Chapter 660: Jinyanmen’s Show of Good Will
“Miss Zhao seems to be doing well…”

Li Yan also smiled and nodded slightly.

When you meet old friends, you will naturally feel good.

Although there were many rumors about the two of them in Pingkangfang, Chang’an, they all knew that this kind of joy did not contain any trace of love between men and women.

Talking about love between men and women is a joke.

Having lived two lives, they have seen many fickle human hearts and people parting ways because of profit. From the bottom of their hearts, they would not and could not devote their minds to matters between men and women.

A person who has been displaced and wandering since childhood does not believe in this stuff.

If true love were really easy, why would so many people sing about it?

What exists between the two is more of a tacit understanding.

Li Yan saw himself in his past life in Zhao Wanfang. He had been lonely and helpless since childhood, and his constant talk of revenge was just a motivation for himself to live and move forward.

Zhao Wanfang, on the other hand, envied Li Yan for being able to control his own destiny.

That tone of treating her as an equal was a rare ray of light in her dark life.

Therefore, we can only be considered friends.

It is impossible to ask Li Yan to trust his life to them like he did to Sha Lifei and Wang Daoxuan.

However, the tone of their voices did not seem to be the case to outsiders.

Sha Lifei winked at Long Yan’er, indicating that this was Li Yan’s old lover.

The scholar who was threatening Kong Shangzhao also had a gloomy expression, but he didn’t want to lose his composure by being jealous in public, so he pretended to be calm, folded the oil-paper umbrella in his hand, and said with a smile: “Miss Zhao, it seems that you are very familiar with this young man, why don’t you introduce him to me?”

Not to mention him, even the two people who had been fighting before looked at Li Yan viciously.

“Hahaha…”

Zhao Wanfang waved her round fan, covered her mouth and smiled, “Mr. Ming, they are the famous Twelve Yuanchen, and the one in front of you is Young Hero Li Yan.”

“Didn’t I just tell you that I have a friendship with you?”

There was no trace of joking in his words, and his eyes were full of innocence.

But it was precisely this look that made the scholar surnamed Ming feel so ashamed that a surge of anger surged on his face and his skin turned red. Without saying anything else, he clasped his fists, turned around and left.

It’s normal for men to brag a little when they encounter wine and beautiful women.

But now that the real culprit is here, there’s no way to explain it back.

When they heard the name of “Twelve Yuanchen”, Yuan Heng and Tian Fan, who were fighting, looked at each other, clasped their fists, and quickly turned and left.

At the second floor window, Zhao Wanfang smiled and said, “Mr. Li, I have prepared some wine to welcome you.”

Sharifei narrowed his eyes slightly, “Be careful.”

“Well, you go first.”

Li Yan nodded, picked up his bag casually and went into the tavern next door.

The moment he stepped into the room, Li Yan knew why Zhao Wanfang chose this place.

The name of the tavern is “Zuihexuan”. Although it is old and not high-end, it is very clean.

In the blue-tiled building, a faded cloth canopy with the words “Drunk World” hung on the elm pillars, and three tung oil paper lanterns were hung on the eaves, reflecting the blue brick steps and making them glow, while the reed door curtain exuded a refreshing feeling.

The waiter with a grey towel draped over his shoulders was carefully sweeping the melon seed shells from the cracks in the bricks with a bamboo broom.

The east wall of the hall has a row of pottery jars filled with pickled canal carp, and the west wall has a fir wood wine rack, with a row of black pottery wine jars covered with red paper with the words “sorghum roast” and “millet yellow”…

The boss is obviously a hard-working man, clean and down-to-earth.

A round-faced maid in green was running down the wooden stairs from the second floor. When she saw Li Yan, she panicked and quickly stood up and bowed politely, “Mr. Li…Mr. Li, please follow me.”

When he spoke, he spoke authentic Beijing dialect.

Li Yan was not surprised when he heard it.

The reason Zhao Wanfang left was because she was appreciated by the Golden Swallow organization and was sent to the capital for intensive training. It was not surprising that she had a maid from the capital by her side.

Not only that, he could also sense that there was another person in the room next to Zhao Wanfang upstairs. There was a sinister aura about him, and his breathing was weak and even. He was obviously a master sent to protect him.

When I went upstairs, Zhao Wanfang was there to greet me at the door.

