Lotus Tower is the second best in the world

Chapter 116 Jia Qian and Sun Li celebrate the New Year

In the 12th year of Tianfeng, the first day of the first lunar month.

time.

Baosha Chamber of Commerce.

In Yangzhou City, the four aristocratic families of Jia, Qian, Sun, and Li gathered together in the chamber of commerce early today.

"So, what is Mr. Li Lianpeng's background? Do you all know?"

After sitting down, Jia Zhi, the head of the Jia family, was the first to ask, but it was the head of the Li family, Li Tingshan, who looked at him.

He was the only one present with the surname Li.

The Jia family has been in the spice business for generations, and they usually welcome high-ranking officials and dignitaries. The wealthy family has extremely broad connections and resources.

Therefore, in the past hundred years, he has been the head of the aristocratic family in Yangzhou City without any change.

The contemporary head of the family, Jia Zhi, even brought the spice business into the palace. Three years ago, it was personally gifted by Emperor Daxi, known as: the best fragrance in the world.

Hearing his question, Qian Fengnian, the head of the Qian family who opened the bank, grinned, with a mouth full of gold teeth that could almost blind someone.

"Old Li, is this Li Lianpeng a descendant of your Li family? After all, you can't write two characters "Li" in this stroke!"

Li Tingshan is a middle-aged man in his 50s and [-]s. He waved his hands repeatedly when he heard this, "Boss Qian is joking. My Li family has always been peaceful. Everyone has heard about my blood relatives in the clan. They are all incompetent. But there is nothing wrong with it." Not this kind of person."

The Li family behind Li Tingshan was originally engaged in the porcelain business. It was also the famous Qingchuang official kiln in the south of the Yangtze River. The porcelain produced, both in color and production technology, has ancient inheritance and is deeply loved by dignitaries. favorite.

However, something happened to the family later and they were involved in a river and lake battle. Most of the Li family's ceramic craftsmen, who mastered the ancient inherited skills, were killed or injured. The porcelain making skills were lost from then on. The family declined for several years, until Li Tingshan's grandfather turned out to be born. I didn't know where I got a recipe for making wine, and the Li family cheered up again.

Having learned from the past when the family was almost destroyed, the Li family has been keeping a low profile for several generations, concentrating on brewing wine and running the winery, keeping aloof from the world. They can be regarded as good old people among the four top aristocratic families in Yangzhou City.

Sun Lesheng of the Sun family sighed,

"Not to mention Li Lianpeng's background, just talking about what he has done these days is really confusing."

Sun Lesheng has white hair and looks old. In terms of age, he is the oldest person present.

Seniority is also high.

After he spoke, the other three stopped talking and listened to him quietly.

"We all know that the Shahai Gang should not be easily provoked. The Cao Gang behind it has many members and uses all possible methods. They also control the water transportation in the south of the Yangtze River, and it is difficult for others to interfere. Once they are accidentally offended , as far as the family business is concerned, it is tantamount to killing oneself."

"This junior really doesn't know the importance of things and does harm to others."

The Sun family is a famous cloth merchant in Yangzhou City. It has been passed down for more than [-] years and has mastered the latest textile techniques.

The lifeblood of half of the cloth merchants in Jiangnan is in the hands of the Sun family, which is the undisputed leader of the textile industry.

If you want to compete for the position of the head of this family, the Sun family has the best chance of winning.

It's just that the Sun family has an ancestral motto, and the Sun family is not allowed to be the first person. The family rules are strict, and every head of the family is very old-fashioned. They strictly follow the Sun family's motto, only do good deeds, and do not do evil. It is passed down from generation to generation. This member of the Sun family is quite respected by the locals.

Although the Sun family has been in business for generations, they pay most attention to reputation and reputation. They do many good deeds, building bridges and paving roads, and helping poor families are commonplace.

Even those people in the world who act unscrupulously, prefer to stay idle, rob the rich and give to the poor, when they mention this Yangzhou cloth merchant, they can't help but give a thumbs up and praise the family of the holy merchant.

In terms of connections, the Sun family is not as good as the Jia family, which is the most fragrant in the world.

In terms of money, the Jia family is not as good as opening banks all over the country and being a wealthy Qian family.

But in terms of family reputation, it is miles ahead of these two aristocratic families.

"What Mr. Sun said is true. That junior acted too impulsively. The Shahai Gang will surely come back for revenge after they have defeated these people. When the time comes, we will be the first to be held accountable, and it will be us, the local aristocratic families."

Jia Zhi didn't look good. Half a month ago, he was sitting with the leader of the Shahai Gang to discuss business, but now he has become a prisoner in the custody of Baichuan Court and the Supervision Department.

Yesterday at noon, people from the Shahai Gang paraded through the streets in prison cars. That night, a cargo ship that the Jia family was transporting to the Imperial City was impounded.

That shipment of goods was worth nearly 10 taels, which was the income of his Jia family in the past year. If such losses were not handled well, the position of the head of his family might not be guaranteed.

Li Tingshan also answered at this time: "Last night, two wineries owned by my Li family caught fire, and tens of thousands of kilograms of new wine were lost. Fortunately, no one died."

