Zhu Hongyu's Go level is very poor. He traveled through time. Before time travel, he played a lot of chess and backgammon, and had basically never played Go.
After traveling through time, Zhu Hongyu was either dealing with government affairs or military affairs, and had very little time to rest.
Let alone learning to play chess!
Li Dingguo's situation is actually similar.
He grew up in a poor family. After following Zhang Xianzhong, he was either fighting or on the road to war.
I also don’t have time to learn to play chess.
Playing chess between two people is actually just two bad chess players pecking each other.
Snap!
A black jade stone fell on the chessboard.
Immediately afterwards, a white stone made of ivory followed.
It can be seen from the chaotic chess game that the level of Zhu Hongyu and Li Dingguo is very limited.
The maid who was waiting on the side, who was definitely proficient in all kinds of music, chess, calligraphy and painting, looked at the situation on the chessboard, with a very hard-working expression on her face.
Zhu Hongyu thought for a moment, then asked.
"I wonder why King Jin came to see me today?"
Today, Zhu Hongyu rarely has some free time and plans to go fishing in Xuanwu Lake to relax and unwind.
As a result, Li Dingguo asked to see him!
Zhu Hongyu was very curious as to why Li Dingguo came to look for him.
Zhu Hongyu is self-aware of his chess skills, but he doesn't believe that Li Dingguo came to see him today just to play chess.
Li Dingguo said with a smile.
"Your Majesty is wise, I do have something to say to Your Majesty!"
When he was in the southwest border, Li Dingguo's physical condition was not good because he could not adapt to the local environment.
But after he arrived in Nanjing and rested for such a long time, Li Dingguo's body was now much stronger than before, and he was full of energy when he spoke.
Zhu Hongyu stopped playing chess, took a sip of tea from his tea cup, and nodded slightly to indicate that Li Dingguo could speak out.
Li Dingguo was born in the military, and his character was not so intimidating. He said whatever he wanted and said it directly.
"Reporting to your Majesty, this is what happened!"
"A few days ago, Mu Tianyong, a descendant of the Duke of Guizhou and the cousin of the previous Duke of Guizhou, Mu Tianbo, brought his family to visit the old minister's house."
"Mu Tianyong wants to restore the title of the Duke of Guizhou. I hope that the old minister can help him deliver a message to His Majesty."
"For the sake of the old Duke of Guizhou, I really can't refuse!"
"..."
After hearing this, Zhu Hongyu frowned slightly, as if he was thinking about something.
But after pondering for a while, he finally nodded and said.
"I have actually wanted to restore the title of Duke of Guizhou for a long time!"
"In fact, regardless of the title of the Duke of Guizhou, the British Duke, Duke of Ying and other nobles who died for their country also want to help their adoptive descendants and restore their titles."
"It's a pity that too many people died in the war!"
"There's nothing I can do!"
"Now that the descendants of the Duke of Guizhou can find the Qing family, I am very relieved!"
This passage by Zhu Hongyu is very informative.
First, he expressed his willingness to restore the title to the Duke of Guizhou, and also mentioned the British Duke who died for his country, showing that he would not forget his old attitude.
The second is to mention that the Duke of Ying, also known as Gao Yigong, was once a bandit, but later died on the battlefield against the Qing Dynasty.
Zhu Hongyu was saying that although nobles like Gao Yigong had misdeeds in the past, I would not pursue them.
Treat everyone equally!
But the more important thing is that sentence, too many people died in the war!
Zhu Hongyu's attitude is very clear. He will not restore people's titles at will.
You can restore your title, but the premise is that you must have made certain contributions to the fight against the Qing Dynasty.
Even if it’s just waving flags and shouting, it counts!
The Manchu Qing Dynasty can't come over. Your direct line of nobles died for the Ming Dynasty.
But those side branches surrendered and ran away.
Now that the Ming Dynasty has returned, these collateral clans want to stand up again, take advantage of the direct clan's interests, restore their titles, and become members of the noble class of the Ming Dynasty again.
Isn't that nonsense?
Anyway, Zhu Hongyu will definitely not agree.
The reason why Zhu Hongyu agreed to the restoration of his title to the Duke of Guizhou was because Mu Tianyong also fought against the Qing Dynasty.
Although he did not follow Yongli into Burma, when the Yongli court was in Kunming, he had been running to fight against the Qing Dynasty!
Li Dingguo said with clasped fists.
"Old minister, on behalf of the Duke of Guizhou, I would like to thank Your Majesty for your kindness!"
Zhu Hongyu nodded slightly and said.
"Mu Tianyong has a son, doesn't he? He will adopt his son to Mu Tianbo later, and then let this son inherit the title of Duke of Guizhou as Mu Tianbo's son!"
"Don't go back to Yunnan. It's a remote place and the climate isn't very good!"
