"Cousin Shen, I’m paving the way for you here."
Zhao Shen imdiately turned serious, clasped his hands, and said, "Please, Great General, allow to lead troops to Jiangdong." Compared to such paving, he preferred to step into the position of Minister of War through military rit.
"I’ll note it down first, rest assured, I will not show favoritism. If you lack sufficient military rit, I won’t force it," Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze fell on his chest. Due to excitent, a piece of turtle shell was half-exposed, nearly falling out. She said quietly, "You’ve gone to see Guo Pu again?"
Zhao Shen tucked the turtle shell back in, "Don’t tell my grandfather."
Zhao Hanzhang nodded, deciding to tell Zhao Ming.
Zhao Shen walked out of the palace shoulder to shoulder with her, sighing, "Master Guo still hasn’t accepted . Could you and Ting Han put in a good word for ?"
Zhao Hanzhang: "I’ve already done that. I wanted you to learn so skills on weather prediction from him, but you are focused on fate. Forget it, you’d better not disturb his work."
Zhao Shen complained, "He’s so irritable because you’ve assigned him too much work. He’s a Junior Minister of the Ministry of Rites; why would he need to teach arithtic at Imperial College?"
Zhao Hanzhang: "If he’s unwilling, how could I force him?"
She’s not the kind of boss that forces employees to go against their will, right?
Zhao Shen looked at her with resentnt, "You had Ting Han compete with him to see whose arithtic teaching thod resulted in better students. Could he not go?"
Zhao Hanzhang didn’t answer. As soon as they left the palace, Zeng Yue, who had been waiting in advance, brought the horse over.
She leapt onto the horse and smiled at Zhao Shen: "Cousin Shen, are you sure you want to continue this topic with ? Riding from here to Seventh Ancestor’s house only takes a little more than a quarter-hour."
Zhao Shen obediently shut his mouth. Now both their grandfather and grandchild live in Seventh Ancestor’s house; if Zhao Hanzhang can’t stop talking, wouldn’t grandfather find out?
He’s not afraid of grandfather, but it’s better not to listen to nagging if possible.
Zhao Hu’s residence was much livelier than Zhao Hanzhang’s, with scenes of singing and dancing.
Zhao Hanzhang stopped and couldn’t help but ask the steward, "Why is the house so lively?"
The steward said, "At noon, a rainbow appeared in the sky; the Grandfather was happy and invited a few friends over for a banquet, calling in so entertainers to liven things up."
A rainbow? Is it worth such happiness?
Zhao Shen asked Zhao Hanzhang, "Are you going over?"
Zhao Hanzhang shook her head, turned, and walked toward Zhao Hu’s study where discussions were held. The steward, familiar with the route, led her there, and upon her arrival, he sent soone to invite Seventh Grandfather.
Zhao Shen hesitated for a mont, suppressed his desire for play, and followed her to the study.
Zhao Hu ca happily, and seeing the two sitting and drinking tea at the table, casually asked, "Have you had your al?"
Zhao Hanzhang and Zhao Shen stood and saluted, answering, "Not yet."
Zhao Hu then said to the steward, "Have the kitchen prepare a table of dishes, with more at."
The steward agreed with a smile, bowed, and left.
Zhao Hu sat opposite Zhao Hanzhang, arranged his sleeves to rest on his knees, and asked, "Go on, where do you need money again?"
Zhao Hanzhang smiled, "I thought Seventh Ancestor would ask if I have a money-making venture to discuss with you."
Zhao Hu curled his lips, "Sounds pleasant, but you should pay first. The Ministry of Revenue has been withholding paynt for those tasks I did for you."
Zhao Hanzhang said, "Rest assured, once the taxes co in, I’ll have the Ministry of Revenue pay you first."
Zhao Hu’s mood improved slightly, "Alright, speak directly. My friends are still waiting for ."
Zhao Hanzhang didn’t beat around the bush and stated what she wanted.
Zhao Hu frowned slightly, "They’re all wounded veterans or elderly soldiers; all those miscellaneous expenses can be quite high. How about this, if you’re buying dicinal herbs, I can lend you so at cost price."
Zhao Hanzhang asked, "How much credit can you extend?"
Zhao Hu furrowed his brows, "How much do you need?"
Zhao Hanzhang took out a list for him, "These are the dicinal herbs frequently used by the wounded; I’d like to borrow two thousand pounds just like Seventh Ancestor."
This number surprised Zhao Hu; he looked up at Zhao Hanzhang, "I thought you’d ask for tens of thousands of pounds."
Zhao Hanzhang laughed heartily and said to Zhao Hu, "If Seventh Ancestor is willing to lend tens of thousands of pounds, I’d be more than happy to take it."
Zhao Hu lowered his gaze, staring at the list of herbs and the intended purchase prices, and after a long silence, asked, "Are these herbs enough?"
"I also want to ask Seventh Ancestor to lend so seeds and cloth."
But for these two items, Zhao Hanzhang’s requested quantities weren’t high; no, they were high but much lower than Zhao Hu expected. This left him uneasy, but after thinking it over, he agreed without bargaining.
After Zhao Hanzhang finished eating and left, Zhao Hu grabbed Zhao Shen, who was also about to leave, and asked, "Shen’er, is the national treasury full of money now? How many people can be supported with all the things she took from ?"
Zhao Shen said, "Seventh Ancestor, this ti, the disarmant is starting in Yu State."
Zhao Hu was puzzled, "I know it’s Yu State, and then what?"
"Yu State has many aristocratic families and wealthy gentries, and our Xiping hotown has many uncles and cousins. This is her policy vision, with you taking the lead and my father, the Inspector, overseeing implentation. Are you saying Xiping wouldn’t respond, or that the aristocrats and wealthy rchants of Yu State wouldn’t?"
Zhao Hu opened his mouth wide, "So all along, I was the stone thrown to test the waters?"
Zhao Shen laughed, "Seventh Ancestor, although these things are on credit, the national treasury will pay eventually, so you’ll still profit."
"Nonsense, do I lack this little money from you? Can’t I earn by using your funds to buy land and shops?"
Zhao Shen shook his head, "Seventh Ancestor, I’m not like those outside. If you invest in shops now, you won’t make money in five years. Buy land? That’s even less likely to be profitable; you won’t see returns for at least fifteen years."
Zhao Hu’s expression changed, "You!"
Zhao Shen leaned closer and whispered, "This isn’t known only to you and ; the Great General is also aware. Right now, the most profitable path is through her and the court. For others to be involved, it might be high-risk high-reward, but for you, with our shared surna Zhao, aren’t you already carrying high risk?"
"So truthfully, you’ve gained benefits. She respects elders and is broad-minded enough to tolerate your squeezing. Otherwise..." Zhao Shen smiled quietly, "Don’t we have other capable uncles and brothers in our Xiping Zhao Family? They might not match your wealth, but united, they can match what you offer to the Great General too."
Zhao Shen aningfully added, "Don’t forget, much of your wealth has been accumulated over these years. Who’s leverage did you rely on?"
Zhao Hu’s expression tightened, his eyes steadily fixed on Zhao Shen.
Zhao Shen gave him a faint smile.
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