Chapter 115 – There is no gold weight on the knee.

Although there were a lot of people who did not sleep well on this night, a lot of people who were busy, and even some people who did not sleep for the whole night, and there was such a big thing happening in the city of Suzhou, the second day of the new spring tender of the inner treasury still came as scheduled.

This is the rule, this is the rule of the court in the past.

So even though Eunuch Huang and Guo Zheng had requested the Transit Department to postpone the bidding for a few days on the grounds that Suzhou city was under martial law and that Xia Qufei had been assassinated, Fan Xian had still demanded with absolute conviction and force that the bidding must begin on time and not be postponed for a single moment.

The Ming family had already bought a night’s time, and if they were given more time to react, who knew what else would happen?

Fan Xian rubbed his sore brow, forcibly hiding the tiredness on his face as he looked at the merchants who were streaming in. He found that although the expressions of these Jiangnan merchants were still calm, there was still a strange emotion hidden in their eyes, and it seemed that the assassination of Xia Qufei last night had also caused them great distress. Fan Xian just can t tell for the moment whether this change is good or …… bad for his plans.

The Ming family father and son were the penultimate batch of people to walk into the inner treasury mansion, followed by the clan’s long follower and the accountant, saluting around with a gentle face, the officials and merchants removed their eyes after a little perfunctory glance, no one dared to show too much intimacy with the Ming family again in front of Fan Xian.

When the Ming family’s father and son saluted in front of the main hall, Eunuch Huang and Guo Zheng spoke warmly to each other, clearly showing their support for each other. Fan Xian watched coldly, smiling and nodding, before waving his hand for the other party to take their seats – Ming Qingda’s eyes were strangely calm-looking, and it seemed that the other party, for some unknown reason, wasn’t too afraid of the retaliation he would take for the assassination of Xia Qufei last night.

Before the gate closed, the people from Jiangnan Water Village also arrived.

Behind Xia Qifei, apart from the few old officials from the Ministry of Revenue that Fan Xian had sent over, there were only three of his personal guards left, and the rest of his brothers had already been buried on top of the long street last night.

Today’s Xia Qufei’s face was pale, and it seemed that the serious injuries he had suffered had no way to recover at all, just that today’s matter was of great importance, so he braced himself to come over as well.

Compared to the bandages on his body, the white band on his forehead is particularly blinding and snowy, and the subordinates behind him also have white cloth bands on their heads, in the middle of this spring, spreading an ice-like chill.

Wearing filial piety to enter the inner treasury door, for decades, this is the first time.

The eyes of all the people in the mansion, all projected on such a group of wearing filial piety, covered with murderous aura of the B four robbers, to Lingnan Xiong family, Quanzhou Sun family, led by the merchants line out of the room, and Xia Qufei to meet with the salute, softly comforting.

Xia Qifei, supported by his subordinates, slowly walked to the front of the main hall, and without even glancing at the father and son duo of the Ming family in the first room, he softly opened his mouth and said, “Mister Xia is still here.”

Eunuch Huang and Guo Zheng’s faces looked somewhat strange.

The corners of Fan Xian’s eyes twitched for a moment and immediately returned to their usual state, calmly spreading his right hand and saying steadily and firmly, “As long as you come, there is a place for you here.”

Everyone understood the meaning of Fan Xian’s words, while Eunuch Huang and Guo Zheng could not possibly accuse Fan Xian of anything by these words. Today, the Governor of Jiangnan, Xue Qing, claimed to be sick and did not arrive, and now in the mansion, it was Fan Xian who had the highest official position, so it was clear that Xue Qing was letting Fan Xian let go of his hands and do something.

But the Ming family’s backers will not look at the whole situation is Fan Xian mastered, Huang Gonggong said after a slight meditation: “Mr. Xia, I heard that last night in Suzhou city Jianghu killing again, your family lost a lot of …… However, this wear mourning into the hospital, in the rite of passage is not ah.”

Xia Qufei’s origin is not honorable after all, that’s why that old Taijun of the Ming family dared to ask the masters of the Junshan Society to carry out the sniping work, after all, if they can kill Xia Qufei, they can solve too many problems, and they can also be pushed into the jianghu tussle afterwards.

