After the conversation, Guo Shao developed a great interest in Mrs. Chen. Not only because she took the initiative to arrange the betrothal gifts, but also because her family's business was successful. The Liao Kingdom Youzhou had a grudge against the Khitans, etc. This information quickly turned into an idea in Guo Shao's mind: to find out the geographical and military situation of the Liao Kingdom in detail through the Chen family's trade exchanges.
But after all, he didn't know much about Mrs. Chen's background. Some business dealings were not important, but when it came to military and national affairs, Guo Shao was more cautious. For a while, he didn't mention anything else. He discussed the arrangements for the betrothal gifts and then said goodbye to each other.
Guo Shao returned home and told Yu Lian what happened today so that she could feel at ease.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, Yang's words surprised Guo Shao greatly. She said: Isn't Chen Jiali Zhou Ehuang's cousin
Zhou Ehuang is the eldest daughter of Emperor Zhouzong of Southern Tang, Guo Shao couldn't help but ask.
Yang nodded and said: "That's right. Zhou Ehuang is very famous in the Southern Tang Kingdom. Her name is Zhou Xian, and Ehuang is her courtesy name. Before the war in Huainan, Zhou Ehuang was repairing the Nichang Yuyi Qu in Yangzhou, and she also sent people to correspond with me to discuss this song."
Speaking of Zhou Ehuang, Guo Shao certainly knows that it is the famous Da Zhou Hou. However, the ruler of Southern Tang is still Li Jing, and Zhou Ehuang has just married Li Jing's son and has not been crowned yet. This woman is not only famous in this era, but also famous thousands of years later. Even Guo Shao, who has only a superficial understanding of history and only stays in textbooks and movies, knows that Da Zhou Hou is not as famous as her sister Xiao Zhou Hou; Xiao Zhou Hou became famous in later generations but it was not her wish. She was humiliated by Song Taizong and painted a picture to commemorate it. In fact, she was humiliated by Song Taizong for thousands of years.
Guo Shao sighed after hearing this: "I really didn't know you had contacts with people in the palace of Southern Tang. It is said that Zhou Ehuang was talented and beautiful, good at singing and dancing, and could write poems. Since she wrote to you to discuss music, then Yue'e Yang must also be famous in Southern Tang and a talented woman."
Yang's cheeks turned red and she said softly: If I had no fame, how could I be sent around by those people? It's just that I'm not as famous as Zhou Ehuang. Of course I know how to sing and dance, but my master doesn't like this. When he saw me, he tortured me without saying a word. How could I have the energy to dance and play music? Besides, who would I dance for and who would I play for
Guo Shao sighed after hearing this and said: "So, I really wasted your talent. I don't know much about music and dance, I am just a layman."
Yang smiled and said: It doesn't matter, the master's talent is not here. Those talents and music are just things to play with in leisure time. Those who know how to play with them are reluctant to avenge me; when Yangzhou was attacked, they sent me back and forth like a toy. Soldiers are dying in the front of the army, and beauties are still singing and dancing in the tent. What's the point
She was right. Guo Shao was not interested in singing and dancing now because it took too much time and effort. His love for beautiful women was an exception, which was purely biological instinct. When he had the spare time, he was always thinking about the Northern Expedition and how Zhao Kuangyin would deal with him if he gained power in the future.
However, Guo Shao was still very interested in Mrs. Chen, so he asked: Could Chen Jiali be someone with the same name and surname? Since she is Zhou Xian's cousin, she is a relative of Zhou Zong, a minister of the Southern Tang Dynasty. How could she be a businessman
Yang said: I know that Chen Jiali is from a merchant family. She is not Zhou Xian's cousin, and I don't know what kind of relationship she is now. In short, Zhou Xian's maternal uncle's family is the Chen family. The Chen family is large and powerful. In the past, the family migrated from the north to Yangzhou and settled there. There are many branches; Chen Jiali's family is one of them.
Although the Chen family married into the ministers, not all of the clan members were rich. For example, Chen Jiali's family was a big merchant, which was considered a prosperous family. Merchants were nothing special. The major salt and iron merchants in the Southern Tang Dynasty were all royal relatives and nobles. Who would care about how the money came from? As long as it was clean, it was fine.
Guo Shao nodded and said: Since it is a big family, I just need to confirm that the Chen family is a relative of Zhou Zong, a minister of the Southern Tang Kingdom, and Chen Jiali should be fine. The Southern Tang Kingdom used to be hostile to the Great Zhou because the rulers and ministers of the Southern Tang Kingdom often had the ambition to attack the Central Plains in the north; but now that Huainan has changed its master, the Southern Tang Kingdom has completely lost the strength to threaten the Great Zhou, and the relationship has been repaired quickly.
A while ago, I learned from the court that the emperor had written a letter to Li Jing, the ruler of Jiangnan, to persuade him to move the capital from Jinling. I have already made a great commitment to Jiangnan, but I am worried that future generations will not be able to accommodate the ruler of Jiangnan. You can repair the city and renovate the key points for the sake of future generations while I am still alive. The two countries are in harmony, and there is no need for the Southern Tang to be an enemy of the Great Zhou.
After hearing this, Yang said: "Master, don't you have a Southern Tang official named Zhou Duan? He is from the Zhou family and may know Chen. Why don't you ask Zhou Duan?"
