Red Mansion Taoist

Chapter 100 Welcome
  "Niece Jia Shi, congratulations!" Zhang Zhizhou was the first to arrive. After getting off the sedan, he clasped his fists and saluted Jia Qiang.

This regarded Jia Qiang as an equal. After such a long time, he contacted the capital and already knew Jia Qiang's identity.

Although it has not yet been confirmed whether Jia Qiang is the imperial envoy, Jia Qiang's title of first-grade viscount alone is enough to earn his special respect.

If Jia Qiang hadn't deliberately concealed her identity, Zhang Zhizhou would have come to see Jia Qiang with the etiquette of a lower official.

Zhang Zhizhou waved his hand, and an attendant placed a gift note in the hands of Old Butler Lin.

"I welcome Mr. Zhang on behalf of the teacher!" Jia Qiang noticed the change in Zhang Zhizhou's attitude and responded pretending not to know.

He knew that Zhang Zhizhou was also a member of Emperor Jingwen. It was probably because he knew something about himself that he called him his nephew, but treated him like an equal.

Old housekeeper Lin asked a servant to lead Zhang Zhizhou into the mansion. The mansion was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. Although there were no Double Happiness lanterns hung, the celebration was a bit more festive than during the New Year.

Next came Huang Quanyi, the only big salt merchant invited today.

Jia Qiang had read a lot of information about Huang Quanyi, all of which were collected by Lin Ruhai.

Huang Quanyi seemed to want to get close to Emperor Jingwen, but he was a bit ambiguous and very tactful.

However, Jia Qiang needed to accept Huang Quanyi's love, because Huang Quanyi ate the 50,000 yuan of salt in one bite, giving him a total of eight million taels of silver.

But it is not necessarily true that Jia Qiang completely believes in Huang Quanyi. Lin Ruhai made a special trip to talk to him about this.

None of the eight major salt merchants are simple and cannot be underestimated. If you take them lightly, you will most likely end up in a miserable end.

"Master Jia, I have prepared some small gifts!" Huang Quanyi saluted with a smile and said.

Needless to say, the gift from the big salt merchant was not light. Jia Qiang glanced at the three carriages full of goods behind Huang Quanyi.

However, he discovered that there were three thin middle-aged men beside the carriage. They stood together with the three carriages containing gifts, which seemed quite awkward.

"Shopkeeper Huang, who are these three?" Jia Qiang asked strangely.

"I heard that Master Jia has some business but lacks manpower. These three are experienced shopkeepers. I will transfer them to Master Jia." Huang Quanyi approached and said softly. He seemed to have thought of something, and then said: " They are bound together!"

Jia Qiang was startled when she heard this. It is a rare talent to be a shopkeeper who has a contract and is also a shopkeeper with rich experience.

The body deed is equivalent to controlling the life and death of this person. The more he comes into contact with property and enjoys the advantages of life, the more he fears death. The body deed is the Achilles heel of the three shopkeepers.

He was even more alarmed by Huang Quanyi's energy. He had just started the business in his hands not long ago.

One dock was given by Zhang Zhizhou, and the three large ships were the spoils of war. These were all done secretly, and even the three large ships and the dock were managed by Lin Mansion's stewards.

"Shopkeeper Huang, this gift is a bit heavy!" Jia Qiang said in a deep voice.

"Not heavy, not heavy at all. The relationship between Master Jia and Master Lin makes him worthy of this gift!" Huang Quan replied with a smile.

What he likes most is seeing others surprised when they receive gifts, which makes him feel satisfied.

"Shopkeeper Huang, the master is waiting for you inside, please come in!" Jia Qiang didn't say anything to refuse, he made a gesture of invitation.

The gift matter still needs to be discussed with Lin Ruhai, and we will talk about it later.

There was a sound of horse hoofbeats. Jia Qiang looked in the direction of the sound and found that it was a group of cavalry.

The leader was none other than General Luo Wu, the chief officer of Yangzhou Camp.

"Brother Jia, it's so hard for you to hide this from me!" General Luo Wu jumped off his horse, and the cavalry behind him also dismounted. He strode to Jia Qiang's side and said with a smile.

When he said this, he made a gesture of salute with his hands that a lower official had seen before a superior official. His movements were not big and no one else noticed.

After discovering Jia Qiang's terrifying strength, he also learned about Jia Qiang's situation from the capital through his own channels, and then discovered that Jia Qiang's title was First Grade Viscount.

His title and rank were so high that he, as the chief officer of the Yangzhou Camp, had no intention of recruiting him into the Yangzhou Camp.

At this level of title, if you really want to join the army, your official position will not be lower than that of the chief officer of the Yangzhou camp.

