"Get out of the way, get out of the way, don't squeeze me..."
"Keep your voice down."
"What does it matter? I can't hear you over there..."
There was a thin sound. The boy and the little girl hid by the pillar on the third floor corridor and looked down. It was afternoon.
This street in Dongji is considered a relatively peaceful neighborhood in Jiangning City, suitable for leisure. However, there are not many popular brothels here. There are many teahouses and restaurants. Each shop has eaves and brackets, and the eaves and corners are connected. The streets below are not
It is wide, and there are often vendors selling various special snacks. There are also many opera singers or storytellers gathering in the taverns and teahouses. At present, this Xiangnuan Teahouse is the largest and most famous teahouse nearby. It can be found on the third floor.
I saw the rooftops and pedestrian scenery of many nearby teahouses, but the third floor was full of private rooms, which were also expensive. The two children who appeared next to the railing in the corridor were gorgeously dressed and their temperament was far more noble than the children of ordinary families.
At this time, I didn't know what I found, so I hid here sneakily.
"Ah ah ah... He actually poured tea for others. He must not be saying anything nice..."
"That guy's face became so strange, turning red and white..."
"The Smiling Tiger must be pretending to be stupid again. That person from the Wu family is going to be pissed to death..."
"Sister, you are often annoyed by the teacher...well, I won't say it anymore, I was wrong..."
The little girl glared hard at the boy.
Diagonally across the street, at the teahouse called Jingzhulin, two men seemed to be sitting by the second-floor window drinking tea and chatting. Soon after, one of the men left, and the other man began to lower his head.
Reading, writing and drawing. The two siblings in the restaurant here began to discuss whether they should run over to say hello.
"Maybe I'm writing something interesting..." the little boy said, holding his chin on the railing.
Before the little girl could speak, a voice sounded from behind: "Huh? Who is that?"
The two children turned back quickly, only to see that many people had appeared silently behind them. At this time, leaning next to them was a middle-aged man about forty years old, with a Chinese character face and nearly three-quarters of his hair.
He had an inch-long beard, a bit of majesty, and a smile on his face. When he asked, the little girl named Zhou Pei blinked her eyes and mumbled as if she didn't want to tell the truth. The boy named Zhou Junwu
He suddenly pursed his lips and began to shake his head quickly. The middle-aged man was slightly startled in his smile.
"Oh, I can't say..."
"No, we don't know each other." Jun Wu said with a toothy smile. The sister next to him suddenly stopped looking around. The middle-aged man nodded "Oh" and looked towards the second floor of the teahouse over there.
He glanced at it and said, "However, my father saw that this person was young and talented, so he wanted to make some friends." At this point, he suddenly thought of something again. He leaned down and spoke to the little girl in a tone that only the other party could hear.
And he said in his ear: "Speaking of which, Pei'er is about to reach her hair age in two years. You didn't want to go in when there were so many talented people chatting just now. Could it be that you are here with Jun Wu..."
"How is that possible!" Zhou Pei suddenly spoke, then froze for a moment, then turned his face to the side in annoyance and patted his forehead. The middle-aged man laughed and looked at some of the people accompanying him: "Such this
Come on, I really don’t know who that person is, do you guys know?”
"Replying to the prince, this person is Su Fu, Ning Yi, Ning Liheng." An accompanying old man in his fifties smiled and answered in a low voice with his hands raised.
"Oh? The most talented person?" The middle-aged man known as the prince was also startled, and then looked over there, but from this point of view, the figure with bandages on his hands looked too young anyway.
——Of course, this feeling came from the comparison with the name of this number one talented man. He looked at the pair of children next to him, with some understanding and some confusion in his eyes.
"I have long heard that this man has amazing poetic talent, but I have never seen it. Everyone present is also a well-educated person. I wonder if anyone knows him..." He wanted to say that if so, he could introduce Xiao Wang to him.
After a while, but seeing the attitude of the two children, I changed my mind again, "I wonder...does this person have a rich reputation?"
The middle-aged man in front of him is indeed the father of Zhou Pei and Zhou Junwu. He is also one of the few royal idlers living in Jiangning. King Kang Zhou Yong. Although he has the title of a prince, his achievements are nothing and it is not like his.
