strictlysupreme Chapter 938 Life and Death Are Not in One’s Control
Chapter 938 Life and Death Are Not in One’s Control
Chapter 938 Life and Death Are Not in One’s Control
Zhang Cong had no idea what Wang Shouren said to the emperor when he entered the palace or how long he stayed there.
The capital has been too busy lately. As the prime minister, it is hard to find peace and quiet here. There is too much noise.
This is especially true before a grand court meeting.
In order to get some more peace and quiet, which was also his hobby, he took a carriage to go fishing outside the city.
A bamboo hat, a wooden chair, and a wooden barrel next to it, and he could sit like this for two hours.
There was a gentle breeze through the woods, and occasional ripples on the water. Apart from the birds singing, the only sound was the conversation between the two old men.
Gu Zuo was also very surprised that the Prime Minister did not entertain him in his house, but brought him to such a barren place. Even though he was the Prime Minister, he would still make fun of him, saying, "The Lord is pretending to be a farmer. This is really beyond my expectation."
"Lord Li Qing is not someone who cares about those things. If you like delicacies from land and sea and beautiful women as your companions, you can naturally do that."
"Haha, the gift is too heavy and uncomfortable."
"Please take a seat. Moving around might scare away my fish."
"Being respectful is worse than obeying orders."
Gu Zu lifted his robe and sat down.
In fact, they are two of the most popular figures in the capital at present. No one expected that they would come out together to do such a thing.
Zhang Cong's eyes fell on the water, and his tone was not obviously fluctuating. "A year is just a blink of an eye. The last time I met Lord Li was during the Lantern Festival last year. Thank you for your care over the past year."
"Mr. Zhang's words are serious, and they are all for the sake of state affairs."
In fact, Gu Zu knew why Zhang Cong wanted to meet him here.
All I want is a secret.
Not for Zhang Cong himself, but for him.
Because of the currency reform some time ago, more than 20 big businessmen were arrested in Jiangnan alone. At the same time, it was unclear whether Wang Qiong's son should be killed or not. No one in the court or among the students dared to scold the emperor, so they could only scold him.
In addition, Zhang Bingyong has always had a bad reputation, so all the blame fell on one person.
At a time like this, which upright person would be willing to flatter him?
Especially for an old official like Gu Zu who has a very upright conduct, if he really wants to pass by Zhang's house in public, he has to think twice.
Of course, he actually knew that Zhang Cong had done some practical things, otherwise there would be no need to consider him.
"Although it's all for the sake of state affairs, not everyone buys into my account. Especially with the business settlements in Tai and Lu, I heard that your son has made great efforts and now the results are remarkable. If it's fast this year, or if it's slow next year, we'll be able to import grain into the interior. This is a great achievement and it saves the cabinet a lot of trouble."
"The emperor has issued an order, and the two of us are only serving him with loyalty."
Gu Zuo didn't respond much, and Zhang Cong didn't bother to talk too much. He just continued, "If possible, we should try to transport grain inland this year. The Nanyang Company has many merchant ships, and it would be enough to allocate 10% to 20% of them."
Gu Zu didn't understand and asked in confusion, "Last year, there was a severe drought in the capital, but it was a safe bet. What happened this year? Mr. Zhang, you don't know that business operations always take time."
"I know there is a process. But I think the emperor will use troops again this year." He turned his head and glanced at Gu Zu with an indifferent expression but firm eyes.
Gu Zu was silent for a moment.
He didn't know whether this was something the Prime Minister and the Emperor discussed in private. Confidential conversations with the Emperor could not be disclosed casually, so he didn't know whether he should listen to it now.
Zhang Cong turned his head back and said, "Lord Li Qing should have heard about the incident in which Xinjiang Military Region General Han Shierlang's jade offering was rejected, right?"
"This matter has spread widely in the capital, so of course I have heard about it."
"Your Majesty's talent in governing the country and the people is amazing. There must be a reason for doing such things."
Gu Zu understood, "You mean someone will submit a petition to fight."
Needless to say?
Now everyone is trying to guess the emperor's behavior and words, watching what he does and what meaning he reveals, and then they will rush to flatter him.
There are only a few kinds of human desires.
I don't want wealth or beauty, I just want the whole world.
Therefore, the emperor's action was naturally to make his intentions clear, and everyone could see it clearly.
But Zhang Cong went a step further. His point was that someone would inevitably take this opportunity to push the Ming Dynasty to launch a foreign war.
And the emperor?
He felt that he would not refuse.
Gu Zuo said: "Even so, the Central Plains will not be short of food."
"It's hard to say." Zhang Cong said, "As the prime minister, I have to think carefully. There was a drought last year. Is it possible that there will be a flood this year? The emperor wants to fight a war. Is it just one battle or two? Even if there is only one battle, will the war go smoothly without any accidents? If any of these expected or unexpected situations happen, the emperor will ask what to do, and I, the prime minister of the cabinet, will not be able to answer.
So I would like to ask Lord Li to pay attention to it. Even if it is not used in the end, more food can feed more people, which is also a good thing.
And the emperor has always been thinking about this matter,
Especially after the currency reform, the place where the Japanese official silver goes is a problem. The small countries in Southeast Asia are small and have few people. They can't sell much. Rice may be one of the suitable commodities. Please consider these countries as well, Lord Li. "
Gu Zu blinked his eyes. This guy said so much but didn’t even say thank you.
