Chapter 124: Finalizing the Deal

From the outside, I just thought that this carriage was quite large, but when I entered, I found that the compartment was extremely wide. There is a small square table with meticulous carving in front, the blue and white porcelain pot is placed on the square table, and there are several tea bowls with clear glass, the tea bowl is thin, the luster is quiet and bright, faintly transparent, it must be the product of the Ming kiln in the south of the Yangtze River. There is a long chair on each side, this chair has a unique shape, it seems that in addition to the emperor's throne, there are few such long chairs, like a bamboo bed, but there are more backrests, this surface is wrapped in a layer of pale yellow "color" cowhide, the cowhide is not only polished to be extremely smooth, but also seems to have been fumigated by some spices, faintly revealing a faint aftertaste. This cowhide jacket is held up by the high stock, bulging, and very chic. Behind the chair on the right side are three screens painted with autumn mountaineering pictures, and the mountains in the distance are sparse and lush, and the clouds and mist on the top of the mountain set off a round of red sun; The autumn water is murmuring nearby, flowing eastward along the mountain, the narrow mountain road is hidden in the woods, the pagoda on the mountainside, five layers and six corners, facing the autumn wind, overlooking the earth. This brush is delicate, the artistic conception is far away, and a few brushstrokes show the bleak autumn mood, which is obviously from the hands of famous artists.

On both sides of the screen stood a sixteen or seventeen-year-old maid, with gorgeous clothes and handsome appearance, Qianqian willow waist with embroidered gold and red jade belt, and the jade peak lined out the convex and concave Miaoman figure, the two of them smiled at the corners of their mouths, their eyes were full of color, and after seeing the stabbing in, they were slightly blessed at him, quiet and well-behaved. Behind the screen, a corner of the Luo bed was revealed. The whole carriage was warm, giving people a feeling of a dreamy spring breeze, presumably with a brazier or something, but there was no smoky smell.

Tugging thorn looked at Ma Xicao's carriage, glanced at the maid in the carriage twice, turned his head to Ma Xixuan and said, "King Xiangyin, your carriage is good." Pretty big. ”

Hearing the praise of the thorn, Ma Xicao's anger was also smooth, and he felt that he had more face, and said more diligently: "King Tai'an, don't be polite, please sit down!" ”

Sitting on the bench in front of him, as soon as his butt fell, he felt that the cushion was extremely soft, and the whole person suddenly sank, "Ah... Thorn exclaimed. In the blink of an eye, the trend of sinking not only stopped, but also faintly rebounded. Oh, yes, this chair is pretty cool. The thorn tossed his ass twice, and his whole body shook twice.

"Interesting, King Xiangyin, your chair is good! And elastic sex! Comfortable. He threw himself back and leaned back against the backrest, curiously experiencing the subtleties of the bench. Suddenly, he saw the two maids standing opposite, the corners of their mouths were slightly upturned, their eyes were shaking, and their faces were slightly red. However, the thorn seems to have changed its "sex", not only is it not annoying, but it looks novel.

"This thing was designed by His Majesty the Emperor, it is filled with cotton and springs, what is it called'Easy Chair', this kind of chair is the most comfortable to sit on in the carriage, not bumpy!" Ma Xicao explained with a smile, but this guy was secretly laughing at the thorn in his heart, what a dirty old hat.

"Well, it's really good, check Qidare, open the way ahead, let's go back to Jinzhou Mansion first!" While praising the thorn, he opened the window and stretched out his head to say to a tall Khitan general.

With the order of the stab, the entire greeting team marched towards Jinzhou in a swaying way. Along the way, the thorn kept twisting his ass, feeling the way the free chair went up and down. "King Xiangyin, your car is good, this road potholes are playing, but this car doesn't feel how bumpy it is... How many of these wagons do you have? Thorn asked humbly.

"Oh. Horse-drawn carriages are more common, and there are seventy or eighty of them in my house. Ma Xicao said with a grin. You can swear to God that this is 100% true. Carriages are indeed very ordinary, but there are few such carriages. Ma Xicao is a prince, although he has no political status, but he still has a lot of income, but Ma Yun is strictly economical, except for Ma Yun's gold, silver and jewelry last time, even if Ma Xicao is rich, he does not dare to leak it on the bright side. To put it bluntly, Ma Xicao is a little better at eating and drinking in Jinling, but in terms of usage, he is not as good as a rich businessman. Who let him have no political status, the imperial authority is strict, Ma Yun is thrifty, as the emperor's uncle, if he is extravagant and wasteful, a small imperial historian may be able to make him cut the knight for the people.

