Chapter 34: God, did I just hear that right?

  After a good two cups of tea, Yin Zhen finally spoke coldly, "How come you're scared now? You didn't know fear when you were secretly dividing the money and grain?"

  When Zhu Yan heard these words, he immediately perked up like he had been given a shot of adrenaline. He kowtowed on the ground, knocking his forehead against it seven or eight times, causing his skin to crack and bleed. Ignoring the blood flowing into his eyebrows, he choked back tears and said, "This humble official has risen from county magistrate to prefectural magistrate without experiencing any setbacks. This lesson will be etched in my memory forever."

  "Did you know that 'the previous Lord Guo Xuan is dead, and the one who has come now is another Guo Xuan'?" asked Yongzheng slowly.

  This is what Guo Xuan, who was known as the 'Iron-faced Imperial Censor' of the current dynasty, said after he regretted his corruption. How could Zhu Yan Zhi not remember it? What kind of person is Guo Xuan? He holds a first-rank official position and has a reputation for being honest that is renowned throughout the land. Zhu Yan Zhi did not expect that Xin Zhen would use him to motivate himself, but in an instant, he came to his senses. The promotion of high-ranking officials of the first and second ranks has always been decided by the emperor alone. Does the 14th prince have ambitions for the throne?

  If that day really comes, it will be a great story of the harmony between monarch and minister, and becoming an official of the first rank is not far-fetched! He suddenly felt his whole body boiling with hot blood, and he didn't care about the pain in his forehead. "Bang bang bang" He knocked three more times, then stood up and said loudly: "The 14th master values me so much, I am willing to die for him, I am not afraid of death, why be greedy for wealth? Please wait and see, our dynasty will produce another Guo Zhen."

  Zhu Yan didn't expect that his one sentence would cause Zhu Yanzhi to react so greatly, and he couldn't help but chuckle: "Alright, a prodigal son returns home, but this time the punishment is unavoidable. Demotion with continued employment it is."

  As long as the official is still there, everything else is just a fleeting cloud. Zhu Yan Zhi forcibly suppressed the joy in his heart and said in a low voice, "This humble official will definitely not disappoint the expectations of the Fourteenth Master."

  "Now that you have made up your mind, you must take action." Xuan Xu said slowly: "As an official, one should bring benefits to the people, don't be a clean official with empty sleeves. What is needed is a clean official who can bring welfare to the common people. From now on, pay more attention to the livelihood of the people and care about their affairs. Only when the people are rich can the country be strong. Go back and think carefully."

  After Zhu Yan's departure, Yin Zhen wrote a secret memorial to Kangxi, pointing out the role of missionaries and Westerners in building a far-reaching fleet, and requesting permission to allow missionaries and Westerners to stay in Shanghai. He also wrote a letter to his eighth brother, Yin Xi, explaining Zhu Yan's situation and asking him to help with the Ministry of Justice. Then he took out one of his own name tags, wrote Zhu Yan's name on it, and sent it to the Jiangning Governor's Office with a fast horse from the Imperial Guard. Gali is a member of the Eighth Master's party, and this face should not be ignored.

  Just after finishing his busy work, Hai Feng came in and reported that Zheng Qingyuan was outside asking to see him.

  Zheng Qingyuan was sent by the Yunzhen faction to make a pre-emptive purchase of land. After arriving, he reported back, "I arrived in Shanghai half a month ago and bought 200 mu of land northeast of the county city along the Huangpu River, and scattered purchases of 30 mu within the county city and other directions. Due to the urgency of the purchase, the price was a bit high, with a total expenditure of 6,000 taels of silver."

  Two hundred mu, one hundred and thirty thousand square meters? Yizhen smiled: "That's right, don't buy it for now, let me settle our foothold first."

  Zheng Qingyuan had hardly left when five missionaries arrived on his heels.

