Be a master through ancient times

"It is passed on to the Holy Lord that the officials of the Ministry of Household Affairs will fully cooperate with the Chu Siye of the Guozijian from today onwards. I respect this."

"Your servants obey the decree, long live my emperor, long live, long live, long live!"

Hubu Shangshu led the Hubu Minister to kowtow and thank you.Chu Ci stood far away, afraid of being greeted by them.

The eunuch who passed the decree was Xiao Fuzi's father-in-law who had chatted with Chu Ci all the way back then.Every time Chuci entered the palace, he received him. Xiao Fuzi had a good impression of this approachable Chu Siye who came from a similar place as him.After delivering the decree, he said to Chu Ci: "Lord Chu, if the villain wants to return to the palace, I won't stay any longer. You can hand over to the household department yourself."

"Please, father-in-law." Chu Ci sent him out, and then handed him a purse. Xiao Fuzi frowned, feeling that although Chu Siye had been an official for a short time, he had already acquired the bad habits of the officialdom, and felt a little disappointed.He took the purse calmly, bowed his hands to Chu Ci and left.

After leaving the household department and getting into the carriage, Xiao Fuzi opened the heavy purse, only to find that it was not the silver he thought Chu Ci used to curry favor with others, but some black pills.

He twisted a pill and put it near his nose to smell it, and found that it smelled very similar to what the masters in the palace had been taking recently.It is said that this substance can relieve cough and reduce phlegm, and it can also appetizer and invigorate the spleen. Basically, except for some people with special constitutions, other people can take it.

Xiao Fuzi cleared his throat, felt his throat that was a little dry and hoarse due to the fire recently, and carefully took out one and stuffed it into his mouth.In an instant, a cool and refreshing feeling flooded into the mouth, and the originally sore throat seemed to be caressed by a stream of clear spring, which was indescribably comfortable.Moreover, the heat around him seemed to be taken away.

He carefully put the purse into his arms, and the feeling of regret and disappointment just now was gone.

Chu Ci didn't know that the peppermint balls he handed out moistened other people's hearts.The meatball was actually taken out by the old doctor of Renhetang to test the water.Because now not only Renhetang is making meatballs, but the Tai Hospital is also making meatballs. There are so many people, and the consumption of raw materials is also very fast, so the prices of those things will naturally increase.

The price increase is naturally not a big deal for Tai Hospital, but for Renhetang, it is not worth it.So the old doctor has been working on developing other flavors of meatballs these days, and wants to use them to replace the original flavors.Some of the new products are dark dishes, some have no effect, and the best one is the one with mint as the main ingredient.So he sent a lot to Chu Ci, hoping that Chu Ci could help him promote it.

Chu Ci carried a few bags with him, and hearing Xiao Fuzi's voice was a little hoarse today, he casually gave him a bag.Seeing Xiao Fuzi leave, Chu Ci returned to the household department and met several heads of the household department.

The Minister of the Household Department and the two servants were deeply impressed by Chu Ci. After all, the topic has been swirling around him in the past few months.When the six of them were discussing together, they had also heard several other people's comments on him.

Among them, the Minister of the Ministry of Officials believed that Chu Ci was a fierce person, but he also knew how to advance and retreat. This view naturally originated from the appointment of officials at the beginning.The Minister of Rites thinks that Chu Ci is very resourceful, because he was deeply impressed by the suggestion of the snow disaster, and his son-in-law Zhu Tixue has also mentioned him many times.The Minister of the Ministry of War believed that Chu Ci was sharp-tongued and aggressive, and the reason was self-evident.The Ministry of Punishment, the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of Household Affairs did not comment because they had not dealt with him before, but they also felt that this man was very interesting after watching Chu Ci's verbal battle with Yushitai group of Confucians several times.

Chu Ci saw that the Minister of the Household Department stared at him for a long time without making a sound, and couldn't help touching his face suspiciously, wanting to look in the mirror very much.

"Master Shangshu, do you know what's wrong with the face of the lower official?"

"No, Zhuangyuan Lang's demeanor remains the same as before, haha." Hubu Shangshu laughed.

"Thank you for your praise, my lord." Chu Ci was a little speechless, what does it mean to not lose the past, he is the champion of this year, okay?

"Chu Siye, I don't know what kind of errand the emperor asked me to help you with? Please tell Chu Siye one or two, let me make preparations early." Zuo Shilang asked.

"Yes, just say what you want to do. However, because of the disaster relief, the national treasury is empty. Now we are using a copper coin in two, tightening our own belts, and then sending out all the salaries of the various yamen. , if you, Chu Siye, came here for money, I'm afraid..." You Shilang continued, his expression was full of depression, as if they were the poorest yamen in the Great Wei Dynasty.

