“That’s true!” Shi Kuan said with a smile. “I heard Yang Shoushan has mobilized hundreds of thousands of laborers, preparing to dredge the Yellow River. Brother Zichuan, leaving the River Works Governor’s Office at this time might be somewhat unwise.”
Cheng Chi smiled and said, “Hundreds of thousands of laborers—are they so easy to mobilize? Moreover, although this winter is cold, it’s an intercalary fourth month, so spring will likely come early. Before the hundreds of thousands of laborers gradually arrive at the Yellow River’s banks, it’ll already be time for spring plowing…”
Hearing this, Shi Kuan couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows, saying, “I didn’t expect you to understand calendrical calculations!”
“It’s just a hobby!” Cheng Chi said dismissively with a smile. “I’m not very accurate at it either.”
Shi Kuan said, “Is Brother Zichuan trying to extricate himself from this?”
“Not exactly trying to extricate myself.” Cheng Chi poured Shi Kuan another cup of wine and said, “Since I received Cabinet Elder Song’s recommendation, I can’t let down his good intentions. It’s just that Yang Shoushan has just taken over from Gu Jingyu and wants to make a show of new vigor—he’s being somewhat too hasty, and the timing isn’t right. I just want to avoid the spotlight for a while.”
The implication was that Yang Shoushan was stubborn and opinionated, and he wasn’t optimistic about this Yellow River dredging project.
Shi Kuan thought for a moment and said, “Isn’t Cabinet Elder Yuan a marriage relation to your family? You could work through Cabinet Elder Yuan’s connections!”
Cheng Chi smiled bitterly and said, “Cabinet Elder Yuan and Cabinet Elder Song don’t get along!”
Hearing this, Shi Kuan’s expression also showed helplessness. After thinking, he said, “How about I help you make a connection? I have some dealings with Wang Chuan, the Vice Minister of Personnel. Why not find him and make up some excuse to have you transferred back? After spring arrives and the Yellow River matter is more or less settled, it won’t be too late for you to go to Jining then. After all, you hold the rank of Department Director in the Ministry of Works’ Water Bureau, so it would be quite natural.” At this point, he suddenly slapped his forehead and said, “I just remembered! The lotus flowers in the Western Garden’s Taiye Pool haven’t been blooming well these past few years. The Palace Maintenance Office had people from the Imperial Gardens Bureau take a look, and they said dredging is needed. The Emperor is planning to have the Ministry of Works undertake this task. I think you might as well use this as an excuse to return to the capital on assignment.” Then he lowered his voice and said, “The Crown Prince might be put in charge of supervision, with the Imperial Grandson assisting.”
Cheng Chi was unmoved.
After learning that in his previous life the Cheng family had been executed by imperial decree, he’d been harboring resentment in his heart.
The Cheng family couldn’t possibly have committed treason.
If the Emperor had the Cheng family exterminated, then he was in the wrong.
He smiled and said, “I mainly want to avoid this Yellow River dredging. I haven’t thought much about anything else.”
Shi Kuan carefully observed Cheng Chi, felt his words were genuine, and greatly admired him, saying, “Brother Zichuan is a true gentleman.”
Cheng Chi smiled and said, “Gentleman and scoundrel are separated by only a thin line. At this moment I desire to be idle at home, so naturally I’m a gentleman. But if at this moment I wanted a smooth official career, I might as well play the scoundrel!”
Shi Kuan greatly appreciated this, raised his cup to toast Cheng Chi, and said, “Brother Zichuan has a heart as vast as the ocean, which we cannot match. Your return to the capital—leave it to me.”
His tone was extremely confident.
Cheng Chi’s eyes flickered. He lingered with Shi Kuan in that small tavern’s back alley for nearly an hour, drinking until his tongue was somewhat thick. Only then did he give the remaining two bottles of wine to Shi Kuan, and the two left the tavern one after another. Shi Kuan departed from the front entrance in a sedan chair, while Cheng Chi boarded a carriage not far from the back alley. But as soon as he got in the carriage, his previously somewhat hazy gaze immediately cleared. He instructed Huai Shan, who had been waiting for him in the carriage for a long time, to prepare ink and brush. He wrote a note in the carriage for Huai Shan to deliver to Zhou Shaojin.
