The New Year has just passed and the New Year's Eve has not yet arrived. The streets along the Qinhuai River are full of festive atmosphere. The sound of firecrackers is occasionally heard, some of which are the opening of shops or the excitement of welcoming tenants in the New Year, and some are scattered by the children.
Firecrackers were set off all over the street, people were running around laughing and joking, and vehicles and pedestrians were passing by on the street.
The festive atmosphere cannot dilute the cold weather. In this street market, the snow has been swept aside and shows no sign of melting. It is piled up like a hill. But it is warm in the private room of a restaurant called Tingtao Pavilion on the side of the road.
, the well-arranged blazing stove heats the room while ensuring a slight circulation of air. The room is luxurious, and the smell of incense is scattered among the bead curtains. At the same time, there is also the ethereal and beautiful sound of the piano as accompaniment, and the figure of a woman playing the piano.
She is graceful and has a bright appearance. At this time, she is only acting as a foil and does not say much.
Tea was poured into the teacup, the leaves spread out in the ripples of water, and the steam floated out.
"I left Jiangning at the end of the year and came back yesterday. Has anything major happened in the past few days?"
"Like Brother Tang, my younger brother has also gone out of the city to pay homage to his ancestors and visit his family elders. There is no news to share."
The scene seemed peaceful. One of the two people talking was named Puyang Yi, and the other was named Tang Xu. They were both leaders of the younger generation in Jiangning's business community. Tang Xu was a gentle and elegant man, not only in business, but also in literary talent and knowledge.
Quite an achievement. These two people are both rivals and good friends. They meet occasionally to drink tea and chat. Today is also a chance encounter after the New Year. Qilan, the courtesan, happens to be here, so she plays the piano to accompany her.
"... When I left the city this time, I heard that there was a snowstorm in the north. A batch of goods was shipped over from Lin Shouzhou, but they encountered an avalanche on the way and lost all their money. It's pitiful."
"Lin Shouzhou is a man with many tricks. He borrows money from here and there and always gets through. Haha, it's just that his luck has been bad in the past two years..."
"He is indeed a powerful man. The war is about to begin. I heard that he has invested a lot in the Northland. Once the war starts, he is waiting to make a fortune. Now he is probably counting the days. It can be regarded as a fortune in danger..."
"The cloth sellers have also been discussing things recently. They had wine with people from the Weaving Bureau two days ago, and they all sighed."
"Huh? Didn't things get enough last year? What's going on now? Has the Xue family also taken action?"
"It's still a matter between the Su family and the Wu family."
Pu Yangyi took a sip of tea and was slightly surprised: "Wouldn't it be over when the Su family split up at the end of October last year? The Wu family was miserably plotted by Ning Yi, and now the business has probably been handed over.
, are you not convinced and are planning to cause trouble?"
"The aftermath is not over yet."
"Is there any aftermath?"
"I also made a guess today, but the people in the cloth line have a more sensitive sense of smell, and they probably reacted... The Wu family took the initiative to take all the old cloth shares in Jiangning, and officials at all levels moved around quite frequently."
"Take Suibu? Is he crazy?"
"I have no choice but to do so. I heard that the Wu family has been spending money like water in recent times, and the situation at home has been like a landslide. Next to the Su family, a third of it was knocked down, and another year old cloth was taken, and almost half of it was gone.
, it was only after the end of the year that some people noticed that their activities were too exaggerated. Now they are probably relieved. After this incident, it is estimated that the Wu family’s foundation is not one-third of what it was before, and it will be feared within a few years.
Now I can only be busy for the imperial merchants. I met Wu Qilong once, and I became much more restrained."
Pu Yangyi opened his mouth: "Why is this happening?"
"Guess, I just realized it."
There he put the tea cup to his mouth, then blinked and put the cup down: "The fading of the cloth...can't be solved?" This was not a question, but a guess after deep thought.
Tang Xu nodded across from him: "I guess that's the case, and many people should have noticed it."
"This matter has been full of twists and turns, and it's not over yet..." Pu Yangyi murmured, with a complicated expression.
