After rebirth, the Queen and I are on the run.

Chapter 511: Making Money and Titles

The flattery of merchants was just the beginning. In the following days, Zheng Nandan received many Dragon Boat Festival gifts from officials and nobles in the capital.

He also received many invitations from noble families and officials, all inviting him to banquets.

Asen, the trusted steward, looked at the piles of gold-stamped invitations and almost cried with joy. He bowed and congratulated: "Congratulations to the boss for finally establishing a foothold in the capital."

You also have to buy new clothes, accessories and other things for the banquet.

"No need." Zheng Nandan stopped him, glanced at the invitations, and chuckled, "I won't go to any of these banquets."

Asen was surprised: "Why? These are great opportunities to make connections."

When they first came to the capital, they spent a fortune just to get an invitation from a noble family.

Now, with so many noble families and officials sending invitations to your door, why doesn’t your host go?

Zheng Nandan looked at the steward and said, "The world is at peace now, and money is needed everywhere. The Duke of Yan is worried about money, so how can I attend these extravagant banquets?"

After saying this, he paused for a moment and thought of something. He turned the idea over in his mind for a few times, and after he felt that it was feasible, he said, "Prepare the car and go to the Duke of Yan's mansion."

what?

Didn’t you just come back? Why are you leaving again?

Asen didn't ask any more questions and went to prepare the car immediately.

When Yan Zhou learned that Zheng Nandan had come again, he knew that it must be something urgent, so he asked someone to invite him in.

"Brother Zheng, if you have any urgent business to talk to me about, just tell me directly."

Zheng Nandan didn't waste any words and stated his purpose: "To hold the Xia Zhi Banquet and collect money for the court."

Spring Blessings, Summer Blessings, Autumn An and Winter Ribbon are the four major banquets that have been held by aristocratic families and officials for more than a thousand years. Unless there is a major disaster, they will be held every year.

Those who can host the four major banquets are either first-rate families or aristocrats.

Those who can attend the banquet are also people of noble status.

"For a commoner like me, even if I am given a huge gift of gold, I can only eat a few snacks in the outer garden and cannot even enter the inner garden."

Only members of the royal family, aristocratic families, families of famous ministers and high-ranking officials, and children of the nobility are allowed to attend the banquets in the inner garden.

"But even if it's just to eat a few snacks in the outer garden, there are still countless merchants willing to pay, and there are also many people who spent money but still couldn't enter the outer garden."

"Duke Yan, this is not a banquet, this is a mountain of gold. The seriously injured soldiers need this mountain of gold to nourish them." Zheng Nandan was so excited that he stood up and saluted to plead: "I beg Duke Yan to hold a summer banquet to increase the salary of the soldiers!"

This?

After listening to this, Yan Zhou laughed out loud: "Originally, His Majesty thought that this was an extravagant banquet and should not be held again, but now that I hear what you say, these four banquets are indeed worth holding... I will mention this to His Majesty."

After Yan Zhou agreed, Zheng Nandan did not stay long and left very tactfully.

The next day, Zheng Nandan received news from Yan Zhou saying that Emperor Wuxing agreed to hold the Xia Zhi Banquet.

Yan Zhou also wanted him to supervise the banquet: With Brother Zheng's ability, he can easily supervise a Xia Zhi Banquet, so don't refuse.

Zheng Nandan smiled and did not refuse. He immediately wrote a letter to reply Yan Zhou that he was willing to take over the supervision of Xia Zhiyan.

In the past, it was extremely difficult for him to enter the four major banquets.

Now, he is the one who organizes the four major banquets!

And this Xia Zhi Banquet is his palace examination. Once it is successful, he can truly become Emperor Wuxing's man, and it is only a matter of time before he reaches the highest position among the ministers.

Asen was full of admiration. No wonder the boss disdained to attend the banquet hosted by the noble families and officials. It turned out that the boss wanted the noble families and officials to attend the banquet he hosted!

This time the status has been completely reversed, and it is the turn of those noble families and officials to curry favor with the boss.

……

The news that the Duke of Yan's Mansion was going to hold a Xia Zhi Banquet spread throughout the capital in just one day.

