"Now you know, right? Sometimes, you don't have to meet to do things well. You have seen the Clairvoyance. For us, it's a very common thing. Two crystal pieces and a bamboo tube. But when it's made, it can let the army know the enemy's movements in advance. "
The old man didn't care about Liu Zhirou's silly appearance and continued to talk. When he felt that the tea was almost ready, he lifted the teacup and used the lid to remove the tea foam. He took a sip and exhaled, looking like he was enjoying it.
Liu Zhirou had drunk this kind of tea before, but at that time, she drank the Xinyang Maojian tea that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had people steal from Henan. This time, it was the West Lake Longjing tea.
"Huh? Old Minister, this tea of yours …? "After drinking a sip, Liu Zhirou asked in surprise.
"Do you feel that it's different from what you drank before? Do you know where this tea came from? "When the old man saw her expression, he guessed that she still didn't know where the tea came from.
Liu Zhirou shook her head and said, "I really don't know where it came from. At that time, when someone sent it to me, they said that they wanted me to help Zhang Zhong. But the examiner and I didn't get along well, so I didn't help much. Who would have thought that Zhang Zhong actually passed the exam? Later, when they arranged the official position, I also didn't do anything. Those people seemed to be helping Zhang Zhong too.
Later on, I understood. Since they could find me, they could find someone else. Could it be that this tea was bought by Zhang Zhong's family as a gift? I also have a lot of black fungus. I heard that it was planted by Zhangjia Zhuangzi. Until now, I still haven't figured out how to plant black fungus. I don't have any seeds. It's really not a waste of talent to let that person go to the Agriculture Temple. "
The old man didn't speak directly. Instead, he took another sip of tea, grabbed the pumpkin seeds on the table, and ate a few. Liu Zhirou didn't interrupt him and sat there quietly waiting.
After the old man finished eating, he patted some of the seasonings on his hands and said, "The tea you drank was picked by me from West Lake. I gave it to Zhangjia Zhuangzi and they brought back the tea leaves for me. The tea you drank before was taken from Henan. It was also passed to Zhangjia Zhuangzi."
"Zhangjia Zhuangzi made this kind of tea? Then wouldn't they … wouldn't they have become the target of public criticism? " Liu Zhirou naturally understood the value of this kind of tea. Drinking it was addictive. She was very careful when she drank it and was reluctant to part with it. Who would have thought that as long as the Zhang Family's Manor picked the tea and sent it to them, they would make good tea?
The old man to's Liu Zhirou.
He took another sip of the tea....... Where did the arrows come from? The tea that other people drink is all sent out from the Prince's Mansion. The tea produced by the Zhang family, some of it is kept for themselves, some of it is sold, and most of it is sent to the Prince's Mansion. The Prince's Mansion can either give it away or sell it for money.
Who would dare to rob the Zhang family's recipe? What's the difference between that and robbing the Prince's Mansion? The only one who can get the recipe is the Emperor. But the Emperor is very good to his brother. How could he do such a thing for a cup of tea? Besides, if the Emperor wants to drink it, how could there be less? "
"Old Minister Li is right. Then can you give me the book of nature? I'll go back and let people think about it. Maybe they can make something more useful. "Liu Zhirou brought up the matter of the book.
"Oh? Minister Li won't wait for Assistant Minister Lu? Maybe Assistant Minister Lu can bring him back. "The old man deliberately said.
"If it was before, it would be possible, but now it's impossible. The Zhang family has a close relationship with the Prince's Mansion. Why would they be afraid of a mere assistant minister? Especially when I heard that Zhang Zhong's methods are amazing. He just took over Huayuan County, and he cleaned up the original people. He repaired the roads and mountains, and even the river was repaired by your nephew.
It's not easy to find a mistake. Even if you find one, as long as it's not a rebellion, what can you do to him? The Zhang family has not found an excuse to reward them for their contribution. At worst, we'll be even. But in the Emperor's heart, we may not be even. When Assistant Minister Lu comes back, I'll persuade him. "
At this time, Liu Zhirou no longer had any hope for Assistant Minister Lu. When a high-ranking official came to a place, he naturally had to put on airs. The officials in the capital and the officials outside were not the same. Even the most amiable people in the court would have a bit of arrogance. In addition, this matter was a great contribution, and the weather was bad, so it was normal for him to lose his temper.
The key to the problem was who the other party was. Zhang Zhong could be said to be in charge of two counties. His family was rich, he was the new top scorer, he had a good relationship with the Prince, he had a good relationship with the Old Minister, and he also contributed to the contribution of the prescription. Why would such a person care whether or not the other party was a capital official?
"There's no rush. We'll talk about it when he comes back. If it's not done, then take the book. If it's done, then I won't have to worry too much. I heard the two children say that a lake will be built at Yaowang Mountain in the future. This is also a matter for your Ministry of Works. When the time comes, don't forget what to do. Zhangjia Zhuangzi has never been simple."
The old man still wanted to see how Assistant Minister Lu would handle this matter, even though Liu Zhirou already knew that it was going to be a bad thing.
Liu Zhirou understood, "Old Minister, where will this Zhang Zhong go in the future?"
"Where else can he go? In his hands, Huayuan County will become a Shang County like Sanshui County. At that time, he will naturally enter the court as an official. If he doesn't become a fifth-rank official, then he will be at least a sixth-rank official. Maybe then you will have the opportunity to work together."
