The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

Chapter 740

Zhang Liuzhen looked at her helplessly. After Pan Jun left, he smiled, shook his head and closed the book.

There were soft footsteps, and a figure came down the stairs and stood silently behind him.

Zhang Liuzhen handed the book back without even turning his head: "Send this book to the palace and present it to our ancestors on my behalf."

Lin Jingle took it and said in a deep voice: "The old ancestor has long been indifferent to the Zhang family's affairs and has only been guarding the palace, especially in recent years. What can he do to help us?"

Zhang Liuzhen: "He doesn't need to help us with anything. He just needs to keep quiet and not stand against us."

Lin Jingle then put the book away and said after a moment of silence: "Pan Yun is an extremely useful knife. You shouldn't refuse her surrender."

"To take refuge?" Zhang Liuzhen sneered, "Do you think she is taking refuge with me?"

He shook his head and said, "She is not a knife. She wants to cooperate with me. The future of Sanqing Mountain depends on her."

"Isn't that better?" Lin Jingle said, "We have more chips in our hands."

Zhang Liuzhen sighed and looked down at his open palm: "The inheritance of Tianshi Mansion is different from that of the royal family, and even different from that of Beikong."

"They only need wisdom and strategy to survive so that they can compete. But if I don't have any cultivation, no matter how smart I am or how deep my understanding of the Tao is, I will find it difficult to convince others. Even the succession will be a problem, let alone changing the Taoism." Zhang Liuzhen murmured, "If I can't do what I want to do, why bother to fight for this position and sacrifice so many people's lives for nothing."

Lin Jingle pursed his lips and clenched his fists: "Young Master, are you going to back down again?"

Zhang Liuzhen laughed and said gently: "No, I just expressed my eagerness to recover my cultivation."

Lin Jingle looked at him steadily, remaining silent.

Zhang Liuzhen waved his hand and urged him: "Go quickly. As the head of the Criminal Law Hall, you can't stay here for long."

Lin Jingle suppressed the thoughts that came to his mind at that moment and turned to leave.

Zhang Liuzhen sighed and waved towards the second floor, and the books piled by the window on the second floor flew towards him.

He tapped the stone table and the books fell neatly on it.

Zhang Liuzhen picked up a book and lay on the recliner, continuing to read while swaying from side to side.

He stared at the book for a long time without turning the page. What he didn't tell Lin Jingle was that he still hesitated occasionally, but he never thought of giving up because there were so many people standing behind him.

He has nowhere to retreat.

He can only move forward. If he takes a step back, he will be fine for the time being, but the person standing behind him will fall into the abyss.

This is also one of the reasons why he didn't want Pan Yun to join.

His father wanted more people to push him forward and support him, but he didn't want to pull more people behind him.

But, he didn't seem to have the right to choose.

Whether it was Pan Jun or Xue Shao, they had no choice but to stand behind him.

Zhang Liuzhen's heart tightened.

He closed his eyes, feeling the intense pain coming from his heart, and endured it expressionlessly.

Pan Yun swaggered back to Fengqiyuan. Pan Xiaohei had already come out of the water and was shaking his hair vigorously in the sun, splashing water everywhere.

Pan Yun was far away, and when he saw it stop, he asked, "Tomorrow when you go out, do you want to ride a horse or take a car?"

Pan Xiaohei: "You are so rich now, can you afford a horse for everyone?"

Pan Yun: “You can rent it.”

Shangqing Town, where the Tianshi Mansion is located, is very prosperous, with three car and horse rental places.

Moreover, the economy of Jiangnan is developed. Even though Quanzhou is not as prosperous as before, there are still horse rental points in major commercial companies.

Especially now.

The businessmen are very smart and quick. I believe that they have already rushed to grab the business opportunities in Quanzhou.

Between a cart and a horse, Pan Xiaohei would of course choose the horse. It is fast and can provide breeze, which is much more comfortable than squatting on the swaying cart.

Pan Yun went down the mountain to rent a horse.

Miaozhen and her friends had just met with the deans of various colleges, took over a large amount of homework from them, and then came back to pack their bags.

They are going to continue their training.

The academy teaches students according to their aptitude. Knowing that Pan Yun was there, they didn't have much to teach Miaozhen and the others, especially since they had strong self-study abilities. Therefore, they only arranged homework for them and did not require them to study in the academy.

In particular, now that the Tianshi Mansion is cooperating with the imperial court and the Wulin Alliance on the issue of the Japanese silver mine, Pan Yun, as a direct beneficiary, also needs to be on the front line.

Early the next morning, Pan Yun took Miaozhen and the others out of the academy in a swagger.