"That... Can you transfer it to Xiao Wang! Thorn asked. He finally straightened up from his free chair, his face expectant, and his eyes full of hope. The idea in his heart is very simple, not to mention anything else, just from the luxury of this carriage, it is enough for him to show his limelight among the nobles in Shangjing. And the crystal sliding windows, cowhide leisure chairs, celadon jasper bowls, and screens painted by fine carved masters in this carriage, this... All of this is enough to realize the difference of this carriage. If he himself had a carriage like this and walked around Beijing all day, wouldn't it be a very face-saving thing. Moreover, he was secretly thinking in his heart, maybe this would be a so-called opportunity, an opportunity to show his talent.

Why? The Khitan people have been building the country for sixty or seventy years now, and some are hostile to Confucian culture, and some are curious and admiring. Over the years, two factions have gradually formed within the Khitan. One group of people believes that we should maintain our own rough style and use force to dominate the world, while others believe that we should learn from Confucian culture and rule the world with benevolence. He is naturally a representative of Confucianism, but for a long time, the Khitan has argued, and the rugged style of the ancestors has brought about the rise of the Khitan, and what can Confucianism bring to the Khitan? Knowledgeable? "Milk" and "milk", don't we know etiquette if we don't know how to read, so we are shameless? Good at governing the country? The ancestors came out of the Tuhu Zhen River and gradually developed and grew, don't they know how to govern the country?

The barbarians are stubborn and sophistry, so that the Confucian culture advocates can't talk about those barbarians. Now, Dragthorn has finally found a reason why Confucian culture can... Let's get in a good car! Damn it. Isn't that a stretch? Tu Thorn thought to himself, but a pair of eyes stared intently at Ma Xicao.

Ma Xicao was purely bragging just now, and he was stunned when he heard the words of the thorn. Ahh Just open your mouth and let me give you one, just the big jade jade on the roof of the car is worth a lot of money. Besides, although there are two carriages, they can be regarded as given by the emperor, right? The emperor gave it, no, Ma Xixu suddenly remembered that the holy decree came, and the holy decree only asked him to conclude an alliance on behalf of Da Chu, but he never mentioned anything on the ship. Gao Shun, the eunuch who delivered the decree, also quietly left a message at that time, saying that everything on the ship was given to him by the emperor, and he could dispose of it himself.

Ma Xixu couldn't stop muttering in his heart, something was wrong with this. From ancient times to the present, only when the emperor rewarded his subordinates with things, there was never anything given to his subordinates. Thinking of this, as if a lightning bolt crossed Ma Xixu's brain, he was stunned for a moment, since he was ordered to send an envoy, he has always felt a little awkward in his heart, but he can't figure out where this awkward place is.

Now Ma Xixu suddenly reacted, why did he feel awkward. Since ancient times, the royal family must come forward to conclude an alliance, and only when the proton is made, the royal family will have to send its children out. His nephew emperor wouldn't want to "treat" himself as a jewel in the Khitan, right? No, it won't. I'm not qualified to be a proton. Ma Yun has been a concubine for nine years now, and he has 5 sons, so he shouldn't be himself if he wants a proton. Moreover, Da Chu and Khitan are equal powers, how can Ma Yun depreciate his identity? However, why didn't he "reward" it, but "give"?

Ma Xicao looked up and down the body of the thorn again, and a question came to his heart? His nephew Ma Yun wouldn't have expected today's events to happen, right? That's why two wagons were "sent" out. If it was a "reward", it would be okay to kill him Ma Xicao, but if he was half killed, he would never dare to transfer the emperor's reward to others. However, this was sent by the emperor, and it was sent in private, so there were no scruples. Could it be that this is what his nephew the emperor wants him to pass on to others?

Ma Xicao's hesitation made the thorn a little understood. He smiled and said, "The prince doesn't have to worry too much, Xiao Wang won't let the prince suffer." He rolled his eyes, looked at the luxuriously furnished carriage again, and said, "The furnishings here are all high-quality products, and I will pay 5,000... He wanted to say "5,000 taels of gold", but when he slipped to his lips, he suddenly turned his head to look left and right, and said in a low voice: "Lord Wang, how much silver is your carriage worth?" ”

Ma Xixu's hesitation was entirely because he had something in his heart, and he was wondering if his nephew emperor was hinting that he was going to send the Khitan carriage? Although he despised Ma Xicao a little in his heart, a dignified prince gave me a car and was so childish, and more importantly, as a Confucian-educated person, he also had a certain understanding of "tactful expression", and he suddenly thought that he was smart and thought that "this is the reason why Ma Xicao wants money". can pull such a confession, especially in such "tactful" words, which makes Ma Xicao feel that it seems to be a bit profitable. He had also seen the carriage when he was bored at sea, and had discussed the price with his chief butler, Wang Gui, who estimated that the price of one such carriage would be 1,000 taels of gold. Although the whole carriage is not pure gold but gold-filled, the jade jade alone is worth a lot of money.

