Maybe not everyone can be upright, but everyone admires being upright. Changsheng was the first to take the stage from the beginning of the competition, accepted everyone's challenge, and fought openly until the end. He did not judge the situation and took advantage of opportunities. Everyone admired him. Ni Dafu announced the final result, and the whole hall cheered and everyone was jubilant.
Some good-hearted people laughed and asked, "Hey, Master, how many games has Master Sansheng won? According to your previous agreement, how much silver can he get?"
As soon as this statement came out, everyone started to shout and ask questions. In fact, everyone knew that the Ni family could not afford so much silver, and they just wanted to know how much silver the Ni family should reward Changsheng.
Ni Dafu did not expect that people would ask these questions. Fortunately, there were two accountants on the west side of the gatehouse who were responsible for recording and accounting. After receiving Ni Dafu's instructions, one of the accountants stood up, held the account book and read loudly, "Sansheng Dao With a long winning streak of forty-three games, based on the doubling of the winning streak, the reward should be 4,398,046,511,10,400 taels."
The accountant was old, the reward was huge, and the numbers were lengthy. He almost lost his breath after reading it in one breath.
Although everyone was eager to know the specific amount of the silver reward, they did not expect it to be so terrifying. They had no idea about the amount of silver, so someone shouted loudly, "To put it bluntly, how much is it?"
Mr. Accountant knew what everyone wanted to ask. After pondering for a while, he said, "The imperial tax during the Tianbao period was approximately 52 million taels, and the total amount of silver reward was approximately 8 million times the tax during the Tianbao period."
"Haha, your Ni family is really going bankrupt." Someone laughed.
Changsheng was thanking the three witnesses at this time. When he heard the crowd booing, he hurriedly turned around and said loudly, "I'm not here for the silver reward. The master will not take any money from the reward, and will return all the money."
Everyone admired Chang Sheng for fighting to the end, and their words were quite friendly, "Hahaha, it's back to the master's family. You are his son-in-law, and we are one family."
"Yeah, yeah, you're not here for the money, you're here for the people."
"Taoist Master Shenwei, we will fight forty-three battles in a row during the day, and another forty-three battles at night."
The people who came to watch were not only people from the rivers and lakes, but also people from the market. These people's words were quite vulgar. Seeing that everyone's words became more and more outrageous, Ni Dafu hurriedly shouted loudly and ordered his servants to bring the silk colors prepared in advance for longevity. Then he carried out four large wooden boxes. Two boxes were carried up to the gate and handed over to Ni Chenyi to express gratitude. Two boxes were carried up to the ring and handed over to Chang Sheng to be spread out in celebration. Chang Sheng originally thought that the wooden boxes contained copper coins. Who would have thought to open them? Later, I discovered that it was full of white silver beans, each weighing one or two.
The competition ended at the beginning of Youshi, and they were busy until halfway through Youshi before they left the stage. The onlookers not only watched the excitement, but also got more or less money. The sky was getting dark, and everyone dispersed in groups of twos and twos, satisfied.
In the previous commotion, Changsheng didn't pay attention to the condition of Yang Shouyi who was kicked off the ring. Situ Yanggang's bones had been collected by the Ni family and handed over to Dali Temple for disposal.
When Changsheng walked off the ring, Ni Chenyi trotted out to greet him, with a proud face and a spring breeze on his face.
Changsheng stood there and watched Ni Chenyi running towards him.
Ni Chenyi did not hide her joy and jumped up and down, "I knew I would not make a mistake. What you did today can be said to be superior to others in skill and invincible bravery."
Chang Sheng didn't know what to say, so he could only apologize.
Seeing Chang Sheng's forced smile, Ni Chenyi looked at him angrily, "Are you laughing or crying? Why don't you seem unhappy?"
"It's not that I'm unhappy," Changsheng shook his head and said, "It just feels like something's not quite right. It seems like I've been being led by you."
"Don't accuse a good person unjustly," Ni Chenyi said urgently, "You can also see that someone wants to plot against us, and I am not willing to plot against you."
Chang Sheng nodded. What Ni Chenyi said was indeed true. This martial arts competition was not Ni Chenyi's way of provoking generals, but the eunuch eunuchs who promoted it behind the scenes, and the Ni family only responded passively.
"I'm almost scared to death," Ni Chenyi said with lingering fear, "Why did you come to the stage so early? You are in the light and they are in the dark. It is easy to hide from a gun in the open..."
Changsheng stopped listening to what Ni Chenyi said because he found Datou poking his head from the northwest corner.
Datou had helped him out many times before, and finally risked going on stage to buy him time. He had a good impression of this person, and hurriedly waved to him. Datou understood, and sneakily moved towards the corner, approaching. He raised his hands and bowed to the two of them, saying congratulations.
"Thank you for your help, brother." Changsheng thanked Datou.
Datou was very frightened when he heard this, and waved his hands repeatedly, "Taoist Master, please don't say that. In fact, I didn't do anything."
"Have you received the silver yet?" Changsheng asked.
