"A hundred thousand taels of silver were used up in one night? Are you here to do business?" Liu Ziguang was very puzzled. This Zhu Tianxia is very strange. He is good at science, gambling, and martial arts, and now he actually starts a small business. It's really mysterious.
Test.
"It's Brother Liu. I've been waiting for you for a long time. This stall doesn't belong to me. I'm just here for fun." Zhu Tianxia said while operating, and quickly served two bowls of fragrant duck blood vermicelli soup, green coriander,
White duck intestines, yellow duck liver, brown duck blood, gray translucent mung bean vermicelli, and bright red chili oil. This guy's craftsmanship is really impressive.
"Fifty cents, thank you." Zhu Tianxia reached out his hand for the money seriously. Liu Ziguang laughed dumbly: "My brother will settle the account tomorrow, yes, Xiao Ding, give him fifty cents."
Ding Libin took out five Apocalypse treasures worth ten coins and handed them to Zhu Tianxia. The latter smiled and explained: "I don't care about the money, but doing business must look like a business, and my family can't eat either."
I won’t pay you. Besides, this business is not mine, so everyone should take care of this old man Wang. Let’s do this. I’ll treat you to a restaurant next time.”
"Very good, I remember it. Xiao Ding, call all the brothers over. Each of you will have two bowls to support you." Liu Ziguang said while eating. The taste is really good. The ingredients are all fresh and natural. I didn't expect it.
Zhu Tianxia is still an all-rounder. "By the way, what did you mean when you said you've been waiting for me for a long time?" Liu Ziguang asked.
"Haha, didn't you mention that you came to the Ministry of War to do business last time? It just so happens that the stall where I often do business is in Xiliuwan, next to the Ministry of War, so I stopped by to wait for you to see if there is anything I can do to help you.
Yesterday you shared a total of 150,000 taels of silver with me, plus you saved my life once, so it seems unreasonable not to give you a little help." Zhu Tianxia shook his head and said, as if he had everything he could get.
"Brother Zhu, I'm not being petty. Thank you first, brother. I went to the Ordnance Department of the Ministry of War to collect the one million taels of arrears. It's not a trivial matter." Liu Ziguang said, this Zhu Tianxia looks very mysterious. Could it be the king?
The descendant of the Jue family is named Zhu... which is the same surname as the emperor.
While they were talking, a blue cloth sedan was carried over, followed by four soldiers. There was a slight commotion at the entrance of the Ministry of War Yamen, "Master Zheng is here, hurry in and line up." It turned out to be Yuanwailang from the Ordnance Department.
Coming.
Liu Ziguang quickly put down the bowl, took Zhu Tianxia and ran to the yamen. When he reached the door, he was stopped by the imperial guard guarding the door. "What does this boy do?"
How unbecoming would it be to run into the Ministry of War Yamen when there is nothing wrong?
"Oh, I'm a clerk from the nearby Tianxiang Tower. The military commander there just sent someone to order me in to order food." Zhu Tianxia lied without blushing and his heart skipped a beat. He was very talented at being a liar.
There were so many people coming and going at the yamen gate that the imperial guards couldn't tell the real thing from the fake one, so they waved their hands to let them in.
Arriving at the door of the Ordnance Department, Mr. Zheng had already gone in to work, and the long queue at the door began to move. It seemed that Mr. Zheng was very efficient. He hurried to work at noon and started to deal with official duties without even washing his face.
, or in other words, receiving benefits.
The Ordnance Department has great power. It purchases weapons, military raw materials, and finished products from various places, and allocates and rations materials for troops in various places. Armor, soldiers, swords, guns, bows and arrows, uniforms, tents, city defense equipment, chariots and ships, Ming Dynasty
The ordnance used by the millions of troops in the North is purchased here, which is definitely a lucrative business.
At the front of the queue are people from the Jiangnan Silk Factory. Soldiers' uniforms are all made of satin, not to look good but to wrap arrows and reduce damage, so silk and satin are also targets for bulk purchases. There are also Wuchang Shipyard and Changzhou Qishuyan Machinery
People from the factory use Wuchang Shipyard's steam paddle steamers on the Yangtze River, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea. Troop transport, multipurpose trains, and military trains in the plains of northern Jiangsu, Anhui, and Henan all purchase locomotives and carriages from Qishuyan Machinery Factory.
There are also a few people from the Liguo Iron Works. The steam repeating crossbows produced by the iron works are powerful weapons for city defense, and other swords, guns, swords, halberds and armors also account for a large share. They are important suppliers to the Ordnance Department of the Ministry of War.
Fortunately, they arrived early, and there were only a few people waiting in front of them. Mr. Zheng also dealt with official affairs quickly and approved the reply very quickly. One by one, the business representatives in front smiled and took the notes for the money, thanking them profusely.
He walked out backwards. In less than two cups of tea, it was Liu Ziguang's turn to go in.
The two parties sat down and the boy was watching tea. Liu Ziguang was not polite and motioned to the assistant manager to take out the receipts and previous contracts issued by the Ministry of War, and showed them to Mr. Zheng: "Sir Zheng, there is already a transaction account between our Liguo Iron Works and the Ministry of War.
The receivables are 1,064,500 taels. According to the contract, they should have been settled three months ago, but now they have not paid a penny. Please be merciful and pay us some money so that we can turn over production.
To serve the imperial court, we will definitely remember your kindness and will use part of our money to pay for your carriage and horses."
Although the words were not tactful enough, the meaning was expressed very clearly. It is only natural to pay back the debt, not to mention that the carriage and horse fees were promised, so there is no reason to refuse to pay the bill.
