Chapter 740 Untitled!

Liaoyang, Dongning

In the best private room of Yichunyuan, three well-dressed and respectable men were drinking...

Although it was a drinking party for three people, the table was very sumptuous with eight meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, including fish and meat. After three rounds of wine and five dishes, a five-foot-tall, slightly drunk strong man at the table excitedly toasted the square-faced middle-aged man in front of him:

"Brother Peng! This glass of wine is for you! If it weren't for your support, I would still be working so hard, how could I live in a house with two entrances in Dongning!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the sturdy man drank the whole bowl of wine. After drinking it, the sturdy man became even more excited. He hugged the arm of the person he called Brother Peng and said loudly:

"Brother Peng! My life, Liu Zheng, will belong to you from now on. I will do whatever you ask me to do! If I dare to have second thoughts, I will be struck to death by lightning without a burial place!"

Listening to Liu Zheng's oath, Brother Peng nodded with satisfaction, patted Liu Zheng's arm and said confidently:
"My silly brother, this is just the beginning! Our good days are still to come!"

"If buying a yard in Dongning makes you like this, then if you buy a yard in Yijing in the future, will you be very happy?"

Liu Zheng was stunned by Brother Peng's question. He was born in a remote mountain village in Liaoyang. In his eyes, Dongning, the capital of Liaoyang, was already a big city. It was a blessing from his ancestors that he could buy a house here!

And Yijing is now the capital of Fengwu Army. If I could buy a yard there, wouldn’t it be a great honor for my ancestors?····························
The other person in the room was a scholar dressed as a legal advisor. He looked at Liu Zheng's silly and yearning expression and laughed and said:
"Brother Liu Zheng must have been very lucky in our previous life to be able to work with Brother Peng!"

"Don't you think about what the master's status is? It's just that our Marshal Ye has not become the emperor. If our Marshal Ye is now wearing the yellow robe and becoming the emperor, then the master is a real royal family! Maybe he can even be a prince! With this status, what's the point of buying a house in Yijing?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Brother Peng in the private room listened to what his master said, and a smile appeared on his square face involuntarily. It was obvious that his master's words touched his heart!
And Liu Zheng also said very flatteringly:

"That's right! That's right! With Brother Peng's ability, he is more than qualified to be a prince!"

Although Brother Peng was very happy to hear this, he still pretended to be angry and said:

"My brother is a loyal man of the Great Zhou. He is here to cleanse the emperor's court and punish the traitor Shangguan Hongyuan! Don't talk nonsense. Be careful of your words. If you do, I won't be able to save you!"

After hearing this, Liu Zheng thought Brother Peng was really angry and immediately shut up. The middle-aged scholar dressed as a legal advisor continued:

"Marshal Ye is naturally a loyal minister of the Great Zhou and a pillar of the country! This is obvious to all in the world!"

“However, the young emperor has been in power for more than ten years, and ended up making a mess of the world. Now the Zhou Dynasty is declining, the princes are divided, and China is falling apart. If he has any dignity, he should issue an edict of repentance and abdicate in favor of wise men! When troubled times are approaching, people with virtue should rule the country…”

"When it comes to heroes in the world, the traitor Shangguan is old and incompetent, and Xu Zhaojie of Huainan is cruel and inhumane. They are not wise leaders! In the world today, only Marshal Ye of our Fengwu Army can create a prosperous era with his literary skills and conquer the world with his military skills. He is proficient in both civil and military affairs! In my opinion, Marshal Ye is the best hero in the world!"

Listening to Master's words, Brother Peng's breathing became a little hasty. After a moment, he said with great emotion:
"Master Jiang, your words should be made clear! I hope that the little emperor can have a little self-awareness!"

After expressing his feelings, Brother Peng also remembered the important matter, and immediately looked at Liu Zheng and asked:
"Have you got all the goods?"

When Brother Peng asked this, Liu Zheng nodded seriously and said:

"We've got them all, and they're now hidden in Chenjiatun outside the city!"

“Is Chenjiatun safe?”

Upon hearing this, Liu Zheng immediately introduced:

"Brother Peng, please rest assured. Chenjiatun is Chen Houzi's hometown. His father is the clan leader and it is absolutely safe! We built a large warehouse there to protect it from wind and rain. The things are well preserved!"

