Chapter 123: Pearl Club (Part 1)

When Cao Yong arrived at Linjiang Tower, although it was not full, there were many guests sitting upstairs and downstairs. Cao Yong was not dressed in a silly manner, but his servants were all intimate. The waiter came up to greet him very attentively.

Cao Yong did not speak, but just signaled Xiaoman. Xiaoman had already received the order, handed over a piece of broken silver, and said with a smile: "Please help inform Mr. Wei Wu, just say Mr. Qu is asking for a meeting!"

Xiaoman's voice was not high, but there were still a few tables of guests nearby who had sharp ears. When they heard the word "Wu Ye Wei", they couldn't help but look here. Now, no one of the merchants traveling to Jiangning knew about Wei Wu Ye's big number.

The waiter heard that it was Mr. Qu, so he did not check in the cash, but took a few people upstairs more respectfully. It seemed that he had already received the order.

The guests downstairs were even more surprised. They were all Zhuhu from Zhejiang and came to Jiangning in advance to find out. At this moment, they began to think secretly about the origin of this surname Qu. In the industry of Zhucaizhu peddling, there was only a wealthy family in Guangxi's surname Qu. I heard that they had changed careers for many years. Could it be that they were going to work on their old careers? Everyone was shocked and puzzled.

In the second floor, when he saw Cao Yong coming in, Wei Xin hurriedly greeted him and asked Cao Yong to sit in, while saying, "Young Master, you have shown up!"

Seeing his anxious look, Cao Yong couldn't help but smile: "Why, there is something that our Master Wei Wu can't solve?"

Wei Xin smiled and said, "Young Master doesn't know that the young man is just a pretentious act! The north and south pearl merchants have almost arrived, and they are all around me to ask about the matter of raising pearls. How can the young man know these? Although I keep pushing and saying, you will know then. After all, I am an outsider. If they are allowed to see through it, it will be unfavorable to the progress of our pearl club. The young master is polite, so I should transfer two people from the pearl farm to the other side!"

Cao Yong nodded: "Well, that's the reason. People are going to come over there. Think about the days, it's time to come! "

Wei Xin was overjoyed and remembered the matter of Liuhe Money House. Now they have been delaying them for a long time. He secretly inquired carefully, but there are some people who come to Zhuhuzhu merchants who are not rich in money. If they are allowed to lend, although they can make some profits, Yu Zhenzhuhui is also convenient.

Cao Yong sat there, tapped the table with his index finger, thinking about the general procedures such as secret tags and guarantees that he knew in his previous life, and gradually got an idea.

*

At Jiangning Wharf, Yang Mingchang, the owner of Bihelou, stood on the shore with some servants and carriages, stretched his neck to look at him. The butler Zhang Quan stood behind him and pointed at the big ship that was about to be docked in the distance: "Master, that's like our ship!"

Yang Mingchang narrowed his eyes and shook his head: "No, the color of the paint is wrong!"

As he spoke, the ship was approaching, and Zhang Quan also realized that it was not from the Yang Mansion and secretly complained in his heart.

The master's family is becoming more and more "yin is strong and yang is weak". Since the young master died of malaria three years ago, the young lady said that she gave it to the Bai family. The wife has become more and more responsible for the master, for fear that he will take a concubine and have a baby.

The master came at first and had two tough times, but the wife and the lady were going to die, and the Bai family almost came to smash the shop and beat people. In the end, the master gave in and the wife came forward to plead, and the Bai family was willing to give up.

Which distinguished person can't tell the Bai family's plan? This is not the in-laws, it's simply a living enemy. At the end of last month, Yang Ruixue, who was already married, was happy. Her mother, Bai, was very happy. She thought that it would be good for her daughter to give birth to a grandson as soon as possible to inherit the family business, so she took her daughter and son-in-law to Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou to seek a child in early April.

A few days ago, Bai sent someone back and said that he would return to Jiangning in the end of the month and ask her husband to come to the dock to pick him up.

Yang Mingchang has been plotting for his long life, but he has become a desperate family as he gets old. Because he is an orphan, he doesn't even have a brother or a brother, let alone adopt a nephew. Did he save all his life just to give his wealth to his son-in-law? How could Yang Mingchang be willing to do so? Even though he was a little afraid of Bai, he really had the desire to take a concubine and have a child. However, whether he was at home or going out, he always had the liar of Bai, and he didn't have the chance to steal fragrance for a moment.

