For three full days after the reward was posted, no one came to visit Cui's house in Wenji Lane except Cui Ju. On the night of the third day, Jia Cong asked someone to prepare the 20,000 reward card and prepare it for posting in the morning.
At midnight, several people were sitting in front of the hall talking. The doorman came in and said that Mr. Lu was here last time and brought an elder. Jia Cong ordered him to come into the study. After a while, the doorman led people in, and Liuzhuang saw that person at a glance.
The old man's beard and hair were all white, so he knew he was not an ordinary person, so he hurriedly stepped forward and led the way in person.
Entering the study, Jia Cong stood up respectfully and bowed. The old man frowned and looked at Jia Cong for a long time, then suddenly asked: "Do you recognize Lin Hai?"
Jia Cong was stunned: "I recognize him. Mr. Lin is in good health and in a good mood."
The old man hummed: "In a good mood? Naturally, I am in a good mood. I have a son-in-law!"
Jia Cong was not sure about this person's origins, so he said casually: "Although General Jia lives in the Lin family, he is not a door-to-door son-in-law in the traditional sense. He just does it for the convenience of daily life."
The old man said scornfully: "Who has the final say in their family?"
"Prime Minister Lin." Jia Cong said, "But Prime Minister Lin has the final say in the entire Yan Kingdom. Even if you don't like women serving as officials, you have to admit that the regent is still very discerning. Officials from various countries can compare with that woman.
It’s almost impossible to find it.” As he said this, Mr. Lu winked.
The old man choked and suddenly walked away. Mr. Lu hurriedly caught up with him: "Uncle, please wait..."
Shen Zhimo happened to be pouring tea in the room and heard it. Holding the tea tray, he whispered curiously: "Hey Liuzhuang, isn't that Mr. Lu here to talk about the affairs of the Lu family? He is actually here to ask about the affairs of the Lin family?"
Liuzhuang also said in a low voice and clearly: "Probably ask about personal matters first and then business matters."
"Why is he leaving now?"
"I feel bad asking about personal matters."
The old man suddenly turned around and pointed at Liuzhuang and said: "You are so bold! The master is talking about the guests in front of you. Mr. Zhou, is this how your family restrains its servants?"
Jia Cong hurriedly said: "You have always misunderstood, he is not a servant." He looked at Liuzhuang and said, "How can I afford such a valuable servant? He is the biological brother of Queen Liu of the English Kingdom of the West."
The old man and Mr. Lu were both shocked and looked at each other. Mr. Lu hurriedly bowed: "It turns out that he is a foreigner's royal relative. I am rude and rude." Liuzhuang also returned the courtesy. Mr. Lu took advantage of the situation and asked, "May I ask where Mr. Liu is now?
High position?"
Liu Zhuang said: "I am serving as a personal soldier of General Jarvis, the Jiedushi Envoy of the Beijing Camp." The Lu family were stunned again.
Jia Cong smiled and said: "You two, since you are here, why don't you sit down and have a cup of tea."
Mr. Lu hurriedly asked his third uncle to sit down, and he sat next to him and exchanged a few words with Jia Cong. After a while, the old man snorted: "Lin Hai married a daughter of the Jia family. Although he got the advantage, he still didn't have a son."
Jia Cong immediately guessed what was going on and said with a smile: "Regardless of why he married the daughter of the Jia family back then, judging from the results alone, the decision was correct. If he had married a daughter from another family, Lin Daiyu would not have had a child.
Come out? This kind of rare talent is so rare. As long as something goes wrong, it will never come to the world. Even if I have ten sons, none of them can become the prime minister. Compared with having only one daughter but being in charge of a country that will be remembered in history, it would be you.
Which one would you like to choose?" The old man was speechless again.
Mr. Lu whispered from the side: "Third uncle, let's talk about serious matters."
Jia Cong also said: "Is there something going on here today, old man?"
The old man then said seriously: "The imperial court of Yan Kingdom sent you here to win over the Cui family?"
Jia Cong also said sternly: "It's not a win-win. It's just a propaganda to publicize Yan's national policy and the benefits of Yan. I hope the Cui family can go to Yan to set up factories and shops and activate the economy."