Eunuch Huang’s saying this at this time was nothing more than wanting to sit on this point.

Fan Xian, however, simply do not bother with the other side of these nominal things, but listening to Eunuch Huang said “wearing filial piety into the hospital, in the rite of passage” eight, anger gradually, eyes slightly narrowed, said softly: “Eunuch Huang, do not force this official to lose his temper.”

This sentence said although light, but the sound is like from the gap in the iceberg scraped out, from the abyss of the ground out of …… that kind of cold and chilling, so that the hearer shuddered.

Don t force this official to be angry!

These words drilled into Eunuch Huang’s ears, making this old eunuch involuntarily shiver and hurriedly stopped his mouth – don’t gamble with this goddamned bitch teenager, let him go, anyway, the Ming family has already prepared for the night, stay as long as he stares at it there will not be any problems, if this time to let Fan Xian take the opportunity to launch a biao, who can stop him! If Fan Xian takes the opportunity to go berserk at this time, who can stop him? It wouldn’t be a good idea to jeopardize the event.

Guo Zheng, who was about to open his mouth, also felt a chill in his heart and hurriedly choked back what he was about to say. Yesterday night they all thought Fan Xian would be in a rage, reckless out, so each other have written a good letter, ready, ready to catch Fan Xian this handle …… did not expect Fan Xian instead has been kept calm, let him and Eunuch Huang was disappointed, but also clear, Fan Xian heart that the fire has been holding, do not know when it will explode out. When would it explode.

Thinking of the ministers who fell under Fan Xian, Guo Zheng also retreated, the Princess wants to protect the Ming family’s share, not the Ming family’s face.

Another gunshot rang out, and confetti flew about outside the inner treasury mansion compound as the smoke gradually filled in.

Fan Xian squinted his eyes, looking at this somewhat familiar scene, and somehow thought of last year, on the day he left Beiqi’s capital, the moment he heard the news of Zhuang Mo Han’s death, on that day, the firecrackers outside the capital’s gates giving himself a farewell were also like a farewell to all of you in Zhuang.

Today’s firecrackers are giving a farewell to those who died last night?

Xia Qufei took his subordinates to walk back to the B4 room in silence, took down the white belt tied around his head, carefully laid it on the table, straight one, the brothers behind him also took down the white belt along with their big brother, laying it straight, one by one, rigid and powerful.

Fan Xian’s brow wrinkled a little imperceptibly, not knowing what to think.

The official in charge of singing ceremony in the inner treasury, once again stood on top of the stone steps, the second day of the inner treasury bidding, officially began.

Yesterday, a total of five bids were made, the inner treasury had a total of sixteen bids, in addition to the last two points of the bundle of eight bids, there were still three bids left, which were placed at the very beginning of the singing out.

Ming family still in accordance with the agreement between the Jiangnan merchants did not call out the price, on the contrary, Xia Qufei seems to have not been disturbed by last night’s events, very calmly began to bid, captured one of the bids.

The remaining two bids were won by the Xiong family in Lingnan and the Chen family in Hangzhou, which were probably things that were discussed at the Jiangnan residence last night.

The bid that Xia Qufei captured was still on the northern route, and Fan Xian couldn’t help but secretly nod his head when he got the offer from the flower hall and confirmed that Xia Qufei had won the bid. Xia Qifei didn’t have the will to do anything, this point let him appreciate.

These three bids, carried out is uneventful, the price is also with the previous year basically equivalent, there is nothing surprising place, but all the merchants and officials between the scene did not have a big reaction, because everyone knows, today’s main event is in the back, in the Ming family is bound to get the back eight bids.

“Row southeast road cum sea road two square goods, a total of four bids, began to book, the high price …… get ……”

Internal Treasury Transit Division officials stand on top of the stone steps, expressionless shouting, this sentence he does not know how many years he has shouted, every year after this sentence shouted out, only the Ming family will respond to the bidding, no one will go with the Ming family to grab, so shouting up is to feel tasteless and boring, meaning to be bored.

But, this year is different.

Singing ceremony sound fall, the first push open the door, hand out the vellum seal, is precisely b fourth house!

The mansion buzzed with countless murmurs, Xia Qufei, the rumored abandoned seventh young master of the Ming family, finally began to take on the Ming family.

