Selling official porridge is a huge chain of interests. Only by finding the right person and paying the "tuition fee" can you get the final result.

Although Li Weiguo did not know the specific operation details, he could not deviate from his sect and could be calculated by linking it with similar things in his era.

After spending 120,000 taels of silver, Li Weiguo finally opened up all the steps of donating officials, including donating a fourth-rank Taoist platform for his father, 84,000 taels, and donating a seventh-rank county magistrate himself, spending 36,000 taels. Of course, these are just honorary titles and are waiting for a shortage.

However, Li Weiguo was not worried. He had already received the guarantee from Governor Lu Jianying, Liangjiang Governor Lu Jianying, as long as he got the alternate county magistrate, Lu Jianying would give him a real flaw.

According to the Qing Dynasty, a seventh-rank county magistrate had an annual salary of only 60 taels of silver after taking office, and the legal donation amount was 4,500 taels of silver. In other words, it was necessary to be a county magistrate for 75 years to earn back the money spent on donating officials. During this period, people's average healthy lifespan was 26.5 years, which means that most people who donated officials could not make money until they died. This would force them to greed and search, and continue to buy bigger officials with ill-gotten wealth, and then greed for more and more. In this way, the vicious cycle continued. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, everything was difficult to return, and even the emperor could not control this huge interest group.

"I spent 36,000 taels of silver to buy a seventh-rank county magistrate's alternate. Based on the annual salary of the county magistrate, wouldn't it take 600 years to make a return!" Li Weiguo smiled bitterly. He didn't like to lose money business, but there was no way at the moment, unless the Qing Dynasty was overthrown and completely eliminated the occurrence of such a sale of official porridge.

Three days later, Li Weiguo successfully obtained his official photos and his father.

I have to say that having money can make the devil push the mill, and this efficiency of work is indeed worth the high cost of 120,000 taels of silver.

"Haha, I'm a high-ranking career now!" Li Weiguo laughed happily, looking at Guan Ping repeatedly, unable to let go of his love.

The so-called official photos are three red seals and silk from more than a dozen yamen in the court. One is written with four large characters in the Ministry of Revenue Li Weiguo's rank, and the content is to award Li Weiguo a seventh-rank official title and a candidate for the county magistrate. The other is written with two large characters in the supervision license, which describes Li Weiguo's physical characteristics and age in detail, and serves as anti-counterfeiting marks. There is also an examination diploma, which contains the words "Imperial Supervision Examination in the First Year of Xianfeng. Li Weiguo's excellent grades are in line with the regulations on receiving officials, and has a validity period of three years.

According to the Qing Dynasty, donors must pass the Imperial College Examination to get the official license. After that, they will get the Imperial College Examination again every three years. Those who pass the official license will continue to retain the official license, and those who fail the qualification will be disqualified. In fact, driven by the chain of interests, no one can pass the examination, and they must spend money and make some money.

That was three years later. Li Weiguo did not consider it for the time being. Liangjiang Governor General's Office was also in Jiangning. Li Weiguo went directly to meet with Liangjiang Governor Lu Jianying to discuss the matter of the county magistrate's actual responsibility.

Lu Jianying was surprised. He didn't expect Li Weiguo to buy his official rank so quickly, and he didn't expect that the other party really wanted to be in the officialdom.

"I have a county magistrate in my hand. If you are willing, I will immediately write a letter. In less than half a month, the Ministry of Personnel will be appointed."

Li Weiguo was surprised. Although this old guy had promised to give him a county magistrate, he had done it so happily. Could it be that there was something wrong with it?

Lu Jianying observed his expression and asked, "Why, don't you believe it?"

Li Weiguo smiled and said, "I didn't expect that the lord would promise a thousand gold medals, so I really admire him."

Lu Jianying smiled and said, "I am also a senior governor of the country, how can I keep my word? The Chongming County Magistrate recently resigned and returned to his hometown. I am the master. After you take the official of the Ministry of Personnel, you can take the post directly after you pass the seal."

"I would like to thank the Governor for this!" Li Weiguo said with gratitude. No matter what the other party sold, he didn't care. He just had to deal with it whenever he saw it.

It was very difficult to talk to this cunning fox and talk to it. Li Weiguo didn't like it, so he found an excuse to say goodbye and leave quickly.

Looking at Li Weiguo's back, Lu Jianying's original smiling expression instantly frozen, replaced by a sneer.

"Since you are in such a hurry to die, I will give you my best!"

At this time, someone came out from behind the screen. If Li Weiguo had definitely recognized the other party here, he was the son-in-law of Jiangning magistrate Wu Liang and Lu Jianying.

