In early December of the 16th year of Fengle, a heavy snow fell, turning most areas of Huazhou into white. Rich people could ride a car and donkey to sing and enjoy the snow, while ordinary people had to worry about whether the roof would be crushed by the snow. The official documents for disaster relief in the government office have been put down, and disaster relief matters are proceeding in an orderly manner. Compared with last year, the snow was not heavy this year. With the experience of last year, the yamen runners and clerks came to register the disaster situation with the village elders and townsmen, and the money and grain for relief were quickly in place. This year, the granaries of each county government office were full, and the silver for disaster relief was not required to be paid for by each county. They only needed to pay for the cushion. The government office would deduct it at the end of the year.

After seven or eight days of busy work, it was the turn of rest on December 10th. Jiang Anyi finally had a rest and sat in the warm pavilion in the back courtyard, drank a little wine, and listened to the little song to relax.

The flute and the piano roared together. Tong'er was playing the flute, and Xinfei was playing the piano. Tong'er stood outside the pavilion, wearing a yellow brocade long skirt, covered with a silver-white fur, playing the flute intently, and the flying snow lingered around her. Jiang Anyi couldn't help but think of the scene in Xu Garden again. The evaluation of "Snow lost three points of color, and Meisun had two points of fragrance" came to his heart. Compared with the past, Tong'er looked a little thinner, less lively and more cold. In the wind and snow, it became more and more like a branch of wintersweet blooming proudly, which was adorable.

After the song was played, Jiang Anyi poured two glasses of wine and smiled and said, "The clouds rise and snow fly, like the sound of nature. It is cold and the snow is cold, so drink a cup of hot wine and you are afraid of the cold." Xinfei and Tong'er looked at each other and raised their glasses to drink.

Tong'er stepped into the warm pavilion from outside the pavilion. There were brocade curtains around the pavilion, and two basins of charcoal fires were placed in the corner, as warm as spring. Tong'er took off her long fur and handed it to the maid beside her. Her long hair fell from her hat, as gentle as a waterfall. The long fur surface was silvery and smooth. Looking closely, the hair tip flashed with blue light. Tong'er was standing in the snow just now, without a piece of snowflake on it. Xinfei smiled and said, "This fur looks very noble, where do you get it from?"

"A few years ago, I managed the Nanyang business for my family and bought it from Waluo Country," Tong'er replied with a smile: "This is the silver rat skin from Waluo Country. The silver rat is alert by nature, which is very rare. I can't catch a few in a year. This fur coat has been made of nearly 200 silver rat skin, and it can't be saved without twenty years of accumulation. If my sister likes it, I will give it to you."

"Oh, I can't afford such a valuable thing. I'd better keep it for myself." Xinfei sneered.

Listening to the meaning of swords and swords faintly in the words, Jiang Anyi felt a headache. It was hard to enjoy the blessings of the people of Qi. At this time, Jiang Anyi missed Dong'er very much as gentle as water. Some time ago, he received a letter from home. Dong'er said that when the weather is warmer after the New Year, he would bring Zhi'er to Huazhou. If she was in the middle of the harmony, the atmosphere at home might be better.

With the gentle look of his beautiful wife and concubines, Jiang Anyi raised his glass and drank it all in one go.

Jiang Chenxing's cry came from the room, and Xinfei stood up and said, "Xing'er is awake, I'll go and have a look. Sister, please sit with Jiang Lang for a while."

Xinfei left, Tong'er also stood up and said, "It's getting late, Jianglang, please send me back."

Jiang Anyi took the fur and put it on Tong'er. The long fur tentacles were gentle and smooth, without the feeling of other furs being stiff. Jiang Anyi thought that her mother's legs felt uncomfortable in winter, so she should pay attention to buying a few good fur clothes for her mother. There are cattle and sheep in Huazhou, and fur clothes and leather are produced. The fur clothes made of craftsmen with leather tans are easy to get hard, and they are far less soft than those on Tong'er's body.

Tong'er did not live in the back house. The Li family bought a five-entrance house for her not far from the government office. From the servants at home to the furniture purchases, the flowers and plants were arranged by the Li family. Xinfei also wanted to help with some things, but Li Yunxia, ​​the housekeeper sent by the Li family, refused and said it was the imperial decree of the empress, which was so angry that Xinfei left her hands. After experiencing ups and downs, Tong'er took these lightly. On the second day of the marriage, she came to see Xinfei with Jiang Anyi and handed the tea and shouted "sister".

