Zou Qiwu was a great traveling merchant who traveled throughout the Tang Dynasty. It is said that he even went as far as Loulan Kingdom in the Western Regions.
Therefore, in the eyes of his peers, Zou Qiwu is not only a shrewd businessman, but also a courageous man.
Although these two contradictory labels appear on the same person at the same time, it seems very inconsistent.
But this is indeed the impression most people have on Zou Qiwu, and it is also the greatest portrayal of his character.
Zou Qiwu was generous and generous, and even had very close personal relationships with the princes and nobles of Chang'an, and was responsible for providing all kinds of rare treasures for their banquets.
But few people know that Zou Qiwu is also a close friend of Pei Xiu, who was demoted to Tanzhou.
Pei Xiu, courtesy name Gongmei, was born in Jiyuan, Hanoi. He was famous both in court and outside the court for his formal and vigorous "regular script".
However, what is more legendary than Pei Xiu's fame in the art circle is his life experience.
Although Pei Xiu was born into a distinguished family, his family was poor since he was a child. It was not until he passed the imperial examination that he managed to turn over, and from then on he became a wealthy family with no worries about food and clothing.
However, this alone cannot highlight Pei Xiu's legend. His first half of life can only be regarded as a not-so-excellent "poor boy's counterattack" template at best.
Pei Xiu really shined after Wenzong ascended the throne. He won his trust and successively served as the supervisory censor, the Minister of War, and even the military governor of the powerful side, laying a solid foundation for Wenzong to quell the civil strife.
However, in the later period of Emperor Wenzong's reign, Pei Xiu was rejected by Emperor Wenzong because of the "auspicious incident".
After Wu Zong succeeded to the throne, he directly refrigerated it, which can be called the best example of "one emperor and one courtier".
Until not long ago, Pei Xiu, who had been mediating in Chang'an for a long time, finally escaped from prison and was voluntarily demoted to Tanzhou to serve as Tanzhou's observer.
This position sounds good, but in fact it is a false position.
Not to mention power, his annual salary is not enough to support a family.
Thanks to Pei Xiu's old army in the central government, which was quite powerful, he arranged for his eldest son Pei Hong to serve as the governor of Ningxiang County. This prevented his family from starving to death in the dangerous places of southern Hunan.
Even so, Zou Qiwu would help Pei Xiu's family every time he passed by Tanzhou.
As time went by, the two people who were just ordinary friends at first became close friends. Every time they met, they would discuss Buddhist scriptures or drink happily until dawn the next day.
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"Dad, I must tell mom that you drank too much again when I get back."
Helping Zou Qiwu, who was still hungover, to get into the carriage, a little girl who looked to be no more than fourteen or fifteen years old frowned and whispered with disgust.
This is the apple of Zou Qiwu's eye, and it is also the child he had with a woman from a foreign land.
This can actually be seen from the little girl's clothes.
Not to mention the obvious exotic clothes, just the various gold-plated and silver-plated jewelry on her wrists and neck can tell that Zou Qiwu dotes on his daughter.
When the little girl ran inadvertently, she could even hear the crisp and loud sound of gold jewelry clashing.
"You girl, you don't even know how to feel sorry for your father!"
Zou Qiwu, who sat on the edge of the carriage and retched a few times, feeling uncomfortable all over, muttered helplessly.
"You deserve it. Who asked you to drink like this every day!"
After getting straight into the carriage, the little girl turned her head and made a face at Zou Qiwu.
"Every time you come here, you either give them money or drink with them. You have obviously promised me and my mother that you will stop drinking."
Faced with the little girl's complaint, Zou Qiwu, who finally softened a little, talked angrily to the other party.
"Hmph, your dad and I are just taking the long shot to catch the big fish."
His tone softened slightly, and Zou Qiwu inadvertently looked back in the direction of Pei Mansion again before continuing.
"Do you still remember what your father once said to you?"
“If you don’t climb into the wealthy family, you won’t be too dissatisfied with the poor.”
“A helping hand in times of need is always more impressive than the icing on the cake.”
"Especially for a family like the Pei family..."
"Even if their backbones have been broken by the emperors at the beginning of the founding of the country, the wealth accumulated by the family cannot be underestimated in a short period of time."
She nodded in understanding. Although the little girl couldn't quite understand her father's words, she knew that he was teaching her how to behave.
In today's era, girls aged fifteen or six are actually old enough to get married and even become parents.
The little girl didn't get married so early because of Zou Qiwu's pampering, but she already understood everything she should know and understand.
"Dad, you mean they still have the possibility of making a comeback?"
Although this sounds incredible, the little girl firmly believes in her father's judgment.
"Huh, maybe? That's inevitable."
The voice paused again, and a trace of ridicule flashed across Zou Qiwu's face.
"Others may not know the reason for the decline of the Pei family, but your father and I personally experienced the 'disaster' twenty years ago."
"Besides, taking a step back, even if the Pei family never has the possibility of rising again, what impact will it have on businessmen like you and me?"
"If you can exchange a little money for a friendship worth thousands of dollars, or some kind of stability in the future, it will be worth it in my opinion."
After accumulating money to Zou Qiwu's level, what he considers is no longer the increase in wealth.
Compared with the increase in the numbers in his accounts, Zou Qiwu now pays more attention to the safety of his property and life, and to preparing for possible misfortunes that may occur in the future.
After all, from ancient times to the present, how many wealthy merchants have ended up well?
"Dad, are you coming to Tanzhou this time just to see this family?"
The little girl is just a little naive, but she is not stupid.
In previous years, my father only came to see this old man for a drink and a chat when he occasionally passed through Tanzhou.
However, this time it was different. My father had clearly given up on a big deal that was about to be concluded and came to Tanzhou, a remote place in the countryside.
The little girl felt that with her father's character, there must be a secret that she didn't know about.
"Of course not. Do you think your father has so much free time?"
Reaching out and rubbing the little girl's head, Zou Qiwu, who finally recovered from his hangover, laughed.
"Dad brought you to Tanzhou this time to take you to meet my benefactor."
"He had disappeared for nearly twenty years, but I didn't expect that he turned out to be living in seclusion in a ghost place like Tanzhou."
"It's hard to get the news about him this time. I just want him to help Yue'er look at your face and see if you can find a suitable husband in the future."
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