Happy life in the world of film and television

Chapter 1569 Sheng Minglan: Husband, my eldest sister wants to borrow money
"Meiduo?" Zhenniang turned around when she heard the voice, but was surprised to see Meiduo. Her eyes widened in astonishment.

“Sister.” Meiduo hugged Zhenniang, overjoyed.

"Meiduo, what brings you here?" Zhenniang asked incredulously.

“I, I flew here…” Medo said.

“Flying, flying over here…” Zhenniang stared at Meiduo in disbelief.

“Hmm,” Medo began to say.

After hearing Meiduo's words, Zhenniang looked at Jiang Chen with suspicion.

At that moment, she saw that her maid had fainted on the ground.

"Are you the Duke of Yongguo of Song?" Zhenniang asked.

“Yes.” Jiang Chen bowed to Zhenniang.

At the same time, Jiang Chen thought of Zhenniang's death dance in the drama.

Zhenniang's death dance in the drama is stunning. Her entire attire is as if she stepped out of a Dunhuang mural. This is her last dance. She gives her most beautiful side to Li Yuanhao and then immolates herself.

“You and Meiduo…” Zhenniang wanted to ask Meiduo why she said she was flying over with Jiang Chenfei.

"Let's find somewhere to talk," Jiang Chen said.

In the novel "Dunhuang", the city of Dunhuang belongs to the Guiyi Army.

The Guiyi Army in the drama was established by Zhang Yichao after he rebelled against the Tubo. It once ruled eleven prefectures in the Hexi region. Later, after shrinking, it mainly occupied the two prefectures of Guazhou and Shazhou. It went through the rule of the Zhang and Cao clans.

Now they belong to the Cao family's Guiyi Army, and they are the last Guiyi Army.

Based on the situation Jiang Chen just experienced when he flew to Dunhuang City, the Guiyi Army in Dunhuang City numbered no more than 10,000.

"What?" Zhenniang was slightly taken aback.

Jiang Chen's figure blurred, and he appeared beside Zhen Niang.

Before Zhenniang could react, Jiang Chen had already taken Zhenniang and Meiduo and flown away from Dunhuang City.

However, Jiang Chen did not fly in the air, but instead took Mei Duo and Zhen Niang to the outskirts of Dunhuang City.

“There’s no one here, you can chat,” Jiang Chen said.

"You, you can really fly?" Zhenniang looked at Jiang Chen in astonishment.

"I am a martial artist. As long as I am strong enough, I can fly," Jiang Chen said calmly.

"But...but..." Zhenniang wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say.

“Princess Zhenniang, you can’t stay here for too long. If you have anything you want to talk about, do so as soon as possible,” Jiang Chen said.

Meiduo then realized what was happening and started chatting with Zhenniang.

A quarter of an hour later, Jiang Chen said, "It's almost time, Princess Zhenniang. I'm going to take you back now."

"Ah..." Meiduo realized what was happening and quickly looked at Zhenniang: "Sister."

“It’s alright, it’s enough that I can see you,” Zhenniang said.

Then, Zhenniang looked at Jiang Chen.

"I'm sorry to offend you." Jiang Chen put his arm around Zhenniang's waist.

Zhenniang shuddered.

Jiang Chen embraced Zhenniang and leaped into the air.

A moment later, Jiang Chen led Zhenniang back to Zhenniang's former courtyard.

“Princess Zhenniang, your person has only fainted and will wake up in a moment,” Jiang Chen said to Zhenniang.

"Is the young master truly the Duke of Yongguo of Song?" Zhenniang asked again.

“Absolutely genuine.” Jiang Chen nodded.

"But why did you come to Dunhuang?" Zhenniang asked. "Is it for the Guiyi Army?"

The Guiyi Army in Dunhuang City nominally belonged to the Song Dynasty.

"No, it's about the Western Xia." Jiang Chen wasn't afraid that Zhenniang would reveal her identity to others.

"Western Xia?" Zhenniang's face darkened.

She naturally knew about Western Xia, and more importantly, she had a romantic entanglement with Li Yuanhao.

"Is there anything else? If not, I'll be going now," Jiang Chen said.

Zhenniang shook her head.

"Then I'll take my leave now. But I hope you won't tell anyone about Meiduo and me being here," Jiang Chen said to Zhenniang at the end.

Zhenniang nodded.

Jiang Chen left immediately.

After meeting up with Meiduo, Jiang Chen took her back to Khotan.

"that……"

After returning to her place, Meadow hesitated to speak.

“Princess Meiduo, what do you want to say?” Jiang Chen asked.

"Can I become a martial artist like you and then fly...?" There are martial artists in Khotan, but they are only slightly stronger and cannot fly like Jiang Chen.

