Under the warm sunshine, Xi Junyu walked through the courtyard corridor under the eaves. After a short pause, he entered the room next to him and nodded to the two people inside.
"Shopkeeper Chen, how is Rong Ji's reaction?"
The man called Shopkeeper Chen was Chen Youhe. Hearing Xi Junyu's question, he shook his head. "Rong Li's side still insists on raising the price. They intend to raise it to four taels and two qian."
"That's robbery." Xi Junyu frowned. However, because such bad news was common in recent days, he did not show too much emotion. He just sat down at the table with a gloomy face. "We can negotiate with Lv Ji's side to four taels."
"I've already said that, but Rong Li said that the First Master is no longer in charge. Once the Second Miss comes down, the Su family will change greatly and it will be difficult for them to recover. They are waiting to lose money, so they must ask for this price."
"The Second Miss will not come down!" Xi Junyu paused. "Su Yu will not be so short-sighted. Even if he has to hold on, he will help the first branch. With the Second Miss's ability, she will come back sooner or later!"
His words were resolute and decisive, but the room was silent. Everyone knew their own affairs. The current situation was indeed very bad. The second branch and the third branch desperately wanted to tear down the first branch. Even Su Yu seemed to be a little powerless now. The old man also couldn't suppress so many people to say this and that. The voice of the first branch of the Su family had been affected in the past month near Jiangning. The main reason was that some suppliers or distributors asked to raise the price or profits. Most of them were still dragging it. The Su family refused to give in and asked them to wait and wait. But in the hidden impact, the first branch's total profit had been dragged down by 20%. The most terrible thing was the problem of future development.
"Damn … one wrong step, then another …"
Xi Junyu held his breath and cursed. Then he shook his head with a gloomy face and began to deal with some things on the table, such as the purchase and delivery list and so on. The two shopkeepers next to him also looked gloomy. Chen Youhe also shook his head. "If it weren't for the negligence of the royal merchant during that period …"
The people in the room did not continue, but everyone knew what he was referring to. Recently, there was a saying that began to circulate within the Su Family. It was mainly because of the investigation of the imperial merchant's Bright Yellow Cloth Workshop during that period of time that it began to gain popularity.
For example, there were many things that could be handled by the shopkeepers themselves, but there were also many things that required a person to take charge of the overall situation. Su Tan'er had originally been in charge of the small workshop that was responsible for researching the new cloth, so there had been no problems. However, after Su Tan'er fell ill, there had been some negligence in certain aspects. From the perspective of the experienced shopkeepers of the Su family, if it weren't for the fact that Ning Yi was too excited about the operation of the bright yellow cloth during that period of time, and was too bold and decisive, there were many small problems that shouldn't have appeared.
If Su Tan'er had been in charge during that period of time, when they chose a radical direction in the publicity strategy, they would certainly have made some minor adjustments to the secret methods of the small workshop to adapt to this direction. However, after Ning Yi took charge, after all, he did not understand these small things, and the policy of the workshop did not change. On one hand, Shopkeeper Zhou and Shopkeeper Bai had to work hard to keep the secret, but on the other hand, they had to cooperate with the high-profile publicity from the higher-ups, and there would always be a lot of traces left, so the Wu Family exploited these most fundamental loopholes at the strategic level.
This matter made everyone feel particularly aggrieved when they thought about it. They had done everything well, but in the end, they still lost to that hothead. Experience, all problems lied in experience. At that time, no matter which shopkeeper had been in charge of the overall situation, such a problem probably wouldn't have occurred.
And that scholar was particularly indignant at the injustice and wrote something like "The White Prime Minister knows but still presses his sword", so shameful …
In the past, everyone still somewhat ignored Ning Yi, thinking that if he won, it would definitely have nothing to do with him, and if he lost, there was nothing he could do. However, this kind of view only began to become clear in the past half a month, and because of this, recently, the Su family's comments against Ning Yi also became more and more intense. Shopkeeper Xi was originally kind to others and said that it was pardonable, but at this time, he still felt depressed — in the eyes of Shopkeeper Chen and others, Xi Junyu's slight loss of composure at this time at this time was because of this.
