Picturesque Rivers and Mountains in the Red Chamber

Chapter 156 3.63 No wonder the eldest prince hosted a family banquet

Volume Three

3.63 No wonder the eldest prince hosted a family banquet

At noon that day, on the third floor of Wanfu Building.

"I have met His Highness, His Highness Yongchang, His Highness Yongjing!" He arrived at the place half an hour early and almost sat and waited. It was not until noon that Zhou Yang and Xue Baoqin heard the noise in front of the door; People hurried to the door of the room and saluted the three royals who were going upstairs.

"Thank you Zhou Aiqing!" The eldest prince Guo Kai nodded with a smile, and then he was the first to enter the room, followed by Princess Yongchang who gave him a white eye, Princess Yongjing who gave him a grimace, and finally Dongfang Bing who followed, and the banquet was over Just these people and nothing else.

"Sit down!" After Zhou Yang led the nervous Xue Baoqin through the door, he heard Princess Yongchang pointing to the seat near the door and saying - Xue Baoqin didn't have a seat, and she was not qualified to sit at the table, "You didn't go to court today. But let all the civil and military officials in the court know that there is a martial artist named Zhou Yang who is particularly good at fighting, and can kill dozens of people with a horse-breaking sword."

"I have heard Aunt Yongchang talk about Zhou Aiqing's skills, but I have never paid much attention to it. Only today did I know that Aiqing is like this!" The eldest prince came over with a smile on his face, carrying a wine bottle, and poured a glass for Zhou Yang himself, "Father, the emperor was at the court meeting. I have personally said that what Ai Qing can do will definitely be of great use in the future."

"Your Majesty, I am so kind to you, I will never forget it!" Zhou Yang stood up respectfully, saluted in the direction of the palace before taking a sip of his wine glass, "Your Highness has taken care of me, and I, too, am shattered to pieces, which is not enough repayment!"

"Ai Qing's words are serious!" Guo Kai smiled and nodded. After sitting down, he started to pick up the food. "Okay, today I invited Ai Qing to a banquet. It was just to talk about family affairs. This opening actually brought the topic to the government affairs. "Try it, Aunt Yongchang's taste is something I often miss."

"Yeah!" A certain little princess who was holding a bad duck paw and munching on it couldn't speak because her mouth was full, and she kept nodding in agreement.

"Stupid girl, you just know how to eat!" Princess Yongchang gave her sister a gentle tap, not forgetting to hand over a bowl of chicken soup to prevent her from choking. After she was done, she looked at Xue Baoqin who was standing behind Zhou Yang and asked, " I'm just talking, and I haven't asked this little sister about her identity yet."

"Your Highness, this is Baoqin, the second sister of the Xue family in Jinling. The Xue family has been the royal merchant of the Zhou Dynasty for generations since the ancestor Ziwei Sheren. It has been passed down to three generations now." Zhou Yang introduced with a smile, "It just so happened that today they The brother and sister came to the door and brought something that His Highness Yongjing asked for a few days ago. I was afraid that I couldn't explain it clearly, so I asked her to come and explain it in person."

"Oh? She's quite a cutie!" Princess Yongchang smiled and pushed her sister with shining eyes back onto the chair. "Bing'er, give this sister another chair and place it next to Zhou Jinshi - —But the 'music box' you mentioned last time? Since it happened to be brought from the south, there must be more than one, right?"

"Girl Qin, bring it here!" Zhou Yang said with a smile.

"Yes, Brother Zhou!" Xue Baoqin nodded nervously, with a stiff expression on her little face. She turned around and picked up a brocade box from the corner behind the door with some difficulty and handed it to Zhou Yang, and then she said softly. , "Go back to Your Highness Yongchang, this is a set that my father got from the Red Hair Country. There are eight of them in total, and they are all here."

"Your Highness, you can take a look first." Zhou Yang smiled and opened the brocade box with his own hands, and then handed it to Dongfang Bing, who came here specially. "I have tried these eight ministers, and they are better than the one last time. At least the sound is better." It sounds more pleasant, the spring is more powerful, and the workmanship is much better. I think it is a high-quality product."

"Hehe, thank you Brother Zhou!" Princess Yongjing only looked at the toys from Dongfang Bing's hand, but did not pay attention to her title, which made the eldest prince Guo Kai frown, "I will take it back this time, and let the concubine Take a good look at it, so that she doesn’t have to hold that one all day long and get tired of hearing it.”

"Aunt Yongjing, have you eaten the food first?" Guo Kai said with a smile, "Zhou Aiqing has had a glass of wine since arriving here. I'm afraid she hasn't eaten anything yet. At least she can't let others fill her stomach. Do you want to work?"

"Hehe, let him be hungry!" His Highness Yongjing, who had long been familiar with the game, didn't care at all. He returned to the inner room with a box of toys, but he didn't know that her familiarity made the eldest prince Guo Kai frown. , "Anyway, he's in such good health, it doesn't matter if he's hungry!"

"Zhou Aiqing, sit down and have something to eat!" Guo Kai smiled, pointed to a table of dishes and said, "It will be cold if you don't eat."

"Yes, Your Highness!" Zhou Yang bowed respectfully, and then sat down to eat. I have to say that the dishes arranged by Princess Yongchang were indeed delicious, and he had a large appetite. If he hadn't been able to control it, he would have "emptied the food" in front of him. "Well, fortunately, there is Dongfang Bing as a waiter, who often rotates the table, so it doesn't look too ugly.

