The mage in the late Qing Dynasty

Several nursing homes looked at each other.

What? Capturing the dragon? Never heard of it.

Don't say there isn't one, even if there is, who dares to name his secret skill like that?

Zhao Chuanxin grabbed the concierge's collar with his backhand and said, "Tell me, did Hu Gengtang pick up the leftovers? Just tell him to stop eating and tell him that there is a distinguished guest waiting for him. Ask him to come and pick him up quickly."

Abao couldn't hold it back and laughed out loud.

The others looked strange.

Hu Gengtang is famous in Hankou for eating leftovers.

Even when entertaining guests, leftovers are usually used.

When the concierge saw that the monk had used some magical method and that the remaining guards were restrained and did not dare to enter, he could only swallow his anger and walk inside.

But Li Huyuan was not dead. He rested on the ground for a while and then got up again. He looked at Zhao Chuanxin with fear and cautiously took small steps back to Huyuan's camp, but he did not dare to show off any more. , for fear of being poisoned by this evil monk.

After a while, the porter came fiercely from the inner hall with Hu Gentang and many servants carrying sticks and brooms.

Zhao Chuanxin held up his sleeves, shook his legs and asked, "Are you Boss Hu of Hu Geng Hall?"

"I am Hu Gengtang. Who are you? Why did you come to my house to act wild?"

Zhao Chuanxin: "It's a misunderstanding. It's all our own."

"..." Hu Gentang: "Is Miss Abao here?"

Abao walked around from behind Zhao Chuanxin, cupped his fists and said, "I've met Boss Hu."

Hu Gengtang's eyes suddenly lit up, and he turned around and scolded the concierge: "I told you earlier, don't look down on others. How dare you stop Miss A'bao from coming? Miss A'bao is famous in Taihu Lake!"

The concierge said aggrievedly: "Yes, sir, I won't dare to do it next time."

Hu Gentang rolled his eyes, stepped forward, stretched out his hand and said, "Miss Abao, please come inside."

Abao glanced at Zhao Chuanxin, who raised his eyebrows and signaled her to act according to the situation.

Seeing that Zhao Chuanxin and the others wanted to follow him, Hu Gentang was a little unhappy and said, "Are you all subordinates of Miss Abao?"

Before Abao, who wanted to speak, could speak, Zhao Chuanxin nodded: "Yes, yes, the elderly, children, monks, the three major beings in the world who cannot be messed with, Abao has already gathered them all."

Hu Gentang: "..."

He smiled and said: "In that case, come and prepare wine and food, and prepare a table for all the heroes."

"Oh, Boss Hu, you don't need to be so polite." Zhao Chuanxin said with a look on his face that one of us would follow the other, "It's better to sit at the same table with Boss Hu. The poor monk is worried that Boss Hu will give us leftovers."

Hu Gentang's face darkened.

Abao felt that he was here to ask for help, so he couldn't make things too tense, so he quickly softened the situation and said, "Boss Hu, these friends of mine have been living in remote areas for a long time and are not familiar with etiquette. Please forgive me if there is any offense in my words."

Hu Gentang snorted lightly with his nose and led the way.

When passing by Li Huyuan, he glared at them: What kind of monks are you who know magic, but your skills are not as good as others?

The concierge just went to report that there was a monk who knew magic and a woman who called herself Taihu Abao.

Hu Gentang has never seen anything in his life, how can he believe this?

It was just that the people below did not do good things and found excuses to deal with him.

After entering the house, Zhao Chuanxin saw another female concubine, who should be Hu Gengtang's concubine. She had delicate features, but her forehead was too big, which was a common problem among women in the Qing Dynasty after their foreheads were repaired.

One of the female family members had red eyes, as if she had just cried. When he saw the beautiful Ah Bao, he didn't have a good expression. Instead, he whispered softly: "Have you brought all the vixens home?"

Abao Quan pretended not to hear.

After sitting down, a servant first served tea.

Zhao Chuanxin crossed his legs, took out a cigarette and lit it.

The concubine rolled her eyes and said, "There are women in this house, don't you want to smoke?"

"Oh?" Zhao Chuanxin lit the cigarette directly, took a puff and said, "Okay, the women can go out now."

Concubine: "..."

She immediately threw herself into Hu Gengtang's arms and said sadly: "Master, look, look, this monk is so ignorant of etiquette. Our family is still ill. My life is really miserable..."

