welcoming party

Wangxi Tower is located in the busiest place in West Market. Although it is called "Tou", in fact, in addition to the three-story main building, there are six adjacent courtyards. It occupies a large area in the downtown area, which shows how prosperous its business is.

Yin Tong's welcoming banquet was scheduled to be held in the Xiyuan of Wangxi Tower. This place must have some connection with the Yin family, so Qin Yousi went to Sun Qian of Jiufeng Bank to inquire about the information.

Sun Qian introduced, "Wangxilou's owner is the Wang family of Beizhou. The current director in the capital is the young master of the Wang family, named Wang Su. Boss Wang is twenty-five years old and very well-mannered. In addition to Wangxilou, he also runs several other restaurants."

Qin Yousi had never dealt with the Wang family, but she vaguely remembered that He Lian had taken Liu Ying to a crab feast at Wangxi Tower, so she asked Sun Qian, "What is the relationship between the Wang family and the He family, the Minister of Revenue?"

Sun Qian was well aware of the complex web of relationships in the capital. He said, "Madam He's Wang family and the Wang family of Wangxi Tower are from the same clan. The young master, Wang Su, is the cousin of Master He Lian."

Qin Yousi nodded and said, "No wonder."

There was still some time before the welcoming banquet, so Qin Yousi asked Gu Wu to inform Baili Hongyuan and arranged to go together in the evening.

Upon hearing the news, Baili Hongyuan couldn't help but feel excited.

The last time she talked to Qin Yousi, she did not give him an answer. Now she came to inform him proactively, which was to tell him that Qin Yousi still chose to plan with him.

Baili Hongyuan came out of Bailu Terrace early and went to Yuan's Medical Clinic to pick up Qin Yousi.

Qin Yousi attached great importance to the evening banquet and was dressing up.

There were many patients in the front yard of the clinic, and Baili Hongyuan was too conspicuous, so Qin Yousi had no choice but to invite him to sit in his room.

Her room is divided into inner and outer rooms. Behind the beaded curtain archway is her bedroom and dressing area, and the outer room is where the tea table and sitting couch are.

Baili Hongyuan looked through the pearl curtain at Qin Yousi, who was wearing gold and silver in the mirror, and couldn't help but say, "Why such a grand ceremony? Most of the men attending the banquet tonight are married men. No one will care about your appearance."

Qin Yousi was furious and glared at him through the mirror.

"Dressing up isn't just for pleasing men; it's also a woman's armor. Clothes make the man, and gold makes the Buddha. If you want others to respect you, you have to make yourself presentable first."

Sang Youzhi is young and frail. If she doesn't "put on airs", people who first meet her will just think of her as a child.

This is why when she met Yin Tong today, she first hinted to him that he had the Qin family's resources and could find out his whereabouts.

People are usually only willing to cooperate with the strong and those with equal strength.

After fiddling around for a while, Qin Yousi was finally satisfied with her makeup and service, and she lifted the bead curtain and walked out.

After dressing up, Qin Yousi looked much more mature, losing some of her girlish cuteness and gaining some of the elegance of an adult woman.

On the contrary, she is even more different from the originally bright and outspoken Qin Yousi, so that people who are familiar with Qin Yousi can see at a glance that although the two are similar, they are not the same person.

As the lights came on, people arrived at Wangxi Tower one after another. Xiyuan had a separate entrance, which allowed them to avoid the noise of the many diners in the building.

As Qin Yousi entered the garden, a man punched Yin Tong on the shoulder and said, "You're such a good fellow, Yin Ninghui! You didn't even tell me you were returning to the capital. When I received the visiting card at noon, I thought someone was impersonating you. Do you know how hard it was for me to find a free time tonight?"

Ning Hui was Yin Tong's courtesy name, and only very close people would call him that.

The person who spoke was Zhou You, the commander of the imperial guards. When he was in and out of the army, he was General Yin's personal soldier and was considered the elder brother who watched Yin Tong grow up.

Yin Tong smiled and hugged Zhou You, saying, "There's been a lot going on along the way, and I can't say for sure when I'll be able to reach the capital, but I know that Brother Zhou will come no matter how busy he is!"

Yin Tong saw Baili Hongyuan and Qin Yousi coming together, so he pulled Zhou You to greet them.