In the quiet night, Yang Mingchang would also remember the children he did not dare to admit at the beginning. Calculate the age of their brothers and sisters, the son should have grown up and his daughter was aged to be married. If they were by their side, Bai was just a wife who filled the house, so how could he dare to be so arrogant? Even the Bai family dared to plot against his property when he was still alive. I heard that the two young men of the Cao family took them away back then. Now, the eldest son of the Cao family is a worker in front of the emperor, and the second son is also seeking a background in the capital. Even if he sends his daughter to be a concubine, it is more decent than to be a wife for merchants. Whenever he thinks of this, Yang Mingchang will have some hope. But after all, the prestige of the Weaving Mansion is too high, so he dare not come to ask. He sent someone to stare at the Weaving Mansion in private to see if there are any traces of his children, but nothing has been gained.

Yang Mingchang was still feeling melancholy, and then he heard the housekeeper behind him say, "Master, look, isn't that Mr. Cao Fang and the second master of Cao Fang and Cao in the past?"

After hearing this, Yang Mingchang looked up and saw that among the group of people coming down from the boat, the one who was in his thirties wearing a blue satin jacket was Cao Fang? He was one of the major officials of the Cao family. Although the meeting between Pearl, which was rumored to be popular these days, Yang Mingchang secretly inquired, but Cao Fang was the one who was in charge of the meeting behind the scenes.

Yang Mingchang was very enthusiastic and quickly walked a few steps to go over and chat, but only took one step, he was shocked. The one who walked side by side with Cao Fang was his eldest son Zheng Hai. When the mother and son came to Jiangning to find him in the 40th year of Kangxi, Zheng Hai was already fourteen years old and a teenager. Although he was tall and had short beards on his mouth, Yang Mingchang still recognized him as his eldest son whom he had never recognized before.

Yang Mingchang only felt that his heart was almost jumping out of his throat, because he saw the young woman following his son, who looked a little similar to his Zheng's first wife. Her identity was about to emerge. She was wearing braids and was still dressed in a boudoir. Although she didn't wear any hairpin rings, she couldn't hide her beauty.

No wonder the Cao family suddenly made a pearl lesson. It turned out that they had their brothers and sisters and helped. The Zheng family is a pearl-picking family, and maybe they couldn't bear to have that kind of secret technique of raising pearls. Thinking of this, Yang Mingchang began to secretly complain about his ex-wife. When the couple had a couple, she still kept such a secret. It can be seen that women cannot be raised. They are plotting for their parents' family everywhere and do not know the principle of "taking husband as the sky". It is true that the secret method of the Yang family should have been his Yang family, but the Cao family coaxed them from the unfilial brother and sister. The young master of the Cao family, who is unreproachable, will take in two street beggars, and it turns out that they are doing such a good plan!

Yang Mingchang suppressed his anger, clenched his fists, took a deep breath, squeezed out a little smile, and was about to go forward to recognize his son and daughter. Unexpectedly, as soon as he took a step, his sleeves were pulled by Zhang Quan: "Master, this time it's the wife's boat. Isn't the one standing on the bow of the boat the Bai family's eldest follower Zhou Wang!"

*

In Linjiang Tower, after hearing Cao Yong's arrangement for Liuhe Money House, Wei Xin couldn't help but applaud, and looked at Cao Yong with shiny eyes: "Young Master, you can't hide your weakness anymore. Where did you learn these economic methods? It sounds strange, it's really useful to use it, but you have to teach the young master!"

Cao Yong thought for a while and Wei Xin had many business deals in the Thirteenth Street. He could pick up some of the familiar teachings he had in his previous life. Although he was not very professional, he thought he would be quite helpful, so he nodded. Because he was busy with the pearl meeting recently, he didn't have time to do anything, Cao Yong mentioned that he had to write something for him after the Dragon Boat Festival.

Wei Xin was overjoyed, hurriedly got up from his seat, and respectfully held the disciple's courtesy.

Seeing him so serious, Cao Yong asked with a smile: "What are you doing? Could it be that you recognize me as a sir?"

Wei Xin said seriously: "If the young master had not been taught by hard work over the past few years, how could Wei Xin have today? Although he has not been with the young master in recent years, he has sent two long letters a month to teach the economic principles of the small ones little by little, but the young master has not fulfilled the ritual that should be done until today!"

Teaching those people was just a desire to make use of it. After all, Wei Xin took his capital to go south, and he accounted for 70% of the profits. Thinking of this, Cao Yong was really ashamed and waved his hand: "Get up quickly, it's sour, and my teeth fell down!" As he said that, he explained: "You have to be careful when dealing with that Liuhe Money House. Look at their female boss, he is really a smart person. Although we have made a charter, don't let them take advantage of the loopholes!"

Speaking of this, Wei Xin returned to normal and responded with a smile: "Young man can save yourself a little, please take a look! Why is the young man considered half of the disciple of the young man, and you won't be afraid to fight with the second lady of the Jiang family!"

