A feeling of heartache suddenly surged into Li An's heart.
This is too dark. In just a short while, three thousand taels of silver notes were taken away from me.
But seeing Xiao Chen's nonchalant gaze, Li An's reluctance disappeared silently, and he couldn't help but droop his head and accept his fate.
Not to mention that his wife and children are currently being taken care of by others, as long as Xiao Chen reaches out and solves his problems, it is only a matter of minutes. The most important thing is that he must continue to cooperate with him in the future to get more banknotes.
.
As if he had read through Li An's thoughts, Xiao Chen laughed.
"Master Li, do you feel aggrieved? However, if Wang Wencheng knew that your wife and children were still alive, do you think he would sink the boat? Alas, you have to take care of yourself when I leave."
"Wait, wait," Li An suddenly reacted and took out all the remaining banknotes from his arms, "Brother Xiao, we hit it off immediately. You said you were leaving, and I was really reluctant to leave.
.How about you leave a few brothers in Shangshu Mansion and let me see them every day to comfort the pain of missing Brother Xiao."
With that said, he stuffed the banknote into Xiao Chen's arms.
"Don't be like this, we are brothers. You can keep these banknotes to supplement your family income. I will leave the whistle outside the door for you. If there is any danger, just call loudly and someone will rescue you." Xiao Chen took the banknotes in Li An's hand.
Pushed away and said with a smile.
"Brother Xiao is such a righteous man!" Li An was so moved that he almost shed tears.
He stretched out his right hand and patted Li An twice on the shoulder: "Of course. Otherwise, how could I help you take the blame? Okay, I'm leaving. I promise to arrange everything for my wife and son."
Turning around, Xiao Chen walked out of the door of Shangshu Mansion.
Looking at the more than 1,900 taels of silver notes left in his hand, a smile gradually appeared on Li An's face.
"Brother Xiao is such a good man. Without him, I wouldn't dare to accept these banknotes."
He put the banknote away with a smile, turned around and sat on the chair, crossed his legs, held the tea bowl filled with the best cooked tea, and hummed a ditty again.
Xiao Chen left Shangshu Mansion and went straight to Zuo'anmen.
After paying two hundred taels of silver to the innkeeper, Li An's wife and children were sent to Dongchang Prison.
Before leaving, he took out another thousand taels of silver notes and handed them to Du Shaoqin.
"What are you doing? Making a fortune?" Du Shaoqin was stunned and felt a little at a loss holding the banknote.
"Just take it. Get some benefits for the brothers, don't spend it alone." Xiao Chen didn't explain.
"This is not a small sum. Just give it to our prison guards?"
"You talk a lot of nonsense. When there is no reward, you look forward to it all day long. Here is a banknote for you, and you keep asking questions. If you don't want it, bring it." Xiao Chen smiled and pretended to take it back.
Du Shaoqin turned around and put the banknote into his arms: "I know you are busy, let's go."
With a smile on his face, he pushed Xiao Chen out of the door.
The next day, at dawn, Xiao Chen took Duan Tianming and dozens of captains of the 13th Army and waited outside the Dongbian Gate.
Winter in the north is mostly sunny.
The sun has not yet come out, and the temperature in the capital is frighteningly low. A cold wind blows by, and the exposed ears seem to be cut off by the cold wind.
Xiao Chen raised his collar, shrank his neck, and covered his ears with the collar.
In the distance, a group of seven or eight horses slowly walked out of the city gate.
The one in the middle is a burly man.
Wearing a three-mountain hat inlaid with gold, a brand-new python robe, an exquisite white jade belt around the waist, and a pair of civil and military soap boots. Riding on a horse, he looks majestic.
Xiao Chen couldn't help but be stunned, is this Zheng He?
Isn't he Eunuch Zheng? He looks quite masculine, more like an important minister in the court.
In the cold wind, Xiao Chen's purple clothes were particularly noticeable. Zheng He jumped off his horse and walked over with a smile on his face.
"Zheng He, the eunuch of the Imperial Envoy, please see Master Ziyi." Zheng He said with a humble look on his face.
Seeing that the other party was still so polite even though he was carrying a heavy responsibility, Xiao Chen quickly got off his horse and held Zheng He's arm.
"Eunuch Zheng, there is no need to be so generous. Let's go to Taicang together to prepare for the treasure ship to go out to sea. We can be considered our own people. Just call me Brother Xiao."
Zheng He was stunned.
Although I did not participate in the government affairs, during these days in the palace, what I heard most was that the purple-robed captain killed Cangcheng, the Minister of Rites, in public at the Meridian Gate.
In his mind, the captain in purple clothes should be majestic and aggressive. But when he saw him today, he was not only thin and small, but also did not look like he was relying on the purple clothes to be superior. Instead, he gave people a feeling of being approachable and humble.
I couldn't help but feel a little better in my heart.
"Okay, I'm older than you, so I'll call you Brother Xiao from now on." Zheng He said with a smile on his face.
"It's thousands of miles away from Taicang. Should we go straight to Taicang, or should we?" Xiao Chen couldn't help but ask.
Even if we go non-stop, we won't be able to reach Taicang within three to five days. However, the emperor said that there are some problems in preparing supplies for the treasure ship. If these problems are not solved, it will be of no use if only people rush to Taicang.
Zheng He smiled and looked at Xiao Chen with admiration: "It seems that the emperor did not send the wrong person. Brother Xiao got the idea as soon as he came. This matter is a long story, let's get on the horse and talk about it as we go."
On the official road, Xiao Chen and Zheng He were walking slowly with two horses side by side.
"Every time our Ming Dynasty treasure ship goes out to sea, we will bring a large amount of porcelain, tea and silk. We will transport these goods to Western countries, and part of them will be exchanged for their local specialties or rare treasures. More goods will be shipped in the form of
Sell them in exchange for real money and silver to enrich our treasury."
"These goods were all collected by the imperial court in the form of taxes. The porcelain and tea have been prepared this year, but the silk is far behind. Jiangsu and Zhejiang are the land of silkworms and silk.
The main silk production areas, especially Hangzhou, have a silk production that is unmatched by other places. Not only is the quantity large, but the quality is also high."
"Let's go to Hangzhou Mansion first to see what's going on this year. Until now when the treasure ships are about to assemble, the silks and silks have not been prepared. Then we will go back to Suzhou Mansion." Zheng He said slowly.
Xiao Chen smiled slightly: "Eunuch Zheng, in recent days, there have been calls from the court to oppose treasure ships going to sea. Did you know?"
"Yes." Zheng He nodded, "The prince has always opposed this matter. This year there are just a few more people following suit. As long as the emperor supports it, they are just talking. I don't take it seriously."
"Eunuch Zheng, does he know why the prince has always been opposed to this matter? I heard that the prince was diligent and caring for the people when he was in charge of the country. Since the treasure ship opened trade between the Ming Dynasty and Western countries, he should have no reason to object?" Xiao Chen couldn't help but ask.
