That night, the most prosperous street in Suzhou Prefecture was blocked by government officials, because the Jiangnan Weaving Yamen and the Suzhou Prefecture were jointly hosting a banquet for Lord Zhenwu Bo Liu from the capital. In addition, there were a large number of accompanying guests, including the commander of the Suzhou Guards and some
Nobles with hereditary titles. A long line of luxurious carriages stopped, and well-dressed servants occupied half of the street.
The name of the restaurant is Jinxiufang. It is the best hotel in the area. It is luxuriously decorated and the space is very spacious. There are nearly a hundred dignitaries gathered here without feeling cramped at all. Looking at the guests who are full of fat heads and big ears, Liu Ziguang feels a little bit.
I'm bored. Suzhou people speak with a soft accent. If a woman speaks it, it sounds nice. But if a man talks like this, it would seem a bit too soft. Cao Yin invited him to the dinner in his own name, so he changed into casual clothes, a scarf and robe, and smiled.
He introduced the guests attending the banquet to Liu Ziguang. They were first-class men, second-class sons, hereditary auxiliary generals, etc. They were all big shots with titles and status. There were even three or four outstanding earls and marquises.
, and Cao Yin himself is a hereditary first-class waiter, and his status is no lower than Liu Ziguang.
All the prominent figures in Suzhou Prefecture were present. They were not very interested in the imperial envoy from the capital. It seemed that this was not a banquet to welcome the imperial envoy, but a party held among the upper class figures in Suzhou.
They were sitting around the table chatting happily in Suzhou dialect, paying no attention to what the imperial envoy sitting at the top said.
Cao Yin, three officials in charge of the Weaving Mansion, and Jia Yucun, the prefect of Suzhou, sat with Liu Ziguang. They all talked in Jianghuai Mandarin about the current situation in the world, how harmonious the court was, how virtuous the emperor was, and did not mention the arrival of the imperial envoy.
The purpose of official business. In fact, everyone knows in their hearts that the court will not let go of such a big piece of fat weaving in Jiangnan. In the past, when Jiu Qian was in power, eunuchs were often sent to supervise the work. Wasn't it because of Lao Cao?
The head is straightened. Cao Yin is already over sixty years old. He has been in the position of weaving envoy for thirty years. What kind of official has not been seen? But normal people will have weaknesses or be greedy for money.
, or lustful, or greedy for power and fame, Cao Yin has ways to deal with these three types of people.
Suzhou officials were smiling happily as they drank wine with Liu Ziguang, and Jia Yucun diligently helped the imperial envoy prepare the dishes. The dishes were from both the north and the south, with specialties such as squirrel mandarin fish, bisnail shrimps, eel paste with oil, and chicken.
Local Suzhou dishes such as rapeseed heart and Bafei soup are also available, as well as several specious Shandong dishes specially arranged by the chef to cater for the northern taste of the imperial envoy. Although the taste is not very authentic, it is finally what he wanted.
This kind of banquet in official circles is actually the most boring. Both parties chatted with each other and talked about non-nutritious officialdom. Cao Yin noticed that Liu Ziguang was a little impatient and clapped his hands quickly. The music sounded and a group of charming figures appeared.
The dancers came gracefully and performed a dance.
The dancers were all stunning beauties, and their dancing postures were extremely enchanting. However, Cao Yin was disappointed to find that the imperial envoy's eyes did not seem to be focused on these beautiful girls at all, and they still had a very boring expression.
Cao Yin couldn't help but be secretly surprised. These dancers were his treasure. No matter how many old friends came to ask for help, they could not get any of them. He originally planned to send all these dancers away when the imperial envoy showed his interest.
, but this man actually remained unmoved in the face of beauty. It seems that starting from beauty will not work.
When the song ended, Cao Yin waved his hand to ask the dancer to leave. He smiled and took out a big red post with gold characters and said: "Mr. Liu, this is a kind of heartfelt message from the Suzhou gentry. With a few scraps of silver, please give me some money."
It’s best that you don’t see outsiders, adults.”
"I have a salary from the court that is enough to cover my expenses. If I accept it, Mr. Cao, I will waive the money." Liu Ziguang said lightly. He understands the truth of eating someone's soft tongue and taking advantage of their shortcomings, not to mention this.
He still looked down upon money. He wanted to have control over the entire Jiangnan weaving industry, so how could he collect money from Cao Yin in public now?
Cao Yin's smile froze, but he soon came back to his senses and said with a sly smile: "Master Liu, you really have a breath of fresh air in your sleeves." Several officials nearby also praised him, but in fact, they all felt uneasy. This Liu Ziguang
It's really different. It's normal for imperial envoys to come to places to collect greeting gifts, but this person refused so bluntly. Does it mean he doesn't understand the unspoken rules of the Ming Dynasty's officialdom? Or is he deliberately trying to make things difficult for people like Suzhou?
There are no truly honest officials in the world, it’s just that the temptation is not strong enough. Cao Yin pinched the gift list in his hand. In fact, the silver on it was not just broken silver coins as he said, but a huge sum of ten thousand taels.
, ten thousand taels may be too little to knock down an imperial envoy, so I will do something even more ruthless. I don’t believe you won’t be tempted.
