Amidst the laughter, Xin Chaoyang's expression remained unchanged, and he lowered his eyes and poured himself a glass of wine.
"Okay, thank you young master Yahe." Gu Shiba's expression returned to normal, she stood up and gave a shallow salute.
Logically speaking, she should have raised her glass to take a drink, but instead of thinking about it, she just saluted.
If you don't want to drink, don't drink. This woman is still so cautious even when she is distracted.
"You're welcome, Miss Eighteen." Xin Chaoyang raised his glass and smiled in return, drinking it all in one gulp. "It's late at night, Xin said goodbye."
After that, he stood up.
Gu Shiba Niang didn't try to hold him back, she smiled and nodded, "I'll see the young master off."
Xin Chaoyang smiled and turned sideways, asking her to go ahead. He was one step behind, and the two maids divided into two lines and followed slowly.
"I will study the skills taught by my master this year. However, I promise that the medicine specially provided for your family will not change." Gu Shiba Niang said with a smile.
"I naturally trust the Eighteenth Lady more than I can." How much medicine can be given?”
What he considers most is that one portion of medicine a year is also a special supply, and a hundred medicines are also a special supply.
Gu Shiba Niang glanced sideways at him and thought for a moment.
"One kind comes out every month, and one kind is worth ten cents," she said.
"I'm afraid that some dignitary will ask for a certain kind of medicine..." Xin Chaoyang asked closely, with a helpless smile, "People think that we are rich, well-dressed and well-fed, but in fact it's just rich, not the word "noble" at all. It’s irrelevant…”
How do these wealthy merchants do business? The right time, right place and right people are all essential, and among them, right people is the most indispensable. They have to maintain good relations with local authorities. Only in this way can their business be carried on safely and for a long time. If the relations among all parties are good, then everyone will be happy. If you offend a powerful official, a county magistrate who ruins your family or a governor who wipes out your clan, then in a blink of an eye, you, a wealthy merchant, will be wiped out.
Gu Shiba Niang understood what he meant and remained silent.
"Xin Mou admires the courage of the eighteenth lady." Xin Chaoyang suddenly sighed.
Gu Shiba Niang smiled and glanced at the Chi he held in his hand, "Okay, just for Chi's sake, I have to agree, and I can only ask for one special medicine at most every month."
Xin Chaoyang laughed loudly and said thank you.
"However, I want 90% of the money for the medicine you just asked for." Gu Shiba Niang said with a smile, "As for me helping you out, you don't need to thank me."
Since it is a last resort for you to be chased by dignitaries for medicine, then she promised to rescue them from the siege. This is enough for them to be grateful. As for the price, there is no need to worry about it so much.
"It's such a beautiful and elegant time, talking about this, it's really..." Xin Chaoyang shook his head and sighed, seeming to smile with a trace of regret and helplessness.
"Let's not talk about it. How can you and I have the fate to enjoy this beautiful scenery together?" Gu Shiba Niang said with a faint smile.
She stopped in front of the door and stepped aside slightly.
Xin Chaoyang paused briefly in front of her and glanced at her face.
"Young lady, stay here." He cupped his hands and said with a smile.
"It's easy to go, young master." Gu Shiba Niang said with a smile.
Watching the carriage drive into the dark street, Gu Shiba Niang stood for a moment and ordered the door to be closed.
"Miss," the maids, who have not yet recovered from the surprise brought by Xin Chaoyang, said with gleaming eyes, "this young master is so kind to the lady..."
Visiting late at night to congratulate him, the key is that he is good-looking and a rich man. Any young woman in this world would be excited.
The young lady is already quite old. Girls from other families are already planning to get married at this age. The young man in front of her is simply perfect.
The maids all looked at Gu Shiba Niang with excited expressions.
As she walked through the flowers and trees and cast numerous shadows on the stone pavement, Gu Shiba Niang looked at the expressions of the fourteen and fifteen year old girls around her and couldn't help but laugh.
"Of course he wants to be nice to me..." she smiled.
Although the outside world said that the young lady was a ferocious woman, the maids who often followed her knew that the young lady was actually very kind and did not have many of the petty traits of ordinary young ladies.
Talking about a man like this was extremely unruly for a boudoir lady, but the lady did not reprimand them and went along with the conversation, which made the maids very happy.
