In the Jiang Mansion, a man was standing in the living room. He clasped his hands and hung them in front of him, looking a little restrained, but even so, he still looked up and looked around from time to time, appearing to be very curious about such a luxurious mansion.
The place where Jiang Mansion is located is surrounded by the famous families and dignitaries of Chang'an. This quiet place in the middle of the bustle is a rare treasure in the city. From the outside, the Jiang Mansion looks unremarkable, but when you enter the Jiang family's front door, it's something special. As soon as we entered the door, a large wall was erected on the wide ground. On the wall, a huge four-character "Fu Zhong Lang Huan" was engraved on it, which means "Open the door to see luck." Bypassing these words, you need to climb three steps in a row from the corridor to the living room opposite the door, which means "upgrading three levels in a row". The corridor is so wide that two four-horse carriages can travel parallel to each other. There are six independent courtyards in the mansion, with rings adjacent to each other and surrounding the living room in the center. Behind the living room is the main courtyard, where the head of the Jiang family lives. The gardens and green ponds in the courtyard are even more natural, elegant and ingenious, with exotic flowers and stones, each with its own characteristics. There is a gold plaque in the most eye-catching place in the reception room, with the four characters "Business Dao has ambition" written on it. These four characters, with flying dragons and phoenixes, are majestic and majestic. They were personally given by the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.
Although the Jiang family was as wealthy as the country and was the richest man in the Tang Dynasty, why was it that a businessman was so favored and respected among the princes and nobles? It turns out that the Jiang family has been a businessman for generations, and they often generously donated money to save the country and the people during times of national crisis. Back then, when the Tang Dynasty was in chaos and the Tang treasury was empty, the ancestors of the Jiang family donated all their money to the court, and the whole family ate porridge to survive. day. After the war, the late emperor felt his righteous deed and gave these four characters to the Jiang family. It means that businessmen also have feelings for family and country and the ambition to serve the country. Since then, the Jiang family has become a famous family in the Tang Dynasty, and its business has been unimpeded in the Tang Dynasty. In recent years, there are even rumors that it has become the largest businessman in the Central Plains.
Facing the Jade Tower and Golden Pavilion in the Jiang Mansion, I am afraid that even other dignitaries would be amazed when they saw it, so you can't blame the master for looking around.
The master was fidgeting in the living room, holding a bamboo stick in his hand. Because he held it too tightly, his palms were slightly sweaty. After a while, a sound full of vicissitudes but vigorous and powerful came from the back of the living room.
"Master has been waiting here for a long time. I am here to apologize to Master -"
The Master hurriedly followed the sound and saw an ancient old man walking from the back courtyard with a gloomy wooden crutch. The old man has white hair and a childish face, and is energetic. In his hand is a cane carved with dragons and jade. You can tell at a glance that it was made by a famous artist. There is a basalt beast on the armrest with a jade clam bead in its mouth, which is eye-catching.
The old man walked vigorously to the front of the court and was about to bow. The master couldn't help but panic when he saw this, and hurriedly stepped forward to support the old man with both hands, and said: "The old lady is really hurting me. How can I deserve such a courtesy from the old lady?".
"Haha, I feel guilty for keeping you waiting for so long!"
"The old lady is serious! It is my blessing to see the old lady in person. I am a frog in the well. I have never seen the splendor of the Jiang Mansion, so I am restless. I hope the old lady will not be surprised!"
"Master, please sit down. Someone is here! Why don't you show me some tea?"
After saying that, he gestured with his left hand and asked the master to sit down.
After a while, a maid took a cup and looked at the tea. The tea was poured into the cup, and the fragrance of tea overflowed, refreshing the heart and mind.
The master sat down awkwardly. He first invited Jiang Taigong to have tea. After Jiang Taigong drank, he carefully picked up the teacup.
"This time, I have a husband to run over and bring my grandson's test card."
Only then did the Master remember the purpose of his trip, and hurriedly stood up and handed the bamboo sticks to Jiang Taigong with both hands.
This bamboo stick is engraved on both sides, with 'Xintang, Chang'an, Jiang Changming' engraved on the front and 'Chu Liu, Chen Shi, Jiazi Chang, No. 1' on the back.
Jiang Taigong took the bamboo stick, looked at it, and then put it in his sleeve. He smiled and said to the master: "It's hard work, it's hard work."
After speaking, he raised his hand to the maid behind him. The maid understood this and took out a jade plate from the edge of the table. Several silver ingots were placed on the jade plate.
"It's a little care, but it's not a salute." Jiang Taigong said with a smile.
The master's eyes widened when he saw the silver, but he kept waving his hands and said, "Oh, how can I do this? But how can such a generous gift be given to me with a little effort? I can't do it, I can't do it..."
"Master, please don't be polite. My grandson is practicing hard in the room today. It would be rude not to come out to meet him. It's just a small amount, Master, just accept it."
"It's not rude, it's not rude! Mr. Jiang wants to be a disciple. He is so talented and yet he studies hard and practices hard, which is very admirable."
