Dressed as Su Peisheng

Kangxi 41 years

At the end of January, the emperor visited Mount Wutai, accompanied by the fourth elder brother, and it was already mid-February when he returned to Beijing.

Su Wei picked a good weather, and took Xiaoyingzi to the market at the entrance of the Town God's Temple, and had a good time all the way.

At noon, the two entered Piaoxiang Residence.Over the past few years, Piaoxiangju has gradually grown in size. Several signature dishes are becoming more and more delicious, and more and more people come here after hearing the news.

When Su Wei and Xiaoyingzi came in, it was lunch time, and there were several groups of people waiting at the door, whose attire did not look like local ones.

"Hey, Master Su, you're here," the shopkeeper saw Su Wei first, and rushed out to greet him.

Su Wei looked at the guests waiting at the door, then turned around and asked, "Are there any seats?"

"Yes, yes," the shopkeeper slightly lowered his voice, "Please go upstairs."

Su Wei nodded, and followed the shopkeeper to the stairs. He is a regular customer of Piaoxiangju, and he has a special status. Any business owner who runs a restaurant in the capital does not have a pair of fine eyeballs.

"Hey!" A young boy said softly.

Su Wei turned his head, and a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy in the crowd at the door glared at the shopkeeper angrily, "Didn't you say that there is no place? We have been waiting here for more than half an hour, why should he be there when he comes?" Location!"

"This..." The shopkeeper was speechless for a moment.

The old man next to the boy tugged at the boy's sleeve and whispered, "Don't cause trouble, this capital is full of dignitaries."

"What high-ranking official?" The young man glared at Su Wei, "Officials are not good officials either! Seeing so many people standing at the door, you just walk in, don't be ashamed!"

"Me!" Su Wei didn't hold back for a moment, his big eyes widened.

The shopkeeper took a look at Su Wei, and hurriedly stepped forward to stop the young man, "My little brother, Mr. Su is a distinguished guest in our store, and there are regular seats upstairs. If you have been waiting for a long time, why don't you change to another place?" If you come to the door again in the future, the shop will definitely treat you warmly."

"Why?" The young man bypassed the shopkeeper and came straight to Su Wei, "Do you understand that an official has to do things for the people? You have to go through the back door for every meal, you must be a corrupt official!"

"That's called yanguo plucking!" Su Wei couldn't take it anymore, rolled up his arms and walked down the stairs, poking his finger straight at the boy's forehead, "I'm telling you, brat! Qian, where did you go through the back door! The shopkeeper reserved a seat for me because of our long-term relationship! You little kid with no teeth, you don’t know how to respect the old and love the young, and you make a lot of noise in other people’s stores , argue unreasonably to three points but can't even understand an idiom, how can you tell people to be an official here, and you won't be afraid of being laughed at!"

"I—" the boy blushed, "When I have enough money, I will definitely study hard! I will definitely be better than people like you when I become an official in the future!"

"Hehe," Su Wei hugged his shoulders, "You're quite ambitious, but judging by your appearance, you probably don't have much talent for reading."

"You! I can be an official without studying, and I can also catch bad guys!" The young man clenched his fists with an expression of disbelief.

"Hey," the old man on the side grabbed the young man and bowed to Su Wei, "Master, our little Li Lang lost his parents since he was a child, and he lacked discipline. For the sake of being young, don’t get acquainted with him.”

Is an orphan!Su Wei was taken aback for a moment, and glanced at the young man. The young man puffed up his cheeks, and the true temperament in his eyes made Su Wei, who had been stuck in the crowd of people, quite kind.

After thinking for a while, Su Wei turned his head and said to the shopkeeper, "Please make up two more tables, I will eat with these guys today."

The shopkeeper was taken aback for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, okay, I'll go get ready now."

At the dinner table, the young man was still holding a temper. Su Wei looked amused, and turned to chat with the old man.It turned out that a group of them came to Beijing from Jiang Ning to do the raw silk business, but this time it was not good to catch up. Just when a large caravan entered Beijing, the price of raw silk in their hands was suppressed, and they negotiated with several companies in a row. Not close.Now, it looks like it's about to fall into the hands.

"When'time' is not good?" Xiao Lilang pursed his lips and yelled at Su Wei, "It's all collusion between government and business, or—"

"Xiao Li!" The old man raised his eyebrows, and the young man flattened his mouth.