"Then, Miss..." A bold maid asked stammeringly after being nudged by others with winks, "What do you think of him, Miss?"
In fact, what everyone meant was how about marrying him, but this was something that the girl's family couldn't say anyway.
Gu Shiba Niang laughed loudly, looking at these little girls who were in their prime of youth.
"He treats me well because I am worthy of him treating me well," she shook her head and said with a smile, and then seemed to sigh, "But what if one day I don't deserve it anymore? Or, one day, I won't deserve it anymore." There are women who are more worthy..."
Now she, Gu Shiniang, has understood that in this world, the jungle is the strongest. If she wants not to be treated like an ant, she must make herself worthy, worthy of others' high regard, worthy of others' awe and fear. Of course, she will definitely make this her goal. Instead of thinking that you can gain the support of others by just relying on humble flattery, as you did before, you can treat others sincerely.
However, there are exceptions to this rule for some people, and that is your closest relatives.
No matter whether she is rich or humble, her close relatives always have the same attitude, which naturally refers to her mother and brother.
As for the husband, there may be such a husband in this world who treats his wife like a close relative, but she, Gu Shiba Niang, did not have such a blessing in her previous life, and I am afraid she will not have any share in this life.
She will work hard to make herself worthy of anyone's respect, but the future is long and unknown, and she doesn't want to be stabbed in the chest with a fatal knife when she hits the bottom.
The maids looked at each other in confusion, not understanding what the young lady meant. If they wanted to ask, they saw the young lady's cold expression under the moonlight, no smile on her face, and her eyes were slightly condensed. They all kept silent and followed her quietly.
When the carriage drove into the street shrouded in darkness, Xin Chaoyang, who was sitting in the carriage, suddenly sighed lowly.
"Master, Mrs. Gu is really brave enough to open her mouth. I thought she ignored this..." On the other side of the carriage, a thin middle-aged man sat, twirling his beard and whispering.
Their main purpose this time is not to finalize the monthly amount of medicine provided by Madam Gu, but to Xin Chaoyang's last and casual suggestion of just asking for medicine. As long as Madam Gu relaxes on this, it will be a good thing for Yousheng. It means a superior status in the pharmaceutical industry. Of course, with status, money will naturally come rolling in.
Unexpectedly, this little lady would take away almost all the profits from this business as soon as she opened her mouth.
Xin Chaoyang's expression was indifferent, and he stroked his dark purple hair with his slender fingers, "Oh? Could it be that Mr. Liu thought that my trip this time was a honey trap?"
Looking at the outstanding behavior of his eldest young master, it is really hard to believe that there is a woman in this world who is not moved. Master Liu couldn't help but cough.
"What the hell, the young master is joking..." He smiled, with a bit of embarrassment that his thoughts had been seen through, and quickly changed the subject, "This young lady, at such a young age, is as smart as an old man. It seems that she is not only skilled in skills but also a good person." The True Biography of Liu Gong, who has a profound knowledge of life..."
This little lady is too beautiful. With such beautiful scenery and beautiful time, you can just enjoy the beauty and music in peace, but she is still thinking about money.
Xin Chaoyang was thoughtful and did not answer.
Sure enough, this little lady was guided by the sound of her piano to reveal her hidden true feelings, but this did not make him feel relaxed that everything was under control. Instead, he felt slightly bitter in his heart.
"Beauty trap..." He murmured, laughing at himself, "There is no beauty in her eyes, only beauty and bones..."
The eldest young master seemed a bit... The sixth master squinted his eyes slightly and couldn't help but open them for a moment, a little shocked by what he found.
"However," he coughed, as if to dispel his weird thoughts, "Ms. Gu has to concentrate on training for a year. We currently have the advantage, but one year later, when Mrs. Gu shows off her skills, our contract will be invalid. It’s time…”
At that time, Madam Gu was even more popular, and they had a great life but no longer had the advantage...
"What a pity..." Mr. Liu sighed with deep reluctance, "It would be great if it could stay like this forever..."
Monopolize a pharmacist, a great pharmacist
Xin Chaoyang couldn't help but his heart skipped a beat. Most medicine shops had their own pharmacists who had signed contracts, but those famous pharmacists were naturally not willing to be controlled by others.
In order to win over the great pharmacist, the pharmacist used various tricks, the most common and most effective one was marriage.
