Little husband's market life

The two played in Qin'an County for two days, and returned to the state capital in the afternoon of the third day.

In order to save costs at the beginning, Sheng Yao only rented a workshop-like warehouse, and only hung a simple plaque on the gate, with only four characters of "Sheng Yao Tea Shop".He spent a lot of wronged money on the first trip because he was not familiar with the business route. When he came back and paid back the bill, there was not much net profit left in his hand.The second trip continued on credit. Sheng Yao was familiar with the business. When he came back from northern Xinjiang, he would bring cow, horse, sheep fur, and dairy products back to Jiangnan for sale. After that, the profits he made would be quite objective.

Sheng Yao felt that he had caught up with the good time and was not in a hurry to enjoy it, so he didn't buy a house in Bingzhou. Now Shengyao tea shop is already well-known in Bingzhou, but he still lives in a remote warehouse. Live with helpers.

Unlike ordinary tea merchants who open a shop for retail, he is too busy. It takes him a year to go back and forth. If something happens in the shop, he can't wait for it. .

Qiao Zhishu entered the workshop tea shop, and was still looking around in circles. To be honest, he felt sad, it was no more comfortable than living in Jiangzhou.

"My boss is back!"

A middle-aged man in a jacket came out of the room, with a black cloth scarf on his head, he looked like he should be in charge, his steps were hurried, and his face was anxious.

"Uncle Cheng, what's the matter?" Sheng Yao stepped forward to greet him.

"Boss, Lord Censor Wang came to bid farewell to you yesterday, and I want to entrust you with the funeral. I saw that what Master Jiang said was so serious, so I promised to wait for you to come back, and I will look for it in person."

"Funeral matter?" Sheng Yao narrowed his eyes slightly, and there was a cold light, "I'm not here for a few days, what happened to the state capital?"

"A major event has happened... His Majesty ordered Wang Jiangwei, the censor of the tea horse department of Bingzhou, to come to Beijing to face the saint!"

Sheng Yao ordered Uncle Cheng to send Qiao Zhishu to the inn to rest, and he wanted to go to Yushifu to find Wang Jiangwei immediately.

"I'll go too. There are more people and more brains. Maybe I can help." Qiao Zhishu was unwilling and wanted to follow Sheng Yao.

Sheng Yao couldn't care too much, and the two of them walked through the streets and alleys to Yushi's mansion, one by one and one on a horse.

……

Qiao Zhishu followed Sheng Yao, and quietly looked at Yushi's mansion. It was magnificent, why is it deserted?I didn't see a servant all the way to the study.

As soon as he entered Wang Jiangwei's study room, the room was like a cold cellar. Sheng Yao raised his hand and held Qiao Zhishu's hand that was about to untie his cloak, "It's okay, my lord is not a person who sticks to etiquette."

Then he led Qiao Zhishu to Wang Jiangwei who was sitting quietly at the desk, "The room is like an ice cellar, why don't you burn charcoal?"

Seeing Sheng Yao coming, Wang Jiangwei sighed deeply, his teeth were shaking from the cold.

"I'm about to go to Beijing to be questioned by the Ministry of Criminal Justice. Where are the servants in the mansion? Where is there still charcoal fire? My dear brother, the one who should come can't escape...Since the son-in-law was arrested, His Majesty has issued orders every now and then. Officials go to Beijing, and they will be executed within a month, so I'm afraid this trip will be a disaster."

The emperor personally issued an edict, and Qiao Zhishu was still a big girl getting on the sedan chair. It was the first time she saw such a battle, and she stared at Wang Jiangwei curiously.

Sheng Yao naturally wanted to comfort him, "Those are orders from the Ministry of Punishment to announce in person, and this time the Lord just let him go to Beijing to accept accountability, so the situation is not serious."

"No matter what, the will is for me to go to Beijing despite the wind and snow. I don't know if I have the fate to meet His Majesty." Wang Jiangwei is weak and pessimistic by nature, and still expresses his panic in words.

As soon as Wang Jiangwei thought of his fate, he quickly stood up, stepped forward and grabbed Sheng Yao's arm stiffly, and said, "This time, I completely understand that the officialdom is ruthless, and the world is cold! Just look at my house... Where is it?" Is there anyone?"

Indeed, Wang Jiangwei has not been implicated since the son-in-law was arrested, because Dali Temple did not find Wang Jiangwei's bribery and participation.So at that time, there was an endless stream of people at the gate of Yushi's Mansion.

It's not like now, the family is empty, and it is extremely depressed.

