Aspirations

Chapter 82 Gifts
Lian Ruohan couldn't hold back her curiosity: "Master Xia has something to ask Mantuo to do? Mantuo is not familiar with Zhending's life, so feel free to let me handle things."

Xia Xiang entrusts Mantuo to find a personal maid and servant for him, Mantuo has already found it for him, and he has brought him to live in idleness.As for Dong Xian's case, she also made new discoveries, and will continue to follow the clues to find out the truth tonight.

"Finding a personal maid and a servant girl will not bother even the little lady." Xia Xiang didn't want to hide the matter, "Although Liu'er is good, it's inconvenient to bring it to the county government's inner house."

Lian Ruohan nodded and said, "That's right, Liu'er should just stay at home... I don't know if Xia Xianzun is making medicine beds and medicine chairs in Haojing, what else should he instruct?"

Previously, Xia Xiang had reached a consensus with Lian Ruohan that Haojingchang would be in charge of making the medicine bed and medicine chair. Xia Xiang had the responsibility of supervising the process from design to production. As for the share, Cao Shujun would collect it on his behalf.

Xia Xiang's intention was naturally to spread the medicine bed and medicine chair that cured Cao Yongguo and made the emperor's condition better. As for making money from it, it was up to Cao Shujun to handle it. He had neither the time nor the interest to intervene.The deeper intention is that through the medicine bed and medicine chair, the relationship with Hao Jing Chang Li can be closer, and it can be regarded as his return to Lian Ruohan's full support for him.

"The materials should be sufficient, the workmanship should be better, and the wormwood should be better. Although the medicine bed and medicine chair also need to be profitable, the first priority is to cure the disease and save people." Xia Xiang believes that with Lian Ruohan's vision and courage, he will not cut corners. Others, I don’t know much about it, so I won’t say much more.”

"I would like to follow the teachings of Xia Xianzun." Lian Ruohan said seriously, "Within seven days, the first batch of finished products will be formed, and then I will ask Xia Xianzun for advice. One more thing, I invited a friend tonight Come to live in leisure, introduce him to Xia Xianzun, he has always paid attention to the case of Dong Xian's suicide by throwing himself into the river, maybe it will help Xia Xianzun solve the case."

"Who is it?" Xia Xiang couldn't help but feel happy, and Lian Ruohan's move was undoubtedly a relief.Although he has just taken over the Dong Xian case and has not reached the end of the world, if there is help, he is naturally welcome and the case can be closed as soon as possible.

"Li Tuiguan is here." Ling'er's voice sounded outside the door.

"Xia Xianzun, Li Heng, the official of the Zhending Palace, has arrived. Please go with the little girl for a week to meet him." Lian Ruohan got up and said.

What?The official of Zhending Mansion?Xia Xiang was shocked, the official promoted by Zhending Mansion was a seventh-rank official, at the same level as him, but he was his superior, who was in charge of Zhending Mansion's criminal names and court proceedings.Why didn't he say it earlier, he should have greeted him outside the gate.

Lian Ruohan said with a smile: "Officer Li Tui is visiting from a private server, so there is no need to be too rigid about official etiquette."

While talking, the two came to the door, and under the steps outside the door, there was already one person standing.

The visitor was about [-] years old, with a short beard fluttering, and plain clothes fluttering. He was neither fat nor thin, neither tall nor short. meaning.

Good style!Xia Xiang secretly shouted ok, if Cao Shujun saw this person, he would definitely meet this person.

"Li Tuiguan is here, and it's rude to welcome you, rude, and rude." Xia Xiang went down the steps and crossed his hands to Li Heng, "Hurry up, please."

Li Heng returned a salute, took Xia Xiang's arm, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty Xia, you don't need to be too polite. I took the liberty to come here. Although it was an appointment with Mrs. Lian, I didn't ask for your consent. It can be regarded as an uninvited guest." , I also hope that Xia Xianzun doesn't mind."

Xia Xiang and Li Heng went up the steps arm in arm: "Since Miss Lian's friend is also the official's friend, as long as Li Tuiguan has free time, he can come directly to drink tea with this official, why would you dare to say so?"

"You two don't need to be polite, it's important to eat quickly." Seeing that Xia Xiang and Li Heng met, Lian Ruohan was also delighted, "Linger, let someone serve."

The dining place was arranged above the lobby, which was separated by a screen to form an independent space. Xia Xiang pushed Li Heng to sit in the main seat. He accompanied him on the left, and Lian Ruohan sat on the right.Xiao Wu and Ling'er stood aside.

