The three men carried a wounded man on their backs and ran to Shouzhou like bereaved dogs. Heading straight to the government office of the state, Xia Song's confidant, the tea merchant's surname was Chen. The steward had already brought Lu Yi to Shouzhou one day in advance. Fifty bodyguards protected Lu Yi day and night, waiting only for Liang Chuan to arrive in Shouzhou as well.
The tea merchant's name was Jiang Ning, and he had befriended Xia Song as early as when Xia Song was still the chief bookkeeper of Danyang. He accumulated a fortune by selling tea, and met Xia Song by chance, and it was Xia Song who took care of him. All kinds of expensive gifts were given to Xia Song for free every now and then, which also cultivated Xia Song's extremely extravagant and lustful character. Moreover, after so many years, Xia Song always came to the important time of promotion and opening up joints. Chen Jiang Ning will send the needed money to Xia Song's house at the right time.
Xia Song used money to pave the way and used his own skills to sneak into the position of deputy prime minister today, and almost everyone in the court was optimistic that Xia Song would make further progress.
Xia Song's rewards for Chen Jiangning were also extremely rich. He had already facilitated his business and earned money that could not be spent by generations. Chen Jiangning's property is basically left to his sons to take care of outside. He has returned to his hometown of Shouzhou and has begun to prepare for his retirement.
After so many years, besides Qiu Fu, the person Xia Song trusted the most was Chen Jiangning. Only Chen Jiangning can handle such an important matter. If it is done well, he and Chen Jiangning will create glory together again!
According to Xia Song's arrangement, Lu Yi will become his legitimate daughter and change her name to Chen Xichun. If this happens, Chen Jiangning will be the head of the country from now on. Ranking among the four major industries in the Song Dynasty, businessmen are only at the bottom of the list, earning money. A person who has come down from a golden mountain will have no status in the world if he does not produce a Jinshi. If he can produce an imperial concubine, it will be even more difficult than getting the number one scholar in the imperial examination. His sons have long lost hope of taking the imperial examination. He will still be able to do so in his lifetime. How can this make him stop working hard if he can rise up again?
As soon as he received the news from the steward, he personally waited for Liang Chuan at the city gate. He waited all day and night without seeing Liang Chuan, and did not see Liang Chuan until early the next morning.
Liang Chuan went to Chen Jiangning's home under the leadership of Qin Song, the prefect of Shouzhou. What Liang Chuan did on Jingdong Road had already spread all over the country. Some people scolded Liang Chuan for being a villain, while others saw the opportunity coming and embraced the opportunity to flatter him.
Naturally, the magistrate of Shouzhou also knew about Liang Chuan's affairs, and he was the first to know about Liang Chuan's affairs in Yunzhou, but he never thought that Huangnigang almost cost Liang Chuan his life!
Looking at what happened to Liang Chuan, Qin Song heard early in the morning that Yunzhou professor Liu Ping was killed in the middle of the night because he offended Liang Chuan. He thought it was the two playboys Liang Chuan and Shitou who did it, but now he saw that there was only fear in it. There is some misunderstanding.
In this way, he was relieved that Liang Chuan was not responsible for the murder. This at least proved that Liang Chuan was not that courageous and there was no problem in making friends with him.
"Please help me lead the troops to destroy these bandits!" Liang Chuan said to Qin Song with lingering fear.
"I should do my best!" Qin Song thought to himself that Huangnigang is the boundary of Yunzhou. You want me to suppress the bandits?
Qin Song didn't want to stay for a long time, and his relationship with Chen Jiangning was average. He only knew that the tea merchant had a good background, but Chen Jiangning always kept a low profile. He never thought that he even knew Xia Song's slaves. Legend has it that he relied on Xia Song To make a fortune, it seems that what the outside world says is true.
Xia Song was a greedy person. Along the way, he had heard that Liang Chuan had accepted a lot of benefits from officials in various places in the name of Xia Song. His family had no money left and he did not want to make progress even when he was old. This kind of muddy water would not be tolerated. That's great.
Chen Jiangning has followed Xia Song for decades and his position cannot be defended because he is impeccable and loyal. He attaches great importance to what Xia Song confessed and will not be careless at all.