The big head patted the bulging waist bag, and the sound of silver came from inside, "Here it is, here it is, who are the Ni family? They are richest in the world and do what they say they will do. How can they regret such a small amount of money?"
Although he knew that Datou was taking the opportunity to flatter him, Ni Chenyi still became a little closer to this person. He turned to the maid not far away and said, "Go back and get two ingots of gold to thank this hero."
The maid agreed, turned and left.
"Hey, hey, hey, I can't do it, I can't do it," Big Tou waved his hands repeatedly, and turned to the two of them with embarrassment and said, "I am receiving the salary for nothing. I am already very ashamed of getting these two hundred taels. How can I accept it again without shame?" "
While Da Tou was talking, the maid's voice came from the door, "Master, Madam."
Hearing the maid's words, Ni Chenyi turned and left, "You guys talk, I'll go see my father first."
Da Tou knew etiquette very well and knew that Chang Sheng was going to see Ni Tuo soon, so he did not waste any time and said eagerly, "Taoist priest, please feel free to do it. I'll leave first. I'll stay at the inn in the south of the city. If you have any errands, you can go there to find me." Me ha.”
After saying this, he turned around and left without waiting for Changsheng to answer. Even if Changsheng tried to persuade him to stay, he didn't stop, opened his legs and left in a hurry.
At this time, Ni Zhuo had already arrived outside the door. Changsheng had no choice but to look away, turned around and walked towards the door.
This was the first time he had seen Ni Zuo. Ni Zuo himself was very different from what he had imagined. In his imagination, Ni Zuo should be an elderly man in his fifties or sixties, with luxurious clothes and a round face and a slight fatness. But in fact Ni Zhuo is very young, only about forty-five or sixty-six, not fat, not round in face, medium to upper height, slightly thin, handsome face, and what he wears is not silk and satin, but a very fine texture. blue linen.
At this time, Ni Chenyi was talking to Ni Zhuo. Seeing Changsheng walking toward the door, the father and daughter turned back at the same time, smiling and waiting.
Ni Zhuo was not only the richest man in the Tang Dynasty, but also the Duke of the state. This personal greeting was a sign of great respect for Chang Sheng. Chang Sheng naturally knew this and stepped forward quickly, bowed his head deeply, and said, "Immeasurable Heavenly Lord, I pay my respects to you sir." .”
Ni Chenyi was dissatisfied when he saw that Changsheng was not only practicing Taoist etiquette towards Ni Zhuo, but also treating him like an adult. However, Changsheng's use of the word "worship" didn't seem too outrageous.
"No gift, no gift," Ni Tuo smiled and stretched out his hand, slightly supporting him. When Changsheng straightened up, he smiled and said, "My little girl has mentioned you to me many times before. I only thought that she was just in love, confused and confused, and never thought about it. Although she is young, she is very discerning. She can recognize good jade in thousands of mountains in Kyushu and dragons in the five lakes and seas. She is very popular with me."
Hearing Ni Zhuo's words, Changsheng Haosheng was frightened, "Your Excellency, you are exaggerating."
"Let's go home and talk." Ni Zhuo took his hand and led him through the door.
Changsheng had been lowering his head until now. It was only when he crossed the tall threshold of Ni Mansion that he discovered seven women standing inside the door. These seven women ranged in age, and the woman standing in the far south was the oldest. He should not be confused. The woman in the far north is the youngest, about twenty-five or six years old.
The moment he saw these seven people, Changsheng knew that they were Ni Zhuo's wives and concubines. It was not because Ni Chenyi had said before that her father had three wives and four concubines, nor because these seven women were all beautiful and fragrant, but because they were all full of beauty. There are the same thing, grace and elegance, wealth and calmness.
This time, Ni Chenyi was responsible for the introduction. As expected, there were indeed seven wives and concubines of Ni Tuo. All seven of them addressed themselves as "Taoist Master", and Changsheng responded with "Madam, Second Madam...".
Changsheng was nervous and moved as he returned the gifts one by one. It was a great respect for the head of the family to come to welcome him in person. The head of the family came with all his wives and concubines at the same time. This is probably a treatment that even the emperor has never enjoyed. You must know that women at this time do not see outsiders. , the lady went out to greet him at the same time as the master, which was equivalent to recognizing his identity.
The Ni family is worthy of being a wealthy family, with thorough etiquette and a measured advance and retreat. If they were an ordinary family, they would have changed their names in a shallow and eager manner, calling them son-in-law and father.
After the meeting, the seven ladies each returned to their own courtyards, and the three of them continued walking north. Ni Zhuo had the status of a state official, so Ni's mansion was a courtyard with five entrances, and the main hall was located in the middle of the five entrances.
Not far away, I met the maid from before. The maid was holding a heavy small cloth bag, which must have contained two ingots of gold.
At this time, Datou had already left, and Ni Chenyi called to the maid to stop her from going out of the house.