"They were all deceived, and even after getting over it, everyone was still deceived." Tang Xu laughed, "Since the assassination of the Su family, they have been deceiving and deceiving. At the end of August, when the imperial merchant was decided to belong, everyone felt that Su
The Wu family was deceived, and they were amazed at the Wu family. At the Su family clan meeting at the end of October, everyone realized that the Wu family had been deceived. Who knew that after the announcement in October, everyone was still in the dark... Look at the Su family in Wu at that time
With the attitude of the family, almost everyone thought that the Su family had reached an agreement with the Wu family and was threatening the Wu family with the real golden brocade. Now it seems..." He took a sip of tea with a complicated expression, "It's actually an empty glove.
White Wolf, this is really admirable..."
Pu Yangyi was silent for a while: "In this way, the Su family did not exchange a real golden brocade for one-third of the Wu family, but actually exchanged a secret for one-third, and the Wu family even had to
Defeat the other third by yourself. We already talked about it at the end of October, but no one doubted this. This is really...a ten-step calculation..."
"Now that I think about it, it makes sense." Tang Xu nodded, "The Wu family has a strong foundation. If it only loses one-third, I'm afraid it can still maintain the power of the three weaving families. After this incident, the Su and Wu families have formed a knot.
Xia Daliangzi, if I were Ning Yi, I would not allow this situation to continue. I can only rest assured if the Wu family is completely defeated and unable to compete. But thinking about it at the time, this appetite was too big, so it was
No one thought about it. They just felt that the Su family had already taken advantage of it, and it was common sense to give up when it was good... The Xue family and others missed the best opportunity. Ning Yi seemed gentle, but in fact... terrible
.”
The two of them were just chatting in a casual tone. Their family business was much larger than that of the Su family, and they were not in a competitive industry. However, when they talked about this matter, they were still surprised and amazed by the operation behind it. Originally, at the clan meeting at the end of October
The revealed results are scary enough. The game within the game, one link after another, when people thought that was the result, they didn't expect that this matter actually continued to this point, and the Wu family was beaten to only three people.
One percent. And the operator behind this is such a scholar.
"It's better if you're not an enemy."
"Oh, such a clever plan may not be available at any time. I'm afraid it may be a coincidence. Brother Puyang may not be afraid of him. Moreover, I heard that Brother Puyang has a good personal relationship with Ning Liheng. What is this person like before?
Could it be that you didn’t notice it?”
"We have gotten together a few times, but we may not be able to say that we have a personal relationship. He is an indifferent person and is not very interested in gatherings to have fun. In the past, I only thought that he was good at poetry and prose. I didn't expect that this time he would stand up for his family.
Can set off such an astonishing wave. The Wu family was so tormented and collapsed... I also visited him after October, but I just heard that since the Huangshang matter was decided, he continued to work in Yushan Academy.
In the life of teaching, I occasionally meet someone while wandering the street, but I don't care about the Su family's affairs anymore. This is a much more free and easy life than you and me."
"There are such weirdos." Tang Xu smiled, raised his teacup, and then said, "I'm thinking that if anyone wants to plot against the Su family again, I'm afraid they will have to weigh Ning Liheng's position behind the Su family.
It’s too heavy…”
Thinking about the current situation of the Su family, if as the enemy of the Su family, there is Ning Liheng, who is known as "ten steps and one calculation", standing behind him all the time, it will really make people's scalp numb.
After one-third of the Wu family was wiped out, others really had to think carefully about it.
Behind the bead curtain on the side, Qilan was playing the piano. At this time, she gradually understood what the two people were talking about, and listened attentively.
Stories of talented men and beautiful women are always the mainstream in entertainment. She is now an oiran. Occasionally she will hear people talk about Ning Yi, and then she will be mentioned in the story. In fact, she will feel somewhat strange in her heart. Ning Yi is really the strangest thing in Jiangning.
She is one of the talented people. She is considered to be the number one talented person, but she is not very close to the entertainment scene. There has never been such a talented person in the past, but she also feels that Ning Yi deserves the title, and is even more powerful than Cao Guan. This feeling
It's really strange.
He doesn't get close to anyone, but if he is interested, he should be able to get along with her. Qilan occasionally thinks like this in her heart, after all, she is different, and didn't he reward her last time in the oiran competition?
Did you give yourself a few thousand taels?
