The new year had just passed, and it wasn't yet the Lantern Festival, but the streets along the Qinhuai River were filled with the festive atmosphere of the New Year. The sound of firecrackers occasionally rang out, some from the opening of shops or the lively welcoming of tenants for the new year, and others scattered here and there as children ran through the streets with firecrackers, laughing and playing, while carriages and pedestrians passed by. Search: \(\?Complete?Book?God?Station) for free access to high-quality literature.

The festive atmosphere couldn't dispel the cold weather. In this area of the city, the accumulated snow was swept to the side, showing no signs of melting, piled up like small hills. However, inside a private room of the Tingtao Pavilion (Listening to the Waves Pavilion) restaurant, it was warm. A well-placed burning stove warmed the room while ensuring some air circulation. The room was luxurious. Through the beaded curtains, the scent of incense wafted, accompanied by ethereal and beautiful琴(qin) music. The woman playing the instrument was graceful and beautiful, but at this moment, she was merely an accompaniment, speaking little.

Tea was poured into the teacups, and the leaves unfurled in the water, releasing rising steam.

"I left Jiangning during the New Year and only returned yesterday. Has anything major happened in the last few days?"

"Like Brother Tang, I also left the city to pay respects to my ancestors and visit elders in the family. There's no news to speak of."

The scene appeared peaceful. One of the two men speaking was named Puyang Yi, and the other was called Tang Xu. Both were leading figures among the younger generation of Jiangning businessmen. Tang Xu was gentle and refined, accomplished not only in business but also in literature and learning. These two were rivals and friends. They occasionally met for tea and conversation. Today was a chance encounter after the New Year, and fortunately, courtesan Qi Lan was also present to play the琴(qin).

"...During this trip out of the city, I heard about the snow disaster in the north. Lin Shouzhou transported a batch of goods there, encountering an avalanche on the way, losing everything. Poor fellow."

"Lin Shouzhou has many tricks up his sleeve. He always manages to get by through borrowing here and there, haha, it's just that his luck has been bad these past two years..."

"He's indeed a formidable person. With the war looming, I heard that he invested heavily in the north long ago. Once the fighting starts, he'll be waiting to make a fortune. He's probably counting the days. It's a case of seeking wealth in danger..."

"The cloth merchants have also been discussing things recently. I had a drink with some people from the Textile Bureau a few days ago, and they were all sighing."

"Oh? Wasn't last year's affair enough? What's happening now? Are the Xue family also making moves?"

"It's still about the Su and Wu families."

Puyang Yi took a sip of tea, slightly surprised. "Wasn't that resolved last year in late October when the Su family split up? The Wu family was schemed against by that Ning Yi terribly. Their businesses have probably been handed over by now. Are they perhaps unwilling and planning to stir up trouble?"

"The aftermath isn't over."

"There's still an aftermath?"

"I'm just guessing today, but the people in the cloth business have a better sense of smell. They've probably figured it out as well... The Wu family actively took over all the tribute cloth quota in the Jiangning area. The movement of officials at all levels has been quite frequent."

"Taking tribute cloth? Is he crazy?"

"He must have been forced to. I heard that the Wu family has been spending money like water recently, and the decline of their family's influence has been like a mountain collapsing. One-third was extorted by the Su family, and another half was spent on greasing palms after taking the tribute cloth. People only noticed their activities after the New Year. They were too extravagant. They're probably relieved now. After this, it's estimated that the Wu family's foundation is less than a third of what it used to be, and they'll probably have to work for the imperial merchants for several years. I ran into Wu Qilong once; he seemed much more restrained."

Puyang Yi opened his mouth. "Why is that?"

"Take a guess. I just realized it myself."

Tang Xu put the teacup to his lips, then blinked and placed the cup down. "That cloth fading... can't be resolved?" This wasn't a question but a guess after deep thought.

Tang Xu nodded on the other side. "I guess so too. Many people should have noticed by now."

"This matter is truly full of twists and turns. It's still not over even now..." Puyang Yi muttered with a complex expression.

