There were only three days left before the Chinese New Year. In the joyous atmosphere, Jiajing's monastic career had to be temporarily suspended and he returned to the palace.
Although I don’t dare to fly wildly together for the time being, it’s okay to make sure to appease one of them every night.
When Jiajing heard that his two sons had brought back poems written by Xiao Fengxin, Jiajing was also quite moved and made a lot of comments about Huang Jin.
"Look, Xiao Feng really can't forget about returning to the fairy world. Although this place is good, it is not his hometown. Of course he has to go back to the fairy world.
I devote myself to cultivating Taoism, and I will definitely return to heaven in the future. It is just a matter of human friendship, but it does not mean that I can let it go.
For example, in my opinion, the people in the harem are not blessed to become immortals, and I don’t know if I can save them after becoming an immortal.
So I can only take advantage of this moment to do my best. Well, let’s arrange two tonight! "
The Japanese pirates in the coastal areas are calm and haven't dared to do anything for a long time. Xiao Feng petitioned Yu Dayou to go to Beijing to report on his work.
He is the governor of Jiangnan, and it is his duty to worry about these things. Jiajing agreed indifferently. He was just focusing on his own comfort work and had no time to summon Yu Dayou. He probably had to wait until after the New Year.
Now Yu Dayou has arrived in Beijing. Although he unfortunately missed Zhang Wuxin's wedding, he was lucky enough to catch Zhang Wuxin's honeymoon.
Although Zhang Wuxin had already received official certification from Miss Cherry, a senior andrology expert at Chunyan Tower, Mrs. An was still cautious: It is difficult to say this kind of thing, and she couldn't trust Putian doctors too much.
So An Sizheng and Mrs. An transformed An Qingyue's boudoir in the backyard into a new house. An Sizheng personally took three days off from Daolu Division and Shuntian Mansion so that An Qingyue could inspect the goods with peace of mind.
So when Zhang Wuxin proved himself and escaped from An Mansion and returned to Xiao Mansion, his legs were already weak, and even seeing Yu Dayou, who was thinking about him, he couldn't arouse the interest in competing.
Yu Dayou also brought his apprentice, the Lan family boy. This boy was two years older and much stronger. In addition to practicing with Yu Dayou, he also grew taller. He looked much taller than Liu Peng who was similar in age.
This is what Xiao Feng warned in the letter. Since Lan's father died, Lan Niang has aged a lot. Apart from working every day, she is in a daze, and sometimes she sheds tears silently.
Now that I have met my son, he finally has a smile. He can't get enough of me watching him in front of me and behind me. I pat my son as he sleeps every night.
There was another thing that made Lan Niang feel better. Ever since Ruyan died at the door of Xiao's mansion, she had been thinking about the girls in Yan Shifan's mansion who were as miserable as her daughter.
It was because of her sadness and excitement that Xiao Feng forced herself to take a calligraphy test, which led to her falling into Yan Shifan's trap. From then on, she never dared to ask about it again.
But this time the master really did what he said and rescued all the women in Yan Shifan's house! My daughter and her husband will definitely be very happy if Izumi knows this.
While the Xiao Mansion was bustling with activity, there was another place in the capital that was also bustling with activity, and that was the Human Market.
Human markets are found in almost every city, just like vegetable markets and mule and horse markets. The size of the human market basically represents the prosperity of a city.
As the most prosperous city, the capital city naturally has a much larger population than other cities. Moreover, the busiest and liveliest time for the market is in the middle of the year.
Because for the rich, celebrating the New Year is a very happy thing, but for the poor, celebrating the New Year means passing a test, and the term "New Year's Pass" comes from this.
The end of the year is a day for rent collection and repayment. For the poor, these two words are fatal and can destroy a family.
If you are single, it's easy to deal with it. You can just take up the burden and go out to avoid debts. But to be honest, it is difficult for such a bachelor to borrow money.
Moneylenders are not fools. Before they lend you money, they will assess whether your family property is sufficient to repay the debt in the future. Among them, the borrower's fields and houses are the main collateral.
If you don't have any of these, then at least you need a wife or daughter, which can be considered hard currency. Please note that the son is not very popular.
This is not because the market for men is not good, but because debt collection is too difficult. ordinary people
, as long as there is some way, I would rather run away with my son than let the moneylender take him away.