"My father-in-law, why did you give the Chongming County Magistrate to this young boy? Mr. Liu has agreed to pay 100,000 taels of silver to buy the Chongming County Magistrate."

"It's okay, you go to check the cash as usual and tell Mr. Liu that within three months, I will return the Chongming County Magistrate to him." Lu Jianying said confidently.

Wu Liang asked in confusion: "But didn't you promise the magistrate of Chongming County to that boy Li Weiguo?"

Lu Jianying was displeased and said, "You are stupid! I promised the Chongming County Magistrate to that boy Li Weiguo, but I didn't guarantee that he could sit in the Chongming County Magistrate's position forever."

Wu Liang seemed to understand and said happily: "It turns out that my father-in-law has been prepared for a long time, and it is because the son-in-law is overly worried."

Lu Jianying snorted coldly and said, "This kid is not a thing in the pool. Since he is our enemy, I will never allow him to grow up. Previously, as the counselor of the British Embassy in China, I really didn't have the courage to touch him, but now he is about to become the magistrate of Chongming County. As the governor of Liangjiang, I want to get rid of a seventh-rank sesame official within this acre of three-point land in Liangjiang."

"He doesn't go when he has a way in heaven, and hell has no way to surrender. It was Li Weiguo, a kid who was seeking death by himself. He thought he was Gan Luo. He wanted to be a county magistrate at the age of twelve, and he didn't urinate and look at him. What kind of virtue is he? I'm spitting!" Wu Liang spat, saying coldly and harshly, obviously hating Li Weiguo to the core.

Lu Jianying said: "Many people envy Gan Luo for being the prime minister at the age of twelve, but few people know that he was chopped off his head by the King of Qin a few months later. Li Weiguo is a character, but he still has to repeat the same mistakes."

"What my father-in-law said is very true!" Wu Liangfu shouted, looking gloating and was a little proud.

Li Weiguo didn't know Lu Jianying's conspiracy, and even if he knew he didn't care, he would thank the other party for helping him a lot.

After learning that Li Weiguo had obtained the real vacancies of the Chongming County Magistrate, Li Yanming and the two elders of the Yang family were very happy and immediately held a banquet in the Li Mansion to celebrate. When they learned that the Zuixian Tower was sold, the two elders were once very unhappy. Li Yanming was even more annoyed and was plotted by his son. However, after his son took Chongming to the real vacancies of the county Magistrate, he calmed down his unhappiness.

Originally, those servants who were scattered inside and outside had been cleaned up, and those who were left were loyal to the Li family, so they could use it with confidence. As for the clan, they were already afraid of the foreign soldiers around Li Weiguo. Later, they learned that Li Yanming and Li Weiguo had both official ranks, so they never dared to clamor again. The clan children who were beaten by Li Weiguo were beaten in vain, and the other parents even had to give large gifts to apologize.

Li Weiguo didn't have time to argue with them either. He was busy with his great cause - printing fake money and recreating a brilliant fake money empire.

However, he encountered a problem, that is, the currency of the Qing Dynasty is currently in the silver-copper standard. The Qing Dynasty Baochao and the Ministry of Revenue Official Ticket issued during the Shunzhi period were now in name only, with a denomination of 1,000 taels, and at most worth 2 taels of silver on the market, and no one subscribed it. The copper yuan banknote with a denomination of 1,000 copper yuan went directly to the private cottage and became toilet paper. In this way, the counterfeit banknotes had no market in the Qing Dynasty.

So, Li Weiguo turned his attention to foreign paper currencies. He found that there are three mainstream currencies in the world, pound, franc and ruble, but the problem also arises. The machinery and equipment for making these three banknotes, the required paper and chemical potions, could not be purchased in the Qing Dynasty. This is not a problem for Li Weiguo. He could send people to purchase them abroad. With his ability as an international top fake-bill expert, forging such almost primitive banknotes is simply a piece of cake.

To purchase a large amount of these items, Li Weiguo needed someone who could trust and know how to go to the UK, which was a stumping force. You should know that looking at the entire Qing Dynasty, there were not many people who had been to Europe in this year and could only ask John for help.

But Li Weiguo knew that John was careful and had to be careful, so he had to make up a reason to deceive the other party successfully.

He said that Cao Cao was here, but before Li Weiguo could go to find John, John came to him.

But he did not come to congratulate, but to ask for guilt.

"Oh, Lee, you disappointed me so much!" John said with an angry look: "Our embassy just helped you rescue your father and return your property, and you then left our pick!"

