A group of carriages and horses stopped steadily in front of the door of Wangjiang Tower. The shopkeeper just wanted to beckon this pedestrian to pull the car away and not block the door, but he was shocked by the dress of this pedestrian. The first six tall horses were of excellent breed, and seemed to be a little better than the horses used by the scouts stationed in Yicheng. The corners of the leather saddle were wrapped in brass ornaments, and the saddle was hung not only with a long-handled saber, but also with a fine carved wood lacquered bow and leather quiver. These big men also wore another knife in their waists, looking at the thickness of the scabbard, I am afraid it is a thick-backed machete, the average sergeant has not worked hard for a few years, but he can't move these guys, but these men look relaxed and comfortable.

This is not an ordinary guard, the shopkeeper made such a judgment at the first time. He immediately put away the face that he was about to scold these subordinates, and respectfully asked one of the guards: "The distinguished guests have come to make the small shop shine, I don't know which one is in charge?" ”

A middle-aged man in a black coarse cloth robe greeted the guards: "Xiao Lu, lead the horse to the side alley and take care of it." Tan Wu, you take two people upstairs, let Sisi and Xiaocui get out of the car quickly, don't stay in the car. Wipe down all the tables and chairs. …… Xiao Xu, you beckon the brothers to eat, and do it according to the old rules. Every time he commanded, one of the guards would bow down, and then arrange things in an orderly manner, and the dozen or so guards in this line didn't even say a word of nonsense.

Rao is well-informed, and the shopkeeper still can't see where this line of people comes from. Yicheng merchants are constantly coming and going all year round, but no merchant can have this prestige, but this line of people is not like an official eunuch, even an ordinary official eunuch may not be able to afford these skilled guards; If you want to talk about the skills of this line of people, I am afraid that some people in the rivers and lakes can be compared, but the people in the rivers and lakes do not have such discipline as if they were in the military. The shopkeeper stepped forward to salute tremblingly, and said cautiously: "This guest officer, there is a place where the little old man can serve." ”

The middle-aged man's tone was very modest, he stuffed a piece of gold into the shopkeeper's hand, and said: "When we first came to Yicheng, we have always heard that the scenery of Wangjiang Tower is pleasant and the dishes are delicious. My lady wants to sit down here, can the shopkeeper prepare some delicate snacks, preferably some chic soups? ”

The shopkeeper's voice responded: "That's as it should be, I'll let the master father of the spoon get it himself." The whitebait soup in the small shop is also unique in the whole Yicheng, and it will not disappoint Miss Guijia. ”

The two beautiful maids who had just followed the guards upstairs came downstairs, looked at the middle-aged man, and said, "Manager Liu, upstairs is ready." Are you going to see that the lady is bored in the car. ”

The middle-aged man known as Manager Liu hurriedly nodded and said, "I'll go." "It seems like a great sin to keep their young lady waiting.

The shopkeeper followed the footsteps of Mr. Liu upstairs, but he was taken aback. The second floor was originally a richly furnished private room, and now the corner with the best view has been occupied by this pedestrian, and a screen has been moved to enclose this corner, and the two guards sit on the table outside the screen, although they seem to be very interested in the food on the table, but their hands refuse to let go of the handle of the knife at their waists. The separated place had been wiped and dried with boiling water, and a tea stove was lit in the middle of the table, and an urn of water was about to boil and tumble under the roasting of those charcoal strips. There was only a pair of dishes and chopsticks on the table, and looking at the color, it was actually Ningcheng Yunyao, which was about to be sold at a sky-high price. A few corners long, but a furnace of incense was lit, and the smell was clearly the cold Tan incense used by rich and noble families to repel insects and escape the heat at the turn of spring and summer. Rao is a well-informed shopkeeper, but he has never seen such a sophisticated person.

Mr. Liu walked around. It is already afternoon, it is the moment when there are fewer people in the Wangjiang Tower, and now those who stay in the private room on the second floor, except for those who have lunch relatively late, are some literati who come here to watch the scenery and drink, and even the frustrated people who take advantage of the scenery to get drunk. Manager Liu's eyes swept away, frowned slightly, and turned to the two very arrogant maids: "Please come up, Miss." Then he immediately instructed the shopkeeper and said, "Please let the master of your shop work a little, my young lady has a light taste, please pay attention." ”

The shopkeeper was busy responding, and immediately asked Xiao Er to go to the kitchen to instruct. The origin of this line of distinguished guests is probably too big for him to imagine.

A maid named Sisi opened the curtain, and one of the guards held down the wheels of the carriage with one hand, preventing the carriage from moving. Subsequently, this much-anticipated young lady finally appeared. The young lady looked to be only twelve or thirteen years old, dressed in a moon-white silk shirt, and did not look at all opulent, and seemed to be a little more modest than her two maids in goose-yellow maid costumes. But she has a faint smile on her face, which makes people feel like a spring breeze, although her face is pale, and she shows a bit of weakness between lines and stops, but it seems to have a brilliance that cannot be blasphemed. And this young lady is indeed a little too weak. Now at the turn of spring and summer, the weather is already a little hot, but this young lady's face is still so pale, so pale that it makes people feel a little heartache.

As soon as the young lady appeared, the guards who had already taken their seats on the ground floor stood up suddenly, bowing their heads slightly in unison. It wasn't until the young lady went upstairs with the help of the two maids that they each sat down, and then began to enjoy the fine beef and the light rice wine piled up on the table.

Seeing that there was only one pair of dishes and chopsticks on the table, the young lady smiled slightly, and said to Mr. Liu: "Uncle Liu, let's sit down and eat something together, and I want you to make tea for me." ”

Manager Liu bowed slightly, although his face was full of loving expressions, he didn't dare to detract from the respect in his tone: "Yes." Manager Liu responded, and after the young lady sat down, he sat on one side, opened the tea set, and poured out a pot of fragrant tea.

After a while, those well-known dim sum, whitebait soup and other side dishes and snacks from Wangjiang Tower were delivered. Under the deliberate instructions of the shopkeeper, this table is probably the most attentive work of the master this year. The young lady tasted it once, and was obviously extremely satisfied with these meals, and gave Mr. Liu a few pastries. Looking at this young lady's gentle nature, it seems that she enjoys this life of watching the scenery and tasting tea and enjoying exquisite meals without restraint. On the contrary, it was Mr. Liu, who seemed to be a little wary of his young lady's courtesy.

The shopkeeper also had to greet other guests, and seeing that this young lady and Mr. Liu were quite happy, they retired, and only let the little two who greeted the guests in the elegant seat on the second floor pay more attention to them. Not only for the ingot of gold that was stuffed in his hand before, but also because the richness and extravagance of this group of people but never arrogant look is really impressive.

Looking from the Wangjiang Tower, the open water potential of the Luojiang River is in full view.

Yicheng is close to the sea and is already the mouth of the Luojiang River. The Luojiang River Delta divides the Luojiang River into several tributaries to join the sea from several directions, and Yicheng is on the south bank of the main Luojiang estuary, guarding the Luojiang River as the waterway transportation center of Dongping, and looking at the broader sea frontier outside Zhenhai Bay and Zhenhai Bay.