Come on, Your Highness

Another three days passed in a blink of an eye, and the blue bar of the project progress table that He Xichao had nailed to the cork board had already drawn to the end.

Xiao Hong got down and looked over, surprised and said: "Yo, I thought time was tight, and it might not be finished tomorrow, but I didn't expect it to be over soon!"

As soon as Xiao Hong finished speaking, the people behind the two conference tables who were shaking their pens and planning their plans suddenly looked over resentfully, and took a closer look, good guy, each of them has huge black eye circles.

"So hard, don't you sleep at night?" Xiao Hong wondered.

Luo Li finished his abacus, looked at the result, and said with a sigh of relief: "Your Highness, I, we are slow, no, we are not very familiar...practice, it will take more... time."

While Shu Yu was calculating the final entry and exit items, he found that there was still a difference of more than 1000 at the end, and his face was distorted. He sighed and prepared to recalculate, and he also replied after hearing the words: "Your Highness, if you sleep for an extra hour, the time stipulated by Mr. It won't be finished."

In the era when there were no calculators, only pen and abacus calculations were used. If it weren't for the old accountant, the accuracy of novices on the road is still open to question.

Besides, this is the first formal audit. Although He Xichao has been training for so long and knows the methods and methods by heart, he still stumbles in the actual operation.

And He Xichao, an exploitative capitalist, would not reduce his workload just because the interns under him were not familiar with the affairs.

Can't finish?

Okay, let's work overtime.

Xiao Hong stopped talking immediately, he felt a little sympathetic to these people.

He Xichao walked in, glanced at the progress, and asked, "Can you give me the preliminary results?"

Luo Li replied: "Sir, it's already in the last, final check, wait... to clear up the knot, give me the result, then, it can come out."

You Ziqing's abacus was crackling, and the results of their groups were all gathered to him, and now he was the only one left.

Suddenly, the clear and rapid sound of abacus like marching and fighting ended, and You Ziqing grabbed the brush and brushed on the paper twice, then raised his head and said to Luo Li: "Brother Luo, 15 two!"

"it is good."

When the sun set, He Xichao got the final audit results.

The dense Arabic numerals plus punctuation marks, if you don't understand the meaning of the characters, you can't understand them at all.

However, when Xiao Hong saw the lowest number, he couldn't help but sneered, "I thought I guessed too much. I didn't expect that the construction department was not the most greedy, but even more greedy. Xi Chao, you said that the palace looks at least full of flowers. Magnificent style, how did you save so much money?"

"The front yard of the palace includes Yin'an Hall, your future permanent residence, the back yard, the residence of the concubine and concubines, the last garden, and the most beautiful waterside pavilions along the lake. These three places are the master. The main scope of their activities is naturally as beautiful as it is. Even if the emperor comes to visit the garden, he cannot escape from these three places. If the entire palace is repaired according to this standard, the 30 taels of flowers will not be wronged, but obviously not Possibly. What's more, there are landscape stones that cost 1 taels, and thousands of taels of precious flowers and trees. If you plant a few more trees, Your Highness, your silver can be spent even if you add 30 taels."

Xiao Hong looked at the report, and the more he thought about it, the more angry he became. He said: "I want to show it to my father. He has always wanted to replace all the military equipment that has not been replaced for several years, but now he has to wait for the spring tax to come up." Let's see if the emperor will chop off their heads for this group of rats who have made so much money so easily."

He Xichao could understand Xiao Hong's anger, but he had his own plan, "Then you wait a little longer, and don't rush to see the emperor for now."

"why?"

"You don't want silver anymore?"

Xiao Hong said: "But Zhou Dalian won't give 10 taels."

He Xichao smiled and shook his head, raised the report in his hand, and said affirmatively: "No, he will give it, and only a little more."

Since He Xichao rejected the 5000 taels of reconciliation that day, Zhou Da felt that he was ignorant of flattery, and even had a lot of opinions on Xiao Hong. There are no two sides.

As long as the other party comes to ask for peace, he is still willing to sit down and talk again.

It's a pity that three days have passed, and the Royal Palace has no intention of coming to peace talks at all.

And the result of all the news is that the Yingwang Mansion is still checking the accounts, using those scholars that He Xichao accepted with a single math paper!

"Hmph, playing tricks and pretending to be self-indulgent!" Zhou Da thought it was nonsense, and even a group of scholars who checked the accounts would not dare to write such a story.

