RPAGF Chapter 1060 Picking Up a Bargain
Chapter 1060 Picking Up a Bargain
Xiaoyuer hadn't paid much attention at first, but seeing the other person's devastated expression, she wondered if it was because the other person was from a lowly background and couldn't handle things.
After Jiang Yaozu recounted what had happened, both father and son immediately became serious.
Zhang Ping'an confirmed again, "You mean the people chasing you are from the palace? And surnamed Cui?"
"Yes, his surname is Cui, but I don't know his full name. I overheard this by chance when my uncle and I were being chased. We went through a lot of trouble to escape from the outskirts of the capital to Huainan. We were hiding all the way, and we almost lost our lives several times."
Fortunately, we had a disagreement when dividing the silver notes and didn't squander it like the rest of the clan by going to brothels for drinking, gambling, and whoring. We left early, otherwise we might have ended up like the others in the clan—dying a violent death!
After saying this, Jiang Yaozu sighed deeply, not knowing how he would explain it to his clan when he returned.
"His surname is Cui, he injured his right eye, and it's such a coincidence that we bumped into each other in the outskirts of Beijing," Xiaoyuer sneered, guessing who it was.
Seeing the solemn expressions on the father and son's faces, Jiang Yaozu felt uneasy again and quickly reiterated, "The death of that person in the grove really has nothing to do with us. I even helped him apply medicine, and we also received a share of the silver notes. My uncle and I can give them up. We just ask for peace, that we can return to the south safely without implicating our clansmen."
“I understand,” Zhang Ping’an nodded and asked, “Can I take a look at that key?”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yaozu quickly took the key out of his pocket and carefully wrapped it in a handkerchief. He hadn't paid much attention to it before, but after being chased, he knew it was important. He didn't dare send it back to the Qian family through the post station and kept it with him carefully.
"That person originally asked me to deliver the key to the Qian family, and since the Qian family is your in-laws, giving the key back to you is like returning it to its rightful owner."
Zhang Ping'an held the key up to his face and examined it carefully several times. Finally, he confirmed that it was a finely crafted key with a shank.
The phrase "using four ounces to move a thousand pounds" is generally used to describe this kind of key, which is also the crystallization of the wisdom of the craftsmen at that time. Very few people can do it.
Its main purpose is to cleverly pry open the stone slabs at the top of the gate, and these are heavy stones weighing thousands of pounds. They are often found in the tombs of kings and nobles, or in the treasuries and national granaries of powerful families, as well as on the heavy gates of some city gates.
Its origins are extraordinary.
Little Fish also clearly recognized the difference in the key, his expression changed, and then he looked at his father without saying a word.
Zhang Ping'an ignored his son and looked at Jiang Yaozu, saying in a deep voice, "In my experience, this key is extremely rare. It must be very important that so many people risked their lives to protect it. Although I don't know what it's used to open yet, it's definitely not simple. It's very likely used for a tomb, a treasury, a national treasury, or even a city gate."
"To be honest, I've thought about these things too, but I never imagined it could open the city gates," Jiang Yaozu said with a wry smile, wiping his face.
Then he looked up and said, "But no matter what it is, it's a hot potato now. With my abilities, it's useless to me. I'm just an ordinary person. I don't care what it's for. I just want my family to be safe."
His words were very sincere.
After a long pause, Zhang Ping'an said, "I understand your thoughts. It's already a stroke of luck that you managed to escape to Huainan safely. So, I'll leave this key with you. As for you, I'll give you two choices. One is that I'll send someone to escort you and your uncle back to Jinling. I know a few acquaintances in Jinling who are officials there. I'll write a letter and send it over. After they read it, they'll naturally take care of you. The other is that you stay and help me with some clerical work. I can't guarantee anything else, but in Huainan, you and your family will definitely be safe."
"This..." Jiang Yaozu was in a dilemma again, not knowing what to do. Before he came, his uncle had repeatedly told him that if he had the opportunity to stay and work in the government, he should stay, because it would be good to have a powerful backer.
He hadn't even considered the possibility at the time and casually agreed. Unexpectedly, his uncle was right. In truth, he still preferred to return to the South.
Zhang Ping'an saw through this and said, "You don't need to rush to make a decision. It's not too late to decide after you go back and discuss it with your uncle. I should be able to arrange for you to take a boat back to the south as early as tomorrow afternoon."
Having some time to buffer was the best thing. Jiang Yaozu thanked him profusely, handed over the hot potato of the keys, and with Zhang Ping'an promising to help, he finally felt relieved.
It was lunchtime, so Zhang Ping'an had the man stay at the yamen for a meal before sending him back to the inn.
After watching the person leave, the father and son returned to their study.
Xiao Yu'er didn't quite understand. "Father, this person doesn't look very smart, and he's quite old. Although he has the title of a scholar, it's not very useful. Why keep him working in the yamen?"
Zhang Ping'an smiled faintly upon hearing this and slowly explained, "Indeed, he is old, not tactful, and not very smart, but there are too many smart people in this world, and we have enough smart people under our command. On the contrary, straightforward people like him who can't think straight are relatively rare."
Keeping him under my command serves two purposes: firstly, he can act as a mirror, and secondly, it fulfills the promise I made to him. Although Cui Ling is dead, the order has been given. Someone like him, without status or background, can be easily crushed like an ant by any official with a bit of power. If we return to Jinling, I fear that if something happens to them, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst; it's safer to keep him under our watchful eye. At the same time, it avoids arousing suspicion among those in Jinling. They are a bunch of cunning people, and it's simpler to keep him around than to owe them a favor.”
"He's really lucky to have met a fellow villager like you, Dad, asking for help. If it were someone else, they would have gotten the stuff and wouldn't care whether he lived or died," Xiaoyuer teased with a slight smile.
"What goes around comes around. Although I don't believe in fate, it's still good to have some reverence for destiny."
After a pause, Zhang Ping'an took out the key, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of his son. "What do you think of this key?"
Xiaoyuer was silent for a moment before picking up the key and sighing. He said, "If I'm not mistaken, this should be the key to the treasure left by the rebel king that Fourth Uncle found. Otherwise, how could those people all carry tens of millions of taels of silver notes? Even if the Qian family has a deep foundation and abundant wealth, so much cash is not something that can be easily pulled out all at once. Considering Fourth Uncle's previous actions, the only explanation is that he found the treasure. Who knew that we would snatch it up before we even had a chance to enjoy it after going through so much hardship?"
“Yes, that’s what I think too. Some things are just fate, and the key was sent to Huainan in the dark,” Zhang Ping’an said.