The Royal Merchant of the Red Chamber

The days are still going on day by day, unhurriedly, calmly.In the blink of an eye, several cold and hot days passed.

Xue Pan continued to do all kinds of domineering things in the Jinling area, occasionally checking the shop at home, just to see the panicked faces of the stewards or the frantic responses for fun.Unintentionally, there are fewer and fewer managers and buddies with dishonest hands and feet in the shop. Of course, it may be that their methods of corruption have become more secretive and clever.In short, when the water is clear, there will be no fish. Xue Pan didn't expect that all his buddies would become saints and would not be greedy at all. He just looked at the more and more surplus in the account, and he couldn't help but feel happy.

The relationship with Fourth Master Long is still neither salty nor weak.Four letters are regularly sent to the capital every month, so of course, don't expect Xue Pan to have such a good literary talent.The beginning of the article always attaches an account book, and then begins to write like plain water, Lori writes whatever comes to his mind in a long-winded manner.It's just that the handwriting has changed from the big "kuangcao" to the normal "kai", and the thickness of the letter has gradually become thinner.

As the saying goes, it takes 21 days to form a habit.Xue Pan always thought that this habit would become a part of his family's shortcoming with the passage of time, but it was a pity that Xue Zhizhang abruptly asked Xue Pan to stop correspondence with Fourth Master a few years ago.For no other reason——

The fourth master has ascended the throne.

In the past two years, the emperor's health has not been very good, and he has been dragged down by the complicated government affairs, and his decline has become even worse.The rest of the princes who are well-established are all busy forming cliques for personal gain and slandering each other, but the fourth prince remains the same.Except for the time when the Holy Majesty handles the government affairs, and when he is on duty in the household department, the rest of the time is with the Holy Majesty, serving soup and medicine personally, which makes the Holy Majesty love him even more.

A while ago, Sheng Shang suddenly fainted for a while. When he woke up, although all the princes were gathered in front of the bed, it can be seen carefully that only Fourth Master Long was really worried, and his eyes were red and swollen.Later, I don't know where I heard that the prince secretly called many ministers to discuss important matters during his coma, and even looked "joyed" repeatedly, and Long Yan was furious.Even disregarding the majesty of the crown prince, he yelled at the prince in the court hall, denouncing him as "no father, no king".He also specially praised the fourth prince for his "pureness and filial piety", and even made an exception to entitle the fourth prince as "Prince Zuo".After the imperial decree, the people in the court were in chaos, and the crown prince had no choice but to have someone assassinate "Prince Zuo" on the only way from the palace to the Ministry of Households. Fortunately, under the protection of the Holy One, only a guard who looked quite similar to Prince Zuo was injured .As soon as this happened, the Holy Majesty was terrified, abolished the crown prince overnight, and locked him up.

It's just that the Holy Majesty is old after all, and he feels very tired after this incident.A wave of anger rose to the point where she couldn't afford to get sick, and after half a year of care, she still didn't recover.Fortunately, the Holy Majesty issued an edict to give way to the fourth prince Tu Zhen, while he himself was honored to be raised in the Qiankun Palace, and he was very happy with his grandchildren.

As for the fourth master, from the prince to the emperor, although the difference is only one word, there is a world of difference.Although Xue Zhizhang had faintly made such an inference before, and made a witty move of "sending charcoal in the snow", he still didn't want his son to have too much contact with the emperor.

Companion to the king is like companion to the tiger. Although superficial, it is a motto verified by the predecessors with flesh and blood.If one is not guarded, even a cautious temperament will be suspected by the emperor.What's more, with Xue Pan's unruly mind, Xue Zhizhang never thought that he would understand what it means to be "cautious".Immediately informed Xue Pan not to write any more letters to the Holy Majesty.

After being ordered to stop correspondence, Xue Pan was happy and quiet.Although he is proficient in holding a pen now, he is also tired of writing with a soft brush.What's more, when he wrote a letter to Long Siye, his father didn't allow him to write typos.After a letter was written, Mr. Zhuang and his father checked it repeatedly, carefully choosing every word, and asked him to re-copy it if he was a little careless.What's more, every time he wrote a letter, he felt as if he was facing a formidable enemy, and he had a headache.Now that Xue Zhizhang had spoken, Xue Pan just cheered and threw away the pen and paper in his hand. Since then, he hasn't stepped into the room for half a year.

