Some things were fine if one didn't pay attention to them, but the more one paid attention, the more thoughts one would have, and some impressions would become more profound.
That was a very powerful woman.
The lights flickered, the music flowed on the stage, and the mist danced. Gu Yanzhen looked at the scene over there, and made an evaluation of the woman called Su Tan'er.
He had previously inquired about Ning Liheng, and naturally knew that he was a son-in-law who had married into a merchant's family. He hadn't had much of an idea of his wife before, but now he gradually had an outline in his heart. This outline was rather clear, because the image she displayed had indeed left a deep impression on him.
At first glance, perhaps it was just a beautiful and generous wife and Husband sitting there watching a show. Some of the daughters of wealthy families, well-educated and knowledgeable, could also have such an image and temperament. However, this wasn't the only thing that attracted Gu Yanzhen's attention, but the scene when this couple interacted with others.
Those who came to speak to them, the first person they chose to face was almost always Ning Yi's wife. The ignorant and incompetent Su brothers, as well as the other people who came and went, were all talking to the wife first. Only after that did they pay attention to the husband. Ning Liheng had helped the Su brothers out at the Ink Tower the day before yesterday, and when they came over, the first person they paid attention to was still Su Tan'er. This woman's power was evident.
In this aspect, Gu Yanzhen was quite confident in his ability to read people. Many things in the past had actually more or less proved his judgment. In this world, it was very difficult for a woman to be powerful. To be able to restrain this powerful side to such an extent, to be able to seamlessly blend a seemingly gentle temperament with a powerful aura, was even more admirable. And looking at the harmonious atmosphere over there, it was clear that this woman was in charge of everything. On one hand, she maintained her own existence and the attention of others, and on the other hand, she cleverly balanced the existence of the man beside her, not letting this person completely become a foil. Her skill was extremely brilliant.
'This is a woman …' Gu Yanzhen thought. If such a man were to become her opponent and win Yunzhu's heart, perhaps she would have no choice but to accept it wholeheartedly. But relatively speaking, the man beside such a strong and outstanding woman who served as a foil …
It was impossible for him to pay attention to this matter for too long. From time to time, he would chat with the people around him and applaud. In the first round of performances, the capitals of the four major banks played their part. All of them performed to the fullest extent of their strengths and characteristics. Luo Miaomiao's colorful silk dance was colorful and magnificent, Yuan Jin 'er's dance was lively and lively, Feng Xiaojing's Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix was dignified and elegant, and the last one was Qi Lan's ancient dance, which reproduced Confucius and Laozi's Dao. She was dressed in a black robe with wide sleeves, looking refined and refined. She danced leisurely, and it was precisely her scholarly aura that was at its peak.
Among the four of them, Gu Yanzhen actually did not like Luo Miaomiao very much. Her dance was colorful and magnificent, and it was very impactful at first glance. But in reality, her foundation was not enough, and she was not as calm as the other three. Back then, he had chosen her because of the incident with Yunzhu. This colorful dance style was actually good for writing a poem, but to him, it was just a perfunctory attitude. After this dance, he originally wanted to write a poem, but for some reason, he looked at Ning Yi's side and decided not to. Instead, he called the person who was in charge of registering the number of flowers and bought 500 flowers for Luo Miaomiao.
500 flowers meant 500 taels of silver, which was a rather large expenditure for him. But because he did not write a poem, he just gave it all at once. Not long after, it was time to thank the gifts. Some of the ladies went up to perform, and when the words "Young Master Gu Yanzhen sends Mistress Miaomiao 500 flowers" were read out, he cupped his hands and said some polite words to the people around him. On the other side, Su Tan 'er also waved her hand to call for people. The number of pine flowers kept changing on the big wooden board at the back of the stage. Those who had more than 100 flowers would be announced loudly, and then that voice could be heard.
"Young Master Ning Ning Liheng sends Mistress Qi Lan two thousand flowers!"