"Everyone was deceived. Even after it was revealed, everyone was still being deceived." Tang Xu smiled. "It's been deception after deception since the Su family was assassinated. When the ownership of the imperial merchant was decided at the end of August, everyone thought the Su family was deceived and was amazed by the Wu family. At the end of October, at the Su family's clan meeting, everyone realized that the Wu family was deceived. Who knew that even after the revelation in October, everyone was still kept in the dark... Looking at the Su family's attitude towards the Wu family at the time, almost everyone thought that the Su family had reached an agreement with the Wu family, using the real灿金锦(can jin jin, glittering brocade) to threaten the Wu family. Now it seems..." He took a sip of tea with a complex expression. "It's actually an empty-glove trick. It's truly admirable..."

Puyang Yi was silent for a while. "So, the Su family didn't use real灿金锦(can jin jin, glittering brocade) to exchange for one-third of the Wu family's assets. Instead, they used a secret to exchange for one-third, and the Wu family even had to ruin another third themselves. It was revealed at the end of October, but no one suspected this. This is really... planning ten steps ahead..."

"That's how it seems now." Tang Xu nodded. "The Wu family has a solid foundation. If they only lost one-third, they could probably still maintain the tripartite balance of the three major textile families. After this

affair, the Su and Wu families have formed a major feud. If I were Ning Yi, I probably wouldn't allow this situation to continue. I would only be relieved by completely defeating the Wu family, making them unable to compete. But at the time, it seemed too greedy, so no one thought about it. Everyone just thought the Su family had already gained a big advantage at the time, and it was normal to stop when they were ahead... The Xue family and others missed the best opportunity. This Ning Yi seems gentle, but in reality... he's terrifying."

The two were just chatting casually. Their family businesses were much larger than the Su family's and weren't in the same competitive industry. But when they talked about this matter, they were still shocked and amazed by the operation behind it. The result revealed at the clan meeting at the end of October was already scary enough: a game within a game, a chain of schemes. When people thought that was the end, they didn't expect this matter to continue until now, leaving the Wu family with only a third of their assets. And the person behind this operation was just a scholar.

"It's good that he's not an enemy."

"Heh, such ingenious schemes may not be usable at any time. There must have been coincidences involved. Brother Puyang may not be afraid of him either. Besides, I heard that Brother Puyang has a good personal relationship with that Ning Liheng. What kind of person is he really? Did you not notice it before?"

"We've gathered a few times, but I wouldn't say we have a personal relationship. This person has a detached nature and isn't interested in gatherings and pleasure-seeking. In the past, I only thought he was talented in poetry and literature. I didn't expect that this time, standing up for his family, he could stir up such an astonishing wave. The Wu family was ruined just like that... After October, I also visited him, but I heard that since the imperial merchant affair was decided, he has continued to teach at the Yushan Academy. Occasionally, I've run into him strolling on the street. He doesn't seem to care about the Su family's affairs anymore. He lives a much more carefree life than you or I."

"There's such a strange person." Tang Xu smiled, raised his teacup, and then said, "I was thinking, if anyone wants to scheme against the Su family in the future, they'll probably have to weigh the influence of this Ning Liheng behind the Su family..."

Thinking about the Su family's current situation, if they had an enemy with a Ning Liheng, known as "planning ten steps ahead," always standing behind them, it would truly make one's scalp tingle. With one move, he wiped out one-third of the Wu family's assets. Others would really have to carefully consider their actions.

Behind the beaded curtains, Qi Lan, while playing the琴(qin), gradually understood the things the two men were discussing. She listened intently.

The stories of talented scholars and beautiful women are always the mainstream in brothels. Now that she was a courtesan, she would occasionally hear people mention Ning Yi and then include her in the conversation. She actually had a somewhat strange feeling in her heart. Ning Yi was truly one of the strangest talents in Jiangning. He was considered the number one talent but didn't frequent brothels. There had never been such a talent before, but she also felt that Ning Yi deserved the title, even more so than Cao Guan. This feeling was truly strange.

He wasn't close to anyone in brothels, but if he were interested, he would probably get along with her. Qi Lan occasionally thought this in her heart. After all, she was different, and he had rewarded her with several thousand taels during the last courtesan competition.

