What is prosperity? Don't ask now, look for old traces in the next year. The old man would fish with them or point to the sky and talk about the clouds.
Zhang San knew that Bi Gou had gone to pick them up. When he heard Yuanzhi, he didn't know who it was. They ate and continued on their way.
When Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan saw that the six little guys had finished eating, they asked someone to inquire about them. They found out that this family was a family of craftsmen, or craftsmen. They were not as good as farmers, so they were looking for work.
Xiaobei seemed to hit it off with the two sisters and insisted on playing with them. He was even brought into the house. Seeing this, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan didn't have to worry about it. Someone hired the family. They didn't care what they could do, as long as the children could play with Xiaobei.
As they continued to walk, Zhang Xiaobao asked Wang Juan, "Do you know who Yuanzhi is? The person Grandpa Bi found shouldn't be bad, right? "
"Yuanzhi? Who's called Yuanzhi? His courtesy name is Yuanzhi, right? There was a person in the Northern Song called Wang Yuchi. His courtesy name is Yuanzhi. I remember the poem he wrote was, 'The horse crosses the mountain and the chrysanthemum blossoms at the beginning.' Wanhe has a voice in the evening, and several peaks stand silently under the setting sun. The leaves of the tangerine pear fall, and the buckwheat flowers bloom. What is there to be melancholy about? The village bridge and the original trees are like my hometown.
It feels a bit like Su Shi's Lingnan answer. But he said, 'This is my hometown.' But he is better than him, more free and easy. He is such a person. That's right. "
Wang Juan was knowledgeable and better than Zhang Xiaobao in this aspect. She said it directly. Unfortunately, this answer didn't satisfy Zhang Xiaobao.
"You said it was the Northern Song. No matter how bad I am in history, I know that the Song is after the Tang. Is he here now? Did he come out early? "
"Oh, right. He is not here yet. Who is he? Yuanzhi, this name is indeed familiar. Who did Li Longji call Yuanzhi? The person Grandpa Bi found should be a little famous, right? Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked for both a boat and a person to pick him up. Young Master Li, come here for a moment. I have something to ask you. "
Wang Juan couldn't think of anything. It was clearly floating in front of her eyes. She had a hint of inspiration, but she forgot it in her hurry. She could only look for Li Xun.
"What's the matter?" Li Xun urged his horse over. Just now, because there were a few more common people's children, he didn't eat the snow cotton bean paste. Even though he wasn't young anymore, he was used to eating with Zhang Xiaobao and Li Xun. At this time, he started to throw a tantrum and called out 'this prince' the moment he opened his mouth.
"Regarding the matter of making a fortune, I wonder if Your Highness has the time?" Wang Juan replied.
"Yes, yes. Tell me how to get rich. Let's do it together." Li Xun's status suddenly dropped.
"Then tell me first, whose character is Yuan Zhi?" Wang Juan continued to ask.
"Yao Chong? What happened to him? He didn't seem to be young anymore. Could he have died? Aiya, that's a big matter. It's a loss to our dynasty. " Li Xun's expression changed. After all, he was a prime minister. Even if he wasn't, he still knew what he had done.
Wang Juan also remembered who the character Yuan Zhi was. She opened her mouth and gasped in shock. She looked at Zhang Xiaobao and said, "Grandpa Bi brought Yao Chong here? That's troublesome. Yao Chong's methods are impressive. What if there's a group of people? "
Zhang Xiaobao was also shocked. He didn't expect that Old Man Pi would bring Yao Chong here when he said he was going to pick someone up. Could it be that Old Man Pi felt that he didn't have enough weight?
No matter how bad the history was, Zhang Xiaobao knew who Yao Chong was. That name had existed for many centuries. Many people said that without him, there would be no Kaiyuan Era. It was his series of methods that helped Li Longji stabilize the political situation. Besides, his family had dealt with him before.