"I have met General Luo!" Jia Qiang smiled and performed the Confucian scholar's ceremony. This was to tell General Luo Wu that he was now in Yangzhou as a scholar.

"I heard that you have three large ships. It happened that three large ships in the Yangzhou Daying Navy were retired and replaced with new ones. I have no other gifts to give, so I will give you the old ship as a gift!" General Luo Wu said with a smile.

Jia Qiang was speechless again. What secrets did Yangzhou have? It had only been a few days, and everyone who could possibly know already knew about it.

But that's fine. With Lin Ruhai's apparent identity as his student and beloved son-in-law, there aren't many people in Yangzhou who dare to make big plans.

Although Jia Qiang has not yet seen the large ship sent by General Luo Wu, he knows that the large ship of the Daqian Navy is larger and faster than ordinary large cargo ships.

I have to mention the naval standard ship here. This is the highest level of Daqian shipbuilding industry and is much better than civilian ships.

It's just that Jia Qiang also felt sorry for Daqian's weakness. Look at Daqian's military who dared to take out warships to give gifts, let alone retirement, it was all fooling people.

If General Luo Wu really wants to give Jia Qiang a bunch of rags, he might end up making Jia Qiang an enemy rather than a good friend of Jia Qiang.

Jia Qiang also felt a headache, and they discussed it with Lin Ruhai later. This favor was not light.

After that, some officials came, some of whom Jia Qiang knew, and some of whom were strangers. Fortunately, with old housekeeper Lin by his side, nothing embarrassing would happen.

Jia Qiang did not return to the mansion until Old Butler Lin reminded her that the last guest had arrived.

"Thank you all for attending the engagement banquet between Jia Qiang and my little daughter. I have been serving as the salt inspector for several years with great dedication. I feel that I am worthy of my duties, but I have mistreated my wife and daughter. Today I have found a good son-in-law who can take care of my little daughter on my behalf. Please Let’s have a drink together!” Lin Ruhai said with a toast.

His table was filled with officials who had reached the sixth rank, and everyone raised their glasses together.

Then when everyone tasted the dishes, everyone was shocked except for those who had eaten Lin's dishes in the mansion during New Year greetings.

Even those who have tasted it have tasted this taste again after so many days, especially since the chef has changed to a higher level, which makes the taste even more sublimated.

For a time, all the guests were conquered by the delicious food.

In the kitchen, several chefs are also extremely curious about the secret recipe of the colorless water. Just adding a little bit of the secret recipe water can elevate the food they cook to a higher level.

Once they reach the level of several chefs, it is difficult to improve their cooking skills, but if they can master this secret recipe, they can stand out from the same level.

But it's a pity that the secret recipe water is held in the hands of Lin's cook. Let alone taste it, she can't even touch it. In fact, even if they asked Sun Ma to give them the secret recipe water, they would not be able to crack the secret of MSG. This is not a product that can be researched in this era.

Since several chefs also knew that this might be the only time they would come into contact with the secret water, they all used all their skills to cook food, hoping to show that they could surpass themselves this time.

This is not just for the guests to taste, they will also try the dishes themselves. Through tasting the dishes again and again, they also want to find out the secret of the secret water.

In the hall, Jia Qiang was particularly excited today. He toasted table after table and drank all the wine in his glass almost every time.

Not long after, he became a little drunk and his body swayed slightly.

On this happy day, Lin Ruhai did not restrict him. He just asked people to keep an eye on Jia Qiang. Even if he was drunk, he would not make any fool of himself.

Seeing Jia Qiang like this, all the guests kept toasting. Jia Qiang became more and more drunk. Finally, her body went limp. Fortunately, someone helped her and took her to the inner room to rest.

"Jia Qiang is a little rude!" Lin Ruhai said with a smile and cupped her fists at the guests.

"I'm probably too happy. Congratulations to Mr. Lin on getting a good son-in-law. Come and have a drink with us!" Magistrate Wu raised his glass of wine and said indifferently.

Lin Ruhai smiled and raised his glass to have a drink with Magistrate Wu.

But he was secretly wondering. Although Jia Qiang drank a lot, how could Jia Qiang get drunk in public with her mind?

Jia Qiang is young and mature, but also a genius. In addition, he also protects the safety of Lin Mansion. No matter how happy he is today, he should not get drunk.

Although she felt strange in her heart, Lin Ruhai continued to socialize with the guests.

Besides, Jia Qiang was helped to the room. The little maid Siyu gave him water to wipe his face and prepared a cup of sobering soup. However, no matter how he screamed, Jia Qiang could not be woken up. Siyu could only give up and go back to the outside to rest. went.

