Respectfully

December 1911, 12 in the Gregorian calendar, the ninth day of the winter month of the Xinhai Year of the Lunar Calendar

Although the Marshal's Mansion tried its best to cover up the news, what happened at the wedding banquet still spread like wildfire.

In the teahouse in the early morning, a man in his thirties, wearing a black padded robe, was talking vigorously.Especially when it came to the part where Mr. Qian beat up the Russian Minister, he even rolled up his arms and sleeves, and deliberately put on a look of raised eyebrows.

The waiter had a white towel on his shoulders, and raised his voice, "Luo Big Tongue, you can rest! I've been talking all morning, so you're not tired! You still want to be a storyteller with your big tongue? Hurry up!" Rang Rang, my guest is still waiting!"

Luo Datong stared at his eyes: "Hey! No matter how much you talk, be careful that I will follow the example of Mr. Qian and kick you all over your face!"

The clerk curled his lips: "You always kick me and don't kick me twice. You should pay the bad money you owed yesterday? The shopkeeper is still waiting!"

Luo Datong blushed, and everyone burst into laughter.

Liao Qiting was still sitting in the same position as yesterday, listening to the jokes made by the people in the teahouse and the waiters, he also found it interesting.

He went to the wedding banquet at the Marshal's Mansion, and happened to meet an acquaintance of the Liao family in the northern government, so he didn't reveal the identity of the Liao family.But I didn't expect to see such a "good show" at the wedding banquet.

It seems that the news that Sima Jun and Lou Shengfeng are at odds is not groundless.

However, compared with the south, this matter in the north is nothing at all.Don't look at the south always laughing at the north from the president. Anyone who holds real power is from Qiu Ba, but Qiu Ba has Qiu Ba's advantages. At least, Qiu Ba has soldiers and guns in his hands. Seriously.

Sima Jun held the real power, and Zheng Huai'en couldn't catch up with him.

In less than a year since Li Qinglong's death, the southern government has had three finance ministers.No matter how talented this person is, how much effort he puts behind his back, if he doesn't pay attention, he will be tripped up!After struggling to climb up, the buttocks didn't even get hot, and the black hat was lost.Zheng Huai'en wants to take care of it, but he has no money and no gun, so he looks good in the name of a big president. Can he take care of it?

It wasn't until the elder brother of the Liao family's third wife's natal family relied on the financial resources of the Liao family to get through all the relationships, that he was able to secure this position that was both a cornucopia and a crater.

Originally, after seeing the excitement of Marshal Lou's big wedding, it was time for Liao Qiting to go home.Before coming, the old man of the family slapped the people who followed Liao Qiting, and the madam also said harsh words, even if Master Liao Seventh's flesh was blackened, Xiao Shuanzi and the others couldn't bear it and walked around!

Afraid of what to do, Liao Qiting heard that Lou's family was going to open a soap factory, and suddenly became interested, so he didn't leave.

Little Shuanzi was so shocked that he almost knelt down to Liao Qiting, hugged his thigh and cried: "Master, please show mercy and save the little one's life!"

Liao Qiting did it on a whim, but it wasn't for the sake of messing around.

Soap is still a new product in China. There are only two famous soap factories, one in Tianjin and one in Shanghai.Nowadays, most Chinese people are still used to using pancreas, and there are quite a few poor people who use plant ashes.

Whether it is domestic or foreign, the price of a bar of soap is only three to five cents.No matter how low the cost is, the profit is always limited.

It's no secret that Marshal Lou withheld tax collection from the six northern provinces. Warlords everywhere do this.The profit that the soap factory can make in a year is probably not even a fraction of the tax.If Marshal Lou wanted to set up a factory to make money, the profit would be much higher than that of a soap factory. The fact that Lou's family is so active and mobilizing so many people can only show that this factory may not be simple.

Liao Qiting didn't know what tricks the Lou family could make out of soap, but from the fact that the Lou family was in a hurry to open a factory, it could be seen that the Lou family needed money.

