Summary of the previous chapter: After being away from the court for more than two years, Ma Xiaoquan faced the embarrassing situation of having no one available for the Jinyi Guards. For this reason, he decided to transfer Fang Yun, who was far away in Caobang, to assist him. On the other hand, Ma Xiaoquan, who had been ambushing the Ma family,
Wei Zhongxian worked carefully and told Wei Zhongxian the secrets he had discovered. A conspiracy was about to begin...
It was already evening when we returned to Ma's house. After a hasty dinner, Ma Xiaoquan called Li Qinghan and Hua Yue to the study to talk.
In the more than two years since Ma Xiaoquan was away from the court, Li Qinghan had been taking care of the Ma family. Whether it was internal affairs or foreign affairs, Li Qinghan managed them very well.
It was also the first time for Hua Yue to face Li Qinghan so close. She thought she would be angry because of Ma Xiaoquan and herself, but...when standing with Li Qinghan, Hua Yue suddenly felt that she
Worry too much.
After listening to Ma Xiaoquan's retelling, the two girls fell into deep thought.
Ma Xiaoquan felt very satisfied when he saw the two girls thinking seriously.
Who says women are inferior to men? Ma Xiaoquan thought proudly.
...
"Yeah" Li Qinghan suddenly hummed.
Ma Xiaoquan came back to his senses and asked with a smile: "Qinghan, if you have any good ideas, please tell me."
Li Qinghan said: "It's not that I have any good ideas. Well, considering the embarrassing situation that you have no one available now, I think you might as well train a new group of people to use. Firstly, you can control the loyalty, and secondly, you can know the basics."
Ma Xiaoquan dragged his chin and nodded: "It's not impossible, it's just that it takes a long time to train a group of people. Given the current situation, I'm afraid it's too late."
Hua Yue said: "It's better to recruit some people from outside. This way they can be used immediately. However, the degree of loyalty cannot be guaranteed. But as the saying goes, there will be brave men under heavy rewards. Ma Xiaoquan, as long as your reward is high
At the same time, maybe we can recruit some powerful characters."
Li Qinghan disagreed with Huayue's point of view: "Having said that, we can give high prices, and our opponents can give higher prices."
"Well" Ma Xiaoquan frowned and thought for a while, then said, "Qinghan, in the two years since I was away, who has been at odds with Wei Zhongxian and Tian Ergen?"
Li Qinghan said: "Of course it's the Donglin Party. However, although Wei Zhongxian has been promoted very quickly in the past two years, he has been very low-key... By the way, Ma Xiaoquan, you came back from your era, Wei Zhongxian
, is it really that powerful?”
Ma Xiaoquan nodded: "Yes, it can be said that Wei Zhongxian also contributed to the downfall of the Ming Dynasty."
Hua Yue said: "Since you know, why don't you kill him as a scourge early? Wouldn't this save the Ming Dynasty from causing disasters?"
Ma Xiaoquan smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Of course I thought about it, but history is history. I can't change it, and I can't change it. I once used all my abilities at the time for one thing without authorization, which directly caused me to feel uncomfortable for a long time.
, and the cost of losing my firebending superpower."
Li Qinghan rubbed his temples: "Well, I've been dreaming these days. It's that dream again, the dream that I was shot and killed..."
Ma Xiaoquan patted Li Qinghan on the shoulder and said: "I never told you before, but now I tell you what the dream was. Your dream is true. It is a real thing that happened before.
It was it that caused me to lose my firebending superpower."
Hua Yue said in surprise: "Qinghan, Ma Xiaoquan also roughly told me about your dream. My father once said that if a person has unfulfilled wishes, her soul will always be reincarnated. Qinghan, you said you
Could it be Ma Xiaoquan’s earliest wife Hua Yuexin?”
Ma Xiaoquan nodded and said: "Yue'er is right. I have always felt that Qinghan is the reincarnation of Hua Yuexin."
Li Qinghan smiled and shook his head: "How is this possible? You two are really good at singing harmony. Well, by the way, Yue'er, I want to ask if you and Ma Xiaoquan..."
Hua Yue's face turned red and she shook her head.
Li Qinghan thought for a moment and said, "This bad guy didn't even touch you."
Ma Xiaoquan said helplessly: "Qinghan, am I so shameless?"
Li Qinghan turned his head: "Isn't it right? You had eight wives when you were in the late Han Dynasty. Do you think you are still shameless?"
Ma Xiaoquan muttered: "I am only eight, and there are more than a hundred people that Cao Cao can't count."
Hua Yue smiled and said: "Okay Qinghan, don't blame Ma Xiaoquan. He is a man. Men will always want women. If he wants me now, I can do it."
Li Qinghan sighed: "Sister Yue'er, we used to fight to death for Brother Ma Zhi, but now we have to serve a man at the same time, hey."
Hua Yue also sighed: "Yeah, I really didn't expect that."
Ma Xiaoquan interrupted the two girls: "Okay, don't be emotional, just help me think about what I should do next."
Li Qinghan and Hua Yue looked at each other and seemed to have reached some kind of tacit understanding instantly. Hua Yue said: "I have a way, but it's a bit risky..."
Ma Xiaoquan hummed and motioned for Hua Yue to continue.
