Survival countdown

Zhao Baiyu went to the Caosi yamen on time every day to familiarize himself with the affairs, and Wei Bo was also running around outside all day long, leaving Yanbing alone in the mansion to study hard.

After finishing the homework assigned by Zhao Baiyu that day, Yan Bing had nothing to do, thinking about buying something to cook the sugar water that Goro likes to drink at night, so he went out the back door and came to the market street with constant hawking.

Passing by a stall full of people, I heard the people inside shouting: "Twelve taels for Wenwan and antiques! If you have any good goods in your home that you think are Wenwan and antiques, you can bring them to us and call them Master Zhang Zhangyan. They are good goods." , I bought it at a high price on the spot! If the master misunderstood and lost a lot of money, we are responsible for our own profits and losses, and we will never regret it! But antiques and literature are played with the word "gambling". Come on, whether you lose or earn, you have to bear it yourself."

Yan Bing looked around and found a Taishan stone on the back of his feet, engraved with the words "Wenchangli" and traced with cinnabar. It turned out that he had unknowingly arrived at the most famous antique street in Hongzhou.

Curious, he stayed on the spot to watch.

One after another, someone took out the treasures of the family and asked the three masters in the house to hold eyes.

If the master has his eyes and sees the good and the bad, he either pays a high price or throws it on the ground and no one wants it, but he has to pay five liang of silver first.

Yan Bing watched the time for a stick of incense, and then four people paid for the master's palm eye. The 'Wenwan' in one of them was worth ten Wenwan at most, and the Wenwan in the hands of the other three was not worth much, but Both are twelve taels higher.

Of course, some people wanted to be safe and sold the Wenwan in their hands for ten taels, but it was appraised on the spot that it was worth 300 taels.

This person repented on the spot, and was thrown out of Wenchangli by the thugs before he started to slap.

Since then, someone moved a large cart of old porcelain vases and sold them for ten taels of silver each. The result of the appraisal was that the total price of the porcelain vases did not exceed five taels, which made this person a big profit.

Dramatic scenes developed one after another, and the atmosphere was stirred up. More and more people ran over holding the antiques at home, their eyes were red, and they stared straight at the master in the palm of his hand, eager to be one of the rich people. member.

I heard from the side that Wenchangli will hold such a treasure appraisal meeting every month. If you want to make a fortune, you can come and try it. They often go shopping for antiques in Xiaowenchang, and they are waiting for today's treasure appraisal meeting to help them make a fortune.

Yan Bing was a little tempted and had nothing to do, so he brought over the antiques he found in Xiaowenchang a few days ago, and reluctantly handed over the money to the master in the antique shop.

The master glanced at Yan Bing, lowered his head to touch the antique, appraised it carefully, and said indifferently: "Demon." Then put it aside, another master also said after appraising a bottle: "Not supreme."

In the fog, Yan Bing grabbed the shopkeeper next to him and asked, "What do they mean?"

The shopkeeper glanced at him: "A layman? That's jargon. A monster means that you are imitating the real thing, full of monsters and evil, and almost fooled. Supreme is authentic, what do you mean by not supreme?"

Both antiques are fakes.

Even though he was mentally prepared, Yan Bing couldn't help being depressed.

The shopkeeper turned around and winked at the three masters who were in charge, and the No.3 master said, "I have a look."

Yan Bing: "What does this mean?"

The shopkeeper winked, with a look of joy, and it also meant 'you are lucky', "It kind of means the real thing. But if you say this sentence, it's almost inseparable."

Yan Bing's heart was suddenly lifted.

The three masters held their eyes together, and after discussing, they all nodded: "The thing is absolutely supreme." It means the real thing, and then gestured to estimate the price.

Yan Bing understood the gestures, and stammered, "Can this thing be worth 600 taels? I bought it from Wenchang, a small shop, and it's about thirty or forty Wen... Are you guessing right?"

600 two!

The crowd is boiling right now, it's not that they haven't bought more expensive antiques, but Yan Bing is definitely the one who spends the least amount of money to find the most valuable treasures. Immediately, some people want to go to Xiaowenchang to find treasures.

The shopkeeper asked: "I see that you can get off to a good start as a layman. With your good fortune, can you sell it for 650 taels?"

Yan Bing hesitated for a moment: "Sell! Help me look at other goods!"