"Who said I gave up?" Li Weiguo smiled and guessed what John meant. The British Embassy probably knew that he was about to be the magistrate of Chongming County and was expressing protest and anger.

"You are going to Chongming to be the county magistrate. Wouldn't you give up?" John asked loudly.

Li Weiguo said without changing his face: "Yes, I do want to go to Chongming to serve as the county magistrate, but I am still the counselor of your embassy. You have not received my resignation, aren't you?"

John was stunned, and it took a long time to react and asked, "What do you mean is that you also need the embassy to counsel this job? But after all, you are an official of the Qing Dynasty. How can you do things in our embassy? This is unreasonable!"

Li Weiguo smiled and said, "Why is it unreasonable? Don't the people in your country do part-time jobs?"

"Part-time?" John rolled his eyes and said in a breakdown: "Oh, my God, you can think of it. This is really outrageous!"

"Anything outrageous thing is not outrageous in our Qing Dynasty." Li Weiguo personally poured a cup of tea for John, handed it to him, and said, "Just go back and tell the minister that the position of counselor is very important to me, and I will not give up easily. If there is anything I need to help, I will never refuse."

"Oh, this is a bit difficult. I hope that old guy doesn't throw his cup." John said helplessly.

"Don't worry, I have a way to ensure that when you go back and talk about this, he won't get angry, and even make coffee for you in person to praise you." Li Weiguo had an idea and threw out the bait.

"What? Do you want to open a bank?" When John learned that Li Weiguo was going to open a bank, he immediately widened his eyes and his mouth was wide open, with a shocked expression.

"What? Don't I look like?" Li Weiguo asked with a smile, and then said in a shocking way: "And I also want to issue money to unify the money market of the Qing Dynasty."

"Shrimp?" John's mouth tilted in surprise, his tongue rolled. He couldn't believe what the boy in front of him said. Not only did he have to open a bank, but he also had to print his own money, and even unify the Qing Dynasty's currency market.

Such a person is either a lunatic or an ambitious person.

For John, through these days, he believed that Li Weiguo belonged to the latter category.

"Don't look at me with such admiration, I'll be shy." Li Weiguo joked, paused, and continued: "As far as I know, your bankers have always wanted to open the money market of the Qing Dynasty, but unfortunately, the Qing Dynasty does not allow it. If we cooperate with me, we will jointly build a bank and make a fortune together, and everyone will be happy."

Li Weiguo's proposal made John excited. Britain, which entered the imperialist stage, used capital exports as the main tool of aggression, and banks played an important role as a bridgehead, which was of great significance. After the commercial war in 1840, the British West India Bank took the lead in setting up branches in the Hong Kong colony, but soon the bankers found that they could not put their tentacles deep into the Qing Dynasty, and their money-making plans were hindered, which was another important reason for the outbreak of the Second ** War.

Now that Li Weiguo is going to establish a bank, the Qing government will naturally not stop it. British bankers only need to invest in Li Weiguo's bank to achieve the purpose of making money. Of course, this will inevitably give Li Weiguo a lot of profits, but now it is the most shaped solution and it is extremely tempting.

Although John was a naval military officer, he was born into a British aristocrat, and behind him was the interests of merchants from big banks. His mission to China was to open up the market of the Qing Empire, which can be seen from his efforts to seize the Jiangning freight terminal.

"You didn't lie to me, aren't you?" John felt that the matter was important and he couldn't make up his mind, so he asked back.

"We are all friends who have been together through life and death these days. I have never been procrastinating in my work, and I do whatever I say. You should be very clear. Just report to the embassy truthfully, and they will definitely be interested." Li Weiguo said confidently. He was absolutely sure that the British who were profit-oriented would definitely take the bait.

John stared at the tea bowl for a long time, his eyes flashed, and he drank it all for the last time, and said decisively: "Okay, I will go back to Shanghai in person to report to the Minister."

"Do me a favor by the way." Li Weiguo suddenly said: "After the bank was established, I was preparing to issue banknotes. I needed a complete set of money printing machines and paper, ink for making banknotes, etc. In addition, I also needed to buy some private goods from the UK. I will make a list. Please ask the merchants of your country to buy it on your behalf."

"You are so smart!" John smiled bitterly, and he had to admire Li Weiguo's IQ. You should know that ordinary merchants cannot buy equipment and related materials like money printing machines, because these will be monopolized by governments of various countries, keeping confidentiality and restricting exports. Li Weiguo deliberately put forward a joint venture bank gimmick, which is accurate that the UK will meet all his requirements.

"Do you benefit each other?" Li Weiguo laughed, looking harmless.

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Chapter completed!