In late spring, there is no chill, summer has not yet entered, and there are no cool days hanging in the sky. It is a good time to visit Qujiang Lake.
"That's all, you can just go." Princess Tong'an, who was sitting at the top, smiled and said, "I wonder if the lotus flowers in Qujiang Pond are blooming..."
Just as Wang Renyou was about to reply, the maid outside came in and reported: "Princess, there is a letter from Suizhou."
Princess Tong'an, who had been smiling just now, turned gloomy. She took the letter and glanced at it briefly. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Is he still in that house?"
"Yes." Wang Renyou knew he was asking Wang Renbiao, "But with dozens of slaves and good horses, I'm afraid I will have to change to a big house."
"Um?"
"It is said that businessmen are very profitable." Wang Renyou said softly: "My nephew also persuaded me, but my cousin..."
Princess Tong'an raised her head and glanced, and she knew well that the so-called business profits were made by her in-laws' family. After all, Wang Renbiao was a descendant of the Wang family in Taiyuan, and it was impossible for him to do business himself, otherwise it would be difficult to become an official in the future.
After the room was quiet for a while, Princess Tong'an's expression gradually returned to normal, and she simply said: "You have been in charge of the general affairs of the front yard for the past few months, it's time to clean up."
Wang Renyou handed over his hands and accepted the order, "All purchasing matters really need to be sorted out."
Wang Renyou understood this sentence, it was asking him to kick the Li family out.
At least on the surface, there is no news in Chang'an City that Princess Tong'an treated her concubine harshly. Even if there was, Princess Tong'an was the sister of the saint's mother, and the outside world might accuse Wang Renbiao of disrespecting his illegitimate mother.
A few years ago, Princess Tong'an and Wang Yu returned to Chang'an from Hebei. The former arranged a marriage for the concubine Wang Renbiao despite her husband's objections. No one from the wealthy businessman Li family had been an official for three generations.
After getting married, the Li family was responsible for some of the purchasing affairs in the government. Naturally, the Li family did not dare to make money, but by doing so, they were able to expand their influence and make a lot of money elsewhere.
If Wang Renyou kicks the Li family out, Wang Renbiao's father-in-law Li Fu's status in the business world will drop rapidly, and he might even fall out with Wang Renbiao over this... After all, it is very difficult for Princess Tong'an to become a merchant.
Seeing Wang Renyou leaving happily, Princess Tong'an slowly tore the letter paper into two halves, four halves, eight halves...
No wonder it has been more than three months since she wrote to Suizhou for help. It turns out that Mrs. Li is pregnant, and she has been pregnant for more than five months... Princess Tong'an was so angry that she was itching her teeth. This was obviously saying, yes, she is just afraid of you. He destroyed the Wang family's heirs.
When they arrived at the front yard, Wang Renyou gave a few casual instructions and kicked the Li family off the purchasing list. Anyway, there were many merchants who were willing to show their respect.
"Mr. Lang." A young attendant came closer with a grimace, "That Qiong Yao yarn is really difficult to imitate, and the rest..."
Wang Renyou was stunned for a moment before he realized what he meant, and he couldn't help but said angrily: "If you can't do such a small thing well, what use do you have?!"
Tit-for-tat is not Wang Renyou's impulsive choice. It has very important practical significance for his future.
The fact that Wang Renbiao has long been disliked is just a side story. There are two key reasons. One is that Wang Renyou can't help but daydream that if Wang Renbiao hadn't been there, he would have been able to adopt him... His aunt had no children, and his only daughter married into his former wife. He lived in the harem of Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty and later died of illness in Yangzhou. He will definitely be able to take advantage of the situation.
This reason cannot be said, nor can it be put on the surface... The ones that can be put on the surface are the five surnames and the seven families. In recent years, the power of the Taiyuan Wang family has declined, let alone the Longxi Li family, Boling Cui, and Qinghe family. Compared with Cui, he was far behind Fanyang Lu and Xingyang Zheng.
None of them are important ministers in the court, none of them are titled as princes, not even in the East Palace or the Prince of Qin's Palace... Prince Zhongyun Wang Gui is from the Taiyuan Wang family, but in fact the relationship between him and the Taiyuan Wang family is quite weak, almost just Just a name.
Wang Gui's branch is actually from the Southern Dynasties. Their ancestor is Wang Sengbian, who pacified the Hou Jing Rebellion and was later captured and killed by Chen Baxian. His great-grandfather Wang Shennian did not get along with his tribe at that time, and because of the chaos in the court, he defected to the Southern Dynasty.
Therefore, among the descendants of the Wang family in Taiyuan, only Wang Yu, who is in charge of Suizhou, can be put on the stage. This is because of Princess Shang.
Therefore, if Wang Renyou, who is already in his twenties, wants to become an official and find a good position, he must flatter Princess Tong'an.
Therefore, the more depressed Wang Renbiao is, the more Wang Renyou can win the favor of Princess Tong'an.
After thinking about it for a while, Wang Renyou was a little discouraged. He thought that after the guy was kicked out, he would send a letter to Suizhou to ask for help, and he would continue to toss up and down...
