Chapter four hundred and fifty seventh life business
As soon as it got dark, the wealthy businessman Dai Hongde, his younger brother Dai Hongyi and a group of followers arrived at Mo Chi's warship.
Although Mo Chi was not a Xuanren, he was very proficient in Xuanren's etiquette. He took his retinue and went to the deck to greet him in person. He greeted Dai Hongde all the way and invited Dai Hongde into the main hall of the cabin.
There was a sumptuous banquet in the main hall. Xu Zhiqiong did not come to greet him, but took "Senior Brother Tao" to the table in advance. He sat at the table and looked at Dai Hongde quietly.
The legendary Master Dai was in his fifties. He was wearing a robe, a turban on his head, a folding fan in his hand, and a beard more than one foot long. He really looked like an official.
Seeing that Xu Zhiqiong was not too enthusiastic, Mo Chi quickly stepped forward and introduced him: "Marquis Yun, this is Mr. Dai Hongdedai."
Xu Zhiqiong cupped his fists and saluted, "I've met Mr. Dai."
Dai Hongde hurriedly returned the courtesy: "Dai is a commoner, how dare he call himself an adult in front of Marquis Yun. He has been doing a lot of business recently and has been involved in trivial matters. He failed to meet with the Marquis earlier. Please forgive me."
Xu Zhiqiong smiled and said: "How dare you, how dare you, Mr. Dai has worked hard, please take a seat."
Everyone sat down one after another, Dai Hongde turned around and gave instructions, and the attendants quickly brought the gifts up.
"The preparations have been hasty and the few small gifts I have given are not in line with your wishes."
Dai Hongde waved his hand, and the attendant brought up the first gift. This gift was for Mo Chi. There were a total of sixty-four pearls, each with a size of seven cents. The pearls were arranged on the Huazhou brocade to form a "Mo Chi"
"Character.
This gift was carefully prepared, but for Mo Chi, it was a bit tacky.
The term "low EQ" is called tacky, and the term "high EQ" is called wasteful. Mo Chi stood up and clasped his fists and said, "Sir Dai, how can Mo Chi afford such a generous gift?"
"Uncle Da Zong's words have offended Dai. As long as Uncle Zong doesn't dislike it, it will be Dai's blessing."
The two drank together, and Dai Hongde presented another gift to Xu Zhiqiong.
This gift is so precious.
A rockery made of jade.
The rockery is two feet high and three feet four wide. Its overall shape is almost the same as that of Baihu Mountain.
"In the past, I heard that Yun Hou studied in Baihu Mountain when he was young. Dai accidentally bought a piece of jade and asked a craftsman to imitate it in the shape of Baihu Mountain. Among the green mountains, you can still see the ambition of the past to reach the clouds. The craftsmen were in a hurry and their craftsmanship was slightly lacking.
It’s rough, but I hope the Lord Hou will forgive me.”
Looking at this piece of jade, Xu Zhiqiong read some profound meaning from it.
Dai Hongde is showing his strength to Xu Zhiqiong.
The first is to show financial strength. Such a large piece of jade is by no means of ordinary origin and cannot be bought with money.
The second is to show strength, Mo Chi posted up and down in the morning, Dai Hongde came over for the banquet in the evening, and brought a gift specially customized for Xu Zhiqiong.
Carving a rockery in one day is not something that ordinary craftsmen can do.
There are Mohist cultivators under Dai Hongde, whose cultivation level is not lower than the seventh grade.
Xu Zhiqiong stood up and left the table, groped twice on the jadeite, and asked, "How much is such a generous gift worth in silver?"
Mo Chi couldn't help but lower his head.
Sending things is vulgar, and Xu Zhiqiong's question is even vulgar.
Dai Hongde smiled and did not answer.
His younger brother Dai Hongyi smiled at the side and said: "Marquis Yun has a keen eye, so he might as well estimate the price."
Shan Yan pursed her lips. Dai Hongyi's words were not polite and somewhat provocative.
Little did they know that Dai Hongyi was used to being arrogant. No matter whether he was facing a high-ranking official in the border area or a high-ranking official in the capital, he always liked to tease someone.
Xu Zhiqiong didn't mind, he actually made an estimate: "I think it's worth ten thousand taels of silver anyway."
Dai Hongyi smiled and said: "Marquis Yun has underestimated our brothers. How dare you present something worth ten thousand silver to Marquis Yun? Excluding the craftsmanship, this jadeite alone is worth 120,000 taels."
Xu Zhiqiong was stunned: "Twenty-two thousand taels, but I dare not accept this gift. This is higher than Xu's worth."
