The Royal Merchant of the Red Chamber

Xue Pan and the two were startled, and turned their heads quickly, only to see Fourth Master Long and Mr. Shi walking side by side under the dim candlelight.Xue Pan glared at Zhaocai and Jinbao who were standing guard at the door, and said with a flattering smile, "Master, fourth master, why are you here?"

"Seeing that you haven't returned for a long time, I came over to take a look." Mr. Shi said lightly.

"Master, don't worry, we won't be in danger here." Xue Pan said hastily.

Mr. Shi chuckled lightly, and said with a teasing smile, "I'm not afraid that you will be in danger, but I'm afraid that the ancient books in my collection will be destroyed by you."

Xue Pan's face darkened again, he was hit hard today.

Mr. Shi passed Xue Pan and the two of them looked at the big cabinet behind, but found that the seal on it had not been moved, he couldn't help shaking his head, went forward to find the two secret books that Xue Pan wanted, and then said: "If there is nothing wrong, You go out!"

This is driving people away.Xue Pan had been with Mr. Shi for two years, and he knew that this person was impatient. Hearing what Mr. Shi said, he quickly took Zhen Baoyu's hand and said, "Then we are leaving now, see you again, Master."

"Wait!" Mr. Shi shouted abruptly, pinched Zhen Baoyu's chin with lightning speed, and forcefully stuffed a pill for Zhen Baoyu to swallow.

"Master!" Xue Pan was shocked.

"Don't be afraid, I just gave him a heart-strengthening Gu. As long as he doesn't tell me about me in private, he will be fine. Besides, I don't think his complexion is very good, and there are signs of depression. This heart-strengthening Gu and him can also strengthen the body, and even..." Mr. Shi casually glanced at Long Siye, and said softly: "It can also avoid some yin damage poison."

The fact has been settled, Xue Pan couldn't change it, and when he heard Mr. Shi say that, he could only comfort himself to relax. After bidding farewell to Mr. Shi, he led Zhen Baoyu and Fourth Master Long out of the underground palace in awe.Turning around, taking advantage of Mr. Shi's inattention, he reached out his hand furtively, and quickly grabbed a book from the shelf by the door and stuffed it in his arms.

Mr. Shi, who stood with his hands behind his back in the main hall and turned his back to them, seemed to feel something, and slightly hooked the corners of his mouth.

Leaving the ghost fog forest all the way, Zhen Baoyu immediately asked: "You refused to tell me about Mr. Shi before, is it because he ate this for you?"

"That's right!" Xue Pan said disapprovingly: "But don't tell me, my health has indeed improved a lot since I ate that thing."

Xue Pan, who had just crossed over, was a grumpy, weak sick bun, and this matter was not a secret.Zhen Baoyu heard what Xue Pan said, and nodded thoughtfully, "I said how your health has gotten better in the past two years. At first, I thought you had learned martial arts, but then I saw your skin and tender flesh. Yes, it's not quite like it."

"So don't pay too much attention to it. In fact, if you think about it differently, it's pretty good." Xue Pan said optimistically.In his previous life, he had swallowed loach alive in order to cure his illness, so this little thing was nothing.

Zhen Baoyu said with disgust on his face: "That's not the case, there is a bug living in the body for a reason, so how do you think about it?"

Xue Pan's face darkened upon hearing this. "Didn't I tell you not to think about it? It made you make a fuss, and now even I'm disgusted."

Zhen Baoyu laughed gloatingly, "This is called sharing wealth and suffering together!"

Xue Pan shook his head, suddenly thought of something, and quickly asked, "Where's the mask, have you got the mask back?"

He took Zhen Baoyu to the underground palace this time mainly for this reason.If you leave things there, it can really be called "losing your wife and losing your army".

Zhaocai, who was following behind, immediately rode forward and said with a smile, "Master, all the masks are with me!"

As he spoke, he took out two masks from his pocket.Xue Pan gave the masks to Fourth Master and Zhen Baoyu respectively, and said, "You guys have to keep this thing well, and you can replace it if something happens in the future."

Fourth Master Long, who hadn't spoken until now, asked, "Pan'er, do you know where your master is from?"

Xue Pan shook his head blankly, "I really don't know about this, the first time I saw him was outside the Ghost Mist Forest."

"Then he..." Fourth Master Long wanted to ask something else, but after a second thought in his mind, he put it down again.

