Wu Jinghan's tenth year of winter, Bianliang.
Snow only began to fall in December. Although everyone said that a good snow meant a good harvest, in the tenth year of Wu Jinghan's reign, the second half of the year was obviously a good one. The warm time was longer, and it gave many more opportunities to make a living.
When it was cold, the entire Bianliang seemed to be enveloped by a warm current. When beggars gathered outside the city, the rich families inside and outside the city never stopped giving out food and porridge. Since Yan Jing had been recovered, the entire country's enthusiasm for the war seemed to be even higher. The rich merchants and gentry appealed to the outside to pacify Yan Yun as soon as possible, and internally, they did more good deeds. It was true that the whole country was united.
For scholars, Bianliang City in winter was a place that everyone would flock to like ducks. Since autumn, scholars from all over the country had gathered in Bianliang. Among these people, some were candidates who came early for the next year's Spring Examination, and some came to the capital to run for officials because of the news of the recovery of Yan Yun.
There were already too many scholars in the Wu dynasty. The problem of many with scholarly honors and few with official positions had always existed, and was constantly expanding. But if the sixteen provinces of Yan Yun could be recovered, there would immediately be a large number of positions. In such a situation, it was absolutely necessary to run for official positions.
The gathering of scholars not only caused the inns in the capital to be overcrowded, but also caused all kinds of literary events, and the business of the brothels was abnormally good for a while. Although in the eyes of some harsh scholars, the large amount of words that sang praises were a pity, and it was difficult to innovate, it was still praiseworthy in such a prosperous era. Due to the inevitable death of Fang La, the pacification of Yan Jing in the north, and the execution of the bandits of Liangshan, the popular style of poetry in Bianliang during this time was a little bolder than before. The scholars held their brushes, and it seemed that they also had the ambition to throw away their brushes and join the army.
Under such circumstances, in a sense, a name that was more or less related to Fang La, Liangshan, and even Bianliang poetry this year gradually faded from the upper circles of Bianliang after the hustle and bustle of the Dragon Boat Festival. It became an existence that only some people knew, and when they thought of it, they would feel regret and puzzlement. This name was Ning Yi, Ning Liheng.
After returning to Bianliang from Shandong, he did not officially join the Office of Secret Investigation, nor did he do what Qin Siyuan asked him to consider. He did not enter the Imperial College, seek scholarly honors, or appear in any public or official occasions. Apart from being a nominal member of the Qin's Mansion's staff, this meritorious minister who had just conquered Liangshan returned home and entered a leisurely life of "taking care of his wife and children" and "enjoying the rest of his life". Only some business plans arranged behind the scenes gradually took shape in a leisurely pace.
But of course, for people at Qin Siyuan's level, business could not enter the concept of "major events" at all.
At this time, because of the Prime Minister's Northern Expedition, his reputation also rose with the tide. Within the Right Minister's residence and the Office of Secret Investigations, the most exciting thing this year was not Tong Guan's Northern Expedition, nor was it the pacification of the South. Ning Yi was the only one who went to Shandong and solved the hidden danger of Liangshan in two months, which could be considered as a real stimulant.
As for Ning Yi's ability to control people's hearts in these things, especially in the destruction of Liangshan, although it was strange and almost demonic, if he wanted to do something, ordinary matters would not be a problem for him. Qin Siyuan had some ideas about how to use this person, but even after discussing with Jueming, Yao Zunian, and others, he was not sure. However, in the end, when Ning Yi returned to Bianliang, he chose to hide behind the scenes, which was really unexpected.
If he were an ordinary young man, Qin Siyuan and others would not allow him to "make a mistake" like this. However, when Ning Yi did things and spoke, he had a natural and matter-of-fact aura, especially when he came back this time. Although he had confessed to others that he didn't want to enter the officialdom, he didn't seem to be running away from what would happen next. Instead, he seemed to have his own thoughts. If the Minister's residence had any problems in the future, he promised to come out and help, but other than that, he seemed to have a lot of ideas of his own that he wanted to do, giving people the feeling that he could not afford to be distracted.
When Qin Siyuan communicated with him in the past, he knew that his thoughts were complicated. After the events in Hangzhou and Liangshan, it was difficult for everyone to see clearly what the Confucian system in his heart and the ideal of peace for all ages was like. According to their previous thoughts, Ning Yi was discouraged at the beginning because he might have encountered a difficult problem. Now that he had his own plans, it must be because of this. After failing to persuade him, they said no more, only giving him a position in the Minister's residence as an advisor and a position in the Office of Secret Investigations. Although he was more free on weekdays, he had to come when he needed help. Ning Yi nodded and agreed.
Just like that, he faded out of Bianliang's circle.
Of course, over the past three months, Qin Siyuan and the others might have regretted agreeing to Ning Yi's idea. Because during this time, he did not do much. If one had to summarize, during the several months of prosperity in Bianliang, Ning Yi set up a vaudeville troupe, bought a few blacksmith shops, a paper mill, a kiln cellar, a winery, and even a rice shop … and so on.
For ordinary people, these things looked complicated, but in the eyes of Jueming, Yao Zunian, and the others, they were nothing more than small businesses that could be bought with money. They didn't know if Ning Yi had gone through an inspection before, but the entire buying process seemed very leisurely. Ning Yi did not expend much effort, as if he was just spending his days leisurely buying a few things, then moving the resources and manpower of these things to a manor on the outskirts of the city, where he concentrated and directed the remodeling.
Only when Ning Yi's interest was related to the rice shop did Qin Siyuan remember something and chat with Ning Yi, mainly about the "arena" and "windmill" that Ning Yi had set up in Hangzhou. At the time, these things had not spread, but now Qin Siyuan had to consider the impact they would bring. He asked Ning Yi, and Ning Yi nodded and admitted that he did indeed want to do something about it.
