My eunuch godfather

What a joke! Lu Shou and Lu Chan'er are notoriously petty and jealous of talent.

Back then, Wang Tiqian, who was in the Imperial Kitchen, had not yet entered the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs. Lu Shou felt threatened by him and spread rumors that Wang Tiqian had a fortune of millions.

Unable to produce any concrete evidence, they found another pretext to arrest Li Jin, Tian Yu, and others under Wang Tiqian's command and send them to the Eastern Depot.

Including the relatives and friends involved, there were hundreds of families, causing unrest in the capital.

Now Lu Shou holds absolute power in the palace. Apart from him, who is both the head of the Imperial Household Department and the director of the Eastern Depot, there is only one other person in the Directorate of Ceremonial:

Wei Shen, who was over eighty years old and whose eyebrows were buried in the ground, posed no threat to Lu Shou.

Zhang Ye was living a carefree life in Zhangjiawan and had no desire to return to the palace and suffer under Lu Shou's command.

Seeing Zhang Ye politely decline his return to the palace, thus missing an opportunity for further advancement, Lu Shou revealed a satisfied expression and smiled:

"Then let's find your Zhang Kun and have a proper discussion about designating Jin Yun as a key merchant."

"Strive to deliver the allocated 50,000 taels of silver to the palace next month!"

......

The main camp of the river engineering camp in Nanxiawa.

Zhang Kun stood alone atop the watchtower, the highest point of the camp, overlooking the entire camp.

Compared to when it was first built, the camp is now very prosperous.

With Zhang Kun's financial support, the families of the river workers started various businesses around the camp.

For example, raising chickens and ducks, growing vegetables, providing massages, mending clothes and shoes, etc. The canteen in the camp also opened up several windows for contracting.

Many merchants from the capital also came to do business, offering services such as storytelling, opera performances, tea and wine sales, and letter writing.

Among them was tampoo, which Zhang Kun provided to the river workers at a limited-time discounted price, allowing them to occasionally enjoy a few puffs.

These few bites didn't really relieve much fatigue, but they made the river worker feel like he was already somewhat of a respectable person.

The market in Daying after work was very lively, even comparable to some commercial streets in the southern part of the city.

Now Zhang Kun has moved all the hundreds of people from the Limin ship over, making the camp even more prosperous.

However, everything before us could collapse in an instant because of Zhang Kun!

Ironically, Zhang Kun did nothing wrong; on the contrary, his excellent performance brought him a lot of trouble.

These days, Zhang Kun has been doing his best to maneuver, to defuse the enemy, and to put up a tenacious resistance.

Zhang Kun always wore a smile on his face when facing his own people, a confident smile that told them they could definitely get through this.

But when he's alone, the immense pressure makes it impossible for Zhang Kun to smile at himself.

Zhang Kun had to start considering the possibility of failure and prepare for the worst.

Ask yourself what to do if you fail, how much you can save, or even whether you can save your life.

Death is not always frightening; it can even be a relief.

However, what if they were stripped of everything they had planned, built, and created, and died like a stray dog ​​in a ditch?

Zhang Kun cannot accept it, will not accept it, and will never accept it!

Therefore, Zhang Kun began to prepare, preparing how to abandon everything and escape, preparing how to go into hiding.

And how to make a comeback and take revenge on these damned insects!

For example, joining pirates, joining heretics, or joining the refugees who will soon sweep across the world!

Since you don't want me to repair the old building, then I'll let it burn down and start all over again!

Thinking of this, Zhang Kun instantly felt that immense pressure of helplessness vanish completely.

Instead, there was unprecedented ambition and audacity!

The road ahead is long and arduous, but we are ready to start anew!

......

Zhang Ye's private residence in Zhangjiawan, Tongzhou.

Just like last time, Zhang Ye sat at the head of the table, drinking tea while glancing at his two adopted sons out of the corner of his eye.

Li Cheng sat on the left, legs crossed, looking relaxed as he slowly sipped his tea.