He first sent one of his biological daughters, Chen Xichun, to a Taoist temple in Danyang to become a monk. Then he asked Lu Yi to take the position of this daughter, and then asked Lu Yi to memorize the names of their Chen family relatives at home. , appearance and life anecdotes, Lu Yi, oh no, should be called Chen Xichun now, it only took three days to remember all the major and minor events of the Chen family.
Liang Chuan was surprised at Chen Jiangning's painstaking efforts, and also admired his careful arrangements.
In the three days, Chen Jiangning held a small banquet at noon and a big banquet in the evening. Escort No. 50 stayed drunk every day. Liang Chuan also followed Chen Jiangning to travel around. The scenery in Shouzhang County was elegant, and Liang Chuan had no intention of looking at it. He had to find a way to get his two brothers!
When Sun Shubo arrived in Shouzhou, Chen Jiangning immediately arranged for the best doctor to treat him. He was in good health and did not suffer any fatal injuries. He was bandaged with some gold wound medicine and has been staying at Chen's house for the past few days.
The two of them and Liang Chuan drank to drown their sorrows all day long, cursing the darkness of the court. They were both talented people, but their fate was so unlucky. They joked with them again and again, and they fell from being a dignified emperor to a forbidden army. As a prisoner for the army. They also wondered why Liang Chuan suddenly appeared in Shouzhou. They heard that Liang Chuan's business was so big that he opened another Shunfeng Escort Agency in Bianjing City. In Shouzhou alone, he could earn tens of thousands of yuan from just one business. Although the two of them It's a bit unexpected, but I have to believe that fate has favored the two of them so much. If it weren't for Liang Chuan, it would have been a long time ago!
Liang Chuan did not dare to fight with them when Sun and Liang got drunk. If they knew that he was planning all this, they would probably hack Liang Chuan to death with a knife to the left and the right.
Liang Chuan only asked them one thing, if he wanted to stay in Shouzhou as a prisoner for the rest of his life, then he would take his bodyguard back to Bianjing. If he did not want to perish like this, he would be willing to spend his own money to find the prefect of Shouzhou to take care of him. Fish them both out.
At this point, the two of them had no other choice but to let Liang Chuan run his business. They still felt deeply that they had been betrayed.
Stimulate Liangchuan. When Gao Gan brought brother Liang Chuan to the military camp, the two of them felt that this little brother was good and a good person. By chance, he actually saved their lives in this foreign country. With nature playing such a trick on people, they have no other thoughts of making a comeback.
That day Liang Chuan found Chen Jiangning and wanted him to go to Qin Song to discuss and settle the matter.
Chen Jiangning saw that Liang Chuan wanted something from him. He had helped many people who had been imprisoned in Shouzhou Camp in the past. It's just a matter of money, and it doesn't even matter in this three-thirds of an acre of land.
Who is Liang Chuan? He is the person appointed by Xia Song to carry out the official concubine selection. He has followed Xia Song all his life with no merit and fatigue, and only then has he reached his current position. If this kid Liang Chuan has no other abilities, he will no matter what. I don't believe that this kid can win Xia Song's trust so quickly.
It is true that the waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead, so we have to obey the old age.
Chen Jiangning immediately prepared a generous gift and brought Liang Chuan to visit him. Qin Song did not give a gift but accepted a large gift from Chen Jiangning out of thin air, which was quite flattering.
Qin Song knew the purpose of the two men's visit. He neither wanted to take the initiative to curry favor with Xia Song nor take the initiative to offend Xia Song's people. They were just two auxiliary troops. There were not many more of them. There were countless like this every year in the Shouzhou camp. .
Qin Song also said it nicely: "I heard you say that someone robbed and killed officials on Huangni Gang. I had already asked someone to investigate. The robbers were fierce. They attacked and killed key criminals and officials. Several bodies were indeed found on Huangni Gang. The corpse, proven by experience, is exactly the same as the officer who escorted it. I will choose a day to report it to the transfer envoy, Mr. Song, and let him lead the troops to encircle and suppress it!"
Qin Song wiped out the low status of Sun and Liang with just a few words, and Liang Chuan was dumbfounded by their great power.
