Great Zhou Empire: Kill Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning

Chapter 567 Qing Qing Zi Jin (Special thanks to the monthly ticket of the book friend Shang Shan Ruo Shui Wu Wei Zhi Da Hou De Tan Wu!)

Chai Zongxun sighed:
"If the Angkor people had not killed and plundered our Great Zhou's maritime traders from the beginning, Your Majesty would not have raised an army to conquer them.

Does Miss Qingluo harbor hatred towards Your Majesty and our Great Zhou?"

Li Qingluo said hurriedly:
"Master Chai, how could I understand these military and national affairs? Besides, I was only a few years old at that time.

All I know is that when the Zhou army conquered Angkor, all the subjects and civilians who did not resist were safe, and their lives and property were preserved.

When two countries go to war, the Great Zhou is not considered brutal.

It’s just that my grandfather was the prime minister of Angkor and fought hard against the Zhou army, which led to his property being confiscated and exiled…”

After Li Qingluo finished speaking, she thought of her family members who were now serving time in prison in Beiming, and she couldn't help sobbing.

Chai Zongxun sighed. Li Qingluo's grandfather was the prime minister of Angkor and he fought hard against the Great Zhou, which was the act of a loyal minister.

After a long conversation along the way, Chai Zongxun couldn't help but feel pity for the beautiful Li Qingluo.

Chai Zongxun said:

"Qingluo, would you be willing to play a piece of music for me?"

Li Qingluo chatted with Chai Zongxun and found that he treated everyone equally and had no arrogance of a nobleman. She was moved and said immediately:

"Master Chai, if you don't mind my poor piano skills, I will play for you right now."

Li Qingluo took the zither handed over by the maid, plucked it lightly twice, and then began to play with her jade-like fingers.

The sound of the music is like the sound of a mountain spring. Li Qingluo sings softly, with hidden feelings. It is a poem from "Zi Jin, Zheng Feng, The Book of Songs":
Green Zijin, Youyouwoxin.Even if I don't go, Zining won't have the sound?

Qingqingzi wears it, and I think about it for a long time. Even if I don't go, Zi Ning won't come?
I am standing at the city gate. One day without you is like three months.

Chai Zongxun only felt that the sound of the piano was refreshing, and a young girl seemed to emerge in his mind, anxiously looking out from the city wall to see if her lover had arrived as scheduled.

Li Qingluo's singing voice was pleasant to the ears and her expression was pitiful. Chai Zongxun felt the softest part of his heart and was moved by Li Qingluo.

Chai Zongxun smiled and said:

"Qingluo, listening to you play the piano is such a pleasure.

Are you willing to play music for me alone in your boudoir from now on?"

Li Qingluo was overjoyed and looked at Chai Zongxun, who had a handsome and youthful face, and said:

"I am willing to serve Master Chai for the rest of my life and hold the broom for him!"

She knew in her heart that with Chai Zongxun's style and appearance, he must be either a duke, a noble, or a prominent figure in the empire. Moreover, Chai Zongxun had practiced the health-preserving exercises taught by Chen Tuan for many years, and had lived a life of luxury, so he looked only about forty years old.

Although the conversation was not long, Li Qingluo felt Chai Zongxun's gentleness, equality and righteousness. She was willing to marry Chai Zongxun as a concubine.

Moreover, in this era, when a woman married a husband, she would focus on reputation, talent, knowledge, power and wealth, and would hardly consider the age difference. This is why Su Dongpo wrote the line "A tree of pear blossoms overshadows the crabapple tree".

Chai Zongxun smiled and said:
"Great! I am also happy to have Qingluo accompany me.

Qingluo, please go back. We will take care of your admission into the mansion in a moment."

Li Qingluo nodded slightly, bowed, and walked back to the master room on the second floor with the maids.

After Chen Jixing, He Yao and other guards and eunuchs returned to the private room, they heard Chai Zongxun say that he wanted to take Li Qingluo into the palace, so they went to find Mr. Wen from "Yan Gui Pavilion" to pay the redemption money for Li Qingluo.

Chai Zongxun waved his hand to stop him, saying: "Trust is the foundation of a country and cannot be abolished.

Since the "Yan Gui Pavilion" has already announced the "selection of the Oiran", I will follow its rules."

