Chapter 27 Chapter 1 Strange Transaction

This song "Wu Zhongtian Women's Sigh" was written by Dongpo Layman. It talks about the extremely hard and miserable life of Wu Zhongtian women, full of pain, bitterness and helplessness. During the Shenzong period of the Great Song Dynasty, Wang Anshi reformed the new law. He wanted to prosper the country and benefit the people, but he didn't want to be taken advantage of by the sycophants in the court. Under the name of the new law, he sought personal gain, formed cliques and private interests, and expelled loyal and good people.Various state governments also took advantage of the implementation of the new law to impose additional taxes, causing the people to live in dire straits and complaining.Su Shi was deeply distressed when he saw the suffering of the people. Whenever he served in any place, he did his best and had good governance, which was praised by the local people.

Since he took office in Huzhou, Mr. Su visited various counties in Huzhou to observe the people's sentiments and explore the customs. During this time, several murder cases were solved, which spread throughout the Huzhou government.Rumors spread among the people all over the place that the new Mr. Su is like a god in solving cases.On this day, Su Gonggong and his wife Wang talked about the Huangshan Valley ruler in their room, and wrote a poem to send to it.When Su Ren came to report, he only asked Mr. Wu Xiangqin, the weaving official in Huzhou, to see him.Su Gong ordered Su Ren to lead him to wait in the living room, then changed his clothes and hats, and came to Detang, only to see two people whispering, one of them was Wu Xiangqin, and the other was bloated and gorgeously dressed, Yu Jiu, the silk owner of Huzhou .Huzhou has always raised silkworms and mulberry, so it is rich in silk. Its name is second only to Hangzhou. Therefore, there are many wealthy merchants.Up to now, only Zhu Shanyue, Yang Yifu, and Yu Jiusan are left to compete for the hegemony, accounting for 80 to 90% of the business.I don't want the situation to change again, Zhu Shanyue was harmed by his wife Ning's family and the steward Anfu, Zhu's mansion was left without a master for a while, and Wanguan's family wealth attracted the relatives of Zhu's family and many concubines to covet. No one took care of the Zhu family's business, it plummeted, and soon fell apart, and finally declined.

Su Ren served the fragrant tea, and then stood aside, quietly watching Wu Xiangqin and Yu Jiu's behavior.Su Gong sat down and said with a smile, "I don't know why Mr. Wu and the shopkeeper Yu came here?" Wu Xiangqin said, "I have a humble job to see you. I have something to report. I have discussed this matter with you." Mr. Su smiled and asked what was the matter. .Wu Xiangqin said: "Your Excellency, do you remember that a few days ago, someone wanted to buy silk at a high price?" Su Gong heard it and immediately remembered it.In the case of the death spell, Li Long was ordered to investigate Sun Jinfu. He went to Dexinglongzhuang and asked the shopkeeper Xun Huajian. He found out about it by accident and informed Su Gong.Su Gong was very puzzled, so he ordered Li Long to investigate.Li Long made a secret investigation and found out that it was the fellow who was called Wu Duzhuo, but it was hard to figure out why he bought silk at a high price.Su Gong also suspected that it was the Zhu family's secret conspiracy. When Ning's and Anfu's conspiracy was exposed, he knew it was not him.

Mr. Su stroked his beard, smiled lightly, and said, "It's been nearly half a month, and there's nothing to do, and there's nothing to say. It must be a silly thing for a good person, who wants to attract people and make him happy." Shaking his head, Wu Xiangqin said: " This matter is definitely not the work of a good person, and I secretly thought that there must be something wrong in it." Su Gong asked: "What is your opinion, Lord Wu?" Wu Xiangqin said: "At the beginning, when I heard about this, I didn't take it seriously, I just took it It's just someone maliciously spreading rumors and causing trouble. After the adults asked about it, the humble officials inquired about the matter, and saw that many shop managers in the city were buying high-quality silk, so they explained and refuted the rumors for them. Some of the shopkeepers of silk shops believed If you have a humble job, you will no longer buy it. There are also unbelievers who spend all their wealth and buy it in anticipation of the rare goods. After a few days, there is no movement. All the shopkeepers and brokers insist on their own opinions. Some are lucky, and some are panic. I used to think that this was a boring thing for those who do good things. But I didn't expect that guy from yesterday to show up again."

