"Miss Bai, you must remember this. If one day you, Miss Bai, and I, Suo Yuanli, meet on a narrow road, don't blame me, Suo Yuanli, for not being gentle and considerate to women! I, Suo, will never forget what happened today!" The Hu man said loudly as he looked at Bai Chun's back as he left.
Bai Chun didn't bother to pay attention to him and walked calmly towards Li Hong's carriage, while turning his back and giving Suo Yuanli a middle finger.
The people who were watching her were confused. What did this mean? Was it a challenge? Or was it a response to herself?
Everyone saw that Bai Chun did not get on the carriage she came in, but got on a larger carriage opposite. The curtains of the carriage were drawn, so they could not see who was inside, yet they were able to invite Miss Bai Chun into the carriage.
Wen Ting and Wen Zhen watched Bai Chun get on the carriage and couldn't help but look thoughtful. This carriage seemed familiar to them, as if they had seen it somewhere before.
Oh, by the way, we met them on the way here today. When we passed them, the carriage had already made way for them and did not slow down their progress.
Thinking of this, he was shocked: "Could it be the prince?" After another thought, Wen Ting overturned his guess: "It can't be the prince. If it is the prince, how could he set off on the road with only one carriage? And it is said that the prince has always been tough and vindictive, how could he give way to me and others."
Looking at the mysterious carriage, Wen Ting frowned and shook his head, feeling vaguely uneasy in his heart. He just hoped that the prince was not in the carriage.
"Although these people are members of the royal family, not all of them know the prince. I saw them on my way here today, and they raised a lot of dust. Fortunately, we closed all the windows in advance." Xiaoxue said to Bai Chun, who was sitting next to her and had just got on the carriage.
...
...
Bai Chun touched Xiaoxue's rosy cheek teasingly and chuckled, "Then why didn't you go down and tell me just now? I could have taught them a lesson."
"My master won't let me go down, and I'm not allowed to cause trouble." Xiaoxue pouted her lips, standing up for the prince who had to eat dirt all the way.
The carriage was moving slowly on the wide streets of Taiyi City. There were bustling shops on both sides. Merchants coming and going were either chatting with the shop owners with a smile on their faces, or bargaining with the shop owners seriously, or waving their hands happily and contentedly, asking the shop assistants to go to the backyard to load the cart.
Although it is bustling with people coming and going, it appears harmonious and peaceful overall. The front of every shop and the wide street are clean and tidy, without any garbage flying around.
Li Hong opened the curtains, looked at the lively scene outside, and said calmly: "Bai Chun, you'd better be careful of that guy named Suo Yuanli. He is not an easy person to deal with. Try to be prepared and don't suffer from him when the time comes."
Hearing Li Hong's words, the five women in the carriage were all surprised. Bai Chun asked in surprise, "How did you know this, sir? You can't really be good at predicting things, right?"
"You can tell something by looking at a person's face. Otherwise, do you really think that Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang are fake? There is some truth in fortune-telling by touching the bones." As Li Hong spoke, he couldn't help but think of those two charlatans. He didn't know what they would see from him if they met him one day.
"Suo Yuanli? What abilities does this Hu man have? Isn't he just a guest official in Wen Ting's mansion?" Bai Chun said with a frown.
Li Hong smiled coldly. Who is Suo Yuanli? In ten or twenty years, this is the kind of person who will make all the officials in the Tang Dynasty tremble in their knees when they see him.
Suo Yuanli, one of the four cruel officials, has debts to pay from thousands of wronged souls.
Suo Yuanli, Zhou Xing, Lai Juncheng, and Hou Sizhi, in the first few years of their mother's reign, when she advocated cruel politics, each of these people must have been responsible for hundreds of deaths.
The carriage drove to the center of Taiyi City, where we saw a huge manor with a courtyard wall made of stones more than one meter high. Outside the corner of the wall were rows of blooming flowers, decorating the entire courtyard wall with unique beauty.
There are two large wooden doors at the entrance, which even the emperor's dragon sedan could easily pass through. After entering, there are rows of stone buildings with their own unique features, and each building has a different function.
But each building is two-story, not very tall. The buildings are separated by green trees and red flowers, and the green and neatly trimmed lawns make people feel lazy at first glance, and they can't wait to lie down and relax.
The winding path paved with goose-warm stones, as well as some small pavilions and terraces, or rockery and lakes nearby, form a perfect and poetic landscape in an orderly manner.
The main entrance leads directly to the tallest building in the middle, where there is a specially built avenue for horse-drawn carriages. It is paved with neat and clean bluestone slabs, and carriages can run on it steadily and lightly.
