country

There was no hindrance along the way, stop and go, because it was winter and the weather was freezing, so the number of times and time spent staying in hotels on the road was long. It was only on the fifth day that I approached Hangzhou. Although it was snowy outside, Xue Poye saw Looking at the familiar scene, I still feel at ease.

Xiaoshitou obviously has never been to the south of the Yangtze River, so looking at the elegant buildings, which is very different from the solemn atmosphere in Kyoto, he was very excited. He kept asking the green lady along the way. Yes, it's very harmonious, and it's a joy to point out all the way.

Seeing that there was still half a day to arrive in Hangzhou City, the car slowed down. Xue Poye ordered people to stop at a restaurant by the side of the road, had some hot soup and hot water, and then started on the road again.

When approaching the city of Hangzhou, I found that there were a lot of carriages and horses on the road. Most of the cars were luxurious and beautiful, and most of the riders were wealthy sons in rich clothes and furs, and some commoner scholars walked occasionally. But it is very little.

These people were all marching towards the city of Hangzhou. Those noble sons seemed to be arrogant, but they would always taunt the scholars who were walking on foot.

What Xue Poye heard the most was the sentence "toads eat swan meat".

As for the passengers of the wealthy son at the same time, when they met, most of them glared at each other like enemies.

This made Xue Poye very puzzled. When he saw many scholars at first, he thought that there was some kind of exam held in Hangzhou, but he saw that there were even a lot of warriors with swords and knives among them, which obviously had nothing to do with the literati exam.

When Xue Poye's team was moving forward, passers-by gave way one after another. Everyone still has this vision. Seeing the heavy armor of the feather forest guards, they all know that there are no ordinary people in the car, and no one dares to provoke them easily.

As for what is more clear, seeing Habayashi's identity and knowing that Habayashi is the Imperial Guard, they came from Kyoto, and they had to gather together to discuss something in a low voice.

Not long after, Xue Poye's team arrived outside the city of Hangzhou, and the accompanying guards went to the window and said, "My lord, there are many officials waiting outside the city. I don't know if they are waiting for your lord!"

Xue Poye frowned, this time he came to Hangzhou, it can be regarded as silent, how come the officials in Hangzhou knew about it?

The carriage stopped in front of the city gate, Xue Poye got out of the car, and saw more than ten officials waiting in front of the city gate, the first one was He Ruhui, the prefect of Hangzhou.

When He Ruhui saw Xue Poye, he immediately put on a smiling face, stepped forward to greet him, cupped his fists and said, "Master Xue has worked hard all the way, hard work!"

Xue Poye's heart was shocked, but his expression remained calm, he cupped his fists in return and said: "Lord He is always nice, we haven't seen each other for a while." When he left Hangzhou, Xue Poye was a citizen and He Ruhui was an official. Now back, Xue Poye has become an important member of the imperial court, and even the Viscount of Da Chu. The state of life is really ever-changing and unpredictable.

Of course, He Ruhui was also shocked and admiring, but at this moment, he showed the absolute humility and flattery of a local official to the Beijing official, and said repeatedly: "Yes, yes, after Sir Xue left, the next official I think about it every day, I don’t want to think that Lord Xue is on business this time, and it is really a great honor to be able to see the face of your lord.”

Xue Poye laughed, took He Ruhui's arm, and seemed to say affectionately: "Everyone is our own, so there is no need to be polite."

He Ruhui was flattered, with a smile on his face, even more proud, and immediately led Xue Poye to meet other officials, big and small, who were nothing more than county magistrates of various counties in Hangzhou Prefecture and several military officers in the Hangzhou camp.

All the officials were nothing more than flattery, Xue Poye kept smiling and met them one by one.

"I am here because of His Majesty's will. I came to see you all. You should fulfill your responsibilities and serve the country faithfully. Your Majesty knows that." Xue Poye smiled and said, "My Majesty's intention is that you will not be responsible to the imperial court. The imperial court will not let you down!"

All the officials said together: "I will swear allegiance to the imperial court to the death and live up to the grace of the Holy One."

Xue Poye originally wanted to go back to Xue Yuan to see Yue Zhu and the others earlier, but the entertainment in the official circle is indispensable, after all, these people still have to rely on this time to raise money.

He Ruhui asked people to take Lv Niangzi and Habayashi Wei to the post house to rest and arrange board and lodging. Xue Poye only left the two Habayashi guards by his side. The reception banquet was held in Hanyuan, which made Xue Poye very useful. This kind of official entertainment was held in Hanyuan, which shows that Hanyuan's influence in Hangzhou is really strong.

