Back to Daming to be a genius

Chapter 75

(PS: The second update has been delivered. It’s past midnight. Please recommend tickets and monthly tickets. By the way, I despise the Crow’s Mouth, the great god of Bailey, and once again auspiciously go to his homeland.)
Young master Zhang was still on his way to Yangzhou one night, next to the famous Slender West Lake 24 Bridge in Yangzhou, the river was lit on the sandy shore, cloud sails obstructed the Pu bridge, the flower boats were dense like clouds, and the lake surface was illuminated by colorful lights. A sound of silk and bamboo and laughter, interspersed with guessing orders, singing and drinking, it is really a peaceful scene everywhere.And in the middle of the flower boats, on the largest flower boat, more than [-] most prestigious salt merchants in Yangzhou, led by Wang Fuguang and Qiao Chengwang, the two largest salt merchants in Yangzhou, were drinking and listening to music on board. While waiting for the arrival of Li Jiaguo and Li Jiabin, the current heads of the Li Sancai Chamber of Commerce, the largest chamber of commerce in the north.But every salt merchant's face is full of worries, even in the face of wine and beauties, they are frowning and have no interest at all.

"Push, push, push." ​​After a long time, hurried footsteps and shouts from the Li family brothers finally sounded on the stairs of the flower boat, "Mr. Wang, Mr. Qiao, are you all here?" "Mr. Wang, If people don’t arrive neatly, send someone to call them over immediately, just received the news that Zhang Haogu’s little dog will arrive in Yangzhou the day after tomorrow, if you don’t make preparations, it will be too late!”

"Don't worry, Mr. Li, we are all in order." Wang Fuguang went up to greet him, pointed to the twenty or so salt merchants present and said, "In Yangzhou City, there are [-] nests (also known as nests, I have invited all the salt merchants above Yanyin), not one of them is missing." Qiao Chengwang next to him also asked anxiously: "Brother Jiaguo, brother Jiabin, how are you doing? Zhang Haogu gave us Yangzhou that little dog. How much silver is the salt merchant's limit for donations? Have you found out?"

"Don't worry, we'll talk about it when we catch our breath." The Li brothers sat on the chairs Wang Fuguang had prepared for them, first put their arms around two young prostitutes, gnawed on their faces, and drank two more cups of tea.Li Jiaguo, who had deliberately bumped Mr. Zhang's boat at Tongzhou Wharf, gasped and said, "Don't worry, Zhang Haogu's little dog is hypocritical and didn't force Yangzhou to set a donation amount. There is also no provision for the amount of donations.”

"Thank you, thank you." The twenty-odd salt merchants headed by Wang Fuguang and Qiao Chengwang smiled, and the frowning faces just now were swept away.Qiao Chengwang also bowed his hands to the north, and said with a smile on his face: "The emperor is wise and sent a good official like Zhang Haogu to raise funds for disaster relief. We were worried that the people sent by Wei Laogou would at least pay 50 taels of silver. Half of the disaster relief funds were allocated to us, and we were forced to pay! It seems that the rumors are wrong, this Zhang Haogu is still a good official, and he knows how to understand the difficulties of our salt merchants."

"That's right, there are not many such good officials these days." Other salt merchants echoed, "If this Zhang Haogu is as dark-hearted as Li Shi and Cui Chengxiu, then our business will simply be impossible." "That's right, that's right, shopkeeper Chen is so right! God is really hard-nosed, why not send a thunderbolt and kill that dog eunuch Li Shi? Let Zhang Haogu be the Jiangnan weaving eunuch?" "It's best to kill Long Yu The two dog officials Qi and Liu Duo were also chopped off, and these two dog officials are not good things!" "Yes, I planned to donate only 300 taels, because Zhang Haogu is a good person who sympathizes with our salt merchants." In terms of official face, I will donate 320 taels this time."

"My shopkeepers, if you think that Zhang Haogu is a good official, then you are totally mistaken!" Li Sancai's second son, Li Jiabin, sternly yelled, completely shattering the dream of more than [-] big salt merchants in Yangzhou.Li Jiabin said loudly: "Let me tell you, Zhang Haogu's heart is not only darker than that of Li Shi and Cui Chengxiu, but also darker than that of Wei's old dog! You know, just in the east of Wuxi At the Lin Conference, how much money did Zhang Haogu get off with that little dog?"

