"Wow! Hangzhou is so beautiful. How come there are so many people..."
Shen Wen looked around while riding on the horse, a pair of dark and bright eyes swiveling around, and his face looked very excited.
He has lived in the valley since he was born. After leaving the valley, he went to Jiaozhi, so his concept of the world stayed in the deserted and poor place of Jiaozhi. As soon as he set foot on the land of Hangzhou, he was attracted by Hangzhou.
He was shocked by the scenery, and the number of passers-by also subverted his world view.
Li Qi laughed and said: "Xiao Wen, we have just entered Hangzhou. The city of Hangzhou is much more lively than this. In fact, this is nothing. The most prosperous and lively place in the Song Dynasty is Tokyo Bianliang."
Shen Wen said excitedly: "Bianliang is even more lively than this, and how many people are there?"
"certainly."
"How many people must there be?"
"a lot of."
Li Qi smiled.
After more than two months of traveling, Li Qi finally returned to Hangzhou with the vanguard. As usual, he planned to enter the city in disguise.
At this time, the weather was getting colder. They were wearing thick cotton clothes, and his white tiger skin was draped on Zhao Jingyan. After all, Zhao Jingyan was still sick and had to take good care of herself.
"Isn't that Magistrate Ouyang?"
Zhao Jingyan suddenly looked ahead and said.
Li Qi looked up and saw a group of people riding horses in the distance running towards this side quickly. It was Ouyang Che and others. He said: "It's strange, I have ordered him to keep a low profile, why is he here here?
"
In a short while, Ouyang Che and the others arrived. Several people dismounted and saluted in unison: "Your Majesty, Ouyang Che (...) has met the Privy Councilor."
Li Qi also got off his horse and said, "Ouyang, haven't you received my letter?"
Ouyang Che nodded and said, "I got it."
Li Qi said displeased: "Since you received the letter, why did you come to pick me up?"
Ouyang Che smiled and said: "The Privy Councilor asked me to keep a low profile, so I only brought a few people to greet the Privy Councilor."
"Ouyang, you've learned too much."
Li Qi chuckled and then said: "But this kind of badness is what I want to see. As a person, especially as an official, it is good to stick to your own principles, but you still have to know how to be flexible. A true man should do something and not do something.
, this 'doing something' is also the key."
This is not because he is putting on official airs, but because he values Ouyang Che very much, and he is very happy to see some changes in Ouyang Che.
Ouyang Che nodded and said, "Yes. I understand."
Li Qi stretched out his hand and said with a smile: "Let's talk while walking."
"yes."
The two got on their horses and headed towards the city. Li Qi rode on the horse and said as they walked: "My army will not enter the city. It will be stationed outside the city. Anyway, I have to rush back to resume my life, so don't disturb the people."
.”
Ouyang Che said: "The official has made arrangements."
"That's good, that's good."
Li Qi nodded and said: "That's right. Along the way, I found that the number of people near Hangzhou was several times more than when I left. It only takes one or two years for you to do this. It's really incredible.
Easy and well done.”
Ouyang Che said: "The privy envoy has received the award, but this actually has nothing to do with the subordinate. This is all the credit of the Taiwei?"
"Which lieutenant?"
"It's none other than Captain Gao Qiu."
"he?"
Li Qi frowned. Suddenly he laughed and said, "I almost forgot that this year's Cuju competition will be held in Hangzhou."
Ouyang Che said: "That's right. I didn't expect this Cuju competition to have such a big effect. This year, the number of outsiders in Hangzhou has doubled compared with before."
Li Qidao: "This shows that there are quite a lot of rich people in Song Dynasty. By the way, Captain Gao is here in person?"
"Yes, Captain Gao came to Hangzhou at the beginning of the year and personally arranged the Cuju competition."
"Then is Taishi Cai here?"
"That's not true."
That's right, that old guy is so old, he still dares to run around. Li Qi nodded and said: "You may not have a rest for the whole year this year. If there are more people, there will definitely be more things to do.
"
Ouyang Che smiled and said: "This kind of busyness is something that a lower official can only meet but cannot ask for. Let alone one year, a lower official will be willing to do it even if it takes ten years."
"Then you are so greedy." Li Qi chuckled: "Next year I plan to arrange the Cuju competition to Fuzhou."
Unknowingly, they were already approaching the city of Hangzhou. Li Qi didn't want to disturb the people, so he asked Ouyang Che to go back first. They took a carriage and quietly entered the city, and then went directly to Zuixian Villa.
...
...
Zuixian Villa.
In the blink of an eye, more than a year has passed. Zuixian Villa has really changed day by day during this year, and its scale has expanded a lot. Especially this year’s Cuju Competition was held at Zuixian Villa, so Tian Carpenter and others had to go
Urging workers to speed up and improve some supporting measures.
This year is destined to be a bumper year for Zuixian Villa. Almost all the rooms have been booked, and there is no shortage of rooms.
"Why aren't you here yet?"
Carpenter Tian stood in front of the door with his big and small pillars, looking around. Although Li Qi worked in a low-key manner, he could not be so low-key that he would not even say hello to his own people. He sent someone early in the morning to tell Carpenter Tian that he would be in Hangzhou today.
"Uncle Tian, here they come, here they come, they are here."
Chen Xiaozhu suddenly pointed to the south and shouted excitedly.
Several people immediately turned around and saw several carriages slowly coming this way.