Aunt Zhou Xuan and uncle Kang Xian were both good at making money. In fact, they were not good at poetry either. They loved to hang out and listen to operas on weekdays. They were also good at things like chicken fighting and dog fighting. When they had nothing to do, they went hunting and occasionally shot a rabbit or two.
Of course, things like poetry and essays have always been a pastime for all people to enjoy, and he will become more or less arty every once in a while. With this status, when you want to be elegant, you will always have some elegance. This time, he followed him
These people were basically some of the most talented people in Jiangning. When he asked this question, one of them smiled and handed over his hands: "Ning Yi is indeed quite talented." This is a good thing to say. If there are several dandies from the Su family,
You were probably shocked here, because the person who came out in front of you turned out to be Liu Qingdi, who had been having some trouble earlier. But after saying this, he also smiled and said: "It's just recently, uh... ha, this matter has nothing to do with poetry.
It’s okay not to mention it, I’ve always admired Ning Yi’s poetic talent.”
"Oh? What happened to Ning Yi? Qing Di said it doesn't hurt to come and listen, why don't we all listen together..." Zhou Yong looked at him with a smile.
Liu Qingdi's face changed, he hesitated for a while, and then nodded: "In that case, then... in fact, this is nothing new, but His Highness Prince Kang may not have heard of it yet, and it must have happened two months ago.
Speaking of which, an accident happened to the cloth merchant Su’s family at that time..."
In the past two months, the battles that took place within the confines of Jiangning Buhang did have a good story. First, the Su family was assassinated, and it was revealed that it was a frame-up set up by some opponents. Later, the Su family declined.
The stronger the company was, the more powerful it was to build momentum to seize the imperial business, but was overturned at the last moment. Although it is really unethical to steal other people's formulas, due to the twists and turns of this matter, when talking about it now, everyone is amazed at every aspect of it.
However, after Liu Qingdi finished speaking, everyone realized that Ning Yi's role in it was really insignificant.
The most talented person may be good at poetry, but if he is mediocre in other aspects, it will make people think that this person is only good at rhetoric, which is a bit uninteresting. Look at the young man over there, this is also true, this kind of person
Even if he is a talented poet, it is because of his talent. Therefore, in order to compose new words, his experience is still not enough. In the teahouse over there, he saw Ning Yi, who had already collected his things and went to check out.
Then, he disappeared from everyone's sight.
"Oh, that's a pity..."
Zhou Yong sighed. He didn't know whether he was talking about the loss of the chance to meet Ning Yi or the fight between the Su and Wu families. But in the midst of these words, he looked at the pair of disapproving children next to him with a slightly complicated look.
, let the entourage bow his head and meditate in the gap between greeting everyone.
Liu Qingdi then looked at the direction where Ning Yi disappeared, with a trace of pride and hatred flashing in his eyes.
On the side, the brother and sister exchanged a look with their lips pursed, a bit cunningly.
*********************
When the coachman opened the curtain and told him that he had arrived home, Wu Qilong opened the curtain. It was approaching evening, and the sunlight began to become slanted and looked less dazzling. It poured golden light from the other end of the Wu family mansion.
Come here. The gorgeous and majestic house door looks particularly solemn. Whenever he sees this scene at this time, he can't help but think of the family's... sense of majesty or honor.
I remember when he was young, he went back and asked his mother why our yard was so big and why our door was different from other people’s doors. My mother would say it was because our Wu family was the number one cloth merchant in Jiangning.
The Wu family is the number one cloth merchant in Jiangning...
In fact, especially in the recent period, when he has been busy for more than a month, this feeling in his heart will become particularly clear. When he thinks about what his parents and the people around him said when he was a child, they taught him these concepts.
scene.
Jiangning, the number one cloth merchant.
This is a position that has taken many people's efforts to reach. From a young age, what he has been thinking about is how to turn this knowledge into not only the number one cloth merchant in Jiangning. From a young age, he has been confident that he knows
He was bound to be able to do this, and even during the previous period, he once felt that he had seen certain success.
All this, that light, suddenly turned dark this afternoon.
By this time, his body was feeling cold.
I almost don't know what I was thinking during this period of time in the carriage, and I almost don't remember how I went downstairs and got into the carriage. My steps and body were a little uncontrollable and light.
All this will no longer exist...
With this thought in mind, he walked towards where his family might be.
