Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 198 Do you know Mr. Li?

Zhuang Yougong frowned slightly, looked at the crowd squeezing in front of him and said, "Ask who made the machine and move it as soon as possible. Don't stay here."

The attendant responded, turned around and spent a long time before squeezing in. After having a cup of tea, the entourage returned with a strange look on his face and said with cupped hands: "Sir, I asked clearly. I said that I was ordered by Mr. Li of the Imperial Palace to display the machine here."

Zhuang Yougong in the sedan said, "Mr. Li? Which Mr. Li?"

There is only one doctor from the imperial court in Suzhou City, and he is still stuck in the Weaving Bureau waiting to be joined. Where can there be any other doctor from the imperial court? Could it be that he is a swindler?

Then he listened to the attendant and said, "Go back to the master, I asked specifically, it's Mr. Li Weijian of the Kuaiji Department of the Imperial Household."

Kuaiji Department? Could it be that he heard the rumor and secretly came to Jiangnan to investigate?

Zhuang Yougong nodded slightly and was about to tell people to take a detour when he suddenly realized what he was doing and took a breath of cold air and asked, "Wait a minute, do you mean Li Weijian?"

"Exactly." The follower said happily: "Master, this is Li Caishen. This time we may have hope."

Zhuang Yougong was born as the number one scholar. He first entered the Hanlin Academy, and then became the Shaoqing of Guanglu Temple. He was released to the prefect of Suzhou last month. This person lives in the capital and is neither a party nor a group. The fault is that Chen Hongmou of the new party is now in charge. It is impossible to say that Zhuang Yougong will succeed the minister of Guanglu Temple step by step. When he is released to the outside world, he will become a governor.

He left the capital later than Li Weijian, because he was very familiar with Li Weijian.

However, when I was fifteen or sixteen years old, I first worked hard to free up the huge water business. Last year Dashun was supposed to be in the red. Unexpectedly, I made a lot of money because of the water business. Later, I worked hard to free up the Xishan Coal Mine. People spread the rumor that this person was It is the God of Wealth who comes to the world, and he is welcomed and flocked to.

I had heard that this person was heading south earlier, but unexpectedly I bumped into him in Suzhou City. Zhuang Yougong, a clever woman, can't make a living without rice. It's just when she's at her wits' end that she can't do anything. After hearing what Susong said, she was immediately moved.

Just then I thought about it, he had no contact with Li Weijian, and a local official and an internal official were not under each other's control. After thinking about it, I can only make some friends first and then act accordingly.

After thinking about it, Zhuang Yougong said: "Is Langzhong Li in Suzhou City? Go and find out where to stay. I am the local magistrate, and I must do my best to serve as a landlord."

The attendant said: "Sir, I have heard about it. Mr. Li is currently staying at Panxiang Temple in Xuan Tomb Mountain."

Zhuang Yougong said without thinking: "Prepare the car, I am going to Xuan Tomb Mountain to visit Mr. Li."

At that moment, Zhuang Yougong and his entourage went back to the Yamen, changed the carriage, and headed straight to Xuan Tomb Mountain.

In front of the Nanchang Bridge, a hemp rope blocked the crowd. Those at the back were squeezing, but those at the front did not dare to cross the hemp rope because there were several Forbidden Army soldiers standing behind the hemp rope.

Behind the soldiers, the steam engine drove two spinning machines to spin the veil. One of them spins coarse yarn, and the other spins fine yarn.

Two in-house craftsmen served the steam engine and kept filling it with firewood. Black smoke billowed from the boiler, and occasionally a cloud of white gas would erupt.

Among the onlookers, one of the people outside Nianxu looked at it for a long time and said: "This machine... looks faster than water power."

Another member said: "I just saw that what was stuffed inside was charcoal, but now even firewood can be stuffed in. It's more cost-effective than water power."

At this time, the Jiangnan weaving factory had already adopted water power. However, Jiangnan was seriously flooded, and the power was unstable during the dry season, so it was barely half manpower and half water power.

Some good people have already calculated that water power is forty times that of human power. If everyone could use water power, who would be willing to support so many weavers?

