Section 146                                                             

Li Guangzhao was very proud of his face in front of several people in the Interior Affairs Office, and was very proud. He traveled around the world and had many people and things. When talking about the scenery outside, he made the servant of the Interior Affairs Office who was often in Beijing and rarely left for the province. He heard Wen Xi, Cheng Lin and others yearned for it. After talking about gossip, Wen Xi asked: "See, how many years can these wood plants be transported?"

"Then..." Li Guangzhao thought for a while and replied: "The mountain road is rugged and the materials are large, so it will take ten years to complete it."

"Ten years? It's too late!" Wen Xi was quite disappointed. "Although this major project will take several years, it cannot be said that wood plants will be used ten years later."

"Of course!" Li Guangzhao quickly explained, "I mean the ten-year transportation is completed. The first batch can be transported to Beijing in three years."

"How can that be? Then..." Wenxi was so shocked that he couldn't even speak neatly. "You're not kidding! Why didn't you say this earlier? How could this be a joke?"

"Brother Wen," Li Guangzhao replied calmly: "Don't worry, I have my own concerns. The roads in the world are all made by people. The garden is built according to the orders, and the emperor is presided over. Are you still afraid that there will be no wood plant?"

Wenxi has never had a big deal, so he is prone to worry. He is the backup poster. He originally wanted to borrow the great work of the court and put in more effort. When he talked about his achievements in the future, he could appreciate the Shangguan and get a "good place". At this time, he heard Li Guangzhao say so indifferently, and looked at his attitude as if he had a calm mind. Thinking about his words, it was indeed good, and he felt ashamed of himself and said with a smile: "Don't blame me for being anxious! When I met you, I am lucky. I hope to make up for my real shortcomings in this mission. Who knew that you would only use your wood plant in three years. What should I do next year's 300,000 years of life? Why can't I not be anxious!"

"Yeah!" Li Guangzhao complained, "So, Brother Wen, you want to make up for the gap, why didn't you tell me soon?"

"What did you tell you?" Wenxi asked, "Do you have another way?"

"Not there is another way. You have told me that my report who voluntarily responded to Mu Zhi, add your name and say how many of you are among them. To serve you together, several adults from the Ministry of Internal Affairs will immediately make up for you when they are happy?" Speaking of this, Li Guangzhao sighed again: "Well! I really missed the opportunity, think about it, it's a matter of benefiting without any effort!"

Wen Xi, who was obsessed with the public, was indeed very upset, stretched his face, frowned, and sighed for a long time.

"No, no, no, no, no. Brother Wen, there will be a chance of official career sooner or later, but it will not be too late." Li Guangzhao said, "Although my wood planting in various provinces can only be used in three years, there is another way, and it will continue to be gained by next summer. It would be terrible to spend more than 100,000 yuan in excess of this."

"That's great!" Wenxi threw away the worries just now and asked quickly, "What's the way? Hurry up, please tell me!"

"You know, I have dealing with foreign merchants, in Hankou, Shanghai, Fuzhou, and Hong Kong. I tried to raise more than 100,000 yuan in silver and buy foreign wood to import them. Isn't that all?"

Wen Xi was overjoyed and really wanted to ask Li Guangzhao for thanking him, but the change of circumstances was too smooth and it was unbelievable, so he unconsciously broke out a sentence between his teeth: "Really?"

This sentence is broken, and Li Guangzhao's face looks like the weather in the yellow plum blossoms, with clouds accumulated and dull. If it comes down, it will thunder! "I'm sorry, sorry!" Wen Xishen regretted his words and apologized in a hurry, "I have such a problem. These two words are catchphrases, and they come out accidentally. It doesn't matter, don't be angry with me."

"Brother, why am I angry?" Li Guangzhao slowly regained his calm face, but suddenly showed a very serious attitude, "There is a saying that I have to say first. At the earliest, I will leave Beijing in early June. Good luck will be available for wood, and it will always be next spring."

The wood will not arrive in Beijing next spring. How can I get through before the Wanshou Festival? Isn’t it possible to catch up? Isn’t this a change of mind? After asking again and again, Li Guangzhao said that he had spent all his money and had to write a letter to send money, so it would not take until the end of the year. "This is easy!" Wenxi said while patting his chest.

I don’t know how easy it is for him to handle it. I only made an appointment with a few good friends from the Interior Department to invite Li Guangzhao to have a meal at Guangheju, and regarded it as a guest of honor and took turns to toasting.

