Song Qingshu couldn't help but blame himself when he heard the boatman say that ordinary passenger ships and merchant ships were not allowed to travel together. He was mainly focused on persuading Ren Yingying to change from land to water. The main reason was that he was worried that she would be too weak to withstand the journey. At the same time, he had another selfish reason. He didn't want her white and tender legs to be worn out by horses, so he neglected the factor of war.
Thinking that he not only didn't save time but also took her on a long detour, he couldn't help but blame himself.
Until he heard Ren Yingying's question, he subconsciously looked in the direction of her finger and saw a huge ship coming from afar. The surrounding ships were like small sampans compared to it.
More importantly, the South Song Navy didn't stop such an obvious target. Instead, they let it go. Song Qingshu's eyesight was so good that he could even see a South Song Navy general at the bow of the ship smiling obsequiously to a man who looked like a steward, but the steward just responded indifferently, with a very cold attitude.
"I wonder which noble's merchant ship belongs to?" Song Qingshu was a little confused, but it wasn't strange. After all, which of the ancient officials wasn't a big landlord? They all talked about etiquette and morality like saints and gentlemen, but they didn't allow the imperial court to do business on the sea. They said that they were fighting for the interests of the people. In the end, what interests did the people have? Wasn't it just the interests of their families? They were afraid that the imperial court would come forward and take away their business.
The boatman saw Ren Yingying leaning in the arms of the man next to her, looking delicate and timid. Her delicate eyebrows were slightly knitted, as if she was deeply worried, but it still didn't damage her beautiful face. There was also a faint noble and inviolable temperament. He couldn't help but envy and jealousy, and deliberately showed off, "Everyone who lives on the water knows them."
Seeing his expression, how could Song Qingshu not know what he was thinking? He couldn't help but laugh and said indifferently, "Please enlighten me."
The boatman secretly glanced at Ren Yingying. Seeing that she was also attracted, he couldn't help but feel more proud, "Since you are so sincere, I will also give you some advice. This ship is the Mirror Lake of the Ruan Family. The Ruan Family is the first royal merchant in the world …"
"Isn't the number one royal merchant in the world the Xue family? How did it become the Ruan family?" Song Qingshu looked at the ship carefully and saw a big word embroidered on the flag. But he was still confused. The reason why the Xue Family, one of the four big families in the Southern Song Dynasty, was known as "pearls are like soil and gold is like iron" was that they not only had a family master who was involved in political affairs, but also had the identity of imperial merchants. They could be said to be very rich. He had heard more than one person call the Xue Family the first imperial merchant in the world after staying in Lin 'an for so long.
"You don't understand," the eunuch explained, "The Xue Family mainly deals with overseas businesses, and they claim to be the best there. The Ruan Family deals with inland businesses, and they are the best there. For those of us who were born by the river, many of us rely on the Ruan Family to make a living. Naturally, we think that the Ruan Family is the best royal merchant in the world."
"I see." Song Qingshu nodded slightly. He seemed to have heard of the name of the Ruan Family before, but now he was in a high position. Even the Xue Family, who had a chancellor, was not qualified to be on equal footing with him, not to mention the Ruan Family, whose official background was not so prominent.
Noticing the disapproval in his tone, the eunuch suddenly became anxious, "Being able to become an imperial merchant, his background in Lin 'an must be unfathomable. Everyone has various guesses, but no one can be sure. The only sure thing is that the husband of the Ruan Family's master is a member of the Yang Family, a wealthy family in Sichuan province. "
"The master of the Ruan Family is a woman?" Ren Yingying, who had been calm on the side, asked in surprise.
"Don't you know?" The eunuch seemed to be talking about something that everyone knew, "Madam Ruan, as a woman, has made the family business bigger and bigger these years. These years, the Ruan Family has a tendency to surpass the Xue Family, and most of it is her credit."
"Then she is really amazing." Song Qingshu secretly clicked his tongue. If there was a woman in the future who made such a big family business, he would not be surprised at all. But now in the Southern Song Dynasty, where Neo-Confucianism was prevalent, there was actually such an achievement. It was really amazing.
"Madam Ruan is not only good at business, but she is also a great beauty. I was lucky enough to see her from a distance. Not only is she unparalleled, but she is also very kind. She is just like a fairy descending to the world," the eunuch said with an intoxicated look on his face as if he was recalling the scene in the past, "But it is a little strange that every person who saw her described her appearance differently. Some said she was a dignified and quiet young woman, some said she was a coquettish and beautiful fox spirit, and some said she was a girl with a sweet voice …"
Song Qingshu smiled slightly and did not care much. For a lowly eunuch like him, how many beauties had he seen in his life? Perhaps with a little beauty and a high status, he would treat her as a fairy. Naturally, there would be some falsehoods. But the other person's next words made his thoughts slightly waver.
The eunuch obviously noticed the disbelief in his eyes and suddenly became anxious, "Madam Ruan and the second daughter of the Xue Family are called the two beauties of the imperial business by people in our business. They are different from the ordinary women who do not go out. They run their business and often show their faces in public. Many people in our business have seen them. Who doesn't praise their appearance? Although your wife is beautiful, she may not necessarily be comparable to them. "
Ren Yingying smiled slightly. She had always been graceful and magnanimous. How could she take this person's words to heart? On the contrary, Song Qingshu's heart moved. He did not believe that this Madam Ruan was so beautiful, but he had seen the young daughter of the Xue Family.
Xue Baochai's appearance was beautiful, and her skin was as white as snow. In particular, her well-educated and dignified temperament made her look like a one-in-a-million great beauty. Of course, later on, when he inadvertently learned of her identity as a secret agent of the Imperial City Division, the cold and completely opposite side of her was a story for another time.
At that time, in the banquet of the princes and nobles in Lin 'an, he accidentally heard them talking about the Xue Family. They said that Eunuch Xue was really lucky to have two beautiful daughters. The eldest daughter, Xue Baochai, was already stunning enough, but the second daughter, Xue Baoqin, was even better. However, the second daughter mainly took care of the imperial business for the family. Every day, she followed the fleet to travel all over the country. In the city of Lin' an, there were fewer opportunities to see her than the people at the bottom.
"Xue Baoqin …" Song Qingshu could not help but think of the perfect woman who suddenly appeared in the middle and late stage of the original novel of the Dream of Red Chamber. Her appearance and talent faintly overshadowed the two heroines, Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai. Even Xue Baochai, who had always been dignified and self-restrained, could not help but say a few words of jealousy. Moreover, she did not enter the official list of the twelve beauties of Jin Ling, which proved that she was very happy in this life, so she did not have to enter the Unlucky Life Department. This woman was so perfect that it made people jealous.
Although Song Qingshu had never seen her in this world, with Xue Baochai in front of him, he believed that her appearance was roughly at the standard. Now he heard that this Madam Ruan could actually be called the two beauties of the imperial business with her, he was surprised and curious about this Madam Ruan.
Suddenly, he thought of something and hurriedly asked, "You just said that this ship is called Mirror Lake?"
"Yes." The eunuch nodded.
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