The three of them slept until night. It was not until the beginning of Xu that Li Xingxiao got up. He looked at the darkness outside and knew that it was night, so he called the servants to help him dress, and asked: "The eldest master and
In which room will the third lady rest?"
He originally thought that his father and sister were still sleeping. After all, his father had been busy for most of the day today, and his sister was very tired from riding back to her hometown from the capital yesterday. But to his surprise, the servant said: "Young Master, Third Miss
I have already gotten up, because I have missed the meal, so I asked the kitchen to cook some food, and I am eating alone."
"The third young lady's first words after waking up were to ask the eldest master and the eldest young master where are you resting, but they are still resting, which shows that the eldest young master and the third young lady have a deep affection for each other," the servant said again.
"Let the kitchen prepare some more food. I'm going to have dinner with her." After hearing what the servant said, Li Xingxiao smiled, asked her which room she was in, put on her shoes as quickly as possible and walked over.
The servant thought for a moment and did not follow. Instead, he started to make the bed.
"Yong Lin, why are you eating alone and not calling me?" Li Xingxiao smiled as soon as he walked to the door of her house.
"Brother, are you up too?" Li Yonglin put down the bowl and chopsticks and stood up. When she saw him walking in, she responded with a smile: "I heard that my brother, you are still sleeping, and my sister is hungry again, so she will eat some food alone."
"It's right not to let the servants wake up my father. My father is really exhausted today. But I'm not as tired as my father, so you should wake me up. I also asked the kitchen to cook some food and send it to us, brother and sister, to eat together.
." Li Xing was filial.
"Then sister, just wait for brother." Li Yonglin said with a smile.
The brothers and sisters then sat and chatted, and the topic unknowingly turned up what Li Yonglin was doing in the capital. Li Xingxiao asked: "Yonglin, has Her Royal Highness the Princess of Huainan agreed to accept our family's contribution?"
"No. The princess doesn't want it at all. She just asks our craftsmen to make new styles of jewelry for her every year."
"Why? Is Her Royal Highness the princess not interested? Our family's business is not small. In terms of value, of course it is not as good as what the emperor gave to the princess, but the annual income is much greater, why not?"
"Our family doesn't have any old memories in the capital, and even if we do, we don't know the secrets of the palace and can't find out. But I heard about it occasionally from the servants of the eldest princess of Zhongshan and the father-in-law who was sent to me by the palace.
The tone seems to be that the emperor is unwilling. The emperor does not want the clan and court officials to do business, let alone accept donations."
"No emperor in the past dynasties was willing, but such a thing could never be stopped. I have seen through it. With such a big business like ours, and no backstage, even if Zhao Yan is not tempted, others will be tempted, and we can't keep it.
live."
"It seems to be different today. The purpose of setting up industrial parks before today was to reduce officials' control over businessmen as much as possible. And brother, didn't you notice? This time, although Zhao Yan and others are plotting against our family's industry, they used all the obvious methods.
There is nothing wrong with the law. What he did secretly was to collude with local gangsters and bullies. It also took more than half a year to bring our family to its knees. If it had been in the past, it would have only taken half a month.
Drive our family out of Suzhou City. It can be seen that after taking the throne now, the emperor has treated us businessmen much better."
"Now that you have said it, I also think that the emperor's treatment of merchants is indeed much better than before. But after all, the court still has to use officials to govern the place, and it is impossible not to collect taxes from merchants, so even though it is not as dependent on business as it used to be.
Officials have backers, but if our business is as big as ours, we still have to have backers."
"That's right. After a few days, I have to return to the capital to maintain the relationship with the princess. You are both men, and it is inconvenient to contact the princess, so I have to continue to be in the capital. Only the seventh brother (her biological second brother)
, this house of the family ranks seventh) is not allowed in the capital."
"Hey, I can only keep you in the capital from now on. If I have nothing to do, I will only see you two or three times a year. But that's fine. With what dad did today, it won't be easy for you to find your husband's family locally.
, find one in the capital. Just in time, please ask the princess to find your in-laws."
"Brother!" Li Yonglin said.
Li Xingxiao laughed a few times and was about to say something else when he heard very fast footsteps outside the door. Then the maid beside his mother knocked on the door softly and said: "Young Master, there are guests visiting. Madam asked you to go
Reception.”
"What guest?"
"The old woman who came from the second gate said that they are very important guests. One is the husband of a certain princess, and the other is a third-rank military officer in the court. We can't wait any longer."