After getting this answer, Brother Peng nodded with satisfaction, then turned to look at Master Jiang and instructed:

"Master, you go to Lao Wang's mistress tomorrow to get the approval slip. I have already made arrangements with him. When you go, take the ten small yellow croakers from the warehouse with you. That is his share from last time!"

Master Jiang nodded and said:

"I understand, sir!"

Everything was arranged, and Brother Peng called the madam over. A moment later, a group of beautiful girls entered the private room. The three of them immediately hugged each other, indulging in the pink and gentle land!
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Yijing, Governor's Mansion

In the morning, after having breakfast with Ye Cui, Ye Mingsheng came to the study room to start the day's work. Ye Cheng also brought a bunch of memorials and introduced the schedule for today to Ye Mingsheng. "Sir, the first one is from Governor Murong, about the savings of Jiyu Bank Rishengchang in the past two months. The second one is from Commander Lin about the enemy's combat readiness on the Yunbing front. The third one is from General He!"

"The fourth one is a summary of some intelligence from the Coordination Office regarding the palace, and the fifth one is a letter from the clan regarding the construction of the Ye Clan Ancestral Hall!"

"Also, this afternoon, the ironworks newly built by the First Manufacturing Bureau on Chengping Street has been completed and is now in production. You mentioned before that you wanted to inspect this factory, so I've arranged it for you this afternoon!"

Ye Mingsheng nodded helplessly when he heard that. He felt a little tired yesterday afternoon, so he asked a maid to give him a massage during lunch break. Who would have thought that the maid had very good skills. The maid's soft and boneless little hands pressed lightly on his head, and he actually fell asleep comfortably. Ye Mingsheng slept until the second watch.

Therefore, the government affairs from yesterday afternoon were left, so the debt owed yesterday had to be repaid today. Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng opened the memorial and prepared to officially start work. Seeing this, Ye Cheng was also ready to leave the room to give Ye Mingsheng a quiet environment·······························
Just as Ye Cheng was about to leave the study, Ye Mingsheng seemed to have thought of something and asked:
"According to the date, Qian Buli and the others should have arrived in Yijing, right?"

When Ye Mingsheng asked this, Ye Cheng turned around and said without hesitation:
"Sir, Qian Buli and his men arrived in Yijing three days ago. Yijing's schedule is full during this period, so I scheduled their audience seven days later. Do you think we should advance it?"

Ye Mingsheng shook his head and said:
"No! I'm not in a hurry to see them. It's fine to meet them seven days later. During these days, I can let Qian Buli take them to the farmland, factories, and markets to have a look!"

Ye Cheng was very surprised by Ye Mingsheng's instructions. After hesitating for a moment, he introduced to Ye Mingsheng:

"Sir, the Coordination Office said that there might be spies from the Supervisory Department around Qian Buli..."

Ye Mingsheng smiled and said:

"It's normal for Qian Buli to have spies from the Supervisory Department around him. This is consistent with the Supervisory Department's usual style of doing things. It would be abnormal if he didn't have any spies around him!"

"But it's good this way. Let them see the strength of our Fengwu Army! Of course, the Coordination Office must also keep a close eye on them!"

Hearing Ye Mingsheng say this, Ye Cheng nodded without any questions and said:

"Understood, sir, I will arrange it right away!"

Watching Ye Cheng walk out of the study, Ye Mingsheng shifted his attention back to the memorial on the table. Ye Cheng had been with him for quite some time and understood what he valued, so he gave him priority in giving the matter concerning the Ji-Yu Banknote House to himself.

Looking at the words Murong Yuliang wrote to him, a faint smile appeared on Ye Mingsheng's face.

According to Murong Yuliang, after Wang Jiang’s bank Rishengchang opened for business and launched savings business, the gentry and common people in Hebei and Henan did not trust this newly opened bank at first. However, after the government and some big businesses endorsed and supported it, these gentry and common people began to deposit their money into Rishengchang Bank...

Currently, the annual interest rate of Rishengchang Banknote House is half a percent for current deposits, one and a half percent for three-year time deposits, and two percent for five-year time deposits.

