Blackening starts from the golden years

Walking past Zhao Pan'er, Yuan Xudong found a seat by the window and sat down. A Da and the other four sat near him to be on guard.

A gentle breeze blew, and the wind chimes rang. What Yuan Xudong saw was a rather simple bamboo house. Looking out the bamboo window, he saw curtains made of bamboo mats. Under the eaves, wind chimes made of bamboo boards were hung, swaying in the wind and making clear and pleasant sounds. Looking into the distance, the rippling blue lake seemed to have no end. Occasionally, a few large ships passed by in the distance, and in the end only the shadow of a sail was left behind.

Looking back, there are many calligraphy and paintings hanging in the teahouse, and the tables, chairs and benches with tea sets are also very exquisite. Although Zhao's Teahouse looks very simple, it is located by the vast lake with clear water, gentle breeze, rippling water, and a lone sail in the distance. It is really a good place to drink tea and relax.

Not far away, Zhao Pan'er stood up from the ground after kowtowing devoutly. She first glanced at Yuan Xudong, who had red lips and white teeth, a handsome face, and was wearing gorgeous clothes, and the four strong men in black who were obviously guards sitting next to him.

As expected, he is from a certain family, Zhao Pan'er thought to herself. She walked to Yuan Xudong's table with lotus steps, looked at him and smiled:
"My dear guest, what would you like to order?"

After taking a look at Zhao Pan'er, Yuan Xudong looked at the wooden sign hanging in the teahouse and said:

"A pot of Xie Yuan tea and a plate of Lu Ming cakes. Serve them four as well."

"Okay, please wait a moment."

Zhao Pan'er left to go to the teahouse next door to prepare. Sun Sanniang was also in that room. When she saw Zhao Pan'er lift the bamboo curtain and come in, she hurriedly asked:
"Pan'er, that scoundrel wasn't rude to you, was he?"

"No, a guest is a guest. I'll make some tea. Sanniang, please prepare the deer-singing cakes quickly. The guest wants five plates."

Zhao Paner shook her head and smiled.

"okay."

Sun Sanniang happily prepared Luming Cakes, Zhao Pan'er sold tea, and she sold fruits. The two were not only neighbors but also business partners.

Looking at Zhao Pan'er who was brewing tea very skillfully, Sun Sanniang smiled and said:
"Pan'er, I heard that the girls in Tokyo are all straightforward and good-tempered. You will definitely be able to thrive there."

Hearing the word Tokyo, Zhao Paner's eyes were filled with yearning. She raised a slight smile and said:

"I haven't been to Tokyo yet, but I heard from Ouyang that there is no curfew at night. The lights are on all night long, and there is music and singing all the time."

Speaking of the bustle and prosperity of Tokyo, Sun Sanniang couldn't help but stop what she was doing and said with longing on her face:

"Zifang's father went there once. He told me that the young ladies there were all dressed up like fairies from heaven. There were hundreds of different kinds of lip balms and powders in the shop. Even their clothes were sewn with gold thread. Well, I was counting on Zifang to pass the imperial examination and earn me a phoenix crown and bridal robe. Then, I would go to Tokyo to see the world."

Sun Sanniang and Zhao Pan'er chatted while working, and their words and expressions showed their longing and yearning for Tokyo.

Soon, the Xieyuan tea and Luming cakes that Yuan Xudong ordered were ready. Zhao Pan'er came out from the next room with tea and Sun Sanniang came out with fruit. They walked to Yuan Xudong's table. Sun Sanniang put the Luming cakes on Yuan Xudong's table and said with a smile:

"Guest, your Luming Cake, please enjoy it slowly."

"Thank you."

Yuan Xudong thanked her first, then glanced at Sun Sanniang's chest, which was so big.

"lecher!"

Sun Sanniang cursed in a low voice, glared at Yuan Xudong fiercely, and then went to give the Deer Singing Cakes to his four guards. If these four guards hadn't been watching, she would have definitely taught Yuan Xudong, this scoundrel, a good lesson today.