Unexpectedly, the guy gritted his teeth and managed to persevere, and even built a Gewurztraminer shop. He ruined the shop, and even produced Qiong Yao yarn, Qiong Yao silk...
After thinking about it again and again, Wang Renyou was still unwilling to give in. He took a few followers to Dongshi and went straight to Dongshan Restaurant.
"Ninth brother, what a coincidence?"
"Third brother." Wang Renbiao looked calmly at Wang Renyou, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.
Wang Renyou was just about to reprimand him when he saw a few more people walking out of the corner of his eye.
The young man and young man in the back were very unfamiliar, but the two in front... Wang Renyou's face was a little stiff, they were actually Li Kai and Li Zhaode.
Li Kai was a tough guy in the early years. He went to Hebei with his father at the end of last year and made military exploits. It is said that he was praised by the King of Qin. Li Zhaode was famous for his hot temper and looked at him with provocative eyes.
Of course, the most important thing is that the Longxi Li family is so awesome that it can be called the number one family among the seven families with five surnames, and the Danyang house is the well-deserved number one family of the Li family in Longxi.
"Didn't you get someone to bribe the kitchen clerk?" Li Zhaode snorted, "Is it possible that Qiong Yao yarn can't be made?"
"Seeing that the restaurant is making money every day, do you want to do something bad?"
Li Zhaode rolled up his sleeves and took two steps forward. Wang Renyou was shocked and took a few steps back, causing the person behind him to burst into laughter.
"Ahem, shut up!" Li Shan shouted softly: "Want to have your legs broken and dragged back?"
Zhou Zhao obediently closed his mouth, only stretched his neck, and watched this scene with interest.
"What's the matter with Third Brother here?" Wang Renbiao stopped Li Zhaode and said with cupped hands: "If you want to ask for the secret recipe, Third Brother will still give up."
"Ask for it?" Li Zhaode muttered: "Brother Xiaoqing is too merciful."
I stole it last time, but I didn’t steal it this time... Wang Renyou knew very well. He had been to the West Market in the past two days, and the Gewurztraminer shop was no longer crowded, because Dongshan Restaurant is famous for Qiong Yao yarn and Qiong Yao. Shredded stir-fries are a winner, and Gewürztraminer and Gewürztraminer are all significantly reduced in price.
"My aunt heard that my ninth brother is doing business, so I asked my brother to ask..." Wang Renyou changed his tone, "If he is doing business for a living, I'm afraid my uncle won't be able to explain it to me."
"Who said that Xiaoqing is engaged in business?" Li Kai said with a smile: "Xiaoqing is loyal and filial, and he is familiar with classics and history. He will definitely do something in the future. Who is gossiping in front of the eldest princess?"
"Brother Xiaoqing is too loyal and filial..."
"Twelveth brother, shut up!" Li Kai shouted softly, "It was really hard for Xiaoqing to be left alone in Chang'an..."
"Oh, so when Heaven is about to assign a great responsibility to a person, he must first strain his mind, strain his muscles and bones, and starve his body?"
Wang Renyou was so angry that his face turned red. The brothers had gone too far. Not only did they call themselves a talkative woman who sows dissension, but they also brought Princess Tongan with them... but they were still shadowy, and they were talking about Pili Yangqiu.
During the Daye period, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang, and Princess Tong'an and Wang Yu also went to Luoyang. Afterwards, they traveled to the south of the Yangtze River and left the ten-year-old Wang Renbiao in Chang'an... Is this called grinding?
When her husband left Beijing, he immediately kicked out his concubine. Wang Renbiao was so depressed that he was almost hungry... This was called starving his body.
Li Shan and Zhou Zhao behind heard this with great interest. They are both descendants of the Wang family in Taiyuan, one is the legitimate son and the other is the concubine. Wang Renyou's father has not yet served as an official, but he is so favored by Princess An...
Li Shan thought in his heart that he didn't know how old Princess Tong'an was...after all, she was Zang Tang now.
Li Shan didn't know that Princess Tong'an was really kind to Wang Renyou... In history, when Wang Renbiao died of illness, she kicked his wife and children out of the house, and then turned to matchmaking and married Wang Renyou's daughter to Li Zhi, who had been crowned prince. .
Well, Wang Renyou's daughter was the Queen Wang who later led a wolf into the house and allegedly strangled Wu Zetian's daughter to death so that she was deposed.
There was still chattering ahead, and Li Shan was a little impatient. He had a lot of things to do today. Among other things, he had to go to the East and West Market to buy a bronze mirror... Zhu Ba was greedy for cheap yesterday, so he bought that The bronze mirror was too small and unclear, and it was secretly thrown away by Xiaoman who became angry.
"Prince, Prince!"
A sudden shout rang out, and Li Shan turned around to see Wang Renbiao's father-in-law, Li Fu, sweating profusely, and bowed to Wang Renyou repeatedly.
Wang Renyou knew full well that rumors had spread out of the princess's palace, but he was just a businessman. How could Li Fu be able to handle it?
