A ride on the delicate emerald green? The small sedan chair was carried into Qingyayuan from the east corner gate, and it didn't attract much attention - even if someone noticed it, they would only think that it was a family member of some official eunuch who had come to visit the side of Fujin.

The sedan chair walked about a stone's throw away, stopped, and the servant woman who accompanied it stepped forward and opened the sedan curtain.

A young woman lowered her head and stepped out of the sedan chair.

This is a petite woman, with a beautiful face and a gentle demeanor, and she is of a very old age—well, not very good.

On her body, she wears a "between" of red wrinkled silk and a "gown" covered with apricot yellow satin, and on the soft and smooth fabric, the maple leaf pattern woven with gold silk is shiny and flowing.

Hey, this is Japan's "Wu Fu" - this woman, is she from Dongying?

"Kufu", that is, kimono. The Japanese kimono originated from the land of Kure in China, and before Edo, it was always called "Kufu". At this time, there was already a name for "kimono", but it was not official, and "wufu" officially became "kimono", which was a matter of the middle of the Meiji era - but there is no such thing as "Meiji" in this time and space, and whether "wufu" will become "kimono", uh, who knows?

Looking at the women's hair accessories, sure enough, there was the most popular "Katagiri bun" for Japanese upper-class samurai women at that time.

A maid with a big black and shiny braid greeted her, blessed slightly, and said with a smile: "Madame has arrived, please come here." ”

At a glance, the woman had already determined Xiaorui's identity: although she was dressed as a maid, she was not an ordinary servant in her manners, so she gave birth to a very natural and kind smile on her face, and bowed back: "There is Miss Lao." ”

"Don't dare to be. Madame please. ”

Rui leads the way. The woman followed. Walk in a flash.

Something is wrong, Xiaorui? Isn't Xiaorui in the Xuanjun Mansion in Beijing? How did it appear in Qingyayuan in Shanghai?

When she arrived at the study, Xiaorui knocked lightly on the door, and a clear and strong male voice came from inside: "Come in." ”

Pushing open the door, Xiaorui made a "please" gesture, and the woman moved lightly and stepped over the high threshold.

Guan Zhuofan, who was in front of the bookshelf, turned around with a faint smile on his face: "Mrs. Aqing, don't come unharmed?" ”

The woman's eyes were as black as paint. Extremely flexibly wrapped around Guan Zhuofan's face, then lowered his eyelids, knelt down, touched the ground with both hands, leaned down, and lightly touched the back of his hand with his forehead, forming a flat bow.

"Dapu Qing greets the prince."

Opo Kei.

During the Second Choshu Expedition, Takasugi Shinsaku was unable to defeat the "logistics base" of the Xuan Army at Kokura Castle, so he had to abandon Shimonoseki and retreat inland. Xuanjun crossed the Shimonoseki Strait. Aggressively occupy it.

The richest man in Changzhou, Shiraishi Shoichiro, pretended to be obedient and dedicated his villa "Kaoru Garden" as the place where Guan Beizi stayed at the festival. Secretly. However, Baishi contacted wealthy businessmen and established the "Zhuangwu Alliance", vowing to "punish the enemy by heaven". He excavated a tunnel leading to the "Xunyuan" from his mansion, intending to break through the ground in the middle of the night and assassinate Guan Zhuofan.

This news, Ito Yuhiro of Kameyama Trading Company, after getting drunk, leaked it to his lover Oura Kei. Kei Oura and Shoichiro Shiraishi are sworn enemies of the mall, so they seize this golden opportunity to secretly sneak from Nagasaki to Shimonoseki and report to Seki Zhuofan.

The Xuan Army Guards Regiment and the Shinsengumi rode everywhere and searched for them, and there was the "Choshu Merchant Destruction Incident": 63 wealthy merchants in Choshu under Shiraishi Shoichiro were sentenced to beheading and confiscated all assets. Changzhou's economic pillar collapsed, but Guan Zhuofan made a fortune, just cash, and started with 10 million taels.

As a mediocre reward, the ship company and the "Kanmon Factory" under the name of Shoichiro Shiraishi were handed over to Ourakei. At the same time, she got the opportunity to "escort" Guan Beizi.

As a result, Opo Kei also has two other extremely heavy gains:

First, Guan Zhuofan promised to form a "joint-stock company" with her.

Second, after quelling the Choshu Rebellion, Guan Zhuofan greeted the shogunate, and the general Tokugawa Keiki personally signed an edict, and Oura Keishi obtained a license to travel freely between the various feudal states of Japan; The sale of goods in and out was unrestricted - Oura became the only merchant in all of Japan to have this privilege.

With the support of such a powerful political umbrella, and the fact that the mall's rivals were gone, Oura Kei's "Kei Co., Ltd." quickly regained its monopoly on Japanese tea exports and monopolized the emerging export of lacquerware.

On the basis of Shiraishi Shoichiro's shipping company, which was originally the largest water transport company in Choshu, in just one year, Oura Kei changed the "Kei Kee Shipping Company" from the largest in Choshu to the largest in Japan, accounting for nearly 70% of the domestic water transport market in Japan.

In addition, Dapuqing began to get involved in mining and finance, and made great gains.

At this time, Ourakei has become the "No. 1 wealthy businessman" in Japan.

The face of the "chaebol" began to gradually become clear.

Of course, half of the shares of "Qing Kee Co., Ltd." are Guan Zhuo Fandi.

Dapuqing's trip to China was not only about "reporting work," but also asking for something else.

For this reason, she is naturally looking forward to "renewing the frontier" with Guan Zhuofan.

Dapuqing set up a mansion in Shanghai, which was extremely exquisitely furnished, and there were two girls she brought from Japan, all of whom had been selected by thousands of people, and they were both beautiful and artistic.

She originally hoped that Guan Zhuofan could come to the mansion to meet her. However, the "handbook" was handed into the gatehouse of Qingyayuan in the morning, and the post she received in the afternoon was to invite her to meet at Qingyayuan the next day.

At this time, Oura Qing realized that this place was not Japan, this was not wartime, and the man who used to be his "escort" had changed his identity and status, and his mind was different.

In other words, this post is a very clear hint: public friendship still exists, and private feelings are gone.

Of course, there are also advantages: it is a very honorable thing to be able to enter the residence of King Xuanjun and get an official reception from King Xuanjun, and it can be used as a very powerful "propaganda material" when returning to Japan.

In Japan, no matter how wealthy a merchant is, there is no possibility of meeting the shogun—in fact, in China, too, if he does not have a considerable level of "fame," ordinary businessmen will not have the opportunity to meet the prince in charge.

*

*

Get up, sit down, and serve tea.

After the little talk is warm and cold, the conversation gets to the point.

"Last time Madame sent a letter," Guan Zhuofan said, "that Miike Coal Mine, the shogunate has been assigned to 'Keiki'?" ”

"Yes," said Oura Keichi softly, "the shogunate thought that Keiki was the most suitable person to take over the Miike Coal Mine -- and this was all in the care of the prince." ”

Guan Zhuofan smiled slightly: "This is a lady with long sleeves and good dancing - I can't be greedy for the merit of heaven for myself." ”

"This coal mine," said Oura Kei, "is actually very much wanted by the Mitsui family." However, the prince knew that the Mitsui family and the people on the side of the imperial court had always been eye-catching, and I mentioned this situation to the people of the shogunate, and they knew what to do. ”

The "imperial court" in Oura Kei's mouth refers to the imperial family and public families in Kyoto; The so-called "mentioned", to put it mildly, I don't know how much work and how much work was done?

*(To be continued......)