Concubine Survival Guide

The first exhibition of lichen is Ruixia Rong, and the rusty hat and golden bell dance to Shunfeng.

Feng Suyang sat upright on the horse, looking from a distance at the Lion Dance Pavilion where incense burning has started today.In order to ensure that there would be no problems with the fragrant lions on the day when the singing and dancing were officially staged, Sheng Yan specially inspected them, increased the weight of the base, and tried to burn a few osmanthus incense pills.

I saw a line of light smoke slowly overflowing from the mouth of the white lion, soaring upwards, and the fragrance chased the gossamer.

As the breeze blows, the scent of sweet-scented osmanthus slips through the tip of the nose, refreshing, giving people a subtle illusion that they are still in August.

He still wanted to take a closer look, but if what he discovered yesterday was not resolved immediately, there would be endless troubles.He must hurry back to Lingye now and discuss with the crown prince.

Feng Suyang stared silently, watched for another half a moment, finally pulled up the rein and turned the horse's head, patted the horse up, and galloped out of the city gate.

On the dance pavilion, squatting in front of the incense lion, Sheng Yan raised his head slightly, and forgot to cover the incense box in his hand.

Shopkeeper Qiu followed his line of sight and said with a smile: "Young master ten, I have never dared to ask... What is the origin of this noble young master?"

Sheng Yan pursed her lips and retracted her gaze, held tightly the incense box that was about to fall down, and pretended to be profound: "The shopkeeper Qiu has been in the Northwest for so many years, and he has been in contact with all kinds of people every day. Isn't it easy to tell at a glance?"

"Oh, ten young masters are too flattering on the younger ones. Although it can be seen that this noble son has an unusual status, he is an official or a civilian. The younger ones really don't know. However, this young master is very noble, and he must be either rich or rich. Gui...except for the Second Young Master of the Cen Mansion, I don't think anyone can compare to him in the entire Northwest."

Sheng Yan laughed twice and said, "What about me?"

"Young Master Ten, look at what you said... the little one didn't mean that. You stand with this young master, it's really..." Shopkeeper Qiu was thinking about what words to use, but he couldn't find it for a while, and was anxious. He faltered: "It's really a match made in heaven, oh no, it's pleasing to the eye, it doesn't seem to be very accurate...that's..."

"Okay, you have seen the relationship between him and me in the past few days. Shopkeeper Qiu, my elder brother knew about this a long time ago, but in the huge Long family...you are the second to know about it." Sheng Yan didn't say anything else, just put down this sentence with a light smile, as if he was just talking about a trivial matter.

Shopkeeper Qiu, even if he wasn't considered a human being, could be regarded as sharp-witted. He immediately recognized the implication of Sheng Yan's words, and quickly nodded and said, "Yes, ten young masters trust the young ones, and the young ones know what to do."

Sheng Yan raised his chin, pressed it down slightly, and turned to open another fragrant lion, "Shopkeeper Qiu, I was in the shop yesterday, and there were three other shopkeepers there. I didn't have time to ask you something... To be honest, do you think that the fragrance business in Northwest China can be done or not in the next ten years?"

As soon as these words came out, Shopkeeper Qiu shook his body, frowned and said, "Master Ten, do you want to hear the truth or lies?"

Sheng Yan half-closed her eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Oh? Then tell me, what is the truth and what is the lie..."

Shopkeeper Qiu sighed and said, "If the ten young masters want to hear lies, you don't have to worry about the younger ones. You will naturally hear the rhetoric that Longjia Xiangpin will be the number one in the Northwest even after another ten years. But If you want to hear the truth... the little ones have to think a lot, whether these words will bring unnecessary disaster to yourself..."

"Tell me, no matter whether I am happy to hear it or not, you will be the shopkeeper of this shop in ten years!" Sheng Yan said at this time, logically the appointment of the shopkeeper can only be made by the old man, but he did not Words are not false...but sure.

Shopkeeper Qiu didn't question him, and nodded with a smile: "Since that's the case, let me say boldly that the fragrance business in the Northwest these years is not as easy as it used to be. On the one hand, there are more and more small fragrance vendors coming from foreign countries. There are many, although the quality is uneven, but the price is cheap. Second, the Northwest has not been peaceful recently. Many far-sighted families have begun to save and reduce daily expenses, and the amount of fragrances that ordinary people need to enjoy is also reduced.

