The weather is getting colder and colder, the New Year is approaching, and people in the capital are busy preparing for the New Year.

The rents in the farms and shops have all been collected, and the taxes and money from various places have been delivered to the capital as scheduled. This year is still a good year. Except for the Qingyang flood, there are no major disasters in the Central Plains and Jiangnan.

Tax money is generous.

On the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, heavy snow fell, and the capital city was peaceful.

There were heavy clouds, and before dusk, the sky had already turned dark. The lamps were lit on the Zuixian Tower, which made the capital look particularly lively despite the green and gray bricks and tiles. These days, it was the time when local officials came to Beijing to report on their duties.

The business of Zuixianlou is also much more prosperous than usual.

"I made a lot of money this time, thanks to Zhuo Yu's connection." Uncle Qingyang raised his glass and laughed while drinking with Lou Jing.

Lou Jing had just finished the drink when Zhou Song came over and said, "Loud, you can't just drink Uncle Shi's wine, you have to drink mine as well. This matter is the news I got."

"Yes, then I should propose a toast to you," Lou Jing took the jug and poured it over to Zhou Song, "This is my first toast to you for still thinking of your brothers when you are in business."

"Is this the 'first drink'?" Zhou Song immediately grimaced. This was obviously the intention of giving him wine! But he had to drink, so he had no choice but to raise his head and do it.

"This second cup is a tribute to your young talent. Although your father and brother are not around, you are already able to support your appearance." Lou Jing looked at the tall and thin Zhou Song and was a little relieved when she thought of the runny-nosed child she first met in the Imperial Garden.

Zhou Song couldn't help but giggle a few times, "That's right."

Lou Jing filled up the third cup for him, and raised the wine cup herself, "I don't respect you for this third cup, but let's drink together because you know me, trust me, and don't doubt me on such important matters. I

Lou Jing has a brother like you, I will have no regrets in this life."

These words made Zhou Song's eyes turn red, and he hummed: "Drink well, why are you talking about this?"

Lou Jing just smiled and said nothing, the two clinked glasses and drank all the wine in the glasses.

In this river business, they were told that there were others joining the business, but in fact, Lou Jing only recruited these two people.

In the final analysis, this kind of business is to make money for the national treasury. It needs someone to support it, but it cannot be known to too many people. Lou Jing invested 80,000 taels of silver himself, and with the addition of Qingyang Bo and Zhou Song, he made up 150,000 taels.

The two joined the partnership. Now that the tax bank has entered Beijing, Shen Lianji kept his promise and gave him the bonus and stock money, which basically doubled the money. In the spring, the summer palace will be repaired, and Shen Lianji feels that Lou Jing is quick to do things.

, and also agreed to still work with him on the matter of the practice palace.

"I heard that all the officials who come to Beijing to report on their duties this year will have to pay money to Shen Lian." After drinking for three rounds, Uncle Qingyang suddenly mentioned something.

"Money? What money?" Zhou Song didn't know what was going on. This official came to Beijing to report on his duties. What does Shenlian have to do with it?

"Money for promotion," Qingyang Bo lowered his voice and said, "Every official who is promoted and comes to Beijing to report on his duties must give Shen Lian a meeting gift, at least one thousand taels." As he said that, he extended his hand to make a gesture, and then

A comparison of five means that if there are more, five thousand taels will be given away.

Lou Jing was also a little surprised. Although he knew that the old eunuch was greedy for money, he dared to do such an appalling way to make money. It was really...

"My family has a close relative of the county governor who came to Beijing. He didn't expect to pay such a large amount of money, so he had to borrow the money from me, saying it would be 2 cents of interest and he would pay it back after the new year." Uncle Qingyang smiled mysteriously,

Stop talking and stop talking.

The two people who listened understood that for three years to clear the prefecture, one hundred thousand snowflakes of silver would be paid. It was not that those officials who came to Beijing to report on their duties could not scoop up the money, but they would not be able to carry so much with them. At this time, they needed to report to the big families in Beijing.

Borrowing money. Now that they have collected the money to build rivers, they can just lend it to those officials and make a fortune in vain.

Heavy snow fell on the ground, and soon the ground was covered with white snow, and the sky and the earth seemed to suddenly become bright again.

Lou Jing always had a good drinker, and he drank both Qingyang Bo and Zhou Song. He was still only half drunk, and wandered to the Min Prince's Mansion. It was snowing and the wall was slippery, so Xiao Chengjun did not allow him to climb over the wall again.

So he could only obediently go to the side door.

"Your Majesty, you are back," Le Xian hurriedly patted the snowflakes off his body and put a mink fur cloak on him, "Your Majesty is looking at the plum blossoms in the garden."

Lou Jing frowned and hurried to the garden, where she saw a person wearing a moon-white cotton robe, standing in front of a plum tree, with the pale yellow plum blossoms in full bloom.

"Why are you standing here alone?" Lou Jing wrapped the big cloak around Xiao Chengjun and touched his cold cheek.

Xiao Chengjun looked back at him, smiled slightly, stretched out his arms to hold him in his arms, "I'm not cold, but you are running out in such thin clothes." In order to hide from others, Lou Jing never brought a servant with him when he went out, so he was cold

It was too hot, and there was no one to help him pick up some clothes.

The warm embrace was very pleasant, and the smell of alcohol soon made Lou Jing lie down on His Highness the Prince of Fujian's shoulder, feeling a little drowsy.

In the past two days, the head of the village came to pay the rent, and shopkeepers from various places also came to check the accounts. Even though Cheng Xiuru was there, he was too busy to touch the ground. He had not been to the Prince of Fujian's Mansion for three days. Lou Jing buried his nose in Xiao Chengjun's neck.

