Zhang Zhong was not picky about the food at all. He could eat anything. Anyway, he would not eat too much. His main purpose was to see what the merchants thought.
The county magistrate said that the government lacked seeds and farming tools. The merchants in charge of seeds and farming tools were also contacted by the county magistrate. Zhang Zhong wanted to know how the officials and merchants in Shuzhou would treat him.
The cold dishes were served first. Needless to say, this place was really something. There were actually cucumbers and spinach. Shuzhou was south of the Yellow River, but it was not to the point where there were fresh vegetables at this time. It was unknown whether the people here grew them themselves or bought them from outside.
Being able to eat a mouthful of cucumbers with a strong fragrance in spring was something that many people did not dare to think about in their lifetime.
As soon as the cucumbers were served, they each reached out their chopsticks and ate a lot. When Zhang Zhong ate it, Weiwei nodded and said, "It's okay. There are only a little salt, garlic, and cucumbers. You don't learn from others who put this and that. It's extraordinary in its simplicity."
"Eat as much as you like, Your Excellency. Your Excellency, since you came to Shuzhou, we don't know why but it's easy for us to do business. This shows your ability."
A merchant sitting on the far right side of Zhang Zhong took the opportunity to flatter Zhang Zhong.
Zhang Zhong had learned how to deal with it in the past few years. If it were in the past, he would be businesslike and take other people's words seriously. Today, he would not think so anymore. After listening to the merchant's flattery, he narrowed his eyes with a smile and said,
"Well, I don't ask for too much. As long as the tiller has his own field and the dweller has his own house, I will be worthy of the Emperor's kindness and the common people."
It was obvious that this boast was impossible, but the merchants still praised Zhang Zhong one after another. On the other hand, the Military Secretary did not speak much. He just stood there and watched others flatter Zhang Zhong.
As they ate, half an hour passed. Zhang Zhong was still chatting with the crowd, but the merchants were starting to lose their patience. Today, they had come with a purpose. They were waiting for Zhang Zhong to discuss with them about the seeds and farming tools, so that they could make a lot of money. Moreover, they could push the blame to Zhang Zhong.
They didn't believe that the people didn't lack seeds and farming tools. Before Zhang Zhong arrived, the county magistrates had taken away the seeds and farming tools from the people with the excuse that there would be new seeds and farming tools this year.
If he wanted to plough in spring, he would have to buy them again. He couldn't keep his own seeds and think of ways to make his own farming tools like before.
The method was simple. The manor had left some money, but this money had to be sent to the capital. It hadn't been sent yet. They wanted to see if Zhang Zhong would use this money to buy seeds and farming tools. If he used it, they would have something against him. If he didn't use it, and Zhang Zhong took the money himself, they would ask for more money and sell the seeds by the seed.
It was impossible for the commoners to buy seeds and farming tools. Although they had said at the beginning that they would trade, it was still a trade. If they used bad seeds and farming tools to trade for good ones, they would need to add more money, and they would have to decide how much to add.
If the common people delayed the spring plowing, then Zhang Zhong would definitely not be able to escape. The first one to be dealt with would be him. He didn't just come here. He had been here for half a month. Every day, he was invited to drink or travel. After such a long time, he still didn't understand the common people's affairs. If they didn't deal with him, who would they deal with?
It was because of this confidence that the merchants thought that Zhang Zhong would compromise with them and not interfere in their affairs in the future.
However, Zhang Zhong didn't mention it at all. He looked harmless. When others talked, he also talked about the topic. He didn't talk about seeds and farming tools at all.
Finally, a merchant couldn't help but change the topic. He said, "Provincial Governor, with you in Shuzhou, it will be more prosperous in the future. The common people will be grateful to you. The spring plowing is coming soon. I think Lord Zhang …"
"I am doing something for the imperial court. You can't be grateful to me alone. It is my honor to let the common people live a good life. What fish are there in the river here?"
Before the merchant could speak, Zhang Zhong took over the conversation and changed the topic again.
This time, not only were the merchants stunned, but even the military registrar found that something was wrong. Zhang Zhong clearly didn't mention seeds and farming tools on purpose.
Everyone had prepared all kinds of excuses and excuses for the price of seeds and farming tools, but they couldn't find a chance to say them. When they were ready to punch someone, they found that there was nothing in front of them. That was the feeling in everyone's heart. They had the strength but couldn't use it.
The military registrar had to say something to help.
"Governor Zhang, recently, a few soldiers in the barracks have been causing trouble, saying that they want to go home and farm. They also want money, but it's not time for them to be paid, so we can't pay them. I heard that the commoners don't have any seeds or farming tools. Governor Zhang, you have to think of a way."
"Oh! I see. " Zhang Zhong's expression didn't change at all. Just like when he talked about the food just now, he casually agreed.