His family's initial position was stable because they worked together to eliminate the locusts. Now that he was here in person, there was another large group of people.
Li Xun listened from the side and understood what was going on. He smiled and said, "This is a good thing. With Elder Bi and Minister Shangshu here, it's even better to have a Prime Minister. If there's nothing to do, you guys can bully others for fun. With these two people here, even if you bully me, I have to endure."
"Without them, you have to endure even if they bully you. Now that you know who it is, I'll make you snow bean paste tonight." Wang Juan was not worried now that she knew who it was. She would act according to circumstances.
Li Xun curled his lips. "Do you think I'm a child? You think you can scare me with snow bean paste? Didn't you say you were going to get rich? How do you get rich? "
"Ask Xiao Bao. He said it just now." Wang Juan did not know how to get rich. She directly sent Li Xun to Zhang Xiaobao.
"Xiao Bao, don't tell me you are also going to make snow bean paste to fool me." Li Xun came to ask.
Zhang Xiaobao was stunned. What did this have to do with him? This was not right. He looked at Wang Juan. Wang Juan had already turned her head to look at the house. He then looked at Li Xun. Li Xun had a look of desire.
"Yes, Young Master Li is right. It is snow bean paste. You even know about this. There are still a few days before midsummer. Then let's get rich for a few days first. You know about shaved ice, right? You know about ice cream, right? Next, we are going to make ice cream. The kind with bean stuffing in the middle. "
Zhang Xiaobao had no other choice. He could only come up with this idea. There were no ice fruits with stuffing yet. He could sell them for a few days and earn a few days' worth of money. Then, he told Li Xun how to make ice cream bit by bit.
"Will it really work? Won't the bean paste and ice hurt your stomach if you eat them all at once? "Li Xun had never eaten ice cream before. He was slightly worried.
"No, don't worry about it. Just cook the beans. It's autumn here, and it's not as cold as the north. We can still sell them for a month or two. It's just enough for the local people who have nothing to do to find a job."
Zhang Xiaobao had to insist. Otherwise, he would be lying to Li Xun.
"Alright, I'll make it when I get back. No, I'll send someone back immediately. That's a good idea. I'm going to try it at Lu Zhou's place. It's more convenient there, and there's more sugar. What do you think about the mountain people on the island we occupied? When we bring them back, it'll be more difficult for the people of this dynasty to eat sugar than salt. "
Li Xun took this to heart. Not only did he want to experiment here, but he also wanted to bring this thing to Lu Zhou. After all, he had his holiday villa there.
When Zhang Xiaobao saw Li Xun's insistence, he thought there would be no losses so he nodded in agreement. "Alright, that's a good idea. In that case, you'll send someone to support this business. In fact, people will eat these things even in winter."
Li Xun fooled around and really sent someone back to make the ice cream.
After knowing who was coming, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan could no longer let the group travel at a leisurely pace. After they found Zhang Zhong, the group sped up.
At night, they only rested the horses for a while before they continued to move forward.
When the sun rose again, Zhang Zhong finally returned to his residence. He originally thought that Yao Chong would be able to see him first, so he had already packed up. Unfortunately, Yao Chong did not seem to care about a provincial governor like him, even if he was a top scorer.
The first people he wanted to meet were Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. He did not know if Yao Chong liked smart children or if he thought the two children were easier to deal with.
Zhang Xiaobao also thought Yao Chong would meet with his father first. After all, he would be living with the Zhang Family and the Wang Family in the future. Etiquette could not be neglected. Even if he did not come personally because of his status, he had to invite his father over.
In the end, he was told that he and Wang Juan were invited over.
It was a very small matter. If it were other children, it would be fine. Moreover, Zhang Zhong also had the same intention. However, Zhang Xiaobao was crazy. He would not allow others to look down on his family.
He directly said to the person, "Sick. Cuckoo and I are both sick. We can't go for a while. Go back."
