It is said that the Crown Prince of Yan met Qin Zhong by chance at Qingxu Temple, and the two of them bowed to each other. Qin Zhong seemed to be here to hang out, and casually said a few words about the nice weather, and that Taoist priests knew how to prune flowers and trees, etc., and then he wanted to leave.
Go. One of the guards following the prince noticed something on Qin Zhong's wrist and asked, "Mr. Qin, is that an iron sand buckle?"
Qin Zhong raised his hand: "Not bad." Nai smiled and said, "I rarely wear this when going out. I wear it when I practice martial arts. I had a sparring match with some bodyguards a few days ago and lost miserably. My brother-in-law was annoyed.
I was ordered to wear it every day to practice wrist strength."
The guard said: "This thing is so novel. It has only been sold in the past two months? We usually use sandbags."
Qin Zhong nodded and casually untied the iron sand buckle on his left hand: "I got it at the end of the old year. It's similar to a sandbag. You just snap it down. You don't need to tie it or buckle it. It's much more convenient." He handed it to the guard.
.
Several guards were curious, gathered around and began to discuss. "This button seems to be made of copper?"
"It's made of copper."
"Never seen it before."
"I heard that it was invented by the craftsmen of the previous dynasty. The factory owners in Lingnan came up with the mold last year, and now it can be produced in small batches." Qin Zhong simply took off the right one, and the guards took turns wearing it to try out the feel.
Although the prince could not understand what they were saying, he was quite happy to see his guards chatting happily with Qin Zhong. One of the guards became interested, and with iron sand buckles on his hands, he performed a set of punches in the courtyard in front of Lu Zu's palace. Qin Zhong
Zhong and his guards were watching and discussing. After he finished the fight, Qin Zhong also started to fight. As soon as he stopped the move, several people asked in unison: "What kind of punch did Mr. Qin hit like this? It's so exquisite."
Qin Zhongdao: "It was taught to me by a friend. It was originally a boxing technique inherited from their family and was created by his great-grandfather." He winked at the prince and said, "It's called Jia Family Boxing." The prince immediately understood that "Jia Family" must be that "Jia Family Boxing"
"Jia family", his body trembled slightly. His family must have approved Jia Lan's teaching of ancestral boxing skills to people with foreign surnames. This Qin Zhong had an unusual relationship with Rong Guofu. He became more and more happy for them to study Huizi boxing more.
After spending a long time, a eunuch saw that their prince had been standing, so he borrowed a chair from the Taoist priest in the Lu Zu Palace. The guards suddenly realized that they had forgotten their master for a long time, and they all came forward to apologize. The prince smiled and waved his hands: "It's rare to see you.
So happy."
Qin Zhong also smiled at the prince and said: "Uncle Yue, you are a good person. I have been talking to your men for a long time, but you don't understand this and you don't bother me."
The prince said: "Since they are here to relax, it is good for them to be happy."
Qin Zhong nodded: "It's rare." He looked up at him and asked smoothly, "Is it possible that you have something to worry about?"
The prince was overjoyed and sighed: "It's not a big deal. My shop will soon be short of a steward, and my father asked me to think about who to replace him with."
Qin Zhong said "Oh" and winked: "How old is your father? Are you ready to gradually hand over the family business to you to share with him?"
The prince couldn't help but laugh: "My father is in his prime."
Qin Zhongdao: "So are we going to teach you? Just think about it slowly. After all, your father is supporting you. If the person you choose is not reliable, he won't be able to use it."
The prince took a deep breath and shouted, "What?!"
Qin Zhong was stunned for a moment: "After all, the old man is here to support you, just pick the ones that don't fit, your father won't use them, right?" Then he looked at the prince's expression and hesitated, "Um, aren't you the boss?"
The prince gradually realized that he had probably gone wrong, and after a while he said: "I am the boss."
Qin Zhong hesitated for a while again: "Since you are the eldest, will you inherit the family business in the future?" The prince nodded. Qin Zhong opened his mouth and then closed it, "Um... I am an outsider and can't speak nonsense about your family's family affairs, haha.
” He laughed twice.
The prince stood up and grabbed him: "Mr. Qin, who do you think I should choose?" Qin Zhong hesitated. The prince added, "We met by chance and just chatted for a few words. As the saying goes, those in authority are confused, but those who watch are clear."
Qin Zhongdao: "I don't know how big your family's business is. Is your father going to hand over the entire business to you to practice first? Or does he want you to learn the whole business?" He thought for a while, "It shouldn't be that he wants to hand over the whole business to you to practice first?"
That branch of business will be given to you, otherwise he should have chosen someone for you and handed it over to you."
The prince immediately said: "No! That business is not prepared for me." That is Jiangxi Province!
Qin Zhong pondered: "So your father wants you to learn management? In that case, Wan Sheng would only venture to say: Be sure to choose an experienced shopkeeper. If you don't have one in your own shop, you can go to the other shop to poach someone."
Whether you have a personal relationship or not...is the least important thing."