Therefore, in Mei Duo's opinion, Jiang Chen's skills must be more powerful.

“I only pass on my skills to my own people. What, Princess Meiduo, do you want to become one of my own?” Jiang Chen asked Meiduo with a smile.

"Can I become one of your own?" Mei Duo was slightly taken aback, not quite understanding Jiang Chen's meaning.

“Yes, they’re one of our own.” Jiang Chen looked at Mei Duo meaningfully.

Under Jiang Chen's meaningful gaze, Mei Duo finally understood what it meant to be one of his own.

"I, you..." Mei Duo wanted to scold Jiang Chen, but when she thought of Fei's temptation, she hesitated.

“Princess Medo, please consider it. I will give you an answer when I come next time,” Jiang Chen said.

"Next time? When will you come next time?" Meiduo asked quickly upon hearing this.

"You can't bear to part with me?" Jiang Chen looked at Mei Duo with a smile.

Meiduo, dressed in ethnic minority costumes, has a unique charm.

“Nonsense.” Mei Duo glanced at Jiang Chen as she said this.

In her eyes, none of the men in Khotan were as handsome as Jiang Chen.

More importantly, the more she got to know Jiang Chen, the more charming he became.

“Princess Medo, you can consider it. If you’re willing to become one of my own next time, I’ll teach you,” Jiang Chen said.

"I, I..." Meiduo's face flushed slightly.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Chen stepped forward and put his arm around Mei Duo's waist before she could react.

"No, it's nothing..." Meiduo lowered her head.

"Then I'll be going now," Jiang Chen said.

"Mm." Medo nodded.

Jiang Chen then left.

"The Duke of Yongguo of the Song State..."

Meiduo murmured to herself, looking in the direction Jiang Chen had left.

……

Song State, Kaifeng Prefecture.

"Son."

Zhang Qiniang bowed to Jiang Chen.

Zhang Qiniang is a character in "The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival Code".

After leaving with Jiang Chen last time, Zhang Qiniang underwent a dramatic transformation.

"Ah."

Jiang Chen sat down in the chair and said, "Tell me about the situation in Kaifeng Prefecture."

"Yes."

Zhang Qiniang responded and recounted the situation in Kaifeng Prefecture during this period.

Aside from the Song army's northern expedition and the Holy Sect's rampage in the southeast, Zhang Qiniang focused on the situation in Kaifeng Prefecture.

Zhang Qiniang is a real estate tycoon in Kaifeng Prefecture. It can be said that Zhang Qiniang's intelligence network in Kaifeng Prefecture is more powerful than that of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Nothing in the city can be hidden from Zhang Qiniang.

“Young Master, news has come from the palace that I must increase the sale of properties,” Zhang Qiniang said finally. “Is it because they’re out of money?” Jiang Chen’s heart skipped a beat.

In "The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival Code", Zhang Qiniang's boss is the emperor, while in the second world, Zhang Qiniang's boss is Emperor Chengzhao.

Of course, Zhang Qiniang did not have direct contact with Emperor Chengzhao.

According to Zhang Qiniang, there were several other people she knew between the two of them. And this was only what Zhang Qiniang knew; there were many more she didn't know.

To put it bluntly, Zhang Qiniang was just a front woman for the royal family.

As for the fact that Emperor Cheng Zhao was Zhang Qiniang's mastermind, Jiang Chen deduced it based on his analysis of the drama.

Now that he heard that Zhang Qiniang was to sell the property, Jiang Chen felt even more certain that his judgment was correct.

"It should be," Zhang Qiniang said.

"How are sales going?" Jiang Chen asked.

"Although there's the Northern Expedition and the Holy Sect's rebellion, housing prices in Kaifeng haven't fluctuated much. However, a quick sell-off isn't feasible. After all, those who can afford to buy houses in Kaifeng are all wealthy people," Zhang Qiniang said.

“The higher the housing prices, the more people will buy,” Jiang Chen smiled and said. “Seventh Sister, you can make a profit from this.”

Jiang Chen had considered taking out a mortgage loan, after all, there was Huanyu Bank in Kaifeng Prefecture. However, Jiang Chen also understood that if the Liao army or even the rebels attacked Kaifeng Prefecture, then the property prices in Kaifeng Prefecture would become even less valuable.

"Does the young master mean I should do as they say?" Zhang Qiniang was slightly taken aback.

“Good, do it that way. However, you can't personally get involved. You can find a few white-gloves and sell according to the regional sales method.” Jiang Chen knew that Zhang Qiniang in the drama didn't care about human lives. However, he didn't think there was anything wrong with that.

After hearing Jiang Chen's words, Zhang Qiniang's eyes lit up: "Young master, I will do as you say."

