In the afternoon, the people who were supposed to arrive in Takeshi were arriving one after another.
As was the custom in all social occasions, those who arrived early were usually not of high status. Like the examinees who came to the capital for the exams, the students from the Imperial College, including Chen Dong, the imperial student who had personally reprimanded Ning Yi, all arrived relatively early. In terms of scale, it could barely be considered a gathering of famous scholars.
Of course, there were not many scholars who were most popular in this year's capital spring examination. Just as Song Yongping had planned, first, it was due to his arrogance, and second, those who sought benevolence would get benevolence. True knowledge always belonged to those who were willing to immerse themselves in studying. The exam was imminent, and those who really wanted to get a good ranking were mostly nervous at this time, so they didn't participate in this kind of poetry gathering.
Apart from these scholars and those from wealthy families who came to join in the fun, those who came later were some idlers in Bianliang City. For example, some members of the Literary Society, Qin Mowen, Xue Gongyuan, Yan Lingzhong, and others who had conflicts with Ning Yi during the Dragon Boat Festival last year, and some idle low-ranking officials who could be influenced by Qin Siyuan — this was also because Ning Yi brought Yao Zunian here to hold the fort. When these people arrived, Takeshi's Wanzhao House finally had a real scale.
During this period, there were also some girls from brothels such as Fanlou and Little Candle Pavilion. Those who could come today were mostly famous talented girls. Ning Yi spent a lot of money on this, asking them to find acquaintances in the house to liven up the atmosphere. As for Li Shishi and the others who were in charge of the performance, they also arrived early. After midnight, there was already a motorcade coming over, but it was only to further decorate the stage for the performance. For a moment, only Li Yun came out to greet people.
Song Yongping looked for Ning Yi up and down for a long time, but after noon, he didn't appear in the main hall of Takeshi anymore.
To him, this kind of situation was indeed a little strange. He was a businessman in the capital who owned two shops and wasn't from a wealthy family. Even his father wouldn't dare to neglect a banquet like this after making it such a big deal. He thought that this brother-in-law might have already known that Gao Yannei was coming to cause trouble and was running around for it. However, to be on the safe side, he still asked around a few more times. When he finally found Ning Yi, he was in the courtyard behind the Wanzhao Tower.
At this time, the sun had already begun to set in the west. The rays of light shone down on the eaves of the old courtyard, making it appear bright and beautiful. The noise in front could be faintly heard. When Takeshi opened his two shops in Bianliang, he purchased a lot of properties nearby and renovated some of them before opening his shop. The land was quite abundant. This kind of thing was actually not surprising. In feudal society, the gap between the rich and the poor and the social status structure was huge. The closer to the center of Bianliang, the less crowded the land was. This was also a symbol of power and relationship.
When Takeshi bought the land, Ning Yi did his best to ask Monk Jueming for help. Coupled with the intentional use of the Prime Minister's name, as long as he was willing to spend money, everything went smoothly. At this time, less than half of the renovated area could be used for the shops. The rest of the undeveloped areas maintained their original appearance, waiting to be expanded step by step. When Song Yongping came over, he saw Ning Yi sitting in the pavilion in the courtyard thinking about something. He faced the small pond in front of him with a serious gaze, his fingers tapping on the railing of the pavilion next to him. The tapping was irregular, as if he was calculating something with his fingers. However, when he saw Song Yongping come over, Ning Yi stopped thinking and smiled at him.
"Yongping … what's the matter? Sit. "Ning Yi saw the other's expression and smiled with a slight frown. He then stretched out his hand.
"Brother-in-law, you must already know about that matter?"
Song Yongping stepped into the pavilion, his gaze and pace calm. After sitting down, he went straight to the point. Ning Yi, on the other hand, was surprised. "What matter?"
"The Grand Commandant's Office."
"Huh?"
Song Yongping sat down and waited for Ning Yi to show the expected reaction. In the circle he lived in, the interactions between gentlemen and wise men were mostly like this — just like the interactions between his father and his aides — indifferent, calm, and able to accurately grasp the other party's thoughts. However, after a moment, he felt that he had overestimated Ning Yi. The other party blinked his eyes with a puzzled expression. He didn't seem very supportive.
'You don't even know about the matter of the Grand Commandant's Office coming to cause trouble, so why are you being so upset here?'
He was a little surprised and then added, "Brother-in-law, could it be that you still don't know about the matter of Gao Muen?"
Ning Yi leaned back. When he heard this name, the first emotion that surfaced in his heart was that he found it funny. "Gao Muen? What about him? "
"Hmm … I heard from someone outside that this Gao Muen is going to cause trouble for Brother-in-law today. He said that he gathered some people to smash this shop and disrupt Takeshi's performance today." Song Yongping paused and waited for Ning Yi to digest what he had said. "This person is probably not someone to be trifled with."
Ning Yi frowned and thought for a moment. Then, he looked at Song Yongping thoughtfully. "Yesterday, I heard Yongping say that he's going to study at home today … Did you come here for this matter?" After asking, he nodded with a smile and added, "Gao Muen? Heh, he's indeed not someone to be trifled with."
