Shang Cheng saw that Gao Xiaosan exclaimed as a monk, and then stood still as if he had been struck by lightning, his face was red and white, and he couldn't say a word, knowing that it was his sudden appearance that made him temporarily unable to come back to his senses, and said with a smile: "Little third brother, why didn't you go to me when you went back to Yanshan?" If I hadn't met Brother Zhang in the market just now, and heard him mention you, I would have thought you were still in Beijing. Why, you won't let me in and sit? ”

Gao Xiaosan woke up like a dream. He is a very alert person, seeing Shang Cheng's straight shirt and dressed as an ordinary person, he knows that he can't expose his identity as a commander, and he doesn't say much, he gives up his hands deeply, and lets Shang Cheng into the elegant room with a tiptoe.

There were two other people in the room, and they had already stood up to greet them. One of them, Shang Cheng, who is in his 40s, is Mr. Yao, Liu Ji's bookkeeper, who had two dealings with him when he was in Yixian two years ago; The other person was about thirty years old, wearing a purple Zhenluo soft wrap on his head, a piece of mutton fat jade on his head, a moon-white cardigan with buttoned southern silk, a lean and neat outfit, although not luxurious, but full of wealth. This person held a Su origami fan in his hand and held it on his chest, his face seemed to be smiling, and he squinted slightly as he watched Gao Xiaosan welcome Shang Cheng in so respectfully, and his eyes couldn't help but pass with a touch of surprise and doubt.

Shang Cheng arched his hand towards the two of them, and said to Mr. Yao first: "Mr. has always been good?" Turning his head to look at the fresh face, Gao Xiaosan hurriedly introduced: "Big ...... This is Yuan Chi Yuan's shopkeeper of Yongshengchang in Shangjing Plain Mansion. Then he said to the two people with surprised faces, "This is Shang Gong." ”

Yuan Chi returned the salute, smiled reservedly and said, "It turned out to be a businessman." ”

Since Shang Cheng entered the door, Mr. Yao has been frowning and thinking, at this time, his body trembled suddenly, and his face suddenly swollen red, and he looked panicked and at a loss. He took a step back as if to make a big salute, and when he was in a hurry to avoid a few cases, he forgot that there was a drum stool behind him, and he heard a sound on the ground, and in an instant, the stool was overturned, and the slanted cup turned over the pot and was a mess, and then he came to his senses, and said in a trembling voice: "Shang Jun......"

Yuan Chi watched coldly with a smile on his face, although his face was still calm, he couldn't help but be suspicious. Although Liu Ji's situation has deteriorated in the last year or two; But the hundred-legged insect is dead but not stiff, and it is still a famous businessman in Yanshan. What kind of person is this description in front of you, which makes Liu Ji's two leading characters in Yanzhou look respectful and humble? Thinking about it in his heart, he also avoided it, and said solemnly: "Shang Gong is far away, we have never been far away, we must bear with me!" Please take a seat. ”

He said this first, to be tempting, and secondly, to be polite, he expected that with his name as the Yuan family in Beijing, Shang Cheng would definitely insist on being polite, who knew that Shang Cheng smiled and did not shirk, and after a few cases, he sat down loudly, and raised his hand to beckon: "Sit down." The relationship between the third brother and me is extraordinary, and Mr. Yao is an old acquaintance, so we don't have so many rules when we usually meet. He glanced at Yuan Chi and said, "Even if it is Yuan Shopkeeper, I am no stranger to you Yongshengchang, and there was also a story at the beginning." ”

Yuan Chi was confused by what he said, and with a smile on his face, he sat down with Mr. Yao on both sides of several cases. Gao Xiaosan walked quickly to the door, and hurriedly ordered Zhang Xiao, who was stammering: "Quick, the best group tea in the tea house, the best fruit and dim sum!" Just send it at any price! Be quick! Zhang Xiao just wanted to speak, but a cold object was stuffed in his hand, and he knew that it was a small silver man weighing two small silver pieces weighing a little while weighing the outline, so he immediately changed his smiling face, and promised to fly as if he was going downstairs to prepare.

