Ah Bing ordered his men to quickly clean up the guard room and put the two pieces of Fang Zhuozi together. At the same time, he called his men to quickly go to the largest gourmet restaurant in the city and order a few baskets of good food. He also brought two jars of high-quality wine. Today, he would entertain his brothers well.
Ah Bing still wanted to call a few beautiful girls from Spring Breeze Brothel over to accompany Wang Daheng. He wanted to perfect his hospitality and let Wang Daheng be happy in his heart, not to mention his dark intentions.
However, he thought of General Wang's military order that he was not allowed to openly visit prostitutes in the military camp. He was worried that if he satisfied Wang Daheng, he would anger General Wang. If his direct superior did not like him, the result would definitely be worse than offending Wang Daheng and the others. He might even be beheaded immediately and end up in trouble. General Wang could casually fabricate a crime of rebellion or spy, and he would die unjustly.
Therefore, Ah Bing gritted his teeth and decided to stop here. It was already good enough to entertain them for a meal. The matter of the beauty's disagreement was over.
A few of Ah Bing's subordinates received the order and quickly flew to the largest curved restaurant in the city to order food and wine.
The manager of Wanwan Restaurant was Mao Wanwan, the person Wang Daheng was looking for. She was indeed a celebrity. In that era of low human civilization, Mao Wanwan was able to make the restaurant business known to the officials and the people. She was not a stupid person.
Therefore, it was only natural for Mao Wanwan to become friends with Master Lin, a fortune-teller who was full of wisdom. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together, and smart people are willing to make friends with smart people.
Mao Wanwan didn't know that Wang Zhuo had asked her to help out in Fenghua. When she saw the soldiers guarding the city gate coming to the shop to order food and wine, she quickly went out to welcome them. She smiled and said that the general had worked hard. She sat down and drank two mouthfuls of good tea.
Mao Wanwan deliberately emphasized the word 'good tea', and as expected, it attracted the attention of the four soldiers, who hurriedly said' good tea'! Just serve it up and drink it.
Mao Wanwan quickly gave a few waiters a look, indicating that they should quickly serve good tea, good wine, and a few cold dishes to accompany the wine.
Mao Wanwan had experienced the Qing and Taiping armies, and many restaurants and shops had already closed down. However, his Wanwan Restaurant had been swaying and falling, and it had not fallen, all because of his extraordinary communication skills.
Knowing that the greatest requirement of human nature was to eat, drink, and have fun, Mao Wanwan did not dare to worry about money after the Taiping Army took over Ningbo City. Under the lead of Hu Ningning, the leader of the Tiandi Society in Ningbo City, he gave a total of 100,000 taels of snow silver to the general of the Taiping Army, General Wang, in exchange for a warrant from General Wang. Wanwan Restaurant was a designated restaurant of the Heavenly Army. Soldiers and civilians were not allowed to disturb it. Those who violated the order were severely punished.
Of course, under Hu Ningning's suggestion, on the night of the gift, Mao Wanwan gave her well-proportioned and beautiful concubine to Hu Ningning to give General Wang a good time.
Mao Wanwan liked this concubine very much. She was young and beautiful, and had a bit of talent. She had a glib tongue and often helped him manage the restaurant's affairs.
In the beginning, he didn't want to agree to give his concubine. He felt that with a hundred thousand taels of silver as a foundation, there was no need to give a woman.
Moreover, even if he gave a beautiful woman, he did not necessarily have to give his own woman. There were a lot of women outside. General Wang did not like the characteristics of open women. He could spend money to find a few beautiful women from good families.
Hence, he tactfully said," Brother Hu!" Look at the beauties outside and find a few to offer. I'll pay for them. How about that?
Hu Ningning rolled her eyes several times, filling Mao Wanwan's mind with cunning words. After a pause, Hu Ningning deliberately lowered her voice to show her mysteriousness. Shopkeeper Mao! It's not that I don't want to help you, but General Wang has already appointed your Second Concubine, so I can't interrupt at all.
As he spoke, he used a half-threatening and half-persuading tone to say," You know that this is the Taiping Country Army's world now. We have to listen to them. You have to admit this."
In the end, he laughed mysteriously and reminded Mao Wanwan that when Magistrate Li was in power in the Qing Dynasty, didn't everyone do the same?
However, Hu Ningning didn't mention that Mao Wanwan's aunt and Magistrate Li's private advisor were having an affair. It was to save some face so that Mao Wanwan wouldn't be instantly jealous.
Mao Wanwan wasn't stupid. She knew that Hu Ningning was talking about the scandal between his aunt and Advisor Qian from the magistrate's office. She felt a little uncomfortable, but she immediately came to her senses and understood that she was just a servant in the eyes of the government.
Mao Wanwan wasn't a person who would willingly be cuckolded, but he had no choice. If he wanted to make a name for himself in society, he could only endure the humiliation and be cuckolded. Who asked his concubine to be so lovable?
