Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 366 Subtle
Pei Yuan thought about it for a long time and finally made up his mind to invite Zang Xian.

In order to make full use of the resources at hand, Pei Yuan's close relationship with Gu Dayong, Wang Chang and others will sooner or later be exposed to everyone.

It is impossible to hide.

Pei Yuan sometimes also needs to use this close relationship to influence other people.

Instead of hiding it, it is better to put on a familiar skin and show this small group as a matter of course.

As for the purpose and image of this small group, it is of course to make money.

Eunuchs, Jinyiwei, local governors, everyone put aside their fighting and killed, and mixed together to make beef balls. Isn't it very reasonable?

Now Pei Yuan has taken over many temples in Beijing and has sufficient distribution points. He can then smuggle some goods from the south and test the waters on the Grand Canal trade route.

Whether or not he could make money was secondary. Pei Yuan mainly wanted to figure out the connection between the two.

The commercial chain that Pei Yuan envisioned did not need to be too long, and it did not even need to cross the Yangtze River. The starting point of the commercial chain could be Yangzhou.

As an important city on the Grand Canal, Yangzhou was attractive enough to attract merchants from Southern Zhili to gather their goods here.

Pei Yuan still has the influence of killing all the Tiger Guards in Yangzhou, and now no one in the officialdom dares to cause trouble for him.

Going up from Yangzhou is Huai'an.

Although He Huan of Huai'an Guard is on Pei Yuan's kill list, this kind of daring guy does make people feel safe when he is an ally.

Pei Yuan planned to wait until the Luo Sect expanded before sending this guy to fight Yang Tinghe in a duel.

Huai'an is under the care of Xuzhou Zuowei, Shandong is under the protection of Wang Chang and the future Luo Jiao, and further up, there is Cheng Leixiang of Tianjin Wei. Once the goods are brought into Beijing, they can be directly consecrated by the abbot and distributed throughout the city.

Pei Yuan planned to try out a small business first, and some of the overt relationships should also be appropriately protected.

After Pei Yuan sent out the wedding invitations, he enthusiastically returned to his house in Dengshikou and watched the craftsmen prepare the new house.

When they returned to Zhihua Temple in the evening, several personal soldiers who had gone to deliver the wedding invitations came over to report.

Gu Dayong and Qiu Ju had greeted each other before, but they accepted the gift reluctantly.

Xiao Yan didn't think much about it. After asking for the place, he sent the messenger away.

Li Shishi's reward to Pei Yuan was the generous share of the money, and of course he would not refuse it.

Liu Zhishu was a little surprised. He didn't expect that the Jinyiwei who went to investigate a few days ago would send the wedding invitation to him.

He had just heard a piece of inside information that he might be promoted to the post of governor of Hangzhou in a few days.

When Liu Zhishu thought about taking up an official post and leaving the Ministry of Justice to become a big boss, he couldn't help but feel relaxed and no longer concerned about etiquette.

He was happy in his heart, but didn't want to show it in front of his colleagues.

So I really wanted to find that captain of the Jinyiwei outside the circle and ask him, "I am going to be promoted to the prefect of Hangzhou, did you know?"

So even though it was just a banquet to take a concubine, he happily promised to come.

Tian Fu is now working with Chen Toutie, and Pei Yuan just said hello.

Huo Tao was not very closely associated with Pei Yuan, so Pei Yuan gave him the invitation out of courtesy.

Huo Tao couldn't refuse and immediately said he would come.

As for Zang Xian, since the handsome man Zang had to accompany the emperor and serve him, the wedding invitation was left directly at the Jiaofangsi in Dengshikou.

When the last personal soldier came forward, the man reported back, "Wei Ne, the Left Counselor of the Ministry of Public Administration, will come to visit the thousand households in person tomorrow morning."

Pei Yuan thought about it and decided that it was probably because of Jiao Huangzhong’s matter.

The next morning, when Wei Ne came over, he first greeted Pei Yuan and congratulated him, and then he mentioned the matter of Jiao Huangzhong.

Wei Ne said to Pei Yuan tentatively, "I have talked to Jiao Hanlin several times these days. He said that he did have a daughter who stayed in his hometown in Henan."

Pei Yuan listened but didn't respond.

Seeing this, Wei Ne continued, "Hanlin Jiao heard about the Qianhu taking a concubine, and also heard that the Qianhu wanted to take a concubine with the surname Jiao..."

Pei Yuan smiled and said straightforwardly, "No need to beat around the bush. It's nothing more than Jiao Huangzhong wanting to recognize Yan'er again. Am I right?"

Weiner smiled awkwardly.

Pei Yuan did not embarrass him and asked directly, "What does scorched yellow mean?"

Wei Ne simply said frankly, "Jiao Hanlin has a house in Beijing. If the Jiao family marries off their daughter, it should naturally go out of the Jiao family. Jiao Hanlin wants to take his beloved daughter over so that when the wedding ceremony comes, it will be more decent."

