Qin Bin looked at the silver piled in front of him with an embarrassed expression. Each ingot of silver was a full ten taels of silver. At a glance, there were as many as forty or fifty silver ingots on the table.
With so much money in front of him, it would be a lie to say that he was not interested. Qin Bin's family was poor since he was a child. His father died early and he was raised by his mother, Zhou. The five taels of silver he had seen since he was a child was a huge number.
Four to five hundred taels are placed in front of you. How many clothes does your mother have to wash for the gentry to earn so much money? A lifetime? Ten lifetimes?
"Liu Yuan, you summoned this junior to see me just to show me how much money you have?"
The folding fan in Liu Zhi'an's hand kept hitting the palm of his hand, and the old god remained calm: "Qin Bin, I heard that you were invited by Su Weier of Penglai Pavilion to help him compete for the oiran. I wonder if it is true or false?"
Qin Bin looked at Liu Zhian in confusion, wondering why the richest man in the south of the Yangtze River would ask such a question: "This is exactly what happened. I wonder how Yuanwai learned about this matter, and what does it have to do with Yuanwai calling this junior here this time?
."
Liu Zhi'an smiled evilly: "I am not boasting. As the richest man in the south of the Yangtze River, as long as you have enough money, your eyes and ears will be everywhere in the south of the Yangtze River. If you want to know about any trouble in the south of the Yangtze River, I will know it, even if it is someone from the Governor's Mansion.
Housework is just a matter of spending more money."
Qin Bin looked at the unassuming Liu Zhi'an in fear. For such an old man with a smile, it was as easy as trying to spy on the Governor's Mansion. How could a businessman have such confidence?
Qin Bin suddenly woke up and was afraid that if he publicized what happened today, he would die without a burial place.
"So please tell me what Yuan Liu's intentions are?"
Liu Zhi'an took out a copy of the Four Treasures of the Study from behind his back: "If you reject Su Wei's invitation, these five hundred taels of silver are yours. At this time, God knows that you know that I know, and no one else will know. Write a letter
The letter is only five hundred taels of silver. You can't find such a good thing even with a lantern."
Qin Bin said eloquently: "A gentleman's words are hard to catch up with. As the saying goes, a gentleman will keep his word and promised Miss Su. If I break my promise to others, I am afraid that all the students in Jiangnan will treat me differently. Five hundred taels of silver."
To buy the reputation of a junior is to look down on the junior."
"Then you must go?" Liu Zhi'an's tone suddenly became neither salty nor bland, and an invisible pressure made Qin Bin dare not see this ordinary old man.
However, Qin Bin, who lowered his head, still said anxiously: "If it's just because of the five hundred taels of silver, I must go."
"Qin Bin is a person from Qin Jia'ao. His father Qin Zheng died of illness in the eighth year of Xuande's reign. His mother Zhou and An Daoming, a gentry in the city, washed clothes to support the family and earned seven coins a month. Qin Bin went to Qin Jia'ao's private school Feng when he was young.
He studied under the Kaiguang School, and then studied hard under Liu Liang, Class C of Dangyang Academy, and prepared to attend Qiu Wei in August this year."
Qin Bin trembled, but still said forcefully: "If you don't agree lightly, I will live up to others. A gentleman has his own words, life and death."
"Is it worth it for an invitation from a mere brothel girl?"
"You must be true to your word and resolute in your deeds. In the eyes of the younger generation, there is no such thing as worthy or unworthy, only promises and non-promises."
Liu Zhi'an pouted: "Do you know the difference between Penglai Tower, Qixiu Tower and Yanyu Pavilion?"
Qin Bin was stunned for a moment but said respectfully: "Penglai Tower is the Jiaofang Division of the imperial court, while Qixiu Tower and Yanyu Pavilion are brothels established by the people."
"You must be very curious about why I stopped you from going to the Qinhuai Boat Boat to help Su Weier, right? She has nothing to do with a famous brothel prostitute and a rich man from Jiangnan, right?"
"Liu Yuanwai is really knowledgeable and insightful. This junior does have some doubts in his mind. With Liu Yuanwai's status, even if Miss Su is one of the famous prostitutes in Jiangnan, she is not worthy of Liu Yuanwai's trouble."
Liu Zhi'an fell into deep thought and recalled: "Su Weier's family name is Ling and she is from Suzhou. She was admitted to the Si Penglai Pavilion of the Jiaofang in the 17th year of Xuande's reign."
Qin Bin began to figure out the meaning of Liu Zhi'an's words. Suddenly Qin Bin looked surprised: "Could it be that Miss Su is the orphan of Master Ling Daoming?"
