Chapter 139 Showdown
In the warm sunshine, Xi Junyu walked through the courtyard corridor under the eaves. After a short pause, he entered the side room and nodded to the two people inside.
"Shopkeeper Chen, how is the reaction from Rongji?"
The man he called shopkeeper Chen was named Chen Youhe. When Xi Junyu asked, he shook his head: "Rongji" Li’s side still insists on raising the price, and they plan to raise it to 40,000 yuan.”
"That's robbery." Xi Junyu frowned, but because similar bad news has been common in recent times, he didn't show much fluctuation. He just sat down at the table with a gloomy face, " Lu Ji can talk about four liang.”
"I have already said it, but Rongli said that the eldest master is no longer in charge. Once the second young lady comes down, the Su family will be greatly changed and it will be difficult to recover. They are waiting to lose money, so they must pay this price."
"Second Miss won't come down!" Xi Jun Yu paused, "Su Yu won't be so short-sighted. Even if he hangs on, he will help hold the big house there. With the second lady's ability, he will come up again sooner or later!"
His The sentence was decisive, but the room fell silent. I know my own affairs, and the current situation is indeed very bad. The second and third bedrooms are desperately trying to demolish the big house. Even Su Yu seems to be a little unable to do what he wants now. The old man can't suppress so many people. . The voice of the Su Family's Dafang has been affected in the Jiangning area in the past month. The most important thing is that some suppliers or distribution merchants have asked for price increases or profits. Most of them are still dragging their feet. The Su Family is insisting on this. Don't let go, let's wait here and wait there, but in terms of hidden impact, I am afraid it has dragged down Dafang's total profit by 20%. The most terrifying thing is the future development issue.
“Damn...one wrong step, one wrong step...”
Xi Junyu cursed under his breath, then shook his head gloomily and started to deal with some things on the table. Invoices and the like. The two shopkeepers next to him also had gloomy faces, and Chen Youhe also shook his head: "If it weren't for Huang Shang's negligence during that time..."
Several people in the room said nothing further, but everyone knew what this passage was referring to. Recently, a theory has begun to spread within the Su family. It mainly started to rise after a self-examination of the situation in the Minghuang Cloth Workshop during the Huangshang period.
For example, there are many things that a shopkeeper can take charge of by himself, but there are also many things that require a person with overall control. The small workshop responsible for researching new cloth was originally in charge of Su Tan'er personally, and there was no problem. However, after Su Tan'er fell ill, there was negligence on some levels. Now, from the perspective of the shopkeepers of the Su family who have considerable operational experience, if Ning Yi had not been too excited and too drastic in the operation of Minghuangbu during that period, there were many small details problems that should not have arisen in the first place.
If Su Tan'er had personally taken charge of the situation during that time, when they had chosen a radical direction in their publicity strategy, they would have made certain fine-tunings to the small workshop's confidentiality methods to adapt to this kind of situation. direction. But after Ning Yi took charge, he didn't understand these small details after all. The policy in the workshop remained unchanged. Shopkeeper Zhou and Bai had to work hard to keep secrets while cooperating with the high-profile publicity above. A lot of things would always be exposed. Traces, so the Wu family took advantage of these most fundamental strategic levels.
This incident made everyone feel particularly aggrieved when they thought about it. They had done everything well, but in the end they lost to that stupid young man. Experience, all problems lie in experience. No matter which shopkeeper was allowed to take control of the overall situation at that time, I am afraid that such problems would not occur.
Fortunately, that scholar even wrote with great indignation that "Prime Minister Bai knew that he was still pressing his sword", which was embarrassing...
In the past, everyone still ignored Ning Yi a bit, thinking that if he won, it would be nothing to him, and if he lost, there would be nothing he could do. But this statement has only begun to become clear in the past half a month. Therefore, in recent times, the comments against Ning Yi among the Su family have become more intense. Shopkeeper Xi was originally kind to others and excusable, but now he still felt depressed. In the eyes of shopkeeper Chen and others, Xi Junyu's slight gaffe at this time was due to this.