After a while, several carriages stopped in front of the Zuixian Villa, and Li Qi and others got off their horses.
When Gui Jiulang and his family got off the carriage, they were frightened by the gate of Zuixian Villa. Ms. Yin exclaimed in surprise: "This gate is so high!"
"Sir (Brother Li)."
When Tian Carpenter and Da Zhuzhu saw Li Qi, they hurriedly came over to greet him.
Seeing these familiar faces, Li Qi felt inexplicably excited. He looked at the big and small pillars, nodded happily, patted the two brothers on the shoulders, and said to Carpenter Tian: "Let's go in and talk.
.”
"yes."
When a group of people came inside, they saw a sea of people inside, and the huge square seemed a bit crowded. This was all due to the vitality and wealth brought by the Cuju competition!
Plop, plop!
I saw more than a hundred white doves suddenly flying at the same time, dazzling white and very beautiful.
Shen Wen was stunned when he saw it: "It's so beautiful."
"Eh? Isn't that Master Li?"
"Master Li, Master Li."
"Eh? Uncle He Jiu?"
As soon as Li Qi entered the door, he heard someone calling him. He turned around and saw that it was He Jiu.
He Jiu's shout immediately attracted the attention of many people around him. Many people shouted "Master Li." and then walked quickly towards Li Qi.
"Wow! You are all here!"
Li Qi looked at these old faces and couldn't help but feel a little surprised. These people were all businessmen from Bianliang.
Everyone gathered around Li Qi and congratulated him on such a great achievement.
Li Qi just said a few words of modesty, and then chatted with them for a few more words.
Needless to say, He Jiu is a supplier of sporting goods, so he naturally follows the Cuju competition to promote his products. As for the others, they all go south to do business and take a look at the Cuju competition.
It turns out that Bianliang's economy has reached saturation, and even a penny has to be squeezed to death. On the other hand, it means that Bianliang's business has been very stable. Unless another Li Qi appears, otherwise
It is difficult to change in a short period of time.
They are all very wealthy people. Seeing that the profits in Bianliang have been almost divided and the business has stabilized, they all set their sights on the south. It can be seen that Cai Minde is more foresight.
In fact, they had already gone south one after another before the imperial court mobilized merchants to go south. They knew that wherever Li Qi was, there must be business opportunities, so they came to try their luck. If there was no chance, they would just treat it as an exception for a trip.
But as soon as they arrived in Jiangnan, they heard the news that the imperial court was mobilizing merchants to go south, which made them happy. They were all as shrewd as monkeys, but they couldn't see the huge business opportunities in the south.
Li Qi had just arrived and was exhausted, so he didn't say much to them, but he promised that he would find time to have a good talk with them, and after exchanging a few words, he left.
"Dazhu, Xiaozhu, you accompany Shen Wen to look around."
Li Qi saw that Shen Wen was not tired at all. He had been in a state of excitement since he entered Zuixian Villa. Every time he passed a scenic spot, he always looked back with nostalgia, so he simply let Dazhu accompany him everywhere.
have a look.
Shen Wen said happily: "Is this okay?"
"Of course." Li Qi smiled and nodded.
Shen Wen looked at Kaijiulang again, and Kaijiulang nodded slightly. After getting his parents' consent, Shen Wen immediately left with Dazhu.
Passing through the square, you can have a panoramic view of the villa. Attic courtyards of different sizes and shapes are scattered among the mountains. Ms. Yin couldn't help but exclaimed: "It's so beautiful here!"
Gui Jiulang said with a smile: "Then I will accompany you to look around."
"this---."
Mrs. Yin couldn't help but look at Li Qi. After all, Li Qi was the master here.
Wei Jiulang did not accept this trick and said: "Look at what he did, we are not his subordinates, let's go." He said and left hand in hand with Yin.
Li Qi originally wanted someone to be a tour guide with them, but after thinking about it, he decided not to do it. He believed that Kaijiulang didn't like bringing a light bulb around. Kaijiulang, who got married in his later years, cherished this love very much.
Since Li Qi and the others were not back for the first time, they did not choose to hike up the mountain, but took a carriage to the Mid-Levels Courtyard.
"By the way, Carpenter Tian, Captain Gao also lives in the courtyard now, right?"
Li Qi deliberately arranged for Tian Carpenter to ride in a carriage with him, hoping to ask some questions.
Tian Carpenter shook his head and said: "No, Taiwei does not live in the courtyard, but sits in the courtyard closer to the Cuju field."
"Yeah?"
Li Qi frowned, wondering, Brother Qiu is a person of good taste, how could he not live in the courtyard on the mountainside, and would rather live in an ordinary house below? Oh, I understand, it must be the reason for Miss Shishi, Brother Qiu
What a cautious person he is, how could he live under the same roof as Miss Shishi? He then asked, "Are Sister Qingzhao, Miss Shishi, and Madam okay?"
Carpenter Tian said: "The two Madams Li are fine, but Madam--"
He hesitated to speak, and Li Qi couldn't help but his heart skipped a beat and asked: "What's wrong with her, madam?"
Tian Carpenter said: "At the beginning of the year, my wife suddenly received a letter from home, and then she hurried back to Beijing."
"What?"
Li Qi frowned and said, "What happened?"
Tian Carpenter said: "Madam just said that there is something going on at home, I don't know the details."
Is there something going on at home? Could it be related to Fatty Wang? It seems like something big must have happened in the capital. Li Qi began to ponder upon hearing this. (To be continued...)