It was a beautiful and elegant garden with rockeries and curved corridors. It was different from Princess Taiping's mansion, which was full of wild interest. Here, even a blade of grass had traces of being chiseled. Every place was arranged with ingenuity and was arranged in an orderly manner.
The hall was very spacious, but because there was only one table, it seemed very spacious. Behind the table sat a man in his thirties, wearing a soft robe. His appearance was ordinary, but his eyes were sharp and full of spirit. He wore a tall hat and a broad robe. Sitting behind the table, he had some charm of the Han and Jin dynasties.
In front of him, the long table was filled with condiments and food: sauce, garlic, mustard, pepper, coriander, chives, onion, ginger and other spices in small plates. There were also deer tendons, sheep's neck, chicken tongue, shrimp, camel's hump, beef, mushrooms, and other various kinds of food, cut into pieces like flower petals.
In the middle of the table, there was a simple copper hot pot that looked like a bronze cauldron. The water in the pot was boiling and steaming.
A beautiful girl wearing a plain, narrow sleeved dress with a short skirt around her waist was kneeling on one side of the table. She was leaning over the table, and her pair of delicate, flower-like hands were methodically throwing seasonings into the boiling water. She then used a pair of ivory hands to pick up a piece of venison and rinsed it in the boiling water. She then dipped it in the sauce and put it into a small orchid plate that was as thin as a cicada's wing. She then brought it to the master with both hands, her movements extremely elegant.
The man wearing a tall hat and a broad belt did not look at the fragrant food she handed to him. Instead, he slightly tilted his shoulder and supported his chin with one hand, listening to a man who was standing in the hall.
"Yang Fan has arrived in Chang 'an. He first went to visit Princess Taiping and then separated from the main group and went to Gongsun Mansion alone."
"Gongsun Mansion? Is it Gongsun Bufan's home? "
"Yes!"
The man wearing a tall hat and a broad belt picked up the piece of venison and put it into his mouth. He chewed it carefully and swallowed it. Then he slowly asked, "What is his relationship with the Gongsun family?"
The man answered, "Yang Fan's wife used to be a maid in Gongsun Mansion when she was young. But because she and Miss Gongsun were like sisters, Gongsun Bufan also regarded her as his own. Now that she was pregnant, she was sent back to Chang 'an and moved into the Gongsun Mansion. Yang Fan went to visit his wife. "
The young master sneered, "Yang Fan! Since he's here in Chang 'an, he shouldn't leave! "
The man who was slightly bowing asked hesitantly, "Isn't the First Young Master going to return to Chang 'an secretly in the near future? Should we discuss this with the First Young Master first? After all, he's an official of the imperial court! "
That young master glanced at him and sneered, "He's just a Minister of Justice. As long as he dies flawlessly, what problems can there be? Don't tell me that I can't make the decision on this matter? "
The man's expression changed, and he didn't dare to say anything else. He quickly bowed and said, "Yes!"
"Yang Fan!"
The man with the tall hat and wide belt put down his ivory chopsticks, his face full of resentment. "If it weren't for you, how could my big brother be defeated so easily? This time, since you've come to Chang 'an, I'll make sure you won't be able to leave! "
He slowly raised his eyes and said coldly, "Go and make the arrangements. I want to hear the news of his death as soon as possible!"
The man didn't say anything else. He just bowed deeply and quietly left.
The young master with the tall hat sent the man away and focused on eating.
He ate very carefully, chewing slowly, as if he was writing. He was very patient and focused, and he didn't speak during the process of eating.
The little handmaiden at the side boiled the fresh meat, dipped it in the sauce, and handed it to him. Ordinary people would probably feel impatient eating like this, but this young master seemed to be used to eating like this. Moreover, he didn't eat very fast, so the process of the handmaiden boiling the meat and dipping the sauce was very leisurely.
At this time, another person was brought into the hall. So, the young master put down his chopsticks again. He didn't have the habit of eating while talking.
This was a guest. Strictly speaking, he wasn't a guest, but a businessman.
This businessman only sold one thing, and that was people!
He was a slave trader, the biggest slave trader in Chang 'an, Long Fei.
Long Fei's body wasn't big, and he was even a little weak. He always had a humble smile on his face, but everyone knew his fierceness. To become one of the top slave traders in Chang 'an, without any real ability, how could he keep his underlings under control?
But now, the humble expression on his face was from the bottom of his heart, because the young master sitting in front of him was surnamed Lu, and his family was in Fanyang. This was a real descendant of an aristocratic family, a person with great power. In front of this noble young master, Long Fei didn't even have the qualification to lick his toes.
Long Fei smiled before saying anything, and humbly bowed to Young Master Lu.
Long Fei had a rich source of slaves. Whether it was the horse bandits on the grassland of the Western Region, or the pirates of the East Sea and the South Sea, they all had a close relationship with him. Therefore, Turkic and Tubo prisoners of war, Persian ruined nobles, Korean and Silla girls, Dai people from the south, and Kunhua slaves, were all able to flow into his hands continuously.
Long Fei's slaves had never been Tangs, because it was illegal to sell domestic civilians. The risk was too high, and the loss outweighed the gain. These foreign race slaves were also very popular among the aristocratic families, so Long Fei was a legal slave trader, and thus became the most popular businessman in the aristocratic families. That was why he could have a place in front of Young Master Lu.
