Chapter 147 Intertwined
The sunset is fading, lanterns one after another, tables one after another, and many people. It was dinner time, just like the large-scale banquet where relatives and friends of the Su family gather around New Year's Eve every year. The number of participants was still the same, but the atmosphere today was a little different.
There is a lot of people, and the excitement is still lively after all, but there is no such thing as the past, where people are drinking, laughing and laughing without any burden. People in the big, second, and third rooms have their own invisible areas. Only the most heartless people could eat and drink as much as they wanted with wine bottles - everyone was laughing and talking, greeting each other with everyone they knew, but not many people drank. Under this lively appearance, people from all sides are sizing each other up, speculating on each other, and there is a surging undercurrent and a slightly tense atmosphere.
Su Yu sat on top of the chief, watching all this quietly. His eyes swept across the second and third bedrooms. When he turned to the big room, he could clearly detect the decadence and quietness that seemed to be mixed here. Only Su Yunsong and a few others were laughing and activating the atmosphere. Su Tan'er and Ning Yi sat eating and talking quietly. The two of them were also quiet. Su Tan'er had a calm expression and occasionally glanced around. A glance, but the attention during the chat still stayed on Ning Yi.
Su Yu kept his eyes on Ning Yi for a moment, and then someone came over with a wine glass. It was Xi Anzhi, the shopkeeper of the second room. The old man smiled, looked back, nodded to him and spoke.
This dinner was not long.
After you’re probably full, it’s time to disperse. There were no solemn ceremonies or symbolic speeches here. Everyone already knew what was going to happen next, but they still asked several stewards to notify the members who were going to attend the clan meeting one by one. There was a bit of chaos in the banquet venue. Some people got up first and started to go to the meeting hall next to the ancestral hall. The crowd was talking in twos and threes, and it seemed to be a bit chaotic for a while. He stood up and looked for someone in the scattered crowd, giving some instructions.
There are about fifty people who can participate in this clan meeting. The rest of the people attending the dinner are mostly family members, or the shopkeepers and managers of Su Mansion. Even if they cannot attend, most of these people will be nearby. Wait for news in the square or garden. Turning around the eaves in front, the lights extended around the small square of Su Mansion. Su Boyong was pushed forward in a wheelchair among the crowd. A little behind, Su Tan'er and Ning Yi were also going there.
"My husband...will you feel a little bored tonight?"
"No."
"But..." Su Tan'er lowered her head, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just smiled. In the night wind, she quietly reached out and grabbed Ning Yi's sleeve. The couple looked intimate side by side. Move forward. After a while, Su Tan'er shook her arm childishly and shook Ning Yi's hand several times. At this time, as if he remembered something, he turned his head and looked aside, and his eyes began to calm down.
Xi Junyu was also talking to a shopkeeper in the crowd, and occasionally looked over at Su Tan'er. He was actually talking about his worries about tonight and his stance after tonight. After walking about half of the square, a man came from the crowd and greeted him with a smile. This was guard Geng, one of the most trustworthy people in the big house.
"Miss Xi has arranged some things tonight. I would like to ask Shopkeeper Xi to go out with me around a quarter of a second. This matter is important and there is still about half an hour left. If Shopkeeper Xi has something at hand, please arrange it first. Tonight I'm afraid I'll be busy until late."
Going to the side, Guard Geng whispered.
"Is it important?" Xi Junyu frowned, "What is going on tonight...?"
"It's hard to say for the time being. Anyway, it's arranged by the young lady."
Xi Junyu thought for a while and said with a smile on his face: "Will things turn around?"
"It's hard to say. Shopkeeper Xi will tell me when the time comes. You will know if you go together..."< br>
"Oh, okay."
Xi Junyu nodded, and when he looked towards Su Tan'er, he saw that Su Tan'er had left Ning Yi's side and was leaning over Father's wheelchair was saying something. Seeing his gaze, he smiled slightly and nodded towards him and Guard Geng. Then Su Boyong also turned his head and nodded slightly towards this side.
So Xi Junyu smiled and nodded in response.
At this time, the two sides were already far apart. When he saw Su Tan'er turning around and walking towards the ancestral hall, he remembered that he should have gone over to say a few words of comfort for what happened tonight. , but... well, let's talk about it when we get back.
He walked toward the crowd whose backs disappeared from sight.
However, is there still a turning point? How is it possible.
So I started to frown and think deeply...
Soon after, the first round of ancestor worship began to sound from that side.
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In the meeting hall, the lights were brightly lit, shining brightly on every corner of this large room.
