Ning Cheng recalled it for a while, then gently shook her head towards Jin Jing who asked the question, saying that she didn't know.
"I'm not sure about this. It should be someone who begged someone or used money. After all, in Xijing City, there are quite a few people who want to send their children to Bilu Academy. Moreover, every time Bilu Academy recruits students from outside, The quantity is limited, so you can’t just send it in if you want.”
"That's right." Shen Cha nodded, "There are only twenty places per month. If you want to come, please come early. If you come late, you will be late."
"Good guy, if all those doing business here are like you, this business will go bankrupt sooner or later."
"But now there is no yellow!" Shen Cha smiled, "Some businesses have to do this. Rare things are more valuable, right?"
"You are always reasonable." Jin Jing looked at Ning Cheng, "I think Ning Changguo must have put a lot of thought into this."
"Yes, Bilu Academy's requirements are very high. Ning Changguo did have a relationship, but he would not tell us who he had a relationship with. Even if he did, the clan leader and elders would not tell us. But, now that I think about it, although Ningchang has been abroad for many years, his connections in Beijing are still there, and his mentor at the time is also there. It shouldn’t be particularly difficult to find connections, right?" See? Jin Jing nodded, and Ning Cheng continued, "And if you think about it seriously, Ning Changguo has lived in Xijing City for many years. In the years after the scientific examination, although his official career was not very satisfactory, he still integrated into the life of the capital. , after coming back, there is no need for special adaptation. If according to this standard, Ning Changnian is qualified to enter the academy."
"Based on this, it is indeed qualified." Jin Jing nodded, then turned to look at Shen Cha, "How much money does Bilu Academy earn per year?"
"One year?" Shen Cha raised his eyebrows, showing a standard profiteer's face, and said with a smile, "Sir, our academy collects money based on ten days, and thirty days a month, three times of money."
"Oh!" Jin Jing was not surprised at all. Many academies were like this, "How much is ten ten days?"
"Well, if I remember correctly, it's now ten taels of silver per ten days." Seeing Jin Jing's surprised expression, Shen Cha raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong?"
"Twelve?"
"Yeah!" Shen Cha nodded matter-of-factly, "Do you think it's expensive?"
"It's really not cheap."
"Then you have to compare it with other academies of different places and standards. You also know that the gentlemen we invite are all from high backgrounds. Naturally, the remuneration given to the old gentlemen is higher. In addition to the remuneration of the gentlemen, There is also the cost of pens, ink, paper, inkstones and books for the students, which is also a big expense.”
"These are all understandable, but there's no need for twelve, right?"
"Hey, don't worry, I haven't finished talking yet. Apart from the above, our academy is also responsible for three meals a day, and two snacks in the morning and afternoon. The academy has its own small kitchen, and the chef hired is from The ingredients returned from the Imperial Dining Room are fresh, clean, and come in a variety of flavors. Of course, this part of the cost is not mandatory. If you are not used to it, you can send someone to deliver it to you at home. If it is delivered to you at home, then you don’t have to. Ten taels of silver, just pay eight taels."
"Not much less!"
"This is natural." Shen Cha smiled, "Bilu Academy is on the outskirts of Xijing. If we really want to deliver food, the food will be cold by the time it is delivered."
"A profiteer, a real profiteer."
"Hey, it's not me who decided this matter, it's Mr. Xuanyuan. If you are dissatisfied, wait until you return to Beijing and tell Mr. Xu yourself."
"Forget it, even if you give me a hundred courages, I wouldn't dare." Jin Jing waved her hand, "So, almost everyone has ten taels?"
"Yes, it was like this when the academy was first established. I don't know about it later." Shen Cha nodded, "I don't know if there was any fluctuation when Ning Changnian was studying."
"There is no fluctuation, General, it is still ten taels." Ning Cheng smiled bitterly, "Although there is no fluctuation, ten taels of silver is not a small number. Even in a prosperous place like Jiangnan, it is enough for an ordinary family of five to spend a year. Yes. Although Ningchang State has been abroad for many years in the south of the Yangtze River and was transferred back to Xijing as a member of the Ministry of Rites, but he really needs to think carefully about giving out thirty taels of silver a month."