A a room in the Ming Qingda face unchanged, seems to have long expected this situation, in the past years, because of the strength of their own family, coupled with the Princess in the post-trial watch, Jiangnan merchants do not have anyone who dares to call the price with their own, so the Ming family in the latter eight bids in the same as the Cui family in the first six bids, are singing a monodrama.

This kind of drama sung for a long time, will eventually feel tired, today there is finally a person to come and the Ming family to fight on some, Ming Qingda in the slight sense of fear, but also has a hint of excitement.

He smiled and said to his son beside him, “Duo Er, squash him.”

Ming Lan Shi was shocked, what his father meant was that the first round of bidding was twenty percent more than last year’s finalized bid? Then if later in the second round Xia Qufei really had enough silver to continue to follow, how would his side be able to withstand it?

Ming Qingda picked up the teacup beside him, took a sip of tea, and slowly said, “The extra 20%, the one who pressed is not Xia Qufei, it’s someone else.”

Ming Lan Shi was greatly perplexed, thinking that amongst the inner treasury mansion today, apart from Xia Qifei who has the backing of Lord Qin, who else dares to compete with his own family for these two big bids? In this young master of the Ming family’s heart, he still firmly believed that Xia Qufei’s backing came from the silver that Fan Xian had privately mobilized from the Ministry of the Household, and the rest of them simply did not have the strength to do so.

Ming Qingda didn’t say anything, but in his heart, he knew like a mirror, Fan Xian let Xia Qufei sweep around yesterday, this is to make the rest of the merchants in Jiangnan turn into a hungry wolf, and a hungry wolf, anyone’s meat dare to gnaw on a couple of bites.

When the two kraft paper seals handed into the flower hall, all the attention to the matter of the merchants and officials will butt back to the seat, spit out a mouthful of cloudy air, know that the good show is officially staged.

But it seems that many people did not guess the direction of this drama.

The door to room B-1 was also slowly pushed open, handing out a vellum seal into the hands of the official in front of the door.

Quanzhou Sun family!

The court was in an uproar, no one had expected that the Quanzhou Sun family would actually come to grab this hot cup of soup when the two tigers were fighting!

“Sun family!” Ming Lan Shi looked at his father in shock and said, “Where did their family get so much silver?”

Ming Qingda’s face remained unchanged as he said, “If the Sun family isn’t enough for one family, can’t several families come up with it? Don’t you think that Xiong Bai Ling has become too quiet today? And those few families that have been staring at our side, if they don’t have ghosts in their hearts, what are they looking at for so long? It’s not like I have flowers on my face!”

Above the main hall, the officials seated in the three master chairs each had their own thoughts in their minds. Fan Xian had anticipated this development, so he wasn’t too surprised, while Eunuch Huang and Guo Zheng gritted their teeth, thinking that the Sun family from Quanzhou had too much guts to come out and cause trouble at this time!

With everyone watching nervously, the results of the first round of bidding came out. Fan Xian took the offer from the flower hall and compared it to the list, he couldn’t help but sigh in his heart, secretly saying that it wasn’t unreasonable for the Ming family to be able to be in Jiangnan for so many years.

In Fan Xian’s plan, the latter four bid is their own and the Ming family desperately rushed price moment, because from the North Qi side of the silver, although the number of huge, but the turnover needs to be too long route, there is still an upper limit, and Xia Qufei even after winning five bids, but also paid a huge amount of fixed silver.

If you can make a false charge without any limit, Xia Qifei can completely call for an empty price, letting the Ming family spit out blood one after another. The problem is, Fan Xian has not been able to understand Ming Qingda this person, this Ming family’s nominal master, seems to be more than just nominal this simple, Fan Xian can not judge, if he really carry out false flush, Ming Qingda will not disregard the Princess’s strict orders, great wisdom to cut off the hand!

With the silver in Fan Xian’s hands at the moment, if he used it to make a charge, he could only be sure of seriously injuring the Ming family in the second four consecutive bids.

In case the Ming family really in the third round to play a ruthless absolute, let go do not want this four consecutive bids …… Xia Qufei will price punch too high, there are only two possible endings. One is not able to get 40% of the fixed silver, one is to successfully capture the first four consecutive bids, and then have no spare capacity, watching the Ming family effortlessly, captured the back of the four consecutive bids.

