After Gu Ye visited Shen Hanchun that day, he went out to play by himself as usual.
He had already figured out the area near the British Mansion, and he wanted to explore other places, but the young servant refused, saying, "The young master has already been to the place that is two quarters of an hour away from the mansion. Yuan is really not good, the little one can't explain it to the general."
Gu Ye agreed to the conditions before he came out, and he couldn't shake him off, so he was a little embarrassed.
It has been almost half a month since I entered Beijing, and now Qiuhu is still quite powerful, and the weather is still very warm during the day, even a little hot. But it's winter, and it's getting colder, so his mother doesn't think she'll let him run outside all day.
He bowed his head, and before he took two steps, he heard someone calling him.
In front of a private house, Mr. Wen Er was sitting at the entrance of the people's main gate eating an ice bowl.
The two families have been in contact with each other all the time. Master Wen Er and Gu Ye naturally knew each other, but they were not very friendly before.
Not long ago, Mr. Wen Er received an errand to collect debts, which was recommended by Wu Qingyi.
At that time, Mrs. Wen was worried about the whereabouts of her second son.
Not long after their family arrived in the capital, they fell into the eyes of Emperor Zhengyuan.
Mr. Wen became the first assistant again, and Mr. Wen also returned to the Hanlin Academy to study books.
As for Mr. Wen Er, there is no whereabouts.
He also wanted to do some small business in the capital, but when he inquired about it, the shops that were rented by the imperial court were gone, and the ones for sale were more than 10,000 taels. As for other shops, naturally they are not cost-effective for the imperial court to rent and sell, and the asking price is high.
In fact, this capital, Mrs. Wen can afford.
But Mr. Wen Er shrank himself. He said that if he knew how much he weighed, he was not someone who could do big business. This trip is considered to have seen the prosperity of the capital, and I want to go back to Hanshan Town. It is not a problem to be idle in the capital.
Since Mrs. Wen brought him out, he would definitely not let him go back to be a Wen Tie chicken.
The father and son were fighting, and the errand came to the door.
Emperor Zhengyuan personally discussed with the old man, saying that it was recommended by the British government, and asked the old man what he meant.
Although this errand still deals with money and has nothing to do with elegance, but if it is to be done, it will be a good thing for the country and the people.
Besides, Mrs. Wen also knew that something that was too elegant could not be done by his second child. Coupled with the promise of Emperor Zhengyuan, if this errand is done, he can find an errand for Mr. Wen Er at the Ministry of Household in the future!
The Ministry of Household has always been fat and short, and many people want to squeeze in when they break their heads.
Mr. Wen thanked him, and when he went back, he recruited Mr. Wen Er into the study and said.
Master Wen Er was very frightened at first, and said with a sad face: "What kind of person am I, why am I hanging up in front of Your Majesty? Dad, please don't give me errands, this kind of offending people is thankless and thankless, idiot. Just do it!"
Grandpa Wen told him a big truth and analyzed the difficulties of the new dynasty. Seeing that Mr. Wen Er was still pretending to be dead, he mentioned that Emperor Zhengyuan promised him a small official in the Ministry of Housing.
Speaking of this, Mr. Wen Er was a little moved, but soon he shook his head again and said, "It's enough to have a father and elder brother in the family. I don't have ink in my stomach, so I don't want to eat this bowl of rice!"
Being an official is naturally majestic, and which ordinary people do not want to be an official
But his father has been beautiful for so many years, and he met a faint-hearted prince before, so he was demoted and turned into a white body? He was almost involved in the turmoil of the Abandoned Emperor fleeing south, and he could not protect himself.
If he hadn't caught up with the new dynasty and met the enlightened Emperor Zheng Yuan, wouldn't his father have been busy all his life
In the end, Mr. Wen threw out a condition that Mr. Wen Er could not refuse, and Emperor Zhengyuan would also give him money.