"From now on, the Duke of Guizhou will stay in Nanjing. I will give the Duke of Guizhou a house in Nanjing!"
"The imperial court will give you all the glory and wealth you deserve!"
Li Dingguo nodded and said.
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"
After finalizing the matter of helping the Duke of Guizhou restore his title, Li Dingguo resigned from Zhu Hongyu.
After leaving the boat, he opened his umbrella and walked into the rain surrounded by a group of guards.
Get ready to return to your mansion!
At the same time, another wave of people also came to the shore of Xuanwu Lake, preparing to ask to see the emperor.
Judging from the clothes, they are a group of royal guards.
After being searched, these royal guards boarded a small boat and quickly headed towards the painting boat in the center of the lake.
These Jin Yiwei brought Zhu Hongyu the news that Operation Scavenger had officially begun!
…
Shandong, Tai'an Prefecture!
In a private room in Yaxianju, Su Wenze, the fat magistrate of Tai'an Prefecture, was wearing regular clothes and sitting at a table.
There are plates of delicacies on the table, including sea cucumbers roasted with green onions, eight-treasure exquisite duck, steamed bear paws, stir-fried deer antlers...
These are delicacies that ordinary people have no access to!
In addition to these delicacies, there is also a pot of Shaoxing rice wine on the table.
But this rice wine is not an ordinary rice wine, but a fine Nürhong made from dozens of years ago.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! However, these things are not the most conspicuous on the desktop.
The really eye-catching thing is the plate of gold ingots placed in the center of the table.
The gold is shining and dazzling, making people unable to look away even if they just take a look at it.
There are about two hundred taels!
Although Su Wenze is fat, he has a good temperament.
Sitting there, the smile on his face made him look like a kind Maitreya Buddha.
Opposite Su Wenze, there was a man dressed as a member of staff in rich and colorful clothes.
This official's surname is Zhou, and he is a well-known wealthy person in Tai'an Prefecture.
Zhou Yuanwai cupped his hands towards Su Wenze, pointed to the plate on the table, estimated that there were two hundred taels of gold, and said.
"I'd like to thank you, the prefect, for worrying about the lands of my Zhou family near the river outside the city!"
Hearing this, Su Wenze raised his eyelids slightly and slowly chewed a sea cucumber in his mouth.
He said in an official tone.
"This matter is not that easy to handle!"
"The fertile farmland on the riverbank outside the city can be divided by the imperial court and specially used to resettle the refugees in farming."
"It's very important, it's very important!"
"Never move lightly!"
Su Wenze said that things were difficult to handle, but what he really meant was that more money would be needed.
The land on the riverbank outside the city was originally wasteland, but after the restoration of the Ming Dynasty, the court set aside those wastelands to resettle the landless farmers in Tai'an Prefecture.
The imperial court provided seeds and agricultural tools, and the refugees contributed their efforts to reclaim a large piece of wasteland of approximately two to three thousand acres.
Then, those refugees only need to pay taxes to the court and pay rent for ten years, and the land will be theirs!
Because it is close to the river, it is easy to irrigate. Even though the fertile land is still considered raw land, the grain yield is not low!
Then, that piece of land was targeted by the Zhou family, the largest wealthy family in Tai'an Prefecture!
The Zhou family colluded with the prefect of Tai'an Prefecture and planned to take those fertile fields as their own.
Zhou Yuanwai naturally understood what Su Wenze meant and said with a smile.
"I have an inkstone in my home. It is said that it was used by Fan Zhongyan and Fan Wenzhenggong back then. I would like to ask you to help me taste it."
"I am willing to give you another thousand silver dollars for your hard work, so that your work will not be in vain."
When Su Wenze heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up.
The so-called inkstone that Fan Zhongyan once used was, to put it bluntly, just a piece of shit.
As a scholar, Fan Zhongyan used so many inkstones throughout his life that no one could judge whether they were true or false.
What really concerned Su Wenze was the thousand silver dollars.
There are only two to three thousand acres of farmland on the river bank outside the city. The Zhou family is willing to pay two hundred taels of gold and one thousand silver dollars, which is not a small amount.
[To be honest, I have been using the Huanyuan app recently to read and catch up on updates. It can switch sources and read aloud with many sounds, huanyuanapp. Both Android and Apple are available.]
This adds up to almost three thousand silver dollars!
Su Wenze showed a smile on his face, nodded and said.
"Easy to say, easy to say!"
"Although this matter is difficult to handle, since Mr. Zhou is so sincere, I can help you handle it."
After pondering for a moment, Su Wenze took another bite of the food and then spoke.
"Let's see. I remember that Zhou Yuanwai had the title deeds for the fields on the river bank, but they were just lost."
"When I turn around, I will ask Master to apply for a new land deed for Zhou Yuanwai. With the land deed in hand, it will be easy to do things with integrity!"
