Chapter 209 Liu's Fruit and Vegetable Trading Company Yingtian Branch
Chapter 209 Liu's Fruit and Vegetable Trading Company Yingtian Branch
After bidding farewell to Lan Yu, Lu Yunyi hurried back to the front army scout camp.
His serious expression along the way made many soldiers give up the idea of greeting him.
When I returned to the military tent, I was greeted by a fragrant aroma. Following the scent, I saw a large bowl of rice, a pot of braised pork and pork spine on the table.
Liu Heiying raised his head from the table with sleepy eyes and rubbed his eyes:
"Brother Yun'er, you're back. Come and eat."
After Lu Yunyi learned that he was going to go to war,
I originally planned to stay up late to read more military reports on the Southwest War.
But after thinking it over carefully, he sat down at the table, sighed lightly, picked up the bowl and chopsticks, and started eating.
The food that the prince and Lan Yu ate was too bland and their bowls were too small, far from enough to match their appetite.
Liu Heiying tried to open his eyes wide, but he still couldn't hide the blurriness in them.
But he was keenly aware that the atmosphere was not right, so he moved closer and whispered:
"Brother Yun'er, what's wrong?"
Lu Yunyi did not speak, and continued to lower his head in deep thought.
Liu Heiying did not disturb them. He stood up and walked to the entrance of the military tent, lowered the curtain, and then ordered no one to approach.
He took out a box from under the bed.
Once opened, the aroma of wine fills the air.
Liu Heiying brought the wine over with a chuckle, and took two glasses from the side and filled them up one by one:
"Brother Yun'er, this is the treasure of the King of Liao. According to the old man, it's been there for nearly fifteen years. Come and have a taste."
Smelling the aroma of wine,
Lu Yunyi hesitated for a moment and drank it all. Liu Heiying wanted to refill it but was stopped by Lu Yunyi.
"No, drink it yourself. I have something else to do tonight."
Liu Heiying took the wine jar back, looking thoughtful.
Then he looked at the pile of military reports in the corner of the tent, and a flash of understanding came into his mind:
"Brother Yun'er, we are going to the battle."
Lu Yunyi nodded while eating.
Liu Heiying's face suddenly became serious. He didn't say anything and just stood there with his hands in his pockets.
It took Lu Yunyi nearly two quarters of an hour to finish a large bowl of rice and two plates of meat. He felt full all over again.
It made his head feel a little dizzy and he even felt a little sleepy.
Lu Yunyi shook his head, forced his eyes open, walked to the side to wash his hands and face,
Liu Heiying took away the three empty basins.
When he walked in again, a bowl of fruits and vegetables was already brought in, and Lu Yunyi was already sitting at the table.
"Black Hawk, we almost got screwed."
When Liu Heiying sat down, Lu Yunyi spoke slowly with an inexplicable expression and a hollow and vague voice, which made the military tent even more eerie.
Liu Heiying frowned, his face solemn:
"Brother Yun'er, what happened?"
Lu Yunyi told everything he had just learned from Crown Prince Lan Yu, as well as his own guesses.
Liu Heiying's expression became increasingly ugly, and he finally slammed his palm hard on the table and uttered a low curse:
"These bastards are always good at playing dirty tricks behind the scenes! Is it a crime to stay overnight at the master's residence?"
Lu Yunyi's face was solemn. He clasped his hands together and wiped his face vigorously, then he let out a long sigh:
"Fortunately, we acted cautiously and made preparations for a long time. If there was any negligence, our future would be ruined."
Speaking of this, Lu Yunyi felt somewhat fortunate.
Fortunately, he made decisive decisions at the beginning and got married immediately after returning to Gyeongju, establishing himself as a person who values love and friendship, otherwise it would be really difficult to pass this hurdle now.
Liu Heiying also showed some fear on his face. He put his arms on the table and leaned forward:
"Brother Yun'er, fortunately we have money and did not embezzle the captured goods.
If I am labeled as corrupt by the Crown Prince and His Majesty, it will be difficult for me in the future."
Lu Yunyi pursed his lips and nodded slightly:
"We were not careful enough. Too many people knew about the seizure of a truckload of jewelry, and people used it as a pretext to criticize us. We need to be more careful in the future."
Liu Heiying frowned and said quickly:
"No, no, we should be more open and aggressive in the future."