The prince took a few deep breaths, stood still for a long time, and bowed to Qin Zhong: "Thank you, Mr. Qin, for reminding me, otherwise I might have made a big mistake."
Qin Zhong hurriedly returned the courtesy and said: "Uncle Yue is just in the mountains and doesn't know where he is." He patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't be so nervous, your father is here. If you make any mistakes, your father will take care of you."
Just watch, so that I can teach you. There are people who are born to do business, so why don’t they learn slowly?"
The prince smiled bitterly: "Mr. Qin doesn't know something. I have several brothers in my family."
Qin Zhong blinked: "I understand." After thinking for a moment, "You just think about who your father would choose if he were to choose." The prince bowed again, and Qin Zhong returned the courtesy.
Then he cupped his hands to say goodbye, and Qin Zhong waved to several guards. Only seven or eight steps away, the Crown Prince suddenly turned around and shouted: "Mr. Qin, please stay." Qin Zhong turned his head. The Crown Prince quickly ran to him and bowed again, "Please Mr. Qin."
Give me some pointers."
Qin Zhong returned the gift, looked at the prince for a moment and said decisively: "You are not an ordinary merchant's son."
The prince smiled: "My father is the lord of the Yan Kingdom."
Qin Zhong took a breath: "My dear! Your Majesty?!" He immediately bowed and saluted, "Please forgive me for being late in life."
The prince hurriedly supported him and said, "Don't be surprised if you don't know." Naidao said, "I'm telling you the truth, because my father wants to replace the prefect of Jiangxi and ordered me to recommend him. I have been thinking about it for many days and I don't know who to recommend, so I am worried."
Qin Zhong thought for a moment: "Governor of Jiangxi?" He then chuckled and said, "It should have been changed a long time ago. That place is full of bandit dens. The governor is either incompetent or deliberately inactive."
The prince asked earnestly: "Mr. Qin, can you give me some advice?"
Qin Zhongdao: "I am a scholar, and I have not been admitted to the Jinshi. I usually only manage ideas for my family to make a living. I am not an outsider in the affairs of the court. It's just that I thought that doing business and government affairs may have something in common. Jiangxi recently suppressed bandits, didn't they? Bandits
There will definitely be chaos after that, and the new prefect must have two brushes, otherwise he won't be able to suppress it." His eyes flashed, "I don't know much about the officials of various prefectures and counties. Um..." He suddenly whispered, "Someone born late is
A few words, you must not let Jia Lan know, nor tell Jia Huan, otherwise my uncle and nephew will have to kill me."
The prince nodded vigorously, his heart beating rapidly - if he hadn't known that this son was in a relationship with Jia Lan, and that this was the second time they met, how could he have believed him? Seeing Qin Zhong's playful and lively look, he couldn't help but say seriously
: "If you say it out loud, you are forgetful."
Qin Zhong suddenly smiled and said: "I only know of such a character, there are no more. It depends on whether you, me, are domineering enough." Naifu said something in his ear. After hearing this, the prince was stunned, and Qin Zhong muttered again.
A few sentences.
The prince said: "It's just...will he be willing?"
Qin Zhong had a well-thought-out idea: "Such a textbook example of loyalty likes to do practical things most. He will definitely be willing to relieve the sufferings of a place, protect the people of a place, and leave a good name for eternity."
The prince nodded: "Thank you, Mr. Qin." Qin Zhong smiled slightly, bowed and left.
Two days later, King Yan held a meeting with his advisors, and several older sons were present. The prince said, "My son remembered something. A few days ago, my father mentioned that he wanted to exchange someone for the post of governor of Jiangxi. My son would like to recommend Su, the governor of Jingzhou."
Tao."
Everyone was shocked. King Yan raised his eyebrows: "Su Tao? Why recommend him?"
Shizi said: "Master Su entered the imperial examination and became a second-class Jinshi. He first reviewed and compiled the history of the country for the Hanlin Academy, then went to Beijing to serve as Licheng County Magistrate, then transferred to Huzhou County Magistrate, and later moved to Jingzhou Magistrate. He has been an official for many years, and he is honest and diligent.
He is a man of hard work. The banditry in Jiangxi has been going on for many years, and it cannot be quelled overnight. It is necessary to have a loyal and capable person to quell the sufferings of the people and manage the livelihood of the people. My son has been thinking about it for many days, and Mr. Su is the most suitable."
One of the people present said, "Everyone knows that Su Tao is talented, but he is the magistrate of Jingzhou, and Jingzhou is the land of Chu. How can our prince transfer him?"
The prince said calmly: "At worst, we can give you more salary." Everyone was speechless. Is Su Tao a man who is short of money? The prince said again, "Didn't the King of Chu regard his father as the overlord? What's wrong with leaving them alone?"
People all over the room turned to look at King Yan. King Yan nodded with a smile on his face, and his eyes were very approving. Everyone immediately praised in unison: "Your Majesty is right!" "Your Majesty is so courageous!" "Your Majesty has good vision!
"
King Yan coughed and said, "Okay. He is young, but he only thinks of one or two things occasionally. You must not praise him because he doesn't know east, west, north, south." Everyone praised him more and more.