After Sun Sanniang left, Zhao Pan'er poured tea for Yuan Xudong. She did not pour the tea in the silver pot directly into the teacup on Yuan Xudong's table. Instead, she rotated a circle and a half in front of him, bent down with her back to him and poured tea. Her soft and attractive body and the faint smile on her face made Yuan Xudong forget about the tea and only remember her.

Yuan Xudong felt that Zhao Pan'er was seducing him. Yes, that's right. Haha, he was determined to have this woman.

"Slow use."

With a slight smile at Yuan Xudong, Zhao Pan'er left with the silver pot to pour tea for his four guards. This time she just poured the tea and said, "Enjoy your meal." She did not show her seductive dance moves again.

Yuan Xudong picked up the teacup and drank tea. He bought one hundred taels of gold ingots, one thousand taels of silver ingots, and one thousand strings of coins from the system store, spending a total of three points. One tael of gold is equal to ten taels of silver, one tael of silver is equal to one string of copper coins, and one string of copper coins is equal to one thousand coins. Points can be exchanged for money according to this ratio, but the reverse is not possible. Money cannot be exchanged for points.

Currently, he has 97 points left. The 3 taels of gold, taels of silver, and strings of copper coins that he just exchanged for points have all been placed directly in the system space by the system. Yuan Xudong can take them out at any time if he wants to use them.

During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty, the price of rice in Tokyo was about 700 wen per dan, and one dan was equal to 75.96 kilograms, which means the price of each kilogram of rice was 9.22 wen. Of course, this was just a reference price. Yuan Xudong used 3 points to exchange for 4285 strings of money, which could buy 325 dan of rice, which is equivalent to tons of rice.

In addition, one tael is equal to 37.30 grams. In the folk, one tael of gold can often be exchanged for more than ten taels of silver, and one tael of silver can often be exchanged for more than one guan of money, which is 1000 wen. Just like the actual exchange rate, there will be a big difference.

Yuan Xudong took a look at the price of rice in the system store. It was much cheaper than 700 coins per stone, but it could only be exchanged with points. This directly eliminated his idea of ​​making a profit from the price difference. Points can only be used where there is a will. What is a will?
Using points to recruit soldiers is like a blade. If he can exchange 100% loyal soldiers for a modern combat force, he can become the emperor. If he can exchange the fleet again, he will be the village chief of the global village. Of course, he can only think about it at present. He only has four modern soldiers and nine gang thugs with knives and pistols. Such a force configuration makes Yuan Xudong feel very insecure. He always feels that there are unruly people who want to harm him. Fortunately, he has a system map. There are only white and green dots on the map now, and there are no red dots representing hostile targets. With the system map, his safety is greatly guaranteed.

At this time, other guests came into Zhao's Teahouse one after another, and the number of guests in the teahouse gradually increased. Zhao Pan'er began to busy herself with ordering tea, and Sun Sanniang was responsible for preparing the fruits.

"My two guests, please come in."

Two more guests came in. Zhao Pan'er greeted them with a smile, then went about ordering tea for the other guests and performing a tea opera to attract business. With one hand she slowly poured hot water into the teacup containing tea powder, and with the other hand she quickly stirred the tea whisk twice. After a moment, patterns appeared on the water surface of the teacup. The guests looked closely and saw that the patterns on the water surface were like peach blossoms blooming in the center of the tea. The guests immediately started talking and vying to praise Zhao Pan'er.

Amid the guests' praises, Zhao Pan'er picked up the silver kettle, turned around beautifully, bent down slightly, tilted the silver kettle in her hand, and poured hot tea from mid-air into the teacup in front of the guests. After the performance, she bowed slightly to the guests, then left with the silver kettle in both hands and said with a smile:

"Dear guests, please enjoy your meal."

"Okay, thank you, Madam Zhao."

"We not only sell tea here, but the new basil drink that the shopkeeper, Madam Zhao, has launched is also a must-try."

"Look, this is the new basil drink that the shopkeeper, Madam Zhao, has launched."

"awesome."

……

In the southeast corner of the teahouse, near the window, two guests who had just arrived sat opposite each other. One of them was dressed in brocade and was about twenty years old. His face was quite cold and ruthless. Sitting opposite him was a strong man with a full beard and a fierce look on his face. However, he nodded and bowed in front of the young man and said in a flattering manner:

"Commander, I heard that you like tea. This Zhao's Teahouse is the best in Qiantang. The tea and fruit are delicious. The owner, Madam Zhao, is the most beautiful woman in the world. It can be said that everything is complete, so I chose this place."

