In a deep house compound on the edge of Longfu Temple, Zheng Zhilong's brothers were talking with Zheng Cai in a wing room on the east side of the backyard.

The room was not large, but it was quite ornately furnished, and a curtain of cotton-filled blue cloth hung on the small door leading to the inner hall on the west side.

In front of the small square table where the three of them sit, a charcoal basin is placed, and the charcoal basin is made of silver bone charcoal produced in Xishan Kiln in the suburbs of Beijing, this charcoal looks like hoarfrost, burning not only slowly, but also does not smell a trace of fireworks, it is the top grade in the charcoal, and it is also a royal thing, and the whole room has this pot of charcoal to be warm like spring.

Zheng Zhihu kept turning over and over in the charcoal basin with a fire stick, and finally stirred up some smoke and dust.

"Ah Hu, can you stop a little, don't you have to make the room full of smoke and miasma?" Zheng Zhilong couldn't help but cover his nose and reprimanded.

Zheng Zhihu put down the fire in a daze, touched his nose and said: "What's the matter with this Father-in-law Lu, he was very kind to us on the boat, and when he arrived in the capital, he left us in this courtyard, took away our talisman blades, and didn't allow us to go out and walk around, this wouldn't be trying to attack us, right?" ”

Although Zheng Zhilong was also a little uneasy in his heart, he still reprimanded his younger brother, "Hugh is talking nonsense, Gonggong Lu is just afraid that I am not familiar with life in the capital, so I go out and bump into a noble person I don't know, and cause trouble."

Liu Peng and Li Kuiqi, that one is not full of evil faces, and it doesn't look like some kind people. If something happens in the capital, wouldn't we be implicated, and Grandpa Lu is also thinking about us. ”

Zheng Zhihu couldn't say that his brother, so he simply excused himself that the room was too stuffy and wanted to go out to take a breath, so he opened the cotton curtain and walked out quickly.

Zheng Zhihu was angry in his heart, and he couldn't help but move a little more between actions, and when the cotton curtain was lifted, a cold wind blew in, making Zheng Cai, who was sitting in front of the door, shiver.

Zheng Cai shrunk his neck, as if he could avoid the cold in his heart. When the cotton curtain calmed down from the shaking, Zheng Cai cautiously said to Zheng Zhilong.

"Leader of the First Official, do you really think that this is not Gonggong Lu who wants to put us under house arrest? This Yu Zhigao and Xu Xinsu disappeared when they went ashore, they didn't want to deal with us, right? ”

Zheng Zhilong's face was cloudy, but he still remained calm, and after being silent for a while, he seemed to be answering Zheng Cai, and said as if he was asking himself: "If you come, you will be safe." Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, so you won't immediately retort, right? ”

Neither could answer the question, and silence fell back into the room.

After being silent for a long time, Zheng Cai was about to say something, when a sound of footsteps came from outside the door, and the cotton curtain was lifted again.

Zheng Zhihu rushed into the door in a hurry, but saw Zheng Cai holding a teapot in his hand, and his brother was holding a chair, both of them were facing themselves who rushed in, as if they wanted to smash it down.

He asked in surprise, "Brother, what are you doing here?" ”

Zheng Zhilong and Zheng Cai put down the objects in their hands in a daze, Zheng Zhilong coughed, touched his nose, pretended that nothing had happened, and said to his younger brother.

"How many times have I told you on the way here, after this move, you and my brother are also official people, can't you be calm? It's still so frizzy, what a system. What the hell is it for you to run in so quickly. ”

Zheng Zhihu then remembered what he was going to do, he skipped the abnormal behavior of the two people in the room just now, and hurriedly said: "Gonggong Lu came to give a banquet on the orders of His Majesty, and I came to invite my brother out to greet him." ”

"Such an important matter, why didn't you say it earlier, don't leave quickly, don't let Grandpa Lu wait for a long time." Zheng Zhilong suddenly put down the big stone in his heart and walked quickly towards the door. Zheng Cai also breathed a sigh of relief and followed closely behind Zheng Zhilong.

Almost at the same time that Lu Jiude gave a banquet to Zheng Zhilong and others on behalf of the emperor, Yu Zhigao and Xu Xinsu changed into civilian clothes and quietly left the hall with a few relatives.

In front of a deep alley on West Chang'an Avenue near the middle of Dashi Yongfang, Yu Shigao stepped out of the sedan chair, he looked up at the big locust tree in front of the alley like a car and horse cover, turned back to the bridge man and asked, "Is this the stone tablet alley?" ”

The head of the sedan chair replied respectfully: "Back to the nobles, this is the stone tablet alley, enter from the alley, and the first one is the Ministry of Industry Wu Shangshu's mansion." ”

Yu Zhigao turned to his personal entourage and ordered, "You will wait here, Xinsu will go in with me and visit the old man." ”

In front of the mansion of Wu Chunfu, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Xu Xinsu handed a name sticker to the door.

Not long after, a young noble son hurriedly ran out of the courtyard with the name card he had just given Xu Xinsu in his hand.

After he saw Xu Xinsu, he asked happily: "It turns out that Baishi is also here, Lord Taishan is there."

After Yu Zhigao accepted the salute of the third son-in-law with a smile, he stepped forward to help him and said, "How is Yanzi lately?" ”

"Back to Lord Taishan, everything is fine with Yanzi, but I miss Taishan and Taishui a little." Wu Daonian said happily.