Raising soldiers is a money-burning business.

Song Zhou controls the six most affluent provinces in the south, and he is still called poor all day long. The tax revenue of the six northern provinces is less than three-quarters of that of the six southern provinces.Now the northern border is not peaceful, and the north and the south may fight at any time. The warlords of all walks of life have begun to expand their armies. It is no wonder that the Lou family is not short of money.

Liao Qiting finished the last steamed dumpling and wiped his mouth. Seeing Xiao Shuanzi's bitter face, he was very annoyed: "Little Shuanzi, you should take a longer view! Your young master, am I a random person? ?”

Xiao Shuanzi still had a bitter expression on his face.

Liao Qiting ignored him, left the teahouse, and walked all the way, thinking all the way, although the Liao family had a good relationship with Song Zhou from the six southern provinces, but Song Wu was too close to the Japanese, and the Liao family was the leader of the southern business community. , in business, there were many quarrels with the Japanese. Once Song Wu took over Song Zhou's position, it was hard to say that he would not attack the Liao family.

The southern government is bright on the surface, but inside it is a mess of smoke, and sooner or later there will be riots.Compared with the south, Liao Qiting is more optimistic about the north. As for Sima Jun or Lou Shengfeng, Liao Qiting is more inclined towards Lou Shengfeng.Lou Shengfeng's son is even better than blue, and his future achievements will never be inferior to his father.

The Lou family lacked money, and the Liao family lacked money the most.

No one will take the initiative to push the money delivered to the door, right?This time he came to the six northern provinces, maybe he wanted to make a good relationship for the Liao family in the north.

However, how to do this matter still needs to be thought about carefully.

Li Jinyan had something on his mind, so he didn't sleep very well. He dreamed a few times in a daze, and when he woke up, he felt dizzy, but he couldn't remember what happened in the dream.

Lou Xiao was sitting on the edge of the bed in a shirt and military trousers, one knee was bent, and he stepped on the edge of the bed with his bare feet. Holding a bullet in his right hand, he disassembled a Mauser pistol into parts.

Looking at the pistol parts scattered on the bed, Li Jinyan was speechless for a while.

"woke up?"

"kindness."

Marshal Lou assembled the Mauser pistol again and again, "Is it fun?"

Li Jinyan: "..."

When I woke up early in the morning, I saw the person next to my pillow from last night sitting by the bed and playing with guns.Li Jinyan was glad that his heart was strong enough, and if he was replaced by a slightly weaker one, he would have to jump up in fright.

However, there is no man who does not love guns. Li Jinyan is more interested in this Mauser than the Browning that Lou Xiao gave him before.This kind of gun is called shell gun or box gun in China. It is not very popular abroad, but it makes Chinese people play it to a higher level.The body of the gun is turned [-] degrees to shoot, which not only solves the problem of bullets flying into the sky after one shot, but also can be used as a submachine gun with a holster on it.

In the anti-Japanese dramas of later generations, the appearance rate of the shell gun is almost [-]%, not to mention being superior to the crowd, but also leading the way.

Young Marshal Lou: "Like it?"

Li Jinyan nodded.

Young Marshal Lou: "Here you are."

Li Jinyan: "..."

The first meeting gift was a gun, the betrothal gift also had a gun, and the second day after they got married, they received another gun. Li Sanshao really didn't know what to say.

The chime on the wall struck seven, and there was a sound of footsteps in the corridor.

The door of the room was pushed open from the outside, and the girls came in one after another carrying copper basins and toiletries. The leader was a girl of seventeen or eighteen years old with a pair of red phoenix eyes. Her forehead was full and her lips were a little thin, but she didn't look mean. An indigo cotton padded jacket with a pinched waist further accentuated her slender waist and full breasts.