At this time, the Wu dynasty was rich and the gap between the rich and the poor was very large. For the upper class, eating white rice was a matter of course. But to be honest, the process of shelling rice had always been very complicated. From a certain point of view, it also determined the price of white rice. If Ning Yi really made preparations and set up these things like the arena, because the technical content of the arena was not very high, it would not be profitable for eight or ten years. But with Ning Yi's ability, it would be very easy for him to make a large profit in a short period of time. Afterwards, this rice milling process would expand, and the price of white rice would fall. This might not be a bad thing, but right now, it was quite troublesome.
"… Although our dynasty is rich and the poor have no lack of livelihood, we are still at war, and logistics are extremely tight. If the Liao dynasty falls, the Jin will still be a threat, and this tension will continue. At this time, if the price of white rice is pushed down, even the slightly well-off will eat it, and the shortage of rice will probably become a problem. Thus, I hope that Liheng can temporarily seal this item … "
This was actually only one of the things that Ning Yi was interested in. Since Qin Siyuan had spoken, Ning Yi also dropped the matter. As for the other matters, apart from the high alcohol content that he had in Jiangning, his arrangements were casual and leisurely. Not many people could see through his intentions. In short, for Jueming, Yao Zunian, and the others who were beginning to get familiar with Ning Yi, this young man who had many opportunities to show his face in front of others had since strangely disappeared without a trace. In the complex circle of Bianliang, he did some small things that others could not understand.
On the other side of Bianliang, Li Shishi, the number one courtesan of Fanlou, also had the same doubts. Especially when winter arrived and the literary gatherings in Bianliang flourished, she would occasionally think of that name and feel even more confused.
When Ning Yi left Bianliang in May, she had been paying attention to all kinds of things in Shandong. Later, when she heard about the whole situation, she could not describe her feelings in her heart. However, when Ning Yi returned from Shandong at the end of August, other than seeing her once to tell his friend that he was safe, in the following months, Ning Yi's name did not appear in many events in Bianliang. She knew that this fellow from the same hometown was in Bianliang, and she also knew that he was very powerful. But he just disappeared like air. Every time she thought about it, she became more and more confused. In such a feast where so many people showed off their talents, that person … What on earth was he doing …
*****
Early in the morning, the owner of the warm room opened the window, letting a trace of cold air into the room. In the air, in addition to the boring and tuneless singing, there was also the sound of a baby's playful cry.
"Little Miss … Wake up early in the morning and keep exercising! Good health! We will sing, we will dance, and wish everyone … Happy New Year … "
"Ah ah ah … Wa wa wa …"
The baby, dressed like a ball, sat on the bed, waving his hands and babbling, showing that he was in a good mood. The woman who got off the bed was still buttoning her clothes. "Not yet, not yet, I haven't put on my clothes. Don't open the window, Husband, what if Xi 'er gets cold …"
"Su Tan 'er, how are you going to make a living if you're so slow? My Ning Xi isn't so spoiled, right? "
In the room, in the stove used for heating, the honeycomb briquette that appeared for the first time not long ago was still burning. The water on it was already very hot. When Ning Yi carried the baby who didn't cry after waking up, Xiaochan and Juan 'er brought a basin of water in. After mixing it with hot water, they wrung a towel for Ning Yi. After Ning Yi applied it on his face, he wiped the baby's face for a while while it was still warm.
Ning Xi cried out at her father's actions and nearly cried. After wiping, her face was as red as an apple. When Xiaochan carried the wronged baby away, Ning Yi shook his head. "It is good to be warm, he actually dared to resist." He then went to wash his face.
Su Tan 'er walked over and poked Ning Xi's face. "Father is so bad, right?"
"I have already heard you saying bad things about me."
"Scoff!"
After becoming independent, the feeling of a family only took two months to form. In truth, when Ning Yi came back from Liangshan, the family didn't feel so lively. Su Tan 'er was used to maturing early and managing a family. Xiaochan and the others were used to the pace of a big family. The rules had to be strict and the master had to have authority. Especially after Ning Yi left to take revenge for the Su family, Su Tan 'er had to control the family. At the start, they were worried about Ning Yi's safety and had to adapt to the new place. Their days … were a little boring.
After Ning Yi came back, everything changed.
A family had to have such a pillar. After he came back, Tan 'er and the others finally had someone to rely on. In the current world, this feeling was really obvious. However, it was also because of Ning Yi's return that everything seemed to have gone in a different direction.
Ning Yi didn't pay much attention to the rules. Although he was the "master" of this family, he was only in his twenties and didn't put on any airs at home. Sometimes he would take the children around and make fun of his wife, Xiaochan, and the others. He was also kind to the new servants. Although some of the servants from Jiangning knew how powerful Ning Yi was, after two or three months, the atmosphere of the whole family had almost become completely different from the Su family in Jiangning …
After Ning Yi came back, everything changed.
A family had to have such a pillar. After he came back, Tan 'er and the others finally had someone to rely on. In the current world, this feeling was really obvious. However, it was also because of Ning Yi's return that everything seemed to have gone in a different direction.
Ning Yi didn't pay much attention to the rules. Although he was the "master" of this family, he was only in his twenties and didn't put on any airs at home. Sometimes he would take the children around and make fun of his wife, Xiaochan, and the others. He was also kind to the new servants. Although some of the servants from Jiangning knew how powerful Ning Yi was, after two or three months, the atmosphere of the whole family had almost become completely different from the Su family in Jiangning …
*****
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