A few years ago, someone tried to use a Newcomen to drive a textile loom. However, the machine was too big and the fuel consumption was too high. It was unbelievable that someone had actually invented a practical steam engine now.

The two of them looked closely and saw a lazy guy walking in front of the steam engine with his hands behind his back. He was holding a purple clay pot in his hand, and he would take a sip from time to time, which was quite comfortable.

The person who spoke first said, "Brother, I am the shopkeeper of Fushun. May I ask you how to sell this machine?"

Wu Haining saw that almost all the people were gathering around, so he walked over with a smile and said: "Everyone, please invite me. This steam engine was made by the capital. If you want to make a reservation, you must go to the capital steam engine factory." Reserve."

"Steam engine factory?"

"I don't know about the steam engine factory outside the Communist Party of China? This factory is a joint venture between my husband and the inner government. It is very famous in the capital. What? Who is my husband? Listen up, my husband is a doctor of the fifth rank in Kuaiji Division of the inner government and a second-rank baron. , the direct nephew of Jinling Li Jijiu - Li Weijian. People give him the nickname, Li Caishen!"

A good person continued: "Li Caishen? I haven't heard of it."

Before Wu Haining could speak, someone scolded: "Have you never heard of Li Caishen? Shopkeeper Sun is really ignorant."

"Do you know?"

"Oh, today I'm going to let you gain some knowledge. Just listen up. This Lord Li is amazing. Have you ever heard of Capital Water Affairs? It was this Lord who created it!"

There were explosions everywhere. There are newspapers everywhere in Dashun, and Jiangnan is a prosperous place. Therefore, big and small matters in the capital will reach Jiangnan in only half a month. Even the well-informed Jiangnan gentry were astonished by the fact that the Capital Water Affairs had managed to build a behemoth worth more than 30 million taels of silver in just a few months.

Shopkeeper Sun then suddenly realized: "I bet it's Li Caishen." After a pause, he quickly looked at Wu Haining: "Brother, could it be that Li Caishen has come to Suzhou?"

Wu Haining suddenly changed his expression: "Huh? Don't talk nonsense. When did I say that my family came to Suzhou?"

How can Shopkeeper Sun believe that? When I was asking again, someone said: "Master Li must have come to our Suzhou. I saw this young man getting off a carriage today. It must be Master Li over there."

Wu Haining seemed to be furious and jumped to defend: "Don't talk nonsense, my master really didn't come. You, how can you accuse someone unjustly?"

The more he behaves like this, the more convinced people around him are that Li Weijian must have come to Suzhou. Ordinary people were just surprised to see that the shopkeepers of those silk and satin shops and cloth shops were all human beings, and they immediately changed their minds.

This steam engine is called a pot camel machine. It seems to be easier to service than the hydraulic one. I must go to the capital to buy it. The benefits of this thing are visible and tangible. As soon as it is unveiled, proprietors of weaving factories from all over the country will flock to it. Logically speaking, there is no need for Mr. Li to come here to promote it... Could it be that Li Caishen is someone else? Any plans? Why not build another water company in Jiangnan?

Those who were interested only left the waiter to observe the camel machine carefully, and then hurriedly left the crowd and went to find their respective employers to report.

............................................................

Xuan Tomb Mountain, Panxiang Temple.

It is expected that it will take a few days for the steam engine to spread. I am afraid it will take a few days for those Jiangnan gentry to find themselves. Because, after Li Weijian practiced in the early morning, he had breakfast and was about to go out.

Xiu Ying worked hard all night and sprained her ankle when she didn't pay attention to dodge early in the morning. Therefore, Li Weijian was the only one wandering around the temple for a while.

He had just turned out of the Heavenly King's Palace and bumped into old nun Huiming. The two greeted each other, exchanged a few words, and then Li Weijian was about to leave - how could he have the patience to engage in a confrontation with an old nanny?

Huiming seemed to see it, thought for a moment, and then said: "This temple is remote and there is not much to entertain, but my disciple is good at making Liu'an tea. If Mr. Li has time, you can go find my disciple to make tea." Hands talk.”

"Okay, I'll go when I have time." He said perfunctorily, but Li Weijian forgot about it in an instant.