"This, isn't Zhang Zhong's age a bit too young? If he enters the court at such a young age, it will be a waste to not give him a position with real power."
Liu Zhirou felt that this was not a good idea. He had only been a county magistrate once. No matter if he was from Zhongxian or Shang County, even if he really entered the capital, his future career would not be smooth. If it was someone else, he wouldn't think about it. However, the person in the Zhang family seemed to have been helping Zhang Zhong to get up step by step. If Zhang Zhong's career did not progress, who could guarantee that that person would not be disheartened?
After Liu Zhirou mentioned it, the old man also thought of this point. With the ability of the Ping Zhang family, they should not enter the court too early. Going to a place to gain experience and experience was the right way to go.
Thinking of this, the old man fell into deep thought. He was pinching the pumpkin seeds in his hand.
Liu Zhirou looked across and suggested, "Why don't we wait for Zhang Zhong to turn Huayuan County into Shang County? Then we can help him and not let him enter the capital. We can send him to a place farther away, a place that is more difficult. According to their ability, if they can make that place a little better, it will also be a great achievement and experience."
"This matter can't be decided too early. I will write a letter to Xiao Bao and Cuckoo and ask them how their studies are. By the way, I will mention that if the Zhang family agrees, then let Zhang Zhong go to work harder. This is easy to do. If they don't agree, sigh ~! Then I will help them when I can. "
The old man agreed with Liu Zhirou's idea, but he didn't know what the expert in the Zhang family was thinking. He could only try to sound them out first.
"In that case, I will wait here for a few days and think about it. If there is something I don't understand, I hope Old Minister can give me a pointer or two."
Liu Zhirou was ready to invest in Zhang Zhong. She wanted to let the person behind Zhangjia Zhuangzi understand that if he really did well, he might be able to be the Prime Minister for a few years.
The old man agreed and didn't continue to talk about this matter. He began to talk about some unimportant things. They drank tea and went fishing. The two talked quite well. It was dinnertime, and they went back together Between the Clouds and the Water.
The next day, when it was almost noon, the rain didn't seem to stop. The old man began to make arrangements for the competition. He wasn't afraid of the rain, so he could build a shelter. The feeling of competing in this kind of weather was naturally different. Even the spectators felt that it was fresh.
Liu Zhirou finally waited for Assistant Minister Lu to come back. When Lu Yanzuo came back, his face was very ugly. It didn't seem like he was angry, but more like he was lacking in Qi and blood.
"Minister Liu, something happened when we got there. We didn't invite anyone, and we didn't see anyone. County Magistrate Zhang Zhong personally oversaw the situation there. In order to prevent the river from bursting the banks, he specially opened a hole. This was why the downstream was safe and sound. I think we should give him a reward."
Liu Zhirou was eating. There was only one dish for lunch, stewed food. It was stewed for a long time, so the fragrance kept coming out. This made Lu Yanzuo, who had only drunk some cold water and hadn't eaten anything since yesterday's noon, continuously swallow his saliva.
"Assistant Minister Lu, why don't you give me some face and eat with me? Don't look at the stewed food, and don't look at the pork in it. The taste is really good. There is also rice with salted fish. I can't eat it alone."
Liu Zhirou understood when she saw Lu Yanzuo's appearance. How hungry did he have to be to have such a reaction when he saw the food?
Lu Yanzuo didn't stand on ceremony and sat down. He first used a spoon to scoop up more than half of the stewed food and poured it into a bowl. He drank a mouthful of the stewed food and took a bite of the salted fish. His chopsticks moved up and down. In the blink of an eye, he ate half a bowl of rice with salted fish. He exhaled and began to tell Liu Zhirou what happened yesterday.
After he finished telling the story without missing a single detail, he picked up a piece of meat and threw it into his mouth. As he ate, he said, "It's delicious. The food made by Between the Clouds and the Water is really extraordinary. Even the rice that people usually don't eat is delicious."
He didn't know that it was because it was eaten with salted fish. Originally, the best thing to eat with salted fish was corn flour, but there wasn't any here.
As Liu Zhirou listened, she almost couldn't hold back her laughter several times. Lu Yanzuo really suffered a lot. Zhang Zhong actually didn't give him anything to eat because he wasn't at the post house or the government office.
He asked people to spend money to buy food, and the price was raised to the level of twenty taels of silver per meal. In the end, not a single commoner was willing to give up their food, no matter how much money they were given. The reason was very simple, it was because they had offended the county magistrate. Fortunately, no one was watching the cold water, so they could use it as they pleased. That was why they drank a bellyful of cold water.
After that, they didn't have a place to stay, so they could only sleep in the carriage. Who knew that after Lu Yanzuo fell asleep, Zhang Zhong would arrange for Lu Yanzuo's people to stay in a tent. He also gave them some food, which was also stewed food. The entrance of the tent was guarded by the prince's mansion's guards with crossbows. The people who followed Lu Yanzuo had a full meal and a good night's sleep, but Lu Yanzuo was the only one with bad luck.
Liu Zhirou looked at Lu Yanzuo and thought for a moment. She said, "Assistant Minister Lu, Zhang Zhong's courage is really too big. He is preparing to become an official in the capital. When the time comes, you and I will find more people and put him in the poorest and most difficult place."
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