Moreover, Mao Wanwan had been cuckolded, but he had obtained an unexpected harvest in terms of his finances. As the saying goes, losses outside the dike are compensated within the dike. For the sake of making a fortune, he was willing to be cuckolded forever.
As the saying goes, harmony begets wealth. Mao Wanwan would rather wear a green hat than protect her concubine's body and become enemies with outsiders. In the end, she gained economic success. Seeing many straightforward and hot-blooded people who liked to be serious, they had no achievements in their lives. When they were old, they did not save much property and still needed their children and grandchildren to support them, Mao Wanwan could only say that they were stupid.
There were also some people with bad tempers who didn't know how to make money. Once they were too anxious, they would enter the inhumane underworld to harm others and themselves, acting out the life tragedies of bastards.
Mao Wanwan thought through the matter of being cuckolded and quickly nodded in agreement with Hu Ningning's suggestion. He repeatedly said yes, afraid that Hu Ningning would go back on her word and not be the middleman, making it impossible for him to be cuckolded.
Hu Ningning saw Mao Wanwan's change in attitude and was overjoyed. She knew that she could give his second aunt to General Wang as a favor, and she could also take advantage of it.
Hu Ningning had long taken a fancy to Mao Wanwan's second wife, but Mao Wanwan had deep ties with the Qing Dynasty's government. Although she had connections with the Gong Prince's residence, she couldn't say it out loud. Once she angered the Gong Prince's ruthless advisors, Hu Ningning would only meet the King of Hell.
Therefore, in front of Mao Wanwan, Hu Ningning could only swallow her saliva quietly. She could not do anything out of line and let him report to Magistrate Li that Hu Ningning wanted to take advantage of his second wife. Private Advisor Qian, who had gotten a bargain, took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire. He said that Hu Ningning's gang in Ningbo had committed all kinds of evil and harmed the common people everywhere. Now, they were actually coveting a rich family. It was really hateful.
In order to get rid of Hu Ningning, Private Advisor Qian continued to beat Hu Ningning up in front of Magistrate Li, saying that he was leading a gang of bandits. If he didn't get rid of them, something would happen sooner or later.
Therefore, Magistrate Li stood in the position of stabilizing the overall situation of Ningbo. He might use Hu Ningning as an excuse to put him in prison or even kill him to prevent future troubles.
Even though Prince Gong's Mansion knew that the underworld in Ningbo City had lost its wings, they still pretended that nothing had happened out of consideration for the face of the Qing Dynasty officialdom. They said it openly. No one knew Hu Ningning at all. How could the mighty Prince Gong be associated with the underworld?
Just like Empress Dowager Cixi's favorite eunuch An Dehai, although he was caught and beheaded by the local official Shen Baozhen, Cixi did not dare to settle accounts with Shen Baozhen and avenge her favorite pet. Instead, she favored Shen Baozhen.
It showed that Cixi was an experienced person. She knew that she needed to give in to public anger. Sacrificing a few lackeys was not a pity. Moreover, An Dehai was really evil. Meeting the King of Hell earlier would also be a blessing for Cixi and give Empress Dowager Cixi a few rings of righteousness.
Therefore, before the Taiping Army arrived, Hu Ningning did not dare to covet anything Mao Wanwan had. But now, things were different. He could borrow the power of the Taiping Army to run amok in Ningbo City. How could a small Mao Wanwan still have the connections of Magistrate Li from the Qing Dynasty? He needed to start all over again. He couldn't go against Hu Ningning's gang.
Moreover, Hu Ningning had the perfect opportunity to have a foot in two boats during the Long Hair Army's occupation. She could make full use of the fact that the Long Hair Army needed the support of the underworld's grassroots forces, so that they had no choice but to turn a blind eye to Hu Ningning's evil deeds.
At the same time, Hu Ningning could also secretly accept the secret order of Prince Gong's Mansion in Beijing. Using the name of the Long Hair Army, she could wantonly harm ordinary people in the area occupied by the Long Hair Army, stirring up the hatred of the people towards the Long Hair Army. She could play a drastic plan to make the Long Hair Army lose the support of the masses and facilitate the Qing army to eradicate them.
Therefore, Hu Ningning borrowed the power of the Taiping General to have a good taste of Mao Wanwan's second wife, whom she had missed for a long time. Then, she extorted a lot of money from him, which made Mao Wanwan understand the meaning of losing both her wife and money.
Mao Wan Wan waited for the dishes to be served and personally brought them to the soldiers guarding the city gate. As he placed the plates, he laughed and said," Generals, eat and drink first. When the food is ready, I will immediately send it to the city gate."
As he spoke, he asked again, how many people did the military men order for the banquet? He had been too anxious to ask about the quantity of food and wine.
The four soldiers quickly raised their heads and pretended to think hard. In fact, they were also confused after receiving Ah Bing's order. At that time, they were only focused on carrying out the order and forgot to ask Ah Bing how much food and drink he should eat.