Just as Siyu left the room, Jia Qiang's eyes suddenly opened.

His hearing was superhuman, and he soon heard Siyu's even breathing. He smiled slightly and got up from the bed.

With a slight thought, Jia Qiang's clothes were changed into a set of black night clothes in the inventory.

There was another glove in his hand. The glove was a little special. There were sharp hooks at the tips of each finger. This was specially prepared for this operation.

Jia Qiang opened the window of the room and turned out lightly without making a sound from her steps.

Then he showed off his 66 points of agility, using his feet to move his body out like a ghost.

When approaching the wall of the Lin Mansion, he stepped on the wall with his left and right feet. As he approached the wall, he lightly touched the edge of the wall with his hands and climbed over without touching the top of the wall.

This kind of fence, in order to prevent criminals from climbing over the wall, is not only equipped with spikes, but also has a simple alarm device. If it is accidentally touched, it will make a sound.

Jia Qiang rolled out of the Lin Mansion. She did not stop when her feet landed, but maintained her speed.

With a physique of 35.1, he can absorb the force of falling from a height without any buffering.

He was running around Yangzhou City at night, and at the same time, he activated his senses to the extreme to avoid encountering the city guards patrolling at night.

Yangzhou City has a curfew at night. In fact, it is not just Yangzhou City. Almost all larger cities in this era have curfews at night. If you run around outside at night, you will be locked up once discovered by the patrolling city guards.

Jia Qiang's speed was 66 meters per second. At full speed, even if she met a patrolling city guard, the other party would probably think she had hit a ghost.

He rushed to the east of the city in the time it took a stick of incense to arrive. This is where the wealthy people of Yangzhou City gather, and mansions with high walls can be seen everywhere.

"Ma's Mansion!" Jia Qiang murmured softly as she looked at a house with a 'Ma's Mansion' plaque hanging on the door.

This was his goal today, but he was not planning to enter Ma Mansion and start a killing spree.

He looked at an ancient tree fifty meters away from the gate of Ma Mansion. The ancient tree was very tall, but in winter, the leaves had almost all fallen.

It was dark at the moment, and even without the cover of leaves, with his black clothes, he didn't have to worry about being discovered.

Jia Qiang arrived at the foot of the ancient tree in a few steps. The sharp hooks on his gloves were effective again. He quickly climbed up the ancient tree like a big gecko.

After getting into the tree, he put away his gloves and waited quietly.

Ever since Lin Daiyu fell into the water, Lin Ruhai has been investigating the person behind the scenes.

But the people behind the scenes acted very cautiously, leaving few traces behind.

But relying on the clues that can be found, the Mada Salt Merchant among the eight major salt merchants has great possibilities.

Of course, Lin Ruhai's investigation was also known to the Mada Salt Merchant and other major salt merchants. Behind the Mada Salt Merchant was a clan member. The clan's manager in Yangzhou approached Lin Ruhai and represented the clan clan. It shows that Lin Daiyu fell into the water and had nothing to do with the Mada Salt Merchant.

This was because he was worried that Lin Ruhai would take revenge regardless, as the Mada Salt Merchant was the clan's money bag.

In this situation, Lin Ruhai had no evidence in his hand, and he had no way to deal with the big salt merchant.

Jia Qiang read the investigation report and found out that the Mada Salt Merchant was one of the three major salt merchants who had been deducted 50,000 yuan of salt.

Since Ma Da Salt Merchant wanted to solve the problem through assassination, Jia Qiang decided to repay him with his own body. Since you like assassination so much, then I will use assassination to repay you.

The whereabouts of the Mada Salt Merchant were not easy to find out, especially the matter of the Mada Salt Merchant could not be exposed. However, Jia Qiang did not want to find out the whereabouts of the Mada Salt Merchant. She only wanted to know when he would return home.

This matter can be known as long as someone monitors the door of Ma Mansion for a period of time. No special connections are needed.

Jia Qiang used Lin Ruhai to let people monitor them, not just the Mafu family, but all the big salt merchants in the city.

Through Lin Ruhai's daily intelligence comparison, it was discovered that the Mada Salt Merchant has been returning home at about the same time these days, and has been handling business everywhere during the day.

The streets were very quiet at night, and the sound of wheels rolling on the ground and horses' hooves falling could be heard faintly in the distance.

Jia Qiang's eyes could also see at night, and he saw a group of people coming towards here in the distance.

The travel of a salt merchant in Madagascar can be compared with the travel of high-ranking officials, or even more luxurious.

There were twelve strong men in front and behind the carriage, and four martial arts masters guarded the carriage on both sides.

(End of this chapter)