The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 35 The Royal Gift
In front of Cheng Guogong's mansion.

Zhang Zhou stood on the steps, watching a group of people below who were busy carrying things, big boxes and small boxes.

He also prepared three carriages to load him with presents.

"It looks powerful, but there are not many valuable things. How about replacing the box of copper coins with gold? You are a big business in the Duke's family, are you close?"

"Oh! There are only four horses of silk and satin, so cut them to death!"

Zhang Zhou was not very satisfied with these gifts, but they looked quite a lot and looked good on the surface. He calculated in his heart that it should be difficult to get 100 taels of silver.

Even if it was earned by helping Zhu Feng do business, a small dividend should be more than this.

"Uh-huh……"

Just when Zhang Zhou was still making plans in his mind, a throat-clearing voice sounded behind him, as if deliberately reminding him that someone is coming!

Hearing this voice, Zhang Zhou knew it was Ning Tong.

Turning around, sure enough Ning Tong was standing on the steps looking down with her little maid.

"Isn't this Mrs. Zhu? I haven't seen you for a long time, and you look pretty good." Zhang Zhou greeted with a smile.

Ning Tong looked at the busy crowd at the door, and said coldly: "Now I finally know what you discussed with your husband. You are quite courageous, and you dared to go to the court to offer medicine for the little princess, and you were made into a mess by you guys." Is it? Do you know what the consequences will be if things fail?"

Zhang Zhou smiled.

This little girl has no hair on her mouth, yet she came here to scare him?

"Mrs. Zhu, in my opinion, unless Your Majesty refuses to accept our opinion, as long as you accept it, things will definitely come true. There is no need to think about the problem of failure. The little princess is infected with acne, so even if there is a change, can it be blamed on others? ?”

Zhang Zhou smiled like a spring breeze, and explaining to Ning Tong was useless. Seeing that the loading of the car was almost the same, he should go home happily... and then wait for Ying Tianfu to deliver their rewards.

Today is a beautiful sunny day, and I got a bunch of valuable things for nothing.

Family conditions will improve again.

With Xinran in his heart, Zhang Zhou wanted to go back and share with his wife and children.

Ning Tong on the side said: "Hmph! If you don't help him, then he may be just a dude in the government all his life, and he won't even be a real official. But now, the emperor appreciates him very much, so let him stay." Do business in front of the imperial court!"

Zhang Zhou pondered the implication of these words.

It sounds like you, as a wife, don't support others to help you husband?Your husband's official career is prosperous, and you are still complaining about yourself here?
What resentment what?
"Mrs. Zhu, since Mr. Zhu is staying in the capital as an errand, are you going to move to the capital too?" Zhang Zhou asked with a smile.

On Ning Tong's face, there was an indifference of being worldly and unconcerned: "Based on the way we get along, does it make any difference whether I go to the capital or not?"

"Ok?"

its not right.

Zhang Zhou thought to himself, this grief is too great.

"Wait, Mrs. Zhu, you don't need to tell me how you two get along with an outsider. I'm just asking casually. There's no other meaning. You see, the carriage is loaded on my side, so I'll leave first! chat!"

Zhang Zhou just didn't want to pay attention to the mess in Zhu Feng's family.

No matter what kind of quarrel the two of you are, even if you reconcile and divorce, what does it have to do with me?Don't say I provoked you!
"The book..."

Ning Tong finally remembered that she had finished reading the second volume of the story book, and this time she came out to ask Zhang Zhou when the next volume would be handed over to her.

But Zhang Zhou is very busy now, how can he have time to pay attention to her?
Zhang Zhou didn't even seem to hear her words, he got into the carriage directly, and then added the carriage carrying goods, and the four carriages drove away in a mighty distance.

……

……

In Zhang's yard.

As soon as Zhang Zhou arrived home, the reward from Ying Tianfu came.

Now Zhang Zhou finally understands that these rewards are definitely not only given by Ying Tianfu, because many of them are tributes, and you can only use them if the emperor says you can use them. Even ordinary ministers cannot enjoy the treatment of using these things .

"Husband, what kind of satin is this? Why is it so beautiful?"

After seeing off the guests, a whole yard of good things, Jiang Pingyu and Han Qing set their sights on the six bolts of silk and satin sent by Ying Tianfu.

These silks and satins are very lustrous, and even change their luster faintly under the sunlight. It is the "Nanjing Yunjin" that has left a brilliant mark in the history of Chinese handicraft manufacturing.

The folks haven't seen much of this thing, and it was all made by the royal workshop and sent directly to the palace as a tribute.

Of course, not all of them are used by the royal family, and ministers, princes and nobles may be granted some by the imperial court.

Han Qing didn't even dare to pick up the silk and satin to look at, but stretched out his hand to feel carefully, for fear of breaking it.

She couldn't help but praised: "It's so slippery, the pattern on it, I don't know how it was woven, it looks like clouds."

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "This is Yunjin, a thing for the emperor."

