Xianyang.
There is an undercurrent surging in the city.
Under Zhao Gao's deliberate instigation, a storm against Ji Heng was slowly taking shape.
Hu Mansion.
Hu Wujing's house has long been deserted.
Since Hu Wujing retired from the court, the originally bustling courtyard has become deserted.
The difference between before and after is astonishing.
Hu Wujing was sitting in the lobby, taking a sip of tea, feeling the bitterness, and finally swallowed it with reluctance. At this time, he looked at his eldest son Hu Xian and said in a deep voice: "I just heard that There were footsteps outside the house, has Zhao Gao sent someone to deliver a message again?"
Hu Xian nodded and said slowly: "Father's guess is correct."
"Zhao Gao sent someone to send another message."
"This person is really bold. Hu Hai clearly has no chance, and he has been neglected for a long time, but he still dares to secretly recruit people and intends to change the existing situation of the court. He is really bold."
Hu Wujing snorted coldly, narrowed his eyes, and said coldly: "Zhao Gao? He is just a domestic dog of His Majesty, but this domestic dog has its own ideas, but this has nothing to do with us, since he If we have the intention to change some things, it may not be beneficial to us, so there is no need to blame."
"Now is not the time."
"I remember you said a few days ago that Zhao Gao has been moving around secretly recently."
"Do you know who he has secretly contacted?"
Hu Xian cupped his hands and said: "My child did find out some things, such as the Shaofu, Dianke and other officials who had issues with His Highness. Zhao Gao went to see them in private, but I don't know whether he specifically talked about them. But I did contact him personally, but judging from Zhao Gao’s recent frequent actions, he should have achieved something.”
"It's just that I really can't find out the specific gains."
Hu Xian sighed softly.
The Hu family is no longer the same as before.
The glory is gone.
Even if there is still some help, it is no longer as good as in the past, and many things can only be done like this.
Hu Wujing nodded slightly.
He didn't say much about it.
How could he not know the situation at home?
Although I am equally angry in my heart, how can I blame him for this?
He stroked his beard and said in a deep voice: "Zhao Gao is quite scheming. He knows that these people have had problems with His Highness, so he went out of his way to win over these people. If he really succeeds, , the young master’s influence in the court will probably increase a lot, and if something happens to His Highness, it may not be possible to change the current status of the court.”
"We should pay more attention to it."
Hu Wujing pondered for a moment, then suddenly changed the topic and said, "When Zhao Gao came to the door before, he mentioned Mr. Zhong. Have you ever investigated this person? What information did you find out about him?"
Hu Xiandao: "Haier has indeed investigated it privately."
"It's just that the child's official position is low now, so there is really no way to investigate in depth. At best, I can only verify what Zhao Gao said. This person now lives in Xicheng, three or five streets away from Changyangfang, but this street seems not to be the same. There aren’t many people living there, there are very few people coming in and out, and there seem to be attendants guarding the place outside.”
"The specific situation has not been found out."
"But Mr. Zhong is indeed among them."
immediately.
Hu Xian asked curiously: "Father just now said that we should take it seriously. Is he planning to take action against this person? To expose his identity as a remnant of the Six Kingdoms? So that the courtiers have an excuse to attack His Highness?"
Hu Wujing sneered and shook his head.
He said coldly: "You are too simple-minded."
"This person is so trusted by His Highness that he even sends his attendants to protect him. If he is not handled properly, he will only cause trouble."
"Isn't this trying to push me, Mrs. Hu, into a pit of fire?"
"And now we don't know whether these attendants were ordered by His Highness privately, or whether they were already reported to His Majesty and arranged with His Majesty's permission. If His Majesty knew about it, and we targeted it so rashly, I'm afraid we would be in trouble. Walk."
"Besides."
"Zhao Gao has been in contact with so many officials, why only let us do it?"
"Didn't you realize something was wrong?"
Hu Xian was stunned.
He didn't think too much about it.
Hearing Hu Wujing's words, he woke up instantly.
Hu Wujing tapped his fingers lightly on the table and said with a gloomy expression: "This matter is actually very risky and dangerous. Others are unwilling to do it, so it falls on us."
"Because your father and I are far away from the court, we actually treat them with a low profile."
"That's why they told us to do it."
Hear the words.
Hu Xian looked sullen.
He was also quite aggrieved.