Only three of the dozen or so items were good, and one was sold and there were two remaining, one of which was a beautifully shaped khaki-colored jade chilong, which cost five liang of silver, and the shopkeeper pretended to be calm but With urgency in his eyes, he offered a price of [-] taels, making Yan Bing see through that he was lowering the price and refuse to sell the goods.

Yan Bing brought two Wenwan goods into Wenchangli, and asked three time-honored pawnshops for prices. The first one offered [-] yuan, the second one [-] yuan, and the third one offered a high price of [-] yuan.

Dumbfounded, Yan Bing came to the last largest local time-honored store, which was both an antique shop and a pawn shop. As soon as he arrived at the door, he heard the shopkeeper inside holding a black wooden block and talking wildly, about to sell it to a local merchant.

Yan Bing took a closer look and found that it was the first Wenwan he sold for 600 taels. After listening carefully, he found that the shopkeeper actually offered a high price of 3000 taels of silver, and he really sold it!

Instantly understood that the price was still undercut, and the undercut was extremely ruthless, but the antique business is just a game of picking up the loopholes, no matter how upset Yan Bing is, he can only accept the bet and admit defeat.

When the shopkeeper turned around and saw Yan Bing, he was not embarrassed at all, and rushed to meet him, still thinking about the Jade Chilong in his hand: "It seems that you have gone to ask the price, and I can't justify lowering the price... In this way, 4000 taels a piece price!"

Yan Bing folded his arms and did not speak.

The shopkeeper understood: "You should have asked the other three time-honored brands, right? The highest is not more than three thousand and five? Because your Jade Chilong tops the sky at three thousand and five. No matter how high the price is, we can't make money. My shop is the oldest in Wenchang. , the largest time-honored brand, out of my shop, there is no higher price. If I have a friend who likes Chilong Yujue, I might not want your jade."

The shopkeeper put on a high posture, brushing the dust in the store indifferently.

Yan Bing: "I'll think about it again." After saying that, he pretended to leave.

The shopkeeper simply turned his back on the person, and had no intention of trying to persuade him to stay.

After all, Yan Bing is a 16-year-old ordinary person. He has seen a lot with Zhao Baiyu, but he has no business experience. He doesn't understand businessman's activities, let alone what is psychological warfare. Down.

Before coming in, Yan Bing also asked someone to inquire about it. It is true that this store is a time-honored store. After basically setting the price and leaving the door, he could not find a store with a higher price. The man also said that it is appropriate to bargain for antiques. Once one side's attitude is shown, stop bargaining.

People have the sincerity to buy, and if they sincerely want to sell, it is best to sell.

Don't refuse to buy after hard bargaining. This is a big taboo and you will be rejected by the local antique owners.

After some psychological struggle, Yan Bing turned around and gritted his teeth: "Sell!"

The shopkeeper asked if his third antique was for sale, Yan Bing also nodded.

When he finally walked out of the time-honored antique shop, Yan Bing had six thousand taels of silver bills and several small-value silver bills in his arms, and when he returned to the mansion, his expression was still a bit dazed.

As soon as Zhao Baiyu was on duty, he saw him in a daze in the side hall, "Why are you sitting here?"

Yan Bing was very excited when he saw Zhao Baiyu, took out all the money he sold today, stuffed it into Zhao Baiyu's hands, puffed out his chest and asked for credit shyly: "The antiques I found in Xiaowenchang a few days ago, Today, it was sold at the antique street at the back door. The money is here, and Goro uses it to supplement his family."

He can support a family too.

Are all the street stalls sold?

600 taels... What a big deal.

Zhao Baiyu became interested, asked about what happened today, nodded from time to time, and when Yanbing finished speaking, he showed an intriguing smile: "So this is the beauty of Wenchangli, I know it."

Seeing this, Yan Bing's excitement subsided a lot, and doubts arose in his heart: "Is there a problem?"

Zhao Baiyu didn't answer and asked instead: "Do you know what Mr. Ji has done?"

Yan Bing shook his head and listened attentively to Zhao Baiyu's description of how the Jiangxi Business Gang framed Ji Xingbang. In the end, his face turned pale, staring at the bank notes on the table like a tiger, and said with difficulty and panic: "Did I implicate Goro? Did we Fall into the trap?" He said in a panic, "I, I will go and change it now! One person does things and one person is responsible, Goro rest assured, even if I arrive at the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, I will definitely kill me. I did it alone, and I will never Drag you down!"

"What are you panicking about?" Zhao Baiyu calmly pressed Yan Bing's shoulder, and rolled over the silver ticket: "The treasure appraisal meeting in Wenchangli will be held once a month, and the master who appraises is an antique dealer, and everything is under the watchful eyes of everyone. What does it have to do with us?"

