Zhang Zhong really wanted to write a poem about the beautiful spring scenery, but when he looked at the peach blossoms reflected by the lights in the water, he felt a little sour in his nose. He rubbed his eyes with his hands and muttered,
"A cup of wine in a river, the bright moon in the sky is far away from home. Out of the door, the plum blossoms compete in the spring, the branches shine in the night and the peach blossoms are beautiful. Across the bridge, the father returns to Yan. Strategizing Between the Clouds and the Water. Bribing the officials, not sparing any expense. After the provincial capital, there is Chang 'an. "
After Zhang Zhong finished reciting this impromptu poem, he raised his sleeve and rubbed the corner of his eyes. Without saying a word, he poured himself a cup of wine and slowly drank there.
The other scholars who came with him did not know why Zhang Zhong wrote such a sad poem about such a beautiful scenery.
Only County Magistrate Cheng could understand Zhang Zhong's thoughts. Zhang Xiaobao had arranged everything. He had money and people. From the moment Zhang Zhong left home, he did not suffer any grievances.
These days, he arranged countless places. Except for the Imperial Palace, there was no place that he could not enter. For example, this Crooked River Pond. Was it a place that ordinary people could enter? For example, the Hibiscus Garden. Was it his own home?
However, Zhang Zhong could enter. Moreover, he brought some officials or students who were also going to take the exam. How much effort did he put in? In addition to the care of the minister and the Little Prince, just the dried wood ears and white fungus were sent over in large bags. All kinds of fresh vegetables and soil were shipped over at the fastest speed.
Countless money was thrown in and countless things were given out. For this matter, the two best restaurants gave many officials free cards. As long as they ate there, they would not have to spend money.
Not to mention other things, just the money that flowed out from his hands was more than 26,000 strings of coins. Every small matter would give a big gift. As long as it was a sixth-ranked official or above, he would not miss out on any.
That was only one aspect of it. There were also those shops. In total, there were close to 30 of them. No matter what they sold, he didn't remember much. However, he remembered clearly the mansions of some of the officials. As long as he saw people from those mansions come out to buy things, they would either give them money or not.
Even the servants had to give him some benefits. That was how Zhang Zhong was able to get so much information, allowing him to live like a fish in water in Chang 'an. Behind all this, there was Zhang Xiaobao. Even if there were people guiding him when he was doing it, he was still a child after all. He had to be busy, and it was not easy to be a messenger.
Other children might not be able to remember these things, but Zhang Xiaobao had to memorize them first before making arrangements. He had never heard of that expert handling anything personally.
Zhang Zhong thought more than County Magistrate Cheng. County Magistrate Cheng only thought that Zhang Xiaobao was a little tired. However, Zhang Zhong's father knew that his good son not only had to take care of money, but also think of ways to exchange benefits with others. Furthermore, he had to take care of the family. Xiao Bao had always been reluctant to let Qiao 'er overwork herself.
The letters that were written never mentioned any difficulties at home. However, the more it was like this, the more it showed that there was a lot of trouble at home. Those who came from Huayuan County to take the exam would also write letters to home.
He should go and ask. Otherwise, he would not know what difficulties his family was facing.
"Good poem. Brother Yongcheng can come up with such a good poem even on the spot. You are indeed a talent that can be spread around the surrounding prefectures. I think Brother Yongcheng will definitely win the exam this time."
A person next to him first applauded, and the others followed suit. Only Zhang Zhong knew that what he wrote was far from the mark. However, that was what reputation was all about.
Listening to the applause of others, Zhang Zhong came to a person with a cup of wine and said, "Brother Qiyun, have you received any letters from your family? What did they say? I haven't received any letters from my family yet. "
This person was called Guan Feng, Guan Qiyun. He was from Huayuan County. His family was quite rich. He received a letter yesterday. Zhang Zhong knew about this, so he came to ask.
Many people did not know about Zhang Zhong's identity. They only knew that he was talented and lived in Sanshui County.
When Guan Feng heard Zhang Zhong's question, he immediately thought of his family's situation. He said to Zhang Zhong, "Brother Yongcheng, you are too polite. In fact, there is nothing serious in my family. However, it is not entirely true that there is nothing serious. There is a Zhangjia Zhuangzi in Sanshui County. Brother Yongcheng is also surnamed Zhang. I don't know if you are related to the Zhang family.
Let's not talk about this first. There are two powerful Zhuangzi in the county. They are the Han family and the Yuan family. However, they offended a marquis and were arrested. Their family sold the Zhuangzi. Guess who they sold the Zhuangzi to? They sold the Zhuangzi to Zhangjia Zhuangzi. Zhangjia Zhuangzi is really rich. He took out 50,000 strings of string of coins at once.
The Zhang family is even more powerful than before. However, there are still people who are not afraid of them. The Chen family, which used to be next to the Yuan family, is the head of the family who is in the cloth business.