"This is true. Yuan Wai Lang's monthly salary is only thirty taels, and there are also subsidies of seven, seven, eight, eight, and eight, plus he lectures for the East Palace. The maximum monthly salary is forty taels. After deducting one month's salary, For expenses, Ning Changnian barely paid enough for Bilu Academy for one month." Shen Cha raised an eyebrow, "Of course, he has some savings from being an official for many years, but he can't just sit back and have nothing, right? So, he Did you ask your family for help?"
"Asking for help from the family?" Ning Cheng thought for a while, "The clan leader and elders will give everyone an explanation of how much income and expenses the family has every month, but we really didn't see the expenses of Ning Changnian's education going to the company. Account, if you ask for help, it should be from the clan leader's own private treasury. The clan leader at that time was his biological father, so it is reasonable to give a small subsidy to his youngest son."
"Then it's not the clan's business, it's their own business."
"Actually, even if they leave the public account, the clan members won't say anything." Ning Cheng sighed, "Since he was sent to serve as an official, the family's business, the family's retainers, and the people who came here came here because of his fame. The number of students who have defected has gradually increased, and the income has increased. The extra thirty taels spent this month is actually nothing, and the clansmen will not take it seriously. "
"In other words, you didn't know whether he asked for help from his family?"
"Yes, I don't know about it, and my brother has never mentioned it. I don't dare to deceive the generals and adults about this."
After listening to Ning Cheng's words, Shen Cha looked at Jin Jing. The two looked at each other for a while, and saw the same meaning in each other's eyes. They guessed that the person who used the back door for Ning Chang Kingdom should be the Empress Dowager, who was a noble concubine. At that time, the academy had not yet been entrusted to the Prince's Palace, and the Xuanyuan family was still responsible. If the Empress Dowager opened her mouth, the Xuanyuan family would not fail to give her this face.
As for how Ning Changguo can solve Ning Chang Nian's high education expenses, it will be easier to handle. As long as Ningchang Guo steps into the territory of the Empress Dowager, it is absolutely impossible to escape. Given the Queen Mother's character, There are many ways to make him submit.
"Ah!" Ning Cheng suddenly shouted. When he saw several people looking at him, he smiled sheepishly and said, "The student suddenly remembered something, which should be related to Ning Changguo's increase in his income. He once gave money to the clan leader He wrote in the letter, saying that he had found a good job. The other party admired his talents and wanted to ask him to teach the children at home. Although there were official schools and academies, it seemed that it was not convenient for the children of this family to go out, so I asked Ning to Chang Guo did not need to go to his home to give lectures too frequently. He would go once every seven days and lecture for half an hour to an hour at a time. The reward was based on the number of times. Ning Chang Guo did not say how much money he would pay for each visit. He only said that Ning Chang would go to Bilu every year. The expenses of the academy are now settled."
After hearing this, Shen Cha couldn't help but slightly raise the corners of his lips. This so-called lecture was probably the first step for the Empress Dowager to win over Ning Changguo.
According to the files she checked about the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager's natal family had a niece, the daughter left behind by the brother she had plotted against. From the very beginning, she had invited people from well-known families to come to her home to teach her, because This young lady is weak and cannot go out to attract attention. She cannot study in a special academy like other wealthy ladies. She can only invite her husband to come to her home.
Among these gentlemen, there are many educated young people who have won the first place, third place, and second place in the imperial examinations in the past. At that time, there were rumors in Xijing City that the imperial concubine invited these young talents to give lectures to her niece. It was a lie. She wanted to teach for her niece. It is true that his niece is looking for a son-in-law.
When Shen Cha saw this, he once said that the rumors were unbelievable and that this was too ridiculous.
Although the Imperial Grandfather and the Empress Dowager have no real feelings, they only married to repay their kindness. When they got married, they were just used as decorations. There was no real relationship between the two people as husband and wife, but if the Empress Dowager wanted to marry her niece If you are looking for a son-in-law, you can legitimately ask Grandpa Huang to help select a few suitable candidates. I think Grandpa Huang will not refuse, so there is no need to expend so much effort.