Zhao Chuanxin laughed and said: "You can't blame the government for your hard life. I only blame you because your heart is too dark. If you are very cunning, use seven points and leave three points with your children and grandchildren. If you use all ten points, your children and grandchildren will be close to you."

In terms of words, this concubine was no match for Zhao Chuanxin. She opened her mouth, but was speechless, so she could only hug Hu Gengtang tighter.

Hu Gentang was impatient: "Go and see Li'er, don't delay my business."

The concubine gouged out Zhao Chuanxin with her eyes and walked out angrily. Her waist was so twisted that she couldn't walk through the one-meter-wide aisle.

"Miss Abao, I made you laugh." Hu Gentang first smiled at Abao and then turned to Zhao Chuanxin: "However, this mage, at such a young age, still has to keep his word."

Zhao Chuanxin nodded: "Okay, okay, when will the food be served? If you don't catch on, you won't be able to retain your virtue."

"..."

This monk's mouth is a bit irritating.

After a long while, Abao finally spoke: "Boss Hu, to be honest, I came here today to inquire about something."

Hu Gentang breathed a sigh of relief.

He was most afraid that he was here to fight against the autumn wind, because he had already received the news that Jin Kunxiu was sentenced to death by the government in Suzhou.

There used to be A Bao in Kunxiu, but now only A Bao is left. I am afraid that the popularity is not as good as before.

"Miss Abao, please tell me."

Abao thought for a moment and then said, "Boss Hu, have you ever heard about Sheng Xuanhuai's plans to build the Hanyeping Coal and Iron Works?"

Hu Gentang is indeed lustful, but if it involves serious business secrets, he will not tell them.

But this matter didn't matter, because all the wealthy businessmen in Hankou received Sheng Xuanhuai's invitation to raise shares. Hu Gentang also participated, but he didn't contribute much money and held a small share.

He said: "Sheng Zuotang threatened to raise 15 million taels of silver, but only raised 1 million taels in Hankou. It is said that he is negotiating with a Japanese consortium to continue borrowing money."

Zhao Chuanxin next to him seemed casual, but when he heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up.

If Sheng Xuanhuai really begged 15 million taels of silver from the Japanese, this amount of money was not a small amount.

Some things have nothing to do with personal grudges or attitudes towards the Qing court.

First of all, the establishment of Hanyeping Coal and Iron Works is a good thing for this country that is waiting for development. Secondly, if Sheng Xuanhuai really needs 15 million taels of silver, even if Zhao Chuanxin turns around and pays for the Japanese money, the money must eventually flow into Hanyeping Coal and Iron Works, because without this amount of funds, it will be difficult for China to develop at this time Industries that have risen may collapse.

Zhao Chuanxin cannot be regarded as this sinner.

However, this money must not be a loan from the Japanese consortium.

Abao glanced at Zhao Chuanxin secretly and asked: "Boss Hu, I wonder if the Japanese consortium has borrowed money?"

"As far as I know, not yet." Sheng Xuanhuai shook his head: "The Japanese consortium is very ambitious. When negotiating with Sheng Zuotang, they added many harsh clauses. Sheng Zuotang did not agree, and they have reached a deadlock."

Zhao Chuanxin interrupted at this time: "I wonder what provisions the Japanese have added?"

Hu Gengtang ignored Zhao Chuanxin.

Who do you think you are? But A Bao Shi is wearing a skirt.

Seeing that he didn't answer, Abao hurriedly said: "Boss Hu, please clear up our doubts. After all, no one in Hankou has the reputation of Boss Hu and can know these secrets in detail."

Let me give you a compliment first.

Hu Gentang became suspicious: "Miss Abao, why are you asking about this?"

A Bao had already thought of an excuse: "Don't you dare let Boss Hu know that my husband has been a chivalrous man all his life and has never been willing to kill anyone. He also failed to escape the end of his life in prison, leaving A Bao alone. Now, he is no longer willing to continue. I want to live a life of licking blood from the tip of a knife. I would rather live in a small house in Ashikawa, smoke and rain, and take refuge in Buddhism. Because there are still a group of subordinates who depend on me and my wife for food, I want to sell off the ships and equipment I have acquired over the years, and add the white coins I have accumulated. Gold, when I heard that Sheng Zuotang was raising funds, I thought of participating in it. In the future, if we don’t make a living, we still have a serious place to make money, so it’s not worth it for everyone to follow us.”

