Yang Zhen's reaction was once again beyond Hong Chengzhuan's expectation, leaving him confused for a moment as to what Yang Zhen was doing.

Could it be that the Jin Haibo in front of him took the initiative to get close to me and was so polite to others just to inquire about this cheap sweet potato?

As the saying goes, when you treat others with courtesy, you must ask for something.

Yang Zhen condescended to treat Hong Chengzhuan, treated him with courtesy, and presented him with gold. This had long since aroused Hong Chengzhuan's attention, or in other words, his vigilance.

He accepted the gift money, but he also knew that Yang Zhen would not do this out of thin air. He must have something to ask of him.

Although he didn't know what Yang Zhen would ask him for, he must be asking for his help with something important.

Therefore, at this moment, he did not believe that Yang Zhen was so polite to others just for the sake of the sweet potatoes that the Fujian people would eat when there was a famine.

"Why, is there any old friendship or grudge between Governor Yang and the businessman father and son from the Chen clan in Changle?"

"No, no, no, I have no old friendship or grudge with them. I just want to buy a batch of sweet potatoes from them. Mr. Hong doesn't need to make things so complicated, hahahaha..."

Although Hong Chengzhuan was arrogant and refused to reveal anything, Yang Zhen still got the news he wanted from his words, so he felt happy and burst into laughter.

"Is it true that the Governor's generous bettage with Mr. Hong was just to inquire about the Chens and his son? Is it really just to purchase a batch of sweet potatoes from them?"

After hearing what Yang Zhen said, Hong Chengzhuan was still hesitant to believe it, but when he saw Yang Zhen laughing, he simply expressed the doubts in his heart directly.

And when he opened his mouth, he bluntly pointed out the fact that Yang Zhenli must have his own agenda for others.

When Yang Zhen heard what Hong Chengzhan said, he thought to himself that you are really suspicious and seriously ill, so he immediately said to him: "Of course it's just that. Is it possible that I, Jin Haibo, want to get an official position from Mr. Hong?"

No? Hahahaha..."

After Yang Zhen said this, he laughed again.

Yang Zhen's smile made Hong Chengzhuan extremely embarrassed. He said with a sneer, "How dare you, how dare you! Jin Haibo is joking, Jin Haibo is joking!"

Because this Hong Chengzhuan had no merit in the imperial examination, he had served under his brother Hong Chengchou for many years. He had not been able to get a full-time official position himself, so how could he help others do such a thing?

Therefore, when he saw Yang Zhen say this, he was embarrassed and finally believed that Yang Zhen might really just want to buy a batch of sweet potatoes.

"Haha, if the governor wants to buy sweet potatoes, why do he have to ask about the Chen family in Changle? Sweet potatoes are cheap and easy to grow. Nowadays, they are grown all over Fujian, and there is almost no land left. Why bother to ask about the Chen family in Changle?

Want to buy?"

When Yang Zhen heard what Hong Chengzhuan said, he was even more happy. He bowed to Hong Chengzhuan and said, "If Mr. Hong can help with this matter, Yang will definitely be rewarded well in the future."

"It's very easy. The governor only needs to send people south and bring the money to Nan'an to buy it. What's the difficulty? Mr. Hong has not received any reward for his merits. How can he ask for a generous reward from the governor?"

Although Hong Chengzhuan was very interested in the generous reward Yang Zhen said, he also knew that he could not easily take the gift from Yang Zhen.

"Haha, Yang's subordinates are all warriors, and none of them are from southern Fujian. When they get there, they don't understand the language, are not familiar with the people, and most of them don't know what they are doing. There is a need for someone to act as a guide."

Having said this, Yang Zhen clasped his fists and bowed again and said: "I expect that there will be someone around Mr. Hong who can help me. When the time comes, I also ask Mr. Hong to send someone south to act as a guide for my subordinates! If it is successful, there will be a generous reward!"

After Yang Zhen said this, he clasped his fists and bowed to Hong Chengzhuan without straightening his back, which actually meant that he had to agree to it.

Upon seeing this, Hong Chengzhuan finally became convinced that Jin Haibo really just wanted to ask for sweet potatoes. He shook his head and said with a smile:

"Easy to say, easy to say. If that's all it is, the matter will be easy to hear. All it takes is the Governor to mention the matter in front of Hong Buyuan. At that time, Hong will have his own way to send a suitable person to accompany him south.

!”

When Yang Zhen heard that Hong Chengzhuan had agreed, he was overjoyed and immediately thanked him.

Hong Chengzhuan was very happy when he learned that Yang Zhen had given him a hundred gold and asked for such a trivial thing, and he immediately returned the gift.

As soon as the two of them finished talking about the matter, they saw Zu Dashou, accompanied by his younger brother Zu Daiming, arriving at the city gate.

So the two of them went down to the city together, met Zu Dashou, said goodbye to Zu Daming, and left the city again to go south.

Lianshan City was not far from Ningyuan City. They set out from Lianshan in the afternoon and arrived at Ningyuan City before reaching Shenshi that day.

After the group followed Hong Chengzhuan into the city, Jinyi's uncle Dashou returned to his ancestral home to rest, while Yang Zhen and his two attendants followed Hong Chengzhuan to the guest house in Jiliao Governor's Mansion to rest.

As for the first-post musketeers led by Yang Zhan'ao, they followed Liu Zhaoji, the newly appointed acting commander-in-chief of Ningyuan, who came to greet them, and settled in the camp in Ningyuan City.