This was troublesome. The merchants and the military registrar realized that Zhang Zhong was not easy to deal with. They couldn't see what he was thinking. At this time, he didn't look anxious.
"Sir, if you need seeds and farming tools, we have some, but …"
"Okay! I understand. If I need them, I will come to you. Do you know a good place to fish? I have countless fishing poles at home. I am worried that I can't find a good place. "
Once again, Zhang Zhong listened to the merchant's words and talked about fishing.
The merchants had no choice but to follow Zhang Zhong's words. The military registrar's forehead was sweating. If it was someone else, he wouldn't be like this. He would think that a provincial governor who didn't know anything and only knew how to play had come.
But Zhang Zhong was obviously not that kind of official. He was the top scorer, which could be seen from the events of the past few years. Wherever he went, it would immediately change. Even Lingnan, that poor place, now had the people of the imperial court breaking their heads to fill it with their own people.
From this, it could be seen that Zhang Zhong was not an incompetent official. He was very capable. No, this was not right. Today's matter was definitely not simple. What went wrong?
While Zhang Zhong was happily telling the merchants the tricks of fishing, the military registrar was thinking about something alone. He thought about the ability of the Zhang family, the situation that Zhang Zhong encountered when he was promoted step by step, and finally, he thought about the four judges of Lu Zhou, the people who were killed and the officials who were locked up, and the Ning family in Qinzhou.
The military registrar suddenly felt his heart tighten. This was bad. Zhang Zhong must have found out something. At that time, he felt that he couldn't use such a simple method to deal with Zhang Zhong.
The merchants and the military registrar were worried. In the next room, a few people were also worried. They were the people sent by the county magistrates to check on Zhang Zhong. They wanted to know how Zhang Zhong would respond in the end.
From the two hours of conversation, they could see that Zhang Zhong had other tricks up his sleeve. They were not afraid of him being anxious or angry. They were afraid that he would talk about everything as if nothing had happened.
"Aiya, this is difficult. If I had known, I would've given him money," a person who seemed to be an advisor said anxiously as he rubbed his hands.
Next to him, a person wearing a silk headscarf and holding a feather fan gently waved his fan a few times. He disagreed. "Give him money? How much money can he bribe Zhang Zhong? Didn't you see the pendant under his goldfish bag? It's a Five-colored Tortoise Turtle. I've never seen a Five-colored Tortoise Turtle in my life. It hit the table leg with a loud bang just now, but Zhang Zhong didn't even look at it. "
As soon as he finished speaking, the others fell silent. The Zhang family had a lot of businesses and accounts. No one knew how much money they had. The main thing was that they had something called shares between each of their businesses. They also worked with many influential officials and merchants to do business together.
Not knowing how much money they had didn't mean that they didn't know Zhang Zhong was rich. As long as he wanted to use it, he would give out money in the tens of thousands. It wasn't tens of thousands, but tens of thousands of coins. Bribery. Selling the entire Shuzhou might be able to tempt him. Just like a hedgehog, there were thorns all over its body, and there was nowhere to bite.
"If there's no other way, just find him a few difficult cases. Don't use other tricks. It's useless. Delay as long as you can. Or if he becomes the Provincial Governor in Shuzhou, you can change the previous method and pay taxes properly. He can't stay in Shuzhou forever. Hurry up and take him away."
The advisor who spoke just now thought of a method. Everyone knew that if they really followed this method, they could indeed transfer Zhang Zhong to another place. The problem was that the masters wouldn't agree. In that case, they would lose a lot of money during this period.
While they were anxious and sweating, Zhang Zhong was full. He originally planned to eat a few mouthfuls and continue eating when he got home. He didn't expect that the food would taste better when he was in a good mood.
The feeling of being in control of everything was so comfortable. Looking at the merchants in front of him and the military officer in charge who didn't mean what they said, Zhang Zhong thought of a cat teasing a mouse.
The strategy was good, but it was a pity that it shouldn't be used on him. After all, he had a good son. This was the feeling of being alone and defeated in the stories that the son and daughter-in-law told to their parents. The feeling of having no opponent was lonely.
Zhang Zhong drank some wine. When he was thinking about things, he was floating in the air. The others didn't know what Zhang Zhong was thinking. Otherwise, they would be mad.
The officials and merchants of Shuzhou were indeed more powerful than Lu Zhou. If it were Lu Zhou's people, they would not know what to do. They might just break the pot. However, the officials of Shuzhou would not. Once the plan failed, they would immediately find a way to cover up this matter.
The merchants looked at each other and said to Zhang Zhong, "Lord Provincial Governor, we actually have a presumptuous request. We want to offer the seeds and farming tools so that the local people can have faster spring plowing. We hope you can take the lead."
A merchant said to Zhang Zhong with a sincere face. This was a last resort. Since they couldn't do it, they had to pay the price. Otherwise, if Zhang Zhong fought back, it would be troublesome.
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