At the beginning, Su Gong didn't care about it, but when he heard Wu Xiangqin's words, he was taken aback, and said: "Is that man really here to buy silk?"Su Gong suddenly became interested, and said: "Mr. Wu, please tell me carefully." Wu Xiangqin said: "You can let Master Yu report this matter in detail." With a dry smile: "My lord, the villain thinks there must be fraud. The villain Yu Jiu has been in the silk business with my father since he was a child. It has been thirty-five or six years. I don't know a tenth of the silk and satin business in Huzhou, but I know eight or nine. Hearing about this for the first time, the villain became suspicious. The villain has already had a book in his mind about the prices of silk and satin in Hu, Suzhou, and Hangzhou. If each silk is more than five taels of silver, isn’t it a joke? Unless it’s crazy nonsense.”

Su Gong nodded, and said: "What the shopkeeper said is reasonable, how can there be such a cheap thing in this world." Yu Jiudao: "The villain can hear the servant talking about this, laugh it off, and don't care. But I don't want three days later, that The servant came to the door, wanting to have a drink with the villain. The villain was curious for a while, and wanted to find out what happened, so he ordered his servants to lead the fellow in. The villain peeked at the fellow. In order to be decent, there is no sign of madness. The villain was surprised, so he tried his words. The fellow said: "I am from Tokyo. My surname is Wu and my name is Duzhuo. This time I come to Huzhou to sell some silk and satin." Then he came out straight to the point. Therefore, he only wanted to buy a thousand pieces of high-quality silk and satin, and the price was five taels higher. The villain laughed and said: "Brother Wu is really joking. Yu has been in the industry for nearly forty years, and there are many friends in the same industry in all directions and eight states. I know all about the low price of silk in various places. In the past few months, I have never heard of the price mentioned by Brother Wu." Na Wu Duzhuo said with a smile: "The merchant is looking for profit. The reason why Wu is five taels higher is due to his own reasons. The reason is just inconvenient to tell. Master Yu only cares about depositing money, so why bother to ask other questions?" The villain laughed and said, "How can I convince Yu?" The bet is in the hands of the master. If there is a breach of contract, the silver will belong to the master." The villain was stunned, and the fellow took out two hundred taels of silver and put it on the table. The villain thought: I don’t know what that guy’s intention is. I should just wait for action. If I don’t see rabbits, I won’t scatter eagles, and if I don’t see silver, I won’t ship them. What can he do to me? Would you like to do it? The villain immediately agreed. The fellow asked for the proof of the fixed bank, and then left."

Su Gong was quite surprised when he heard this, and asked puzzledly: "That guy actually paid two hundred taels of money? So it seems to be true?" Yu Jiu said confusedly: "The villain has been in business for many years. He weighs the pros and cons in everything, and then be careful. Act cautiously, so you have been safe for decades, and you have never been deceived or cheated. The sage said: No small profit. Even with two hundred taels of money, the villain still has doubts. What is the origin of that guy? What's the plan? The villain has been thinking hard for many days, but he can't figure it out. When I met Lord Wu and mentioned this matter, Lord Wu was also very puzzled, so I came to see the Lord." Su Gong said: "The words of the shopkeeper are very true. There must be something in it. It’s strange. I wonder what Master Wu’s opinion is?” Wu Xiangqin pondered, “I heard from my humble position that there are more than 10 or 20 silk shops who have received Wu Duzhuo’s fixed money, which is nearly seven or eight out of ten in Huzhou. The fixed money also comes with the silk. Villages vary in size from one to two hundred taels. The set money alone is more than a thousand taels! As Yu Ye said, this guy has a different background."

Su Gong was puzzled, and asked: "The shopkeeper Yu has spoken with this guy, but have you ever heard his accent? I don't know what dialect it is from?" Yu Jiu thought about it for a while, and said: "It seems to be spoken in Suzhou." Su Gong asked suspiciously: "I just heard you say that that guy is from Tokyo, but why does he have a Suzhou accent?" Yu Jiudao: "The villain asked him the same way at the time, and the guy said that his parents were originally from Tokyo, and later they went into business in Suzhou. He grew up in Suzhou since he was a child, so he is a native of Suzhou, so he speaks the language of Suzhou." Wu Xiangqin said: "Did you ask about other things?" Yu Jiudao: "If you ask, you will ask, but the guy doesn't say a word. The guy walks away. Afterwards, the villain became more and more suspicious, so he asked his subordinates to follow him secretly to find out his whereabouts and where he stayed, and maybe he found something." Su Gong secretly said: "Yu Jiu is really careful.

