Although he is Zheng Zhilong's distant nephew, Zheng Hong actually knows very well that his uncle does not value him. He will never leave some important matters to him.
My position in the Zheng family is actually very embarrassing, and I am in a state of dispensability.
But since this is the case, he is happy to have peace of mind. Although Zheng Zhilong does not leave important things to himself, he does it realistically and has never treated himself badly in life...
The only thing that worries Zheng Hong now is that he is already thirty-five years old, but his wife's belly is really unsatisfactory and she has not given birth to a son and a half daughter for him yet.
Last time, there was a daughter from Qianhu who was willing to marry him, but his uncle criticized someone else's family background to prevent him from taking a concubine.
What kind of family background is there? You, Zheng Zhilong, don’t even think about it. The Zheng family is just a pirate... But Zheng Hong only dared to mutter in his heart...
What makes Zheng Hong even more dissatisfied is that after rejecting the daughter of the Jiang family, Zheng Zhilong once promised his distant nephew that he would help him find a better woman in the future, but several months have passed since he said this.
, I didn’t see any movement from Zheng Zhilong...
Feeling: Your family has been saved, so you don’t have to worry about your nephew anymore, right?
Zheng Hong dared not express his anger, so he could only suppress his dissatisfaction deeply in his heart...
"Master Zheng." Just when Zheng Hong didn't know what to do now, a voice suddenly came from behind.
Zheng Hong looked back and saw a young man in his twenties. He was very strange. He had never seen him before. He couldn't help but wonder: "Who is your Excellency?"
"Master Zheng is such a noble man and forgets things. Why don't you remember me?" The man walked over with a smile and cupped his hands: "That time we had a drink together at Tianyi Pavilion in Quanzhou. I was sitting with you.
There is Mr. Ye Yuanxian from Quanzhou Prefecture, why did Mr. Zheng forget that?"
Zheng Hong said "Oh", he had indeed had a drink with Ye Yuanxian, Magistrate Ye. I guess there were so many guests that day that he couldn't remember it for a while.
But since this person knew Ye Yuan before and even drank together, I guess he has some background...
He immediately raised his hands and said, "Forgive me, forgive me. Zheng has a bad memory and drank too much that day. I can't remember my brother's name at the moment. Please tell me..."
The young man said with a smile: "I am Gongsun Yue, courtesy name Liwen. Master Zheng drank three glasses of wine with me that day. Don't you remember?"
"Ah, I remembered it, I remembered it." Zheng Hong patted his forehead, as if he suddenly realized: "It turns out to be Brother Gongsun. Look at my memory."
Gongsun Yue didn't take it seriously at all: "Master Zheng, it's almost dinner time. If Master Zheng has nothing to do, can my brother be a little boy?"
Zheng Hongzheng didn't know where to go for dinner. When he heard this, he was secretly happy, but he said: "Where to go, where to go, it's better for brothers to do the cooking."
Gongsun Yue couldn't help but dragged Zheng Hong into a restaurant. As soon as he entered, he guessed that he was a regular customer here. The shopkeeper personally welcomed them out and took them to the private room on the second floor without Gongsun Yue's instructions.
He also said: "Mr. Gongsun, this is your old position, but no one dares to touch you."
Gongsun Yue thanked him with a smile, and the shopkeeper carefully closed the door and walked out.
Zheng Hong rolled his eyes a few times: "Brother Gongsun, look at me. I drank too much tea in the afternoon. I'm in a hurry. Please sit down for a moment. I'll come back when I'm out..."
"I'll go with Mr. Zheng..."
"No, no need." Zheng Hong said hurriedly: "Brother Gongsun, just sit back and I will come as soon as I go."
Saying this, without waiting for Gongsun Yue to react, he opened the door and hurried out.
What kind of convenience did he need? As soon as he walked out, he found the shopkeeper and said: "Shopkeeper, I just arrived in Fuzhou not long ago. I met an old friend by chance, but I really couldn't figure out who this person was. After a while, we started drinking and chatting.
This may be embarrassing at this time, so I would like to ask the shopkeeper for clear instructions..."
As he spoke, he took out a piece of loose silver and put it on the counter.
"Look what it says, look what it says..." As soon as he saw the silver, the shopkeeper's eyes lit up: "It's really great that you have such a friend. I think you are also a big shot.