Of course, it's not as good as Wu Qingyi, a respectable character - this is an errand for Wu Qingyi, he can get 1%, and if it is replaced by the little-known Master Wen Er, that's 1/1000.
One thousandth of a few million taels is a few thousand taels of silver.
When Master Wen Er heard this, his eyes lit up immediately, and he stomped his feet and said, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? This errand son, try it, whether it is successful or not, he should serve the country!"
If it is done, it will cost thousands of taels of silver. If it is not done, it is just a loss of face.
The face is worthless, and the business is worthless!
Seeing how happy he was, Mrs. Wen was both angry and funny.
In this way, Mr. Wen Er took the errand and started the road of debt collection.
Because of this kind of friendship, Mr. Wen Er now encounters people in the British government with a bit of affection.
After Master Wen Er called Gu Ye, Gu Ye ran over and shouted "Second Uncle" and asked him what he was doing here.
Mr. Wen Er said with a smile that he was running an errand, and then let Gu Ye sit down with his little pony, and gave him an untouched ice bowl to eat.
One big and one small squatted and sat leisurely at the entrance of the People's Great Hall, eating ice bowls leisurely. Master Wen Er slammed his mouth and sighed, "This ice bowl is not as good as your shaved ice."
Gu Ye nodded and said, "Indeed."
"What do you say about your family, where are you going to open a shop?" Mr. Wen Er was not a person who paid attention to food and clothing, but since his cook was kicked out by the emperor, when they returned to town, they all ate food for the sky.
Now that I have a comparison, I don't think it tastes good when I eat others.
Gu Ye thought for a while and said, "I haven't decided yet. My mother and shopkeeper Zhou are discussing it."
Just as they were talking, the door behind them creaked open, and a well-mannered young man walked out.
Seeing Mr. Wen Er, the young man's face was obviously not good, but he had to pretend to laugh and say: "Why is Mr. Wen Er still here? It is said that when my father is in better health, he will naturally repay that part of the debt. ."
The words were polite, but the look of the other party looking at Master Wen Er was no different from looking at flies and bugs, full of disgust.
Master Wen Er was not angry, but still smiled, cupped his hands and said with a smile: "Why do you owe money or not? I just heard that Mr. Li was not feeling well, and I was worried, and I was afraid that I would go in and disturb the old man's recovery, so I only Waiting outside the door can be regarded as doing a little bit of the younger generation."
Mr. Li was blocked by his words, and his face became darker.
The second master Pianwen didn't notice it, but he still smiled and said, "Master Xiao Li, are you going out?"
That Mr. Li took two deep breaths and said, "There is a poetry meeting with classmates and old friends."
There have been two calls in front of the people who wanted to ask for the account, but they were all able to hear what they were talking about. They said a few good words and asked the other party to be accommodating. face.
But the second child of the Wen family doesn't listen to any good words, and sticks to his house like a dog-skin plaster, and it's not a day or two.
Before Master Li went to court, Master Wen Er followed to the gate of the palace.
After waiting until Master Li went to court, Master Wen Er followed up with Master Li again.
Others see that there are more people around him, and they always ask.
Mr. Wen Er did not shy away, and said that he wanted the account, "Master Li owes the court a total of 5,675 taels of silver!"
As for why there are so many parts and parts, that was calculated by Mr. Wen Er according to the date of the IOU and the profit of the bank over the years.
Because of this, Mr. Li was ridiculed a lot. It's not that he is laughing at him for borrowing money from the imperial court, but that he can't deal with such a sloppy white man as Master Wen Er.
Master Li can't do anything either. Master Wen Er is white, but his family came here on an edict, and the size is also an imperial envoy. Their Li family is a literati, so are they still fighting with him? What's even more difficult is that his biological father is now the head of the civil service, and the trouble is too ugly, and it is not good for his own family.