That evening, Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, arranged a banquet in the back hall of the governor's house of Jiliao to celebrate the birthday of uncle Jinyi and welcome Yang Zhen, the uncle of Jinhai.

Of course Yang Zhen was going to be there, and Zu Dashou was also present in a well-dressed manner.

It was Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, who first proposed to confer a knighthood on Zu Dashou. Of course, this news had already reached Zu Dashou's ears.

Although Zu Dashou believed that he should have been granted the title of World Knight a long time ago, he still appreciated Hong Chengchou's kindness.

In particular, Zu Dashou also understood the strong intention behind Hong Chengchou's kindness.

Especially now that some of his ideas have changed, and his attitude towards the supervisors and civil servants sent by the imperial court is also different from before.

One was a deliberate win-over, the other was a half-truth and half-false flattery. Hong Chengchou and Zu Dashou had a very happy conversation when they first met.

Hong Chengchou spoke highly of Zu Dashou's hard work and achievements in guarding Liaodong over the years.

Zu Dashou was also very generous and presented Hong Chengchou with the heavy gift he had prepared for the new Governor of Jiliao on the spot.

This great gift was not anything else, but two young courtesans with extraordinary talent and beauty whom he sent to buy from the brothel shop in the capital at a huge sum of money.

The two servants of the Qing Dynasty wore curtains and hats and were sent directly to the back hall.

In the bright lights, after taking off the curtains and hats, two handsome men of sixteen or seventeen years old with exquisite appearance bowed to Hong Chengchou with a smile. Hong Chengchou, who had refused at first hearing about this, was stunned for a moment.

Forgot to say anything, but finally accepted it happily.

When Zu Dashou returned to Ningyuan City, he first went back to his ancestral mansion. At that time, Yang Zhen secretly sighed that he was too unruly. Now it seems that he went to prepare this important gift.

Zu Dashou presented such a lavish gift to Hong Chengchou in front of Yang Zhen, so he certainly did not treat Yang Zhen as an outsider.

However, when he came, Yang Zhen was a little embarrassed for a moment, because the gift Yang Zhen prepared was just a mink fur cloak snatched from the Fan family courtyard.

However, Yang Zhen saw that Hong Chengchou could not bear the beauty of the two Qinghuan people and happily accepted the gift from Zu Dashou on the spot. At that moment, he could only call Shen Yongzhong and Xu Tingxuan and ask them to get it.

Gifts prepared by oneself are also given in person.

In this way, Yang Zhen was equivalent to joining the ranks of Zu Dashou who presented gifts of respect or bribes to Hong Chengchou, and would not be suspected later.

Yang Zhen also did what Zu Dashou did, so naturally he would not go out and talk nonsense.

Of course, in this era, it is an unwritten rule for a lower official to give some valuable gifts when he meets his superior for the first time.

Even if someone tells it, it won't have any impact. It's not a crime, unless the emperor has deliberately dealt with you.

Zu Dashou took the lead in giving gifts, and the banquet that night couldn't go on.

Seeing that Ji Liao Governor Hong Chengchou was being served by two servants, Zu Dashou and Yang Zhen quickly stood up and left knowingly.

When they came out of the back hall of the Governor's Mansion where Hong Chengchou lived, Ningyuan City had just been shrouded in night.

Zu Dashou Lao came to be knighted. After fulfilling his wish for many years, he was obviously very happy.

As soon as he came out of the back hall of the Governor's Mansion, he strongly invited Yang Zhen to continue the banquet at the ancestral mansion, and said that he had also prepared a generous gift for Yang Zhen.

However, Zu Dashou's invitation was rejected by Yang Zhen.

Yang Zhen looked at Zu Dashou, who was somewhat complacent, and said to him: "The young man accepts the commander's wishes carefully. But if the young man comes in and out of the commander's house for a banquet tonight, the news may not come out in a few days.

Up to heaven, listen. If this is the case, it will be detrimental to both the commander and the boy. How can the commander be careless?"

After hearing this, Zu Dashou thought for a moment and stopped inviting Yang Zhen to the banquet, and then left.

Zu Dashou knew that Yang Zhen was about to leave western Liaoning, and his past wariness against Yang Zhen was now gone.

Coupled with the three previous meetings between the two people, they have reached a tacit agreement on many issues.

These circumstances made Zu Dashou believe that the time had come to settle the feud with Yang Zhen and his men.

Therefore, he wanted to take this opportunity of being in Ningyuan City to allow Yang Zhen to meet his brothers, nephews and close generals, so as to prevent the two sides from being incompatible with each other.

But after listening to Yang Zhen's words, he immediately realized that he, Uncle Jin Yi, and Yang Zhen, Uncle Jin Hai, were too close, and it was indeed inconsistent with the imperial court's way of controlling generals by using civility to control military affairs.

They should maintain a situation of lukewarmness, indifference, and even mutual restraint among each other, so that the emperor can rest assured and get what they want from Hong Chengchou.

Facts have proved that Yang Zhen's worries were not unnecessary. Fortunately, he did not follow Zu Dashou to his ancestor's house for the banquet.

Because not long after he returned to the Guest House of the Governor's Mansion, Hong Chengchou sent someone to invite him to meet again.

When Yang Zhen followed the people who came to invite him into the back hall of the Governor's Mansion again, the banquet had already been taken down, and the two stewards who had just been sent by Zu Dashou were no longer there.
Chapter completed!