"The princess's husband? Could it be Xiao Zhuo? He is the princess's husband who can be related to our family. But what is the purpose of his visit so late? And I heard that he has been with her son since last year. Her Royal Highness Princess Changshan
After getting married, you have been in the capital, why did you suddenly come to Suzhou?"
"As for the third-grade military generals, our family doesn't seem to be familiar with any third-grade generals, right? Moreover, there are only two guards in Suzhou. The servants in the family have heard of the commanders of these two guards, so they don't know who they are? In the end?
Which general is visiting?" Li Xingxiao looked surprised.
"You'll know when you see him in a while. Brother, it's better to wake dad up quickly." Li Yonglin said.
"This," he said, reluctant to wake his father up.
"Brother, let's not talk about the general. Xiao Zhuo alone cannot be treated lightly. Our family can only be received by our father in person!" Li Yonglin saw his hesitation. Although she also hoped that her father could rest for a while, as Li Xingxiao, as Li Xingxiao,
Receiving Xiao Zhuo would offend others, but their family couldn't afford to offend Xiao Zhuo. She knew the princess, but Xiao Zhuo was the princess' husband!
"Quick, let's wake up father." Li Xingxiao could only wake up Li Taiyuan.
"You don't need to call me, I'm already up." But at this moment, a voice suddenly came from outside the house.
"Dad, you're awake!" Li Xingxiao and Li Yonglin said in surprise at the same time.
"Yes." Li Taiyuan agreed, without saying anything else and just said: "As a filial piety, you go with my father to receive the two guests."
"Yes." Li Xingxiao agreed.
"Yong Lin, you also go to the front hall."
"Father, there is no reason for a woman to receive foreign guests." Li Yonglin said hurriedly. During the day, their family entertained others, and their family could not afford to offend these people in Suzhou City; Xiao Zhuo and the unknown military commander could fight with them
no the same.
"Dad won't let you receive guests. It's just that dad seems to think that they must see you and ask you to wait nearby. If they don't see you, that's it. When they see you, they will let you out," Li Taiyuan said.
"Yes." After listening to her father's words, Li Yonglin agreed.
The three of them immediately walked out of their courtyard and walked to the front hall. After passing the second door, the young man who had been waiting here for a while hurriedly came up and said: "Master, eldest young master, third young lady, one of the two guests here is Changshan's Consort."
Xiao Zhuo, the father of Xiao Yong; the other person is a third-grade military general and one of the commanders of the Beijing Guard. However, this military general did not reveal his identity. He only said that he was an old acquaintance of the master and had met the master and the eldest young master."
"What did they say?" Li Taiyuan asked.
"I didn't say it, I just said it to congratulate the master." The boy replied.
Not to mention that Li Taiyuan wouldn't believe this, not even the boy. He came to visit so late, just to congratulate him, it was a lie. But the more Xiao Zhuo and the other person said this, the more their father and son understood: they would be with him in a while
What they said is definitely not a trivial matter.
After walking for a while and arriving at the back door of the front hall, Li Taiyuan and Li Xingxiao straightened their clothes, walked into the hall and walked around the screen. When they saw the two people under the candlelight in the room, they immediately saluted and said: "Li Taiyuan/Li Yonglin have seen the conductor."
I am serving Master Xiao and have met the Commander-in-Chief."
"We are old acquaintances, An Xuan, why are you so polite to me?" Xiao Zhuo said with a smile. However, he did not stand up to return the courtesy, but only slightly cupped his hands.
"The national law comes first, don't dare to violate it." Li Taiyuan also responded with a smile.
"That's all. An Xuan, I'm here to see you tonight. I have something to tell you, but let's not talk about it for now." Xiao Zhuo pointed to the person next to him and continued: "An Xuan, do you still remember him?
"
"This is the commander," Li Taiyuan took a closer look and saw that he was about thirty years old, blind in his left eye, with a scabbard hanging on the left and in a different direction than ordinary people, and wearing a neat short coat.
"I beg your pardon for my blindness, for not recognizing this gentleman." Li Taiyuan said. He thought about it repeatedly, but could not find this person in his memory, so he could only say this.
The man raised his head and was about to say something, but suddenly he heard Li Xingxiao say: "I remembered, you are not the one who worked as a clerk in the silk and satin shop jointly opened by my family and Uncle Xiao in Shanghai Shipping Company a few years ago.
Are you a guard?"
'It turns out it's him!' Li Xingxiao said, and Li Taiyuan also remembered it. Back then, he and Xiao Zhuo opened a store in Shanghai Bosi. The next year, Li Xingxiao, who came back from Shanghai, told him that there was a blind man in the store.