For Wang Jiangwei, Sheng Yao knows him at a glance. He is very good at thinking about people's hearts. He also knows that it is useless to comfort Wang Jiangwei at this time. Some people are naturally pessimistic. It is useless to comfort Wang Jiangwei for three days and three nights. It is better to be straightforward. Discuss solutions.

So Sheng Yao said: "My lord, calm down. Whether it's a blessing or a disaster is still unknown, but if the people from the Ministry of Punishment haven't come down, it means that there is still a way to survive. What we need to discuss now is how to turn danger into luck."

"Yes, you are right. This imperial edict must be for the tea smuggling case, but the Dali Temple has been investigating for more than half a year. It stands to reason that the eight generations of my ancestors should have investigated it. Is there nothing wrong with me?"

Sheng Yao: "After all, the son-in-law happened in the tea market under the jurisdiction of the adults, but Bingzhou has almost caught everything that should be caught. Therefore, Sheng Yao suggested that the adults should focus on rectification."

"Oh? Brother, please explain!"

"Too many people died in Jiangnan in the son-in-law case, Jiangnan is now a land of employment, according to my analysis, in the heart of the Holy One, you have three places that you can use, my lord.

"First, Your Excellency is familiar with salt and tea trade matters;

Second, the adult has been an official for decades and has been clean and honest, and was even pushed out and transferred, which shows that the adult is definitely not someone who is willing to collude with others;

Third, although the case of the son-in-law is under the jurisdiction of the lord, the tea horse censor has no real power in the tea trade, and the mighty dragon can't overwhelm the local snake, but now the lord has witnessed the end of the son-in-law with his own eyes. A wake-up call was planted in the adult's heart, and the adult was determined not to take the criminal path of the son-in-law. "

Sheng Yao's analysis made Wang Jiangwei straighten his waist, and he felt that he was the "chosen son of heaven" and the "available person" preferred by His Majesty.

Wang Jiangwei silently recited Sheng Yao's words word by word, then clapped his hands together, and said joyfully, "That's right! My brother is right! I witnessed the smuggling case of the son-in-law, and I know very well how tea smuggling is carried out. I know how many loopholes there are in "Tea Yinzhi" and how many loopholes there are in each state's pass gate! If the Holy Majesty saves my life, I will definitely stop Xiaoxiao's smuggling thoughts!"

"Your Excellency is wise." Sheng Yao nodded in agreement.

"Okay, okay." Wang Jiangwei was like a newborn, full of strength and support in his heart, he went to support Sheng Yao's arms and said: "My virtuous brother is a noble person on my official career! If there is no virtuous brother, I would have been in Dengzhou four years ago On both sides of the strait, I will also be the soul of those water bandits who fell under the knife, and now I am enlightened by a few words, and my life is saved again!"

"I, Wang Jiangwei, swear to the sky, if I come back from Shengjing alive, I will only escort my virtuous brother for the rest of my life!"

"My lord can't do it." Sheng Yao supported Wang Jiangwei, preventing him from kneeling on himself.

"My brother, if you don't dislike it, how about you and I being sworn brothers?" Wang Jiangwei's words were out of breath. After all, he still has a high possibility of dying in Shengjing. At that time, Sheng Yao will be in trouble, and he will have to go to Shengjing to collect his body. .

"Brother Yi, Sheng Yao is polite."

Contrary to Wang Jiangwei's expectation, Sheng Yao agreed decisively without any hesitation.

After they finished calling each other brothers, Qiao Zhishu grabbed Sheng Yao, frowned and asked angrily, "Both banks of Dengzhou? Water bandits? Souls under the knife? Sheng Yao, please explain clearly to me!"

He knew that his elder brother was going to travel by water four years ago, but if Wang Jiangwei hadn't slipped his mouth when he encountered such a dangerous situation, he would never have known it in his life. He almost lost his elder brother!

Wang Jiangwei was dumbfounded, "This, dear brother, who is this?"

"..." Sheng Yao hesitated. He recalled that the soldiers stationed on the official road reported that Qiao Zhishu was his husband. He was not sure if Zhishu said it himself.And now that the arrow is on the string, he has no chance to ask Zhishu.

"This is the bamboo horse I grew up with..." Sheng Yao introduced, his long and narrow eyes fixed on Qiao Zhishu's expression, but when Qiao Zhishu heard his introduction, he just lowered his head, Don't tell him to look at himself.

Sheng Yao also had mixed feelings in his heart, but he had already opened his mouth, so he could only continue, "His name is Qiao Zhishu."