Sons represent hope and continuation. When many moneylenders try to lure someone's son, the other parent suddenly regrets it and even goes to death, so sons are not considered hard currency.
Wives and daughters are much better off. It is very rare for a moneylender to get into a desperate situation with someone else's wife or daughter just because they are trying to get her.
Therefore, the order of collateral in the eyes of moneylenders is: land, house, eldest daughter, second daughter, child's mother, which is similar to the order of Uncle Ge.
Therefore, every year at the end of the year, the market will be particularly lively and prosperous, especially the market in the capital, where the number of people coming to buy and sell is several times more than usual.
Everyone who sells goods hopes to sell their goods before New Year's Eve, because from New Year's Eve to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the market is not allowed to open. If you miss New Year's Eve, you will have to spend an extra half month on food.
Because the court also wants to save face, from New Year's Eve to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, that's when all the gods and goddesses are visiting relatives. At this time, you have to pay special attention to what you say and don't say depressing words.
What if any fairy sister looks down and thinks, oh, there are so many people buying and selling people, it means that life in the world is not going well. In other words, the emperor's job was not very good.
Emperors of all dynasties were unwilling to lose face in front of the gods, let alone Jiajing, who believed in Taoism?
Therefore, not only is the market closed before the 15th, but large families generally do not allow excessive punishment of slaves, and the government does not easily open a court to make decisions. If there is anything, we can wait until autumn to settle the accounts!
Large families are often willing to take advantage of this period to replenish their servants. At this time, there are many supplies, you can choose at will, and the prices are easy to negotiate. This has created a situation where both supply and sales are booming.
Before the New Year, the security forces in the capital are naturally very busy, checking everywhere and preventing fire and theft, but the city is a place that is easily ignored.
Therefore, almost no one has noticed that among the goods waiting for transactions in the market this year, many of them are stronger than in previous years, and the proportion of men is also higher.
Because almost no one regards these sources of goods waiting for transactions as human beings, the identity checks are focused on people and buyers, but the inspection of these sources of goods is very lax.
Yan Mansion also went to the market to buy a few maids and male servants. Although Jin Yiwei saw them, he thought they were normal.
After all, Xiao Feng not only let go of Yan Shifan's concubine, but also many of the servants who were forced to enter Yan's mansion. Those who were willing to leave were also let go by Xiao Feng in troubled waters.
Yan's mansion was so big and there was a big funeral going on, so it needed a lot of manpower. Yan Song works in the cabinet every day until dark and refuses to leave. He can't rely on Yan Shifan to push the cart around, right?
What's more, although Yan Shifan was convicted, the Yan Mansion is still the Yan Mansion. It's not a big deal to buy a few people to supplement it, as long as Yan Shifan doesn't cause any trouble.
Several men and women were brought into Yan's mansion by the housekeeper, and then directly into Yan Shifan's central hall. Yan Shifan sat on the car and looked straight at them.
The leading manservant straightened up his bent waist, picked up a handkerchief from Yan Shifan's table and wiped the plaster on his face, revealing a face as rich as jade and touching the soul.
"Brother Yan, we haven't seen each other for several years, but our style remains the same. Why don't we come here again...?"
Yan Shifan looked at his legs and waved his hands impatiently, meaning that if you don't know how to be polite, don't force yourself to be polite.
"Holy Envoy, I have staked all my chips this time. I wonder what kind of people you have brought?"
Although Xiao Qin was calm, he was a little excited because his years of planning was about to be implemented. He pointed at a few people behind him.
"These ten people are all the most skilled in the Holy Religion. The worst ones are not weaker than Sister Rouge. There are fifty people left in the city, and they are all elites of the Holy Religion.
In addition, in the past few days, opera troupes from all over the country have come to Beijing intensively. In each opera troupe, there are at least five masters of the holy religion. In total, there were more than thirty people.
Brother Yan, not only did you bet all your chips, but I also had no reservations this time. Otherwise, how could I have led the team to the capital in person? "
Yan Shifan sighed: "I mobilized the dead soldiers raised in various places, about fifty of them.
Luo Wenlong wrote me back. He personally brought fifty masters of pirates and Japanese pirates to the vicinity of the capital. Read the book
In normal times, so many people would not be able to enter the capital. We only have a few days to sneak in during the New Year, when there are so many people and various prefectures in the capital are transporting goods in and out.
