allonlinenovel Chapter 125 First Meeting with Xiao Hechuan
Chapter 125 First Meeting with Xiao Hechuan
The journey was smooth and because they were traveling light, not many people noticed them on the road.
Even if others asked, Song Qingwan would say that they were three siblings who came from the capital to visit relatives in Jiangnan.
On the fifteenth day, they finally arrived at their destination, Qiantang Prefecture, where Xiao Hechuan was.
The location of the Xiao family was also easy to find out. The Xiao family was the world's number one merchant family and everyone in the local area knew about it. They found the location very easily.
Soon the three of them stood at the door of the Xiao family's house. Chunya and Arong were so surprised that they could not close their mouths.
"Miss, I have never seen such a magnificent house."
"Sister Chunya, me too."
Song Qingwan nodded. Her heart had already been stirred. The Xiao family was indeed the richest family in the world.
The Xiao family's house is located in a lush green garden and is surrounded by high walls, appearing majestic and solemn.
The architectural style of the mansion combines the exquisiteness of Jiangnan gardens with the grandeur of northern palaces.
The roof adopts a flying eaves and bracket design, which is smart and elegant; the roof and walls are decorated with exquisite carvings and paintings, showing the owner's elegant taste.
The vermilion gate is tall and wide, with a pair of huge stone lions placed in front of the gate. They are lifelike, as if guarding the mansion.
A Rong calmed himself down and went to knock on the door. After knocking a few times, the door opened and a servant who looked like a boy stuck his head out.
"Who are you looking for?"
"Excuse me, is Mr. Xiao Hechuan here?"
"Our master is at home, what do you want from him?"
Song Qingwan took a step forward, nodded with a smile, and pulled Arong behind her.
"We are from the capital, and we are here to discuss business with Mr. Xiao. I wonder if you can inform us, little brother?"
"Then wait a moment."
After saying that, the servant closed the door again. A Rong grumbled a little unconvinced.
"Our princess is of such a noble status, yet she has to be so polite to a businessman."
"Ah Rong, now we are the ones who are actively looking for cooperation, so we naturally cannot be arrogant."
In this era, merchants had a low status, and ordinary dignitaries looked down on people who did business, thinking that they were all tainted with the smell of money.
But who among the officials in the court doesn't like silver? Besides, Xiao Hechuan is not an ordinary businessman.
The ancestors of the Xiao family were advisers to the emperor of the previous dynasty. After the fall of the previous dynasty, the Xiao family took the initiative to surrender, but did not gain the trust of the Zhao family.
The Xiao family was suppressed in various ways, and things became even more absurd when it came to Xiao Hechuan's generation. He was labeled as being as stupid as a pig and not capable of doing anything when he was in his teens and hadn't even started working as an official yet.
Naturally, no one dared to employ such a person as Xiao Hechuan, so he left the capital in despair and traveled around, and by chance he became a businessman.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Hechuan's business talent was unparalleled in the world. He had achieved his current success in less than ten years. He simply settled down in Jiangnan and never returned to the capital.
Naturally, many people have wanted to get in touch with the Xiao family over the years, but all of them have returned empty-handed. Xiao Hechuan has no plans to return to officialdom.
Xiao Hechuan was obviously not someone who liked to make things difficult for others. After a while, the servant came out to report that the head of the family wanted Song Qingwan and the others to come in.
"Thank you, brother."
Song Qingwan stuffed the special cakes she brought from the capital into the servant's hand. When the servant opened it, his eyes lit up and he quickly led the way enthusiastically.
"Miss, why is he so happy with a box of cakes?"
Song Qingwan patted Chunya's head and spoke softly.
"The Xiao family is so wealthy, so the wages for the servants will naturally not be small. If he is not short of money, then he can use other methods to manage it."
Especially since the child looks only eleven or twelve years old, which is the age when he likes to eat.
It has to be said that Song Qingwan's judgment was correct. This was the first time that the servant had been so enthusiastic in leading a stranger into the house.
After entering the Xiao family's gate, Song Qingwan realized how correct her behavior was just now. The Xiao family was so huge.
Entering the mansion, the first thing that comes into view is a spacious courtyard.
The courtyard is neatly dotted with pavilions, towers, rockery, ponds, and various exotic flowers and plants.
A winding path leads through the courtyard to the main building of the mansion.
The main building is a three-story pavilion, magnificent and imposing, with railings surrounding each floor and exquisite patterns carved on them.
The windows adopt a hollow design, which lets in soft light and gives people a mysterious and romantic feeling.
A few people walked all the way to a rockery in the backyard, where a young man in a green robe was sitting under a big tree reading a book.
"Sir, the person has been brought here."
"Well, you go down."
"Yes"
The man closed the book, raised his head and gave Song Qingwan a gentle smile.
"I didn't know that the princess came to welcome you. I hope you will forgive me."
"How do you know my identity?"
Song Qingwan looked at the elegant and handsome man in front of her with some confusion, and a question mark appeared above her head.
One has to admit that Xiao Hechuan doesn't look like a businessman. His temperament is very much like that of a scholar, and he exudes a literati demeanor all over his body.
He looks to be less than 30 years old, and his temperament is somewhat similar to Prince Yu, but he is more free and unrestrained than Prince Yu.
"I have been away from the capital for fifteen years. No one in the capital knows me, Xiao Hechuan. And I think about the people in Prince Huai's Mansion who have been asking about the Xiao family."
"Mr. Xiao is indeed the descendant of the world's number one strategist. His wisdom is beyond the reach of ordinary people."
"You are too polite, Princess. I am just a businessman and I don't deserve such praise from you."
"But Mr. Xiao is not interested in this, right? I came here to ask you to come out of retirement."
Xiao Hechuan suddenly stopped smiling, he stood up and bowed to Song Qingwan.
"Thank you for your kindness, Madam. I am not qualified for this job. Please find someone else."
"But you don't even know what I want you to do, why are you rejecting me like this?"
However, Xiao Hechuan didn't want to listen anymore. He simply told the servant to see the guest off, then sat back and ignored him.
"Hey, you..."
Song Qingwan stopped Chunya who wanted to step forward to question her and shook her head at her.
"We are sorry for disturbing you, sir. We will come back another day."
After saying that, Song Qingwan bowed, then took Chunya and Arong out of the Xiao family.
The servant acted a little unnatural. He scratched his head and said apologetically.
"Our master has always been like this. You don't have to take it to heart. He is not targeting you."
"Then may I ask, little brother, is there anyone in Mr. Xiao's family?"
"Our wife passed away a few years ago and had no children, and our husband did not remarry, so the old lady is the only one left in the mansion."
Song Qingwan nodded. She had originally thought of starting with Xiao Hechuan's wife, but it seemed that was not going to work.
After leaving the Xiao family, Song Qingwan found an inn to stay in, planning to make long-term plans.
"Miss, why do you have to be so humble? Is Xiao Hechuan worthy of you doing this?"
"Chun Ya, Xiao Hechuan is a man of great talent. He is definitely worthy of it."