After leaving the study, Gu Yongyuan was a little confused. He didn't go to drink with Jie Beizi to entertain Ruici. These days, he has been discussing things with the prince, hoping that the prince can say good things to him in the emperor and let him go to the side for business. But every time this topic is mentioned, the prince will avoid talking about it, and earnestly admonish: "If you have this intention, you should be diligent in admonishing the emperor, and you can share the emperor's worries inside and outside the capital." ” ”

Obviously, neither the prince nor his wife wanted him to leave Beijing. Just chatted with the prince in the study, Gu Yongyuan was even more annoyed.

Follow the cobblestone path, enter the Hui Garden, and walk towards Chu Feng Tower. Huiyuan is full of green trees, gurgling water, and small bridges are flowing water. Spring is bright and quiet.

"Little Lord." Behind the rockery, a timid voice called out to Gu Yongyuan, and then a slender figure emerged.

Gu Yongyuan raised his head, a little surprised. It is the Zhao family, one of the princesses. Beside her, there was also a young maid in a green dress.

"Dear aunt." Gu Yongyuan saluted respectfully.

Zhao is in his thirties and is naturally beautiful. She wore a pale green gauze dress with scattered flowers that accentuated her charm. She is a native of Jizhou, Tianjin, and was originally bought by the government as a maid. After spending the night with the prince, he accepted her as a concubine on a whim. However, this arrangement is very cautious in the palace. They assigned her several maids, but she never officially entered the family. Moreover, her status as a concubine is informal, and her status is not even a maidservant. After a few days of warmth, the prince lost interest in her. Over the years, Zhao has been walking cautiously in the mansion, walking on thin ice. Although her status is slightly higher than that of ordinary maids, her situation is much more dangerous. Even compared to the attendants beside the main lady and the deputy lady, she didn't dare to offend. She was always worried that she would fall out of favor with a lady, and that the unhappy lady would whisper a few words in the prince's ear and send her away. Over the years, the prince rarely visited her bedchamber.

Facing Gu Yongyuan, the treasure of the prince, and the little young master of the entire palace, the Zhao family was even more restrained. She curtsy politely, her eyes slightly reddened though she was silent.

"Auntie, do you need anything?" Gu Yongyuan's attitude towards the Zhao family is indeed quite friendly. Although he does not have a strong sense of equality, he knows that she is often treated unfairly. On holidays and special occasions, he would give her generous gifts.

Before Zhao could speak, tears had already flowed down his face, dripping like pearls.

Gu Yongyuan felt helpless. Even if he doesn't mind, the power of gossip is enormous. The princess cried in front of him, and it was easy to cause a scandal.

"Auntie, if you have been wronged, I will tell my father." Gu Yongyuan was in a hurry to leave. He doesn't really like dealing with crying women.

"No, please, Lord. The Lord will punish me severely. Zhao's face turned pale with fright.

After thinking about it, Gu Yongyuan persuaded: "Auntie, you go back to your bedroom first, I will let the concubine go to see you later, if you have any concerns, you can share them with her." Having Miaoqing by her side is actually beneficial in some ways.

With tears in his eyes, Zhao nodded hesitantly and said, "Auntie is waiting for the little lady to come." Miao Qing, the future lady of the lord, has a status far superior to that of the Zhao family.

...

Gu Yongyuan will not go back on his promise to the Zhao family. He understood that she had mustered up a lot of courage to ask him for help, and that her request might have come after considerable inner turmoil and pain. That night, Gu Yongyuan sent Miaoqing to Zhao's room in Xichun Garden. Miaoqing was very obedient, and according to Gu Yongyuan's instructions, she went to Zhao's residence without making a fuss.

And Miao Qing did not disappoint. After returning, she told Gu Yongyuan in detail about the situation of the Zhao family. It turned out that Zhao's maiden family was in trouble.

There is a famous family in Jizhou, surnamed Shi. They are known as the Three Heroes of the Shi Family. The eldest son was a successful businessman with a lot of wealth. The second son was highly educated and served as an official under a powerful frontier taishou. The third son had a smooth career and became a Taoist priest in a southern province.

Zhao's maiden home is on the same street as the Shi family. However, earlier that year, the Shi family had begun to expand the mansion and planned to build a large mansion covering an area of hundreds of acres. Due to the influence of the Shi family, some surrounding families either succumbed to power or were tempted by money and sold their property to the Shi family. In the end, only two or three families, including Zhao's mother's family, were unwilling to give up their ancestral home.

Zhao's grandmother was very superstitious, and there was a locust tree in the courtyard of the Zhao family. The old lady firmly believes that this tree holds the feng shui of the Zhao family. If this feng shui tree is cut down, the entire Zhao family will be wiped out, and it may even lead to the demise of the entire Zhao family.

As a result, the Zhao family refused to sell the property to the Shi family, and a dispute arose between the two parties. Eventually, a physical altercation broke out between the two sides, resulting in serious injuries to the two sons of the Zhao family. The eldest son was beaten badly and is still bedridden and spitting blood from his mouth.