"How much?" More than twenty salt merchants raised their hearts to their throats again.Li Jiabin grinned, gritted his teeth and said: "More than 10 taels! You can think about it, he can take away 10 taels in a small county like Wuxi, but when he arrives in Yangzhou, he can't scrape your three layers of skin? Also, the Qian family The president of the chamber of commerce, Qian Qianyi, Mr. Qian, was also framed by that little dog Zhang Haogu because he opposed the small dog’s search for people’s wealth, and he is now in the Wuxi jail!”

"10 taels? How dare he scrape 10 taels in such a small place as Wuxi?" The [-] or so Yangzhou salt merchants turned pale again. They were rich but had no power. He was about to die, if the young master Zhang, the eunuch of the eunuch party, asked them for money by force, they really didn't know whether they should give it or not.At that moment, Qiao Chengwang grabbed Li Jiaguo's hand, and begged: "Master Li, you can find a way for us, otherwise that little dog Zhang Haogu will really try to skin us! We are willing to pay more Blood, please the dignitaries in the imperial court to speak for us, as long as we don’t let Zhang Haogu’s little dog wipe us out.”

"Mr. Qiao, you can do it." Li Jiaguo said with a sly smile: "Ten classes of Huai salt, each class is 20 yuan, and for every three hundred catties of salt, you have more than 6 nests in your hand, even 800 nests It’s also 800 million catties of salt, how much do you earn by selling 50 million catties of salt a year? ——That’s all, not counting the smuggled salt you smuggled! The [-] taels that Zhang Haogu plans to raise, you alone All inclusive, I'm afraid you won't go bankrupt, right?"

Qiao Chengwang's pretense was poorly punctured by Li Jiaguo, so he could only cover it up with a dry laugh, and said, "Master Li is joking, how dare my Qiao Chengwang's family property compare with yours, Mr. Li and Mr. Li? And our money is also the same. It was earned by bleeding and sweating, and Zhang Haogu’s little dog wanted to scrape it away with his mouth, which is really confusing and annoying.” Other salt merchants echoed, saying: “Yes, we The money was not picked up, so why should you give it to Zhang Haogu's little dog? How many 10 taels of silver, you can hear it when you throw it into the water, and give it to Zhang Haogu for nothing What good can we do, little dog?"

"Okay, since you don't want to throw the silver into the water, then I'll give you an idea." Li Sancai's second son, Li Jiabin, said darkly: "As long as you follow my idea, I will keep you safe from this danger." After a catastrophe, let Zhang Haogu's little dog go back empty-handed."

"Second Young Master, please advise." More than twenty salt merchants pricked up their ears.Li Jiabin said with a sinister smile: "It's very simple. Our two brothers have already made inquiries for you. Zhang Haogu will probably arrive in Yangzhou the day after tomorrow. You will send people from your nephew and nephew to meet the eunuch the day after tomorrow under the banner of welcoming the imperial envoy." Dog, by the way, donate money to the little dog—each person donates 200 taels of silver to deal with the situation! Anyway, the little dog didn’t set the amount of donation for you, everyone donated once, and he was ashamed to ask you for it A second time?"

"But donate only one or two hundred or two lines? Our Yangzhou salt merchants are very popular, so donating only so little, I'm afraid it's not justified?" Wang Fuguang asked worriedly.Li Jiabin spread his hands and said with a sinister smile: "What are you afraid of? Zhang Haogu's little dog just asked you to donate money, but didn't ask you to donate how much. Each of you donating 200 taels of silver is also a donation. Donating one tael of silver Don't you donate?"

"That's the truth, but we donated too little, and Zhang Haogu forced us to donate more?" Wang Fuguang was still a little worried.Li Jiaguo interjected and said with a smile: "Mr. Wang, I really don't know what you are afraid of? Zhang Haogu's little dog is just an imperial envoy to raise funds for disaster relief, not the Lianghuai Salt Envoy sent by the imperial court to supervise the censor. You guys Even if he doesn't donate a tael of silver, what can he do to you? Besides, the two dog officials, Long Yuqi and Liu Duo, haven't been fed by you long ago? As long as they don't come forward to force you , what face are you giving Zhang Haogu to that little dog?"

