During the Spring Festival, the city of Chang'an is filled with singing and dancing birds, but there is an undercurrent surging beneath the surface calm.
Cui Yang, the Minister of Household Affairs, came down from his carriage and looked at the bustling crowd in front of the door with boredom. His sister was the crown prince Li An's concubine. Although she was not as favored as the concubine, the crown prince was born to her sister, so
The husband and wife still treat each other with respect as guests. When King Yong was arrogant, although he was the prince's brother-in-law, the front door was deserted. Some people even made trouble for themselves in order to please King Yong. This time, the crown prince's throne was secure, and there were so many people who came to pay New Year's greetings this year.
After breaking through the threshold, he ignored those villains who followed the trend and walked through the door boldly.
When he arrived at the study, the housekeeper handed over a stack of greeting cards. Cui Yang took them and looked at them one by one. After all, no matter how much he despised those people, power needs people to support it. Without these helpless people, how could the prince govern the world?
Why should he improve his status? After flipping through it, Cui Yang was suddenly attracted by a post. It was an exquisite name post. The name on it was something he had never heard of before. His name was Jicheng, and he was from Dongchuan.
Businessman, originally Cui Yang was not in the mood to meet an ordinary businessman, but there was a gift list attached to the name sticker, which was impressively worth ten thousand taels of silver and a pair of white jade. This was a very heavy gift. Just because of this gift, he
He also had to meet this Jicheng. He asked the housekeeper to invite Jicheng in. Cui Yang sat behind the desk and drank tea while thinking about what this person wanted. When you are polite to others, you must ask for something. Can you give me this gift?
Accept it An Ran?
After a while, under the guidance of the housekeeper, a man of about thirty years old walked in. This man was quite handsome and had regular features. However, his eyes were a little narrow and his nose was a little hooked, which ruined his image.
, but he is very popular. Standing in front of the desk with his hands behind his hands, he looks like a man who has lived in the world for a long time. Cui Yang was shocked and knew that this man was by no means an ordinary businessman. Cui Yang could be the Minister of Household Affairs, so naturally
He is not an ordinary person. He said calmly: "Your Excellency, please sit down. Although my official position is not high, I can still do some things. Your Excellency is so polite. I don't know what the matter is. If it has nothing to do with the national law, I will naturally consider it."
of.'
The man smiled and said: "The common people are here to ask for help. The common people have a business and want to cooperate with His Highness the Crown Prince. However, with His Highness's status, we common people cannot get close to him. You are a relative of the Crown Prince, so you have come to ask for your help."
If your Excellency feels that Cao Min's business is worth doing, please convey Cao Min's sincerity to His Highness the Prince.'
Cui Yang frowned and said coldly: 'The prince is the crown prince. There is no one in the world who is not the prince. Why should he collude with you and other businessmen? If this is the case, there is nothing I can do.'
The man sneered and said: "If His Highness the Crown Prince doesn't want to get rich, then what are those Zhuangzi on the outskirts of Chang'an used for? Who is the boss behind the Jinyu Tower in Liren City, Chang'an, and the largest casino in Chang'an? Who is violating the law?
What about private gold mining outside?'
Cui Yang's heart almost jumped out of his chest when he heard this. How could this man find out so much about the prince's family background? He had been taking care of these businesses for the prince. If the matter spread, the prince would only receive a few words of reprimand at most, and he might have to
He had abandoned his official position. A trace of murderous intent flashed in his eyes, and he thought that he needed to capture this person, find out his origins, and then eradicate the root cause. So, Cui Yang deliberately said in a pleasant manner: "Actually, this matter may not be non-negotiable."
, please sit down, serve tea, and we will discuss it slowly.'
The housekeeper quickly served tea, invited the man to sit next to him, and then went outside to guard the door.
After Cui Yang waited for the man to sit down, he asked again: "I wonder if you have any business that you would like to cooperate with His Highness. If I hear it and think it is okay, then I can report it to the Crown Prince."
The man said leisurely and authentically: "This business is not big. This year there is a drought in Dayong and the grain harvest is poor. The price of rice and noodles on the market is now three times that of previous years. And specialties from the south of the Yangtze River such as silk are even more expensive and have no market. Nowadays in south China
The hatred between Chu and Dayong is as deep as the sea, and all trade between the two sides has been interrupted. The common people have some connections in Southern Chu, which can provide grain, silk, tea and other specialties. I wonder what your Majesty wants?'
