Chapter 180

Step into the East Wing

Xiao Zhang, who was in charge of the Fulishan Copper Mine in the south, stood there with his hands down, seeing the second master looking at the painting on the bookcase, he poked his head on tiptoe and leaned forward, also wanting to see what kind of painting was placed on the second master's case.

Fifty-nine literature

"Go on, why don't you say it?"

Hearing the second master's cold question, Xiao Zhang came back to his senses and hurriedly straightened up, this time he came back to report to the second master about the Fulishan Copper Mine and the southern business, just finished talking about the copper mine, and was talking about the business in the south, seeing the second master staring at the painting on the bookcase, he stopped unconsciously.

Now when I heard the second master ask, I forgot what I just said for a while, thought about it and said:

"Second master, Mr. Kui asked the slave to report to you, the price of grain in the south has risen sharply these days, many big households in the south of the Yangtze River have asked us to buy grain at a high price, our grain has now nearly tripled, Xiao Kui asked the slave to ask the second master, are we going to sell it immediately"

Xiao Jun pondered for a while and said:

"Tell Xiao Kui, who is sitting in the south, wait and see, and instruct all branches that this year's grain will not be supplied to those big households for the time being, and the supply of the people will be ensured first."

"Second master, there is a lot of rain in Jiangnan this year, the grain is not easy to keep in this season, the cost is frighteningly high, if we only buy it for the people, we will not lose money, but we really can't make a few taels of silver, now the market is so good, it is better to find a few big households to peddle out, just come back some living money, we will put some silk, besides, the copper mine has also begun to ship, all need silver turnover"

"I heard that the rain in Jiangnan has increased in the past month, there is a trend of flooding, it is said that this season, not yet when the green and yellow are not connected, the people still have old grain at home, according to the form of previous years, this time should not rise so fast, these big households must be foreseeing that this year's harvest in Jiangnan is not good, so they buy old grain at a high price, hoarding Juqi, seeking violence, if the rain in Jiangnan continues to increase next month, it is not good, there will be floods, no harvest, then the price of grain will definitely rise wildly, if the grain is in the hands of large households, Let them raise the price of grain, the surname Bai in Jiangnan will be miserable, and the life of the second master will be sad."

"Second master, there is a disaster year, we have the earthquake food of the court, and it is not our businessman's business to help the people, and the second master must not have the kindness of this woman"

"Grain and salt industry since ancient times are related to the stability of the people's life in the industry, at the beginning of the founding of the Great Qi are controlled by the court, when Taizu handed over most of the privileges to the four great families in charge, there is an unwritten rule, in the event of a disaster year, not to arbitrarily raise the price of grain, must ensure the stability of the people, to ensure the stability of the Great Qi, otherwise the court will take back the privileges of the family"

"We are not a family and can not comply with these"

"Fulishan Copper Mine can stand firm so quickly, not only the financial support behind the Xiao family, but more importantly, Concubine Jing mediates from it, and the support of the court, although it is not in the name of the Xiao family, but it is the industry of the Xiao family, this rule cannot be broken, besides, how can I ignore the life and death of the people for the sake of small profits."

"The second master is right, the slave will pass the word to Xiao Kui according to the second master's instructions"

"This year, the rain in the south is heavier than in previous years, send a message to Xiao Kui, let him prepare for flooding as soon as possible, especially in the copper mine, if something happens, let him come to see him"

"When the minion came, Chief Kui had already made arrangements, and the minion went back and immediately passed on your words to him"

"By the way, these days, all the way back from Jiangnan, have you heard any news from the third master?"

"I heard that a few days ago, the third master wanted to break into the Baicao Courtyard, and he was hit by the organ and was a little injured, but fortunately, Ouyang Gongzi, the owner of the Baicao Garden, had no intention of being an enemy of the Xiao family, so he bandaged the third master and sent it out, the slave heard about it, and when he sent someone to find it, the third master had already left, and I heard that he went to Jinyang, and the slave sent someone to hurry up and investigate."

"The third master is fine, if the third master wants to find the god of medicine, he will definitely go to the Yichun Hall branch in various places, I have sent people to the north, and I will go back to the south and let Xiao Kui send more people, I must find the third master and protect him."

"Yes, the slave will arrange it when he goes back"

Xiao Jun nodded. The two talked about some of the silk business in Jiangnan again, and just as they were talking, Xiao Xia came in and said:

"Second master, the eldest lady sent someone to spread the word that the show girl has come to the house and is in the Heart Garden, please ask the second master to come over and talk about it."

Xiao Jun nodded and said:

"Got it, tell Hongzhu to pass the word to the second grandmother, ask her to prepare, go see your cousin"

Xiao Xia hurriedly responded, turned around and walked out of the study, and as soon as he arrived at the door, he was stopped by the second master.

"No need, tell someone to prepare a sedan chair and wait outside the second gate."

Xiao Xia glanced at the second master puzzled, answered, and walked out.

Xiao Zhang listened to the eldest lady's second master, and hurriedly got up to leave, Xiao Jun nodded and said:

"You rest in the house for a day or two, just get up, it's really going to be a flood, Xiao Kui can't be busy over there alone"

"What the second master said is that the slave can't get out of the body, this time it's for the old lady's birthday gift, Mr. Kui sent the servant to come back on a special trip, according to the minion's meaning, the old Taijun's birthday is only over in August, and it's not too late to come back a month late, but Mr. Kui said, for a month, I'm afraid that there will be a disaster in the south, and I can't drag it out, so I sent the slave back as soon as possible, and the slave will set off early tomorrow morning, what else does the second master command?"