"Zhang Haogu's little dog is a big celebrity in front of Jiu Qiansui, what if he sues Jiu Qiansui?" A Yangzhou salt merchant asked worriedly.Li Jiabin laughed and replied: "This is even easier. We have all found out clearly. The little dog Zhang Haogu came to Jiangnan on business this time. Wei Zhongxian's nephew Wei Liangqing and nephew Fu Yingxing also came, and now they live in Lianghuai. Yan Fadao, Long Yuqi’s family, you first gave money to Wei Zhongxian’s nephew and nephew, and asked them to speak for you, does Zhang Haogu dare to go to Wei Zhongxian to sue Wei Zhongxian?"

"Good idea, let's do it like this!" All the salt merchants applauded and said with a smile: "Yes! I would rather give the silver to my nephew who is nine thousand years old, and it is definitely not cheap for Zhang Haogu's little dog, cheap for those stinky dogs. Muddy legs! At the very least, there may be times when you can use a nine-thousand-year-old nephew in the future." "Yes, let's do this, let Long Yuqi invite the nine-thousand-year-old nephew and nephew out tomorrow, and feed them first , Let them clean up Zhang Haogu's little dog!"

Seeing the smiling faces of more than [-] Yangzhou salt merchants, Li Jiaguo and Li Jiabin brothers also looked at each other and smiled, and Li Jiabin said in a low voice: "My shopkeepers, but don't underestimate Zhang Haogu's A scheming little dog, if he figured out some tricks to bypass Wei Liangqing and Fu Yingxing, he might steal money from you again. But you don't have to be too afraid, just remember one thing, ignore Zhang Haogu If you don't meet, he will have nothing to do with you! If he takes the initiative to come to you, or asks Long Yuqi and Liu Duo to come forward to summon you, you will do this..."

"Hahahahaha, Second Master Li really has a clever plan. The little dog Zhang Haogu must leave Yangzhou empty-handed this time." Finally, when Li Jiabin finished speaking, the Yangzhou salt merchants had already burst into laughter.Seeing that the plan has been decided, Wang Fuguang, the number one salt lord in Yangzhou, said: "Okay, since everyone has discussed how to deal with Zhang Haogu's little dog, then let's stop staring and sit down and have a drink. By the way, I have another piece of good news to tell you all, Miss Yang Wanyang, a famous Qinhuai courtesan, has also arrived in Yangzhou, and I spent a thousand taels of silver to invite her to this flower boat to sing her new song for us!"

"Yang Wan? Is that Miss Yang who is the best in cursive script in the south of the Yangtze River? I have heard of her name in Tongzhou!" Li Jiaguo asked in surprise.Wang Fuguang nodded and said with a smile: "That's right, it's Yang Wan, Uncle Yang Wan. Miss Yang is the No. 1 prostitute in Qinhuai. , Xian Nanqu, good at calligraphy and painting, both talented and beautiful, even if ordinary people want to see her beautiful face, it is as difficult as going to heaven!"

"Then what are you waiting for, Mr. Wang? Why don't you invite Miss Yang out?" Li Jiaguo slapped the table and shouted.The other salt merchants and Li Jiabin also yelled, "Yes, yes, invite Miss Yang out to see her, we can't wait."

"Everyone, my little girl has already arrived." A clear and sweet voice came from behind the screen, but it didn't wait for any emotion.Li Jiaguo and his group held their breath, a figure flashed behind the lady's screen, and a young girl with a pipa in her arms came out gracefully and gracefully. She was fifteen or sixteen years old, with a light red dress, and her beautiful long hair was casually loose, graceful and charming. Although her figure is not yet mature, her light red lips and ruddy face exude youthful vigor, but they are like a bud that is about to bloom, charming and moving.If there are any shortcomings, it is that the expression on that pretty face is too cold, like an iceberg, which makes people unable to touch it, and the Li family brothers and Yangzhou Yanshang who were present couldn't help but have a thought, "This little beauty , if you smile, it will look better."