Hua Yue said: "Ma Xiaoquan, you have a very high official position now. Under normal circumstances, no one dares to mess with you. And you have business, a big business, which means you are very rich. No matter whether outsiders ask or people say,
, Your current status, Ma Xiaoquan, is very noble. Ma Xiaoquan, instead of trying to win over people, it is better to seduce others to seek refuge with you. Of course, you also need to have a pair of piercing eyes to be able to extract the essence and discard the dross."
"Well, what Sister Yue'er said makes sense. It's just that although our Ma family is rich now, it is still not as rich as Zhang Tianhao, the richest man in the capital."
"Zhang Tianhao?" Ma Xiaoquan frowned, "Well, I have a way to get rich quickly, but it depends on whether Zhang Tianhao is willing to cooperate."
Hua Yue guessed: "Ma Xiaoquan, do you want to take away Zhang Tianhao's family business?"
Ma Xiaoquan smiled slightly, nodded and said: "Of course, during the days when I was running around outside, I also roughly found out some things about Zhang Tianhao. Well, the reason why Zhang Tianhao is so rich is not only because of his own ability, but also because of his ability.
It is caused by the heritage accumulated by his ancestors, and the biggest part of his heritage comes from... Shen Wansan..."
"Shen Wansan?" Li Qinghan was stunned.
Hua Yue nodded: "Yes, it's Shen Wansan. In the past, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang conquered the Ming Dynasty. Because the treasury was empty, he thought of several ways to replenish the treasury. One of them was to add unwarranted charges to the richest man Shen Wansan, and then
Take the opportunity to pour out his wealth."
"Having said that, Ma Xiaoquan is not Zhu Yuanzhang, and he does not have that much power..."
Ma Xiaoquan smiled and shook his head: "It's precisely because I don't have such great power that I want to borrow power. Well, as of now, who do you think has the most power?"
The two women looked at each other and said in unison: "Your Majesty"
Ma Xiaoquan snapped his fingers: "Smart"
Li Qinghan worriedly said: "But Ma Xiaoquan, the emperor is obsessed with carpentry all day long. If you want to use the emperor's power, how will you use it? Besides, there is Wei Zhongxian beside the emperor. This guy has always been in the emperor's ears.
Talking bad about you"
Ma Xiaoquan said: "Zhang Tianhao has a lot of wealth, and I didn't say that he would eat it all. Wei Zhongxian is greedy for money and lustful. In his eyes, there are only interests and no alliances. As long as I put the interests in front of him, Wei Zhongxian will definitely agree to be with me."
cooperative”
"Ma Xiaoquan is seeking the skin of a tiger. Aren't you afraid that Wei Zhongxian will wait for an opportunity to harm you?"
Ma Xiaoquan shook his head and sighed: "How can I not be worried? It's just that we have no better way now. Well, there are not many days left. In a few years, the market will change. We have to take advantage of Zhu You now."
While the principal was still alive, he accumulated a lot of money to prepare for emergencies."
Hua Yue said: "Ma Xiaoquan, are we leaving Beijing?"
Ma Xiaoquan nodded: "Yes, but now is not the time. Yue'er, please forgive me, I can't tell you the specific details yet."
Hua Yue nodded, she understood Ma Xiaoquan's difficulties. After all, he and Ma Xiaoquan were not married yet. Although Ma Xiaoquan had no scruples about her, he was still wary of the Hua family behind her.
...
The next day, Ma Xiaoquan went to Yangxin Hall to meet Emperor Tianqi Zhu Youxiao.
When meeting the emperor, it was natural to bring something interesting to him. Huayue's family is currently running a treasure selling convention for a long time. Naturally, there are many strange and eccentric objects. Ma Xiaoquan took advantage of the Hua family and borrowed flowers to offer to the Buddha and gave them to Zhu Youxiao.
A few gadgets.
These mechanism gadgets are all made of wood. Although they are not as magical as the Mohist mechanism carpentry, they are still good things.
Zhu Youxiao was naturally very happy about Ma Xiaoquan's arrival. After accepting the gift, he asked: "Ma Aiqing, do you have anything to tell me when you come so early?"
Ma Xiaoquan said respectfully: "Your Majesty, I do have something to do with you, but this matter is quite unforgettable..."
Zhu Youxiao waved his hand, and several serving servants withdrew.
"Okay, let's talk"
Ma Xiaoquan said: "Your Majesty, during those days when I was in Liaodong, I saw the brutality of the war and the speed of military pay consumption. Well, Your Majesty, I would like to ask, is our treasury full now?"
Zhu Youxiao's expression changed, and he shook his head and said: "There is no possibility of surplus. To be honest, it has been losing money. Alas, Liaodong has been urging me again recently, and the military pay is not enough."
Ma Xiaoquan rolled his eyes and said: "Your Majesty, I have an idea, I wonder if it is feasible?"
Zhu Youxiao nodded: "I love you, but it doesn't matter."
Ma Xiaoquan whispered a few words in Zhu Youxiao's ear. After Zhu Youxiao heard this, he shook his head in surprise: "This must never be done, in case..."
Ma Xiaoquan said: "Your Majesty, how can the Emperor personally handle this kind of matter? Well, Wei Chen feels that Eunuch Wei is the best candidate."