The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 7
"Brother, there is no need to go out to see you off. We father and son knew the way out, and we will be separated from each other from now on, and we will never see each other again. Farewell!"

Zhang Zhou and his son, one holding a torch and the other carrying a torch, walked out of the mansion with their heads held high.

The steward of the Zhang family walked in, went up to Zhang Ye and said, "Master, did you just give him the money?"

Zhang Ye said angrily: "Otherwise what? Do you let that bastard set fire to the house, or burn me?"

"Second Master shouldn't be that courageous, right?" The steward disagreed.

Just Zhang Zhou?
That wimpy look, dare to set fire to the house and burn people?I wouldn't even dare to lend him a hundred guts.

Zhang Ye said: "Are you asking Master to bet that he doesn't dare? Why didn't you stop him at the door?"

"what……"

This time even the stewards are sluggish.

"Keep an eye on the door from now on. No matter if he comes to set fire or give gifts, he will be kicked out. My master just treats me as if I don't have this younger brother! If I see him in the future, I will have to pull his tendons and skin him!"

"Then master, if the second master wins the election in the future, will you still see him?"

"Zhongju? Why don't you say he won the first prize? Does he have that fate?"

"What does the eldest lady say?"

"Anyone who dares to tell Madam, I'll skin him too! My two hundred coins!"

……

……

"Father, you are really capable. You brought two hundred Wen from your uncle right away, but why don't you ask him for more? I think uncle is very afraid of you."

After leaving the door, Zhang Jun admired his father so much.

Zhang Zhoudao: "In doing things, you must know how to do things within your means, and you must also judge the situation. Your uncle has no status in the family. He is oppressed by his wife. After so many years, he has only one son. He can't get a concubine if he wants to. He can control it." The money is estimated to be within one tael of silver."

"Then it will take one or two." Zhang Jun added.

Zhang Zhou glared at his son and said, "Remember, you boy, we are here to borrow money, not to be bandits. We have to save some for him. Don't make him feel bad, otherwise he might really end up with us!"

"Isn't this called a bandit? Hehe."

Zhang Jun muttered and said with a smile: "Father, shall we go home now?"

Zhang Zhoudao: "It's only two hundred Wen, so go home? Go to your grandfather's house, this time I know where his door is, just follow behind."

Zhang Jun was surprised and said, "Father, why don't we go to set fire? Do we have enough things?"

Once arson was effective, the son thought that his father would repeat the same trick.

"When you go to your grandpa's house, you have to change your position. If you lose everything, let's go and eat our lunch first. We'll eat and drink enough, otherwise your grandpa will think we're begging for food."

……

The father and son finished their lunch at the roadside stall. Zhang Jun had a big appetite and ate a bowl of braised noodles.

Zhang Zhou also allocated part of himself to his son's bowl.

"Da Lang, eat more in the future, grow tall and strong, protect your mother, aunt, and sister, and be a man!"

"Father, isn't there you?"

"It's not enough to have me alone, this family needs a man."

Zhang Zhou may feel that he will leave at any time, so it is necessary to cultivate his son.

The father and son had a full meal and went to the gate of Zhang Zhou's old father-in-law Jiang Dezhong's house together.

Unlike the cold reception at the door of Zhangye's house, the Jiang family directly invited the father and son to the door, but they didn't take them to the main courtyard, and led the father and son to a side hall in the west wing, without even serving refreshments.

"Tell your master that I'm here to discuss business with him. If you miss this village, you won't have this shop!"

Zhang Zhou said something to the servants of Jiang's family.

The servants leave.

Zhang Jun asked: "Father, what business do you want to discuss with Grandpa?"

Zhang Zhou sat down and looked around. There was not even any valuables in this room. Probably Lao Taishan was afraid that others would be poor and short-sighted, so he deliberately found such a room with nothing to greet him. Zhou was going to move out the table, chairs, cabinets and other things to sell, otherwise he would never be able to take away any of the cashed things from this room.

"Your grandfather wants to take you and your mother back to live, are you willing to come?" Zhang Zhou asked.

"No, our family wants to be together!"

