Chapter 648: This is the case and it must be like this

Wang Ping'an smiled and said, "It's just a meal. The four adults are not so stingy that they can't bear to support me even if they have a meal!"

The governors shook their heads together, and the governor of Huizhou said, "That depends on which meal it is. We have to treat you according to our guests. Not to mention the money for a meal that supports you, even ten meals will not matter. But if you do the meal you invite, we will not be able to take it out no matter what!"

The governor of Lanzhou was most interested in water wheels. He also looked ugly and shook his head and said, "Prince, we can't compare to you! Ten thousand guan is a small amount of money for you, but for us, it has to emptiate half of the treasury of the entire state. It is not from the prefecture, but from all counties. The taxes paid by our Lanzhou to the court in a year are only eight thousand guan!"

The governors nodded one after another, crying that they were poor, who wouldn't know how to cry? Besides, we can't be too concerned about crying that the annual surplus of each state is, except for paying all the things that should be paid, the remaining surplus is only a few thousand stakes, which is not comparable to those prefectures and counties in the capital. It is already very good that a state here can have a surplus of thousands of stakes.

Wang Ping'an said: "Then you can have ten thousand coins in the treasury of yourselves now?"

The governors hesitated that the accounts are kept confidential to the people, but for officials, there is no secret. Even if they don’t tell them, Wang Ping’an can still find out if he sends someone to the Ministry of Revenue to investigate. Instead of hiding them, it’s better to tell the truth.

They nodded together and said, "Yes, ten thousand coins are there."

The governor of Huizhou said: "But the money included the military expenses of the county soldiers, the repair costs of the city walls, and the salary of the official envoys. All the miscellaneous items were cut off. The remaining balance was probably less than 3,000 guan. If we could wait until after autumn, it would be too much. Now it is summer, and it is not time to collect taxes yet!"

Other governors also nodded. This is indeed the case. Every family has a difficult sutra, and the most difficult sutra is undoubtedly the money sutra!

Wang Ping'an thought to himself: "Even if each state supports me for one thousand guan, I can get through the famine these days. I don't expect them to be able to give out ten thousand guan at once and let my Qingzhou get it, but I can't get it."

He said, "How about this? You guys pay in installments. What do you think? After all, making meritorious service requires capital!"

The governor of Lanzhou looked at other governors and was very concerned about the matter of the flood truck. He knew very well that as long as this kind of water truck was introduced into Lanzhou, it would inevitably increase grain production and reclaim more fertile land. The taxes paid every year were almost doubled. This was a political achievement that could not be greater. Maybe he would be allowed to work in Beijing and rise to the fore from then on.

Seeing that others were still hesitating, he gritted his teeth and said, "I will send 5,000 guan. Today I will send someone back to pick it up and deliver it to the prince overnight. But one thing is that this kind of water truck will surely shake the court and the people. I want to ask the prince to state in the memorial that I am the person who supports the most. Do you think it is?"

Wang Ping'an didn't say anything, looking at the other governors. The governors gritted their teeth and remained silent, and their eyes kept turning, probably weighing the gains and losses in their hearts. In Wang Ping'an's words, the governors were thinking about how to maximize their interests!

After a long time, the other three governors did not answer and were still thinking.

Wang Ping'an sighed in his heart. Fortunately, they were all imprisoned. If they sent their subordinates, there would be no possibility of success. If the government wants to take money from the people, there are reasons. They are all open and upright. It is impossible for the people to pay whether they want to pay the money. But if they want to get money from the government, look at these guys, and they are still thinking about it!

Wang Ping'an cursed in his heart, they were really three iron roosters! He said: "Actually, five thousand guan is almost the same. I plan to summon merchants all over the world to see what they think about the water truck. The money aspect is actually not a problem. The problem is how to divide the credit."

He looked at the governor of Lanzhou and said, "Mr. Lan, I'll just say that. You send 5,000 guan. I'll send you a loan note and repay you in two months. The credit will be a lot of money. As for the three adults... forget it, I'm not short of money anyway. I just want to share the credit for you. I'm kind-hearted. The three adults think it's troublesome, so forget it."

The three governors were anxious and held Wang Ping'an together and said, "Don't, we didn't say we didn't support us. We are considering how much we can take out!"

Wang Ping'an waved his hand and said, "I'm really not short of money. I just have a problem, but I can't get it right. I always want to take care of my colleagues. Everyone has to take advantage of it! Okay, okay, I'll get the wishes of all the adults. Forget the money, just like that. I'm afraid of trouble. I'm busy with the work of repairing the canals all day long, and I'm almost exhausted. I really don't have the energy to think about anything else!"

Seeing that Wang Ping'an was not willing to pay money, the three governors were very anxious. The governor of Wonju said: "I have considered it clearly. Our Wonju also supports the prince and the prince for 5,000 guan. You don't have to pay it back. Just as our Wonju is right after Gyeongju, the second state that can use this kind of water truck will become!"

