Xia Xiang and Xiao Wu were invited to the living room, and after the two sat down, the housekeeper Cao Lin served tea, and Cao Shuli and Cao Shujun went to change clothes first.

Xia Xiang has learned from Zuo'er that the boy who fell into the water is named Cao Shujun, the only son of the Cao family, since he has not been good at studying, this year, he was forcibly driven to take the exam by his father, he did not follow, his father pressed, and he was extremely angry, and he wanted to leave home, but he was shocked for a while, if it was not for Xia Xiang and Xiao Wu to come to the rescue, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The living room of the Cao family is also elegantly furnished, with tables and chairs of golden silk nanmu, orchid celadon vases, and most of the landscape paintings hung on the walls, with a painting hanging in the middle, and the painting style is simple. In the painting, there is a river with a boat on the river, three people on board, two rowing boats, and one person standing on the bow of the boat. There was also a man on the shore, who was leading the boat to the shore.

There is a line of small print on the right: Yuanming Hidden Picture.

The handwriting and the words left on the shadow wall are from the same person.

Xia Xiang understood a little more in his heart, and when he was stunned, a happy voice came from behind him.

"Xia Langjun, tea is here."

"The tea has already been served, why is it still served?" Xiao Wu was already thirsty, and after the housekeeper Cao Lin served tea, he couldn't wait to drink it dry, "It just so happens that I'm still thirsty, I'll have another cup." ”

"Only one cup, no yours." Zuo'er gave Xiao Wu a big white eye, and put the teacup in front of Xia Xiang, "Xia Langjun, please use tea." ”

The teacup used by Cao Lin for tea is a fixed kiln, and the teacup used for Zuo'er is a Ru kiln. There are five famous kilns in Daxia, which are "Ru, Guan, Ge, Jun and Ding", and Ru kiln is located at the head of the five famous kilns, known as "Ru kiln is the leader".

Ru porcelain shape is simple and generous, with precious agate as the glaze, the color is unique, there is "agate for the glaze ancient legend" praise. With the change of light, look at its glaze color, just like "the rain over the sky and the clouds break", "thousands of peaks and blue waves and emerald color" wonderful, like jade, non-jade, and better than jade. Passed to later generations, there is a reputation of "even if there is a lot of wealth, it is not as good as a piece of Ru porcelain".

"Why is my teacup not as expensive as my husband's?" Although Xiao Wu didn't know that Ru Kiln was better than Ding Kiln, he could judge up and down just by the luster of the teacup, and couldn't help but wonder, "Is it because I don't look as good as Mr. Wei'an, or am I not as talented as Mr.?" ”

"Neither." Zuo'er wrinkled her nose and smiled, and snorted, "It's that you are not as good as Xia Langjun and my lady." Not only is your teacup not as precious as Xia Langjun's, but even the tea leaves are too much worse. Steward Cao's tea is mostly third-class tea. My lady didn't dare to treat Xia Langjun slowly, so she took out her treasured special tea. ”

Where did Xiao Wu have so many crooked thoughts, "oh", got up and picked up Xia Xiang's original teacup, drank it all, wiped his mouth and smiled: "Whether it's special or third, quenching your thirst is good tea." Why don't you have another drink? ”

"No matter how good the tea is, it's a waste to drink like you, you might as well drink plain water." Zuo'er glanced at Xiao Wu dissatisfied, "You remember, don't call me Zuo'er." ”

Xiao Wu was puzzled: "What do you call?" ”

"The slave's surname is Li, his name is Zuozuo, just call me Li Zuozuo." Zuo'er is not fake to Xiao Wu, but she is smiling at Xia Xiang, "Only my wife and close people can call me Zuo'er." ”

"Sir has just met you, and he doesn't have a close relationship with you." Xiao Wu's mind didn't turn in circles, trying hard to correct Zuo'er's mistakes, "Li Zuozuo is not as good as Zuo'er, I'll still call you Zuo'er." ”

"Why is it so infuriating?" Zuo'er got angry and put the teapot down, "Are you elm head or stone head?" Don't talk to me in the future, I'm. ”

Xia Xiang smiled slightly, and took a sip of the good tea made by Cao Xiaoniang herself, and sure enough, the aroma was far away and the aftertaste was long.

