At the hour of You, the last ray of the setting sun was reluctantly leaving the sky.
Wang Sun Wuya, Lu Xihui, Zhong Jitang, Yu Xingjian, Sima Run, Sima Jue and Sima Che have arrived at the Sifang Tower.
The shopkeeper of Sifanglou had already received the news from Lord Ding'an, so he led everyone into the private room on the third floor, served them tea and snacks, and asked them to wait for a while.
Everyone sat down, feeling a little uneasy.
"Uncle Sima is the oldest here. My nephew Sang Xiang and Lu Xihui are here. I would like to ask you, uncle, why did Earl Ding An invite us to a banquet? "
Sima Run smiled faintly. "How can we possibly fathom the thoughts of someone like Ding'an Bo? However, I've heard from the people of Shangjing that although Ding'an Bo is young, he's not frivolous. He's measured and law-abiding in his actions, so there's no need for you to be nervous."
That being said, who wouldn’t be nervous?
Even Sima Run himself felt uneasy.
Lord Ding'an!
This gentleman's background is really too great.
Now the five great families have all sent people to Wofeng Road. This gentleman happens to be the governor of Wofeng Road, the direct official, and is directly related to the future prospects of the five great families.
So Sima Run did not go anywhere today. He stayed at home and thought for a whole day. The only possible thing he thought of was that this gentleman might be short of money. He had already visited the Minister of the Central Secretariat, Mr. Shang Yushang. Mr. Shang once served as the prefect of Jiangnan East Road and had some friendship with the Sima family.
Lord Shang had a very high opinion of this gentleman, so the Sima family could act with confidence.
But after a cup of tea, Lord Shang suddenly said that this gentleman wanted to build a road on Wofeng Road and asked His Majesty for 100 million taels of silver. This really scared Sima Run. One hundred million!
Build roads!
This gentleman is really courageous!
Not many people understand the importance of roads better than business families like theirs, so based on this alone, he knew that Ding Anbo was really going to create a great career in Wofeng Road.
But Lord Shang finally shook his head and said that the Yu Dynasty urgently needed silver in too many places, and His Majesty finally only agreed to give him 50 million taels.
So this silver is not enough.
Building roads is not enough.
The Wofeng Road has just been established. Many government offices need to be set up, many officials need to be in place, and many public supplies need to be purchased. Money is needed everywhere!
In Sima Run's opinion, after deducting all public expenses from the 50 million taels of silver, there would not be much left for road construction.
This is a very regrettable thing, but as businessmen, there is no problem for them to invest and open workshops on Wofeng Road. However, if they are asked to donate money to build a road... I guess my father will not agree.
Golden Bridges and Silver Roads, this is not just talk!
Sima Run's uneasiness came from this. If Ding'an Bo really made donations a condition at this banquet, then the investment plan in Wofeng Road would probably have to be shelved.
He kept this matter in his heart and did not say it out loud, thinking that he would wait and see what the attitudes of the other four major families would be.
These four great families are quite cunning. They sent four young men. They could easily delay by claiming that they were undecided and needed to consult the head of the family, and then let the matter go.
Everyone had their own thoughts, except Wang Sun Wuya, who would occasionally glance at Sima Che who was sitting next to him.
It turns out this girl is wearing no makeup. She is already stunning without makeup, but I didn’t expect that she would wear light makeup to attend the party tonight!
This is a disaster for the country and the people!
Last August, he begged his grandfather Wang Sun Qinghui to take him to the Sima family to propose marriage, but unexpectedly, Sima Yi Qiu declined. The old man said that Sima Che was very opinionated and had already stated that she wanted to choose her own husband - this was clearly an excuse!
How can women in the world choose their own husbands?
Wang Sun Wuya stayed in Yingqiu for a whole month, thinking that he could capture Sima Che's heart with his handsome appearance, but he didn't expect that Sima Che ignored him completely.
Then he thought he had found the reason. At Yingqiu Songzhu Academy, he ran into Sima Che and a man together. They seemed to be flirting with each other.
So he did something that he thought was great - he rushed over and beat up the man, but he didn't expect that the man was actually the top scholar of Songzhu Academy!
Following the man's shout, thousands of students rushed out of Songzhu Academy!
He was so frightened that he fled in panic, escaped the disaster, and returned to the Bian River in disgrace.
This trip to Jinling was a mission given to him by his grandfather. As the eldest son and grandson of the Wangsun family, he needed to go out and see the world.
Originally, he was not very happy about it. How good is the Bian River? I am the one who walks sideways on the Bian River!
But after learning that his cousin Wang Sun Wuji had not taken the imperial examination but was recruited into the Ministry of Commerce by Earl Ding'an, he suddenly felt a sense of pressure, so he came.
Then I felt that I had come to the right place, because I actually met Sima Che here - is this fate?
Prince Wangsun was lost in thought, his gaze fixed on Sima Che's face. Sima Jue frowned, coughed twice, and suddenly said, "Prince Wangsun, I heard that Wangsun Wuji is under the command of Earl Ding'an. Do you know why Earl Ding'an invited us to a banquet?"
"Ah..." Wang Sun Wuya hastily averted his gaze. "Well... Earl Ding'an is about the same age as me. I listened to his lecture at the academy today. To be honest, I really didn't think it was anything special. It was just a story."
As soon as he said this, everyone's eyes were immediately focused on his face.
Even Sima Che is no exception.
The exception was Sima Che, who frowned.
Wang Sun Wuya took a look and thought, wow, they were all looking at me but didn't refute me. Could it be because what I said made sense?
The second-generation rich man Wang Sun Wuya suddenly became excited.
He stood up, shaking his arms. "Think about it, everyone. Earl Ding'an is only eighteen years old. His Jinshi status was bestowed by His Majesty, which means he didn't pass the imperial examination. I admit that his poetry and prose are excellent, but since he didn't pass the imperial examination, it means that his knowledge of the Four Books and Five Classics is not very good."
"Then why was he able to be canonized as the Earl of Ding'an by His Majesty at such a young age?"
"Think about his three wives again. Which one has a simple background? Especially Her Highness the Ninth Princess. He is the son-in-law of His Majesty! Who else can be given the title of Earl of Ding'an if not him?"
"Besides, there are rumors that he is the son of the late Emperor Wen. Add to that the identity of the Emperor Wu, everyone... don't be blinded by those rumors and deify him."
"Putting aside those identities, he is actually just a small landowner in Linjiang."
While Wang Sun Wuya was talking about Fu Xiaoguan, two people came up from the third floor of the square building.
They were He Sandao and Zong Shiji.
He Sandao happened to pass by this private room and heard Wang Sun Wuya's words. He frowned and drew the knife from his waist with a "clang".
He kicked the half-closed door open with a "bang!", raised the big knife in his hand, and stared at Wang Sun Wuya fiercely: "You son of a bitch, you dare to slander my idol? I'll beat you to death!"
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