"Miss Yang, let me introduce you. These two are Li Sancai's sons and daughters. This is Mr. Qiao Chengwang Qiao, who was born in the first dynasty. This is Mr. Chen Diqiao, the famous big salt in Yangzhou city. Shang..." Wang Fuguang went forward to welcome Yang Wan and introduced everyone present one by one.Yang Wan nodded and saluted one by one, and said hello in a soft voice. Finally, after Wang Fuguang finished his introductions, Yang Wan said softly: "You two Mr. Li, gentlemen, Wanfu Jin'an, my daughter has a new song called "Drunk and Lost", please give pointers to the two sons and the masters."

"Okay." The Li family brothers and all the salt merchants applauded loudly while staring greedily at Yang Wan's figure and face.And Yang Wan didn't say much, just sat on the flower boat platform, held the pipa straight, stared at the front coldly with her beautiful eyes, stroked the cold and white fingers, and moved the strings, like jade ringing pearls, oriole singing swallows, like The sound of Tian Lai's singing also sounded:

"Spring boudoir

How much is spring?The flowers are bright and the willows are dark.In the air, incense swarms of bees dance.Cui Wei Zhang Tian, ​​people in the depths.

Listening to the sound of urging the flowers to rain again, Yan Yingkong provokes melancholy.The title flower has already passed the east wall.Fresh water and fragrant mud, don't let the spring breeze go wrong. "

The singing is elegant, and every sentence is matched with the rhyme of the pipa, sometimes like flowing water, sometimes like silver bells and tinkling, and the last sentence "Don't let the spring breeze make mistakes", the sound of the pipa flows slowly, and everyone present It was refreshing to hear, some closed their eyes intently, and some shook their heads.After the sound of the pipa stopped, the brothers of the Li family and all the salt merchants in Yangzhou applauded.Li Jiaguo also shook his head and said: "The lyrics are wonderful, the music is wonderful, and the singing voice is even better! Seriously, this song should only exist in the sky, how many times can we hear it in the world? Miss Yang, you can really be called the word 'God of Songs'!"

"Yes, yes, Miss Yang's singing voice is indeed worthy of the word 'God of Songs'." More than [-] Yangzhou salt merchants nodded like chickens pecking at rice, loudly echoing Li Jiaguo's deliberate flattery, but they were wondering how to get this The little beauty who is a showman but not a body is put on the bed and trampled hard.But Yang Wan remained calm, and only said softly and modestly: "Young Master Li, I'm so honored."

"No award, no award." Li Jiaguo shook his head again and again, and asked with a smile on his face: "Miss Yang, I have heard that you are a performer rather than a body. I don't know where Miss Yang's heart belongs? Is Xiaosheng lucky? , a girl named Fangze?"

Yang Wan didn't answer, but just shifted her indifferent gaze out of the window, staring at the lake under the moon lit by the lights of the flower boats outside the window, and said softly in her heart: "Yes, when will my sweetheart appear?"

…………

"Ah-choo! Ah-choo!" At the same time, on the surface of the canal, Young Master Zhang, who was admiring the moon under the moon, sneezed twice, rubbed his nose, and muttered: "Swearing, thinking, and catching a cold, it must be the big one." My wife, Xiong Hu, is missing me again... Mr. Zhang, where are you going? You called me out to enjoy the moon, why did you go back right after you came out? Why are you smashing the teacup again? This ship is an official ship, and everything on it It was bought with money from the state, and if you smash it, I will have to pay for it... Don’t, don’t, don’t smash it, my salary for this month will be gone!”

Note: Yang Wan, courtesy name Uncle Wan, was a famous prostitute in Jinling and Qinhuai in the late Ming Dynasty, a famous female talent in the late Ming Dynasty, good at poetry and singing, and wrote four volumes of Zhong Shan Xian, one volume of "Sequel", and one volume of "Continuation" .When Yang Wan was 16 years old, she married Mao Yuanyi, who was a concubine of Sun Chengzong's family. Later, she was selected by Tian Hong and sent to the palace at the same time as Chen Yuanyuan. The year of birth is unknown, but Mao Yuanyi has been stationed in Liaodong for a long time. Wan should be 15 years old now.

(End of this chapter)