Zuo'er was very interested, and wanted to say a few more words to Xiao Wu, but when she turned around, she found that Cao Shuli was standing behind her at some point, so frightened that she stuck out her tongue, turned around and ran, "Lady, I don't dare to talk anymore, write it down first, and wait for the next time to settle the account together." I'll go down first, and the lady will call me again. ”

As he spoke, he hurried away.

Xia Xiang smiled dumbly, and when he turned around, Cao Shuli changed into a plain makeup and stood up calmly. Behind Cao Shuli, stood Cao Shujun.

Cao Shujun changed into clean clothes, with a slender figure, a square scarf on his head, a brocade belt around his waist, a white embroidered silk robe, and square boots on his feet.

Xia Xiang secretly exclaimed, the Cao family's sons and daughters are all first-class characters, and they don't know who the master of the Cao family is? If you are not an official eunuch, you are a wealthy businessman.

Cao Shuli first saluted Xia Xiangyingying, and then snorted lightly at Zuo'er's back: "Zuo'er, you wait, I can't spare you." ”

Zuo'er kept her feet down, bowed her head to cover her mouth, although she was facing away from a few people, her shoulders shrugged slightly, it could be seen that she was snickering, and she was not afraid of Cao Shuli's threat.

"Sister, there are more and more rules, and you don't discipline and discipline well, and if you spread it, people think that the Cao family has no family rules, won't it insult the Cao family's court?" Cao Shujun snorted coldly, his eyes proudly crossed Zuo'er's back, and looked at the sky outside the door, it was already late at night, and there was nothing in the night sky except for stars, and he didn't know what he was looking at.

"How can a maid ring insult the Cao family's court? It's you who are ashamed of the ancestors of the Cao family. Cao Shuli's hair is coiled into a flying fairy bun that has not yet been married, with a green hairpin, the hairpin is inlaid with gold and silver, and the jade ring on the skirt is red and pink, and it makes a tinkling sound when you take a light step, like fairy music.

It is the style of cloud sideburns and golden steps.

"A man's ambition is not all about reading. If all the people in the world are scholars, who will do business, who will do business, who will farm, who will make wine, and who will join the army? Cao Shujun put his nostrils facing the sky and clasped his shoulders with his hands, and sat on the chair under him with a big grin, and pointed to the chair opposite with his right hand, "Xia Langjun, sit down and speak." ”

Xia Xiang didn't sit down, and said with a smile: "I don't know if I bothered Ling Zun?" ”

The living room is a place where the head of the family will meet guests, if the master of the Cao family comes out to meet, it is a courtesy to wait until the master comes out before Xia Xiang dares to sit down.

"Daddy is changing his clothes, and I'll be there later." Cao Shuli secretly admired Xia Xiang's bearing and etiquette, although many princes and grandsons are extraordinary, they seem to be dragons and phoenixes among people, but some people lose their manners, and some people lose their self-esteem.

"It's okay to wait for Daddy to come and then stand up to greet him, Xia Langjun, don't care too much about the courtesy." Cao Shujun got up and came to Xia Xiang, grabbed Xia Xiang's arm, and pressed him into the chair, "Do whatever you want, you can get away." Lao Tzu said that it is a bad thing to rule by doing nothing, to teach without words, and to have too many rules. There is no greater sin than desire, no greater misfortune than discontentment, and no greater guilt than desire. Therefore, the sufficiency of contentment is always sufficient......"

Xia Xiang smiled dumbly, originally thought that Cao Shujun was a gentleman, who did not learn and did not know the height of the sky, and did not want him to be deeply influenced by Lao Tzu's doctrine, and won the essence of the "Tao Te Ching", so he did not get up at the moment, and said with a smile: "Etiquette cannot be abolished, benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, and faith are the five permanent ways, and the five constants are the foundation of human beings." Advancing and retreating in a proper manner is the method of rectifying the human body. Respect the elders and the young in an orderly manner, have rules in doing things, do not commit fornication, do not defeat human morality, take righteousness as the foundation, send a respectful heart, and the state of Zhaizhuang is upright, and the etiquette is also. ”

