According to the usual habit, Gao Pragmatic had lunch in the palace and then returned to Gao Gong's Bachelor's Mansion, which is no exception today, but the time to get home half an hour later than usual.

As soon as he arrived home, the high-arched inner house steward respectfully stepped forward to report that the master had been back for a while, and instructed the following to go to see him as soon as the eldest young master returned.

Gao pragmatic nodded unchanged, but he didn't dare to slack off at all, and immediately rushed to the study of the high arch. The door of the study was open, but it was very quiet inside, Gao pragmatic glanced left and right, and saw that there was no one in the courtyard, and his heart did not move.

Gao Shishi stood at the door of the wide open door, still reached out and knocked on the door, and at the same time said, "Third uncle, I'm back." ”

"Come in." The sound of the high arch immediately sounded behind the screen.

Gao Shishi walked into the room, bypassed the birch screen, and saw that Gao Gong was not sitting in front of the bookcase to work or write as usual, but was half-lying on the Taishi chair next to the bookshelf. However, his eyes were open, and his gaze was blazing, apparently not resting.

"Third uncle?" Gao pragmatic called him tentatively.

Gao Gong didn't sit up straight, just pointed at his hand casually and said, "Sit down and talk, there is tea too, but it should be cold." ”

"It's good to be cold, it's too hot this day, it's still comfortable to drink cold." Gao pragmatic smiled, and said without seeing anything at all: "Actually, I can't wait to drink this tea after it has been processed and processed, such as putting it in the ice cellar to freeze it." ”

Gao Gong glanced at him obliquely, and said nonchalantly: "Hmph, I know that you have seen that Xinzhai has expanded a lot, and the scale of the ice cellar alone is about to catch up with the ice cellar of the Chengguo Mansion, but I am not as good as you, so I can only live by this point." If you feel bitter, you can go to see Xinzhai and live, anyway, now that Guo Dongye lives there, I don't worry about you relaxing your studies. ”

Gao Pragmatic knew that Gao Gong was just teasing, and laughed: "If the third uncle wants to use ice, just give the order." Or...... The nephew helped the third uncle find a mansion, so as not to live in such a small courtyard. ”

"The mountain is not high, but the name of the immortal. The water is not deep, and if there is a dragon, it will be spiritual. Si is a burrow, but Wu Dexin. Gao Gong waved his hand: "It doesn't matter where I live, anyway, I'm not a person who cares about pleasure, but what you just said about the house reminds me of one thing." ”

"Oh? What did the third uncle say? ”

Gao Gong thought for a while and said: "When Zhang Taiyue first entered the cabinet, he changed to a university scholar's mansion, I remember that the house was very generous, and it was exquisitely maintained, and the price should be quite expensive...... I was surprised, when he and I were the king of Yudi, he told me that his family situation was very ordinary, and then we became Hanlin officials, although there is more than enough to be noble, but Hanlin officials are notoriously poor officials, and the use is still tight......"

Gao Pragmatic smiled slightly: "Third Uncle is strange, where did he get the money to buy the current Zhang University Scholar's Mansion?" ”

"I do doubt it." Gao Gong not only did not cover up, but also increased the volume, and the person also sat up straight, stared at Gao Shi and said: "I know that with his identity at that time, some people can contribute in his hometown, but there is always a limit, and it is almost the same to be able to make up a few hundred taels of silver a year, so I count him as one thousand taels...... He has been an official for more than ten years, and his family has not done anything else to make a living, is it enough to buy that house just by relying on the commission of the donation? ”

Gao Pragmatic frowned slightly, he knew that Gao Gong was treating people with himself, and thought that the contribution under the name of the Zhang family was similar to that of the Gao family in Henan. But in fact, Zhang Juzheng himself, like Gao Gong, did not accept other people's contributions - but this does not mean that the Zhang family did not.

The Zhang family not only has, but also has great characteristics: Zhang Juzheng's father, Zhang Wenming, accepted the donation, at least in 10,000 acres.

Of course, Gao Gong's algorithm is not a big problem in conclusion, because the land was donated, and the silver that his Zhang family got in the end was actually not very much, at least not enough to support Zhang Juzheng to buy the current Zhang University Scholar's Mansion - unless his family's money didn't do anything else, just buy this mansion.

Of course, this is nonsense, the Zhang family is now rich in the township, especially after the Longqing Dynasty, the wealth of the Zhang family in the hometown is completely snowballing, and it is expanding day by day.

"The origin of this mansion, the third uncle should know, I won't say more, the former Ministry of Industry squire resold this mansion to Zhang Ge Lao when he was the official, which is also a common practice of new and old officials in Beijing, but ......" Gao pragmatic pursed his lips.

