The man looked to be in his twenties, had been crowned, was dressed in brocade clothes, with jade hanging around his waist, he was arrogant, his eyes almost reached his head, he looked like a arrogant person.
The woman was wearing a peach red dress, with a touch of powder and a few hairpins on her head. From her eyebrows and eyes, you could vaguely see Sheng Wei's appearance, but her face was somewhat similar to Li's. It was an oval face, with delicate features and beautiful eyes. She looked very beautiful, and she was holding a pink handkerchief in her hand. It was hard to see what was embroidered on it.
"Eldest sister, eldest brother-in-law!" Changsong and others walked to the carriage and greeted the man and woman with their hands in hand.
The man and woman were none other than Shulan, the eldest daughter of the Sheng family, and her husband Sun Xiucai.
"Big sister!" Changbai also said hello. When he was in Yangzhou, Changbai often returned to Youyang. However, after going to Tokyo, the journey was far away, and Changbai had to be busy studying and preparing for the scientific examination. .
"Brother Bai!" Shulan saluted Chang Bai and then introduced the man: "This is the eldest son of my second uncle. He is younger than the second brother and older than the third brother!"
"Brother Bai, haven't you seen him yet? This is my husband, his surname is Sun!" Shulan introduced to everyone.
"Brother-in-law!" Changbai bowed his hands and greeted Sun Xiucai.
"Yeah!" Sun Xiucai still had the same arrogant look with his nostrils turned upward, and he only responded with a hum.
When the Changsong brothers and sisters saw this situation, their expressions were not very good.
Pinlan stepped forward and held Shulan's hand, and said happily: "Sister, you must have never seen her before. This is the sixth sister of the second uncle's family. That is the future husband of the sixth sister, our future brother-in-law!" "
Minglan saluted Shulan and said, "I have met my eldest sister. When I was at home, I often heard from my father that the eldest sister of my uncle's family, Shuwen, was very fond of me. Unfortunately, I have never seen her. Today I finally met her." This fulfills my sister’s wish.”
Naturally, everyone likes to hear nice words.
"I'm Wang Zhong, I have a cursory character named Zihou. I've seen a big girl before!" Wang Zhong bowed his hands in salute.
"It turns out it's the sixth sister and the sixth brother-in-law. Shulan is being polite!" Shulan's salute was naturally directed at Wang Zhong. Minglan is the younger sister, so there is no reason for an elder sister to salute her younger sister when she sees him.
"Sister, our sixth brother-in-law is amazing!" When Pinlan said this, her eyes involuntarily glanced at the face of her brother-in-law Sun Xiucai next to her, and she deliberately said loudly: "He is from Huainan East Road in the third year of Jiayou's reign. Jie Yuan, Jiayou’s fourth year in the palace examination, was selected as the number one scholar by the current officials! And he was only eighteen years old when he became the number one scholar!"
Shulan glanced at Pinlan helplessly. She had naturally known about Minglan's engagement for a long time. Now that Pinlan said this in front of her husband, how could Shulan not know what she meant, but it was difficult to expose it? , then my husband will lose face even more.
Immediately he agreed: "It's really amazing!"
"It's just a fluke!" Wang Zhong cupped his hands.
Sun Zhigao, who was next to him, had long lost the arrogance he had just now. He stared at Wang Zhong in stunned silence, his mind completely blank.
"The Number One Scholar?"
"Where are you going?" Shulan was afraid that Pinlan would get entangled, so she quickly changed the topic.
"Grandma and great-uncle are talking in the back garden. They are afraid that we will be too bored and won't let us follow. Let's take brother Changbai, sister Minglan and our future brother-in-law out for a walk and have a look around!" Pin Lan Yu quickly explained.
"It's been a long time since I returned to Youyang. I really should have a good time shopping!" Shulan said, "Then I won't disturb you. I'll go and pay my respects to my grandmother and great-uncle first!"
If her husband Sun Zhigao was not around, Shulan would naturally be happy to stay with her brothers and sisters for a while. However, Sun Zhigao had a bad temper, an arrogant temper, and an upturned nostril. Not a good face.
Shulan didn't want to bring Sun Zhigao back this time. However, when Sun Zhigao heard that someone from the second room of the Sheng family was coming, he volunteered to come with him. Shulan was not stupid, how could she not guess Sun Zhigao's intention? , it is nothing more than knowing that the second wife of the Sheng family is an official in Tokyo and wants to have a relationship. However, the two are husband and wife after all, and their relationship is quite harmonious. Shulan herself
It’s hard to refuse.