After the reception banquet, the imperial envoy returned to the Grand View Garden to stay. Cao Yin personally walked to the gate of the garden before leaving. Liu Ziguang walked to the gate under the escort of the guards. Suddenly he felt a dazzling light coming from the window. He walked in and took a look.
I saw a mountain of gold piled in the middle of the room, as high as a person. Inside was a hundred taels of large silver ingots. The outermost layer was piled up with brand new small gold ingots. The gold and silver were shining brightly.
Dazzling eyes.
Jinshan Yinhai, Old Man Cao is really ruthless in his attacks. If he doesn't want to smash it, he will smash it. If he wants to smash it, he will smash it completely. Liu Ziguang has a lot of wealth now, but he still can't help but be tempted when he sees so much money. But he
On second thought, I realized that Cao Yin had given so much money to bribe Jiangnan Weaving before he had even taken action. This could only mean two things: First, Jiangnan Weaving indeed had a shady problem, and the old Cao family was indeed rich.
!Hmph. You just want to bribe me with these few taels of gold, but you underestimate my determination to suppress Uncle Wu.
"Come here, please seal up these yellow and white things for me and count them and register them in a register." Liu Ziguang hurriedly called for people to come in and deal with this mountain of gold and silver. He wanted to bribe me, but there was no way. However, since they had gone to so much trouble to deliver it,
They have built such a beautiful hill, so there is no need to go back. Going back and forth seems rude and a waste of manpower. It is better to just confiscate it. This clever method of handling bribes was learned by Liu Ziguang on TV in his early years. It is a member of our party.
When senior cadres receive huge bribes, they usually hand them over to the organization for handling, which not only prevents others from being caught, but also demonstrates their integrity.
"If anyone comes to give you gifts in the future, please call them out." Liu Ziguang told the guards guarding the door. The guards usually followed Liu Ziguang at all times, so no one was present when the Cao family arranged for people to come to Duijin Mountain just now.
"Master, let's have a cup of sobering tea." Han Xue'er came over with a cup of tea. As an attaché of the imperial envoy, she and the guards were all attending the banquet, but the level was slightly lower. Han Xue'er also just came back, so
I quickly made tea and came to serve the master.
"Put it there." Liu Ziguang was not drunk at all. What he drank at the banquet today was vintage Nerve Red, which was just a drink for him. He sat on a chair and let Han Xueer help take off his boots, and casually asked: "Where's the lady?
?”
The person who was called Miss was none other than Liu Mao Mao. The identity of this girl, whose relationship with her uncle was unclear, was rather awkward. She might have been a wife, but she wasn't, and it was even less likely that she was a maid. In the end, everyone had to call her "Ms."
The young lady was regarded as my uncle's sworn sister. Liu Ziguang didn't bother to care about her and just let them go.
When Liu Mao Mao lived in Zhenwu Bofu, the servants brought prepared meals to her boudoir at regular intervals every day. It was called a boudoir in name only. Liu Mao Mao could sleep anywhere, including on the roof.
On the wall, it was more often on the big wardrobe in Liu Ziguang's room. She didn't eat every meal brought by the servants. She would sneak out from time to time to steal some fresh fish and birds, not just to satisfy her greed, but purely
It was because of his technical skills. After arriving at the Grand View Garden, he stopped participating in activities with everyone, and instead played alone. Liu Ziguang was still very confident about his abilities, so he usually left things alone.
"The lady seems to have gone out, the window is wide open." Han Xueer replied.
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Maomao ran in from outside. Seeing that Liu Ziguang had come back, he immediately leaned over and sniffed Liu Ziguang's body with his nose raised, as if he was looking for something delicious.
"Don't worry, kitten, let's see what delicious food I bring you." Liu Ziguang raised his fingers at the guard beside him, who hurriedly presented the squirrel mandarin fish packed in Jinxiufang.
When Liu Mao Mao saw the delicious food, he rushed to eat it. Liu Ziguang frowned and said, "Have you washed your hands? Raise your little paws and let me see." Liu Mao Mao innocently opened his hands to show him.
There were faint blood stains between the fingers.
"What's going on?" Liu Ziguang hurriedly checked Liu Maotai's two little hands and was relieved when he saw that there were no wounds.
Liu Mao Mao excitedly raised his paws and scratched the Jinxiu backrest of Liu Ziguang's chair and said, "There was a bad guy who wanted to bully Mao Mao, but Mao Mao defeated him."
"Who is so bold and dares to bully you? Is it someone from this garden?" Liu Ziguang asked. The Grand View Garden covers a large area, and Liu Mao Mao may have had a conflict with someone from the Cao family.
"It was the bad guy during the day. He said he wanted to eat the rouge on the kitten's mouth. When the kitten got angry, he scratched his face." Liu Maotao said proudly while grabbing Liu Ziguang's armchair into a ball of rotten silk and rotten cotton.
, her language ability is now very strong and she can communicate with others accurately, but because she communicates more with Peng Jingwei, her language is somewhat childlike.
It turns out to be Cao Zhan. It’s not easy to offend anyone, but it’s Liu Xiaomao. This cat doesn’t know the severity of his attacks, and his nails are very sharp. Poor young Cao will definitely lose his appearance now, and he can’t save his eyeballs if he doesn’t do it.