The prince is more stable

Chapter 373 Gladly Joining
The empty house suddenly turned into a mountain of silver. Whether from a realistic or mythological perspective, this was a gift from God.

Oh, what else?

No matter what others think, this is what Zhao Xiaoqian thinks.

Zhang Lan and others were defeated.

The big shots coming from Bian Jing seem to have a different perspective from the local officials?
Wake up, my Lord. God will not give you money for free. Only the biggest enemies in the world will give it to you.

Do you not understand the rules of the game in officialdom at all?
Of course, Zhang Lan and others would not really give away the money for free. Their purpose was to pull Zhao Xiaoqian into their camp and make him a part of their collusion, so that they could share the money, power and beauty from then on.

Zhao Xiaoqian was a high-ranking official with an unfathomable background, so Zhang Lan and the others had no objection to him taking the lion's share.

What matters is unity.

That’s right, even bad guys need unity. A gang, whether good or evil, is very averse to infighting. As long as the distribution of interests is acceptable to everyone, the internal members will naturally unite. If everyone works together to make money from outside, what’s not to like?

It was Zhang Lan's idea to fill the room with silver.

Because this can give people an extremely shocking visual impact, thus shaking their own principles.

After the silver piled up, everyone quietly hid outside to observe Zhao Xiaoqian's reaction. This was the idea of ​​Liu Qianliang, the judge of Zhending Prefecture. Before Zhao Xiaoqian voluntarily joined, everyone should be more subtle, so that even if he rejected them, they could save face.

I never expected that the Duke of Zhao would react like this.

The money was given and the favor was remembered by God.

Fortunately, there are still smart people among this group.

Judge Liu Qianliang rolled his eyes and seemed to understand something.

He is a big shot in Bian Jing, he can't be so stupid. Since he says that it is a gift from God and refuses to accept their favor, if you think about it carefully, he must be dissatisfied with the silver they gave him.

"Lord Zhao, these are just a small gift from you and me..."

Liu Qianliang emphasized the word "meeting gift".

The words were still very subtle, and anyone who was not a fool could hear it. To put it bluntly, this was only the first batch of bribes they had given, and there would be more in the future.

The rest of the people felt unhappy after hearing this.

Without consulting everyone, he just said something like "welcome gift" without authorization. Do we have to give it to him in the future? If this county lord's appetite is so big that it can't be satisfied, how much money will we have to lose to win him over?
However, as soon as Liu Qianliang said this, Zhao Xiaoqian's expression and tone immediately changed.

"So this is a surprise!"

Liu Qianliang breathed a sigh of relief and immediately looked happy.

Up to this point, everything was going smoothly. Judging from Zhao Xiaoqian's joyful expression, he should have no objection to joining them.

Just say it, no matter how high the status or official rank of the big shot from Bian Jing is, does he have a grudge against money?

There is a ready-made opportunity to make money in front of him. He doesn't have to pay anything at all. As long as he turns a blind eye, a steady stream of money will be delivered to him every month. Which normal person would refuse such tempting money?
Liu Qianliang felt much more at ease.

As for Zhao Xiaoqian's appetite, we can talk about it later. With the arrival of this important figure, everyone's interests have been prepared for redistribution. Given Zhao Xiaoqian's status and weight, everyone can accept him taking 40% alone.

Zhao Xiaoqian's expression at this moment was very happy. He looked at the crowd with the same eyes as a Bodhisattva in a temple looking at the believers burning incense and offering sacrifices to him. He received both respect and money.

No wonder so many Beijing officials are running around, just for a position to be transferred to other places.

It turned out to be such a pleasant feeling to be a powerful official in a remote place. Looking around at the different expressions on everyone's faces, Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile, "I'm new here. I'm afraid it's inappropriate for you to give me such a valuable gift for no reason. If the censors in Bianjing find out and report me for corruption and bribery, I'll be in big trouble."

Liu Qianliang hurriedly smiled and said, "I and others are law-abiding people. This small gift is just a normal courtesy in the officialdom. We are not afraid of anyone impeaching us."

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed and said, "I don't have anyone in the court to speak up for me. Do you have anyone?"

