Chapter 6: Tang Family Phoenix Building (Part 1)

  The sky was high and the clouds were light, the weather in late winter was still crisp and cool. The warm sun shone on the white snow, adding a few degrees of chilliness. From afar, two horses and riders could be seen galloping along the official road, it was Zhao Yun and Tie Tao, the two men.

  The expedition of the Forbidden Army made Zhao Yin understand that it was really difficult to transfer the elite troops from the Forbidden Army, and it would be better to recruit soldiers himself. After all, he had to raise them anyway. Since there were not many personal soldiers, the Imperial Secretariat might also turn a blind eye. The most important thing now was to gain capital and raise military expenses.

  With the iron tower, the two men moved forward in the direction of Feng Huang Lou. If we talk about Feng Huang Lou, it's not simple at all. It has a deep background and existed since the early days of the Northern Song Dynasty. Rumor has it that it was an imperial family business, with power reaching the heavens, monopolizing most of the catering, auction houses, weapon shops, slave markets and other industries at that time.

  There was once a prince who took a liking to one of the treasures in Feng Huang Lou, but he couldn't buy it and wanted to take it by force. He killed all the guards at Feng Huang Lou, but in the end, the prince had to pay compensation and apologize, and was demoted to a commoner. From then on, no one dared to provoke Feng Huang Lou again, and its reputation soared, earning it the nickname "Nan Lou". Along with Xi Cheng Zhen Yuan, Dong Fu Zi Wei Fu, and Bei Bao Quan Shu Bao, they were known as the four major powers, and their influence was unparalleled for a time.

  Zhao Kuang needs to raise military funds, of course, he has to sell things. Selling treasures naturally requires going to the Phoenix Building. A mirror on Zhao Kuang's body is believed to be able to fetch a sky-high price.

  They rushed back from the outskirts, already a day late. When they arrived at Feng Huang Tower in Bianjing, several young servants had come to greet them and helped them dismount their horses with great professionalism and skill. The horses were then led away by others. Feng Huang Tower was not just one building, but a chain of establishments scattered throughout the country. This particular tower in the capital city was ten stories high, with intricate carvings and ornate decorations, combining dining, lodging, and auctioneering under one roof.

  "This young master, welcome to the Phoenix Building. I believe that all your needs will be met here. Please come in." A beautiful girl with a lovely face spoke from behind a door, walked out with a smile and stood before Zhao Yi and his companion, bowing slightly and gesturing for them to enter.

  Tie Tower followed behind Zhao Jian, his eyes gazing far away, always on high alert, and didn't linger on the girl's appearance. Zhao Jian nodded secretly to himself, it seemed that Tie Tower wasn't fond of women. The fewer desires a person had, the fewer weaknesses they had. Zhao Jian had seen many beauties in the imperial palace, but he only took a glance at the girl's face and didn't linger. With a naive expression, he said: "Sister is truly beautiful, I am a young master sent out by my family to train, due to losing funds, I have come to your esteemed place to auction off an item on me, to resolve the embarrassment of being penniless."

  The young girl felt a little frustrated, all girls hope that their beauty can attract others, let alone the little kid, but the strong man didn't even care about her, which was really frustrating. The girl smiled and said: "The thing of the young master must be worth a city, it seems I'm not in charge, please wait for a moment, I'll go contact our president." After finishing speaking, she clapped her hands lightly, and the two women brought over tea water and immediately turned around to leave. Only Zhao and Tie Ta were left in the room.

  "Master, that girl just now was really beautiful, it would be great if we could marry her." said Tie Ta stupidly.

  "......" Zhao Kan was speechless.

  On the other side, in a tasteful room on the tenth floor of Feng Huang Building.

  Tang Boyu is playing with a little girl about five or six years old, the little girl has a face as delicate as jade, skin as white as snow, and will definitely be a stunning beauty in the future. The young woman who just stood by with a respectful expression.

