Chapter 111 Such a gift, such a greeting

With the wealth and manpower of the British government, the courtyard at the east end of Hubu Street was quickly tidied up. Although it was not as large as the British government, it still had three rooms in the north and two rooms in the east and west.

There are three rooms in the south room, all of which are tile-roofed buildings with bricks and ridges on top. The gatehouse of Qingshui Ridge is neatly arranged, and rosewood furniture has been added inside.

Zhang Zhuo himself came to the capital with many people accompanying him. Gao Quan from before was still there, and there were also two housekeepers and his wife. Therefore, there was no need for the British government to send more people. But Mrs. Wang still felt uneasy and was dead.

Two elderly women who were observing the ceremony came and gave Yueluo and Liusu to Zhang Yue again.

On the auspicious day that was specially chosen, Zhang Zhuo moved there with Zhang Yue and Gu Bin. Mrs. Wang was a woman and it was difficult for her to show up, so she ordered the housekeeper to bring Zhang Zhuo, Zhang Yue and Gu Bin with her.

As we passed, firecrackers were set off with loud crackles.

Although there was no fanfare, there were still many people who came to congratulate me. Meng Jun, the young marquis of the Baoding Hou family, came personally with several close friends, including Fuchang Bo Fangsheng's grandson Fangling and Yingcheng Bo Sunyan's son.

Naturally, Sun Han also came, and with the Wanshijie coming after hearing the news, the scene was lively and lively. Not only that, everyone was Zhang Zhuo's junior, and they had to persuade him to drink. This happiness made Zhang Zhuo drink more.

After a few drinks, he was soon drunk, and Zhang Yue hurriedly led someone to help him down.

When he came back, those young people who were in high spirits naturally turned their attention on him. After a few drinks, he no longer dared to drink more, and refused the endless means of persuading people to drink. In the midst of the commotion, someone suddenly came from the front.

There was a sound of string and bamboo playing and singing. At first, everyone didn't pay attention, but after a few words, the noise gradually subsided. Even the half-drunk people shook their heads and sat upright, looking around for the opera singer.

.

When she was in Kaifeng, Mrs. Gu liked to listen to operas. Every time it was a birthday or a festival, she would often invite the opera troupe to perform a few performances. However, Zhang Yue himself was not very interested in opera music and the like, so he always

He dozed off in the middle of the night. This time was no exception. He was already a little sleepy after drinking several drinks. Now, listening to the lullaby-like tune, he dozed off like a chicken pecking at rice.

, it wasn’t until someone clapped his hands and shouted “Hello” that he suddenly woke up.

In a hazy moment, he saw several women in costumes singing lines that he didn't understand at all, so he rubbed his swollen temples, and saw that the people on the left and right were listening with pleasure.

, and there were also people who kept time with the singing.

"Third brother, I took great pains to invite the Chengqing Troupe to perform "Jade Huchun" for you, but you are lucky enough to have fallen asleep!" Meng Jun turned around and saw Zhang Yue waking up from his dream, and couldn't help but

He slapped him hard on the shoulder. Then he pursed his lips and said, "Don't underestimate such a scene. With this scene, the local snakes in the capital will immediately spread the news. Under normal circumstances, there will never be anyone who is not short-sighted."

The thieves came here."

Zhang Yue was really confused by Meng Jun's call. Hearing Meng Jun's explanation immediately, he burst out laughing. It turned out that Yongle Emperor Zhu Di liked opera very much and had not yet moved the capital to Beijing. The Jiaofang Secretary over there had already

They are ready for drama and flattery, and the Jiaofangsi in Nanjing is always waiting for the call. Although this Jiaofangsi is responsible for female musicians, it is different from Fuleyuan, which is in charge of official prostitutes, that is, it can be viewed from a distance and cannot be played with. Cheng

Although the Qingban was not as good as the Jiaofangsi, it was able to perform the new plays there in a timely manner and was quite famous among the civil and military officials.

Therefore, if you can invite the Chengqing Ban's mansion, the local gangsters in the capital will naturally stay away. Even the county government and other government offices will focus on inspections. In modern society, only the rich and powerful can invite big stars.

It makes sense to be able to enjoy more key patrol benefits.

He was just thinking that this temporary new residence was only a stone's throw away from the British government, and no one would come to provoke him, when a loud voice immediately interrupted the sound of playing, playing, and singing.

"It's so lively. Brother Zhuo is having a housewarming today, why didn't anyone tell me?"

Zhang Yue, who was slightly drunk, saw the person coming clearly, and his drunkenness immediately disappeared without a trace. There was a bit of coldness on his face.

The visitor wore a red gold crown, a black embroidered gold robe, and a jade belt around his waist. Although he was smiling, he couldn't hide his pride when he looked around. He was Zhang Fu's younger brother, Shence.

The commander of the guard Zhang Min. However, when he saw the people at the table clearly, the arrogant look on his face immediately subsided slightly, but he did not expect that almost all the people who came to congratulate him today were the children of meritorious officials.

"Brother Jun is here too." He caught a glimpse of Meng Jundi and saw Zhang Yue at the same time, but deliberately pretended not to see it and ignored it, because he smiled and said, "My cousin is good at picking people to post, even you.

Please, he forgot about my cousin!"

