In this era, it was very strange to see a man holding a woman's hand on the street. Even prostitutes would generally not hold hands with men on the street. When those women saw Tang Xi walking in holding Chen Yuxian's hand, they were stunned for a moment and then looked at Chen Yuxian with disdain. Although Chen Yuxian took good care of herself, she still looked like a mature and beautiful young woman at this time, and her clothes were also very exquisite. But because of Tang Xi's action, those people felt contempt for Chen Yuxian in their hearts, and some women even snorted softly.
For men, people are always relatively open-minded in this regard, but they are much stricter for women. Some things in this regard are very contradictory. On the one hand, it is clear that the existence of things like selling flesh in brothels is allowed, but on the other hand, it is unethical for a man and a woman to hold hands. Just like Zhu Xi, the so-called sub-sage of the Southern Song Dynasty, on the one hand, he was very righteous and taught others to preserve the laws of nature and eliminate human desires, but on the other hand, he married concubines one after another, constantly flaunted justice and nobleness, and on the other hand, he used all means to frame those loyal ministers and generals.
Tang Chen was very disgusted with this kind of people and things. What's more, he was from the later generations, and the moral standards in his mind were not at all of this era. Therefore, he turned a blind eye to the contemptuous looks of those women, patted Chen Yuxian's shoulder to comfort her, and signaled her not to care about these people's looks.
Chen Yuxian nodded obediently. Having lived with Tang Chen for so long, how could she not understand Tang Chen's daily habits and style? His wholehearted thoughts were on Tang Chen, so naturally he would not be annoyed by these people's gazes. It was just that they did not want to cause trouble, but others would not let Tang Chen and the others go.
"Hey, I'm wondering what's wrong with Xinfang and how people let her in." The speaker was Zhu Xuan, the third young lady of the Chang family, a very powerful family in Jinling City. The Chang family was a family of marquises for generations, but it was a large family in Jinling with many of its sons holding important positions in the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, the Chang family's business was also very prosperous, and the entire family ranked third in Jinling. Zhu Xuan's family background was not bad either. Her grandfather was a prince, but Zhu Xuan's father was not the eldest son who was banished. Therefore, Zhu Xuan did not inherit the prince's title, so naturally she did not have the qualifications of a princess or a county lady. But compared with the average daughters of officials, her family background was still noble.
Zhu Xuan knew some important figures from the super-powerful families in Jinling City, so she recognized Tang Yu and Chen Yuxian at first sight. Naturally, she had no scruples about them because they were not important figures in Jinling City. Especially when she saw that Chen Yuxian was not only beautiful, but also noble and generous, and her clothes were very valuable, Zhu Xuan felt a little jealous.
Although the Chang family is a super family in Jinling, they are far inferior to Tang Chen in terms of wealth. In terms of the money Tang Chen has, it is at least dozens of times that of the Chang family, not to mention that Tang Chen occupies so many places and industries. Although Chen Yuxian is not very particular about dressing, the Tang family is too rich now and has a lot of things. Not to mention that the silk and satin she wears are the best in Ming Dynasty, and some of the small accessories on her body are also extremely valuable. With Zhu Xuan's eyesight and knowledge, she is naturally a connoisseur. She knows that any item taken out from Chen Yuxian is more valuable than everything on her body.
If someone didn't know the value of things, they might not be jealous of Chen Yuxian. However, Zhu Xuan was born into a wealthy and powerful family, and she was the one who knew the value of things the most. Seeing these two people who had no morals or shame and no noble temperament and cultivation, wearing such luxurious things, how could she not be satisfied?
As for Zhu Xuan, the shopkeeper in the store was not at all unfamiliar. As a businessman and a veteran who had been dealing with people for many years, his eyes were much sharper than Zhu Xuan's. He could tell at a glance that Tang Qi and Chen Yuxian who came in were no ordinary people. Although they did not have the aristocratic style and elegance, they had the aura of being in a superior position and holding great power. Their fancy clothes showed that Tang Qi and his family were super wealthy. Even if they were not as wealthy as the Chang family, they were not people that a small shopkeeper like him could offend.
The shopkeeper tried to find a topic to distract the other party, but the other party was not happy. She was selecting something in her hands and said to Zhu Xuanyu, "Why can't we come in? What's wrong with Xinfangzhai? Is it a big deal? Even if it's in the imperial palace, no one would stop us if we wanted to."
How could Er be so kindhearted? After all, she was the Tang family's little princess, cherished by Tang Qi and his subordinates. With Tang Qi's current power, she wouldn't tolerate being bullied. Zhu Xuan was slightly taken aback when she heard Er say that even the imperial palace could be manipulated. She wondered about the background of Tang Qi and his group. But she soon understood. Judging from their demeanor, they certainly weren't from the imperial palace. Furthermore, Emperor Chongzhen was trapped in the capital, cut off from contact with the south. It was impossible for someone from the imperial palace to come to Nanjing. Therefore, Er's words were treasonous.
This single statement was enough to get any Ming Dynasty resident's entire family executed. Although freedom of speech was relatively high in the Ming Dynasty, such treasonous remarks were still a serious crime. Zhu Xuan, realizing what was happening, sneered and jumped to her feet. "Hey, you dare to utter such treasonous words? It seems you're tired of living."
