Chapter 41: The Formidable Kangxi

  Meng Jiao, Yin Zhen This is the first time I've heard her name. Seeing her down a glass of wine in one gulp, he couldn't help but be startled. The wine was clear and fragrant, with a high alcohol content. Although the cup was small, it still held a considerable amount. At this rate, she'd get drunk after just a few cups. "Be careful, I don't want to accompany a drunken cat while admiring the snow."

  "It's nothing, this wine is nothing, the real strong one is the burning knife from Kwantung." Zhang Mengjiao said casually.

  Yuan Zhen curiously asked, "Have you been to Kwantung?"

  "That's not true, when I went to Japan in the East Ocean, I drank sake on the boat." Zhang Mengjiao smiled: "At sea, there is nothing to do, and the days are long, drinking wine is the best way to pass the time."

  "Have you been to Japan?" Yinzhen forgot to drink his wine, at this time the ladies of the house basically didn't leave the inner courtyard, but she had actually been to Japan.

  Zhang Mengjiao slightly raised her head, like a proud peacock. "In the 16th and 17th years, I followed my father to Japan in the north and Siam (now Thailand) in the south. It wasn't the kind of lady you imagined."

  "Who's your father?"

  "Zhang Yuanlong."

  Zhang Yuanlong? The Zhang Yuanlong who wanted to build a hundred ships? Yin Zhen was stunned, she was actually Zhang Yuanlong's daughter?

  Zhang Mengjiao's thoughts were meticulous, and Yin Zhen's subtle changes in expression naturally did not escape her eyes. His father was a wealthy merchant from Shanghai, and Yin Zhen had heard of his name before, which was not surprising. However, he shouldn't have reacted this way. Did he have a bad impression of his own father? "Fourteenth Master seems to know my father very well?"

  "Haha, that's not it." Yinzhen downed the wine in one gulp and put down the cup before saying: "A few days ago, there was a rumor in Shanghai County that your father is preparing to build 100 large ships. I'm just curious, I didn't expect him, a merchant, to raise such an intelligent and lively daughter like you."

  "The ocean-going ships will no longer be built." Zhang Mengjiao said faintly, "The great halls will collapse, and it's still not enough to protect ourselves, where is the energy to expand?"

  Isn't Zhang Yuanlong's backer Gali? Now, just like the sun at noon, there is a saying that He Lai's mansion will collapse. Can the Zhang family already see the danger that Gali is in now? Others may not know, but Yin Zhen is very clear that Gali is greedy and arrogant, and was finally impeached by Zhang Bohang due to the Jiangnan case in the 50th year of Kangxi, but that event is still more than a year away from now. What makes the Zhang family determine that Gali will be unlucky now?

  Yu Zhen Hu looked at Zhang Mengjiao with a suspicious gaze, "Isn't your family's patron Gali? Is there someone else?"

  "That's right, it's Gali." Zhang Mengjiao sighed softly, "Does the Fourteenth Master think that Gali can make a difference in Liangjiang and then rise to prominence?"

  Seeing her kick the ball back, Xuan Zhen wouldn't let her have her way. Talking to this point, he was already very clear that today Zhang Mengjiao came in the snow, definitely because the Zhang family encountered a big trouble, and it must be related to Gali. It's just unknown what happened, making the Zhang family not look good on Gali so early. What's strange is why the master of the Zhang family, Zhang Yuanlong, didn't come, but let her, a young woman, come out to find him, was it the intention of the Zhang family or her own?

  Yin Zhen personally poured her a cup of wine, smiled and raised his glass: "Didn't we agree to come here for a drink and enjoy the snow today? Why did you bring up politics? Come on, let's have a drink. Today, let's only talk about the wind and snow, not anything else."

  Changing the subject, Zhang Mengjiao slightly turned her autumn waves, and drank a mouthful of wine. She got up and walked to the window, gazing at the snowflakes dancing in the sky, and sighed: "This scenery is really beautiful, but I don't know where I will be drifting next year, able to enjoy the warmth of this 'Natural Abode' and appreciate the snow."

