Zhu Qianyu stood with his sleeves on his back at the window of the private room on the second floor of Mingyue Building.
When he saw the woman who should have arrived, wearing the clothes she should wear, and stepping out of the carriage, Prince Nanzhu, who was living overseas and even his subordinates may not know which generation he was, smiled slightly, turned around and opened the sliding door. ,
Zhu Qianyu has lost interest in criticizing women's appearance for a long time.
At the beginning, even when he saw Wang Yuesheng, a wonderful person with a fairy-like appearance, he just looked at a handy weapon and had no idea of taking him into the harem.
Compared with power, female sex is not something worth indulging in.
Similarly, today, I saw Zheng Haizhu carefully carrying the horse-faced skirt, being led upstairs by the restaurant waiter with an attentive face, and then met the woman with a beautiful smile when she raised her head. Compared with that day when she was in danger, this woman was more confused. The beauty has become two or three points brighter, but Zhu Qianyu has not yet developed the slightest interest in admiring flowers and drinking tea.
But this didn't stop him from immediately putting on a moving expression that he thought was measured and superior.
The other party not only went to the appointment, but also wore the embroidered bijia given by him.
The skirt under the hat is completely different from the plain cotton skirt seen at Fahua Temple that day. It is a fine pleated long skirt of indigo brocade with gold trim. When walking, it seems that the dark night is about to dawn and the sky is dawning. now.
Zhu Qianyu thought to himself: This is obviously because he has put a lot of thought into matching it to match the colorful clothes I gave him.
"Shopkeeper Zheng, please take a seat." Zhu Qianyu said politely.
After sitting down, he took the initiative to explain: "Shopkeeper Zheng mentioned the other day that Bao Hao is made of Wu cotton, Nan embroidery and Hang brocade. I am not presumptuous and chose this Guang embroidery Bijia. Please give me your advice."
Zheng Haizhu generously praised: "The stacked and gorgeous Guang embroidery is indeed the painterly embroidery in our Susong area, which is difficult to match. Your embroidery is like a vast ocean, while my embroidery is just a shallow stream. I am the same." After rummaging through all the treasures at the bottom of the box, I finally found this gold-woven horse-faced skirt, which is not completely different from the young master's best one."
Zhu Qianyu felt comfortable listening, and tried his best to keep away the meaning of research in his eyes. Yu Ning and Chun Cheng added a bit of banter, and Yingying smiled and said: "How can it be the difference between clouds and mud? It is clear that it is so bright in a moment." , Or, the golden wind and jade dew meet each other."
Zheng Haizhu lowered his eyes and pursed his lips. After a moment, he raised the porcelain cup that had been filled with hot tea. After thanking the man across from him, he took a small sip and thought to himself: "It's a bit too hard, brother. This pot of green tea from the store is too weak." Some, the oil has to be removed by aging Pu'er.
While Zheng Haizhu was cursing, Zhu Qianyu nodded to the servant standing beside him, and the servant hurriedly opened the screen in the corner of the room.
It turned out that this compartment was very large, and on the other side of the screen, musicians and actors were already on standby.
Zhu Qianyu made another gesture, silk and bamboo music sounded, and the actors began to sing.
"The east wind dawns in the pavilions, and I can only see the jade orchid buds are small, and the weeping poplars are sold in gold. The green reflects the river bridge, and the swallows have just arrived, and their thoughts are on their brows. The return of a hater is no earlier than the return of spring."
It turned out to be a Sanqu "Bu Bu Jiao - Resentful Farewell" written by Tang Bohu in Shuimo tune of Kunqu opera.
When the last voiceless sound fell, Zhu Qianyu ordered his servants to reward him with money and refreshments. He turned around and said to Zheng Haizhu: "The tunes of "Bu Bu Jiao" can be divided into northern and southern tunes. The northern tune is in the double-angle tune, and the southern tune is in the immortal tune. Lu Gong, this song "Resentful Farewell" written by Tang Yin can only be sung with southern tunes. Alas, to be honest, when I came to the capital and listened to the singing of northern tunes, I really felt that it was crude and had no charm at all, and it was not the same as the northern tune. The noble and elegant atmosphere in the south is far different. Fortunately, I found this small team and invited them here today, so they won't offend Shopkeeper Zheng's ears."
In his previous life, Zheng Haizhu was a screenwriter who graduated from the School of History and Geography, worked in Jiangnan, and was also involved in Kunqu Opera.
But now that she was listening to Mr. Xu's eloquent talk, she really had no interest in commenting on the actor's ever-changing voice and meaning.
However, I feel that Mr. Xu in front of me is like an elite man at a blind date dinner in later generations. He is shaking a goblet, his eyes are blurred, and his tone is artificial, telling you about the quality of wine origins around the world, the prices of different vintages, and the taste. Go through it again, just to show that you are a fighter among tasteful people.
At this moment, after eating a few chopsticks restaurant's signature Huaiyang dishes, this Ming Dynasty fighter jet felt as if the plane had been refueled and had more power.
He stood up gracefully and went to replace the piano player in the troupe. He flipped up his robe sleeves and played the strings himself.