Inside, I took a deep breath. The warm breath of the sun was accompanied by a light fragrance of milk.

"Have you heard about Shen Lian's bribery from officials?" Xiao Chengjun rubbed his face against his.

Slowly rubbing the slightly cool cheeks on her own face, the Zunfo silk satin slid over it. It was very comfortable. Lou Jing couldn't help but follow it again, "I just heard Uncle Qingyang say, why, Chaozhong

Already know?"

Xiao Chengjun's eyes darkened slightly, "No one in the court knows yet, but yesterday an official failed to hand over the 'meeting gift', so Shen Lian found an excuse and was imprisoned in prison."

Lou Jing's eyes widened. Is Shen Lian crazy about money?

"What these local officials turned over are all the people's wealth. If Shen Lian asks for their money, they will take it twice as much from the people when they go back. From now on..." Xiao Chengjun looked up at the gray sky in the capital, and felt deeply.

Sighed.

How can the common people be wronged? How can the common people be wronged?

Lou Jing stood up straight, touching the tips of Xiao Chengjun's noses, "Don't worry anymore, God will always bring retribution, and whoever sows bad consequences today will be repaid in full one day."

As we got closer, the faint milky fragrance became more and more tempting. Lou Jing couldn't help but licked the milky lips, "It's so sweet."

Xiao Chengjun was stunned for a moment when he was licked, and his ears turned red immediately. Every time he secretly eats sweets, Lou Jing will definitely find him.

"Your Highness, I also want to eat candy." Lou Jing held a red ear in her mouth and chuckled.

"We've all finished eating. If you want to eat, wait until the New Year." Xiao Chengjun said seriously. After saying that, he pulled his ears out and turned around to go into the house.

Lou Jing looked at His Royal Highness the Prince of Fujian's graceful turning back and couldn't help laughing.

The middle husband of Duke An Guo's mansion was temporarily handed over to the second aunt to take care of. The second aunt was very happy and rolled up her sleeves to prepare for a lively New Year.

The prince's new clothes for the New Year were ready. The second aunt personally carried the clothes to the Zhuque Hall, but did not see Lou Jing. "It's already dark, why hasn't Zhuo Yu come back yet?"

The steward of Zhuque Hall smiled and said: "The prince went to drink with the adults of the Yulin Army. He usually drinks until very late."

"How can this be done?" The second aunt curled her lips and looked at the new cotton robe in her hand. She originally wanted to sell it well in front of Lou Jing, but she couldn't even see anyone, but how could she talk to him?

"Second Madam, just put down your clothes." The housekeeper smiled and went to pick her up, but unexpectedly, Second Aunt dodged her.

"I made this dress myself. I have to let Zhuo Yu try it on. If it doesn't fit, I can change it immediately." The second aunt rolled her eyes and suddenly had an idea, "Excuse me, Butler Li, I'll wait for the prince to come back."

Someone tell me."

The housekeeper murmured in his heart, is it necessary to deliver new clothes in person? But he still smiled and agreed. Fortunately, the prince will definitely come back tomorrow during Laba. If it were a normal day, it would be hard to see anyone for ten days and a half.

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, worship ancestors.

Lou Jing left the warm bed in the Min Prince's Mansion and returned to An Guo Gong's Mansion. The royal family did not worship ancestors on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, and had to wait until the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month to go to the Ancestral Temple to worship heaven.

He went to the ancestral hall to offer incense to the ancestors of the Lou family and offered sacrifices to the Kitchen God. Lou Jianyu hurried away.

"Have you been very busy lately, Lord?" Lou Jing asked curiously. Two days ago, he had a quarrel with the shopkeeper from Jinzhou because he went straight into the Suzaku Hall to reconcile the accounts. Why did he suddenly look radiant again?

"The Duke has been having a lot of social activities recently," the housekeeper said in a low voice.

Lou Jing narrowed her eyes and asked Yun Ba to see who his father was entertaining. After returning to Zhuque Hall, he met his second aunt who came to give him clothes.

The second aunt diligently handed over the clothes for Lou Jing to try on. The sleeves and hem were actually a little short, "I measured you last month. How come you have grown so fast?"

When boys were seventeen or eighteen years old, it was when boys were growing taller. The second aunt took over the clothes and said that she would change them when she went back, "Zhuoyu, look, now you are a third-rank official. Your second brother...

You are still good for nothing, you already have a wife and you don’t know how to make any progress, so you have to help the second aunt take care of it."

Lou Jing looked at it and said with a smile: "The Yulin Army will fill the vacancy in the spring, and then I will just find a vacancy for my second brother."

"Oh, this, this is really a good thing. The second aunt will thank you in advance on your brother's behalf." The second aunt was so happy that she didn't know what to say. She never expected Lou Jing to be so agile and agreed before she could say anything.

Unlike the Duke, her husband went to tell her several times, but he was still vague and uncertain, "It's almost the Chinese New Year, and I don't know what's going on with Madam's epidemic?"

"I heard that my father just sent someone to see him yesterday. If he can come back, he will let someone know about the second aunt." Regarding the news about the Wei family, Lou Jing did not want to talk more, and her family was not allowed to know about the pregnancy during the filial period.

,Except for the Wei family's close mother and two maids, everyone else who knew about this matter was dealt with by Lou Jing.

After sending away the nagging second aunt, Yunba came back.

"The Duke of Guo met with a fourth-rank official who came to Beijing to report on his duties. He was originally a county magistrate in Jiangzhou, but now he has been promoted to county governor." Yun Ba inquired clearly.

Lou Jing understood that someone probably came to borrow money from Duke An Guo.

"Do you want to continue staring?" Yunba asked.
Chapter completed!