However, the Li family's behavior showed the intention of competing, which made Xinfei very unhappy. Although she was very polite to Tong'er on the surface, she refused her in her bones, which was completely different from her attitude towards Dong'er. Siyu couldn't help but mock her when she saw Tong'er. Tong'er smiled indifferently and didn't hear it. Xinfei secretly persuaded Siyu several times in front of Jiang Anyi. Siyu was angry and said invisible. She took a few female guards to Hecheng County and went to train the troops with Jiang Anyong.

The distance was very close. Jiang Anyi and Tong'er did not take the bus. After leaving the back door, Tong'er naturally held Jiang Anyi's arm. A faint fragrance came, and Tong'er exhaled like orchids, touched Jiang Anyi's ear and asked softly: "Jiang Lang, why doesn't Sister Xinfei like me?"

Tong'er Bingxue is smart and can feel Xinfei's coldness, but Jiang Anyi doesn't know how to answer, so he can't blame the Li family for her in front of Tong'er.

"Jiang Lang doesn't have to make things difficult for Jiang Lang. I know that Sister Xinfei blamed me for leaving Jiang Lang's heart." Tong'er's faint voice came from his ears, "Tong'er doesn't want to compete with Sister Xinfei for Jiang Lang's heart. I am already very happy to be with Jiang Lang in this life. God pity me, and asking for extravagance is that people's hearts are insufficient."

Jiang Anyi felt sad and apologized: "Tong'er, it's not your business. It's because I'm not dedicated to my love, which makes you embarrassed."

Tong'er turned her head and leaned on Jiang Anyi's shoulder. The two of them snuggled together and walked quietly through the wind and snow.

The plaque in the house said Jiang's house. Every time Jiang Anyi stepped into this place, he felt like a guest. This feeling was probably similar to the princess who entered the princess's house. Except for Tong'er, everything here seemed strange. The strange servants, the strange arrangements, and the names of family members made Jiang Anyi feel that he was a visiting house.

Son-in-law, polite and distant.

The housekeeper Li Yunxia hurriedly came with two servants. After seeing them, she curled up slightly and said, "Miss, son-in-law, you are finally back, someone is coming to the family." Li Yunxia is a member of the Li family. After being widowed, she returned to the Li family. She is considered Tong'er's aunt by seniority. She took Tong'er for a while when she was a child, so Tong'er was very polite to her.

"Who is here?" Tong'er asked with a smile. She married far away and went to Huazhou. Tong'er was very happy to hear someone coming from her parents' home.

"The Fourth Master and the Sixteenth Master came at noon. I was about to send someone to invite you back." Li Yunxia led the way in front, chatting loudly, "Miss, it's not me that I'm talking about you, there's a big mess at home, don't always run to the government office. The Fourth Master and the Sixteenth Master have been waiting for you for a long time, which is a lot of delay. My son-in-law, it's not me that I'm talking about you. The lady is newly married. You should be more considerate and considerate. Take her around on the snowy day and don't even get a car. What if it gets frozen?"

Jiang Anyi's brows frowned. Tong'er noticed Jiang Anyi's unhappiness and interrupted Li Yunxia and said, "Xia Gu, I'm here. What's wrong with the fourth and sixteenth brothers coming to Huazhou?"

The Li family is a family that has been passed down for hundreds of years. The character "dong" is the same as Tong'er. Li Dongfeng, the seventeenth grandfather of Li Shicheng who has met in Zechang Academy in Jiang'anyi, is in this ranking. Tong'er whispered to Jiang'anyi: "The fourth brother is named Li Dongxiang, the son of my uncle, and the sixteenth brother is named Li Donghai, and my second brother is my legitimate brother."

Tong'er had a smile on her face, but she was uneasy. The two people came to her, for the family's business. Before she married Jiang Anyi, her uncle and her father told her that the Western Regions Commercial Road would be handed over to her after they were dealt with, and the family would give 20% of the dividends as their own business. Now the business is still in its infancy. What should the fourth and sixteenth brothers be sent to do in the clan?

I had managed the Nanyang business before, and it was so popular, but the tribe members were jealous and intervened on the grounds that they were married daughters. Among them were the fourth brother and his second brother. Are these people defeated the Nanyang business and were they going to Huazhou to make trouble again?

Tong'er's eyebrows stood up and looked at her husband beside her. Now she was not the same as before. She had married into the Jiang family and married her husband and could not let her parents make trouble anymore. Everyone followed the rules and would naturally help her. If her parents only wanted to get benefits, or even wanted to use Jianglang's governor's signature to do some illegal rituals, she would never allow it. She would rather not share the profits and the Li family's business would not be affected.

