The Empress Dowager Ci'an of the East Palace, the Empress Dowager Cixi of the West Palace hung the curtain to listen to the government, the bamboo curtains they used were selected by the craftsmen to select the best bamboo in the south, after more than a dozen processes of fine weaving, these bamboo curtains will be replaced after wearing, because the old curtain is used by the royal family, it is impossible to sell it to the common people, and can only set up a place to store, so there is a curtain library, and the alley of the curtain library has become the curtain library alley.

This is the warehouse of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, under the jurisdiction of the eunuchs, and the people living next to it, many of them are eunuchs and palace maids to form vegetable households, and the marriage of this vegetable household is allowed by the palace, and the internal affairs office can be registered, but there is a condition, that is, the palace maid has left the palace and can only register the marriage when she is no longer a maid.

To be a maid in the palace, they are all full of girls, they have been sent to the palace since they were young to learn to serve their masters, and they became big girls in their twenties, before they were dismissed from the palace, of course, there are also old girls in their thirties before they go out of the palace, in addition to giving these dismissed palace maids a sum of money, but also to find their in-laws' house for them, not to let them live on the streets, people have feelings for a long time together, the maids and eunuchs in the palace are like this, many maids and eunuchs are married as soon as they leave the palace, and the internal affairs government likes to do this kind of adult beauty, many eunuchs and palace maids get married, There are eunuchs and maids in the palace who will come out to drink the wedding wine.

At noon, Li Guolou came to the curtain library alley to drink a pair of eunuchs and maids wedding wine, he didn't know the eunuchs and maids, but this was Li Lianying who asked him to come, and they were going to meet at the wedding banquet.

Eunuchs get married at noon, which is different from the common people's marriage, they say that it is because of the yang at noon, but in fact, it is because the Forbidden City will be closed at night, and those eunuchs and maids with status will come out on leave and return to the Forbidden City at night, and only at noon is suitable for wedding wine.

Eunuchs and maids are rich, especially those with ranks, in addition to monthly silver, they also have gray income.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs spent 40,000 taels of silver a day, of which seventy percent was embezzled by eunuchs, maids and their masters.

Li Guolou and Wei Xiaoliu came to a lantern knot restaurant together, which is holding a pair of eunuchs and maids to celebrate wine, the shops here are all opened by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which belong to the royal assets, and there is no need to pay taxes to do business, so the things here are good and cheap, and the shops are prosperous.

Li Guolou glanced up at the restaurant's signboard "Phoenix Building" and asked, "Little Liuzi, how much money do we have to give!" ”

Wei Xiaoliu scratched his head and said embarrassedly: "Father-in-law, I forgot to ask, but I think you and Manager Li are at the same level, you can give as much as he wants, I'll go in first and ask, you wait." After speaking, Wei Xiaoliu took the lead in stepping into the lobby of the restaurant.

Li Guolou didn't have a long beard, and his dress was no different from the eunuchs beside him, and some eunuchs passed by Li Guolou and asked: "Xiao Dezhang, what are you doing standing at the door, go in together!" ”

Li Guolou could only reply embarrassedly: "Friend, you recognize the wrong person, I'm not Xiao Dezhang, I'm his eldest brother, I'll wait for someone here, go in immediately!" ”

"Oh······ It's quite similar, the brothers carved out of a mold, clucking. With a sneer, the eunuch slapped Li Guolou, not forgetting that the eunuch likes to do things, and touched Li Guolou, which made Li Guolou have goosebumps all over his body.

Li Guolou touched his nose and looked at the eunuchs who took advantage of him with a wry smile, those big-footed girls were all full of girls, talking and laughing with the eunuchs, without avoiding suspicion, and stepping into the "Phoenix Tower" together, standing here, you can see the world's various forms, full of mystery Eunuchs and maids, dressed brightly, with a proud smile on their faces.

are all rich owners, although their status is lowly and they are not ashamed by the world, but as long as they can cross this threshold, it means that they will be mixed up like people, and they will not be poor for a lifetime, Li Guolou looked at the surrounding shops and secretly wondered if there could be a "Please Come to the Bank" here, so that it would be easier for those eunuchs and palace maids to save money.