After a few greetings, Xia Xiang toasted Li Heng with a few glasses of wine.Li Heng did not refuse anyone who came, and he drank it all. His straightforwardness made Xia Xiang feel more cordial.

After a few glasses of wine, I felt a little closer, and Lian Ruohan took the opportunity to say, "I think Li Tuoguan and Xia Xianzun must be on the same page, so I recommend you two to know each other. As expected, I can see that my vision is not bad. ."

Li Heng smiled sideways at Lian Ruohan: "Lian Niangzi's eyes have always been impeccable, and she has the ability to see things clearly."

Xia Xiang saw that Li Heng's attitude towards Lian Ruohan was three-pointed and seven-pointed respectful. It could be seen that Lian Ruohan was obviously superior to him. look at each other.

Lian Ruohan smiled and picked up the wine glass: "Come on, the little girl will give Li Tuiguan and Xia Xianzun a cup, and hope that the two will take care of the good times in Zhending. It's stable, and someone else intends to do bad things to the good times, and if the good times are often calculated by the bad guys, I also ask Xia Xianzun and Li Tuiguan to do justice for the good times."

Xia Xiang only took Lian Ruohan to say it casually. In his opinion, good times always go smoothly in the capital and open dozens of stores with an unstoppable momentum. Could it be that in a small town, there will be people blocking the good times? Constant expansion?Who would have such strength, who would have such courage?

Li Heng drank the glass of wine in one gulp, put down the glass and said, "Even my lady, please rest assured. If something really happens, this official will do his best. I believe that Xia Xianzun will also help."

Xia Xiang also drank his glass of wine, took a peanut and put it in his mouth: "Even the good times of the little lady are always there, in Zhending, there should be no rivals who can match her, who would dare to be so overbearing. The good times are always there? Even the little lady should not be joking."

"There must be two rich people in the east of the city, Xu Wangshan and Ma Qingyuan in the south. Does Xia Xianzun know why there are only rich people in the east and south of the city, but not in the west and north?" Li Heng also picked up a peanut and ate it with relish.

Naturally, Xia Xiang didn't know, and listened attentively: "I would like to hear of its auspiciousness."

"It's not that there are no rich people in the west and north of the city, but that Xu Wangshan in the east of the city and Ma Qingyuan in the south of the city are well-known rich people, while Liu Changting in the west of the city and Xie Huagai in the north of the city are invisible rich people who don't show their mountains and water. Most of the business they do has nothing to do with ordinary people, so the two of them are not well-known in Zhending, and in the eyes of the common people, it is as if they don't exist." Li Heng poured himself a glass, drank half of it, and narrowed his eyes slightly, "But In the eyes of real insiders, the combined wealth of Xu Wangshan and Ma Qingyuan is not as good as Liu Changting! And Xu Wangshan, Ma Qingyuan plus Liu Changting are not as good as Xie Huagai!"

Xia Xiang was taken aback!
He had already heard about the names of Xu Wangshan and Ma Qingyuan before he came to Zhending.Xu Wangshan and Ma Qingyuan both belonged to a family of poetry and calligraphy, as well as a fleet of merchants and fleets. Although they were far from being in business all over the world, they were one of the wealthiest when looking at a certain place.After all, it is true that a county cannot accommodate too many wealthy businessmen.

Xu Wangshan, who doesn't want to be connected by mountains and mountains, and Ma Qingyuan, who has a flat river and a thousand miles of fertile land, the two of them together are not as good as Liu Changting, whose name he has never even heard of!And the three of them together are not as good as one Xie Huagai.

Doesn't it mean that Xie Huagai is rich enough to be an enemy country, and can compete with Hao Jingchang?There are such characters in the small place of Zhending. No wonder Zhending is called the Dragon Pool and the Tiger's Den, and it really is the Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon.

"What business are Liu Changting and Xie Huagai doing?" Xia Xiang said while looking at Lian Ruohan meaningfully. Lian Ruohan did not mention the two names to him along the way.

Lian Ruohan shook her head slightly, implying that she didn't know the two of them, and she didn't intend to hide it.It was indeed after Lian Ruohan came to Zhending that he heard their names.

Li Heng smiled mysteriously, bent the middle finger of his right hand, and tapped the table lightly: "I think three years after I came to Zhending, I overheard the names of Liu Changting and Xie Huagai. Who are you. And until yesterday, it was not clear what business the two were engaged in. Xia Xianzun rushed to the door today and came empty-handed. Liu Changting and Xie Huagai were the ones I gave to Xia Xianzun. It's a pity."

