Do you know: I am Yuan Wenshao

Chapter 259 Wen Yanjing

Lu Buqing was a well-known fabric merchant in the south of the Yangtze River. When his father named him this name, he wanted him to study hard and one day be able to rise to prominence.

However, Lu Buqing was not interested in reading, but was very business-minded.

He started to take over the family business when he was seventeen or eighteen years old. The Lu family originally only had a few cloth shops, but it only took him more than ten years to become one of the most famous cloth merchants in Jiangnan.

In the entire Jiangnan cloth merchant ranking, the Lu family can be ranked in the top ten.

Over the years, Lu Buqing gradually realized his father's good intentions.

Although he is very talented in business, in the end he is just a businessman.

The Lu family's ranking among the top ten cloth merchants in Jiangnan has a lot to do with his years of giving gifts everywhere and making friends with officials.

But at this point, it is already very difficult for the Lu family to develop further.

Which businessman can make such a big business without some personal connections behind him?

Many people are related to wealthy families, and the Lu family does not have an advantage compared to them.

Lu Buqing's dream is to become a famous businessman like his ancestor Lu Buwei, so he naturally does not want to stop in Jiangnan.

After much deliberation, Lu Buqing wanted to imitate Lu Buwei and create something special.

Of course, Lu Buwei was living in the Warring States Period. He could meet Qin Yiren as a hostage, but Lu Buqing was not so lucky.

Nowadays, the only adult heir of the official family is King Huan, which is beyond the reach of him as a businessman.

However, the imperial examination has always had the tradition of catching a son-in-law at the bottom of the rankings. If you choose the right person, it will be similar to the rare thing.

Therefore, Lu Buqing, who was supposed to favor boys over girls, changed his temperament and doted on his daughters very much. He even asked famous teachers to teach them piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, exactly according to the teachings of young ladies from scholarly families.

During the imperial examination last year, Lu Buqing caught a scholar who won the top three Jinshi. With Lu Buqing's huge dowry, that scholar married Lu Buqing's third daughter.

However, this son-in-law was only a third-grade official. Even if he spent a lot of money to manage him, he would only be awarded a ninth-grade official.

In fact, this starting point is not low. Generally, those in the top three who have no personal connections start from the ninth grade.

But Lu Buqing is not satisfied. This son-in-law is already nearly thirty years old. He doesn't know how long it will take for him to be promoted. He doesn't know whether he can wait until then.

Lu Buqing thought about it for a long time and set his sights on those who were from poor backgrounds, had good knowledge, and had a teacher whose status was not low.

However, the imperial examination was held every three years, so he could only wait another three years.

But he didn't expect to encounter the death of the late emperor and the new emperor Jia Enke.

This made Lu Buqing extremely happy. When students from all over the country gathered in Bianjing, he spent a lot of money to investigate the students and select suitable candidates, but he selected a few candidates who agreed with the conditions.

There is no way, many poor children are chosen as students, and those families will marry their concubines.

These few people were selected because the teacher's family did not have a suitable girl, or they were already married.

But it doesn't matter to Lu Buqing, he can divorce his wife and marry another one.

Among these people, the one he valued most was Yan Wenjing.

Although Yan Wenjing was born into a poor family, he became a disciple of Sheng Hong.

The Sheng family was well-known in Bianjing, and several of their in-laws were either marquis or counts.

If Wen Yanjing can pass the exam, even if he is only in the top three, with the support of the Sheng family and his financial support, he will be able to see the rewards in ten years at most.

Therefore, Wen Yanjing was also designated as his first target.

Lu Buqing had already sent people to keep an eye on Wen Yanjing. As long as he was listed on the list, he would be captured directly.

Wen Yanjing was so excited when he saw that he had been selected for the list that he was taken away by others, so that the other people who were listed on the list and captured their son-in-law did not even react.

"Master, master!"

Lu Buqing was waiting at home, walking around the hall a little upset.

At this moment, the housekeeper ran in excitedly.

"Sir, that scholar passed the exam and ranked among the top 20 and 13 in high school," the housekeeper said.

"what?"

Lu Buqing was delighted when he heard this. Although he had not taken the imperial examination, he still had a clear idea of ​​what the second grade was.

Rank 2-13 is already considered a very high ranking. As long as you have good luck, ranking 3-4 is very possible in the future.

And with the support of the Sheng family and his financial support, this possibility will be even greater.

Maybe there is still a chance to become husband-in-law.

Lu Buqing was happy for a while, then came to his senses and asked, "Where is the person? Has he been captured?"

The children of poor people ranked so high that they were very popular among wealthy businessmen.

After all, there are some people with certain status who can marry girls from wealthy families after high school, and they don't look down on businessmen like them at all.

