Chapter 30 chapter Five

Di Gong led Tao Gan and Qiao Tai to the East Hall to meet Wen Kan, the governor of Guangzhou, and Bao Kuan, the city ship envoy. When Wen Kan and Bao Kuan saw Di Gong coming to see him, they hurriedly bowed to him respectfully. ——To the west of Di Gong, shepherd fish and lead Dali Temple, and his official rank is higher than that of Wen Kan.Di Gong introduced the official ranks of Tao Gan and Qiaotai to Wen and Bao.Wen Kan also introduced Bao Kuan to Di Gong. ——As soon as I saw the ceremony, I gave up my seat and offered tea. Wen Kan said: "In accordance with Master Di's instructions, I have invited Mr. Liang Pu and Mr. Yao Taikai to the Yafu. They are business leaders in Guangzhou, and they are also in charge of overseas business. They have many business contacts with Fan merchants. Master Di inspected the business in Haikou. You can inquire about Mr. Liang and Mr. Yao."

Bao Kuan interjected: "Mr. Liang Pu is the son of the old Pingnan General Liang Xiangjiao. He is smart and handsome. He has been fond of observing ancient and modern books, astronomy and geography since he was a child. He originally inherited his post. Because General Liang committed crimes in his later years, he lost his official rank and even his son. He also lost his budding job. Since then, Mr. Liang has worked hard to start a business, and his career has surpassed that of his father. ——He is very open-minded, and he is willing to spend money to make friends. Zhou is poor and widowed. He is also the most famous chess player in Guangzhou. Master. Except for Huijing, the abbot of Huata Temple, who can resist him for two rounds, almost invincible."

Di Gong frowned slightly: "Where is Yao Taikai?" Wen Kan replied: "Mr. Yao is doing overseas business, and he has a close relationship with various Yi merchants. Mr. Di inquired about the business of Haiyi Road. If you don't ask him, I'm afraid you can't do it. His acquaintance is so deep that even Mr. Bao Not as good." Di Gongdao: "Guangzhou is such a large city. It connects Hunan, Chu, Fujian and Yue to the inside, and connects to the South and the West. The key to the lifeline of Lingnan Road lies in the two businesses of Liang and Yao?" "The two are really the first households, and they play a very important role. Everyone only looks up to Liang and Yao Ma. There are no big names in communication with Fanshang." Wen Kan argued.

Qiao Tai couldn't help interjecting: "I heard that there is a merchant shipping tycoon named Ni Tianji, and his shipping business is Maolong. Traveling between Dashi and Persian countries is like going to Panyu and the South China Sea. He is also proficient in the language and customs of the other dialect." Wen Kan was shocked and said, "Ni Tianji? Why haven't I heard of this name?" He turned to Bao Kuan. Bao Kuan hurriedly said: "What Captain Qiao said is true. This Ni Tianji was indeed a shipping tycoon. But in recent years he has closed his business and lived in seclusion, and has never gone to sea again. With half his life accumulating wealth, he has fun and squandered in Guangzhou. debauchery."

Bao Kuan's body is shriveled and thin. Although he can't be called old, he already looks old.Especially the goatee under his chin, which is very funny. Di Gongdao: "In this case, please invite Liang and Yao to come into the inner yamen." After a while, Liang Pu and Yao Taikai were introduced by the Chinese army to the inner office of the West Hall. Liang Pu is wearing a tea-brown Ge gown with a collar and cloth shoes with an embroidered crown, which is very simple.Although his face is pale, he has an imposing manner, with a hint of arrogance.Yao Taikai has a round beard, which has just been trimmed, and his cheeks look a little green.Dressed in silk, she is radiant.

Di Gong first asked Liang Pu about the current situation in the Guangzhou market, and then turned to Fanke's shops, shipping schedules, goods, tariffs, etc.Liang Bo answered in a clear and orderly manner, neither overbearing nor humble.In words, he expressed concern about the increasing number of incidents of foreign customers disturbing Jing'an and deviating from the law.He also asked Yao Taikai about the important people in the business, his house, family members, customs, ceremonies, temples and other items. Yao Taikai was full of treasures and eloquent. Di Gong saw that he was very shrewd and had an amazing memory.Zan said: "You know so many Fan merchants, I don't know how to have a deeper opinion on them. Bao Xianggong, the Shibo envoy, is not as humble as you."