Sun Zhigao, who had been arrogant just now and then stunned, was now livid, with his head lowered, standing there refusing to move, his face uncertain.
Wang Zhong and others wanted to persuade Wang Zhong to leave, but they couldn't let go, so they could only vent their anger on Shulan.
"Officer, let's go in quickly!" Shulan couldn't help but remind her when she saw that Sun Zhigao hadn't moved.
"Did you already know that Wang Zhong was the number one scholar?" Sun Zhigao still didn't move and asked Shulan with a cold face.
Shulan's heart skipped a beat, but she didn't dare to deceive Sun Zhigao: "I heard my father mention it before, but I've never seen it before. When my mother sent someone over this time, she only said that my aunt and uncle came with my cousins. Wang Zihou was not mentioned."
Sun Zhigao rolled his sleeves and snorted: "I'll settle the score with you when I get back!"
Shulan's face was full of helplessness and grievance. The personal maid next to her was about to argue for Shulan, but she was stopped by Shulan.
Sun Zhigao did not wait for Shulan and strode into Sheng's house. The concierge had already seen the majesty of this eldest uncle and there was no way he dared to stop him.
"Sister Pinlan, this eldest brother-in-law is quite impressive!" Wang Zhong and Chang Bai didn't say anything. Minglan was a child, so she naturally had less worries.
"What kind of magnanimity!" Pinlan said with a look of disgust, "He's just a scholar. Although he was selected as a scholar at the age of twelve, after so many years, he didn't even pass the examination. He still looks arrogant all the time, with his nostrils in the sky. , no one looks down on me! Every time I come to my house, I treat..."
[In view of the general environment,
Before Pinlan could finish her words, she was interrupted by Changsong coughing twice: "Pinlan!"
The king nodded and said, "You are indeed a bit arrogant!"
Changbai's eyes flickered, he looked back and said nothing.
"More than just arrogance!" Pinlan got angrier and angrier as she thought about it, unable to keep her mouth shut: "This guy is simply so arrogant that he talks so wildly about what will happen after he reaches high school, and what about his old wife? , when he meets people, he always says how great his son is, he is Prime Minister Genmiao..."
"Pinlan!" Changsong said with a straight face and a bit of seriousness in his tone: "How can you talk about others behind their backs?"
Pinlan gave up and did not continue, but her pretty and bright face was full of anger.
However, those present were all descendants of the Sheng family. Wang Zhong was also Minglan’s future husband-in-law. The future son-in-law of the Sheng family had already been engaged, and he was considered half of the Sheng family. Changsong had no intention of hiding anything from these people. He sighed and explained in detail.
Shulan is eighteen years old this year. She married Sun Zhigao the year before last, and the marriage was decided long ago.
The Sun family came from a farming family, and they had more than ten acres of land, which was leased to the Sun clan for farming. They only kept some of it, and with the money Sun's mother earned from washing and sewing, she could barely provide for Sun Zhigao. When he was twelve years old, he was selected as a scholar. After Sheng Wei found out about such a talented person, he started to think about getting married. People asked him about it, and they all said that Sun Zhigao studied hard and worked hard, and was extremely talented. Years, raising an only son, the character must be good.
When Shulan just got married, Sun Zhigao behaved quite well, and his mother-in-law was also very considerate, caring and caring about Shulan. The Sheng family was also very satisfied with the marriage.
Unexpectedly, as time went by, Sun Zhigao slowly changed. He spent all day hanging around the Qinlou and Chu Pavilions, eating wine, sleeping with prostitutes, and reciting poems with a bunch of so-called literati. He lived a very carefree life. Shulan always persuaded him to study hard. , concentrated on preparing for the exam. At first, Sun Zhigao would say a few perfunctory words, but as time went by, attending the banquet turned into scolding.
More than a year later, Shulan's stomach has not moved, and her grandma's attitude has also changed. She starts to boss around and make things difficult for Shulan. The mother and son live in the Sheng family's house and spend the Sheng family's money, but in turn criticize her harshly. The daughter of the Sheng family.
Even the Sheng family was regarded as their own home by Sun Zhigao, mother and son. They could come and leave whenever they wanted. They were bossy to Sheng Wei and Li. Even in front of the eldest lady, I don’t know how to restrain myself.