In the study, Li Dongxiang and Li Donghai crossed their legs and ate watermelon seeds. There were a lot of melon seed shells piled on the desk. It seemed that they had been waiting for a long time. Watermelons were widely planted in the Western Regions and Huazhou. Every summer, bare legs can be seen in the streets and alleys of Huazhou. They hold a piece of leftover melon skin in their hands and stick melon seeds on the ground. After returning home, they clean them and add some salt to dry them. They are the best food for guests.

Tong'er was happy to see the melon seeds on the table and frowned. Thinking of the two brothers coming from afar, they didn't say anything, and laughed: "Fourth brother, Donghai, when did you arrive? Why didn't you say it in advance? I'm ready first."

Seeing Jiang Anyi behind Tong'er, the two stood up, nodded at Jiang Anyi, and called "brother-in-law". Jiang Anyi bowed and returned the favor and sat down again. Jiang Anyi looked at the two. Li Dongxiang was over thirty years old. Tong'er's brother was less than thirty. Both of them looked like jade on their faces, with short beards and elegant. Both of them were wearing light green brocade robes, snow-white fox fur on their outside, with wide-edged brocade belts on their waists, and beautiful jade in the middle. The charm of the young master of the aristocratic family was full of charm.

After chatting for a few casual and unrestrained words, Tong'er asked, "The Chinese New Year is coming, why are the two brothers free to come to the Ye Mansion?"

Li Dongxiang and Li Donghai looked at each other, and Li Donghai said, "Girl, we have taken the goods to come over. The head of the family asked us to ask when the business will start?"

The Li family is preparing to export porcelain, silk, tea and medicinal materials to the Western Regions, and then buy spices, carpets, gold, silver and copper utensils and jade from the Western Regions. Tong'er inquired about market information from Guo Huaili and learned that most merchants did this. The market has been saturated. The Li family can only divide the points from the big cake, and it is unlikely to make huge profits.

Tong'er had a business with Nanyang. He knew that he had to do his own business if he wanted to make money, such as Jiang Lang's perfume and Guo Huaili's rock candy. These things were unique and were naturally expensive. Tong'er took Li Yunxia and the manager sent from her family to the border market, and also to the shops in the streets and alleys. While Guo Huaili came to have a meal, the two discussed the business situation. Tong'er had already had a preliminary plan in her mind and started to take action after the New Year. During this period before the New Year, Tong'er just wanted to enjoy the joy of wedding.

Tong'er was not in a hurry, but the Li family was a little anxious. The head of the family Li Mingde cut off several beards as he looked at the accounts reported by the account. The Li family was in a low position in the court, and some of the business that the family monopolized had been put in. Nanyang trading had stopped. The second brother Li Mingxing was a little discouraged because of Tong'er's affairs and no longer came forward to manage the family's business. The younger generation was fighting for blood, and they were all full of confidence. When they really managed, they either wanted to fill their own pockets or had low expectations. Seeing that the New Year was about to be celebrated in another month and a half, the silver in the account was not enough to make ends meet, and some shops could not hold on.

Li Mingde sighed, "The Li family has a great career and is in a smooth journey. When the wind is smooth, everyone will work together. Once the money cannot be paid to each house at the end of the year, there will probably be someone who will split the family. If the family is really split, it means that the Li family will really lose and it will be difficult to improve any more."

The accountant is also a member of the Li family. The old man Li Shishui is not Li Mingde's uncle. He knows the pain of the clan leader best, so he thought about it.

He said: "Tong girl married in Huizhou, and her dowry was counted as 40,000 to 50,000 taels. The clan must gossip when she knows it. Mingde, do you think Mingxing is asking her to pay some money to help? He used to be in charge of the family's business and should still have some money on hand."

Just now, Li Mingde showed him a letter sent by Li Yunxia from the Huiye Mansion, reporting on Tong'er's cost of getting married, buying a house, buying a shop, and hiring a man to spend nearly 10,000 taels of silver. This money would be left in the public account of the clan. A few years ago, tens of thousands of silver were not in the eyes of the Li family, but it was really a bit stretched now.

Li Mingde shook his head and sighed, "The clan owes Tong Meitu. What's the money she earned from Nanyang? The group of people, the sixth, eighth, the three, four, and the five, were joking to take over the business from Tong Meitu, but they became a business that was lost. It was really a guy who was not enough to make a fortune. Tong Meitu married Jiang Anyi, which was given by the empress. On the surface, it was the empress's favor for the Li family, but in fact, it was because of Jiang Anyi's face. Tong Meitu went to Huazhou and was not the wife. Jiang Anyi's wife was the supervisor of Long Wei. The clan always had to support her for her so that she could speak in front of Jiang Anyi. The business in the Western Regions still hoped that Jiang Anyi would help."

