On the morning of the next day, Wu Zhirong, the prefect of Yangzhou, came to the Yamen of the Xunyan Censor very early and asked Jia Lian to come to the reception banquet.
He also prepared a very luxurious two-wheel carriage. The carriage alone looked at least three times the size of an ordinary carriage. It was said that it was specially prepared for Jia Lian by his colleagues in Yangzhou in order to let him supervise the salt administration in Yangzhou. During this period, it is convenient to travel.
While Jia Lian was talking to Wu Zhirong, Zhao Sheng and others arrogantly pushed aside the government officials around the carriage. After checking the carriage inside and out, they replaced the government officials and guarded the carriage. This scene undoubtedly made Wu Zhirong and others' eyes flicker, but they did not dare to say anything.
"In that case, I would like to thank Mr. Wu and all my colleagues in Yangzhou."
Of course Jia Lian would not be polite at this time. Anyway, he did not have to maintain his reputation or advocate frugality in this gentle and wealthy town. But after getting on the carriage, he was still a little surprised by the luxury inside.
The spacious carriage is fully equipped with tables, chairs and other utensils, making it even more luxurious.
The most important thing is that there are two young and beautiful maids sitting on their knees. Wearing only thin and elegant clothes in the cold weather, they look delicate and endearing.
Jia Lian was wondering why Zhao Sheng and others didn't drive the two girls out, but when he saw Aqi and Aqin coming in right after him, he knew that they probably knew there was someone else in the carriage, so they came in to accompany them.
So Jia Lian didn't do anything. He just sat in his seat, sipping tea, feeling the stability of the car, and admiring the beauties. Soon he came to the imperial envoy's cabin originally prepared for him by the Yangzhou government.
A large group of people were waiting outside to greet him, and Jia Lian couldn't tell who was who. They were probably just Yangzhou officials and representatives of more than 20 salt merchants.
"What do you think of this garden, sir?"
As a local official, Wu Zhirong had no one to compete with him for the first place beside Jia Lian. Therefore, while walking in the carriage, Wu Zhirong asked with a smile when Jia Lian was most interested in viewing the scenery in the garden.
"Yes, I have long heard that Suzhou's gardens are the best in the world, and I have been lucky enough to see them. Unexpectedly, when I came here today, I felt that these Yangzhou gardens are just as good as Suzhou's.
In terms of the Jiangnan gardens that I have ever seen, this is the first. "
"Hehehe, this is the garden under the name of President Zhou of the local salt shop. President Zhou has long heard of your reputation. When he heard that your Excellency was coming to supervise the salt administration, he voluntarily took out this garden for preparation. It is used as a place to receive your lords."
Wu Zhirong briefly introduced the origin of the garden, and then introduced to Jia Lian the leader of the salt merchants, Chairman Zhou.
Zhou Boru, the president of Yangzhou Salt Bank, is a man in his fifties, of medium build, and looks very shrewd.
Seeing Jia Lian's eyes glance at him, he quickly made an attentive look. After complimenting Jia Lian's glorious deeds in the past, he smiled and said: "This garden was handed down from the old father's hands. Not only has it not been restored over the years. People live in it, but they spend a lot of money on repairs and care every year.
It's rare that you think it's not bad. If you don't dislike it, I will donate this garden to you. On the one hand, it will reduce the burden on my Zhou family, and on the other hand, you can have a simple place to stay when you visit Yangzhou in the future. "
Salt administration was an important tax administration of the imperial court. There were four salt patrol censors in the entire Wei Dynasty.
The most important presidents of the four major salt guilds were not just self-established by the private sector, but were supervised by the court. Among them, the president and vice president are all people with official titles from the Ministry of Household Affairs. Although the rank is low, there is no need to call oneself a commoner when meeting an official.
At this time, hearing that he wanted to send Jia Lian to the garden as soon as they met, even the officials of Yangzhou Prefecture were stunned.
The garden that can be selected by them as a garden to welcome the imperial envoy is first-class in terms of size and scale.
First of all, the value of such a garden is at least one hundred thousand taels. This week, Zhou Boru actually gave it away as soon as they met?
Even if his Zhou family were the largest salt merchants in Yangzhou and even the entire world, they wouldn't be so arrogant, right? For a time, Wu Zhirong and others were envious of the Zhou family's strong financial resources, and at the same time they also admired the old man's courage. It was true that the courage of the old man was not comparable to that of several other salt merchants. No wonder the Zhou family was able to stand at the Yangzhou Salt Store for several days even when the emperor got up early. Ten years without failure.
Jia Lian was naturally stunned.