The room was quiet for a while, and the rustling sound of business processing could be heard. In the silence, Xi Junyu looked to the side, and the somewhat angry gaze just now had already calmed down.
The preparations were probably almost done. The clan meeting would begin in half a month, and at that time, Tan'er would be relieved of her position. At that time, it would be best to let this kind of comments reach the highest point. If the group of people from the second and third branch accused him like this, perhaps it would cause her to feel that she was a common enemy, but if it had always been the people around her who said this, she would inevitably vent her anger in a dispirited situation in the end. Human nature, it was nothing more than this.
After the imperial merchants, the Su family was in an uproar, all kinds of chaos, and all kinds of words were said. No one knew that these comments about Ning Yi were all pushed and guided by him behind the scenes. There was no need to hire people to spread it, just a few words that were enough to make people think, let them think, let them deduce. On the other hand, it increased the feeling that everyone "did nothing wrong but lost", increased that kind of grievance and depression … from the beginning to the end, he had been watching from the outside as a reasonable person, and even helped Ning Yi to say some words. Of course, these words in the end only had the opposite effect.
Everything was laid out very well, he was good at this. Originally, the more ideal situation was that Ning Yi finally couldn't help but make a few gaffes at home, but it was a pity that the scholar was really good at enduring. In the face of various kinds of provocation, he knew that it was useless to argue, so he didn't say anything, and even pretended to be leisurely. But it didn't matter, now he had begun to hint to these people at home that this guy didn't feel guilty at all.
Thinking about this casually in his mind, suddenly, Wu Qilong's face flashed in his mind, and he frowned.
"Shopkeeper Chen, how is the Wu Family recently? I heard that there seems to be some problems."
"I'm not very clear, I heard that a steward was so busy that he fell ill, probably Qin Ye. I met him once two years ago." Chen Youhe raised his head, "Some people said that this and that kind of things will happen to the Wu Family, probably the Xue family behind the scenes. The imperial merchants are about to deliver the goods, and then the Wu Family will be busy for a while because of the New Year's cloth, so the Xue family probably wants to take advantage of it. "
"Oh."
The Su family definitely didn't like the Wu Family at the moment, but as a defeated opponent, they had just been cheated by them, and at this time, they definitely didn't like to listen to other people gossip about the Wu Family all day. Chen Youhe said it casually, and Xi Junyu also nodded. Then, he thought about it, what could happen to the Wu Family … Forget it, the things that the Wu Family was going to do now were no longer on the same level as the Su family, and they would go further and further away. Let them do whatever they want, for now, he just needed to finish his work.
In short, everything was going well.
He glanced at the afternoon sunshine in the courtyard outside the window, and the atmosphere was peaceful, but there was a vague feeling of dead silence. There was less than half a month before the Su family's clan meeting, and everything would be settled. The people who belonged to the first branch were somewhat dispirited at the moment, doing their best, but fate was unknown. Perhaps only he could clearly know where he was and what he was doing. Only he was a person who had a home.
So, he smiled, as relaxed as the sunshine.
*****
The quiet room in the afternoon seemed a little dim because the doors and windows were closed. The room was filled with the smell of medicine. At this time, in front of the tightly covered bed, an elegant woman with a bowl of porridge in her hand held up the spoon, blew on it, and then sent it to the patient's mouth.
