By the Bianhe River, in a small pavilion on the second floor of Sun's main store, Shi Qingnian poured wine for the two big men in furs, and said with a smile on his face: "The two of you are from the north, they are both good wines, taste the unique spirits in the capital." ”

A bearded man picked up the wine glass, took it in his hand and looked at it, and said disdainfully: "You people in the capital are just petty families, don't talk about drinking with a big bowl, you can use a cup that you can grasp with your hands." This little wine cup can be swallowed in the stomach if you are not careful, and it is used to feed the birds! ”

After speaking, he tilted his head and poured the wine from the cup into his throat.

As soon as the wine was drunk, the man's face turned red, and his eyes were wide open, as if he wanted to kill someone.

The companion next to him didn't know what was going on, and hurriedly asked, "Brother Deng, what's wrong with you?" ”

The cheeky man tilted his head, swallowed the wine in his throat, and slapped it heavily on the table: "Good strength, I've lived for decades, and I haven't drunk such a strong drink!" This time I will not lose money when I come to the capital to have this wine, come again! ”

Shi Qingnian smiled and filled the wine again.

The cheeky man said to his companion: "Brother let's have a drink together, this wine is like a fire in the stomach, and it is good wine!" ”

Two big men, you have a glass and I have a cup, and after a while, I drank a small half bottle of wine and went down.

At this time, Shi Qingnian held the wine bottle, but he didn't pour wine for the two, and his head came to the table and asked, "Deng Yuanwai, Fu Yuanwai, do you know which family made this wine?" ”

The bearded Deng Yuanwai glared and asked, "Which one is it?" When I went back, I went to his store and bought two cylinders and brought them back to the northwest to drink slowly. ”

Shi Qingnian shook his head: "Wine is forbidden, you can't carry it casually inside and outside the city, you still want to bring it back to the northwest?" I won't tell you that this wine is from the Marquis of Yongning today, and there is only one of them, and there is no branch. ”

Deng Yuanwai said strangely: "Which Yongning Hou?" How come our brothers haven't heard of it! ”

"Of course, it was the Marquis of Yongning who broke Jiaozhi last year, and he was crowned the Marquis with the county of Yongzhou, which is extremely glorious."

"We have also heard that it is rumored to be surnamed Xu, but I don't want to seal any Yongning Hou!"

Shi Qingnian laughed when he heard this: "This Yongning Hou is our Kaifeng people, Zhongjinshi used to open a winery at home, specializing in brewing this extraordinary spirit, which is well-known far and wide. Do you know what this marquis is doing now? ”

Deng Yuanwai and Fu Yuanwai shook their heads together: "We outsiders, how do we know about the things in the capital?" ”

"Salt and Iron Vice-Envoy." Shi Qingnian's face smiled like a flower, "It's the deputy envoy of salt and iron who is in charge of the tea case and holds the lives of the world's large and small tea merchants!" ”

Deng Yuanwai and Fu Yuanwai glanced at each other, and arched their hands to Shi Qingnian: "Director Shi, it must not be for nothing that you mention this county marquis now, please give me advice!" ”

"Nothing." Shi Qingnian picked up the chopsticks, "The two of you eat vegetables, this mutton is cold and it is difficult to eat." ”

Deng Yuanwai said: "Our Shaanxi is full of cattle and sheep, and we don't know how many tens of thousands of people are sold to the capital every year, so what is the reason to come to the capital to eat mutton." Director Shi, we have known each other for many years, so if you have anything to say, don't hang our brother's appetite. ”

Shi Qingnian took a piece of mutton in his mouth, chewed it slowly, put down his chopsticks and said slowly: "It's not a big deal, it's just that in a few days, the tea method will be changed again-"

"What?!" Deng Yuanwai slapped on the table and stared at Shi Qingnian with big eyes, "Director Shi, where did you get the news?" Is the message conclusive? ”

Shi Qingnian raised his hand and pointed to the north: "It came out of the palace, and the official family and several prime ministers finalized it together, and the tea law will be changed in a few days." Why do you want to mention this Marquis of Xu Jun, because he is also in the palace, and it was finalized on the spot. ”

"Changing it again? Oh my God—"

The two of them seemed to have been drained of their energy all of a sudden, and they were soft on the chair as if they had no bones.

Fu Yuanwai looked at his companion, shook his head helplessly, and said to Shi Qingnian: "Director Shi, how to change the tea law if there is news?" We, the tea merchants, will be affected in any way? ”

Shi Qingnian said: "I am a small supervisor of the shop, where will I know how the tea method will be changed." However, I inquired clearly, and the person who presided over the tea reform this time was Li Xianggong, who presided over the first year of Tiansheng. That year, Li Xianggong was the prime minister of the court, and this time he went further to be the privy deputy envoy, which should be similar to that year. ”

"It's over—"

Hearing that Shi Qingnian said that it was Li Shi who was hosting, Fu Yuan's breath of anger also dissipated and softened on the chair.

Shi Qingnian secretly sneered in his heart, ignored the two of them, poured wine and slowly drank and ate vegetables, and his expression was leisurely.

