Chapter 607: The Dragon Raises Head (2)

Even though something is painted on his face, it covers his original fairness, but not Han Jiang’s family, who is it?

Although he knew that she was so strong, Cao Yong did not agree with her reckless behavior.

However, it is not the time to speak up now. In addition to Han Jiang, there is also a middle-aged man in his 1930s and 30s who look very kind-looking.

Cao Yong was still thinking about where he had seen this person. The man had already bowed and said, "The villain Cheng Mengkun had seen Lord Cao. The villain was in a hurry. He had just arrived in the capital and had not had time to visit the mansion to pay tribute to the old man and Lord Cao. Please don't blame him. I haven't seen him for several years, so I'm fine."

"So it's Brother Cheng!" Cao Yong held his fists and returned the greeting, but he felt a little surprised.

There was no news that the Cheng family wanted to get involved before. Looking at the Han Jiang family behind Cheng Mengkun, Cao Yong knew in his heart that he was afraid he had nothing to do with her.

Speaking of Cheng Mengkun, he was a legitimate son of the Cheng family of Jiangnan Dayan Shang. Cao Yong had seen it twice.

Once in the 49th year of the Kangxi reign, when Wang Lusheng was kidnapped in Yangzhou after the Pearl Club, Cao Yong had borrowed someone from the Cheng family with his father's handwritten letter, and this was Cheng Mengkun who brought his family's guards.

The second time we met Xi (is the first month of the 51st year of the Kangxi reign, Cao Yong took office from Jiangning to Shandong from Jiangning. When he passed by Yangzhou, he lived in the Cheng family and was invited by the Cheng family.

The Cheng family is a prominent family in Jiangnan and a century-old family. Not only is it rich, it has a close connection with the powerful and powerful court officials.

When the Cao family was in Jiangning, they could transfer people from the Cheng family, and they had a lot of friendship.

When the Cheng family went to the capital, it was difficult for them to enter and exit the Cao family's mansion, so they were afraid that they would fall into the eyes of others. They would not think of other small merchants, and they tried every means to get involved with the Cao family.

Although Cheng Mengkun is not the head of the Cheng family, he is the younger brother of the head of the Cheng family. He is below the Cheng family and above everyone else.

Such a person with great importance will naturally not just make a fun trip to the capital.

But what is Han Jiang's intention to come here? I want to set up a new branch or bring Daoxiangcun into it...

Cao Yong glanced at Han Jiangshi and was still hesitating, and heard Cheng Mengkun say, "Well, sir, this is the villain's nephew... Jiang Zhongwen begged the villain to take her to see the world. The little one has already donated a seat to him."

What kind of person is Cheng Mengkun? When he saw Cao Yong looking at Han Jiang, he explained the matter clearly in a few words.

Since he said this, Cao Yong just smiled.

But I didn't know whether I should admire Han Jiang's persistence. According to her personality, it is rare to see outsiders. It is not easy to get involved in this way.

She was not as shy as an ordinary daughter's family, but she was just like a businessman.

She has a good appearance, but she is serious and speaks neatly, without the charm of her daughter.

Not to mention, she didn't know what was applied on her face, which made her skin look much darker. With her deliberately thick eyebrows, she really looked like a teenager with white face and no beard.

If it weren't for her embarrassment and behavior a little abnormal in front of Cao Yong, I'm afraid that most people wouldn't recognize her as a woman.

Cao Yong was used to her serious appearance, and it was rare to see her embarrassed and uncomfortable appearance. He couldn't help but want to tease her. When he said that, he felt something was wrong, so he swallowed it again.

He thought for a while and asked, "Brother Cheng is here, are you planning to participate? I wonder, which bidding is interested?"

Cheng Mengkun bowed and replied: "I have paid the deposit just now, namely the two items of Outer Mongolia tea ceremony and trade with Oros."

After all, it is a big deal. The Mongolian tea ceremony deposit is 300,000 taels of silver, and three years of exclusive sales rights for tea outside the mouth; the trade deposit for Oros is 200,000 taels, which is also a three-year exclusive sales and exclusive sales authority.

Although there are many merchants coming from yesterday to this morning, there are only a handful of merchants who can swallow these two business roads with a stomachache. Many merchants have used the cheaper prices of fellow townspeople to bid.

Currently, among the big merchants in Beijing, those who have the strength to invest in these business roads are the sea merchant Fang family, Wang family, Shanxi merchant Fan family, Wang family, Kang family, salt merchant Cheng family and Guangzhou foreign merchant Pan family.

Except for the Cheng family and the Rizhao Wang family, the others are old households in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and have close ties with the Eighth Prince.

Before getting the news that the Eighth Prince went to the Ninth Prince's Mansion, none of these big households in the Internal Affairs Office had signed up for the bidding.

Cao Yong didn't mind who won the bid, and he would be fine if he paid enough money.

Who cares about the power behind him? According to the rules, he will not do anything about him.

Although Cao Yong had some ideas about making money, he never dared to say that he was a businessman.

After bidding for this business road, it was almost the same as a money tree.

To be honest, these people used to designate a lot of money to honor, but they all came to the hands of the Eighth Prince, the Ninth Prince and others, but now they are just being won by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

He originally wanted to explain Han Jiang's words to him, but thinking that his serious uncle was not his turn to talk to him, the boss he was in front of him. He talked a few gossips with Cheng Mengkun and turned around and entered the venue.

In addition to the officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, many officials from the other seven departments and second courts also came.

Ma Liandao, the former doctor of Guangchusi, was demoted a few years ago and is now a doctor of the Construction Department.

The doctor of Guangchusi, who is in charge of the treasury of the inner government, is the younger brother of Shang Zhijie, the head of the Shang family.