During the social event, Wenxi specially introduced Li Guangzhao to accompaniment, saying that he was his cousin, a Han army, with the name of Bayanhe and the surname of Han, and was recognized as the same clan as Li Guangzhao, and his brothers were called each other. Bai Yanhe Xingwu, younger than Li Guangzhao, and was just rightly called the eldest brother. Li Guangzhao saw his accessories, jade rings, spring gold watches, and Gu Yuexuan's snuff bottle. He knew that he was a rich man, so he refused to regard himself as his elder brother, and he respected him and called him "Fifth Brother".

When he was drunk and had enough food, Wenxi invited Li Guangzhao and his cousin to go home together. He cooked tea and talked again. Ba Yanhe seemed quite interested in Li Guangzhao's family background and experience. He asked intermittently that Li Guangzhao was still the same thing as before, and intentionally or unintentionally said that he had bought a large number of "planks" in Beijing and had already set off. Now he just waited for the letter from Hanyang to arrive and left immediately. He vaguely explained that the letter was that he had bought the flowerboard, so Hanyang's letter was naturally remittance to money.

So Bayan and winked at Wenxi, and the two of them sued, avoided the corridor, muttered and talked for a long time, and when they came back in, Wenxi smiled, and Bayan and then said goodbye, obviously, this was to facilitate Wenxi to have a secret conversation with Li Guangzhao. "Brother Li," Wenxi asked, "I have prepared five hundred taels of silver for you. Are you enough?"

Five hundred taels of silver returned to Hanyang, and the bank was very rich, but Li Guangzhao was in his heart, but he refused to show his petty aura. After a moment of pondering, he slowly replied: "It's almost done! Fortunately, I'm going to Beijing next year. I want to buy some Jilin ginseng and Guandong mink fur to give it to others. Let's talk about it!"

Wenxi borrowed money from his cousin who had 'paid's account'. He said he had stopped working and could not borrow any more, so he replied: "No, not bad! You have to visit slowly to get good things. It's too late this year. I'll look for Brother Li early next year."

"Please!" Li Guangzhao bowed seriously, "The price doesn't matter, the things must be good."

"Yes." Wenxi asked again: "Brother Li, look at the day you set off, I can pack my luggage." This means that he wants to go out of the capital with him. Li Guangzhao was very quick-minded and felt that this was just enough to boost his voice, so he quickly replied: "I'm fine, I'll leave as soon as I say."

So he discussed the itinerary and decided to take a sea ship from Tianjin to the south. But he could not leave as soon as he said that the Ministry of Internal Affairs had to file a document and report to the Emperor Ming to consult with the relevant provinces. He explained that Li Guangzhao had this to repay the wood craft. Before the departure of the future, Li Guangzhao would report the length and size of the base and the diameter were large. He would ask the governor and the passport was sent. He would carefully check the checkpoints and release the tax exemption.

"This is an order!" Wenxiu said to Li Guangzhao: "It's just like the imperial envoy."

Of course, Li Guangzhao was also very happy and proud. He prepared a dress of glamorous clothes and used a very delicate follower. He was about to leave the capital with Cheng Lin with the official business approved by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Unexpectedly, news suddenly came, and Sushun wanted to summon Li Guangzhao in person.

Hearing this, Li Guangzhao felt a little panicked. Su Shun enjoyed a reputation in the court and was very smart. If he found his own loopholes, deceived the court, and made jokes and insults, each one would be a death sentence! How many heads can the court cut him off? He wanted to take only these five hundred taels of silver and move to the land early to be a good place. He would find another method in the future, but he would not be willing to give up the large amount of money that would come with the great work of the Old Summer Palace in the future. If this ticket could be taken down, bought a boat to cross the east, and lived in a foreign land, it would be enough to make him live comfortably for the rest of his life.

This dragged on again and again until Wen Xila went to see Sushun. When she wanted to leave, she was too late, so she had to act calmly with a clear conscience and prepare to go to the Interior Office to see Sushun. Wen Xi took out a set of public uniforms, looked at his head, and whispered: "I'll prepare a flower feather for you."

Although Li Guangzhao had never been an official, he was knowledgeable and knew that doing this was because of the rules in the palace, and on the other hand, he wanted to make him pretend to be more generous. It was not the original intention of pretending to be poor, or it was not easy. For him, there was no need to worry about pretending to be rich. His belly was filled with rare anecdotes that could be said to be generous, and he could scare people by talking about a few things. He happily changed into clothes, took a sedan chair with him, and arrived at the door of the garden.

When he entered the Interior Affairs Office outside the Second Palace Gate, Cheng Lin greeted him, "Brother Li, thank you very much. Please come in with me, and I dare not let the two adults wait for a long time."

