What Fan Shixi said was true, and hearing it in Shen Ao's ears made him very satisfied. "Okay, Mr. Fan is a man of vision. Please believe that Daqian Bank will not let you down."
"That's natural. With Duke Zhong taking charge of this important matter, there won't be any problems." Taking this opportunity, Fan Shixi flattered him a little.
Shen Ao chuckled and said, "Come, drink tea."
"Okay, Duke Zhongguo invites you." Fan Shixi also had a smile on his face. But then the atmosphere in the main hall became quiet, and it was obvious that he had not thought of how to speak at this moment.
Fan Shixi was still hesitant, fearing that the wrong way of speaking would annoy Shen Ao, which would be more than worth the gain.
This time, he was entrusted by his brother to come to intercede with Shen Ao. He was not willing to do so. He was not even optimistic about his brother's choice in his heart. If Prince Qing could really inherit the throne, with his As the eldest son of the emperor, the prince should have been his long ago. Why wait until now?
This is clearly because His Majesty saw that King Qing was lame and had no intention of letting him take over the throne. Even he, an outsider, could see this clearly, but my brother just refused to listen and insisted on having his own way on this matter.
As for what Fan Shitong decides to do, as his younger brother, he can't doubt anything. But you can't drag the entire Fan family into King Qing's carriage just because of your choice. This is obviously forcing someone to do something difficult.
If the Fan family lost more profits in order to help Prince Qing, that was definitely not the result Fan Shixi wanted to see, so he repeatedly hesitated whether to speak or how to speak.
While Fan Shixi was still struggling, Shen Ao was sitting relaxedly on the chair. Of course he knew the purpose of Fan Shixi's visit at this time. It must have been the same purpose as Shi Zitong, who had just been blasted away.
Even if you want something from someone, why don't you ask?
Shen Ao's peripheral vision glanced at Fan Shixi, and when he saw the hesitant look on his face, he immediately understood in his heart. He has not yet made up his mind whether he wants to intercede or not. It seems that although Fan Shitong supports Prince Qing , but it doesn’t mean that the entire Fan family also means this.
"Report."
The hall was originally quiet, but the appearance of the chief of guard Shi Lei suddenly broke the silence. When Shi Lei, who originally entered the hall, saw that Fan Shixi was here, he did not speak immediately, but quickly lowered his head. Come down.
With this move of Shi Lei, Shen Ao knew that something must have happened, and he needed to report his knowledge. Then he stood up, then looked at Fan Shixi, who was still sitting there and was still struggling, and said: "Fan Family Master, are you still in trouble? You should bring a message to Prince Qing. You must spit out what you have eaten immediately. You must pay back the due loans truthfully. As long as everything is done according to the rules and regulations, it is good for you, good for me, and good for everyone. If not, it will not look good on your face. Already."
"Huh? Oh, okay, okay." Fan Shixi raised his head in surprise. He did not expect that before he could speak, Shen Ao actually took the initiative to talk about this matter. Seeing what he meant, as long as Prince Qing If things are done according to the rules, Daqian Bank will not make things big, and naturally it will not disgrace Prince Qing. And isn't this what he came to ask for?
When he came this time, his brother had already told him that as long as Shen Ao didn't embarrass Prince Qing, other matters were negotiable, even if it was a discount of some money, it was nothing. After all, for the prince, face is more important than anything else. There is too much silver.
Knowing that Shen Ao took the initiative to solve the problem for himself, Fan Shixi sighed at his broad-mindedness and consideration for others. He stood up and clasped his fists, "Thank you, Lord Zhongguo. Don't worry, Prince Qing is a smart man and knows what to do next." Do it.”
Even using your honorific title shows that Fan Shixi is really grateful to Shen Ao at this time.
"Easy to say, easy to say." Shen Ao nodded with a smile. He likes to deal with smart people, so he can save a lot of things.
Fan Shixi left with a smile on his face and left with satisfaction. With Shen Ao's words, he could give an explanation to his brother, and his errand could be completed. In this way, he would not offend Shen Ao, and he could let Prince Qing take over. This situation is really the best thing.
After watching Fan Shixi leave, Shen Ao looked at Shi Lei and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Master, Mr. Zeng is here. He said he has something important to see you." Shi Lei quickly reported the matter.
"Okay, please invite him to the study." Shen Ao nodded. Zeng Tong is now responsible for paying attention to the imperial court and monitoring the officials. If he has something to find him, it will definitely not be a trivial matter.
Speaking of which, Zeng Tong took the initiative to ask for this. According to Shen Ao's wish, he could replace Shen Xing, who had gone to Liaozhou, to become the chief steward of the Zhongguo Duke's mansion. But he didn't seem to agree, and offered to ask for money and manpower. , he wants to set up a department to pay attention to the court's actions.