But the Jin Yiwei and the Wucheng Soldiers and Horses Division are not just for nothing, and they will be able to detect that something is wrong within two days at most. Therefore, from entering the city to taking action, it only takes one day at most! "
Xiao Qin frowned: "Where is Dongchang? What's going on with Zhang Yuan?"
Yan Shifan said coldly: "Dongchang can only lie, not expose. Although Zhang Yuan is greedy for money and power, he is Dongchang after all.
Wan Zai's trust in Dongchang is no less than that of Jin Yiwei. This trust does not come out of thin air.
I could only lie to Zhang Yuan that I wanted to kill Xiao Feng, so that even if he noticed something unusual, he would only help me and not go against me.
But at the last moment, he will definitely find something is wrong. At that time, if he takes refuge with us, that's it. If there is any change, we will kill him! "
Xiao Qin nodded, agreeing with the idea. Then he asked what he was most worried about.
"Would Xiao Feng have guessed that you suffered such a disastrous defeat and would he take action?"
Yan Shifan's one eye flickered uncertainly: "Maybe, he is Xiao Feng after all. However, he is not a god. Even if he can predict my actions, he may not be able to predict my rebellion.
Even if he could predict my rebellion, he couldn't predict when I would take action, let alone how I would take action. So, what's the use of him knowing? "
Su Jian, who had been standing next to Yan Shifan and flirting with Xiao Qin, couldn't help frowning and interrupted hesitantly (there is no car here).
"What if Xiao Feng can figure out that you will rebel? Even if he doesn't know when and how you will take action, can't he report it to the emperor?"
Yan Shifan snorted and did not answer. He was not blind, so of course he saw that the eyes he was gradually looking at Xiao Qin were even more intense than when he was looking at him. He just wanted to pounce on Xiao Qin and use force against Xiao Qin.
Xiao Qin smiled and answered for Yan Shifan: "The emperor has just severely punished the Yan family. At this time, anyone who accuses the Yan family must have real evidence. Even so, there is no guarantee that they will be suspected of bad character.
What's more, accusing the Yan family of rebellion is the biggest crime in the world! If there is no real evidence, the emperor will immediately suspect that he was taken advantage of. Not only will the Yan family be overturned immediately, but Xiao Feng will also be in bad luck. "
Gradually, he saw Xiao Qin looking at him and puffing up his chest: "Then Xiao Feng can secretly tell Jin Yiwei and Shuntian Mansion!"
Xiao Qin glanced at Xuanyuan's chest intentionally or unintentionally: "Those people in Shuntian Mansion can catch petty thieves, but the rebellion is not their turn.
The Jin Yiwei were the emperor's personal guards. Rebellion was such a big deal. If Xiao Feng really told Lu Bing, Lu Bing would never dare to hide it from Jiajing. This was no different from directly complaining to the emperor.
What's more, if there is no real evidence, Lu Bing will not go so far as to help Xiao Feng. I guess Brother Yan also has something to do with Lu Bing. "
Yan Shifan sneered: "This is natural. If Lu Bing has evidence that I rebelled, he will be the first to arrest me, because since I am a rebel, I have no chance to deal with him.
But as long as he has no evidence and misses a single blow, then I can drag him to death. Xiao Feng was also aware of this, and he did not dare to say anything to Lu Bing. "
Yan Shifan's backyard was already empty, and his wife also went to Yan Song's yard to pay filial piety to her mother-in-law for Yan Shifan. These people all settled in the backyard.
When only Xiao Qin and Yan Shifan were left in the room, the two looked at each other for a moment and spoke almost at the same time.
"What's your retreat?"
Xiao Qin laughed dumbly: "It seems that you and I are really close friends. Tell me, I don't believe that you will leave no escape route, even to this point."
Yan Shifan patted his broken leg: "Even if I want to run, I will run much slower than you. Shouldn't you say it first?"
Xiao Qin shook his head: "Although I have legs, I have to charge into the battle. Although you have no legs, you stay behind. Whoever runs fast can also
Hard to say. "
Yan Shifan nodded and admitted that what Xiao Qin said made sense: "Okay, let me tell you, I have land and property in Japan. If I lose this time, I will go to Japan, recruit troops and make a comeback! What about you?"