Xue Poye and He Ruhui took the same car, and the other officials had their own rides, and they went to Hanyuan in a mighty way.

Looking at the familiar scene outside from the window, although it is winter, this Hangzhou is still bustling, lively and full of vitality. Xue Poye sighed in his heart. After all, the prosperity of Jiangnan is really not exaggerated.

"Your Excellency is now a viscount, holding an important position, and has a bright future. It's really gratifying!" He Ruhui expressed his humility without losing the opportunity, smiling like an orange blossom on his old face.

Xue Poye smiled faintly. At this moment, it was only him and He Ruhui, so he didn't care about saying a few more words to win the relationship. After all, He Ruhui is the top leader in Hangzhou, and his roots are also in this place. The most important thing is, So far, in terms of interests alone, the two are still getting along very well. For the sake of interests, it is worthwhile to give He Ruhui some sweetness, and said gently: "Master He, when Po Ye was in Hangzhou, I have always accepted your care. This kindness is worth breaking. The night is never forgotten."

Surprise flashed across He Ruhui's eyes, and he said repeatedly: "You are welcome, my lord, it is really an honor for me to be able to work for my lord. If my lord says this again, I will be out of my league."

Xue Poye chuckled, leaned in the carriage, rubbed his nose and said, "If it's true what your lord said, when Poye can show his grand plans, you will never forget your lord He. From now on...!" Waving his hands, he said with a smile: "Don't talk, it's good that you and I both understand."

He Ruhui understood that he wanted to promote himself, and hastily saluted: "The Sir's kindness, He Ruhui will not forget it."

"It's nothing to be able to say a few words in front of the Holy Master!" Xue Poye rubbed his nose and laughed.

Being able to say a few good words in front of His Majesty the Emperor means that he will not have to worry about being promoted to a noble. He Ruhui looked at this young and handsome nobleman in front of him, and felt that he was really on the right track at the beginning, and acted like a utterly loyal man. Zi Zhan said: "Young Lord is the reborn parent of the lower official, if you can support the old gentleman, the lower official will do whatever you want."

Xue Poye saw that the cliché was almost done, and the intimacy that should be expressed had reached a point, so he said slowly: "Master He, your news is very accurate. I didn't inform you when I came to Hangzhou this time, but you How do you know that I'm going to Hangzhou today, and I'm waiting outside the city, this... hehe...!"

When He Ru met Xue Poye, although he said this, there was no intention of reprimand on his face, he relaxed, and laughed in a low voice: "My lord, the lower officials know something about this matter in the court. Recently, the court suddenly A young and promising talent came out, won the favor of the sage, and was entrusted with a heavy responsibility. At that time, the subordinate officials did not know that it was you, the lord. Later, I heard that the imperial court sent officials from the household department to Beijing to raise money, and the lord The Lord is coming to Hangzhou, I sent someone to inquire about it, and the appearance is quite similar to the Sir, so I had some guesses, but I didn't think it was the Sir, so I inquired about the time of the arrival of the Sir. Welcome outside."

Xue Poye pondered for a while, then suddenly sneered and said, "So Mr. He has been keeping an eye on my whereabouts?"

When He Ru met Xue Poye who was still smiling just now, his face suddenly changed, he panicked, and hurriedly said: "Don't dare, no...don't dare, it's just... just to be able to welcome the Lord, Sir, don't blame."

Xue Poye knew that to deal with people like He Ruhui, a blind smile was not enough, it needed to be kind and powerful, at least let He Ruhui understand that I, Xue Poye, also have a temper, so I should be more taboo when doing things.

"So that's how it is!" Xue Poye smiled lightly, rubbed his nose and said, "That's why Mr. Laohe has to worry about it."

When He Ru met Xue Poye with a smile, he said as a meritorious service: "Master, I heard that you are going to raise money, and I have already made some preparations." After speaking, he took out the booklet from his pocket and offered it to him with both hands. In front of Xue Poye, he respectfully said: "My lord, this is the list of well-to-do merchants in the three states in the south of the Yangtze River. I have sent someone to investigate. Everyone is rich. My lord can raise donations according to the above names."

Xue Poye was taken aback for a moment, and immediately took the list with a smile, nodded and said: "Lord He, you have done a good job. You are helping me sincerely, and I will remember it in my heart." Opening the list, the first one is Yangzhou Fang's family, Suzhou Qiao's family, Hangzhou Lu's family, and a list of more than a hundred names.

Xue Poye thought in his heart: "There are hundreds of people here, and a household of 1 taels is a million taels. It seems that our big Chu country is really rich and not short of money." Frowning, he asked, "It's all here, is there anything missing?"

