The daily life of the prime minister of the Qing Dynasty, thick black

Chapter 74

What did Zhang Ying say?

Gu Huaixiu doesn't remember much anymore, she thought about related things, but she didn't expect Zhang Tingyu to say it directly today.

Today is Wu's birthday, as Wu's second son, how could he say such words on Wu's birthday?

Even if this is just a decision that has already been made, it shouldn't be...

If Zhang Tingyu didn't hold any resentment towards the Wu family, Gu Huaishu might have believed it in the past, but it's impossible today.

That night, Zhang Ying talked for a long time with his second son Zhang Tingyu in the study.

Gu Huaishu originally planned to wait for Zhang Tingyu to come back to sleep in the room, but no one came back until the next day, so he fell asleep in the middle of the night.

Zhang Tingyu came back in the middle of the third watch. He only put his arms around her in the bed and said to her: "Pick a day with good wind and water, and then you can set off. If you have anything to do, you can do it as soon as possible."

She was asleep at first, but she woke up as soon as Zhang Tingyu's slightly cold body got into the bed.

Two people covered with the same quilt, lying on the same pillow, looking at the same tent? .

Gu Huaishu said: "What did Mr. Zhang tell you?"

Zhang Tingyu said: "It's nothing more than small things like fame and fortune. After I finished, I said that I would go to Jiangning to take the exam anyway. No one lives in the big house in Tongcheng. It's just right for me to go back."

"Then... he agreed so easily?"

Gu Huaishu was a little surprised.In her opinion, Zhang Ying should be a person who attaches great importance to the whole family. It is actually hard to say what attitude he has towards his other sons.

It's not that he doesn't love her, or doesn't care about them. On the contrary, Zhang Ying attaches great importance to the education of her children.

But Zhang Tingzan is the only one in the mansion so far who is considered to be a leader. He has his own considerations, and sometimes he has to sacrifice other things for some things.

Gu Huaishu didn't know if Zhang Tingyu himself was among them.

Zhang Tingyu turned to look at her sideways, and she turned to look at him too.

He said, "Yes."

I just don't know what attitude Wu has.

The two of them had nothing to say anymore, but they hooked their fingers together under the quilt, clenched tightly, and then closed their eyes and fell asleep.

Gu Huaixiu has been in charge of the family affairs for so long, and now it's cool to let it go.

She asked someone to copy a copy of the ledger, and she didn't worry about what the mansion would look like in the future.

There are a lot of things to pack, Zhang Tingyu has some books to take away, and Gu Huaishu is thinking about taking Xiao Shifang away.

He ordered people to hire a big boat early, and handed over all the affairs of the house to Mrs. Chen. Gu Huaishu left, Mrs. Chen was too junior to handle the affairs, so she still had to hand it over to Mrs. Chen. As for who it was actually To do things, but not Gu Huaixiu can manage.

Anyway, she still has the handle in her hands, so even if she comes back in three or five years, she won't worry about things.

Zhang Tingyu will take the exam next year. If he goes well, he will return to the capital to take the exam in the spring of the following year.

None of the people in the mansion expected such a development.

Originally thought that the Second Young Mistress was having a good time in the Zhang family's mansion in the capital, but now she left as soon as she said it, and when she handed over the affairs, she was decisive and decisive, without dragging her feet at all.

Wu Shi didn't know why, and suddenly became frustrated.

In the past, she wished that her second son would leave, but now she really wanted to say that her second son was leaving, and she sighed again.

When Gu Huaishu heard about this, he just sneered and scolded her for being hypocritical.

Zhang Tingyu's heart is cold, he is almost like a stone of ice, how can he keep warm?What did you do a few years ago?
She revised a book and gave it to her natal family, and greeted her second elder brother and second sister-in-law and her father. When she came back, she prepared a congratulatory gift for Zhou Daoxin and Li Zhen'er early, and asked Zhang Tingyu to send it in advance.

Zhang Tingyu went to Liulichang and said goodbye to his friends.

After going through all the details, about half a month later, Zhang Tingyu and Gu Huaishu set off.

She put all the books in the study into the bookcase, and the "Rong Zhai Essays" stood quietly in the corner, Gu Huaishu did not take it away.

It wasn't very hot in the early summer. Knowing that today was the day when the second master and the second young lady of the mansion returned to Jiangnan, many people came out.

There were quite a few people in the crowd who were caught by Gu Huaishu, and they were indescribably happy to see Gu Huaishu leaving.

As long as they have Gu Huai in their sleeves, they will be worried all the time.

But it is impossible to say that he escaped from Gu Huaishu's control.

The chess pieces are dormant in their original positions, and Gu Huaishu, the chess player, just left first.

Xiao Chen also came out to see him off, and now he is naturally proud, because after the experience of the previous incident, he seems to have matured a lot, and his speech is smoother.

However, once a person is proud, it is inevitable that he will get carried away.

"Second Young Mistress, don't worry, I will take care of the affairs in the house. I will take good care of my father-in-law and mother-in-law. When you arrive in the south of the Yangtze River, don't forget to write a letter and come back. Let's talk more, and don't lose your feelings."

