, young master!"

Zhang Qipao lifted her robe and knelt down.

Shen Qingzhou told Tang Yu to put the map away.

"So, does that mean I'm trustworthy?"

"Young Master Qin, please forgive me!"

The three brothers all knelt down. Zhang Laosan said, "I'll go back and get the silver right away! I'll be back within an hour!"

Shen Qingzhou gave a cold laugh: "There's no need to be in such a hurry. You can leave now."

After saying that, he got up and went into the inner room.

Zhang Laosan cried out in disbelief, "Young Master!..."

But He Qu and his group at the door had already started urging people to hurry up.

……

After the three brothers disembarked, Zhang Laosan was completely flustered and at a loss. The way Young Master Qin had acted before leaving clearly indicated he didn't want to get involved with them anymore!

Without further ado, he began to complain to Zhang Qi: "How many people can have such a grand display? You saw it with your own eyes and still didn't believe it. Now look what's happened! You've seen his skills, but the fat duck that was about to be eaten has flown away!"

Zhang Lao Er shook his head and sighed. He hadn't believed Zhang Lao San could have such good fortune, but after what had happened, what was there to doubt?

No matter how you look at it, that young master surnamed Qin is a first-rate person of power and wealth, not to mention that he easily produced a river map that only the government could possess!
Surely you can't say he prepared this in advance on purpose, can you?

What a waste of a chance to make a fortune!
Zhang Qi was also annoyed, but he was resentful that the two of them were blaming him.

"He urged us to come out so urgently just now, there's probably something fishy going on."

"I've already memorized the general outline of that map. You two stay here and keep an eye on it. I'll go find Lord He to verify it."

"If there's absolutely no mistake, then we'll go and beg him. That way, we can hand over the money with peace of mind!"

……

Zhang Qi rushed to the He family's house without stopping. The lights had just been turned off, but when he heard Zhang Qi banging on the door so urgently, he reluctantly put on his coat and sat up again.

Seeing Zhang Qi's flustered state, the magistrate's expression darkened: "Your family has been causing trouble everywhere lately, why are you here with me now?"

Seeing that he was trying to distance himself from him, Zhang Qi finally remembered that they were only related by interests, not by blood or shared interests, so he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

He simply asked, "I've come to inquire about something with you, sir. Do you have a copy of the river map of our Tanzhou government office? I need to take a look at some important accounts and verify them."

(End of this chapter)