He Ruhui was startled. Seeing Xue Poye staring at him sharply, he hurriedly said, "No...no, merchants with wealth over [-]...are here."

Xue Poye sneered in his heart: "***, I'm doing this with Lao Tzu. This list seems to have a lot of people, but it's definitely under-reported. Maybe the old guy He Ruhui has collected a lot of money and sent some merchants name is underlined."

Many merchants know that this hurdle may be very difficult to pass. They don’t know how much money they have to pay if they report their names. It’s better to spend a sum of money to get He Ruhui. It saves the need to raise donations, and spends a small amount of money to save a lot of money. Businessmen still have such thoughts.

Xue Poye closed the booklet, and said with a half-smile: "Master He, since that's the case, you can do something for me."

"My lord, please tell me, I will go through fire and water, and I will do whatever I want!" He Ruhui sat upright, patted his chest and said, "My lord knows that there is nothing I, He Ruhui, can't do in Hangzhou."

Xue Poye waved his hand and said with a smile: "It's not necessary to go through fire and water, but please Mr. He summon all the Wanguan merchants in the south of the Yangtze River to Hangzhou. I want to entertain them. You can invite them in the name of the user department. I think no one would dare to refuse." Come."

"The Ministry of Households manages the merchants all over the world, and they dare not disobey!" He Ruhui said immediately, but he felt a little strange, didn't he come to collect donations this time?You should bring the soldiers to ask for money from family to family. Why does Lord Xue still hold a banquet for the cheap merchants?

Xue Poye smiled and said: "Hurry up and send more people. After ten days, let all the merchants have a banquet in Hangzhou. By the way, Mr. He, you have to read this list of merchants carefully, but Don't miss anyone. At that time, don't let people say that we won't give him a chance to serve the court, the most important thing is...!" She suddenly approached and said with a smile: "Master He should know, businessmen know the details of businessmen, Those merchants who are well-funded have their accounts in mind, and if the merchants are omitted and they are found out, or they submit a booklet to the court to say that we are not doing things fairly, then they will be reprimanded by the Holy One."

He Ruhui's forehead was sweating, and the boss nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, and said repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, the officials will investigate carefully, no... will not miss it!"

"That's right!" Xue Poye stretched his waist, and said slowly: "Even if this Xue's enterprise is owned by me, it has long been a property of the Wanguan family, so I will add it."

He Ruhui was startled, and immediately agreed.

While speaking, the motorcade arrived in front of the Han Garden. Because it was an official banquet, the Han Garden was cleared, and there were soldiers guarding it, making it very quiet.

Lao Song was standing in front of the door, welcoming the guests with humility, when he suddenly saw Xue Poye getting off the carriage, dressed in the official uniform of the household department official, he was a little stunned, wiped his eyes, and was sure it was Xue Poye, full of surprises, He quickly came up to meet him, and said joyfully, "Shop... shopkeeper, you...you are back!"

When Xue Poye saw his true feelings, he was obviously thinking of himself all the time, and was moved in his heart. He just felt that these people who followed him were very affectionate. It seems that the sentence "the one who is close to the vermilion is red and the one who is close to the ink is black" is really meaningless. Wrong, lightly patted Lao Song on the shoulder, and said with a smile: "Thank you for your hard work, how have you been?"

"Okay!" Lao Song wiped away the few tears that fell from the corners of his eyes, and said, "The shopkeeper of Nantah University is well-managed. I have been worried about your whereabouts before, and sent people to look for it. Later, I received your letter saying that everything is safe in the capital. Okay, everyone can rest assured now. The shopkeeper... Hey, you...!"

At this time, Lao Song finally realized the official uniform on Xue Poye's body. He was so shocked that he was speechless for a while.

"My lord, the inside is already prepared, go in first!" He Ruhui said with a smile on his side.

Lao Song was taken aback: "My lord!" Seeing the humility of the officials behind Xue Poye, he seemed to understand something, his face changed drastically, and he was about to kneel down, Xue Poye grabbed his hand and patted his hand , said cordially: "Old Song, I have something to tell you later, prepare the banquet first, and I will have a drink with all the adults!"

Lao Song nodded hastily, ordered the guys to start work, and waited for the adults to enter the building.

All the guys were very excited to see Xue Poye coming back. At this time, everyone also understood that the shopkeeper went out this time, and he has made a fortune. The so-called one person can ascend to the sky. I am afraid that the life of the big guy will be better in the future, so everyone They all worked hard and diligently.

Seeing Xiao Pan, Xue Poye nodded with a smile. Xiao Pan was also very pleasantly surprised and bowed secretly.