Dong Dianbang, the head of the Dong family, and Dong Suxin's grandfather, is now a doctor in the Shenzheng Department, who is in charge of the case of the Shangsanqi criminal case.

The Construction Department and the Guangchu Department both have this bidding and tendering, but the Jingzheng Department is irrelevant.

However, Dong Dianbang still came over with a few strokes with a smile.

Several qualified doctors, including He Yi, Ma Qi and Cao Yong, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, have arrived.

Except for the doctors in this hall, Yiduli and Cao Yong, who are younger, the others are all very old.

Although Cao Yong's ranking in the Office of Internal Affairs was below He Yi and Ma Qi, because these bids were the rise, everyone still focused on him.

Cao Yong ordered someone to bring chairs to several old men.

With Ma Qi and He Yi here, Dong Dianbang and Ma Liandao, why would they sit together? They kept saying "I dare not", but finally they set up seats not far away, and the few people bowed and sat down.

Cao Yong took out his pocket watch and glanced at it. It was already early Si (9:00 a.m.), and it was still one and a half hours before noon (twelve:00).

The bidding is when people are released to enter the market at first noon, and bidding starts at noon.

The three hundred guards have arrived and have guarded the alley tightly.

Merchants who have registered and paid the deposit will receive their license plate. After entering the market, the chair corresponding to the license plate will be their seats.

Ma Qi and He Yi were both together, and they were talking nonsense, but they had different thoughts.

In addition to being the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, He Yi was also the Minister of Works. He heard that there was also the project of the Construction Department during this bidding, so he couldn't help but pay attention.

The Ministry of Works has had decades of power, which has left a mess.

Many projects were like the imperial court waving money to waste, so that the worms could fill their pockets.

He Yi has a bit of a literary character and can't stand this.

As early as the 50th year of Kangxi, he impeached Cao Yin for the construction of the West Garden.

At that time, many flower and stones in the West Garden were supervised by Cao Yin, who was in Jiangning. Among them, there seemed to be more than 100,000 taels of silver that could not match the account. Because of this, Cao Yin even submitted a memorial to defend himself.

In the end, it was Kangxi who spoke, and it was all but left unresolved.

As for the tens of thousands of taels of silver, whether Cao Yin was greedy for the mourning, or the emperor had other uses, it is unknown.

Because of this, after Cao Yin entered the capital, He Yiyuan had some heart problems and was afraid that the Cao family would pursue the old story.

Later, he became calm. He had evidence, but he didn't slander anyone with nothing, and why did he feel guilty?

When Cao Yong entered the office of the Internal Affairs Office, he did not show any strange expression in his words and deeds, but He Yi felt a little confused.

It's just a clay man, and it has three parts of earthiness.

In this matter, where is there really something about repaying grievances with kindness? How can we repay grievances with kindness?

Cao Yong was so natural and easy-going. If he was not a "true" person, he would not have a grudge against He Yi's impeachment; or if he was a "fictional" person, he would not show his joy or anger and would be as scheming as the sea.

The former is not bad, and He Yi also claims to be a "gentleman" and is willing to be a friend of his age; if it is the latter, he should be more careful so as not to be plotted against by the prince.

It’s this bidding for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which sounds decent, but as long as it involves money, it’s not easy to be clean.

Whether Cao Yong has greed or is diligent and patriotic, he still needs to wait and see what changes are happening.

He Yi has always been honest and dull, and Cao Yong would never have thought of his crooked belly.

Something happened in his mind.

When merchants enter the venue, they need to conduct inspections, for fear that someone will be ill-telled and bring them into the weapons and disrupt the venue.

It’s easy for others to say that Han Jiang is a daughter, what should I do then?

Seeing her coated her face, neck, wrists, and visible areas, and her clothes were thick enough. However, with her character, if she was touched by a man with her hands, she would be afraid that she would immediately hit the pillar and wipe her neck.

Thinking of this, Cao Yong patted his forehead, called a letter, and told him to find the head of the warehouse here and find a few magnets.

Ma Qi sat aside, talking to He Yi in his mouth, but he did not forget to pay attention to Cao Yong's side.

After hearing Cao Yong's order, he thought for a while, couldn't figure out the reason, and asked curiously: "What else does Lord Cao need to arrange?"

Cao Yong waved his hand and said, "Nothing is left. I have already prepared all the lights of my lords. The magnets are for inspection when entering the venue later. Many of them are famous gentry, and some have the reputation of the court. If they lift their clothes to check, it would be indecent. The magnets attract iron, and if there are people with self-defense knives, they can also be found."

It was just a small idea that came up with a moment, but Ma Qi and He Yi nodded.

Even Ma Qi, who always questioned Cao Yong's bidding behavior, could not help but praise: "Mr. Cao is young and acts so thoroughly, which is really rare. Even if he sees the complexity of people outside, he doesn't expect that. The Yangtze River pushes the previous waves, Lord. Cao really makes people look at him with admiration."

He Yi also praised: "Those who respect others respect them. Lord Cao did not despise them because of their business affairs, and acted quite like a gentleman."

Cao Yong was embarrassed by the two of them, and he felt his face hot, and he smiled and said, "The two adults praised him, but they really dare not take it. It's just a matter of duty. All the kings and the kings and ministers in the world, and the scholars, farmers, industry and commerce are all the people of the Qing Dynasty. They circulate the market, enrich taxes, and are beneficial to the country and the people, and they should be good people."

Cao Yong's sincerity made Ma Qi and He Yi feel uncomfortable.

Looking at Cao Yong's eyes, they all looked strange.

It’s also a noble family. Look at Cao Yong in front of you, and then look at the birds carrying cages all over the streets. It’s really impossible to compare.

If Cao Yong had not married a child, he would have been afraid that these two would have taken Cao Yong to be his son-in-law.
To be continued...