Cui Yang frowned and thought, this is indeed a good business, but it is a bit troublesome. Although His Highness the Crown Prince has some income, he also spends a lot of money. Bribing officials, placing spies, and raising assassins all cost nothing. He just needs to pay Feng every year.
Yimen's tribute is not a small number. Look at this man, the murderous look in Cui Yang's eyes has faded. He hesitates to speak. You can't say that we have no money.
This man was very good at observing people's words and continued: "Actually, we don't need His Highness to actually pay. If His Highness and His Excellency take care of us, our business can go smoothly. You also know that without His Highness' support for this smuggled goods, we will sooner or later
You'll miss.'
Cui Yang nodded and said: 'If so, it would be easy, but how are you going to divide it?'
The man smiled and said: 'I am willing to honor His Highness 30% of the profits.'
Cui Yang frowned. He knew the huge profits in this business. It would be a pity if it was only 30%, but he could not provide funds on his own side, and it was difficult to ask for too much.
The man seemed to have read through his thoughts and said mysteriously: 'Actually, the common people have another idea. If the adults are brave enough, the villains are willing to offer 60% of the profits.'
Cui Yang was shocked and said: 'What's your idea? Come and listen to me.'
The man smiled and said: "Your Majesty is in charge of the Ministry of Household Affairs. The food, wages and weapons of Dayong's millions of troops are all under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Household Affairs. The most lacking thing in Nanchu now is weapons. If His Highness is willing to exchange the weapons in stock for goods from Nanchu, it will not matter.
It costs Your Highness nothing and can be exchanged for more goods. This income can be doubled. After His Highness gets the gold and silver, he will then customize a batch of ordnance in Dayong to fill the gap. Your Excellency should understand the price difference.
There is no problem if you only do one business trip of 500,000 taels.'
When Cui Yang heard this, he stood up and said angrily: 'How can this be unreasonable? You actually instigated me to support the enemy. Are you a spy from Nan Chu? You actually came to me and talked nonsense.'
The man was so rested that he smiled and said, "Your Majesty is wrong. The common people are not spies from Southern Chu. The common people are Huo Jicheng and the leader of the Jinxiu Alliance." After saying that, he waved his hand, and a white light shot out from his hand and touched Cui Yang's neck.
It flew past, penetrated the bookshelf behind Cui Yang, and shot into the wall. Cui Yang was so frightened that the door of the study room was kicked open with a bang. The butler stood at the door with a cold light in his eyes and an extra one in his hand.
A dagger.
Huo Jicheng smiled and rushed towards the door. The butler's eyes were blurred. The dagger in his hand had fallen into Huo Jicheng's hand. Cui Yang looked again and saw that Huo Jicheng had sat back in his seat and looked at Cui Yang with a smile. Cui Yang had calmed down.
When he came down, he glanced at Huo Jicheng and thought to himself, if this person is not sure, how can he put himself in danger? If he offends him, his life will not be saved. He wiped a cold sweat and said
:'Leader Huo, please sit down, please take a seat. I bet you are not here to ask for guilt. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince eradicated the branch of the Jinxiu League in Chang'an for state affairs. Leader Huo intends to revive the Kingdom of Shu. You and I are enemies. This
There is nothing we can do. If leader Huo wants to take revenge, the subordinates cannot agree to it.'
Huo Jicheng said calmly: "That's right. To you, our Jinxiu Alliance is a rebellion, and the matter in Chang'an is helpless. But those are small things. They can be considered loyal to the country. But as the saying goes, there is no forever in the world."
enemies, we are now being restricted and excluded everywhere. If things continue like this, not only will there be no hope of restoring the country, but we will not even be able to save our lives. If His Highness is willing to cooperate with us, there is no need for us to restore the country. It would be nice to become a rich man.
, Although His Highness has secured his position, after all, there is still King Yong who is eyeing him. There are many places where money is needed. To put it bluntly, we are the only ones who can cooperate with His Highness the Crown Prince. Now we are most looking forward to His Highness making mistakes.
It is King Yong. If someone else works for His Highness, if he falls into the hands of King Yong, I am afraid that the prince will be betrayed. Our Jinxiu Alliance and King Yong have a deep hatred as deep as the sea. The hatred of the country's subjugation will never be forgotten, and we will never turn to King Yong.
, we also know that if King Yong had not made a plan, Dayong and Shu may not be at war, so there is no deep hatred between us and the prince. If we can help the prince to eradicate King Yong, then we have done our best to avenge our king.
.Furthermore, even if someone exposes the cooperation between the Jinxiu Alliance and the Prince, do you think anyone will believe it? Who would believe that the Prince is cooperating with rebels like us, and the Prince has just wiped out the Chang'an branch of our Jinxiu Alliance.'