Huai Shan didn’t dare delay. Taking the note, he hurried to Elm Leaf Alley and handed it to Nanny Shang.
Zhou Shaojin opened the note and saw that Cheng Chi was asking if she knew this person Wang Chuan, and what position he ultimately reached.
She thought carefully and told Cheng Chi that after the new emperor ascended the throne, Wang Chuan quickly replaced the original Minister of Works and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Prudence, Qu Yuan, to become a new cabinet minister and Grand Secretary. His son was promoted from Hanlin Academy Scholar to Junior Minister of the Seal Office, a fifth rank position. Once, Lin Shisheng and others together took on an assignment at the Imperial Park, and when settling accounts, they used the seal from Wang Chuan’s son, for which they even sent a string of double-layered pearls each the size of a thumb. Only then did she learn that the Junior Minister of the Seal Office was Wang Chuan’s son. Moreover, after the Cheng family was raided, Liao Shaotang had gone to plead with Yuan Weichang, but was refused. The reason for refusal seemed to hint that he had lost the Emperor’s favor, that Wang Chuan might become the Chief Grand Secretary, and that he couldn’t protect himself.
Receiving the note, Cheng Chi sneered coldly.
The Seal Office managed imperial seals, tallies, and stamps; the Ministry of Works managed the dynasty’s city construction and dredging, civil engineering repairs, artisans’ garrison fields, and all the rivers and waterways under heaven… When the Ministry of Works completed its assignments, they needed to use the Seal Office’s stamp before settling accounts with the Ministry of Revenue. The father managing the Ministry of Works, the son managing the seals—this was like passing the court’s money from the left hand to the right hand, with everything decided by this father and son pair.
If this Wang Chuan wasn’t the Fourth Prince’s confidant, that would be seeing a ghost!
Cheng Chi burned the note Zhou Shaojin had written.
He had Huai Shan take generous gifts to visit Shi Kuan: “…Just say I’m asking him to mediate. Never mind the Western Garden assignment—being able to return to the capital to rest for a few months and properly complete my wedding would be the real thing.”
Only then did Cheng Chi wash up and change clothes, preparing to pay respects to Old Madam Guo.
However, Qingfeng came in to report, “Fourth Master, Master Wen heard you’d returned and insists on seeing you…”
After all, he was family. Cheng Chi invited Cheng Wen to sit in the study, had Qingfeng brew good tea to serve him, and only went to see Cheng Wen after tidying himself up.
Cheng Wen had gone out for a walk early in the morning. After witnessing the capital’s prosperity, he felt even more confident. Rubbing his hands together, emotionally excited and ready to accomplish great things, he grabbed Cheng Chi’s arm as soon as he entered, saying urgently, “Cousin Chi, I’m planning to rent a shop near Xizhimen to do tea business. What do you think?”
Cheng Chi smiled and said, “That depends on how much capital you have?”
Cheng Wen scratched his ear with a red face and said, “I’m planning to sell off my shares in the Yutai Bank, which should let me gather ten thousand taels or so.”
Cheng Chi knew he wanted him to lend him money for the business.
He pondered and said, “If I were Cousin Wen, I’d first find an expert in the field. This tea business seems simple, but it has many intricacies. To say nothing else, just the purchasing and selling of pre-Qingming tea and pre-rain tea isn’t simple. Otherwise, if your new tea arrives later than others’, or gets delayed on the road, that year’s business is finished. If not for the branch division, I could have assigned you a chief manager to give advice and bring out some assistants. But now the first branch has also suffered greatly, and I’m afraid we can’t help you like before. However, I’ve at least spent these few years in the business circle, so I can still manage to introduce you to some major tea merchants. As for managers and assistants, we can only see if they have good recommendations.”