Wen Yanjing’s top 21 and 13 will definitely be competed by many people.

"We caught him. The master had the foresight. Our people kept staring at him. Mr. Wen exclaimed happily when he saw that he had been selected. Our people captured him directly, and others didn't react yet. Now that he is on his way back, Guard Peng arranged for someone to come back first and report the letter." The housekeeper smiled.

"Haha."

Lu Buqing laughed happily when he heard this, very proud of his wit.

"Go and order the kitchen to prepare the food and wine, and let Xiuer dress up." Lu Buqing said.

Xiu'er is Lu Buqing's fifth daughter. She actually has a fourth sister who is not married, but this daughter is the most beautiful among all his daughters.

In order to increase his chips, he planned to marry his most beautiful daughter to Wen Yanjing.

If Wen Yanjing didn't agree at that time, he would ask his daughter to come out and show Wen Yanjing. When Wen Yanjing saw his daughter's appearance, he would be fascinated.

"Yes!"

When the housekeeper heard this, he quickly took the order.

Lu Buqing excitedly ran to the gate to greet Wen Yanjing in person.

After waiting at the door for a while, Lu Buqing saw his own guards escorting a carriage driving over.

"Master, I'm so lucky to have invited Mr. Wen here." The leading guard Peng saluted.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, and you will be rewarded later." Lu Buqing said happily.

Wen Yanjing was a little panicked at first when he was tied up, but he quickly calmed down.

He also knew the tradition of capturing a son-in-law under the official list, and those who were captured were followed by government officials to ensure the safety of the scholars, so there was nothing to worry about.

However, the person he wanted to marry was Ru Lan. He wanted to make it clear to his captors, but they didn't listen at all.

At this moment, he felt the carriage stop and voices came from outside. Wen Yanjing opened the curtain and got out of the carriage.

"Xian son-in-law, are you not scared?"

Lu Buqing looked at Wen Yanjing and said cheerfully.

"Don't call me a random person. I know why you caught me here, but I have no such plan. You should let me go." Wen Yanjing said.

When Lu Buqing heard this, his expression changed and he asked, "Is Mr. Wen already engaged?"

He had someone check and found that Wen Yanjing was not engaged.

As for his mentor, the Sheng family, there are only two girls in the waiting family now, one of whom was given a marriage by the official, leaving only one legitimate daughter.

With the status of the Sheng family, even if Wen Yanjing was on the list, he would still be looked down upon.

"That's not true." The matter between Wen Yanjing and Ru Lan was a private matter, and he didn't dare to talk nonsense without the approval of the Sheng family.

"Haha, since the marriage has not been decided, I have asked someone to prepare some wine and food. Let's go in and eat and chat."

Lu Buqing breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this, as long as the marriage was not decided, it would be fine.

"No, I have something urgent to do." Wen Yanjing was unwilling.

He had agreed with Rulan before that he would go to the Sheng family to propose marriage after passing the exam.

If I stay here for too long, I don't know what Ru Lan will think.

Lu Buqing was naturally unwilling to let him go, and for a while the two of them were fighting at the door.

The two government officials who were following from a distance saw this and walked up quickly.

"What are you doing?"

One of the yamen servants shouted: "If they don't want to, let them go quickly."

"That's right, is it possible that you guys still want to force me to marry you?"

"You two, I want to leave but they won't let me leave." Wen Yanjing said excitedly when he saw the government officials arriving.

"You two officers, I have prepared the food and wine. I would like to invite Mr. Jinshi in for some wine. Firstly, I would like to congratulate Mr. Jinshi for his high school. Secondly, I also want to be happy. I am not forcing you."

Lu Buqing quickly laughed with him, took out a banknote from his arms and handed it over.

For the yamen officials, being assigned to follow the scholars who had their sons-in-law arrested on the day of the release of the results was not a hard job, but on the contrary, it was a good job.

The people who captured the son-in-law were all wealthy businessmen, and they were very generous with their money. When the government servants came over, they would usually give them some money for tea.

However, they usually give dozens of taels, but the banknote Lu Buqing gave was five hundred taels.

Even if they split it equally, each of them would get two hundred... Anyway, the money is already more than their annual salary.

"Master Jinshi, I think it's getting late now. Since you're already here, why not go in and sit for a while to make people feel happy."

As the saying goes, using people's tactics is a trick. The yamen servant took the money and helped persuade Wen Yanjing.

"Master Jinshi, usually even if you don't want to catch your son-in-law, they will give you some financial compensation and send you back. It won't take long just to have a meal." Another Yamen servant agreed.