As he spoke, he looked at Zhao Pan'er who was pouring tea for Yuan Xudong not far away and shouted with a smile:

"Madam Shopkeeper, two lamps of Green Phoenix Marrow."

"okay."

Zhao Paner smiled and agreed.

The two guests were none other than Gu Qianfan and his old subordinate Lao Jia. Gu Qianfan was the commander of the Investigation Division of the Imperial City Division in Tokyo and was known as the "living devil" in Tokyo. The Imperial City Division only obeyed the orders of the government and was sent out to investigate inappropriate matters in the world. It was not under the jurisdiction of the Taiwan Inspectorate and was not under the control of the three yamen. Lao Jia was Gu Qianfan's former pawn and was later transferred from Tokyo to work in the Imperial City Division in Qiantang County. He had always wanted to be transferred back to the Imperial City Division in Tokyo, but had no opportunity or connections.

This time, Gu Qianfan came secretly to Qiantang in Jiangnan to investigate the current queen's infidelity. He did not bring any capable subordinates with him, which gave Lao Jia a chance to curry favor with him.

According to the clues Gu Qianfan got, the Night Banquet Painting containing the evidence of the empress's infidelity is in Qiantang, Jiangnan, at the residence of Yang Zhiyuan, the magistrate of Liangzhe Road. Because the current empress's infidelity is a matter of great importance, Gu Qianfan cannot investigate it openly, so he instructs Lao Jia, the local tyrant of the Imperial City Bureau, to find a way to get the Night Banquet Painting from Yang's residence.

Looking at Yuan Xudong sitting not far away and the four black-clad guards surrounding him, Gu Qianfan couldn't help but frown slightly. He felt a fatal threat from the four black-clad nurses, especially their eyes, which were cold and ruthless, and did not look like living people at all. In fact, Gu Qianfan's intuition was not wrong. The system people were indeed not normal people. They were more like intelligent robots with flesh and blood. They had no emotions and were only absolutely loyal to their master Yuan Xudong.

It's a bit like the Deadpools privately raised by some dignitaries, but more powerful than Deadpool. Gu Qianfan thought that the four of A Da were the Deadpools raised by some big shot. As for Yuan Xudong, whom they were protecting, he was naturally the son of the big shot's family.

Retracting his gaze, Gu Qianfan looked at Lao Jia and asked:

"Do you know who those people are?"

"I don't know, I've never seen it before."

After taking a look at Yuan Xudong, Lao Jia looked at Gu Qianfan and said:

"How about I go over and interrogate him?"

"No need, don't cause any more trouble, just do what I told you to do first."

Gu Qianfan said that his intuition told him that it would be better not to mess with Yuan Xudong and his gang. Even if they were from the Imperial City Bureau, they would die anyway.

"it is good."

Old Jia nodded. He naturally knew that Yuan Xudong and his gang looked difficult to deal with, but he still needed to perform well in front of Gu Qianfan. If he served Gu Qianfan well, wouldn't he be able to be transferred back to the Tokyo Imperial City Headquarters to take up a position?

Without discussing business, Gu Qianfan looked at Zhao Paner's teahouse with a bit of disdain, as well as the guests who were shouting and making noises not far away, and said with a smile:
"Is this the No. 1 Teahouse in Qiantang that you told me about?"

Seeing Gu Qianfan's disdainful look, knowing that he looked down upon teahouses outside Tokyo, Lao Jia immediately smiled and said:
"Qiantang is a remote and poor place, of course it can't compare to the bustling and prosperous Tokyo, it can just barely have a place to refresh yourself."

At this time, Zhao Pan'er brought tea to the two of them. She was unhappy to hear Lao Jia belittling her own teahouse, but she said politely:
"The green phoenix marrow and Vietnamese plum preserves you two ordered will taste even better with a little ginger salt."

Looking at the beautiful Zhao Pan'er, Old Jia smiled respectfully and said:

"Thank you, Madam Shopkeeper."