"… Clan meeting … I heard that Seventh Grandpa also decided to let me come down, and Second Uncle finally persuaded him … Third Uncle is busy poaching people, and these days he said it's a pity that Manager Liao was sent out … Rong Ji wants to raise the price, and so does Lv Ji. How troublesome, after a while they have to go back and forth again …"
She fed the patient spoonfuls of porridge, and slowly talked about family matters. The woman beside the bed looked a little tired, but there was a faint smile on her lips, and in her tiredness, there was also a sense of irony. She reached out to touch her hair, and tilted her head to look at her father on the bed. In fact, there was a little bitterness in her heart. Originally, she came to visit the patient, and didn't want to talk about these troublesome things. But in retrospect, the communication between father and daughter seemed to be limited, except for those purely socializing words.
It had been two and a half months since Su Boyong was assassinated. During this time, Su Boyong had been confirmed to be paralyzed. He couldn't feel his legs, and the movement of his left hand was actually affected to a certain extent. Now, his body was still weak, and he couldn't get out of bed because of changing the medicine every day. His spirit seemed to be affected to a certain extent, and he was often in a bad mood. Su Tan'er would come over every day, but the father and daughter mostly talked about these things. Most of the time, when mother and aunt were around, they just said a few words of greeting. At this time, Su Tan'er was silent for a moment.
"Today on the street, I saw a lot of people selling oranges. Daddy used to … like to eat them … Uh, there's not much wind today, Daddy wants to see if he should open the window a little … Husband said it's better to open it a little, uh … something air convection … Then let the sunlight in, and your mood will be better …"
These were the sincere words she could find. When she talked about Ning Yi, she smiled a little more happily. Su Boyong nodded his head, and then shook his head. "It's better … not to open it. It's cold … I feel cold … Also, Tan'er, what has Liheng been doing recently?"
Su Tan'er smiled faintly. "Doesn't Husband come to see you every day? Recently, he's been teaching those kids, and going out to play every day …" Su Tan'er's smile had actually faded, and she talked about Ning Yi's recent affairs faintly. In fact, she knew why her father was asking these questions. Previously on this hospital bed, her father had sighed a few times, "I can't see through him." In fact, he was also reminding her.
These things couldn't be explained clearly. How powerful Husband was, and what he could do? Su Tan'er was also curious in her heart, but her father's thinking was different from hers. After a few more words, she called out to her father's maid, Xiu He, to come in and hand her the bowl of porridge. Then, she stood up and began to leave.
In the past month and a half, she had a lot of things to do every day. It wasn't easy to stabilize the current situation, and she also spent a lot of effort. But at this time, she was no longer as clueless as before. When she did things, her heart was actually calm, and her spirit was good, but her body was busy. After going out, Juan'er, who followed her, also came to greet her. It could be seen that the young miss's mood was actually not good.
There was still a place to go in the afternoon, and there were still things to do. When the master and servant left the courtyard, they heard some hurried voices coming from the courtyard next door.
"It's already like this, what are you still thinking about …"
"It's not that simple, sister …"
"I've already heard it, but the first branch doesn't belong to her alone. Everyone will accompany her in whatever she wants to do. Now it's already like this … the first branch belongs to Bo Yong, you have to help Bo Yong protect this part …"
"I know …"
"If it weren't for Ning Yi who doesn't know anything and interferes …"
They could vaguely hear the conversation. When two figures appeared at the doorway, they were suddenly stunned. Su Tan'er made a dignified salute, "Second mother, Uncle Gu …"
"Uh, Tan'er, come over … come over to see Master …"
"Second Miss."
The people who spoke were the second concubine and her younger brother, who was also one of the shopkeepers in the first branch. After an awkward greeting, they also parted ways. When they walked to a place where there were no people, Juan'er pursed her lips, "Miss, Second Madam and Shopkeeper Gu are discussing to surrender …"
"I know." Su Tan'er smiled slightly, "They're not the only ones …"
Recently, so many things happened in the first branch, and there were actually a lot of disagreements within the first branch. Some people thought that the first branch would definitely not be the head of the family, so they should stop fighting for it and keep some interests that originally belonged to them. Even if Su Zhongkan or Su Yunfang were in charge of the family in the future, they would not be driven out. The more people could stay, the better their lives would be in the future. The two concubines and even her mother seemed to have such an attitude. Of course, if Su Tan'er really wanted to talk about it openly, they would probably say "absolutely not" and "we women don't care about business".
