HCB Chapter 215 The Prefect of Xuzhou's Flower Boat
Chapter 215 The Prefect of Xuzhou's Flower Boat
Xuzhou has many bridges; none collapsed under the weight of heavy snow, but some were vandalized.
Deliberate sabotage?
The old emperor sat up straight. The bridge had been deliberately damaged, which was no small matter. The governor of Xuzhou actually wanted to cover up such a big thing.
[And it wasn't even a big bridge, just a small wooden bridge, no wonder the price wasn't particularly high.]
The old emperor glared angrily.
How can it not be a lot? That's a full five hundred taels of silver!
[Daye's development in gunpowder was quite good. Although fireworks and firecrackers were somewhat regulated, they could still be bought with a little money.]
[During the Spring Festival this year, in a certain place in Xuzhou, a wealthy businessman's child set off firecrackers towards that small wooden bridge. Wow, the power was so great that it blew the wooden bridge away.]
At this point, Shen Zhiyi paused for a moment before criticizing these unruly children.
[What's so fun about firecrackers? They're so scary they can scare you out of your wits. I always take a detour when I see those bratty kids.]
The Nian monster didn't scare me away, but it did.
The old emperor was a very traditional person at heart, and setting off firecrackers during the New Year was perfectly normal for him.
Arguing is the way to go; that's exactly what we want.
However, if someone plays with firecrackers to the point of destroying the wooden bridge, that's really outrageous and deserves a severe beating.
No, if that's the case, what does the governor of Xuzhou mean? Shouldn't he be asking that wealthy merchant for money to repair the wooden bridge? Why is he asking him for silver?!
The old emperor's expression immediately turned displeased.
Damn it, how dare they try to scam money from him?
[The destruction of the wooden bridge is a matter of great importance, but the wealthy merchant gave the governor of Xuzhou a full five thousand taels of silver for his son's sake.]
The old emperor gasped.
Five thousand taels of silver!!!
And you still dare to ask him for so much?!
He was so angry.
[The governor of Xuzhou is really something, taking so much silver. He could at least have set aside some to repair the wooden bridge, but he embezzled it all. And not only that, he even asked the old emperor for more silver.]
[If this guy doesn't get the money from the old emperor, he'll definitely make the local people raise the money themselves to repair the wooden bridge. Heh, if he does manage to raise the money, he can probably pocket some of it again.]
The more the old emperor listened, the more he understood the logic, and his feelings towards the governor of Xuzhou were no longer very positive.
I just cleared out one area, and I'm wondering if I should clear out some more areas when I get to a new one.
"Your Majesty, we will be docking soon."
Chen Decai glanced out the window and hurried back to report to the old emperor.
The old emperor put down his pen, stood up, and glanced at the scenery outside the window.
By this time, a large number of boats had gathered outside, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.
Shen Zhiyi stood behind the old emperor and secretly peeked at him.
Upon closer inspection...
[Holy crap, those boats over there are so flashy!]
The old emperor only looked over when he heard Shen Zhiyi's voice.
Very good, indeed very flashy, red and green, and flamboyant.
"Stay away from that ship."
【why? 】
Why? It's a pleasure boat, not proper.
The old emperor closed the window, but Shen Zhiyi's eyes were still fixed on it.
Ah, what a beautiful ship! Why didn't the old emperor decorate it like that?
The people on the boat immediately had a row of black lines on their faces.
If they dressed like that, where would they put their faces?
If this gets back to the capital, I'll be laughed at to death by my colleagues.
The old emperor felt a chill and made a decision in his heart.
We need to get off the ship quickly; we can't let Shen Zhiyi keep thinking about this.
As it turned out, even after getting off the boat, Shen Zhiyi was still thinking about that pleasure boat, and even asked the people at the dock about it.
"Uncle, whose flower boat is that?"
The old man grinned, revealing a few gaping teeth, and said, "You're from out of town? That pleasure boat belongs to the governor. Normally, we can only admire it from afar. Those who can get on the boat are all rich and noble. Oh dear, this old man will never be able to dream of it in his lifetime."
The group immediately pulled their feet back as they were about to step forward.
What is that? The pleasure boat of the governor of Xuzhou?
All the court officials present heard the old emperor's low curses (except for Shen Zhiyi).
"It will tarnish the reputation of the fine men of Da Ye."
The governor of a prefecture was riding in a pleasure boat.
After scolding her, the old emperor seemed much happier, but when he turned around and saw Shen Zhiyi looking at him expectantly, he called her back with a headache.
The group rented several courtyards to stay in.
[This old emperor really doesn't play by the rules. The governor of Yunzhou was all prepared for his arrival, but the old emperor just crossed over and headed straight for Xuzhou.]
The governor of Xuzhou probably thought the old emperor wouldn't arrive until next week, but little did he know he had already arrived.
The old emperor, who was washing his hands, snorted coldly.
His goal was to catch those governors off guard.
He knew all too well what local officials liked to do; if he had announced his arrival in advance, he would never have witnessed the true scene.
For example, the governor of Xuzhou who built a flower boat.
"Chen Decai".
The old emperor tossed the handkerchief into Chen Decai's hand and said in a deep voice, "Go and deliver a visiting card to the governor of Xuzhou."
"Your Majesty, what title should we use?"
"A wealthy businessman."
"Here."
What is the old emperor up to? Doesn't he hate wealthy merchants the most?
However, the governor of Xuzhou certainly wouldn't refuse the title of "wealthy merchant," as that guy loves entertaining rich people the most.
Chen Decai sent someone to the Xuzhou Prefectural Governor's Office to deliver a visiting card, and the group, dressed in ordinary clothes, began to look around the canal.
The Minister of Works was so moved that tears streamed down his face.
"Why are you crying? Aren't you ashamed?"
"Your Excellency, we are delighted. This canal can facilitate the development of so many things."
The newly appointed Minister of Personnel nodded in approval.
He began to calculate how much silver he could earn in a year from his shops along the canal.
The group stayed until sunset before heading back.
The governor of Xuzhou also accepted the visiting card.
We agreed to meet on the flower boat at 7:00 AM tomorrow.
*
June 20th, the day of Wuchen.
After making a few strokes, Shen Zhiyi started scratching her head in frustration.
[Since leaving the palace, this guy seems to have found writing the daily records much harder.]
Zhang Sheren's lips twitched.
It's hard to write without the fixed ways of writing it, so you have to create your own.
He watched Shen Zhiyi biting the calligraphy brush, a little worried that she was going to write some shockingly rubbish.
[He wears the skin of a wealthy merchant.]
Everyone held back their laughter.
Zhang Sheren closed his eyes.
[He met the Prefect of Xuzhou on a pleasure boat. Uh, the Prefect of Xuzhou, indeed.]
The old emperor was used to it.
The court officials were impressed.
As expected of His Majesty, he possesses such composure.
"Let's go, get on the boat."
He wanted to see what the governor of Xuzhou's pleasure boat was all about.
Shen Zhiyi's eyes lit up.
We're off to the beautiful big ship!