Xiao Chen said the same polite words, but Gu Huaishu waved his hand lightly, "You don't need to send the third young mistress away. When I return to Tongcheng, Hengchen and I will edit the book and come back to ensure safety."

As soon as he raised his eyes, he saw Wang Fushun's family standing in the door from a distance, but did not come out.

Gu Huaishu smiled slightly, turned around and stepped into the car, opened the curtain and entered.

On the other side, Zhang Tingzan didn't expect Zhang Tingyu to leave as soon as he said so, and sighed one after another: "I know you have your own ambitions. Even if you hate this house, the family is always at home. Remember to be careful when you get there... ..."

As for what to be careful about, Zhang Tingzan did not say clearly.

Zhang Tingyu nodded, but said: "It's almost time, the boat is still waiting at the ferry, Tingyu bid farewell."

Zhang Tingzan clasped his hands and watched Zhang Tingyu get into the car, but he didn't know what it was like in his heart.

I don't know how many people think that Zhang Tingyu went here in a shabby place. After all, no matter how good Jiangnan is, it can't compare with the prosperity of the capital.What's more, Zhang Ying is an official in the capital here, and Zhang Tingyu, a big family in the Zhang family, naturally left Zhang Tingyu, and he may not be able to integrate in in the future.

But none of these things Zhang Tingzan could stop.

Hengchen didn't want to stay, he wanted to go to Jiangnan, he just wanted to feel at ease.

What's more, Zhang Tingyu is indeed going to Jiangning to rush for the exam, so there is nothing wrong with returning to Tongcheng.

But I don't know when I can come back from this trip.

When I went, I followed the horse in darkness, but when I returned, I was full of brilliance.

The wheels of the cart were pressed against the slate floor, making a loud noise, followed by a few maidservants, not many things, and they changed boats when they arrived at the pier.

Needless to say, Xiao Shifang was also taken away by Gu Huaixiu, besides that, there were half a house of maids, and there were many maids at the Zhang family's mansion in Tongcheng, so Gu Huaixiu and the others were still dressed lightly. .

Standing on the pier, looking at the vast water waves at a glance, Gu Huaishu suddenly felt strangely confused.

This water connects the north and the south, but can it fulfill the ambition of the man beside her?
She turned to look at Zhang Tingyu, but Zhang Tingyu got on the boat directly, stood on top and stretched out his hand to her: "Come."

Come.

Gu Huaishu laughed out loud, handed him his hand, and stepped on the wooden board carefully.

This boat is not small, and the cabin still has two floors. When people come up and pull the anchor out from the bottom of the river, the boat will be farther and farther away from the shore.

When walking up and down the waterway for the first time, Gu Huaishu still liked to look around, but he had seen a lot in the past two years, and he was not interested at all.

I thought it would be more interesting to play chess with Zhang Tingyu on this journey, but a merchant ship appeared on the way.

The two boats walked together one after the other for three days, and once Zhang Tingyu went outside to enjoy the wind, he saw a rich middle-aged man standing on the bow of the boat over there.

Take a look, isn't this Liao Fengyuan?
It was only then that the two of them realized that they actually left the capital one step at a time.

Liao Fengyuan invited Zhang Tingyu and Gu Huaishu to drink tea, they were on a merchant ship going south of the Yangtze River.

This year's new tea came out early, and things in the south of the Yangtze River were still very difficult, and the people below couldn't handle it well, so Liao Fengyuan could only manage it by himself.

He invited Zhang Tingyu and his wife to sit down, the old friends met, naturally they were very happy.

After recounting the past for a while, Liao Fengyuan sighed again: "I came this way, five or six checkpoints, and I brought some native products from the capital on board, and specialties from the north, and they have already gone out for seven or eighty taels of silver. All of them have to be skinned and broken. , Swallowing flesh and blood, it was like this in the past, don’t talk about bringing tea back when the time comes.”

This is the cross-river money mentioned a few days ago.

Zhang Tingyu didn't care much about it anymore, he had already told Zhang Tingzan about it.

As for how to deal with it, Zhang Tingyu didn't know.

He only comforted Liao Fengyuan: "The affairs of the imperial court are complicated, and even if it is necessary to investigate, it will not take three to five days. If you dare to collect the money for crossing the river like this, and the price of tea and silk will rise in return, the capital will naturally know. Those who do many evil things, how can it be so simple? Just let it go?"

The cost of transportation has increased. In order to ensure that they make money, the merchants naturally have to raise the price. This increase is bound to cause trouble.

Liao Fengyuan scratched his head in worry, "When we find out, I'm afraid we will be unable to make ends meet this year."

There are people above, so it's so easy to check, but there are ways to knock mountains and shake tigers.

"You are the vice president of the Wanqing Club of the tea shop. If you say a word, all the tea merchants in the south of the Yangtze River want to listen."

