Good son-in-law of the Ming Dynasty

Ka Lok House.

At dusk, the setting sun dyed the entire city of Cangzhou charcoal red.It's already July, and the sun has been raging with its heat all day long, and it's only when the wind blows in the evening that there's a hint of coolness.

Jialelou was originally the property of a wealthy businessman named Bai in the city, and it was also one of the largest restaurants in Cangzhou City.The name of the restaurant is very elegant. It is said that the owner spent a lot of money to hire a plaque written by a master. It is taken from the "Book of Songs" and "Daya Jiale" "Gentlemen in Jiale, constitutional and moral, suitable for the people and pleasant people."

Those who don't know really think that the owner of this restaurant is an elegant man.

In fact, the locals all know that Boss Bai of the owner is one of the largest salt lords in Hebei, the helmsman of the Lianshan Club, and some of them can't read.The reason why this restaurant was built is that it is convenient to communicate with friends from all walks of life, and the second is that there is too much spare money on hand, so I have no one to spend, so I simply invest in the catering industry, as long as it does not lose money, it is better than money Put it in the cellar and it will turn black and moldy.

The wind is not strong, Cangzhou city is located on a plain, and there are not many trees in the city, the openness has been exposed to the scorching sun for a day, and it has already become a steamer.And there is the Grand Canal, the air is humid.

Let alone going to the street, even if you walk a few steps casually, you will feel that the breath in your chest is uneven.

When it comes to dog days, most people will hide at home and don't bother to go out.And these days are the slowest time of the year for restaurants and teahouses.

But today it is strange that at such a sweltering time, cars and horses are parked in front of Jiale Building, from the beginning to the end, a fairly wide street is crowded.

You don't need to guess to know that there is a high-level wine meeting in the restaurant, not to mention the number of people who come, and everyone is rich in wealth, and they are all local dignitaries.

This can be seen from the appearance of the handlebars waiting outside, the attire of the servants, and the specifications of the carriages and sedan chairs.

The cars and sedan chairs are all luxuriously decorated, and the horses are also rare horses. As for the people of all colors waiting outside, they are all brand new.

Some were dressed as government servants, with a goose feather knife hanging from their waist, and water and fire sticks in their hands; looking at their waist badges, they were suddenly the men and horses of the Changlu Salt Transport Envoy; Muscles and ferocious scars, needless to say, they are naturally vicious private salt sellers.

These two groups of people were natural enemies. When they met, they looked at each other fiercely, but for some special reason they couldn't bear it.

This situation made the passing idlers click their tongues loudly, and wondered in their hearts: why are these masters so quiet?

The weather was so sweltering, the houses and streets that had been exposed to the sun for a whole day were radiating heat at this moment. For a moment, the people waiting outside were sweating profusely, and their clothes were tightly attached to their bodies, making them feel unspeakably uncomfortable.

After all, the yamen servants are on official business, and they also take into account their decency.The private salt dealers can't control so much, some people are already naked and curse the thief in a low voice.

There were still sedan chairs coming over, and the people who carried the sedan chairs were all strong men, and they shouted: "Rang Rang, didn't you see that it was Caozhou's Ninth Master who came?"

Judging from their appearance, they all have aggressive faces, which is obviously not a good match.Just wait for a wrong sentence, and you will kill someone with a knife.

The people who heard this were shocked again. Caozhou is located in the south of Lunan, so it's so far away to go to Cangzhou?

"Which Jiu Ye, you are not allowed to act wildly on the land of Cangzhou, but do you know whose carriage this is, Mr. Ren County's third chief, have you heard of it?" Ren County already belongs to Guide Mansion.

The weather is hot, and everyone is very angry. Most of the men who run the rivers and lakes are in the second year of middle school, and they have never been afraid of anyone in their eyes.

The group of people from Caozhou sneered loudly, and shouted: "Which Jiuye, you are worthy to ask, can anyone else in Cao County be called a lord besides Xie Peng Xie Jiuye? The whole Lunan eats the salt of Jiuye. "

Hearing that the person came to report his fame, Xi Laosan's subordinates immediately felt that he was a head short. This is a very big salt owl.Among private salt companies, it can be called the number one in Shandong.In comparison, Xi Laosan's business is limited to a few counties in Guide Prefecture, which is simply incomparable.

"So it's Xie Jiuwu's team. The salt gangs are all in the same family, please." The arrogance of Xi Laosan's subordinates was suddenly frustrated, and they quietly retreated to the side.

At this time, the sedan chair walked to the front of the Jiale Building, and a short, fat and strong man came down from inside, bowed to everyone, and hurried upstairs without talking nonsense.

There was a low cheer from the crowd: "What a hero!"

"People say that good men come out of Shandong. When I saw Lord Jiu today, I really am a dragon and a phoenix among men!"

"I heard that Master Jiu was also a scholar before, but because of his poor family, he got involved in the private salt industry. In just ten years, he monopolized the private salt industry in Shandong. I heard that Master Jiu has more than a dozen lives in his hands."

Judging from today's situation, it should be a big gathering of private salt dealers throughout Hebei.

These salt lords are not only the thorn in the eyes of the Changlu Salt Division, but also the Lianghuai Salt Division.

Ordinarily, now is a good opportunity to kill them all.It's strange to say that the servants of Yansi are all standing there, pretending to be invisible.

There were also passers-by who wanted to go into the restaurant to see what happened, but as soon as they reached the door of the restaurant, two men stopped them with their arms outstretched, and immediately asked, "Do you have an invitation card?"

"What invitation?"

"You can't enter without an invitation."

"Aren't you Tang Tian, ​​a brother of Zong Zhenzong's senior officials? We've had wine before, what's wrong with it?" After recognizing one of the two men, the visitor still didn't give up and asked with a smirk.

Tang Tian snorted and stared: "Stop talking nonsense, hurry up, you can inquire about today's match."

Before he finished speaking, another man pulled out a bright dagger from his sleeve.

The man felt a chill in his heart, knowing that there was nothing to talk about today.One sentence is not right, these gangsters dare to use white knives in and red knives out.

Unlike the servants outside and the men who are aggressive and domineering, the building is full of harmony.

Jiale Building originally had two floors, the lower floor was vacant, but the hall on the second floor was packed with about thirty people.

These people are old and young, and their accents are also varied, including Shandong accents, Hebei accents, and even a few people from Liaodong.

These thirty or so people are all physically fit and aggressive.It's just that, at the moment, everyone is dressed as a wealthy businessman, and some people are playing with folding fans painted with famous calligraphy and paintings in their hands, looking elegant.

If it weren't for the people who knew it, they would have thought that a grand business forum was being held here.

Many of them are acquainted, even if they don't know each other, they have heard of them before, and they all started talking in a low voice.

This group of people was naturally headed by Bai Boss of the Lianshan Club. He sat there with a calm expression on his face, but his right index finger and thumb were gently turning the emerald wrench worn on his left thumb.

Those who are familiar with him know that this is the habit of Boss Bai when he thinks about things.

As for Zong Zhen who was sitting beside him, his face tightened.