Wu Xiangqin asked: "Have you ever found anything?" Yu Jiu sighed: "That guy's cunning seems to have been noticed a long time ago, and he abandoned the people who followed him. The villain secretly thought that if he knew people clearly, why should he be so sneaky?" It must be a trick in his heart, and he wants to have a plan." Wu Xiangqin pondered: "In Yu Ye's opinion, what is the intention of that guy?" Yu Jiu thought: "In shopping malls, there is nothing but profit. It's just that there is profit. There are differences between huge profits and small profits, and the methods used are also legitimate and unjust. This guy who frequently uses thousands of taels of silver to clear the way must have made great achievements."

When Su Gong heard the words, his heart moved, and he asked, "What does the shopkeeper Yu mean by 'great achievements'?" Yu Jiu sighed: "It's just a villain's random guess, and I don't have a clue yet." Su Gong said: "Let's talk about it and listen to it." "Yu Jiudao: "Since that fellow has been spreading rumors, many silk factories in Huzhou Silk Industry are ready to move, and they secretly take in high-quality silk for their profit." Su Renhu interjected: "Since all the silk factories in Huzhou City They are all bought or not sold, so where do they go to buy?" Yu Jiudao: "Then Zhu Shanyue was originally the number one owner in Huzhou. How to dispose of the tens of thousands of silks and satins in the store's silk warehouse? They will be bought by all the silk factories." Su Gong was thoughtful, but did not speak.