Mr. Wen Er didn't even enter the door of the house, he just sat at the door and talked about money whenever anyone asked him. He could sit in the morning until night when no one asked him, and when he was sleeping, the carriage that blocked the back door of Li's house was stopped. At the gate of Li's house, he slept in the carriage. In the early hours of the morning, let the coachman take him home to change clothes, take a shower, and wash up. The next day just dawned, and he would show up on time, and then follow up.
In the late autumn, the temperature difference between morning and evening is large, and elderly people are prone to get sick. Then Mr. Li became sullen and felt really uncomfortable. He simply said that he was sick at home.
Now the second master no longer follows Master Li, and instead follows the little Master Li in front of him.
Hearing that he was going to a poetry party, Master Wen Er immediately followed.
Gu Ye saw that it was still early, so he was not in a hurry to go home, and he had nothing to play, so he followed.
After walking for about a quarter of an hour, Mr. Li entered a tea house.
This teahouse has been in the capital for some years, and there are many literati and elegant guests.
The private rooms here have to be reserved, not just for people to come in and out at will. Just knowing this, Mr. Li didn't turn off this party. He walked upstairs to the elegant room smoothly, and saw that Mr. Wen Er was stopped by Xiao Er, and raised his lips contemptuously.
After seeing old friends and old friends, Mr. Li sat down with them after chatting, and talked about the newly acquired treasure.
The treasures of literati are naturally not vulgar things, they are all things like pen, ink, inkstone, calligraphy and painting.
That Mr. Li looked at his classmates showing his things one by one, his eyes were hot and he was a little uncomfortable.
He is also a self-proclaimed person who loves elegance, but recently, Master Wen Er has followed suit. Whenever he enters a shop, Master Wen Er will always whisper in his ear: "Five thousand six hundred seventy-five, five Thousand six hundred and seventy-five…”
"Why did Brother Li come here today and just sit and don't speak?" A classmate who used to have some quarrels with Mr. Li laughed, "I remember that Brother Li likes Yantai the most. Recently, a new batch of good ones have come to Yanzhai. Why don't you see Brother Li to buy one to play with? But you're so shy?"
The news that the Li family was glued to the dog-skin plaster that was ordered to pay the bills spread like wildfire, and it became a joke after a meal among the people in Beijing.
Mr. Li's face flushed red, but at this moment, the haunting voice sounded in his ear: "Five thousand six hundred and seventy-five..."
Mr. Li sat with his back to the window. He was shocked when he heard the sound, and asked everyone, "Did you hear that?"
What did others ask to hear
Mr. Li looked embarrassed, and it was difficult to ask others carefully if they heard the amount of money owed by him.
"Brother Li, why is he so sensitive all of a sudden? Although we are in the private room, there are many people in the teahouse, and the private rooms are also next to each other. Naturally, we may hear the voice next door."
A group of classmates comforted him a few words, and then continued to speak.
Then Master Li also thought he was hallucinating, but after a while, he heard that number again!
This time it wasn't just him, others heard it too. The voice didn't seem to come from next door, it seemed to come from behind Master Li.
When everyone opened the window, they saw Mr. Wen Er who was hanging on the railing outside and hanging in the air!
Master Wen Er still smiled and said, "Master Li is not good to listen to what people say. You go to Yanzhai to buy some inkstones. Your family still owes His Majesty five thousand six hundred and seventy-five taels of silver!"
A group of literati were almost scared to death by him, and they pulled him up.
Mr. Li was disgraced by him, and he was so frightened that he had no face to attend any party, and went home immediately.
All the way back to Li's house, Mr. Li entered the house and went straight to his father's house.
Mr. Li looked at his ugly face and asked him if something happened to him
With a dark face, Mr. Li told what happened today in its entirety, and then said, "Father, why don't we return the money! My son can't take it anymore, and if the second child of the Wen family is next to me today, At any rate, my son is full of mouths and can't tell!"
In this world, those who are shameful are afraid of shameless, and those who are fatal are afraid of dying.