The white building in the middle of the entire manor is much taller and more magnificent than the surrounding houses. It appears to be five stories high. Standing on the highest floor, you can overlook the entire Taiyi City.
The carriage slowly stopped at the door. The maid who had been waiting at the door for a long time helped Li Hong get off the carriage obediently, then bowed and greeted Li Hong.
Li Hong stood at the door and waved his hand casually, saying, "Forget it, forget it. We are not that familiar with each other. It is better to relax and don't be too nervous. Learn more from your Miss Bai."
The maids then stood on both sides, and Li Hong walked in. While looking at the building that was built completely in his style, he exclaimed: "Tsk tsk... Who came up with this? He must be a genius. He can draw a blueprint for such a beautiful house."
Bai Chun naturally listened with disdain. Although this building was practical and convenient, it cost the most money to build. Moreover, all the furnishings inside were built according to his requirements. It was luxurious and extravagant to the point of being outrageous!
The design of the fifth floor is simply... Bai Chun doesn't know how to describe it. In short, this is the best house she has ever seen in her life. All the furnishings, furniture, etc. inside are made of extremely precious raw wood!
But what made her feel balanced was that the fifth floor was not for him to live in, but was reserved for the emperor and the empress. He, Li Hong, could only live on the fourth floor at most.
As for the second and third floors, they are reserved for the emperor and empress's maids and eunuchs. The first floor has a small meeting room and a banquet hall, including a living room.
After several people sat down in the living room, Li Hong patted the soft cotton sofa and sighed, "Let's not go to the restricted area today. We'll talk about it tomorrow. I'm almost dead tired after sitting in the carriage all day."
Bai Chun nodded, and Hua Meng and others began to busy themselves with helping Li Hong set up the bedroom for sleeping and all the utensils for the night, leaving Bai Chun alone.
"By the way, tell me, how are the merchants in Taiyi City doing these days? How many managers have come?"
"Yes, sir." Bai Chun stood respectfully in front of Li Hong and said solemnly, "There are already hundreds or even thousands of merchants from the north and south. They have arrived a few days ago."
"Merchants don't work without profit. They play a decisive role in the business of the Tang Dynasty and are also the economic pillar of our Tang Dynasty. They are so highly valued this time, obviously they are here for the quota, the formula, and the license of the Ministry of Revenue. Anything else?"
"Yes. Envoys from various countries in the Western Regions, including Tubo, Daqin, Tuyuhun, Jiusu Tiele, Persia, etc., have also arrived in Taiyi City one after another. Even Baekje, Goryeo, Silla, and especially Japan, have already entered Taiyi City in advance." Bai Chun thought for a moment and continued to reply.
"What are they here for? Do they want to get a piece of the pie? Dream on!" Li Hong glanced at Bai Chun and said disdainfully.
Bai Chun also glanced at him, and then said solemnly: "Master, some of these people came alone, and some secretly formed an alliance with the royal family or court officials..."
"Royal family?"
"Yes, sir. In the past few days, various intelligence analyses have revealed that envoys from various countries have had close contacts with them. After following them, we discovered that some of them have secretly formed an alliance, all with the goal of obtaining huge profits from Taiyi City."
Seeing that Li Hong remained silent, Bai Chun continued, "Moreover, when you just arrived at the Tongqian Gate of Taiyi City, I received new intelligence from Jingwei. King Ji, King Zhao, King Cao, King Han, and King Huo have all set out for here today."
"What do you mean? This is normal. Don't be nervous." Li Hong looked at Bai Chun with a frown on his face and said comfortingly, "You can't expect that everyone in the Prince's Mansion will be loyal to me, Li Hong. There are always some people with ulterior motives watching my every move. As soon as I arrived today, they started their journey. Naturally, someone must have told them my itinerary in time."
"Master, do you want to let 'Jingwei' conduct a thorough investigation of the mansion?" Bai Chun always felt that this was unsafe. If something happened, it would be difficult for him and others to sort it out, or to find out which party did it.
"What are you investigating? These are just small fry that can't cause any big trouble. These aren't the main points. What you need to pay attention to is that among these clans, there are many people like Suo Yuanli following them. Uncle Wang and his men will definitely not show up in person. When you guys are done talking, I'll have to bargain with them. So you'll need to decide for yourself who those people belong to and how to allocate the quotas, instead of letting them take advantage of our loopholes."
"Yes, sir. The Five Surnames and Seven Families and other aristocratic families, including princesses like today's Princess Qianjin, have also sent many retainers. Some of them have already arrived, and some are on their way."
"Haha, what are you doing? As soon as I, Li Hong, make a move, all the money-grubbers in the entire Tang Dynasty will follow suit! It seems that Taiyi City is really a gathering place of great forces."
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