"I only heard it from a friend. Also, I really wanted to hear Brother-in-law's new phrase. I wonder why this Wanzhao Tower is named Wanzhao. " Song Yongping said with a smile. Then, he became serious and said, "Speaking of which, I also know that to do business in the capital, one must have some background. But with the power of the Grand Commandant's Office, I'm afraid we have to guard against this matter. I wonder if Brother-in-law has any countermeasures. "
Ning Yi looked at him with a gentle expression. "Yongping, what do you think?"
"I'm new here, so I don't know how many connections Brother-in-law has. But it's the Grand Commandant's Office after all. If you want to go against them, I'm afraid it won't be easy for ordinary people to deal with it … If it really can't be done, I've already met with the Right Prime Minister once. Given the relationship between my father and the Right Prime Minister, in addition to the fact that Brother-in-law has always been in contact with the Prime Minister's Office, I might be able to ask the Prime Minister for help in this matter … After all, this matter is really a little unscrupulous … "
Song Yongping felt that there wasn't much time left. At this moment, he spoke of his thoughts in full detail. From his point of view, Ning Yi often had dealings with the Prime Minister's Office. But even if he was managing the accounts for the Prime Minister's Office, firstly, Gao Muen was a junior. Secondly, opening a shop was too unscrupulous. Someone of Qin Siyuan's status would at most come out and say a word after the shop was smashed. And if he added his own family's connections, he might be able to ask Qin Siyuan to eliminate the danger before it happened. The sunlight shone down on the pavilion. Song Yongping whispered about the propriety of the matter. Ning Yi looked at him from the side, a hint of admiration in his eyes.
"Yongping seems to be very familiar with these matters."
"Not really," Song Yongping said modestly. Song Yongping said modestly, "I just don't know how Brother-in-law's side became enemies with that high official."
"There were two conflicts when I came here, and I probably ruined his plans … Later on, someone set him up. He probably blamed it on me. This person is a little reckless and only cares about what's in front of him. It'll be troublesome if he causes trouble. "
"We have to make preparations early." Song Yongping reminded him. He meant that if they wanted to go to the Prime Minister's Office, they should make a move now! Although the guest of the Prime Minister's Office, Yao Zunian, was also here, if Qin Siyuan didn't personally speak up, the status of a guest couldn't be compared to the son of the Prime Minister's Office. Moreover, the Prime Minister might not do his best. This was how it was in the officialdom. A guest wouldn't dare to cause trouble for the boss.
"Mhm." Ning Yi nodded. After a while, he smiled and said, "Oh right, Miss Shishi has arrived. Do you want to go and meet her? "
Song Yongping was puzzled. He said, "… I'll be able to meet her later, but there's no need for that now … Brother-in-law has something to attend to, so I'll go ahead first."
"That's true. Have fun. I'll find someone to deal with Gao Muen later. Don't worry. But I'll remember Yongping's kindness for coming here. "
"We're all one family. There's no need to be so polite."
Song Yongping smiled and cupped his hands. Even with his intelligence, he could tell from Ning Yi's expression that there was no need for him to use all his connections to ask for help from the Prime Minister's Office. He couldn't help but feel puzzled. How could a small merchant have such connections? However, he was also a proud person. Previously, he was anxious and had already said a lot of unnecessary words. At this moment, he bade farewell and returned to the front. When he left, he looked back and saw that Ning Yi, who had sent him off, had turned back to the pavilion. His fingers were tapping on the side of his body, and he had already returned to his thinking mode.
*****
Ning Yi sat back in the pavilion and pushed the fruit platter on the small stone table away a little. His fingers gently tapped on the table, allowing his emotions to return to his previous contemplation.
After chatting with Chen Fan earlier, he met with Shishi and Li Yun, who had come over to prepare for the performance. After chatting for a while, he didn't go to the front to receive the guests or give instructions. The shop was the shopkeeper's business, and the performance was Shishi's specialty. It was the right thing to let the professionals do the professional things. He didn't want to worry too much about these things.
As for Gao Muen, he didn't need to think too much about it at the moment. Ever since he returned from Liangshan, he had already established connections with some underground forces in Bianliang City through the Office of Secret Investigations. And around him, there were also some members of the Office of Secret Investigations who could be mobilized at any time. And the most important thing was that in Gao Qiu's mind, Gao Muen didn't have a very powerful position. Although he didn't know why he was suddenly released, given Takeshi's situation today, Gao Muen wouldn't be able to cause too much trouble, and he might not dare to cause too much trouble.
The only thing he had to worry about was whether Gao Muen's sudden visit was a sign that Gao Qiu was going to make a move against him. But after thinking about it, the possibility was very small after all.
Liu Watermelon had gone to save Fang Qifo, which was a big problem that needed to be considered.
This time, several big families in the Wu dynasty had set their eyes on Fang Qifo being escorted to the capital, which was led by Wang Qi, the young master of the Wu dynasty. It wasn't that they had taken this matter as a very serious matter. But to be honest, the impact of each of these families' efforts was not something that one or two or one or two hundred people could compare with. Today, the Yongle Uprising had completely failed. Even if the Tyrannical Saber Camp were all mobilized, they wouldn't be able to make much of a splash.