However, Mrs. Zhao didn't know at all that her granddaughter was the concubine of the prince's mansion. In her heart, the Zhao family is just a maid. But then again, even if they knew, what could they change? A maid in the prince's mansion, once put into the people, will still make people feel frightened. Out of concern, the old lady asked someone to write a letter to Zhao, writing a heart-wrenching scene. The letter urged the Zhao family to find a way to persuade the Shi family to buy their property, and asked the Shi family for leniency, hoping that they would forgive their past mistakes.

Miaoqing also brought a letter from Mrs. Zhao. Gu Yongyuan read it again, his brows furrowed slightly. It seems that the strength of the Shi family has frightened the old lady, and she just wants to solve this matter as soon as possible.

Gu Yongyuan couldn't help but be a little surprised that the Zhao clan was so timid. She didn't even dare to mention her status in the prince's mansion to her family. But after thinking about it, Gu Yongyuan understood a little. The Zhao family must have the confidence to stand up against the Shi family because of the relationship between the Zhao family and the prince's mansion. If she had revealed her identity as Princess Yong, I don't know how her relatives would react. In the local society, these relatives can become domineering.

Moreover, if something happens to the Zhao family, the Zhao family knows that she may not live long in the prince's mansion. She is now living comfortably in the prince's mansion, just because those who compete for the favor of the princess no longer bother her, and they no longer have an excuse to speak ill of her in front of the prince.

As a result, Zhao was more cautious and kept her mouth shut in front of her family, lest they inadvertently hurt her again. In the eyes of her family, she was just a maid bought by the prince's mansion. That's why she hasn't been able to visit her family for years, even though she'd love to. After all, she needs to be pampered by her master.

Knowing Zhao's character, she usually lives a frugal life. She must have sent some help to her family, though not in large quantities.

Gu Yongyuan couldn't help but shake his head as he read the letter. The old lady was already frightened. It can be seen that the arrogance of the Shi family has reached an astonishing level. It is almost impossible for the Zhao family not to mention the identity of the Zhao family's "maid of Yongwangfu". It seems that the Shi family either doesn't believe it, or they are used to being domineering, and they don't care much about the flowers and plants of the Beijing family.

Playing the card of "Yongwangfu Maid", the treatment of the Zhao family is so poor, which shows the tyranny of Jizhou.

On the east side of the fourth archway, the elegant Linchun Tea House, a three-story small building, beautifully decorated, embroidered curtains, well-dressed diners are endless, Gu Yongyuan is sitting in the luxury box on the second floor, drinking tea. While listening to the middle-aged man on the other side talk about the situation of building a factory in Shanghai.

There was an old scholar sitting next to him, who came with a middle-aged man. His name is Sun Jinyu. He was a prominent businessman in the town of Shanghai and the owner of Yifu Xiang Bank. In the chaos caused by the uprising of the Wind Sword Society, Yifuxiang suffered heavy losses, and his assets were almost wiped out.

At that time, many businessmen valued reputation more than life. Decades later, Beijing Siheng Bank was severely affected by the invasion of the Eight-Nation Alliance and was forced to close down, but it still continued to exchange paper money for silver coins to fulfill its promises. This practice has been going on for more than a decade, highlighting the importance of maintaining a good reputation.

Sun Jinyu has faced a similar situation. After the Qing army regained Shanghai, he used all his remaining property to repay the expenses of his customers and redeemed worthless paper money. Now he finds himself destitute and saddled with huge debts. In order to earn a living, he had to enter the concession, where he met an old scholar by chance.

After listening to the old scholar talk about Sun Jinyu's situation, Gu Yongyuan found that he liked his character quite a lot. Subsequently, listening to Sun Jinyu's detailed account of the preparations of the canning factory and the glass factory, Gu Yongyuan nodded in agreement. As an enlightened businessman, Sun Jinyu's abilities even surpass those of old scholars.

Finding Sun Jinyu for help, the old scholar breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had some insight into things such as Wang Yuanqing's expedition to the border to raise funds and the support of the local gentry, he knew that he was not suitable for business.

"Sun Jinyu, it is inconvenient to communicate with letters, if you can make decisions in the future, you can rest assured, I believe in you!" Gu Yongyuan said with a smile while fanning the wind with a folding fan.

"Gu Shao, rest assured, Western technology, Western factories, if you think we can't make money on the beach in Shanghai, then I, Sun Jinyu, will fail Mr.! But ......" Sun Jinyu hesitated. A while.

Gu Yongyuan smiled and said, "You're welcome here, just say it directly, I don't like to beat around the bush." ”

Sun Jinyu hesitated for a moment and said, "However, Gu Shao, I feel that you have invested a considerable amount of money in these two things, it seems that uh, maybe it is not very wise......"