Wang Zhongdao: "It is difficult for Sun Zhigao to behave like this.
Do you want Miss Shulan to be held up by him for the rest of her life? "
"Hey!" Changsong sighed and said helplessly: "Who said that the eldest sister didn't give birth to an heir for the Sun family and continue the incense?"
There are three kinds of unfilial piety, the greatest is not having an heir. This alone blocked Shulan's retreat.
Chang Wu also had a look of helplessness, while Pinlan was the only one who gritted his teeth, as if he was going to devour the Sun family's mother and son alive.
"How did Sister Shulan end up with such a husband?" Minglan also said with great regret.
Changbai's face was also not very pretty.
Pinlan snorted and said angrily: "What can I do? We were all deceived by that guy in the first place! He kept talking about the prime minister's roots and a bright future, and how he would do it when he gets to high school, but... I have taken the exam several times and failed every time."
Chang Wu also said with an unkind expression: "He didn't go to Jinling to take the exam. He was obviously looking for an excuse to go to Mianhuasuliu. This time it was even more outrageous. Before he went, he asked Sister Guan for hundreds of taels of silver. After arriving in Jinling, I lived directly on a flower boat on the Qinhuai River, drank and slept with prostitutes, and spent all the money in my pocket!"
"If it weren't for the eldest sister's good housekeeping and the help from the family, the eldest sister's dowry would have been lost to him sooner or later!" Changsong was also helpless.
The topic ended abruptly here.
However, after such a twists and turns, everyone was no longer in the mood to hang out, so they walked around and returned to Sheng's house.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived at the door of his house, he ran into Sun Zhigao again, but this time Sun Zhigao was alone, but Shulan and Shulan's female envoy were not there.
"Brother-in-law!"
Although they don't like it, now outside the Sheng family's house, the Changsong and Changwu brothers and sisters still have to consider etiquette. They can only suppress their dissatisfaction and salute Sun Zhigao together.
But Sun Zhigao glanced at everyone, snorted heavily, waved his sleeves and walked away quickly without even saying hello.
This moment made Pinlan so angry that she almost lost her temper. She chased after Sun Zhigao and kicked him, and called several powerful servants to beat Sun Zhigao hard.
But the next moment, a smile appeared on Pinlan's face: "No need to guess, this guy must have suffered a lot at his great-aunt's place."
"Why my grandmother?" Minglan asked curiously.
"When this guy comes to my house, he always looks arrogant and bossy. He doesn't look down on his father, mother, and grandmother. How can he be embarrassed? Now the only person who can make this hateful guy feel embarrassed in the family is my great-uncle. Yet!"
This girl Pinlan seems carefree, but she is not a stupid girl without any scheming.
Changsong analyzed: "I guess I knew my great-uncle was here and wanted to come over to establish a relationship and ask my second uncle to do something."
"If he has anything to do, he can ask his second uncle to do it!" Chang Wu said disdainfully.
Changsong said helplessly: "What else could it be!"
"For the imperial examination?" Chang Wu said cleverly, "No way?"
Changsong glanced sideways at Changwu and said no more.
Naturally, it was not easy to continue this topic. When everyone returned home and asked, they found out that when Sun Zhigao visited Old Mrs. Sheng just now, he asked Old Mrs. Sheng to help introduce Sheng Hong. After answering, Sun Zhigao was not stupid. Why couldn't he see what Mrs. Sheng meant? He immediately became angry and walked away without even paying attention to Shulan.
Early the next morning, Sheng Hong opened the ancestral hall and summoned all the Sheng family members in Youyang, including all the people in the three rooms of the Sheng family who had lost all their wealth and were now solely supported by Sheng Wei's room, and sent Wei Shuyi to the meeting. Minglan and Changdong are all recorded in the family tree.
On the night of the third day, Wang Zhong found Sheng Wei and said goodbye.
"Zihou finally came to Youyang, why don't you stay a few more days?" Sheng Wei still wanted to persuade him to stay.
Wang Zhong said, "Uncle, don't be surprised. This junior has to go to Quanzhou to take up his post, so there really is no need to delay much!"
Sheng Wei said: "We are going to Quanzhou. The mountains are high and the rivers are far away. The people of Zhejiang and Fujian are fierce. I have a few stewards and guards from Zhejiang and Fujian. How about I let them be Zihou's guide?"