The two of them said a few more gossips, finalized the itinerary of the Pearl Club, and then they broke up.

*

Because the relationship between the Governor and the Governor on the table was very tense, Lu Mei was sent secretly. Although she was named a second wife, she could not be placed on the table and made a big fuss.

Cao Quan was just lustful and was calculating at Lu Daotai. Although he loved the beauty of this concubine from the bottom of his heart, he felt very guilty and dared not speak out, so he could save a hundred things.

Zhao Jia originally covered the sky in the mansion. Even if she had two concubines, Baodie and Jade, she was always a decoration. Unexpectedly, suddenly, a niece from the Taoist platform came out and left half of her man. How could she not be cruel? But if this kind of marriage in the officialdom could be easily rejected, she had to admit it. Seeing that her husband did not mention the matter, she was even more happy and had to hold a banquet. Lu Mei gave a cup of tea, even if she was just right.

People outside can be invited, and the brother and sister-in-law at home must not refuse to worship. Lu Mei was detained in the yard for half a month. Because it was almost time for Dragon Boat Festival, the whole family wanted to have a banquet at the same place. It was inappropriate to introduce Lu Mei to her brother and sister-in-law. Zhao Jia then ordered a few mother-in-laws and took Lu Mei to the East Mansion to pay homage to Li. She only pretended to be sick and did not accompany her, and she refused to see Lu Mei even when she saw her.

I was somewhat embarrassed. When Liuli from the East Mansion gave birth to a son, Zhao Jia often mocked Li for being a face-to-face man and being a man who could not be the leader. Unexpectedly, this time she cried and made a fuss, but she still ended up like this. It would be fine if Lu Mei was a maid and a fan of the head, but she would have to find someone to get rid of her teeth. But she was still half an official lady, and she could not move easily.

This was the first time Lu Mei went out since she entered the Western Palace, and Zhao Jia did not come with her the biggest one. She felt a little happy. She looked at the pavilions, towers, mountains, rocks and trees along the way, and couldn't help but praise the elegant Cao family.

Although the mothers were ordered by Zhao Jia not to respect the second house, no one was fool. The second house was favored and the pillow was strong, so no one dared to be too lazy. Therefore, Lu Mei praised her and they all catered to the beat, so it would not be too cold.

After entering the main room of Kaiyang Courtyard, Lu Mei felt that her eyes were not enough. All of these hanging decorations were genuine and fine works, and any one of them was a treasure. Originally, she was in the West Mansion, because Cao Quan was pampering her and resting with her every night, Zhao Jia did not deduct her food, clothing and supplies, and the decorations in the room were also very meticulous. After a few days, she realized that the Cao family was rich and noble. But today, when she saw these from Kaiyang Courtyard, she realized that the Cao family's wealth was far beyond her imagination. She had also experienced some big scenes, but she had never seen any better than the Cao family. It seemed that the big house was even more powerful than the second house. No wonder it was the eldest house.

Lu Mei secretly gladed for his good luck and entered the Cao family. If he had a son in the future and had to rely on him, he would enjoy endless wealth and glory in the second half of his life. On the other hand, he felt a little regretful. In the past two days, he heard that the eldest son of the Cao family's only child was a 16-year-old boy. Although he was accused of getting married, he had no concubine in the room. It would be great if he could marry him. If he won the heart of a young man, he would not be his own in the future. Isn't it even more in line with him?

Lu Mei was randomly calculating her own plan and was led to Dongnuan Pavilion by the maid to pay homage to Li. Lu Mei knew that Li was the mistress of the family, so she greeted him in a regular manner when she met, and complimented him without any trace.

Li was always kind and honest, but seeing that his eyebrows were very beautiful, his words were appropriate and moderate, and he did not have the spoiledness of the official lady, he liked her a little. So he spoke even more kindly and gave her four ruler heads as a gesture. Because Cao Yi was also here, he saw the tribute and chatted politely for a few words.

When Lu Mei saw that her mother and daughter were both good-natured and treated her well, she couldn't help but sigh in her heart. She was not lucky enough to marry into the big house. If there was such a mother-in-law and sister-in-law, I wouldn't know how to be free in that life.

Several people chatted for a while, but because Li had to take care of Cao Yin, Lu Mei was not inconvenient to stay for a long time, so they stood up and said goodbye.

After leaving Kaiyang Courtyard, after passing through the hall and turning into the back garden, Lu Mei saw a tall young man coming to Kaiyang Courtyard from afar. Her heart moved, could it be that God had mercy on him and sent the eldest son to her?

For a moment, Lu Mei's mind turned 360 bends, and her beautiful eyes were staring at the boy, but the more she looked, the more she looked familiar. She felt strange in her heart that she could not recognize Jiangning, so why... Suddenly, she remembered herself, and quickly widened her eyes and looked carefully.

