Chapter 35: Hehe, The Female Lead Has Appeared

  It's already mid-November, and by the time they finish with land acquisition and demolition, it will be the end of the year. The earliest they can start construction is after the new year. The situation at Jiangning Agricultural College is the same as in Shanghai, and the soonest they can start construction is next year. When I passed through Jiangning, Li Jindou hadn't even taken office yet. Moreover, he's just a figurehead for supervision at the agricultural college, so there's no need for him to worry about it at this stage. After hastily making plans for the various factories in Shanghai, Yinzeng had some free time on his hands.

  When he had some free time, his thoughts turned to his own staff again. He had already looked at the resumes of the four stewards recommended by the capital, namely Qian Gu, Gua Hao, Shu Qi, and Zhi Ke. Although they were all usable, they were not the kind he wanted - someone with a broad perspective, familiar with government affairs, able to provide advice and suggestions, and point out his mistakes at any time. It's hard to find such a person, but it's even harder to find a good steward. They say that Jiangnan is a place where talented people gather, I wonder if I can dig up someone who meets my requirements.

  On this day, Yin Zhen dressed up as a candidate and took Hai Feng to stroll around the city. Although Shanghai was only a county town, it was the largest foreign trade port in Jiangnan coastal areas except for Guangzhou. Its prosperity surpassed that of ordinary prefectures in Jiangnan. As it was not the season for maritime trade, the harbor outside the city was filled with ships, and the city was also bustling with people, appearing extremely lively.

  After a half-day's outing, the initial freshness had worn off, and You Zhen also lost interest. No matter how prosperous it was, it couldn't compare to the capital city. Seeing that it was already noon, the two of them looked for a large teahouse nearby. The teahouse was very lively, and after the waiter received two silver coins as a tip, he carefully led them to a table by the window.

  No sooner had he sat down than he was attracted by the conversation at the next table, "Have you heard? Zhang Yuanlong has spread the word that he wants to build a hundred sea ships."

  "Is it true? That would be worth hundreds of thousands of taels of silver."

  "What's a few million? Zhang Yuanlong has four silver vaults just for his own use."

  "Oh no, these gods are fighting, and mortals will suffer. Our small fleet is stuck in the middle, and our days will be difficult."

  "There's nothing difficult or easy about it, just pay and join in, whoever is bigger will follow whom."

  Upon hearing this, Yin Zhen turned around and asked: "Haifeng, do you know this Zhang Yuanlong?"

  "It's said that one of the wealthy Shanghai sea merchants has more than sixty ships and also runs dozens of foreign trading houses. Hai Feng lowered his voice, "It's said he has some kind of kinship with Gali."

  "Hmm." Yi Zhēn nodded nonchalantly, these wealthy merchants, who didn't have some connection behind their backs? It just so happened that this person coincidentally spread the rumor of building a hundred ships at this time, was it a coincidence? Or did he hear some rumors and had other plans? Hmph, daring to snatch food from my mouth, no matter who is backing you, I'll make you go bankrupt.

  They had some tea and snacks, and then the two of them headed back to Liuchun Garden. Just as they were about to return to Liuchun Garden, they encountered a commotion at the corner of a street. Three or four men dressed as servants were grabbing a young woman, who was struggling and shouting despite being dragged to the ground. A seven- or eight-year-old boy was lying beside her, waving his arms and legs in an attempt to stop the servants. The leader was a man in his thirties standing off to the side, with four large men behind him. There were also many onlookers on the street, but they all kept their distance, seemingly afraid of the master.

  What made Yun Zhen most curious was an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl, who was arguing with the master with a furious face. Behind the girl was a rather luxurious carriage, and two sturdy servants were watching her nervously.

  In this short time, those servants had already subdued the young woman, stuffing her mouth with a walnut and binding her with ropes. The little boy was pinned to the ground by a man's foot on his back, but he still struggled and cursed.