He said with a slight smile, "I took it for him when I was 14 years old. I hope he will be wise and live a happy life."

Wang Jiangwei blinked, but still didn't quite understand the relationship between the two. How could there be a name for the bamboo horse?This must have been raised since childhood, so it was named after being very close, right?But he is 35-[-] people, well-informed, and quickly changed.

"Growing up together with you must have a great friendship, so today we will become sworn brothers. I am older than the two of you, and Yao'er will be the second younger brother, and Zhishu will be the third younger brother. How about it?"

Only then did Qiao Zhishu raise his head, his expression unchanged, and he responded, "Big brother is on top, third brother is polite."

Afterwards, he hid beside the two of them without saying a word, his mind was full of the year when he was eight years old, he and Sheng Xue were separated by a wall, and he heard Sheng Yao categorically saying, "I will make decisions on my future marriage".

Sheng Yao rejected him from the very beginning, and for so many years, he just treats himself as a poor, unwanted younger brother and loves him that's all.But what about myself?To Sheng Yao...what on earth are you thinking?

Wang Jiangwei's heart was opened, and he didn't reject going out. The three of them became sworn brothers this day, and they were supposed to have a banquet, so they chose a big restaurant to have dinner together, and it was a farewell banquet by the way.

The three of them chatted about everything at the banquet, from each other's backgrounds to how to step into the official career and enter the business world.

Qiao Zhishu also said that in the teahouse he runs, he also showed Sheng Yao and his wife how to make tea and water Danqing.

Wang Jiangwei: "The tea ceremony is very popular, and all princes and courtiers drink it. If you want me to say, our third brother is the most powerful. The second brother has such talents, why don't you open a big teahouse in Bingzhou?"

Sheng Yao looked at Qiao Zhishu when he heard the words. He raised his eyebrows to signal Qiao Zhishu to speak, wanting to hear what he meant.

Qiao Zhishu understood, "I also have this plan, but I'm not sure whether to settle in Bingzhou? Or Jiangzhou?"

Wang Jiangwei said: "Everything is open. Where there is a general number, there is a semicolon. Bingzhou has me to watch, and Jiangzhou has my colleagues. You two are ready for everything, and you are not far behind. There is no need to tangle. The three of us, if It is a supreme honor to let our Bingzhou tea become the king in the four states in the south of the Yangtze River."

Qiao Zhishu nodded, her eyes full of longing.

Only then did Sheng Yao speak: "Brother said, we will start planning after the next year."

"It should be so. Third brother, quickly order another cup of good tea for elder brother." Wang Jiangwei smacked his lips to savor the mellow aroma of tea.

Back to the topic of tea art, Qiao Zhishu also mentioned Master Yuantong, and suddenly thought of the little story the master told him.

"When I mentioned my master, I suddenly thought of something. Although it is subtle, but now that I think about it, people in high positions use the method of digging deep into the skin to infer whether a person is down-to-earth."

"Master once told me an anecdote about the imperial palace in the past. He said that some soldiers guarding the palace gates neglected their duties at night. The emperor of the previous dynasty was furious and wanted to kill these soldiers, but there was no danger in the palace that night. He got the reputation of being a tyrant, so he called the soldiers to the front of the hall and asked them how many dragons were there on the city gate? What color are the gate bolts?"

"One of the soldiers answered, so he was the only one who survived! The reason why he survived was that the former emperor believed that only by guarding the city gate seriously, with a pair of eyes on the city gate at twelve o'clock, would he be so clear about the city gate. Look, such a person must not be a negligent person, but must be a person who knows what he is accusing!"

Sheng Yao agrees, "It makes sense. I bought those caravans because they were able to tell clearly and confidently how many wind and rain covered bridges and tea pavilions there are on the Wanli Tea Road, so I bought them."

Many people can have a little superficial understanding of certain fields, but if they want to get promoted and raise their salary in that field, they must understand deeper things.

On the second day, the three people who had just become sworn brothers took a tour of the state capital, and asked how many teahouses and teahouses there were in Bingzhou, how many caravans selling tea, how many entrances there were in the city gates, how many fire-observing platforms in the city, etc. Wait for this information to be recorded.

Before departure, Sheng Yao also gave Wang Jiangwei 500 taels of silver, so that he would not be embarrassed on the way to Beijing, and would not be frozen to death in the cold weather.

**

Wang Jiangwei traveled for a month, and finally met His Majesty the Emperor on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year.

Before this, he hadn't seen anyone from the Ministry of Punishment, so half of his heart fell.