The person looked at the big child in front of him in disbelief. He was a member of the Yao Family. How could he be sent away like this? What illness? He could not tell? Riding on a horse, he could even make funny faces at the children in the house that he had never seen before.
This made the person angry. He felt that the child in front of him was looking down on him. He snorted coldly and said, "What illness?"
"Can you cure it? Do you have a toothache and you snort at me? I only know that pigs sleep after they are full. When they wake up, they eat. When they have nothing to do, they just snort. This is the first time I have seen a person with this illness. You are spoiled. Get lost. Who do you think you are? "
Zhang Xiaobao was no longer as good-natured as before. He scolded the man and chased him away.
"Xiao Bao, you don't have to be like this, right? Since Lord Yao is looking for you, you can just go. "Zhang Zhong was also listening at the side. Seeing that his son suddenly lost his temper, he advised.
Zhang Xiaobao glared at the person who still dared to look back after leaving. He said to his father, "Father, face is given by others. You have to earn your own face. Does he think that he is the Emperor and can tell whoever he wants to go over? Since he is here, he should see you first. Who would bypass the son just because the father is here? Isn't that scolding him? "
Seeing that his son said this, Zhang Zhong did not intend to persuade him anymore. He also thought that his son was right. Who would look for his son first and not him? Who knows who is older and who is younger?
When the family saw that the father and son had made up their minds, they didn't care anymore and just did what they were supposed to do. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan sent the younger siblings and the two sisters who came from outside to their own courtyard and started to study again.
The person who came to look for Yao Chong returned to Old Man Pi's courtyard. Old Man Pi had just arranged for people to buy more than a dozen houses nearby for Yao Chong and his family to live together. When he heard the person who went to look for Yao Chong, he asked, "What did you say to them?"
"In reply to Lord Bi, this lowly one said that Lord Yao and Lord Bi were looking for Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. In the end, Zhang Xiaobao scolded this lowly one, saying that this lowly one's master is unreasonable and a pig."
With a 'pa' sound, Bi Gou slapped the person's face, even if this person was a member of Yao Chong's family.
The old man's strength was not small. He had taken good care of himself. The slap actually made the person stagger. After slapping the person, he met Yao Chong's puzzled gaze and said,
"Yuanzhi, he must have taken advantage of your position to not talk nicely to you. Tell him that you told Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan to rest first and that you would visit them in the afternoon. Tell him that you wanted to see Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan first and tell them that you wanted to see Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. Tell them that you missed them. He must have gone directly and said that you wanted to see Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan and asked them to come quickly.
If it were another Provincial Governor's child, he would have come. What did a child know? The adults would not dare to stop him. However, how could Xiao Bao of the Zhang family be so easily fooled? He had already given you and me face by not letting him stay. If it were another person, Xiao Bao would have broken his leg. If you don't believe me, you can ask him whether it was true or not. "
After hearing Old Man Pi's words, Yao Chong immediately knew what he meant. If he were in Old Man Pi's shoes, he would also be angry. He looked at the person who was beaten and did not say anything. He just stared at him.
"Master, I thought that since you were here, they should come to visit in person. I thought that they should find their child first. When I went over just now, not only did they not prepare to come, they even planned to rest."
The man was so scared that he trembled and tried to defend himself.
"Then the child of the Zhang family scolded me as a pig? It's my fault for not being strict enough. I let Long Ze laugh at me. Go, get 30 lashes yourself. " As soon as Yao Chong heard his subordinate's explanation, he understood. It was a typical case of taking advantage of one's position to bully others. He did not expect that such a thing could happen in his family.
After driving the person away, Yao Chong thought for a while and really did not know what to do. If he went over now, they would be resting. If he did not go, then the Zhang family might think that he was the one who instigated what happened just now.
In desperation, he could only look at Old Man Pi, hoping that he could help him make a decision. After all, he was familiar with the Zhang Family and the Wang Family.
