Do you know: I, a commoner prime minister

Chapter 13 People’s respect? Faithful?

Just as Zhou An was about to take Shi Tou into the restaurant, a surprised shout came from behind him.

He turned around with some confusion and saw several young men standing not far away. One of them looked somewhat familiar and was looking at him with a hint of disbelief.

"It really is you."

The man stepped forward and asked, "What are you doing in Jinling?"

"Who are you?" Zhou An asked, feigning confusion.

Upon hearing this, Kang He nearly broke down, gritting his teeth as he said, "I am Kang He!"

"So it's Brother Kang!"

Zhou An suddenly realized, "No wonder he looked somewhat familiar."

In fact, he recognized Kang He as soon as he saw him, after all, he had a photographic memory, and he would not forget someone he had just met not long ago.

He only said that because Kang He's tone was somewhat arrogant.

"Kang He, is this your friend?"

Among the young men with Kang He, one of them stepped forward and sized up Zhou An.

"Brother Fei, we can't really be considered friends, we're just from the same hometown. I met him once when I went back to my hometown to take the county exam."

Kang He turned to the young master and spoke in a very respectful tone.

"So you're from a small town."

The young master glanced at Zhou An and said, "Let's go, Brother Xu is still waiting."

After saying that, he went into the restaurant, and the other young men followed with smiles. When they passed Zhou An, they even gave him a disdainful look.

Kang He didn't even bother to pay attention to Zhou An and hurriedly followed.

"Young master! These people are too despicable!" Stone's dark face was flushed red, showing how angry he was.

"Don't be impatient!"

Zhou An patted him on the shoulder and said, "Let's go!"

Kanghe's father was a seventh-rank official, which was nothing special in a place like Jinling, but he was not an ordinary person either.

But the young master who was leading the group addressed him by his first name, and Kang He did not show any anger, which shows that his identity was not simple.

Even if they look at you with disdain, you can only endure it.

"Sir, do you have a reservation?" The waiter at the door stopped Zhou An.

"What's wrong?"

Zhou An said calmly, "Without a reservation, one can't enter this Wangjiang Tower?"

"Sir, you've misunderstood!"

The waiter quickly explained, "Wangjiang Tower is extremely popular at night, and we're currently only accepting reservations from customers who have already made reservations."

Upon hearing this, Zhou An's expression softened somewhat. Although he knew he had to be patient, it was impossible for him not to feel angry.

"Someone invited me; they booked the Da Xue Ge Pavilion!" Zhou An said.

Upon hearing this, the waiter's expression immediately became much more respectful, and he stepped aside, gesturing, "Please, sir!"

Seeing the change in the waiter's expression, Zhou An gained a deeper understanding of power and status.

Although the waiter had not shown any disdain, he was not exactly respectful either.

But when he mentioned the private room that Hai Si had reserved, his expression immediately became respectful.

Zhou An didn't believe that the waiter had confirmed his identity as a guest, but rather that the waiter knew the identity of the guest at Dingda Xuege.

In other words, the respect for him stemmed entirely from Hai Simian.

Although he had long realized that in ancient times, power and status were very important.

But in a small place like Qinghe, I didn't feel a very strict class difference.

He truly felt it on his very first day in Nanjing.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that he dressed plainly but came to a high-end place like Wangjiang Tower.

In future generations, there will be stories of wealthy people dressed plainly who pretend to be weak but actually outsmart others.

However, in ancient times, it was difficult to make a mistake in showing respect to the clothes before respecting the person.

Because clothing made of different fabrics not only represents status, but also varies greatly in terms of comfort.

The waiter led Zhou An to the fourth floor, stopped in front of a room with a sign that read "Little Snow Pavilion," and gently knocked on the door.

A short while later, Hai Simian's attendant opened the door.

"Young Master Hai's guests have arrived!"

The waiter had a fawning smile on his face.

Xiao Si greeted Zhou An with a bow and said, "Young Master Zhou, please come in!"

Zhou An nodded slightly and entered the private room.