"This is the court's fault. Before settling the refugees in the wasteland, it did not check whether the wasteland was owned by an owner."
"Now that we have found out clearly, we will naturally make corrections!"
"Don't worry, once the land deed is reissued, I will arrange for people to drive those refugees away from the land and free up the land for Zhou Yuanwai."
Two to three thousand acres of land, and the lives and fortunes of hundreds of refugees, were decided in just a few words at this dining table.
When Zhou Yuanwai heard this, he stood up from his seat very attentively, poured wine for Su Wenze himself, and then poured a full glass for himself.
He raised his glass and said.
"I would like to propose a toast to Mr. Su!"
"Master Su is really the great master of Qingtian. Having a good official like Master Su is really a blessing to the people of Tai'an!"
After saying that, Zhou Yuanwai drank all the wine in the cup.
To him, isn't Su Wenze just a great master?
For collecting money to do things, is there any better official than this?
Su Wenze also raised his glass, touched his lips a little, and then let it go.
But Member Zhou was not dissatisfied at all. He just continued to greet Su Wenze to eat, and then spoke again.
"Master Su, there is a new oiran in this Elegant Immortal Residence. It is said that he is both talented and beautiful. Would you be interested in tasting it?"
"If your Excellency is interested, I will help you invite them here!"
Su Wenze took another bite of food and said with a smile.
"I am an official of the imperial court. How can I have sex with a prostitute in public?"
“Are the dignity of court officials no longer needed?”
Su Wenze pretended to be serious.
The key point of his sentence lies in the four words "in public"!
But Zhou Yuanwai understood instantly and spoke.
"Master Su, I have a house in the city, which is usually vacant and unoccupied."
"It's getting late tonight, sir. Please don't go back to the government office anymore. Go and spend the night at your outhouse!"
Su Wenze nodded and looked at Mr. Zhou with approval.
This is spiritual!
After Su Wenze nodded in agreement, Zhou Yuanwai resigned.
Of course, he didn't leave, but went to help Su Wenze arrange tonight's program.
…
After the banquet was over, Su Wenze, who was full of wine and food, boarded the sedan chair and headed all the way to Yuan Zhou's outer house in the city.
In that outer house, there was an oiran from Yaxianju waiting for her.
How can an oiran stay alone during the long night?
Late at night in Tai'an City, due to the curfew, there was only one sedan traveling on the wide street.
The curfew must be binding on ordinary people!
But for a prefect like Su Wenze, the binding force is almost nonexistent.
Is it possible that anyone else dares to stop the prefect's sedan chair on the street?
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The master from the government office followed closely beside the sedan chair and couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Sir, today you agreed to Zhou Yuanwai's request for land on the river beach. How will the refugees who were placed on the river beach by the court be resettled?"
The master is a close confidant of Su Wenze, so he doesn't have too many scruples to ask such taboo questions.
He basically knows all about Su Wenze's troubles. For example, he took over the matter of Su Wenze selling the relief money and food allocated by the court some time ago.
I don’t care about one more thing!
When Su Wenze heard this, he just waved his hands and said.
"It doesn't matter. At worst, I will report to the court and say that another refugee has arrived in our Tai'an Mansion."
"Just ask the court to allocate funds for relief and resettlement!"
"When the time comes, maybe we can make another fortune!"
Su Wenze's little calculation was extremely shrewd.
By driving the refugees away from the reclaimed land on the riverbank, he could earn a fortune from Zhou Yuan and the imperial court.
After all, there are refugees in Tai'an Mansion again. Can the court still resettle them?
Do you, Zhu Hongyu, want to lose your reputation as the master of ZTE?
Maybe, after a while, Su Wenze will be able to do this again!
The court provides money, the refugees contribute their efforts, the local landlords and gentry provide money to acquire land, and he eats both!
Simply perfect!
The master said hesitantly.
"Sir, are you afraid of causing some trouble?"
Su Wenze waved his hand and said.
"What kind of trouble can a group of untouchables cause?"
"Our Tai'an Mansion is thousands of miles away from the capital. It is not an exaggeration to say that the Emperor is far away!"
"The emperor is in the capital. He is the master of the Ming Dynasty and the resurgence of the Ming Dynasty. He is a supreme emperor who can decide everything in the world with one word!"
"But in this Tai'an Mansion, I have the final say!"
Su Wenze served as the prefect of Tai'an for more than ten years. Even before becoming the prefect of Tai'an, he had been an official under the rule of Tai'an Prefecture.
After so many years of business, it is absolutely correct to say that Tai'an Mansion is his hall of fame!
Even last year, the Ming Dynasty's Northern Expedition and the change of Tai'an government to the Ming Dynasty were all handled by him, Su Wenze, relying on his own prestige.
Otherwise, Tai'an Mansion would not be able to change its banner and return to the Ming Dynasty so easily!