However, in front of Mao Wan Wan, they really didn't want to lose face. They said that they didn't know anything and had come to order food and wine. Once Mao Wan Wan misunderstood that they wanted to dine and dash, the four of them would stay in Wan Wan's hotel. They didn't know whether to sit or stand. They didn't want to lose face, but they would lose face.
Mao Wanwan saw that the four of them didn't say anything and thought that there were too many people in the military camp and it wasn't easy to calculate the numbers. She quickly reminded them whether to order the food and wine according to the amount of one soldier.
This time, an older soldier among the four couldn't hold back his anger. He quickly stood up and answered Mao Wanwan," There isn't that much. It's not our people who are eating. It's a group of guests at the city gate. They are all Taiping soldiers. However, they are Taiping soldiers of Fenghua City. They came to find friends in Ningbo."
He wanted to say that there were only five people, including Ah Bing and a few accompanying veterans. There were at most ten people, which was the standard of a table.
However, Mao Wanwan changed the topic and asked him," Are those people from Fenghua?" Looking for a friend?
The veteran Ding Lan quickly nodded and said yes. Just as she was about to continue the topic of food, Mao Wanwan asked again, was there a white-faced man with a refined appearance and slender figure inside?
Ding Lan shook her head in a daze. She replied," No, the leader is a burly man. He doesn't look like a good person. He didn't even dismount when he entered the city gate. They're all Taiping Country soldiers. How could they have such trash?"
Ding Lan's anger at the city gate was aroused. When he saw Wang Daheng's unruly appearance, he wanted to go up and slap him. If Ah Bing hadn't heard that he was an official sent by General Fan, the guards at the city gate would probably have taught Wang Daheng a lesson and let him know that there was always someone better.
Mao Wanwan was stunned for a moment and quickly smiled apologetically. After all, they were in the foreign army and weren't familiar with the rules of the army.
Ding Lan was not convinced. She snorted. They were all Taiping Country soldiers. How could they not understand such rules? They are clearly looking down on us and want to show General Wang their might. If it weren't for the fact that they are all subordinates of the Virtuous King, they would definitely not be able to return.
Mao Wanwan had a lot of social experience and knew that she could not be compared to such a short-sighted soldier. As the saying goes, when a scholar meets a soldier, he cannot explain his reasoning. This meant that people who only knew how to bury themselves in killing and fighting generally lacked the influence of cultural qualities. Their human nature was mixed with rudeness and barbarism.
Hence, Mao Wanwan laughed out loud to echo Ding Lan's temper. Then, she asked him who these people were looking for in Ningbo.
Ding Lan lowered her head and took a sip of wine. She raised her head and answered. She listened to them nagging that they were helping their boss find a friend. They said that it was a person with the surname Mao.
Ding Lan didn't know that the owner of Wanwan Restaurant had the surname Mao. She only knew that he came to eat and drink alone. Wanwan Restaurant's owner was amiable and friendly. In addition, the owner was familiar with General Wang and the others. Everyone said that the owner was one of them.
When Mao Wanwan heard the word 'Mao', her heart couldn't help but jump. Could it be that Wang Zhuo had sent someone to pick him up and bring him to Fenghua? He thought about how he had conquered Fenghua and become the new master of Fenghua. He was happy to bring his friends over for a few days and even left Mao Wanwan to develop together in Fenghua City.
Mao Wan Wan's heart instantly rolled a few times. He had been secretly communicating with Wang Zhuo. When the Qing Dynasty ruled NingBo, he relied on the underground network of the Heaven and Earth Society to communicate with Wang Zhuo. Although the price was expensive, it was not a problem for him to do business. Ordinary people really could not afford to use this kind of secret communication network in the form of gangs.
Therefore, he was more aware of where Wang Chuo had followed the Taiping Country Army. After four days, Wang Chuo's letter arrived, but he didn't say anything about inviting him over.
Therefore, when Mao Wanwan heard that someone from Fenghua was looking for her, she was a little puzzled. The journey was not far, but she had to be careful of the Qing army and bandits. If there was anything, she could write a letter and send it over. Why would she take the risk to send someone over?
Could it be that Wang Zhuo had something urgent to do? Although it was convenient to write a letter, it would take several days to travel. It was better to send someone to make a round trip on the same day.
Thus, Mao Wanwan decided to go to the city gate immediately and take the opportunity to see if the person who came was Wang Zao's person.
Having made up his mind, Mao Wanwan squeezed out more smiles and said to the four soldiers, General! Eat well! Today, everything is free of charge, including the four generals 'supper for a month. This restaurant will take care of everything. When the food and wine are ready, I will personally escort the carriage to Lord Bing's hands. Everyone can eat and drink without worry.
With that said, he bent down and whispered into Ding Lan's ear," General, if you have time next time, I'll choose a few beauties to play with you. I guarantee you'll have a good time!"
After saying that, Mao Wanwan and Ding Lan laughed together, as if the beauty had already arrived in front of them. It fulfilled Ding Lan and the rest's wishes, and also made Mao Wanwan think that she had won over the hearts of the people.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]