Guo Shao thought it was a good idea, so he sent someone to the outer court to find his personal soldiers to pass on the message to Xuzhou, because Zhou Duan was now stationed in Xuzhou Zhongwu Jiedushi Town. Guo Shao had previously wanted to establish a staff office in Xuzhou, but it had never been implemented, and Zhou Duan was now unemployed; it was said that he lived quite well in Xuzhou and showed no signs of running away.
He found Jingniang again and asked her about bribing spies in the market, and asked Jingniang to find a way to find out about the merchant Chen family.
A few days later, Zhou Duan rushed to Tokyo. After meeting, he said that Chen did have a daughter named Chen Jiali, who was very beautiful and therefore well-known among the big families in Yangzhou.
Guo Shao thought: the head of the Shen family lost his first wife, and it would have been better to continue the marriage with the Li family of the three families to avoid many troubles; but he insisted on marrying Mrs. Chen, and it can be speculated that Mrs. Chen's beauty matches what Zhou Duan said. All the information can be put together, and Guo Shao thinks that Mrs. Chen's identity is more credible.
At this time, he thought of the simplest and most direct way, asking Yang: Have you seen Chen Jiali
Yang said: We met several times in Yangzhou.
Guo Shao immediately decided to let Yang and Madam Chen recognize each other directly. If they knew each other, then Madam Chen would be more reliable. He sorted out his considerations again in his heart: If Madam Chen was the cousin of Zhou Xian, the Queen of the Great Zhou Dynasty, then she would be a famous person with status in the Southern Tang State; the Southern Tang State and the Great Zhou Dynasty no longer had hostile relations, and even the monarchs of the two countries gradually became so close that they seemed to be wearing the same pants. The Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty, Chai Rong, also helped Li Jing come up with ideas and took the initiative to indulge Li Jing to repair the fortifications for the sake of his descendants. The monarch was like this, and there was no need for the Chen family, a large family that moved south to Yangzhou, to be hostile to the Zhou Dynasty.
Since the Chen family was a powerful family in the Southern Tang Dynasty, they had no connection with the Khitan people in the far north. In this way, Guo Shao could use his status as a senior military commander to cooperate with the Chen family's multinational business group through favorable channels.
Mrs. Chen was willing to sacrifice her profits to make friends with him, so there was no reason for Guo Shao to turn her away.
Guo Shao then instigated Yang to exchange letters with Mrs. Chen. In mid-March, Mrs. Chen sent an invitation letter to Guo's residence, inviting Guo Shao and his concubine Yang to visit her Tokyo villa, where she would prepare a banquet for them.
Guo Shao readily agreed and wanted to take this opportunity to make substantial progress in cooperation with Mrs. Chen.
Mrs. Chen's residence in Dongjing is located in the west of the inner city, on the bank of the Bianhe River between Zhengmen and Liangmen. It is not so lively there. The only prosperous area in the west of the city is near Xihuamen, but it is very quiet south across the Bianhe River because the inner city's handicraft area, commercial area, and hostel area are all in the east city.
Guo Shao led a team of people and drove over. They saw that this place was mainly residential, with few prosperous and noisy commercial streets. For a moment, he thought that Mrs. Chen was very good at choosing a place. The land price was cheap and she wanted a quiet environment.
When we arrived at the mansion, we saw the door was open, but there was only one person inside, that was Aunt Sun. There was no warm welcome at all, and the courtyard seemed to be deserted with few people. Aunt Sun did not address General Guo, but only said: "My dear old friend, I am sorry for not coming to greet you. Please come in, dear guest."
Guo Shao called his entourage to come in, and then he saw two servants at the gate leading the horses and taking the guards to tie up the horses. Guo Shao and Jingniang Yang followed Aunt Sun inside.
As she led the way, Aunt Sun said: "This house is Madam's private property, and there are not many people here; Madam is not convenient to go out to meet you. I am a little careless in etiquette, and I hope you will forgive me."
Guo Shao smiled and said: Yue'e and I are honored to be invited by Madam Chen. There is no need to pay too much attention to those conventional rituals.
After passing the screen wall, there is a courtyard with lush flowers and plants, and several large houses in front of it come into view between the treetops. Aunt Sun brought Guo Shao and others to the hall, and saw that the house was very spacious, so spacious that it was a bit empty. However, it was spotlessly clean. The floor was not paved with tiles like in the corridor, but wooden boards; the chairs and tables were also unpainted wood. The monotonous and simple colors made the place look quiet, elegant and pure.
It is rare to see a merchant's mansion like this in this world.
Aunt Sun invited Guo Shao to take the seat and stood by. Guo Shao and Yang saw that there was a cushion beside the table, but no stools or chairs, so they had to find a place to kneel down and sit down. Jing Niang stood by and was unwilling to sit.
The invitation said that there would be a banquet, but now there was no food or wine, not even tea. Guo Shao naturally couldn't ask for food, so he chatted with Yang for a few words, pretending not to care.
At this moment, a cool and soft voice was heard saying: I'm sorry to have kept General Guo and Madam Yang waiting for a long time. I was delayed for a while while waiting for the spring water to boil.
Guo Shao turned around and saw a woman in a plain skirt walking towards the inner door, carrying a wooden plate and a sand pot. However, she was actually covered with a scarf, but it was useless. The translucent scarf couldn't cover anything. It turned out that people who were pretentious always had to use something to pretend.
Ah, Madam Chen, I really saw you in Tokyo. Yang was surprised and asked, why are you serving tea in person