"What?" Xue Pan saw that Fourth Master Long had finished speaking halfway, and subconsciously asked.

"It's nothing." Fourth Master Long shook his head lightly, carefully put the mask in his arms and hid it. "It's getting late, hurry back to the city!"

"Oh!" Xue Pan scratched his head inexplicably, and rode his horse to follow.Looking across at Zhen Baoyu, who was a little downcast, he asked suspiciously, "What's wrong with you?"

"I think I've lost it." Zhen Baoyu curled his lips, and pointed to the Fourth Master Long in front of him with some reluctance, and then pointed to himself, "It's also a mask, and the fourth master can wear it for a long time, but I It can only be used for a year or two, and it will be useless when the stature grows. It's a pity that I still..."

Having said that, shut up.He didn't know that Long Siye had also taken the more overbearing heart-confusing Gu under the threat of Mr. Shi, as if he was the only one who ate it.After all, he also vaguely knew the identity of Fourth Master Long, so he never expected that Mr. Shi would be so unscrupulous.

When Xue Pan heard it, his mind rang like thunder.At the beginning, he asked Mr. Shi to do this for Zhen Baoyu, just thinking that if there was such a day in the future...he would come up with a plan to replace him with Li Daitao.After all, Zhen Baoyu was the first friend he made through time travel. In the first two years, he didn't understand anything, so he took care of him a lot.Besides, Zhen Baoyu's physical fitness is worse than him, so he can also make up for Zhen Baoyu, but now that he thinks about it... didn't he make a mistake for nothing!

Although Zhen Baoyu didn't know what Xue Pan was thinking, but seeing the guilt and uneasiness that appeared on Xue Pan's face, he guessed about eight or nine points, and couldn't help persuading him: "Don't think about it, just play for the past two years. All right. What’s more, if there is a first time, there will be a second time. After two years, you can ask Mr. Shi to get me another one, and it will be over.”

It can only be so.Xue Pan nodded, drooping his head and feeling uncomfortable.

It was almost noon when we returned to Jinling City.Everyone quietly returned to the rouge and gouache along the original path.Accompanied by Wu Yue's family, Xue Baochai had finished walking around the garden, and was chatting with a few girls who came to learn the rules at the moment, when she heard someone outside saying that her brother and others had returned, she quickly got up and apologized, and made an appointment for the next time When we met, I turned around and went to find Xue Pan and the others.

"Where did elder brother take the fourth master and you, did you come back so late?" Baochai asked curiously.

"Where else can I go, let's go to a fun place!" Xue Pan replied with a smile, and then signaled Baochai to change her skirt into men's clothes, and immediately released rouge and gouache.

Because of the problem of the worm just now, Xue Pan was in a panic, and he couldn't eat wontons stuffed with meat anymore.Immediately took everyone back to the Fuyuan Pavilion, and had another vegetarian meal.This time, corn, sweet potatoes, etc. were finally served in the kitchen, and everyone ate more and more deliciously.

After the meal, Zhen Baoyu rinsed his mouth and said with a flattering smile, "Bring me some back! Grandma loves such soft and sweet food, so let him try it too, okay?"

"Then bring it with you, it can be regarded as my filial piety in front of the old lady." Xue Pan thought of the old lady who was very enthusiastic every time he went to Zhen's house, and smiled knowingly.Although most of the relatives in the other rooms of the Zhen family were upset, the old lady and the eldest room were really nice.This is also the key reason why I am willing to do business with Zhen Baoyu.

Looking over at Fourth Master Long, who was becoming more and more silent, Xue Pan hesitated for a moment, and then said: "The fourth master only wanted seeds before, why don't you bring some corn on the cob and sweet potatoes back as well! You should try some other snacks. "

Fourth Master Long originally wanted to shirk, but he is not a big face.The Xue family had given him all the seeds before, and now he exploited them again, and he felt ashamed.But thinking of his father, mother, queen, even the empress dowager and others in the capital, as well as those brothers who have been close friends...can't help but hesitate.

After all, this thing is different from gold, silver and jewelry. If you come to eat outside, there will be no such shop after passing this village.

Seeing this, Xue Pan immediately said with a smile: "I'll ask Uncle Gui to prepare and deliver it to you when I get back. It's also a fun way to try something new."

