The moon rises and sets, the moon sets and the sun rises, and the next morning.

The fifth day of the Lunar New Year.

In the north, tens of millions of miles in the south.

The white clouds are still blooming, and the wind is still clear and the sky is still clear.

Six black crows marched together, galloping across the white clouds. The small red eyes are not too bright. The only tenacity is a reflection of everything here. The reflection is re-transformed into a streamer and shattered shadow, and it is walking with the wind. Nine days under the sky, the world is changing. Mountains, forests, rivers, towns, all disappear in an instant...

Fast, fast to the only thought.

South.

south

Datang South, Yueyang.

Yueyang South, Chengnan.

The south of the south of the city, the South Pavilion Garden.

Only five days after the New Year, the spring of Yueyang's three thousand gradually began to fade. The cars and pedestrians, more or less, have taken off their festive red clothes and changed into their daily civilian clothes. Picking up the burden of firewood, rice, oil and salt again, the river flows up and down the streets and alleys, slowly boiling the lives of ordinary people.

At this moment, the beautiful Nanting Pavilion is still a little prosperous.

The elegant gate of the courtyard is still pasted with festive red paper. The red brick wall, the mahogany door, the door is placed with a huge iron and wood plaque, the book South Pavilion Garden, three gold lacquer characters. Two gorgeous big red flowers, hanging heavily on the four corners, swaying flower spikes, spring is still in full swing...

"Big brother... Congratulations. ”

"Congratulations Choi... Congratulations..."

"A small gift is not a tribute, a festive picture... Festive..."

“......”

Under the plaque, along the stone steps, six men with sticks stand up and down on both sides. An endless stream of visitors, with their families, carrying red cloth gifts, entered and exited along the gate. Whether it is a beginner or a person who goes out, the servants who follow behind these visitors will never forget to send a small red envelope to the six men guarding the door...

Without it, the number of etiquette dictates. As the so-called Hades is good, the little ghost is difficult. That's exactly what I'm talking about.

But

The king of Hades in this garden, how can he say that he can see it, so easy to see? At least, none of the people who come here today have ever seen the king of Hades.

Maybe he was too busy, or maybe he was too poor to reach him, the threshold of the top of the business road in the southern region of the Tang Dynasty. All in all, today's visitors didn't even enter the main hall, so they were stopped by several housekeepers in this garden, and then said a few perfunctory words, left a generous gift, and invited them out.

Outside the door...

"I can't even see a big butler..."

"Eh, this year's business is not good..."

A middle-aged businessman, dressed formally, walked out of the gate dejectedly.

"Big brother... Congratulations to Cai... Picture a festive hi. ”

“......”

The family member who followed behind the merchant took out six red envelopes from his sleeve very wisely and distributed them to the six men guarding the door. Moreover, these men were not polite, their faces were not red, their hearts were not beating, and as a matter of course, they reached out and took the red envelopes into their arms. From beginning to end, I didn't even return a smile.

It's arrogant.

However, for the behavior of these doormen, this Ding has obviously been used to it for a long time.

"Master, this year's gift, even Steward Gu doesn't dare to accept it, I think our business in Xiangyang is better, let's rest first. ”

After a smile and a nod, the family member followed the footsteps of the departing merchant and respectfully whispered behind him.

"Xiangyang can't just give up, let's find a way to send this gift again. After I went back, help me talk to Liao's bookkeeper. The old man who walked in front of him said softly.

"Yes, sir, but..."

When the family heard this, he seemed to be still unwilling, and continued: "However, even the Gu steward doesn't dare to accept this gift, and I'm afraid that the ventilation of the Liao account room will not work again." If we stop trading in Xiangyang, we can still protect some losses. Here in Xianyang and Yueyang, we can still do business for the people, so as not to eat the old book. As long as we get through some time, this matter will probably be over..."

"Hmph. ”

Jiading's proposal seems to have angered the businessman. After walking out of the gate of the annex for a distance, he suddenly snorted coldly, stopped, turned his head suddenly, pointed at the nose of the family and scolded: "What do you know! Xiangyang is the foundation of our cloth business! If you want to stop there, I will eat the northwest wind next year?"

“......”

Shang Jia scolded and frightened the family to bow his head and bow his waist silently.

"Huh?"

At this moment, a middle-aged man not far away who was about to get into the carriage and leave was noticed by the scolding here...

Hearing this, he turned his head slightly, and couldn't help but smile: "Yo, isn't this Brother Zheng?"

“......”

When the merchant heard this, he looked at it in a smooth voice.

It's him?

This person is recognized by the merchants. Although it is not familiar, it is also a bit of a transaction. He was in the cloth business, and this man was in the business of dyeing ingredients. Therefore, for a year and a half, there will always be so many handovers and a new face.

He arched his hand, raised a wry smile, and saluted the man back: "Yes, Shopkeeper Chen, it's such a coincidence today, they all touched a piece." ”

"Hehe..."

The man who was called the shopkeeper Chen retracted his calf when he stepped into the carriage, turned sideways to Shang Jia and walked away, and said with a smile as he walked: "It's a coincidence..."