Lu Yunyi was stunned, pinched his brows in annoyance, and nodded repeatedly:
"You're right. I was negligent. We need to be more open and not be secretive.
Whether it's the Imperial Guards or the eyes staring at us from all directions, they will definitely get to the bottom of this.
They won't stop until they find out something.
Even if we didn't embezzle, they wouldn't believe it. Instead, they would think we were hiding something and would investigate more carefully."
"Yes, yes, Brother Yun'er is right. Making small mistakes can hide big mistakes."
"What's wrong? Don't talk nonsense. We didn't make any mistakes." Lu Yunyi's face was stern.
Liu Heiying nodded repeatedly, his face serious, not as playful as before, and said softly:
"Brother Yun'er, although Yingtian Capital is good in every way,
But there are too many big shots, none of whom we can afford to offend.
Besides, we are like blind people in the capital, we are completely in the dark, we don’t know what happened, and we are panicking.”
Lu Yunyi's expression also became serious:
"In the final analysis, we still don't understand Yingtian, and without our information channels,
Relying on others for everything will only make you lag behind step by step. This is not acceptable.
How are Yarong and the others doing? Have they received any letters? "
Liu Heiying's face was solemn and he shook his head:
"It's too dangerous. We had already told them when we sent the guide. They can't contact us or write to us. They have to wait for us to contact them."
Lu Yunyi felt inexplicably irritated, scratched his head hard, and let out a long sigh.
Liu Heiying's eyes turned and lit up, and he said quickly:
"Brother Yun'er, what do you think of Li Wuren?
He is a coachman. If we use some money to help him set up a coach shop, we can collect information through the coach shop."
"no!"
Lu Yunyi raised his hand and refused without even thinking:
"This is Yingtian, under the Emperor's feet.
The methods we can think of can also be thought of by the Jinyiwei and the eunuchs in the palace.
If I were Mao Xiang, I would secretly monitor all the people in the capital.
We need to trace the source of every company and find out who is behind it, so as to be absolutely sure.
Moreover, even if he wanted to do it, he had missed the opportunity. He should have done it immediately after meeting Li Wu.
Now that something like this has happened, he went to Li Wu's car shop instead.
It doesn't make much money and it's time-consuming and laborious. With a little analysis, you can see that there is a conspiracy."
Liu Heiying showed vigilance and nodded repeatedly:
"Yes, yes, yes. Don't underestimate the heroes of the world. We must not forget them."
"Black Hawk, we have come to this point by calculating and being cautious. If we make a wrong move, we will stagnate.
As our official positions get higher, we must be more cautious. "
Lu Yunyi seemed to have thought of something, his face relaxed, and he said frankly:
"I have inquired about the reward. It should be the Crown Prince's guest and the commander of the guards. Both are third-rank positions. He should be able to be promoted to the rank of general."
Liu Heiying's eyes lit up and he said excitedly:
"Brother Yun'er, he is a high-ranking official now. In the past, Ding Xianzhi was very arrogant, enjoying himself all day long and never showing up all year round."
"That was in a small border town, the commander was naturally awesome.
But we will probably be placed in the Beijing Xingdusi, where there are many housekeepers.
If you can serve in a military commission, you will be a real high-ranking official."
Lu Yunyi's face was full of regret. Although the deputy commander and the guard commander were both of the third rank,
But the weight contained in them is very different.
The commander of the guards can only manage the five or six thousand men under his command.
The deputy commander-in-chief can intervene in most of the affairs of the dusi and is a real big shot.
But considering his age, it is reasonable.
The compensation is the position of the prince's guest.
With this position, he can do whatever he wants in the Dusi. As long as he doesn't make a big mistake, no one can make things difficult for him.
"I don't know what reward I can get. I'm getting a little anxious. The court is so hesitant."
Liu Heiying rubbed his hands, with a look of dissatisfaction on his face.
Lu Yunyi laughed and said, "Don't worry, the court will definitely not treat us unfairly this time.
The commander's merits have been repeatedly underestimated, and they will certainly be redeemed from you.
Otherwise, the court will not be able to convince the people, and the general will not give up easily."
"How high is this official's position?" Liu Heiying sighed for no reason.
"Didn't you tell Duke Cao this morning that you wanted to be a duke in the future?"
