If Qi Xuansu was still visiting incognito in Bainangben Mansion, then he was upright in Lion City. He met Lin Daduhu and Jiayin Lingguan successively, and was accompanied by a deputy governor of Nanting Duhufu. , walked around the Lion City.
This is the most prosperous port in the entire Southeast Asia, so there is no room for carelessness.
The local gangsters from all walks of life were also very considerate, and they put up a big formation to welcome Qi Cixi to visit, and even made some remarks.
As early as when there was news that Qi Xuansu was going to take up the post of Borneo Taoist Government, they had already found out clearly that this Qi Cixi had been engaged to a noble daughter of the Zhang family, was clean and well-off, and had a wealthy family. Apart from anything else, he wanted to be in the country for the sake of the marriage. Purchasing a mansion in Taishangfang is not something ordinary people can do, so it's not easy to make a fuss about wealth and status, and you won't want it if you give it to others.
This is also reasonable. There are many lustful and greedy people in the Taoist sect, but their positions are not particularly high. At least they are not common at the level of real people. It is not that real people are all free-spirited, but they know how to cherish. Feathers will not look ugly.
Take Wanmiao Zhenren Qi Jiaozheng as an example. Apart from the Taoist sect's regular money, he has no other income, let alone exploiting and corrupting people. Even if he is given money directly, he will not take it. But why can the Qi family maintain the style of a big family? Then we have to ask Qi Muyu. As for how Qi Muyu supports the Qi family's expenses, is she a genius in business? Of course not, but because the identity of Master Wanmiao is there, and the Qi family is standing behind, they can be invincible. The two are complementary and cannot exist without the other.
To put it bluntly, the face should be smooth and not stained with any dust. Lizi wants to prop up his face, but instead relies on his face to support himself.
In fact, not only the Qi family, but also most of the other major aristocratic families follow this pattern, with family members each performing their own duties. Li Tianlan was the second deputy head of Jiangnan Daofu, and Li Tianyue was engaged in business, traveling south and north on a grand canal. Li Changge climbed up the ranks step by step within the Taoist sect, and Li Tianzhen took over the family's internal business. It didn't matter whether he went to Yujing or not.
Naturally, these young people from aristocratic families do not have to worry about these "trivial matters". They have family behind them to support them, let alone withstand temptation. Taoist priests who come from ordinary backgrounds are not so lucky. They are often torn between temptation and integrity, and they are constantly searching for themselves. After all, the life of poverty is difficult to endure. Who doesn’t want to enjoy it?
Just like Master Gao giving money, Qi Xuansu, who was afraid of poverty, had to fight in his heart. If it were Li Changge, a son of an aristocratic family who aspired to be a great leader, he wouldn't even look at it.
Of course, it is a different story for Wang Danqing, a son of a family who has no ambitions in Taoism.
Of course, these outsiders from Nanyang did not know that Qi Xuansu came from poverty. In their view, if a young man succeeds, he must have the support of a noble person. Since he is a noble person, he will not be short of peace money. This is proved by Qi Cixi settling down in Taishangfang. at this point. All in all, this Qi Cixi must have a good background, but they couldn't find out. In turn, the reason why they could not find out also confirmed the power of the family behind it.
Such people are going for Master Shenzhi and Master Pingzhang. They will never accept anything given to them openly. 33
So they tried their best to prepare a big gift for Qi Cixi. In addition to the obvious battle that gave Qi Cixi a lot of face, someone found out that Qi Cixi loved to play Xuansheng Cards when he was in the Taoist Palace, so they specially invited There are well-known card players in Nanyang, and they have all been told in advance that Qi Cixi must be well served. He will definitely not win, but he cannot let Qi Cixi show signs of giving up. This is just like playing a draw. It’s a great test of skill.
These wealthy businessmen also prepared several special sets of Xuansheng cards, made of rattan paper. Generally speaking, the imperial court used white rattan paper to announce edicts and promulgate imperial edicts, while Taoist sects used green rattan paper to recommend them. Because Qi Cixi was a member of the Taoist sect, these Xuansheng tablets were made of special ivy paper. Using imitation Qiongqi blood calligraphy and painting patterns, each card is a talisman. If the cards are made of jade, jade or crystal, it will look too luxurious and will inevitably be inferior to others and will be easily rejected. On the contrary, paper is an elegant thing, and it is not a taboo thing for literati or scholars. .
After the card game is over, the cards are given away as a matter of course, just as "a souvenir".
Of course, it will never be held in the style of a competition, but will appear in the form of an interlude, a small entertainment activity that will not last too long, at most half an hour. Let a few poker players perform for Qi Cixi first, and then let Qi Cixi go out and play a few games in person, so that he can enjoy himself to the fullest.
For this purpose, they specially built a store that sells Xuansheng cards and allows people to play cards in it. It is similar to the chess club in the past. It is known as the first card club in Nanyang. Qi Cixi will definitely be interested after hearing this. When he brings Qi Cixi to visit, he will take the opportunity to suggest a few games. The presence of those poker players who had prepared in advance did not appear out of place at all. It was reasonable for the poker players to be in the card shop. This set leaves no trace at all, everything is so natural. It's like writing an article, without a single word, and it's all romantic.
To put it bluntly, the best hunters always appear in the form of prey.
It was hard to tell whether the people above were hunting them, or whether they were hunting the people above.