Zhao Gao and others are really philistines. How long has it been since his father left the court? Are you already so despised?
This is really unreasonable.
Why is there no anger in Hu Wujing's heart?
It's just that he has been in the court for many years and has long developed a very deep character, which he did not show on his face.
Hu Wujing said calmly: "This is nothing. At least it shows that I, Hu Wujing, are still valuable in their eyes. This is better than having no value at all. But now that I, the Hu family, have lost power, I really need help." External forces have arisen again, so although I am dissatisfied with the current situation, I can no longer do nothing."
"Otherwise, I might really be abandoned by these people."
"By then, the Hu family may not be able to rise again."
"At least it's time to show your attitude."
Hu Xian was stunned.
He remembered that his father had scoffed at these things before and had no intention of taking action. This time, after hearing about the officials Zhao Gao secretly contacted, he suddenly changed his mind. This was enough to prove his father's change in his judgment of the current situation.
He asked: "What did my father mean?"
Hu Wujing did not speak in a hurry, but picked up the tea bowl and took a sip of tea.
The lips and teeth are fragrant and the mouth and tongue are moist.
At this time.
Hu Wujing narrowed his eyes and said slowly: "If I remember correctly, when the Guanshanhai policy was passed, Mr. Zhong came forward once. At that time, he targeted the salt and iron merchants in Guanzhong. You can secretly transfer Mr. Zhong's Reveal the news to these businessmen and let them test Mr. Zhong’s background and reality.”
"Notice."
"Don't expose ourselves."
"We, the Hu family, are not suitable to get involved in these things."
"Only behind my back."
Hear the words.
Hu Xian nodded vigorously.
He smiled and said: "Father is thoughtful."
"The merchants have a grudge against Mr. Zhong, so it would be most appropriate to use their hands to test it. Even if someone finds out, they won't easily doubt us, after all."
"Both parties have competing interests."
"It is reasonable for the merchants to hold grudges and want to take revenge privately."
"I, Mr. Hu, have nothing to do with it."
Hu Wujing nodded.
That's exactly what he thought.
Zhao Gao wanted to use his own hands to test Mr. Zhong's reality, so why couldn't he use others' help?
Hu Wujing said: "Contact me privately, but don't reveal too much. Just specify the person's address and identity. As for other information, don't reveal it at all, but you can reveal it secretly. If something happens to them, the DPRK will Someone protects them.”
Hearing Hu Wujing's words, Hu Xian's eyes lit up and he said with a smile, "My child knows what to do."
"My child, go down and do it now."
Hu Wujing nodded.
In just a blink of an eye, Hu Xian disappeared from the lobby.
The lobby fell silent again.
Hu Wujing was the only one enjoying the tea leisurely, but compared to the initial bitterness, the tea at this moment was obviously much sweeter, and Hu Wujing had a smile on his face from time to time.
Feng.
It has been five months since the shipwreck in Huai County.
Feng was completely silent after this incident.
In the past few months, I have been doing business as usual and rarely take any action.
But this calmness was instantly broken with the appearance of a letter from the wall.
Fung Hall.
Feng Dong sat on the main seat.
His figure became even more stooped, like a candle in the wind, and his energy and energy were very weak.
Compared with half a year ago, Feng Dong is older.
In the hall, there were only Feng Dong and Feng Zhen and his son.
Feng Dong looked away from the letter of submission in his hand, then carefully placed the letter of submission on the case, turned to look at Feng Zhen, and asked: "As the head of the family, what do you think of this letter of submission? "
Feng Zhen's eyes moved slightly.
After thinking for a moment, he slowly said: "Haier cannot guarantee the authenticity of this letter, but judging from the content of this letter, someone has indeed noticed Mr. Zhong, and even intends to target him. , and it is very likely to be related to court officials."
"But it's business."
"This matter is actually a double-edged sword."
"Once it succeeds, it will make endless profits, and it will protect court officials in the future. However, once it fails, it will also suffer deeply, and it may even be unable to recover, and it may not be possible to turn over."
"only."
"It's just too risky."
Feng Zhen shook his head.
He did feel a little moved.
Just considering that he was targeting Mr. Zhong, he couldn't help but retreat in his heart. He was really afraid of Mr. Zhong. In the previous two confrontations, they were clearly calculated, and now they took the initiative to provoke him. It's actually a bit unwise.
Moreover, Mr. Zhong is valued by His Highness, how can they easily provoke him?
