Volume 3: The Richest Man in the World Chapter 59 Buying Life
The next day, Wu Chengjian wandered around Beijing all day but still couldn't find anything to eat.
He went to the Guangdong Guild Hall first. The people there were ashamed to see him, but they didn't even dare to give him a steamed bun. Manager Su saw that his face was thin and his chin was pointed, and his clothes were tattered, just like . His eyes were red, and he just said, "Hao Guan, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, you...you should try somewhere else."
Wu Chengjian felt depressed and wandered around other places. However, he got nothing in the whole day. Not to mention steamed buns, he couldn't even get a drop of water.
He wandered for a whole day, and the people following him changed three times. He wandered and wandered, and finally wandered to Guangxing Prefecture.
Guangxing's father was a Grand Secretary and their mansion was spacious, but he was the youngest son and did not inherit much of the family property. Fortunately, he worked hard to get a position as a middle-level official and was able to see the emperor. It seemed that his future would be limitless if the emperor ruled the country personally, but now was not the time for him to become a dragon in the sky, so he just occupied a courtyard house in a corner alley in Xicheng District, and was even worse than the servants under Heshen.
If there was a powerful person with a clear mind here, he would definitely be surprised - although Guangxing asked him to come and ask for dog food yesterday, why did Wu Chengjian recognize Guangxing's door? He should have never been here before.
The two people who were following him at this time didn't have such thoughts. They just watched Wu Chengjian knock on the door. The person who opened the door was an old family member. When he saw him, he chased him away: "Where did you come from, beggar? Get out of here!"
Wu Chengjian whispered, "Excuse me, Master Guangxing, have you finished your class? Is he home?"
When the old man heard this, he thought that the man was a beggar in ragged clothes, but he spoke in a gentlemanly manner, so he didn't want to hit him with the broom. He asked, "Who are you? What do you want from our master?" He thought that maybe he was a poor relative from the countryside who came all the way to the capital to seek help? But that didn't make sense. The master was born in the city, so how could he have any relatives from the countryside? Even if there were any relatives from the previous generation, they should have gone to the eldest and second masters' houses, not from home.
The people who were following them have already revealed their identities, and as long as the situation is not right, they will intervene.
Wu Chengjian hunched over and said, "Yesterday, Master Guangxing promised me a meal of dog food, and I... I am really starving, so I don't care about my dignity anymore. I would like to ask you to be kind and report this to Master Guangxing."
After hearing this, the two followers sneered and retreated again.
When the old family members heard this, they found it strange, but they didn’t think he was a scammer - who in the world would come to cheat for a meal of “dog food”?
Wu Chengjian said: "No matter what, please inform me. Master Guangxing will understand after hearing it."
The old family looked him up and down for a few more times before saying, "Okay, you wait. Move aside and don't dirty my steps."
The door was closed. Wu Chengjian held his stomach and huddled in the corner. He looked so miserable, as degraded as he could be.
Recently, the court seemed to be calm and peaceful, with no important matters. Guangxing finished his work early and returned home to plan bigger things. Suddenly, he heard the old family report this matter, and he remembered the scene yesterday. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "I just mentioned it casually last night, he won't really come, right?"
He came to the door in person, and indeed saw Wu Chengjian, and said with a smile: "Oh, this is really Haoguan."
Wu Chengjian couldn't even lift his head: "I'm really... so hungry..."
Guangxing shouted, "Does Wangfu have anything left from lunch?"
The old family member nearby also heard something and laughed, "There was a bowl of cold noodles left over from lunch. We gave it to Wangfu. Wangfu licked half of the bowl, and there was still half left."
Guangxing smiled and said, "That's it, do you want to eat it?"
Wu Chengjian said anxiously: "Eat, eat! Where is it?"
"Hey, why are you in such a hurry? It's in the yard. Wait a moment."
He went back to the yard, moved a reclining chair and sat there, just waiting to watch Wu Chengjian eat dog food.
"Come in."
Wu Chengjian then entered the street gate. The Guangxing courtyard was the smallest one, with a total of twelve or thirteen rooms. After entering the street gate, there was a courtyard. Two or three servants lived in the back house. The east and west wings were mostly in disrepair, with only two intact rooms left. The more elegant room in the west wing was used as a study, and the more sloppy room in the east wing was home to a concubine. The dilapidated ones were filled with miscellaneous items, and the entire decoration was very dusty. Most of the time, it had not been carefully renovated since they moved in. There was not even a tree in the yard.