After the two sat down, Li Yan shook his head slightly, “You are asking for trouble.”

His words were incoherent, but both of them knew what he meant.

The three people just now looked like troublemakers.

Having lost face today, they might not dare to cause trouble to Li Yan, but after they leave, they will definitely find a way to vent their anger on Zhao Wanfang. So although it seems that Zhao Wanfang is using him to ward off disaster, she is actually burying hidden dangers for herself.

“Master Li is worrying too much.”

Zhao Wanfang smiled, raised her hand to make tea for him, and said, “You have been through life and death in the martial arts world, and now you can suppress others with just your name. I am dancing on the edge of a knife, and now I don’t need to worry about these small characters.”

“Besides, if they don’t leave, the food will get cold…”

Before he finished speaking, the round-faced little girl serving beside him immediately clapped her hands.

Seven or eight waiters came in one after another, and the table was soon filled with steaming food and wine.

These waiters were dressed in uniform, had energetic faces, walked like the wind, and held the exquisite plates in one hand without even shaking. It was obvious that they were not the waiters of this restaurant.

Not only that, when putting the dishes in and opening the lid, the name of the dish was also announced.

“Weishan Lake carp braised in soy sauce!”

“The fish holds money in its mouth, bringing in a lot of money. The live carp from Weishan Lake is killed and cooked right away, the meat is tender and has no fishy smell. The fish leaps over the Dragon Gate and leads to the avenue!”

“Braised Canal Beach Lamb!”

“Sir, this is goat meat with skin cut into inch-long pieces, stewed with canal reed cores and Acheng yam, with goat fat melted into the sauce soup, sprinkled with green garlic sprouts to enhance the flavor, and served with Linqing pancakes, baked in a tribute brick pottery stove, and jujube wood fire…”

“Damn fried pheasant!”

“Thinly sliced ​​wild pheasant breast meat from Jingyang Ridge, fermented for three days with Jiangnan wine lees to make red lees, and stir-fried with Wenhe water chestnuts. It’s like being a hero who kills tigers on Jingyang Ridge and a hero who appreciates wine by the canal…”

“Shixiang noodles!”

“Linqing’s original ‘Nine Shreds and One Noodle’! Enjoy all the delicacies from the north and south in one bowl!”

The dishes served were more exquisite than each other, with good color, aroma and taste, and they were beyond praise.

“Thank you.”

Li Yan held the teacup and smiled. After the waiters left, he said, “It’s the cooking of General Cai. He prepared it for so long. It seems he came here specially to wait for me.”

When these dishes were opened, they were still steaming hot, obviously just out of the pot.

It’s not easy to invite “General Cai” to cook for you personally.

But it is even more difficult to estimate the time they will enter the city.

Zhao Wanfang smiled slightly, “Linqing City connects the north and the south, and is home to many wealthy people. Therefore, it is also a place that chefs must compete for. The dishes are unique. Even though this ‘General Cuisine’ has a good relationship with our Jinyan Sect, it is because of you that I am able to enjoy this delicious food.”

“Oh…”

Li Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, “Did Jin Yanmen ask you to come to me?”

He became alert.

There are eight gates in Jianghu: gold, leather, color, hanging, review, group, tune, and willow. There are eight gates in Jianghu: bee, hemp, swallow, sparrow, flower, orchid, kudzu, and glory. It can be said that snakes have their own ways and rats have their own ways, and neither should be underestimated.

Jinyanmen is the highest-end one among all Yanmen.

One is to buy and sell intelligence, and the other is to play both sides and pull strings.

The relationships behind it are so complicated that no one, from the imperial court to the market, can figure it out.

When someone shows kindness for no reason, you certainly can’t be careless.

“rest assured.”

Zhao Wanfang covered her mouth and smiled, “The sect asked me to come to you because they valued our friendship. Friendship is something that cannot be bought with money. If I scheme recklessly, what’s the difference between me and those cunning and despicable vendors?”

“Besides, the elders don’t want to offend a future Grandmaster.”

“Excessive praise.”

Li Yan was unmoved, and said calmly: “What’s the matter? Just tell me, otherwise I really can’t eat this delicious food and wine.”

“Qiankun Academy!”

