Chapter 4895 Offer with both hands
Chapter 4895 Offer with both hands
Yin Hongyong pondered in silence.
It sounds like this matter is very simple. The Yin family is a royal relative. Concubine Yin De gave birth to Prince of Qi Li You and was the most favored by Emperor Taizong. Now that Li Chengqian has ascended the throne, he has forgiven Li You for his previous mistakes and treated Concubine Yin De with usual respect. The Yin family's position in Guzang is very stable, and even Cheng Yaojin has to give Yin family some face.
It is not difficult to allow a caravan to pass through the checkpoint smoothly without being searched or exploited by the garrison.
However, the fact that An Yongda came to the mansion in such a disguise and was so serious meant that this matter was definitely not as simple as it seemed.
After thinking for a while, Yin Hongyong did not give a direct answer, but asked: "Is there something wrong with this batch of goods, or is there something wrong with the entire caravan?"
Being able to be left behind by the Yin family in the ancestral home to look after the family business, Yin Hongyong is certainly not a stupid person. Even though he is not as smooth and resourceful as his brother Yin Hongzhi, he is also quick-witted.
The current situation of the An family is very dangerous. They are confined to Fanhe and face Cheng Yaojin. Their destruction may be just a matter of seconds. The An family will not sit and wait for death. They will definitely find a way to save themselves. At this critical moment, the second person in the An family escorts the goods to Chang'an. His purpose is almost obvious...
An Yongda did not hide it, and he could not hide it even if he wanted to, so he told the result of An's discussion frankly: "At this time of life and death for An, I ask my brother to lend a helping hand."
Yin Hongyong weighed the pros and cons, and sighed after a moment: "It's not that I don't care about our past friendship and stand by and watch, but my brother also made a mistake in the rebellion of Prince Jin and was killed. Even if Your Majesty is concerned about the relationship between brothers and can't bear to blame His Royal Highness Prince Qi, the entire Yin family will be reprimanded for this. Cheng Yaojin was a meritorious official in the Zhenguan period and had a bad temper. When he first entered Guzang, he was arrogant and disdainful of our Guzang family. He strictly controlled the trade route. If I cover your caravan through the checkpoint at this time, it may have a negative effect."
An Yongda felt a chill in his heart. How could he not hear the evasion in Yin Hongyong's words?
However, at this moment, An was at the end of his rope and could only pretend to be ignorant and ask for help shamelessly.
"Our two families have lived in Guzang for a long time, and have worked hand in hand for generations. This friendship should be passed down from generation to generation. Back then, the Yin family was convicted by Emperor Gaozu. If my father had not begged Emperor Gaozu and guaranteed his life, how could the Yin family be what it is today? I am not saying this to repay a favor, but I hope to get your help this time so that our two families can be friendly for generations."
Yin Hongyong pondered in silence.
There was certainly friendship between the two families, and the Yin family did receive favors from An Xinggui in the past, but all of this was nothing compared to the family's future.
If the An family is wiped out, what is the point of so-called friendship? Even helping them now may implicate themselves.
However, Yin Hongyong felt that the An family might not be at the end of their rope. Although he did not know what goods An Yongda asked him to help pass through customs, he thought it was nothing more than money. So he went to Chang'an to beg An's old friends for help.
The An family's crimes did not reach the level of "genocide". An Yuanshou alone was responsible for the crime. I believe that Your Majesty would not kill all of them, considering His Majesty's usual leniency...
If so, helping out at this time would earn An's greatest gratitude.
Even if An Yuanshou died to apologize, the An family still played an important role in Hexi...
"Well, as you said, our two families are on good terms. The An family is in imminent danger. How can I just sit there and watch? Even if I have to take the risk, I will definitely lend a helping hand to you."
"Brother, you are so kind and righteous. I am so grateful to you!"
An Yongda was overjoyed.
Yin Hongyong waved his hand and said, "There is no need to say more about my gratitude, but I have to say it in advance. Although I have tried my best, I cannot guarantee that I can pass the customs smoothly. Now the one who has the final say in Guzang City is Cheng Yaojin. If the devil makes trouble, I will be helpless."
An Yongda said, "Brother, rest assured. I have prepared two other generous gifts. One is to thank you for your help, and the other is for you to give to Cheng Yaojin to save his face. The Empress De is now the Dowager Concubine, and His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi is deeply loved by His Majesty. I think no matter how bad Cheng Yaojin is, he will not fail to give Yin this face."
"Okay, I'll do my best."
Yin Hongyong couldn't refuse, so he agreed: "When will the caravan arrive?"
"We will arrive at the checkpoint outside Guzang City tomorrow morning."
"Then prepare the gifts, and I will go and see Cheng Yaojin right away."
"Thank you, brother!"
……
An Yongda immediately sent someone out of the city to deliver the prepared gifts into the city and hand them over to Yin Hongyong. Yin Hongyong asked An Yongda to wait at home, and he took the gifts and went straight to Qianguang Hall where Cheng Yaojin was staying.
Liangzhou was the metropolis of Hexi, and Guzang was the administrative seat of Liangzhou. It was known as "a famous county in Han and Wei dynasties, and the capital of the Four Liangs." It bordered the Western Regions and Congyou countries, and merchants and travelers came and went without stopping. There was a saying in the market town that "there are 100,000 households in seven miles of Guzang," which means that there were seven other small cities in the city of Guzang, which were built in different periods. Their functions are now similar to those of the markets in Chang'an. In case of war, these small cities would close their gates and form independent military fortresses to resist foreign invasion.