Chu Ci took a look at the three identical big bellies, and tightened his belt?Obviously let go!They were not afraid of Chu Ci's scrutinizing eyes, and it was clearly written on their faces at the moment, whether they want money or not, they want to die!

"Three adults, please rest assured. Chu Ci knows that the Ministry of Finance is concerned with the affairs of the whole Wei Dynasty, and it is difficult to raise money. Naturally, he dare not make everyone work hard for me with such a trivial matter. Chu Ci wants to know, who is this merchant tax?" The adults are in charge?"

Hearing what Chu Ci said, they immediately felt relieved. They didn't come to ask for money, so everything is easy to discuss.

"This commercial tax is in charge of the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Finance is under the jurisdiction of Lord Wang, the right servant. Since you are looking for the Ministry of Finance, then the official and the left servant will leave first." Hubu Shangshu and Zuo servant left Going out, the servant on the right called the boy at the door and asked him to find the doctor of Jinbu.

After a while, a handsome-looking man walked in. He had a pair of almond eyes and looked a bit feminine.

Chu Ci has never been a person who judges people by appearance, but he was still a little surprised to see this Jinbu doctor today.With this appearance, how did he manage to blend in with ease among so many merchants?It looks like a soft little white rabbit!

"Chu Ying has met your lord, but I don't know what your lord's orders are?" Chu Ying clasped her hands together and bowed to lord Wang.

"Chu Ying, this is Chu Siye from the Imperial Academy. He is on a mission under the emperor's order and wants to know about commercial taxation. Since you are in charge of this aspect, no matter what aspect Chu Siye asks, you must not shirk and slack off. Seriously cooperate, understand?"

"Your Majesty would like to follow your lord's orders," Chu Ying said.

"Alright then, you can talk to Chu Siye. I have important matters to attend to, so let's go first." Lord Wang said hello and walked out.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Chu. I don't know which Chu is Mr. Chu's Chu?" Chu Ci asked, the word sounded exactly the same as his surname.

"The Chu below me is Chu Suiliang's Chu, and you have the same pronunciation as Chu Siye, which is also a kind of fate." Chu Ying is a doctor in the Ministry of Jin, and the official worship is the fifth grade. In front of the sixth grade Siye of Chuci, It can still be called an official.But who is Chu Ci?Dare to call it the Yushitai with a mere sixth grade, is it a thing in the pool?If you show your prestige in front of him, once he is promoted in the future, it is hard to guarantee that he will not hold grudges.

"Master Chu said it is true." With such a polite person, Chu Ci naturally would not cause trouble, so the two chatted in the hall for a while, and then began to call each other brothers.

"Brother Chu, what do you want to know about commercial taxation? As long as I know it, I will know everything." Seeing that the conversation was almost over, Chu Ying began to get into the topic.

"Brother Chu, I don't know if you have a record of the big taxpayer?" Chu Ci didn't want to know the privacy of other people's yamen, so he directly mentioned his purpose of coming here.

"A big taxpayer? There are, but I don't know why Brother Chu wants this?" Seeing that he didn't ask other questions, Chu Ying felt a little relieved. He thought that Chu Siye was sent by the Holy Spirit to investigate secretly.

The Ministry of Households is in charge of the world's money and food, which is a fat job. If they are officials, how can they not make some money?The imperial court has always turned a blind eye to this matter, as long as it doesn't go too far, there will be no problem.He knew that Chu Siye was a formidable person, if he found out some flaws and stabbed him, then nothing would happen.

"Thanks to His Majesty's perseverance, Chu took over the matter of arranging the ceremony of offering sacrifices to Confucius. Although the plan is in place, it still owes a lot of money, so he wants to make alms with these big taxpayers." Chu Ci said with a smile.

"So that's how it is. It's just..." Chu Ying laughed inwardly. He thought it was simple, but on the face he looked embarrassed.

"Just what? Brother Chu, if you have something to do, you might as well tell it directly."

"It's just that the wealthy households in the capital don't seem to like to do good deeds. I'm afraid the result will disappoint you, Brother Chu." Chu Ying said with a sigh.

Chu Ci wondered what was the matter, and smiled immediately after hearing it: "It's not a problem, just ask Brother Chu to be my recommender, and the rest will be handled by me."

