The next cooperation talks went very smoothly, and some details, whether Zhou Kui understood it or not, were written down, and he planned to report to His Majesty after returning to Beijing.

After the cooperation talks, Zhou Kui stayed in Yangzhou for a few more days.

During the day, he traveled with the United States, and at night he accepted the banquets of local officials and wealthy businessmen.

In just a few days, it was an eye-opener for him.

Prostitutes and shoes are drinking, and banquets are popular.

Don't get tired of eating, the pursuit of things.

Poor and extravagant, tyrannical and profligate.

The most jaw-dropping thing for Zhou Kui is 'eating shoes and cups'. He'd heard of it before, but it was the first time he'd seen it for himself. Brightly dressed officials or businessmen were seen, drinking with prostitutes' shoes.

That scene.

It's fucking fun.

A few days later, seeing that there was no reason to stay, Zhou Kui planned to return to Beijing.

"Master Guo, really don't stay for a few more days? There are still many people who haven't had time to feast on the country's grandfather. On the dock, Xiao Quan took someone to send Zhou Kui on the boat, and asked sincerely.

"Nope. Now that the business matter has been decided. When you go back, prepare early, open one day early, and profit one day early. Zhou Kui shook his head and refused Xiao Quan's retention.

"Good! In this case, I wish the father-in-law a smooth trip. Xiao Wu, bring the things. Xiao Quan commanded Xiao Wu behind him. Xiao Wu took a tray and stepped forward.

"Master Guo, this is the deed of the garden where you have lived in the past few days, and this Yangzhou City will be your second home in the future. Come back often! Xiao Quan took the deed and respectfully handed it to Zhou Kui.

Zhou Kui was stunned for a moment, and then his eyes lit up.

"Isn't this?"

"Don't worry about it, I still have a few gardens around there, and this garden is idle. The fact that the grandfather can live in it has made the surrounding land prices several times, and I have earned more than this garden. Besides, it is an honor for the whole Yangzhou to be able to buy a house in Yangzhou, if you don't accept it, I'm afraid it will chill the hearts of the people of Yangzhou. ”

"Really?"

"Absolutely."

"Then I'll reluctantly accept it?"

"Gotta take it."

Zhou Kui took the deed with a smile and put it in his arms.

"Well, there will be a date later!"

"Congratulations to the father-in-law!"

"Congratulations to the father-in-law!" As soon as Xiao Quan spoke, more than a hundred people behind him spoke at the same time.

Zhou Kui's mood was a little agitated, and he stepped on the board of the boat without looking back. Turning and waving, he walked into the cabin.

The warblers and swallows in the cabin are all women.

Two of the attendants, four of the pleasure boats, and two who have never seen them, plus the jade slave. There were nine women in total.

"These two?" Zhou Kui asked Yunu suspiciously. He knew that the other people must have been arranged by Xiao Quan, but with two fresh faces, he really didn't know what was going on.

"Master Guo, these two are different. They are all skinny horses trained by nannies, and they are all perfect. It was given to the father-in-law by Master Xiao as a concubine. ”

When Zhou Kui heard this, his already agitated mood directly surged.

Lao Xiao can handle this person, and it is really a gift to have a woman!

In the eyes of everyone on the shore, the boat slowly moved.

"Isn't the grandfather reluctant to go back?" Yunu looked at Zhou Kui, who was in a daze outside the window, and asked with a smile.

Zhou Kui smiled and didn't speak. He was really thinking about what had happened in the past few days.

Here, he not only saw the scenery different from the capital, ate food that he rarely saw, and played with women with different styles. Most importantly, he felt valued by these people. Or is it? Respect?

This is something he can't enjoy in the capital, or maybe not before he is pushed out by His Majesty.

It's a really good feeling.

He was indeed a little reluctant to go back.

If Zhu Youzhen was by his side, he would definitely know. Zhou Kui: This is the fourth level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs: respect needs.

Whether it is the Ming Dynasty or those civil official groups, there is a special kind of arrogance.

The pride of the nobles comes from the hereditary replacement of the title, and they retire with the country.

The arrogance of civil officials comes from the kind of nobility that belongs to the cultured people.

For relatives like Zhou Kui, they are really looked down upon. It's okay that the emperor is here, if the emperor is no longer there, what are you?

"Master Guo, the slave family has been waiting for you for so many days, you have to leave the gap to the slave family tonight."

Yunu's words once again pulled the contemplative Zhou Kui back to reality, reached out and fished it out in Yunu's arms, and said with a smile:

"Don't stay night, I'll do it for you later."

