That year, that cicada, that sword

Chapter 285

In the 22nd year of Taiping, early spring.

The sound of firecrackers at the New Year’s Eve has not yet dissipated, and the air is still filled with the faint smell of gunpowder smoke left over from the exploding firecrackers. People around Jiangdu began to pour into Jiangdu again. There was a lot of noise.

The eventful 21st year of Taiping has finally passed and ushered in a new year. In this new year, there are ups and downs. You can almost tell the difference by looking at the situation in front of the door. Of.

During the holidays, the yamen has the rule of hanging a seal to seal the yamen, but the officials above can go home for the festival, but the pawns below still have to stick to their posts, so as long as the gates of Jiangdu are open for a day, the soldiers guarding the city There is no rest for a day.

A man covered in wind and frost came to Jiangdu City along the wide official road, looked up at the two large characters above the city gate, and then walked slowly towards the gate.

Jiangdu, together with the imperial capital, is called the two capitals of the north and the south, with the imperial capital in the north and Jiangdu in the south, which are prosperous and prosperous.

The more prosperous the place, the deeper the water and the wider the sea.The depth of the water hides dragons, the width of the sea depends on fish jumping, and fish and dragons are mixed. If you want to gain a foothold here, you must keep your eyes open.

Who is the shrimp in other people's lips, who is the small fish wagging its head and tail, who is the big fish at ease, who is the fisherman who is fishing with a net, who is the raging dragon who overwhelms the river, and who is the real dragon who hides deep. They all scored clearly, otherwise they would end up drowning in this sea.

The Shengdou people who come and go are like shrimps, muddleheaded, busy only for one bite of food, and someday they will be eaten with all their skin and bones.

Petty officials, merchants, and green-skinned bastards with a little bit of status are small fish. They eat a few small shrimps on weekdays and don’t know their own weight.

Officials, big merchants, and gentry who have entered the ranks are big fish. They can't go up or down, and they can't do big things, but they are very good at protecting themselves wisely.

The senior members of the third department above are fishermen who go boating and fishing on the sea. They don’t live in Jiangdu for a long time and can be transferred to other places after serving as officials. Therefore, they are fishermen floating on the sea. They concentrate on fishing with nets, Fishing with a fishing rod has nothing to do with them.

Next is the dignitaries of the Jiangnan family headed by Li Shidao and others. They have been rooted here for many years and have a deep foundation. Not to mention small fish and shrimps, even fishermen on the sea are not afraid at all. It can overturn rivers and seas and overturn fishermen's fishing boats, but it is still a short distance from the real turning hands into clouds and hands into rain, so it can only be Jiao instead of Dragon.

As for the real dragon, what is a dragon?It can be big or small, if it is big, it will soar in the universe, if it is small, it will hide in Sumeru;Compared with jiao, dragons show less traces, even small fish and shrimps don't know whether dragons really exist, but in fact dragons do exist, dormant in the depths of the sea, because of dragons, jiao dare not really Only when the sky is turned upside down can the sea be calm.

After the weather-beaten man entered the city, he went straight to a luxurious mansion. After seeing the owner of the mansion in the main hall, he asked straight to the point, "Who is the real Buddha in such a huge Jiangdu?"

The owner of the mansion is a tall old man dressed as a wealthy businessman. He took a sip of tea and said, "In Jiangdu, there are no Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who save suffering, only Jiaolong who eat thirty thousand catties of fish and shrimp every day."

The man asked, "Is it a jiao? Or a dragon?"

The rich merchant said: "Jiao is a dragon. The dragon has wings and is called Yinglong; it has horns and is called Qiulong; it has no horns and is called Chilong. The so-called Chilong is Jiao. It has been a dragon for thousands of years, and all dragons come from jiao, and in this Jiangdu city, there is a real dragon living behind every jiao."

The man asked again: "If you want to see the real Buddha, you have to go through the temple gate first. If you want to see the real dragon, what should you do?"

The wealthy businessman laughed and said, "You can see real dragons whenever you want. Otherwise, what are they doing raising so many dragons? If you want to see real dragons, you have to see dragons first. I wonder which real dragon the guests want to see?"