As soon as I passed the dismounting pavilion, I saw Xue Shao and Xi Jin standing against the wall with packages on their backs.

Xue Shao smiled at her: "Together?"

Pan Yun nodded and took them directly to get the horses.

Pan Yun stuffed a rein into the hands of the master and servant.

Xue Shao: "This..."

"I rented it for you yesterday. You're welcome. I'll return it to you when we get to Quanzhou."

Xue Shao smiled at her and said, "So you decided to go with me to see Cao Jixiang?"

"I also want to thank you for helping me make this connection. Cao Jixiang will be in charge of the Quanzhou Maritime Customs. We will inevitably have to cooperate with him in the future."

The group rushed to Quanzhou at full speed.

They felt the difference before they even arrived in Quanzhou.

People, horses and carriages could now be seen sporadically on the previously deserted Quanzhou official road.

Once you enter Quanzhou City, the difference becomes even more obvious.

The street was at least three times more lively than before, but there were too many people carrying swords and knives, and they spoke loudly, and it was obvious that they were gangsters.

Instead of going to Ping'an Inn, they found a nearby stall, sat down and ordered some food.

Because there were so many people, they had to share a table with others.

Although the six of them did not carry swords and were not very old, they each had a horse, and the four of them were dressed in Taoist robes, so they were obviously gangsters. So the father and son at the table lowered their heads and huddled together, pushing the bowls in front of themselves to leave most of the space for them to use.

Pan Yun and Miao Zhen looked at each other, and sat down on the left and right of the father and son in tacit understanding, with a gentle atmosphere. Perhaps because they did not sense any malice, and because both she and Miao Zhen were women, the father and son finally stopped hiding their heads in the bowl and raised their heads slightly.

Xi Jin cleverly poured them tea. After taking a sip of the tea, Pan Yun asked the father and son, "Are you from Quanzhou?"

She spoke with a Quanzhou accent. The father and son looked up at her quickly and nodded, "Yes, from Quanzhou."

Pan Yun pushed two bowls of clean tea to them and asked curiously, "Why are there so many gangsters in Quanzhou?"

"You don't know?" the old man asked, "Aren't you here for the Japanese silver mine?"

Pan Yun: "I heard some things outside and rushed back, thinking it was just a rumor."

"It's not a rumor," the old man said, "someone from the capital has come. I heard he's a favorite of the emperor."

Pan Yun: "So so many people are coming here for the Japanese silver mountain? Aren't the government officials suppressing it?"

The old man shook his head slightly and said, "How can we suppress so many people? Besides, there is a group of rebels outside. I heard that they are also eyeing Quanzhou Port and want to fight for Quanzhou. At this time, the court must focus on stability."

Pan Yun nodded slightly: "I see. According to you, is the Japanese silver mine a good thing or a bad thing?"

The young man on the side muttered: "Of course it's a bad thing. Japan is separated from us by a sea. Let alone a mountain of silver, even if there is a mountain of gold, we can't get it. The rebels are about to attack the city, and so many people from the underworld have broken in. It's so chaotic that I have to walk close to the wall..."

Before he could say anything and wanted to list a few more disadvantages of discovering the Japanese silver mine, his old father slapped him on the head.

The old man scolded him angrily: "If the Japanese pirates can come to our Ming Dynasty, why can't our soldiers and civilians go there? You haven't grown in stature, and even your will has not grown. You have grown so young in vain."

The old man said, "If I were ten years younger, I would go to sea and try my luck!"

Young man: "You are just saying it, old man. Who was it that told me to keep my head down and not to get into conflict with others so early in the morning before I even entered the city?"

"Stupid pig, if you died trying to seize the silver mines of Japan, that would be an honor. If you died fighting with others on the street, that would be a disaster and a coward," the old man said. "Do you know how prosperous Quanzhou was in the past? Although these people from the underworld came here and made a lot of noise, they also brought life to Quanzhou."

He said to Pan Yun and the others, "You are all young and have not seen it. Quanzhou used to be very prosperous, and the Quanzhou my grandfather saw was even more prosperous. I heard that at that time, there were endless ships lining up to enter the port, and there was a constant stream of merchants and travelers in the city. People walking on the street would step on someone else's heels if they were distracted. I don't long to see such a prosperous scene, but I would be satisfied if it could return to the bustle I saw when I was young."

Xue Shao said affirmatively: "Old man, you will see it."

Pan Yun even said: "It is possible that we cannot see the prosperity of Quanzhou in the previous dynasty."

The old man sighed: "It all depends on whether the court is willing to pardon the Pu family."

Pan Yun frowned.

The young man on the side was dissatisfied and raised his voice: "The Pu family was disloyal and betrayed the royal family twice. The Emperor Taizu has issued an iron order. Anyone who dares to pardon them is disloyal and unfilial!"