The capital was in an uproar again, and the noble families and officials were even more delighted.

Ever since Prime Minister Jin's family passed away, His Majesty has not allowed any more grand banquets, saying that he wanted to put an end to the extravagant lifestyle. Now he has allowed it... Does it mean that His Majesty intends to relax the restrictions on these aristocratic families and powerful people, so that they can gradually resume their previous extravagant lifestyle?

Yes, yes, yes, this time, Emperor Wuxing especially hopes that you will be extravagant. It will not be over until every family contributes a thousand taels of gold and thirty carts of supplies!

However, the noble officials had complaints about Zheng Nandan's supervision of the Xia Zhi Banquet... How could the barbaric and lowly merchants from the south be qualified to host the four great banquets?

If Duke Yan is short of manpower, their children will be happy to help!

The nobles and officials looked down on Zheng Nandan, but the merchants flattered her to the utmost. On the day the news spread, a merchant came to see Zheng Nandan, just to buy a spot at the Xia Zhi Feast.

Zheng Nandan didn't hesitate and directly stated the bottom price: "Five hundred taels of gold, or twenty carts of supplies...but the number of places is limited, so in the end it may be the highest bidder who wins. But don't worry, if you can't attend the banquet, the Duke of Yan's Mansion will return the money to you."

Hey, not only is it half the price of the four big banquets hosted by the Jin family, but you can also get your money back if you can’t go.

Now is the time for the imperial court to select new dye operators in major prefectures. This period is too critical, and all merchants with a little financial resources will pay for the quota.

In just one day, Zheng Nandan obtained 30,000 taels of gold.

The next day, Zheng Nandan immediately transported the gold to the Duke of Yan's mansion and said, "There are still several hundred carts of supplies, which can arrive as early as today."

After saying that, he handed over the list.

Yan Zhou looked at the amount of money and supplies on the booklet, laughed out loud, and praised Zheng Nandan: "Brother Zheng is really capable."

Zheng Nandan was ashamed: "I am just a laborer, I don't have any ability."

Then he changed the subject: "Duke, there are too many supplies. You need to give us a place to store them."

Duke Yan called the old steward.

The old steward took the property booklet and searched for a while, and found four places that could be used to store supplies.

After Zhang Songyu learned about this, he secretly cursed Emperor Wuxing for being shameless in making money.

However, she discussed with Xie Jing and used the names of Xie and Zhang to buy a place: "Husband, we have an invitation to the inner garden, so we can spend some money to support them, which is also necessary."

Xie Jing said: "Madam, you can decide these matters on your own. You don't need to ask me."

Zhang Songyu smiled and said, "My husband is the head of the family. I have to ask for his opinion before taking money out."

Xie Jing smiled, put his arm around her slender waist, and said, "Madam knows how to coax me."

The next day, the Xie and Zhang families sent people to find Zheng Nandan, spending one thousand taels of gold and fifty carts of supplies, saying that they wanted to buy two places.

With the Xie and Zhang families taking the lead, many noble families and officials who had invitations to the Inner Garden also spent a little more money to buy places.

For a time, the Duke of Yan's mansion earned tens of thousands of gold every day.

Emperor Wuxing was very happy. His opinion of Zheng Nandan changed a little. He became more disgusted with the nobles and officials. He told Yan Zhou: "Let Zheng Nandan think of other ways. It would be best if he could get all the money that the nobles and officials have plundered from the people."

Yan Zhou smiled and agreed, and then advised: "Don't shave too hard."

Emperor Wuxing snorted coldly: "Don't worry, as long as we can still scrape it out, it won't hurt their lifeblood."

The capital city was quite lively due to the selection of new dye operators and the holding of the Xia Zhi Banquet.

Just as the excitement of these two events had died down, Emperor Wuxing rewarded a group of meritorious officials based on their contributions.

Among them, Lieutenant General Liang, who had made great contributions in following the emperor, received the greatest reward. He not only became a general of the second rank, but also was awarded the title of Earl of Zhenyuan.

The deputy general suddenly became a great general, the envy of everyone.