Just as he was thinking about it, he heard a noisy sound outside. Song Yao pulled a servant over and asked, "What's going on outside?"
"In reply to Master Song, it was General Yang Zhiming, the city garrison commander, who came to congratulate Master Jiang on taking a concubine."
What?
Song Yao was shocked. Wasn't it said that Jiang Xuqing always didn't get along with military generals? How come he invited military generals as well?
Seeing this, the servant added something. "Master Jiang has sent invitations to all the generals. Whether they come or not is up to them."
Taking a concubine was treated like a wedding, with all the fanfare and excitement. What was Jiang Xuqing up to?
Zhang Zhiwei stood up and poked Song Yao's arm, whispering, "Old Song, how about we go to the door and see what's going on?"
Song Yao glared at him and said, "Others might think you're just a joke. We're just seventh-rank officials. Why should we be polite to them?"
"Hey. That's not what I meant. Etiquette cannot be abandoned." Zhang Zhiwei said with a smile: "Don't you want to see what the bride looks like?"
"It's a concubine, not a wife. The bride went straight into the inner hall in a pink sedan chair. How could we see it? Hey, what are you doing?"
Zhang Zhiwei didn't care about anything. Since he was already here, it would be a real regret in his life if he didn't take in the fun.
Zhang Zhiwei took a few steps to the door and gasped. "Hey, the generals are really giving Jiang Xuqing face. All of them, big and small, are here."
"Old Song, General Yue, the deputy commander of the border camp, is here too."
Song Yao, who was following behind him, said unhappily, "I saw it, go and pay your respects to him."
The two men walked to the door and saw Yue An chatting with Tie Niu and the others, so they didn't dare to disturb him. Zhang Zhiwei nudged Song Yao's arm, and Song Yao reluctantly went up to greet him. "Your humble servant, Song Yao, the magistrate of Baiji County, greets General Yue."
Yue An smiled and said, "Master Song, please don't be polite. The other one is Master Zhang Zhiwei, the magistrate of Chishui County. Nice to meet you."
Song Yao also smiled and made room. "How dare I? It's hard to talk outside. General Yue, why don't we talk inside?"
"No need." Tie Niu stopped between the two of them and said coldly, "I hate dealing with you civil servants the most. You speak in a flowery and unpleasant way. Where's Jiang Xuqing? Where's he?"
"Tie Niu, don't be rude." Yue An shouted, "Master Jiang is at least a fifth-rank official in the imperial court. How dare you, a mere captain, talk like that?"
Bai Shinian interjected at the right moment. "Come on, generals, please come inside. The Lord has arranged a separate seat for you."
That's more than acceptable. Tie Niu's anger, which had been provoked, instantly subsided, and he followed Bai Shinian into the table.
Only after Yue An and the others had sat down did Tie Niu find a corner to sit down. "Where's Brother Luo?"
Yang Zhiming sneered, "You don't know that he has always been at odds with Jiang Xuqing. He was imprisoned by Jiang Xuqing a while ago and is very angry. It's even a question whether he can come!"
Yue An had heard about this before, and after taking a sip of tea, he said, "Zhiming, you and Zhong Huai are both city defenders, so please don't make things difficult for Lord Jiang."
Yang Zhiming scoffed, but couldn't interrupt because the other members of the Jiang family were busy. He tapped his hand on the table a few times, and a servant in the crowd ran over to Yang Zhiming and whispered something. Yang Zhiming smiled in confusion.
It looks like a good show is about to begin.
Luo Ying arrived late at the last minute of the banquet. After handing over the gift, he found his own exclusive seat and sat down.
The military generals sat at one table, and the civil officials sat at two other tables. They had no interaction, so the meal was less polite.
"Lao Luo, you're a step late. You'll have to drink a few more glasses later." Yang Zhiming took the lead in filling Luo Ying's glass and whispered, "Even if you don't give face to the corrupt officials, don't let them take advantage of you."
"I don't understand what you mean." Luo Ying sipped his wine and squinted at him. Yang Zhiming felt uncomfortable being stared at and laughed awkwardly. "You know, I'm not just about the matter, but the person. You know my temper, I..."
"Stop talking and eat first."
Luo Ying interrupted Yang Zhiming and Yang Zhiming thought to himself: When did this guy stop getting angry and embarrassed? Could it be that he is addicted to being abused by Jiang Xuqing and has started to abandon the light and join the dark?
The other Iron Ox said, "Why haven't we seen Master Jiang yet? Could it be that he is carrying us into the bridal chamber?"
This sentence amused all the generals present, except Luo Ying. Luo Ying's face remained sullen and unpleasant. Yang Zhiming observed the changes in his expression and felt a little relieved. It seemed that Luo Ying had not yet gotten together with Jiang Xuqing, so the matter was easier to handle.
The military generals were having a great time, while the civil officials had their own ulterior motives. They flattered each other on the surface, but no one knew what nonsense they were talking about behind the scenes.
Seeing that no one was around when the meal was halfway through, Song Yao pulled Bai Shinian aside and asked, "Where's your master?"
"The master is in the backyard with Miss Yun!" Bai Shinian suppressed his anger and smiled. "I'll go and urge her again."
Jiang Xuqing, who was being talked about by everyone, was discussing with several businessmen in the backyard how to make a fortune in the future.
Xu Jing set up another table in the backyard in the name of Yanhong, and invited Yanhong's family member Li He and Zhang San, several businessmen who knew him well, to the banquet.
The prefect's decision to take a concubine and invite a merchant surprised everyone present. Li He didn't show it, but he was delighted. It seemed the house and the beauty had been given to him correctly; the truly precious possessions had finally found their way into his own home.
Li He thought this in his heart, but he never stopped complimenting Xu Jing. He kept calling him "honest and upright master", which made Xu Jing very happy.
Xu Jing had a servant fetch the sweater and handed it to Li He. "This is called the Fairy's Clothes. The specific material cannot be disclosed for the time being. I am only entrusting this to you because of your sincerity, Li He. I hope you will not disappoint me."
Li He was delighted. He took the sweater and touched it twice. It was indeed a fine piece. Not only was it thinner than leather, but the material was also of the highest quality, reflecting a rainbow of colors in the sunlight. It truly lived up to the name of "fairy clothes." Li He bowed repeatedly to express his gratitude. "Thank you, Lord Jiang, for your kindness. I'm just curious what kind of material it is made of. If you could tell me how to make it, I would give you 20% of the profit. Would you agree to that?"
It’s not that Xu Jing didn’t want to give it, but 20% profit was too little.
Merchants value profit and are also accustomed to observing people's words and expressions. Li He saw that Jiang Zhizhou was still silent and knew that the gift was too little. He gave the bride a look, and Yanhong reluctantly stood up and toasted Jiang Xuqing with a glass of wine, saying, "My lord, please consider that Li He is my cousin and agree to this matter."
"It's not that I'm being unkind, it's just that the material is so rare it's not suitable for mass production." Xu Jing sighed, and for the sake of the beautiful woman, he decided to give Li He some face. "How about this, I'll let the people at the garment workshop do the work, and you, Li He, will be in charge of sales? As for the profit share, I'll give you 20%."
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