Of course, she had a high status now and was quite busy. She entertained guests for the Puyang family to repay their kindness. She met other talented scholars. She would only think about it when she was free. She didn't think about Ning Yi often, but she never disliked it whenever she did. Sometimes, she would hear that Ning Yi had dealings with Yuan Jin'er, a courtesan who had retired, but she didn't know if it was true. There were always rumors in brothels.

She didn't need to say much at today's gathering, so she was happy to play casually on the side, thinking about these things. Puyang Yi and Tang Xu chatted for a while before getting up to say goodbye. Puyang Yi also said that he would visit the Su family in a few days and invite Ning Yi to the Lantern Festival poetry gathering... She wondered if he would come, Qi Lan guessed in her heart.

Puyang Yi also had things to do. After seeing Tang Xu off, he parted ways with Qi Lan at the entrance of Tingtao Pavilion. Anyway, Qi Lan had a maidservant with her, and a coachman to drive her back directly. However, when she was riding in the carriage that day, Qi Lan really saw Ning Yi and Yuan Jin'er.

After the New Year, even though there were many pedestrians on the street, not many were leisurely strolling. Most were visiting relatives for the New Year with various purposes. The carriage traveled along the Qinhuai River. When it reached an intersection, she lifted the curtain and saw Ning Yi's figure entering a restaurant by the river with another person. The person with Ning Yi looked a bit like Yuan Jin'er, but something was strange. It was different from her usual impression, so she stopped the carriage.

Mainly because Puyang Yi and Tang Xu had just talked about Ning Yi, Qi Lan got out of the car to take a look. The restaurant by the river was still under renovation. It was probably closed for the New Year, but the layout was very strange. There were some small changes in style. Although they were subtle when carefully distinguished, these changes did highlight the two-story building, which was probably intended for restaurant use. It looked like a lot of thought had been put into it. Because it was cold, Ning Yi was wearing a lot of clothes. He looked a little rustic because he was wearing a hat. The woman next to him was also wearing a lot, dressed in brown clothes with a hat with white fur, which still couldn't hide her beauty, but from a distance, she looked like a little panda.

Qi Lan distinguished them and confirmed that the person walking with Ning Yi was indeed Yuan Jin'er, who was rumored to have retired.

As a courtesan, Qi Lan was still wearing a清丽(qing li, fresh and elegant) dress today. It was beautiful and warm, and a lot of thought had been put into it. Yuan Jin'er used to be a courtesan and would never dress so casually, seemingly hiding her beauty. Ning Yi and Yuan Jin'er walked into the restaurant, holding a few pieces of paper, pointing and commenting on the furnishings in the restaurant's hall. Qi Lan frowned, told the maid to wait here, and ran over herself.

The building was halfway renovated. Some windows were not closed properly. Ning Yi was discussing with Yuan Jin'er with a pen in his hand, occasionally lying on the table to scribble and draw. Yuan Jin'er was pushing things around in the messy hall. The voices of their conversation came from inside:

"...What we want is not a big change, but it must highlight the importance of cleanliness... Well, I've been quite busy recently, with two apprentices. The younger one wants to do dangerous experiments all day long, and the older one... the older one is also a little loli who's been wearing a long face recently. She's only thirteen years old, fourteen this year. I heard that her family is choosing a husband for her, so she's quite annoyed..."

"Fourteen years old is quite old. She can get married. At least, she can get engaged."

"It's a profound age problem. I can't explain it to you... Well, I decided to add a few chairs... How old are you? Why haven't you married yourself off yet?"

"I have a hard life. I can only rely on Sister Yunzhu... Don't expect it! By the way, I've been thinking recently, can we call this place 'Zhu Ji - Jin'er Store'? If you agree, I'll order the sign."

"...Change the second store to Jin'er Store."

"Okay."

"Okay, no problem. Whatever you want."

"Why is your expression so strange..."

The two were talking in fragments inside. She didn't understand some of the words, but... the feeling was very warm.

It was like a family, a couple, or a brother and sister. (To be continued. Vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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