10,000 taels of silver want to buy me 1,000 taels of gold, you rob it! Ma Xicao's face was a little displeased. He bit the corner of his mouth lightly: Otherwise, I will buy this carriage for this kid, damn, it will be priced at 5,000 taels of gold, do you like to buy it or not! Sold, even if it's for a better conclusion of a treaty, well... It's really not good, just give the emperor a little money when the time comes. Ma Xicao has been carefree for eight or nine years, and his brain has become a lot lazier, he thought about it, but he really couldn't guess what the emperor meant, so he caught it himself and wanted to sell the carriage to the thorns.

Ma Xixu hesitated and boasted: "This car is a little different from other carriages, but the carriage specially made by our Great Chu royal family, in Jiangnan, only the people of the royal family are qualified to make this kind of carriage, even if you are an official residence, even if you are rich, you can't sit in a stallion." Look at this jade. Ma Xicao looked up at the roof of the car, with a picture of the blue sea on it, and said: "Of course, I can't see it in the car, just this piece of jade... Ma Xicao stretched out his hands and compared a pattern of "Wang Ba": "Such a big jade, the whole body has the same 'color', this is not easy to find!" You look at the teacup again, but it's specially fired by the 'Wu kiln', you look at this screen again... ”

Mahi said as she looked at the thorns. As soon as he said a word, he nodded lightly, and he seemed to like it very much, but he didn't care about the price that Ma Xicao emphasized, and Ma Xixu's mind was secretly moving: This group of Khitan people ran to the south to rob the people of the Central Plains if they had nothing to do, and after so many years, they should have accumulated a lot of wealth. Ma Xicao thought in his heart, he was a little tired, he was more or less affected by the "Huaxia Great Defense", you have robbed us for so many years, no matter what Lao Tzu says today, he will kill you.

"King Tai'an, I heard that you are familiar with Confucian culture and have a wide range of knowledge, and you should always know the price of this carriage. What's more, the carriage is a status symbol. Think of me, every time I go out, I take this car, and no one dares to stop me in Dachu country. Even if they go to other countries, such as Shu, they also know the status of this king, and they come to meet me, I don't know how much. Hey, those people are so enthusiastic, every time I want to go out for a leisure, I am annoyed by a group of people, hey, this carriage, make me happy and make me worried! "Mahi is talking nonsense. When he talks about the excitement, his eyebrows fly and he dances, giving people a sense of immersion. In ancient parlance, Mahicalyx is now daydreaming, and in the words of the "tide" flow, Mahicalyx is now purely in YY. It's not easy, the princes of other people's families are all masters who walk sideways on the street, but their own princes can only walk quietly on the street, and it is not easy to leave Jinling to play elsewhere. In his own family, except for Lao Jiu, who still has a bit of status, the rest of the people are not as free as the rich landlords in the countryside. is also the prince, he is too far worse than his nephew Xiangxiang Wang Ma Guangmeng.

However, don't say it, Ma Xixu's nonsense is really listened to by the thorns. Hearing this, he smiled, and his heart was even more itchy, and he wanted to take the carriage for himself immediately. He took Ma Xicao's words and said, "King Xiangyin, let's do it, I'll pay 5,000 taels of gold to buy your car!" ”

Ma Xicao's eyes lit up, and his face flashed with joy, and he said in embarrassment: "King Tai'an, tell the truth. When I came to your country this time, I actually brought two carriages with me. Seeing the joy on his face, Ma Xixu hurriedly explained: "However, that car is not a spare. Brother Yelu, if you think about it, we are all princes, and we are all people in Dachu and Khitan, and our clothing, food, housing and transportation have attracted the attention of the world. Xiao Wang came from afar, if he only took one carriage all day long, and there was no one to transfer, wouldn't he be laughed at by the people of your country? That's why I came from Chu to bring two carriages! also brought these well-behaved and beautiful maids, fragrant car beauties, none of them can be missing! Brother Yelu, you are making such a request now, but it makes me feel embarrassed. Otherwise, how about giving you a carriage when I leave? ”