Shang Cheng waited for Gao Xiaosan to sit down beside Mr. Yao before asking, "Little Third Brother, when did you come back from Shangjing?" ”

Gao Xiaosan immediately stood up and bowed his head and responded: "Sue Shanggong, I am returning to Yixian County after the New Year, and I only arrived in Yanzhou on the fourth day of the first lunar month." ”

"You didn't see what I left for you in your store? Why don't you come to me when you come back? As he spoke, Shang Cheng also understood the reason. He is now the acting Admiral of Yanshan, Gao Xiaosan, a good merchant, how dare he go to the Admiral's Mansion to find him if he has nothing to do? He immediately changed his tune and said, "I see." I don't blame you, it's that I didn't think it through. Nodding his hand, he asked Gao Xiaosan to sit down and asked, "How are you at home?" ”

Gao Xiaosan stood up again: "...... All good. ”

Shang Cheng knew that the difference between the identities and status of the two people was too far now, and Gao Xiaosan was so restrained in front of him that he couldn't let go at all. Bao Kan is like this, so is the stone, and now Gao Xiaosan is still like this, is it really that important to say that a person's status and identity are really that important? He sighed silently in his heart, turned his head and asked Yuan Chi: "Yuan Gong is a person from Shangjing Yongshengchang, I don't know if you know Yuan Lan and Yuan Da Shopkeeper?" ”

Shang Cheng and Gao Xiaosan were talking, and Yuan Chi was already surprised next to him. He knew that Gao Xiaosan was Liu Ji's most useful rising star at the moment, and he had already risen to the top store manager of the warehouse in his early twenties, from Yanzhou to the south to Shangjing, all the business was taken care of by him, no matter how he said it, he was a teenager. is such a delicate and capable person, but in front of the surname Shang, it seems to be a private school Mengtong who has made a mistake, as careful as walking on thin ice, not only answering a word has to leave his seat, but he doesn't even dare to say what kind of great character this surnamed Shang is? Looking at Liu Ji's big tent again, he also sat sideways and lowered his head, trembling as if he was in front of a big guest...... He pondered Shang Cheng's coming, lowered his head slightly and stared at the few plates of dried fruits on the case, and said cautiously: "That's my eldest brother." ”

"Oh." Shang Cheng said, "Where is the shopkeeper Yuan now?" Is it still in Qingzhou? ”

"My eldest brother went to Hangzhou at the end of last summer."

Shang Cheng smiled: "He will pick a place." There is heaven and there is Su ...... below" He suddenly remembered that at this time, maybe there was no such praise describing the beauty of Suzhou and Hangzhou, and hurriedly stopped the end of the sentence; His expression was a little uncomfortable for a while. The other three didn't hear anything wrong. Yuan Chi folded his fan and knocked on his palm and smiled: "There is heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below!" …… Shang Gong is a good writer! Mr. Yao, who hadn't spoken for a long time, also eased his color at this time, and smiled and joked: "Big ...... The words of the merchant are similar to what Bai Lotian said in the previous dynasty! Xiangshan monks once said, 'Hangzhou is beautiful and healthy, and Suzhou is rich and rich', which is the beauty of Suzhou and Hangzhou. His "Remembering Jiangnan" has the poem "Looking for Guizi in the Moon in the Mountain Temple, Looking at the Tide on the Pillow of the County Pavilion, and Revisiting the Day Again", which depicts the beautiful scenery of Hangzhou; Sooner or later, we will meet again?', praising the prosperity of Suzhou. In his "Answer to Wei's Praise of Yuezhou Prefecture Mansion Text", it is mentioned that "Zhijun secretly counts Jiangnan County, except for the rest of Hangzhou", which is Hangzhou; However, although Bai Lotian highly respects Suzhou and Hangzhou, it is not as subtle as Shang Gong's sentence 'there is heaven and Suzhou and Hangzhou below'! ”

Yuan Chi nodded and said, "What Mr. Yao said is extremely true. Ren Hua of the former dynasty also sang in the poem "Huaisu Venerable Master's Cursive Song", "People say that Er comes from the south of the Yangtze River, and I say Er comes from the sky". "He still doesn't know Shang Cheng's identity. However, he is also an elf, looking at Gao Xiaosan's cautious response, Mr. Yao is obedient and agreeable, and the little sycophant is just a handy.

Shang Cheng laughed, took the fragrant tea soup that the maidservant had just sent, first filled the newly replaced tea cup in front of Mr. Yao and Yuan Chi, and then poured it for Gao Xiaosan, saying, "Then should we be a big fan of this?" One by one, I will replace the wine with tea, and I will treat you when I turn around, the big restaurants and restaurants in the city, you can choose any place! As he spoke, he picked up his teacup and took a big sip of it.

Yuan Chi took a sip, put down the teacup and asked, "Shang Gong and my eldest brother are old acquaintances?" ”

"It's kind of an old friend." Shang Cheng didn't deliberately hide his identity, and said bluntly, "In the summer of the year before last, I had a short-term job at the Liuji Warehouse, driving pack horses from Yi County to Quzhou; Your eldest brother was in that pack team at the time. Your eldest brother can afford it, and he has repeatedly asked me to help him. Although I couldn't get out of it at that time, I have always been grateful to the treasurer Yuan......"

