"... After investigation, Zizhenzhai is a treasure shop in Guangfu, with a jewelry workshop inside. The pieces made are of different styles and are valued at very high prices. The glass lamps are not sold by them, but there is another shop named Zichengji. This All the items displayed in the shop are called Australian foreign goods, all of which are exquisite and exquisite. They are also famous for their glassware, including plates, lamps, windows, mirrors, etc. They also use clear glass bottles to vend wine, which is said to be unparalleled among the country's scholars...
"Both the two shops are owned by one person. This person's surname is Guo Mingyi, whose surname is unknown. He has neither fame nor aristocratic family. However, a ten-foot-high building was built on the ground, and he acquired a fortune of ten thousand gold in a short time. There is also the Ziming Tower, where there are sensual dogs, horses, His concubine Pei is in charge of the place where romance and wealth are sold. Pei has a close connection with the gentry in Guangli in the name of courtesan. The dandies flock to the place like ducks, and the merchants flock to the scene...
Along with the secret report, there were several joint ventures, including several Australian goods bought by Liu Zheng: several carved wooden powder boxes with silver mirrors inside, which looked similar to those seen in Yangzhou before. Very similar, but the material seems to be different. There are also two glass bottles. According to Liu Zheng's secret report, they should be Guoshi Wushuang wine. Although the wine in it is clear and pure without any turbidity, it is undoubtedly a fine wine, but the crystal clear glass bottle is even more valuable. Using such a vessel to hold wine seems to be putting the cart before the horse. This wine is the "fire wine" that Zhou Xianren proposed to brew before. It's just that he originally proposed to take the cheap mass route, but this wine takes the upper class route. Wang Yehao was stunned when he heard that the price was sixty taels of silver per gift box. Even though the supply was still in short supply and the stock was often out of stock.
What concerned Wang Yehao the most was Dongzhu Guo mentioned in the letter. A foreign merchant with no roots could actually earn such a huge fortune in the Guangzhou market. It seemed that he had some background skills.
Originally Wang Yehao was just trying to track down the whereabouts of the Universe Mirror, but now things started to get complicated and he had to be more careful. He handed the report to Liu Zhao who was standing aside.
"Master, so the Australian maritime merchants are really back? That Universe Mirror..." Liu Zhao said in surprise after looking at it.
Wang Yehao raised his hand to stop Liu Zhao's words: "It's difficult to tell whether the matter about the Qiankun Mirror is true or not, so we can't make any announcement about it for now."
"I understand that I followed Mr. Zhou to Guangli earlier to find something. Judging from his words and actions, it doesn't seem like he was lying."
Wang Yehao nodded slowly in agreement. Indeed, if we were not looking for something at that time, there would be no need to go back to Guangli. Moreover, while in Guangli, Liu Zhao exposed many flaws according to Wang Yehao's wishes, but Taoist Hearthstone had no intention of escaping. What's more, the Hearthstone Immortal followed Liu Zhao back to the capital obediently, and Wang Yehao's previous doubts were dispelled.
"Ignoring the Universe Mirror for now, what do you think of today's secret report?"
Liu Zhao thought about it and said cautiously: "Sir, I have a guess, I don't know if I should say it or not."
"But there's no harm in talking."
"When my subordinates visited Guangli before, there was no such person as Guo Yi. And according to Liu Zheng, this person seems to have no foundation, but he can make such a big success in just one year. It sounds like a strange person. It’s like a legend, how can it be possible without the help of gods?”
"If you don't have a foundation, you won't have a backer. Even the maritime merchants of Guangdong and Fujian will inevitably have high-ranking officials operating in the court." Wang Yehao played with the wine bottles in the exquisite Guoshi Wushuang gift box - he didn't like fire wine. Drink, but this bottle and wine set are really exquisite.
"Nine times out of ten, this person is on the path of Gaoji. Otherwise, he is a migrant and sells Australian goods. How can Gaoji accommodate him?"
"The master is right. Judging from what he said in the letter, Gao Ju and Dongzhu Guo seem to have a very harmonious relationship..." Liu Zhao said, "I just don't know what Gao Ju's intentions are in supporting such a person."
Wang Yehao frowned. He had found out clearly that he was the high eunuch in the palace. Although he was not a new member of the royal family, he had nothing to do with the nine thousand years old. His position in the palace was very stable at the moment.
When these things are put together, there seems to be an answer. Dongzhu Guo who suddenly appeared is probably an "Australian maritime businessman", or his agent. In order to do business with Australians, Gao Ji had to support him...
That makes sense. To be cautious, it's better to check it out. After all, this Guo Dongzhu is a mysterious "Australian" - and the Hearthstone Immortal seems to be particularly interested in Australians, and even claims to be Australian...
It seems that the Hearthstone Priest claiming to be "Australian" may not be an expedient nonsense. Maybe they are really in the same group.
"You go out and ask if there is anyone in the court who can set the threshold for me. It is not appropriate for me to come forward in this matter. You can find an excuse and go to Fourth Uncle to find out the news."
"My subordinate understands."
Wang Yehao put the Australian treasures on the table back into the box, put the letter into the heater, and then asked in a casual and casual manner: "How have you been, Mr. Hearthstone, recently?"
"It's nothing unusual. He has the air of a rich and idle man, which makes people really envious." Liu Zhao replied with a smile.
"Haha, you are indispensable for the money, but there is one thing. You must keep an eye on him." Wang Yehao picked up the teacup, glanced at Liu Zhao, and signaled that he could retreat.