Dai Hongyi was stunned for a moment: "What does the Marquis mean by this?"
Xu Zhiqiong did not explain.
Mo Chi almost laughed.
Ten million taels of silver bought the ordnance of 100,000 people, the aid of 30,000 troops, and Xu Zhiqiong.
And if Xu Zhiqiong is counted as a fraction, he may not be worth 120,000 silver.
The situation at the banquet was very awkward. Xu Zhiqiong suddenly laughed and said: "Master Dai, don't be offended. Xu is used to teasing. I will accept this gift, but Xu doesn't like jade very much."
Dai Hongde remained silent, and Dai Hongyi asked directly: "I wonder what Marquis Yun is interested in? Our brothers will ask someone to take care of it."
Xu Zhiqiong said with a smile: "Please give me a guess and see what Xu's hobbies are."
Dai Hongyi was really rude and called an attendant and whispered a few words.
The attendants returned as soon as they left, bringing with them twelve beautiful people. Two played the flute, two played the harp, two strummed and sang, and six danced.
Dai Hongyi looked at Xu Zhiqiong and said, "Master Hou, is this small gift satisfactory to your heart?"
Xu Zhiqiong nodded and said: "These girls are quite talented, but their beauty is a bit lacking."
Dai Hongyi said with a smile: "With the eyes of the Marquis, it is natural to look down on these vulgar fans. If the Marquis likes them, we will find another beautiful woman to offer them to them."
"There's no need to look elsewhere!" Xu Zhiqiong sat next to "Senior Brother Tao" and pinched a handful of the thick peach, "Where can you find such a beautiful woman?"
Tao Huayuan's cheeks turned red and she quickly pushed Xu Zhiqiong.
Shan Yan lowered her head and said nothing, while Mo Chi was worried.
Let's see Xu Zhiqiong touch that place, his hobby is unmistakable.
How good is this? Looking at "Senior Brother Tao"'s appearance, I'm afraid it's hard to find him in Da Yu's country.
Dai Hongyi was not surprised. In Daxuan, such hobbies were nothing unusual.
"Since the Marquis is so good, we brothers should do our best. However, the beauty of this young master is indeed difficult to find in the world."
"Don't bother, I only love one person." Xu Zhiqiong rubbed the fat peach twice more. Tao Huayuan wished she could give Xu Zhiqiong a beating, but due to the occasion, it was hard to do anything reckless.
After this banter, the atmosphere at the dinner became much more relaxed. Xu Zhiqiong saw that Dai Hongyi had been speaking, and took the initiative to toast Dai Hongde and asked about Sanjiangkou: "I heard how many merchant ships were lined up at Sanjiangkou.
There must be thousands of merchant ships, large and small, so Mr. Dai must have been very busy these days."
Dai Hongde picked up the wine glass and said: "Business matters are not about hard work. Lord Marquis, I would like to propose a toast to you."
Xu Zhiqiong did not hold the cup, but looked at Dai Hongde and said: "Even if there are only a thousand merchant ships, it will be hard to walk on each ship once."
Dai Hongde said with a smile: "My brother is used to traveling by water. Besides, I am not responsible for this business alone. It is not hard work. Lord Marquis, please reward me with a thin noodle. If you drink this cup, I will immediately order someone to open the waterway and send it to Lord Marquis."
Go south."
Dai Hongde talked about business, and Mo Chi invited him here just to let him go.
But even so, he still couldn't change the topic.
Xu Zhiqiong still did not hold the cup: "There are so many merchant ships, my eyes feel sore just looking at them. How can you say you are not tired?"
Dai Hongde remained silent, and Dai Hongyi took over the conversation: "This business is really hard. Our brothers haven't slept for days and nights. It's rare for the Marquis to be considerate."
Xu Zhiqiong smiled and said: "Since it's so hard, I don't think we should do this business anymore."
The atmosphere that had just relaxed suddenly solidified. Dai Hongde put down his wine glass and looked at Xu Zhiqiong silently.
Dai Hongyi laughed and said: "Master Hou, this business does not belong to our family. Why don't you do it if you don't want to do it?"
Xu Zhiqiong took a bite of the fish and said, "Tell me who else has it, and write a list for me to see."
Dai Hongyi then laughed and said: "I really wrote the roster, does the Marquis dare to read it?"
"Then why don't you dare? I'll ask someone to get paper and pen."
Shan Yan saw that the situation was not right and frequently gave Xu Zhiqiong winks.
Xu Zhiqiong turned a blind eye.
Mo Chi was holding a wine glass beside him, watching the excitement indifferently.