He even didn't know how to speak, telling his father or others these things, but some things really had to be said...
*********************
When Wu Qihao returned home, he had already started to light the lamp. The atmosphere at home was a bit wrong. A servant told him to go to the main hall. When passing by the square, he saw his fifth uncle, who had not been out for a long time, being killed by two
The maid helped her come this way. The lights in Wu's house were a little brighter.
He knew that something big had finally happened. In the past few days, the golden brocade in the warehouse continued to fade. He knew that one day it might develop into this situation, but when it came, his heart suddenly sank, and for a moment
, it was too late to say hello to the slow-moving fifth uncle, so he ran towards the main hall.
Father, elder brother, eldest uncle Wu Chengjian, third uncle Wu Chengyuan, and even two very close cousins in the family have all arrived. These two expressions also have a considerable share of participation and dividends in the family, but for example, Luo Min and others
But none of the shopkeepers who participated in important decisions came. The people who came at this time may not have eaten yet. Everyone had simple meals around them, but no one was in the mood to eat. Wu Qihao took a look and went to
Walked ahead.
The matter was more serious than he thought, because if it was just a matter of fading of the cloth, everyone should have been mentally prepared a few days ago. But at this time, his father's expression was obviously wrong. Since no one was there, he just sat down.
Sitting on a chair next to him, although on the surface he was still subconsciously maintaining dignity and calmness, his eyes were a bit wrong. Wu Qihao didn't realize until he got closer, and he could only hear his father sneering subconsciously.
"...The elders of the Zhumen laughed and flicked their crowns...Prime Minister Bai knew that he still pressed his sword...ha..." The sneer was not a hostile smile, it just sounded a little tired. He looked at his second son in front of him and shook his head.
Shake his head.
"Everyone was deceived by him alone... They didn't take us seriously at all... Oh, Qihao..."
"Dad, what's wrong?"
"Have you eaten?"
"Ask someone to bring food, eat some first. If something happens, ask your elder brother..."
Wu Qihao saw his father close his eyes and rub his forehead. When he opened them again, his eyes had stabilized, erasing the moment of trance, and he had returned to the head of the cloth shop and the first cloth merchant in Jiangning.
He was restrained and ferocious, but after only a moment, he looked at the corner of the room and exhaled a long breath.
That's not a good sign.
Wu Qihao turned around and walked towards his brother who was sitting near the door. At this moment, the figure was a little quiet, but his eyes were a little cold. Fortunately, his brother was calm at this time and he was thinking of countermeasures.
"elder brother."
"Sit." Wu Qilong glanced at him and patted the seat next to him. His panic period was over, and he could calm down his mood at this time. After his brother sat down, he calmly spoke: "In the warehouse
The cloth is still faded. I met Ning Liheng outside this afternoon, and then..." He paused and saw the elderly fifth uncle coming in from the door. He stood up with everyone, "Then we said something.
, I just knew the whole thing..."
The light in the day has completely faded. The lights are getting brighter and the night is getting deeper. In the Wu family's mansion, the sound of wind shakes the fire a little, and a person who occupies an important position in the Wu family begins to gather towards the main hall.
Just like Wu Chenghou, who is the head of the family together, the brothers of each house who are qualified to participate in important matters, the cousins who are really involved in the business in the family, or the younger generation who has been really important and has been able to enter the family, Wu Qi
Long Wu Qihao and others, or the seniors of the Wu family who once competed with Su Yu in the shopping mall. The Wu family, the number one cloth merchant in Jiangning, these participants who are making or have made the difference in the shopping mall have all been replaced.
Alarmed by the crisis at this time, we must gather together and work together to discuss and deal with it.
More than two months ago, even when they were competing for the Royal Merchant, not even a quarter of the people from the Wu family gathered together, especially the elders of the Wu family like the fifth uncle and the eighth uncle. They used to stomp their feet.
The man who could shock the weaving industry in Jiangning has already retired to enjoy his old age, but at this time, he has to come out again to deal with this crisis.
More than two months ago, everyone in the Wu family was easily fighting for the things they wanted. The scholar appeared in a playful manner and did something that made everyone laugh, just like the casual chatting and talking in the teahouse today.
, pouring tea, no one found anything. However, after more than two months, the hand pouring tea finally turned over casually in the process of this understatement, turned into a murderous intention, and moved towards these many