About a month later, Liu Zheng's second secret report was placed on Wang Yehao's desk.
"There are no Australian ships docking at any of the ports in Chaguang Prefecture. Some people say that the goods sold by the Guo family come from Lingao County, Qiongzhou Prefecture..."
"Lingao..." Wang Yehao put away the letter and muttered to himself, pondering the name of this far away place, when suddenly a vague impression flashed through his mind.
"Wang Liang, go find Mr. Jin quickly and ask him to look for any official documents involving Lingao County in the past two years."
After the fall of the eunuch and the restoration of his fame, Jin Wenchi increasingly felt that Wang Yehao was a boss who kept his word and was worthy of his trust. Therefore, Jin Wenchi has always been very attentive to his work in the house. Whether it is taking care of public and private documents, or handling the reception and delivery, everything is done without leakage. It has been more than two years since he entered the government, and now Jin Wenchi has become an important figure in Mr. Wang's family, specializing in handling various secret affairs.
These days are the New Year's holiday, and there are no official documents to be processed. It is a rare leisure time. But Mr. Wang suddenly wanted to investigate a remote small county, which seemed to be an important matter, which made Jin Wenchi a little confused. But strange as it is, the errands still have to be done. All important official documents between the DPRK and China are copied and archived in the General Affairs Department. In order to facilitate management, yellowing is also omitted. For the convenience of doing things, Wang Yehao kept a copied yellow book in his study room at home.
However, Lingao County is too small and remote, and there are few relevant title books. Jin Wenchi and the clerk in charge searched for a long time before finally finding a few.
Although it is only abbreviated, it is enough to understand the relevant matters. Jin Wenchi was afraid that Mr. Wang would want to read the question books, so he asked the master who managed the documents to rush to the General Affairs Department to retrieve the relevant question books and file them. I came to Wang Yehao with the abbreviation.
"Sir, this Lingao County has no production and is not an important place. There are very few titles involving this place." Jin Wenchi said, "However, in the past two years, there have been a few titles involving this place. It was not an important issue originally. Just because what he said is an anecdote, I have some impression. The student has asked Mr. Han to go to the General Affairs Department to get the original copy."
"What did you say?"
Jin Wenchi took out the abbreviation and replied: "Lingao County is located in a remote area. Except for the occasional intrusion by pirates, it is rarely heard of. The first one is an urgent document asking for the suppression of pirates, saying that there are more than 500 pirates in the sea. The thieves came in a large iron boat, intending to cause harm to the village. However, the county magistrate and the villagers bravely refused to defend and kept the city gate intact. Although the thieves could not plunder, they did not retreat. Instead, they built forts, built bridges and paved roads, intending to They have been occupied for a long time. Lingao County suffers from the poverty of the people and the lack of money, so it is impossible to evict them, so they write to the imperial court, hoping to send troops to clear them out."
Wang Yehao glanced at the abbreviation and chuckled: "It's so funny. You can sail a boat just by sailing. How can you drive a big iron ship? Pirates are building bridges and repairing roads, so the slaves are not allowed to give porridge or food?"
"Students also feel that this matter is quite absurd, so they can just read it for fun. However, the second thing is well-founded."
"Oh? Tell me in detail." Wang Yehao said with great interest.
"The booklet I received around April or May last year showed that more than a thousand pirates under Liu Laoxiang landed ashore and plundered. However, this time the Lingao County magistrate led the township warriors to attack on their own initiative and won a great victory, beheading the pirates. Hundreds of dollars, it’s useless to pay the flag.”
"Well, after Mr. Jing said this, I also remembered that at that time, the court also rewarded people based on their merits to show their bravery."
"Exactly this. If there is any other news, the students will not remember it."
Wang Yehao thought for a while and felt that something didn't make sense: "With the financial resources and population of a remote small county like Lingao, even if we recruit local braves, we can only recruit more than a hundred people. If we want to repel the attack of more than a thousand desperate pirates, , it’s simply a foolish dream.”
"According to your opinion, does Lingao County take credit for killing good people?"
"No." Wang Yehao shook his head, "Qiongzhou Mansion is a peaceful land after all, not a land of war and chaos. The local garrison is just a flag army sergeant, who usually deals with a few barbarians. I shouldn't do such a thing as cheating on rewards. Come out. Besides, there is no aristocratic family in Lingao County to control it, so this kind of thing cannot be hidden at all."
"What your Excellency said is true. The students also feel that this matter is strange. If Lingao Xiangyong can really fight one against a hundred, then there is no need to worry about the disaster of pirates. Wouldn't it be better to simply transfer him to the north to conquer the slaves?"
After much thought and still no conclusion, Wang Yehao had no choice but to end the topic: "If there are any subsequent documents involving Lingao County, please have them transcribed."
"Students, please remember this." Jin Wenchi bowed his hands, and then asked: "It's just that Lingao County is thousands of miles away from the poor mountains and rivers. Why do you care so much about it?"
"There are a lot of strange things about this matter, and I don't have a clue yet. Sir, just do as you please."
"Student understands." Jin Wenchi withdrew knowingly.
"Is there really a Universe Mirror? It seems that we still have to find him to find out." Wang Yehao struggled for a long time, and finally made up his mind and ordered: "Wang Liang, prepare some New Year gifts, and come with me to Mr. Zhou's house tomorrow. "