Sun and Liang thought that this place was not as good as Bianjing where Liang Chuan could reach the sky with one hand. When they came back, they brought good news, which really surprised them. They also did not expect that Liang Chuan was not only capable in Bianjing, but also Even in this remote and remote place, I can control the wind and rain!
Sun Shubo finally learned from the pain and finally made up his mind and said to Liang Shiguang: "You have seen the ups and downs we have had along the way. It's not that we two brothers are incompetent, it is because the court cannot tolerate us righteous people, Lao An Lao Huang and I have long given up their skins and gone out to live freely. Now they are following Brother Liang to enjoy life and drink. Since you and I have no way to serve the country with our abilities, why not follow Brother Liang. I think he has a broad mind and far-reaching abilities. If there is no comparison between the two of us, we will definitely achieve something in the future, and now that he is kind to both of us, it just so happens that we fall in love with each other, what do you think?"
Liang Shiguang was a very honest person and usually had no ideas of his own. These days, he had really had enough. Sun Shubo just woke him up with one sentence: "I think it can be done."
"Ten thousand steps back, even if we are powerful people in the imperial court, we will inevitably have to find a way to make a living when we become ordinary people in the future. Although it is not difficult, it is not easy to find a suitable master. God's teasing on us has come to an end. Now it is time to let go Let’s turn around!”
"Just do what you said." Liang Shiguang couldn't help it. He had suffered enough losses, and no matter how honest a person was, he would learn to be wise.
The two hit it off and walked to Liang Chuan's door before Liang Chuan could speak to them. This made Liang Chuan very happy. He didn't know what Sun Shubo was capable of, but Liang Shiguang's archery skills were really superb. With these two people, he could sleep at ease in the future. .
"You two brothers were introduced to me by senior officials. The senior officials and I are old friends. Now we are all the same, with a golden seal on our faces. No one is better than the other, but you follow me on this matter. Thank you, Mr. Chen, for your great help!"
"Yes."
For several days, Chen Jiangning hosted a banquet in honor of Liang Chuan. Liang Chuan brought stones and Sun Liang took the initiative to make a favor and invited Chen Jiangning to the largest restaurant in Shouzhou to thank Chen Jiangning for his righteous deeds.
No wonder Xia Song fell in love with such a young man. There was nothing outstanding about him, but he had a kind of stability and sophistication in his actions that other yamen did not have. It stands to reason that he would be so polite to him, but he didn't I just wanted to express my feelings, but I couldn't hold it myself, so I was invited to the restaurant.
The dishes were still the same, and the wine was the same Kongfu wine. Uncle Sun and Uncle Sun had not drank freely for a long time, and there were so many people, so Chen Jiangning was drunk after several cups of wine. On the ground, the three of them were still standing like door gods, not even a trace of drunkenness.
It's quite enjoyable.
Unexpectedly, when Chen Jiangning drank to his heart's content, the steward suddenly came to the restaurant to report the news. He looked flustered and had a bad look on his face. He only said a few words in his ears, which frightened the half-drunk Chen Jiangning and made him jump up from his stool. , almost sober from drinking!
Seeing this, Liang Chuan asked anxiously: "Yuan Chen, something happened to his family!"
Liang Chuan's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that something happened to Lu Yi? This matter is almost done, but don't make any trouble at this time!
Chen Jiangning was so anxious that he didn't want to tell Liang Chuan, but he thought that Liang Chuan was not an outsider now and was even more reliable than most people, so he told Liang Chuan about the situation in desperation.
"Xiao Ke has three useless sons. The eldest son helps me take care of my ancestral business in Danyang, where many of my first contacts exist. The second and third sons travel all over the country. In recent years, I have developed relationships with several tea merchants in Quanzhou Prefecture. Recently, tea is often transported by sea. Five years ago, the sea route was a hundred times safer than the main road, but in recent years, the situation has deteriorated sharply!"
Sun Shubo and Liang Shiguang put down their wine glasses. At this time, they couldn't say a word and it was inappropriate.
Shitou, who was sitting with him, suddenly asked: "Is the tea merchant outside Chen's family named Sun?"