"Huai De!"

Hearing the commotion, Hai Simian, who was working inside, came out to greet the waiter and said, "The food is ready!"

"Yes!" The waiter bowed and hurried away.

Zhou An left Shi Tou in the outer room and went into the inner room with Hai Si Mian.

"sit!"

Hai Simian gestured for Zhou An to sit at the auspicious table by the window, pointing out the window and saying, "Dinner here, with the view outside, is truly delightful. Huaide, what do you think of the view?"

Zhou An looked out the window; the Yangtze River outside the city seemed exceptionally narrow.

It was evening, and the sunset was particularly beautiful.

"Nanjing was born by the river, integrated with the river, and prospered along the river. Its scenery is truly breathtaking," Zhou An exclaimed.

"What a wonderful phrase! Born by the river, integrated with the river, and prospering alongside the river. These twelve short characters perfectly encapsulate the reasons for Nanjing's prosperity. What a virtuous and talented man!" Hai Simian clapped his hands in approval.

Zhou An smiled and shook his head: "Ziqin, you flatter me. I was just saying it casually."

"That's precisely why Huai De's abilities are so remarkable."

Hai Siqian said, "I've heard that you can see the Yangtze River flowing into the sea from Tongzhou, and it's quite spectacular during the flood season. Has Huai De ever seen it?"

"Qinghe County, where I live, is not located on the banks of the Yangtze River. I was focused on my studies before and had never been there," Zhou An said, shaking his head.

"Dajiang" refers to the Yangtze River. In ancient times, the name for the Yangtze River was not fixed, but the two most common names were "Yangtze River" and "Dajiang".

The two chatted for a while before the food and drinks were served.

"I didn't know what Huai De liked to eat, so I ordered all of Wangjianglou's specialties. I hope Huai De can try them and see if they suit his taste," Hai Simian said with a smile.

"You've troubled Ziqin to spend so much!"

Looking at the exquisite dishes on the table, Zhou An knew they were quite expensive.

After tasting it, I found it to be quite good.

The two ate and chatted, and as they talked, Hai Simian gradually began to take Zhou An seriously.

He was polite to Zhou An because of his grandfather's instructions, and he did not show any contempt, which was entirely due to good family upbringing.

However, because of Zhou An's answer when Hai Xiuyuan tested him that morning, he still felt a bit of contempt for him.

But when you actually start chatting, you'll find that Zhou An can say a few words about anything.

And it wasn't just a casual response; they genuinely had some understanding of it.

Some of his insights even gave him a fresh perspective.

"Huai De, I also participated in the county examination not long ago. The last question mentioned the disaster relief efforts of Minister Fan, asking whether it was his trustworthiness towards the people or the people's trustworthiness?"

Haismian asked, "What does Huaide think is more important?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou An pondered. Hai Simian was referring to something he knew.

Back then, Fan Daxiang was ordered to go to the local area to provide disaster relief. At the same time, he encouraged local wealthy households and temples and Taoist monasteries to carry out large-scale construction projects. In this way, the disaster victims could be employed, and the goal of providing relief through work could be achieved.

On the other hand, a small amount of grain was being withheld, causing grain prices to skyrocket.

Grain merchants from nearby counties and prefectures learned of the news and began transporting grain to the disaster area, hoping to make a fortune.

Just then, Fan Xiangong sold the grain in the granary at a low price, thus stabilizing the grain price.

When grain merchants saw the price of grain plummet, there was nothing they could do. After all, they had to pay for the transportation, and they couldn't just ship it back.

Although the grain price was brought down, it was still higher than the local grain price, but it was far from their initial expectations.

In this way, disaster relief was completed without incurring much cost.

However, afterward, Prime Minister Fan was impeached many times because of this incident.

The reason given is that doing so would break the trust of the people.

Those grain merchants weren't stupid either. When Fan Da Xiang Gong's scheme was exposed, some people supported him, while others felt that as a government official, he should be upright and honest, and not rely on deception.