As Qiao Zhishu expected, the emperor questioned Wang Jiangwei: "Ai Qing served as the tea horse censor of Bingzhou for three years, and enjoyed my imperial salary for these three years. What have you done? Can you feel at ease?"

Trembling, Wang Jiangwei knelt down and asked how many teahouses and tea houses in Bingzhou, how many caravans selling tea from households, and the price of tea in Bingzhou, how much he could get from the tea farmers, how much the price would be from the tea merchants, and how much it would increase when he went to northern Xinjiang .

Emperor Qinglong heard that what he said was consistent with the unannounced visit to Dali Temple and was more comprehensive, so he finally felt relieved of Wang Jiangwei.

"Aiqing knows the tea market in Bingzhou like the back of his hand. I think she has set an example for the tea-horse trade in the past three years. However, Zhang Yin's tea smuggling is within your jurisdiction. You didn't realize it. It is not too much to convict you of negligence of duty."

Zhang Yin is the son-in-law, and the emperor hated him deeply, and he didn't want to call him the son-in-law before.

Wang Jiangwei immediately kowtowed, "Your Majesty, I know that I was transferred to Bingzhou Tea Horse Censor three years ago. The Tea Horse Secretary is to promote the trade of southern tea and border horses. He has no real power. If he wants to hide it from the prince's son-in-law. How can I pry his mouth open?"

"The minister is incompetent, but it is definitely not dereliction of duty, Your Majesty."

Emperor Qinglong: "Incompetent? Is it incompetent? I can tell if I ask. Nowadays, officials and businessmen in the south of the Yangtze River are colluding to smuggle tea and sell it to neighboring countries to hurt the luck of our country, but only for their own interests! However, businessmen value profits, and officials in Yuanjing are extremely corrupt. If you can't kill them all, you can't bear to kill them any more. How can you protect the interests of the workers and peasants?"

Wang Jiangwei expressed Sheng Yao's suggestion, "Return to Your Majesty, just fix the price of tea, just like the precedent of official salt."

His answer was exactly what Emperor Qinglong thought, "Pingshen, Aiqing got up and answered."

After Wang Jiangwei got up, the pressure in his heart eased a lot, and then he expressed his opinion, "In addition, His Majesty can also set up a post similar to Jiangnan governor for Jiangnan, mainly to monitor the tea production, sales, and tea merchants in the four states of Jiangnan. Acquisition, sales and other work."

Emperor Qinglong laughed out loud after hearing this, and his heart was filled with joy, "Aiqing, Aiqing, I almost deceived you with the excuse of being incompetent."

Wang Jiangwei knelt down again with a plop when he heard "deceive the king".

Emperor Qinglong said again: "Aiqing Pingshen, with your temperament, it's no wonder that the censor of the salt department took a copy of you and transferred you to the tea and horse department of Bingzhou. You are confused all day long..."

"You man, the only words you can take are honesty and loyalty."

However, the emperor killed a thousand corrupt officials at this time, and what he wanted was clean and honest people.And Sheng Yao's analysis of Wang Jiangwei's three available uses, just hit Emperor Qinglong's mind in one sentence!

It is human nature for Wang Jiangwei to be afraid of power, but he is not in harmony with the fear, which is very rare.

"The tea trade in the south of the Yangtze River is fundamental, and it is related to the national treasury and the luck of our country. To declare my will, Aiqing is honest and fair, understands the people's sentiments, and is proposed to be the tea horse in the south of the Yangtze River."

Wang Jiangwei opened his eyes wide and kowtowed heavily, "Thank you, Your Majesty, I will definitely live up to your Majesty's trust."

"Go back, you want real power, and I'll give it to you. If you don't do anything and try to do nothing, I'll cut you off too." Emperor Qinglong was in a good mood, and joked with Wang Jiangwei.

On this trip to Beijing, Wang Jiangwei not only lived well, but was not demoted, not only was he not demoted, he was even promoted!Now the tea and horse departments in the four prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River are under his control.Recalling the scene of drinking tea with Sheng Yao and Qiao Zhishu, I can vividly remember it. I never expected the ups and downs of the officialdom, but in the end it was the two commoner brothers who gave me help and escorted me.

At this moment, there was only one sentence in Wang Jiangwei's mind, in this life, Wang Jiangwei only had two brothers, Sheng Yao and Qiao Zhishu!If there is his expensive, there will be those two's rich!

Sheng Yao and Qiao Zhishu didn't know what happened to Wang Jiangwei who was far away in the imperial capital, but something different was mixed in between them...