After talking about a lot of his worries, Lu Yunyi felt much better and couldn't help but make a joke.
"That was all a lie to Li Jinglong. There are only a few living dukes among the millions of people in the Ming Dynasty. How could it be my turn?
Besides, Brother Yun'er, I've discovered that the capital is a den of dragons and tigers. The longer you stay here, the more dangerous it becomes.
It is better to be an official outside, where you can do evil and bully men and women.
If we do something bad in the capital today, His Majesty will know about it tomorrow, and we will be beheaded the day after tomorrow, and there will be no escape."
Liu Heiying looked fearful and sighed while shaking his head.
Lu Yunyi looked strange: "You see it clearly. Others are trying their best to become officials in Beijing, but you are still thinking about running away."
"Brother Yun'er, the old monk Guangzhi said,
Although I have a lot of good fortune, it is only with you that my fortune becomes more prosperous and my misfortunes are reduced.
Wear shoes that fit your feet. I know my own abilities.
If it weren't for Brother Yun'er, I would be like my father at best, selling melons for my whole life, having enough to eat and drink, how could I be so powerful today. "As he said this, Liu Heiying curled his lips and sighed:
"Brother Yun'er, my father told me that even if he has been selling melons all his life, it is still not as good as a word of advice from you."
Lu Yunyi was a little stunned and blinked:
"How much money did your uncle make in Peking?"
"My father said he bought half of the street and invested all his wealth in it, spending nearly thirty thousand taels of silver.
By now, he should have earned more than 100,000 taels.
Last time I heard him say that when the news of the victory in the Northern Expedition came back,
The price went up immediately, and countless people came to Beijing to buy houses and land.
They are all powerful people in the north. If my father had not been protected by the position of Yuwenlang given by the general, he might have been robbed by trickery.
Of course, our reputation is also important!"
Liu Heiying patted his chest vigorously, a smile appeared on his face.
He was very happy that he had joined the army and fought, and that he had established a role in protecting his family.
Lu Yunyi was a little dazed and admired Liu Huaipu's all-in spirit.
"Your father isn't afraid of losing money?"
"No, I've never heard Brother Yuner say that I've lost money since I was a child."
Liu Heiying waved his hand and didn't care at all.
Lu Yunyi had a strange expression on his face, and thought for a moment.
He stood up and took out a document from the bottom of the bookshelf, gently dusted it off, and then handed it to Liu Heiying.
"What is this?" Liu Heiying took it with some suspicion.
"This is a plan I had thought of a long time ago, but it may involve you and your uncle.
So I always treated it as a contingency plan and never brought it out.
Now the business is closed, but we can’t just sit there and wait for death. We have to at least keep the foundation and continue to transport fruits and vegetables.”
Liu Heiying opened the paper, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his expression was strange:
"Liu's Fruit and Vegetable Trading Company Yingtian Branch?"
Lu Yunyi smiled bitterly and then sat down:
"Yes, we have been targeted. It is not safe to do anything. The only reasonable thing to do is to do what we have done before."
Liu Heiying agreed without even thinking:
"No problem, Brother Yun'er, I'll go check out the location and select a shop tomorrow."
Lu Yunyi spoke in a gentle voice and with a calm expression, he said slowly:
"Think about it again. Although we opened a fruit and vegetable business in Yingtian just to establish roots and leave a foundation,
But if I manage the information in the future, it will inevitably spread little by little based on this, and this will implicate my uncle."
Unexpectedly, Liu Heiying looked indifferent. He raised his head proudly and patted his chest vigorously:
"Brother Yun'er, I am the current shopkeeper of Liu's Fruit and Vegetable Shop.
The last time I went back to Gyeongju, my father said I was smart and clever, and he handed over the business to me. "
Lu Yunyi had a strange look in his eyes and tilted his head to look at Liu Heying.
After looking at him for a while, Liu Heiying's originally heroic and high-spirited appearance suddenly became sluggish, and he said secretly:
"Well, he just doesn't care about fruits anymore and plans to concentrate on studying houses in Peking."
"But don't be fooled. Real estate speculation is a one-time deal. If you delve into it, you will fall into the trap sooner or later." Lu Yunyi became alert and reminded.
Liu Heiying blinked his eyes, noted the matter down, and planned to write it in the letter when he got the good news.
"Don't worry, Brother Yun'er, I will write a letter to tell him."
