Chapter 702: No one else knows until the answer is revealed
The next morning, Gui Sheng showed some disrespect to his host and left before dawn without waiting for Sang Zhixia to come and say goodbye to him as promised.
The person who sent Sang Zhixia out of the villa was Gui Lianzhi.
Gui Lianzhi apologized: "Mr. Sang, I'm really sorry."
"My father originally planned to go with you, but something urgent had to be done outside, so he left early."
Sang Zhixia smiled but said nothing.
Gui Lianzhi quickly added, "But don't worry, my father said that the time we agreed to meet at Xiangshui Pavilion will not be changed. I will personally take you to Xiangshui Pavilion, and when we get there, I will toast you and apologize."
Gui Lianzhi still doesn't quite understand what happened.
However, before leaving, Gui Sheng repeatedly instructed that Sang Zhixia and the people she brought with her must not be neglected in the slightest.
Gui Lianzhi did not dare to be careless, so he simply turned down other matters and decided to personally serve as Sang Zhixia's bodyguard.
Sang Zhixia didn't get on the carriage. Instead, she took the reins that Xu Yu handed her, touched the horse's mane that was blown by the wind, and chuckled, "It's okay."
"Since it's getting late, let's get going so that Master Gui doesn't have to wait too long."
The people who came with Sang Zhixia all got on their horses.
Seeing this, Gui Lianzhi quickly ordered his men to remove the prepared carriage, and he himself rode his horse all the way towards the city gate.
Although the Lingnan army was stationed only a few hundred miles away from Nanyun, the city of Nanyun was still as peaceful as before, with people coming and going, some stopping to talk and some walking in a hurry.
When Sang Zhixia and others rushed to Xiangshui Pavilion, they happened to see a group of large ships docking.
When the laborers saw this, they ran over quickly with their sweat towels of unclear colors draped over their shoulders, fearing that if they fell behind, they would not be able to earn their living today.
Noticing Sang Zhixia's sidelong glances, Gui Lianzhi, who was following closely, explained with a smile, "There are only two situations in which a fleet can dock."
"Either the cargo needs to be unloaded from somewhere else, or there's cargo on the dock that needs to be loaded onto the ship. These people have been squatting on the dock for years, relying on their physical labor to make a living."
"This kind of situation happens every few days whenever a fleet docks. You've seen it so often that it doesn't seem strange to you anymore."
Sang Zhixia took the handkerchief Xue Liu handed her and wiped her hands. She asked in surprise, "A fleet of this magnitude appears every few days?"
“Not all of them are really that large.”
Gui Lianzhi chuckled and said, "Even though we are all merchants who rely on water for our livelihood, fish in the same pond also come in different sizes."
"The fleet that just docked was the Yan family's fleet. Judging from the number and size of the ships, it is unique among the Nanxun Chamber of Commerce."
"Yan family?"
Sang Zhixia smiled with an ambiguous smile: "Is it the head of the Nanxun Chamber of Commerce, the Yan family?"
"Exactly."
Gui Lianzhi said casually, "I heard my father mention it before. Yan Huishou sent you several invitations, just to invite you to come to the south for a gathering."
"But from what you said today, it seems that you have never been to the Yan family?"
This little bit of temptation is so naive that it is hard to bear to watch any longer.
Seeing Gui Lianzhi's seemingly well-hidden expression, Sang Zhixia suddenly understood why Gui Sheng could make up his mind so quickly.
after all……
How can a father not worry when there is no one to take over?
Sang Zhixia raised the corner of her lips subtly to hide her barely perceptible teasing, and said casually, "I came in a hurry and haven't had time to visit yet."
"But there's still a long way to go. There's always a chance. There's no rush."
Gui Lianzhi seemed to want to test something, but as soon as Sang Zhixia stepped into the gate of Xiangshui Pavilion, the manager inside immediately came up to greet him with a respectful look on his face.
"Boss, you're here."
Sang Zhixia suppressed a smile and glanced at Cheng Qi, who was wearing a fake beard and pretending to be quite convincing. She hummed and said, "Arrange a quiet place near the window. I have an appointment."
"yes."
Cheng Qi walked in front to lead the way. The clerks and accountants who passed by all lowered their heads and looked respectful, and exuded unspeakable respect from their whole bodies.
When Gui Lianzhi saw this scene, his heart silently turned cold.
Xiangshui Pavilion has been open in Nanyun for decades. Located next to the river and backed by the downtown area, it is well-known for its chef's skills and the fun of enjoying the scenery.
But they hadn't realized before that the owner of Xiangshui Pavilion was Sang Zhixia.
How deep is Sang Zhixia's influence in Nanyun?
Gui Lianzhi felt a chill in his heart. When he followed Sang Zhixia into the specially vacated wing room, he immediately said, "Since Master Sang has arrived, I won't bother you any further."