Damn, how can that work. The head of the thorn shook like a drum of the cloth, and the two of us went to Beijing in a carriage by one, shaking "dang" and "dang", and then we were in the limelight. If as you say, you will be in the limelight during your time in Khitan, and after you leave, it will be my turn, this... I'm not going to do that! "So be it." King Xiangyin, you are older than me, so I will call you Brother Ma. Brother Ma, I'll give 10,000 taels of gold, so you can let me have one. ”

"This..." Ma Xicalyx's face was difficult: "It's not a matter of money. ”

Before Ma Xicao finished speaking, he nodded again and again, and said, "I know, I know." We are all princes, and we don't look down on this little money, but we are all friends. Even if it's a friend's choice. ”

Ma Xicao glanced at a little anxious thorn, and said in his heart: Why is this kid so rich. The total belongings of my Jinling Mansion are only twenty or thirty thousand taels of gold, and your kid is 10,000 taels when he opens his mouth. Ma Xixu was secretly happy in his heart, but he sighed on his lips: "Hey, forget it, who let us see each other at first sight." I'll transfer it to you for 10,000 taels! ”

The business of a scholar is not called selling, it is called "turning".

Dragged the thorn and thanked Ma Xicao again and again. Suddenly, as if he remembered something, he asked again, "Brother Ma, how high is the cost of your carriage?" ”

Ma Xicao was stunned for a moment, and said secretly in his heart: Damn, what's the matter, this kid doesn't want to admit it. I've transferred 10,000 taels of gold to you, and if you tell you that the cost is 1,000 taels, you don't have to worry about me. Besides, this cost is still figured out by me and Wang Gui, and the real cost is definitely lower than 1,000 taels.

"It's probably 10,000 or two. You also know, we are all princes, just take the car, who will care how much it costs? Anyway, if you don't have enough money, take it from the fief! Ma Xixu said casually. This kind of talk is very in line with the professional habits of a prince, as a prince, who would ask the price of a carriage.

Ma Xicao was hard and arrogant, but when he came to the side of the thorn, he smiled: "Brother Ma, you are right, but we don't have to raise money from the tribe, if we don't have money, we can go directly to the south to grab it back!" Break a city casually, and you will gain a lot of gold, silver and jewelry inside! "The exploiting class is also divided into three, six, nine and so on, and this state-supported business without capital is to make money quickly.

Ma Xicao was stunned, looking at the natural appearance of dragging thorns, it was like turning over to a cruet bottle, sweet and sour, and everything was felt. A little envious, a little angry, envious is that although the robbery has no technical content, but the money comes quickly, and the people who catch them have money, the angry thing is that the object of this robbery is not right, and it is not the same thing for you to always rob the people of the Central Plains, so maybe one day this Central Plains will be Dachu. Ahh

Tu Thorn thought for a while, and then said: "Well, for those patriarchs and princes, this ten thousand taels of gold is nothing, but for ordinary people, it is a bit expensive." As he spoke, he shook his head.

Ma Xixu subconsciously asked, "Brother Yelu, what do you mean by this?" Could it be ... Do you still want to sell the carriage? ”

"Haha, there. How could I sell such a good car! I'm wondering if I can buy some similar carriages from your country and sell them in Khitan! As long as the nobles of the Khitan are all on this kind of carriage, hehe, won't they all remember the name of my thorn! Dragging said proudly. The older generation of Khitan people, but some people are used to being poor, even if they are developed now, they are more frugal, but those who are in the ya, but they are different, they drag the circle they come into contact with, those young people are all like novelty items, but the Khitan is too remote, except for the vast grassland, it is a sunny day with a blue sky, and there is nowhere to use it. This kind of novel, and identity-reflecting carriage, must be selling well! What's more, can I use these carriages to pull more young nobles and completely suppress the diehards.

The corners of Ma Xicao's mouth twitched, and he despised this thorn a little in his heart, since you can rob money, what kind of carriage do you sell, isn't it that you have nothing to do when you are full. You are a rogue state, what are you doing to wash black and white? Hey, that's a good idea. It's better for me to cooperate with this thorn and go to Khitan to sell carriages! Well, but 10,000 taels of gold is too expensive, and it is estimated that there are not many people who can afford it.

