Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Inside the Honglu Guesthouse.

As the Northern Rong delegation departed, the crowd gradually dispersed.

Fang Zheng Yi didn't bother to talk to anyone else.

Needless to say, Zhang Shi and he had never seen eye to eye.

Chen Hong, the Minister of the Honglu Temple, also didn't have much in common with him.

He simply took the Crown Prince and the reporters back to sort out their drafts.

He'd hit a goldmine today! The newspaper would definitely sell well tomorrow!

The people of our Great Jing love to see this!

After seeing foreigners admire Great Jing, everyone feels more confident!

Wouldn't the popularity and advertising revenue of Banshan Daily skyrocket?

At this moment, there were still several low-ranking officials going in and out of the courtyard.

Chen Hong and Zhang Shi stood in the courtyard. Chen Hong looked in the direction of the moon gate and sighed, "This is a big move. I didn't expect the Northern Rong delegation to stay for so long. The trade agreement between the two countries was actually reached!"

Zhang Shi smiled faintly, "His Majesty is also keen to make it happen. The national treasury is empty. If we keep fighting, I, the Minister of Revenue, can quit. Even if you squeeze my old bones dry, you won't get any money."

Chen Hong laughed, "That's right, but this Lord Fang is really rich. He actually got so much top-grade Tianxian tea and diamonds."

"Several cartloads... Sigh, he can get such scarce goods. He's really capable."

As soon as he heard Fang Zheng Yi's name, Zhang Shi's face instantly showed displeasure, but he quickly returned to normal.

He said coldly, "Everyone knows that Taoyuan County is rich now, so it's natural for Fang Zheng Yi to be rich."

"Being able to represent His Majesty in rewarding the delegation... he naturally has some ability."

Chen Hong frowned.

Representing His Majesty in rewarding them? You can't say that casually!

That's presumptuous.

Although everyone knows that you two don't get along, there's no need to say such serious things.

Didn't your son pass the exam? Even if you want to say it, don't say it to me!

Just as Chen Hong was about to end the topic, a petty official hurried to the two of them.

Sweating profusely, he said, "My lords! Some of the Northern Rong delegation's goods are missing!"

"They missed a room when they were counting the goods!"

Chen Hong was shocked, "What! A whole room of goods is missing? Quick, lead the way, take me to see!"

The petty official nodded and immediately turned to lead the way.

Chen Hong and Zhang Shi followed closely behind.

Arriving at the room in the guesthouse where the goods were stored, Chen Hong frowned again as he looked at the six large boxes in front of him.

This was the last room, and it was in a dark corner, so there was indeed a possibility of a significant oversight.

It's just that the Northern Rong delegation was too careless! They actually missed a whole room of goods.

He immediately called out to the petty official beside him, "It is indeed the delegation's belongings. They shouldn't have gone too far yet! Quickly send someone on horseback to inform the delegation to come and get them!"

The petty official was about to leave when Zhang Shi reached out to stop him.

"Wait a moment, don't rush."

"Lord Zhang, what is this...?" Chen Hong looked a little puzzled.

Zhang Shi looked inscrutable and whispered, "Don't you... want to see what's inside? What if there's something useful?"

"This... isn't that good?" After hearing him say that, Chen Hong suddenly understood and couldn't help but feel a little tempted.

"The Northern Rong are a great enemy on the border!" Zhang Shi said lightly.

"Then let's look!" Chen Hong agreed without hesitation.

Why bother with morality when it comes to the enemy's things? Just look!

"You go out and send a few more people to guard outside the guesthouse. If any Northern Rong people come to the door, don't let them in. Report here first!"

"Yes!" The petty official responded and turned to leave.

The light in the room was poor, making it look very dark.

The two began to slowly choose a box to open, and couldn't help but lean over to examine it carefully.

The box was filled with a box full of books... Almost all the books on the market in Great Jing were in this one big box.

Chen Hong sighed, "This State Preceptor Paba is still very studious. I didn't expect him to buy so many books."

"No wonder he is so familiar with our country. When talking, he is almost no different from us."

Zhang Shi nodded, without speaking.

Everyone had noticed this when discussing trade matters with Paba. This man had excellent eloquence, and his speech and etiquette were all in order.

Obviously, he had worked hard.

Then he opened the second box, which was filled with various specialties from the market in Great Jing, but there were not many valuable things.

It wasn't until he turned to the deepest box that he seemed to be carrying clothes and personal belongings.

Chen Hong looked carefully, "These are Paba's clothes. I saw him wearing this one. I don't know what's underneath. Be careful not to mess it up."

The two carefully flipped through it, and Chen Hong suddenly showed joy, picking up a book from the bottom and saying, "This is actually the Northern Rong delegation's account book!"

Zhang Shi also showed surprise, "Quick, translate it for me. See what's recorded on it?"

Chen Hong approached the window and looked down, saying, "This is... It records the expenses of purchasing goods in the capital, as well as the prices of goods in various places in the capital."

"Heh heh... This State Preceptor Paba is really meticulous, even the price of a needle is recorded."

Zhang Shi was a little excited in his heart. It seemed that he was lucky. There were really good things inside!

Chen Hong was muttering in his ear, while he continued to rummage through the box. Before long, he found a few more booklets and a few pieces of silk with words written on them.

Zhang Shi quickly handed them over, "Look at these again, what's written on them?"

Chen Hong first picked up the silk, glanced at it, and said excitedly, trembling, "This should be Khan Wutu's edict to him... There's even his seal on it!"

"It really is a private item! He actually missed such a thing!"

"What does it say! Translate it!" Zhang Shi stretched his neck and urged.

Chen Hong quickly shook his head, "There's no important content, mostly some appointments and entrustments."

After reading Khan Wutu's edict, he picked up the other booklets and quickly read them, "These are also unremarkable."

"They are all account books, recording prices, customs, and a list of officials in my Great Jing's officialdom."

"Good fellow! This Paba even recorded what I said to him!"

"I didn't expect such a strong man to exist in this barbaric land of Northern Rong."

Chen Hong rambled on, constantly praising Paba, but suddenly his eyes narrowed, and a breath caught in his throat.

Looking at the contents of the booklet, his eyeballs widened!

Seeing his expression, Zhang Shi immediately frowned, pointed to the contents above, and urged, "What's written here?! Is there any important content? Don't just stand there, translate it!"

Chen Hong stared at the booklet, his eyes flickering uncertainly.

Then he stiffly raised his head, looked at Zhang Shi, swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said, "It says here...."

"Fang Zheng Yi promised Paba... If the two countries trade, Taoyuan County will provide a large amount of ironware for trading, for which Paba also sent him sixty thousand taels of silver as a kickback."

"This record uses a full five pages to record the secret talks between the two!"

........