Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Zhang Jingwei said to Mu Tou with a smile on his face, "Come here, Mu Tou, today I want to tell you an interesting story called 'The Secret of the Silver Here'."

Mu Tou blinked his eyes and asked curiously, "Master, what does 'there's no silver here' mean?"

Zhang Jingwei cleared his throat and began to recount the story vividly: "Once upon a time, there was a man named Zhang San who had finally saved up three hundred taels of silver. He was afraid that someone would steal it, so he found a place to secretly bury the silver underground. However, he was also worried that others would discover the hidden silver, so he put up a sign at the place where the silver was buried, which read 'There is no silver here'. As a result, when Wang Er next door saw the sign, he immediately realized that there must be silver underneath, so he dug up the three hundred taels of silver! But after he dug it away, he also wrote on the sign 'Wang Er did not steal the three hundred taels', haha..."

Mu Tou listened and nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly realized, "Oh, I see. Young Master is saying that if there's nothing wrong with something, but you deliberately try to cover it up or explain it away, it's more likely to arouse suspicion. Just like if there's really no blood on this ticket, there's no need to bother cleaning it. Otherwise, you'd be admitting guilt!"

Zhang Jingwei patted Mu Tou's shoulder with satisfaction and said with a smile, "Hey, not bad, not bad. You, a blockhead, have been following me for so long, and you've finally gotten the hang of it and made some progress!"

Mu Tou scratched his head embarrassedly and laughed.

……

The incident at the military garrison caused a huge uproar within the Yunzhou army, with profound repercussions. After that incident, officers no longer dared to slack off, each one becoming diligent and dedicated to their duties. Soldiers, on the other hand, trained even harder than before. This transformed the military's ethos and significantly boosted its combat effectiveness. Undoubtedly, the changes brought about by this incident had a positive impact, leaving the Yunzhou army's officers and soldiers clamoring for more!

Huangfu Changshui was delighted when he learned of this. To express his admiration and reward for his son-in-law Zhang Jingwei, he generously gifted him a luxurious manor covering an area of ​​100 acres on the outskirts of the city.

Huangfu Changshui smiled and said to Zhang Jingwei earnestly, "This manor originally belonged to your Zhang family. It was only after some setbacks that it came into my hands. Now it can be considered as being returned to its rightful owner!"

Zhang Jingwei quickly bowed and said with tears of gratitude, "Thank you very much, father-in-law, for your gift. I will definitely remember it in my heart!"

Zhang Jingwei was overjoyed after receiving the keys to the manor, thinking to himself: This is great, I have land, and I can finally grow the peppers I've been dreaming of for so long! Thinking of the spicy taste, Zhang Jingwei swallowed a few times.

Zhang Jingwei hadn't quite understood the concept of a manor before, but after seeing a military settlement, he finally understood that a manor was actually a private settlement. A manor housed houses and fields, and some even had workshops and stables built within it. Some wealthy individuals would accumulate large amounts of land to build a manor.

On a sunny day with a gentle breeze, Zhang Jingwei led several people from his courtyard to inspect the farm. Along the way, they observed wide, unobstructed roads, smooth as a mirror, seemingly reflecting the clouds and birds in the sky. On either side, the fields stretched endlessly, their soil fertile and flat, like a beautiful painting. Furthermore, a network of ditches channeled clear water into the fields, making irrigation extremely convenient.

Qian Ming excitedly bent down, gently pinched a handful of soil, put it to his nose and sniffed it, then exclaimed in admiration, "Wow, this is truly top-notch farmland! So fertile, anything you plant will yield a bountiful harvest!" Zhang Liu, standing nearby, stroked his graying beard, nodded with satisfaction, and said, "This farm is well tended, but the strange thing is...why isn't the owner of the farm here?"

Just as everyone was puzzled, a voice suddenly called out, "Young Master!" Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a short, fat man with a sweaty face jogging towards them. When he came closer, everyone was surprised to find that this little fat man had blue eyes, a high nose bridge, brown hair, and a yellow beard.

The fat boy ran up to Zhang Jingwei and said breathlessly, "Hello, Young Master! I am the owner of this manor. Your father was my employer, and now that you are taking over, I am so happy!"

Zhang Jingwei's eyes widened, and he blurted out in disbelief: "Foreigner?!"

The foreigner quickly explained, "That's right, Young Master. I'm a merchant from the Western Region. Once, while trading in the northern region, I was unfortunately robbed by the Rong people. I lost all my property and nearly lost my life. Fortunately, I met your father at that time. He kindly took me in and gave me this job."

Zhang Jingwei frowned and asked, "Since you are safe and sound now, why don't you return to Xibang?"

The foreigner smiled bitterly and replied, "Alas, in our Western country, business is mostly the exclusive domain of the nobility. If something goes wrong or you suffer a loss, those vicious barbarians will mercilessly throw the merchant into the Colosseum to feed the beasts. So, I really don't dare to go back!"

Zhang Jingwei couldn't help but feel a little surprised: "This is the first time I've heard of a Hu people actually calling their own people Hu people like this!"

The foreigner quickly explained, "Those barbarians from the West are indeed too barbaric and rude, but I have long been fascinated by the culture of the Central Plains! Since I was a child, I have been diligently learning the Central Plains language, writing the Central Plains characters, and practicing the Central Plains etiquette and norms. Moreover, even my wife is an authentic Central Plains person, so you can completely regard me as a true Central Plains person, Young Master."

Zhang Jingwei burst into laughter after hearing this and then asked, "Haha, what is your name then?"

The foreigner quickly responded, "My name is Absheikh, but you can just call me Sheikh. On weekdays, I mostly live in this farm, and occasionally go to the city to buy some daily necessities."

Zhang Jingwei nodded, then said thoughtfully, "Sheikh... I wonder if you know anything about chili peppers?"

The Sheikh nodded without hesitation and replied, "Of course I know. The fruit of the bell pepper is extremely spicy and is said to repel rats. In the distant Xibang region, there's even a tribe that eats bell peppers to demonstrate their people's extraordinary courage!"

Zhang Jingwei pointed to the land beneath his feet and asked expectantly, "So, in your opinion, can I successfully grow peppers on this land?"