In July and August, bad news came that there was no rain for months in Shandong and severe drought in Guanzhong.As a result, the shops in the Shandong area handed over less and less income.As for the land property, the Xue family in Jinling not only confiscated the tenants, but also had to subsidize the seeds and utensils on the spot in consideration of farming in the coming year.Fortunately, Xue Zhizhang was informed by someone below that the land rent for Shandong Zhuangzi was exempted for this year and next.The tenants are grateful.

Xue Pan was also fortunate to witness the scene of "breaking through the Guandong" in history.A large number of refugees came from Shandong with their families, and all the slightly affluent state capitals were flooded with refugees.However, after more than a month, the refugees in Jinling City have reached more than [-]% of the local people.The prefect of Jinling feared that the refugees would gather together and cause troubles, so he had no choice but to force the army stationed outside the city to drive all the refugees out.

The homeless refugees gathered outside the city and pitched up large and small tents all night. Every time it was meal time, there was smoke from the kitchen. Xue Pan stood at the top of the city and watched, frowning.

"Master, it really won't work like this! Our 'Heaven and Earth' just opened, less than a year ago. It was the time when the business was booming, and now it's being disturbed by these refugees. The big families in the city dare not go out of the city. Months, our village has lost a lot!" Wu Yue blushed furiously, looking viciously at the refugees outside the city, with vicious eyes wishing he could choose someone to fall in love with.

Seeing this, Xue Pan frowned lightly, stretched out his hand and tapped Wu Yue's head with a fan, and reprimanded him: "Don't do this, we just made less money, and even if it's a compensation, it's just a loss. For Guoli Taoer's money, his life is almost gone."

"My lord is kind, but a villain is not as good." Wu Yue immediately bowed down and flattered him.After a pause, he still said unwillingly: "But the matter on this Zhuangzi... If it's just our own business, we won't be afraid, but after all, there are still on this Zhuangzi..."

At the end, Wu Yue automatically silenced himself.He just pointed to the sky vaguely.

No wonder he was eager.You must know that being a steward of this "heaven and earth" is not just about looking good.The uncle personally promised to take one cent of Zhuangzi's monthly net profit as his "worry fee".With "heaven and earth" making money every day, God knows how much money he will lose after being delayed by the refugees.

"What are you afraid of?" Xue Pan raised his eyebrows indifferently, hugged his shoulders and said, "You also said that this Zhuangzi has [-]% of the shares of the Holy One. Even our "heaven and earth" plaque was mentioned by the Holy One !"

Xue Pan sneered, and said, "Go talk to the prefect of Jinling and ask him to properly handle the affairs of the refugees outside the city. Don't delay the normal activities in the city. If not... It's hard to say what his results will be in the household assessment next year." gone."

"Master is wise." Wu Yue was overjoyed, and immediately bowed to leave, saying: "I'll go to the Yamen to see the magistrate, and let him settle the matter in these two days."

After all, he hurried away.

Xue Pan looked at Wu Yue's fiery figure, and shrugged his shoulders undeniably.

As for the capital, they were also troubled by the severe drought in Shandong and were arguing endlessly.According to the old rules, the imperial court should have opened warehouses for relief, but unfortunately, the situation has not been good for several years. The emperor is a benevolent and caring lord, and occasionally exempts the taxes of this province and that state, resulting in the current treasury being empty. No money to put.In desperation, today he opened his own internal treasury and took out 300 million taels of silver to help the people. After a few actions, the government and the opposition all praised him. I don’t know how many longevity memorial archways are also offered at home.

These originally had nothing to do with the Xue family.But I don't know what's going on, when the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching this year, the Holy Majesty suddenly passed on a decree, that he would bestow the grace of the world, and even sealed Xue Zhizhang's grace as "Lord of Loyalty and Faithfulness", and personally handed over a pen to bestow a plaque of "Businessman of Benevolence and Righteousness" To the Xue family.

Only then did everyone know that, in the past few years, Xue Zhizhang had insisted on handing over [-]% of the proceeds to the palace for expedient use.It also reminds me that Xue Zhizhang was a companion to the emperor in the year of the chief role, and he was also a meritorious minister who eliminated the courtiers. When he succeeded in showing his achievements, he went south to become a businessman in silence... Now that I think about it, I am afraid that the emperor has had it for a long time explain.It's no wonder that as a lowly businessman, he can enjoy this long grace, which is also known as the family of officials and marquises.Now he has the achievements of Conglong, the icing on the cake, and even the heir of the quilt... Although he is only a false marquis, it is not easy for a family of merchants to achieve such a level.It's no wonder that many aristocratic and powerful officials in ancient and modern times dreamed of following the dragon's merits.It really is the glory of ascending to the sky in one step.Everyone thought about it, and couldn't help but be amazed.

