RPAGF Chapter 1061 Finding the Treasure Vault
Chapter 1061 Finding the Treasure Vault
Little Fish, quick-witted as ever, soon realized, "Dad, are you planning to leave the key behind and intercept the treasure yourself?"
Zhang Ping'an nodded frankly and said, "You are my son, and there's nothing I can't tell you. That's right, I plan to keep this treasure for myself. It's unclaimed property, so there's no question of returning it to its rightful owner. Whoever gets it keeps it."
"Besides, you're now of age to settle down and start a family. You've been intelligent since childhood and have navigated the officialdom with ease. You should understand the current situation. In this position, it's no longer time to rely on the middle way. His Majesty has already decided to kill us. Therefore, this treasure is very useful to us, at least in establishing our own base in Huainan."
“Father, I understand what you’re saying, and I agree with staying. But I’m afraid that if things are exposed in the end, it will be hard to explain to my uncles and my maternal grandfather. It would be bad if the two families had a falling out. After all, the Qian family has a prominent position in the court and beyond, and it wouldn’t be good for us if things got so bad.”
Little Fish had some concerns, not about whether he should keep the fish, but about how to handle the situation in a way that would satisfy both sides.
After all, secrets don't stay hidden forever; it's impossible for this to remain secret forever, it's just a matter of time.
When Zhang Ping'an decided to leave the key behind, he had already thought things through and said confidently, "Times have changed. Relationships between relatives also need to be maintained by interests. I understand human nature better than you do. Based on your grandfather's style, I guess even if he finds out in the end, he won't bring it up in public. He'll just give him a few words of reprimand and that'll be it."
Xiaoyuer nodded upon hearing this, having already made up his mind: "Alright, that's good. I have no objection to this. Let's do it this way! However, we still need to find a few reliable people to accompany me to transport all this gold and silver treasure. Also, although we now know the approximate location of the treasure, we still need to find someone to investigate and scout the area in advance. Conflict is probably inevitable, and we'll definitely have to fight. The final realization of the treasure will also be a problem."
Zhang Ping'an had already thought about all of this.
"Leave the investigation to your old scarred subordinate. He's a man of few words, skilled in martial arts, steady, and reliable. Take him with you on the transport too; I trust you. As for cashing out, we can cash out a portion in Huainan, and leave the rest to your Uncle Ge. His family has many banks, so this is no problem for them. And most importantly, he's a smart man and won't pry into where the money came from."
"Isn't Uncle Chibao going?" Xiaoyuer raised an eyebrow. He thought his father would definitely arrange for Uncle Chibao to go with him, after all, he was his father's right-hand man.
Zhang Ping'an shook his head: "He won't go. After eating, he's always by my side, like my shadow. If he leaves for too long, it will inevitably arouse suspicion."
However, if Jiang Yaozu stays in Huainan, we can bring him along. He's not very bold, has a straightforward personality, and his family doesn't have much of a foundation. As long as he brings his family to Huainan and works under us, we don't have to worry about him being unruly. Having such a decent person around is a guarantee.
"Isn't it inappropriate to assign him such an important task as soon as he arrives?"
"Trust those you employ, and don't employ those you don't trust. Money can be a powerful motivator, and it's not good to rely on overly clever people for such matters."
"Okay, I understand," Xiaoyuer said, realizing his father's good intentions.
"Learning how to use people is also an art. Never look down on anyone. Even a tiny grain of sand in your shoe can rub your foot, let alone a person!"
"Dad!" Little Fish said helplessly, knowing that his father was giving him another lecture, one after another.
"Alright, I won't ramble on anymore. Hebei is only so big, and there are only a few possible locations for the treasure. I estimate we'll have results in about a month. You can prepare in advance and arrange the manpower."
After discussing it, Xiaoyuer began to prepare. Knowing that it was a big deal, he took it very seriously.
With this large sum of unexpected wealth coming soon, Zhang Ping'an is relieved of his worries and doesn't need to think too much about money. He can then carry out his plans freely in Huainan.
The next morning, before Zhang Ping'an could send anyone to the inn to look for Jiang Yaozu, he took the initiative to bring his uncle to the yamen.
The old man knelt down before Zhang Ping'an as soon as they met, expressing his gratitude profusely.
Upon seeing this smooth and flowing set of kung fu, Zhang Ping'an knew that the old man was a shrewd man, much more cunning than Jiang Yaozu.
As Zhang Ping'an had predicted, the old man repeatedly assured him that after they returned to Jinling, they would bring their families to Huainan to settle down.