Qian Fengnian looked at the two people who were complaining, blinked, and then said with a smile:
"My bank didn't suffer much loss. The people from the Shahai Gang deposited a lot of money with me. If they burned down my bank, they themselves would lose."

Sun Lesheng shook his head, "We have to discuss the rules today. Who will come forward to see Li Lilianpeng? This time, it is said that the people from the Shahai Gang were taken out by this young man. It seems that there are very powerful people around him. Whether it was Li Lianpeng who was responsible for the escort, whether it was to find out whereabouts or to arrest people, Baichuan Academy and the Supervision Department only played a supporting role in this process."

Li Tingshan said: "I have heard people say that this Li Lianpeng and Fang Duoyi, the son of the Fang family, the current Minister of Household Affairs, have a close relationship, and I don't know whether it is true or not."

Jia Zhi nodded and said: "It should be true. I saw him from a distance at a poetry meeting. This young man is extremely beautiful, speaks and behaves, and has an extraordinary bearing. According to what he said, he is from the north, and his family is The eldest son of the Fang family, who is in the medicinal herb business, has been frail and sick since he was a child, and needs a large amount of precious medicinal materials every year. Head He of the Tianji Hall was searching for treasures and medicines, and the Fang and Li families became connected."

Qian Fengnian grinned, "How about I go meet him?"

The other three people looked at him, looked at each other, and nodded.

"Alright."

"It's most appropriate for Boss Qian to come forward."

"good."

Sun Lesheng's original intention was to let Qian Fengnian come forward.

The Sun family runs a bank, and there are many business people in Yangzhou, but as long as they are doing business, it is almost difficult for them to leave the bank.

This is also the reason why the Qian family can become one of the four great families.

The Qian family was originally a small local wealthy businessman. Because Qian Fengnian's aunt was the aunt of the current Emperor Daxi and was very favored by the late emperor, the mother family of the Qian family in Yangzhou benefited and got a share of the Yangzhou gold mine. With [-]% of the mining rights, one person has just achieved enlightenment, his chickens and dogs have ascended to heaven, he has become rich, and he has become a wealthy family.

If we really look into it, this Qian family is really not a serious family.

That Li Lianpeng was born out of the blue, and his life experience was mysterious, his behavior was different from everyone else, and he was also related to Tianji Villa. They, a merchant family with no one in the court, couldn't come forward in person, otherwise they would accidentally offend him. I'm afraid it's another disaster.

The Qian family is different. There is someone in the court who runs a bank, so it would be most appropriate to go to Li Lianpeng.

After deciding on the candidates and discussing countermeasures, they dispersed.

Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. I shouldn’t be talking about business, I should be spending time with my family.

It was Li Lianpeng who caused trouble and made them unable to live in peace in this new year.

Everyone, including Sun Lesheng, was very dissatisfied with Li Lianpeng and felt that his arrival would break the balance of Yangzhou's business community.

……

at the same time.

Chunyangfang, Lotus Lane.

Li House.

A sumptuous breakfast banquet is about to begin.

"Ping An, take this plate out, and when I make the last fish soup, the dishes will be almost ready."

Li Lianpeng was cooking himself, preparing lunch for everyone. The rule of a gentleman cooking far away did not apply to him.

On the side were the cooks who were preparing the fire, and an aunt in her forties looked at Li Lianpeng's skillful killing of fish with sighs on her face.
"The master's cooking skills really put my servant to shame. After seeing the master cooking, I am embarrassed to stay in the house any longer."

Li Lianpeng put the fish into the pot, wiped his hands, and then smiled:
"Everyone has their own strengths. Aunt Liu, the food you cook tastes pretty good."

The woman smiled bitterly and shook her head. She stopped watching Li Lianpeng make soup and lowered her head to light the fire.Seeing that she was silent, Li Lianpeng stared at the soup in the pot and continued to think about things.

No one knows that in the past half month, he has been stirring up trouble in Yangzhou city just to muddy the waters of Yangzhou so that he can fish.

Various businesses in Yangzhou City are monopolized by aristocratic families. It is difficult for him to get involved. Even He Xiaohui of Tianji Villa wants to expand a certain business here. It is not easy.

Since Li Lianpeng wanted to have his own industry and power, the fastest way was to force these centuries-old aristocratic families in Yangzhou City to reveal their flaws in the chaos, and then use external force to eliminate them and replace them.

His idea hit it off with He Xiaohui from Tianji Villa.

He Xiaohui is a smart businessman. Working with smart people will save Li Lianpeng a lot of effort.

Originally, Li Lianpeng wanted to start with those Jianghu forces, just like Fenghuo Tang, looking for those Jianghu forces who had done all kinds of bad things, collect evidence of crimes, convince people, eradicate them, inherit their property, and strengthen himself. body.

But later, because of the appearance of the Shahai Gang and the crazy revenge of Jiao Liqiao of the Golden Yuan Alliance, Li Lianpeng changed his mind.

It's too slow to accumulate strength like that. Only a powerful person in the world can have so much property. The really rich ones are those aristocratic families who have been in business for tens or hundreds of years and have a good reputation.