The more Cui Yang listened, the more polite he felt. Although he felt that this person was cold and had no heartache for his brother's death or injury, he also felt that what this person said was right. He hesitated and asked: "There are still some brothers from Guimeng who are in Tianlao."
I wonder what your plans are.'
Huo Jicheng smiled slightly and said: 'If His Highness thinks it doesn't matter, then it's okay to let them go. If he thinks it's harmful, then execute them quickly so as not to make people doubt the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Jinxiu Alliance.'
Cui Yang felt chilled for a while. This man was really cruel. He closed his eyes and said after a long time: 'I can't make the decision on this matter. Let's wait until I report it to the Ming Prince. You will come back tomorrow to hear the answer.'
Huo Jicheng smiled slightly and said: 'This is what it should be, it should be, but Mr. Cui, the concubine you raised in the city is already pregnant. Why don't you take her back? Is it because your wife is jealous?'
Cui Yang's hand shook, and the tea cup he had just picked up almost fell off the table. He looked at Huo Jicheng's handsome face, as if he was seeing a devil.
Huo Jicheng bowed respectfully and said: 'The common people will take their leave now. If you are not in a hurry, it is better not to move before Madam gives birth.'
Listening to Huo Jicheng's faint threat, Cui Yang weakly waved his hand and said: 'Leader Huo, please rest assured that I will not cheat. No matter what, I will not arrange a trap to frame the leader.'
Huo Jicheng walked out of Cui Mansion, took a breath of cold air, and felt refreshed. He did take a big risk this time, but it was too attractive. The benefits of crossing the sea could not be taken. As for human life, as long as
As long as you live, the Jinxiu Alliance will not perish. When you get the food, wages and weapons you need, and when you get millions of money, you can then raise the banner of the Crown Prince of Shu and restore the country. If one day, you can secure the Crown Prince and ascend to the great treasure.
, he is a well-deserved regent. When the time comes, no one can rival his glory.
A gust of cold wind blew, and Huo Jicheng's hot mind calmed down. He thought to himself, I have to go and meet with the people from Tianji Pavilion again. If they don't succeed, this business will still not be successful.
After walking around the streets and alleys for a few times to make sure that no one was following him, Huo Jicheng quietly entered a house. When the old owner saw him coming, he said nothing and took him to the bedroom.
After a few pats, the wall quietly moved away. Huo Jicheng waved his sleeves and walked in. Behind him, the wall closed silently.
Under the dim light, Han Wuji sat leisurely on a chair. When he saw Huo Jicheng coming in, he stood up and cupped his hands and said: 'Brother Huo, you are here. I don't know how the conversation went.'
Huo Jicheng smiled slightly and said: 'It's not clear yet, it just depends on whether they can convince their master. Brother Han, how is the situation over there?'
Han Wuji smiled and said: "I have received a letter from Fei Ge, and they have agreed and promised long-term cooperation. They are in urgent need of these things now, and their treasury has been almost emptied by King Yong. In the future, they also hope to use us from Da
Yong gets the gold and silver supplies. Our Tianji Pavilion still has a good reputation. If we can get through here, we can make a fortune together.'
Huo Jicheng got a cup of tea, drank it in one gulp, and said: "Although our Jinxiu Alliance is quite powerful in Dayong, but His Highness the Crown Prince is so angry this time, we will inevitably have difficulties every step from now on. If we cannot bribe the Crown Prince, then the business will still fail."
, But don’t worry, we have personal relationships with many officials. Most of them are from the prince’s party. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together, and I don’t think the prince is a good person. I can’t be bothered by these intrigues.
.'
Han Wuji saluted and said: 'Then please take the trouble of the leader of the alliance. Our power cannot penetrate deep into Dayong yet, so it is all up to the leader of the alliance to worry about it. However, in terms of Nanchu, please rest assured, leader of the alliance.'
A flash of light suddenly flashed in Huo Jicheng's eyes, and he said: 'We know the power of Tianji Pavilion in Nanchu. If your master is willing, we can have further cooperation.'
Han Wuji smiled slightly, he knew that Luhou was guarding the center of Shu and crushed the power of the Jinxiu Alliance to pieces. Prince De controlled the overall situation. The Jinxiu Alliance could never form a climate in Nanchu. Instead, it was in Dayong, because they
The current goal is not directed at Dayong, so it can develop its power with Dayong's connivance. However, now that Prince De is dead, it seems that Huo Jicheng wants to develop towards Nanchu again. Han Wuji said euphemistically: "The alliance leader has this intention, we are
I understand, but now that we are doing this business, if the alliance leader is too aggressive, it will inevitably hurt the business. In fact, the alliance leader does not need to worry. Anyway, this business will only last a few years. By then, the alliance leader will have enough troops and food, and the alliance leader can do whatever he wants.