Fourth Master Long nodded, and said, "Isn't your family an imperial merchant? Since you are responsible for the purchases in the palace, then you go back and ask your father to write a note, and then send some of these things to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Although it is not a surprise Rare treasures, but sending some food up here can be regarded as gratitude to the emperor.”

If it is done well, it will be another tribute.

This is considered reciprocal!Xue Pan didn't take it seriously, anyway, his father took care of trivial matters, so he couldn't bother him.

Satisfied with wine and food, even drank two cups of good tea, Zhen Baoyu straightened up in satisfaction, and said to Xue Pan, "Tell me about the business you proposed just now!"

"There's nothing to say about it." Xue Pan curled his lips boredly, "It's just an idea for the time being. Tell my father to hold hands later, and he will talk about it when he says it's okay."

"Don't! Your stretching made me feel like I was being scratched by a cat. Tell me!" Zhen Baoyu urged.

Fourth Master Long at the side also showed concern.

"Actually, it's nothing." Xue Pan sat up straight and collected his thoughts.He opened his mouth and said: "Since Biluochun was named as a tribute tea today, fried tea is becoming more and more popular in the market. After all, the fried tea has a rich aroma and is more refreshing than Tuancha. The two kinds of Longjing and pine needles I chose, It is also very famous in the market. It’s just that it’s not as famous as tribute tea. But the foundation is there, and the only thing missing is a package.”

"Packaging?" Zhen Baoyu raised his eyebrows suspiciously, and asked, "What is packaging and how to pack it."

Xue Pan stopped talking suddenly, and smiled obsequiously at Fourth Master Long.It was different from the usual kind of smile that was flattering and even perfunctory, this time it was a genuine utilitarian smile.

"What's your plan?" Fourth Master Long felt rather dumbfounded.It's really strange to feel that I was not annoyed by being repeatedly made up my mind by others.

"Since everyone is going to do business in partnership. Then this business is our own business. Please fourth master... be a spokesperson!" Xue Pan smiled more and more flatteringly.

"Spokesperson?" Fourth Master Long felt puzzled. "What is a spokesperson?"

"That's it..." Xue Pan swallowed his saliva, and said in a low voice: "After all our tea is ready, someone will send you a batch, please use this tea when fourth master receives distinguished guests again. Then... when you drink tea with someone, say something nice about our tea. For example, it's no worse than Biluochun..."

"Pfft!" Fourth Master Long spewed out all the Biluochun in one mouthful, and was so choked that he coughed again and again: "Cough, cough, cough..."

"Fourth Master, what's the matter with you?" Xue Pan was taken aback, and quickly got up and walked behind Long Fourth Master, patting his back from time to time, and asked with concern: "What's the matter, I feel better ?”

Fourth Master Long was flushed with coughing, pushed Xue Pan away angrily, and scolded: "What do you think of Master? You still say that you don't need Biluochun when you meet... Do you know that Biluochun is the father and the father?" How dare you say that about the hand-picked tribute tea today, do you want to kill yourself?"

Xue Baochai on the side quickly stood up, leaned forward and said, "Fourth master calm down, my brother definitely didn't mean that. My brother meant—"

"Okay!" Fourth Master Long waved his hand to interrupt Xue Baochai, "I know exactly what kind of person your brother is. He certainly has no other thoughts, but... don't say such things in the future."

Xue Pan nodded obediently.Zhen Baoyu also quickly changed the subject and said, "I'll talk about the future, why don't we talk about the issue of investing money first!"

Xue Pan quickly responded, "Yes, yes!"

Hearing the words, Fourth Master Long pursed his lips calmly, a little embarrassed.At that time, he wanted to participate in the stock market just because of his head, and he wanted to make fun of it somehow.But I forgot that if you participate in shares, you must invest money.But when it comes to money...

Needless to say, Xue Pan, one can guess from his words and demeanor that as long as he wants to use money, Xue Zhizhang's 24 filial father never refuses.And just now Zhen Baoyu also said that he can make a small 5 taels of silver by scraping together.Only myself, although his status is more expensive, but he doesn't even have the right to start a mansion, so how can he have private money, I'm afraid it's not half as good as Zhen Baoyu's.I don't want to overwhelm others...

Fourth Master Long clenched his fist slightly and laughed at himself.

The prince made himself worthy of—

Sure enough, I was aggrieved.