Yao Taikai said: "Although Fan merchants also try to make money and make a fortune, most of them dare not deceive their hearts. They often go to temples to recite scriptures to repent and pray for disaster relief. They keep their own words, characters, customs, and beliefs. He is wary of my Tang people, and I don’t pay attention to my Tang poems and Chinese classics. There is only one big food merchant named Manser, who can not only speak Mandarin fluently, but also understand Chinese characters. He is very hospitable. He also agreed to entertain me at his mansion tonight. So..." Mr. Di understood Yao Taikai's meaning: "Since Mr. Yao has an appointment, he should keep his promise. How can he wait for others for a long time? However, our Captain Qiao also wants to be a guest at the big cannibal's house to open his eyes. I don't know Yao Can you do it once, sir?"

Yao Tai laughed and said, "I think Mr. Manser would welcome him even more. Captain Qiao will go with me now." Di Gong was overjoyed, and said: "It's not early, and Mr. Liang can go back to his house." Then he turned to Wen Kan and Bao Kuan: "From the beginning of getting out of the car, there will be more and more troubles. I hope you two will help me and work hard for the king's affairs." , to attain the sacred destiny." The moonlight is melting, and the night is like water.There are rows of kapoks in the courtyard of the west hall, and the fire is about to burn.There was a stone table under the shade of a huge banyan tree, and Di Gong and Tao Gan were sitting on the edge of the stone table after dinner, discussing.

"Master just said that Mr. Liu didn't intend to ask Hua to find Liu, so it has something to do with the king's affairs. There are some taboos and it's hard to say, so I had to pay a private visit. I actually managed to hide it from a group of colleagues in the capital." "Master Liu is in charge of silk, and Wang Yan has nothing to do with it. What is worrying about the overall situation of the inheritance of Jiangshan Sheji is that there are three locusts and nine thorns in the court, and the balance of power among the various positions. The king is in charge of martingale, and he has already thrown himself away. The back of the head. His disappearance has shocked the court. I'm afraid there will be no second person who can support the political platform and fix the overall situation."

Tao Gan said again: "I don't know if Master Liu has any hobbies or hobbies." Di Gong thought for a moment: "Speaking of addictions, Mr. Liu does not drink and eat gluttonous food, nor is he greedy for goods and money. Look for it, and don’t hesitate to buy it. When the Holy One made an appointment with the Imperial Garden, besides cockfights, there were cricket fights.” "Fighting crickets?" Tao Gan was secretly surprised. "On the day before he left Beijing, when we met in the class, I heard the cry of 'Qu Qu' from his sleeve. He laughed and said: 'Before the sick bed of the Holy One, you can relieve your pain. I will pass it on immediately. It is in the inner palace, so it is carried in the sleeve.'——I heard Master Liu said that the cricket is a rare and rare species, and experts call it 'Golden Bell'."

"Admiralty?" Tao Gan cried out. Di Gong asked: "Tao Gan, did you also hear the reputation and value of this name, so you are amazed?" "No, sir. On my way back to Dudu's Mansion, I ran into a blind girl. This girl is selling crickets for a living. She said that she caught a golden bell at the back wall of Huata Temple last night. The sound is strange , I was very excited about it, and said that I would not sell it for ten taels of silver." "So there is such a thing?" Di Gong was also surprised. "I just don't know what is the relationship between her golden bell and Lord Liu's golden bell." "I heard from the blind girl that this golden bell is a famous species in Guan, rare in Lingnan. It is sold at a very high price. It is still hanging on a bamboo pole in her house. It is kept in a flat gourd and fed with diced cucumbers and forest poultry slices. . . .—Maybe the golden bell she captured was brought to Guangzhou by Mr. Liu hidden in his sleeve.” Di Gongwu said: "There are such coincidences in the world? Could it be that Mr. Liu was in danger, escaped with the golden bell in his sleeve, and was caught by the blind girl. In this way, Mr. Liu's disappearance must be related to Huata Temple. Maybe people will be imprisoned in that temple and ask for help." Tao Gan was puzzled: "Master Liu has such a leisurely heart, sneaked to Guangzhou for a private visit, and still has a cricket in his sleeve?" "It doesn't matter whether you are leisurely or not. It's not too late now. It's like chatting here. Why don't you hurry up and take a walk around the Huata Temple? It's a pity that Qiaotai is not here. ——Huata Temple was originally a university in Guangzhou. It is not a waste of time to visit such a famous place on a moonlit night.” Tao Gan hesitated: "Is this...suitable? My lord, you are a dignified second-rank official in the capital. You are at the mercy of the imperial court, and you are always at your disposal. How can you still be the same as the state and county officials back then, who often pretend to be a fortune teller and go to the streets to find out the truth.' " Di Gong said with a smile: "It's rare to loosen your muscles and bones, suddenly embrace you, and feel at ease. I'm already tired of the set of ceremonial guards and bureaucracy. Besides, this is not the capital after all. Some people recognize us. I have made up my mind. Stop talking, hurry up and change clothes!"