Chapter 359: Visit

In Chen's industrial pedigree, although the profits created by Xingsifang are not very eye-catching, Xingsifang operates pen, ink, paper, inkstone and other study supplies, from the most basic level of the Yamen officials to use the type of consumables type of brushes, the court officials and those illustrious family scribes to create the pen and ink, and even the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of War of those technical officials and officers in the drafting, transcription sketches and other aspects of the specially customized functional pens and supporting ink, Xingsifang will do the business in the field of writing meticulously. The masters of Xingsifang have profound attainments in the framing, restoration and appraisal of calligraphy and painting, and they are the first in Anqing. These businesses have allowed Xingsifang to maintain a very good relationship with those high-ranking officials and nobles.

And the reason why Kong Yan felt that it was inappropriate to show wavering or other attitudes at this time was not because they really had much loyalty to the Chen family who had been controlling them all along. The manipulation of the Chen family is not without problems, at the beginning, these industries under the jurisdiction of the Chen family can indeed be controlled, and they can faithfully fulfill their responsibilities such as servants to the Chen family as investors and masters, but when these industries are passed down from generation to generation in the hands of these domestic servants, they become a century-old store that the family continues to invest time, energy and effort, and it becomes a century-old store linked to it, becoming a leader in the industry, becoming a seemingly first-class business with its own connections and strength, and even entering a higher social class. Although the Chen family's control over these industries has also changed, becoming more humane and more respectful of the choices of each industry, it has never really let go. Kong Yan was naturally not satisfied with the control of the Chen family, even that kind of control and continuous support had brought Xingsifang to this point.

Of course, Xingsifang was a little more well-informed than the other industries controlled by the Chen family, and they knew the true idea of the Chen family's demise and the dynamics of the court situation earlier than those other merchants. When the name Chen Kai first entered Xingsifang again and thought that the Chen family had fallen, and no one had taken over the jurisdiction for a period of time, it meant that he could actually be the best merchant in the community, and the repercussions caused were very big. Many merchants obviously expressed their emotions, and among them, there were naturally people who had already fallen to the Daoming Sect, otherwise, it would be impossible for the people of the Daoming Sect to do such targeted persuasion work for those merchants in the future.

Xing Sifang and Kong Yan are not entirely because it is estimated that this Chen Kai who is still alive, the logical young master of the Chen family. What they really care about is the power of Dongping behind Chen Kai. When Chen Kaifu arrived in Dongping, he became the head of the Third Civil Affairs Department. Kong Yan, who knew this, could naturally feel the taste: Chen Kai was very popular in Yunzhou. What he holds is the supervision power of officials, and for a place like Yunzhou, which has a huge and sophisticated but dynamic bureaucratic system, only with Ye Tao's complete and unreserved trust can he continue to hold this position. And so far, it looks like Chen Kai is doing a good job. Regardless of whether Chen Kai has any thoughts about the Chen family's industry, as long as the Chen family does not die for a day, then the Chen family, as the suzerain of all these industries, is an existence that has to be taken seriously. In these years, everyone still recognizes this. If there is a return to the Chen family, even if it is a little contradictory to the great cause of the country, everyone will generally forgive, understand, and sympathize, but if the Chen family is betrayed, no matter how others praise and reward it, once the matter spreads, there will be no fewer things that poke the backbone.

And Kong Yan didn't figure out what kind of path that Lu Zhen was. To say that he is really a son of a family who came from Zhenzhou, most people don't believe it, he can build a tea shop in a short time, and make the tea shop the first choice for many famous women in Anqing to gather in just one month, which is not something that ordinary people can do. But if you want to say that it is because of the support of Sun Boping, the head of the household, but it is not like it. Although Sun Boping himself has visited Yuanyuan Garden two or three times, Sun Meier has a tendency to take Yuanyuan Garden as his first choice for drinking tea and making friends, but Sun Boping once refused Lu Zhen's free treatment of Sun Boping's family in public, and settled Sun Meier's expenses once. Although Sun Meier did not go to Yuanyuan Garden less because of this, many people know about this matter, and everyone thinks that it seems that Sun Boping and Lu Zhen are not purely the relationship between supporting and being supported, but more like pure merchants and important customers.

However, the paintings that Lu Zhen sent to Xingsifang several times before and after to frame them surprised the craftsmen of Xingsifang. Those paintings of color and ink obviously became popular in recent years, some of them are in the Dongping style, and the new literati painting style made by Dai Qiuyan is a little bit of a new literati painting style. Dai Qiuyan's paintings are rarely circulated outside, but her style is imitated by many people. However, the style can be imitated, but the materials and tools of painting cannot be imitated. Those in Xiling who studied the style of color and ink either went to the high-priced professional paints sold by Ye's workshop in the only shop in Danyang that sold paints and painting tools, or they tried to configure them themselves, and the purity of the pigments was not very good. However, the color ink paintings that Lu Zhen has brought these few times are not only very bright and pure in color, but also the use of color ink is not something that people who try to explore can paint. These paintings, if Lu Zhen is interested in releasing them, will definitely become the object of pursuit by those calligraphy and painting collectors in Anqing. And a person who can have so many fine paintings of such pure "Dongping painting style", how his origin is really worth scrutinizing. Of course, these things are now circulating in Xingsi Fang, and no one has stabbed this kind of thing outside.