Yu Jiu said again: "The villain heard that the folk silk is exhausted today, and some people secretly bought official silk and pretended to be folk silk; what's more, they used that inferior silk as hands and feet, pretending to be high-quality silk. Su Gong said bitterly: "Who wants to be left behind because of greed for profit? If this continues, it may become more serious. If you don't want to stop, you will lose money in the end. Our Huzhou silk industry will also be damaged because of this. I am afraid that many silkworm farmers will have a hard time in the coming year." Wu Xiangqin was puzzled and said: "The price of silk is so high today, and the people are happy with it. They all hope to raise more silkworms and spin silk in the coming year, so that they can be sold at a good price. How can your lord say that the livelihood of silkworm farmers is difficult?" Su Gong said: "If this guy really wants to buy and sell silk, Huzhou silk Let him buy it, why bother to increase the price? Merchants all over the world seek profit from low income and high output. How can there be someone who does the opposite? There must be something strange. The so-called high silk price is just an illusion. If the people believe it If we raise more silkworms in the coming year, the silk produced will be much more than in previous years. Rare things will be expensive, and many will be cheap, but they will not be sold at a good price.” Wu Xiangqin thought: "Could it be this guy's intention..." Suddenly he stopped speaking, as if he felt something was wrong.Su Gong could see clearly that the witch Xiangqin seemed to have something hidden.Wu Xiangqin said again: "The lowly official thinks that the current law is to quickly find out the matter and then tell the public. It is also necessary to inform the merchants and people in the prefecture and counties that if anyone buys or sells official silk and intentionally disrupts the price of silk, it will be punished according to the law." The Song market is dealt with according to the law." Yu Jiudao: "Master Wu's words are reasonable. In today's plan, people's peace of mind is the most important thing. I don't know why, traders and I are in a state of panic all day long, afraid of being tricked by others, and afraid of losing business." Su The Duke said with a smile, "Master Yu is as shrewd as a monkey. Whether he buys or sells, he has his own discretion. How can he fall into other people's tricks?" Then he ordered the witch to deal with the matter quickly. Wu Xiangqin and Yu Jiu got up to leave, and Su Gong ordered Su Ren to see the guests out.When Su Ren came back, he saw Mr. Su strolling in the courtyard, stroking his beard and thinking.Su Ren could only stand aside quietly.Su Gong frowned tightly, thinking hard about it.Su Ren said in a low voice: "Businessmen are after profits. This matter can only be considered on the word profit. Whoever wins in the end is the mastermind." Hearing this, Su Gong stopped and said, "It's just that the profit seekers don't know What method is used? What is the profit? Gold, silver, silk? Or..." Su Ren asked: "Or what?" Su Gong said nothing, but ordered Su Ren to call Li Long and Zhao Hu to come . About a meal time, Li Long and Zhao Hu came into the hall, and they met Su Gong.After taking their seats one by one, Mr. Su revealed his doubts about the silk one by one, and the two listened with great fascination.Li Long exclaimed: "I don't think there are twists and turns in this. If I knew this, I would have brought that Wu Duzhuo that day." Su Gong ordered the two of them to summon several confidants to investigate separately, but they found something. Come and report.Li Long and Zhao Hu took orders and left. The words are divided into two ends.Shan Dao Zhao Hu left the government office and went to the market to inquire about Wu Duzhuo. No one except the shopkeepers of the silk shop had heard of this name, and none of the shopkeepers of the silk shop knew his origin, whereabouts and whereabouts.Zhao Hu was very surprised, this person really came and went without a trace, could it be a ghost?Absolutely not!Could it be that Wu Duzhuo is a pseudonym?Since it is fabricated out of thin air, where can I find him?How could anyone know?Zhao Hu thought, that Wu Duzhuo must be a fake name, and it would be useless to find him.Suddenly I thought about it, even if it was a false name, that guy was generous, but he didn't pay attention to more than a thousand taels of silver, he must be an extraordinary person!How many people like this are there in Huzhou City?Is there any reason why I don't know? Zhao Hu thought hard, Mr. Su said that Wu Duzhuo was not from Huzhou, or from Suzhou, or from the capital.If it is not from Suzhou and the capital, what can I do?In short, he is not a local, he has been in Huzhou for some time, where does he live?You can first look for it at the Huzhou Big and Small Inn, or you can find it.Zhao Hu looked around for the inn in the market, even if it was a small and secluded place, he would not let it go, and prevented the guy from changing his name, and asked the innkeeper and the clerk carefully, but found nothing.Zhao Hu was so tired that his heart was exhausted and his legs were sore. Before he knew it, he was in front of a house. It turned out that it was Qiao'er's house. Zhao Hu was overjoyed and hurried to knock on the door.When Qiaoer opened the door and saw Zhao Hu, she hurriedly pulled him into the courtyard, and said angrily, "You bloody ghost, why haven't you come to see me for so long? It's so disgusting." Zhao Hu smiled all over his face, and said, "I'm busy with business all day long. I hope sister Qiao will be considerate." Qiao'er pretended to be angry and said, "Why is this new lord just as busy as the previous lord, making it difficult for you and me?" Zhao Hu said with a smile "Isn't this more interesting?" Qiaoer said angrily, "How interesting?" Zhao Hu said with a smile: "Let's prepare some water to wash with me first, and then buy some wine and vegetables. Have a good drink with Qiaojie tonight " After saying that, he took out some scattered silver and stuffed it with Qiao'er.Qiaoer took the silver tael and smiled all over her face. Zhao Hu washed his face and feet, found a couch to lie down on, closed his eyes to rest, and Qiaoer went to the street to buy food and wine.Zhao Hu thought back and forth, but he didn't have a clue, and he was very upset.Suddenly, I had a whim: Maybe that guy never stayed in the inn. Could it be that there are relatives and friends of him in Huzhou City?That fellow hides here?Finding him like this is like looking for a needle in a haystack, how can you find him?Must think of a way.Zhao Hu thought about it, and fell asleep unconsciously. After that Qiaoer cooked a few dishes, warmed two jugs