The daily routine of the mistress of the Hou family training her husband

Return home.

Chen Zhi got off the carriage first, then turned around to help Xu Shuhe down.

After the two of them stood still, Xu Shuhe was about to pull his hand back, but Chen Zhi gently held it.

Looking up at him, I saw Chen Zhi pursed his lips, as if he wanted to say something.

"What's wrong with you?" Xu Shuhe asked.

It would have been fine if she didn't speak, but now that she did, Chen Zhi's ears seemed to turn red, and he coughed lightly before speaking.

"Don't go to your mother-in-law's place to rest tonight."

Xu Shuhe understood the meaning of the words as soon as he heard them.

If you don't go anywhere else, just go back and be next to him.

Bah, bah, bah, shameless!

Xu Shuhe couldn't help but feel her face getting a little hot.

Just as she was about to say something, a maidservant beside Zheng came over and said, "Miss, Madam said she seemed to have caught a cold and felt a little dizzy. She was afraid that the disease would be passed on to you, so you should go back and rest tonight."

"My mother is sick?" Xu Shuhe's face was full of doubt.

Immediately, he held his forehead in his hands and remained speechless.

It's too obvious. What are you doing? You want to reconcile the two of them, but you even tell this lie.

Chen Zhi naturally understood what he heard, but he still asked, "Have you asked the doctor to come and see him? Is he feeling better now? Let's go and see him."

"No, sir, don't worry. Madam has said that she is fine. She just needs to rest more. Young lady and sir, don't need to take care of her." The maid said quickly.

After saying this, he bowed and said he was going back to work, then he ran away as fast as he could.

The two of them looked at each other and went back together silently.

However, someone was very happy and walked with a lighter pace.

After making his choice, Chen Zhi acted without delay.

After thinking of the wording, he sent a secret letter to the capital.

Of course, he would not dare to cut off the Fifth Prince's source of income just because of his personal ideas. Xu Shuhe asked him to make it clear to the Fifth Prince that even if he entered the officialdom, his business would not stop and all of it would be handed over to Xu Shuhe to manage. He would not pay a single cent less to the Fifth Prince every year.

The letter also mentioned that he wanted to go to the capital to do business, and he did not forget to inform the victims in Qizhou about the situation.

Although Chen Zhi is now only responsible for making money for the Fifth Prince, if he wants to develop further, he must become the Fifth Prince's eyes and ears and keep an eye on things outside for him.

Beijing.

The Fifth Prince's Mansion.

Zhao Yuci had been busy for several days and finally had some time to sit down and rest in the study. Li Huo handed him the secret letters sent from various places at the right time.

Naturally, Chen Zhi would not be the only one working under him. All reports from secret informants in various places would be sent to him together unless the situation was particularly urgent.

When reading Chen Zhi's letter, Zhao Yuci's expression changed obviously.

Li Huo silently observed his expression and spoke at the right time, "Your Highness, what bad news does this secret letter contain?"

"Indeed." Zhao Yuci frowned slightly, his face serious, "This letter from Qizhou mentioned that Qizhou was hit by a late spring cold snap and a snowstorm. The situation is not optimistic now, and there are many victims, but the government is not doing anything."

"Why hasn't such a thing been reported?" Li Huo was also a little surprised.

Zhao Yuci narrowed his eyes. "I think the Qizhou governor is confused. Last time, one of his county magistrates was investigated and punished. He was also disciplined. I'm afraid this time he wants to keep the matter secret from the capital. Or maybe the newly appointed county magistrate didn't report it."

After all, Chen Zhixin mentioned that the disaster in Qizhou happened only recently, and at the beginning there were only many refugees from other places.

Generally speaking, few officials would rescue people outside their jurisdiction, after all, it might be a waste of money and effort and not a thankless task.

"Your Highness, you are talking about Huang Zhizhao who has been executed. I remember that his position was taken by a man named Zhang under the crown prince. We also arranged people to go there at that time. We never expected that after our people handled the case and worked hard, in the end the vacant position was taken by the crown prince." Li Huo said this with some resentment in his tone.

Zhao Yuci seemed calm. "It is inconvenient for me to show off too much now. I can't make things public. The prince wants to fight for it, so I have to give in to him. It's just a county magistrate's position, so there's no need to be too serious. Besides, it seems that his subordinates are going to cause trouble for him. There are many people in the court who are watching him."

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Huo reacted immediately.

"Your Highness, do you mean to quietly reveal the news to the Sixth Prince?"

"When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits." Zhao Yuci poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip. "The more fiercely they fight, the more I like to watch."

After hearing this, Li Huo raised his lips and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I will definitely handle this matter. Recently, the Empress has accepted two new beauties for the Emperor. Concubine Qian has been given less favor, which is very unpleasant. I'm sure Concubine Qian and the Sixth Prince will be very happy to hear this news."

Just as he was about to leave, Zhao Yuci raised his hand to stop him.

"Wait, look at this again."

As he spoke, he handed over the letter in his hand.

Li Huo was a little surprised, but he immediately stepped forward to take it and check it.

The content in the first part is what Zhao Yuci mentioned, and the content in the second part is what Chen Zhi mentioned, which is about wanting to try to enter the officialdom.

"This Boss Chen is young and smart. Your Highness was able to take a liking to him and recruit him to work for you. I believe he is willing to cultivate him. However, his use is to make money for Your Highness. As for entering the government, Your Highness has staff around him that can be used."

Li Huo's words were not absolute, but his meaning was clear. It was not impossible for Chen Zhi to become an official. After all, there were more than one way to become an official through imperial examinations. One could also spend money to donate an official position or have someone recommend and arrange for one.

The imperial examination is undoubtedly the most merit-based and least likely to be criticized. If you donate money to become an official, you will only get a small official position with almost no room for advancement, and the money required is not a small amount. Even so, it cannot be done without connections and means.

Having high-ranking ministers in the court recommend one, can be considered a relatively balanced method between the imperial examination and donating money to become an official.

However, those who were recommended for official positions were clerks, not officials. Although they were appointed by the court, they had no rank, but they could also be promoted to formal officials.

Obviously, as the prince of the current dynasty, Zhao Yuci has the ability to make the recommendation.

So when Chen Zhi expressed this wish, Li Huo was still guessing whether he wanted to take the imperial examination based on his own ability or ask the fifth prince for recommendation.

However, observing the Fifth Prince's expression at this moment, he was not angry. Instead, he seemed to be thinking about it.

"Your Highness, how do you plan to respond?" Li Huo couldn't help asking, "I think Boss Chen is a smart man, and he knows what he is doing. Since he knows that he needs to ask Your Highness for instructions, I think he will not go against Your Highness's wishes."

After listening to him, Zhao Yuci seemed to stop thinking in his mind and raised his eyes.

"You also said that he is a sensible person, smart, and obedient. Such a person is worth cultivating and trying."

"Your Highness wants to fulfill his wish?" Li Huo asked.

Zhao Yuci bent his fingers and tapped the table. "If I remember correctly, the Dali Temple is short of clerks. You can tell him. If he is willing to go, I can arrange it immediately."

"What about the business in Qizhou?" Li Huo was a little worried.

"It doesn't matter. His wife is a good businessman, no worse than him." Zhao Yuci recalled the Xu Shuhe he met in Qizhou, narrowed his eyes, and chuckled, "Both of them are not simple."