Jiang Yaozu thanked Zhang Ping'an again, and after repeated confirmation, the task was finalized.
Finally, he took out all the millions of taels of silver notes that the two of them had received, saying that he would hand them over to the yamen. As he did so, a deep sense of heartache and reluctance flashed in his eyes.
In contrast, Jiang Yaozu was much more decisive and had no lingering attachment.
After leaving them each a 100,000 tael silver note, Zhang Ping'an gestured for them to finish eating and then put the note away.
"This is quite an unexpected disaster. You kindly saved people, but you were hunted down. I heard from Brother Jiang that many of your fellow clansmen who were traveling with you also died. Their families need to be settled, and the clans also need an explanation. Please keep this silver for yourselves to go home and resolve these matters!"
"This is too much, too much, I can't accept this," the old man waved his hands repeatedly, his face feigning honesty and simplicity, but the shrewdness and joy in his eyes were undeniable.
No one is a saint, and who can remain unmoved by money? Besides, we are all just ordinary people, nothing more.
Therefore, Zhang Ping'an could understand the other party's thoughts. He smiled and pushed the silver notes back, saying, "Consider this extra lunch as compensation. You were also frightened on this trip, and after you bring your families to Huainan, you will need to buy houses and land and settle down."
"Then, then we shall respectfully accept your offer. Thank you, Lord Zhang," the old man said, rubbing his hands together as he was about to kneel again, but Zhang Ping'an helped him up.
Watching the two leave with relaxed expressions, Zhang Ping'an turned his head and instructed them to tell the escorts after they finished eating, so that they would not be troubled with their household registration and travel permits when they returned.
At the same time, he did not forget to keep an eye on the developments in the capital.
After Cui Ling's death, Madam Cui wanted to go to the palace to file a complaint with the emperor, but was dissuaded by Cui Rong. After that, she calmed down and did not make any further moves. Cui Ling's funeral was also arranged quickly.
Perhaps as compensation, after Cui Ling's death, his son Cui He was quickly given a powerful and respectable position.
Based on Zhang Ping'an's understanding of the Cui family, Cui He wasn't as smart or patient as he seemed; it was probably Cui Rong who was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
The person is already dead, so making a fuss won't get any results. It's better to use this opportunity to gain the greatest benefit.
I heard that Green Bean Eyes spent a lot of money to pull some strings and finally got transferred from the capital back to Lin'an in the south. He will set off soon, but since time is short, he plans to travel by water, taking a boat from the outskirts of the capital all the way south.
Since they didn't pass through Huainan on their journey, the two of them wouldn't be able to meet this time.
As for the Li family, ever since they wrote that letter to strengthen their relationship, the style of communication between the two families has changed.
Every few days, the Zhang family would receive items or letters from the Li family in the capital. These items were ostensibly for their two grandsons, but in reality, they were a gesture of goodwill.
Li was a woman of good judgment; she would always reciprocate with a gift of equal value, neither too extravagant to make people feel distant, nor too meager to make people feel slighted.
Giving gifts appropriately is an art in itself.
Time passed by unnoticed, and before a month had passed, Old Scar sent word that he had located the treasure's location.
The rest is up to Zhang Ping'an to decide.
After discussing it with his son, Zhang Ping'an set a date at the end of September. September and October are peak seasons, when the weather is neither too hot nor too cold, making it convenient to do anything. Moreover, there are many merchants coming and going, so their outings will not attract too much attention.
After everything was arranged, Zhang Ping'an told Jiang Yaozu about it. By then, Jiang Yaozu had adapted well to his new job at the yamen and his family had been settled.
The rest of the Jiang family haven't followed yet; they all want to wait and see until Jiang Yaozu has firmly established himself in the government.
To avoid the situation like before, where I eagerly followed someone from my hometown to Nanjing, only to end up not benefiting from it at all.
Jiang Yaozu was actually relieved by this, otherwise he would have been under tremendous pressure.
It was only after returning that he learned that the people who were chasing them had planted spies in the clan, waiting to capture them as soon as they returned.
If Zhang Ping'an hadn't sent people to escort them back, the consequences would have been unpredictable.
Fortunately, the matter was resolved smoothly in the end.
Therefore, he was extremely grateful. The life-saving grace was greater than heaven. After hearing Zhang Ping'an ask him to go with him on the errand, he agreed without hesitation.
Now that they are in a superior-subordinate relationship, Jiang Yaozu can no longer call Zhang Ping'an a brother. Instead, he solemnly pats his chest and guarantees, "Don't worry, sir, as long as I'm still here, I will not let Heming suffer any harm!"