Dai Hongde spoke: "Hongyi had a few more glasses of wine, and there may have been some offense during the conversation. Don't take it off, Lord Marquis. It's getting late, so my brother can't bother me, so I'll take my leave."
The two brothers stood up to leave, but Xu Zhiqiong said: "Wait a minute! You two, I am just trying to persuade you with good words. This business really cannot be done because it involves human lives."
Dai Hongde understood what Xu Zhiqiong meant. The human lives he mentioned should refer to the victims of the disaster in the north.
"The imperial court was transporting grain to the north to provide relief to the victims. Dai was worried that some unscrupulous merchants would pass off substandard goods and be short of money. Dai's move was to contribute to the imperial court. Although he was not an official, he had been working for the imperial court since his father's generation.
Been working for decades."
Xu Zhiqiong nodded and said: "Although you have some merits, and I have been doing this business for decades, I have made enough money. Let me advise you again, this business really involves human lives."
Dai Hongde didn't say any more, got up and left the table, took Dai Hongyi with him and left the cabin.
Shan Yan said worriedly: "Marquis Yun, it's hard to offend this man."
Xu Zhiqiong sighed and said, "I tried to persuade him with good words, and I tried to persuade him three times in a row. Why didn't he listen?"
…
On the painting boat, Dai Hongde ordered someone to cook a jar of plum blossom wine and drank two glasses with Dai Hongyi.
"Hong Yi, why are you so reckless when you just speak?"
"Brother, I also want to speak more tactfully, and I also want to be polite to him, but his surname is Xu, he is so aggressive. He is clearly going to ruin our family's livelihood!"
Dai Hongde sighed: "You don't know something. This person's background is extraordinary."
"So why is it unusual? Half of the capital officials' wealth is in our hands, and I can't believe that they have all been cut off! Tonight I will find a few people who are good at water and scuttle their bird boats!"
Dai Hongde frowned and said: "You can't mess around! You have to follow the rules. Whoever strikes first will break the rules. As long as we abide by the rules, even if the emperor comes, we will be reasonable.
Ask your man to hold back all the passing ships and leave no gaps in the river. I think he can stay with us for a few days."
At dawn the next day, Xu Zhiqiong stood on the deck and saw that the ships on the river were piled up more densely than before.
Mo Chi sighed and said, "It seems that Mr. Dai is not going to let us go."
Shan Yan said: "There is not even a place to dock here, and a boatload of firewood and rice supplies are nowhere to be found."
Mo Chi smiled and said, "You don't have to worry about that. As long as Marquis Yun agrees, I can borrow a merchant ship and spend some money to sneak through the river."
"You got away with it?" Xu Zhiqiong said with a smile, "The Marquis of Daxuan got away with it in the river of Daxuan? Your Highness's ridicule really pricked Xu's ears."
Mo Chi raised his eyebrows and said, "I wonder what Lord Yun has to say? Is it possible to stay here and wait for a year and a half?"
Xu Zhiqiong said with a smile: "It won't take more than a year and a half. I will give Mr. Dai a generous gift tonight. We have this sincerity. I expect Mr. Dai will be released early tomorrow morning."
Late at night, Dai Hongde was taking care of the accounts in the painting boat. His eldest son, Dai Zhiguang, was holding a brocade box and said, "Marquis Yun sent someone to deliver a gift. He handed it to the child and left."
Dai Hongde smiled: "After all, I am still a person who knows the rules. Zhiguang, remember, nothing is bigger than the rules. As long as you abide by the rules, no matter what the quality of the opponent is, you have to bow to us."
"Father, then their fleet..."
"Since they are here to give gifts, it proves that they have surrendered. They have to be merciful and merciful. Open the river and let them pass. By the way, call your second uncle here. I have to teach him about the rules."
Dai Zhiguang turned and left, while Dai Hongde continued to handle the accounts.
He was in no hurry to open the gift box. It didn't matter what Xu Zhiqiong gave him, what mattered was the attitude.
After handling two accounts, Dai Hongde stretched out, rubbed his forehead, and took advantage of the break to open the gift box.
When he opened the box and took a look, Dai Hongde almost fell off his chair.
He sat silently staring at the gift box for half an hour.
Dai Zhiguang walked into the cabin: "Father, I looked around and couldn't find my second uncle..."
The words stopped suddenly, and Dai Zhiguang found his second uncle.
The head of his second uncle Dai Hongyi was on his father's bookcase and placed neatly in the gift box.
There is also a piece of paper under the head, with a line of words written on it:
"In this business, human lives are involved."
The human lives Xu Zhiqiong talks about are not the victims of disasters in the north.
The lives involved in this business are the lives of Dai Hongde's family.