The girl laughed before saying anything, took a step forward, and opened her mouth to call out for the young commander, but her hand holding the towel was left hanging in the air.Young Marshal Lou has studied in the military academy for five years, and spent most of his time in the army after returning home. He has already gotten used to the military style. He doesn't need girly clothes, brushes his teeth and washes his hands neatly, picks up the military jacket and puts it on, buttoning the military uniform one by one. button.It wasn't until the metal buckle of the armed belt made a light sound that the girl who had been stunned for a long time came back to her senses, lowered her head, her face flushed.

Li Jinyan didn't say anything. In fact, he really didn't know what to say to a girl who was biting her lip and was about to cry.

Lou Xiao tidied up his military coat, and Li Jinyan just finished washing.

The two left the room, the other girls in the room glanced at the girl with Danfeng eyes, no one said anything, but they all thought it was funny, really thought they were a fairy beauty?She is obviously a girl from the sixth aunt's distant relative's family, but it's not too embarrassing for her to do the work of serving people.Madame doesn't have time to pay attention to it now, and the old people in the Marshal's Mansion all take it as a joke. Once Madam gets ruthless, let alone this girl, even Sixth Aunt will suffer.

Why did the third aunt end up like that?Firstly, it was too ostentatious, and secondly, she planted someone beside the young marshal!Aunt Six thinks that her natal brother is the director of the military government's finance bureau, so she has a backer?I don't know how I will die in the future.

At the wedding banquet yesterday, Marshal Lou's aunts and wives did not show up, this is the rule of the Marshal's residence.In the early years, when the third aunt was too favored, she used her courage to complain to Marshal Lou, and was almost whipped by Marshal Lou. Since then, no concubine has dared to do this again.Especially after seeing what happened to the third concubine, the concubines were even more respectful to Mrs. Lou.

To be honest, Marshal Lou has only one son, Lou Xiao, and the Lou family will belong to Lou Xiao from now on. If he wants to make his life easier, he has to please Mrs. Lou.

But some people are still deceived by lard.Not only the girls and servants of the Marshal's Mansion were waiting to see the excitement of the sixth concubine, but the other concubines were also holding their fingers and waiting for that day.

Only Aunt Six didn't realize it, she just hoped that her niece would be able to climb upstairs to be the young commander.From her point of view, the young marshal married a man who would not be able to have children, and sooner or later he would accept people around her. This niece of hers was good-looking, and her figure was not bad.As long as she can conceive a child, if Madam finds out, she may not argue with her.

The sixth aunt was still a little stupid, and she didn't even think about it. If the matter was really that simple, why didn't the other aunts move their minds at all?Is it just her relatives who have girls?

If the sixth aunt doesn't stop in time, she will really die like the girls said, and she will die in the future!

Li Jinyan and Lou Xiao walked into the lobby. Marshal Lou and Mrs. Lou were at the top, four concubines sat at the bottom of Mrs. Lou, the serving girl stood behind her, and two fifteen or sixteen-year-old girls sat on the other side , wearing a skirt of the same color, combing her brows to match her brows, at first glance, it looks like it was printed from the same mold, and after careful identification, it can be seen that the eyebrows and eyes of the two girls are still different. The pair of almond eyes are a little cuter, and the other one has narrow and elongated eyes, which looks a bit fierce.

Li Jinyan knew that these eight achievements were Lou Xiao's two sisters.

Marshal Lou has seven daughters, and the first five are all married. The in-laws' families are all high-ranking military officers and officials in the six northern provinces, and the last one is the second son of a governor.Miss Six is ​​also engaged, and she will marry Mr. Qian's youngest son in the next year. To put it bluntly, the marriage of children is also a means to win over subordinates.Now only Miss Seven is still undecided. Mrs. Lou and Marshal Lou have discussed that Miss Seven's marriage will be postponed for the time being. First of all, she is still young. Appropriate, even if it's for marriage, you can't treat your own girl badly.

The one with almond-shaped eyes is Miss Six who is engaged, and the one with sharp eyebrows is Miss Seven. Although there is something about the third concubine, Mrs. Lou still treats the concubine daughters equally, and she did not treat Miss Seven and her two mothers badly because of this. elder sister.