At that moment, all the officials arrived in the specially furnished private room, where three tables were divided, and Xue Poye took the main seat in his own restaurant after some politeness. Wine and vegetables.

Xue Poye looked at these delicacies and was very happy in his heart. Many of the dishes were not available before, and they were obviously added after he came to Beijing.

The banquet lasted for several hours, and there was a lot of flattery and flattery. Later, all the officials ordered their entourages to come up, and they all brought gifts, nothing more than treasures and antiques. They all said they wanted to honor Xue Poye and drink tea. , Xue Poye saw a room full of jewelry and antiques, and his heart skipped a beat. Unexpectedly, the officials in Hangzhou were so courageous that they gave gifts openly. After asking He Ruhui in a low voice, he realized that this was an old rule.

The south of the Yangtze River is the most affluent place in Great Chu. If the officials from the capital do not get some treasures and antiques, they will always lose face.

Xue Poye was happy to accept it, no one would think too little money, not to mention that these guys would not accept money for nothing, and ordered Lao Song to clean it up, and earnestly asked all the officials not to do this in the future.

When it was dark, when the wine and food were full, all the officials asked to leave one by one.

Originally, Xue Poye came from Beijing to handle business. According to the rules, the government office in Hangzhou would arrange for him to go to the post house. However, Xue Poye is a native of his hometown, so he didn't care about it. Xue Poye told He Ruhui to take good care of the green lady. Waiting for someone before sending He Ruhui out.

After calming down in the store, when everyone was moved, Xue Poye pulled Lao Song over again and asked where Yuezhu was. Give Miss Yuezhu a surprise, so I haven't told her about your return yet."

Xue Poye laughed, patted Lao Song on the shoulder, and rushed straight to Yuezhu's office like the wind, so startled that the two Habayashi guards thought something serious happened, followed Lord Xue majestically, and drew out their waist knives , rushed to the past.

In front of another gate of the Han Garden, Xue Poye finally found two Habayashi guards rushing forward with knives behind him, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, he told them to rest first and not to follow.

Although Habayashi Wei was puzzled, seeing Juge Xue's face of laughter, he realized that it was nothing serious and obeyed the order to retreat.

When Xue Poye entered the building, all the staff were extremely surprised when they saw the shopkeeper suddenly appearing. Xue Poye ordered everyone not to make any noise, then quietly went upstairs and came to Yuezhu's office door.

Xue Poye pushed the door lightly, but found that the door was not locked. However, this office has been rarely disturbed by anyone, so it seemed very quiet. He gently pushed the door open, only to see a pretty girl sitting behind the big case , holding a booklet in his hand, his eyes fixed on it, and the other hand "crackling" straight to calculate the abacus, so absorbed that he didn't find himself coming in at all.

Xue Poye looked around slightly, and found that there were already many shelves in this office, and thick bills were placed on the shelves. In addition to Yuezhu's case, there were two books next to it. Xue Poye thought for a while. , I immediately understood that now that Xue's enterprise has many projects, the accounting is naturally complicated and cumbersome, and Yuezhu alone is naturally too busy. It seems that Nan Huai has recruited two new accountants to help take care of it. It was getting dark, the gentlemen were probably going home, only Yue Zhuwu was doing the calculations with all his heart.

Close to the left, there is a new door opened, and the two houses are opened, but the door is slightly closed, but I don't know what is inside.

He stared at Yuezhu, and found that this girl was much more youthful, her figure was much more charming, she looked beautiful and beautiful, especially when she was doing serious calculations, she had the demeanor of a lady, elegant and pleasant.

Xue Poye tiptoed to the back of Yuezhu, smelling the faint fragrance of her body, his mind was shaken, he suddenly stretched out his hand, covered Yuezhu's eyes from behind, and said softly: "Guess, who am I! "

Yuezhu was startled at first, and wanted to break free, when she suddenly heard a familiar voice rang in her ear, her delicate body trembled, and she said tremblingly: "Brother Po...Brother Poye!"

Xue Poye let go, Yuezhu turned her head, and seeing that familiar face, her eye circles turned red, and she couldn't help grabbing Xue Poye's arm, surprised and delighted: "Brother Poye, you... you But I'm back, I...!" His voice was choked with sobs.

"It turns out that the silly girl has not forgotten me, she is always thinking of me." Xue Poye said softly, holding Yuezhu's waist, smiling like a spring breeze: "I miss my Yuezhu!"——

Important notice, please look forward to the next chapter, Yuezhu Po. Department, it’s about time, haha, I’m looking forward to it myself too!