Warrior in Turbulent Han Dynasty

After some conversation, Guo Shao became quite interested in Mrs. Chen. Not only because she took the initiative to arrange the dowry, but also because her family’s business reached Youzhou, Liao Kingdom, and she had hatred for the Khitan people, etc... These information quickly turned into an idea in Guo Shao’s mind: to inquire about the geographical and military situation of Liao Kingdom in detail through the Chen family’s trade.

But after all, I don't know much about Mrs. Chen's details, and some business dealings are not very important, but if it involves military matters, Guo Shao is still more cautious. For a while, he didn't mention anything else, just discussed the matter of arranging the dowry, and then they said goodbye to each other.

...Guo Shao returned home and told Yulian what happened today so that she could feel at ease.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, Guo Shao was greatly surprised by what Yang said next to her. She said, "Chen Jiali, isn't Zhou Ehuang's cousin?"

"Zhou Ehuang is the eldest daughter of Zhou Zong in the Southern Tang Dynasty?" Guo Shao couldn't help asking.

Yang nodded and said: "Exactly, Zhou Ehuang is very famous in the Southern Tang Dynasty. Her name is Zhou Xian, and Ehuang is her name. When Huainan was not fighting before, Zhou Ehuang was in Yangzhou to repair "Neon Clothes and Feather Clothes Song". He even sent someone to write to me to talk about this song."

Speaking of Zhou Ehuang, Guo Shao certainly knew that he was the famous "Queen of the Great Zhou"! But now the Southern Tang Dynasty is still Li Jing, and Zhou Ehuang has just married Li Jing's son not long ago, and he is far from being a queen. This woman is not only famous in this era, but also famous a thousand years later. Even Guo Shao, who has only a half-knowledge of history and only stays in textbooks and movies, knows... Of course, the Empress of the Great Zhou is not as famous as her younger sister, the Empress Xiao Zhou;

After hearing this, Guo Shao sighed: "I really didn't know that you also had contacts with people in the Southern Tang Dynasty. It is said that Zhou Ehuang was very talented, good at singing and dancing, and could compose poems. Since she can write to you to talk about rhythm, then Yue'e (Yang's) is also famous in the Southern Tang Dynasty? And she is also a talented woman?"

Yang's cheeks flushed slightly, and she said softly: "If my concubine has no reputation at all, how can I be sent around by those people? It's just that I'm not as famous as Zhou Ehuang. Of course I also know the rhythm of singing and dancing... It's just that the master is not good at this. As soon as he sees me, he tosses people to pieces without saying a word. How can I still have the strength to dance and play music? Besides, who am I to dance and play to?"

After hearing this, Guo Shao sighed and said, "In this way, I really wasted my talent and wasted your talent. I don't know much about the rhythm and dance, I'm just a layman."

Yang smiled and said: "It doesn't matter, the talent of the master is not here. Those talents and rhythms are just things to play with in their spare time. Those who know how to play with them are reluctant to avenge me; once Yangzhou was attacked by the enemy, they sent me around like a plaything... The soldiers are half dead, and the beauties are still singing and dancing. What's the point?"

She was right, Guo Shao is really not interested in singing and dancing now, it takes too much time and effort; his love for beautiful women is an exception, it is completely biological instinct. With that free time, he kept thinking about the Northern Expedition and how Zhao Kuangyin would deal with him if he gained power in the future.

However, Guo Shao was still very interested in Mrs. Chen, so he asked, "Could Chen Jiali have the same name and surname? Since she is Zhou Xian's cousin and a relative of Southern Tang Minister Zhou Zong, how can she be a businessman?"

Yang said: "I know that Chen Jiali was born in a family of merchants. She is not Zhou Xian's cousin, and I don't know what kind of relationship it is now... In short, Zhou Xian's uncle's family is the Chen family. The Chen family has a large number of people. It used to be a family that migrated from the north to the south and settled in Yangzhou. There are many branches; Chen Jiali's family is one of them.

Although the Chen family is married to a minister, the clansmen below are not necessarily rich and powerful. If Chen Jiali's family can become a big merchant, it can be regarded as a well-off and prosperous family. Merchants are fine too. The major salt and iron merchants in the Southern Tang Kingdom are all nobles of the royal family. If they are rich, who cares about how the money comes from? As long as they are clean, it will be fine. "

Guo Shao nodded and said, "Since it's a big family, as long as I confirm that the Chen family is a relative of Zhou Zong, Minister of the Southern Tang Kingdom, Chen Jiali should be fine. The Southern Tang Kingdom used to be hostile to the Great Zhou Dynasty because the Southern Tang Kingdom's monarchs and ministers often had the ambition to attack the Central Plains in the Northern Expedition; but now that Huainan has changed hands, the Southern Tang Kingdom has no strength to threaten the Great Zhou Dynasty at all, and the relationship has been repaired quickly.

A while ago, I learned in the court that officials had written a letter to Li Jing, the lord of Jiangnan, urging him to move the capital from Jinling, saying, "I and Jiangnan have established righteousness, but I am worried that future generations will not be able to accommodate the lord of Jiangnan. You can build the city god and rectify the key points for your descendants while I am alive." ’ The two countries are in harmony, and the Southern Tang Kingdom no longer needs to be an enemy of the Great Zhou. "

After hearing this, Yang said, "Didn't the master get an official from the Southern Tang Dynasty named Zhou Duan? He is from the Zhou family and probably knows the Chen family. Why don't the master ask Zhou Duan?"