  "You said their status is very high, perhaps they are royalty?" Tang Boyu asked calmly without turning his head.

  "Yes, President." The girl replied immediately.

  "You go down first and take care of the reception, I'll be right there." Tang Boyu said casually.

  "Yes." The girl bowed and then turned around and left.

  Tang Boyu smiled and said to the girl, "Yan'er, why don't you go play in the back first? Daddy will accompany you later, okay?"

  "Yes, Father." Tang Yan replied obediently.

  After Tang Yan left, Tang Boyu's eyebrows slightly furrowed. "At this time, the royal family's people coming here is either good or bad luck. Could it be that the royal family has already found some clues? No, the ones who carried out the task were all loyal and dead soldiers, there shouldn't be any mistakes. However, anything can happen, so it's better to be careful." Tang Boyu thought to himself.

  He saw only a flash of cold light in his eyes, and he clapped his hands. Two robust men with black cloth on their faces entered the room, bowing to pay respects: "Greetings, Chairman."

  "You two, order your subordinates to be on high alert. If there's any unusual movement downstairs, immediately rush out and send someone to report to the Phoenix Pavilion strongholds in all directions at top speed. Let Tang Xiu take over my position. Most importantly, protect Miss's safety at all costs."

  The two of them knelt down on one knee at the same time and said: "As long as we two are still alive, Miss will definitely be safe." After finishing speaking, the two of them got up and went to prepare.

  Tang Boyu's eyes narrowed slightly, his cold aura pressing down on others, as he spoke to himself in a harsh tone: "Zhao family, you and I will have a final settlement."

  Zhao Xian slowly savored the high-quality West Lake Longjing tea, without any impatience. Tie Ta had cup after cup, purely to quench his thirst, and if not for the young girl being present, he would have definitely grabbed the teapot and drunk wildly.

  Before long, Tang Boyu walked in from outside. He was slightly stout but his steps were light and nimble, clearly not a weak hand. As he walked, he clasped his fists and smiled apologetically: "I didn't know the esteemed guest had arrived, I'm afraid I've failed to greet you properly, please forgive me."

  Zhao Jin and a few others had already stood up, Zhao Jin smiled and said: "We two have just arrived, it's an offense to disturb the president." Tang Boyu was also surprised when he first saw Zhao Jin. He had seen many children who were sensible at the age of ten or so, but the Zhao Jin in front of him gave him a feeling that he couldn't see through.

  Everyone sat down, and Zhao Tong and Tang Boyu's hearts were already at ease. It seemed that the imperial court had not discovered anything, and their tone was much more gentle as they smiled and asked: "I wonder what brings you to my Feng Huang Lou?"

  "It's nothing major, I'm planning to raise a private army for future resistance against the Jin dynasty, unfortunately, I lack funds and supplies, so I've come to ask for Chairman's help." Zhao Xiao also said with a smile.

  "The young master's ambition is admirable, but shouldn't the adults also know the rules of Fenghuang Tower? I hope the adults won't make things difficult for me." Tang Boyu said with a hint of difficulty.

  "The chairman misunderstood, I am not a person who takes things by force. I came here to entrust the treasures on my body to your esteemed building for auction, in exchange for military expenses." Zhao Yan still smiled and said. As he spoke, he took out a small mirror that had been placed close to his body, which was brought from the original world and could be said to be the only one in this world. Tang Boyu saw the mirror and immediately realized its value as a merchant.

  He couldn't help but say, "May I take a look?" Zhao Jiong didn't object and placed the mirror in front of Tang Boyu. Tang Boyu solemnly picked up the mirror, although it was common in modern times, but in Northern Song Dynasty, it was truly one-of-a-kind. Tang Boyu also couldn't bear to part with it and asked, "Young master, do you really want to give up this treasure?"

  "This is natural, I'll leave the auction to the president. The matter of raising an army is urgent." Zhao Yi said with a bow.