With Miaoyu's temperament, Li Weijian was really insensitive to gratitude. He was neither a monk nor a secular person. He was in Buddhism and his heart was in the mortal world. He did not have the patience to pursue the elegance of Nao Shizi.

After coming out of the Heavenly King's Palace, a soldier from the Forbidden Army came over and said, "Master Li, the boat has been hired, but I heard that there are already people on Xishan Island, and there is also a lot of fertile land."

"Huh?" Li Weijian thought about it: "Don't worry, I will buy this island sooner or later."

Since there is an owner of Xishan Island, there is no rush to go up and check it out. Besides, Li Weijian has never studied geology, so even if he goes there now, he won't be able to see much.

After wandering around the Panxiang Temple for a while, Li Weijian led two imperial soldiers down the mountain for a stroll. They saw that there were fertile fields around Taihu Lake, which they expected to be cultivated around the lake.

I asked the farmer and it was true. However, it is hard to say whether the land gained from surrounding the lake is considered fertile land. If the weather is good and Taihu Lake is calm, it will be a first-class fertile farmland; but if Taihu Lake floods, not to mention the fields created by the lake, even the city of Suzhou will be flooded!

The farmer still remembers that Taihu Lake overflowed twelve years ago, flooding all over Suzhou, leaving no crops to harvest, no houses left outside the city, and hundreds of thousands of people displaced.

Li Weijian couldn't help but think to himself. If he made cement, he expected that the flood would subside slightly in a few years, right?

In a blink of an eye, I walked to the lake and was looking up, when I suddenly saw a wisp of red clothes looming from the field. Li Weijian looked closely and saw the woman in red, wearing a short coat with her trouser legs rolled up, bending over and looking for something in the rice field.

There was a sound of water rushing, and the woman suddenly grabbed an eel with both hands. The little girl looked happy, threw the bamboo basket behind her, put a bamboo hat on her head, and stepped out of the paddy field. When I reached the edge of the paddy field, I picked up my shoes and went to the lake to wash my muddy feet before putting on my shoes and socks.

Then he squatted on a stone and took a small dagger to disembowel the eel.

It's Xing Xiuyan... Li Weijian couldn't help but smile, and quietly walked over with his hands behind his back, stopping behind Xing Xiuyan.

Hearing the noise behind him, Xing Xiuyan quickly looked back and saw Li Weijian looking at the general with a smile behind his hands. Xing Xiuyan was startled and quickly stood up and said, "I have met Mr. Li."

"You know me?"

Xing Xiuyan spoke in Mandarin with Wu Nong's soft language, "I heard people in the temple mentioned it."

Li Weijian smiled and said, "I just accidentally saw you catch eels...are you going to sell the eels?"

Xing Xiuyan's face turned red and he said, "No... I ate it myself."

"Oh, then I was being abrupt." Li Weijian thought, "If not, how about I trade you three kilograms of sausages for the eels?"

Xing Xiuyan muttered: "No meat or fish is allowed in the temple."

"I didn't say take it back to eat, what are you afraid of?"

Xing Xiuyan thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "This eel is not worth anything. If you want it, just give it to me."

"I'm not a strong man, how can I get your things for free? It's settled, when we get back to the temple, I'll have someone deliver it to you."

"Yeah."

Li Weijian smiled and took the bamboo basket. Xing Xiuyan did not dare to look at him anymore, so he bowed and left in a hurry.

Li Weijian called two Imperial Guardsmen, asked for a fire sickle, looked around for dry firewood, and simply set up a bonfire by the lake to roast the eel. The three of them didn't bring any salt with them, so they simply sprinkled gunpowder on them. Although the taste was weird, Li Weijian ate it with relish.

Thinking of Xing Xiuyan's arrival, Li Weijian ordered someone to inquire about the situation at home.

The imperial guard immediately understood and thought that Li Weijian was happy to see the hunter, so he hurriedly agreed. After eating an eel, the three of them returned to Panxiang Temple. Just when they arrived at the mountain gate, a female nun came quickly: "Master Li, please make it easier for the poor nun to find you. Master Li, please go up the mountain quickly. The new Suzhou magistrate, Mr. Zhuang, is here." Waiting for you.”

Li Weijian was happy, Zhuang Yougong came too quickly, don't think about it, he must be asking for something from himself.