Meng Jun is a good man. He had known that the British duke Zhang Fu and his two brothers were not getting along. Zhang Shi had been eyeing the British dukedom. A few days ago, he heard from his wife that Zhang Ke was more difficult for Zhang Ke at the poetry meeting. Now,

When my son Zhang Xi said this, he stood up with a smile: "Uncle Xi really blamed the wrong person. Someone posted somewhere today. It's just that we little ones like to join in the fun, so we all rushed here.

Come here. If you don’t believe me, ask the big guys who received the message?”

Seeing everyone shaking their heads, Zhang Xi felt annoyed, but he could not offend Meng Jun, who was determined to seize the title of Marquis of Baoding in the future, so he laughed dryly: "No matter how you say it, this is a housewarming celebration. This shameless brother

It’s a good thing that Brother Yue has a place to live, and he doesn’t have to live under the influence of someone else in the British government! Well, come on, bring me my congratulatory gift!”

As soon as Zhang Xi appeared, Yu Huchun, who was performing so well, naturally stopped. All the nobles' sons were young and impatient. When they heard him speak, they were naturally even more upset when they heard him talking with a gun and a stick pointing at Sang and Huai. Wait until you hear it.

The word "congratulations" made a group of people irritated. It was just a matter of being an uninvited guest while the banquet was in the middle. Why do congratulations need to be so showy?

Meng Jun took the lead, and Zhang Yue pretended to be drunk and looked at the coquettish second cousin with cold eyes. When he heard the word "congratulations", he couldn't help but frown slightly, but he didn't believe that the other party had such good intentions.

Sure enough, not long after, eight burly men carried a big box up to the hall. Looking at their sweaty faces, he knew that the things in the box were definitely not heavy, and he had some guesses in his heart.

No. What surprised him even more was that this box was not just one. The eight burly men came in and out several times. In the end, a total of eight big boxes were brought in.

"This housewarming is a great joy no matter how you say it. I should have given you some unique and exquisite things, or found two paintings and calligraphy. It's a pity that I found out too late, and it was difficult to prepare in a hurry."

Although Zhang Shi said this, everyone present did not believe it, and Zhang Yue also sneered in his heart. Although he had not had a few face-to-face encounters with this second uncle, he heard Zhang Fu and Mrs. Wang mention Zhang Shi's luxury many times.

, just taking out a piece of decoration from home is enough to feed a middle-class family for ten and a half years. How can such a person not be able to prepare gifts?

The eight big men stood with their hands tied. Seeing Zhang Xi making a gesture with his hands, the two of them immediately squatted down, quickly untied the rope from a box, and opened the lid. At this moment, even if they were dissatisfied,

Everyone was also a little curious and stuck their heads out to look around. When the lid of the box was completely opened and the contents inside were revealed, everyone was stunned.

It was full of money, and the ropes on which the money was strung were almost rotten and stained with rust! Just looking at the dense pile, the amount was extremely impressive. However, no one had ever seen such a gift.

"Earlier, Brother Xin's affairs were all done by my eldest brother. I heard that he even paid three hundred taels of gold in advance. My business is not as good as that of my eldest brother. I wouldn't be able to come up with the money for a while, but now it happens that the farm has sent us rent.

Coupled with the joy of Zhuo Di's move, I naturally have to make up for it with the previous ones. Here are eight boxes of money, and there are actually forty or fifty boxes outside. I'm afraid I can't fit them here, so I will give them to you, Zhuo Di and Yue Geer.

The congratulatory gift is ready!”

After that, he didn't care about the stunned Zhang Yue and the others. He nodded with a smile and turned around to leave. Unexpectedly, he bumped into someone before he left the hall. The person said loudly with a smile before he stepped into the threshold.

: "I actually sent dozens of boxes of copper coins to congratulate people on their move. Brother Xian, you are really ingenious! I said brother Xian, this box is ten thousand yuan, which is ten guan. Fifty boxes is 500 guan. It's not enough to break the silver.

It costs three to four hundred taels, you are quite generous!"

Zhang Yue saw the man who came in, about thirty years old, with a moustache and beard, and a very tall appearance. He had never seen him before, and he was a little confused. When he saw that everyone around him stood up to salute and called him the Duke of the country, he realized that this man was the Duke of the country.

Duke Cheng, Zhu Yong, quickly stood up. Unexpectedly, Zhu Yong seemed to recognize him, walked up to him with a smile, and nodded to him cordially.

"Your uncle said several times that he would bring your nephew to see me, but he never brought anyone here until he went on the northern tour with the emperor. But before he left, he asked me, the capital master, to stay behind and take care of you. Who would have known that your father and son would

Someone else told me about this housewarming! I'm not as rich as your second cousin, and I don't have any gifts. I only have a mouth. Can I handle enough wine today?"

"Since Duke Cheng is here, how can I not have enough wine?" Zhang Yue felt deeply that Duke Cheng was cheerful, so he smiled and said, "I just don't know how much Duke Cheng drinks. We have all drank a lot, so I'm afraid.

Even those who risk their lives to accompany a gentleman are invincible. There was only half a performance of "Jade Pot Spring" outside, so why not continue it now?"

"Okay, who doesn't know that Yu Hu Chun is the emperor's favorite play, so naturally I will continue to perform it!" Zhu Yong did not refuse, and sat down directly in the seat given by everyone, and smiled at Zhang Shi who was standing at the door,

"Brother Xian, since you gave such a heavy gift, I really can't afford to be empty-handed. Come on, bring me the forty taels of gold to the accountant together with brother Xian! Leave this money here.
Chapter completed!