Su Wei blinked his eyes and looked at the young man, "My surname is Su Dan and my name is Wei. I don't know my little brother's last name, Gao?"

The young man raised his head proudly, "Master, I will not change my name when I am sitting or standing. My ancestor's surname is Li, and the single name is Wei."

"Oh, Li Wei," Su Wei nodded, then was taken aback, why does this name sound familiar?

When Xiaoyingzi ran into the East Courtyard, he ran into the fourth elder brother who was about to go out, "My servant greets Lord Baylor."

The fourth elder brother looked behind him, "Why are you alone? Where is Su Peisheng? Didn't you go out together?"

"Eh..." Xiaoyingzi scratched the back of his head, "Second Master is still outside, and the servant is back to get the money."

"Taking money?" Fourth elder brother frowned, "Do you guys go out to play without taking money?"

"No, no," Xiaoyingzi waved his hands in a panic, "Yes, there is a little too much silver to use, and there is not enough money on him."

"How much?" Brother Si raised his eyebrows.

"800 taels..."

Yonghe Palace

Sifu Jin entered the palace to greet Concubine De, Concubine De's voice was as easy-going as usual, but her expression was not relaxed.

Seeing that it was noon, Sifujin wanted to get up and leave, but Concubine De ordered someone to bring up a stack of booklets, "Come and choose, these are all carefully selected by Er Niang, and you are like this when you are with the fourth child." After many years, you should know what he likes."

Fujin's heart skipped a beat, he hastily covered up the change on his face, reached out and took a few brochures and flipped through them, they were all excellent girls who had been selected in recent years, full of Chinese and Chinese.

"Er Niang is very thoughtful," Fujin put down the booklet, hesitated a while and said, "It's just about people entering the backyard, let my daughter-in-law talk to Lord Belle. Otherwise, the daughter-in-law is afraid It’s not easy to explain to my grandfather.”

"Don't worry," Concubine De lowered her head and turned the armor inlaid with coral, turquoise and gold in her hands, "the matter about the fourth child was asked by his Ama, the emperor, and he couldn't refuse the person the Holy Majesty pointed out to him. You Just go home and talk to him."

Fujin pursed his lips and nodded slightly, "Yes, my daughter-in-law obeys."

In the evening, Su Wei sat on the bed holding the wooden box containing all his belongings.Today, he bought all the raw silk in the hands of Li Wei and his group with great grandeur.In fact, his savings of 800 taels was not enough at all, and it was the shopkeeper of Piaoxiangju who helped him find a reliable silk and satin factory to make up for the price suppressed by the big caravan.

Now that I think about it, Su Wei regretted it all the time. He used his own savings in the name of Li Wei, a young man from Jiangnan.What if that little kid is not the protagonist of Li Wei's official career?You know, since he and his fourth master got married, he hasn't received any silver rewards except during the holidays!

When the fourth elder brother entered the room, he saw Eunuch Su who was about to cry, holding an empty box.

"What's the matter?" The fourth elder brother walked to the bed with his hands behind his back, "I heard today that Mr. Su has started to trade in raw silk. We spent 800 taels all at once, how much did we earn? Give me some points." Son!"

"You have no conscience!" Su Wei stared back angrily, "I'm not all for you, you pay me back the money!"

The fourth elder brother blinked blankly, "What does this have to do with me? I didn't let you go out and be taken advantage of!"

"You still say!" Su Wei stuffed the wooden box into the fourth elder brother's arms, "You haven't rewarded me with money for several years! When you were little Douding, you were 50 taels, but now Ergege is even more generous than you! I don't care, I'm a sixth-rank eunuch, I can't be so shameless! Fill this box up for me!"

The fourth elder brother was speechless by Xiao Suzi's unreasonable outburst. He looked down at the empty wooden box, which was quite funny, "You guard the warehouse every day, and it's not easy to ask for money? After guarding the yard for so many years, I really only save money." 800 taels?"

"Am I a person who pretends to be a public servant!" Su Wei roared back confidently, "The money I save is all monthly, and the rewards, and the filial piety of the little ones during the New Year and festivals are all what I deserve!"

"Yes, yes," the fourth elder brother sat next to Su Wei and pulled him into his arms, "Don't be so serious, isn't your money your money? Come, tell me about the 800 taels of silk. "

Su Wei pursed his mouth and talked about the day's affairs pick and choose.

The fourth elder brother frowned, and looked at Su Wei incomprehensibly, "Just based on the boy's few words, you think that he is a useful talent, and then you spent 800 taels to help others subsidize the price?"