After a while, Deng Yuanwai suddenly straightened up from his chair, grabbed Shi Qingnian and said: "Director Shi is a good person who has accumulated years, he will save the two of us with kindness, and he will be a cow and a horse in the next life as a reward!" ”

Shi Qingnian shook his head: "The official family wants to change the tea law, how can I, an inconspicuous little person, save you?" ”

"Jiaoyinpu is doing a big business in the capital, there must be a way! 180,000 yuan, in our little people in the border area, is related to the lives of countless people, but in Director Shi's shop, it is just a trivial matter! ”

Shi Qingnian shook his head with a smile and didn't speak.

Deng Yuanwai looked at Shi Qingnian with an eager face, and almost knelt down and kowtowed three times.

Fu Yuanwai looked at Shi Qingnian's appearance, gritted his teeth and said, "Director Shi, how can you help our brother?" ”

Shi Qingnian looked at the two, put down the chopsticks, and said, "The two of you, how many years of friendship have we had, how can you say such words?" It's not that I don't help you, it's really powerless. Although I am in charge of the store, the money in the shop belongs to the owner, and I can't let the owner discount the capital, otherwise how can I stay in the capital? ”

Deng Yuanwai and Fu Yuanwai were like dead ashes, and they collapsed on the chair again.

The two were different from ordinary merchants who entered China, they did not do grain and grass business at all, but collected tea in several large state capitals on Shaanxi Road and Hedong Road, and then brought it to the capital to exchange tea for goods, and then sold it to tea merchants. To put it bluntly, the two brothers only do tea business, relying on capital to make money out of thin air.

This business relies on familiarity, and the two brothers mainly rely on Director Shi's transfer shop to share profits together. Another one must have a large amount of capital in his hand, but this capital is not all the two brothers' own, several wealthy families in Shaanxi have borrowed goods, relying on the two brothers to operate and eat interest. As soon as the tea law is changed, the old tea in the hand will depreciate sharply, and the real businessmen who enter the country can also rely on the policy of new introduction and old introduction to reduce some losses.

It's okay to have your own money, business always has losses and gains, the problem is that there are many powerful people from all walks of life in the capital, that is not an ordinary businessman who talks about business, and he can't save the whole family if he loses his capital to the lives of the two brothers.

Shi Qingnian looked at Deng Yuanwai and Fu Yuanwai in front of him, who had been scared for half of their lives, and slowly spoke: "Although I can't help your brothers, I have a way to show you." ”

When Deng Yuanwai heard this, it was like a drowning person who saw a straw on the top of his head, straightened up with a "poof", and grabbed Shi Qingnian's hand tightly: "Director Shi, as long as there is a way to save the lives of our two brothers, I will miss your great kindness for the rest of my life!" Please show us a way out! ”

Shi Qingnian held Deng Yuanwai's hand tightly and said sincerely: "We have known each other for many years, how can we see death and not save us?" I have always been soft-hearted, and I can't see others suffering. But then again, this matter is always a risk, if you don't let you suffer, let others suffer, I will show you the way, don't implicate me! ”

"Our brother saved! For many years, the supervisor didn't know that we were tight-lipped! ”

Deng Yuanwai and Fu Yuanwai spoke in unison, looking at Shi Qingnian with blank eyes.

Shi Qingnian nodded, made up his mind, and said to the two: "I have a brother who works as a supervisor in another shop. He knew a lot of people and a wide range of roads, especially among the tea merchants in the south. Now the news that the imperial court is going to change the tea law has not yet come out, and no one else knows about it except for us characters. That is to say, your brother has a close relationship with me, and I will tell you as soon as I get the news. Otherwise, the day after tomorrow is the Shangyuan Festival, and when the news comes out, it will be after the festival, and it will be too late for anything, even if there is a way, I have to hang myself! ”

"Kind Director, we remember your kindness!"

"The ancients said that kindness is not reciprocated, I just read the old friendship, so I gave you a way to live, and I don't want you to repay anything." Shi Qingnian looked at the two of them and lowered his voice, "My brother is in the inn by the Bianhe River, and now he is focusing on collecting tea from the northwest, and then selling it to them while the tea merchants in the south don't know." Earn some interest for yourself, and save your faith's life. ”

Seeing that the light flashed in the eyes of Deng Yuanwai and Fu Yuanwai again, Shi Qingnian said: "However, at this time, the tea will not be collected there at the usual price——"

"This nature, our brothers all understand!"

"According to the discount ratio of the first year of Tiansheng, the tea merchant added the government's subsidy, and the new quotation was almost two to one for the old quotation, and it was necessary to discount the money. The merchants who entered the capital sold tea, and the old tea could only be sold for two or three thousand yuan, and there were many people who could not sell it for many years. My brother is kind-hearted, 10,000 tea is given 3,000 real money, and there is no second price! ”

The two brothers looked at each other, and at this price, not only did they not make any money on this trip, but they also lost a lot of money. But no matter what, I won't lose all my money, and there will always be an explanation when I return to my hometown.

Old tea is in the hands of tea merchants, and they always have a way to exchange the tea quickly, so the price is higher. And if it is in the hands of the merchants in China, I don't know when I have to wait in the capital, and the tea is also old tea, which cannot be sold at all, and it is not uncommon for old tea to become waste paper after a long time.

"Okay, we're done!" Deng Yuanwai and Fu Yuanwai said together. (To be continued.) )