Li Weijian entered Panxiang Temple in no hurry and saw Zhuang Yougong in the main hall. In order of age, Zhuang Yougong was in his early thirties, and Li Weijian was only fifteen or sixteen. In terms of official positions, one was a magistrate of the fourth rank, and the other was a doctor of the imperial palace of the fifth rank. And Li Weijian still has a title.

Because they only treat each other with courtesy.

Li Weijian came first, and was about to invite Zhuang Yougong to talk in the small courtyard at the back. The old nun Huiming smiled and said: "It is really a blessing for me to have you two adults here. I can't express it in words, and I would like to wish you peace and prosperity." How about tea for you two adults?"

Zhuang Yougong smiled and said, "That's fine. I was about to ask the abbot for a cup of tea to moisten his throat."

Huiming said happily: "In that case, you two adults, please come with me."

Li Weijian pondered in his heart, and walked side by side with Zhuang Yougong, talking and laughing, and followed the old nun all the way, and sure enough they arrived at the small courtyard where Miaoyu was.

Huiming said hello, quickly ordered Miaoyu to make tea, and then led the two of them inside.

The central hall is set up as a tea room, with a couch and a stove next to it. There are soft cushions on the couch and various tea sets on the small table.

There is a painting on the wall, but it is not a Buddha statue, but the tea sage Lu Yu.

Li Weijian secretly thought that this Miaoyu had never regarded him as a member of the Buddhist sect.

At this time, he saw the beautiful jade and said, "My lords, please wait a moment. I'll make tea right now." Li Weijian stretched out his hand to invite you: "Master Zhuang, please."

"please."

The two of them lifted up their robes and sat down on the couch. Zhuang You said respectfully: "I just said goodbye to the envoy today. When I returned, I saw the congestion on the road. I sent someone to ask and found out that it was Li Langzhong who had arrived in Suzhou City. You and I are in the same court. Although I have never met Li Langzhong, I have to show my loyalty to the landlord since Mr. Li passed by here. That's why I came to pay a hasty visit."

"Haha, your Majesty is too polite. I heard that Suzhou was in chaos a few days ago and that the Governor has just arrived. I'm afraid that he should be busy at this time, because he has not entered the city before."

Zhuang Yougong said: "I'm really busy. To be honest, this is my first time going out. I'm so exhausted at this time. I really don't know where to start."

Li Weijian said with a smile: "The master's mind is far from that of my own. I expected to have a clue already and just want to do it for him, huh? Hahaha."

Li Weijian intended to expose the matter, but Zhuang Yougong showed a bitter look on his face and said, "The doctor is exaggerating. How can I have a clue now? Suzhou is a mess. The Weaving Bureau owes various weaving yards no less than 800,000 taels of silver. This If the money is not paid, the weavers will go hungry, and I'm afraid there will be chaos again."

Li Weijian wondered: "The governor visited Suzhou in person a few days ago. Didn't he think of something to do?"

Zhuang Yougong said: "The governor allocated 130,000 taels of silver, and the Suzhou government has to think of the rest. I am a poor man with short ambitions, and I have no choice. When I heard that Li Caishen came to Suzhou, I had to ask him to come to see Li Caishen. Doctor, please save me."

Li Weijian blinked, looking embarrassed, but underneath he was happy! Just when I was worried about how to get involved with the local officials, Zhuang Yougong came to my door... It was just money. He Li Weijian stirred up the situation. He only had 800,000 taels, and he could raise it all in a few days.

Li Weijian was silent, Zhuang Yougong's face turned red. He was losing face at this time. If Li Weijian could not solve the problem, he would have no choice but to report to the court and plead for internal funds to be allocated to appease the Suzhou weavers.

At this time, Miaoyu returned with a steaming kettle, beat sandalwood, washed the tea set, washed the tea, and made tea. Her figure was flowing like clouds and water, as if there was rhythm in it. Even Zhuang Yougong couldn't help but look at it twice, but Li Weijian was indifferent. He only waited for the tea to be pushed in front of him, then he picked it up and said: "Master, let's not talk about the money for now... Master, does he know why I am doing this?" Come?"