This is a family matter in the princess's house. Even Li Kai and Li Zhaode can't interfere, and they are not qualified to interfere. Their father is either a close associate of King Qin or a confidant of King Qi. How could he offend the saint's sister?
Soon, through Li Fu's plea for mercy to Wang Renyou, both Wang Renbiao and Li Kai understood what happened.
Wang Renbiao knew very well that it must have been the order given by his aunt, and Wang Renyou was bound to intensify his efforts in handling general affairs. His father-in-law, Li Fu, had been in business all his life and had a rich family, but he had no power behind him. He could only kneel down and beg for mercy.
Facing the silence of Li Kai and Wang Renbiao, Wang Renyou smiled proudly. He didn't care about the life or death of the small merchants, but as long as the Li family's assistance to Wang Renbiao was cut off... he believed that Princess Tong'an wanted to see All this is as long as Wang Ren behaves badly.
Li Zhaode on the side finally understood. Just when he was about to take action, a clear voice sounded from behind him.
"Uncle Li." Li Shan took two steps forward, cupped his hands and said, "Brother Xiaoqing will not blame anyone randomly if there is any disagreement...but can I not tell my wife about this?"
Li Fu took two steps back and returned the greeting: "Master Li said, I just ask for your forgiveness. From tomorrow onwards, Dongshan Temple does not need to send any more..."
As soon as these words came out, Li Zhaode was furious, pointed at Li Fu's nose and cursed: "How dare you!"
"Twelfth brother, don't be rude!" Li Kai shouted and glanced at Wang Renbiao, whose face was ashen.
After a moment of silence, Wang Renbiao suddenly walked away and disappeared around the corner in a blink of an eye. Li Kai sent Li Zhaode to follow him, then turned to look at Li Shan with a wry smile, who had a calm face but was cursing in his heart.
Wang Renbiao suddenly ran away because he felt too embarrassed.
Unable to withstand the pressure from the princess's palace, she had no choice but to beg for mercy... Li Shan specifically pointed out that Wang Renbiao would not use this to be hostile to Li Fu, and also asked not to tell the Li family about this... After all, the Li family was still alive and knew about her natal family and her husband. If you fall out, something will happen if you don't do it right.
But Li Fu sold Li Shan backhand... In his words, he told Wang Renyou that the Qiong Yao yarn, Qiong Yao silk, and even the previous Qiong Yao wine in Dongshan Temple were written by this person.
How can this not make Wang Renbiao ashamed?
Zhou Zhao looked at this scene funny, thinking that you went up to ask for a favor, but in the end you shot yourself in the foot... You will be here today too!
"The next step is..." Wang Renyou hesitated a little. The young man in front of him had an extraordinary bearing. His surname was Li, and he was traveling with Li Kai and Li Zhaode. He couldn't be the Li family from Longxi, right?
Li Shan said with a smile: "I am Li Shan, whose ancestral home is Chengji County, Longxi County. He just doesn't dare to climb up to the Li family in Longxi. Now he lives in Dongshan Temple."
Wang Renyou glanced at Li Kai, who was silent on the side, and then looked at Li Fu, knowing that it must be true...otherwise Li Fu would not dare to betray this person.
"There are thirty-two restaurants in Dongshan and more than forty in the West Market. Qiong Yao yarn and Qiong Yao silk taste so good, who wouldn't like it?" Wang Renyou said softly, "Wang has a follower who is the best at this."
Li Shan actually knew Wang Renyou. He met him when he first went to Pingkangfang in Chang'an, but he didn't remember him.
With a faint sigh, Li Shan said helplessly, "It would have been better if Brother Wang had it earlier, but it's a pity that I and Brother Xiaoqing have already made an agreement."
If it were Li Shan in his previous life, he would have done these things if he wanted to. Anyway, it was all for making money...not shabby.
But in this life, Li Shan, among other things, just wanted Wang Renbiao to feel sympathy for him, and he would never agree.
As for offending Wang Renbiao and angering Li Kai and Li Zhaode, whether he would be severely reprimanded by his mother Zhu... Li Shan never thought about it.
"A gentleman loves money and gets it wisely." Li Shan's face gradually became serious, and he glanced at Li Kai beside him with the corner of his eye.
"Brother Xiaoqing left angrily because I can trust you."
"How can I, for a little money, abandon my friends and abandon my righteousness in the pursuit of money?"
No longer paying attention to Wang Renyou, Li Shan took a deep look at the pale Li Fu, turned around and took a few steps forward.
"There is a bronze mirror missing in the bedroom, please ask Brother Demou..."
"Such a trivial matter is of no use." Li Kai smiled and said, "I will pick one for you tonight and send it to you tomorrow."
This was the first time that Li Kai used the title "brother" in front of Li Shan. Obviously, he was very satisfied with Li Shan's performance... performance just now.
Zhou Zhao followed slowly and looked back at Li Fu. Others didn't know it, but he knew that Li Shan was not a good person, and what he did today would definitely pay off.