Zhou You and Baili Hongyuan were old acquaintances, so he said without hesitation, "Ning Hui is so generous that even Wangji came. Normally, I would invite him for a drink, but I don't know how difficult it would be."

Qin Yousi only then realized that Baili Hongyuan's name was "Wangji" and looked at him meaningfully.

Her name was taken from a poem - "I envy the green mountains for their thoughts, and the white cranes for their forgetfulness." Her father's original intention was to hope that his daughter would be peaceful and beautiful, and not contend with the world.

Baili Hongyuan's calligraphy and the Qingshan Lane where he lived both coincided with this poem and her name.

This made Qin Yousi think more.

Baili Hongyuan rarely showed any discomfort. He tried his best to ignore the gaze of the beautiful woman beside him and said to Zhou You, "I'll accompany you tonight, no matter how much you want to drink."

After Zhou You saw the face of the beautiful woman beside Baili Hongyuan, he quickly glanced at Baili Hongyuan again, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Zhou You and Qin Yousi knew each other, although they were not familiar with each other. However, Qin Yousi used to go in and out of the harem frequently, and the two often met each other.

Qin Yousi took the initiative to greet him and said, "Sixth Lady greets Commander Zhou. I have heard of your great name for a long time. It is my great honor to meet you today."

Zhou You, the commander of the Imperial Guards, was a man who remained calm even in the face of danger. Yin Tong had invited the guest, and Baili Hongyuan had brought him, so he politely returned the greeting and said, "You look familiar, young lady. I feel very close to you, too. Please take a seat."

There were already several people at the banquet, including Wang Su, the young master of Wangxi Tower, Chen Lin, the director of the Imperial Household Department, and Wei Chong, the instructor of the Beijing Army.

Qin Yousi looked at the various people in the welcoming banquet, including high-ranking officials in front of the emperor, minor officials from the nine temples, wealthy businessmen, and military warriors. Outside, everyone had clear responsibilities and hierarchies, but here, there was no distinction between high and low, and they were all Yin Tong's friends.

Qin Yousi recalled how when her clan arranged a marriage for her eldest sister, she was reluctant to let her marry far away, believing that guarding the border with the Yin family would be too hard. Qin Youjing, however, persuaded her, saying, "Young Master Yin possesses the integrity of a gentleman's friendship and the kindness of a friend in a carriage and a hat. The red tape of the capital is a cage for him. I am willing to travel far away with him, see the four seasons, and indulge in life to the fullest."

From the day when General Yin threw the seal in court, the Yin family had successfully retired. Yin Tong could have indulged in life, but he chose to return to the "cage" of the capital, for Qin Youjing, for himself, and for the soldiers and people on the border who suffered injustice.

During the meal, Qin Yousi listened to everyone's conversation quietly and did not take the initiative to mention any topics related to the Qin family.

Everyone was mainly discussing the deployment of troops between Xizhou and Nanzhou, and how to help Song Yiping incorporate the Xizhou army as soon as possible and fill the gap in food and supplies.

The most difficult problem at the moment is that in order to quell the public grievances accumulated by Marquis Xichang in the western border, the court admitted to several massacres of innocent civilians. This required the court to pay a large amount of compensation, which made the already tight military expenditure even more difficult.

Emperor Sheng is incompetent in governing the country. The court has repeatedly increased taxes, and the people are complaining bitterly. War in the west is about to break out, and there are places to spend money everywhere.

Simply cutting costs without increasing revenue is not a long-term solution.

Just when everyone was at a loss, Qin Yousi said boldly: "I still remember when I was a child, the sea market in Yangcheng was very bustling, the people were rich, and the tax revenue of one city alone was enough to cover the entire state."

Wang Su, the young master of Wangxi Tower, had his eyes light up and was the first to speak: "Miss Sang, do you mean to ask the court to reopen the sea market?"

Since Emperor Sheng ascended the throne, the court has been in turmoil many times, and neighboring countries such as Xizhu, Dongyi and Nanyue have always wanted to take advantage of the situation.

In order to consolidate his imperial power, Emperor Sheng successively closed the sea market in Dongzhou, the border trade in Beizhou, the tea-horse trade route in Nanzhou and the Silk Road in Xizhou, and prohibited the people from trading with neighboring countries.

Qin Yousi nodded. "Not only the Hai Market, but also the border trade markets in various places are the most effective way to increase revenue. The war in Western Province is tense, so it is inconvenient to reopen the Silk Road. However, Eastern Province and Northern Province are under the control of the court, so why can't they be reopened?"