Pei Yuan thought about it.

It was already difficult for Jiao Yan'er to get along with herself as a concubine. If she were left to face Jiao Huangzhong alone, she would feel even more ashamed.

After all, she is the granddaughter of a former cabinet minister and comes from a scholarly family with two generations of Hanlin scholars.

Comparing her current situation with her previous education and values, what use would they be, other than making her sad?

Pei Yuan said decisively, "No need. She is already mine. Even if she is not from the Jiao family, I will never wrong her."

"This..." Pei Yuan's answer obviously surprised Wei Ne.

Logically speaking, Pei Yuan had no reason to refuse this matter. If the concubine came from a noble family, it would bring honor to the family.

Wei Ne didn't know how to persuade him for a moment.

However, Wei Ne's visit did remind Pei Yuan.

If Jiao Yan'er is allowed to go back just like that, it doesn't seem to be a good idea. It would be better to discuss with the wife of Zhang Lian's family and let her stay in Zhang Lian's house openly for a while, and then take him away from Zhang Lian's house.

It’s just that the former Grand Secretary Jiao Fang has a bad reputation, and Zhang Lian’s family is a clean family in the court, so they may not be willing to help him.

Pei Yuan thought about it and thought of Zhang Yunjun again.

He had an idea: maybe the Zhang family didn't like Jiao Fang, but they were not opposed to this matter itself?
Both Jiao Yan'er and Zhang Yunjun have some unclear stories. Perhaps this incident can become a clue to solving the Zhang Yunjun case.

Pei Yuan acted as soon as he thought of it. He stood up and said to Wei Ne, "If there is nothing else, you can go back first. The date for the banquet has been set. If that person is interested, he can come and have a drink then."

Wei Ne came this time to deliver a message for Jiao Huangzhong.

Seeing that Pei Yuan was impolite, he had nothing to stay for and could only leave with some embarrassment.

Pei Yuanze took people to Zhang Lian's house again.

When he arrived at the place, Pei Yuan came to the door openly. He first asked about Zhang Lian, and then learned that Zhang Lian was on patrol and had not returned. He then sent someone to look for Zhang Lian's wife.

Pei Yuan's concubine had visited before, and the two families had some friendship.

When Zhang Lian's wife heard that Pei Yuan wanted to see her, although she was puzzled, she calmly brought a few stewards out to meet him.

Thinking that he might have to marry her daughter in the future, Pei Yuan became a little polite. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Pei Yuan slowly got down to business, "Madam Zhang, you met my concubine last time. Do you still have some impression of her?"

Madam Zhang was a little surprised. She didn't know why Pei Yuan asked this, so she said, "Of course I have some impression. Captain Pei's concubine is well-educated and well-mannered. She looks pitiful. Captain Pei is so lucky."

Pei Yuan said directly, "She is the granddaughter of former Grand Secretary Jiao Fang."

Madam Zhang nodded slightly, "I heard Yunjun mention it."

Mrs. Zhang doesn't particularly care about the granddaughter of a former grand secretary, because she is not the granddaughter of the current grand secretary.

Moreover, as an imperial censor, Zhang Lian also liked to criticize people and discuss the wise and foolish people in the court after returning home.

Mrs. Zhang knew a little about Jiao Fang's situation.

Pei Yuan smiled and said, "Does Madam Zhang know why Yan'er, who is from such a noble family, would become a concubine of a mere thousand households?"

"This..." Mrs. Zhang hesitated.

She had been thinking about this matter for some time, and because of her own daughter's experience, she had made some bold guesses.

It's fine to just think about it, but it's hard to express it out loud.

Pei Yuan said softly, "This concerns my beloved concubine's reputation, Madam, could you please come closer and talk to me?"

Mrs. Zhang subconsciously felt that something was wrong when she heard this.

But she had a preconceived idea and had some guesses, and coupled with her daughter's incident, she couldn't help but become curious.

She hesitated slightly and asked the butlers beside her to step back slightly.

In this way, although he was still in the guest seat, as long as Pei Yuan lowered his voice a little, he would not be afraid of it being leaked.

Pei Yuan briefly told Mrs. Zhang about how he rescued Jiao Yan'er from the rebellion.

After hearing this, Mrs. Zhang immediately understood clearly.

She also came from a scholarly family, so she naturally understood what the words "rescue from the bandits" might mean.

She felt more and more empathy for Jiao Yaner's experience.

Pei Yuan said, "Yan'er is chaste and self-respecting. Although she is my concubine, I don't want to wrong her. So I will prepare a grand ceremony in a few days to welcome her home."

Mrs. Zhang quickly praised, "As you should."

Everything she thought about was reflected on Zhang Yunjun again.