of wine, and woke up Zhao Hu. They poured wine and drank each other, and talked privately, which was very pleasant.While talking, I heard someone shouting, and Qiaoer could understand it, but it turned out that it was Erlang again.Qiaoer opened the door, and when Erlang heard that Zhao Hu was here, he hurried into the hall to meet Zhao Hu.Zhao Hu said with a smile: "Erlang is here, come and have a few drinks with elder brother." Qiaoer added a bowl of chopsticks.Erlang drank three cups first, and said, "Why haven't you seen Big Brother for so many days?" Zhao Hu didn't answer, but instead asked, "Did Erlang hear anything good recently?" Erlang suddenly remembered something, and said with a smile, "If you don't ask, brother, younger brother will forget about it. But today I saw something. Sister, guess what it is." Qiaoer said in amazement: "Your sister and I are not gods, how do I know if you don't say anything?" Erlang said: "Do you know that Babiao?" Qiaoer said strangely: "That's right. That bastard Poppiba. I don’t know who provoked him again, and I think he bullied him badly again.” Zhao Hu asked: "Who is this big worm?" Qiao'er said: "It's a famous hairless worm in this area, relying on a bit of wealth, and colluding with some crooked friends, he runs rampant in the market all day long. All the neighbors hate him for bullying the weak and good, and secretly call him a big bug." Zhao Hu said: "This kind of wicked person, why is there no one to punish him?" Qiao'er laughed and said: "When people see him, they all take a detour, and it is too late to dodge. Who would dare to pluck the hair from the mouth of the tiger?" Erlang said with a smile: "What I want to say is that someone plucked his hair today." Qiaoer was taken aback, and said: "Who is so bold? Again What's the matter? Come and listen." Erlang said: "Sister, do you know that there is a Hangzhou daughter in the Chunyi Pavilion? The daughter is called Hongyu Ruan, and she is very enchanting and charming. Everyone said that this Hongyu Ruan is beautiful. Although she is inferior to that Shi Qingluo, her flattery is even better than that." Qiao'er was surprised and said, "What does this matter have to do with Hongyuruan?" Erlang laughed and said, "Naba Da Chong is a greedy and lustful person. Since that Hongyuruan came to Chunyi Pavilion, he has been insane all day long, greedy for tenderness and warm quilts. It's just The hooks value money, the red jade is soft and charming, and the rich and powerful lords, sons, and merchants come one after another, so why should they pay attention to him, Ba Da Chong. Yesterday, Na Ba Da Chong collected a hundred or twenty taels of silver and came to prostitute The female, I didn't think that the female had already had a master, so Ba Da Chong had to wait patiently for a day, and today he came to look for it again, but he didn't think that the master hadn't gone yesterday, Ba Da Chong was very angry, and called seven or eight rogues, Rushed into the Chunyi Pavilion, and dragged the guy out from the red jade soft boudoir, but it turned out to be a young son, and the rogues beat him up, only to make the boy cry for his father and mother, begging for mercy on his knees." Qiao'er was puzzled and said: "It's so obvious that Ba Da Chong is bullying others, why is it..." Erlang interrupted Qiao'er's words, and said with a smile: "Sister, don't worry, wait for the younger brother to speak slowly. The young man ran away in a hurry. Naba Da Chong didn't pay any attention to it, just hugged the red jade softly and had fun. Around the time of a meal, there were only twenty or thirty people coming, each with a knife and stick, rushing to the Chunyi Pavilion, and finding Ba Da Chong, they couldn't help but say, Full of old fists, he was beaten until his head was broken and bloody, his nose was blue and his face was swollen, four or five teeth were lost, three fingers were chopped off, and a leg was broken. It was so miserable." Zhao Hu was shocked and said, "Who is so vicious?" Qiao Er smiled He said: "The big worm usually does a lot of evil. I don't want to have today. But I don't know how many neighbors are secretly happy." Erlang said proudly: "Who do you think that young man is? It turned out to be that Yang Xiuzhu." Zhao Hu had never heard of it. This person asked, "Who is this?" Qiao'er laughed and said, "Master Zhao doesn't know something. This Yang Xiuzhu is a romantic young man who spends his days roaming around Liuxiang, Huajie, restaurants, and teahouses all day long. It's magnanimous." Erlang said: "Master Zhao doesn't know about Yang Xiuzhu? He is the shopkeeper of Kaitai Village in Huzhou." Zhao Hu was surprised and said: "This Kaitai Village is one of the three major silk factories in Huzhou, and its shopkeeper is Yang Yifu, how did you become Yang Xiuzhu?" Erlang laughed and said, "Could it be that Master Zhao really didn't know? Then Yang Xiuzhu is the only son of Yang Yihu." Only then did Zhao Hu wake up.Erlang said: "That Yang Yifu is also an unusual person. I heard that he was a clerk in a small silk factory. The small silk village has worked hard, and gradually grew bigger. It took more than 20 years to start a business, and it is now as big as it is today. Now, Yang Yifu is over 60 years old, and his body is gradually declining. So I passed the silk village to my son's palm seal to cook." Zhao Hu said: "That's how it is." Qiao'er sighed: "It's a pity that Yang Yifu has been in business for decades, but he doesn't want his son to be a money-spending ancestor who spends money like dirt and doesn't know the hardships of his father's generation." Erlang laughed and said: "I am my son's envoy when I make money. Yang Yihu's ten thousand family wealth, don't say it is a lifetime, even three lifetimes can't be used up? It's like my parents, they never left me a penny." Hearing this, Qiao'er was furious, and punched, Na Erlang didn't pay attention, he got two punches and screamed loudly.Qiao'er scolded: "You bastard, why did you say such unfilial words. Even if your parents keep you gold and silver mountains, what's the use? Haven't you been made empty by you? It's because your parents loved you back then. Today, I am blaming my parents! You deserve to be beaten." Qiaoer scolded more and more, and found a wooden mallet to beat her.Seeing that the situation was not good, Erlang pulled away and ran away.Qiaoer couldn't catch up with him and let him escape. When Qiao'er came back to De's room, Zhao Hu persuaded him, "How can you be so angry when you say a joke?" How can I not be annoyed by such words?" Zhao Hu tried to comfort him again and again.Qiaoer just calmed down.After tea and dinner, it was already dark, Zhao Hu changed his clothes, left Qiao'er's house, and went to Goulan Xingyuan to investigate by himself.