Yan Bing still had doubts: "Will you not frame us like Mr. Ji?"

"No way. Businessmen want to make money, not to rebel. Before I express my opinion, they will not kill me." Zhao Baiyu smiled clearly, "They are throwing stones to ask for directions, and they judge whether I am an enemy or not based on my reaction. Friends, it is good to adjust the measures after adjustment."

Yan Bing: "Then what should we do?"

Zhao Baiyu: "Wait for them to move first."

Yan Bing was frustrated: "Master You Ji has given us a lesson from the past, and I still believe that there are pies falling from the sky."

"You don't know how Mr. Ji was recruited, and you didn't realize that their routines were normal. You were cautious enough beforehand, asking passers-by to learn about the situation in Wenchang, deepening the concepts of appreciating treasures, Taobao, and picking up leaks, and then went to Wenchang Li Duo repeatedly asked the price, and everyone offered different high prices. You could never imagine that they would collude with you to fall into the trap, let alone collude with local business gangs. This is a series of traps set by them , It is difficult for a person to maintain reason in an atmosphere of windfall."

Even a modern person will fall into a pit when faced with a routine like layer cake.

Zhao Baiyu knocked on the table again and again, thought of something interesting, and said with a smile: "You see, even a transit judge knows the beauty of Wenchangli, and other officials don't understand it better? At least I can be sure that Hongzhou Mansion Officials, big and small, and the Jiangxi Business Gang are somewhat tricky."

Just as he was speaking, someone came to report: "My lord, Chen Luowu, the president of the Ganxi Merchant Guild, is asking to see you."

Zhao Baiyu paused: "Look, people are coming."

Yan Bing: "Want to see?"

Zhao Baiyu: "Let's just say that I'm tired, and I don't see any guests. I'll talk about it tomorrow if I have anything to do."

As soon as the servants left, Yan Bing asked, "What kind of rules are these?"

Zhao Baiyu: "Show them some face."

Yan Bing scratched his head, probably understood that Goro was trying to give these businessmen a hard time, so that they could not understand their attitude, and the more they thought about it, the more likely they would be confused.

As soon as he arrived in Hongzhou, he immediately fell into the trap. Being so calculated by others, Yan Bing had personally experienced what it means to be a dragon's pool and a tiger's lair, and he will act extremely cautiously in the future, but he will never take advantage of anything that is cheap.

***

Chen Luowu was not annoyed when he was refused a meeting, Zhao Baiyu was called Xiao Qingtian when he went to Huainan under the order, and he was Ji Xingbang's former subordinate, so he was naturally difficult to deal with.

If he showed affection from the very beginning, Chen Luowu would be worried about cheating. Such an attitude was expected.

On the second day, Chen Luowu went to Cao Sishi's mansion to wait early, but Zhao Baiyu still couldn't be seen, so he returned the gifts he brought in the same way.

He didn't come on the third and fourth day, but on the fifth day, Chen Luowu came to visit before dawn, and waited in the flower hall until the sun was up. Zhao Baiyu, who got up late today after taking a bath, didn't know that he had waited so long.

Quickly put on his regular clothes, and after a brief wash, Zhao Baiyu said as soon as he stepped into the flower hall: "There used to be Cheng Men Lixue, and now there is Chen Gong waiting for the sun to open. I have something in my heart, and I can't bear to refuse to see you again."

Chen Luowu immediately went forward, cupped his hands and said, "Chen Luowu, the president of the Ganxi Merchant Guild, has met Mr. Zhao!"

Zhao Baiyu only made a gesture of support, and accepted Chen Luowu's big gift solidly, "Chairman Chen is out of touch. The Jiangxi merchant gang is the best in the world, connecting the north and the south, and it is the best in the past and the present, even overseas. There are you Gan merchants, and you are the president and leader of this merchant gang, our Hongzhou and even Liangjiang merchant gangs need you to sit in the town, and I, the Cao Si envoy, have to rely on you to take care of me."

Chen Luowu laughed: "Hey, sir, you are welcome. They are all small businesses. They weather the wind and rain, eat and sleep in the open, all rely on the kindness of God and the current Holy One. How can they afford such absurd praise? It has to be said We merchants depend on your care, my lord."

Zhao Baiyu waved his hands and said: "You usually give me some face and pay the taxes properly. I will do a good job as an official and naturally protect you. Everyone abides by the law and does things in a safe manner. Don't you just take care of each other?" Yet?"