Zhuang Yougong originally said that Li Weijian came here to promote steam engines, but he pretended to be confused and said, "I was about to ask for advice, but this time——"

Li Weijian took a sip of the fragrant tea, but didn't think it was anything special, and said: "It's a long story... In the twelfth lunar month, I and my mentor talked about changing rice into mulberry, and they both thought it was too much, and I'm afraid that in the future, Jiangnan There will be a food shortage."

Zhuang Yougong said solemnly, "Shilang Yan, this is what he said when he wanted to build a country. In the pre-Ming Dynasty, there were more mulberry cotton than rice in this area south of the Yangtze River. When the people paid taxes, they exchanged mulberry cotton for silver, and then used the silver to buy Huguang." Rice grain. Although the benefits of mulberry and cotton are great, they cannot be used as food.

Moreover, chaos occurs from time to time in Huanghuai and Taihu. In the past, there was government suppression, but at least there was still some rice cultivation. If there is no government control, I'm afraid... when natural disasters and man-made disasters come together, there will be great chaos in Jiangnan. "

Li Weijian nodded and said: "That's what my teacher said. After much thought, I have to think about converting rice into mulberry. The imperial government really does not have enough taxes. To prevent chaos in the south of the Yangtze River, water conservancy projects must be built. Only Only by regulating Huanghuai and Taihu can we avoid chaos in the south of the Yangtze River."

Zhuang Yougong nodded, but he was very puzzled. When he talked about changing rice to mulberry, why did it involve water conservancy?

After briefly saying a few words, Li Weijian changed the topic and said: "I have thought about it over and over again. Nowadays, water conservancy wastes money and wastes people, and the cost of building stone ponds is too much... If there is a new object like Sanhe soil, it will not be afraid of the sun." If the water flushes, wouldn’t it be much easier to control floods?”

"Um... I admire the doctor's wonderful idea." Zhuang Yougong resisted and didn't scratch his head. Why is this Li Caishen in front of me so out of touch with something new?

At this moment, Li Weijian suddenly clasped his hands and said, "I will spend the next ten days trying again and again. What do you think, sir?"

"what?"

Without waiting for Zhuang Yougong to say anything, Li Weijian said: "Exactly, by chance, I actually created this thing!"

"Huh? Ah - this is really..."

Li Weijian said: "I am going south this time just for this cement matter. Just think about it. This material is usually in powder form. It is mixed with sand and gravel during construction and is left to dry for a few days before becoming as solid as a rock. It is not afraid of being washed away by rain, and the material cost is comparable." The stone pond has been saved by 70%... I dare to ask the governor, if we get this thing, will the water conservancy be easy?"

I see! Zhuang Yougong thought to himself, yes, this Dr. Li was a practical scholar and was very good at creating things. If it is indeed what it says, that is really a great thing!

"Really? This matter will benefit all people in the world."

Li Weijian waved his hand and said with a smile: "It's still too early to say this... Mr. Zhuang, I sent people to search around earlier, and I found this place." He raised his hand and pointed in the distance. Taihu said: "There is a Xishan Island in Taihu Lake. The island not only has the limestone needed for cement, but more importantly, there is coal. The purpose of my visit to Suzhou is to prepare for the establishment of a cement business on this Xishan Island."

"Cement affairs?" Zhuang Yougong was thinking about the capital's water affairs, and immediately asked anxiously: "I wonder if this cement affairs... is handled by the inner government alone, or... according to the old water affairs?"

Li Weijian took a sip of tea and said with a smile: "The Palace Master also knows that the imperial court does not have enough money every year. This cement service... naturally follows the old practice of water service."

"Hey!" Zhuang Yougong was overjoyed and said hurriedly: "In this case, if the doctor invites you, I will definitely go there personally!"

As for Capital Water Affairs, Shuntian Mansion has taken a huge advantage. Following the example of water affairs, doesn’t it mean that Suzhou Prefecture can also take some shares in the cement industry?

When the time comes to sell some, won’t the mess in the city be solved? This Li Caishen in front of me is truly worthy of his reputation!

Zhuang Yougong picked up the tea cup again and said respectfully: "I would like to use tea instead of wine. I would like to thank Li Langzhong for his help and saving Suzhou from the fire and water."