"Then I won't be polite to uncle!" Wang Chong said with a smile and cupped his hands.
"My family, why are you so polite?" Sheng Wei said.
Wang Zhong suddenly asked: "In addition to Quanzhou, Uncle Sheng is actually more interested in Dengzhou, which is located on Jingdong Road. Uncle, does he know why I chose Quanzhou instead of Dengzhou?"
Sheng Wei asked in confusion: "Quanzhou is remote and Dengzhou is prosperous. Why is this?"
Although the imperial court encouraged people to trade, and the land south of the Yangtze River was a granary, the economic center of the entire Song Dynasty was still in the north, especially Tokyo-Bianliang, which was transferred through the canal to connect the north, south, east and west, and was opened on the border with Xixia, Khitan and other countries The mutual trade, not to mention the income brought to the court every year, just the furs, cattle and sheep that poured into the Song Dynasty were countless.
The places south of the Yangtze River, that is, the Yangtze River Basin, are relatively prosperous. Further south, Fujian Road and Guangnan Road are sparsely populated and remote places. In the previous dynasty, they were places where officials were demoted and exiled. Compared with the bitter cold northwest, there are not many places. Let's go even further.
However, in recent years things have been much better than before. Emperor Jiayou has been in power for many years, allowing the people to cultivate their health, lighten the corvee and encourage business. During the Taizong period, the Municipal Shipping Department was established in Guangzhou to deal with overseas trade matters.
During the Zhenzong period, two more municipal shipping offices were established in Mingzhou and Hangzhou. The overseas trade industry became increasingly prosperous. Many villagers in coastal areas spontaneously went to sea by boat to seek huge profits.
"My uncle has been doing business for many years, what do you think of sea trade?"
Sheng Wei said: "The benefits are high, but the risks are also high. The sea is rough and rough. If the sea is calm and the journey goes smoothly, you can naturally make a lot of money. But if you are not careful and encounter strong waves, the ship will be destroyed and people will die."
Although Sheng Wei had never gone to sea to do trade, he had traveled around for many years, so he had certainly heard of it.
"This is one of the reasons why I chose Quanzhou!" Wang Zhongdao: "Although Fujian Road is mountainous and hilly, with scarce farmland and a vast land with few people, Quanzhou is different. Quanzhou is close to the sea and has an excellent geographical location. It is right between Guangzhou and If we can make use of the central location between the three cities of Mingzhou and Hangzhou, it will definitely be an excellent political achievement."
"Besides, before I left the capital this time, I received a secret decree from the government to build an additional salt farm in Quanzhou!"
"saltworks!"
"port!"
Sheng Wei finally changed his expression.
Wang Chong said with a smile: "Whether it is a salt farm or a port, it requires a lot of manpower and material resources. Is my uncle interested in doing business in Quanzhou?"
Sheng Wei's eyes flickered as he looked at Wang Zhong, his expression becoming serious: "Bringing the business to Quanzhou? This..."
"Uncle, there is no need to rush to reply to me. Not to mention that I am just a small general magistrate of Quanzhou. Even the magistrate of Quanzhou. After arriving in Quanzhou, I need to understand the local situation in Quanzhou first. Even if I want to do something, I can't do it in a moment. Uncle can think about it slowly, focus on Quanzhou, and wait for uncle's good news."
"No need to think about it!" Sheng Wei said with a smile: "How can you miss such a good opportunity?"
"Hahaha!" Wang Zhong laughed and said, "Then I will take the first step tomorrow and inform my uncle when everything is ready."
Sheng Wei asked: "What do I need to prepare in advance?"
"It's nothing more than capital and manpower!" Wang Zhong said: "If there are craftsmen who can build ships, or skilled blacksmiths, I will have to trouble my uncle to help recruit them."
"These are not difficult. As long as you have money, you don't have to worry about finding a shipbuilding craftsman! As for a blacksmith, I wonder what Zihou wants?"
If you just want to make farm tools or kitchen knives, you can find blacksmiths everywhere, but if you have other special requirements, it will be more difficult, because many skilled blacksmiths are in the military, making armored weapons for the court. Not easy to find.
Wang Zhongdao: "Of course, the more exquisite the skill, the better!"
Sheng Wei nodded and did not ask Wang Zhong in detail what the blacksmith did.