The most important thing is that this place is not as rich as Jiangnan in the first place, and there are not many high-ranking officials and nobles. Few people can afford rare fragrances. Of course, the Cen Mansion has always been a regular customer. Even now, all the fragrances used They are all purchased from our Longjia time-honored brand. "

Sheng Yan listened carefully, and said with a worried face: "Then to the elder, are you telling the truth or lying?"

Shopkeeper Qiu smiled shyly and said: "Master has always had high demands on all the shopkeepers. If the business is not good in any month, part of the monthly salary of the younger ones will be deducted. In order to make myself feel better, it is natural to tell lies. More time to tell the truth, less time to tell the truth."

"So that's how it is..." Sheng Yan didn't mean to blame him. Of course, he knew the elder's temperament. He was conceited and arrogant. He was the absolute authority in the Long family's house, and he had to control all the business of the Long family. Even if the second master, Long Selan, has helped him manage his business for more than 20 years, he has never been willing to delegate power, and all matters, large and small, have passed his watchful eye, preventing the subordinates from handling them without authorization.

But in this way, it is impossible to eliminate the situation where the subordinates are obedient and vicious. Like shopkeeper Qiu, because "the sky is high and the emperor is far away", the elders don't know exactly the situation in the Northwest, so they will perfunctory or perfunctory in the monthly accounts. Move your hands and feet.

When his sixth brother, Long Bilian, came to the Northwest to check the accounts, did he notice something was wrong, or did he deliberately ignore it?

It seems that the mess in the Northwest has been cleaned up this time, and I have to discuss it carefully with my eldest brother after returning home. The old man's old management method is definitely not going to work. Not only must it be changed, but it must also be drastically abandoned.

It is definitely not possible to give up the business in the Northwest, but it is no longer possible to use the business method of Jiangnan Xiangpu.

Sheng Yan thought over and over again, and decided to advance the plan. Tomorrow, he would light the incense lions on the dance pavilion, and send someone to invite the dancers to come over from the next town overnight.

And said to Qiu Zhangui: "You need to put all your energy into handling this matter. In my opinion, your concerns are right. The fragrance business in Northwest China will become more and more difficult to do in the next ten years. ... If the time-honored Long family still hopes to gain a foothold here, they have to plan for the worst. After I leave, the four incense shops will not be opened, and they will be closed for tidying up. When I go home, I will establish a new fragrance store with my elder brother The types and prices, and then send a message to let you replenish and open."

"Yes, I understand." Shopkeeper Qiu agreed, but he was still a little uneasy.These ten young masters have seen the problem thoroughly and are courageous, but... Will the Elder Master agree to let him take power?

But neither side should be offended. Now the Eldest Young Master handed over the affairs of the Northwest to the Ten Young Masters. Even if the Eldest Master wanted to blame him in the end, the Ten Young Masters would stand on top of him. What would he be afraid of?

After ordering the helpers to redecorate the dance pavilion, Sheng Yan returned to the shop.Then I was busy moving the ledgers of the other three incense shops in the northwest back to the attic, and looked through them one by one.

These are all the real accounts that he and the shopkeeper Qiu "forced" out through the continuous cooperation. As for whether what Long Bilian saw when he came here was the real account, and whether he saw the tricks in the fake account, he had to go back to Yongjia will know.

At this point, after holding the lamp, Sheng Yan would not have gotten up if he hadn't felt hungry.

Asking shopkeeper Qiu to bring in a food box, he sat down in front of a few desks and ate his dinner wholeheartedly.

I don't know if Su is on his way or stopped to rest... Sheng Yan couldn't help thinking of Feng Suyang, and recalling what he said to him when he came back last night, he felt troubled.

Last night, when the night fell, Feng Suyang slapped the table as soon as he entered the door and said angrily: "Where is the appearance of the garrison soldiers! Not to mention the laziness of military discipline, I saw a few foreign soldiers dressed as Tianxiang Dynasty people, coming out of the barracks come out!"

"What? Could it be that you read it wrong?" Sheng Yan felt that this was unlikely, and poured him a cup of tea to let him take a breather before talking.

Feng Suyang shook his head and said to him: "I have fought with the people of Xiyou country. Their appearance is different from ours. I may not be sure just by looking at their backs, but I have passed them face to face... I will not admit my mistake!"