Quan Shengyong, the boss of a medicine shop in Shandong, was the father-in-law of the great pharmacist Du Hengjiu. The three daughters of the Erhetang family in the capital were married to the great pharmacist Song Desheng...
These are all marriages, and the cooperation can be maintained for a generation. However, once the great pharmacist is passed down to one generation, the relationship will fade. After three generations at most, the effect of in-laws will not be prominent. What's more, even if you marry a girl and give her a concubine, those The descendants of the pharmacist still have the surname of the pharmacist, and they are not considered a family with these medicine shops...
But now there are female pharmacists. Female pharmacists cannot marry, but they can marry, and after marrying, they become members of other people’s families...
Xin Chaoyang and Liu Ye suddenly looked at each other, and both noticed the sparkle in the other's eyes.
"Young Master," Mr. Liu's throat was a little dry, and he couldn't hide his excitement, "Ms. Gu is now a craftsman, and there is no hope of marrying a nobleman..."
A lantern was hung in the blind corner of the carriage, swaying as it moved, casting a dark shadow into the carriage. Xin Chaoyang sat upright, half of him hidden in the dimness.
"Sixth Master, please quickly collect information on the men of suitable age in the clan..." His voice was light and emotionless, "...I will submit it to my grandfather and father for selection."
The sixth master's throat moved, he glanced at his eldest master, lowered his head and said yes.
A month passed quickly, and in a blink of an eye it was September in the bleak autumn wind. The mountains and forests outside the city were particularly beautiful with their red and yellow colors.
The announcement of the examination results has made the hustle and bustle of the new scholars much quieter. As expected, Yunmeng Academy has taken the 100 places among the 300 candidates selected this time, because the palace examination will be held in the coming year, and the atmosphere of the examination will also be much relaxed. Scholars returned home to visit relatives or call friends to vent their suffering, and the once bustling academy became much quieter.
Gu Hai watched as the boys loaded the car with the gifts from Beijing.
"I'll be home by mid-October at the latest, so don't worry, madam." Gu Hai said again as he looked at the carriage that was about to set off.
"Yes, young master, take care." A young boy and a maid hurriedly bowed and saluted.
Gu Hai nodded and then waved for them to set off.
"Master, wait." A clear female voice came from a distance, and she came panting with a bundled Lingbao in her arms.
In these days, Lingbao quickly returned to the thin figure he had when he first met him. His pale face was flushed because he was running so fast, and Gu Hai couldn't help but feel a little pity.
Lingbao handed the bundle in his hand to the maid, stroking his chest and gasping: "These are... a few pairs of shoes made for... Madam and Miss..."
"It's not that I don't want to give you anything." Gu Hai shook his head.
"This is Lingbao's intention." Lingbao said.
Watching the carriage leave, Gu Hai did not turn around and enter the academy.
"Still no news about Lingyuan?" he asked.
Lingbao looked sad and shook his head.
Selling oneself as a slave, changing one's name, one's own life and death, or being resold, all kinds of uncertainties made it really not easy to find a slave in such a huge capital city.
"When will the young master return?" Instead of letting his worries affect the young master's mood, Lingbao quickly changed the subject, "Madam and young lady must be very happy."
"I'll be leaving in half a month. I still have some homework to ask my husband for advice." Gu Hai said with a smile, hesitating, "Lingbao, why don't you go back with me? It's not an option for you to search around without a clue."
Lingbao shook his head, "Thank you young master, Lingbao won't go back if he can't find his brother."
If it were him or Shiba Niang, he would definitely do this, so Gu Hai would no longer force it.
While he was talking, he saw seven or eight scholars gathered around Gu Yu coming out. Behind him were their young men leading their horses, all neatly dressed.
It looked like he was about to go out, so Gu Hai turned aside to make way.
Gu Yu was wearing a plain brocade robe, a dark cloak, a jade crown, and a shining face.
As a member of this conference, he naturally attracted countless visits and banquets, but Gu Yu was unusually low-key. Apart from his classmates and fellow students from Jiankang, he didn’t see many people. He also declined most of the banquets and still lived in Academy, study quietly.
I don’t know what kind of banquet invited him to attend this time.
Seeing Gu Hai, everyone stopped. These scholars were all from high school, with different rankings, but most of them were in the same class and in the same year. They would help each other in the officialdom in the future, so they all greeted each other with a smile.
"Let's make an appointment to go to Mr. Li, the examiner, to say thank you and come with us," someone said.