You two can come to the shop today, and the shop will be full of glory... Mr. Gongsun has a great background..."
As he spoke, he looked around, then lowered his voice and said, "His adoptive father is Hong Chengchou, the most favored person in front of the Holy Emperor today..."
As soon as the three words "Hong Chengchou" came out, Zheng Hong was shocked. This young man was actually Hong Chengchou's adopted son?
"I also heard what people said..." the shopkeeper said mysteriously: "I heard that Mr. Gongsun's father once had an acquaintance with Commander Hong for eight years. The relationship was very important. Therefore, Commander Hong also had a deep affection for this righteous man.
The son is extremely favored..."
Zheng Hong didn't quite understand: "Then how did he come to Fuzhou?"
The shopkeeper blurted out: "He has many businesses in Fuzhou. I heard that the amount of money he earns every year is not even comparable to Zheng Zhilong's. It's just that he works in a low-key manner and doesn't usually show off, so not many people know about it."
...Sir, this is just a coincidence for you. Once he hosted a banquet for some friends from Beijing, and I went to serve them in person. I accidentally said this from his friend's mouth. Sir, you are so wonderful.
It must not be leaked out..."
"I know, of course I know this..." Zheng Hong said repeatedly.
After thanking the shopkeeper, when Zheng Hong returned to the private room, his attitude towards Gongsun Yue was suddenly very different.
Although the Zheng family has great power in Fujian, it has nothing to do with Zheng Hong. He is just a dispensable person in the Zheng family. If he can curry favor with this powerful man from Beijing,
Maybe a fortune is waiting for you there.
"Master Zheng. Why are you here now..." Seeing Zheng Hong come in, Gongsun Yue stood up: "Come on, come on, let's drink, drink. We haven't seen each other for many days, so we have to get drunk today.
.”
Who would have thought that Zheng Hong's face darkened: "Brother Gongsun, it's not okay for you to always call me 'Master Zheng, Master Zheng'. How old am I? If you don't dislike it, there's no harm in calling me big brother."
?”
Gongsun Yue said with a "haha" smile: "Since the eldest brother said so, how dare brothers go against the eldest brother's wishes?"
Only then did a smile appear on Zheng Hong's face, and he sat down, and the two of them drank several cups in a row. Gongsun Yue put down the wine cup: "I heard that the eldest brother's uncle and Zheng Zhilong, Deputy Town Zheng, are great people. I wonder if eldest brother is there?"
What kind of errands does Deputy Zheng have under his command?"
But these words immediately touched upon Zheng Hong's pain point... He sighed and drank a glass of wine silently: "Brother, I don't want to hide some things from you. Although I want to do things for my uncle, but
But he always only trusts his brothers, and he never leaves important matters in my hands, so the older brother only does some casual errands..."
"Brother made a mistake, brother made a mistake. He should be punished, he should be punished." Gongsun Yue said repeatedly, and he really punished himself with a cup of wine, and then continued: "I heard my brother say something at Master Ye's banquet that time.
My brother is very talented, but I don’t understand why Deputy Town Zheng doesn’t look down on him.”
These words touched Zheng Hong's heart, and he couldn't help boasting: "I don't dare to say anything else, but if I were to handle the same thing, I might not be able to handle it any worse than his brothers. Come to think of it,
I want to go. But I am his distant nephew, and his trust in me is far from enough..."
Gongsun Yueda felt sorry for him, comforted him for a while, and suddenly said: "My brother and I hit it off right away. If there is any good mission in the future, I can always pay attention to it for my brother."
Zheng Hong was waiting for this sentence. He was overjoyed when he heard it, but he pretended to ask: "Since my brother said such words, is he also an official?"
"Where, where." Gongsun Yue said with a smile: "How can a brother like me become an official? It's just to motivate him. But I don't want to deceive him. I have confirmed a few officials in the capital. Maybe I can do it in the future.
I don’t know if it will help.”
Zheng Hong smiled, knowing that he didn't want to tell him all the details, but it didn't matter. As long as he recognized this person and fawned over him tightly, were he still afraid that he would not have the opportunity to become a successful person in the future?
Now that he had this intention in mind, Zheng Hong also tried his best to flatter him.
