coobybook Chapter 267 The Richest Man in Jiangnan
Chapter 267 The Richest Man in Jiangnan
King Kang was obviously distracted and whistled at the parrot.
Prime Minister Cui frowned and continued:
"Your Highness, Emperor Tuoba Hong of Beimang has replied. He said that if the Wei River is used as the boundary, and the two countries rule separately, and Daqi pays Beimang an additional one million taels of silver, he will consider withdrawing his troops and signing a peace treaty, promising not to invade during his reign!"
After saying this, Prime Minister Cui looked at King Kang quietly.
King Kang raised his eyebrows and seemed to be talking to himself at the parrot:
"Ari, if I agree to such a condition, what will you do to me?"
The parrot squawked twice, flapped its wings and shouted:
"I hate your highness! I hate your highness!"
King Kang laughed heartily and glanced at Prime Minister Cui.
"Uncle, look, even a flat-haired beast knows that such conditions cannot be agreed to. Uncle, you can't let this king be worse than a beast!"
As he said this, he shook his python robe, picked up the golden birdcage, blew a whistle, and stood up, walking out the door while playing with the bird.
"Ari, I heard you love the scenery of the tea mountains and spend your days wandering in the wilds. I specially planted a tea garden outside Beijing. Today is sunny, I will take you for a stroll. Let's go!"
As soon as King Kang left, Prime Minister Cui's staff came out from behind the scenes.
"Prime Minister, Your Highness does not agree to the conditions of the Beimang people. If Beimang does not withdraw its troops, the situation will be disastrous for Your Highness if it drags on!"
Prime Minister Cui chuckled.
Although his nephew had been a bit of a jerk, he still had a clear mind when it came to the major issues. Although if King Kang really agreed to such a condition, he would help him realize it, but...
"Didn't you hear what His Highness said?" Prime Minister Cui turned to his staff and said,
"Humph, the Wei River battlefield is currently in our Daqi's favor. How dare Tuoba Hong make such an exorbitant demand? He's not afraid of being laughed at! Go, write a letter to the country and tell him! Either stop fighting immediately and return to the grasslands, or wait for our Daqi army to cross the Wei River and beat him to a pulp and drive him back to the grasslands. Let him choose!"
"……Yes!"
……
Mrs. Qian is a kind-hearted person.
She had just sent Aunt Lu back to the Banshan Tea House the day before, and the next day she really came to the house with a visiting card and a lot of gifts.
"Wow, this Banshan Tea House is so elegant and interesting under the care of Madam!" Madam Qian praised it every two steps she took. The whole Banshan Tea House became much more lively because of her arrival.
"Oh, my wife likes Taihu stones. I'll give her a few dozen later. It's not a big deal. My family is from Taihu Lake, and the stones are all from our family. I picked them up at random."
"Well, this is this year's new tea! It's fragrant and delicious! Madam, you have a good eye. These tea mountains are the core tea-producing areas in Lin'an Prefecture. An ounce of tea is worth an ounce of gold!"
Bah bah bah a lot.
That day in the teahouse, Su Li had already witnessed Madam Qian's prowess. Seeing her sit down and chatter non-stop, she thought to herself that if she met Princess Heng, they would be a perfect match! They could definitely talk from dawn to dusk, without repeating a single word.
"Madam Qian, I'm truly sorry for not telling you your name when we parted in such a hurry that day. It's just that my general is seriously ill, and I didn't want anyone to know and disturb his rest."
Su Li invited Mrs. Qian to have tea and explained with a smile.
"I understand, I understand!"
Mrs. Qian patted her bulging chest,
"Mrs. Pei, my family is quite influential in Lin'an. If you don't mind me going back, I'll invite the best doctor in Lin'an to see the general. You don't know, but my family owns the best clinic in the city, Bao'an Hall."
"Mrs. Qian, you're too polite. I've brought a doctor with me, so there's no need to bother."
"No trouble, no trouble. Really not?"
"no need."