  Listening to her exaggeration, Yin Zhen didn't just smile wryly. "Alright, stop being so self-pitying and tell me what's going on with this great hall collapsing?"

  Zhang Mengjiao smiled and sat back at the table, pouring wine for Yin Zhen. Only then did she say calmly: "Can't the 14th Master see that the dispute between the two governors of Jiangsu and Anhui has actually become a conflict between Manchu and Han? The two rivers are the country's granary, and Gali's reckless actions have caused turmoil in the two rivers. This situation is not what the emperor wants to see. Although the emperor did not say anything about Gali, from Zhang Bohang's appointment as governor of Jiangsu and Chen Pengnian's temporary replacement as governor, we can see the emperor's attitude. Zhang Bohang has a good reputation, and the emperor has repeatedly promoted him. The emperor's favor towards him is no less than that towards Gali. Moreover, three years ago, he was already serving as the inspector of Jiangsu province. In terms of connections and prestige in Jiangsu, he far surpasses Gali. This is the emperor using Zhang Bohang to restrain Gali."

  Chen Pengnian was originally the prefect of Suzhou, impeached by Gali for embezzling river management funds, but the emperor not only did not dismiss him, but also let him temporarily take over as governor, which is a real slap in the face. The emperor's appointment of these two officials not only appeased Han officials in Liangjiang, but also secretly warned Gali, the governor-general of Liangjiang.

  Upon hearing this, Yin Zhen was shocked beyond measure. Not to mention ordinary officials, even Zhang Bohang and Chen Pengnian's appointment of the imperial edict, he had seen it before, but never thought that it contained so many meanings. Kangxi's means were indeed ingenious, and those who could discern this layer of meaning might not be mediocre talents either. He himself had always wanted to find a good mentor, but unexpectedly found one in the Zhang family. He hastily asked: "Who told you these things?"

  Zhang Mengjiao slightly raised the corner of her mouth, "Although this humble woman is not talented, she also doesn't deign to pick up other people's discarded wisdom. In these three months, I have been living in the Jiangning Governor's Mansion of the Two Rivers, and all these things are analyzed by myself."

  "You——?" Yinzhen was speechless for a moment, staring blankly at Zhang Mengjiao's smug face.

  "Fourteenth brother, don't you believe?"

  "Hmm, it's not that I don't believe you, it's just hard to believe." Yongzheng felt a bit awkward and smiled before continuing, "I'll punish myself with a cup, as a gift to accompany you." After finishing his drink, he put down the wine cup and asked again, "I suppose Mengjiao has been familiar with classics and history since childhood?"

  Meng Jiao, you're really getting too familiar. Zhang Mengjiao wanted to scold him but couldn't bear to, and instead felt a strange sensation in her heart. She casually said: "That's natural, unfortunately I'm just a daughter, if not for taking the top spot back to bring glory to my ancestors, from young, my grandfather especially liked telling me stories about how he controlled his fleet, how he swallowed up and squeezed out other fleets. Only when I grew up did I realize that Grandfather's stories weren't just about his own fleet, but included all the classic large-scale fleets since ancient times."

  "Is your grandfather still alive?" Yinzhen was a bit curious, this old man must also be an extraordinary person.

  "I passed away when I was sixteen years old." Zhang Mengjiao gently shook her head, "When I was a child, the one who loved me the most was my grandfather."

  "Sorry." Yinzhen saw that the situation was not right, and immediately changed the subject. "Your analysis just now can only explain Gaoli's awkward situation, why do you conclude that the house will collapse?"

  Zhang Mengjiao smiled and said: "I've said so much, it's time for the 14th Master to speak. May I ask if the 14th Master is stationed in Shanghai just to build a deep-sea fleet?"

  "Of course, otherwise why would I come to Shanghai?"

  Zhang Mengjiao blinked slyly, "But as far as I know, the cost of building one of these ocean-going warships is no less than tens of millions. A fleet of them would be at least three or four hundred million. Does Fourteenth Master have that much silver?"