"No, it's better to go back early, pay attention to safety along the way"

Xiao Zhang answered and walked out.

Xiao Jun walked out of the south study and came to the courtyard, and was so stabbed by the strong light outside that he couldn't open his eyes, and his eyes narrowed slightly for a while before he got used to it.

looked at the east wing, Zhidong and Zhixia were playing in front of the door, and walked over, he wanted to find Xi'er to meet his cousin in person.

When he came to the door, Zhixia Zhidong looked up and saw the second master coming, and hurriedly knelt on the ground:

"Second Master An"

Xiao Jun motioned for them to get up, and while raising his legs and walking towards the door, Zhidong hurriedly got up and ran to the front of the second master and said:

"The second master stays, and the slave will go back to the second grandmother and come out to greet you."

"Shut up, stand here and don't move"

Xiao Jun saw Zhidong's nervous face, and said secretly: "What is Xi'er doing?" ”

The two maids were so frightened that they stood there.

Entered the door, turned the screen to see, saw Zhichun and Zhixia were sitting there dozing off, so they were not alarmed, gently walked to the north house, picked up the curtain cage, and their eyes lit up, only to see Mengxi wearing goose-yellow lotus cloud clothes, leisurely leaning on the soft collapse in front of the window, holding a book in his left hand and reading a pear in his right hand, eating only pear bones.

Xiao Jun's heart moved, he likes her to be so free and uninhibited, this is her true temperament, she likes to live freely and unrestrained, but she never shows it in front of him, she wears a mask in front of her every day, thinking of this, she doesn't feel a throbbing pain in her heart, at this moment, he wants such a dream stream, and wants to shatter the eternal calmness on her face.

Xiao Jun looked at it for a while, and walked lightly to the soft collapse, Mengxi heard the footsteps, thinking that Zhiqiu had come in, but did not look up, and casually handed over the pear bone in his hand and said:

"Pour a cup of tea"

Xiao Jun was stunned for a moment, the corners of his mouth raised slightly, took the pear bone handed by Mengxi, swept his eyes, didn't know where to throw it, saw the tea and cup on the case, stepped forward, threw the pear bone into the tea tray on the case, poured a cup of tea and brought it over, Mengxi took the tea and drank two sips, handed it over and said:

"Go down"

It seemed that there was a gaze that had been watching her, which made Mengxi feel tense all over, and raised her head sharply, and found that the second master was standing in front of the collapse, holding the cup of tea just now, looking at her with a smile on his face.

Seeing a trace of panic flashing in her eyes when she looked up and saw him, and her slightly flushed face, Xiao Jun didn't feel in a good mood, and finally saw that she was also panicked and shy.

But Mengxi's panic was only for a moment, and in a blink of an eye, she looked calm, only to see her put down the book, get up and leave the soft collapse, stand up straight, and blessed Xiao Jun:

"The second master is safe, the concubine doesn't know that the second master is coming, and she is missing the distance, and the second master forgives the sin"

Mengxi's instantaneous alienation made Xiao Jun's heart twitch, she was finally wary of him, Xiao Jun looked at Mengxi's face that was still slightly red, although he was unhappy because of her alienation, but he didn't want to use his strength to scare this little wife like before.

"What's the matter with the second grandmother?"

Zhiqiu and Zhichun heard a sound in the house, and hurriedly walked in, and when they saw the second master in the house, they were all startled, and they hurriedly knelt on the ground:

"Second master, second master is here, why didn't you let the slave and maid report"

The second master drank all the tea in his hand, put down the teacup and said:

"Get up and wait for the second grandmother to wash up."

Xiao Jun saw Mengxi looking at himself puzzled, and added:

"My cousin came over, and my mother told us to go to the Heart Garden"

After speaking, the second master picked up the book that Mengxi had just put down, sat on the soft couch, looked at it, it turned out to be a book of Great Qi Fangzhi, and said casually:

"Xi'er also likes to read this kind of miscellaneous books, this book is written by Cui Qiong, a famous scholar in the former dynasty, it is said that this Cui Qiong likes to hunt for curiosities since childhood, when he was young, he traveled all over Daqi, he must explore when he heard the danger, and he insisted on writing down his experience and what he saw, and in his later years, he sorted out his own experience and compiled it into three volumes, so that future generations could understand the terroir, geography, and human feelings of my Daqi, this book was a sensation in the previous dynasty, and was praised by many celebrities and righteous people, and even some Jianghu scholars also competed to circulate, and I didn't think that Xi'er also liked it."

Mengxi these days to study the Great Qi Fangzhi, is for this second master to come back, she got the letter of resignation, to go to the mountains and rivers, she in the past two years completely adopted Chairman Mao's original strategy of surrounding the city with the countryside, first in the countryside to establish branches, so that the Yichun Hall formed a prairie fire.

She plans to leave the Xiao Mansion, first of all, inspect her branches one by one, and take a tour of the mountains and rivers, but ancient times are not as convenient as modern times, to travel, what maps, travel manuals are endless, so that you are not afraid to travel all over the world, as long as you can understand foreign languages, in ancient times, it is too difficult to find a book that comprehensively explains the geography of Daqi.

This book was exchanged by Li Du for a cold incense pill, Mengxi couldn't put it down when she saw it, and couldn't wait to study it, she didn't enter outsiders in this house on weekdays, but she didn't expect the second master who had never stepped into her house to suddenly visit, and she didn't have time to put it away, and when she saw the second master asking, she couldn't help but secretly feel empty, she didn't want the second master to guess her heart.