On the other hand, they were actually doing it for the first branch, for Su Boyong, and for her own good, but it was a little short-sighted and disappointing. At this time, they were only thinking about these things with the minds of women who only used to fight inside the house.
"Juan'er, fortunately, you were not born in a rich family …"
"Huh?" Juan'er blinked her eyes.
"There's no human touch in this family."
Su Tan'er smiled slightly, and Juan'er pursed her lips. As a maid, it was not appropriate for her to express her opinion on this. The two stopped on the bridge near the pond in the garden. Su Tan'er looked at the reflection in the water, tidied her hair, and murmured, "In fact, I don't have much human touch …"
"No, Miss and son-in-law are very good."
"I can't get close to my father … It's just that Husband has been wronged. Well, he has been outside during the day recently."
"Well, some people in the family speak very harshly. Son-In-Law doesn't want to argue with them, but he certainly doesn't like to hear it … Last time, Chan'er was so angry that she cried."
Su Tan'er frowned, and a trace of sternness flashed in her eyes. After a long time, she took a deep breath and smiled at Juan'er, "Have you remembered them?"
"Uh …" Juan'er was slightly stunned, and then she lowered her head, "How did Miss know?"
"Because I am the elder sister."
Su Tan'er said naturally. Juan'er was a little embarrassed, and she lowered her head and smiled awkwardly, "I, Chan'er and I have all remembered them. Last time … last time at home, Chan'er and I secretly wrote down names, and it was seen by the son-in-law."
"Oh? What did Husband say? "
"He said that we are narrow-minded."
"Ha." Su Tan'er burst into laughter, and then stopped laughing, "Show it to me after you have remembered it. Don't tell Husband."
"Okay." Juan'er nodded. Since she had gotten the golden medal of immunity, she then began to complain with a straight face, "Miss, in fact, in the past few days, they have been going overboard. Some even asked the son-in-law to leave the Su family by himself … How long do we have to solve the problem … In fact, the son-in-law is the one who has been wronged the most. Sometimes, even Juan'er can't stand it anymore …"
"Husband, he …"
Su Tan'er paused, and thought about what had happened in the past two months, especially after the annual meeting of the royal merchants. Her busy schedule was actually secondary, and Ning Yi was indifferent in the midst of everyone's scolding. Not only Juan'er, but also Chan'er and Xing'er couldn't stand it anymore. She also wanted to stand up and scold people in her heart every time. There were even a few times when Ning Yi patted her on the shoulder and asked her to go back. Only she could clearly feel the power behind every matter, and the firmness behind that casual figure. And every time something like this happened, it made her feel that she was actually a little sorry for her Husband. At the beginning of their marriage, she thought that these were all things that she had to bear, and she also tried very hard to do it. But in the end, it was still that figure who stood up and casually blocked all these things.
"It won't be long. The news has begun to spread. If the Wu Family's reaction is normal, it's about time …" She looked around, "it's about time to start showing our cards in a few days …"
After saying this, she seemed to feel a little relieved. "It's been a long two and a half months …" She murmured and sighed, "After it's over, after it's over …" She thought of something and suddenly blushed. She looked down at her reflection in the water, and then subconsciously raised her hand to comb her hair and looked at herself in the water. Sure enough, I have to wait until it's over. I'm really haggard now, and I'm not worthy of him …
She smiled in the water, let go of her hair, and walked forward.
"Let's go. Prepare to show our cards."
In the afternoon sunlight, the woman's free and confident steps were illuminated. The young servant girl followed behind her happily. This day was the 14th day of the tenth lunar month in the eighth year of Jinghan. Although they had decided to show their cards, after going through some procedures, they naturally still had to wait for a few days. But in fact, it was also on this afternoon that something had already happened. This seemed to be quite natural, but if one thought about it later, it might feel a little abrupt.