Compared with Liangshan, which was overbearing on the surface, Ning Yi knew in his heart that these big families were the giant whales hidden in the water. On the big side, they were busy working with Wang Qi, Cai Jing, Tong Guan, and the others to buy cities in the north. They were eager to resume the trade between the north and the south, as well as to make preparations for the new era of business after the Liao dynasty was destroyed. As for Fang Qifo, at the moment, these people could only say a few words and watch the hundreds of people of the Ministry of Justice escort the prisoners to the north. But once the power of the prisoners increased, the power of the other side would also increase correspondingly. At the moment, there was no limit to the degree of this expansion.
Even if they could really rescue Fang Qifo with some lightning speed, what awaited them would be the pursuit and interception from all over Jiangnan. If something went wrong, the little remaining power of the Tyrannical Saber Camp would be completely trapped, and some people who had escaped with great difficulty after the destruction of the Yongle Dynasty would be found again in such a situation.
Ning Yi didn't agree to rescue Fang Qifo at all. Even when he asked Chen Fan about the details of the situation later, he was only thinking about how to persuade Liu Watermelon. The girl was too stubborn. He wasn't sure how to persuade her. This time, the Ministry of Justice had prepared a very strong force. If he really rushed over, Liu Watermelon and the others would already be counterattacked. He had to have some ideas in advance on how to deal with the situation and try to let them escape.
The matter of Hangzhou and Liangshan had just ended, and the layout of the capital had just begun. He hadn't even gained a firm foothold, and now he had to get involved in such a matter. Ning Yi also had a headache. He was a person who advocated strength and didn't want to walk at night. Give him a few years to spread out the strength under his hands and then crush his opponents. That was the way of the king. At this time, he sighed and tried to stay out of it.
But no matter what, there were two things he had to guarantee: dissuade Chen Fan and dissuade Watermelon.
Thinking like this, not long after, the sun was setting in the west. Ning Yi asked the manager of the building to prepare for the possibility that Gao Muen might come to make trouble. When the sun was setting, Wenren Bu 'er came to find him. And at this time, the performance in the front building had actually already begun.
As the first building that Ning Yi specially wrote a poem for, there would be more than one performance that night. But in order to prevent others from thinking that he was too arrogant, Ning Yi's "new poem" was actually the first song of the whole night. With the light and shadow effect of a batch of gunpowder suddenly ignited, Li Shishi appeared. Starting from the first line, "The scenery in Dongcheng is gradually getting better," she was just about to sing, "Outside the green poplar smoke, the spring is stirring on the red apricot branches."
Amidst the accompaniment of the musical instruments, the building had mostly quieted down. The setting sun warmly shone in through the window. Not long after, night fell. After Li Shishi's performance, the last line of the poem, "Holding a cup of wine to persuade the setting sun, and leaving an evening light among the flowers," set the tone for the "Evening Light Building." After that, there were various performances, as well as some novel magic, acrobatics, and even two funny crosstalks.
This night, the Evening Light Building would probably not be considered to have startled the entire Bianliang, but it was still very orderly. Ning Yi also told Wenren Bu 'er about Gao Muen, and then waited for the other party to come. However, after nightfall, another two hours passed. The night wind blew, and the brightly lit streets were full of tourists, but there were still no signs of anyone looking for trouble. The Evening Light Building was currently a restaurant, not a theater or a brothel. No matter how good the performance was, a banquet would not last until late at night. Once someone was tired of eating and chatting and started to leave, what trouble could the other party come and cause?
"This Gao Muen, after being locked up at home for half a year, has become a bit unfathomable …" Ning Yi said with some amusement as he looked at the pedestrians on the second floor's balcony, looking at the pedestrians on the street. The firelight shone on him. Not far away, Wenren Bu 'er shook her head.
"I don't think there's anything unfathomable about him. However, it's not strange for a person like Gao Muen to do all kinds of messy things. Maybe he suddenly fell in love with some good woman on the street."
"Oh, Cheng Zhouhai hasn't done enough with him yet …" Ning Yi touched his nose. "Speaking of which, why was he suddenly released after being locked up for half a year?"
"I asked around. I heard that yesterday at the Grand Commandant's Mansion, he suddenly went crazy and fell in love with Miss Shishi. Then, he cried to his father for the whole afternoon. His father was probably annoyed by him … "
"What?"
"You don't know? Yesterday at the Grand Commandant's Mansion, he wanted to rape Miss Shishi, but he probably didn't succeed … I'm not too sure either, but in any case, he beat Miss Shishi up. I didn't pay much attention to Miss Shishi's dressing today … Isn't the powder on her face a little thick … You didn't see her before? "
Ning Yi was stunned. Yesterday, when Shishi and Li Yun went to the Grand Commandant's Mansion to apologize, he had accompanied them all the way. Earlier, he had indeed met Shishi and Li Yun twice and even chatted for a while. However, he felt that everything was normal with Li Shishi, so he didn't pay much attention to this. Now that he thought about it, if Gao Muen really caused trouble for her at the Grand Commandant's Mansion yesterday, the cause must have been him.
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