"...According to the old practice, we all get together here at least once a year. Every time, we need to decide some important things. In previous years, the meeting was held after the general ledger was done at the end of the year. This year, why is it one day earlier? After many months, this time the patriarch of the labor clan and the patriarchs of the clan came forward, and everyone came back from far away from various places. This is because our Su family has had many problems in the recent period. , the problem may be small, but it may also be big... But now everyone feels that the problem will be very troublesome..."
A loud voice rang in the conference hall, and there was silence among all the seats. A group of sects Below them are the people in the three rooms. Su Boyong, who is sitting in a wheelchair, is not in good spirits. He looks at his nose and his heart with his eyes, Su Zhongkan is sitting upright, and Su Yunfang seems to be thinking about his own things. The speaker in the center of the hall was Su An, who was called Uncle Qi by several people. When he said this, he paused slightly.
"About these matters, about the affairs of this family, after all, the clan leader knows best..." He turned around and said, "Third brother, what do you want to say?"
Su Yu frowned, looking at the discussion at this time. Everyone in the hall raised their hands after a moment: "Old Qi, you should continue talking."
Su An nodded, and after a moment, he turned to the side and stretched out his hand to someone. : "For the specific details... let the butler tell me, he knows best."
What he was referring to was naturally the butler who was in charge of the specific affairs of this big house, and so was the middle-aged man. Relatives of the Su family usually keep a low profile and do not participate in matters such as fighting for property, but now most of the Su family's administrative work in Jiangning will end up being summarized by him. Even though the second and third bedrooms in the big house are hidden away, the accounts in his hands are still relatively objective after all.
Not long after, the voice sounded.
"I can't say whether these things are big or not, but in the recent period, the things specific to me are probably as follows: First, in the past three months, my Su family's various goods in Jiangning area Sales and market share have declined to a certain extent, but in general, it is less than half... The main problem is the profit in the future. In recent times, nearly 60% of the suppliers in Jiangning, The partners began to request negotiations with my Su family , increase the price of raw silk, reduce the cost of purchasing goods, I have listed them here: Qi family requirements..."
The voice of the big housekeeper was not low, and the voice came out of the meeting hall, in the night wind echo, nearby square, side From the garden outside, one could faintly hear Su Wengui and others gathered not far away, listening and talking. A little further away, Sudan Hong was also talking to several family members of the shopkeeper who were close to the big house. , occasionally frowning.
Everything started as expected. She was also very clear about the problems the Su family was facing, the demands put forward by various parties, and the crises hidden behind these demands. When she turned her head, she accidentally saw Ning Yi walking by. This man He seemed a little bored, and was doing a few stretching movements with his hands and feet, and walked further away.
Sudan Hong followed.
After walking through the courtyard gate, I can no longer hear the sounds from far away. I can only see the lights around the meeting hall over the courtyard wall. Ning Yi's figure at this time seems to be a little different from the past. He still looks... Relaxed, but...it seemed like he was feeling something there. He sat down by the pavilion in the yard, raised his head and looked at the starry sky. From time to time, footsteps passed by in the alley near the yard, and Sudan Hong frowned.
Could this man be feeling the last moment before Dafang lost power?
She frowned...
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In the meeting hall, the narrative was still going on Continuing, anyone who knows something about business can feel the danger behind these situations. The Su family's problems are surrounded by hungry wolves and adding insult to injury. The big butler talked for a long time. After describing these things, he returned to on the seat. No one spoke below, only a few elders from the clan began to speak.
"This is because... I think my Su family is hopeless, I think something big is going to happen to my Su family..."
"To solve the problem, let's talk about it and find a reason..."
A few old people looked around, and the hall began to become silent again. Su Chonghua sat in the crowd and watched silently. He could probably guess what would happen next, but after all, these things did not require him to speak or state anything. At this time, he felt a little relaxed, just watching. As he looked at the door, he suddenly thought of Ning Yi again.
Where is he now and how is he feeling. That song settled the storm...
"The beginning of this incident was caused by the assassination of the uncle. Of course, the responsibility will not be on the uncle. I think our Su family should also try our best to find the instigator behind the murderer. But if we just talk about what happened, Wen Xing has some ideas..." Next, the person who lit the fuse came forward. Although he is the third generation of the Su family, he has recently managed some specific affairs of the second house. , so you can already participate in this meeting.
“In the final analysis, this matter is due to my Su family’s high-profile fight for the imperial merchants but failed...”