  Good boy, you have guts! With a sudden surge of chivalrous spirit, he shouted "Halt!" and stepped forward to rebuke them: "Daring to rob a woman in broad daylight, has Shanghai become lawless?"

  His voice was not loud, but it carried a sense of majesty. The middle-aged man at the front was slightly stunned, seeing that although Yin Zhen was dressed as a scholar, his clothes were luxurious and his demeanor was elegant. Hai Feng, who accompanied him, had a calm and serene expression. Behind them, seven or eight sturdy men rushed over quickly. He couldn't guess Yin Zhen's background, but he thought that he must be a young master from a wealthy family. Therefore, he cupped his hands together in respect and said calmly: "She owes debts and doesn't repay them, trying to escape. I naturally want to catch her. What nonsense is this about 'strongly seizing a civilian girl'? Besides, how could the Xu family of Kunshan do something so lawless?"

  This man is Xu Xingke, the third son of the Xu family in Kunshan. He thought that by bringing up the name of the Xu family, the other party would retreat in fear. But unexpectedly, Yunzhen didn't care at all and saw him speaking strongly and deceitfully, which made him even more displeased. "Paying off debts is indeed a heavenly principle, but there's no law in the Qing dynasty that says you can openly grab people on the street for owing debts. Arresting people is the duty of the government, can your Xu family represent the government? Humph, and it's even across borders."

  Kunshan Xujia is not only famous in Jiangsu, but also throughout the entire Jiangnan region. The three Xu families of Kunshan are renowned far and wide. Among them, Xu Qianxue served as a lecturer at the Imperial Academy, an academician of the Grand Secretariat, Left Vice-Director of the Department of Justice, and Minister of Justice. He was in charge of compiling and revising books such as "Ming History", "Comprehensive Gazetteer of the Qing Dynasty", and "A Comprehensive Study of Rites". His disciples and former officials are scattered throughout Jiangnan. Not to mention Shanghai, even in Songjiang Prefecture, the Xu family can walk sideways with ease.

  Xu Xingke did not expect that after taking out his own name, the other party still didn't leave any face for him. He had never been so humiliated before, and his face suddenly turned bright red with anger. However, Yun Zhen's words were reasonable, and he couldn't lose his temper at this time. After holding back for half a day, he finally raised his hand and shouted, "Leave, go back."

  A group of people grabbed the young woman and child without any scruples and turned around ready to leave.

  The girl who had argued with Xú Xīngkē earlier turned her head and glared at Mèng Zhēn, saying: "Now look what's happened, you've ruined everything!"

  He only then noticed that the girl was extremely beautiful, with skin as smooth as jade and a pair of starry eyes slightly frowning, which made her cheeks look like flowers. He had long heard that Jiangnan produced beauties, but he never expected to meet one of this level.

  "Young lady lightly snorted, 'If you hadn't interfered, I would have used money to bail him out.'"

  Yin Zhen smiled slightly and understood. The girl had just been haggling over the price with her opponent, and couldn't help but chuckle: "You see that the other person is short of money?"

  "You——." The young girl smiled slightly, "The other party is from the Xu family of Kunshan, to save someone, one must start with money, that's the only way."

  Ying Zhen sneered and smiled, "I don't care who he is. Since I've made an appearance, he must keep the person here today."

  The young lady sneered: "You're a northerner? The Xu family of Kunshan isn't just any ordinary aristocratic family, I advise you not to stick your head out,"

  Yuan Zhong didn't expect the Xu family to be so arrogant, and in this situation, they still dared to take people away. Just as he was about to speak up, Hai Feng came over with a smile and said, "The Kunshan Xu family should be the family of Xu Qianxue."

  Hai Feng directly called out Xu Qian Xue's name. The girl slightly froze, and her starry eyes suddenly lit up.

  Yuan Zhong nodded, turned around and said to Da Chun who was following up, "First take down the master for me, don't hurt him. If anyone else dares to make a move, let them go at it, just be careful not to hurt those two women."