Li Shishui sighed, helpless about the incompetence of the younger generations. Perhaps this is the end of the aristocratic family. There is no one in the future. Tong Yatou is capable. Unfortunately, she is a daughter. She married far away and became a foreigner. The family is planning to rely on her to open up the Western Regions business route. She hopes to make some money from Western Regions next year to alleviate the family's crisis.

The distant water cannot quench the near thirst. Li Mingde frowned and thought about whether he could find some valuable things from the warehouse to get it first, and then redeem it after the New Year. However, this matter must be kept absolutely confidential. If the news leaked, the Li family's face was gone.

Just when there was no choice, Li Dongxiang came. Li Dongxiang was Li Mingde's second son, who was in charge of the three porcelain kilns in his family. Seeing him saluting to him with a frown, Li Mingde felt an ominous feeling in his heart and asked, "What's the matter?"

Sure enough, Li Dongxiang told his father a few old customers alike that he would not purchase goods from the Li family's porcelain kilns next year. The porcelain kiln business can bring 50,000 or 60,000 taels of income to the clan every year, and also provide work to many tribe members on the border. This is really a sudden rain.

"What's going on?" Li Mingde rushed up and shouted.

"I've inquired. Ju Hexuan and the others plan to get goods from the southeast. The price given there is 20% lower than that of my family." Li Dongxiang responded.

"In the southeast, you are talking about the porcelain kilns in Huangzhou," Li Mingde sneered, "How can the goods they produce be compared with us? Even if the price is 20% lower, they cannot compare to us."

Li Dongxiang did not dare to make a sound. Two craftsmen were dug out of his kiln factory. Now the porcelain produced in Huangzhou is not inferior to his own home.

When Li Mingde saw his son lowering his head and did not dare to look at him, he felt suspicious and shouted: "Beast, are you hiding something from me? Why don't you tell me?"

Li Dongxiang refused but had to tell the truth. Li Mingde fell heavily on the chair with anger and annoyed. He didn't know that oil and salt are expensive. Li Mingde took over the Li family from his father and became the patriarch. It was the time when the Li family began to go downhill. Although he tried his best to support him, he still heard a lot of rumors saying that he was incompetent. The Li family was getting worse day by day in his hands, and it was better to let the virtuous.

With the continuous blows, Li Mingde finally fell down and was ill in bed. The doctor ordered him to rest. The clan should not be left without a master for a day. Li Shicheng and Li Mingxing were introduced to be in charge for the time being. Li Shicheng was the younger brother of the former patriarch Li Shiyou, and Li Mingde's second uncle. He was considered a senior high-ranking high-ranking person. He would take orders as soon as he was in power. Li Mingxing and the Li family had to listen to him.

After hearing the news that Li Shishui had no money in the accounting room and the difficulty of the New Year, Li Shicheng immediately decided to send someone to Huazhou to deliver goods to Huazhou, and then raise money to celebrate the New Year. This was obviously going to fight Qiufeng. Li Mingxing said with a bitter face: "Second uncle, Tong'er has just married into Huazhou and is not familiar with the place. How could he have such great ability to sell all the goods at once? And I heard that the price you offered was one cent higher than the usual price. Isn't this a difficult situation for Tong'er?"

Li Shishui smiled "rattle" and said, "Tong'er is capable, and these trivial things won't bother her. Besides, her husband Jiang Anyi is the governor of Huazhou and is not a big deal in Huazhou. You can sell the goods if you find a Hu merchant."

Seeing that Li Mingling was about to speak, Li Shishui glared and said, "I agree with Tong'er's marriage to Huazhou. In order to make her marry, the clan spent a lot of money. I just heard Shishui say that there are at least 50,000 or 60,000 taels of silver. Although she has been married, she is always from our Li family. The family is so poor that she can't bear to save her. She can't stand it."

Other tribesmen have long been red when they heard that they could not pay for the New Year. Why did your daughter spend so much money to get married and we would have to be hungry and agreed to Li Shicheng's decision. Li Shicheng felt that being a clan leader was so simple. He looked at Mingde's careful calculations and conscientiousness on weekdays, so he could not be as comfortable as he did with great decisiveness.

The ones sent to Huazhou were Li Dongxiang and Li Donghai. Li Dongxiang wanted to sell all the accumulated porcelain. As for Li Donghai, Tong'er's brother, Li Shicheng asked him to come and talk, and of course he also sold some silk. Li Shicheng planned to get at least 100,000 taels of silver from Huazhou, and let the tribe members have a good New Year in a grand manner, so that everyone can see that he, the acting clan leader, is much better than the clan leader.
Chapter completed!