Old Man Pi thought for a while and said to Yao Chong, "Yuanzhi, why don't the two of us go and take a look? Have someone bring the things from the capital. I think the Zhang Family and the Wang Family should have received the news last night and should have rushed back. If we send someone to invite them, they should come over. Zhang Zhong is resting well, but his family must have a good rest."
Yao Chong understood the meaning of these words. Since the person he sent had offended them, it was not good to send someone to invite them. He could only go himself. Not to mention that he was not the Prime Minister now, even if he was, the Zhang family would not care. Who let them be so powerful?
So what if they offended the Prime Minister? Let the Emperor kill them? That was impossible. It was possible to send them away. It could be done with some tricks. But what about Shuzhou? The rent tax for this year had not been paid yet. Besides, what could they do even if they were sent away?
Where would they be sent away? The last time they were sent to an official, it was no different from being sent away. If they were sent to Lu Zhou all of a sudden, other people would have a slim chance of survival. If the Zhang Family and the Wang Family went there, they would have a good life. Not only did they take care of the local people, but they also opened their business there.
That was the most remote place. Oh, there was another place that was even more remote, and that was Qiongzhou. It was isolated overseas. But others were afraid, but would the Zhang family be afraid? If they went there, they would be connected to Lu Zhou. They could not wait to go there.
When he thought of this, Yao Chong looked at his clothes, nodded, and said, "Alright, let's go and have a look. Let's see how many skills this Zhang Zhong has learned. Men, prepare the gifts and come with me."
When Old Man Pi and Old Man Yao arrived at the provincial capital together, Zhang Zhong was looking through the things that had been left behind for the past few days. Most of the small matters had been settled by others. The rest was up to him to decide. For example, someone had proposed to build a bridge across the river.
The person who proposed to build the bridge was a local minor official in charge of water conservancy. No one knew what he was thinking. How could he dare to propose such a thing? That was the Yangtze River, not a small river. How could he want to build a bridge on it?
However, since he had proposed it, he had to take a good look at it. It was written very clearly. It was to use boats and find someone to cast countless large iron pillars. Then, they would send a big boat like the Zhang family's and find a way to erect the pillars into the water. After that, they would put wood on top of the pillars.
"Whimsical. How did they figure it out? A minor official is a minor official. Where can they find so much iron? How can they transport it by boat? Do they think that my boat can hold up everything? If they could build a bridge, they would have built it on the Yellow River. The Yangtze River flows faster than the Yellow River. "
Zhang Zhong raised his pen and prepared to criticize this official. However, just as his pen was about to touch the paper, he stopped. The reason was very simple. He also hoped that there would be a bridge connecting the north and south. That way, it would be very convenient. The people who came and went would not have to take the risk of taking a boat.
In addition to this advantage, it would be very convenient for transportation. He really did not have the ability, and the minor official's method would not work. However, he still had his son and daughter-in-law. If he asked them, they might be able to think of a way.
Zhang Zhongru thought about it and wrote a few words on the paper that was sent to him. The meaning was that this method was not feasible. The problem of iron was not easy to solve. Even if the iron was obtained, the ship would not be able to carry it. He wanted him to think about it carefully.
After commenting on this, just as Zhang Zhong was about to look at the next one, someone came to report that Official Bi and Official Yao had come to visit.
Zhang Zhong could not ignore them. After all, they had come personally. It seemed that his son had done the right thing. As he let people open the door, he tidied his clothes and brought people to welcome them.
This was a formal visit. Unlike usual, if it was Old Man Pi who came alone, there was no need to open the door. At this moment, he had to be polite.
As the door creaked open, Zhang Zhong quickly stood at the door and said to Bi Gou and Yao Chong, "I did not know that Official Bi and Official Yao would be here. I hope that you will forgive me for not welcoming you. Please come in."
"Lord Zhang is indeed young and capable. Sorry for disturbing you. Please come in." Yao Chong understood that they were welcoming him. Old Man Pi did not need to be welcomed. He came here as if it was his own home.