"I don't like to be a false courtesy, red tape, and uncomfortable." Cao Shujun glanced at Xia Xiang, and his tone implied disdain, "I just saw you save me, undress, dive, and debauchery, and I thought you were a carefree person who didn't care about secular etiquette and law like me, but I didn't want to be a pedantic reader, so I misjudged you." ”

Xia Xiangcai didn't care about Cao Shujun's words, and replied calmly: "Zi said: I have five out of ten and am determined to learn, thirty and stand, forty and not confused, fifty and know the destiny of heaven, sixty and obedient, seventy and do what I want without exceeding the rules...... Do what you want, and don't break the rules. People can be debauched and free, as long as they don't break the rules and rules. The king is not a king, the minister is not a minister, the father is not a father, the son is not a son, although there is millet, I have to eat everything? ”

Qi Jinggong asked Confucius about politics. Confucius said: Monarchs, ministers, fathers, sons. Gong said: Good! Faith is like a king not a king, a minister is not a minister, a father is not a father, a son is not a son, although there is corn, I have to eat everything? It means that the monarch should be like the monarch, the courtier should be like the courtier, the father should be like the father, and the son should be like the son. Otherwise, if the king is not like the king, the minister is not like the minister, the father is not like the father, and the son is not like the son, although there is food, can I eat it?

"I don't respect Confucius, I only respect Lao Tzu." Cao Shujun rolled his eyes very dissatisfied, he felt that he couldn't say what he wanted to say, he also wanted to persuade Xia Xiang, he didn't want to fall behind with just one rendezvous, and pulled Xia Xiang up in annoyance, "Since you care so much about etiquette, just stand." ”

With such a heart, it is really cute, Xia Xiang smiled secretly, remembered the previous agreement, and asked: "Cao Sanlang, the matter of forty-five taels of silver, can it be done now?" ”

"Still want silver?" Cao Shujun jumped up angrily, and after skipping, he laughed again, "That's it, I'll add five taels, a total of fifty taels of silver, if you want to take it, no problem, as long as you help me do it." ”

"What's the matter?" Xia Xiang asked with a smile, like an old farmer, he stretched out his right hand, "It's the rule to do things after checking the silver first." ”

"Puff ......" Cao Shuli couldn't help laughing, laughing out loud, amused by Xia Xiang's scoundrel.

When she first saw Xia Xiang, Xia Xiang was almost naked, although it was to save people, but there were also rudeness, she thought that Xia Xiang was a young man in the market, not to mention his strong body, only that he had extraordinary swimming skills, far surpassing many young men in Beijing who were dressed in fine clothes and food. Shangjing is located in the land of Yanshan in the north, and there are many ranger teenagers in the city. Yan Zhao since ancient times there are many generous and tragic people, in the capital, there is no shortage of "Zhao Keman Hu Ying, Wu Hook Frost Xueming." The silver saddle shines on the white horse, like a shooting star. Kill one person in ten steps, and don't stay for a thousand miles. Something is done, and he hides deep with his name".

The land of Yan Zhao, from Shangjing in the north to Handan in the south, there are no less than 10,000 rangers. Since the Tang Dynasty, many of the descendants of the nobles of the kings and grandsons have also taken pride in being rangers. Tang Gaoshi has a poem: Since growing up in Handan, the Qianchang Zongbo family is still rich, and he has taken revenge several times and is immortal. Singing and laughing day after day, the cars and horses outside the door are often like clouds. I don't know who the liver and gallbladder are, but people remember Pingyuanjun! You don't see that the relationship is thin, and the gold is exhausted. Yizi sighed goodbye to the old travel, and asked for nothing about current affairs. And drink wine with the young man, and shoot back and forth on the west mountain!

It's just that Cao Shuli has been influenced by her father's idea of emphasizing literature over martial arts since she was a child, and she only likes literati and does not appreciate the rangers' righteous rangers, thinking that they are just children who have nothing to do without worrying about food and clothing, not good at studying, and have nothing to do. Especially when there is another Cao Shujun in the family who wants to be a ranger, it makes her hate the ranger even more.