Jiang Pingyu looked at Zhang Zhou, and said with an unbelievable expression: "Husband, how could this be Yunjin? I heard that even if you have money, you can't buy Yunjin."

"Ma'am, you are really right. You really can't buy it with money. Speaking of which, for my husband, I did a big thing without telling you. Anyway, it made the emperor who is far away in the capital be grateful to me." If you add, let Ying Tianfu give us these things."

When Jiang Pingyu heard this, she couldn't help but pursed her lips and smiled: "Husband, I know that you are powerful, but don't go teasing about the royal family."

Zhang Zhou said with a look of being wronged: "Ma'am, you have to trust me, my husband is not bragging at all."

While talking, Sui Sui and Zhang Jun also ran to the front yard.

The two little ones were delighted to see the boxes all over the yard. To them, these seemed like big toys.

Zhang Jun said pleasantly: "Father, have we gotten rich? Buying so many things?"

"Brat, what does it mean to get rich? In your eyes, is wealth really important? To get something other than wealth... See what you like, and pick a few back!" Zhang Zhou was very generous.

Anyway, I didn't buy it myself, it was a gift from others. It's easy to give a few of them as toys to the children. Anyway, they will be confiscated by their mothers in the end.

Jiang Pingyu said: "Husband, don't spoil them."

"fine."

Zhang Zhou didn't think so.

And Han Qing at the side finally had the courage to pick up the brocade satin, measured it on his body, and said to Jiang Pingyu: "Ma'am, if this is made into clothes, how beautiful would it be?"

Zhang Zhoudao: "These silks and satins are not for me, they are all for you, three for each person. Remember that this thing cannot be given away, only our family can use it. If you give it to others, it is not a gift, but a disaster!"

Jiang Pingyu could hear the seriousness in her husband's words, and asked, "Is this really a brocade tribute?"

Zhang Zhou nodded: "Yes! If you have leftovers from making clothes, remember to make a back for me, so that I can feel silky and soft even when I hug me to sleep at night, and I can sleep more comfortably."

"Ah."

Jiang Pingyu nodded first, and then thought, it seems that her husband also used these words on them at some point.

Thinking of the connection, Jiang Pingyu's cheeks were flushed, but she was full of joy and ordered a few servant girls, as well as Han Qing, to help carry things.

……

……

With the help of the family, it took more than half an hour to move everything to a place with tiles to cover the head.

Just as I sat down to rest, Lichun over there was about to finish lunch when there was a knock on the door.

It was Jiang Dezhong who rushed to the door to look for him.

"My son-in-law, something is wrong. The price of food in this city, among other things, has dropped again and again. The batch of medicinal materials that the old man bought earlier has lost more than half of it. I can't find a buyer even if I want to sell it! "

Jiang Dezhong came up as if crying for a funeral, complaining to Zhang Zhou.

Zhang Zhou asked Xia Zhi to bring over the octagonal table and small benches, but Weng and his son-in-law still sat in the yard and talked instead of sitting in the hall.

"Father-in-law, don't be nervous. It's all like this. It's better to calm down. Come, have some tea!"

Zhang Zhouxin said, why did you go so early?If you are told to sell it, you will not sell it. Now that the price has dropped, you can come and tell me that I still have the ability to raise it for you?
He took out the tea he was tasting earlier, and poured a cup for Jiang Dezhong with the purple clay teapot bestowed by the emperor.

Jiang Dezhong has drank tea all his life, and has seen many exquisite tea sets. When he saw the purple clay pot, his eyes lit up: "This... this is a good thing."

As he said that, he held it in his hand and looked at it. The lines on it made him feel that something was wrong.

"Taste the tea first." Zhang Zhou said with a smile.

Jiang Dezhong originally wanted to say, am I still in the mood to drink tea at this time?
But after seeing the purple clay pot, he also became interested in tea, so he put down the purple clay pot, picked up the teacup, and took a sip of tea, looking very enjoying it.

Then he drank it all in one gulp, and after drinking it, he had a misty look on his face. Those who didn't know it thought it was a smoker who hadn't touched cigarettes for ten days, and was intoxicated after smoking a load of cigarettes.

"Good tea, good tea, what kind of tea is this? Is there a way? Bring some back." Jiang Dezhong exposed the essence of a businessman when he came up.

"Oh, I'm afraid that's not possible. This is tribute tea. It can't be bought in the market!"

Zhang Zhou said it casually.

"Dangdang!"

Jiang Dezhong couldn't sit on the small bench under his buttocks, and it fell directly. He almost sat on the ground with his buttocks. Fortunately, he stood up with his hands on the table.

"My son-in-law, are you arguing with the old man? Is this tribute tea? Where did you get the tribute tea?" Jiang Dezhong hurriedly got up and straightened the small bench, but he didn't sit down anyway.

Zhang Zhoudao: "If father-in-law likes this tea, I'll ask my wife to pack some for you and take it home to taste slowly. Let's not talk about the tea for now. I'm asking you for help with something here. Look...can you buy it for me? Dozens of cows come back? I need them urgently!"

(End of this chapter)