"Oh, that's fine too! Haha, Madam Pei, I think your belly should be five months old, right?"
"Well, almost five months."
"Look, look, I'm telling you. Look at your pointed belly, it looks like you're going to give birth to a son. Well, my ancestors have a secret recipe for giving birth to a son. I'll have someone send it to you tomorrow. Take it every day to nourish yourself, and I guarantee you'll have a boy!"
"what?"
Mrs. Qian was so enthusiastic, Su Li smiled and said:
"Thank you, Madam, for your kindness."
Seeing that Su Li accepted her kindness, Madam Qian was overjoyed and moved closer, as if they were already very familiar close friends. She took Su Li's hand and said:
"Sister, I'm a few years older than you, so I call you sister. Sister, I'm going to hold a spring banquet at home in three days. Would you be so kind as to come along? Don't worry, they're all ladies and young ladies from the rich families in the city, they're all family."
After saying that, he blinked his eyes, waiting for Su Li's reply.
At this time, Aunt Lu interrupted:
"Madam, it seems that the old lady and Third Aunt mentioned it a few days ago, saying that they also want to attend a spring banquet to be seen by the fifth lady."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Madam Qian nodded repeatedly, "The family of Lord Pei, the Jianghe Envoy, will also be coming."
"Mrs. Qian is so kind, so I would be disrespectful to refuse."
Seeing Su Li agreed, Mrs. Qian slapped her thigh happily.
Aunt Lu's whole demeanor brightened up as she saw this. Seeing Su Li's tired face, she actually offered to take Madam Qian for a stroll on the tea mountain.
Mrs. Qian was also very tactful. She pulled Su Li aside and said enthusiastically:
"Sister, take a rest. I'll send someone to pick you up in three days. Hehehe..."
Aunt Lu took Madam Qian out for a stroll, and Su Li instructed:
"Song Tao, get ready."
"Yes!"
In the main courtyard, usually only a few close people such as Songzhi Songtao and Liancheng come in and out to serve, but in fact there are many secret guards hiding in secret places.
Su Li is going out in three days, leaving Pei Heng alone at home. She has to make arrangements in advance to ensure Pei Heng's safety.
Three days passed in a flash.
The person sent by the Qian family to pick up Su Li had been waiting outside the Banshan Tea House early in the morning.
Su Li dressed up carefully, looking fresh and refined in a mint green spring dress, which was the most fashionable Jiangnan brocade in Lin'an Prefecture. Her hair was tied up high, and she simply pinned it with a gold-thread chalcedony hairpin in the shape of a blooming peach blossom, dotted with valuable gems.
It adds a touch of prettiness to the dignified and noble look.
The Qian family is the richest family in Jiangnan and a century-old prestigious family.
Qian Wuyong, the eldest uncle of the Qian family, was a politician and was currently serving as the prefect of Lin'an Prefecture. Madam Qian was the wife of the second son of the Qian family, but unfortunately, the second son had passed away at an early age, leaving her an orphan and a widow. Madam Qian now ran the Qian family.
The Qian family holds both power and money, and is considered the richest and most powerful family in Lin'an Prefecture.
No one in Lin'an Prefecture dared to attend the Spring Banquet hosted by Madam Qian. Therefore, today, the entrance to the Qian Mansion was bustling with traffic, even more lively than the Lantern Festival.
The Qian Mansion's extravagance was well-deserved, and its vastness was terrifying. Although Su Li was accustomed to seeing extravagance and wealth in Shengjing, she was still shocked by the towering majesty when she looked out from the gate of the Qian Mansion.
As soon as Su Li and his group arrived at the door, Mrs. Qian, who had already received the news, came to greet them in person.
"younger sister!"
Mrs. Qian greeted Su Li warmly.
"Mrs. Qian!" Su Li stepped forward with a smile.
At the gate of the Qian Mansion, countless women and young ladies stopped to watch, wondering who this person was that could trouble Mrs. Qian to come out and greet them in person, and even affectionately call her "sister"?