The construction of the Tanggu salt plant in Tianjin was very fast, and Xu Yingyuan directly built a cement factory in Tanggu for the construction of the salt pond. Salt ponds appear on the seashore at an incredible speed. More and more salt is produced from the salt works and transported to the capital by train. It is then transported from the capital to the surrounding prefectures and counties.

Drying salt is a tiring job, but fortunately, Zhu You's salary is high enough, and nearly 2,000 people have been recruited from the surrounding area. And there are more and more trends.

The price of the salt specialty store is low, the quality of the salt is not bad, and the most important thing is that it is enough to scale. Soon he gained a foothold in North Zhili. Zhou Kui has not come back yet, and Zhu Youzhen has already planned the next salt field construction plan.

Gaizhou, Liaoning, Taiwan, bamboo trenches.

The Tanggu Salt Farm is slowly on the right track. It is possible to transfer Xu Yingyuan out and get him to Gaizhou.

However, the candidate to go to Taiwan has not yet been decided.

The first day of April

Zhou Kui is back.

After he entered Beijing, he didn't bother to go home, and was directly summoned into the palace by Zhu Youzhen.

"Is the scenery in Jiangnan okay?"

"It's good to return to Your Majesty."

"I can see it, otherwise you wouldn't be reluctant to go back to Beijing." Zhu Youzhen teased. "I heard that Xiao Quan is sending a garden and a beautiful woman again, didn't you get carried away?"

"Weichen didn't dare. Wechen was planning to dedicate the garden and the beauty to His Majesty. ”

Fuck your uncle, you used it yourself and give it to me?

"Keep it for yourself. They are willing to invest in you, and they naturally see your value. But you have to use your own brains, just don't let them lead you by the nose. ”

"I know. The ministers must abide by His Majesty's teachings and do their part well. ”

"Well, it's good to know. Now that you've entered the palace, let's go to the queen's place. ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Zhou Kui thanked him, looking like he wanted to say something.

"Anything else?"

"No, the minister retired."

After speaking, he retreated and came to the Kunning Palace where the queen was.

"Father, when did you come back?" Zhou Yufeng was teaching Zhu Cihong to paint, and when he saw that he hadn't seen Zhou Kui for nearly two months, he asked in surprise.

"As soon as I arrived in the capital, I was summoned by His Majesty."

Facing his daughter, Zhou Kui relaxed a lot, and looked at his daughter with a smile on his face.

"This, there is a matter, can you tell Your Majesty?"

Zhou Yufeng suddenly became alert when he heard this, and asked with a frown:

"What's the matter? Your Majesty hates it most when we intervene in the affairs of the court. ”

She knows what virtue her father has. As long as he speaks, it will be fine.

"Look at you, what's the hurry. You'll listen to me. This time is different. ”

Seeing that his daughter was still quietly looking at him, Zhou Kuiye stopped selling Guan Zi and said his thoughts.

"Isn't this Your Majesty asking me to go to Yangzhou as a representative of the China Salt Monopoly to discuss the sale of salt, on the way back, I have been thinking. Can you tell Your Majesty that I am in charge of the salt works over there in Liaoning. Hey, don't worry! I'm going to really do a good job this time, and I'm going to never discredit your face. ”

Seeing that his daughter was about to get angry when she stared, Zhou Kui hurriedly assured. This queen has been in office for a long time, and she is quite majestic.

"I won't help you say it if you don't do it, Long Live has his own arrangements, and I'm a woman who interferes in His Majesty's plan. Dad, you're really not afraid of your daughter falling out of favor! ”

"Then are you willing to watch your father live like this?"

"What are you not satisfied with? Isn't life much better now than it was when fortune telling was made? In the past few years, you have been carrying a lot of money under the banner of royalty, right? It's not that if you look at my face, you would have been raided a long time ago! Still want to fight His Majesty's idea? ”

"What is the idea of beating His Majesty, I have said it, I just want to do some errand. Besides, it's not like I don't plan to do a good job. ”

"Don't say it, I won't care about it anyway."

"Yufeng, you have pity on your father. I'm just looking for a job in a businessman's life. ”

Zhou Yufeng parted his face and said nothing.

Zhou Kui saw that his daughter was resolute. Sighing in disappointment, he left Kunning Palace disappointed.

After Zhou Kui left, Zhou Yufeng was in a bad mood.

Although she knew she couldn't help him, it was her father after all.

At dinner, Zhu Youzhen saw some clues.

"What did the prince tell you today?"

"Huh? No, nothing was said. ”

"Tell me, what the hell is going on. I don't know if I can't hide something? It's all written on the face. ”

Zhu Youzhen was a little unhappy.

"My father said that he wanted the concubine to tell you and hand over the errand of the Liaoning salt farm to him."

Zhou Yufeng didn't dare to hide it anymore and told what happened today.

"No way!"