"Please wait a moment. I'll go outside to greet my father."
Sang Zhixia smiled and raised her hand in a gesture of invitation. After Gui Lianzhi hurried away, she held her chin up in her hand and said playfully, "I guess he must be asking someone to investigate the relationship between Xiangshui Pavilion and me."
After all, the reputation of Sanyou Trading Company has spread, and all the people in Nanxun Chamber of Commerce are facing a powerful enemy. They want to rack their brains to find out the family tree of Sang Zhixia for three generations.
But right under their noses, there was a huge Xiangshui Pavilion hidden without any news at all, so it was normal for them to be suddenly startled.
Xu Yu patted his legs, signaling Sang Zhixia to come closer. He gently rubbed Sang Zhixia's waist, which was probably sore from riding for too long, and said lazily, "This is the Xu family's former property. Of course, they can't find it."
When the Xu family was first exiled, they were indeed caught off guard and forced into poverty for a period of time.
But Xu Yu later gradually gathered together the Xu family's scattered properties, killed the bugs that he had not noticed before one by one, and the only ones left were people who were loyal to the Xu family.
These industries that were re-acquired should have been in Xu Yu's hands.
But Xu Yu directly handed everything over to Sang Zhixia. He would only show up occasionally when it was necessary to draw his sword and clear the door, and he would never interrupt at other times.
With the Xu family's years of preparation, it would be impossible to find any traces by relying solely on the Nanxun Chamber of Commerce.
Sang Zhixia leaned against Xu Yu, yawned, and smiled with her eyes crooked. "Then guess, if I ask Gui Sheng for twenty-five large ships, how many will he prepare for us?"
"What's the point of setting up a gambling game without mentioning the stakes?"
Xu Yu pointedly tapped Sang Zhixia's waist, leaned over and whispered in her ear, "You guessed it right, where's the reward?"
Sang Zhixia directly pushed Xu Yu's face away with her palm and sneered, "If you guessed right, I'll reward you with bran tonight."
"Such a rare and good thing should be left to Xu Mingyang and Sang Yanyou. I am old enough and I won't fight with them for it."
Sang Zhixia was so angry that she laughed: "You really know how to feel sorry for others."
"But you don't have to guess. The real master will be here soon, and the answer will be revealed."
Gui Sheng hurriedly arrived at the agreed time.
It's not that Gui Sheng was deliberately being arrogant or rude, but Gui Sheng really did manage to find a little free time in his busy schedule. When he walked in, he didn't even bother to wipe the sweat off his face and was breathing rapidly.
Xu Yu was standing by the window with two small plates in his hands.
One plate contained whole pine nuts, and the other plate contained shelled pine nuts.
Sang Zhixia leaned back in her chair with her eyes closed, but for some reason the corners of her lips were glaringly red. When she heard Gui Sheng coming, she opened her eyes, and there was still a faint mist in her eyes.
Gui Sheng was stunned.
Sang Zhixia slowly sat up straight and said, "Master Gui is here, please take a seat."
"Someone, bring tea."
Sang Zhixia's tone clearly sounded almost the same as yesterday, but inexplicably, Gui Sheng's heart skipped a beat, as he felt that Sang Zhixia seemed unhappy.
Gui Sheng sat down, not even having time to drink his tea, and said with a smile, "I was delayed by the hasty arrangements for the boat. I'm sorry to have kept Mr. Sang waiting for a while. I hope you will bear with me."
Sang Zhixia smiled nonchalantly: "It's nothing serious."
"Master Gui is busy and can handle it."
"only……"
Sang Zhixia didn't even glance at the pine nuts Xu Yu handed her. She said calmly, "It's already noon. I wonder if there's any progress on what I discussed with Patriarch Gui yesterday?"
Before he spoke, Gui Sheng glanced calmly at Xu Yu, who was still peeling pine nuts by the window. A strange feeling suddenly surged in his heart, and he smiled bitterly, "Since Mr. Sang has given me such a big honor, how could I be the one who didn't know what was going on?"
Sang Zhixia raised her eyebrows leisurely.
Gui Sheng stood up and walked to the window, pushed it open completely, and pointed to the large ships lined up on the river bank. He said, "Thirty-six large ships, all ready."
"As long as the Sang Dong family can use them, with a single order, not only these already prepared merchant ships, but also the remaining merchant ships that have not yet been mobilized can be dispatched at any time."
Gui Sheng paused and said meaningfully, "I've taken care of everything overnight. No one will know what's in the cabin."
"If anyone asks, it's the goods the Gui family got from somewhere else. I can guarantee that wherever the merchant ship goes, it will not be harassed by pirates, nor will it be intercepted and inspected by officials."
"Everything carried on the ship will never be known to anyone else until the answer is revealed."
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