Mr. Zheng looked at the invitation in his hand and thought about something, "The chief accountant of the Liguo Iron Works has been replaced. That's about it. The government's finances are tight and they have no money to pay the guests recently."
Liu Ziguang was surprised that he was pushed out so quickly. It must have been too fast. No, we can't just leave like this. "Master Zheng, how come the government's finances are so tight that the first few people can get the money? I am very familiar with Wei Guogong, sir."
Can you give me some face?"
Mr. Zheng raised his face and said: "How presumptuous! Do I need your guidance on what I do? I do things impartially. I only have Nine Thousand Years Old and the Emperor in my heart. I don't know that Wei Guogong. Come and see off the guests!"
Liu Ziguang shook his hands angrily, and Zhu Tianxia behind him stepped out and said: "Master Zheng, as far as I know, the imperial court's money has been quite abundant recently. During the Northern War, the emperor issued a decree not to default on the purchase of ordnance, and to provide full supply."
Yes, I don’t know where Lord Zheng’s so-called financial tension comes from. If he defaults on arrears for no reason, it will hurt the hearts of manufacturers all over the world and destroy the credibility of the court. What is your intention? Where is the imperial edict? Where is the emperor?
?”
Zhu Tianxia, every word he said was heart-wrenching, making the ordnance officer Wai Lang so angry that he said: "You, a servant, actually utter arrogant words and slander the imperial officials. Come here, beat them out with sticks! Then!"
People from the National Railway Works are not allowed to enter the Ministry of War! As long as I am still in charge of the Ordnance Department, you will never get a penny! Don't even think about future contracts!"
After Master Zheng finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves and returned to the back hall. Several errands from the Ordnance Department came over and coaxed Liu Ziguang and others outside.
Although I really want to follow the back hall and beat Mr. Zheng all over the ground, this place is not a gambling boat on the Qinhuai River. It is one of the six dignitary departments of the imperial court. It is equivalent to the Ministry of National Defense in the 21st century. You must not be reckless.
, Liu Ziguang and a group of his men were driven out of the Ministry of War Yamen in despair.
"Brother Zhu, look at how helpful you are. The more you help, the more help you get. Hahaha." Liu Ziguang didn't mean to blame Zhu Tianxia. He said those words very freely, and even if he didn't say those words, Mr. Zheng wouldn't know how to do it.
Granted them money.
However, Zhu Tianxia was very unhappy. Yesterday, he checked the memorial from the Ministry of War, which listed recent expenses. The one million taels of ordnance purchase expenses for the Liguo Iron Works were listed among them, so he was so confident today.
I came here to join in the fun, but I didn’t expect the people from the Ministry of War to be so bold. This is... the crime of deceiving the emperor!
"Brother Liu, it was my poor thinking that caused you trouble, but please don't worry, I will ensure that you get the money tomorrow at this time, otherwise my surname will not be Zhu!" Zhu Tianxia seemed to be very angry with Mr. Zheng.
, and said harsh words.
"It doesn't matter, I have a clever plan. Let's go have a drink. You just said there is a Tianxiang Tower nearby, right..." Liu Ziguang has already planned several bad ideas in his mind, such as beating sap, kidnapping his wife and children, and collecting evidence of bribery.
Sexy news and so on. Use it all on this person named Zheng. If you don't give it, I'll kill you. Let's find another member of staff and see if he can give it.
"Okay, let's have a drink to relax, I'll treat you!" Zhu Tianxia took Liu Ziguang and his group to Tianxiang Tower, and arranged five large tables and a private seat. They all served tables of dishes and bottles of wine.
.Twenty of Liu Ziguang's men were feasting and drinking downstairs, while he and Zhu Tianxia were drinking in a private room by the window upstairs.
The identity of this Zhu Tianxia is not simple at all, because Liu Ziguang always feels that there are some masters wandering around him, and he always keeps a distance from Zhu Tianxia, neither far nor close.
"Brother Zhu, there seems to be some of your men nearby. Why don't you call them over and open two tables for them to eat?" Liu Ziguang said.
"It doesn't matter, they will solve it themselves." Seeing that Liu Ziguang had already discovered it, Zhu Tianxia did not deny it. "Brother Liu, this Yuanwai Lang named Zheng is so hateful. Tomorrow I will find a censor to read a copy of him, and you can just take a look at it.
"
Sure enough, he is a descendant of the official Wang Jue family, and he must be a prostitute. I don’t know which one is more powerful, or Wei Guogong, Liu Ziguang thought to himself. He said with a sinister smile: "He is involved because he is disrespectful to the emperor, ignores the imperial edict, and actually treats Jiu Guogong.
Chitose's name is ranked higher than that of the Emperor! But I was so rude to you and my brother today, so the debt must be settled immediately, otherwise I won't be able to sleep well tonight."
"How to calculate?" Zhu Tianxia asked.
"I have sent someone to wait at the entrance of the Ministry of War. As soon as Zheng came out, someone followed him. When he got to a place where no one was around, hehe, I have arranged for someone to buy sacks. If you don't beat him, he will look for teeth all over the floor.
Give him the last name Zheng!"
After drinking for a while, someone came to report that Mr. Zheng's blue cloth sedan came out, and he took four soldiers and ran south.
"Very good, let's explore again!" Liu Ziguang drank his wine calmly and ordered.
The drinking continued until someone came to report that Master Zheng had entered a certain river house by the Qinhuai River. Only then did Liu Ziguang stop his cup and chopsticks and called to Zhu Tianxia: "Let's go and beat him up."