Yiyan was a man who had been a pirate. The boss of his original fleet was an old acquaintance of Xiao Zhuo, so he sent him to their shop. Because he was from Xiao Zhuo's side, Li Taiyuan couldn't say anything and agreed to stay as a guard. He
He did meet him once when he went to Shanghai at the end of that year. But he saw too many people every day. Although this person looked special, he was not worthy of remembering him, so he forgot about it. Later, he heard that this person was gone. How could he
Suddenly became a high official in the imperial court?
There were so many thoughts running through his mind, but he did not stop talking at all. "Xingxiao, how can you be so rude to the commander!" He immediately scolded Li Xingxiao, then saluted the man and said, "You are rude, dog!
Please forgive me, sir!"
Of course, this man is a Japanese and very noble person. He is now the commander of the Baiyi Guards. He was given the name Zhu Hengshi by Yunxi. He was once called Wo Laiye for a long time. In the seventh year of his founding, he followed the Qin King Zhu Shangbing to win the war.
After the Battle of Yiwu, he went west to conquer the city of Samarkand. After defeating it, many of his troops stayed there, such as Kobayashi Kiji, etc. However, he led the remaining troops back east and returned to the capital last autumn. Of course, Yunxi continued
Let him be the commander of the Baiyi Guards and recruit people from all over the world as soldiers.
"No need to be too polite." Zhu Hengshi said: "It is true that I don't have much friendship with your Li family, but I don't want to reveal my identity to the servant, so I will just say that I am an old acquaintance of your family."
"I have nothing else to do here today. I heard that your family was in trouble a while ago, so I came to visit you. If you need my help in the future, you can come to the capital to find me. But it's only one time. I will only know how to do it.
Help me once." He said in a very calm tone.
Li Taiyuan looked at him in confusion. You came to my house just for this? Impossible! Of course Li Taiyuan wouldn't believe it. The same goes for Li Xingxiao.
But on the surface, they said very politely: "Thank you very much, Commander."
Zhu Hengshi agreed and said to Xiao Zhuo: "I have finished what I want to say. I will wait for you outside." He then left the front hall.
"My lord, stay! It's warm inside the house, but it's still cold outside, so it's better to stay inside." Li Taiyuan said hurriedly.
"The cold wind is nothing. Besides, it's hard for Xiao Zhuo to talk about things if I stay in the house." With these words, Zhu Hengshi walked out of the house.
"Brother Xiao, why did he come here today?" Li Taiyuan asked immediately after Zhu Hengshi left the room.
"What he said is what he really meant." Xiao Zhuo said: "He was originally from Fusang, and he spoke straightforwardly. Because you agreed to take him in back then, he felt that he owed you a favor, so he wanted to do you a favor and return it.
.”
"Is there such a thing?" Li Taiyuan was very surprised and felt dumbfounded.
"Don't underestimate his promises. He is a man of great faith, and as long as he promises something to others, he will definitely do it. Moreover, he is very trusted by His Majesty, and he is also very capable. He has made great contributions from Annan to Yiwulu. If
It’s not because of his special status that he was knighted a long time ago. I know who your family turned to to get through the crisis this time, but the relationship between that person and your family is not close. Your family may still be able to use Zhu Hengshi’s promise in the future." Xiao Zhuo
reminded.
"Thank you, Brother Xiao." Upon hearing this, Li Taiyuan quickly remembered Zhu Hengshi in his heart.
"You don't have to thank me, I just said a few words casually." Xiao Zhuo smiled again.
The two of them exchanged a few words, and Xiao Zhuo expressed his congratulations to the Li family for overcoming the crisis. Li Taiyuan respectfully accepted it. Then he asked: "Brother Xiao, if you have something to say, just say it directly. You came all the way from the capital to Suzhou.
You shouldn’t be here just to chat with me. Brother Xiao, why don’t you come to see me if you have anything to do?"
"I didn't rush to Suzhou from the capital. His Majesty sent His Royal Highness Prince An to patrol Nanyang and ordered me to accompany him. He also ordered Zhu Hengshi to lead troops to protect him. I happened to be passing by Suzhou today and came to pay a visit." Xiao Zhuo said.
Li Taiyuan thought to himself that he was passing through Suzhou. Probably because he knew that my family had overcome the difficulties this time and had old friends, he came to congratulate him. He breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said: "Brother Xiao will stay at my younger brother's house tonight.
?It is said that His Highness Prince An never disembarked from the ship to stop at various places on his way. How can he be as comfortable as at home on the ship?"
"I'm not busy." Xiao Zhuo then said: "Although I am passing through Suzhou, I do have something to tell you. Moreover, this matter is also very important." (To be continued)