Lu Yunyi nodded: "That's good, how much money do you have now?"
As he spoke, Lu Yunyi walked to the bed.
He took out the pile of banknotes under the quilt, and roughly estimated that there were about one or two thousand taels.
Liu Heiying blinked his eyes, his face showing innocence:
"As for me, I still have two thousand taels."
"Two thousand?" Lu Yunyi looked him up and down with some suspicion.
"Three to three thousand"
"Three thousand?"
"Five thousand taels"
"Five thousand?"
Liu Heiying threw his arm in frustration: "More than 10,000 taels."
"So many? Where did they come from? The confiscated money?" Lu Yunyi came closer with some suspicion.
Liu Heiying chuckled, leaned his head closer, and whispered:
"Don't worry, Brother Yun'er. All this money was hidden when we were in Liaowang County, and the seizure has not yet been recorded."
"This is too much!" Lu Yunyi widened his eyes.
"The King of Liao has all good treasures. Don't take too many at a time. Just take two or three small items. A little adds up to a lot!"
Liu Heiying was shaking his head and looked obviously proud.
Lu Yunyi blinked and confessed honestly:
"Well, I have five thousand taels, which makes fifteen thousand taels. I should be able to buy a good shop."
As soon as these words came out, Liu Heiying's eyes widened, with an incredible look on his face:
"Brother Yun'er, you took it too?"
“I picked it up.”
Lu Yunyi talked about the assignment without blushing or beating his heart:
"You will take a leave of absence from tomorrow's training and take a few brothers to Yingtian City to look at the shops.
Ask Li Wu to come along, he is a local and is familiar with the route and prices.”
"Okay, I'll do it tomorrow." Liu Heiying's face was solemn and he nodded vigorously.
Lu Yunyi continued:
"You also need to buy me some medical books, both from bookstores and clinics.
It's better to buy their experience essays at a high price.
If they don’t sell it, we can use the name of the army to buy it, saying that it will be used for the southwest war. If they still don’t sell it, we can ask Li Jinglong to do it.”
"Medical books? What for?" Liu Heiying was puzzled.
"Buy it first, I have a use for it."
"Okay!" Liu Heiying stopped nagging and secretly took note of the matter.
Lu Yunyi continued to instruct:
"Oh, by the way, tomorrow we'll go to the pawnshop and look at houses first and then shops.
When you look at a house, you should show reluctance and some distress.
In short, let others know that you only have 10,000 taels of silver, which is only enough to buy a shop.
You should visit several dental clinics and check out all the shops.
Even if they find something they like, they will still hesitate. After looking at everything, they will still bargain.
If you want to spend this ten thousand taels of silver as if it were all your wealth,
The same thing should be done when buying books. You should show that you are reluctant to part with them but you still bought them for the sake of the war.
I am always entangled and searching."
Liu Heiying looked thoughtful and felt that this matter was a bit difficult to handle.
After all, they are the ones who own the treasures of the Northern Yuan Dynasty and are the richest people in the world!
But he still nodded: "Okay, Brother Yun'er, I understand."
Lu Yunyi nodded:
"Even if you find someone watching you, don't make it public. Stay calm and put on a show for them.
Remember, if you don't notice anyone watching you, it means you are being watched. Don't let your guard down. All your actions must be reasonable.
Now we are young upstarts, the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light, we can't make any mistakes, don't reveal ourselves, be natural."
"Don't worry, Brother Yun'er, we have it in our hands!"
Seeing that he was so confident, Lu Yunyi nodded slightly. He was still confident in Liu Heying's work.
"That's it for now. Go and have a rest. I still need to read the military newspaper."
Liu Heiying paused, his face showing concern:
"Ah, Brother Yun'er has been training for a day, so let's take a day off."
"No, the day of departure is approaching, and the documents cannot be taken away. I can only write down everything. Go to bed now."
Lu Yunyi waved his hand, but Liu Heiying thought about it:
"Brother Yun'er, you are confused again. I can't sleep. How can I sleep after spending so much money? I should have dark circles under my eyes tomorrow."
Lu Yunyi looked back and forth at Liu Heiying's dark face, and reluctantly agreed with what he said.
"Then help me classify them. Years are a big category, wars are a small category, and generals are a small category."
"okay!"
(End of this chapter)