"You're welcome."

After Zhao Pan'er left with the tea tray, Lao Jia's eyes followed her swaying figure as she left. Looking at such a useless subordinate, Gu Qianfan frowned and said:
"Is this the stunning beauty you were talking about?"

"Yes."

Hearing Gu Qianfan's voice, Lao Jia immediately came back to his senses. Seeing Gu Qianfan frowning slightly, he quickly changed his words and said disdainfully:

"She's just a country girl. Of course she can't be compared with the pretty ladies in Tokyo."

Hearing what Lao Jia said, Gu Qianfan shook his head slightly and smiled:
"When you finish this case, I will transfer you back to Tokyo and let you clean your eyes."

"Really?"

After flattering for so long, he finally got what he wanted. Lao Jia immediately bowed his hands excitedly and thanked him:
"Thank you, Commander. I, Old Jia, will definitely handle this case with all my heart."

"Okay, let's have some tea."

……

Not far away, Yuan Xudong finished another cup of tea, and then called Zhao Paner to add more tea for him. Zhao Paner secretly rolled her eyes, thinking that Yuan Xudong didn't know tea, just like a cow chewing a peony, drinking one cup after another. At this time, the conversation between Gu Qianfan and Lao Jia came over, saying that Zhao Paner was a country woman who couldn't be compared with the beauties in Tokyo, and also said that she should be transferred back to Tokyo to wash her eyes. Yuan Xudong clearly saw that Zhao Paner's hand trembled slightly, and the smile on her face also froze for a while, and soon returned to normal, as if she didn't hear what Gu Qianfan and Lao Jia said.

Looking at her, Yuan Xudong smiled slightly and said:
"My name is Yuan Xudong, what's your name?"

Looking at Yuan Xudong with some surprise, as if she didn't expect him to be so straightforward, Zhao Pan'er poured the tea and smiled slightly:

"Zhao Pan'er."

"Zhao Pan'er? This name sounds pretty nice."

Seeing that Zhao Pan'er was about to leave, Yuan Xudong said:
"When I came in earlier, I heard you say something about Ouyang, saying he should not fail the exam again. I do know a Qiantang candidate named Ouyang Xu, who won the third place. I just don't know if he is the Ouyang you are talking about."

"Did Ouyang win the third place?"

Zhao Pan'er showed a look of joy. She didn't expect to hear the news that Ouyang Xu had passed the high school entrance examination from Yuan Xudong. Looking at her, Yuan Xudong deliberately said:
"Tokyo has announced the results a long time ago. When I came here from Tokyo, I heard that Ouyang Xu was recruited as the son-in-law by Observer Gao. Observer Gao is a royal relative, and Concubine Gao is deeply favored by the current official. Ouyang Xu's future is limitless."

Not far away, hearing what Yuan Xudong said, Gu Qianfan was secretly wondering which adult in Tokyo had the surname Yuan? Yuan Xudong, why had he never heard of this person?
"Impossible, Ouyang would never do this to me."

When Zhao Pan'er heard the news from Yuan Xudong that Ouyang Xu was recruited as the son-in-law by Observer Gao, her mind was shaken and the silver pot in her hand fell to the ground with a bang, splashing tea everywhere.

She was originally a slave, but later became a good woman. Now that Ouyang Xu has passed the imperial examination, will he still marry her?

Ouyang Xu hasn't come back in such a long time, and there has been no news sent back. Could it be that he really changed his heart and became the son-in-law of Observer Gao?

Zhao Pan'er was shaken, but she still said with a self-hypnotic look on her face:

"Mr. Yuan, the Ouyang Xu you are talking about is definitely not the Ouyang I know. He will never agree to be the son-in-law of a high observer."

"is it?"

Looking at Zhao Pan'er who looked stubborn, Yuan Xudong smiled and said:

"Maybe I was wrong."

Zhao Pan'er forced a smile as she picked up the silver pot from the ground. At this moment, five bandits holding large knives suddenly kicked open the bamboo door of Zhao's Teahouse and rushed in. The leader had a fierce look on his face and the knife in his hand was shining like a sharp stone. Seeing these armed criminals, the guests who were originally talking were immediately frightened and panicked, and hurriedly fled.