He is still self-aware.
Seeing that Feng Zhen understood the general situation so well, Feng Dong's eyes were filled with relief.
After these years of experience, Feng Zhen is no longer impulsive and can finally take charge of his own business.
This made Feng Dong's heart finally calm down.
He said solemnly: "You are right. I, Feng, will never get involved in this matter. I, Feng, are just a salt merchant. I don't have that big ambition, let alone that much ability, to participate in the affairs of the court."
“Everything is about safety.”
"But when this letter of submission appears, I, Mrs. Feng, are destined to be affected."
"I, Mr. Feng, can keep my mind stable, but other merchants may not."
"At that time, I, Mrs. Feng, will become a different kind. If these people's plan does not succeed, I, Mrs. Feng, can escape unscathed. If there is really a problem with Mr. Zhong, I, Mrs. Feng, will probably become a different person if I want to operate peacefully in the future. It’s extremely difficult.”
“The pros and cons are profound.”
Feng Zhen was silent.
How could he not know?
But after more than half a year, he has long recognized the reality.
Merchants cannot defeat officials.
Moreover, in the eyes of officials, merchants were not in the mainstream at all. At best, they were regarded as pawns, to be manipulated by them and do whatever they wanted.
Now that it involves the imperial court, is this something they can interfere with?
They don't know what will happen to the court then, but they merchants will definitely die miserably.
There is no doubt about it.
As for the promises given, they are completely nonsense.
It is too arrogant and arrogant to try to let them stake the fate of the whole family with just a few words.
Feng Zhendao: "My child understands."
"It's just that children have their own considerations."
"Although this letter of submission states that it is only directed at Mr. Zhong, and it is in the name of doing good for His Highness, Mr. Zhong has a close relationship with His Highness. This matter is probably not done by His Highness, but by someone else. This is very difficult. It’s worth investigating. Is this because someone saw Mr. Zhong getting close to His Highness, felt dissatisfied, and wanted to destroy the relationship between His Highness and Mr. Zhong? Or did he have other intentions?!”
"This is targeting His Highness!"
"How can Your Highness allow others to scheme against you? Once Your Highness knows about this matter, someone will definitely bear the responsibility, and this letter does not leave a specific name, so it is probably me and other merchants who will bear the consequences in the end."
"From any perspective, this would do more harm than good."
"Whether Mr. Zhong or His Highness, I, Feng, cannot afford to offend them. Moreover, these people have never dealt with Mr. Zhong and have no idea of Mr. Zhong's methods. Such a calculation will only bring harm to them."
Feng Dong smiled and nodded.
"You're right," he said.
"If it's targeting other people, I might let you try, but these people are targeting Mr. Zhong, so don't get involved. This person has a fox-like mind, and it's not something we can calculate at all. Moreover, this person has a bad attitude towards businessmen." I have a very deep prejudice, and if it fails in the end, I may face cruel revenge from this person."
"It will happen if you die or destroy your family."
"Feng, I can't afford to gamble."
immediately.
Feng Dong smiled bitterly and said slowly: "People's hearts are complicated. With the establishment of the crown prince, many people can't sit still. Especially Mr. Zhong is in the limelight, which may have aroused fear and dissatisfaction among many people, so I think This is used to stir up discord between Mr. Zhong and His Highness, but how do these people know how powerful this Mr. Zhong is?"
Feng Zhen smiled bitterly.
If possible, who wants to see it?
It is precisely because they, Feng, have suffered so much that they have to be careful.
But from this letter, we can also notice that the court of Da Qin is not peaceful, and there are always undercurrents. Perhaps the battles in the court will become more intense in the future, and then it will be difficult for merchants like them to stay alone.
Think of this.
There was a hint of worry in Feng Zhen's eyes.
He has long since lost his original ambition and just wants to keep Feng's existing family business.
But this idea has become a bit extravagant now.
Feng Dong looked calm and said in a deep voice: "You don't have to worry too much. We don't care about what other businessmen will do. You just need to be firm and don't stand against Mr. Zhong, even..."
“Sometimes necessary sacrifices can be made to do so.”
"No one else can beat it."
Feng Zhen nodded.
He also believed this in his heart.
The more I get to know Mr. Zhong, the more I realize how terrifying this man is.
This is truly a no-brainer!
A wise man is like a demon!
(End of chapter)