As if afraid that Shen Ao would disagree, he also said that business and politics are inseparable.
Now that Zeng Tong wants to do this, Shen Ao naturally agrees to it. Now in the court, he only has three students and his uncle Zhong Guogong as a few informants. If something big happens, he will not be able to do it. Not enough. So I agreed to Zeng Tong’s request.
Of course, Shen Ao is not snooping on some power, but he doesn't want to be plotted for no reason, and then he still knows nothing about it. Once some things are in a passive situation, there will be a lot of trouble.
In this way, Shen Ao, who was not short of money, satisfied Zeng Tong's request and asked him to do this job. Zeng Tong, who got the errand, had never reported anything to Shen Ao, so much so that he himself almost forgot about it. Now that the other party wants to see me, I think something big must have happened, and it should be related to me.
He strode to the study room. Compared to the main hall, this place was more private, and it could also ensure that what they said would not be passed on to anyone.
Shi Lei took the initiative to withdraw. Although he had followed Shen Ao since he was a child and could be regarded as one of the most trusted people, he still had to avoid such secret matters unless Shen Ao asked him to stay.
Of course, Shi Lei did not leave too far, but came to stand ten steps away from the study. This ensured that with him here, no one could disturb his master.
"Okay, please tell me if you have anything, Mr. Zeng." Shen Ao found himself at the main seat and sat down, and motioned for Zeng Tong to sit down as well.
"Thank you, Master." Zeng Tong has now completely voted for Shen Ao, which can be seen from the title. Speaking of which, he was originally a man with talent and ambition, but it was a pity that he became his master and followed him. The former prince had no ability but was very arrogant.
The former prince just kept to himself and could not listen to any different opinions. Zeng Tong discovered this and retreated in time. Only then, when the former prince fell and many officials were implicated, could he still Live well.
Naturally, Zeng Tong can now appear in front of people instead of going to a remote place to become a teacher as he planned. This is Shen Ao's contribution. For Zeng Tong to be able to walk freely in front of people, Shen Ao Ao Ao had put in a lot of effort in private. He had already said hello to the eldest princess, Yan Fu, and Prince Qing when they were in their honeymoon period, so Zeng Tong was not held accountable.
For this reason, Zeng Tong was naturally very grateful to Shen Ao. This was equivalent to giving him a second life. He also decided to do his best to repay Shen Ao well and at the same time prove to outsiders that as long as he followed the right Master, Zeng Tong is capable.
After thanking Shen Ao, Zeng Tong sat down and then told Shen Ao about the important matter, which was that people from the Ministry of War suddenly searched the city for the more than two thousand rangers who had returned victoriously from the barbaric land.
"Young Master, a lot of spies from the Ministry of War have been sent out. They have initially targeted Feng Wanli, Sun Fuhu and others, and started to contact them. I heard that they have also given good conditions. As long as they are willing to join the army, they will be at least a hundred. He started out as a husband, and it was the kind that was recorded and recognized by Da Qian."
"Oh? This is a good thing, haha." There was a smile on Shen Ao's lips.
This is not a sincere statement, but I am really happy for those rangers. Being recognized by the court is also a way to make progress. If you do it well, you may be able to honor your ancestors. But there is one thing. If these people really decide to join the army If Wu, the connection between them and Shen Ao would be severed.
After all, they had approached Shen Ao before to express their sincerity. For this matter, Shen Ao even gave them the names Sifang Sect and Guiyi Sect. But now, someone seemed to have a better bargaining chip, and they Switch over immediately. It's absolutely impossible for you to trust Shen Ao with people like this who have no credibility.
A person doesn't even have basic credit. If you have breasts, you are a mother. How can you entrust such a person with any big things?
Seeing the calm smile on Shen Ao's face, Zeng Tong couldn't help but said anxiously: "But Master, these people have participated in the war with the barbarians. They can be regarded as veterans with war experience. Then they are all talents. , wouldn’t it be too much of a disadvantage to just let it go like this?”
Zeng Tong was thinking about Shen Ao wholeheartedly and was also planning for Shen Ao.
Perhaps others only saw the bright side of Shen Ao in front of others, but professional counselors like Zeng Tong saw it further. Now Emperor Qianwen is rightly using Shen Ao in high regard, and even once made him his favorite. It’s my wish. But who can guarantee how long this kind of favor can last?
In other words, even if Emperor Qianwen will always support Shen Ao, what if he passes away one day? Judging from his age, the emperor is more than enough to be Shen Ao's father. So if there is another emperor one day, Can he still trust and support Shen Ao so much?