In fact, Qi Xuansu did not expect it. It was not until he saw the "souvenir" sent that he realized it and had to sigh in his heart: "It is impossible to prevent it."
What does it mean to rack your brains? That's it.
Qi Xuansu took the set of Xuan Sheng cards and smiled half-heartedly: "Souvenirs? Souvenirs?"
A wealthy businessman said: "This is a common practice."
Qi Xuansu said: "Routine? I think it's better to have less of this kind of routine."
Qi Xuansu did not refuse this "souvenir", but instead of receiving it in his pocket, he asked Ke Qingqing to seal it up and then hand it over to the Taoist government. Some Nanyang dignitaries often presented some gifts to the Borneo Taoist government. Most of them were rare treasures, gorgeous and exquisite, and the Taoist government could not refuse them, so they opened a special exhibition hall in the large library of Thang Long House to display these gifts. Place it in the exhibition hall and mark who donated it and who received it.
In this way, Qi Xuansu turned a personal gift of giving someone a handle into a gift to the Taoist government.
Then Qi Xuansu explained to Ke Qingqing: "Regarding the gift-giving thing, please pay attention. There is indeed such a bad trend in Taoism nowadays. Some secretaries are also taking advantage of it, and they are very rich. I hope you will not covet this. If someone wants to give me a gift through you, you should refuse them all. If you really can’t refuse, let them come and talk to me directly.”
"Yes." Ke Qingqing quickly wrote it down.
Qi Xuansu planned to stay in Lion City for two days. On the afternoon of the second day, he paid a special visit to Hu Fuli of Taiping Bank Nanyang Head Office. He was also accompanied by Hu Fuli's deputy, Zhou Yonghe and Zhou Xiangli.
Qi Xuansu did not wear a crane cloak, but wore a Taoist robe and casual clothes. By coincidence, Hu Fuli was also wearing casual clothes today, which seemed to mean that today's conversation had nothing to do with business and was just a private meeting.
Obviously, although Hu Fuli gave Qi Xuansu a soft nail, he did not want to be hostile to Qi Xuansu. He was deliberately repairing the relationship.
Qi Xuansu also brought a gift to Hu Fuli - he was not just hanging around during his stay in Yujing.
Qi Xuansu signaled Ke Qingqing to take out the gift: "It's a small gift to express my feelings. I hope Assistant Hu won't dislike it."
Hu Fuli stood up and said solemnly: "I hope that I can forgive you. Hu never dares to accept courtesy from others."
Qi Xuansu always had a smile on his face: "I recommend myself to others. I naturally understand that Hu Fuli is honest and prudent. But today's gift is not just the intention of me, Qi Xuansu. I also ask Hu Fuli to take a look first. If Hu Fuli After reading it and still rejecting it, I will take it back and return it to the original owner."
Ke Qingqing placed a gift box on the table and waited respectfully.
Hu Fuli thought for a moment, then reached out and opened the gift box. Inside was a painting.
Hu Fuli carefully unfolded the scroll and was surprised. He was a knowledgeable person and blurted out: "This is the "Arhat in Red" by Mr. Shui Jing during the Jin Dynasty."
Qi Xuansu said with admiration: "Hu Fuli is really discerning, please appreciate it."
Hu Fuli looked at the painting carefully: "It is an authentic work. To put it tackily, putting this painting on the market will cost at least 100,000 Taiping. This gift is too expensive, and Hu will never dare to accept it."
Qi Xuansu just said: "Please ask Hu Fuli to finish reading the painting."
Hu Fuli had no choice but to continue reading.
Soon, Hu Fuli saw the location of the signature and was shocked again.
It doesn’t matter whether the poem is written on the painting or the artist’s signature. The key is that this is the place where collectors from past dynasties have stamped their seals.
What caught my eye was a seal with the words: "The master of Jianxinzhai will give you a clear reward."
Who is the master of Jianxinzhai?
It was none other than Cihang Master Su Yuanyi.
As Qi Xuansu's prospective mother-in-law, Cihang also prepared some things for Qi Xuansu's trip to Southeast Asia, but the emphasis was different from that of Donghua.
This is not a question of rejecting Qi Xuansu.
As the saying goes, gifts from elders cannot be denied.
Although Confucianism has gone far away, the ideas of Confucianism are still deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Most of the time, "respect" and "eldest" are closely linked. The king is the father of the king. The king is the father of the world. This This is the core of Confucianism.
No matter how much Taoism shouts about equality, it is impossible to erase this deep-rooted concept.
The status of Hu Fuli and Qi Xuansu was still at the same level, but when they met Master Cihang, they were juniors. This seniority has nothing to do with generations of disciples, but is only related to position and power.
Qi Xuansu smiled and said: "Hu Fuli, you are from Luzhou. Your ancestor was a famous anti-Japanese minister in the previous dynasty. Cihang Zhenren is from Jiangzhou. Luzhou is not far from Jiangzhou. It is separated by a river. Whether it is the former dynasty or this country, During the dynasty, Luzhou, Jiangzhou, and Wuzhou were all under the jurisdiction of Jiangnan Governor-General. In this way, Hu Fuli and Cihang were still from the same hometown. The friendship between these fellow villagers is always precious, especially since Hu Fuli is away from home all year round."
Some people died, but not completely...