Chen Jiangning's eyes lit up and he asked unexpectedly: "How do you know, little brother?"
Shitou said: "Hey, it turns out that we are one of our own. There are several tea farmers in Qingyuan, and my brother Pu is one of them! He didn't make much money at first, but later he invested all his money in me like a trouser. These three brothers opened a restaurant together in Bianjing!"
Chen Jiangning's eyes were blazing and he said: "Could it be that the little brother is talking about Sun Houpu, the eldest son of the Sun family?"
Shitou said happily: "That's right!"
Chen Jiangning slapped his thigh and said: "Here, this, this, I drank less today, and I have to offer you a drink again. The fate is so subtle. I have imported tea from Qingyuan County for so many years, and today the proprietor is sitting here In front of me, I can't see Mount Tai!"
Liang Chuan thought to himself, finally knowing how Chen Jiangning made his fortune. It turned out that he relied on the business of smuggling tea. He couldn't tell other tea farmers. The Sun family made its fortune through smuggling. I heard that it was related to the northern part of the Liao Kingdom. They have very close contacts with merchants. I never thought that what Chen Jiangning was doing was also the business of the Sun family. The world is so big yet so small!
No wonder Chen Jiangning was able to accumulate such a large fortune, and his smuggling business was so profitable! During the Song Dynasty, various taxes on salt, grain, tea, silver, iron, copper, and tin made businessmen risk beheading, and rebellion was even possible!
Only then did Chen Jiangning really sit down, recalling his past travels, and suddenly sighed: "I have heard about the situation of the Sun family earlier, but Houpu is an outstanding young man, a hundred times more talented than the second son! It's just that I have heard about it earlier." It's a pity about my background. Alas, the Sun family fought fiercely for the family property in the past few years, and there were even rumors of causing trouble by inviting outsiders to break into the house and set fires. Alas! Brother, do you think Brother Pu will stop selling tea? "
"I stopped selling tea a long time ago. I, Brother Pu, left the Sun family and set up my own business. Together with my third brother, I opened the Forbidden City, the largest city in the world, in Bianjing!"
"Sure enough, a young talent has such courage! Even the concubine of the Sun family will be able to get a lot of family wealth in the future. Let alone dozens of guan at least, it is not much more than a small one. It is really disappointing to let such a huge wealth go at any time. Xiao Ke admires it!”
Shitou waved his hands and said, "A few hundred thousand guan is nothing. You don't know how much our Forbidden City earns in a year."
Liang Chuan hurriedly interrupted Shi Shi's words. The boy almost handed over his pants.
"Mr. Chen, you haven't said what the problem is yet? If it's a matter involving the Sun family, I can help come forward!"
Chen Jiangning said with a solemn expression: "Although the sea route was very windy and rough in the early days, it was better because there was no one to disturb us. We did a few years of Taiping business before we were able to make a fortune. But in recent years, the Japanese overseas have been doing something crazy." , groups of three or five come to our coast along Jingdong Road all day long to rob houses. At first they robbed some fishermen, but later they saw more profit and even started robbing prefectures and counties. This year alone, there are government officials in Langya, Dengzhou and Penglai. Report the incident where people were killed and homes were destroyed!”
What!
Almost at the same time, Liang Chuan and Sun Liang stood up together. Liang Chuan looked at the two of them in surprise and said, "What are you two so anxious about?"
Sun Shubo said angrily: "I have long heard that the Japanese slaves were arrogant and rude. In the early years, the Japanese slaves sent envoys to pay tribute to our Song Dynasty, and also sent a group of warriors to compete in martial arts. What did the scholars in grandma's Ministry of War call them? We went to a martial arts competition and lost several battles in a row. We were not there at that time, otherwise these Japanese slaves would never come back! How dare they be so presumptuous!"
Liang Chuan was shocked that this was not a Japanese pirate invasion. He remembered that the dangers of Japanese pirates only became increasingly apparent in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. How come it was so many years in advance?
Chen Jiangning said: "My son brought another batch of tea here today, but he was robbed by the Japanese slaves in Dengzhou, and even the people were detained by the Japanese slaves!"