According to him, this garden, both in terms of size and beauty, should be the best among gardens in the world. Are you going to give it to the Zhou family as soon as they meet?
You know, the construction of such a garden would be a huge burden for any family in the world. Just look at the fact that the royal family sometimes wanted to build a garden for enjoyment, but it was easy to be blocked by the courtiers on the grounds of excessive consumption of the treasury.
Not to mention, the Jia family almost drained their entire family fortune in order to build a Grand View Garden.
Of course, although the beauty of this garden is no worse than that of Grand View Garden, its cost is certainly much lower than that of Grand View Garden.
The gardens in the south of the Yangtze River focus on elegance, while the gardens in Beijing focus on splendor and grandeur. Take the Grand View Garden as an example. It is just the main hall of the Grand View Tower - the future palace of Yuanchun. It is enough to build such a garden in Jiangnan.
But no matter what, this garden is at least one hundred thousand taels, and it may even be more than two hundred thousand taels.
I believe no one in the world would dislike such a good thing.
Jia Lian couldn't help but feel a little moved at the first moment, and even unconsciously developed some affection for Zhou Boru, but after thinking about it, Jia Lian still shook his head.
Your altitude determines your horizons. Although the value of this garden may be higher than his current net worth, it is not enough to make him crazy.
With his current status, if he is serious about making money, there will be many opportunities in the future.
The key is to secure your position first, stand tall and sit firmly.
He didn't want to give people such a huge handle as soon as he came up. This is a bright garden, and it is not as simple as money entering with the left hand and money coming out with the right.
After taking over this garden, even if he was a shameless person, he still dealt cruelly to the Yangzhou salt merchants. I was afraid that Emperor Ning Kang would also doubt the fairness of his affairs. In the court, there will be people who will impeach and criticize him for this.
In other words, this time he went south under the orders of Emperor Ningkang. If he was bribed by a garden as soon as he came up, then his style as the Marquis of Zhenyuan would be too low.
Seeing Jia Lian shaking his head and smiling, but not answering anything, obviously not agreeing, Zhou Boru didn't dare to pester him, but he had a high opinion of Jia Lian in his heart.
Suddenly we came to the spacious central hall of the garden, with a total of five tables.
Jia Lian was sitting at the main table. In addition to the magistrate Wu Zhirong, there were also two or three officials of the fifth rank such as Fu Cheng. Among the salt merchants, only the president Zhou Boru and the vice president Wang Shanxiang were barely qualified to sit with him.
The other salt merchants sat on both sides.
After drinking the first glass of wine in honor of Jia Lian, Zhou Boru clapped his hands and music immediately began to play. Then some beautiful dancers with long sleeves and narrow skirts slowly walked into the lower hall in front to dance.
Whether it was bribery with property or beauty, Jia Lian had already expected it, so he didn't find it strange. He just pretended to be lazy about eating wine and watching a show, and quietly watched this rare Jiangnan dance.
Regarding the stunning beauty and extraordinary dancing skills of the leading dancer, Jia Lian could only secretly praise her in his heart without any expression on his face.
After the song was over, Wu Zhirong and others asked how the dance was and how the beauty was waiting. Jia Lian praised it a little, saying that Jiangnan dance music has a unique flavor, and that in terms of freshness and elegance, it is better than those in Beijing.
Jia Lian's evaluation certainly made Wu Zhirong and others feel quite proud.
Jiangnan is prosperous and prosperous with singing and dancing, so most officials in the world are willing to take up their posts in Jiangnan. This also caused most of the people and officials in Jiangnan to have a sense of superiority.
It's just that this superiority is only compared to other poor provinces and places. It is still a bit complicated when facing people in the capital.
In terms of wealth and the reputation of scholars, Jiangnan is not inferior to the capital at all, but the power in the world comes from Kyoto. A word from the powerful people in the capital can even change the entire pattern of Jiangnan. Therefore, they were very happy to have Jia Lian, an authentic dignitary in Beijing, praise the customs and culture of Jiangnan.
"Then what do you think of the woman who just led the dance? Can her singing and dancing skills still impress your ears?"
Jia Lian smiled and said: "Wu Nong speaks softly, has a sweet voice, is graceful and graceful, and looks like a fairy dancing. She is one of a kind. I am afraid that such a woman is rare in the whole Jiangnan area. You are interested. ”
As soon as Jia Lian finished speaking, a clear and sweet voice came from the outer corridor.
"Your Majesty, you are praising me. I am just an ordinary geisha from the Jiangnan Jiaofang. If you praise me so highly, the sisters in the geisha will be jealous of me."
Jia Lian looked up and saw that it was indeed the dancer who had just performed. At this time, she had taken off her dance skirt and put on a gorgeous lady's skirt, half holding the pipa.
