Grasping the Key Points

Upon hearing the word "passed," Zhang Kun suddenly had a flash of inspiration:

Li Cheng had no direct reason to interfere with the river work camp, so this guy had to intervene indirectly through others!

This guy first won over Zhang Guotai, and after winning over Zhang Guotai, he went on to win over Chen Jizong.

If Chen Jizong doesn't agree, who else can Li Cheng win over?

Zhou Zhong and Xu Bengao's brother-in-law are both on Xu Bengao's side, so this guy can't be won over!

The remaining rank is not high and they don't have much real power, so there's no point in trying to win them over.

With Zhang Kun's prestige in the river engineering camp, suppressing those minor figures would be a piece of cake.

In other words, the key is to win over Zhang Guotai!

As long as Zhang Guotai is willing to side with Zhang Kun, then Li Cheng will lose his leverage to interfere with the river engineering camp!

How can I win over Zhang Guotai?

Zhang Kun currently lacks the ability to obtain an official position.

Money? How many taels of silver would it take to feed this deputy envoy of the Chongwen Gate Propaganda Department?

Zhang Kun suspected that this cheap 35th brother's monthly income could reach several hundred taels, which was more than ten times his own.

Even if you can afford to pay, what if the other party cares more about their career advancement?

In any respect, it would be difficult for Zhang Kun to offer a price higher than Li Cheng's!

Since the soft approach isn't working, let's try the hard approach!

The following evening.

Having been entertained by several building material merchants, Zhang Guotai hummed a lewd tune as he returned home in a sedan chair.

Just as I stepped into the courtyard, a servant announced that my sworn brother Zhang Kun, who is sixty-sixth in rank, was waiting in the guest room.

What's this guy doing here?

Zhang Guotai felt a little apprehensive, but since the other party had already come to his door, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to the guest room.

Unlike Li Cheng, Zhang Guotai had personally witnessed Zhang Kun's abilities:

Seeing that the other side had started from scratch, marched south and raised a force of 5,000 men, and that their discipline was as good as that of elite government troops, they were impressed.

Seeing that the other side had built a large camp in just a few days and arranged everything in an orderly manner, and that construction had begun within ten days of returning to the capital.

If possible, Zhang Guotai would be willing to do business and make money with Zhang Kun.

However, Li Cheng found it difficult to refuse, and Zhang Kun did not want to bow down to Li Cheng.

"Sixty-sixth brother!"

Zhang Guotai, all smiles, strode into the guest room and apologized to Zhang Kun:

"These past two days, the river engineering camp has been busy, haven't they? I apologize to you."

My brother has been too busy with Chongwenmen these past few days, but I'll definitely come over to help you when I have some free time.

Alright then, is there enough money at the river works camp? If there's a shortage, just tell your brother!

"Thank you for your kindness, brother."

Zhang Kun stood up, bowed to Zhang Guotai, and said with a forced smile:

"The river work camp has enough money for now, as the grain officer, you should know that."

"Oh dear, I'm just too busy with the work at Chongwen Gate, I've gotten a bit confused. Please sit down!"

Zhang Guotai walked over with a smile, invited Zhang Kun to sit down, and pointed to the snacks on the table, saying:

"Try my family's Aiwowo (glutinous rice cake), filled with walnuts. It was made by my fourth son in the house!"

"Hmm, Fourth Aunt's cooking is really good!"

Zhang Kun ate half of the aiwowo, nodded to Zhang Guotai, and asked with a smile:

"I wonder how many concubines your family has, brother? This is a five-courtyard house; it can house quite a few people."

Zhang Guotai chuckled a few times, then shook his head and sighed at Zhang Kun:

"You must never be like me. I'm greedy and can't handle everything. I fall in love with every girl I meet."

There are eight of them in the room now, it's really too much to handle!

He reached out and lightly supported his waist, lowering his voice to mock himself:

"They ate all sorts of tonics all day long, and even bought erotic paintings from outside, making them learn to polish mirrors and play with them."

Afraid of not being able to feed them enough, he secretly put a few blue headscarves on my head.

"Brother is so lucky!"