When this voice came out, there was another wave of noise in the crowd. Two thousand flowers, this was indeed a staggering amount of money. Usually, such supporters would wait until the end of the three dances before making a move. The name Ning Liheng sounded like the mysterious "First Scholar", talented and generous. In any case, it was enough to be a topic of conversation for a while. Gu Yanzhen understood that this was the woman's doing. She did such things for her Husband, who had married into her family, in such a venue. Under the woman's gentle appearance, she was really strong and confident.
He thought of the matter of the century eggs. He had only invested less than 100 taels of silver. Compared with the scene in front of him, what Ning Liheng did … was really ridiculous.
Just as he was thinking about this, Shen Miao came over from the side and also looked over there, "It's really a big deal … Yan Zhen has been looking over there for a long time. Could it be that he is really interested in Ning Yi's talent and learning? If so, tonight's Courtesan Banquet will really be a fierce battle between dragons and tigers. There will be a good show to watch. "
Gu Yanzhen was silent for a while and laughed, "Brother Zishan, do you know who the man behind Yunzhu is?"
"It's not that I can't find out … Eh?" Shen Miao reacted, "Could it be that … Ning Yi?"
"Oh, it's him."
"He … he is the son-in-law."
Gu Yanzhen was silent with a faint smile. Shen Miao laughed and shook his head.
"In this way, if this matter is exposed, won't we be able to watch a good show? I wonder what Yan Zhen thinks? "
Gu Yanzhen looked at him for a while and finally sighed, "Brother Zishan, if this matter is exposed, what will happen next?"
"In the hearts of that husband and wife, if it's light, there will be a grudge. If it's heavy, I believe that the strong merchant wife will go to Lady Yunzhu's house. At that time … Eh, looking at Yan Zhen's reluctance, it seems that he still has tender feelings for the fairer sex. Such open-mindedness is admirable."
Gu Yanzhen laughed, "To be honest, Brother Zishan, the reason is not like this. Brother Zishan is right. If it's light, there will be a grudge. If it's heavy, he will go to Yunzhu's house and make a scene. But even if it's like this, even if it's really a big fight in the end, you and I will still be able to watch a show. But Brother Zishan, do you think I will get that Yunzhu in this way? "
"Eh …"
"Those who do big things should not be bothered by trifles. When we do things, we should not be confused by trifles and face our hearts. Even if I do this kind of thing, I will not get anything in the end. Instead, if it's spread out, I will be criticized by others. I disdain to do it … "
Although his words were full of arrogance, his tone was humble. Shen Miao pondered for a while and cupped his hands in acknowledgment. Gu Yanzhen smiled and diverted the topic. He looked at the song and dance on the stage and discussed for a while. Amidst the dazzling lights, he also looked at Shen Miao.
Shen Zishan was also just a common person. With the spirit of a scholar, it would be difficult for him to achieve great things …
*****
"Two thousand, that's a lot of money."
When the person on the stage said that Ning Liheng gave two thousand, Ning Yi also shook his head in amusement. In the midst of the discussion, he put on an attitude that it had nothing to do with him. Anyway, there were not many people who really knew him. When he turned his head, Puyang Yi cupped his hands in greeting and put on an attitude of gratitude.
"I don't know much about poetry. It's just that she gave face to my Husband, so I gave her money. That's how it is."
Su Tan 'er lowered her head. Her words were gentle and tranquil, and she smiled obediently. Ning Yi naturally knew what the reason was. At this time, he laughed a few times. At this time, the couple could not possibly know that there was a guy named Gu Yanzhen staring at them from the side of the venue. At the side of the stage, when she heard the news of the two thousand flowers, Yuan Jin 'er was also slightly stunned. She glared angrily and then went to complain to Nie Yunzhu.
"Sister Yunzhu, he's bullying people!"
"Oh, it's obviously his wife who gave the flowers. What does it have to do with him?"
"I don't care. He's bullying people because he's rich … I won't help sell the century eggs later." After sulking for a while, she pulled Su Tan 'er to the dressing room. "Sister Yunzhu, I want to dress up again and dance better later to save face."