The room was quiet for a while, with the sound of rustling and rustling business. In silence, Xi Junyu looked to the side, and his slightly angry eyes had calmed down.
The preparations are probably almost complete. The clan meeting will start within half a month. By then, Tan'er will be relieved of his position. At that time, it is best to allow such remarks to reach the highest level. If the people from the second and third bedrooms were accusing her like this, it might actually arouse her hostility, but if it was the people around her who were saying this all the time, she would still inevitably express her anger despite her decadence. Human nature is nothing more than this.
After Huang Shang, the Su family exploded, with all kinds of chaos and all kinds of rhetoric. No one knows that these remarks about Ning Yi are all promoted and guided by him behind the scenes. There is no need to ask people to publicize it. Just mention a few words in the conversation on certain occasions that are enough to make people think. , let them think, let them deduce. On the other hand, it increases everyone's feeling of "losing despite doing nothing wrong", and increases the feeling of grievance and depression... From the beginning to the end, he stood by as a rational person and even helped Ning Yi say Of course, these words only had a counterproductive effect in the end.
Everything is laid out very well, he is good at this. The more ideal situation was that Ning Yi finally couldn't help but made several gaffes at home. Unfortunately, the scholar was very tolerant. When faced with various provocations, he knew that excuses were useless, so he didn't say anything, and even pretended to be a fool. He has a laid-back attitude, but it doesn't matter. Now he has begun to hint to the people at home: This guy doesn't feel guilty at all.
He was thinking about this randomly in his mind, and suddenly, Wu Qilong's face flashed through his mind, and he frowned.
"Shopkeeper Chen, what's going on with the Wu family recently? I seem to have heard that there are some problems."
"I'm not sure. I heard that a steward was so busy that he fell ill. Qin Ye, right? , we had an encounter two years ago." Chen Youhe raised his head, "Some people are talking about something like this happening to the Wu family, and it is probably the Xue family who is behind it. The emperor's business is about to deliver the goods, and the Wu family will be busy with Suibu for a while, and the Xue family probably wants to take advantage."
"Oh."
The Su family definitely doesn't like the Wu family at the moment, but as a defeated general who has just been tricked there, they definitely don't like listening to others gossiping about the Wu family all day long. Chen Youhe said casually, and Xi Junyu nodded, and then thought about what could happen to the Wu family... Regardless of it, what is going to happen to the Wu family now is no longer on the same level as the Su family. They will Go farther and farther. Let them do whatever they want. For now, just finish the work by yourself.
All in all everything went well.
He glanced out the window at the afternoon sunshine in the courtyard. The atmosphere was peaceful, but there was a vague feeling of death. There is less than half a month left before the Su family clan meeting, and everything will be settled. These people who belong to the big house are a little decadent at the moment, doing their best in human affairs, and their destiny is unknown. Perhaps he is the only one who can clearly know where he is and what he is doing. He is the only one who has a destination.
So he smiled, as relaxed as the sunshine.
******************
The quiet room in the afternoon seemed a little dark because the doors and windows were closed. The room was filled with the smell of medicine. At this time, in front of the tightly covered hospital bed, the elegant-looking woman was holding a porridge bowl in her hand. She lifted the spoon and blew on it, then brought it to the patient's mouth.
"... The clan meeting... I heard that Grandpa Seven also decided to let me come down. Second uncle finally convinced him... Third uncle has been busy recruiting people. In the past few days, he has been saying that it is a pity that shopkeeper Liao has been sent out... Rong Ji wants to raise the price, and so does Lu Ji. What a hassle. After a while, they will have to go back and forth again... ..."
