Chapter 4895 Offering with both hands
Yin Hongyong was silent.
It sounds very simple. The Yin family is a relative of the emperor. Concubine Yin De gave birth to King Qi Li You and was favored by Emperor Taizong the most. Now that Li Chengqian has ascended the throne, he has forgotten the mistakes Li You made before and treated Concubine Yin De the same way. Respect is as usual, the Yin family's position in Guzang is very stable, even Cheng Yaojin has to give the Yin family some face.
It is not difficult for a caravan to pass through the checkpoint smoothly without being searched and exploited by the garrison.
However, An Yongda came to the house in such a disguise and acted so solemnly, which shows that this matter is definitely not as simple as it seems.
After thinking about it, Yin Hongyong did not reply directly, but asked: "Is there something wrong with this batch of goods, or is there something wrong with the entire caravan?"
Being able to be left by the Yin family in their ancestral home to take care of the family business, Yin Hongyong is naturally not a stupid person. Even though he is not as smooth and resourceful as his brother Yin Hongzhi, he is also quick in mind.
An's current situation and danger are limited to Fanhe, who is staring at Cheng Yaojin, and may be destroyed in an instant. An family naturally refuses to sit still and wait for death, and will definitely find a way to save herself. At this critical moment, as An family's second-in-command, she escorts the goods to Chang'an, and her purpose is almost obvious...
An Yongda didn't hide anything, and he couldn't hide it even if he wanted to. He frankly told the results of An's discussion: "When An's life or death comes, please ask my brother to lend a helping hand."
Yin Hongyong weighed the options, and after a moment he sighed: "It's not that my foolish brother didn't remember the past friendship and just stood by, it's actually that my brother also made a mistake when the King of Jin launched an army and was brutally murdered. Even though Your Majesty cares about the brotherhood and cannot bear to scold His Highness the King of Qi, But the entire Yin family suffered because of this Warning. Cheng Yaojin is an honorable minister of Zhenguan and has a bad temper. When he first joined Guzang, he was arrogant and disdainful of our Guzang family and strictly controlled business. At this time, if I can protect your caravan through the pass, I will not be able to do it. It will have the opposite effect.”
An Yongda felt a chill in his heart. How could he not hear the shirk in Yin Hongyong's words?
It's just that An's family is at the end of her rope at this moment, so she can only pretend to be ignorant and ask for help shamelessly.
"You and I have lived in Guzang for a long time. We have worked side by side for generations, and there is no distinction between us. This friendship should be passed down from generation to generation. Back then, the Yin family was convicted by Emperor Gaozu. If my father had not begged Gaozu so hard and How can the Yin family survive today if they use their wealth and life as a guarantee? The younger brother said this not to repay a favor, but to hope that this time he will get help from his elder brother and the two families will be friendly for generations. "
Yin Hongyong was silent.
There is certainly a friendship between the two families, and the Yin family did receive the favor from An Xinggui back then, but all this is nothing compared to the family's future.
If the An family is wiped out from now on, what is the use of so-called friendship? Even helping at this moment may endanger oneself.
However, Yin Hongyong felt that An's family might not be in doom. Although it was not known what the goods An Yongda asked him to cover for crossing the customs, it was probably just money and silk, so he went to Chang'an to beg An's old friends for help.
An's crime did not reach the level of "genocide". An Yuanshou only needs to bear the responsibility. His Majesty must have shown mercy to others and would not kill them all...
If so, the An family would be most grateful for providing help in times of need at this time.
Even if An Yuanshou died to apologize, the behemoth An family still plays an important role in Hexi...
"It doesn't matter, as the good brother said, our two aristocratic families are on good terms. Now the An family is in imminent danger. How can the foolish brother stand by and turn a blind eye? Even if he takes the risk, he must help the good brother."
"My brother is so kind and my brother is so grateful!"
An Yongda was overjoyed.
Yin Hongyong waved his hands and said: "There is no need to say more words of thanks. It's just that Brother Yu also said it first. Although he tried his best, he can't guarantee that he will pass the customs smoothly. Cheng Yaojin has the final say in Guzang City now. What if that happens? The devil incarnates, and I am helpless.”
An Yongda said: "Brother, don't worry, I have prepared two more generous gifts, one to thank my brother for helping me, and one to give to Cheng Yaojin to buy him some face. Empress De Fei is now a concubine, and Prince Qi His Highness is deeply favored by His Majesty. I think no matter how hard Cheng Yaojin comes, he will not deny the Yin family this face.”
"Okay, brother Yu, do your best."
Yin Hongyong couldn't resist, so he agreed: "I wonder when the caravan will arrive?"
"We will arrive at the checkpoint outside Guzang City early tomorrow morning."
"Then you prepare the gifts, and I will go to see Cheng Yaojin."
"Thank you, brother!"
……
An Yongda immediately sent people out of the city and delivered the gifts he had prepared in advance into the city and handed them over to Yin Hongyong. Yin Hongyong asked An Yongda to wait at his house and took the gifts straight to Qianguang, where Cheng Yaojin was stationed. temple.
Liangzhou is the capital of Hexi, and Guzang is the administrative seat of Liangzhou. The so-called "famous prefectures of the Han and Wei dynasties, the capital of the Four Liangs" bring the countries of Xibo and Congyou to the frontier. Business and travel exchanges are endless. There is a saying between cities and towns: "Guzang" "There are one hundred thousand families in Zang Qili", which means that the aunt There are seven other small towns in Zang City, which were built in different periods. Their functions are now similar to those of Chang'an Zhifang City. In case of war, these small towns closed their gates to form independent military fortresses to resist foreign invasion.