And Lu Zhen, this time, said that he had a heavyweight work, and he wanted Kong Yan to look at it and then decide how to frame it. Kong Yan thought about it for a long time and agreed, but on the surface, it was just a normal visit from the famous Lu Zhen to the famous Kong Yan.

This is the first time that Tan Weixin has appeared as Lu Zhen's wife, and those who have secretly seen Tan Weixin go without saying, but Tan Weixin's appearance in the Kong family's mansion is jaw-dropping. Tan Weixin has never been an approachable person, and of course, she has never been a difficult person to get along with. It's just that Tan Weixin, who has been weak for a long time, has been heavily defended for a long time, and naturally has a noble feeling that makes people awe and dare not approach. And the extravagance revealed by Tan Weixin is also mixed with strong intellectual ingredients. Although Kong Yan, who was unsure of the origin of Lu Zhen and his wife, had already brought the younger generations of the family to greet him in the vestibule, the first time he saw Ye Tao and Tan Weixin, Kong Yan still had a feeling of horror. These two people are indeed not very high-profile people, and they are not aggressive, but the kind of calm and solemnity and calmness in them is by no means something that a down-and-out businessman or an ordinary child of a family can have.

"Mr. Lu, what are you talking about?" After welcoming Lu Zhen and his wife into the living room with great politeness, Kong Yan didn't dare to underestimate them anymore. Although the few people standing beside their husband and wife were dressed very plainly, that kind of body and that kind of introverted spirit made several worshippers in the Kong family's mansion very uneasy. Their argument is that they may not be able to beat two people combined...... Who is the person who can have this level of guard?

"Mr. Kong, please take a look." Ye Tao nodded, and it was Guan Huan who was pretending to be a servant and walked into the living room with the paintings in the box, he had just recently come to Anqing to strengthen the defense around Ye Tao and his wife, and at the same time to inform them that various arrangements in other aspects had been basically implemented.

"It's ...... This is ......" When the painting unfolded in front of Kong Yan, Kong Yan could hardly believe his eyes. This is the first time that Xingsifang has received a work with the author's inscription from Lu Zhen.

Kong Yan didn't dare to reach out to touch the words, but instead stood up and instructed the juniors and attendants of the Kong family around him: "Everyone retreat, except for these guests, everyone else will leave the living room." ”

Everyone felt Kong Yan's seriousness, and also understood that the person who came would be extraordinary, so they left without saying a word. After everyone left, Kong Yan asked very carefully, "Mr. Lu...... Who really are you? ”

The work unfolded in front of Kong Yan is a landscape painting of color ink, depicting the place where the grassland and the mountains meet, a happy spring scene. However, the inscription of the painting is Dai Qiuyan, and the painting time is this spring. This work is the first time that Dai Qiuyan's work has appeared in Xiling, and thinking of Dai Qiuyan's identity, this kind of painting is obviously impossible to be outside. Then, the identity of this Lu Zhen is becoming more and more confusing.

"Mr. Kong, here, there are only us and you. If half a word of everything said here is revealed, then the consequences will be very serious. I want you to understand that neither you nor I will like this kind of consequence. Ye Tao said lightly, he rarely uses this kind of naked threatening tone, but it doesn't mean that he is not good at using it.

"The old man understands." Kong Yan didn't have a temper at all, and nodded.

"My surname is Chen, and I am currently in the Northern Xinjiang Economic Strategy Mansion, and the Civil Affairs Bureau is in charge of three departments."

"Chen Kai?" Kong Yan almost screamed in surprise, he suppressed his voice and asked, "Why are you here?" …… Few...... Less proprietors. ”

"Is it you, and the young owners of those other businesses, isn't this still a problem?" Ye Tao smiled faintly. "But don't worry about it, old gentleman. The Chen family has been in business for many years, after all, they know the hard work that you have put in Xingsifang for generations. In fact, in the past, the elders in the family thought less about it, at that time, there were many things in the family, and the personnel were also mixed, and there was indeed not much thought about treating each family differently. God is pitiful, now I am left alone in the Chen family. I had plenty of time to think about these things. Mr. Kong, what do you think now? I'm sure you know what's going on lately. You should also know why our Chen family went to great lengths to build so many industries in the first place. ”