This is a veritable imperial merchant!

Aren't the merchants who work for the emperor the real imperial merchants?

For a moment, the entire Xue family felt honored, and even the stewards walking outside felt that their waists were much straighter than before.

The Xue family mansion was also full of voices at this time.Mrs. Xue went up and down the whole house to clean the old house, set up incense tables, opened the middle door and knelt down to receive the imperial edict.But after a while, the imperial envoy from the capital arrived on horseback, followed by many internal eunuchs.As the news spread, the magistrates of the Jinling Mansion and all the officials also dressed in court clothes according to their grades and crowded outside the door.After welcoming the imperial envoys, they all knelt down one by one according to their ranks to listen to the oracle.The imperial envoy got off his horse at the eaves, walked to the hall, stood facing the south, and the person who unfolded the imperial edict of golden silk and satin also read it.Xue Pan only heard Xue Zhizhang sing loudly at the end: "I thank the emperor for his kindness."

He kowtowed again and again with the flow.

After the decree was announced, the imperial envoy walked up to talk to Xue Zhizhang with a smile on his face.All the masters of Jinling Mansion also came up to congratulate.The magistrate even patted his chest and took over the arrangement of the refugees, "I'm sure it's difficult for Zhongxinhou".But Xue Zhizhang said in a low-key manner that he must put people's livelihood first, and he must not let down the love of the Holy Majesty.He even took the initiative to contribute 5 taels to help the government arrange refugees.After a few actions, the merchants who felt that they had friendship with Xue's family or just hoped to have friendship with Xue's family made donations one after another. They even raised 20 taels of silver and countless supplies for the government in a snap of their fingers. The prefect, who was suffering from a headache, was overjoyed.

He naturally knew that if the refugee matter had been dealt with, it would be an undisputed political achievement, and it was time for the big examination of the Ministry of Household Affairs.If I am really lucky enough to go one step further... Now I am getting closer and more friendly to Xue Zhizhang who offered to hand over the ladder.

Xue Zhizhang paid more attention to offering both the imperial decree and the plaque, and then changed into the clothes of the corresponding title according to the etiquette. Among them, Mrs. Xue also went back to the inner house to change into the same high-quality clothes and make-up.Turning around, they made arrangements for banquet receptions again. The noise and noise lasted for a whole day, and it didn't stop until around Hai hour in the evening.

Xue Pan led Baochai back to Ruirong Hall to greet Xue and his wife, and jokingly said, "I have seen Master Hou Ye and Mrs. Gao Ming."

Xue and his wife were dumbfounded by Xue Pan's nondescript address.Xue Zhizhang tapped Xue Pan's forehead with his hand with a smile, and the satisfaction in his heart did not need to be elaborated. Mrs. Xue also hugged Baochai into her arms with a smile, and said repeatedly: "This time I finally feel relieved. .”

With their family's prominence, coupled with their current status.Even if Baochai enters the palace according to the law in the future, she will not start as a servant girl.What's more...

Mrs. Xue rolled her eyes, and with the master's current family, I am afraid that when the time comes, I will ask His Majesty to get married with Baochai's brand, and I will be able to talk about a good family.When the time comes, she will be the main wife when she enters the door, and she will be backed by her mother's family with such financial resources... Wouldn't it be better than entering the palace as a concubine who can't talk?

Leaving aside what Madam Xue was thinking, Baochai finally breathed a sigh of relief when she was tired in her mother's arms, and she couldn't tell what kind of feeling she was feeling.Her nature is to be strong and competitive, and she is determined to study hard, in order to surpass others by a lot.It's just that the family status of this merchant is slightly lower.In addition, some of the female family members who intersect with each other always have some power over others, so she always feels a little bit unable to hold her head up among the many noble ladies of the noble family.Now, thanks to Emperor Mu's grace, his family has also raised his title, and now that the tide is rising, he just feels proud.

For a moment, everyone was filled with emotions, and it seemed that Xue Pan was the only one who didn't care much about these things, and couldn't empathize with them and remember them together.But it wasn't his fault.Gein lived in a society based on economics in his previous life, and after his rebirth, the Xue family was once again a powerful force in Jinling City, and his actions and behavior were praised and admired by others, so Xue Pan really didn't feel that the merchants were "inferior".But seeing how happy and excited everyone in his family was, Xue Pan was also sincerely happy.