But now it seems that the Empress Dowager wants to kill two birds with one stone. On the one hand, she casts a wide net to recruit young talents from Xijing City to become her niece-in-law. On the other hand, she wants to find suitable helpers to build a new life for her in Xijing City. Prepare for the intelligence network.
It's just that Shen Cha couldn't remember whether the young lady's son-in-law was selected from these young talents, but the Empress Dowager's most effective helper was really found from them.
Thinking of this, Shen Cha sighed heavily. The Empress Dowager wanted to build her own network, so she urgently needed capable people who could be used by her. Ning Changguo needed to find a backer in the capital. They found a stable source of income, so the two of them hit it off. Of course, apart from the fact that the two people had some connections and interactions before, they probably only have one thing in common, and that is the Green Lotus Sect.
According to the records, these two people are loyal followers of the Green Lotus Sect.
"Xiao Cha!" Jin Miaomiao bumped Shen Cha with her elbow and whispered, "What did you think of? You are smiling so scary!"
"I thought of a very interesting thing, very interesting." Shen Cha bared his teeth at Jin Miaomiao and looked at Ning Cheng, "Did you know that Ning Changguo believes in the Green Lotus Sect and is a very fanatical believer?"
"Indeed, not only in the Ningchang year, but also in the Ningfu of Xijing, before the Qinglian Sect was encircled and suppressed, they were all believers."
"As expected." Shen Cha muttered in a low voice, and no one could hear it except Jin Miaomiao beside him.
Although Jin Miaomiao heard it, she didn't say anything. She just glanced at Shen Cha indifferently and continued the interrogation.
"From this point of view, Ningchang State really spent a lot of money and effort on Ningchang Nian. Although they are not real brothers and have no blood relationship, they are closer than real brothers. They are definitely right. It’s time to start the Ning family in Zhongzhou.”
"Who says it isn't?" Ning Cheng sighed, "In the beginning, Ning Changnian was also trying his best. After studying at Bilu Academy for three or four years, he was ready to give it a try. This was not because he was arrogant, but because he The teacher at Bilu Academy recommended him and asked him to give it a try. But he was lucky and happened to catch up with Enke that year. Although his grades were not particularly good, they were still pretty good. He won the exam smoothly and compared with Ning Changguo was one year younger when he passed the examination. Later, Ning Changguo felt that it was not good to take the examination too early, so he did not take part in the next examination and returned to the academy to study."
"He is also a young genius. It is worth spending a lot of money to train him. But..." Jin Jing looked at Shen Cha and then at Ning Cheng, "Ning Changnian must have returned to his hometown to take the scientific examination, right?"
"My lord, yes."
"Do you know that Ning Chang took part in the imperial examination and failed repeatedly because Ning Changguo wrote a letter back?"
"Yes, and the letter contained a strong sense of showing off. My brother said that if Ning Changguo came back from Beijing to visit relatives, he would probably show off a lot. As expected, when he returned to Zhongzhou to visit relatives, he deliberately took a detour. After entering Chaozhou, people really tell me that Ning Changnian is very smart. He was able to win the imperial examination at such a young age. He is worthy of being another child prodigy of the Ning family."
"It's normal. There is no need to show off such a powerful child at home. This is understandable." Jin Jing nodded, "It's just that later, it seems that there was no scholar named Ning who came first in high school. Did he fail the exam?" ?”
"Your Excellency's guess is correct. Ning Changnian has never ended up since then."
"This is strange. With such a good talent, why don't you continue to take the exam? Are you worried about the shame of not passing the exam? He is still young. He failed once and twice. As long as he is at the age of Ningchang National High School, he can do well in the exam. The ranking is probably not even a shame.”
"I'm not worried about not passing the exam. I'm worried that if I pass the exam, it will bring greater trouble to my family."
"Oh? What do you mean by this?"
