Wu Sijing walked back from the outside of the house, he took the door, and only waved his hand to the four merchants.

"What's wrong?" The bearded Fanshang put down the tea bowl in his hand and spit out a piece of tea in his mouth.

"The people from the military department are here," Wu Sijing lowered his eyelids and sighed, "The county sent someone to ask us to go to Ninghe to check the handwriting, and then start building a factory." ”

"And we're going to leave immediately?"

"Don't worry, I've prepared some snacks and tea and sent them to him, so he can wait in the side room for the time being. Let's talk about ours first. Wu Sijing said calmly.

"What are you going to say today?" The beard was tired of going back and forth for the past few days.

"Don't think it's contemptible or verbose, but the situation in this country is too complicated and intertwined, and it is by no means any better than the business of Nanyang. If you want to do this well, you have to be cautious. Wu Sijing saw through his thoughts and said solemnly.

"Then it's up to the bishop to help." The fat merchant took over the conversation with interest.

"I'm going to help you, it's my duty. But even if it is a cow ploughing the field, it has to eat a few mouthfuls of forage, let alone me. Wu Sijing smiled faintly and picked up the tea bowl, "Recently, I have a restaurant in Ninghe that is about to be renovated, but the money is quite tight and it can't be turned. Anyway, you're going to open a factory in a few days, can you smuggle some wood over? When the time comes, I will have my wealth preserved, and I will have the strength to protect your interests. ”

"Bishop, we can transport this wood from the boat, but so much wood, and then transported from Beitang to the county seat in batches, walking along the road, is really eye-catching, and I can't hide it. After being investigated, even the military department will be questioned, how can you and I get out? The beard expressed his concern.

"Didn't Lord Ye, who presided over the new policy, come," the fat merchant found another way for them, "We can propose to him that the imperial court send the timber, masonry and stone from the warehouse of the Ministry of Engineering to build a factory for us." The timber in the capital will inevitably be sent to the county, so that we will go to collect it, and we will give you several batches of materials on the spot, the distance is short, and it will not arouse the suspicion of outsiders. In this way, it saves time for the government, saves us freight, and repairs the restaurant for the bishop, which says 'the best of both worlds' in Chinese, but we have one more! ”

"Not bad!" Everyone stood up and applauded.

Wu Sijing also nodded, only frowning slightly: "If Ye Yongjia comes to Ninghe alone, your strategy will definitely succeed; But now the waiter Cai Xianqing is entourage...... This person is not simple. ”

Instead, the beard snorted coldly, stroked his beard and smiled: "Bishop, now that the fierce enemies in the north are staring at their national defense, their hearts are more anxious than anyone else, how can they care about bargaining?" Turning a blind eye to us, and even offering us like ancestors, this is their only choice! ”

Ninghe County Ling finally fell asleep in a daze. He felt that someone was pushing him behind him, turned around and looked angrily, and saw that it was a clerk kneeling there: "My lord, a few people invited from outside have arrived together." ”

"Got it." The county commander waved him out, and then rubbed his temples, and his head still hurt a little. After sitting there stunned for a moment, he got up and took care of his official uniform, washed his face, and thought of looking for the Qing guests in the courtyard, but when he learned that they had already said goodbye and left, he said a few words of 'boring' and removed all the wine on the table.

Ye Yongjia and Cai Xianqing also came out of the guest room, they didn't dare to sleep, and when they heard that Wu Sijing and the others had arrived in the second hall, they hurried to the meeting.

Wu Sijing was sitting on the chair facing the door, and suddenly heard footsteps in the courtyard, looked up, and met Cai Xianqing's gaze, and was terrified.

"Oh, they're all here," Cai Xianqing smiled calmly, "I just wanted to get to know them." Bishop Wu, why did you come with it? ”

Wu Sijing was uneasy in his heart, and replied helplessly: "Due to the summoning of the county order, I had to come to Ninghe, and I didn't follow it on my own. ”

"Alas, do you think this Ninghe County is troublesome?" Cai Xianqing sat down next to him and joked with him, "You are just a rope puller, and after a few small favors, you were recognized by the government as their accomplice." Could it be that you will follow their interests and harm the military department? ”

Wu Sijing's eyes quickly turned twice, bowing his head and being speechless.

"Haha, no, no way." Cai Xianqing reached out and patted him on the shoulder again.

"Lord Zhixian has arrived!"

The official shouted this, and everyone raised their heads, only to see that the county commander was walking with drowsy steps, and his head was also tilted, and he almost didn't cross the threshold.

Ye Yongjia endured his anger and reluctantly watched him sit on the circle chair on the west side.

"Today is nothing else, just for the review of handwriting," the county magistrate said straight to the point, "and I won't delay everyone's time." Coming, writing, and pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. ”

After a while, the official took all the things he needed, and the bearded merchant wrote first, and checked the handwriting in turn, and all of them matched.

"Okay," the county magistrate pulled out a small seal from his sleeve, "it's all right." Ninghe Jiangxian adheres to the intention of Shangyi and allows Er and other businessmen to start and set up factories! After that, he poked the small seal deeply, stamped the words, and handed it over to the book office; The book office is currently transcribing, and one copy is ordered to be stored in the county government, and one copy is kept in the business, and it is collected as much as possible.

"You don't have any questions, do you?" The prefectural magistrate rubbed his aching head and glanced at them.

"Since Lord Ye is also here," said the beard, "then I have a proposal to mention." Although we have large ships, it is also very expensive to go by sea and wood. Can you ask the warehouse of the Imperial Court Development Department to build a factory for us? After all, this firearms factory is also a thing of your Celestial Empire. ”

Ye Yongjia was deeply afraid that there was fraud in it, so he didn't dare to take the idea directly, but looked at Cai Xianqing with doubts.

Cai Xianqing was also noncommittal, and turned his head and asked Wu Sijing: "Bishop Wu, what do you mean?" Do you agree with them? ”

Wu Sijing listened very leisurely, as if he was out of the matter, but at this time, such a sentence suddenly came, which made him at a loss, staring at a round eye, and it took a long time to come up with a response: "Ah, I have heard a few people talk about this matter, but I don't understand the reason, and I don't understand the responsibilities of the various ministries of the imperial court, so I haven't studied it deeply." Two adults, please forgive Wu for being ignorant, I only know how to help as much as I can. ”

"Okay," Cai Xianqing agreed, and even Ye Yongjia was quite surprised, "This proposal is acceptable." You can go back to the mansion and wait, and the reply from the imperial court will arrive in less than three days. ”

Everyone looked at Ye Yongjia, and Ye Yongjia naturally relieved himself: "Everything is according to what Cai Shilang said." ”

Wu Sijing saw that they were all ready to leave, and he secretly exhaled, glad that there was no danger this time. He was about to walk out the door when he was suddenly stopped by a powerful voice:

"Alas, Bishop Wu, we can talk about it again."