Feeding the patient spoonfuls of porridge, she slowly talked about things at home. The woman beside the bed actually looked a little tired, but with a faint smile on her lips, she looked tired. , also feeling a little ironic, she reached out and stroked her hair, tilting her head to look at her father on the bed. In fact, I felt a little bit bitter in my heart. Originally, I came here to visit a doctor and didn't want to talk about these troublesome things anymore. But looking back, it seemed that the only communication between father and daughter, apart from those purely for social purposes, was this.
Two and a half months have passed since Su Boyong was assassinated. During this period, Su Boyong has been confirmed to be paralyzed, with no feeling in his legs, and the movement of his left hand has also been affected to a certain extent. Nowadays, my body is still weak, I have to change my dressing every day, and I am unable to get out of bed. My spirit seems to be affected to a certain extent, and I am often in a bad mood. Su Tan'er comes here every day, but this is mostly what father and daughter talk about. Many times when mother and aunt are here, they just say a few greetings. At this time, Su Tan'er was silent for a moment.
“Today on the street, I saw a lot of orange sellers. Dad used to... like to eat it, maybe... Well, there is no wind today. Daddy will see if he can open the windows more... My husband said it would be better to open them. A little, uh... some air convection... and then the sun will come in, and the mood will be better..."
That's all she could find sincere words. When she talked about Ning Yi, she smiled happily Somewhat. Su Boyong nodded there, and then shook his head: "It's better... don't open it, it's cold... I feel cold... Also, Tan'er, what are Li Heng doing recently?"
Su Tan'er smiled slightly: "Don't my husband come to see you every day? Recently, he teaches those children and goes out for a walk every day..." Su Tan'er's smile has actually faded, and she is faint. Talking about Ning Yi’s recent events. In fact, she understood the reason why her father asked these questions. Before, on this hospital bed, her father sighed several times: "I can't see through him." In fact, he was also reminding her.
These things cannot be explained. Su Tan'er is also curious about how powerful her husband is and what he can do, but her father's ideas are different from hers. After chatting for a few more words, she called out the door and asked her father's maid, Xiuhe, to come in, handed her the porridge bowl, and then started to stand up and leave.
In the past month and a half, she had a lot of things to do every day. It was not easy to stabilize the current situation. She also spent a lot of effort, but now she was no longer as helpless as before Huang Shang. Now that I have an idea and start doing things, my mind is actually at peace and my spirit is good, but my body is busy. After going out, Juan'er, who was following, came over to greet her. It could be seen that the young lady's mood was actually not good.
There were places to go and things to do in the afternoon. The master and servant left the yard, but they heard some hurried voices coming from the yard next to them.
“It’s already like this, what are you still thinking about...”
"It's not that simple, sister..."
"I've heard all about it, but this big house doesn't belong to her alone. Everyone will accompany her no matter what she wants to do. It's already like this now. ...The big house belongs to Boyong, you have to help Boyong keep this share... ..."
"I know..."
"If Ning Yi didn't know anything and interfered..."
It's vaguely like this There was chatter, and when two figures appeared at the door over there, they were suddenly stunned. Su Tan'er bowed solemnly: "Er Niang, Uncle Gu..."
"Uh, Tan'er, come here...come and see the master..."
"Second Miss."
The speakers were the second aunt and her younger brother at home, who were also the elders at this time. One of the shopkeepers in the room. After greeting each other awkwardly, the two sides also parted ways. When they reached a place where no one was around, Juaner pursed her lips and said, "Miss, the second lady and shopkeeper Gu are discussing surrender..."
"I I know." Su Tan'er smiled slightly, "They are not the only ones..."
There have been so many things going on in the big house recently, and there are actually a lot of differences within the house. Some people think that Dafang will definitely not be able to win over the head of the family. It is better to stop fighting and preserve some of the interests that originally belong to them. Even if Su Zhongkan or Su Yunfang takes charge of the family in the future, they will not be kicked out. The more we leave behind, the better off everyone will be in the future. The two aunts, and even his own mother, seemed to have this attitude. Of course, if Su Tan'er really wanted to talk openly and honestly, they would probably say "no such thing" and "we women don't care about business."
