Chapter 73: Tricks

Pingyang Zhang Family main residence, main house, study, secret room.

Zhang Qitai lowered his head and was silent for a long time, slowly raised his head, looked at the proud Zhang Qiling, and opened his mouth with a slightly hoarse voice:

"Why must it be crushed to powder.

The great clans of the world all serve the public and keep the middle.

I haven't seen any family crushed to powder.

Today, our Pingyang Zhang Family has eighteen capital officials of various sizes in the officialdom, and eighteen in local government.

We also produced a reading seed like Zhang Jiuqing, who was taken by Crane Township Duke as a grandson-in-law.

It is enough to 'serve the public.'

Next, the position of 'keeping the middle' should also be justifiable.

Don't forget, when 'Duke Siwei' was in charge of the cabinet, adjusting yin and yang, and had monstrous power, it was because he was dedicated to serving the public and lost the duty of 'keeping the middle.'

As a result, our Pingyang Zhang Family has had a 'Leader of the Family' for forty years, but no clan head.

Not caring about managing the locality at all.

In the end, it was abandoned by the Southern Border aristocratic families. After Duke Siwei died, when political enemies made a move, everyone who was asked for help looked on coldly.

And what about the Qigeng Emperor at that time? Did he care about the clan bloodline of his 'closest teacher'?"

"Precedents should be lessons for the future!"

Serve the public and keep the middle.

The meaning of "serving the public" is:

Descendants of great clans, personally speaking, have participated in the imperial examination and become officials, so they must dare to sacrifice for the imperial court.

The meaning of "keeping the middle" is:

For the whole family, the position must be neutral, and even the emperor's imperial edict cannot be easily swayed.

From the perspective of a head of a family and a head of a clan, Zhang Qitai's words are absolutely correct.

But from Zhang Qiling's perspective, it is unacceptable.

"Crane Township Duke taking a descendant of our Pingyang Zhang Family as a grandson-in-law, doesn't that represent the emperor's trust?

What's more, the current dynasty is a hundred times wiser than the Qigeng Emperor of that year..."

"Zhang Qiling, I don't have your talent and virtue, nor am I as eloquent as you.

Let alone you, even some elders, owners, and managers in the clan privately say that I am a 'talent of medium peace.'

But the clan head and patriarch of a great aristocratic family needs the two words 'medium peace' that are neither urgent nor slow, and cannot be clumsy.

I won't argue with you about anything else, just ask you, is it right or wrong for the ancient aristocratic families to adhere to 'serving the public and keeping the middle'?

Throughout the ages, can those families that seize the opportunity to soar, cook with fire, and have a flowery brocade last long, or can those who keep the middle and govern the family last long?"

Facts speak louder than words.

Precisely because Zhang Qiling was outstanding in talent and eloquent, he couldn't open his eyes and tell lies.

In the end, he could only be stunned for a long time, and disappeared into the crystal mirror in anger.

Zhang Qitai was triumphant for the first time in his life by debating Zhang Qiling, but there was no joy of victory in his heart.

The hurricane is coming, a small lonely boat, how to ride the wind and waves and turn danger into safety.

Zhang Qitai sighed long and walked out of the secret room.

He cheered up and walked towards the living room where Rong Anshan and Rong Anqiu were.

Since he wanted to be on both sides and survive in the cracks, he had to be more considerate to the Shuanghu Rong Family.

And here, the new noble of the Zhang Family was busy directing his subordinates to pack shrimp paste at home, grunting and groaning.

Zhang Gui's business had no clerks to direct.

Fifty strong soldiers, plus the fake Hundred-Guard Zhao Fucheng and the stockade fire head, were busy for a long time before finally filling more than a hundred jars of miscellaneous fish and shrimp paste.

Zhao Fire Head sniffed, smelled the strong fresh fishy smell in the courtyard, and praised:

"The old lady really has good craftsmanship.

This paste can be smelled as a raw pickling method, slowly fermented into mud.