As soon as he was happy, he inevitably came up with all kinds of crooked ideas.First, he begged Xue Zhizhang to make the decision to avoid this month's schooling, and then he made a lot of ridiculous demands.Xue Zhizhang was originally the master who accommodated him even if he had nothing to do, but now that he had the truth, he waved his hand and agreed again and again.Xue Pan was so happy that he jumped three feet high.

The next day, Xue's old house was busy early in the morning.First, the house was refurbished according to the rank of the prince, and because of the plaque bestowed by the emperor, the main hall at the front was changed to "Renyi Hall".Xue Pan was impatient and had a headache at home, so he wandered out after breakfast.Unexpectedly, this flash made him come up with a lot of drama.

……

Xue Pan looked at a delicate and timid little girl in front of him with great interest.At the age of twelve or thirteen, he has a beautiful face and a pretty face.A rare bit of rouge between the eyebrows made her eyes roll, her brows were delicate and innocent.Can't help but ask: "How old are you?"

The girl shook her head blankly.

"What's your name?"

The girl still shook her head.

"Where are your parents from?"

This time, without waiting for the girl to shake her head, the kidnapper next to her immediately said with a flattering smile: "Return to the lord, the younger one is the father of this girl."

"Come on!" Xue Pan sneered for a while, "You're calculating, don't show off in front of the young master."

The kidnapper answered yes again and again, flattering him all the time, only begging Xue Pan to buy the girl back.

Xue Pan was [-]% sure, but fortunately he waved his hand and said to Zhao Cai: "You buy him, go to the government to register and bring him back to me."

Zhaocai quickly agreed.Take the kidnapper and the girl to the government without mentioning it.

Let's say that after Xue Pan went through such an experience, he hurried home to find Xue Zhizhang, and asked, "Does Daddy know that there is a place called Gourd Temple in Gusu City?"

"There is such a place, what's wrong?" Xue Zhizhang asked after pondering for a moment.

"I remember hearing people say that next to this gourd temple, there is also a Mr. Zhen whose house is rich. He also had some business dealings with our family back then. He has a daughter named Yinglian under his knees. There is a little rouge between her eyebrows. Mr. Zhen is very I love you so much. It's a pity that I was kidnapped by a kidnapper later, is there such a thing?" Xue Pan asked again.

Xue Zhizhang thought for a moment, then nodded and replied: "That's true. His family can be regarded as a prominent family in Gusu. Later, there were frequent accidents in the family, and many good farms and profitable shops had to be sold. Most of them were taken by our family. I bought it. As for the matter of him losing his daughter...there was a lot of uproar back then, and it was very noisy for a while. But there was no news after that."

"Dad, you know, I bought a girl at the market today, she is twelve or thirteen years old, and there is a little rouge between her eyebrows." Xue Pan said with a smile.

"You mean..." Xue Zhizhang's heart moved, and he shook his head immediately, "There is no such thing as a coincidence in the world."

"What if there is? Our family is not short of such a few taels of selling money, but for others, it is a huge hope. It doesn't take much to do, it's just a personal favor." Xue Pan said with a smile.

In the final analysis, he still wants to watch the fun.

Hearing this, Xue Zhizhang nodded thoughtfully. "It's not unreasonable for you to say that. You and I had some business contacts with the Gusu Zhen family back then, and later took over so many properties from their family. This is also a kind of affection."

After thinking for a while, he said again: "I'll simply send someone to send that girl to Gusu. If that girl is really Miss Zhen's family, it would be a great deed for us to help other people's families reunite. Even if it wasn't Zhen Miss of the family, I heard that the Zhen family couple dismissed all the servants and lived in the father-in-law’s house. Later, the master of the Zhen family left with a Taoist priest for some reason. Only Mrs. Zhen was left, and life became more and more difficult. I Send this girl to them along with some money, firstly to comfort Mrs. Zhen's missing daughter, and secondly, to subsidize her, which also counts as the completion of our friendship."

What Xue Zhizhang thought was even simpler.He was originally a businessman, and the most important thing is to be kind to others and make money with harmony.Now, with little effort, if the family reunion is really fulfilled, it will be a good story to pass on.Presumably other people have heard it and are more willing to cooperate with their families.

During the conversation, the two talked and laughed to determine the fate of others.Xue Zhizhang didn't care, but Xue Pan knew what a good deed he had done.Helpless and unable to share with others, he could only secretly laugh in a sullen way.

When I was thinking about it, I only heard Xue Gui, the big housekeeper, standing outside and raised his voice and said: "I want to report to the Marquis, a young man with a weak crown came to the door with a servant, saying that he had something important to discuss with our uncle. The little special Come pass it on."