Yuan Chi was already stunned, and only after a long time did he open his mouth and say, "You, you are ...... You are a businessman, a businessman ......"

Gao Xiaosan bowed and reminded in a low voice: "This is Shang Gong." ”

Yuan Chi's rather delicate white face turned red and white, and as soon as he stood up and was about to stand up to salute again, Shang Cheng grabbed him and said, "Sit down, I don't know how to talk to you as soon as you stand up." They are all acquaintances, and it is best to speak like usual. Seeing that Yuan Chi was sitting uncomfortably, he asked again, "Why did you come to Yanshan?" You," he pointed at Yuan Chi and then nodded at Gao Xiaosan and Mr. Yao, "are you talking about business?" ”

Mr. Yao sighed before he spoke, and Gao Xiaosan smiled bitterly and said, "It's not business," he also sighed, "...... But it's also a sale. Our warehouse lost Yongshengchang's goods. ”

"Oh? What's going on? Why did you lose the goods of the shopkeeper Yuan? ”

Gao Xiaosan sighed again, and said with some embarrassment: "It's still the year before last...... "In the autumn of the previous year, it was the time when he and Shang Cheng met here, Yongshengchang had a batch of furs and medicinal materials entrusted Liu Ji to consign to the south, but the pack team of the warehouse had not yet left Yanshan, and was robbed in Yannan, not only lost dozens of horses, but also killed and injured more than a dozen men and packmen, and the goods were also robbed by bandits. Liu Ji has been struggling to maintain in the past two years, and the blow is even worse, when the old proprietor fell ill, several chief stewards endured the pain and went out to the south for a few branches, only to make up for the man's pension and the loss of other merchants in the caravan; But if you want to pay Yongshengchang's large amount of money, you are powerless. Gao Xiaosan stayed in Beijing for most of last year, just to coordinate and solve this matter for the two families. The money will definitely be compensated, but Liu Ji hopes that Yongshengchang can be tolerant of the two sides for many years of close cooperation, and when Liu Ji eases up the current breath, he will definitely pay it back with interest......

Seeing that the topic turned to business again, Yuan Chi immediately shrewdly rejected Liu Ji's plea. Yongshengchang has given Liu Ji a year and a half to raise funds, even if the relationship between the two families is good, there is no possibility of continuing to let Liu Ji continue to be in arrears. If Liu Ji has no money, he can use the semicolons of Shangjing and Yanzhou to compensate. Didn't he Yuan Chi come to Yanshan for this?

But how could Liu Ji agree to such a condition? This is simply cutting off Liu Ji's roots!

However, the warehouse was at a loss, and he couldn't come up with the money, so he had to let Gao Xiaosan and Mr. Yao come to Yanzhou to continue to discuss with Yuan Chi to see if they could use the branches in Jiazhou and Quanzhou in the south to make a difference.

But this condition is impossible for Yongshengchang to agree. They have semicolons in those two places, and Liu Ji's store is of little use? Even the Liu Ji score in Beijing is not very important, the key is the branch in Yanzhou. Yongshengchang wants to seize this opportunity to enter Yanshan!

In this matter, Shang Cheng couldn't help much; He didn't want to meddle in the matter either. If Liu Ji really can't cross this threshold, then they can only blame themselves for using the power of a certain official to seek undeserved interests, of course, they have to be prepared to follow the bad luck because of the personnel changes in the government.

Shang Cheng's clear statement disappointed Gao Xiaosan and Mr. Yao. They thought just now that they could rely on the friendship between Gao Xiaosan and Lord Admiral to make Yongshengchang retreat in the face of difficulties, who knows......

In the evening, Shang Cheng invited Gao Xiaosan and them to a banquet in the Drunken Immortal Building, and several people had their own hearts to eat and drink, and when the guests were full of wine and food and said goodbye, he pulled Gao Xiaosan aside and said: "I had something to do with you, but it's a pity that you didn't come back a year ago." Yes, someone in front of me gave me some rhinoceros horn and reishi; I asked the doctor, these two medicines can cure the fever, and can strengthen the heart, just right for your daughter-in-law's illness. I also asked the doctor for a prescription, and I also found a few hard-to-buy medicinal herbs in it, and the rest can be found everywhere. …… In this case, I'll have someone send you to the store when I get back. ”