swear not to be concubine

Chapter 61

In Zuiyue Tower, after Xu Zhongxuan and Du Dai left, Shen Chuo chatted with Zhou Yuanzheng again, and finally slowly revealed his real intention of inviting Zhou Yuanzheng to dinner this time.

It's nothing more than the ban on the sea.

Zhou Yuan was stretching out his hand to caress the tangled lotus pattern on the teacup in his hand, and said slowly: "I know in your heart that you want to open the sea ban earlier so that you can make profits from overseas trade. There is a lot of discussion among the courtiers, but the Holy Majesty did not let go, no matter how much discussion is in vain. How can you speculate on God's will? Don't be in a hurry for now, just take your time."

Saying is tantamount to not saying, in short, just not giving a correct word.

Shen Chuo smiled coldly in his heart, but still smiled submissively on his face and said: "What Shibo said is true. It's my nephew who is impatient."

So he didn't mention the sea ban anymore, but he still talked about some irrelevant gossip.

Zhou Yuan was stretching out his hand to caress the patterns on the teacup, feeling a little out of sorts.Shen Chuo saw it in his eyes and couldn't understand it in his heart.But he just pretended not to know, and just kept talking about some gossip.

Zhou Yuanzheng echoed a few words lightly, and after a moment of silence, he finally asked, "Who is that red-sleeved girl just now?"

Shen Chuo laughed in his heart, thinking, no matter how much you Zhou Yuan pretended to be dignified and dignified in front of outsiders, it's all good, but why should you pretend to be like this in front of me?When my father was alive, you were still just a little Yuanwailang. At that time, I knew that my father gave you countless gold and silver treasures, singers and dancers, and you accepted them all.

"That red-sleeve girl," Shen Chuo closed his fan, tapped his palm lightly, and smiled slightly, "She was given to my nephew by a Yangzhou friend of my nephew's. She is said to be the daughter of a good family , I bought it since I was a child, playing the piano and flute, reciting poems and writing calligraphy, painting Go, omnipotent and proficient in everything. My nephew just accepted this red-sleeve girl because of his affection. But thinking about this The red-sleeved girl is so talented and beautiful, but my nephew is not blessed to enjoy it, so I specially built a quiet house in Baihuajing Street and put the red-sleeved girl there. My nephew knows that the uncle is proficient Qin Yi, you can go and discuss with this red-sleeve girl in your spare time, she will definitely scan the path and make tea."

Zhou Yuanzheng smiled slightly, and said: "This girl with red sleeves is really good at playing the piano, I will go over and discuss with her in my free time."

Shen Chuo also laughed and said: "It is a blessing that she has cultivated in several lifetimes to have Shibo teach her the art of piano."

Zhou Yuanzheng paused for a moment, and then said: "Recently, the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of War have continuously submitted letters, saying that the treasury is empty and the military pay is insufficient, but the chief secretary and the city shipping department have written letters saying that private private overseas trade is flourishing, and a group of businessmen have made a lot of money. Many, I reckon that the Holy One also has the idea of ​​opening the sea ban in his heart, but because of his face of insisting on the sea ban in the past, I am afraid that he will not let go. I will contact some courtiers in the next few days You have given me this step, if you plan to do overseas trade, now you can start preparing the goods and transport them to the coast."

Shen Chuo was overjoyed, because he frowned again and said: "My nephew has a friend who owes my nephew some money. Since he has no cash in hand, he pays him with salt money. My nephew wants to send his family to Yangzhou to pay for it. Salt sale, I don’t know if Shibo may say hello to the Metropolitan Procuratorate in Yangzhou, and release it a few days earlier?”

Although Yanyin is recognized by the state, it is official salt and can be sold, but merchants can buy private salt from some salt producers at a low price, and then rely on these salt to sell. They also sold these private salts as official salts to make huge profits.