What kind of person is Zheng Zhilong? It is true that in Fujian, if he knew that his nephew was so flattering to a person who did not know the details, he would probably be angry and lose the face of the Zheng family. He, Zheng Zhilong, is also very knowledgeable. He saw it early in the morning
It was known that Zheng Hong was not doing big things, so he was given some leisurely tasks. This was not wrong.
It's a pity that Zheng Hong doesn't know this. He always thinks that he has all his abilities, but there is no place for him to display them...
The two chatted there for a while, and Gongsun Yue suddenly asked: "My brother and I are so close to each other, so I gave this little gift to my sister-in-law and my nephew who I have never met before."
As he spoke, he took out something from his arms. As soon as Zheng Hong saw it, his eyes opened and refused to close again...
This is a Jade Maitreya Buddha. Although Zheng Hong has no skills, he has a great eye for treasures. With just one glance, he knows that this Jade Maitreya Buddha is made of high-quality materials and has fine workmanship. It cannot be bought without a few thousand taels of silver.
.
He and Gongsun Yue had just met, but when the other party offered such a valuable gift, Zheng Hong was even more convinced when the shopkeeper just said that his family had a fortune of tens of millions.
Zheng Hong said repeatedly: "How can this be done? No, this gift is too valuable."
Gongsun Yue smiled faintly: "Why should I be so polite to you, my little brother? Don't you regard me as your brother?"
Zheng Hong wanted to take it over immediately. After hearing this, he pretended to be reluctant, put away the Jade Maitreya Buddha, thanked him several times, and then sighed: "I thank you on behalf of your sister-in-law. It's just that
Your nephew can't say thank you anymore..."
"What do you mean, brother?" Gongsun Yue looked puzzled.
Zheng Hong smiled bitterly: "My elder brother is thirty-five years old. It's a pity that he still doesn't have a son and a half..."
"Damn it, damn it, I deserve a slap in the mouth." Gongsun Yue said hurriedly, but then he became confused: "According to his status as an elder brother, since my sister-in-law cannot have a wife, why not marry another woman?"
Zheng Hong sighed again and carefully told the story of his failure to take a concubine.
"Hey, this is such a pity..." Gongsun Yue sighed with him: "That girl is not lucky enough to serve her brother anymore."
Zheng Hong suddenly said mysteriously: "Actually, that girl also has a good background...Brother, have you ever heard that Fuzhou magistrate Guan Zhe and Tongzhi Ou Jue were dismissed from their posts recently, and they are waiting to be beheaded?"
Seeing Gongsun Yue nodding, Zheng Hong's expression became more mysterious: "Actually, the reason why Guan Zhe and Ou Jue lost their heads was all caused by this woman."
Gongsun Yue was shocked: "Could it be that the woman my brother wanted to marry before was that Sister Xia?"
Sister Xia's matter has already caused a storm in the city. A prefect and a fellow prefect are about to lose their heads because of this woman, so it is not surprising that Gongsun Yue knows about it.
Zheng Hong nodded: "This is the woman...Brother, don't you know that a little girl actually caused such a commotion? I don't know if I should be grateful that I had
I didn’t marry her, otherwise, God knows what kind of trouble she would have caused in my Zheng family..."
Gongsun Yue also repeatedly slapped the table and shouted lucky, but then he smiled and said: "It's just that I heard that Sister Xia is very beautiful. Otherwise, how could I have lured Kong Dexing from Dongchang out?"
Zheng Hong nodded silently.
He had also heard that Sister Xia was extremely beautiful, and he felt somewhat depressed in his heart. It was a pity that he did not take her as a concubine. Otherwise, wouldn't such a beautiful woman be his own?
?
Strange things come and go, all because I am powerless.
Seeing something wrong on Zheng Hong's face, Gongsun Yue smiled slightly and said: "A blessing in disguise is a blessing in disguise? With my brother's character and status, how difficult is it to find someone who is ten times or a hundred times better than Sister Xia!"
Although he said this, Zheng Hong felt somewhat depressed...
The more the two of them talked, the more they became more and more speculative. They asked for wine several times in succession. They were both 70 or 80% drunk, but they were still reluctant to leave. Gongsun Yue smiled at this time and said:
"Brother, if nothing happens, let's go find a place to drink."