Shuzhou Road.
Yuzhou City.
Chaotianmen Pier.
A dark carriage arrived in a light rain in early summer.
The driver was a burly man.
He stopped the carriage, took off his bamboo hat, held the whip and stood in front of the carriage window, and whispered:
"Master, we have arrived at Chaotianmen."
"good."
The carriage door opened.
A slender middle-aged man stood in the drizzle.
He looked around, opened an oil paper umbrella, stretched out his hand, and took out a middle-aged woman from the carriage.
Both looked to be in their thirties.
The clothes they wore were not luxurious, but they were well-tailored, clean and decent. They looked like a couple doing business.
It was early in the morning, when there were the most people on the pier.
There were porters, traveling merchants, and some students who were going to Beijing to take exams.
At this time of year, the water level of the Yangtze River is just right. Board the boat from Chaotianmen Pier and go down the river to several terminals on Jiangnan Road.
Leaving Shu by water is faster and more convenient than leaving Shu by Shuzhou Ancient Road, so there are many people at Chaotianmen Wharf.
Wherever there are people, there are rivers and lakes.
Wherever there are people, there are also teahouses and restaurants.
The man looked at the bustling crowd and said to the coachman:
"Rigang, is Dong Niang here?"
"Go back to the young master. I'll go look for her. I agreed that she would book a boat one day in advance. She should be at a certain dock."
The man pondered for a moment, "Okay, my wife and I will wait for you in the tea garden by the river."
"Okay, I'll wait until I find Dong Niang and join the young master and his wife."
After saying this, Qin Rigang turned and left. The man led his wife and held an oil-paper umbrella into the tea garden by the river not far away.
There are already many tea drinkers in the tea garden.
Most of the tea-goers here are taking a break, and most of them are people waiting to board the ship later.
The two of them went to a shed in a corner after being greeted by the waiter.
The waiter took the towel off his shoulder and wiped the table, then asked with a smile: "What do you two want to drink?"
"Something?"
"There are green bamboo leaves from Emei, yellow buds from Mengding, Qingcheng snow buds, and Bashan bird's tongue... These are a little more expensive, costing twenty copper coins a bowl, but they are all new teas this year."
"Of course there are cheap ones, five copper coins a bowl... I look like a wealthy person. I guess you are going to Jiangnan to make a fortune, right?"
The man grinned and said, "Then let's have a bowl of bamboo leaf greens and a bowl of Bastilla tongue."
"Okay!"
The waiter smiled happily and was about to turn around and leave, but was stopped by the man: "Are these tea guests going to Jiangnan to make a fortune?"
The waiter looked a little surprised. He looked at the man and said, "What? You still know?"
"We, Liu Daotai of Shuzhou, have issued a message. Shuzhou merchants no longer need a sponsor or any documents to guide their travels."
"I heard that this is the decision made by the regent. The businessmen are very happy. They will save a lot of unnecessary troubles. This means that in the future, the scope of everyone's business will be much wider!"
"I have never traveled far and don't understand, but after thinking about it, I know that this will bring great convenience."
"Why……"
The waiter suddenly sighed and shook his head, "What a pity."
The man asked: "What's the pity?"
"Regent, you said such a good regent, he... oh... it would be great for him to stay in Kyoto, but he has to go to Chongqing Mansion's Xishan to pick up the emperor's eldest son."
"Isn't this the end of the world?"
"The regent was killed in Xishan, and the eldest son of the emperor went to Kyoto. These businessmen have a lot more worries these days."
The man and the woman looked at each other.
He asked again: "Are you worried that this policy will change?"
"Of course, who knows if the eldest son of the emperor will deny the regent's policies after he becomes emperor?"
"No, the number of merchants going to Jiangnan in the past two days has dropped by at least 50% compared to before!"
"Afraid!"
"After all, doing business is a job that has always been unpopular and envied by others."
"They said that if they really earn money through hard work and the country implements a policy, it would be a trivial matter for one person to confiscate it, and there is no guarantee that it will lead to the destruction of a family."
The waiter suddenly looked around and whispered:
"When I go to Jiangnan, don't really put all your wealth into it. It's better to wait and see... I'm a bitch, what are you talking about? I'm going to bring tea to you two."
The waiter turned around and left. The woman opposite the man gave him a resentful look, leaned over, curled her lips, and whispered:
"I'm just telling you that it's inappropriate for you to do this!"
"It made businessmen all over the country panic. Chu Chu was heartbroken and ran away to Mobei with more than 200 women's troops... Mobei is a bitter and cold place!"
"She, she is also the fourth princess of Ningguo!"
"If we are captured by the deserted people, the consequences will be disastrous!"
"And Xiao Wu, you even hid it from him. Even if he really returns to Kyoto and becomes the emperor, will he still be happy?"
He is Li Chenan!
Of course she is Zhongli Ruoshui.
Both of them looked completely different from before.
All because they all wear extremely realistic masks.
Li Chenan commissioned Wang Zhengjinzhong to find the best craftsmen in Chongqing Mansion to make this mask at a great cost.
Therefore, the only people in the world who know about these two masks are Wang Zheng Jinzhong and the craftsman.
Even Qin Rigang and Dong Niang didn't know that they were Li Chenan and Zhongli Ruoshui.
Wang Zhengjinzhong sent people to find them. They were hired by the young master and his wife of a wealthy family and paid a large price.
This amount of money is enough for them to live comfortably anywhere for the rest of their lives!
Qin Rigang couldn't refuse, so he became Li Chenan's coachman and bodyguard.
Li Chenan now looks like he has thick eyebrows and big eyes.
And Zhongli Ruoshui's beauty was completely covered up by this mask, turning into an extremely ordinary woman.
Of course Li Chenan is no longer called Li Chenan.
He can no longer be called Shadowless Sword Li Wuhuan.
His current name is Xiao Li Feidao Li Xiaofeng.
I have a strong objection to the name Zhongli Ruoshui. He obviously looks heroic, but why did he choose a feminine name like Xiaofeng?
Li Chenan said...he likes it.
What can Zhongli Ruoshui do?
Li Chenan also gave her a speechless name: Shangguan Feiyan!
She sounds like a heroine, but she has no power to restrain a chicken.
Li Chenan also leaned over and whispered: "Wang Zheng Jinzhong will send people to protect Ning Chuchu. As for Xiao Wu, he will have to suffer for a while."
"From now on, we can only talk about these things when we are in the same room. Don't mention them anywhere else."
"We, the couple, are going to the Kingdom of Wu to join our relatives!"
Zhongli Ruoshui said nothing again, because the waiter came over with two cups of tea.
Putting down the teacup, the waiter smiled again:
"Sir, we have a girl who plays and sings here, and she sings all the poems that the regent left before his death!"
"If you feel bored, you can ask them to sing. It's good to listen to it to relieve your fatigue and pass the time."
"A song only costs ten coppers. Do you want me to arrange one for you?"
Li Chenan laughed and waved his hand: "We couple like to be clean, so go ahead and do your work."
"Then...if you need me, just call me!"
The waiter turned around and left with some disappointment.
Li Chenan's ears heard the voices of the tea guests not far away:
"Hey... Everyone, let's go to Jiangnan first. I have some friendship with the Su family in Jiangnan. The news from Jiangnan is faster and more accurate than ours."
"Su Yian, the eldest son of the Su family, is now our Ningguo sect's provincial minister. Whether it changes or not... the Su family may know."
"Well, thank you, Mr. Yao."
It became quiet.
Many seemed deep in thought.
The look on his face was like this rainy day.
It was confusion about the way forward and nostalgia for the regent.