Hiding the money on these eunuchs and palace maids is comparable to a mountain of gold, and the money of tens of thousands of eunuchs and palace maids has been gathered together, which should not be underestimated.

Li Guolou was talking to a few eunuchs who didn't know him, Wei Xiaoliu walked out of the restaurant and said with a smile: "Father-in-law, I say hello, two silver ingots, auspicious!" ”

"Oh, please Grandpa Cui and Grandpa Liu, it's a great honor to know you, and I will take care of you in the future." Li Guolou bowed down and let Cui Yugui and Liu Deyin go ahead.

"Giggles, I've heard Xiao Dezhang say that you're a big brother, it's really fun and fun, I remember you." The chief eunuch Cui Yugui lifted his front clothes, stepped into the lobby, and was full of laughter and laughter in the lantern knotted color restaurant.

Eunuchs pay great attention to rules, respect and humility are orderly, and they are clearly distinguished, and even eunuchs have specific rules for marriage, and each level of eunuch has different gifts for congratulatory ceremonies.

The eunuchs gave silver when they got married, and Li Guolou didn't have any silver with him, so he took out the silver ticket and gave it sixteen taels of silver tickets, and the two small ingots were exactly sixteen taels.

The eunuch is very thick-skinned, a eunuch who received a silver ticket, took Li Guolou to give the silver ticket, looked and touched, and also exposed to the sun, for fear that Li Guolou would give it a fake.

In the corridor upstairs, Xiao Dezhang shouted: "Little stuffyman, don't take a photo, that's my eldest brother, you let my brother come up!" ”

Li Guolou beckoned upward, and when he heard Xiao De open his breath, he knew that now Xiao De Zhang was mixed up, and his efforts were not in vain.

The eunuch seat is divided into eighteen levels, exactly the same as in the court, if you want to rise, in addition to the fate of the master to like and sit on the throne, Li Lianying is because she has a good handicraft to make the Empress Dowager Cixi like it, so that she can sit in a high position, and the other way is to spend money to buy an "official", which is no different from being an official in the court, for example, a sixteenth-level eunuch has an annual salary of fifty taels of silver, and it will cost at least five times the price to buy it, as for whether this seat is worth two hundred and fifty taels, there is no regret medicine in the world, and when it is sold to the level, there must be a real shortage, This is also the same as in the court.

"Congratulations." Li Guolou hugged his fists to Lang and Xi Niang, took two packs of candy and a bag of cakes, and went upstairs with Wei Xiaoliu.

Came to the private room, sat the big eunuch in charge of the palace, there was Li Lianying inside, Cui Yugui who was talking to Li Guolou just now, as for Xiao Dezhang Although he was seated at this time, the power could not be compared with these three, belonging to Li Lianying's younger brother, at this time the palace was divided into three factions, one faction was the Empress Dowager Cixi, one faction was the Empress Dowager Ci'an, and the other faction was the Tongzhi Emperor. The factions are clearly located in different private rooms, and everyone is polite on the surface, and they all have their own spheres of influence.

At the beginning of the banquet, the staggered plans were staggered, and they fought each other for three rounds of wine, which was called brothers, and the shouting was endless.

After Lang and Niang came in to toast, Li Lianying asked, "Xiaolou, what are you looking for me!" ”

Li Guolou smiled and said: "Oh, that's the case, I just finished the scientific examination, and I am very confident that I will be admitted to the Jinshi, isn't it that I am about to enter the palace to face the saint and sit in the Qianqing Palace to write articles, I want to ask my eldest brother to find me a good seat, so that the emperor can see me!" ”

"Oh······ Then congratulations, Jinshi and Di, come, and have another drink. Li Lianying had a smug smile on her face, although the Qianqing Palace belonged to the sphere of influence of the eunuchs under Emperor Tongzhi, the eunuchs colluded with each other, and whoever had money would not make it.

"Big brother, give a real price, don't be like Grandpa An, I can't stand it." Li Guolou drank it, wiped his mouth, and said with a big grin.

Li Lianying and Xiaode Zhang next to her whispered a few words, "Go find Gonggong Liu." Xiao Dezhang immediately went out and went to find the big eunuch Liu Deyin.

After a while, Xiaode Zhang said a few words to Li Lianying and told Li Lianying the price.

