"The girl in Tsing Yi is not only proficient in music and plays the piano and flute, but her talent is also unparalleled in the world. Many of the music and lyrics composed by the girl in Tsing Yi have not only attracted the admiration of countless talented people in the south of the Yangtze River, but also the famous courtesans in the south of the Yangtze River. Everyone is vying to sing it and make it a classic. It can be seen that the talent of the girl in Tsing Yi is extraordinary and unparalleled. It is not for vulgar people like us to speculate on it."

Xu Baoan may feel that Zhou Boru is inconvenient as his boss. He was self-proclaimed, so he made the introduction very earnestly, but he didn't see Zhou Boru wink at him at all.

On the other hand, Gu Qingyi himself, after praising him euphemistically, looked at Jia Lian with his beautiful eyes: "The slave family is so insignificant, I don't deserve such praise from you, especially in front of the Imperial Envoy. It is suspected of being a mastermind.

Even though the slave family has never been to the capital, they have heard of the imperial envoy’s talent. The slave family has always believed that the imperial commissioner is a well-deserved talent. Compared with the master, the slave family’s knowledge is shallow. , it is really not worth mentioning.

For example, the poem "Long Love" by Sir, which was spread from Beijing to Jiangnan last year, is really impressive in terms of talent and emotion. Therefore, Someone has long composed a new tune and it has been widely circulated. Even Tsing Yi likes this word very much.

He also boldly added some minor tunes, but Tsing Yi knew that he was stupid and was afraid of tarnishing the elegance of the adults. Therefore, I have never sung it with others.

Therefore, although Qingyi has never met the master, he has been fascinated by the master for a long time. It is truly a blessing for Qingyi to see the master today."< br />
When the beauty spoke, it was like spitting out orchids, and the almost transparent veil was blown up slightly. As long as Jia Lian turned his head slightly, he could see the beauty's peerless appearance more clearly.

In addition, the beauty herself was relatively close to him, and the fragrant scent transmitted from her elegant body was enough to make Liu Xiahui fascinated, and it also made Jia Lian more certain that she was the title of the most beautiful woman in Jiangnan. , as expected, the reputation is not in vain.

Finally, Jia Lian had already seen many beauties, and at this time he forced himself not to turn his head to look at the other person, so he remained calm, shook his head and said with a smile: "I am a rough man, but occasionally It’s nothing to get a piece of poetry that barely makes it into the audience.”

When the security guard heard this, he realized that he had almost gotten into trouble. He only knew that Jia Lian was a military officer, so he subconsciously thought that Jia Lian was also a rough man. His words just now vaguely classified Jia Lian into the ranks of their common people.

If Jia Lian was more petty, he would probably be unhappy, right? So I didn't dare to say any more and hurriedly retreated.

Others saw Xu Baoan making a mistake and took the opportunity to flatter Jia Lian.

One person even deliberately looked at Jia Lian and Gu Qingyi and said with a smile: "Only adults can be as beautiful as the girl in Qingyi."Only the heroes of the world can match each other. What is this called, matching a beauty with a hero, a beauty with a talented man..."

"That's right, I just don't know if President Zhou is willing to give up his love and give the girl in Tsing Yi to the adults. "

When the topic comes to this point, Zhou Boru naturally wants to express his position.

"I dare not deceive you, the reason why I dare to change the name of the brothel under the Zhou family's name to "Qianjin Yixiao" "Lou", all relying on the reputation of the girl in Tsing Yi.

In the past few years since Tsing Yi became famous, Qianjin Yixiaolou, I don’t know how much fame and money she has gained by relying on the name of the girl in Tsing Yi.

So, although my Zhou family is the owner of the girl in Tsing Yi, in the end, the girl in Tsing Yi is actually my benefactor, the Zhou family.

I have already told the people below that girls in Tsing Yi must be treated with courtesy. Anyone who dares to be disrespectful in the slightest will be severely punished by family rules.

Therefore, although the girl in Tsing Yi is still the oiran of Qianjin Yixiaolou, my Zhou family has already given her the freedom she deserves. Today, in front of the imperial envoy, our Zhou family promises that as long as the girl in Tsing Yi is willing to follow you, our Zhou family will not stop her in the slightest, and we will not ask for a cent of redemption money, so we should repay the favor. ”

Zhou Boru seemed to grit his teeth and made a very solemn promise.

Bai Yi and others next to him were impressed on their faces, but they had already despised them in their hearts. Old fox, act and act. His true image.

If you say that you ordered the people below to treat him with courtesy and strictly protect him, they will believe it. But if you say that the Zhou family has given him freedom a long time ago, he still treats him as a member of the Zhou family. It would be ridiculous to be a benefactor.

But they all understand Zhou Boru’s approach. This gift-giving also requires attention to methods, especially when giving gifts to beauties!