Xiao Qin smiled faintly: "The Miao territory is already under my control. If we fail this time, I will no longer place hope on a surprise attack. Instead, I will raise the banner and start an upright uprising. Then you and I can join hands again." "
Yan Shifan shook his head: "In this corner of the Miao border, rebellion is like striking an egg against a stone. Do you have any other plans that you haven't told me?"
Xiao Qin also shook his head: "Japan is far away from us. How many people can you bring there? If you have money but no soldiers, you are just a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
You can't be so naive, but do you have any plans that you haven't told me? "
The two of them looked at each other and smiled, and stopped asking further questions. Xiao Qin went back to her room to rest. Yan Shifan also blew out the lamp and sat in the darkness. Half of Yan's mansion was instantly shrouded in darkness.
I don't know how long it took, but there was a noise at the door, and Yan Song came back. Then there was a sound from the front hall, and Yan Shifan's wife came back from the front yard.
There was originally an open moon gate in the backyard of the two courtyards of the Yan Mansion, but as Yan Shifan had more and more women, Yan Song ordered people to build up the wall, out of sight and out of mind.
So at this time, Yan Shifan's wife, who was keeping filial piety, could only walk back from the front yard. After all, the husband's father-in-law is back, and the daughter-in-law still has to avoid suspicion. It's time for Yan Shifan to take over.
The wife walked into the middle hall and saw Yan Shifan sitting upright in the darkness. She was startled, sighed, and prepared to go back to her room in the backyard.
"You go to sleep in my bedroom. I bought a few new servants and temporarily arranged them in the backyard. Don't rush into you."
The wife shook her head and walked towards the backyard as usual. Yan Shifan shouted coldly: "Stop! Didn't you hear what I said?"
The wife stopped, looked at Yan Shifan's face in the darkness, and suddenly spoke coldly.
"I'm not afraid of others bumping into you. I just don't want to sleep in your room. I feel sick."
Yan Shifan was stunned. His wife was a young lady from an official family, well educated and sensible. When the two got married, Yan Song was still an official in Nanjing, and was far less prominent than he would be later.
Therefore, although Yan Shifan was outrageous, he still respected his wife. Of course, the wife is also in her late forties and has long been unable to arouse his interest.
The two of them were keeping a respectful distance, and no one cared about the other. But today, the attitude of the wife was completely different, and her tone was full of contempt and disgust.
Yan Shifan suppressed his anger and said calmly: "It seems that everyone is pushing me against the wall. Did you also think about taking the opportunity to leave when Xiao Feng came to rescue my concubine?"
It's a pity that you are the legal wife and are not among those who are acquitted! But if you wanted to leave at that time, I wouldn't stop you. Do you regret it? "
The head wife sneered and said, "Since I married into the Yan family, I am the daughter-in-law of the Yan family. My parents-in-law treat me well. I was born as a member of the Yan family and died as a ghost of the Yan family. What's the pity?"
Yan Shifan was silent for a moment: "If you have this intention, why do you say such things?"
The head wife said coldly: "Because I heard everything you told the witch in the backyard that day before you were taken away by the Jin Yiwei."
Yan Shifan almost stood up, then fell heavily on the car, his voice trembling.
"You...what did you hear?"
The wife's voice was filled with endless despair and sadness: "When my father-in-law received the order from the previous court, you went to the backyard to conspire with the witch.
I heard that the Ministry of Punishment and the Imperial Prison were robbed last night. This matter is extremely strange. It is uncertain whether the emperor will live or die this time.
You let the witch hide in a tree outside Xiyuan and spy on the monastery with a telescope. If you see your father-in-law kneeling with you, come back immediately and tell your mother-in-law.
He told his mother-in-law that only...only death can save the Yan family! Yan Shifan, are you still a human being? Are you still a human being? ah? "
Yan Shifan sighed: "Did you tell my father about this?"
The wife choked up and said, "How could I say this again when my father-in-law is so sad? Wouldn't that cost his life?"
The first wife walked into the backyard. Yan Shifan was stunned for a long time before heading towards the courtyard.
He waved his hand in the deep darkness and pushed the cart to Yan Song's yard.