The Qianguang Hall was built by Zhang Jun, the monarch of Former Liang. It is said that it was "painted with five colors and decorated with gold and jade, with the utmost in ingenuity"; there was a companion hall on each of the four sides. The east one was called the Yiyang Green Hall, which was the Spring Palace; the south one was called the Zhuyang Red Hall, which was the Summer Palace; the west one was called the Zhengxing White Hall, which was the Autumn Palace; and the north one was called the Xuanwu Black Hall, which was the Winter Palace.
The entire building was built according to the Kyoto standard of "being worthy of the king". It is magnificent and famous throughout the country.
However, it is very old, has experienced many wars and has been severely damaged. Although it has been repaired throughout the ages, it cannot stop the trend of decline.
Yin Hongyong arrived at Qianguang Hall to ask for an audience with Cheng Yaojin. After the soldiers informed him, he led them to the meeting. Only then did he discover that Cheng Yaojin did not live in Qianguang Hall, but in an ordinary building complex in the city...
Although Guzang City is majestic and vast, tens of thousands of Zuo Wuwei poured in and filled the city with almost no spare space inside and outside. Unlike when the An family was stationed outside the city, Cheng Yaojin, who needed to guard against the An family, had to place a large number of troops inside the city. This resulted in military camps almost everywhere in the besieged city. These camps were connected to each other, and obstacles such as chevaux de frise were placed around them. There was a guard post every three steps and a sentry every five steps. The whole city was filled with murderous atmosphere.
When he was led into the room where the central army was located, Yin Hongyong saw Cheng Yaojin sitting behind a desk with his horse and sword handling official documents, and hurried forward to greet him.
Cheng Yaojin did not put on airs. He walked out from behind the desk, invited Yin Hongyong to sit by the stove, and asked his personal soldiers to serve him fragrant tea.
After taking a sip of tea, Yin Hongyong praised, "Great tea! This kind of tea is more valuable than gold in Hexi and is invaluable. It is rare to have the opportunity to drink it."
Cheng Yaojin glanced at him and said with a fake smile: "Should I say, 'I still have some here, I'll give you some to taste'? Sorry, it's not that I can't say it, but I don't have any either."
Yin Hongyong: “…”
Although the two knew each other, they were not familiar with each other. Yin Hongyong did not expect that this "devil king" would have such a style, which was hard to resist...
Cheng Yaojin said directly: "Tell me, what's the matter with you? For the sake of Madam Defei and His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi, I will definitely do what I can, but if the matter is too difficult, please don't force me and don't ask."
Whether it was Concubine Yin De or King Qi, they certainly had some face in front of Cheng Yaojin, but not much.
Yin Hongyong smiled, took another sip of tea, and said, "I heard that Duke Lu also has several tea plantations in Jiangnan? I wonder what the quality of the tea is like and how much it produces?"
Cheng Yaojin raised his thick eyebrows and said, "I am a straightforward person with a limited brain. I hate those vague and rambling talks. I always think they are traps. So you don't have to beat around the bush. Just speak your mind. If you can do it, do it. If you can't, get out of here."
Yin Hongyong: “…”
He was considered to have a rich resume and was well-informed, but he really lacked experience in dealing with people like Cheng Yaojin. He was choked and stunned, feeling very uncomfortable.
Taking a deep breath, with a smile on his face, he pointed at the teacup and said, "I have a great gift for Duke Lu, but Duke Lu would like to give Yin a fixed quota of tea every year. How about that?"
Today, the production area of Longjing tea has long spread outward from Qiantang. Almost all places in the south of the Yangtze River that are suitable for growing tea trees are planted. Some methods of frying tea have also been figured out. Although the quality of tea has declined, it is still a rare delicacy. Even if the output has increased dramatically, it is still in short supply.
The best quality tea was almost exclusively bought up by the wealthy and powerful in Chang'an, and the second-best quality was also controlled by the aristocratic families. Even the lowest quality tea found it difficult to leave the prosperous areas of the Tang Dynasty.
In Hexi, Longjing tea of all grades is in short supply. Hexi is the throat of the Silk Road. It has been a prosperous place with wealth since ancient times. There are countless wealthy businessmen, especially some Hu leaders who are also very wealthy. If there is a stable supply channel of tea, it can almost be regarded as an inexhaustible treasure pot.
Cheng Yaojin stroked his beard, stared at Yin Hongyong with a puzzled look for a while, nodded and said: "It's not difficult to want some tea, but it depends on whether the gift you give me is of sufficient value. You should know that I have very high standards."
"Who in the world doesn't know that Duke Lu is not only invincible on the battlefield, but also has the ability to amass wealth and is extremely wealthy. His family has mansions and fertile fields. If it were an ordinary item, I would not dare to show it to you."
"Oh? You've really made me curious. Don't hide it. Tell me."
"This one……"
Yin Hongyong hesitated for a moment and whispered, "But Duke Lu needs to keep this a secret for me. You may accept the gift, but it must not be known to outsiders afterwards."
"Haha," Cheng Yaojin's interest was piqued, and he asked curiously, "Why, do I have to go get this gift myself?"