Because depositing silver in bill exchange offices and money houses not only earned no interest but also incurred handling fees, the gentry and common people in Hebei and Henan became very interested in the savings business of the bill exchange after resolving the trust crisis at the Rishengchang bill exchange. Currently, the business has been open for two months and has already received savings of 150,000 taels of silver.

Not only that, according to Murong Yuliang's report, the savings business of Rishengchang Bank is still growing, and it is expected that by the end of the year, Rishengchang Bank will absorb at least 500,000 taels of silver in savings.

Of the 150,000 taels of silver that have been received, 100,000 taels will be loaned to farmers in Hebei and Henan as planned to help them purchase farm tools, fertilizers, livestock and other items. The remaining 50,000 taels will be kept as a reserve fund. As for the savings to be received, they will be used for agricultural and commercial loans in a ratio of 7:3.

After having money, Murong Yuliang was finally no longer helpless. She began to carry out drastic reforms and allowed the Fengwu Army to penetrate into all aspects of Hebei and Henan.

Ye Mingsheng was naturally very satisfied with this. He could now imagine that in the foreseeable future, Hebei and Henan, a populous and agricultural province, would become a pure land where people could live and work in peace and contentment, providing the Fengwu Army with a steady supply of soldiers and food...

When Ye Mingsheng thought of this, his mind couldn't help but appear the charming face of Wang Jiang. He knew that Rishengchang Company could develop so well, although it had the help of the government, but Jiang Yuyan and the Wang family also made indispensable contributions!
Well! He needs to reward Jiang Yuyan!

Originally, when he was in Yujing last time, Ye Mingsheng planned to talk to this young widow about life and ideals, but he was busy with other things at that time and lost the interest. After returning to Yijing, Ye Mingsheng would think of the young widow Jiang Yuyan from time to time!

This really proves the old saying, a wife is not as good as a concubine, a concubine is not as good as a secret lover!

As for Murong Yuliang's work, Ye Mingsheng was still very satisfied. It was worth it that he transferred him from Liaoyang to Hebei and Henan. Some time ago, he heard from the Coordination Office that Murong Yuliang had pulled out a spy planted by Cui Shaoan next to him. Ye Mingsheng was still worried about whether Murong Yuliang could devote all his attention to his work. Now it seems that his worries were completely unnecessary!
After dealing with the memorial sent by Murong Yuliang, Ye Mingsheng began to deal with the next matters. The report sent by Lin Huaiwu was similar to the previous one. Wang Muzhi was indeed more capable than Feng Han. He managed the five counties outside Jinzhong City very well. When the time comes, it will probably take more effort for him to counterattack.

However, Ye Mingsheng was not worried. At present, the Robe people had to quickly prepare for the war against the Golden Horde. Therefore, they made a lot of concessions in the trade negotiations with the Fengwu Army. This also made the negotiations between the two sides progress very quickly. A comprehensive trade agreement could be reached as early as next month...
By the time the thousands of war horses sent by the Luobi people arrive, the cavalry units of the Fengwu Army can be quickly rebuilt. And when Yunbing counterattacks, the cavalry units will block the passages around the city to prevent the enemy from reinforcing, and the Fengwu Army can fully exert its firepower advantage!
A few days of bombardment of a county city by dozens of cannons would be enough. So in Ye Mingsheng's eyes, although Wang Muzhi's current actions would cause him some trouble, that was all!

After giving Lin Huaiwu some simple instructions, Ye Mingsheng picked up the letter from He Jingyun. It was obvious that He Jingyun had heard some rumors that were not favorable to him, and he took the initiative to resign to Ye Mingsheng on the pretext of health. Ye Mingsheng knew that he was testing his attitude towards him.

Ye Mingsheng comforted him and formally informed He Jingyun of his arrangement for him, transferring him to Hebei and Henan as the commander of the First Army. As the main force of the Fengwu Army, it would not be an insult to He Jingyun to be the commander!
After finishing his reply to He Jingyun, Ye Mingsheng opened the summary of intelligence about Gongdu sent by the Coordination Office. After reading only two pages, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but frowned...

(End of this chapter)