Chen Jixing and He Yao both bowed and sighed:
"Your Majesty is benevolent, righteous, and magnanimous, and strictly abides by his word. He will surely start the trend and inheritance of the noble spirit of our Great Zhou Empire."

Chen Jixing immediately went to inform Mr. Wen of the "Yan Gui Pavilion" of the general situation, saying that Li Qingluo had been favored by his master and asked her to bid as usual.

Wen Dongjia was delighted to see that Chai Zongxun had kept his promise and did not use his power to seize power.

After walking into the room and talking to Li Qingluo for a few words, Boss Wen knew that the courtesan had fallen into the hands of Chai Zongxun. The next time he ordered a courtesan, the bidding was just Chai Zongxun giving him enough face.

Mr. Wen walked out of the main room and immediately announced that this year, "Yan Guige" would start selecting an Oiran for the last time in Bianjing this year, and the starting price for the auction would be five thousand taels.

Based on the five hundred taels of silver that Mr. Wen spent from the government to redeem Li Qingluo from slavery more than eight years ago, the profit was at least ten times.

Of course, these eight years were mostly spent on training Li Qingluo, and the money and time spent by the Wen family was not a small amount.

The guests in the building saw that Chai Zongxun and his entourage were large in number and occupied the three "Tian Zi Hao" private rooms on the second floor. They also saw that after the courtesan Li Qingluo met Chai Zongxun in the room, she no longer made appointments with the other 16 people who had passed the poetry test. All the guests could see that Chai Zongxun was of extraordinary status. Although many of them complained, they did not dare to really provoke Chai Zongxun.

As soon as Boss Wen finished speaking, people rushed to bid.

Chai Zongxun waited for others to bid for more than ten rounds, and after the bidding reached seven thousand taels and paused for a while, he said:

"I offer eight thousand taels to redeem Miss Qingluo."

The guests in the building saw that Chai Zongxun didn't bid, but once he did, he raised the price by one thousand taels to a sky-high price of eight thousand taels, and they all became quiet for a moment.

Just as Master Wen was about to announce that this year's oiran would be Chai Zongxun's family, he heard a guest in a private room on the second floor shout:
"I offer nine thousand taels to redeem Miss Qingluo!"

It was Xiang Chuanfan, one of the other sixteen people who passed the poetry test.

The crowd around was in an uproar. Seeing that someone dared to compete with Chai Zongxun for the item, they couldn't help but start to make a fuss.

Chai Zongxun was furious. He had waited for quite a long time and raised the price by a thousand taels again. He originally wanted to directly bid for redemption of Li Qingluo, but he didn't expect that someone would dare to raise the price and compete with him.

Chai Zongxun stood up from his chair and walked to the window, looking towards a private room on the right side of the second floor. He saw that the person bidding was Xiang Chuanfan, a man in his thirties dressed like a wealthy man.

Chai Zongxun glared at Chuanfan for a few seconds, then turned to look at Boss Wen and said:
"I must get Miss Qingluo herself. I will pay ten thousand taels of silver."

Wen Dongjia was overjoyed. Compared to the initial purchase price of five hundred taels of silver, she had already made a huge profit. She couldn't help but look at Xiang Chuanfan again, hoping that he would offer a higher price.

Xiang Chuanfan hesitated for a moment and was about to raise the price when the captain of his personal escort saw Chai Zongxun's appearance and his face changed immediately. He quickly reached out and tugged at his sleeve, whispering:

"Master, please don't raise the price. We in the Xiang family cannot afford to offend this master!"

Xiang Chuanfan came from a family of officials and had been in the business world for a long time, so he was well versed in human nature. He immediately suppressed his impulse and put his hand down.

When Chai Zongxun saw this scene, he felt something in his heart and a vague idea arose.

Wen Dongjia waited for a while, and seeing that no one bid again, he immediately said:
"The most beautiful lady chosen by Yan Gui Pavilion this year goes to Master Chai Si!"

Everyone in the building wanted to watch the excitement of Xiang Xuefan and Chai Zongxun competing for the courtesan Li Qingluo, but when they saw Xiang Chuanfan, the richest man in Bianjing and the eldest son of the Shangshu family, they were so frightened that they dared not say anything. They all stood up and began to leave the wooden building.

Chai Zongxun smiled and nodded, and after giving a few instructions to the commander of the palace guards, Chen Jixing, Chen Jixing hurried forward to pay the ransom money and contact Boss Wen.

(End of this chapter)