Master Wen Er is neither shameless nor life-threatening, who can withstand this
"That debt collector is really annoying!" Then Mr. Li was also annoyed by him, and waved his hand: "Pay it back, pay it back, anyway, it will be paid back sooner or later."
The Li family is not a corrupt official, on the contrary, it used to be a clear stream of the court.
It was only later that I saw that Mrs. Wen had been dealt with by the little emperor, so I shrank, and dared not sing against the little emperor again.
Now that Emperor Zhengyuan is in power, there are many people who owe money, all wanting to fight against the new dynasty? Of course not, Gein has no one to take the lead.
After all, they were courtiers of the old dynasty, and when they returned the money to the new dynasty, it was inevitable that people would say that they were not arrogant, and they were rushing to sell it to the new master!
The Li family had prepared the money for a long time, and they were waiting for others to be the best.
Now that the second master can chase his family's debts, he will naturally follow the same method to chase other people's debts. At that time, others will naturally know that their Li family can't do anything about it, and it's definitely not that their knees are weak!
In the early afternoon, Mr. Wen Er recovered the first debt.
Although it is not much, it is also a good sign, indicating that the next few thousand taels will also make money sooner or later!
"Ono is really a lucky star!" Master Wen Er sincerely praised.
Otherwise, why didn't he come every day before, but when Gu Ye came today, he was going to go
Gu Ye smiled without saying a word, and boasted: "Second uncle is really good at climbing the wall, no worse than me."
Master Wen Er said proudly: "That's not true. Why is he in the town of Ueno, how can he not have the ability to climb trees and climb over walls? Of course, it is mainly you who are there."
At that time, Mr. Wen Er wanted to climb the wall, but was also afraid of falling.
Although it's only on the third floor, it can be big or small when you fall. If you fall to your own death, you really have a life to make money but not a life to spend money.
Gu Ye also said at the time to let him come, he is very good at this.
Master Wen Er and his servant said no at the same time.
The boy behind said: "Master Wen Er, go ahead, the little one can fight, even if you fall, the little boy can catch you."
Everyone knows that Wu Qingyi is very skilled in martial arts, and he naturally has no wine bag and rice bag.
Master Wen Er then became bold.
After clearing the account, Mr. Wen Er returned the IOUs from the Li family, took out a few IOUs he carried with him, and flipped through them, again inviting Gu Ye and him to go to the next house.
That family was an honorable member of the previous dynasty, and now it only bears a false title, and the real difference has already been passed down by Emperor Zhengyuan.
No one in his family is an official in the court now, so naturally he doesn't have to sell Mrs. Wen's face. He also runs a casino and has a lot of thugs. It's a tough bone to chew on.
But the other party owes a lot of money, more than fifty thousand taels!
Master Wen Er had been to his house before, and when he saw the strong thugs in the casino, he was scared away.
But today, Master Wen Er felt that his luck was very good. In addition, there was a servant boy who knew martial arts beside Gu Ye, so he took them there.
The servant originally wanted to persuade Gu Ye to leave, but Gu Ye said, "Second Uncle is doing an errand for His Majesty, and the errand was recommended by our family. Why can't I go?"
Li is such a reason, but how can such a young child enter the casino
But that little servant was also stupid, and he hadn't figured out how to persuade him. Gu Ye had already got into the casino like a loach, so he had to quickly follow.
Master Wen Er first found the young owner of the casino and explained his purpose.
The young master sneered, copying his hand: "Our casino opens the door to do business. If Master Wen Er comes to take care of our business, we welcome it, if not..."
He turned his head and winked, and several muscular thugs in sackcloth vests approached.
Master Wen Er stepped back again and again, thinking that he still has helpers, but he turned his head and saw that Gu Ye was actually crowded in front of the gambling table and watching with gusto!
He retreated to the door, wiped his sweat and said, "Xiaoye, what are you doing here? Aren't we here to do business?"
Gu Ye asked curiously, "Second uncle, how does this play?"