"Just what?"

"It's just that there is something wrong with the price of this house. According to his nephew's understanding, the original valuation of this mansion should have been around 90,000 taels, and 100,000 taels could also be sold, anyway, if it was 80,000 taels, it would definitely be sold. ”

Gao Gong frowned: "How much did Zhang Juzheng spend?" ”

As soon as Gao Pragmatic heard Gao Gong start calling Zhang Juzheng's name, he knew that the third uncle had begun to get angry, but he still replied calmly: "Twenty thousand taels." ”

"Hehe......" Gao Gong smiled, but his face was blue: "Zhang Ge's face is really valuable." ”

That's natural, he didn't do anything, he directly earned seventy or eighty thousand taels just by saving face, isn't it worthwhile?

"That young Sikong (commonly known as the waiter of the Ministry of Works), why did he give Zhang Juzheng such a big face?" Gao Gong said coldly: "I heard that he is from Suzhou Prefecture, and he is also considered to be Xu Huating's township party, plus he has already become a scholar, why should he be so generous to Zhang Juzheng?" ”

It stands to reason that Gao Pragmatic obviously shouldn't know about these "old things", but unexpectedly Gao Gong asked so, and Gao Pragmatic replied without hesitation: "That young Sikong moved a sum of river silver in the Ministry of Industry, operated a lot, and then ...... Anyway, 470,000 taels of river workers allocated silver, and in the end, what the river chief yamen really got was only a little more than 190,000 taels, and even 200,000 yuan was not collected. ”

Gao Gong's face was even worse, he grabbed the armrest of the Taishi chair with both hands, the green tendons bulged, and it took a long time to suppress his anger and ask, "Is there anything else?" ”

Gao Shishi shrugged his shoulders: "Yes, this young Sikong also served as a salt envoy in Shandong before he was appointed as a waiter in the Ministry of Works...... Other things, because it took too long, the nephew didn't figure it out, but one thing is for sure. ”

"What's the matter?"

"My third uncle Zhang Lipangong (Note: that is, Zhang Siwei's third brother Zhang Sijiao, alias Lipan. Gao Shishi was a junior and could not be called by his name), and he was asked for 150,000 taels of silver. According to the third uncle, if he did not give money, he would suspend the production of Changlu Salt Farm in the name of 'or hidden production' until 'the water came out'. ”

Gao Gong slapped the armrest angrily: "Lawless!" They're all big rats! Beetle! ”

He is not an official on his first day, of course he knows what kind of routine Gao Pragmatic said: I'll find a random stubble first, saying that your Changlu Salt Farm is suspected of violating the law, and then close down for investigation - how long will I know? Anyway, investigate slowly, carefully, for the sake of the court, for the sake of justice, I will definitely find out, not let go of a bad person, and I will not wronged a good person...... As for the loss of your Changlu Salt Farm, hey, that's all out of the question!

No more than Gao Gong's anger, Gao Shishi's face was very calm, as if the 150,000 taels of silver were not given by his uncle's family.

"Why don't you speak?" Gao Gong also found that Gao Pragmatic's demeanor was abnormal.

"There is nothing to say." Gao pragmatic spread his hands and said: "I remember that before, my nephew and the third uncle once talked about the 'cost' of salt merchants. At that time, my nephew said that salt merchants may make money quickly, or they may be extremely extravagant, but in many cases, their 'costs' are also huge, and luxury may not really be their nature. ”

Gao Gong stopped talking, he had always been quite dissatisfied with the huge wealth of the salt merchants, but it was too difficult to move, so he still did not move. Of course, it is not excluded that because of Zhang Siwei's relationship, he has never been able to find a good way to deal with it.

Shaking his head, Gao Gong decided to put this issue aside first, and said, "Chen Hong personally came to the cabinet this morning to send Zhu Pi, and then met with me...... Guess what he wants to do? ”

Gao pragmatic smiled: "Don't guess, he also looked for my nephew just now." ”

"Oh?" Gao Gong's face moved: "What did you say?" ”

"It's probably the same thing as what he said to the third uncle - he is going to recommend Mr. Guo and Mr. Qifu to the emperor."

Gao Gong squinted slightly: "What do you think of his intention to do this?" ”

Gao Shishi showed a smile, but the corners of his mouth were mocking: "He found himself in danger, like walking on a single-plank bridge, looking to the left is the cloud mountain fog cover, and looking to the right is also the cloud mountain fog cover, which side may be a cliff...... However, if you don't decide to leave or right, the single-plank bridge will just shake up, and it will collapse. ”

Gao Gong listened and laughed.