Unlike last time, Zhang Kun stood calmly opposite him, his face revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Fourth Brother,"

Before the standoff lasted long, Zhang Kun took the initiative to ask Li Cheng:

"You wouldn't come to my door without a reason. You've come to see me today, so it's probably about the Golden Cloud Ship, isn't it?"

"Old Sixty-Six has made progress, hasn't he?"

Li Cheng smiled and scraped the tea froth with the cup lid, then smiled at Zhang Kun:

"You must have suffered a lot these days and know the principle that 'a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime'."

Your brother found you intending to lend a hand and offer you a way out, but it depends on whether you're willing.

"Thank you for your concern, Fourth Brother."

Zhang Kun adopted a respectful demeanor towards Li Cheng, intending to find out who was backing him, and said respectfully:

"Please, Fourth Brother, teach me and show me the way out."

"Hahaha!"

Seeing Zhang Kun's respectful attitude, Li Cheng couldn't help but laugh a few times, then turned to Zhang Ye and said:

"Godfather, look how much more composed Sixty-Six has become after this incident. He's really made great progress!"

Turning back to Zhang Kun, he displayed the British Duke's mansion behind him and stated his price:

"My brother had dinner with Zhang Zhiyuan the other day. He is the fifth son of the Duke of Yingguo."

Although the British Duke's Mansion is not as prosperous as it used to be, it is still a great family with a history of two hundred years and a profound heritage.

With the British government's help, why worry about us not being able to get through this hurdle?

However, if we want to invite the Duke of England's mansion, we'll need to offer a lot of incense!

Not only the Jin Yun ship, but the river engineering battalion must also be handed over, otherwise they won't help us.

"Fourth Brother, thank you so much for your efforts on my behalf, which allowed you to establish connections with the Duke of Ying's mansion."

Zhang Kun expressed his gratitude to Li Cheng, but his brows remained furrowed. He then asked with a question:

"But Zhang Zhiyuan doesn't seem to hold any real position. Can someone like him really speak on behalf of the Duke of Ying's mansion?"

"Ha, what's wrong? Did you think the Duke would personally negotiate the price with us?"

Li Cheng shook his head at Zhang Kun and sneered:

"It is precisely because Zhang Zhiyuan seems insignificant that we were able to negotiate with the Duke through him."

If his older brothers, who hold official positions, were watching him too closely, it would actually make him harder to get along with.

"I see,"

Zhang Kun had already made a preliminary assessment of the extent of Li Cheng's cooperation with the British government, and continued to inquire:

"But we still need to get a guarantee from the Duke, right?"

"Getting a guarantee isn't difficult, but you have to show sincerity first!"

Li Cheng put down his teacup, his eyes full of smugness, and smiled at Zhang Kun, saying:

"Here's what we'll do: withdraw eight thousand taels from the Jin Yun ship's account, and I'll transfer it to the Duke of England's mansion for you."

"Eight thousand taels, is that right?"

Zhang Kun nodded and smiled at Li Cheng, saying, "No money!"

"you!"

Li Cheng was taken aback for a moment, then, after realizing what was happening, he looked at Zhang Kun with a disappointed expression and said:

"This is a life-saving way. Even if you're borrowing money, you have to show your sincerity!"

"Besides, you have the Jin Yun ship and the river engineering battalion under your command, how could you not even be able to come up with eight thousand taels!?"

"It's simple. Most of my money has already been snatched away by heartless bastards like you!"

Zhang Kun placed his hand on the hilt of the wild goose feather saber, took a few steps closer to Li Cheng, and sneered:

"Even if I were rich, I wouldn't give you a single cent!"

His smile turned ferocious, and his tone became harsh as he said:

"You're incapable of earning a living outside, and you're restless, always eyeing your own brother's rice bowl!"

He's always scheming to collude with outsiders and harm his own brothers; he's a complete good-for-nothing!

Even if I'm bitten to death by those wolves outside, I won't give you, you cowardly dog, a single bone!

If you dare come here yelling again, I'll break your legs first!