The main hall is very large, with a large number of calligraphy and paintings hanging on the four walls. There are two large seats to the north. In the middle of the seats is a nine-foot-long tea table. There are twelve wide seats on the left and right sides. There are wooden tables and tea tables in between.
After entering the main hall, Ni Zhuo did not invite Changsheng to the guest seat at the top of the west side, nor did he take the main seat at the top of the east side. Instead, he sat on the first of the twelve seats on the east side. He asked Changsheng to sit under him. Ni Chenyi ran to the seat on Changsheng's left and sat down.
This seating arrangement has shown Ni Ni's attitude that he regards him as one of his own family members and does not treat him like a guest.
After sitting down, the tea was immediately served. Ni Zhuo served the tea and spoke with a calm tone and a smile. He only said that there were still distinguished guests in the house, and he would go to accompany the guests later. He also asked Changsheng to be considerate and tolerant.
Then he got straight to the point, concisely and concisely, and first expressed his praise for Chang Sheng's magnanimity and bravery. Then he praised him for his intelligence and thoughtfulness. The last thing is to ask Chang Sheng for his opinion on when to get married.
Changsheng just said that he was still young and had no plans to get married for the time being. He would wait until he was an adult and established his career before he would worry about it.
Ni Zhuo agreed with Chang Sheng's idea. Chang Sheng originally thought that Ni Chenyi would be dissatisfied, but he never thought that Ni Chenyi just looked at him with a smile and did not raise any objection. In fact, it was not difficult to guess Ni Chenyi's thoughts. In short, he snatched him back. His fate has been decided and he can no longer run away.
As soon as the important matter was agreed upon, Ni Dafu came to the main hall carrying a wooden tray. The wooden tray was covered with red silk. On the red silk, there was a book and a square utensil wrapped in yellow silk. This object was not big, less than two square meters. inch.
"Master, the gold seal of the east bed has been cast," Ni Dafu respectfully presented, "the east courtyard has also been tidied up."
Ni Zhuo picked up the document and the seal wrapped in yellow silk and asked casually, "Has the seal been left?"
"It's been left behind," Ni Dafu said. "According to your instructions, it has been spread to various places. It will be known to everyone by this time tomorrow at the latest."
Ni Zhuo nodded, stood up, and handed the book and the seal wrapped in yellow silk to Changsheng with both hands, "Changsheng, the engagement has been concluded. Keep this gold seal. This book contains the records of the Ni family." There are more than two hundred operating properties in various places. You can decide and dispose of them at will with the gold seal, and you can withdraw money with the gold seal stamped paper. There is no need to ask in advance and no report afterwards. "
Changsheng originally thought that the golden seal was just a token. Who would have thought that it would have such power? He was frightened and hesitated to accept it.
Seeing this, Ni Chenyi stood up and stepped forward to take it for him, "Are you too polite? You have won forty-three games in a row. Even if you double the reward for winning in a row, we can't afford it. Take it quickly, my father will do it for me." A daughter, these things will belong to us sooner or later."
Ni Zhuo doted on Ni Chenyi very much and was not angry. He just looked at her dotingly and said, "Okay, I'm going to accompany the guests. You take care of Changsheng."
"I got it, let's go quickly." Ni Chenyi waved his hand to urge.
Ni Zhuo smiled and nodded at Changsheng again, then put his hands behind his back and went out accompanied by Ni Dafu.
"Take it." Ni Chenyi thrust the writing book and gold seal into Changsheng's hand.
"Isn't this bad?" Changsheng Haosheng was frightened.
"There's nothing wrong with it," Ni Chenyi said casually, "You have to know what properties our family has. If you need money in the future, you can also use the gold seal to withdraw it. How convenient."
"How about you hold it for me?" Changsheng said.
"Okay, I'll hold the gold seal for you, and I'll give you the account book." Ni Chenyi said and wanted to put away the gold seal.
Seeing her happy expression and hearing her excited tone, Chang Sheng felt a little uneasy and hurriedly grabbed the gold seal, "Forget it, I'll just keep it myself. If you waste your money and spend money carelessly, you will still be relying on me when the time comes." head."
"You can't even trust me?" Ni Chenyi pouted.
"I can't believe it." Changsheng kept the still-warm gold seal and notebook close to his body.
"You can't wear these clothes anymore, you have to change them." Ni Chenyi said.
"Well," Changsheng took off the silk ribbon on his chest and handed it to Ni Chenyi, "You should go to bed early. I have to go back to the inn. I have to take part in the martial arts examination for children tomorrow. My uncle and uncle may go to the inn to look for me tonight. say."
"The distinguished guests my father mentioned probably include them," Ni Chenyi said. "There are so many people in the house that it is inconvenient for them to show up."
"Oh," Chang Sheng turned around and stepped forward, "Where is Yang Kai?"
"In the front yard," Ni Chenyi followed, "Why don't you leave tonight, the place has been packed for you."
"I won't stay, I'll go back to the inn." Changsheng shook his head.
"You really want to go back, but my father asked me to take good care of you." Ni Chenyi said.
"Please spare me. You stay away from me just to take care of me..."