The old man chuckled and said, "What's the benefit? Is it a benefit if the superiors and subordinates are in chaos?"
"You can deal with it this way," Jia Cong said, "send young people to open factories and shops in Yan State to make money, and use the money to return to Qi State to live. You can not only benefit from the good policies of Yan State, but also enjoy the status of Qi State."
The old man wondered: "Doesn't this mean that the State of Yan is benefiting the State of Qi?"
"How come Yan State benefits Qi State? Does the Lu family still have to pay taxes to Qi State after earning money from Yan State?"
"Since the Lu family is living in Qi, they rarely use money."
Jia Cong smiled and said: "How much money can you spend on eating, drinking, and having sex, and how much tax do you have to pay? Wait and see, old man. You will buy all the good things in Yan State and bring them back for use."
The old man thought for a while, nodded and said: "That makes sense. Let me ask you, why does Yan State not allow wealthy families to keep slaves."
Jia Cong said: "As far as the imperial court is concerned, between the hundreds of servants in the Gaoqiang courtyard who carefully serve their masters and the hundreds of workers in the factory who work enthusiastically, the latter is naturally more cost-effective. The same is true for women. Yan State is short of labor and is extremely
lack."
There was a look of understanding on the old man's face, and it was obvious that he had already guessed it. "So that's it. It's just too eager for quick success. If things go on like this, I'm afraid the ambitions of the people will overflow."
Jia Cong immediately said: "We have to give the lower class a chance to climb up, otherwise who will work hard? Don't big families always choose good sons-in-law? No matter how wealthy a family is, if their children and grandchildren are idle and have nothing to do, they will be stepped on by others sooner or later."
The old man said calmly: "People who have passed through the years have their own ways of teaching their children and grandchildren."
Jia Cong shrugged: "How many aristocratic families are there in the country? Are there any talented people among the rest of the population who have been delayed because they failed to go to school? The country is getting bigger and bigger, and the number of aristocratic families and scholars can no longer meet the demand for talents.
"
The old man's eyes flashed: "The country is getting bigger and bigger?"
"South America, North America, Nanyang, Australia." Jia Cong said simply, "The imperial court is not a philanthropist. Only when there is a need can it be motivated."
"I heard that these places are wild and sparsely populated."
"Wouldn't it be easy for the generals to fight hard to drive away the Westerners?"
The old man frowned. Mr. Lu said from the side: "Third uncle, my nephew thinks that what Ji'er said is very true. In the early years, we were stubborn and had fallen behind others."
Jia Cong clapped his hands and said: "I know that a thousand-year-old family must have smart people. Who is this young master Jian?"
Mr. Lu said: "He is my nephew. He traveled around for a few years to study, and then went to Dajiala, Taiwan, where he lived for three years. He just came back at the end of the last year."
Jia Cong immediately smiled: "You can only feel it through personal experience. In that case - old man, Mr. Lu, I would rather say it than him. I believe he must have taken a lot of photos, and you must have seen them. Seeing is believing.
.”
The old man thought for a moment and said: "Mr. Zhou, I have something unclear. According to what my grandnephew said, the Yan Kingdom seems to have no intention of fighting for territory and is prepared to live in peace with other countries."
Jia Cong nodded: "That's right. No one can compete with the Yan State in a war. Looking back, no one who wants to cause trouble for the Yan State will find it."
"Why not unite the world?"
Jia Cong smiled and said: "If the world is unified, the responsibility will naturally not be limited to places like Yan State. The regent and others must make the people of the country live a good life. People are lazy. "Journey to the West" says that it is better to
If you love your hometown for a moment, you will never love a foreign country. If the whole country is living well, who would want to immigrate abroad? How many people would rather be tenants in their hometown than go abroad to be landlords." The old man gasped.
Taking a breath of air-conditioning, Jia Cong said slowly and calmly, "Many people in Qi State are living in a difficult situation today, so they poured into the State of Yan with nothing. The State of Yan then sent them overseas to open up wasteland or work. Although they left their hometowns, they had food, clothing, and a job.
Life is much better than in Qi, so we won’t think about returning home. In another hundred or two hundred years, our clan will be able to occupy those places."