The smile on Chen Luowu's face paused, and he quickly hid a trace of displeasure: "What your lord said is true. Chen took the liberty of today and didn't dare to come empty-handed, but when he heard that lord likes to play with elegant things, he brought I bought some elegant things from the house to play with the adults, and I hope the adults will not dislike it."

While talking, he opened the box at hand, and asked Zhao Baiyu to see three kinds of Wenwan inside: black coal-like wood, khaki-yellow jade chilong and a Tang Sancai.

Yan Bing at the back took a look, his face changed suddenly, and he recognized the three Wenwan products that he had sold at a high price a few days ago.

Chen Luowu stared at Zhao Baiyu's face: "What do you think, my lord?"

Zhao Baiyu: "I'm not good enough, so I can't tell the good from the bad...By the way, the back door of my mansion is connected to the most famous antique street in your locality. What is it called? Wenchangli? Yan Bing, go to the time-honored shop there and hire someone. The teacher with the best eyesight will come to help you palm the eye and see how much it is worth."

Chen Luowu couldn't hold back his polite smile. To be honest, he had seen it from the third-rank official down to the ninth-rank sesame official. No matter how rough his knowledge was, he at least maintained superficial self-restraint when facing yellow and white things, especially when it came to elegant things. Pretend to understand and be arty.

Unlike this new Cao Si envoy, he said "how much is it worth".

Yan Bing did as he did, and invited the time-honored storekeeper who played tricks on him to come over and hold his eyes.

When the shopkeeper saw Chen Luowu and Zhao Baiyu, he was flustered, and he didn't dare to cast his eyes randomly. After finishing the appraisal, he said very firmly, "My lord, this is a rare treasure!"

Zhao Baiyu became interested: "How much is it worth?"

The shopkeeper swallowed his saliva, glanced at Chen Luowu cautiously, and said with a shiver, "The total value of these three Wenwan is 1 taels of silver!"

Yan Bing was shocked, almost doubled!

Zhao Baiyu looked at Chen Luowu: "For me?"

Chen Luowu: "Playing with elegant things will make friends, and friends are the most important. Adults can tell these three things are extraordinary at a glance, and they should be their friends. In your hands, they are the best destination."

Zhao Baiyu looked at the three worthless 'Wenwan' and liked them more and more, so he couldn't help nodding: "Good stuff. It's really good stuff. Since President Chen sent you warm hospitality, I'm not going to be disrespectful."

Chen Luowu was overjoyed, and repeatedly praised Zhao Baiyu for being an expert in literary entertainment.Then he stayed for a while before saying that he had something to deal with at home, so he couldn't stay longer, so he said goodbye, and gave the shopkeeper a veiled look before leaving.

The shopkeeper understood, watched Chen Luowu leave, came to Zhao Baiyu and said flatteringly: "My lord, do you want to keep these for fun or are you going to cash them out?"

Zhao Baiyu: "How to say?"

The shopkeeper: "It's like this, I'm used to appreciating antiques, I can't help but feel itchy when I see a good one that I like, thinking that if you are willing to cash in, I will buy it at a high price!"

Zhao Baiyu: "How much is the high price?"

Shopkeeper: "The small one adds 2000 taels to the estimated price, what do you think?"

Zhao Baiyu was not very happy: "But I think they are very valuable. If you bring them back to the capital, they might sell for fifteen thousand."

Fifteen thousand……!

The shopkeeper almost wanted to say that no one would want to send out the broken copper and iron, so he dared to open his mouth like a lion-"Okay! I will give you the money now, and you will get both money and goods."

"But I really don't want to part with it." Zhao Baiyu sighed again and again, as if he couldn't put it down, "But you like it, so I reluctantly give up. As President Chen said, elegant things have to be rewarded by bosom friends. The person they value is you, the boss, so you are their bosom friend."

...Best friend!

Zhao Baiyu: "I'll keep it for a day, let's make a paper first, and ask my little Yanbing to go get the money from you tomorrow."

The shopkeeper's face froze with flattery, and he had to endure it: "Listen to you, my lord."

***

Ganxi Guild Hall.

"I made written evidence and left things behind. Does it imply that he wants things as well as money?" Chen Luowu frowned tightly, "How did you become so greedy?"

Boss Ping, the head of Hongzhou tooth merchants, said: "The more greedy you are, the easier it is to deal with it. Is it a good thing to keep safe and reduce troubles by feeding some money from time to time?"