In another direction, they are actually doing it for Dafang, Su Boyong, and themselves, but they are just a little short-sighted and a bit cold-hearted. At this time, they are thinking about these things with the minds of women who are only used for house fighting. .
"Juan'er, fortunately you were not born into a rich family..."
"Huh?" Juan'er blinked.
"There is no human touch in this family."
Su Tan'er smiled slightly, and Juan'er pursed her lips. As a maid, she couldn't express her opinion on this. The two stopped on the small bridge over the pond near the garden. Su Tan'er looked at the reflection in the water, adjusted her hair, and murmured: "Actually, I don't have much humanity..."
"No, the young lady and my uncle are both very good."
"I can't get close to my father... I just feel wronged. Well, he must have been outside during the day recently."
“Well, there are some people in the family who are very unpleasant to listen to. My uncle is too lazy to argue with them, but he definitely doesn’t like what they hear...Part 1 Ci Chan'er was so angry that she cried. "
Su Tan'er frowned, a sharp look flashed in her eyes. After a long while, she took a deep breath and smiled at Juan'er: "Everyone remembers. Are you down?"
"Uh..." Juaner was stunned for a moment, then lowered her head, "How did the lady know?"
"Because I am a sister."
Su Tan'er said matter-of-factly, Juan'er was a little embarrassed, lowered her head and smiled embarrassedly: "I, Chan'er and I have all written it down. Last time... The first time I secretly recorded names with Chan'er at home, my uncle saw me. "< br>
"Oh? What did your husband say?"
"Say that we are petty."
"Heh." Su Tan'er burst out laughing, then suppressed the smile, "Remember Okay, show me, don’t tell your husband.”
"Yes." Juan'er nodded. Since she had won the gold medal for immunity from death, she then started to complain with a straight face: "Miss, in fact, in the past few days, they have gone too far. Some even asked my uncle to leave Suzhou by himself. The family is leaving... How long do we have to resolve the matter... In fact, my uncle is the most aggrieved. Sometimes At this time, Juan'er couldn't listen anymore..."
"My husband..."
Su Tan'er paused and thought back to what happened in the past two months, especially the emperor. After Shang's annual meeting, his own busyness actually came second to Ning Yi, who was in the midst of everyone's abuse and accusations. Not only Juan'er, Chan'er, and Xing'er couldn't stand it anymore, but she also wanted to stand up and curse every time. Even a few times, Ning Yi patted her on the shoulder and asked her to go back. Only she could feel it clearly. See the power behind every incident, the perseverance and determination behind that casual figure. And every time something like this happened, she felt that she was actually a little sorry for her husband. When I first got married, I thought that these were things that I had to bear, and I tried very hard to do it, but in the end, that figure stood up and blocked it lightly.
"It won't take long, the news has started to be released. If the reaction from the Wu family is normal, it will be almost..." She looked at the surrounding scenery, "The showdown can start in the next few days. ..."
After saying this, I seemed to feel slightly relieved: "It's been such a long two and a half months..." She murmured and sighed, "After it's over, after it's over..." She thought of something in her mind, and a blush suddenly flashed across her face. She lowered her head and looked at the water. He looked at the reflection in the water, then subconsciously raised his hands to comb his hair, and looked sideways at himself in the water. Sure enough, I have to wait until it is over. I am really haggard now, and I am not worthy of him...
She smiled in the water. The woman let go of her hair and moved forward.
"Let's go, get ready for the showdown."
The afternoon light showed the woman's free and confident steps, and the little maid followed happily. This day is the fourteenth day of the tenth month of the lunar calendar in the eighth year of Jinghan. Although the showdown has been decided, after going through some procedures, there will naturally be a few days of waiting. But in fact, in this afternoon, something had already happened. It seemed quite natural, but if you think about it afterwards, it might feel a bit abrupt.