The man was silent for a moment, and slowly spit out two words, "Jianzong." The rich merchant's face changed slightly, and he said softly: "Then you have to go see Mr. Xu."

"Which Young Master Xu?"

"Of course it's Mr. Xu from the Gongsun Mansion in Ronghuafang."

——Mr. Xu, naturally Xu Beiyou, the big playboy in the eyes of outsiders.

No one cares how much Xu Beiyou has paid to get to where he is today. They only know that Mr. Xu, who came from the north, is the adopted son of Lord Cifu and the disciple of Mr. Gongsun, so Xu Beiyou can have the status he has today. It became a matter of course in their eyes.

If I had an old man like him, I would be able to do so. Many people who think that they are underappreciated often say this sentence, so Xu Beiyou became a young man who was lying on the merits of his elders, and even came from the north. It is also said that he came from the imperial capital, and many "noble" people can't help but pretend to be disdainful, and then say sourly about a dude.

Now in Jiangdu City, anyone with a certain status knows that there is an extra Mr. Xu in the city, who is a son of an aristocratic family from the imperial capital, and he is very powerful.In other words, Xu Beiyou finally had a firm foothold in Jiangdu, and he was considered number one.

At this time, he was in the Qianjin Tower, and he didn't spend a lot of money, but wanted to meet a guest who was introduced by a middleman.

Qianjin Building, the first-class courtyard in Jiangdu, is not only a simple business of flesh and blood, but also a place for many dignitaries to socialize and socialize.

Xu Beiyou couldn't let some guests who weren't familiar with him go directly to the Gongsun Mansion, so he arranged them here. After all, this is the property under Aunt Qin's name, and Mrs. Luo's people are responsible for it. It is considered half of his own territory.

In addition to the master Xu Beiyou, there are two accompanying guests, namely Guo Hanxuan, the shopkeeper of Duobao Pavilion, and Li Shidao, who is the middleman this time. .

In addition to them, there are four women accompanying the guests. Luo Fu is not in the Qianjin Building today, but the head of the class is very discerning. The four outstanding Qing officials were all sent over.

Needless to say, the appearance of the four noblemen must be first-class beauties, and the key is versatility. The piano, chess, calligraphy and painting are just idle, and the etiquette and righteousness of poetry and calligraphy are also common. Xu Beiyou never thought of this gentle man next to him. Xu Beiyou couldn't help but be shocked that Miss Wan was able to talk about Zhang Jiangling's Chen Liushi with him, and she also had a lot of insights.

What are the many places in the south of the Yangtze River?They are scholars and scholars. Many scholars may not love gold and silver, but it is hard not to love women, especially this kind of drama of red sleeves and fragrant night reading, which is difficult for these poets and literati to refuse. Don't want to marry and go home as a beautiful concubine?
However, since you are a nobleman, you must be selling your art and not your body. The Qianjin Building is no better than those second-class courtyards that sell dog meat with a sheep's head. It's almost the limit, if you want to go further, sorry, you have to ask the big boss Qin Mumian and the second boss Luo Fu about this, as long as these two nod, you can do whatever you want.

Fortunately, the three of Xu Beiyou were not some perverted hungry ghosts, and calling a woman to accompany them was just a slight adjustment. Xu Beiyou didn't even touch the woman, and after a brief shock, his heart stopped stirring.

This is not to say that he pretends to be a gentleman of Taoism, nor does it mean that he is not good at women and men, but because Han Xuan once taught him two abstentions from drinking and sex. to break.

The woman in charge of accompanying Xu Beiyou is the most beautiful among the four nobles. Her nickname in the Qianjin Tower is Su Qingnu. She has heard of this Mr. Xu for a long time, but she never thought that she would be with him so soon. The very mysterious Mr. Xu had an intersection.

Su Qingnu also read a lot of people, and it can be seen that Mr. Xu is not a young boy, nor is he pretending to be lofty, but really determined and has no other thoughts about himself.

In her opinion, such a man is the most terrifying. Since ancient times, how many heroes have fallen on the gentle couch of women?If a normal man can be indifferent to a beautiful woman, how cruel would it be?
Such a man would kill without blinking an eye.

(End of this chapter)