Dongzhou's navy was developing rapidly, nearly wiping out the pirates. The Dongyi were in the midst of a civil war and had no desire to invade, making it a good time to reopen the sea market. And Beizhou had not invaded the border since the Northern Liang King returned and took control of the throne.

During the years when private border trade was closed, most of the money earned from foreign trade run by the government was pocketed by officials and powerful people, and never entered the court treasury. As a result, Emperor Sheng believed that border trade was not profitable and would only increase border risks.

Wang Su nodded and said, "I've also heard my uncle mention that he wanted to suggest to the court to reopen border trade, but the memorial was rejected by the cabinet and never submitted."

His uncle was He Fangzheng, the Minister of Personnel.

Qin Yousi thought of Madam Shi and said, "I am quite familiar with Madam Shi, the doctor of the Ministry of Personnel. If Lord He and Lord Shi jointly submit a petition, would it be more effective?"

Baili Hongyuan added, "We can ask Imperial Tutor Song to come and give Your Majesty another lesson on the importance of border trade."

Shen Lin, the Supervisor of the Imperial Household Department, also said, "I would also like to ask my adoptive father to secretly tell the emperor some anecdotes about the wealthy merchants of the previous dynasty."

His adoptive father was Eunuch Chang, the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department.

Everyone was enthusiastically putting forward suggestions, and from time to time they would take the initiative to ask Qin Yousi for his ideas.

When Yin Tong looked at her again, he felt that this girl was somewhat like Miss Qin Er.

Not much wine was consumed at this banquet, but everyone talked until very late.

When the night watchman struck the third watch, Baili Hongyuan had no choice but to say, "Sixth Lady is weak and can't make it through the night. I'll take her home first. You guys can drink slowly."

Qin Yousi felt a little apologetic, but she was indeed a little tired, so she resigned without hesitation.

After the two of them left, Zhou You finally couldn't help but ask Yin Tong: "What is the relationship between the two of them?"

Yin Tong said with amusement: "I just arrived in the capital today, and you ask me?"

Zhou You clicked his tongue and shook his head, saying, "Wangji is actually such a lovesick man! You still remember when Qin Erniang died, he fell seriously ill and his temperament changed drastically. I only then realized that he had been thinking about Qin Erniang all along, and he kept it so deep! Liuniang and Erniang look so similar, and the way he guarded her every step of the way, he must have fallen for her again."

Yin Tong disagreed and said, "Liu Niang is Liu Niang, not anyone's substitute. If Brother Baili really has this idea, it's not fair to Liu Niang."

Zhou You agreed, "That's right. We should try to persuade him when we have the chance. We can't let him be so foolish. I think Sang Liuniang is a smart girl and she can't bear this injustice."

The midnight in late autumn was very cold and frost had formed on the ground.

Qin Yousi coughed twice as she walked out of the door, and Baili Hongyuan immediately put the cloak he had not put on on her yet.

Xin Chen had prepared a carriage and was waiting outside the door. Baili Hongyuan helped Qin Yousi get in and rode his horse outside.

Qin Yousi stuck his head out and said, "Your Excellency's old illness cannot withstand the cold wind. Let's go back together in the carriage."

Baili Hongyuan was afraid that the smell of alcohol on him would offend him, so he refused and said, "I'll get rid of the alcohol."

Qin Yousi could only speak through the window: "I want to discuss something with you, sir. Can you let me into the prison to see Duan Zheng?"

Duan Zheng was sentenced to exile, but before he could leave, he was imprisoned in Bailu Terrace.

Baili Hongyuan hesitated for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll send someone to take you there tomorrow afternoon."

Seeing that he didn't ask why, Qin Yousi took the initiative to say, "I want to exchange his and Madam Duan's safety for some information about the connections within the palace and the Western Territory. It's not for anything else."

He was exiled during the coldest time of winter, and his destination was Lingnan, where there was the most miasma and poisonous insects. It was a thousand miles away, and whether he could reach the destination alive depended entirely on his luck.

Duan Zheng may not want to live, but as a son, he should still care about his mother.

Baili Hongyuan looked down at the girl who was looking up at him through the carriage window. She looked so docile, so he smiled and said, "No need to explain. I trust you."