Guo Shao thought it was good, so he sent people to the outer court to find his own soldiers to deliver a letter to Xuzhou, because Zhou Duan was now placed in Xuzhou (Zhongwu Festival Envoy Town Festival). Guo Shao wanted to establish a staff office in Xuzhou before, but it has not been implemented. Zhou Duan is now out of work; I heard that he lives in Xuzhou very peacefully, and there is no sign of leaving.

He came to Jingniang again and asked her about buying eyeliner from the market, and then asked Jingniang to find a way to inquire about the merchant Chen's family.

... A few days later, Zhou Duan came to Tokyo, and after meeting, he said that the Chen family did have a girl named Chen Jiali, who was very beautiful, so she was well-known among the big families in Yangzhou.

Guo Shaoyi pondered: The head of the Shen family died and got a wife. Originally, it would be better and less troublesome to continue the marriage with the Li family of the three families; but he insisted on marrying Mrs. Chen. It can be inferred that Mrs. Chen is beautiful and matches what Zhou Duan said. A lot of news can be twisted together, Guo Shao thinks Mrs. Chen's identity is more credible.

At this time, he thought of the simplest and most direct way, and asked Yang, "Have you met Chen Jiali?"

Yang said: "I met a few times when I was in Yangzhou."

Guo Shao decided immediately that he was going to let Mrs. Yang and Mrs. Chen recognize each other directly. If they knew each other, Mrs. Chen would be more reliable... He cleared his mind again: if Mrs. Chen was the cousin of Zhou Xian, the "empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty", then she would be a well-known and well-known person in the Southern Tang Kingdom; homework thought. The monarch is like this, there is no need for the Chen family, a big family that moved south to Yangzhou, to be hostile to the Zhou Dynasty.

Since the Chen family used to be a big family in the Southern Tang Kingdom, they have nothing to do with the Khitan people in the far north. In this way, Guo Shao can rely on his status as a senior general to carry out mutually beneficial cooperation with Chen's "transnational business group".

In order to make friends with Mrs. Chen, she did not hesitate to lose profits to show her favor, but Guo Shao had no reason to refuse her at all.

Guo Shao immediately instigated Mrs. Yang to exchange letters with Mrs. Chen. In mid-March, Mrs. Chen issued an invitation letter to Guo's mansion; Guo Shao and his concubine Yang were invited to visit her in Tokyo's other courtyard, and she would prepare a banquet for her.

Guo Shao readily responded, pushing the boat along the way, and wanted to take this opportunity to reach a substantive cooperation with Mrs. Chen.

Mrs. Chen's residence in Tokyo is located in the west of the inner city, between Zhengmen and Liangmen, on the banks of the Bian River. In contrast, it is not so lively there. Only the Xihuamen area in the west of the city is very prosperous, but it is very quiet after crossing the Bian River in the south... because the handicraft industry area, commercial area, and hotel area in the inner city are all in the east city.

Guo Shao took a team of people and drove there, only to see that there are mainly residential buildings here, and there are few bustling and noisy commercial streets. For a while, I felt that Mrs. Chen was very good at choosing a place, the land price was cheap and she planned a quiet environment.

When I arrived at the mansion, I saw the door was open, but there was only one person inside, that is Aunt Sun. There was no atmosphere of warm welcome at all, and there seemed to be few people in the deserted yard. Aunt Sun didn't address General Guo, she just said: "The old friend of the honored guest is here, and the concubine is far away to welcome you. Please, the honored guest."

Guo Shao called his followers to come in together, only to see two servants of the porter come forward to lead the horses and lead the guards to tie the horses. Guo Shao, Jingniang and Yang followed Aunt Sun to go inside.

Aunt Sun led the way and said: "This house is Madam's private property, there are not many people; it is inconvenient for Madam to go out to see each other. The etiquette is a bit negligent, and I hope the distinguished guests will be more understanding."

Guo Shao said with a smile: "Yue'e and I are not very honored to be invited by Mrs. Chen, so don't pay too much attention to those common etiquettes."

After passing the screen wall, you will see a courtyard with lush flowers and plants, and several big houses in front of you can be seen among the treetops. Aunt Sun brought Guo Shao and others to the hall, and saw that the room was very spacious, and it was a bit empty. But it is spotlessly clean, the floor is not like the floor tiles in the corridor, but wooden boards; the chairs and table cases are also unpainted wood. The monotonous and simple colors make this place look quiet, elegant and sober.

It is really rare to see a merchant's mansion like this in this world.

Aunt Sun invites Guo Shao to take a seat and stands aside. Guo Shao and Yang saw that there were futons next to the tables, but there were no stools or chairs, so they had to find a place to kneel and sit down. Jing Niang stood by and refused to sit.

In the previous invitation letter, it was stated that there would be a banquet for entertainment, but now there are no dishes, wine, or even tea. It was naturally inconvenient for Guo Shao to ask people what they wanted to eat, so he chatted with Yang for a few words, pretending not to care.

At this moment, a cool and soft voice said: "General Guo and 'Mrs. Yang' have been waiting for a long time, and I waited for the spring water to boil, so I was delayed for a while."

Guo Shao heard the sound and turned his head to look, only to see a woman in a plain skirt coming from the inner gate, carrying a wooden sand pot. But her face was actually covered with a veil, but it was useless, the translucent veil couldn't cover anything, as expected, hypocritical people had to use something to show off.

"Ah, Mrs. Chen, I really saw you in Tokyo." Yang said pleasantly, "Why do you serve tea yourself?"