Fang Xingwen, the leader of the Salt Gang, said: "But Zhao Baiyu is known as Xiao Qingtian, and even the East Palace praises him for being upright. How could he become a traitor as soon as he arrives in Hongzhou? I think he is acting and can paralyze him. us."

Boss Ping mocked nonchalantly: "I think you were bitten by a snake once and afraid of well ropes for ten years. Anyway, I don't believe that there are really "great and upright officials" who are not overwhelmed by vulgar things. The reason why those so-called "upright officials" are incorruptible is It’s because there are no vulgar things that can impress them elsewhere. Is Ji Xingbang clean enough? Isn’t he a good name? Isn’t he fooled by money? Let’s say that the former envoy didn’t love money or fame, but was lustful and treated a prostitute as a A confidante who is crazy about her, and finally has to do things for us obediently!"

Fang Xingwen's face was not good-looking: "I'm not at ease, maybe Zhao Baiyu didn't understand what we mean?"

Chen Luowu: "Let's see how dishonest he is behind."

Boss Ping was in a hurry: "Chairman Chen, does this mean that the ship can't sail yet? The goods are all on the wharf, and the other side of Quanzhou Port keeps urging them. We will lose real money if we delay for a day!"

Chen Luowu: "Be careful!" He stared at him with ruthless eyes, "You have to worry, go and tell the third master yourself!"

When the third master was mentioned, Boss Ping immediately quieted down.

"Okay." It is Chen Luowu's usual method to hit a date with a stick: "In a few days until the full moon, Lord Shui wrote a letter saying that the boat can be sailed. You go back and prepare by yourself."

Fang Xingwen and the others couldn't help but smile when they heard the words, but they forgot about Cao Sishi and Xiao Qingtian. Even if Zhao Baiyu insisted on going against the Shang Gang, they could still smash it just like they did with Ji Xingbang.

Except for meeting with the mysterious third master all day long, Chen Luowu, who was instructed by him, was a little wary, and no one thought that Zhao Baiyu could cause any disturbance in Liangjiang.

***

Cao Si Yamen.

Early in the morning, Yan Bing called the servants to beat gongs and drums in the middle of the street, and attracted the people to listen to him at the gate of Caosi's Yamen: "Fathers and folks, our Caosi envoy is Mr. Zhao who took office not long ago. Mr. Zhao, the imperial envoy who was sent to Huainan by order last year! He was favored by the saint and shouldered a heavy responsibility. He was so grateful that he dare not forget it! He was a newcomer and worked hard for the people. Our Mr. Zhao is diligent and caring for the people. Today, we donate 600 taels of silver for charity. We specially ask our little Mr. Zhao to spend every cent of this money on the people! Our little Mr. Zhao has fulfilled our mission , Let me wait to post a notice outside the Cao Si envoy, clearly writing out every sum of the charitable money donated by President Chen, so that the common people can understand it and let the common people supervise!"

As soon as the words fell, the people cheered one after another: "Good!"

"Master Zhao is the official of Qingtian Parents, and Chairman Chen is even more of a volunteer businessman!"

The news was spread ten or ten times, and it flew out like wings, and spread among the people in the market.

Because it is the "collusion between officials and businessmen" that the people have always been hostile to, and they do good things instead of harming the people. There is even an unprecedented high-ranking official, Zhao Baiyu, who posted a notice telling the people where the government's money was spent. The name of the blue sky casts a legend on the whole matter that can only be found in the scriptures, and arouses the enthusiasm of the common people.

When the news came back to the Chen Mansion, Chen Luowu, who was eating breakfast, stood up in surprise, sat back to his seat after thinking about it, and laughed: "Okay, what a coup, as the third master said, Zhao Baiyu didn't take it for granted. Senior, even the counterattack is so beautiful that there is no reason to talk about it. It is a good thing, if he hides his head and tail, it will be troublesome, and it will be easier to deal with it when he comes with real swords and guns."

At this time, a servant led a little boy in. When Chen Luowu saw the little boy, he immediately stood up, his expression became respectful: "But the third master has something to say?"

Xiaotong is the servant next to the 'Third Master' that Chen Luowu called, and he replied solemnly: "The Third Master said, you can't deal with Zhao Baiyu like you did with Ji Xingbang. One is that Zhao Baiyu is very intelligent, and the same tricks are against him. It is useless to say. The second is that Zhao Baiyu and Princess Changping have a blood relationship of mother and child. If you touch him, you may anger Princess Changping. The third is that the king of the small county of Lin'an is fighting in the northwest. No matter what happens, Emperor Yuanshou will not touch his family. The third master also said..."