The old man couldn't help but snap: "So that's it!" He looked at him sideways, "So, Qi is just waiting for Yan to be hollowed out?"
"It's easy to say." Jia Cong bowed his hand and said, "Thank you to the people of Qi for their contributions to future generations. The descendants of future generations will come back to worship their ancestors."
The old man thought over his words again, nodded and said: "That kid Jia Cong is really cruel." Jia Cong smiled and said nothing. The old man sighed, "It's true, if you don't move, you are waiting to die." Then he ate it.
He took a sip of tea, coughed twice, and asked, "Boy Zhou, if you have any good national policies for Yan State, please tell me."
Jia Cong was overjoyed. If the Lu family transferred their capital to the Yan State, they would be digging into the roots of the Qi State. He smiled hurriedly and said, "That's too much. Let me tell you later." Then he turned into a salesman and worked item by item.
Let the old man introduce the preferential policies of Yan State to attract investment and encourage industry, especially the tax benefits.
The old man laughed when he heard the fourth item, shook his head and said, "Who came up with such destructive tricks?"
The fourth item is export tax rebate. It was the name proposed by Jia Cong back then, and Lin Daiyu and others improved the entire policy. Then she winked: "Lin Hai and his daughter thought of it."
The old man snorted heavily. After a while, he glanced at Jia Cong: "Does the Cui family want to marry their daughter to you?"
Jia Cong quickly waved his hand: "No! I have a wife, and I am most afraid of my wife."
Mr. Lu said from the side: "Today, my sister met with a young lady from the Cui family. She said that there was news among the Cui family's female relatives that they wanted to choose someone to marry to the Yan Kingdom."
Jia Cong suddenly thought of what old Cui Mian asked Liuzhuang two days ago, and laughed and said: "Maybe he has fallen in love with me." Shen Zhimo followed suit and laughed. Liuzhuang turned to look out the window. Jia Cong said seriously, "I have a good daughter.
There is no benefit in marrying the son of a political figure in the Yan State. It is better to be sent to the capital or Dajiala to study, and then go to the Yan State to serve as an official through formal channels. A capable female official is much more useful than a virtuous grandmother. The Yan State is in short supply now.
What a waste of talent! It’s such a waste to have so many capable women sitting in the backyard taking care of maids, mothers, and concubines.”
The old man stroked his beard and said, "I understand what the State of Yan wants. It only requires talents, regardless of gender."
Jia Cong corrected him: "Regardless of men, women, old or young, scholars, farmers, industry or merchants."
The old man cursed: "Greedy!"
Jia Cong raised his hand and said, "Thank you for the compliment."
The old man snorted again and asked, "I don't know why you posted the reward notice. I'm afraid it won't be easy to succeed."
"I know." Jia Cong smiled, "Don't be afraid, the money is enough. The worst is to add more money, more money. Under the heavy reward, there will be a brave man."
The old man said: "No matter how generous the reward is, it won't be enough. Even if you make money, what's the use of spending it without your life?" Jia Cong's eyes jumped. The old man said with a straight face, "It's late at night, I, old man, should go."
"No~~" Jia Cong shouted, "Please finish your words!" The old man ignored him and put down his tea cup.
Mr. Lu hurriedly said goodbye. Jia Cong had no choice but to get up and send them out.
When they returned to the study, Liu Xiaoqi and Shen Zhimo were already discussing. Jia Cong simply sat next to him and listened for a while. Seeing that Liu Zhuang seemed to be wandering in the world, he asked, "What is Zhuang'er thinking about?"
Liu Zhuang said: "The Cui family and the Lu Furniture family are aristocratic families in the Qi State. There is no small difference in the behavior of the two families."
"Huh? What did you see?"
"I felt a little strange a few days ago. They sent Zhou Lang and others to test my martial arts skills. I am just a guard, what does it matter about my martial arts skills? The Cui family knows the identity of the prince, and the matter of His Highness the Fifth Prince has nothing to do with us. The accomplices should be closer in theory - it is a serious crime, and the Cui family and the Fifth Highness are serious enough to fight to the death. Unfortunately, only Cui Ju, a junior in their family, has been here so far, and he has no intention of getting involved with the Yan Kingdom. The guests Cui Ju introduced to the prince in the past few days were all Confucian scholars. Except for Mr. Lu, the rest of them were only worried that the prince's poems had lost their stickiness. On the other hand, the Lu family, although Mr. Lu also started with poems, led them elsewhere. Yes. Today, an important old man has come to discuss the national policy of Yan State."