Master Wen Er was silent, joking, it was already a risk to bring this little guy into the casino. Let his father know that he also teaches the little guy to gamble, so he can't be skinned alive
At this moment, there was a burst of cheers from the crowd.
"Okay! Master Feng is worthy of being the younger brother of the number one general of the dynasty, and he won't fall into the name of the Duke of Lu at the gambling table!"
The young master of the casino, who was still fierce and vicious to Mr. Wen Er just now, was smiling all over his face, flattering a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boy in luxurious clothes.
The other people in the casino naturally crowded around, and only then did they know that Young Master Feng was betting big and small, and he directly bet one thousand taels of silver!
All kinds of flattery came and went, Gu Ye asked inexplicably, "The number one general in the dynasty, isn't it the British prince?"
His childish voice was clear and tender, which was very different from the voices of adults.
That Feng Gongzi is also a martial artist, and his ears are excellent. When he caught his words, he frowned and said, "Where is the child from this casino?"
Everyone followed his gaze again, and then they saw the little radish head in the crowd.
The young owner of the casino immediately came out to drive people out: "Whose child is here, and where it is cool, where to stay!"
The little servant naturally stopped in front of Gu Ye.
The little servant was wearing a black robe, and the cuffs were embroidered with flame patterns the size of fingernails.
Others naturally didn't notice it, but Young Master Feng changed his expression when he saw it, and said with a frosty face: "People from the British government? No wonder a mere child dares to be so arrogant."
Hearing the British government, the young master immediately did not dare to make a sound.
There is no one in the court right now, but I dare not get involved in the dispute between the two princes!
Then Mr. Feng saw that the young owner of the casino was also afraid of the appearance of the British government, and said more and more impatiently: "Don't drive this child away? How can he be able to take care of your family's business for such an old child?"
Thinking that Young Master Feng in front of him really wanted to give money to his family, the young master could only bite the bullet and stepped forward and said with a smile: "Little Master, you see that this place is really not a place for children to play, otherwise you would still..."
Gu Ye looked at the Young Master Feng, his eyes darkened, and he asked, "How do you gamble with money?"
The young master patiently explained the gameplay to him, and wanted to give it away, and then listened to Gu Ye's question: "Then can I bet with him?"
His short little finger pointed at Young Master Feng.
"This, this..." There was cold sweat on the young master's forehead.
"You ask him to come over, and this young master will bet with him!" That young master Feng sneered, "But we can agree, don't cry if you lose the bet!"
Gu Ye flipped through his purse, which contained a few taels of wages he had saved before, as well as some scraps of silver that his grandmother secretly stuffed him after he arrived in the capital. Add up to less than ten taels of silver.
"Hey, the British prince came out with such a little capital?" Then Mr. Feng smiled coldly, "Do you want me to lend you a little?"
If the capital is not enough, naturally he can't go to the gambling table where Mr. Feng is - there is a VIP table that starts with a hundred taels.
Of course Gu Ye didn't want his money. He looked at the little servant, who only had some scraps of silver on him, and then he looked at Mr. Wen Er again.
Mr. Wen Er still carried several thousand taels of warm silver notes that he had just asked for.
Master Wen Er immediately covered the money bag, it wasn't his money, it was the court's! And even if it was his money, who would lend such an older child to gamble
"No." Gu Ye turned his head, chose a gambling table at random, and put the money on top, "I'll start here."
After seeing the situation clearly, Young Master Feng sneered and went back to his side.
Master Wen Er squeezed into the crowd to take a look, his face flushed with anxiety, "Xiaoye, do you know what you are betting on? You are betting on a leopard!"
Gu Ye looked around, then lowered his voice and said, "I know, but the man told me just now that if you win big or small, you can get double, and if you hit the leopard, you can get triple, so I can hurry up. Did you gamble with that person?"
"Why do you get tripled if you win this bet? Haven't you thought about it?"
The so-called leopard is that three dice throw exactly the same number of points, which is only one in thirty-six possible in terms of probability.
