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

Although Zhang Ping'an has been in this world for quite some time, he still doesn't have the habit of kneeling down at the drop of a hat.

Only after being scolded by the old eunuch did he realize that he had broken a taboo and quickly knelt down.

"Father-in-law, I was momentarily excited and acted rudely. Please forgive me!"

In his heart, he cursed: "Pah, you damned eunuch, you're making a big deal out of nothing."

Before Liu Gonggong arrived, the Empress had specifically instructed him to treat Zhang Ping'an with courtesy. Seeing Zhang Ping'an yield, he dared not say anything more.

"It is a blessing that Young Master Zhang has been summoned by His Majesty. You must not lose sight of the bigger picture due to trivial matters of etiquette!" Eunuch Liu said with a smile, speaking earnestly.

"Thank you for your guidance, Father-in-law. I will keep it in mind!"

Okay, you're actually a pretty nice person, I won't scold you anymore.

"Young Master Zhang, please!"

Just as Zhang Ping'an was about to get into the carriage, a ghostly wail suddenly came from behind him.

"Safety!"

"My brother..."

Zhao Qianshan, with his short legs kicking his buttocks, ran over excitedly, grabbed Zhang Ping'an's hands, and was too emotional to speak.

"Boss, you... had a stroke?" Looking at Zhao Qianshan's expression, Zhang Ping'an guessed that he was up to no good.

"Pah! Who had a stroke! Brother's just excited..."

"Our brothers from the Green Mountain Hall helped you solve the Sun Xing case. Now that His Majesty has bestowed honors upon you, you must not forget your brothers!"

Zhao Qianshan, like an old father, earnestly gave him his advice.

So they've come to knock on the bamboo pole.

"Rest assured, sir, Zhang Ping'an will never forget the kindness shown to you and your colleagues!"

"However, His Majesty summoned me to the palace this time not to bestow any honors, but to inquire about my plans for resolving the refugee crisis. Would you like to join me?"

Zhang Ping'an extended the invitation with a sincere expression.

"Ahem... Ping An, I suddenly remembered I have some official business to attend to at the yamen. Go and come back soon!"

Zhao Qianshan patted Zhang Ping'an on the shoulder, and then disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The other colleagues who were just watching the spectacle also slipped away faster than rabbits.

In the end, only Wang Qisheng and Zhou Weidong saw him off.

Old Wang stared at him in shock: "Ping An, you actually got to meet His Majesty... Amazing!"

Zhang Ping'an had once revealed his desire to meet the Empress, but Lao Wang thought it was wishful thinking on his part. He never expected that Zhang Ping'an would accomplish it so quickly.

"But why are you so young and thinking such things? Sigh..." Old Wang shook his head and sighed.

"Don't worry, after you die, Zhou Weidong and I will burn more paper money for you."

Zhang Ping'an's lips twitched: "You guys have so little faith in me?"

Zhou Weidong also stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder, as if saying goodbye.

"What Old Wang said is exactly what I wanted to say. Brother, go in peace!"

"Young Master Zhang, you'd better hurry up and leave, lest His Majesty wait." The old eunuch urged.

"Wait for me to come back," Zhang Ping'an said, turning around and getting into the carriage.

The curtain fell, and the carriage sped towards the palace.

The Imperial Study.

"Young Master Zhang, His Majesty allows you to enter!"

"Once inside, you must keep your head down and not look around, otherwise it would be disrespectful to His Majesty."

Eunuch Liu retreated backwards from the hall, sternly instructing Zhang Ping'an.

"Thank you for your guidance, Eunuch!"

Zhang Ping'an bowed slightly, straightened his neat clothes, adjusted his hat, and walked into the main hall with his head down.

"Zhang Ping'an, a guard of the Green Mountain Hall on the Night's Watch, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Zhang Ping kept his head down the whole time. Although he was very curious about what the Empress looked like, he still followed the old eunuch's instructions and kept his head down obediently for the sake of his life.

However, after a while, no one responded.

Zhang Pingan couldn't help but slowly look up and glance at the dragon table in front of him, only to find that there was no one behind it.

Just as he was getting angry, a clear and authoritative voice rang out from behind the beaded curtain to the side.

"You're Zhang Ping'an?"

The Empress sat on a couch covered with soft white fur in the inner palace, sipping tea as she asked softly.

However, a strange smile appeared on her face.

"It is indeed I, the humble one." Zhang Ping'an was startled and quickly lowered his head again to answer.

This is a world where imperial power reigns supreme; the emperor can kill without a reason, so he must be careful.

"Someone told me that you have a way to raise money for me and also solve the problem of the refugees outside the city?"

That voice is quite pleasant... I guess the Empress must be a top-tier beauty!

Thinking this, Chu Tian's face suddenly popped into Zhang Ping'an's mind.

He quickly shook his head vigorously, not daring to let his mind wander.

"Yes."

"I have a plan that will make those court officials willingly hand over their money to His Majesty, and will also allow the refugees outside the city to earn money to go home."

"Tell me about it." Although the Empress had heard this twice, she still didn't quite believe it.

If these words hadn't come from Zhang Ping'an, the Empress wouldn't have sat down to listen to him at all.

Zhang Ping'an glanced around but didn't see anyone.

"Your Majesty, please dismiss your attendants. This method of mine will lose its effectiveness once it is revealed."

"Speak freely, there are no outsiders here with me."

The Empress had long since driven away all the palace maids and eunuchs, leaving only Mo Yu behind.

Mo Yu would definitely not reveal the secret.

"Your Majesty, there are already twenty to thirty thousand disaster victims in the capital. Many of these people are able-bodied young men. The porridge provided by the kind-hearted wealthy merchants in the city can only barely keep them alive, and they are far from having enough to eat."

"If a person is constantly hungry, trouble is bound to arise eventually."

The Empress said, "I understand what you've said. But the problem is that the national treasury is empty, and I really can't afford to give relief to the disaster victims."

"Your Majesty need not spend any money. Your Majesty only needs to give me the land in the eastern part of Suzaku Street and allow me to develop real estate there. I can then replenish Your Majesty's treasury and ensure that the refugees have enough to eat."

"What is real estate development?" the Empress asked, puzzled.

"Ah, it means building a house." Zhang Ping'an used vocabulary that people of this era could understand.

"You plan to build a house and hire those refugees as workers? But where will you get the money to build it? And who will you sell it to once it's finished?"

Although the Empress did not understand the real estate economy of later generations, she could probably understand Zhang Ping'an's thinking.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the money for building the mansion will naturally be delivered to us. As for the completed mansion, it will be sold to the court officials."

"Those ministers all have courtyards, and more than one. It won't be easy to get them to willingly buy your residence. Your method probably won't work."

The Empress was somewhat disappointed.

Mo Yu, standing to the side, scoffed, thinking Zhang Ping'an had some brilliant idea, but it turned out to be nothing special!

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I am willing to stake my life on this. I am absolutely certain that I can persuade those ministers to willingly buy the mansions I have built."

Zhang Ping'an decided to reassure the Empress.

Developing real estate was not only to solve the problem of food and clothing for disaster victims, but also to replenish the national treasury for the empress and to make himself known to her.

More importantly, he can also get a large share of the profits from this.

Zhang Ping'an was determined to make this a win-win situation.