A twenty-jin jar for only two taels of silver is simply giving it away.

It's no wonder that our Governor is loyal to the country, clean and self-disciplined, and loves soldiers like children..."

Not to mention that our Governor is loyal to the country, self-disciplined, and loves his soldiers like his own children..."

I know my Amu has good craftsmanship, it's enough to praise two sentences, you don't have to keep talking.

It's getting dark, why don't you hurry back to the military stockade.

Don't delay the wife eating sweet balls and the children lighting lanterns."

"Yes, subordinates retire."

"Thanks to the Governor's reward, subordinates retire."

A group of soldiers and generals each carried large jars of shrimp paste and walked away.

Zhang Gui watched them go far away, smiled slightly, took out five fifty-tael silver notes he had just exchanged from his arms, and handed them to his mother.

"Amu, this is the paste money for buying our shrimp paste, two hundred and fifty taels of silver in total.

Keep it well, whether you follow me to the military stockade to enjoy happiness, or continue to do business prosperously, it's up to you.

It's just that even if you want to do business, don't work hard from early morning to late at night in the future.

Just ask someone to send the miscellaneous fish and small shrimp, and hire some helpers to wash them clean, and you and your aunt just prepare the ingredients and pickle the paste.

If you want to sell the finished shrimp paste, sell it, if you don't want to sell it, save it.

Every ten days or so, I will send someone to collect it once."

The old lady knew that her son had the ambition to chase the deer, and it was impossible to really covet this little wealth.

Doing so now must have a reason, so she silently accepted the silver notes.

Eldest aunt Caiyang Jiena was a simple person, seeing Caiyang Duojie really accept the ten jars of shrimp paste with a cost of less than twenty taels for more than two hundred taels without saying a word.

Couldn't help but lean over and whisper:

"Big sister, Gui Gui just became an official, and he is so blatantly buying low and selling high to fish for silver.

Don't make any mistakes and cause trouble."

Caiyang Duojie looked at her son who was winking at her, shook her head and said:

"Don't worry, big sister, your nephew is now an Eighth-Rank Seal-Holding Governor.

An Eighth-Rank military officer is not very flamboyant, but the Seal-Holding Governor of the militia has a yamen to handle affairs and is a commanding officer who can make decisions.

There must be thousands of people eating grain under his hand.

Two hundred taels of tricks can be digested in a month."

Caiyang Sangjia didn't expect her sister-in-law to understand this, widened her eyes, and said in surprise:

"Big sister, how do you still understand this?"

As a result, before Caiyang Duojie could answer, second aunt Caiyang Sangjia had already interrupted:

"Sister-in-law is after all the 'Female Great Stone Crown' of our Stone Corpse Department.

When Kuihe Han was still alive, didn't he say all day that he was comparable to the princes in the imperial court, and the big sister-in-law was comparable to a First-Rank official.

It's different from us who come from grassroots.

Naturally, I understand some official rules.

Now that Gui Gui has become a martial general with a brand, he naturally knows the rules well.

No need for us to worry."

Caiyang Kuihe Han was Zhang Gui's uncle, and also the former poor and sour sovereign of the Stone Corpse Man Kingdom who had great ambition but little talent.

When he was alive, he lived in a cave all day, fantasizing about how noble he was, but in winter he couldn't even wear a fine cotton-lined jacket.

The two wives left behind after his death, although they had no major flaws and their character was considered good, they couldn't help but make some awkwardness from time to time.

But this is also human nature.

Zhang Gui and his mother met and just pretended to be blind and deaf, unable to see or hear.

This time was no exception.

As soon as the second aunt finished speaking, Zhang Gui shouted pretending to be deaf and dumb:

As soon as the Second Aunt finished speaking, Zhang Gui feigned deafness and shouted:

Finally, I changed our family's gate before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

Next, I can advance or retreat freely.

Alright, let's stop talking.

Let's boil the yuanxiao first, and then talk after it gets lively."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 74 =====

(End of Chapter)