Hey, it's a pity, it's a pity. Ma Xixu sighed in his heart, and suddenly, his eyes lit up, why should I only sell carriages? Looking at the appearance of the thorns, this Khitan must not have seen much of the world, a group of old hats. Over the years, Chu has come up with a lot of novel things, I might as well get those things to the Khitan to sell and make a lot of money for him! Ma Xixu thought, and suddenly thought of those things on his ship. The things that Ma Yun gave him are worth a lot of money, not only valuable gold carvings and jade carvings, but also some novel items. From large decorations to small hangings, there are more than 100 kinds of dazzling dishes. What did the emperor mean by giving me so many things?

Ma Xicao said: "This... This one is more difficult. It's not a matter of money, the key question is that this kind of carriage, it's limited! To put it bluntly, this car, as well as the decorations in the car, can only be used by people at the level of the prince, and Da Chu doesn't have many princes now, so the annual output is not very good! ”

"This... Brother Ma, you are a prince, you always have some privileges, can you get forty or fifty taels! The buyer has wrapped it up with me, and I promise that I will be able to sell it when it arrives! Dragger said.

Ma Xicao hesitated for a moment, and he said, "This... I'll try it as much as I can. However, there are a lot of people staring at the things of this royal family, and it still takes a lot of money to make dots up and down. This... ”

Ma Xicao's slumping appearance made the thorn very strange, and he asked, "Brother Ma, is there any difficulty?" ”

"Can you pay a deposit first?" Ma Xicao blushed and said, of course he can agree to the carriage, but after such a thousand miles of transportation, no matter how you say it, you have to collect some money first. However, the thorn on the other side is obviously very professional as a prince, and he doesn't realize at all that he has to pay a deposit in advance to do business. Let Ma Xicao have to tell the truth!

"Doom... Yes... Okay, no problem, this one is as it should be! "The thorn reacted. Nonsense, Ma Xicao has already said it directly, and he can't react.

Along the way, the two talked and chatted like this, and in order to expand his business scope, Ma Xicao kept coming up with strange and interesting things. He also knew that "he was reluctant to let the child trap the wolf, and he was reluctant to let the daughter-in-law and 'wife' trap the hooligan", so he generously sent a few small things to drag the thorn (nonsense, a carriage earns 9,000 taels of gold, even if everything else is loose, it is a sure profit). From the wharf to Jinzhou, from Jinzhou to Shangjing, the friendship between the two is getting better and better, and Tian Yu and others on the side are amazed. They knew that Ma Xicao's head was so big, on the one hand, he had found a new "way to make money", and more importantly, in front of the Khitan prince, Ma Xicao also found the feeling of the prince of Dachu, which was a hundred times cooler than sitting on the soil overlord in Langzhou back then.

Ma Xicao came "by order to sign", he only took care of the final signing, and didn't care about the rest, Tian Yu and others were all responsible. However, once Ma Xicao appeared on the territory of the Khitan, then there was no doubt that the position of head of the delegation of the Chu State could only be held by him, and he could not be an honorary head of the delegation. As a result, Tian Yu had to find him during Ma Xicao's free time, and speak in unison with him, what to say, what not to say, what to listen to, and what to hear, must be treated as not heard.

Ma Xicao is not a stupid person, after listening to Tian Yu for a long time, he finally grasped two main basic points: first, on the issue of ceding Hebei, this matter cannot be mentioned, and it has nothing to do with the Khitan and Chu States. After the Han was usurped by the puppet Zhou, his side branch was re-established in Taiyuan, but the Mandate of Heaven had been transferred to the south of the Yangtze River, however, for the sake of the relationship between the Han and the Great Chu, north of the Yellow River, the Great Chu would never set foot. In other words, the belongings of Hebei, the Han State and the Chu State have reached a consensus, after the total destruction of the Pseudo-Zhou, Hebei will belong to the Han State, and the rest of the territory will belong to the Chu State! In other words, what the Khitan people talk about Hebei with our Dachu is a typical chicken-and-duck conversation. My territory, I call the shots, not my territory, what are you talking to me about? In addition, Chu and Han reached a consensus on this, and Chu should also avoid it and bury his face in the future.

Second, on the question of the Khitan general Yang Gon. On various occasions, we should try our best to brag about Yang Gon and try to advocate the Khitans to attack Zhou in the south. As for the fact that the Khitans went south to burn and loot, don't mention it. But Yang Gon is a Han Chinese, and Chu State is touting Yang Gon, whether it will cause contradictions within the Khitan, this issue does not belong to the scope of Chu State's consideration. Touting Yang Gon is not to let Yang Gon ascend to the throne, but to let the southbound remarks ascend. What the State of Chu has to do is to push the Khitan southward, Yang Gon can use it, if he finds a spokesperson for the Khitan royal family to go south, it will be better!