The three of them were polite until they came to the living room. As the servants served tea and snacks, Zhang Zhong spoke first, "Official Yao, you have traveled a long way. Have you gotten used to it? If you feel uncomfortable, you only need to send someone here. There is no need to trouble yourself to come here. "
"Yes, I have seen many things along the way. However, the place I want to see the most is Shuzhou. As long as Lord Zhang is there, I think the lives of the people will be good."
Yao Chong also spoke politely. It was not the first time he came out. How could he not get used to it? He already knew what this place was like.
"Yongcheng, this is Yuanzhi, and he does not plan to leave. He wants to stay here with this old man. Yuanzhi's body is not very good. I will have to trouble you."
At this time, Old Man Pi also spoke. With one sentence, he closed the relationship, no longer being polite.
"Is that so? Good. With Official Yao by my side, I will have to ask for more advice in the future. I will arrange it, I will arrange it. "
Even though Zhang Zhong had almost guessed it, he was very excited when he heard Old Man Pi's words at this moment. He had one more powerful person by his side. As long as there was something he did not understand, he could ask. He could not always trouble his son. His son and daughter-in-law had to study by themselves, take care of their younger siblings, and give ideas from time to time. What if they were tired?
Zhang Zhong was a man of his word. He called people over. One was to let the doctors get ready. The other was to let the chefs of Sea Cloud House see what kind of recipes they should make. The treatment could not be bad. At least, it had to be the same as Bi Gou.
It did not matter how much money was spent. This kind of good thing was that others did not have the chance to spend money even if they wanted to.
Old Man Pi looked at Zhang Zhong's arrangement and signaled Yao Chong with his eyes. He meant to say, "Did you see that? I am not wrong, right?"
After Zhang Zhong arranged it, Old Man Pi asked again, "I heard that Xiao Bao and Cuckoo are sick. I have to go and see them."
"Ah? Sick? Oh, what happened before? It's all because of Xiao Bao's bad temper. I don't know what happened to this child. He drove them away. Why bother? "
Zhang Zhong knew what Bi Gou meant. He sighed and said.
Yao Chong knew that this was an opportunity to solve the misunderstanding, so he told the whole story. He mainly emphasized that his family was not strict enough.
Since he had said it, Zhang Zhong did not think about it. He could also see that the two people did not want to say much to him. They mainly wanted to introduce their son and daughter-in-law. When they were almost done, he said, "Xiao Bao and Cuckoo are reading in the courtyard of the four little guys. Please follow me."
"No, you do your work. You have a lot of things to do. First finish the things that have been put down for the past few days. Yuanzhi and I will go there by ourselves."
Old Man Pi saw the documents on the case when he passed by just now. He did not want to disturb them. Zhang Zhong was really a good official. He wanted to do something practical for the people.
Zhang Zhong did not insist. He found someone to accompany them. After he sent them to the door, he turned back to continue his work. Since the people kept saying that he was a good official, he had to pretend.
Old Man Pi and Old Man Yao came to the courtyard of the children under the guidance of others. At this time, the six children were rolling around on the marble ground. Only three of the things that were shining on the ground were not extinguished. The rest were all gone.
The maids did not care much. They just watched by the side. As long as they rolled over, they would push them back. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were playing chess not far away. After reading for a while, they felt that it was a little unsuitable. After all, they had been out for a few days. They needed to rest when they came back, so they began to play chess.
Both of them were not stupid. They had come into contact with Go before. Wang Juan had learned it at home, while Zhang Xiaobao had scammed them. Who asked those officials to be so useless in governing the country? They were always studying calligraphy, painting, playing Go, antiques, and so on. Some of them could even sing a couple of pop songs. No one knew where they learned it from.
When meeting such people, they could not talk about the people and the livelihood of the people. Zhang Xiaobao had to study this kind of thing that had nothing to do with the people's livelihood in order to cheat people.
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