The shopkeeper of Xinfangzhai was also frightened by her words. He wondered who this young lady was. How could she dare to say such outrageous words? Although the Ming Dynasty was in turmoil, the emperor's majesty could not be easily offended. This place was still under the jurisdiction of the imperial court.
He glanced at Zhu Xuan with disdain, as if she were an idiot. "What treasonous talk? You can report us to the authorities. I'm not exaggerating. If you really want to take over the imperial palace in the capital, it's not a big deal."
Zhu Xuan was a bit startled by her son's words. She once again began to speculate about the origins of Tang Qie and his group. She glanced at Li Xiangjun and Dong Xiaowan, who were standing with her son. She thought to herself, "These women are all incredibly beautiful. Any one of them is a stunning beauty. Could they be the imperial concubine's relatives?"
The more Zhu Xuan pondered, the more she couldn't fathom the origins of Tang Qi and the others. She wanted to call it quits, but she felt a sense of pride in her heart. Just as she was about to say something to save face, her son turned around and said to Li Xiangjun, "Xiaojun, these things aren't very picky. Most of them are second-rate goods. Just buy some and give them to the sisters under you. Boss, pack up everything you've taken out."
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When Zhu Xuan saw the things that were taken out, her heart skipped a beat. She bought them all, so how much would it cost?
As the third young lady of the Chang family, she couldn't afford all these big things with her annual membership fee. Precisely because the family was so wealthy, there were so many people. Except for a few people in charge of the Chang family, it was impossible for other people to spend money endlessly. For example, Zhu Xuan's annual membership fee was only about three thousand taels. For ordinary people, this was already a huge sum of money. Even for wealthy families, such membership fees were considered a lot. Moreover, wealthy families that could be passed down for a long time usually controlled these expenses very strictly. It was not like people imagined that they could spend as much as they wanted, which was the behavior of a prodigal son.
One of Tang Yu's men came forward to help the shopkeeper pack up all the things and then paid for them. The money used was silver dollars issued by the Ming Dynasty Bank. In places like Jinling, this kind of silver dollar had long been circulated and was considered the most reliable currency by merchants.
When Zhu Xuan saw the large pile of rouge and powder hastily packed, she was even more jealous of Tang Yu. She also understood that Tang Yu and his group seemed to be unwilling to be messed with. She wanted to save face but was speechless for a moment. The shopkeeper had made such a large deal, and his face was full of smiles. However, because of Zhu Xuan's interruption, they had no interest in staying in the store any longer. They left first, holding Li Xiangjun in one hand and Dong Xiaowan in the other.
Seeing that their daughter had left, Tang Qi and Chen Yuxian naturally would not stay in the store any longer. The shopkeeper respectfully escorted Tang Qi and his daughter out. After Tang Qi and his daughter left, Zhu Xuan stomped her feet in anger and left as well. She then sent someone home to inquire about Tang Qi and his daughter's background. It turned out that the Chang family also had people who did business in Southeast Asia and had made many transactions with the Tang family's caravan. Although Tang Qi and his daughter did not know them, they knew Chen Yuxian, the person in charge of the Tang family's caravan. When they heard this, the head of the Chang family was alarmed and immediately sent someone to invite Tang Qi and his daughter.
Anyone who has dealt with the Tang family caravan will know the power in Tang Chen's hands. That is a power that cannot be offended. No matter how prosperous the Chang family is in Jinling, they still want to curry favor with Tang Chen and his people. People with insight understand that with Tang Chen's strength that has destroyed several countries, he will be able to take control of China one day. For the sake of long-term interests, they have to find ways to establish a relationship with Tang Chen.
When Zhu Xuan heard what Chang said, she realized that she was wrong and regretted not seizing this golden opportunity. If she could establish a relationship with such an important figure as the Tang family, not only would her status in the Chang family be higher, but she could also help her husband gain a higher position in Chang.
Not to mention that Zhu Xuan regretted it afterwards, after that incident between Tang and Chen Yuxian, every time they went into the store to choose something, the two of them no longer went in. Anyway, they were just shopping and didn't want to buy anything. With the huge industry under Tang Li's control, there was no shortage of things, and shopping was purely for relaxation.
Tang Qi held Chen Qi's hand, and the two of them visited countless streets. Suddenly, Tang Qi found an interesting place. Although this place faced the street, it was not a shop. There were many people coming and going in the entire compound, all of them were young people. The reason why Tang Qi found it interesting was that someone was giving a speech inside.
There are many speeches in this era, which makes Tang Chen feel a little bit of the atmosphere of the post-war era. He can't help but stand at the gate of the courtyard and listen to what the person who was giving the speech on the stage said. It didn't matter what he heard, Tang Chen couldn't help but frown, because this person's speech turned out to be a political speech. The speaker kept advocating a political program on the stage. Although this political program did not have much depth, it looked like this kind of gathering was obviously the early organization of the political party of the post-war era. As for this kind of organization, Tang Chen knew very well what their future generations would be like.
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