But since Long Fei stood there, he refused to move a step, as if he was afraid of stepping on the hall. He cheered himself up and began to brag to this Young Master Lu. The man in front of him was the son of the first wife of the Lu family in Fanyang, and one of his biggest buyers.
"Young Master Lu, this lowly one has three hundred young girls from Goryeo and Silla that have just arrived. They're beautiful and gentle, and all of them are good at singing and dancing. They're the best choices to be personal maids, concubines, or musicians and dancers. In addition, there are five hundred Kunlun slaves, all of them gentle and hardworking, and nine of them are excellent swimmers.
Last year, Young Master was careless and lost to Young Master Cui in the game of searching for pearls in the water. Hehe, as long as Young Master chooses any one of these nine, I believe that none of the other Young Masters will be able to beat Young Master. "
Searching for pearls in the water was a game played by Young Masters. They would casually throw pearls worth thousands of gold into the river, and then let their servants who were good swimmers enter the water to search for the pearls. The first servant to fish out the pearls would be the winner. If they were slow or couldn't find the pearls at all, they would naturally lose.
Just now when he mentioned the three hundred Silla slaves and Goryeo slave girls, Young Master Lu was still a little lazy and dispirited. But when he heard that he had Kunlun slaves who were exceptionally good at swimming, Young Master Lu's interest was aroused, "Good! I want all nine of them! "
Long Fei was startled and said, "Young Master, searching for pearls in the water … … It's enough to have one or two people who are good swimmers, why … …"
Young Master Lu glared at him and said, "If Cui Fang and the others buy the other Kunlun slaves who are good swimmers, how can I guarantee that I will win? I want all of these people who are good swimmers! Only then will it be foolproof! "
Lu Gongzi sat up straight, picked up the piece of braised venison, chewed it carefully and swallowed it slowly. He took a sip of wine and waited until the food was completely swallowed before he said, "My Zumu Daren's birthday is coming, pick a hundred of the best women from Silla and Goryeo, I want to send them to serve Zumu."
Long Fei said repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes. Young Master, do you want to see for yourself? "
Young Master Lu waved his hand and said, "No need. It's not the first time I'm dealing with you. I trust your eyes. Other than the nine who are good swimmers, choose another fifty young and strong Kunlun slaves. "
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"Tomorrow!" Young Master Lu said excitedly, "Bring the nine Kunlun slaves to Qu River. I want to see their abilities for myself."
It was already late autumn. When they woke up early in the morning, there would be a layer of frost on the grass. The maple leaves on the mountain had already turned deep red. The water of Qu River had also started to turn cold. The Kunlun slaves came from the south and were not used to the cold river water. However, he wanted to see the swimming ability of the Kunlun slaves in this season. Those people could only jump into the river and look for a pearl in the mud at the bottom of the river.
"If their swimming ability is really amazing, I must find Xiao Cui and the others and compete with them again!" Young Master Lu slapped his thigh and said excitedly, "Last time, I lost my beloved Persian princess to him. This time, I want to win over his most beloved concubine and take revenge for this' arrow '!"
Long Fei smiled and flattered, "Young Master, you will definitely get what you want!"
Young Master Lu laughed out loud. In his eyes, killing a fifth rank official of the imperial court was far less important than a game of throwing a pearl into the water.
… …
Yang Fan stayed in Gongsun Mansion.
Gongsun Bufan was a very hearty and hospitable fat old man. After a short period of interaction, Yang Fan found out that Miss Gongsun Lanzhi's manly personality that her father detested was actually inherited from this Old Mister Gongsun himself. However, when this kind of personality appeared in a man, it made people feel much more comfortable. Therefore, he got along very well with Old Mister Gongsun.
Aunt Pei was born in the Pei Clan. Although her sword skills were amazing, in the eyes of ordinary people, she was just a graceful and noble woman. Aunty Pei hadn't been out for many years, and she looked more like a kind and benevolent old woman.
Nowadays, Aunt Pei worshiped Buddhism. The thing she most often did was to knock wooden fish in her family's temple. Therefore, Yang Fan had only seen her once and never had the chance to see her again.
The days in Gongsun Mansion were plain and warm. In the early morning, when Yang Fan accompanied Xiao Man for a walk in the garden, Miss Gongsun was practicing her sword in the forest. When Yang Fan accompanied Xiao Man and Ah Nu for breakfast, Miss Gongsun was still practicing her sword. When the sun rose and Yang Fan was ready to go out to pay a visit to the Chang 'an prefectural magistrate, Liu Qiantian, Miss Gongsun was still practicing her sword.
Yang Fan was moved. If a person could be so focused on one thing, even if his talent was average, his achievements would definitely be extraordinary. Moreover, Miss Gongsun did not seem to be a stupid person, and her teacher was not mediocre either. According to Xiao Man, Ah Nu and Miss Gongsun had been defeated in many battles. Now that Miss Gongsun was practicing so hard, if they really fought, he might not be her match.
The teacher showed the way, but the cultivation depended on the individual.
Yang Fan had too many things to do. The time he spent on martial arts was far less than that of Miss Gongsun.
Yang Fan originally wanted to find time to compete with Miss Gongsun in sword skills. After all, she was Xiao Man's Senior Sister. It would not be good to make things awkward between them. By competing in martial arts, he might be able to ease their relationship. But now that he saw Miss Gongsun's craziness in sword practice, this idea had long disappeared.
He did not want to compete with a female Sword Maniac. His wife and wife-to-be were watching. If he won, it would be an unfair victory. If he lost … it would be very embarrassing!
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