The governor of Lanzhou was anxious. What do you mean? You can do anything to me! He also grabbed Wang Ping'an and said, "We don't need to pay back the five thousand guan in Lanzhou..."

Before he could finish his words, the governor of Jingzhou said, "I don't have to pay back six thousand guan. For the sake of the people of the world, our Jingzhou people have the responsibility to share the funds for you. Our Jingzhou people are the most loyal to the emperor... Regarding this, the prince must write it into the memorial!"

The oldest treacherous governor of Huizhou was the most sly-hearted. The last time he spoke was not to Wang Ping'an, but to instruct his entourage. He took out a small seal from his arms and said to the entourage: "You, hurry back to Huizhou at night, take my small seal with me, and bring it to Qingzhou from the tent. It will be delivered to you at this time tomorrow. I am waiting here!"

The three governors were stunned and saw that they were doing things very easily. They gave them ten thousand yuan at the same time, and they gave them immediately. The work was so authentic!

There is one to two, and there is two to two, the Lanzhou governor said: "Didn't you say that there is not so much money in the treasury? Why did you have it again now? Come here, take my small seal with me and rush back to Lanzhou immediately, bringing 10,000 guan. You must arrive the day after tomorrow. I will wait here!"

The governor of Jingzhou and the governor of Yuanzhou grinned together. Their territory was no better than Huizhou and Lanzhou. Ten thousand coins were taken out immediately, which would inevitably hurt the body a little, but it was not as serious as they said. Where is the yamen still not a small treasury?

They gritted their teeth and stamped their feet. Both governors also called their entourage and asked them to take their own seals and get the money back and transfer them. They must not be delivered more than the day after tomorrow.

The governors took out their sincerity, but Wang Ping'an stopped doing it. He waved his hand and said, "Don't do this, don't do this. I'm not short of money, really, can I still lose money? With Lord Lan's five thousand guan, the meaning is fulfilled. You don't have to take out the money and have to leave the public account. It's too troublesome. Lord Lan, you don't have to take out ten thousand guan. I think it's too much, I can't use it!"

The governor of Lanzhou held his sleeve and smiled and said, "Don't you want it, how can you not! If you have too much money, you will be generous when you get on the job! Ten thousand yuan is for our Lanzhou... that's a small money, it's not a problem at all, a small money!"

The other three governors also said: "How can you not want money, prince? Isn't this not giving face? We will be angry when we are in the same battle with our colleagues, if you are so unwilling to give face, we will be angry!"

Wang Ping'an showed an unhappy look and said, "How can you do this!"

The governors said in unison: "We are like this, prince, don't do this!"

Wang Ping'an shook his head and said, "If you want this, I will not be able to do it. If you can do this, I can't do it too!"

The governors held him and said in unison: "You can do this, what else can you do!"

Wang Ping'an sighed: "If this is the case... OK, then that's it!"

"That's right, that's how it should be!" The governors laughed together.

There were dozens of followers around him, most of them like ducks listening to thunder, and they thought to themselves: "This is how? What is this?"

Some knowledgeable followers thought to themselves: "Look, how can they become high-ranking officials? If you have knowledge, this is called tacit understanding. With this and that, things will be done. If someone else is replaced, who can do it?"

After Wang Ping'an talked to the governors, he walked towards the city with his arms around him, talking and laughing all the way, as intimate as his relatives. It was impossible to see that the governors were coming in anger. Now they all held Wang Ping'an with a flattering look on their faces, fearing that he would be unhappy.

After returning to the governor's mansion, Wang Ping'an arranged residences for the four governors, and he also went back to his room to rest. He accomplished something. He put a big stone in his heart and fell asleep soon.

Outside the house, Ding Danruo and Ke Lianwu asked Ouyang Li, was the money for the canal repair solved? Ouyang Li laughed in a low voice: "The governors were angry when they came, but after being fooled by the master, they all became soft and kept flattering, rushing to send money, and they couldn't help but not!"

Ke Lianwu smiled and said, "I knew that the young master was fine, and there was nothing in the world that he couldn't do!"

Ding Danruo said, "Young Master can do everything. I knew about this many years ago. How many years have passed? Oh, it's been too long and I can't remember it. Let me count how many years have you been!"

When Ouyang Li saw that they were comparing who was more intimate with Wang Ping'an, he felt funny and said, "You guys are so busy serving you, I have something to do." He turned around and left, went to the side yard, and he was going to see Wu Meiniang.

Last time, when the people from the Wu Palace came to make trouble, Wu Meiniang had to move into the mansion and lived in a side courtyard in the west, behind which was the residence of the Wang couple, so that she could take care of her nearby. Ouyang Li was afraid of another accident, so he moved to the side courtyard, right next to the yard where Wu Meiniang lived. As long as someone came to harass her, he would know immediately.

Ouyang Li first went outside Wu Meiniang's yard, stood quietly at the gate of the yard, listening to the movement inside. The yard was quiet, and it was probably Wu Meiniang was asleep.
Chapter completed!