With Jia Lian's status, there will be a shortage of women around him

Maybe there will be a shortage, but what is missing is definitely not ordinary beauties, but the kind that not only have peerless appearance, but also have uniqueness that cannot be replaced by other beauties. Attraction, it is best to be the kind that can be used as a confidante by a man.

This unique attraction can be sexual skills, talent, or even good qualities. It is a unique experience with a man.

In short, this woman must be made to feel that she is unique in the mind of the man, a fairy sent from heaven, and the salvation deep in his soul. See She seemed to have met love.

This is the core of the beauty trap.

So, for such a unique beauty, she accidentally met the destined man tonight. , so abandoning everything and following them voluntarily is naturally much more precious than giving them away as goods.

This is also the reason why they don’t have much objection to Zhou Boru using the oiran ladies they invited as a foil to Gu Qingyi tonight.

Because, compared to the famous Gu Qingyi in Jiangnan, the oirans they invited always seemed a bit ordinary.

Jia Lian didn't speculate too much, because since Gu Qingyi appeared, he had roughly guessed the result. After all, if you don't want to donate such a "good thing", the best choice is to not let it be seen by people who are much more noble than yourself. Otherwise, wouldn't it make people care about you and cause trouble for no reason?

So after hearing Zhou Boru's words, he turned his head and looked at the girl in green with interest.

From the beginning, he found that this beauty had a coldness about her. Even if she said some words before, it seemed that she was based on social survival rather than sincerity.

Sure enough, Gu Qingyi showed no surprise at all at Zhou Boru's words. He just bowed to Zhou Boru, then turned to Jia Lian, nodded gently: "Qingyi's body, if you can get it, The Lord favors you and is willing to take him in. Qing Yi is willing to serve you all his life."

The words are concise and concise, and there is no trace of emotion. It sounds like a faint resignation, which makes people feel that it is missing. A little bit of a surprise.

Facing the expectant gazes of everyone, Jia Lian did not respond directly, but looked at Gu Qingyi and smiled: "The girl in Qingyi just said that she had added a new tune to my lovesickness order. This is quite surprising. I am a little curious. The time is just right tonight. I wonder if I am lucky enough to hear the girl in Qingyi play this song?"

Seeing Jia Lian being so polite to Gu Qingyi, the salt merchants were a little stunned. This is a promise. Accept it, or don’t agree to accept it?

Zhou Boru also frowned. Although Jia Lian was a difficult person to handle, he absolutely did not believe that Jia Lian could reject his kindness!

After thinking for a while, I probably understood what Jia Lian meant, and sighed secretly in my heart. It seems that if I want to pass the customs this time, I can't do it without paying a big price.

And Gu Qingyi, who had always spoken softly and had a calm face, showed a hint of surprise for the first time. He glanced at Jia Lian's handsome face, nodded, and stepped back.

…

When the clear and sweet singing, accompanied by the faint sound of the piano, spread out from the hall, it also interrupted the three or five people gathering in the corridor outside. On the whispering oiran ladies.

As the heads of various flower houses, they would never get together.

Only during the annual Oiran Competition, when the Oiran ladies from various states are touring and performing, they can occasionally meet in pairs.get together.

This time, I never expected that in such a way, the oirans, who I rarely met but had compared with each other countless times, would gather here.

Moreover, the purpose of all of them coming here is just to please one person.

This is a rare occurrence in their oiran career.

I can’t help but feel bitter and happy at the same time.

To my delight, I met the rumored Marquis Zhenyuan. He was indeed so handsome, handsome and mighty.

The bitter thing is that this time, they were completely treated as foils. You know, in the past, in their own flower house, or even in their own state capital, they had others serve as foils for them!

There was a gap in their hearts, but when they thought that the person being foiled was Gu Qingyi, the gap in many people's hearts became smaller.

After all, the reputation of the other party is beyond the reach of all Jiangnan courtesans, and there is nothing they can do about it if they are jealous.

"Sister Pan'er, I heard that you once performed in the palace of the Marquis. You are also the only one among us Jiangnan oiran ladies who have seen the many faces of the Marquis. Can you tell us about the rumors? What kind of person is the Marquis of Zhenyuan?

When I saw him just now, I just thought he was so young and handsome, but I couldn’t see anything else."
< br />After putting away her makeup, Shen Paner was surrounded by a group of people as soon as she came out for some air.

But she is used to it, so she responds very naturally to these competitors who appear to be sisters, but in fact are competing with each other.

"Also, I heard that you have already served Lord Zhenyuan. Is it true?" A flower girl asked seriously with her innocent eyes open.

Shen Paner looked back at her and shook her head, "This must be a misinformation. Mr. Zhenyuan is such a heroic figure. How could he like his sister? She is not that good. Life."

The flower girl's face showed a secret look of joy.