.'
Huo Jicheng looked at Han Wuji and said with a shocked expression: 'Brother Han is really resourceful. I wonder if I can introduce the pavilion master to Huo to discuss cooperation.'
Han Wuji said proudly: "Our Pavilion Master will leave all this matter to Han, the Alliance Leader does not have to abandon the near and seek the distant." Then his face became mysterious and continued: "Moreover, the Pavilion Master never sees outsiders, even Han only meets the Pavilion."
I haven't seen the Pavilion Master's true face yet, but the Pavilion Master has spies around all of his subordinates, so the leader should be careful.'
Huo Jicheng looked a little hesitant, but then he thought about it, Tianji Pavilion is a mysterious organization, no wonder it is like this, so he said warmly: "Brother Han is also a relic of the Shu Kingdom. He should do his best for the great cause of restoring the country. Please pay more attention to the general manager."
Please say a few more good words in front of the pavilion master." He started to win over, and immediately spoke softly and sincerely. Han Wuji felt a shiver in his heart, thinking that this person is indeed moody, and he must be careful not to fall into any flaw. He deliberately
His expression was gloomy, and he said after a long time: "Han is also from the Shu Kingdom. Why doesn't he want to return to the country? It's just that the cabinet master doesn't like to get involved in national affairs, so he has very strict restrictions on us. If this is not very profitable, the cabinet master will not approve of this business."
of.'
Huo Jicheng thought that there was no need to rush, and said: 'Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Huo. I have to arrange the following matters, so I will take my leave now. After the matter is completed, I will come back to discuss the details with Brother Han.'
Han Wuji quickly stood up and said: 'This matter is urgent, I will not keep the alliance leader, Han will send the alliance leader away.'
Huo Jicheng said: "There is no need to send him off, so as not to attract people's attention." Han Wuji still sent him to the door of the room respectfully, but in order to hide it from others, he did not send it out.
After he left, the old owner of the house suddenly stood up straight, took off the mask from his face, revealing a handsome young face. Han Wuji smiled and said: "Tao Li, you have to remember that if a person is greedy, he will be punished."
In order to promote his death, Huo Jicheng was indeed ruthless. If he tried to win people over, he would be very sincere. If he didn't know what he was doing, he would be deceived. If he acted in a duplicity, even if he hid it from one person for a while, he would not be able to hide it for the rest of his life.
'
The young man said respectfully: 'Thief Li is taught a lesson.'
Han Wuji smiled and said: 'The bustling world is all for profit, and the world is bustling for profit. We can't even think of the master's plan. Although we don't know what the master's intention is, it can't be a good thing.'
At this moment, there were secret talks in the Prince's Mansion. Cui Yang waited until Huo Jicheng left and immediately went out and rushed to the Prince's Mansion. He was the Prince's brother-in-law and a confidant of the Prince. He entered the Prince's living room without any hindrance.
Walking into the gorgeous hall, he saw the prince in casual clothes, watching singing and dancing there. Cui Yang couldn't help but take a few more glances. At this sight, Cui Yang couldn't turn his eyes away. It turned out that these dancers were all wearing lotus leaves.
The skirt, the upper body is covered with lotus petals to cover the breasts, revealing the skin as shiny as snow, dancing gracefully, graceful and exciting, obviously the clothes are exposed, but the music is cheerful but not obscene, the movements of the women are not coquettish, and there is no obscene meaning, which makes
People seem to feel comfortable physically and mentally.
Seeing that Cui Yang was fascinated, Li An laughed and scolded: "Cui Yang, what are you doing here? Why are you still standing there?" With a wave of his hand, the dancers retreated. Only then did Cui Yang see Lu Jingzhong.
He also sat aside, and there was a handsome guard standing next to the prince.
Cui Yang calmed down and said: 'Your Highness, I have something confidential to report.'
The prince frowned, but before he could speak, the guard had already said: 'Your Highness, I still have a dance piece, and I would like to discuss it with the musicians and dancers. Why don't you go first, and wait until it is completed so that Your Highness can enjoy it.'
The prince smiled and said: "Go ahead, I'm waiting for your new song. Let your senior brother guard the outside and don't allow anyone to break in." The guard withdrew. Li An looked at Cui Yang and said