This was even better than lending him money!
Cheng Wen was quite moved and said sincerely, “Zichuan, you’re still the straightforward one. Worthy of someone who’s accomplished great things. You probably don’t know yet—since you turned the Yutai Bank over to the second branch, they’ve had their chief manager handle it, changing the quarterly settlement you established to annual settlement. That’s not all—they’ve also driven out some of the old people from the Yutai Bank. I think the Yutai Bank will collapse sooner or later in their hands. Zichuan, have you thought about going back? I know Cousin Mian sold his shares to the third branch. I’ll talk to the third branch, and with my shares, our two families together can secure your position in charge! What do you think?”
The so-called old people of the Yutai Bank probably referred to his mistress’s brothers and nephews, right?
For some things, without comparison you don’t know the difference!
Cheng Chi smiled and said, “Cousin Wen is confused. I’m now a court official—how can I engage in merchant activities again? Moreover, look at this capital—outstanding people and precious resources. After staying here a while, who would want to return to Jinling to manage a small Jiuru Lane?”
“Yes, yes!” Cheng Wen suddenly understood, repeatedly expressing agreement, saying, “Never mind you, even I don’t want to go back. Cousin Chi, what do you think about me moving my family to the capital? I’m truly sick of staying in Jinling.”
In the capital he was Cheng Wen; in Jinling he was Fifth Master of Jiuru Lane’s Cheng family.
Cheng Chi vaguely sensed his thinking and smiled, saying, “This is a major matter—I can’t advise you on it. Why don’t you settle the business matter first? With income for the family, life will be more comfortable. You’re moving to the capital to enjoy good fortune, not to suffer, right!”
“I knew Cousin Chi had broad vision, not comparable to those corrupt old fossils.” Cheng Wen said happily, turning to leave. “I need to find some of my old classmates who’ve settled in the capital and see if they have any connections to introduce me to a chief manager or the like. Once I’ve found the shop and people and everything’s mostly settled, I’ll come trouble you to introduce me to some major tea merchants.”
He left without even drinking his tea.
Cheng Chi watched his retreating back and shook his head.
As a result, when he went to Old Madam Guo’s quarters, he encountered Wu Baozhang, who had come to pay respects to Old Madam Guo and was preparing to leave.
Cheng Chi didn’t even spare her a glance, coldly nodding, and went straight through the curtain held by a young maid into the hall.
Wu Baozhang couldn’t help but turn back for a look.
Cheng Chi really was so handsome… That physique—his back ramrod straight, broad shoulders, long arms, narrow waist, and when he walked his steps were steady yet light. You could tell at a glance he was reliable, unlike Cheng Nuo or Cheng Lu who were thin and pale, looking like they couldn’t lift with their hands or carry on their shoulders… Only after becoming a married woman did she understand the difference… Even compared to Cheng Xu, if Cheng Chi was a great tree that could shelter from wind and rain, making one feel solid and dependable, then Cheng Xu was a ginkgo tree—handsome and upright, but suitable for viewing, yet not necessarily useful when it mattered.
Zhou Shaojin truly had good fortune!
She thought, feeling as if a fire was burning in her heart.
Both were from humble official families, both had lost their mothers young—why could some people obtain everything without doing anything, while she racked her brains but couldn’t get what she wanted?
Wu Baozhang clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms without feeling any pain.
Cheng Chi asked Old Madam Guo, “Why did Brother Nuo’s wife come too?”
“Your Cousin Wen brought them as a couple.” Old Madam Guo said unconcernedly. “Probably wanted to come see the excitement. I figured since they represent the fifth branch, if they’re present at your wedding, it can also show those relatives and friends in the capital whether we were wrong about the branch division or the second branch was wrong. I’ve already told Miss Zheng to have Miss Jia tell her husband to come drink the celebratory wine at Chaoyangmen.”