When the Zhang family took over Zhuangzi, it was just in time for the spring plowing when the Chen family cut off the water supply. The river flows from the Chen family. Not only did they cut off the water supply, but they also cut off the road leading to the river and planted thorns. I heard that many people have been taken advantage of by the Zhang family, but the Chen family still dared to do this. They are really bold. "
"What? Cut off the water supply? Then how can the spring plowing in Zhuangzi continue? " Zhang Zhong's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. He immediately thought of the consequences of this matter. Without water, they could not plow the land. What would happen to Xiao Bao and Qiao 'er? They must be very worried. Where would they get water?
Guan Feng deliberately paused for a moment. He picked up his bowl and took a sip of wine. Then, he picked up a piece of cucumber and garlic and looked at the eager eyes of the people around him before he said,
"I heard that the Zhang family's housekeeper went to look for them twice in a row. In the end, the Chen family made things difficult for him both times. They said that it was useless. The Chen family even mocked the Zhang family, saying that they did not dare to have anything to do with them. Guess what happened after that?"
"What happened?" A few people who liked to hear about this kind of thing asked in unison.
Zhang Zhong did not ask. He was already clenching his fists. He was thinking that after he passed the exam, he would definitely let the Chen family know how powerful they were. He would not let them off so easily for bullying Qiao 'er and Xiao Bao while the head of the family was not at home.
"After that, those who wanted to watch the show once again witnessed the power of the Zhang family. The Chen family cut off the water supply in their area, and the Zhang family changed the most critical part of the river. The next morning after the Chen family finished planting the thorns, the Zhang family set up everything in a single night.
The Chen family was dumbfounded this time, and they went to beg the Zhang family's housekeeper again. What karma! Oh, you might not know what happened to the river over there. Let me tell you, that river … "
Guan Feng spoke excitedly as if he was a member of the Zhang family. He also introduced the terrain of the area to those who did not know the situation.
Zhang Zhong did not need to listen to this introduction. How could he not know where his family was? He was angry and worried just now, but now he smiled. He knew that this must be the work of his son, Xiao Bao. Other than Xiao Bao, there was no other person who could do things this way.
Zhang Zhong could not help but laugh when he thought of the Chen family's reaction when there was no water. County Magistrate Cheng came over and said to Zhang Zhong, "Brother Yongcheng, don't worry about your family. Do you think your family is afraid of this kind of thing? It's just Zhuangzi from the Chen family. It's too easy to deal with them. "
"Yes, County Magistrate Cheng is right. Zhuangzi is quite safe. Did County Magistrate Cheng receive a letter from Sanshui County? I received one the day before yesterday. It didn't say anything except that the flowers had bloomed and the farmers were working fast. "
Zhang Zhong did not expect to receive a letter from his family that he needed to think about. If he wanted to know, he could only ask someone else.
County Magistrate Cheng hesitated for a moment and said, "Well, to be honest, I did receive a letter. If Brother Yongcheng wants to know, I will tell you. But you must not miss the important matter. Otherwise, it will be difficult for me."
"Tell me. Let's see what it is." Zhang Zhong was not so worried now. He just felt sorry for his son. The Zhang family's business was very big. His son and daughter-in-law had to manage people, settle accounts, and study at the same time. There were also one or two troublemakers. They were busy from morning to night. They were still children.
When County Magistrate Cheng was about to speak, he suddenly trembled. He took a deep breath and said to Zhang Zhong, "I can tell you, but you can't get too excited. This time, your family is determined to arrange people for the County Magistrate of Sanshui County. They gave the new plow, the expansion of the river, the construction of the workshop … all these benefits to Zhang Mingsheng and Zhao Xiang there."
County Magistrate Cheng said those things one by one. As he spoke, he drank and was afraid that he could not control his trembling.
Zhang Zhong was also stunned. He did not expect that Xiao Bao had done so many things after leaving home for such a long time. However, he did not understand and asked, "What do they want to do?"
"Yes, Zhang Mingsheng and Zhao Xiang also thought of this. What does the Zhang family want to do? The result is … Your family not only wants to promote them, but also wants to change Sanshui County from Zhongxian to Shang County. This big thing has been reported. I think it will not take long before Sanshui County becomes a Shang County."
As long as County Magistrate Cheng thought of this, he could not control himself. He held the chopsticks tightly in his hand.
Zhang Zhong was also excited. He did not expect his son to be so capable. He could not tell what he was feeling. Zhangjia Zhuangzi was famous now. In this big world, which Zhuangzi could promote a county? His Zhangjia Zhuangzi could. His precious son had this ability.
Perhaps he was used to his son's power, so Zhang Zhong did not tremble. He just stood there and laughed. He thought about how his manor would be in a county in the future. He did not know that he could no longer return to Sanshui County to be an official.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