Liu Qianliang's eyes flickered, and he smiled in reply, "Neither do I, your humble servant, but we are upright and honest, so why should we fear rumors? If any court official in Bianjing were to impeach you, the officials of Zhending Prefecture, from top to bottom, are willing to prove your innocence."

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed heartily: "Great, great! From now on, we'll all share the good times together, and when we're in trouble... it's best not to let me be the one. Really, I can't stand any hardship, let alone any suffering."

Everyone's smiles froze, and they were cursing in their hearts.

You are a big shot after all, how can you have the nerve to say such shameless words?
Liu Qianliang smiled broadly, "If the Lord has no objection, I will definitely work hard to get more money and make sure that the Lord is satisfied. As long as we are united, there will be no mistakes."

Zhao Xiaoqian said happily, "Very good. I admire you... Um, your name is Liu Qianliang, right? The magistrate of Zhending Prefecture?"

Liu Qianliang was even more delighted: "Yes, yes, yes, your humble servant Liu Qianliang will do his best to assist the Duke in governing Zhending City and the nine counties under its jurisdiction."

Seeing that Liu Qianliang was so flattering and had no bottom line, everyone felt contempt for him. Then, not wanting to be left behind, everyone introduced themselves to Zhao Xiaoqian and expressed their support for Zhao Jungong's work and their willingness to assist him with all their heart.

The atmosphere in the room became increasingly warm and cordial. Unlike yesterday's welcoming banquet, everyone was now chatting with each other like old friends reuniting after many years.

Liu Qianliang was indeed a shrewd person. He kept testing Zhao Xiaoqian's attitude while chatting.

The general meaning is that the money that officials make may not come from a legitimate source, but as long as Duke Zhao does not object, those who are exploited and extorted will not dare to say a word and will never cause any major trouble.

Not only that, Liu Qianliang also implicitly stated that the group of strong men caught on the street yesterday was a misunderstanding. They were all his own people, or to be more precise, they were the slaves who helped him make money.

Zhao Xiaoqian did not comment. He understood what Liu Qianliang meant. He probably wanted him to release the person, but Zhao Xiaoqian also said that misunderstandings were misunderstandings and releasing the person was impossible.

How could I, a dignified county lord, governor, and prefect, have no dignity? If I arrest and then release someone, doesn't that mean I, Zhao, have arrested the wrong person? Or are I afraid of the people behind them and, under pressure, dare not release them?
We can't afford to lose face with that guy. Anyway, now that we've caught him, we can't let him go. Just treat that group of strong men as dead.

Liu Qianliang and others immediately understood and said that if they didn't let them go, then so be it. It didn't matter if Duke Zhao killed these strong men. It was their fault for being so blind that they scared Duke Zhao's carriage on the street yesterday.

They were just a bunch of ruffians and idlers. Liu Qianliang and the other officials didn't care about their lives at all. If this group of people was gone, they would just replace them with another group.

Both parties were chatting enthusiastically, but in fact they were just testing each other and trying to understand each other.

Neither of them revealed a single word about the people and things that were truly confidential. After all, Zhao Xiaoqian was too powerful, and if one was not careful when speaking in front of him, it would lead to the annihilation of the entire clan.

The money was given, but it was obvious that Zhao Xiaoqian did not gain the trust of many officials and generals in Zhending Prefecture. This would require a long process.

They had almost finished talking and it was already late at night. Seeing Zhao Xiaoqian yawning with his hands covering his mouth, Liu Qianliang and others immediately stood up and tactfully said goodbye.

Zhao Xiaoqian sent everyone out the door and watched them leave the backyard of the government office. He turned around and looked at the room full of white silver mountains, and couldn't help but smile.

No matter whether he and Liu Qianliang and others are enemies or friends in the end, the money cannot be returned.

A room full of money, roughly estimated to be about 200,000 taels, greatly alleviated Zhao Xiaoqian's recent financial pressure.

They are all good people!
Good people have a safe life.

Immersed in the temptation of this mountain of silver, Zhao Xiaoqian opened the boxes one by one, stroking the cold silver ingots, silver blocks and silver bars with ecstasy, his heartbeat suddenly accelerating.

In my previous life, my heart beat faster than ever when I held hands with my first love, Bai Yueguang, for the first time.

Isn’t this white silver whiter than the white moonlight?
(End of this chapter)