However, the eldest prince is arrogant, unruly, and rebellious. He grew up eating the Tiangan Emperor's board, so he is not afraid of fighting.

Looking back and thinking about it carefully, no matter if he hurts the enemy by one thousand and self-damages by eight hundred, or pushes the boat along the way, it seems that he can do anything he wants to do, and no one who wants to mess with him will not step down.

Thinking about it this way, Zhou Da couldn't sit still.

He paced back and forth in the study.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and the housekeeper said: "Master, Duke Wei's Mansion congratulates Second Young Master to see you."

Zhou Da suddenly stopped, and his heart moved, saying that Cao Cao Cao Cao will be here.

But this hour?

"He came alone?"

"Yes, but there is also a servant and two guards from the British Palace."

That is to say, he did not come here privately without telling the King of England.

"Please come in."

In spring and March, the weather is already warm, but it is still a little cold in the morning and evening.

He Xichao walked in wearing a white cloak with a fur collar, with a smile in his eyes, and said politely, "He Xichao met Mr. Zhou."

Zhou Da asked unhappily: "It's so late, what advice does Mr. He have?"

"Dinner is a bit greasy. I passed by your mansion and came to ask for a cup of tea. Master Zhou won't see you?" He Xichao casually untied his cloak and handed it to the housekeeper of Zhou Mansion. Regardless of whether Zhou Da saw you or not, he was not polite at all. the meaning of.

Zhou Da squinted his eyes, "It's just a cup of tea, come and serve tea."

"Thank you, sir." He Xichao found a chair and sat down safely after speaking.

Zhou Da looked at him with obvious scrutiny. He didn't have much contact with Xiao Hong, let alone He Xichao.

However, even if he didn't pay attention to this young man who was so famous in the capital, he still listened to him. Anyone with a discerning eye knew that Xiao Hong could not come to this day without the support of this talented young man.

At the beginning, I was afraid that no one would understand that the eldest prince, who had already lost his crown prince and fell out of favor, dared to replace the promising eldest grandson He Mingrui of Duke Wei's mansion, and chose a concubine's son who could only enter the door by kneeling and forcing him For accompanying reading.

Everyone is laughing at Xiao Hong's stupidity, asking for death, but time has proved what is called insight.

A He Xichao changed the trajectory of Xiao Hong's almost dead end fate.

Now the two young masters of the He family, He Mingrui's status is on the verge of collapse under the pressure of He Xichao, it's hard to say who the future successors will be.

In addition, the two children appeared by each other's side when the other was in the most embarrassing and most desolate time, relying on each other to move forward with difficulty. No one knows better than Zhou Da that this friendship of sharing weal and woe will bring He Xichao a lot in the future. benefit.

The emperor's high place is extremely cold, and no matter how trustworthy he is, he can't compare to the affection he had since childhood.

Once Xiao Hong reaches the top position, it is not surprising that He Xichao is one person under ten thousand people.

If it wasn't for the fact that Prince Ying's Mansion had to check the accounts, and He Xichao repeatedly refuted his face, Zhou Da originally wanted to make friends with this young master He who had a bright future.

only……

He Xichao didn't know about Zhou Da's entanglement, but he said something, very calm.

"Master Zhou seems to have a lot of opinions on this subordinate and doesn't like it very much?"

Zhou Da twitched the corner of his mouth, "Young Master He is very courageous, and his ability to set prices on the ground is unmatched. It's hard to like him!"

He Xichao looked at Zhou Da in surprise, "Master Zhou thinks I want too much?"

Zhou Da snorted coldly, picked up the tea and didn't speak, but the meaning was very clear.

He Xichao naturally also suppressed his smile, and said coldly: "Lord Zhou, to put it bluntly, this silver should belong to His Royal Highness the King of England. According to the law, taking other people's money and not returning it is stealing; If you don't give it, it's because of the bandits..." Seeing Zhou Da's face darken, he chuckled instead and added, "You have been an official for many years, so you must know this truth, but?"

"If everything in this world is resolved according to the law, I am afraid that no one in the court can stand up." Zhou Da raised his eyebrows, looked at He Xichao and asked, "Mr. right?"

He Xichao didn't have any dissatisfaction, and nodded calmly, "What you said makes sense, so didn't I come here? You are an elder, and I am a junior, so I came to visit in person, but you don't seem to want to see me?"

