"It's you two!" Mr. Zhao raised his eyelids and took a look, then said immediately, "Sit down!"
Huang Mingcheng and Zhang Guangkun walked to the seats next to them and sat down one behind the other.
"Butler, serve tea! Ahem!" Mr. Zhao covered his mouth and coughed several times.
The maid on the side stepped forward and placed the spittoon in front of Mr. Zhao.
Ahem!
Mr. Zhao spat out a mouthful of sticky phlegm into the spittoon, and then waved his hand to the waitress, gesturing for her to take the spittoon away.
The waitress took a few steps back and stood aside.
Mr. Zhao took out a piece of silk cloth from his cuff, put it to his mouth and wiped it, then folded it and put it back in his cuff. Then he picked up the tureen on the table and took a sip of tea.
After Butler Zhao told his servants to prepare tea, he returned to Mr. Zhao and stood aside with a slight bow.
Huang Mingcheng stood up and said respectfully: "Shopkeeper Zhang and I have prepared a small gift, and I hope Mr. Zhao will accept it."
As he spoke, he took out a gift list from his sleeves and handed it over with both hands.
Zhang Guangkun, who was sitting next to him, also stood up and handed over a gift list with both hands.
Butler Zhao took a few steps forward, took the gift list from the two people's hands, returned to Mr. Zhao, and carefully placed the gift list on the table.
"The Han people have a saying that when you are polite, you must ask for something. You two came to me and brought such generous gifts. There must be something wrong!" Mr. Zhao said as he picked up the two things on the table. He opened the gift list, looked at it casually, and put it back on the table.
"To be honest, Mr. Zhao, shopkeeper Zhang and I have encountered difficulties this time. Please give me some advice on how to survive." Huang Mingcheng bowed to Mr. Zhao.
Although Zhang Guangkun who was standing aside did not speak, he also bowed and saluted.
"What on earth is going on? It's so serious, and you want me, an old man, to find a way for you to survive." Old Mrs. Zhao blew the hot air from the tureen, put it to his mouth and took a sip.
"It's about the Tiger Flag." This time, Zhang Guangkun spoke first before Huang Mingcheng could speak.
Mr. Zhao paused while holding the bowl, frowned slightly, and said, "Are you here to plead for Tiger Character Flag? When did you and Tiger Character Flag have such a good relationship?"
The news that Su Nang was going to attack the Tiger Flag spread throughout the Tumut grassland. Now that the Mongolian army was gathering outside Bansheng City, they were about to attack the Tiger Flag. Even though he rarely went out, he knew everything about the situation outside. Chu.
"No, no." Zhang Guangkun shook his head and waved his hands in denial.
Huang Mingcheng, who was standing on the side, looked bitter and said: "It's all because shopkeeper Zhang and I were too greedy. In order to covet the benefits of the tiger-character flag, we took goods from the tiger-character flag several times, but the profit from these goods was huge. Part of the profits will be handed over to Master Su Nang.”
"You two are confused." Mr. Zhao poked the ground hard a few times with the crutch in his hand, and then said, "I told you not to have anything to do with them when Tiger Character Banner came to the grassland to do business. What now? In this way, the Tiger Character Banner has offended Lord Su Nang, and Lord Su Nang has already sent troops to attack the Tiger Character Banner's fort in Dahei River."
"Shopkeeper Zhang and I were blinded by the money, so we did this kind of thing. Now we really have no choice. For the sake of the family, we only ask Mr. Zhao to show us a way to survive." Huang Mingcheng pleaded bitterly. .
Zhang Guangkun also said: "Please, Mr. Zhao, for the sake of all of us being Han merchants in Bansheng City, please save the lives of the young and old in our family."
If they fall into the hands of the Mongols, their families will naturally be destroyed. As Han merchants, they understand the virtues of those Mongolian nobles.
"The fact that you two found me here shows that you are not too confused." Mr. Zhao twirled his beard and said immediately, "This incident can be regarded as a lesson for you two. You must remember that, like a tiger, A Ming Dynasty business like Ziqi, which only thinks about making money from herdsmen and is unwilling to obey the orders of the nobles, will be expelled from the grassland by the nobles sooner or later."
"What Mrs. Zhao said is that the two of us must bear in mind Mr. Zhao's teachings." Huang Mingcheng agreed, while secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
It was clear from his voice that Mr. Zhao was willing to intercede for them.
Zhang Guangkun, who was standing aside, also saluted and said, "The two of us will definitely bear in mind the old man's sincere teachings today."
"Okay, you two, stop standing and sit down!" Mr. Zhao waved his hand and motioned for the two of them to sit down.
Huang Mingcheng and Zhang Guangkun sat back in their seats.
At this time, the waitress walked in with two cups of tea placed on the wooden tray in her hand.
One cup was placed on the table beside Huang Mingcheng, and one cup was placed on the table beside Zhang Guangkun.
After doing all this, the waitress put away the wooden tray and retreated.
Mr. Zhao held the tureen in his hand, and used the lid of the cup to stir the tea in it with his other hand. He said, "Has a noble person come to you?"
"Not yet." Huang Mingcheng shook his head.
Zhang Guangkun, who was sitting aside, said: "The fact that our two families took the goods from Huziqi cannot be hidden from anyone. Many people know about it, and the nobles also know about it."
"This time Lord Su Nang and several Lords of Taiji came forward to deal with the Tiger Flag. Once the Tiger Flag's fortress in Dahei River is removed, the next step will be to eliminate those Han merchants who have cooperated with the Tiger Flag." Mr. Zhao He picked up the tureen and took a sip of the tea inside.
The faces of Huang Mingcheng and Zhang Guangkun, who were sitting at the bottom of the seats, suddenly changed.
As they expected, the Taiji people on the grassland planned to take the opportunity to purge the Han merchants who had cooperated with the Tiger Character Banner.
"Please also ask Mrs. Zhao to save my two lives."
Huang Mingcheng and Zhang Guangkun stood up at the same time and bowed to Mr. Zhao.
"Okay, sit down!" Mr. Zhao said slowly, "I won't care about the life and death of Han businessmen like Yang Jing and Chen Guangyu who are deeply involved in the Tiger Flag, but you two are different, no matter what, There are powerful Han merchants in Bansheng City, I will not ignore you."
"Thank you, Mr. Zhao." Huang Mingcheng cupped his hands before sitting back in his seat.
Mr. Zhao put down the bowl in his hand and said, "Fortunately, you two arrived in time. If you wait until the nobles take action against the Han merchants, even my old face may not be effective by then."
"Mr. Zhao, you have been summoned by An Da Khan. Among many Han merchants, you are a leader-like figure. Even Master Su Nang respects you. I think as long as you come forward, those nobles will not refute you. Old face." Zhang Guangkun flattered.
These words tickled Mr. Zhao's itch, making his face look a little prouder.
There have been many Han merchants in Bansheng City, but for decades, only the Zhao family has been as stable as Mount Tai and has always been the leader of the Han merchants in Bansheng City. It is because the Zhao family has been summoned and rewarded by Anda Khan.