Li Lianying knocked on the table, thought for a while, and said: "Xiaolou, for the sake of our friends, I will help you again, I will mention a few words about you in front of the Queen Mother, and someone will speak for you in front of the emperor, you give four thousand taels of silver first, if you really enter the first class, then you will give another eight thousand taels, are you satisfied with this price!" ”

Li Guolou stood up, raised his wine glass, and said proudly: "Dry, big brother, I will not forget your help in the future, as long as I get rich, I will send filial piety every year, not less than 100,000 taels, and I hope you friends will help me!" ”

Cui Yugui is old, he has long been accustomed to the filial piety of high-ranking officials, generally all year round, he makes a thousand taels, this high-ranking official is generous, like Li Hongzhang won the battle to eliminate the East Twist, entered the palace to face the saint and meet the two queen mothers, and gave Li Lianying two thousand taels of silver, this is not the norm, given once and then there is a small chance for the next time, usually it is dozens of taels of silver tickets, or even a few taels of silver tickets, 100,000 taels of silver to give them eunuchs, this has never happened, I was stunned when I heard it, relieved myself, and hurriedly asked: "Xiaolou, What business are you going to do, let us help you! ”

Li Guolou put down the wine glass, and said: "Don't hide it from your friends, my family has opened a bank, called "Please Come to the Bank", registered in the British Concession of Tianjin, which is a joint-stock bank, with the help of my uncle outside, Zhili, Liangjiang area all the way, hundreds of scales in the future, I also want to open a few on the territory of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as long as you are willing to deposit money here and make money, I will give you fifty percent, just now I said that 100,000 taels is the guarantee, I dare not say it when it is big, I am afraid that you will say that I am the king of big words! ”

Cui Yugui frowned and said: "Xiaolou, you are too naïve to think about it, the money of the Internal Affairs Office, who dares to move, you don't want our heads!" ”

Li Guolou glanced at him and said: "Father-in-law Cui, you are such a shrewd person, how dare I let you do such a bad thing, I asked you to deposit your own money in my bank, there are so many fathers-in-law and maids in this palace, this money is at least more than one million taels, and even the ladies will deposit the money in my bank, and I didn't let you do anything wrong, just opened an opening and robbed other ticket number businesses!" ”

"Oh······" Several big eunuchs suddenly realized that this is a big fish eating small fish, and they are competing in business, they just need to take care of Li Guolou's business.

Li Lianying said slowly: "Xiaolou, although the idea is good, but you have to come secretly, there is the support of the prince behind those ticket numbers, we can only provide you with a fair chance to compete, as for the matter of commercial competition, it is your own business, we will not interfere!" ”

Liu Deyin had already come over to drink, and said suspiciously: "Xiaolou, you are confident that you can compete for 10,000 ticket numbers, and you won't close the door!" ”

Li Guolou smiled and said: "Father-in-law Liu, the first time you dealt with me, you don't know me yet, there are people behind you who dare to open a bank, the official and business road is smooth, who can compete with me, those princes just received a filial piety, can this kind of thing be difficult to fall me, the ticket number depends on the draft fee to make money, I am reaching out everywhere, I have the ability to make money, don't worry about lending the money, I can't get it back, as long as you believe me, you friends pension houses, I have it!" ”

Several big eunuchs smiled and toasted with Li Guolou frequently, and now rich eunuchs have bought land and built houses in the Tianjin Concession, and this trend has become a trend.

Xiao Dezhang jumped up and shouted: "Big brother, I fully support you, come, I'll toast you first!" ”

Li Lianying smiled and said: "Xiaolou, every time I see you, I can give me a surprise, next time I get married, please come again!" ”

"Oh······" Li Guolou and several big eunuchs next to him coaxed, asking Li Lianying to say that she was a good maid with him, when would she be good.

Eunuchs are also men, they also have normal human feelings, as for corruption is their own job, although Li Guolou said that he and the eunuchs are brothers, but in the matter of money, it is impossible to do less, eunuchs make friends first talk about money, and only when there is money will there be motivation, now the eunuchs and Li Guolou hook up with each other, singing small songs, making trouble, and making trouble.

Li Guolou admired Xiaode Zhang's singing, his voice was pleasant, this little brother has a great future in the future, and the ladies will definitely like Xiaode to open his mouth and work hard,