Chapter 54: Intelligence Network (V)
"What a crappy handwriting! Write another one and write it more neatly!" The Fourth Master shouted unhappily while holding the handwriting written by Huo Chong.
"Let him write faster." Old Fourteen said from the side.
Huo Chong just wanted to end the meeting quickly, so he wrote another one on the small table in front of him as quickly as possible, making sure his handwriting would not get worse. The Fourth Master compared the two and sent one of them to the person sitting behind Huo Chong.
After taking the paper, the man couldn't help but chuckle.
The fourth and fourteenth brothers had already sat down next to each other, looking at a piece of paper together. Huo Chong began to talk, "Fourteenth Master. I don't know how the craftsmen in the capital made the glazed fire, let alone what materials they used. I can only tell you where I spent the money when I made the glazed fire in the village. Apart from the alcohol and vinegar, I didn't spend any money to burn lime..."
With the text, Huo Chong's thoughts became much clearer. He clearly explained where money was spent and where money was not spent in many links. After finishing speaking, Huo Chong concluded: "Fourteenth Master, I am not saying bad things about the craftsmen in the capital. I have no such intention. Compare my workshop with the workshop in the capital that I imagined. I just think that every step in the workshop in the capital costs money. Even if it is a small part of the materials, I am afraid that they have to be made specially. For example, lime, I only need to point it over when others are burning it. But I think the workshop in the capital probably has to burn lime specially, which costs money and time. In my workshop, I will pay after the work is done. The monthly salary of the workshop in the capital cannot be less no matter how much work is done. Taking all these into account, the price must be much more expensive than what I make."
Old Fourteen was originally still angry, and seemed to want to find something wrong with what Huo Chong said and object to it. At this time, his expression was gloomy, but he obviously heard it.
As for the Fourth Master, he had been listening attentively from early on, and it seemed that he understood what Huo Chong said very well.
Huo Chong had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the man behind him ask, "Huo Chong, is there no way to make this Liuli Fire cheaper ?"
Huo Chong did not dare to look back, and said with his head down: "Reporting to this sir, I think these are two different things. The workshops in the capital are expensive, but they have more people and all the things. They can make it whenever they want. My workshop has to spend time preparing materials, and it can only be made when the materials are ready. Even if the workshops in the capital are expensive, people can count on them when they need work. Even if my workshop wants to do its best, it can't make the glass fire immediately. My workshop is anxious and can't do anything."
"Hehehe." The man behind was amused.
The Fourth Master was about to speak, but his eyes paused in the direction of the man behind Huo Chong. The Fourth Master immediately ordered, "Take him out."
Two guards came up immediately. Huo Chong tried to stand up, but he felt his legs were still very weak and limp. The two guards carried Huo Chong and took him out through the side door, not giving him a chance to face the man sitting behind him.
After Huo Chong was carried out, the fourth master immediately stood up and invited Kangxi to sit in the main seat. The fourteenth son had also stood up and stood in front of Kangxi with the fourth son. Kangxi asked his two sons to sit down. It seemed that this meeting made him feel very interesting. "Fourth son, you said that this guy can make the truth sound like a lie. I was wondering how there could be such a person. I saw it with my own eyes and realized that it was true."
The fourth brother replied, "Father, this Huo Chong was beaten by me and my fourteenth brother. When I first saw him, he almost jumped up when he spoke. It was obvious at first glance that he was not a good person."
Kangxi did not make any further comments on Huo Chong, but simply replied: "Fourth Brother, Erlunte used this glass fire and found it very good. Since this man sent you some, give it all to me."
The Fourth Master quickly replied, "I will send it to the palace right away."
"Fourteen, since you think the glazed fire made in the capital is expensive, you can ask Huo Chong to make tens of thousands of kilograms as soon as possible. You pay for it."
The Fourteenth Prince was stunned for a moment, then replied, "As you wish." Money was not something he was considering at all at this moment, and his father had probably rewarded him a lot, so being able to share his father's worries was not a big deal for him at all.
"Then I'll go back first." Kangxi said.
"I'll see father off." The Fourteenth Prince said immediately.
"Okay." Kangxi agreed readily.
After sending his father and brother out, the fourth master felt very unhappy when he saw his fourteenth brother walking side by side with his father. Everything was going well at the beginning, but it had to end up like this. It was really heartbreaking.
The Fourth Master was not the only one who felt touched. The Fourteenth Master also felt the same way. Some officials did say some unpleasant things in private about the matter of giving Huo Chong an official position, so the Fourteenth was so concerned about the high price of the glass fire made in the capital. When he heard that Huo Chong, the bastard, actually came to give the Fourth Master glass fire, the Fourteenth Master was even more angry. That's why he came to deal with Huo Chong.
However, things have come to this point, but it seems to have fallen into another situation. It can be seen that the father seems to be more satisfied with the fourth child.
As he was walking, Old Fourteen heard his father say, "Fourteen, do you understand what Huo Chong said?"
"Father, Huo Chong said too much. I am still thinking about it."
"Fourteen. Just listen to what Huo Chong said before, don't take it to heart. What he said at the end was the truth. The workshops in the capital are reliable. His workshop is not reliable."
The fourteenth elder was stunned. This sounded like an excuse to him. How could his father listen to it?
"Old Four said that this guy has the ability to make the truth sound like a lie. Did you take that as a lie?"
"Father, I think Huo Chong is just trying to please you."
"It's hard to tell whether Huo Chong's first words are true or false, but the latter ones are the truth. People like him are useful, but they are unreliable. The workshops in the capital are often useless, but they are reliable. Fourteen, if you want to win people's hearts, you have to start from here. You can't not rely on them just because they are useless. And you can't rely on others just because they are useful. If you don't understand these, no one will be sincere to you."
Old Fourteen listened to his father's words seriously and felt that there was a lot of truth in his words, which was very different from his previous thoughts. The more he thought about it, the more interesting it was, and the more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.
After walking for a while, they were near the palace gate. Kangxi suddenly laughed and said, "This man knows his limits, and you deserve to promote him to an official position. But his handwriting...haha."
Hearing his father's ridicule, Old Fourteen also felt that he had never seen such ugly characters in his life. It was not a problem of the structure of the characters. It was because Huo Chong had never practiced calligraphy, and his brushwork was as childish and ridiculous as that of a child who had just learned to write.
But at this moment, Old Fourteen was thinking about what his father said, so he could only force himself to smile. Then he heard his father ask, "Fourteen, why did I ask you to buy the Glazed Fire?"
The Fourteenth Elder thought for a moment and tentatively replied, "If we let Shandong handle this matter, they will probably force Huo Chong to death, right?"
"If that's the case, why didn't I issue an edict stating this?"
The Fourteenth Elder thought about it and felt that there were too many such reasons in government affairs. The bad habits of the officialdom, the various factional disputes. If he were to sort them out one by one, I'm afraid it would take three days and three nights to finish. Just when he was in a dilemma, the Fourteenth Elder suddenly realized something and tentatively replied: "Reporting to the emperor, the estrangement does not separate the relatives."
"You should also understand the truth that everyone can understand. Just use the people you can use well and don't rely on them at all. But don't let the people you should rely on become disloyal. Okay, go back to work."