"Eh? Your Majesty, you are too polite. Please!"

Zhuang Yougong drank the tea in the cup in one gulp, feeling refreshed both physically and mentally. At this moment, he remembered that there was Miao Yu sitting beside him, so he smiled and nodded to her: "Girl, good tea."

Miaoyu said: "Your Majesty, you will be used to drinking it. This water is the dew that fell before the Ming Dynasty last year. There is only one jar left. Today, it is used to entertain your Majesty... and Mr. Li."

Zhuang Yougong, who came from a traditional literary background, nodded and said with a smile, "No wonder there is something special about it."

Li Weijian in front of him looked strange and glanced at the kettle several times.

Miaoyu then asked, "Mr. Li, is the kettle inappropriate?"

"No, I was wondering if the water had been boiled just now."

Miaoyu said: "It has been boiled three times and left to dry for a while, otherwise I would not dare to entertain you two."

"That's good." Li Weijian felt relieved. At least he didn't have to worry about his stomach this time.

Miaoyu was puzzled, but when she wanted to ask more questions, Li Weijian started talking to Zhuang Yougong again. Miaoyu couldn't interrupt, so she just slandered Li Weijian in her heart.

Little did she know that Li Weijian was also secretly complaining. What's wrong with using dew that has stayed there for a year to make tea? Miaoyu Xingzhi seems to be extremely elegant, but in fact it is completely arty. I'll give her a microscope tomorrow so she can see with her own eyes what's in the water that's been swimming in for a year, and see if she can still be decent!

After talking to Zhuang Yougong for half a day, his entourage came to urge him twice. Zhuang Yougong knew that something was going on in the yamen, so he had to get up and leave.

Li Weijian personally sent Zhuang Yougong out of the mountain gate. When he was far away, he thought about returning to Panxiang Temple.

Zhuang Yougong had just read the fish scale book. When he mentioned Xishan Island, he said that the mountains on the island were owned by the government, so it was regarded as a stake by the Suzhou government. The rest of the land belonged to three families, and it would take some time to purchase it.

After thinking about it for a moment, Li Weijian felt relieved. Why should he bother with this matter? I'm afraid that when the news that I'm in Suzhou and I'm going to do a cement business is released, the Jiangnan gentry will definitely take action after hearing the news. Just let them take action when the time comes, and you don't have to be a villain.

Just halfway through, a sliding pole suddenly came from behind. He saw several Forbidden Soldiers protecting Li Weijian. The fat man on the sliding pole quickly shouted: "Put it down, put it down. Put me down quickly, Master."

Putting down the sliding pole, the big fat man lifted up his robe and walked up the steps with a bang. He was more than ten steps away from Li Weijian and shouted from a distance: "May I ask if Mr. Li is in front of you?"

Li Weijian stopped in front of the temple gate, glanced back at the fat man, smiled and ordered the imperial guard beside him: "Stand aside for me, I will go back first."

Several imperial guards took the order, and Li Weijian immediately entered the temple. When the fat man arrived in front of the temple, he was stopped by two forbidden soldiers. The fat man jumped up anxiously and shouted: "Mr. Li, I'm Gu Wanzhong from Suzhou...my father is Gu Weicheng."

Gu Weicheng was the first assistant during the Xiaojing period. Li Weijian stamped his feet, looked back at the fat man, sighed, and said, "That's it, let Gu Yuan come over."

Only then did the two imperial guards let go of Gu Wanzhong. Gu Wanzhong immediately beamed with joy and trotted closer with his robe in hand: "Oh, Mr. Li is really... Now that we have arrived in Suzhou, how can I, a Suzhou gentry, have to fulfill my duties as a landlord?" .”

Li Weijian smiled and said, "How did Gu Yu know that I was at Panxiang Temple?"

"This... is just a random guess."

"You guessed it? Mr. Gu is very lucky... If I come here tomorrow, I will leave without saying anything."

"what?"

Li Weijian turned around and walked slowly, while Gu Wanzhong hurriedly followed him half a step behind. Li Weijian said: "I originally wanted to set up a cement business in Suzhou... However, Xishan Island has an owner early on. It is probably not easy to purchase the land. In this case, it is better to find another place."