"Sir, please listen to the student and explain slowly." Ning Cheng thanked the guard who gave him water, moistened his throat, and continued, "About one or two years have passed since Ning Changguo came back to visit his relatives. He wrote a letter from Beijing, mentioning Ning Changnian in the letter, saying that he was interested in doing business and had already bought a shop in Beijing and was ready to start business."
"Doing business? Scholars, farmers, industry and commerce are the most looked down upon. Ning Changguo actually doesn't object?"
"Not only did he not object, but he was very supportive. He wrote to the patriarch to explain why he did what he did. After reading his explanation, the patriarch and elders also felt that Ning Changnian made the right choice not to continue the imperial examination. .”
"This is so weird."
"It's not surprising at all." Seeing Jin Jing's puzzled expression, Ning Cheng said, "At that time, Ning Changguo was in the limelight several times in the capital and received several foreign missions. His attitude of neither being humble nor arrogant made him famous. Xia has gained a lot of face, and he is highly praised both inside and outside the palace, and he can be considered a popular figure in Xijing City."
"The flowers are like a raging fire cooking oil. It's okay not to be in such limelight. If Ningchang wants to truly establish a foothold in the capital, it's better to keep a low profile." Shen Cha took two sips of tea and said slowly, "If Ningchang If you continue to take part in the imperial examination at this time of the year, you will most likely pass. Even if you are not in the top three, or just a Jinshi, it will be enough for people in the capital to talk about it for a long time. This is for Ning who wants to keep a low profile and not be noticed. For the Chang State, it actually does more harm than good. Therefore, the only way to keep the peace of Ning Mansion is to apologize to Ning Changnian and completely cut off his official career. Otherwise, Ning Chang State will be besieged by his colleagues before long. Even if he has a backer, it can only save his life, no matter how much more, he can't be saved."
"What the general said is what the clan chiefs and elders said. Ning Chang Nian cannot affect the career of Ning Chang Country. It is not easy for such a person to be born in the family, and it cannot be lost in vain. Fortunately, Ning Chang Nian He is not very interested in being an official, and he does not want to continue studying, let alone take the imperial examination. He is indeed more interested in doing business, and he is also very talented. He originally owned a shop, and then slowly It became two or three stores, and half a year later, Ning Changguo received another letter from Xijing City, saying that Ning Changnian’s stores had expanded to seventeen."
"Seventeen stores?" Shen Cha smiled nonchalantly, "Do you know what Ning Changnian's shops are called?"
"It wasn't clear at first, but then it expanded and we gave it a unified name, so that people could tell at a glance that the owner behind it was the same company." Seeing Shen Cha staring at him, Ning Cheng swallowed a sip of saliva , said, "These shops were confiscated after the Ningchang Guodongchuang Incident. They should have changed their names now."
"Tell me your previous name." Shen Cha looked at him coldly, "Don't worry about what happened next."
"Coming back to General, it's Fuliu Pavilion."
When Jin Jing heard the name, she turned to look at Shen Cha, and then at Jin Miaomiao who looked surprised. When he saw Shen Cha nodding towards him, he sighed heavily. This was really business. It's just not for the Xijing Ning Mansion, nor for the Zhongzhou Ning family and Chaozhou Ning family, but for the Empress Dowager and the Qinglian Sect.
"Several adults..." Ning Cheng looked at Shen Cha, then at Jin Jing, and then at Ying Five and Ying Seventeen, who also changed their looks, "Is there anything wrong with this Fuliu Pavilion?"
"There's nothing wrong!" Jin Jing sneered, "Are you really sure Fuliu Pavilion is Ning Changnian's property?"
"Yes!" Ning Cheng nodded, "Furthermore, in order to repay Ning Changguo's upbringing and upbringing, Ningchang Nian gave Ningchang Guo a 30% dividend every year. Ningchang Guo kept half of the money and the rest. Half of it was sent back to Chaozhou."
"He is indeed a person who repays his kindness." Jin Jing nodded, "But how could such a person betray his brother? Two people have been in love with each other for so many years, why did they turn against each other in the end?"
