RPAGF Chapter 1063 Used for the People
Chapter 1063 Used for the People
This trip to Yangzhou was certainly not without reason.
Visiting was one aspect, but more importantly, it was because my sixth aunt's husband now possessed the most advanced and core firearms technology and formulas in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.
If the Zhang family wants to establish a firm foothold in Huainan and turn it into an impregnable stronghold, then they will inevitably need to vigorously develop their own private army or retainers.
With elite firearms, these people's combat effectiveness will be greatly enhanced.
Now that the money issue has been resolved and the materials issue is not a major problem, the remaining issues are the technology and formula.
This matter will inevitably require the help of my sixth aunt's husband.
When Zhang Ping'an mentioned his brother-in-law, he felt both admiration and regret. He cherished talent and, in his original intention, he should have brought his sixth brother-in-law to Huainan to rebuild a firearms workshop to study firearms.
But doing so would attract too much attention, and he didn't want to drag his sixth sister's family into it before things got to that point. The Yu family has hundreds of members, young and old. If he were to harm someone else, he would have no face to face his sixth sister and brother-in-law, and they wouldn't be able to remain relatives.
He had seen plenty of these dramas of relatives turning against each other, and he wouldn't drag his sixth sister's family into it unless the time was right.
As they spoke, the father and son arrived at a side courtyard in the back of the government office, where they unloaded all the gold, silver, jewelry, and jade artifacts they had brought back.
After discussing the matter with his son, Zhang Ping'an intentionally renovated the side courtyard, raised the walls, arranged for his own people to guard the entrance, and opened a new side gate at the back for easier access.
When Jiang Yaozu and his group returned, some of them entered through the side door.
Upon seeing Zhang Ping and his son arrive, having finished their meal, Jiang Yaozu and the others temporarily put down their work and hurriedly came over to pay their respects.
This time, when facing his subordinates, Zhang Ping'an was not as approachable as before. Instead, he adopted an air of official authority, speaking in a gentle yet dignified manner:
"Everyone has had a hard time on this trip. Once everything is cataloged and stored, you can rest for a few days. Also, the accounting department has prepared reward money. You can go to the accounting department to collect your money after everything is finished."
"Thank you, sir!" Jiang Yaozu and the others bowed again to express their gratitude.
"Alright, you guys keep going with your work, I'll just take a look."
As soon as he finished speaking, he tactfully handed over a booklet that had already been partially registered, allowing Zhang Ping'an to review it, and then pointed out the entries to Zhang Ping'an in order.
"Eastern pearls, amber, agate, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, lapis lazuli, coral—haha, all these rare and precious items are here. You know, in the past, Eastern pearls were reserved for the royal family. It was strictly stipulated that only the emperor, empress dowager, and empress could wear them. On average, only 3 to 4 high-quality Eastern pearls could be harvested from three tons of pearl shells, making harvesting extremely difficult."
Ordinary people don't even have the chance to see it, but now it's sold by the box. It's clear that this stuff was probably looted from the national treasury," Zhang Ping'an said as he looked at it.
"It's all the people's hard-earned money, so it should naturally be taken from the people and used for the people. Now that people's lives are difficult, it's just the right time to put it to use," Xiaoyuer said with righteous indignation because there were outsiders present.
Of course, this statement is not entirely wrong, since some of this money will indeed be used for the livelihood of the people in Huainan.
Throughout the journey, Xiaoyuer told his subordinates the same thing, using the excuse of serving the people to carry out this task.
Otherwise, if his selfishness is too obvious, his subordinates will naturally not be convinced, and there is no guarantee that someone will be tempted to embezzle the money, thus causing internal strife.
This also shows that Xiaoyuer really does have some talent for being an official.
Many people may not understand this principle even after they have started a family and established a career, but he understood it when he was five or six years old. He knew how to put a noble label on his selfishness so that others could not refute it and would be willing to do things for him.
“You’re right. People are having a hard time these days. I can’t reach too far, but at least in Huainan, I want to make sure the people can live a life with all four seasons in order,” Zhang Ping’an said slowly, stroking his beard.
Then he turned his head and instructed the others to eat their fill: "We have no use for these jewels and antiques. While the world is still doing well, we should sell them all off, leaving nothing behind. Only half of the gold and silver ingots should be kept for safekeeping."
"Understood," he nodded, having finished eating. It was the first time he had ever seen so many treasures, and it was quite an eye-opener. When he first saw them, his heart trembled. He couldn't describe the shock of seeing so much gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, and jade piled up like a small mountain.
As his horizons broadened and he grew more aware of how difficult and insignificant his life had been back in Black Wind Ferry.
We're all human, but so different!
If it weren't for his temper honed over decades and his unwavering loyalty to Zhang Ping'an for ten years, he probably would have had some ulterior motives upon seeing these things.
There was so much stuff that by the time we finished eating, taking inventory, and properly arranging for people to put it in storage, it was already late at night.
At this time, Xiaoyuer was exhausted, so after finishing dinner, she washed up and went to bed early.
Li felt sorry for him, as it wasn't easy for him to go out on business this time, and she didn't want the two children to bother him.
In the end, only Zhang Ping'an and Chi Bao remained in the study.
The reason Zhang Ping'an is still awake at this hour is because he has other plans.
After eating his fill, he looked somewhat surprised: "We just put all that gold and silver into the vault. It will probably take some effort to move it now."
“I’m not afraid of the effort, the main thing is to ensure the safety of this batch of gold and silver. After all, this is no longer just a matter of tens of millions of taels of silver. Money can be a powerful motivator, so I have no choice but to be cautious!” Zhang Ping’an sighed.
"Don't worry about the ones Heming is going to take away tomorrow. Just replace the ones that are going to stay in the warehouse with fake gold and silver ingots. I arranged for the craftsmen to make them a long time ago. Ordinary people can't tell the difference. Just in case."
"Okay, then I'll personally lead the team to do this."
After eating his fill, he once again admired Zhang Ping'an's caution and cunning.
Others think three steps ahead before taking one, but his master thinks ten steps ahead before taking one.
How can people be so different?!
The next morning, Xiaoyuer got up early. Being young and in good health, she was full of energy again after a good night's rest.
Having not visited her grandparents for a long time, Xiaoyuer specially took the two children to the backyard to have breakfast with Zhang Lao Er and Xu Shi.
Since arriving in Huainan, Zhang Lao Er and Xu Shi have been listless and lacking in energy, whether due to the change in environment or their advanced age.
My appetite is also much smaller than before.
However, I was still very happy to see my grandson bring his two great-grandchildren over.