Looking elsewhere? If you miss today, where will you get the chance to meet this God of Wealth Li in the future?

Gu Wanzhong then said: "What's so difficult about this? To be honest with Li Langzhong, I have a lot of land on that Xishan Island. The remaining two families will come forward and gather the land in their hands."

"Too much trouble--"

"There is no need for the doctor to come forward in this matter. Everything will be done by me... In five days... no, three days, within three days, I will definitely give you the title deed of Xishan Island. Hehe... That is, this cement service, no matter what the doctor I have to let you mix it in."

Li Weijian stopped, looked at Gu Wanzhong with a smile, and asked, "Just three days?"

"Just three days!"

Li Weijian sighed: "That's alright, then three days. If you get the land deed, you can come directly here to find me; if it doesn't happen, I will leave for Zhejiang in three days."

"It's a deal! Just wait and see, doctor, I will definitely finish this matter within three days."

After receiving Li Weijian's promise, Gu Wanzhong became energetic, turned around and ran down even faster than before, jumped on the sliding pole and urged the servants to return quickly.

The immense wealth is right in front of him, and when mixed with it, it becomes heirloom wealth. How can Gu Wanzhong wait?

Li Weijian returned to the small courtyard with a smile and didn't mention it, but said that what he had just done with Gu Wanzhong had completely fallen into the eyes of another person.

This person is Xing Zhong, Xing Xiuyan's father.

Xing Zhong and Mrs. Xing are cousins ​​(Note 1). At this time, they did not know that Li Weijian was involved with Rongguo Mansion. But he knew Gu Wanzhong. He was a well-known wealthy family in Suzhou, and he owned the best garden in the city.

This man ran the Fushun ship and also opened a weaving yard. Xing Zhong worked as a steward in another weaving field, so he probably wouldn't even be able to talk to Gu Daguan when he met him on weekdays.

What did he see?

Gu Wanzhong, who always showed off his nostrils, nodded and bowed towards Mr. Li like a pug. That sentence is indeed correct, everything is inferior, only reading is superior!

Feeling astonished in his heart, Xing Zhong finally knew the importance of Li Weijian, so he stayed away from him. After he was far away, he returned to his home.

When I entered the room, I saw that my mother-in-law was cooking and my daughter was making red wine. Xing Zhong drank a cup of coarse tea, wiped his mouth and told what he had just seen.

After hearing this, his wife clicked her tongue and said, "This Mr. Li has such great official authority."

"It can be said... Gu Daguan, even the princes of the palace must treat each other with courtesy. I don't expect to be so respectful to Mr. Li."

His wife's heart moved, and she suddenly asked Xing Zhong and said, "I see that Mr. Li is not very old, and I don't know if he is married yet. If he is not married yet, what do you think Xiuyan -"

"Tsk~" Xing Zhong was amused: "Master Li is so powerful, I'm afraid that all the noble ladies will flock to him, so how can they take a liking to Xiuyan?"

His wife was not happy and said: "Why don't you look down on me? Besides, I can't be a real wife, so it would be good to be a noble concubine."

Xing Zhong was about to refute, but suddenly his heart moved. Xing Zhong's family is not comparable to Mrs. Xing's natal family, and they have been living a hard life over the years. That Mr. Li is known as the God of Wealth, and his daughter has become a concubine. Not only will their family be prosperous, but they won't have to suffer poverty at least, right?

While I was thinking about it, someone outside suddenly called the door.

The couple hurried out to greet her, and saw a Xiyi woman with chestnut hair and strange eyes standing in front of Chaimen. She nodded slightly and said, "My master asked me to deliver sausages to Miss Xing."

His wife was confused and didn't know what to say, so Xing Zhong asked, "Girl, may I ask who your master is?"

Bitong raised his chin toward the east: "That's Mr. Li who lives here."

Xing Zhong was stunned. Before he could recover, Xing Xiuyan had already come out of the room, took the sausage, thanked Bi Tong, and Bi Tong nodded and left.

As soon as the talent left, Xing Zhong and his wife grabbed Xing Xiuyan and said excitedly: "My son, why did Mr. Li give you sausages? Do you know Mr. Li?"

(End of this chapter)