Zhang Tingyu spoke slowly, pointing to the tea leaves that sank to the bottom of the cup in the tea bowl, and said: "If you are willing to cut yourself into pieces and directly cooperate with the tea merchants to raise the price, then naturally Someone is here to check."

"What a vicious method! What a daring and clever plan! Shopkeeper Liao has such a close friend, so why worry about things failing? Haha..."

After Zhang Tingyu finished speaking, a voice outside laughed.

Originally, Liao Fengyuan was also very frightened by Zhang Tingyu's words, how could he expect that there would be people who would dare to listen to the corner?

He stood up at once, and walked outside with big strides, "Where did you come from, Xiao Xiao!"

As soon as the curtain was lifted, it turned out to be a poorly dressed scribe, holding a jug in his hand, with stubble on his face, looking very down and out.It's just that this man's eyes were shrewd. He sat on the front deck, shaking the jug, took a sip of wine in a leisurely manner, and glanced at the distraught shopkeeper Liao: "Compared with this world, who dares to call it ? The sky is up to the earth? Who is not the younger generation? Why does Shopkeeper Liao have to be so impatient, he can only do big things if he can hold his breath."

He had listened to the corner by accident, and heard that a noble son was coming on board, but he didn't expect to come up with such a poisonous plan for Liao Fengyuan.

He is an interesting person.

The poor man looked at Zhang Tingyu, "I don't know what to call you?"

Zhang Tingyu was a little displeased at first, but listening to this man's talk was quite interesting, and he was afraid that he would be on the same side as Zhou Daoxin, an eccentric person like Zhou Daoxin.He remained calm and reported his family name: "My surname is Zhang, my name is Tingyu, my style name is Hengchen, and my ancestral home is Tongcheng, Anhui."

The man lazily said: "My surname is Wu, my name is Sidao, my courtesy name is Wang Lu, and my ancestral home is Shaoxing."

Gu Huaishu, who had been quietly watching the development of the situation, almost spit it out.

Wu Sidao was in this state in the 31st year of Kangxi?tease her? !
She resisted the urge to wipe off the cold sweat, and held back her words.

The trick that Zhang Tingyu mentioned just now can be said to be related to the crime of beheading. When Liao Fengyuan invited Zhang Tingyu in, he had already asked people to look around. As a result, Wu Sidao didn't know where he was hiding just now, and he was not found. .

Now he stood up and looked at Zhang Tingyu, as if weighing something.

Wu Sidao is just a down-and-out literati, he hates that his talents are useless, but he begged someone, and he came up on a boat with a favorable wind. He didn't intend to eavesdrop, and he is not that talkative person, but who would have thought that he would talk about Such an earth-shattering topic?

Driving up the price of tea and silk, if it arouses public dissatisfaction, any major event will come out.

But if it attracts the attention of the superiors, then it is a good idea.

When the time comes to investigate, there will be an opportunity to make a fuss. If the higher-ups don't investigate now, it's useless to worry about the lower-level.

Wu Sidao stood on the spot and thought for a while, then said: "I cherish my life, I still haven't heard a word about this matter, and I have never appeared on this boat before, I hope shopkeeper Liao and Mr. Zhang don't mind. Oh , there is a lady next to you, please pretend you didn't hear it. The road faces the sky and each side walks, everyone, raise your hands high, raise your hands high."

After speaking, he cupped his hands and ran away in a hurry.

Liao Fengyuan was overjoyed, unless Wu Sidao jumped off the boat immediately, he would let him decide.

He stomped his feet, walked in, and only asked Zhang Tingyu, "Do you see?"

Zhang Tingyu didn't pay much attention, there are many smart people, "This man is not a shallow-sighted person, he seems to be a man of great talent. It's a bit interesting... As for my idea, why did I say anything about it? Just now Tingyu I have been discussing with shopkeeper Liao over tea."

Liao Fengyuan was stunned, only Gu Huaishu smiled knowingly.

What I have said is just as if I have not said it. Anyway, everyone knows it well, but on the surface——I just didn’t say it.

Zhang Tingyu can casually deny it when he comes up with a strategy.

The higher-ups wanted to investigate, but it was unknown how long it would take. Would Liao Fengyuan dare to put his head away for the sake of the silver taels that went out in a hurry?Putting it all together on the belt, it's up to him.

With a vicious strategy, you need a vicious person to get things done.

Whether Liao Fengyuan was vicious or not, Zhang Tingyu didn't know.

He, Zhang Tingyu, is just an idle boy, Wu Sidao who is lying outside basking in the sun, and a homeless scholar from a poor family, they are not worth mentioning.

As for Gu Huaixiu, he knew it very well.She just watched Zhang Tingyu standing at the bow, Wu Sidao huddled in the stern wrapped in shabby clothes, the tea merchant ship broke through the waves, and the river wind was cold, but she felt a little fever in her heart for no reason.

Turning around, Zhang Tingyu put a cloak on her and said, "Is it cold?"

Gu Huaishu shook his head: "The climate in the south of the Yangtze River is just right."

(End of this chapter)