As the local head of the Imperial City Division, he had the responsibility to manage the inappropriate things in his jurisdiction. In addition, his immediate superior Gu Qianfan was also there, so Lao Jia planned to show off his abilities. They were just a few stupid thieves, and he could handle them all by himself. Thinking of this, Lao Jia stretched out his right hand to the sword at his waist, and stood up to arrest these bandits.

Gu Qianfan suddenly reached out and held him down, shaking his head imperceptibly. He glanced at Yuan Xudong. Old Jia understood immediately and sat back down. He watched as the bandits kidnapped some of the tea drinkers and confronted the dozen or so constables who had chased into Zhao's Teahouse. For a moment, the scene was extremely chaotic, and both sides did not dare to act rashly. They just kept yelling at each other.

"Put down the knife!"

"Don't even come here!"

"Don't move, no one move!"

"Don't come over here, if you come one step closer, I'll kill them all!"

"stop!"

Looking at the bandit leader, the head constable shouted in a deep voice:

"Wang San, put down the knife and don't hurt the hostages!"

"Bah, you think I, Wang San, am a fool, right?"

Looking at the head of the constables, the bandit leader named Wang San said coldly:

"You don't dare to intervene in the smuggling of those big shots who violated the sea ban, but what's wrong with us salt gangs selling some illegal salt? Do you want to kill us all?"

"Selling illegal salt is a capital crime, Wang San, you are courting death!"

"Fuck your death penalty. If I am guilty of the death penalty, then Zheng Qingtian will be a member of the Yi San clan."

Looking at the head of the constables, Wang San put a knife to the neck of a tea drinker and threatened him harshly:
"Put down your swords, leave the teahouse, and prepare five fast horses for us, otherwise, all these hostages will die!"

"Wang San, as long as you don't hurt anyone, we can talk about anything!"

The head constable shouted, "Of course he couldn't put down the knife like Wang San said, wouldn't that be courting death? And there were five fast horses, that was even more impossible, how much would five fast horses cost?"

"Stop talking nonsense, leave the teahouse, and prepare the horses!"

"Okay, don't get excited."

The chief constable, along with a dozen of his men, slowly retreated from the teahouse with knives in hand, ready to think of other ways to rescue the hostages. In case many hostages really died, he would definitely be the best person to take the blame. However, he couldn't really give out salt to help these people escape, as selling contraband salt was a serious crime punishable by beheading.

Obviously, the people in the Salt Gang also knew that the police outside would not really let them go, and they were just stalling for time. Looking at their boss, a gangster with a scar on his face said viciously:

"Boss, let's kill all these people and run away."

"Yes, yes, kill them all. If we have to die, we will die together. Let them be buried with us."

Some bandits were shouting wildly, saying that they were at the end of their rope and wanted to go crazy before they died, and that they wanted to kill everyone in the teahouse together with them.

Yuan Xudong originally didn't want to meddle in other people's business, but these bandits were already crazy, so there was nothing he could do.

He was about to order A Da and the others to get rid of these bandits. At this moment, Zhao Pan'er took a silver pot and was about to smash it on the head of a bandit who had his back to her. Yuan Xudong was a little surprised. This Zhao Pan'er was very brave. Was she so courageous?
Looking at the male tea drinkers again, apart from himself, there were Gu Qianfan and Lao Jia. The others were either squatting on the ground with their heads in their hands or hiding under the table, trembling. When they heard the bandits shouting that they would kill everyone and bury them together, they still buried their heads and trembled, like chicks waiting to be slaughtered. Yuan Xudong believed that these bandits could kill them one by one with one knife, and it would be effortless for them to do so.

These people who dare not raise their heads are not as good as Zhao Pan'er, a woman. They all think about hiding and don't want to save themselves. The final result is that everyone dies together, and the murderous bandits will laugh and say proudly that they can kill everyone by themselves.

There are only five bandits. If we all attack together, plus the constable outside the door, we can definitely capture these bandits. But we are all smart people, and whoever goes up first will definitely die, so let's wait and let others come up.