In a teahouse this afternoon, Ning Yi, perhaps out of excitement, casually tied up the thread for a small matter. Of course, this small matter in his opinion, to others, Maybe too big to imagine.
Ning Yi and Wu Qilong met on the street one day earlier. It seemed like an accidental encounter, and both parties seemed to say hello smoothly. In the past month and a half, this may not be the first time they have met, but it is indeed the first time they have said hello. Wu Qilong was chatting about something with a businessman from a cloth shop. When he saw Ning Yi, he arched from a distance. He cupped his hands and said, "Brother Ning, how have you been lately." Ning Yi returned the favor and said, "It's not bad." Then they parted ways. Ning Yi didn't bother to take it to heart at that time.
Then today, after class, he ran to Dongji and bought an old book. This is probably a book brought by Hu Shang from the Western Arab region. It contains many graphics, probably involving knowledge such as alchemy. Ning Yi also bought it casually and decided to find someone to translate it for him. After buying the book, he went to the teahouse to drink tea or something. He also asked the waiter to bring paper and pen. He looked at the graphics and made some guesses. What is the content of this book? This kind of guessing can be regarded as a way to recall past knowledge. While he was immersed in writing and drawing, a figure also walked next to him.
"Brother Ning, what a coincidence, what is this?"
Ning Yi looked up and saw that it was indeed Wu Qilong. He nodded and said hello. Later, Wu Qilong sat down on the other side of the tea table, so Ning Yi introduced him casually.
"It should belong to the Arab region. This is Persian a little further north. I can't understand it, but the graphics seem to be chemical reactions involving several metals... Do you understand chemistry? Well, it's similar to alchemy... "
"Brother Ning is really involved in a wide range of things, uh... chemical reactions of metals?"
"Purification and transformation of metals and the like."
"Oh?" Wu Qilong became serious, "Then... wouldn't it be very useful?"
"Generally speaking, it says The blacksmiths and the like here should have mastered most of the things. It's just that stones from other mountains can be used to attack jade. Their way of thinking is different, which can be used as a reference." Ning Yi raised his head when he said this. Looking at Wu Qilong, "Brother Wu is waiting for someone?"
"Oh, nothing happened. I was just wandering around. I happened to see Brother Ning here, and I was a little curious."
Ning Yi nodded. Wu Qilong nodded without looking away. Wu Qilong smiled, and the two looked at each other for a while. After a while, Ning Yi squinted his eyes, nodded again, and waved to the waiter: "Add a cup."< br>
He lowered his head again and began to draw a figure from the book on the paper. He frowned and thought about it. After the cup came over, he did not look at Wu Qilong and just stretched out his hand: "Brother Wu, please help yourself."
“Thank you.” Wu Qilong poured himself tea with a smile, while Ning Yi was still looking down at the graphics. , sighed softly, as if he heard some of the other answers Wu Qilong just said, so he muttered to himself somewhat suddenly: "Oh, the cloth is starting to fade..."
Wu Qilong's smile He froze there for a moment, and his hand wavered, but he finally held the teapot firmly and put it back gently. He tilted his head and stared at Ning Yi seriously and fiercely, his face twitching slightly. Something came up from the bottom of his heart. It was the feeling that the nightmare had finally turned into reality, and there was also a bit of surprise. In his expectation, these conversations should not be like this, and Ning Yi should not say this in such an understatement. thing.
But in front of his eyes, everything was presented like this. Ning Yi was still lowering his head to write and draw. It seemed that to him, all this was like snacks and snacks in the early winter and summer in front of him. The tea was ordinary, and he just said this sentence in a chatting manner: Oh, the cloth is starting to fade, no wonder you want to sit over.
A very common thing.
"Sure enough...it was you who did it..."
Wu Qilong had to put in a lot of effort to suppress his tone from gritting his teeth or trembling.
In the early winter sunshine, Ning Yi put down his brush, raised his head, and looked at him... ***************
Six Thousand words^_^
(End of this chapter)