Zhou Da said: "Young Master He, don't be aggressive. If you have something to say, just say it. If you can give His Royal Highness face, I will give it to you."

"Okay, I'm relieved at what you said." He Xichao put down the teacup and said seriously, "I have a question, so I'll ask it directly. I offered 10 taels, [-]/[-], why don't you agree?"

As soon as this remark came out, Zhou Da frowned, "Fifty-five?"

"That's right, 30 taels, only 10 taels were actually used, and the remaining 20 taels went into the pocket of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Now, in order to save the face of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, His Highness only wants to return half of it. Mr. Zhou, this is nothing but Divide it up? Of course, once the money is distributed, it will take time to raise it. His Highness can forgive you for a few days, but Mr. Zhou refused and gave 5000 taels, which is too greedy!"

As He Xichao spoke, he stared at Zhou Da's face, which was already covered with dark clouds and completely black.

He sneered in his heart, sure enough, Wu Weiyong left another sum in private without telling him.

Zhou Da's eyes were as cold as the winter wind, but he still asked, "20 taels, how can Mr. He be so sure?"

He Xi said to her heart that she was waiting for your words.

He took out a scroll from his sleeve, stood up, walked over, and handed it to Zhou Da, "Because this account has already been cleared by the British Palace."

Zhou Da looked at the paper roll tied with a ribbon in surprise, and said in disbelief: "How is it possible? Wu Weiyong has old accountants who have been working under him for many years, and your abacus can't handle the accounts they make. Scholar, how could I find out?"

He Xichao smiled and said, "If you can see for yourself, you will know."

After finishing speaking, he put down the scroll, sat back to his seat, picked up the green tea and sipped leisurely, and praised: "Good tea."

Really calm and calm, with a well-thought-out plan.

Zhou Da untied the tie, but it turned out to be very long, and a strange vertical and horizontal form appeared in front of him.

Although Zhou Da had never seen it before, as long as he took a closer look, no, even at a cursory glance, he would know that it was the result of checking the accounts.

"This is just the final result. If Mr. Zhou wants to go through the detailed verification process, he might have to go and see it in front of the emperor." At some point, He Xichao walked up behind Zhou Da and said with a smile.

Zhou Da suppressed the shock in his heart, and asked calmly: "I'm curious, how did Mr. He do it?"

A group of scholars... Even if they passed the Jinshi exam, they don't have this ability.

"This..." He Xichao said after thinking for a while, "Standing on the shoulders of a giant can always see farther than the people below."

Zhou Da snorted, and said displeasedly: "You scholars like to play tricks."

He Xichao wasn't annoyed either, "So Mr. Zhou believes that I'm not talking nonsense, so can you answer the question just now? 20 taels of silver is enough for disaster relief. How can you get it?"

"I didn't take that much. Wu Weiyong gave 5 taels behind my back. No, it should be 10 taels now." Zhou Da sneered, not knowing whether he was addressing himself or others.

"Is that so? What I kept saying was what you meant. If His Highness accepts you if he doesn't agree with you, and if you don't let me go, Mr. Zhou will commit a crime..."

"Crack!" Before He Xichao could finish speaking, Zhou Da slapped the palm of his hand on the desk, causing the teacups to bump into each other. The anger in his heart finally rushed to the top of his head and showed on his face.

He Xi raised his eyebrows slightly, and a sarcastic smile appeared on his lips.

Zhou Da took a deep breath, pulled his rationality back, and smiled apologetically at He Xichao: "I lost my temper, and let Mr. He see a joke. But for His Royal Highness, I respect you from the bottom of my heart, and I dare not offend you in the slightest." It's just that the villain is obstructing it, causing His Highness to misunderstand, and please ask He Bandu to explain for me in front of His Highness, I am very grateful."

"Master Zhou, don't worry. You are an old man in front of the emperor. You are the most loyal. How could you have such an idea? Your highness ordered me to come overnight to confirm it because he didn't want to believe it. Otherwise, he will present the account book to the emperor tomorrow. Trouble."

Zhou Da nodded, "His Highness's kindness, I will keep it in my heart, He Bandu can rest assured that the [-] officials will gather together and send it to His Highness as soon as possible. Then there is no need for this account book..."

"Of course it still has to be presented to the emperor." He Xichao said.