"The Lord's ability is to command all officials and govern the country. The Lord's heart is pure and unmixed. Why does he act like an enemy of the world?"
"Isn't it what those people always say that one should be loyal to the emperor? I, Zhang Bingyong, am doing this for the emperor, so how could I become an enemy of the world? I don't understand."
It would be too profound to discuss this further, and it is meaningless. We all choose our own path.
Moreover, Gu Zu was facing the Prime Minister of the dynasty after all, so if he spoke too much, it would be even more inappropriate.
So one sentence is enough, there is nothing we can do if we don't agree.
So he dropped the topic and said, "I am also doing this for the emperor. Don't worry, I will do my best to transport rice from Taiwan, Lu and Nanyang."
"Ah, the fish are caught."
Zhang Cong suddenly stood up and pulled with all his strength. Sure enough, a crucian carp the size of his palm flew out of the water with its tail raised. The sunlight shining on its scales made a dazzling light.
"Be careful, sir. Be careful, sir."
After all, Zhang Cong was already over fifty years old, and after ten years of hard work, he aged even faster.
Compared with others, his health is indeed not very good.
He was born into an ordinary family, had average conditions since childhood, had not been well-fed, and at the age of thirty he still hadn't held an official position. He lived a very simple life, and if he got sick, he would mostly just endure it, since he was young and could get through it.
By the time he started to hold a prominent position in government, he was already middle-aged.
But he couldn't enjoy the blessing now, because he held an important position and was definitely entrusted with an important task by the emperor. He was also enterprising and dared not be lazy at all. Moreover, he had got into the nest of power and would not care about the hard work.
Later, during his ten-year career as prime minister, he pushed his own body to its limit.
Living in this way, he is in good health after all, otherwise most people would have passed away.
So at this moment, it seems that Gu Zu, who is in his sixties, walks more steadily than him.
After a little help, he felt better and said, "It's okay, it's okay, I got it."
"Congratulations, Lord. Today is not a bad day."
"Haha." Zhang Cong smiled rarely, and after sitting down, he said, "I just forgot one thing, Lord Li, besides rice, industry is also a big deal."
"The minister said that the goods shipped by the Nanyang Company were not enough."
"How could it be so? But the more the better. Everyone has seen the benefits of a thriving industry over the past decade."
Gu Zu thought that the emperor had said the same thing to him.
It seems that Zhang Bingyong really is "happy with the emperor's happiness and worried with the emperor's worries".
"Sir, the prosperity of the industry is not the responsibility of a Nanyang company alone. It still needs the encouragement and protection of the cabinet."
"The cabinet has always been supportive. But you are right. After this grand court meeting, we will listen to the opinions of all parties and discuss it in detail. I plan to introduce new ideas this year and report to the emperor then. Oh, by the way, I have heard that spices are also very popular in the West in the past two years, but the origin of these spices is mainly in Southeast Asia. What do you think about this, Lord Li?"
"This is not difficult. As long as the cabinet is determined, Ming can still take the lead. We still have a clear agreement between us."
"In this case, we really need to plan carefully."
Gu Zuxin said that the dog-nosed merchants had already started researching it, and by the time the officials who were a step slower reacted, the work was almost half done.
But he didn't say it.
At this time, two people came over from the carriage parked by the river. They were wearing blue clothes and looked like Zhang Cong's servants.
They came to report, "Lord, there is an urgent message from the old God, please return home as soon as possible."
Gu Zu turned his head to look at the water, pretending not to be listening.
"What's the matter?" Zhang Cong asked.
There must be an outsider here.
The man leaned over and whispered something into Zhang Cong's ear.
It was a low whisper, and Gu Zu really couldn’t hear it.
He and Zhang Cong were not that familiar with each other, and Zhang Cong did not ask anyone to say it loudly. In short, both sides had a tacit understanding.
But after hearing this, Zhang Cong, who had always been mature and steady, seemed to be struck by lightning. Coincidentally, the cool breeze from the river blew into his arms, making him feel a little cooler.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough,"
Then came a sudden cough.
"Lord." Gu Zu saw that his face was abnormally red, and comforted him, "Your health is the most important thing."
"No problem." Zhang Cong covered his mouth and said, after a long while, he seemed to realize that there was another assistant beside him, and blurted out something that surprised the latter, "Lord Li, the emperor has always been thinking long-term in governing the country. From national policies to oral orders, he rarely changes his orders overnight. The transportation of grain and industrial development are major events that will last for ten or twenty years. So, no matter how the situation in the court changes, Lord Li will do his best to do what he promised me today."
"What changes have taken place in the court?" Gu Zu emphasized.
"Anyway, remember what I said. I have something else to do, so I'll leave you now. Goodbye."
After saying this, he walked straight towards the carriage without waiting for Gu Zu to reply.
Gu Zuyi lowered his head and shouted, "There's still a fish!"
At this time, Zhang Cong's back was all that could be seen. "Since it has taken the bait and come ashore, its life or death is not up to it. You can handle it."
Gu Zu rolled his lips and said, "What can I do for you? Can I still ask you for a fish?"
Even if I want to give it as a gift, it won’t be such a light one.
So the carriage went up the bridge, and the crucian carp drew an arc and fell into the water, splashing water.
Zhang Cong felt a little relieved after watching this scene. Even if life and death were not in his control, he would not necessarily die. Then the curtain fell, "Return home."
"Yes."
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I am about to finish, and then the 24-hour subscription is pushed up. What does that mean?
(End of this chapter)