"Shen Pan'er of the slave family has met the imperial envoy and all the officials and gentlemen."
This woman was worthy of Jia Lian's praise. When she walked to the atrium, she simply greeted the people at the banquet and attracted the attention of a group of powerful and wealthy officials. Some of them couldn't help but look greedy.
Wu Zhirong said with a smile: "Miss Shen Pan'er is the treasure of Jiangnan Jiaofang Division. Her dance skills are unparalleled in Jiangnan, and she has the reputation of being the best dancer in Yangzhou. Normally, if I want to see her, it is hard to find her. Your Excellency is here today, and Xiaguan and others specially spent a lot of money to invite her to sing and dance for Your Excellency."
"Your Majesty, your words are serious. The Nu family cannot be called the treasure of the town, let alone the best dancer in Yangzhou."
It can be seen that Shen Pan'er has experienced such scenes many times, so when faced with everyone's comments, she feels very natural and can still answer the questions with a smile.
After Wu Zhirong finished speaking, no one dared to answer because the leader, Jia Lian, did not speak. The scene was quiet for a moment. She turned her eyes, bowed to Jia Lian, and asked with a smile: "My lord, this is your first time in Yangzhou." ?”
Jia Lian is still very friendly to beauties, so he doesn't put on airs to embarrass the other party.
"It's not the first time."
"Oh, I wonder what music adults like to listen to?"
"I'm not very familiar with Jiangnan's famous songs. Miss Pan'er, just pick out the ones you like and play two of them."
Jia Lian laughed casually and smiled at Shen Pan'er after speaking.
The power displayed by the rich and powerful men in the hall did not make Shen Pan'er show any timidity, but Jia Lian's smile almost made her lose her balance.
After finally calming down, she smiled: "In that case, let me play a song "Spring Breeze" and a song "Liu Yuqing" for adults and gentlemen."
Shen Pan'er had been told a long time ago to invite her over today. She just had to do her best to please Jia Lian.
As a well-known oiran lady in Jiangnan, she brought in a lot of money for the church. Not to mention other things, she still had a certain status in the romantic field. Even senior officials from various governments were polite to him.
However, this does not mean that she dares to neglect people like Jia Lian. Even in Yangzhou, it is rare to see an imperial envoy come down in several years, and she has only been out for a few years. This is the first time she has performed for a special imperial envoy, so she has prepared carefully.
Who knew that the imperial envoy received by all the Yangzhou officials and wealthy businessmen with such humility would turn out to be such a young and handsome man! When she was performing the dance, she caught a glimpse of Jia Lian sitting in the middle. She thought she had made a mistake and confirmed it several times. If the dance music she was performing had not been sung countless times, she might have made a mistake.
Following her conversation with Jia Lian, a waiter moved a round stool into the hall for her. Just seeing the waiters place her next to Jia Lian, she understood the situation at the table better, so she took a slow breath, bowed to Jia Lian, then walked to the round stool, sat sideways, put down her pipa, and played Between the strings, the sandalwood mouth was slightly open, and a beautiful song like an oriole came from between her lips.
The people at the head table are all elegant people. Seeing Jia Lian quietly listening to famous music, naturally they are happy to accompany them.
The people at other tables were of lower status and did not dare to disturb him. As a result, the hall was full of rich and distinguished guests, who all left the table with the delicacies as if they were nothing, and only listened quietly to the wonderful sound.
After singing two songs, Shen Pan'er only stepped forward to toast Jia Lian with a glass of wine, and then left the room.
Wu Zhirong looked at Jia Lian's face and found that he didn't have any intention of remembering him. He felt a little puzzled and frowned, but didn't think much about it.
The atmosphere has been heightened to this point, and it's time to get down to business.
So he dismissed the waiter, raised his glass and said to Jia Lian: "Your Excellency traveled all the way south to Yangzhou to run errands for the imperial court. Your hard work has made great achievements. I would like to propose to you a glass of wine first."
After drinking, he said again: "I just don't know if your lord has any embarrassment about the Jiangnan salt affairs? Today, I have specially summoned all the salt merchants in Yangzhou and several colleagues from the Salt Transportation Department here on my behalf. I want to help you sort out the salt policy.
Therefore, if you have anything you need to ask, sir, just ask. If there is anything they do that is not in line with the court's wishes, please ask your Majesty for your advice. "
At the beginning of Wu Zhirong's words, everyone knew that the topic was coming, so they all sat upright and looked at Jia Lian with burning eyes.
Jia Lian's attitude is related to the fate of the entire Yangzhou Salt Bank, and no one here cares.
(End of chapter)