  "Otherwise, I'll pay you 100,000 taels of silver first, and after the auction, we can split the remaining funds in a ratio of 2:8. What do you think, sir?"

  "Thanks, President Tang." Zhao Yan bowed his fist in gratitude.

  Tang Boyu, seeing the treasure in hand, was also in a good mood. He smiled and took out a porcelain bottle from his sleeve, placing it on the table and said with a smile: "Please wait for a moment, the letter will be ready soon. These are two medicinal pills, named Yin Yang Creation Pills, extremely precious, having the effect of nourishing life, beautifying appearance, strengthening the body and physical health. However, due to its potent efficacy, one person can only take one pill at a time, otherwise there will be concerns for one's life. I'll give them to both of you."

  At this moment, a little girl walked in, who was Tang Yan, the daughter of Tang Boyu. She walked to the center of the hall and politely greeted Zhao Chen and others before walking to her father's side. Zhao Chen also saw such a lovely and innocent little girl for the first time, and couldn't help but take two more glances.

  Tang Boyu saw that Tang Yan's eyes were full of kindness, and introduced to Zhao Jing: "This is my daughter Tang Yan." Tang Yan whispered to Tang Boyu: "Wu Shucai has returned, with important matters to discuss with Father."

  "Why don't you go find your sister and play with her first? Today there's a fun activity with the Hundred Birds Singing in Harmony, and this time you can't let all the little birds fly away again, hehe." Tang Boyu said gently, stroking the girl's head.

  Tang Yan didn't say a word, mischievously stuck out her tongue, and with a slightly red face, she turned around and ran away. Everyone couldn't help but smile, but when Tang Boyu introduced the little girl, Zhao Yun always felt that Feng Huang Lou was very familiar.

  "Tang Huichang, I wonder if Miss Tang Yan's nickname is Mengyan?" Zhao Bian asked casually.

  I always feel that Feng Huang Lou is very familiar, Feng Huang Lou has records in the previous life, one of the girls was named Li Mengyan alias Tang Yan. The temperament on Tang Boyu's body changed suddenly, full of murderous aura, he shouted loudly: "Who comes?"

  Dozens of people rushed in from the door, with the front row all holding sharp axes and the back row all being strong crossbowmen. Each one drew their swords, waiting for Tang Boyu's order to shoot Zhao Yin and his companion into hedgehogs. In the instant when the crowd rushed in, Tie Ta had already stood in front of Zhao Yin, eyes wide with anger.

  Zhao Kan couldn't help but secretly regret it. Li Mengyan was a very famous person, after all, she was a descendant of the Tang Dynasty royal family. Not only was she beautiful and charming, but also extremely intelligent. She had helped Miao Cheng and Liu Duo almost succeed in their coup, forcing Emperor Gaozong of Song to abdicate. All the previous preparations and executions had her shadow, making people admire her. But it also made Zhao Gou more wary of the military generals who held power, laying the groundwork for the future murder of Yue Fei. However, at this time, revealing someone's biggest secret on their own turf without being killed directly was already a stroke of luck. Zhao Kan sighed secretly: "Disaster comes from the mouth, the ancients were not deceiving me."

  This matter cannot be kept silent, if the other party is impulsive and kills to silence, then it would truly be a dead end. Zhao Yi lightly pushed open the iron tower, came to the front and said in a low voice: "Tang Huizhang doesn't need to be nervous, our two coming here is personal behavior, only for raising military funds, I can swear that if today's matter leaks out half a sentence, I, Zhao Yi, will not die well."

  Ancient people still attached great importance to oaths, believing that what they said would have a thread of life. Only Tang Boyu stood there expressionless and did not respond, while Zhao Kan continued: "Moreover, the royal family's death in your noble land is of no benefit to Fenghuang Tower, and I have not yet fought for my country. To die like this is truly unbearable." Zhao Kan knew that escaping would be absolutely fatal, so it was better to be frank and open.