"Then did you enter the military camp later?" If this is true, doesn't it mean...someone in this military camp colluded with the Xiyou people?Sheng Yan didn't know much about military affairs, but he could still figure this out.

"No, I was planning to go in from behind the barracks. Unfortunately, I saw these two people coming out, so I didn't identify myself and went in. Instead, I followed them. These two Xiyou people were also very careful walking on the road. The avenue, the narrow path, settled in a temple. I have sent two hidden guards to monitor it...but..." Feng Suyang was worried that there was a bigger hidden danger behind it, "the army guarding the border gate in the northwest, There are also several branches stationed in several counties and towns, which can be regarded as backup support. What I am worried about now is...is only this military camp colluding with foreign countries, or..."

Sheng Yan held his hand, and said softly: "Don't think so pessimistically, you often say that there are some hard-working generals in the court, and they have been transferred to the northwest in recent years, so it shouldn't be possible... we'd better find out."

"Well, I naturally mean that, so let the dark guards watch over here, and those people can't run away. I have to go back to Lingye immediately, and I can't do this without the holy order! But I I don't intend to let my father know the details, most of the officials in the northwest are the prince's aides, if I play rashly..." After drinking a few cups of tea, Feng Suyang frowned deeply.

Sheng Yan suddenly understood, and walked to the bedside to pack his bags, "Then you can go back as soon as possible tomorrow, but...do you want to tell the prince about this in advance? Will he..."

If the prince intends to suppress this matter, fearing that this matter will arouse the emperor's suspicion of him and weaken his position, what should Su do if he is caught in the middle?

Feng Suyang pondered for a while, and said to him: "My fourth brother has so many minds that I can't count. He will know when I enter the palace with my front foot. If you get it... Take a step back and say, if you don't want the oracle, you have to get the token in his hand that has the power to cut first and then play."

"Then what are you going to do?" Sheng Yan was a little apprehensive. This is not a trivial matter. If it is not done, it will cause huge hidden troubles for the Northwest Defense. If it is done with great fanfare, it may cause suspicion with the prince.

Clenching his fists, Feng Suyang moved his eyes, and said: "There is a way, I can tell the prince, I found a few corrupt officials in the northwest, he has always hated the gang of staff members who searched under his banner People's fat and people's anointing will definitely not refute me... so, if I want to get his token, he will not refuse to give it to me if I want to investigate these corrupt officials."

"Are you saying that in the name of investigating and handling corruption, it is actually a thorough investigation of military affairs?" Sheng Yan still couldn't help worrying, "But afterward, if you have thoroughly investigated it, you still have to report it to the emperor."

"It's really easy to find out something! I found out the matter, and I can prove that the matter has nothing to do with the crown prince, saying that he was caught during an unintentional visit, and the father will not deprive him of power... Wait for a while, submit the evidence I collected, and root out all those involved. At that time, the prince could only find a way to stay out of the matter, and the father had to continue this matter in order to consolidate the military affairs of the Northwest. Leave it to me." Feng Suyang made up his mind and reassured Sheng Yan, "Go back to Yongjia as soon as you finish the business here, I don't feel at ease if you go back alone this time, let the secret guard pretend to be your driver , when he escorts you into Yongjia City, he will come back by himself... As for the Long family, it will still be those two hidden guards, no matter what, we must keep in touch!"

"Well, don't worry about me here. The big things are just the family affairs of the Long family. They are no more important than the national affairs in your hands... You know better than me what is important. I can handle it. At most Work a little harder, and there is still big brother here, so nothing major will happen." Sheng Yan also reassured him, and stuffed a box of Ningshenxiang pills from the shop into his bag, saying: "This box of incense pills It can make people sleep peacefully, don't wait until midnight when you can't sleep to make people burn, you can add incense after dinner, if you are too busy, don't write to me..."

Feng Suyang put his arms around Sheng Yan and let him sit on his lap, "I will miss you no matter how busy I am, and I will go to Yongjia to find you after I settle this matter... I don't have time to write to you, so you Write to me, anything is fine, talk about Xiao Si and Xiao Jiu, it will make me happy..."

"Okay, I'll make a note!" Sheng Yan hugged his neck and leaned against his chest, patted his shoulder and said, "Su, it's better to be on guard against the prince, he is no longer your fourth brother, I must be very afraid that you will grab his painful feet and handles, and occasionally pretend to be stupid, maybe it will work better than anything else."