"Twenty-five years ago, that is, the second year of Xuande, I, Liu Zhi'an, Ling Daoming, and Song Yu, we became brothers with different surnames in Dangyang Academy. The eldest brother Song Yu and the wise brother Ling Daoming were both geniuses, but I was the only one who
He is so poor at studying that he has never been on the list."
"In the 17th year of Xuande, Ling Daoming, the governor of Suzhou, was sentenced to death by Wei Yong, who was the minister of the Ministry of Military Affairs at the time, on the charge of treason because of the White Lotus Sect's attack on the city. His son Ling Yang was sent to Yingzhou and his daughter Su Weier was imprisoned.
Entered Jiaofangsi as a prostitute."
"What happened next?"
"My eldest brother, Song Yu, was the minister of the Ministry of Rites when I was sworn in, and I was from the same school as Master Tong Sansi, the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. After many efforts, Su Weier's sentence of lifelong prostitution was changed to fifteen years, and the child Wei'er committed suicide.
Xiaowei is a girl who grew up in an official family. Not only is she beautiful, but she is also a very proud girl who is well versed in poetry and books. However, her family suffered a sudden change and she had to make do with hardships in order to survive. Under the guidance of the madam, she gradually became famous in Qin Huai's country.
One of the prostitutes."
"So Miss Su is half a daughter of a member of the Communist Party of China?"
"Yes, the three of us brothers are like brothers, closer than brothers from the same mother. Back then, Brother Ling Xian and I even had a baby marriage. Strictly speaking, Wei'er is my daughter-in-law."
Qin Bin hesitated to speak.
"You want to ask me why I didn't redeem myself for Weier, right?"
"Exactly."
"As soon as Wei'er was transferred to the Jiaofang Division, I took out 300,000 yuan from my family property and planned to redeem Wei'er's life and become a good person. The 300,000 taels of silver were more than enough to buy a hundred Penglai Houses. However, the Penglai House was not owned by the Jiaofang Division.
In the official's place, this matter ultimately came to nothing."
"Then why did Liu Yuanwai prevent this junior from going to the boat to help Miss Su?"
"This was decided upon by elder brother Song Yu and me. The greater the reputation of Wei'er, the greater the chance that it will spread to the ears of left prime minister Wei Yong. Wei Yong is ruthless and will do whatever it takes to protect his official position. If
He knows that the orphan of the person he framed in the past has such a great reputation, so in order to protect his reputation, he will definitely murder Weier."
Qin Bin didn't believe it: "The identities of Zuo Xiang and Miss Su are so different, he would do such a thing?"
"Do you think that my brother Ling Xian was executed because he secretly colluded with the White Lotus Sect rebels? Wrong, it was because Wei Yong's nephew Wei Gang accidentally killed three people in Suzhou and was sentenced to Qiu Houwen by the Ling Governor.
As Minister of War, Wei Yong wanted to secretly protect his nephew, so he wrote to my brother, but my brother refused. So he held a grudge and executed my brother on an unfounded charge."
"Even if Zuo Xiang wants to frame him, the imperial court will naturally send a censor to investigate the truth. If he is really framed, even if Zuo Xiang is the Minister of War at the time, there is nothing he can do. After all, the censor is a feudal official, and Suzhou is Zhongzhou.
, Governor Ling, as a senior official of the fourth rank, wouldn’t act so hastily, right? Your Majesty will definitely check the imperial censor’s memorial.”
Liu Zhi'an lamented: "The seventeenth year of Xuande's reign was the triennial Autumn Examination. Ling Xiandi's nephew ranked first in high school in Suzhou, Jieyuan, so Ling Xiandi was happy and drank a few more cups. At the same time, the White Lotus Sect was in chaos.
The bandits attacked Suzhou City at night, killing seven and injuring thirteen, and costing the people seven thousand taels of money, but the Prime Minister Zuo learned about it."
"Even so, Governor Ling was at best sent to the county to serve as an official, and at worst he was dismissed from office. How could he be beheaded?"
Liu Zhi'an's expression became sinister: "If Wei Yong hadn't interfered with it, how could my virtuous brother have ended up like this? It's a pity that I, as a merchant, have more than enough ambition but not enough strength. My eldest brother Song Yu, who is honest and upright, has to succumb to King Duan.
The purpose is to one day overthrow the powerful Prime Minister Wei Yong, avenge my third brother Ling Daoming’s family, and make my third brother smile with a smile."
Qin Bin's face turned ugly, knowing whether he would be safe and sound after knowing such secret luck.
"I know that you are a filial person, so I have accepted these five hundred taels of silver to honor your noble family and forget what happened today, otherwise I will have to be an unkind person who dies."
Qin Bin knew the cause and effect and didn't say anything. After all, Liu Zhian did not just covet Su Wei's beauty.