These big families in the city usually don't seem to be aggressive, but they have the greatest impact on ordinary people.

Li Lianpeng didn't need to think about it to know that the Jianghu forces in Yangzhou City were related to these aristocratic families. They were just white gloves for these aristocratic families to gather wealth and consolidate their status.

In comparison, Jianghu gangs like Fenghuotang are just trash fish in the city. In the eyes of those rich and powerful families, they are nothing.

Take Tianji Villa for example. The reason why it is said to be as rich as any country and no one dares to touch it is because there are people in the court.

A prince and a tutor, and a minister of the dynasty. These two people are the Dinghai Shenzhen of Tianji Villa, and they are also the confidence.

If those Jianghu forces want to move the Fang family, they have to make careful decisions.

This is another reason why he asked He Xiaohui to cooperate.

If he wants to become the biggest rich man in the world in the future, he must take advantage of the situation. The Fang family and the Su family are undoubtedly the most suitable allies.

……

"Soup is here!"

Li Lianpeng used his true energy to control things. The soup basin filled with fish soup floated in front of him and came to the dining hall. In full view of everyone, he waved his hand and the soup basin landed in the center of the dining table.

The people who were chatting not far away looked over and Hall Master He, who was dressed in brocade clothes, smiled and said:
"Master Li's use of Qi to control objects is truly astonishing!"

Li Lianpeng laughed and said, "Hall Master He is making ridiculous compliments, little Dao'er, you can't stand on the stage."

"Come on, let's all take a seat."

After he finished speaking, everyone stood up and came to sit down here.

Li Lianpeng waited for them all to sit down, then sat down at the head of the table.

Su Xiaoyong sat on his right, Li Lianhua on her left, He Xiaofeng opposite, and He Xiaofeng and Fang Duobing on her left and right.

After Li Lianpeng came down from the mountain, the first New Year he spent in Daxi was a happy reunion year.

Li Lianhua is a relative.

Su Xiaoyong, this lover.

Fang Duobing and his family are considered friends.

We have all our relatives, loved ones and friends, isn’t it just a reunion year?

Before using his chopsticks, Li Lianpeng raised the wine glass on the table in front of him.

"Congratulations to everyone and a happy new year!"

"Congratulations on the New Year!"

……

time.

After the first meal of the New Year, everyone made an appointment to go to the temple fair outside Yangzhou City.

In a big city like Yangzhou City, there will be temple fairs on the first day of the year every year, including temple fairs and Taoist temple fairs, which are very lively.

There are two mountains outside Beicheng of Yangzhou, with a temple and a Taoist temple respectively.

Kiyomizu Temple and Baiyun Temple.

From the first day to the seventh day of the lunar month, there is a fasting party at Kiyomizu Temple.

From the eighth to the fourteenth day of the lunar month, there is a temple fair in Baiyun Temple.

On the fifteenth day of the lunar month, it is a grand ceremony for Jianghu people. The major Jianghu sects will send people to Yangzhou City to hold a martial arts competition to take the opportunity to recruit disciples for three days.

In addition, there were poetry gatherings and ci gatherings held by literati and poets, and singing and dancing parties held by geishas in Goulan brothels.

All in all, in this first month of every year, in a populous city like Yangzhou City, there are quite a few places where people can join in the fun.

Li Lianpeng put on a white robe with extremely exquisite materials, and together with Su Xiaoyong, Li Lianhua, He Xiaofeng and others, they took the treasure-swallowing gold chariot built by a famous craftsman in Nanxun Town and rushed to the Qingshui Temple outside the city to watch the vegetarian party.

Ding Shisan was driving the carriage, while Qingque sat obediently in the carriage, serving his young master.

Along the way, the carriage of Jubaotunjin Chariot attracted many people's attention because it looked too luxurious.

Fortunately, Ding Shisan was used to it and didn't show anything strange. When leaving the city, the carriage went smoothly.

Fang Duobing originally wanted to go out of the city with Li Lianpeng and the others.

He likes to show off the most, and he is a conspicuous person. However, Hall Master He wants him to accompany him, but the young man cannot disobey, so he can only give up.

After leaving the city, Ding Shisan parked the carriage aside and waited for Hall Master He and Fang Duobing to leave the city and go to Qingshui Temple together.

In the carriage, Li Lianpeng was performing magic tricks. He took out two bunches of candied haws from behind, handed them to Su Xiaoyong, who was also dressed in white, and said:
"Xiaoyong, eat candied haws on a stick."

Su Xiaoyong subconsciously reached out to pick it up. The next moment, he suddenly paused and asked with a frown:

"Are there only these two strings?"

There were five people in this carriage.

Li Lianhua smiled and said, "I don't like sweets."

He Xiaofeng saw this and imitated her, "I don't like it either."

Qingque also smiled sweetly, "I won't eat it either."

Su Xiaoyong took it from his hand, lowered his head, took a bite, chewed twice, and then frowned.

"Eh... so sour."

After that, he handed the candied haws to Li Lianpeng.

At this moment, a scream suddenly came from outside the carriage.

"Murder!"

　[-] in [-]~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)