Zhao Wanfang said directly: “The situation in Shenzhou is very serious right now.” “The war in the southwest has just ended, and the court wants to reward the generals. The civil officials don’t want the military generals to expand their power too quickly, so they argue in the court all day long…”

“There was a major corruption case in the northern border, and some officials were implicated by the Maitreya Cult. The two imperial envoys sent by the court were assassinated…”

“Since the opening of the sea, the trade routes along the southern coast have flourished, but the number of Japanese pirates has also increased day by day, and there are also those red-haired devils. I heard that their emperor has issued an order allowing the looting of merchant ships of other countries. Now the sea is in chaos…”

“Not to mention that the Nine Cauldrons you discovered has already caused a stir in the Xuan Sect.”

“But even though everything is going on, the soon-to-be-established Qiankun Academy has also attracted the attention of the court.”

Looking at Zhao Wanfang who was talking so eloquently, Li Yan felt a sense of emotion in his heart.

It is true that when a man has been away for three days, he should be looked at with new eyes.

The courtesan who was confused and only thought about revenge, after these two short years of experience, her conversation and vision have reached a different level, she is like a completely different person.

It seems that there are indeed many dragons and snakes gathering in the capital.

Although he felt emotional, Li Yan’s expression remained unchanged. He drank a sip of tea and said calmly:

“It’s just a college, how come it attracts so many people’s attention?”

“This academy is not simple!”

Zhao Wanfang said, “When the current emperor first proposed it, not many people in the court took it seriously. But it was not until the academy was about to be established that many people realized something was wrong.”

“The official positions in the academy are of the same rank as those in the Imperial Academy. The Commandery sent a lot of people to travel all over China, inviting those master craftsmen and masters of numerology. The amount of silver allocated was astonishing, and they even specially expanded the Yulin Army to guard the place…”

“Someone touched the money allocated by the academy. The emperor was furious. He confiscated the property and exiled the person. He also sent Grandmaster Huo Yin to take charge…”

“At this point, the emperor no longer hides the truth. As long as there are achievements, he may even hold a separate imperial examination for the Qiankun Academy in the future. More than a dozen great scholars have jointly submitted a petition, but the emperor has avoided seeing them…”

“Oh, it’s such a big fuss?”

Li Yan was also a little surprised when he heard this.

Of course he knew the potential of this kind of academy, but he did not expect that the court would attach so much importance to it and would even rather offend the Confucianists.

According to those scholars, this is a major event that will shake the foundation of the country.

This emperor…

Isn’t it the same as him?

At this time, Zhao Wanfang spoke again in a low voice: “This matter is secret, but there are too many people who want to buy information, so the sect also spent a lot of effort to inquire and finally found out the reason.”

“The court opened the sea, and the royal family also had a large team. Because they didn’t want to cause gossip in the court and the public, they disguised themselves as a merchant group to trade on the sea. They reaped a lot of rewards, and I heard that they also discovered a large gold and silver mine.”

“But this merchant group encountered the red-haired barbarians and was almost wiped out.”

“Their firearms are incredibly powerful, and they have even developed a new type of gunpowder, but the formula is slightly different. After asking those foreign merchants, I learned that the powerful countries on the sea are all developing rapidly.”

“They all have similar academies. For example, the formula for the new gunpowder came from a place called ‘Laoniusu Academy’…”

Laoniudu Academy?
Li Yan was stunned. It’s not called Oxford, right?

Zhao Wanfang naturally didn’t know what he was thinking, so she sighed, “Our Majesty only wants to establish great achievements. If he only focused on China, he might be able to stay safe. But now that the sea is open and he is competing with the other countries on the sea, how can he swallow this?”

“Moreover, in the Southwest War, the power of the new gunpowder was seen by everyone. Even if there were oppositions from those great scholars, how could they stop the forces of all parties in the court?”

“Qiankun Academy will definitely be the focus of future court battles!”

I see……

Li Yan shook his head slightly, “You guys in Jinyan Sect know a lot of people, right? I’m just a warrior, if you don’t want to find those big shots, why would you want to find me?”

Zhao Wanfang blinked and said, “Don’t forget what our Jinyan Sect does.”