This afternoon, in a teahouse, perhaps on a whim, Ning Yi casually wrapped up a small matter. Of course, in his eyes, this small matter might be unimaginably big to others.
A day earlier, Ning Yi and Wu Qilong met on the street. It seemed like a chance encounter, and both sides seemed to have casually greeted each other. In the past month and a half, this might not be the first time they met, but it was indeed the first time they greeted each other. At that time, Wu Qilong was chatting with a cloth merchant about something. When he saw Ning Yi, he cupped his hands in greeting from afar, "Brother Ning, how have you been?" Ning Yi cupped his hands in return, "I've been fine." After that, they parted ways. At that time, Ning Yi was too lazy to take this matter to heart.
Then today, after class, he ran to Dongji to buy an old book. This was probably a book brought in by a Hu merchant from the Western Arabian region. There were a lot of diagrams on it, probably related to alchemy. Ning Yi also bought it casually, and decided to find someone to translate for him. After buying the book, he went to the teahouse to drink tea or something. He also asked the waiter to bring a pen and paper. He looked at the diagrams, guessing the content of the book — this kind of guessing was a way to recall past knowledge. As he was immersed in writing and drawing, a figure also came to his side.
"Brother Ning, what a coincidence, what is this?"
Ning Yi looked up, and it was really a coincidence that it was Wu Qilong. He immediately nodded and greeted him. Then, Wu Qilong sat down on the other side of the tea table, so Ning Yi casually introduced.
"It should be from the Arabian region. This is a little northern Persian, I can't understand it, but from the diagram, it should be a chemical reaction involving several metals … Do you understand chemistry? Uh, it's similar to alchemy … "
"Brother Ning really dabbles in a wide range of things. Uh … metal chemical reaction? "
"Something like the purification and transformation of metals."
"Oh?" Wu Qilong became serious, "Then … isn't it very useful?"
"It's just so-so. The blacksmiths on our side should have already mastered most of the things mentioned here. It's just that the stones of other mountains can be used to make up for the jade. Their way of thinking is different, so it can be used as a reference." Ning Yi raised his head and looked at Wu Qilong. "Brother Wu is waiting for someone?"
"Oh, nothing, just strolling around, and happened to see Brother Ning here, a little curious."
Ning Yi nodded, did not look away, and Wu Qilong smiled. The two looked at each other for a while, after a while, Ning Yi narrowed his eyes, nodded again, and waved to the waiter, "Refill the cup."
He lowered his head again, began to draw the diagram on the paper, frowned, and thought. After the cup was refilled, he did not look at Wu Qilong, just stretched out his hand, "Brother Wu, please help yourself."
"Thank you." Wu Qilong smiled and poured himself a cup of tea, while Ning Yi was still lowering his head to deal with the diagram. He sighed softly, as if he had heard some other answers from Wu Qilong, and muttered to himself, "Oh, the color of the cloth is starting to fade …"
Wu Qilong's smile instantly froze, and his hand trembled, but he still held the teapot firmly, and gently put it back. Tilting his head, he stared seriously and fiercely at Ning Yi, his face slightly twitching a few times. Something surged up from the bottom of his heart. It was the touch of a nightmare finally becoming reality. There was also a bit of astonishment. In his expectations, this conversation shouldn't have been like this, and Ning Yi shouldn't have said these things so casually.
But in front of him, everything was presented. Ning Yi was still lowering his head to write and draw, as if to him, all of this was as common as snacks and tea in this early summer. He just said this in a chatting manner, "Oh, the color of the cloth is starting to fade, no wonder you want to sit here."
It was a very common thing.
"Sure enough … it was you who did it …"
Wu Qilong had to spend a lot of effort to suppress his tone, so that he would not gnash his teeth or tremble.
In the early winter sunshine, Ning Yi put down the brush, raised his head, and looked at him …
*****
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