"Oh..." Hu Gentang suddenly realized.

After hearing that Jin Kunxiu died, the governors of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces convened to hold a parade in Taihu Lake. It was really loud and loud, and the banners covered the sun. The momentum was extremely huge.

It turned out that he was afraid of being suppressed by the government, and this Abao wanted to clean up the stolen goods.

This kind of thing has happened frequently since ancient times.

For example, Zheng Zhilong during the Ming Dynasty, and Shuibo Liangshan earlier.

It's just that some people have stood firm, while others have lost their footing.

However, he secretly despised: a mere Taihu bandit actually wanted to participate in such important family and national affairs. How much can they produce from one-third of an acre of land?

Thinking like this in his heart, it can be seen that when A Bao mentioned his late husband, he showed a rare little daughter's attitude and looked at me sadly and pitifully. Hu Gentang felt hot in his heart and spoke loosely: "Miss A Bao, you are really a woman. He is a gentle man, and he is philanthropic and sincere. Hu has quite a few eyes and ears in Hankou. To tell you the truth, from Japan, a group of people headed by the Nippon Steel Works and the Sankou Foundation came. It is said that they are only willing to raise more than 200 yuan. Ten thousand taels of silver. There is still a big gap between the 15 million taels that Sheng Zuotang wants. If Miss Abao is serious about it, Hu can be the matchmaker..."

Zhao Chuanxin looked at Abao in surprise, not expecting that the little widow had such an ability to adapt to circumstances.

But when the topic reaches this point, you need to be more careful to prevent unnecessary trouble.

A Bao showed half of her true feelings and another third of them were acting. Her face was full of helplessness and embarrassment: "Boss Hu, A Bao is not familiar with the place in Hankou, but I don't know where Sheng Zuotang is negotiating with the Japanese?"

Hu Gengtang had lowered his guard and was obsessed with sex, so he knew everything and said: "Mitsui \u0026 Company in the Japanese Concession."

Anyway, this kind of thing is free of charge.

Zhao Chuanxin stubbed out his cigarette and crushed it on the ground.

Hu Gentang frowned.

When Zhao Chuanxin saw that the servants had already served the dishes and were about to start the banquet, he stood up and took a look. When he found that it was not leftovers, he immediately smiled and said, "Boss Hu is very grand."

Hu Gengtang is usually a tough guy, and he is only willing to "spend a lot of money" when he is in the fireworks alley, or when he wants to do something like that of a gentle lady and a gentleman.

Obviously, he fell in love with Abao, who has a handsome face but has a charming temperament.

This kind of temperament cannot be seen in Fengyue Field.

He smiled proudly and stood up: "Miss Abao, please come to the table."

But now that Abao has completed his mission, he is eager to return home and wants to leave: "Boss Hu, why don't you stop eating..."

Hu Gengtang said with a straight face: "If we leave now, wouldn't it make people criticize Hu's hospitality?"

Zhao Chuanxin nodded: "Yes, yes, it's better to sleep at Boss Hu's house tonight. I think there are plenty of empty rooms in Boss Hu's house."

Abao glared at Zhao Chuanxin.

Hu Gengtang was a little pleased with Zhao Chuanxin now: "What this mage said is absolutely correct."

When the servants served the food again, Zhao Chuanxin grabbed one of them and asked, "Are these food and drinks newly made?"

The servant was stunned: "Just out of the pot..."

Hu Gengtang's face turned dark again.

During the dinner, Hu Gentang raised his glass: "Miss Abao, here's a toast to you."

Abao gritted his teeth: "I rarely drink alcohol, so I hope Boss Hu..."

"Eh?" Hu Gentang said with a displeased face: "Miss Abao has come all the way and is tired of traveling and traveling, so she should have a few drinks to relieve her fatigue."

Zhao Chuanxin had already opened his arms and started to eat before the host used his chopsticks: "Hey, what are you drinking, eating vegetables and vegetables? Don't be polite to me when you come here. Benjamin, you bastard, what's the big fish like?" You grabbed the fish belly before the teacher had eaten it..."

Hu Gentang held up the cup: "..."

At this moment, the concubine who had left before came back and screamed: "Master, you know how to drink flower wine, our child is sick again..."