Although she did not intend to compete for the title of Top Beauty, face was a big thing, and she still had to fight for it.
However, after all, she did not intend to compete for the title of Top Beauty. The performance she arranged was also based on her own performance. At this time, no matter how serious she was, the final result could not be changed much. The competition continued. The songs and dances were magnificent and varied. At the end of the last round, Qi Lan's song and dance called Mountain of Books and Sea of Ink won the competition. Although she had the backing of the Puyang Family, the Puyang Family valued reputation the most. Obviously, Qi Lan had put a lot of effort into this song and dance. After this song, Pu Yangyi finally presented 15,000 fresh flowers in a justifiable and justifiable manner, sending this white-clothed woman on stage to the position of Courtesan Belle.
In fact, some people, like Su Tan 'er, had already expected this result. However, the Puyang Family took two years to do this, which could be considered to be very considerate. Basically, those who could have expected it would not have much of an opinion. Tonight's song and dance was also very good. Although it was slightly shorter than the previous two days, there was still a grand banquet for Top Beauty. This banquet was the usual practice after the Top Beauty competition. It was hosted by the Prefectural Magistrate and accompanied by the Four Heads of the Industry to thank the people who had supported the Top Beauty competition for the past three days. The Four Heads of the Industry would also prepare an elaborate dance to perform on the banquet. Sitting together in the business circles of the world, it would often become a story.
For the whole night, Gu Yanzhen subconsciously searched for Nie Yunzhu, but he did not find her. It was not until he went to the banquet with Shen Miao that he inadvertently saw a figure at the side of the hall. The figure was dressed like a servant, probably mixed in with the servants, hiding behind a tree outside the hall as if expecting something. Being too familiar with this figure, Gu Yanzhen also recognized him at a glance.
After entering the banquet, he suddenly understood what the figure was waiting for outside.
"I didn't expect Miss Yun Zhu to be able to do business here so quickly …"
Shen Miao sighed slightly. In this Top Beauty banquet, it turned out that in the center of each table, there were some peeled century eggs, crystal clear in patterns. In the past two months, although the century egg business was still expanding, Nie Yunzhu had been low-key. She had hired some people to help, but apart from satisfying the needs of various restaurants, there was not much new action. It seemed that starting from this night, she was finally ready to open the business.
If that woman came to this banquet in the past, she would at least be a distinguished guest. Even if she did not compete for the Top Beauty and kept a low profile, in fact, she would have the feeling of being surrounded by stars. But now, for this kind of thing, she hid outside like a servant, watching the people inside toasting with each other, looking forward to such a small business … I wonder if she has seen me now …
Suddenly, he thought of what happened this afternoon. He did not care much about the century eggs. A business of less than a hundred taels seemed boring. But at this time, seeing her expectant expression, he could not help laughing. This was really a coincidence. He did not know how she would feel after spending so much effort to make a good start today, full of joy and anticipation, but tomorrow, she would make the wedding dress for others.
I, Gu Yanzhen, do not care about this kind of pitiful little revenge … He told himself so. But it would still be interesting to encounter it so coincidentally.
So he smiled at Shen Miao and said, "This thing looks interesting, but in fact, the process is not so complicated. Now that a few months have passed, I am willing to bet with Brother Zishan ten taels of silver that within half a month, there will be imitations of this century egg on the market. She spent a lot of effort, but I am afraid that in the end, she will also make the wedding dress for others … The business world is like the battlefield, it is not so simple."
In theory, if he wanted to win this bet, he only needed to wait until tomorrow. If he wanted to lose, he would definitely need half a month to prove it. The two chatted and laughed as they sat down, and then they did not take this matter to heart. However, it seemed that there was an existence in the dark that had strangled this statement a long time ago. Just a quarter of an hour later, Gu Yanzhen somewhat gloomily found that he had lost the ten taels of silver in advance …
*****
Seeking monthly votes! If I win the Top Beauty, I will hold a banquet to entertain everyone ^ _ ^
Well … I am just learning to act cute …
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