This courtyard house would be a great property in Beijing in later generations, but it was nothing during the Qianlong and Jiaqing periods when there were many powerful people and nobles. Wu Chengjian looked around and thought that even Wu Qi would find this house shabby if he gave it to him, but it was the result of Guangxing's many years of hard work.
"What are you looking at!" Guangxing pointed at the broken bowl in front of the dog, waiting to see the show of Wu Chengjian snatching food from his dog.
Seeing that there was no one else in the courtyard, Wu Chengjian said, "After all, the emperor has not yet taken power. Master Guangxing claims to be the emperor's confidant, but he lives in such a house. It's really disgusting."
Guangxing was stunned for a moment, and when he looked at Wu Chengjian again, he saw that the other party's clothes were dirty and torn like a beggar, but when he looked at him, his expression was as if he was the beggar.
Although Guangxing was narrow-minded, he was a capable man after all, otherwise he would not have caught the attention of Emperor Jiaqing. He suddenly realized: this guy was just pretending outside!
Wu Chengjian added, "The Emperor is really something. He won't give up his power until he dies. Master Guangxing, you are the one running errands for the Emperor, but you are suppressed to this extent. This house is too shabby to even use for raising a dog."
Guangxing's face changed drastically: "What nonsense are you talking about!"
What is "The Emperor has passed away" - can you just say this casually? Especially recently, there has been a lot of rumors that "The Emperor is ill". At this sensitive time, if it gets out, it might be a disaster. Moreover, this rumor came out in my own yard, and I am a member of the Emperor's Party, so I might be implicated.
Wu Chengjian pointed to the street door and said, "I don't want my blunt mouth to cause trouble for you, Master Guangxing. It's better to close this door."
Guangxing looked at Wu Chengjian's face and felt that he was the one who had him in his hands. However, after thinking about it, he was really afraid that Wu Chengjian would say something nonsense, so he could only angrily stick out his tongue at the old man, and the old man quickly went to close the street gate.
Wu Chengjian said: "Let's find a place where we can talk and have a chat."
He was dressed like a beggar, but he spoke as if he was on an equal footing with Guangxing, which was extremely difficult for Guangxing to accept.
Wu Chengjian asked: "Why? You want me to talk to you here?"
At this time, a round-faced woman showed her face through the window of the east wing. She was Guangxing's concubine.
Guangxing thought that it might not be appropriate to let the servants and concubines hear what he was saying here, so he had to look towards the study - that was where he studied and worked, and many secret matters involving the imperial palace were discussed there.
Wu Chengjian didn't hesitate and walked straight into the study.
When Guangxing saw this scene, he became even more angry as he felt that he was being led by the other party again.
The study only had a row of bookshelves, a desk, two chairs, and a bench. When Guangxing came in, he saw Wu Chengjian sitting carelessly on one of the chairs. He couldn't help but get angry and shouted, "Wu Chengjian, don't forget who you are now! Don't be so arrogant!"
Wu Chengjian leaned sideways in the chair and said lazily, "What is my identity?" His expression and tone, if he had changed into a silk shirt, would be no different from when he was in Guangzhou, making people forget that he was dressed as a beggar.
Lian Guangxing was dazed for a moment and couldn't help but be stunned.
Wu Chengjian said, "You are the Imperial Secretary, a fifth-rank official, and I am the Imperial Doctor, also a fifth-rank official. We are exactly the same, haha."
Guangxing then remembered that although Wu Chengjian was forced into a panic like a stray dog by Heshen during this period, the court did not officially deprive him of his official title. In other words, in terms of status, he was indeed a fifth-rank official appointed by the court, just like himself.
But when he thought about how he was the same as the beggar in front of him, Guangxing couldn't accept it: "Compared with me? You are not worthy!"
Wu Chengjian nodded and said, "It is indeed a mismatch. The house you live in is despised even by my dog. The appearance of your concubine is not worthy of being awarded the bronze hairpin in the Immortal Continent."