Of course, now that she has a status, she is actually quite busy. She entertains guests for the Puyang family, repays the kindness of acquaintances, and various other things. She also knows some other powerful talents. She only thinks about it when she has free time, and thinks of Ning Yi.
There are not many cases, but every time I think about it, I will never hate it. Sometimes I hear that Ning Yi has contacts with Yuan Jin'er, a courtesan who has become a good man, but I don't know how true it is. In the fun,
There is always no shortage of rumors.
She didn't need to say much at today's party, so she was happy to play on the sidelines and think about these things at will. Puyang Yi and Tang Xu chatted for a while, and then stood up to leave. Puyang Yi also said that he would go back to Su's house to visit in a few days.
By the way, Ning Yi was invited to participate in the poetry party on New Year's Eve... I don't know if he will come, Qilan guessed in her mind.
Puyang Yi also had something to do. After seeing off Tang Xu, he parted ways with Qilan at the gate of Tingtao Pavilion. Anyway, Qilan had a maid following her, and a coachman drove her back directly. However, when she was riding on the road that day,
Qilan actually saw Ning Yi and Yuan Jin'er.
After the New Year, even though there are many pedestrians on the streets, there are not many people who are just leisurely shopping. Most of them are visiting to pay New Year greetings, each with their own purpose. The carriage drives along the Qinhuai River and reaches a street intersection.
At that moment, she opened the curtain and saw Ning Yi and another person going into a restaurant by the river. The person walking with Ning Yi looked a bit like Yuan Jin'er, but it was a little strange. It felt different from the past.
It was different, so she stopped the carriage.
Mainly because Puyang Yi and Tang Xu just talked about Ning Yi. At this time, Qilan got out of the car and took a look. The restaurant by the river was still being renovated. It was probably suspended because of the Chinese New Year, but the layout was actually very strange and the style
There are some small changes in the building. Although they are not much when you look carefully, these changes really highlight this two-story building that is probably used as a restaurant. It seems that a lot of thought has been put into it. Because of the cold weather, Ning
Yi wears a lot of clothes, and looks a bit rustic because of the hat. The person next to him is a woman, and she also wears a lot of clothes. She is wearing brown clothes, wearing a hat, and has white fluff, although she still can't hide it.
Beautiful, but from a distance, it looks like a red panda.
Qilan made a distinction and found that the person walking with Ning Yi was indeed the legendary Yuan Jin'er who had retired.
As an oiran, Qilan is still wearing a beautiful dress today. It is beautiful and actually keeps warm. She has put a lot of thought into it. Yuan Jiner used to be an oiran, and she would definitely not do this kind of thing in the past. It seems a bit strange.
Dressed casually to cover up their beauty. Ning Yi and Yuan Jin'er walked to the restaurant, holding a few pieces of paper in their hands and pointing at the furnishings in the restaurant hall. Qilan frowned and asked the maid here.
After waiting, he ran over.
This floor was halfway decorated, and some windows were not closed properly. Ning Yi held a pen in his hand to discuss with Yuan Jin'er, and occasionally he would write and draw on the table. Yuan Jin'er was in the messy hall.
Zhong was running around pushing things. Conversation came from inside:
"... What we want is not a major overhaul, but it must highlight the importance of cleanliness... Well, in fact, I have been quite busy recently. The two apprentices, the younger one wants to do dangerous experiments all day long, and the older one...
The older one is also a little lolita. She has a straight face all day long. She is only thirteen years old and is now fourteen. I heard that her family is looking for a husband for her, so she is very annoyed..."
"Fourteen is quite old. It's time to get married, or at least get engaged."
"I can't explain to you the profound issue of age... Well, I decided to add some stools... How old are you, why don't you marry yourself?"
"My life is miserable and I can only live with Sister Yunzhu... Don't count on it! By the way, I've been thinking recently, can I call this place 'Bamboo Records - Jin'er Store'? You promise me
, I’m going to order a signboard.”
"...change the second store to Jin'er store."
"Um."
"Okay, no problem, whatever you want."
"Why do you have such a strange expression..."
The two of them were talking piecemeal inside, and she couldn't understand some of the words, but... the feeling was actually very warm.
It feels like a family, a couple, or a brother and sister.