Zhou Yuanzheng smiled slightly, and said: "When your father was here, he was only honestly engaged in the silk tea business, but he dared to get involved in these things when he was in your hands. It can be seen that blue is better than blue."

There was some irony in the words, but Shen Chuo didn't take it seriously and just smiled.

Businessmen are only interested in profit.He, Zhou Yuanzheng, is still an official of the imperial court in name, but he is still colluding with him and seeking benefits from it?

Zhou Yuanzheng asked again: "How many salts do you have in total?"

Shen Chuo replied, "Fifty thousand."

"It doesn't matter at all," Zhou Yuan was holding the teacup on the table, lowering his head slightly, while using the lid to skim off the tea leaves on the water, he said lightly, "Tomorrow I will send someone to meet with Yangzhou. The salt censor said hello and asked him to release your salt ten days earlier than others."

Shen Chuo thanked him, then smiled and said: "My little brother still has some private dishes that I want to invite Shibo to taste, and I have already put them in the food box. When Shibo comes home, I will let people eat them later." Send it, and please accept it with a smile."

Zhou Yuanzheng didn't speak, just drinking tea slowly.

After the two chatted a few more words, Zhou Yuanzheng got up to leave.Naturally, Shen Chuo would not force him to stay, so he personally sent him out of Zuiyue Tower.

There was already a sedan chair waiting at the door.Shen Chuo watched Zhou Yuan get into the sedan chair before turning around and returning to Zuiyue Tower.

In fact, there was not a single guest in Zuiyue Building, Shen Chuo went up to the second floor and entered the private room just now, shopkeeper Zhang immediately followed.

Shen Chuo asked: "Have you arranged all the gold and silver things sent to Mr. Zhou?"

Shopkeeper Zhang hurriedly bowed and replied, "It's all ready, and there are ten food boxes in total."

Shen Chuo nodded, and ordered: "Let the boy carry the ten food boxes to the Zhou Mansion, and you will follow them yourself. Be careful, enter through the back door, and try not to be seen by others. Someone will see it." When I asked, I just said that they were some ordinary dishes. Besides, I sent someone to say hello to Baihuajing Street and Hongxiu, and said that Zhou Yuanzheng would go to her place in a few days, and let her receive her attentively. Her benefits are indispensable."

Shopkeeper Zhang agreed one by one, and turned to leave, but Shen Chuo stopped him suddenly: "Go down and call Shen Jin up, I have something to ask him."

Shopkeeper Zhang replied yes, and then bowed out of the private room.

Shen Chuo sat for a while longer, only to hear two unhurried knocks on the door, and Shen Jin's voice came through the door calmly: "Master."

"Come in." Shen Chuo didn't turn his head, but said something in a raised voice.

Shen Jin opened the door and came in, knelt down to Shen Chuo, then got up and stood aside with hands down, waiting for Shen Chuo to ask questions.

Shen Chuo was sitting in an armchair by the window, with his entire upper body slanted on the back of the chair, his right leg resting on his left leg, and the bone-bonded fan with an ivory handle was slowly shaking in his hand, looking extremely serious. laid back.

"How is the investigation I asked you to do?" He raised his chin slightly and asked Shen Jin who was standing on the side.

Shen Jin replied in a respectful voice: "This subordinate has been following Zhou Jin secretly these days. He has checked all the people he communicates with on a daily basis, and sent people to investigate Zhou Lin's details. This week Lin was originally from outside the customs. People, because of the turmoil during the years of King Duan's rebellion, the years were either flooded or drought, and the people were in dire straits, so Zhou Lin's family took him to the pass to flee famine. But all his family members died on the way. He was the only one left. When he was about to starve to death, a woman rescued her. Later, this woman rescued a little girl. When she arrived in Longxing Mansion, she brought Zhou Lin and the little girl and sold herself into Jian's house as slaves. Since then, Zhou Lin has been working as an apprentice in the woolen shop of Jane's family, and that woman has become the nanny of the girl of Jane's family. Mrs. Jane died, and Mrs. Jian sold her shop and house, and brought her two children to Tongzhou to live in the home of Xu Zhongxuan and Xu Shilang. Xu Shilang's fifth aunt and Mrs. Jian are sisters. Zhou Lin redeemed herself that day , and then followed him to Tongzhou. Afterwards, you all know about the fact that he made his fortune from the woolen shop and the Shijing Pavilion, so the subordinates will not say more. "