“Outsiders don’t know, but we know very well that Lord Tian Feng from the Ministry of Works has been summoned to the palace by His Majesty several times in the past two months. Each conversation lasted at least three hours. He is an elder of the Mo Sect and is likely to serve as the director of the academy…”

“And your good friend Yan Jiuling, who won the first place in the imperial examination, went directly to the academy for training, and has established close ties with many senior officials of the Kaihai School. He will surely be given important positions in the future…”

“Alright, alright.”

Li Yan waved his hand. “You guys have found out clearly what you want me to do.”

Zhao Wanfang smiled sweetly, “Don’t worry. The elders in the sect asked me to meet you just to show goodwill in advance. When you arrive in the capital, someone will naturally invite you. The Jinyan Sect will be responsible for the matchmaking. Whether you go or not, and whether you are willing to meet some people, all depends on your wishes.”

“Moreover, with Twelve Yuanchen’s current reputation, it would be a great honor for Jinyanmen if we could help introduce him.”

“Easy to say!”

Li Yan suddenly realized what was going on. Without saying anything, he picked up a piece of mutton and put it directly into his mouth. “The skin is crispy and the meat is tender. It is fragrant but not greasy. It is worthy of being the work of ‘General Vegetables’. You should try it too.”

When he put down his chopsticks and started eating, it meant he agreed to it.

Just as Zhao Wanfang said, with Twelve Yuanchen’s current worth, ordinary people really can’t afford to hire him.

Some secret commissions cannot be handled directly.

It is indeed more appropriate to have Jinyanmen as the matchmaker.

Moreover, he was also interested in the intelligence that Jinyanmen had throughout China.

Seeing that he agreed, Zhao Wanfang breathed a sigh of relief, and then served him drinks with a smile on her face, reminiscing about the past and talking about the situation in the capital.

Li Yan also listened very carefully and asked questions from time to time so as to avoid being in the dark when he arrived in the capital.

The banquet lasted for two hours.

“Will Wanfang come with me?”

“There are still some things to do in Linqing. Sir, please go ahead. I will see you when I return to the capital.”

“That’s fine. Life is full of twists and turns. Take care!”

“Take care of yourself!”

Li Yan didn’t ask any more questions and just said goodbye and left.

Zhao Wanfang came to Linqing City and probably met him just by chance.

But there is no need to ask what the other party is going to do.

Everyone has his own path. When Zhao Wanfang contacted him on behalf of Jin Yanmen, the courtesan who once desperately wanted to die had disappeared.

No matter how passionately they spoke, they were still a little more cautious with each other.

When we left the tavern, it was already dark and some shops on the street were closed.

“Young Master Li, I will lead the way for you.”

The Cao Gang sent a disciple to wait outside.

“Okay, thank you.”

Li Yan smiled and nodded, then turned his head to look at the inn and strode into the night.

On the second floor, Zhao Wanfang watched his figure disappear through the crack in the door. A trace of sadness flashed across her eyes, but when she heard the footsteps behind her, her eyes became gentle and firm.

“Uncle Liu, send us all the secret intelligence.”

“Linqing City has become a powder keg. Some people want to use Eunuch Ma to attack, some want to save the royal family’s reputation, and some want to fish in troubled waters. No matter who is stirring up trouble, we must be the first to know!”

“Yes, Miss Zhao!”

……

Just as Li Yan guessed, Zhao Wanfang came with a mission.

Linqing City is the world’s number one currency gateway, with conflicts of interest and complicated forces, and there are always troubles.

As a tax collector deeply trusted by the emperor, Eunuch Ma had endured the criticism in the past and brought a lot of silver to the national treasury, which gave the court a sigh of relief. But he also made a lot of money, which had long incurred the wrath of both the emperor and the people.

An anti-tax riot had already been brewing in secret.

Many people from the underworld participated in it. They thought they were doing it secretly, but in fact they had already fallen into the eyes of those in the court and became knives in the hands of others without knowing it.

The market, the underworld, and the court have never been separated.

Of course, this matter has nothing to do with Li Yan.

The Cao Gang was very capable and the inn they arranged for them was clean and secluded.

As soon as Li Yan returned to the courtyard, he saw Wang Daoxuan hurried over, holding the Xu Fu’s scroll in his hand. He said excitedly, “I have solved it. The secret words left by Xu Fu on the path to immortality have been solved!”

As he said this, he looked at Kong Shangzhao who was following behind him and said, “This boy is indeed a genius!”

(End of this chapter)