This son-in-law is wicked in a good way!

Zhang Ping'an looked on incredulously: "The imperial court is actually this poor!"

"What is the Empress good for?"

Wang Qisheng hurriedly covered Zhang Ping'an's mouth.

"Shh!"

"Ping An, saying that could cost you your head! Are you out of your mind?!"

"Then Your Majesty never thought about making money to replenish the national treasury?" Zhang Ping'an asked.

"Your Majesty, the supreme ruler, how could you do things that only lowly merchants would do?" Old Wang stared at him with astonishment, looking at him like he was a fool.

Zhang Ping'an forgot that in this era, merchants had the lowest social status.

The traditional social hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants meant that although merchants were wealthy, their social status was even lower than that of poor farmers.

Zhang Ping'an shook his head and sighed. A dynasty that does not value commerce will only become poorer and poorer, and will eventually be unable to escape its fate of destruction.

Without businessmen, the economy is stagnant.

If I have the chance, I must teach the Empress some business knowledge.

"Brother Wang, may we meet the Empress?" Zhang Ping'an suddenly had a whimsical idea. Perhaps being a member of the Night Watch and becoming the Empress's advisor were not mutually exclusive.

What civil servant doesn't take on a side job?

Wang Qisheng shook his head: "Our rank is definitely not high enough. Only the Lord of the Palace can qualify among the entire Night Watch."

"What if I had a way to help the Empress solve the problems of disaster victims and money?"

"Shh! Ping An, don't talk nonsense! If this gets out, it's a crime of deceiving the emperor!"

Wang Qisheng simply did not believe Zhang Ping'an's words. How could a mere Night Watch Iron Guard possibly solve something that so many high-ranking officials in the court could not do?

"The crime of riding the king? Heh, I'd like to think about it," Zhang Ping'an sneered.

Without seeing the Empress, he could not realize his ambitions and could only watch helplessly as the disaster victims suffered.

Fortunately, the weather was still warm at the time; otherwise, these disaster victims would probably have frozen or starved to death before they even reached the capital.

"I wonder if Brother Chu could help introduce me to the Empress."

Zhang Ping'an felt that since he had come to this world, he should do something for it.

Whether it succeeds or not depends on fate; if he does nothing, his conscience will not be at peace.

Unfortunately, I don't know when Brother Chu will come to find me.

Over the next two days, Zhang Ping'an watched as the number of disaster victims increased, and they could be seen everywhere in the capital.

As Wang Qisheng said, many places have set up free porridge stalls. Although they don't fill people up, they can at least keep them alive.

Zhang Ping'an's life remained dull, consisting mainly of patrolling, fishing, and listening to music in brothels.

I took some time to update the storybook. The new ten chapters have been sent to Manager Zhou, who gave me eight thousand taels of silver.

In just a few days, Zhang Ping'an made a net profit of eight thousand taels of silver, making him an overnight millionaire.

Of course, the academy's self-cultivation methods were still being practiced, and the master's true explanation of the external training method was also picked up.

Zhang Ping'an knew all too well how important it was to have a strong physique in an era where even a common cold could be fatal.

Even if she doesn't become the richest man in the world with countless affairs, she can still be a stay-at-home wife with countless responsibilities.

The following day, he was taken to jail.

After making his rounds, Zhang Ping'an chatted and boasted with Lao Wang and his colleagues.

Old Wang suddenly said with great interest, "Hey guys, have you heard? There's this 'Toilet General' who's been collecting something strange lately."

Zhou Weidong immediately chimed in, "You mean the white particles that form on the mud walls of the outhouse?"

"That's right, that's the thing. My wife has recently earned several dozen coins by cleaning outhouses." Old Wang said happily.

"Of course, for a woman like me, making money is secondary. It's just that my wife has been insisting on cleaning our outhouse these past two days."

"Ha ha……"

A colleague joked, "Brother Wang, your status in the family is in jeopardy!"

A burly colleague said, "I've never done any housework at home; my wife always takes care of everything, inside and out."

After saying that, she looked smug, as if she had completely outmaneuvered Old Wang in terms of family status.

Zhang Ping'an was delighted to hear this: Brother Chu is so fast!

In that case, it's time to put the other materials for making gunpowder on the agenda.

However, the Prime Minister's residence is definitely no longer a place to live.

He didn't really care; his main concern was that he might accidentally blow up the Prime Minister's residence.

If there's a rebellious brother-in-law, and he finds out that Zhang Ping'an is developing gunpowder, such a deadly weapon, he might secretly put it under his father's bed while he's sleeping.

Zhang Ping'an will be implicated.

The crime of murdering the current Left Chancellor is almost equivalent to rebellion.

If the research and development are not conducted at the Left Prime Minister's residence, then a house will be needed.

"It seems that no matter where you go, you can't escape the fate of buying a house!"

As a homeowner burdened with a 30-year mortgage, Zhang Ping'an harbors deep resentment towards buying a house.

Of course, the main reason was poverty.

If you have money, you can buy whatever you want.

Just like now, with more than 10,000 taels of silver in his pocket, Zhang Ping'an has no worries at all.

"I need to ask for leave, I have to go first," Zhang Ping'an whispered to Lao Wang, too lazy to listen to these idiots bragging.

My brother is going to buy a house.

Arriving at a "fangyazi" shop, which is equivalent to a real estate agency in later generations.

Zhang Ping'an explained his purpose and put forward several requirements for the house.

"First, don't go too far from the inner city."

"Second, it's best to choose a quiet place; a larger size is fine."

"Thirdly, it's best if you can move in immediately with just your belongings."

After hearing this, the broker selected two houses that met Zhang Ping'an's requirements.

"Young master, are you going to see the house now?" The broker was a middle-aged man, not tall, slightly fat, and with a friendly face.

"Yes." Zhang Ping'an nodded. "The sooner the better."

"Then I'll take you there now, young master."

After viewing two houses, Zhang Ping'an was not satisfied with either one.

The location is okay, but the house is a bit old and it's a disappointment to look at.

The other set was the same, with very poor basic configuration.

After showing the houses, the broker smiled and said, "Young master, these two houses are already considered excellent. They're not cheap either. If you don't even like these two, you'll probably have to build your own."

Zhang Ping'an hummed in agreement. He knew that perhaps his past life's thoughts were still causing trouble.

The houses and infrastructure in this world certainly can't compare to those in later generations.

"We'll see!"

Zhang Ping'an left, feeling disheartened.

Buying a house is a big deal. Even if you are not satisfied with it in any way, don't make the purchase. Don't listen to the salesperson or agent's hype.

As soon as he returned to the yamen, Wang Qisheng immediately found him.

"Ping An, a young master surnamed Chu is looking for you. I told him you went out, and he said to go to the restaurant across the street when you come back."

"Brother Chu is here!" Zhang Ping'an was overjoyed and immediately turned and ran towards the restaurant.

Sure enough, they found Chu Tian and his pageboy at the usual spot.

"I'm sorry to have kept Brother Chu waiting!" Zhang Ping'an said as he entered, bowing in apology.

"It's alright, I didn't wait long either," the Empress said with a smile.

After spending so many days together, Zhang Ping'an didn't stand on ceremony and sat directly opposite the Empress.

"Brother Chu, is there something you need from me this time?"

The Empress laughed and said, "There really is one."

"Young Master Zhang must have noticed that there are more and more disaster victims in the capital lately, right?"

Zhang Ping'an nodded worriedly: "I heard that the Yellow River in Yuzhou has breached its banks, and the people can't survive, so they've come to the capital to beg."