"Such a big momentum, such a big investment, but in the end nothing..."
"So people outside have begun to doubt..."
Like the planned steps, Su Wenxing caused this The topic, waves of discussion finally began to spread. After Su Wenxing finished speaking, the remaining people from the second and third bedrooms participated in the discussion, followed by Su Zhongkan and Su Yunfang. There were discussions, questions, and voices. spread out.
“So the question now is, how much did Tan’er spend to operate this imperial merchant...”
“The big room...from shopkeeper Liao down, the specific situation... It's a pity that shopkeeper Liao is not in Jiangning today..."
"The current situation on our side is like this, and there are certain problems that cannot be undone in the long run..."
"In the past two years, no, three years, we have known about this operation , In fact, there are some problems with the accounts. The eldest brother should be more aware of this matter..."
During the scheduled drama, people started talking one after another. The eldest room was relatively silent from beginning to end. Su Tan'er and others would occasionally speak. The starry night hung low, and the whole thing was destined to take a long time this night. Outside the meeting hall, Su Wengui and others were talking and laughing. Some people left and came back: "It just starts tonight..." they said.
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A few streets away from Su Mansion, Xue Yan and others were eating at Yuexiang Tower Things, talking and laughing about some recent things, at this time, also looked in the direction of Su Mansion: "Speaking of which, it has already started over there."
Luo Miaomiao, one of the four leaders in Jiangning, smiled not far away: "Master Xue and all of you, what we are concerned about tonight are not like these romantic affairs."
"Haha, Miaomiao has a sharp eye. Ruju, we do have something of concern tonight. Does Miss Miaomiao know about the Su family?"
Luo Miaomiao thought for a while, and a gleam of light flashed in her eyes: "Mr. Xue, could it be that he refers to the Su family where Ning Yi and Ning Liheng married?"
After all, the affairs of the cloth industry are only the concern of insiders, Luo Miaomiao Now that you are the leader of the line, you don't know much about him, but the first thing she thinks of is the top talent of Shui Tiao Ge Tou and Qing Yu Case. Xue Yan and others were stunned for a moment, then started laughing.
"Yes, yes, speaking of it, it has something to do with him at this time. Miss Miaomiao, has she ever heard that an assassination incident occurred during the siege of Jiangning a few months ago, which caused a great uproar..."< br>
The Su family clan meeting has been scheduled for a meeting. Here in Yuexiang Tower, the ups and downs of Jiangning's weaving industry in recent months have also begun to be recounted. Under the same starry sky, there is a place that originally had nothing to do with these things. Changyun Pavilion, not far from Yuexiang Tower, is a large-scale restaurant. Tonight, a party hosted by the Puyang family is taking place. Held here.
As the richest man in Jiangning, after so many years of management, the Puyang family has Qilan as the oiran in charge. Now he has a certain relationship with many talented people in Jiangning. Today is not a big day, so the party is Kai, many famous talents also came here, including Cao Guan, Liu Qingdi and others. This could be regarded as a poetry gathering among literati. Pu Yangyi, who hosted the party, was a well-rounded person, but some things were difficult to control. At this time, a small episode occurred.
I don’t know why Liu Qingdi was in a bad mood today. He drank some wine and wrote poems a little wildly. It was also during this poetry meeting that he accidentally bumped into a participant, and then the two sides quarreled. Although they were later calmed down by Puyang Yi, there was also a faint smell of gunpowder among some people in the gathering.
A middle-aged man with not very outstanding talents and knowledge, known as Kongshan layman, was also among them. He originally wanted to intervene to mediate, but then he was also involved by Liu Qingdi.
The poetry meeting continued in the uncoordinated atmosphere caused by this episode. Both parties began to write and collect poems, and gradually became more and more lively. Puyang Yi was also very happy.
Of course, at this time, they were not connected to the trajectory of the Su family at all...
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"Ka" Ning Yi peeled off the peanuts, threw them into his mouth, and softly hummed the prelude of the Japanese entering the village, and the humming turned into a wedding march.
Sudan Hong walked over from the side, feeling angry and looking at him like this.
"Cousin Hong, sit down, you're welcome. Eat peanuts?"
"I don't know what you are thinking."
"Feel this atmosphere..."
"Things that Tan'er has fought for so many years without giving up will soon be gone. Yes, do you know? ”
“ You guessed wrong." Ning Yi replied lightly, looking back in the direction of the meeting hall. The lights overflowed from there and spread, and there was an aura of restlessness. "Things should be almost over..." ( End of chapter)