Zhou Da narrowed his eyes, "What does the eldest prince mean?"

He Xichao said unhurriedly: "It has been so many days since the imperial decree His Highness asked for from the Emperor to check the accounts. Could it be that there is nothing left to do with it? Where can His Highness be placed after fulfilling Mr. Zhou? Besides, His Majesty will issue this decree." , I just want to see how much water is in it.”

"So His Highness just sent you here today to say hello?" Zhou Da said displeased.

He Xichao shook his head, "Of course not." He looked at Zhou Da with obvious foolishness, "My lord, the report is to be submitted, hasn't it been submitted yet?"

Zhou Da was taken aback when he heard the words, and then a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

He Xichao waited patiently for him.

But after a while, Zhou Da came back to his senses and said: "I understand, then please wait a few days, Your Highness, and allow me to prepare."

"It's easy to say." He Xichao nodded with a smile, and then he rolled his eyes, "Actually, there are still a few parts of this account book that are not clear, but the construction department is not very cooperative, and there is no result. I don't know if the adults can help with this. One or two?"

Zhou Da smiled and immediately agreed, "Of course, I have so many things to do, and I really don't have the energy to ask them one by one. Wu Weiyong has been in the construction department for many years, and I have always trusted him, so I was lazy and didn't check these accounts carefully. Unexpectedly He harbored evil intentions, was bold, dared to make so much money out of it, and even sowed dissension, it is extremely abominable! Fortunately, His Highness the King of England is magnanimous, and he noticed the strangeness, and told me, otherwise I am afraid I will still be kept in the dark. Don't worry, this book The official must investigate clearly and give His Highness an explanation, and any mistakes in it will be reported to the Emperor."

He Xichao could not help but laugh when he heard this man make up the whole story without changing his face, but he didn't know what it was like in his heart, he just felt that it was boring to be like a bird of a feather.

However, he clapped his palms together, "Master Zhou is talented and quick thinking, I admire you." Then he stood up, "Since the matter has been discussed, my task is completed, thank you for the good tea."

In the middle of the night, Zhou Da didn't stay any longer, he just raised his voice and called, "Housekeeper."

Suddenly, a cautious question came from the door, "My lord?"

"Take the Biluochun brewed just now, find a good one, and bring it back to Mr. He to taste."

"Yes, my lord."

He Xichao smiled and said: "Master Zhou is really generous, good tea is like gold, I drink and take it again and again, I feel a little embarrassed."

Zhou Da waved his hand, "It's just something to drink. There are so many things to pay attention to. As long as Mr. He likes to drink and is willing to give me this face, we will come and go frequently in the future."

Now that he said that, He Xichao no longer refused.

As he said that, the housekeeper came in with a gift box in one hand and He Xichao's cloak in the other.

When He Xichao was putting on his cloak, he suddenly said: "I almost forgot something, I hope Mr. Zhou will let you know later."

"Master He, please tell me?"

"Before, I always thought that Wu Weiyong belonged to Mr. Zhou. After all, he was the head of the construction department that you single-handedly promoted. But now it seems that he has already separated from you, so I'm curious. Why did he do this?"

As He Xichao said, he didn't look at Zhou Da's face anymore, and went out, "It's cold outside, Mr. Zhou, please stay and go first."

The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is a bit greedy, but the emperor doesn't care that much.

As long as things are done faithfully, they will turn a blind eye. Zhou Da is obviously very aware of this, so he sat for a long time.

But if you have too close a relationship with the harem and even the prince in private, or even lean your back and serve the second lord, then you will violate the taboo of the lord of the world.

No affection can stop his head from falling.

As soon as Zhou Da thought of this, he immediately wanted to kill someone.

If Xiao Hong brought this matter to Emperor Tiangan, Zhou Da would not be able to explain clearly even if his whole body was full of mouths.

Thinking of this, Zhou Da closed his eyes, exhaled slowly, suddenly felt a coolness behind his back, and murmured: "It's troublesome, I don't know how to repay this big favor..."

"My lord, it's late at night, shouldn't it be settled?" the housekeeper asked.

"He Xichao left?"

"Let's go, the old slave came back after watching this man get into the carriage."

Zhou Da nodded, "You can notify the accountant tomorrow to see how much money is still on the account, and how much money can be transferred?"

The butler said doubtfully, "My lord, this is..."

"What to do with so many questions, just do it."

"Yes."