"Miss Jane?" Shen Chuo slowed down his movement of shaking his fan, slowly raised the tails of his slender eyes, and asked, "How many girls are there in Jane's family?"

"Just one, named Jian Yan."

"Jane Yan?"

Shen Chuo suddenly thought of the two girls he saw by the water stream in Taoyuan that day.If she heard correctly, she remembered that the younger girl called the girl next to her her cousin.

Although later he asked Xu Zhongxuan the girl's name, but Xu Zhongxuan took it lightly and didn't know it, but he still remembered what the girl said about the warm water frog.

Shen Chuo was thinking, could it be that the girl is Jian Yan?It's interesting.And if you think about it seriously, the red sleeves are somewhat similar to Jian Yan's.And just these few similarities are enough to make Hongxiu the most valuable Yangzhou skinny horse nowadays.

"Continue." He shook the fan in his hand, signaling Shen Jin to continue.

Shen Jin replied yes, because he said again: "This subordinate has been following Zhou Lin secretly for the past few days, and he didn't have any special close contacts with him, let alone a woman. It's just the same. This subordinate has seen him before. He went to Xu’s house yesterday, and entered a small kitchen in the southeast corner of Xu’s house through the back door of Xu’s house. His subordinates bribed a rough envoy woman in the small kitchen of Xu’s house, knowing that this week Lin was originally I have already recognized Mother Xia who is in charge of the small kitchen of the Xu family as a godmother, and I will come to this small kitchen in a few days to meet the maid named Bai Wei next to Miss Jian. The rough maid said This week, Lin and Bai Wei have a relationship, and they have regular contact with each other. His subordinates have also investigated Bai Wei's details, and know that Bai Wei has entered Jian's house since she was three years old, and she only stays with Miss Jian every day. Not going out. And the subordinates also found out that this maid named Bai Wei is illiterate."

Since Bai Wei is illiterate, those words and the map must not have been written by her.Shen Chuo frowned, thinking in his heart, who is that woman behind Zhou Lin?

Then he suddenly thought of Jian Yan.

This girl Jane, who was so casually by the Taoyuan stream that day, spoke out all the ideas he had been thinking about for several months, how to improve the embarrassing situation in Taoyuan.Besides, he had never heard of her words about boiling frogs in warm water.It is novel enough, but when you think about it, it is also meaningful, just like those words that Zhou Lin said that day, such as shop goods, that he has never heard of.

If the person behind Zhou Lin was Jian Yan, then all this would make sense.

It must be Jian Yan who made a plan behind the scenes, and then conveyed it to Zhou Lin through Bai Wei, and then asked Zhou Lin to implement it.In this way, the wool shop in Tongzhou and the Shijin Pavilion in the capital should actually be the girl Jane.

The more Shen Chuo thought about it, the more excited he became.

That Miss Jane was only thirteen or fourteen years old back then, but he never imagined that she had such a strategy in her chest, and she could see the world and the world in everything.

But she is just a boudoir girl, where did she know the world map?And where did you know those many novel theories?
Shen Chuo's frown became tighter and tighter, and finally he raised the fan in his hand, and ordered Shen Jin: "Go and check the details of that Miss Jian, the more detailed the better."

Shen Jin answered yes.Shen Chuo took the fan, and slowly tapped his head a few times, thinking again in his heart, he had to find a chance to meet this Jian Yan, and to play her words well, to see if she was right? The woman behind Zhou Lin is.

(End of this chapter)