If it weren't for Xia Xiang being Cao Shujun's life-saving benefactor, she wouldn't say that she invited Xia Xiang to come to her house as a guest, and she didn't even think it would be redundant to say a word to Xia Xiang. didn't want Xia Xiang to be a scholar, but she was pleasantly surprised, and she couldn't help but glance at Xia Xiang higher. When Xia Xiang refuted Cao Shujun speechless with a few words, she was even more overjoyed, if Xia Xiang could really persuade Cao Shujun to devote his mind to reading, Xia Xiang would definitely become his father's guest.

Cao Shuli never thought that Xia Xiang, who was still full of wealth, changed in a blink of an eye, like a bargaining businessman in the market, reaching out to ask for money, and putting on a righteous and awe-inspiring appearance, which really makes people laugh and cry, a scholar, taught by sages and sages, and pays attention to etiquette, how can he be so marketable?

How is it that in Xia Xiang, there is not only the elegant and erudite atmosphere of a scholar, but also the debauchery of a ranger, and the shrewdness of a person in the market? Cao Shuli was also puzzled, what kind of person is Xia Xiang?

"......" Cao Shujun sneered, took out a money guide from his sleeve, shook it in Xia Xiang's eyes, and raised the corners of his mouth, "See clearly, it's the money of the official family, not the people's Jiaozi, take a closer look, is it fifty?" ”

In the early years of the Great Summer, there were "Jiaozi shopkeepers" who operated money storage business for merchants who were inconvenient to carry huge sums of money. The depositor delivers the money to the shopkeeper, who fills in the deposit amount on a paper roll made of pinch, and then returns it to the depositor, and charges a certain storage fee. This kind of paper coupon that temporarily fills in the deposit amount is called Jiaozi.

Jiaozi was first formed spontaneously in the people, and later the imperial court Chengdu set up Yizhou Jiaozi affairs, and one or two officials of the Beijing Dynasty served as supervisors to preside over the issuance of Jiaozi, and "placed the paper yard to reform the disadvantages of forgery", and strictly enforced its printing process, and Jiaozi officially became an official Jiaozi.

Soon after the current emperor ascended the throne, he changed "Jiaozi" to "Qian Yin", and "Jiaozi Affairs" to "Qian Yinwu". The paper, printing, drawings and seals of the "Qian Yin" are all very good and are measured in silk units. Consistency is consistent.

Fifty taels is fifty taels, which is about fifty taels of silver. Daxia silver is expensive and cheap, and fifty taels of silver is not as valuable as fifty taels of silver, but it is about the same.

Xia Xiang showed a look of regret slightly, took the money and looked left and right, and said to Cao Shujun: "How good it would be if it was an ingot of fifty taels of silver, it was much more practical than holding it in your hand." ”

Cao Shuli couldn't help but smile, and in addition to being surprised in her heart, she was extremely curious to know who Xia Xiang was, whether he really loved money like his life, or did it intentionally.

Cao Shujun flipped his wrist, picked up the money with two fingers and put it on the table, and smiled lightly: "If you want real money, it's okay, as long as you help me, five taels of gold, fifty taels of silver, or fifty taels of copper coins, you can choose." I'm afraid, I'm afraid, your skills are not worth a penny. ”

The customary exchange ratio in Great Xia is one tael of gold, ten taels of silver, and ten copper coins.

Xiao Wu stood with his hands hanging behind Xia Xiang, always without saying a word, his eyes were calm, his expression was peaceful, neither the humility that an entourage should have, nor the solemnity that an escort should have, but like Xia Xiang's accompaniment. Moreover, he is not a tall and burly type, if it weren't for Cao Shujun seeing Xiao Wu's courage to stop the horse with his own hands, he would definitely not believe that Xiao Wu would have an amazing martial arts.

"I still want money to attract it." Xia Xiang didn't seem to be able to hear the mockery in Cao Shujun's words, and took a step back, "Cao Sanlang, if there is anything you want me to help with, just open your mouth, I can save you, I can help you." ”

This was said too round and too full, Cao Shujun's face changed, and he was about to have a seizure, but he saw Cao Shuli shaking his head slightly, signaling him to be a little restless, he was a little calm, and knew that Cao Shuli also intended to test Xia Xiang.