The two chatted in many details. Time passed by and the night became darker and darker.
While chatting, Wang Zhong suddenly changed his voice and asked, "Uncle, I have heard from Brother Changsong and Sister Pinlan about Sister Shulan in the past few days.
Quite a few, as a junior, there are some things I shouldn’t say, but my uncle has taken care of me over the years, and there are some words I hold back in my heart, and I don’t want to say them out loud. "
Sheng Wei's expression changed, the smile on his face gradually disappeared, and a hint of helplessness gradually emerged between his brows: "Zi Hou has something to say, but it doesn't matter!"
Wang Zhong said: "Although Sister Shulan's husband and I have only met once, we have heard from brothers Changwu and the others about his past behavior. Let's not talk about anything else, but that day he went to the old lady for begging." When he failed to help introduce his uncle, he ignored the etiquette and walked away. With such a character, even if he really takes the exam in the future, his official career may not be smooth."
"Hey!" Sheng Wei sighed with a sad look on his face, and his voice was full of helplessness: "We asked ourselves, when we were doing business in the past, we never made mistakes in judging people, but we never expected that Shu'er would be involved in Shu'er's life-long event. I lost my sight and failed to see Sun Zhigao's true face. Ever since this bastard married Shu'er and received my dowry, he has been hanging out with others all day long, sleeping in flowers and willows, eating wine and sleeping with prostitutes. Shu'er thought about him, He kindly advised him to study, but he was scolded and scolded by Shu'er, scolding Shu'er for being a woman, not knowing how to deal with people, and ruining his future.
Even my father-in-law, he doesn't look down on me. He thinks I'm a businessman and looks down on me and her mother..." As he spoke, Sheng Hong sighed again with a look of helplessness.
"Uncle!" Wang Zhong cupped his hands and said, "As the saying goes, long-term pain is worse than short-term pain! If the pain continues, you will suffer chaos!"
"I don't think so. It's just that Sun Zhigao is a scholar and has a great reputation, and the Sun family is also a wealthy family in the local area..." Sheng Wei was helpless.
It would be easier to deal with Sun Zhigao and his son if they were alone, but the Sun family has deep roots in Youyang. Although Sheng Hong is now an official in Tokyo, Sheng Hong has also made the family business quite prosperous, but in the face of Sun Zhigao, If a local family like the Jia Family has a big tree and deep roots, it will be easy to deal with it if they don't care about their reputation. However, the Sheng Jia wants to save face and cannot be said to be bullying others, so it will naturally be difficult to deal with it.
Wang Zhong said, "Uncle, you might as well ask the old lady what she means!"
"Aunt?" Sheng Wei frowned slightly and looked at Wang Zhong in confusion.
Early the next morning, Wang Zhong said goodbye to Mrs. Sheng and others, and rode a fast horse with Yu Chuer to Jinling. He met Wang Erxi and others who had been waiting in Jinling for a long time, and went straight to Quanzhou.
What Wang Zhong didn't know was that as soon as he left, Sun Zhigao sent someone to urge Shulan to go back to Sun's house, saying that Sun's mother had no one to take care of her at home, and she couldn't even eat.
The reason is also very simple. When Sun Zhigao came to visit the two old ladies with Shulan that day, he failed to put on a show in front of Old Mrs. Sheng. Instead, he was frustrated, became angry with shame, and walked away immediately.
He didn't even think about it. He was a small scholar who didn't even hold the title of a scholar. He didn't even have a serious reputation. He just got the name of a scholar. He couldn't even be an official if he wanted to, but in the eyes of a noble lady like Mrs. Sheng. How can it be possible to succeed if you put on a show in front of people who know the world?
However, Shulan had already married Sun Zhigao, and now the Sun family sent someone to urge her. Although Shulan was reluctant to leave her family, she could only rush back to the Sun family.
Pinlan was so angry that she smashed several bottles and dishes. Li's face was livid. She felt sorry for Shulan, but she had no choice but to wipe her tears quietly, feeling sorry for her daughter's misfortune. At the same time, she regretted that the marriage was decided too early. However, she and Sheng Wei, with four pairs of eyes, could not clearly see the nature of Sun Zhigao and Sun Mu.
Now that the Sun family lives in a house, all the servants are from the Sheng family. The Sheng family naturally knows everything about Shulan's life in the Sun family, but because they know it so well, the Sheng family is even more angry.