"Since Brother Chu, you have already made up your mind, so I won't say much. If you want to get to know these big taxpayers, you don't have to visit them one by one. There is a chamber of commerce in this capital, and the head of the chamber of commerce is Chen Haiping. Every month, I will post a post to invite members of the Beijing-China Chamber of Commerce, and this month's banquet will be tomorrow. If Brother Chu is free, why not come with me to meet Chen Haiping now, how about it?"

"That's really great, and I would like to ask Brother Chu to recommend it to me."

With that said, the two left the household department, boarded the carriage, and headed towards the east of the city.There is a saying in Beijing that the east is rich, the west is rich, the south is poor, and the north is humble.This is also relative to the outer city. No matter which direction the inner city lives, there are high-ranking officials and dignitaries. How can there be a distinction between high and low?

Chu Ci hadn't been to the east of the city yet, so he lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked out for a moment of novelty. He saw that the people here were dressed differently from those in other places.

"The streets in the east of the city are very lively. It is close to the Yongding River. There are countless boats coming and going on the Yongding River every day. Therefore, the people in the east of the city are richer than the people in other places." Seeing Chu Ying Chu Ci was curious, so he explained.

"Sure enough, if you want to get rich, you must first build roads. The waterways in the east of this city are smooth, and it is convenient for any business. No wonder everyone is rich." Chu Ci said with emotion.

"If you want to get rich, build roads first?" Chu Ying recited this sentence silently, then raised her head and said to Chu Ci, "Brother Chu's idea is novel, but it does make sense when you think about it carefully. I released it four years ago To Guizhou Province, there are many mountains and forests, rich in various precious medicinal materials. It's a pity..."

"It's a pity that some prefectures in Guizhou Province are poor and remote areas where the sky is not sunny for three days, the land is not three feet flat, and people are not three cents of silver." The mountain roads are steep and winding, full of dangers. If you can't send it down the mountain, you can often just watch the medicine wear off." Chu Ci continued.

"How do you know?" Chu Ying was shocked. Chu Siye said it as if he had experienced it himself, but he is obviously from Xijiang Province, and he won the number one prize this year.

"Because it's not only in Guizhou Province, it's like this in many places. It's just that Qiangui Province doesn't even have a few official roads, so it's so famous. Brother Chu must be on duty there, so he must be well-governed. Transferred back to Beijing, right?"

Chu Ying just smiled and said nothing, and Chu Ci didn't ask any more questions, and moved on to another topic.Not long after, the carriage stopped in front of a gate.

Chu Ying and Chu Ci got out of the carriage one after another, looking at the magnificent mansion in front of them, Chu Ci couldn't help sighing, it's nice to be rich!The two lions at the gate are solemn in shape, lifelike in expression, and every detail is clearly visible. It can be seen that they are from the hands of famous masters.

Seeing Chu Ci's expression of admiration, Chu Ying said, "These two stone lions were made by Master Ku, the master sculptor. They were bought by Master Chen at a high price of 10 taels of silver, and then they were recited in Puji Temple." Nine nine 81-day scriptures, please go back to the mansion after the presiding master consecrates them."

Bitter Master?Chu Ci sounded familiar, but after careful recollection, it was discovered that this person was the one who carved the jade crown that Kou Jing sent.Is he so famous?

Chu Ci had already asked this question before he knew it. After hearing this, Chu Ying said, "Of course, this master Ku has a high carving skill that no one can match. His carving skill was passed down from ancestors. I heard that it is used today. His jade seal was engraved by his family's ancestors."

"So that's it. Those who can invite Master Ku must not be ordinary people."

"That's not necessarily true. I heard that Master Ku has a wild temper and acts according to his heart. No one knows what he is thinking." As Chu Ying said, she walked up to talk to the servant who was guarding the door, and the servant took it. He said his greetings and went in.After a while, he came out again, saying that his master had invited him.

Chu Ci was a little curious, it seemed that Chen Haiping deserved to be the top rich businessman in the capital.The fifth grade officer had to hand over invitations when he came to his door, and it would be fine if he didn't come to pick him up in person, and he didn't even send out a manager, and only let his family lead the way, which was more dignified than some high-ranking officials in the court.

The Chen family's mansion looked very grand from the outside, but it was even more magnificent when inside.There are countless exotic flowers and plants in the courtyard, and what is even more amazing is that there are two pots of red coral as tall as a person in the hall where he receives guests.

Coral is nothing to modern people.But in ancient times, this thing has a price but no market. Those who can own it are either rich or expensive, and it can be regarded as a symbol of status.And this Chen Haiping actually put it in the living room, which shows how rich he is.

However, here, it should be regarded as another kind of shaming, right?He wanted someone to weigh his identity before coming to discuss matters with him.