The father-in-law slapped him on the head and said, "Fool, it's more important to live a good life. Pu's character is indeed flawed, but he knows how to make money and can boost Quanzhou's economy."

The young man stiffened his neck and said, "That won't do! This is an act of disloyalty and unfilial piety. Dad, even though I only studied in elementary school for three years, I know that this is not something a minister should do."

He snorted, "Isn't it just a little bit poor? I can't die of poverty!"

The father-in-law was angry: "You won't die of poverty, but others will. How many people died in Quanzhou during this storm and flood? How many people died of starvation and freezing due to lack of food and clothing?"

He wiped the tears from his eyes and said, "In the weather in June and July, people are freezing to death. Isn't this caused by poverty?"

The old man said, "You are such a stubborn person. You should know that a sharp blade is a butcher's knife in the hands of a butcher, a kitchen knife in our hands, and a murder weapon in the hands of a wicked person. It all depends on how people use it."

Pan Yun and the others did not intervene in the quarrel between the father and son. They listened with great interest while eating.

After they were full, the father and son were still sulking, so Pan Yun helped them settle the bill and said with a smile, "Father-in-law, don't be angry with your son. He can think of loyalty, which shows that he has a good heart and is a good child. Anyway, we can't make the decision on this matter, so just listen and have fun."

The anger on the father-in-law's face dissipated, and he nodded and said, "You are right. We can't make the decision on this matter."

Pan Yun and the others went to see the person who could make the decision.

Of course, before going to meet Cao Jixiang, Pan Yun first wandered around the city and found Song Dalin and his group who had arrived two days earlier than them.

There were many of them, they ate a lot, and their expenses were high, so they were reluctant to spend money to stay in a hotel. About 600 people camped directly in the City God Temple outside the city.

The government was so scared that they sent two groups of people to investigate and confirm that they were indeed a business. They not only checked their goods, but also found out the names of Pan Yun and Wang Cong. Only then did they feel relieved.

There was no way. There were more than 600 people. It was scary just to hear about them. If you didn’t know, you would think they were rebels in disguise who had come to the other side of Quanzhou.

Oh, yes, Pan Yun and his team entered the city through the north gate, and Quanzhou Port was outside the east city of Quanzhou, so Song Dalin and his team were stationed outside the east gate.

Pan Yun looked over at them and confirmed that both the people and the goods were safe. She nodded and said, "I will send you to the ship in the next two days. You should prepare yourself. If you need to buy anything, buy it as soon as possible. You can't go out shopping after two days."

He added, "There are many people from the underworld in the city right now. When you go in, be careful and don't cause any trouble. Of course, if someone provokes you, you don't have to endure it. We have more than 600 brothers here."

The brothers responded loudly and became excited.

God knows how frightened they have been these past two days. They came to a strange place, but Pan Jun didn't show up, and the ship they mentioned was nowhere to be seen either.

If Wang Xiaojing hadn't been trying to comfort them and Song Dalin hadn't been suppressing them, they would have lost their temper long ago.

They feel that what they hate most in their lives is waiting.

When they were mining before, the officials asked them to wait;.

When you rebel, you have to wait;
Now that I have turned over a new leaf and started a business, I still have to wait.

Alas, they did nothing in their short lives but just waited.

The steward, Song Dalin and Wang Xiaojing escorted Pan Yun out of the City God Temple together.

Pan Yun handed the steward a list and said, "This is the list of food and water you need to prepare for boarding the ship. Buy them according to the list. I will ask someone to come and teach you how to survive on the ship and the rules at sea."

The steward was worried: "Uncle Junior, do I have to get on board too?"

"You don't need to," Pan Yun said, "You stay and buy a shop in Quanzhou and run it, and wait for Cong'er to come back to find you."

The manager breathed a sigh of relief. He was older and had no experience at sea, so he was quite afraid of going out to sea.

Except for Pan Yun and a few others, no one present had any experience at sea.

But they are young and hardworking!

After arranging the personnel, Pan Jun happily carried Pan Xiaohei towards the city gate, but they were stopped as soon as they reached the gate.

The other party bowed to Pan Yun and Xue Shao together, and said with a subtle smile: "Master Pan, Master Xue, our Lord Cao invites you."

Hearing his feminine voice, Pan Yun couldn't help but look at him and asked, "I haven't seen you before. Are you newly transferred to Cao Jixiang's side?"

The eunuch didn't expect that she would dare to call Cao Jixiang by his name, and hurriedly said, "I have followed Master Cao since I was a child, but Master Cao was always served by other brothers before, and I never came in front of them."

(End of this chapter)