"Haha, that's a prize..."
Jiang Taigong looked at the Master with a smile. The Master himself felt that there was no need to stay any longer, so he stood up quickly and said: "The affairs in the courtyard are busy, I will take my leave now!"
"Master, please accept these gifts of thanks."
How can Master not be greedy for this money? It was just a polite word just now, but if you don't accept it now, you will be ignorant. So he smiled and said: "Hey, why is this so embarrassing? Then...that boy accepted the old lady's kindness, thank you very much!"
The old man smiled and said, "That master is easy to walk. I have inconvenient legs and feet, so I will send him off not far away."
"Old Mrs. Jiang, you don't have to be polite. You can go out on your own!"
After saying that, before the maid came to see him off, the master ran out in a short burst of steps.
When Jiang Taigong saw his master exiting, he got up and walked to the east courtyard. How could this pace be inconvenient for his legs and feet?
…
At the gate of the east courtyard of Jiang Mansion, a family stood outside the gate. He put his hands on his hips to block all the maids and wives who were about to enter, and spoke plausibly——
"The eldest young master said that no one is allowed to enter the courtyard. The cold examination ceremony will be held in a few days. The eldest young master is practicing diligently, so please don't disturb..."
"Open the door—"
Perhaps the servant raised his head too high and did not see the person coming from the side. Hearing that this person was so ignorant of current affairs, he yelled angrily: "Huh? Didn't you hear what I said! The young master said..."
The servant was about to get angry and reprimand this ignorant person, but when he turned around and looked, he staggered with fright and quickly said flatteringly——
"Oh! It's the old lady. I'm so blind that I didn't notice the old lady coming..."
With that said, the servant hurriedly opened the door and respectfully welcomed Taigong Jiang into the house. After the old lady entered the house, he carefully closed the door for fear of making any noise. Finally, he returned to his previous position with his hands on his hips and stared at the servants coming and going.
Jiang Taigong was in a good mood today, and he sang a little tune all the way into the courtyard.
In the courtyard, a man was practicing. This man has bright eyes like stars, a face like silver and jade, sword-shaped eyebrows and a pointed nose, and is extremely handsome. At first glance, he appears to be both scholarly and elegant, feminine and soft, but upon closer inspection, he turns out to be both arrogant and arrogant, masculine and strong. It is not clear whether it is a fairy in the sky or a demon in the mountains.
The man seemed to be intoxicated in his cultivation and did not notice anyone coming into the courtyard. Until Mrs. Jiang smiled and said with concern: "My dear grandson, it's almost noon, why don't you take a rest?"
When the man heard the sound, he immediately stopped his efforts and turned around to see Jiang Taigong looking at him with a smile, his eyes full of care.
"Changming was deep in cultivation and didn't notice grandpa coming." Jiang Changming quickly saluted.
Seeing the scorching sun, Jiang Taigong felt a little sorry for his grandson, so he said: "Come, sit down and rest quickly, don't get caught in the heat."
Jiang Changming helped the old lady sit down in the pavilion next to him, then picked up the teapot and poured tea for his grandfather.
"Haha, good, good, good..."
Jiang Taigong smiled and said "good" several times. He took the cup and took a sip before placing the cup on the stone table. Then he took out the bamboo stick from his sleeve, handed it to Jiang Changming, and said, "This is the test card for the cold exam. Grandpa has got it for you."
Jiang Changming took the bamboo stick with both hands and was stunned for a long time.
Jiang Taigong knew what his grandson was thinking, so he encouraged him: "Changming, Grandpa doesn't care at all whether he can pass this cold test. You...just have a calm mind."
Jiang Changming remained silent, but nodded.
Seeing that his grandson was still like this, the old man continued: "My grandson, there are only a handful of people in the world who can match your talent and cultivation, but because of this, grandpa is worried about you..."
The old man was concerned about his grandson's feelings and did not tell the whole story. He was naturally worried that Jiang Changming was very angry and would definitely compete with Ji Yang. He was also afraid that his grandson would be too obsessed with it and in the end his mind would be swallowed up by this obsession. .
Jiang Changming was an extremely filial person. He didn't want his grandfather to worry, so he forced himself to smile and said, "Grandpa, don't worry, my grandson has his own plans."
Jiang Taigong wanted to speak again, but he swallowed the words again. He deeply understood Jiang Changming's temperament and knew that it would be in vain to continue talking.
Seeing that he could not persuade his grandson for a while, the old man sighed helplessly and stood up to leave the yard.
When Jiang Changming saw this, he quickly stood up and helped him off.
After arriving at the gate of the courtyard, Jiang Taigong turned around and said: "Practice is practice, you must eat this meal, don't starve your stomach. Later I will ask the maid to bring some food, you must eat it obediently" , did you hear that?”
"yes."
Jiang Changming knew that his grandfather felt sorry for him, so he agreed.
When Jiang Taigong saw that his grandson was both persistent and filial, he smiled helplessly. He raised his hand and patted Jiang Changming's arm, then walked briskly to the main courtyard on crutches.