The second ending is not what Fan Xian wants, he simply does not have the means to control the transmission line to Dongyi City, so the four consecutive bids that are essential in the Ming family’s view are chicken ribs for him, and he simply doesn’t want Xia Qufei to really seize the bid, but if he watches the Ming family seize the four consecutive bids in the back so effortlessly, Fan Xian …… will not be able to swallow this breath. Can not swallow this breath.

As for the first possibility …… if really burst the price, in Huang Gonggong and Guo Zheng under the eye of the tiger, in so many people’s eyes watching, the internal library thing, will really have to give up, and Xia Qifei is afraid that there is no way to live.

To summarize, in the plan prepared by Fan Xian first, this first four consecutive bids, is ready to let Quanzhou Sun family out of the cannon, and Xia Qifei’s bid, just a shot in the dark, and do not intend to fight for their lives.

But looking at the quotation handed over from the flower hall, Fan Xian knew that that old man of the Ming family had already guessed his own arrangement, so the first round of bidding had even reached that horrible a number!

The Sun family dared to make a bid today because of the information they had passed on through Shi Yanli last night.

But in the face of the Ming family this kind of east mountain pressure like attack, and then associated with yesterday night the Ming family brazenly sent people to assassinate Xia Qufei, the civil and military fire attack each other …… Fan Xian began to worry that the Sun family may be this round of bidding to be scared to dare not raise the price again.

The course of events, indeed, slid toward a situation Fan Xian did not wish to see, and when the official who sang the salute shouted out the Ming family’s offer of up to three million eight hundred thousand taels of silver, the courtyard was filled with a great outcry.

And the door to Room B-1, which had never been opened since then, the Sun family had indeed been stunned.

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the Ming family in room A one, and began to calculate that in the assassination incident last night, these two masters were not really as the investigation of the Supervisory Yuan, and did not have much involvement, and the main thing was purely the Ming Lao Taijun.

The assassination of Xia Qufei may seem reckless, but paired with today’s ferocious offer, it can scare off quite a few enemies for the Ming family who want to take advantage of the chaos and take advantage of the fire.

If Ming Qingda was truly a person who was this good at using momentum and even utilizing his own mother, Fan Xian felt the need to reexamine the other party. As soon as the first round of offers came out, Eunuch Huang and Guo Zheng stroked their whiskers and smiled, except that Eunuch Huang didn’t have much of a beard under his jaw, so he looked a bit comical, but at least it could be seen that these two were quite satisfied with the Ming family’s outbursts as well as the crowd’s reaction.

Room B4 was calm, and through the window pane, Xia Qufei glanced at Fan Xian with a solicitous look.

Fan Xian sighed somewhat helplessly, smoothing the flying hair at the corner of his forehead with the palms of his hands, the meaning of this secret signal was to let Xia Qufei take his time, since the Sun family had withdrawn, Xia Qufei must continue to make a bid, it was just that the measure of this bid had to be mastered well.

Both to let the Ming family pain, but not too ruthless, but also have to let the other side is very satisfied to take over this first four consecutive bids, and will not suddenly brainwashed to give up, the four consecutive bids thrown to their own.

This is a very difficult situation, even if Xia Qufei has a few old officials of the Ministry of households behind him to help, it is also difficult to deal with watertight.

The official who sang the salute once again stood on top of the stone steps, as it were, twice. People expect the Ming family boss and the old seven family big bad fight did not happen, b four room robbers completely lost yesterday’s ferocity, extremely cautious and careful bidding.

But despite the caution, the price of this first four consecutive bids was still slowly raised to a jaw-dropping level!

One reason for this is certainly because the Ming family’s first round of bidding was 20% higher than last year’s bidding price, another reason also lies in the fact that the B four houses were pestering each other out like cowhide.

The final bidding success …… is really still the Ming family, this result is the same as for so many years, only the bidding price, however, has changed too much from previous years.

Five million one hundred and twenty two thousand taels!

Everyone opened their mouths wide, listening to this price tag, thinking that if the inner treasury’s bidding rules were five rounds, I’m afraid that Xia Qufei of the fourth house of the B and Ming Qingda of the first house of the A would raise this price to twice last year’s price tag!