The actor bowed and took the paper handed over by the boy, and started singing again according to the tune played by the young master.
Zheng Haizhu listened to the Suzhou Mandarin, and it was probably a melancholy moaning style such as "It's hard to fall in love just because of a fate, and the grudges will last for generations." She didn't bother to take into account the etiquette, and used her chopsticks to open the crab meat lion that was in season. Put one on the plate and eat it deliciously.
The eyes of Zhu Qianyu's two personal guards who were pretending to be servants widened immediately.
Your Highness is playing the piano while she eats meat?
Are you using His Highness as a provocateur to play the piano for fun?
Even if this woman is a descendant of the late emperor's virtuous ministers, His Highness would be too aggrieved, right?
Zhu Qianyu, with a bright expression on his face, calmly finished playing, asked the troupe to retreat, and then slowly returned to the dining table.
"This is a poem I wrote in my spare time. It is not comparable to the four talented people from the Wu clan. Shopkeeper Zheng laughed at me."
Zheng Haizhu looked at him: "Mr. Xu is really nostalgic for the past. He chooses restaurants and composes lyrics, all of which are in line with the beautiful scenery of the south of the Yangtze River like Su Song in Huaiyang. I probably have a cooler nature. Although I was born in Zhangquan, Fujian, there are many places in the world. After running around the docks for a while, I found that there are good places to get a bowl of rice wherever you look, as long as you choose the right way and find the right person."
The corners of Zhu Qianyu's lips curled up, and he thought to himself, she is revealing her origins and origins to me bit by bit, and she is also proud of her business experience. This is a good sign.
She seemed to be very chatty in front of me.
Zhu Qianyu suddenly said seriously: "Shopkeeper Zheng, I was so anxious that day that I didn't know how to style my hair. Just because I saw you were so young, the name you blurted out was not polite. Please forgive me, shopkeeper. Now I venture to ask, my husband's family is a treasured name. His boss?"
Zheng Haizhu pretended to be embarrassed, thought for a moment, and said: "You are not wrong, I did not leave the cabinet, I did my own hair in my hometown county. After combing my bun, I went out to travel around the world, doing various things, It’s always more convenient.”
Zhu Qianyu smiled with relief and showed an "I see" expression. However, he did not continue walking on the provocative path. Instead, he took a sip of hot wine and said sincerely: "Shopkeeper Zheng, I must be a few years older than you. I have been in business for many years. There are some things you should say to the girl."
His thin lips fluttered, and he naturally changed the title back to "girl".
Zheng Haizhu seemed to have ignored this section, but his eyes were still full of frankness: "Please give me Mr. Xu's advice."
Zhu Qianyu sighed, stared at the wine cup in his hand and said: "On the other side of the Guangdong Sea, we often see fishermen who have escaped from the Chief Secretary of Guangxi. There are large shellfish in the Guihai Sea and produce fine pearls. The imperial court sent internal officials to come over and force them to They would jump into the sea with a group of fishermen, and if they didn't fish for pearls, they would be beheaded, and their wives and daughters would be used as slaves. Besides, in Haojing, where my family often ran boats, the Frankies also treated the local Ming people like pigs and dogs, and their parents were officials. But they turned a blind eye, just because they took advantage of the Frankies. Also, my family took goods from the south to Beijing, and paid the customs taxed silver along the way, which was almost the same as the value of the goods. If the girl had goods, she came by the canal. , you should also know. Why are there such exorbitant taxes?"
Zhu Qianxu said this and suddenly lowered his voice: "It's not because there are too many feudal vassal kings, occupying hundreds of millions of fertile fields, and the produce of the fields cannot reach the court's warehouse, so the court uses them to fight against the common people and us merchants. Get the surgery."
Zheng Haizhu's chopsticks stopped in mid-air and then put them down.
"Master Xu, why are you telling me this?"
Zhu Qianyu said sincerely: "I'm telling you, girl, don't see all the good times with flowers and butterflies dancing in your eyes. We are all business people, and we naturally like to hear auspicious words. But I fell in love with you at the first sight, girl, and I just want to tell you the truth." .This world is so difficult.”
Zheng Haizhu lowered his head and was silent for a while, then raised his eyes and said, "Just now, I was a little arrogant in front of Master Xu. It was because I was afraid of being looked down upon by Master Xu."
Zhu Qianyu's eyes flashed: "What are you talking about, girl? You and I are both business people, why should I underestimate you? Not only do I not underestimate you, Xu also admires you very much. A woman can support such a large-scale enterprise." Warehouse. If Miss Zheng has any difficulties in the future, she must speak to me."
Zheng Haizhu avoided the man's direct gaze and said with a look of embarrassment: "I... am in some difficulty right now."
"Oh? But it doesn't matter."
"One of our cargo ships capsized near Linqing. The silk cloth was picked up and dried. Let's not talk about the loss of quality. The key point is that we just received two orders for three thousand taels of silver..."
Seeing that she was hesitant to speak, Zhu Qianyu asked He Yan, "Girl, there is no room for refunding the deposit?"