Hearing this, Liu Xiaoqi immediately snapped: "That's right! The regent of a neighboring country is here, why don't you quickly send a few people with the final say from the clan to ask for some tax reduction methods? No matter how bad it is, you should be like this Mr. Lu. Just ask how to make money from Yan State."
Jia Cong touched his chin: "What I'm saying is that the focus of the family should be the long-term development of the family. The Cui family has no intention of doing so. It seems that they owe me a favor and quickly close the case and disappear from the world. I haven't received the due treatment. Pay attention to."
Shen Zhimo interrupted: "What is the status of old man Cui Mian in the Cui family? Is he as high as the old man just now in the Lu family?"
Jia Cong said: "He is the in-law of King Qi, and he will not be low. Is there something wrong with the Cui family?"
Several people looked at each other for a moment. Liu Xiaoqi stood up and said, "I'll go to Cui's house to check."
"Wait!" Jia Cong raised his right hand. After thinking for a long time, "Go to the horse bank to find out where the Mr. Lu who came today lives." Liu Xiaoqi understood what he was thinking in an instant, and smiled. Go out the window.
Liu Xiaoqi didn't come back until the fifth watch. When he checked, he was shocked. The old man's name was Lu Jian, and he had served as the minister of the Ministry of War when the Supreme Emperor was in power. Due to the death of his father, he resigned and returned to his hometown to observe filial piety, and never returned to court. Liu Xiaoqi After getting the address from the horse dealer, I went straight to Mr. Lu's house and took a peek. I saw that the old man's study was packed with more than 30 people. The long desk was covered with photos, all of which belonged to Da Jiala. I listened for a while. , the three generations of the Lu family were discussing the matter of setting up a factory in Yan State, and it was very lively. There was a young man who talked the most. From what others called him, he must be Lu Jian, who had studied in Dajiala for three years. Suddenly I heard Lu Jian talking to a The elders argued for a long time and then said: "If we hesitate any longer, we will fall behind! The Taiwan government has unified the currency with several foreign countries! That Lu Sangu can already control the market economy!" Everyone was drunk and I was in a hurry to wake up. meaning.
Liu Xiaoqi smiled quietly, left the house, went back to the house and knocked on the door, saying that he was sent by Prime Minister Zhou of Yan State. Not long after, Lu Jian sent an old servant to invite him in, and led him directly into the study. Liu Xiaoqi then He cupped his hands and said in a low voice: "Please forgive me, old man. Our master suddenly feels that the place where he lives is not safe. Could you please recommend a safe place to escape?"
Lu Jian's eyes jumped. Liu Xiaoqi came too hastily. The old man thought, if it wasn't true, what other reason could force Mr. Zhou to be in such a hurry? He immediately said: "My family's nursing skills are pretty good. How about Mr. Zhou?"
If you don't like it, you can come and stay in the guest house for a few days." Liu Xiaoqi bowed to the ground.
Early the next morning, Jia Cong and others packed up their luggage and went out without hesitation. When they arrived at the door, the doorman came up to him and said curiously: "Mr. Zhou, you got up very early today. Where are you going?"
Jia Cong smiled and rewarded him with five taels of silver: "Last night I asked Mr. Lu for advice and I benefited a lot. The old man invited me to stay for a few days, and I agreed. You have to go back to the Cui family's mansion and tell Cui Ju."
Menzi was shocked: "Mr. Zhou is going to live somewhere else?"
"Yeah." Jia Cong said, "Stay here for a few days." He flew on his horse.
The disciple was anxious, so he rushed forward and asked, "Sir, are you back yet?"
"I'll probably be back soon. It's inconvenient to bother the old man all the time." Jia Cong waved to him and led the others away.
The door was so anxious that they couldn't even lock the door and ran away.