Although the evil incident that happened two years ago happened a long time ago, Yunjun's reputation was completely ruined. From then on, Yunjun began to stay at home and had almost no social interactions.

Mrs. Zhang usually feels distressed when she sees this, but is there anything else she can do except curse Marquis Shouning?

Now, seeing that Pei Yuan was going to make a grand ceremony to take Jiao Yan'er as his concubine, and then seeing that Pei Yuan was so brave and heroic, and had achieved the position of a fifth-rank official at a young age, the comparison between the two made even the usually indifferent Madam Zhang feel a little envious.

If there is really someone who loves me, even if I become someone's concubine, it wouldn't matter.

The granddaughter of a university scholar doesn't care about these things.

Madam Zhang was just thinking about it when she heard Pei Yuan say, "I am taking the liberty to come and see you this time because of something."

As Pei Yuan spoke, he told them about his plan to borrow Zhang's place to bring Jiao Yan'er back.

Madam Zhang subconsciously rejected it and said, "How can this be done? This is the family of the Imperial Censor. If you go through all the trouble and bring the girl back with you in a formal ceremony, I can vacate a courtyard for you and make it a good match. But Captain Pei wants to take a concubine from this family, which is absolutely not allowed."

Pei Yuan thought to himself, could it be that this woman didn't realize that he was pointing at her?
Pei Yuan said calmly, "Yan'er's father Jiao Huangzhong is also in the capital. This time he specially asked the Left Councillor of the Ministry of Public Administration Wei Ne to pass on the message, hoping to pick up Yan'er from the Jiao family's house."

Madam Zhang asked curiously, "Isn't this great? Since your concubine's father is in the capital and has his own house, why would he come to me, an outsider?"

Pei Yuan sighed, "Others may care about these respectable things, but for Yan'er, those constraints of family background and family reputation are already a heavy past that she finds difficult to face."

"As long as she is happy, why should I let her face the things she wants to escape from just for the sake of other people's opinions?"

Mrs. Zhang was so confused after hearing this that she almost lost her composure.

Pei Yuan continued to lie, "Before I came here, Yan'er told me that she wanted to enter my Pei family from the Censor Zhang's family. I asked her the reason, and she said she wanted her good sisters to witness her escape from the past and enter a new life."

Mrs. Zhang could not bear to listen any longer, and without even apologizing, she stood up and retreated behind the screen.

Pei Yuan watched Madam Zhang walk away, not knowing how much effect his words had.

He slowly crossed his feet and waited leisurely.

Jiao Yan'er, who was in a similar situation to Zhang Yunjun, was now his concubine, but compared to her likely unfortunate future, it was like being reborn from the ashes.

While Mrs. Zhang was jealous and envious, she also hoped that Zhang Yunjun could get out of the nightmare she had that year.

After a long while, Mrs. Zhang's sobbing voice came from behind the screen, "I'll make the decision on this matter. You can ask your concubine to come over earlier to accompany Yunjun, and our Zhang family will also give her some gifts as a token of our appreciation."

Pei Yuan quickly got up from his chair and said politely, "In that case, thank you very much."

After that, he added, "I may have to go to Shandong for some official business in a few days. Even then, you can let Yan'er and Yunjun walk around more."

Mrs. Zhang was so confused that she didn't notice Pei Yuan's slip of the tongue.

She sorted out her emotions again before saying to Pei Yuan, "That's great."

After Pei Yuan finished speaking, he felt it was not appropriate to stay any longer and was about to leave.

Mrs. Zhang just thought about her daughter's matter and couldn't help crying. It was not convenient for her to come out at the moment, so she asked several stewards to see her off.

Pei Yuan came out of Zhang's house, walked for a while, then went back and found the nearest teahouse.

Then he asked Chen Xinjian, who was following him, to send a signal to Song Chunniang.

Not long after Chen Xinjian left, he came back in a hurry. Behind him came Song Chunniang, who was dressed in neat casual clothes.

Song Chunniang was in a good mood. When she saw Pei Yuan, she raised her eyebrows and smiled, "Why did you meet here?"

Pei Yuan frowned slightly and accused him bluntly, "General Song, don't forget your status. Why are you behaving so frivolously in broad daylight?"

Song Chunniang didn't buy Pei Yuan's tricks at all. She put Pei Yuan's teacup in front of her with a smile and said, "I remember my identity. Am I not a thousand households now?"

Pei Yuan then remembered that he had arranged for Song Chunniang to go to the Western Factory and had also promoted her.

No wonder this guy is so arrogant when he sees me.

Pei Yuan didn't say anything nonsense and directly threw bait to Song Chunniang, "I have some plans for your woman's affairs."

Song Chunniang was indeed concerned about this matter, and immediately sat aside in a polite manner, "Then tell me what you want to say."

Pei Yuan was about to speak when his face suddenly turned dark and he kicked Song Chunniang's calf without saying a word.

(End of this chapter)