Li Yuan drank tea and ate the snacks brought by the Gu family's servants, thinking about Master Xing's demeanor and words. He felt that the man named Xing seemed to be testing his tone and seemed to doubt his identity. Li Yuan didn't know where his flaw was, and this man named Xing felt something was wrong.
Li Yuan naturally did not intend to disclose his identity. After all, he was working alone. Moreover, after hearing what Ji Hong said in Wujin County, Li Yuan became even more cautious. That incident was about the head of the Gu family, Gu Minglijiang, assuming the position of Suzhou governor. This seemed to outsiders to be a simple appointment, but to Li Yuan, this appointment was extremely unusual.
Since having several in-depth talks with Zhou Ehuang last year, Li Yuan has gained a clear understanding of the current situation of the merchants of several wealthy families in the south of the Yangtze River. Although the wealthy families have gradually declined in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, these wealthy merchants have transformed from the political circle to the business circle. He still has strong financial resources and connections, which cannot be ignored under any circumstances.
And now the leader of Wuyue Kingdom has issued an edict to grant the title of state official to the Gu family, the most influential among the wealthy families in the country. In Li Yuan's view, this Gu family is no longer just a completely pure big businessman. Involved in the political competition, the traveling merchants may not care about their country, but how could a family of merchants with political leanings not be interested in an emperor of another country who came to the door single-handedly?
In view of this, Li Yuan decided not to expose his identity and had to be more careful. And his identity may not be hidden for long, but when his guard camp arrives in Suzhou, or when the Chu army advances eastward on a large scale, he will not be there by then. But before that, Li Yuan decided to continue being the ordinary Captain Li.
A long time passed. Li Yuan had refilled several cups of tea and finished the exquisite pastries on the two plates in front of him. Still no one came to meet him in the hall.
Gu Yingying was nowhere to be seen. Li Yuan waited patiently for a while, but finally couldn't bear it anymore and planned to end the long wait. So he stood up and was about to walk out when he heard quick footsteps in the back hall. The curtain was lifted, and a middle-aged man who looked like a butler in black robe appeared in the hall.
"Captain Li, please don't worry. I am Gu Jiu, the steward of this house." The man held up his hands and said with a smile.
Li Yuan returned the courtesy and said, "Gu Gu Gu is very polite. I am indeed a little anxious waiting."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Don't be anxious, please come with me. The master of the house invites you to go to the study to talk. He just got up. Please come with me."
Li Yuan smiled and said, "Thank you."
Gu Jiu smiled and turned around, lifted the curtain and bowed, "Please."
Li Yuan nodded in greeting and walked out of the back door of the front hall. But behind the hall is another courtyard, but unlike the front yard, the yard behind the hall is fresh and neat, without complicated flowers, trees and rockeries. A red corridor is directly connected to the door of the back hall, and leads to the vertical door of the second entrance. Red and green palace lanterns are hung on the corridor, which looks very happy.
Li Yuan followed the housekeeper up the corridor and headed all the way to the second hall. After entering the second door, he turned east, passed by countless flower trees with hanging doors, and countless courtyards with carved beams and painted buildings, and finally entered a simple and elegant small house. hospital.
There are only three monasteries in this small courtyard, and some bamboo and holly are planted in the courtyard. Along the road leading to the corridor, several pear trees were in bloom, and the branches were dotted with blooming flowers. The subtle fragrance floating on the nose was very comforting.
The two of them came to the corridor. The door of the main room was closed tightly. Bright lights came from inside, and there were people who seemed to be talking.
"Master, Colonel Li is here." Gu Jiu, the housekeeper, spoke in a deep voice in front of the door.
There was a "crash" and the door opened. A bright light suddenly shone out. Li Yuan squinted his eyes. He saw five or six people sitting or standing in the room. Before his eyes adjusted to the bright light, Li Yuan heard Gu Yingying's familiar voice.
"Captain Li, come in quickly. Grandpa wants to discuss with you how to defend the city against the enemy."
Li Yuanju stepped into the house, and the door behind him was closed tightly with a clang. Li Yuan's eyes adjusted to the bright light in the room, and he squinted to see an old man with white beard and hair sitting on a large mahogany chair.
The old man had a skinny face, with wrinkles crisscrossing his face like axes and chisels. The years had left traces on his face.
There are too many traces of wind and rain, which makes people feel chilling at first glance. However, what impressed Li Yuan deeply was not the traces of the years on the old man's face, but the scorching eyes like a falcon, which were as sharp as sharp blades, as if they could see people from the inside out.
Next to the old man's chair, Gu Yingying stood tall and graceful. She had changed into women's clothes, her hair was tied up in a high bun, her green clothes were graceful, and she was wearing a goose-yellow shawl. She was extremely beautiful, and her beautiful eyes were filled with a warm smile. Look at yourself. After seeing the old man's sharp eagle eyes, and then seeing these autumn eyes, Li Yuan felt a lot more comfortable.
There were several chairs beside the old man, and sitting from top to bottom were three middle-aged men with rich bodies and rosy faces. They were similar in age, wore luxurious brocade robes, and looked somewhat similar. They looked at him with a hint of contempt in their eyes.
Behind a middle-aged man stood a young man about the same age as Li Yuan. The young man was tall and handsome, but his eyes seemed a little unkind when he looked at Li Yuan.
"Colonel Li, let me introduce you to you." A person beside him said in a deep voice.
Only then did Li Yuan notice that the man in black robe standing next to him was Master Xing who had been accompanying him in the front hall just now. It seemed that after leaving the front hall, the man named Xing came directly to the back house.
"If I'm not mistaken, this old man with a spirit that is comparable to that of an immortal is Mr. Gu, the head of the largest wealthy family in the south of the Yangtze River. Li Chu, the captain of the Dachu Guards Camp, paid tribute to Mr. Gu." Li Yuan didn't. When Master Xing spoke, he stepped forward with a smile and saluted the eagle-eyed old man.
The old man was stunned, burst out laughing, stood up, cupped his hands and said, "I don't dare to take it seriously, Colonel Li, I'm too polite."
Gu Yingying pursed her lips and smiled softly. She was very satisfied with Li Yuan's performance. It is said that in Wuyue Kingdom, whoever sees his grandfather is not restrained and does not dare to make any changes. In front of his grandfather, even the royal family members do not dare to make mistakes. Most people would be so nervous that they couldn't even speak, but Li Yuan looked calm and showed no fear at all, which was really surprising.
Moreover, Lieutenant Li, whether intentionally or unintentionally, said something that made his grandfather the happiest, which was to address the Gu family as the number one wealthy family in Jiangnan.
It should be noted that the Gu family is the first of the four surnames in Wuzhong. The title of the most powerful family in Jiangnan has been known for more than a hundred years. However, due to the chaos in the late Tang Dynasty, the world fell apart and the land of Jiangnan was divided into several countries. The Southern Tang Dynasty The national border with Wu Yue also indirectly weakened the powerful families who were constantly migrating due to the war.
The Gu family, the largest wealthy family in the south of the Yangtze River in the past, has long since lost its glory. Even though the merchants have accumulated a lot of wealth and have regained some of their vitality, it is certainly not comparable to the situation in the prosperous Tang Dynasty when politics and business flourished at the same time. This situation For decades, the world has long regarded these wealthy families as pure merchants, and is not used to ranking them. Wherever they come from, the first and second are gone.
But to this day, Li Yuan's words have reached his grandfather's heart, so it is rare for his grandfather to smile so happily and stand up to return the favor.
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