He stopped halfway through his sentence.

He walked in front of the merchant and continued to whisper, "Brother Zheng, it should also be for the group of imperial merchants who offered this year, right?"

“......”

The merchant was slightly surprised, and put away his saluting hands.

The imperial merchants mentioned here are nothing else. It is a procurement document drafted by the Kyoto Ministry of Rites every year, and the procurement content is mostly royal offerings. It stands to reason that the shopkeeper Chen, who is in the dyeing workshop materials business, has nothing to do with this matter. But now he was here and asked the question. This seems to be a little strange...

"Could it be that Shopkeeper Chen is also here for this matter?"

Shopkeeper Chen shook his head: "How can we be involved in these big deals." I'm here for the silkworms in the store this year. ”

The merchant was even more surprised: "Could it be that your store's channel business has also leaked?"

"Hehe... What about us?"

Shopkeeper Chen let out a thick wry smile, and his smile was more ugly than crying. Then, he turned his face sideways again, glanced deeply at the garden gate that was full of visitors, and then said softly: "Including your cloth shop, the four major industries of clothing, food, housing, and transportation in the entire southern region, thousands of branches, large and small, have big leaks!"

"Something happened?"

Shopkeeper Chen nodded meaningfully: "The six masters of the Southern Regions, I'm afraid they will all turn over the account books this year." ”

"Hiss~"

After listening to Shopkeeper Chen's words, Shang Jia unconsciously gasped and rubbed his two well-maintained palms. It's a panic that can't be suppressed...

"Where did you get the news?"

After thinking for a while, Shang Jia said unconfidently: "It can't be that this rumor is wrong, right? Hasn't it been good all these years?

"Hey... Brother Zheng, what you said is bad. ”

Shopkeeper Chen waved his hand, moved his head closer to Shang Jia a little, and said in a lower voice: "This rumor was put by our old man." He's so old that he rarely talks anymore. If you can talk this time, you must have a quasi-letter in the matter. ”

"But that old man Duan who retired from Kyoto a few years ago?" asked Shang Jia.

Shopkeeper Chen, squinting his eyes, nodded affirmatively: "Exactly." ”

“......”

Shang Jia's hands rubbed against each other, and he couldn't help but increase some of his strength. Slightly apprehensive, he asked, "Old Man Duan, how is Gao Jian?"

"Premeditated. ”

As he spoke, Shopkeeper Chen looked around as if he was doing something that didn't seem to be human, and then put one hand on Shang Jia's shoulder, buried his head, and whispered: "This Southern Regions Six family has been premeditated for a long time. At the end of the winter of the previous year, the cloth clothes of the south family broke the cloth and the clothes road, and monopolized the Jiangnan market this year. The Shen family in Xianyang pressed the land price in the southern region and waited for the opportunity to collect idle land in various cities. The big food Guo family encroached on the granaries of the north and south, and it was likely to wait for the harsh winter solstice and shoot a hundred times. And, the Qianli Zhu family is even more ruthless, crazy to carry a hundred beasts and birds to ride..."

At this point, Shopkeeper Chen stopped his mouth and stopped talking.

The businessman who listened carefully was a little absorbed in listening, and couldn't help but ask anxiously: "What about after the crazy beasts and birds ride?"

Shopkeeper Chen raised his other arm, raised it in front of the two of them, and suddenly shook it vigorously!

"When the war starts, the sky-high price will be replenished!"

"Yikes..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shang Jia was startled, his eyes widened, and he hurriedly covered his mouth with both hands to prevent himself from screaming. Although this businessman is a little better than the common people, in the final analysis, he is just a toad who stands taller. This, the things outside the wellhead, revealing a trace, can also scare them half to death.

Seeing Shang Jia's embarrassed appearance, Shopkeeper Chen smiled helplessly, turned his fist into a palm, patted his chest comfortingly, and said: "Brother Zheng, don't be surprised, this is just our old man's blind guess, it can't be true, it can't be true..."

For a while,

The frightened businessman trembled for a while before he slightly let go of his hands covering his mouth.

"That's... That... What about gold and silver?"

Shopkeeper Chen shook his head: "The style of these two families has always been mysterious and domineering, and even our old man doesn't dare to guess what they think. However, judging from their previous methods, the accounts they have to do this time will inevitably be more than several times more terrifying by the other four. ”

"That's... That... They're going to cross the river..."

"Probably...

As long as you don't turn the sky upside down. If you starve for a year or two, you can't die. ”

"What if..."

"What if... I mean, what if... What a surprise?"

"Hehe, then we'll have to move. ”

“......”

Outside the South Pavilion Garden, the two chatted.

Sometimes surprised, sometimes frustrated, and sometimes secretly looking at the courtyard in the distance next to him, chatting intriguably and sneakily.

Fortunately, there were not many passers-by around, and no one noticed what the two were sneaking around. And, the family who was originally standing behind Shang Jia with his waist arched, walked away very interestingly at the beginning of the conversation between the two. Holding a horsewhip, he sat alone in the carriage prepared for the merchant master, patting the horse's legs in every boring way, looking around, and struggling to get through the time.