God, who is not that person?

Lu Mei was so scared that she was disgraced. She immediately became confused. She lowered her head and retreated, and she was not right to advance.

The person coming towards him was Cao Yong. Before he could arrive at the weaving house, he happened to meet a servant sent by Cao Fang to find Cao Yong. Because he brought many fritillaria from Taihu Pearl Farm this time, Cao Fang had already asked Cao Yong for instructions, and temporarily placed them in the weaving house to avoid anyone's calculations. Naturally, these fritillaria need to be taken care of by Zheng Woxue. Cao Yong knew that this would save someone from making other ideas before the Pearl Meeting, so he agreed and told his mother in advance that he would prepare a living yard for Zheng Woxue in the mansion.

Zheng Woxue said that she was just a slave of the Cao family. Because Cao Yong treated their brother and sister differently, Cao Yin and Li were also a little polite. In the past, she came to pay tribute and stayed, and they were all on Cao Yi's side, which was considered half a guest. Unexpectedly, Cao Yong personally ordered her to prepare a guest room for her. Li originally thought that her son was going to be enlightened, so she happily went to arrange the program, but she actually arranged the specifications for the guests.

When Cao Yi saw this, he secretly felt that it was inappropriate and it was difficult to tell his mother, so he quietly said to Cao Yong.

Cao Yong had a headache, but he didn't want the misunderstanding to deepen, so he hurriedly told his mother that he didn't have the intention to take a concubine.

After hearing this, Li kept silent for a long time and said nothing. He just asked to redecorate the yard there, not to neglect the guests, but not to be too magnificent.

Cao Yong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After returning to the mansion and having a few gossips with Cao Fang, Cao Yong planned to go to Zheng Woxue to see Fritillaria. Over the years, because he had never had time to go there, the other side of the Zhuchang had not been there.

As soon as he entered the second door, he saw a group of maids and women walking towards him, surrounded by a young woman in Chinese dress. Cao Yong was a little surprised. He didn't know whose family's wife was visiting him, but his mother was actually entertaining him at Kaiyang Courtyard. He was still hesitant, whether to greet him or to temporarily retreat. However, he felt something was wrong. Although the young woman could not see her appearance clearly, there were indeed a few maids and women following her behind.

Not to mention Cao Yong, he was so scared that Lu Mei was so scared that she just wanted to find a place to hide. He begged God in his heart to never let the person in front of him see him. If he wears a gang, it will be a trivial matter for him to be sold, and he may even lose his life.

Lu Mei looked panicked, and the mothers were a little surprised. Because Lu Mei had always held the lady's style as a lady, she had always been dignified and steady. When did she have such panic? This was really unusual!

The women looked over and saw that it was their uncle who came back from outside. They guessed that Lu Mei was a lady from the deep boudoir. When they saw the man outside, they were a little shy and admired that it was the lady from the official's house. They hurriedly said to Lu Mei: "Don't be afraid of Auntie, that's not an outsider, but an old man from my family! Don't avoid suspicion, it's your nephew, as he came to see him!"

When Lu Mei heard this, she felt like five thunderstorm. It turned out that he was the old man of the Cao family! What should I do? Zhenzhen hit the knife. Her mind was in chaos and she couldn't think of any tricks and tricks. She gritted her teeth. She couldn't stand here stupidly. She might as well avoid today before talking about it.

Seeing that several mothers were looking at him with inquiring eyes, Lu Mei coughed lightly, calmed down and said calmly: "Although he is a nephew, the second master is not at home now. If you see him like this, you should see him again another day." As he said that, he raised his foot and walked on the path on the other side.

Several of the mothers said that there were so many ladies from home, so they had to keep up with Lu Mei's pace, and the crowd walked around.

Cao Yong was still thinking about not seeing each other, but he saw that they refused to come straight and wanted to take a detour. Cao Yong felt a little curious. He looked carefully and recognized that he was a servant from the second house of the West Mansion, but for some reason they were with the outside visitors. However, the other party was young and it was not a rude way to avoid suspicion and not seeing him. He didn't take it seriously at the moment, and he went into the room by himself, first asked his parents for peace, and then said a few words to Cao Yi.

Cao Yiyin asked him: "Brother just came in? Did he see Aunt Lu? She came over to pay her respects to her mother and just said goodbye and left!"

Cao Yong was slightly stunned. He recalled the group of female relatives he had just met, and thought it was them, so he nodded and said, "I saw it from afar. I didn't meet."

Cao Yi smiled and said, "Then Aunt Lu is a peerless beauty." Then, he praised Lu Mei incessantly.
Chapter completed!