Guangxing was furious and slammed his hand on the table. He almost asked someone to kick out this sharp-tongued Cantonese guy. However, he was a man who could get close to the emperor by his own ability. He was able to remain calm in his anger. The words slipped away and turned into cold words: "Wu Chengjian, what are you going to do?"
Wu Chengjian covered his mouth with his hand, coughed twice, and said, "I have been watched by Liu Quan's lackeys, and I haven't had a sip of water all day. You are at least someone who can walk in front of the emperor, and when guests come, don't you have even a cup of tea?"
Guangxing snorted again, glanced at Wu Chengjian, and asked the old servant to bring a bowl of tea. Wu Chengjian did not despise it at this time, and took a sip to moisten his throat, and said: "The emperor is almost done."
Guangxing wanted to seal Wu Chengjian's mouth with mud: "Shut up!"
Wu Chengjian asked, "Why? Is there a fifth ear listening to what is being said here?"
This study room is a big place with both the world above and the ground below. Next door is a shabby house full of junk, where no one can hide. That's why Guangxing chose this place for secret meetings. In fact, he is not afraid of being overheard, but the laws of the Qing Dynasty are very strict, and people in the city are used to being nervous. There are some things that they dare not say even in their dreams.
The atmosphere in Guangdong has always been much more relaxed. On the surface, everyone speaks in an official tone, but in private they are much more unrestrained, and they don't have as many rules and respects in their hearts as people in Beijing.
So Wu Chengjian didn't shut up, but pointed his finger to the sky and said, "I'm afraid even the military ministers don't know about that person's health right now, but Zhu Gui and others who have been suppressed outside have either been promoted or come to the capital, and the emperor's brothers have been staying indoors recently. Anyone who is not blind can smell something."
Guangxing sneered: "Why are you saying this? What does this have to do with you?"
Wu Chengjian smiled and said, "Now Master Guangxing, you don't have to do anything. Just close the door tightly, be careful with your words and actions, and wait for the emperor to take power. Your wealth and glory will be within your reach. As for me, I will probably be in big trouble, just like Heshen."
Once Emperor Qianlong passed away, Emperor Jiaqing would surely take power, and the new emperor would certainly purge the old party. Heshen would then be in trouble, and those who were clinging to Heshen would also be uprooted, and Wu Chengjian would not be able to escape either.
Hearing this, Guangxing smiled and said, "So you knew that too. How dare you come here and act so impudently!"
"I dare to be presumptuous because I have nothing to fear." Wu Chengjian said, "If the emperor goes to Qin Zheng, our Wu family will probably die a miserable death, or Heshen will kill me before the emperor takes power - who made me disobey him? Since it's a dead end anyway, what am I afraid of?"
Although everyone in Beijing is waiting for a great change, some people want to take back their power, some want to keep their power, some want to overthrow the world, some want to change the world, some are waiting for the new emperor to take power so that they can benefit from it, and some are desperate and try to give it a try...
Among the two parties of the young emperor and the second emperor, after this incident, one side will ascend to heaven and the other will fall into hell - there is only one person who seems to have no way out no matter how the situation changes, and that is the Wu family of Yihexing.
Wu Chengjian was now in the most awkward situation of being in a dilemma. Heshen wanted him dead at any time. Even if he could survive until Emperor Jiaqing took power, the emperor's party would most likely not let him go. If it were someone else, they would probably give up in despair, but Wu Chengjian was still a bachelor who had given up hope.
This bachelor look of his was not the first time that Guangxing had seen him. He looked like this last time in Guangdong. Now the story was repeated, although the scene had changed, but it still felt the same.
Guangxing said: "If that's the case, then why are you coming to my place?"
"What to do?" Wu Chengjian smiled and said, "Although I know I'm going to die, I have to think of a way out as long as I have my head on my neck."
When he was in Guangdong, he spoke pure Cantonese. Now that he came to Beijing, his accent occasionally had some northern accent - after all, he had been to Beijing as a teenager.
Guangxing smiled and said, "Are you coming to beg me?"
"Please?" Wu Chengjian shook his head: "We old Cantonese don't talk about asking, this word is too unreliable. We only talk about buying and selling. Now our Wu family is almost dead, but we still have money. So today I came to you, Master Guangxing, not to ask for life, but to..."
The corners of his mouth kept smiling, and he uttered the last two words gently: "Buy your life."