"Yes, yes, yes." The courage accumulated in my heart when I came, the light of the Tian family's demeanor was clearly visible for the things I saw along the way. The weather in June was already hot, and Li Guangzhao was nervous, and he was sweating all over his body. He bowed to Cheng Lin, "I'll take care of everything, brother."

Cheng Lin and Wen Xi have seen many people like him and smiled at each other, "It's no need to say, come in with me, brother."

Bypassing the main hall and coming to the second hall, there were two people sitting in front of him, one was Mingshan and Li Guangzhao who knew him, and the other was a man with white face and no beard. He did not dare to be rude, so he quickly took a few steps and knelt down, "Heaven Haikou people, Li Guangzhao, please pay tribute to the Lord."

"Are you the Li Guangzhao that Lord Ming mentioned?" Su Shun asked with his head down, "It is not easy for Lord Ming to have such filial piety as a merchant."

"The people of grass are not afraid! The people of grass are doing business in all directions for many years, and their footprints are spread all over the world. Seeing that since the emperor ascended the throne, the people have lived and worked in peace and contentment, and the world has a happy land of kingly ways. The people of grass are hard to say. This time, I heard that the emperor intends to renovate... The people of grass are thinking that the emperor works hard for the people of the world, and those of the people should have some filial piety. Just right, the people of grass are..."

Listening to him 'grass', Sushun almost laughed out loud. It was not easy to hold back her laughter, and it was difficult to speak. He found a gap and waved his hand to stop, "I heard that the wood plant you want to serve will take three years to come out of the mountain? If so, what can I help? Can't the emperor's garden be repaired? Only after your wood plant arrives can you complete it?"

"Yes, yes, yes. This matter is indeed the fault of the villain. If you don't think well, please forgive me." Li Guangzhao said, "However, the villain is not... In addition to the wood plantings that are difficult to come out of the mountains in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, the villain has also formed many friends over the years, including many vendors from all over the country. As long as the villain sends a letter, the merchants of the country will be transported to Tianjin, and then, the adults will send personnel to Tianjin to collect."

"oh?"

Seeing Su Shun's words seem to be suspicious, Li Guangzhao hurriedly said, "If you don't believe it, the wooden pattern that was originally contained in the box brought by the villain will be taken by the villain and will be taken by the adults."

This sentence aroused Sushun's greater suspicion: If it was set to be a three-year period, wood art can be brought to Beijing, and there was no such delay in time, Li Guangzhao would not need to bring wood samples; since he brought wood samples, it means that he had long planned to buy wood plants with foreigners for the purpose of serving the economy! However, wood art was all for him to serve the court, and he spent all his own money. Even if he asked for it, Li Guangzhao's answer was not a mistake - he was originally a wood merchant, so why not carry wood samples with him?

Sushun stopped entangling and asked instead, "Mr. Li has been doing business for many years, has he ever had any contact with any country in Lieyang?"

"..." Li Guangzhao stammered for a few times, but he was not easy to answer. He did speak a few words and had exchanges with some foreign merchants, but most of them did some tricks and were full of food and farewell. He was always good at it. Even now, his business in Hubei Province has not been completely settled. How can he say this? After thinking for a moment, he replied, "I will not hide it from the adults. What the young people do are barbarians who only stare at yellow and white things and have no monarch and father in their eyes. The young people dare not report it. It is a dirty adult who is more expensive to listen."

This made Su Shun even more suspicious. There was something extraordinary that he didn't dare to report the news. Then he asked, "Okay, then there is no need to say those things that are disturbing. I ask you, will you want someone to accompany you when you go south this time?"

"This is why the villain dare not bother you, you only want three things to do. It is easier to deal with."

"What's the matter?"

"First, after the wood plants arrive in Tianjin, please send someone to the dock to collect them; second, please ask the adult to receive a business for the villain to prove the villain's identity. It is also convenient to do things when you arrive in Hong Kong and other places. Third, during the transportation, please issue words along the road and carve the customs and protect the customs so that you can report the transportation."

Su Shun hesitated for a while, thinking in his mind that the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. Li Guangzhao was full of doubts, as if he had something to hide, and as if he was not able to express himself, but he was just confused. From his words, he really couldn't tell what benefits he wanted to get from it!? What's going on? "You go down first, let me talk about it later."

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After sending Li Guangzhao out, Mingshan saw that his face was wrong and asked with concern, "Brother Yuting, why do you think deeply?"

"Nothing, nothing." Sushun shook his head. All of the above were all his own guesses, without any evidence. Even if he said it, Mingshan and others would not believe it. He hesitated for a while, looked at the sky outside, and ordered, "Transfer the sign."
Chapter completed!