"Oh, I understand this... When you were crippled a few years ago, it wasn't that serious, but whenever you went out, it would be very inconvenient. Isn't that the same reason?" Feng Suyang grabbed Sheng Yan's nose.

Sheng Yan stared at him in surprise, "You...you knew?"

"Why don't you know, I knew before Master healed your leg." Feng Suyang chuckled in his ear: "It's good that your father broke your calf bone, and it's good to walk with a limp after healing, but it's also not bad. You won't be so weak... You deliberately showed weakness in front of the eldest lady to prevent her from worrying about what she could do, and stop preventing Bi Sheng from interacting with you. For Second Aunt, do you want her to think of you It's easy to control, and with a disability, you will definitely depend on her... right?"

Sheng Yan was silent for a long time, then raised her head to look at him, "You...don't you think I'm too cunning and the city is too deep?"

Feng Suyang shrugged and said, "Why? At that time, no one thought highly of you, and you were the least powerful among the concubines... If you couldn't help being insulted and fought back everywhere, Da Furen could beat you to death without any effort, and Second Aunt would also You will not be allowed to live in the second room. The more incompetent and cowardly you are, the more they will be more vigilant... You are here to survive, to survive, to become a perfume maker... They forced you to do this Yes, you're not wrong at all."

"But... why didn't you expose me at that time?" Sheng Yan felt a trace of cold sweat seep out of the back of his head when he thought about it. From this point of view, the fat drunkard master also knew this, but he still calmly cured his legs. Was it Su's idea?

Feng Suyang rubbed his temples, hesitated for a while and said, "Actually, if you hadn't had some foresight, know how to use the city government and use them, I might not have hidden in Long's house for so many years..."

"You mean..." Sheng Yan hammered his fist hard, and snorted coldly: "I mean, you didn't give me your heart and soul from the very beginning! What's the matter, you don't like me when you are completely pure and kind." gone?"

"You are really right. I have a special status. People who are too kind are not suitable to be friends with me... I was born in the royal family, and I was born into intrigue and intrigue. If I put a heartless friend by my side, someday I don’t even know if I accidentally hurt you, let alone have a closer relationship. But you are different. You have a stubbornness in your bones, and you don’t want to be inferior to others, but you know how to advance and retreat in everything, and you don’t take it lightly when you are not sure... Yes Whoever has resentment will bury it deep, and will take revenge when the time is ripe, right?" Feng Suyang raised his eyebrows and smiled jokingly at him.

Sheng Yan stared at him blankly for a long time, then sighed: "Now I know that you are the real master of pretending to be stupid! But don't you think I'm hypocritical at all..."

"The hypocrisy depends on who you are dealing with. I can tell...you are true to me, that's enough." Feng Suyang lifted his chin, leaned over and took a bite on the corner of his mouth, "The most authentic Long Shengyan, as long as I am the only one in the world who knows about it, it would be great."

Sheng Yan frowned, and bit his upper lip back, "Okay, it's even, you and I are each other!"

After this day, under Sheng Yan's vigorous and vigorous work style, the four Longjia fragrance shops in the northwest took back all the defective rose water sold, and almost all the fragrance pills in the shops were given away for free.But this incident was widely spread after a while, causing all the major incense-making families to hear the news. They were surprised and began to speculate on the purpose of this Young Master Long.

Sheng Yan returned to Yongjia City a few days later. As soon as he entered the gate of Longfu, he was welcomed in by Steward Lin, who said beside him: "Master Ten, the master is waiting for you in the study! He said that you will go to the study to meet him as soon as you come back." .”

"Oh, dad wants to see me?" Sheng Yan had an unpredictable smile on his face, and asked as he walked, "Uncle Lin, after big brother comes back, will there be any major events at home?"

Uncle Lin glanced at him in surprise, and replied: "Fifth young master got into trouble and is still locked in his room! Since the young master came home and said something to the master, all the maids in the master's study have been beaten to death." , several young masters and aunts were passed in to speak, but the servants still don't know...what it is for."

Sheng Yan smiled secretly and raised the corners of his mouth, stopped talking along the way, walked past the incense stand, and got closer and closer to the grand master's study.

No longer bowing his head down like in the past, this time, Sheng Yan strode into the study with his head raised.

He took off the cloak and handed it to Uncle Lin, straightened his waist and stood in front of Long Lanyan, smiling broadly: "Father, I just arrived and haven't rested yet, I heard...do you need me?"