Marshal Lou was dressed in a military uniform, sitting with a sword on his horse.Mrs. Lou was wearing a big coat with a pipa collar embroidered with peonies, a high bun was tied behind her head, and three golden hairpins were inserted obliquely, and three identical oriental beads were inlaid on the hairpins, which was indescribably noble.

The aunts and wives were also dressed in the old fashioned way, and they were joking with Mrs. Lou before, but when Lou Xiao and Li Jinyan walked in, they stopped talking.

Li Jinyan followed Lou Xiao two steps forward, knelt down in front of Marshal Lou, took the tea cup from the tray, and raised it above his head: "Father, please drink tea."

Marshal Lou laughed twice, and said, "Bastard, you are a good wife, remember to treat her well."

As he spoke, he took an envelope from the side and handed it to Li Jinyan: "Here, your father and I are a rough man, and I can't speak politely. When I entered the gate of my Lou family, I was a member of my Lou family. The family will protect you, live a good life with this bastard."

Li Jinyan listened to Lou Dashuai's words, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help twitching, it was under control.

Mrs. Lou gave Marshal Lou an angry look, took the teacup and said a few words warmly, and gave Li Jinyan a red seal.As for the aunts and wives, Li Jinyan just smiled and said hello to each of them without bending his back.

During the whole process, Young Marshal Lou almost didn't say a word except for two "en".

Miss Six was very curious about Li Jinyan, but Miss Seven felt inexplicably hostile towards Li Jinyan. After accepting the gift prepared by Li Jinyan, she snorted coldly and didn't even smile.

Li Jinyan remained calm, Lou Xiao's eyes turned cold, Mrs. Lou glanced at Marshal Lou, and Marshal Lou's face immediately pulled down, "Xiaoqi, your sister-in-law is talking to you!"

Miss Six hastily tugged Miss Seven, signaling her not to be stubborn at this time, Miss Seven had no choice but to lower her head, and said a few nice words to Li Jinyan in a nonchalant manner, but a look of resignation flashed in her eyes.

Li Jinyan didn't want to embarrass this little girl, he always felt that he was bullying others, but he was too useless to let Miss Seven slap him.

Lou Dashuai's voice made him heave a sigh of relief, he didn't have to be bullied by this little girl, and he didn't have to have trouble with Lou's family on the first day.But in any case, this beam is still knotted.

Li Jinyan felt that he was quite innocent, and he wasn't born to be annoying, so why did this little girl dislike him?

He really couldn't figure it out, so he let it go, anyway, he wouldn't have much contact with the two little girls, he is a man after all, it's impossible to wander around the back house of the Marshal's mansion every day, it's too shameful.

It's just that the gift from Marshal Lou surprised Li Jinyan. It turned out to be a [-]% stake in the soap factory Lou's family is building.

Marshal Lou didn't take Li Jinyan's surprise lightly: "I'll keep it for you."

Li Jinyan nodded, the Lou family regarded him as one of their own, and he didn't need to be hypocritical.After thinking for a while, he said, "Young Marshal, there is something I want to ask you for help."

"what?"

"Can you help me find some people who understand chemistry or pharmaceuticals, preferably those who have returned from studying abroad."

"it is good."

Li Jinyan rubbed his nose, "Young Marshal, why don't you ask me why I want these people?"

"No need."

Lou Xiao's answer was crisp and clear. Li Jinyan considered whether he should take the initiative to tell him about the sulfonamide, but was suddenly picked up by Lou Xiao and threw him on the bed. Li Jinyan was startled, and quickly supported himself on his elbows , "Young commander, what are you doing?"

Lou Xiao took a few steps to the door, locked it, turned around, untied the belt and threw it aside: "Sleep with you."

Li Jinyan was shocked: "It's still daytime."

"It's okay." Lou Xiao walked to the bed, bent down, and grabbed Li Jinyan's ankle: "I don't care."

Li Jinyan: "..."

I didn't sleep well last night, so I want to make up for it immediately?

Sure enough, the military style...