Zhang Kun stood up, looked around at the furnishings in the room, and said to Zhang Guotai with envy:

"To be honest, brother, I really envy you. You live in such a big courtyard and have so many concubines."

Merchants were constantly showering my brother with gifts, inviting him to meals and karaoke.

He picked up a delicate piece of white porcelain from the shelf, examined it in his hands, and continued:

"I only have a small courtyard with two rooms. With the little money I have each month, it's hard enough to support a few maids who cook and clean."

What, you want me to give you a big courtyard house and two concubines?

Zhang Guotai, with a smile on his face, comforted Zhang Kun, saying:

"Your godfather trusts you so much that he puts you in charge of the river engineering camp at such a young age. You have a bright future ahead of you!"

"I believe in you. Before long, your house will be bigger than mine, and you'll marry a more beautiful woman!"

"Thank you for your kind words, brother."

Zhang Kun placed the white porcelain back on the edge of the shelf, which made Zhang Guotai's heart tighten. He continued, "..."

"Whether my future is truly limitless is hard to say."

Like my brother's good fortune, I'm afraid he won't be able to enjoy it any longer!

"What...what do you mean by that?"

Zhang Guotai's smile froze on his face, and he stammered to Zhang Kun, "Brother, I don't quite understand."

"Fourth Brother Li Cheng wants to get into the materials business."

Zhang Kun turned around, staring at Zhang Guotai, and said coldly:

"If I refuse, Fourth Brother will most likely force the deal to go through you, won't he?"

Let me be frank: if you want to make a lot of money in the materials business, you'll definitely use inferior materials!

The materials are mostly of inferior quality, and the dredging of the nine gates and city moats by the river engineering camp will definitely cause problems in the future!

This is a major project approved by the Emperor himself! If I'm blamed later, I'll have no choice but to hand over all the account books!

My brother is so lucky, he'll enjoy it all!

After saying that, he raised his hand and struck it hard, causing the white porcelain to fall from the shelf and shatter with a "crack".

"Get out! Get out!"

Zhang Guotai waved his hands repeatedly, shooing away the servants who rushed into the room upon hearing the commotion. His face darkened, and he said to Zhang Kun:

"Younger brother, don't joke around here..."

"Are you kidding me!?"

Zhang Kun walked up to Zhang Guotai, looked down at him, and said in a deep voice:

"Do you think I'm joking? Can you guarantee that using inferior materials won't cause any problems?!"

After the incident, do you think the guy surnamed Li will definitely protect you?

Zhang Guotai was overwhelmed by Zhang Kun's imposing presence; he opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word.

Upon closer examination, Zhang Kun's words do make some sense.

"besides,"

Seeing that the enemy was somewhat hesitant, Zhang Kun immediately seized the opportunity to pursue, pointing towards the main camp and shouting sternly:

"The river engineering battalion has more than 5,000 people, and they all depend on this for their livelihood! If something big goes wrong, it will cause chaos."

If I'm doomed, you're doomed too! Your yard will be sold off cheaply, and your wife will be taken advantage of!

I really don't understand, my brother is living such a blessed life, why would he want to indulge in this one thing?

"I...I..."

Zhang Guotai was persuaded by Zhang Kun, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Thirty-fifth Brother, think about it. Doesn't this guy surnamed Li understand the logic behind this?"

Zhang Kun reached out and pressed down on Zhang Guotai's shoulder, lowering his voice to say:

"I think that guy surnamed Li is hoping that something big will happen in the river engineering camp, so that it will involve my godfather's side!"

When my godfather is implicated, the man surnamed Li will be able to take the position of head of the Imperial Horse Administration!

"Both of us were promoted by our godfather, so at this critical juncture, we need to think things through!"

In fact, Zhang Kun's words were all speculations lacking evidence, and he was guilty of a crime based on the premise that he was suspected.

Li Cheng has only been the commander of the Horse Breeding Warriors and the Four Guards for two years, so he probably wouldn't be in such a hurry.

Moreover, Zhang Ye, as the first tax supervisor sent by the Wanli Emperor, had deep roots and was not so easy to bring down.

"ah!?"

Zhang Guotai was stunned and speechless when Zhang Kun splashed dirty water on Li Cheng.