"No way, why did I hear that you have already left the Jiaofang? If you had not decided to follow the Marquis of Zhenyuan, how could you have left the Jiaofang?"

Some people questioned it, which immediately caused a chain reaction.

"Sister Pan'er, will you still participate in this year's Oiran Competition?"

"Probably not, after all, I have participated twice. If you really can't compete with Gu Qingyi, what's the point of participating again."

Others became suspicious again.

Oiran competition, that isA stage where countless courtesans compete throughout Jiangnan. Being able to shine in the Oiran Competition has many benefits for each of them.

Not to mention, once one becomes one of the four major oirans, the appearance fee will be as low as one hundred taels and upwards.

This brings not only money, but also extraordinary status and more opportunities to meet noble people.

For these courtesans, what is more worthy of pursuit than getting a good home?

Shen Paner participated in the previous two sessions, but suddenly stopped participating this time. Before the union, it was reported that Shen Pan'er had left the workshop and disappeared for more than half a month. They all thought that Shen Pan'er must have lied.

During that time, he must have been serving Jia Lian.

I just don’t know why, she wants to deny it now? Is it because she is not charming enough to attract Jia Lian, so she is embarrassed to admit it, or is Jia Lian just a false name, but in fact she is also a heartless person who abandoned her after playing with her sister Pan'er?

Thinking of this, some people who had a desire to cling to Jia Lian immediately retreated.

After all, I was born in the dust of the world, and God gave me this appearance. It would be foolish not to cherish this first opportunity of choice.

Of course, excluding two or three of them, they may still appear to be ordinary people, but in fact they are no longer perfect people.

Oirans are also divided into those who have left the court and those who have left the court. Usually the status of the courtier is much higher than that of the court.

In order to please Jia Lian, the salt merchants naturally invited Qing Guan'er, but even if they followed Qing Guan'er's reputation, there was still a chance of a thunderstorm. After all, even if Qing Guer was secretly dedicated to his favorite lover, or if he was forcibly defiled by a powerful person without reporting it to the building, others would naturally not know about it.

Therefore, these two or three people dare not mess with a nobleman of Jia Lian's level. Because it doesn't matter if they fool others. If Jia Lian or the salt merchants find out that they have been cheated, their fate will be tragic.

Shen Paner saw the expressions of these "sisters" in her eyes and naturally understood their thoughts. She was willing to cause such misunderstandings to them.

Every one of the courtesans who came tonight is a great threat. If the salt merchants hadn't asked her to mediate because they saw that she had "served" Jia Lian, she wouldn't have had the opportunity to see Jia Lian again today.

Glancing in the direction of the main hall, except for Gu Qingyi’s singing and the sound of the piano, I couldn’t see anything else.

At the stairway and in the corridor, there were officers and soldiers on alert everywhere. Walk to the fence and look downstairs. There are also three steps below.One post, one sentry every five steps.

She had just looked out from the window in the wing room. The entire Wangjiang Tower was also under guard and control by Jia Lian's officers and soldiers.

Is this the style and power of an imperial envoy?

She also wants to be protected by this power. It's a pity that his affairs are almost finished. After finishing his affairs, he should return to the capital.

So, this is her last chance.

…

In the hall, after Gu Qingyi performed, Jia Lian and the salt merchants began to talk about the main topic.

This time, the salt merchants were much more honest and did not ramble on to find excuses. Instead, they frankly admitted that the things they did for the court were not thoughtful enough and that they were at fault, and they were willing to accept the court's advice. punish.

I just begged Jia Lian for forgiveness and consideration.

"I can understand you, but you don't understand me.

"When I first entered Yangzhou, I gave you advice, but you Not only did he not appreciate it, but he sent people to assassinate me again and again. What he did really chilled me."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's question, the salt merchants shouted that they were wronged. , saying that it was Zhao and Wang who made their own decisions, and everything they did had nothing to do with them.

After talking for a long time, Zhou Boru said tentatively: "It's all because of the villain's ignorance. It's not until today that I understand the good intentions of the adults.

If so The adults are willing to forgive, and the villains are willing to comply with the adults' request on that day and make amends for the mistakes they committed..."

Seeing Jia Lian's thoughtful expression, which seemed to be reasonable, Zhou Boru hurriedly said : "Although the evil things done by the Zhao family and the Wang family have nothing to do with villains, the reason why your Excellency is frightened is because of the salt policy. Therefore, in addition to the three million taels of silver that Your Majesty said that day to compensate the national treasury, one million taels of silver will be given to Your Majesty. Come to take care of the adults and villains in the court, and I am also willing to offer a generous gift to the adults alone to calm the adults.

I also ask the adults, for the sake of the villain and others’ sincere repentance, to give them to the villain. People are waiting for this opportunity."

Zhou Boru said, stood up first and knelt down to plead.