"Ah."

Jiang Chen nodded, then asked Zhang Qiniang about the rest of the situation.

Especially those military officers from Kaifeng Prefecture.

There are many wars in the Song state now, but the Song state values ​​civil affairs over military affairs. Even those military merits who can go to the battlefield are terrified. Therefore, under these circumstances, there is a lot of room for maneuver.

Jiang Chen never intended to destroy the Song Kingdom, but if he could make the Song Kingdom prioritize literature over military affairs to the extreme, turning it into a large trading market, that would be feasible.

After saying goodbye to Zhang Qiniang, Jiang Chen went to the courtyard where Zhang Zhenniang was.

"Young Master Jiang." Zhang Zhenniang bowed to Jiang Chen.

"Madam Lin," Jiang Chen returned the greeting.

Zhang Zhenniang is a character in the movies "Leopard Head Lin Chong: Wild Boar Forest", "Leopard Head Lin Chong: White Tiger Hall", and "Leopard Head Lin Chong: Mountain God Temple".

This is the fourth time Jiang Chen has visited Zhang Zhenniang since she moved here.

After arranging for Zhang Zhenniang to stay here, Jiang Chen would visit her every two weeks, ostensibly to deliver daily necessities.

However, every time Jiang Chen saw Zhang Zhenniang, he had a different feeling.

"Madam Lin, these are all things I prepared for you." Jiang Chen put down the personal items.

"Young Master Jiang, thank you so much for your trouble," Zhang Zhenniang said hurriedly.

"It's just a small matter."

Jiang Chen smiled and said, "However, I have no further news about Lin Chong this time, so I'm sorry."

"No...it's nothing," Zhang Zhenniang quickly replied.

However, Zhang Zhenniang was still somewhat disappointed upon hearing Jiang Chen's words.

After all, Jiang Chen only comes once every two weeks. If there is no news of Lin Chong, they will have to wait another two weeks.

“Next time, I will definitely bring news,” Jiang Chen said.

"Thank you for your help, Young Master Jiang," Zhang Zhenniang said.

"Lady Lin, I wonder if you know how to embroider?" Jiang Chen asked.

"I know a little," Zhang Zhenniang replied.

"Then, I wonder if Madam Lin would like to take on the embroidery?" Jiang Chen asked.

“Young Master Jiang, what are you doing…” Zhang Zhenniang looked at Jiang Chen in confusion.

“Madam Lin, my wife owns several embroidery workshops. She also buys embroidery products. If you know embroidery, I'd like you to make some embroidery products, and I'll buy them at market price,” Jiang Chen explained.

Jiang Chen knew that Zhang Zhenniang could not forget Lin Chong.

Especially when Zhang Zhenniang had nothing to do, she probably had Lin Chong on her mind the whole time.

To keep Zhang Zhenniang from thinking about Lin Chong, the only solution was to give her things to do.

However, there weren't many women in the Song state who could do manual labor, and embroidery was the best option.

"Embroidery? Can I have it?" Zhang Zhenniang was intrigued.

Zhang Zhenniang felt that she couldn't accept Jiang Chen's favors for no reason. If she could offset them with embroidery, her guilt would be lessened.

"Wait a moment," Jiang Chen said before leaving.

Fifteen minutes later, Jiang Chen came over with various types of base fabric, hand hoops or rolls of different sizes, embroidery needles, embroidery thread, embroidery scissors, embroidery frames, and so on.

“Young Master Jiang, you…” Zhang Zhenniang was dumbfounded.

"This is for you. I've also prepared a few design drawings." Jiang Chen took out a few design drawings and handed them to Zhang Zhenniang.

Why did Jiang Chen want Zhang Zhenniang's embroidery?

Another reason is that they can be sold in other worlds.

Therefore, as long as Zhang Zhenniang agrees, he will not lose out.

“But this is too much,” Zhang Zhenniang said.

"What's this?"

Jiang Chen said, "You can keep Lin Niangzi and use her slowly. Even if it takes a few months. Even if Lin Chong comes back, you can still use her as a job."

“Then I’ll accept it,” Zhang Zhenniang said.

"it is good."

A smile appeared in Jiang Chen's eyes: "Then I'll take my leave now."

"Young Master Jiang, please take care." Zhang Zhenniang had no intention of seeing him off, as it was inconvenient for her to do so as a woman.

……

Kaifeng Prefecture, Jingxiu Villa.

"You said your eldest sister wants to borrow money from you?" Jiang Chen was quite surprised to hear Sheng Minglan's words.

“Yes.” Sheng Minglan nodded.

"Do you know why?" Jiang Chen asked, somewhat puzzled.