To be able to know the one dragon and one tiger lurking within his jurisdiction at the beginning of taking office is not a small gift, but a heavy gift. You must know that it took Li Heng five or six years to figure out the relationship between Liu Changting and Xie Huagai. It took him no effort to get his real identity today, Xia Xiang was overjoyed, and couldn't help but look at Lian Ruohan more.

"Brother Li is such a generous gift, I am flattered." Xia Xiang no longer called Li Heng's official name, and no longer called himself the official. He got up and poured wine for Li Heng, and drank a glass first, "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Li. Let’s do it first.”

Li Heng also reciprocated, drank it all, took Xia Xiang's hand and asked him to sit down: "Brother Xia doesn't have to be so polite, since even the wife recognizes Xia Xianzun as a person, I naturally have nothing to say. Come, sit down, and listen to me. Speak slowly."

There is a gust of wind outside the window, and the leaves are rustling. If you listen carefully, you can also hear the sound of the Hutuo River flowing not far away. Under the quiet autumn night, on the banks of the Hutuo River, there is a quiet place. In the residence, Xia Xiang suddenly felt intoxicated and the warmth of home.

There is a woman who is like a flower, a sincere friend, a table of sumptuous meals, and a few pots of wine, which makes Xia Xiang, who has been alone with his mother since childhood, full of flowers.

Xia Xiang couldn't help thinking of his mother who didn't know where she was. Even though Mantuo told him the news of his mother's death later, he still insisted that his mother hadn't left. meet him personally.At the same time, he also firmly believes that although Xia Lai and Xia Qu are far away from him, they are both looking forward to the moon and missing each other, looking forward to the day when they will meet again.

No wonder Du Fu has a poem that says: If you don't meet each other in life, it's like participating in business.Tonight and any other night, let's share this candlelight.

Li Heng is also very eloquent, his voice is cadenced and powerful.

"Speaking of which, I can know Liu Changting and Xie Huagai, I have to thank Cui Fuzun." Li Hengwei became a little drunk, "Although I am the promotion official of Zhending Mansion, I have no personal relationship with Cui Fuzun. Fu Zun is a strict person, and never interacts with his subordinates outside of official business. Therefore, people in Zhending Mansion call Cui Fu Zun a stern and selfless Judge Cui. Once, Cui Fu Zun was very happy for some reason, and held a big banquet for his colleagues and wealthy businessmen of Zhending Mansion. When Xu Wangshan and Ma Qingyuan arrived, Cui Fuzun just bowed his body and nodded, but did not stand up to meet them. After the servants informed Liu Changting and Xie Huagai of their arrival, Cui Fuzun not only stood up to greet them immediately, but also went out of the door and went down the steps ..."

Greeting at the lower level is a high-standard etiquette for welcoming distinguished guests, second only to greeting at the door.Xia Xiang was startled, he could have alarmed the nobles of the whole family to come down to greet them, probably because Liu Changting and Xie Huagai were not just simple rich people.As Cui Fuzun, he would only go out to greet him unless a member of rank four or above came.He will not be downgraded to welcome officials of the same level as the fifth rank.

Lian Ruohan is also slightly stunned. She knows the rules of the officialdom. Daxia is also a state of etiquette. The most important thing is to pay attention to etiquette.Cui Fuzun only bowed his head to Xu Wangshan and Ma Qingyuan, which is in line with common sense, but he lowered his rank to welcome Liu Changting and Xie Huagai, which shows that Liu Xie's identities are extremely noble.

Why does she also know nothing about Liu Xie and the other two?Lian Ruohan believes that in terms of vision and knowledge, Xia Xiangyuan cannot be compared with her. After all, no matter her background or the level of people she can come into contact with, she is very comparable to others. Even so, she is very fond of Liu Changting and Xie Huagai. Still ignorant, it can be seen how mysterious the origins of their identities are.

Li Heng continued: "Many people present at the time were extremely shocked. Looking at Zhending Mansion, there should be no one worthy of Cui Mansion's downgrade. Zun Xia must know that although Zhending Mansion is under the jurisdiction of Hebei West Road However, it is one of the most important towns in the north of Daxia after Kaifeng. Although there is King Jing who is also the envoy of Xuanfu on Hebei West Road, King Jing has never asked about government affairs, so the status of Zhendingfu is far superior to other governments, and there is a faint harmony. Tokyo means shoulder-to-shoulder. Usually, if it is not for the presence of high-level officials in Beijing, Cui Fuzun will not downgrade to greet him. In the three years of Zhending, this is the first time I have seen Cui Fuzun pay such a courtesy to others.”