  Yuan Zhen and the five men chatted briefly, only to learn that these five men were originally invited by Min Mingyi to go to Beijing to teach, but halfway through they received a letter from Min Mingyi's messenger, so they changed their route and came to Shanghai.

  After a moment's consideration, Yinzhen smiled and said: "Sorry, fathers, the situation has changed. Shanghai will soon become the second port in the Qing Empire to allow foreign missionaries to reside, just like Guangzhou. And here, the largest shipyard in the East is about to be built. I need more foreign friends to come here - merchants, sailors, mechanics, and all kinds of craftsmen. I, Yinzhen, the 14th prince of the Qing Empire, will welcome them with the warmest hospitality. I hope they can witness the rise of Shanghai together with us. Believe me, in ten years, Shanghai will become the largest trading port in the East. Now, I need you to go to Guangzhou and Macau to spread this news and recruit more people to come over. This place will be your paradise."

  Five missionaries were stunned for half a day before their leader Peter exclaimed: "My God, did I hear that right?"

  "I guarantee, I absolutely didn't hear wrong." Yongzheng smiled and said: "For your hard work, I will pay corresponding rewards. How about this? Within a year, for all craftsmen and sailors, one or two silver coins as introduction fee, I can pay you twenty taels of silver each in advance, and also send someone to accompany you on the trip."

  After finishing, without waiting for the missionaries to speak, he turned his head and instructed Zheng Yuanqing: "Hand over the current affairs to Hai Feng, go to the Shanghai branch to open a meeting ticket of 3,000 taels, bring Grandpa's name tag, and choose twenty people to follow them to Guangzhou Macau, do you know what to do?"

  "I understand." Zheng Qingyuan excitedly made a fist, and at his age, he was eager to run around everywhere, let alone having already heard about the prosperity of Guangzhou.

  After sending away several missionaries, Yongzheng called Hai Feng again. "Those people you brought to me, have them each write a resume, stating their expertise, hobbies, and recommender. I want it tomorrow."

  The next day, at dawn, when the sky was slightly bright, Xu Shi-zhen, the county magistrate of Shanghai, brought more than 20 yamen runners to wait outside Liuchun Garden. As it was an early morning in the capital, all the high-ranking officials had developed a habit of getting up early. Who knew if this Fourteenth Master also had the habit of rising early? He didn't want to leave a lazy impression on Xin-zhen's mind, so he hurriedly came to wait.

  It wasn't until an hour later, at 8:05, that Yongzheng emerged from the palace with a retinue of imperial guards. Seeing Xu Shi standing outside the gate, Yongzheng smiled and said, "From now on, there's no need to arrive so early. I'm accustomed to starting work at 4:00 every morning. You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? I've ordered them to prepare something for you to eat on the road."

  Xu Shi-zheng did not expect Yin-zheng to be so considerate of his subordinates, and he secretly rejoiced in his heart, thinking that the days ahead would not be too difficult. He hastily cupped his hands together in a salute, "Your subordinate represents all the others in thanking the Fourteenth Master."

  "Yesterday I forgot to remind you, we also need people familiar with the water level of the Huangpu River, this is crucial."

  "Your subordinate will go and invite him right away." Xu Shi-zhen replied respectfully.

  The investigation team went to the site, but Yinzhen had already made up his mind. However, he had to pretend to inspect the area, and after four days of running around, he finally settled on a location. He then checked the data and listened to reports from several experienced sailors before confirming that the water level in the Huangpu River was around 10 meters deep. Finally, he decided on a location in the northeastern part of Shanghai, more than 10 kilometers away from the county town, along the riverbank.

  The place where Jian Zhong finally settled down had no civilian residences, and Xu Shi Zhong also breathed a sigh of relief. After consulting with Jian Zhong, he immediately led people to start enclosing the land, encircling a full 2,000 mu of land.

  After deciding on the location, he only left a sentence, "A year later, construction will start here." and then ignored it, land acquisition and demolition were not his responsibility, presumably Kangxi had already given secret orders to these local officials.