The meeting in the hall was dismissed, and King Yan summoned three of his closest advisors to the inner study, saying, "Yueer did not think of what happened today."
The counselors looked at each other, and one named Roman said: "Even if the people under him come up with it, it would be good if the prince is willing to use it. A master does not have to be good at everything."
King Yan hummed: "He originally wanted to pick someone of his own to recommend, but he didn't know which one to recommend. He has been thinking about it for many days. But I met a recommender two days ago, and it was that person who came up with the idea."
Another counselor said: "My lord, I think this is a good thing. The prince is lucky enough to meet talents, he can recognize talents, and he is willing to listen to advice."
The King of Yan said calmly: "Then he passed the exam in the first three subjects, but he refused to participate in the Spring Festival, saying that being an official was too tiring." Qin Zhong told his classmates that in his early years, he studied books to seek a future.
His sister, who knew that within a few years, his sister was more promising than him. Then she continued to study in order to comfort him. When his father died, he was too lazy to take any more imperial examinations and would rather be a merchant. "Yueer was willing to listen to him.
It's not that he recognizes talents. It's just because Qin Sheng has been friends with Jialan Jia Baoyu of Rongguo Mansion for many years, and he believed in Rongguo Mansion, so he believed in Qin Sheng."
Roman thought, "Does the prince suspect that the Rongguo Mansion is going around the bush to raise the heir apparent?"
King Yan shook his head: "...it doesn't seem like it." He thought about the meeting between Situ Yue and Qin Zhong for a long time. It was really an accidental encounter.
The Taoist priest from Qingxuguan told me that when Qin Zhong went to offer incense with his brother-in-law, it happened that his wife also followed his brother-in-law to have a wedding ceremony. The two fell in love at first sight in the hall, and soon got married. Over the years, the couple has been together.
I don’t know how much incense money I donated to Qingxu Temple, and I often go there to visit. Situ Yue met an old man who was good at playing the piano and writing lyrics at Qingxu Temple a few days ago. After looking for it for a long time, he couldn’t find it, so he went there again.
Looking back to try my luck. People who followed Situ Yue said that the piano player named Wang Guowei was like the sound of nature. King Yan himself had read two of his poems, and they were well-known in the literary circles of the world. Such a talented man, even he himself
I want to find this person.
The Rongguo Mansion has always been most taboo about interacting with its own son. Thinking of this, King Yan breathed a sigh of relief: "It was not the Jia family's idea."
Roman thought for a while and said: "Even though it was not the Jia family's idea, Mr. Su Tao is the son of Mr. Su Zheng..."
"Um?"
Luo Man said: "The Crown Prince recommended Master Su Tao in public today. In the eyes of others, they may think that the Rongguo Mansion has voted for the Crown Prince."
King Yan hummed, "Let them think they can go, so what if they 'think'." Luo Man bowed his head and said "yes".
In the afternoon of the next day, in a small house on the outskirts of Beijing, a man who looked like a Confucian scholar was having tea alone. Not long after, a man hurriedly walked in from outside and shouted to him: "Mr. Luo."
That Confucian scholar was Luo Man, the confidant of King Yan. He bowed and said: "Your Highness."
The person who came was the third son of King Yan, and he asked urgently: "How?"
Roman said: "The idea did not come from the Rongguo Mansion. However, the prince knew that this matter would cause misunderstandings and did not want to explain it clearly."
His Highness the Third frowned: "Would he rather everyone misunderstand?"
Roman nodded: "Although the prince is a bit dull, he is willing to listen to the advice of an ordinary person. He gave up recommending his own disciples and recommended the talented Su Master instead. This shows that he can accept the advice. Moreover, he counts talents from Chu State as his own.
On the head, it just caters to the prince's thoughts. Even if this move is a mistake, it is too clever. If he doesn't make some big mistakes, our affairs will not be easy."
His Highness the Third Prince shook his head and said, "What big mistake can he make?"
Roman advised: "Your Highness, don't be anxious, the days are still long. Your Highness, please avoid the limelight first and pretend to be dead-hearted and then die for two years. If you have nothing to do, take Meiji to visit the Buddhist temples and Taoist temples and indulge in female sex."
His Highness the Third Highness thought for a long time and sighed: "That's all we can do for the time being." He withdrew and walked away.
After that, the Third Highness became a little desolate. He often took the beautiful dumb concubine Ma to various nunneries and Buddhist temples in the capital to burn incense and wander around. On this day, the two of them burned incense at the Tianqi Temple outside the west gate of the city. While the Third Highness was giving lectures to the monks,
At that moment, Ma went out for a walk. Suddenly, an old monk with shabby clothes but a kind face appeared out of the diagonal. He kowtowed to her three times with "dong dong dong", gave her something, turned around and left.
Shi was puzzled, so he picked up the thing and took a look. It was a small wooden statue of Maitreya Buddha, with a square note of paper folded underneath it. When he opened the note, he saw eight words written on it:
Dragon eyes and phoenix eyes, the appearance of a queen.