Xia Xiang nodded. Although Cui Xiang firmly promoted the new law and was appreciated by Hou Pingpan, Cui Xiang was also considered a square person, with a clear name, and he had heard a little in the capital.

"When Cui Fuzun introduced Liu Changting and Xie Huagai, he just said it briefly, and did not make it clear what their identities were. After three tours of wine, someone took advantage of the wine to toast Liu Changting and Xie Huagai, and both of them were He refused to drink on the grounds that he was unable to drink. Later, someone refused to accept it and raised a glass to the two of them again. Unexpectedly, Cui Fuzun suddenly became furious and threw the glass away, shocking everyone on the spot." Li Heng shook his head and smiled, "There are always people who don't know. The sky is high and the earth is thick, and I want to know who is the holy man who even Cui Fuzun has lowered his rank to greet him, but he has angered Cui Fuzun, which is more than the loss. The identity is even more inscrutable. After Cui Fuzun left, the banquet did not end, and everyone had different opinions, all guessing who Liu Xie and the two were."

"Liu Xie and the others let everyone guess and talk, but they never said a word. When they asked other people's inquiries, they both waved their hands or shook their heads and smiled. In the end, everyone had no choice but to surround Xu Wangshan and Ma Qingyuan in the middle. What do the two of them know? In the eyes of everyone, Xu Wangshan in the east of the city and Ma Qingyuan in the south of the city are the two really rich, and they must know a thing or two about the origins of Liu Changting and Xie Huagai."

Xia Xiang was also thinking this way, Xu Wangshan and Ma Qingyuan have been entrenched in Zhending for many years, it is impossible not to know that there are two giant tigers sleeping soundly beside the couch.Unexpectedly, Lian Ruohan smiled, "I guess Xu Wangshan and Ma Qingyuan don't know who Liu Xie is."

"Even if the lady guessed right, Xu Wangshan and Ma Qingyuan were stunned. Like everyone else, let alone the origins of Liu Changting and Xie Huagai, they didn't even know who they were. Everyone almost couldn't believe it. The two Xu Ma, who are truly determined to call the wind and call the rain, are rich like mountains and fertile fields, don't know who Liu Xie is. Everyone is not surprised, even Xu Wangshan and Ma Qingyuan don't know the origin, how deep and unfathomable. Just when everyone thought that no one in the room knew the origins of Liu Xie and the others, one of them stood up and toasted Liu Xie and the two of them. The two not only clinked glasses and drank with him, but also had a friendly chat with him. …”

"Who is it?" Lian Ruohan raised his eyebrows, showing curiosity.

"Who is it?" Xia Xiang was also surprised.

"A person who no one can think of. This person, Xia Xianzun also knows. Yes, even the lady knows." Li Heng took a sip of wine. He wanted to pour himself another drink, but he saw Xia Xiang and Lian Ruohan. With a look of urgency on their faces, they were embarrassed to sell off again and said, "It's Xu Heguang."

Xu Heguang?Xia Xiang was taken aback for a moment, then he figured out the reason, and couldn't help laughing: "After all, it's a family, Cui Fuzun really loves Xu Heguang."

"What I'm saying is that Cui Fuzun is an honest person, there is only one thing, fear, haha." Li Heng laughed and raised his glass, "I will give Xia Xianzun and Lianzi a cup."

Xia Xiang drank it all in one go, but Lian Ruohan raised his glass and thought deeply and asked inexplicably, "Liu Xie and the other are not from the four great aristocratic families, so they are so noble, could they be from the third prince? I heard that the third prince is in the university There are many forces secretly deployed in various parts of Xia, and in addition to local officials, there are many invisible wealthy people."

There is also such a possibility, Xia Xiang nodded and said: "With the ambition of the third prince and the importance of the Zhending Mansion, there must be various forces of the third prince in the land of Zhending."

Li Heng smiled: "It's hard to say whether the two of Liu Xie belong to the third prince, but there is one point. After this incident, the two of them have surfaced, but the people present are all smart people, and no one is there. It's just that you know and I know that everyone knows about it. So after this story, although Liu Xie and the two became famous, they were limited to a few people who attended the banquet, and no one leaked the slightest rumor. No. I don't want to, but I don't dare to take the risk of offending the forces behind Cui Fuzun and Liu Xie."

(End of this chapter)