Zheng Haizhu wondered: "The deposit of five hundred taels is indeed not a small amount, but if you ask friends in Beijing to borrow it, you might be able to borrow it. However, this is the first big silk cloth order for my business in Beijing, and I really don't want to The next family thought that our Zheng family was a bit unlucky when it opened, and it delayed them before changing hands. So, I need more than two thousand silver, and I asked my colleagues in Nanzhili to bring over the stock."
Zhu Qianyu raised his sword eyebrows slightly: "Oh, that's it."
Zheng Haizhu raised his eyes and looked at him: "If the next family wants Guangfu, I will definitely recommend it to you, but they are interested in Songjiangbu and Hu Ling. Master Xu, I can transfer the tea in the warehouse to Hangfu." Jin, I'll give it to you. When Nanfang comes over with the cash, I'll calculate the interest and send it to your house."
Zhu Qianyu asked with a warm voice: "Miss Zheng estimates, how long will it take for the money to turn around and come back?"
"Three to five days after the Double Ninth Festival."
"It won't be long," Zhu Qianyu said in turn, "The girl doesn't need to see anyone outside, and Xu doesn't need to use the goods as security. I believe that the girl must be a trustworthy person. At the latest day after tomorrow, Xu will send someone to deliver the money to the girl. Treasure number."
Zheng Haizhu was full of joy, filled the pot with fine wine, and raised his glass to propose a toast to Zhu Qianyu.
Zhu Qianjuan considered whether to show a small favor to the women. Seeing that they were starting to get warm to each other, the man had to cool down his words and deeds and curb his displays of intimacy. This is what is called playing hard to get.
He then acted like a gentleman: "Girl, you're welcome. Xu doesn't want to drink much today, and there is a Qin Club gathering in Shenshi. After tasting this braised silver carp head, Xu is about to leave."
After burning a stick of incense, Zheng Haizhu, with a drunken blush on her cheeks, was supported by Hua Er and got into the carriage. She did not forget to lift the curtain and said goodbye to Zhu Qianjue who was standing outside the carriage to see her off.
After the horse ran for a while, Hua Er came to the front of the car and asked Li Daniu: "Are all Mr. Wang's men here?"
Li Daniu said: "They are all following Mr. Xu's car. However, Bianzhan Hutong and Xique Hutong are both in the southeast, and they seem to be heading northwest."
Zheng Haizhu thought about the map of the capital's city square in his mind: This place is already the Victory Bridge, and further to the northwest, isn't it Jishui Pond? Today, I deliberately did not ask him where he lived. If he was just asking for a man who admired me, he should have taken the initiative to tell me. But three thousand taels is not a small amount, but he borrowed it as soon as he asked. Although we still don’t know where this person came from, he is definitely neither a romantic person nor an ordinary businessman.
Zheng Haizhu's question made progress at the turn of Chensi the next day.
Wang Wenyan was responsible for following Mr. Xu's two servants and came to report to Zheng Haizhu.
"Madam, the young man in brocade went to Jishuitan Pier, waited until dark, and got on a boat. Then, the sailors on the boat started unloading the cargo."
"Unloading?" Zheng Haizhu said thoughtfully, "Only grain ships can enter Jishuitan Wharf. Private passenger and cargo ships must be approved by the court before they can be let in. Otherwise, they will all stop at Tongzhou Wharf, right?"
The servant nodded: "That's true. Therefore, we brothers estimate that the boat belongs to some official? By the way, madam, please tell me about the area in Susong for your little one to listen to. For example, it's really cold at night. What time is it now?"
Zheng Haizhu said these sentences in Songjiang dialect, and the servant was very sure: "What the sailor said is Songjiang dialect."
"Those goods, have the tax collectors from the Capital Customs come to collect tax money?"
"The tax collector came, but he probably didn't issue a tax bill. When he took a lantern to the front of the boat gang to take a photo, we pretended to be laborers and went over to ask if we wanted to move the goods. We saw 'Blue Yimao Siba' written on the boat gang."
Zheng Haizhu said: "That's the number of a ship that can go through the canal. The ones starting with blue are the ships from the Susong area."
Wang's servant said "Oh" and said with some dismay: "Madam, don't be surprised. We brothers still want to keep an eye on Mr. Xu to see where he goes after he returns to the city. We don't want him to get into the boat and never come out. Then, then, then After unloading the cargo, the ship sailed away. We went to look at the cargo again, but the cargo was only delivered to a warehouse. After dawn, we went to ask the warehouse owner, and the warehouse owner said that the owner of the cargo was indeed named Xu."
Zheng Haizhu rewarded the two servants. After they left, he took out a pen and paper and wrote a simple letter.
The letter was addressed to Shen Tingyang, who was looking after the house with Xu Yilong in Chongming.
Shen Tingyang is the young owner of Wu Song's Jiangsha Boat Gang. The Shen family has great influence in both offshore and canal areas. Zheng Haizhu wants him to find out who the owner of "Lan Yi Mao Si Ba" is.
"Daniu, please go to Wang's house and ask Mr. Wang to find a way to send the letter by express delivery from the court."