"this…"

Wen Yanjing was a little hesitant, but he was short of money now. If he went to the Sheng family to propose marriage, he would have to spend money. When he heard that there was compensation, he hesitated for a while and said, "Okay then."

"Please come inside quickly."

As soon as Lu Buqing heard Wen Yanjing agreed, he happily invited Wen Yanjing in. He also told Guard Peng to invite two government servants to the restaurant for a drink.

When we arrived at the front hall, the food and drinks were already ready.

Lu Buqing asked Wen Yanjing to sit down, and the maid holding a wine flask came forward to pour wine.

"Come here, I'd like to toast Mr. Jinshi. Congratulations on being named on the gold medal list and becoming an official and a prime minister in the future." Lu Buqing raised his glass.

Although Wen Yanjing looks a little anxious, he is actually only in his twenties.

With his background, it is very rare to be ranked among the top 13 at this age.

Hearing Lu Buqing's praise, I felt a little proud. I raised my glass, touched it with Lu Buqing, and drank.

"Master Jinshi, although I am just a businessman, I know a little bit about officialdom. In addition to relying on connections, officialdom also requires money. I think my family is quite rich. If Master Jinshi is willing to marry his daughter, I will definitely not let him. Mr. Jinshi is worried about money," Lu Buqing said.

"There is no need to mention this matter again." Wen Yanjing shook his head.

Although he was born into a poor family, he did not know anything about officialdom.

Officialdom depends on connections and money, and he certainly knows that.

Compared with money, connections are the most important.

Take Sheng Hong for example. To get to this point, although he has given many gifts, the Wang family's connections are crucial.

Otherwise, no matter how much money you have, it will be useless if you don’t have the connections to give it away.

Even if you send it out and they don't do anything, you can't do anything about it.

If you marry Ru Lan, it means you have connections with the Sheng family.

As Ru Lan's legitimate daughter, a dowry is inevitable, and she naturally has money to take care of it.

In comparison, marrying a businessman's daughter is stupid.

Lu Buqing gritted his teeth and said, "Master Jinshi, if you are willing to marry my daughter, in addition to the dowry, I can give you another hundred thousand taels of silver for your expenses."

Wen Yanjing was startled, and he was indeed a little moved. Lu Buqing just gave him one hundred thousand taels, how much was the dowry?

No wonder it is said that the book has its own golden house, and the book has its own beauty like jade.

It was just that he had just passed the Jinshi examination and had not yet been awarded an official position. Huang Jinwu and Yan Ruyu came.

But Wen Yanjing soon calmed down. Although money was good, marrying Lu Buqing's daughter was not as cost-effective as marrying Ru Lan.

"Clap!"

Seeing that Wen Yanjing still didn't agree, Lu Buqing clapped his hands.

After a while, a woman with a delicate face wearing a pink dress came out from behind the side screen.

The woman looked to be only fourteen or fifteen years old, and she looked a little immature, but she had strong muscles and beautiful bones, and her features were picturesque, elegant and refined.

The important thing is that the woman has a ladylike temperament.

"My daughter has met her father." Lu Xiuer saluted.

"Daughter, this is Mr. Wen. This time Enke High School is in the top two and thirteen." Lu Buqing introduced.

"I've met Mr. Wen."

Lu Xiuying bowed down and spoke softly, with a hint of admiration in her beautiful eyes, which was very helpful to Wen Yanjing.

To be honest, Wen Yanjing didn't like Ru Lan.

Rulan was careless and heartless, which would be very common in future generations.

But in ancient times, people still liked to be knowledgeable and courteous.

Maybe some wealthy young men are used to seeing girls who are well-informed and courteous, and would think that Ru Lan is special.

But for a person like Wen Yanjing who came from a poor family, he doesn't like the kind of unruly and willful girls. Instead, he prefers girls with a ladylike temperament.

Seeing that Wen Yanjing's eyes were always on his daughter, Lu Buqing felt very proud and said, "This is my little girl, her maiden name is Xiu'er. Xiu'er, please pour some wine for Mr. Wen."

"Yes."

Hearing this, Lu Xiu came up behind Wen Yanjing with a gust of fragrance, took the wine pot from the maid's hand, and poured wine for Wen Yanjing.

"How do you do this?" Wen Yanjing refused in a panic.

"Eh~" Lu Buqing pretended to be displeased and said, "It's her honor for my daughter to pour wine for Master Jinshi. Could it be that Master Jinshi dislikes my daughter?"

"No...no."

Wen Yanjing shook his head repeatedly.

"Haha, it would be better if I didn't." Lu Buqing laughed.

When Lu Xiuer bent down to pour the wine, she was very close to Wen Yanjing. Wen Yanjing looked at his pretty face and turned his head away, not daring to look any further.

(End of this chapter)