Chen Luowu: "Say what?"

Xiao Tong: "He also said that Lin'an Xiaojun Wang and Zhao Baiyu's relationship between husband and wife, as well as the importance of Xiaojun Wang in the eyes of Emperor Yuanshou, he can't figure it out for the time being."

Chen Luowu: "At this moment, a person with a sensitive identity is suddenly arranged to come to Hongzhou. It is clearly aimed at the water transportation of the merchant gang. Could it be that Zhao Baiyu is allowed to beat him up?"

Xiao Tong: "If the enemy doesn't move, I won't move. Hongzhou Water Transport is related to the business of 38 prefectures in the four surrounding provinces. It has been delayed for a long time. Not only the merchants are anxious, but all parties who are currently waiting and watching will move. Once they move, Zhao Baiyu will be caught in the net." fish, is the time of his death."

Although Chen Luowu was impatient, he trusted the words of the third master very much.

20 years ago, he was just a fish seller on the wharf. He got to know the third master and watched him sit in the tent but strategize and win thousands of miles. After listening to his words, he came to the current position of the president of the prosperous business gang. Even the third-rank officials of the court met He had to nod and bow his head and be polite, so he didn't dare to have the slightest dissatisfaction with the third master.

***

Changping Princess Mansion.

It is hard to buy fragrant cloud yarn with a thousand dollars, but at the end of the Jiuqu Bridge and the waterside pavilions in the center of the lake, there are expensive fragrant cloud yarns everywhere.

Behind the hazy veil is a graceful and graceful figure, with a fat and thin white arm stretched out from the waterside pavilion, sprinkling fish bait into the lake, and the big red Koudan dyed with buttercup flowers adds a bit of enchantment to that hand.

As soon as Ma Deyong arrived at the entrance of the water pavilion, he immediately prostrated himself on all fours, respectfully paid his respects, staring at the ground and said, "Your Highness, Zhao Baiyu and Ganxi merchants helped Chen Luowu and the others with a trick, and it is true that the visitors were not kind."

The people inside didn't speak, they could only see the bait kept being sprinkled into the lake, and the colorful koi were scrambling for it like crazy.

The weather in early winter was already a bit cold, and I was wearing warm clothes, but I still broke out in a cold sweat.

"Your Highness, the Merchant Gang is concerned that Zhao Baiyu has stopped water transportation for ten days, which will affect the ship we are planning to transport to Guangzhou Port—"

"Ma Deyong."

Suddenly a soft and cold female voice resounded, and the eloquent Ma Deyong closed his mouth reflexively, subconsciously lowering himself even lower.

"Did you take too much time as an official, or have you grown fat and strong all these years, and you have lost your courage?"

"How dare I, old slave? My heart is full of His Highness's goodness, and I will never dare to show any disrespect to His Highness!" Ma Deyong was so frightened that he kowtowed repeatedly, and he dared not stop the bleeding from his forehead.

He remembered that the princess had ordered the subordinates not to act rashly a while ago, and watched Zhao Baiyu and Gan merchants fight from the air.

However, the ship to Guangzhou Port stopped for more than ten days in a row, and if it stopped again, it would be the twelfth lunar month. He was afraid that the cold weather would affect the sailing and delay everyone's earning money. Persuade the princess to act quickly.

He forgot that Princess Changping didn't like her subordinates making their own decisions and interfering with any of her plans, even if it was just persuasion.

"The old slave will go and receive the punishment."

It's only ten whips, at most the skin will be bruised, and it will be fine after a month.

Ma Deyong thought bitterly, not daring to complain.

--------------------

The author has something to say:

Asking directions in Wenchangli was a way of bribery in the Qing Dynasty, called Liulichang to ask directions.

When officials from other places came to Beijing and wanted to ask high-ranking officials to do something, they would first go to the Liulichang antique shop to inquire, and they would give as much money as they wanted, and the owner of the antique shop would help to set the price.

The foreign official gave money, and the boss used the money to buy an elegant item in the official's house, basically a calligraphy and painting fan.

Officials from other places will bring elegant things to visit and keep the elegant things, because the literati give each other elegant things, which is not regarded as bribery.

(Calligraphy and painting fans are very cheap).

In this way, the money will be given, and there is no way to impeach