Gu Yongyuan laughed and said, "It's not wise, right? Stupid, right? I like your straightforwardness more and more, people say that there is a fate between people, and I think we are quite compatible. ”

Seeing that the young master was so happy, even the old scholar couldn't help but laugh. It is rare for someone to be so valued by the young master.

Gu Yongyuan took a sip of tea and said: "You just concentrate on it, we are not for money, as for the factory, we don't need to calculate profits, we can do it if we can make it bigger." ”

Although Sun Jinyu didn't spend much time with Gu Yongyuan, he could feel that this master was not just a wasted rich kid. His vision may be broader than his own. It seems that his previous worries were unnecessary, worried that the boss knew little about the business and blindly accepted foreign concepts. That's why he spent a lot of money to build these two factories.

"Boss, you are really open-minded, I am relieved." Sun Jinyu found that she was becoming more and more respectful to Gu Yongyuan.

When the old scholar introduced Gu Yongyuan, he did not mention the identity of the master. Ignoring the rule that members of the royal family cannot do business, with the status of a young master and the status of a nobleman, how could he easily disclose such information to others?

Gu Yongyuan looked at the old scholar and said with a smile: "You came at the right time, if you are late, I will go directly to Zhigu, it may take three or four days to come back." ”

The old scholar was stunned for a moment and said worriedly: "This ...... May not be a good fit. Members of the royal family cannot leave Beijing without a valid reason.

Gu Yongyuan smiled: "It's okay, I understand your worries, but don't worry, I've already controlled it." Come, let's have some tea. This Linchun teahouse is not deceiving, they say that the tea used here is picked from the top of Shifeng Mountain, I believe it will not disappoint, and even looks a little mysterious. As he spoke, he picked up his teacup and smiled at the two of them.

…… In Jixian County, a quiet county in Tianjin, the town is strategically located at the crossroads of north-south travelers. The area is dotted with numerous shops, making it a thriving center for trade and commerce.

At the west end of South Street, next to the Chuyun archway, there was an eerie atmosphere in the courtyard of the Zhao family, and in the past few days, there were intermittent cries.

However, the neighbors kept the door closed tightly and did not dare to look out. Just when a group of vicious men broke into the Zhao family's compound, several women who were chatting under the archway hurriedly dispersed, hurried home, and locked the doors and windows. They pretend they didn't hear anything, they didn't see anything.

"What are you doing here?" Seeing the menacing people breaking into the courtyard, Zhao's second son plucked up the courage to ask, but was kicked down. Since the day Zhao's eldest son was beaten and coughed up blood, Zhao's second son has been panicking and dare not fight back.

"Woohoo." There was a little girl of seven or eight years old standing by the courtyard, who suddenly trembled with fright, her eyes widened, and her face was full of horror. She grabbed a string of sugar gourds, fell to the ground with a "bang", and then burst into tears. She is the daughter of the second son of the Zhao family, named Ling'er.

The group carried a long saw into the courtyard. Two people stood in front and two people stood in the back, both holding saws and sawing at the ancient locust trees in the yard.

"Don't cry!" A burly man who was urging others to work turned his head to look at the little girl, his face distorted and his expression fierce. "You cry again! If you cry again, I'll sell you to the pottery kiln!" ”

The girl cried even louder. Dahan strode over, although Zhao Ergongzi had already pretended to be dead on the ground, he still couldn't bear to continue. It was his own daughter, after all. Although he usually criticizes her for being troublesome, he will not be ruthless enough to watch her being bullied without taking any action.

What's more, this menacing man is known to everyone in Jixian County. He is the Gao Jie of the Shi family, known for his violent protection of family property. He has a reputation for ruthlessness, and is rumored to have been a notorious river pirate in the past.

Zhao's second son stood up and protected his daughter behind him. He turned around and scolded, "Get back to me!" Got in trouble here? ”

"Ahh Zhao's second son was kicked in the abdomen by the gangsters, and he squatted on the ground holding his stomach in pain.

"Amma, Amma." Ling'er hugged his arm and cried bitterly. But the whole courtyard seemed empty, and no one else came out.

Zhao's eldest son is still recuperating at home after coughing up blood, and the whole family is focused on taking care of him. The old lady was so angry that she had angina pectoris, and she was also sent to her eldest son's house to recuperate. Only Zhao Erzi and Ling'er were left to guard the old house.

"Damn, I'm going to make you stop crying!" The menacing Gao Jie was annoyed by Ling'er's cry, reached out and grabbed the little girl by the collar, wanting to throw her out.

"Tsk! Who's this? What a majesty! Suddenly, a mocking voice sounded, and a slender figure walked in through the gate. His teeth were yellow, his face was smirking, and he walked staggeringly, exuding an air of arrogance.

"Who are you, don't be nosy!" When Gao Jie saw that he didn't know the person who came, he understood that this was probably a troublemaker from out of town who broke into this place to make trouble. He didn't know how to write the word "death".