When other people saw this, they also did the same.

Jia Lian looked at these people on the ground coldly. Today's honesty can be regarded as not crying without seeing the coffin, so he does not deserve sympathy.

If these salt merchants were not involved in the problem of salt consumption by nearly half of the people in the Wei Dynasty, and would not be involved in more matters and cause greater turmoil, there would be no injustice even if all of them were confiscated and held accountable.

　“Everyone, get up."

" Mr. Xie..."

"I don't want to embarrass you too much. After all, we are all working for the imperial court.

That’s all, just follow what President Zhou said. Anyway, I have also raided Zhao, Wang and other families. Now you are willing to sincerely repent. After I return to Beijing, I can give an explanation to the court and Your Majesty.

However, I have one more thing to remind you. "

All the salt merchants hurriedly bent down to listen to the admonishment.

"You sell salt for the imperial court and are in charge of the livelihood of the people in the world. You are considered to have done a lot of hard work, so you are better than other merchants. The court can understand if there is more Lilan.

But everything should be done in a degree. The Wei Dynasty governs the people by national laws. If you cannot abide by the laws, I am afraid that even if I forgive you this time, you will still be unable to ensure the continuity of your family in the future.

Therefore, I give you a suggestion, either quit the salt business as soon as possible, or, be honest, keep your integrity, and don't be smart.

For example, you have suffered heavy losses this time. Do you think that after I leave, you can get more money back from the people? "

All the salt merchants dare not.

"It doesn’t matter if you really don’t dare or if you pretend you don’t dare.

In short, I have already reminded you.

In fact, because the price of salt on the market is getting higher and higher, the salt tax entering the national treasury is decreasing year by year, which has long aroused the dissatisfaction of the court and His Majesty.

Some people even suggested that the existing method of specific families operating salt shops should be abolished and that all merchants from all over the world should be able to sell salt..."

"How can this be done? If it works, wouldn't it be a mess to let other merchants interfere in the salt business? How can we ensure that the salt and iron industry is exclusively operated by the court? "

"Yes, yes..."

" The salt merchants exploded after hearing such words that wanted to deprive them of their special status. After all, they can Such a wealthy family is nothing more than a family designated by the imperial court to sell official salt.

If merchants from all over the world come to compete with them, then their advantage will not be lost all at once

This is much more intolerable than Jia Lian taking away four million taels from them.

“Quiet. "

"I have said that this is the suggestion of some ministers in the court, and the court has not yet adopted it.

But you are all smart people, and you should know that when one day the court really loses trust in you, you will feel that what you just didWill the problems mentioned still be problems? This is what I have said. Everyone, please go down and make a good summary. "

Everyone looked at each other, and Zhou Boru quickly said: "Thank you, sir, for reminding me. I will study your teachings carefully later. "

Jia Lian didn't say anything more. The reason why he said the following words was just that he didn't want these salt merchants to immediately seek compensation by maliciously raising the price of salt because they had lost millions. In that way, it seemed as if he and Emperor Ningkang were trying to steal the people's wealth and anoint them in various ways.

Then Zhou Boru and others said that the amount of money to be handed over was huge, and it would take them some time. Jia Lian generously gave them a deadline of seven days to make preparations. Because it would take him a lot of time to finish the matter of going south, for example, he wanted to clear out the huge piles of goods piled up in the Yanzheng Yamen. It will take a lot of time to count the wealth and complete the shipment.

"The Zhao family, Wang family, etc. have violated the national law and have their homes confiscated and questioned. It will be very satisfying. It's just that the large area of ​​​​land they left behind cannot be taken over by no one. Otherwise, over time, the people will not be able to buy salt, and there will be chaos. "

Zhou Boru suddenly mentioned it cryptically.

Jia Lian smiled and asked: "As far as I know, although you have a fixed area for selling salt, but In order to prevent a state capital from having only one salt shop, which would easily drive up the price of salt, the imperial court had already formulated a law that required at least three salt shops to exist in a state capital at the same time.

What you really want to ask is about the salt of the three families of Wang, Zhao and Feng, right? "

"The affairs of Yanyin are not under my control, and I don't want to. When the court's new Salt Patrol Censor comes down, he will be the one to make arrangements on the court's behalf.

However, I do have a piece of cake in my hands. I wonder if you are interested in eating it? ”

When Zhou Boru heard this, he guessed that it was the Wang family bank left by the Wang family.

Opening a bank is not a simple matter. They all know that the Wang family The bank is not easy to change in the hands of Jia Lian. In the end, he will probably find a family with strong financial resources to take over.

Therefore, several people who are confident and want to win over look at each other. , all secretly thinking about how to get this piece of cake.

After all, if we can really get the Wang Bank at a reasonable price, the loss in Jia Lian’s hands should be able to make up for it. Got it!