"Then if you bring your aunt and sister along, would you like it?"

"Uh... no, Dad, you want to come together too!"

Zhang Jun thought about it for a while, and seemed to think that his father was very important. As for how important it was, he couldn't describe it himself.

Zhang Zhou smiled and touched Zhang Jun's head: "At least I didn't hurt you in vain. I told your grandfather that he wanted to do business. He thought he was talking about selling your mother and son. Only in this way will he show up. Otherwise, we'll just have to wait here!"

"Father, don't sell us out."

"No, your father and I have plenty of ways to deal with your grandfather."

……

……

As Zhang Zhou expected, after a cup of tea, Zhang Zhou's old father-in-law Jiang Dezhong appeared in the courtyard of the West Wing.

The little old man with a goatee looks like a shrewd thief at first glance, but he looks more like an old man.

"My son-in-law has met his father-in-law." Zhang Zhou brought his son out to greet him, "Da Lang, quickly salute your grandfather."

"I've seen grandpa."

Jiang Dezhong put on a bad face: "You still have the face? I have many sons, but I just have a precious daughter, but I blindly chose you as a prodigal son. Now I can't even eat. Come to the old man to borrow money." ?”

Zhang Zhoudao: "No, father-in-law misunderstood, my son-in-law recently heard a little rumor, and wants to do business with you, so as to make money."

Jiang Dezhong almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.

"I've seen shameless people, but I've never seen you so shameless, and you still do business? You know how to do business?" Jiang Dezhong didn't give his son-in-law any face, and scolded him immediately.

Zhang Zhou was not surprised, and said with a smile: "Father-in-law, I heard that after the Yellow River diverted its course in the north, it burst again in August, and with the hurricanes in the southeast, the price of firewood, rice, oil and salt in Nanjing will skyrocket in the next period of time. What are you doing?" In the brewing business, why not take the opportunity to sweep the goods and make a fortune?"

Jiang Dezhong said disdainfully: "The Yellow River breached? The summer floods have passed, and I haven't heard of the breach. Besides, what happened to the city of Nanjing due to the southeast wind disaster? Stop talking nonsense here!"

Zhang Zhou really wasn't talking nonsense.

In the autumn of the 11th year of Hongzhi, after the Yellow River changed its course to the Huaihe River, there was indeed a major breach. As a result, all parts of the Central Plains were starving and dying, and the price of rice in Nanjing and other places was high. The rice price in Nanjing returned to normal after allocating food for disaster relief from Jiangxi, Jiangxi and other places.

The price increase of living materials in Nanjing this time is not because of scarcity, but because of a wave of panic hoarding in the market driven by bad news.

The Huaxia people are probably like this. They lack a sense of security and have a strong sense of crisis. They always like to do this kind of thing.

Jiang Dezhong's family has been in the brewing business for generations. When he came to Jiang Dezhong's place, he himself was admitted as a scholar, but since then he failed in the examination several times, and then he did not dream of imperial examinations. However, the Jiang family regarded themselves as a scholarly family. Zhou's grandfather was born in Juren, and he served as magistrate for two terms and general judge for one term. Zhang Zhou's father was also a Gongsheng.

"Father-in-law, how can you not trust my son-in-law so much? My son-in-law really didn't lie to you. Otherwise, you can lend me fifty shi of grain, and I will pay you back in two months. I am at my own risk, what do you think?"

Zhang Zhou put forward his business experience.

The market price of a catty of ordinary grain is about three or four Wen, one stone is about four hundred Wen, and fifty Shi is twenty Guan, which is about 23 taels when converted into silver. The market price of 850 Wen can be exchanged for one tael of silver.

Jiang Dezhong almost jumped up on the spot: "You bastard, you caused my daughter to become a farmer's wife from a daughter of a thousand gold. I haven't settled the accounts with you yet. You come to my house, and I want to entertain you, but you still beat my family. idea?"

"Don't say I won't give you a chance. My family brews wine, and there are two jars of wine per person. If you can drink more than the old man, the old man will lend you the food. If you drink too much or don't dare to drink, get out as soon as possible!"

(End of this chapter)