Yu Zhigao stroked her beard and said with a smile: "I think she misses the preserved vegetables and red paste crab made by her mother, but this time I came up in a hurry, but I didn't bring anything." ”

Wu Daonian said with some embarrassment: "Every time Lord Taishui sends preserved vegetables and red paste crabs, my son-in-law eats more. ”

Weng and his son-in-law couldn't help but smile, and Wu Daonian remembered to invite Yu Zhigao and Xu Xinsu into the mansion.

Wu Daonian personally led the way in front, and accompanied his father-in-law to talk about some trivial matters in the family, but he never mentioned the purpose of Yu Zhigao's trip to Beijing.

The three of them walked through the front yard and stopped in front of the east wing of the middle courtyard. Wu Daonian bowed at the door, and said respectfully to the door: "Father, Lord Taishan and Xu Baishi are here." ”

A somewhat tired voice came from the room: "Please let in two distinguished guests." ”

After the three of them passed through the cotton curtain, they saw Wu Chunfu standing behind a long case, and a pair of words that had just been written and had not yet been done were placed on the bookcase.

After Wu Chunfu and Yu Zhigao greeted each other, Xu Xinsu stepped forward to meet the old-timers of his fellow villagers.

Wu Chunfu is still three, a native of Lingshui Village, Jinjiang, Quanzhou, and a member of the Gengxu Branch in the 38th year of Wanli. In the early years of the Apocalypse, he was dismissed and returned to his hometown because of his unqualified position in Shaanxi.

After that, he received the support of Xu Xinsu and other Zhangzhou maritime merchants, spent money to get through Wei Zhongxian's door, and was reinstated as the military department Langzhong in the fifth year of the Apocalypse.

After that, because he worked very hard in front of Wei Zhongxian, he was highly recommended by Wei Zhongxian, and he moved to become the secretary of the Ministry of Industry six times a year.

And Xu Xinsu and other Zhang, Quanhai merchants, were also introduced by him to his children's in-laws, and the Fujian chief military officer Yu Zhigao's subordinates became the most important force under Yu Zhigao.

After Wu Chunfu ordered his subordinates to move in another charcoal basin, he ordered the idlers and others to stay away from his study, and even his son was driven out.

After the room was quiet, Wu Chunfu asked a little nervously, "My father-in-law and Baishi, why did you come up at this time?" But what happened? ”

Yu Zhigao subconsciously glanced at Xu Xinsu, who was in charge, and then said to Wu Chunfu with a wry smile: "It's all because of the incompetence of Zhigao, and he has been defeated in a series of battles in front of Zheng Yiguan, which caused His Majesty to personally issue an edict to appease the pirates and thieves like Eighteen Zhi." His Majesty summoned me to wait, and I really didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse, so I wanted to come and meet my father-in-law, and ask for an idea by the way. ”

After listening to Yu Zhigao's words, the expression on Wu Chunfu's face did not change, but he remained silent.

Compared with Wu Chunfu, Xu Xinsu's patience was a little worse, he finally couldn't hold back his mood, and took the initiative to break the silence and said: "Actually, even if Your Majesty doesn't summon the chief soldier and me to go to Beijing, the younger generation will also want to come to the capital to visit the boss." This Zheng Yiguan is now powerful, and he has the support of some wealthy gentry in Fujian, and he has cut off the maritime trade routes.

Now with the strength of my Zhangzhou maritime merchants and Fujian sailors, I can no longer suppress Zheng Yiguan. Fortunately, this person was stunned, and he was summoned to the capital by an edict from His Majesty. When Zheng Yiguan and the others left the sea, they were tigers out of the jungle, and it was a good time to start.

Without the Eighteen Zhi of Zheng Yiguan and these leaders, Baishi was confident that he would divide and disintegrate them and restore the maritime trade routes. So Baishi wanted to ask the boss to make a move and leave Zheng Yiguan and others in the capital. ”

Looking at Xu Xinsu, who was talking eloquently, Wu Chunfu just laughed, "Bai Shi doesn't think that it is still the time when Gonggong Wei is in power?" Although the old man still occupies the position of the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, he is just surviving. ”

Xu Xinsu said unwillingly: "When I first went through the door of Father-in-law Wei, it only cost 100,000 taels. As long as the boss shows the way, we are willing to make up another 100,000 taels, and only ask for the heads of Zheng Yiguan and a few people. ”

Wu Chunfu frowned and glanced at Xu Xinsu, and reprimanded him dissatisfiedly: "Baishi Hugh is talking nonsense, is the old man here the bandits' Juyi Hall?" What 100,000 taels to buy the first rank, as an official of the imperial court, don't you think you have misconduct? ”

Xu Xinsu confessed without pain, but he was very angry in his heart. This Wu Shangshu was under the hands of Gonggong Wei before, He Zeng regarded himself as an official of the imperial court, although he did not have blood on his hands, but he ate a lot of human blood steamed buns.

After gently reprimanding Xu Xinsu for a few words, Wu Chunfu said a little gloomily: "This time is not as good as in the past, without the support of Gonggong Wei, my Ministry of Works, the secretary of the Ministry of Engineering at the end of the six departments, can only manage the affairs of the construction project, and other affairs cannot be interfered with."

Since the departure of Gonggong Wei in this palace, he has changed his old style, the water can't be splashed, the needles can't be pricked, and now it's difficult to get some news from the palace. Since the new emperor ascended the throne, everything he has done is nothing more than seeking change and innovation.

This appeasement of Zheng Yiguan and other pirate leaders was personally issued by His Majesty. Baishi, you'd better think less about it, if you anger Your Majesty, let alone keep the sea trade routes, I'm afraid that this Zhangzhou maritime merchant won't even think about going to sea in the future. ”