Yuan Xudong felt very sad. These people only knew how to talk big but were powerless. They called themselves scholars and looked down on reckless people, but they themselves had no blood and courage. When they really met bandits, they dared not even fart.

Yuan Xudong saw Sun Sanniang hiding in the next room and watching this place, with two kitchen knives in her hands. She hid behind the door curtain, looking at Zhao Paner, ready to rush over at any time.

Zhao Pan'er looked at her and nodded slightly. Just as Zhao Pan'er was about to smash the silver pot in her hand at the bandit's head, suddenly a hand grabbed her white wrist and pulled it slightly, and she fell backwards into a man's arms.

It's him.

Seeing Yuan Xudong's handsome face, Zhao Pan'er couldn't help but blush. At this moment, she fell into Yuan Xudong's arms, with him holding her waist, just like a young lady serving a young man in a brothel. Zhao Pan'er had been in the music school for a long time. Although she had never really served a man, she had learned everything she should learn. If she couldn't learn it, she would be hungry and beaten. Therefore, even if she didn't want to learn those skills specifically for serving men, those skills were engraved into her bones like instinct. The Green Waist Dance she performed to pour tea for Yuan Xudong before was one of the dances she learned in the Hangzhou Music School.

Looking at the dazed Zhao Pan'er, Yuan Xudong held her soft waist with one hand, holding her in his arms, and stroked her pretty face with the other hand, smiling:

"You are very brave, aren't you afraid that those villains will kill you?"

Yuan Xudong attracted the attention of the gangsters. When they saw him holding the beautiful bride in his arms and talking and laughing, they were so angry that their noses were crooked. They were all going to die, and he was still sitting there playing with women?
Seeing Zhao Paner's beautiful face and attractive figure, two bandits' eyes lit up. Wouldn't it be great to meet such a beauty before dying?
At this moment, Yuan Xudong raised his hand and then put it down.

The gangsters were confused. Gu Qianfan, who was not far away, narrowed his eyes. He was ready to take a good look at the martial arts of Yuan Xudong's four guards, who could actually make him feel a fatal threat.

However, he soon opened his mouth in surprise and became a little dazed, and Old Jia, who was sitting opposite him, was even more stunned.

Bang~~Bang~~Bang~~Bang~~Bang~~
Five gunshots rang out in succession, and the five gangsters were shot in the head. Their eyes were wide open, as if they died with their eyes open.

A Da and A Er put away their pistols expressionlessly and continued to stand guard over Yuan Xudong. In an instant, they shot and killed five vicious knife-wielding bandits. This heroic performance shocked everyone present, including Gu Qianfan and Lao Jia from the Imperial City Division.

"Such a powerful firearm?"

Gu Qianfan's eyes narrowed. He was very keenly aware of the terrifying nature of this kind of firearm. Even he was probably no match for these people. If there were more people, wouldn't that be...

Yuan Xudong saw two small red dots appear on his system map. He frowned slightly and glanced at Gu Qianfan and Lao Jia who were sitting not far away.

【Character: Gu Qianfan】

[Faction: Hostile (Red)]

[Identity: Commander of the Investigation Division of the Tokyo Imperial City Bureau, son of the current Prime Minister Xiao Qinyan.]

[Skills: Criminal investigation and interrogation, arrest and killing. ]

【Ideal: To be loyal and dedicated to one's duties and be a good official.】

[Eliminate the enemy target to get 1000 points, and the system will draw three times.]

……

【Character: Lao Jia】

[Faction: Hostile (Red)]

[Identity: Head of the Qiantang Imperial City Investigation Department.]

[Skills: Criminal investigation and interrogation, arrest and killing, flattery, and thieves. ]

[Dream: To be transferred back to the Tokyo Imperial City Headquarters, get promoted and make a fortune.]

[Eliminate the enemy target to get 200 points and the system will draw a lottery once. ]

……

Yuan Xudong withdrew his gaze. He issued a kill order through the system to the nine gangster killers surrounding the teahouse, asking them to find an opportunity to kill Gu Qianfan and Lao Jia, but not to do it near Zhao's Teahouse. He still had to stay here and did not want to go on a killing spree.

...(End of chapter)