The Qianguang Hall was built by Zhang Jun, the monarch of the former Liang Dynasty. It is said that it was "painted with five colors and decorated with gold and jade, which was extremely skillful". There is an accompanying hall on each side, the east is called Yiyang Qingdian, which is the spring palace; the south is called Zhuyang. The Red Hall is the Summer Palace; the Zhengxing White Hall in the west is the Autumn Palace; the Xuanwu Black Hall in the north is the Winter Palace.
The entire building was built according to Kyoto standards "to be designed for kings". It is magnificent and famous all over the world.
It's just that it has been through many wars for a long time and was severely damaged. Although it has been repaired in the past dynasties, it cannot stop the trend of decay.
Yin Hongyong arrived at Qianguang Hall to ask for an audience with Cheng Yaojin. After the soldiers were informed, he led the way to meet him, only to find that Cheng Yaojin did not live in Qianguang Hall, but in an ordinary building complex in the city...
Although Guzang City is majestic and vast, the influx of tens of thousands of Zuowu guards flooded the inside and outside with almost no room for luxury. Unlike when the An family was stationed, a large number of troops were stationed outside the city. Cheng Yaojin, who needed to strictly guard against the An family, could not Without placing a large number of troops in the city, this resulted in military camps almost everywhere within the besieged city. These military camps were connected to each other, and obstacles such as horseback horses were placed around them. There was a post every three steps and a sentry every five steps. The whole city was filled with murderous intent.
After being introduced to the building where the Chinese army was located, Yin Hongyong saw Cheng Yaojin sitting behind the desk dealing with official documents with a big horse and a golden sword, and he hurried forward to greet him.
Cheng Yaojin didn't put on any airs. He walked out from behind the desk and invited Yin Hongyong to sit by the stove and asked his soldiers to bring him tea.
Taking a sip of tea, Yin Hongyong praised: "Good tea! This kind of tea is worth gold in Hexi and is priceless in the market. It is really rare to have the opportunity to drink it."
Cheng Yaojin glanced at him and said with a smile: "Should I say, 'I still have some here, give you some to taste'? Sorry, it's not that I can't say it, but I don't have it either."
Yin Hongyong: "..."
Although the two knew each other, they were not familiar with each other. Yin Hongyong did not expect that this "devil king" would have such a style, which was difficult to resist...
Cheng Yaojin went straight to the point: "Tell me, what's the matter with you? For the sake of Concubine De and Prince Qi, I will definitely do whatever I can, but if the matter is too difficult, don't force it on others. Don’t open your mouth.”
Whether it is Concubine Yin De or King Qi, they must have some face in front of Cheng Yaojin, but not much.
Yin Hongyong smiled, took another sip of tea, and said, "I heard that Duke Lu also has several tea gardens in the south of the Yangtze River? But I don't know what the quality of the tea is and how much the output is?"
Cheng Yaojin raised his thick eyebrows: "I'm a straightforward person, but I don't have a big brain. I'm most impatient with those nonsense talk, and I always feel like there's a trap. So you don't have to beat around the bush. If you have anything to say, it's okay to speak out. It can be done. If you can’t do it, get out.”
Yin Hongyong: "..."
He was considered to be experienced and well-informed, but he really lacked experience in dealing with people like Cheng Yaojin. He was choked and stunned for a moment, which was very uncomfortable.
Taking a deep breath, with a smile on his face, he pointed to the tea cup and said: "I have a big gift for Duke Lu, but how about asking Duke Lu to give the Yin family a certain tea quota every year?"
Today, the origin of Longjing tea has spread from Qiantang to the outside world. Almost all the places in the south of the Yangtze River that are suitable for planting tea trees have been planted. Some tea-frying methods have also been developed. Although the quality of the tea has declined, it is still indispensable. Even if the production volume increases sharply, the supply is still in short supply.
The top-grade tea was almost bought out by the powerful people of Chang'an, and the second-grade tea was also controlled by aristocratic families. It was difficult for even the inferior tea to leave the prosperous area of the Tang Dynasty.
In Hexi, Longjing tea of any grade is in short supply. Hexi is the choke point of the Silk Road. It has been a prosperous place where wealth has gathered since ancient times. There are countless wealthy merchants, especially some Hu leaders. It is a wealthy party. If there is a stable supply channel of tea, it can be regarded as an almost inexhaustible cornucopia.
Cheng Yaojin stroked his beard and stared at Yin Hongyong doubtfully for a while, then nodded and said, "It's not difficult to get some tea, but it depends on whether the gift you gave me is of sufficient weight. You have to know that I have very high standards.”
"Who in the world doesn't know that Lu Guogong is not only invincible on the battlefield and invincible in battles, but also has the ability to amass wealth and wealth as a business manager. His family has vast buildings and vast hectares of fertile land? If it were an ordinary object, naturally he would not dare to put it in your hands. Show your embarrassment in front of others.”
"Oh? I'm very curious about what you said. Don't hide it, tell me."
"This..."
Yin Hongyong hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice: "It's just that Duke Lu needs to keep this a secret for me. You can accept the gift, but it must not be known to outsiders afterwards." "Haha," Cheng Yaojin's interest He was intrigued and asked curiously: "Why, do you still need me to get this gift by myself?"