“My eldest sister doesn’t know either, but I had the Embroidered Uniform Guard investigate. It seems that some families in Kaifeng Prefecture are related to Emperor Chengzhao,” Sheng Minglan said.

"The Yuan family wants to contribute money, so they want your eldest sister to contribute?" Jiang Chen asked.

At this moment, Jiang Chen thought of the five major families in "The Story of Minglan".

The five major families in the drama are: the Gu family, representing a noble family; the Qi family, representing a royal family with no real power; the Liang family, representing a wealthy family in Bianjing; the Yuan family; and the Sheng family, representing officials with low-ranking positions.

The Sheng family was not originally a prominent family, but the matriarch of the Sheng family was the only daughter of a noble family. Before her marriage, she often moved around the palace. Even the matriarchs of the Liang and Qi families respected the matriarch. In addition, Hua Lan married into the Yuan family, Mo Lan married into the Liang family, and Ming Lan was successively favored by the He, Liang, Qi, and Gu families, eventually becoming the matriarch of the Gu family. Sheng Changbai passed the imperial examination and entered the Ministry of Rites at a young age. The entire Sheng family was at its zenith and thriving. Later, Ming Lan used the blood edict to call for reinforcements and saved the emperor, becoming a meritorious official. The Sheng family's status rose again and again, making them the ultimate winners.

Qi Heng is the only son of the Duke of Qi and Princess Pingning. Although the Duke of Qi holds the title, it is a powerless position. The entire Qi family's wealth and status depend entirely on Princess Pingning, who in turn relies on the current Empress. If the current Emperor were to pass away, the powerless Qi family would likely be dealt with by the new Emperor. Therefore, the Qi family's glory can only be continued by Qi Heng. None of the Qi family's collateral brothers are capable of achieving any significant status, making Qi Heng's marriage a political alliance.

The Gu family was a powerful noble family with generations of military service. Because of the emphasis on literature over martial arts, the old Marquis always hoped that a "literary person" would emerge from his family. Back then, the Gu family had a serious embezzlement of public funds, and the emperor demanded that they make up the deficit. The Gu family had no choice but to divorce Da Qinshi and marry Gu Tingye's birth mother, which led to the tragedy of Gu Tingye's mother's life.

After Gu Tingye's mother died in childbirth, Xiao Qinshi seized the opportunity to become his legal wife and second wife. Xiao Qinshi spent her whole life scheming for wealth and glory, deliberately pretending to be a "virtuous wife and loving mother" while plotting to weaken Gu Tingyu's health and drive Gu Tingye away. She only wanted her son to obtain a title. Because of Xiao Qinshi's schemes, the entire Gu family was almost destroyed. Fortunately, Gu Tingye supported Zhao Zongquan and his son, and made many military achievements, saving the Gu family from disaster.

The Liang family held the title of Earl bestowed by the late Emperor. They were a prominent and wealthy family in Bianjing. Although their official positions were not as high as those of the Gu and Qi families, Madam Wu was capable in managing money. In addition, the Liang family had six sons, the first five of whom had already established their own families and careers. The entire family was very powerful and wealthy, making them one of the richest families in Bianjing. However, the six sons were also the biggest hidden danger for the Liang family. Madam Wu's sixth son was an unambitious playboy who had a mistress at a young age. Therefore, Madam Wu was eager to marry Minglan, the sixth daughter of the Sheng family, who was most similar to her in temperament.

The Yuan family and the Liang family were of similar status, but the Yuan family was far less wealthy than the Liang family. Hua Lan married the second son of the Yuan family. The Yuan family had many financial problems, which Hua Lan had to cover with her dowry. Like the Gu family in the early days, the Yuan family suffered a financial deficit. Although the Yuan family did not experience any major upheavals in the later years, it was not as prosperous as it had been in the early days.

According to the plot, the Yuan family's deficit should have been resolved after Sheng Hualan married into the family; at most, she would be using the dowry to support the Yuan family. So why is it now being revealed that they borrowed money from the national treasury?

Could it be due to the plot?

However, it's not impossible.

After all, the Second World, this film and television fusion world, has been integrated for several years, so the plot and such are no longer important.

As for the Yuan family borrowing money from the national treasury?

This is not difficult to understand.

The lending industry was highly developed in the State of Song.

“Yes, they were making things difficult for my eldest sister,” Sheng Minglan said.

"Then why did your eldest sister borrow money from you?" Jiang Chen felt that if Sheng Hualan wanted money, she should have asked the Sheng family. As a large family, they had plenty of money. After all, Sheng Hualan's dowry consisted of 128 chests, each one glittering with gold.

“This…” Sheng Minglan hesitated for a moment, then said, “Due to the matter of the Holy Sect, my uncle’s business in the south has been affected recently…”