This price was already a bit too high.

But Fan Xian knows clearly, this can only show that some years ago, the inner treasury in the Princess’s manipulation, the price of the right to sell is a bit low, this price, the Ming family will not lose money, there may be a big profit – of course, this must be the Ming family still dares to do the business of piracy, in Fan Xian’s eyes still dares to smuggle to the city of Dongyi.

So Fan Xian smiled, satisfied with the result. The Ming family would wait to smash money into this mark this year.

“Room A1, Ming family, 5,112,000 taels, got it!”

Has been somewhat unable to beat the spirit of the Inner Treasury Transit Division singing ceremony officials, at this time reported the Inner Treasury open tender for more than ten years, the largest amount of a bid, finally appeared to be the spirit of up, the voice of the offer is powerful, sound, the word “get” export that is not, without delay, appear to be dry and extreme.

Regardless of the attitude towards the Ming family, the merchants also felt a hint of excitement, and sang for the sake of this number.

On the contrary, the father and son of the Ming family in Room A1 had little joy on their faces, especially Ming Qingda, who had a light worry on his brow.

What he thinks, and what Fan Xian thinks are the same, if there is not some unseen means to help, this four consecutive bids …… is lost.

And the most critical, Xia Qufei side bidding seems to have a high person to help, will be the proportion of the pinch extremely well, this bid five million twelve hundred thousand two hundred silver, the light fixed silver stay will have to leave more than two million two …… Not to mention, the other side really fighting for their lives of the bidding is certainly in the last side.

Yesterday night, the Ming Garden overnight silver, six rooms together only raised out of the six hundred thousand two, far less than the Ming Lao Taijun set one million three hundred and fifty five million two share, and this four consecutive bidding has exceeded the psychological budget of the Ming Qingda is too much, the back of what to do?

There is still half of Taiping Money Bank’s silver supply remaining, but no one knows what will happen later. Ming Qingda’s hands gently pressed on the wooden box beside him, pondering.

Ming Lan Shi glanced at his father who was full of fatigue, his heart ached immensely, he knew that his father had not slept all night last night, and had gone to several big money changers in Suzhou city all night to transfer the silver until the early hours of the morning, and only then did he finally get a reassuring number, in this box, what is put is the Merchants money changer’s 100,000 cash notes that had been opened out in a great hurry.

“Do you think, the Lord Chinchilla will still want this back four consecutive bids?” Ming Qingda sighed wearily.

Ming Lan Shi did not know how to speak.

The sun has already moved in the middle of the day, the inner treasury bidding has come to an end for the time being, and the magistrates from Suzhou Prefecture and the Transit Department have carried in meals for all the lords and merchants to dine on, and although the meals provided by the government are not as exquisite as the food and drink at the homes of these mega-wealthy people, these merchants are still eating with gusto, and coming together next to the Sun family of Quanzhou who has a disheveled look on his face to enquire about what’s going on.

People are looking forward to the afternoon, that is the final showdown, the morning has already opened a horrible amount of five million taels of silver, afternoon must be dazzling to what extent?

No one noticed Ming Qingda walking up the main hall in silence, coming into the middle of the side hall where a few big shots were having their meals, and not really avoiding suspicion, he smiled and said, “I’ve met Eunuch Huang, Royal Historian Guo Zheng, there are some things that I would like to report to the Lord of the Imperial Magistracy, and I would like to ask both of you to make it easy for me.”

Eunuch Huang and Guo Zheng were stunned, thinking which one is playing? Could it be that the Ming family wanted to turn to Fan Xian in front of them? However, it is not possible to be so honorable ah …… Ming Qingda long held the Ming family, and the great officials in the imperial court to deal with shallow, own a kind of majesty in the chest, Eunuch Huang and Guo Zheng looked at each other, convinced that his person, then smiled and retreated out, leaving him to talk with Fan Xian space.

There was no one in the hall, and Ming Qingda, with some difficulty, lifted his front lapel and knelt in front of Fan Xian, not speaking.

Fan Xian was holding a bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other, and was searching for something tasty to eat between meals, and his eyes didn’t glance that way, but simply said, “The four consecutive bids in the back, this official …… still wants to grab them.”