It turned out to be like this, Gu Ye nodded thoughtfully, "It's okay, I think I have good luck these two days, didn't you say the same just now?"
Master Wen Er thought that was a polite word, silly boy! Besides, who's luck is good enough to bet on the leopard? !
"The child is ignorant, ignorant!" Master Wen Er was heartbroken for his ten taels of silver, and with a smile, he reached out to the gambling table to help him get the money back.
"There is no size on the gambling table, even if you are from the British government, it is not good!"
"That's right! We're all like you, can we still gamble?"
Before the people in the casino made a sound, the gamblers had already stopped Mr. Wen Er.
The dice sounded at the back, and now it is impossible to get it back. Master Wen Er said to Gu Ye, "That's ten taels. Do you know how much you can buy? You child is really... "
"Open!" The sound of the dice stopped, and the dealer who shook the dice cup sang loudly: "Three sixes, leopard!"
…
In the British public mansion, Gu Yinzheng and Mrs Wang try on new clothes.
Wu Qingyi had informed in advance that the Empress Dowager was going to hold a banquet in the palace to entertain the daughters of the ministers' families.
It is estimated that the palace servant who passed the word of mouth will also come over these two days.
The jewelry, head and face in the warehouse are all ready-made, and the clothes that go into the palace must be made new.
Fortunately, there are Xiu Niang in the house. The next day after they entered Beijing, Xiu Niang came to measure them.
By this day, new clothes have been made.
The cloth was also given by the palace, and the embroidery thread was left over from the original palace.
Wang Shi touched the new dress, which was soft and light, and had gold lines, and sighed, "In the past, you spent half a tael or a tael to buy a dress for me, but I was reluctant to wear it, so I had to change it. How do you think that you can wear such good clothes now? It's a pity that these satin can't be sold for money, otherwise the mother will sell it and make it for you."
Later, Mrs. Wang went to see the big restaurant on Taibai Street, and liked it more and more. Unfortunately, the money at home is really tight.
But fortunately, although the restaurant is affordable, the average family can't afford 15,000 taels. Most of the people who can afford such a large amount of money were famous in the previous dynasty. Now that the dynasty has changed, they got news that the court The cost is tight, but I dare not refill it at this time.
So that big restaurant has not been sold yet.
If it has not been sold until the new year, the British government has received a salary and can buy it.
Gu Yin's mentality is better than Wang's. If you can buy it, you can buy it. If you can't buy it, you can change it elsewhere.
She pushed Wang Shi in front of the mirror and sighed: "My mother looks good and energetic in this way. If I go out, I don't say that she is Qingyi's mother. People still think you are his sister."
The Wang family looked younger than his peers, and the family was reunited behind him. He was in good spirits at happy events, and he looked less and less old.
"That's good," Wang said happily, "I'll say it's your father's eldest daughter in the future, and then I'll tell myself a good marriage and recruit a young and handsome husband into the family!"
Because there are no outsiders around, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law dare to say anything nonsense.
While laughing and making trouble, a little maid hurriedly came to report: "Old Madam, Madam, Miss Shen is not good!"
This Shen Hanchun suddenly fell ill half a month ago, and he was looked after by the imperial doctor every day, and Gu Ye went to supervise.
It is also strange that after raising for half a month, there is no improvement, and there are many coma and few waking hours, and he can't get out of bed.
"Why is it bad?" Gu Yin stopped smiling and asked.
The little girl said: "Miss Shen just woke up, she can take the soup by herself, and she said she wanted to get out of bed for a walk. I don't know what happened, but she suddenly said that her chest was tight and she vomited blood again!"
"Let the two imperial doctors go, and the old doctor fairy too."
As Wang shi gave her instructions, she grabbed Gu Yin and gave her a wink.
It's not easy for them to look at Shen Hanchun, it's not that they are afraid of bad luck, don't go and crush people to death directly because of their fate!