Gu Hai had never been there before, so he was moved after hearing this, and looked at Gu Yu again with some hesitation.
His hesitation could not escape Gu Yu's eyes, and a smile appeared on Gu Yu's face, with a slight sarcasm.
"What? Don't want to or... don't dare?" he asked with a smile.
This may not sound interesting to others, but the two brothers understand it in their hearts.
This time Gu Yu won the first prize, and Gu Hai noticed that his attitude had changed a lot. Of course, he still couldn't be called kind, but his eyes used to be less jealous and more sarcastic.
Isn't he just laughing at his ranking at the bottom? Gu Hai smiled a little. For Gu Hai, being in the top 300 is already very satisfying. Although he is the top of the Jiankang Provincial Examination, there are still mountains outside the mountains. The Great Zhou Dynasty was full of talents, but he didn't think that he was already the most talented in the world. Of course, everyone wanted a better ranking, so he also felt a little disappointed and a little jealous of Gu Yu, but it was just That's all.
"Of course I want to go." Gu Hai said with a smile. He happened to be wearing new clothes and was well dressed, so he ordered the boy to bring the horse.
Now that Gu Yu is famous, he is also subject to more restrictions. He must act more cautiously than before, and he will never dare to openly disagree with him.
Furthermore, it is also necessary to visit Mr. Li, the examiner.
After giving some instructions to Lingbao, Gu Hai mounted his horse and headed towards the city with the others.
Mr. Li, the examiner, is a bachelor. His residence, like other important officials, is located outside Suzaku Street in Su'an City. It is surrounded by the residences of important officials in the court. The advantage is that it shows his status, but the disadvantage is that if there is any trouble, other people will not notice it.
When Gu Yu and his party rode their horses to Master Li's door, there was already a man and horse parked in front of the door.
Watching the four or five guards dismounting, a tall middle-aged man stepped out of the four-person vermilion sedan. Although he was not wearing official uniform, the aura of the superior could not be ignored. Two or three of the people who had stopped aside suddenly stood up. The person suddenly changed color.
"It's Mr. Hu from the cabinet"
"It's this soft bone"
"dog thief"
"How could Mr. Li meet him? Mr. Li is so upright and upright, and he knows everything. He will never meet a villain like him."
Several people said with angry expressions.
Before the exam, the main station discussed the dispute with the court. Now the situation took a turn for the worse. Several supervisory historians did not know where to find evidence that General Ye Zhen had colluded with the gold thieves and intended to commit treachery. The emperor was furious and sent people to escort General Ye back to Beijing and put him in prison. .
There was an uproar in the court, and the court was in an uproar for a while. Scholars who were well-read about ancient and modern times naturally expressed their positions one after another, not to be outdone, thinking that this was a trick of the peace-seeking faction, and all kinds of arguments were flying in the sky.
The ups and downs of the official career are complicated and treacherous. There are many parties and undercurrents in the prosperous and peaceful Su'an.
"Hush, don't make any noise." Gu Yu hurriedly whispered to a few people, while looking at the few soldiers from the main war faction with a little helplessness, he reminded tactfully, "Let us not criticize important matters in the court. Today is a visit to see you. The master who is in charge of the examination will do his best as a disciple, and there will be no adultery."
At this time, the closed door of the Li family opened, and an old man wearing home clothes slowly came out. The man who rushed towards him slightly bowed his hand.
At this moment, several people who were about to remain silent after hearing Gu Yu's words suddenly became angry.
"Master Li actually came to pick up Master Hu in person."
Gu Hai, who had been silent for the whole time, looked solemn as he watched Mr. Li and Mr. Hu enter the door together. He finally flicked his sleeves and said,
"General Ye was falsely accused and imprisoned by such villains. We will never collude with him." After saying this, he turned around and left.
As soon as he left, several other scholars immediately turned their horses and left angrily. In a blink of an eye, only Gu Yu and the other two were left.
"This..." The two of them looked at Gu Yu, as if waiting for him to decide whether to leave or stay.
A smile appeared on Gu Yu's face, and he frowned as he looked at the retreating figures of Gu Hai and others.
"That's ridiculous." He sneered inaudibly.
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Xi Xing cannot add more words, so he can only try his best to write as many words as possible. In total, 4,000 words are updated every day, which is quite a lot.
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