The scene was silent for a while. Except for the sound of Princess Yongjing playing the music box from time to time, there was only the occasional sound of clinking bowls and chopsticks. After drinking tea, seeing that the eldest prince had finished eating, Zhou Yang put down his chopsticks. .

"Don't mind Zhou Aiqing. I still have some things to deal with today. You and Aunt Yongchang are no strangers. If you have any questions, it's the same with her." Guo Kai stood up with a smile and nodded. He looked at Xue Baoqin and said, "Three generations of the Xue family are I will certainly not forget the royal service. If anything happens, you can go to Aunt Yongchang and say something." "Thank you, Your Highness, for your grace!" Xue Baoqin knelt down and saluted excitedly.

"Okay, get up, girl Qin. Just follow my instructions in the morning." After watching Guo Kai go out, Zhou Yang smiled and pulled Xue Baoqin up, then turned to Princess Yongchang and said, "Why, today's court will be very... Is it troublesome?"

"How big a trap you have made yourself, don't you have some idea in your mind?" Dongfang Bing glared at him angrily, and after Princess Yongchang nodded, he sat down to eat, "The Ministry of Rites threw out a minister, and each department must at least get one. The two first-level officials of the doctor, Yushitai and Hanlin Academy together lost more than [-] people. Many of these poor Hanlin and rotten censors took money from the Tiger Gang, especially the patrol censor Yamen. Four people had their homes confiscated and interrogated. cut.

Even Liu Lun, the Minister of Rites, was upset because the most serious problem was with him. Fortunately, the Liu family didn't get involved, otherwise they might not have been able to get through this time. On the contrary, it was Wu Xun's side, because they were all handed down from ancestors. Most of the family business has not been fixed except for a few items that are not on the table and have been liquidated. "

"Most of it means." Zhou Yang frowned.

"Have you guessed it?" Princess Yongchang said sarcastically, "The two stewards of the Ningguo Mansion are on close terms with the Tiger Gang. If it weren't for Jia Jing's sake, would His Majesty have spared them? He also issued an oral reprimand. The Zongzong Mansion sent people over and beat Jia Zhen twenty times to punish him for his inability to manage the family."

"Brother Zhen" Zhou Yang smiled bitterly and shook his head, feeling too lazy to say more.

"Okay, those poor people suffered heavy losses this time. When Wu Xun left the court, everyone was laughing so hard that they could hardly stand up straight." Dongfang Bing put down his chopsticks and said, "The civil servants have suffered a big loss. Fortunately, you It was just a name, and a few words of praise from His Majesty. Qiu Liang was even praised by the imperial edict for his meritorious service, and was promoted to a noble title. Now he is a third-class son."

"No wonder the eldest prince actually hosted a family banquet." Zhou Yang finally realized that the civil servants had suffered heavy losses, and most of those involved were related to the second prince Guo Yu. The most important person was the official department. "I thought it was because of the money."

"Hmph, if Kai'er really wants money, there are plenty of people in the world who are willing to send it over. Why do you need to rely on business to earn it?" Princess Yongchang said angrily, "Xue Baoqin, right? You and Yongjing girl can stay here. Tell me clearly about the pile of music boxes; come with me, I have something to explain."

In Xue Baoqin's confused eyes, Princess Yongchang went out first. Zhou Yang easily pulled Dongfang Bing to follow. The three of them entered the next room one after another. Mr. Qianhu entered last. As soon as he closed the door, he felt his body rising into the air. He was carried to the bedroom.

"Are you clean?" Zhou Yang asked with eyes wide open. After Dongfang Bing looked away with a blushing face, he pulled Princess Yongchang to his side, "I have helped you so much, should I repay you in return? "

"Hmph!" Pushing him onto Dongfang Bing, Princess Yongchang stood up and straightened her clothes and said, "I'm angry with Bing'er, but I still have something to talk about - did your in-law family interfere with the salt goods? According to news from Jiangnan, for some unknown reason, large quantities of white salt were transported to Songjiang and Jinling by the Xue family’s fleet and then flowed into the market.”

"You want it?" Zhou Yang asked with a smile.

"For a long time, most of the world's salt business has been controlled by Jiangnan salt merchants. This is very detrimental to both the court and the royal family." Princess Yongchang said lightly, "I don't care where you get the salt from. Ship as much cargo as you can, and someone will hand it over to you in Jinmen Town."

"Not now." Zhou Yang shook his head and said in her puzzled eyes, "It's not just the Zhou Dynasty that eats salt. There are also salt fields in Nanyang, Japan and even the Korean Peninsula. Let's find a way to get some goods from there. It’s difficult, but to say that it supplies the entire world is nonsense.

If you want more salt, you can only buy their salt farms and the corresponding relationships to expand the amount of salt produced. This is not something that can be done in a day or two. As for when it will be completed, I can’t guarantee it, but I do believe it. You understand that the Xue family will not let their money go unearned. With your guarantee, they will only become more anxious. "

With the understanding of the long-term relationship, and Dongfang Bing's explicit words or hints more than once, Zhou Yang has been completely sure that Her Royal Highness the Princess cannot be trusted by just a few sweet words or sex. Since it is not completely " "One of our own", he would naturally not hand over the core secrets, and it would be most appropriate to pass them on to "imports".

"That's all." Princess Yongchang nodded, turned around and walked towards the door, "I won't disturb your sweetness. I happen to have something else to do - ah, what are you doing?"

"Who allowed you to go out?" Zhou Yang sneered and pushed her back on the big bed, "I'm not willing to torment Bing'er alone. My princess, you'd better let me enjoy myself before talking!"

(End of this chapter)