"I, I," Su Wei stammered a few words, "I accumulate virtue! If someone goes all the way to Beijing, if the raw silk falls into his hands, how many weavers will be affected when he goes back."

"Okay," the fourth elder brother slapped Su Wei on the back of the head, "You just say you were fooled by someone, and I don't blame you. Take the 800 taels as a lesson!"

Su Wei pursed his lips and said nothing. Travelers are always lonely, and ordinary people like you can't understand it!

"However," the fourth elder brother frowned, "the collusion between the government and the businessman that Li Wei said made me quite concerned."

Su Wei blinked, "Li Wei has a big prejudice against being an official. I guess there may be too many corrupt officials there."

The fourth elder brother looked at Su Wei, "Now Ren Jiangning is weaving Cao Yin. He used to be Huang Ama's companion, and also served as an imperial guard. His biological mother, Sun, is Huang Ama's wet nurse. He has won the Sacred Heart. This Jiangning weaving position is also one of the most lucrative positions, and people who are not close to the royal family have always been incompetent."

"Cao Yin," Su Wei said silently twice, and the name sounded familiar, and suddenly Su Wei was startled, "Cao Xueqin, his grandfather!"

A chestnut knocked on Su Gonggong's forehead, and the fourth elder brother became angry, "Don't swear!"

Su Wei gritted his teeth and rubbed his forehead. The fourth elder brother pursed his lips and pondered for a while, "Who is Cao Xueqin? Is it from the Cao family? Have you never heard of it?"

Eunuch Su's face darkened, and he said that he was lonely, "You mean that Cao Yin colluded with the merchant?"

"If what Li Wei said is true, the most likely one is the Cao family," the fourth elder brother said in a deep voice, "This caravan entering Beijing can lower the price of raw silk in the entire capital, which shows how large it is. And the folks in the south of the Yangtze River The number of looms for loom households is limited, and it would be almost impossible to win such a large amount of business without the Cao family opening the back door. What's more, they can seize the right time and enter Beijing to do business silently. It can be seen that there are enough forces in the capital to help arrange it."

"Then, do you want to intervene?" Su Wei lowered his voice.

The fourth elder brother was silent for a moment, then shook his head, "The Cao family is very powerful and highly valued by Huang Ama, so I can't do it. What's more, now that corruption is prevalent, how could Huang Ama not know? The hall is not stable. Huang Ama deliberately left these rotten sores in order to win over the Manchu and Han Eight Banners. Now I want to remove them, I am afraid it will hurt my muscles and bones. Huang Ama dare not move, how dare I act rashly Even if you are unwilling, you can only let him die," the fourth elder brother turned his head and looked out the window, sighing.

"Don't be discouraged, sir." Su Wei curled his lips and patted the fourth brother's shoulder, "I can assure you that sooner or later, master will be aboveboard and dig out these rotten sores cleanly!"

The fourth elder brother turned his head and looked at Su Wei for a while, with a smile on his lips, "Then, I will accept your good words."

"Master," Zhang Bao's voice came from outside the door, "Please go over to Fujin."

The fourth elder brother glanced at Su Wei, and Su Weifu picked up the empty wooden box and shook it at the fourth elder brother.

The fourth elder brother dripped a black thread, ignored someone's ingratiating smile, turned around and said, "Understood, Lord, let's go."

In Fujin's courtyard, the fourth elder brother took the single book from Fujin.

"The person chosen by Er Niang is the order of Huang Ama," Fujin said cautiously, "Guarding Geng Dejin's daughter, her appearance and character must be impeccable."

The fourth elder brother casually flipped through the booklet, "Since it's Huang Ama's order, just bring it back. The population in this backyard is increasing, so you need to pay more attention."

"It's all what a concubine should do," Fu Jin blessed Fushen.

The fourth elder brother nodded, stood up and walked out, "Master, I'm going to Wu's courtyard today, you should rest earlier."

"Yes," Fu Jin pursed his lips, leaned over and saluted, "Send off Lord Baylor".

After leaving the gate of Fujin courtyard, the fourth elder brother's brows were drawn together.

Zhang Bao took small steps to keep up, and the fourth elder brother turned his head slightly and said, "Tomorrow, you send the red coral from the warehouse to Wu's house."

Zhang Bao was taken aback for a moment, then leaned over to accept the order, "Yes".